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I learned my ninja skills in the 1980's via mail order Ninja books like ones Ashida Kim wrote. He wants you to steal this Ninja book because everyone else has stolen it and he released it into the public domain to get even at the dummy corporations that protected the publishers that sold his book and never game him his fair share or any money at all from it. He will gladly sell you ebooks and paper books for money to learn how to be a real ninja.

If you want to learn how to be a real pirate, you can join up with the Neo-Swashbucklers and learn from them. New pirate members accepted as long as they don't troll the group or cause trouble, because if that happens we make them walk the plank. :)

I learned my ninja skills in the 1980's via mail order Ninja books like ones Ashida Kim wrote. He wants you to steal this Ninja book because everyone else has stolen it and he released it into the public domain to get even at the dummy corporations that protected the publishers that sold his book and never game him his fair share or any money at all from it. He will gladly sell you ebooks and paper books for money to learn how to be a real ninja.

If you want to learn how to be a real pirate, you can join up with the Neo-Swashbucklers and learn from them. New pirate members accepted as long as they don't troll the group or cause trouble, because if that happens we make them walk the plank. :)

While not being familiar with all of this, I assure you it lives in the shadow of Grandmaster Ashida Kim, who has made his ninja training available for free:

http://ashidakim.com/stb.html

Just in the off chance that you take that book seriously, I suggest you ruin it with his Sentry Removal Techniques video series:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCNRh9M9OAI

Worth a watch just for the many degrees of awesome - the music, the editing - Everything.

The Stingy Artist

Gessen was an artist monk. Before he would start a drawing or painting he always insisted upon being paid in advance, and his fees were high. He was known as the "Stingy Artist."

A geisha once gave him a commission for a painting. "How much can you pay?" inquired Gessen.

"Whatever you charge," replied the girl, "but I want you to do the work in front of me."

So on a certain day Gessen was called by the geisha. She was holding a feast for her patron.

Gessen with fine brush work did the painting. When it was completed he asked the highest sum of his time.

He received his pay. Then the geisha turned to her patron, saying: "All this artist wants is money. His paintings are fine but his mind is dirty; money has caused it to become muddy. Drawn by such a filthy mind, his work is not fit to exhibit. It is just about good enough for one of my petticoats."

Removing her skirt, she then asked Gessen to do another picture on the back of her petticoat.

"How much will you pay?" asked Gessen.

"Oh, any amount," answered the girl.

Gessen named a fancy price, painted the picture in the manner requested, and went away.

It was learned later that Gessen had these reasons for desiring money:

A ravaging famine often visited his province. The rich would not help the poor, so Gessen had a secret warehouse, unknown to anyone, which he kept filled with grain, prepared for those emergencies.

From his village to the National Shrine the road was in very poor condition and many travellers suffered while traversing it. He desired to build a better road.

His teacher had passed away without realizing his wish to build a temple, and Gessen wished to complete this temple for him.

After Gessen had accomplished his three wishes he threw away his brushes and artist's materials and, retiring to the mountains, never painted again.

-=-=-

I assume your post was not a troll...

isn't abbreviating it something of a bit of heresy?

No.

And, if "PBUH" is OK, why not "P"? And, if that's OK, why not simply think it, instead, and know that appropriately devout readers are going to be thinking it anyway, and those that aren't already thinking like that aren't going to be converted by having to read it (or an acronyum of it) anyway?

If I come to your house and ask, "Could you get me a beer?" is it different from "Could you get me a beer please?" ... and if you were kind enough to get that beer, what's the difference if I say "Thank you" or if I think it? Wouldn't you know that it was implied if I was your friend... presumably I don't hate you for getting me a beer. One is just more respectful.

In any event I am a Zen Buddhist and we don't have any official texts or steadfast rules. And I am off to get a beer now.

When Bankei held his seclusion-weeks of meditation, pupils from many parts of Japan came to attend. During one of these gatherings a pupil was caught stealing. The matter was reported to Bankei with the request that the culprit be expelled. Bankei ignored the case.

Later the pupil was caught in a similar act, and again bankei disregarded the matter. this angered the other pupils, who drew up a petition asking for the dismissal of the thief, stating that otherwise they would leave in a body.

When bankei had read the petition he called everyone before him. "You are wise brothers," he told them. "You know what is right and what is not right. You may somewhere else to study if you wish, but this poor brother does not even know right from wrong. Who will teach him if I do not? I am going to keep him here even if all the rest of you leave."

A torrent of tears cleansed the face of the brother who had stolen. All desire to steal had vanished.

if we place science above our Creator then the results shall be futile

Right. Great multipurpose statement there. There are so many more eloquent statements that could address the issue of stem cell research instead of hiding in the Christian equivalent of a Zen Koan. I happen to be for research, so I won't help you out. Next time you post about your religion, how about actually saying something about your views?