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#2564 - Friday, August 25, 2006 - Editor: Jerry Katz

--A link to a cool Advaita video at youtube.com.  

--An excerpt from Surfing and the Meaning of Life.  

--Part of an interview with Brendan McCarthy, revealing that the teaching of nonduality is further creeping into mass consciousness.  

--A short piece by Gabriel Rosenstock.    

Consciousness - an animation of Spirit  

"This is a very cool original animation by Louis Lefebvre which chronicles the evolution of Consciousness from its inanimate state into human form and then back through spiritual seeking to Oneness. Its inspiration is the spiritual teaching of Wayne Liquorman and Ramesh S. Balsekar."

http://youtube.com/watch?v=hwyuQbIb0Xs    

Photo of book cover. Link to book at amazon.com: http://snipurl.com/vhws  

Surfing and the Meaning of Life  

http://www.globalsurfnews.com/news.asp?Id_news=23301  

Can you match the quote with the quoter? These answers – and indeed, all the answers – can be found in Surfing and the Meaning of Life, released by Voyageur Press.

1. I think I’m just like anybody. I like to go out when it’s nice and round and just try to get barreled. You know. That’s what I want to do all day. I don’t really care about anything else.

2. Out of the water, I am nothing.

3. I could not help concluding this man felt the most supreme pleasure while he was driven on so smoothly by the sea.

4. All I need are some tasty waves and a cool buzz and I’m fine.

5. I cannot live in the northern hemisphere. I must live back, back into time where all these animals, all this sea life, all the oysters, shellfish, crustaceans, everything is part of the smell; everything has to come into the focus of the whole experience. If you don’t understand, you only pretend; you’re only a pretender. The whole magnificence of riding waves is… that living being. The communication between you and the whole existence of reality on this planet.

6. It’s an insatiable desire.

7. I have to overcome that safety mechanism that wants to rise up in me and to keep me from doing something that could kill me.

8. If you can’t have a spectacular ride, have a spectacular wipeout. It’s good for the sport.

9. Adrenaline is a funny drug.

10. Everything’s okay until it isn’t. 

A. Duke Kahanamoku
B. Miki Dora
C. Jeff Spicoli
D. Tom Curren
E. Captain James Cook
F. Kelly Slater.
G. Dr. Sarah Gerhardt
H. Brock Little.
I. Roger Erickson
J. Martin Potter

Brendan McCarthy is an influential, highly regarded British artist and designer best known for his work in comic books, film and television: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brendan_McCarthy  

The following is extracted from an interview with McCarthy appearing at http://dogmatika.com/dm/features_more.php?id=2057_0_5_0_M  

This is nominally for a literary website, so, read any good books lately?

I tend to read non-fiction. So I've been reading lots of books on subjects I may want to create stories about in the future: I'm specifically interested in Advaita (non-duality, Zen "no-mind"), altered states, 'deep politics', dreaming, nano-technology, alternative technology, mythology etc.

Seen any good movies lately? I'm guessing seeing a big event movie like Pirates of the Caribbean 2 would leave you thinking, "Ooh, look at the conceptual artwork on that," and little else.

The big problem with those kinds of movies is that they are generally so poorly written that in the end, the production design is all you're looking at. I have found most of those new 'tentpole' movies to be completely flabby and a real chore to sit through... I thought Superman Returns was deeply tedious.

The most interesting thing about Superman for me was that they couldn't bring themselves to actually say "... and the American Way." Because it now stands for torture, war, brutality and stupidity. Not Truth, nor Justice. It's significant, because it feels like his era has passed...

The problem with a character like Superman is that he could impose world peace in a day if he wanted to. So why doesn't he do it? That's why the (very beautiful) All Star Superman comic by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely is essentially, nostalgic.

And along those lines, how's life in Hollywood? All unremitting glamour, or too damned hot and no Marmite?

Please understand that Hollywood is just an imaginary place of "glamour", a dream state created by some very disturbed and sociopathic people over the years. That's why it's full of lawyers! I am here to see if I can sell some film projects I've created. That's all. It's just an "industry town" and instead of cars, they make films. Because of the big money and 'prestige', it also attracts lots of insane and insecure people. Otherwise, apart from the pleasant weather, Hollywood itself has little to offer. But Los Angeles has its own art and music scene with a big Latino influence, which I find pretty interesting. And, to be fair, being here has inspired my new mega-pitch: Hollywood Blandroid.

And in closing, what are your thoughts on the current state of the comics industry at the moment?

I have to say, I feel like producing some good new British comics work. Isn't it astonishing that there is no decent comic platform in the UK, other than dear old 2000AD, which has, it seems, become a promotional tool for the games industry and it's lost its former cultural relevance.

Just think about the sheer talent located in the UK... Imagine a UK produced monthly comic, with a good rights deal, with creator-owned stories that could be reprinted in the USA or Europe, made into movies, games, etc, from people like Alan Moore, John Wagner, Grant Morrison, Garth Ennis, Mark Millar, Peter Milligan, Warren Ellis, Neil Gaiman... and drawn by say, Kev O'Neill, Frank Quitely, Bryan Hitch, Jamie Hewlett, Dave Gibbons, Brian Bolland, Shakey Kane, just to name a random bunch of outstanding talents. What an amazing outlet that would be.... It's something I'd like to try and get together at some point, maybe as an editor, but definitely as a contributor.      

Photo of book cover. Link to amazon.com: http://snipurl.com/vhwq

I have been reading a book which is an antidote to many of today’s ills. It is How to be Idle by Tom Hodgkinson. If you are lucky enough to know what it is to be truly idle, don’t take the trouble to order the book.

In the true and noble spirit of idleness I looked for haiku to reflect this mood, this glorious inactivity. A good example is the following from Yu Chang:

outdoor lecture -

a sparrow

takes my students away.

This is lovely. The students are doing what is perfectly natural ... dreaming, idling. Anything will take them away from the abstract – the lecture – to the real, in this case a sparrow.

Someone should produce an anthology of haiku called In Praise of Idleness. Haiku lends itself more to idleness than to the white Protestant work ethic. Maybe the day will dawn – or is this just an idle dream -  when all of us will have become too idle to make war ...

--Gabriel Rosenstock

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