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[dailyhatsune]

miku as my babaylan oc who is trans

babaylan research dump (mostly from memory so it’s gonna be pretty distilled):

babaylans are the lead shamans of indigenous filipino tribes (mostly northside, the luzon and visayas area, rip mindanao) that are responsible for practically every spiritual aspect of the community. only women were allowed to be babaylans, since, according to local mythos, women had more affinity to the spiritual realm.

however, what i find notable about babaylans is that their requirements also include transgender women! one does not simply choose to become a babaylan, instead, she has to train under a senior and go through a ritual before the anito (local spirits) deemed her worthy of representing them. the only exception is if a girl went through something that confirmed to the people immediately that she had anito approval. notably, trans women were also among the subset of girls who got to skip the selection process. this is my speculation but i like to think it’s probably because the locals considered the realisation that one was trans as anito approval. assigned female by duende

usually, i’m very wary of putting modern queer labels onto historical figures (we don’t know how they would identify now), but spanish colonial records noted that amab babaylans, outside of their ritualistic roles, would live like women (down to having husbands), were treated like women and were simply considered women barring the ability to bear children. if she walks like a woman, talks like woman…that didn’t stop the spanish settlers from misgendering them, though.

that being said, in present day, while there are still people out there practising babaylan rituals, they’re mostly men who only take on feminine appearances during the rituals, and live as men in their regular lives. this stems back from the spanish colonial period and we are not getting into that now this read more is long enougb as it is

personally i find this fascinating because, at least for what i was able to look into, trans babaylans were the only time i could look at a historical indigenous gender identity and definitively refer to them as lgbt. most other indigenous identities are either meant to be their own thing (not native american, but i remember reading discourse over whether two-spirit should be considered nb or as its own thing) or far too complex to be described with the western modern lgbt terms (although they generally present feminine, the hijras from india classify themselves as a separate third gender and worship specific deities from hinduism). maybe i haven’t looked hard enough but it’s so interesting to hear about old communities where women, and especially trans women, were basically the most important figures

anyway sorry for rambling. sometimes i like to ramble.

[letters-to-lgbt-kids]

My dear lgbt+ kids,

Here are some good things that happened in 2022!

January:

Canada bans conversion therapy

Greece allows gay men to donate blood (for the first time in 45 years!)

Israel legalizes surrogacy for gay couples

People in Switzerland are now able to legally change their gender without having to undergo surgery first

February:

New Zealand bans conversion therapy

Nonbinary people in Columbia are now entitled to a birth certificate with a "nonbinary" sex marker

Nayarit (Mexico) allows same-sex couples to adopt

Kuwait overrules a law that has been used to criminalize transgender people

Jowelle de Souza makes history as the first openly transgender parliamentarian in the Caribbean (Trinidad and Tobago)

March:

Chile legalizes same-sex marriage

 France removes the deferral period for gay men donating blood

The United States announces an overhaul of TSA protocols to implement gender-neutral screening at checkpoints

Wales (United Kingdom) bans conversion therapy

Kristin Crowley makes history as the first openly gay (and the first female) chief of the Los Angeles Fire Department (United States)

Diana Zurco makes history as Argentina’s first openly transgender newscaster

April:

Santa Catarina (Brazil) now allows nonbinary people to change their gender marker without having to file a lawsuit

Jalisco (Mexico) bans conversion therapy

The United States issues the first passport with a nonbinary gender 'X' option

May:

Greece bans conversion therapy

Lithuania allows gay men to donate blood

Croatia allows same-sex couples to adopt

Austria removes the deferral period for gay men donating blood

June:

Hidalgo (Mexico) now punishes people offering conversion therapy with up to 3 years in prison

Quebec (Canada) allows people to be classified as a parent (rather than a mother or father) on their child's birth certificate

North Carolina (United States) no longer demands proof of surgery from people who wish to change their gender marker

Spain prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity or HIV status

Kamala Harris made history by hosting the first Pride Month reception by a sitting vice president at their residence (United States)

July:

Switzerland legalizes same-sex marriage

Antigua and Barbuda legalize "same-sex behavior"

Andorra decides to legalize same-sex marriage (the law will come into effect in 2023)

Slovenia legalizes both same-sex marriage and adoption

Ariana DeBose makes history as the first queer woman of color (and the first Afro-Latina) to win an Oscar for acting (United States)

August:

India expands the definition of family to include "queer relationships"

Chile equalizes the age of consent

In Saint Kitts and Nevis, same-sex activity is no longer illegal.

Vietnam declares that homosexuality is not a disease and bans conversion therapy

Ellia Green makes history as the first Olympian to come out as a trans man (Australia)

September:

In India, the State Medical Councils can now take disciplinary action against doctors who provide conversion therapy

Cuba legalizes both same-sex marriage and adoption

 Durango (Mexico) legalize same-sex marriage

Canada removes the deferral period for gay men donating blood

Kim Petras and Sam Smith make history as the first openly transgender woman and the first openly nonbinary person to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 (United States)

October:

Latvia allows civil unions for same-sex couples 

Paraguay bans conversion therapy

Byron Perkins makes history as the first out football player at HBCU (United States)

Duda Salabert and Erika Hilton make history as the first two openly transgender people elected to the National Congress of Brazil

November:

Singapore decriminalizes gay sex

Singapore also lifts censorship of lgbt+ media

Hidalgo becomes the first state in Mexico to recognize nonbinary people

Ireland removes the deferral period for gay men donating blood

December:

 Barbados legalizes "same-sex acts"

Here is to more good news in 2023!

With all my love,

Your Tumblr Dad

[corrodedcoffins-blog]

Out Of Your Comfort Zone

masterlist

note: the original ask said fantasy but i dont read fantasy at all, so i went with a silly little romance novel i loved, which i think still displays that opposite thing the anon wanted. so i hope this is okay!!

warnings: my writing while i'm high (rambling that can be disguised as descriptive writing)

word count: 1.2 k

♡ summary: During a bookstore date Y/n's taste in books gets Spencer out of his comfort zone.

♡ Spencer Reid x fem!reader

request ✓

Finally, Spencer had a weekend off, where there was no chance of a case coming in at the last minute. And it’s not like Y/n hated Spencer’s job, she knew he did a lot of good. But it was hard sometimes when they would go a few weeks without sleeping next to each other.

It was the perfect morning to their perfect day, they had just come from a local art exhibit pop-up/farmers market. It reminded Y/n of Notting Hill, of course from the movie but also from when she lived in London while studying abroad. But now the couple was off to the local bookstore, they had looked at the farmers market, but they were all travel books, the irony was not lost.

Them both loving books was what got them to the second date, their first being filled with a debate about ‘modern classics’ and what classifies them. A topic they both clearly had a lot of opinions on as it took up the whole date that they hadn’t asked all the first date questions, so they needed the second date.

Them both loving books was what got them to the second date, their first being filled with a debate about ‘modern classics’ and what classifies them. A topic they both clearly had a lot of opinions on as it took up the whole date that they hadn’t asked all the first date questions, so they needed the second date.

And though their taste in books were quite opposite, there was a small overlap that was home to Little Women, Pride and Prejudice, The Bell Jar, and many others. But that was Spencer’s main area, classics, Y/n only read the feminist classics.

So when they went to the bookshop, the two would split up until Spencer finished looking in his favourite sections, since he could read so much faster than the girl it took her about three times as long to look through the fiction section.

Spencer was making his way to her now, stopping to read the backs of a couple books that interested him, even picking one up to buy. He walked past the isles of the fiction and romance sections, finally coming to a halt at the ‘J’s where Y/n was now. She didn’t even register his presence, too wrapped up in reading the summary of the blue and yellow book in her hand.

Spencer didn’t want to startle the girl, so he walked past her, her eyes rising from the book in hand to look at who she thought was a random person just browsing the store like her, eyes lighting up when she sees it’s Spencer.

“Honey, what’d you find?” She questions, Spencer assumes it was a rhetorical question since she didn’t give him enough time before she cuts in grabbing the second book from the stack in his arms, “I was gonna suggest this one to you! A subscriber said it was really good!”

Y/n was a booktuber, when she told Spencer that he obviously had no idea what that was, but a simple explanation later and he was caught up. And after a year of dating, she finally mentioned him in a video when she was talking about ‘Normal People’ . It was one of the books they argued could be considered a modern classic on their first date. And she mentioned his taste in books and now her followers left recommendations for him in her

comments, mostly on instagram when she posted him from time to time.

“Yeah. I was really impressed with another book by this author, her description of the caste system in India and the impact it has mentally was so moving.” “I remember you reading that. I’m not good at reading those types of books, but I love when you tell me all about them.” Her soft words brought red to Spencer’s checks while he hid his hands around her waist.

Recovering from the girl’s flirting, even after a year he still reacted the same to her words, his head rose from the spot in her neck to look at the book she had been looking at when he found her.

“What did you find?” “Oh, I saw a girl say it was a good book in her review and I want to do a video on age gap books since so many people ask.” Pacing the books over to him when he signalled his hand forward for it, turning it over to read the front, ‘Part of Your Word’ by Abby Jimenez in large letters was written across the front. It wasn’t a fairly large book, it could take him maybe five minutes.

Y/n was now turned to read more titles, stopping at any that caught her eye. All the while, Spencer was stood of to the side reading. It had actually only taken the man four minutes when he checked his watch. Proud of himself, he looks up to see that his girlfriend was apparently watching him, for how long, he didn’t know.

With a smile on his face, he asks, “What?” “Spencer. Did you just read my book? Before I even bought it?” She replied with a hand going to her hip and a jokey tone. “Well, first of all, you aren’t buying it bec-” “Why was it bad?”

Y/n often spoke before thinking, causing her to cut off people, Spencer was used to it he thought it was cute and she always made it her mission to not interrupt when he was really passionate about a topic.

“Because, I’m buying.” “Hon, no you bought last time.” “I don’t mind.” “I do.”

Spencer moved on from this conversation, they both know how it will end. Spencer will in fact pay, Y/n will say he didn’t have to, Spencer would say he doesn’t mind, she’ll say she does mind, and they repeat it when they pay for lunch after the bookshop.

“But I did read it.” “Don’t spoil, but what did you think?” She had watched a couple booktok reviews on it so she knew it was a little spicy, something she knew Spencer didn’t read a lot of, if ever.

“I think it was good. I liked how they talked about family relationships and verbal abuse in relationships, I think it was done well and it brought a lot more sense of realism. And I liked the leads, I relate to Daniel more than I thought, his dedication to making things work.. I won’t spoil it for you but- um yeah. And I liked the setting.”

His words sent a loving smile to rest on the girl’s face, she loved nothing more than to hear Spencer talk. His voice was deep yet not at the same time, and his mannerisms were adorable to her. And hearing him actually read and enjoy a book from the romance section that was written in the last few decades, was a big step for him. He didn’t even know about Twilight when they met.

“I’m glad you like it.” She said, truthfully, “I’ll be sure to mention that in my video.” “You don’t have to.” “You just don’t want Penny to see the video and by extension Derek.”

Their conversation continued while they waited in line, holding each other's hand while Y/n looks up to speak. They were interrupted when it was then their turn, Spencer paying like he said he would, and again at lunch, much to the girl’s disapproval.

“You don’t have to pay.” “I don’t mind.” “I do.”

[fatehbaz]

Endangered Indian sandalwood. British war to control the forests. Tallying every single tree in the kingdom. European companies claim the ecosystem. Spices and fragrances. Failure of the plantation. Until the twentieth century, the Empire couldn't figure out how to cultivate sandalwood because they didn't understand that the plant is actually a partial root parasite. French perfumes and the creation of "the Sandalwood City".

---

Selling at about $147,000 per metric ton, the aromatic heartwood of Indian sandalwood (S. album) is arguably [among] the most expensive wood in the world. Globally, 90 per cent of the world’s S. album comes from India [...]. And within India, around 70 per cent of S. album comes from the state of Karnataka [...] [and] the erstwhile Kingdom of Mysore. [...] [T]he species came to the brink of extinction. [...] [O]verexploitation led to the sandal tree's critical endangerment in 1974. [...]

---

Francis Buchanan’s 1807 A Journey from Madras through the Countries of Mysore, Canara and Malabar is one of the few European sources to offer insight into pre-colonial forest utilisation in the region. [...] Buchanan records [...] [the] tradition of only harvesting sandalwood once every dozen years may have been an effective local pre-colonial conservation measure. [...] Starting in 1786, Tipu Sultan [ruler of Mysore] stopped trading pepper, sandalwood and cardamom with the British. As a result, trade prospects for the company [East India Company] were looking so bleak that by November 1788, Lord Cornwallis suggested abandoning Tellicherry on the Malabar Coast and reducing Bombay’s status from a presidency to a factory. [...] One way to understand these wars is [...] [that] [t]hey were about economic conquest as much as any other kind of expansion, and sandalwood was one of Mysore’s most prized commodities. In 1799, at the Battle of Srirangapatna, Tipu Sultan was defeated. The kingdom of Mysore became a princely state within British India [...]. [T]he East India Company also immediately started paying the [new rulers] for the right to trade sandalwood.

British control over South Asia’s natural resources was reaching its peak and a sophisticated new imperial forest administration was being developed that sought to solidify state control of the sandalwood trade. In 1864, the extraction and disposal of sandalwood came under the jurisdiction of the Forest Department. [...] Colonial anxiety to maximise profits from sandalwood meant that a government agency was established specifically to oversee the sandalwood trade [...] and so began the government sandalwood depot or koti system. [...]

From the 1860s the [British] government briefly experimented with a survey tallying every sandal tree standing in Mysore [...].

Instead, an intricate system of classification was developed in an effort to maximise profits. By 1898, an 18-tiered sandalwood classification system was instituted, up from a 10-tier system a decade earlier; it seems this led to much confusion and was eventually reduced back to 12 tiers [...].

---

Meanwhile, private European companies also made significant inroads into Mysore territory at this time. By convincing the government to classify forests as ‘wastelands’, and arguing that Europeans would improves these tracts from their ‘semi-savage state’, starting in the 1860s vast areas were taken from local inhabitants and converted into private plantations for the ‘production of cardamom, pepper, coffee and sandalwood’.

---

Yet attempts to cultivate sandalwood on both forest department and privately owned plantations proved to be a dismal failure. There were [...] major problems facing sandalwood supply in the period before the twentieth century besides overexploitation and European monopoly. [...] Before the first quarter of the twentieth century European foresters simply could not figure out how to grow sandalwood trees effectively.

The main reason for this is that sandal is what is now known as a semi-parasite or root parasite; besides a main taproot that absorbs nutrients from the earth, the sandal tree grows parasitical roots (or haustoria) that derive sustenance from neighbouring brush and trees. [...] Dietrich Brandis, the man often regaled as the father of Indian forestry, reported being unaware of the [sole significant English-language scientific paper on sandalwood root parasitism] when he worked at Kew Gardens in London on South Asian ‘forest flora’ in 1872–73. Thus it was not until 1902 that the issue started to receive attention in the scientific community, when C.A. Barber, a government botanist in Madras [...] himself pointed out, 'no one seems to be at all sure whether the sandalwood is or is not a true parasite'.

Well into the early decades of twentieth century, silviculture of sandal proved a complete failure. The problem was the typical monoculture approach of tree farming in which all other species were removed and so the tree could not survive. [...]

The long wait time until maturity of the tree must also be considered. Only sandal heartwood and roots develop fragrance, and trees only begin developing fragrance in significant quantities after about thirty years. Not only did traders, who were typically just sailing through, not have the botanical know-how to replant the tree, but they almost certainly would not be there to see a return on their investments if they did. [...]

---

The main problem facing the sustainable harvest and continued survival of sandalwood in India [...] came from the advent of the sandalwood oil industry at the beginning of the twentieth century. During World War I, vast amounts of sandal were stockpiled in Mysore because perfumeries in France had stopped production and it had become illegal to export to German perfumeries. In 1915, a Government Sandalwood Oil Factory was built in Mysore. In 1917, it began distilling. [...] [S]andalwood production now ramped up immensely. It was at this time that Mysore came to be known as ‘the Sandalwood City’.

---

Text above by: Ezra Rashkow. "Perfumed the axe that laid it low: The endangerment of sandalwood in southern India." Indian Economic and Social History Review 51, no. 1, pages 41-70. March 2014. [Bold emphasis and some paragraph breaks/contractions added by me. Italicized first paragraph/heading in this post added by me. Presented here for commentary, teaching, criticism purposes.]

[hindulivesmatter]

Resources to learn more about Hinduphobia, and Hindu culture.

Making a masterpost about this because I'm getting a lot of asks for it. The list will be updated!

Books to read:

Not Without My Daughter by Betty Mahmoody. This is the memoir of a woman stuck in Iran and how she has to illegally sneak out with her daughter. It doesn't focus on Hinduphobia but it does highlight the violence perpetuated by Muslims to women. This is a true story and a movie has also been made on it. Also, I just need to appreciate how well it's written, I was on the edge of my seat the whole time.

Aavarna by  S. L. Bhyrappa. This book basically details how Hindu history was derailed and destroyed by Mughal invaders, specifically Aurangzeb, the plot is fictional but the history is real.

All Religions Are Not the Same by Sanjay Dixit. This is a new book and I've just ordered it actually. It discusses the differences between religions and how secularism affects that.

Why I Killed Gandhi by Nathuram Godse. Includes the testimonial of the man who killed Gandhi. I'm about to read this book and I'm excited. Don't be fooled by the one-star reviews.

Hindus in Hindu Rashtra by Anand Ranganathan. Illustrates 9 examples of the hypocrisy of the current government when it comes to legalities and laws concerning Hindus.

Some people you can follow on Twitter are Dr Anand Ranganathan, The Skin Doctor, and VivanVatsa. They're all well-read on Hinduphobia and/or Hindu history.

A fantastic account on Instagram called vrindkavi posts amazing comics on Indian history and mythology.

Blogs you can follow for awareness, and learning about Hinduphobia/Hindu culture:

@rhysaka (debunking common myths, awareness, politics/geopolitics, news, culture)

@mrityuloknative (debunking common myths, awareness, politics/geopolitics, news, culture)

@main-agar-kahoon (debunking common myths, awareness, culture)

@yato-dharmastato-jayah (history and explanations, culture)

@forgotten-bharat (amazing for the history of ancient India, and culture)

@kailash-se-birha (culture, awareness)

@aranyaani (debunking common myths, awareness, politics/geopolitics, news, culture)

Interesting masterposts from other blogs:

Booklist to learn more about Hindu History by @mrityuloknative

The Ayodhya Masterpost by @mrityuloknative

Some important Hindu literature:

Mahabharata This is classified as an Itihasa text. It deals with a war between 2 royal factions and is a vehicle for describing the activities of the Avatar Krishna.

Ramayana This is also an Itihasa text. It provides the biography of Lord Rama who is considered an Avatar of Vishnu.

Bhagavad Gita This is an important text of the Vedanta school and is treated separately although it is part of Mahabharata. It provides a coherent summary of Vedanta.

Srimad Bhagavatam This is a Purana and provides a biography of Lord Krishna. This is an important text for the Vaishnava sect of Hinduism.

Shiva Purana and Linga Purana These Puranas provide the biography of Lord Shiva and are important texts for the Saivite sect of Hinduism.

Chandi or Devi Mahatmyam This is an important text for Saktas who worship Sakti or Devi. This text is really part of the Markandeya Purana.

But really, the best way to combat Hinduphobia, is to learn about our history and culture, because if you know the truth, you won't fall for the twisted narrative being peddled by the media today. If you've got to the end of this, thank you for educating yourself and learning about us.

[quitealotofsodapop]

Theory on that Crimson Jimson-Weed;

So I was re-watching "To Catch a Leaf" like any good Sandy-fan when I recognised the name of the flower (Crimson Jimsonweed/Scarlet Mandala flower) being something I encountered in my horticulture/pharma studies;

You see, Jimsonweed is another name for Datura - a super-toxic nightshade flower known for it's psychoactive effects that was occasionally used in traditional Chinese medicine. A few seeds or leaves is enough to send someone into days-long potentially fatal delirium. Monk in India particularly used it to induce horror/madness in order to have a better understanding of the world.

My first thought was; "Why tf would Sandy reccomend a flower that's like a million acid trips in one?" and second "Why did LBD need it?"

According to Sandy the Crimson Jimsonweed can "influence mortality itself" - something that would be very useful if your opponent is someone who's pretty protective of their immortality. NO wonder why LBD was pissed. Huntsman "only" taking a single petal could have saved the gang's lives in the long run.

And I thought: "Cool!"

And then I was researching an au idea/theory @dorothygale123 brought up about "Shennong/The Flame Emperor/Divine Peasant" having connections to the Demon Bull King and Red Son; only to read how he (a primordial god of fire and medicine) died;

You see, after he retired/lost the godly throne, Shennong decided to put his brain and super-durable/transparent stomach to use and self-experiment on himself and document the results. He apparently got poisoned quite a lot in his research (he also discovered many ways to get high) to classify all plant life.

Ultimately Shennong died after eating a "small yellow flower" and being unable to find an antidote or "clean out his instestine" in time. Kind of a sad but expected end to the chinese mythos version of the first farmer-scientist. A rule of medicine is that anything that can heal can also kill at a certain dosage.

But the flower that killed him is up for debate. The book I have suggests it to be "Intestine-Breaking/Heartbreak Grass"(Gelsemium sempervirens). This Oxford paper suggests Tansy, an old treatment for worms. But a common theme is that the "flower of a weed" was the cause.

After my research into Jimsonweed and it's connections to mortality in Buddhism I must suggest a hidden culpurit;

This could be my mild red-colourblindness acting up; but The flower we see throughout the "To Catch a Leaf" is gotdamn yellow.

The flower that can "influence mortality itself" would be the perfect candiate for what killed the legendary Divine Peasant.

Makes sense why Sandy decided to instead brew a very small part of it into tea for MK. He likely read Shennong's research and realised that this super-rare variant of Jimsonweed *was* an amazing tonic... in the right dosage of course. Hence why Sandy didn't feed MK the whole flower.

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[seekmemystar]

if you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life what would it be??

there's a dish in India called Maggi, it's sort of an Indian ramen, just a million times better and Maggi is super bad for your health it classifies as junk food and it can be addictive and there are many many allegations on it BUT I CAN HAVE IT ANY DAY EVERYDAY DAY OR NIGHT IDFC I'LL HAVE MAGGI I LOVE IT and there so many ways to prepare it I can just switch recipes if I get bored. I'm not a smoker but if I was maggi and a cigarette would be THE BEST combination

What about you? @xeme-starx @picklerab23 @gardenofrunar @burgundykicks @jamespotterbbg

[yoga-onion]

Legends and myths about trees

Trees in Buddhism (3)

Sal tree (Shorea robusta) – the Nirvana

In Buddhism, there is an important day called 'Sanbutsuki (3 anniversaries of the Buddha)', which commemorates three major milestones in the Buddha's life.

These are Buddhist rituals of the Nativity on 8 April, when Buddha was born, the Jodo-e (becoming a Buddha) on 8 December, when he attained enlightenment, and the Nirvana on 15 February, when he passed away.

The Buddha's death is believed to have occurred on 15 February of the lunisolar calendar in China and Japan, and in many places it is now held on 15 March.

According to Buddhist tradition, the Buddha was lying between a pair of sal trees when he died:

Then the Blessed One with a large community of monks went to the far shore of the Hiraññavati River and headed for Upavattana, the Mallans' sal-grove near Kusinara. On arrival, he said to Ananda (Ref1), the chosen disciple, "Ananda, please prepare a bed for me between the twin sal-trees, with its head to the north. I am tired, and will lie down. (DN16; Nirvana Sutra)"

When the Buddha died in Kusinara, there were 4 or 8 sal trees on the 4 corners of his bed. They were said to have bloomed at the same time, then quickly withered and turned white, just like a flock of cranes.

In Buddhism, the brief flowering of the sal tree is used as a symbol of impermanence and the rapid passing of glory. The sal tree is also said to have been the tree under which Kondana and Vessabhu, respectively the fifth and twenty fourth Buddhas preceding Gautama Buddha, attained enlightenment.

The sal tree (shorea robusta, sāla, shala, sakhua, or sarai), is a species of tree in the family Dipterocarpaceae. The tree is native to India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Tibet and across the Himalayan regions.

The sal tree is mythologically classified as a 'tree of life', symbolising resurrection, rebirth and rejuvenation, but in Buddhism it is one of the three most sacred trees, symbolising parinirvana, as the Buddha died under two sal trees in a row.

The three most sacred Buddhist trees are:

Ashoka tree: the tree where the Buddha was born (Ref).

Bodhi tree: the tree where the Buddha attained enlightenment

Sal tree: the tree where the Buddha died.

木にまつわる伝説・神話

仏教の樹木 (2)

沙羅双樹 (ｻﾗｿｳｼﾞｭ) 〜涅槃会 (ねはんえ)

仏教には、ゴータマ・ブッダの生涯における3つの大きな節目を記念する「三仏忌 (さんぶつき)」という大切な日がある。

それが、ブッダが生まれた4月8日の降誕会 (こうたんえ)、悟りを開いた12月8日の成道会(じょうどうえ)、そして入滅した2月15日の｢涅槃会(ねはんえ)｣。

ブッダの入滅は中国や日本では旧暦2月15日とされ、現在は3月15日に行なわれているところが少なくない。

また、仏教の伝統によると、ブッダは入滅したとき、一対の沙羅双樹 (ｻﾗｿｳｼﾞｭ) の間に横たわっていた。

その後、大勢の僧侶たちの中から選ばれたアーナンダ（参照1）はヒラニャーヴァティ川の向こう岸に行き、クシナラ近くのマッラ族の沙羅樹の林、ウパヴァッタナへ向かった。到着すると、ブッダはアーナンダに言った。「アーナンダ、2対の沙羅双樹 (ｻﾗｿｳｼﾞｭ) の間に、頭を北に向けた寝床を用意してください。私は疲れているので、横になります。(DN16; 大般涅槃経)」

ブッダがクシナガラで死去したとき、臥床の四辺に4双8本の沙羅双樹 (ｻﾗｿｳｼﾞｭ)があった。時じくの花を咲かせ、たちまちに枯れ、白色に変じ、さながら鶴の群れのごとくであったという。

仏教では、沙羅双樹 (ｻﾗｿｳｼﾞｭ)の木の短い花は、無常と栄光の急速な通過の象徴として使用されることもある。また、沙羅双樹 (ｻﾗｿｳｼﾞｭ) は、ゴータマ・ブッダに先立つ5番目の仏陀であるコーナニャーと24番目の仏陀であるヴェッサブーが悟りを開いた木であると言われている。

沙羅双樹 (ｻﾗｿｳｼﾞｭ)はフタバガキ科の樹木の一種で、インド、バングラデシュ、ネパール、チベット、ヒマラヤ地方に自生している。

沙羅双樹 (ｻﾗｿｳｼﾞｭ)は神話学的には復活・再生・若返りの象徴である「生命の木」に分類されるが、仏教では二本並んだ沙羅の木の下で釈尊が入滅したことから般涅槃の象徴とされ、仏教三大聖樹のひとつである:

無憂樹: 釈迦が生まれた所にあった樹木（参照）

印度菩提樹：釈迦が悟りを開いた所にあった樹木

娑羅双樹：釈迦が亡くなった所にあった樹木

[desigyall]

my whole life i have been too indian for white ppl but not indian enough for other indians and it really confuses me bc i’m am american but i am also indian but not from india from the west indies and caribbean and i don’t know if any family that still lives in india bc we immigrated. indians don’t accept me as indian bc my parents are technically indo-caribbean which means they are indian but they are from the caribbean and west indies. i mean west indian/ caribbean ppl are hard to find where i live since it’s mostly a white area but they don’t accept me as caribbean bc i’m “too indian for them”. and it also bothers me bc indians look at me as non indian bc our religion and mother tounge was stripped from my family when they moved into the west indies which was ruled by the british at the time. so none of my family speaks other languages other than english and we have very different traditions but they were raised as indians with the same culture but not religion and such if that makes sense. so idk what i’m classifyed as atp

no cause this is so real, before coming to the uk my family moved to uganda so that language that i speak is a mix of gujrati and swahili so it’s a bit difficult to communicate with other people because they don’t understand a decent amount of what i’m saying. and i feel so white sometimes when i go to some indian events but when i go to school o feel to brown and it’s a bit odd.

[subuthetitan]

Alright, i know this isn’t the kinda post one would expect on my page, but hear me out.

The poster right here is of the Tamil movie that’s releasing tomorrow, “Ponniyin Selvan”. Ponniyin selvan loosely translates to ‘River Cauvery’s son’, and this film is based on the 70 year old, 5 volume novel of Kalki.

Let me explain why this story is so dear to Tamil people, and why Indians should celebrate it just as much as they do the epics such as Ramayana and Mahabharat;

The author of this novel, Ramaswamy Krishnamurthy alias Kalki, was an Indian freedom fighter, who went to jail a few times. This novel, according to him, was a way of reminding Indians that they have a history of their own. Mind you, this is after 200 years of colonialism.

This spectacular novel is based on the Kingdom of the Cholas, and is set in the 9th century which was the peak of the Chola Empire. The story can be classified as a historic fiction, as some of the main characters are fictionalised or even completely made up in order to appease the “outsiders” that is us.

‘Ponniyin selvan’, or the Son of cauvery, is the name given to King Raja Raja Chola I. He has two siblings, Aditya Karikalan, who is the Crown Prince, and his elder sister, Kunthavai (Koon-da-vy) who is the princess of the Chola Empire and basically controlled everything. Their dad, Sundara Chola is the emperor of the Chola Empire but is bed ridden during the time of the story. All the characters I mentioned till now are real people, who have been mentioned in carvings and historic artifacts preserved till this day, but the characters I’m about to write about next are fictionalised characters by Kalki. One might think, since the title of the novel is “Ponniyin Selvan”, it only makes sense that Raja Raja Chola is the main character, but NOH. The main character, the character who travels and whom we travel with, is Vanthiyathevan (Vun-diya-devan). It is important to know that Vanthiyathevan isn’t entirely fictionalised, he is also mentioned in history, but not till the extent of the description given in the novel. Last but not the Least, my personal favourite, Nandini. She invented the word supervillain. I’m serious, the more you read about her, the more you grow to hate and like her at the same time. She’s such an incredibly written character that at times it’s so unbelievable that she’s not actually real. Her thirst for vengeance and power is what sets the course of this entire story.

Now let me give you a brief intro to this story (and try not to spoil anything eee)

Aditya Karikalan (The Crown Prince) sends his good friend and trusted messenger, Vanthiyathevan, to deliver two letters to two members of his family. His father Sundara Chola, and his sister Kunthavai. He also sends him on a mission, to find out what and who is conspiring against him in his homeland, while he’s fighting wars up north.

This journey of Vanthiyathevan, is met with a lot of hurdles and he also meets a lot of people who help him with his tasks such as his old friend Kandhamara, whom Vanthiyathevan previously fought in a battle with, Nambi, who is a staunch believer of Vaishnavism and an absolute mastermind, often wears metaphorical masks around certain people, Chendan Amudhan, who is…an interesting character (that feeling when u really wanna say something but don’t wanna spoil). What forms the plot of the story is How Vanthiyathevan delivers these messages? What is conspiring against Aditya Karikalan? Who is Nandini, and why does she want revenge?

Ok i know that was a bad summary, but i literally could not say anything without spoiling stuff.

So the main reason why I wanted to post about this was because I feel every Indian should know about the rich history of our country and the Chola Empire, which ruled the entirety of India at one point. So I urge all of you to read some background in wikipedia and watch the movie cuz its a pretty damn good story.

Fin.

[am-i-obsessed---maybe]

Revelation (Shadow Of A Bluejay Ch.8)

Wordcount: 2.8k

One of the longer chapters. though now I'd like to take a moment to humbly brag. I've been dealing with both usual depression and an unusual stomach ulcer (which is the most fanfiction author thing that's happened to me yet) so this chapter took way longer than expected. Either way we're slowly creeping towards the end of the season!

Series Masterlist

Mount Justice October 1, 18:12 EDT

You met up with Artemis outside the Happy Harbor zeta-tube. You hadn't seen each other in almost two weeks so you decided you'd hang out on your own for a bit before joining the rest of the team. That meant that when you got to the cave it wasn't through the zeta-tubes but through the main entrance.

"Hey, where are you two coming from?" Wally asked, greeting you both at the entrance.

"Blue here was finally ungrounded so we thought we'd have some BNACT" Artemis said. Wally looked confused.

"BNACT?" He asked.

"Blue and Artemis civilian time" You supplied.

"Right" He said, coming up to walk beside you. "You know you never told me what you were grounded for" Wally said and you smirked. "Sorry, classified" You said and he groaned.

"Come on! Mx. I do as I'm told rule follower did something bad for once and you won't tell me?!" He complained.

"What can I say, it's classified" You told him, floating up just a bit above the ground to be taller than him, smirking before flying off to find the rest of the team.

Artemis leaned in next to Wally's ear, "They went on a secret mission and Canary found out" She said and Wally's eyes widened.

"They told you?!" He practically yelled and Artemis smiled.

"What can I say, I'm their best friend" She said cheekily.

Wally grumbled, "I thought I was their best friend" He said.

Wally and Artemis joined you, Robin, Kaldur, M'gann and Connor along with Zatara and Captain Marvel (who had been taking over as Den Mother after Red Tornado attacked the team the day after you got back from your mission with Roy) in the training room just as Batman zeta'd in.

"Computer, national news" He said and the computer brought up a projection of GBS news.

A slender blonde woman whom you recognised as the reporter Cat Grant was telling the viewers about an attack of a giant plant monster on Metropolis. "Despite the intervention of Superman and the Justice league there seems to be no end in sight" She said.

"Should we get out there?" Robin asked but Batman shut him down.

"No. The League will soon have the situation under control. That's not why I'm here" Batman said.

"Then why are you here?" You asked. You weren't Batman's biggest fan. Between his harshness and his lack of positive reinforcement for both Robin and the team as a whole, you didn't like him very much.

"According to your intel, Sportsmaster supplied Cadmus Blockbuster formula to Kobra" He said and Wally jumped in to continue.

"Who combined it with Bane's Venom to create Kobra Venom" He said. "Which the Brain then used to create his animal army" Robin continued.

You'd been informed about their very interesting mission to India. It was the first day you were grounded and you barely managed to convince Dinah to let you keep your radio earpiece with you. She was very strict about no patrol and no Team as long as you were grounded. She really wasn't happy about your mission with Roy, even though she barely knew the half of it. In the end you reminded her that in an emergency that radio was your best way of communicating with both the Team and her. She let you keep it and you got a full recap of the mission after they finished.

"Batman, is it possible that plant thingy's on Kobra Venom too?" Artemis asked.

"I had green lantern run a spot analysis. The vine's cellulose does contain trace amounts of a Kobra Venom variant." Batman explained.

"These cannot be coincidences, unrelated criminals cooperating with one another worldwide" Kaldur added.

"Exactly" Batman agreed, "It's now clear our enemies have formed some kind of secret society of supervillains. The attack on Metropolis is only the beginning." He said.

"Got that right. Plant creatures have sprouted in Gotham City, Paris, Star City, Taipei—" Robin was interrupted by the screen becoming staticy. You'd never seen it do that before.

"Dude" Wally said.

"It's not me, someone's cutting into the satellite signal— All satellite signals!" Robin exclaimed.

The static stopped and a single face covered the screen, supposedly all screens. The Joker's sheet white face and horrid smile was projected to the size of the computer. It was at least as tall as you and you couldn't help but make a face.

"Ladies, gentlemen and viewers of all ages, we interrupt your regularly scheduled mayhem to bring you this important announcement from the Injustice League" He said in that slow drawl that made his presence all the creepier. The camera slowly panned to show the rest of this so called Injustice League. Wotan. Atomic Skull. Ultra-humanite. Count Vertigo, Black Adam and Poison Ivy, along with of course the Joker himself.

He laughed as the camera slowly zoomed in to the Vlatavan count.

"We are responsible for the attacks on your cities. If you wish to save them a ransom of ten billion american dollars is required. Delivery instructions have been sent to the United Nations. There is no time limit, but the longer your governments wait..." He trailed off and the Joker took the liberty of filling in the blanks.

"The longer we get to have our jollies" He said and once again the screen was covered in static.

Robin reset the screen. He was recording the message and stopped on the image of the Injustice League as a whole. He listed them all of, all were heavy hitters most likely behind everything the Team has faced until now. Every mission and ever villain you fought came back to these seven. At least that was Robin's theory.

"There's your secret society" Wally said.

"Not so secret anymore" Artemis added.

"But what good is revealing themselves now? I understand taking responsibility for the attacks if they want a ransom but why reveal their hand?" You asked out loud.

"Perhaps after India they realised that we would deduce the truth and saw no point in hiding any longer" Kaldur suggested and that was a possibility though it didn't sit completely right with you. They were missing a League Of Shadows representative. The team had far too many run ins with Sportmaster and the his like for the shadows to not be involved. Not that you expected to see Ra's Al Ghul among the villains but someone working for him, maybe Sportmaster himself.

"What about Sportmaster though? He works most often for the Shadows and he isn't here, or anyone else we can connect to the Shadows?" You said.

"The League Of Shadows don't usually ally themselves with others. They work with mercenaries like Sportmaster but they wouldn't ally themselves as an organization. Those were most likely one off meetings" Batman said and you nodded. He was right. You were probably just a bit paranoid after the mission with Roy.

"Back to the important stuff" Wally said, "I say we go kick some plant creature butt!" He exclaimed.

"The Justice League will handle the plants. I have a different job for this team" Batman said and Wally immediately deflated.

"Oh man" He said.

"With the plants attacking so many locations simultaneously there must be a central control system. Your mission is to destroy it." Batman instructed.

Zatara turned to him, "You realize what you are really asking them to do" He said and Batman nodded.

"They're ready" He said and you hoped for once he was right because it wouldn't be easy taking on the Injustice League without the help of your mentors.

Bayou Bartholomew October 1, 18:52 CDT

The team flew through the air in the Bioship in silence. Robin reviewing his batarangs, Artemis going through her quiver and you adjusting your new batons. They were a parting gift from your mother. Extendable batons, small enough that that could fit in a pouch on your utility belt.

"Those are new" Robin said, looking at the shining new weapons.

"Yeah, GA was tinkering" You lied and Robin smiled.

"You know how to use 'em?" He asked and you nodded.

"Like you wouldn't believe" you replied. You were trained in many weapons and though your speciality with the Shadows were double short swords, batons were similar if slightly less lethal.

Behind you M'gann groaned, holding her head.

"You alright?" Conner asked.

"Dizzy" She replied.

"Martians get air sick?" Robin asked.

"Not me, her" M'gann replied.

"I feel fine" Artemis said.

"Not her the Bioship. She's trying to shield us but—" Suddenly your very calm and steady flight became erratic and out of the corner of your eyes you saw Count Vertigo.

You went flying, well the ship went flying, someone had hit it from the bottom flinging it out of control and causing it to crash in the bayou.

Of course that wasn't all as plant creatures began pulling the Bioship under the water.

Black Adam forced a hole the top of the ship and while Superboy punched him away, stopping him from getting in he couldn't stop the water that was slowly filling the ship.

"No. No way I am nearly drowning three missions in a row" Artemis said, putting a rebreather over her mouth and shoving one into Wally's hands. The two had become more friendly, even playful with each other in your absence.

You took out your own rebreather.

"I guess I missed quite a lot didn't I" You said and Artemis nodded, unable to talk with the device in her mouth.

M'gann opened a hatch at the bottom of the Bioship and you all swam out, managing to escape the ship just in time.

"She's in shock. She'll need time to recover" M'gann said. That wasn't good. It meant you couldn't rely on the Bioship to get out in a pinch. What was worse was that you didn't even get a moment to breath. As soon as M'gann finished an all too familiar psychic force forced you to the ground.

"Vertigo" You sneered, searching the area until you found the offending count.

"Count Vertigo to you peasant" He said and you slowly pushed yourself up.

"I see all the times Canary and I beat you weren't enough, you had to come back for more" You said, giving your teammates time to recover while you kept Vertigo's attention on you.

Kaldur used his water bearers to channel the water from the bayou and knock Vertigo away.

"Robin, Miss Martian disappear! We will keep them busy, you two fulfill the mission objective" Kaldur ordered through the mind link and Robin nodded, jumping off somewhere while Miss M went into camouflage mode.

You ran at Vertigo, slowed only by his psychic force and even still not completely. You managed a few hits before you were thrown aside.

"Without Canary to counter my attacks you are nothing little bird" He said, hitting you with another attack that knocked you out.

You woke up before the others only to quickly remember where you were and what happened. You decided the best course of action was to keep your eyes closed, pretend to still be out and see what you could overhear. Of course that didn't work because as soon as your teammates woke up they made it known.

"They awaken, you are certain this will hold them?" Vertigo asked and a different voice answered.

"The cage is impenetrable. Even the Superboy has no chance of escaping" Wotan replied. He was keeping you in a magical cage while Black Adam flew you all back to the Injustice League's base.

This wasn't bad. So long as you kept their attention on you and your group long enough for Robin and Miss Martian to destroy their base you were good.

"You are not the only one trained in the mystic arts Wotan!" Kaldur exclaimed, grabbing hold of the bars and charging mystic force through the tattoos along his arms.

Kaldur released the bars as if they burned him but nothing else happened.

"Please Atlantean, do not pretend you are in my league" Wotan said and you put a careful hand on Kaldur's shoulder.

"You okay?" You asked and he nodded, turning his attention back to the group. Without M'gann there was no telepathic link so you had no way to communicate without your capturs overhearing.

They'd taken your weapons and your utility belt. There really wasn't anything you could do until you found a way out of this cage.

You knew Robin and Miss M haven't completed the mission yet because the huge plant that you assumed was controlling the plant creatures around the world was still standing, breaking through the roof of what you assumed was the Injustice League's base of operations.

You were racking your brain, trying to think of ways to get out of your predicament when the Bioship appeared, knocking over Wotan and disrupting whatever spell he was using to create the cage.

It took you a moment but you kept yourself in the air, unfortunately with nothing holding you up your teammates fell down to the ground.

Superboy and Aqualad would be fine. They both had super strength and durability (at least to some extent) but you flew down and grabbed both Artemis and KF's hands, bringing them safely and more slowly to the ground.

"Thanks Blue" KF said and you smiled.

"Anytime KF" you said.

Both you and Wally turned your attention on Count Vertigo and Black Adam.

"You think you can still pack a punch without your new toys blue?" Wally asked and you smirked.

"Enough for this mission" You told him and with a jump, flew high into the air while Wally took a running start at Vertigo. "Atom, after them!" Vertigo said as he focused his attack on KF and Black Adam took off after you into the sky.

Black Adam was strong and fast but not the brightest and you managed to get in a few sneaky hits in the sky before a loud explosion rocked through the bayou.

"Yes!" You yelled only for Adam to take the moment you were distracted and fling you back into the ground, painfully.

To your advantage you fell into mud so while it wasn't pleasant it also wasn't lethal. You made it back just in time to hear Count Vertigo's orders.

"Kill them. Kill them all." He said.

You wanted to get up, you really tried but Wotan was using a spell to keep you, Kaldur and Robin (who had tried to run to you and make sure you were alright) in place.

Soon he turned his spell to the rest of the team and beside you as kaldur tried to shield M'gann you heard him quietly tell her the worst possible thing.

"Plan B."

Plan Bs were never good.

M'gann's eyes glowed green and she brought the Bioship above the two of them, opening a hatch and dropping Kaldur's duffel from the ship and into his lap.

You'd seen the duffel on the trip to the bayou but you hadn't seen what was inside it.

You watched carefully as Kaldur opened the bag and held up the single item inside.

Wotan stopped, "The helmet of fate" He said.

He wouldn't. Kaldur knew the dangers of using the helmet he wouldn't use it now.

You could barely call out no as you saw him put on the helmet and become Dr. Fate.

Wally tried to protest but Black Adam knocked him into a tree beside. you.

The both of you slowly stood, using each other to stay up.

"Oh dude" Wally said, looking at Kaldur.

You didn't know what to say.

Wally turned to you, "are you okay? You stayed down for a while" He said.

"Yeah well, Adam threw me almost a thousand feet. I'm just lucky I landed in mud. What about you? You're holding your arm like it's painfully" You said and he shrugged.

"It's fine, come on, we can't waste the opportunity Kaldur gave us" Wally said, running to help Miss M and Artemis.

You stayed back, you'd had enough concussions to know you had one, even with your softened landing. Your head was buzzing and you knew that if you tried to walk you'd fall. Not that your help was very needed.

Kaldur took on Wotan, Robin was busy fighting the Joker and Wally, Artemis, M'gann and Conner were holding their own against a combination of Vertigo, Poison Ivy and Ultra Humanite.

They didn't have to hold out for long, because the Justice League soon joined you all.

"It's over" Batman said and the villains raised their hands in surrender.

At this point you could barely stand, instead leaning on the tree trunk beside you.

You could hear people talking around you, you heard the Joker's deranged laugh and saw plants rising out of the bayou but you couldn't understand what was going on.

I'm about to pass out, you thought as your vision blurred.

Dinah noticed your increasingly worsening state and managed to make it to you just in time to catch you as you collapsed.

[darkmaga-retard]

Monday August 26, 2024 Truth Bomb

Karen Bracken

Does Kamala Harris meet the requirements for VP or President?? She was born in CA (moved to Canada when she was 7 until she graduated High School) to a mother who was a citizen of India (she died as a citizen of India in 2009). Her father was a citizen of Jamaica and to this day is still a Jamaican citizen. According the Constitution of Jamaica and India Kamala is recognized as a citizen of these countries by way of birth to a citizen of India and a citizen of Jamaica. Here are excerpts from the Jamaican and Indian Constitution. Never before have we allowed a VP or President to be classified as a NBC when their parents were foreigners at the time of birth of the candidate. But with each usurper (Obama and Harris) they twist the definition to meet their agenda.

HERE is a lawsuit filed in the state of New York in 2020 regarding her ineligibility for VP or President.

Kamala Harris is not a natural born citizen and therefore is not eligible to be VP or President.  The more we continue to allow our Constitution to be ignored the less chance we will ever have of taking back our country or protecting the sovereignty of our states. 

There is a difference between being a CITIZEN and a NATURAL BORN CITIZEN. Harris is eligible to hold any elected office but not the office of VP or President. Silence regarding the violation of the Constitution is your consent to violate our founding documents and the foundation of our country. Place of birth does not determine NBC only the citizenship of the father. If place of birth excluded you from being a NBC then our military men (US citizens) would surely not want to have children if stationed in a foreign land. IE John McCain. Are you so naive as to believe that John McCain born on a US military base to an American mother and father was not a NBC?? And likewise even if Obama was born in a foreign country if his father was a US citizen he would be a NBC BUT his father was a British Subject which makes Obama not a NBC.

In respect to the facts below... two legal conditions are critical to the matter

1. The meaning of a word or term that appears in any legal document, in this case, the US Constitution Article II, is the meaning at the time of the adoption, not the meaning 248 years later after decades of word smithing by "experts" intent upon undermining the meaning and purpose of the term via politically motivated opinions.

2. The true meaning must be consistent with the true intent of the word or term, as it existed at the time of the adoption. The NBC term was placed in Article II for a very specific reason and purpose, which is known due to the recording of history at the time the term was placed in Article II as a condition for the highest political office in our land. The source of the term as it was added to Article II is also clearly recorded in history, The Law of Nations.

All three of the definitions below are "natural born Citizens" under The Law of Nations (comment added by KB - as clearly understood at the time of founders when our founding documents were written)

1. The natural offspring of a legal U.S. Citizen Father.

2. The natural offspring of a legal U.S. Citizen Father and Mother.

3. The natural offspring of a legal U.S. Citizen Father and Mother, born on American soil.

While all three of the above birth circumstances qualify as a "natural born Citizen" in the USA, they all meet the definition and purpose of the Article II NBC clause because in all three cases, the child is born to a legal U.S. Citizen Father.

1. “As the society cannot exist and perpetuate itself otherwise than by the children of the citizens, those children naturally follow the condition of their fathers, and succeed to all their rights.” – Section 212

2. “The country of the fathers is therefore that of the children; and these become true citizens merely by their tacit consent.” – Section 212

3. “I say, that, in order to be of the country, it is necessary that a person be born of a father who is a citizen; for, if he is born there of a foreigner, it will be only the place of his birth, and not his country.” – Section 212

4. “These are a kind of citizens of an inferior order, and are united to the society without participating in all its advantages. Their children follow the condition of their fathers;” Section 213 pertaining to “inhabitants” or foreigners allowed by the state to settle and stay in the country. - END - From JB Williams at the North American Law Center

For those that may not know about the “The Law of Nations.” This was the book documenting natural law. Our founding documents were based on natural law (the law of nature/God) not the law of man. Our founders referred to The Law of Nations to guide them in the creation of our founding documents.