Religious Thought 268

The six months of the northern path of the sun, the path of light, of fire, of day, of the bright fortnight, leads knowers of Brahman to the supreme goal. The six months of the southern path of the sun, the path of smoke, of night, of the dark fortnight, leads other souls to the light of the moon and rebirth.

- Bhagavad Gita 8:24-25

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It is through not understanding, not penetrating four things that we have run so erratically, wandered on so long in this round of existence, both you and I. What are the four? Goodness, concentration, wisdom, and liberation. When these four things are understood and penetrated, craving for superficial existence is rooted out and that which leads to continued return to the same conditions is ended. There is no more constant journeying.

- Digha Nikaya

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Religious Thought 267

When you make your mind one-pointed through regular practice of meditation, you will find the supreme glory of the Lord.

- Bhagavad Gita 8:8

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Eventually we will find (mostly in retrospect, of course) that we can be very grateful to those people who have made life most difficult for us.

- Ayya Khema, "When the Iron Eagle Flies"

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COOL PHOTOS 033

Animations 212

Animates Images 263

Picture of the Day 009

The Most Epic Supercell Thunderstorm Footage 

After four years of unsuccessful storm chasing, Mike Olbinski finally found what he was looking for. A massive rotating supercell thunderstorm with complex structure and active movement.

The result was the epic time-lapse video embedded below. The storm was spotted on June 3, 2013, near Booker, Texas. It was shot with a Canon 5D Mark II and Rokinon 14mm 2.8 lens.

Picture of the Day 008

THE MASKED OWL

The Australian Masked Owl (Tyto novaehollandiae) is a barn owl of Southern New Guinea and the non-desert areas of Australia.

Masked Owls show strong reverse sexual dimorphism (obvious differences between male and female). A male Masked Owl’s weight ranges from 420-800g, while females are typically much larger ranging from 545-1260 g. Length ranges between 330–410 mm for males and 390–500 mm for females. Wing span is up to 1280 mm for southern female Masked Owls.

They are nocturnal and their prey includes rodents, small dasyurids, possums, bandicoots, rabbits, bats, birds, reptiles and insects. Their population on the mainland is declining and several states have placed this owl on the Species Conservation Status list.