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March 31, 2007
The Glory of Education: Part II
If I had one wish, it would be for everyone (in the world) to read this hot-off-the-press book prior to the 2008 Presidential election. Second Chance: Three Presidents and the Crisis of American Superpower ...
Author Zbigniew Brzezinski, of many qualified opinions out there, is for me probably the most experienced and sustinct in his interpretation of the feelings many global-minded Americans must be experiencing...that things are currently not-at-all well with the stature, influence, or power of the United States. Admittedly, I did not understand how dangerous Bush II has been to America's national security and overall future until now. I mean, I knew that things were bad (as does any fan of Bill Maher)...but I didn't have the comprehensive framing of the issues from someone as asteemed as Brzezinski. In short, the book was a deep education for me...an education from one of the very most qualified people around to espouse just opinions in the first place.
In short, you will comprehensively and deeply understand the reasons and meaning behind his last words of the book, that if the American people do not pick the right president in 2008, there will be no third chance for America.
Posted by Saira Mohan at 09:08 AM | Comments (14)
March 30, 2007
Fighting and debating the wrong "war"
I find myself quite uncomfortable with the near consensus I see in America today (as reflected in the media and recent policy coming out of the House and Senate) on the belief that "the war" on terror is going poorly, and the answer to this problem is for America and the world to pull out and leave the Middle East to solve it's own civil and societal issues.
My two main contentions/concerns are as follows:
1. I feel everyone is missing the forest (the real war), as they are focused on the trees (Iraq, and sometimes Afghanistan). The war, and I do believe, we are in the midst of "the third world war" is much broader than just the conflicts in these 2 countries....and I fear "pulling out" of Iraq, may reflect a broader pull back on any sustained attack or defence against the root cause of the war....which I believe is largely, if not fully, unaddressed today (more than 5 years after 9/11).
2. The real war we have is not a physical war at all. It is a virtual or mental war....a war of beliefs and values (largely Islamic beliefs and values on key issues, but broadly religious fundamentalism and the violation of basic human rights using religious beliefs/edicts as a justification).
This real war is the ultimate untraditional war. Yet, the world has largely responded to it with traditional tactics....i.e., physical attack and defence. Hundreds of billions of dollars have been spent already, on physical conflicts in both Afghanistan and Iraq. Imagine what this money could achieve if appropriately redirected into fighting the real war....the war of beliefs.
I think it's time to take a step back, somehow firmly but fairly extricate ourselves out of Iraq over time (I know this in itself is a huge issue, but I'll leave my thoughts on Iraq specifically for a separate discussion. I will say I think it's key despite all the past mistakes....to leave Iraq a much better and more peaceful place than it was and is), redefine and understand the real war against terror, and get cracking using more "untraditional" means such as economic policy, incentives, education, TV and the internet, opportunity and basic common sense and logic....to help the muslim world adopt a more moderate version of their religion (as has happened with other religions, including Christianity over the past few hundred years).
It won't be easy for people to ignore the actual words from the Quran that are used by some to justify killing, discrimination against women, and other inhumane and backward practises....but this is religion....and muslims must adopt moderating changes themselves after debate and discussion....if they are to retain their pride....which is paramount when you are talking about religion and culture.
Posted by Rayman Mathoda at 04:31 PM | Comments (20)
The British hostages in Iran
Why dont the EU and the USA stop buying oil from Iran until the hostages are returned? Hit them where it hurts.
Or is it politics as usual?
Posted by Deepak Singh at 03:34 PM | Comments (16)
The Mystery of the Real Jesus (Part 1)
A stir was made recently by the documentary film from 'Titanic' director James Cameron that claimed to have found the final resting place of Jesus and his family, and although the evidence presented wasn't satisfying to the vast majority of biblical scholars, the search for the real Jesus has become a preoccupation, even obsession. Modern people want evidence that a wandering rabbi, or teacher, actually preached in northern Galilee two thousand years ago, yet outside the New Testament, even the simplest facts about Jesus are essentially non-existent. This has given rise to a number of contending views:
1. The real Jesus is contained in the four gospels.
2. The Jesus found in scripture is so confusing and contradictory that the real person has been lost.
3. Historical evidence is irrelevant. The real Jesus exists in disembodied form.
4. There was no real Jesus, or if he existed, he is buried under layers of theology.
5. In the absence of historical documents, a circumstantial case can be made that reveals much about Jesus and his times.
There are pros and cons to each position, most of them unknown to practicing Christians and skeptics alike. I will devote a post to each argument, although entire books go into extensive detail about them.
Argument #1: The real Jesus is contained in the four gospels.
Pros: This would seem to be the simplest and most logical position to take. The four gospel writers either knew Jesus personally or talked to his disciples. They wrote their accounts roughly in the generation after Jesus died, or the one after that (in any case, before 100 CE). In addition, the accounts of Matthew, Mark and Luke overlap extensively --John is a separate case--further corroborating each other. If the four gospels don't offer the true Jesus as he existed, no other documents can claim such authenticity. They are the best we have or can hope to have in the future.
Cons: There are no cons if you believe that the four gospels are divinely revealed. But we live in an age of doubt and scholarly research, which have combined to upset the tradition of faith. Here are some of the relevant facts that make the four gospels less than convincing:
.
--The gospels are by unknown writers. Only tradition names Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John as the authors. There is no historical evidence that these four figures wrote anything down, and we do not know their actual relationship to Jesus when he was alive. That again is a matter of tradition.
--It is likely that many unknown scribes altered the original texts before a final version was settled on between the third and fourth centuries CE.
--Whoever wrote these accounts, they do not offer the same picture of Jesus, but rather are full of contradictions. Nor do they agree on the same time line of events. (We don't know if Jesus taught for three years, as tradition holds, or as little as eighteen months. We don't know if he went to Jerusalem for high holy days or only once on the Passover when he was arrested and crucified.)
--Words are attributed to Jesus that no one could have heard (such as the scene in the garden of Gesthemane when Jesus asks God to take away the cup from his lips, meaning his coming doom on the cross. This is also when the text tells us that the disciples had all fallen asleep, without anyone to overhear his words. Since he was immediately arrested, he would not have had time to recount them, either).
--The four gospels are full of gaps. Except for a single incident in Jerusalem when he was around twelve, the gospels offer nothing about Jesus's life between the birth story and his appearance to be baptized by John the Baptist when he was around thirty.
--The Jesus of the gospels is psychologically incomplete (for example, not once does he either smile or laugh. We have to wait for later accounts to learn even the barest facts about his brothers and sisters).
-Many key teachings of Jesus are countered by their direct opposite. Jesus preached love, peace, and forgiveness but also vengeance, punishment, intolerance for sinners, and so on. He preaches humility but also says that no one can come to God except through him. He denounces the Pharisees as hypocrites who are blindly tied to the laws of Moses but at other times commands that his followers uphold the same laws.
--Jesus rarely refers to any historical or biographical facts. Such a basic thing as his marital status becomes open to speculation.
--The writers of the gospels did not set out to tell the facts of a life but to convert nonbelievers and support their own belief in Jesus as the Messiah. For this reason they almost certainly exaggerated events, invented miracles, put words into Jesus's mouth, or all three. (For example, Jesus often directly quotes the Old Testament prophecies about the coming Messiah or refers to them. Is this how the actual Messiah spoke or how a Messiah has to speak if converts are to be won over?)
--Other documents may be as old as the four gospels and therefore have their own claim to authenticity. These include the so-called Gnostic Gospels, such as the Gospel of Thomas, which are early documents banned by the church after 313 CE, when the Emperor Constantine officially adopted Christianity, ending the persecution of the faith but beginning a massive effort to destroy heresy and authorize one church and one scripture.
--Among hundreds of early Christian congregations, scriptures differed widely. For example, local beliefs had a lot to do with the birth story of Jesus set down in the gospels. The fact that a scribe from a certain church was drawing from local stories probably played a big part.
--Mark appears to be the first gospel written, and scholars generally agree that it was based on a lost document (known as Q, from Quelle, the German word for source), which is thought to have been a list of Jesus's most important sayings, parables, and teachings. To this bare list Mark added all the stories he could find--these were handed down orally. At a certain point Q disappeared as the popularity of such lists of wise sayings waned.
Unless you believe that the gospels are revealed truth, these internal problems with the written text are enough, I think, to cast doubt on the Jesus we meet in the Bible. The hunt for the real Jesus had to continue elsewhere, as we will see in the next post.
Posted by Deepak Chopra at 08:34 AM | Comments (79)
Good vs. Great
Some days ago, I read a story about an obviously famous Baseball player, that I never heard of before, as I have never been specifically interested in Baseball. His name is Babe Ruth. And his story illustrates perfectly the transition from being good to being great.
When Babe Ruth was 19, Jack Dunn, owner and manager of the Baltimore Orioles (a Boston Red Sox minor league team at the time), recognized his talent and signed him to a contract. After only five months with that team, the Boston Red Sox purchased Babe’s contract, and he became a Major Leaguer still at the age of 19.
At that time, he has been a pitcher. This is the guy, who throws the ball, whereas the hitter tries to hit it - ideally in a way that none of the players can catch it. And he was a GOOD pitcher. In his first World Series game for Boston in 1916, Babe set a record that still stands today. He settled down to pitch 13 scoreless innings for the 2-1 win. The 14-inning gem stands as the longest complete game in World Series history.
At one point he made the decision to stop pitching and to focus on batting.
What a move!
Try to imagine: he was already good in what he was doing, a famous and successful pitcher, but something told him - or "he thought" -, he could do even better in batting. Something pushed him further.
So now he was a hitter and he took a lot of heat for his decision but stuck with it because he knew he had the motivation to be a GREAT batter and he could imagine it.
During a 22-year professional career, Babe Ruth cemented his name as the most prolific home run hitter of his time. He may no longer be the home run king, but his record .690 lifetime slugging percentage may never be topped!
Maybe the most famous moment in baseball history, and certainly of his career, came during Game 3 of the 1932 World Series against the Chicago Cubs: he slammed what is believed to be the longest home run ever hit out of Wrigley Field, directly above the spot where he had pointed.
At that point, he was GREAT in what he was doing. That's why he had such tremendous success. Often the difference between being good and being great is making adjustments that allow you to spend more of your time developing your greatest strengths.
You have to find what you really love to do and have the faith that you will be able to do it. Thus you will allow yourself to be the great person that you already are on another level.
Many people give up on the way to becoming great because of various reasons. Most believe, that becoming great must go easily and that on the right road, no doubt, no struggle, no failure appears. All crap! IT DOES NOT! That's why being GREAT is not for everyone.
There is something you have to pay for it, a pay price to action and you have to honestly ask yourself, if you are willing to do whatever it takes to realize your GREATness, your vision or dream. Becoming great or achieving great success, comes out of struggle, out of doing things wrong and accepting failure.
Napoleon Hill once said that "Edison failed 10,000 times before he perfected the incandescent electric light bulb. Don't worry if you fail once" - as Martin Luther King jr. expressed it, "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."
It does not matter in what you want to be GREAT. Your intuition will lead you the way. It could start with being a GREAT person. From there, have the faith and courage to have a dream or vision and then go for it - no matter what it takes. BE a great person, DO your best and "act as if There are NO Limits to Your Abilities", as one of my business mentors says and you will HAVE made the transition from a good life to a GREAT life.
With that in mind, you can achieve everything. Everything is possible, just do it!
Posted by Heiko Faass at 07:19 AM | Comments (4)
March 29, 2007
Massage of the Week - The "Self Abhy"
As part of the Ayurvedic daily routine, it’s recommended to do a self-massage with oil each morning before getting into a warm shower. (If you have a Vata imbalance, it’s especially important.) At the Chopra Center, we call it the Self Abhy (pronounced AH-bee, which is short for the word abhyanga, which, incidentally, simply means “massage”).
We rub the oil into our skin every day to nourish and protect the skin, as well as loosen the ama (toxic residue) that accumulates in our tissues due to stress. The warm water from the shower helps to open up the pores in the skin, allowing the oil to penetrate deep into the tissues.
The whole process shouldn’t take you longer than five minutes. When I’m in a rush, I can do it in 60 seconds.
Supplies needed:
An old towel to stand on
A plastic bottle of massage oil (you will only use a few tablespoons of oil each morning)
A sink full of hot water (optional, but recommended if you like using warm oil)
Optional: Fill your sink with hot water and put the bottle of massage oil in it for a few minutes to warm up.
Start to run the hot water in the shower so that it’s nice and steamy when you get in. Lay out your old towel on the floor in front of the shower to stand on while you do your abhy – it’ll protect your carpet/floor from any oil that spills.
Pour a tablespoon or so of oil into the palm of one hand and rub it between both hands. Start with the scalp. Rake your oily fingertips through your hair to get a layer of oil onto the scalp. Vigorously “shampoo” the oil into the scalp, moving the scalp in all directions. Next, apply a little bit of oil to the face, throat and neck, rubbing the oil into the skin. Try some little circles with your fingertips over the forehead, into the temples, around the cheeks and jaw. Do a couple strokes under the cheekbones from the bridge of the nose to the ears. Massage some oil into the ears. Be quick but make sure to touch everything once.
As for the rest of the body, the general guidelines are as follows: long strokes (back and forth, or up and down) over the long muscles (e.g. the biceps, triceps, forearms, thighs, calves…), and circular strokes over the joints (e.g. the shoulders, elbows, knees …). There’s really no wrong way to do this – follow your intuition. Cover as much of the body as you can with oil, and rub it in creating friction and heat between the palms of your hands and the skin. If you have time, do one or two strokes up and down each finger (and toe!), and use your thumbs for 10-20 seconds to dig into the bottoms of the feet.
Once your body is covered with oil, step into the warm shower and relax for a minute in the heat. You can shampoo your hair as usual, but just use soap where necessary, leaving a layer of oil on most of the skin.
Yes, you will get oil stains on your towels. Your bath towels will not last as long if you do a self-abhy every day and you will need to buy new ones more frequently. But so what? They’re just towels. It’s more important to nourish and protect your skin.
Posted by Grace Wilson at 10:08 PM | Comments (7)
Hometown Baghdad
Dear Friends,
Here's the latest episode of Hometown Baghdad. Worth watching: www.hometownbaghdad.com.
Love, Deepak
Posted by Deepak Chopra at 11:11 AM | Comments (8)
March 28, 2007
Recipe of the Week - Khichari
This week’s recipe is a simple Khichari or mung bean and basmati rice stew. This is also known as Sattva food. Sattvic foods are pure, wholesome and balancing for the body and the mind. They are also easily digested and assimilated. This is especially good to have during the transition of the seasons.
The great thing about Khichari is that you can add additional spices or vegetables to this recipe if so desired. Split mung beans (or dahl) can be found at most health food or Indian specialty markets.
½ cup split mung beans
½ cup basmati rice
½ teaspoon ghee
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
Pinch red chili flakes
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, peeled and minced
¼ teaspoon asafoetida powder (also known as hing)
¼ teaspoon turmeric
½ sea salt
3 ½ cups vegetable stock
1 leek, white part only, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 cup fresh spinach leaves, cleaned and chopped
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Sort through the mung beans and remove any debris such as stems or rocks. Rinse the mung beans and rice in a fine mesh strainer and set aside. In a stock pot heat the ghee, cumin seeds, red chili flakes and ginger on medium high heat for 2 minutes. Add the mung beans, basmati rice, asafoetida powder, turmeric, sea salt, leeks, carrots and vegetable stock. Bring to a boil and then turn the heat to low. Cook for about 30 to 40 minutes or until mung beans are soft and completely cooked. Stir in the spinach and fresh lemon juice. Enjoy
Posted by Teresa Long at 10:35 PM | Comments (2)
CHOPRA MEDIA -- CORRECTION
Dear Friends, Stay tuned. Deepak's taped segment on CNN Larry King Live will be aired on April 6 or 9 - check your local TV listings: www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/larry.king.live.
Warm regards,
Chopra Media
Posted by Deepak Chopra at 12:47 PM | Comments (3)
Can a blind guy climb the Mount Everest?
Especially if your first thought was "No", read on. Be confirmed that most people answer stuff like "Hell no, this is too dangerous, way too difficult" or other crap like that. My first thought was "Why not?" - and despite being a professional optimist, I do not wear pink eyeglasses or see only positive aspects:
I would never think that it might be easy for that guy, that he doesn't experience problems or that there is no struggle or pain until he reaches the top of any mountain. The opposite is the truth: yes, he will experience difficulties, he might hurt himself, he will find pain and struggle on his way. But he CAN make it, if he is willing to pay the price for it and take all the challenges he might face on his way there! So I asked "Why not?" Let me tell you that this person really existed. And everybody can only learn from the story of his life - especially those among you, who still have to see first, before they can believe or in other words, those who answered "No" to my introductory question.
As I said, Erik Weihenmayer really exists. When he was 13 years old, he went blind. That was about 24 years ago. Since then, he has become one of the celebrated and accomplished athletes in the world, who climbed the highest mountains of the world, ran marathons and jumped out of planes. In the year 2001, he became the first blind climber who reached the summit of the world's highest mountain, Mount Everest, and he also is one of less than 100 individuals to climb all of the Seven Summits - the highest peaks on each of the seven continents. Remember: he IS blind, does not see anything. So what made him succeed, what made him walk and climb his way up there through snow and ice being blind - while you are still complaining that you cannot get a bigger car, bigger house and make a better living? He had a clear goal and vision in his mind and dared to dream big. The courage to dream big, to reach for nearly impossible goals and determination and perserverance to transform his life into what he wanted and imagined it to be. "Twenty years ago, when I went blind, it was tough to even find the bathroom. Now that I've climbed Mount Everest, well, I guess I've come a long way", Erik said once, and Erik knows that when you dream big, failure is always a possibility, but it is up to everyone to turn this failure into a positive step in the direction of one's life goals, make it only a temporary failure enroute to overall success. In other words: he knows that there can be temporary set-backs but this does not change his vision and for sure, this is never a final defeat.
Definitely, Erik has what makes a high performance person. And what separates high performance people from everybody else is the attitude with which they face life. It all starts with a big dream, a vision and the willingness to pay the price that is necessary to get what you want. There is no accomplishment without risk, nothing you get without giving something else. And understanding that principle and living your life according to that, can already make your life work for you. Add perseverance! Especially if you dream really big, things won't always go that easy and you might have to take a bunch of temporary set-backs until you can ultimately succeed. But you can be sure, you will.
Meanwhile you have learned, that the correct answer to the initial question is "Yes", a blind man CAN climb the Mount Everest. So the question is, what finally keeps you from achieving your goals and realize your vision? For most people it is the pure lack of vision and goals. And even if people have visions and or goals, they are not willing to take the risk, that they might fail in the realization of them. It is by far easier to stay in the little fairy tale town and not risk to get hurt out there in the real world. But all these are only thinking pattern, that can be changed. You have no vision? Go create one! You have no goals? Set them! You are scared of failure? Forget about that and move ahead! Move your brain and do it now! Get used to action and get used to acting as if there were no limits to your abilities, because the truth is that there are no limits: Everything is possible!
To create a vision, a long term picture of your life, you can for example imagine yourself at your 97th birthday. Imagine exactly where you are, who is with you, how the surroundings look like, what you can smell, what you can hear. Allow yourself to dream and fantasize about it and do not limit yourself, everything is allowed because you can imagine everything you want. Do make the picture as exact as you can. Imagine what people say in their speeches, listen exactly to what you want them to have said. Can you see your grandchildren there, a wife, business partners, friends, etc. ? What about stuff you have achieved, do you see yourself in a big house with servants, can you see the various books you have written over the time? Have you been a sportsman all your life, are you still in great shape and are you obviously wealthy? Work on this picture! Paint it as detailled as possible. Make it perfect. Write it down. Edit it. I do it every day. Then take this picture to figure out the important roles you want to play in your life. If you imagine a birthday in the evening of your life, you will be able to figure out specific areas which are very important for your life - now, then and overall. For these areas, set a specific motto, slogan or goal for each. For example, if you are celebrating the above mentioned birthday with business partners, try to imagine conversations with them there to find out, what kind of business you did together and formulate your goal for the business role you play in your life. If you can see pictures of your successes as a sportsman, visualize the finishing pictures of you on the wall crossing the goal lines or being honored with medals.
Set high goals! Look at those goals and the vision you wrote down every day and organize your day, week, month, year accordingly. Erase stuff from your agenda that will never contribute to your goals and start working on your own life every second of it. Thus you are virtually working all the time, but it is the work on the fulfillment of your imagined life: through that, you can really BE yourself as you are progressing towards your own set vision and can fulfill your goals. DO everything you can, give always your best in everything you do and you will HAVE what you always wanted, you can ultimately succeed - what you imagined first, becomes reality. Once you started doing that, you will not only realize that you get what you wanted, but you will also dramatically improve your self esteem, because you are becoming more and more authentic and can like yourself for everything you do. And ultimately, you will be more happy than you have ever imagined to be. About 90% of the people who attempt to climb to the peak of Mount Everest fail. Many die. Doesn't this equal life? The vast majority of people leads a life of quiet desperation, never getting what they want or deserve and many die with 18 and get buried with 73. Start climbing your Mount Everest today, even if your starting parameters are not the best. If a blind guy can climb the real Mount Everest, you will be able to climb yours.
Everything is possible, just do it!
Love,
Heiko
PS: If you want to learn more about Erik, his book, 'Touch the Top of the World' can be bought on his website http://www.touchthetop.com/
Posted by Heiko Faass at 05:07 AM | Comments (4)
March 27, 2007
Open Thread
March 28, 2007
Posted by Intent at 10:14 PM | Comments (297)
FROM CHOPRA MEDIA
Dear Friends, Visit Deepak's new website: www.deepakchopra.com and watch him tomorrow night on CNN Larry King Live (March 28) at 6:00 pm PST - check your local TV listings: www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/larry.king.live.
Warmly,
Chopra Media
Posted by Deepak Chopra at 04:22 PM | Comments (19)
March 26, 2007
Health Tip of the Week - High Cholesterol
High Cholesterol
Q: What is your opinion on lowering cholesterol levels? My LDL and HDL lab results were off, and I don’t want to take medications because I heard they have potential side effects. How can I lower and manage my cholesterol levels and avoid taking medication for rest of my life?
A: Elevated cholesterol levels increase our risk for cardiovascular disease. Even more important than the total cholesterol level is the relative and absolute amounts of LDL (“bad”) and HDL (“good”) components of cholesterol. Although cholesterol is an essential chemical for our body, providing the basic molecule for many essential hormones, too much cholesterol increases the deposition of fat into our blood vessels, increasing our chances for a stroke or heart attack. Most cholesterol that circulates in our body is manufactured in the liver. Only 15% actually comes from the foods that we eat; however, diet is the most direct non-drug way we have to modify cholesterol levels. Cholesterol is a component of animal fat so that any food derived from animals will carry some cholesterol – red meat, fowl, seafood and dairy are all sources of cholesterol. Favoring a mostly vegetarian diet is the easiest way to reduce cholesterol intake and blood levels. Mono-hydrogenated oil such as olive oil and omega-3 fatty acid rich flax seed and cold water fish have been shown to have a positive effect on cholesterol levels, while partially hydrogenated vegetable oils have a negative effect.
An Ayurvedic herb called guggulu (Commiphora mukul) has been shown in studies to lower cholesterol levels by about 15%. It is derived from a resin and acts similar to some Western medicines to bring cholesterol out through the digestive tract. Red yeast rice utilized in Traditional Chinese Medicine contains natural sources of monacolin K, the basis of the medication, lovastatin. Another product developed in Cuba known as policosonal is derived from sugar cane wax and has been suggested to lower serum cholesterol levels, although a recent study failed to confirm the results reported in earlier studies.
If despite lifestyle changes your cholesterol level remains unacceptably high, the “statin” drugs are generally successful with low risk of side effects. Liver and muscle toxicity are known side effect (and have also been reported with red yeast rice). It’s important to remember that a risk factor means that your chances are increased – it does not mean that because your cholesterol level is elevated that you will definitely have problems with your blood vessels. There are several other important risk factors for heart disease that can be modified through conscious choices. High blood pressure should be identified and treated. In the early stages, a meditation or relaxation technique can be helpful. Lack of regular exercise is another risk factor. Some moderate aerobic activity three times per week for thirty minutes is sufficient for most people to gain the benefits. Hostility is a substantial independent risk facto for heart disease. Look at the underlying conversation you are having with your life. Is it one of resentment and blaming? If so, change whatever needs changing so your inner dialogue can be one of enthusiasm and enjoyment.
Posted by David Simon at 09:59 PM | Comments (2)
Apparently the World Cup is on
And I, a self-proclaimed Sports nut, don't know squat about what's going on with arguably the world's second most popular sport (I'm placing futbol #1).
I check espn.com every hour or so, just to see images of college basketball players or check out if they have updated their NFL Draft preview, or to check on the box score of a meaningless exhibition baseball game.
But when it comes to cricket, I hardly know the differnce between a googly and a sixer. What I do know is that there are fans that obviously take the game more seriously than one really should. Rahul Dravid's house was burned down and the Paskistani coach was murdered because of their respective teams disappointing performances. That's some sick shit. I mean, I'm not going to lie to you. When the 86 Sox lost to the Mets in game 6, I had such bad nightmares I wet my bed (I was 11). When the 2004 Bosox flamed out in game 7 to the Yanks, I cried (I was 29).
But here's teh cricket World Cup and to be honest, I just can't get into it. In part, I blame it on the complete lack of coverage - I mean not a mention anywhere on ESPN.COM. I'll also blame the location of the games. I mean the Carribean is nice and all for a honeymoon or a hurricane but for a global sporting event, you may as well hold it in Qatar - oh wait they did that with the Asian Games!
I suppose at this stage of my life, I only have so much bandwith to pollute my head with stuff that has no relevance to my life and that I cannot control. It's weak excuse but I'm grasping. Truth be told, I'd get into it if I could, I'm just waiting to be woo'd.
Posted by Gotham Chopra at 08:40 PM | Comments (48)
Elizabeth Edwards and the Campaign
"You know, you really have two choices here. I mean, either you push forward with the things that you were doing yesterday, or you start dying," Elizabeth Edwards said on 60 Minutes.
"If I had given up everything that my life was about, first of all, I'd let cancer win before it needed to. You know, maybe eventually it will win. But I'd let it win before I needed to." And so, Elizabeth and John Edwards continue his campaign for the presidency.
I did not watch the interview with Katie Couric, but some blogs, like here and here and here, indicate she was relentless in questioning their decision.
I think it takes guts for them both to do what they need to do as a family. Best wishes to the Edwards family for finding solace, peace and resolution in their decisions!
Posted by Mallika Chopra at 11:16 AM | Comments (13)
population 2050
Worldmapper.org warps world maps based on factors such as birth rates, GDP, and population. It amazes me how much more significant it feels to see a visual representation of something rather than to read facts and figures (which is why Al Gore climbing a ladder to show the rise of global warming in an Inconvenient Truth was an excellent touch).
Check out how fat India looks based on its population in 2050.
Kinda scary or exciting, depending on your feelings around volume and glasses of water (not to mention the presence of heavy metals in the water, the temperature of the water, the availability of that water, and perhaps the politics around access to that water - makes me want a coconut.)
Wanna see the US get fat? Check out their maps based on carbon emissions or GDP.
Posted by Sandeep Sood at 11:05 AM | Comments (5)
A Happiness Check List
Recently I posted on the new trend in corporate America toward well-being, which may signal a shift in values. Well-being has been a hard sell in alternative medicine, because rather than relying on proven means to stay healthy, people wait for a serious crisis and then rush to the doctor for drugs or surgery. Similarly, any kind of addictive behavior
poses an obvious threat to well-being, but it's in the nature of addictions to thwart reason. Doing what's bad for you doesn't feel good, but the pleasure principle is helpless when obsession and fear are at work. America is addicted to rampant consumerism, and our twinges of guilt don't serve to stop our obsessions. This doesn't mean, however, that pessimism rules the day. We are changing what it means to be happy all the time, and it's worthwhile to examine the difference between American well-being in 1967 and 2007.
In 1967--
Assuming that societies are like individuals and are motivated to pursue happiness, here are things that met with general approval forty years ago:
--Letting rivers and lakes become polluted without controls.
--Allowing more or less unlimited air pollution.
--Letting cigarette companies sell a known carcinogen without culpability
--Eliminating animal species at will
--Legislating a universal draft
--Expending tens of thousands of lives in a civil war in Vietnam
--Killing millions of Vietnamese without culpability
--Supporting repressive Middle East regimes in return for cheap oil
--Stockpiling atomic weapons in numbers that could destroy human life several times over
--Counting Communists of any stripe as deadly enemies
--Providing unlimited funds to military expenditure
--Funding a vast secret intelligence agency
--Passing civil rights laws while at the same time secretly monitoring and threatening the most prominent civil rights leaders
--Accepting a 300% rise in crime and a twenty-fold rise in drug use
--Condoning pervasive inequalities between men and women in the workplace
--Ignoring the feminist movement or consigning it to the extremist fringe
--Turning our backs on post-colonial strife in Africa
--Tolerating apartheid in South Africa
--Meddling secretly in foreign governments, including targeted assassinations and CIA covert insurgencies
--Responding feebly to the threat of global overpopulation
--Consuming fossil fuels without check or pollution controls
--Accepting the medicine is a branch of private enterprise, with no concern for universal health care
--Regarding homosexuality as a disease, punishing homosexuals as criminals
--Allowing rain forests to be destroyed at will
--Paying mere lip service to the end of poverty and hunger in the world
The list could go on indefinitely, but it's compelling to see how far we have awakened since 1967, as well as sobering to realize how many things remain the same. Overall, the trend is toward a new system of values that is life-enhancing, however. There's reason to be optimistic that positive change will always be more powerful than negative change. One could itemize such advances as the decline in deaths attributed to war, the decreasing number of serious civil conflicts, the end of the Cold War, the rise of economic conditions in many counties, and so on. When totaled up, the progress made over the last forty years is undeniable, despite the current fashion for doomsday gloom.
Posted by Deepak Chopra at 10:08 AM | Comments (44)
HQR: Dissolution on 100th Post: Thanks with Love!
Dear friends, as The Holistic Quantum Relativity Socratic Dialogue resolves and dissolves this is our last post together for the time being...
... and I will no longer be writing or responding on IntentBlog in regard to HQR having made the 100th post over all, which adds up to One. It has been a swift and enjoyable journey with The Consciousness manifest in us. How time flies when One is having fun! Thanks for your billion-in-One love and support! The time has come to move on ...
Thank you for being my teachers! HQR is about the eventual resolution and dissolution of the duality in the One, seeing the One-in-All and the All-in-One, our liberation and letting go. With the Grace of the Supra-Universal Consciousness manifest in our Great Spiritual Masters, we are free and They have liberated us with Their initiating Wisdom!
You may conclude whatever you wish to conclude out of the HQR Socratic Dialogue. Beauty lies in the inner eyes of the Beholder! For some, the total overlay and compatibility of the Super-Symmetry of The Sahasrara Lotus of Spirituality with the Holistic E8 Visualisation of The String Theory, which unites Quantum Mechanics with Relativity, is proof enough of HQR. We have come a long way, the Absolute is constant, we are changing -- as if in evolutionary metamorphosis -- day by day.
Please accept apologies for all errors and omissions with folded hands and head bowed down. Any mistakes committed were mine, for which I seek your forgiveness. All that was achieved, was achieved by The Consciousness manifest in All, so no credit is due other than to say thanks to all the distinguished participants.
With a sincere prayer for your joint happiness and well being to The Consciousness, I remain,
Yours humbly -- with no esteem, self-respect or knowledge --
DK
Holistic Quantum Relativity (HQR) Background
A. The HQR Project's Latest Glossary (v0.5) is available from here.
B. For those who wish to understand the genesis of the HQR Socratic Dialogue on IntentBlog in detail please visit the following strings in sequence:
1. Maulana Rumi: 2007 is his 800th Anniversary!
2. Unified Force, Sub-nuclear Physics & Love of Rumi
3. Holistics: Embracing Science, Art and Spirituality!
4. Complex Holistics: Hegel's Logic, Spirit and Mind
5. Simple Holistics: Hegel Triangles & Unified Pyramid
6. Holistic Pyramid, Sahasrara, Sri Yantra, Creation
7. Holistic Relativity: Spiritual Planes & Consciousness
8. Holistic Quantum Relativity: Spirituality and Science
9. Holistic Quantum Relativity Project: Glossary
10. Holistic Quantum Relativity Evolution on IntentBlog
11. HQR: Tagore Einstein: Science, Spirituality & Music
12. HQR: Albert Einstein Quotes on Spirituality
13. HQR: HH Master Kirpal -- Nature of Thought
14. HQR: HH Master Kirpal -- Indira Gandhi & Quotes
15. HQR: Quantum Physics -- The Holotropic State
16. HQR: Bringing All Together & Another Perspective
17. HQR: Quantum Computer, Einstein's Spooky Action
18. Holistic Quantum Relativity Project: Glossary v0.2
19. Holistic Quantum Relativity Project: Glossary v0.3
20. Holistic Quantum Relativity Project: Glossary v0.4
21. HQR: HH Master Kirpal: Consciousness & Free Will
22. HQR: Sir Karl Popper: Paradox of Science & Truth
23. HQR: Sir Tim Berners-Lee: The Future of The Web
24. HQR: Linking Ancient & Modern: WWW of Worship
25. HQR: Burden of Proof, Synchronicity & Applications
26. Holistic Quantum Relativity Project: Glossary v0.5
27. HQR: Energy & the Bizarre Danger in Calling Spirits
28. HQR:HH Sant Ajaib:Truth Connected is Never Alone
29. HQR: HH Master Kirpal -- Humility
30. HQR: E8, String Theory, Sahasrara, Spirituality
Similar information in a more accessible format is available from The Alliance for a New Humanity's Global Wiki Project
This is presented as an amalgam from a number of sources with attendant errors and omissions. Please forgive the same and we welcome your submissions, thoughts, observations and views.
With warm wishes to you and family
DK with family
DK Matai
The Philanthropia, ATCA, mi2g.net
Posted by DK Matai at 12:49 AM | Comments (57)
March 25, 2007
Atman and Robin
Ken Wilber’s in my yoga class again. He appears shiny headed, stocky and strong.
But I think I can take him. I am 6 feet tall in my stocking feet and I’ve been working out. My takedown fantasy includes spandex, a Mexican wrestling mask and really good boots.
Not on me silly…. That’s what he’s wearing!!
Okay. The guy in my yoga class is not really Ken Wilber. He’s a dead ringer for him however. I’ve fantasized about sparring with Mr. Ken Wilber since taking Dr. Christian de Quincey’s “MIND IN THE COSMOS” course at the University of Philosophical Research. De Quincey and Wilber had their share of polite philosophical barbs to one another, mostly over differing opinions of Integralism. I’ve also run into Wilberosophy in my “Physics of the Soul “ course w/ Dr. Amit Goswami, and as a fan of Sri Aurobindo, I often google and cross- reference these boys all the time.
The Atman, or impersonal absolute to Wilber is the realisation of Godhead in the transcendence of embodied existence in the final cycle of involution/evolution.
If I interpret my studies correctly, Sri Aurobindo supports a state of enlightenment/liberation as an end state, however the Divine absolute is in the involution/evolution process itself, and at ALL levels.
Where then, is the Supermind in all of this?
Probably wearing spandex as well. With a cape and a giant “S” on his chest. And really good boots.
As I find this east-meets-west forum to be a fountain of philosophical fun, I’m hoping some of you can share your criticisms and Wilberisms to sharpen my mind, wit and well-being.
By the way, I make a kickass, ass-kicking sidekick. But I am too tall and too old to be Atman’s Robin.
Any takers?
Posted by Renee Reeser Zelnick at 01:01 PM | Comments (4)
FIERCE LIGHT FLASH # 1
WHAT WOULD LOVE DO?
Ever asked yourself that question? Want to see your life change, in a flash?
Starting now, see how your day is transformed when you live out that question. How would Love make breakfast? What would Love say to the people you meet today: to your beloved, to your family, to the dog, the bird, the people on the street? The guy who drives you crazy at work? The beggar on the corner? Love might give her change, or maybe just smile and acknowledge her as a human being - Love is not guilty or dogmatic. Love knows what to do, if you let it guide your steps.
The next time the phone rings, take a breath, and ask yourself: how would Love answer? Then, let love answer, no matter who is calling. Love always knows what to say.
Love is not a wimp. Love stands up for justice, for truth, for dignity, and sometimes that means being Fierce. Fierce Love, Fierce Compassion, Fierce Gentleness. Fierce Sensitivity. Don't insult Love with a hallmark imitation. We're talking about the real deal here. Love is able to remain loving, unconditionally, in every circumstance, without exception. That's fierce.
Sound like too much work to be Love all day? Then wait until it's really needed-the moment irritation or anger or fear arises. Stop for a moment before you respond. Look at what it is that's really triggering you - is it this particular person, or event, or is it really an old pattern from the past. Is it just a web of projections and past injuries and dissapointments that you have superimposed over your eyeballs, until you can no longer see whats really in front of you? Can you approach this problem with freshness, with aliveness, as it is, not with a big bundle of pre-conceptions that stops you from seeing the other as a real human being, someone who suffers and dreams, just like you?
Before you respond to anyone or anything, ask yourself: what would Love do?
Awaken yourself to Love-in a flash.
~Velcrow Ripper
_______________________________
There are no manuals to read
Or rules to follow
Other than the open book
Of the heart.
_______________________________
www.FierceLight.org
www.ScaredSacred.org
Posted by Velcrow Ripper at 11:53 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
HQR: E8, String Theory, Sahasrara, Spirituality
We are grateful to Mieke van der Poll from Holland for pointing to the similarity in visualisation of the 200 billion parameters, formulae of the most complicated symmetrical object - E8 - utilised in String Theory, to Sahasrara Lotus within Spirituality!
E8, String Theory and 1,000 Petal Sahasrara Lotus
"I found this very to the point for our HQR Dialogue as it is closely connected to Relativity Theory, Quantum Mechanics, Particle Physics and The String Theory. What struck me was the picture of the E8 Root System that is almost a total copy of the One-Thousand-Petal Sahasrara Lotus discussed at length within HQR." Compare!
E8 and Physics
For well over two decades now String Theory has been the preeminent model for physics beyond the Standard Model. Indeed, String Theory is often touted among physicists as the ultimate Theory of Everything. The basic premise of String Theory is that the most fundamental building blocks of the Universe are not atoms, or even elementary particles like electrons, muons and quarks, but rather exotic string-like objects living in a 26-dimensional space. The great appeal of String Theory to modern physicists is two-fold. First of all, it very deftly circumvents two theoretical obstructions that had long thwarted the unification of Einstein's theory of General Relativity with the quantum field theory of elementary particle physics (ie, the lack of renormalizability and the occurrence of quantisation anomalies). The second is its apparent uniqueness: once one adopts the basic principles of string theory, it can be argued that we live in the universe we live in because it is the only one that is possible.
Actually this uniqueness is not quite complete; there are in fact several competing string models. But the dominant model by far is that of heterotic string theory, and it is there that E8 plays an essential role. String theory postulates that the universe has more dimensions that are visible to our eyes: the extra dimensions are hidden by a mysterious mathematical structure. One version, known as heterotic string theory, uses two copies of the E8 lattice to hide the extra dimensions.
Naturally, the most stringent requirement of a viable string theory of the Universe is that eventually the theory has to make contact with the 4-dimensional space-time in which we (at least appear to) live. In heterotic string theory this passage from 26 dimensions to 4 dimensions occurs in two steps. First of all, 16 of the original 26 dimensions must compactify, or curl up on themselves, in a very nice self-consistent way; and then 6 of the remaining 10 dimensions must compactify nicely as well in order to get down to our apparent 4-dimensional observed universe.
E8 arises in heterotic string theory because in order for the initial reduction from 26 to 10 dimensions to procede consistently, one needs to endow a 16-dimensional subspace of the orginal 26-dimensional space with an even, unimodular lattice. It turns out that there are exactly two such lattices in 16 dimensions, one of which is the root lattice of E8+E8.
See the beautiful exposition by John Baez for more details of this fascinating story.
Visualising the E8 Root System
The E8 root system consists of 240 vectors in an eight-dimensional space. See what is E8?
Those vectors are the vertices (corners) of an eight-dimensional object called the Gosset polytope 421.
In the 1960s, Peter McMullen drew (by hand) a 2-dimensional representation of the Gosset polytope 421.
The image shown below was computer-generated by John Stembridge, based on McMullen's drawing.
The lines in the picture connect adjacent vertices in the polytope, with colours chosen according to the length of the 2-dimensional projection. Since the picture is a 2-dimensional projection of an 8-dimensional object, it captures only some of the symmetries of the Gossett polytope.
We thank John H Conway, mathematics professor at Princeton University, for pointing out to us the connection between E8 and the Gosset polytope 421. The Lie algebra E8 is 248-dimensional: the 8-dimensional space depicted here, plus one dimension for each of the 240 root vectors.
E8, String Theory and 1,000 Petal Sahasrara Lotus
The presentation of the enormous calculations can be found here. Who knows some day it may appear that E8, the group of the largest super-symmetrical structure of all, forms the basis of a complete description of our Supra-Universe (Alakh, Agam, Agami, Sachkhand, Par Brahmand) and Universe planes (Causal, Astral and Physical), ie, 5+3=8!
Holistic Quantum Relativity (HQR) Background
A. The HQR Project's Latest Glossary (v0.5) is available from here.
B. For those who wish to understand the genesis of the HQR Socratic Dialogue on IntentBlog in detail please visit the following strings in sequence:
1. Maulana Rumi: 2007 is his 800th Anniversary!
2. Unified Force, Sub-nuclear Physics & Love of Rumi
3. Holistics: Embracing Science, Art and Spirituality!
4. Complex Holistics: Hegel's Logic, Spirit and Mind
5. Simple Holistics: Hegel Triangles & Unified Pyramid
6. Holistic Pyramid, Sahasrara, Sri Yantra, Creation
7. Holistic Relativity: Spiritual Planes & Consciousness
8. Holistic Quantum Relativity: Spirituality and Science
9. Holistic Quantum Relativity Project: Glossary
10. Holistic Quantum Relativity Evolution on IntentBlog
11. HQR: Tagore Einstein: Science, Spirituality & Music
12. HQR: Albert Einstein Quotes on Spirituality
13. HQR: HH Master Kirpal -- Nature of Thought
14. HQR: HH Master Kirpal -- Indira Gandhi & Quotes
15. HQR: Quantum Physics -- The Holotropic State
16. HQR: Bringing All Together & Another Perspective
17. HQR: Quantum Computer, Einstein's Spooky Action
18. Holistic Quantum Relativity Project: Glossary v0.2
19. Holistic Quantum Relativity Project: Glossary v0.3
20. Holistic Quantum Relativity Project: Glossary v0.4
21. HQR: HH Master Kirpal: Consciousness & Free Will
22. HQR: Sir Karl Popper: Paradox of Science & Truth
23. HQR: Sir Tim Berners-Lee: The Future of The Web
24. HQR: Linking Ancient & Modern: WWW of Worship
25. HQR: Burden of Proof, Synchronicity & Applications
26. Holistic Quantum Relativity Project: Glossary v0.5
27. HQR: Energy & the Bizarre Danger in Calling Spirits
28. HQR:HH Sant Ajaib:Truth Connected is Never Alone
29. HQR: HH Master Kirpal -- Humility
Similar information in a more accessible format is available from The Alliance for a New Humanity's Global Wiki Project
This is presented as an amalgam from a number of sources with attendant errors and omissions. Please forgive the same and we welcome your submissions, thoughts, observations and views.
With warm wishes to you and family
DK with family
DK Matai
The Philanthropia, ATCA, mi2g.net
Posted by DK Matai at 10:21 AM | Comments (12)
March 24, 2007
I was in the zone
On my way home from Seduction of Spirit in Florida this week, I had an experience that is too funny not to share. As usual, I will be embarrassing myself for your entertainment. Enjoy.
After 5 straight days of teaching yoga and meditation, I was definitely a little out there. My plan was to head home on Thursday by flying Southwest from Florida to Nashville to San Diego. When I arrived at Nashville, I had about an hour layover to my connecting flight. It seemed like a perfect opportunity to get some writing done.
I sat down next to my gate and got in the zone. I came into this trance-like meditative state where creativity was flowing through me. I was writing like I had never written before and brilliant insights were pouring out of me. I felt so inspired.
All of a sudden, I was jolted out of my creative daze by an overweight southern girl who was asking to share my electrical plug. At that moment, the thought popped into my mind: "I wonder what time my flight leaves?"
Feeling very accomplished from the work I had just done, I moseyed over to the check in desk where I saw the Southwest attendant taking down the information for my San Diego flight.
Uh oh, not a good sign.
I asked: "what time does my flight leave to San Diego leave? She replied: "you mean what time did your flight leave?" Oh shit.
"Do you mean to tell me that I missed my flight while sitting directly next to the gate?"
"Boy that's a first!" she said with a chuckle.
I was not amused.
The absurdity of the situation was too much and I couldn't help but laugh too. Recognizing that there was nothing I could do to turn back time, I immediately went into teacher mode to try and soothe my troubles: "What's done is done so just drop it. There's no reason to loose your cool. Everything is going to be fine. Something good is going to come out of this. This is going to make a good story. Take a deep breath. Chill out."
Ok, I feel better..... so let the adventure begin.
There was no adventure.
I ended up flying to LA, renting a car for $100, stopping at McDonalds to eat on the way home (because it was the only restaurant open at 11 pm on a Thursday night), getting a terrible stomach ache from that greasy crap, and finally crashing into bed at around 1 am. Sheesh.
I woke up the next morning trying to think about what life lessons I could take away from my little travel excursion. Here's what I came away with:
1. even smart people do stupid things sometimes.
2. don't ever eat McDonalds again
3. next time you meditate for 5 days straight......fly home direct.
thank you. I hope this made you smile.
Posted by Max Simon at 10:27 PM | Comments (4)
Weekly Intent - Joanie Reisfeld
Dancing With God
When I meditated on the word Guidance,
I kept seeing "dance" at the end of the word.
remember reading that doing God's will is a lot like dancing.
When two people try to lead, nothing feels right.
The movement doesn't flow with the music,
and everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky.
When one person realizes that, and lets the other lead,
both bodies begin to flow with the music.
One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back
or by pressing Lightly in one direction or another.
It's as if two become one body, moving beautifully.
The dance takes surrender, willingness,
and attentiveness from one person
and gentle guidance and skill from the other.
My eyes drew back to the word Guidance.
When I saw "G: I thought of God, followed by "u" and "i".
"God, "u" and "i" dance."
God, you, and I dance.
As I lowered my head, I became willing to trust
that I would get guidance about my life.
Once again, I became willing to let God lead.
My prayer for you today is that God's blessings
and mercies be upon you on this day and everyday.
May you abide in God as God
abides in you.
Dance together with God, trusting God to lead
and to guide you through each season of your life.
This prayer is powerful and there is nothing attached.
If God has done anything for
you in your life,
please share this message with someone else,
for prayer is one of the best gifts we can receive.
There is no cost but a lot of rewards;
so let's continue to pray for one another.
And I Hope You Dance
Posted by Intent at 10:10 PM | Comments (20)
March 23, 2007
Where do you talk about it?
As we begin to develop selfcenteredtour.com - a website that will act as a portal for young people around the world to connect about deeper issues like meditation, spirituality, fear, etc, I started to wonder what else was out there.
So, do you know of any sites that do a particulary good job of creating an environment for people to freely speak their mind (besides this one of course)? The focus can be around any subject or geared towards audience. At this point, I'm just interested in exploring.
Much love,
Max
Posted by Max Simon at 05:53 PM | Comments (6)
The Right Reasons for Going, The Right Reasons to Stay
As the Senate and House move closer to making the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq happen faster and sooner, those loyal to Pres. Bush and his war policy mutter darkly about letting down the troops and crippling "forward" motion in the war. Partisan bickering has turned into a smokescreen, behind which lies a baffling and very sad reality. Iraq seems doomed whether the U.S. leaves or stays. Therefore, the future remains clouded; no one can possibly predict whether either course would lead to a greater catastrophe than the one now at hand. Moral judgment needs to come into play here. Leaving Iraq isn't more moral than staying, nor is it more immoral. There are bad reasons being offered to back both strategies.
Bad reasons for staying:
--Pride. This seems to be Bush's main reason. He doesn't want to look bad personally by admitting his mistakes.
--Stubbornness. America finishes what it starts.
--Fear of failure. Staying means we're not losers.
--Humiliation. It's better to stay than to admit what we've done to destroy Iraq.
Bad reasons for leaving:
--Blame. The Iraqis had their chance to pull together as a democracy, but they blew it.
--Expediency. The American public is tired of the conflict; they want out now.
--Xenophobia. Why should American troops die for Arabs?
--Denial. If our troops pull out, the violence in Iraq might subside or at least not grow worse.
One hears all these arguments every day, and worse. The bitter division between Democrats and Republicans defines the position of many party loyalists, who favor leaving or staying because the other side disagrees. Yet there are good reasons (moral ones) to be weighed.
Good reasons for staying:
--Responsibility. The American invasion created the current debacle, and we can't abandon those whom we have injured already.
--Compassion. After so many deaths in Iraq, a bloodbath would be intolerable on humanitarian grounds.
--Stability. The occupation is necessary so long as chaos reigns in the streets of Baghdad.
Good reasons for leaving:
--Stability. The American presence incites much of the current violence
--Political pragmatism. The current Iraqi regime will not seriously try to form a unity government as long as they are protected and coddled by the American occupiers.
--Defeat. America has no means of winning the war or stabilizing the country. When you lose, you leave.
If we faced the good reasons on both sides (I am not arguing how valid any one of them is), a more honest debate would ensue. There are numerous other reasons, good and bad, to bring up. But honesty remains the crucial factor. The rest of the world hasn't made the slightest effort to intercede in Iraq, and the reason traces back to Pres. Bush's bad reasons for staying. Why should other nations risk troops to bolster American pride, stubbornness, and fear of looking like a loser? In addition, there are suspicions that we wanted to control Mideast oil in the first place, and therefore our global competitors seem happy to watch America sink deeper into the quagmire, just as we were happy to see the Soviet Union during the Brezhnev era sink out of sight in Afghanistan.
If honest debate could start, the obvious reason for massive UN peacekeeping in Iraq is obvious. An Iraq that spins chaotically into bloodshed repeats the wretched failures in Bosnia and Rwanda. The blunt fact is that Bush keeps posturing as if the U.S. can achieve military hegemony in the world when 9/11 shattered that hallucination. One doubts that there will be any honesty from that quarter soon, but the minute that right-wing warmakers leave the White House, the Iraq debacle needs to be laid at the feet of all nations with a humble plea for a global solution.
Posted by Deepak Chopra at 01:44 PM | Comments (33)
This is a good one....
Posted by Saira Mohan at 01:43 PM | Comments (3)
HQR: HH Master Kirpal -- Humility
In regard to the Holistic Quantum Relativity Socratic Dialogue, the excerpt of His Holiness Master Kirpal's talk on "Humility" is worth noting.
Humility
I have been mostly dwelling on rising above body consciousness, to be reborn and to learn to die while alive, etc, so as to enable one to enter the Kingdom of God, which is within us — as prescribed by all the past Masters now come to us through His Benign Grace. There are many aspects of His Divine Life, but I will now dwell on the two most important ones viz, humility and simplicity — the most needed at this hour, which if followed will set our lives in the right direction and enable us to achieve perfection.
All Masters, such as Jesus, Mahavira, Buddha, Kabir and Nanak, etc., of the past, and Ramakrishna, Hazur Baba Sawan Singh, Sadhu Vaswani, etc., of recent days, radiated this divine luster from their personalities.
Man knows so many things, but he does not know himself. A man has so many sheaths in himself, covering the depths of his heart. Man learns and unlearns all through life. It is wiser to remain a student than to be a teacher; a student of the Mystery of Life.
A parable goes to say that a seeker of God, in the quest of Heaven, wandering here and there, found himself perchance at the Gate of Heaven. The gatekeeper asked him, "Who are you?" The seeker answered, "A teacher." The gatekeeper asked him to wait, and went in to report. After a while he returned and said that he could not let him in, as there was no place for teachers in the heaven-world. He was told to go back and wash the dust of dead words clinging to him in the waters of Silence.
So many teachers are vain; they parade their learning. How can there be a place in there for him who lives in a world of vanity?
Every day he sat in the silence and listened to the words of Saints, and his self-consciousness began to develop, and he became humble, and prayed to be the servant of all men, lonely and lowly ones, and animals — a servant of God's creation. Then the portals of Heaven were opened and he entered in and beheld the Master's face: pure and fair beyond compare.
All the Masters of the past and the present say that, "The Kingdom of God is for the humble of heart." So many of us, alas, are proud, vain in ego lost; and blind to the wisdom, we do but wander from darkness to darkness.
The God that rules millions is the ego; enthrone on your heart the God of Love, and cease to wander — and what should be done to do so? Become humble as ashes and dust.
The world is full of the proud of purse or power or learning. Whereas, we should be humble and simple and empty ourselves of all "self" that the Lord might do with us what He would.
The life worth living is life in the Spirit. Its basis is humility. We should be reduced to a cipher and God becomes ax. "Let us be perfect as our Father is in Heaven."
The truly humble are the truly happy. For want of humility, men and women are leading an unbearable, miserable life. All this misery is from within it is not a change in our circumstances, but deliverance from the thralldom of the self, the petty "ego" that sits tyrant, robbing us of the bliss that is our heritage as children of God. We are, as it were, in a cage of self-centeredness, and until this prison is opened by the key of humility, the swan bird of the Soul is not free and cannot swim to the regions of radiance and joy.
The way to true blessedness is the way of humility and love. He who is humble has no problems. He has God as his Guide. Significant are the words of the shepherd boy singing in John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress:
He that is down need fear no fall,
He that is low, no pride;
He that is humble ever shall
Have God to be his guide.
I am content with what I have,
Little be it, or much;
And Lord, contentment still I crave,
Because Thou sayest such.
Rightly has it been said that if there were no humility in this world, everyone would long ago have committed suicide.
When the light of humility dawns on the soul, the darkness of selfishness disappears and the soul no longer lives for itself, but for God. The soul loses itself in God, lives in God, and is transformed into Him. This is the alchemy of humility. It transforms the lowest into the Highest. The great Chinese sage, Lao Tse, expressed the thought in beautiful words:
How does the sea become the king of all rivers and streams?
Because it lies lower than them.
St Augustine said the way to God is, "First humility, second humility and third humility." He who is proud of possessions or of learning or of authority will not go to any Saint unless he is humble. Even if he goes to the Saint, but considers himself superior to Him, he will not listen to Him. A glass which is kept above a tumbler of water will remain empty — until it is put below the tumbler. You know what you know; just listen to what the other says. Perhaps we can learn something from him.
Yes, the branches of a fruit-laden tree bend of their own accord. Even so, the man who, losing himself, finds God — finds Him everywhere and in everyone — bends before all, offers homage of his heart to all. This is true humility. It is not a forced sense of lowliness. Such a one lives in unity with all. He is in others and others are in him.
It is the fake ego-self that gives rise to the sense of discord and separation. When the illusion of ego is broken, one feels, "I am not apart from others, but others are parts of the One — God — The Master — and all of us are engaged in the same service of God."
Each one of us is unique in his own way. There is a divine purpose behind the life of everyone who comes into the world; no one has been created for nothing. We have something to learn from everyone. This is the mystery of humility.
The truly humble person does not compare himself with others. He knows that none of us, however evolved, is perfect; none of us is complete in himself. The humble person does not regard one as better than the other; he believes in the divinity of each. If one says and asserts that he is better than others, then he is not perfect as yet.
It is only when one realizes his nothingness that God comes and fills him with Himself. Where man is, God is not; where man is not, God is! God cannot enter the heart of the self-seeking person. He who is full of himself considers himself as above others and so puts a limit on himself. God is without limit. How can the limitless enter the limited?
O ye who seek God: See that you do not set yourself above others. Give up all that you are and all that you have, empty yourself of all "self," cast the ego out, and you stand face to face with God. Wondrous are the words of the Sufi Saint, Abur Hassan:
Brothers! This is the Law:
He who cometh nigh to God
Loseth what he hath,
Aye, he loseth himself,
But gains instead the Gift Supreme,
The gift of humility.
A man may strive to be humble, but for all his efforts, may become all the more proud. There is such a thing as the pride of humility; it is a very dangerous thing, for it is too subtle to be discerned by the inexperienced. There are some who will take great pains to be humble; they make humility impossible. How can a man be humble who is all the time thinking of how best he can be humble?
Such a man is all the time occupied with himself, but true humility is freedom from all consciousness of self, which includes freedom from the consciousness of humility. The truly humble man never knows that he is humble.
The truly humble man accepts everything as coming from the hands of God. He knows that in him there is nothing praiseworthy. All the good that is in him is from God, and the praise that men give him belongs to God. When the young man called Jesus "Good Teacher," Jesus quietly said, "Why call me good? There is none good but God."
"Humility," says Lacordaire, "does not consist in hiding our talents and virtues, in thinking ourselves worse and more ordinary than we are, but in possessing a clear knowledge of all that is lacking in us, and not exalting ourselves for that which we have, seeing that God has freely given it us, and with all His gifts, we are still infinitely of little importance." So the truly humble man may accept sometimes the praise which men give him, and quietly passes it on to God, keeping nothing for himself.
The man who is not truly humble behaves in a very unnatural manner when he is not praised by men. He becomes upset, loses his patience and even becomes angry. He repulses them with his irritation and creates for them an awkward situation. Sometimes he suppresses his feelings and remains silent; but he cannot forget the things that are said about him; they haunt him again and again and do not give him peace of mind.
The humble man makes no fuss. He is at harmony with himself and others. He is gifted with a wondrous feeling of peace. He feels safe and secure, like a ship in harbour, unaffected by howling storms and lashing waves. He has found refuge at the Lotus Feet of the Lord and the storms of changing circumstances have no power over him. He feels light as air. The burdens which we carry all our life — the burden of the self and its desires — he has laid aside, and he is ever calm and serene. Having given up everything, he has nothing to lose, and yet everything belongs to him, for he is of God, and God is in him. Having broken the bondage of desire, he is as happy with a piece of dry bread as with a sumptuous meal. In every situation and circumstance of life, he blesses the Name of God.
He who would be humble regards himself as a student. He learns many new things, but what is more difficult, he unlearns many things he has learned. A scholar came to a Saint and said, "O Seer of the Secret, tell me what I may do to live the life divine." And the Saint said to him, "Go, unlearn what thou hast learnt and then return and sit before me."
He who would walk the way of humility must renounce his earlier ways of living. He must give up the opinions he has formed, the standards to which he is accustomed. He must have a new outlook on life. The things the world would worship are to him of no value. His values are so different from those of other men. Rich food, fine houses, costly dresses, positions of power and authority, the applause of men, honours and titles, no longer attract him. He feels drawn to a life of simplicity. He is happy in living a hidden life in the Hidden Lord.
He is dead to the world; he is alive in God. At times he actually behaves like one dead.
Yes, the truly humble man is, in that sense, the "dead" man. He has "died." God alone lives in him. His self has been annihilated. His self has vanished into God, and only God remains. God works in him and through him, and God emits in his eyes. God speaks in his words. On his feet, God walks the earth; and through his hands gives His benedictions to all.
Such men are the real strength of the world — its illumination and inspiration. To see them is to commune with God, for God dwells in them. They are the living, moving Temples of the Lord. They are the ones who keep the world intact, though they do not know it themselves. The whole earth depends on them without anyone being aware of it. Their hearts and minds are in tune with the Great Heart and Mind of humanity. They are in complete accord with all that lives. They give their love to all living beings, as though they were the sons of the one sweet Mother. They have broken all fetters and entered into the freedom of the children of God. God does their will, because they have merged their wills in His. God fulfills their least desire, for it is He Who desires all their desires. They are the little saviours of humanity.
I wish each one of you to follow the lesson of humility, born of love and simplicity.
[ENDS]
His Holiness Master Kirpal (1894-1974)
Born on 6th February 1894 in Sayyad Kasran, British India, His Holiness Master Kirpal Singh was confronted with nationalism, religious intolerance, and bigotry since His early youth. In view of the suffering humanity He deeply thought about the nature of man and sought for a solution to the permanent discord leading to violent conflicts. After a profound study of the basic scriptures of the Christians, Moslems, Buddhists, Sikhs, Hindus, Jews, Zoroastrians etc, He found that they all give out the same basic truth and speak about the birthright of man to attain self-knowledge and God-knowledge. Due to His universal view He could create mutual understanding among the different religions. During fourteen years He was repeatedly elected President of the World Fellowship of Religions which came into being in 1957. He left his physical body on 21st August 1974.
Books written by His Holiness include: The Crown of Life - a comparative study of Yogas and Surat Shabd Yoga; Godman - the mission, nature and need of a spiritual Master; The Jap Ji: The Message of Guru Nanak; Morning Talks - a series of short informal talks giving practical advice on the general subject of spirituality; The Mystery of Death; Naam or Word - an in depth study of the Celestial Sound Current or God into Expression Power called variously: Naam, Word, Music of the Spheres, Shabd, etc; The Night is a Jungle - a collection of 14 public discourses on spirituality; PRAYER: Its Nature and Technique; SPIRITUALITY: What it is - an exploration of the Science of Spirituality; The Way of the Saints: SANT MAT - collected short writings, booklets, circular letters, and seasonal messages; and The Wheel of Life - about Karma, "As you sow, so shall you reap."
On three world tours in 1955, 1963, and 1972 His Holiness visited major cities in the Western world, where He met religious leaders -- including the Pope, politicians, and personalities of the society. Everywhere He conveyed the importance of self-knowledge and God-knowledge and emphasized the need of selfless service. His efforts to create understanding from man to man, for peace in the world and for tolerance among the religions have been recognized by many honours. His efforts reached a summit when He convened the first World Conference on Unity of Man, which took place in New Delhi, India, from 3rd to 6th February 1974. Religious, political, and social leaders from all over India, and delegates from approximately 18 countries participated in the conference. This World Conference was the beginning of the Unity of Man movement. As a result of the conference He was invited by the Indian Government to address Parliament. When He spoke to the members of the Lok Sabha (Lower House) on 1st August 1974, it was the first time that a spiritual leader was given that honour.
Successors
The successor to His Holiness Master Kirpal Singh (1894-1974) was His Holiness Master Ajaib Singh (1926-1997). His successor is His Holiness Sant Sadhu Ram. Their books, thoughts and analyses are available for download from www.mediaseva.org.
Holistic Quantum Relativity (HQR) Background
A. The HQR Project's Latest Glossary (v0.5) is available from here.
B. For those who wish to understand the genesis of the HQR Socratic Dialogue on IntentBlog in detail please visit the following strings in sequence:
1. Maulana Rumi: 2007 is his 800th Anniversary!
2. Unified Force, Sub-nuclear Physics & Love of Rumi
3. Holistics: Embracing Science, Art and Spirituality!
4. Complex Holistics: Hegel's Logic, Spirit and Mind
5. Simple Holistics: Hegel Triangles & Unified Pyramid
6. Holistic Pyramid, Sahasrara, Sri Yantra, Creation
7. Holistic Relativity: Spiritual Planes & Consciousness
8. Holistic Quantum Relativity: Spirituality and Science
9. Holistic Quantum Relativity Project: Glossary
10. Holistic Quantum Relativity Evolution on IntentBlog
11. HQR: Tagore Einstein: Science, Spirituality & Music
12. HQR: Albert Einstein Quotes on Spirituality
13. HQR: HH Master Kirpal -- Nature of Thought
14. HQR: HH Master Kirpal -- Indira Gandhi & Quotes
15. HQR: Quantum Physics -- The Holotropic State
16. HQR: Bringing All Together & Another Perspective
17. HQR: Quantum Computer, Einstein's Spooky Action
18. Holistic Quantum Relativity Project: Glossary v0.2
19. Holistic Quantum Relativity Project: Glossary v0.3
20. Holistic Quantum Relativity Project: Glossary v0.4
21. HQR: HH Master Kirpal: Consciousness & Free Will
22. HQR: Sir Karl Popper: Paradox of Science & Truth
23. HQR: Sir Tim Berners-Lee: The Future of The Web
24. HQR: Linking Ancient & Modern: WWW of Worship
25. HQR: Burden of Proof, Synchronicity & Applications
26. Holistic Quantum Relativity Project: Glossary v0.5
27. HQR: Energy & the Bizarre Danger in Calling Spirits
28. HQR:HH Sant Ajaib:Truth Connected is Never Alone
Similar information in a more accessible format is available from The Alliance for a New Humanity's Global Wiki Project
This is presented as an amalgam from a number of sources with attendant errors and omissions. Please forgive the same and we welcome your submissions, thoughts, observations and views.
With warm wishes to you and family
DK with family
DK Matai
The Philanthropia, ATCA, mi2g.net
Posted by DK Matai at 01:03 PM | Comments (40)
Massage of the Week: Wash Your Partner's Feet!
In many cultures of the world, washing another person’s feet is a way to honor a friend or loved one, and has been used as a religious rite for centuries. The practice can be such a loving, nurturing experience, and an unexpected way to show someone that they are special to you. If that’s not enough, it feels so good! For the ten minutes you might invest in serving another soul, don’t be surprised if it brings tears to your partner’s eyes.
Supplies needed:
A large mixing bowl or other waterproof container to use as a portable wash basin – large enough to fit your partner’s feet.
A chair
Two bath towels
Some soap (liquid or solid)
A little body lotion
Optional:
¼ cup garbanzo flour
Some oil to mix with the garbanzo flour to make a thick paste (massage oil or organic cooking oils are okay, too – you won’t need more than ¼ cup)
A small bowl and a spoon to mix the flour and oil
A washcloth
Set the scene by arranging the chair with a bath towel laid out in front of it. Fill the large bowl half-full with warm water. Lovingly direct your partner to sit down on the chair and soak his or her feet in the water. Use your hands to rub the skin on the feet a little bit, loosening any dirt or grime from the day, splash a little water around the ankles and lower legs, etc.
Next, take your soap and wash the feet. You can lift one foot out of the water at a time, or if that’s too cumbersome, ask your partner to raise his or her foot for a moment while you wash it. Take your time and be thorough. Get in between the toes and around the toe nails, the ankles, the heels, everywhere. When finished washing, rinse off with the warm water.
Optional: Scrub each of the feet, either with the home-made garbanzo paste, or you could just use a washcloth. Put the garbanzo flour into the small bowl, and start adding the oil, a little bit at a time, and mixing it with the spoon until it becomes something in between a cookie dough and a cake batter. Then spread some of the paste on one of the feet and give it a good scrub (or just scrub with the washcloth). Again, take your time and be thorough. Rinse the foot when you’re finished scrubbing. Pay particular attention to the areas in between the toes and around the toe nail cuticles when rinsing – the paste has a tendency to stick there!
Last, put the other bath towel in your lap and dry off your partner’s feet. Move the large bowl with the dirty water out of the way so you can put your partner’s feet back on the floor. Finish with an application of some body lotion to keep the feet hydrated. If you feel like spending an extra minute rubbing the lotion in and massaging the feet, great, but if you’re not up to it, don’t worry. You’re partner will already feel blessed with your attention and affection.
Posted by Grace Wilson at 03:33 AM | Comments (6)
March 22, 2007
CCC: Celebrities, Climate Chaos, Carbon Footprints
Whilst wishing the newly weds felicity, longevity and sustainability, The Philanthropia is picking up strong signals across Europe that environmental groups...
Hurley, Nayar and 200 tonnes of Carbon
...are questioning the wisdom behind Elizabeth Hurley's extravaganza for producing the same amount of carbon emissions during her week-long wedding as the average British couple does in 10 years and a typical Indian couple would do in 123 years to match! Are the concerns justified?
The 41-year-old wed Indian businessman Arun Nayar in a series of festivities in England, India and the Maldives which campaigners believe emitted 200,000 kilograms (200 tonnes) of carbon. As part of their celebrations, the couple jetted 24 of their closest friends from England, and then onto three different Indian cities over six days.
Here are the footprint numbers: “Best Foot Forward says the biggest polluter is the Learjet, which emit more than 70,000kg on its 12,000-mile round-trip. Accommodation in India added 18,605kg, and food and drink 18,000kg. Flying in flowers produced 28,250kg, and flying three chefs to India added 2,377kg. Guests and staff who travelled to Gloucestershire released 30,000kg. The bride’s flight to Milan for a dress fitting added just 215kg.” The total? A staggering 200,000kg of carbon emissions...
The UK ecology group Best Foot Forward has stated, "This level of emission is utter wasteful extravagance... We have to challenge the idea that this is something wonderful -- and realise it is putting the planet in danger." Friends Of The Earth have stated, "Perhaps stars like Liz should think about setting a more positive example."
What are your thoughts, observations and views? Will celebrities be increasingly condemned for setting the wrong example on countering climate chaos via exra large carbon footprints?
With warm wishes to you and family
DK with family
DK Matai
The Philanthropia, ATCA, mi2g.net
Posted by DK Matai at 06:58 PM | Comments (14)
Universe: Revealing Our Modern Mythology
I wanted to share this with you...
Universe
Posted by Saira Mohan at 06:44 AM | Comments (5)
March 21, 2007
Recipe of the Week - Chopra Granola
This week's recipe is the Chopra Granola. One of the best things about this recipe is the smell of the fragrant spices being baked with the maple syrup. This is definitely a form or aromatherapy. Enjoy the granola for a snack or breakfast with milk, soymilk or on top of low-fat yogurt.
2 cups organic rolled oats
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup flaxseeds
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup almonds, sliced or pieces
2 Tablespoons poppy seeds
1/2 cup coconut flakes
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon allspice
2 Tablespoons ghee or canola oil
2 Tablespoons organic apple juice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup currants or raisins
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Oil a sheet pan and set aside. In a medium bowl, combine all the dry ingredients, excluding the cranberries and currants (or raisins). In a separate small bowl combine all the wet ingredients. Add to the dry mixture and combine well. Evenly spread the granola over the baking sheet pan. Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Stir often with a spatula. When done let cool. Add the dried cranberries and currants. Cool completely and store in an airtight container or plastic bag. Serve with low-fat milk or soymilk.
Posted by Teresa Long at 10:43 PM | Comments (5)
HQR:HH Sant Ajaib:Truth Connected is Never Alone
Before Sukhdev Muni [Sanskrit: Sage] went to King Janak to get Initiation, he used to think, "How can a worldly person become the Master of a renunciate?"
The Ocean of Love
-- because you know that Sukhdev Muni was a renunciate right from his birth, and whenever he used to ask his father, Ved Vyas, about Initiation, Ved Vyas would tell him, "King Janak is the only perfect Saint nowadays, but He is a King. You may think that He is a worldly person, but He is not, and He is the only one who can connect you with the Naam [and give you the] Initiation."
So whenever Sukhdev Muni would think about going to King Janak to get Initiation his mind would bring up this question, "How can a worldly person become the Master of a renunciate?" that is why, for many years, he did not go to see King Janak. But later on, when he realized that there was no other substitute for him, that he would have to go to the king to get Initiation, he finally went to see King Janak. On his way up to see Him he left his clothes and a metal cup in the courtyard of the king's palace.
His Holiness Sant Ajaib Singh (1926-1997)
When Sukhdev Muni and King Janak were talking with each other, at that time, King Janak, because He was a perfect Saint, created such a Will to teach a good lesson to Sukhdev Muni. What He did was this: after some time an attendant came to King Janak and told Him that the cantonment [the army barracks] of that city was on fire. When King Janak heard that He did not react sharply. He didn't do anything; He was not confused. He said, "It is the Will of God"; and that attendant went away.
Sukhdev Muni thought, "This person is not fit to be a king because the army is like the heart of the king. He should have gone to rescue the people who are in the fire; he should have done something to save them, but he doesn't care. So that is why he is not fit to be the king." After some time, when they were still talking, another person came and told King Janak, "Now the city is on fire." King Janak again remained calm and quiet; He only said, "It is the Will of God." Sukhdev Muni again had that negative thought. He thought, "He is the king and he must have a lot of things in his palace so that is why he thinks, `Why should I worry about the city and the people of my kingdom?' But it is very bad that he doesn't care for the other people. He is only bothered and concerned about his own self. That is why he is only saying, `It is God's Will,' and doing nothing to save the other people."
After some time another person came and said, "Your Highness, now even the palace is on fire. The courtyard of the palace is on fire." At once Sukhdev Muni jumped up to save his clothes and his metal cup. Then King Janak held him by his hand and said, "Now you tell me - who is the renunciate, you or me? You left some clothes and some trivial things in my courtyard, and you are afraid that you will lose them if you don't rush to take them. But you see that when the cantonment was on fire, when the city was on fire, I didn't go to save them because I am not attached to them. So now you can decide who is a renunciate and who is not."
The Ocean of Love
Then Sukhdev Muni learned that in reality he was attached to the world and King Janak was not. Even though King Janak used to live like a worldly person, since He was a King and He had many obligations, many responsibilities, but in fact He was not attached to all those things. He was just performing His duty. So when he realized that King Janak was a perfect One, and that he should take Initiation from Him, he requested, "Master, now You should give me Initiation."
But King Janak was not going to give him Initiation so easily. He told Sukhdev, "Well, I will give you Initiation, but first I will put you to some tests, and if you pass those tests, only then you will get the Initiation."
King Janak gave Sukhdev Muni a cup full of oil and told him, "You take this oil, and holding this cup in your hand, go around the city. If you come back with the same amount of oil, without dropping even a single drop of this oil, only then will I understand that you can concentrate, and that you can do the meditation. And only then will I give you Initiation." He said, "Mind that, if you drop even a single drop of oil on the ground, you should know that a person with an open sword is behind you, and he will cut off your head, so you should be very careful."
When Sukhdev Muni took that cup of oil and went into the city, King Janak, at many places in the city, had arranged some distractions, such as dancers and other things. This was only to attract Sukhdev Muni's attention. But Sukhdev Muni had the desire of realizing God, and he wanted to get the Initiation from the perfect Master, and since he knew that if he dropped the oil he would be killed, he was afraid of death also. So his mind didn't tell him to look at all those things, all those distractions, and he was so concentrated in that cup of oil that even though he went all around the city he didn't look at any other thing except that cup of oil. When he came back to King Janak having passed that test King Janak asked him, "Tell me, what did you see in the city? Did you like the city?" He said, "Let me tell you that I didn't see anything in the city. I don't know what was happening there, because I was afraid that I would be killed if I removed my attention from this cup of oil, so I was fully concentrated on this cup."
Then King Janak said, "Now I see that you can concentrate in the meditation also. Later on, when you get Initiation, if you will have that much concentration in your meditation, only then will you become successful." Later, after Sukhdev Muni passed many other tests, and when he got the Initiation, he was so much concentrated in his meditation that he became successful, and he also became a perfect Saint.
So if we also remember that death is hanging over our head, and we are not supposed to look at this or that place, if we remember and we have real yearning for God, then there is no question of our mind taking us away from our Simran. We will be absorbed in the Simran just as the attention of Sukhdev Muni was absorbed in that cup of oil.
Our head is filled with the enjoyments and the distractions of the world, and we always remember them. But if we are afraid of our Master, if we are afraid of our death, and if we remember that our main purpose for coming into this world is to realize God, then it will not be very difficult to take our mind away from the enjoyments and distractions of the world. We can easily put all our concentration and all our attention in the Simran only.
[ENDS]
Excerpt of Question and Answer session with His Holiness Sant Ajaib Singh on September 29, 1980 at Sant Bani Ashram, 77 RB, Rajasthan, India. The successor to His Holiness Master Kirpal Singh (1894-1974) was His Holiness Master Master Ajaib Singh (1926-1997). His successor is His Holiness Sant Sadhu Ram. Their books are available for download from www.mediaseva.org.
Sant Ajaib Singh Ji, 77RB Ashram Sevadars, and a Few Westerners, July, 1976
Holistic Quantum Relativity (HQR) Background
A. The HQR Project's Latest Glossary (v0.5) is available from here.
B. For those who wish to understand the genesis of the HQR Socratic Dialogue on IntentBlog in detail please visit the following strings in sequence:
1. Maulana Rumi: 2007 is his 800th Anniversary!
2. Unified Force, Sub-nuclear Physics & Love of Rumi
3. Holistics: Embracing Science, Art and Spirituality!
4. Complex Holistics: Hegel's Logic, Spirit and Mind
5. Simple Holistics: Hegel Triangles & Unified Pyramid
6. Holistic Pyramid, Sahasrara, Sri Yantra, Creation
7. Holistic Relativity: Spiritual Planes & Consciousness
8. Holistic Quantum Relativity: Spirituality and Science
9. Holistic Quantum Relativity Project: Glossary
10. Holistic Quantum Relativity Evolution on IntentBlog
11. HQR: Tagore Einstein: Science, Spirituality & Music
12. HQR: Albert Einstein Quotes on Spirituality
13. HQR: HH Master Kirpal -- Nature of Thought
14. HQR: HH Master Kirpal -- Indira Gandhi & Quotes
15. HQR: Quantum Physics -- The Holotropic State
16. HQR: Bringing All Together & Another Perspective
17. HQR: Quantum Computer, Einstein's Spooky Action
18. Holistic Quantum Relativity Project: Glossary v0.2
19. Holistic Quantum Relativity Project: Glossary v0.3
20. Holistic Quantum Relativity Project: Glossary v0.4
21. HQR: HH Master Kirpal: Consciousness & Free Will
22. HQR: Sir Karl Popper: Paradox of Science & Truth
23. HQR: Sir Tim Berners-Lee: The Future of The Web
24. HQR: Linking Ancient & Modern: WWW of Worship
25. HQR: Burden of Proof, Synchronicity & Applications
26. Holistic Quantum Relativity Project: Glossary v0.5
27. HQR: Energy & the Bizarre Danger in Calling Spirits
Similar information in a more accessible format is available from The Alliance for a New Humanity's Global Wiki Project
This is presented as an amalgam from a number of sources with attendant errors and omissions. Please forgive the same and we welcome your submissions, thoughts, observations and views.
With warm wishes to you and family
DK with family
DK Matai
The Philanthropia, ATCA, mi2g.net
Posted by DK Matai at 08:32 AM | Comments (49)
Open Thread
March 21, 2007
Posted by Intent at 12:58 AM | Comments (165)
March 20, 2007
Knut The Polar Bear
Baby Knut was abandoned by his mother, and adopted by a zoo keeper at the Berlin Zoo. Some animal rights activists think Knut should not be coddled like a baby and should actually be killed. The zoo
thinks and is acting otherwise. Per Reuters, "The polar bear is bottle-fed, washed and cuddled by his adoptive father, who moved in to the zoo to sleep in a bed by the bears crate. Newspapers report that Doerflein also plays him Elvis songs on the guitar and gave him Christmas presents."
Per another article in the Daily Mail:
"Activists fret that it is inappropriate for a predator, known for its fierceness and ability to fend for itself in the wild, to be snuggled, bottle-fed and made into a commodity by zookeepers... "The zoo must kill the bear," said spokesman Frank Albrecht. "Feeding by hand is not species-appropriate but a gross violation of animal protection laws."
I honestly know nothing about animal protection laws, but don't zoos already commoditize animals? And, boy, he is so adorably cute. He has been photographed by Annie Leibovitz and check him out on You Tube.
Posted by Mallika Chopra at 08:27 PM | Comments (25)
A miracle comes our way
It is said that miracles happen only to those who believe them. One came our way. It is here for those who wish to share it.
Posted by Anouradha Bakshi at 07:03 PM | Comments (5)
March 19, 2007
Health Tip of the Week - Herbs for Migraine
Herbs for Migraine
Q: I have recurring migraines and hate the side-effects of the medications. Are there any alternatives?
A: Headaches are a very common problem for human beings. Studies have estimated that about ninety per cent of men and ninety-five per cent of women have at least one unprovoked headache each year. Over 20 million Americans have moderate to severe mig