Shunyata: The True Nature of Reality (poem)

The wise Buddhist teacher,
Nagarjuna once said:
"To whomever emptiness is possible,
All things are possible."
That emptiness is known to Buddhists
as shunyata, which the Tibetans
know is free from permanence
and non-existence; indeed, it is
'empty' of permanence and
'empty' of non-existence.
Emptiness goes beyond nihilism and
eternalism, and thus is
the true nature of Reality.
Shunyata is like space,
the complete openness,
which allows anything to occur,
for reality is 'empty'
and not fixed in any way.
Thus, anything is possible.

The Three Factors of Adolescence

The following are notes made on Brent Cameron's interview with Joseph Chilton Pearce in March 2005 issue of Common Ground.

The adolescent's rapid physical development of the human brain itself occurs predominately in the pre-frontal lobes.

Along with the brain's growth spurt, which ends around age 21, comes the potential for:

1. A high sense of idealism
   
   • present models of idealism
     
   • occurs as early as ages 11-12
2. A sense of hidden greatness
   
   • the conviction that deep within the heart-mind is a core of self that is very great and that if people just realized how great they are, they would respect them.
3. The sense of great expectation
   
   • something tremendous is supposed to happen around the next corner or the next hill moment by moment
     
   • this is a heart-felt sense which will lead to their next stage of evolutionary development.

Commentary The interview makes the conjecture that public education tries to grow minds for university, not for human transcendence.

In doing so, the State might be sowing the seeds of discontent in its citizens.

For this is done for money, and not always for the benefit of the children.