Genealogy / Mikolaj Rak from Carpatho-Rusyn, Lemko Villages in Jaslo County [11]

nice heritage. I looked at the site you are mentioning,
no english there. have you seen this one lemko.org?

Life / Most famous, respected Polish last names? [46]

Krysia: all these three sound so Wisconsin :)

Life / Most famous, respected Polish last names? [46]


thanks witek :)

Life / Most famous, respected Polish last names? [46]

are you getting a couple of fake ids before moving to Poland?

go with Nowak as the popular one,

and Potocki (or Leszczynski) as the 'ancient' one

UK, Ireland / What Poles in the UK could do to encourage Brits to visit Poland? [5]

put some travel stuff in Cooltura (in english :)

Life / Can you think of any famous Polish personalities? [147]

yeah, told all the journalists at the press conference they were dumb :)

which is quite right, most of the time

nice to see new girl asking such 'encyclopedic' questions, Aleksandra

edit: just thought about one should be on the list: Ludwig Fleck

USA, Canada / Amnesty for Illegal Immigrants in the US [7]

I think there are some democrats in the House, that are going to try to stop this from happening (I mean the immigration thing, not the increase in fees) just because it'd made GWB look better in some eyes. On the other hand - and in contrary to what Lou Dobbs says - US economy seems to be really needing this kind of reform, they just can't afford not to do it. But we'll see.

USA, Canada / Shipping box to Poland from USA [22]

I don;t think there is Polamer's office in Florida, if anybody knows the location, please, post it here

Life / Are there any Polish buddhists? [43]

Hi Muzyka, good to hear from you again. That's what I meant, joking here a little.

Food / Importance High I need a polish recipe for eggs, vinegar, and horserad [6]

Jozio, so how do you prepare / serve it?

Food / Importance High I need a polish recipe for eggs, vinegar, and horserad [6]

Sounds like recipe for an Easter basket :)

Life / Are there any Polish buddhists? [43]

Muzyka,

see what happens when you send everybody 'the eastern path'?

Nobody is talking anymore!

Hope you are enjoying nice weather this Easter,

Bruno

Life / Scenery POLISH MOVIES (HELP) [12]


I've read the book, wouldn't call it a good literature

Life / Scenery POLISH MOVIES (HELP) [12]

what about the scenery, thats what Pawel wanted to see (Dzien Swira, lol, good scenery there)

News / Michnik in NYT and IHT [14]

sure. how do you think, is there anything to talk about in this one?

News / Michnik in NYT and IHT [14]

I mean the whole piece, I don't have a link since NYT requires payment to read it. no google cache neither.

select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0714F63E540C768EDDAA 0894DF404482

News / Michnik in NYT and IHT [14]

is it allowed?

News / Michnik in NYT and IHT [14]

sorry Miranda, not available for free anymore. I should have it somewhere in my sent email,
will try to find it for you.

News / Michnik in NYT and IHT [14]

I was suprised with the 'complaining' tone of this article. I mean, I'd expect criticism, but not whining, like it actually sounded.

Life / Are there any Polish buddhists? [43]


Right, Muzyka, this is exactly what makes these conversions so problematic. The 'western mind' always calculates what is better etc, and doesn't just jump into something unless it is 'worth it'. These can work in very scary ways (as in Pascal's gambit or Kalama Sutra). And all the calculations are just more or less complicated reasonings, 'mind-understandings'. And the western way is 'the harder you try, the closer you get'. So, it seems to me, any westerner has to have a target, something he wants to achieve via 'eastern ways' that comes from his western self. Therefore he is treating eastern practice as a 'set of exercises', just some means to his western ends.

Would you say than, that even starting with western end in mind, proper practice can make him a Buddhist along the way?

Life / Are there any Polish buddhists? [43]


At least one thing you got right. This is exactly what I've meant.

Muzyka, where is elsewhere? Emotions? If it is not an intellectual understanding, can we really talk about it?

Life / Are there any Polish buddhists? [43]


Yes, Muzyka, that is what I think about my identity: it is made up of these desires/awersions, and things attached to them, since one always desires/pushes away something (values, emotions, states, people, material things etc). And I agree, the problem is the "work of time", so the interested question you are trying to answer is how to deal with the vanishing. The acceptance seems like a good way, but how should we react, let's say, when there is a war? Should we be accepting it too, as just a neutral event?

Hola, Panie Puzzler, they'd say in Poland.

Since I'm a newbie here, I'm not sure what are the rules about dealing with comments like yours. I will answer it, but please, in the future, save your time: with this attitude (and manners, which you seem to care about), calling people "little, lying arrogant pricks" you simply don't deserve any answers.

I'm also not sure what are you trying to say in your comment, besides talking about me?
It looks like you are missing the point of this discussion: I've never said there was no "advanced buddhists" in Poland, or that I was in any way a specialist in this matter. Even a list of 1000 names of 'advanced buddhists' from Poland don't prove me wrong, since I simply wasn't talking about them.

The 'deeper level' you are asking about is just what you are missing here: we didn't talk with Muzyka about people who are declaring they are buddhists, we were discussing the possibility of real conversion for somebody brought up as a "westerner". And I was stating quite obvious thing that it is not easy.

Suggested reading (patronizing not intended, blame my poor english or your oversensitiveness, also, I don't believe this discussion is in any way overintelectualized(?):

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ad_hominem

if you know polish you can take a look at this as a fresh illustration of my opinions (this is an article from one of the biggest polish portals, talking about yoga as something better than "prozac, viagra, amphetamine": same attitude to buddhism I was trying to present and criticize here)

serwisy.gazeta.pl/logo/1,66913,3951710.html

Life / Are there any Polish buddhists? [43]

Sure I'm interested, just need to sleep sometimes :)

We are getting into something here: so, what is "me" or "I" or whatever we may call it without these cravings/aversions? Seems like we'd loose our identities without the attachment to values that motivate us (even if it's just money for example) and we'd have to stop acting. Seems like you are presenting some kind of contemplative rather than active life.

That would be another difference between east and west: we've been told to "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."

Life / Are there any Polish buddhists? [43]

Hi Puzzler, these statements are based on my experience/conversations with a lot of people more or less involved with "polish buddhism". They are admitting that the "practical side" of it is for everybody, but the "mind conversion" is very hard, if at all possible (so it is not mine assumption, just a conclusion of quite a few disscussions). Sure, if you go on the internet you are not likely to find people saying "I practice zen, but I'm not really a buddhist", we were talking with Muzyka on a little deeper level here. Ten people driving to Chicago can be in the same "driving mood", but their believes, values, plans etc is what makes them truly different.

I guess we can all agree that practicing, using buddhist technics does not make one a buddhist automatically, right?(unless this is again "western way" of seeing things, and it does not fit here)

EDIT: Re your [sic] comment next to word yoga: yes, it works the same way with practicing yoga without really paying attention to the Hindu philosophy, treating yoga as just a set of exercises without tinking of it as something "self-liberating".

Life / Are there any Polish buddhists? [43]

well, I don't think context would matter a lot here, it was just an illustration of letting contradiction play a role in the teaching.

as far as the sense of "no longer wanting things to be different from how they are": if it is a momentary event (illuminatio, orgasm, being lightly drunk before falling to sleep) than I guess it makes sense, but as a permanent state it does remind me - if you will, please - cows slowly chewing their grass somewhere by the rural road in eastern Poland.

seriously: what is life without wanting, acting (changing the order of things), achieving, growing, celebrating, communicating (making a difference as far as the others are concerned)?

Life / Are there any Polish buddhists? [43]

you are right, it is kind of general, but just as an example: the western logic is based on the law of non-contradiction (so is my thinking, dreams, plans, actions etc), than I remeber reading this Suzuki guy (and it was 10 years ago, so I had to look this following sentence up) writing about the eastern way of enlightenment: "which is at once above and in the process of reasoning. This is a contradiction, formally considered, but in truth, this contradiction is itself made possible because of Prajna"

I'm simply lost when somebody is "talking contradiction", in this example: is driving to Chiacago the same as already being there?

Life / Are there any Polish buddhists? [43]

well, I didn't mean just the lifestyle, sure, the values are very important, but I'm also thinking about the logic: is our western logic valid in eastern thinking?

Life / Are there any Polish buddhists? [43]

Nope, haven't heard about Vipassana thing. I'm really not very interested in the eastern tradition. But I'm interested as how deep can you really get into that, isn't there like a line, where us westerners have to stop, which we simply cannot cross because of who we are and how we are?