Los Angeles is a city of music (webcast)

Seth Auberon, Ashley Wells, Wisdom Quarterly; KROQ.com  (COUNTDOWN CLOCK: -11)

What if Mayan Calendar interpreters are off by nine days, ready? (beyondtheprophecies.com)

Gwen's Bush, Gavin, Night 2 (kroq.com)

While Wisdom Quarterly joined Dharma Punx at Against the Stream: Buddhist Meditation Society to see punk legends T.S.O.L. and the Adolescents, No Doubt made a surprise appearance at KROQ's annual "Almost Acoustic Xmas." As if the bill weren't full to the brim with talent, Gwen and Co. did a 40-minute set. Catch the one-time-only broadcast of the entire first night then tomorrow morning see No Doubt and many other artists:

Almost Acoustic Christmas Webcast: Night 1 Monday at 10:00 am, Night 2 Tuesday at 10:00 am (PST). WATCH HERE

Watch Saturday night’s show beginning today (Dec. 10) at 10:00 am Pacific Standard Time and Sunday night’s show on Tuesday, Dec. 11 at 10:00 am. These will be the only opportunities to watch! And by the way, there's nothing "acoustic" about it.

NIGHT 1 WEBCAST SET TIMES:

• Youngblood Hawke – 10:00 am
• Two Door Cinema Club – 10:25 am
• The Gaslight Anthem – 10:55 am
• Walk The Moon – 11:30 am
• The Lumineers – 11:55 am
• AWOLNATION – 12:30 pm
• Slightly Stoopid – 12:55 pm
• Garbage – 1:25 pm
• Bush – 2:00 pm
• Rise Against – 2:40 pm
• Linkin Park – 3:15 pm

NIGHT 2: No Doubt, Of Monsters And Men, The Killers, Jack White, M83, fun., Neon Trees, Grouplove, Alex Clare, Imagine Dragons,  Passion Pit. WATCH

City of Music?
Ashley Wells, Dhr. Seven, CC Liu, Wisdom Quarterly

He's not crying! Something got in his eye.

The Gandharvas, or "The Angels" (the literal translation of the Spanish Los Angeles), really make this town the City of Music. 

Forget Nashville and the countless American garages and studio apartment bedrooms where most music is now made and mixed. The neon lights under the Hollywood sign still shine. Not only for "new" rock but pop music and rap, too. And the 55th Grammy Awards Show just wrapped up five days ago.

Dreamy gandharva Tadolf Swiftler

In Buddhist cosmology gandharvas (angels) are "heavenly messengers and musicians" of the first two space worlds above the human plane. The Sensual Sphere heavens are really into pleasure, and music plays a big part as does food and fun we wouldn't normally attribute to "angels." There's gossip, silliness, vanity, and cupidity galore. Think pagan Roman, Greek, and Hindu Indian pantheons. 

In one of their cities, where the stream-enterer Sakka is extraterrestrial king, these musicians entertain and entertain at what can only be thought of as massive cotillions, balls, and bashes, and concerts. 

Dark goddess Ke$ha jingles during the ball (kissfm.com)

 
Down here in the terrestrial "City of Angels," the big radio stations (and in other big markets) compete for dominance. KISS FM (an iheartradio.com affiliate) just had dreamy Tadolf Swiftler (a hybrid alien breakup artist with definite gandharva roots who also goes by Taylor Swift) and barfy Justin Bieber (another more-than-human oddity, uh, "star") play two nights of "Jingle Ball" concerts. KISS FM is the home of Ryan Seacrest, when he's not promoting the Kardashian sisters or every other show on TV (American Idol, etc.), and bills itself "L.A.'s #1 Hit Music Station," the music equivalent of TMZ.

12.12.12 Hurricane Sandy Benefit Concert: Floyd, Stones, Who, Boss, Clapton, Kanye

The show also featured a rare American appearance by Korean Buddhist bigwig PSY (Gangam Style), our own sweet Valley Girl Satanist Ke$ha, the Jonas Brothers, fun., Flo Rida, Jasmine Villegas, Afrojack, The Wanted, Zedd, Owl City, Ellie Goulding, Maroon 5 and Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am, 4 Count, Sammy Adams, OneRepublic, Ne-Yo, and more glitter than Tinsel Town produces in a month. Never mind that upstart stations ("LA's Rock Alternative 98.7 FM," MyFM, or dinosaur rock KLOS FM who this year hosts the Doobie Brothers) also do their best to press artists into volunteering for these charity X-mas appearances/publicity stunts.

• 121212: HURRICANE SANDY RELIEF CONCERT
• (LA Times) The Rolling Stones will perform as well as Pink Floyd's Roger Waters, the Beatles' Paul McCartney, the Who, Bruce "The Boss" Springsteen & the E Street Band, Eric Clapton, Billy Joel, Bon Jovi, Kanye West, Chris Martin, Alicia Keys, Foo Fighters and Nirvana's Dave Grohl, and Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder.
• Rising Mexican-American star Jenni Rivera killed in crash
• Beyond Mayan Prophecies for 12-12-12 
• Alanis Morrisette is on the "edge of evolution"
• Matisyahu does pre-Hanukkah concert
• Can RAP music fans be Buddhists? 

But it's not over! This Friday KPWR FM (Power106) is holding "Cali Christmas" at the same venue KROQ sold out this weekend. Rap superstars 2 Chainz (Zen koan master), Big Sean, Kendrick Lamar, Rick Ross, Meek Mills, Ca$h Out, The Weeknd, and a surprise guest will perform. Li'l Wayne? Jay-Z? It's a secret! (And it's probably Wiz Khalifa).

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Eight Worldly Conditions (video)

Pema Chodron, When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times (Shambhala), p. 46

"Slutwalks" sweep the nation to fight for sexual equality (HuffingtonPost.com)

We might feel that somehow we should try to eradicate these feelings of [1] pleasure and [2] pain, [3] loss and [4] gain, [5] praise and [6] blame, [7] fame and [8] disgrace.

A more practical approach would be to get to know them, see how they hook us, see how they color our perception of reality, see how they aren't all that solid.

Then the eight worldly dharmas become the means for growing wise as well as kinder and more content.

Success and Failure

Wisdom Quarterly; Jack Brewer

(morbokat/flickr.com)

It will come to pass that we will all meet eight worldly conditions. Elated by some, dejected by others, we hang ourselves then dangle, hoisted by our own petard. For all is impersonal (anatta), yet intoxicated and under the influence of illusion, we fail to see. "Success and failure," Jack Brewer (ST) laments: "Delicate moment, saw you again, leap year summer, presence drew in, flies of success squandered about, ritual fashion leaving no doubt. You were a hit, plain to see, busy boulevard, hidden street. I prayed lightly, weaved my path, raise no question how I survived the aftermath. But I see no reason to covet cause I'm just thinking, it all seems too amusing. Failure and success, laugh the day, meet again, end up on the park bench, exactly where I'm at now, unnoticed, wonder how. Bargained your way, packs that bleed you, no thoughts what they've made you. Success has sewn a hand to your back. Paid what price for the path we traveled. But I see no reason to covet cause I'm just thinking, it all seems too amusing. Failure and success, success and failure..."


 

(kosijenka.deviantart.com)

Recently Bhikkhu Bodhi was giving a talk at a Buddhist college, University of the West, in Los Angeles. He mentioned the importance of relationships, and many of the monastics in the audience broke out in laughter. He warned, "No, don't laugh. For non-monastics that is really important." It is amazing that he knew and could appreciate just how important they are to lay people. The same amazing point was made in "Eat Pray Love," the movie. Almost entirely bad and nothing like the book, there was nevertheless that moment when Julia Roberts gets to Bali and meets her guru: What does she ask him? She finds herself only wanting to talk about her relationship(s) as if she were back home. Who understands this impulse better than Of Monsters And Men in "Little Talks."

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Birthday card for teen girls prompts outrage

Wisdom Quarterly; Huffington Post (UK); Rzoont

Get boobs, a man, gold, and gifts -- then you'll have value and feel fulfilled.

 

(Rzoont/flickr.com)

Hallmark! Greeting card company Hallmark has apologized for the distribution of a sexist birthday card that encourages teenage girls to snag rich husbands by using their bodies. The card was spotted by @CheesyHel at her local newsstand in Hertfordshire, England, last week while she was shopping for a card for her niece. In a statement, a spokesperson for Hallmark Cards said the company was "surprised and horrified" to discover that the card is still in circulation since it has not been produced for 15 years. [This was acceptable in 1997?] More

• Kwan Yin stars in "Cloud Atlas" exploring rebirth
• CIA hunting for traitors in LGBT community (jobs)
• Fat soldiers being thrown out of Army (that'll teach 'em)
• British contractor guilty of fraud, conspiracy in Iraqi case
• PHOTO: Nighttime view of United States from space

Were there a mountain made of solid gold, double that would not be enough to satisfy a single person. Know this about craving (trying to fill ourselves from the outside in) and live accordingly.

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