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The hard-rock band Nothing More features a bit of Watts in the song "Ships In The Night," the second half of this music video: https://youtu.be/lR4yR_rjhEg http

The hard-rock band Nothing More features a bit of Watts in the song "Ships In The Night," the second half of this music video: https://youtu.be/lR4yR_rjhEg https://youtu.be/lR4yR_rjhEg I recommend not watching the actual video; I really detest the dark imagery and lyrics of rock music and worry about how such imagery affects people, even in a subtle manner. (In Buddhism (perhaps primarily in Theravada) there is the notion of "guarding the sense doors," being careful about what one allows into their head. I enjoy the music in spite of that, but the imagery I think is problematic.)

kordlessagain 4y ago
Guarding the sense doors can be done by sitting in a cave on the side of a mountain. Buddha saw this as useful, for a time, until he realized that coming back and sharing what he gleaned while sitting as also useful. He about died in a river heading back into town, after deciding to end his ascetic lifestyle (and get a bite to eat). His discovery was more or less about how practicing a good balance between asceticism and sensual indulgence leads to a means of escape through realizing the Four Noble truths: 1. Dukkha: An innate characteristic of existence in the realm of samsara; it is the constant cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. 2. Samudaya: The cause and origin of dukkha through tanha. Tanha can be seen as the factor tying us to dukkha, or as a response to dukkha, trying to escape it. It is the result of our unguarded sensory contact with the world, which gives rise to craving and attachment to impermanent states and things. 3. Nirodha: Translated as "cessation," "ending," or "confinement." In the context of the Four Noble Truths, it refers to the idea that dukkha can be ended or contained by renouncing or letting go of tanha. 4. Magga: The path leading to the confinement of tanha and dukkha. The path consists right understanding (Samma ditthi), right thought (Samma sankappa), right speech (Samma vaca), right action (Samma kammanta), right livelihood (Samma ajiva), right effort (Samma vayama), right mindfulness (Samma sati), and right concentration (Samma samadhi). Now we ask GPT-3 about something very specific using the above as a prompt: Human> Theorize on the loss of the ability to recall imagery and audio, in mind, in the population as related to the path in Buddhism. GPT-3> There is no real answer to this question as it is purely speculative. However, one could theorize that the loss of the ability to recall imagery and audio could be related to the path in Buddhism in a few different ways. First, it could be argued that the loss of these abilities is a result of the practice of mindfulness and concentration. When one is focused on the present moment and not letting their mind wander, they may be less likely to remember things from the past. Additionally, it could be argued that the loss of these abilities is a result of the practice of renunciation. When one is trying to let go of attachment to things in the world, they may be less likely to hold on to memories of past experiences. Finally, it could be argued that the loss of these abilities is a result of the practice of right effort. If one is constantly trying to improve their mental state and focus on the present moment, they may eventually lose track of memories from the past. Human> So, forgetting may be a useful trait? GPT-3> There is no easy answer to this question. On one hand, forgetting may be seen as a useful trait because it can help one to focus on the present moment and let go of attachment to things in the past. On the other hand, forgetting may be seen as a hindrance because it can prevent one from learning from their past experiences. Ultimately, it is up to the individual to decide whether forgetting is a useful trait or not.
crabmusket 4y ago
Giraffes? Giraffes! did something similar on a track which I really love but whose name I can't be bothered transcribing: https://youtu.be/bJ50UBCkwl0 https://youtu.be/bJ50UBCkwl0 And funnily enough I feel similarly about the album art there as you feel about the rock video.
- alexvoda 4y ago
  Also Will Cady (and Alan Watts), What fills the gap: https://open.spotify.com/track/6jWIrDVUb80fLhMzwVcoaO?si=M2tkhh3RRfqElWotAW09Fw&utm_source=copy-link https://open.spotify.com/track/6jWIrDVUb80fLhMzwVcoaO?si=M2t... I really like this genre of music that remixes recordings of speaches. Is there a name for this genre?
julianeon 4y ago
Guarding the sense doors from dark imagery? This is a questionable interpretation- and I say that as a Buddhist! My teachers (Tibetan scholars) have talked about a lot over the years but have never breathed a word about that. If you want to be dark, or goth, that’s not an issue. What is a problem is avoidance- how we tend to avoid death (the opposite of “darkness” in a sense). You know: we’ll keep on living like this, the good life, permanently, death is an aberration, let’s not be “morbid,” etc. Then something which is absolutely possible & even inevitable happens - your friend dies, your dog dies, your grandma dies - and people are shocked, even though it is very clear that not only is that a possibility, given a large enough sample size (like, everyone you’ve ever met) & time frame, it is a certainty.

kordlessagain 4y ago

Guarding the sense doors can be done by sitting in a cave on the side of a mountain. Buddha saw this as useful, for a time, until he realized that coming back and sharing what he gleaned while sitting as also useful. He about died in a river heading back into town, after deciding to end his ascetic lifestyle (and get a bite to eat). His discovery was more or less about how practicing a good balance between asceticism and sensual indulgence leads to a means of escape through realizing the Four Noble truths: 1. Dukkha: An innate characteristic of existence in the realm of samsara; it is the constant cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. 2. Samudaya: The cause and origin of dukkha through tanha. Tanha can be seen as the factor tying us to dukkha, or as a response to dukkha, trying to escape it. It is the result of our unguarded sensory contact with the world, which gives rise to craving and attachment to impermanent states and things. 3. Nirodha: Translated as "cessation," "ending," or "confinement." In the context of the Four Noble Truths, it refers to the idea that dukkha can be ended or contained by renouncing or letting go of tanha. 4. Magga: The path leading to the confinement of tanha and dukkha. The path consists right understanding (Samma ditthi), right thought (Samma sankappa), right speech (Samma vaca), right action (Samma kammanta), right livelihood (Samma ajiva), right effort (Samma vayama), right mindfulness (Samma sati), and right concentration (Samma samadhi). Now we ask GPT-3 about something very specific using the above as a prompt: Human> Theorize on the loss of the ability to recall imagery and audio, in mind, in the population as related to the path in Buddhism. GPT-3> There is no real answer to this question as it is purely speculative. However, one could theorize that the loss of the ability to recall imagery and audio could be related to the path in Buddhism in a few different ways. First, it could be argued that the loss of these abilities is a result of the practice of mindfulness and concentration. When one is focused on the present moment and not letting their mind wander, they may be less likely to remember things from the past. Additionally, it could be argued that the loss of these abilities is a result of the practice of renunciation. When one is trying to let go of attachment to things in the world, they may be less likely to hold on to memories of past experiences. Finally, it could be argued that the loss of these abilities is a result of the practice of right effort. If one is constantly trying to improve their mental state and focus on the present moment, they may eventually lose track of memories from the past. Human> So, forgetting may be a useful trait? GPT-3> There is no easy answer to this question. On one hand, forgetting may be seen as a useful trait because it can help one to focus on the present moment and let go of attachment to things in the past. On the other hand, forgetting may be seen as a hindrance because it can prevent one from learning from their past experiences. Ultimately, it is up to the individual to decide whether forgetting is a useful trait or not.

crabmusket 4y ago

Giraffes? Giraffes! did something similar on a track which I really love but whose name I can't be bothered transcribing: https://youtu.be/bJ50UBCkwl0 https://youtu.be/bJ50UBCkwl0 And funnily enough I feel similarly about the album art there as you feel about the rock video.

alexvoda 4y ago
Also Will Cady (and Alan Watts), What fills the gap: https://open.spotify.com/track/6jWIrDVUb80fLhMzwVcoaO?si=M2tkhh3RRfqElWotAW09Fw&utm_source=copy-link https://open.spotify.com/track/6jWIrDVUb80fLhMzwVcoaO?si=M2t... I really like this genre of music that remixes recordings of speaches. Is there a name for this genre?

julianeon 4y ago

Guarding the sense doors from dark imagery? This is a questionable interpretation- and I say that as a Buddhist! My teachers (Tibetan scholars) have talked about a lot over the years but have never breathed a word about that. If you want to be dark, or goth, that’s not an issue. What is a problem is avoidance- how we tend to avoid death (the opposite of “darkness” in a sense). You know: we’ll keep on living like this, the good life, permanently, death is an aberration, let’s not be “morbid,” etc. Then something which is absolutely possible & even inevitable happens - your friend dies, your dog dies, your grandma dies - and people are shocked, even though it is very clear that not only is that a possibility, given a large enough sample size (like, everyone you’ve ever met) & time frame, it is a certainty.