Spiritual Thoughts for a Green World

Gandhi and a study of the Self

2012-01-30T04:55:00.000-08:00

Two of my blogs, this one and another focused on Nainital contain spiritual content. The latter is more specific to Nainital District, its history, development as well as local spirituality. This one is of wider interest. From time to time, I have found that a certain post will fit in both blogs and therefore post them in both places with the same or similar title. This one will be like that too.

A recent post in the Nainital blog considered the question, of holy men and cults and considered if they were fraudulent. So many of them are, especially those that are attempting to make a living out of their activities. They are easily discovered because they often focus on the rich while ignoring the suffering masses. Such cults may be based on a branch of an ancient religion or be an entirely new one. The latter may be more dangerous since they have not been tested and exposed by time.

A human who does not follow any religion or cult is better off then another following a false or fraudulent one. Spiritual cults work on the psyche and from here it is possible for fraudulent cults to manipulate humans into inhuman behavior, even violence. Many would have heard of the evil cults of Charles Manson or another Japanese one (I forget its name) whose main activity appeared to be the killing of innocent persons. Such cults that lead humans into evil, violence and early demise have existed since ancient times.

Then there are politico-religious cults that lead their members into violence with the belief that they are perpetuating violence for a just cause such as liberation of their territories from an occupying power. There is nothing more unjust than killing innocent persons, even more unjust than the occupation of any territory on earth. Further, such persons do not realize is that violent resistance has rarely freed an occupied country whereas peaceful resistance and non-cooperation such as those of Gandhi have achieved liberation with ease. The fact that Gandhi truly loved the lord was proved by the last two words he uttered before he died – He Ram i.e. O God. He was assassinated on the 30th of January 1948. Today is his death anniversary.

In modern times there also exist spiritual cults that do not necessarily lead a person into violence or any other great evil but they may be just plain nonsense or useless. One could make one up that asks its member to face north every morning and say wa, wa wa --- while beating the ground with a stick and hopping on one leg or something equally silly. I suppose its OK if a human joins such a cult. Just a bit of harmless fun! It is similar to others who join various activity clubs. After all, one has to do something to pass time as long as one lives. One might make some new friends if nothing else. However, even here one must be cautious. Some of these seemingly innocent cults may seed the mind with a false idea that can retard natural evolution and growth of a soul for an indefinitely long period of time.

Rather than get overly influenced by a deficient or fraudulent spiritual philosophy, one is much better off if one just lived a clean moral life and kept a safe distance from these fraudulent cults. One can progress brilliantly if one communes with nature besides. However, if one is keen on spiritual knowledge, one is safer while following a historical religion such as mainstream Christianity or Buddhism that has been known to produce happy, compassionate and humane societies; or, one may follow independently the words and works of saints that have worked to alleviate human suffering, working amongst the oppressed, poor and sick. The New Testament declares – beware of false teachers that are like wolves in sheep’s clothing. The teacher who said those words did not work for the prosperous Jews or Romans of his times but rather the suffering masses and the sick. It is a different matter if some of the same Romans he ignored while he lived may have taken over and made a fine business of some of his words while deleting some words that were not convenient.

Consider an often-propagated idea of a few modern spiritual cults or so called Gurus – Live in the Moment. What these cults are saying is that a person should not dwell in the past or future but dwell in the moment. On the face of it, the concept looks attractive; however there can be nothing more dangerous than this belief in retarding a person’s spiritual or evolutionary progress. One evolves by learning form one’s past experiences, reflecting on the past to draw lessons of wisdom; reflecting on faults and weaknesses with a view to removing them; repenting for past sins so as not to repeat them etc. Certainly such reflection on the past must not be done while one is driving or doing some other task. In the latter case, it is best to live in the moment and focus on the task at hand. Reflection on the past has to be reserved for one’s quieter moments. The philosophies (that are not named here) that propagate the concept of living in the moment do not bother to make this distinction. They just tell you to rubbish the past. Philosophies that propagate such a heinous concept need to be rubbished instead.

An earlier post of this blog – Happiness is like a Building – mentioned that happiness is like a building that stands on four pillars. One of these pillars is the regular study of the self in order to find and reduce one’s faults. An ancient philosopher who wrote the first text on yoga in Sanskrit mentions that three things can carry a human to the highest levels of evolution: - hard disciplined work done as a sacrifice (Tap), A study of the self (Swadhyay), and belief, trust and love of God (Ishwar Shranangati). This three-fold practice has been termed as kriya yoga by Patanjali. Gandhi too followed this doctrine rigorously while upholding truth and non-violence that are prerequisites to kriya yoga. In recent times some modern cults have hijacked this term for other different and esoteric forms of yoga that they maintain secrecy over. They reveal it once you pay them.

A recent holy personality of Nainital known as Baba Hairakhan who died in 1984 recommended a variation of the original kriya yoga without naming it as kriya yoga perhaps because that term had been hijacked.

Saint Kabir (1456-1575) of India has been mentioned elsewhere in this blog. He lived in a mud hut, earning his living as a weaver. In his spare time, he composed spiritual poetry that many came to listen at dusk (when weaving was impossible because of the fading light) from far and wide. His poetry consisted primarily of brief couplets in Hindi. They contain wisdom and knowledge just as the Proverbs and of the Old Testament do. I have quoted one of Kabir’s couplets in an earlier post that declares, many believe in God in times of difficulty but promptly forget Him when the going is good. Here is another one in Hindi that fits in with our present discussion:

Bura jo Dekhan Main Chala, Bura na milya Koi
Apan dil jo khojya, mujh sai bura na koi.

My translation:

I searched the wide world for a bad person, a bad person I found not one
Then searching my own heart, more evil there was none.

In quiet moments of reflection, one can look into one’s past and see the wrongs one may have done. No one else can look into one’s past as clearly as oneself. Therefore, it is not surprising that if we make a dispassionate evaluation, perhaps the most evil person we have known in our lives is none other than oneself. Forget, Jack the ripper. He was insane.

I too have wondered at the wrongs that I have done in this life by reflecting on my own past. First, there are the impulsive wrongs that one commits when one is blinded by a strong emotion such as anger or fear. These wrongs can at least be appreciated soon after the moment passes. More surprising are the wrongs one commits over extended periods of one’s life and does not even realize that one is doing anything wrong. A quiet reflection on one’s past in quiet green surroundings, when one is all alone (i.e. not in the company of other humans) help a person to realize the folly and work towards becoming a better and happier person.

Prediction of World Economic Growth Rates over the Decade 2012-2022

2012-01-26T23:30:00.000-08:00

From time to time some of the posts of this blog have been about the economy. This one is about the growth rates of some of the leading economies of the world as predicted by this blogger purely from an intuitive/meditative basis rather than an economic analysis of data and trends. The predictions are within a margin of error of plus-minus one per cent

Predicted annual (correction added as Vincent pointed out) GDP Growth Rates in the period 2012-2022

China, 9% +/- 1%
India, 7% +/- 1%
Australia 3% +/- 1%
USA 2% +/- 1%
Japan 0% +/- 1%
Europe 0% +/- 1%

Hopefully this blog will be around for another ten years to check how well this prediction measures out against actual performance.

NEW YEAR GREETINGS

2011-12-30T22:40:00.000-08:00

Wishing you a very Happy New Year with sincere hopes that 2012 and beyond will lead to great improvements in the quality of your life.

Update January 11, 2012: This update adds an interesting photo to the post.It was shared on my facebook wall by the Naiital community on facebook. It shows a recent photo of nainital under snow. This one was taken from ground level unlike mine in the blog banner taken from top of a hill. There is a piece of level ground on one of the tips of the lake called the flats. It is surrounded by the town commercial area on three sides, the fourth is the lake itself. Everything is under snow right now. A real dream photo! Is'nt it?

Why I Believe in God, love Him and consider Him Almighty?

2011-12-06T21:27:00.000-08:00

Before I answer the title, I must clarify what I mean by God. To me God is the entire universe, all it’s seen and unseen aspects and all the processes that take place in it and have ever taken place. With that definition there is no choice but to believe in Him.

These universal processes created my mind. Although my mind can pose the question of this post it is not great enough to create such a mind or anything near it, therefore I consider the Universe that created it as All Mighty.

I love him because he has provided me with all my essential needs (air, water etc.) and much more. If He did not I would not have been around to pose this question. Would I?

I try and put a picture with each post because it looks nice and makes a nice icon when the post is shared on facebook and elsewhere. I rigged this one up today quickly using bits and pieces on my computer. Looks like the colors have come out quite festive. Very appropriate for the upcoming Christmas season. A Merry Christmas to everybody out there.

The Joy of a Rustic Life

2011-11-07T21:10:00.000-08:00

Often at around five 5 p.m., I go out for an evening walk around my neighborhood or to a shopping area nearby. Yesterday as I was out on a walk, I spotted a group of around ten rural laborers returning from work at some construction site in the area. They were indeed a bubbly and cheerful lot, laughing and joking with each other as they walked briskly towards their temporary urban shelter. The exuberance was certainly far greater than other rich or middle class neighbors that I encounter on these evening walks. It is a common sight most evenings.

These simple rustic labor folk that drop into the city from time to time from nearby rural areas do so to make some extra money. In recent years there has been much economic progress in India, but such progress is in the main confined to urban areas. In the villages, life has not yet changed substantially. Most villagers are farmers but their farm holding are small and they do not have money to invest in intensive modern farming. As a result they do manage to eat and live in a simple dwelling, even a mud and thatch one if necessary, but they do not have any surplus money besides. Under the circumstances a trip to the city whenever possible is an ideal opportunity to raise funds for some substantial expenditure back home such as the construction of a better home, purchase of a tractor, putting in a bore well on their farm lot etc. Recently, as opportunities for temporary part time work have become available in the rural hinterland due to an innovative rural employment scheme of the government, rural labor in cities is not as plentiful as about a decade ago. As a result their daily wages have gone up considerably (they have more than doubled in the last ten years) and incase both husband and wife work together, as they often do, the wages can be substantial, comparable to the average wage of an urbanite or more. Nevertheless, the lifestyle of these laborers has remained more or less the same as before. Perhaps the only change is that they purchase a mobile phone the first chance they get and some mobile device for playing music. This latter need has now disappeared, because now mobile phones incorporate radios and stored music. It is quite likely that the next generation of these rural workers would adopt a more prosperous life style due to better education, media exposure, commercial advertisements that promise a better life and capital investments of their parents, but this one seems content with life as it has always been.

The lifestyle of these temporary laborers to the city involves three or four living in a temporary rented room in the city. This crowded living does not appear to compromise their happiness because they are used to similar living back home in their villages. Certainly their sleep is sweet and deep because they work hard and have few cares or responsibilities in life that they take seriously. That is the prerogative of us better off persons.

The simple diet of these rural persons in the city is the same as in their villages back home. It primary consists of unleavened flat round bread, three to four times a day, accompanied by a little something of whatever is available. The little something could be any one of the following - a soup, some stir fried vegetables, clarified butter, a chutney of herbs, garlic and chilly, a little milk, a sliced onion, a fruit like a mango or just plain salt and water. The little something had with the bread has only a little something of nutrition. Most of the nutrition and calories is acquired from the bread itself. In spite of that, in general, my observation is that these rural folk are healthier than their urban counterparts and even well off urbanites who consume a daily diet that is comparable to the best in the world. Certainly they are far more physically able and active while young and do not suffer from diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and numerous other ailments that plague the urban dweller as they get older. Undoubtedly, modern nutritional science has a long way to go in fully understanding the workings of a human body and the effects of diet on it.

The bread is made fresh daily over a wood fire in the open and it tastes great. As compared to leavened bread, unleavened bread has hardly any shelf life and must be made fresh daily. It costs very little because all it takes to make is wheat flour and water. Wheat flour is one of the cheapest of foodstuff available on our planet. On one occasion while in Canada a student was struggling with his finances to the extent that even food was becoming difficult for him. I suggested this bread. He then managed to survive through his course easily. Adding a little water to flour and kneading it into dough makes this bread called roti or chapatti in India. Small balls of the dough are rolled out into round bread about six to eight inches in diameter while sprinkling a little dry flour to prevent sticking. It is then roasted on both sides directly on a hot iron plate. Making eight to ten such pieces, sufficient for a meal for two, takes about half an hour. Some practice is required to roll and roast the bread evenly and make it delicious. If cooked over a wood fire, it is often given a final flourish by taking the bread off the plate and placing it directly on the fire below for a few seconds for a smoked or barbecue flavor. If a single adult depended primarily on this bread for food as described in the earlier paragraph, around ten kilograms of flour suffices for a month. At current prices in India, the cost of ten kilograms of wheat flour is about three dollars a month. It is quite likely that the price of the flour is similar around the world because of much international trade in wheat.

All these observations make one wonder what kind of progress is worthy progress? Personally though I would not trade my own lifestyle for this rural one. In all probability I have evolved beyond this simple happiness. These rural folk have a lower life expectancy because they do not have full access to modern medical facilities and usually go quickly. They never have to suffer slowly and miserably to death in a hospital and rarely face the pain and discomfort of a very old age as the rich do. Perhaps where these happy rural folk loose out is in the lack of control they have over their own lives. In times of adversity they are less able to control the consequences and are more easily devastated than a more educated and better off middle class person who sulks his ways through life to the sounds of this uncivilized rustic laughter.

The Slap that changed the World - Occupy Movement

2011-11-03T22:42:00.000-07:00

When a corrupt public official seeking a bribe in southern Tunisia slapped a struggling street vendor of fruit, he went on to complain to the authorities. His complaint was not heard as is common in countries where bribe taking is commonplace. The fruit vendor then set himself on fire. This triggered protests in Tunisia, elsewhere in the Arab world, Spain and now much of the developed countries in the shape of the Occupy Wall Street and other Occupy movements. Major changes in the world, hopefully for the better, have come about in the wake of this slap. Many more changes are likely to come in future since the effects of the slap have not yet unfolded fully.

One may wonder at this example of the butterfly effect. Is it possible that such huge changes can come about through an isolated incident in a not very significant corner of the world? My own view is that when the time comes for a change, it happens and requires the smallest of triggers to initiate the change as when a bucket of water is just balanced on a weighing scale, a single drop of water will cause it to tilt and spill over. But when the time has not come for change, the strongest of force may not cause it. In an earlier post while discussing the idea of AM strip farms a fellow blogger - Vincent commented that he was impressed with the thought but did not think the idea would be implemented. He would be right if the time has not yet come for that idea despite the fact that it is now out in the public domain in this blog.

In the present chain of events, the action of a single street vendor sufficed to initiate the massive changes in our world. In the normal course it is not possible for individuals to change the world in significant ways. Certainly much needs to be changed. We have on our planets beautiful and prosperous areas like Austria on the one hand and tragically starving and cruel areas like Somalia on the other. I would have chosen Switzerland instead of Austria as an example of a good area but for the fact that the Swiss appear to enjoy the proceeds of collusion between bankers and the underworld facilitated by their secrecy laws. Secrecy is required when an act is shameful. Some argue that secrecy is mantained by humans as regards their bodies even but my recent novel - nude besides the lake - attempts to explain when it is so and when it need not be like that

As mentioned, in the ordinary course, it is not possible for individuals to cause any major changes in the world and humans that attempt it on their own may end up wasting much of their effort. Where an individual has control is on his or her own behavior and it is here that efforts can bring about most results. It is my belief that eventually humans get what they deserve. Their present circumstances are a result of their past just as their future will be. In my belief system this past stretches into past lives that even determines if a child will be born in Somalia or Austria. My scientific mind is unwilling to accept that anything happens at random either in the physical world or the spiritual one. Everything is precisely determined and the result of a cause in our wonderfully intelligent universe.

Although it is not easy for individuals to bring about major change on their own, a change is possible when individuals become part of a mass movement as recently demonstrated in Tunisia, Libya and Egypt. However there must be a clear goal for such movements to suceed. A deficiency that appears to mark the occupy Wall Street movement is that the goals are unclear. True there is injustice in a world fuelled by greed where one percent of the earth’s population controls 99 percent or even ten percent of the earths resources, while many sweet innocent infants of our planet starve slowly and painfully to death. Truth there is injustice when democratic leaders who are supposed to look after the interest of the majority cater to the needs of the few who fund them. Nevertheless, just crying hoarse against injustices would lead one nowhere if one is unable to suggest an alternative course. What is the use of crying against a capitalistic system when the other alternative of communism has been known to end up in bread lines? What is the use of crying against a democratic system funded by selfish corporatism when the alternative of authoritarian systems lands you in the cooler the moment you speak against it?

This author is a thinker and he has pondered over such problems that beset mankind. An attempt to seek solutions led to an article – Beyond Communism and Capitalism (or here)– several years ago. Since then I have revised/changed many of my ideas as put forth in that article. However a model for how corporations may be managed remains unchanged in my mind so far. The essence of that model was that the smallest corporations and the smallest of businesses may continue to run on greed as in capitalism but as they get larger public good would progressively control them more and more. The details may be found in the article just mentioned.

http://www.libervis.com/article/morphism_beyond_communism_and_capitalism

http://www.codexnews.com/pcodex/contents.nsf/WNPPrintArticles/F042B91DA6452C7CC22570130008A1AD?open

THE SUN AND HAPPY DIWALI

2011-10-24T23:11:00.000-07:00

It is possible to live modern life in a manner that one stays indoors or in shade for months together in artificially controlled climates. Persons who do that not only develop an unhealthy looking complexion but also actually do become unhealthy. The sunlight falling on a human body produces essential vitamins for life, promotes healthy bacteria in the body and triggers hormonal changes that produce happiness and vitality. Its absence leads to weakness, stress and depression.

The sun has been doing much more for life than many realize. A process that began in the sun created the very elements that creates life. We owe the very air we breathe and the water we drink to sunlight and all of our food besides. In the beginning there was neither water nor oxygen on our planet. There were gases like hydrogen, carbon dioxide and methane instead. The arrival of cynobacteria that breathe carbon dioxide and produce oxygen began to change the atmosphere. The early oxygen combined with hydrogen and methane to produce more carbon dioxide and water. Hydrogen combines with oxygen instantly and explosively to produce water and methane too combines with oxygen the moment there is a little heat or a spark of fire to make carbon dioxide and water. Eventually all hydrogen and most methane were consumed and oxygen began to remain in the atmosphere. With that the spores of the other bacteria that breathe oxygen came to life. A gradual evolution of such bacteria has resulted in all life on our planet. How this evolution takes place is described in detail in my other blog – panspermia to pansmeria.

All our energy including wind and geothermal energy is all a result of the sun. Trees that grow from sunlight and buried inside the ground a long time ago have produced our fossil fuels.

Those who believe in this immensely intelligent scheme of creation believe in God. However when a human has got used to comfortable circumstances then they often begin to question God perhaps returning to a belief in him as soon as sorrow prevails once more. Such is human nature. The ancient Saint of India Kabir said that if one could remember God in good times then unhappy times would not come. At the present time it seems that many more persons that live in developed countries do not believe in god as compared to the poorer developing countries. That is only to be expected considering what has been just said in this paragraph.

Personally my definition of god is such that a question does not arise of not believing in God. As described at other places in this blog, I regard the entire universe and everything else beside as God so that as per my definition there is nothing else besides God – La Illah Il Allah - as the Muslims say in Arabic – there is nothing but God.

However when it comes to worship God, one may find it difficult to focus on this vast infinity of time and space and look for a visible symbol or part of God to focus one’s attention on instead, just as we sometimes focus on the face or eyes of another human we are interested in. From ancient times many have chosen the Sun as this point of focus. The ancient Pharaoh Akhimaten and his queen Nefertiti were ardent sun worshippers. A famous ancient temple of the Sun exists at Konarak in eastern India. I too try and direct a brief prayer at the Sun the first time I sight it in the morning.

In my conception of God the universal consciousness runs through everything in the universe including the stars and without doubt if the stars have a soul that becomes inanimate for their periods of starships, then, it would undoubtedly be the soul of some of the most evolved beings of this universe i.e. the highest of angels. There are stories like that in ancient literature. Our sun is the special star of earthlings, neither so far away that it cannot warm us nor so near that it burns us.

One may ask that if everything is a part of God then why not choose a living being as a symbol of divinity rather than an inanimate object howsoever powerful. For sure there is no problem in doing that provided divinity flows strongly through such a living being. After all one would not like to choose the tramp addicted to drugs who lives in a cardboard box in a back alley of London as one’s role model. One may however choose Buddha or Jesus as the point of focus to help direct our finite thoughts to the infinite. If one prefers a mother image then one could choose Mother Mary. On the other hand if one has been turned away from prevailing Christianity because of the acts of a few randy priests or the concepts of original sin, one may find many other representations of the great mother goddess. My favorite is Naini Mata. If you plug those terms in a google search engine then you find many links on the Internet to my booklet on Naini Mata (it is the only one in English) on this gracious goddess including places for free download.

May the Sun and the Mother Goddess in her avatar as Laxmi ever shine graciously, bringing happiness and prosperity to all readers of this blog this Diwali, the festival of lights in India.

Urban versus Rural Life

2011-10-20T23:02:00.000-07:00

In a comment of my last post it was mentioned that rural living might be good for some individuals. Present day urban life usually involves an eight-hour workday along with commuting that may be up to one to two hours a day for the round trip. This leaves little time for an individual for himself or herself and it is not surprising then that some individuals who go through that for most of their lives get dehumanized. It is not written in any scripture that the normal workday should be a fixed eight hours, day in and day out. I have lived in towns and countries where the work hours were from eight a.m. to one p.m. six days a week and commuting time to work was just five minutes. However, that is an exception rather than the rule. In ancient times the normal working hours of an individual varied throughout the year. There were weeks of round-the-clock work followed by weeks of lean hours. In modern times this sort of thing has become confined to a few areas of life such as farmers and soldiers.

Besides the problem of work hours a problem with modern life in cities is that busy hours throughout the year reduce time for socializing. Many urban dwellers are also forced to live away from green surroundings. I too live in an urban area. Some twenty years ago when I started to build a home here there were absolutely no trees here. It was a new area that was just being developed. Soon I began planting trees at home and on the street near my home. Then an opportunity came to organize the residents into a residents development and welfare association. As a founder of this association there was an opportunity to get more trees planted in the entire neighborhood. The first tree that came up beside my driveway was a cassia tree. For some reason it attracted all the crows of the area. Their crackling cry is really irritating and often I had to go out to stone them away. In the evening bats flew overhead in the garden and that too was a pain. There is another bird that lived in the vacant lots that has a horrible screeching sound especially at night.

Fortunately as more trees came up and more homes were built here the screechy bird has departed and the crows have left too. Instead there are over a dozen other types of birds that frequent the garden. I do not know the name of all of these but they are gray, blue, green, shiny yellow, black etc. Others such as kingfishers, owls and woodpeckers show up occasionally. I know the name of some such as sparrows, red tailed bulbuls, parrots, blackbirds etc. Their soft chirping throughout the day, especially in the mornings is sweet music for the soul. It is an orchestra of sweet notes and the composition is invariably a new one every day. It is only on rare occasions that a crow or two lands on the property now. I consider myself fortunate that there is a bit of gardening space around the home so that I can enjoy some of this music and greenery. I know it is not like that with many others in the city.

If I had to redesign my life, or next time around, I would move to or create the sort of rural area described in the previous three posts - A rural agricultural life with access to some essential modern urban facilities. This time though it is a bit late for that. It requires a man in the prime of his life, certainly no more than forty-five, when one is full of energy, for that. The population of the earth is seven billion strong now and there is hardly enough good land on our planet for all the seven billion to move to a rural life even if they wished to. Fortunately most do not care to. They prefer the pleasures a city life has to offer. Perhaps it is because of it that Nature has permitted the population of the planet to rise to such enormous levels.

With grateful acknowledgements to http://publicdomainpictures.net for photo. I really should snap some of my own with this is so much easier.

MORE ON AM FARMS

2011-10-18T22:27:00.000-07:00

The last two posts described a configuration for farm lots titled as AM farms. This one provides a few more details.

Essentially, AM farms were described as farm lots that are two hundred feet wide and half a mile deep on the average, yielding farm lots of a little over ten acres each. Each of the farm lots would be of unequal size if they face a curving road as shown in the adjoining figure. Curving roads are more natural for rural areas. Often such roads are laid so that they are on lowest ground to catch the run off rainwater. However, AM farms are such that they are not completely rural but rather semi urban because of their configuration and because a depth of two hundred feet is permitted for construction of homes as well as commercial establishments such as shops, restaurants, pub, primary school, produce shop, motels etc. A width of two hundred feet on the road is sufficient to set up both a residential home as well as a commercial establishment if the width is divided into two portions of hundred feet each or in some other suitable proportion. The idea is that such farm owners can derive the benefits of both rural and urban living.

Construction is restricted beyond a depth of two hundred feet so that the area remains primarily an agricultural one. However over a five into five-mile grid a couple of lots may be allowed to set up boarding cum residential schools and a country club. These may be set up from the initial infrastructure expense of setting up the community. A country club of about ten acres is sufficient to set up outdoor activities such as tennis, soccer, swimming and indoor activities such as chess, bridge, carom, billiards and ping-pong as well as a library, restaurant and bar. The high school on the other hand may contain an auditorium for use by the school and for rent to the community if needed. More lots may be permitted extensive construction if they are engaged in food processing industries such as canning, freezing, drying, producing pasta, jams and sauces etc.

A drive down the central curving north- south road of such an agricultural area would give the impression of driving through a town, whereas in reality it would be a farming area. The farms would be hidden behind built up areas. However, a drive down the East- West road would primarily be a drive past farmlands.

Besides these three or four lots over a 5 X 5 mile grid (containing 50 x 25 = 1250, farm lots) there is no need to permit any other lots for commercial activity since it is permitted on all the farm lots as described earlier. Two to four lots as shown in the figure may be left as a common green area that is partly wooded in each square mile. The idea is that this would permit an open field for village fares, weekend farmers markets, jogging or trekking grounds etc. as well as fishing if a stream passes through it. Without such intermittent green areas the layout would become claustrophobic.

A person living in an agricultural area and owning adequate amount of irrigated land is assured of some fresh food and a roof over his head in green surroundings in the worst of times(except for natural calamities like droughts or floods). On the other hand, an urban person in a bad way in bad economic times faces life on a garbage-strewn street or a crowded shelter for the homeless and food from a soup kitchen produced perhaps from expiring surpluses of supermarkets. It has already started happening in Greece.

On the other hand even when times are good a most heaven like life is possible in green surroundings rather than within nests of concrete and cement, nested one above the other, similar to insect homes and beehives, the fate of many urban dwellers in the so called modern age that we live in.

HOW TO CREATE TEN MILLION SUSTAINABLE JOBS WITHIN A YEAR

2011-10-08T21:51:00.000-07:00

Some of my earlier posts have alluded to the possibility of a return to land as a way of creating jobs in developed economies such as that of the USA that is trying to deal with this issue. The last post described a layout of farmlands in designed narrow strips so as to minimize some of the hardships faced by rural communities. May I call these AM farms for convenience here.

Let us consider a fifty into fifty mile irrigated land area divided up into AM farms and try and estimate roughly the expenses for creating them and the number of jobs that might be created by doing so. It would be necessary to divide the landmass into a grid of roads that are a mile apart in order to provide road access to all the farms for the purpose.

One square mile of land area results in 50 AM farms laid back to back and facing two roads that are a mile apart. Each of these farms would be a little over ten acres in size. Thus a fifty into fifty square mile area would create 125000 AM farms. However allowing for about 20% of the area for a central township and some natural common areas let us say a 100,000 AM farms are created in our chosen land area. If these farms work as modern intensive farms, each farm may generate direct and indirect employment for up to ten adults i.e that would create a million jobs. This is only first estimate but a more careful detailed study is likely to produce a similar result.

However a jobless person with little or no money can hardly be asked to move to a farming enterprise and make a success of it, even if they are interested. The infrastructure has to be created, training provided and an initial grant (that includes a starter cottage on the farm with electricity, water and gas connection) is the minimum required. If we assume an initial expense of 100, 000 dollars per farm then these 100, 000 farms would cause an initial expense of ten billion dollars – a small amount compared to the 400 billion dollar job creation plan that is being proposed in USA nowadays and very small compared to a trillion dollar bank bailout. Even creating ten such agricultural hubs across the USA would cost just 100 billion dollars and possibly create ten million jobs.

Some of the expenses incurred would be as a loan to the new farmers with their farmlands (and any construction on it) as a collateral to be paid back in easy installments spread over twenty years. Not everyone is a good farmer. Those who cannot make a success of their farms would lose them eventually for allotment to new applicants. The central town may have an extension and training center with short courses in agricultural technologies such as orchard growing, mushroom growing, beekeeping, poultry, blue water fish farming and diary industries etc.

If such farms were created would there be a market for all the extra farm produce? For sure there would be. The population of our planet is now over seven billion strong and rising food prices are an issue all over the world.

Photo: Hen by Bobby Mikul from http://www.publicdomainpictures.net

Towards a Green Life

2011-10-07T07:34:00.000-07:00

At the age of sixty, reflecting back on my life, I draw satisfaction from the fact that it has been a wonderful life. For sure, there were extended periods of grave difficulties interspersed with extended periods of Joy. However, without the difficult and challenging times, life would scarcely have been worth it. In retrospect, the difficult periods although unpleasant at the time, have made life interesting. Within them were lessons that were of immense value as an education for the soul. An earlier post about the purpose of life mentioned that for me the purpose of life is an evolution of the soul. It takes place through an education of the soul. The soul also evolves through helping others – all life – evolve. I hope that I have been able to make some humble contributions in that direction too because of my pursuits as an educator.

Although life provided most of what I have desired deeply in life, there are some ambitions that have not yet been met to my satisfaction. These would have to wait for another round. After all, it is not possible to get everything in one life.

One of the things that I missed sorely in this life from time to time is living in fully green surroundings. To me fully green surroundings are a solace for the soul. The greenest areas involve greenery at all five height levels – trees, bushes, herbs, grasses and moss – with flowering creepers running through them, that one can look out on from one’s window and on the paths that one has to walk on daily. My childhood was spent in precisely such a green place in the beautiful town of Nainital in the Himalayas. Since then, education and profession has caused me to stay in various other parts of the world, some green and others arid. I have lived for many years in somewhat arid Delhi and presently my home is in the arid zone of India in Jaipur. Over the years I have succeeded in making the surroundings of my home very green with trees, bushes, creepers and flowers but one has to venture away from home from time to time to confront the dust and dry areas amongst a jungle of cement and concrete that many cities around the world including Jaipur has become.

To compensate, I make trips into the Himalayas, even for extended stays whenever opportunity permits, but then one has to return to ones home again after the trip is over. It feels nice to return but soon a yearning for green fields and hills returns. I have debated a permanent change over to a green Himalayan town but eventually hesitated for practical reasons. One practical reason is that the same green Himalayas become very cold in winters and I am finding that with age cold is increasingly uncomfortable. Central heating is neither available nor practical in India. The second reason is that much movement in Himalayan towns takes place by walking up and down the hills. That is becoming less and less comfortable with age. Over the last few years, I run out of breath easily on a climb and a climb down a hill path causes the leg muscles to ache. This is very different from when I was younger and could walk up or down the hills for days, trekking in the Himalayas. One such trip to a beautiful valley called the valley of flowers that is above the tree line involved a thirty kilometer trek from the nearest motorable road. That trip inspired me to write a lovely fictional story called ‘Mystic and the blossoms’. It was published as a Novella. If that title is googled one may find links to reviews, kindle, ipad, ebook and paper editions of that book.

Before building my home here in Jaipur, I debated if I should instead acquire a farm and live on that. It would have permitted acres of greenery. That is something I still yearn for. However practical consideration once again compelled me to reject that option. The difficulties one faces in agricultural areas are a lack of facilities that are available easily in urban areas. There is also social isolation because farmhouses are spread across vast areas. In an earlier post it was mentioned that the agricultural option may be considered by some urban persons in future because of a shrinking economy and lack of urban jobs in the developed world, especially in countries such as USA that have vast land resources. Incase a younger person considers that option they would face the same difficulties as mentioned at the beginning of this paragraph. Certainly such difficulties can be minimized if rural agricultural areas are properly planned and if they are located no more than an hour away from a town or city that one may depend on for urban services. There has been much work on urban town planning in the world but little on rural planning. It is time governments got involved with such planning and formulated appropriate regulations for the same. Here are a few regulations worth considering for rural agricultural areas.

1. Rural farms must have aspect ratios (length to width ratio) of more than ten and the width along a hundred feet wide approach road must be no more than 200 feet.
2. All residential and commercial construction must be confined to a depth of two hundred feet from the road. The remaining depth may have construction for such agricultural purposes as animal sheds (cow sheds, chicken coup etc.) and minimal construction for pumps or wind power generators etc.
3. Commercial enterprises such as restaurants, shops, motels etc. can be set up besides homes without licenses as required in urban areas but these too must be constructed within the specified two hundred feet depth from the road.

The idea of these regulations is that it will cause rural homes on farms to be set up within close vicinity of each other. One could reach ten homes within a walking distance of four hundred feet on the road and if there were annexes for farm workers besides homes than the number of home one could visit within minutes would be larger, all while living right on one’s farm The fact that the density of homes on an approach road is large will make it easier to provide services such as piped water, electricity lines, postal services, public transportation, shops etc. on the same road. Thereby some of the major disadvantages of rural areas such as social isolation and lack of services will be reduced and one may enjoy a green life along with a social life and modern services. The adjoining figure shows how such an agricultural area would look from the sky.

It is not suggested here that urban areas cannot be green if they are planned for greenery. It requires setting aside at least fifty percent of urban land aside for green areas such as small forests and parks. However, there are not many towns or cities like that around the world anymore. Human greed prevents the establishment of such towns. Urban land is expensive and city planners would rather sell that for homes and businesses to raise more money.

Spiritual Solace in Sad Moments

2011-09-22T22:57:00.000-07:00

Human life is made up of sad and happy moments, some very sad moments, and brief or prolonged periods of sorrow or difficulties as well as prolonged periods of happiness. Yesterday on TV one of the principal characters of a program I watch mentioned that an evolved human is one who can face both sorrow and happiness calmly with equanimity, since these are inevitable portions of life. I completely agree with this view and feel that the Universal Intelligence makes humans face sorrow for precisely such evolution.

One of the things that has made me face sorrow and difficulties in life is the belief in an afterlife – the belief in reincarnation. I know that many do not believe in a soul or reincarnation but I believe that when one firmly accepts reincarnation as a fact, then sorrows and difficulties of life become less serious, even trivial at times. Perhaps all of us would have experienced an unpleasant dream in which something awful happens. We wake up and feel relieved that it was just a dream. Some such thing happens to a human soul that is facing an awful time in this life but on departing from it feels relieved that it was just like a prolonged dream that is over and that the soul must move on to a new life. On the other hand, when we wake up from a pleasant dream the happiness may persist for some time into the waking hours. Some such thing must happen to a soul that leaves this body in a happy state. It is likely to continue into new happy lives. Our future lives are drawn from our past. A very rich person however, such as some of the richest persons on our planet may feel sorry on leaving this body because of the realization that they can longer access the riches that have been left behind. It is therefore good to be rich enough so that one’s essential needs can be met with ease but not so rich that one does not have time enough to use those riches for producing happiness. Those who are poor do not realize that the richest persons in the world are such that if they set about to withdraw all their money in cash from banks and attempted to set fire to that cash, their lifetimes would not be enough for them to complete that task. This could even become a criterion for the limit to the wealth of an individual in a new world order. No human should be permitted to acquire more than he or she can burn in his or her lifetime.

Looking back at my own life I can draw joy and satisfaction from moments and periods of happiness. I also draw contentment from moments of difficulties and sorrow because those were periods of learning that produced most maturity, but only after the sorrow has long gone by and is lost in the mists of time. It was definitely not pleasant while it lasted. This makes one realize that it is important to continue learning about life even in happy times. As mentioned in an earlier post a highly respected saint of India – Kabir – even went on to suggest that a human would not face sorrow if he remembered God in times of happiness.

During my younger days moments of happiness were found in the bustling metropolises of this world. However during childhood and now that I am older such happiness is found in communion with nature – trees, forests, green fields, fresh water lakes, streams and green mountains. I feel that Nature provides the same sense of warmth and security to an older person as a mother provides a feeling of warmth and security to an infant. Our planet is a beautiful one with vast tracts of green spaces. It also has harsh areas such as deserts, frozen spaces and arid grounds. At the present moment in the history of mankind it seems that human population has become far more than desirable. I feel it is so because in the ideal case it should have been possible for all humans to live in the green and pleasant parts of the planet, reserving the deserts etc. for small settlements for the purpose of mining or research. However that is not quite feasible at the present time. Large sections of humans are compelled to live in arid or inhumanly cold and frozen parts of the planet. It may take many centuries now for the population of humans to decline to a much lower level. Nature alone knows how and when that will happen.

Photo is of Golu, my adopted grandson

Prophet-like Talk

2011-09-19T22:07:00.000-07:00

A fellow blogger (Keiko) commented after reading one or more of my posts

“Most readers do not like lecturing or prophet-like talk”

Personally, I love lectures and prophet-like talk if the topic interests me and the matter makes sense. I am highly flattered and delighted that a blogger has found some of my posts to be such.

The photo is of one of the Prophets I have loved. He is called Neem Karoli Baba who lived frequently near Nainital while he was in this world. I read somewhere that he was also a favorite of Steve Jobs, former Apple CEO who made a trip all the way to India when he was much younger to visit him.

Where do visitors to this blog come from?

2011-09-17T05:19:00.000-07:00

This blog has a clustr map and if you click on it, the origin of various visitors may be found. Besides India, most visitors are from USA, mostly California. Next are visitors from UK and Taiwan in about equal numbers. The visitors or visitor from UK are primarily from Windsor and Maidenhead. Wish they would post some of their feedback and thoughts as comments.

Canada, Japan and Australia comprise the next most visiting countries. There are a few visits from Philippines, Germany and Malaysia too. Besides the countries mentioned here, there are occasional visits from most other countries of the world. Somehow I feel that the countries mentioned in this post are most interested in the future of our planet and progress of mankind and therefore the most likely to succeed in the coming decades, besides the fact that a knowledge of English would be a reason for visits, but then that is the language most needed to operate in the new global world.

Future of World Economies – Green Thoughts

2011-09-13T23:14:00.000-07:00

The developed economies of the world, reeling under debt and rising unemployment, have been facing severe economic pressures ever since the crisis began in 2008.

One may wonder as to where the future of developed economies is heading. The developed economies still lead the world in high technology manufacture such as such as computer chips, aircraft etc. They will probably continue to do so for several more decades. However for the rest of manufacturing, ranging from undergarments to motorcars, it appears that high standards of living coupled with high wages in developed countries makes much of manufacturing uncompetitive in a globally trading world. It is partly for this reason that economies of the BRIC countries are growing rapidly while developed economies stagnate or struggle with insignificant growth.

The largest of developed economies, the US, that is largely consumer driven hopes to grow once again if consumer demand increases. However a sustainable future for mankind does not lie in increasing consumption but rather reducing consumption if it is already excessive and far above world averages. This is even more valid in a world where basic resources such as fossil fuels are rapidly being exhausted and consequently becoming more expensive with time. It is true that other sources of energy such as wind and solar will eventually replace traditional sources of energy but they are unlikely to be as cheap as the fossil fuels prepared for free by Mother Earth. The developed economies like USA must also consider that if consumption and retail sales do begin to rise again this may not be a win-win situation if the increased demand is catered to by trade deficits. Indeed that is what is likely to happen.

The other route suggested by economists of old is of stimulating growth through large government spending. This too appears to be a losing game in the present scenario if spending leads to more debt by governments already overburdened by debt. In future, it is becoming increasingly clear that democratic governments would have to be obliged to live within their means. However in the meantime the debt exists and one has to live and deal with it and the accompanying pain. Large stimuli are provided in the hope that they will eventually lead to rising demand and restore the economy on a path of growth fuelled by ever rising consumption. However this may not happen anymore and one may find that after the stimulus is exhausted the economy sinks once again. Indeed some such thing may have already happened with the earlier trillion-dollar stimulus of the American economy.

There exist some basic danger points in western economies that can trigger a recession once again any time in the future. One is government debt that has already been mentioned. Future generations must learn the lesson now and prevent governments from undertaking that route again. It is likely that they would have to add such safeguards into their constitutions because democratic government decisions are partly based on winning the next election. If such short-term goals are partly met by incurring a debt, left for the future generations to pay, then a time may come that the future debt becomes much too large to handle. Indeed it has already happened in most developed economies, most obviously in Greece, and a little less obviously yet in other developed countries Greece has lead the western civilization for two and half millennia followed by Rome.

A second danger point, that was the trigger for the most recent economic recession, is the behavior of private corporations such as banks. The total emoluments of the highest paid executives of such banks comprising of salary, bonus perks and benefits are such that they are several times the emoluments of the lowest paid employees of the same organization. The justification for that is that if these corporations make huge profits, the senior executives deserve a share. Does it have anything to do with greed? Senior executives need to eat better perhaps! A second rationale is that if they did not do it, a flight of talent will take place. Both these arguments are suspect. First if a corporation makes a huge profit then all its employees are responsible and not just the chief. What is the justification for the salary being one hundred times or more? Is ten times not enough?

What if there was a law in a country that dictated that the highest emolument of any employees might not be more than ten times that of the lowest paid employee? In that case, the senior management of the organization in direct or indirect collusion with the board members (The Goldman Sachs directors for example draw millions in compensation) would not be able to draw such high salaries, bonuses and perks. The profits would then have to be shared equitably with all employees or shareholders instead. Therefore such a law is indeed fair and worth considering. What about the flight of talent? That is so much baloney to the mind of this author. There are hundreds of others, even some unemployed, that are more talented than the CEO’s of many such high paying corporations. Placed in that position they would perform just as well. No human is hundred times more talented than other humans unless that other human is an idiot.

A senior executive is given a large bonus if his company makes a large profit. The situation becomes insidious if the large profit is made by gambling as in investment banking. Larger the risk, larger the profits! Gambling is legal in many countries. Gambling with other people’s money is legal in banks. If a large profit is made, the Board and the executives pocket the bonus. If it results in loss, the bank has still enough reserves for them to draw a smaller bonus and move on. Governments complained about this practice soon after the recession in 2008 and a little after pushed the matter under the carpet. The only government that has taken some steps in trying to insulate the public from the potential loss appears to be the UK government. They have developed a plan to implement albeit after a decade or so – long after the Greek and other crisis have eaten some more banks and the savings and pension funds of more of the public. The risk continues and if the recession and current unemployment was not sufficient for governments to act, perhaps they never will, at least not in our generation.

Returning back to our speculation on the future of developed or western economies it can be appreciated that the situation is somewhat different in the old and the new world. Countries like USA, Australia and Canada have huge land resources and fresh water sources as compared to the old world. A possibility exists that future Jobs in countries like USA would come from small-scale intensive agriculture. This intensive agriculture consists of small farms of about ten acre size that involve in labor intensive agriculture practices such as diary, horticulture, poultry, cheese making etc. With an increasing population around the world, there is a world demand for food. Thus, whereas countries like china or India can produce underwear or even a motorcar cheaply they are unable to produce enough food to control food prices within their countries in a rising demand scenario. Certainly this sort of future growth would involve a major shift in attitudes and practices in a country like USA, but it appears to be a feasible path. Such a solution however may not be available to Europe and Japan where land resources are limited and whatever exists is already being used intensively. Perhaps then a cycle of history will repeat that swept from Greece to Rome to Europe and the New World over a period of two and a half millennia.

Great Joy and Economy

2011-09-09T20:42:00.000-07:00

Deep within the being of every living thing lies the infinite well spring of joy. It is our inner self that is united with infinity. It is because of this that living beings have a consciousness and it is because of this that living things can love and hate.

Humans scarcely realize their inner potential because their consciousness, focused on the mind and its doings, is turned away from the infinite. Worldly pleasures are great and the rich can indulge in them more fully than the poor. Yet this very ability of the rich makes it difficult for them to turn away their thoughts from their perceived pleasures and thus cuts them off from tapping into the infinite spring of joy within. It is not surprising then that it is the 'not unreasonably poor' who laugh more often than the rich and it is the poor who do not know anything about contrived smiling since they smile as it is without a need for pretension.

The same is the case with the lustful man or woman focused on momentary pleasures of the body. Experiencing inner joy that can be permanent is far from their reach.

This inner joy does not mean negating the external world since the external is a part of the infinite but it does need a focus away from one’s immediate possessions, needs and beefs. It is experienced in the external world in a communion with nature and the universe beyond.

One may wonder what happens to the personal needs of a soul unconcerned with the selfish needs of the body that temporarily houses this consciousness a lifetime at a time. A consciousness focused on the infinite does not ignore such needs but finds the easiest way of meeting them whenever necessary. The entire universe co-operates in meeting the needs of such individuals. It may be that the needs of such an individual seem minimalist to others but they suffice abundantly for the individual concerned.

What about societies that depend for their growth and well-being on increasing needs rather than doing away with them, economies that are consumer driven? What lies at the end of that road? That is something for each individual to discover.

A Spiritual View of the Recession and Economy -II

2011-09-06T23:04:00.000-07:00

Although our planet is beautiful, some of the cities on our planet especially in the developing world are incredibly messy and dirty. My spiritual interpretation of this phenomenon is that we are all children of the universe and mother earth – kind parents who allow their children to play and mess about in the play yard. Just as the play room of a naughty child can become very messy, we too as children of mother earth have messed up some of the spaces we have to play about in. Charged by greed, lust and pride, we have trampled on the flowers and gardens of Nature. We suffer as a consequence of it. Father Universe permits that so that we may learn from the suffering. It is time we grew up and co-operated with Nature in creating the same sort of beauty in our living areas as Nature does in parts of the planet where we have not yet had a chance to play and destroy.

The developed parts of the world are facing a serious economic challenge. In order to overcome the crisis, causes of this recession have to be properly understood. Some of these are:

1. The resources of the earth have been exploited and this has resulted in an increase in the prices of commodities such as petroleum products. This directly impacts growth

2. Governments have developed the habit of running deficit budgets and incurring debt in the hope that future growth would make debt repayment easy. If growth does not take place as is happening now this very debt becomes a burden impeding growth.

3. Essential institutions such as banks have been allowed a free hand to run on pure greed as against rational thinking and governments are now finding themselves at a loss as to how to deal with this.

The US government has been talking of restoring the middle class through job creation. The proposed plans are not likely to work. Some of the reasons for this are:

1. The new situation with high commodity costs (which will become even higher with time) is a new one. The old era of low energy costs has gone.

2. The new World trade arrangements are different.

3. Large stimulus and infrastructure spending as is being proposed by President Obama once again will increase deficits and debt and thus prove to be counter productive.

One may wonder as to what the possible solutions to the economic crisis should be in the changing world. To this authors mind some of these are:

1. It has been said the protectionism is harmful. It is so, if it is done in a non-intelligent manner. There is a need for selective protectionism to increase jobs in developed countries. One tentative proposal is that when a trade deficit for goods and services, with any single country of the world is more than five percent of the total trade volume (with all countries) during a year, a prohibitory duty on products from that country should be imposed for the following three years beginning with 100% in the first year, 50% in the second year and 25% in the third year. If during the three years of prohibition the trade deficit is once again in excess of 5% (of total trade volume with all countries) then a new cycle of a three-year prohibition beginning with 100% duty interrupting the old cycle. The effect of this scheme would be that trade will continue freely with countries that do not cripple the economy and would get restricted with others that do. Things like garments would be made once again in the US and more jobs will be created

2. The future of mankind lies with diminishing size of cities and a partial return back to the land. The days of ever larger and larger cities is numbered. It was an unnatural phenomenon fuelled by low energy costs and a low earth population that will die its natural death in the coming centuries. The governments can facilitate this process by creating small farm holding of about ten-acre size with a small two-room cottage ( that may be expanded by the owner) on the dwelling and with roads, electricity and irrigation leading to these farms. A loan and knowledge may be provided to begin intensive farming operations with the farmland as collateral (that can always be allotted to a new farmer if need be).

3. Constitutional amendments need to be made to permit future deficit financing and debt only after a referendum and not as a routine. National budgets must be adjusted so that governments live within their means. The easiest way to do this is to divide the budget cut across all heads by the desired percentage. Monetization of existing debt, leading to inflation, will be necessary in future but it may be spaced over a ten or twenty year period to ease the pain. Such a monetisation may be permitted by constitutional amendment that is simultaneous to the earlier one.

The proposals here are tentative and loud thinking. They need to be debated and refined before implementation.

PS: My Novella (Mystic and the blossoms) and a Novel (Nude besides the Lake) are fictional accounts of how man may create beauty and prosperity in co-opeartion with nature. Both are avialbale at Amazon.com.

Anna Hazare and the power of Love, Truth and Simplicity

2011-08-21T19:04:00.000-07:00

A revolution of sorts is underway in India this August of the year 2011. Citizens have come out on the streets to express their anger against corruption and its adverse consequences, albeit in a peaceful manner, as expounded by Mahatma Gandhi and now carried forward by Mahatma Anna. I refer to Annaji as Mahatma because in spite of all that detractors say about him his methods are rooted in Non-violence, Truth and Simplicity, and because they have moved millions. There is no other qualification required beyond these – Love, Truth and Simplicity and the ability to effect major changes for any individual soul or atman to rise to the ranks of a Mahatma.

For far too long, there has been an impression that to rise forward in a society like India one has to adopt corrupt means, except for rare exceptions. It is said that when the water is murky, scum rises to the top. In order for the cream to surface, something pure like milk has to be churned and for that each citizen, the particles of this liquid, must look into his or her own heart. If one is unable to become corrupt oneself then in order to succeed in this murky environment, in the very least, one must play an even more powerful role of protecting and shielding the corrupt. Ancient wisdom that corruption is not just indulging in corruption oneself but in facilitating others to do it as well has been lost in the dust filled pages of history.

However, every evil has its limit, the power of Love, Truth and Simplicity is the power of the Universal Consciousness that has created the universe and sustains it. It is not therefore surprising that it has moved the second largest nation on earth. This power shines forth from time to time in order to restore balance and order. It is not that the citizens of the country have realized suddenly that corruption is widespread. They have suffered its consequences such as lack of basic amenities, inflation and harassment on a daily basis for decades. It is because of two reasons that the people are out on the street now. It is because corruption has increased steadily over the years so that it has now reached gigantic proportions, and most of all because people have found a leader in an Anna Hazare who in his simplicity wields the primal power that sustains this universe. It is the same power that was wielded by Mahatma Gandhi, a power that moved and decimated the largest empire human civilization has seen.

'People do not throw stones at bare trees but rather at those that are laden with fruit" Translated from a statemnt of Anna Hazare on Times Now TV

The Blessed Tree - Olive

2011-08-04T21:10:00.000-07:00

Can you spot the single ripe olive in the photo?

Just when I thought that I had finished with describing some of the most useful trees on Earth, I realized that I have written nothing about the Olive tree, one of the most useful trees on our planet. The olive has been providing food, medicine and wood to humans for millenniums. The tree provides an edible and cooking oil of high quality known for its health giving properties and wonderful taste.

This tree is one of the most versatile and life giving trees on earth. It also appears to be a relatively new species of trees because despite the fact that it tolerates heat and cold well it has not yet spread widely across the planet. more research is required to select and develop varities for different climates. Olives belong to the botanical family Oleaceae that includes the ash, lilac and Jasmine.

Considerable research supports the health-giving benefits of consuming olives, olive leaf and olive oil. Leaves and flowers of this botanical family i.e those of olives, jasmine and lilac make an excellent tea. The wonderful fragrance of Jasmine and lilac is proof that this tree belongs to a heavenly family of trees- a gift of Mother Earth to mankind in particular since birds and animals do not particularly like its fruit. It is a symbol of peace, wisdom, glory, fertility and purity.

Now imagine that you live in a small hamlet beside a trout lake nestling between mountains forested with the trees described in this blog – Pines, Oak, Chestnuts, Cherries, apples, almonds, Olives, Mulberry, jackfruit and drumsticks with an undergrowth of roses, ferns, wild strawberries, clovers, soft mountain grasses, mushrooms, moss and assorted wild flowers – would it be a nice way to live or is the steel and concrete of you city better?

Photo is a public domain image from
http://www.public-domain-image.com/flora-plants-public-domain-images-pictures/trees-public-domain-images-pictures/ripe-olive-lurking-in-the-leaves.jpg.html

Hills, Plains and the Economy

2011-08-01T21:48:00.000-07:00

The plains are great for farming and industrial activities as compared to the hills. The plains are also great for huge cities that can go on expanding through its suburbs without being interrupted by a steep descent or ascent as in the hills. Most modern humans live in such cities and perhaps love the concept of living in large endless cities. Personally I detest the very idea even though I happen to live in one nowadays. In the coming century as fossil fuels are exhausted and travel becomes expensive, it is certain that life in large cities will become more painful as it already is by rising fuel costs.

One simple fact about living in cities situated in the plains is that one’s view is blocked by other homes in the neighborhood. After a while the mind blocks out that view as unworthy, leaving one’s consciousness confined to one’s immediate surroundings. However when one has a home in the hills the inclination of the hill permits a wide view of the surrounding town, hills and forests. The consciousness may then expand easily to seek unity with the world beyond and the entire universe, experiencing the ultimate joy that such unity brings.

I read in the newspaper today that a lot of Britons have started keeping chickens for the purpose of eggs. Such Britons probably also have a vegetable patch as well. May I suggest spinach as a great addition, a small patch will produce enough for a small family. These are the first signs of returning to the land.

The present economic model of developed countries based on creating more jobs by creating greater government debt and greater consumption has a limit, just as any multi level marketing scheme has. Greater consumption and greater growth is necessary to deal with the debt. It appears that President Obama has succeeded in stretching the limits to debt yet again and that the Europeans are making it possible for Greeks and others to do the same. Therefore the limit to the existing economic model has not yet been reached.

Who was the fool that said the coat must be cut according to the cloth and that it is a good idea to live within one’s means? Certainly not my government! Debt is the way to go. Borrow more to encourage more jobs and more consumption. A lot of the Earth still remains to plunder and consume. Growth is essential to deal with the debt that is essential to prevent a default on the debt - here we go around the Mulberry Bush, The Mulberry Bush. Goverments can enjoy deficits since people did not write in constitutions that it could not be done, neither is it it written in the constitution that you cannot borrow from future generations to live it up.

The present economic model involves working day in and day out in a monotonous production or service, picking up one’s salary and then spending it on the equally monotonous production of others to keep the cash counters ticking. One may not do anything new because competing in the marketplace involves long experience of having done the same thing over and over again until one’s knees are too tired to move or one ends up in the grave.

When the limit to such growth arrives, just as the limit to any ponzy scheme must if this one based on debt is such, then retail sales will slump, government debts will be defaulted, governments will monetize debts, inflation will make paper currency useless, more and more jobs of the old economy will be lost and perhaps mankind or at least some will return to the land and hills once more.

Trees of Wisdom - Pine

2011-07-30T20:22:00.000-07:00

This blog is not just about trees but since I have written about some tree families, the descriptions would be incomplete without a mention of the Pine tree family (Pinaceae) and its close relatives cedars, firs and spruces, before I move on to other topics. These are amongst the oldest of trees on earth, long lasting companions of mother Earth. The oldest tree on earth is perhaps a spruce in Sweden that is about ten thousand years old. These are trees that bear cones instead of fruits and flowers and have needles instead of leaves.

To my mind a mountain landscape is incomplete without this tree. Nothing adds more grace, beauty, joy and wisdom to the surroundings. The usefulness of this tree for its wood and turpentine are well known. Its nuts are a delicious food source. Young new pine needles added to tea add vitamins C and A to the drink.

If a pine tree is cut down for commercial use please ensure that at least two more are planted to replace it. Not all trees survive into adulthood. If a tree is procured for Christmas then make sure it is dried later and the wood used as firewood. If that cannot be done then it is better to buy or prepare a live potted Christmas tree that can be planted out in the forest in spring.

A tree while it lives and after it is cut down spends its life in service of all other life by providing oxygen, food, shelter, beauty, peace and energy. In return for that it accepts humbly and gratefully whatever nature and other life grants. All trees especially long lived ones like pines illustrate the beauty, peace and joy that service to other life brings as opposed to merely selfish activity that some life may perhaps indulge in and some pseudo-philosophers like Ayn Rand attempt to justify. Such philosophers make pathetic and futile attempts to over come the inner voice and guilt as well as depression that inevitably follows selfishness as opposed to happiness produced through selfless activity. If other parts of nature such as trees followed the same selfish philosophy such humans would not survive for an instant.

This photo is a public domain image from
http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/view-image.php?picture=novy-rust-pine-tree&image=2742

Tree of the Gods – Oak

2011-07-29T21:48:00.000-07:00

The oak tree belongs to a family of trees that include the beeches, Chestnuts and oak. This family of trees has been regarded as the tree of the gods in areas where it grows naturally and this family of trees caters to many human needs such as spiritual strength, shelter, food, energy and clothing.

The Oaks are trees with a strong wood excellent for building homes and furniture, the chestnuts are a food source that have been used as a delicious and healthy replacement for wheat and rice whereas the beech yields firewood and a rayon that may be used as a replacement for cotton, silk or wool. New young leaves of oak can be consumed as salad or cooked as a green and the older leaves may be soaked to flavor beer and beverages. The acorns may be processed as food or into a coffee like drink.

The Oak family (known as the botanical family Fagaceae of trees) is a truly beautiful and majestic family of trees that caters to many human needs and delights the soul. Generations of humans have sat under the mighty Oak for strength and spiritual renewal. The tree helps one arrive at a new understanding of the self and its relationship with the universe. The tree grows in the cooler parts of our planet but does not grow near the equatorial regions where persons seeking spiritual understanding use the mighty fig and banyan trees for meditating under instead.

Oak forests usually occur in regions that are just slightly warmer than regions containing pine forests. Some regions such as the Nainital district of Himalayas has forests of mixed oak and pine. In recent centuries human greed combined with carelessness has resulted in the disappearance of many oak forests from Europe, America and Asia.

Whereas there has been a cry for the disappearing rain forests, that cry sounds hypocritical and hollow when a similar cry is missing for the disappearing pine and oak forests. it is just as improper as the cry of high per capita energy consuming countries for increasing carbon emissions voiced in low per capita energy consuming countries like China and India. Restoring our forests (all forests not just rain forests) will help restore both carbon balance and human dignity.

Photo is a public domain image from http://www.public-domain-image.com/plants/flowers/slides/oak-tree.html

The Godly Hermit Tree - Mulberry

2011-07-24T22:15:00.000-07:00

Here we go round the mulberry bush,
The mulberry bush,
The mulberry bush.
Here we go round the mulberry bush
- Nursery Rhyme

In earlier posts it was mentioned that the almond tree is a heavenly tree and the Drumstick tree is one that is beautiful and easy to grow. However whereas the first is a delicate tree requiring much care to grow, the second is a fragile tree that probably does not grow well in colder parts of the earth. The mulberry tree on the other hand grows widely on our planet in most climatic conditions. It grows easily in wild areas and it is source of food. If a tree is to be regarded as a godly hermit tree on our planet than this tree is a strong contender for the title. Mulberry trees can be planted easily from seed or cutting and with its deep green foliage it is a beautiful tree offering much shade in summers. This tree and others of its family are an excellent source of food and good health not just for silk worms but also for birds and humans.

Besides the fruit, the leaves of this tree are edible but as yet have not been exploited for this purpose much except in Israel, Turkey and Syria. Mulberry trees have edible and nutritious leaves. Dried leaves of the tree, especially the white mulberry, make an excellent tea. The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of the Difficulties, a book devoted to Chinese Medical Practice is the bible for herbal medicine and records the plant’s first use. It refers to the dry Mulberry leaf tea, “Sang ye cha” or godly hermits’ tea, as a miracle remedy, an immortality medicine. It was used as a cure for coughs, nutritional fortification and paralysis etc. The Chinese character for Mulberry Tree “tree for the silk worm” is identical in Japanese.

Mulberry leaves have long been used in Chinese medicine for the prevention and treatment of diabetes. They contain compounds that suppress high blood sugar levels. Scientists in Japan have pinpointed a number of biologically active compounds in extracts of the leaves of the white mulberry. The extract appears to be effective in suppressing the progression of arteriosclerosis, the buildup of cholesterol-rich plaque in our arteries. It appears that the leaves contain six times more calcium than green tea, 25 times more than milk and 40 times more than cabbage. It seems that it contains 2.5 times more iron than than green tea and 10 times more than spinach. One may mix some standard tea leaves with mulberry leaves to improve taste and benefits. Because of the high source of mineral content Mulberry leaves are a candidate to become a super food material pending further studies.

Some trees of the family moraceae to which the mulberry tree belongs such as the Jack fruit and breadfruit trees grow only in the tropics and are a much desired food source. The mulberry tree on the other hand grows well in areas with either severe summers and/or severe winter.

Jack fruit and its close relative, breadfruit belongs to the same mulberry family. The breadfruit is native to Polynesia where it is baked, boiled or fried as a potato-like vegetable. It is made into bread, pie and puddings. The jack fruit tree bears massive fruits. This tree is grown throughout the tropics for its delicious, pulpy, edible fruit. The fruits may reach nearly three feet in length and weigh up to 34 kg, thus making them the largest of tree-bearing fruits on earth. The tree bears abundant fruit in summers. It is worth planting on any farm or large home garden in places where the winter or summer is not too severe. Even a small tropical farm of few acres that has a couple of Jack fruit trees, a couple of drumstick trees, a couple of mulberry trees, two cows and a field to grow wheat with a small vegetable patch for onions, spinach and potatoes etc. can meet all the nutritional requirements of an average sized family. With four to six cows there would also be enough surplus income to meet the clothing and educational needs of the family as well.

In my hometown the mulberry tree comes up easily on its own due to bird droppings. A beautiful one grows near the front gate presently. Two others became too large for my urban garden and unfortunately had to be removed in the past. I made good use of the wood and planted more trees to replace them. The wood of the tree is excellent for furniture and I have used it for some of the tables and beds in my home. The wood is strong with a beautiful grain and it takes a fine finish. If you have been thinking of planting a tree in your neighborhood or a wild clearing nearby then consider this tree as an easy and useful one to plant.It will add joy to the life of birds, bees, insects and humans. At the present stage in the history of our planet marked by depleting forests, expanding urban spaces and adverse climate changes every tree helps. The mulberry tree is not appropriate for urban streets since the fruit stains pavements. It is a tree for gardens, forests and farms i.e a hermit tree.

“A man, who will finish his luncheon with black mulberries will pass his summers in health.” — Horace, Satires, 35 B.C.

The beautiful Jackfruit tree photo is a public domain image from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Jackfruits.JPG

The Dilemma of Modern Man

2011-07-21T20:13:00.000-07:00

I have spent a lot of time in hills and forests where the green surroundings and pine scented air refreshes and caresses mind and soul. I wish I could live that way all the time but that is not quite possible because as a modern human being I am also used to the services and facilities that are available in modern cities. I suppose this is a dilemma that many others share with me. Therefore now I am back in my home at Jaipur. Presently because it is the monsoon season it is quite green and cool here too, but there are homes and homes, cement and concrete all over for miles and miles all around me and I am already wishing I were back amongst miles and miles of trees, fresh water lakes and mountain streams.

New Book

2011-05-28T21:31:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: June 27, 2011: The book described in this post has now been released at Amazon. It can be viewed at this LINK

Hi, I am still out on a trip. Some of it has been used for completing a novel I began last year. it has an intimidating title - Nude besides the Lake. Presently the proofs are being reviewed. The book is full of fun, adventure and humor along with spiritual wisdom. It is centered around Vancouver in Canada and my favorite Himalayan district - Nainital. Best wishes to all readers and hope you are enjoying your summer.

THE FOLLOWING NOTE WAS ADDED AFTER THE FIRST 8 COMMENTS WERE POSTED. THANKS TO VINCENT FOR REMINDING ME OF ITS NEED:

IMPORTANT NOTE:
This book does not contain any obscenity. The subject of nudity has been dealt with philosophically and humorously. The purpose of the author is to reduce misunderstandings and myths that surround the subject, especially regarding its prevalence in society, spiritual literature and some eastern spiritual sects through the medium of light enjoyable fiction.

Readers will interpret the title ‘Nude besides the Lake’ as, nude apart from the lake, nude as well as the lake or nude by the side of the Lake, All of these meanings are appropriate for this work, however the first interpretation is the most correct one here.

Out on a Trip

2011-05-17T05:44:00.000-07:00

Hi, I am presently out on a trip and get time to put out only short messages and that too not everyday, that is the reason for no new post recently. I hope to be back in about a month with more food for thought in this blog. Wishing the best for all the readers of this blog in the meantime. The photo with the post is downloaded from http://www.public-domain-image.com/ Check them out for some great pictures if you like or need a picture for some of your own use.I have some equally fascinating nature pictures on my camera but the file size is much too large to load in a hurry. Perhaps later.

A Little Ebook on a Beautiful Goddess

2011-05-02T21:52:00.000-07:00

Update July 2011: This book has been replaced by another - Naini Mata: Goddess of Nainital, also available at Amazon.com in print or Kindle. Check out my other blog on Nainital for more on this. The link is in the right column

In many of my visits to Nainital I have visited the shrine Naini Devi – the goddess of Nainital. Just outside the shrine are shops that carry gifts and memorabilia of the goddess. Often I searched for a book or pamphlet on the goddess. There was one in Hindi but none in English. Therefore the thought of producing one myself in English has been on my mind. The first attempt is a small ebook. Much of the matter was taken directly from my blogs.

Why I believe in Reincarnation

2011-04-21T23:09:00.001-07:00

In a previous post John mentioned that he does not believe in the concept of reincarnation. It is a concept that was mentioned by ancient mystics. It is an inherent part of Christianity as well as Eastern religions. I define anything more than one life as reincarnation. Without it another life in Hell or Heaven would be impossible. But then, there is so much else that ancient mystics mentioned that has not been proven by science. In fact some of what the mystics said has been shown to be absurd (unless it is viwed metaphorically). Therefore it is perfectly reasonable for a modern rational person to disbelieve in this concept. I too regard myself as a modern rationalist. My profession is a scientific one and I have made useful scientific contributions during my career. However my reflections have led me to believe firmly in reincarnation. May I explain why?

My spiritual belief begins with a belief that there is something deeper to my self than my body i.e. the soul. I believe that this deeper self has not changed even though all the cells of my body have changed since childhood. I firmly believe that even though my body has changed my soul is the same. The moment I sense the soul, it becomes crystal clear to me from where my consciousness and the feeling such as fear, love etc. arise. I am one hundred percent certain that neither my computer nor that cute Japanese robot they showed on TV possesses any of those things. I just can’t scare my computer or robot with the fear of death nor make it pine for me out of love when I am away.

Once having firmly accepted the soul that is internal to my ever changing body, I suddenly realize that the soul can survive death because death is the end of this physical body as a functioning machine not that of my soul as a consciousness that feels and remembers. Immediately that permits me to escape the fear of death and along with that a host of other fears, since no other fear can be greater than death for this body. As long as fear remains true joy or freedom is impossible. Infact there was a time I was uncertain of reincarnation either way but chose in its favor because that belief offered such great advantages.

The next thing that comes to mind is that if the soul does not get annihilated after death it was probably around even before I was born. Suddenly the proclamations of mystics both ancient and modern, from the east and the west, that the soul always was and always will be makes eminent sense.

The thought that comes to mind immediately then is that if the soul has always been around, is this physical life a one-off event? There is no logical reason for that to be so. A soul that can perform the feat of a physical birth once can do it again. Immediately then the realization of reincarnation dawns upon one. With the acceptance of reincarnation a veil is lifted from a lot of other dilemmas. Why am I fairer than the next fellow, why I was born in a rich family rather than a poor one, why my height and nose is such and such and different from the next guy, why I picked up writing very quickly but failed to play a musical instrument ever. My daughter could construct tunes on a Casio player as a kid. I can’t do it even now. It becomes clear that some of our learning too come from past lives. Without belief in reincarnation I would be forced to accept that whatever I received at birth was a random throw of cards by the Universe. I am unable to accept that fact as a scientific person and believe as Einstein did that God or the Universe does not play dice.

The Purpose of Life

2011-04-11T23:19:00.000-07:00

In some eastern spiritual texts it is mentioned that life is inherently full of sorrow. To support this contention the texts mention that sickness, death and old are integral parts of human life. As an escape from this sorrow, texts suggest that humans should learn to banish their thoughts and desires through advanced yogic techniques. Eventually when all thoughts are stilled, all desires banished and consequences of all previous actions i.e. karma exhausted, it is said that the individual soul gets freed from this cycle of births and deaths. It then merges with the infinite consciousness from which it originally arose. In the absence of this liberation or nirvana the soul is subjected to repetitive births and deaths.

Although an ardent student of spiritual philosophies, my own view differs somewhat from this philosophy. I believe it can even be misleading. The same spiritual texts clearly state that this liberation is achieved only by rare human souls, possibly one in millions. Therefore, my own opinion is that giving it too much importance is of no use for the vast majority of humans. However. I do accept the eastern viewpoint of an individual soul, a universal spirit - the Almighty God - as the father of the universe as well as the concept of reincarnation. My own belief is that the purpose of life is to evolve. The human soul evolves through millions of birth, starting as bacteria and then gradually moving up through insect and animal lives to the human level. At the human levels we acquire linguistic and intellectual abilities that make this sort of an article and discussion possible. Evolution does not and should not stop at the human level.

It appears that even amongst humans the levels of evolution differ greatly on our planet. If there are humans in on other planets elsewhere in the universe then the variations are likely to be even greater. Life on other planets is not entirely impossible if one went by the latest theory of evolution - panspermia (or my version pansmeria in another blog of mine).

There are variations between individuals in any one geographical area at any given period of its history and their are variations with time. At the present time it appears that in some parts of our world, human life is still only slightly different from the life of monkeys and chimpanzees, the evolutionary and genetic predecessors of humans (the chimpanze is perhaps 99% human genetically), whereas in other parts we have a well-organized civilisation with well managed cities and towns. These differences appear to be a result of the different levels of evolution amongst various human groups.

As a result of modern communications things such as motorized cars, shirts and jeans and even computer access may be imitated by a relatively less civilized and remote tribal society. However, these external accessories cannot mask the fact that levels of evolutions vary greatly on our planet. The ability to drive a car is not a mark of evolution. Even chimpanzees can be taught to drive one. Amongst monkeys and chimpanzees it is not considered immoral to steal or indulge frequently in violent fights. It requires a certain degree of evolution to conduct one's life on the basis of moral principles. Animals on the other hand function on the basis of their immediate needs. A scam that most computer users are familiar with is the frequent emails announcing that you have won a lottery. The idea is to con you into parting with some of your money through deception. Most such emails probably originate from parts of the world inhabited by humans who have not evolved very much since their animal past or returned to that level again.

It takes some lifetimes to evolve before a human realizes that earning money through fraud is monkey behavior and criminal. It takes some evolution as a human to realize that the best course for a human is to earn his living honestly. Similarly, there are parts of the world where where large cities, and legal systems such as courts and police forces have come up imitating civilized parts of the world. However, a closer look reveals that in such countries even basics like electricity and water supply are highly irregular and intermittent. The courts and police forces are ineffective, corrupt or lethargic. It is common in some countries for a simple civil suit to languish in courts for over twenty years and common for policemen to spend more of their energies in collecting bribes and concocting false evidence rather than doing the work they are supposed to. Such behaviour implies a need for further evolution within these countries.

It has also been noted that variations take place with time. Parts of the world such as ancient Sumeria, Egypt, Indus Valley and Athens that have led human civilisation and presumably also human evolution are not in the forefront anymore, whereas other parts such as Central and Northern Europe appear to have led the march of evolution, at least in the past few centuries. This is an indication that evolution is not a one way process but has its ups and down. The overall trend for humanity as a whole is hopefully upwards.

Returning to our spiritual discussion, my own understanding is that the purpose of any life form including humans is to evolve to higher levels. This improvement includes cultivating the virtues of truth and non-violence i.e. love and honesty. Such an evolution can take several lifetimes. It is only then that a human being can increase happiness. Eastern philosophies also stress on stilling thought and desire. In my view meditative techniques that teach how to still thought may be restricted to develop control over the thinking process, so that when we do think we can channel it in the most productive directions. The Universe /Almighty has given us the ability to think so that we can use it for our evolution and well being, not as an encumbrance that should be permanently extinguished. Yogic techniques that teach how to control desire may be used so that we learn to be happy with whatever is available and easily attainable and to turn our thoughts and desires away from that which cannot be attained easily or is perceived as harmful in the long run. The idea is to develop joy and contentment while avoiding pain and frustration. The question arises as to what happens after a human attains the highest possible levels of human evolution. My view is that just as evolved human souls take birth amongst evolved humans, a soul that has evolved to even higher levels would take birth in parts of this vast and infinite universe where beings exist that are even more evolved i.e. amongst beings we may refer to as gods and goddesses. Evolution would not stop even at this point. Our universe is vast enough to support still higher life forms. At the very apex of this vast chain of evolution is the father of the Universe, the almighty God. Since there can be only a single God in the universe the most evolved soul of the universe must necessarily merge with the infinite soul and thus become a part of God. Until that happens, most souls must continue on the paths of their respective evolution.

One must attempt to make this evolutionary journey joyful by increasing happiness and reducing sorrow. Old age need not be sad. It is undoubtedly a phase when human energy reduces. One can make the most of it by using the period for reflection and for preparation so that the next life would be a good one. Death is not sad when one firmly believes in reincarnation. It is like changing old clothes for new ones. Each phase of life will be a happy one, provided one has prepared for it adequately in the previous phase and makes the most of the present one. The past cannot be changed therefore we need not be bothered with any more than it is necessary to make our present moment wiser. We do have the present in our hands. Each phase is enjoyable, provided we divide our time wisely between work and play. Thus childhood needs to be spent in acquiring education and disciplined habits besides play. As an adult one needs to divide time between entertainment and earning enough so that one does not have to work or suffer in old age. Old age needs to be spent in reflecting on ones strengths and shortcoming, life and the universe and strengthening our love for God, so that next time around we are born as a more evolved human in more fortunate circumstances. Much bad karma can be resolved through reflection, repentance and forgiveness so that we do not have to carry this burden with us into future lives.

A powerful way to hasten our evolution is to help the lesser evolved part of the universe - plants, animals and other less evolved or less fortunate humans in their evolutionary journey. The attitude towards the less evolved needs to be one of love and compassion, rather than hatred because love raises us to higher evolutionary levels while hatred does precisely the reverse.

Photo is from http://www.public-domain-image.com/

I wrote this article a long time ago elsewhere on the internet . I thought it is interesting enough to post here again with very minor changes. It is a continuation of the philosophy of many other posts of this blog.

My Experiments with Tobacco and Alcohol

2011-04-05T21:43:00.000-07:00

Up until a few years ago I had been dependant on Alcohol and Tobacco. For years, drinking Beer, Wine or Whiskey had remained a social sort of thing that caused no problems. During the mid nineties when I exhausted my savings in building the house that I presently live in, I even brewed my own wine to save the expense and became rather good at it. However by early 2000 I once again had surplus wealth and returned to whiskey. Over the following years the consumption of whiskey increased until it did become a problem. The problem became very serious in early 2007 and by September 2007 it became clear that if I had to survive the habit must be given up. Therefore I just threw away the bottles, locked myself up at home for more than a month and with the grace of God succeeded in overcoming the habit. Now I drink wine or beer on rare occasions (sometimes less than once a month) since it is no longer a problem and helps to brighten a social event. Instead of sulking in the corner one giggles and laughs like a stupid fool.

The story with tobacco has been different. I began smoking seriously in the late seventies while pursuing doctoral studies in Canada. It was my intention to give up the habit as soon as the rather tough doctoral studies were over. Unfortunately though that was easier said then done. It is very difficult to give up on addictive substances once the habit is acquired. The habit continued until Late 2007. By this time the habit had become really difficult to maintain. Besides the ill health effects of smoking it is now prohibited in offices and most buildings. In the seventies one could smoke anywhere – offices, airports, airlines etc. I recall having to step outside the office in snow to puff away every hour or so in Canada during the early nineties. On some occasions I hid inside toilets to do that. On an airline flight to Canada I confided in the airhostess of my need to smoke and she let me into the empty first class to share a smoke with the co-pilot secretly. Moreover, cigarettes have also became more and more expensive with time and it all seems like an unnecessary waste of hard earned money especially when there are so many deprived persons in the world who often have to go without a meal every now and then. In December of 2007 seeing that I had given up on alcohol, I made another serious effort and with the grace of God quit smoking too. However, as an aid to giving up the habit I took up on chewing tobacco. In India tobacco is available in neat little filter packs called Chaini Khani (probably translates as chew with peace) that one can chew on without being noticed. That habit has continued until three days ago. For the last three days I have been struggling with the withdrawal symptoms.

It is amazing how a little tobacco; alcohol or any number of other drugs can change the entire psychology and consciousness of a human being. On a rare occasion I have tried things like cannabis that is widely available as a weed in India. Last summer a bush had come up in the backyard. A village lad Hari comes to live at my place from time to time to work in the city. I give him a spare room and kitchen to live in return for helping out in the garden and with some other heavier chores around the house. He dried the entire bush after it matured and has taken it back to the village. I just forgot to ask him to leave some for me. It seems that the human psyche is vast indeed and we live through most of life using only small portions of it. Various drugs that include tobacco, alcohol and a variety of less widely available things e.g. magic mushrooms suddenly awaken rarely used parts of our psyche causing dramatic even magical changes in perception and behavior. Over the years, I have been quite interested in meditative and yogic practices and have realized that similar dramatic shifts in perception and behavior can be induced through breathing and meditative practices without the undesirable side effects and risks. If one gets addicted to these that is even better. I am hoping that these shall be the drugs of choice for me in future or at least until I move on to a new body. True there are many occassions when one is unable to induce a meditative state unlike with a bottle of whiskey where one can always pour oneself a peg, but here there are no side effects, one cannot overdo it, one does not become shaky and stupid, rather one becomes more alert, and best of all it is free.

Image is Fractal Art by Author

The Charitable Mr. Khanna

2011-03-27T23:46:00.000-07:00

Recently Bill gates and Mr. Warren Buffet, perhaps the second and third richest men in the world (closely following Carlos Slim described in an earlier post) visited India in connection with their philanthropic activities. The personal wealth of these men is probably around fifty billion dollars each. Mr. Buffet mentioned that since he had far in excess of what he could use to improve his own life, he had decided to give away 99% of his wealth in charity so that it might help to improve the life of others. My mind instantly went to my friend Mr. Khanna of Nainital who too indulges in charitable work although his personal wealth is of the order of ten million dollars or so only. The name and more has been changed here so that this post may be regarded as a fictional one except for its message.

Mr. Khanna received some of his wealth as inherited property and earned some in his own career as a hotel manager of a four star hotel. Most of it though has been a result of the escalation of the value of immovable property. Mr. Khanna owns four properties – a house built on about an acre in Nainital, a farm house on a nine acre farm on the outskirts of Bareily that is in the plains about a hundred and fifty Kilometers south of Nainital on the road to Delhi, a three bed room apartment in New Delhi and another two bed room apartment in a classy section of London. The London apartment has a small study as well, which too may be improvised as a bedroom for a single person on occasions. Mr. Khanna mostly lives in his Nainital home and for a couple of months most winters on the farm. The Delhi apartment remains largely locked and it is only for a few days a year that Mr. Khanna is able to visit it. On visits to Delhi, he first checks into a hotel while an assistant moves to the apartment to clean it of accumulated dust and make it habitable. The next morning is spent in banking and if Mr. Khanna, who is just over sixty now, can finish his banking chores in the morning he returns immediately to his farm in Bareily (about five hours drive to the North towards Nainital) and onwards to his bungalow in Nainital the next day. Mr. Khanna's large Nainital home is a wooded property that has several giant pine trees, an oak and a couple of apple trees. There is a clearing on the south and east side for Mr. Khanna to grow his choice lettuce and celery in summer when it is too hot for the same on the farm in the warmer plains. Another clearing to the east is reserved for assorted spring flowers- larkspur, anemones, tulips and crocuses and huge rose and hydrangea bushes as well as the pebbled driveway that leads up to the front porch and verandah lined with potted geraniums. Mr. Khanna has not visited his apartment in London for four years now. He feels there is little point. At one time around fifteen years ago he would visit London at least once a year, largely for shopping especially when Mrs. Khanna was alive. However now he finds the journey tiring and feels that most of what he needs is available in stores in Delhi. Moreover, he says, after living in Nainital he finds most other cities in the world suffer from air pollution. His purchases include canned tuna and Norwegian Sardines by the box loads. His daughter and son in law who live in Canada regularly courier him fine dried salmon, truffles and caviar for which Mr. Khanna pays. Mr. Khanna loves grated truffles on his omelets made lovingly by his experienced cook of twenty years - Hira Lal. On Sunday mornings, many of which I have shared with him, a white Bordeaux wine or Champagne accompanies the breakfast. Mr. Khanna’s daughter also has a key to the London apartment and stops over at the London apartment every year on her annual trips to India. She strictly uses the other bedroom only, leaving Mr. Khanna’s bedroom undisturbed for a possible visit by Mr. Khanna. London suits hang ever ready for him in the wardrobe. However, on my recent visit Mr. Khanna mentioned that over the last four years or so, he has put on weight and he may have to visit Harrods for a change of wardrobe on his next visit. He proposes to bring back the existing suits for Hira Lal rather than discard them. Mr. Khanna left his hotel job with an international chain at the age of forty-five. At that age he inherited the Bareily farm and the Naintial Bungalow from his mother and moved to Nainital. He set up his own Hotel in Nainital that he ran for six years and then sold it. However he was able to strike a deal with the hotel so that he could retain his wine list in the hotel cellars. In India the laws do not permit storing more than a few bottles of alcohol at home, and since Mr. Khanna makes it a point to adhere to law rigorously, he was able to devise a perfectly legal clever scheme of storing his wine at the hotel and having delivered whatever he requires at short notice. Besides his four immovable properties worth about five million dollars, Mr. Khanna also has cash assets approximately totaling another five million dollars. About a quarter of it is held in gold in bank lockers and the rest is in bank deposits and company stocks. His liquid assets yield about fifty lakh rupees (around a hundred thousand dollars) as income every year. Mr. Khanna says that he is able to spend only half of that every year so that he uses the other half for charitable work in sponsoring improvements in poorly funded government schools in the country. Many a poor government school has a new building, playground, library or garden because of this charity. Mr. Khanna has added much joy and enlightenment to the lives of thousands of children through this act. Mr. Khanna has set up a charitable education trust for the purpose and channels his donations through the trust for a tax and administrative advantage. The trust also runs a Nursery and primary school on an acre carved out from Mr. Khanna’s farm in Bareily. Mr. Khanna initially started the school to help out the children of his farm workers. It gradually expanded from a nursery to a primary school. Mr. Khanna does not propose to advance the school further as long as he lives to avoid associated headaches but has made provisions for such an expansion in his Will. Mr. Khanna has willed the entire farm as well as most of his movable assets to this trust so that the school can be expanded after his demise. Of the remaining, two properties are willed to his only daughter in case she return to India in her old age and one to a secret beneficiary. Mr. Khanna needs to spend only fifty thousand dollars a year (around two lakh rupees a month) for all his expenses that include a fleet of four vehicles – two cars, a van and a tractor – a staff of ten persons – four that stay on his Nainital property and four on the Bareily farm as well as two gunmen cum drivers that move with him and stay wherever he stays. Some income from the milk cows, orchards and produce on his farm supports the farm staff and supplements his income. Fine iceberg lettuce, cos lettuce and celery is grown on the farm. This type of produce is not grown in most other farms in India and therefore five star hotels that require it grab it for guests.

Mrs. Khanna passed away ten years ago as a result of a heart attack. Mr. Khanna though is in the pink of health. He utilizes it for golfing, fishing, mountain treks and regular visits to the Nainital clubs and hotels every evening. The only health problem Mr. Khanna had suffered from until a few years ago was asthma, but that disappeared on a chance suggestion from me to eliminate wheat products from his diet and to take vitamin C regularly. Now that the asthma has disappeared Mr. Khanna has found that he need not stay away from wheat entirely but only needs to restrict its intake to about half of what he consumed earlier. Instead he has trout and other fish from the abundant mountain lakes around Nainital, pearl potatoes or Biryani made from choice basmati rice. As my mind returns to Bill gates and Warren Buffet I was thinking that one certainly does not need fifty Billion dollars for a good quality of life. Even ten million dollars as Mr. Khanna has or much much less as most others possess is enough to lead a good quality of life, as good as is humanly possible and to do charitable works as well. Infact an opposite view is also held by some of the most learned that the more we possess the more our worries and troubles and charity is not performed with material things alone. It can be a physical gesture of help or even just plain good wishes, prayer or counsel or even just a smile or a few kind words. This last is at times of greater value. A few sound words were more useful to Mr. Khanna to overcome his troublesome asthmatic condition rather than his millions. If one has surplus wealth or even far in excess of what an average human possesses on the planet there might be a moral responsibility to involve oneself in charity with material things but if one does not have excess then there is none. Certainly with fewer possessions and fewer worries the chances of attaining peace and ensuing happiness are greater. It has also been seen in life that it is the poor who are the most generous in helping out a fellow human in need rather than the rich. Persons like Mr. Khanna, Warren Buffet and Bill Gates are exceptions rather than a rule. Certainly that has been my experience and observation on many an occasion. it is perhaps for this reason that Nature grants more and more with time to the person with a generous and non clamorous heart while it takes away from the rich with a selfish and greedy one.

My mind also went to a friend of mine (described in the previous post) who at the age of sixty had a personal wealth of around a hundred million dollars as per some of the reports on the Internet. It was mentioned in a report that he thought that was not enough. He ventured out for perhaps another hundred million and got into trouble. As a result he has lost much and stands to loose more in the near future. Even had he made his second hundred million in the next ten years, when would he be at peace to spend it? At seventy-two? Would he be able to do much at that age? Is it some sort of a psychosis that prevents some from realizing when and what is enough? It is fortunate that Mr. Khanna escaped a similar psychosis in his life. I would have missed the Sunday breakfasts on my visits to Nainital then. I am sixty-one and already feel tired to do most of what I could do with even a fraction of the wealth that Mr. Khanna has. Who needs caviar and truffles for breakfast? I do not care for caviar and would much rather have button mushrooms than truffles at breakfast and if the occasion demands I can brew my own fine wine to rival a Bordeaux any day and those ultra soft Black forest cakes from the Earls Court hotel in Nainital or creamy Swiss chocolate cakes that Mr. Khanna orders for desert from the nearby Swiss Hotel of Nainital are just plain Sin. No wonder Mr. Khanna does not fit into his London suits any more.

The top Photo shows the Swiss Hotel of Nainital. It is housed in a century old heritage building of Nainital. The second photo is of the Earl's Court hotel in Nainital. It is ranked fifteenth from amongst the fifty odd hotels of Nainital for its ambiance and gardens by some reviewers on the Internet.

The Lord Giveth and the Lord Taketh away

2011-03-21T00:13:00.000-07:00

A few days ago one of my friends who had done extremely well in his career was suddenly overtaken by adverse circumstances so that his career gains were wiped out in a single sad and unfortunate sweep. I will not mention the name of this friend or the precise events since a discussion of specific issues surrounding this event may overtake this blog. Rather the intention here is to try and understand the philosophy behind such events in general. Most certainly all of us have faced ups and downs in our lives. When the going is good we tend to take pride in our achievements and/or thank fate, circumstances or the Lord. Usually it is more of the former and less of the latter. As described by a famous Hindu- Muslim (He was both because in reality he did not conform to a religion) saint of India, Kabir in Hindi,

“Dukh main Simran sab Kare, Sukh me simran Kare na koi

Sukh me simran jo kare to Dukh kahe ko hoi”

My translation is,

In sorrow everyone remembers, in joy remembers none

Were one to remember in joy why should sorrow come

It is no doubt a human tendency to feel proud when one has made big worldly gains and when a loss takes place to regard the situation as unfair, even wicked and unjust. A highly spiritual person on the other hand may view gain and loss with equanimity holding that it is the Lord who giveth when it so pleases Him and it is the Lord who taketh away when He so ordains. The term Lord does not imply a regal God like figure here but rather the Universal Consciousness that includes all of the processes that happen in the universe. Certainly if gains or losses are due to one’s talents or misdeeds, the talents or the tendency for misdeeds were not created by a human but by the universal processes that begin at birth and end with death. However, having said what has been said here, it is easier said then done. It is neither easy nor possible for most that the individual consciousness remain a detached and passive observer of events. It is natural for one’s emotions to get involved. The degree to which they get involved however varies and may be a mark of one’s spiritual evolution. There can be a view when gain occurs that it is a result of our hard work and talent and to view loss as the wickedness of the world or a part of the world. Sometimes gains are considered a result of one’s misdeed and the loss as fair restoration. This latter view prevailed when Hosni Mubarak rose and fell and will undoubtedly also prevail when Gadaffi falls. The former view is usually the view of the individual at the center of events and persons close to him or her and the latter that of the world. The truth however may lie somewhere in between or entirely elsewhere. In an earlier post on Karma an attempt was made to understand such situations from another point of view. It was described that at all times an individual faces two types of forces, one a result of his own actions and another a result of the actions of the universe or the world around. After a thorough bath under a tree the cleanliness is a result of one’s own effort but when bird droppings from the tree above fall on one’s head, the dirt is a result of surrounding action. The net result a person experiences is a combination of the two. It is a human tendency to ascribe all good results to one’s own effort and talent and the loss or pain one confronts as misfortune or injustice of Nature/world/Universe/Lord/ whatever. The karmic view however is that both good and bad are a result of one’s own deeds, some from present and some from past and that the Universal Consciousness is just at all times. If you wish to read more about the mystic workings of karma check out older posts (the icon is at bottom right of this page and you may have to click a few times to reach karma posts). Do read the karma posts in proper order though beginning at Karma 1 and then on to Karma 2, Karma 3 and karma 4.

Usually a question one asks after going through karmic laws is - what is the use of worrying about or remembering the Lord when it is all karma? The answer is that an aspect of the Lord is Universal Love and within that love is the capacity to forgive and/or to make the lesson plans easier. The purpose of it all is education. The intensity of this education varies from Individual to individual and the speed is of one’s own choosing. The faster we act the faster karma unfolds, sometimes much too fast for a person to handle. So dear friends come with me to the green and peaceful Himalayas where you can breathe the mountain fresh air slowly and peacefully, while your eyes rest on soothing green surroundings or a wild flower, where you may reflect on the nature of things in peace as you pause to listen to the songs of the birds or the whisperings of a brook, or wonder at the colors of a butterfly’s wings, where karma will unfold slowly enough for you to be able to understand it, for in this world The lord giveth and the Lord taketh away.

Spring is in the Air

2011-03-18T22:33:00.000-07:00

Today marks the traditional beginning of spring in India. The day is celebrated with the festival of colors called Holi. Perhaps in the rest of the northern Hemisphere too either spring has begun or is knocking on the doors. This is a time that new leaves and flowers spring out in the garden and the fields and the air is sweet with the song of birds. Spring also marks the time when human efforts to conquer a harsh winter or summer are freed for other pursuits. The primary emotion of the season is love, the highest of all virtues to my mind. Whereas for younger persons this is a time to strengthen romantic and physical love, for older persons it is a time when a broader universal love for all of creation may dominate. In my opinion and experience if one has led a meaningful life, the need for romantic love should diminish speedily and progressively past the median age of thirty-five and be progressively replaced by universal love. Without doubt to be human is to be burdened by all sorts of negative and positive qualities. It is possible that we may harbor anger or hatred against those who may have slighted or wronged us in the past. Certainly I am troubled by such emotions from time to time even though realizing consciously that these are harmful emotions. Negative emotions such as these can only drag us down into darkness and depression and the way to conquer that is through forgiveness and love that is capable of lifting us into states of bliss and joy. At any given moment in time a certain number of individuals or communities face grave difficulties and even the wonderful season of spring does not spare such persons. At the present moment the Japanese as a nation are facing grave difficulties. To love all of creation implies that in the very least our sympathies flow towards those who are suffering. Better still we might discover a way or service that contributes towards alleviating that suffering even in a small way.

And, our love for nature may mean that we plant some grass, bushes, flowers or trees in any barren spot we can find in our gardens or the countryside. Humans need farms and homes for food and shelter but much else of creation, insects, birds and animals, find their food and homes in the green side of life. And this green side produces oxygen for humans too while absorbing carbon dioxide that has been worrying much of mankind recently. My own garden in Jaipur is packed with stuff so that there is scarcely an inch to plant anything else just now. The photo shows me and my daughters in the garden when they were visiting me in Jaipur a few months ago. Most times they are away and busy with their careers and it is mainly me and Shyamu with or without his wife and son shown in an earlier photo in this blog who lives here, or another village lad Hari with his wife fori who works in the city and around the garden.

On my mountian getaway, the mountain cottage and surroundings are as green as shown in the photo, but if I try it is more than likely that I shall find spots to plant a few wild flowers or trees in the vast hills. This year the winter season lasted longer than usual but it has been replaced rather rapidly by the warm season and it is my desire to move to my favored spot in the cool Himalayas right away.

Mother Earth and the Japanese Earthquake

2011-03-14T21:35:00.000-07:00

As we see more and more reports of the Earthquake from Japan we are bound to be struck by the widespread devastation it has caused. My heart goes out to the Japanese especially the children, the aged and others who have suffered grievously in this crisis and my prayer is to wish them much peace and strength to cope with this crisis and its aftermath. Relief camps have been organized for persons displaced out of their homes. Yesterday a BBC reporter described with wonder and admiration that how in spite of the devastation the Japanese people organized themselves in patient lines while relief supplies such as food and water were being distributed and helped each other as well. This is in contrast to the scuffles and disorders one has witnessed in Haiti and Pakistan recently after similar disasters. It is without doubt that the Japanese people are imbued with the highest virtues of patience, order, discipline and compassion that human communities are capable of. It is an indication that the country will emerge from the crisis as an even stronger society in the near future. Humans display a complex character and it is possible that Japanese may have acquired some unworthy qualities as well in the decades of peace and prosperity that the country has witnessed. Humans do tend to become complacent and careless when the going is good. The Governor of Tokyo, Shinatro Ishihara told reporters on Monday that the disaster was punishment from Heaven because Japanese have become greedy. Dangerous nuclear plants and crowded cities have sprung up in sensitive coastal areas. However, it is not just the Japanese that may have picked up a fault. Communities across the planet suffer from various shortcomings and it is not just blue fin sharks or whales that are facing destruction but also a large number of other plants and animals. While humans are gung ho about the wonders of new technologies the green cover of the planet and a variety of plant and animal species are disappearing. Gigantic cities are growing ever larger on the face of the planet as gigantic cancerous moles. Mother Earth bears all these infirmities with patience but as illustrated by this most recent crisis, only up to a point. Photo: Computer art by author. If you wish to make a copy and circulate or print to put up in school, office or club please feel free to do so. It is in gray scales so it can be printed easily.

Inner Joy

2011-02-28T20:00:00.000-08:00

The planet we live in, and the universe beyond has both beautiful and ugly things. Deep within us one may find the connection to the beautiful and joyous side of the universe. One may find this connection in a quiet moment beside a clear lake, in a beautiful green forest, in the company of a loved one, in meditation, sitting or lying in bed. Once we have found this connection it is possible to return to it frequently at will even when one is not in a green valley or in the company of a loved one. This inner bliss does not need a thing or place to connect to, although at first beautiful things may help us to make the connection. It needs a mind that is relatively free of thoughts, sense inputs and a consciousness that just experiences. The joy that comes from sense inputs is a temporary and different one. This joy is difficult to describe in words but wonderful to experience. It is free of fear, even fear of death because it knows that this consciousness and this universe of which it is a part will always be there, constantly changing yet unchanged at its essential core. Dear friends, I hope that you too have experienced this joy, or will do so soon, and can make a connection to it often.

The Myth that Fruits, Flowers and Trees do not grow in Salt Water

2011-02-23T21:23:00.000-08:00

Whereas most humans recognize that we live on an extremely beautiful planet consisting of mountains, oceans, rivers, forests and grasslands most humans recognize that some very ugly spots have developed on our planet as a result of adverse human activity. No other species on the planet has scarred the land more than humans through felled forests, jungles of concretes and unsanitary filthy human habitations. At the same time humans have the capabilities to restore the planet or parts of it to a healthy green state. One myth that stands in the way of greening the Earth is that trees and flowers do not grow in salt water and salty soils. Nothing could be further from the truth. While it is true that a large number of plants do not survive in salt water, there are also a very large number of plants that do rather well in saline conditions. The myth that plants do not grow in salty conditions needs to be busted. If it was so, the ocean floors would not be teeming with life.

Coconut palm, sea grape, pine oak, white ash,red cedar and the saw palmetto are all highly salt tolerant trees. No beach scene is complete without a coconut tree and these are excellent choices for planting near the sea, as are true date palms. Acacia Cyclops and Acacia Stenophylla will tolerate extreme salinity. There are madronas growing directly on salt-water sandspits and it is said, they won't grow unless within smelling distance of saltwater. It grows in climates ranging from those of California to Scotland. Salt cedar and salt bush do so well with salt they can be used to remove salt from the soil. The Beach Plum grows on the sand, along with Rosa Rugusa,which come in different sizes and colors. It is a fast-growing, giant evergreen, reaching 250'; and 6' in diameter, the Sitka spruce favors both freshwater and saltwater wetland areas where it often dominates. It is found along the Pacific coast from central Alaska to northern California and is common in Southern Alaska and northern British Columbia. It has has been introduced in Britain.

Ponderosa Pine is a magnificent, three-needle yellow pine. It grows rapidly, reaching 200 feet; with widths of 30 feet. They are excellent specimens for coastal planting, being very tolerant of salt spray. Pinus contorta is a fast growing, two-needle yellow pine closely related to Lodgepole pine. It is highly tolerant of poor soils and saline conditions, it occurs in the wild on sandy bluffs along the seashore and also in peat bogs at higher elevations, where it becomes a natural bonsai. Salix hookeriana (Hooker's Willow) is a a stout, stiffly branched shrub or small tree, to 20 ft, 4" showy catkins. It grows well near salt water.

Even some flowers can do well with saline water. Ice plant produces striking flowers and is an effective ground cover for erosion control on sandy soil. Other flowers that grow in saline water include sunflowers, groundcover gardenia and hellebore. Statice, also called sea flower or limonium, can even be grown successfully along the highly saline Dead Sea coast. Bougainvillea, jasmine and oleander tolerate saline conditions. Pomegranates are said to perform well in salty conditions too. In countries where drought is common and fresh water is lacking, it is becoming increasingly necessary to develop strains of saline-tolerant food plants. Researchers have successfully created strains of beets, spinach, sugarcane and rice that grow where the saline water table is high. Oil crops like rapeseed and livestock fodder such as sweet clover, white clover and lucerne can also be grown in saline conditions.

The list of plants that will grow in salty conditions as indicated here by no means exhaustive. Even a cursory search on the Internet will reveal more. What is needed in different parts of the world where saline conditions exist and where only salt water is available for irrigation is to create experimental nurseries where different plants are grown in salt water so as to discover which do the best in the area. These can then be propogated in surrounding areas. With human ingenuity there is absolutely no reason why the Sahara and other regions near sea coasts that are presently barren should continue to remain so.The Arab countries need not be desert countries. A democratic revolution is on in the Arab world. Hopefully it will be followed by a green revolution.

A side benefit of growing such salt water forests will be that they will result in carbon capture from the atmosphere and help improve climate on the planet .Therefore there is a need for the entire world to contribute in improving the planet as a whole. Perhaps it is for countries like Australia that have suffered the most from climate change to play a leading role in organising such international efforts. Much more results will be produced in this direction than in failed attempts to cap carbon emissions through burning of fossil fuels. That is something that will take place on its own as we run out of fossil fuels. The greening of the planet on the other hand will not take place for a long time unless man intervenes actively.

The Way to end Wars and Deaths in Mexico and Afghanistan

2011-02-22T04:32:00.000-08:00

From time to time one may have across news of the huge number of deaths that take place in Mexico regularly over drug trading. It is like a war being fought within the country. We also hear frequently of wars fueled by illicit drug money in Afghanistan and elsewhere. There is a very simple solution to all these problems that can be implemented overnight.

The solution lies in decriminalizing the production, use and possession of heroin, cocaine marijuana, LSD and other illicit street drugs. Sale of such drugs may be permitted through pharmacies so that the same sort of control may be exercised as in the sale of other medicines, some that are equally dangerous. Such packets available from a chemist may be obliged to carry warnings, precautions and national help line numbers for addicts and others. The deaths and crime related to drugs will disappear overnight. In fact, with a similar move in USA these drug prices will crash so that it will no longer remain a lucrative profession for criminals. A crash in drug prices will destroy the funding of the Tailban fighters too. The Afghan taliban war is a ridiculous thing in any case. A significant proportion of Afghans are potential Talibans if not actual ones and USA cannot possibly convert or kill them all . The sooner they pack their bags and leave Afghanistanis to their own devices the better it will be for everyone concerned. The Afghans are a fiercely proud people that just do not like foreign interference and they have demonstrated that time and again through history.

In the opinion of this author both the Mexican war and American war are easily avoidable great tragedies.

Decriminalizing drugs was implemented in Portugal ten years ago. Since then the number of deaths from drug overdoses as well as needle infected cases of HIV have dropped dramatically in Portugal. Mexico and USA need to learn from Portugal and go further. Drug use does not go up significantly by decriminalizing it. In fact some of these drugs have been around for centuries. They only became a serious problem in human societies recently after their use became a criminal thing. It is time to recognize the folly of such laws.

The money spent on fighting drug crimes can then be spent on public education programs that educate the public about the adverse impact of drugs and for funding de-addiction centers as in Portugal. Is Mexico listening, dying or sleeping?

How Humans Punish Themselves and Each Other

2011-02-18T20:50:00.000-08:00

By chance, this morning, I examined the dining room cupboard that stores various items of crockery, cups and glasses etc. that are used on special occasions. The crockery that we use on a daily basis is kept in the kitchen. Probably more than five years have passed since I gave the contents of this cupboard a good look. To my surprise the cupboard has much unnecessary stuff, some that will probably never be needed during my lifetime. The story is not very different in the other cupboards, closets and stores of my home. Fortunately, the home is large enough so that all the stuff can be stacked away neatly, out of sight, and not cause clutter. I am also fortunate enough to have an extremely efficient domestic aide – Shyamu – who takes care of storing everything neatly and retrieving an item whenever required. However, now I am beginning to question the very basis of having acquired all the stuff in the first place. Everything that one possesses occupies a portion of one’s psyche, even if ignored. It is an unnecessary burden that one can do without. I do not deny that there are some advantages in owning stuff. One can produce the right cup or glass for the right occasion when the occasion arises – once in five years. It is also true that one does not have to run down to shop for more when an item of clothing or linen gets worn out. Another brand new set is found in the closets to replace the discarded item. But then, crockery can be improvised for an occasion, even a plastic cup would do and a home should really not be a shop. If a particular glass or cup is needed for a rare occasion it is not too hard to make a trip to the store once in ten years. Storing it at home means that the cupboards have to be cleaned and dusted carefully every so often. Rebb, has mentioned in her blog, how she has dealt with clutter wisely – just discarded it.

In contrast, one may envy a Buddhist Monk. His possessions are no more than a light cotton shoulder bag with which he can move from monastery to monastery scattered across the scenic Himalayas. It is not so with just monks. The newspaper recently carried a story of a highly successful financial analyst who possesses no more than a suitcase. He has to travel frequently and these meager possessions serve him very well as he moves from one hotel accommodation to another or a furnished dwelling for longer sojourns in a city. He is always nearly as well dressed as a Buddhist monk because he discards his crisp white shirts for new replacements as frequently as he can. The Buddhist monks too find clean new robes hanging on pegs outside the baths in their monasteries, whenever they need one. Another group of specialized monks manages that chore as all share in the duties of running a monastery.

Reflecting further on the rationale for my acquiring assorted possessions originally, I realized it was because of the widely held social belief that a happy home is one filled with stuff. With experience however, I realize that nothing can be further from the truth and that the Buddhist monks who proclaim that possession tie a person down and compromise happiness are right.

There are also a number of other beliefs that humans have propagated with gusto in order to punish themselves and each other. For example, a common blessing of one human to another they love is that they should have a long life – May you live for a hundred years. A good deal of money is spent on research and potions to enhance longevity and countries with the highest longevity figures are touted as those having the best quality of life. Observe a small child or infant though, and you will find how delighted they are with life and every new thing that they discover. My year old grandson (Shyamu's son) squeals with delight at every visit to the garden. Every flower, piece of stick, bird or insect he spots is an object of wonder and Joy to him. However, with every passing year this natural joy diminishes for a majority of humans. Certainly there are exceptions because every human life is different, but in the majority of cases the younger the person the more joyous life is. With advancing years come many sorrows, diminished energy and health so that for the very long lived persons even simple tasks like a visit to the toilet becomes a chore. In reality we do not bless anyone by wishing them a long life but rather punish them. If one believes in reincarnation, or a second life, as most mystics and spiritually inclined persons do, then the justifications for a long life are even fewer. It is best to enjoy the nicest parts of dinner on a plate and move on to a fresh plate rather finish the unpalatable side dishes.

In an earlier post I described how humans are afraid of heart disease and how the medical industry makes a great deal out of this fear. In reality there could be no bigger blessing than a person who leaves this world for greener pastures after a sudden heart collapse during sleep or otherwise. The alternative for others is to suffer a prolonged illness, pain and eventual cardiac arrest, as inevitable as the fact that we ever lived. Does it make sense to have a cardiac arrest after much pain and agony or suddenly without any pain or warning? Is heart disease a blessing or a curse?

Human Societies also make much virtue out of hope and expectations. Proverbs such as, “ where there is hope there is life” are widely circulated. Spiritual wisdom on the other hand suggests that at any given moment everything is exactly the way it should be and happiness lies in contentment. Expectations are the route to sorrow. Accordingly, the right way to live is to engage oneself in performing perceived duties and doing the right thing at all times, leaving the results and outcome in the hands of nature and expressing gratefulness and contentment with the decision of the Universe whatever it may be. Certainly one may come to the intelligent conclusion that a different outcome would have been preferable but then the route to it might be making a change within rather than without so that the universe leads one to a different outcome of an effort made.

The voice of the spiritualist is a voice in the wilderness.

A Housing Complex for Seniors

2011-02-17T22:04:00.000-08:00

In my last post I described some floor plans that could be suitable for a complex for Senior Citizens. In this post a possible arrangement of these units in a five-acre complex is illustrated. The floor plan adapted is floor plan 2 of the previous post that is twenty-five feet in width.

The attached picture shows these units arranged in a group of twenty-four in a five acre plot. Another twenty-five four units can be constructed on the first floor provided an elevator is provided. Alternatively, some of the first floor rooms can be constructed as single rooms for renting out to single working younger persons to create a healthier population mix. That should be possible if the complex is near a busy working town. Renting out to students is not a good idea. They can be noisy and difficult to manage. In case the first floor room is single then it would contain an individual bathroom of the type on the ground floor and a private verandah. There would be no individual kitchens with such single room units and dining could have to take place in the common dining hall. The first floor is accessed by a couple of common staircases or elevators reaching a common open corridor that runs in front of the rooms and reaches up to the first floor lobby of the dining hall/lounge central portion of the complex. It is precisely for this reason that the windows for the bedroom and living room open to the back of the building so that privacy is maintained. A maximum walk of three hundred feet from the furthest unit is involved from room to the central dining hall.

The top of the picture is south rather than north for maximum sunshine in the rooms.

With this design I have had enough of design of layouts for the time being and my future posts will return to more green thoughts rather than cement and concrete. Any person, group or organization anywhere in the world is welcome to use these designs with or without modifications. If you give me credit that would be nice. If you need for details get in touch with me through a query in the comments or otherwise.

Housing Complexes for Seniors

2011-02-13T22:14:00.000-08:00

As mentioned in my post on the five stages of life, at an age of around forty, I began designing a home and constructed it a few years later. I live in that home presently. However now at sixty, I find that it is a bit too large for me. There are rooms that I do not visit for months and there are terraces that I visit less than once a year. As one ages it becomes difficult to maintain a large home. Even if one has the money and can afford to hire part time or full time help, it is not a reliable proposition. Domestic assistants go on leave from time to time and sometimes change to other occupations. Therefore, for some time now, my mind has been turning to more compact accommodations in a secured complex along with other senior citizens. Being an engineer with some experience of residential construction, the task of preliminary design has fallen on my shoulders.

Complexes for senior citizens designed by commercial builders are available. However with commercial builders, the profit motive often compromises on the quality and comfort level of such complexes. Over the last few days I began designing the individual homes of a possible new complex and some of the results are shown as floor plan 1 and floor plan 2 in the pictures. I am posting them here incase you can give some suggestion for improvements or discover a design flaw.

Floor plan 1 is designed for construction in a resort like orchard or farm setting; therefore it has been designed in a manner so that single hotel style rooms may be constructed on the first floor for visitors. In order to minimize construction costs and to maintain the integrity of design it becomes necessary that openings and walls of upper floors be primarily constructed precisely over the walls of a lower floor. This requirement has been kept in mind while preparing these designs.

Floor plan 2 permits construction of two more bedrooms and a bathroom on the first floor for visiting family or friends. However both designs are compact so that they can be set in a row in a complex with some common services and a common club lounge and dining hall. Both plans have private kitchens that are adequate for daily meals and even entertaining, common dining permits social interaction and an escape from the chores of cooking. It is thus possible for residents to prepare their own breakfast and visit the dining hall for lunch or dinner if they wish. On occasions one may have the dinner or lunch delivered to the suite, especially if one is indisposed. The complex is visualized for a group of 12 to 60 persons/couples. The decision to launch such a complex has not yet been taken but these designs are some of the preliminary steps.

Please click on the images for a larger view.

A Beautiful Definition of God

2011-02-02T07:15:00.000-08:00

God has been defined in this blog in several places as everything there is, the entire universe and even beyond if there is anything beyond the universe, both the seen and unseen aspects of the universe, the manifested and the unmanifested.

However that is a rather bland definition, perhaps a bit scientific. A new beautiful definition of God by Vincent has appeared at http://perpetual-lab.blogspot.com/

a Presence, an attentive Presence, there in times of need; the need to give thanks and the need to beg, and the need to surrender one’s life to something higher.

I fully agree with this definition and I do not think I could improve upon it or perhaps a bit by adding the additional words “ a caring, loving, truthful and attentive Presence all powerful and fully in control of everything that happens in the universe” instead of just attentive presence. But perhaps than the definition would become cumbersome and loose some of its beauty.

The photo is from http://publicdomainpictures.net

Hosni Mubarak Must Go

2011-01-30T22:11:00.000-08:00

Over the last few days TV reports have been full of street demonstrations by citizens of Egypt. They want their authoritarian leader of thirty years- Hosni Mubarak - to leave. Should he? Of Course he should. A country does not belong to any one person. It belongs to the people as a whole and if the vast majority of the population wants a leader to quit and make that very clear through the sort of demonstrations that are taking place in Egypt, then the leader should quit. He has absolutely no human or moral right to continue. If he uses force to stay on, he is acting no better than the thieves and looters on the street who too take what does not belong to them by force. In fact he then becomes many times worse, because his loot is so massive.

Personally, I am not against any King, Dictator or political leader for monopolizing large amounts of money and resources for his personal use. After all, if a leader has to keep his mind free for dealing with national issues we cant have him worrying about the next month’s electricity bill, developing a queasy stomach by purchasing less than desirable cuts of meat on sale, being disturbed by loud music at the neighbor, or ruining his sleep on a mattress with springs that poke. However if the mind so freed does not result in policies that alleviate the misery of a substantial portion of the population, then the moral responsibility for that misery falls on the leader. If the leader is a dictator it becomes his sole responsibility. I dread of to think of the undesirable karma that all this must accumulate for a political leader. It is true that a political leader cannot be held responsible for the misery caused by a natural calamity or a world event outside his control. However, the responsibility of hardships caused by faulty policy, inaction or corruption does fall on the leader. A leader may argue that he is doing the best he can but if the best is not good enough and the people think so, it is time for him to pack his bags and give someone else a chance.

The Paradox of Modern Life and Economy

2011-01-29T21:28:00.001-08:00

There was a time when a very substantial portion of the human population lived off the land in rural areas scattered across the planet. Since the industrial revolution, large portions of the human population began to move towards the city to engage themselves in industrial production and other pursuits related to an urban life. The consumption of energy and industrial production began to increase and with the advent of things like antibiotics the human population too began to increase rapidly. Nations that could produce and consume at increasingly large rates or provide for increasing consumption to other parts of the world grew rapidly. It is here that an inherent paradox and contradiction began to be built into modern economies.

Many realize that the current rates of consumption in the most developed economies such as the US are not sustainable. As resources like energy and materials diminish, the planet will run out of such resources. On the other hand if humans begin to reduce consumption and return to simpler lifestyles, the economies will stop growing and sink into recession. It is a case of die if you do and die if you don’t. That is why economists in the US jump with glee when retail sales and consumption increases as it did over the last quarter.

Of the two scenarios, one of increasing consumption and the other of reduced consumption, common sense appears to suggest that reducing consumption, at least excesses and wastages, is the more enlightened way to go. It should be welcomed. However, government economists would prefer that this does not happen because if the consumption reduces, GDP growth reduces. The national budgets are a percentage of the GDP, therefore an economy in recession implies that government would be compelled to either reduce expenditure or go into debt; or go into deficit and monetize the deficit (print more paper money in excess of GDP).

Incase a government reduces expenditure then it is unpopular with the population as is happening in Greece, Ireland or UK currently. An unpopular democratic government then gets thrown out in a democratic election. Incase the government goes into debt, it can postpone its problems for a future government or future date. If deficits are monetized then inflation takes place and that is like an additional tax on all citizens, an invisible tax, that is not shown in the tax returns but hurts much more since it hurts the poor as well as the rich. Since the democratic countries are the dominant ones in the world today hence an economic philosophy that is favored by governments that are elected for short terms prevails. Hail consumption, who cares for grandchildren.

In the meanwhile, while governments struggle with these problems some people loose their jobs and end up on the street. In a recent post, John was commenting in his blog that persons ending on the street and begging are despised. To my mind stepping out of the economy and its stress is not such a bad idea for a person who is willing to enjoy not much more than sunshine and fresh air. However, if a person gets into begging that is despicable since it involves bumming on someone else. It is better for such persons to return to the land and make a simple living out of it.

I presently live in India and have witnessed the rural way of living that is still not very different in some parts to the way of living prior to the industrial revolution. In some cases the life is hard especially if the weather gods have been unkind (The worst off were those that went into debt from time to time encouraged by modern or traditional bankers)but in other cases and that is the majority, rural farmers have a little surplus to tide them over the bad years. They do not have the luxuries of modern societies but they are stress free and happier as a result of it, most times. If they have some surplus they build a cement and concrete house. If they do not have a surplus they build a mud and thatch house that comes for free. It requires labor but the labor is often spread across several years so that it is not a pain. They have no money for medical treatment and medical drugs. Hence they die peacefully without having to suffer debilitating side effects and conditions like cancer. Most are able to grow enough wheat for their own consumption and if you think carefully this is a versatile food grain, a variety of grass that can sustain a human diet. Think of the many forms wheat can be turned into. First there is a range of leavened and unleavened breads. Then we have cookies, biscuits and cake, with a bit of processing one may have noodles, pasta, pizza, Khus Khus and a croissant. When one grows wheat then that produces fodder for the cows. Farmers who keep up to four cows end up with at least one that is in the milking stage and that provides butter and more protein or cheese. Once in a while two or three cows begin to produce milk simultaneously and that is the time to sell some and get a new wardrobe for the family. When a farmer gets too old to farm either his son does the farming or he sells/rents his land and lives off that.

When I told a modern economist of an economic model based on reduced growth (that included proportionately reduced government expenditure) the economist laughed heartily. A diet based on wheat is not a low carb diet but none of the farmers I met in an undeveloped economy had ever heard of a low carb diet. When told about it they laughed heartily.

Holy, Holy, Holy

2011-01-27T20:51:00.000-08:00

Once I read somewhere (I forget the reference) that many meetings are like a visit to the toilet. It involves much sitting, noise and eventually the outcome is flushed down the toilet.

As Raymond pointed out as a comment to a post in this blog, as regards spiritual matters, much time is wasted in worthless spiritual discussions and arguments. Nothing could be truer. Spirituality involves many things that are felt rather than seen. It also includes abstract concepts and therefore a meaningless argument becomes all the more likely. As a simple example consider how meaningless is the argument between two men about whether a particular actress is sexy or not. What is sexy to one may be repulsive to another, since in such matters much personal experience and taste is involved. Just as beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, spiritual understanding is in the heart of the beholder.

Consider the frequent argument between, theists and atheists whether God exists or does not. Often the argument takes place without bothering to clarify what a person means by God. God is not seen and therefore different persons develop different concepts about God. To one man God, the Almighty, is someone who sits on a crystal throne in a crystal mountain surrounded with shining white robed angels that keep singing – holy, holy, holy. To another person God is merely the entire universe, both the seen and unseen aspects of it. If two such persons began an argument about whether God exists or not it is quite meaningless. If both believed in the latter argument that God is the entire universe then too the argument is meaningless. There is nothing to argue about in the latter case.

The two that regard God as the entire Universe may however argue about the fact that the Universe or Almighty God has an intelligence that can interact at a personal level or not. It might be just dead matter. However this argument too would be futile incase God was such that it left alone those who do not grant it a consciousness and intelligence, and only interacted personally with those who did. If this were the case both persons would be right.

Coming down to more specific arguments two persons believing in God and engaged In a spiritual discussions may begin arguing if God is inside us or we are inside God or if God sits separately on His crystal throne to the melodious chants of holy, holy, holy. On the other hand to a person who believes that God is the universe then all of these positions could be true simultaneously. A mighty king sitting on a throne is also a part of the universe; we too are inside the universe, while some of the universe is within us. We might even regard the Universe as our eternal father since we are made up of elements from it and say that I am inside my Father and my Father is in me, or we might say my father and me are one since the universe is one single entity.

Regarding the Universe as a Father of all of us we could argue endlessly about the fact that a particular saint was the Son of God or not and go to war over it. Or, we might just silently say that he has to be a son of God just as we all are.

We could go on to argue that a mother is a Virgin or not, or that a virgin birth is impossible while a doctor may come along and say that he does that all the time through sperm injections. We might then argue that a virgin birth is with a spirit or matter without defining what a spirit is.

We can then change the topic to whether the soul exists or not and badger a person to death who holds that a soul exists, when all that the poor fellow implied with the soul was that part of the self that feels pain and pleasure, joy and sorrow, a part that all life presumably has.

We could make our arguments more intelligent by beginning with definitions but define with the help of words that are not defined, so that in the end the discussion may be like the outcome of the meeting described at the beginning of this post – shit to be precise, if one may use unpardonable language.

As they say beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. The judges of a beauty contest have an understanding enlightened enough to distinguish between a buffalo and a cow. Spiritual understanding too is in the heart of the enlightened.

Man, Environment and Self

2011-01-24T21:14:00.000-08:00

This morning the local newspaper here in Jaipur (Rajasthan Patrika, 25th of January 2011, page 9) devoted a page to describing the deeds of a few ordinary individuals who had devoted several years of their own time, effort and money to improve the environment. This Newspaper is imbued with a high degree of social responsibility and it has made many contributions towards improving the quality of life in our province. Therefore it devotes considerable space to highlighting such stories from time to time.

There were stories of persons who had created huge forests bit by bit around their villages, cleaned and created lakes and pathways through the mountains. As they worked on their projects, others in the area were motivated to join in and help, so that the results were truly impressive. The reports were highly encouraging, yet also embarrassing to me personally. I talk a lot in this blog and elsewhere about contributing to improving the planet, yet have not done much personally in this direction myself especially recently. This year my sole contribution has been planting three more trees on the street I live.

I am aware of the fact that a person who talks while illustrating little by example is pursuing a shallow goal. Nevertheless. I carry on with my message in the hope that if it encourages a few more persons around the world to do a little more for the environment, it is better than doing nothing. Earlier this year I turned sixty and with age one’s energies reduce, therefore it is not easy to make a considerable direct physical contribution to the cause. However, that might partly be an excuse and there is a need for me to design new projects where I could make a direct contribution as well. I shall certainly turn my attention to that. Man, just in order to live causes the destruction of the enviroment through creation of roads, cities, farms, industries etc. Therefore to compensate by making a contribution to the environment elsewhere is every man's obligation. Enough areas in need of improvement can be found in any part of the world from the most degraded to the most pristine ones.

As pointed out elsewhere in this blog, personally to me making a contribution to the environment is a highly spiritual thing to do. Any attempts to improve the environment and to commune with nature are a subset of communing with the vast Infinite consciousness that throbs through every cell of the universe. During moments of such communion one experiences a great joy. One’s own trials and tribulations appear very small, a small temporary blip in this vast infinity of time and space, something that will disappear in an instant, metaphorically speaking, anyway. One may wonder at times that in such states of joy, one might be ignoring the more immediate needs of the small finite self. However, that is not my experience, because the needs of the finite self are met not just by ones own effort but also by the actions of the Universe around us, and it is my experience that the Universe then magically contributes to meeting these needs in an effortless magical sort of a way.

Photo from http://publicdomainpictures.net

A Sound basis for Atheism

2011-01-23T22:49:00.000-08:00

Amongst one of the reasons for atheists to be atheists is that God cannot be seen. I feel that is not a good enough reason to be an atheist. There are better ones. There are a lot of things that cannot be seen such as radio waves, gravity, love, hate free will etc. Atheists do not deny these other things. Other atheists try to deny God based on reasoning and logic and that too is a poor basis because for every piece of logic they offer there is a counter one. Some others deny God because of fear, frustration, anger, hurt etc. all negative emotions and this only strengthens the belief of theists.

The only sound basis for denying God and being an atheist to my mind is faith. There can be nothing more secure than that.

On the other hand there can be nothing more secure than accepting God because of faith and that is what my previous post was about.

My Love and Safety Net

2011-01-16T20:02:00.000-08:00

One may have witnessed the marvelous and joyous dance of acrobats that seem to fly and dance through the air high up above the floor. Down below is a taut safety net that can prevent an accident incase a performer misses a grip or swinging hold. Without that net the performer would be a fearful nervous creature, scarcely joyous. He may even suffer a serious accident incase he continues to perform.

An infant that learns to walk and take a few steps falls repeatedly is full of joy in these attempts. The infant is secure in the knowledge that his parents are around to pick him up and nurse him incase the fall hurts. As a child grows older, he ventures further out into the fields, yet secure in the knowledge of love that his parents have for him. It is his safety net. What if the child develops some bizarre sort of amnesia, and forgets that he has loving parents waiting at home? He may wander away from home into the wide world. He is then likely to become fearful, nervous and expose himself to dangers.

As adults do we have any safety net? A sense of security that comes from other humans one interacts with is extremely fragile to my mind. To me, it comes from God. Without the knowledge that He is there to protect and nurture us at all times, life would be full of fear and scarcely joyous. It is true that I do not have the courage to survive entirely on my own but I am not ashamed of it. I recognize the vast Universe and its forces as far too vast as compared to my finite little self and to my mind any sort of courage against It is nothing short of foolishness.

I do not regard God as a human like figure. I see God in the stars, sun, oceans, forests and mountains and everything else besides. Just as loving father sits down on the ground at times to talk to a child, at his level, I believe God too to can project different images if that eases communication with Him, even some that are human like. To me God is the entire universe, but a universe imbued with intelligence, consciousness and love in some similar way as I am imbued with these abilities and virtues in a small way. However my virtues are finite and limited, His are vast and Infinite simply because His extent is vast in space and time. To forget Him would be like the child with amnesia as mentioned in an earlier paragraph.

One often offers gifts to a lover. In the same way those who love God may make their offerings in temples, monastery and churches; or they may help a child or a handicapped person in need because they see that child or person as a manifestation of God. Or, some people recognizing that the planet earth we live on is also a motherly manifestation of God make an attempt to enhance the life giving qualities of the planet by planting a tree in the wilderness or by blocking a source of pollution into a lake, river or ground.. It is true that the powers of God are infinite and these meager offerings can scarcely make a difference to Him. No building ever made by man is as grand as the structures put up by Nature such as the lofty Himalayas and no plantation as large as the vast natural forests found on our planet. However, our loving offering are nevertheless noted and appreciated just as a true lover appreciates the smallest gesture of affection from a beloved. We may be small but because of that the love of God must indeed be great for us, just as the love of a mother for an infant child is at its peak.

By planting a tree or cleaning an area free of litter immediately around us we can definitely improve our surroundings in our limited time and space without that being any gift for God. On the other hand, there are enough humans now on the planet so that if they went about it in earnest they can also destroy the life giving qualities of the planet. They are doing a pretty good job of it at the present time. Who cares if nuclear weapons are dangerous for the planet just as long as I can keep them to maintain my superiority and who cares if the forests are destroyed so that I am assured of the money for a new car, a larger more impressive home, dresses and boats. Yet whatever form the destruction takes, mankind can only cause some destruction in his own time and space. The Universe knows how to take care of itself as well as all life it brings forth in Its own time and space, such is my belief and whenever secure in this knowledge I walk with joy and fearlessness through life.

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The Magic and Necessity of Green

2011-01-13T21:59:00.000-08:00

Consider a plate of steak and potatoes. Add a few steamed and buttered green peas or broccoli on the side and immediately the dinner plate looks more appetizing. Sprinkling a little chopped green parsley or cilantro on potatoes or garnishing a roast with a sprig of parsley, a plate of pasta with chopped cilantro or green chilies, a meal of fish and potatoes with some green coleslaw on the side make an otherwise ordinary meal more appetizing and nutritious.

Just as green adds life to food it adds life to buildings and urban constructed spaces. There is something depressing about a building that has no trees or bushes around it. In modern times when depleting green cover of the planet and global warming have become serious concerns, anyone who helps increase greenery contributes to the health of the planet. The atmospheric carbon dioxide does not need a visa to cross national boundaries and therefore a tree planted anywhere on the planet helps absorb this green house gas and contributes to the planet as a whole.

Many scientists and NGOs are crying hoarse to limit the emission of green house gases generated by the burning of fossil fuels. In my view this is effort wasted. People eventually choose the most economical method of meeting their energy needs and as long as burning fossil fuels remains the most economical method to produce energy they shall go for it. In time though fossil fuels will begin to run out and become more expensive. It is then that alternative forms of energy will become more economical and the generation of green house gases diminishes.

In the meantime, an effective route to reduce green house gases and send them where they belong is to increase the green cover on our planet. This is something everyone can contribute to. Homeowners can plant more trees and farmers can reserve a portion of their land for planting orchards. National governments and big corporation can assist measures to increase the forest cover on any land suitable for the purpose. Forests not only help in controlling climatic devastation, they also help protect the bio-diversity of our planet. Once species are lost the most essential component of life – a variety of genes are lost on the planet.

Often there is competition between the need for forests and agricultural land for food. There need not be such competition. Large tracts of land not suitable for farming lie barren on our planet. It is such lands that are the best candidates for forestation. Moreover, forests planted by man can consist of food producing trees. There are a number of trees that produce fruits, nuts and vegetables as well as edible foliage and these can be planted as food forests in a mixed format i.e. not as an orchard of a single species. Urban dwellers would love to spend a weekend in such a forest to pick their own food for the week in a controlled manner – perhaps a prescribed basket each for a small license fee.

A Third Kana Shodo

2011-01-05T05:49:00.000-08:00

This is my third attempt at Kana Shodo that brings us back to the topic of this blog. My Japanese friends should be able to read it.

Kana Shodo for Keiko

2011-01-03T21:53:00.000-08:00

Keiko has made a Kana Shodo for me in her blog so I thought I should make her one too just to wish her a happy new year and much spiritual joy. I cannot read Japanese so I hope Keiko will read it for me. This is a digital Zeneisho Kana Shodo. It is my first attempt at Kana Shodo.

Editing PS on 7th January 2010: I have deleted the kana Shodo posted here earlier because it was not of the same standard as the others posted later. It is my intention to replace it with a better one after I finish composing it

Five Stages of a Human Life

2011-01-01T21:47:00.000-08:00

May the life of this sweet baby in the photo be blessed and full of Joy. The beginning of a human life is indeed inspiring and full of Joy. With some gentle care and a little foresight the joy is sure to last a lifetime.

In order to analyze human life I have found the analogy of a lifetime with an average working day convenient. A human life may be divided into five twenty year periods each and compared to the five periods of a working day – morning pre-work hours, morning working hours, afternoon working hours, evening and night.

Each period of life involves fun and work. Presently this post is restricted to the work aspect. An important aspect of this work in each stage involves preparation for the following stage of life.

Thus the morning preceding a normal workday consists of getting ready for work. The first approximately twenty years of life similarly involve getting ready for a working life. It is a time to develop disciplined, productive habits as well as acquire education. If this preparation is a useful one then a human being may hope to acquire a decent job and make a success of it.

The next twenty years, up to age forty, may be regarded as the forenoon of a workday. It is the time of life when one is most energetic. If these energies are well spent then one can excel at one’s occupation and rise to senior levels in the next phase. It is also the time to marry and raise a family. A job well done at this stage becomes an asset in later stages of life.

The age from forty to sixty is a period of reducing energies just as it is low in the afternoon of a normal workday. However, it is also a time that one may have risen to a senior position in one’s career. It is wise at this stage to start preparing for retirement. This means deciding upon your retirement home and making an effort to save for retirement. Big cities or their vicinities are the best locations to find a job. However, during retirement a quiet countryside or small town may offer the best post retirement option. The best time to locate a retirement home is now in this third stage of life when one still has sufficient energies and the best possible income to set up a new home.

The fourth stage of life from sixty to eighty may be compared to the evening of a workday. It is time to relax and take it easy. Some are compelled to work through this evening and some choose to work, especially business persons that are self-employed, since they do not have to retire officially. However, just as in a normal day if we work through the evening, we may not be fully up to the task the next day, something like that can happen in a human life too. A soul that has not had the opportunity to resolve the dilemmas and emotional encumbrances of a lifetime at peace is a cluttered one and this may lead to an inappropriate future birth in a new life - a new day of work. A quiet evening - a life in peaceful green surroundings – refreshes far more than a boisterous or busy evening. The results are apparent next morning. An average human life is considered here. There are individual variations and exceptions to what has been written.

The last and final stage of life is from the age of eighty to a hundred. It is comparable to night – a time to go to bed. Some persons are disturbed and excited at bedtime and cannot go to sleep early. They may suffer from insomnia. They stay up late or toss and turn in their beds, but as they say early to bed and early to rise makes Jack healthy, wealthy and wise.

PHOTO: New Born by Peter Griffin from http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/

Eternal Damnation

2010-12-29T21:34:00.000-08:00

As we enter the New Year I wish a good year ahead for everyone else including myself.

Looking back at the sixty odd years that have gone by in my own life, I regard some years as bad years and others as good ones. Well! The bad years too had a lot of good moments and the good years had their bad ones, but, on the whole enough had happened in some years for me to be able to characterize some years as fraught with difficulties, painful struggles, troublesome worries, fears etc. to be counted as bad and vice versa. A few days ago I made a count of the bad years that lay scattered across my past as stray leaves across a garden. Three plus one plus six plus three plus half etc. It came to a total of fifteen bad years and forty-five good years. Thus I should regard this life as a fortunate one since only a quarter was something that might be regarded as bad and except for about half a year, no period was really terrible.

Examining the bad years of my life carefully, I realize that even those were fortunate years since much of my maturity and wisdom came from those hard times. They were necessary for the education of my soul and moreover one cannot appreciate spring fully unless one has faced a bitter winter, and, to me the purpose of life is the evolution of the soul that comes through education provided by life experiences. It is one of the few things one carries across to the next life.

I do believe in reincarnation and future lives. For those who do not believe in reincarnation, the education or evolution of the soul or our inner selves may not seem like a big deal since a lifetime is just a little blip in the vast eternity of universal time, and it would be lost with this life along with all other acquisitions when this life is over. However, since I believe in reincarnation of my own soul, I also believe in the reincarnation of the souls of everyone else as well. The components of all life are essentially similar, therefore I believe that not just me but everyone else too benefits substantially from evolution that experiences of life brings. However any good education program should in the main be fun and therefore I wish many good years ahead for all my friends, family, acquaintances and everyone else besides.

Returning to reincarnation, persons who have grown up in predominantly Christian cultures tend to believe less in reincarnation than others. It appears than references to reincarnation were common at the time Christianity was born but the latter guardians of the religion eliminated such references or at least as many references to it as they could. I have wondered what the motivation or reasons for this might have been. It could not have been that reincarnation is a fantastic magical sort of concept since other even more magical sort of concepts such as those of hell fires and magical heavens have been left in. My guess is that reincarnation was eliminated as a concept because then the early guardians of the religion could not effectively scare humanity into compliance. Just a lifetime of hardships is not as scary as a hellfire that burns forever and forever for all eternity, hardly sufficient to scare the shits out of a reluctant believer (pardon the language). Moreover what can be more just than eternal damnation for a mere life full of sin? No, just one reincarnated hard life won’t do! It would not produce enough believers, so damn reincarnation in favor of eternal damnation. If love of God cannot easily be found then let it be the fear of God!

However the argument had a flaw as all false arguments must. The very reasons for rejecting reincarnation reinvented it - a reincarnation in hell or heaven.

A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

2010-12-20T22:33:00.000-08:00

Towards Good Health

2010-12-16T22:26:00.000-08:00

In some earlier posts the issue of health and nutrition had been taken up. It was mentioned how some health issues may be addressed in a natural manner through a proper selection of food. The health issues that I had faced over the last three years are not uncommon with age. The ones I had to deal with are stiffness of muscles, chronic fatigue, disturbed sleep and some lapses of memory, particularly short-term memory. These issues had persisted for me since mid 2007, subsequent to a prolonged bout of ill health that lasted for about six months. The cause of that illness has not been fully found although inadvertent chemical poisoning has been suspected. That illness had disappeared without medical intervention but I did rely extensively on spiritual help during that period. The illness had disappeared but it left in its wake the sort of problems mentioned at the beginning of this paragraph. In the following three years, in spite of the fatigue, I have led a rather eventful life with many projects that involved traveling, particularly to Nainital Himalayas and did not pay any specific attention to the health difficulties hoping that they might disappear on their own. However, beginning this summer, there has been more time to pay attention to the matter. As per my inclination, my mind turned first towards natural and spiritual methods rather than medical ones. As mentioned earlier, I am not against modern medicine. In fact my daughter, Keya, is pursuing an advanced Johns Hopkins program in USA in internal medicine after much encouragement from me. However, I restrict the use of modern medicine to acute and emergency health problems, preferring natural methods most times especially for less acute chronic problems.

Vincent had been kind enough to offer another non-medicine based method that had worked well for him as regards fatigue. On examining that method on the Internet I deduced that it was a psyche based method and did not take up that offer. This is not because I do not have faith in methods that deal with the psyche or our inner emotional health. Rather, I do believe that the root of disease and health problems lies in the psyche and unless that root is healed, merely treating the external body is simply a symptomatic cure. The disease will either reoccur or if permanently kept at bay by medicinal intervention, will lead to other probably more serious side effects. I have discovered my own spiritual methods to deal with the psyche and these include mantra medicine as well as resolution through dreams and I have employed these over the past few months. Certainly many problems are physical such as the chemical imbalance caused by a missing essential vitamin or mineral. These require a physical solution but even here it is my belief that with proper psychological healing of the inner self, one would be lead to the knowledge or taste for foods that help restore the chemical balance. One’s own self can behave as one’s friend or one’s enemy depending on the state of the inner self or soul. A soul bent on destroying itself would be led to foods or drugs that can cause such destruction or vice-versa.

Through the sort of suggestions of diet contained in earlier posts, I did manage to recover from my health problems to a considerable extent but not fully until a few weeks ago. I augmented my diet with tree nuts, spinach and clarified butter (fresh butter will do in countries where clarified butter is not available). The human body needs a range of vitamins and essential minerals in trace amounts in order to function properly. The body can manufacture some vitamins and chemicals needed by the body, but others have to be obtained from foods. A generally healthy diet containing a range of fresh vegetables and food grains with some animal products like milk and eggs (lovegan foods as described in an earlier post) should normally be adequate to provide these other chemicals. It has been so since the beginning of civilization. However, every age brings with it its own problems as well as solutions and the modern scientific age has introduced new parameters.

Modern farmers have found new ways for intensive farming practices assisted by the use of chemical fertilizers such as urea. This means that modern farmers can produce far more grain and vegetables than the traditional farmer. This also means that trace elements such as magnesium, manganese, chromium, potassium, copper, selenium etc. etc. get depleted faster from the soil then the rate at which they can be replaced with natural methods of recycling. Farmers rarely bother to fertilize their fields with the necessary trace elements restricting themselves to the prime chemicals N, P, K required by their produce. The resulting produce thus becomes deficient in the trace minerals. Humans suffering from a deficiency of a particular mineral (different ones depending on location, life style, illness etc.) may thus continue to suffer from the deficiency. They may then suffer various health problems that cannot be diagnosed properly by the present state of development of modern medicine. Unlike some, it is my belief that modern science is still in its infancy and there is yet much that has to be discovered or revised by science.

As compared to ground foods, foods produced by trees – fruits and nuts – are less deficient in essential minerals. The reason is that the roots of a tree spread wider and go deeper into the ground. Thus, the consumption of nuts such as almonds was recommended in an earlier post. Nuts are strong foods and caution is necessary in their consumption, for example an excess of almonds may lead to cyanide or oxalate poisoning and an excess of Brazil nuts to selenium poisoning. Five to ten almonds a day (both soaked and dry) and a couple of walnuts should suffice for an adult. If Brazil nuts are available then just one or two should do and in case pine nuts are available in your area about ten or fifteen of these delicate nuts from heaven should suffice. Edgar Cayce the Christian mystic was a great fan of almonds and many of his declarations have been substantiated by modern studies. I did not find good pine nuts or walnuts in the local Jaipur market but have found good almonds and have been consuming these over the last few months. As a result the disturbed sleep issue and memory issues were taken care of. There had been an improvement in the fatigue issue but the problem of fatigue and muscle stiffness was evading a full solution. Both problems apparently arise simultaneously and result from an alkali/ acid imbalance in the body.

As mentioned, every age brings new problems and new solution with it. Thus just as the new age has introduced deficient or compromised foods it has also produced assorted multi vitamin and multi mineral pills to address the deficiency. At first I had not considered this solution due to my inclination for natural methods. Vitamin and mineral pills can do much more harm than any food, even nuts, if taken in excess or when not needed. I have been consuming vitamin C, a safe vitamin for the last several decades,(about 500 to a thousand milligram a week) and that has kept things like flu and colds at bay. Therefore, a few weeks ago, I decided to explore the use of other vitamin and mineral pills available in the Indian market. For this task I trusted my own knowledge and research more than that of a medical practitioner. I feel that I have more knowledge of this area than many practitioners in the city.

Exploring what was available in the market, my search narrowed down to two supplements the first was Becadexamin and the second Surbex XT both produced by reputed multi national firms and both containing between them, a wide range of vitamins and minerals of the sort required by an aging human body. Further research however led me to the suspicion that both have problems as well. Becadexamin contains 5000 International units of Vitamin A along with a host of other vitamins and minerals. There have been some studies that recommend this amount of Vitamin A a day but there are also many others that regard this much vitamin A as far too much with possible ill effects. Surbex xt also contains a range of minerals and vitamins. There was one in particular that appeared risky. This was the form of chromium in the pill. The form used is water-soluble and has been preferred by pharmacists around the world for its greater absorption. However it is a form of chromium that does not occur naturally and some studies have shown that it is mutagenic (causing DNA damage) if consumed in excess. The amount contained in surbex xt appears to be on the high side. In my view, Becadexamin would have been a better pill if Vitamin A had been limited to 1000 I U per pill and surbex xt a better pill if chromium chloride had been used instead of chromium picolinate, but who is listening?

Anyway I have devised my own solution. I have been consuming Becadexamin and Surbex xt on alternate days for four days a week (leaving the other three days for good old sunshine and fresh air). The combination appears to offer the best possible balance and the good news is that my Fatigue and Muscle fitness has completely disappeared. I need less sleep at night but sleep like a baby for eight hours a day in my cozy and comfortable bed (earlier it was ten hours) close to a window with a view of fragrant bushes and trees with the grace of the Almighty.

In coclusion though I must add that my preference for appropriate food as medicine rather than pills continues and I hope to taper down even these few vitamin pills in the coming months. I see them only as a temporary measure of relief rather than a perpetual crutch.

In the meantime, a new problem has arisen though. I do not know what to do with the extra time and energy on my hands now. I am looking for some good new books to take care of the late hours.

Rose by Petr Kratochvil from http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/

Desire

2010-12-13T21:02:00.000-08:00

In a comment to an earlier post Rebb had enquired about desire. Some ancient spiritual texts have stated that desire is at the root of all evil. Desire implies wanting something strongly and all unsatisfied wants are at the root of discontent and therefore unhappiness. The strongest of desires become obsessions and an obsessed person looses control over self and thus may easily be driven towards ruin. We find many examples of that throughout human history.

On the other hand, a contented person is a happy person and that contentment arises from accepting situations as they are. This has been interpreted by many as an elimination of all desires. Certain modern thinkers however do not agree with that and perhaps suggest that there may be some good desires and some other desires that are bad.

My own view is that when we are driven by a desire knowing fully well that the pursuit of that desire is not good for our long-term welfare, then the pursuit of that desire is worth giving up. An example is the desire of alcohol by an alcoholic. However, just knowing that a desire is not good to pursue is not a sufficient force to eliminate it. Strong effort and will power may be required. In some cases it may be necessary to indulge in a controlled and observant manner and satisfy the desire to an extent in order for that desire to loose its grip over us before we work on the elimination of that desire completely. This is true of sexual desires as well – a desire that has troubled mankind from the days of Adam and Eve.

Some spiritual masters suggest that unsatisfied desires, unless dealt with and eliminated, remain buried in the subconscious and is to an extent the cause of reincarnation. A suppression of desires is not recommended. Apparently, unless desires are washed off through reason and/or experience, we have to live many lives until they are executed. That knowledge however may be turned to one’s advantage to increase one’s contentment and happiness. One need not worry much about unfinished goals or aspirations of this life (Vincent are you listening?). There will always be other lives to take care of it and we may then remain content with goals that are easily within our reach during this one. Therefore dear Vincent do not concern yourself much if some of your projects have only been half done. There will always be another time, if the desire to pursue those projects persists.

Photo due to by Josée Holland Eclipse from http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/

The Richest man on Earth

2010-12-06T21:27:00.000-08:00

A few days ago I watched Larry King Live on CNN. Larry King was interviewing Carlos Slim, a Mexican of Lebanese origin, and the richest man on earth with a personal wealth exceeding fifty billion Dollars. One of the questions Larry asked Carlos was, “ how does it feel to be able to acquire anything one wants?” Carlos asked Larry to clarify if his question was regarding material things. Larry perhaps realized that the question was not properly framed and changed the topic. Certainly, there are things like love, peace happiness and health that money cannot ensure.

In another part of the program Carlos remarked that a person who goes on acquiring something like a lot of cars etc. is not really satisfying any useful need that goes towards increasing happiness. He is after something else and is like a child that goes for more and more toys but displays little interest in them after a bit. In my own experience too some of the happiest children who have grown up to be happy adults have been those that have grown up without toys.

The program then had clips of the home of Carlos slim. The home was surrounded by trees but it was a modest home perhaps no larger than the home of an average upper middle class person. Larry was surprised and enquired why it was so since Carlos could easily afford the largest mansion on earth. Carlos replied that he was happy with the home and he did not need a bigger one. “What would I do with it? “ he enquired going on to add, “ A larger home isolates family members from each other. Carlos had three sons and three daughters. The three boys had shared a single bedroom and bathroom and similarly the girls shared another bedroom. It is a different matter that Carlos and the companies and foundations owned by him own several large buildings including a huge art museum that displays his private art collection to the public. Carlos went on to explain that both he and his late wife had grown up in larger homes and he still owned his parental home that was lovingly maintained by his staff. The program showed clips of that home too and it did look grand. However Carlos did not live in that anymore visiting it for lunch with his grandchildren occasionally.

In idle moments over the last few days, I too have tried to imagine what I would do if I had a lot of surplus money and if that is the goal I should aim for in my next life seeing that it is a bit late for that in this one. My imagination repeatedly led me to purchase of various properties around the country, enterprises and activities that I would then indulge in and that I realize would in reality be tiring and bothersome. I am comfortable and happy as it is in my single pleasant home (almost as large as that of Carlos) and not having enough money for sundry holidays around the world. When I was in my teens I was fascinated with the idea of traveling to various countries around the world and chose a career that permitted that. However by mid forties I began to find that travel tiring and have since given up that urge. Now at sixty, if I had a lot of surplus money I would probably be rushing off to various locations around the world for brief sojourns but I dread the idea because the entire experience of waiting at airports and sitting in flights for long hours and driving through traffic jams to and fro from the airports is rather an experience that is extremely tiring in the very least. It is much nicer to go for a walk in the Neighborhood Park or nearby countryside.

Another difficulty with having a lot of money is that then there will be so many more possibilities and activities, that one’s involvement with the world would increase and there would be less time and room for spiritual pursuits of the sort described in various posts of this blog. It is perhaps for this reason that some spiritual gurus have remarked that it is very difficult for a rich man to reach heaven. I agree with them but in a sensible sort of a way. One cannot attend a sermon on an empty stomach nor attend to it if one has slept in an uncomfortable bed in an uncomfortable bedroom or if one has been worrying over where the next meal will come from. One does need money but there is a limit ( a limit that varies from individual to individual) after which it becomes unnecessary and leads to a diminishing of ones peace and happiness.

Certainly, If I had a lot of surplus wealth, I would then be very afraid of growing old and too frail to be able to enjoy it and be afraid to die and leave all the wealth behind knowing full well that it is inevitable. A human life is but like a day in the life of a soul that begins in the morning at birth and ends at the end of the evening of old age.

Carlos Slim definitely did not look very happy, at least on TV, as compared to most other humans I have met. But then which human would refuse that kind of wealth given half an opportunity. Certainly, I would not, although simultaneously feeling relieved that the Almighty has not placed such a heavy burden on my shoulders.

Time for another Visit

2010-11-05T21:39:00.000-07:00

Hello, as during my last comment in this blog, I was reminded that it is time for another visit. To quote a paragraph from it:

“The path of independent theism is open to all and the books of God are scattered free, by the love and grace of God, all over the forests and streams accompanied by the sweet choir of birds in a brightly lit place of the sun, stars and moon with God himself as the instructor. What more could one ask for?”

Winter is at hand and therefore the Himalayas are not the best place to visit right now because it is much colder there. Near to where I live in Jaipur now, are two wonderful reserve forests of Sariska and Ranthambore with scattered low hills, gentle streams, friendly deer and growling tigers. Nothing like the lofty Himalayas but wonderfully green this year because the rains have been plentiful earlier this monsoons.

As usual I would not have much access to the Internet during the trip and may not be able to reply to comments in a hurry. May I convey my best wishes to all readers including the silent ones form California, England, Scotland, Taiwan, Japan and Delhi and elsewhere. Please visit the blog whenever you wish and I believe those who are seeking spiritual joy are likely to find useful stuff here untainted by the dogma or platform of any one creed or religion. You need not accept any statement at face value but rather take one that appeals to you as a suggestion for exploration.
My best wishes to all once again. Auf Wiedersehan.

GOD IS LOVE

2010-11-04T21:37:00.000-07:00

There may be reason enough to reject a religion but that is not a reason to reject God; Because God is Love. It is unfortunate that some persons regard some religion or the concerned preacher in consideration as an authority on God and rejected God because of that. Such persons make another error when they refer to God, as this god or that god because there is Just one God.

In a recent response to Stephen Hawking elsewhere who claimed that God may exist but theology was not necessary to explain creation, that could take place spontaneously by laws of gravity and quantum theory. I agree fully with Stephen Hawking. Theology of the many types that goes around is not necessary to explain creation, but Gravity is, and as mentioned elsewhere in this blog more than once, Gravity is one of the manifestations of God that makes Him create the universe spontaneously.

There are many other manifestations of God. Another is love. Without the motherly love, one of the finest manifestations of God, with which creatures of various sorts care for their young, sustaining life and evolution would be impossible. More has been written about that in an earlier post – Love is the basis of Life.

Unnecessary Apprehensions regarding God

2010-11-03T21:44:00.000-07:00

My last two posts mentioned about different types of persons based on their belief in God. Besides the clear distinction between those who believe in God or disbelieve in Him, there are also a very large number of undecided persons who may fluctuate in their belief or have not made up their mind on the issue.

One apprehension that some persons have in accepting belief in God is that it might imply missing out on some of the fun the material world has to offer – sex, money and fame etc. In my experience this is a completely erroneous assumption. If a person is avoiding belief in God because of this reason it is an unnecessary and misplaced apprehension. The reason for this is explained in the next paragraph.

Once a person comes closer to God and becomes more spiritual the abilities of a person are enhanced and therefore material and physical thing come more easily within his or her reach. It is true that the tastes and preferences of such persons begins to change so that they would much rather go for love than lust, much rather enjoy a sojourn in a beautiful garden or forest than a Disco or the shopping mall, choose a job with less money in a quite green town rather than one with more money in a bustling city, much rather go for peace than fame etc. And, even though they can much more easily find access to the satisfaction of lust than others, truly spiritual persons tend to shun that experience because it tends to draw them away from their spiritual joy that is much more longer lasting. However it does mean that a spiritual person is able to satisfy his or her urgent material and physical needs much more easily (and they do this whenever necessary) than another that is not spiritual thus enhancing peace, happiness and security.

It is not as if God stops seeing and making a note of our deeds and thoughts if we try to disbelieve in Him. Persons who choose to believe in God face another dilemma, what religion to join especially when shortcomings of various available religions have become apparent to them. In this last they could do what I have done – follow the example of the founders of all great religions – shun the existing temples and churches and become an independent theist. That is what I have done. No one church or temple has a monopoly on God. He (using He for convenience since God is beyond this human specification) belongs to all and everyone has an equal right on Him.

Photo Courtesy of http://www.public-domain-photos.com

Of God and gods

2010-11-02T05:34:00.000-07:00

Theists believe that God exists. My view of God is that He is the Infinite power that sustains the universe and that everything that we can observe in the universe is a part of Him. His consciousness runs through everything - all life forms, the earth, stones, sky, trees, the sun, stars and everything else besides. As distinct from inanimate objects life forms posses a free will as well as their independent and distinct desires that are unique to each individual, different from each other and different from the desires of God. As a being becomes more and more spiritual there is a greater unity with the desires of the Universal consciousness and a greater divinity.

Besides God some religious humans have also worshipped other divine beings or gods from ancient times and every civilized part of the world has their own favorite gods such as the Mazu of Taiwan, Konohana Sakuya Hime of Japan, Siva, Lord Hanuman and Naini the Mother Goddess of India as well as countless other gods, goddesses, angels, devas and countless other divine beings from around the world.

The divine power that illuminates these numerous gods and goddesses is the single supreme consciousness of God or the Universe. Therefore when we worship an angel or god or goddess we are in effect only worshipping a facet of the One Single reality of the universe or God although not directly. We have these countless facets of God reflected in the innumerable gods and goddesses because God is infinite

It is not easily possible for many humans to depend directly on the Supreme God, possessing a form beyond comprehension or formless, at all times. As an infant, a human depends on his or her mother and thus depends upon the divinity or love every mother expresses for her infant child. As we grow up we may learn to depend on others including the angels, gods or goddesses that we become familiar with and learn to love. In my opinion this is all right as long as do not forget that the power behind all is the one single reality of the universe or God. I too have learnt to love some of the gods and goddesses and they have seen me through difficult times in life as well as provided some exhilarating experiences of joy. I do not fully understand the origin or reality of these gods just as I do not fully understand the reality of God, yet some of my prayers and gratefulness is directed to these gods and goddesses just as it is to the Universal Consciousness at all times.

The Independent Theist

2010-11-01T21:35:00.000-07:00

At the present time our world has various types of people based on their religious beliefs or disbelief.

First there are the atheists who do not believe that there is any significant higher power in the world than that possessed by humans. There is another category of atheists that admit to the possibility that their might me more advanced life forms on other planets in the universe and these might be more powerful or intelligent but as such there is no God or gods. There are some atheists who do not believe in God or gods but affirm their faith in science. However many of these latter persons are themselves not scientists and do not have a complete understanding of science. As regards the scientists themselves many are firm believers in God.

Theists or those who are not atheists are of several types. First there are persons who belong to a religion, not just notionally because their parents belonged to that religion but who have themselves affirmed faith in that religion as adults. There are a variety of religions on our planet from the mainstream religions of the majority to the fringe religions of a minority. There are other theists who do not belong to any religion i.e. they believe in God or gods but do not conform or agree to everything in any one of the existing religions. They may however accept some parts of one or more religions and develop their own independent system of beliefs based on their personal experience and knowledge of different religions, philosophy and even science. These last may be called independent theists. I for one belong to this last category.

An independent theist is like an independent professional. He may rise to great heights in the practice of his or her profession or sink into virtual nothingness. Another professional who belongs to an organization has the support and safety of his or her organization. It is so with independent theists too. Freed from the shackles of an organized system of beliefs they may attain a profound understanding of the universe or they may sink into foolishness and ignorance.

There is an old saying in Buddhist literature (Dhammapada) as well as Christian one (the Ecclesiastes) that a fool is to that extent wise that he knows he is a fool but a fool who considers himself wise and his knowledge complete is indeed a fool. Independent theists must always be on guard that they do not sink into this last category. On the other hand a person belonging to an organized religion may suffer the erroneous beliefs of his religion or if he begins to disbelieve in some of them, while not walking out of his religion, may miss whatever spiritual benefit that faith or religion has to offer as well the spiritual benefits that an independent theist can acquire on his own.

Independent theists who attained great heights in their spiritual quests are the founders of religions that exist on our planet. In my opinion they had a far greater understanding of spiritual matters than those who came after them to form religious organizations or to interpret the words of the founder. That they made errors in this process is without doubt a certainty because if they did not they could not be human. By definition there is only one power or being in the universe that is completely error free and that is God.

The photo shows Colorful Tulips And Hyacinths by Petr Kratochvil from
http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/

Afterword added on 7Th of November 2010

After writing this post entitled independent theist, I wondered what others may have thought on the subject and looked up the search terms ‘independent theism’ and ‘independent theist’ on google. Most results that turned up was of this blog post. It seems that terminology has not been used much. However another closely allied term was found called philosophical theism at wikepedia that meant nearly the same and the reader may regard the two as more or less the same and read more about it there. The definition at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophical_theism was

“ Philosophical theism is the belief that God exists (or must exist) independent of the teaching or revelation of any particular religion. It represents belief in a personal God entirely without doctrine. Some philosophical theists are persuaded of God's existence by philosophical arguments, while others consider themselves to have a religious faith that need not be, or could not be, supported by rational argument.”
And
“ Philosophical theists may accept arguments or observations about the existence of God advanced by theologians working in some religious tradition, but reject the tradition itself. (For example, a philosophical theist might believe certain Christian arguments about God while rejecting Christianity.) Philosophical theism conceives of nature as the result of purposive activity and so as an intelligible system open to human understanding, although possibly never completely understandable. It implies the belief that nature is ordered according to some sort of consistent plan and manifests a single purpose or intention, however incomprehensible or inexplicable.”

There are only minor differences between independent theism and philosophical theism and the changed statement as implied for independent theism in this blog is:
Independent theism is the belief that God exists (or must exist) independent of the teaching or revelation of any particular religion. It represents belief in one unique God of the universe. Some independent theists may be persuaded of God's existence by philosophical or scientific arguments, while others may consider themselves to have a religious faith that need not be supported by rational argument or tradition.
Independent theism may accept arguments or observations about the existence of God advanced by theologians working in some religious tradition , but reject all or part of the tradition itself or it may accept the possibility of existence of God through scientific insights of scientists. Independent theism conceives of nature and universe as the result of purposive activity and so as an intelligible system beyond full human understanding. It implies that nature is ordered according to some sort of consistent plan however incomprehensible or inexplicable. Independent theists are free to vary from this definition in its details since that is what independent theism implies - being free of any prescribed dogma or pre-existing definition while professing belief in God as the supreme intelligence and power behind the universe.

Welcome Friends from Japan and Taiwan

2010-10-27T22:39:00.000-07:00

Since I added the cluster map on this blog, I am discovering where visitors are coming from. Besides USA, UK, Japan and India most visitors are from Taiwan. May I thank all the Japanese and Taiwanese visitors for interest in the blog. If you enter a comment that will be even nicer because then I can know your view on the contents and your interests better. It does not matter if the language will be less than perfect.

Trees, Grasses and Humans

2010-10-20T22:02:00.001-07:00

Few people realize how much of our food comes from grass. Wheat, Sugar, Rice and Corn are forms of grasses. Animals we depend upon for food, such as meat, eggs and milk, produce that after consuming grass.

Grass as bamboo is an excellent building material. In fact more research is needed for construction of human dwellings based on a structure of bamboo combined with minimal use of wood, plastered with mud, inner walls covered with wallpaper made of grass and the outer surfaces covered in waterproof paint. Floors may be made of jute matting and roofs out of clay tiles and solar panels. One need not avoid cement, steel and glass completely but all of them use copious amounts of energy for their production and it is wise to minimize their use. With proper design such a hybrid building can be just as strong and elegant while being much greener.

Just as humans stand out amongst oxygen breathing life forms, the tree stands out in the plant world. Trees as a food source have not yet been fully utilized by humans. Besides the nuts and fruits that trees produce, many types of tree leaves are edible and nutritious. One such tree – the drumstick tree has been discussed in an earlier post. Tree leaves can produce much fodder for diary animals as an alternative to grass.

The counterpart of a human city or town is a forest. While cities have been expanding on our planet forests have been shrinking. Cities and towns need not have been designed like that; there are examples of towns where the forest and tree cover exceeds constructed space. A Himalayan town – Nainital described in this blog is one such. However, unfortunately even here the proportion of green space has reduced considerably over the last five decades. The adjoining photo is from Nainital captured earlier this year.

All life forms green or otherwise depend on fresh water for their survival and it is trees that are most helpful in attracting clouds from the oceans and causing their even distribution on land.

It has been mentioned earlier in this blog that plants are living things too. Hayden has put up an interesting post on that recently. Plants have life just as we do and their life form too is based on genes and chromosomes like us. Some of the genes are even common between humans and plants. They are a complimentary life form that breathes carbon dioxide, producing oxygen, while animals and humans breathe in oxygen, producing carbon dioxide as waste. An imbalance is created whenever one life form such as humans begins to destroy the green side of life such as forests and grasslands replacing them with cemented and paved urban spaces and roads. Replacing grass lands with farms is not such a bad thing provided portions are reserved for trees but replacing grass lands or forests with barren land or paved spaces is to strip mother earth naked or dress her in a garment of steel and cement so that birds and squirrels may no longer play in her bosom. Our subconscious mind knows that, and therefore it is not surprising that many humans derive immense peace and joy in wild green surroundings as compared to urban landscapes. Neither life form can survive without the other. It is true that there are humans that derive little pleasure from nature preferring cityscapes. But then ancient philosophers have said that creation is an interplay of opposites, light and dark, good and evil, the destructive and the creative. One ancient text from India states that evil humans are born to destroy the world just as the good ones are born to nurture it.

Trees are effective in capturing any surplus carbon in the atmosphere. In my view, pressing for a reduction in carbon emissions is not an effective route. That is something that will happen on its own as fossil fuels are exhausted or become expensive and alternative sources of energy become viable. A more fruitful approach to my mind is to press for increasing forests and grasslands on our planet.

Undoubtedly nature is powerful enough to restore balance eventually but that restoration may be painful. A wiser course is to make attempts towards restoring the balance voluntarily to avoid much of that pain. As an average human, some of the contributions we can make in this direction are to plant a tree whenever possible while at the same time voicing our concern so that it is heard by governments and others. A citizen can even take a pledge that he would only vote for a party that promises to spend atleast one fifth (or some other such number arrived at after consideration) of its defense budget to increase green cover. To care for the environment is an expression of love for the planet we live on. Spiritually it is an eminent thing to do. It expresses our interconnectedness with all life and the universe.

Edgar Cayce and the Almond Tree

2010-10-15T22:14:00.000-07:00

As one advances in age it is inevitable that one would have to contend with some health issues. Some that I have faced in recent years is reduced energy, occasional disturbed sleep, stiffness in muscles and occasional lapses of short-term memory. However if one works on these or other such health issues it is definitely possible to improve the situation. It is wonderful if one can age gracefully without any major health issues and move on to the next world when still physically independent. It is tragic and basically bad karma if one undergoes a prolonged disability requiring help or hospitalization before exit from this life. There is much about karma in older posts.

I do not rely on modern medicine and allopathic methods for chronic and minor ailments. For me allopathic methods are a resort for acute conditions, emergency or diagnosis. Therefore I have been working on my health issues through more natural means such as diet, exercise, yoga, life style changes, water, air and sunshine. Food is a medicine but water, air and sunshine are even more so.

One of the methods I tried for improving sleep was to try different sleep directions and there is a post on that in this blog. Although it did help, the problem was that the head of my bed is against the north wall and shifting the pillow to the foot of the bed meant that one or both the pillows kept falling to the floor and it did not feel right not to have the security of the wall and head board behind the pillow. Eventually I returned to head pointing north. If I get an opportunity to design and construct another home next time around I shall ensure that the bedrooms permit keeping the head of the bed pointing south or east. More recently, with the help of simple mantra meditation I have had sound sleep whatever the head direction.

As regards, muscle stiffness and reduced energy some headway was made with moderate exercise but I have to admit that I am not very disciplined in this direction and miss out on exercise more often than I comply. This is something that will have to be dealt with in the near future.

On the diet side I found an interesting and well-argued Japanese study on the Internet on the benefits of vinegar added in small quantities to drinking water to relieve fatigue. I experimented with adding quantities varying from half a tea spoon to a full table spoon to a glass of water, Surprisingly as described in the study the method worked very well for removing muscle and bone stiffness and reducing fatigue the first time and for the first few days. After that the benefit reduced much so I have discontinued with this practice now. Perhaps the body chemistry adjusts quickly to new acidity levels in water and the benefit is lost.

I was initially lead to explore vinegar because of a psychic message one night that ordained adding a drop of vinegar to a glass of water but as with many psychic messages this one was received during sleep and such messages are rarely hundred percent clear. Based on the Japanese study and scientific logic, I had chosen half a tea spoon or so. Just today I realized that there might be something more in the original psychic message than I had realized. My water source is probably a bit on the alkaline side and even a drop of vinegar might have the effect of altering ph of water in a beneficial direction. I have yet to introduce this practice in my routine though. The full effects of water ph on health are not yet known to science.

As regards occasional short-term memory loss, the worry for a person past fifty or sixty is that with further advance in age the problem can worsen and in severe cases result in Alzheimer’s disease. Therefore based on ancient medicinal knowledge from India my mind turned to consuming five or so almonds soaked overnight in water. One may mention that based on my past knowledge, almonds that are pre-shelled or those with very fragile outer covers are not the best for the purpose. Contact with air apparently reduces medicinal benefits of almonds. The best are the old small traditional almonds with hard shells procured with their shells on. These have to be shelled daily just prior to soaking. The difficulty I faced in acquiring these is that I live in a modern part of the city with modern stores and the only kinds of almonds they carried were pre-shelled large ones. These last make eminent business sense for the grower and the retailer. Therefore last month I made a trip to the traditional old part of the city. It has many shops that carry traditional goods and here I easily found the right kind of hard almonds intact with their shells on. This story is a warning that, often when we rely on ancient knowledge of foods one must watch out that the modern variant may not be quite the same. This is true of honey as well and apparently only wild honey has the medicinal value prescribed in old texts. Alas, that is available with great difficulty nowadays so one has to do without honey. It seems that while five or so soaked almonds are good for memory; they are even more effective if consumed with a spoonful of true wild honey if you can find it. Nevertheless ever since I have started consuming these soaked almonds even without the honey, there has been a full improvement in memory as well as mental clarity. Besides soaked almonds even dry ones are good for health and I consume about ten almonds a day, five dry while shelling and five soaked. Overall this combined practice has improved memory, mental clarity and reduced fatigue as well as improved sleep. If you attempt this practice do not discard the soaked skin of the almond because some beneficial chemicals are contained in the skin too.

Edgar Cayce, a modern Christian mystic was a great proponent of the concept that an almond a day keeps the doctor away and that almonds will keep away cancer. A larger number, three or four, makes up the deficiency produced by not consuming meat without the simultaneous ill effects of meat consumption. I have great regards for Edgar Cayce as a modern Christian mystic and many of his health ideas have been proven subsequently by science after Edgar Cayce’s death. However, Edgar Cayce was a human and I do not accept everything he proclaimed. He made errors too. One of his beliefs I do not subscribe to is that humans cannot reincarnate as animals. In my belief system inter species reincarnation also takes place from time to time.

Edgar Cayce was very popular and highly respected in my childhood hometown Nainital in the earlier part of the previous century. You would find many references to Nainital in older posts of this blog as well as a companion one. According to Edgar Cayce the almond tree as well as almonds are spiritually beneficial too. I can easily accept that because the almond tree is one of the finest that grows on our planet – a truly heavenly tree just as the rose is a heavenly flower bush. Both belong to a similar botanical family. There is an earlier post on that in this blog.

Even though Edgar Cayce was a Christian mystic he did not confine himself to any conventional church dogma or theories. With true mystics there are only minor differences between beliefs from different religions whether they be Muslims, Christians, Buddhists or Hindus. The Muslim mystics are known as Sufis and persons of all religions in the east respect Sufi saints. However, mystics retain some concepts from their original religions. Perhaps this explains why Edgar Cayce subscribed to his restricted reincarnation theory. His meditation mantra was a variation of a Hindu Mantra – Hare Om. Just the word Om is also a Hindu mantra, but I too find it easier to chant ‘Hare Om’ rather than just ‘Om’ because it synchronizes more easily with breathing. More on such chanting meditation is posted in older posts of this blog.

One of the concerns with almonds is that some of them turn out to be bitter. The bitterness is caused by cyanide that is a poison. However I do not discard these but consume them too, because even some poisons in very small microscopic quantities may have some beneficial medicinal effect. Perhaps this is one of the many reasons why consuming almonds by the handfuls is not recommended. There is a perfectly good reason why a spiritually advanced tree like the almond tree produces a small proportion of bitter almonds. Do keep the number to under ten a day incase you become an almond eater.

The almond blossoms picture is from publicdomainpictures.net

In Pursuit of Happiness

2010-10-10T22:03:00.000-07:00

The desire for happiness is widespread amongst humans. A misunderstanding about how that happiness is to be achieved is equally widespread. It appears that humans do not fully understand the mechanism for the production of happiness.

Humans do know that a sensuous spicy meal, a breathtaking sexual experience, a binge drink of good champagne, a sudden appreciation of the look of awe on the faces of friends and acquaintances by a flashy car or a swanky apartment produces a sudden surge of Joy. But they are also aware that this sort of joy does not last very long. It is followed by depression in the very least or pain in severer cases. Therefore some possibly wiser humans seek and cultivate other more durable avenues for happiness such as learning to commune with nature or finding and spending life in the companionship of a lover. The former is probabaly a more faithful pursuit and longer lasting.

Most humans know that a shortage of essentials such as food or shelter produces unhappiness and these things are procured by money. Therefore, the pursuit of money is as widespread as the pursuit of sex because it is something one might catch whereas happiness is too abstract a thing to catch directly.

There is a story of a handsome lad - Harry - in rural Kansas who loved a beautiful rural lass – Linda - in the neighborhood. They had known each other for dog years. After school the lad realized that a rural life is hard and decided to better his prospects by going for higher education in New York. Subsequent to university he became a marketing executive for a shoe company, eventually acquiring ownership of the business. Thus in a period of about ten years Harry became very rich, a bit bald from the stress of business and a bit rotund from slouching in front of the TV every evening with a beer. This last was necessary to get over the stress of the day and get sound sleep in order to be ready for another day in the business world. He had enough money to call up escort services on weekends and was able to have occasional flings with secretaries and other city girls who were impressed with his wealth and his beautiful apartment.

Harry however was a wise lad and realized soon enough that his life in rural Kansas was far happier and that the time he had spent with Linda in the countryside real quality time. Realising that he now had enough money to quit city life and return to his roots, he sold off his assets in the city and called up folks back home to announce that he was returning. He could not get in touch with Linda because he had not called her for the last few years and did not have her most recent number. Apparently her only relation, her dad, had moved on to the other world and the earlier number belonged to the dad. This story predates the email era otherwise Harry would have darted off an email too.

On returning to his home in the village, the first thing Harry did was to check up on Linda. He wanted to tell her that he still loved her. He walked up to her two room cottage. It had been expanded now and there were many flowers growing in the yard, a few almond trees in blossom and a large chestnut tree that shaded the gate. He had brought with him a large bunch of the finest silk flowers from Macey’s along with a huge box of the finest Swiss chocolates available in Manhattan. Linda spotted Harry at the gate and ran out to receive him. Harry hugged her and as he proceeded to kiss her but she backed away.

“ Harry, I am married now.”

“ How come?!?! ” Harry was taken aback.

“ After dad left I was lonely and John next door proposed. Our farms have been merged now so we are better of and happier. You know money is so important to be happy. I have heard that you have piles and piles of it. Good for you. Perhaps I should have married you instead but you never proposed,it is too late now and John is really a wonderful and loving husband. We even have two little kids. Presently they are off to playschool. They should be here anytime now as I brew a nice cup of coffee, the way you used to like it”

“ No thanks, not in the mood for coffee today, ” said Harry as he left the flowers and chocolates on the front porch and turned to leave.

This story is fiction. Real life may be different. I was wondering if Harry did anything wrong to deserve his fate. Possibly not in pursuing his career, but possibly yes in pursuing it more seriously than Linda. The story would have been different if he had stayed back and married Linda. Eventually perhaps he might have been less than faithful causing Linda to elope with John next door and causing Harry to commit suicide.

I would rather pursue the love of God instead and enjoy whatever He grants and let go the desire for what He does not give easily. That way happiness comes by as a matter of course.

I reffered to God as 'He'. God is not a person but may be reffered as He or She for ease of description. It is better to refer to God as 'She' during these nine days if in India, celebrated as the nine nights of the Goddess in India every year. Today is the fourth day and today the Goddess is known as the Goddess Kushmanda. The Goddess Kushmanda is not famed for granting wealth to her disciples, but she is rather better known for granting good Health and Happiness to all those who come to her. I believe she appeared in a dream to me on the first day of the nine nights of the goddess as goddess Kushmanda and showered her blessings even though I have little knowledge of her. What I know about her now was learnt by checking and googling later. Google produced nearly forty thousand results on goddess Kushmanda. May the goddess Kushmanda, if she deems fit, grant similar blessings to all readers of this blog.

Angels

2010-10-04T22:30:00.000-07:00

Back from my trip and checking out some of Vincent’s posts I was delighted to read that Vincent has now started to believe in the existence of Angels. He will not believe in anything easily unless he has very sound proof of it. I hope this belief of his is long lasting.

Simultaneously, Vincent mentioned that he still does not believe in God. That is all right because as discussed much in this blog earlier that is a matter of definition. There is as yet no common definition of God amongst humans. I too disagree with several prevailing definitions of God. My own definition of God is very simple and so I have no difficulty in believing in God. To me God is everything there is, the entire universe and beyond, if there is anything beyond the universe. I also believe that this Everything has an infinite intelligence and an infinite consciousness with our own being small parts of it. Spiritual evolution to me is establishing a closer relationship of our finite part with this Infinite Whole. Angels to me are parts or beings of this universe that have achieved a closer union with the infinite consciousness as compared to humans, with the most advanced of angels being close companions of God, with an individual will in harmony with His.

I have been fortunate to have had the opportunity to travel much around this world and experience much the human condition, definitely far more than most of my friends who have led a more disciplined and uniform life. In these adventures, both good and bad, there have been several occasions close to danger or grave harm, but in every case, God and His wonderful angels have saved me. Hayden, who has a closer relationship with her angels, had mentioned that we as humans would not survive for long without the help of our guardian angels and I agree with her whole-heartedly. Our guardian angels must love us dearly indeed and one is ever grateful for their watchful and loving eye, although at times I direct this gratefulness directly to God and at times to His loving Angels. I do not have any idea if my angels have any defined shape or form and sometimes I visualize them in the a few chosen shapes from amongst the various gods and goddesses that various human civilizations have cherished from ancient times, on some occasions I assign no form to them but just try to feel their presence in a spirit of love and joy.

Time for a New Post

2010-09-02T04:37:00.000-07:00

It is time now to move on from Karma and other planets to a life back on earth and I have been debating about the topic. Any suggestion any one?

The Photo shows the plains below from lower reaches of the Nainital hills

Karma -4

2010-08-27T22:33:00.001-07:00

Hello, If you just dropped in, I hope you have read the posts in the proper order beginning from Karma - 1 onwards As we go about conducting the business of living, we often make plans and put in the required effort to execute those plans. Simultaneously something else happens around us – Nature goes about unfolding events throughout our lives – a timing known to Nature alone. We thus face the results of two types of actions, first our own and secondly those of others and the world around i.e. Nature. This second set of actions may be regarded as our karma executed for us by Nature through various means including the people we interact with and occurrences around us. Karmic results require no special effort on our part in order to unfold. Thus, whereas it usually takes a lot of effort to get a home built and many make that effort, it takes little effort to accept another as a part of an inheritance. The first home comes primarily as a result of our efforts whereas the second comes mostly from our karma – which too is a result of our own deeds, an indirect one though, that was noted by nature on some past occasion and the resulting karma then allocated, if one subscribes to the karma theory. Most simply viewed unfolding karma is the influence on us of the efforts and actions of others and the world around us as distinct from our own personal efforts and actions. The net result is due the the combined affect of these two types of actions. The outside influences are not from random causes in an intelligent Universe but rather by design for those who believe in an intelligent and interacting Universe. We can move with the flow, making little effort, and watch our karma as it unfolds. However that might include unfortunate encounters. With a little effort to resist we could avert the harm in some cases. Of the innumerable sorts of karma that lie in store for us, each has a certain weight or significance. Those that affect others and us only slightly for brief periods of time are the less significant and lighter ones. Others that affect a large number of persons or affect us for long periods of our life are heavier ones. It takes little effort on our part to change the results of the lighter karma but the heavier karma requires an immense effort to change. It may be beyond our capacity to change and one may wish to decide in each situation if the effort is worth it. A belief in the principles of Karma may make us accept with greater fortitude unfortunate events of our life over which we had no power of change. If it is Karmically destined that we should have a meal of rice for dinner today, then that is a light karma that can be changed with little effort. One may have noodles instead. The day we decide to go to the ocean for a holiday is not an extremely heavy karma. With little effort we can choose the date. The day Tony Blair becomes the Prime Minister of UK is a heavier one because that choice affects the lives of millions. It may be beyond Tony’s efforts to change that Karma. It is perhaps for this reason that Political leaders and kings of lore had great faith in oracles and astrologers- persons who could divine the future. The fate of kings was so beset and controlled by heavy karma that it could not be changed easily and was therefore a fit subject for prediction. A gypsy woman predicted the fate of Queen Victoria while she was still in the womb, prompting her father to rush to England with the unborn child even though he did not have the money for the trip nor a room to live in England. The day I visit the beach, on the other hand requires so little effort to change that it is beyond the effort of the best clairvoyant in the world to predict. I will just go on another day. As we go about conducting the business of living, it may require tremendous effort to achieve our goals. There are millions who struggle from morning to night, some like the ants on our planet, achieve no more than decent survival. There might be another easier way to meet these goals and it could be the Karmic route. Many rich persons make large donations to churches, school and temples. Religious organizations appear to thrive on it. It is not because these human organizations are fully sound. Some of the donation could be misused. The donor may know that. But the donor also knows that these organizations bring solace and a place of prayer for the innocent and simple. Thus they probably help to bring about a positive change in the lives of many. Nature could then record it as positive karma and give back greater riches until one perhaps becomes as rich as a King. In the meantime, those of us who may be wiser and suspect the validity of such organizations may suffer because of such wisdom. Some, who are not so rich spend a portion of their incomes or efforts to aid the poor and helpless, producing results in the same direction. The rewards of good karma cannot be escaped just as the results of bad karma cannot be avoided as per the theory of karmic results. Bad karma may however be averted through genuine repentance ,through sincere forgiveness and meditative resolution. Nevertheless, the rich man who has made a donation to a temple as a trick rather than compassion or conviction just to produce good karma generates the karma of getting tricked back. Some day when the good karma is exhausted and his name has faded from the announcement plate, Nature tricks him by leaving him high and dry. A politician who earns his bread and butter by making false promises to the electorate, may find one day that his bread has been snatched away through false promises by the very same electorate. The thief who becomes rich may find that he loses his riches through theft. Some of the Karma unfolds in the human courts of law that too are a part of Nature. One may however escape the eyes of the law. Human systems are rarely perfect. One cannot escape the Universal Eye. A good deed will produce a reward but a good deed resulting from compassion will produce besides, an evolution of the soul to better and more knowledgeable circumstances. Trying to design one's actions based on karma theory is complicated and does not produce durable results since karma exhaust after a limited duration. In their main the value is in the education of the soul. There seems to be another simpler method that can contribute to durable progress. Deep within us lies an unaffected and pure part of the Universal Consciousness that knows the truth of matters. if we do whatever we do out of a sense of duty and because it is the right thing to do, leaving the results and outcomes in the hands of the Universe, then the very same act may become a co-operation with Nature. It may generate no karma and the Universe may then co-operate with us in meeting our genuine needs. Getting more in touch with our inner self brings us closer to compassion and the Universe, and the actions of a compassionate soul automatically tend to good. According to mythological accounts the angels of this universe do not work a moment for their living, yet the powers of the Universe appear to be at their command. Instead the angels, as per stated accounts, spend their time in doing the bidding of the Universe or God. Karmic actions are judged not merely by the result of the action but also by the intention and motivation behind the actions. Thus actions that are done in accordance with the Will of the universe as a sacrifice or out of a sense of duty, and not out of personal motivation are a service to the Universe. The word Universe has been chosen here instead of the simpler word God, because in the minds of many, God has become associated with a human like form, whereas the reference here is to the formless infinite power and consciousness that pervades the universe. Karma may be a difficult sounding word. It has been adopted from Sanskrit. However the explanation given here is based on a wider study covering literature from the east, west, science and personal reflection. One need not use that word. A new word such as Consequential Action may be invented for what we are speaking of here. In the main it implies in its simplest form that the Universe is Infinitely aware, conscious and intelligent. It never loses sight of the infinite number of its offspring but rather observes them on a continuous basis through a portion of Itself, the very consciousness seated within. It remembers all it sees and bases its interaction with us on what it has observed and recorded. The Universe is not a passive lover or observer. It does not rest for a moment. It interacts with us every moment of our existence in very real terms. It is an expression of Its infinite love for us.

Image from http://www.public-domain-image.com/

Karma –3

2010-08-27T19:50:00.000-07:00

The source of our Karma is Free Will. All life forms possess it. It is the distinguishing feature of life much more so than ability to reproduce etc. as defined by scientists because after all a sterile person is a life form too. Whenever we exercise our free wills and make a choice or carry out an action based on that choice, it will influence some other life form or some other part of the Universe and most importantly our own soul and it may therefore generate Karma.

I used the word “may” in the last paragraph because karma may not be generated at all. The Universe as a whole has a Will also, but the Universe does not accumulate karma in the exercise of that free will, because it does not influence anyone but itself. We are all parts of the Universe. We may not realize that fully but the universe is never in doubt of that.

It is possible to align one’s free will with that of the Universe in a spirit of service and when we carry out actions based on that we may not accumulate any Karma. The mighty angelic spirits of the Universe do that most times. Therefore, they do not accumulate Karma most times –either good or bad. Good Karma is a reward but it has its limitations. It lasts for a limited duration. When that good karma is exhausted one is at a loss and back to square one. The angels don’t need that. Their needs are met directly by the Universe since they spend their time in sharing the work of the Universal Consciousness. Different Humans do that to different degrees and to that extent do the work of the angels, (gods, devas and the evolved compassionate spirits included) and to that extent the Universe meets their needs directly.

This work of the Universe is different from service for nature and humanity merely in order to be good and not out of compassion, because service is a good deed and generates good karma. The universe does all kinds of things, some that are regarded as bad by beings affected adversely by it such as earthquakes and hurricanes besides sunshine and the music of the birds. How are we to know what the will of the Universe is? That is an altogether different matter and needs a separate discussion some other time.

There are other ways in which significant Karma may not be generated, because the accumulation of Karma depends on the associated intentions, motivations and emotions rather than the action itself. Thus, if you stepped over an insect and killed it unknowingly yesterday while out on a walk, no bad karma is generated for you personally. However if you killed one slowly and derived gleeful pleasure as you watched it writhe in pain, then a similar karma may await you some day. A military man who kills hundreds of enemies in a war on instructions from his superiors for the protection of his country generates no significant bad Karma whereas another who kills a single person out of anger or for gain accumulates bad karma that invites a similar fate for him sometime in the future. It appears that it is not just the action but its impact on our inner self or souls that decides karma. Thus an action committed at the level of thought that impacts deeply on our soul will generate karma whereas another action actually committed unknowingly will produce none.

The universal eye however misses nothing and our record of deeds is written on our souls and the firmament of the Universe. Based on that the Universe will draw out an individual lesson plan for our education, that education is the unfolding of our individual Karma. We could by pass some of that unfolding through self-study such as (meditation, reflection, prayer or service) or by earning extra credits by doing things like forgiving others who have wronged us. Then as a result some of our similar Karma would be forgiven too. However all such karma that needs action by Nature for the evolution of our soul towards knowledge and compassion will be dealt with by nature. In this karmic education there is no canceling of good and bad karma. The results of both have to be experienced separately. One cannot pass the Language exam by getting extra points in Mathematics.

Karma – 2

2010-08-27T05:41:00.000-07:00

The comments to the first post on Karma have raised several issues that need elaboration besides several other aspects that have not been touched upon yet. As Hayden has rightly pointed out the goal of the Karmic principle is not punishment, - how can that be, if the very consciousness that maintains this principle, the Universal Consciousness is compassion and love?

We are born from a portion of this Universe and are therefore the children of the Universe. A loving parent punishes or rewards a child from time to time in order that the child will develop into a better individual and punishment is never so damaging that it causes permanent scars. The goal is progress. The role of the karmic principle is precisely that - To nudge us towards progress into compassion and love.

A way to teach a person a lesson in compassion is to make the person see the other side. Thus a child who hurts others by throwing things may be taught not to do that through explanation. If an explanation does not suffice, he may have to be hurt in a similar way. The principle of Karma works something like that. If we can learn our lessons into compassion in a gentle manner then Nature will teach us that way, but if a harder way of inculcating that learning is required then Nature will do that too. What better way to feel the pain of a poor person, by suffering through an episode of poverty and what better way to feel the headache of another than by suffering a headache oneself. Yet if one is compassionate enough to feel the pain of another without personally undergoing a similar pain then it is not quite necessary to undergo a similar pain. One may like to argue that we are not children any more, but that argument is meaningless when we stand in front of the vast Infinite Intelligence of the universe.

If we have hurt someone and we repent, then it means that it may not be necessary for us to undergo a similar suffering in order not to cause a similar intentional suffering again and we may then be excused a similar reaction. This and other ways that undesirable Karma can be dissolved shall be discussed again in a later post on Karma.

Karma arises from an exercise of our free wills but let us leave that aspect for the third post on Karma. At this stage it is essential to emphasize that the essence of the Karmic principle is love in a Universe where life thrives on the principle of love.

Karma -1

2010-08-26T21:13:00.000-07:00

The principle of Karma is a central part of spiritual philosophies. Karma is a Sanskrit word used in eastern philosophies of Hinduism and Buddhism. In Islam and Christianity different words are used to describe the same principle.

Basically the principle of Karma implies that everything we do, good or bad is recorded by the Universal Intelligence and causes a reaction similar to our deed. It is the principle of retribution. As you sow so shall you reap!

The main difference between Christianity and Eastern religion as regards this principle is that in prevalent mainstream Christianity the actions and reactions take place over two lives (this one and the next) whereas in eastern philosophy it is something that can be executed over several life times with a soul taking birth repeatedly.

The principle of Karma is applicable even if one does not believe in more than just one life i.e. this one. All it means then is that it would be executed within this life because as such the principle of Karma has nothing to do with the number of lives a person believes in.

The principle of Karma extends not only to our actions but also our thoughts. According to this principle nothing escapes the attention of the Universal Eye. Everything is recorded and taken into account.

Any person who believes in doing good should have no difficulty in accepting this principle. All it means is that his or her good deeds will be rewarded.

The evildoer who is afraid of the result of his evil would like to deny it vehemently. However he too need not be afraid of this principle because within the principle of Karma are means to wash of that evil.

For those who believe in this principle, its proper understanding can lead to minimizing effort in whatever it is that we have to do with excellent time management. Hayden has been discussing this issue with her readers in her blog and it does seem that most of us suffer from a sense of futility in not being able to achieve all that we wish to do and not being able to manage our time properly. An understanding of this principle will lead to minimising that sense of futility. An understanding of this principle also leads to great contentment with the ensuing happiness.

It is my intention to discuss this principle in more detail in two, three or more posts in small bytes beginning with this one. Putting it down all at once would be too much for a reader who is getting to understand the workings of this principle for the first time.

A Simple Technique for Empowerment – Mindful Breathing

2010-08-23T22:34:00.000-07:00

Yesterday while visiting my own blog and that of Hayden and Trish besides an earlier visit to that of Vincent, the realization has dawned upon me that while the various debates on spirituality, life, nature and everything else are enlightening and needed, quite often, there is something else that is needed even more.

Humans in the modern world have to deal with a host of negative influences on a daily basis while trying to get on with their lives. All of us are in need of simple techniques that can empower us to deal with and remove these negativities so that we can do, whatever we have to do, most effectively and joyously.

So here it is, the ancient technique that I have learnt from ancient Buddhist sources - interpreted with further information and personal experience. The technique is mindful breathing. It is free of any philosophical baggage and very easy to practice. It is available from many sources on the Internet today with slight variations including an inspiring variation by Trish called the White Tornado (A link to it is in the comments section of the previous post).

Just observe your breathing, the inward breath brings with it life and energy that is carried to every cell of your body, energizing and cleaning every cell. The same blood that carries this breath to every corner of the body from head to toe is like a good friend of the cells. - A friend that comes in with a gift and leaves with the waste to be released into the atmosphere for recycling.

Watch the outward breath as it carries away the waste and the negativities from your body. While observing the breathing process try not to think of anything at all, just observe, but if you must think of something think of the empowering role of this inward and outward life force.

After inhalation, stop for a moment, locking the indrawn air inside to prevent the two roles of breathing from getting confused with each other. After exhalation, stop again for just a moment so that the stale air goes away and is replaced by fresh air for the next inhalation and so that you can identify distinctly the inward and outward portions of the cycle.

Observe the movements of your body as you breathe. If your thoughts tend to wander away as they will, gently bring them back. Your breathing will soon become deeper, slower and more even, increasing the beneficial affect.

Please do ensure that the entire process is very gentle and natural. Exert no special strain to control the breathing and stops (inhale-stop-exhale-stop-inhale -)

You may do this mindful breathing exercise at any time of the day as often as you wish. It is best done when you are not doing anything else and the body is still, sitting or lying down in bed. It will change your idle moments with empowering ones and fill your heart with joy.

If you can accept the inward breath in an attitude of gratefulness to nature and the universe that provides this air, the benefits will be greater. And nature too will accept your waste outward breath with thankfulness carrying it to the fields, forest and oceans as gifts for other parts of nature, where it becomes in combination with light, the life force of the green side of life, so that the fields, bushes and trees are lush green and gentle bees and butterflies can play amongst the flowers. The very air we breathe is thus recycled over and over again for all eternity.

We can survive without food for a few weeks, without water for a few days and without air for a few minutes. Mindful consumption of food empowers. Mindful drinking of water empowers more and mindful breathing empowers the most.

From Birds to Telepathy

2010-08-19T22:02:00.000-07:00

In response to comments by Vincent earlier and Hayden recently, I mentioned about a proposed post regarding my experiences in communicating with birds. A classmate and dear friend of mine Sudheer Pimputkar (an accompalished scientist) who now lives in the US had enquired about it years ago and I shall refer him to this post as well.

The house that I live in presently was built in stages by me beginning in 1991 during my vacations and other breaks in my career. By 1995, the ground floor of the house was more or less complete except for some finishing that continued later. In the center of the roof of the living room was a hole meant for a center light. To hide the protruding wires a small round plastic sheet covered it with another circular hole in the center of it for the light. A similar one existed in the front porch of the house.

I lived in the house through most of 1995 with frequent visits of three or four days to Delhi. At this time a pair of house sparrows occupied the porch roof cavity and made it their home. I had no complaints about that since I did not intend to fix a light there in a hurry. Sparrows are cute little birds anyway and I often leave seeds out for them in the garden.

Sometime later the female of the pair moved into the living room cavity and began nesting there. Perhaps she felt that it would be a safer place to breed. She had noted my timings. Every morning I got up at around seven in the morning and moved outdoors with a cup of tea. This was the time it would follow me and move outdoors too. In the evening I would come out into the front garden again from the front door and it was at that time the sparrow would return to its nest in the living room seeing that the front door was open.

Some mornings, I was late in getting up. The sparrow had scouted the home and found how to reach my bedroom. It would sit on the bedroom curtain rod, patiently wait for me to get up and let it out. If I was especially late in getting up on some days, it would beat with its beak on the metal rod and wake me up. It was a wonderful morning alarm of bird knock that prevented me from getting up very late every morning.

One evening as I was sitting in the front porch with the front door closed. A neighbor dropped in and we began to chat. I forget the topic of conversation but it must have been an engaging one because soon it was beginning to get dark. The poor sparrow must have been waiting patiently somewhere in the front garden for the front door to open and for her to return to her room in the living room roof. When I failed to notice her and continued to chat, she suddenly flew over my head ruffling my hair. I immediately realized her need and responded “ Hang on, I will just open the door”

Later I wondered about this episode and it had seemed to me that the bird had actually spoken to me, “ Come on, open the door, I am late”. But, the sparrow had not made any sound and I wondered if the sparrow had communicated telepathically and I had become receptive to that communication. As our relationship progressed I began to worry about my forthcoming visit to Delhi. I usually caught the morning bus from Jaipur to Delhi and decided that I must ensure that I do not leave the bird locked indoors while away for a few days. I packed my bag for the visit early in the evening and went outdoors waiting for the sparrow to enter inside for the night. To my surprise it refused to come indoors on that day. Therefore next morning I left for Delhi, secure in the knowledge that I had not locked in the bird. After my return the bird returned to her older practice of moving outdoors in the morning and returning in the evening. How did the sparrow know about my visit? Did she read my mind? I believe the answer is yes. My later experiences, improved my communications with birds, ants and dogs and a variety of animals. I noted that bird communications consisted of brief sentences and sometimes paragraphs of two or three brief sentences. Perhaps birds have no need for long paragraphs like humans. I attributed this new found power to a blessing form the ancient King Soloman the Wise whose works I read frequently with utmost respect. He was known to have this ability as well and it has been mentioned in ancient spiritual texts that one tends to acquire the powers of one’s spiritual teachers if the devotion is strong enough.

The following year, I returned to Delhi to a busy professional appointment in a very crowded city. During the first few months of my visit, I realized that I could read the minds of my professional colleagues realizing what they had to say, before they had said it. Not just face to face but also on phone. Apparently the telepathic ability is not limited by distance. Gradually though, I found the ability fading as I continued to live on in Delhi for nearly four years. It seems that the existence of the ability requires serene, lonely surroundings for it to function. Much interaction with other humans and life in a busy city causes the ability to vanish, atleast for me. Since that time the ability has come and gone several times according to my life style that has varied.

My experience with birds is that they communicate with sounds and even gestures but this is the least part of their communications. Most of it takes place by telepathy. That is the reason members of a bird family can locate each other even when they fly apart in dense cities and dense forests. In comparison, human children are lost easily in a crowd.

I have now realized that it is not just animals that can communicate telepathically. Another life form does it much more often because it has more need of it. That is trees, bushes and plants of all kinds. The rose bush in my garden communicates with the bee and the tree with me when it needs water. One of the visitors to this blog had pointed out that plants do not have a brain therefore they cannot feel pain. My response was that the brain is not required for feeling pain but consciousness is required for it and all life possesses that and it is the consciousness that communicates telepathically. In fact it is precisely the reason why most humans cannot communicate telepathically because they suppress their sixth sense through much use of the brain.

Before writing this post I briefly googled the search term bird telepathy to check out if others had noted the same phenomenon. For sure there is a lot on it in on the Internet. The first site I opened, http://www.abcpsychic.com/pets.html , has a beautiful piece of music as background. I did not linger though, afraid that I would lose the thought chain or time to complete this post. I shall return to it now for that delightful piece of music.

Heaven, Scientifically Speaking

2010-08-15T21:28:00.001-07:00

In an earlier post the hypothesis of Pansmeria (Pansmeria is this author's version of the widely discussed theory of Panspermia, discussed in greater detail in alienaccount.blogspot.com) was mentioned briefly. It is a theory that more and more scientists, including Stephen Hawking, have come to accept as the mechanism for creation of life on earth. It is not possible to go into the details of this hypothesis here. The interested reader may refer to panspermia.org for a scientific explanation of it.

Here, we will touch on a few of the aspects of this theory. According to it, life evolved on earth due to the genetic code that arrived from other parts of the universe. It takes many millions of year for advanced life forms to develop while this code is installed in small steps. I almost wrote advanced life like humans but then checked myself. Widely prevalent beliefs, human ego and the fact that human life is the most advanced one intellectually on our planet has led to the widespread perception that humans are the most advanced life forms in the universe. This can hardly be so given that life has been evolving for millions of years on our planet and there is absolutely no justification or evidence for the belief that it will not evolve further into more advanced species. The appearance of humans is relatively recent on our planet. To believe that humans are the most advanced form of life in the universe is like an ape or chimp thinking (if they are capable of thinking that far) that they are the most advanced beings at a time when they were around, but humans had not yet to appeared on earth. One of the corollaries of Pansmeria (or panspermia) is that species atleast as advanced as humans must exist in the universe and probably more advanced species exist.

By an advanced being is implied a being that is not only more advanced then humans spiritually and intellectually (i.e. with higher average E.Q. and I.Q.) but also perhaps in certain physical aspects. We know that humans excel on earth as far as the abilities of their limbs and vocal chords are concerned. To guess what other physical abilities may be possessed by species more advanced then humans, we may look at other life forms on earth. There are species that excel in one ability or other, indicating that genes for such availability exist in the physical universe. Birds can fly and ants can lift enormous weights as well as climb enormous heights at great speed (in proportion to their size). There are insects with several limbs. Thus it is possible to imagine that there might be beings with more than two hands, wings etc. along with intellectual, spiritual (i.e. emotional ) and vocal abilities that are superior to humans.

I wonder sometimes what a human-like being with wings would use for clothes or furniture since wings would get in the way. Nevertheless, the question that is more relevant is that except for its fantasy and entertainment value what use it is to even think about such beings, since planets in the universe are situated too far apart for any feasible interaction with such advanced beings ? The laws of physics make travel between habitable planets more or less impossible for all life except bacteria.

Communication, especially telepathic one is more feasible than actual physical travel. Further, if all beings possess a non-material spirit (it is my belief they do) then travel as spirit may be possible by advanced beings that have greater control over their spirits.

If we accept for a moment that spirits can travel through the universe (more or less instantaneously) then many advanced spirits (whom we may term as angelic) probably do travel to earth from their planets. We may term these latter planets as heavenly planets. Such angels in spirit form would not have the physical abilities to move an object but they could create such impressions in the mind of a receptive subject by acting on their thoughts and senses. Perhaps one could develop association with such advanced beings in the interest of one’s own spiritual development. Such an association may explain the prevalence of belief in gods, devas and angels amongst many humans.

A type of physical travel is however possible, if a spirit could occupy another body on earth. But it is not likely that the ethical code of advanced beings would permit taking over the body of another being without their full understanding and explicit acceptance for the act. A simpler and ethical route would be to be born as a new human on earth. That is provided an angelic being gains control over the process, grows up and lives amongst humans for a while possibly as a missionary who has ventured abroad for universal good, while not forgetting its heavenly origin or heavenly parents - Father and Mother in heaven. He may continue to maintain contact with his father in Heaven through telepathic communication (prayer)

Paul Brunton, a renowned Journalist, author and Mystic of the last century believed that Jesus was one such being and that he had identified the star system from whence Jesus came to earth to harvest souls from amongst the Jews for his planet after physical death of the earthly body and rebirth of converted souls on the heavenly planet. One cannot enter heaven unless one is born again. How can a spirit enter a mother's womb unless the older body is relenquished first and how will humans who do not even know where the next wind will flow from understand this in all its details.

A nice way to begin a day

2010-08-11T20:47:00.000-07:00

One of the nicest ways to begin a day is to wake up to the sound of birds and soon after walk outdoors with your favorite beverage of tea, coffee or herbs and enjoy a garden, farm or green country as you listen some more to the sweet orchestra of bird music and watch the morning sun ascend through a thicket of tall trees. The sweet song of birds is a daily reminder to me that Mother Earth and Father Universe loves us, because only an infinitely loving mother could wake up her children in such a gentle and loving manner, every day of their lives.

But, mother earth does not do it for all of her children, especially those who might live in a crowded city block. Has mother earth deprived them? Most definitely not! These are her children who have chosen to or been made to live away from her company.

Those of us, who live in a dense city, especially an apartment block, as I have during some of my busy working years, cannot quite begin their day that way. My suggestion to them is get out as soon as possible, even if you are young and raising a family; especially if you are raising a family because then you can give your children the same pleasure. It will stay with them for life.

Lessons from a Rose – Creation

2010-08-06T23:22:00.000-07:00

Of all the books available to humans on spirituality and the deeper mysteries of life, perhaps there is none better than Nature. It is pure and free from human interpolations and extrapolations and the oversights of translators, editors and typesetters.

Presently I live in Jaipur and the climate is not as suitable for growing roses as the cooler Himalayan climate where I lived amongst beautiful rose bushes earlier in the year. This year, however, late July and August has been cooler than usual and thanks to Hayden and her friends the monsoon rains a bit more evenly spaced. So the few rose bushes we have here are blooming.

I spent a good part of the morning today admiring the blooms of a rose bush that grows in my front garden. The love of a rose is durable. For those of us who like flowers (I have acquaintances who have no particular fondness for such), often we find that we have liked one flower or another during different periods of our lives, but the love of the rose has persisted.

I then began to wonder what it is about a rose that makes it more attractive then most other flowers. Quiet meditations on the qualities of the rose as compared to other flowers revealed that besides its gentle beauty the rose bush has a certain firmness and sense of order that makes it stand apart. Its stems are stiff or woody and there is considerable order (a natural sort of order not the geometric kind) in the way its branches and leaves are arranged as compared to many other flowers found in our gardens. Its firmness and durability ensure that it shall last more than a few days either in the garden or if cut and brought to a vase indoors. Thus the lesson that firmness and order adds to the attractiveness of something beautiful is a lesson that humans can learn from a rose.

On closer examination we find that the rose branches have stiff thorns as well indicating that it is a good idea to be ready to defend oneself from an unruly attacker on Earth. That brings me to some aspects of creation. Amongst, all the theories of creation propounded in our science, scriptures, folklore and philosophy the one I have come to accept is a theory called Pansmeria (this authors version of the widely known theory of panspermia). The various aspects of the theory are rather involved and cannot be covered in a single blogpost (I have a whole separate blog for that at alienaccount.blogspot.com) However, just briefly the salient aspects can be mentioned here because admittedly the blog I referred to is difficult to read, even for me now that it is a few years old.

According to this theory life emerges on the basis of genetic codes that are widely dispersed through the universe. Any advanced life form, animal or plant develops from a single cell that contains its genetic code, the template of its life. It is my assumption (because this has not been covered adequately in the original theory) that bits of this genetic code break off and exist briefly as viruses and virions (it is a simpler than a virus) until they find a home in a bacteria where they can multiply and survive for indefinitely long periods of time. It is these bacteria that are the carriers of genetic codes across planets. Only bacteria are capable of hibernating and traveling across the vast distances of space in frozen form as they might at the center of asteroids. After reaching a planet that has the potential for developing life (atmosphere and light) these bacteria begin to thaw, beginning with the cyano bacteria that prepare oxygen and water on the planet. It has to begin with cyano bacteria because our precursors require oxygen and water to exist. Later from single cells more complex forms of life are reassembled on the planet gradually. It has to be a gradual process because if a monkey baby was born right away there would be no one to care for it as an infant and it would not survive. In any case a monkey would be too large to be born from something as small as a bacteria. However a tiny monkey born to a mouse can be looked after by the mouse mother as its own and gradually larger forms of monkeys, apes, chimps and human may emerge. Please do not get surprised if I have mentioned mice because their genetic code is mostly human- about 70%. A chimp is 99% human as far as its genetic code goes.

There are more thing bacteria and viruses can do besides storing and assembling genetic codes. They can make modifications to it in order to overcome hostile elements in the unique atmosphere of the planets they happen to land on. An example of that is the way bacteria develop immunity to antibiotics. Therefore the eventual advanced life forms that emerge beginning with bacteria have similar immunities and can survive on a new planet with its own unique characteristics even though their origins may lie far across galaxies on a planet with different gravity, sunlight etc.

Of the vast number of planets that must in all likelihood harbor life in our infinite universe , there are some that must have a nicer and more pleasant atmosphere than our own. One might term them as heavenly planets. There would be others with a harsher climate and environment and one might term these as hellish.

Amongst plants the codes of some arrive from heavenly planets and others from hellish one and if one were to speculate which plants might have arrived from a heavenly planet than the rose will definitely be a prime candidate. There are others I have alluded to in my blogs as heavenly such as the almond tree, grape wines, mushrooms and strawberries all producing food fit for the gods. Amongst birds a candidate is the peacock.

However, as mentioned we cannot get precise copies of plants and animals on any planet because of the specific adjustments made to the genetic code even at the bacterial level. Thus perhaps a rose from heaven develops thorns on earth,the sweet songs of a peacock go hoarse and varieties of grapes develop pits and stones or go deep red instead of a gentle pink.

Mother and Father

2010-08-05T22:34:00.000-07:00

Both my father and mother are no more. When I was young my mother was the world to me. She was a gentle and loving mother as good as any and if any mother has something of the divine in her, something of the mother Goddess, she had it. As I grew older I continued to love her and be loved by her until she breathed her last some ten years ago.

Something else happened, as I grew older. I learnt that there is another mother, a more permanent one that was the mother of my mother as well and the mother of everyone else too. She is Mother Earth because all of us are born from her womb. Every part of our body is made from some part of her flesh and blood. And, this more eternal mother is incredibly beautiful too. Her vast forests, mountains, deserts, grasslands and oceans never cease to delight us and charm us with their grandeur. She provides us with unlimited bounties day after day as long as we live and long after that to the rest of her children.

Like a gentle mother, who allows her offspring to play and mess about in the yard, even trample down her precious beds of painfully nurtured flowers. Mother Earth too allows her children that freedom. It is because of that we have the filthy oil spills, scarred and strip mined patches of land, Mercilessly logged forests, spills of chemical wastes from our factories, the filthy slum habitations of Latin America, European Gypsy camps, Slums of India and Indonesia and the rape and hunger infested refugee camps of Africa. These ugly scars and spots on mother Earth do not for a moment mean that Mother Earth is ugly. It is just a temporary thing like the flowerbed trampled upon by unruly children. When the play is over and the children back in bed or school mother would come around and fix those flower beds and forests again.

Like every good mother, Mother Earth is stern as well from time to time, and when she gets angry she shakes her bosoms like an earthquake, roars like a hurricane or thunders like the floods drowning her children into the corner stool as a temporary punishment.

Now something about my father – just as every cell of my body comes from the flesh and blood of my mother, I know I have something deeper too. It is my soul and that is manifest in my consciousness and feelings of pain, pleasure, love, hate and so on. Most of the times my consciousness is so engaged with my physical brain that I do not even realize that these are two distinct parts within me. Just as my Mother Earth has given the cells of my body to me temporarily, the components of my consciousness have been given temporarily by my father whose immense consciousness pervades the universe.

There are times when through ancient practices explained by ancient sages, I still my thoughts and sense the soul in its purer form as a part of the universal whole and it is a feeling of super sensuous joy inherent in the close companionship of the eternal father.

My Eternal father and mother are so united in thought, consciousness and existence that they are in fact two sides of the same eternal reality. Every time I do something in an attempt to improve something on earth it is like a gift of love for my mother and every time I do something to lift the soul of another of her children, to a wipe a tear or give a smile, to a child or a bird, It is a gift for both my mother and my father.

I know that the body is like clothing for the soul and like every piece of clothing it gets a bit dirtier and worn out every day. One day it will be unfit for use and then mother Earth under Instructions from Father Universe shall ordain that it be taken off and given to the shredders for recycling. How much pain I suffer when the dress is being taken off - all depends on how attached I have become to my old dress and the stuff I have stored in its pockets. I shall also be apprehensive if I doubt that I shall be provided with a new dress or left naked like the winds and nothingness. Fortunately I do not doubt that I shall have new dress just as I have had it several times before.

I will be delighted because of the prospects of a dress change, but also apprehensive about the new dress that I shall be given in its place. Appearances are so very important, and then clothing must be sturdy and comfortable allowing ease of movement. I think father and mother shall decide, perhaps they will include a bit of my preferences, perhaps not. I do not know. The type of my new dress, My new body, the place I shall be born shall be decided by my parents and I do not doubt for a moment that it will be the correct and just choice because I do not for an instant doubt the infinite intelligence of my father or the infinite versatility of my mother in sewing just the right dress for the right occasion. I hope they give me a large spacious room with a view and a flow of breeze to live, but if they do not, I know that I have not yet deserved it.

It shall in the main depend upon my habits and my deeds. If I have been a rough player no doubt the dress shall be a sturdy one. Perhaps rough and ugly looking, not as fine as silk but sturdy like a pair of good jeans. And, if I am in the habit of messing around I shall be given a room at the back away from the lush and beautiful gardens of Mother Earth.

You are what you Eat, and Drink

2010-08-03T22:31:00.000-07:00

Consume an ounce of whiskey and you will notice the change in mood and behavior immediately. However, it is not just whiskey everything we drink, even water or anything we eat has some subtle influence on our behavior. Consumed over a period of time the type of food we consume literally shapes our personality prompting ancient thinkers like Hippocrates to remark, “You are what you eat”.

In another post in this blog I had mentioned that a human personality is shaped by memory and experiences and one might ask which of the two is more significant. My understanding is that humans gravitate towards the foods and actions that agree with their inner inclinations and personality and so in the end both causes are two sides of the same horse.

Not just individuals it seems that entire geographical regions, people and civilizations are influenced by the food and water of the region. An ancient Indian, highly revered Saint Kabir had noted in his travel that people who had sweet water to drink spoke sweetly and those who drank salted or foul tasting water often had harsh or foul speech. Similarly he noted that those who consumed highly pure food had pure thoughts and personality as compared to others whose food was not of similar quality.

It appears to me that entire civilizations are shaped by food and that the excellence of European and Japanese civilization is tied in with the food the majority consumes. The consumption of wine, cheese, vine vinegar, freshly baked breads and cakes, olive oil, olives, nuts, fruit berries of various kinds are historically quite unique to the European culture just as the consumption of seafood, tea and rice is historically unique to the Japanese culture. Individual geographical variations exist and the uniquely harsh mechanical character of the Germans in Europe as compared to the French may be linked to their consumption of hard breads, bitter beer, Sauer kraut and massive sausages just as the easy going character of the Italians and Spaniards in comparison may have something to do with olives and tomatoes besides the heat and the type of vegetables that grow in that heat. I do not mean to generalize the behavior of regions. What I refer to here is the behavior of a significant majority and average traits that do vary. Individual behavior varies, so does individual food preferences and at the present time there are very many vegans as well amongst the Germans. In my experience they are gentler in behaviour. Here too there are notable exceptions, Hitler being one.

In India people living in Delhi have been historically known to be more energetic and disciplined as compared to others of nearby regions and that is in spite of the heavy pollution of the city. Just across the river from Delhi are the districts of Ghaziabad and Meerut that have been recognized as the crime, decay and filth capitals of the country. The food consumed by both the areas is similar but there is a significant difference in the quality of water. In the latter districts it is foul tasting, impure and saline.

The human body is virtually a chemical factory and it manufactures very many chemicals that the body needs for its functioning. Therefore often if an essential component is missing in food it can manufacture it. This is especially true when a person is young and the body processes functioning at their peak. As one ages though the various factories of the bodies slow down and aging persons (those who have crossed forty and especially those who have crossed fifty or sixty) can benefit greatly by introducing a new supplement in their diet. Here are some I have found effective in my own experience recently,

1. Increasing intake of iodine besides that in iodized salt
2. Adding a Mallic acid and magnesium supplement
3. Consuming a bit of apple cider or wine vinegar in a salad, soup or water
4. Switching to Green tea from the roasted black variety. Do not add milk to the tea but you may add one or more of the herbs –ginseng, ashwagandha, holy Basil leaves (dried if fresh are not around). Replace sugar with honey if natural honey is available.
5. Five freshly shelled and soaked almonds consumed daily as well as a couple of freshly shelled walnuts will help keep Alzheimer and Dementia at bay.
6. Include at least one raw food item (as in salads) daily for the live enzymes to help digestion
7. Include a green leafy vegetable four or five times a week in diet.

Watch your own body chemistry to see the effect each change has by adding these changes one at a time. You do not necessarily have to believe in anything suggested here or elsewhere even if it comes from a good source because each body chemistry is unique. What is good for one person may be poison for another. You may have heard that brown bread is better than white but white bread may in fact be far better for a person with a laxative stomach and all bread can spell doom for a person with Gluten allergy. I have had the great fortune of saving some persons here from severe perpetual asthma by getting them off wheat.

Do also ensure purity of foods and avoid or minimize processed foods that contain chemicals or have used chemicals during the processing. If you find organic vegetables too expensive at least soak the vegetables you eat in clean water for an hour or so before consumption to leach out harmful pesticides and fertilizers.

Even more important is the fact that if you find a good thing that works for you do not overdo it. Too much of a good thing can be poison. Ascertain the dose carefully through your own research, experience and consultation.

Besides switch to wine and beer from whiskey and rum incase you are fond of an alcoholic drink and do not consume alcoholic drinks for a period exceeding an hour during a twenty-four hour period. That gives the impacted brain cells a chance to reset. Sometimes with age they do not and lead to Alzheimer/ Dementia in the best case or psychosis in the worst. Avoid tobacco altogether especially the smoking kind as in cigarettes. Incase you have been doing this do not worry but make the change even now and in time the body will recover.

A Home with Trees

2010-07-30T22:49:00.000-07:00

To me an average sized office or residential building is barren if some trees do not grow around it. I mentioned an average sized building because large apartment blocks, castles and palaces are fine without trees around them since they have a grandeur of their own and a strength imparted by their sheer size that exceeds the size of most trees. However if a smaller building does not have some trees growing around it, the home or office appears barren and desolate. Just as trees add character to a street or road, even a single tree adds character to a building but the more the merrier. In some mysterious ways trees are like armed guards that protect a building and its residents from unwanted intrusions. It provides a place for children to play, a cat to climb and birds to nest or rest in their flight across continents. One then has an opportunity to wake up everyday to the sweet songs of birds rather than an eerie silence or unwelcome modern noise and fresh home grown oxygen to breathe. Perhaps a gas station, diner or motel on the street is great without any trees around it so that a maximum number of customers are attracted to enter, but definitely not a residential building that is meant as refuge for living. Humans evolved in the company of trees for million and million of years and if they do not live with trees in their vicinity they can perhaps never be fully at peace or happy.

However in choosing trees to plant around a home one can keep energy efficiency in mind too. Large evergreen trees are best for the North side since little sun comes in from that direction. Smaller trees or those that shed their leaves in winter keep a building warm in the cold months and wonderfully cool in summers. One might consider trees that flower in spring or fruit trees as well but in fact even one that does not bear fruit or showy flowers is just as pretty.

Do you live in a home without any trees around it? If so then remember growing trees is easy because nature does most of the work. Before you know it, it will become a large handsome addition to your home that will add value, character and protection to your property.

THe Photo is a picture of Shyamu, the boy who has lived with me like a son and helped to look after home and garden, for the last ten years along with his one year old son Golu who too is just as fond of greenery and trees as the rest of us

Planting a Tree is easy

2010-07-26T18:28:00.000-07:00

In any part of the world one might be living in there are some varieties of trees that are really easy to plant. For example, where I live at the moment - Jaipur – all one needs to do in the monsoon months is stick a drumstick branch into the ground and within months it turns into a pretty tree with elegant lace like foliage. I have planted six of them around my urban home here and now that it is raining they are all a brilliant green.

Planting a tree is one of the easiest services or expression of gratitude for Mother Earth because trees are her ornament. They feed so many of her offspring from insects to birds to humans. I have been an urban person all my life but I have planted trees wherever I have found room for them around my home, by the sides of the streets and in parks where access has been permitted. If I owned a farm I would have turned most of it into a forest in a matter of years.

Often trees come up by themselves on vacant land. The seeds fly in through the wind and bird droppings. In this case, I clear the area around the tree and remember to water the new young trees through the dry months of the following year. About half the trees that grow around my home have come up that way. We choose which trees to grow but trees too choose where to grow. It is nice to respect that choice whenever possible. This year I was planning on planting some small Sitaphal trees (I am unaware of the English name of this fruit – it has a thick uneven green exterior, white sweet pulp and large black seeds) and somehow magically two of them have sprouted up on their own at the correct locations. It has been my experience that if a task is approved by Nature then Nature cooperates in its execution.

At the present time many persons in the world are concerned about global warming. The easiest thing they can do to improve the situation then is to plant a tree and then some more instead of wasting their time over trying to limit carbon emissions (mostly carbon dioxide). Those will take care of themselves when the fossil fuels run out. In the mean time we can help the glorious carbon dioxide flow into green biomass through assisting the growth of trees. Otherwise some of that carbon dioxide turns into stones such as calcium carbonate and goes out of the cycle of life.

The photo is entrance of my home in Jaipur

And then it rained

2010-07-25T17:22:00.000-07:00

Last evening dark clouds moved over the city. There was thunder and lightening and then it rained for much of the evening bringing much badly needed relief for the city. At the time it was raining here, it was sunday morning in Michigan USA. I mention that because my blogging friend Hayden often communes with angels that rule the skies –clouds, thunder and storms – and I have pleaded with her to put in a good word for the city of Jaipur and quite possibly she has had a hand in all this.

Unlike Europe, parts of Africa and the Americas where it might rain for much of the year, most raining in India is confined to the four monsoon months that begin in early June and end in late September. This is the time the underground water sources, lakes streams and water reservoirs are replenished. Most urban areas as well as much agriculture depend on this rain. If the rains are poor the population suffers. Last few years the rains have been poor in the western province of Rajasthan where Jaipur city is located and there has been a severe water shortage. This year too, even though two of the monsoon months are nearly over the rainfall had been scanty and everyone is glad for the rain. More dark clouds are moving in and there is more rain possible in the weeks ahead.

This is the time of the year that the countryside that is dry for much of the year becomes green once again in a cycle that began thousands of years ago. The heat and dust subsides, the chirping of birds becomes louder and the handsome trees, with their coating of dust washed off wake up from their annual slumber. It is water after all that is the basis of life. Plants are happy with carbon dioxide and humans need oxygen but water is something that all life needs.

Memories and Things

2010-07-22T22:24:00.000-07:00

Everyday, every moment, all of us undergo a range of experiences. With each experience is associated a memory. Unlike our word processors that ask us every time if we wish to save a file or not, the human brain stores all the memories, of all our experiences, by default. During an average lifetime the storehouse of such memories is vast indeed. Far more than any computer can probably hold.

A very neat trick of the human brain is to organize these memories in layers, the uppermost layer being the conscious mind. Below this are the near infinite layers of the subconscious mind that store not just the memories of this lifetime, but for those who believe in reincarnation, the memories of previous lifetimes as well. Some mystics believe that the deepest layers of memories the soul contain the knowledge of the entire universe. Reaching this layer is what is described as enlightenment. Nevertheless, restricting ourselves to the most immediately accessible layers of the mind, we know that with each memory is connected certain emotions such as hate, anger, love, sorrow, happiness etc. Indeed it seems that only those memories are of value that have an emotional value attached to it. Others such as the knowledge of numbers and how to add them that may not have any emotional value attached to them are mere temporary conveniences that do not impact deeply on our psyche. From time to time we are able to resolve an emotional memory so that it has no emotional impact left for us. At this time, the memory has no more value left than say a memory of the alphabet or numbers. This is what shrinks try to do when they talk to their patients whose memories have become so overwhelming so as to severely limit their daily functioning in the world.

It is these unresolved memories and their emotional impact that shape our personality. They are different for each human and therefore each human has his or her own unique personality. The accumulated unresolved memories at the end of a lifetime are what determines what our next life will be from how we look to where we are born; just as the accumulated past memories have determined our present life. In Eastern philosophy this is called Karmashya or the store of Karma.

As our conscious mind preoccupies itself with whatever we are doing right now, from time to time old memories pop up along with their accompanying emotion. It could be love, happiness, satisfaction or a negative thing like hate or anger. If the negative memories are far too many or too strong they limit a person’s happiness, energy, intellect and abilities even though they may remain dormant in the subconscious mind. Resolving these lifts us out of negative things like fear, nervousness, depression etc. It is a result of the quality of their memories that some people are just naturally happy souls full of energy and others are suppressed or depressed. Therefore it is worthwhile for us to deal with our negative memories and resolve them so that their negative emotional impact on us is reduced or vanishes. Only then can we be at peace and happy.

Persons who lead very busy lives, and have a lot of things on their do list keep their conscious minds so preoccupied that there is no room for the buried memories to emerge. But just keeping them buried does not help to resolve them. That is why it is so important to have periods of mental silence in our lives. Processes such as communing with nature or meditation are some of these periods of silence.

Another thing that keeps our conscious mind occupied are our possessions and things and our attachment to them. It is perhaps because of this that the ancient Yoga Guru – Patanjli has said in his treatise on yoga that it is useful to reduce such possessions. In fact he goes on to say that a reduction in possessions (or attachment to them) can even lead a person to the memories and knowledge of previous lifetimes.

The picture is a photo of me in a boat in the middle of Nainital Lake

Sleep Direction

2010-07-18T21:22:00.000-07:00

There is a belief here that one does not get a restful sleep if the head is to the North. My bedrooms are designed in such a way that my head was to the North, and because of that or some other reason (perhaps the heat) I really was not getting a good sleep for the last two months. A few days ago, I just switched the pillow to the other side of the bed and now my head is towards the south and feet to the north while I sleep. I have slept better and had nicer, more relaxed dreams since. Perhaps it is because of the direction or perhaps there is another reason. It has been cooler because of rains over the last two days. I wonder what the precise effects are if the head is to the East or West instead. I do not buy old traditional beliefs and grandma’s cures easily. They are not validated scientifically. However I keep an open mind towards them and am willing to give them a try at all times. This is because knowledge gained through long human experience is just as valuable as knowledge gained through science. Both have their shortcomings as well as strengths. Vincent has debated a similar issue in his blog “ A Wayfarer's Notes” in more detail i.e. the traditional vs. the scientific.

photo from http://www.public-domain-image.com/

A City above the Clouds

2010-07-12T19:14:00.001-07:00

This is a picture of Nainital City showing clouds hanging below the level of some of its homes. Below the clouds at ground level is a lake and there are other home and buildings there (not shown in the picture, but the lake is visible in another picture of this blog). I put up this picture because Keiko Amano, a blogger, was fascinated by the picture of clouds in Vincent's blog.

Lovegan food is better than Vegetarian or Vegan Food

2010-07-03T22:58:00.000-07:00

Vegetarianism is the practice of not eating meat or poultry. Many forms of vegetarianism exclude the eating of fish as well. The most extreme form of vegetarianism known as veganism excludes all foods of animal origin including eggs and diary products. The basis of vegetarianism is the prevention of cruelty involved in killing animals. Land, energy and water required for producing meat and poultry are several times that for producing an equivalent amount of plant food. Thus production of meat results in greater damage to environment than the production of an equivalent amount of plant food. If farming is done organically damage to the environment is further reduced. The resulting food is healthier as well. Vegans exclude eggs and diary products from their diets because commercial production methods of milk and eggs result in cruelty to animals. However, although vegetarians and vegans help prevent cruelty to animals, they disregard the cruelty perpetuated on plant life. Farming of carrots involves killing the plant and the farming of lettuce and cabbage involves in the very least, chopping the head off. Plants are a complementary carbon dioxide breathing life form that predates oxygen-breathing animals on our planet. They have genes and chromosomes just like we do. Without them there would neither be any food nor any oxygen for us to breathe. In the opinion of this author foods that prevent or minimize violence to all life forms and the environment are better than vegetarian or vegan foods. Such foods have been termed as lovegan foods here since non-violence is an expression of love. Lovegan is a new term coined in this article. All essential nutrients required for a healthy life are available as components of lovegan food. Lovegan food is indeed far more abundant, delicious and nutritious on our planet than any other kind of food. The first thing a lovegan – a person who consumes lovegan food - can begin to include in his or her diet is milk and milk products such as yogurt and cheese, provided the milk producing cow has been reared and milked sensitively. Cows are delighted to give a portion of their milk in return for the care and protection a farmer can provide to the cow and its calf. Eggs too must be included in a lovegan diet provided the hens are allowed to roam over a restricted range. Leaving the birds completely free is not wise since it exposes them to dangers from dogs and other animals. Hens can quickly destroy any new seedlings on a farm if left completely free. Production of eggs need not involve any violence. Eggs are full of delicious low cost nutrition. They cannot be adulterated easily and take only minutes to cook. One of the most delicious salad dressing mayonnaise sauce is made from eggs and eggs are a critical component of another delicacy – cakes. A large two-egg cheese stuffed omelet accompanied by hash brown potatoes, freshly baked bread and a salad of baby spinach leaves in a sour cream and mayonnaise dressing followed by ice cream or cake makes a delightful dinner. Carrots, cabbage, lettuce etc. is definitely out as already mentioned at the beginning of this article. However, potatoes may be included provided the top growth has dried out when the potatoes are dug out. Such potatoes have a better shelf life. Spinach too may be included with ease provided the leaves are plucked selectively from a plant permitting the spinach plant to continue and go to seed and complete its life cycle. Cutting leaves off a plant can cause pain to the plant, however such pain may be no greater than that caused in a hair cut, provided that one does not try to pull the hair out simultaneously. Fruits and nuts too may be enjoyed freely by Lovegans. Similar logic will reveal that a great number of vegetarian foods can be included in a lovegan diet. We need others to join this movement and offer their suggestions for other lovegans. Lentil beans too can be included in the diet because these are harvested when the seeds have dried out. Lentil beans are inexpensive and have a long shelf life. They are wonderful to store in any kitchen especially for a rainy day. With proper cooking and spicing they can be turned into a delicious soup that does not lead to flatulence. Such cooking methods include presoaking the beans, removing the frothy starch while cooking and adding spices such as ginger, turmeric and cumin. Dry seeds are the beginning of a new life but nature has been extremely generous in this direction so that the seeds of new life (just like human sperm) are often many thousands of times in excess of that required to initiate new life. The same is true of food grains such as wheat, corn and rice. If all of these food grains produced by these latter grasses were allowed to sprout and flourish it would be the end of biodiversity on our planet. These food grains must remain an essential part of a lovegan diet. In conclusion, the essential elements of a recommended lovegan diet are the avoidance of meat, poultry, fish and other types of flesh foods. Milk and eggs from free-range small farmers are welcome. Fruits, nuts, food grains and lentil beans are great. Vegetables that do not involve destroying the entire plant are permitted but not others that involve harvesting most or all of the plant. A lovegan diet is delicious, healthy, inexpensive, and full of love for the wonderful creation of which we all are a part. A strict lovegan diet is feasible only on small farms where the hens are allowed to roam over a fenced enclosure and cows are allowed to graze freely over a pasture. Not everyone can own a farm Others can try and approach a lovegan diet. It would be too much to expect a farmer, who makes a living out of selling his produce, that he nip the leaves off his spinach and celery plants selectively like tea leaves. If he did then spinach and celery just might become as expensive as tea. In the ultimate analysis it must be realized that all food comes from life and that it is impossible to avoid all violence in the procurement and consumption of food. Just as it is a good idea to show compassion in the type of food we eat it is also good idea not to become too fanatic about what we eat. It is the duty of a human being to fully and adequately nourish his or her body in whatever way it is possible with reasonable effort. The Buddha, who was perhaps the greatest proponent of non-violence on our planet, ate non-vegetarian food from time to time during his travels when he was invited as a guest and that was the only kind of food being served. In spite of what I have written in this article, I myself consume all of the things that I have recommended against including carrots, cabbage, fish and meat, although given the choice I choose a lovegan food. We are compelled by historical practices to consume foods that we may now realize as not the best. This article is primarily for persons who rigidly follow a vegetarian or vegan diet. They may wish to rethink their position. In case a person wishes to follow a system of diet rigidly then the lovegan diet does seem to be better than a vegetarian or vegan one. For those of us who do not follow any strict discipline in diet, yet exercise reasonable care in our food choices whenever possible, we must draw consolation from the fact that all food comes from life and that if we devote some of the energy gained from food towards service to our fellow human beings and the world around us, that too is an expression of love that is sure to be appreciated by the Universal Intelligence.

Love is the basis of Life

2010-07-02T22:09:00.000-07:00

Some days ago I noticed that every time I opened the front door to my home a small bird (a red tailed bulbul) would screech frantically. At first I thought it was because she was hungry. We keep a pan to feed birds in the garden and on some mornings various common birds that live in and around my garden wait patiently for us to place some left over bread pieces in their plate or millet grains that we store especially for the birds. However, on closer examination I discovered that the screeching was not about food but about the two young bulbul chicks that had recently come into the world. An asparagus creeper hangs in the porch near my front door and hidden within its branches was the bulbul nest. The screeching was from fear that some harm may come to the chicks.

A few days later the little chicks were climbing out of the nest on to the branches. Then a couple of days ago while we were away from home we discovered that both the chicks had flown out of their nest and jumped into a small pond in the garden. One of them was dead but the other was still flapping its wings. The parents were flying around and screaming frantically. We retrieved it quickly from the pond and placed it back in the nest, while giving the other chick a decent yet mournful burial in the corner of the garden. All through the day the mother bulbul nursed the young chick while the father stood on guard nearby. By evening, the chick was climbing out of the nest once again. Most tragically though sometime later she repeated the feat and jumped into the nearby pond again and died. We buried her too, both on either side of a jasmine bush, and placed some perfumed flowers over the graves.

We were sad and wondered if we could have done more to save the little birds, perhaps by moving the nest to a safer location or even by emptying the pond. Eventually I consoled myself that these two birds were little angels that had only briefly come into the world to experience the love of their parents, and that their souls have flown back to angelic realms once again. The fact that their may be a sign or message hidden in the story for us as well has occurred to me but I have been unable to fathom that message.

Although these two birds did not survive in spite of the care showered on them by their parents as well as two inexperienced humans, those that do survive, do so because of the love and care of their parents. Without that it would be impossible in any case. That brings me to the realization that creation of higher forms of life including humans is impossible without love. It is the basis of life. That is why I do not take Darwinists seriously when they say that life evolved merely by material movements and trial and error etc. even though I agree in general with the Darwinist mechanism broadly. Much more important is the mysterious force – love – that has nothing to do with random movements of matter, but is a Higher Force that pervades the Universe.

Back to Heat and Dust

2010-06-24T21:50:00.001-07:00

I spent much of the preceding year in Nainital District in The Himalayas. It was incredibly beautiful. Now I have returned to the heat and dust of Jaipur District because I own a home here and that too has to be maintained. Fortunately, the trees and flowering bushes around the home are still lush and green so that I can fool myself occassionally (when it is not too hot) that I still live in green country.

The visit to the Himalayas assured me that Mother Earth is indeed beautiful. It is just that humans lay it on with muck from time to time due to their greed, carelessness etc. Mother earth is infinitely patient too and tolerates all this for a period eventually clearing away the ugliness, even if it is through disastrous means. The recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is an example of human activity that is doing its bit to smear the beauty of Mother Earth.Surely blessed are the humans who help to green the world and not pollute it.

The top picture of this post is me standing in front of the Governor's mansion in Nainital (Raj Bhavan). The second picture is a view of the Nainital Lake from a hill top.

A Green Army

2009-04-06T21:38:00.000-07:00

During the present economic downturn prevailing around much of the world governments have been seized with initiatives to revive economic activities and reduce unemployment. One of the proposals is large spending on new infrastructure projects. An infrastructure project worth considering appears to be the creation of a green army charged with creating new forest areas through new tree plantations as well as new water ways and lakes to support such forests. Trees can be selected to provide food, energy through wood and bio-fuels, and wood for fuel, buildings and furniture besides creating new forest lands. Such a move will meet two other urgent needs of mankind – improving climate as well as mitigating energy shortages on a sustainable basis.

It has been felt by many thinkers that the human population on earth has increased beyond desirable levels over the past several decades. This increase is a burden on the planet. Human population on the planet cannot be reduced in a hurry. The next best thing is to utilize this population to improve the planet and the best way to do it is to create large green armies around the world to undertake the task. Different regiments of the army can be posted to different areas in order to create forests and nurture them for three to five years until they are established before moving on to new areas.

At the present time although many countries are facing a shortage of fresh water, a lot of fresh water that falls on the continents flows back to the oceans in the rainy season. Creation of inland water reservoirs (lakes) and canals to bring water to these lakes will increase inland water resources as well as fish farming. A green army if created needs to engage itself in this task of enhancing fresh water resources along with tree plantations. When creating new canals over undulating land the creations of tunnels rather than lifting water must be the preferred mode since it does not require additional energy for pumping. The activities of a green army would need to be supported by a green research institute that will develop the project details for new initiatives of the green army.

In the modern world the need for traditional armies raised to engage in warfare is rapidly reducing. It is time now to change the emphasis to green armies engaged in fighting climatic degradation. If such armies are created it will undoubtedly help economic activity in a fruitful and sustainable manner.

Green Vs. Dry

2009-03-25T21:35:00.000-07:00

I have just returned from a trip to the Nainital District. All through the trip I felt far more energetic than in the city I live in presently – Jaipur. The most striking difference between the two districts is that the former is cool and green –full of lush farms, healthy trees and lush forests – whereas the latter is dry, hot and dusty full of some thorny bushes and scattered thorny trees called Bambul here. This difference is the most probable cause of the difference in energy. I think it is time for a change to Nainital District from Jaipur District and the process of making that change is underway. The change involves a challenging academic appointment, but it is of the kind that is in my area of experience and expertise and I am hoping to make a positive contribution in the region – God willing.

While living in the dry district of Jaipur, I have made humble attempts at growing as many trees as possible and encouraging others to do the same. However, unless many other persons make similar efforts a significant difference cannot be made to the area and perhaps the time has come for me to return to my childhood district.

Winters on the hills and in Nainital town itself can be very cold and harsh but fortunately, the place I intend to move to is located on the plains in Haldwani, at the foot of the hills that is neither very hot in summer nor very cold in winters and the drive up the hill is only minutes away, a place one can reach easily on weekends and holidays.

Violence - Education and the Media

2009-03-16T04:09:00.000-07:00

Recently, a violent massacre of school children in Germany by a seventeen year old former student was all over the media. It was reported that the seventeen year old had the same sort of violent media games on his computer as perpetrators of other similar massacres in the past.

However, just as on earlier occasions there has been no concrete move to ban the sale of such violent games by the concerned authorities. There is a case for banning such games and the banning of violence from other media such as TV and movies as well. The human mind is conditioned by whatever it is exposed to. Most are able to distinguish reality from games but there are others who cannot. These few are enough to perpetuate violence on others.

It is time that violence in all forms is banished from the media. There is far too much of it in society as it is. Humans can reach the next level of evolution only when they can overcome all forms of physical violence that lurks in their psyche from their animal origins. Cases of rape and road rage are a daily occurrence in most countries of the world and recently the media in India has reported the death of students in a professional college due to violence perpetuated by other students. Any form of education is of little value unless non-violence as a primary human value is inculcated. There is a need to include the teaching of non-violence in educational curricula. Schools and educational establishments that have suffered violence need to ask themselves if they had included such education in the character building programs for their students. If not, are they not partly responsible for the consequences ?

Various spiritual ideas have been discussed in this blog but the beginning of virtue is the abandonment of violence and the cultivation of the opposite virtue of compassion and universal love. Those who cannot eliminate physical violence from their behaviour must undergo therapy programs designed specifically for the purpose. Perhaps the only conditions where violence can be justified is in self defence against violence besides the violence humans are compelled to commit on the plant and animal kingdom during the production of food. There is a need to ban violent sports as well such as boxing, wrestling, bull fighting etc. At one time humans entertained themselves through far more violent fights such as in Roman Gladiator sports. Since then, extreme violence has been eliminated in sports. However, even the modern human has not fully overcome this tendency to be entertained by violence. Humans will become fully human only when they outgrow such tendencies. Until then they are undoubtedly still partly like a evolutionary lower animal, more fit for the forest rather than civilized society.

Dr. Deepak Chopra, the reknowned Spiritualist has recommended the following vow

" I Deepak Chopra, vow non-violence in my thoughts, in my speech, and in my actions. Please Join me"

He goes on to say that a vow is a sacred commitment and do that only if you are honest and sincere in your intention and then go on to encourage atleast two other persons to take that vow. That way the message will spread to millions.

Taking the vow does not mean that we will never react with anger due to old habits. It simply means that we have decided that it is a poor way to react and will make a conscious effort to change that habit. One must believe at all times that reacting with physical violence is a very poor and inhuman thing to do not just in actions, but also in speech and thoughts.