The Law of Diminishing Desires.

< Everyone rich poor and the miserable wants infinite pleasure and fabulous riches; this in itself is a fragile illusion. We are always in a hurry to enjoy the richness of life; no one wants to let time take its course. While the emotional drivers of our body need the desires of the senses, tradition opts for abstinence as good for the soul. There is a foolish nation that abstinence from the pleasures will liberate you instantly this promise is fundamentally flawed; many religious festivals make it compulsory to abstain from sensual pleasures and even advocate fasting. But we find that after the enforced period is over, people rush and gorge themselves in a sort of spiritual bulimia. In economics there is the “law of diminishing utility” which says that desire becomes diminished the more you consume. Like a buffet or banquet, where the first plate / helping gives immense sensual pleasure, but later as you go in for more helpings, you reach a point where even the thought of food makes you sick. Worldly goods we pursue and desires we feed; they cannot be eliminated but can certainly be satiated. In Greek tradition nothing is “excess” so the body’s desire cannot be denied due to the pursuit of the soul. Similarly the correct way to get rid of desire is to indulge in it excessively, including material, sensual & carnal desires, almost to the point of satiation, then you can transcend to the next level. However there is no crash course it grows in time as you go through all the phases of worldly life and reach a point of satiation over a period of time. Possessions possess us; lust burdens the old, infirm and religious. None of us has time to live the true dramas of the life that we are destined for. This is what ages us – this and nothing else. The wrinkles and creases on our faces are the registration of the great passions, vices, insights that called on us; but we were in a mighty hurry to attain nirvana So paradoxically liberation comes from indulgence rather than abstinence. So give in to your worldly desire, material, sensual and carnal to be free from craving. Celebrate life not abstain from it.-Vinay-

I used up all my life, so I am calling in Dead.

(From Womb to Tomb) Friends are there when the weather is fair, Kin will be there, when you provide the fare Passions and bonds will shift as time goes by Truth hides in silence, but you see the lie You live in this world for just a while. Like a pilgrim you ascend the mountain, Barren and desolate lies the pinnacle of your folly Lonely and lost you slither into the valley. Drifting in the fields you embrace the daffodils. A celestial dance to the end of life’s ills Life has no meaning sans the existentialist angst, Sing, dance and be merry as long as you exist. Death makes no promises, so do not tarry Life has kidnapped you with its great white lie Purpose is an illusion that adds to the confusion But death will set you free to embrace the dark consciousness. Ponder in the cool, damp tomb, bereft of all pain and intrusion Meditate that all fame and wealth was in vain Embracing the grim reaper with love ends all the delusion –Vinay--Cosmic Philosophy-

The Dove coos with Inner peace before it is started to flight.

Attaining Inner peace, Nirvana or salvation is not that simple and cannot be realized in the outer objective world. It should not be perceived as a final destination or an end by itself. Inner peace is always a work in progress even though we may think it is part of our innate nature. There is a wall or barrier behind which we conceal something of ourselves hence we are incomplete. Reconnecting our mind with our heart is not easy; because of old ingrained or cultivated habits that forma hurdle we have to overcome. Similarly happiness is not a station one arrives at - it is a manner of sailing with the spirit of life. The concept of a journey is a metaphor, but in real life there is no fixed destination for us to travel light with a profound sense of freedom. Each milestone is just a pit stop – graduation, career, marriage, being successful in a variety of goals and purposes. The cyclic existences will continue when we live in the human realm; one does not attain inner peace by kneeling in holy devotion. The heart and the mind must reciprocate in a sort of spiritual quest – where we are constantly exploring and have to step beyond the mundane frame of life. This has to be spontaneous because the intensity of the heart betrays the emotions of our minds and this is the illusion. The turning point will be when this intuition refines itself to a state of clairvoyance. The dead are merely those who have found inner peace in their final earthly destination enduring and meaningful

The Heart Yearns for More!

(Ye Dil Maange More) Things are not what they seem to be or are taught to us by specific contexts, yet religions try to exploit the human species as something profound and beyond other things in the Universe. We give a very high estimate to human nature, in order to control what we think, are the base impulses and try to liberate the finer impulses as codified by society and religion. We spend most of our life trying to conform to society and religion- hear the preachers boring monotone of sin / atonement / salvation / redemption and liberation; which drowns our inner voice which is asking us to break free of these shackles. Religion and society does not allow us to be ourselves, or speak out our minds. It has the effect of lowering our expectations of ourselves. What does it matter who “we” are - if our entire life of reflection and emotion is simply written off as genetically selfish propagation? Denying after life and transcendence, there is much more freedom of operation and experience when you are not part of a religious network. A hyper selfish or a carnally materialistic view of life is triggered by a mixture of boredom and frustration of trying to escape dithering and endless theological discourses – by tunneling frantically out of the religious jail like environment. Our only duty is to eat drink and be merry as long as you we are alive. Beg, borrow or steal for that purpose -there is nothing left of “you” after death except ashes. So let your inner voice prevail in the battle for your heart. Order that multi course meal – oysters, hors d’0euvres, filet mignon, pate foi grass, a selection of wines and deserts. Belief is not morally superior to enjoying one’s life.

Love Thy Universe.

Love is your being… But that love has become almost impossible. The society does not allow it. The society conditions you in such a way that love becomes impossible and hate becomes the only possible thing. Then hate is easy, and love is not only difficult but impossible. Man has been distorted; man cannot be reduced to slavery if he is not distorted first. The Politician and the Priest have been in a deep conspiracy down the ages. They have been reducing humanity to a crowd of slaves. They are destroying every possibility or rebellion in man – and love is rebellion, because love listens only to the heart and does not care a bit about anything else. Love is dangerous because it makes you an individual, and the State and the Church, they don’t want individuals, not at all. They don’t want human beings – they want sheep. They want people who only look like human beings, but whose souls have been crushed so utterly, damages so deeply, that it seems almost irreparable. And the best way to destroy man is to destroy his spontaneity of love. If man has love, there can’t be Nations; nations exist on hate. If love appears, boundaries will disappear. If love appears, then who will be a Hindu / Christian and then who will be a Muslim? If love appears, religions will disappear. If love appears, who is going to go to the Temple / Mosque/Church? For what? It is because love is missing that you are searching for a divine power. The Supreme creator is nothing but a substitute for your missing love. Because you are not blissful, because you are not peaceful, because you are not ecstatic, hence you are searching for a deity – otherwise, who bothers? Who cares? If your life is a dance, god has been attained already in your heart. There is no need for any search, there is no more purpose, no truth to set you free, no enlightenment, no nirvana, there is no need for any prayer, and there is no need to go to any temple, church or mosque nor to any priest. Hence, the Priest and the Politician, these two are the enemies of humanity. And they are in a conspiracy, because the Politician wants to rule your body and the Priest wants to rule your soul. –Vinay- (Chats musings with olde friend Rebecca).

Oneness is the universal orgasm

In the Hindu philosophy “The Big Bang” was the agitated explosion of seeds all over the cosmos. That is why tantric love is such a powerful force in this world. No force can subdue it or repress it, because it is the ultimate life force. In Vedanta all this solid, liquid, gaseous, space, shaped and matter are forms of energy imbued with love or karma and cannot be destroyed. Karma or love is the opening of the cosmic energy and had to be overcome for liberation. Moksha or liberation is shutting of this energy in its diversity up to its primordial cause, - world stuff. That is why at the height of physical orgasm you become one with your partner – oneness in tantric sex. The beginning of good things – Kama is the divine and orgasm is the perfect communion. This energy can be more spiritual and less carnal.

Virtual Spirituality

One does not live in the modern world of changing technology with arcane dogmas and ignorance of yesteryears. In the chaotic plurality of science, religion and strife there is a way to seek pleasure out of the chaos . The mind must embrace the new dimensions of the changed reality and science as the gospel truth. We must be prepared to mentally strip our old beliefs and reboot our life in the new software of scientific values. Inner peace and harmony can be created if we seek pleasure in the rituals of the new reality. We can log out in detachment from the virtual materialistic existence with renewed meaning in our lives. - -Vinay-

Bearding the Lion in his own den.

Where do beards come into fashion and why do some have more hair than others. The secret to the hirsute facial dimension is the chemical Dihydro-testosterone, whose level varies in men as well as during different seasons. Sporting a beard has been a sign of manliness from time immemorial. Otto the Great from the Celtic tribe to Abraham Lincoln in the 19th century sported beards made it popular and separated the men from the boys. Some women in western society are biased against beards The next time you are tempted to ignore someone or judge them based upon what you think they should "conform" to, just remember that your Lord and Savior had a beard. Many religions, including Sikhism, Islam, and sects of Judaism, encourage or require their men to keep beards. Jesus Christ is often depicted with a beard. Why does God like facial hair so much? In ancient civilizations beards were a sign of honor. Scientists believe that pre-historic men had beards to keep the face warm, skin safe from the elements, as a cushion and for intimidation. Hence some women who are less adventurous don’t fancy bearded men. Around 345 BC Alexander the Great decreed that soldiers should not grow beards. In a study of facial hair women stated that they viewed bearded men as older, more respected, powerful and of a higher status as compared to clean shaven men. However the paradox was that they found bearded men 2/3rd less attractive as the clean shaven men. When it comes to success outside relationships 98% of the Forbes 100 lists of the richest men were clean shaven. It was also observed that 98% of the world’s lumberjacks, warriors and bad asses have beards.

Culture Vultures

I grew up in an undivided joint family atmosphere where grandparents, cousins and siblings formed a great team and support system. India being a secular country we would celebrate all the festivals, which gave us the chance to connect to our cultural roots. Slowly with globalization and erosion of the joint family system we have drifted apart from the links of our own heritage, where using our relationship and clout we could safely navigate potential impediments in life. As I watched my kids mingle with the next generation of cousins I wondered about these third culture kids who were scattered all over the globe. Mobile in body soul and intellect with no place to call their own, they fit in everywhere, but nowhere in particular, funny isn’t it? A new flashy assorted culture is beamed at them from TV & Internet, food and festivals are homogenized & indigenized, Dominoes pizza to homemade food. The memory of their own culture and grandparents diminishes as their minds are filled with the arts, language and a cornucopia of other cultures. A sense of inferiority & alienation creeps in - as the ignorance of then own culture increases in leaps & bounds. As more and more people move into nuclear families leaving their parents and grandparents behind, a veil of “dementia” sets in on these oldies who now a pre-programmed to a Skype call every month. As time goes by the elderly are likely to be lonelier – despite the occasional trips that are enforced to either baby sit their grandchildren or change. All of us who revere the old culture know we are just a bunch of Jurassic park dinosaurs unable to comprehend the wanton amenisa of the new generation, and the end of a culture that is completely gone.

Kama's Broken arrow (First Love)

It was a long long time ago in a little island in the sun called Ceylon nestling serendipitously in the glistening emerald green waters of the Indian Ocean. Our family had shifted from the nondescript town of Negambo to the capital of Colombo. One lazy summer afternoon, while exploring the boundaries of my new environment I clambered up the wall dividing neighboring houses. Suddenly I saw a beautiful girl who appeared on the window sill, saw me staring at her paused for a moment and then like a dove that was startled she was gone. From that day on wards I would religiously climb up the wall and wait till she appeared and miraculously she would; we would gaze at each other till with a coy glance she would disappear into her house. One day I cannot recall the date we crossed each other at the intersection of the main road and junction of the private lane leading to our homes. We looked up and our eyes locked, but I was too shy to say anything or even to wave out to her but we smiled, her face half hidden by the Hijab she wore was suffused with a sudden pinkish blush. Like strangers we met but the shaft of Cupids arrow that sprang from her heart embedded itself deeply in my heart – her golden light entered my soul and transformed my heart of clay into a glowing crystal. Slowly we became a part of each other in an unspoken bond of love and I had silently befriended her heart – the fate struck a cruel blow as my family had to leave the country very soon, my heart was heavy with sorrow. It was an amazing coincidence before we were to leave from Ceylon one day she and her mother came to visit her family. We walked past each other in the hall but did not speak, there was no need, we both knew – a part of us had come home to roost in each others heart, a secret treasure found and shared never to be lost or forgotten. She looked so strange and exquisite that my eyes became moist as I stared at her demure figure. Her body was full and the strands of thick hair had a glint of scented oil on the curls falling across her forehead. Her dark bushy eye lashes beneath the veil accentuated her round black eyes and eyebrows. I could see the maddening wisps of dark hair with a patch of drying moistened sweat breaking out of her short blouse sleeves. The whiff of her musky scent escaping her warm hot body as she walked past me put me in a frantic state. It was an enigmatic intimate brief encounter; we couldn’t even say goodbye before leaving. She walked on without looking back there was no need to- in that split second our hearts whispered to each other. Now far away our in another world the latitudes and longitudes unto themselves warp and divide us and those memories. The grief is almost genital as thwarted lust, suffused with limitless desire defy the shards of time – I am waiting for that piece of broken arrow to fly back to me unexpectedly. A part of my youth seems to have been lost or left behind along with her. Though I know I may never see her again – yet that delicious moment will remain with me forever

A Religious Web of Intrigue.

When you are young like everyone there is a restless energy and you get carried away by society and seek out the purpose, understanding and meaning for life like the flock. Often the little things that happen on the way like disappointment, separation from loved ones dark themes like war and violence disillusion you and you feel alienated and grasp the straw of religion in the hope of salvation. All faiths take you through the oft trodden narrow garden path of religious obscurity. Your mind may struggle amongst the opposing elements and conflicts between your individual conscience versus the conditioned collective belief that will be thrust on you. Religious ideology always tends to scorn and savage any opposing faiths – there is more intense dislike among the religious of other religions and faiths that is not their own. Isn’t it strange that all religions staunchly proclaim to spread God’s love, compassion, tolerance, truth and wisdom but are rudely dishonest and do not accept or include other ideas or viewpoints, or beliefs? This single minded narrow focus with the benevolent seal of enlightened verification is the line of Rubicon that is transgressed to create a fine madness. Criticizing viciously each religion announces with messianic fervor that theirs is the only path guaranteed by divine intervention - this then is a sort of malevolent road that leads one to a sort of road to perdition it can transform you into a lunatic or fanatic- as it leaves great areas of ignorance in its wake. Break away shun all these paths and take the road less traveled – unleash your heart and mind from these fetters and row away for the adventure called life. As you travel like a tourist in this universe- exploring the vast Gopi desert of knowledge stretching from China to Mongolia, or trek along the mountains of Baracoa, you will encounter ups and downs and your view of life changes all the time - and you will understand and knowingly embrace the acceptance of harsh reality. Follow the rainbow colors of life but remember there is no pot of gold at the end and you are free to create your own reality. –Vinay-

There is no success mantra.

People think that “being” successful, wealthy and having a lot of friends is the route to happiness. There may be a temporary euphoria, just like sadness and anxiety give us emotional lows. Yet this is what gives meaning and purpose to most people in the world today. Seduction of power and wealth propel us and though we swell with pride we are broken inside. However as noted by Kagan- fear, well being, joy etc, are psychological concepts and it is important to relate them to the contexts in which they occur – as they mean the same thing across time and cultures. Happiness is forgotten as success becomes an end by itself and this pride is the cause of enmity and misery in life. Knowing is a sort of illumination in the craziness and timelessness of this world, yet this knowledge cannot be put into words or phrases. It is like the feeling of shame or despondency when one is unemployed. Thoughts send electrical surges through our mind when we think about a subject and we think we have understood our thoughts – but have we? In western philosophy the term “being” in itself is close to the term success but is this reality because our vague impression is a feeling based on a belief or a general inclusive concept. But you cannot grasp reality with a concept - it is like holding on to an empty area with your hands. We have to enter the actual state of being of non abstract notions. The self is not the opposite of anything, so do not cling on to notions or doctrines, because that itself is self-defeating. Success is a spiritual cancer that devours contentment, love and awareness of life’s simple joys.

Poison and venom.

Poison like venom is also a toxin. But unlike venom, poison can be natural or artificially made. For a poison to take effect, it does not have to reach the prey’s blood directly. Anything that is eaten or breathed and makes you feel sick is poisonous. Some mushrooms of gases are poisonous. Animals such as cane toad, slow loris and hooded pitohui also use poison as a defence mechanism. However, some – such as putter fish – can be eaten after the poison is removed. Man has used poison to, literally, deadly effect. From the ancient assassinations to contemporary state sponsored executions. Some historical big guns ended their lives with the help of poison; Socrates (hemlock), Cleopatra (asp’s bite) and Nazi leader Hermann Goring (Cyanide) Venomous creatures include snakes, spiders, wasps amounts others. Food plants like apple, plum, kidney bean, potato, rhubarb all contain small amounts of toxins; not enough to kill humans but if ingested in excess can cause discomfort Venom is a mixture of proteins and enzymes that is present in a number of animals. The first thing to know about venom is that it is “natural” (like saliva) and is produced inside an organism. The second major characteristic is that venom has to be injected. And for that there are fangs and stingers. Venoms can affect the prey’s cardiovascular system or muscles or nervous system or, worse, all three together. Most of these creatures have an immune system that protects them from their own venom. Animals use venom both as defence mechanism and to kill prey. Venoms are not always fatal. But they sure are hurtful, always. Remember that venomous colleague whose whiplash remarks you scarred?

The Opposite of Truth is not a Lie!

When does the truth set you free? ~ When as a life time traveler you have reached the end of your journey? ~ liberated from craving, attachment, misery and free of sin to get a berth in heaven? The Truth is about life before death, the ultimate reality of nature as it exists in an experiential level. In the western and religious context it predicts events, freedom from sin, bondage a form of salvation etc. In the quantum spiritual philosophy, truth is a mystical perception of exciting possibilities in life. It has nothing to do with knowledge or religion, sin or virtue, but it has everything to do with simple awareness of all your senses being heightened and alert to the nuances and reality of the universe. It is about essentials which are strewn in front of our eyes, but seem so hidden and out of sight that we have to keep reminding ourselves to seek it out. It is about the inner workings of contentment and happiness which we must strive to capture before it disappears into a time that passes before space. All it requires is a heightened sense of consciousness that transcends the complex elaborations of religious dogma. We must assimilate the spiritual symbolism of nature into our hearts, where every sentient and insentient things are interconnected. Truth and freedom need not be inter – related. The opposite of truth is not a lie but another truth called awareness or cognizance.

Th Elegy dies out.

The history of religious disputes and jihads is the history of misleading dogmas, superstitions, half baked logic, baffling abstract scriptures, contemptuous intolerance and theological malfeasance. A mad religious confederacy- a racket of proselyters, who thrive on attacking other faiths and beliefs. As children our lives were magical then conditioning made it boring and finally fear sets in our hearts. How often the fear of one evil leads us into worse. In the holy books the authors feed us with the deadly fear of divine retribution, and then make an outlandish premise of salvation, to convince everyone that this is the reality. Religion is a false therapy for real happiness as it preys on our fears , but it has become a part of society’s addiction mainly because it is a a sort of communal activity – a buddy system, the comfort of the herd. Rationalists fiercely distrust this idea of a collective consciousness behind religions and its discontents. But the poor believer is made to swallow all holy books like the Bible, Koran etc, hook, line and scriptures and asked to recite the verses at the first hint of misery or a problem. In the end the human body reduces to ashes, small enough to fit in to a shoe box. The solitude of the grave being our own mortality and we discover too late that the terrible apprehensions were also mortal and dies with you – neither religion, nor the loud hosanna’s makes any sense or sound.

Oneness is the Universal Orgasm.

In the Hindu philosophy “The Big Bang” was the agitated explosion of seeds all over the cosmos. That is why Tantric love is such a powerful force in this world. No force can subdue it or repress it, because it is the ultimate life force. In Vedanta all this solid, liquid, gaseous, space, shape and matter are forms of energy imbued with love or Kama and cannot be destroyed. Kama or love is the opening of the cosmic energy and has to be overcome for liberation. Moksha or liberation is shutting of this energy in its diversity, up to its primordial cause, - world stuff. That is why at the height of physical orgasm, you become one with your partner – Oneness in Tantric sex. The beginning of good things – Kama is the divine and orgasm is the perfect communion. This energy can be more spiritual and less carnal, as energy can be transformed but cannot be destroyed.

The Truth shall let you “flee” …..!

This is an oft repeated verily in the Bible and used by every preacher worth his gown. The biblical implication is you are free from sin and no longer a slave – but unshackled from the religious context and semantics what does it mean? Jesus stated “I am the way, the truth and the life; no one can reach the Father except through me (John 14.1) but what is the father like? What does it signify? In eastern philosophy they claim that bad Karma of the past can be erased if you attain Nirvana. There are so many religious spiritual and philosophical interpretations that one is confused and can only shrug it off. If truth or reality is what exists then each religion, culture, society and individual perceives it with a different tinted spectacle till it becomes formless and invisible. Since we read too much into reality the, interpretations are totally different for every individual and this is the basis of conflict. As Errol Morris states “the truth is out there, truth may be elusive, it may even be unknowable, but that doesn’t mean that reality is just a matter of subjective perspectives that one way of seeing things is just as good as another. Just like life the truth is also as explosion of contradictory perceptions and possibilities. Truth lies everywhere and partly in lies. Truth can also be hate as Orwell stated “during times of Universal deceit, telling the truth can cause a revolution. The search for the truth is just a particular species for the search for purpose, meaning, and enlightenment and is as elusive as a wild goose chase. Not through much learning is the mystery of life (Atman) reached – not through the intellect or sacred teachings.

The Opposite of Life is not Death!

The opposite of death is birth, as most religions, spirituality and science all point to the same direction. In the common religious belief our souls live on and travel into another realm. Science has unshakeable belief in the theory that the Universe is based on endless hierarchies of circlons. So the theory of eternal life is propagated. All religions talk about the multiple levels or dimensions of existence after the soul exits earth. In Hindu philosophy the journey of the soul is like ascending a mountain, as there are several astral planets or spiritual realms where the soul has to climb after the end of physical life. This may be why the Quran and Bible often refer to a “Seventh Heaven” in the Japanese and Chinese spiritual martial arts like Karate & Kung Fu- there are “seven” levels (white, yellow, , ---- up to black) each a complex reticulated stage, because in their infinite Zen like wisdom they realized that humans are never perfect. Death like life cannot be reduced to physiology, yet death always pulls in a crowd unlike life. As I make my way through a bottle of scotch, I realize I have been falling into my own life of incarnations -with birth and death as egress and exit points. So truly there is that place in the heart where hope lives with fatalism, when I review my life at the end of the day after experiencing life on earth – I have no place to live except in my own heart. Life can be more deadly than death and death can open up the road to a new life in another realm. Some say the universe is dead or inert and everything that happens is accidental or random. Others say the universe is alive and compassionate and there is a design. Raindrops trickle down on earth because streams and fill up the ocean- then clouds are formed and the cycle is repeated.

Love Thy Universe

Love is your being… But that love has become almost impossible. The society does not allow it. The society conditions you in such a way that love becomes impossible and hate becomes the only possible thing. Then hate is easy, and love is not only difficult but impossible. Man has been distorted; man cannot be reduced to slavery if he is not distorted first. The Politician and the Priest have been in a deep conspiracy down the ages. They have been reducing humanity to a crowd of slaves. They are destroying every possibility or rebellion in man – and love is rebellion, because love listens only to the heart and does not care a bit about anything else. Love is dangerous because it makes you an individual, and the State and the Church, they don’t want individuals, not at all. They don’t want human beings – they want sheep. They want people who only look like human beings, but whose souls have been crushed so utterly, damages so deeply, that it seems almost irreparable. And the best way to destroy man is to destroy his spontaneity of love. If man has love, there can’t be Nations; nations exist on hate. If love appears, boundaries will disappear. If love appears, then who will be a Hindu / Christian and then who will be a Muslim? If love appears, religions will disappear. If love appears, who is going to go to the Temple / Mosque/Church? For what? It is because love is missing that you are searching for a divine power. The Supreme creator is nothing but a substitute for your missing love. Because you are not blissful, because you are not peaceful, because you are not ecstatic, hence you are searching for a deity – otherwise, who bothers? Who cares? If your life is a dance, god has been attained already in your heart. There is no need for any search, there is no more purpose, no truth to set you free, no enlightenment, no nirvana, there is no need for any prayer, and there is no need to go to any temple, church or mosque nor to any priest. Hence, the Priest and the Politician, these two are the enemies of humanity. And they are in a conspiracy, because the Politician wants to rule your body and the Priest wants to rule your soul. –Vinay-

Banking on Superstition during hard times. Isn’t it strange that when we are down in the dumps we grasp at every straw, whether it is the Lord of the lies, Feng Shui, Eastern Mysticism or a pantheon of gods for solutions? Superstition plays an important part in our lives, as Mark Twain stated the lack of money is the root of all misery. You can be born with a silver spoon or work your way to riches but when you end up in the soup kitchen you try any remedy. During recessionary period’s people will resort to any sort of hocus focus? We accept many beliefs without questioning them. There is the Hindu goddess of wealth (Mahalaxmi) or Kuber the pot belied dwarf with one eye and eight teeth, who is worshipped by the devout to bring prosperity. If you like western mythology you can implore the Greek god Pluto who ensures allocation of resources (wonder why Greece is bankrupt). The Jhamlias are Chinese wealth gods & the Taoists have their laughing Buddha. Feng Shui is the latest fad for bringing in dame fortune through you may have to re-locate your toilet to the main entrance & paint the main door in flaming yellow. Live plants and a mini waterfall is also a big help, three ancient coins tied in a knot bring in more wealth. In the olden days you worked hard and the sweat would turn to gold and the lazy ones would many into money. Of course now we have credit cards and banks willing to extend easy personal loans & wealth managers to take it away from you. But Bernie Madoff even in prison swears by Ponzi schemes, because like believers there are a billion suckers out there waiting to part with their money. So take a leap of faith: use a three legged toad for luck and launch a new scheme – a sure fire way to bag a grand slam with the new amulet or charms.-Vinay-

Banking on Superstition during hard times. Isn’t it strange that when we are down in the dumps we grasp at every straw, whether it is the Lord of the lies, Feng Shui, Eastern Mysticism or a pantheon of gods for solutions? Superstition plays an important part in our lives, as Mark Twain stated the lack of money is the root of all misery. You can be born with a silver spoon or work your way to riches but when you end up in the soup kitchen you try any remedy. During recessionary period’s people will resort to any sort of hocus focus? We accept many beliefs without questioning them. There is the Hindu goddess of wealth (Mahalaxmi) or Kuber the pot belied dwarf with one eye and eight teeth, who is worshipped by the devout to bring prosperity. If you like western mythology you can implore the Greek god Pluto who ensures allocation of resources (wonder why Greece is bankrupt). The Jhamlias are Chinese wealth gods & the Taoists have their laughing Buddha. Feng Shui is the latest fad for bringing in dame fortune through you may have to re-locate your toilet to the main entrance & paint the main door in flaming yellow. Live plants and a mini waterfall is also a big help, three ancient coins tied in a knot bring in more wealth. In the olden days you worked hard and the sweat would turn to gold and the lazy ones would many into money. Of course now we have credit cards and banks willing to extend easy personal loans & wealth managers to take it away from you. But Bernie Madoff even in prison swears by Ponzi schemes, because like believers there are a billion suckers out there waiting to part with their money. So take a leap of faith: use a three legged toad for luck and launch a new scheme – a sure fire way to bag a grand slam with the new amulet or charms.-Vinay-

From a Babe in the womb to an enfant in the woods..

Before entering this world in the reflected dark light of the womb as an embryo, you were involuntarily meditating, on the grand journey you would embark on earth. The comfort and security of the womb is the actual state of Nirvana, hence in life you crave to go back to that primordial tranquility. This is the deep driving desire in our sub-conscious that is embedded in all mankind. Even as we perceive the depiction of life in its changing qualities, while seeking for what is euphemistically termed the “purpose” of life.At birth your life is an empty canvas and the background of upheavals, is kept out like hidden brush strokes. The mind without thought stirs fitfully, expanding and you begin the journey into the unknown. At this point all society and religion will woo you, claiming that theirs is the only true path to Paradise. Your existential state exposes you to the misery, neuroses, the corruption of liberation through sin and insanity of the world and you decide you have had enough of the traditional religious systems, as you traipse an odyssey from virgin territory to the battlefield of life on earth. Your quest is now to combat the abstract and remote from the concrete human experience, to capture the fleeting moment of time, capture the ethic of change in the subject of life with the perception to look into the future by impressionism. You realize that paradise remains a mystery ever for traditional religious. Just like the many drops of water which form the seven seas, there are myriad paths that can lead one to the inner stillness of the ocean. Endless desires will distract you, from the journey, you try to control your mind and find a way to listen to your heart. The essence is to interpret nature not recreate it as society wants, the fragrance of life is hidden in the bouquet of the Universe. As you begin the unending journey wading through unknown territory, through upheavals, experiment new ideas, the light and shadows of creatively swirl - to form the emotional turmoil and reality of life. The universe will inspire you to evolve within yourself and the inspiration will manifest itself.

The Law of diminishing Desire.

Everyone rich poor and the miserable wants infinite pleasure and fabulous riches; this in itself is a fragile illusion. We are always in a hurry to enjoy the richness of life; no one wants to let time take its course. While the emotional drivers of our body need the desires of the senses, tradition opts for abstinence as good for the soul. There is a foolish nation that abstinence from the pleasures will liberate you instantly this promise is fundamentally flawed; many religious festivals make it compulsory to abstain from sensual pleasures and even advocate fasting. But we find that after the enforced period is over, people rush and gorge themselves in a sort of spiritual bulima. In economics there is the “law of diminishing utility” which says that desire becomes diminished the more you consume. Like a buffet or banquet, where the first plate / helping gives immense sensual pleasure, but later as you go in for more helpings, you reach a point where even the thought of food makes you sick. Worldly goods we pursue and desires we feed; they cannot be eliminated but can certainly by satiated. In Greek tradition nothing is “excess” so the body’s desire cannot be denied due to the pursuit of the soul. Similarly the correct way to get rid of desire is to indulge in it excessively, including material, sensual & carnal desires, almost to the point of satiation, then you can transcend to the next level. However there is no crash course it grows in time as you go through all the phases of worldly life and reach a point of satiation over a period of time. So paradoxically liberation comes from indulgence rather than abstinence. So give in to your worldly desire, material, sensual and carnal to be free from craving. Celebrate life not abstain from it.

Entre chien et Loup!

Breakthroughs in neuroscience show us how hormones affect the brain, influencing how we think and behave. Biology evolved over the millennia helped us to fight or flee and the same intuition helps our commercial sense and stock traders during bull or bear runs. As the testosterone levels rise like animals we are primed for a fight and our confidence and risk appetite increases. Volatile markets and losses triggered stress hormones in traders, making them sensitive to uncontrollability and uncertainty. We get butterflies in our stomachs and this makes our blood vessels constrict. It is like the sphincter or erector pili muscles that pump blood to make things bigger and turgid during excitement or like a cat which raises its fur when threatened. George Soros mentioned the onset of acute back pain that signaled to him that something was amiss in his portfolio, so bodies influence behavior and one can make or lose money. When, stocks crash, traders and investors are overwhelmed, by the stress hormone, cortisol. Testosterone and other hormones impair our judgment as sometimes we feel infallible which suspends our reason and we take on more risks. Anyone who has been in a high stress executive career will know how before an important conference or meeting their bodies undergo physiological changes. They begin to sweat, heart rate increases, pupils dilate, breathing is irregular and faster, this coupled with the adrenaline rush are all symptoms of fear. Jitterbugs, carbuncles, wind, periods, pussys, pancreas, panacea, paranoia, psychosis, pises, penis, punks, pernods et alii. Everyone marches to the men’s room/ toilet to exude the pent up fear – bowels liquefy, diarrhea and the stench of a slaughterhouse emanates. We think with our bodies as well as our brains and it proves that the same physiological responses we feel in doing any dangerous feat like skydiving, or hunting a wounded mountain lion come into play. The moment of metamorphoses is called the hour between dog and wolf or as stated in French “entre chien et loup”. It is a fascinating logic tracing the Hubris or Nemesis, overconfidence and downfall. – Joan Coates- The Hour between Dog and Wolf.

Penny dreadful thoughts.

Our thoughts are conditioned by centuries of inoculation, many a time the inner turmoil and alienation will cross your path and there is no answer, no matter how hard you search, it will elude you. But the quest to discover the experience of existence is strongly embedded in our psyche. When at last man realizes that nothing is to be expected from God , society , friends, benevolent tyrants or governments, then it dawns on him that he must use his own faculties to liberate himself and that there is no mercy. Distortion and exaggeration impede attachment of the harmony and stillness of the womb. If you are not influenced by the proselytes and not drunk with religious fervor or beliefs, you become the path and the journey against dominant dogmas of religion. As long as you are sober you will realize there is no good or evil, no vice or virtue. Man has known no solitude except in the upper regions, where one is a poet, philosopher or madman. There is something beyond the solitudes of our minds which abides in supreme silence, returning to the source and stillness of the womb. Your emotions and thoughts will communicate the sense of tranquility and will not miss - the existentialism of life even when facing the inevitability of death. You will be consumed by love and the most important facet is the fascinating reality of the Universe. –Vinay-

Story of my life

I was born to an Aristocratic and feudal family of North Malabar, Kerala. My great grandfather Rao Bahadur Krishnan Nair was the first Indian District Engineer to be appointed to a post that was always designated for the British, and he owned half of a one horse town called Payyanur. Being socially well connected my grandparents and mother grew up in a highly stimulating and intellectual environment, where handling of ideas and concepts were encouraged, this tradition has been passed on to us. After marriage to my father who was an Oil and Soap technologist working for Lever Brothers International she moved to the quasi- mythical island in the sun called Ceylon( SriLanka) it was also known as serendipity in those days…….. Though hailing from a humble village in India, my parents through ability and achievements advanced up the social ladder, rung by rung in a snooty British colonized society of Ceylon. They gained access to the upper middle class dinner soirees. It was a cozy, genteel exclusive and somewhat smug world in which background and family were deemed more important than individual qualities. The core values of grace, enterprise and chivalry were crucial and part of the fabric. Here in Ceylon I experienced the first interfolding of people from different cultures, countries, food habits and hospitality. The sense of order, sociability and well being was expressed in the landscapes of Ceylon my first hometown- where I lived and studied till GCE "O" level in the best public school. Being the only Hindu in my class I used to attend catechism classes and even dabbled in Latin for a year (Amo) as my second language. io ti amo amore mio. I loved swimming, cricket, boxing, andrugby and was part of the junior team at St Joseph's College. My first puppy love was a beautiful Muslim girl called Zeenia my neighbor and I can still conjure up magical romantic images of her, as well as the canings I received on my butt from the Rector. In my thoughts I invoke the landscapes of Ceylon my foster homeland, lost forever to historical vagaries – now recoverable only in a dream. I was seduced by the beauty of that emerald island; in youth I used to lose myself amongst the azure Blue Ocean and windswept beaches of Mt Lavinia and Galle face promenade. I also vividly remember the lakes and cloud hidden mountains of Nuwara Eliya. The underpinnings of money and political connections reared its head as the sons of the soil theory gained momentum in the island. The Civil war, unkindness and dominance formed an ugly underlay beneath the beautiful sense of community which we immigrants had embodied earlier, and forced us to leave the island in penury. But I guess that is life; it is a struggle and communities will always be swayed by political fervor whipped up by fundamentalists and faction ridden political parties. That is why in my writings there is a tinge of sadness, the exile crossing wastelands in quest of anchorage – the solitary pilgrim following an elusive falling star, or like a magician conjuring up new geographies ~ of the forests, streams in defiance of the brutality of the circumstanc

Frozen wall posts

Enlightenment does not come by prayer or meditation, nor by following the moral compass of religion. Enlightenment comes from releasing the pent up emotions and love imprisoned within you into the world.You cannot delve into your past or yogic practices to make your present better - you have to unfold your own myth.-Vinay- "Control is just an illusion. Mind accepts the confusion, lives with the intrusion, until Love ends the delusion." Serious Philosophy Sentiment surfaces fast and runs hot in public life, dumbing it down and crippling intimacy in private life. I regret the insinuation that anything I post is moral, spiritual, theological or good for anyone in anyway. The search for the truth is just a particular species of the search for the truth. - Spiritual encyclopedia- Spirituality is mind over matter –when the mind says ‘it does not matter’ to worldly material possessions. When you wake up at dawn remember the sunset is not far away. Learn to drink life to the lees- savoring each sip lovingly betwixt the lips- there is no destiny in reading the tea leaves. Tell them I am dying as I live, So they the dying will live again As the moon dieth and cometh to life again, So we will also have to die, till we live again.- Indian Prayer- Your love is worth everything I have Pain, Sorrow Passion, Sex and even Death... My elegiac heart....My life...... Possesses nothing else tomorrow naked as a monk I can leave this worldly game. My Soul would surely have lost nothing..... I am like the high plains drifter racing up the Mountain to meet you. to the heavens. I am the soul that frees your heart. Come with me to explore the coast of my love to end of the world and float with me beyond our galaxy. I want to explore every line of your languid body, touch you with the passion of yesterday, today and tomorrow. I do not own the night, the moon, the stars, your body, or the right to call your name; but your love owns everything I have, my heart, my body and my soul. You are sensational, irresistible, you have penetrated my soul, deeply, passionately.

The Rape of the Lock.

Sexual assault cannot be explained away by geography, morality, emotionality, causality nor by anodyne reportage, that allows readers to skim and move on with their own lives. Sexual violence and abuse are primal and despicable it is easy to denounce them in terms of morality, religiosity than to actually engage with them. They defy historicity, context and the narrative of human progress. They are luminal, suspended, beyond the reach of articulation. Predicated upon cornerstones of morality, anything remotely related to sexuality is always exciting press and news but it is a fine line – you don’t want to offend sensibilities. Clueless people think that talking about experiences of rape help the victims to “get over” it. It can never be therapeutic! The experience of violence constitutes their very beings, their identities, their sexuality. At best it affords some navigability through a maelstrom s which holds no “rationale” escape or solace. The real story is one about silence which seriously metamorphoses into strength or culpability. Their minds may hold the narratives at the Foucauldian nightmare bur the bodies bear the scars and memories. Do they need validation for complying with the hetro – patriarchal system with its fascist, aesthetic laws that categorically elides the stories that these scarred bodies tell – or how do they transpose the stories of their bodies, their corporeality, into the realms of the minds, making it more palatable an abstract matter of societal morals and justice.

The Invisible Soul.

In absolute darkness they say resides absolute light. The soul appears to be finite because of our lack of higher awareness of the ultimate reality as espoused in Vedanta. When we try to separate things from each other out of the fear of chaos and we try to break it down and analyze it. For centuries it has been theorized, discussed, labeled and dogmatized by different religious voices so general of the times- that they are anonymous like the old morality plays. Supreme consciousness is without attributes or perceptible qualities of color, dimension or other senses. Like energy it does not cease to exist and cannot be created –This goes against the tenet of a supreme creator, because the very act of creation puts a limit on it and it ceases to be infinite. It is this formlessness that makes it an indescribable abstraction and the only reality, the pure bliss of existence. It is complete and exhaustive- the substratum of the living Universe. –Vinay- ( Distilled spirits from the Vedas).

A Formless Shadow.

Einstein considered time as a fourth dimension but this quantum superposition collapses in the Vedic tradition – as time and tide are attributes, as can be interpreted from the Bhagwad Gita discourses as stated by Dr. Deepak Ranade in his take on the subject. In the Abrhamic and other religions God the savior of mankind is noble and blessed with perceptible qualities. It has form, it can be imagined and has multiple names, Jesus, Allah, God, etc as invoked by its devotees.- the creator of the universe and all life forms. However in Vedantic terms the “Big Bang” is a manifestation as opposed to a creation, it is conscious reality by itself’ everything else is a modification. It is a state of being beyond any spatio –temporal frame, unique with a potential to manifest a quantum superposition. Like the sun and the moon reflects from the other, being aspects of each other and form wholes. Nothing exists in isolation, they come together – divisions are broken down; there is formlessness with the end of fragmentatation, this is the formless essence. A Cartesian space – time frame the absence of content, in a containing entity. This may appear to contradict the God supreme creator theory, but it is not if one can comprehend “nothing” is the supreme consciousness without subject and object – there is no vice or virtue.

The Right to Education is a Wrong.

It is because we are not properly educated that we lie captive at the hands of the lords of conformity and kitsch; theological or religious training is just a matter of forcing someone else’s opinion down our throats. It starts at birth; you are either born a Christian, Hindu, Buddhist or Muslim etc. The culture mentality is deeply embedded at an early stage 4-6 years, and in the process we are taught to distrust one’s own opinion or judgment. Children are taught submission to authority and a personal god, how to seek other people opinions and decisions and what is moral as per their religion and quote and understand only those scriptures. In school in Ceylon as I was the only Hindu boy in the class I was forced to attend catechism classes, in Islam Madrassa’s schools teach you that all non Muslims are infidels. Thoughts as laid down by our predecessors which are self perpetuating unlike science is treated as the gospel truth, change is anathema. It is somewhat like Marxism that is why religion is bound to fail as science and technology progresses. Religious ethics like an amoeba keeps on dividing and sub-dividing like all religions and end up with smaller chapels and multiply into different sects and creeds from the original. The paradox is we live in a free country, we are supposed to have a free will and a free mind, yet we are prisoners of the assumptions and rigid doctrines that are installed in our minds. This is the false dichotomy rooted in the heart of every religious culture. The time has come to cast all the holy books aside, break through the false patterns of formulas made to shore up these religions. Dissolve all this and form a new aristocracy of spirituality and intellect- the triumph of the caged human spirit.

Share the bounty.

Giving back has always been synonymous with the Indian ethos and spirituality, charity for the underprivileged, philanthropy in life, detachment of material possessions and renouncement are the fabric of Hindu philosophy. Even Gautama Buddha realized this impermanence and gave up his kingdom in order to alleviate the suffering of the poor. In the west although imperfect, politicians and industrialists who have abused power entrusted to them and usurped it to amass huge fortunes have had a change of heart like the Nobel foundation, Rockefellers and now the new breed of Billionaires have all had a change of heart and willed away the fortunes to the underprivileged. They no longer want those mercurial moments inspired by poignant sighting through rose (dark) tinted glasses of a Cadillac or Porsche to be forgotten. They are all mapping out and changing the entire philanthropic landscape with their largesse the altruistic eco-system is undergoing rapid change. Perhaps the impermanence of wealth and fame has made them sit up and put their best dainty foot forward in an elegant stride to sharing the good life.

I used up all my life, so I am calling in Dead. (From Womb to Tomb)

Friends are there when the weather is fair, Kin will be there, when you provide the fare Passions and bonds will shift as time goes by Truth hides in silence, but you see the lie You live in this world for just a while. Like a pilgrim you ascend the mountain, Barren and desolate lies the pinnacle of your folly Lonely and lost you slither into the valley. Drifting in the fields you embrace the daffodils. A celestial dance to the end of life’s ills Life has no meaning sans the existentialist angst, Sing, dance and be merry as long as you exist. Death makes no promises, so do not tarry Life has kidnapped you with its great white lie Purpose is an illusion that adds to the confusion But death will set you free to embrace the dark consciousness. Ponder in the cool, damp tomb, bereft of all pain and intrusion Meditate that all fame and wealth was in vain Embracing the grim reaper with love ends all the delusion –Vinay--Cosmic Philosophy-

Culture Vultures

I grew up in an undivided joint family atmosphere where grandparents, cousins and siblings formed a great team and support system. India being a secular country we would celebrate all the festivals, which gave us the chance to connect to our cultural roots. Slowly with globalization and erosion of the joint family system we have drifted apart from the links of our own heritage, where using our relationship and clout we could safely navigate potential impediments in life. As I watched my kids mingle with the next generation of cousins I wondered about these third culture kids who were scattered all over the globe. Mobile in body soul and intellect with no place to call their own, they fit in everywhere, but nowhere in particular, funny isn’t it? A new flashy assorted culture is beamed at them from TV & Internet, food and festivals are homogenized & indigenized, Dominoes pizza to homemade food. The memory of their own culture and grandparents diminishes as their minds are filled with the arts, language and a cornucopia of other cultures. A sense of inferiority & alienation creeps in - as the ignorance of then own culture increases in leaps & bounds. As more and more people move into nuclear families leaving their parents and grandparents behind, a veil of “dementia” sets in on these oldies who now a pre-programmed to a Skype call every month. As time goes by the elderly are likely to be lonelier – despite the occasional trips that are enforced to either baby sit their grandchildren or change. All of us who revere the old culture know we are just a bunch of Jurassic park dinosaurs unable to comprehend the wanton amenisa of the new generation, and the end of a culture that is completely gone.

From Here to Eternity

From cradle to grave is a celebration of life. The process of dying begins at birth; in the play of life we assume many roles till finally the many becomes one. The body mind and soul are part of an integrated construct a sort of trinity as explained by the world view. By nature the body is inert till our intellect commands it to action, the mind is always vibrant and dynamic. However we are conditioned by society, religion and peer pressure to repress our independent views and actions thereof. We are forced to become believers, and end up with petty dogmas and absurd beliefs. Success, happiness and growth are part of our birthright and anyone or society that curtails it is myopic. Life is for celebration not for asceticism and denial. Every day when we wake up, our senses our alive and have a strong desire to enjoy the world. The Intellect is the realm of judgment but can be clouded by discrimination and bogged down by petty considerations enforced by society / religion. Many arguments will be put to justify their stands but if one embraces it then one will become confused, dispassionate and a troubled soul. Unhitch yourself from the herd wagon, all life is about contact of the senses, the deeper the contact the deeper the pleasure. Only then will you feel fulfilled. Abstinence, or dieting or leading an ascetic life can’t save you-in fact you will feel stupid in the end, some day when you die of “nothing” having enjoyed nothing. Life is a full zero upon completion, on death it is a state that reveals nothingness – dust unto dust. When I leave this planet having danced life with abandon, letting ecstasy and pain fill right down to my marrow. My body will be bruised to the bone with love, grief and despair. It will bear more scars than a crucified Jesus; all the skid marks of an abusive, life will be strewn all over my skin. A man warped by life, enfeebled by surrender to a hedonistic life. Lungs black with smoking weed and tobacco, liver shriveled due to dawn to dusk drinking. Body fluids drained indulging in every sin known to mankind – heart broken into smithereens with all the women who gave meaning to my life. Yet my mind bruised after a night of revelry will try to get up, aching with longings and desires, despite partaking fully in every parson of life. I prefer to go with a battered, bruised and withered body, yet my spirit will be alive and kicking; having savored every sensual moment in life. Only fools exit with the pristine body of a sage. The saint and the sinner the believer and the atheist meet the same fate – up in flames or eaten by worms and transformed to dust. If there is a soul and it can seek newer bodies it might change places between the saint & sinner and eventually both disappear, and in the final analysis or test, I will not shrink back if placed in the center of the fires in purgatory.-Vinay-

The Art of Lying.

Lying is a complex job- a lot more complicated than telling the truth. Firstly you have to identify the truthful response and inhibit it – stop yourself from saying it. Then you need to select a response that’s at odds with the truth and make sure it’s consistent with any other answers that you have given – or about to give. It’s this complexity – the number of steps involved – that makes working out what’s going on in your mind a particularly difficult task. When someone is lying they have to multitask- the attention span given to any one task drops and so does the electrical strength of the P300 pulse signal in the brain measured by an EEG. Lie detectors work on this principle, the sensors strapped to your body/arms measure heart rate, breathing rate, BP and sweat production rate. Initially your base pattern is established as a benchmark. When you are questioned and the variations of the base pattern crop up on the screen or styluses recording it then you are lying. Yoga and meditation can help defeat a lie detector test. (BBC & Aich)

The Good Earth any Good Society

In the fifties the respected professions were in medicine, engineering, law and education. The civil service was a sort of comfort zone for those who had a desire for certainty and stability throughout life. Business, finance and money lenders were anathema were considered a sleazy business and were treated with disdain and suspicion. Doctors, Engineers, Judges, Lawyers and Professors felt rewarded and belonged to an elite club. The advent of MNC’s and B-schools changed the landscape overnight and a whole new world of professions with a breed of men with halos appeared on the firmament. Managers, stock brokers, Investment bankers, financial analysts, advisors etc. were the desired vocations. There is a stampede for finance related occupations and software professionals. Finance and salesmanship were the buzzwords of the eighties and nineties. Yes the real world is focused on wealth creation and may even cut corners in the process. In reality the Shylockian image no longer causes anxiety, as it did earlier as a lot of our morals have been modified to accept the peccadilloes of the high world of financial pornography, where stocks are over rated, accounts and balance sheets are manipulated etc. More and more people are leaving high minded fields to venture into finance related occupations. We may ask why anyone with a sense of personal morality should go into finance, well for one it offers astronomically high salaries and offers more than the usual temptation to be less than honest. The person may experience what psychologists call “cognitive dissonance”. Morals when they exist, reside within one’s self – independent and irrespective of who or what the other entity may be. To maintain self esteem in such circumstances, people may revise their beliefs. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that our morality goes out of the window. It’s a case of morals taking a nose dive in the brave new world of finance. _-Citings- The Good Society

The Heart Yearns for More!

(Ye Dil Maange More) Things are not what they seem to be or are taught to us by specific contexts, yet religions try to exploit the human species as something profound and beyond other things in the Universe. We give a very high estimate to human nature, in order to control what we think, is the base impulse and try to liberate the finer impulses as codified by society and religion. We spend most of our life trying to conform to society and religion- hear the preachers boring monotone of sin / atonement / salvation / redemption and liberation; which drowns our inner voice which is asking us to break free of these shackles. Religion and society does not allow us to be ourselves, or speak out our minds. Does it matter? When the “exclusion of felt life” over flows into wider cultural attitudes, it has the effect of lowering our expectations of ourselves. What does it matter who “we” are if our entire life of reflection and emotion is simply written off as genetically selfish propagation? The Lokayatas / Charvakas also denied after life and transcendence. When you are not part of a religious network, there is much more freedom of operation and experience. A hyper selfish or a carnally materialistic view of life is triggered by a mixture of boredom and frustration of trying to escape dithering and endless theological discourses – by tunneling frantically out of the religious jail like environment. Our only duty is to eat drink and be merry as long as you we are alive. Beg, borrow or steal for that purpose -there is nothing left of “you” after death except ashes. So let your inner voice prevail in the battle for your heart. Order that multi course meal – oysters, hors d’0euvres, filet mignon, pate foi grass, a selection of wines and deserts. Belief is not morally superior to enjoying one’s life. -Excerpts- Bibliography (Marylinne Robinson – “Absence of mind”- Vithal Nadkarni‘s take on this with Lokayatas).

The Root of all Evil!

This was a television documentary presented by Richard Dawson in which he states that God and religion is the root of all evil. Dawson’s title was “The God Delusion”, but channel 4 changed it to create sensationalism. It explores the unproven beliefs which are treated as factual by religions and the extremes to which fanatical followers take this faith. Evolution has given humans a huge advantage over animals and plants, as they evolve over 5 to 6 decades before decay sets in. If you try to look at consciousness within the structure of evolution- you will see that life has evolved- from simple life forms to more complex ones with intelligence that is when quantum consciousness emerged. It is perfectly obvious that there is some genetic factor that distinguishes humans from other animals and plant life and that it is mind specific. The religions have their party catechism to repeat in lockstep, like the old communist party. One of the tenets is to oppose change which is fundamentally against evolution. In religious philosophy, involution is the process by which divine essence is injected into the minds, to restrict free will and thinking. The Meta- cosmos, energy, absolute, God, Brahma, Allah, and Life- force, etc- evil is God itself! God rebelled against the unlimited ness and was tempted to and preferred to experience limitations. The conflict is not man vs. God, or good and evil, but a sort of unlimited power and a limited power. As Ayn Rand states in her book Atlas shrugged “Since reason is a man’s basic means of survival, that which is proper to the life of a rational being is the good: that which negates, opposes or destroys it is the real evil. If you look at the grass, trees, animals moving and evolving dried leaves and green shoots – almost an allegory of life itself – decay and regeneration, preservation of any thing including religious principle or doctrine that is rigid is anti-nature and against the essence of evolution. The Higgs boson or (God particle) is a quantum fluctuation in pre-existing nothingness that permeates space, revealing the basic truths that underpin reality. Religion and church has tried to pre-program humans and is trying to tightly choreograph humans into fanatic believers. This apathy to change strongly suggests that religions are a controlled pre-programmed process not of development but of decline.

Despair is a mortal sin!

Our greatest enemy is boredom and despair; it is really physical there are times when you wallow in self pity & ennui. You really do not realize you are a body and sink to a point of depletion where it doesn’t seem worthwhile to get up. Many of us have been in such a situation and require a herculean effort, or a blessings counter to summon enough courage or reasons, to come out of our shells. Out of this trapped deadwood, it’s worth the effort to spring forth into a new leaf. The universe is 95% dark space, we have very little light, we are all replicas of the universe, and we are dark inside. Look for what lies beneath, deep down, where there is complete darkness. Darkness is everywhere and there is also peace in darkness, it is synonymous with silence. When we see nature, it arrests our thought processes and the image is superimposed in our minds eye, then we imbibe it for a moment, but don’t interpret it. Extend the moment into eternity, to live in that moment and taste it continuously in our everyday life – right in the crowd, not in the cave- is the path to enlightment.-Vinay-

A Lonely Planet

The world has come a long way from the pre-historic times. Our web of connections has grown broader encompassing; the whole global village - social interaction has broadened considerably with the IT freeway. Science, technology, jet travel and internet has blurred the distinction between history, geography, philosophy, time and space; packing all the wrong things for eternal survival let alone enjoying life. Though we arrive naked at birth we soon acquire a whole wardrobe of friends, well wishers and groups. As party animals we have a huge appetite for social interaction and bonding, be it religion, society, culture, creed or family. These passions and bonds like waves carry us in the ocean of life. The youthful brings in its wake love and passion; we dance in merriment and ride the chariot of wedded bliss, accompanied by kith and kin. Slowly as time goes by we realize that the world is but a nether place, the children have left the nest - ears ring with cries of a shattered innocence, voices of the dead resonate in your dreams, memories are grey with ash, like the dust setting after the celebration. Quietly everyone willingly abandons the tenuous bonds that once were strong. In misery and trouble you realize that no one is willing to support you all the way, there is the Rubicon which they do not want to cross, you have to plough a lonely furrow and walk alone. We all have to leave this earth, one day, no one lives forever in this land, -- and if everyone opts to stay on the planet would be crowded. Like cosmic accounting birth is a credit and death is a debit and symmetrical in life’s balance sheet. In the final stage friends abandon you, the children have their own lives, and you crawl alone to the departure terminal for the flight into eternity. The kith will come for the funeral, the kin will stay in the house, the son may light the funeral pyre and come till the cemetery, from then onwards you transcend time and space on your own. No celestial dance, it is the cosmic orchestration of life and death. -Vinay-

All Roads (paths) lead to the Grave.

I am perplexed and dumbfounded when people, religions and society talk of the myriad paths one must choose in this journey called life. Whenever I cut out Society’s conditioned noise and listen to my intuition, I can hear a deep whisper urging me and my inner voice always carried the restlessness of a vagabond’s heart with a philosopher’s calm about the future. When we travel everyone says the destination is not important but the experience is-then why are people so worried about the path, isn’t it better to be a nomad and hit the road wandering through the twists and turns of life. We should have the urge to probe the visible and the obvious to unearth the hidden secrets of the universe. When we are born we arrive and when we die we exit, so in between is the journey, so buy the ticket take the ride. Throw yourself into worldly activity, with its inner turmoil’s, discoveries and disappointments, which is the real ascetic experience that cleanses and fulfills you. Life is a journey through an evanescent world, so cast aside all attachments and desires then it is like consummating life at every moment, an awakening experience to a fuller life. The journey should be treated like a walk in the park or beach and one must enjoy the essentials en route, smell the zeitgeist. There is no hurry as the destination is unknown and the trip is ephemeral. Life like your journey must be relaxed, like a vacation - sightseeing without a specific destination, without the baggage of remorse, seeking the reward of epiphany. We are busy with our own lives and ignore the yearning for the tangible essences that lie submerged beneath the patina of the world. We don’t have to seek questions or strive for the answers but just live our lives more fully, and our self is born - because our fear of death diminishes, in proportion to the life we live and must be fully spent before we arrive at death. Unspent life like wealth is useless in death. Like in any journey you must emplane before deplaning, board before alighting, the entry is clear, it is the exit that we are unsure of because, death is the metaphor for enlightenment and the final exit to our eternal home the grave. –Vinay-

Weaving the Worldwide We ~ No country for Old Men.

To some people that is a depressing realization. We are used to dismissing our fifth and sixth decades as a negative chapter in our lives, perhaps even a cause for crisis. But recent scientific findings have shown just how important middle age is for every one of us, and how crucial it has been to the success of our species. Old or middle age is not just about wrinkles and worry. It is not about getting old. It is an ancient, pivotal episode in the human life span, preprogrammed into us by natural selection, an exceptional characteristic of an exceptional species. When the web was first introduced, people were told that everything has changed and that there was no place for old fogies. This turned out to be a massive non –sequitur~ a conclusion that does not follow cold logic. That’s precisely the mistake the bankrupt first wave of dot-commers made at the turn of the millennium. To carry out their roles in society, middle-aged people need not necessarily think better than younger adults, but they may have to think differently. Indeed, functional brain imaging studies suggest that they sometimes use different brain regions than young people when performing the same tasks, raising the possibility that the nature of thought itself changes as we get older. And if the job is to manage, motivate and lead a bunch of highly paid, individualistic young men, some poorly educated and self centered, we wrongly assume that we need youth to lead them, lead by example and can be identified as from their planet. Wrong again, farsightedness is rare at 35 but universal from 50 to 60. Alex Ferguson is 70 years, the average age of a Premier League manager is 51. Curious how the most physically demanding and rapidly changing world of sport manages to avoid a youth fixation and applauds experience when it comes to leadership. In offices, on construction sites and on sports fields around the world, we see old and middle-aged people advising and guiding younger adults and sometimes even ordering them about. Middle-aged people can do more, they earn more and, in short, they run the world. The dawn of wisdom like good wine mellows with age, that’s why even Sages, Saints, Philosophers and Scientists are older and wiser.- Excerpted from David Bainbridge and Andrew Cracknell – cocktail stirred not shaken.