An Image That'll Haunt Your Dreams

From a New York Times interview with Columbia University professor of Buddhist studies (and Uma's dad), Mark Thurman:

What do you think about when you meditate?

Usually, some form of trying to excavate any kind of negative thing cycling in the mind and turn it toward the positive. For example, when I am annoyed with Dick Cheney, I meditate on how Dick Cheney was my mother in a previous life and nursed me at his breast. 

Via Gene Healy. 

(Not really) Related:  reason's Dick Cheney archive here.  Kerry Howley on breastfeeding here.  Jacob Grier on raw milk here.

Comments

Erÿk Boston, J.D. | July 1, 2008, 11:47pm | #

That really couldn't have waited until after bedtime?

P Brooks | July 2, 2008, 12:15am | #

Is that the gay baby?

Rusty T. | July 2, 2008, 12:30am | #

Same technique seems to work whenever I get annoyed with Kerry Howley.

Brandon | July 2, 2008, 12:36am | #

"Same technique seems to work whenever I get annoyed with Kerry Howley."

God it must suck to be libertarian and female.

Anono the Coward | July 2, 2008, 1:32am | #

Breastfeeding is, well, tits!

Malto Dextrin | July 2, 2008, 1:33am | #

Damn I must be stuck in some kind of alternate universe, where people actually think up stuff like this.

The Wine Commonsewer | July 2, 2008, 1:37am | #

As PC touchy feely as it seems, I am dead sold on breast feeding for any number of reasons (not counting the obvious).

That is not to say that 25 million of us who were not breast fed are sociopaths, but it has become apparent that breast feeding is pretty great stuff. No, you don't have to go to the ladies room, just bring a blankie. It drapes over the shoulder, the technique is easy, and it gives you good options for about anywhere.

Kwix | July 2, 2008, 1:58am | #

Okay, the tie in to Raw Milk was sheer genius. However the Banner Ad for "Hooter Hiders" at the top of the page (yes, I have ABP turned off) is the real thread winner.

spur | July 2, 2008, 2:00am | #

I tought overall the interview was done with a lot of humor and wisdom but yeah -- that particular quote leaves you shuttering a bit.

Art-P.O.G. | July 2, 2008, 2:35am | #

God it must suck to be libertarian and female.

Brandon wins the thread! Trenchant, man. Trenchant.

Art-P.O.G. | July 2, 2008, 2:37am | #

OK, and there's an auto-ad for "nipple cream".

Douglas Fletcher | July 2, 2008, 4:56am | #

"when I am annoyed with Dick Cheney, I meditate on how Dick Cheney was my mother"

Well, in Dick Cheney's favor, he probably doesn't do the same when he's annoyed at Mark Thurman, or anybody else.

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Khóa học đào tạo kỹ năng Vip! | July 2, 2008, 5:29am | #

Trường duy nhất đạo tạo kỹ năng đàm phán, kỹ năng tư duy logic, kỹ năng lãnh đạo và vô vàn kỹ năng dành cho Vip khác.

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lớn nhất; giá tốt; bảo hành chu đáo.

Thế Giới Máy cắt đề can - May cat decal - May cat decan | July 2, 2008, 5:32am | #

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Art-P.O.G. | July 2, 2008, 6:13am | #

Wowsers.

Taktix® | July 2, 2008, 7:32am | #

I think the poster at 5:29 a.m. hit it right on the nose.

Thurman may "Tương tự như dòng máy Refine và Rabit," but clearly Cheney is "duy nhất đạo tạo kỹ năng đàm phán."

Showroom máy cắt decal, everyone!

Windtell | July 2, 2008, 8:05am | #

English trolling isn't sufficient anymore?

Episiarch | July 2, 2008, 8:37am | #

Well, that's different.

Rhywun | July 2, 2008, 8:38am | #

There's a creature even lower than the troll - the spammer.

Fluffy | July 2, 2008, 8:51am | #

We should have a caption contest for that photo.

My entry is "The Cheney Hunting Party shows off their prize-winning catch, shortly before the feast."

Episiarch | July 2, 2008, 8:58am | #

We should have a caption contest for that photo.

"Good! Your hate has made you powerful. Now, fulfill your destiny and take your father's place at my side!"

Bingo | July 2, 2008, 9:00am | #

Same technique seems to work whenever I get annoyed with Kerry Howley.

Lol.

John-David | July 2, 2008, 9:03am | #

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I can't argue with that.

Nigel Watt | July 2, 2008, 9:13am | #

May cat decal. Hitler boobies persian amateur. uh no? you are wrong.

Warren | July 2, 2008, 9:24am | #

I meditate on how Dick Cheney was my mother in a previous life

I thought there was a limit on how stupid one person can be. Perhaps there is, but I just had to raise the bar.

dhex | July 2, 2008, 9:29am | #

actually, i will defend uma thurman's dad:

if you want to change your associations with an image/person/event etc, scrambling them like that makes a lot of sense. the situation being concentrated upon doesn't actually have to be rational, just connective - in this case, ugh, dick cheney as a warm, protective mother figure.

coincidentally, this also probably how the fox news contingent views him.

Untermensch | July 2, 2008, 9:42am | #

For what it's worth, Thurman has got Buddhist doctrine correct. The notion is that we have all lived so many lives that we have all existed in every possible relationship to one another. Which means he could also reflect upon when he was Dick Cheney's killer in another life or when he tortured Dick Cheney with a taser. All that's equally possible within that framework. Of course he holds that he's obligated to focus on the possible ones so that he can escape the cycle of reincarnation.

Untermensch | July 2, 2008, 9:43am | #

err, focus on the *positive* ones…

sixstring | July 2, 2008, 10:03am | #

Er, it's Robert Thurman. Were you channeling Mark Fuhrman?

ed | July 2, 2008, 11:07am | #

Columbia University professor of Buddhist studies

I'll never disparage "women's studies" again.

Rhywun | July 2, 2008, 11:13am | #

While I find Buddhism less "threatening" than the other major religions, I still won't hesitate to ridicule the nonsense parts. (Or "unprovable", if you will.)

scape | July 2, 2008, 11:14am | #

I meditate on how Dick Cheney was my mother in a previous life and nursed me at his breast.

The follow up question should have been, "what did it taste like?"

Marcvs | July 2, 2008, 11:37am | #

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

ClubMedSux | July 2, 2008, 11:41am | #

As PC touchy feely as it seems, I am dead sold on breast feeding for any number of reasons (not counting the obvious).

It's funny that you should put it that way. My wife breastfeeds our daughter, and we also use cloth diapers. In both situations, we found our choice to be easy, cheap and best for the baby. From a utilitarian standpoint, they're pretty obvious choices. Yet both the breastfeeding and cloth diaper communities are dominated by tree-hugging hippies and well-to-do lefties. Naturally many of them have reached the same decisions as us through very different thought processes, but I've never understood why breastfeeding isn't championed more by libertarians (note Kerry Howley calling lactivists weird in the linked story). I mean, libertarians will jump up and down defending the right to ship scat porn across state lines, but they get uneasy by the brief sight of a nipple before a baby starts having dinner?

Art-P.O.G. | July 2, 2008, 11:49am | #

err, focus on the *positive* ones…

:::whew:::. For a second I thought those last two sentences (intentionally) formed some sort of paradox or koan.

Gabe Harris | July 2, 2008, 11:51am | #

my kids: breast feed, yes.
cloth diapers, no

New World Dan | July 2, 2008, 12:44pm | #

God it must suck to be libertarian and female.

Have you read any of Howley's articles or blog posts? She's the kind of girl that invites this crap on herself. That doesn't justify it, but no one says stupid shit like that about Ms. Mangu-Ward.

jimmy | July 2, 2008, 1:33pm | #

i thought you weren't supposed to think of ANYTHING when you meditate. if you're just sitting there with your eyes closed thinking up weird random thoughts, how is that so different from reading H&R?

Art-P.O.G. | July 2, 2008, 3:00pm | #

Ha ha, OK "New World Dan". Maybe I should start posting on Feministing because

She's the kind of girl that invites this crap on herself.

sure sounded crypto-sexist to me.

Art-P.O.G. | July 2, 2008, 3:01pm | #

if you're just sitting there with your eyes closed thinking up weird random thoughts, how is that so different from reading H&R?

My eyes are open when I'm on H & R.

sage | July 2, 2008, 3:02pm | #

We should have a caption contest for that photo.

Babies! It's what's for dinner.

Your Good Buddy Johnny Clarke | July 2, 2008, 7:11pm | #

Uhm..."Babies, the other white meat"?