The Sea, the Mind and the Buddha

It is interesting to know the peculiar characteristics of the Sea.  Throw anything – Iron, Wood, Dead body, Glass anything at all in to the sea.  The Sea rejects them all and throw them back to its bank through its waves.  Throw Gold in to the sea it gratefully accept the gold and takes gold into the bottom and jealously guards the gold.  If one can dive deep into the sea and reaches the bottom, one can see the divine quality, glittering yellow metal there.

Mind, which is not a physical entity like the Sea, on the other hand displays contrasting characteristics.  Dive deep into the mind, and one would be horrified to see all the Shakespearean villains’ qualities like hatred, selfishness, greed, disloyalty etc., etc., lies in the bottom of the mind.  The Sea rejects all the bad things of the material world and accepts only the glowing golden divine qualities and makes life richer. Mind does quiet opposite, it makes the life miserable.

How to convert the mind to change its characteristics to make life richer?  Philosophers took the responsibility upon themselves.  You can divide philosophers into two categories.  Practical and imaginary.  Buddha represents practical philosophy while all the other philosophers represents the opposite view of Buddha and created (hypothetically) heaven and hell to make man tread the righteous path.

Go to east in search of Truth.  This is an old English saying.  This means turn to metaphysical from material philosophy.  Philosophy is the most difficult subject and much more difficult to adopt them in life.  Buddha never bothered about god, heaven or hell.  He interested himself in the ‘Present’.  He dealt with the method of training the mind.  He showed us, the common man, the easier path to attain ‘Ananda’ (the nearest word in English is Happiness).

If the nation as a whole or atleast a large number in it can inspire themselves with the spirit of Buddha and imbibe his spirit by which knowledge can flow into love and service of the people.  Truthfulness, unselfishness, compassion and service.  If we can imbibe these teachings of Buddha in our daily life we can create heaven on earth. 

Surrender to Buddha.

Buddham Sharanam Gachhami.

MahaShivaratri (The Great Night of Shiva)

 

MahaShivaratri (The Great Night of Shiva)

In India’s spiritual calendar, ‘Mahashivratri’ is one of the most significant event that falls on 24^th February, i.e. today. Festivals are scribed to different reasons and purposes of life. Lord Shiva is Adi Yogi (yogi means one who has realised the oneness of existence) i.e. Lord Shiva is the first yogi. Spiritual practices are a path to self-realization. Lord Shiva is the embodiment of non-duality. He is the cosmic dancer often portrayed as yogi deep in blissful meditation. Shiva symbolises pure consciousness.

According to Hindu mythology Parvathi (symbolising Shakti, energy) did intense penance to please Shiva. Shiva eventually weds Parvathi. MahaShivratri is the great occasion to celebrate their wedding. This occasion is shivrati(the great night of Shiva). This symbolic union is a merge of Shiva and Shakti.

Shiva is all pervading, formless yet in every form, the source and also the one who annihilates (all forms). In the trinity of creation, sustenance and destruction, Shiva is called as the force of destruction of all manifestations. Shiva is the lord of time, vanquisher of death and the ever blissful eternal one. This is why he is Adi Yogi.

The fourteenth day of every lunar month or the day before new moon is known as Shivaratri. Among all twelve Shivaratris, Maha Shivaratri that occurs in February-march of every year is the most spiritually significant one. Shiva is also adored as the epitome of compassion and quintessence of love. He is the cosmic dancer, the supreme fountain head from where flows all knowledge of dance, music and art.

Mahashivratri offers a person an opportunity to experience ‘oneness’ that is nondual existence in the creation. 

Experiment in Thought

The philosophical zombie is a thought experiment that helps us to think about consciousness.   A philosophical zombie in the philosophy of mind and a perception is a hypothetical being that is indistinguishable from a normal human being except it lacks conscious experience.

Read on. 

Does conscious experience exist in this world?   According to physicalism, all that exists in our world including consciousness is physical.   A metaphysically possible world in which all physical facts are same as those of the actual world except consciousness.   This is a zombie world.   Philosophical zombies are used in thought experiments and primarily used to argue against specific types of physicalism such as behaviourism, according to which mental states exist as behaviour, belief, thought and consciousness.

If consciousness is nothing more than the functions of the brain, and the body, then the zombies cannot exist.   Anything that can carry out all usual functions of speaking, thinking and acting wold have to be conscious like any of us says psychologist Susanne Blackmore. The psychologist continues that consciousness is separate from the brain and its functions.  Hence philosophical zombie exists or can be created.

Nobel laureate Francis Crick says there are zombie modes in the human brain.   For example sleep walking or when you nodded your head just then.   That was a zombie response.

If a person looks and talks like any of us but does not have a subjective experience at all, he is just a machine.   This is philosophers’ zombie- a being entirely lacking consciousness.

A very tough subject to understand and is very confusing too.

Philosophy often makes us upside  down.

104 SATELLITES !

Amazing.  In Sriharikota at 10am on Wednesday, the 15^th February 2017, Indian Space Program made History by successfully deploying as many as 104 satellites in Orbit- a feet not accomplished by any other country so far.  It began at 9.28 am with a thunderous lift off of the advanced version of four stage Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (P.S.L.V.) designated as PS C-37 at Satish Bhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.  ISRO’s previous highest was 20.  Russia had recorded 37 Satellites.  Now ISRO had broken all records by sending 104 Satellites launched using a single rocket.

104 Satellites consisted of 3 Indian Satellites of 714 Kg cartosak-2 series Satellites along with 2 other Indian satellites and 101 International co passengers which were Nano and Micro Satellites.  The total weight of all the 104 Satellites was 1378kgs.  This is the real space race.  With this India emerged as a ‘Key Player’ in a growing global commercial market for space based surveillance and commercial category.

New York Times said by sending a flock of 104 Satellites into space ISRO established India as a ‘Key Player’ in a growing commercial market for space based programs.  ISRO is now looking at an orbiter to Venus, besides a second mission to Mars with its MOM mission. The Orbiter to Venus will be the true qualitative quantum leap to whip up scientific excitement. 

As a world leader in inter planetary exploration including landing a rover on Mars, Masa’s willingness to collaborate signals is the ultimate acceptance of Isro’s premier position as a technology to explore the vast expanse of space and to do so without letting cost go through the roof.  ISRO can boast of even greater qualitative achievements, besides its excellent safety records with PSLV making it the world’s most reliable launch vessel. 

India Salutes our scientists.

Martyr Galileo

Galileo brought a major scientific revolution in the seventeenth century.  Until then the Roman Catholic Church subscribed to the Ptolemaic model which placed the earth at the centre of the universe.   Galileo’s discovery of the telescope enabled him to confirm his support to heliocentrism that put sun at the centre of the universe.

Galileo was born on fifteenth February 1564 in Italy.  Today is his birthday.   A  happy day for the scientific world and the happiest day for the general public.  Galileo has been called ‘the father of observational astronomy’ ‘the father of modern physics’ and ‘the father of scientific method’.  His contributions to observational astronomy includes the telescopic confirmation of heliocentrism.

He wrote a book called ‘Dialogue: concerning the two chief world system’ and boldly made his arguments in favour of heliocentrism which infuriated the church. The church couldn’t stomach Galileo’s observation that the earth and the other planets orbit the sun.  Whereas the church believed that the sun and the other planets orbit the earth.  Galileo was sentenced to house arrest.

The church was very strong and science was very weak at that time. Mathematician Blordano was condemned as heretic (those who were against the church’s beliefs) and was burned by the church.  To avoid Blordano’s fate, Galileo gave the church undertaking that he would remove from the minds of all the faithful Christians this strong suspicion. Galileo remained in the house arrest until his death on eighth January 1642.

In 1992, Pope John Paul has acknowledged that the church had erred in condemning Galileo.  The pope’s address closed the probe into church’s condemnation of Galileo in 1663 and put an end to one of the history’s most notorious conflicts between faith and science.

Science triumphed.  So also Galileo triumphed.

Happy birth anniversary monsieur Galileo.

‘MEDITATIONS’

There is a saying in English.  ‘Truth is stranger than fiction’.  The book ‘Meditation’is both truth and fiction.  Strangely this book is not intended to be published or to be a book.  Roman emperor Marcus Aurellus wrote this book in 2^nd Century.  Emperor ever intended this writings to be published and the book has no official title.  These writings take the forms of quotations varying in length from one sentence to a long paragraph.  The book is written in Greek language.  ‘The Meditations is divided in to 12 books that chronicle different periods of Emperor’s life.  This writing is for Emperor’s self.

The greatness of the book lies in the fact that former Indian Governor General C Rajagopalachari who was very much impressed by this 2^nd century book and translated it into Tamil language.  This book is also a favourite book of former American president Bill Clinton who reads and rereads this every year. 

2^nd Century was the time even lay persons practiced philosophy.  The contents of the book were composed not as a record of Emperor’s thought or to enlighten others, but for his own use, a means of practicing and reinforcing his own philosophical convictions.  While ancient philosophy had its academic side, it was not merely a subject to write or argue about, but one that was expected to provide a ‘Design for living’.  A set of guidelines to live one’s life.

How to calm the mind?  Philosophy of Stoicism underlines the method and it is founded by Master Zeno, which trains us to achieve the calmness of mind.  This philosophy resembles eastern philosophy.

‘Time is a river, a violent current of events, glimpsed once and already carried past us and another follows and is gone’ says the Emperor in the ‘Meditations’. 

Emperor’s stoic involves avoiding indulgence in sensory affections, a skill which will free man from pain and pleasures of the material world. 

This allows one to rise above faulty perceptions of ‘good’ and ‘bad’.

Argonauts

Argonauts were a band of heroes in Greek Mythology.   In 1945 in the black sea region, the leaders of the US, UK, and the Soviet Union met to discuss the final phase of the World War II against Germany.  This conference was codenamed ‘Argonauts’ after heroes in Greek Mythology.

It was the ending phase of the World War II.  Germany was losing the war.  But Japan was still resisting the allied forces.  Winston Churchill thought that the Soviet Union should be roped in to defeat Japan.  Along with the US President, Franklin Roosevelt, Churchill discussed the strategy to defeat Japan with Joseph Stalin, the condition under which the soviets would enter the war against Japan.  They also discussed the future about Poland.

They further discussed that free elections were to be held in the eastern countries of Europe.  The national unity would be set up comprising both non-communists and communists.  This would be the governments of national unity.   However Stalin didn’t keep his promise and arrested non-communist polish leaders.  The eastern European countries became the soviet satellite countries.

Throughout the war, conferences after conferences were held and during the end of the war, many surprising changes took place.  The American president Roosevelt died in April 1945 and the vice-president Harry S Truman assumed the presidency and was in charge of the US at conferences.

Surprising changes took place in UK too.   Winston Churchill’s party lost the elections in the UK.  Britain had a new Prime Minister Clement Atlee.  Germany was defeated and Japan surrendered.  History kept changing.  After the defeat of the Nazi Germany, world experienced a different type of tension ‘cold war’.  For nearly half a century cold war took the world to the brink of world war III on two or three occasions.  History took another turn.  In the year 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed and America became the only super power.  Of late, in the latter part of the twenty-first century, Russia is slowly rising its head again to challenge the only super power America. Hence tension continues.

Need of the hour is fresh Argonauts to keep the world peace intact.

Clare Hollingworth

Clare Hollingworth (1911 – 2017) was the first War Correspondent who reported the outbreak of the world war II.  This report was described as the Scoop of the century.  As a war correspondent she drove into Germany across a closed border. On her way back she noticed a large screen that prevented people from seeing the valley below.  The wind blew the screen away and there she saw German tanks lined up to enter Poland.  This is how Hollingworth broke the news of the world war II to the world.

In the world of journalism, a scoop is an item of news reported by one journalist before others reported the same news item.  The news must be of originality which contains surprise element and excitement.  Scoops are part of lore and confirms prestige on the journalist.  Scoop means to beat others in reporting first.  Scoops are Important and likely to interest many people.  News items must be unexpected, surprising and hitherto a secret one. 

Hollingworth was one of the most active war correspondent of the 20^th century.  She lived 105 years.  Even when she was 79 years old, Hollingworth hoped that she would be invited to cover the Gulf war.  This Gulf war was one of the few conflicts that she missed.  She had witnessed the war in Vietnam, The Middle East, India and Pakistan.  “If you put me in a rickety life, I would be terrified.  I do not feel frightened under machine gun fire.  The exhitement of the job overcomes it”. 

Hollingworth reported on Algerian conflict in 1950s.  During her stay there her house was ransacked by terrorists who did not ‘like’ the stories that she was reporting.  When she was Daily Telegraph’s correspondent in China in 1989 she saw the tragedy of Tiananmen Square.

Hollingworth showed an early interest in becoming a writer against opposition from her mother.  She started to write articles on a freelance basis in 1939.  She was selected to fight the Parliamentary seat for the labor party.  Outbreak of world war led to the suspension of the election.  She was the first correspondent to interview Shah of Iran.  She retired in 1981.

Hollingworth won, Woman Journalist of the year award in 1994 for reporting of the civil war in Algeria.She received life time achievement award from UK television program.  In 1982.She was made an officer of the order of the British Empire for services to journalism.

Hollingworth made journalism proud.  Journalism made Hollingworth proud.

Nineteen Eighty-four

George Orwell was an English writer of the twentieth century who specialised in satirical fictions. He wrote the novel “Nineteen Eighty-four” in between the periods he spent in the hospital. The novel was published in 1949 and was widely viewed as an attack on totalitarian regimes. To describe a state of affairs as “Orwellian” is to imply crushing tyranny and fear. After the publication of the novel, Orwell said human resistance to oppression is unquestionable.

The novel is set in Great Britain, a world of perpetual wars, omnipresent government surveillance and public manipulation. The super state and its residents are dictated by political regime of tyranny. The super state is under the control of the privileged elite of the inner party, a party and the government that persecutes individualism and independent thinking as ‘thought crime’. The tyranny is ostensibly overseen by Big Brother the party leader who enjoys an intense cult of personality but who may not even exist. The party seeks its power for its own sake. It is not interested in the good of others. Winston smith is a member of the outer party but secretly hates the party and dreams of rebellion against Big Brother.

Nineteen Eighty-four is a literary political fiction. The novel popularized the adjective ‘Orwellian’ which describes official deception, secret surveillance and manipulation of recorded history by an authoritarian state.

Why does Orwell matter today? There are authoritarian states and the states who go under the label of democracy.

In Turkey, journalists are imprisoned.                                                                                         In Iran, they shoot demonstrators.

In Saudi Arabia, political parties are banned.                                                                           The recently elected American president Donald Trump ordered ‘Travel Ban’.

Newspapers have described this as Orwellian order.                                                                       

Orwell’s importance derives from the extraordinary salience of the subjects he took on. In 1936, Orwell went to Spain to fight for the republicans in civil wars provoked by Francisco. In the year 2005 the novel Nineteen Eighty-four was chosen by Time magazine as one of the 100 best English language novels from 1923 to 2005.

Orwell asks his readers to fight authoritarian rulers wherever they exist. For democracy and our individual freedom we must fight and keep fighting.

“There is a crime behind every wealth”

‘Oxfam’ a reputed international organisation conducted a study regarding the disparity between the rich and the poor across the world.  ‘Oxfam’s revelations are shocking.  The organisation says just 8 individual billionaires have as much wealth as the poorest 50% of the world’s population. 58% of the total wealth in India was in the hands of just 1% of the population or 84 billionaires collectively held 248 billion dollars of the total Indian wealth of 3.1 trillion dollars.  What was worst poorest 10% of the population in India, China and some other Asian countries saw their share of income fall by more than 15% while the rich made a corresponding gain.  This is the figure given by ‘Oxfam’ for the year 2015.

‘Oxfam’s study brings to our mind an old English saying ‘There is a crime behind every Wealth’.  After freedom Gandhiji had said that without economic freedom political freedom has no meaning.  In India nearly 35% of the population were living under below poverty line.  Living below poverty line means an entire family’s income per day was Rs.2.  This was the position in the early India.  Has the situation being improved since then?  Even today around 25% of the population (though government may question this figure) are living under poverty line.  Now the entire family’s daily income is Rs.12.  Rich are getting richer and poor are getting poorer.  Even today out of 3 persons 1 person lives in poverty and goes to bed in empty stomach.

After 1990, i.e., after the demise of Soviet Union, capitalism has engulfed the entire world.  Capitalism has no human face.  Free market is the big boss now.  Gulf between rich and poor keeps widening.  One need not be a Marxist to say this.  National cake is not being distributed equitably.  Most countries have shed their moral responsibilities to the majority of the people who put them in power.

Wheel which seems to have stopped turning in 1990 has slowly started turning again to complete the circle.  Perhaps this is the nature’s way of writing the wrong.  After Brexit and Trump’s victory in America many countries are returning to Nationalism signifying the end of globalisation.