Pu-Tai is said to have been so kind that he has become the incarnate of the bodhisattva who will come at some point in the distant future as the Maitreya. Buddhists look forward to a future date when the Maitreya will come to earth bringing with him world peace and harmony between warring factions. According to legend, from time to time throughout the history of mankind, Maitreya is born among men. Though he is recognized as a generous and wise man, he is never recognized by the men of the age for who he really is. The Maitreya lives his life around those who never know the real person.

Pu-Tai is represented as a heavy, bald, laughing man. These characteristics symbolize happiness, good luck, and fortune. Sometimes he is shown with children, other times he has a fan in his hand. The fan is a symbol used by nobility to communicate to their vassals that their wishes will be granted. So, a statue of Pu-Tai holding a fan represents that he is coming to take away the sorrows and unhappiness they feel and replace them with happiness and wealth. Pu-Tai images in statues often also have a bag of money or Chinese coins in their hands.

The image of Pu-tai is not limited to China. This image and story has traveled across the world wherever Buddhism has been transported. In Japan he is known as Hotei. In North America it is not uncommon to see statues of Pu-tai or Hotei in restaurants, temples or worn on amulets. In Western culture, the image of the Happy Buddha comes to mind when people think of Buddha.

There is a strong cultural tradition that rubbing the fat belly of Pu-tai or the Happy Buddha will bring good luck, fortune and prosperity. This isn’t actually a part of Buddhism, but it is a common practice to carry small happy Buddha statues in your pocket. The legend states that there is nothing that will bring more happiness to Pu-Tai than watching all the sorrow and suffering of mankind changed to happiness and prosperity. His inner smile is so bright that it radiates throughout his entire being and is certain to bring happiness wherever he may be. Set this Happy Buddha in a place of honor where he may work to lift the burdens you must carry.

Sometimes, for in many countries, especially in the east, the existence of gays are still not accepted by society. Homosexual still suffer discrimination both in law, economics, education, politics and so forth. Whereas most gay men don’t disturb other people, they tend to be closed and will understand their position, so that they can socially adjust.

Discrimination against homosexual has been much criticized by gay activists in various parts of the world. They demanded that the state and society to admit it. They want to be treated as an ordinary human.

You may be surprised to learn that with all the recent discoveries being made concerning the achievements and spontaneous collapse of the Mayans, that there in fact was no Maya empire.

Throughout the Classic Period (defined as the timeframe when the Mayans achieved their height 250BCE-900CE), the cities of the Maya lands were apparently independent city-states. Scholars compare the Maya cities to the city-states of ancient Greece: all used a common language, had the same religious beliefs and group of common assumptions, but all were strongly independent and often at a constant state of war with one another, but no one central state enforced rule over the others.

To judge from surviving glyphs in pyramids, temples and Maya pottery, the dynastic ruler of a Maya state gained great prestige if he could capture a rival king, hold him captive, inflict humiliating pain upon him and finally decapitate him. Wars seem to have taken place more for ceremonial purposes than for capturing and holding land. Indeed, the boundaries between the Mayans city-states remained fixed over the many years that were marked by great bloodshed. It is assumed that instead more powerful city-states held the weaker ones in a tribute paying relationship without confiscating their lands.

In the 9th century CE, the cities in the Mayans Southern Lowlands began to be abandoned. The jungle vegetation that the Maya farmers had tamed grew back, and in time even swamped the great temples and plazas that had once been decorated with vibrant pre Colombian art where priests and kings had celebrated royal power.

But, not all the Mayans cities’ were abandoned, to the north towards the tip of the Yucatan peninsula, Maya cities such as Mayapan, Uxmal, Labna and Chichen Itza continued to thrive, making the decline of the Mayans lowland cities all the more puzzling. Within four to five generations, the great civilization of the Lowland Maya faded. This event has been called “the great Maya collapse” by archaeologists and historians.

Why would a determined and resourceful people abandon their great constructions of stone which had been laboriously erected in honor of their rulers, ancestors and gods? After 900 CE no more Maya stelae that marked the dynastic achievements and history of the proud Maya of the Lowlands were carved or erected. These fantastic monuments of pre Columbian art were seen no more.

One of the present theories states that the Lowlands Maya basically wiped one another out. Centuries of constant fighting between the city-states greatly depleted the population. In time, the combination of falling population from warfare and inadequate food from constant battles contributed to the condition where the cities could not be maintained and so were abandoned. In effect the jungle soil would no longer produce the food necessary to support a continuous state of war.

Disease may have also contributed to the acceleration of the decline. Maya pottery from surviving cities depicts diseases in greater numbers being present. As the population began to fall, fear of hunger and future shortages fuelled ever-more violent conflicts for the dwindling resources available. The end was apparent; people chose to flee for safety and away from cities that offered no safety.

A true catastrophe took place, the mighty Maya; timekeepers of the universe, together with their centers of learning were no more. Their incredible achievements in astronomy, mathematics, Maya pottery and other pre Columbian art as well as monumental constructions in stone were erased. All was claimed by the jungle and forgotten. Even their writing was forgotten.

Until very recent, the glyphs in stone and four surviving Maya manuscripts were considered undecipherable. It is only now at present with some breakthroughs that we are starting to decipher what words were written and truly comprehend the splendor of their achievements, and their great fall.

Shakespeare was an English play writer and poet and lived from 1564 to 1616.He was born in Stratford-Avon-in Warwickshire and was baptized on 26th April 1564. It is thought that no paintings of Shakespeare were painted when he was alive so we can’t be sure what he looked like, but we do know that he spent his acting career with Lord Chamberlain’s Company.

His family:- Shakespeare married a woman in 1582 named Anne Hatheway who was a daughter of a farmer.In a year’s time after their marriage they had a baby daughter, and then later in 1585 they had twins and all lived happily ever after.

Towards the end of his life Shakespeare had become a wealthy man and lived in his home town. He died on 23 April 1616 and was buried in Holy Trinity Church in Stratford. ‘The First Folio’ was the very first published collection of his works in 1623.

Shakespeare’s plays:- Type of plays he wrote:-

The type of plays he did were comedys, romance, tragedy, tragicomedy and history plays.

Comedys are a funny play which usually ends with a happy ending. Tragedy always has a death or two in. A revenge tragedy such as Titus Andronicus, one kill happens and then sets off into a killing chain. Romance storys such as Romeo and Juliet are mainly about love and companionship. Tragic comedy is a play that involves bad luck and unfortunate events but is still funny because its comedy. History plays are the type of plays based on English kings and there life and troubles.

Famous plays William Shakespeare wrote:- Some of his most famous plays are Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, The Merchant of Venice, A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream, King Henry V, King Lear, Macbeth, Othello and Antony and Cleopatra.

A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream:- A Midsummer’s night dream is a play about two fairies and the fairy king and queen fall out and the queen gets given a boy from her friend to look after and Oberon the king or fairies is jealous and get his little helper to put the juice from a flour into her eyes and makes her fall in love with a worker named bottom who’s been given a head of a donkeys to try and humiliate her… There is much written about this world renowned playwright and his extremely clever use of words. We shall be continuing to delve into the life history of Shakespeare in future articles.

Less Predictable Plots:

As the trend set by the former writers, most of the writers write stories in a typical way which is often predictable. Nevertheless, some writers break through the typical plot structure and venture into less predictable plots. One of such powerful writers is Canadian Margaret Atwood. Her Significant Moments in the Life of My Mother (1983) seems to be plot-less but it is intentionally divided into 13 brief episodes.

Complicating the Plot Structure Using Certain Techniques:

Some innovative writers do not like to write story with simple plot. They complicate the structure of their plots by way of using certain techniques, and tactics. They make use of some flashbacks and flash-forwards; with a frame that beautifully encloses the story or a story within a story. If you study Indian writings in English, you’ll witness the presence of story within the story. Moreover, such writers also use subplots often known as secondary storylines. Furthermore, they sometimes use double plots that mean two or more likewise important narratives developing simultaneously.

Enhancing the Plot Structure:

There are other devices that authors often use for enhancing the plot structure. They are reversals of fortune, foreshadowing, abrupt transitions, digressions, and juxtapositions of contrasting settings or characters. You’ll find these elements in most of the modern writings.

Deliberate Ambiguity vs. Unambiguous Resolutions

There is deliberate ambiguity or open-enddness in stead of unambiguous resolutions or closed-endedness plot feature in many modern stories. The surprise endings of the stories of French author Guy de Maupassant influenced many commercial writers as well as some literary ones. His 1884 story The Necklace is remarkable. American author O. Henry became famous for his surprise endings and paradoxical style. His story A Gift of the Magi (1905) is remarkable for this. Later on, American writer William Faulkner used this kind of surprise ending in A Rose for Emily (1931).

A powerfully crafted story can create the sense of awe, entertainment and pleasure in the reader. Nevertheless, it is up to the reader how to appreciate and enjoy a literary work.

Amongst other things, these immigrants have contributed to the modern Mexican culinary gamut. Unlike other groups, they unquestionably did not come willingly. Their arrival was a product of what was perceived as economically beneficial by the European conquistadors of Mexico,but during the post-conquest years they have added important and vibrant contributions to Mexico’s culture and cuisine.

It is said that during the Colonial era, approximately 200,000 African slaves were brought to Mexico. The first group of six was brought by Cortez in 1519 and the rest during 1580 and 1650. They were transported from the West Coast of Africa to wok as domestic servants and in the sugarcane fields. Many of them came in through the port of Veracruz and were sold at the slave market in Antigua. Another large group entered Mexico through the port of Acapulco and to this day inhabit the Costa Chica, a portion of the Pacific coast of Guerrero and Oaxaca. The inhabitants of Costa Chica did not mix with the European and indigenous people to the extent that the slaves in Veracruz did and they have retained a distinctly African identity.

In Veracruz tribal and family groups were alienated to a great extent. Therefore much of their original culture was absorbed into the regional identity that has come to be known as ‘Jarocho,’ a term by which the people of the state and the port in particular, define themselves. The mixing of races in Veracruz was one of the reasons why the people who came to be known as ‘afromestizos’ had a more insightful gastronomic impact in Veracruz than on the Costa Chica.

The fact that nearly all food imported from Spain came into Mexico through Veracruz is another reason that a large variety of ingredients was accessible there from the beginning of colonization. Of all of the African influences, including music and dance know as Afro-Cuban, was brought by the slaves who came to Veracruz through the Caribbean and the influence on the regions cooking is one of the deepest and most far reaching.

As the colonial period in Mexico extended, particularly during the 16th and 17th centuries, the indigenous population of Mexico became decimated by sickness. To make up for this labor shortage, African slaves were brought to Mexico to toil in the sugar fields and in underground mines. They were worth four times more than their indigenous Indian counterparts. These African workers were highly prized for their physical endurance and stamina in the hot, tropical sun. They were made to work in atrocious conditions and attempting escape was the only viable option for these enslaved Africans. Those who were successful in their escape, fled to areas high mountain ranges where jungle and canyons would hide and shelter them. Indigenous Indians who had also fled to these remote areas joined forces with the escaped African slaves, forming communities and families.

After 30 years, an African slave named Gaspar Yanga was able to negotiate a treaty with the Spanish. Yanga achieved his desired goal after great hardship. Today, the town of Yanga In Veracruz is a living testimony to his incredible achievement.

The mingling of blood that occurred between the Spanish and Indigenous Indians took place also with African slaves. This third root of the Mestizo race is a topic seldom acknowledged. Traditionally, the Mestizo race is identified as being a mixture of European and Indigenous Indian blood but in truth it can also include the blood of Africans. These are referred to as ‘mulattos.’ Over the years, this bloodline has been absorbed into the fabric of the Mexican population. Some scholars believe that 200,000 slaves were brought to Mexico while others believe the true number is closer to 500,000.

The Costa Chica is one of two regions in Mexico with significant black communities, the other being the state of Veracruz on the Gulf Coast.

What makes this story illuminating and mystifying is the profound lack of documentation and discussion on this subject.

The Illusion

Security of this type is actually an illusion, for the increased control in life, suffering is not reduced in the long run. We are merely postponing suffering by exchanging many small amounts of pain for one large catastrophic one. There is no way to eliminate pain or death, we are simply postponing it and making it more catastrophic. Our culture doesn’t embrace and teach us how to properly deal with pain, instead we try to pretend like it doesn’t exist. for the sake of security. We bet it all on one and assume we will win every round, this is not security, this is stupidity and we will eventually loose big. Every economist will tell you how important diversification is. Yet there are few people nervous about relying a handful of cereal grains to feed the entire world. We loose many of the best parts of life by relying on security. That is diversity, which is the sole reason we are here.

Why we’re fooled

Our culture can be a primary source to blame for our seeking of security. A lifestyle that places great emphasis on security is the one portrayed in the mainstream media. We are taught this every day of our lives, so we seek out secure jobs and living situations and wait until we retire for the good stuff. Our culture puts way too much value in planning, and not enough in being present. We fear the unknown, which may be a culturally learned behavior, as our culture puts so much emphasis on planning and control. We are taught that control is good.

However, where do you draw the line between human nature and civilized human nature. Early humans did make the decision to adapt agriculture after discovering it. Was it that the ones in power realized they could acquire wealth, or was it that some wanted more control of life; a way out of pain. This seems likely, as no animal enjoys feeling pain. If an animal were presented with a way out of pain, it would take it. It seems that early humans were simply trying to avoid pain, but were not outright seeking security and planning their lives in the way that modern culture propogates.

Modern Examples

It’s a fact that the majority of people hate their jobs. I repeat, the majority of people spend the majority of their hours awake doing things they rather wouldn’t. You hear it over and over again. “the pay is good, the benefits are too, and if I only work another 20 years I get my pension.” However, they are not working the job for those things, they are working it because they are scared. They have been taught every day of their lives to seek security and they have found it. Why would they throw that away. Many people also stay in unhappy or even abusive relationships for the security they offer.

What To Do

People need to realize that pain is just a part of life and figure out how to deal with it instead of trying to pretend like it doesn’t exist. You need to analyze your current situation and think about what is making you happy and what isn’t. Then, figure out why you are doing the things that make you unhappy. Figure out where you have clearly traded happiness for security. After this you simply need to develop the courage to make a change. And always remember that when presented with two bad choices to take the third. Never accept the lie that their aren’t other options. There are always other options. Make the life you want.

The Border Laws, formulated in the Mid 13th Century, were unique in British History. They were an Attempt to Control the Scottish\English clans of the Border country. In their 350 years existence the Border Laws would be amended many times in an effort to bring order and peace to the Border Lands. They would not succeed.

The Border Line is Determined

In 1249 twenty-four knights of England and a similar number from Scotland met at the Border Line to determine its course from East to West. It had been determined almost two centuries earlier but ever increasing confrontation between the people who lived either side of it had prompted action from the English monarchy. Henry 111 of England wished to know exactly where the Border Line was.

The Border Laws. Unique in British History

The Line of the Border was determined and the knights set themselves to formulating a series of Laws to which the inhabitants on both sides of the Line must adhere if order, control and peace were to prevail. These Laws were specific to the Border Lands of England and Scotland as it was recognised that the ordinary laws of both lands were ineffectual in dealing with the kind of crime which was endemic in the Border lands. They became known as the Border Laws, Leges Marchiarum. They would serve for the law in the Border Lands for centuries.

The Border Law is Formulated to Control the Reivers

The chief concern of the knights was “wanton disregard and prejudice”. They recognised that the Border Line was being ignored by the people, known now as the Border Reivers, who lived on both sides of the Line, and that this had led to ever increasing confrontation. Theft, maiming and even murder were often the result of the conflict which existed. Anyone committing a crime in the opposite realm would never be brought to justice in their own. In their own country they would be lauded as the perpetrator of one more successful raid against the enemy. Thus was justice “prejudiced”.

The Day of Truce Becomes the Mainstay of the Border Law

The deliberations of the knights concluded that felons should be brought to “knowledge of Marche”. For Marche read Border. Once captured they should be brought to the Border, at or near a town, but as time and custom prevailed, to the very Border Line itself for trial and judgement of their crimes. At a time when the relationship between England and Scotland was at best one of uneasy peace and at worst all out war, this was a hazardous and dangerous undertaking. And so the “Day of Truce” became the mainstay of the enactment of the Border Law.

The Border Line is the Venue for Trial

The “Day of Truce” was a day when English and Scots would meet across a river or burn (stream), or hill top which had become the Border Line. It was a Day when Truce between the two countries reigned and when felons would answer for their crimes. Those people who attended to ensure fair play were confident that they had “safe conduct”.

The Assurance of the Truce is Part of Border Law

No one was likely to attend the Day of Truce without some confirmation that they would be safe in doing so. Often English and Scottish would meet at the Truce who were at feud with each other and had been for many generations. It was often a nervous meeting! Thus the “Assurance” of the Truce came into being. The “Assurance” laid down that all would be safe from sunrise of the “Day of Truce” until sunrise of the day following the conclusion of the trials of the miscreants and felons, the Reivers, brought to the Truce for judgement.

Border Law is Ineffectual against the Border Reivers

To reive is to thieve. The Border Reivers held sway in the Border Lands for many a century. The Border Laws would prove to be ineffectual against their nefarious activities for many reasons, not least the policies of the English and Scottish governments who often welcomed the unrest and upheaval which had taken the English Scottish Border by storm.

Reivers – Border Laws of England and Scotland

Control of the Border Reivers across a Frontier in constant Strife.

In meetings of English and Scottish knights in 1249 the notion of the Border Laws was mooted. Their deliberations would provide a format to control the Reiving Clans.

From time out of mind prior to the creation of the Border Line men, women and children had crossed the rivers of Esk in the west of the country and Tweed in the east to pasture cattle, grow crops or cut wood. Centuries of tradition ruled their lives. Both Scots and English were happy to see their neighbours from south or north. The dictate and caprice of kings was of little concern to them in the struggle to provide a living.

The Border Line Takes on a Meaning

Within a couple of generations the outlook was to change as national identity took on a meaning. Now the same people whose forebears had lived in unity and harmony would be at odds. They resented the usurpation of their lands by those people who were now deemed to be foreigners, and strove to prevent them from using their pastures, fields and woodland.

Strife and Friction Rule in the Border Lands

The people on both sides of the Border Line, however, strove to maintain what they saw as their right to cross the rivers and hills which constituted the Line and were prepared to fight to ensure their claims on the land would not be forfeit. The strife would escalate to the point where theft or destruction of houses and crops would be commonplace; murder and maiming would not be uncommon.

Justice Cries Out for the Border Laws

The Laws of England and Scotland were unable to cope with the crime which became endemic in the Border Lands. Many a thief or murderer was sheltered by his own people north or south of the Border Line because, to them, he had committed no crime. He had merely served their purpose. They wanted no truck with the people of the opposite nation and saw nothing wrong in taking a swipe at those people who infiltrated their lands. And so the deliberations of 1249 took on a relevance. The Border laws became a necessity.

The Knights Would Set in Motion the Border Laws

The deliberations of the knights of Northumberland and Southern Scotland were to address the crime that was so prevalent in the Border Lands. The outcomes of their findings were to have a profound effect on the peoples who lived on both sides of the Border Line. The knights set in motion a code of conduct which would strive to control the Border people and bring order to a troubled land. Yet the legacy of their proposals would set the Border people at each other’s throats for centuries to come.

The Border Laws

There were many amendments to the Border Laws initially brought into force after the meetings in 1249. Down the years to 1596 they would be revised many times following Border Commissions instigated by the monarchs of the two countries of England and Scotland. The crimes which were addressed in the immediate years following the formulation of the Laws were many and included:

The pasturing of cattle in the opposite realm.
Ploughing and sowing corn in the opposite realm.
Felling timber in the opposite realm.
Hunting game in the opposite realm.
Receiving stolen cattle or goods.
Fire-raising.
Wounding and maiming.
Murder.

There were seven major amendments and additions to the Border Laws throughout their existence which speaks volumes for their ability to control a hard and wayward people. Wardens of the Marches were still seeking a way to stem the crime of murder as late as 1596.