The focus of buddhism is liberation, of Taoism, progressive liberation. Zen is a dressage event, the best possible practise of, buddhism and Taoism. In buddhism, are the practioners not the 'gods?' Godhood is for everyone, christianity gives up the moment that it starts. Heaven on earth is the be all and end all honoured by the stages of liberation that assures we are alone, sole custodians. The risk of committing our tenure of earth to a dead prophet and using centuries old dogma to back this suicidely foolhardy 'endorsement', is criminal at the very least. Righteousness is the soother of all christians and they have massively re-inforced positions. Am I the anti-christ? You decide.

Z.

To my knowledge, the longest marriages occur between protagonists whose parents live the longest marriages. So where is the science that politicians boost prolonged marriages to the max, as in policies about family welfare? And this lends itself to social bonding? I agree. Love between a man and a woman and their children and wider still, binds society together. I am cool about non-heterosexual couples but fail to accept they can help bonding, not in a family way. I also doubt how society can really benefit from single parent families - (picture this:) - an anarchist who is conservative about very strong family values. My own family is a progressive workshop that never sees itself as something so constructive. Sometimes we affirm some boundaries and new ideas, we squabble and mess up too. Luck is on my heels and punishes the simplest slip - for me there is much to lose.

Z.

There is a load of non-sequitors that disprove christianity. Why on earth would a god only vouch for 2000 years until some dead jew returned in character to snatch a whole race from the jaws of oblivion? Gods that I think about are boundless and limitless, precise in their interventions and totally in control. Is the free will it gives us just a tree with rough bark so we can scratch our backs? And famously, the implicit threat that were we (humans) to abandon this god, somehow it would abandon us to Sodom and Gommorah and we would dwell in the house of the devil forever. Any god I might imagine must be infinitly more compassionate than me. I forgive more assholes than that every day. Sorry jesus christ, the figures don't add up. There's no forgiveness, there's no second coming, bloody fanfares and beatific cheribums drapped over the pig pens. Live long and prosper, spook.

Z.

NICELY...

From being a xenophobic, misanthropic, mistrustful guy, I swore to fucknosewho that I would assess the various benefits of ditching my grouchiness. It didn't stop me from thinking nearly all the people I have met are either stupid or malevolent. That is where naivety ends and good old 'fuckmesideways' cynicism begins. Stupid fuckers want to destroy my planet. Where are the fucking factories making cheese and bread in huge vats? Churning out the engine oil and anti-freeze? Who the fuck agreed that all these greedy fuckers got born into my planet? They know how to smile and firmly believe that ignorance is bliss. Take your fucking share of the blame you cunts. You fucking deserve what your gonna get.

Z.

Loving kindness and non-attachment

Great noises about the stormy calm of many nirvanas. It takes poverty to show the folly of striving and craving and paranoiac social phobia to make loving kindness a virtue that doesn't crave conspicuity. 30 years of constantly raking over the embers in the hearth to practice consistently non-attachment and loving kindness. Not to any degree, only passing clouds by the sky orange red on the horizon that kindles the fire morning and night.

Z

The valley of the shadow of death

I got to thinking about the nature of death once again to day. It is puzzling that it seems there is a photographic negative nature about being alive one second and dead the next. As I pass the infamous threshold, existence stops, instantly every event and dreary moment never was with me as my own protagonist ended in less than a second and never ever was. Unless as a memory to those who remain, a partial glimpse but not me to me. In truth I disappear right up my rectum in less time than it takes to pass the vale of death.

Next thing, the ugly reality of myself holding on too tight, viz, me being pissed if, while doing some neat post, my crappy laptop crashes, losing one hour of rantings. So should I give a shit?? 'Don't worry about a ting.' Nothing on earth of a nature of personal business is ultimately a reason for panic. Even death. Yes life is a gas but it does not have to be a fetishistic idol we all dance around like cute bunnies or puppy dogs.

Death is a backlit huge monolith, shone upon by a light behind it necessary to create a shadow within which is my demi-lit life that wholly un-exists as I enter the cool dense marble of the cool reality of being dead and never having lived.

What must be the light shining on the backside of death that created a valley through which I happily, sadly, pass?

Z