The River Ganga was man-made

I remember once, some years ago, my pen friend from NJ, wrote asking- Ganges is a sacred river to the Hindu religion, then why does it stand so polluted? I could only chuckle sadly with two thoughts,... one: what is dear to you, you often tend to over-do it....this happens from lack of awareness. second: most people don't know about the effort that went into channelizing the mighty river, ages ago! Read this for more.

Non-vegetarianism and religious sacrifice

Animal slaughter is the worst act of misinterpretation that religious zealots promote. What the religious scripture mean between the lines, and what religious pastors, saints, ulamas mandate, are two very misconstrued practices.

In fact this blog post signs off on a very very eye-opening note. And this CONTEXT isn't just about Islam, its about Christianity as well as some Hindu sects. And it rests upon an educated reader to disillusion his/her mind if it is clouded by the herd mentality, and driven by stimulation of the senses.

An intelligent and responsible person will know that the capacity to enjoy the senses is limited. It will eventually tire one in the end. But the capacity of one mind to contribute to restoration of the planet is enormous...not limited by space, nor by time. Because when one's intentions towards other beings we share the planet with, and towards the planet, are genuine, then a dam of inspired following bursts, and it becomes a revolution with a far-reaching ripple effect across the planet and across centuries. It eventually shapes the face of the civilization and fosters a healthy evolution for all.

You know, the quality of your life depends on the state of your mind. And the food you eat affects the state of your mind just as strongly. And since that pastfew decades, we must admit we have made the wrong choices. Perhaps this is why today, it is perceived as desirable to be more angry, to be more aggressive, to be more self-centered, to be more violent. Perhaps this is because we have molded our younger generations from an intelligent civilization that is peaceful, that respects and CO-EXISTS with all life forms, into an animal civilization that encourages mindless rape of the environment. Do you remember how, yesterday, as children in a classroom, we were shunned if we lost our temper or got violent. What do you see today? More and more aggression...more and more depression..more and more suicides.

Where are we headed?

WHERE ARE YOU HEADED?

As Khurshed Batliwala (lovingly called Bawa) says, "Tomorrow we may end up with education systems where every child must be accompanied by a bodyguard. Ironically, we wont even know if the body guard is trustworthy." Where we are headed today, reflects the choices we have made about our lifestyle in the past. It is more strongly about CHOICES WE ARE MAKING TODAY about our lifestyles. Getting back to the talking point here non-vegetarians are more prone to diseases, more aggressive, short tempered, impatient, and certainly the biggest contributors to global warming (how?? educate yourself: goveg.com). If you are a cool teenager reading this, I would like to meet you 20 years from today..when the coolness quotient in your health equation translates into (God forbid!) impaired memory (from never having meditated..thanks to our bigotic education system), low immune system (from years of eating eggs and drinking milk that had been injected with antibiotics at farms), host of chronic health-issues, out-of-control aggression at work place, inability to function as a team, broken/abusive relationships, depressive thoughts....

I don't want this for you. Why do you want this for yourself?

Your weakness in attitude towards making intelligent and truly cool choices becomes weakness of character. IF you DO NOT make a balanced, intelligent choice for yourself, for your life, for the lives of people around you, and for this planet, then tomorrow you may become a weak link in evolution. And your future generations (or luckily, you yourself), shall experience the chain-effects of non-vegetarianism, abuse of natural resources, herd mentality, and inaction as well as wilful action.

Make good choices in life... become strong. Then... strengthen others. Grow together. Life is short. . .make a meaningful choice. Now and Here.

Mmmmmmm...India

Check this link: WOW!

India is truly the greatest (in knowledge of sciences, of spirituality, of life and living), yet humblest and most accepting of all the countries that ever existed in civilization. I feel humbled to be born to such a great nation whose sages of the ancient past have been illuminators to the formation of newer cultures and religions of today world over; whose sages have been masters in both science and spirituality; on whose lands so many races, friendly or unfriendly, have been welcomed like one would welcome Gods (atithi deva-or bhava); on whose lands today so many religions and castes co-exist despite the differences; on whose lands there is a never-ending abundance of wealth (in all aspects) despite multitudes of foreign invasions- this nation has survived it all- and continues to prosper. I cannot but only count my blessings that I have been born on its lands. The greater gratitude I feel is to be taken on the path of universal knowledge, emotional-physical-mental well being,
unconditional love, greater belongingness, and of course a very very cool Guru- the Guru Of Joy.
Life is an endless celebration today!

FRIENDSHIP OF THE WORLD- CLIMAX :-)

I'll share the best known-secret in the world now: a simple, effortless nd revolutionary breathing technique called SUDARSHAN KRIYA

Its an advanced form of meditation which "successful+happy" people swear by...Abdul Kalam, NASA, AIIMS, NIMHANS, the European parliament, Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela, they have sworn by it.

Meditation is conscious relaxation, or, restful awareness. It flushes the mind of recurring negative thoughts and emotional garbage, and is a powerful tool for healing the body, mind and spirit. Meditation gives you a rested mind free of negative emotions and stress and enables you to take more balanced decisions, with heightened awareness.

A monarch butterfly that flutters its wings in the rose of gardens of Lalbagh (Bangalore) causes a stir in ocean currents off the coast of …now think this: what would be the effect of a crowd of 1.12 billion Indians meditating in their own homes everyday? Scientists have observed that group meditation causes a dip in the stress levels of the environment all around it for miles together. And it has been proved that it affects the energy levels of people you come in touch with, it dilutes negativity and ill-intentions and gives more energy to all positive possibilities, and creative thoughts and intentions.

And we are all well-evolved human beings with good intentions inside us, who want to be live life 100% and enable health and life to flow to everyone around.

With this thought in mind, the Youth Empowerment and Skills (YES!+) series of workshops were designed. YES!+ teaches practical all-aspects-covered meditation and breathing techniques .

Drug de-addiction centers, alcoholics groups, suicide counselling groups, juvenile detention centres, and such similar philanthropic organizations are doing their part for the youth who are into alcohol, drugs, smoking, who are suicidal, violent, and so on. But 27 years ago, His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, lovingly called as the Guru of Joy, knew the need to intervene at the stage before all these issues of substance abuse, depression, STDs, suicidal or homocidal tendencies start.

It does not make sense for counselling NGO's to wait for a teenager from a dysfunctional family to get into depression or smoking. It isn't meaningful to wait for a relationship breakup to lead to promiscuous sex or substance abuse, before alcoholics anonymous or AIDS groups intervene. Even more, its stupid shortsightedness to wait until a youngster under academic pressure resorts to suicide, before philanthropy starts. Instead it makes all the sense to intervene before drugs, alcohol, smoking, depression, violence or suicide attempt happen. This is ALSO what YES!+ does.

Your intellect may argue: But I am a normal person.

Ok dear, but "normal" is a subjective term.

I am successful.

Ok dear, but "at what cost are you successful?" How many times in a day do you smile without a reason?

I am happy.

Ok dear, you are happy because you have this and that. Will you still be happy if unfair coincidence snatches away the things that makes you happy?

Let's get practical.

YES!+ facilitates my life with SIMPLE and PRACTICAL techniques that makes me dynamic on o-u-t-s-i-d-e, unshakeably calm i-n-s-i-d-e. Its a shortcut from The Head To The Heart!

. . .head-to-heart is important so that:

...success can never cloud the intellect

...over-ambition may not eat one's true happiness away

...lack of awareness may never overstep simplicity and respect for the environment

...and power may not corrupt one.

For me, YES!+ workshop has been the most fulfilling experience of my life, and I simply cannot keep this off-the-charts Happiness Quotient with me..I want everyone to experience this equation of "success = unshakeable smile + unputdownable enthusiasm".

The rest of the stuff in life....job, relationship, money.....will automatically follow......like byproducts of your "YES!" mind (as Bawu sayz :-))

I see more sense in YES!+ today after the recent terrorist bloodbath at Mumbai. Youth are a symbol of energy...potential..enthusiasm...change.....and an innocence-intelligence balance. I invite you to enrol for the next workshop happening in your city or country and collectively EXPRESS our solidarity as youth of one world against any diabolical extremist force that threatens our peaceful coexistence. Your participation to this workshop will add value to your life, empower you to do all the good things you always wanted to do, and add your voice in tribute to our brave soldiers who have laid down their lives in unconditional valor for us.

Besides meditation and loads of fun, practical skills will be taught in interactive workshops that attend to all levels of existence (includes restoring the healthy bounce back to body, and developing a uncluttered super-mind that can relax and focus @ same time, and also influence the environment effortlessly). These techniques are right now being practiced by millions across the globe, and its healing effects have been tested and validated by researchers, doctors and scientists world over. Something that we have not learnt at school/college/offices, but which are essential for effective and stress-free, positive living. And learn it for a cause…to be stress-free and spread good vibes at a time when we need more of acceptance, good vibes and action, not words or lame complaints. It is time now to respond and not react.

“One peaceful mind attracts harmony in situations and people around. Six and a half billion peaceful minds create an unshakable civilization.”

FRIENDSHIP OF THE WORLD

My Friends

I wish to communicate heart-to-heart with you today on an issue of paramount importance. We share the friendship of human kind. Recently a thought crossed my mind, what is the true meaning of our friendship? Is it only coffee, movies, gossips, dates, breakups, advice...or is there something more valuable? To be clearer, let me say this:

Of all the 6.5 billion people on this Earth, you are not reading my blog by coincidence. There isn't anything called coincidence, there are only reasons not coincidences and the reason isn't just sharing commonalities or celebrating differences, the reason is also to uplift each other through rough times, and dilute negativity with good company (sat-sangh). Today is a ripe time that we stood by each other in sangatchadvam (working together), because our national security and the world’s state of calm is at stake. A bunch of 20 jokers are able to trigger mental, physical, emotional, financial and administrational quakes in financial capital of our country with a population of 1.12 billion!

Isn't it time for good people to act too?

A virtual dissection of a terrorist’s psyche reveals a silent victim. He is a victim of some childhood trauma, some misleading concepts (concepts of religious feverishness or leftism-- the communist mindset that left hundreds dead in Russia). Fill this innocent child's mind with stress and teach it to divide people—on basis of religion, caste, economy, gender, politics, country, bias and prejudices, concepts about how things should be or shouldn’t be. Add the fuel of misinterpret Jihadi concepts to this mind filled with untapped energy…and you can get a full fledged miss-channelized terrorist product.

One more step: Equip this mind with state-of-art guns, and it will go to any extent to execute its misled goals........at any cost.

Now... think of youth like you and me—good people in comparison. How do we react to terrorism?

We meet.....we light candles. We call celebrities to talk about it and grumble about it.....and talk more about it? We don’t act, we only talk about it until it becomes an intellectual entertainment.

The tragic paradox is, you lose your sleep if your laptop breaks down, but not when an innocent man, woman or child is gunned down elsewhere! Are we so lost in our small closets that we have become insensitive to our world.

If you feel a little stirred and responsible, then I ask you to join me in friendship of the world, to eliminate this stress that creates a terrorist or prompts a 10-year old to suicide (academics) or leads a college youngster (with a dysfunctional family or a recent breakup) towards unhealthy emotional ventilation (drugs, alcohol, smoking, aggressive behavior, short temper).

Let's admit it: even with our IIT degrees, and MBA's we know very little about our own minds, and even little about how to handle it. But clarity in thoughts are important every moment of our day, isn't it?

The trick as His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar shares, lies in our breath: the breath and the mind are connected. Just as a string guides the kite, the breath guides emotions in the mind...happy thoughts: effortless breathing, angry thoughts: rough shallow breathing!

Unless we uncondition our system of all negative impressions, our immense creativity and richness of life remains unexplored. Remember the choice Morpheus offered Neo: blue pill......or red pill...

So what's the solution to it?

  Next post :-)

Recent Snapshots from Youth Empowerment Seminar (YES!+)

Make LIFE a CELEBRATION !

Bawa and Dinesh...Directors of World Alliance for Youth Empowerment ~WAYE~

Meditation is seeing God in Oneself

You are not the body, you are not the mind, you are much more than that.

Yoga is meditation in motion....especially when you smile in each posture ;-) *wink* *wink*

True celebration is on the inside...not the outside.

Sattvic intellect brings desired results effortlessly...
Sattvic fun refreshes and rejuvenates you, it doesn't leave you drained....

Making LIFE an expression of Inner Silence and Outer Dynamism- YES!+

Sudarshan Kriya gives one the ability to be Relaxed and Focussed @ the same time!

SOUL TO SOUL COMMUNICATION IS SILENCE

The YES!+ Workshop continues to empower youth in over 40 countries (...and counting) with a YES attitude towards life and challenges...it successfully collimates the untapped energy in youth which is being diffracted in negative ways...

The techniques that are taught in the workshop INSTANTLY rids the mind of negative behavioral patterns like:
depression and loneliness,
low self-confidence and stage fright,
substance abuse, smoking, suicidal tendencies,
aggressive behavior, short temper, impatience, intolerance,
lack of sustained interest in studies, poor memory,
stress and low energy levels.

These techniques are something no one taught us in school, at home, at college or at work but which are life-supporting to our education, our career, our relationships and the quality of life we live!....thus these become a lifetime asset.



You make friends the world over...connecting to youngsters who have risen from mediocrity to excellence in life...and friends who uplift and support each other in knowledge and unconditional love~




It teaches simple yet powerful practical techniques (benefited more than 20 million people across 151 countries!) to:

• boost the body's immunity and energy levels,
• flush out emotional garbage,
• enhance the happiness quotient,
• do more in less time (time management) -- without getting stressed,
• be successful+happy,
• be 'focused + relaxed' at same time,
• take responsibilities,
• handle relationships: with oneself, with parents/teachers/boss/colleagues/friends,
• interact inhibition-free, effectively and assertively at all levels with people,
• take balanced decisions,
• live life 100%

Maintain INNOCENCE....

.... Cultivate INTELLIGENCE !

Broaden your Vision...Deepen your Roots. ~ Sri Sri




The Sudarshan Kriya is part of the workshop, and is taught as curriculum/credit course at Indian Institute of Technology (Kanpur, Guwahati, Mumbai), Indian Institute of Management (IIM), MIT, National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Indian Business Academy (IBA), Symbiosis (Pune), Harvard and Stanford, GeorgiaTech University, University of Virginia, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), GooglePlex (California), IBM, National Insitute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), All India Insititute Of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and so on...the count of happiness quotient + health quotient + success quotient has dramatically improved in all participants within just 6 days!

Tibet - "the roof of the world" in suppressed woe

Tibet the land of Tibetan horses, snow lions and the Dalai Lamas

...has been reduced to a dwindling culture suppressed by the China and their majestic calm perforated by Chinese monopoly...it hurts to see that a culture which is stronger (i prefer the word "aggressive") than the other, would be dumb enough to overtake another at the cost of the quintessential magnificience that another smaller culture represents.

I cant help but think of an ironic monologue like this:

"I face the East and pray, you face the south while you pray....so I'll kill you."

or more closely this monologue... "I am stronger, faster and smarter than you...so I shall kill you.'

Long gone are those times when a tiger would say this to a lamb. We are evolving...and as human beings who are perfectly capable of reading my blog in English and understanding what I am trying to communicate, we should realise the shift that has happened from survival of the fittest in the wilderness to peaceful and interdependent coexistence. This is what mankind is all about.... "I am stronger, faster and smarter than you...so I shall protect you and ensure you become the same too, if not better."

Sadly a country like China gives the world a more dismal picture about itself...and it also puts the majority of the peace-loving, intelligent Chinese population in a wrong light...all because of a few legacy minded, power greedy decision makers who choose to take the unappreciable way of monopoly. With great power (whether bestowed upon or taken aggressively), comes great responsibility.....and it is with responsibility that one experiences a greater degree of freedom. Infact the very thought of being in control of something or someone is an illusion...and it is tragic that an ancient and powerful culture represented by the Chinese civilization fail to perceive this fact.

What the heck? In the end we are all going to die...the person who is writing this blog, the person who is reading it, the people around whom this discussion is centred...all...are going to merge with the dust...then why not shrug off the imperialistic tendency and spend the remaining few years fostering a global brotherhood and uplifting the civilization that has only experienced negative impressions from you the concerned brothers of the same race.

Stop hurting the beautiful people and culture of Tibet with unfair commerce, pollution and Chinese police force...

Life is a journey from the head to the heart, and in the end, it all comes back to you.

The following is a skeleton-by-skeleton account of an anonymous Tibetan and a plea that every civilization grows on interdependence and deserves the right to live free from fear in today's flattened world:

Perspectives from inside Tibet
International Campaign for Tibet
November 18th, 2008

On the second day of the Special Meeting in Dharamsala, bringing together Tibetans from the diaspora worldwide and including new arrivals from Tibet, the Prime Minister (Kalon Tripa) of the Tibetan government in exile clarified the process of the meeting and its possible outcome. He said that the first day had been very "emotionally charged", with each of the 15 sub-committees discussing a wide range of issues relating to the current situation in Tibet and strategies for the future.

In answer to a question about whether the government in exile would change its policy from the current Middle Way approach of genuine autonomy under the sovereignty of the People's Republic of China (PRC), the Kalon Tripa said today: "We are totally following the democratic principle, which is that the people's opinion is supreme." He said that once the findings of the meeting were presented to the Dalai Lama, they would also be discussed by the Tibetan Parliament, which "has the final decision-making power" to adopt new strategies or not. He said: "One of the purposes of the meeting is to give different voices an official channel or platform."

The importance of non-violence

"The danger for Tibet is not whether we get independence or autonomy, but whether we manage to keep our culture alive"

A young, educated Tibetan who returned to eastern Tibet after studying in exile sent the following letter to ICT about the Special Meeting. An English translation from the original Tibetan is enclosed below. Details of the identity of the writer have been withheld at their request and for their safety.

"I am a Tibetan who was educated in India as a youngster but who returned to Tibet. I worked for various companies in Tibet, and visited different countries in the West. Tibetans inside Tibet can be quite successful in setting up businesses and finding jobs. This is important because we have to take part in the new economy and in all walks of life, and we have to make ourselves less dependent on the Chinese.

This year our businesses were of course hit hard, as we were affected in all spheres of life by everything that happened since March. The situation inside Tibet is desperate. Even in an anonymous letter I am afraid to fully speak out. The names of friends that are in prison can't be mentioned because while they are not yet sentenced, any evidence of a link with the outside world will further jeopardize their situation. Even though things have normalized a little since the end of the Olympic Games, the Chinese authorities use all efforts to silence people inside Tibet and also to create distrust and antagonism between the nationalities. Because of the terrible propaganda on TV and in other media, Chinese people these days are either afraid of or angry at any Tibetan they meet, while we are left furious when we see the propaganda that is being broadcast on television.

Let me start by saying how great it was to see the demonstrations during the torch relay and during the Olympic Games itself. After all that happened in March, it gave people in Tibet hope. It showed us that Tibet is not forgotten. The Tibetans living outside Tibet did a great job. They keep the cause alive. I really support all of you involved in that, and hope that you become even more effective in the future. China is always concerned about their good reputation. This year they were very embarrassed because of the demonstrations during the torch relay. As a super power they need a good reputation and losing face is a very big thing in Chinese culture. So for the future of Tibet, it is very important that China is reminded of the unacceptable situation inside Tibet.

I myself and others like me did not take part in demonstrations because we think we can contribute to the improvement of Tibet by focusing on our work and business. We believe that we can strengthen the Tibetan nationality in that way. But at the same time we support the demonstrations, even if it makes us suffer as well. That is okay, because we know it is for the good of our people. In terms of our struggle at large we must stay non-violent at any cost. China will be happy if Tibetans become more violent because it will give them an opportunity to portray Tibetans in a negative way. They are always eager to show that Tibetans in India instigate violence. It emphasizes how important the non-violent Middle Way approach is.

Even Tibetans who work for the government inside Tibet feel strongly about their nationality. I hear how Tibetan police officers in Lhasa and Tibetans working for the army were really very upset when they saw how the army responded to demonstrations this year. But they could not do anything. They were very angry when a Tibetan lady gave the names of several protesters to the authorities. They called her a whore and told her not to hand in Tibetan protesters. Also well-educated young Tibetans who went to school in China are often deeply patriotic. When they return to Tibet to work for the Chinese government they see the difference in how people are ruled in China and how they are controlled in Tibetan areas, and in particular how people are ruled in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR). But inside Tibet, it is very difficult to receive good information. We can never open Tibetan websites such as http://www.phayul.com/ and websites of Tibet organizations. Some movies on YouTube also can't be opened. The foreign companies that provide the search engines in China have no business ethics; they help the Chinese government to block information.

For the important meeting taking place in Dharamsala this week, there are two main things I would like to say.

As a Tibetan inside Tibet who has also seen places outside my country, including Western countries, I think that the danger for Tibet is not whether we achieve independence or autonomy, but whether we manage to keep our culture alive. I don't think an agreement will be reached with regards to full autonomy or independence. Perhaps in the future [there will be] some sort of autonomy. But the main issue is how we preserve and develop our culture. The main issue is the survival of our race and our way of life. People in Tibet, people who are part of our country, they are losing their culture. They prefer to communicate in Chinese and take on Chinese lifestyles. But in India you see the same. People talk to each other in English or Hindi. Tibetans lose their affinity with the Tibetan ways of life. When we look at the border areas in eastern Tibet, we see what will happen in central Tibet in the future. Our culture and our race will be completely assimilated and swallowed up by Chinese culture.

In order to keep the Tibetan cause alive, the most important thing is to keep the culture of Tibet alive. In India the Tibetans are supposed to keep the culture alive, but you see where it is happening. Are they staying together as a community? People are moving around the globe. The new generation of Tibetans around the world won't want to return to Tibet. So who is going to keep the cause alive? My point is that as part of any sort of negotiations of initial agreement, a priority should be given to the possibilities of exile Tibetans traveling to Tibet. It is very important that Tibetans outside Tibet take an interest in visiting Tibet, and if possible working in Tibet, setting up projects or businesses inside Tibet. In particular in the areas close to the Chinese areas, the climate is more relaxed and Tibetans can achieve a lot. Because Tibetans from outside Tibet are generally well educated, are well informed and are very broad-minded, they have a tremendously positive impact on the community inside Tibet. They can influence local people, not engage in politics. In this way they can keep the cause alive.

In line with this, there is a need to thoroughly rethink the strategy. The dialogue with the Chinese is not likely to yield any result soon. On the question of independence or autonomy there is not much choice; it is certain that full independence will never be debatable. In the meantime, time is running out for Tibet and Tibet's culture. I am from a Tibetan area that does not fall under the TAR. But I myself have come to the conclusion that perhaps it is important to consider that [if it is offered], whether we should accept full autonomy for [just] the TAR... [This is a controversial viewpoint, as it implies the exclusion of Tibetan areas of Qinghai, Sichuan, Yunnan and Gansu provinces.] .You see that in Lhasa and some other major cities, as well as areas close to mainland China, 60 to 80% of businesses belong to Han [Chinese] immigrants [and] the situation is urgent.

I would like to express the wish that we keep up our strong desires, and our spirit to fight for freedom, dignity and peace for our people. I pray for the long life of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and I pray for those who gave up their lives for Tibet and those that are still in prison."

Tibet, 15 November 2008