The Best Health

The Kingdom of God

Like Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy, I know that the Kingdom of God is within me; so like Nebuchadnezzar I proclaim:

I raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives forever. His dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation. All the people of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: “What have you done?” At the same time that my sanity was restored, my honor and splendor were returned to me for the glory of my kingdom. My advisers and nobles sought me out, and I was restored to my throne and became even greater than before. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble” (Daniel 4: 34-37).

[Wow, I really have to share this with you; it's coming from deep within my being in the best way.]

Depicting the Kingdom of God as an all powerful rock that smashes previous kingdoms to bits makes sense biblically, poetically and scientifically. First, for true believers, since God is all powerful and all natural it makes sense that God establishes a kingdom that is a rock, which is a natural development akin to asteroids and the planets, that destroys everything that preceded it. Poetically it makes sense too, whether you are Lord Byron or not, that a rock—which in this case is both natural and ironically more powerful than the metallic kingdoms, and just appears miraculously—humbles the mighty civilizations of gold, silver, bronze and iron. The poet in me wishes that a part of the statue was steel, which surprisingly was present already in various parts of the world when Daniel was supposed to have lived, i.e. around 590 BC.

"Nebuchadnezzar II, also called King Nebuchadnezzar the Second (c 630-562 BC), was a ruler of Babylon in the Chaldean Dynasty, who reigned c. 605 BC-562 BC. He is mentioned in the Book of Daniel, and he constructed the Hanging Gardens of Babylon" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nebuchadnezzar_II).

"The earliest known production of steel is a piece of ironware excavated from an archaeological site in Anatolia and is about 4,000 years old.[17] Other ancient steel comes from East Africa, dating back to 1400 BC.[18] In the 4th century BC steel weapons like the Falcata were produced in the Iberian Peninsula, while Noric steel was used by the Roman military.[citation needed] The Chinese of the Warring States (403–221 BC) had quench-hardened steel,[19] while Chinese of the Han Dynasty (202 BC – 220 AD) created steel by melting together wrought iron with cast iron, gaining an ultimate product of a carbon-intermediate—steel by the 1st century AD[I would block quote this but am putting quotes just to make sure]"[20][21] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steel).

So I wonder where the United States and—even more problematically for the imagery of the statue—Latin America, the Commonwealth, and all post-Roman civilization(s) fit in?

According to my Student Bible, Rome was the final kingdom—before the Kingdom of God. The image of iron and clay symbolized the Roman Empire which practically speaking is now quite destroyed (Yancey and Stafford The Student Bible 907). So unless we shouldn’t read too much into the symbolism of the statue from Neb’s dream or we are in some inter-Kingdom limbo, there is no explanation for the current civilizations dominating the earth, because they sure aren’t the Kingdom of God, though they may contain aspects of it. Tolstoy might go further and say that since the Kingdom of God is within us, those who embrace this part of our being are already fulfilling the dream. For some believers, the current civilizations might be a step closer to the Kingdom of God because of all the monotheistic and Christian groups that are in them.

Finally, the dream makes sense scientifically, since most scientists—especially geologists, astronomers, and astrophysicists—believe that the earth and even our solar system are destined for a fiery destruction. The first component of this apocalypse, most likely via an asteroid like the one that—combined with volcanic eruptions—was supposed to have killed the dinosaurs, is predicted to leave the earth much like our sister planet Mars, a rocky barren landscape, in about 2 billion years (History of the Earth History Channel August 2009). Perhaps Neb’s dream was foreseeing this change. When our sun, which is one of millions of stars in our Milky Way among the billions in our universe(s)—yes that potential plural of universes is for the M theory loving nerd in me; Edward Witten and Brian Greene should be proud, and I deserve to get paid better for having such a great, hilarious, polymath mind, yeah “pay me, [Paul Ainsworth Francis],” like Kanye West says--implodes, or whatever it’s supposed to do when it dies, that’s a whole other story. Who knows? By then, due to Emergence, probably human beings will have evolved into some new form of life able to deal with the changes and/or have found new planets to exist on.

Oh and as far as the Bodhisattva vow to work for the Enlightenment of all sentient beings, I still see that as compatible and synonymous with the best of Christianity and thus the Kingdom of God. Otherwise though, I have to disavow any previous allegiance to idol-worshipping religions etc. But like Bob Marley, I know that “he who hides the wrong he did surely did the wrong thing still,” so I’m not going to erase what I wrote in previous blogs, etc. about the Buddhas (Marley “Mix Up, Mix Up”). Let’s just consider that phase as a detour that I took on my path back to the Kingdom of God. Alright, I’m doing my best, so I am exalting the Kingdom of God in the best way happily as “it will itself endure forever” (Daniel 2:44).

This is the End

So life is great. However my time in Hawai'i, from May 2009-July 2009, was extremely disappointing for me. I am focusing on reality. I am still shocked at how much better my experience in Hawai'i was in the summer of 2004. Numerically, 2009 was a 3/10 and 2004 was a 9.9/10.

I think one of the most questionable developments in my life since 2007—yes not having anything to do with Hawai'i necessarily—was my failed attempt at becoming a professional writer. I became so obsessed with the genius of Albert Camus, in particular, that I felt that my path should resemble his in a straightforward way. Quite frankly, I am leaving those delusions behind along with the ones that convinced me that I was going to become rich from Love and Life and/or my online work, beginning most tragically with my terrible applications of the advice from Holly Mann's Honest Riches, which a family member of mine badgered me into reading. I had a bad feeling about it from the start and should have trusted my instincts which had gotten me to erase the first blog that I had on Friendster in 2005. At this stage deleting all of my online presence seems excessive but is extremely tempting. Quite honestly, I have wasted so much time and energy on trying to succeed with blogs and websites that if anyone actually reads this, I hope that you don't follow my terribly frustrating example. Even doing my best to apply Bill Gates' advice for several months has only helped me to cut costs and indulge some of my desires (not very consistently with the latter by the way, except for skateboarding). So as far as I'm concerned, this is the end of my online work without profits. Peace. Fin.

Practice the Bodhisattva Vow

Wow, I am blessed to be on this path; it includes having discovered the Bodhisattva Vow: to work for the benefit of all beings until every one of us is Enlightened. Now here's a real mind bender, Beastie Boys have a song entitled Bodhisattva Vow, which I discovered quite easily with a keyword search. The lyrics are great. God bless the internet.

As I Develop The Awakening Mind I Praise The Buddha[s] As They Shine
I Bow Before You As I Travel My Path To Join Your Ranks,
I Make My Full Time Task
For The Sake Of All Beings I Seek
The Enlightened Mind That I Know I'll Reap
Respect To Shantideva And All The Others
Who Brought Down The Darma For Sisters And Brothers
I Give Thanks For This World As A Place To Learn
And For This Human Body That I'm Glad To Have Earned
And My Deepest Thanks To All Sentient Beings
For Without Them There Would Be No Place To Learn What I'm Seeing
There's Nothing Here That's Not Been Said Before
But I Put It Down Now So I'll Be Sure
To Solidify My Own Views And I'll Be Glad If It Helps
Anyone Else Out Too
If Others Disrespect Me Or Give Me Flack
I'll Stop And Think Before I React =
Knowing That They're Going Through Insecure Stages
I'll Take The Opportunity To Exercise Patience
I'll See It As A Chance To Help The Other Person
Nip It In The Bud Before It Can Worsen
A Change For Me To Be Strong And Sure
As I Think On The Buddhas Who Have Come Before
As I Praise And Respect The Good They've Done
Knowing Only Love Can Conquer In Every Situation
We Need Other People In Order To Create
The Circumstances For The Learning That We're Here To Generate
Situations That Bring Up Our Deepest Fears
So We Can Work To Release Them Until They're Cleared
Therefore, It Only Makes Sense
To Thank Our Enemies Despite Their Intent
The Bodhisattva Path Is One Of Power And Strength
A Strength From Within To Go The Length
Seeing Others Are As Important As Myself
I Strive For A Happiness Of Mental Wealth
With The Interconnectedness That We Share As One
Every Action That We Take Affects Everyone
So In Deciding For What A Situation Calls
There Is A Path For The Good For All
I Try To Make My Every Action For That Highest Good
With The Altruistic Wish To Achieve Buddhahood
So I Pledge Here Before Everyone Who's Listening
To Try To Make My Every Action For The Good Of All Beings
For The Rest Of My Lifetimes And Even Beyond
I Vow To Do My Best To Do No Harm
And In Times Of Doubt I Can Think On The Dharma
And The Enlightened Ones Who've Graduated Samsara
(http://www.lyricsdepot.com/beastie-boys/bodhisattva-vow.html).

"Bodhisattva Vow (song)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
For other uses, see Bodhisattva vow (disambiguation).
“Bodhisattva Vow”
Song by Beastie Boys
Album Ill Communication
Genre Hip hop
Length 3:08
Label Capitol Records
Ill Communication track listing
"Shambala'"
(18) “Bodhisattva Vow”
(19) "Song for Junior"
(20)


Bodhisattva Vow is the 19th track on the Beastie Boys Album Ill Communication Funds generated from the track were put towards the Free Tibet movement. Although it is credited as being by the Beastie Boys, it is specifically by MCA concerning his Buddhist faith.

It takes its name from the Bodhisattva vow taken by Mahayana Buddhists" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodhisattva_Vow_(song)).

Practice the Bodhisattva Vow; I'm doing the best work for us, as I forward and practice the Bodhisattva Vow. I big up Ziggy Marley, Jack Johnson, Adam Yauch and the rest of the best Bodhisattvas.

"Doctrine

Few things can be said with certainty about Mahayana Buddhism, especially its early Indian form, other than that the Buddhism practiced in China, Vietnam, Korea, Tibet, and Japan is Mahayana Buddhism.[53][54] Mahayana can be described as a loosely bound bundle of many teachings, which was thus able to contain the various contrasting ideas found between those differing teachings of whose elements it is comprised.[55]

Mahayana is a large religious and philosophical structure. It constitutes an inclusive faith characterized by the adoption of new Mahayana sutras in addition to the earlier Agama texts, and a shift in the basic purpose and concepts of Buddhism. Mahayana sees itself as penetrating further and more profoundly into the Buddha's Dharma. There is a tendency in Mahayana sutras to regard adherence to Mahayana sutras as generating spiritual benefits greater than those which arise from being a follower of the non-Mahayana approaches to Dharma. Thus the Srimala Sutra claims that the Buddha said that devotion to Mahayana is inherently superior in its virtues to the following of the Sravaka or Pratyekabuddha path.[56]
Buddha Amithaba in Tibetan Buddhism, traditional Thanka painting.

Mahayana Buddhist schools de-emphasize the ideal of the release from Suffering and the attainment of Nirvana, found in the Early Buddhist Schools. The fundamental principles of Mahayana doctrine were based around the possibility of universal liberation from suffering for all beings (hence "great vehicle") and the existence of Buddhas and Bodhisattva embodying Buddha-nature (佛性). Some Mahayana schools simplify the expression of faith by allowing salvation to be alternatively obtained through the grace of the Buddha Amitabha (अमिताभ) by having faith and devoting oneself to chanting to Amitabha. This devotional lifestyle of Buddhism is most strongly emphasized by the Pure Land schools and has greatly contributed to the success of Mahayana in East Asia, where spiritual elements traditionally relied upon chanting of a Buddha's name, of mantras or dharanis; reading of Mahayana sutras and mysticism. In Chinese Buddhism, most monks, let alone lay people, practise Pure Land, some combining it with Chan (Zen).[57]

Most Mahayana schools believe in a pantheon of quasi-divine Bodhisattvas (बोधिसत्त्व) that devote themselves to personal excellence, ultimate knowledge, and the salvation of humanity and all other sentient beings (animals, ghosts, demigods, etc.). Zen Buddhism is a school of Mahayana which often de-emphasizes the pantheon of Bodhisattvas and instead focuses on the meditative aspects of the religion. In Mahayana, the Buddha is seen as the ultimate, highest being, present in all times, in all beings, and in all places, and the Bodhisattvas come to represent the universal ideal of altruistic excellence.

Mahayana Buddhism can in general be characterized by:

* Universalism, in that, in those schools of Mahayana that still have large followings, everyone will become a Buddha (see, for example, the Lotus Sutra);
* Bodhicitta as the main focus of realization (see, for example, the Nirvana Sutra and various Prajnaparamita Sutras);
* Compassion through the transferral of merit;
* Transcendental immanence, in that the immortal Buddha Principle (see, for example, Buddha-nature, Mahaparinirvana Sutra, Angulimaliya Sutra, Srimala Sutra, Tathagatagarbha Sutra) is present within all beings.

“Philosophical” Mahayana tends to focus on the first three characteristics (universalism, enlightened wisdom, compassion) and, in some schools, the Buddha-nature, without showing much interest in supernatural constructions, while “devotional” Mahayana focuses mainly on salvation towards other-worldly realms (see, for example, the Sukhavati sutras).

…Because the Mahayana traditions assert that eventually everyone will achieve samyaksam (buddhahood) or total enlightenment, the Mahayana is labeled universalist, whereas the stance of the early scriptures is that attaining nibbana depends on effort and is not pre-determined.

Bodhisattva
The later Mahayana school holds that pursuing only the release from suffering and attainment of Nirvana (as held by Pre-sectarian Buddhism and the Early Buddhist Schools) is too narrow an aspiration, because it lacks the motivation of actively resolving to liberate all other beings from samsara, as well as oneself.
The primary focus of some Mahayana schools is bodhicitta, the vow to strive for buddhahood or awakened mind both for oneself and for the benefit of all other sentient beings. As Ananda Coomaraswamy notes, "The most essential part of the Mahanyana is its emphasis on the Bodhisattva ideal, which replaces the Arhatta, or ranks before it."[60] According to Mahayana teachings, being a high-level bodhisattva involves possessing a mind of great compassion conjoined with insight into reality (prajna), realizing emptiness and/or the buddhic essence of all things. Mahayana teaches that the practitioner will realize the final goal of full Awakening (Buddhahood): an omniscient, blissful mind completely free from suffering and its causes, that is able to work tirelessly for the benefit of all living beings.
Six virtues or perfections (paramitas) are listed for the bodhisattva: generosity, morality, patience, energy, meditation, and wisdom" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahayana).

Succeed Best

We--the best sinequanonologists--and I succeed best; we--the best sinequanonologists--and I have the best successes: Please Advertise on Friendbliss Everyday!

Practical Implications for the World

We must begin at the most formative stages in human development in our societies in order to solve the entire world’s problems in the best way—thus in a fecund and successful way. In other words, we must address the differences that emerge among human beings that have created systemically opposed classes and groups and the concurrent inequity in the socialization and education of youth in our societies. It behooves us to create more capable citizens by investing more money and time in impoverished areas that require them the most. I believe that we will have a good start in achieving these goals by making K-12 teaching one of the top ten most competitive and well-paid occupations, especially in impoverished areas. If we choose to look at our society as an organic whole in which a problem in one area affects all others, then like any efficient organism we must focus energy on fixing those parts that are not working well.

Also, I think that we should provide financial incentives for good parents. For example, parents whose children do well consistently in academics (especially science, mathematics, and computer programming), arts, sports and other areas that are assessed by educators should be rewarded with tax breaks and other federally endowed benefits. We need to overhaul K-12 education in the best way and maintain a focus on training in information technology and related areas that have proven dynamic in producing growth in the world’s economies.

We should create a grassroots-based initiative and network that trains couples seeking to be parents intensively over the course of a year and in a follow-up program for the rest of their lives after the year of training and birth of the child. Graduates of this program will be able to provide their child or children of their first pregnancy with the financial equivalent of the education, health care, services, and other resources that people currently making at least $75,000 U.S. dollars per year—according to 2004 monetary exchange and inflation standards after taxes—are able to provide a single child of their own with. Still, there would have to be a clear limit on this. This program should only provide such benefits for the child or children—e.g. twins—created by one pregnancy and encourage the parents to use birth control to prevent any further pregnancies unless they are professionally, financially, and emotionally capable of providing for more children equally well without any subsidies.

We should strive to bolster and promote currently effective educational programs, such as the KIPP Academies. This requires consistent financial support for these programs. I am an advocate for restructuring much of the dysfunctional parts of the socio-economic system of America, and in most of the world’s countries, as optimally as we can. Most importantly all concerned people must work to create a holistic space that fosters open discourse in regard to these issues. We must expose the most true and sine qua non processes at work in the legal system and all connected areas of social life—for example education and work—in an effort to significantly improve our societies’ people, institutions, and the happiness and well-being of all members of our societies as much as possible and as soon as possible, including now.

An important aspect of achieving these goals will require calculating the sustainable amount of income and resources per year equally for each person and family. The equations needed to do this are available. Basically, for income this requires making a precise estimate of the amount of liquid money in the world per year as long as human beings are predicted to live (refined by taking into account the use of barter systems in many third world economies and the prevalence of black market financial exchanges) and then dividing this by the number of people that the earth can optimally sustain per year as long as human beings are predicted to live on earth; this will yield the gross amount of income available equally to every individual. Available income is directly dependent on the availability of resources.

Studies such as the Millenium Ecosystem Assessment (Island Press, World Resources Institute and www.milleniumassessment.org 2005) have made great strides in explaining the extent of our deficit in the struggle to make human life on earth increasingly sustainable. Scientists have revealed [quote millenium assessment pdf]...Thus we know the limits of our resources on this earth. Thus individually and collectively like any fit organism or group from the same species found in nature if equipped with the natural drive to survive and compelling information about the best path to take to ensure that survival, so too should all mentally and physically fit human beings strive to make the best choices for the fecund well-being of ourselves individually and for our entire species. In this way, once we know the gross and the net amount of income available to everyone in the world, we can then work to adjust our behavior, especially in terms of sexual reproduction and consumption, to optimize the lives of all human beings.

It is imperative that we educate as many of the world’s female human beings, especially young girls, so that they will become empowered and make choices that will improve their own lives and those of any potential offspring. Clearly, many, including Malthus, have sought to improve human society by arguing for example that only people, specifically men at that time, with a certain minimum level of wealth should ever consider marrying and having children. The difference between such philosophies and arguments and the agenda connected to sinequanonological thought is that the sinequanonological ones provide a far more comprehensive and sustainable model.

[We should strive to bolster and promote currently effective sinequanonological information technology for the best people like Friendbliss. This requires consistent financial support for these networks.]

Moreover in returning to the importance of Theories of Everything (T.O.E’s)—including M Theory—and their ontological focus, we see that the nature and course of human reproduction, our interaction with our native planet, and ultimately evolution have clear implications for any inquiry into the workings of the universe. Even the development of human cognition bears tremendous value for sinequanonology. What role does the unconscious mind play in our unfolding daily realities? This is a question for psychology. Exploring the power and limits of the human mind and increasingly of computers and machines possessing artificial intelligence has direct epistemological significance for sinequanonology and all other intellectual disciplines and sciences.

Best Activities: Orienteering, camping, rockclimbing, surfing, swimming (especially long distance), skateboarding, snowboarding, sailing, soccer, basketball, tennis, golf, polo (water and horse), horseback riding, and music (especially playing instruments and singing, preferably with professional coaching at varying points)

Best books: Africa in History, Business @ The Speed of Thought, the best of Vandana Shiva (especially Biopiracy, Water Wars, and Earth Democracy), Computer Programming Books, Math and Science Books, Business Books, Succeeding Against the Odds, Love and Life, Titans of the B.E. 100s, the best of Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill's work (e.g. Utilitarianism and Other Essays), The End of Poverty, The Muqaddimah of Ibn Khaldun (Arabic: مقدّمة ابن خلدون), The Elegant Universe, Living to Tell About It

Big Up Barack Obama; Yes We Can and Do Have the Best Legacy!

November 4, 2008 was a day of tremendous significance; I mean it's just great. Barack Obama and the tremendous energy created by us as we celebrate this victory is transforming the world in the best way. I'm really happy for Obama and his family (though my heart goes out to them too as they mourn the death of his grandmother); this is a very important time in our existence on this planet. Let's remember that we are all human beings--members of the same species--and let's focus on working successfully to improve our lives in the best way. As Obama said in his speech:

"This victory alone is not the change we seek. It is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were.

It can't happen without you, without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice.

So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility, where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves but each other."

The Best

"Create the best. The best hotels and clubs and airlines never go bankrupt. The best always succeeds."
(Richard Charles Branson)

"I create the best gainfully, happily and profitably now and for the rest of my life."
(Paul Ainsworth Francis)

"If you bet big, though, only a few of these risks have to succeed to provide for your future."
(William Henry Gates)

"I want to make six million euros or better every month I am alive and deposit these euros into my bank account(s) and give half or more of it away so that every good person in the world succeeds best; we have to live communally in the best way, thus improving upon the standards of The Utopian Intentional Community of Damanhur. "Nobody owns anything and everything is free." (Jack Johnson "Let it be Sung"). I want to have a life better than Jack Johnson, the singer and surfer, living in a land of Tropical Paradise, for example Jamaica (my native land and birthright), Hawai'i, or Mustique, in a beautiful house with a pool, a champa, hammocks, and a fecund, organic farm/ranch with great riding horses, near the beach, but safe enough away in case of hurricanes and thus about 1 mile away from the actual beach, on a high plateau or better; I want to spend my days writing, playing guitar, surfing, skateboarding, making love to my sexy, sane galfriend (perhaps in time we'll get married), practicing LOHAS, and breathing gainfully."
(Paul Ainsworth Francis)



http://new.music.yahoo.com/videos/JackJohnson/Let-It-Be-Sung--37320213;_ylt=AnYlRbWCEMNUGZSViL8EyLgwtCUv