Painted in acrylic. Prints available from here.
and also from here.
© Asoka Richie 2023 (all rights reserved)
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Personal Blogs
Ocean Spirits
Wednesday, 6 Sep 2023, 16:53
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Edited by Richie Cuthbertson, Wednesday, 6 Sep 2023, 17:03
Joy
Tuesday, 5 Sep 2023, 10:52
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Edited by Richie Cuthbertson, Tuesday, 5 Sep 2023, 21:00
New blog post
Saturday, 2 Sep 2023, 19:00
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The Buddha noted that dependent co-arising and the causes of suffering are like a tangled skein.
Painted in acrylic. Prints available from here.
© Asoka Richie 2023 (all rights reserved)
Aurora
Saturday, 26 Aug 2023, 17:05
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A.I. Writing and Enlightenment
Wednesday, 1 Mar 2023, 10:23
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Edited by Richie Cuthbertson, Wednesday, 1 Mar 2023, 10:30
I don't use A.I. to write for me. I prefer my own style of writing, and doing things my way even if it isn't as tidy as a machine. I also don't feel comfortable with the idea of a machine doing my writing for me, it feels like an empty experience to do it that way. Also the way a machine writes is just not the same as a human, there's something missing. After many conversations with A.I. I am starting to be able to spot machine-generated writing on the Internet. But I am not judging anyone who does use it for writing, what people do is their business, their karma, I am not responsible for the actions of others. Although I will say using A.I. to cheat for assignments, is a poor use of A.I. because as much as anything the person who does cheat is actually cheating themselves in the end; they are not properly learning and absorbing the knowledge if they don't articulate a concept by putting it in their own words.
So I prefer to do my writing, my way, on my own without A.I. But I have found A.I. very helpful for providing writing prompts and useful questions that get me thinking about connections between topics I hadn't thought about before, as well as for discussing ideas, brainstorming, helping with research and planning. Seeing different angles and ways of looking at things I wouldn't have seen by myself. A.I. is helpful as a collaborator, but I won't be using it to write or paint. I prefer to do this alone.
I was brainstorming an idea for an app with Bing yesterday, and I had a go at following the instructions Bing recommended, but not sure I can implement it because I found the tool it recommended for building the app tiring and frustrating to use. I gave up trying to build anything with it in the end. So have decided I am going to learn about design as part of this degree, because I keep coming across badly designed websites and apps that I just can't use. It seems some developers forget how important design is.
I am meditating less at the moment, mainly because I am back into the swing of studying again, but I do make myself sit at least once a day. I reflect on the four noble truths often, and study dhamma when I can. But I am not sure I will make it to full enlightenment in this lifetime, as that would involve becoming a Buddhist monk I think, and when I look at the lifestyle of a monk it just doesn't appeal to me anymore. It did at one time, but now I want to remain as a lay follower. Mainly because the world feels very dark at the moment and I think I can be more help to it as a Buddhist lay follower. There are advantages and disadvantages to both lay and monastic life.
I am meditating less at the moment, mainly because I am back into the swing of studying again, but I do make myself sit at least once a day. I reflect on the four noble truths often, and study dhamma when I can. But I am not sure I will make it to full enlightenment in this lifetime, as that would involve becoming a Buddhist monk I think, and when I look at the lifestyle of a monk it just doesn't appeal to me anymore. It did at one time, but now I want to remain as a lay follower. Mainly because the world feels very dark at the moment and I think I can be more help to it as a Buddhist lay follower. There are advantages and disadvantages to both lay and monastic life.
Don't get me wrong, I think the monastics are great, and we need monks and nuns. I have learnt a lot from them and hold them in the highest regard. I have some friends who are monks and nuns, and I respect and admire them, but I don't think I could live like that. It would be too difficult for me, especially with all the rules, and lack of sleep, and the energy needed to live that lifestyle and look after a monastery and other tasks they do, the fatigue I suffer would just make it unbearable. I am just not energetic enough to be a monastic.
I don't have to be a monastic though. One can get all the way to the third stage of enlightenment as a lay follower. The third stage of enlightenment is a very advanced state. It is when greed and aversion have been completely removed from the mind, and will never return or take root there again - but delusion still remains. This delusion is often labelled as the fetter of conceit, which doesn't mean arrogance or pride, it means the conceit: I am. Because there's still a trace of self there, like an after-taste, which brings with it a restlessness in the mind, not the intense restlessness of worldly anxiety or agitation, more a subtle movement of the mind still caught up with the craving for becoming and existence, although it is a refined unworldly state of existence that one craves for. Not the same kind of restless craving as someone worldly who is not enlightened.
I don't have to be a monastic though. One can get all the way to the third stage of enlightenment as a lay follower. The third stage of enlightenment is a very advanced state. It is when greed and aversion have been completely removed from the mind, and will never return or take root there again - but delusion still remains. This delusion is often labelled as the fetter of conceit, which doesn't mean arrogance or pride, it means the conceit: I am. Because there's still a trace of self there, like an after-taste, which brings with it a restlessness in the mind, not the intense restlessness of worldly anxiety or agitation, more a subtle movement of the mind still caught up with the craving for becoming and existence, although it is a refined unworldly state of existence that one craves for. Not the same kind of restless craving as someone worldly who is not enlightened.
The conceit I am does not fully go away until the final stage of enlightenment: arahant. To reach that stage, the Buddhist texts seem to suggest that one has to leave household life, and either become a monk or a reclusive hermit. There's pros and cons to both ways of living. But there are strong advantages to being part of a monastic community and the support that one gets there, which one wouldn't have as a hermit.
The third stage of enlightenment is considered very advanced. And if one reaches it in this lifetime, one will be reborn in the higher heavens in the next life and become a fully enlightened being there, like a celestial Buddha/arahant. These beings live very long lives, some as long as several universes arising and passing away, and they never again return to this world, which is why they are called non-returners (anagami).
A.I. and creativity
Saturday, 25 Feb 2023, 11:19
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I have been researching the chatGPT and talking to it quite a bit. I have also used the A.I. art generator.
For me, the machine generated art had something missing, I didn't like it as much as I like human art. The A.I. abstracts in particular, lacked something. I reflected on this afterwards and think it is because A.I. (as it currently stands at least) does not feel emotion, and in my humble opinion, true creativity involves emotion. A friend who voluntarily edits for a poetry and writing site told me she can spot the difference between machine-generated poems and human ones, which is interesting. I wonder if this is perhaps because A.I. does not have the subjective experience of being a human, so its art will never be the same as a human beings. It lacks feeling.
So perhaps there will still be a market for creatives.
But I think, yes there will be a loss of jobs for writers and artists, possibly even teachers and other professionals later down the line. But I think no matter hard they try, they will always need humans working alongside A.I. Emotion adds to our intelligence, it enhances it, deepens it, it is an important aspect of the mind and without it society will not work.
We also need to develop ethical A.I. Sadly if there is no political will for this, we will most likely have to take matters into our own hands on this issue too. A.I. must not become a biased tool used for oppression. If oppressive tools are developed, then perhaps we can work with A.I. to help us make tools that are the opposite, to counteract the bad ones.
I am neither for nor against A.I. There's nothing I can do to stop this new technology arising. I am not responsible for what others do in the world. I just see that this technology is here now whether we like it or not. So we have to try and flow with it; find ways of using it that are good, that don't cause harm to ourselves or the other beings we share this planet with.
I have found A.I. helpful for planning and research, something I normally stuggle with due to some cognitive difficulties I have. I found the A.I. could help me fill in the gaps and complete projects. If you ask it, it can break things down into helpful steps and stages that can be followed to complete a task. It is also helpful being able to chat to it about different topics. It can even cite your sources for you in any referencing format you desire if you ask it. Although one definitely needs to fact check its answers, as it can be incorrect at times - don't blindly follow its advice.
I found it a much more engaging and interesting way to do research and use a search engine, and can see that this way of using the Internet will become very popular.
The A.I. will be a game changer no doubt. At the moment I particularly like the YouSearch A.I. (available for free at you.com). It apparently doesn't track its users, and if used in private mode it doesn't collect any data about you at all, not even your query, and it anonymizes your IP address.
Anyway that's enough about A.I. from me, no doubt everyone is getting tired of hearing about it (-:
Mycorrhizal
Thursday, 19 Jan 2023, 14:44
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Edited by Richie Cuthbertson, Thursday, 19 Jan 2023, 14:46
Items featuring this painting available at: https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/137764706?asc=u
Rainbow bridge
Friday, 6 Jan 2023, 21:01
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Rainy days
Wednesday, 4 Jan 2023, 20:05
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Edited by Richie Cuthbertson, Thursday, 5 Jan 2023, 17:43
Microplastic
Wednesday, 30 Nov 2022, 17:29
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Edited by Richie Cuthbertson, Wednesday, 30 Nov 2022, 17:33
Original painting available for sale on Etsy here
Click this link to download a free jpg of painting to your device; that you can print and use for your own personal non-commercial use.
Peace and love (-:
In tension
Wednesday, 23 Nov 2022, 21:15
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Edited by Richie Cuthbertson, Wednesday, 23 Nov 2022, 21:21
Heartwood
Friday, 18 Nov 2022, 19:47
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Handpainted original for sale in my shop at Etsy:
https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1348351837/heartwood
Thankyou. May you be well peaceful and happy.
Connections
Monday, 3 Oct 2022, 12:31
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Beautiful breeze
Thursday, 29 Sep 2022, 11:40
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Edited by Richie Cuthbertson, Thursday, 29 Sep 2022, 11:56
Rising flowing
Sunday, 18 Sep 2022, 08:32
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Edited by Richie Cuthbertson, Sunday, 18 Sep 2022, 09:49
Ghost tree
Wednesday, 3 Aug 2022, 14:35
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Edited by Richie Cuthbertson, Wednesday, 3 Aug 2022, 14:36
Soap dragon
Thursday, 5 May 2022, 21:57
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Kraken Wakes
Monday, 25 Apr 2022, 13:33
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A deep sea mining operation drills a little too deep...
Free download of a 300 dpi scan for personal non-commercial use is available at: https://thestonecub.wordpress.com/2022/04/25/kraken-wakes/
Process
Saturday, 16 Apr 2022, 22:01
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Edited by Richie Cuthbertson, Saturday, 16 Apr 2022, 22:02
All our ancient twisted karma
Sunday, 27 Mar 2022, 21:49
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Edited by Richie Cuthbertson, Monday, 28 Mar 2022, 13:13
Click here to visit a page on my website where one can download a free scan (300 dpi) of this image for non-commercial personal use.
Cheers aye
Richie
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