Ursi's Eso Garden

Chapter 1:
Some things are in our control and others not. Things in our control are opinion, pursuit, desire, aversion, and, in a word, whatever are our own actions. Things not in our control are body, property, reputation, command, and, in one word, whatever are not our own actions.

The things in our control are by nature free, unrestrained, unhindered; but those not in our control are weak, slavish, restrained, belonging to others. Remember, then, that if you suppose that things which are slavish by nature are also free, and that what belongs to others is your own, then you will be hindered. You will lament, you will be disturbed, and you will find fault both with gods and men. But if you suppose that only to be your own which is your own, and what belongs to others such as it really is, then no one will ever compel you or restrain you. Further, you will find fault with no one or accuse no one. You will do nothing against your will. No one will hurt you, you will have no enemies, and you not be harmed.

Aiming therefore at such great things, remember that you must not allow yourself to be carried, even with a slight tendency, towards the attainment of lesser things. Instead, you must entirely quit some things and for the present postpone the rest. But if you would both have these great things, along with power and riches, then you will not gain even the latter, because you aim at the former too: but you will absolutely fail of the former, by which alone happiness and freedom are achieved.

Kapitel 1:
Einige Dinge stehen in unserer Macht, andere hingegen nicht. In unserer Macht sind Urteil, Bestrebung, Begier und Abneigung, mit einem Wort alles das, was Produkt unseres Willens ist. Nicht in unserer Macht sind unser Leib, Besitz, Ehre, Amt, und alles was nicht unser Werk ist. Was in unserer Macht ist, ist seiner Natur gemäß frei, kann nicht verboten oder verhindert werden; was aber nicht in unserer Macht steht, ist knechtisch, kann verwehrt werden, gehört einem anderen zu.

Its famous Golden Pavilion (Kinkaku)—actually a pagoda made to house the sacred relics of the Buddha—has given this temple the popular name of Kinkaku-ji ("Temple of the Golden Pavilion"), however the official name of this temple of the Rinzai-sect Zen temple of Shôkoku-ji is Rokuon-ji. The temple was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994.

Photo Gallery

The temple of Shôkoku-ji, officially Mannenzan Shôkoku Joten Zenji, is the second of the Kyoto Gozan, the five leading Rinzai Zen temples in Kyoto during the medieval period. Tucked away into a quiet area in northern Kyoto, the silent remains of its original Entrance Gate (Sanmon) and Buddha Hall (Butsuden), now shaded with the intermingling branches of pine and cypress trees, remind the visitor of its former glory.

Our life experiences can be seen to fall into three interwovenarenas; the worlds of Social experience, Mythic experience,and Personal experience. These are of course, not separaterealms, but areas of experience which mesh together all thetime. Separating them into three regions allows us to examinethem, and in turn, gain insights into how each contributes tothe other.

The Social World: This is the everyday world of consensus reality - the conven-tions that we more or less agree to uphold with each other. Inthis world we take on various roles and play them in situationswhich are laid out to a set of ground rules. Understanding thesesocial rules and games enhances our ability to manage in thesocial world ...

I’m sure many, if not all, of you have heard about the cleansing of crystals and I think it would be irresponsible of me to not provide some information on this very important topic.

We collect baggage from all kinds of traumas and tragedies. Unless we go about our daily lives in an extremely conscious way, we also collect bits and pieces of ‘un-useful’ energy every day. Well, the same is true for our dear crystal friends. Some are exploded onto the surface of the Earth from deep within mines; most are thrown into a sea or road container for shipping at some stage of their journey. Some bear witness to violence and distress as well as to the wonders and bliss that we go through.

As can be seen in this gilt bronze figure, Korean figures of the Buddha tend to be simple in form and decoration, and the Buddha's robes fall with rhythmic folds. In many Korean Buddha figures, including this example, the head is slightly oversized in relation to the body, and the face is broad and slightly squared. Their faces generally appear gentle and calm, and they often display a slight smile, often called the "enigmatic" smile of the Buddha.

One notable feature of this image is the reverse of the swastika, called a sauvastika, on his chest. In Buddhism, the swastika is the symbol of the Buddha's universality and is believed to contain within it the whole mind of the Buddha.

The artworks soothe suffering, teach concepts, tell stories, aid meditation and prayer, and express devotion. Some are even designed to hasten release from the cycle of samsara, the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth.

Visions of Enlightenment: Understanding the Art of Buddhism provides educational resources that explore masterpieces of Buddhist art in the collection of the Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena, California.

Interactive in four parts:
• The Perfected One: The Buddha
• Compassionate Beings: Bodhisattvas, Deities,
Guartians, Holy Men
• Buddhist Places
• Signs, Symbols, Ritual Objects

Plus:
• An interactive Timeline and Map
• Multimedia Photo Essays
• Interactive Objects with Details
• A Fact or Fiction game

Have fun and explore!

Available as Flash and/or HTML version.

Eye Candy !

The strongest evidence so far that some crop circles are not man made was presented to a choice gathering at the Coronation Hall in Alton Barnes yesterday. Norwegian film maker Terje Toftenes presented the DVD he has made of the extraordinary circumstances surrounding the creation of a massive crop formation in East Field, Alton Barnes, on July 7.

Back From the Dead by Newsweek.
Doctors are reinventing how they treat sudden cardiac arrest, which is fatal 95 percent of the time. A report from the border between life and death.

With Gallery: Patients draw images of their near-death experiences.

Many of these instances (except perhaps, creative drama or thoughtful television), perpetuate a rather outdated view of tarot; a view that limits tarot to the realm of the occult, or mystical, or perhaps simply, the frivolous. Characters who use tarot are often involved in darker arts or religious practices, or they might be immature emotionally, asking questions that prove shallowness and gullability.

These portrayals miss the point. Sure, there are those who believe the tarot is a form of direct and unmistakeable communication with the divine, those who use tarot out of selfishness or the desire to have power over others, and those who limit their use of cards to focus on rather trivial issues in their personal lives. But there are also those who see the cards as a way of looking within, in a quest to know themselves more deeply, become better people, and ultimately to help improve the world they live in.

More: Tarot Today

Tarot of the Secret Forest