Sri Narsipura Subbaiah Narayana Murthy-Medicine Man in Shimoga

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Hindu - explained...

A Hindu was flying from JFK New York Airport to SFO San Francisco Airport CA to attend a meeting at Monterey, CA.

An American girl was sitting on the right side, near window seat. It indeed was a long journey - it would take nearly seven hours.

He was surprised to see the young girl reading a Bible unusual of young Americans. After some time she smiled and we had few acquaintances talk.He told her that I am from India

Then suddenly the girl asked: 'What's your faith?' 'What?' He didn't understand the question.

'I mean, what's your religion? Are you a Christian? Or a Muslim?'

'No!' He replied, 'He am neither Christian nor Muslim'.

Apparently she appeared shocked to listen to that. 'Then who are you?' “I am a Hindu”, He said.

She looked at him as if she was seeing a caged animal. She could not understand what He was talking about.

A common man in Europe or US knows about Christianity and Islam, as they are the leading religions of the world today.

But a Hindu, what?

He explained to her - I am born to a Hindu father and Hindu mother. Therefore, I am a Hindu by birth.

'Who is your prophet?' she asked.

'We don't have a prophet,' He replied.

'What's your Holy Book?'

'We don't have a single Holy Book, but we have hundreds and thousands of philosophical and sacred scriptures,'
He replied.

'Oh, come on at least tell me who is your God?'

'What do you mean by that?'

'Like we have Jesus and Muslims have Allah - don't you have a God?'

He thought for a moment. Muslims and Christians believe one God (Male God) who created the world and takes an interest in the humans who inhabit it. Her mind is conditioned with that kind of belief.

According to her (or anybody who doesn't know about Hinduism), a religion needs to have one Prophet, one Holy book and one God. The mind is so conditioned and rigidly narrowed down to such a notion that anything else is not acceptable. He understood her perception and concept about faith. You can't compare Hinduism with any of the present leading religions where you have to believe in one concept of God.

He tried to explain to her: 'You can believe in one God and he can be a Hindu. You may believe in multiple deities and still you can be a Hindu. What's more - you may not believe in God at all, still you can be a Hindu. An Atheist can also be a Hindu.'

This sounded very crazy to her. She couldn't imagine a religion so unorganized, still surviving for thousands of years, even after onslaught from foreign forces.

'I don't understand but it seems very interesting. Are you religious?'

What can He tell to this American girl?

He said: 'I do not go to Temple regularly. I do not make any regular rituals. I have learned some of the rituals in my younger days. I still enjoy doing it sometimes'.

'Enjoy? Are you not afraid of God?'

'God is a friend. No- I am not afraid of God. Nobody has made any compulsions on me to perform these rituals regularly.'

She thought for a while and then asked: 'Have you ever thought of converting to any other religion?'

'Why should I? Even if I challenge some of the rituals and faith in Hinduism, nobody can convert me from Hinduism. Because, being a Hindu allows me to think independently and objectively, without conditioning. I remain as a Hindu never by force, but choice.' He told her that Hinduism is not a religion, but a set of beliefs and practices. It is not a religion like Christianity or Islam because it is not founded by any one person or does not have an organized controlling body like the Church or the Order, I added. There is no institution or authority..

'So, you don't believe in God?' she wanted everything in black and white.

'I didn't say that. I do not discard the divine reality. Our scripture, or Sruthis or Smrithis - Vedas and Upanishads or the Gita - say God might be there or he might not be there. But we pray to that supreme abstract authority (Para Brahma) that is the creator of this universe.'

'Why can't you believe in one personal God?'

'We have a concept - abstract - not a personal god. The concept or notion of a personal God, hiding behind the clouds of secrecy, telling us irrational stories through few men whom he sends as messengers, demanding us to worship him or punish us, does not make sense. I don't think that God is as silly as an autocratic emperor who wants others to respect him or fear him.' He told her that such notions are just fancies of less educated human imagination and fallacies, adding that generally ethnic religious practitioners in Hinduism believe in personal Gods. The entry level Hinduism has over-whelming superstitions too. The philosophical side of Hinduism negates all superstitions.

'Good that you agree God might exist. You told that you pray. What is your prayer then?'

'Loka Samastha Sukino Bhavantu. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti,'
लोका समस्ता सुखिनो भवन्तु !!! ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः !!!

'Funny,' she laughed, 'What does it mean?'

'May all the beings in all the worlds be happy. Let there be Peace, Peace,and Peace every where.'

'Hmm ..very interesting. I want to learn more about this religion. It is so democratic, broad-minded and free' she exclaimed.

'The fact is Hinduism is a religion of the individual, for the individual and by the individual with its roots in the Vedas and the Bhagavad-Gita. It is all about an individual approaching a personal God in an individual way according to his temperament and inner evolution - it is as simple as that.'

'How does anybody convert to Hinduism?'

'Nobody can convert you to Hinduism, because it is not a religion, but it is a Culture, a way of leaving life, a set of beliefs and practices. Everything is acceptable in Hinduism because there is no single Authority or Organization either to accept you or to reject you or to oppose you on behalf of Hinduism.'

He told her - if you look for meaning in life, don't look for it in religions; don't go from one cult to another or from one Guru to the next.

For a real seeker, He told her, the Bible itself gives guidelines when it says ' Kingdom of God is within you.' I reminded her of Christ's teaching about the love that we have for each other. That is where you can find the meaning of life.

Loving each and every creation of the God is absolute and real. 'Isavasyam idam sarvam' Isam (the God) is present (inhabits) here everywhere - nothing exists separate from the God, because God is present everywhere. Respect every living being and non-living things as God. That's what Hinduism teaches you.

Hinduism is referred to as Sanathana Dharma, the eternal faith. It is based on the practice of Dharma, the code of life. The most important aspect of Hinduism is being truthful to oneself. Hinduism has no monopoly on ideas. It is open to all. Hindus believe in one God (not a personal one) expressed in different forms. For them, God is timeless and formless entity.

Ancestors of today's Hindus believe in eternal truths and cosmic laws and these truths are opened to anyone who seeks them. But there is a section of Hindus who are either superstitious or turned fanatic to make this an organized religion like others. The British coin the word 'Hindu' and considered it as a religion.

He said: 'Religions have become an MLM (multi-level- marketing) industry that has been trying to expand the market share by conversion. The biggest business in today's world is Spirituality. Hinduism is no exception'

He said "I am a Hindu primarily because it professes Non-violence - 'Ahimsa Paramo Dharma' means - Non violence is the highest duty. I am a Hindu because it doesn't condition my mind with any faith system.

A man/woman who changes his/her birth religion to another religion is a fake and does not value his/her morals, culture and values in life.

Hinduism is the original rather a natural yet a logical and satisfying spiritual, personal and a scientific way of leaving a life..

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The Path To Emptiness

VIC MANSFIELD ponders over the similarities between quantum physics and Buddhism

Undoubtedly, the most profound and surprising feature of quantum mechanics is the principle of nonlocality - that objects cannot be confined to limited regions of space and time and that their connection to the rest of the universe is more important than their isolated existence…. In other words, nonlocality is a deep truth about the universe that any future replacement for the theory must embody, not just some bizarre feature of today’s quantum theory.
 
Middle Way
With equal certainty, the most fundamental philosophic view within Tibetan Buddhism is the Middle Way view of emptiness. It too is both profound and surprising that objects appear one way but actually exist in very different ways. Perhaps what is more startling is that nonlocality and the Middle Way emptiness deeply concur on the nature of reality, not just in broad outline, but in the details…. It is important to be clear about how we normally view objects - whether as posts or as our own personality. If we are not clear about this point - that objects appear to exist from their own side, are findable upon analysis, or that they independently exist - we will never understand emptiness. Because this point is so critical, let us consider another example.

I take a break from working at the computer and go to the kitchen for a drink of water. On the windowsill above the sink is a polished stone, given to my wife as a gift. This beautifully coloured, weighty stone feels very satisfying in my hand. Everybody who handles it loves that smooth, solid weight, which nestles so well in the palm. If anything exists on its own side, this beautiful stone does. If anything exists independently of my knowing or interacting with it, it must be this stone. Before it was given to my wife and well after we have died, that stone will exist in its own independent way. You do not have to do any fancy analysis or strain to find it when it rests comfortably and solidly in your hand. Clearly, it independently or inherently exists.
 
Causes And Conditions
It is important to define with care what emptiness denies. If we too broadly define inherent or independent existence, nihilism follows - then nothing exists. On the other hand, if we too narrowly define it, substantialism results - then persons and objects have a substantial, immutable nature, something vigorously denied by our everyday experience and the Buddhist principle of impermanence. We, therefore, must carefully avoid these extremes that the Middle Way considers philosophic crimes. The Middle Way is not blending of the two extremes but a thoroughgoing refutation of both. Middle Way Buddhists claim that fully assimilating the doctrine of emptiness frees us from the suffering of samsara, the beginningless and inevitable round of birth, ageing, suffering and death. The exalted condition of the Buddha, the fully exalted enlightened one, means that we transcend all pairs of opposites: then samsara and nirvana are not different.

Fully assimilating emptiness transforms us from self-centred individuals shrouded in ignorance to completely enlightened buddhas, who embody wisdom and compassion. The Middle Way position spends an enormous amount of philosophic effort showing that our instinctive belief in independent existence is wrong, that there is no such independent or inherent existence to posts, stones or people…. First, the Middle Way position argues that the post lacks independent existence because it depends upon innumerable causes and conditions. For example, the post depends upon the tree from which it was sawn, the wood preservative injected into it, the concrete in which it sits; the fact that it has not been struck by lightning; its location in my yard, and more. The post does not exist in a vacuum but is deeply related to and dependent upon its prior causes, conditions, and environment.

Dependent Origination
Similarly, the stone exists in dependence upon ancient geological processes that generated its chemical composition, swirling patterns of colour and texture. Then, the stone was tumbled for days along with other stones and some abrasive materials to make it smooth. A huge number of people and pieces of equipment transported the stone, displayed it in a store, sold it to the gift giver and so forth. Then a properly functioning sense of touch, musculature, and coordination from hand and arm are needed for that satisfying feeling the stone gives when in your hand. This stone may seem to exist on its own right, independently of interacting with anything outside itself, but it too required many outside factors to make it the object we experience today.

Second, the post depends upon its parts and the whole of these parts - the wood, its exact shape, colour, its concrete base, location and so forth, along with the collection and relationship of these parts.

Yet, the Middle Way argues that, if we examine any of those parts on its own or the whole collection of them together, we could not find any independently existing post among them. The stone too depends upon its exact chemical composition, the precise shape, beautifully blended colours, and the harmonious way these all relate. Analysis shows that, if we examine any of these elements that make up the stone or the collection of them together, we cannot find that stone that independently exists or an inherently existent stone. Tibetan Buddhism And Modern Physics. New Age Books.

The Day After

When all our problems disappear, and we are free of all worries, will we still wonder whether there’s more to life, asks ANDREW COHEN

When people think about the future, at least in many of the progressive circles that I move in, do you know what they think about? Gloom and doom. Generally, our collective future is imagined in relationship to the truly overwhelming global challenges we’re facing like climate change, environmental degradation, overpopulation, threat of terrorism, and of course, the financial crisis. The question on a lot of minds is, are we going to make it? What will happen to us if the planet really heats up, polar icecaps melt and oceans rise? What will happen to the biosphere when our increasing population growth becomes unsustainable? What can we do to prevent radical Islamist terrorists from eventually acquiring nuclear weapons? How will our financial system be able to survive an economic collapse in the Euro zone?

Just Imagine
If only we could come together locally and globally to solve these enormous problems, we imagine, the future would appear to be much brighter than it looks right now.

Imagine for a moment that, in fact, we were able to come to terms with and triumph over these global crises. Imagine a world utterly free from these pressing problems. And then imagine your own life and the lives of your extended family, friends, and acquaintances. Would it really be different? Would the deeper existential and spiritual challenges of the human experience be affected? We tend to think that once issues of survival and basic necessity are met, then all will be well. But it’s simply not true.

I just returned from a tour of north Europe, where I spoke to some of the luckiest people on the planet today. The standard of living in Sweden, Denmark, and Holland is a marvel and testament to human progress and prosperity.

Can It Get Better Than This?
The promise of western enlightenment has reached its zenith in these countries where rights, freedoms, and privileges of the individual are historically unprecedented. Despite this, it is clear that in general, the most fortunate among us are still quite lost when it comes to knowing what the next step is. In Scandinavia, it seems the majority of individuals are living the “good life” with shockingly little sense of their own good fortune. I go there every year and my consistent impression is that most people tend to be very busy with not much more than their personal lives.

As we endeavour to find solutions to the very important issues threatening our collective survival, we also simultaneously need to be concerned about the future of our shared culture. Highly educated, thoughtful, sensitive men and women are gradually becoming more and more aware of the fact that nobody seems to know how human life is supposed to be lived in this second decade of the 21st century. That means the very structures that make up our shared culture, like our values, beliefs, customs, and even personal aspirations, seem ever-more-oddly out of step with the reality of the fact that time is moving faster and faster and that we live in an era of exponential change. It seems the world we live in is changing more quickly than our outdated worldviews can keep up with and is creating cultural stagnation.

Most of our shared modern and postmodern values tell us that in spite of our unprecedented prosperity, the human experience is still essentially about competition, survival, and ideally, about attaining wealth and comfort. But could that possibly still be true for those of us who’ve rarely missed a meal or seriously worried whether we were going to have a roof over our heads? I think not. And yet, in so many ways, we haven’t caught up with our own good fortune. Importantly, it hasn’t dawned on us that even if the larger global challenges we’re facing are solved, we would still find ourselves in a cultural cul de sac in our personal and social lives. Of course, it’s critical we face and respond to the overwhelming challenges that threaten our survival. But it’s equally critical to ask, “Where are we going?” Once our survival needs have been met, what’s the purpose, if any, of our experience?

Eternal Dilemmas
In Scandinavia, for example, free time, the greatest gift of modernity, is now readily available to the multitudes. Yet most, it seems, aren’t sure exactly what to do with it. Should I go to the gym, go for a walk in the park, read a book, or go to the pub? Once we’ve acquired enough life experience to understand that romantic love, child-rearing, material abundance, and even creative fulfilment don’t necessarily solve the deepest questions of human meaning, what’s the next step? That’s what I believe we need to be concerned about. What’s the next step for you and me at the level of shared meaning and purpose? Who are we, why are we here, and importantly, how should we make deeper sense out of the experience we’re having right now and will be having five, ten, or twenty years from now?

I certainly wouldn’t want to find myself in the painfully ironic position of waking up 50 years from now, and finding that as a result of technological innovation, we were on the other side of the biggest threats of the 21st century, and yet had still no idea about what we were supposed to be doing with our lives besides having a pleasant ride.

Source: Timesofindia.com