Mysterious RAIN storm sweeps through L.A.

Ashley Wells, CC Liu, Wisdom Quarterly; Shirley Jahad (KPCC FM, SCPR.org, Pasadena)

What would a wise person do, the Buddha asked, seeing danger here and safety on the further shore? In the Parable of the Raft he advises, build a raft (whatbettertime.org)

 

Weather (twitter.com/NWSLosAngeles)

A mysterious rainstorm swept through Los Angeles yesterday, concentrating in the foothill suburb of Pasadena, headwaters for the mostly concrete Los Angeles River. While there were no fatalities, it did lead to many collisions because the inhabitants of this desert megalopolis do not know how to drive in rain, sleet, or snow, which rarely is a problem. 

(Oh no, it's raining!) The cause of the storm is unknown, probably a coincidence. These sorts of things just happen sometimes. A dancing flash mob was observed in Hahamongna in the vicinity of Devil's Gate Dam, but they did not expect flash flooding.

Snow in L.A. mountains (Oscars)

Their Native American ceremonial activities are not thought to be connected to either last night's showers or a second storm forecast for Southern California, which is expected to pass with more disruptions than the first rains. The region is now bracing for the larger of the two storms, which is expected to arrive on Thursday night and last through Saturday or Sunday.

• Officials in the San Gabriel Mountains have called for mandatory evacuations in the Colby Fire area, according to the Glendora PD; water barriers have been erected to protect homes from potential mudslides.
• Azusa officials ordered mandatory evacuations for residents on Ridge View Drive, below the Colby Fire burn area.
• L.A. County Public Works announces road closures.
• Glendora officials offered residents advice on how to prepare for potential mudslides and flooding on the city's website.
• Nat'l Weather Service updated its list of alerts and advisories.

LA Rain: Full list of advisories

Nearly an inch of rain fell in downtown Los Angeles (five miles south of Pasadena), with the San Gabriel Mountains getting up to two inches of rain. The California Highway Patrol reports there were about 111 collisions in L.A. County between 5:00 and 9:00 am Thursday morning. That is more than double the total of a non-rain day.

 

The water can only be as clean as the land

LAX Airport did not suffer any major flight disruptions, but the showers caused the cancellation of more than 100 flights at SFO (San Francisco).

• L.A. RAIN: Billions of gallons of polluted runoff likely to flow into the sacred ocean at Santa Monica Bay (Sadly L.A. gets plenty of rain, usually all at once, but it makes almost not effort to catch it, preferring instead to steal it from the north and neighboring states to the east).
• Glendora's RED ALERT press release with mandatory evacuations: 
• Forecast: debris and mud flows 
• Storms fuel mudslide anxiety
  

Woman survives car crash off canyon

The National Weather Service says the second storm is expected in Southern California by tonight or early Friday morning. The forecast calls for rainfall of 3 to 6 inches in the foothills, and up to 8 inches in some areas. A high wind watch will also be in effect in the Antelope Valley until Friday evening. More

Winter solstice: Ascetic Rituals (sutra)

Ashley Wells, Amber Larson, Dhr. Seven, Wisdom Quarterly, "Ascetics Discourse" (Jaṭila Sutta, from the collection of "Inspired Utterances" based on Ven. Thanissaro translation (Udana 1.9)

Himalayas (Raimond Klavins/artmif.lv/artmif/flickr.com)

  

Non-Buddhist ascetics have many rituals

Thus have I heard. Once the Blessed One was staying near Gayā at Gayā Head. 

At that time many wandering ascetics -- on the cold winter nights when the Brahmins honor the dearly departed [Note 1] when the snow was falling in Gayā -- jumped into and out of the frigid water [a kind of Vedic "baptism"].

They poured [clean water over themselves] and performed the fire sacrifice ritual [to burn away bad karma with the thought,] "This will result in our purification" [2].

  

Himalayan yogi (jmmnewaov2)

The Blessed One saw these many ascetics -- on the cold winter nights... -- jumping in and out of the frigid water... [with the thought,] "This will result in our purification."

Then realizing the significance, the Blessed One exclaimed: "Not by ritual water is one cleansed, even though many are bathing here. Whoever has gained truth and virtue, that person is cleansed, that person is a (true) Brahmin [3]."

 

(VP) Hayden Panettiere and the Ukrainian Revolution Dec. 6, 2013

 

FOOTNOTES: 1. The interval "Between-the-Eights" refers to India's cold season -- the "Eights" being the waning half-moon days, each falling on the eighth day of the waning cycle. This happens after three of the full moons in the cold season, which are the dates for Brahminical ceremonies to transfer merit to the (grateful) dead. The period between the first and last of these dates, or the "Between-the-Eights" interval, in northern India is regarded as the coldest part of the year. (See AN 3.34).

2. The Buddha taught that "clinging to mere rites and rituals" (silabata paramasa) with the expectation that they themselves could lead one to enlightenment or purification of view or purification of virtue is a wrong view overcome at the first stage of enlightenment, stream entry. If, for example, bathing in holy rivers such as the Ganges resulted in purity, the Buddha explains, all of the beings living there, such as fish and turtles, would be stainless, blameless, and karmically perfect.

3. The latter half of this verse is identical with the latter half of Dhp 393.

Massive Chinese cave found with own weather

Wisdom Quarterly; FreeRadioRevolution; Sarah Griffiths, Telegraph.co.uk, Oct. 2, 2013

Crystal pools at Er Wang Dong (Caters News)

The cave is so huge that it has its own weather system: Explorers discover a lost world with thick cloud and fogs trapped inside. The (Er Wang Dong) cave system was discovered in the Chongquing province of China by a team of cavers and photographers. Caver Robbie Shone, from Manchester, England, said a few of the caves had previously been used by nitrate miners but had not been properly explored. The network, which includes "cloud Ladder Hall" measuring around 51,000 meters squared, has water sources and vegetation on the floor. Adventurers have stumbled across a cave so enormous that it has its own weather system, complete with wispy clouds and lingering fog inside vast caverns. More

Red Deer Cave Man discovered in China may be new human