Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are - John Wooden
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Websites to Watch-6:
The Bhagavad Gita Online website is a real boon to spiritual aspirants and seekers of the ultimate truth. The Gita is the storehouse of the transcendental knowledge of profound spiritual nature and it reveals the goal and purpose of human life.
In this website, one gets the verses and their meaning in audio format as well. Another great attraction of this website is it gives the commentaries of various great seers like Sridhara Swami, Sri Ramanuja, Sri Madhvacharya and others. Further, articles by great souls on the Gita and Reflections by renowned people on the Gita are also given.
Monday, January 28, 2008
A Thought for Today : January 28, 2008
Shallow men believe in luck. Strong men believe in cause and effect - Ralph Waldo Emerson
A Thought for Today : January 27, 2008
Hide not your talents, they for use were made. What's a sundial in the shade? - Benjamin Franklin
Saturday, January 26, 2008
A Thought for Today : January 26, 2008
Love endures only when the lovers love many things together and not merely each other - Walter Lippmann
A Thought for Today : January 25, 2008
There is a transcendent power in example. We reform others unconsciously when we walk uprightly - Anne Sophie Swetchine
Living without Violence by Usha Jesudasan
Gandhiji made non-violence a political weapon and showed its power to those who were captive to violence and oppression.
On January 30, we remember the anniversary of Gandhiji’s violent death.
Violence. How we fear it. How we hope that it will not touch or those we love. But it does so often. The violence we face may not be brutal or physical; It may not be on our streets; or with bombs and guns; but nevertheless it is there. We find it lurking in our everyday relationships, attitudes to each other, words, thoughts, looks and feelings.
For centuries men mostly, and those in authority, marginalized the idea of non-violence as it did not help them prosper or succeed in getting what they wanted as much as violence and fear did. Then came people like Gandhiji, Martin Luther, Vaclav Havel and others who made non-violence a political weapon and showed those who were captive to violence and oppression, its power.
Since then, people all over the world have discovered the power of non-violence as a political weapon. But the non-violent life is more than just a political tactic. It is a way of life for every single person and that is both challenging and meaningful. The idea of non-violence is revolutionary and feared by those who cling to power, because it is an idea that can completely change the nature of society, and thus is a grave threat to the established order.
Non-violence or ahimsa living, is not just for activists; it is for us ordinary people – we all need to transform our minds and hearts to embody non-violence. This is a huge challenge because our society surrounds us with violence – in the media, in our workplaces, relationships and way of life. So, unless we train ourselves to consciously unlearn all the habits of violence we use, our first response to a crisis is violence.
We need to practise the art of “ahimsa living” every day. We need to store within ourselves a repertoire of non-violent actions, thoughts and words, so that when we do face crises, we can draw upon these practical, ethical, and spiritual ahimsa resources.
Could you make a commitment to an ahimsa way of life for a day or week? Which areas of your life would you have to specially target to live this way?
- “Living without Violence” by Usha Jesudasan, Young World, Supplement to The Hindu, January 25, 2008
My grateful thanks to Ms Usha Jesudasan for the wonderful article and to The Hindu for publishing it.
On January 30, we remember the anniversary of Gandhiji’s violent death.
Violence. How we fear it. How we hope that it will not touch or those we love. But it does so often. The violence we face may not be brutal or physical; It may not be on our streets; or with bombs and guns; but nevertheless it is there. We find it lurking in our everyday relationships, attitudes to each other, words, thoughts, looks and feelings.
For centuries men mostly, and those in authority, marginalized the idea of non-violence as it did not help them prosper or succeed in getting what they wanted as much as violence and fear did. Then came people like Gandhiji, Martin Luther, Vaclav Havel and others who made non-violence a political weapon and showed those who were captive to violence and oppression, its power.
Since then, people all over the world have discovered the power of non-violence as a political weapon. But the non-violent life is more than just a political tactic. It is a way of life for every single person and that is both challenging and meaningful. The idea of non-violence is revolutionary and feared by those who cling to power, because it is an idea that can completely change the nature of society, and thus is a grave threat to the established order.
Non-violence or ahimsa living, is not just for activists; it is for us ordinary people – we all need to transform our minds and hearts to embody non-violence. This is a huge challenge because our society surrounds us with violence – in the media, in our workplaces, relationships and way of life. So, unless we train ourselves to consciously unlearn all the habits of violence we use, our first response to a crisis is violence.
We need to practise the art of “ahimsa living” every day. We need to store within ourselves a repertoire of non-violent actions, thoughts and words, so that when we do face crises, we can draw upon these practical, ethical, and spiritual ahimsa resources.
Could you make a commitment to an ahimsa way of life for a day or week? Which areas of your life would you have to specially target to live this way?
- “Living without Violence” by Usha Jesudasan, Young World, Supplement to The Hindu, January 25, 2008
My grateful thanks to Ms Usha Jesudasan for the wonderful article and to The Hindu for publishing it.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
A Thought for Today : January 24, 2008
Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it - Lou Holtz
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
A Thought for Today : January 23, 2008
Ennui has made more gamblers than avarice, more drunkards than thirst, and perhaps as many suicides as despair - Charles Caleb Colton
A Thought for Today : January 22, 2008
Creativity involves breaking out of established patterns in order to look at things in a different way - Edward de Bono
Five Surprising Reasons to get More Sleep
Of course, in a less busy world, we would all grab extra shut-eye. But it could have more effect on your health than you think.
1. It could make you thinner
Research in the USA has found that the less sleep you get, the higher your body mass index tends to be. An English study may have the explanation: People who sleep five hour a night were found to have 15% more ghrelin (a hormone that boosts hunger) in their bodies and 15% less leptin (which suppresses it) than those sleeping eight hours.
2. It could boost your memory
Sleep plays a key role in making new memories stick in the brain. A Harvard experiment showed that subjects taught complex finger movements like a piano scale recalled them much better after 12 hours’ sleep than 12 hours’ wakefulness. Another study showed that working into the night slowed thinking skills, both at the time and during the next day.
3. It can fight colds, ulcers, even cancer
Good sleep boosts the immune system. A study of elderly people suffering depression found that those with disturbed sleep had fewer disease-fighting cells in their blood. Moreover, melatonin, produced when you sleep, is a cancer-fighting antioxidant. Night-shift workers, whose wake/sleep rhythms are disturbed, may have up to 70 times greater risk of breast cancer. It also seems the chemical your body makes to repair damage to the stomach lining is secreted during sleep: going without could raise your risk of ulcers.
4. It can slow down aging
Persistent sleep debt has been shown to affect carbohydrate metabolism and hormone function in a way that may increase the severity of age-related chronic disorders. In fact a large-scale study concluded that people who sleep 6-7 hours a night lived longer than those sleeping less than 4-5 hours.
5. It could keep you on the straight and narrow
If you are a child, that is. The depression and low self-esteem often associated with just being a teenager actually correlate with sleep shortage. And young kids who sleep poorly are more than twice as likely to take to drink and drugs in adolescence.
Courtesy: RD Health, Reader’s Digest, January 2006, p.162
1. It could make you thinner
Research in the USA has found that the less sleep you get, the higher your body mass index tends to be. An English study may have the explanation: People who sleep five hour a night were found to have 15% more ghrelin (a hormone that boosts hunger) in their bodies and 15% less leptin (which suppresses it) than those sleeping eight hours.
2. It could boost your memory
Sleep plays a key role in making new memories stick in the brain. A Harvard experiment showed that subjects taught complex finger movements like a piano scale recalled them much better after 12 hours’ sleep than 12 hours’ wakefulness. Another study showed that working into the night slowed thinking skills, both at the time and during the next day.
3. It can fight colds, ulcers, even cancer
Good sleep boosts the immune system. A study of elderly people suffering depression found that those with disturbed sleep had fewer disease-fighting cells in their blood. Moreover, melatonin, produced when you sleep, is a cancer-fighting antioxidant. Night-shift workers, whose wake/sleep rhythms are disturbed, may have up to 70 times greater risk of breast cancer. It also seems the chemical your body makes to repair damage to the stomach lining is secreted during sleep: going without could raise your risk of ulcers.
4. It can slow down aging
Persistent sleep debt has been shown to affect carbohydrate metabolism and hormone function in a way that may increase the severity of age-related chronic disorders. In fact a large-scale study concluded that people who sleep 6-7 hours a night lived longer than those sleeping less than 4-5 hours.
5. It could keep you on the straight and narrow
If you are a child, that is. The depression and low self-esteem often associated with just being a teenager actually correlate with sleep shortage. And young kids who sleep poorly are more than twice as likely to take to drink and drugs in adolescence.
Courtesy: RD Health, Reader’s Digest, January 2006, p.162
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
How not to be a Workaholic
Do you eat, sleep and breathe work, weekends and holidays included? Do you find anything besides work a waste of time? If yes, then you are a workaholic, and the sooner you realize it the better.
Love vs Addiction
Don’t confuse a genuine love of work with an addiction. Work addicts suffer withdrawal symptoms if detached from their job and find that work alone defines and controls their self-esteem, public image and well-being.
Family vs Work
Workaholics are detached from the emotional concerns of the rest of the family. While critical of every detail of housekeeping, they are reluctant to help with chores, because it takes them away from their “real” work.
Health Hazards
Workaholics are often stressed out plodders, perpetually swamped in paperwork and routine chores. They are sitting candidates for heart disease and other physical and psychological problems.
The Cure
If your organization forces you to be a workaholic, get out while you can. Return to the hobbies of your youth. Renew old friendships and make new ones. Join a group or club that shares your interests.
Be Realistic
If you equate relaxation with idleness, a drastic change of pace will be hard at first. Ease yourself into a new lifestyle. Slow everything down. Take up something that does not immediately seem productive, like meditating or bird-watching.
Courtesy: Reader’s Digest, Feb.2006, p.175
Love vs Addiction
Don’t confuse a genuine love of work with an addiction. Work addicts suffer withdrawal symptoms if detached from their job and find that work alone defines and controls their self-esteem, public image and well-being.
Family vs Work
Workaholics are detached from the emotional concerns of the rest of the family. While critical of every detail of housekeeping, they are reluctant to help with chores, because it takes them away from their “real” work.
Health Hazards
Workaholics are often stressed out plodders, perpetually swamped in paperwork and routine chores. They are sitting candidates for heart disease and other physical and psychological problems.
The Cure
If your organization forces you to be a workaholic, get out while you can. Return to the hobbies of your youth. Renew old friendships and make new ones. Join a group or club that shares your interests.
Be Realistic
If you equate relaxation with idleness, a drastic change of pace will be hard at first. Ease yourself into a new lifestyle. Slow everything down. Take up something that does not immediately seem productive, like meditating or bird-watching.
Courtesy: Reader’s Digest, Feb.2006, p.175
Monday, January 21, 2008
A Thought for Today : January 21, 2008
I know but one freedom and that is the freedom of the mind - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
Facts & Figures-17 : Our India-1
* 38% doctors in America are Indians.
* 12% of Scientists in America are Indians.
* 36% of NASA Employees are Indians.
* 34% of Microsoft employees are Indians.
* 28% of IBM employees are Indians.
* 13% of Xerox employees are Indians.
Courtesy: 'Yuva Bharati', English monthly from Chennai, July 2001
* 12% of Scientists in America are Indians.
* 36% of NASA Employees are Indians.
* 34% of Microsoft employees are Indians.
* 28% of IBM employees are Indians.
* 13% of Xerox employees are Indians.
Courtesy: 'Yuva Bharati', English monthly from Chennai, July 2001
A Thought for Today : January 20, 2008
Truth is confirmed by inspection and delay; falsehood by haste and uncertainty - Tacitus
My Album-10: "Tower of Lord Shiva's Temple at Paganeri"
Yet another photo clicked by my son using his Nokia N70m. Taken on Pongal day, January 15, 2008.
Life, Death and Consciousness
What is death? Is there life after death? Where is consciousness? And can science find the soul?
….Today, medical advances have allowed doctors to resuscitate people who in earlier times would have been irretrievably dead. In effect, medical intervention has pushed back what we call death….Nobody anticipated the number of patients who would come back with ….tales of out-of-body experience, travels down tunnels and encounters with angels or deceased loved ones. This phenomenon has labelled ‘near-death experience’ (NDE).
At first, all doctors dismissed such reports. The conventional medical explanation was hallucination, brought on by changes in the dying brain. Yet there was a problem with this interpretation. Such hallucinations could only occur if the brain maintained some function. One flat lined, the brain would be roughly analogous to a computer with its power source unplugged and its circuits detached. It could not hallucinate; it could not do anything at all.
That apparent paradox – that perceptions occur during NDEs when there is no functioning brain through which to perceive them – has scientists, theologians and ordinary folks groping for answers.
Such experiences should simply not happen if currently accepted scientific theories about life, death and consciousness are accurate. The NDE, some argue, should move science to make room for the possibility of a soul.
…..
While most medical researchers would not be caught dead uttering the word soul, some find the idea that NDEs are triggered by a failing brain to be inadequate. They speculate that NDEs may be evidence, not of an afterlife, but something as stunning: CONSCIOUSNESS DOES NOT SOLEY RESIDE IN THE BRAIN.
In a study published in December 2001 in the British Medical Journal, The Lancet, Dutch cardiologist Pim van Lommel recounts the NDE of a clinically-dead, 44-year old cardiac arrest victim. He was rushed by ambulance to a hospital where doctors restarted his heart with defibrillators. A nurse removed the man’s dentures so a breathing could be inserted in his throat. Once stable, the man was moved to intensive care.
A week later the man saw the nurse who had removed his false teeth and recognized her – though during their only prior encounter, his condition had ranged from coma to clinical death.
“You took my dentures out of my mouth,” he told the nurse, and went on to accurately describe other details he claimed his disembodied self had viewed.
In an attempt to the gauge the frequency of NDEs, van Lommel and his fellow researchers interviewed 343 others who had suffered cardiac arrest and survived. “18% have a story of a very clear consciousness,” van Lommel says. These patients described everything from a general feeling of peace to full-fledged NDEs.
A study by British researchers published in the journal, Resuscitation, found that 11% had memory recall of the unconscious period. 6% of those resuscitated after cardiac arrest reported NDEs. Both van Lommel and the British researchers believe that these findings suggest consciousness could exist in the absence of a functioning brain. “You can compare the brain to a TV set,” says van Lommel. “The TV program is not in your TV set.”
So where is consciousness? Is it in every cell of the body?
“I think so,” says van Lommel. “We know that each day, 50 billion cells die.” He points out that intensive cell turnover means that, eventually, almost all the cells that make up “me” or “you” are new. And yet we don’t perceive ourselves as being any different from what we always were.
To van Lommel, it follows that “there must be a kind of communication between all your cells”. In other words, all your cells – not just brain cells, but trillions of others in muscle, skeleton, gut, skin and blood – “talk” to one another in a kind of network that keeps our experience of the consciousness going seamlessly even as billions of cell die and billions of other are produced. If that is so, then those cells still alive when someone is declared brain-dead may perceive events that are otherwise inexplicable.
That hypothesis may lead us away from the interpretation of NDEs as evidence of an afterlife. But it opens up fascinating horizons and a Pandora’s box of its own.
What does it mean if the mind persists after the brain is dead? Should we, for instance, rethink the harvesting of organs for transplant from the “brain-dead”? The NDEs force us to re-examine questions we thought we had the answers to: What is death? Where is consciousness? And can science find the soul?
Excerpts from “Life after Death: The Scientific case for the human soul” by Anita Bartholomew, Reader’s Digest, October 200
….Today, medical advances have allowed doctors to resuscitate people who in earlier times would have been irretrievably dead. In effect, medical intervention has pushed back what we call death….Nobody anticipated the number of patients who would come back with ….tales of out-of-body experience, travels down tunnels and encounters with angels or deceased loved ones. This phenomenon has labelled ‘near-death experience’ (NDE).
At first, all doctors dismissed such reports. The conventional medical explanation was hallucination, brought on by changes in the dying brain. Yet there was a problem with this interpretation. Such hallucinations could only occur if the brain maintained some function. One flat lined, the brain would be roughly analogous to a computer with its power source unplugged and its circuits detached. It could not hallucinate; it could not do anything at all.
That apparent paradox – that perceptions occur during NDEs when there is no functioning brain through which to perceive them – has scientists, theologians and ordinary folks groping for answers.
Such experiences should simply not happen if currently accepted scientific theories about life, death and consciousness are accurate. The NDE, some argue, should move science to make room for the possibility of a soul.
…..
While most medical researchers would not be caught dead uttering the word soul, some find the idea that NDEs are triggered by a failing brain to be inadequate. They speculate that NDEs may be evidence, not of an afterlife, but something as stunning: CONSCIOUSNESS DOES NOT SOLEY RESIDE IN THE BRAIN.
In a study published in December 2001 in the British Medical Journal, The Lancet, Dutch cardiologist Pim van Lommel recounts the NDE of a clinically-dead, 44-year old cardiac arrest victim. He was rushed by ambulance to a hospital where doctors restarted his heart with defibrillators. A nurse removed the man’s dentures so a breathing could be inserted in his throat. Once stable, the man was moved to intensive care.
A week later the man saw the nurse who had removed his false teeth and recognized her – though during their only prior encounter, his condition had ranged from coma to clinical death.
“You took my dentures out of my mouth,” he told the nurse, and went on to accurately describe other details he claimed his disembodied self had viewed.
In an attempt to the gauge the frequency of NDEs, van Lommel and his fellow researchers interviewed 343 others who had suffered cardiac arrest and survived. “18% have a story of a very clear consciousness,” van Lommel says. These patients described everything from a general feeling of peace to full-fledged NDEs.
A study by British researchers published in the journal, Resuscitation, found that 11% had memory recall of the unconscious period. 6% of those resuscitated after cardiac arrest reported NDEs. Both van Lommel and the British researchers believe that these findings suggest consciousness could exist in the absence of a functioning brain. “You can compare the brain to a TV set,” says van Lommel. “The TV program is not in your TV set.”
So where is consciousness? Is it in every cell of the body?
“I think so,” says van Lommel. “We know that each day, 50 billion cells die.” He points out that intensive cell turnover means that, eventually, almost all the cells that make up “me” or “you” are new. And yet we don’t perceive ourselves as being any different from what we always were.
To van Lommel, it follows that “there must be a kind of communication between all your cells”. In other words, all your cells – not just brain cells, but trillions of others in muscle, skeleton, gut, skin and blood – “talk” to one another in a kind of network that keeps our experience of the consciousness going seamlessly even as billions of cell die and billions of other are produced. If that is so, then those cells still alive when someone is declared brain-dead may perceive events that are otherwise inexplicable.
That hypothesis may lead us away from the interpretation of NDEs as evidence of an afterlife. But it opens up fascinating horizons and a Pandora’s box of its own.
What does it mean if the mind persists after the brain is dead? Should we, for instance, rethink the harvesting of organs for transplant from the “brain-dead”? The NDEs force us to re-examine questions we thought we had the answers to: What is death? Where is consciousness? And can science find the soul?
Excerpts from “Life after Death: The Scientific case for the human soul” by Anita Bartholomew, Reader’s Digest, October 200
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