New York Times about the lawsuit

[Tri-me]

“extinction” – the soteriological goal of Buddhism; the final cessation of rebirth into suffering existence.the state of enlightenment, in which the causes of rebirth are eliminated

How do you get to Nirvana......practice

[elfin goddess]

I wasn't able to read the whole article but the first line " Bitterness and Betrayal have been running themes through LC's work since 1968..." demonstrated to me just how little the writer of the article knows about Mr. Leonard Cohen. Certainly he explores these aspects of life, as does anyone who has does as much soul work as LC. However, he also explores the beauty, humour and passion of love, life, death etc.

As an example, the other day I was listening to Roberta Flack, "Hey That's No Way to Say Goodbye." I played it three or four times because I hadn't heard it in a while, and then it struck me that it sounded like something L.C. would have written. I looked it up. And sure enough it was his song. Its not a love song mourning loss, but celebrating the joy that two people shared during the short time they were together.

[peter danielsen]

I agree. That song is perhaps one of the most beautiful lovesongs ever written. It is true to real life. There has been deep passionate love, including the eros in flesh(I loved you in the morning, Our kisses deep and warm), and there has been discussions (Lets not talk of love or chains and things we can't untie--Now its come to distances) and heartache. And the line that always is so moving "your eyes are soft with sorrow, hey thats no way to say goodbye.

Peter

[Tri-me]

This is an untraditional love song I would think, but is helpful for thos romances that are not traditional. It is actually very, in my mind, positive speaking about acceptance.

[Sherry]

I agree with elfin goddess. There is so much more in L.C.’s work than ‘bitterness and betrayal’. So many of his songs deal with love at different stages of a relationship and on different levels, either earthly or spiritual. To me, they are more reflective of real live than the typical popular love songs that are a dime a dozen. and they can also be enjoyed on different levels - emotional, intellectual, etc.

[lizzytysh]

In my life, I have relied on that song and "So Long, Marianne," to keep bitterness at bay.

I remember seeing bitter women throughout my life, first noticing them in my teens and from then on, and saying to myself, "No matter what it takes, I will not be like that."

Part of that overall endeavour was to not get into name calling, and all that other ugly stuff, against my previous partner, after we were no longer together...."hatred is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die." I may reference some of the 'facts of the case' , but with no derogatory names attached. [I'd love to say there were never any incidents of name calling within the relationship, but that would be a lie ~ however, even that seems so ludicrous, at this point in my life. Stick to the issues, and if it's so bad that you can't, then rethink where you're at in the first place.]

Anyway, Leonard arrived in my life just in time, to allow for anger and pain to remain in those modes, without morphing into bitterness. Who knows? Maybe they wouldn't have, anyway.....I was so resolute from the beginning; but, his songs played such a central part, that I guess I'll never be able to sort it, to know for absolute sure. I'll always give his perspectives credit, however, as I always returned to them without fail. I would play my records at top volume, sing, move [bodily release], and cry. Leonard's songs are ideal for processing intense feelings, both positive and negative.

~ Lizzy

[pixiefeet]

Okay..what exactly is Nirvana? I assumed that once our souls learned all the lessons we required for "purification" or "enlightenment", we reached Nirvana, which I like to believe means we become "stars" in the universe. Then during a discussion with a friend he mentioned "the palace of Jade'..Please clarify?

pixiefeet aka elfin goddess. I couldn't sign in as elfin will contact the administrator.

TTFN

[lightning]

Nir Vana literally means "No desires."

[Tri-me]

If you have reached Nirvana you are enlightened and when you die you live in the God Realm. Maybe
You could be a bodisatva and return to earth until all have achieved enlightenment.
A human birth is the most auspicious of births because it gives you the opportunity to improve yourself and in turn help others. Pluns the human realm doesn't last as long as the others. My teacher Master Yap told us that the God Realm can get booring and you are there for thousands of years. He is a Malaysian Buddhist.

Here is a fun site it is an interactive wheel of dharma
http://www.buddhanet.net/wheel1.htm

[Steven]

Tri-me,

Thanks for posting the dharma link. Here is another link. Though
not really a dharma link, as I recall (I haven't visited the site in
a year or two), I know you'll enjoy it: http://www.thegreatillusion.com .

[Steven]

Did anyone click on the link I posted? If so, what did you think?

[Tri-me]

I did very cool neato
We just had our film festival here in Fredericton here is a link to an animation that I loved, the filmaker is a sweet heart

Geist is actually an animation, as it was made with a Nikon still camera where 1500 individual photographs were taken of the actors. After the photographs were taken, each one was imported into Photoshop and treated individually. When each image was ready, they were all imported into Final Cut Pro as JPG photographs and assembled on a normal film timeline.

This process is quite labour intensive, but unlike the low resolution of digital video or video mode on point and shoot digital cameras, this still photo animation process is high resolution, suitable for transfer to 35mm film stock.

http://zed.cbc.ca/go?POS=2&CONTENT_ID=2 ... KEY=712593
click on watch

[Byron]

[ Leonard Cohen's Troubles May Be a Theme Come True
By MARC WEINGARTEN
Published: October 6, 2005 ]

Readers and acquaintances, I feel that 'G-d Moves In Mysterious Ways,' indeed.

It is several years since the appalling news hit us that Leonard had fallen prey to 'trusted' friends and colleagues.

As we sat watching one of Leonard's concerts on our TV recently, it struck me that although those horrible events took so long to become 'resolved,' we can 'watch' one of Leonard's many concerts. The musicians, singers, crew, support teams and organisers he has gathered around himself, continue to charm, move, explore, enlighten and touch us with so much more than would have been predicted back then.

He had found himself under one of the darkest, deepest, dirtiest clouds that anyone could have cast over him.

They say that, "Every cloud has a silver lining."

Well they're wrong!

'That cloud' has been disbursed with an aura of glorious, rainbowed colours, accompanied by 'the ringing of the bells.'

Long may that 'Lazy bastard continue to live in his suit.'

Someone 'up there' is watching over him. We Thank You.

[lizzytysh]

So very true, Byron. And reading I'm Your Man gives an unbelievably brilliant technicolour of understanding of how much it means to Leonard to be on that stage. Reading ALL he has been through in his pursuit of the precision in his art, and remained steady with his convictions... and now, after his devastating financial loss on top of it all... he's back and we see him sprint out onto the stage and skip off it. Such amazing blessings all round.


~ Lizzy