View allAll Photos Tagged Sentient
Jawas are a sentient species of meter-tall humanoids native to the desert world of Tatooine. They are scavengers, searching for droids and scraps which they would capture and sell to the local residents, forming a codependent circle of trade.
I've made a portrait of a Jawa some time ago. There was, in fact, always another Jawa waiting to be a part of the photo, I'd just never show it (hence the title). Well, anyway... this particular frame, you're looking right now has been on my desk a very long time, just waiting to be added on the right moment. Oh, yes, I'm that precise! If you didn't knew, I've found of myself tweeting about my photography on Twitter recently. If you have the same platform, you're more than welcome to follow me.
So, now that I'm back to school all I can think about is going out and exploring more of Salisbury. But this thought has really progressed into a new plan all together. Along with some beginning of the semester blues, I think I just crave for, more. I'm going to start a project I think where I'll spend 2-3 weekends of the month just, going. Exploring further out than Salisbury and just being out there looking for more. I don't think I'm really meant to be going out and drinking every weekend like a normal college kid. So I'm kind of at the point where I don't really care about a social life and I guess, normal college kid priorities.
This is kind of an experimental shot that I've been fooling around with. I wasn't going to post it on anything but it kind of grew on me all the sudden. Enjoy
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Flood Falls, Hope, BC
The wildfire currently burning in the Flood Falls area of Hope "inspired" me to edit some of the images from when a buddy and I went there a few months back. It's difficult for me to fully convey my thoughts on what losing areas like these mean, because nature is not a static thing. Change inevitably comes in one form or another, at some point. What causes me issues is knowing that we, as sentient beings, can't seem to do a better job of taking care of what we have and ensuring that no unnecessary damage is caused. While these forests have been ravaged by the hand of man before and come back, knowing this place likely won't look like this again in my lifetime is more than a little upsetting.
When I rediscovered these old photo files last week I was surprised to learn that in the back of my mind at the time (January 2007) must have been the same idea that struck me in December 2022. I was also on board the Spirit of Tasmania sailing back home at sunset.
Among the many sunset shots I was attempting with the Nikon Coolpix 5900 (2005 vintage), were these showing nothing but the sunlight reflected on the changing water's surface. Recently you will have seen how this same idea captured my imagination:
www.flickr.com/photos/luminosity7/52576956515/in/datepost...
www.flickr.com/photos/luminosity7/52576789574/in/datepost...
There is something truly elemental about the sea. I could watch and listen to it for hours. Like many people I want my ashes spread upon the waters when the time comes, perhaps that I will be dispersed among the seas of the world. Again the themes of Homer come to mind as they did with my recent incarnations of this idea. Θάλαττα! θάλαττα! (The Sea! The Sea!), the cry of the Greeks that echoes down through the centuries to us.
Time's flow is ever changing, and yet in relation to the conservation of consciousness in the universe (in which each sentient being participates) it is merely an illusion.
* Photos taken with the Nikon Coolpix 5900 in January 2007.
Kailash (Gangs Rin Po Che, Gangs Ti-se) གངས་རིན་པོ་ཆེ 6638m
•Religious Sect > Bön > ཏི་སེ། > Tisé > ti se > Mount Tisé Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar are the only two places in the whole of Tibet that were visited by Lord Buddha, accompanied by five hundred Arhats. During the turning of the Three Wheels of the Dharma, Buddha Shakyamuni extensively explained the merits of building images. So Indra (the king of gods) offered precious articles of the gods, Ananda (the king of Serpents or Nagas) offered precious articles of the Nagas and Bimbisara (the king of Magadh) offered gold and silver, etc. to the Buddha and requested him to have three images of the Buddha made, as a means of generating merit for the sentient beings in the future. The total distance, covered in a complete circumambulation of Mount Kailash according to the route charted by Gotsangpa, is 52km and takes about 13 to 15 hours. Tibetan pilgrims generally start early in the morning and complete one circumambulation by nightfall. Most Tibetan pilgrims do three to thirteen circumambulations of Mount Kailash. There are some who do 108 circumambulations of Mount Kailash. tibet-incense.com/blog/circling-kailash-and-manasarovar/
January 15, 2018
Macro Mondays Theme: #MyFavouriteNovel(Fiction)
Terminal Alliance (Janitors of the Post-Apocalypse #1) by by Jim C. Hines (Goodreads Author)
"When the Krakau came to Earth, they planned to invite humanity into a growing alliance of sentient species.
This would have worked out better for all involved if they hadn’t arrived after a mutated plague wiped out half the planet, turned the rest into shambling, near-unstoppable animals, and basically destroyed human civilization. You know—your standard apocalypse.
The Krakau’s first impulse was to turn their ships around and go home. After all, it’s hard to establish diplomatic relations with mindless savages who eat your diplomats.
Their second impulse was to try to fix us.
A century later, human beings might not be what they once were, but at least they’re no longer trying to eat everyone. Mostly.
Marion “Mops” Adamopoulos is surprisingly bright (for a human). As a Lieutenant on the Earth Mercenary Corps Ship Pufferfish, she’s in charge of the Shipboard Hygiene and Sanitation team. When a bioweapon attack by an alien race wipes out the Krakau command crew and reverts the rest of the humans to their feral state, only Mops and her team are left with their minds intact.
Escaping the attacking aliens—not to mention her shambling crewmates—is only the beginning. Sure, Mops and her assortment of space janitors and plumbers can clean the ship, but flying the damn thing is another matter. As they struggle to keep the Pufferfish functioning and find a cure for their crew, they stumble onto a conspiracy that could threaten the entire alliance."
Head - Catwa Lona
maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Catwa%20Clip/144/6/22
Hair - RA Katia Hair
maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Moonfall%20Dream/120/132/24
Eyesbrows - Aii Black & White Fantasy Brows
maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Mai%20Tai/128/194/1866
Eyes & Eye Makeup - UniCult Coded Eyes & Makeup @ The Fantasy Collective (Open Now)
maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Lately/221/35/1002
Jaw & Collar - Cureless Sentient Jaw & Collar (Lucky Chair Freebie)
maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Curemore/122/47/24
Bodysuit - Omnis Basic Suit Applier (Free Gift)
maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Venus/191/148/1910
Claws - CX Shredder Claws
maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Cerberus%20Crossing/134/12...
Excerpt from thebuddhistgarden.com/places-of-interest-%e5%af%ba%e9%99%...:
South Platform Manjusri Bodhisattva
南臺智慧文殊菩薩
Consecration Ceremony 開光 : 2019-10-05
Statue Net Height 銅像淨高度 : 9.99米
Platform Overall Height 含臺總高度 : 13米
Raw Material 原材料 : Bronze 青銅
Statue Surface 銅像表面 : Gilding 貼金箔
Made In 原產地 : China 中國
Transportation : By sea over a month 超過一個月的海上運輸
Cargos 貨運 : 6 containers 6 個貨櫃
Delivered On 運抵日期 : 2017-3-29
From design to complete installation 設計至圓滿安座 : over 5 years 五年多
Assembly Artisans From China 中國組裝技師 : 16
Donor 捐贈者 : Venerable Master Miao Jiang from Mount Wutai in China 中國五台山妙江長老
Cost Contributor 捐資者 : Chamshan's long-term patron, Mr. Huang Chu Long 湛山大護法黃楚龍
5 Statues Cost 五尊銅像總費用 : about 15.6 million RMB 约1,560萬人民幣
1 Statue Cost 一尊銅像費用 : about 3.1 million RMB 约310萬人民幣
Foundation and Platform Cost： open for donation 歡迎捐款支助
Offering to the South Platform Manjusri Bodhisattva : Success in all endeavors, in harmony with others, with no obstructions in work and business.
供奉南臺智慧文殊師利菩薩功德利益 : 諸事順利，與人和睦，凡做事有障礙者，可保工作、事業順利。
Excerpt from thebuddhistgarden.com/places-of-interest-%e5%af%ba%e9%99%...:
Eighty-Eight Buddha Surrounding the Southern Platform
八十八座佛塔繞南台
The South Platform is dedicated to the wisdom Manjushri Bodhisattva. Around the South Platform, numerous Buddha stupas stand tall, creating a magnificent landscape. Can you count how many stupas there are? There are a total of precisely eighty-eight stupas, a highly auspicious number.
So, why are there eighty-eight stupas on the South Platform? What special significance do these stupas hold?
In fact, the benefactors who initiated the construction of these stupas were among the first to donate to the establishment of Wutai Shan Buddhist Garden in Canada. Back then, Wutai Shan Buddhist Garden was nothing more than vast, untamed mountains and wilderness, devoid of any development. The merit of these benefactors, centred around their unwavering trust in Venerable Dayi, led them to decisively donate these stupas. With the merit generated by these eighty-eight stupas, Venerable Dayi was finally able to gather the initial funds needed to start the construction of the monastery.
As time has passed, many of the donors of these stupas have already passed away. Venerable Dayi is deeply grateful to these dedicated benefactors who made great aspirations. Therefore, he made a vow that, during the inauguration of Wutai Shan Buddhist Garden, every donor of the eighty-eight stupas would be invited before the stupa they donated, allowing them to witness the tremendous contribution they made and to express gratitude towards them.
What is special about the design of these eighty-eight stupas? All of the eighty-eight stupas are seven-tiered structures, standing at around 3 meters in height, commonly referred to as "seven-tiered pagodas." The bottom three tiers are hexagonal bases adorned with lotus relief carvings on all sides. On the front, there are inscriptions of the eighty-eight Buddhas' names and the names of the donors who contributed to the stupa. Above that is the upward-reaching lotus section, followed by tiers that recede like stairs, leading up to the bell-shaped stupa body. Within each tier, there are niches enshrining the images of the eighty-eight Buddhas, symbolizing the heart of the Buddha. The stupa finial, representing the Buddha's head, is composed of seven levels of discs and a jewel, creating a profound symbolism that captures the essence of Buddhism. These stupas are exquisitely carved, uniquely creative, and meticulously structured, making them masterpieces of ancient stupas.
In Buddhism, the Eighty-Eight Buddhas are comprised of the Fifty-Three Past Buddhas and the Thirty-Five Present Buddhas. The names of the Fifty-Three Past Buddhas can be found in the " Sutra Spoken by the Buddha on Visualizing the Two Bodhisattvas Bhaisajyarāja and Bhaisajyasamudgata," while the Thirty-Five Present Buddhas are mentioned in the " Sutra Spoken by the Buddha on the Inquiry of Upali Regarding Determination of the Vinaya." These Eighty-Eight Buddhas can serve as objects of confession and purification for sentient beings. Therefore, people can turn to them with repentant hearts, expressing their desire to mend their ways.
The "Sutra of Circumambulating the Stupa for Merit on the Right" states: "All heavenly dragons, yakshas, spirits, and others draw close and make offerings when one circumambulates to the right of the stupa." Circumambulating stupas enables all sentient beings to be free from descending into unfortunate realms, allowing them to encounter the Dharma and be shielded from harm. Pilgrims who come to the Eighty-Eight Buddha Stupas on the South Platform can walk around them with joined palms, concentrating their minds, leaving behind afflictions, freeing their spirits, and ultimately achieving supreme enlightenment. This is akin to what is expressed in the "Lotus Sutra": "If a person with scattered mind enters a stupa or a temple, and even utters the name 'Namo Buddha,' they have already achieved the path of Buddhahood!"
This is the story of the South Platform and the Eighty-Eight Buddhas.
南台是智慧文殊師利菩薩。在南台的周圍有許多佛塔林立，風景壯闊，大家可以數一下看看有多少座呢？一共有不多不少整八十八座佛塔。非常吉利的數字。
那麼，南台為什麼是八十八座佛塔呢？這批佛塔又有什麼特殊的意義呢？
其實這批佛塔的功德主都是最早捐建五台山的人。當初，加國五台山還是一望無際的荒山野嶺，除了荒山之外什麼都沒有。南台的這些功德主憑著對達義大和尚的充分信任，他們果斷地捐了這些塔。因為有了這八十八座佛塔的功德金，達義大和尚終於籌集了開山建寺的第一筆啟動資金。
時光荏苒，現在這些塔的捐贈者，其中有很多人已經往生了。達義大和尚特別感恩這些發大願心的功德主，所以大和尚發了一個願，五台山開園之際一定要讓每一位八十八佛塔的捐贈者都來到他們捐贈的佛塔面前，讓他們看到當年他們所做的巨大貢獻，以此來感恩他們。
八十八佛塔的造型設計有什麼特別之處呢？我們所看到的八十八佛塔都是七個層級，高度在3公尺左右，即世稱的「七級浮屠」。最下三層為六角形基座；基座上四面飾以蓮花浮雕；正前方為八十八佛尊號銘文，以及捐建佛塔功德主的芳名；再上為仰蓮；腰部以上逐層收分如階梯，上覆缽形塔腹，中設有龕門，供奉八十八佛尊像，象徵佛的心臟部位；而塔剎象徵著佛的頭部，塔頂上面由七級相輪和寶珠剎組成，巨大的塔身蘊含著深厚的佛教內涵，佛塔雕刻精湛，獨具匠心，結構嚴謹，為古塔之精品！
佛教中的八十八佛是五十三佛加三十五佛。五十三佛名見《觀藥王藥上二菩薩經》，是娑婆世界的過去佛；三十五佛出自《決定毘尼經》，是現在十方世界中佛。這八十八佛都可以為眾生作懺悔主，因此，人們可以向他們申述自己改悔過惡的願望。
《右繞佛塔功德經》雲：「一切諸天龍，夜叉鬼神等，皆親近供養，斯由右繞塔。」繞行佛塔能使諸天龍免於墮惡趣中，得以值遇佛法，所有眾生悉不能害。朝聖至南台八十八佛塔，同修們可合掌繞行佛塔，止心一處，拋開煩惱，釋放心靈，乃至成就無上正覺。這如同《法華經》中所說：若人散亂心，入於塔廟中；一稱南無佛，皆已成佛道 ！
Cypress feels that sadness is a necessary and totally normal part of life - for himself, but certainly not his friends. Talk of work experience, summer plans, Linus' van, sentient spiders, upcoming exams, lost diaries, missing limbs, the Quidditch World Cup, werewolf rights - all manner of topics are explored in an effort to distract and cheer up the people he loves most in the world.
New for the Dreadmorne Swamplands Horror Event opening May 6th!
Landmark: maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/5wa6r/139/175/3805
The Sentient Sludge is a slimy animesh pet that comes with ten color options via a color HUD and reacts to being booped (clicked).
We are not responsible for lost fingies, household pets, objects or any damage to hardwood floors.
There is a demo of the Sentient Sludge with full chomping action at his actual size located at the booth. Please be aware you cannot resize him, or the Smol Sludgie as they are animesh and rigged to a skeleton.
Smiling at their uncertain bulk
there’s a gap between me
and the sharp-edged world.
Memories lie there,
the sensations of a sentient being.
wwwsjfinn.com
Character Creation
The Shade (Richard Swift) is a comic book character developed in the 1940s for National Comics, first appearing in the pages of Flash Comics in a story titled "The Man Who Commanded the Night", scripted by Gardner Fox and illustrated by Hal Sharp.
Debuting as a villain, the Shade was best known for fighting against two generations of superheroes, most notably the Golden Age and Silver Age versions of the Flash.
He eventually became a mentor for Jack Knight, the son of the Golden Age Starman, Ted Knight, a hero the Shade had also fought.
Though portrayed in Silver Age comics as a thief with a cane that could manipulate shadows, the character was reinvented in 1994 as a morally ambiguous Victorian-era immortal who gained the ability to manipulate shadows and immortality from an unexplained mystical event.
In 2009, the Shade was ranked as IGN's 89th-greatest villain of all time.
The Shade appeared as a major character from the season 1 finale onwards in Stargirl, played by Jonathan Cake
Publication history
The Shade first appeared in Flash Comics #33 (September 1942), and was created by Gardner Fox and Harold Sharp.
Shade received a solo series in late 2011, written by Robinson and drawn by Cully Hamner, Darwyn Cooke, Javier Pulido, and others. It deals with Shade and his descendants, flashing back to various points in his life as he travels the globe trying to find who is behind a plot to kill him.
Fictional Character History
Origin
Born and raised in London, England in the early 1800s, Richard Swift was a wealthy importer. In the course of his business he came into contact with Simon Culp, who hired Swift to import a lion for him. The pair became friends while awaiting the arrival of the lion. It was soon revealed that Culp was merely using Swift in an effort to enact an arcane ritual; he captured Swift and attempted to use him as a sacrifice to the goddess Scathach. However, for reasons unknown, Swift was gifted with the powers that Culp had intended only for himself. The resultant mystical occurrence resulted in the deaths of over a hundred people. Bereft of all memories of who he had been, Swift departed his old life and was reborn as the Shade. Immediately after the events that gave him his powers, the disoriented Shade was taken in by Piers Ludlow, who attempted to take advantage of Shade's state by framing him for murder. Shade lashed out instinctively with his powers, making an enemy of the Ludlow family when he killed almost the entire family. Following this he embarked on a career of questionable legality, exploring the world and occasionally taking work as an assassin.
Golden Age
In his original Golden Age appearances, the Shade was portrayed as a villainous character. Primarily a thief, he utilized a cane that allowed him to manipulate shadows. He retained this characterization throughout the Golden, Silver and Bronze Ages.
Modern Age
Following the Crisis on Infinite Earths, Shade remained a villain for a few more years. Following Zero Hour his character was significantly rewritten. He was re-imagined as an immortal of Victorian extraction, and given a more morally ambiguous, anti-heroic bent. Much of his previous villainy was retconned as the influence of Culp. This version of the character no longer needed the magical cane to manipulate shadows, this trait became inherent.
Rebirth
Following the universal reboot, the powers of the Darklands, previously only semi-sentient, became fully sentient and autonomous. Shade himself became significantly less competent.
Flash of Two Worlds
Working with the Fiddler and the Thinker, Shade takes part in shifting Keystone City out of phase, trapping the inhabitants and causing the rest of the world to forget the city ever existed. They use this power to loot the city with impunity. They are confronted by both Jay Garrick and Barry Allen, and the heroes eventually defeat the Shade and his companions.
Starman
Shade first comes into contact with Starman when he abducts the hero's father, Ted Knight, at the behest of Mist. He soon turns against Mist and sides with Starman, later forming close ties with the O'Dare family, particularly Matt O'Dare. During their association Shade frequently engages in heroic behaviour to assist Jack and Matt. At one point he agrees to selflessly sell his soul to save those trapped in a cursed poster. Around this time he makes an enemy of Neron by refusing to accept the demon's deal to increase his own power. During the events of the Godwave his powers are completely unaffected by the event that depowered most powered individuals. Slowly but surely Culp is able to take control of Shade's body, culminating in an attempt to destroy Opal City, carried out with the sole intention of destroying the city that Shade loves. Joining Culp's efforts are Neron, one of the last remaining Ludlows, and Mist's daughter. Shade is able to expel Culp, but in so doing loses his powers. Despite this, he is able to use a shadow demon to engage in a battle of wills with Culp, which he ultimately wins. Stripping Culp of his powers and adding them to his own, Shade is victorious.
Infinite Crisis
Still in Opal City and acting as the city's heroic, if cynical, protector, Shade spends the Crisis defending the city and its inhabitants.
Cry For Justice
Shade tells Jay Garrick of Prometheus' plan to distract the heroes from his master plan, and travels with the hero to the Watchtower. There, they encounter Prometheus, who is attempting to flee the ship. As he is not a hero, Prometheus has no file on how to defeat Shade, and is confounded by how to deal with him. Donna Troy takes the opportunity to attack Prometheus and beats him nearly to death. Shade prevents her from killing the villain. He later aids Green Arrow in travelling to Prometheus' lair, where Green Arrow kills the villain.
Blackest Night
Now in a relationship with Hope O'Dare, Shade is attacked by Black Lantern David Knight. Due to his immortality, Shade is not killed when Knight rips his heart from his chest, and is able to resist the Black Lantern ring that attempts to attach itself to him. He traps Knight in the Darklands when Knight threatens to kill Jack and O'Dare. Using his own heart he traps Knight and banishes him permanently. He is found soon afterwards by Barry Allen and Hal Jordan, who ask for transportation to the Ghost Zone. He agrees to help, and they locate the rotting body of Prometheus in the Ghost Zone.
Brightest Day
Shade is sought by Jay Garrick, Doctor Mid-Nite, Sebastian Faust, and Wildcat, all of whom seek his assistance in locating Obsidian. He is found in his home in a comatose state, apparently placed there by the Starheart-possessed Obsidian, who wanted to stop Shade from revealing "secrets". Soon afterwards Shade is captured by Eclipso, who brainwashes him. At the behest of Saint Walker he is sought and rescued by Starman and Atom, who manage to free him of the brainwashing. He turns on his erstwhile captor, helping the heroes defeat Eclipso.
The Shade
Attacked at his home in Opal City, Shade sets off on a world-spanning quest to discover the origin of the assassination attempt. At the same time he explores his past, and encounters numerous figures that have been important in his long life, as well as exploring the extent of his own powers. It eventually becomes clear that the assassination was ordered by a member of his own family, Dudley, Lord Caldecott, acting in concert with an ancient cult. The cult accidentally unleashes ancient godlike beings on London, whom Shade is able to defeat by trapping them in a pocket dimension and transporting them back to their home dimension.
The Speed of Darkness
As Shade grows increasingly worried that he will return to his life of crime and jeopardize his relationship with Hope, his shadow powers take it upon themselves to begin committing crimes on his behalf. When this is discovered by Hope, who believes that Shade has relapsed, the shadows kidnap and brainwash her, and entrap Shade in the Darklands. He is able to push some shadow into Central City, where it attracts the attention of Kid Flash and the Flash, who come to his aid. They help him rescue Hope and regain control of the Darklands.
Powers and Abilities
Shade is the strongest known channeller of the shadow powers of the Darklands, a dimension of sentient darkness that he can channel to a variety of effects. He can also use this dimension to teleport himself and others, with no known limits to the distance he can travel; it can also be used to travel through time. He is functionally immortal and practically indestructible. He is intelligent and resourceful.
Abilities
Immortality
Darkness Manipulation
Time Manipulation
Teleportation
⚡ Happy 🎯 Heroclix 💫 Friday! 👽
_____________________________
A year of the shows and performers of the Bijou Planks Theater.
Secret Identity: Richard Swift
Publisher: DC
First appearance: Flash Comics #33 (September 1942)
Created by: Gardner Fox (Writer)
Harold Wilson Sharp (Artist)
First appearance cover:
It's our last full day in Palm Springs and today we visited the Moorten Botanical Garden, which has a fascinating collection of cacti and succulents from around the world.
Jan and I noticed these three, who look as if they beamed here in search of fellow sentients. :-)
Help us to change the Civil Code. More severe penalties for the mistreatment of all animals.
A life can not be considered a mobile thing.
Animals = sentient beings
Port of Hydra
No cars are allowed on the island of Hydra,so the only transport is by donkey,by bicycle or on foot ...
Gregory - ΓΡΗΓΟΡΗΣ- ,was very safe,fast and most reliable ...
NB : Gregory - ΓΡΗΓΟΡΗΣ - derives from the word γρηγορος = fast
Many thanks my Flickr friends for your comments and faves ♥♥♥
Speak up for those who have no voice ...
MISSION OF WORLD ANIMAL DAY
To raise the status of animals in order to improve welfare standards around the globe. Building the celebration of World Animal Day unites the animal welfare movement, mobilising it into a global force to make the world a better place for all animals. It's celebrated in different ways in every country, irrespective of nationality, religion, faith or political ideology. Through increased awareness and education we can create a world where animals are always recognised as sentient beings and full regard is always paid to their welfare
Agnes: Hey, Dave!
Dave: What's up, sweetie?
Agnes: The leaf monster did it again.
Dave: Are you referring to yourself as a leaf monster? And should I be worried about that you did?
Agnes: Don't be insane. I'm not the monster. This pile of leaves is.
Dave: I find that surprising. I just raked it up and can't believe that it is a sentient monster.
Agnes: Not all monsters are self aware.
Dave: You are a very wise animal.
Agnes: I know. And I also know that this pile of leaves just ate my ball for the third time! He's insatiable and abominable.
Dave: Nice words, but it didn't eat it. Julia just threw it in there for you to chase down.
Agnes: Nope. Julia would never be so mean as to hide my favourite ball on me. This leaf pile must be a monster. Come over here and help me tunnel and munch my way into the depth of this beast! My ball must be in here somewhere.
Mt Kailash (Gangs Rin Po Che, Gangs Ti-se) གངས་རིན་པོ་ཆེ 6638m.
Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar are the only two places in the whole of Tibet that were visited by Lord Buddha, accompanied by five hundred Arhats. During the turning of the Three Wheels of the Dharma, Buddha Shakyamuni extensively explained the merits of building images. So Indra (the king of gods) offered precious articles of the gods, Ananda (the king of Serpents or Nagas) offered precious articles of the Nagas and Bimbisara (the king of Magadh) offered gold and silver, etc. to the Buddha and requested him to have three images of the Buddha made, as a means of generating merit for the sentient beings in the future. The total distance, covered in a complete circumambulation of Mount Kailash according to the route charted by Gotsangpa, is 52km and takes about 13 to 15 hours. Tibetan pilgrims generally start early in the morning and complete one circumambulation by nightfall. Most Tibetan pilgrims do three to thirteen circumambulations of Mount Kailash. There are some who do 108 circumambulations of Mount Kailash. tibet-incense.com/blog/circling-kailash-and-manasarovar/
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“Sometimes when I meet old friends, it reminds me how quickly time passes. And it makes me wonder if we’ve utilized our time properly or not. Proper utilization of time is so important. While we have this body, and especially this amazing human brain, I think every minute is something precious. Our day-to-day existence is very much alive with hope, although there is no guarantee of our future. There is no guarantee that tomorrow at this time we will be here. But we are working for that purely on the basis of hope. So, we need to make the best use of our time. I believe that the proper utilization of time is this: if you can, serve other people, other sentient beings. If not, at least refrain from harming them. I think that is the whole basis of my philosophy. So, let us reflect what is truly of value in life, what gives meaning to our lives, and set our priorities on the basis of that. The purpose of our life needs to be positive. We weren’t born with the purpose of causing trouble, harming others. For our life to be of value, I think we must develop basic good human qualities—warmth, kindness, compassion. Then our life becomes meaningful and more peaceful—happier.
www.anmvioggi.it/rubriche/attualita/57874-versione-uffici...
C'è di nuovo il circo con animali a Spoleto.
E' anacronistico e molto avvilente, che tuttora nei circhi si usino animali. Finchè sarà lecito sfruttare per divertimento esseri senzienti molti simili a noi, come possiamo aspettarci che lo stesso trattamento non venga riservato anche agli esseri umani?
Alexander era una giraffa, scappata dal circo, è stata sedata ma non è sopravvissuta. Si aggiunge a molti altri casi di animali scappati dal circo la cui fuga in un modo o nell'altro finisce con la morte.
It is anachronistic and very disheartening that animals are still used in circuses. As long as it is permissible to exploit sentient beings who are very similar to us for entertainment, how can we expect the same treatment not to be reserved for human beings too?
Alexander was a giraffe, who escaped from the circus, he was sedated but did not survive. It joins many other cases of animals who have escaped from the circus and whose escape in one way or another ends in death.
Excerpt from thebuddhistgarden.com/places-of-interest-%E5%AF%BA%E9%99%...:
The Hall of Sudhana (Hall of Shan Cai) is a multifunctional hall named after a giant relief sculpture. The lifelike figures depicted in this huge sculpture number fifty-three in total. There is also a fascinating story behind it.
The Pilgrimage in Pursuit of Enlightenment Guided by 53 Mentors depict the entire process of a practitioner attaining Buddhahood. The practitioner in this story is none other than the attendant of Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, Sudhana Boy.
According to the Avatamsaka Sutra, Sudhana Boy made extensive offerings to past Buddhas, cultivating profound virtues and always rejoicing in purity. He accumulated immense merit and blessings. Sudhana Boy was born in the city of Awakening in India, and at the time of his birth, seven great treasures naturally appeared in his household. Additionally, at the moment of his birth, five hundred precious vessels materialized, leading his parents to name him "Sudhana."
As Sudhana grew up, he was influenced by the teachings and inspiration of Manjushri Bodhisattva. Sudhana embarked on a challenging journey to seek the Dharma. He tirelessly traveled southward, visiting various virtuous individuals. His visits included Bodhisattvas, monks, nuns, Upasakas, Upasikas, etc., totaling fifty-three virtuous individuals. This is the famous "Pilgrimage in Pursuit of Enlightenment Guided by 53 Mentors".
Sudhana's journey of visits and study exemplifies the path to Buddhahood. It teaches us the importance of perseverance and an open-minded approach to learning Buddhism in a humble way.
The Pilgrimage in Pursuit of Enlightenment Guided by 53 Mentors is a representative work of Mahayana Buddhism. Like every practitioner, Sudhana's heart was childlike. During his spiritual journey, he approached, observed, contemplated, and made choices in relation to each accomplished individual. He chose to learn from their virtues and kept his distance from their flaws.
Among his 53 mentors, the twenty-seventh was Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, who cared deeply for him. After acquiring the Dharma, Sudhana returned to the side of Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva and assisted in the Bodhisattva's compassionate mission to guide sentient beings.
This is the story of the Hall of Sudhana and the Pilgrimage in Pursuit of Enlightenment Guided by 53 Mentors at Wutai Shan Buddhist Garden.
善財寶殿是一個多功能廳，它因為一幅巨幅浮雕而得名。整個五十三參浮雕作品長26.2公尺（合86英尺），高6.4公尺 （合21英尺），供奉於五台山大殿一樓多功能廳，是一幅巨型雕工精美的藝術大作。這幅巨雕上面的人物栩栩如生，一共有53位。其中53個人物的立體雕像都是獨立的立像，每個人物雕像約1.08公尺。這裡面還有一個非常有趣的故事。
五十三參講述了一位修行者成佛的整個參學過程。這位修行者就是觀音菩薩的左脅侍－善財童子。
觀音菩薩有兩位侍者：一位是善財童子，一位是龍女。善財童子是《華嚴經入法界品》裡的主要人物。據《華嚴經》記載，善財童子在過去諸佛處，廣修供養。深種善根而常樂清淨，並且喜歡親近善知識，修習菩薩行，因而積聚了大量的福德因緣。善財童子生於印度覺城，因前生福報，初住母胎之時，家中自然顯現七大寶藏。出生之時，又有五百寶器出現，父母請人為他取名叫「善財」。
善財長大時，文殊菩薩正在覺城弘法。由於受到文殊菩薩的教導與啟發，善財歷盡艱辛，南下求法，歷訪各處的善知識。所參訪的對象，有菩薩、比丘、比丘尼、優婆塞、優婆夷、童子、童女、天女、婆羅門、國王、王妃、仙人、醫師等，共計有五十三位善知識。這就是著名的「五十三參」。
善財童子的參訪修學之路為佛教徒展示了一條通往成佛的途徑，由淺入深，由低到高，循序漸進，不可投機取巧。它啟示人們在學佛的歷程裡，要有吃苦耐勞的毅力和鑼而不捨的精神。虛心學習佛法，所學的對像不必固定為一師一處，甚至只要他有長處，即使是外道，也不妨虛心向他求教。這是一種開放、寬廣的求學胸懷，值得後人效法。因此，善財童子是學習佛法、實踐佛法的榜樣。
善財童子五十三參是大乘佛教的代表之作。善財童子就像每一個修行的人，他的內心猶如孩童，在自己修行的旅程上，向每一位成就者都親近、觀察、思維、抉擇，擇其善者而從，於其不善者遠離。
其中參拜第二十七位名師是觀音菩薩，觀音菩薩對他十分關心。善財得到佛法後，便回到觀音菩薩身邊，協助觀音菩薩教化眾生。
這就是五台山善財寶殿和五十三參的故事。
"The Upside Down" was the main name used to describe a mysterious alternate dimension existing in parallel to the human world. The dimension was somehow "created" on November 6, 1983.[2]
Though the Upside Down was "created" in 1983, it was not the first alternate dimension that humans had discovered or encountered. In 1943, the USS Eldridge was accidentally transported to an older alternate dimension; this older dimension, described by Henry Creel as a "realm unspoiled by mankind", was home to all the creatures and lifeforms later observed roaming the Upside Down.
After being banished to this realm in 1979, Creel discovered "so many things", including a storm-like mass of sentient particles. Using his psychokinetic abilities to reshape and gain control over the particles, Henry forged a collective hive mind, allowing him to possess even more creatures and organisms.[3][4][5]
Four years later, Eleven made psychic contact with the hive mind from across dimensions under Dr. Martin Brenner's instruction. By doing this, she inadvertently opened the "Mothergate" at Hawkins Lab; somehow, making contact also created a perfect physical copy of the human world, exactly as it existed on November 6, 1983.[6][2] The older dimension explored by Henry either transformed to become the new dimension or had some other involvement in the new dimension's creation. This new dimension soon became known as the Upside Down.
Though it appeared as a perfect physical copy of the human world, the Upside Down was overrun with alien vines, spores and membranes originating from the older dimension, with the new dimension being completely devoid of human life. The vines, a race of humanoid predators and a bat-like species were all part of the hive mind; the Upside Down essentially acted as one gigantic organism, with all life within it psychically connected via Henry and the Mind Flayer.[7]
Following the opening of the Mothergate, the Upside Down began to corrupt the surrounding small town of Hawkins, Indiana. Crops started to rot, and a gigantic vine-like organism, stemming from the Mothergate, burrowed beneath Hawkins; an elaborate series of tunnel-like structures were formed, through which adolescent Demogorgons ("Demodogs") could travel in secret beneath the earth. However, in late 1984, Eleven interfered by closing the Mothergate, severing the psychic link between the worlds, and killing the Demodogs and tunnel organism in the process. A piece of the Mind Flayer hiding at the abandoned Brimborn Steel Works was also affected, its particles scattering across the floor of the facility and falling dormant.
On June 28, 1985, a new gate was opened by hidden Soviet forces operating beneath the newly-built Starcourt Mall. With the Upside Down's psychic link reestablished, Vecna (Henry Creel) reanimated the dormant fragment of the Mind Flayer and used it to kidnap and possess multiple humans and rats, feeding them chemicals and melting their bodies into puddles of biomass. This biomass was then combined to create a proxy form, an avatar through which Vecna could act in the human world. However, this proxy form was rendered useless after the new Gate was shut, and the psychic link disabled once again.
In 1986, Vecna took a more direct approach in his attempts to destroy humanity. He began psychically tormenting and murdering a host of Hawkins residents, using their deaths to open a series of new gates. Dustin, Nancy, Max, and others began investigating the murders, nicknaming the killer "Vecna" after a character from Dungeons & Dragons. The group's efforts to defeat Vecna culminated in a dual assault; Eleven used psychic projection to confront Vecna within his own mind, while Nancy, Steve and Robin traveled to the Upside Down version of the Creel House to attack his real body. Despite heavily wounding him, the group could not stop Vecna from furthering the Upside Down's invasion of Hawkins and the world at large.
Astoria. Queens, NY
We passed this while following a route in Adrienne Onofri's "Walking Queens" book. One of the things I like about her hikes is that she doesn't point everything out and assumes you are a sentient being capable of seeing things on your own.
Teather had spent the week taking her Gal-axy U Finial Exams. Worn out from all the stress, she decided to stay the night after she finished her exams instead of racing home like her friends. She was hoping to find some solace in the solitude of the vacated dorms. She had called home to let her family know she was going to spend the extra night before she went out to stroll the quiet and peaceful halls of the G.U. Station. Little did she know that the Ebony Bots would also find the empty station to be a great opportunity to break in and steal the "Sentient Drive" the researchers at Gal-axy U had been developing there.
It is a "he" ,posing for our Flickr friends,saying good evening....
Speak up for those who have no voice ...
MISSION OF WORLD ANIMAL DAY
To raise the status of animals in order to improve welfare standards around the globe. Building the celebration of World Animal Day unites the animal welfare movement, mobilising it into a global force to make the world a better place for all animals. It's celebrated in different ways in every country, irrespective of nationality, religion, faith or political ideology. Through increased awareness and education we can create a world where animals are always recognised as sentient beings and full regard is always paid to their welfare
I'm growing tired of waking up...
This might as well have been inspired by the air I breathe, since that's exactly where the idea came from. Thin air.
I really do love this window in my room. It provides the perfect softness of light at any time of the day. I would probably end up marrying it if it were a person........or perhaps a mildly sentient dolphin with a sense of humor.
Oh, and I graduate tomorrow. I guess I should start feeling sad now?
Kailash (Gangs Rin Po Che, Gangs Ti-se) གངས་རིན་པོ་ཆེ 6638m
•Religious Sect > Bön > ཏི་སེ། > Tisé > ti se > Mount Tisé.
Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar are the only two places in the whole of Tibet that were visited by Lord Buddha, accompanied by five hundred Arhats. During the turning of the Three Wheels of the Dharma, Buddha Shakyamuni extensively explained the merits of building images. So Indra (the king of gods) offered precious articles of the gods, Ananda (the king of Serpents or Nagas) offered precious articles of the Nagas and Bimbisara (the king of Magadh) offered gold and silver, etc. to the Buddha and requested him to have three images of the Buddha made, as a means of generating merit for the sentient beings in the future. The total distance, covered in a complete circumambulation of Mount Kailash according to the route charted by Gotsangpa, is 52km and takes about 13 to 15 hours. Tibetan pilgrims generally start early in the morning and complete one circumambulation by nightfall. Most Tibetan pilgrims do three to thirteen circumambulations of Mount Kailash. There are some who do 108 circumambulations of Mount Kailash. tibet-incense.com/blog/circling-kailash-and-manasarovar/
A build with the title: Strangers in a strange land. The spaceship IEV Sunshine is a Interstellar Exploration Vessel that travels in space looking for planets with sentient lifeforms and new plants that could be used for medicines. Vi is the captain and Yor is her husband that also is the ship’s mechanic. The two scientists Lema and Mari have a robot called Gjor that helps them when they search the planets. The last crew member is the pilot Tor, today it's his birthday and Mari is preparing a birthday "fika" (feast). They landed a short distance away but as the captain Vi, Lema and Gjor moved in the terrain they decided to land closer so they all could celebrate Tor together. All while Yor is traversing the wing to find a small problem with the solar panels. Now they are flying in to land on this new planet again, closer to the explorers. We hope they all have a nice fika and a successful mission!
That's the story I developed during building this. As almost always I have a "hidden" or deeper meaning in my builds or something in the builds that connects to things in my life. Sci-fi was my first book crush and I still love to read sci-fi as well as fantasy. Those of you who have read about my other builds know that I live with chronic pain and have had a really hard time the last couple of years. It's getting a little bit better but how do you go from surviving life to starting to living it? Me and my husband are strangers to this new strange land of things you do when you really live. To enjoy family and friends more, travel and experience new things. Learn new skills and have more energy to "unnecessary" things. It's exciting and at the same time scary. It's hard mental work to be more open and to believe that things will work out. These thoughts have coloured my process when building it. I wanted it to be joyful but the ship didn't turn out that way in my meaning. That slowed down my building and I had to wrap my mind around that the vessel to this strange land carried all my emotions and baggage and is more austere as a result. But the landscape is all my joy, all the things we want to experience for so many more years together.
The Mandala ("Wheel of Life") represents the "Realms of Desire" in the Buddhist Universe. The "Realms of Desire" includes realms of heavens, asuras, humans, Beasts, Hungry Ghosts, and Hell. The "Wheel of Life" is held by Yama, the Lord of Death. Yama is shown to be biting its teeth into the wheel symbolizing the "Realms of Form" may be destroyed at anytime. A buddha (located to the upper right coroner of the Mandala) with the index finger of his right hand pointing upward indicating the practices of Buddhism can liberate sentient beings from the endless cycle of life and death. Sera Monastery, Lhasa, Tibet
In the innermost circle, a ring is formed by three animals: a pig representing greed; a snake representing hatred; and a rooster representing delusion. These three natures (poisons) are what drive sentient beings to remain in the "Realms of Desire" and undergo the endless cycle of life and death.
The middle ring representing the "Realms of Desires" has six divisions. Heaven, Human, Asuras, Beast, Hungry Ghost and Hell.
The outer-most ring is divided into 12 divisions, and it symbolizes the 12 Karma Formations (the links of dependent origination). The Buddha taught that everything arises and exists in dependence on other things. Enlightenment can be attained only by freeing oneself from all of the 12 karma formations. Craving, Feeling, Contact, Six Senses, Name & Form, Consciousness, Act of Volition, Ignorance, Old Age & Death, Rebirth, Becoming and Clinging.
Excerpt from thebuddhistgarden.com/places-of-interest-%E5%AF%BA%E9%99%...:
This Maitreya statue stands 13 meters tall, weighs over 700 tons, with the Buddha's head alone weighing 27 tons, carved from a single piece of stone.
The stone carving of Maitreya Buddha statue in Wutai Shan Buddhist Garden depicts a constant smiling expression, welcoming all sentient beings. The Buddha has large ears that extend down his shoulders, symbolizing profound blessings. His rotund belly represents great capacity and compassion. He holds a string of prayer beads in his right hand, placed on his knee, while his left hand holds a bag of blessings. He sits on the throne in a playful posture. The base of the Buddha is hexagonal, representing the practice of the six perfections, which are the foundation for achieving Buddhahood. Each face of the base is intricately carved with the images of five hundred Arhats (known as Luohan in Chinese). Originally, the term "five hundred Arhats" referred to the highest realization attainable by those practicing Buddhism. Later, it evolved to denote individuals who have achieved the status of Arhat. Generally, it refers to the five hundred monks who participated in the first Buddhist council after the passing of Buddha Shakyamuni, led by Mahakasyapa and Ananda.
Now, the tallest Maitreya Buddha statue in North America sits enthroned in Wutai Shan Buddhist Garden in Canada. Venerable Dayi's aspiration is for the sacred image of Maitreya Bodhisattva to not only solemnize the spiritual ground but also to bestow blessings upon sentient beings in Canada and around the world. Thus, when you see this remarkable and magical statue of Maitreya, you can pay homage and join your palms together in reverence, forming a karmic connection with the future Buddha, and surely there will be grounds to attain Buddhahood!
這尊彌勒菩薩高13米，重700多噸。佛頭重達27噸，由一塊完整的石頭雕刻而成。
五台山的這尊彌勒佛石雕像，是一副笑口常開、歡迎一切眾生的神情。大佛大耳垂肩代表深厚的福報，胖乎乎的大肚子代表著大肚能容，右手持佛珠一串放在膝蓋上，左手抓著一個福袋，以遊戲的姿勢坐在佛座上。大佛的基座是六角形的，代表著修持六波羅蜜，這是成佛的基礎。台座的每個面上都用影刻的雕刻方法，刻了五百羅漢的形象。五百羅漢，本意為阿羅漢，是梵文Arhat的音譯。五百羅漢原意本指修行佛教的人能達到的最高境界，後來演化泛指修得「阿羅漢果」果位的人。一般指佛釋迦去世後參加第一次經結集的五百比丘，以大迦葉和阿難為首。
至此，北美最高的一尊彌勒佛像端坐於加國五台山。達義大和尚希望彌勒菩薩聖像不僅能莊嚴道場，而且能夠在加拿大乃至全世界福蔭群生。所以大家現在看到這麼殊勝神奇的彌勒佛像，可以向彌勒菩薩合掌禮拜！和未來的佛結下緣分，未來一定會有得度成佛的因緣！
© 2024 Peter Mardie, all rights reserved. Protected by Pixsy.
- Like I said, I got good eyes.
- Even in the dark?
- It’s not dark. It’s just a different light.
(From: The Dirty South, by John Connolly, 2020).
It is night on Earth.
At the edge of dark space, a lone satellite brimming with gadgetry and artificial intelligence detects a fast moving object on the ocean's surface. The object is not a whale. Disappointed, the artificial intelligence ceases tracking and moves to a different quadrant. Whales. Beautiful whales in boundless sea. Where are you, my darlings? And the sentient machine begins to hum, as it does every night, the whale song, melodious, mysterious and mesmerizing, translated into infrared.
It is a typical night on Earth.
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From our series 'Island Story' - the story of a shipwreck. "Alone and stranded on tropical shores that time forgot, a beautiful Lady from Shanghai struggles for survival, with humor, charm and style. Storms, cannibals and witches - she will encounter them all!"
Daniel Popper is an artist from Cape Town South Africa. He is a multidisciplinary artist known globally for his larger-than-life sculptures. This sculpture is named Sentient!
Wight
GroupingLegendary creature
Sub groupingUndead
Similar creaturesGhost
CountryEngland
A wight (Old English: wiht) is a creature or living sentient being. In its original usage the word wight described a living human being,[3] but more recently, the word has been used within the fantasy genre of literature to describe certain undead. The earliest example of this usage in English is in William Morris's translation of the Grettis Saga, where draug is translated as "barrow wight". Notable later examples include the undead Barrow-wights from the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, others from the works of George R. R. Martin and in the HBO adaption of A Song of Ice and Fire, and the level-draining wights of Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game franchise.
The humble sea star. A fan favorite amongst the tide pools here in the Pacific Northwest. However, until recently I didn't know what an important role they play in coastal ecosystems.
I was watching a show on 'Keystone Predators', a term I was unfamiliar with. A keystone predator is an animal/organism that has, "a disproportionately large effect on its environment relative to its abundance." They more or less act as an agent of balance within the ecosystem. Without them other organisms (plants, animals, fish ect) are at risk.
A researcher in the late 60's found that when he removed all of the sea stars from tide pools along a section of the Olympic coast that muscles absolutely took over, obliterating the populations of sea urchins, anemones, and other shellfish. The sea stars provided a balance and a sort of predatory regulation which benefitted all of the other species, in this case a multitude of anemones, kelp, and if you look real close a crab that's hiding in there.
The program gave other examples as well, large mouth bass in river streams to regulate minnows from consuming all of the vegetation, wolves to regulate deer which also regulates low lying vegetation, and re-introduced wild dogs in Africa that helped to regulate antelope and zebra, preventing the lush plains of Africa from becoming a desert.
Some species like wolves or wild dogs are known as 'predators', others like the sea star fly a little under the radar. Either way, I found the whole idea really interesting. Who or what is our keystone predator, keeping us humans in check? Is there an overall balance between sentient beings (and perhaps beyond) that humans are just starting to understand? I think we should do our best to stay out of the way and check ourselves just in case.
Image with my Hasselblad 500cm.
One prominent Buddhist story tells of Avalokiteśvara, the Bodhisattva of Great Compassion, vowing never to rest until he had freed all sentient beings from saṃsāra.
The sun performs fiery pyrotechnics with the atmosphere as it forges the first sunrise of 2025 from the vantage point of Cathedral Rocks, Sedona, Arizona.
We attempted to experience this hike a few days previously and were thwarted by general ignorance and a lazy, late start to our day. When I circled the roundabout to make the turn off the main road and down to the trailhead at about 10:30 in the morning, we encountered a man in a brightly colored vest and a row of traffic cones strategically placed to block the road. Evidently we had failed to appreciate the logistics needed to undertake this hike during an epic crush of holiday tourists.
Stung by ineptitude, we regrouped and resolved to rise early and make the hike to the viewpoint for sunrise on New Year’s Day. Arriving at the trailhead before any light was visible on the horizon, we noticed several other vehicles already parked. Original ideas are apparently hard to generate. There is one section on the route to this viewpoint that requires hands to negotiate, and our young pup was not at all pleased with the situation. With camera gear on my back, I tucked him under one arm and climbed up with my free hand. He is 45 lbs now (20 kg), and if he gets much heavier he’ll be on his own to figure out issues such as this in the future.
Not long after gaining the viewpoint, which sits between the two sandstone buttes that comprise the Cathedral Rocks formation, the sun began to breathe light into the sky on the desert horizon. Another family and a few smaller groups milled about making soft exclamations. It is a fine thing to be alive and sentient in this vibrant world.
And a finer thing to leave this world better than when we came into it. Happy Martin Luther King Jr Day to all.
Prayer wheels at Swayambhunath in Kathmandu, Nepal.
Prayers wheels are cylindrical wheels containing scrolls that are repeatedly inscribed with mantras. By turning the prayer wheels clockwise, it is believed that the mantras inside are activated and released. The mantras are said to purify negatvity, generate compassion, remove barriers to enlightenment and bring benefit to all sentient beings.
Swayambhunath is an ancient religious architecture atop a hill in the Kathmandu Valley, west of Kathmandu city.
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Per le Elezioni Europee voterò Alleanza Verdi e Sinistra: il punto 10 del programma riguarda i diritti animali (abolizione della caccia, riconoscimento giuridico degli animali come esseri senzienti e non come oggetti, ridiscussione della soppressione della Forestale etc), mentre il punto 18 affronta il problema urgente dell'allevamento e dell'agricoltura intensiva che depauperano il suolo e non sono più ecologicamente sostenibili.
For the European Elections I will vote for the Greens and Left Alliance: point 10 of the program concerns animal rights (abolition of hunting, legal recognition of animals as sentient beings and not as objects, re-discussion of the suppression of the Forestry Department etc.), while point 18 addresses the urgent problem of livestock farming and intensive agriculture which deplete the soil and are no longer ecologically sustainable.