Zenfluenced.life
LightNews LightNews
banner
zenfluenced.bsky.social
Zenfluenced.life
@zenfluenced.bsky.social
2.1K followers 490 following 620 posts
Amateur human being, artist, graphic designer, meditator, meditation leader, and grower of tiny trees and other plants that likes to play guitar and think about stuff.
More stuff at https://zenfluenced.life
Blue dot/sea of red. Knoxvegas, East Tennessee
Posts Replies Media Videos
zenfluenced.bsky.social
Watched an interview with Carol Burnett on Kimmel. they discussed her Wordle prowess. She's gotten it in 1 or 2 guesses many times and gave her guess for the next Wordle. Checked to see if she was right, looked up what day she was on. See if you can spot the Google AI mistake. It's subtle
A screenshot of a Google AI overview of the questions - What day was carol burnett on jimmy kimmel? The response says that Carol Burnett has not been on jimmy kimmel live as a guest, with a picture below of the youtube video of her AS A GUEST on the show.
November 6, 2025 at 11:39 PM
zenfluenced.bsky.social
This study was conducted by the No Shit Sherlock Institute for the Study of the Obvious
Screen capture of a washington post headline and sub head that reads - Trickle down tax cuts make the rich richer but are of no value to overall economy, study finds. sub-head - Data spanning 50 years and 18 countries shows lowering tax rates for teh wealthy increases inequality
October 13, 2025 at 2:04 PM
zenfluenced.bsky.social
Dress rehearsal for this weekend's Knoxville Bonsai Society exhibition. Over 40 trees on display. Oct 11-12. Ijams Nature Center.
#Bonsai #tinytrees
8 inch tall privet bonsai placed on a round live edge slab. A small accent plant sits to the left of the slab
October 10, 2025 at 4:41 PM
zenfluenced.bsky.social
Is Google . . . YES! They fucking are. Side by side searches. The only difference is the name.
A screen shot of a Google search for "does trump have mental decline". the image shows a couple of articles but NO A I overview. A screen shot of a Google search for "does Biden have mental decline". Which has does an A I overview
October 3, 2025 at 4:09 PM
zenfluenced.bsky.social
Stoked to get my copy of @tomtomorrow.bsky.social 's Our Long National Nightmare
Thank you message from kickstarter for backing Tom Tomorrow's self published book.
September 30, 2025 at 8:20 PM
zenfluenced.bsky.social
Meme: Looking across a mountain lake with a hillside of trees in the background. Text reads: Live your life in such a way that if an escalator stops, you don't assume it's because people hate you.
September 29, 2025 at 2:56 AM
zenfluenced.bsky.social
I like to do a couple of walking laps around the neighborhood where my sangha meets. The Bahàí house down the street has these beauties growing along their fence
A bright orange flower growing through the slats of a white picket fence
September 9, 2025 at 2:02 PM
zenfluenced.bsky.social
Gnarley
#highcontrast #blackandwhite
a black and white photo of a mass of gnarled roots and branches
August 28, 2025 at 3:03 PM
zenfluenced.bsky.social
Pic of groucho marx and a haughty woman Woman: I believe Donald Trump was sent by god. Groucho: Why? Did he run out of locusts?
August 22, 2025 at 3:40 PM
zenfluenced.bsky.social
Okra flowers in the garden. Okra loves the heat of August . . . as long as they get enough water.
An okra flower
August 10, 2025 at 2:38 PM
zenfluenced.bsky.social
Today sucked but for a minute or so i appreciated this cosmo.
A flower with long thin leaves extending between each petal
August 10, 2025 at 3:43 AM
zenfluenced.bsky.social
Almost stepped on it! 😬
It's about 4" wing tip to wing tip.
Imperial moth
overhead view of an imperial moth its coloring resembles a dried fallen leaf same huge imperial moth but from the ground overhead view of an imperial moth its coloring resembles a dried fallen leaf
August 4, 2025 at 2:56 AM
zenfluenced.bsky.social
Right time right place.
IRL the sun was just right to make the irreverent blues glow like neon

North American brush-footed butterfly
North American brush-footed butterfly sitting on a plastic drop sheet
August 2, 2025 at 3:58 AM
zenfluenced.bsky.social
Two images stacked. top image: Baron Trump asking "Dad, how did you meet mom?" bottom image: donald trump "Stop talking about epstein"
July 31, 2025 at 1:40 AM
zenfluenced.bsky.social
I made for a sutra study group that I was part of before the pandemic. The Buddha’s teaching on lying given to his son Rahula. An appropriate reminder these days.
Majjima Nikaya 61.
Alt text has link to a PDF on my website.
#MN61 #MajjimaNikaya #buddhism #Palicanon #Therevada
A graphic representation of a lotus with text describing the pleasant results of telling the truth and the unpleasant results of telling lies. Taken from the text of the Majjima Nikaya no 61 - Advice to Rāhula at Ambalaṭṭhika. Four similes: a practitioner who tells a lie ... 1. Tosses one’s recluseship (of a samañña) away (like a little bit of water in a dipper) 2. Turns one’s recluseship upside down (like a water dipper) 3. Makes one’s recluseship empty and hollow (like an empty water dipper) 4. There is no evil that one would not do if one is not ashamed to tell a deliberate lie (like a charging war elephant) Truthful actions of body, speech and mind result in - PLEASANT Self, Others, or Both WHOLESOME Pleasant Stay mentally refreshed Untruthful actions of body, speech and mind result in AFFLICTS Self, Others, or Both UNWHOLESOME Painful Confess if painful Therefore recluses & brahmins purified bodily, verbal or mental actions in the past by repeatedly reflecting thus. They will do so in the future and in the present! Link to printable PDF - https://zenfluenced.life/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Sutta-61-Graphic.pdf
July 29, 2025 at 6:04 PM
zenfluenced.bsky.social
My collection isn't all invasive privet.
The Dwarf Alberta Spruce are nursery stock. The Gingko is from the 2021 Knoxville Bonsai Society bonsai exhibition. The maple is some backyard yamadori.
#bonsai ##tinytreesmakemehappy
Shoin sized Gingko tree. Subtle curve in the trunk. A bright green pinwheel adds some whimsy. Small maple bonsai in a light blue ceramic pot Dwarf Alberta Spruce in an oval plastic bonsai pot Another Dwarf Alberta Spruce in 8 inch plastic training pot
July 22, 2025 at 4:29 PM
zenfluenced.bsky.social
20+ y ago I planted azaleas from my G-mother's yard. The azaleas died but the invasive privet hiding in the roots did well. Parts of the yard are more privet than lawn. Mowing makes the trunks look so cool! and keeps them small. <12" pot to top.
#bonsai #yamadori #backyardyamadori
Closeup view of the trunk and roots of a small japanese privet bonsai growing from a moss covered mound of soil. Closeup view of the trunk and roots of a small japanese privet bonsai growing from a moss covered mound of soil. Same plant but from the opposite side as the previous pic. Full image of the japanese privet bonsai Full view of a small japanese privet bonsai growing from a moss covered mound of soil from the opposite side.
July 21, 2025 at 2:51 AM
zenfluenced.bsky.social
Closeup of the trunks of a Japanese privet. Backyard yamadori from this year. For scale - the thickest trunk in the foreground, from the AMAZING root over root up to the first branch is about 2 inches. They look like they're 100 rough years old!
#bonsai #tinytreesmakemehappy #yamadori
July 21, 2025 at 2:34 AM
zenfluenced.bsky.social
8 weeks! Thought it was a goner until early May when it started to put out tiny leaf buds. Now look it!
I have A LOT of invasive japanese privet. Turning a curse into a blessing. Some parts of the yard are more privet than grass.
#bonsai #yamadori #tinytreesmakemehappy #backyardyamadori
Mame` bonsai. Privet. Rectangular blue ceramic pot, the little tree growing from a moss covered mound. From barely any leaves in May to a full flush of leaves in July.
July 15, 2025 at 2:41 PM
zenfluenced.bsky.social
Bee butt bouncing
July 8, 2025 at 9:34 PM
zenfluenced.bsky.social
Last sunrise from this year's family beach trip. This year we splurged on an oceanfront unit and views like this were our daily reward.
Sunrise over the beach and ocean. The sun is partially obscured by large cumulous clouds. Rays of light break through the clouds illuminating the grassy dunes on the edge of the beach.
June 30, 2025 at 11:34 AM
zenfluenced.bsky.social
Image of The Peace of Wild Thing by Wendell Berry When despair for the world grows in me and I wake in the night at the least sound in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be, I go and lie down where the wood drake rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds. I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief. I come into the presence of still water. And I feel above me the day-blind stars waiting with their light. For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
June 24, 2025 at 10:45 PM
zenfluenced.bsky.social
I LOVE THIS! I've collected a few around my yard left over from the construction back in 1996. They have such character. Suiseki, but with a bit of punk/disrupter attitude. This is one of my faves found under my deck.
A concrete drop with stones and gravel embedded on a carved wooden base
June 10, 2025 at 3:11 PM
zenfluenced.bsky.social
This little one's been in training since 2022. I was worried this year because it was very late budding out and I had lost several of the small privets from our winter week of deep freeze. Will be developing the pads more this year
Privet. Approx 9" tall

#bonsai #tinytreesmakemehappy
#mame
Mame` bonsai. Privet. Rectangular blue ceramic pot, the little tree growing from a moss covered mound
May 21, 2025 at 2:53 PM
zenfluenced.bsky.social
This beauty deserves to be a center of attention

Newly collected honeysuckle. Just look at that nubari😍😍

24" pot.
#backyard #yamadori
#bonsai #tinytrees
Bonsai bench with small privet bonsai in 6 inch rectangular pots on the lower shelf. Upper shelf shows a large yamadori honeysuckle in a 24" oval pot. Close up of the large honeysuckle with some kick ass nibari Bonsai bench. Front lower shelf has 8 privet bonsai in 6 in pots. Back/higher shelf has large honeysuckle centered, flanked by additional small privet. To the left side is a hibiscus.
May 17, 2025 at 9:08 PM