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Saturday, 03/03/01 (part 2)

A real sign

Gloria:
Seen driving past this motel/restaurant....

Maids Wanted
Pigs in the Blanket
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Why meditate?

Cyber Dervish:

Another extract from Metta Zetty's site.

"A student approached his master with excitement,
relating the "revelations" he had experienced. The
guru replied, quietly, "Never mind. Just get back to
your meditation, and they will go away." "

So what is the meditation for in the first place and
what need is there for further meditation?

Tim:
This means that spiritual experiences do not
indicate any enlightenment. They can be a sort
of marker or goalpost along the way, but the trouble
is people get attached to an experience or
revelation and want to repeat it, or cling to it.

In that way it interferes with further meditation,
because as long as clinging or wanting to repeat an
experience is happening, real meditation is blocked.

Most Gurus will either react in the way the above Guru
did, or they'll say "OK, it is a sign of progress, but
forget it and resume meditating as soon as possible,"
depending on the particular Guru and how he interacts.
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The Emperor's new clothes

Cyber Dervish:
Any comments on this:

I feel at times that I am enlightened, but at other
times I just feel like the same old fearful, ego-centered
putz. ~ Reader [Metta Zetty's site]

Not really related to above statement what about
"the emperors new clothes" syndrome?


Tim:
Just a clue --

An "I" never gets enlightened ...

because "I" is a feeling of "centrality" or "false center" ...

And "enlightenment" is lack of that particular contraction,

Lack of the idea "I exist as a separate entity."


So "feeling like I am enlightened" could mean anything,

but by no means does it indicate "enlightenment."

Namaste,

Omkara

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Nike

Mark:
Hi Folks,

speaking of nondual activism, this reminds me of the
Lazlo Letters, butwith a bit more bite...

Nike now lets you personalize your shoes by
submitting a word or phrase which they will stitch
onto your shoes, under the swoosh. So Jonah
Peretti filled out the form and sent them $50 to stitch
"sweatshop" onto his shoes. Here's the responses
he got... fun and games with Nike...

From: "Personalize, NIKE iD" < nikeid_personalize
@nike.com mailto:nikeid_personalize@nike.com
To: "'Jonah H. Peretti'" < peretti@media.mit.edu
mailto:peretti@media.mit.edu> >
Subject: RE: Your NIKE iD order o16468000
Your NIKE iD order was cancelled for one or more
of the following reasons:

1) Your Personal iD contains another party's
trademark or otherintellectual property
2) Your Personal iD contains the name of an athlete
or team we do not have the legal right to use
3) Your Personal iD was left blank. Did you
not want any personalization?
4) Your Personal iD contains profanity or
inappropriate slang, and besides,your mother would
slap us. If you wish to reorder your NIKE iD product with
a new personalization please visit us again at
www.nike.com Thank you, NIKE iD

From: "Jonah H. Peretti"
<peretti@media.mit.edu>
To: "Personalize, NIKE iD"
<nikeid_personalize@nike.com>
Subject: RE: Your NIKE iD order o16468000

Greetings,
My order was canceled but my personal NIKE iD
does not violate any of the criteria outlined in your
message. The Personal iD on my custom
ZOOM XC running shoes was the word "sweatshop.
"Sweatshop is not:
1) another's party's trademark,
2) the name of an athlete,
3) blank, or
4) profanity.
I choose the iD because I wanted to remember the
toil and labor of the children that made my shoes.
Could you please ship them to me immediately.
Thanks and Happy New Year,
Jonah Peretti

From: "Personalize, NIKE iD"
<nikeid_personalize@nike.com>
To: "'Jonah H. Peretti'"
<peretti@media.mit.edu>
Subject: RE: Your NIKE iD order o16468000

Dear NIKE iD Customer,
Your NIKE iD order was cancelled because the iD
you have chosen contains, as stated in the previous
e-mail correspondence, "inappropriate slang". If you
wish to reorder your NIKE iD product with a new
personalization please visit us again at nike.com
Thank you, NIKE iD

From: "Jonah H. Peretti"
<peretti@media.mit.edu>
To: "Personalize, NIKE iD"
<nikeid_personalize@nike.com>
Subject: RE: Your NIKE iD order o16468000

Dear NIKE iD,
Thank you for your quick response to my inquiry
about my custom ZOOM XC running shoes. Although
I commend you for your prompt customer service,
I disagree with the claim that my personal iD was
inappropriate slang. After consulting Webster's
Dictionary, I discovered that "sweatshop" is in fact
part of standard English, and not slang. The
word means: "a shop or factoryin which workers are
employed for long hours at low wages and under
unhealthy conditions" and its origin dates from 1892.
So my personal iD does meet the criteria detailed
in your first email. Your web site advertises that
the NIKE iD program is "about freedom to choose
and freedom to express who you are." I share Nike's
love of freedom and personal expression. The site
also says that "If you want it done right...build it
yourself." I was thrilled to be able to build my own
shoes, and my personal iD was offered as a small
token of appreciation for the sweatshop workers
poised to help me realize my vision. I hope that you
will value my freedom of expression and reconsider
your decision to reject my order.
Thank you, Jonah Peretti

From: "Personalize, NIKE iD"
<nikeid_personalize@nike.com>
To: "'Jonah H. Peretti'" <peretti@media.mit.edu>
Subject: RE: Your NIKE iD order o16468000

Dear NIKE iD Customer,
Regarding the rules for personalization it also states
on the NIKE> iD web site that "Nike reserves the
right to cancel any personal iD up to 24 hours after
it has been submitted". In addition, it further explains:
"While we honor most personal iDs, we cannot honor
every one. Some may be (or contain) other's
trademarks, or the names of certain professional
sports teams, athletes or celebrities that Nike does
not have the right to do not want to place on our
products. Unfortunately, at times this obliges us
to decline personal iDs that may otherwise seem
unobjectionable. In any event, we will let you know
if we decline your personal iD, and we will offer you
the chance to submit another." With these rules in
mind, we cannot accept your order as submitted. If
you wish to reorder your NIKE iD product with a new
personalization please visit us again at www.nike.com
Thank you, NIKE iD

From: "Jonah H. Peretti"
<peretti@media.mit.edu>
To: "Personalize, NIKE iD"
<nikeid_personalize@nike.com>
Subject: RE: Your NIKE iD order o16468000
Dear NIKE iD,
Thank you for the time and energy you have spent
on my request. I have decided to order the shoes
with a different iD, but I would like to make
one small request. Could you please send me
a color snapshot of the ten-year-old Vietnamese
girl who makes my shoes?
Thanks, Jonah Peretti
<no response>

As one forwarder writes:
... this will now go round the world much farther
and faster than any of the adverts they paid Michael
Jordan more than the entire wage packet
of all their sweatshop workers in the world to do...
I normally avoid making a plea to pass on these things,
but this time I say: JUST DO IT

Sarlo:
Thanks for this little tale. This is the power of one.
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Just something

Omkara-Tim:

Mankind - Invocation
--------------------

Insomuch as the satisfaction of desires
are as close to peace as some may get,
As close to bliss as some may get,
As close to understanding as some may get...

May there be infinite compassion,
Unbounded love,
Unending patience --

Insomuch as the satisfaction of desires
are as close to peace as some may get,
As close to bliss as some may get,
As close to understanding as some may get...

That I may aid to the fullest
in the satisfaction of those small desires
that dwell in the hearts of men and women.

A song offered freely,
A good wish offered gently,
Financial aid offered selflessly,
A gentle nudge offered with reverence.

... Omkara ...

end part 2

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