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Nov 21, 2023Liked by Guy Duperreault

Guy, what a tragedy that Pacific Zen Institute, with whom Oaxaca Zen is affiliated, has this stipulation on their web-page regarding retreats & Covid protocols: "Each of us will take the test upon arrival at the venue, and will wait 15 minutes to get the result. The PZI host will check your status before you may enter any building.

Before Your Arrival at Retreat

**To ensure we’re all as safe as possible and can relax together, we require that everyone be vaccinated and boosted, INCLUDING the bivalent vaccine, and do their own rapid test or PCR test before arriving.** - end quote. For long term practitioners to be caught in this illusion - I don't have words.

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Nov 22, 2023·edited Feb 16Author

Yes.

I saw that too and had the exact same reaction.

In early 2022, after I was woken up to the scope of the situation, I saw that very clearly.

Later I wrote about that in response to Steve Kirsch's frustration about his inability to wake people up. Possibly why it happened in Buddhist and other 'spiritual' groups. Then later I 'discovered' why people like Chomsky don't see it. (And I call it the Chomsky Paradox and its corollary, the Chomsky Effect.)

I don't think that Broughten has swallowed the blue pill. Maybe she has taken the red pill and because some (I know for sure one) are totally blue pilled, she talks carefully. Incredible! A group looking to see true willingly, actively choosing the false. I attend for the personal experience I have with the koans. Maybe I will be able to influence them with time.

This goes to Sarah's point: when and how do we start talking about that which cannot be named?

For sure the one member shut me down when I mentioned that I refused the injection. He was fine talking koans and Buddhism etc. And the blue elephant (not Ganesha) sat between us. A challenge.

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Nov 22, 2023Liked by Guy Duperreault

I've just looked back at your 'Chomsky paradox', thanks. Yes, thought structures are like sandcastles aren't they: they can get compacted and end up 'weight bearing' to the point they can actually become our perceptual lens, part of our substructure. I think Plato's cave story speaks to this.

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Yes. Sandcastles in the sky blown away llke dust in our eyes!

Yes, Plato's cave allegory is along this line too.

Thank you for the read and comment. All the best.

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An excellent read. I can't pretend I understand everything but I did enjoy everything! Many moments of 'Oh Yes!' and lots of re-reading sentences to understand what you were trying to make me understand, and so - very enjoyable indeed.

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Hola, April.

I am so glad that you experienced joy enough to transcend rereading sentences.

I think this is an important essay. It surprised me, how my act of writing connected this wide range of ideas.

All the best!

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