ben4short's past comments

  • 3

    ben4short

    JT eds, are we to be treated to this running heatstroke box score week after week this summer? Point made. Time to move on.

    Posted in: 1,488 hospitalized for heatstroke from June 10-16

  • 6

    ben4short

    Funny how these same grumpy old farts don't think twice about causing a ruckus when they're playing outside with their own grandchildren.

    Posted in: Aging Japan complains over the noise of children

  • 0

    ben4short

    Exactly the narrow, traditional, small-picture explanation I expected, wipeout, so perhaps I should thank you for not disappointing me. Atheists may be "non-religious" (your phrase, not mine) but they certainly are NOT non-spiritual. And since meditation/spirituality is at the heart of Zen Buddhism, there is no paradox or contradiction at all.

    Posted in: New style of temple: The monks bar

  • -1

    ben4short

    wipeout, if you do any reading at all of philosophy, psychology or theology you will notice that Self is often capitalized, so my usage is neither original nor a gimmick.

    As for the notion that an atheist can be a Buddhist, I kind of expected that to fly way over your head. As a nontheistic practice free of fairy tales and a GOD, kindly explain to me why this strikes you as nonsense.

    Posted in: New style of temple: The monks bar

  • -2

    ben4short

    @wipeout

    Not sure why anyone wouldn't call Buddhism a religion.

    With the possible exception of Soka Gakkai, whom I dislike, Buddhism to me, wipeout, is a highly personal nontheistic way of coming to know and love the wholeness of the Self, in all its messy manifestations. It is a way of life, a way of non-judgmentally understanding and accepting the world as it is. And, curiously enough, one can be an atheist, as I am, and still call himself a Buddhist. It is because of this highly personal developmental process of the Self that I objected to Moonraker's political call to arms; his misguided turbo-charged PC notion that it is incumbent on every institution or group of people to speak out against global warming, for example. If enough people can find self-love and compassion through Buddhism (or any other means, for that matter), then social problems will begin to improve. But to criticize Buddhism for not officially coming out against the death penalty, the way the Vatican, for example, comes out against birth control, is simply naive, and misdirected anger.

    Posted in: New style of temple: The monks bar

  • 1

    ben4short

    Moonie, your bitter, over-the-top dogmatic world is one I'm gladly not a part of. In fact, your insistence that every institution, every organization, indeed, every human being is obligated to speak out against the injustices you mention, in our supercharged-politicized world, borders on fascism and is more dangerous than the silence of Buddhism you so despise. I will care and speak out against the death penalty (for example) ONLY if I care about it and care to speak out against it, not because you or anyone else says I have to. And whether I choose to speak out or not has absolutely nothing to do with being a Buddhist or any other "religion," though I hesitate to call Buddhism a religion.

    "A disdain for life," eh? LOL I'd suggest a little reading about Buddhism, a subject you obviously know nothing about.

    Posted in: New style of temple: The monks bar

  • 1

    ben4short

    And therein lies its beauty, Moonraker.

    Posted in: New style of temple: The monks bar

  • 1

    ben4short

    Nice article reflecting the tolerance and open-mindedness of Buddhism I find so attractive.

    Posted in: New style of temple: The monks bar

  • 0

    ben4short

    Great. More carcinogens for the buck.

    Posted in: Subway doubles meat portions on selected sandwiches

  • -3

    ben4short

    @Thomas Anderson

    It's funny how the right-wingers just hate each other... they can never seem to get along. The same thing happens with the far-right Islamist radicals and the far-right Americans.

    Not to mention the Far Left, Mr. Anderson. Ever hear of the Red Army?

    Posted in: Bad eggs

  • -3

    ben4short

    @ChibaChick

    Gropers get their kicks by NOT being seen by others, so your precious daughter will be safe from these foul vagaries of life. Furthermore, if your overprotective neurosis is still in play, get up and change seats.

    Posted in: Man arrested for molesting woman after being invited to do so online

  • 6

    ben4short

    Creative website. Well done. Nothing wrong here, aside from a few logistical hiccups. Consenting adults. Time for most posters to get off their high human sexuality horses.

    Posted in: Man arrested for molesting woman after being invited to do so online

  • 1

    ben4short

    Is graffiti art or vandalism?

    The question itself is meaningless because it is based on faulty logic.Whether a person's creative efforts are legal or not is completely irrelevant to whether we designate it as "art." As Yubaru points out, some illegally produced graffiti can be considered art; and, by extension, some legally produced graffiti can be be considered garbage, depending entirely on the quality, not the laws.

    There are many examples of books written "illegally" (in secret, for if discovered by the authorities the authors would be jailed or worse), yet these very same "illegal" books became classics.

    Posted in: Graffiti - art or vandalism?

  • 2

    ben4short

    Could someone kindly translate the above into comprehensible English?

    Posted in: We hope this endeavor serves as a catalyst to have couples on dates say, 'Let's have Japanese cuisine' rather than debate over whether to have French or Italian for dinner.

  • 1

    ben4short

    My sentiment as well, Smitty. I share your disappointment.

    Posted in: Murakami gives 1st public lecture in Japan in 18 years

  • -3

    ben4short

    Hide-chan,

    Like most others, I shed more than a few tears over the Boston bombing incident and the subsequent stories about the survivors.

    Furthermore, I have published two books myself, through a reputable NY house, for your information.

    And finally, I never said I cannot read Japanese; only that I have not read Murakami's piece in the original. With 35 years in Japan as a writer/translator, I dare say that my Japanese is far better than your English.

    Posted in: Author Murakami sends message to Boston bombing victims

  • -5

    ben4short

    @kickboard, cwhite, et al

    No, I have not read the original Japanese but so what? I don't have to read Flaubert in French or Tolstoy in Russian to understand the depth of their humanity and the boundless scope of their minds. A tired irrelevant argument best left in the trash where it belongs.

    @Egg Man

    More lack of understanding about publishing/writing. Whether Murakami wrote the piece on spec or commission is again totally irrelevant. In a mag as prestigious as the NYer, any writer with a byline is going to give his essay his best shot, and then some. If this sentimental, shallow piece is Murakami's best, far below the standards of crisp, witty, interesting and intelligent writing the NYer is known for, well, it's a sad day for the mag and a day when Murakami showed the world his true mediocrity.

    @smithinjapan

    Man, don't you ever get tired of being wrong? I have never met the golden prince M-sama and have absolutely no reason to dislike him. So no, I am not attacking HIM, per se. I am simply commenting on his lack of writing ability, and making the comment that he is the most overrated writer alive today. All this nonsense every year about the Nobel . . . and then you see this lightweight piece in the NYer, the expected POV, the expected sentiments, the expected cliches . . . heck, I could have written a better piece than this and I hate running and have never lived in Boston. To Smitty and all the other good-enoughs out there, I'd ask you to read some brilliant essays, translated or not, and see how deep, beautiful writing from a writer with a boundless heart can inspire and carry you to great heights. Murakami's prose and insights read like a flat tire.

    Posted in: Author Murakami sends message to Boston bombing victims

  • -7

    ben4short

    Smitty, as usual you cherry-pick details and totally miss the point. No I have never run the BM, nor have I lived in Boston, but yet I grieved as deeply as the rest of the world over this horrific act. My grief vs. Murakami's grief is not the point. The point is the piece he wrote in the NYer, which I have carefully read twice. His writing is flat, sentimental, cliched and lacking the least bit of gravitas one would expect of a writer of his standing. Which only proves that his "standing" is misplaced. I don't think he wrote this piece for publicity. He tried to writer an honest piece, but he is just not equipped upstairs to penetrate to any level of depth and interest . . that's all. As for sales, well that's a no-brainer. Since when have bestsellers have been any indication of talent? The words Nobel and Murakami in the same sentence made me laugh. And this lackluster piece is further proof of that.

    Posted in: Author Murakami sends message to Boston bombing victims

  • -15

    ben4short

    Further proof, if any was ever needed, that Murakami remains a grossly overrated writer who can't even summon forth any interesting comments/observations/insights into a sport and city he claims to so dearly love.

    Take away Murakami's absurd, fanciful, crazy bag of tricks, and you're left with nothing more than a very mediocre writer bereft of both emotional depth and originality, as seen by this humdrum marathon piece.

    Posted in: Author Murakami sends message to Boston bombing victims

  • -1

    ben4short

    Zichi, you might wanna check out curcumin supplements, the polyphenol present in turmeric that gives it its power. Just be sure you're getting one that is easily absorbed, as standard curcumin supps are poorly absorbed.

    Posted in: Mediterranean diet helps beat dementia

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