Unfulfilled desires lead to intense suffering, comprehending the function of the narrative in this context and how it works on our minds often spills over to the realm of psychology.
The reason why both fulfillment of desire as well as its total denial leads to suffering is because, some desires at least are essential to living ~ such as our desire for knowledge, love, beauty, and meaning of life”. Some of these can easily transform our lives.
Sometimes our passion for inquiry and intense observations help us to gain useful insights in our lives. Visiting new places, trying new things, learning new skills seeking knowledge and truth are the essence of life.-Vinay-
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Open the window
They say we are the window to the world but many of us don’t perceive this in the true sense and fail to explore the opportunities. At a certain point in our lives we lose control of what is happening to our lives, and leave things to the Drums of destiny. Often it is our choice, more than chance that, decides our circumstances in life.
Being aware of the opportunities and wary of the risks is something in the path to actual self realization. Weighing uncertainties and calculating risks in our minds we often ignore the actual relationships which had to last through fleeting time. We often expect the worst and don’t see the light or test the waters, we don’t take the plunge.
Deep in the ocean lie riches and wealth beyond compare, but if you seek safety we will end up walking on the shoreline forever.
The professional always seizes the moment, while the amateur thinks of the consequences and the moment is lost or gone forever. –Vinay-
Being aware of the opportunities and wary of the risks is something in the path to actual self realization. Weighing uncertainties and calculating risks in our minds we often ignore the actual relationships which had to last through fleeting time. We often expect the worst and don’t see the light or test the waters, we don’t take the plunge.
Deep in the ocean lie riches and wealth beyond compare, but if you seek safety we will end up walking on the shoreline forever.
The professional always seizes the moment, while the amateur thinks of the consequences and the moment is lost or gone forever. –Vinay-
Four Pillars of life.
Philosophers, Mystics, Gurus, Scriptures and the Vedas have always harped on the four main pillars of human Endeavour.
Eros, synonymous with “desire”, Money, “synonymous’ with “meaning”. Ethics synonymous with societal rules, and finally Liberation, which paradoxically synonymous
With “freedom from desire”
This makes the pursuit of pleasure/desires one of the legitimate or socially sanctioned ends. It adds meaning to an otherwise meaningless existence, and can also liberate, not necessarily through fulfillment, but by insights.
According to Freud humanity’s biggest product is death, followed closely by libido or sex drive. Earlier the withering of desire or loss of libido heightened the appreciation of philosophy or spirituality now with the advent of the sexy blue pill Viagra , has further postponed the joy of liberation; as death is the ultimate celebration/ fulfillment of life.-Vinay-
,
Eros, synonymous with “desire”, Money, “synonymous’ with “meaning”. Ethics synonymous with societal rules, and finally Liberation, which paradoxically synonymous
With “freedom from desire”
This makes the pursuit of pleasure/desires one of the legitimate or socially sanctioned ends. It adds meaning to an otherwise meaningless existence, and can also liberate, not necessarily through fulfillment, but by insights.
According to Freud humanity’s biggest product is death, followed closely by libido or sex drive. Earlier the withering of desire or loss of libido heightened the appreciation of philosophy or spirituality now with the advent of the sexy blue pill Viagra , has further postponed the joy of liberation; as death is the ultimate celebration/ fulfillment of life.-Vinay-
,
Hit the refrsh button
The Internet encourages challenges to orthodoxy and its status quo; it offers the freedom to choose. Freedom is sometimes the usually adopted child of the internet; its spirit cannot be caged by shrewish governments or religious nannies.
It is an invention that gives opportunities to thought and expression impossible earlier. The internet has changed the way we think and live, it also unites people for a common cause.
There are things you can do, things perhaps you shouldn’t do, but nothing that you must do, the internet is Heretical.
It is difficult to imagine a life without Google. But hitting the search button for any information may not be a good idea. According to a scientific study widespread use of search engines is affecting the way we remember.
The report on “transitive” memory is causing personality disorders like Aspergers Syndrome, online OCD (Obsessive compulsive disorder) etc, in our social, non psychotic brains. Beware of the cyber zombie apocalypse that will strike your paranoid imagination.
So, pause, hit the refresh button and Google for the true meaning of life.- Vinay-
It is an invention that gives opportunities to thought and expression impossible earlier. The internet has changed the way we think and live, it also unites people for a common cause.
There are things you can do, things perhaps you shouldn’t do, but nothing that you must do, the internet is Heretical.
It is difficult to imagine a life without Google. But hitting the search button for any information may not be a good idea. According to a scientific study widespread use of search engines is affecting the way we remember.
The report on “transitive” memory is causing personality disorders like Aspergers Syndrome, online OCD (Obsessive compulsive disorder) etc, in our social, non psychotic brains. Beware of the cyber zombie apocalypse that will strike your paranoid imagination.
So, pause, hit the refresh button and Google for the true meaning of life.- Vinay-
Explore
We wait until we retire to explore life and the universe around us. All our lives we lived unquestioningly under the stifling rules of society, workplace and religion, a sort of inherited orthodoxy. Each person has an inner sense of divinity, which inspires and guides them in their life, and they can develop that sense in their own unique way.
I loved my freedom and broke free from the shackles that curbed my thinking and creativity at an early age, and lived my life without religious or social divides and developed an expansive heart.
The thread of colorful defiance running through the rich fabric of an inbuilt spirituality has influenced my thoughts; it is a philosophy, which enabled me to surrender, and enjoy the enchantment and this of life.
What you take from life is yours, but what life takes from you, can never be questioned. I’ve always had a sort of kinetic energy to explore the world and subtle relationship with humanity. These magical insights may be a symbol of our ancestors. People have forgotten their ancient philosophical roots, and therein lies a tale of sorrow and discontent. –Vinay-
I loved my freedom and broke free from the shackles that curbed my thinking and creativity at an early age, and lived my life without religious or social divides and developed an expansive heart.
The thread of colorful defiance running through the rich fabric of an inbuilt spirituality has influenced my thoughts; it is a philosophy, which enabled me to surrender, and enjoy the enchantment and this of life.
What you take from life is yours, but what life takes from you, can never be questioned. I’ve always had a sort of kinetic energy to explore the world and subtle relationship with humanity. These magical insights may be a symbol of our ancestors. People have forgotten their ancient philosophical roots, and therein lies a tale of sorrow and discontent. –Vinay-
Cosmology
Cosmology the study of history and structure of the Universe is the closest science has come to religion. It sometimes provides an answer that doesn’t always have a religious resonance; they are sufficiently mysterious in their own way. It is also the largest threat to religion since Darwin’s, “Origin of the species”. It considers multiple universes apart from ours, with about a hundred billion stars and galaxies.
Darwin propounded evolution without a purpose, whereas religious faith points to a direction and purpose a sort of metaphor for the infinite. Whatever is the truth, the great cosmological expanse out there beckons us, in our quest for meaning in our lives. We must delve into this vast ocean, forgetting the small ponds of misery we have created for ourselves?
Darwin propounded evolution without a purpose, whereas religious faith points to a direction and purpose a sort of metaphor for the infinite. Whatever is the truth, the great cosmological expanse out there beckons us, in our quest for meaning in our lives. We must delve into this vast ocean, forgetting the small ponds of misery we have created for ourselves?
Friday, July 29, 2011
Oddman out.
Most of my friends are religious so I stand out like a sore thumb, when they discuss religion and festivals. What does religion mean? The word “religion” is roughly defined as a belief in a superhuman being. This belief includes practices and worship. There was a time, religious historians say that religion was easy to pinpoint because people were defined by their beliefs, practices and traditions of worship. Its rituals, its comforts, its function of guiding people through pain and helping them to change.
Now, with the sheer number of people and faiths intermingling, believers are consumers of religion. Religions are everywhere, available to everyone, in every color of the conceivable theological, ritual, and experiential rainbow
When we get the news that we have a terminal illness, or suddenly faced with our own mortality, we panic, as we still have not learnt the true meaning of life and death, and we can only pray. But there is also the cultural preoccupation with self-help mantras, and yoga that are examples of something undefined––spiritual maybe––or vaguely religious.
Like living a life according to one’s likes and dislikes. These teachings usually get described as spiritual, and spirituality and religion are kept separate by most religious studies scholars. If we spend more time introspecting, a torrent of insights may follow––that makes us consider things that have been taken for granted.”
Now, with the sheer number of people and faiths intermingling, believers are consumers of religion. Religions are everywhere, available to everyone, in every color of the conceivable theological, ritual, and experiential rainbow
When we get the news that we have a terminal illness, or suddenly faced with our own mortality, we panic, as we still have not learnt the true meaning of life and death, and we can only pray. But there is also the cultural preoccupation with self-help mantras, and yoga that are examples of something undefined––spiritual maybe––or vaguely religious.
Like living a life according to one’s likes and dislikes. These teachings usually get described as spiritual, and spirituality and religion are kept separate by most religious studies scholars. If we spend more time introspecting, a torrent of insights may follow––that makes us consider things that have been taken for granted.”
The complete man.
We are always admonished for our imperfections; for being an imperfect student, an imperfect husband/wife or an imperfect father/ mother, etc. We are forced to feel guilty and we try to change our innate nature to try and become the perfect man/woman.
What is this societal obsession to make us all similar assembly line products with the same perfect features?
But if we look to the Universe, we see great beauty in imperfection. No tree is straight, so why should we be straight? No mountain is symmetrical, so why can’t we have our idiosyncrasies and yet be magnificent with all our imperfections. Like the Planet we inhabit we are all different and unique in our own way.-Vinay
What is this societal obsession to make us all similar assembly line products with the same perfect features?
But if we look to the Universe, we see great beauty in imperfection. No tree is straight, so why should we be straight? No mountain is symmetrical, so why can’t we have our idiosyncrasies and yet be magnificent with all our imperfections. Like the Planet we inhabit we are all different and unique in our own way.-Vinay
Control freaks.
When we try to change or control others, this behavior almost always creates conflict and resentment, resulting in the loss of intimacy. And the fact that our intentions may be good doesn’t really matter.
For example, when we try to control a loved one by giving unsolicited advice and opinions or making unreasonable demands, it only pushes them away. Who likes being told how to be and act in matters of the heart?
When we accept people as they are instead of trying to change them, we make them feel at ease and comfortable with us. They feel that they can trust us.
My best friendships are ones in which we accept one another fully, blemishes and all. That allows us to be open and intimate without fear of criticism or judgment.
The same is true with respect to our loved ones. When we accept them as they are, we allow the love currents to unfold naturally so that they can just relax and be themselves, offering their love and kindness without pressure or expectations.
For example, when we try to control a loved one by giving unsolicited advice and opinions or making unreasonable demands, it only pushes them away. Who likes being told how to be and act in matters of the heart?
When we accept people as they are instead of trying to change them, we make them feel at ease and comfortable with us. They feel that they can trust us.
My best friendships are ones in which we accept one another fully, blemishes and all. That allows us to be open and intimate without fear of criticism or judgment.
The same is true with respect to our loved ones. When we accept them as they are, we allow the love currents to unfold naturally so that they can just relax and be themselves, offering their love and kindness without pressure or expectations.
A street car named desire.
We all know that desire is the cause of all suffering and those who relinquish it stumble upon happiness. It does not matter how much financial assets a person acquires, because he will never be satisfied with whatever wealth, power, and pleasure he seeks.
People’s happiness is based on perceptions, as assets or stocks/ wealth are all volatile; create excitement about the perceived reward or anxiety about loss. This is the illusion or abstract, as they are not concrete reality, but symbols that have no use by themselves; their value is dependent on the future, and whose value is fundamentally uncertain.
During war depression or recession, its value erodes, but others not dependent on assets can find happiness even in dire circumstances.
So wealth if attached to happiness, memory and emotions, are fleeting unaccountable things; and we don’t know how to deal with issues created by them.-Vinay-
People’s happiness is based on perceptions, as assets or stocks/ wealth are all volatile; create excitement about the perceived reward or anxiety about loss. This is the illusion or abstract, as they are not concrete reality, but symbols that have no use by themselves; their value is dependent on the future, and whose value is fundamentally uncertain.
During war depression or recession, its value erodes, but others not dependent on assets can find happiness even in dire circumstances.
So wealth if attached to happiness, memory and emotions, are fleeting unaccountable things; and we don’t know how to deal with issues created by them.-Vinay-
COMATOSE THE SONG OF DEATH!
Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Kist Cobain, Brian Jones, Alan Wilson and now Amy Wine House; talent and fame is a deadly cocktail, driving all these singers to the edge of eternity. Their passion for life and their existential questions about the world we inhabit, challenge our beliefs. All of them vanished in the wake of corrosive fame and desperate loneliness. Their talented and toxic lives left a depressive trail, a chilling reminder of our immortality.
Fame and fortune was a heady mix that they couldn’t comprehend or handle finally ending in a friendship with the grim reaper. Their’s was a vacuum of trust, and relationships never lasted in their “immaculately stoned” lives. They know what our hearts yearn for and the secrets we perceive our voiced in their lyrics.
So they sing and cast themselves as stars, but the wonderful milk of human kindness is useless in their own lives, as a milk yield from a cow that kicks the pail over.
Failure, depression and a retching loneliness is all pervasive, as they reach out to drugs and alcohol, while we mutely watch the macabre dance and song of death. The singers die, but their songs live on….. in our memory forever.-Vinay
Fame and fortune was a heady mix that they couldn’t comprehend or handle finally ending in a friendship with the grim reaper. Their’s was a vacuum of trust, and relationships never lasted in their “immaculately stoned” lives. They know what our hearts yearn for and the secrets we perceive our voiced in their lyrics.
So they sing and cast themselves as stars, but the wonderful milk of human kindness is useless in their own lives, as a milk yield from a cow that kicks the pail over.
Failure, depression and a retching loneliness is all pervasive, as they reach out to drugs and alcohol, while we mutely watch the macabre dance and song of death. The singers die, but their songs live on….. in our memory forever.-Vinay
Bare Essentials.
Unfulfilled desires lead to intense suffering, comprehending the function of the narrative in this context and how it works on our minds often spills over to the realm of psychology.
The reason why both fulfillment of desire as well as its total denial leads to suffering is because, some desires at least are essential to living ~ such as our desire for knowledge, love, beauty, and meaning of life”. Some of these can easily transform our lives.
Sometimes our passion for inquiry and intense observations help us to gain useful insights in our lives. Visiting new places, trying new things, learning new skills seeking knowledge and truth are the essence of life.-Vinay-
The reason why both fulfillment of desire as well as its total denial leads to suffering is because, some desires at least are essential to living ~ such as our desire for knowledge, love, beauty, and meaning of life”. Some of these can easily transform our lives.
Sometimes our passion for inquiry and intense observations help us to gain useful insights in our lives. Visiting new places, trying new things, learning new skills seeking knowledge and truth are the essence of life.-Vinay-
Window to the world.
They say we are the window to the world but many of us don’t perceive this in the true sense and fail to explore the opportunities. At a certain point in our lives we lose control of what is happening to our lives, and leave things to the Drums of destiny. Often it is our choice, more than chance that, decides our circumstances in life.
Being aware of the opportunities and wary of the risks is something in the path to actual self realization. Weighing uncertainties and calculating risks in our minds we often ignore the actual relationships which had to last through fleeting time. We often expect the worst and don’t see the light or test the waters, we don’t take the plunge.
Deep in the ocean lie riches and wealth beyond compare, but if you seek safety we will end up walking on the shoreline forever.
The professional always seizes the moment, while the amateur thinks of the consequences and the moment is lost or gone forever. –Vinay-
Being aware of the opportunities and wary of the risks is something in the path to actual self realization. Weighing uncertainties and calculating risks in our minds we often ignore the actual relationships which had to last through fleeting time. We often expect the worst and don’t see the light or test the waters, we don’t take the plunge.
Deep in the ocean lie riches and wealth beyond compare, but if you seek safety we will end up walking on the shoreline forever.
The professional always seizes the moment, while the amateur thinks of the consequences and the moment is lost or gone forever. –Vinay-
Pillars of our life.
Philosophers, Mystics, Gurus, Scriptures and the Vedas have always harped on the four main pillars of human Endeavour.
Eros, synonymous with “desire”, Money, “synonymous’ with “meaning”. Ethics synonymous with societal rules, and finally Liberation, which paradoxically synonymous
With “freedom from desire”
This makes the pursuit of pleasure/desires one of the legitimate or socially sanctioned ends. It adds meaning to an otherwise meaningless existence, and can also liberate, not necessarily through fulfillment, but by insights.
According to Freud humanity’s biggest product is death, followed closely by libido or sex drive. Earlier the withering of desire or loss of libido heightened the appreciation of philosophy or spirituality now with the advent of the sexy blue pill Viagra , has further postponed the joy of liberation; as death is the ultimate celebration/ fulfillment of life.-Vinay-
Eros, synonymous with “desire”, Money, “synonymous’ with “meaning”. Ethics synonymous with societal rules, and finally Liberation, which paradoxically synonymous
With “freedom from desire”
This makes the pursuit of pleasure/desires one of the legitimate or socially sanctioned ends. It adds meaning to an otherwise meaningless existence, and can also liberate, not necessarily through fulfillment, but by insights.
According to Freud humanity’s biggest product is death, followed closely by libido or sex drive. Earlier the withering of desire or loss of libido heightened the appreciation of philosophy or spirituality now with the advent of the sexy blue pill Viagra , has further postponed the joy of liberation; as death is the ultimate celebration/ fulfillment of life.-Vinay-
Google for the meaning of life.
The Internet encourages challenges to orthodoxy and its status quo; it offers the freedom to choose. Freedom is sometimes the usually adopted child of the internet; its spirit cannot be caged by shrewish governments or religious nannies.
It is an invention that gives opportunities to thought and expression impossible earlier. The internet has changed the way we think and live, it also unites people for a common cause.
There are things you can do, things perhaps you shouldn’t do, but nothing that you must do, the internet is Heretical.
It is difficult to imagine a life without Google. But hitting the search button for any information may not be a good idea. According to a scientific study widespread use of search engines is affecting the way we remember.
The report on “transitive” memory is causing personality disorders like Aspergers Syndrome, online OCD (Obsessive compulsive disorder) etc, in our social, non psychotic brains. Beware of the cyber zombie apocalypse that will strike your paranoid imagination.
So, pause, hit the refresh button and Google for the true meaning of life.- Vinay-
It is an invention that gives opportunities to thought and expression impossible earlier. The internet has changed the way we think and live, it also unites people for a common cause.
There are things you can do, things perhaps you shouldn’t do, but nothing that you must do, the internet is Heretical.
It is difficult to imagine a life without Google. But hitting the search button for any information may not be a good idea. According to a scientific study widespread use of search engines is affecting the way we remember.
The report on “transitive” memory is causing personality disorders like Aspergers Syndrome, online OCD (Obsessive compulsive disorder) etc, in our social, non psychotic brains. Beware of the cyber zombie apocalypse that will strike your paranoid imagination.
So, pause, hit the refresh button and Google for the true meaning of life.- Vinay-
Monday, July 25, 2011
Stirred not shaken.
As Bombay burns in the aftermath of the bomb blasts, a certain amount of cynicism has crept into the soul of the Mumbaikar. Violence is now accepted as a way of life, terrorism is not going to end and will be a way of life for all in the coming decades.
When the going gets tough, the Bombay spirit gets going, they don’t sit wallowing in self pity, but get going and do whatever is required to be done.
The biggest joke and irony is that, even in the hospitals these silly politicians think it is customary and politically correct for senior politicians to visit the hospitals; where the victims are battling for their lives, creating insult to injury.
These VIP visitors with their 2 dozen gun toting security guards hamper the efforts of hospital staff who are even otherwise ill equipped to handle emergencies like this. The visits serve no purpose as loss/grief is a personal emotion, and the visit is actually counter productive to the recovery and convalescing process.
The citizens are resilient and bounce back despite the odds and become more fatalistic in their attitude towards life in a metro. As they pick up their threads, stalked by the shadow of death, they have stopped believe in bullshit and are no longer vulnerable to deceit by the powers to be.
Like James Bond’s martini they return shaken not stirred to figure out that the spelling of “God” subsumes that of “dog” too. Halleluiah! – Vinay_
When the going gets tough, the Bombay spirit gets going, they don’t sit wallowing in self pity, but get going and do whatever is required to be done.
The biggest joke and irony is that, even in the hospitals these silly politicians think it is customary and politically correct for senior politicians to visit the hospitals; where the victims are battling for their lives, creating insult to injury.
These VIP visitors with their 2 dozen gun toting security guards hamper the efforts of hospital staff who are even otherwise ill equipped to handle emergencies like this. The visits serve no purpose as loss/grief is a personal emotion, and the visit is actually counter productive to the recovery and convalescing process.
The citizens are resilient and bounce back despite the odds and become more fatalistic in their attitude towards life in a metro. As they pick up their threads, stalked by the shadow of death, they have stopped believe in bullshit and are no longer vulnerable to deceit by the powers to be.
Like James Bond’s martini they return shaken not stirred to figure out that the spelling of “God” subsumes that of “dog” too. Halleluiah! – Vinay_
Treadmill of life.
There is a great hunger for success in life and stiff competition in all walks and in the workplace, and therein lies the problem. Most of us derive our sense of worth solely from our professional life or job, and we devote disproportionate amounts of time and energy towards success. The workplace or profession becomes an extension of society, and we hop on to the treadmill of materialistic pursuits and are stranded on this axis. People even go to the extent of invoking religion/Gods and gurus in their working life affixing talismans, intoning prayer before switching on their laptops and even sneaking away during lunch recesses to the nearest Church/Mosque to offer prayers or ask for success.
When you introspect at the end of the day you realize that most of it has no philosophic or humane content. This not proselytizing to become metaphysical but we must recharge our batteries, and there is a difference between spirituality and bigotry. We must find a way to rise above the constricted bottom-line path and take the road less traveled.-Vinay-
When you introspect at the end of the day you realize that most of it has no philosophic or humane content. This not proselytizing to become metaphysical but we must recharge our batteries, and there is a difference between spirituality and bigotry. We must find a way to rise above the constricted bottom-line path and take the road less traveled.-Vinay-
Critical people
Critical people can be real downers; Critical people are emotionally stingy, because they are so bent on harping on” flaws” and what’s not there.
We all have some naysayer in our lives – people who discourage us from dreaming big, cracking jokes, having fun or even saying a simple thing like breaking a bad habit or a good relationship, they are wet blankets always floundering in their little pools of misery.
It is not something that will last. Talk about a wet blanket! Before you know it, your mood is switched 180 degrees, from a happy state to one of annoyance and irritation.
Such people can tend to have a draining effect on our self-confidence. Most of the times, naysayers have little to add to the conversation, serving only to extinguish your hopes and dreams. Most of the times, their criticisms reflect more about themselves than about you. Rather than give praise, they can only criticize. Rather than face negativity, surround yourself with positivity instead.
History shows us that the people who end up changing the world – the great political, social, scientific, technological, artistic, even sports revolutionaries – have always been, happy go lucky, unconventional, contrarians, appear crazy/ nuts, until they are right, and then they are hailed as geniuses.
We all have some naysayer in our lives – people who discourage us from dreaming big, cracking jokes, having fun or even saying a simple thing like breaking a bad habit or a good relationship, they are wet blankets always floundering in their little pools of misery.
It is not something that will last. Talk about a wet blanket! Before you know it, your mood is switched 180 degrees, from a happy state to one of annoyance and irritation.
Such people can tend to have a draining effect on our self-confidence. Most of the times, naysayers have little to add to the conversation, serving only to extinguish your hopes and dreams. Most of the times, their criticisms reflect more about themselves than about you. Rather than give praise, they can only criticize. Rather than face negativity, surround yourself with positivity instead.
History shows us that the people who end up changing the world – the great political, social, scientific, technological, artistic, even sports revolutionaries – have always been, happy go lucky, unconventional, contrarians, appear crazy/ nuts, until they are right, and then they are hailed as geniuses.
The Hindu way of life and manifestations.
Some people– like to project themselves as illusion less figures, immune to prettifying, exoticising urges. A rather naive love of the exotic and mysterious, of the strange and the beautiful a kind of pulling away of illusions. Form, formless, manifest, unmanifest.
Every entity has a name and form, which defines its physical and mental attributes. If something is unmanifest, it does not mean it does not exist. Form is emptiness and the very emptiness is form. There is no empty place as even emptiness occupies space.
Whatever is emptiness, that is form and the same is true of feelings, perceptions, impulses, and consciousness. In emptiness there is no decay and death. There is no suffering, no origination, no stopping, and no path!
The dreamer seeks vainly to find form and shape that will fit his ethereal essence, forever inert to waste away….
But armed with the above knowledge and unequaled power we can dispel all layers of suffering and bid adieu to delusions, as one goes beyond awakening.
Every entity has a name and form, which defines its physical and mental attributes. If something is unmanifest, it does not mean it does not exist. Form is emptiness and the very emptiness is form. There is no empty place as even emptiness occupies space.
Whatever is emptiness, that is form and the same is true of feelings, perceptions, impulses, and consciousness. In emptiness there is no decay and death. There is no suffering, no origination, no stopping, and no path!
The dreamer seeks vainly to find form and shape that will fit his ethereal essence, forever inert to waste away….
But armed with the above knowledge and unequaled power we can dispel all layers of suffering and bid adieu to delusions, as one goes beyond awakening.
The spoils of war.
The carnage of war can have about it a haunting and melancholic surrealism. If nations have determination and no faith in mankind it will lead to strife and appalling effects. With so many religions vying for supremacy, the oxymoronic issue of which faith is more religious creates famines, despair, plunder and burials, we all know that truth and beauty are out there in the Universes, but the biting satire is the nightmare below the world’s surface.
The disasters of war and strife create an ill effect of deprivation, suffering of the mind and soul which reflects images of childhood, mayhem, old age, charlatans and heroes. The world around us expresses this pitiable human condition, both violent and tender human conditions; encompassing all that human beings are capable of, from the animalistic to the magnificent.
The murky and trivial issues, the idiocy of violence,; the judgments fed by brutish men whose fascination with life’s extreme torment of broken down order, suits our modern sense. The dim lights and the surreal feeling, show that the mid quotidian middle ground of human experience does not hold the real truth.- Vinay-
The disasters of war and strife create an ill effect of deprivation, suffering of the mind and soul which reflects images of childhood, mayhem, old age, charlatans and heroes. The world around us expresses this pitiable human condition, both violent and tender human conditions; encompassing all that human beings are capable of, from the animalistic to the magnificent.
The murky and trivial issues, the idiocy of violence,; the judgments fed by brutish men whose fascination with life’s extreme torment of broken down order, suits our modern sense. The dim lights and the surreal feeling, show that the mid quotidian middle ground of human experience does not hold the real truth.- Vinay-
Listen to your soul.
Listening to the soul is one way by which faith grows, the other is when your consciousness grows, and then faith keeps changing. Some believe that things are eternal out there and independent of man. Others say that the reality is dependent on human consciousness, and things become meaningful only when it is perceived by the conscious mind.
If there be any truth absolutely unrelated to humanity, then is it existing or non existing?? This is the eternal squabble between mystics and scientists; faith is an important tool in life, and consciously or unconsciously we live with it in our daily life. But blind faith sometimes becomes an obstacle to progress; hence being rigid can throw you off course...
Understand your life, its purpose, don’t limit it by any code, have no boundaries; then you are free and can live life to its fullest without any limit.
Life has its own force which you will discover, when you explore it to the lees.- Vinay-
If there be any truth absolutely unrelated to humanity, then is it existing or non existing?? This is the eternal squabble between mystics and scientists; faith is an important tool in life, and consciously or unconsciously we live with it in our daily life. But blind faith sometimes becomes an obstacle to progress; hence being rigid can throw you off course...
Understand your life, its purpose, don’t limit it by any code, have no boundaries; then you are free and can live life to its fullest without any limit.
Life has its own force which you will discover, when you explore it to the lees.- Vinay-
The heart of the matter..
For centuries, that was the fundamental view of our interior life: a perpetual struggle between the brain--the capital of rationality--and the heart, the sloppy seat of passion. my mind says yes, but my heart says no"-Indeed, the fact that we can’t trust our brains to be sober assessors, that they are as lacking in objective vigilance as the untrustworthy heart, that they were wired by an ancient (and often amoral) electrician and as such are no longer entirely useful in a modern age, has become reasonably well known to the general public.. "Sex addiction is very real, and it takes a terrible toll." The neuro-extension of this to human beings is clear, how the pleasure center is the Kremlin of Desire, controlling our often self-immolating response to drugs and alcohol; sex; hunger; altruism; exercise--as well as the basis of virtually all forms of addictive behavior.
Is violence the new Lingua Franca???
As the globalized village merges into a single market place, the echoes of the bomb blasts from Bombay to Norway pave the road to perdition. Is the world being flattened and paved with shrapnel? A nation’s language reflects its culture, psyche, and modes of thought……
The crazy fjords are audible like the blasts in the precipitous, intonations of the Norwegians, distinct from the dark I’s of Russian in Tchaikovsky’s lugubrious tunes, searching for peace. French is not only romantic, but the language of love par excellence.
English is promiscuous and adaptable, ah---Italian, seductive embellished with vignettes, all these are melting like a soufflé, in the meaningless, bigoted and absurd language of terror. European languages pinched their verbal philosophical tool kit from Latin, which in turn lifted it wholesale from Greek.
Now when we celebrate the 400th anniversary of the translation of King James, version of the Bible; the semiotics of the Global market place Babel encourages one to revisit the biblical places whose names became words in our lexicon.
Golgotha the hill where Jesus was crucified, whose contours resemble a skull (gulgolet in Hebrew) became synonymous with a burial ground ---- a place of great suffering.
Similarly, Alcedema was the name of a potter’s field purchased by priests with the money Judas Iscariot got for betraying Jesus. Today “alcedema” stands for a place of bloodshed (from the Greek Akeldama, derived from the Aramaic word “field of blood”).
All these words from Biblical times leaves a linguistic trail of blood and gore, in the wake of “The book of God”, that ostensibly changed the world. No language --- not even that of the most “primitive” tribes; is inherently unsuitable for expressing the complex web of violence we see around us.-Vinay-
The crazy fjords are audible like the blasts in the precipitous, intonations of the Norwegians, distinct from the dark I’s of Russian in Tchaikovsky’s lugubrious tunes, searching for peace. French is not only romantic, but the language of love par excellence.
English is promiscuous and adaptable, ah---Italian, seductive embellished with vignettes, all these are melting like a soufflé, in the meaningless, bigoted and absurd language of terror. European languages pinched their verbal philosophical tool kit from Latin, which in turn lifted it wholesale from Greek.
Now when we celebrate the 400th anniversary of the translation of King James, version of the Bible; the semiotics of the Global market place Babel encourages one to revisit the biblical places whose names became words in our lexicon.
Golgotha the hill where Jesus was crucified, whose contours resemble a skull (gulgolet in Hebrew) became synonymous with a burial ground ---- a place of great suffering.
Similarly, Alcedema was the name of a potter’s field purchased by priests with the money Judas Iscariot got for betraying Jesus. Today “alcedema” stands for a place of bloodshed (from the Greek Akeldama, derived from the Aramaic word “field of blood”).
All these words from Biblical times leaves a linguistic trail of blood and gore, in the wake of “The book of God”, that ostensibly changed the world. No language --- not even that of the most “primitive” tribes; is inherently unsuitable for expressing the complex web of violence we see around us.-Vinay-
A Song interrupted.
Amy Winehouse’s face bore a hint of a smile even in death--- as if she had just rendered one of her favorite numbers against a moribund and moralistic world.
In an age of spontaneous seduction instant fame and glory, she tried to forge a
new critical attitude towards society.
A fleeting sense of awe, a symbol of an aesthete advantage, has been derailed by drugs and alcohol.
In her album” I tread a troubled track” she sings about her loneliness, the whole composition wept in nostalgia and pain behind her gain.-Vinay-
In an age of spontaneous seduction instant fame and glory, she tried to forge a
new critical attitude towards society.
A fleeting sense of awe, a symbol of an aesthete advantage, has been derailed by drugs and alcohol.
In her album” I tread a troubled track” she sings about her loneliness, the whole composition wept in nostalgia and pain behind her gain.-Vinay-
Sore thumb in a religious world.
Most of my friends are religious so I stand out like a sore thumb, when they discuss religion and festivals. What does religion mean? The word “religion” is roughly defined as a belief in a superhuman being. This belief includes practices and worship. There was a time, religious historians say that religion was easy to pinpoint because people were defined by their beliefs, practices and traditions of worship. Its rituals, its comforts, its function of guiding people through pain and helping them to change.
Now, with the sheer number of people and faiths intermingling, believers are consumers of religion. Religions are everywhere, available to everyone, in every color of the conceivable theological, ritual, and experiential rainbow
When we get the news that we have a terminal illness, or suddenly faced with our own mortality, we panic, as we still have not learnt the true meaning of life and death, and we can only pray. But there is also the cultural preoccupation with self-help mantras, and yoga that are examples of something undefined––spiritual maybe––or vaguely religious.
Like living a life according to one’s likes and dislikes. These teachings usually get described as spiritual, and spirituality and religion are kept separate by most religious studies scholars. If we spend more time introspecting, a torrent of insights may follow––that makes us consider things that have been taken for granted.”
Now, with the sheer number of people and faiths intermingling, believers are consumers of religion. Religions are everywhere, available to everyone, in every color of the conceivable theological, ritual, and experiential rainbow
When we get the news that we have a terminal illness, or suddenly faced with our own mortality, we panic, as we still have not learnt the true meaning of life and death, and we can only pray. But there is also the cultural preoccupation with self-help mantras, and yoga that are examples of something undefined––spiritual maybe––or vaguely religious.
Like living a life according to one’s likes and dislikes. These teachings usually get described as spiritual, and spirituality and religion are kept separate by most religious studies scholars. If we spend more time introspecting, a torrent of insights may follow––that makes us consider things that have been taken for granted.”
Imperfections in life.
We are always admonished for our imperfections; for being an imperfect student, an imperfect husband/wife or an imperfect father/ mother, etc. We are forced to feel guilty and we try to change our innate nature to try and become the perfect man/woman.
What is this societal obsession to make us all similar assembly line products with the same perfect features?
But if we look to the Universe, we see great beauty in imperfection. No tree is straight, so why should we be straight? No mountain is symmetrical, so why can’t we have our idiosyncrasies and yet be magnificent with all our imperfections. Like the Planet we inhabit we are all different and unique in our own way.-Vinay-
What is this societal obsession to make us all similar assembly line products with the same perfect features?
But if we look to the Universe, we see great beauty in imperfection. No tree is straight, so why should we be straight? No mountain is symmetrical, so why can’t we have our idiosyncrasies and yet be magnificent with all our imperfections. Like the Planet we inhabit we are all different and unique in our own way.-Vinay-
Monday, July 18, 2011
Burkha the veil of ignorance
The Burqa is only one of the many forms of women's attire that has been adopted throughout the Islamic world. Imposing it is depriving one of their fundamental rights apart from being a political and religious statement. It is evidence of a male chauvinistic rigid attitude as it puts all the responsibility for modesty upon the woman, to unnaturally conceal her face and no burden of self control on the men. Isn't it a paradox that in these states where Polygamy is permitted by Islam the Muslim men cannot be trusted to control their base instincts when they see a woman's face.
Any religion which allows Polygamy which is not good for society cannot perpetuate a dress code in the name of modesty.
Isn't it strange that Turkey an Islamic state ranks as one of the worst countries for abuse of women despite the Chador dress code.The report states that 42% of women over 15 have suffered sexual violence, rape and physical abuse.Wives taken in Islamic marriage are not protected by law and have to suffer silently.Sex crimes are rationalized as culturally permissible while not covering your face is not tolerated. No one can see the pain in the eyes behind the veiled faces,isnt this bad for society. In the bustling Souks of Arabia or the urban claustrophobic shopping malls of the middle east all these Burqa clad women are touched intimately and gently in the slow moving crowds. Despite being covered from head to toe they are too intimate in thee folded spaces, the edge to edge contact with a strangers body must be momentarily disquieting for these women, yet no one talks of Islamic modesty here.
Any religion which allows Polygamy which is not good for society cannot perpetuate a dress code in the name of modesty.
Isn't it strange that Turkey an Islamic state ranks as one of the worst countries for abuse of women despite the Chador dress code.The report states that 42% of women over 15 have suffered sexual violence, rape and physical abuse.Wives taken in Islamic marriage are not protected by law and have to suffer silently.Sex crimes are rationalized as culturally permissible while not covering your face is not tolerated. No one can see the pain in the eyes behind the veiled faces,isnt this bad for society. In the bustling Souks of Arabia or the urban claustrophobic shopping malls of the middle east all these Burqa clad women are touched intimately and gently in the slow moving crowds. Despite being covered from head to toe they are too intimate in thee folded spaces, the edge to edge contact with a strangers body must be momentarily disquieting for these women, yet no one talks of Islamic modesty here.
Lotus eaters
The Lotus eaters believed that the end of life was contemplation and not action. Action had value in only making contemplation possible. Every thing in the universe had capacity for responses; the division of phenomena into organic, vegetal, and sentient is artificial.
Hence the metaphor for “the Tree of life”, the miracle of photosynthesis, producing oxygen and food for man and beast alike. Like the limbic tides the ebb and flow of of many obstacles and unexpected turns of life are depicted by the branches searching for sadness and isolation; extending the mind centre upwards enhancing the abstract quality of space.
Woman and the womb are the centre of the Universe.With the rhythmic movements, the constant tireless circle of creating, our various bonding to the umbilical cord of life,leading to sustenance and bliss.
Like the many layers of the onion which when peeled bears the concentric traces of the solitary isolated circle of feelings that are projected in our minds.
We have relegated our cosmic mother to the realm of shadows, where the sounds of silence and tranquility emerge. A sojourn that has driven her into an inner spectrum of the panoramic perspective.
Hence the metaphor for “the Tree of life”, the miracle of photosynthesis, producing oxygen and food for man and beast alike. Like the limbic tides the ebb and flow of of many obstacles and unexpected turns of life are depicted by the branches searching for sadness and isolation; extending the mind centre upwards enhancing the abstract quality of space.
Woman and the womb are the centre of the Universe.With the rhythmic movements, the constant tireless circle of creating, our various bonding to the umbilical cord of life,leading to sustenance and bliss.
Like the many layers of the onion which when peeled bears the concentric traces of the solitary isolated circle of feelings that are projected in our minds.
We have relegated our cosmic mother to the realm of shadows, where the sounds of silence and tranquility emerge. A sojourn that has driven her into an inner spectrum of the panoramic perspective.
Bomblasts
As Bombay burns in the aftermath of the bomb blasts, a certain amount of cynicism has crept into the soul of the Mumbaikar. Violence is now accepted as a way of life, terrorism is not going to end and will be a way of life for all in the coming decades.
When the going gets tough, the Bombay spirit gets going, they don’t sit wallowing in self pity, but get going and do whatever is required to be done.
The biggest joke and irony is that, even in the hospitals these silly politicians think it is customary and politically correct for senior politicians to visit the hospitals; where the victims are battling for their lives, creating insult to injury.
These VIP visitors with their 2 dozen gun toting security guards hamper the efforts of hospital staff who are even otherwise ill equipped to handle emergencies like this. The visits serve no purpose as loss/grief is a personal emotion, and the visit is actually counter productive to the recovery and convalescing process.
The citizens are resilient and bounce back despite the odds and become more fatalistic in their attitude towards life in a metro. As they pick up their threads, stalked by the shadow of death, they have stopped believe in bullshit and are no longer vulnerable to deceit by the powers to be.
Like James Bond’s martini they return shaken not stirred to figure out that the spelling of “God” subsumes that of “dog” too. Halleluiah! – Vinay_
When the going gets tough, the Bombay spirit gets going, they don’t sit wallowing in self pity, but get going and do whatever is required to be done.
The biggest joke and irony is that, even in the hospitals these silly politicians think it is customary and politically correct for senior politicians to visit the hospitals; where the victims are battling for their lives, creating insult to injury.
These VIP visitors with their 2 dozen gun toting security guards hamper the efforts of hospital staff who are even otherwise ill equipped to handle emergencies like this. The visits serve no purpose as loss/grief is a personal emotion, and the visit is actually counter productive to the recovery and convalescing process.
The citizens are resilient and bounce back despite the odds and become more fatalistic in their attitude towards life in a metro. As they pick up their threads, stalked by the shadow of death, they have stopped believe in bullshit and are no longer vulnerable to deceit by the powers to be.
Like James Bond’s martini they return shaken not stirred to figure out that the spelling of “God” subsumes that of “dog” too. Halleluiah! – Vinay_
Sunday, July 17, 2011
knowledge
Knowledge is not what you read in a book, knowledge is like the ocean, it is awareness, that gets imprinted in the consciousness which is real knowledge. Since ages all this knowledge and wisdom has been passed on to us for search for liberation.
All of us are spiritual seekers---seeking peace, love and happiness.
Happiness, knowledge, and love, is reposed in our vast self and we only have to renew our focus, then all the boundaries drop and you feel one with the Universe in a love that can make your life blissful and complete.-Vinay-
All of us are spiritual seekers---seeking peace, love and happiness.
Happiness, knowledge, and love, is reposed in our vast self and we only have to renew our focus, then all the boundaries drop and you feel one with the Universe in a love that can make your life blissful and complete.-Vinay-
Lonely Nights!
At some point or the other in our lives, we have all battled with a bout of loneliness. It can range from a fleeting feeling to a depressing, debilitating state of being.
It’s important to learn how to tackle loneliness – especially in an age where we are constantly connected digitally, but not physically – and get to happiness that much quicker. Counselors tell us to socialize with more people, take up a hobby, go and party etc.
Each person can use his own remedy, for some it can be music, or other hobbies to dispel the loneliness, for me it is curling up with a book, or going on a long drive on my motor bike; with the roar drowning the deafening cacophony of the world, while the headlights cut the darkness into ribbons in a therapeutic light.
Sometimes the ride can end up in a smoky under lit Bombay bar, where it is always half past midnight. It is a cathartic experience, sipping the amber liquid, and the loneliness evaporates in the swirling haze of tobacco and marijuana smoke that envelopes you in its warm comfort. --Vinay-
It’s important to learn how to tackle loneliness – especially in an age where we are constantly connected digitally, but not physically – and get to happiness that much quicker. Counselors tell us to socialize with more people, take up a hobby, go and party etc.
Each person can use his own remedy, for some it can be music, or other hobbies to dispel the loneliness, for me it is curling up with a book, or going on a long drive on my motor bike; with the roar drowning the deafening cacophony of the world, while the headlights cut the darkness into ribbons in a therapeutic light.
Sometimes the ride can end up in a smoky under lit Bombay bar, where it is always half past midnight. It is a cathartic experience, sipping the amber liquid, and the loneliness evaporates in the swirling haze of tobacco and marijuana smoke that envelopes you in its warm comfort. --Vinay-
Opportunity knocks only once
We often employ intuitive processes when we make assessments and choices in uncertain situations. Leaving familiar ground is nightmare for many, it is then that people make a life altering error – they fall back and shut the door to opportunity. It requires a leap of faith and confidence before opportunity finds its way to you.
The mechanisms by which people analyze situations involving chance are an intricate product of evolutionary factors, brain structure, personal experience, knowledge and emotion.
You need a long term vision for your dream and keep your head and heart focused. Making wise assessments and choices in the face of uncertainty is a rare skill, which can be improved with experience. People often give in to others ill informed advice and self centered opinions.
We all have dreams and aspirations. Dreams don’t come true with inaction; it is a contest of your faith, courage and basic intelligence. Every desire, every dream, leads to an opportunity which knocks only once. You make it come true by preparing for that leap of faith before the knock appears at your door.
-Vinay-
The mechanisms by which people analyze situations involving chance are an intricate product of evolutionary factors, brain structure, personal experience, knowledge and emotion.
You need a long term vision for your dream and keep your head and heart focused. Making wise assessments and choices in the face of uncertainty is a rare skill, which can be improved with experience. People often give in to others ill informed advice and self centered opinions.
We all have dreams and aspirations. Dreams don’t come true with inaction; it is a contest of your faith, courage and basic intelligence. Every desire, every dream, leads to an opportunity which knocks only once. You make it come true by preparing for that leap of faith before the knock appears at your door.
-Vinay-
Tree of life.
The Lotus eaters believed that the end of life was contemplation and not action. Action had value in only making contemplation possible. Every thing in the universe had capacity for responses; the division of phenomena into organic, vegetal, and sentient is artificial.
Hence the metaphor for “the Tree of life”, the miracle of photosynthesis, producing oxygen and food for man and beast alike. Like the limbic tides the ebb and flow of of many obstacles and unexpected turns of life are depicted by the branches searching for sadness and isolation; extending the mind centre upwards enhancing the abstract quality of space.
Woman and the womb are the centre of the Universe.With the rhythmic movements, the constant tireless circle of creating, our various bonding to the umbilical cord of life,leading to sustenance and bliss.
Like the many layers of the onion which when peeled bears the concentric traces of the solitary isolated circle of feelings that are projected in our minds.
We have relegated our cosmic mother to the realm of shadows, where the sounds of silence and tranquility emerge. A sojourn that has driven her into an inner spectrum of the panoramic perspective.
Hence the metaphor for “the Tree of life”, the miracle of photosynthesis, producing oxygen and food for man and beast alike. Like the limbic tides the ebb and flow of of many obstacles and unexpected turns of life are depicted by the branches searching for sadness and isolation; extending the mind centre upwards enhancing the abstract quality of space.
Woman and the womb are the centre of the Universe.With the rhythmic movements, the constant tireless circle of creating, our various bonding to the umbilical cord of life,leading to sustenance and bliss.
Like the many layers of the onion which when peeled bears the concentric traces of the solitary isolated circle of feelings that are projected in our minds.
We have relegated our cosmic mother to the realm of shadows, where the sounds of silence and tranquility emerge. A sojourn that has driven her into an inner spectrum of the panoramic perspective.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
I dont beleieve.
I don't believe that there is a deity concerned with my personal life or anyone else's. I don't believe that anyone can become enlightened in any metaphysical sense. I don't believe that anyone has ever been or ever will be reincarnated. These are all things that people want to believe because they offer emotional comfort from the knowledge of our own mortality.
The universe was either created, evolved or has always been here--either way, existence itself is unfathomable and the greatest miracle, if you contemplate it. If I were to use the word 'evolution' or as others put “God” this is what it would refer to.
The physical laws of the universe are the greatest wonders imaginable. Learning them is the closest we can get to understanding nature. As for the moral side of religion; what we eat , wear and do, has nothing to do with anything. It's not that complicated to attain bliss. Be nice to each other. Respect each other, the physical world and yourself. -Vinay-
The universe was either created, evolved or has always been here--either way, existence itself is unfathomable and the greatest miracle, if you contemplate it. If I were to use the word 'evolution' or as others put “God” this is what it would refer to.
The physical laws of the universe are the greatest wonders imaginable. Learning them is the closest we can get to understanding nature. As for the moral side of religion; what we eat , wear and do, has nothing to do with anything. It's not that complicated to attain bliss. Be nice to each other. Respect each other, the physical world and yourself. -Vinay-
Sam Harris. on Religions.
The difficulty, at least for the scientifically educated but spiritually malnourished, is not the idea of religion itself, meaning some system of ritualized worship that helps us to make sense, if only symbolically, of the human, natural and supernatural worlds. The difficulty is rather that all the religions on offer are so patently preposterous, if not downright unpleasant.
Judaism tells us in its most sacred text, the Torah, that a donkey once turned round and started an argument with its master (Numbers, chapter 22); and that the supreme creator took time out to instruct his chosen people not to carry dead badgers, pelicans, hoopoes or bats (Leviticus, chapter 11).
Christianity, while accepting these texts as sacred, further believes that God manifested himself on earth in the form of an excitable and frequently ill-tempered 1st-century Jewish rabbi called Joshua (“Jesus” in Greek) who disowned his family and believed that the world was soon going to end. How do we know Jesus was Jewish? Because he lived at home until he was 30 and his mother thought he was God.
Then there is Islam. Its followers believe that its sacred text, the Koran, is the word of Allah as dictated to his prophet Muhammad. Non-Muslims might regard Muhammad as a deluded and bellicose man who had far too many wives than was good for him. His private life as recorded in the Koran itself, for instance sura 66, is also rather surprising.
Buddhism is an increasingly popular choice for westerners these days with its distinctive mix of cowardice, escapism and self-absorption. Hinduism has always been the colorful and vibrant national religion of India, although under the guidance of that wicked imperialist power, the British raj, it did at last begin to accept that burning women alive on their husbands’ funeral pyres might not be such a good idea.
Shintoism, the national religion of Japan, venerated the emperor as a living god, at least until 1946 when Hirohito, under gentle pressure from the US army, admitted on the radio that he wasn’t really.
The Emperor Vespasian’s last sardonic words, as he lay awaiting death and the posthumous deification bestowed on the Caesars, best put this religious belief into perspective: “I think I’m turning into a god.”
Some like to believe that primitive tribal religions were much nicer. Unfortunately many of them practiced human sacrifice. When the British (wicked imperialist power, etc) captured the Ashanti capital of Kumasi in present-day Ghana, they found a grove of death where the ground was saturated with the blood of thousands of human victims.
This confirms one’s sense that whatever the truth about God, all religions without exception are fallible human creations, in parts beautiful and profound and in parts ridiculous and repellent. To protect them from criticism is bad for our society and, even more importantly, bad for our souls.
Judaism tells us in its most sacred text, the Torah, that a donkey once turned round and started an argument with its master (Numbers, chapter 22); and that the supreme creator took time out to instruct his chosen people not to carry dead badgers, pelicans, hoopoes or bats (Leviticus, chapter 11).
Christianity, while accepting these texts as sacred, further believes that God manifested himself on earth in the form of an excitable and frequently ill-tempered 1st-century Jewish rabbi called Joshua (“Jesus” in Greek) who disowned his family and believed that the world was soon going to end. How do we know Jesus was Jewish? Because he lived at home until he was 30 and his mother thought he was God.
Then there is Islam. Its followers believe that its sacred text, the Koran, is the word of Allah as dictated to his prophet Muhammad. Non-Muslims might regard Muhammad as a deluded and bellicose man who had far too many wives than was good for him. His private life as recorded in the Koran itself, for instance sura 66, is also rather surprising.
Buddhism is an increasingly popular choice for westerners these days with its distinctive mix of cowardice, escapism and self-absorption. Hinduism has always been the colorful and vibrant national religion of India, although under the guidance of that wicked imperialist power, the British raj, it did at last begin to accept that burning women alive on their husbands’ funeral pyres might not be such a good idea.
Shintoism, the national religion of Japan, venerated the emperor as a living god, at least until 1946 when Hirohito, under gentle pressure from the US army, admitted on the radio that he wasn’t really.
The Emperor Vespasian’s last sardonic words, as he lay awaiting death and the posthumous deification bestowed on the Caesars, best put this religious belief into perspective: “I think I’m turning into a god.”
Some like to believe that primitive tribal religions were much nicer. Unfortunately many of them practiced human sacrifice. When the British (wicked imperialist power, etc) captured the Ashanti capital of Kumasi in present-day Ghana, they found a grove of death where the ground was saturated with the blood of thousands of human victims.
This confirms one’s sense that whatever the truth about God, all religions without exception are fallible human creations, in parts beautiful and profound and in parts ridiculous and repellent. To protect them from criticism is bad for our society and, even more importantly, bad for our souls.
The Case Against Lord Krishna, in Poland.
With the rapidly spreading Hinduism worldwide, a nun in Warsaw, Poland,
filed a case against Iskcon(International Society for Krishna
Consciousness). The case came up in court.
She wanted ISKCON banned because its followers were
glorifying a character called 'Krishna' “who had loose morals,” having
married 16,000 women called Gopikas.
The ISKCON defendant requested the Judge: “Please ask the nun to repeat the
oath she took when she was ordained as a nun.
The Judge asked the nun to recite the oath loudly. She refused and the Iskcon representative asked permission if he could read out the oath for the nun.
Go ahead, said the judge. The oath said in effect that the nun is married to
Jesus Christ
The Iskcon representative said, "Your Lordship! Lord Krishna is alleged to have
'married' 16,000 women only. There are more than a million nuns who assert
that they are married to Jesus Christ. Between the two, Krishna and Jesus
Christ, who has a loose character? And what about the nuns?” The case was dismissed.
filed a case against Iskcon(International Society for Krishna
Consciousness). The case came up in court.
She wanted ISKCON banned because its followers were
glorifying a character called 'Krishna' “who had loose morals,” having
married 16,000 women called Gopikas.
The ISKCON defendant requested the Judge: “Please ask the nun to repeat the
oath she took when she was ordained as a nun.
The Judge asked the nun to recite the oath loudly. She refused and the Iskcon representative asked permission if he could read out the oath for the nun.
Go ahead, said the judge. The oath said in effect that the nun is married to
Jesus Christ
The Iskcon representative said, "Your Lordship! Lord Krishna is alleged to have
'married' 16,000 women only. There are more than a million nuns who assert
that they are married to Jesus Christ. Between the two, Krishna and Jesus
Christ, who has a loose character? And what about the nuns?” The case was dismissed.
Status quo
Nothing is worse than the status quo, whether you call it Democracy, Facicism, Communism, or Nihilism, for decades people have endured Civil wars, Military rule, and Dictators rule, along with natural disasters. Some souls evolve quickly, some at a snails pace, Spirituality stimulates our imagination; they open up portions of reality, and unlatch the doors we habitually keep shut.
Some realities disturb us, like the revolutionary Arab spring movement, where the puny and fearless go forth and confront the enemies’ tanks. Whether they die or hit the mark, they cause inestimable damage. They spread the light that illuminates or kills like a flash; lone figures armed only with ideas, but blast away at the epochs which like a veil of cobwebs covered our minds. It awakens our collective mummified, inertia, apathy and stupidity. Even God himself cannot stop an idea whose time has come. –Vinay-
Some realities disturb us, like the revolutionary Arab spring movement, where the puny and fearless go forth and confront the enemies’ tanks. Whether they die or hit the mark, they cause inestimable damage. They spread the light that illuminates or kills like a flash; lone figures armed only with ideas, but blast away at the epochs which like a veil of cobwebs covered our minds. It awakens our collective mummified, inertia, apathy and stupidity. Even God himself cannot stop an idea whose time has come. –Vinay-
The evils of drink
From my childhood years, I have been warned about the evils of drinking; hangovers, ostracism by society, cirrhosis of the liver, risk of cancer and broken homes.
In spite of all this I developed a healthy penchant and bond with alcohol during my teen years. Even doctors who were my buddies and “glass mates”, because they had to retain their moral high ground, live and function within the society milieu; used to request me to abstain, citing ethics of the Hippocratic oath.
Now the International Journal of Epidemiology has declared that; regular light intake of alcohol is good for the heart, increases longevity, and delays the onset of dementia.
In my heart of hearts I had known this all along, but unfortunately my respectable relatives and supposedly morally upright society of those times castigated me severely for my alcohol consumption, ; and pronounced it as a social evil.
Unfortunately for them, they are no longer around; I wish they could see this article and partake of a few glasses o
In spite of all this I developed a healthy penchant and bond with alcohol during my teen years. Even doctors who were my buddies and “glass mates”, because they had to retain their moral high ground, live and function within the society milieu; used to request me to abstain, citing ethics of the Hippocratic oath.
Now the International Journal of Epidemiology has declared that; regular light intake of alcohol is good for the heart, increases longevity, and delays the onset of dementia.
In my heart of hearts I had known this all along, but unfortunately my respectable relatives and supposedly morally upright society of those times castigated me severely for my alcohol consumption, ; and pronounced it as a social evil.
Unfortunately for them, they are no longer around; I wish they could see this article and partake of a few glasses o
The mystery of religion
The mystery of religion is profoundly felt, when it intrudes into our idyllic world natural beauty and innocence. Cruelty and malice have been poured into the world to dominate everyone. Religions have failed us un their promise of redemption, besides unleashing meaningless violence, terror, and hatred, there is no religious quality visible in its handiwork. The indoctrination is so strong that the feeble resistance put up by people, were overcome; the harm cannot be undone as the hearts of men are easily corrupted. Some things that should not be forgotten are lost forever in history, history becomes legend and legend becomes mystery.—Vinay
When will there be good news!
Mumbai the deadly bomb blasts thread continues---93 serial blasts 257 killed,1998-2008 3 times 85 casualities,2003 4 times—160 casualities-2006---11/7 188dead,---2008 26/11 terrorist attack 166 dead---300injured, and now 3 blasts. There is blood everywhere, acts of meaningless violence; the rot runs deep, while we can only weep, the victims can hardly speak, choked by pain and rain, screaming in agony. Like cyclical waves it goes on and on, the vicious cycle of revenge and retribution.
The perpetrators cannot let go of the blame, it has been internalized killing kith and kin, and they are doomed to carry their shame and guilt, with no redemption in sight. Is it fate at work, or some random events happening without any connection? The issues are real, the government is apathetic, security ineffective, and the stark reality is out there waiting for the tears falling from the victims faces to forge a new critical attitude towards the mute world at large. The State cannot protect its people, and then at least rename it “BOMBay” so that the people have a sense of their own immortality, when they step out each day. ---Vinay-
The perpetrators cannot let go of the blame, it has been internalized killing kith and kin, and they are doomed to carry their shame and guilt, with no redemption in sight. Is it fate at work, or some random events happening without any connection? The issues are real, the government is apathetic, security ineffective, and the stark reality is out there waiting for the tears falling from the victims faces to forge a new critical attitude towards the mute world at large. The State cannot protect its people, and then at least rename it “BOMBay” so that the people have a sense of their own immortality, when they step out each day. ---Vinay-
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
A journey into the heart of time
We start from a genetic blueprint and are pitched into a world of circumstances that we cannot control in our most formative years.
Without time, there would be no need for a memory. But without a memory would there be such a thing as time? Not the physical linear time in physics, but the psychological time; the tempo at which we experience life’s passage………
If you spend your whole life in an office cubicle signing papers, time will blend ummemorably into the next day / years and disappear. Routine kills time and our sense of living, hence the need to take vacations and have as many experiences as possible that can serve to anchor our memories.
People say don’t delve into the past but past is intrinsic to our present existence. When you feel the emptiness, it can be a cathartic experience to travel back in time.
Childhood love, betrayal, forbidden sexuality, the glorious experiences, we can feed off this memory again, till we become aware of the dramatic past only after it is past.
Now we will bring a strangers perspective to events past and it is time to put that memory away and re-enter the present totally rejuvenated. –Vinay-
Without time, there would be no need for a memory. But without a memory would there be such a thing as time? Not the physical linear time in physics, but the psychological time; the tempo at which we experience life’s passage………
If you spend your whole life in an office cubicle signing papers, time will blend ummemorably into the next day / years and disappear. Routine kills time and our sense of living, hence the need to take vacations and have as many experiences as possible that can serve to anchor our memories.
People say don’t delve into the past but past is intrinsic to our present existence. When you feel the emptiness, it can be a cathartic experience to travel back in time.
Childhood love, betrayal, forbidden sexuality, the glorious experiences, we can feed off this memory again, till we become aware of the dramatic past only after it is past.
Now we will bring a strangers perspective to events past and it is time to put that memory away and re-enter the present totally rejuvenated. –Vinay-
Freedom
The path to liberation always provokes thoughts, and is not for those who conform to rituals or live by others priorities,choices, codes, or what is right or wrong. People who are steeped in the resonance of rituals cease to grow.
In essence fear is the key, the obstacle to progress, which binds us to a vegetative and stagnating life. Freedom from the meditative outpourings of religion, its dogmas and cultural conditioning, is the birthright of every person. Whatever stands in the path of freedom must be opposed, be it ritual or superstition or other societal limitations imposed on us,we must be a law unto ourselves.
Our hearts should be filled with the sounds of silence and tranquility, even emptiness occupies space.Our inner spectrum has the vital energy and abstract quality to sense the visual perspective of bliss.
Freedom involves peeling off the many layers of convention, beliefs, opinions, concepts, and dictum that limit our aspirations.
Ultimately life is about having the freedom to soar like a bird, and find eternal joy!-Vinay-
In essence fear is the key, the obstacle to progress, which binds us to a vegetative and stagnating life. Freedom from the meditative outpourings of religion, its dogmas and cultural conditioning, is the birthright of every person. Whatever stands in the path of freedom must be opposed, be it ritual or superstition or other societal limitations imposed on us,we must be a law unto ourselves.
Our hearts should be filled with the sounds of silence and tranquility, even emptiness occupies space.Our inner spectrum has the vital energy and abstract quality to sense the visual perspective of bliss.
Freedom involves peeling off the many layers of convention, beliefs, opinions, concepts, and dictum that limit our aspirations.
Ultimately life is about having the freedom to soar like a bird, and find eternal joy!-Vinay-
Monogamy is Boring
For as long as I can remember, our Political leaders, Christian statesman, Sports champions, Heads of state, Youth icons, Singers, Actors and other public figures, have been involved with sex scandals and marital infidelity; the list is endless, the Profumo scandal, Pamela Bordes, Bill Clinton, Tiger Woods, Kennedy s, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Julian Assange, Dominique Strauss Kahn, Berlusconi, Ireland's President. Shane Warne, Pakistan Supreme court Judges, no one is spared.
The impulse to be something other than what we are in our daily, monogamous lives, the thrill that comes from the illicit rather than the predictable, is something I imagine many couples can identify with.
Some people need more than one partner, just as some people need flirting, others need lovers of both sexes. We can’t help our urges, and we should not lie to our partners about them. In some marriages, talking honestly about our needs will forestall or obviate affairs; in other marriages, the conversation may lead to an affair, but with permission. In both cases, honesty is the best policy. People should not live in toxic, miserable marriages all their lives.
Monogamy is harder than we admit and articulating and imposing a sexual ethic that defies stark reality for a societal ideal of marriage, and trying to conform to the Global obsession with strict fidelity, is self defeating.
We acknowledge the advantages of monogamy, when it comes to sexual safety, infections, emotional safety, paternity assurances. But people in monogamous relationships have to be willing to acknowledge the drawbacks of monogamy around boredom, despair, lack of variety, sexual death and being taken for granted.
In its place we can propose a sensibility and tolerance for a variety of partnered arrangements, from strict monogamy to wide openness.
The mistake that straight society made was imposing the monogamous expectation on men. Men were never expected to be monogamous. Men had concubines, mistresses and access to prostitutes, until everybody decided marriage had to be egalitarian and fair.
In the feminist revolution, rather than extending to women the same latitude and license and pressure-release valve that men had always enjoyed, we extended to men the confines women had always endured. And it’s been a disaster for marriage.
The impulse to be something other than what we are in our daily, monogamous lives, the thrill that comes from the illicit rather than the predictable, is something I imagine many couples can identify with.
Some people need more than one partner, just as some people need flirting, others need lovers of both sexes. We can’t help our urges, and we should not lie to our partners about them. In some marriages, talking honestly about our needs will forestall or obviate affairs; in other marriages, the conversation may lead to an affair, but with permission. In both cases, honesty is the best policy. People should not live in toxic, miserable marriages all their lives.
Monogamy is harder than we admit and articulating and imposing a sexual ethic that defies stark reality for a societal ideal of marriage, and trying to conform to the Global obsession with strict fidelity, is self defeating.
We acknowledge the advantages of monogamy, when it comes to sexual safety, infections, emotional safety, paternity assurances. But people in monogamous relationships have to be willing to acknowledge the drawbacks of monogamy around boredom, despair, lack of variety, sexual death and being taken for granted.
In its place we can propose a sensibility and tolerance for a variety of partnered arrangements, from strict monogamy to wide openness.
The mistake that straight society made was imposing the monogamous expectation on men. Men were never expected to be monogamous. Men had concubines, mistresses and access to prostitutes, until everybody decided marriage had to be egalitarian and fair.
In the feminist revolution, rather than extending to women the same latitude and license and pressure-release valve that men had always enjoyed, we extended to men the confines women had always endured. And it’s been a disaster for marriage.
Basic Instinct
The sexual impulse is so strong in human nature that for most people to exclude sex from their lives is quite difficult. Many experience utter misery because of their inability to control a perfectly normal impulse. Worse they treat the sex impulse as something base, something to be ashamed of, rather than a holy force, before which one ought to feel reverence.
It is the bonding of two partners, rhythmically to procreate the species in the never ending circle of life. The pleasure involved is part of the grand design of nature, to ensure that we indulge constantly and tirelessly in this circle of creation to propagate the species. Other animals and creatures have specific mating seasons unlike humans who have the power to create throughout the year.
Sex is undeniably one of the strongest instincts of human nature. Because of its very strength, it can take precedence over our finer feelings and perceptions, making it difficult to develop such refinement. Sex is the ultimate expression of love between two partners and therefore, it should be an act of love and never of shame.
When you seek subtler joys in the self, it will diminish to a mere distraction as one evolves and will no longer remain as a primal emotional necessity. –Vinay-
It is the bonding of two partners, rhythmically to procreate the species in the never ending circle of life. The pleasure involved is part of the grand design of nature, to ensure that we indulge constantly and tirelessly in this circle of creation to propagate the species. Other animals and creatures have specific mating seasons unlike humans who have the power to create throughout the year.
Sex is undeniably one of the strongest instincts of human nature. Because of its very strength, it can take precedence over our finer feelings and perceptions, making it difficult to develop such refinement. Sex is the ultimate expression of love between two partners and therefore, it should be an act of love and never of shame.
When you seek subtler joys in the self, it will diminish to a mere distraction as one evolves and will no longer remain as a primal emotional necessity. –Vinay-
Myth of rebirth
When the human soul draws back from the things of the world and tries to go into deeper things; when man, the spirit which has here somehow become concretised and materialised, understands that he is thereby going to be destroyed and to be reduced almost into mere matter, and turns his face away from matter — then begins renunciation, then begins real spiritual growth.
The human soul has to understand and realise that it has been spirit, and not matter, through eternity, and that this conjunction of it with matter is and can be only for a time. The Yogi learns the lesson of renunciation through his own experience of nature. The Yogi has the harshest of all renunciations to go through, as he has to realise from the very first that the whole of this solid-looking nature is all an illusion. He has to understand that all that is any kind of manifestation of power in nature belongs to the soul, and not to nature. He has to know from the very start that all knowledge and all experience are in the soul and not in nature; so he has at once and by the sheer force of rational conviction to tear himself away from all bondage to nature. He lets nature and all that belongs to her go, he lets them vanish and tries to stand alone.
The human soul has to understand and realise that it has been spirit, and not matter, through eternity, and that this conjunction of it with matter is and can be only for a time. The Yogi learns the lesson of renunciation through his own experience of nature. The Yogi has the harshest of all renunciations to go through, as he has to realise from the very first that the whole of this solid-looking nature is all an illusion. He has to understand that all that is any kind of manifestation of power in nature belongs to the soul, and not to nature. He has to know from the very start that all knowledge and all experience are in the soul and not in nature; so he has at once and by the sheer force of rational conviction to tear himself away from all bondage to nature. He lets nature and all that belongs to her go, he lets them vanish and tries to stand alone.
Soul
When the human soul draws back from the things of the world and tries to go into deeper things; when man, the spirit which has here somehow become concretised and materialised, understands that he is thereby going to be destroyed and to be reduced almost into mere matter, and turns his face away from matter — then begins renunciation, then begins real spiritual growth.
The human soul has to understand and realise that it has been spirit, and not matter, through eternity, and that this conjunction of it with matter is and can be only for a time. The Yogi learns the lesson of renunciation through his own experience of nature. The Yogi has the harshest of all renunciations to go through, as he has to realise from the very first that the whole of this solid-looking nature is all an illusion. He has to understand that all that is any kind of manifestation of power in nature belongs to the soul, and not to nature. He has to know from the very start that all knowledge and all experience are in the soul and not in nature; so he has at once and by the sheer force of rational conviction to tear himself away from all bondage to nature. He lets nature and all that belongs to her go, he lets them vanish and tries to stand alone.
The human soul has to understand and realise that it has been spirit, and not matter, through eternity, and that this conjunction of it with matter is and can be only for a time. The Yogi learns the lesson of renunciation through his own experience of nature. The Yogi has the harshest of all renunciations to go through, as he has to realise from the very first that the whole of this solid-looking nature is all an illusion. He has to understand that all that is any kind of manifestation of power in nature belongs to the soul, and not to nature. He has to know from the very start that all knowledge and all experience are in the soul and not in nature; so he has at once and by the sheer force of rational conviction to tear himself away from all bondage to nature. He lets nature and all that belongs to her go, he lets them vanish and tries to stand alone.
Old wine in new light
From my childhood years, I have been warned about the evils of drinking; hangovers, ostracism by society, cirrhosis of the liver, risk of cancer and broken homes.
In spite of all this I developed a healthy penchant and bond with alcohol during my teen years. Even doctors who were my buddies and “glass mates”, because they had to retain their moral high ground, live and function within the society milieu; used to request me to abstain, citing ethics of the Hippocratic oath.
Now the International Journal of Epidemiology has declared that; regular light intake of alcohol is good for the heart, increases longevity, and delays the onset of dementia.
In my heart of hearts I had known this all along, but unfortunately my respectable relatives and supposedly morally upright society of those times castigated me severely for my alcohol consumption, ; and pronounced it as a social evil.
Unfortunately for them, they are no longer around; I wish they could see this article and partake of a few glasses of wine, then perhaps they would still be in circulation.—Vinay-
In spite of all this I developed a healthy penchant and bond with alcohol during my teen years. Even doctors who were my buddies and “glass mates”, because they had to retain their moral high ground, live and function within the society milieu; used to request me to abstain, citing ethics of the Hippocratic oath.
Now the International Journal of Epidemiology has declared that; regular light intake of alcohol is good for the heart, increases longevity, and delays the onset of dementia.
In my heart of hearts I had known this all along, but unfortunately my respectable relatives and supposedly morally upright society of those times castigated me severely for my alcohol consumption, ; and pronounced it as a social evil.
Unfortunately for them, they are no longer around; I wish they could see this article and partake of a few glasses of wine, then perhaps they would still be in circulation.—Vinay-
The time has come!
Nothing is worse than the status quo, whether you call it Democracy, Facicism, Communism, or Nihilism, for decades people have endured Civil wars, Military rule, and Dictators rule, along with natural disasters. Some souls evolve quickly, some at a snails pace, Spirituality stimulates our imagination; they open up portions of reality, and unlatch the doors we habitually keep shut.
Some realities disturb us, like the revolutionary Arab spring movement, where the puny and fearless go forth and confront the enemies’ tanks. Whether they die or hit the mark, they cause inestimable damage. They spread the light that illuminates or kills like a flash; lone figures armed only with ideas, but blast away at the epochs which like a veil of cobwebs covered our minds. It awakens our collective mummified, inertia, apathy and stupidity. Even God himself cannot stop an idea whose time has come. –Vinay-
Some realities disturb us, like the revolutionary Arab spring movement, where the puny and fearless go forth and confront the enemies’ tanks. Whether they die or hit the mark, they cause inestimable damage. They spread the light that illuminates or kills like a flash; lone figures armed only with ideas, but blast away at the epochs which like a veil of cobwebs covered our minds. It awakens our collective mummified, inertia, apathy and stupidity. Even God himself cannot stop an idea whose time has come. –Vinay-
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
The Immigration officer at Bombay airport was surprised that he couldn't recognize the face on the photo in the passport of the Omani's wife because it was covered by a veil as is the Arab custom!
Out of these 5 religions Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Judaism, & Alcoholism I am an ardent follower of the last!
Without tension how can life exist???
Out of these 5 religions Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Judaism, & Alcoholism I am an ardent follower of the last!
Without tension how can life exist???
Monday, July 4, 2011
Sex and community
The emergence, of self-replicating matter, and the crucial revolution that produced sex to replace cloning. Sexual reproduction, plus dispersal, spontaneously produces the genetic variability natural selection needs to work on. If mammalian populations did not disperse, close inbreeding would result in a loss of such variability, and “hence mechanisms evolved to avoid it.
While primates have kin, they do not have in-laws. the dispersal of animal populations, the need for genetic variability and the origin of language, the last enabling social structures to form in time and space among men and women who have never seen each other and in some cases never will while enduring relationship between natal kin separated by marriage but linked by kinship, by descent from a common ancestor.”
At the same time too great a dispersal—so great that separated bands lost contact with each other—meant that beneficial features of kinship association might be lost. So it is that “organisms breed out to avoid losing variability, but not so far out that they dissipate genetic advantages.” Not too close, but not too far; that was the evolutionary Golden Rule and, of course, the plinth of tribal society itself.
To realistically understand the world of kinship obligations and tribal authority, one must first understand both history and social evolution. The domestication of Homo sapiens and his living arrangements has been a very drawn-out affair and requires a better grasp of tribal life than whatever the parents of a Baghdad bride or bridegroom might say to a visiting journalist:
Those tribal communities are the default system of human social nature. Humanity evolved that way for millennia after exiting the hunter-gatherer band stage of social life. Many of the planet’s diverse societies have since moved on toward becoming modern states, but not all of them have. And even for those that have, the shadowy emotional residues of the distant past remain; we never lose anything in evolution, but instead add new developments to older ones.
While primates have kin, they do not have in-laws. the dispersal of animal populations, the need for genetic variability and the origin of language, the last enabling social structures to form in time and space among men and women who have never seen each other and in some cases never will while enduring relationship between natal kin separated by marriage but linked by kinship, by descent from a common ancestor.”
At the same time too great a dispersal—so great that separated bands lost contact with each other—meant that beneficial features of kinship association might be lost. So it is that “organisms breed out to avoid losing variability, but not so far out that they dissipate genetic advantages.” Not too close, but not too far; that was the evolutionary Golden Rule and, of course, the plinth of tribal society itself.
To realistically understand the world of kinship obligations and tribal authority, one must first understand both history and social evolution. The domestication of Homo sapiens and his living arrangements has been a very drawn-out affair and requires a better grasp of tribal life than whatever the parents of a Baghdad bride or bridegroom might say to a visiting journalist:
Those tribal communities are the default system of human social nature. Humanity evolved that way for millennia after exiting the hunter-gatherer band stage of social life. Many of the planet’s diverse societies have since moved on toward becoming modern states, but not all of them have. And even for those that have, the shadowy emotional residues of the distant past remain; we never lose anything in evolution, but instead add new developments to older ones.
The Rains
The rain is always romantic because of the primacy accorded to passions, ideas, and experiences of life and because of our search for pure, untrammeled love and nature and our quest to satisfy the needs of our spirit are replenished by life giving rains. A man can, with effort, have a spiritual rebirth when he realizes that spirit, body and the outside world are not enemies but can live in harmony.
I can visualize the rain making puddles, smell the rain washing away the smoke and grime, and listen to the rain gently but steadily falling on the rooftops, drenching the parched earth and dry concrete. Feel the power of nature, smell the wet earth. Nostalgia comes with the memories of the rain.
Many waves and years have passed since then,
Ashore my friend was drowned in his own shallow but still bitter lies;
and I set off on wanderings.
So long had life together been that once,
The rain began to fall, it seemed unending;
That, lest the raindrops should make her eyelids wince,
I’d shield them with my hand,
And they, pretending not to believe that cherishing of eyes,
Would beat against my palm like butterflies.
Perhaps it is raining on the other side of my heart
I can visualize the rain making puddles, smell the rain washing away the smoke and grime, and listen to the rain gently but steadily falling on the rooftops, drenching the parched earth and dry concrete. Feel the power of nature, smell the wet earth. Nostalgia comes with the memories of the rain.
Many waves and years have passed since then,
Ashore my friend was drowned in his own shallow but still bitter lies;
and I set off on wanderings.
So long had life together been that once,
The rain began to fall, it seemed unending;
That, lest the raindrops should make her eyelids wince,
I’d shield them with my hand,
And they, pretending not to believe that cherishing of eyes,
Would beat against my palm like butterflies.
Perhaps it is raining on the other side of my heart
Omelette
There is no other gastronomic delight uniting the whole world from, Western Europe, USA, Middle East to North Africa than the humble and lowly omelette. This ancient dish adorns the tables of Prince and Pauper alike. It belongs to everyone, yet no country can lay claim to it, as it is a universal food cutting across borders. Even Napoleon feasted on an omellette during his campaign, and then ordered it for his whole famished army. Though often disparaged for it’s humble origin and Vegetarians complain in restaurants, perhaps with some justification, that they were offered only an omelette, it is a complete meal by itself. Even in the world of haute cuisine with fancy Gallic names like “Caille en sarcophage" (quail in puff pastry) it can hold its own as a fine food with its refined taste appealing to both peasant and elitist sophisticate.
A much worse offence against the dish is in which chefs compete to produce the fastest omelette. The result is that in about 20 seconds they produce a sloppy pile of badly mixed egg with lumps of shell, and then raise their hands aloft to claim victory. The victory, one presumes, is one of man over egg.
It should have been a soft pillow of egg flavored with nothing more than a few fines herbs such as chervil, wine, chives, and leaf parsley. Spring mushrooms, green chilies, tomatoes, cheese and even mussels can also be deployed as flavorings but it is important to remember that an omelette is about eggs and is not a vehicle for other flavors, although there are few better ways to enjoy truffles. It is the original soul food, and it consists of an embryo with complete set of life giving chromosomes embedded in it. Biting into a succulent omellette is a out of this world divine feeling, creating an euphoric sensation as the taste buds explode in a culinary orgasm, leaving one sublimely satisfied. –Vinay-
A much worse offence against the dish is in which chefs compete to produce the fastest omelette. The result is that in about 20 seconds they produce a sloppy pile of badly mixed egg with lumps of shell, and then raise their hands aloft to claim victory. The victory, one presumes, is one of man over egg.
It should have been a soft pillow of egg flavored with nothing more than a few fines herbs such as chervil, wine, chives, and leaf parsley. Spring mushrooms, green chilies, tomatoes, cheese and even mussels can also be deployed as flavorings but it is important to remember that an omelette is about eggs and is not a vehicle for other flavors, although there are few better ways to enjoy truffles. It is the original soul food, and it consists of an embryo with complete set of life giving chromosomes embedded in it. Biting into a succulent omellette is a out of this world divine feeling, creating an euphoric sensation as the taste buds explode in a culinary orgasm, leaving one sublimely satisfied. –Vinay-
Holy Wars.
It is a sad commentary of life that the holiest of holy places has caused maximum bloodshed and misery and paradoxically it is the world’s two interconnected religions Islam and Christianity that have been at loggerheads with each other since time immemorial. We are taught that all religions are about love and compassion, and seeing all living beings as one; or as Booker quoted” I will permit no man to degrade my soul by making me hate him”. Yet we see religion everywhere pit brother against brother, Hindu vs Muslims, Cain vs Abel, Islam vs Christianity! Religion has the power to divide, and only plays a divisive role, as terror is often triggered by religious fanatics. The city of Jerusalem reminds Muslims of Islam’s pluralistic traditions; for one cannot be a Muslim without belief in Jesus, Moses and other earlier prophets. Jerusalem the city of monotheistic glory is loved more than any other sacred place in our planet. It was the Archangel Gabriel who escorted the Prophet to Al Buraq and the wondrous winged steed that carried Muhammad to the temple of Solomon in Jerusalem. The Ascension of the believers is by offering prayers called mirajulmuminin, which are fastened like 5 buttons to the fabric of their faith, with which the believer fumbles to release himself every day. These prayers and reading the holy verses and scriptures are meaningless, a way for people to fill the spaces that separate them from others, to fill their souls with the sounds of words. Formal prayer has an end, but the prayer of the soul is unlimited. The challenge for both religions is to see Jerusalem as a symbol of inclusiveness. Muhammad came to unite all the branches of Abraham’s family, but those dreams and visions have been obscured by a hazy blend of religious fanaticism by both religions, drowning the lofty values in their own cesspool of hate. Islam remembers one way and Christianity remembers another way, and in the end it doesn’t matter. –Vinay-
Terror and Islam
Most modern nationals, especially Westerners history begins after 9/11; they attribute violence, terrorism, and suicide bombings as methods used by Muslims against non believers. The sad irony is that when ever there is news of car bombings, suicide attacks the words ‘fatwa and Islam are flashed across their minds.
All of them should hit their refresh button repeatedly to go back in time, to remember that Basque separatists have always used car bombings as a political tool, Tamil tigers perfected the art of human bombs and in India several fundamentalist groups like Shiv sena have unleashed terror against their opponents. If we go back to history some of the biggest perpetrators of horrors committed on mankind have nothing to do with Islam or religion—Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot etc to name a few.
The Western /American interventionalism in the Gulf region is mainly due to the oil/energy rich states and its strategic location which everyone wants to control; so they build up this myth that Islam and violence are inextricably linked and that they are the last white hope for mankind.
The huge surge of violence in the Middle East is a reaction to despotic self rule by oligarchies and a revolution to usher in democracy in the broader socio-political context of freedom in these states. Most Middle East countries are now revolting and trying to throw out their repressive regimes, from Bahrain to Tunisia.
Are not national boundaries, economic disparity and religious dogmas, dividing us into different camps, creating unspiritual environments. It is when religion starts to interfere with your everyday life that it is time to give it up. In this respect, it has a curious affinity with alcohol; it too can drive you mad.
All of them should hit their refresh button repeatedly to go back in time, to remember that Basque separatists have always used car bombings as a political tool, Tamil tigers perfected the art of human bombs and in India several fundamentalist groups like Shiv sena have unleashed terror against their opponents. If we go back to history some of the biggest perpetrators of horrors committed on mankind have nothing to do with Islam or religion—Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot etc to name a few.
The Western /American interventionalism in the Gulf region is mainly due to the oil/energy rich states and its strategic location which everyone wants to control; so they build up this myth that Islam and violence are inextricably linked and that they are the last white hope for mankind.
The huge surge of violence in the Middle East is a reaction to despotic self rule by oligarchies and a revolution to usher in democracy in the broader socio-political context of freedom in these states. Most Middle East countries are now revolting and trying to throw out their repressive regimes, from Bahrain to Tunisia.
Are not national boundaries, economic disparity and religious dogmas, dividing us into different camps, creating unspiritual environments. It is when religion starts to interfere with your everyday life that it is time to give it up. In this respect, it has a curious affinity with alcohol; it too can drive you mad.
Happines is simple
When we are young we follow our heart and are happy and cheerful. When we grow older, we want a future, a career, a desk and become monetized as an entity and view our stock in economic terms. Here our minds take control of our lives and love goes out of the window. Then we become insecure about our future and unable to comprehend the swift changes taking place around us; then fear predominates our minds.
Hate and fear which are more powerful emotions conquer our love, and slowly the mind controls our lives. Duality rules our lives as the mind is itself a paradox, it is logical /illogical, rational/irrational, good/bad, hate/fear and life is a roller coast ride. Even though we attain a troubled middle-age, despite our riches, high social status, and physical prowess, we feels restless and unfulfilled, and harbor a spiritual void that manifests itself as an inner voice crying out, hoping to discover what the voice wants, we must return to the heart.
Now we realize how as children we felt once more, how simple a thing is happiness; climbing trees, playing, believing in our friends, a bottle of Coke ,or a piece of cake. Now middle aged weary of the world, we once again seek peace stillness and stability. Bliss is a glass of wine, a roast chestnut, a succulent omelet, a wretched little brazier, the sound of the sea, nothing else. And all that is required to feel that here and now is happiness is a simple, frugal heart.
Hate and fear which are more powerful emotions conquer our love, and slowly the mind controls our lives. Duality rules our lives as the mind is itself a paradox, it is logical /illogical, rational/irrational, good/bad, hate/fear and life is a roller coast ride. Even though we attain a troubled middle-age, despite our riches, high social status, and physical prowess, we feels restless and unfulfilled, and harbor a spiritual void that manifests itself as an inner voice crying out, hoping to discover what the voice wants, we must return to the heart.
Now we realize how as children we felt once more, how simple a thing is happiness; climbing trees, playing, believing in our friends, a bottle of Coke ,or a piece of cake. Now middle aged weary of the world, we once again seek peace stillness and stability. Bliss is a glass of wine, a roast chestnut, a succulent omelet, a wretched little brazier, the sound of the sea, nothing else. And all that is required to feel that here and now is happiness is a simple, frugal heart.
Heart of the matter
Spirituality upholds closing the mental faculties in favor of the apparent and heartfelt. Close your eyes and open your heart is the magic mantra for life. Unlike religion its path does not have a specific belies systems or faith, buried in Churches, Temples , Mosques or scriptures; it comes from the eyes of the beholder, who encompasses the whole Universe in the lens of his eyes.
It allows us to capture all stray thoughts and emotions to be viewed as images through the prism of creative life and the aperture focusing on all thoughts, resurrecting and filtering the unwanted, so that everything is compartmentalized and falls neatly in place. It brings into focus the pathos and the ludicrous of our ancient Universe in a way that we can comprehend, whether this duality of our mind is accidental or design?
Spirituality does not aspire to make you a Messiah; Guru or erudite in the traditional or moral sense, it simply makes you understand the Universe in a holistic manner, so that you can act with compassion. It gives you a deeper insight and helps you feel strongly about militancy, crusades, militarism, war and killing people. Spirituality awakens you to follies of war, of people killing each other, by forgetting that they are also going to die one day.
Religious, books/ scriptures are boring, pompous and ponderous tomes with a rigid codes / dogmas. Is religion an outmoded institution that leaves most semi-enlightened/semi-happy or does it need a little reinvention. Spirituality emerges from the closet to question the mistakes made in strategy and conditioned assumptions, and it is like a bowl of hot soup for the soul, wallowing in the chill of darkness. If you are willing to drop the amour of conditioned beliefs, you can be transformed from your being a spectator, to being one with the Universe and part of the flow.
Spirituality finds its fullest expression as an epitome of continuum, with life and death, uniting the spirit or soul as one.-Vinay-
It allows us to capture all stray thoughts and emotions to be viewed as images through the prism of creative life and the aperture focusing on all thoughts, resurrecting and filtering the unwanted, so that everything is compartmentalized and falls neatly in place. It brings into focus the pathos and the ludicrous of our ancient Universe in a way that we can comprehend, whether this duality of our mind is accidental or design?
Spirituality does not aspire to make you a Messiah; Guru or erudite in the traditional or moral sense, it simply makes you understand the Universe in a holistic manner, so that you can act with compassion. It gives you a deeper insight and helps you feel strongly about militancy, crusades, militarism, war and killing people. Spirituality awakens you to follies of war, of people killing each other, by forgetting that they are also going to die one day.
Religious, books/ scriptures are boring, pompous and ponderous tomes with a rigid codes / dogmas. Is religion an outmoded institution that leaves most semi-enlightened/semi-happy or does it need a little reinvention. Spirituality emerges from the closet to question the mistakes made in strategy and conditioned assumptions, and it is like a bowl of hot soup for the soul, wallowing in the chill of darkness. If you are willing to drop the amour of conditioned beliefs, you can be transformed from your being a spectator, to being one with the Universe and part of the flow.
Spirituality finds its fullest expression as an epitome of continuum, with life and death, uniting the spirit or soul as one.-Vinay-
Heart of the matter
Spirituality upholds closing the mental faculties in favor of the apparent and heartfelt. Close your eyes and open your heart is the magic mantra for life. Unlike religion its path does not have a specific belies systems or faith, buried in Churches, Temples , Mosques or scriptures; it comes from the eyes of the beholder, who encompasses the whole Universe in the lens of his eyes.
It allows us to capture all stray thoughts and emotions to be viewed as images through the prism of creative life and the aperture focusing on all thoughts, resurrecting and filtering the unwanted, so that everything is compartmentalized and falls neatly in place. It brings into focus the pathos and the ludicrous of our ancient Universe in a way that we can comprehend, whether this duality of our mind is accidental or design?
Spirituality does not aspire to make you a Messiah; Guru or erudite in the traditional or moral sense, it simply makes you understand the Universe in a holistic manner, so that you can act with compassion. It gives you a deeper insight and helps you feel strongly about militancy, crusades, militarism, war and killing people. Spirituality awakens you to follies of war, of people killing each other, by forgetting that they are also going to die one day.
Religious, books/ scriptures are boring, pompous and ponderous tomes with a rigid codes / dogmas. Is religion an outmoded institution that leaves most semi-enlightened/semi-happy or does it need a little reinvention. Spirituality emerges from the closet to question the mistakes made in strategy and conditioned assumptions, and it is like a bowl of hot soup for the soul, wallowing in the chill of darkness. If you are willing to drop the amour of conditioned beliefs, you can be transformed from your being a spectator, to being one with the Universe and part of the flow.
Spirituality finds its fullest expression as an epitome of continuum, with life and death, uniting the spirit or soul as one.-Vinay-
It allows us to capture all stray thoughts and emotions to be viewed as images through the prism of creative life and the aperture focusing on all thoughts, resurrecting and filtering the unwanted, so that everything is compartmentalized and falls neatly in place. It brings into focus the pathos and the ludicrous of our ancient Universe in a way that we can comprehend, whether this duality of our mind is accidental or design?
Spirituality does not aspire to make you a Messiah; Guru or erudite in the traditional or moral sense, it simply makes you understand the Universe in a holistic manner, so that you can act with compassion. It gives you a deeper insight and helps you feel strongly about militancy, crusades, militarism, war and killing people. Spirituality awakens you to follies of war, of people killing each other, by forgetting that they are also going to die one day.
Religious, books/ scriptures are boring, pompous and ponderous tomes with a rigid codes / dogmas. Is religion an outmoded institution that leaves most semi-enlightened/semi-happy or does it need a little reinvention. Spirituality emerges from the closet to question the mistakes made in strategy and conditioned assumptions, and it is like a bowl of hot soup for the soul, wallowing in the chill of darkness. If you are willing to drop the amour of conditioned beliefs, you can be transformed from your being a spectator, to being one with the Universe and part of the flow.
Spirituality finds its fullest expression as an epitome of continuum, with life and death, uniting the spirit or soul as one.-Vinay-
Science and Religion.
We may think the charged relationship between science and religion is mainly a problem, but I am surprised at the great divide of Science& religion not being able to close the chasm that seems to only widen after so many centuries.
To a lay person who is not conditioned or exposed to the fundamentally opposing points of view both can appear as a mirror with two faces both reflecting unbelievable stuff. Yet the amazing thing is the foundational aspects of both are the same. Both claim that something was created out of nothing, which to a normal person is unbelievable.
Scientists believe in the random evolution of life forms; while Religion states that an Omnipotent god created Cosmos and life forms. Creating something out of nothing is pure religious science fiction, reflecting the anguish of the ordinary man who does not know which way to turn.
Scientists are a network of nutty professionals with recognized expertise and competence in a particular domain; they have a shared set of normative and principled scientific beliefs and are an isolated lot. Religious priests have shared causal beliefs, which they derived from their religious scriptures, with a shared notion of validity and a common policy enterprise. Such a community is the means by which religious ideas become practices and norms/dogmas are set for society to follow without question.
As such, the conversation is structured around a complicated opposition between, science on the one hand, with its scientific postulate for evolution, against the thematized vivid, primitive, life-and-death scriptures of God creating man, insects and flower as a grand design for civilization.
Religion without science is blind, and science without religion is lame.
Should we roam freely and confidently between scientific explanatory and textual notes of science, or view the mirrors of our souls, in the strongly entrenched religious scriptures. Many prefer to ignore both camps and follow their hearts. –Vinay-
To a lay person who is not conditioned or exposed to the fundamentally opposing points of view both can appear as a mirror with two faces both reflecting unbelievable stuff. Yet the amazing thing is the foundational aspects of both are the same. Both claim that something was created out of nothing, which to a normal person is unbelievable.
Scientists believe in the random evolution of life forms; while Religion states that an Omnipotent god created Cosmos and life forms. Creating something out of nothing is pure religious science fiction, reflecting the anguish of the ordinary man who does not know which way to turn.
Scientists are a network of nutty professionals with recognized expertise and competence in a particular domain; they have a shared set of normative and principled scientific beliefs and are an isolated lot. Religious priests have shared causal beliefs, which they derived from their religious scriptures, with a shared notion of validity and a common policy enterprise. Such a community is the means by which religious ideas become practices and norms/dogmas are set for society to follow without question.
As such, the conversation is structured around a complicated opposition between, science on the one hand, with its scientific postulate for evolution, against the thematized vivid, primitive, life-and-death scriptures of God creating man, insects and flower as a grand design for civilization.
Religion without science is blind, and science without religion is lame.
Should we roam freely and confidently between scientific explanatory and textual notes of science, or view the mirrors of our souls, in the strongly entrenched religious scriptures. Many prefer to ignore both camps and follow their hearts. –Vinay-
A journey into the heart of time
We start from a genetic blueprint and are pitched into a world of circumstances that we cannot control in our most formative years.
Without time, there would be no need for a memory. But without a memory would there be such a thing as time? Not the physical linear time in physics, but the psychological time; the tempo at which we experience life’s passage………
If you spend your whole life in an office cubicle signing papers, time will blend ummemorably into the next day / years and disappear. Routine kills time and our sense of living, hence the need to take vacations and have as many experiences as possible that can serve to anchor our memories.
People say don’t delve into the past but past is intrinsic to our present existence. When you feel the emptiness, it can be a cathartic experience to travel back in time.
Childhood love, betrayal, forbidden sexuality, the glorious experiences, we can feed off this memory again, till we become aware of the dramatic past only after it is past.
Now we will bring a strangers perspective to events past and it is time to put that memory away and re-enter the present totally rejuvenated. –Vinay-
Without time, there would be no need for a memory. But without a memory would there be such a thing as time? Not the physical linear time in physics, but the psychological time; the tempo at which we experience life’s passage………
If you spend your whole life in an office cubicle signing papers, time will blend ummemorably into the next day / years and disappear. Routine kills time and our sense of living, hence the need to take vacations and have as many experiences as possible that can serve to anchor our memories.
People say don’t delve into the past but past is intrinsic to our present existence. When you feel the emptiness, it can be a cathartic experience to travel back in time.
Childhood love, betrayal, forbidden sexuality, the glorious experiences, we can feed off this memory again, till we become aware of the dramatic past only after it is past.
Now we will bring a strangers perspective to events past and it is time to put that memory away and re-enter the present totally rejuvenated. –Vinay-
Barbecue Nation
Isn't barbecue one of the few foods prepared and enjoyed by all regardless of nationality, caste, color or creed? For all Americans, this is manly outdoor cooking—messy food you eat with your hands. Freud understood the urge well. For every civilized meal, eaten inside politely with a knife and fork, cooked by women, served on china, there's the primal, even savage barbecue. Roasted meat gnawed from the bone is nothing new, nor are these associations.
Think of Homer's warriors roasting whole oxen, we just happen to have raised this form of cooking to High art. What they all have in common: serious passion and strong feelings about the meaning of barbecue.
These macho associations going one step further, though, implies that the barbecue, from the initial encounter between Europeans and Native Americans, right down to the present, is really about race?
The idea of barbecue, Freud argues, even when alluring, is tainted by associations with the primitive, exotic other, the cannibal, and the assertion of white superiority, violence, and exploitation.But isn't barbecue one of the few foods prepared and enjoyed by all, and belonging to the rare universal ownership. Popular images of freakish bald-headed cannibals chomping on arms and legs certainly would seem to suggest, a long tradition of conflating barbecue and cannibalism.
Early conquistadors and their chroniclers who first described the crude cooking methods of the Native Americans unwittingly forged an association that would be used to justify the exploitation of natives who slow-cooked not only horrid beasts like iguanas, but even human flesh. Barbecue is associated with a sort of outdoor party, favored by hunters and sailors.
And the sailors do what sailors do: eat raucously, make bad music and dance, tell stories, drink way too much rum, smoke, and then stumble home.
Of course, this is not to deny that racism and violence have been an integral part of all life, not merely in the America, but everywhere. Barbecue too has been a crucial element in this mix, but it fails to show any thread that the two have anything to do with each other.
Think of Homer's warriors roasting whole oxen, we just happen to have raised this form of cooking to High art. What they all have in common: serious passion and strong feelings about the meaning of barbecue.
These macho associations going one step further, though, implies that the barbecue, from the initial encounter between Europeans and Native Americans, right down to the present, is really about race?
The idea of barbecue, Freud argues, even when alluring, is tainted by associations with the primitive, exotic other, the cannibal, and the assertion of white superiority, violence, and exploitation.But isn't barbecue one of the few foods prepared and enjoyed by all, and belonging to the rare universal ownership. Popular images of freakish bald-headed cannibals chomping on arms and legs certainly would seem to suggest, a long tradition of conflating barbecue and cannibalism.
Early conquistadors and their chroniclers who first described the crude cooking methods of the Native Americans unwittingly forged an association that would be used to justify the exploitation of natives who slow-cooked not only horrid beasts like iguanas, but even human flesh. Barbecue is associated with a sort of outdoor party, favored by hunters and sailors.
And the sailors do what sailors do: eat raucously, make bad music and dance, tell stories, drink way too much rum, smoke, and then stumble home.
Of course, this is not to deny that racism and violence have been an integral part of all life, not merely in the America, but everywhere. Barbecue too has been a crucial element in this mix, but it fails to show any thread that the two have anything to do with each other.
India – Pakistan an untold Story.
The British rule in India was basically financed by the Opium trade to China. Before the British arrived India was one of the large world economies with255 of global trade, when the British and East India co left, it had reduced this to just 1%.The burning smoke fuelled by the British greed engulfed entire communities, destroyed and divided an entire nation.
India was always secular and its fabric encouraged multiculturalism, but the British fanned the fires of communalism and religious fundamentalism, pitting brother against brother. Slowly a spiritual and tolerant India that gave refuge to Parsis, Iranians, and Jews who fled persecution from their homeland, has itself fallen neatly into the trap.
There is complete turmoil after…….., with no definition of right and wrong. People are aggressively pursuing religion, there is ghettoisation of communities, and the government allows armies of fundamentalists to roam freely and legally. We don’t accept different ideas; our minds are closed, to those who are not like us. We lack empathy and the government doesn’t want to act.
Even History altered to fan hatred. Aurangzeb is painted as an invader who destroyed Hindu temples and levied an unjust tax “Jazzia” on non Muslims. But what is not clarified is that Auranzeb only demolished those temples that harbored terrorists who were conspiring and plotting to overthrow him.
Aurangzeb’s donation to several Hindu temples is never highlighted, nor the fact that his brother Dara Shikoh championed the cause of Hindu-Muslim unity, bringing out the Majma –ul Bahrain which bears testimony to his untiring efforts. Dara Shikoh also spent 3 years in Varanasi translating the ancient Upanishads into Persian in an effort to globalize our culture.
We are poisoning the minds of a new generation that never witnessed the horrors of partition by implying that all Muslim rulers were anti-Hindu. It is not just Mullah’s and Mahant’s who are spreading this dissonance, but even the progressive are being slowly sucked into this quagmire of hatred and intolerance.
When the Supreme Court awarded alimony to Shah Banoo , a poor divorce in defiance of Islamic laws, the Muslim clergy and fundamentalists objected and gave emotional speeches against this verdict as well as the razing of Babri Masjid, turning it into a prestige war between these two communities.
A India gropes to find a new identity in the emerging world of today, it is a sad paradox that a nation that never professed any religion (Hinduism is a way of life) is veering toward religious intolerance and fundamentalism. A land where one Gandhi defeated the mighty British Empire with non violent means, the land straddled by spiritual giants like Gautama Buddha, Tagore and other towering personalities is now languishing in its own hubris of spiritual vacuity. –Vinay-
India was always secular and its fabric encouraged multiculturalism, but the British fanned the fires of communalism and religious fundamentalism, pitting brother against brother. Slowly a spiritual and tolerant India that gave refuge to Parsis, Iranians, and Jews who fled persecution from their homeland, has itself fallen neatly into the trap.
There is complete turmoil after…….., with no definition of right and wrong. People are aggressively pursuing religion, there is ghettoisation of communities, and the government allows armies of fundamentalists to roam freely and legally. We don’t accept different ideas; our minds are closed, to those who are not like us. We lack empathy and the government doesn’t want to act.
Even History altered to fan hatred. Aurangzeb is painted as an invader who destroyed Hindu temples and levied an unjust tax “Jazzia” on non Muslims. But what is not clarified is that Auranzeb only demolished those temples that harbored terrorists who were conspiring and plotting to overthrow him.
Aurangzeb’s donation to several Hindu temples is never highlighted, nor the fact that his brother Dara Shikoh championed the cause of Hindu-Muslim unity, bringing out the Majma –ul Bahrain which bears testimony to his untiring efforts. Dara Shikoh also spent 3 years in Varanasi translating the ancient Upanishads into Persian in an effort to globalize our culture.
We are poisoning the minds of a new generation that never witnessed the horrors of partition by implying that all Muslim rulers were anti-Hindu. It is not just Mullah’s and Mahant’s who are spreading this dissonance, but even the progressive are being slowly sucked into this quagmire of hatred and intolerance.
When the Supreme Court awarded alimony to Shah Banoo , a poor divorce in defiance of Islamic laws, the Muslim clergy and fundamentalists objected and gave emotional speeches against this verdict as well as the razing of Babri Masjid, turning it into a prestige war between these two communities.
A India gropes to find a new identity in the emerging world of today, it is a sad paradox that a nation that never professed any religion (Hinduism is a way of life) is veering toward religious intolerance and fundamentalism. A land where one Gandhi defeated the mighty British Empire with non violent means, the land straddled by spiritual giants like Gautama Buddha, Tagore and other towering personalities is now languishing in its own hubris of spiritual vacuity. –Vinay-
Monotonous Monogamy
For as long as I can remember, our Political leaders, Christian statesman, Sports champions, Heads of state, Youth icons, Singers, Actors and other public figures, have been involved with sex scandals and marital infidelity; the list is endless, the Profumo scandal, Pamela Bordes, Bill Clinton, Tiger Woods, Kennedy s, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Julian Assange, Dominique Strauss Kahn, Berlusconi, Ireland's President. Shane Warne, Pakistan Supreme court Judges, no one is spared.
The impulse to be something other than what we are in our daily, monogamous lives, the thrill that comes from the illicit rather than the predictable, is something I imagine many couples can identify with.
Some people need more than one partner, just as some people need flirting, others need lovers of both sexes. We can’t help our urges, and we should not lie to our partners about them. In some marriages, talking honestly about our needs will forestall or obviate affairs; in other marriages, the conversation may lead to an affair, but with permission. In both cases, honesty is the best policy. People should not live in toxic, miserable marriages all their lives.
Monogamy is harder than we admit and articulating and imposing a sexual ethic that defies stark reality for a societal ideal of marriage, and trying to conform to the Global obsession with strict fidelity, is self defeating.
We acknowledge the advantages of monogamy, when it comes to sexual safety, infections, emotional safety, paternity assurances. But people in monogamous relationships have to be willing to acknowledge the drawbacks of monogamy around boredom, despair, lack of variety, sexual death and being taken for granted.
In its place we can propose a sensibility and tolerance for a variety of partnered arrangements, from strict monogamy to wide openness.
The mistake that straight society made was imposing the monogamous expectation on men. Men were never expected to be monogamous. Men had concubines, mistresses and access to prostitutes, until everybody decided marriage had to be egalitarian and fair.
In the feminist revolution, rather than extending to women the same latitude and license and pressure-release valve that men had always enjoyed, we extended to men the confines women had always endured. And it’s been a disaster for marriage.
The impulse to be something other than what we are in our daily, monogamous lives, the thrill that comes from the illicit rather than the predictable, is something I imagine many couples can identify with.
Some people need more than one partner, just as some people need flirting, others need lovers of both sexes. We can’t help our urges, and we should not lie to our partners about them. In some marriages, talking honestly about our needs will forestall or obviate affairs; in other marriages, the conversation may lead to an affair, but with permission. In both cases, honesty is the best policy. People should not live in toxic, miserable marriages all their lives.
Monogamy is harder than we admit and articulating and imposing a sexual ethic that defies stark reality for a societal ideal of marriage, and trying to conform to the Global obsession with strict fidelity, is self defeating.
We acknowledge the advantages of monogamy, when it comes to sexual safety, infections, emotional safety, paternity assurances. But people in monogamous relationships have to be willing to acknowledge the drawbacks of monogamy around boredom, despair, lack of variety, sexual death and being taken for granted.
In its place we can propose a sensibility and tolerance for a variety of partnered arrangements, from strict monogamy to wide openness.
The mistake that straight society made was imposing the monogamous expectation on men. Men were never expected to be monogamous. Men had concubines, mistresses and access to prostitutes, until everybody decided marriage had to be egalitarian and fair.
In the feminist revolution, rather than extending to women the same latitude and license and pressure-release valve that men had always enjoyed, we extended to men the confines women had always endured. And it’s been a disaster for marriage.
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