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Aum Gung Ganapathaye Namah
Namo tassa bhagavato arahato samma-sambuddhassa
Homage to The Blessed One, Accomplished and Fully Enlightened
In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
Energy The Invisible Living Lord
An Online Book on Ascetism, Celibacy and Evolution
References
(Revised: Wednesday, January 12, 2005)
References Edited by
Praise the Buddha
What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.
- William Shakespeare
Copyright © 2002-2010 Praise the Buddha
The following educational writings are STRICTLY for academic research purposes ONLY.
Should NOT be used for commercial, political or any other purposes.
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8 "... Freely you received, freely give”.
- Matthew 10:8 :: New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Offer unto Me all thy work and rest thy mind on the Supreme. Perform thy work as an offering to Me...
- Lord Krishna to Arjuna in The Gita expounding Nishkama Karma
14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
- Matthew 24:14 :: King James Version (KJV)
36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
- Matthew 24:36 :: King James Version (KJV)
If One By Land and If Two By Sea.
- Anonymous
The greatest purifier ever: Fire
Contents
Color Code
A Brief Word on Copyright
References
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A Brief Word on Copyright
Many of the articles whose educational copies are given below are copyrighted by their respective authors as well as the respective publishers. Some contain messages of warning, as follows:
Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of “so and so”.
According to the concept of “fair use” in US copyright Law,
The reproduction, redistribution and/or exploitation of any materials and/or content (data, text, images, marks or logos) for personal or commercial gain is not permitted. Provided the source is cited, personal, educational and non-commercial use (as defined by fair use in US copyright law) is permitted.
Moreover,
• This is a religious educational website.
o In the name of the Lord, with the invisible Lord as the witness.
• No commercial/business/political use of the following material.
• Just like student notes for research purposes, the writings of the other children of the Lord, are given as it is, with student highlights and coloring. Proper respects and due referencing are attributed to the relevant authors/publishers.
I believe that satisfies the conditions for copyright and non-plagiarism.
• Also, from observation, any material published on the internet naturally gets read/copied even if conditions are maintained. If somebody is too strict with copyright and hold on to knowledge, then it is better not to publish “openly” onto the internet or put the article under “pay to refer” scheme.
• I came across the articles “freely”. So I re-publish them freely with added student notes and review with due referencing to the parent link, without any personal monetary gain. My purpose is only to educate other children of the Lord on certain concepts, which I believe are beneficial for “Oneness”.
References
Some of the links may not be active (de-activated) due to various reasons, like removal of the concerned information from the source database. So an educational copy is also provided, along with the link.
If the link is active, do cross-check/validate/confirm the educational copy of the article provided along.
1. If the link is not active, then try to procure a hard copy of the article, if possible, based on the reference citation provided, from a nearest library or where-ever, for cross-checking/validation/confirmation.
References
1. Namo tassa, bhagavato, arahato, samma-sambudhassa
(Reference: Namo tassa, bhagavato, arahato, samma-sambudhassa.)
Namo tassa, bhagavato, arahato, samma-sambudhassa
I have been asked several times what this phrase means.
It is one of the commonest Buddhist affirmations, found all over the Buddhist world. It is in a language of Northern Indian origin called Pali, which may be similar to that spoken by Siddharta Gotama, the historical Buddha. Each word has many shades of meaning, but whatever particular flavour is chosen the message is clear:
I do this with deep respect for the wise one, who conquered all obstacles, the perfectly self-enlightened Buddha.
2. Horne, Wayne Van. (April 2001) Sacred Warriors: A Comparative Analysis of the Medieval Religious Military Orders of Europe and Japan.
(Reference: Horne, Wayne Van. (April 2001) Sacred Warriors: A Comparative Analysis of the Medieval Religious Military Orders of Europe and Japan.)
3. The Paradise of the Desert Fathers.
(Reference: The Paradise of the Desert Fathers.)
Joy
Sayings:
Amma Syncletica said, "In the beginning there are a great many battles and a good deal of suffering for those who are advancing towards God and, afterwards, ineffable joy. It is like those who wish to light a fire. At first they are choked with smoke and cry, until they obtain what they seek. As it is written, "Our God is a consuming fire" (Hebrews 12:24); so we also must kindle the divine fire in ourselves through tears and hard work."
Abba Hyperichius said, "Praise God continually with spiritual hymns and always remain in meditation and in this way you will be able to bear the burden of the temptations that come upon you. A traveller who is carrying a heavy load pauses from time to time and draws in deep breaths; it makes the journey easier and the burden lighter."
Prayer
Sayings:
They asked abba Macarius, "How should we pray?" And the old man replied, "There is no need to speak much in prayer; often stretch out your hands and say, "Lord, as you will and as you know, have mercy on me." But if there is war in your soul, add, “Help me!” and because he knows what we need, he shows mercy on us."
Abba Lot went to see abba Joseph and he said to him, "Abba, as far as I can, I say my little office, I fast a little, I pray and meditate, I live in peace and as far as I can I purify my thoughts. What else can I do?" Then the old man stood up and stretched his hands toward heaven; his fingers became like ten lamps of fire and he said to him, "If you will, you can become all flame."
Abba Paul said, "Keep close to Jesus."
4. Homer. (Translated by Samuel Butler) The Iliad. Orange Street Press Classics. eBook Size: 1.3M. Pages: 495.
(Download)
(Reference: Homer. (Translated by Samuel Butler) The Iliad. Orange Street Press Classics.)
5. Homer. (Translated by Samuel Butler) The Odyssey. Orange Street Press Classics. eBook Size: 797k. Pages: 301.
(Download)
(Reference: Homer. (Translated by Samuel Butler) The Odyssey. Orange Street Press Classics.)
6. Alev, Simeon. What the Buddha Taught - An Interview with Bhante Henepola Gunaratana. What Is Enlightenment? Magazine. Issue 13.
(Reference: Alev, Simeon.
What the Buddha Taught - An Interview with Bhante Henepola Gunaratana. What Is Enlightenment? Magazine. Issue 13.)
7. Samanera , Sumana. (1983) Going Forth (Pabbajja) - A Call to Buddhist Monkhood - An Essay, and Letters on Buddhism. The Wheel Publication No. 27/28. 103k size. Kandy, Sri Lanka: Buddhist Publication Society. Pages: 34.
(Reference: Samanera , Sumana. (1983) Going Forth (Pabbajja) - A Call to Buddhist Monkhood - An Essay, and Letters on Buddhism. The Wheel Publication No. 27/28. 103k size. Kandy, Sri Lanka: Buddhist Publication Society.)
8. Venerable Piyadassi Thera (1987) The Buddha's Ancient Path. (3rd Reprint) Kandy, Sri Lanka: Buddhist Publication Society; Taipei, Taiwan:The Corporate Body of the Buddha Educational Foundation. ISBN: 955-24-0024-4. Pages: 239
(Reference: Venerable Piyadassi Thera (1987) The Buddha's Ancient Path. (3rd Reprint) Kandy, Sri Lanka: Buddhist Publication Society; Taipei, Taiwan:The Corporate Body of the Buddha Educational Foundation.)
9. Vedanta, the Sacred and Ancient Wisdom of the Vedas.
(Reference: Vedanta, the Sacred and Ancient Wisdom of the Vedas.)
10. The Mystic Missal - A Door to Ways and Means on the Spiritual Path: Ramana Maharshi, Who Am I? (Nan Yar?)
(Reference: The Mystic Missal - A Door to Ways and Means on the Spiritual Path: Ramana Maharshi, Who Am I? (Nan Yar?))
See everyone as an extension of yourself.
Before meditation, thank your "enemies". Love them. Pretty soon you find it harder to hate anyone as an enemy.
11. Thanissaro Bhikkhu. (Translated from the Pali) Udana V.3, Kutthi Sutta, The Leper.
(Reference: Thanissaro Bhikkhu. (Translated from the Pali)
Udana V.3, Kutthi Sutta, The Leper. .)
12. Why Ghosts and Spirits Possess Enhanced Powers on Six Days Each Month
(Reference:
Why Ghosts and Spirits Possess Enhanced Powers on Six Days Each Month.)
13. The Patient Rishi and the King of Kalinga
(Reference: The Patient Rishi and the King of Kalinga.)
14. Cultivate the Buddhahood within
(Reference: Cultivate the Buddhahood within.)
15. The LAW's Hall of Horror.
(Reference: The LAW's Hall of Horror.)
Capital punishment itself is as old as humanity. The Babylons, Hammurabi, decreed the death penalty for crimes as minor as the fraudulent sale of beer. Egyptians were killed as punishment for disclosing sacred burial places.
The Romans inflicted capital punishment by pushing the accused from a high cliff. Crucifixion, such as that inflicted on Jesus Christ, was another popular form of punishment. The idea was to nail the convict to the cross and to let them die slowly, from asphyxiation, shock and heart failure.
The Romans dealt with those guilty of parricide in a unique fashion. There, the convict was sewn up into a leather sack with an animal and thrown out to sea (animal was included so that, in its attempts to escape, the criminal would be torn apart by its claws. For this reason, a dog, cat or chicken was preferred). The penalty for declaring bankruptcy was slavery or being cut to pieces; the option being with the creditor.
There was no letup during the Middle Ages, where convicts were crushed under heavy stones or burned at the stake. Between the years 1500 and 1550 alone, over 70,000 state executions were carried out in England alone. As late as 1780, the British criminal law contained over 350 offences for which the punishment was death.
Eighteen hundred and seventy marked the end of the last vestige of barbaric punishment in England. At that time, the time-honored punishment of being drawn and quartered was struck from the law books as the government's response to treason. Following conviction on the charge of treason, it was ordered that the prisoner be hanged from the neck and then cut down alive. His stomach was cut open and his intestines were pulled out and burned before his eyes, while he was still alive. Then his head was cut off and his body cut into four pieces. It was a custom to stick the heads of the dead on posts as a reminder and deterrent to others that may be inclined towards crime.
On eye-witness wrote, in October 13, 1660, that he "went out to Charing Cross to see Major Harrison hanged, drawn and quartered, which was done there, he looking as cheerful as any man could do in that condition. He was presently cut down and his head and heart shown to the people, at which there was great shouts of joy."
The English law treated women differently for treason. They were burned alive.
Another English punishment, which prevailed during the reign of Henry VIII, was being boiled alive.
French law was no better. Burning at the stake was common. In carrying out the official court sentence of the assassin of Henri IV, the murderer's skin was torn off his chest, arms and legs with red hot pinchers. The arm with which he had killed the King was burnt off and molten lead was poured onto the wounds. Finally, his body was torn apart by a team of four horses.
The pillory was a device that was used for hundreds of years. With it, a prisoner's head and limbs were pinned between planks of wood in the middle of the town square. Passers-by were invited to assault the prisoner or to throw things at the prisoner's head. One lady, in 1732, was convicted of inciting another to poison a man. She was sentenced to two days in the pillory. She barely survived the first day. She was pelted with eggs and other projectiles. On the second day, the guards found it difficult to get her head through the opening and, removing her head-dress, they found she had fashioned a concealed bowl to shield her skull. They removed it but it incited the crowd even more. According to eyewitnesses, she was pelted until her head bled profusely and only then did the crowd subside. She survived.
Conviction of a charge of forgery meant that a person had his ears cut off and his nostrils slit while in the pillory. The pillory was finally abolished in 1837.
The British had a special punishment for those who refused to plead one way or another in the face of a felony charge. Their bodies were pressed by great weights until they either agreed to plead or they died. The penalty was called peine forte et dure. The prisoner was laid on the floor naked and his hands and feet were tied up and stretched in opposite directions, towards the four corners of the room. A board was laid on his chest. On the board, weights were laid. More weight was added "till he die or answer." This form of punishment lasted from 1406 to 1772.
16. False Gurus and Siddhis (Occult or Supernatural Powers)
(Reference: False Gurus and Siddhis (Occult or Supernatural Powers))
17. Yaksha Prashna (The Questions of the Yaksha), Mahabharata
(Reference: Yaksha Prashna (The Questions of the Yaksha), Mahabharata.)
18. Thanissaro Bhikkhu (Geoffrey DeGraff). The Buddhist Monastic Code Volume I: The Patimokkha Training Rules Translated & Explained.
(Reference: Thanissaro Bhikkhu (Geoffrey DeGraff). The Buddhist Monastic Code Volume I: The Patimokkha Training Rules Translated & Explained. .)
Why should one have knowledge of the higher rules of training?
“Dhamma-Vinaya was the Buddha's own name for the religion he founded. Dhamma -- the truth -- is what he discovered and pointed out as advice for all who want to gain release from suffering. Vinaya -- discipline -- is what he formulated as rules, ideals, and standards of behavior for those of his followers who went forth from home life to take up the quest for release in greater earnestness. …Dhamma and Vinaya in practice function only together. Neither without the other can attain the desired goal. In theory they may be separate, but in the person who practices them they merge as qualities developed in the mind and character.
Ultimately, the Buddha said, just as the sea has a single taste, that of salt, so too the Dhamma and Vinaya have a single taste: that of release.”
19. The Reproductive System
(Reference: The Reproductive System.)
20. Karen Rae Keck, On the Life of Mary Magdalene.
(Reference: Karen Rae Keck, On the Life of Mary Magdalene.)
21. Mary Magdalene.
(Reference: Mary Magdalene.)
22. AUM
(Reference: AUM.)
23. Swami Shivom Tirth Ashram Inc.
(Reference: Swami Shivom Tirth Ashram Inc.)
24. Moses on Mt Nebo.
(Reference: Moses on Mt Nebo.)
“Success or failure is not measured in the end by the surface accomplishments of a person's life, but by the quality of spirit to which he or she has attained in and through his struggles. What matters in the end is not success or failure, but the character that has been won out of both, and especially out of failure. We are prone to be obsessed with the outward appearance of a person's life. That is not what God looks at. God looks on the heart. It is by how the heart is growing, not how the record is growing, that He rates us. The whole point of life as God ordained it is that out of it all, success and failure alike, there should be fashioned in us a heart 'far gone in readiness for Him.'”
“…"Men are looking for a better life; God is looking for better men." (E. M. Bounds) We aspire to success in outward achievements; God's successes are in the soul, and often God wins His successes in a person's soul precisely when, and even because, the outward shell of their life is in ruins. It is out of tragedy that men grow big, not out of comedy!”
“…What does it matter whether we end up a distinguished celebrity or an insignificant nobody? What does it matter whether we have realised 8% or 80% of our youthful dreams? What does it matter if we lead Israel into Canaan, or die with the glory given to another? What does all that matter so long as we have, in it all and through it all, learned the simplicity and serenity of a spirit rooted in God ... so long as we are finally conformed to the image of the Son of God, who said at His life's outwardly ruinous end, "It is finished. Father into Thy hands I commit my spirit."
We may pour some Christian content into Kipling's familiar lines: "If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster, and treat those two imposters just the same ... you'll be a man, my son."”
(material quoted without permission)
25. Pirsig, Robert M. (1984) Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. New York, USA: Bantam Books. ISBN: 0-553-27747-2. Pages: 380.
(Reference: Pirsig, Robert M. (1984) Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. New York, USA: Bantam Books.)
26. Sheikh Nefzaoui. (Translated by Sir Richard Burton). (1886) The Perfumed Garden.
(Reference: Sheikh Nefzaoui. (Translated by Sir Richard Burton). (1886)
The Perfumed Garden.)
“…the book contains much useful information and a large number of curious cases, and I have undertaken the translation because, as the Sheikh Nefzaoui says in his preamble: `I swear before God, certainly! the knowledge of this book is necessary. It will be only the shamefully ignorant, the enemy of all science, who does not read it, or who turns it into ridicule.'
One should have knowledge of both sides of a coin to achieve Perfection. Yes, the contents may be taboo, but if you are ignorant of the other side, it is easy for you to walk into a trap. Prevention is always better than cure. So, be MATURE.
WARNING: BEWARE!!!
The above book is the exact opposite of the path of Celibacy. Those who read the above book should read and understand the given concepts only in extremely controlled circumstances. WARNING REPEATED!!!
True, the book contents are offered to the Lord.
What does it contain?
It is a sex manual. “The Kama-sutra of the Desert”. Highly popular among the Arabs. Ideal as a tantric sex guide/text.
• Since intake of excess energy, in the form of food, becomes a major impediment for mental training, it is worth to know why the following finer staple foods, i.e., ghee, fresh butter, oil, honey, sugar/molasses, fish, meat, milk, and curds are officially banned. Eggs also to be included. (Reference: 18)
• To be on the practical side, which all this hardship to conserve seminal energy? Why shouldn’t it be wasted?
The above two relevant questions are answered in this book.
Read and understand the book. However, the implementation of the book’s contents are STRICTLY PROHIBITED for those on the path of Purity and Perfection.
…I went to visit Abou Nouass again, and informed him of all that had happened. He was surprised and stupefied, and his first words were, `O Djoâidi, you can have neither authority nor power over such a woman, and she would make you do penance for all the pleasure you have had with other women!'
However, Fadehat el Djemal proposed to me to become her legitimate husband, in order to put a stop to the vexatious rumours that were circulating about her conduct. I, on the other hand, was only on the look out for adultery. Asking the advice of Abou Nouass about it, he told me, `If you marry Fadehat el Djemal you will ruin your health, and God will withdraw his protection from you, and the worst of all will be that she will cuckold you, for she is insatiable with respect to the coitus, and would cover you with shame.' And I answered him, `Such is the nature of women; they are insatiable as far as their vulvas are concerned, and so long as their lust is satisfied they do not care whether it be with a buffoon, a negro, a valet, or even with a man that is despised and reprobated by society.'
On this occasion Abou Nouass depicted the character of women in the following verses:
Women are demons, and were born as such; No one can trust them, as is known to all; If they love a man, it is only out of caprice; And he to whom they are most cruel loves them most; Beings full of treachery and trickery, I aver The man that loves you truly is a lost man; He who believes me not can prove my word By letting woman's love get hold of him for years! If in your own generous mood you have given them Your all and everything for years and years, They will say afterwards, `I swear by God! My eyes Have never seen a thing he gave me!' After you have impoverished yourself for their sake, their cry from day to day will be for ever, `Give! Give, Man. Get up and buy and borrow.' If they cannot profit by you they'll turn against you; they will tell lies about you and calumniate you. They do not recoil to use a slave in the master's absence, if once their passions are aroused, and they play tricks; Assuredly, if once their vulva is in rut, They only think of getting in some member in erection. Preserve us, God! from woman's trickery; And of old women in particular. So be it.
27. Mabel Collins (1973) The Idyll of the White Lotus. (9th Reprint) Adyar, Madras, India: The Theosophical Publishing House. ISBN: 0-8356-7326-X. Pages: 152
(Reference: Mabel Collins (1973) The Idyll of the White Lotus. (9th Reprint) Adyar, Madras, India: The Theosophical Publishing House.)
Did Man’s life in this planet, Earth start only with the coming of Jesus Christ around 2000 years back?
Archeological evidence indicate, NO. For thousands and thousands of years, Man lived in this planet.
There came many a Jesus before Jesus Christ of Bethlehem. Many a Buddha came before the Buddha of Kapilavastu. Many a Thirthankara came before Mahavira. Many a Krishna came before the Krishna of Dwaraka, the Lord behind the Mahabharata war.
“…the Lord informs Arjuna that this system of yoga, the Bhagavad-gita, was first spoken to the sun-god, and the sun-god explained it to Manu, and Manu explained it to Iksvaku, and in that way, by disciplic succession, one speaker after another, this yoga system has been coming down. But in the course of time it has become lost. Consequently the Lord has to speak it again, this time to Arjuna on the Battlefield of Kuruksetra.” - The Bhagavad-gita, Introduction
Many a Rama came before the Rama of Ayodhya, the hero of Ramayana. Many a prophet came before Prophet Mohammad. Many came, many left, many yet to come.
The Idyll of the White Lotus portrays the spiritual life of a highly advanced Adept who came a long time before Jesus Christ - his trials, his pitfalls, his redemption – by the Divine Goddess/Mother.
Worth reading and understanding.
28. Gayatri Mantra
(Reference: Gayatri Mantra.)
29. Is there a Devil in Hinduism and what is the devil in Hinduism?
(Reference: Is there a Devil in Hinduism and what is the devil in Hinduism?)
30. If Gayatri is a powerful mantra why should not it be recited during meditation?
(Reference:
If Gayatri is a powerful mantra why should not it be recited during meditation?)
“The use of rosary beads (108 in number) and the repetition of a mantra hundreds, thousands, or even millions of times during japa is considered a type of sacrifice. It is considered useful in that it focuses the mind or even empties the mind to bring calm.”
31. Demonic Possession
(Reference: Demonic Possession.)
32. Which Religion?
(Reference: Which Religion?)
33. Satan: Later History: 100 Ce To Present-Day
(Reference: Satan: Later History: 100 Ce To Present-Day.)
34. Hatred & Misinformation Against Wiccans And Other Neopagans
(Reference: Hatred & Misinformation Against Wiccans And Other Neopagans.)
35. Ali, Luqman. Shari'ah (Islamic Law).
(Reference: Ali, Luqman. Shari'ah (Islamic Law).)
36. Rogers, John J. W. and Feiss, P. Geoffrey. (April 1998) People and the Earth :Basic Issues in the Sustainability of Resources and Environment. (1/e.) Cambridge University Press. ISBN: 0521568722. Pages: 350. PaperBack.
(Reference: Rogers, John J. W. and Feiss, P. Geoffrey. (April 1998) People and the Earth :Basic Issues in the Sustainability of Resources and Environment. (1/e.) Cambridge University Press.)
37. Victoria Combe (Saturday, July 06, 2002) Christianity 'is nearly vanquished' in Britain. UK: The Telegraph.
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(Reference: Victoria Combe (Saturday, July 06, 2002)
Christianity 'is nearly vanquished' in Britain. UK: The Telegraph.)
“I have just returned from Uganda and there's more Christianity there than there is here”
38. Maududi, Syed A'la. Introduction to Surah 1.
(Reference: Maududi, Syed A'la. Introduction to Surah 1.)
39. Quick, Dr. Abdullah Hakim. (August 1997) Seeking the Inner Muslim.
(Reference: Quick, Dr. Abdullah Hakim. (August 1997) Seeking the Inner Muslim.)
…the Prophet (pbuh) was visited by the Angel Jibril and asked about Islam and Iman. He was also questioned about Ihsan (righteousness). The Prophet's response was that "Ihsan is to worship Allah as though you see Him and if you cannot do this, then worship Him as though He sees you."
The Prophet (pbuh) once said to one of his companions, "Say, I believe in Allah, and then be upright."
…the Prophet has informed us, "Haste is from the Shaitan."
…may Allah help us to embody the words and warnings of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) who left us in an authentic hadith reported in Al-Tirmidhi: "Two characteristics are not found together in a hypocrite: good manners and understanding of religion (fiqh fi-Din)."
40. Vaishna Symbols
(Reference: Vaishna Symbols.)
41. Vamana, The Young Bachelor
(Reference: Vamana, The Young Bachelor.)
42. Dr. (Mrs.) L.S. Dewaraja. (1981) The Position of Women in Buddhism. - The Wheel Publication No. 280. Kandy, Sri Lanka: Buddhist Publication Society. eBook Size: 39k. Pages: 13.
(Reference: Dr. (Mrs.) L.S. Dewaraja. (1981) The Position of Women in Buddhism. - The Wheel Publication No. 280. Kandy, Sri Lanka: Buddhist Publication Society.)
43. Hecker, Hellmuth. (Translated by Sister Khema) (1982) Buddhist Women at the Time of The Buddha. - The Wheel Publication No. 292/29. Kandy, Sri Lanka: Buddhist Publication Society. eBook Size: 106k. Pages: 35.
(Reference: Hecker, Hellmuth. (Translated by Sister Khema) (1982)
Buddhist Women at the Time of The Buddha. - The Wheel Publication No. 292/29. Kandy, Sri Lanka: Buddhist Publication Society.)
44. Jootla, Susan Elbaum. (1988) Inspiration from Enlightened Nuns. - The Wheel Publication No. 349/350. Kandy, Sri Lanka: Buddhist Publication Society. ISBN 955-24-0032-5. eBook Size: 84k. Pages: 29.
(Reference: Jootla, Susan Elbaum. (1988) Inspiration from Enlightened Nuns. - The Wheel Publication No. 349/350. Kandy, Sri Lanka: Buddhist Publication Society.)
45. Therigatha: Verses of the Elder Nuns.
(Reference: Therigatha: Verses of the Elder Nuns.)
46. Viswamitra.
(Reference: Viswamitra.)
“The sage who exemplifies the transformation from the Rajasic to satvic quality is Viswamitra. His antipathy to sage Vasishta went to the extentt of even contemplating the destruction of the sage. Viswamitra was hovering near the ashram when he overheard a conversation betweeen Vasishta and his spouse Arundhati. Arundhati expressed her admiration for the beautiful unblemished light the full moon was shedding that night. Immediately Vasishta observed, "Tonight’s full moon is shining untainted like the pure penance of Viswamitra." On hearing these words, Viswamitra realised how mistaken he was regarding Vasishta and rushed into the ashram, fell at the feet of Vasishta and prayed to him to forgive him.
Vasishta lifted Viswamitra and hailed him as "Brahmarishi" (a sage who has realised the Supreme Self). Vasishta, who had previously described Viswamitra as a Rajarishi (a royal sage), spontaneously hailed him as a Brahmarishi. Viswamitra could not contain himself and asked Vasishta on what grounds was he called a Brahmarishi. Vasishta said, "Viswamitra! hitherto you were filled with self-conceit. You were born with ego, grew with ego, and never bowed your head to any one. Today you put an end to your ego and fell at my feet. This is the significance of egolessness. A Brahmarishi is one who is free from egoism, acquisitiveness, pride and arrogance."
47. Women Buddhist priests: Lives dedicated to the Lord.
(Reference: Women Buddhist priests: Lives dedicated to the Lord.)
Tawang Monastery, Arunachal Pradesh, North-East India
“It is important, because they have to continue their life with all dedication to the lord and no way get influenced either way. If they are allowed to meet lamas or other people, that may ruin their concentration. Also it may lead them for attraction of material wealth, which we do not want”
- an aged nun, Anee Gompa (lady Buddhist monastery),
Tawang Monastery in Arunachal Pradesh
“When asked about her aim in life, she answered with a sparkle in her beautiful eyes, ‘To become a great personality like Dalai Lama and devote life for betterment of the mankind in the globe.’”
- Gumzum, a senior lady lama.
48. Tawang Monastery - The Fountainhead of Spiritual Life.
(Reference: Tawang Monastery - The Fountainhead of Spiritual Life.)
49. Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh.
(Reference: Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh.)
“Arunachal Pradesh requires an Inner Line Permit from Indian citizens obtainable from their Liaison office in N.Delhi, Calcutta, Guwahati and Tezpur”
50. Tourism in Tawang.
(Reference: Tourism in Tawang.)
“… the presiding deity of the monastery is Devi or Sri Devi so selected by the then Dalai Lama.”
51. Brahmaharshi Vishwamitra.
(De-activated link)
(Reference: Brahmaharshi Vishwamitra.) (De-activated link)
52. Brahmacharya vrat (Vow of Celibacy).
(Reference: Brahmacharya vrat (Vow of Celibacy).)
53. Sri Swami Sivananda. Mira Bai.
(Reference: Sri Swami Sivananda. Mira Bai.)
Mira’s fame spread far and wide. So many princesses and queens have come and gone. So many Ranis, Kumaris and Maharanis have appeared on the stage of this world and vanished. How is it that the queen of Chitore alone is still remembered? Is this on account of her beauty? Is this on account of her poetic skill? No. It is on account of her renunciation, one-pointed devotion to Lord Krishna and God-realisation. She came face to face with Krishna. She conversed with Krishna. She ate with Krishna—her Beloved. She drank the Krishna-prema-rasa. She has sung from the core of her heart the music of her soul, the music of her Beloved, her unique spiritual experiences. And she has sung songs of surrender and Prem.
Mira had the beautiful cosmic vision. She saw Krishna in the tree, in the stone, in the creeper, in the flower, in the bird, in all beings—in everything. As long as there is the name of Krishna, there will be the name of Mira also.
It is extremely difficult to find a parallel to this wonderful personality—Mira—a saint, a philosopher, a poet and a sage. She was a versatile genius and a magnanimous soul. Her life has a singular charm, with extraordinary beauty and marvel. She was a princess, but she abandoned the pleasures and luxuries incident to her high station, and chose instead, a life of poverty, austerity, Tyaga, Titiksha and Vairagya. Though she was a delicate young lady, she entered the perilous journey on the spiritual path amidst various difficulties. She underwent various ordeals with undaunted courage and intrepidity. She stood adamant in her resolve. She had a gigantic will.
Mira’s earthly life was full of troubles and difficulties. She was persecuted. She was tormented and yet she kept up an undaunted spirit and a balanced mind all through, by the strength of her devotion and the grace of her beloved Krishna. Though she was a princess, she begged alms and lived sometimes on water alone. She led a life of perfect renunciation and self-surrender.
Krishna was her husband, father, mother, friend, relative and Guru.
54. Sri Swami Sivananda. Milarepa.
(Reference: Sri Swami Sivananda. Milarepa.)
55. Devotee calls the Tune.
(Reference: Devotee calls the Tune.)
“Evidently you do not know about me. I am not a free person. I may be able to do anything I like. But first and foremost, I belong to my devotees. All that is mine belongs to them. They have renounced everything and have chosen me as their sole companion. They have abandoned everything for my sake: wife, home, child, and kinsmen: their very lives. They have no thought of this world or the next. Heaven holds no charm for them. All they want is my grace. In return I have sworn that I will never abandon them. The foremost thought in my mind is the bhakti they have for me. They have conquered me with their love and I am powerless against their love. I have no will of my own. Their sorrow is my sorrow and their happiness is mine. I am famed by the name "Bhakta-parAdhIna" (subservient to the devotees). I am not as fond of myself or even my Devi Lakshmi as I am of my devotees. When such is the case, how can I treat them casually? Any insult offered to my devotee is considered as an insult to me. Just as good women make slaves of their husbands by the extreme love they have for them, even so my devotees have made me their slave" (from Kamala Subramanian's rendering of the bhAgavatam; corresponding to slokas 63 - 69 of 4th chapter of Skanda 9).
The Lord says in so many words: “Devotees are my heart. I am the heart of (my) devotees. They are not aware of anything other than me; and I also do not know, even an iota, of anything other than them.”
56. Dattatreya Jayanti.
(Reference: Dattatreya Jayanti.)
“However, by his penance, the emperor was cleansed of his ego. Hence he expressed that he had no desire.”
Then the Sudarshana Chakra was pacified and it vanished. (Personal Note: Living Energy?)
57. Sri Swami Sivananda. Parsvanatha.
(Reference: Sri Swami Sivananda. Parsvanatha.)
Prince Parsva was now sixteen years old. He was sitting on the throne. His father Visvasena said, "My son, in order to continue our celebrated royal dynasty, you must marry now. At the desire of Nabhi Raja, Rishabha had to marry".
Parsvanatha was very much frightened when he heard the words of his father. He said, "My life-period will not be so extensive as that of Rishabha. I am to live only a few score years. I have already wasted sixteen years in boyish sports. I must enter the order in my thirtieth year. Should I then have a married life for so short a period in the hope of getting pleasures which are, after all, only imperfect, transient and illusory?"
Parsvanatha’s heart was filled with a spirit of renunciation. He reflected within himself: "For long, long years I enjoyed the status of Indra and yet the lust for pleasures did not decrease. Enjoyment of pleasures only increases the lust for pleasures, just as the addition of fuel only increases the virulence of fire. Pleasures at the time of enjoyment are pleasant, but their consequences are surely disastrous.
"The soul experiences from beginningless time the sufferings of birth, old age, etc., on account of its attachment to the objects of this world. To satisfy the cravings of his senses, man wanders in the realm of pain. So that he may have sensual gratification, he does not heed the moral injunctions and he commits the worst vices. He kills living animals to enjoy the pleasures of the senses. Lust is at the root of theft, greed, adultery and all vices and crimes.
"As a consequence of sinful acts, the soul is forced to migrate from birth to birth in the kingdom of the lower animals etc., and to suffer the torments of hell. This lust for pleasures must be shunned ruthlessly. So long I have wasted my life. I am not going to spend any more time in the vain pursuit of pleasures. I shall be serious and practise right conduct."
58. Yoshikawa, Eiji. Musashi.
(Reference: Yoshikawa, Eiji. Musashi.)
Highly Recommended Book For Complete Reading, Understanding and Transforming
The biography portrays in novel form, the life of the greatest swords-man of Japanese history who lived in 16th -17th century Japan. A celibate warrior who by self-examination and training underwent transformation with the help of a wandering Buddhist monk to become the legend of Japan. The warrior developed the two-sword fighting technique, to face single-handedly enemies surrounded from all sides. Combined Zen Buddhism with sword-fighting, to develop “The Way of the Sword”. Combined Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War” with his fighting experiences, to write “The Book of the Five Rings”.
59. Brunton, Paul. (1991) A Search in Secret India. (1/e) New Delhi, India: B.I. Publications Private Limited/York Beach, ME, USA: Weiser/London, UK: Messrs Riders & Co. ISBN: 81-7225-004-5 Pages: 312.
(Reference: Brunton, Paul. (1991) A Search in Secret India. (1/e) New Delhi, India: B.I. Publications Private Limited/York Beach, ME, USA: Weiser/London, UK: Messrs Riders & Co.)
Highly Recommended Book For Complete Reading, Understanding and Transforming
Gives an authentic account of the author’s rendezvous with many Indian mystics and yogis during his Indian travels in the early 20th century. He gives importance to The Seer of Arunachala, Sri Ramana Maharshi. Digest thoroughly the words of the following two:
• The Sage Who Never Speaks, and
• The Silent Anchorite, Brahma.
Brunton wrote other books also, which are all worth reading and understanding.
60. Goldratt, Eliyahu. The Goal.
(Reference: Goldratt, Eliyahu. The Goal.)
Highly Recommended Book For Complete Reading, Understanding and Transforming
A management classic written in novel form. Re-defines the way of thinking for What is the Ultimate Goal?
“Anything you do, that takes towards the goal, is productive.
Anything you do, that takes away from the goal, is un-productive.”
Goldratt wrote other books also, which are all worth reading and understanding.
61. Some Book Excerpts from Vedas.
(Reference: Some Book Excerpts from Vedas.)
62. Brean, Joseph. (Saturday, July 13, 2002) Lab's polio virus opens old puzzle: What is life? Canada: National Post.
{2A91471C-1076-4175-A672-1DCD4B6484E9} (De-activated link)
(Reference: Brean, Joseph. (Saturday, July 13, 2002)
Lab's polio virus opens old puzzle: What is life? Canada: National Post.) (De-activated link)
63. Brunton, Paul. (1988) A Search in Secret Egypt. (2/e) Maine, USA: Samuel Weiser, Inc. ISBN: 0-87728-603-5 Hardbound.
(Reference: Brunton, Paul. (1988) A Search in Secret Egypt. (2/e) Maine, USA: Samuel Weiser, Inc.)
Highly Recommended Book For Complete Reading, Understanding and Transforming
64. Nayanar, Nakkira Deva. (Translated by Layne Little) Tirumurugarruppadai or 'Guide to Lord Murugan'.
(Reference: Nayanar, Nakkira Deva. (Translated by Layne Little)
Tirumurugarruppadai or 'Guide to Lord Murugan'.)
65. Principles and Practice of Hindu Religion. Lesson 7, Chapter 1.
(Reference: Principles and Practice of Hindu Religion. Lesson 7, Chapter 1.)
66. About the Temple.
(De-activated link)
(Reference: About the Temple.) (De-activated link)
67. Temples of South India, Sri Dandayuthapani in Palani.
(Reference: Temples of South India, Sri Dandayuthapani in Palani.)
68. Murthy, S S (Ed.) (1985) Night Vision Devices. Delhi, India: Defence Scientific Information & Documentation Centre, DRDO, Ministry of Defence. Pages: 130 Paperback Edition.
(Reference: Murthy, S S (Ed.) (1985) Night Vision Devices. Delhi, India: Defence Scientific Information & Documentation Centre, DRDO, Ministry of Defence.)
69. The Paradise of The Holy Fathers.
(Reference: The Paradise of The Holy Fathers.)
70. Short Review: Feet of Clay-Saints, Sinners, and Madmen: A Study of Gurus by Anthony Storr.
(De-activated link)
(Reference: Short Review:
Feet of Clay-Saints, Sinners, and Madmen: A Study of Gurus by Anthony Storr.) (De-activated link)
71. Heuvel, Curt van den. Review on Feet of Clay-Saints, Sinners, and Madmen: A Study of Gurus by Anthony Storr.
(Reference: Heuvel, Curt van den. Review on Feet of Clay-Saints, Sinners, and Madmen: A Study of Gurus by Anthony Storr.)
72. Review: Fawn Brodie - No Man Knows My History.
(Reference: Review: Fawn Brodie - No Man Knows My History.)
73. Review: Robert D. Anderson, Inside the Mind of Joseph Smith: Psychobiography and the Book of Mormon.
(Reference: Review: Robert D. Anderson, Inside the Mind of Joseph Smith: Psychobiography and the Book of Mormon.)
74. Bahubali - Sunset view.
(Reference: Bahubali - Sunset view.)
75. Sharma, Ashok Kumar. (1990) World Famous Prophecies & Predictions. (1/e) New Delhi, India: Family Books Private Limited. Paper: 128. Paperback Edition.
(Reference: Sharma, Ashok Kumar. (1990) World Famous Prophecies & Predictions. (1/e) New Delhi, India: Family Books Private Limited.)
76. History of Astrology - told as timelines: 1. Timeline for the Antiquity.
(Reference: History of Astrology - told as timelines: 1. Timeline for the Antiquity.)
77. Davids, T. W. Rhys. (Translated from the Pâli) Digha Nikaya XIII : Tevigga Sutta - On Knowledge Of The Vedas.
(Reference: Davids, T. W. Rhys. (Translated from the Pâli)
Digha Nikaya XIII : Tevigga Sutta - On Knowledge Of The Vedas.)
78. How Well Do Dogs and Other Animals Hear?
(Reference: How Well Do Dogs and Other Animals Hear?)
79. Sensing Pitch or Sound Frequencies.
(Reference: Sensing Pitch or Sound Frequencies.)
80. Crowell, Benjamin. (2002) Vibrations and Waves. (2/e). ISBN 0-9704670-3-6. Pages: 92. Chapter: 2 Resonance Pages: 21-38.
(Reference: Crowell, Benjamin. (2002) Vibrations and Waves. (2/e). ISBN 0-9704670-3-6. Pages: 92. Chapter: 2 Resonance Pages: 21-38.)
81. Velangani Mada Temple.
(Reference: Velangani Mada Temple.)
82. Lim, Y.S. (Wednesday, June 19, 2002) Temple of rare Buddhist relics. Penang, Malaysia: The Star.
(Reference: Lim, Y.S. (Wednesday, June 19, 2002) Temple of rare Buddhist relics. Penang, Malaysia: The Star.)
83. Pope warns of a world without spirituality. (Saturday, July 27, 2002) Canada: The Globe and Mail.
(Reference: Pope warns of a world without spirituality. (Saturday, July 27, 2002) Canada: The Globe and Mail.)
Pope John Paul II -
"The question will not go away: on what foundations, on what certainties should we build our lives and the life of the community to which we belong?
"On what foundations must we build the new historical era that is emerging from the great transformations of the 20th century? Is it enough to rely on the technological revolution now taking place ... without reference to the individual's spiritual dimension or to any universally shared ethical values?
"Is it right to be content with provisional answers to the ultimate questions, and to abandon life to the impulses of instinct, to short-lived sensations or passing fads?"
The Pope said the 20th century has often tried to do without the cornerstone of Christianity and Christian teaching. But he said any attempt to build the city of man without reference to Him would "actually [be] building that city against man."
"Christians know that it is not possible to reject or ignore God without demeaning man."
"to build brick by brick, the city of God within the city of man."
84. Murthy, N.K.Narasiha. Dadheechi.
(Reference: Murthy, N.K.Narasiha. Dadheechi.)
85. Pastor Walls, Mike. The Defeat Of A Christian (Part 1).
(De-activated link)
(Reference: Pastor Walls, Mike. The Defeat Of A Christian (Part 1).)
Let me define what is meant by flesh. It is not the skin that stretches over our bones. It is "flesh" is very often used to designate the bodily appetites, propensities, and passions, which draw men away from yielding themselves to the Lord and to the things of the Spirit. The flesh, or carnal principle, is opposed to the spirit, or spiritual principle.
The reasons why I believe that our flesh is the worst enemy are as follows.
You had your fleshly nature since birth. You develop your habits both bad and good since birth.
It is the nature of most people to travel the path of least resistance.
We must remember it is not just us that do wrong; it is our sin nature that causes us to do those things we ought not.
86. Besant, Annie Wood and Das, Bhagavan. (1979) Bhagavad Gita. 7th Reprint. Adyar, Madras, India: The Theosophical Publishing House. ISBN: 0-8356-7051-1. Pages: 460. Hardcover Edition.
(Reference: Besant, Annie Wood and Das, Bhagavan. (1979) Bhagavad Gita. 7th Reprint. Adyar, Madras, India: The Theosophical Publishing House.)
87. Kimball, Charles. A Concise History of India. Chapter 1. Dravidians and Aryans Before 500 B.C.
(Reference: Kimball, Charles. A Concise History of India. Chapter 1. Dravidians and Aryans Before 500 B.C.)
88. Must All Buddhists Be Vegetarians?
(Reference: Must All Buddhists Be Vegetarians?)
89. Myths and legends on Ganesh, Hindu god.
(Reference: Myths and legends on Ganesh, Hindu god.)
90. The New Paganism: How Christianity is being replaced by 'green' religion, goddess worship, globalism. (Thursday, August 01, 2002) USA: The .
(Reference: The New Paganism: How Christianity is being replaced by 'green' religion, goddess worship, globalism. (Thursday, August 01, 2002) USA: The .)
…the belief that the earth itself is a conscious, living organism…
91. Onishi, Norimitsu. (Tuesday, July 24, 2001) On Monks' and Nuns' Islands, 'You Have Only God'. USA: NY Times, Kebran Gabriel Journal.
(De-activated link)
Onishi, Norimitsu. (Sunday, August 12, 2001) Remote monastery offers an escape from life's pleasures. USA: New York Times.
(Alternate link)
(Reference: Onishi, Norimitsu. (Sunday, August 12, 2001)
Remote monastery offers an escape from life's pleasures. USA: New York Times.)
92. The Milky Way - our galaxy.
(Reference: The Milky Way - our galaxy.)
93. Names of Ganesh.
(Reference: Names of Ganesh.)
94. Cults of Ganesh in Hinduism; Tantrism.
(Reference: Cults of Ganesh in Hinduism; Tantrism.)
95. Sister Upalavanna. (English translation) Majjhima Nikaaya III.124 Bakkula Sutta: The Wonderful Things About Venerable Bakkula. Sri Lanka: Metta Net, and .
(Reference: Sister Upalavanna. (English translation)
Majjhima Nikaaya III.124 Bakkula Sutta: The Wonderful Things About Venerable Bakkula. Sri Lanka: Metta Net, and .)
96. Ganesh in Hinduism: Background.
(Reference: Ganesh in Hinduism: Background.)
97. Pilgrims' Way: the Place of the Buddha.
(Reference: Pilgrims' Way: the Place of the Buddha.)
98. Angulimala, the Buddhist Prison Chaplaincy Organisation.
(Reference: Angulimala, the Buddhist Prison Chaplaincy Organisation.)
99. Sister Upalavanna. (English translation) Majjhima Nikaaya I.36. Mahaasaccaka sutta. The Major Discourse to Saccaka. Sri Lanka: Metta Net, and .
(Reference: Sister Upalavanna. (English translation)
Majjhima Nikaaya I.36. Mahaasaccaka sutta. The Major Discourse to Saccaka. Sri Lanka: Metta Net, and .)
100. The Majjhima Nikaya, or "Middle-length Discourses" of the Buddha.
(Reference: The Majjhima Nikaya, or "Middle-length Discourses" of the Buddha.)
101. Bhikkhu, Thanissaro. (Translated from the Pali) Majjhima Nikaya 36. Maha-Saccaka Sutta. The Longer Discourse to Saccaka. (excerpt)
(Reference: Bhikkhu, Thanissaro. (Translated from the Pali)
Majjhima Nikaya 36. Maha-Saccaka Sutta. The Longer Discourse to Saccaka. (excerpt))
102. An Unknown Truth: Great Souls being persecuted.
(de-activated link)
(alternate link)
(Reference: An Unknown Truth: Great Souls being persecuted.)
103. Subbarayan, K. Sankara, the Jagadguru.
(Reference: Subbarayan, K. Sankara, the Jagadguru.)
By example and precept Acharya Sankara exhorted people to sharpen the sword of knowledge to cut asunder the veil of ignorance and emerge into the realm of abiding joy and peace, their birthright.
The supreme psychologist that he was, the Acharya knew that man grows into reason via emotion. Hence he cautioned people against a straight flight to reason. Emotional maturity is essential.
The Acharya knew that human temperaments vary and these decide the natural choice of their favourite deity (ishta-devata). Hence in everyone’s Ishta Devata, Sankara saw the supreme deity.
Sankara, the peerless commentator on the Bhagavad Gita, follows in letter and spirit, the command of Gitacharya Sri Krishna that the vidvan, or the enlightened one, should never disturb the faith of the ignorant but that he himself should go to the level of the seeker and give him an upward push.
As in the case of Swami Vivekananda of modern times, acceptance was his motto, never condemnation. All places of worship will be naturally acceptable to any true Sankarite.
…many have found deliverance through Sankara’s teachings and then have re-discovered their own faiths.
The famous saying of Sankara about the unsurpassed unselfishness and pure love of the mother reverberates through the ages: "There may be many bad sons, but not one single bad mother." (Kuputrojaayete Kvachidapi Kumaataa na bhavati).
In his celebrated Brahmasutra Bhashya, the Acharya cites the examples of Dharmavyadha, Viduran and others who were born with the knowledge of Brahman acquired in previous births. He mentions that the effects cannot be prevented from working on account of their present birth.
The Acharya has stated that the knowledge that arises out of the study of the Vedas could also be had through the Puranas and the Itihasas, which were not esoteric texts but readily within the reach of all.
He boldly declared: "It has been established that everyone has the right to the knowledge (of Brahman) and that the supreme goal is attained by that knowledge alone."
104. Na. Vijayashankar. Justice delayed is Justice denied.
(Reference: Na. Vijayashankar. Justice delayed is Justice denied.)
Indian Judicial system is notorious for the delays that defeat the very purpose for which an aggrieved person approaches a court. It is not without reason that there is a proverb in Kannada that in a Court battle, " To win is to lose and to lose is to die!".
105. Sri Aurobindo. The Bhagavat Gita, paraphrase.
(De-activated link)
(Alternate link)
(Reference: Sri Aurobindo. The Bhagavat Gita, paraphrase.)
106. Bhikkhu, Thanissaro. (Trans.) The Patimokkha: The Bhikkhus' Code of Discipline.
(Reference: Bhikkhu, Thanissaro. (Trans.)
The Patimokkha: The Bhikkhus' Code of Discipline.)
107. Drummond, Loren. Sexual Addictions.
(Reference: Drummond, Loren. Sexual Addictions.)
I. What is Addiction?
addiction - "the act of devoting or giving up one's self to a practice; the state of being devoted; devotion. (Webster's Dictionary 1965, p.11)
devoted - "to give up wholly, or direct the aattention chiefly; to vow anything to a deity" (p. 237).
Addiction is a state of the total person.
A way of living marked by compulsiveness and/or dependence.
Compulsiveness is driven to the point of a pathological relationship to any mood-altering experience with a marked propensity to culminating in life damaging consequences are the stuff of which addictions are made (Bradshaw 1988 p.15). These life damaging consequences may, and will include:
familial problems,
work or career problems,
health problems,
self esteem or approval problems,
financial problems - when the addict either spends inordinate amounts of money chasing her "high" or whenever work is missed due to this attempt at mood alteration.
Peele, (p. 981, p. 24) suggests that addictions:
1. Tend to eliminate psychological pain/reduce personal awareness of such when the "addict" is acting out.
2. Causes one to be less aware of, or pay less attention to problems in his/her life and thus precludes their dealing with problems constructively.
3. When not participating in the addiction, mental pain is experienced upon thinking about his/her life.
4. Reduced self regard, personal disapproval and lowered self-esteem generate further practice of the addictive behavior.
5. The cycle is repeated - returns to phase one of cycle.
Addictions are thus comprised of these elements:
• Devotion, to the point of compulsiveness, to a mood-altering experience;
• a cyclical preoccupation with achieving the desired effects in spite of life damaging consequences.
108. Abnormal Psychology: Sexual Disorders.
(Reference: Abnormal Psychology: Sexual Disorders.)
Woman Stalker – A Profile
have a history of rejection
intense insecurities about the status with men
voyeur/"peeping Tom" - one who achieves sexual arousal through clandestine viewing of others.
view favorite targets undressed
The "danger" of potentially being caught seems to heighten the arousal, and the avoidance of overtly approaching the favorite target, with the associated risk of rejection, simultaneously makes it seem safer.
109. Anderson, Mary Jo. (Saturday, August 10, 2002) Catholic bishops call for rare council. USA: .
(Reference: Anderson, Mary Jo. (Saturday, August 10, 2002)
Catholic bishops call for rare council. USA: .)
"The 'root causes' are the bishops themselves. It is a failure of fidelity to the teachings of the Church. Our bishops have abandoned their role as shepherds in order to accommodate the popular culture."
…a council is needed to answer painful questions:
• "What has happened to the life and ministry of bishops and priests that makes us vulnerable to the failings that have humiliated us all?
• What things need to be going on so that in this cultural milieu priests and bishops will preserve their celibate chastity along with all the other virtues that constitute the life of holiness proper to pastors?
• How can the purification upon which we shepherds have embarked help us, in turn, support our people in achieving greater holiness?"
"Notice the absence of wishy-washy bishop speak. These men know there's a problem, and they're going to face it squarely."
…the 1961 Vatican directive that prohibited the ordination of homosexuals.
… on the identity, life and ministry of bishops and priests; on matters of sexual morality in general …on celibate chastity as an authentic form of human sexuality renewed by grace and a share in Christ's own spousal love for His Church."
…support the ordination of women, a policy counter to Catholic teaching. Catholic theology teaches that the priest is "like Christ" who is the "bridegroom" to the Church. The marital imagery between Christ and Church is inconsistent with women priests, according to Church doctrine.
Part of the call for "restructuring" of the Church includes permitting Catholic priests to marry. The bishop's letter calling for a plenary council, however, outlines a more stringent observance of celibacy "to foster the acts of virtue required of pastors and the means needed to achieve those virtues, especially celibate chastity (e.g., daily celebration of the Mass, frequent Confession, daily meditation, regular acts of asceticism, obedient submission to Church teaching and discipline, simplicity of life)."
"purification of the entire Catholic community ... a holier priesthood, a holier episcopate and a holier church."
110. Sex - it's monkey business. (Thursday, August 08, 2002) Australia: The Age.
(Reference: Sex - it's monkey business. (Thursday, August 08, 2002) Australia: The Age.)
The extra-marital monkey-business of men and women could be explained by studies on gibbons which are abandoning monogamy in favour of multiple partners
Studies of gibbon species in Thailand, once known to mate for life, have shown the primates moving towards multiple partners due to changes in social structures and habitat pressures.
"We discovered there is a variation from monogamy to polygamy in densely populated gibbon areas," Sompote Srikosamart, associate professor of biology at Thailand's prestigious Mahidol University, told AFP.
Gibbons are primates, and they are closely related to humans, he explained.
"What we learn from gibbons may reflect the condition that explains the dream of humans to be monogamous. But while the ethical rule is that we are monogamous, it is obvious that we are polygamous."
Study of the primates may give an insight into the behaviour of humans, Sompote said, but he stressed that a behavioural correlation was not scientifically proven.
Sompote said that as far back as 1980 he has conducted social studies on wild gibbon populations in eastern Thailand's Khao Soi Dao National Park, which showed the primates' predilection for polygamy.
But the issue was revived by new reports that the animals were moving further towards having multiple partners.
And, similar to human trends, increased gibbon populations in some national parks led to growing habitat pressure and a variation in social organisation.
"We started to discover that in quite a few groupings, there was one male and more than one female, or one female and multiple males," he said. "Whether they breed or not is another matter."
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Vocabulary.
Predilection: an established preference for something
111. Lord Hanuman
(Reference: Lord Hanuman.)
112. Gods And Symbols: Shri Hanumanji
(Reference: Gods And Symbols: Shri Hanumanji.)
113. Fruit of Paradise
(De-activated link)
(Reference: Fruit of Paradise.)
(De-activated link)
Sharma, Girish. (Wednesday, October 17, 2001) Banana Builds Blood. India: India Express.
(Reference: Sharma, Girish. (Wednesday, October 17, 2001) Banana Builds Blood. India: India Express.)
The monkey God Hanuman is referred to have lived in Kadalivana or the banana garden on the banks of Kuberapuhkarni.
114. Acharyas / Principal Teachers
(Reference: Acharyas / Principal Teachers.)
115. The Victory of the Soul
(Reference: The Victory of the Soul.)
Jainism
To attain Moksha, one should control desire and hatred. He should renounce the world and become detached. The soul can get liberated only if one practices non-violence, penance, abstains from laziness, speaks the truth, and maintains celibacy and good conduct. As a result of this, all these imbalances shall cease to exist and one can attain the divine state or 'Nirvana'.
|| SANTI NIVVANAMAHIYAM ||
The Fruits Of Karma (Deeds)
JAMIYAM JAGAE PUDHO JAGA KAMMEHIM LUPPANTI PANINO |
SAMMEV KADEHIM GAHAEE, NO TASSA MUCHCHEJJA APATHYA ||
All creatures in this universe are locked in the vicious circle of life and death only because of their 'Sanchit' or accumulated past deeds. Accordingly, one takes birth in different Yonis (forms). One cannot be freed from the vicious cycle without suffering for the karmas commited in the past life. For example, if a vessel is filled with water, it gradually sinks because of the weight, similarly the human body gradually ceases to exist due to accumulation of bad karmas such as lies, immorality, violence, avarice, greed and sensual pleasure. Similarly, when the soul is freed from the bondage of Karma, it gets liberated forever and attains the divine state .
Win The Soul With The Soul
JO SAHASSAM SAHASSANAM SEGAME DUJJAYA JIYE
AEGAM JINEJJA APPANAM, AESA SE PARAMO JAO ||
One can fight and defeat his enemies on the battlefield but he should possess the ability of 'winning' or freeing the soul from the body. This would be the person's real victory.
Liberation From The Demerits
KOHAM MANAM CHA MAYAM CHA LOBHAM CHA PAPVADHANAM
VAME CHATTARI DOSE U ECHCHANTO HIYAMAPPANO ||
The person who wants to attain the divine state shall have to relinquish 4 demerits that induce sin and subsequently misery.
(i) Anger, (ii) Ego, (iii) Eros (Pleasure Instinct) and (iv) Greed.
One should win over anger by peace, ego by politeness and humbleness, pleasure instincts by simplicity and greed by contentment. Uncontrolled anger and ego (pride), ever increasing greed and pleasure instincts enhances the chances of rebirth.
116. Encyclopedia – Indra/Indrani
(Reference: Encyclopedia – Indra/Indrani.)
117. Stackhouse, M L et al (Ed.) (1995) On Moral Business: Classical and Contemporary Resources For Ethics in Economic Life. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. Pages: 59-62, 384 – 395
(Reference: Stackhouse, M L et al (Ed.) (1995) On Moral Business: Classical and Contemporary Resources For Ethics in Economic Life. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.)
118. Kissane, Karen. (Thursday, August 08 2002) Gambling: the factor that almost destroyed a life. Australia: The Age Company Ltd.
(Reference: Kissane, Karen. (Thursday, August 08 2002)
Gambling: the factor that almost destroyed a life. Australia: The Age Company Ltd.)
119. Zoech, Irene. (Saturday, August 10, 2002) 'Ordained' woman to fight papal expulsion. UK: Times Newspapers Ltd.
(De-activated link)
(Reference: Zoech, Irene. (Saturday, August 10, 2002) 'Ordained' woman to fight papal expulsion. UK: Times Newspapers Ltd.)
(De-activated link)
The Pope and the Roman Catholic Church oppose the ordination of women on the grounds that Jesus chose only men to be His Disciples.
… women could not participate in theological training to become deacons or clerics who perform many of the same pastoral duties as priests.
“Whether man or woman, you need to feel a call for becoming a priest. And you simply have to like what you are doing. And we do like working as priests. I feel at home in churches. I feel at ease. You need to have talent, passion for this job.”
“There are many very good (male) priests, but there are also many bad ones. And not all the women that will be ordained as priests in the future will be good priests . . . We women want to change the Church for the better.”
“Not everybody is the same and likes the same. The road is broad that leads to God. I hope that when there is a new Pope he will treat the people’s belief in God with great respect. It is important to listen and not only speak.”
120. Raman, B. (Monday, March 19, 2001) Sting Operations. Paper no. 212. South Asia Analysis Group.
(Reference: Raman, B. (Monday, March 19, 2001) Sting Operations. Paper no. 212. South Asia Analysis Group.)
…but, in many countries, it is illegal to use them clandestinely against another person in his or her house or office.
Only the FBI can mount a sting operation. No private individual, not even a journalist, can.
"Individuals, any and all entities must and shall comply with all applicable local, state, federal laws and regulations before performing or engaging in any recording, covert surveillance or any transmission of radio frequencies.
Be aware of your local laws prior to using ANY covert devices.
…but in India there are no laws regulating the use of covert investigative/surveillance equipment by private individuals.
Despite the legal safeguards in the US, there have been growing complaints of the misuse of such covert equipment not only by private individuals, but also by the law enforcement agencies, resulting in a violation or distortion of the rules of natural justice and particularly of the basic constitutional or legal guarantee that no person can be made to incriminate himself by using force or deceitful means.
Sting operations could be mounted only against persons against whom some evidence of criminality already exists and a sting operation is considered necessary for getting conclusive evidence.
Permission for sting operations must be obtained from appropriate courts or the Attorney-General. This safeguard has been laid down since those who mount a sting operation themselves commit the offences of impersonation, criminal trespass under false pretences and making a person commit an offence.
The Supreme Court has ruled: "The first duties of the officers of the law are to prevent, not to punish crime….”
121. The Associated Press. (Saturday, August 10, 2002) Rockets to the moon, Von Braun's team remembers. USA: .
(De-activated link)
(Alternate link)
(Reference: The Associated Press. (Saturday, August 10, 2002)
Rockets to the moon, Von Braun's team remembers. USA: .)
…the only way to get the kind of funding and resources necessary to develop his rocket science would be through the military.
"What's the definition of slave laborer?" Jacobi said. "In a certain sense we were slave laborers. Under certain dictatorships you have to do certain things."
122. Rao, Joe. (Friday, August 09, 2002) Viewer's Guide: Perseid Meteor Shower Peaks Sunday & Monday. USA: .
(Reference: Rao, Joe. (Friday, August 09, 2002)
Viewer's Guide: Perseid Meteor Shower Peaks Sunday & Monday. USA: .)
123. Goodstein, Laurie. (Sunday, August 11, 2002) Ousted Members Contend Jehovah's Witnesses' Abuse Policy Hides Offenses. USA: The New York Times Company.
(De-activated link)
(Alternate link)
(Reference: Goodstein, Laurie. (Sunday, August 11, 2002)
Ousted Members Contend Jehovah's Witnesses' Abuse Policy Hides Offenses. USA: The New York Times Company.)
"Groups that tend to be very tight-knit and in-grown historically have a higher incidence of sexual abuse and incest," … "That's an ethnological fact. When a religion tries to be thoroughly holy or godly, it's not going to acknowledge that people aren't living up to the ideals of the faith."
124. Ahmed, Rashmee Z. (Sunday, August 11, 2002) Alcohol and Indians do not really mix. India: The Times of India.
(Reference: Ahmed, Rashmee Z. (Sunday, August 11, 2002)
Alcohol and Indians do not really mix. India: The Times of India.)
The findings of a new study published in the British Medical Journal confirm what many doctors in India already know: Indians may be particularly susceptible to alcoholic liver disease, an alarming possibility for a country with a drinking population of 20 per cent and where having a drink is becoming increasingly socially acceptable.
Eighty per cent of the Asian deaths documented were of Sikhs, five to 10 per cent Hindus and five per cent or less Muslims,...
The figures,… confirm the Asian community’s worst fears.
Indians here (London) are drinking more with the second generation cultivating a raging thirst in an attempt to fit in with young Britons’ addiction to a wider after-work and binge-drinking culture.
Indians who died of alcoholic liver disease were in their mid-40s and at least 10 years younger than the white men and women who also succumbed.
125. A Diversity of Skin Types.
(Reference: A Diversity of Skin Types.)
126. An Introduction to Skin Cancer.
(Reference: An Introduction to Skin Cancer.)
…both the total amount of sun received over the years, and overexposure resulting in sunburn can cause skin cancer
The effect UV light has on your skin is dependent both upon the intensity and the duration of your exposure. How your skin reacts to the amount of exposure received is related to your genetic background. Even if you rarely sunburn however, sensitive areas such as your lips, nose, and palms of the hands should be protected.
127. Losal, Venerable Lama Yeshe. 'Living Dharma' - Meditation is the Key to Fulfillment.
(Reference: Losal, Venerable Lama Yeshe.
'Living Dharma' - Meditation is the Key to Fulfillment.)
128. Mitchell, Steve. (Friday, July 26, 2002) Prison rapes spreading deadly diseases. USA: UPI Medical Correspondent.
(Reference: Mitchell, Steve. (Friday, July 26, 2002)
Prison rapes spreading deadly diseases. USA: UPI Medical Correspondent.)
Prison rape has become such a common occurrence in federal and state prisons across the United States that it could have deadly consequences for the inmate population as well as the public at large, experts in the field told United Press International.
…prison rape has been associated with the spread of potentially fatal diseases such as AIDS and tuberculosis.
"The AIDS incidence within prisons is alarmingly high,"
…95 percent of people in prison will eventually be released back into society, so if they contract AIDS or other diseases while incarcerated they will be a tremendous burden to society due to healthcare costs and the threat they pose for spreading disease.
…views AIDS as an unadjudicated death sentence because people who receive only a short sentence for their crime but contract AIDS while in prison have essentially had their sentence extended to death.…the people most likely to be raped in prisons are nonviolent and first-time offenders and these are the most likely to be released back into the general population, which ultimately poses a disease risk to society. In addition to AIDS, herpes and other sexually transmitted diseases have been spread in prisons and hepatitis C is an epidemic in certain prisons…
Men as well as women run the risk of being raped while in prison…
…women have become pregnant while imprisoned, which often is an indication they have been raped by male guards…
Prison rape "threatens the rest of society, by increasing the spread of HIV and other diseases, and by making individuals, brutalized within prison, more likely to commit new crimes after they are released,"
A major part of the problem is prison officials condone rape among inmates…
"There have been correctional officials who have tried to deal with this but in general the system pretends it doesn't exist,"
Indeed, sometimes it is used by guards to control or punish inmates.
"Correction officers turn a blind eye,"
…accounts of officers watching rape on surveillance cameras or hearing screams in the night and not doing anything to help the victims.
129. Upagupta: The Buddhist Monk.
(Reference: Upagupta: The Buddhist Monk.)
"You can't call your body your own!" Buddha said in his discourse. "When the body is cast away, it becomes food for the vultures. Light the lamp within you, only then, will you find true peace."
130. Gandhi, Mahatma. (Gandhi, M K) (Translation) (1998) The Bhagvadgita. (8th printing) Ahmedabad: Navjeevan Trust Delhi, India: Orient Paperbacks. ISBN: 81-222-0007-9. Pages: 312.
(Reference: Gandhi, Mahatma. (Gandhi, M K) (Translation) (1998) The Bhagvadgita. (8th printing) Ahmedabad: Navjeevan Trust Delhi, India: Orient Paperbacks.)
131. : Buddhist information and education network.
(Reference: : Buddhist information and education network.)
132. Wetering, J Van de. (1973) The Empty Mirror: Experiences in a Japanese Zen Monastery. London, UK: Routledge & Kegan Paul.
(Reference: Wetering, J Van de. (1973) The Empty Mirror: Experiences in a Japanese Zen Monastery. London, UK: Routledge & Kegan Paul.)
133. Horseback 'Jesus' gathers his flock. (Monday, August 19 2002) Australia: The Sydney Morning Herald.
(Reference: Horseback 'Jesus' gathers his flock. (Monday, August 19 2002) Australia: The Sydney Morning Herald.)
More than 4000 followers have travelled from all over the former Soviet Union, and some as far away as Australia, to listen to his sermon and be baptised in the river that runs by Petropavlovka.
His most loyal followers have abandoned modern life. A core of several hundred have built log huts and yurts …
No drinking, swearing or smoking is allowed, and there is little contact with the outside world.
134. Post, Jerrold M. Narcissism and the Charismatic Leader-Follower Relationship.
(Reference: Post, Jerrold M.
Narcissism and the Charismatic Leader-Follower Relationship.)
135. Munn, Michelle. (Friday, August 16, 2002) Military finding it hard to recruit. USA: Los Angeles Times.
(Reference: Munn, Michelle. (Friday, August 16, 2002) Military finding it hard to recruit. USA: Los Angeles Times.)
136. Sutra Book. Bodhi Zendo.
(Reference: Sutra Book. Bodhi Zendo.)
137. Chinese Traveler Fa-Hein in India.
(Reference: Chinese Traveler Fa-Hein in India.)
We know of a truth that the opening of (the way for such) a mysterious propagation is not the work of man;
138. Fa-Hien. (Translated and annotated by Legge, James) (March, 2000)
Record of Buddhistic Kingdoms.
(Reference: Fa-Hien. (Translated and annotated by Legge, James) (March, 2000)
Record of Buddhistic Kingdoms.)
139. Pope warns against playing God. (Monday, August 19, 2002) Australia: The Age.
(De-activated link)
Connolly, Kate. (Monday August 19, 2002) Millions hear weary Pope warn against 'playing God'. UK: The Guardian.
(Alternate link)
Connolly, Kate. (Monday August 19, 2002) Millions hear weary Pope warn against 'playing God'. UK: The Guardian; ALS News Center.
(Alternate link)
(Reference: Pope warns against playing God. (Monday, August 19, 2002) UK: The Guardian.)
140. Tolstoy, Leo. (Translated by Garnett, Constance) (1877) Anna Karenina. The Project Gutenberg Etext. Pages: 1495.
(Reference: Tolstoy, Leo. (Translated by Garnett, Constance) (1877) Anna Karenina. The Project Gutenberg Etext.)
141. Owen, Richard. (Wednesday, August 21, 2002) Expert attacks latest tests on Turin Shroud. UK: Times Newspapers Ltd.
(De-activated link)
(Reference: Owen, Richard. (Wednesday, August 21, 2002) Expert attacks latest tests on Turin Shroud. UK: Times Newspapers Ltd.)
The shroud, preserved in Turin Cathedral, is held by many Christians to be the cloth in which Jesus Christ was wrapped after the Crucifixion. Venerated for centuries as the Holy Shroud, it preserves the image of a tall man with crucifixion marks which only came to light when the 4.37m-by-1.11m (14ft 4in-by-3ft 7in) cloth was first photographed at the end of the 19th century.
The existence of a Holy Shroud was first recorded at Edessa (now Urfa in modern Turkey) in the 2nd century and again at Constantinople in the 10th century.
In the 14th century the “burial cloth of Christ” was allegedly brought to France by Crusader knights. A linen cloth purported to be the shroud was later entrusted to an order of nuns in Chambéry, who repaired it after a fire in 1532.
142. Reuters. (Tuesday, August 20, 2002) Woman loses stoning death appeal. USA: Cable News Network LP, LLLP.
(De-activated link)
(Reference: Reuters. (Tuesday, August 20, 2002) Woman loses stoning death appeal. USA: Cable News Network LP, LLLP.)
143. Reuters. (Tuesday, August 20, 2002) World fury at stoning sentence. USA: Cable News Network LP, LLLP.
(De-activated link)
(Reference: Reuters. (Tuesday, August 20, 2002) World fury at stoning sentence. USA: Cable News Network LP, LLLP.)
144. Anderson, Mary Jo. (Sunday, October 22, 2000) Evidence favors Shroud of Turin as real thing. USA: .
(Reference: Anderson, Mary Jo. (Sunday, October 22, 2000)
Evidence favors Shroud of Turin as real thing. USA: .)
The Shroud was dated 1260-1390 AD.
… the historical date when the revered linen was first discovered in Europe during the 1350s in the sleepy hamlet of Lirey, France.
Furthermore, forensic evidence confirms that the red stains are blood, type AB, and that this blood has elevated levels of bilirubin, presumably caused by the trauma of scourging.
scourge.
Main Entry: 2scourge
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Form(s): scourged; scourg·ing
Date: 13th century
1 : FLOG, WHIP
2 a : to punish severely b : AFFLICT c : to drive as if by blows of a whip d : CHASTISE
- scourg·er noun
145. Sister Upalavanna. (Translated from the Pali) Majjhima Nikaaya III.125 Dantabhuumi Sutta The Sphere of Training.
(Reference: Sister Upalavanna. (Translated from the Pali)
Majjhima Nikaaya III.125 Dantabhuumi Sutta The Sphere of Training.)
146. Horner, I.B. (Trans.) (Thursday, September 19, 2002) Majjhima Nikaya 125. Dantabhumi Sutta. The Discourse on the "Tamed Stage".
(Reference: Horner, I.B. (Trans.) (Thursday, September 19, 2002)
Majjhima Nikaya 125.Dantabhumi Sutta. The Discourse on the "Tamed Stage".)
147. Davids, T. W. Rhys. (Translated from the Pali) Introduction to the Tevigga Sutta.
(Reference: Davids, T. W. Rhys. (Translated from the Pali)
Introduction to the Tevigga Sutta.)
148. Bhikkhu, Thanissaro. (Translated from the Pali) Anguttara Nikaya III.120. Moneyya Sutta. Sagacity.
(Reference: Bhikkhu, Thanissaro. (Translated from the Pali)
Anguttara Nikaya III.120. Moneyya Sutta. Sagacity.)
149. Bhikkhu, Thanissaro. (Translated from the Pali) Anguttara Nikaya IV.181. Yodhajiva Sutta. The Warrior.
(Reference: Bhikkhu, Thanissaro. (Translated from the Pali)
Anguttara Nikaya IV.181. Yodhajiva Sutta. The Warrior.)
150. Bhikkhu, Thanissaro. (Translated from the Pali) Anguttara Nikaya V.75. Yodhajiva Sutta. The Warrior (1).
(Reference: Bhikkhu, Thanissaro. (Translated from the Pali)
Anguttara Nikaya V.75. Yodhajiva Sutta. The Warrior (1).)
151. Bhikkhu, Thanissaro. (Translated from the Pali) Anguttara Nikaya V.76. Yodhajiva Sutta. The Warrior (2).
(Reference: Bhikkhu, Thanissaro. (Translated from the Pali)
Anguttara Nikaya V.76. Yodhajiva Sutta. The Warrior (2))
152. Ireland, John D. (Translated from the Pali) Udana III.1. Kamma Sutta. Former Action.
(Reference: Ireland, John D. (Translated from the Pali)
Udana III.1. Kamma Sutta. Former Action.)
153. Bhikkhu, Thanissaro. (Translated from the Pali) Udana III.1. Kamma Sutta. Action.
(Reference: Bhikkhu, Thanissaro. (Translated from the Pali)
Udana III.1. Kamma Sutta. Action.)
154. Sri Karunakara Guru. An Unknown Truth. Great Souls being persecuted. India: Santhigiri Ashram.
(Reference: Sri Karunakara Guru. An Unknown Truth. Great Souls being persecuted. India: Santhigiri Ashram.)
155. The journey to Johannesburg. (Thursday, August, 29, 2002) UK: BBC News.
(Reference: The journey to Johannesburg. (Thursday, August, 29, 2002) UK: BBC News.)
156. Carr, John. (Thursday, August 22, 2002) Greeks lay claim to Alexander's legacy. UK: Times Newspapers Ltd.
(de-activated link)
(Alternate link)
(Reference: Carr, John. (Thursday, August 22, 2002)
Greeks lay claim to Alexander's legacy. UK: Times Newspapers Ltd; Yahoo Groups: alexander-macedon - Alexander of Macedon Forum.)
According to tradition, Alexander the Great’s architect, Deinocrates, wished to please his master by carving a colossal figure of him out of the entire southern tip of Mount Athos. Deinocrates envisaged the conqueror waist-deep in the sea, holding a city in one hand and a harbour in the other.
Alexander himself, perhaps fearful of provoking the gods’ envy, vetoed the plan. Deinocrates instead designed what is now the Egyptian city of Alexandria.
Empire-builder and living god
Born 356 BC in Pella, Macedonia, Alexander was educated by Aristotle.
His father Philip II won control of mainland Greece after defeating several city states in battles in which the 16-year-old Alexander first commanded an army.
In a ten-year campaign Alexander vanquished the once-dominant Persian empire, scoring decisive victories at Issus and Gaugamela against the numerically stronger Persian army under Darius III.
He extended his empire to include all of modern Turkey, Egypt and northwest India, making great efforts to assimilate local cultures into his empire. When he married a Persian princess he forced 80 officers to do likewise.
After visiting a desert oracle in Egypt he demanded to be treated as a living god.
Despite having several wives, Alexander was widely rumoured to be homosexual. He was especially close to a fellow Macedonian, Hephaestion.
Alexander died in 323BC aged 33. The empire was divided between his senior generals, some of whom went on to found long-running dynasties.
157. Matuszak, Sascha. (Friday, August 23, 2002) What Taiwanese Fear. USA: .
(Reference: Matuszak, Sascha. (Friday, August 23, 2002) What Taiwanese Fear. USA: .)
In the richer areas of East Asia, the people care not a whit what the foreigner is doing or who he is doing it with. The poorer the region, the more the police and the populace begin to take notice.
Now, much of this "interest" is perfunctory/ obligatory.
But its the dirty, poor, desperate underbelly that scares them. Its the arrogance and belligerence of a totalitarian leadership, the need to "regain face" and end years of humiliation, the need to reclaim that scares China's neighbors. ASEAN worries about it, the Koreas, Japan and especially Taiwan.
This is what Taiwanese speak of when they say "sharing a house with a beggar." Taiwanese don't fear war as much as they fear a peaceful reunification that comes too quick.
An irrational beggar might attack, regardless of the consequences, but this is a simpler situation than the beggar that moves in and sets up shop, demanding a seat at the table. Several thousand years of Chinese culture would require the rich man to feed his beggar cousin. This is what Taiwan fears, much more than missiles and threats.
158. Veon, Joan. (Friday, August 23, 2002) Putting teeth in the environmental agenda. USA: .
(Reference: Veon, Joan. (Friday, August 23, 2002)
Putting teeth in the environmental agenda. USA: .)
The key concept behind sustainable development is that the earth has finite resources with too many people. This concept was developed by the Brundtland Commission in the mid-1980s at the request of the U.N. General Assembly.
The environmental agenda and its underlying principles which were made public 10 years ago in Rio are pagan-based. For the first time in human history – and since the handing down of Mosaic Law centuries ago – a group of high-minded globalists, bent on recreating the Tower of Babel, decided to play God. The Earth Summit's Programme of Action, "Agenda 21," basically inverts/perverts Genesis 1, 2 and 3 by making the earth dominant over man and demoting man to the status of a plant or animal and a destroyer of the ecosystem. A sub-component of sustainable development is biological diversity or bio-diversity.
The thesis behind "Agenda 21" is that the world has too many people and finite resources. Therefore, the resources must be protected and controlled so that you and I don't use them all up with the United Nations becoming the enforcer and protector of all of the earth's resources.
Did you know that you and I already know part of the sustainable development message? Within the last 30 years we have heard that there are too many people and that the population must be reduced. Schools now endorse abortion, condom distribution and homosexuality (no procreation) as a way to reduce the population. Universities, colleges and vocational institutions now teach "Agenda 21" in environmental classes. Most houses recycle plastic bottles and tin cans. Once a week, the neighborhood knows if you are a good global citizen by the recycling bin in front of your house. But sustainable development is much more than this.
How would you like to be on a permanent Weight Watchers type of diet in everything you do? The bottom line to this TOTAL REORDERING OF THE PLANET is to "change unsustainable patterns of consumption and production." Some of this re-ordering will be reasonable – better use of resources through better production patterns – but the rest will put each one of us into a global straitjacket. How would you like to be fined for throwing away food or buying something that you did not need?
The words of an old hymn say it all, "There's not a plant or flower below But makes thy glories known, And clouds arise and tempests blow by order from thy Throne."
159. Uhlig, Robert. (Friday, August 23, 2002) New brain tumour alert on mobiles. UK: Telegraph Group Limited.
(Reference: Uhlig, Robert. (Friday, August 23, 2002) New brain tumour alert on mobiles. UK: Telegraph Group Limited.)
As recently as June a study found for the first time that normal levels of mobile phone radiation had a biological effect on human brain cells, damaging the blood-brain barrier.
160. The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy. Section 15. Psychiatric Disorders. Chapter 191. Personality Disorders. Topics [General]
(Reference: The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy. Section 15. Psychiatric Disorders. Chapter 191. Personality Disorders. Topics [General])
Cyclothymic personality
In persons with this personality disorder, high-spirited buoyancy alternates with gloom and pessimism; each mood lasts weeks or longer. Characteristically, the rhythmic mood changes are regular and occur without justifiable external cause. This personality disorder is a spectrum variant of manic-depressive illness (bipolar disorder), but most cyclothymic persons do not develop bipolar disorder. Cyclothymic personality is considered a temperament, present in many gifted and creative people.
Treatment
Treating a personality disorder takes a long time. Personality traits such as coping mechanisms, beliefs, and behavior patterns take many years to develop, and they change slowly. Changes usually occur in a predictable sequence, and different treatment modalities are needed to facilitate them. Reducing environmental stress can quickly relieve symptoms such as anxiety or depression. Behaviors, such as recklessness, social isolation, lack of assertiveness, or temper outbursts, can be changed in months. Group therapy and behavior modification, sometimes within day care or designed residential settings, are effective. Participation in self-help groups or family therapy can also help change socially undesirable behaviors. Behavioral change is most important for patients with borderline, antisocial, or avoidant personality disorder.
Interpersonal problems, such as dependency, distrust, arrogance, or manipulativeness, usually take > 1 yr to change. The cornerstone for effecting interpersonal changes is individual psychotherapy that helps the patient understand the sources of his interpersonal problems in the context of an intimate, cooperative, non-exploitative physician-patient relationship. A therapist must repeatedly point out the undesirable consequences of the patient's thought and behavior patterns and must sometimes set limits on his behavior. Such therapy is essential for patients with histrionic, dependent, or passive-aggressive personality disorder. For some patients with personality disorders that involve how attitudes, expectations, and beliefs are mentally organized (eg, narcissistic or obsessive-compulsive types), psychoanalysis is recommended, usually for >= 3 years.
General principles
Although treatment differs according to the type of personality disorder, some general principles apply to all. Family members can act in ways that either reinforce or diminish the patient's problematic behavior or thoughts, so their involvement is helpful and often essential.
Drugs have limited effects. They can be misused or used in suicide attempts. When anxiety and depression result from a personality disorder, drugs are only moderately effective. For persons with personality disorders, anxiety and depression may have positive significance, ie, that the person is experiencing unwanted consequences of his disorder or is undertaking some needed self-examination.
Because personality disorders are particularly difficult to treat, therapists with experience, enthusiasm, and an understanding of the patient's expected areas of emotional sensitivity and usual ways of coping are important. Kindness and direction alone do not change personality disorders.
161. US firm turns cremated bodies into diamonds. (Friday, August 23, 2002) India: Sify News.
(Reference: US firm turns cremated bodies into diamonds. (Friday, August 23, 2002) India: Sify News.)
"The traditional methods of burial or having ashes in an urn just didn't sit right with him. But he realised that man is made of carbon and diamonds are made of carbon so he just put the two ideas together."
Technicians collect the carbon created when a body is cremated and have it turned into graphite. The graphite is then sent to a lab in Germany that creates the stones by simulating the intense pressure and temperature needed to make diamonds.
"An urn is beautiful in its own right, but you certainly can't take it wherever you go."
162. Boutin, Paul. (Monday, August 19, 2002) Study: Power Lines Probably Risky. USA: Wired .
(Reference: Boutin, Paul. (Monday, August 19, 2002) Study: Power Lines Probably Risky. USA: Wired .)
…the most credible statement yet on the connection between electric power lines and a variety of health problems.
"To one degree or another, all three of the DHS scientists are inclined to believe that EMFs (electric and magnetic fields) can cause some degree of increased risk of childhood leukemia, adult brain cancer, Lou Gehrig's disease and miscarriage," states a leaked copy of the final report from the California EMF Program, a study begun in 1993 on behalf of the California Public Utilities Commission (PUC).
But the authors, a trio of professional epidemiologists with backgrounds in physics, medicine and genetics, also wrote that they were not convinced of a connection between EMFs and many other health problems, ranging from cancer to suicide.
"No one can say this thing is settled. But what they're saying is that after all this time, they think there's something there."
…35-year lifetime of the equipment.
163. Uhlig, Robert. (Thursday, June 20, 2002) Mobile phone radiation alters brain cells. UK: The Telegraph.
;$sessionid$25OIUFZH4YKPNQFIQMFCFGGAVCBQYIV0?xml=/news/2002/06/20/wphon20.xml&_requestid=37690
(Reference: Uhlig, Robert. (Thursday, June 20, 2002)
Mobile phone radiation alters brain cells. UK: The Telegraph.)
Normal levels of mobile phone radiation have for the first time been found to have a biological effect on human brain cells, according to a two-year study by government scientists.
Research by the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority in Finland found that microwaves from cellphone handsets damaged the blood-brain barrier, which prevents materials from the blood entering the brain. It warned that this might have implications for human health.
However, Prof Darius Leszczynski, who led the team, said that the research had so far been conducted only in laboratory conditions.
He said: "We need further study looking at real people to see if the blood-brain barrier is affected. What is happening in the human brain is an enigma. If it did happen it could lead to disturbances, such as headaches, feeling tired or problems with sleeping."
Cells from blood vessel walls in the brain were placed in culture dishes and subjected in the laboratory to mobile phone radiation of two watts per kilogram, the maximum allowed internationally for mobile phones. After an hour's exposure biochemical changes were seen in the cells that could alter the activity of about 400 proteins.
In particular, one enzyme, called HSP 27, which helps to regulate blood-brain barrier permeability, was affected. Prof Leszczynski said HSP 27 affected structures in the cells called stress fibres. The distribution of stress fibres in turn affected leakage of the blood-brain barrier.
Prof Leszczynski said: "If the same thing happened in real life, in people, then it could affect blood-brain barrier permeability by increasing it." As a result, molecules that caused damage to neurons might be allowed to invade brain tissue.
"What I believe is that we will find these leaks occur in humans, too. What we do not know is the extent of these leaks and whether they have any effect on our health," said Prof Leszczynski.
He added that a French team also presenting findings at the conference had shown that blood-brain barrier leakage increased in rats exposed to mobile phone radiation.
But he added that it would be wrong to assume at this stage that mobile phones were hazardous to human health. It was possible that the human body might be able to cope with the effects.
Dr Michael Clarke, scientific spokesman at the National Radiological Protection Board, said: "It is important work and part of the jigsaw to see whether mobile phone radiation really has any health effect.
"But we need to remember that all sorts of things - tea, caffeine, red wine, sugar - have biological effects without necessarily damaging health."
164. hAnluain, Daithí Ó. (Monday, July 22, 2002) What Buddhists Know About Science. USA: Wired .
(Reference: hAnluain, Daithí Ó. (Monday, July 22, 2002)
What Buddhists Know About Science. USA: Wired .)
Thong Len is a meditative technique developed by Tibetan Buddhists almost 800 years before the discovery of anesthesia. It's explained in that classic of Tibetan Buddhist thought, the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying. It works by imagining someone else's pain, like a burn, and drawing it into oneself. As you take the pain from others, your own hurt disappears.
Adepts of the technique are constantly practicing Thong Len, every minute of the day, drawing pain from those around them and enhancing their own sense of well-being. They've been described as "shit filters," taking negative energy out of the world and replacing it with positive.
…humans perceive only what they are looking for, not what's there.
…Tibetans have discovered many scientific truths through empirical observation. They also have many other techniques that still mystify scientists, but seem to work, like Thong Len.
Science is unable to explain them and is loath to embrace Tibetan techniques in the absence of proof.
"We know by the year about 2020, the greatest disabling phenomenon for the health of the human race will be depression,"… "Not cancer, not heart disease, but depression."
While Tibetan Buddhism and other ancient practices like Taoism have developed scientifically accurate explanations of some phenomena, the Dalai Lama has also said Buddhists can abandon scripture that has been reliably disproved by science. No creationist controversies here, then.
The Dalai Lama has an intense non-specialist interest in science, and he believes there are points of contact (with Buddhism) in cosmology, neuroscience, physics, quantum physics, and modern psychology. He has even opened a school of science at his monastery in India.
"I feel it is basically the Buddhist tradition to try to see reality. Science has a different method of investigation. One relies on mathematics; Buddhists work mainly through meditation. So different approaches and different methods, but both science and Buddhism are trying to see reality," he said.
"When I meet with scientists, it has nothing to do with religious faith. It's just theory or the experience of experiment. So, today's meeting is using reason only, not faith. I'm not trying to convert scientists to Buddhism, and they are not trying to convert me into a radical materialist!" (Someone who believes all phenomena are physical only.)
… eminent Australian philosopher Frank Jackson sought an explanation to the Dalai Lama's rejection of radical materialism…. Why would you resist going down the materialist path?"
The Dalai Lama replied: "I believe that the nature of what we experience as mind is something that has to be understood in terms that have direct and intimate connections to our understanding of the wider world, the cosmos, the origin and evolution of the universe."
"When we speak of consciousness and mind it is, conceptually, an extremely difficult problem. We find it extremely difficult to articulate. But at the personal level we all experience it on a day-to-day basis," said the Dalai Lama.
"So I feel that in this interface between the two different intellectual traditions, the two investigative traditions, there might be two levels of dialogue. One is for this issue of what exactly is mind, what exactly is consciousness? What is its nature? This is a hugely complex issue, and maybe we can for the time being bracket it, and seek instead what we can do to create happy minds."
165. Glossary.
(Reference: Glossary.)
Aadhishesha (also Shesha). Divine serpent with a thousand heads upon which the earth rests; used by demi-gods and demons together to churn the ocean of milk. Also reposing bed of Vishnu.
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Cross-reference
Snake Worship.
Shesha, Adisesha or Seshnaga, whose name literally means 'residue', is believed to have been born of what was left after the universe and its inhabitants had been created. Revered as the king of the snakes, he has a 1,000 heads ('sahasrashirsha') which form a massive hood. He is believed to be Vishnu's couch, and his hood shelters the god during the periodic deluges. Earth is said to rest on Seshnaga. He is believed to spew venomous fire that destroys all creation at the end of each kalpa, and is worshipped as a manifestation of Vishnu.
(Cross-reference: Snake Worship.)
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Residual energy, to be precise. That that hasn’t taken any other form. More powerful than any form.
166. Thurman, Robert A. F. (Translated by) (1976) Vimalakirti Nirdesa Sutra. USA: The Pennsylvania State University.
(Reference: Thurman, Robert A. F. (Translated by) (1976) Vimalakirti Nirdesa Sutra. USA: The Pennsylvania State University.)
Vimalakirti Nirdesa Sutra- Another key sutra in Mahayana (Sometimes referred to as the "crown jewel of the Mahayana"), this is about Vimalakirti Nirdesa, the lay Bodhisattva and regarded as the main Sutra on the topic of non-duality.
167. Raven’s Reviews: Eiji Yoshikawa.
(Reference: Raven’s Reviews: Eiji Yoshikawa.)
Musashi is set in the early 17th century, just after Tokugawa Ieyasu unified Japan, ending generations of constant warfare. With the land at peace (however uneasy at times), the samurai were forced to adapt to a new age which needed something more than mere warriors. Miyamoto Musashi (1584?-1645) was a product of this time, a man of samurai descent who strove to perfect his swordsmanship as a path to achieving his full human potential. He spent most of his life as a wanderer, perfecting the Art of the Sword by studying works on strategy, by challenging other swordsmen and by more esoteric forms of enlightenment.
The Way of the Samurai (Book I of the Pocket Books paperback version) begins with the aftermath of the Battle of Sekigahara. Two youths from Miyamoto, Shimmen Takezo and Matahachi Hon’iden, had joined the army to earn names for themselves. However, they were nearly killed when their side lost, and are forced to go into hiding from Tokugawa’s soldiers. Matahachi falls afoul of a seductress and fails to return to his family--and to his fiancee, Otsu. Takezo tries to return to Miyamoto to let the Hon’idens know that Matahachi is still alive, but he gets blamed for his friend’s disappearance. His punishments at the hands of a Zen monk, Takuan Soho, begin his enlightenment, and kindle his desire to live and become a real human being, rather than dying as a brutal, ignorant beast. Reborn, he changes his name to Miyamoto Musashi, and sets out on his life-quest of becoming a master swordsman.
The paperback edition continues with The Art of War, The Way of the Sword, The Bushido Code, and The Way of Life and Death. These later sections continue Musashi’s early career, including his long feud with the Yoshioka School and his growing rivalry with another swordsman, Sasaki Kojiro. The fates of Matahachi and Otsu also play important parts in the novel. The story should be read in order from the beginning; the paperbacks provide short summaries of previous volumes, but the volume breaks are rather arbitrary and a reader will need the context of the previous sections to avoid being confused. Musashi has the episodic format typical of much Japanese storytelling, but it was written to be a single, long novel, not a series of stand-alone stories.
The novel ends while Musashi is still relatively young (28 or 29), but even by that age, he had earned a enduring place in Japanese legend. This swordsman continued to perfect his art, and near the end of his life, he composed The Book of Five Rings, a treatise on strategy. This work, which remains popular today with Japanese and gaijin alike, has a style and purpose similar to that of Sun-Tzu’s The Art of War, one of the works that Musashi revered.
168. The Sword Polisher from Eiji Yoshikawa's Epic Novel Musashi.
(Reference: The Sword Polisher from Eiji Yoshikawa's Epic Novel Musashi.)
"That's interesting. I happen to have made the acquaintance of your master and his excellent mother, Myoshu." Musashi went on to tell how he had met them in the field near the Rendaiji and later spent a few days at their house.
Kosuke, astonished, scrutinized him closely for a moment. "Are you by any chance the man who caused a great stir in Kyoto some years ago by defeating the Yoshioka School at Ichijoji? Miyamoto Musashi was the name, I believe."
"That is my name." Musashi's face reddened slightly.
Kosuke moved back a bit and bowed deferentially, saying, "Forgive me. I shouldn't have been lecturing you. I had no idea I was talking to the famous Miyamoto Musashi."
"Don't give it a second thought. Your words were very instructive. Koetsu's character comes through in the lessons he teaches his disciples."
"As I'm sure you know, the Hon'ami family served the Ashikaga shoguns. From time to time they've also been called upon to polish the Emperor's swords. Koetsu was always saying that Japanese swords were created not to kill or injure people but to maintain the imperial rule and protect the nation, to subdue devils and drive out evil. The sword is the samurai's soul; he carries it for no other purpose than to maintain his own integrity. It is an ever-present admonition to the man who rules over other men and seeks in doing so to follow the Way of Life."
The Polisher Kosuke goes on to describe the sad state of disregard of many swords even during the height of the samurai era and provides some interesting insight into the preservation of swords...
"At Suwa Shrine in Shinano Province there are more than three hundred swords. They could be classed as heirlooms, but I found only five that weren't rusted. Omishima Shrine in lyo is famous for its collection, three thousand swords dating back many centuries. But after spending a whole month there, I found only ten that were in good condition. It's disgusting!" Kosuke caught his breath and continued. "The problem seems to be that the older and more famous the sword is, the more the owner is inclined to make sure it's stored in a safe place. But then nobody can get at it to take care of it, and the blade gets rustier and rustier."
"The owners are like parents who protect their children so jealously that the children grow up to be fools. In the case of children, more are being born all the time, doesn't make any difference if a few are stupid. But swords . . ." Pausing to suck in the spit, he raised his thin shoulders even higher and with a gleam in his eyes declared, "We already have all the good swords there'll ever be. During the civil wars, the swordsmiths got careless, no, downright sloppy! They forgot their techniques, and swords have been deteriorating ever since."
"The craftsmen today may try to imitate the older swords, but they'll never turn out anything as good. The only thing to do is to take better care of the swords from the earlier periods."
169. Musashi, Miyamoto. (Translated by Harris, Victor.) A Book of Five Rings (Go Rin No Sho)
(Reference: Musashi, Miyamoto. (Translated by Harris, Victor.)
A Book of Five Rings (Go Rin No Sho))
170. Dying and being reborn (Quotations from Vasishtha).
(Reference: Dying and being reborn (Quotations from Vasishtha))
(p. 517)
The abandonment of egosense is the cessation of ignorance; this and nothing else is liberation.
(pp. 270-271)
The infinite self cannot possibly be squeezed into the mind... The consciousness that, through the process of self-limitation, is confined to finitude (and therefore to concepts and percepts) is known as the mind...
(pp. 297-297)
Thus of the mind and the ego-sense -- if one ceases the other ceases to be. Hence, instead of entertaining the notion of bondage and that of liberation, abandon all cravings and through wisdom and dispassion, bring about the cessation of the mind. If even the wish, "May I be liberated" arises within you, the mind is revived...
(pp. 445-447)
Cudala:
Why did you not abandon everything in total renunciation?
Shikihidhvaja:
I have renounced the kingdom, the palace, the country and my wife, too. How is it then that you think that I have not renounced everything?
Cudala:
Wealth, wife, palace, kingdom, the earth and the royal umbrella and your relatives are not yours, O king: renouncing them does not constitute total renunciation! There is something else which seems to be yours and which you have not renounced, and that is the best part of renunciaiton. Renounce that totally and ... attain freedom from sorrow.
Shikihidhvaja:
Paraphrased: Then I will abandon the forest where I now live and everything within this forest, and I will abandon the hut that serves as my home. Surely now I have completely renounced everything!
Cudala:
You have not renounced everything, O king... You have something, as it were, which you have not renounced, that is the best part of renunciaiton. When that is also utterly abandoned without leaving a residue, then you will attain the supreme state, free from sorrow.
After some thought, Shikihidhvaja said:
There is only one more thing left ... and that is this body... I shall now abandon that too and destroy it, and thus achieve total renuncation...
Cudala:
O king, why do you vainly endeavour to destroy this innocent body? ... The body is not responsible for the experience of pleasure and pain. Further, destroying the body does not mean total renunciation. On the other hand, you are throwing away something which is an aid to such renunciation! If you are able to renounce that which functions through this body and which agitates this body, then you have truly abandoned all sin and evil and then you will have become a supreme renouncer. If that is renounced, everything (including the body) is renounced. Otherwise, the sin and evil, even if they remain submerged temporarily, will arise again...
Shikihidhvaja:
Holy sir, please tell me what that is which should be renounced.
Cudala:
... It is the mind alone which is referred to variously as buddhi, the cosmos, egosense, prana, etc. Hence its abandonment alone is total renunciaiton. Once it is abandoned, the truth is experienced at once. All notions of unity and diversity come to an end; there is peace.
171. Anderson, John Ward. (Wednesday, May 02, 2001) 'Death Fasters' Put Spotlight on Turkish Prisons. USA: Washington Post Foreign Service.
(Reference: Anderson, John Ward. (Wednesday, May 02, 2001)
'Death Fasters' Put Spotlight on Turkish Prisons. USA: Washington Post Foreign Service.)
"This is not a suicide," said Sener, 22, who today marked the 169th day of her hunger strike. "… But this is about death, and it can take time. For us, victory is close, and so is death."
…what critics say is Turkey's shameful prison system, particularly its policy of holding political prisoners in isolation. International human rights organizations say the practice of isolation is inhumane and often leads to abuse of prisoners by guards.
Away from the prisons, Sener said, the activists "decided to show people what it looks like to die cell by cell, but outside the prison." Like the others, Sener drinks water mixed with salt, sugar or powdered juice to maintain her strength and hold death at bay.
Even the duration of the hunger strike is creating some controversy, with medical authorities saying it is impossible for people to live so long without food, noting that in most mass hunger strikes, people begin to die after about 65 days.
After Turkish police stormed 20 prisons in December -- a four-day operation code-named Return to Life that left 30 inmates and two officers dead -- there were conflicting reports that the hunger strikers had been force-fed. Others were isolated in hospitals and gave up their fasts after being told that they were the only ones continuing the strike, doctors said.
The December police action was designed to wrest control of Turkey's prison system from radical leftist groups that ran dormitory-style prisons like ideological indoctrination camps. Guards were not allowed inside. After police retook the facilities, state officials transferred about 1,000 inmates to new prisons designed to isolate inmates in individual cells, potentially for years.
The cells, each with its own electric, water and sewerage systems controlled by guards, were in prisons that often had no communal facilities for group meals, exercise or other activities. Critics complain that the facilities were designed for "brainwashing" political prisoners,…
Most doctors are refusing the state's call to intervene and physically force food on the fasters, citing the World Medical Association's 1991 declaration on the ethical treatment of hunger strikers, which states, "It is the duty of the doctor to respect the autonomy which the patient has over his person."
Hakan Gurvit, a physician who is monitoring the condition of numerous inmate hunger strikers and the four activists at the Istanbul house, said many are suffering from starvation-induced Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, a neurological disorder that can result in "forgetfulness worse than even the most advanced stages of Alzheimer's disease." Even if the hunger strike were ended today, he said, "dozens will be permanently disabled."
172. Anderson, Scott. (Sunday, October 21, 2001) The Hunger Warriors: Investigating a Different Kind of Suicide Mission. USA: The New York Times Company.
(De-activated link)
(Alternate link)
(Reference: Anderson, Scott. (Sunday, October 21, 2001)
The Hunger Warriors: Investigating a Different Kind of Suicide Mission. USA: The New York Times Company.)
Until a few months ago, Fatma would stand by the window or sit in the yard outside to watch the constant stream of ships…
For the past 250 days, she has existed on a diet of water, tea, salt and sugar. Now, with her weight hovering around 70 pounds, she can no longer walk and can sit up only with assistance, and if she wants to gaze out at the Bosporus, aides must carry her bed out to the yard and prop her up with pillows. Fatma exists at the very precipice of death, and she knows it. On certain days, she can even discuss the end, how it might happen, with a trace of humor.
In a matching single bed a few feet away lies another starving young woman, 28-year-old Yildiz Gemicioglu. Far more than Fatma's, Yildiz's body bears the external signs of advanced malnutrition: her cheeks are blotched with acne-like sores, her slightest gestures are jerky and exaggerated from muscular atrophy and when she smiles it seems to pain her.
One, a 44-year-old man named Osman Osmanagaoglu, appears the most frail. After 275 days without food, his face is so sunken that it has already taken on the look of a death mask, and he suffers memory lapses that sometimes leave him struggling to recall where he was born or the name of his father.
A hunger strike might seem to be an act of ultimate desperation, a weapon of last resort for the powerless, but the reality is a bit more complex. Politically motivated hunger strikes tend to occur in a very specific kind of society and at a very specific time: namely, in places with a long history of official repression, but where that repression has gradually begun to loosen. If it is the institutionalized nature of abuse that fuels the strikers to such extreme action, it is the cracks of liberalization that lead them to believe that such a course might shame the government into change -- and often they are right. Mahatma Gandhi's hunger strikes against British rule in India helped turn British public opinion and hastened Indian independence. Even the 1980-81 hunger strike by the Irish Republican Army -- abandoned after 10 men died -- could be considered a partial success in that it strengthened a perception of the Thatcher government as callous and swelled I.R.A. recruitment. What is remarkable about the Turkish hunger strike, by contrast, is both the apparent smallness of the issue that sparked it and that it continues despite all evidence that it is and will remain a failure.
…the abandonment of a new generation of modern prisons in which inmates are housed in one- or three-man cells and a return to the dormitory-style prisons of the past.
''This is a death fast,'' explains Resit Sari, 44, a member of the second wave. ''We stay on until we die, and when we do, another group will take our place, and another one after that. It goes on until the government agrees to our demands or all of us are dead.'' To underscore that determination, Resit offers a chilling statistic; according to him, not a single striker has voluntarily quit the death fast since it began.
…I have found myself pondering a somewhat macabre set of questions. What makes people willing to die for a cause?
How do they sustain their zeal when death is not going to be quick, but rather requires intensive planning, weeks and months of waiting as the awful day nears?
Not least, how does such a group of prospective martyrs maintain its esprit de mort when it is constantly exposed to the temptations of the outside, ''living'' world?
…chosen a path that harms no one but themselves.
When I talk with Fatma, she has a tendency to slide herself across her bed to get closer to my chair, to gaze unblinkingly up into my face. It takes me a while to realize that this is not boldness or flirtatiousness on her part but rather a symptom of her failing health. She moves closer because her hearing has grown weak. She stares into visitors' faces because she has difficulty focusing.
''I used to read a lot, but I had to stop, because it hurt my eyes,'' she tells me. ''Now I can only read newspaper headlines, the biggest ones.''
Instead of reading, Fatma spends her days chatting with her roommate, Yildiz, or talking with friends on her cellphone or, increasingly, drifting off into long naps. At this advanced stage of starvation, both nausea and pain are almost constant, but when I ask Fatma if she has ever considered quitting, she gives me a quizzical, amused look.
''It must have crossed your mind,'' I persist. ''When the pain has been especially bad, when a friend has died.''
Fatma gives a slight shake of her head. ''Never. We have to continue on until victory -- and victory is coming.''
What has evolved is, if not yet a full-bore democracy, at least a kind of police-state lite
173. Sapsted, David. (Wednesday, November 21, 2001) Vicar's yoga position is 'not in my church hall'. UK: The Telegraph.
(Reference: Sapsted, David. (Wednesday, November 21, 2001)
Vicar's yoga position is 'not in my church hall'. UK: The Telegraph.)
… the ultimate aim of yoga was to enable participants to "ascend to a higher spiritual plain".
Yoga, based on a Hindu system of exercise and philosophic meditation, has supporters in the medical profession who say it can relieve stress as well as help with spinal and muscular ailments.
"It does involve an approach to life but it is not one that in any way interferes with Christian teaching,"
The concept is to BE STILL. You can sit or stand or lie down or whatever, as long as the posture is held without moving for a sufficient period of time. You can even still normally in a chair, in the western style of sitting. Certain adepts of ancient Egypt used to sit in the same posture as modern day chair sitting. You can also sit in yogic postures. The lotus posture or padma-asana being the most idle or perfect. Other postures like siddha-asana or vajra-asana are also there. There are many other yogic postures which you can hold on for a certain time period, like sirsh- asana, the Kingly posture or the King of the yogic asanas.
Why padma-asana is the most perfect?
Provides perfect management and synchronization of internal and external energies. Moreover your legs are locked in. You cannot be toppled or pushed or moved. In many other postures like siddha or vajra, you can be pushed. There are spirits who find happiness, like little children, in pushing or toppling a serious meditator, thereby breaking his concentration. There used to be a spirit specially fond of Lord Mahavira, who frequently disturbed the Lord’s meditation.
You can lie down straight as a dead body. Sava-asana. Make sure you don’t fall asleep when the body is relaxed. Advanced practices were done by certain ancient Egyptian adepts in the sava-asana.
You don’t hold your breath. You don’t worry about the breathing in the initial stages. As the body relaxes, the heavy breathing also slows down to a faint level. So don’t forcibly control breathing. In yoga, there is no use of force or forced exertion. Slowly, slowly, …
Pranayama or controlled breathing is for advanced meditators, not for novices or starters. But a certain period or number of times of controlled breathing can be done at any time, even by novices.
So, to summarize, there is NO religious barrier, to sit still.
How can a running car be relaxed? You stop the car. So too the body. Instead of running here and there, you sit still and relax.
After a sufficient level of sitting, how about the running thoughts? How about relaxing the mind? So stop thinking slowly, by not following thoughts. Concentrate on your breathing – inflow and outflow. Whenever you feel that you are following thoughts, come back to concentrate on the breathing. Slowly you practice thus. Vipassana in a nutshell!
Finally, a relaxed body. A relaxed mind. What else is needed to be happy?
Rome was never built in a single day! Hundreds and hundreds of days. Of construction. Of training. Slowly brick by brick!
When we look from a certain angle, any serious job with a certain level of concentration involves Being Still. Devotional prayer, chanting, eating, even typing have a certain level of stillness. You sit still and type. Not dancing and typing. You sit still and say your prayers. Not running here and there and saying your prayers. You sit still and eat. Not running and eating. You lie down still to sleep. Not tossing this way and that way.
Thus, BE STILL is everywhere. So any person of any religion can be still, whether sitting, standing or whatever.
174. Martin, Nicole. (Monday, November 26, 2001) More churchgoers approve of living in sin. UK: The Telegraph.
(Reference: Martin, Nicole. (Monday, November 26, 2001)
More churchgoers approve of living in sin. UK: The Telegraph.)
THE practice of couples living together before, or instead of, marrying is becoming increasingly acceptable even to more traditional churchgoers, according to a report published today.
They are becoming more tolerant of the changing face of family life, which has seen a rise in cohabitation and illegitimate births.
Alison Park, co-author of the study, Just a Piece of Paper? Marriage and Cohabitation, said: "Cohabitation is widely accepted as a prelude to marriage and as an alternative, even where there are children involved.
There's a clear suggestion that values will continue to shift in a more liberal direction in years to come. Marriage is widely valued as an ideal, but is regarded with much more ambivalence in terms of its role in partnering and parenting.
Ms Park said: "Views have changed markedly over time and, for many, marriage is no longer seen as having any advantage over cohabitation in everyday life."
But campaigners for traditional family values said it was wrong to welcome the more liberal views because marriage still provided the most secure environment for children.
Robert Whelan, director of Family and Youth Concern, said there was growing evidence that children of cohabiting couples were more likely than children of married couples to perform badly at school, get involved in crime and use drugs.
He said: "I am surprised that the whole nation no longer views marriage as a precursor to having children. We know that cohabiting relationships don't last as long as marriages, which means that children in these situations tend to spend many years with only one parent."
175. Dorries, Ben and Wardill, Steven. (Monday, August 26, 2002) Bishop attacks celibacy. Queensland, Australia: The Courier Mail.
(De-activated link)
(Reference: Dorries, Ben and Wardill, Steven. (Monday, August 26, 2002)
Bishop attacks celibacy. Queensland, Australia: The Courier Mail.) (De-activated link)
A prominent Australian Catholic bishop has defied the Pope in a controversial call for the vow of celibacy to be made optional in an effort to reduce sexual abuse by clergymen.
Canberra Bishop Pat Power, the Catholic Church's spokesman on sexual abuse matters, has urged the church to review its celibacy rules in the wake of a raft of sexual allegations against clergy in Australia and the US.
Last night, Bishop Power said that sexual abuse in the church was "very worrying" and non-celibate clergy were far less likely to commit sexual offences.
"The priest living within the safety and the security and the happiness of the family life would be less likely, I think, to be tempted in that way," he said.
Bishop Power, the Auxiliary Bishop of the Canberra-Goulburn diocese, told ABC radio's Sunday Profile program that celibacy provisions were now outdated. He said there was a view that they were originally introduced so church property would remain in the church, and not be inherited by a priest's children or spouses.
He said a wide-ranging review of celibacy by the Catholic church hierarchy should also consider re-admitting priests who had left the clergy to marry.
Spokeswoman Hetty Johnston said pedophiles would still prey on children in the church even if they could marry.
"If you are a pedophile and you wanted easy access to children, community respect and trust, the best possible vocation would be (as) a priest," she said.
University of Queensland sexual abuse expert Leilani Garland said allowing priests to marry would not decrease pedophilia or sexual abuse in the church.
Ms Garland, who lectures in the school of social work and social policy, said sex abuse occurred in other professions where there was no celibacy rule.
The argument that some priests were driven to abuse children because of sexual repression was wrong, she said.
The Pope's avoidance of the US is seen as symptomatic of the gulf between the free-minded US Church and Rome.
176. Weiss, Jeffrey. (Saturday, August 24, 2002) Religious Left says the Religious Right is wrong. USA: The Dallas Morning News.
(De-activated link)
(Alternate link)
(Reference: Weiss, Jeffrey. (Saturday, August 24, 2002)
Religious Left says the Religious Right is wrong. USA: The Dallas Morning News; Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services (KRT Wire).)
Rabbi Judith Abrams, founder of a school for Talmudic studies in Houston, offered an example that she said illustrated the futility of biblical literalism – particularly in English.
The first sentence of the Bible is generally translated as starting with "In the beginning ..." But the Hebrew is more accurately translated as "in a beginning," she said. The difference between the definite and indefinite article is responsible for myriad interpretations offered by generations of Jewish sages.
"In Judaism, we say the Scripture speaks in 70 tongues," she said. "It's deep. It's God-given. Like, infinite mind versus finite mind."
Dr. Ali Asani, professor of the practice of Indo-Muslim languages and culture at Harvard University, said the Muslim movements called "fundamentalist" are actually the product of recent history.
"Tolerance and pluralism are central to the message of the Quran – when properly understood," he said.
Oil money has made a specific strain of Islam – one that asserts an absolute superiority of the Quran and a particular interpretation of the text – much more influential that it would otherwise be, he said.
177. Urquhart, Frank. (Monday, August 26, 2002) Scots scientists challenge rules of evolution. Scotland: The Scotsman.
(Reference: Urquhart, Frank. (Monday, August 26, 2002)
Scots scientists challenge rules of evolution. Scotland: The Scotsman.)
A MAJOR discovery of a so-called missing link by researchers at a Scottish university has raised serious doubts about how the cells in the human body and other forms of life first evolved.
Until now, it has been accepted thinking among biologists that the complex cells of the human body evolved from primitive cells such as bacteria. These contained only a tiny specialised nucleus which held and protected the genes of every cell.
Only later in evolution, it was believed, did cells acquire hundreds of mitochondria - the minute energy generators which power and keep complex cells alive.
But that view is now being challenged by scientists at Dundee University and researchers at the National History Museum in London, who have used state-of-the-art microscopy techniques to identify an unexpected link in the evolutionary process.
They have discovered tiny mitochondria lying undetected in the cells of primitive parasites.
Dr John Lucocq, of Dundee University, said the team’s discovery represented a new missing link in scientific knowledge.
He added: "Scientists believe that the complex cells of our body evolved from simple cells like bacteria.
"Primitive cells first evolved a tiny specialised compartment called a nucleus - which is basically a bag for holding and protecting the genes of every cell.
"Only later in evolution did they acquire hundreds of minute energy generators that keep our complex cells alive - better known to biologists as mitochondria.
"The main evidence for these two steps in evolution came from primitive parasite cells that contain a nucleus but show no traces of the power-generating mitochondria."
He said his team began to have doubts about accepted scientific thinking when recent research suggested that the typical components of a cell’s "power pack" - mitochondria - might be present in primitive cells. Advanced microscopy techniques confirmed their suspicions.
Dr Lucocq said: "We used powerful state-of-the-art high-resolution electron microscopes at the University of Dundee to reveal mitochondria that were less than ten times smaller than the mitochondria of other cells.
"We now think the tiny mitochondria of these parasites are ‘left-overs’ that have shrunk during evolution, making them more difficult to recognise."
He added: "This discovery changes the way we think about how cells evolved.
"If these parasites are a sort of living fossil, then this is a bit like a ‘missing link’ human ancestor turning out to be a present day human."
178. This Lama saved Soviet leader's life twice. (Sunday, August 25, 2002) India: The Times of India.
(Reference: This Lama saved Soviet leader's life twice. (Sunday, August 25, 2002) India: The Times of India.)
Moscow: A black cat, an age old symbol of bad omen, proved to be a "talisman" which brought luck to the former Soviet Communist Party bigwig Leonid Brezhnev, saving his life twice in an eerie coincidence.
The cat, which was presented to Brezhnev by Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama during the former's 1969 Delhi visit, was said to possess extraordinary foresight, which would ward off any imminent dangers to Brezhnev's life.
The Lama had warned that the death of the cat would also herald the death of its master, and asked Brezhnev to feed the cat personally with raw meat everyday, popular youth daily Komsomolskaya Pravda reported in its weekend supplement.
The cat, who was named Lama, showed his extraordinary powers a few weeks after its arrival in Moscow, on the morning when Brezhnev was scheduled to be part of a motorcade to welcome three Russian cosmonauts, who were back from a successful mission in space.
Lama showed signs of nervousness the whole morning, and recognising it as a sign of alarm, Brezhnev asked his escort to pull his car back to the rear of the motorcade and allow the cosmonauts to enter the Kremlin before him, just in time to see an assailant fire 14 bullets into the car carrying the cosmonauts.
On the second occasion as well, the cat was restive and would not let Brezhnev go to office at his usual time, holding on to his trousers and mewing piteously.
Brezhnev instructed his guards to go ahead, as they were in a hurry, intending to follow them later. But luck would have it otherwise.
En route the Kremlin, the car collided with a trailer, and while the rest of the passengers suffered minor injuries, the man sitting in Brezhnev's usual place was crushed to death almost instantly, the media report said.
Even if he had been doubtful before, Brezhnev was convinced of the cat's extraordinary power when he was informed of this incident, it said.
The story ends as eerily as it begins. Lama died in the spring of 1982, crushed to death by a car.
In keeping with the Dalai Lama's prediction, Brezhnev passed away the same year, succumbing to a prolonged illness, it said.
179. Peta, Basildon. (Tuesday, August 27, 2002) US, Australia branded 'axis of evil' by greens. New Zealand: The New Zealand Herald.
(Reference: Peta, Basildon. (Tuesday, August 27, 2002)
US, Australia branded 'axis of evil' by greens. New Zealand: The New Zealand Herald.)
Campaign groups at the Johannesburg Earth Summit have branded the United States, Canada and Australia an "axis of evil" for their reluctance to co-operate with the rest of the world in tackling global poverty and environmental degradation.
As Washington opposed the setting of any targets beyond previously agreed UN goals such as halving the proportion of the world's people who live on less than a dollar a day or lack access to drinking water, Tony Juniper, the vice-president of Friends of Earth International, said other governments must press ahead on new agreements "for people and the planet".
Mr Juniper said the US, Australia and Canada had high standards of living, high rates of material consumption, and high per-capita impact on the environment. "They have been most unconstructive in recognising their impact as rich consumer countries," he added.
The US had withdrawn from the Kyoto treaty on climate change, while Australia and Japan had shown little interest in it, Mr Juniper said. The US decision to increase steel tariffs and introduce agricultural subsidies exemplified its lack of commitment to free trade and helping poor countries.
Flooding throughout central Europe, China and south Asia had caused thousands of deaths and billions of dollars' damage. Globalisation had made the "rich richer and the poor poorer", and chemically-intensive agriculture and biotechnology had "resulted in looming starvation, social dislocation and a threat to the entire world's food supply".
180. Graphic: Probing the Great Pyramid puzzle. (Tuesday, August 27, 2002) UK: Times Newspapers Ltd.
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(Reference: Graphic: Probing the Great Pyramid puzzle. (Tuesday, August 27, 2002) UK: Times Newspapers Ltd.)
[pic]
181. Henderson, Mark. (Tuesday, August 27, 2002) Robot seeks answer to pyramid mystery. UK: Times Newspapers Ltd.
(De-activated link)
(Reference: Henderson, Mark. (Tuesday, August 27, 2002)
Robot seeks answer to pyramid mystery. UK: Times Newspapers Ltd.) (De-activated link)
A mysterious passage in the Great Pyramid at Giza will be explored by a robot next month in an attempt to unravel one of the final secrets of the last remaining wonder of the Ancient World.
The Pyramid Rover will be sent to find out what lies beyond a blocked, 8in-square shaft that has puzzled researchers since its discovery in 1872.
The custom-built machine will climb 210ft along the channel, which leads upwards from an unused and apparently unfinished room known as the Queen’s Chamber, until it reaches a stone plug with two copper handles which ended a previous attempt to chart the passage a decade ago.
On arrival, it will use the world’s smallest ground-penetrating radar antenna to look beyond the blockage for the first time since the pyramid, built to house the remains of the Pharaoh Cheops, or Khufu, was completed about 4,500 years ago. If the radar reveals a structure of interest behind the seal, such as a third great chamber, Pyramid Rover will pass a fibre-optic camera through cracks to capture the first pictures.
The entire procedure, which is headed by Zahi Hawass, director of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, and Mark Lehner, director of the Giza Plateau Mapping Project, director of the Giza Plateau Mapping Project, will be screened live on the National Geographic Channel, starting at 1am on Tuesday, September 17. It will be repeated at 7pm that night.
The Pyramid of Khufu contains two great rooms: the King’s Chamber, holding Khufu’s tomb, and the Queen’s Chamber, which is smaller and directly below it and which, despite its name, was probably not meant for his wife.
It is unique not only for its size, but also because it was built with two small shafts running diagonally upwards from the two chambers. The shafts running from the north and south wall of the Queen’s Chamber are especially curious because they are blocked at each end.
There are many theories as to their purpose. It seems unlikely that they were for air or water, being blocked at both ends. Some experts believe that they are “star shafts” pointing to Sirius and the constellation Orion: it is widely thought that the layout of the three pyramids at Giza mimics the stars in Orion’s belt.
Another explanation is that they are “soul shafts”, built to allow a soul to escape to heaven. Again, however, the passages are blocked, and archaeologists do not think that the Queen’s Chamber ever held a tomb. One popular theory is that the room was originally designed for Khufu before it was decided to build a larger chamber for the pharaoh and abandon the lower room.
Some experts even believe that the southern shaft, the longer of the two, leads to a third, undiscovered chamber. It ends 54ft from the outer face, leaving ample space for a room, and the seal is made of Tura limestone, a rock found only in the central chambers.
Kate Spence, of the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research at Cambridge University, said that Pyramid Rover’s mission ought to shed important new light on the mystery, even if all it does is to debunk some of the most outlandish theories.
“Opinion is very divided as to what the shafts are for,” she said. “It’s the only pyramid that has this sort of shaft so we have nothing to go on in terms of comparison. The huge question is why they are blocked. It is incredibly difficult to say.
“My own expectation is that there won’t be anything behind the blockage, but we just don’t know. It’s possible they just stopped building, but if that’s the case, why did they plug it so elaborately? “The great thing is that whatever they find, even if they find there’s nothing there, that’s absolutely fascinating. You can’t lose. It’s going to be interesting whether there’s nothing there or a chamber full of treasure and statues.”
Pyramid Rover will build on the achievements of Rudolf Gantenbrink, a German scientist whose robot, Upuaut 2, explored the southern shaft and discovered the blockage in the early 1990s. The new probe, based on models used to search for World Trade Centre survivors after September 11, is less than 5in high and wide and about 1ft long.
Its ground-penetrating radar has a range of more than 3ft through concrete and much farther through the more porous limestone of the pyramid. It also carries an ultrasonic transducer that can measure the thickness of the stones.
A force gauge will detect whether the blocking stone moves, and other tools will seek out cracks through which fibre-optic cameras can pass. A conductivity sensor will also be applied to the copper handles to determine whether they form an electrical circuit, which would show that they are linked on the other side.
Theories about monument's unknown heart
Ventilation or water shafts: at first the obvious explanation, this is now rejected because the shafts are blocked.
Star shafts: the top of the shafts appear to be aligned with Sirius and a star in Orion’s belt, mirrored in the layout of the pyramids. The shafts, however, have several bends, so do not point to any spot in the heavens.
Numerology: the angles in the shafts conform to a numerological plan, the details of which remain obscure.
Soul shafts: the shafts were built to allow the pharaoh’s soul to escape. They are blocked, however, and no pharaoh was buried in the Queen’s Chamber.
Secret chamber: there is enough space to house another room. The passage, however, is just 8in square — too small for an access tunnel.
Stairway to the stars: leading the “pyramaniac” fringe is Zecharia Sitchin, who believes that the pyramid was the work of aliens from a mythical twelfth planet. Sitchin claims these aliens created humans through genetic manipulation. Perhaps the aliens were small enough to use an 8in tunnel.
One should never watch that, one is not allowed to.
One should never speak that, one is not allowed to.
One should never do that, one is not allowed to.
One should never think that, one is not allowed to.
The pyramids are the resting places of certain highly advanced adepts. Mere ignorant mortals disturbing them, watching inside their home etc may cause many a misery to those who go in to disturb! Never disturb the adepts verbally, visually, bodily or mentally. They are living “dead” adepts. They also have spirits for guarding just like the “dwar-pala” on both sides of any Hindu or Buddhist inner temple. Adepts of immense power who lived physically during the Egyptian civilization. Alive even today! But, “not physically”.
Egyptians were killed as punishment for disclosing sacred burial places.
(Reference: 15)
Opening up of the tombs releases the “evil” spirits, the spirits of destruction. They need carrier bodies, human bodies, of the right attitude, way of life and mentality for furthering their goal, their mission.
182. McCook, Alison. (Monday, August 26, 2002) Good News, Bad News on Cancer for Caffeine Lovers. USA: Yahoo! News.
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(Alternate link)
(Reference: McCook, Alison. (Monday, August 26, 2002)
Good News, Bad News on Cancer for Caffeine Lovers. USA: Yahoo! News; .)
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Caffeine in the form of a lotion may help to prevent skin cancer, according to the results of a new study. But a separate study found that caffeine may actually promote cancer.
In the "good news" study, skin cancer was prevented in mice at risk of developing the disease if a lotion containing caffeine was applied to their skin. In the "bad news" study, when a dish of hamster cells was exposed to tumor-inducing radiation, adding caffeine appeared to inhibit the cells' ability to repair themselves, increasing their likelihood of becoming cancerous.
Both studies appear in the online Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (news - web sites).
These studies add to a growing body of contradictory results about the links between caffeine and cancer. For example, one study showed that caffeine may help fight off cancer by blocking an enzyme that is crucial for cell growth, thereby potentially inhibiting the uncontrolled growth that characterizes cancer. In contrast, another report showed that drinking coffee did not reduce women's risk of developing colorectal cancer.
In the first of the two recent studies, Dr. Allan H. Conney of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and his colleagues exposed mice to ultraviolet light twice a week for 20 weeks. As a result of this exposure, the mice--initially tumor-free--had an increased risk of developing skin cancers over the next several months.
Five days a week for the next 18 weeks, the researchers rubbed an inactive lotion onto the backs of some of the mice, one that contained caffeine onto the backs of others, and a lotion with the compound epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), an ingredient of green tea, onto the rest. The investigators then measured how many tumors the mice developed.
Conney's team found that mice treated with a caffeinated lotion developed 44% fewer non-cancerous tumors and 72% fewer cancerous tumors than those given the inactive treatment. Mice that received the EGCG-filled substance had a reduction in their non-cancerous and cancerous tumors of 55% and 65%, respectively.
In the second study, Dr. Theodore Puck and his colleagues exposed hamster cells to low doses of radiation--levels similar to those found in the basements of some buildings and in mines. This type of radiation, known as alpha radiation, has been linked to the development of lung cancer.
Exposure to radiation caused a certain number of mutations--alterations to the cells' genetic material that can increase the risk of developing cancer--the authors note. Cells contain natural mechanisms to repair many of these mutations; however, when Puck and his team added caffeine to the samples, the cells were much less able to repair these mutations than when they were caffeine-free.
Speaking with Reuters Health, Puck said that researchers still do not know why caffeine might inhibit cellular repair. He added that his experiment also shows how radiation exposure can induce mutations, and recommended that investigators continue working to pinpoint the sources of this radiation, and try to eliminate them.
"We can detect sources of mutations in the environment with extremely good sensitivity," he said. "And that makes it possible to remove them from the environment."
SOURCE: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 2002;10.1073/pnas.152433699, 182429899.
183. Dutt, Ela. (Tuesday, August 27, 2002) Indian-American brigadier general keeps US troops fit. India: The Times of India.
(Reference: Dutt, Ela. (Tuesday, August 27, 2002)
Indian-American brigadier general keeps US troops fit. India: The Times of India.)
"We cannot remain as a guest in somebody's house forever. We have to take the bull by the horn and be part of it. And I did not want to be a second-class citizen. I know we are people of different colour and race, but we must not hide,"
"Every country or every person or any organisation has always a soft or weak side. And a smart enemy always looks for that. That's where they hit us.
"We were prepared so that not even a golf ball could come from outside, but we were not prepared for it to come from inside. So the enemy did outsmart us."
He was not happy with Indian Americans' reactions after the attacks.
"It was like a last minute sprint. Now that they had done nothing much for the country up till now, they wanted to come into the picture and contribute to the society. That catching up is always bad. You can never catch a running train or bus."
184. Debate rages over biblical mystery. (Tuesday, August 27, 2002) UK: BBC News.
(Reference: Debate rages over biblical mystery. (Tuesday, August 27, 2002) UK: BBC News.)
The ancients called the Dead Sea, with its great sulphur deposits, "Hayam Hamasriach" - the Stinking Sea.
…site of Qumran, where the Dead Sea scrolls were found a century ago.
… Qumran, on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea, 13 kilometres east of Jerusalem.
… Jesus' brother James the Just…
Most scholars believe the Qumranites to have been Essenes - a Jewish sect which broke away from the Jerusalem establishment and thrived between the 2nd Century BC and the 2nd Century AD.
The Essenes followed a mystical interpretation of the ancient scriptures, and were especially strict about laws of ritual purity.
They are believed to have been the authors and compilers of the Dead Sea scrolls.
The apocalyptic themes and mysticism in the scrolls along with their date from the time of Jesus suggests the Essenes may have been a link between Judaism and Christianity.
At least one scholar believes they have found the grave of the leader of the Qumran sect, whom the Dead Sea scrolls call the "Teacher of Righteousness".
… some scholars have identified John as an active leader of the Essenes.
185. Biblical Mysteries: Ark of the Covenant.
(Reference: Biblical Mysteries: Ark of the Covenant.)
After God presented the Ten Commandments to Moses more than 3,000 years ago, the sacred tablets were sealed inside the golden Ark of the Covenant. What happened to it? No one knows for sure. The Holy Ark just disappeared.
…several theories about the Ark's whereabouts. Some authorities say the son of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba brought it to Ethiopia. Others claim a group of monks moved the Ark to Elephantine Island. The Knights of King Arthur's court may have played a part, too. But how?
…studies ancient texts and uses modern science to uncover the hidden trail to the Ark. Discover what Egyptian tombs reveal about the Ark's location. Clues lead to Ramses III who may have obtained the Ark of the covenant along with the greatest treasures of Jerusalem.
186. Burkett, Larry. (Monday, August 26, 2002) Bankruptcy: The last resort? USA: .
(Reference: Burkett, Larry. (Monday, August 26, 2002) Bankruptcy: The last resort? USA: .)
But a vow is a vow
God's Word clearly says that believers should be responsible for their promises and repay what they owe. "When you make a vow to God, do not be late in paying it; for He takes no delight in fools. Pay what you vow! It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay" (Ecclesiastes 5:4-5).
Individuals or businesses may be faced with no alternative other than to seek court protection from creditors. However, even with the alternative of court protection, a Christian must be willing to accept the absolute requirement to repay every debt, unless the creditor has agreed to put all the risk based on the financial performance of the business. Even after discharge, if the creditor allows the debt to be paid, the debtor needs to arrange to pay off the debt, even if it takes an entire lifetime to satisfy the debt.
187. Whittle, Sean. (Translated from the Pali) Anguttara Nikaya. I.1-10 Pariyadana Sutta. Overpowering.
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(new link)
(Reference: Whittle, Sean. (Translated from the Pali)
Anguttara Nikaya. I.1-10 Pariyadana Sutta. Overpowering.)
188. What was new at Access to Insight. (October 2000).
(Reference: What was new at Access to Insight. (October 2000))
189. Bhikkhu, Thanissaro. (Translated from the Pali) Samyutta Nikaya III.5. Atta-rakkhita Sutta. Self-protected.
(Reference: Bhikkhu, Thanissaro. (Translated from the Pali)
Samyutta Nikaya III.5. Atta-rakkhita Sutta. Self-protected.)
190. Bhikkhu, Thanissaro. (Translated from the Pali) Anguttara Nikaya X.17. Natha Sutta. Protectors.
(Reference: Bhikkhu, Thanissaro. (Translated from the Pali)
Anguttara Nikaya X.17. Natha Sutta. Protectors.)
191. Bhikkhu, Thanissaro. (Translated from the Pali) Anguttara Nikaya X.24. Cunda Sutta. Cunda.
(Reference: Bhikkhu, Thanissaro. (Translated from the Pali)
Anguttara Nikaya X.24. Cunda Sutta. Cunda.)
192. Bhikkhu, Thanissaro. (Translated from the Pali) Anguttara Nikaya X.47. Sakka Sutta. To the Sakyans (on the Uposatha).
(Reference: Bhikkhu, Thanissaro. (Translated from the Pali)
Anguttara Nikaya X.47. Sakka Sutta. To the Sakyans (on the Uposatha))
193. Ackerman, Todd. (Sunday, September 01, 2002) Teens saying no to sex for the health of it. USA: Houston Chronicle Medical Writer.
(De-activated link)
(Reference: Ackerman, Todd. (Sunday, September 01, 2002)
Teens saying no to sex for the health of it. USA: Houston Chronicle Medical Writer.) (De-activated link)
"Before I got involved in this, I didn't do anything to prevent disease, I just accepted that kids will have sex," said Sulak, 50. "But I no longer think that's necessarily true. I think that's just the way those of us who grew up during the sexual revolution tend to think. We don't give kids enough credit. As I keep seeing, if we make them aware of the risks, they'll make good decisions."
194. Steyn, Mark. (Tuesday, September 03, 2002) 'Sustainable' development? There's no such thing. Canada: National Post.
(Reference: Steyn, Mark. (Tuesday, September 03, 2002)
'Sustainable' development? There's no such thing. Canada: National Post.)
"The sign in the shopping mall said, 'No animals allowed.' As I read it, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. It reflected a failure to admit or unwillingness to acknowledge our biological nature. We are animals and have a taxonomic classification: Kingdom -- Animalia, Phylum -- Chordata, Class -- Mammilia, Order -- Primates, Family -- Hominidae, Genus -- Homo, Species -- saapiens.
"Our reluctance to acknowledge our animal nature is indicated in our attitude to other animals. If we call someone a worm, snake, pig, chicken, mule or ape, it is an insult. Indeed, to accuse someone of being a "wild animal" at a party is a terrible insult."
195. Samyutta Nikaya. The Grouped Discourses. (selected suttas).
(Reference: Samyutta Nikaya. The Grouped Discourses. (selected suttas))
196. Bhikkhu, Thanissaro. (Translated from the Pali) Samyutta Nikaya III.24. Issattha Sutta. Archery Skills.
(Reference: Bhikkhu, Thanissaro. (Translated from the Pali)
Samyutta Nikaya III.24. Issattha Sutta. Archery Skills.)
197. Brunton, Paul. (1985) A Message From Arunachala. (Indian Reprint) New Delhi, India: B.I.Publications Pvt. Ltd. Pages: 144.
(Reference: Brunton, Paul. (1985) A Message From Arunachala. (Indian Reprint) New Delhi, India: B.I.Publications Pvt. Ltd. Pages: 144.)
198. Bullitt, John. (Thursday, May 23, 2002) Frequently-asked Questions about Buddhism.
(Reference: Bullitt, John. (Thursday, May 23, 2002)
Frequently-asked Questions about Buddhism.)
Who is Maitreya (Metteyya)?
Have there been other Buddhas?
What's the difference between a Buddha and an arahant?
What's a "Private Buddha" (paccekabuddha)?
According to Theravada tradition, many Buddhas have come and gone over countless eons. Every once in a great while, after a long period of spiritual darkness blankets the world, an individual may be born who, through his own efforts, rediscovers the long-forgotten path to Awakening and liberates himself once and for all from the long round of rebirth, thereby becoming an arahant ("worthy one", one who has fully realized Awakening). If such a being does not share his discovery with others he is called a "Silent" or "Private" Buddha (paccekabuddha). If he delivers his message (sasana)to the world he is called, simply, a Buddha. Some of a Buddha's followers may themselves become arahants, but they are not Buddhas, since they relied on a Buddha to show them the way to Awakening. (All Buddhas and paccekabuddhas are arahants, but not all arahants are Buddhas or paccekabuddhas.) No matter how far and wide the sasana spreads, sooner or later it succumbs to the inexorable law of anicca (impermanence), and fades from memory. The world descends again into darkness, and the eons-long cycle repeats.
The most recent Buddha was born Siddhattha Gotama in India in the sixth century BCE. He is the one we usually mean when we refer to "The Buddha".[1]
The next Buddha to appear is said to be Maitreya (Skt; Pali: Metteyya), a bodhisatta currently residing in the Tusita heavens. Legend has it that at some time in the far distant future, once the teachings of the current Buddha have long been forgotten, he will be reborn as a human being, rediscover the Four Noble Truths, and teach the Noble Eightfold Path once again. Although he plays an important role in some Mahayana Buddhist traditions, whose followers appeal to him for favorable rebirth and salvation,[2] he plays an insignificant role in Theravada. I believe he's mentioned only once, in the Cakkavatti-Sihanada Sutta (DN 26; The Lion's Roar on the Turning of the Wheel):
[The Buddha:] And in that time of the people with an eighty-thousand-year life-span, there will arise in the world a Blessed Lord, an Arahant fully enlightened Buddha named Metteyya, endowed with wisdom and conduct, a Well-farer, Knower of the worlds, incomparable Trainer of men to be tamed, Teacher of gods and humans, enlightened and blessed, just as I am now. -- "The Long Discourses of the Buddha" (formerly "Thus Have I Heard"), Maurice Walshe, trans. (Boston: Wisdom Publications, 1987), p 403.
Maitreya is often depicted in Chinese and Japanese art as that jolly fellow with the large belly.[3]
Notes:
1. DN 14 and DN 32 mention six previous Buddhas: Vipassi, Sikhi, Vessabhu, Kakusandha, Konagamana, and Kassapa. MN 116 includes a long list of past paccekabuddhas.
2. The Buddhist Religion: A Historical Introduction (fourth edition) by R.H. Robinson & W.L. Johnson (Belmont, California: Wadsworth, 1997), pp. 105-6.
3. Ibid., p. 106.
I want to become a Buddhist. How do I do that?
It begins with one deceptively simple act: making the inner commitment to "take refuge" in the Triple Gem, to accept the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha as your source of spiritual guidance.[1] This act is what makes one nominally "Buddhist". But going for refuge also implies a willingness -- if only provisional, at first -- to acccept the cornerstone of the Buddha's teachings: the law of kamma. According to this universal principle, if you act unskillfully and make poor ethical choices, you are bound to suffer the consequences; if you choose wisely and act in line with the noblest ideals, you stand to benefit accordingly.[2] In other words, your happiness ultimately depends on the quality of your choices and actions; you alone are responsible for your happiness. Your first act after seeking refuge should therefore be to resolve to observe the five precepts -- the five basic principles of living that can help prevent you from making grossly unskillful choices. This is where the practice of Buddhism begins.
You don't need a formal public ceremony or "initiation" to make any of this official. You don't have to dress differently or wear a badge that says, "I am now a Buddhist." The practice of the Dhamma is a private matter and no one needs to know about it but you. Many Buddhists do, however, find it invaluable to renew their commitment to the Triple Gem and to the precepts from time to time in a more formal way, enlisting the help of a good friend, a respected meditation teacher, or a member of the monastic community (Sangha) as a witness.[3] Administering the refuges and precepts to laypeople is a duty that Buddhist monks are glad to perform.
Many people find it difficult to sustain their commitment to the Dhamma on their own, without the support of like-minded friends and companions. (It can be hard to stick to the precepts if you're surrounded by people who see no harm in telling lies, or in having a secret romantic affair now and then, or in going out drinking all night.) You may have to do a little patient detective work to find this kind of support. Perhaps someone in your neighborhood hosts a weekly meditation group ("sitting group") or sutta study group in his or her home. If not, why not start one of your own? Or perhaps there is a meditation center nearby that offers workshops and retreats. And if there is a Buddhist monastery or temple in your vicinity, why not pay the Sangha a visit?
Having taken these first steps, you can proceed along the Buddhist path in your own way and at your own pace. Although you can learn a great deal about Dhamma on your own, your understanding will grow by leaps and bounds once you find a good teacher -- someone whom you trust and respect, who keeps to the precepts, and who understands the Dhamma and can communicate it clearly.[4] Other aids to progress in understanding the Dhamma are these: deepening your understanding of the precepts; studying the suttas;[5] getting to know monks or nuns (Sangha) and become acquainted with their traditions; developing a keen, discerning eye that can recognize which of today's popular spiritual teachings actually ring true to what the Buddha taught;[6] and learning meditation. How you proceed is entirely up to you, but the bottom line is this: learn what the Buddha taught and put it into practice in your life as best you can.
If you ever decide that the Buddha's teachings aren't for you, you are free to walk away at any time and find your own way. There is no ceremony for renouncing the Buddha's teachings. Just remember: your happiness is in your own hands.
Notes:
1. See Refuge: An Introduction to the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
2. See the opening verses of the Dhammapada.
3. For the standard Pali formula for requesting the refuges and precepts, see A Chanting Guide: Pali Passages with Translations.
4. See "Admirable friendship (kalyanamittata)" in the Path to Freedom pages.
5. See "Befriending the Suttas: Some Suggestions for Reading the Pali Discourses".
6. See the Study Guide "Recognizing the Dhamma," prepared by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
What were the Buddha's views on homosexuality?
From what I've read in the suttas, the Buddha gave no indication that one's sexual orientation has any bearing on one's spiritual practice. The five precepts, which form the most basic foundation of a moral life in Buddhism, encourage the abstention from "sexual misconduct", a term that generally refers to sexual activity between two people outside of a long-term committed relationship. It has nothing to do with "orientation".
The Buddha did, however, have strong words to say about sexuality/sensuality in general, since it is one of the most powerful expressions of human craving and attachment. And craving -- the second Noble Truth -- is a root cause of human suffering. The Buddha was very clear: if you're genuinely concerned about your long-term happiness, then it's worth reassessing the value of engaging in activities -- be they heterosexual, homosexual, or non-sexual -- that feed your cravings:
Even if it's with pain,
you should abandon
sensual desires
if you aspire
to future safety from bondage.
Alert,
with a mind well-released,
touch release now here,
now there.
An attainer-of-wisdom,
having fulfilled the holy life,
is said to have gone
to the end of the world, gone
beyond. [Iti 101]
It is worth noting that the Buddha explicitly discouraged his followers -- men and women, alike -- from dwelling on their sexual identity (AN VII.48). Although in this particular sutta he was describing heterosexuals, the message clearly applies to everyone.
What were the Buddha's views on abortion?
Practicing Buddhists observe the five precepts as a foundation for the moral life that spiritual progress requires. The first of these precepts is to "refrain from destroying living creatures". Since Theravada Buddhism regards human life as beginning at the moment of conception,[1] killing a fetus implies killing a human being, making abortion patently incompatible with the first precept.
One indication of the seriousness with which the Buddha regarded abortion is found in the Vinaya, the collection of texts that define the conduct and duties of Buddhist monastics. According to the Vinaya, if a bhikkhu or bhikkhuni should facilitate an abortion -- or even recommend that someone get one -- he or she breaks one of the four cardinal rules of monastic conduct, and is immediately expelled from the Sangha.[2]
Notes:
1. According to the Pali texts, conception occurs when three things are simultaneously present: the mother (i.e., a fertile egg), the father (a sperm cell), and the gandhabba (the kammic energy of the being that is seeking rebirth). If all three successfully coincide, human consciousness arises in the fertilized ovum and rebirth occurs. For a description of this process, see the Mahatanhasankhaya Sutta (MN 38). See Bhikkhu Bodhi's translation of this sutta (along with helpful footnotes) in "The Middle Length Discourse of the Buddha" (Boston: Wisdom Publications, 1995).
2. This rule (Parajika #3), which applies equally to bhikkhunis as well as bhikkhus, states:
Should any bhikkhu [or bhikkhuni] intentionally deprive a human being of life, or search for an assassin for him, or praise the advantages of death, or incite him to die (thus): "My good man, what use is this wretched, miserable life to you? Death would be better for you than life," or with such an idea in mind, such a purpose in mind, should in various ways praise the advantages of death or incite him to die, he [she] also is defeated and no longer in communion.
The word-commentary to this rule makes clear that abortion counts as "intentionally depriving a human being of life". See The Buddhist Monastic Code, Vol. I
Are Buddhists vegetarian?
Some are, some aren't. I know of no evidence in the Pali Canon to suggest that the Buddha discouraged his lay followers from eating meat. Although some people may point to the first of the five precepts as evidence that the Buddha asked his followers to be vegetarian, this precept only concerns the intentional act of depriving a living being of life, and says nothing about consuming the flesh of an animal that is already dead. Many Buddhists (and, of course, non-Buddhists) do eventually lose their appetite for meat out of compassion for other living creatures, but from the strict Theravada Buddhist perspective, the choice of whether or not to eat meat is purely a matter of personal preference.
Theravada monks are forbidden to eat certain kinds of meat,[1] but because their food is provided by the generosity of lay supporters,[2] who may or may not themselves be vegetarian,[3] they are not required to practice strict vegetarianism. Nor are Theravada monks required to eat everything that is placed in their alms-bowl; a monk intent on pursuing vegetarianism may therefore simply ignore the meat in his bowl. In parts of Asia where vegetarianism is unheard of, however, vegetarian monks face a clear choice: eat meat or starve.
Taking part in killing for food (hunting, fishing, trapping, butchering, etc.) is definitely incompatible with the first precept, and should be avoided.
But what if I eat -- or just purchase -- meat: aren't I simply encouraging someone else to do the killing for me? How can letting someone else do the "dirty work" possibly be consistent with the Buddhist principle of non-harming, that cornerstone of Right Resolve? This is tricky. Although the suttas are silent on this question, I personally believe it would be wrong to order someone, "Please kill that chicken for me," since it incites that person to break the first precept.[4] Surely this is unskillful kamma. (Consider this whenever you're tempted to order, say, a fresh-killed lobster at a restaurant; by placing your order you are, in fact, ordering its death.) But purchasing a piece of dead animal meat is another matter. Although my purchase may indeed help keep the butcher or restaurateur in business, I am not asking him to kill on my behalf. Whether he kills another cow tomorrow is his choice, not mine. This is a difficult but important point, one that reveals the fundamental distinction between personal choices (choices aimed at altering my own behavior) and political ones (those aimed at altering others' behavior). Each of us must discover for ourselves where lies the boundary between the two. It is crucial to remember that the Buddha's teachings are, first and foremost, tools to help us learn to make good personal choices (kamma); they are not prescriptions for political action.
We could not survive long in this world without bringing harm of one sort or another to other creatures. No matter how carefully we trod, countless insects, mites, and other creatures inadvertently perish under our feet with every step. Where, then, do we even begin to draw the line between "acceptable" and "unacceptable" harm? The Buddha's answer was very clear and very practical: the five precepts. He didn't ask his followers to become vegetarian; he simply asked us to observe the precepts. For many of us, this is challenge enough. This is where we begin.
Notes:
1. Theravada monks are forbidden to eat the flesh of humans, elephants, horses, dogs, snakes, lions, tigers, leopards, bears, hyenas, and panthers. A monk is also forbidden to eat raw fish or meat, or any fish or meat that he sees, hears, or suspects was killed specifically for him (see the description of "staple foods" in The Buddhist Monastic Code). A monk who eats any of those kinds of meat commits an offense that he must then confess to his fellow monks. These rules do not imply that a monk must not eat meat -- only that a monk must be careful as to which kinds of meat he does eat.
2. See "The Economy of Gifts" by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
3. Monastics within some schools of Mahayana Buddhism do practice vegetarianism. See The Buddhist Religion: A Historical Introduction (fourth edition) by R.H. Robinson & W.L. Johnson (Belmont, California: Wadsworth, 1997), pp. 213-14.
4. This is in keeping with the monks' rule about not eating meat that he sees, hears, or suspects was killed specifically for him. See The Buddhist Monastic Code
Are there any enlightened people in the world nowadays?
How can I tell who's really enlightened?
I wouldn't be a Buddhist if I didn't think enlightenment were possible. The Buddha himself observed that as long there are people practicing correctly in line with the noble eightfold path, there will continue to be enlightened beings in the world (DN 16). Even better evidence of the reality of enlightenment lies in the "gradual" nature of the Buddha's teachings. In the suttas, the Buddha speaks again and again of the many rewards awaiting those who follow the Path, long before they reach nibbana: the happiness that comes from developing generosity; the happiness that comes from living according to principles of virtue; the happiness that comes from developing loving-kindness (metta); the happiness that comes from practicing meditation and discovering the exquisite bliss of a quiet mind; the happiness that comes from abandoning painful states of mind; and so on. These can be tasted for yourself, to varying degrees, through Dhamma practice. Once you've personally verified a few of the Buddha's teachings, it becomes ever-easier to accept the possibility that the rest of his teachings are plausible -- including his extraordinary claim that enlightenment is accessible to us.
It's probably best not to spend too much time speculating on someone else's degree of enlightenment, simply because our own delusion and defilements are bound to cloud our vision. Your time is far better spent looking inwards and asking yourself, "Am I enlightened? Have I made an end of suffering and stress?" If the answer is negative, then you have more work to do. Some lines of questioning are, however, well worth pursuing in regard to someone else's purity -- especially when deciding whether or not to accept that person as your Dhamma teacher: "Does this person seem to be truly happy? Does he or she live by the precepts? Is the interpretation of Dhamma that he or she teaches a valid one? Can I learn something of real value from him or her?" It can take a long and close association with someone before you can begin to answer these questions with any confidence (AN IV.192). But if you do find someone possessing this rare constellation of good qualities, stay with that person: he or she probably has something of lasting value to teach you.
FINALLY, ONE RULE OF THUMB THAT I'VE FOUND HELPFUL: SOMEONE WHO GOES AROUND CLAIMING TO BE ENLIGHTENED (OR DROPPING HINTS TO THAT EFFECT) PROBABLY ISN'T -- AT LEAST NOT IN THE SENSE THE BUDDHA HAD IN MIND.
See also: "Recognizing the Dhamma" (Study Guide)
What's the relationship between "dana" and "fundraising"?
They are entirely unrelated -- or at least they should be. Alas, in recent years the notion of dana seems to have been co-opted by many Buddhist organizations in the West as just another fundraising gimmick, designed to appeal to our better nature. How many times have we read fundraising letters from Buddhist organizations that open with the familiar preamble: "Dana, or generosity, is the ancient tradition that has kept the Buddha's teachings alive for over 2,500 years..."? How many times have we seen long "wish lists" in these letters detailing exactly what material goods are needed? And how many times have we heard meditation centers ask for "suggested donations" to pay for their teachings? To my mind, these valiant efforts at drumming up material support for Buddhist causes only dampen the true spirit of dana, that weightless, heartfelt, and spontaneous upwelling of generous action that lies at the very root of the Buddha's teachings.
Giving of any kind is unquestionably good. The Buddha encourages us to give generously whenever anyone asks for help [Dhp 224]. And even the smallest of gifts, when offered with a generous heart, has tremendous value: "Even if a person throws the rinsings of a bowl or a cup into a village pool or pond, thinking, 'May whatever animals live here feed on this,' that would be a source of merit" [AN III.57]. But the actual rewards of giving depend strongly on the climate in which the giving occurs. The giver and the recipient -- the donor and the organization -- share an equal responsibility in fostering a climate that makes the most of generosity. If both are serious about putting the Buddha's teachings into practice, they would do well to consider the following points:
First, the benefits of giving multiply in accordance with the purity of the giver's motives. A gift we give half-heartedly yields modest rewards for all concerned, whereas a gift given with genuine open-handedness, "not seeking [our] own profit, not with a mind attached [to the reward]," is of far greater value [AN VII.49]. If we give with an expectation of receiving something from the recipient in return -- membership benefits, a certificate of appreciation, a book, a meditation course, etc. -- we shortchange ourselves, and dilute the power of our generosity. Buddhist organizations should therefore be cautious about rewarding gifts with these sorts of perquisites.
Second, the Buddha does not encourage us to ask for gifts. In fact, he says quite the opposite: he encourages us to make do with what little we already have [AN IV.28]. This theme of contentment-with-little echoes throughout the Buddha's teachings. To my mind, a fundraiser's long "wish list" of needed items conveys a sense of dissatisfaction, and thus seems at odds with this message. Donors most enjoy giving when they know that their gift -- no matter how humble it may be -- is truly appreciated by the recipient. If I have only a small gift to give, I wonder if it will be appreciated -- or even noticed -- by an organization with ambitious fundraising goals or a long and expensive list of needs. An organization can promote the Buddha's teachings most effectively, and inspire the greatest confidence among its supporters, by keeping its needs modest and its requests rare.
Third, the purity of the recipient also matters [SN III.24]. When we give to virtuous people -- those who, at the very least, abide by the five precepts -- we not only acknowledge their intention to develop virtue (sila), but we also reinforce our own resolve. Giving to virtuous people is thus a powerful kammic force whose benefits extend far beyond the moment of giving itself. Generosity and virtue are deeply intertwined; when we learn to exercise our generous impulses skillfully, and give where the gift reaps the greatest fruit, we make the most of them both. Whether we are giver or recipient, we stand to benefit most from generosity when we take virtue seriously.
Finally, an appeal to fledgling Buddhist groups and organizations: please be very, very patient, and resist the temptation to make your organization grow. The success of a Buddhist organization should never be measured in conventional commercial terms: number of members, number of downloads, number of courses taught, amount of money raised, etc. Its success can only be measured by how well it embodies the Buddha's teachings. If it does good work that is rooted firmly in the principles of virtue, people who recognize virtue when they see it will inevitably take notice and be inspired to lend a hand with unbounded generosity. Any organization that can do this much passes on to others, in the most direct way possible, the priceless tradition of generosity, which is the heart and soul of Dhamma -- the greatest gift of all [Dhp 354].
See also:
"The Economy of Gifts," by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
"Generosity" in the Path to Freedom pages.
What's wrong with selling Dhamma books?
What's wrong with selling Dhamma books?
What's the big deal about giving them away free of charge?
There's nothing inherently wrong with selling Dhamma books. Indeed, commercially distributed Dhamma books are often easier to find in bookstores than their free, privately-printed cousins. But that accessibility comes at a steep price. A publisher that lives by its bottom line is inevitably forced to make editorial choices based on what will or will not sell books. The result of this pressure is often a book that presents a watered-down version of Dhamma, a Dhamma that may sound joyous, uplifting, and pleasing, but which lacks the cutting edge of truth. It is unlikely, for example, that people would flock to the bookstore and empty their wallets to read about the Buddha's crucial teachings on renunciation, the drawbacks of sensuality, or the value of reflecting on the unattractiveness of the body. The market for people willing to spend money on this kind of truth is, alas, unprofitably small.
But there is another, deeper reason to think twice about selling Dhamma books. Since the Buddha's time, the teachings have traditionally been given away free of charge, passing freely from teacher to student, from friend to friend. The teachings are regarded as priceless, and have been conveyed to us across the centuries by an unbroken stream of generosity -- the very foundation of all the Buddha's teachings. That tradition continues with the production of free Dhamma books. From the author, the stream flows onwards through those who give their time to editing, typesetting, and printing the book; through the donors who sponsor the printing; and through those who take care of distribution and mailing. If you are fortunate enough to receive a book borne on this stream of generosity, you learn an important lesson of Dhamma long before you even open the cover. The instant someone puts a price tag on a Dhamma book, you not only have to pay money for it, but you get less in return: you get a book that is merely about Dhamma, instead of one that is itself an example of Dhamma in action. Which one do you think has greater value?
So keep this in mind the next time you find yourself spending money in exchange for the Dhamma -- whether it is in the form of a book, an audio tape, a CD-ROM, a Dhamma talk, a meditation class, a retreat. The old adage still applies: caveat emptor -- Let the buyer beware.
See also: What's the relationship between 'dana' and 'fundraising'?
199. Anguttara Nikaya. The "Further-factored" Discourses (selected suttas).
(Reference: Anguttara Nikaya. The "Further-factored" Discourses (selected suttas))
200. Bhikkhu, Thanissaro. (Translated from the Pali) Anguttara Nikaya VII.48. Saññoga Sutta. Bondage.
(Reference: Bhikkhu, Thanissaro. (Translated from the Pali)
Anguttara Nikaya VII.48. Saññoga Sutta. Bondage.)
201. Yaroshevsky, Mikhail., Ruth English. (Translated from the Russian) (1990) A History of Psychology. Moscow: Progress Publishers. ISBN: 5-01-001919-1. Pages: 416.
(Reference: Yaroshevsky, Mikhail., Ruth English. (Translated from the Russian) (1990) A History of Psychology. Moscow: Progress Publishers.)
Page 97
Huarte considered that physiological factors, in particular nutrition, played a vital part in the formation of abilities. He even quoted Scriptural authority in support of this idea: Christ (while a man) needed “delicate feeding” in order to reason wisely. It is hardly surprising that the Inquisition put Huarte’s book on the list of prohibited works. It is needless to describe how blasphemous it sounded, in the ears of a feudal society, to express in words the idea that people should be given their places in society according to their natural gifts.
Page 307
A particularly
Page 308
important place was allotted to “the “Oedipus complex”, a term used to describe a definite motivational-affective model for the relationship of a child to its parents. Freud considered that the Greek myth of Oedipus, who killed his father and married his mother, was the key to a complex of sexual feelings which supposedly burdened every man: a boy is attracted to his mother, seeing in his father a rival who inspires both hatred and fear. This concept aroused particularly acrimonious discussion.
Vocabulary
acrimonious
adj.
Bitter and sharp in language or tone; rancorous:
an acrimonious debate between the two candidates.
…
With the aim of refining the technique of psychoanalysis, he (Sandor Ferenczi (1873 – 1933) would – if the patient resisted the pursuance of free associations – deprive him/her of food, sleep and opportunity to satisfy other needs, the object being to raise the energy of the libido.
Page 311
Sublimation is one of the mechanisms by which “forbidden” sexual energy discharges itself in the form of an activity which is acceptable to the individual and to society. Creative work is one form of sublimation.
202. Writer says all pets have souls. (Saturday, September 07, 2002) New Zealand: New Zealand Herald.
(Reference: Writer says all pets have souls. (Saturday, September 07, 2002) New Zealand: New Zealand Herald.)
Richard Webster reckons his old childhood dog Bruce definitely had a soul.
Yesterday the New Zealand author set out to prove to a mainly already converted audience at an animal welfare conference, that all pets have souls, from cats and dogs to parrots.
He said when he was a child his father accidentally ran over the family cat.
"Our labrador Bruce lay on his grave for hours every day for the rest of his life."
He told how jealousy, one of the unattractive human emotions, is shared by animals.
"Try giving more affection to one of your pets than you do to another and you'll quickly discover how jealous the neglected pet will become."
Pets experienced joy, sadness and other emotions and had a reasoning ability which was more than just instinct, Mr Webster said.
He said Bruce would apparently take himself off to the vet whenever he wasn't feeling well.
"We'd get a phone call from the vet saying 'Bruce is here, please bring $45 and pick him up'."
Mr Webster said surely the emotional and reasoning powers of animals indicated the presence of a soul.
203. Prisoners can starve themselves: US judge. (Saturday, September 07, 2002) India: The Times of India.
(Reference: Prisoners can starve themselves: US judge. (Saturday, September 07, 2002) India: The Times of India.)
Springfield (Illinois): Prison inmates can choose to starve themselves rather than endure years of solitary confinement and that right outweighs the state's duty to keep them alive, a judge ruled.
Two inmates have sometimes refused food to protest conditions at the maximum-security prison in Pontiac. Both are serving long terms for violent crimes and have been in solitary confinement because of bad behaviour.
In his ruling Thursday, Livingston County Judge Harold Frobish allowed the prison to keep feeding the inmates until the state decides whether to appeal.
"They are in this cubicle 24 hours a day, and they read some and then they think. And that is all there is to do," Frobish said. "This is an existence where I find these defendants suffer from extreme sensory deprivation. I find it is a miserable existence."
"I find that if these defendants choose to die in the circumstances rather than live this way, that they should have right to do so," he concluded.
Inmates John Barrell and Leon Snipes had burritos for lunch on Friday and the prison has not tried to force-feed them when they refused other meals, said Brian Fairchild, spokesman for the Corrections Department.
204. Highfield, Roger. (Saturday, September 07, 2002) Heavens shed light on Einstein theory. UK: The Telegraph.
(Reference: Highfield, Roger. (Saturday, September 07, 2002)
Heavens shed light on Einstein theory. UK: The Telegraph.)
Einstein's claim that gravity acts at the speed of light is to be put to the test tomorrow thanks to a rare alignment in the heavens.
Ever since Albert Einstein proposed the general theory of relativity in 1916, physicists have tested its principles.
He was proved right on gravity's ability to bend starlight, for instance.
Now, using an experiment conceived by a physicist at the University of Missouri, Columbia, teams around the world have the chance to measure the speed of gravity against the speed of light.
Dr Sergei Kopeikin said: "While there is indirect evidence that this is true, the speed has never been measured directly and that's what we're trying to do in an experiment that will not be possible again for another decade."
On Sunday, Jupiter will pass very close to a star-like quasar. The planet's gravity should nudge the light emitted by the quasar, causing its apparent position to shift by a distance that depends on the speed of gravity.
Dr Kopeikin's test involves comparing the position of the primary quasar to the position of other quasars unaffected by Jupiter. Final results should be available in mid-November.
205. Scientist upsets physics laws with light theory. (Thursday, August 08, 2002) India: Sify News.
(Reference: Scientist upsets physics laws with light theory. (Thursday, August 08, 2002) India: Sify News.)
Sydney:
A scientist in Australia said Thursday he had found evidence that the speed of light is slowing, a discovery that would unravel Einstein's theory of relativity and revolutionize modern physics.
Paul Davies, a theoretical physicist with the Australian Centre for Astro-biology at Sydney's Macquarie University, put forward his thesis based on measurements of light travelling billions of years from giant stellar objects called quasars.
The measurements, taken by an astronomer at the University of New South Wales, found that a 12 billion-year-old stream of light had properties which appeared to violate accepted laws of physics.
Davies said the only possible explanation for the unusual data was that the speed of light had been faster six to 10 billion years ago than its current speed of around 300,000 km-per-second.
The theory -- published Thursday in the scientific journal Nature, notably raises the possibility that light may have traveled at infinite speed at the time of the so-called Big Bang, which physicists say marks the creation point of the universe.
"It's entirely possible that the speed of light would have got greater and greater as you go back (through time) towards the Big Bang and if so it could explain some of the great mysteries of cosmology," he said.
"If the speed of light were nearly infinite in the first split second it would explain why the universe is so uniform, for example, on a large scale," he said.
If his theory stands up, Davies said, it would be the biggest scientific revolution since Albert Einstein's theory of relativity -- which the new hypothesis would demolish.
One of the most important elements of Einstein's theory that energy equals mass multiplied by the speed of light squared (E=MC2) is that the speed of light -- 'C' in the equation -- is an absolute constant.
"Einstein would have absolutely hated this," Davies said. "His entire theory of relativity was founded on the notion that the speed of light is an absolute fixed universal number."
"If these results hold out, we need to start re-examining the very nature of space and time," he said.
"It also affects other branches of physics like thermodynamics and quantum physics, the very basis of all our fundamental physical theories -- if these observations are correct -- seem to be in the melting pot," he said.
Davies said it also needed to be tested whether light was continuing to slow or whether it had hit a cosmological "speed bump" billions of years ago.
206. Mind over matter: Granddaddy Einstein is right again. (Tuesday, October 09, 2001) India: Sify News.
(Reference: Mind over matter: Granddaddy Einstein is right again. (Tuesday, October 09, 2001) India: Sify News.)
It was an Indian physicist, Satyendra Nath Bose, who started things off, expounding that light came in packets of energy -- a unit that is now called the photon.
Battling against the scientific establishment of his day, Bose had trouble getting his theory accepted or even published, so in 1924 he sent a paper to Einstein, the foremost scientist of the day.
Einstein enthusiastically took the theory a stage further, predicting that atoms and not just photons would behave the same way at a very low temperature.
At normal temperatures, molecules in a contained gas behave rather like billiard balls, bouncing chaotically off each other and the wall of the container.
But the behaviour of these particles changes radically if the gas is brought down to a very cold temperature, close to absolute zero.
The properties of the atom change, in accordance with the principle of quantum mechanics.
The chief factor here is the spin. Particles are categorised into two forces named after the force of the spin: they are either bosons (a unit named after Bose) or fermions (named after the great Italian-American physicist Enrico Fermi).
In these extreme conditions, fermions repel each other, while bosons cluster stably together, seeking the lowest energy state. The bosons behave as one -- a kind of "super atom" that is like a wave of coherent matter, rather like the coherent light in a laser beam.
This state is known as Bose-Einstein Condensation (BEC).
Over the decades, scientists had suspicions that BEC occurred in suprafluidity (the state when a fluid loses all internal friction) and in superconductivity, when a conducting material loses all resistance.
But efforts to prove the existence of BEC were frustrated by the challenge of how to trap gas atoms and then cool them to such extremely low temperatures.
The breakthrough came when Cornell, Ketterle and Wieman found a way of devising an "atom trap" in which lasers and magnets created a field in which to contain a cloud of atoms of Rubidium (an alkali), which were then chilled to less than 170 billionths of a degree above absolute zero (- 273.15 C, -459.67 F).
More than 20 teams of scientists are now working on BEC, and the achievement using rubidium has now been replicated in sodium, hydrogen and helium.
This area of science is naturally in its infancy, but the theoretical --and eventually practical -- potential is great.
BEC is being intensely explored for insights into how atoms pair up and how this strange state may manipulate light.
Another oddity is that in certain conditions, BEC appears to mimic the action of cosmic events.
By switching the polarity of the magnetic field, the atomic forces can be switched from attractive to repulsive, causing the condensate to dissolve in an action remarkably similar to that of an exploding star called a supernova (the phenomenon has been called the "Bose-nova").
Farther down the track are possible applications in measurement, holography, computer circuitry and nanotechnology, the science of working with particles smaller than 100 millionths of a metre.
207. Petre, Jonathan and Southam, Hazel. (Sunday, November 25, 2001) Christians outraged over All Saints prayer for Mohammed. UK: The Telegraph.
(Reference: Petre, Jonathan and Southam, Hazel. (Sunday, November 25, 2001) Christians outraged over All Saints prayer for Mohammed. UK: The Telegraph.)
The prayer, originally written for All Saints Day, says that both Mohammed and Buddha should be "celebrated" alongside the likes of Moses, David and the Virgin Mary because they "led God's people to God's light".
The prayer begins by remembering "the saints in the security of our hearts . . . these great women and men of God" who are "the ancient foundation of our faith and our inspiration".
It continues: "The saints were not those who were perfect. They were parts of God's creation who struggled and often failed and yet managed to raise up our faith in God and in one another. Abraham, Isaac, Joseph, Sarah, Hannah, Joshua, David, Moses, Mary the Mother of Jesus. Buddha and Mohammed and all the prophets of old. They led God's people to God's light."
He added that the prayer had come from an "official source" - the Episcopal Church in the United States, the American equivalent to the Church of England - and its aim was to "transform this world for the love of Jesus".
208. Medved, Michael. (Monday, September 09, 2002) Older-woman / younger-man fad is a mixed blessing. USA: .
(Reference: Medved, Michael. (Monday, September 09, 2002)
Older-woman / younger-man fad is a mixed blessing. USA: .)
…few long-term romances have successfully commenced when the woman is a zesty 29 and the guy is, say, all of 14.
For the most part, older woman/much-younger man alliances indicate that the lady has left a trail of broken marriages or romances in her past, or else went through youth without ever establishing a serious relationship.
In fact, the trend of accomplished and desirable mature women choosing to connect with far younger males indicates how much the old marital model has already broken down. These relationships flow from the fact that older women are not only more attractive than ever before, but also more available. In other words, in previous generations the overwhelming majority of women above 40 lived within lasting marriages; widows represented the most important exception to that rule.
Today, however, tens of millions of aging females have been left unattached through divorce, desertion or career-driven delay of significant relationships. These women sometimes incline toward youthful suitors in full knowledge that the connection may not lead to a permanent alliance or establishment of a family, but the advocates of such relationships … insist that the sex is spectacular. It therefore makes sense that "Tadpole" and other recent films showing older-woman / younger-man phenomenon highlight torrid and risky sexual adventures rather than fully developed romances.
Of course, men have been pursuing and promoting such unencumbered "pure sex" relationships forever.
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Personal Review.
A satire on modern western society. The current state of events, of family life, of relationship between man and woman. The East tries to imitate the West. Where to, this society…How many divorces. How many separation. How many fights over property, money, that other woman…What happened to modern man in a western society?
209. No pardon for stoning case mum: Nigerian state govt. (Monday, September 09, 2002) .
(De-activated link)
(Reference: No pardon for stoning case mum: Nigerian state govt. (Monday, September 09, 2002) .)
(De-activated link)
She confessed to having had extramarital sex and an Islamic court sentenced her to be stoned to death.
…the people of Katsina state "adore" the Sharia, and called on rights activists, beauty queens and foreign leaders to mind their own business.
"The people asked for Sharia and they want it to be applied on them, so why should someone who is in no way affected by it protest?" he asked.
210. Weeke, Stephen. (Sunday, September 08, 2002) Pope’s potential successor bows out. USA: NBC News.
(De-activated link)
(Reference: Weeke, Stephen. (Sunday, September 08, 2002)
Pope’s potential successor bows out . USA: NBC News.)
(De-activated link)
…fulfilling a personal dream of living out his life in prayer and contemplation in Jerusalem.
…church rules hold that any Catholic man can be elected — and he doesn’t even need to be a priest. But it’s the “unwritten rules” surrounding the election of the world’s highest religious office that speak very loudly even when they are only whispered in the Vatican’s hallowed halls.
The unwritten rules tend to rule out candidates that are too old, and 75 is considered pushing that limit nowadays. Good health is now seen as essential,…
A pope in poor health brings back memories of this pope’s predecessor, John Paul I, whose reign lasted a mere 33 days before his heart failed.
Then again, a successor should not be too young either, the Vatican whisperers say,…
…long papacies as a hindrance to necessary church progress that can only evolve from a change in leadership.
211. Woodward, F.L. (Translated from the Pali) (Revised: Sunday, May 12, 2002) Anguttara Nikaya I.31-40 (excerpts). Adanta Suttas. Untamed.
(Reference: Woodward, F.L. (Translated from the Pali) (Revised: Sunday, May 12, 2002) Anguttara Nikaya I.31-40 (excerpts). Adanta Suttas. Untamed.)
212. Bhikkhu, Thanissaro. (Trans.) (Revised: Sunday, May 12, 2002) Anguttara Nikaya I.49-52. Pabhassara Sutta. Luminous.
(Reference: Bhikkhu, Thanissaro. (Trans.) (Revised: Sunday, May 12, 2002)
Anguttara Nikaya I.49-52. Pabhassara Sutta. Luminous.)
213. Malayalam the Language.
(Reference: Malayalam the Language.)
Malayalam now consists of 53 letters including 20 long and short vowels and the rest consonants. The earlier style of writing is now substituted with a new style from 1981. This new script reduces the different letters for typeset from 900 to less than 90. This was mainly done to include Malayalam in the keyboards of typewriters and computers.
214. The Book - Ellam Ondre. (All is One)
(Reference: The Book - Ellam Ondre. (All is One))
215. Thera, Piyadassi. (Translated from the Pali) Majjhima Nikaya 116. Isigili Sutta. The Discourse at Isigili.
(Reference: Thera, Piyadassi. (Translated from the Pali)
Majjhima Nikaya 116. Isigili Sutta. The Discourse at Isigili.)
216. Thera, Piyadassi. (Translated from the Pali) Digha Nikaya 32. Atanatiya Sutta. Discourse on Atanatiya. .
(Reference: Thera, Piyadassi. (Translated from the Pali)
Digha Nikaya 32. Atanatiya Sutta. Discourse on Atanatiya. .)
217. Digha Nikaya. The Long Discourses. (selected suttas). .
(Reference: Digha Nikaya. The Long Discourses. (selected suttas). .)
218. Prager, Dennis. (Tuesday, September 17, 2002) Is God enough? USA: , Inc.
(Reference: Prager, Dennis. (Tuesday, September 17, 2002) Is God enough? USA: , Inc.)
I know that God is necessary for morality, that without positing a transcendent objective source for good and evil, these terms are no more than personal, subjective descriptions of actions that we like or dislike.
I also know that faith in God is necessary in order for life to have ultimate meaning, that without the Creator, there is no ultimate purpose to the universe, let alone to our lives.
However, as necessary as faith in God is for our ethics, our emotional and psychological well being, our sense of purpose and our ability to stand firm in a world that pulls us in every direction, God is not enough. We also need people.
Two relatively recent events have brought this point home particularly strongly. One was the plight of the Pennsylvania miners recently trapped in a mine.
Imagine yourself in a mine, in water so cold that it could bring on hypothermia and death. Imagine that it is dark. Imagine that the water is gradually rising, leading to a slow and terrifying death by drowning.
That is what the miners experienced. Why didn't any of them go crazy?
They were kept sane largely because they had one another. As important as faith in God was for any of them, the fact that they were not alone was as important.
The other event was the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center towers and perhaps the most frightening deaths therein – of those people who were forced to jump from a hundred stories above ground. Nothing quite brings home the horror of 9-11 as does the terror faced by those who jumped. And yet, I have no doubt that those few who jumped holding onto someone else, quite possibly a total stranger, suffered less than those who jumped alone. If they believed in God, that, too, surely helped. But whatever the jumpers' faith, facing death holding onto another human being brought more comfort.
It was a Christian pastor (whose name unfortunately eludes me) who gave the best theological justification for the notion that even God is not enough. After creating Adam, God makes the critically important observation, "It is not good for man to be alone," and then He creates woman. There is much to be learned from this statement – not least that God Himself is saying that He is not enough, that the human being needs more than God. We need other people.
At the same time, people are not enough either. We need God. Many theists and many atheists are so committed to their respective worldviews that they cannot entertain the thought that their belief does not answer all human needs. Humanists are so committed to faith in humanity and to denying God's existence that they refuse to confront the built-in need people have for the transcendent and that more than people are needed for inner peace and happiness. At the same time, many religious people mirror this view when they argue that faith in God is all that one needs, that the true believer in God needs nothing more than God for a wholesome life.
Both views are wrong. We need God and we need people. That is the way we are made – by God, I believe. May we never be faced with the terror faced by the miners and by the jumpers of 9-11. But if we are ever faced with such a terror, may we be granted at that moment both faith in God, and people to be with.
219. Thousands flock to see Buddha's footprint guarded by frog. (Monday, September 16, 2002) UK: Ananova Ltd.
(Reference: Thousands flock to see Buddha's footprint guarded by frog. (Monday, September 16, 2002) UK: Ananova Ltd.)
They believe the water in the puddle will relieve pain and bring good fortune and say it is being guarded by a frog.
Many visitors to the site have left incense, flowers and candles when they came to pray while others have being asking the frog for this month's lottery numbers.
The frog is said to be weak and close to death because many people have being rubbing talcum powder into its skin in the hope of seeing the lottery numbers.
220. Bean, James. (January 1998) The Mandaean Religion of Iraq, Part One.
(Reference: Bean, James. (January 1998) The Mandaean Religion of Iraq, Part One.)
The story of the Mandaeans (Man-day-yens) somewhat resembles the experience of Native American tribes; may they survive; may their ancient wisdom be shared with humanity.
In the 1970's professor Kurt Rudolph wrote his definitive book on the nature and history of the Gnostic religion called, "Gnosis." In the chapter titled, "A Relic: the Mandaeans," he recorded that at the time there were only about 15,000 Mandaeans left and the number of Mandaean priests were rapidly dwindling. He described them as a community in somewhat of a state of crisis not only due to a shortage of priests but also because of the growing spiritual and cultural gap between the elders (who are the keepers of the ancient Knowledge) and the younger generations of Mandaean laity. Kurt Rudolph wrote, "The continued existence of the community will essentially depend on whether or not it succeeds in solving the problem of a necessary adaptation to the modern world. Only in this way will the oldest Gnostic religion, with its two millennia of history in which it developed its independent Aramaic idiom and lifestyle as did no other Gnostic sect of the past, be able to survive in the future." ("Gnosis," Harper Collins) And those words were written long before the rise of Saddam Hussein, the Gulf War, and the current madness that curses that region.
Some Mandaeans (literally, "possessors of secret Knowledge") live in Iraqi cities like Baghdad and Basra. There's a large Mandaean population that resides in smaller market towns and villages of the marshland in southern Iraq, and near the Euphrates and Tigris rivers. Iran also has a Mandaean population; many of them dwell along the river Karun in Rhuzistan province. The Prophet Mohammed called them "Sabians," i.e. "baptists or "baptizers," a name which occurs in the Quran and which enabled them to continue under Islam. Islam also categorized them as "a people of the book," a religion that possesses their own ancient scriptures. Another factor that has traditionally enabled them to operate in the Islamic world is their affiliation with John the Baptist. John the Baptist is one of their greatest prophets.
Though the historic connection between John and the Mandaeans is hard to verify, it is indeed possible they are descendents of disciples of John the Baptist, who 2,000 years ago had a large number of followers which believed him to be a great Master if not the awaited Messiah. After John's death, the New Testament portrays Jesus as being the spiritual successor, but other leaders in John's community might have seen things differently. Like Jesus, others might also have claimed to be John's successor and thus would have become the leaders of a John-community that maintained it's independence from the Jesus Movement, instead remaining what they were -- an unorthodox baptismal sect of the Trans-Jordan.
According to scholars of Mandaean studies like Werner Foerster, indeed the origins of the Mandaeans do go back to the Jewish tradition of first century AD Palestine and the region of the Jordan river. Foerster states in "Gnosis II," published by Oxford University Press, that in the context of the Jewish war of independence and the consolidation of Orthodox Judaism after AD 70, "its position as a minority opposition evidently led to the persecution of the community and finally to its emigration from its native Jordan territory to the east, to begin with in Harran and the median hill country, then in the southern regions of Mesopotamia." Eventually the community settled in the region of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, where they could continue the ritual of baptizing initiates in "living waters" (rivers) symbolizing the connecting of their souls with "heavenly Jordan rivers of Light."
221. Bean, James. (January 1997) The Mandaean Religion of Iraq, Part Two.
(Reference: Bean, James. (January 1997) The Mandaean Religion of Iraq, Part Two.)
"FAMILIAR," NEW TESTAMENT OR JESUS-LIKE SAYINGS
This ancient religious community, also known as the Nazoreans, still uses a dialect of the Aramaic language; they possess a huge quantity of wonderful scriptures, mostly in the form of psalms or hymns.
Before I begin a study of some visionary writings in the Mandaean scriptures I want to share some examples of passages that sound somewhat "familiar" to our ears -- new testament or Jesus-like passages. These would be words spoken by those who came from the same Aramaic-speaking Semitic milieu as did Jesus and other Messiahs of the middle east:
I am a shepherd who loves his sheep; I protect the sheep and the lambs...I carry them and give them water to drink from the hollow of my hand until they have drunk their fill.
A fisherman am I, who am the elect among the fisherman, the chief of all the fish-catchers.
Give bread, water and shelter to the poor and persecuted people who suffer persecution.
Love and support one another.
When you see anyone who is hungry, then satisfy his hunger. When you see anyone who is thirsty, then give him to drink, for whosoever gives, receives.
Whoever releases a prisoner will find a Messenger of Life advancing to meet him.
My chosen! Do not put your trust in the kings, rulers, and rebels of this world, nor in military forces, arms, conflict, and the hosts which they assemble, nor in silver and gold...their gold and their silver will not save them. Their authority passes away and comes to an end.
The words "seek and you will find" appear on numerous occasions in the Mandaean scriptures as well, in fact, much more often than in the New Testament. And, the term "Place of Life," often used in the Mandaean texts, also appears in the Gospel of Thomas.
THE FIRST WAVE OF GNOSIS
There was some kind of transformation in thinking that took place 2,000 years ago in the middle east which lead to the birth of scores of new religious movements both within and outside of Judaism, including the Sethians, the Essenes, and various forms and expressions of Christianity. Many of these are categorized as "Gnostic," meaning they focused upon spiritual/mystical Knowledge. This was the time of the first wave of Gnosis in the western world -- the spark was lit. Some souls started to believe that it was possible for them personally to KNOW the Mysteries of God and the Heavens, and they sought spiritual wisdom & guidance from various masters, sons of God, heavenly redeemers, mystics, prophets and apostles that were around at that time. For the Nazoreans (Mandaeans), John the Baptist was God's Teacher who had been sent "from the Light" to baptize or initiate souls into the experience of the Knowledge of Life, the "Great Life," a Name for God in the Mandaean scriptures.
There are some examples of visionary literature in the Dead Sea Scrolls, various descriptions of things going on in the heavens. The Mandaean texts seem to be a continuation of that visionary tradition of Light-mysticism and Ascension-mysticism. In my view the Mandaean scriptures probably represent the most heavenly or otherworldly documents of the west, brimming with out-of-this-world visions of God, descriptions of the heavens, souls, angels, and life after death. They speak directly to both the heart and soul of the reader through hymns and prayers of incredible beauty.
THE COMING OF THE MESSENGER OF LIGHT
The role of the Heavenly Messenger is to give the mystic experience of LIGHT to souls and eventually guide them back up to the Place of Light, the Mandaean term for the highest heaven where the Great Life (God) resides. Here are a couple of passages from Mandaean holy books on Manda-d-Hiya -- the great heavenly redeemer:
The Illuminator of the Worlds of Light
IN THE NAME OF THE GREAT LIFE,
SUBLIME LIGHT BE PRAISED
From the Place of Light I came forth,
from you, Bright Habitation.
I come to touch hearts,
to measure and try all minds,
to see in whose heart I dwell.
Whoever thinks of me, of him I think;
whoever calls my Name, his name I will call.
Whosoever prays my prayer from the earth,
his prayer I will offer from the Place of Light.
I came and found the truthful and believing hearts.
When I was not dwelling among them,
yet my Name was on their lips.
I took them and guided them up to the World of Light.
I became the Illuminator of the Worlds of Light.
I became a king to the Nazoreans, who receive praise
and stability through my Name.
And by my Name they ascend to the Place of the Light.
As for the elect righteous who put me on as a garment,
their eyes were filled with Light,
and Manda-d-Hiya [Knowledge of Life] was established
in their hearts.
222. Bean, James. (January 1997) The Mandaean Religion of Iraq, Part Three.
(Reference: Bean, James. (January 1997) The Mandaean Religion of Iraq, Part Three.)
EMBRACED BY THE LIGHT
The mystical encounters recorded in the scriptures of the Mandaeans may seem at times like ancient near-death experiences (NDE's), the visions of souls who were embraced the Light long ago:
When I arrived at the water-brooks, a discharge of Radiance met me. It took me by the palm of my right hand and brought me over the streams of death. Radiance was brought and I was clothed in it. Light was brought and I was wrapped in it...
[Prayer] Son of the Good Ones, show me the way of the divine beings (spirits, angels) and the ascent upon which your father rose up to the Place of Light.
He [the discharge of Radiance] rose and took me with him and did not leave me in the perishable dwelling. (Canonical Prayerbook)
This is my interpretation. In the above account, after this soul crossed over to the other side, it was met by a "discharge of Radiance," (according to another translation) a deliverer or guide who not only escorted the soul into the beyond, but also gave the soul its heavenly robe of Radiance -- a garment made of Light. It's unclear to me if the soul literally was given a robe to put on, or if perhaps this is another way of describing the process of leaving the body at death, taking OFF the robe of the physical body, which caused the soul to see itself as a being of Light. In any event, the soul then prays for its helper and guide to be escorted upward to the Place of Light. In another version of this account it says:
I lifted mine eyes to heaven and my soul waited on the House of
Life. And the Life (God) who heard my cry sent toward me a deliverer.
This version also describes the encounter with the heavenly being (discharge of Radiance) who escorted the soul over the waters of death, and accompanied it during the ascension up to the Light-world. The hymn concludes with these words:
Life supported life, Life found its own. Its own self did Life
find, and my soul found that for which it had looked. Renowned is Life
and victorious. (Canonical Prayerbook)
VISIONS OF THE GREAT LIFE IN THE PLACE OF THE LIGHT
Souls in the Place of the Light are described as luminous beings living in a world of infinite Light with a Supreme Being of Light. The heavens of hyperspace are traversed by spiritual streams of "Living Waters," tributaries of the Heavenly Jordan river of Light. And souls are described as radiant beings that shine upon each other like stars do in the center of our galaxy:
They are a thousand thousand miles distant from one another and yet one is illumined by the other's Radiance.
The primary name for the highest God in the Mandaean tradition is "The Great Life." Many of the hymns in the Canonical Prayerbook begin with this invocation:
In the Name of the Great Life,
Sublime Light be Praised
"Living One," a term found in the Gospel of Thomas and in eastern Gnostic writings, is used in Mandaean texts for God. The Great Life is also referred to as the King of Light, a limitless Radiant Being of compassion and love:
He is the Light, in Whom is no darkness,
the Living One, in Whom is no death,
the Good One, in Whom is no malice,
the Gentle One, in Whom is no confusion,
the Kind One, in whom is no venom of
bitterness. (Gnosis II)
The term "Great Spirit" is also used on several occasions in the Mandaean scriptures.
223. Bean, James. (Friday, May 03, 2002) Spiritual Eyes, Spiritual Ears -- I Will Give You What No Eye Has Seen...
(Reference: Bean, James. (Friday, May 03, 2002)
Spiritual Eyes, Spiritual Ears -- I Will Give You What No Eye Has Seen... )
Tatian's Gospel Harmony, a second century text in Syriac (a dialect of Aramaic), combined the four gospels into one mega-gospel. From "The Earliest Life of Christ -- The Diatessaron of Tatian":
But ye, blessed are your eyes, which see; and your ears, which hear. Blessed are the eyes, which see the things which ye see. Verily I say unto you, Many prophets and righteous men desired to see the things which ye seem and saw them not; and to hear the things which ye hear, and heard them not. (Gorgias Press: )
Jesus Restores the Hearing of a Deaf Man, from "The Humane Gospel of Jesus," published by the Edenite Society:
And Jesus departed unto another village where he found a man who was deaf from birth. And this man did not believe in the sound of rushing wind, or the thunder, or the cries of the beasts, or the birds which do complain of their hunger and their hurt, nor did he believe that others heard all these things. Hearing the deaf man speak, Jesus felt great pity, and he breathed into his ears a deep breath and spake a few words no man understood, and at that moment, the ears were opened, and the man did hear for the first time.
And now the man rejoiced with overwhelming gladness in the sounds he before denied were real. And he said unto Jesus, "Now, I hear all things, great one; it is exceedingly joyful!" And Jesus perceiving his great joy and happy to see the man glad, said unto him: "Yea, ye hear much, but ye hear not all things. For I say unto ye, Canst thou hear the sighing of the prisoner in chains, and the slave in bondage to evil men, or the language of the birds or the beasts of the forest when they commune with each other? Or canst thou hear the voices and singing of holy angels before God? Think now, how much thou canst not hear and be thee humble in thy lack of, knowledge and understanding, for I tell ye, earthly man hears only with ears of flesh, but the man of God knoweth what others hear not."
MANY OTHER 'EYE HAS NOT SEEN-EAR HAS NOT HEARD' SAYINGS GOSPEL OF THOMAS SAYING 17 AND PARALLELS
Jesus says: 'I will give you what no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, what no hand has touched, and what has never occurred to the human mind.' (Coptic Gospel of Thomas, Saying # 17)
"However, as it is written: 'No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.'" (I Corinthians 2: 9, New Testament, Saint Paul quoting some 'written' document)
Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for you. (Isaiah 64: 4)
And this angel said to me, Isaiah, son of Amoz, I set you free; for you have seen what no mortal man has ever seen before. Yet you must return to your garments of the flesh until your days are completed. Then will you come up here. (Ascension of Isaiah 11: 34)
Some other pseudepigrapha contain "what no eye has seen, what no ear has heard" sayings. According to certain early church documents there was a version of the Apocalypse of Elijah that contained one that was close to 1 Cor. 2: 9 and GoT # 17.
Jesus: "How privileged are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. I swear to you, many prophets" [Isaiah, Elijah?] "and righteous ones have longed to see what you see and didn't see it, and to hear what you hear and didn't hear." (Matthew 13: 16-17 = Q/Luke 10: 23 - 24)
And the righteous who have walked in the way of righteousness will inherit the glory of God. And his power will be given to them, which no eye has seen nor ear heard. And they will rejoice in My kingdom. (Jesus, Testament of the Lord in Galilee)
The rest of you shall inherit the kingdom of heaven, whose delights no ear has heard described, which no eye has seen and which has not appeared in the human heart. (Jesus quoted in, Apocryphal Gospel of John)
As then we also have taken refuge in Him, and have learnt that it is in Him alone to give, let us beg from Him those things which He said that He would give us, which eye hath not seen and ear hath not heard, and which have not entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.... (Jesus quoted in, Testament of Our Lord)
"....that I may redeem you from death and annihilation, I will give you what you have not seen with the eye nor heard with the ears nor grasped with the hand." (Turfan fragments)
Thou hast showed us that which the eye has not seen, and caused us to hear that which the human ear has not heard. Thou has freed us from death and united us with Life, released us from darkness, and united us with Light. Thou hast shown us that which the eye has not seen, and caused us to hear that which the human ear has not heard. (Canonical Prayer Book of the Mandaeans)
224. Samenow, Stanton E. (January 1984) Inside the Criminal Mind. Times Books. ISBN: 0812910826. Hardcover. 285 pages.
(Reference: Samenow, Stanton E. (January 1984) Inside the Criminal Mind. Times Books.)
Page 17
Psychologists stress the importance of parents as role models, especially fathers for their sons and mothers for their daughters.
225. Booth, General William. Purity of Heart: Letters to Salvation Army Officers. 43 pages.
(old link)
(new link)
(Reference: Booth, General William. Purity of Heart: Letters to Salvation Army Officers. .)
A MUST read book on PURITY. Contains songs of gratitude to the Holy Lord! No notes taken of this short book. Cover to cover reading. Yet, I am forced to include the songs for singing the glory of the Lord.
Page 4
Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart. for they shall see God.
Song 1
"Oh for a heart to praise my God!
A heart from sin set free!
A heart that always feels the Blood,
So freely spilt for me! "
Song 2
"A heart in every thought renewed,
And full of Love Divine;
Perfect and right, and pure and good,
A copy, Lord, of Thine!"
Page 6
Song 3
"His saints are lovely in His sight,
He views His children with delight;
He sees their hope, He knows their fear,
And looks, and loves His image there."
Song 4
"O glorious hope of perfect love!
It lifts me up to things above,
It bears on eagles' wings;
It gives my ravished soul a taste,
And makes me for some moments feast
With Jesus' priests and kings."
Page 8
Hebrews 12:14 -- Follow ... holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.
Page 11
Song 5
'Tis done, Thou dost this moment save,
With full Salvation bless;
Redemption through Thy Blood I have,
And spotless love and peace."
Song 6
"Come, Holy Ghost, all Sacred Fire,
Come, fill Thy earthly temples now;
Emptied of every base desire,
Reign Thou within, and only Thou.
"Thy sovereign right, Thy gracious claim
To every thought and every power;
Our lives to glorify Thy name,
We yield Thee in this sacred hour.
"Fill every chamber of the soul;
Fill all our thoughts, our passions fill,
Till under Thy supreme control
Submissive rests our cheerful will.
'Tis done! Thou dost this moment come,
My longing soul is all Thine own;
My heart is Thy abiding home.
Henceforth I live for Thee alone."
Page 12
Luke 1:74-75 That -- He would grant unto us, that we ... might serve Him without fears in holiness and righteousness before Him, all the days of our life.
226. Associated Press. (Thursday, September 19, 2002) Internet Dealers of 'Date Rape' Drug Arrested. USA: FOX News Network.
(Reference: Associated Press. (Thursday, September 19, 2002)
Internet Dealers of 'Date Rape' Drug Arrested. USA: FOX News Network.)
… predators who could spike their drinks with the drug.
GHB is a mixture of common industrial chemicals that Congress outlawed 2 years ago. The drug and its derivatives GBL and 1,4 BD act as central nervous system depressants and cause drowsiness, dizziness, nausea and loss of inhibition.
People who use GHB refer to it as "G" and "Liquid X."
The substance also is abused as a muscle growth hormone.
227. Bhikkhu, Thanissaro. (Translated from the Pali) (Revised: Thursday, May 17, 2001)
Anguttara Nikaya V.196. Supina Sutta. Dreams. .
(Reference: Bhikkhu, Thanissaro. (Translated from the Pali) (Revised: Thursday, May 17, 2001) Anguttara Nikaya V.196. Supina Sutta. Dreams. .)
228. Tudor, Steven. (1997) A Guide to Researching and Writing Philosophy Essays. (plus a bit on philosophy exams) 4th edition. Australia: The Department of Philosophy, University of Melbourne.
(Reference: Tudor, Steven. (1997)
A Guide to Researching and Writing Philosophy Essays. (plus a bit on philosophy exams) 4th edition. Australia: The Department of Philosophy, University of Melbourne.)
229. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) - Cyber Crime - IT ACT, 2000. Chapter IX. Penalties and Adjudication. 43. Penalty for damage to computer, computer system, etc. India.
(Reference: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) - Cyber Crime - IT ACT, 2000. Chapter IX. Penalties and Adjudication. 43. Penalty for damage to computer, computer system, etc. India.)
230. McCullagh, Declan. (Monday, July 15, 2002) House OKs life sentences for hackers. USA: CNET .
(Reference: McCullagh, Declan. (Monday, July 15, 2002)
House OKs life sentences for hackers. USA: CNET .)
The House of Representatives on Monday overwhelmingly approved a bill that would allow for life prison sentences for malicious computer hackers.
The Bush administration had asked Congress to approve the Cyber Security Enhancement Act (CSEA) as a way of responding to electronic intrusions, denial of service attacks and the threat of "cyber-terrorism."
231. Sister Upalavanna. (Trans.) Majjhima Nikaaya. II.4.6. Angulimaalasutta. To Angulimala.
(Reference: Sister Upalavanna. (Trans.)
Majjhima Nikaaya. II.4.6. Angulimaalasutta. To Angulimala.)
232. Pilgrimages – Sravasti.
(Reference: Pilgrimages – Sravasti.)
Sravasti (ancient Savatthi), the capital of Kosala Mahajanapada, was the biggest town in the Gangetic plains during the Buddha's lifetime.
Situated in Gonda district in eastern Utter Pradesh, Sravasti is also called SahetMahet.
How to Get There
Road
The most convenient way to reach Sravasti is via Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh, which is well connected by air and rail to all parts of India.
Rail
Balrampur railway station,19 k.ms away.
During the time of Sakyamuni, Sudatta, a rich and pious merchant, lived in Sravasti, while on a visit to Rajgir, he heard the Buddha's sermon and decided to become the Lord's disciple. But he was caught in a dilemma and asked the Lord whether he could become a follower without foresaking worldly life. To his query, the Master replied that it was enough that he followed his vocation in a righteous manner. Sudatta invited the Lord of Sravasti and began to look for a suitable place to build a vihara.
A beautiful park at the southern edge of Sravasti attracted his attention. The park belonged to Jeta, son of the king of Sravasti, Prasenjit.
The park came to be known as Jetavana Vihara after Prince Jeta's donation to the Sangha.
Sudatta came to be known as Anathapindika (the incomparable alms giver).
The ruins of Anandakuti and Gandhakuti exude an aura of sacredness because it was here that the Lord stayed during his many visits to Jetavana Vihara. In Sravasti, the Master expounded a major part of the Tripitakas. It was also in Sravasti that the Lord performed the only miracle of his life in response to a challenge from six non believers.
The Lord levitated on a thousand petalled lotus, causing fire and water to leap out of his body and multiplied his person in the air.
Mahet, to the north of Jetavana, was once a heavily fortified city. All that remains are two stupas known locally as Pakki Kuti and Kachchi Kuti; the later identified as Sudatta's Stupa.
Pakki Kuti is said to be Angulimala's Stupa.
Less than a kilometre away are the ruins of a medievel Jain temple, revered by the Jains as the brithplace of the third Jain Tirthankara, Swayambunatha.
Sankissa is identifed with the present village of Basantpur in Farrukhabad district of Utter Pradesh. It is situated on the banks of river Kali, Sankissa is most easily accessible from Agra which is 175 kms away on the Agra-Mainpuri road. The nearest railhead is Pakhna which is 11.5 kms. away. Sankissa is the place where the Buddha descended from heaven along with Lord Brahma and Devraj Indra after giving a discourse to his mother, Mayadevi. Emperor Ashoka erected a pillar with an elephant capital to mark this holy spot.
233. Buddha's Eight Great Victories.
(Reference: Buddha's Eight Great Victories.)
234. Transformers may step up cancer risk: Report. (Monday, September 23, 2002) India: The Times of India.
(Reference: Transformers may step up cancer risk: Report. (Monday, September 23, 2002) India: The Times of India.)
Hyderabad: If your house is located in the vicinity of any one of the 9,600 electrical transformers in the city, it increases your risk of developing cancer.
Recent studies in England have shown that these transformers generate an electromagnetic field (EMF), which can cause cancer.
Electrical transformers are a big source of EMF with extremely low frequency electric and magnetic fields surrounding it.
EMFs near the transformers can be quite high, but due to its small structure, the field strength diminishes rapidly with distance.
According to Apollo Hospitals’ oncologist Dr Srinivas Chakravarthy, EMF may lead to cancer by interfering with the transmission of calcium across the cell membrane, a flow that governs such processes as muscle contraction, egg fertilisation, cell division and growth.
“Therefore it is advisable to place the transformer at certain distance away from the residential area,” he said.
Though most experts agree that limited, non-chronic exposure to EMF is not a threat, it’s advisable not to live near a transformer. There is also no way to block EMFs as they can penetrate even lead shielding and, hence, the only protection is to maintain distance from the source.
Epidemiological studies on humans in England indicated a link between EMFs and health problems, Dr Chakravarthy said. “It is likely that many childhood cancers and brain tumours come from exposure to EMFs,” he said.
The power line feeding the transformer has between 8,000 to 13,500 volts. The transformer then reduces the voltage to 120/240 volts needed by the nearby homes. As these transformers are seen in almost every neighbourhood they are a source of concern, he said.
235. Stop use of soaps, says skin expert. (Monday, September 23, 2002) India: The Times of India.
(Reference: Stop use of soaps, says skin expert. (Monday, September 23, 2002) India: The Times of India.)
Sydney: A study has revealed that soaps and hot showers are among leading causes of eczema in people prone to skin diseases.
A Melbourne skin expert has urged Australians to dump soap and hot showers to fight rising eczema rates. Professor Robin Marks, head of dermatology at St Vincent's Hospital, called on the public to defy "society madness" and follow his 25-year example by never using soap on the body again.
"Everybody should throw away soap. Why use it? Soap takes away the natural moisture in your skin and brings about all the problems we see in the community. All the soap is designed to do is remove oil from skin, but your body is trying to put oil on your skin. It's a protective barrier", Marks was quoted by The News as saying.
"Soap is not necessary in modern Australian society. It's mythology", Marks said, adding that the only use for soap was washing hands. The study also uncovers the financial, physical and psychological strain on more than 2.5 million Australians who have eczema.
Professor Marks said about 30 percent of children up to four, 15 percent of adolescents and teenagers, and 7 percent of adults suffer from the disease. The study showed seven in 10 sufferers blamed stress for the condition. A third said eczema made them embarrassed and self-conscious about their skin. Many reported it interfered with work, school, and social life.
236. Shabnam Minwalla. (Saturday, September 21, 2002) Neem has a cure for all ills, say researchers. India: The Times of India.
(Reference: Shabnam Minwalla. (Saturday, September 21, 2002)
Neem has a cure for all ills, say researchers. India: The Times of India.)
Mumbai: It may seem much ado about a commonplace tree that thrives along diesel-choked highways and dusty backyards.
But, come November, delegates from more than 50 countries will meet in Mumbai to lecture on the leaves and contemplate the crown of the friendly neighbourhood neem.
Most Indians know that the hardy evergreen, with its ample canopy, has been virtually deified in Hindu tradition —indeed, planting three neems was considered an express route to heaven.
What we don’t realise, however, is that it is, today, as much an object of academic veneration.
“From Canada to Australia, Kenya to China, scientists are working with neem in areas like bio-pesticides, cancer research and oral hygiene,’’ says
Pramila Thakkar of the Neem Foundation, one of the organisers of the World Neem Conference. Agrees H.M.Behl of the National Botanical Research Institute in Lucknow, “Our age-old home remedies and ayurvedic literature recognised the effects of neem. But after the main metabolite was extracted in 1970s, there has been a jump in scientific interest.’’
Little wonder, then, that about 150 papers—many with forbidding names like ‘Comparative bioefficacy of neem formulations based on azadirachtin and neem oil content against various stages of spodoptera litura’—are to be presented at the conference.
Neem, if its cheerleaders are to be believed, can banish pesky mosquitoes, vanquish termites, protect the Taj Mahal from corrosive gases, act as a contraceptive and tackle learning disabilities.
“It is a miraculous tree,’’ says Dou Dou Faye, an entomologist who has been popularising neem in Senegal. Adds Areaf Salehzadeh, an Iranian botanist,“We will be seeing even more discoveries involving neem extracts.’’
None of this will, however, come as a surprise to the farmer in Rajasthan or the grandmother in UP. The tree that appears in biology textbooks as Azadirachta indica is described in the Vedas as ‘sarva roga nivarini’ (one that cures all ailments).
“Anyone you meet in India has a neem story,’’ says Ms Thakkar, who spent her childhood summers in Rajastan, playing under the shady tree. “As children they may have bathed with the leaves or, once a year, been made to eat the bitter chutney for stronger immunity. Whenever we talk to villagers about the properties of the neem, they say, ‘Woh to maloom hai.’’’
Why this informal knowledge hasn’t translated into a clutch of patents and export-worthy products is another matter.“We want neem to do for India what aloe vera has for Mexico or ginseng for Korea,’’ says Ms Thakkar, pointing out that the development of bio-pesticides and fertilisers is an obvious thrust area.
“The research is largely in place and there is a clamour for organic, environmentally-safe products. But the government is only bothered about IT and computers.’’
Ms Thakkar’s disgust is understandable, given the invariably sluggish official response. Requests for a neem census and the elevation of the neem to the ‘national tree of India’ have been met with silence. Even the eminently practical suggestion—that the authorities establish an agency to certify organic neem plantations and boost exports of the oils and extracts —has been ignored.
“In this age of WTO, it’s essential that our traditional wealth and knowledge be recognised and documented,’’ warns Ms Thakkar. “We know, for example, that neem controls diabetes. But, just as the Koreans did with ginseng,we have to make a concerted effort to organise and publish scientific research.’’
A vital scheme, encouraging farmers to plant two neem trees and use them to make pesticides, is also barely limping along. “Most farmers are worried about soil degradation,’’ says Ms Thakkar, describing a pilot project in a 100 villages near Nagpur, where farmers are enthusiastically making their own neem pesticides.
“Although these are cheaper, eco-friendly and organic, they are not even included in the ‘package of practices’ recommended by the agriculture ministry.’’ While the Indian government dithers, others are surging ahead. Last December, officials from China, who had been investigating various bio-pesticides, arrived at the Neem Foundation office. They invited a team of experts to visit Yunan province and, within months, had laid out vast neem plantations. On a smaller scale, too, many individuals have discovered this “village dispensary’’.
So Rosalind Grant, a farmer in Scotland, uses neem oil to protect her sheep and cattle against infection. While some Canadian farmers use the paste on trees that are prone to termites.
Says M. Nishimura, a neem aficionado who has been propagating the tree in Japan: “The time has come to link the demand for natural products in developed countries with the ecological knowledge systems of third world countries.’’ Local neem enthusiasts are hoping that the authorities get this message. “Otherwise,’’ says Ms Thakkar wryly, “we might just end up buying neem products from the west.’’
237. Van Biema, David. (Sunday, September 22, 2002) The Legacy of Abraham. USA: Time Inc.
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(Reference: Van Biema, David. (Sunday, September 22, 2002) The Legacy of Abraham. USA: Time Inc.)
Jews have circumcised for thousands of years—ever since God (as the Torah tells it), having made a history-altering pact with Abraham, directed him to "cut my Covenant in your flesh."
As biblical pioneer of the idea that there is only one God, he is on a par with Moses, St. Paul and Muhammad, responsible for what Thomas Cahill, author of the 1998 history The Gifts of the Jews, calls "a complete departure from everything that has gone before in the evolution of culture and sensibility." In other words, Abraham changed the world.
Jews, who consider him their own, are largely unaware of Abraham's presence in Christianity, which accepts his Torah story as part of the Old Testament and honors him in contexts ranging from the Roman Catholic Mass ("Look with favor on these offerings and accept them as once you accepted ... the sacrifice of Abraham") to a Protestant children's song ("Father Abraham had many sons/ And I am one of them and so are you ... ").
…Abraham's role in Islam, which acknowledges the Torah narrative but with significant changes and additions. The Koran portrays Abraham as the first man to make full surrender to Allah. Each of the five repetitions of daily prayer ends with a reference to him. The holy book recounts Abraham's building of the Ka'aba, the black cube that is Mecca's central shrine. Several of the rituals performed in that city by pilgrims making the hajj recall episodes from his history. Those who cannot journey still join in celebrating the Festival of Sacrifice, in which a lamb or goat is offered up to commemorate the same near sacrifice of a son that the Jews feature at their New Year. It is the holiest single day on the Islamic calendar.
In fact, excluding God, Abraham is the only biblical figure who enjoys the unanimous acclaim of all three faiths, the only one … referred to by all three as Father.
If Abraham is indeed father of three faiths, then he is like a father who left a bitterly disputed will.
Judaism and Islam, for starters, cannot even agree on which son he almost sacrificed. Then there is Abraham's Covenant with God. Many Jews (and some conservative Christians) believe it granted the Jewish people alone the right to the Holy Land. That belief fuels much of the Israeli settler movement and plays an ever greater role in Israel's hostility toward Palestinian nationalist claims. "Our connection to the land goes back to our first ancestor. Arabs have no right to the land of Israel," says Rabbi Haim Druckman, a settler leader and a parliamentarian with the National Religious Party. This argument infuriates Palestinian Muslims—especially since the Koran claims that Abraham was not a Jew but Islam's first believer. "The people who supported Abraham believed in one God and only one God, and that was the Muslims. Only the Muslims," says Sheik Taysir Tamimi, Yasser Arafat's liaison for religious dialogue.
Not exempt from the tripartite rancor, early Christians used their understanding of Abraham, who they claimed found grace outside Jewish law, to prove that the older religion begged for replacement—a contention that helped propel almost two millenniums of anti-Semitism.
Abraham is thus a much more difficult—and more interesting—figure than at first he seems. His history constitutes a kind of multifaith scandal, a case study for monotheism's darker side, the desire of people to define themselves by excluding or demonizing others. The fate of interfaith stalwarts seeking to undo that heritage and locate in the patriarch a true symbol of accord should be meaningful to all of us suddenly interested in the apparent chasm between Islam and the West. Says Abraham author Feiler: "I believe he's a flawed vessel for reconciliation, but he's the best figure we've got."
Feiler began Abraham after the Sept. 11 attacks, seeking a unifying symbol in a time of strife. Instead, the book records his growth from a dewy-eyed Abrahamic novice to a more realistic observer. As he remarks, "When I set out on this journey, I believed ... the Great Abrahamic Hope was an oasis in the deepest deserts of antiquity, and all we had to do was track him down and his descendants would live in perpetual harmony, dancing Kumbaya around the campfire. That oasis, I realized, is just a mirage." The sober understanding Feiler ends up with, however, is a more realistic basis from which to seek reconciliation.
Abraham The Jew
Abraham was born, according to tradition, into a family that sold idols—a way of emphasizing the polytheism that reigned in the Middle East before his enlightenment. The stirring first words of the 12th chapter in the Torah's Book of Genesis are God's to him and are often referred to as the Call: "Go forth from your native land/ And from your father's house/ And I will make of you a great nation/ And I will bless those who bless you/ And curse him that curses you/ And all the families of the earth shall bless themselves by you." Abraham would appear ill suited to the job. To make a nation, one must have an heir, and he is a childless 75-year-old whose wife Sarah is past menopause. Yet he complies, and he and Sarah set off for a desert hinterland— Canaan—and a new spiritual epoch.
As they travel, God elaborates on his offer. Abraham's children will be as numerous as grains of dust on the earth and stars in the sky. They will spend 400 years as slaves but ultimately possess the land from the Nile to the Euphrates. The pact is sealed in a mysterious ceremony in a dream, during which the Lord, appearing as a smoking torch, puts himself formally under oath. He requires a different acknowledgment from Abraham: he must inscribe a sign of the Covenant on his body, initiating the Jewish and Muslim customs of circumcision. He is now committed, God notes later, to "keep the way of the Lord to do righteousness and justice."
Abraham's life becomes very eventful. He travels to Egypt and back and alights in Canaanite towns that may correspond to present-day Nablus, Hebron and Jerusalem. He grows rich, distinguishing himself sometimes as a warrior king and sometimes as an arch-diplomat. At one point, three strangers appear at his tent. A model of Middle Eastern hospitality, he lays out a feast. They turn out to be divine messengers bearing word that God intends to destroy Sodom, where his nephew Lot lives. Abraham initiates an extraordinary haggling session, persuading the Lord to spare Sodom if 10 righteous people can be found. They can't.
Meanwhile, the Torah portrays Abraham's domestic life as a soap opera. Convinced she will have no children, Sarah offers him her young Egyptian slave Hagar to produce an heir. It works. The 86-year-old fathers a boy, Ishmael. Yet God insists that Sarah will conceive, and in a wonder confirming Abraham's faith, she bears his second son, Isaac. Jealous of Hagar's and Ishmael's competing claims on her husband and his legacy, Sarah persuades Abraham to send them out into the desert. God saves the duo and promises Hagar that Ishmael will sire a great nation through 12 sons (assumed by tradition to be 12 Arab tribes). But he stipulates that the Covenant will flow only through Isaac's line.
Then, in one last spectacular test of his faith, God directs Abraham to offer up "your son, your only one, whom you love, your Isaac" as a human sacrifice. With an obedience that has troubled modern thinkers from Kierkegaard ("Though Abraham arouses my admiration, he at the same time appalls me") to Bob Dylan ("Abe says, 'Where do you want this killin' done?' God says, 'Out on Highway 61'")—but which seems transcendentally right to traditionalists—the father commences to comply on a mountain called Moriah. Only at the last instant does God stay the father's hand and renew his pledge regarding Abraham's descendants.
At age 175, Abraham dies and is laid out next to Sarah, who preceded him, in a plot he has bought in a town later called Hebron. Both sons attend his funeral.
That is the story. What is its importance? Despite every effort and argument, there is no way to know what century Abraham lived in, or even whether he actually existed as a person. (If he did live, it would have been between 2100 B.C. and 1500 B.C., hundreds of years before the date most historians assign to the actual birth of the religion called Judaism.) But Abraham represents a revolution in thought. While he is not a pure monotheist (he never suggests that other gods do not exist), he is the Ur-monotheist, the first man in the Bible to abandon all he knows in order to choose the Lord and consciously move ever deeper into that choice, until the point of no return on Moriah.
The implications of his breakthrough are almost infinite. To have "one God that counts" instead of a constellation of gods who require occasional ritual appeasement, as Cahill notes in The Gifts of the Jews, means that Abraham's relationship to God "became the matrix of his life," as it would be for millions who followed. A universal God made it easier to imagine a universal code of ethics. Positing a deity intimately involved in the fate of one's children overturned the prevalent image of time as an ever cycling wheel, effectively inventing the idea of a future. Says Eugene Fisher, director of Catholic-Jewish relations for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops: "Whether you call it submission in Muslim terms, conversion in Christian terms or t'shuva (turning toward God) for the Jews, monotheism is a radically new understanding, the underlying concept of Western civilization." So linked is Abraham's name with this new path that each of the subsequent two monotheistic religions reached back hungrily to enfold him—and belittle the others' claims on him.
Abraham The Christian
The church of the holy sepulcher in Jerusalem is arguably the most Christian place on earth, and the gray rock mass of Golgotha (or Calgary) inside, the most Christian place in the church. Traditions dating back to the 300s A.D. record that Jesus was crucified here. Just above the rock's Plexiglas-protected expanse is a chapel shared by the Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches. The Catholic side boasts three mosaics. In the center is Mary Magdalene; to the left is Christ, removed from the Cross; and to the right is none other than ... Abraham, about to slay Isaac. Notes Feiler: "The image of Jesus sprawled on the unction stone is nearly identical to the image of Isaac on the altar." The New Testament book Romans proposes Isaac's binding and release as a prophetic foreshadowing of the Resurrection.
The man credited with that insight is the Apostle Paul. Jesus mentions Abraham in the Gospels, but it was Paul who did the fine mortise work, citing the patriarch in his New Testament epistles more than any other figure except Christ. Perhaps the most strongly self-identifying Jew among the Apostles, Paul clearly felt an urgency to connect his new movement with the Jewish paterfamilias. He did so primarily through Abraham's original response to God's Call and through the old man's embattled faith, or "hope against hope," as Paul famously put it, that God would bring him a son. Such faith, Paul wrote, made Abraham "the father of all who believe."
Yet Paul's Abrahamic bouquet to his birth religion contained poisoned thorns. One of his themes was that a believer no longer needed to be Jewish or to follow Jewish law to be redeemed—the way now lay through Christ. Abraham's story served these arguments well. His Covenant long predated the Jewish law as brought down from the mountain by Moses, and so, wrote Paul, "the promise to Abraham and his descendants ... did not come through law."
Nor, Paul argued, did it come through tribal inheritance. The God of the Hebrew Bible deemed Abraham to be "righteous" years before his circumcision, he wrote, which meant that his listeners didn't need to become circumcised Jews to be Abraham's inheritors. Baptism in faith would more than suffice. Paul waffled as to whether Christianity rendered Judaism's Abrahamic Covenant null and void. But his successors assumed so. The 2nd century church father Justin Martyr wrote that far from an indication of grace, circumcision marked Jews "so that your land might become desolate, and your cities burned," something of a self-fulfilling prophecy. Bereft of a divine warrant for their well-being, Jews were at the mercy of their neighbors' worst instincts. In a remarkably frank assessment, the Greek Orthodox bishop of Jerusalem tells Feiler, "What the church did with Abraham was bitter and cruel."
Abraham The Muslim
No faith is as self-consciously monotheistic as Islam, and its embrace of Abraham is correspondingly joyful. If many Jews know him best as a dynastic grandfather whose grandson Jacob actually founds the nation of Israel, Muslims regard him as one of the four most important prophets. So pure is his submission to the One God that Muhammad later says his own message is but a restoration of Abrahamic faith. The Koran includes scenes from Abraham's childhood in which he chides his father for believing in idols and survives, Daniel-like, in a fiery furnace to which he is condemned for his fealty to Allah. And in the Koranic version of Abraham's ultimate test, Abraham tells his son of God's command, and the boy replies, "O my father! Do that which thou art commanded. Allah willing, thou shalt find me of the steadfast." Notes the Koran approvingly: "They had both surrendered," using the verb whose noun form is the word Islam. For passing such trials, Allah tells Abraham, "Lo, I have appointed thee a leader for mankind!"
But not as a Jew. Somewhat like Paul, Islam concluded that God chooses his people on grounds of commitment rather than lineage, meaning that Abraham's only true followers are true believers—i.e., Muslims. Moreover, if Allah ever had a pact with the Jews as a race, they backslid out of it in episodes such as the worship of the golden calf in the Torah's book of Exodus. Indeed, the Koran advises Muslims proselytized by either Jews or Christians to answer, "Nay ... (we follow) the religion of Abraham."
Then there is the matter of Isaac and Ishmael. Unlike the Torah, the Koran does not specify which son God tells Abraham to sacrifice. Muslim interpreters a generation after Muhammad concluded that the prophet was descended from the slave woman Hagar's boy, Ishmael. Later scholarly opinion determined that Ishmael was also the son who went under the knife. The decision effectively completed the Jewish disenfranchisement. Not only was their genealogical claim void, but their forefather lost his role in the great drama of surrender.
The Contested Patrimony
Things devolved from there. Jews, stung, took steps to cement Abraham's Jewish identity. The Talmud describes him anachronistically as following Mosaic law and speaking Hebrew. And they severely downgraded Ishmael. Initially, says Shaul Magid, professor of Midrash at New York City's Jewish Theological Seminary, Jewish parents named their boys after Abraham's Arab son, but the custom evaporated as they began living under Muslim rule. By the 11th century the great biblical scholar Rashi, citing earlier authorities, described Ishmael as a "thief" whom "everybody hates," an insult that can still be found in his prominently placed commentary in many Torah editions today and that is taught in many Orthodox religious schools. Ibn Kathir, a 13th century Koranic commentator, struck back by claiming the Jews had "dishonestly and slanderously" introduced Isaac into the Torah story: "They forced this understanding because Isaac is their father, while Ishmael is the father of the Arabs." That sentiment too survives today on the Muslim side.
It is enough to make a grown man cry, which Feiler nearly does. "They took a biblical figure open to all," he writes, "tossed out what they wanted to ignore, ginned up what they wanted to stress and ended up with a symbol of their own uniqueness that looked far more like a mirror image of their fantasies than a reflection of the original story." To his horror, he realized that Abraham "is as much a model for fanaticism as he is for moderation."
The Tomb of the Patriarchs, a massive stone structure built by King Herod 2,000 years ago, is the grim living metaphor for dueling Abrahamisms. Despite God's promise that this land would be his people's one day, Abraham in Genesis makes a point of paying Ephron the Hittite 400 silver shekels for a cave in Hebron to serve as a burial plot. He and Sarah were laid there, and later, Scripture adds, so were Isaac and his wife Rebecca, his grandson Jacob and his first wife Leah. Herod erected a grandiose monument at what he thought was the site. For most of the past few hundred years, its Muslim owners, who called it the Mosque of Abraham, allowed Jews to pray near the entrance. When the Israelis took control in 1967, believers of both faiths worshipped side by side. Then in 1994 a radical Israeli settler, Dr. Baruch Goldstein, mowed down 29 Muslims at prayer in the tomb. Custody shifted to a complex scheme granting each side access to parts or all of the tomb on different days but avoiding their meeting. Since the latest intifadeh, the arrangement continues, but the site, hedged about with checkpoints and razor wire in a neighborhood under strict military curfew, presents a message of piety inextricable from violence and mistrust.
There is an eerie effortlessness to the way in which fights picked by scriptural revisionists hundreds of years ago feed today's psychology of mutual victimhood. The Jewish Theological Seminary's Magid describes a 1st century tradition in which Ishmael is a bully and Isaac "becomes the persecuted younger brother." That belief has persisted. "The Muslims are very aggressive, like Ishmael," an Israeli settler tells Feiler. "And the Jews are very passive, like Isaac, who nearly allows himself to be killed without talking back. That's why they are killing us, because we don't fight back." Arafat's religious liaison Sheik Tamimi snaps that any Jewish claims based in Genesis are "pure lies, aimed at achieving political gains, at imposing the sovereignty of Israeli occupation on the holy places."
Hopes For Reconciliation
It is a staple premise of the interfaith movement, which has been picking at the problem since the late 1800s, that if Muslims, Christians and Jews are ever to respect and understand one another, a key road leads through Abraham. Says Fisher of the Conference of Catholic Bishops: "We can't not talk to each other about him." But identifying a path does not make it passable. Part of the problem, says Jon Levenson, a Harvard Jewish-studies professor who has examined affinities and conflicts in the Abrahamic traditions, is that even before they went to work on him, his story featured a theme of exclusivity. "If you want a symbol for universal humanity, go to Adam," he says. "Don't go to Abraham, because his whole story is about the singling out of one guy to found a new family, a distinct family marked off from the rest of humanity. He was always a particularist." Another stumbling block between Jews and Muslims is that they are working from two different texts.
Nonetheless, moderate Islamic leaders have periodically enlisted Abraham as a bridge builder. In 1977 Egypt's President Anwar Sadat, announcing before the Israeli Knesset the brave initiative that would become the 1979 Camp David peace accords, invoked, "Abraham—peace be upon him—great-grandfather of the Arabs and the Jews." Sadat noted that Abraham had undertaken his great sacrifice "not out of weakness but through free will, prompted by an unshakable belief in the ideals that lend life a profound significance," clearly hoping that both sides would approach Arab-Israeli cohabitation in the same spirit. The accords went through, although this time a sacrifice was completed. Sadat was assassinated in 1981.
More recently, seeking a way to reach out to the U.S. that would pass the scrutiny of his nation's dogmatic clerics, moderate Iranian President Muhammad Khatami proposed a "dialogue of civilizations," with Abraham as common ground, in 1998. (The U.N.'s Kofi Annan subsequently adopted the gesture.) Observers assumed Khatami was crafting a smoke screen for political talks. But the former professor of Eastern and Western philosophy seems to regard Abraham as a mascot for his comparatively humanistic, open-minded brand of Islam.
A more thoroughgoing theological initiative has been undertaken by the Catholic Church. Christianity's position on Abraham had remained depressingly consistent since Justin Martyr's condemnation of the circumcised, but theologians at the Second Vatican Council of 1962-65, shaken by the Holocaust, reread Paul's letters. They noted that at one point Paul calls the Covenant between God and the Jews irrevocable and that in one passage he compares Christians to a wild olive branch grafted onto the tree of Judaism. "If the Covenant between God and the children of Abraham dies," says Fisher, "the branch withers with the roots. Christians would be orphans." The resulting Vatican II document rolled back centuries of anti-Judaism and began a rehabilitation of the notion of Abraham as a Jew. No one has pursued its spirit more avidly than Pope John Paul II, who in March 2000 pressed a prayer card between blocks of Jerusalem's Western Wall: "God of our fathers, you chose Abraham and his descendants to bring your name to the nations ... we wish to commit ourselves to genuine brotherhood with the people of the Covenant."
The Effect Of Sept. 11
Such rapprochement, especially involving Muslims, has been trickier in the past 12 months. Interfaith advocates say that after the attacks, many plans for Jewish-Muslim conversations fell through. One group that bucked the trend was the Children of Abraham Institute, a Charlottesville, Va., association that organizes intensive three-way scriptural studies modeled on Abraham's hospitality to the strangers at his tent. It has held meetings in Denver and at England's Cambridge University and has sent representatives to lecture in Cape Town, South Africa, and parley with imams in Malaysia. It has the ear of the incoming Archbishop of Canterbury. At one of its gatherings last October, University of Virginia professor of Islamic studies Abdulaziz Sachedina expressed an interfaith ideal when he contended that people of faith can "control" their respective interpretations of Abraham's story "so that it doesn't become a source of demonization of the other."
As the anniversary of Sept. 11 passed, several new enterprises inaugurated similar efforts. In Portland, Ore., a group called the Abraham Initiative began a two-year, citywide interfaith program. The venerable, Protestant-founded Chautauqua Institution in upstate New York is starting an open-ended Abraham Program involving lectures and trifaith panels. A participant in several such efforts is Feiler. At the end of Abraham, its author announces that understanding how each faith, and seemingly each generation, concocts its own Abraham has liberated him to create his own, whom he whimsically calls "Abraham No. 241." This Abraham, he says, "is perceptive enough to know that his children will fight, murder (and) fly planes into buildings." But he also knows that "his children still crave God, still dream of a moment when they stand alongside one another and pray for their lost father and for the legacy of peace among nations that was his initial mandate from heaven."
It is a historical oddity and a hopeful sign that as the three religions battled over Abraham, they continued (without admitting it) to swap Abraham stories. The borrowings and counterborrowings, as old as the conflicts, make far more pleasant reading. The most heartening may be an Islamic tale cited by Feiler whose roots, scholar Reuven Firestone hypothesized, reach into both Judaism and Christianity. It is set after Abraham's near sacrifice of his son, whichever son it was. The moment of truth is just past; the father's hand is stayed. As the boy lies stunned on the altar, God gazes down with pride and compassion and promises to grant his any prayer. "O Lord, I pray this," the boy says. "When any person in any era meets you at the gates of heaven—so long as they believe in one God—I ask that you allow them to enter paradise."
—With reporting by Azadeh Moavevi/Tehran, Nadia Mustafa/New York, Matt Rees and Jamil Hamad/Hebron and Eric Silver/ Jerusalem
238. Sokoloff, Heather. (Monday, September 23, 2002) Priest who imitates Elvis threatens Anglican schism. Canada: National Post.
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Refer link to Reverend Dorian Baxter
(Reference: Sokoloff, Heather. (Monday, September 23, 2002)
Priest who imitates Elvis threatens Anglican schism. Canada: National Post.)
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(Refer link to Reverend Dorian Baxter.)
Reverend Dorian Baxter, in Elvis costume at his home in Newmarket, Ont., yesterday, has run afoul of Anglican bishops for his unusual approach to the ministry.
He has been singing Elvis songs to sinners since his first ministerial posting, to Thunder Bay in 1984. There, he formed a Christian rock band, Jesus Rock of Our Salvation. Wearing red Michael Jackson jackets, in this case to symbolize Jesus' blood, the band performed in Thunder Bay's seediest bars, singing Elvis and gospel tunes such as Amazing Grace to combat what he called the Satanic imagery espoused by rock bands like AC/DC, Black Sabbath and Mötley Crüe.
The group was so successful that, occasionally, patrons asked Rev. Baxter to baptize them on a bar stool.
''I refuse to resign from holy orders,'' he said. ''I have led tens of thousands of people to Jesus through the music of Elvis. This man sung gospel better than anyone I know. I've told the bishops all they need to do is buy a few of his CDs. I don't know what they are complaining about.
''I think they forget that, when Jesus lived in Galilee, he preached in the pubs, to prostitutes and drinkers.''
Rev. Baxter does not hold up Elvis, who died in 1977, as a model of Christian living. However, he believes Elvis died with a pure heart and an unfailing faith in Christ, expressed in his soulful music.
For weddings, Rev. Baxter drives couples to the event in his 1988 white Cadillac, blaring Elvis tunes and dressed as a late 1970s version of you-know-who.
However, he drops the Elvis persona for the ceremony, changing into his priestly vestments to perform a traditional Anglican service according to Church protocol.
He may sing I Can't Help Falling in Love with You for the bride and groom, but otherwise maintains the sanctity of the service.
''I only do Elvis after the ceremony, when I put on a wild red velvet suit and do a bang-up good show.'' Often requested is his version of Blue Suede Shoes: ''One for the Father, Two for the Son, Three for the Holy Spirit and your life has just begun.''
The act is much the same for funerals. ''The ceremony is very serious, but afterwards we celebrate that person going to heaven.''
Although bishops had previously tolerated the Elvis act, even accepting over $100,000 he raised for parishes with Elvis-themed fundraisers, recently they have attempted to discredit him, said Rev. Baxter.
He left Collingwood to participate in Elvis celebrations in Memphis, where news of his treatment garnered him a Graceland welcome fit for a king, he said, adding that all of the controversy has left him with solid international bookings and a planned BBC documentary on his ministry.
239. Cole, A. (1998) Mothers and Sons in Chinese Buddhism. Stanford, USA: Stanford University Press.
(Reference: Cole, A. (1998) Mothers and Sons in Chinese Buddhism. Stanford, USA: Stanford University Press.)
A well researched book on the relationship between mother and son, according to the Buddhist perspective.
240. Temple belongs to wealthiest Hindu sect. (Tuesday, September 24, 2002) New Delhi, India: The Times of India.
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(Reference: Temple belongs to wealthiest Hindu sect. (Tuesday, September 24, 2002) New Delhi, India: The Times of India.)
New Delhi: The temple which was attacked by militants Tuesday belongs to India's wealthiest Hindu sect, the Swaminarain.
Members of the exotic sect are confined mainly to the Gujarati-speaking diaspora and are devotees of Hindu god Lord Krishna and his mythical sweetheart Radha.
The Swaminarains owe their movement to Swamy Shahajananda who, before his demise in 1830, launched the sect to preach harmony.
Shahajananda, also known as Swaminarain (Lord of the Universe), was the first Indian saint-reformer to meet a high-ranking Christian cleric in the person of Bishop Heber of the Church of England.
During the meeting he had pressed for religious tolerance.
The reclusive Swaminarains, who built their Akshardham temple in Gandhinagar without using any metal, are, however, part of India's mainstream Hindu religion and also preach universal brotherhood.
The theology of the Swaminarains centres on the deification of their guru and his main disciple, Gunatitananda, in a complex, highly-personalised mystical hierarchy.
The complex ritual and extreme asceticism of its monastic leaders, who are prohibited from touching or even speaking to a woman, gives the movement a distinct character and makes it highly visible in western India.
241. Indian troops end temple siege. (Wednesday, September 25, 2002) UK: BBC News.
(Reference: Indian troops end temple siege. (Wednesday, September 25, 2002) UK: BBC News.)
The Swaminarayan organisation, part of the Hindu faith, was formally established in 1907. It preaches religious tolerance and practical spirituality.
242. Detractors From The Simplicity Of Salvation.
(Reference: Detractors From The Simplicity Of Salvation.)
"The absorption of the raindrop into the ocean is symbolic of the absorption of the person into the impersonal universe. After people attain enlightenment, they lose their identities and become one with the all. Absorption is the goal of the monist Hindu"
243. Bruce, Tammy. The New Thought Police - Book Review. Hardcover. 300 pages.
(Reference: Bruce, Tammy. The New Thought Police - Book Review.)
From rigid speech codes on college campuses to the knee-jerk use of such labels as "racist," "homophobic," and "hateful" in an attempt to socially ostracize people with opposing viewpoints, speaking one's mind today has become increasingly dangerous.
244. Wabi Sabi.
(De-activated link)
(Reference: Wabi Sabi.)
Since wabi-sabi represents a comprehensive Japanese world view or aesthetic system, it is difficult to explain precisely in western terms. According to Leonard Koren, wabi-sabi is the most conspicuous and characteristic feature of what we think of as traditional Japanese beauty and it "occupies roughly the same position in the Japanese pantheon of aesthetic values as do the Greek ideals of beauty and perfection in the West."
Wabi-sabi is a beauty of things imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete.
It is the beauty of things modest and humble.
It is the beauty of things unconventional.
The concepts of wabi-sabi correlate with the concepts of Zen Buddhism, as the first Japanese involved with wabi-sabi were tea masters, priests, and monks who practiced Zen. Zen Buddhism originated in India, traveled to China in the 6th century, and was first introduced in Japan around the 12th century. Zen emphasizes "direct, intuitive insight into transcendental truth beyond all intellectual conception." At the core of wabi- sabi is the importance of transcending ways of looking and thinking about things/existence.
• All things are impermanent
• All things are imperfect
• All things are incomplete
Material characteristics of wabi-sabi:
• suggestion of natural process
• irregular
• intimate
• unpretentious
• earthy
• simple
245. Kulkarni, V M (1931) Naturopathy – The Art of Drugless Healing. Medical Wisdom Series No. 5. Bombay, India: Roy & Co., Homoeopaths. Pages: 304.
(Reference: Kulkarni, V M (1931) Naturopathy – The Art of Drugless Healing. Medical Wisdom Series No. 5. Bombay, India: Roy & Co., Homoeopaths.)
Page 258
(11) Advice of a Brahmin to his son
During his Thread Ceremony to lead a Natural Life
Translation. – Avoid staying in closed rooms; give up umbrellas and shoes. Avoid riding in vehicles driven by bullocks, horses, camels, etc. and also soft beds.
Translation. – Avoid anointing the body and bathing in hot water. Avoid also shaving, singing, dancing and attending the theatre. Avoid keeping up at nights and sleeping during the day.
Page 259
Translation. – Be good-natured; smile while you speak. Eat moderately and avoid avarice, greed, falsehood, anger and censure.
Translation. – Early in the morning take breathing exercise and drink a cupful of pure cold water; then bathe and perform Sandhya meditation; afterwards salute the sun and read vedas.
Translation. – Avoid very sour, pungent, saltish, bitter and astringent foods; take wholesome food and proper exercise and practice yoga philosophy.
Translation. – Eat daily tasty food which can be easily digested such as milk, wheat, millet (Neewar), roots, vegetables and fruits.
Translation. – Avoid fish, flesh, liquor, and all objectionable food. Preserve your semen assiduously; avoid its waste and control your passions.
Page 260
Translation. – Do your duty; obey your religious dictates. Thus observe celibacy for the next 12 years.
As a rule a Brahmin celebrates the Thread Ceremony of his son when he attains his eighth year long before he finishes his eleventh year and he is supposed to observe celibacy for 12 years and lead a natural life advised above and lead a married life there after.
Nearly all of the eight laws or precepts of the Lord are already in the advice!
246. Welcome to .
(Reference: Welcome to .)
What is vipassana?
In the Pali language of the early Buddhist texts, vipassana means insight. It is often used to describe one of the two main categories of Buddhist meditation (the other being samatha or tranquillity). The term may correctly be applied to any Buddhist meditation technique that aims for a complete understanding of the Three Characteristics - dukkha (suffering or unsatisfactoriness), anicca (impermanence) and anatta (not-Self).
247. Taylor, Charles. (Friday, January 21, 2000) "Rear Window" USA: .
(Reference: Taylor, Charles. (Friday, January 21, 2000) "Rear Window" USA: .)
There's a big difference between peeping at strangers and watching a movie that's been made for the express purpose of being watched. But Hitchcock was uniquely suited to explore what Grace Kelly refers to in the film as "rear-window" ethics.
Movies are often talked of disapprovingly as a passive activity. That's too easy. In some ways, Hitchcock's whole career, his oft-quoted preference for suspense over surprise, was a black joke played on moviegoer passivity. An audience that possesses crucial information that the characters lack is both desperate to do something and excruciatingly aware of its inability to do anything.
In "Rear Window" Hitchcock presents a hero who is in the same position the director put his audiences in: a watcher who sees (or thinks he sees) what he is powerless to stop. Jeff is bored to distraction. "I'm going to do something drastic," he warns. And so, when he thinks that one of the neighbors he's been watching has murdered his invalid wife, he's thrilled. At last something has appeared to rouse him out of the stupor of inactivity and summertime heat. Jeff isn't the ordinary person caught in extraordinary circumstances, like Robert Donat in "The 39 Steps" or Cary Grant in "North by Northwest," characters driven to prove their innocence. He's not personally involved in the crime. He isn't horrified or frightened, or motivated by a sense of justice or outrage over a woman's death; he's turned on, which is made a bit too obvious by his use of a huge, phallic zoom lens to do his peeping.
The possibility of a murder gives Jeff the same vicarious thrill that sends him into war zones or onto the tracks of speedways to snap his pictures. (When an editor informs him of war breaking out in some new hot spot, he responds -- with pride -- "Didn't I tell ya that'd be the next place to blow?") Soon, Jeff's society girlfriend, Lisa (Kelly), and the insurance company nurse Stella (Thelma Ritter), both of whom have been chiding him for spying on the neighbors, succumb to the same fevered curiosity. And since the promise of a mystery is the thing that's lured us into the theater, we go along too.
Except that Hitchcock doesn't make it so easy. Put in the position of watching along with Jeff, we see moments so private that our first impulse is to look away in embarrassment: A single, middle-aged woman, whom Jeff dubs Miss Lonelyhearts, entertains an imaginary beau at a romantic dinner for two; a struggling composer comes home late and scatters his work in drunken self-disgust. Hitchcock makes us aware that Jeff feels almost no sense of impropriety at what he's seeing, and he doesn't leave it at that.
One of the most painful things Hitchcock shows us is the home life of Thorvald (Raymond Burr), the salesman Jeff comes to suspect of murder. A fat, rumpled man, Thorvald isn't attractive or agreeable. He's brusque and rude during his one interchange with a neighbor, and his life looks to be hell. His invalid wife, who appears to be a hypochondriac, begins berating him as soon as he walks through the door. When he attempts to be tender to her by placing a fresh-cut flower from his lovingly tended flower bed on her dinner tray, she laughs at him and tosses it away. And, having made this suspected murderer pitiable, Hitchcock goes even further, employing his traditional method of supplying the audience with information that his characters don't possess, but with a twist: This bit of information would seem to suggest that no crime took place. In the scene where Thorvald confronts Jeff, both of their faces remain in darkness. It's as if a character has walked out of a movie to demand an accounting from the person who has turned his life into entertainment.
The screenplay by John Michael Hayes (from the Cornell Woolrich story "It Had to Be Murder") lapses from time to time into awkward topic sentences. At one point, Stella declares, "We've become a race of peeping toms." But it isn't peeping that's on trial here as much as the propensity of human beings to detach themselves from one another. The backyard world of "Rear Window" isn't a neighborhood -- merely a collection of people living in close proximity. The neighbors barely speak to one another. Jeff's voyeurism is simply the most extreme form of that detachment. Hitchcock brings that to the fore in an excruciating sequence where Jeff and Lisa and Stella are so intrigued by what's going on in Thorvald's apartment that, despite the urgent evidence in front of their eyes, they nearly allow a woman to commit suicide. And Hitchcock ups the ante just a few minutes later when Jeff almost allows Lisa to be killed as he watches, acting as if he were a man watching a movie instead of a person with the power to prevent a murder.
248. More US students are avoiding sex. (Monday, September 30, 2002) Singapore: The Straits Times.
? (De-activated link)
(Reference: More US students are avoiding sex. (Monday, September 30, 2002) Singapore: The Straits Times.)
New York - The number of high school students in the United States engaging in sex has dropped significantly, according to a new study by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
Last year, the study found, high school virgins outnumbered those who had engaged in sexual intercourse, 54 per cent to 46 per cent. A decade earlier, the percentages were the opposite.
The study, which was based on self-reported data from more than 10,000 students, also found other evidence of more conservative sexual behaviour.
Among those sexually active, 57.9 per cent said they used condoms when they last had sex, up from 46.2 per cent 10 years ago.
There was also a decline in the percentage of high school students who had four or more sex partners, with 14.2 per cent reporting this last year, compared to 18.7 per cent in 1991.
'We have less kids at risk than we used to have - fewer kids having sex, fewer having multiple partners and more using condoms,' said report author Laura Kann.
'It's still too many, but what's especially encouraging is that these trends are pretty strong.'
Experts say this could be due to factors such as abstinence programmes and fear of Aids to an increase in oral sex, which teenagers regard as less dangerous than intercourse.
Also, over good economic times, they may feel they have good futures which may be derailed by an unwanted pregnancy. --New York Times
249. London school to give the Pill to girls as young as 11. (Monday, September 30, 2002) Singapore: The Straits Times.
? (De-activated link)
(Reference: London school to give the Pill to girls as young as 11. (Monday, September 30, 2002) Singapore: The Straits Times.)
London - Girls as young as 11 will soon be able to obtain the morning-after birth control pill at a London school without their parents' knowledge.
The Electronic Telegraph said that if the scheme at Chestnut Grove School was successful, it could be extended to every secondary school in Wandsworth, which has the the fifth highest teenage pregnancy rate of inner London boroughs.
Headmistress Margaret Peacock said her school was trying to behave responsibly, the website reported.
She said under-16s could already obtain the Pill without their parents' consent from hospital accident and emergency units and from pharmacies.
'The school governors thought it would be better for children to receive counselling from the school nurse at the same time. If the child is underaged, loud bells will ring and the case will be treated as a child protection issue,' she said.
Government figures in July showed that four 10-year-old girls had become mothers from 1998 to 2000. They showed that another 23 girls aged 11 had become pregnant and about 400 under-14s had conceived.
Ms Sheila Crouch, Chestnut Grove's nurse, told the Telegraph: 'I can only inform them of relevant clinics. This delays the process. The sooner the young person takes the first dose of the Levonelle-2 pill the more likely it is to prevent a pregnancy.'
250. Womack, Sarah. (Thursday, July 18, 2002) 'Benny Hill culture' blamed for teenage pregnancies. UK: The Telegraph.
;$sessionid$W2A3KQOAFPUYFQFIQMFSFGGAVCBQ0IV0?xml=/news/2002/07/18/nbenny18.xml
(Reference: Womack, Sarah. (Thursday, July 18, 2002)
'Benny Hill culture' blamed for teenage pregnancies. UK: The Telegraph.)
'Benny Hill culture' blamed for teenage pregnancies
By Sarah Womack, Social Affairs Correspondent
(Filed: 18/07/2002)
The Government is blaming Benny Hill, the comedian famous for his sketches involving scantily-clad girls, for its failure to cut teenage pregnancies.
People's "giggly" attitude to sex - the "Benny Hill culture" - was sending out mixed messages to young people, Cathy Hamlyn, head of the Government's Teenage Pregnancy Unit, said.
"On the one hand they are bombarded by messages through films and the media which give the impression that everyone is having sex and they should," she said. "On the other, parents have great difficulty talking about it."
Her comments came as MPs and peers demanded an urgent review of government policies for reducing schoolgirl births.
A study by Dr David Paton of Nottingham University suggested that the Government's strategy may be increasing pregnancies and abortions among teenage girls. He said his figures showed that the number of girls attending family clinics increased by 144 per cent between 1992 and 2000, while prescriptions for the morning-after pill tripled in the same period.
However, the conception rate fell by just 1.2 per cent, while sexually transmitted diseases among 16- to 19-year-old females increased by 58 per cent.
Jim Dobbin, Labour MP for Heywood and Middleton, said: "This is not about the morality of abortion. It is not about the morality of distributing contraception to the very young. It is about the morality of adopting strategies when there is no clear indication as to their potential success and a considerable amount of evidence as to the damage they can do."
But a Health Department spokesman said there was more than one aspect to cutting teenage pregnancies. It included helping young people to resist pressure to have early sex, improving sex and relationship education in schools, improving access to contraceptive advice services and supporting parents in talking to their children.
According to the Office for National Statistics, there was a 2.4 per cent fall in pregnancy rates among under-18s between 1999 and 2000 but Britain still has the second highest teenage pregnancy rate in the developed world, after the United States.
Benny Hill, who died in 1992, was renowned for his risque sketches, with sex and squealing nymphets the constant theme. However, a biography claimed that he maintained a "firm distaste for sexual intercourse". His father sold condoms for a living.
Personal Review:
"On the one hand they are bombarded by messages through films and the media which give the impression that everyone is having sex and they should,"
There are men and women who use spy devices to monitor the intimate lifestyle of young men – Is he having emission? Is he masturbating? etc
They say “Oh, this is a dirty job”, and they themselves sit and watch clandestinely as a voyeur whether that man’s organ is moving this way or that way in sleep!
Then, on the other side, sexuality is a taboo to talk about.
"On the other, parents have great difficulty talking about it."
So where are we? What actually is going on in society?
251. Womack, Sarah. (Thursday, May 30, 2002) Britain second worst country for schoolgirl pregnancies. UK: The Telegraph.
;$sessionid$W2A3KQOAFPUYFQFIQMFSFGGAVCBQ0IV0?xml=/news/2002/05/30/npreg30.xml
(Reference: Womack, Sarah. (Thursday, May 30, 2002)
Britain second worst country for schoolgirl pregnancies. UK: The Telegraph.)
Britain second worst country for schoolgirl pregnancies
By Sarah Womack, Social Affairs Correspondent
(Filed: 30/05/2002)
Britain has the second highest teenage birth rate in the developed world, exceeded only by America, a United Nations report said yesterday.
The Unicef report blamed British embarrassment about talking about sex, coupled with the disappearance of traditional values.
The survey of 28 developed countries found that, while teenage pregnancies had fallen by up to 75 per cent in many industrialised nations, Britain still had an "alarmingly high" rate of 31 births per 1,000 girls aged 15-19 in 1998.
America has 52 births per 1,000 teenagers, four times the average in the European Union. The Tories immediately called for ministers to disband the teenage pregnancy unit and rethink their policy on schoolgirl births.
David Willetts, the shadow social security secretary, said: "The Government's approach is clearly not working and it is a scandal that Britain has such a high rate of teenage births.
"The teenage pregnancy unit has become bogged down with too many other quangos and has no real purpose. Ministers need to shift from abstract statements to practical measures, which are the responsibility of the NHS and schools."
Robert Whelan, the director of Family Youth Concern, said: "Ministers need to abandon their teenage pregnancy strategy and the teenage pregnancy unit, which is in hock to too many vested interests."
The Unicef report said: "Contraceptive advice and services are formally available in Britain, but in a closed atmosphere of embarrassment and secrecy. As one British teenager puts it, 'it sometimes seems as if sex is compulsory but contraception has failed'."
The number of girls having under-age sex had doubled in the past 10 years, the report said. Teenagers in the Netherlands were five times less likely to give birth than British teenagers.
The Dutch had the advantages of a "relatively inclusive society with more open attitudes towards sex and education". Japan, Korea, Switzerland and the Netherlands had the lowest teenage birth rates at fewer than seven per 1,000, the report found.
In the past 30 years, Austria, Denmark, France, Germany Italy, Korea, Sweden and Switzerland have managed to reduce teenage birth rates by three quarters. The figure for in the same period is 38 per cent.
The Department of Health said that teenage pregnancy rates remained too high, "but we are making progress with a national reduction of more than six per cent in two years".
Personal Review:
Isn’t the same attitude in India also?
…the disappearance of traditional values
With voyeurism and spy devices,
…'it sometimes seems as if sex is compulsory…
And we have a society
…in a closed atmosphere of embarrassment and secrecy…
but doesn’t accept
a "relatively inclusive society with more open attitudes towards sex and education".
252. Johnston, Philip. (Wednesday, April 03, 2002) Sex education advisers ban celibacy group. UK: The Telegraph.
(Reference: Johnston, Philip. (Wednesday, April 03, 2002)
Sex education advisers ban celibacy group. UK: The Telegraph.)
Sex education advisers ban celibacy group
By Philip Johnston, Home Affairs Editor
(Filed: 03/04/2002)
HEAD teachers who booked a youth theatre company to preach a message of sexual abstinence in their schools have been told not to repeat the invitation because it is "unsuitable" for pupils.
Sex education advisers in East Sussex have recommended that teachers should consult them before allowing actors to give performances about controversial issues such as sexual health.
Their advice has led to the resignation of one member of Eastbourne's Sexual Health Forum, Sue Relf, who said she wanted to organise further visits by the company this year.
The row blew up after eight secondary schools in the resort were visited by the Canadian Challenge Team, an Ottawa-based volunteer youth group which travels the world with its message that "the safest sex is no sex".
Actors use sketches and jokes to present facts and figures intended to offer abstinence as an option to young people who may think that they are alone in not being sexually active.
The concept has been given credibility among teenagers by the well-publicised pre-marital celibacy of pop stars such as Britney Spears and Jessica Simpson and the actress Lisa Kudrow of the television sitcom Friends.
But the Challenge Team's performances last November and December did not find favour with the Personal Social and Health Education (PSHE) team for East Sussex.
Marilyn Stephens, the PSHE adviser, said she was not told of the visit before it happened and there were a number of concerns about the contents of its 45-minute show.
"Members of our team went to see it and were quite anxious about some of the messages it was portraying," she said. "In particular, its anti-condom message was not helpful. There were also some wrong facts about HIV and Aids. We would be unhappy to support another tour."
Mrs Relf has written to the chairman of the Sexual Health Forum to resign in protest. She said guidelines had since been circulated by the PSHE team "in order to preclude visits to East Sussex schools by this team, or any similar groups, in the future, as it was considered they were unsuitable".
She said at least four schools in the town were planning to invite the team to return this year.
The dispute has highlighted the controversy over abstinence teaching, which is growing in popularity in America but does not find favour with British bodies such as the Government's Teenage Pregnancy Unit, or the Sex Education Forum, part of the National Children's Bureau. Its report, Just Say No - To Abstinence Education, says: "Children and young people are entitled to a balanced educational programme of sex and relationships education . . . Abstinence education falls short of this established good practice and fails to meet the needs of children and young people on a number of counts."
These include "fear-based" messages and an exclusion of "big groups of young people, including those who are gay and lesbian".
Rebecca Visser of the Challenge Team said it had spoken to more than 600,000 teenagers throughout North America and Europe since it was founded in 1993. "We are not anti-sex, nor are we trying to scare kids away from sex. But our message is that chastity is a positive, realistic and healthy lifestyle."
253. AIDS awareness-- ha ha ha. (Sunday, December 02, 2001) Lucknow, India: The Times of India.
(Reference: AIDS awareness-- ha ha ha. (Sunday, December 02, 2001) Lucknow, India: The Times of India.)
AIDS awareness-- ha ha ha
TIMES NEWS NETWORK [ SUNDAY, DECEMBER 02, 2001 12:42:43 AM ]
LUCKNOW: Minister for health, Ramapati Shastri enlivened the prosaically academic AIDS awareness symposium on Saturday by his keynote address which had a bit of everything— religion, philosophy, jingoism laced with a subtle dose of bawdy humour.
Addressing a motley mix of professionals medicos, nurses, students and officials on the occasion of World AIDS Day, the minister began with a dig on the wild west which was struggling to find a cure for AIDS while Charak Rishi had already hit upon the antidote. Only the sage gave it a different name— ojya kshaya, a disease which led to depletion in bodily energy. The difference then was that the disease only struck the maharajas as against the common man now. “With the passage of time, AIDS has crossed the class barrier and now we can see the farm hands, construction workers or even truck drivers suffering from it,” he declared.
Charak’s antidote was a concoction made from four magic Indian herb— Tulsi, Neem, Shilajeet and Makardhwaj, Shastri continued. The first two led to decrease in libido while Shilajeet and Makardhwaj reacted in exactly opposite manner. “Now it is for our researchers to probe how the sage struck the balance and what quantities in which forms were used. The efforts will definitely yield positive results,” he said adding, “UP thereby has an opportunity in creating history by grabbing the opportunity.”
Vocabulary
libido n. pl. libidos
1. The psychic and emotional energy associated with instinctual biological drives.
1.
a. Sexual desire.
b. Manifestation of the sexual drive.
libido
n : (psychoanalysis) a Freudian term for sexual urge or desire
And while the researchers toil in the labs to rediscover the magic potion, the youth will do well to follow Bramhacharya to keep the affliction away, advised Shastri before sharing with audience a naughty joke on a politician’s visit to a US nude club.
By following faithfully the Indian value system, India could conquer AIDS and also set an example for the rest of the world, he said.
In his address, Bachittar Singh, project director UPSACS, said that UP had a total number of 483 AIDS cases which was a matter of great concern. The areas of major concern still remained certain pockets in eastern UP with its migrant labour segment and also the towns along the national highways, he said. However, UPSACS with the help of NGOs had been able to create HIV awareness which along with the supply of safe blood will help the situation, he added.
The government, he further pointed out, had resolved to set up 24 HIV testing centre in the state and the facility will soon be available in remote parts of the state also. On the occasion at the NBRI lawns 89 men and two women gave their blood samples for HIV tests. On the stalls as many as 10 STD patients were also treated.
254. Black, Ian. (Monday, September 30, 2002) EU caves in to Washington over international criminal court. UK: The Guardian.
(Reference: Black, Ian. (Monday, September 30, 2002)
EU caves in to Washington over international criminal court. UK: The Guardian.)
EU caves in to Washington over international criminal court
Ian Black in Brussels
Monday September 30, 2002
The Guardian
The EU is ready to agree a deal with the US giving American citizens a degree of immunity from prosecution by the new International Criminal Court, having been persuaded by Britain to step back from its hardline opposition to prevent a transatlantic row.
Its foreign ministers, meeting in Brussels today, are expected to set out the conditions in which separate immunity arrangements can be concluded for Americans.
Human rights groups and the Council of Europe urged the EU not to take this step.
The court, which is due to begin work in the Hague next year, was created as a permanent institution to try individuals for genocide, war crimes and other human rights abuses.
Washington has refused to back the court, fearing its people could become targets for politically motivated charges. It is far from clear whether it will find the new EU position acceptable.
"This is as far as we can go," a Brussels diplomat said last night.
The row about the court has added to the strain caused by Iraq and trade disputes, and underlined the gap between American unilateralism and the EU's multilateral approach to international issues.
It has also shown how hard it is to square EU aspirations for a common foreign and security policy with the reality that member states often differ on fundamental issues.
Under the compromise, individual EU members may sign immunity agreements with the US but must respect the ICC statute.
The US will have to guarantee that there would be no impunity for crimes by promising that Americans accused of abuses will be tried in their own country. It will also have to drop its demand for blanket exemptions.
Human Rights Watch accused Britain of slavishly torpedoing a united EU position.
255. Medved, Michael. (Monday, September 30, 2002) Death sentence for Jesus play shows Islamic isolation. USA: .
(Reference: Medved, Michael. (Monday, September 30, 2002)
Death sentence for Jesus play shows Islamic isolation. USA: .)
Death sentence for Jesus play shows Islamic isolation
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Posted: September 30, 2002
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2002
This time, religious conservatives have gone too far: they've issued a death sentence on an award winning gay playwright who wrote disrespectfully about Jesus Christ.
If fundamentalist Christians had perpetrated this gesture of murderous censorship, all right-thinking people would have exploded in righteous outrage. But since it's a Muslim religious court demanding the execution of a prominent artist whose work they dislike, trendy multi-culturalists face a painful dilemma. Since they've insisted so many times that Islam is a religion of peace, and that it's no more backward or oppressive than Christianity, then how do they deal with this unique example of deadly intolerance?
Perhaps the most surprising aspect of this latest controversy involves its origin not in the militant fever swamps of the Middle East or Central Asia, but in the purportedly pluralistic precincts of Great Britain. In late September, the Shari'ah Court of the United Kingdom issued a "fatwa" condemning dramatist Terrence McNally to death for writing the controversial play, "Corpus Christi." In the course of that drama, a Jesus figure in Texas enjoys a torrid sexual interlude with Judas Iscariot and later endures crucifixion as "King of the Queers."
Vocabulary
torrid adj. tor·rid·er, tor·rid·est
1. Parched with the heat of the sun; intensely hot.
2. Scorching; burning: the torrid noonday sun.
3. Passionate; ardent: a torrid love scene.
torridity or torridness n.
torridly adv. Hurried; rapid: set a torrid pace; torrid economic growth.
torrid
1. Parched; dried with heat; as, a torrid plain or desert. ``Barca or Cyrene's torrid soil.'' --Milton.
2. Violenty hot; drying or scorching with heat; burning; parching. ``Torrid heat.'' --Milton.
torrid adj
1: characterized by intense emotion; "ardent love"; "an ardent lover"; "a burning enthusiasm"; "a fervent desire to change society"; "a fervent admirer"; "fiery oratory"; "an impassioned appeal"; "a torrid love affair" [syn: ardent, burning(a), fervent, fervid, fiery, impassioned, perfervid]
2: emotionally charged and vigorously energetic; "a torrid dance"; "torrid jazz bands"; "hot trumpets and torrid rhythms"
3: burning hot; extremely and unpleasantly hot; "the torrid noonday sun"; "sultry sands of the dessert" [syn: sultry]
interlude n.
An intervening episode, feature, or period of time: “Kerensky has a place in history, of a brief interlude between despotisms” (William Safire).
A short farcical entertainment performed between the acts of a medieval mystery or morality play.
A 16th century genre of comedy derived from this.
An entertainment between the acts of a play.
Music. A short piece inserted between the parts of a longer composition.
interlude
1. A short entertainment exhibited on the stage between the acts of a play, or between the play and the afterpiece, to relieve the tedium of waiting.
Dreams are but interludes, which fancy makes When monarch reason sleeps. --Dryden.
2. A form of English drama or play, usually short, merry, and farcical, which succeeded the Moralities or Moral Plays in the transition to the romantic or Elizabethan drama.
3. (Mus.) A short piece of instrumental music played between the parts of a song or cantata, or the acts of a drama; especially, in church music, a short passage played by the organist between the stanzas of a hymn, or in German chorals after each line.
interlude
n 1: an intervening period or episode
2: a brief show (music or dance etc) performed between the sections of another performance [syn: intermezzo, entr'acte]
v 1: occur as an interlude
2: perform an interlude, as on a musical instrument
queer
adj. queer·er, queer·est
Deviating from the expected or normal; strange: a queer situation.
Odd or unconventional, as in behavior; eccentric. See Synonyms at strange.
Of a questionable nature or character; suspicious.
Slang. Fake; counterfeit.
Feeling slightly ill; queasy.
Offensive Slang. Homosexual.
Usage Problem. Of or relating to lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, or transgendered people.
n.
Offensive Slang. Used as a disparaging term for a homosexual person.
Usage Problem. A lesbian, gay male, bisexual, or transgendered person.
tr.v. Slang queered, queer·ing, queers
To ruin or thwart: “might try to queer the Games with anything from troop movements... to a bomb attack” (Newsweek).
To put (someone) in a bad position.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Perhaps from Low German, oblique, off-center, from Middle Low German dwer. See terkw- in Indo-European Roots.]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
queerish adj.
queerly adv.
queerness n.
Usage Note: A reclaimed word is a word that was formerly used solely as a slur but that has been semantically overturned by members of the maligned group, who use it as a term of defiant pride. Queer is an example of a word undergoing this process. For decades queer was used solely as a derogatory adjective for gays and lesbians, but in the 1980s the term began to be used by gay and lesbian activists as a term of self-identification. Eventually, it came to be used as an umbrella term that included gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgendered people. Nevertheless, a sizable percentage of people to whom this term might apply still hold queer to be a hateful insult, and its use by heterosexuals is often considered offensive. Similarly, other reclaimed words are usually offensive to the in-group when used by outsiders, so extreme caution must be taken concerning their use when one is not a member of the group.
endure
v. endured, enduring, endures
v. tr.
1. To carry on through, despite hardships; undergo: endure an Arctic winter.
2. To bear with tolerance: “We seek the truth, and will endure the consequences” (Charles Seymour). See Synonyms at bear1.
v. intr.
1. To continue in existence; last: buildings that have endured for centuries.
2. To suffer patiently without yielding.
endure
1. To continue in the same state without perishing; to last; to remain.
Their verdure still endure. --Shak.
He shall hold it [his house] fast, but it shall not endure. --Job viii. 15.
2. To remain firm, as under trial or suffering; to suffer patiently or without yielding; to bear up under adversity; to hold out.
Can thine heart endure, or can thine hands be strong in the days that I shall deal with thee? --Ezek. xxii. 14.
endure
v. t. 1. To remain firm under; to sustain; to undergo; to support without breaking or yielding; as, metals endure a certain degree of heat without melting; to endure wind and weather.
Both were of shining steel, and wrought so pure, As might the strokes of two such arms endure. --Dryden.
2. To bear with patience; to suffer without opposition or without sinking under the pressure or affliction; to bear up under; to put up with; to tolerate.
I will no longer endure it. --Shak.
Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sake. --2 Tim. ii. 10.
How can I endure to see the evil that shall come unto my people? --Esther viii. 6.
3. To harden; to toughen; to make hardy. [Obs.]
Manly limbs endured with little ease. --Spenser.
Syn: To last; remain; continue; abide; brook; submit to; suffer.
endure
v 1: put up with something or somebody unpleasant; "I cannot bear his constant criticism"; "The new secretary had to endure a lot of unprofessional remarks" [syn: stomach, bear, stand, tolerate, brook, abide, suffer, put up] 2: face or endure with courage; "She braved the elements" [syn: weather, brave, brave out] 3: continue to live, endure or last; "We went without water and food for 3 days"; "The legend of Elvis lives on"; "These superstitions survive in the backwaters of America" [syn: survive, last, live, live on, go, hold up, hold out] 4: be subjected to; "He suffered the penalty" [syn: suffer] [ant: enjoy] 5: last and be usable; "This dress wore well for almost ten years" [syn: wear, hold out] 6: be long; in time [syn: last] 7: cease to exist after resistance or a struggle; "These stories die hard" [syn: prevail, persist, die hard, run]
Outside the opening night performance at the Pleasance Theatre in North London, representatives of the Islamic Court solemnly handed out copies of their fatwa, a religious edict signed by Sheikh Omar Bakri Muhammad, judge of the Shari'ah Court of the United Kingdom. The Sheikh reminded the press that Muslims revere Jesus as a messenger of God, even though they discount the story of his resurrection. Sheikh Bakri Muhammad declared: "The fatwa is to express the Islamic point of view that those who are insulting to Allah and the messengers of God, they must understand it is a crime."
This declaration accompanied a cautionary word to British Muslims: Don't-try-this-at-home.
"We would warn individual Muslims not to try to carry it out," the sheikh helpfully explained. If Mr. McNally travels to an Islamic state, however, he certainly risks arrest and execution. "We do not believe in political assassination, but obviously he would face capital punishment," Bakri Muhammad affirmed. "He will be arrested and there will be capital punishment." He concluded that if Mr. McNally repented of his blasphemy he would still be killed, but his family would receive care and protection from the Islamic state. The only way that the condemned playwright himself could escape the fatal fatwa would be to undergo an immediate conversion to Islam.
This bizarre incident represents only the vaguest threat to the physical safety of Terrence McNally – after all, even the far more influential death sentence by the Iranian Ayatollahs against Salman Rushdie failed to end that novelist's life or career. The judgment of the British Islamic court does, however, speak volumes about the distance between western Muslims and the societies in which they live.
In an odd sense, the fatwa may have represented a pathetic attempt by Islamic authorities – who've received a great deal of negative publicity for their connections with al-Qaida – to spruce up their public image and to form an alliance with British Christians. They may not understand that in Europe and America, even the most conservative Christian leaders feel horrified at the idea of a death sentence for blasphemy, notwithstanding the provocation of openly sacrilegious and salacious works of art.
When "Corpus Christi" opened at the Manhattan Theatre Center three years ago, Christian conservatives marched in protest and carried angry signs, but no religious authorities threatened the playwright or his actors with punishment. In 1988, the wildly divisive motion picture "The Last Temptation of Christ" provoked denunciation, boycotts and demonstrations around the world, but failed to produce public calls for the execution of its creators. Fortunately, Hollywood has never produced a movie sequel called "The Last Temptation of Muhammad."
Islam, in short, stands out among the major world religions for its continued criminalization of expression and opinions. Five centuries ago, Christians might still burn heretics at the stake, but in the last two hundred years no Christian society (or Jewish society, for that matter) has punished religious dissenters with execution or imprisonment. In Pakistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia and other Islamic states, on the other hand, the death penalty still applies for the crime of blasphemy. Islam remains the only faith on earth that attempts to impose strictly theocratic rule through the governments it controls. In the United States, Pat Robertson or Jerry Falwell may sound dangerous to suspicious secularists, they've never called for applying criminal penalties to those who question the divinity of Jesus or violate the Sabbath.
In other words, the new fatwa by the British Muslims may have attempted to convince Christians that they have more in common with their Islamic neighbors than they do with their secular leaders, but it will inevitably produce the opposite effect. A death sentence for blasphemy should remind believers and skeptics in Western societies that they share with one another a commitment to pluralism and basic human rights, and that Islam stands alone in the world as the last remaining bastion of poisonous religious medievalism.
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Michael Medved hosts a nationally syndicated daily radio show focusing on the intersection of politics and pop culture. He's the author of eight non-fiction books.
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Personal Review:
A mysterious “stand-alone” episode is given in the New Testament, as follows:
51 And there followed him a certain young man, having a linen cloth cast about his naked body; and the young men laid hold on him:
52 And he left the linen cloth, and fled from them naked.
- Mark 14:51-52 :: King James Version (KJV)
This episode occurs when Christ was betrayed and handed over to the soldiers on behalf of the High Priests. By “stand-alone”, I mean, no further continuation or link to that episode. Just an instance only. But mysterious to what actually it could mean!
Its true meaning is not interpreted or translated properly. Many a version of interpretation exist, leaving it open to a sincere trainee to interpret himself. Certain schools translate the passages as an instance of homosexuality. Some other schools translate as an instance of occult practices of Higher Initiation, as practiced in Ancient Egypt by the Higher Adepts.
Refer the section on A Possibility in Volume 1. In society, clothes – outer garments, inner garments etc are a covering for etiquette. In spiritual orthodoxy, what purpose is clothes giving? One lives naked. The Digambaras. Without any attachment to clothes. Yet when one moves around in society, you just cover yourself with cloth. Also read Reference: 257. Period.
Also remember
…homosexuality, which God calls "abomination."
(Reference: 256)
Intercourse between people of the same sex is forbidden in several texts in both the Old and New Testaments.
(Reference: 261)
…sexual abstinence from all who were unmarried
(Reference: 262)
No sex. Pure celibate.
According to society definition, homosexuality pertains to sex between men. Lesbian-ism – sex between women.
No form of sex is involved in practical spirituality. A “sex-less” man. A man-woman. The artha-nari-shwara.
256. Kupelian, David. (Friday, August 09, 2002) Why are Christians losing America? USA: .
(Reference: Kupelian, David. (Friday, August 09, 2002)
Why are Christians losing America? USA: .)
Why are Christians losing America?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted: August 9, 2002
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2002
"I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth."
– Revelation 3:15-16 KJV
Vocabulary
spue
v. & n. Obsolete
Variant of spew.
spew
v. t. [Written also spue.]
1. To eject from the stomach; to vomit.
2. To cast forth with abhorrence or disgust; to eject.
Because thou art lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spew thee out of my mouth.
--Rev. ii. 16.
spue
v
1. expel or eject from the mouth [syn: spit, ptyalize, spew]
2. eject the contents of the stomach through the mouth; "After drinking too much, the students vomited" [syn: vomit, vomit up, cast, sick, cat, regurgitate, be sick, disgorge, regorge, retch, puke, barf, spew, chuck, upchuck, honk, throw up] [ant: keep down]
Most Americans call themselves Christians.
Twice they chose as their supreme leader Bill Clinton – a sexual predator and pathological liar who regarded the "religious right" as enemies and radical homosexuals as friends, and who by any meaningful and historical measure was a traitor.
After that, millions of Christians came within a hair's breadth of electing Clinton's partner in crime, Al Gore – another pathological liar, a radical environmentalist who reveres "Gaia" but believes the internal-combustion engine should be outlawed (according to his book, "Earth in the Balance").
Christians have stood on the sidelines during the breathtaking transformation of their once-great Judeo-Christian culture into today's neo-pagan, Sodom-and-Gomorrah-style freak show.
Christians have lost the 30-year war to protect the unborn. Even easy victories – like partial-birth abortion, which virtually everyone opposes – have eluded them.
Christians have lost the war for America's schools – which have been scrubbed antiseptically clean of the Christian principles and traditions that once guided those institutions, and are now filled instead with every conceivable form of propaganda and perversion.
Christians have lost their former influence in politics, in the press, in entertainment, in literature – in virtually every major area of life.
And now, Christians are losing the war for their very own institutions – their churches. The clergy sex scandal is the tip of the iceberg. Both the Catholic Church and most of the major Protestant denominations are literally being ripped apart – from within – by double agents who pretend to be "faithful" but actually loathe Christianity's historical precepts and values.
It's a harsh indictment – but hey, the truth hurts.
In his recent book, "Abandonment Theology," author John W. Chalfant describes the precipitous decline of Judeo-Christian influence in law, culture and public policy in America, noting the 1947 Supreme Court decision that invented the modern "separation of church and state" and later decisions that outlawed Bible reading and prayer in the nation's public schools. He writes:
Once God was shown the door, America went into chaos. Scholastic Aptitude Test scores plummeted. Violent crime rocketed upward. The abortion mills did an unprecedented business as they devised ever-more-sadistic ways to kill children before and even during birth. Bill Clinton, elected president of the United States in 1992, aggressively advocated homosexuality, which God calls "abomination." The Abandonment Clergy and their millions of undiscerning followers stood mute while America's sudden loss of greatness became obvious even to the world.
What's this about an "Abandonment Clergy"? Chalfont explains:
Abandonment Theology is a term devised by the author to describe a faith which deceptively pawns itself off as Christianity by operating in the name of Christ, but which produces fruits destructive to America's God-given freedoms. It comprises what is left today of the militant, power-filled, full-dimensional Christian faith of America's Founders after decades of erosion, watering down and trivializing of God's action mandates by America's Abandonment Clergy. It is a "feel good" theology that patronizes Jesus Christ and thereby gains legitimacy, while at the same time produces disobedience to the commands of God and desertion of Christian duty.
Chalfont describes how the "Abandonment Clergy" and their followers have responded to increasingly audacious attacks on Christian America during the past half-century:
Incredibly, this was the ultimate hour for the Abandonment Clergy to see the light of truth. They faced blatant godlessness at every turn. They could have abandoned their own ways and made a comeback to the faith of the Founding Fathers. But what did they do?
They observed the horrible, deteriorating conditions in America, determined that she was headed into rubble just like pagan Rome and that we must be living in the prophesied "last days" and "end times." Therefore, with the end and the "rapture of the church" so apparently near, why fight?
"After all," these clergymen said, "We're in this world, not of it, so to heck with it," and "Compared to eternity we're here only for an instant." They told us that all that really counts is that we "lead as many people as possible to salvation and let our corrupted country continue on its death course."
Faulty Christian teaching, says Chalfant, is the only way to explain why so many well-meaning Christians are paralyzed into inaction:
The Abandonment Clergy and their followers have been teaching, preaching and saturating the media and their church members with the doctrine of surrender and political non-involvement. They are not teaching us to surrender to Christ through obedience to the commandments of God. Rather, they tell us that America is finished, that the collapse of our heritage and our freedoms has been predetermined within a definable near-future time frame and is therefore beyond our control.
Chalfont takes direct aim at those obsessed with their own imminent "rapture":
The legitimate study of eschatology (the future in prophecy) has been converted into a doctrine of futility and surrender by the clergy who, in defiance of Christ's injunction (see Mark 13:32,33), insist upon assigning near-future dates to the "last days," the "rapture of the church" and the "second coming" of Christ. … At the very least the clergy should understand that their "last days" teachings are nothing more than personal speculations. Christ taught that futility of attitude denies the faith and leads to enslavement. He promised great rewards for those who endure to the end in His cause of freedom.
Chalfont is right. But the problem with contemporary Christianity goes way beyond mere political non-involvement. Do we dare take an honest look?
One reason for the multitude of attacks on Christianity is that evil always attacks good – because it is good – because good shines a bright and painful light on the works of darkness. Jesus Himself warned His followers to expect to be persecuted, just as He was persecuted. This is the reason, and a profound one, that Christians offer to explain why they, their values and their institutions are always under attack.
However, there is another, and far more decisive, reason for the spectacular decline of Christianity in our modern era: Christianity today is very different from what it once was.
America is full of people who have accepted the idea that Jesus Christ died for their sins, and that this belief guarantees them a place in Heaven.
Some are very sincere. They are truly mortified at their former sins, genuinely contrite before God and those they have offended, and they grieve over their continuing compulsions. They have awakened from their former life of gross sin, and now want nothing more than to do the will of their Creator – whatever that may be, wherever it may lead them, whatever they may suffer. They take seriously the commandments and principles given by their Savior, and make their life revolve around emulating Him, to the best of their ability. They are, quite literally, followers of Christ – that is, Christians.
On the other hand, there are countless "Christians" who believe they have a ticket to Heaven, and nothing else really matters very much to them. Their attitude can only be described as brazen. They live lives of shallowness and selfishness, of petty emotions and jealousies, of distraction and escape, of ego and pride, and sometimes of gross corruption and treachery – remember, Clinton is a churchgoing "Christian." This version of Christianity, more prevalent than you can imagine, literally justifies and excuses dirty rotten scoundrels. Its adherents, while living it up under the smug delusion that they're "saved," drive other people crazy (and away from real Christianity) with their hypocrisy.
And then there are, of course, millions of "lukewarm" Christians in between these two groups. They go to church and sing songs and sometimes read the Bible, and maybe "try to be a good Christian" – but they're basically clueless. Their marriage is on the rocks and their children are wearing tongue studs. They believe in society's atheistic "experts" and they're addicted to Internet porn.
Some Christians are actually worse off after being "saved" than before. At least before they were "saved," they had a natural respect for, or fear of, ultimate justice – an inborn sense that somehow we all reap what we sow. After being "saved," that's gone for the insincere "Christian." For him or her, belief in Jesus amounts to a "get-out-of-Hell-free" card, a sort of spiritual "diplomatic immunity." It's like the profligate teenage son of an important Arab diplomat who knows he won't be prosecuted under U.S. law while living here, so he drives recklessly, molests women and generally lives it up with impunity. And because the natural and necessary fear of consequences has been unwisely removed from his life, he falls that much more easily to the temptations of his lower nature.
For millions of people, Christianity has become a bumper-sticker religion. Simply by saying, one time, a single phrase – "I accept Jesus Christ as my savior and repent of my sins" – you are guaranteed salvation and eternal life in heaven, no matter how insincere or selfish or shallow your motives for doing so.
Is this the kind of salvation Jesus referred to when He said, "But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." (Matthew 24:13 KJV) Endure to the end? What's with that? I thought this salvation thing was all settled by that altar call back in '89.
Is this what He meant when He said, "If ye keep My commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept My Father's commandments, and abide in His love." (John 15:10) Many Christians don't bother to pay any attention at all to God's commandments. Hey, what the heck difference does it make? I'm already saved!
Is this what Paul referred to when he said, "I die daily"? (1 Cor. 15:31) The apostle's poignant and intensely meaningful reference to the duty of man to give up the life of pride in all its forms, to die to the "carnal mind" – considered central to Christians of past eras – is all but absent from most of today's churches.
Christianity – the deepest, most meaningful and awe-inspiring religion ever, the magnificent driving force behind Western Civilization, and the transcendent hope of mankind's future – has been dumbed down by these types into a comic-book religion. Turn on your radio and listen to some of the pitches: "Do you want to go to Hell – forever? Well, think about this: What if it really is true that Jesus is the Son of God, and that He is the only way to eternal life in Heaven? Do you want to miss out on eternal life? Then why not say yes to Jesus right now, just to make sure? You'll like it – it's a natural high."
Such altar calls are little more than an insurance pitch. "Hey, buy a little extra insurance, then you can go on with your selfish life and be guaranteed a place in Heaven no matter what."
Just repeat the salvation "formula" – like an Eastern mantra – and you're saved. Period.
For this type of Christian, there's no need to do good works, because they're saved by grace, not works. No need to obey God's commands, because they're already saved, so why bother? They don't need to try to help make it a better world, because they're gonna be "raptured" soon and the rest of the suckers who are left behind can sort out the mess.
Is it any wonder the West is dying?
What's missing in all of this, of course, is a love of truth.
"This people draweth nigh unto Me with their mouth, and honoureth Me with their lips; but their heart is far from Me," said Jesus. (Matthew 15:8 KJV)
Truth predates the incarnation of Christ, it predates the Bible. It's the substance of our bond with God. If you have a love of truth, you're just not ever really satisfied with anything else, and you want to know the truth about everything – especially about yourself. If you're wrong about something, you want to know it. If you've been living a lie, you're willing to see it – no matter what the cost.
If you don't have a little bit of this quality, you don't have squat – even if you call yourself a Christian.
To a truth-seeking soul, the story of Christ – not as told by a plastic minister, but as told by someone, anyone, who's real – has an internal reverberation of truth in the listener's soul. It has the quality of a wonderful old story you heard long ago, in your childhood, but had forgotten.
At the core of this life-changing religion is the individual believer's love and appreciation and acceptance and embrace of Christ's sacrifice – the ultimate demonstration of God's love for His wayward children.
But the problem with the way Christianity is "taught" today is that it doesn't require a love of truth. It doesn't require honest introspection, or courage, or self-denial, or patience. The only ingredient it needs is a guilty person who's sick of feeling guilty, who wants relief, wants to feel better about himself and doesn't want to go to Hell. But even the most insincere person wants to feel better about himself, wants relief from guilt, and fears death and what may lie beyond.
So, it's this compartmentalization and trivialization of Christianity – into a mantra of belief – but separated from works, from obedience to God's laws, and even more fundamentally, separated from basic honesty, integrity, love of truth and true repentance, that has ushered in a generation of shallow and ineffectual Christians.
Did you ever wonder why American founders like Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin completely rejected institutional Christianity – what some call "Churchianity"? Maybe even back then too many of the churches were just too pale a reflection of Christ's true message for them to stomach.
The Christian Church in America needs a revival. But it doesn't necessarily need ever-bigger tents with tens of thousands of people swaying back and forth, singing songs, giving speeches and getting pumped up – and then going home and watching television.
America's real revival will happen when those same people go home, go to their room, close the door, take a deep breath – and take a good, long, hard look at themselves in the mirror. And then, quietly and humbly and fervently, they ask the living God for help, for insight, for direction – for salvation.
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Editor's note: The preceding column is part of the eye-opening August issue of WorldNetDaily's acclaimed monthly Whistleblower magazine. Subscribe to Whistleblower, beginning with the August issue, "THE NEW PAGANISM: How Christianity is being replaced by 'green' religion, goddess worship, globalism."
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David Kupelian is vice president and managing editor of and Whistleblower magazine.
257. Naked man said he was doing as God asked. (Tuesday, October 01, 2002) USA: The Wichita Eagle.
(Reference: Naked man said he was doing as God asked. (Tuesday, October 01, 2002) USA: The Wichita Eagle.)
Posted on Tue, Oct. 01, 2002
Naked man said he was doing as God asked
Police have heard many excuses for public nudity, but rarely does someone plead divine intervention.
A 26-year-old man caught walking down Seneca Avenue early Tuesday with his pants around his ankles tried to convince officers he was doing God's work.
About 4 a.m., a driver called 911 to report that a man in the 1000 block of Seneca was exposing himself to cars, police said. When officers contacted the man he told them God told him to do it so he could grow "more in touch with himself."
The man was arrested on suspicion of public nudity.
258. Reuters. (Tuesday, October 01, 2002) 'Nigerians won't be stoned for adultery'. South Africa: Independent Online.
(Reference: Reuters. (Tuesday, October 01, 2002)
'Nigerians won't be stoned for adultery'. South Africa: Independent Online.)
'Nigerians won't be stoned for adultery'
October 01 2002 at 03:36PM
Lagos - Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo gavve assurances on Tuesday that the country's higher appeal courts would quash the death-by-stoning sentences for adultery passed by Islamic courts.
Obasanjo said in a radio and television broadcast to mark Nigeria's 42nd independence anniversary that a 31-year-old mother, Amina Lawal Kurami, and a couple condemned to death by Muslim courts can launch appeals at the Supreme Court where they will be guaranteed justice.
"We have never entertained doubts that whatever verdict a lower court may give, the appellate courts will ensure that justice is done," he said.
"We fully understand the concerns of Nigerians and friends of Nigeria, but we cannot imagine or envision a Nigerian being stoned to death," Obasanjo said.
"It has never happened. And may it never happen."
Stoning as punishment for sex crimes had drawn a barrage of international criticism since August when a sharia Court of Appeals in the northern state of Katsina confirmed the death sentence on Kurami.
Obasanjo's assurance came a week after former US President Bill Clinton and Australian Prime Minister John Howard joined the international pressure on Nigeria to overturn the death verdict on Kurami.
Kurami was condemned to death in March by a lower court in Katsina, which like more than a dozen others in northern Nigeria has adopted the strict Islamic sharia law.
She was granted a two-year reprieve to wean her daughter, now nine months old, and would not be stoned until 2004. Her lawyers said they have appealed to a higher court.
Kurami is the second woman to be sentenced to death for adultery since 2000, when sharia law was first adopted in Nigeria.
In March, an appeals court in northwestern Sokoto state quashed a similar sentence on Safiya Hussaini Tungar-Tudu after worldwide appeals for clemency. She was made an honorary citizen of Rome in September.
In August, another Islamic court in central Niger state sentenced a pregnant woman and her lover to be stoned to death after convicting them of adultery.
The adoption of sharia law has polarised Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, whose population of more than 120 million is almost evenly divided between Muslims and Christians.
More than 3 000 people have died in religious clashes in the past two years in the traditionally secular west African nation.
259. Lindsey, Hal. (Wednesday, October 02, 2002) Jesus no! Satan yes! USA: .
(Reference: Lindsey, Hal. (Wednesday, October 02, 2002) Jesus no! Satan yes! USA: .)
Jesus no! Satan yes!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted: October 2, 2002
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2002
Students and parents have to prepare in advance for the inevitable lawsuits that immediately follow any effort to form a Bible club at a public school. Such a club would instantly be squashed by school officials who view themselves as watchdogs protecting students from being exposed to Christianity.
A San Mateo high school recently formed a club based on the teachings of the First Church of Satan, founded by Anton LeVey. They call themselves The Satanic Thought Society. Co-president of the club James Doolittle admits he originally started the club with his friend Matt Heeney just to "rile things up a bit."
Vocabulary
rile
tr.v.
1. To stir to anger. See Synonyms at annoy.
2. To stir up (liquid); roil.
rile
v. t.
1. To render turbid or muddy; to stir up; to roil.
2. To stir up in feelings; to make angry; to vex.
Note: In both senses provincial in England and colloquial in the United States.
rile
v
1. cause annoyance in; disturb, esp. by minor irritations: "Mosquitoes buzzing in my ear really bothers me"; "It irritates me that she never closes the door after she leaves" [syn: annoy, rag, get to, bother, get at, irritate, nark, nettle, gravel, vex, devil]
2. make turbid by stirring up the sediments of [syn: roil]
But now that the two juniors have studied the teachings of the late LaVey, they say Satanism helps people to express themselves. Doolittle says, "Its [Satanism's] purpose is to turn man back into a natural state and not have him corrupted by religion." In a flier posted around the school, the club says its goal is to, "Divide church from state completely."
According to Anton LaVey's website, LaVey started the Church of Satan in 1966 under the theory that Satan is not a supernatural being, but rather a symbol of defiance and rebellion against a conformist, God-fearing society. But I studied Anton LaVey in the early 1970s, and he certainly seemed to believe that Satan was a real spirit being.
At the club's first meeting on Wednesday during the school's lunch hour approximately 35 students attended. Associate Student Body President Joe Izzo said, "The club is about sharing opinions and views." Izzo attended the meeting and joined the club.
Principal Jacqueline McEvoy claims that under the federal Equal Access Act for Secondary Schools, the school must allow this club to exist. It was even announced on the school's loudspeaker that a Satanism club had formed.
Evidently, the only views and opinions not worthy of being allowed on campus are those of the Christian students. This proves again that it isn't the general separation of church and state that is the goal. Public schools accept all religions as long as they are not Christian and do not believe the Bible.
Satan is still alive and well. He seems to have found a home in our public school systems. It is because Christians have stood by and done nothing that the forces of evil have barred Christianity from our schools. And officials wonder why violence has increased so dramatically in our schools. Students are literally insulated from the Bible and Jesus Christ. They can talk about the teachings of Muhammad, Buddha, Krishna, etc. But they cannot discuss Jesus Christ or His teachings.
This is what Jesus Christ said to those who reject the truth, "You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don't you believe me? He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God" (John 8:44-47). This is the underlying reason why Satan Clubs are welcome and Christianity is not on our school campuses.
If Christians let this issue pass without a full-blown fight, we will deserve to be pushed out of what little public expression we still have in this country.
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Hal Lindsey is the best-selling author of 20 books, including "Late Great Planet Earth." He writes this weekly column exclusively for WorldNetDaily and maintains a website where he provides up-to-the-minute analysis of today's world events in the light of ancient prophecies.
260. The Church of Satan.
(Reference: The Church of Satan.)
"The time has come for all to see that life is what one makes of it.
That life is a series of moments one must treasure.
Not to treasure them is to miss out on life itself.
Life is meant for one to indulge in one's own obsessions,
for not to indulge is to deprive.... and to deprive
is to sadden one's own being." – LE (Lord Egan)
This Manifesto ov Lucifer is for ALL and may be published provided proper credit is given.
1. The All is One. Oneness is All, thus I choose to speak. I am everywhere the circumference and everywhere the Center, at all times; finite and infinite. I am the sum of all possibilities, in endless combinations and endless timelines, now and forever.
2. In my opinion words cannot kill by themselves; there needs to be
action and reaction. I believe that the fluttering wings of a single butterfly in Nebraska CAN raise a storm in the Atlantic.
3. I do believe in the force of Will and freedom of choice. I choose
my reality directly or indirectly when and if I want to.
4. I believe in the Sanctity of Women. I also believe in the Sanctity of Men. I do believe in Polarity between the Sexes as a way to more freedom, despite the apparent paradox.
5. I think there's no truth but the paradox. You'll be the victim as well as the perpetrator.
6. I believe that creation cannot stand against itself. It cannot Will it's own destruction. Perfection will not be - you can come close but not all the way.
7. I believe there to be perfection in imperfection. Beautiful ugliness and ugly beauty. I believe in duality and yet not. There's a paradox.
8. I believe you'll do as you see fit with this Manifesto. Right or Wrong.
The beauty is that you can add and subtract, divide, and/or multiply
this manifesto according to your Wants and needs. There's even the
possibility that you choose to ignore this message all together.
9. In this Manifesto there's both Complexity And Simplicity. You choose
to your liking. My Will is that it'll at least raise some eyebrows.
I choose by not choosing. You choose. What do YOU believe?
This is the End. My Work is Wrought And so mote it be.
scribe Daemon Manuel Steen
commentary by Lord Egan
261. Ruth Gledhill. (Wednesday, October 02, 2002) Archbishop fails to condemn unmarried sex. UK: The Times.
(Reference: Ruth Gledhill. (Wednesday, October 02, 2002)
Archbishop fails to condemn unmarried sex. UK: The Times.)
October 02, 2002
Archbishop fails to condemn unmarried sex
by ruth gledhill, religion correspondent
THE next Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has refused to sign up to traditional Christian teaching that sex outside marriage is wrong.
Although his comments were made in the context of the debate about homosexuality — on which his views are known — his failure to condemn adultery and pre-marital sex will dismay evangelicals and traditionalists.
Dr Williams, who has knowingly ordained a practising homosexual, was responding to a challenge to recant his views on homosexuality or step down as the next Archbishop.
He turned down the request: “My personal views are on record and I have not found reason to change them. Somehow I have to try and discern the will of God in all this, knowing all too well the risks to the unity of the Church.”
His surprising public avowal of his beliefs will deepen the division that Dr Carey has warned will lead to schism between traditionalists and evangelicals and the liberal wing of the Church.
Clearly Dr Williams has yet to come to terms fully with his appointment. The issues of homosexuality and women bishops may cast a shadow over his enthronement next February.
He has disclosed that he does not welcome his nomination to succeed Dr George Carey as he struggles to reconcile his private liberal beliefs and the public stance of the Church. “The decision to accept this nomination, not sought by me and not welcome to me, was not taken without reflection and consultation,” Dr Williams said.
The Rev David Banting, chairman of Reform, the influential conservative evangelical grouping within the Church of England, wrote to Dr Williams asking him to affirm the traditional teaching that church members should abstain from sex outside marriage.
Dr Banting was concerned,explicitly, to extract from Dr Williams an avowal that he would condemn the practice of homosexuality. Intercourse between people of the same sex is forbidden in several texts in both the Old and New Testaments. Dr Williams refused, saying he would not “set a precedent” by affirming more than the canons of the Church of England require in terms of allegiance to the Scriptures and the Creeds. Homosexuality is not referred to explicitly in canon law, although all clergy in the Church of England must swear a “declaration of assent” in which they assent to belief in the Scriptures.
In a letter to Dr Banting, Dr Williams pledges to “exercise the discipline of the Church as I am bound to do. I can’t go beyond this and say that I believe what I do not believe.” This meant he could not affirm that there should be “appropriate discipline” in cases of sex outside marriage.
262. Ruth Gledhill. (Wednesday, October 02, 2002) Church rift over homosexuality set to resurface. UK: The Times.
(Reference: Ruth Gledhill. (Wednesday, October 02, 2002)
Church rift over homosexuality set to resurface. UK: The Times.)
October 02, 2002
Church rift over homosexuality set to resurface
By Ruth Gledhill, Religion Correspondent
ARCHBISHOP Rowan Williams’s candid refusal to affirm the Church of England’s traditional teaching against sex outside marriage will arouse new fears of a schism over homosexuality.
The issue will be on the agenda today when leaders of the Church Society, England’s most senior evangelical organisation, meet Dr Williams at his home in Newport to discuss similar fears to those held by the evangelical group Reform.
The leaders of Reform gave warning of “raised tensions” throughout the Church as a result of Dr Williams’s liberal stance on the issue. Evangelical parishes are expected to write to their own diocesan bishops to demand their views.
Where bishops take a liberal stance, parishes could seek alternative oversight from a more traditional suffragan or retired bishop.
“It is going to make life in the Church of England more difficult,” the Rev Rod Thomas, a spokesman for Reform and priest-in-charge of Elburton, Plymouth, said. “Parishes will want to distance themselves from those who do not hold to the authority of Scripture and associate themselves more with those who do.”
He said he knew of no one who was planning to leave the Church, “but within the Church relationships are going to become more strained”.
Anglican teaching on the issue remains confused as bishops seek to maintain unity between liberal, evangelical and traditionalist clergy.
Dr George Carey, who retires as Archbishop of Canterbury at the end of this month, recently issued a stinging rebuke to liberal bishops with a warning that the Anglican Church was on the brink of a fundamental split over homosexuality.
Before Dr Carey retires, Church of England bishops will debate a draft follow-up to the controversial 1991 document Issues in Human Sexuality, which ruled out practising homosexual relationships for clergy but permitted them for lay people.
The follow-up draft, drawn up by a group of bishops headed by the Bishop of Oxford, the Right Rev Richard Harries, is understood to bolster the conclusions of the 1991 document. It is unlikely to allay the concerns of those who accused the bishops of double standards, however.
Dr Williams, who as Archbishop of Wales has not had to sign up to it and who has admitted ordaining a practising homosexual, is among the bishops who have been most critical of the 1991 document.
Dr Williams said that to permit stable homosexual relations among laity but not clergy was a contradiction that could not be sustained and forced clergy to be duplicitous.
“If the Church’s mind is that homosexual behaviour is intrinsically sinful, then it is intrinsically sinful for everyone,” he said in July last year. He also said that the Bible did not necessarily support a ban on homosexual partnerships.
In 1998 the Lambeth Conference, the ten-yearly meeting of bishops and archbishops of the worldwide Anglican Communion, agreed a resolution that declared homosexual practice was “incompatible with Scripture” and ruled out the ordination of practising homosexuals. The conference demanded sexual abstinence from all who were unmarried.
Dr Williams was one of nearly 200 bishops from around the world who later signed a pastoral statement apologising for “any sense of rejection” felt by lesbian and gay Anglicans and insisting that the Lambeth Conference resolution was not the last word.
But in July this year, immediately after his appointment was announced, he wrote to all the Primates of the Anglican Communion to reassure them that his personal opinion on the ordination of practising homosexuals had “no authority beyond that of an individual theologian”. He accepted that the Lambeth Conference resolution reflected the “mind” of the Anglican Communion.
263. Sperry, Paul. (Wednesday, October 02, 2002) Islamohomophobia. USA: .
(Reference: Sperry, Paul. (Wednesday, October 02, 2002) Islamohomophobia. USA: .)
Islamohomophobia
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Posted: October 2, 2002
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2002
WASHINGTON – It's really no surprise that Johnny bin Walker's alleged gay Pakistani lover now denies their tryst reported in Time. Pakistan is the last place a homosexual would want to be outed.
Sodomy carries the death penalty there, according to Amnesty International.
Earlier this month, a Pakistani religious school teacher who sodomized a student was so afraid another student would tell police what he witnessed that he cut out the 13-year-old boy's tongue with a razor.
Pakistan isn't the only Muslim state where homosexual acts are punishable by death. It's also Islamic law in Sudan, Afghanistan, the Chechen Republic, Iran, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen, says Amnesty International.
Islam's apologists on the left must have skipped over that chapter in their human-rights guides.
Gay-rights lobbyists in San Francisco, New York and Miami who think America is backward because it doesn't see the need for extra-constitutional favors for homosexuals, and even barbaric because it allows some states to still keep anti-sodomy laws on their books, will take little comfort in knowing that stoning and beheading sodomites might be the first order of business if Muslims succeed in their secret agenda of replacing the U.S. Constitution with the Koran.
The Koran is far more severe in its condemnation of homosexuality than the Bible.
The Muslims' sacred book calls it an indescribable "sin and crime," and clerics interpret from Muhammad's account of Sodom that it should be punishable by stoning, says Ph.D. historian Serge Trifkovic, author of "The Sword of the Prophet: Islam History, Theology, Impact on the World."
Thus at least five men convicted a few years ago of sodomy by Afghanistan's shari'a courts were lined up under tall stone walls and then buried under the rubble as the walls were collapsed on top of them, according to a 1998 Amnesty International report.
In January 1990, at least three homosexual men and two lesbians were publicly beheaded in Iran, Amnesty International says.
Trifkovic says Iran has executed as many as 4,000 homosexuals since 1979's Islamic revolution.
Iran's shari'a is clear on gay punishment.
The Islamic Penal Law Against Homosexuals, approved in July 1991 and ratified in November of that year, states in Article 110: "Punishment for sodomy is killing; the shari'a judge decides on how to carry out the killing."
Lesbians are given more leniency – to a point.
Article 129: "Punishment for lesbianism is 100 lashes for each party."
But Article 131 adds, "If the act of lesbianism is repeated three times and punishment is enforced each time, the death sentence will be issued the fourth time."
Last year in Saudi Arabia, six homosexual men were executed on charges of deviant sexual behavior. Some were flogged beforehand.
In addition to the Koran, many hadiths condemn liwat, or homosexual intercourse, Trifkovic says.
"When a man mounts another man, the throne of God shakes," says one. "Kill the one that is doing it and also kill the one that it is being done to."
Homophiles who gush tolerance for Islam may argue that these are merely the ancient practices of Third World countries that have yet to catch up with modern civilization. Certainly, they reason, Muslims in America are more enlightened about homosexuality and tolerant of homosexuals.
Don't be so sure.
According to a Zogby International poll of American Muslims taken in November and December of last year, a whopping 71 percent oppose "allowing gays and lesbians to marry legally." And 68 percent support the death penalty.
But don't worry, Islam is a tolerant, nonviolent religion.
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Paul Sperry is Washington bureau chief for WorldNetDaily.
264. Myers, Steven Lee. (Tuesday, October 01, 2002) A Russian Lama's Body, and His Faith, Defy Time. USA: Ivolginsk Journal, The New York Times Company.
(Reference: Myers, Steven Lee. (Tuesday, October 01, 2002)
A Russian Lama's Body, and His Faith, Defy Time. USA: Ivolginsk Journal, The New York Times Company.)
IVOLGINSK JOURNAL
A Russian Lama's Body, and His Faith, Defy Time
By STEVEN LEE MYERS
VOLGINSK, Russia — A miracle has occurred here in Siberia. Or it may be a hoax. Others believe science can explain it. It is a question, it seems, of faith.
The story begins in 1927, when a spiritual leader of Russia's Buddhists gathered his students and announced his plans to die. The leader, Dashi-Dorzho Itigilov, the 12th Pandito Hambo Lama, then 75 and retired, instructed those gathered around him to "visit and look at my body" in 30 years.
He crossed his legs into the lotus position, began to meditate and, chanting a prayer for the dead, died.
The years that followed were difficult for all faiths in Russia, including the Buddhists here in Buryatia, a rugged, impoverished Siberian region on the Mongolian border. The Soviet Union, under Stalin, repressed most manifestations of religion, executing hundreds of lamas and destroying 46 Buddhist temples and monasteries.
After World War II, Stalin relented somewhat and allowed the Buddhists to rebuild their monastery outside Ivolginsk, along a low, desolate valley 22 miles from Buryatia's capital, Ulan-Ude. But religious practice remained tightly restricted.
When the 30 years had passed — it might have been 28; the details are murky — Itigilov's followers did what he had asked, exhuming his remains from a cemetery in Khukhe-Zurkhen.
What they found, as the story goes, was Itigilov's body, still in the lotus position, still perfectly intact, having defied nature's imperative to decay.
Stalin was dead, but Soviet power remained absolute, and so the Buddhists reburied Itigilov — and the secret — in an unmarked grave, packing his wooden coffin with salt. (That may be important, or not.)
"Nobody could talk about it then," said the current Pandito Hambo Lama, the 25th, Damba Ayusheyev. "To bring him back to the temple — it was forbidden, impossible. So he was put back."
Unlike supreme Tibetan lamas, who are considered reincarnations of previous lamas and are enthroned for life, Pandito Hambo Lamas are elected by other lamas, serve relatively short terms and are free to step down.
The story might have ended with the reburial had not a young lama, Bimba Dorzhiyev, turned his curiosity for history into a quest to resolve the mystery of Itigilov.
He found an 88-year-old believer, Amgalan Dabayev, whose father-in-law had been there when the coffin had been opened and who himself had seen Itigilov. He led them to the grave.
On Sept. 11, 75 years after Itigilov's death, the body was once again lifted from the earth. This time there was a record of the event: a dozen witnesses, including two forensic experts and a photographer.
The lamas who opened the coffin wore surgical masks, but they need not have. Itigilov's body remained preserved.
The current Hambo Lama ordered the body brought to Ivolginsk, where it was greeted with fanfare, ringing bells and lulling chants. He ordered the body placed on the second floor of one of the monastery's four temples, where it remains today, secreted behind heavy curtains and locked doors.
The monastery's 150 students keep a vigil on the first floor, praying around the clock, though only the lamas may see the body.
"To me it is the greatest miracle in life," said Hambo Lama Ayusheyev, the spiritual leader since 1995. "It turns out there are things on which time has no power."
The 12th Hambo Lama was born in 1852 in Czarist Russia and orphaned early, according to the Buddhists' history. At 16 he studied to become a lama and served in several monasteries in Buryatia. In 1911 he was nominated along with nine other candidates to become the Hambo Lama and he was ultimately appointed by the czar's governor in Irkutsk.
During his time as Hambo Lama, Itigilov is said to have strengthened the faith, especially among the Buryats, a nomadic people of Mongol descent who have lived in the region for more than 30 centuries. He published religious tracts and teachings and united many of the religion's factions.
Most of Russia's Buddhists — estimated today at one million — adhere to the "yellow hat" sect that is predominant in Tibet. The Dalai Lama is their highest spiritual leader.
In the years since the Soviet collapse, Buryatia has remained a republic of the Russian Federation. Across Russia the Buddhists have begun to thrive again, rebuilding lost temples, opening schools and attracting new followers, even among ethnic Russians.
The Ivolginsk monastery is Russia's Lhasa, attracting hundreds of believers a day to its temples and monuments. Hambo Lama Ayusheyev said he had not yet decided what to do with Itigilov's body, but others say it will become a relic that will attract still more visitors.
In Moscow, Vladislav L. Kozeltsev, an expert at the Center for Biomedical Technologies, the institute that keeps the body of Lenin — who died in 1924 — in state on Red Square, said the salt in the coffin might have slowed the decay but could not alone explain the preservation of the lama's body.
Other factors may include the soil and the condition of the coffin. More likely, Mr. Kozeltsev said, Itigilov suffered from a defect in the gene that hastens the decomposition of the body's cellular structure after death.
He added, "You cannot rule out some secret process of embalming." Hambo Lama Ayusheyev says the body was preserved because Itigilov achieved a heightened state of existence through meditation known as shunyata, or emptiness.
He acknowledged that there would be skepticism. When greeted with it, he relented on his own order and led a visitor into the temple, up a flight of narrow wooden stairs, past a locked door and into the darkened chamber where Itigilov sits atop a simple table, surrounded by candles and metal bowls holding oils.
The lamas have dressed his body in a golden robe, with a blue sash laid across his lap. His eyes are closed, his features blurred, though the shape of his face and his nose certainly resemble the 1913 photograph. His hands remain flexible, his nails perfectly trimmed. His skin is leathery but soft. His head is still covered in short-trimmed hair.
"Many people don't see what's obvious," Hambo Lama Ayusheyev said. "Many people won't understand even if they see him."
265. Belinda Goldsmith. (Tuesday, June 18, 2002) Beam me up mate! Aussies make teleporting a reality. India: Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
(Reference: Belinda Goldsmith. (Tuesday, June 18, 2002)
Beam me up mate! Aussies make teleporting a reality. India: Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.)
Beam me up mate! Aussies make teleporting a reality
Belinda Goldsmith
Canberra, June 17: In a breakthrough out of the realms of Star Trek, scientists in Australia have successfully teleported a laser beam of light from one spot to another in a split second but warn: don’t sell the car yet.
A team of physicists at the Australian National University said on Monday they had successfully disembodied a laser beam in one location and rebuilt it in a different spot about a metre away in the blink of an eye. ‘‘In theory there is nothing stopping us from doing it but the complexity of the problem is so huge that no one is thinking seriously about it at the moment,’’ Lam told a news conference. However Lam said science was not too far from being able to teleport solid matter from one location to another.
‘‘My prediction is...it will probably be done by someone in the next three to five years, that is the teleportation of a single atom,’’ said Lam, who has worked on teleporting since 1997.
But he said humans posed a near-impossible task as we are made up of zillions of atoms — quantified by a one with 27 zeroes — so forget Star Trek where the Starship Enterprise crew step into a transporter, vaporise, then re-assemble elsewhere. The laser beam was destroyed during teleporting which is achieved using a process known as quantum entanglement. The breakthrough opens up possibilities for future super-fast and super-secure communications systems, such as quantum computers over the next decade. (Reuters)
266. Grewal, Manraj. (Thursday, October 03, 2002) Anonymity starring Richard Gere and Goldie Hawn. India: Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
(Reference: Grewal, Manraj. (Thursday, October 03, 2002)
Anonymity starring Richard Gere and Goldie Hawn. India: Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.)
Anonymity starring Richard Gere and Goldie Hawn
Life goes on in Dharamshala: Nobel Laureate, filmstars discuss Nature of Life
Manraj Grewal
Mcleodganj, HP, October 2: The subject was the star, the stars mere observers. But when talk centres on the Nature of Matter, the Nature of Life, and the presiding deity is none other than His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the celeb quotient does cease to exist.
So Hollywood heart-throbs Richard Gere, dashing in an olive T-shirt, and Goldie Hawn, floating around in a sheer golden cape, occupied the humble position of mere observer.
So, too, did Dan Goleman, author of The Emotional Intelligence, while Nobel laureate physicist Steven Chu and Eric Lander, a leading genome expert, were pegged a rung higher as participants here today.
A gathering with enough star power to generate mass hysteria elsewhere but here at McLeodganj, where life flowed at its placid pace. No heads turned when Gere and Goldie decided to walk to the Chonor guesthouse, a good 10 minutes from the Dalai Lama’s residence, after the morning session on Day 3.
Only a group of urchins showed any interest, but their sights were trained on the Rs 500 notes Boston Russel, Hawn’s 19-year-old son, was distributing with the best karma.
Back in the office of the Dalai Lama, his man Friday, the Venerable Lhakdor, tried to put things into perspective. ‘‘It’s the dialogue that should be your focus, not the people.’’ Adam Engle, the brains behind the US-based organisers Mind and Life Institute, nodded vigorously. So did Gere, every bit as good-looking in real life in the reel.
Unhappiness, he said, was what had propelled him towards Buddhism aeons ago. But wasn’t he rich, handsome and super-successful, all that was required to be happy? ‘‘You know better’’, he said, waving a hand. His goal is that of Everyman: to attain happiness and cultivate compassion.
Which is why he finds no difference between McLeodganj and Hollywood. ‘‘People are the same everywhere, with the same emotions.’’
Yes, he admitted, Dharamshala could do with a clean sweep. Two years ago, his foundation tried to do it, but to no avail. ‘‘I thought things would change, we would have one-way road, covered sewers, but nothing has changed, nothing except the DC, health officer...’’
Which is when you realise that Gere isn’t your ordinary tourist, he knows the town’s babudom inside out. Also the people. Hence, the knowledge that they alone could help themselves. ‘‘I don’t have that kind of time’’, he shrugged, trotting back to the conference hall.
Goleman had a few moments, just enough to tell you that the last such dialogue in March 2000 gave him the staple for his book Destructive Emotions, due for release next January. It also gave an impetus to research on meditation at Harvard, which proved that people who meditate have much higher positive emotions than the normal.
Goldie Hawn, who’d taken a short break for tea, vouched for it. A self-confessed Indophile — ‘‘I feel happy, and at home here’’ — she called meditation her daily fix. ‘‘It helps me marshal my mind, choose the right from wrong, become a more compassionate person.’’
Later, sitting in the tankha-covered room, soaking in the sage dialogue, you realise it’s this C-word that binds these scientists, actors and monks together. Chu, a professor of physics at Stanford and a believer in no religion with a name, put it into words when he said: ‘‘All of us agree with the Dalai Lama’s belief that we should develop compassion for the world around us, for doing good is good for us as well.’’
But it was His Holiness who had the last word: No action, he declared, was good or bad, it’s the motivation that counts. Using that as the yardstick, the gathering, with the monks on the one hand and the scientists on the other, discovered that there was really no dichotomy between science and religion. None at all, if both were used for the human good. That is the bottom line.
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Personal Review
Which is why he finds no difference between McLeodganj and Hollywood. ‘‘People are the same everywhere, with the same emotions.’’
So it is only a matter of having access to the right technology, devices, internet etc, for a criminal to evolve into similar lines to that in the US. It also shows the urgent requirement to implement similar criminal laws in India also. Technology, access to information, was what that hindered the evolution. Now the internet, internet shopping etc nullifies the evolution barrier into a high-tech criminal.
267. Plato., Jowett, Benjamin. (Trans.) (380 B.C.E ) Ion. The Internet Classics Archive.
(Reference: Plato., Jowett, Benjamin. (Trans.) (380 B.C.E ) Ion. The Internet Classics Archive.)
268. Brazelton, Dr. T. Berry. (Wednesday, July 31, 2002) Hypersensitive child needs to learn to stand on his own. New York, USA: New York Times Syndication Sales.
(Reference: Brazelton, Dr. T. Berry. (Wednesday, July 31, 2002)
Hypersensitive child needs to learn to stand on his own. New York, USA: New York Times Syndication Sales.)
Hypersensitive child needs to learn to stand on his own
By Dr. T. Berry Brazelton / New York Times Syndication Sales
Dear Dr. Brazleton: My 4 1/2-year-old son is very sensitive. I'm a stay-at-home mom, and he's very attached to me, though he goes to Pre-K three days a week.
There's a problem with the way he treats adults and family members when I am present. He will not greet them, even when they are talking to him.
When he was younger, we swept it under the rug or we talked for him -- even though he is quite capable and is very verbal with his father and me.
This situation is now getting embarrassing.
Dear Reader: It sounds as if your son has a shy temperament and is hypersensitive to new situations. You need to help him learn how to face the world in spite of this.
It can help to prepare him ahead of time for such situations. Promise him that he can clutch your hand but explain that you want him to learn how to greet people and make them like him.
Practice it at home. Practice it with someone he knows. Ask him to watch for the smile and the happiness on someone's face when he can let himself say hello to them or shake their hand.
Let him learn how to gradually manage these steps for himself and watch for his pride when he can.
A child like this is likely to feel more sure of himself and, as a result, more ready to face the world when he knows that his parents can accept him as he is. A shy, fearful or hypersensitive child certainly can lead a parent to try to buffer him from the environment that challenges him. But a parent's efforts, as necessary as they may be at first, ultimately can hinder a child's efforts to learn to manage the world on his own. This can reinforce his sense of vulnerability.
Sooner or later, it becomes necessary to help him learn to turn to himself, rather than to his parent, to find the protection and coping he needs.
Write to Dr. T. Berry Brazleton, care of the New York Times Syndication Sales, 122 E. 42nd St., New York, NY 10168. Questions also may be sent by e-mail to families@.
269. PA News. (Friday, October 04, 2002) UN urges Government to ban smacking. UK: The Times.
(Reference: PA News. (Friday, October 04, 2002) UN urges Government to ban smacking. UK: The Times.)
October 04, 2002
UN urges Government to ban smacking
by PA News
The United Nations today urged the Government to change the law which allows parents to smack their children.
In its report on the UK’s record of protecting children it said the Government should outlaw all corporal punishment in the family.
The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child said it "deeply regrets" the UK retained the defence of "reasonable chastisement" despite the recommendations a damning report it published in 1995.
The ten-member group of international child welfare experts recommended that the Government should instead promote "positive, participatory and non-violent" forms of discipline.
It said there should be a public education programme to stress the negative effects of corporal punishment.
A spokesman for the children’s charity the NSPCC said: "The UN’s report is absolutely right. UK law on this issue is wrong. It doesn’t protect children from being hit and the Government should act immediately on the recommendations.
"The 1860 law of ‘reasonable chastisement’ is well past its sell-by date. It sends out a dangerous message to parents that hitting children is acceptable and safe, which it is clearly not.
"It works in other countries. Children in Germany, Sweden, Denmark and many other countries are protected from being hit by law, why not here too?
David Hinchcliffe, Labour MP for Wakefield and chairman of the Commons Health Committee, said: "Article 19 of the UN Convention clearly requires the Government to protect children from all forms of physical violence and our law as it currently stands simply does not do this."
The Government disappointed campaigners last November when it announced it would not change the law allowing "reasonable chastisement" of children, covering England and Wales.
It has also been criticised for ignoring calls for a Children's Rights Commissioner for England despite the post being established in Wales with Northern Ireland and Scotland in the process of doing the same.
John Denham, Minister for Young People, rebutted claims that the Government was not doing enough to protect children.
He said: "The vast majority of parents believe, whether they smack their children or not, that a mild smack is a reasonable thing to do.
"Bringing the criminal law into this area of the difficult job of bringing up children is not the right thing to do."
He said that it was a "nonsense" to suggest that the law allowed violent assaults on children.
"What I think what we'd all want to do is to reduce smacking as much as possible, but we do that not by bringing the police or the criminal law into this but by...working with parents to support good parenting to show what the options are, the different ways of dealing with disciplining a child, other than smacking."
The Government had never believed that the UN Convention required the UK to absolutely outlaw smacking. It was unconvinced by arguments for a children's rights commissioner in England, he said, but would keep an open mind.
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Personal Review
Disciplining, taming, beating, smacking, torturing etc are hard ways to subdue, to soften, to convert an arrogant person to a submissive person. The person can be young or old, man or woman. In short, the conversion of a “goat” to a “sheep”. Soft ways are higher education, meditation etc.
Also refer section Dual Mind in Volume 1 for more of soft and hard ways of cooling mind.
Some are tamed with a stick, or hook or whip, I was tamed without a stick or weapon, by a such like one.
(Reference: 231)
24 He who spares the rod hates his son,
but he who loves him is careful to discipline him.
- Proverbs 13:24 :: New International Version (NIV)
From a different angle, if we take He as the invisible Lord and son as any organism, then a strange meaning opens up. The suffering or pain of man or any organism is a form of disciplining by the loved One, the Lord.
270. Jhumari Nigam. (Friday, October 04, 2002) You gotta have faith! Ahmedabad, India: The Times of India.
(Reference: Jhumari Nigam. (Friday, October 04, 2002) You gotta have faith! Ahmedabad, India: The Times of India.)
You gotta have faith!
TIMES NEWS NETWORK [ FRIDAY, OCTOBER 04, 2002 09:46:36 PM ]
JHUMARI NIGAM
“ONE of my friends used to sneak out with her boyfriend in the name of Navratri. Her parents got to know about it and her long-time affair came to an end. She could neither win back her love nor her parent’s faith,” recalls Kavita Kothari, a 20-year-old collegian who feels restrictions bring discipline to your life.
For those who are usually restricted, though, Navratri is freedom! Late night outings, queueing at food joints, going out on long drives, dressing up for the night bash (and, no it ain’t a secret anymore — getting intimate under the starlit night) are much-awaited.
Sometimes, through the generation gaps, there are cases where transparency of thoughts between parents and their children has made their relationship stronger. Freedom comes with a sense of responsibility is what Kalpana Gandhi, mother of 20-year-old Palak feels.
“With mom, I don’t have to keep a check on time, but with friends I have to be alert all the while,” says Palak Gandhi. Kalpana Gandhi enjoys her daughter’s company at Navratri.
The recent upheavals have made some apprehensive about safety. Says Chandni Joshi, a collegian, “It’s better to be home early than to give sleepless nights to your family members.” Her mother Devi Joshi adds, “I trust my daughter completely but I don’t trust others. Going out with male friends is fine with me but only with those guys who are known to me.”
Shilpa Shah, a teacher and mother of two, feels that life is a risk, “Children should be given opportunities to realise their responsibility. Putting a little faith in their decisions will help you understand them better. ”
Then, the age-old question — to be(lieve) or not to be(lieve) remains. How do you play it?
271. Muslim anger at Prophet slur. (Monday, October 07, 2002) UK: BBC News.
(Reference: Muslim anger at Prophet slur. (Monday, October 07, 2002) UK: BBC News.)
Monday, 7 October, 2002, 00:55 GMT 01:55 UK
Muslim anger at Prophet slur
Falwell has caused offence at home and abroad
Iran has added its voice to growing protests over a conservative Christian evangelist in the United States who has described the Prophet Mohammed as a "terrorist".
On the issue of bigotry, silence equals consent
Council on American-Islamic relations
The Reverend Jerry Falwell, a leading member of the Southern Baptist Convention, said in a US television interview that Mohammed was a violent man and a man of war.
"This insult to the holy Prophet Mohammed by a Christian priest is part of a propaganda war by the US mass media and the Zionists," Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi said.
Mr Falwell has also been denounced by Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and Muslim groups in the US who urged mainstream American leaders not to remain silent.
The interview with Mr Falwell was shown on CBS television's "60 Minutes" programme.
Inflammatory
Falwell: No stranger to controversy
"I think Mohammed was a terrorist. I read enough...by both Muslims and non-Muslims (to decide) he was a violent man, a man of war," Mr Falwell said.
"In my opinion, Jesus set the example for love, as did Moses, and I think Mohammed set an opposite example."
Mr Falwell is well-known for his inflammatory statements.
Last year, he was widely criticised for saying pagans, abortionists, feminists, gays and civil liberties groups had contributed to the moral decay of the United States, angering God who allowed the 11 September attacks to happen.
He later apologised.
There are between two and six million Muslims in the US
Other conservative Christian leaders have also made controversial remarks about Islam in the past year, including TV evangelist Pat Robertson who labelled it a religion that sought to control, dominate or destroy others.
Ibrahim Hooper of the Council on American-Islamic Relations said: "Anybody is free to be a bigot if they want to. What concerns us is the lack of reaction by mainstream religious and political leaders who say nothing when these bigots voice these attacks."
'Ignorant'
Speaking in Tehran, Iran's Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi urged Islamic nations not to remain silent in the face of "such unashamed accusations".
They must not, he said, permit "the clash of religions and civilisations sought by the expansionist and aggressive Zionists".
In Malaysia, Dr Mahathir said only an ignorant person would make such a remark and he urged Muslims not to take the matter too seriously.
"I'm not going to accuse all Christians, only one person made such a statement."
272. The Ten Precepts. dasa-sila. (Revised: Thursday, March 14, 2002) .
(Reference: The Ten Precepts. dasa-sila. (Revised: Thursday, March 14, 2002) .)
The Ten Precepts. dasa-sila
These training rules are observed by novice monks and nuns. They are derived from the Eight Precepts by splitting the precept concerning entertainments into two parts and by adding one rule prohibiting the handling of money.
A fully-ordained monk (bhikkhu) observes the 227 rules of the bhikkhu Patimokkha; a fully ordained nun (bhikkhuni) would observe the 311 rules of the bhikkhuni Patimokkha.
273. Falwell, Jerry. (Saturday, June 15, 2002) Muhammad, a 'demon-possessed pedophile'? USA: .
(Reference: Falwell, Jerry. (Saturday, June 15, 2002)
Muhammad, a 'demon-possessed pedophile'? USA: .)
274. Sexual Averages.
(Reference: Sexual Averages.)
Sex education: A must read, for any man or woman, of any age, to prevent false notion or false imagination, on varied topics like penis size, breast size etc.
Average Penis Size
Almost 88% of all men fall between 5-7 inches when erect, and when relaxed the majority (again, 90%) fall within 3 to 5 inches.
…
Average Bust Size
The average bust line for American women is 35.9 inches (91.2 cm). The typical bra size is 34B, with the proportions of women's cup sizes breaks down to the following: A-15%, B-44%, C-28%, D-10%, while the remaining 3% are AA, AAA, DD and beyond. Interestingly, manufacturers of women's clothing agree that the average American woman's bust size has expanded in recent decades, if only by fractions of an inch, due to improved diet and birth control pills.
…
Average Sperm Length
4 microns.
Average Sperm Concentration
20 million sperm per milliliter.
Average Seminal Alkalinity
7.0 to 8.0 on the pH scale.
Average Durability of Sperm
Sperm typically survive 48 hours within the female body.
Average Number of Sperm
300-500 million sperm are released every ejaculation, and 1.2 trillion sperm are produced during a man's lifetime.
…
Average Age of Menarche (Onset of Menstruation)
12.5 years. Interestingly, a study in 1962 showed that this age has decreased by four months every decade since 1830.
Average Menstrual Flow
Approximately 50 to 175 cc., or one-quarter to one-half a cup.
Average Menstrual Cycle Duration
28 days.
Average Period Duration
5 days.
Average Age of Menopause
48-49 years.
…
Average Time to Orgasm (male)
Kinsey found that 75% of all males reach orgasm within 2 minutes of penetration, and felt that it was normal, though he does note that it "may be most unsatisfactory to a wife who is inhibited or natively low in response." Way to state the obvious, doc.
Average Duration of Orgasm (male)
3-5 seconds.
Average Time to Orgasm (female)
Females in Kinsey's studies averaged a little less than 4 minutes to reach orgasm during masturbation, though for coitus it took anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes.
Average Duration of Orgasm (female)
5-8 seconds. Orgasmic contractions in both sexes occur at intervals of 0.8 seconds.
275. Phillips, T Y. (Saturday, October 19, 2002) Wife's motives in biting disputed. The Modesto Bee.
(Reference: Phillips, T Y. (Saturday, October 19, 2002) Wife's motives in biting disputed. USA: The Modesto Bee.)
Wife's motives in biting disputed
Photo
Kelli Pratt
October 19, 2002 Posted: 05:30:13 AM PDT
By TY PHILLIPS
BEE STAFF WRITER
A mother defended her daughter on Friday, saying it was sheer exhaustion and not anything to do with sex that led to the daughter's biting attack on her feeble husband.
The 65-year-old man died six days later. Preliminary autopsy results show that the attack may have contributed to his death, a spokesman for the Stanislaus County coroner's office said.
Kelli Pratt's mother, who asked to remain anonymous to avoid further publicity, said her 45-year-old daughter suffers from health problems of her own: She has cerebral palsy, and she is a former Easter Seals poster child.
"She was very devoted to being near him in what I would call his debilitated state," Pratt's mother said by telephone. "She was well aware of the fact that her husband was ill, and she respected that. When I saw her today, she told me this definitely didn't happen over sex."
That is not what Arthur Pratt told police in a videotaped interview in the wake of the Oct. 7 attack. Pratt, who died six days later at Doctors Medical Center, said his wife bit him about 20 times after he said he was too weak to have sex, Detective Al Brocchini said.
Officers called to the house saw lesions and sores all over Pratt's body, police said, and at first believed that they were all bites.
The autopsy revealed only two bites, both severe, on his side and stomach.
"On one of the bites, a large chunk of meat was gone," Brocchini said. "The other bite was also severe, and the skin had been broken. (Kelli Pratt) still had blood in her mouth when we arrested her."
Pratt has been in custody since the attack on charges of elder abuse, domestic violence and assault on a police officer. She has pleaded not guilty and is due back in court Monday.
Police said murder charges could be filed if it is found that the assault directly led to her husband's death.
An official cause of death has not been determined. The preliminary autopsy results revealed that Pratt may have died from a heart attack suffered as a result of emotional stress and the physical assault, said Kelly Huston, spokesman for the Sheriff's Department, which runs the coroner's office.
Arthur Pratt, who had been in and out of hospitals and rehabilitation centers for at least the past year, suffered from all sorts of ailments.
The alleged attack occurred at the couple's home in the 2700 block of Park Place.
The Pratts had no history of domestic violence outside of one county Adult Protective Services report in which Arthur Pratt claimed that his wife verbally abused him because he would not stick to his diabetic diet, Brocchini said.
Pratt declined to be interviewed Friday on the advice of her attorney. She gave an interview to a Sacramento television station the day before.
Pratt's mother said her daughter's health makes it difficult for her to fully take care of herself. The added burden of her husband's care ultimately became more than she could handle, Pratt's mother said.
"Kelli maintains it happened over the fact she was so stressed out," she said.
"While he was getting care, she was home fending for herself. She just didn't get the care she needed. I feel that she's as much a victim as Art was."
Bee staff writer Ty Phillips can be reached at 578-2331 or tphillips@.
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Main Points
1. it was sheer exhaustion and not anything to do with sex that led to the daughter's biting attack on her feeble husband.
2. his wife bit him about 20 times after he said he was too weak to have sex
3. still had blood in her mouth when we arrested her
4. (he) had been in and out of hospitals and rehabilitation centers for at least the past year, suffered from all sorts of ailments.
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276. Westcott, W Wynn. (1993) The Chaldæan Oracles. 1st Edition. Northamptonshire, England: The Aquarian Press. ISBN: 0-85030-334-6. Pages: 64.
(Reference: Westcott, W Wynn. (1993) The Chaldæan Oracles. 1st Edition. Northamptonshire, England: The Aquarian Press.)
277. Oakland, John S. and Followell, Roy F. (1990) Statistical Process Control - A Practical Guide. (2ndEdition) New Delhi, India: Affiliated East-West Press Pvt. Ltd. ISBN: 81-85336-86-5. Pages: 431.
(Reference: Oakland, John S. and Followell, Roy F. (1990) Statistical Process Control - A Practical Guide. (2ndEdition) New Delhi, India: Affiliated East-West Press Pvt. Ltd.)
278. Ancient Egypt Clip Art.
(Reference: Ancient Egypt Clip Art.)
[pic]
279. Bhikkhu, Thanissaro. (1999) The Customs of the Noble Ones. .
(Reference: Bhikkhu, Thanissaro. (1999) The Customs of the Noble Ones. .)
280. Om Tat Sat – An article on Tantra.
(Reference: Om Tat Sat – An article on Tantra.)
Tantra discloses secrets of Universe, material body and external power which leads to 'Siddhi'.
Tantra is both secret and as much Sacred. Now few people know about Mantra Shastra, a better wing of Tantra…
Philosophy of Mantra is very simple. i.e, Sound and matter are both derivative constant If we can reproduce sound from any matter then in the same way we can create matter from the sound also. Mantra is medicine, Mantra is energy and can be used for peace and Mukthi. Trinity of Mantra, Yantra and Tantra if properly combined can create wonders and miracles.
' Truth is a myth unless realised.'
281. Aphrodisiac haggis promotes Scotland to couples. (Friday, January 25, 2002) UK: Ananova.
(Reference: Aphrodisiac haggis promotes Scotland to couples. (Friday, January 25, 2002) UK: Ananova.)
Ananova:
Aphrodisiac haggis promotes Scotland to couples
An aphrodisiac haggis is being launched in time for Burns Night.
Flavours include Hot'n'Horny Devil Haggis with chilli and Cajun spices and Heavenly Haggis with apricots, figs and pine nuts.
The Romantic Scotland haggis are designed for couples as they are available in special two-person portions.
The Daily Record says the delicacy has been developed by Lawson of Speyside.
Sales director David Lawson said: "Chillies, curries and other spicy foods have long been viewed as aphrodisiacs.
"Their effects - raised heart rate and, sometimes, raised temperatures - are similar to the reactions experienced in amorous activity.
"The Romantic Scotland haggis come in special two-person portions, just right for a romantic meal for two."
Hotels across Scotland will be marketing the haggis as part of a campaign designed to attract couples for breaks.
Casia Zaja, of Highlands Tourist Board, said: "With Burns's reputation, we're sure he would have approved of the Romantic Scotland aphrodisiac haggis."
Story filed: 08:25 Friday 25th January 2002
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Personal Review.
"Chillies, curries and other spicy foods have long been viewed as aphrodisiacs.
"Their effects - raised heart rate and, sometimes, raised temperatures - are similar to the reactions experienced in amorous activity.
To counter that, it will be better to eat fruit and vegetables in a raw form, as it is. Boiling some of the vegetables, reduces their vitamin content. Imagine, you live in a forest, with less access to modern amenities like kitchen, heating appliances etc.
raised heart rate
runs counter to the principle of pranayama, of controlled breathing.
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282. Hotz, Robert Lee. (Friday, November 08, 2002) Neuroscientists Mine the Depths of Emotions. USA: Los Angeles Times.
(Reference: Hotz, Robert Lee. (Friday, November 08, 2002)
Neuroscientists Mine the Depths of Emotions. USA: Los Angeles Times.)
In a study of how even relatively mild emotions influence mental abilities, cognitive neuroscientists at Washington University in St. Louis found that brain areas critical for reasoning, intelligence and other types of higher cognition were swayed by watching a horror film or a TV comedy for as little as 10 minutes.
Published this year in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the brain-scanning experiment showed that the videos affected a region of the prefrontal cortex just under the temples, thought to be important for blending cognitive tasks together with emotional signals.
After viewing the clips, people took simple tests of memory and mental ability. Their performance was helped or hindered depending on how their mood had been affected by the videos.
"Mild anxiety actually improved performance on some kinds of difficult tasks, but hurt performance on others," said psychologist Jeremy Gray, who led the research team.
It doesn't take a scientist to know that feelings can run ahead of common sense, but now researchers are learning how emotions can trigger errors in judgment.
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283. Plato., Jowett, Benjamin. (Trans.) (380 B.C.E ) Charmides, or Temperance. The Internet Classics Archive.
(Reference: Plato., Jowett, Benjamin. (Trans.) (380 B.C.E ) Charmides, or Temperance. The Internet Classics Archive.)
284. Plato., Jowett, Benjamin. (Trans.) (360 B.C.E ) Critias. The Internet Classics Archive.
(Reference: Plato., Jowett, Benjamin. (Trans.) (360 B.C.E ) Critias. The Internet Classics Archive.)
285. Bromage, Bernard. (1960) The Occult Arts of Ancient Egypt. 2nd Impression. London: The Aquarian Press. Pages: 205.
(Reference: Bromage, Bernard. (1960) The Occult Arts of Ancient Egypt. 2nd Impression. London: The Aquarian Press.)
286. Swami Sivananda. (1997) Practice of Brahmacharya. (WWW Edition) Himalayas, India: The Divine Life Society.
(Reference: Swami Sivananda. (1997) Practice of Brahmacharya. (WWW Edition) Himalayas, India: The Divine Life Society.)
287. Swami Sivananda. (1998) Mind--Its Mysteries and Control. (WWW Edition) Himalayas, India: The Divine Life Society.
(Reference: Swami Sivananda. (1998) Mind--Its Mysteries and Control. (WWW Edition) Himalayas, India: The Divine Life Society.)
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Published on internet: Monday, November 18, 2002
Re-published on internet: Monday, July 07, 2003
Revised: Wednesday, January 12, 2005
Information on the web site is given in good faith about a certain spiritual way of life, irrespective of any specific religion, in the belief that the information is not misused, misjudged or misunderstood. Persons using this information for whatever purpose must rely on their own skill, intelligence and judgment in its application. The webmaster does not accept any liability for harm or damage resulting from advice given in good faith on this website.
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“Thou belongest to That Which Is Undying, and not merely to time alone,” murmured the Sphinx, breaking its muteness at last. “Thou art eternal, and not merely of the vanishing flesh. The soul in man cannot be killed, cannot die. It waits, shroud-wrapped, in thy heart, as I waited, sand-wrapped, in thy world. Know thyself, O mortal! For there is One within thee, as in all men, that comes and stands at the bar and bears witness that there IS a God!”
(Reference: Brunton, Paul. (1962) A Search in Secret Egypt. (17th Impression) London, UK: Rider & Company. Page: 35.)
Amen
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