Anagārika Alāra, PhD
@anagarikaalara.bsky.social
Theravāda Buddhism 𑀧𑀝𑀺𑀲𑁄𑀢𑀕𑀸𑀫𑀺𑀦̇, science in general, IT, statistics, investing
Pinned
Do people care about you, or about what you can do?
In the 1960s, my father was taken from his parents by the government and put up for adoption, because his parents had tuberculosis. I never knew his parents.
www.telegraphindia.com/opinion/old-...
www.telegraphindia.com/opinion/old-...
Old spectre: Editorial on the structural weaknesses in India's plan to eliminate tuberculosis
India accounts for nearly a quarter of the global burden of this particular disease. India is not just one of many affected nations but a critical battleground in the global fight against TB
www.telegraphindia.com
November 19, 2025 at 4:03 PM
In the 1960s, my father was taken from his parents by the government and put up for adoption, because his parents had tuberculosis. I never knew his parents.
www.telegraphindia.com/opinion/old-...
www.telegraphindia.com/opinion/old-...
'The main barrier to protecting health is "corporate political activities, coordinated transnationally through a global network of front groups, multi-stakeholder initiatives, and research partners, to counter opposition and block regulation".'
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
Ultra-processed food linked to harm in every major human organ, study finds
World’s largest scientific review warns consumption of UPFs poses seismic threat to global health and wellbeing
www.theguardian.com
November 19, 2025 at 4:02 PM
'The main barrier to protecting health is "corporate political activities, coordinated transnationally through a global network of front groups, multi-stakeholder initiatives, and research partners, to counter opposition and block regulation".'
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
...Humans often use something mildly sexual (kissing) as a greeting. But, bonobos, one of our closest cousin species, have integrated every sexual behaviour into their daily public lives. Imagine ubiquitous, public sex between any consenting partners.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonobo
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonobo
Bonobo - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
November 19, 2025 at 4:01 PM
...Humans often use something mildly sexual (kissing) as a greeting. But, bonobos, one of our closest cousin species, have integrated every sexual behaviour into their daily public lives. Imagine ubiquitous, public sex between any consenting partners.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonobo
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonobo
Sex is pleasurable because there are many nerve endings concentrated in an area of thin skin. So, the nerves can be easily stimulated. That is also true of the lips/mouth, to a lesser degree than the genitals. Kissing and eating are mildly sexual.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
First kiss dates back 21 million years, say scientists
A new study looks at how the mouth-on-mouth smooch came into being, and concludes that Neanderthals also kissed.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 19, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Sex is pleasurable because there are many nerve endings concentrated in an area of thin skin. So, the nerves can be easily stimulated. That is also true of the lips/mouth, to a lesser degree than the genitals. Kissing and eating are mildly sexual.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Making things with a high demand (drugs, guns, porn, imports, migrants, etc) illegal doesn't get rid of them; it just drives them underground, making them harder to find and control. If people really want or need something, they will find a way to do/get it.
www.theguardian.com/world/video/...
www.theguardian.com/world/video/...
How Europe’s immigration crackdown is fuelling smuggling gangs – video
It has been 10 years since the migrant crisis began - when thousands of people fleeing war, persecution and poverty sought refuge in Europe. A decade later, migration remains one of the continent’s mo...
www.theguardian.com
November 19, 2025 at 3:57 PM
Making things with a high demand (drugs, guns, porn, imports, migrants, etc) illegal doesn't get rid of them; it just drives them underground, making them harder to find and control. If people really want or need something, they will find a way to do/get it.
www.theguardian.com/world/video/...
www.theguardian.com/world/video/...
The way to avoid AI slop, on social media, is to find bloggers you like, go their profiles/channels, and read them like a blog. The moment you let an algorithm 'personalise'/curate what you see, you've given over control of your digital life to AI/corporations.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Becoming an AI-detective is a job I never wanted and wish I could quit | Samantha Floreani
My social media feed is now a hellish stream of puerile AI slop. Am I stubborn to want to hang on to reality?
www.theguardian.com
November 19, 2025 at 3:55 PM
The way to avoid AI slop, on social media, is to find bloggers you like, go their profiles/channels, and read them like a blog. The moment you let an algorithm 'personalise'/curate what you see, you've given over control of your digital life to AI/corporations.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Many websites, around the world, including many large government and corporate websites, block Tor, censor content, and require people give up their privacy (eg, by disabling ad blockers, enabling JavaScript, etc), in order to use the site. It's very common.
cyberinsider.com/mexico-parti...
cyberinsider.com/mexico-parti...
Mexico Partially Lifts Longstanding Website Ban on Tor Network
Access to the Mexican government's main web portal via Tor has been restored after years of censorship, though some services remain inaccessible.
cyberinsider.com
November 19, 2025 at 3:53 PM
Many websites, around the world, including many large government and corporate websites, block Tor, censor content, and require people give up their privacy (eg, by disabling ad blockers, enabling JavaScript, etc), in order to use the site. It's very common.
cyberinsider.com/mexico-parti...
cyberinsider.com/mexico-parti...
So, if China/Russia wants to take out most of the West's websites, all they have to do is attack Amazon AWS and CloudFlare. The Web desperately needs to be decentralised.
blog.cloudflare.com/18-november-...
blog.cloudflare.com/18-november-...
Cloudflare outage on November 18, 2025
Cloudflare suffered a service outage on November 18, 2025. The outage was triggered by a bug in generation logic for a Bot Management feature file causing many Cloudflare services to be affected.
blog.cloudflare.com
November 19, 2025 at 3:52 PM
So, if China/Russia wants to take out most of the West's websites, all they have to do is attack Amazon AWS and CloudFlare. The Web desperately needs to be decentralised.
blog.cloudflare.com/18-november-...
blog.cloudflare.com/18-november-...
So, the Daily Mirror is printing Chinese propaganda, now? Xi Jinping is a ruthless dictator.
www.dailymirror.lk/news-feature...
www.dailymirror.lk/news-feature...
Energizing China: Prosperity, Well-being, and illumination - Plus | Daily Mirror
A tectonic shift in global energy has been confirmed as China’s power consumption shattered all records in July 2025, exceeding one trillion kilowatt-hours for the first time. This ..
www.dailymirror.lk
November 19, 2025 at 3:51 PM
So, the Daily Mirror is printing Chinese propaganda, now? Xi Jinping is a ruthless dictator.
www.dailymirror.lk/news-feature...
www.dailymirror.lk/news-feature...
A few years ago, when my mother once came to visit me, when I was living in Śrī Laṅkā, she was verbally sexually harassed/propositioned by a local man, in the parking lot of the archaeological museum near the Jaya Śrī Mahā Bōdhi tree, in Anurādhapura.
www.dailymirror.lk/plus/Sri-Lan...
www.dailymirror.lk/plus/Sri-Lan...
Sri Lanka’s greatest threat to tourism is us! - Breaking News | Daily Mirror
Last week, Sri Lanka went viral and sadly, for all the wrong reasons. A friend sent me a video that was spreading rapidly on Instagram. It showed a female tourist driving a tuk-tuk in the Arugam Bay a...
www.dailymirror.lk
November 18, 2025 at 1:14 AM
A few years ago, when my mother once came to visit me, when I was living in Śrī Laṅkā, she was verbally sexually harassed/propositioned by a local man, in the parking lot of the archaeological museum near the Jaya Śrī Mahā Bōdhi tree, in Anurādhapura.
www.dailymirror.lk/plus/Sri-Lan...
www.dailymirror.lk/plus/Sri-Lan...
'If AI surpasses human intelligence and acquires the ability to improve itself, it could confer unshak[e]able scientific, economic and military superiority on the country that controls it.'
www.wsj.com/tech/ai/the-...
www.wsj.com/tech/ai/the-...
The AI Cold War That Will Redefine Everything
Beijing is betting that “swarms beat the titan.” Its push for warp speed progress stretches from the wealthy tech hubs on China’s coast to remote outposts a thousand miles inland.
www.wsj.com
November 18, 2025 at 1:06 AM
'If AI surpasses human intelligence and acquires the ability to improve itself, it could confer unshak[e]able scientific, economic and military superiority on the country that controls it.'
www.wsj.com/tech/ai/the-...
www.wsj.com/tech/ai/the-...
Softened words -- like trap, catch, eliminate, exterminate, remove, neutralise, etc -- are how murderous humans convince themselves what they do to their enemies and the natural environment isn't so bad.
November 18, 2025 at 1:02 AM
Softened words -- like trap, catch, eliminate, exterminate, remove, neutralise, etc -- are how murderous humans convince themselves what they do to their enemies and the natural environment isn't so bad.
'We ... regret the imposition of the death penalty, which we oppose in all circumstances' (UN spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani).
Like the many Theravāda Buddhists in southern Bangladesh, as a Buddhist who follows the first precept, I must agree with the UN.
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
Like the many Theravāda Buddhists in southern Bangladesh, as a Buddhist who follows the first precept, I must agree with the UN.
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
Ousted Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina sentenced to death for crimes against humanity
Hasina sentenced in absentia by court in Dhaka over deadly crackdown on student-led uprising last year
www.theguardian.com
November 18, 2025 at 12:59 AM
'We ... regret the imposition of the death penalty, which we oppose in all circumstances' (UN spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani).
Like the many Theravāda Buddhists in southern Bangladesh, as a Buddhist who follows the first precept, I must agree with the UN.
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
Like the many Theravāda Buddhists in southern Bangladesh, as a Buddhist who follows the first precept, I must agree with the UN.
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
In the West, human exceptionalism is enshrined in the Book of Genesis (1:28). Even Jesus taught his followers to kill fish. By comparison, Buddha said the mind can be reborn as any species, but I doubt most Westerners will ever be willing to hear that.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...
The last frontier of empathy: why we still struggle to see ourselves as animals | Megan Mayhew Bergman
Champions of exceptionalism say humans hold a unique moral status. Yet there’s only one species recklessly destroying the planet it needs to survive
www.theguardian.com
November 18, 2025 at 12:56 AM
In the West, human exceptionalism is enshrined in the Book of Genesis (1:28). Even Jesus taught his followers to kill fish. By comparison, Buddha said the mind can be reborn as any species, but I doubt most Westerners will ever be willing to hear that.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...
In my opinion, there is a moral/ethical difference, between fishing/killing for survival v for sport/fun. Any intentional killing is morally/ethically bad, but, in my opinion, wanting to kill, and enjoying it, is worse than killing for survival.
www.dailymirror.lk/caption-stor...
www.dailymirror.lk/caption-stor...
Life at sea - Caption Story | Daily Mirror
..
www.dailymirror.lk
November 18, 2025 at 12:55 AM
In my opinion, there is a moral/ethical difference, between fishing/killing for survival v for sport/fun. Any intentional killing is morally/ethically bad, but, in my opinion, wanting to kill, and enjoying it, is worse than killing for survival.
www.dailymirror.lk/caption-stor...
www.dailymirror.lk/caption-stor...
Two sayings bhikkhus often say -- 'Nibbāna is not a place' and 'stop saṃsāra-ing' -- seem to be related. All perceptions, including of places, are fabrications (saṅkhāra) of the mind. To experience Nibbāna, one must stop 'making anything', as Korean Seon/Zen Master Seungsahn used to say.
November 15, 2025 at 8:39 PM
Two sayings bhikkhus often say -- 'Nibbāna is not a place' and 'stop saṃsāra-ing' -- seem to be related. All perceptions, including of places, are fabrications (saṅkhāra) of the mind. To experience Nibbāna, one must stop 'making anything', as Korean Seon/Zen Master Seungsahn used to say.
Einstein often agreed with Buddhism, and this old news story is a good example. 'The real problem is in the hearts of men' is an almost verbatim quote of Buddha. This news story is as relevant today as it was in 1946.
www.nytimes.com/1946/06/23/a...
www.nytimes.com/1946/06/23/a...
'The Real Problem Is in the Hearts of Men'; Professor Einstein says a new type of thinking is needed to meet the challenge of the atomic bomb. 'The Real Problem' 'The Real Problem' 'The Real Problem' ...
www.nytimes.com
November 15, 2025 at 8:38 PM
Einstein often agreed with Buddhism, and this old news story is a good example. 'The real problem is in the hearts of men' is an almost verbatim quote of Buddha. This news story is as relevant today as it was in 1946.
www.nytimes.com/1946/06/23/a...
www.nytimes.com/1946/06/23/a...
When a Buddhist dies in a non-Buddhist-majority country, are they reborn in that country, or is their mind transported elsewhere, according to their karma or desires?
www.dailymirror.lk/breaking-new...
www.dailymirror.lk/breaking-new...
Sri Lankan stabbed to death in Israel - Breaking News | Daily Mirror
A Sri Lankan man working in Israel has been tragically killed in a stabbing incident. The victim has been identified as K.K. Tharindu Shanaka, 38, a father of two from Batapola, Kondagala in Galle, wh...
www.dailymirror.lk
November 15, 2025 at 8:37 PM
When a Buddhist dies in a non-Buddhist-majority country, are they reborn in that country, or is their mind transported elsewhere, according to their karma or desires?
www.dailymirror.lk/breaking-new...
www.dailymirror.lk/breaking-new...
As I understand, when asked why he used personal pronouns, despite teaching anattā (ie, that souls don't exist in saṃsāra), Buddha said it was because he didn't want to alienate newcomers to his religion, by speaking in a strange way. But, I also see how saying both attā and anattā causes confusion.
November 15, 2025 at 8:36 PM
As I understand, when asked why he used personal pronouns, despite teaching anattā (ie, that souls don't exist in saṃsāra), Buddha said it was because he didn't want to alienate newcomers to his religion, by speaking in a strange way. But, I also see how saying both attā and anattā causes confusion.
The Attavagga chapter of the Dhammapada uses 'attā' (self/soul) in a conventional/pragmatic way, to refer to people's everyday felt sense of self. It doesn't contradict Buddha's deeper, ontological teaching of anattā (no self/soul).
www.dailymirror.lk/news-feature...
www.dailymirror.lk/news-feature...
Going Beyond Green Tapping the Human Soul to Heal Exhausted Minds - News Features | Daily Mirror
A senior professor’s sabbatical revealed the hidden cost of relentless achievement. Years devoted to work and recognition left her exhausted, disconnected, and facing health challenges. Reflection on ...
www.dailymirror.lk
November 15, 2025 at 8:35 PM
The Attavagga chapter of the Dhammapada uses 'attā' (self/soul) in a conventional/pragmatic way, to refer to people's everyday felt sense of self. It doesn't contradict Buddha's deeper, ontological teaching of anattā (no self/soul).
www.dailymirror.lk/news-feature...
www.dailymirror.lk/news-feature...
Almost no one in the world has direct democracy, even on a local level. Most democracies are representative democracies. Therefore, you can't rightly say many people dislike 'democracy' in general.
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
Polls of western countries find deep dissatisfaction with democracy
Ipsos survey reveals fake news, lack of accountability, extremism and corruption seen as biggest threats
www.theguardian.com
November 15, 2025 at 8:32 PM
Almost no one in the world has direct democracy, even on a local level. Most democracies are representative democracies. Therefore, you can't rightly say many people dislike 'democracy' in general.
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
Earning a lot of money, especially if not by manual labour (eg, billionaires earn thousands per day for doing almost no work), and not sharing it with poorer labouring people is a basic betrayal of one's own humanity.
November 15, 2025 at 8:30 PM
Earning a lot of money, especially if not by manual labour (eg, billionaires earn thousands per day for doing almost no work), and not sharing it with poorer labouring people is a basic betrayal of one's own humanity.
The main tyranny of cultures is probably that they require you to act as though you agree with them, even if you don't. Also, for reasons such as health, family, or legal restrictions, it's often practically impossible to live where you prefer. If there is no rebirth, this situation is very unfair.
November 15, 2025 at 8:29 PM
The main tyranny of cultures is probably that they require you to act as though you agree with them, even if you don't. Also, for reasons such as health, family, or legal restrictions, it's often practically impossible to live where you prefer. If there is no rebirth, this situation is very unfair.