2009.03.11 19:00 - Ganesh, the elephant boy

The Guardian for this meeting was stevenaia Michinaga. The comments are by stevenaia Michinaga.

stevenaia Michinaga: hi Pila

Pila Mulligan: hi Steve

Pila Mulligan: how are you?

stevenaia Michinaga: good, was a bit tired earlier, so if I nod out you know why

Pila Mulligan: :)

stevenaia Michinaga: you mentioned the other night about hinduism and Buddhism, didn't Buddhism evolve from hinduism

Pila Mulligan: in the sense the Christianity followed Judaism, insofar as I understand it -- they came form the same locales and ideas

stevenaia Michinaga: thought so, have dome much religious study, you seem familiar with aspects of many

Pila Mulligan: Buddhists are just the smartest religion in the world, as far as I can see, and Hindus are a mishamsh of numerous ideas

stevenaia Michinaga: *some

Pila Mulligan: but I love the Hindu gods -- especially Ganesh

Pila Mulligan: the elephant boy

stevenaia Michinaga: Gods, representing aspects of the spirit world?

Pila Mulligan: well, Gods in the old greek sense too

Pila Mulligan: like Zeus et al

Pila Mulligan: the Hindu trinity is Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva

Pila Mulligan: Brahma is the creator, Vishnu is the preserver and Shiva is the destroyer

stevenaia Michinaga: What? the christian trinity isn;t unique..grins

Pila Mulligan: :)

Pila Mulligan: it is unique if you listen to Christian intellectuals :)

stevenaia Michinaga: of course

Adelene Dawner: what now, Pila?

stevenaia Michinaga: hello Ade

Pila Mulligan: hi Ade

stevenaia Michinaga: pet pet

Pila Mulligan: how be ye?

stevenaia Michinaga: pick a lap, any lap

Adelene Dawner: but, but, dun wanna pick ^.^

stevenaia Michinaga: n.p.

Pila Mulligan: we had just begun to name the Hindu pantheon :)

stevenaia Michinaga: of which I know just about nothing

Adelene Dawner: Ah ^.^

Pila Mulligan: Brahma is the creator, Vishnu is the preserver and Shiva is the destroyer

Pila Mulligan: the best known deities of India are probably Krishna and Rama -- they are avatars of Vishnu

Adelene Dawner: If you say so.

stevenaia Michinaga: yes, they used to visit me at the airports in the 70's

Pila Mulligan: the two most beloved classics of India are their stories -- the Ramayana and the Mahabarata

Pila Mulligan: the coolest god ever invented is Ganesh, the elephant boy, son of Shiva

stevenaia Michinaga: what's his claim to fame?

Adelene Dawner: Now Ganesh, I know, 'cause one of his avatars is a character in a webcomic I follow. And yes, he's awesome. ^.^

Pila Mulligan: probably that there are more festivals for Ganesh than any other god in history :)

Pila Mulligan: he is truly adorable

stevenaia Michinaga: a party god?

Pila Mulligan: his first roll actually is god of the bath :)

Pila Mulligan: role*

stevenaia Michinaga: nots

Pila Mulligan: as the story goes ....

stevenaia Michinaga: nods

stevenaia Michinaga: rather

Pila Mulligan: Shiva was off on one of his god campaigns, leaving his wife Shakti at home

Pila Mulligan: unbeknownst to Shiva, while he was gone for many god years, shakti bore his son, Ganesh

Pila Mulligan: at that time Ganesh was just a regular god-boy

Pila Mulligan: so Shiva comes home from his battles

Pila Mulligan: and it just so happens that Shakti, not expecting him, had gone to take a bath

Pila Mulligan: and she had told Ganesh to guard the door while she was bathing

Pila Mulligan: so the boy is standing before the door when Shiva and all his warriors approach the house

Pila Mulligan: Shiva starts to enter the house and Ganesh says my mom told me to guard the door

Pila Mulligan: Shiva orders Ganesh to stand aside and Ganesh gives him a stinky look

Pila Mulligan: so Shiva tells one of his warriors to remove the boy from the door

Pila Mulligan: but the warrior is unable to remove Ganesh

Pila Mulligan: so shiva draws his sword and chops off the boys head and goes inside

Pila Mulligan: when he finds Shakti in the bathtub, she tells him Ganesh is their son

Pila Mulligan: so Shiva goes back outside and chops the head off his favorite elephant and puts it on the boys shoulders

Pila Mulligan: hence we have Ganesh as he appears now :)

stevenaia Michinaga: great stories, Pila

Pila Mulligan: :)

Pila Mulligan: Ganesh is the coolest god ever

stevenaia Michinaga: so he lives again with the head of an elephant?

Pila Mulligan: yep -- and he becomes the unquestioned favorite deity of India

Pila Mulligan: in terms of festivals

Pila Mulligan: I probably have half a dozen ganesh statutes around my house, and that is a paltry number compared to houses in India

Pila Mulligan: it is just a cheerful image

Pila Mulligan: what is the webcomic you mentioned Ade?

Adelene Dawner: Ursula Vernon's Digger.

Pila Mulligan: wish I could gte broadband :)

Pila Mulligan: get*

stevenaia Michinaga: images on Google images

Adelene Dawner: The archive is paid-account only for the last few months, but most of the archive is free, and the whole thing it going to be opened up soon, I hear.

Adelene Dawner: http://www.diggercomic.com/

Pila Mulligan: what is the ganesh character's name?

Adelene Dawner: ohhh, new layout... and, hey! Archive!

Adelene Dawner: Just Ganesh... the avatar in question is a talking statue of Ganesh, so...

Pila Mulligan: :)

Adelene Dawner: http://www.diggercomic.com/?p=7

Pila Mulligan: wow, there he is :)

Adelene Dawner: mmhmm :)

Pila Mulligan: is the main character a mouse

Adelene Dawner: Anthropomorphic wombat. :)

Pila Mulligan: ahh, of course

Adelene Dawner: ...which is actually pretty *normal*, for Vernon's art.

Pila Mulligan: the old hominid Australian marsupial

Adelene Dawner: http://www.metalandmagic.com/modules...a915bcb89d2f69

Pila Mulligan: I got caught up reading the panels you sent, and the next ones :)

Adelene Dawner: noooo, Pila. There's, um, well over a thousand of them?

Adelene Dawner: Wait 'till you have time.

Adelene Dawner: Like, a day or two. ^.^

Adelene Dawner: *checks* okay, nearing 700. Still.

Pila Mulligan: :)

Pila Mulligan tears himself away for the cartoon

stevenaia Michinaga: hehe

Adelene Dawner: ^.^

stevenaia Michinaga: there's a reason they are so popular

Pila Mulligan: i see

Adelene Dawner: You'll enjoy it, Pila. ^.^

stevenaia Michinaga: hello Antaries

Pila Mulligan: bookmarked

Adelene Dawner: :D

stevenaia Michinaga: feel free to join us

Pila Mulligan: flew de coup

stevenaia Michinaga: noob

Adelene Dawner: Updates quite reliably on Tuesdays and Thursdays - I think we've missed less than 5, all told, including the two the week where the artist's computer was stolen.

Pila Mulligan: is that theft of intellectual property :)

Adelene Dawner: *snerk*

Pila Mulligan: I tried to interest a lawyer friend in PAB today

stevenaia Michinaga: he on SL?

Pila Mulligan: he went to divinity school before law school

Pila Mulligan: not yet

Pila Mulligan: time will tell

Pila Mulligan: old fut like myself

Adelene Dawner: :)

stevenaia Michinaga: SL comes in all ages

Adelene Dawner: I have someone to bring, too... one of these days. Not sure if she has a regular SL account tho.

Pila Mulligan: actually the suggestion was to try PaB and avoid SL :)

Adelene Dawner: One of the clients from our Teen Grid gig.

Pila Mulligan: cool

Pila Mulligan: a teen then?

Adelene Dawner: Nope. One of the organizers.

Pila Mulligan: PaB seems to be G rated

Adelene Dawner suddenly finds herself having trouble with words...

stevenaia Michinaga: hardly

Pila Mulligan: really Steve?

Adelene Dawner: Teens aren't allowed in SL-proper anyway.

Adelene Dawner: And no, definitely not G.

stevenaia Michinaga: well, so I am told...grin

Pila Mulligan: I've never seen any off color ... whoops, take it back

stevenaia Michinaga: you don;t get out much, do you Pila

Adelene Dawner: hehehe

Pila Mulligan: PaB not SL :)

stevenaia Michinaga: ok, true

Pila Mulligan: only a few times have I seen off color word sin Pab, and they have been mine :)

Pila Mulligan: shit once and fuck once actually

Pila Mulligan: otherwise, clean as a whistle here

stevenaia Michinaga: I;m shocked!!!!!

Pila Mulligan: me too

Pila Mulligan: maybe it was in IMs :)

Adelene Dawner: Anyway, she's a history person - North Dakota historical society staffer. Thought it'd be an interesting counterpoint to the no time discussions to have her here sometime. :)

Pila Mulligan: North Dakota is probably a pretty timeless place

Pila Mulligan: timeless*

stevenaia Michinaga: hello Ray

Pila Mulligan: is she an Indian Ade?

Ray Schmid: hello stevenaia

Pila Mulligan: lots of Indian history there

Ray Schmid: I'm new here

Adelene Dawner: not to the best of my knowledge.

Pila Mulligan: have a seat if you like Ray

stevenaia Michinaga: grab a notecard in the blue thing in front of you

Ray Schmid: I want to, but where are seats?

stevenaia Michinaga: there are pillows here

Ray Schmid: I found it

stevenaia Michinaga: we are a regular discussion group that meets here

Pila Mulligan: we and a few dozen more, from time to time

Ray Schmid: umm what should I do with this card

stevenaia Michinaga: read it

Ray Schmid: mm my computer is too slow

stevenaia Michinaga: we record our conversations and post them on a wiki, it that ok if we include you?

Pila Mulligan: I have the slow computer problem also Ray

Ray Schmid: I may have to use another computer. Let me see if there is any available. see you then. thanks

Pila Mulligan: ok

Pila Mulligan: sounds like an office or university

stevenaia Michinaga: n.p. we are here at 1:00 and 7:00 am and pm

stevenaia Michinaga: did he say yes to the record question?

Pila Mulligan: he did not answer yet

Adelene Dawner: gone, now.

Pila Mulligan: looking for something else to use

stevenaia Michinaga: nods

Pila Mulligan: how's tai chi Steve?

stevenaia Michinaga: beginning second 8 weeks, time to focus on the grace of it all, the teacher is good

stevenaia Michinaga: walking through water and all that :)

Pila Mulligan: I found the video I wanted to send you a month or so ago -- the one I sent was just a substitute

stevenaia Michinaga: would love to see it when you find it, half the time she wasn't facing the camera

Pila Mulligan: http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...q=wu+chi&hl=en

Pila Mulligan: speaking of grace :)

stevenaia Michinaga: not exactly the form we do

Pila Mulligan: yes, this video is w style -- I think yours is closer to yang style (that was in the first video)

Pila Mulligan: wu*

stevenaia Michinaga: yes

stevenaia Michinaga: as far as I;ve taken it

Pila Mulligan: but this video shows the movement with chi really well

Adelene Dawner: mmf. words bad. home now. cya next time. *purr purr*

Pila Mulligan: you can really see how her movement is connected with her internal energy

Pila Mulligan: bye Ade

Pila Mulligan: my feeling is that in the end the value of all practices is mostly physical

stevenaia Michinaga: as is meditation for the mind

Pila Mulligan: even meditation ultimately has most of its value in the physical:)

Pila Mulligan: odd as that may sound

Pila Mulligan: but this is the world according to Pila, not any orthodoxy

stevenaia Michinaga: grins

Pila Mulligan: the opening and dropping and emptying people refer to is really physical stuff

stevenaia Michinaga: if it works for you, .....

Pila Mulligan: yep

stevenaia Michinaga: well I must go, thanks for the company

Pila Mulligan: nice to see you Steve

stevenaia Michinaga: always for me too

Pila Mulligan: aloha