Showing posts with label Murali Sivaramakrishnan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Murali Sivaramakrishnan. Show all posts

March 12, 2013

Never trust a man who dyes his hair

Tweets 21 hrs - Savitri Era Party ‏@SavitriEraParty [in defending ethical revaluation while ... advocating compassionate giving and the prevention of wrongdoing, Śāntideva remains consistent.] 22 hrs [Latour may be a bit flippant at times, but his point is certainly not to “do everything he can to deny enchantment"] http://footnotes2plato.com/2013/03/10/reflections-on-latour-tarnas-and-the-misenchantment-of-the-world … 22 hrs [By contrast, others’ wrongdoing is beneficial to us, because it can help produce patient endurance.] #Śāntideva http://loveofallwisdom.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/lele-dissertation.pdf … 22 hrs [Property & personal relationships, things we would normally take as goods, are actually harmful to our flourishing, because of attachment.] 22 hrs [Ethical Revaluation in the Thought of Śāntideva - A dissertation by Amod Jayant Lele] http://loveofallwisdom.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/lele-dissertation.pdf … (pdf) - http://loveofallwisdom.com/2013/03/why-you-can-read-my-dissertation-on-this-site/ … 23 hrs [Towards a Spiritual Aesthetics of the Environment: Quality, Space, and Being in Sri Aurobindo’s Savitri, ISLE Vol.18, Issue 2, Spring 2011] 24 hrs [Those who are other-focused are happier... Happier people are more successful — and that’s causal, not correlative.] http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/09/what-6-steps-should-be-guiding-your-career/ … Mar 11 - doubtinggaurav ‏@doubtinggaurav Never trust a man who dyes his hair.  Retweeted by Savitri Era Party Mar 11 - Harsh Madhok ‏@hmadhok It is our desire to cling to the past while grabbing at the future which has made the present too complicated.  Retweeted by Savitri Era Party  Mar 11 Savitri Era Party ‏@SavitriEraParty At SELF our slogan is "Be Selfish" ... Judgment failures occur as a result, and our vigil for "Self-interest" skids. http://savitriera.blogspot.in/2008/08/one-should-have-nose-for-what-is-good.html … Mar 11 [Smith said humans have the power of reasoning... Self-interest is far more complex than rationality.] -Gavin Kennedy. http://adamsmithslostlegacy.blogspot.com/2013/03/for-new-readers-of-adam-smiths-moral.html … Mar 10 [For Heidegger, by contrast, conscience is not God talking to me, but me talking to myself] Simon Critchley 20 July 2009 http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2009/jul/20/heidegger-being-time-critchley … -  View summary Mar 10 Racing round the universe riding on a mouse: The meditative mode of blogging - by Tusar N. Mohapatra http://savitriera.blogspot.in/2009/07/racing-round-universe-riding-on-mouse.html … Om Sri Aurobindo Mar 9 -Vivek Dehejia ‏@vdehejia To label those opposed to Modi's Wharton visit as "Indian sepoys" does no credit to Rajiv Malhotra nor his arguments. http://huff.to/13I9Qdc   Retweeted by Savitri Era Party -  View summary - Mar 10 kittu reddy ‏@kitturd http://wp.me/s3bTx3-182  via @wordpressdotcom Sri Aurobindo on ancient indian polity  Retweeted by Savitri Era Party  View media Mar 10 Sri Aurobindo admits the debt of materialism for making us free from superstitious beliefs http://selforum.blogspot.in/2010/06/sri-aurobindo-admits-debt-of.html … Savitri Era Learning Forum Mar 9 Savitri Era Party ‏@SavitriEraParty Being pushed, willy-nilly, towards Hindutva camp is another danger @RajivMessage either overlooks or underestimates. http://savitriera.blogspot.com/2013/02/rajiv-malhotra-vis-vis-raja-rammohan-roy.html?showComment=1362841178423#c5506374844487270099 … Mar 9 Savitri Era Party ‏@SavitriEraParty [we must first become a nation of individual citizens, multi-hyphenated, yes, but also equal in the eyes of the law.] http://www.firstpost.com/politics/the-fake-debate-communal-modi-fanboys-vs-sickular-commies-623991.html … - View summary Mar 9 [Confused liberals in India mix up classical liberalism, secularism and nationalism – and end up practising none of them.] @minhazmerchant Mar 9 [Ananthamurthy imposes a misleading mix of existentialism and the Marxist conception of society] -Sandeep Balakrishna http://themusepaper.blogspot.in/2013/03/ananthamurthy-imposes-misleading-mix-of.html … Mar 9 IIT Delhi workshop on Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit by Prof John Russon and Prof Shannon Hoff (Canada) on 11th March 2013 (10 am: MS 610) Mar 9 santosh krinsky ‏@santoshk1 Karma Is a Law of Spiritual Evolution http://wp.me/pCLXM-1qy  via@wordpressdotcom  Retweeted by Savitri Era Party  View summary Mar 8 [Sri Aurobindo and Tyagaraja attempt to capture the bliss of spiritual experience & unison.] -Murali Sivaramakrishnan http://themusepaper.blogspot.in/2013/03/sri-aurobindo-and-tyagaraja-are.html … Mar 8 db Debashish Bose ‏@db_DelAlpha @kshetragnya They are different persons, Aurobindo is a visionary willing to believe and try, Nirad C is a chronicler and commentator  Retweeted by Savitri Era Party  View conversation Mar 8 Savitri Era Party ‏@SavitriEraParty [a person who is attuned to Sri Aurobindo’s consciousness just falls in love with his writing style.] by Sandeep http://selforum.blogspot.in/2013/03/postmodernism-requires-maturity-and.html … 9 hrs Hostilities between the Israelis and the Palestinians too will be resolved one day through the Savitri Era Religion. http://savitriera.blogspot.in/2008/02/hostilities-between-israelis-and.html … 9 hrs Sri Aurobindo admits the debt of materialism. Postmodernism requires maturity. History-mythology. Auroville to Esalen http://selforum.blogspot.com/ 

Humans are not isolated in their self alone.  They act in social settings with other people and also have memories.  They live today in settings where the majority of people nearby are anonymous, not relatives or friends. (The ‘company of strangers’ was a great title recently).  In a small hunter/scavenger and gathering band they knew everybody intimately… We share by giving in order to legitimise our expectation of getting at some time in the future… The share motive (so-called altruism) was accompanied by the expectation of reciprocation in due course, and punished by exclusion from sharing in future (witnessed by Dunbar and observed by people today in work situations and, indeed in families). This simple facet of exchange by reciprocation is experienced today in inter-personal relations in the workplace, including university faculties (!) and is an element of behaviour relevant in developing influence among fellow employees. 

“So, my libertarian devotees of evolutionary psychology, you can’t have it both ways.  If feminism is wrong to think we can and/or should resist the dispositions that evolution has given us, then why is it wrong for defenders of the classical liberal order to think we can and/or should resist those dispositions when it comes to our evolved instincts toward the morality of socialism?  Or put the other way around:  if resisting our evolved moral instincts and obeying the rules of just conduct work to generate a civilized, cooperative economic order, why should gender issues be any different?” That is from Steve Horwitz.

Quotation of the Day…  from Cafe Hayek by Don Boudreaux … is from page 190 of Richard Posner’s 1995 volume, Overcoming Law:
“We all have the weaknesses of our strengths.  It is hardly a surprise that people who have powerful intellects tend to have an exaggerated faith in the power of intellect to solve social problems.  It is the same perspectival deformity that leads intellectuals to model democracy as a form of intellectual discussion or to set freedom of thought and debate far above economic freedom.”

(title unknown) from Routledge India Originals's Facebook Wall ~ The Democratic Predicament: Cultural Diversity in Europe and India Edited by: Jyotirmaya Tripathy and Sudarsan Padmanabhan, Rs 895, Pages: 366. Both India and Europe have been undergoing a difficult process of negotiating cultural, religious and ethnic diversity within their democratic frameworks....

It is a quite natural tendency of human nature to fixate on one issue to the exclusion of others. The mind, as a dividing and analyzing instrument, tends toward exclusive concentration. So it is easy to understand that when we once focus on the ethical principle, that it may be viewed as the “categorical imperative” of our human nature.
Sri Aurobindo acknowledges the role of the ethical principle, but he also puts it in context with other aspects of our nature that equally call for fulfillment. There are the seeking for knowledge, the seeking for beauty and harmony, the seeking for Oneness which also represent aspects of our nature.
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Location: Shipra Riviera, Indirapuram, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh 201014, India

March 08, 2013

Postmodernism requires maturity and ability not to be bothered by confusion

If we can and must be severe critics of the Enlightenment, it is Enlightenment which has empowered us to be so (Terry Eagleton, Ideology of the Aesthetic, 8).

Such an agglomeration of disparate names and terms may confuse a person who is keen to know what Postmodernism is all about, but again, such confusion need not weigh too heavy on him as the very spirit of postmodernism requires of him maturity and ability not to be bothered by confusion. “Perhaps to grow up,” writes Patricia Waugh, “ is to live suspended between the modern and the postmodern, resisting the temptation for resolution in one direction or the other” (9). Posted by Dharanidhar at 4:38 PM Thursday, February 14, 2013

Yes, it baffles me too. These opinions seem to emanate from “scholars” whose heads are loaded with complex literary theories. By contrast, a person who is attuned to Sri Aurobindo’s consciousness just falls in love with his writing style.

yes, there are some who continue to feel their presence and guidance. The contact is often fleeting and prone to distortions of the human mind so one has to be careful not to overinterpret and get excited about it.

The advice Sri Aurobindo gave varied depending on the individual. Generally speaking, those who are over-eager for experiences are asked to ignore them, while those who can get fruitful guidance from them are asked to pay attention

Jason, I am not implacably opposed to comparative mysticism. Its just that sometimes people draw spurious conclusions based superficial similarities. The Taoist-Vallar similarities could be possibly due to the spread of Buddhism in China.

It is difficult to learn meditation from a blog and more generally, over the Internet. The answer I provide to your questions could be wrong since I can’t perceive your personality. You need to start with some local guidance. At the least, you could visit the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry and buy the booklets by M.P. Pandit on meditation. That will answer many of the basic questions you are raising here.

As I already said, there is no instant Enlightenment. There will be ups and downs in the spiritual path. This piecemeal Q&A is not going to be helpful to you or me. You need to find a teacher who can teach you a specific method. You should enroll for a meditation course somewhere and go from there. Try the Vipassana course at http://www.dhamma.org or ask around for someone who can teach you.

You have to keep at it. Saints are not created in one day.

It may take several years before you see any positive effect. You have to practice without expectations. One must give up the mercantile attitude and practice solely out of love for the Divine. The Divine does not reveal itself to those who practice specific methods; rather, it reveals itself to those who are psychologically mature – who are kind, compassionate, selfless and live with equanimity and self-control. You might like to read this article on Obsessive-Compulsive spirituality

Just because she made some remarks does not imply that we should also study the topic with our rational mind. Her remarks came from a different plane of realization and may have been appropriate at that time in the presence of certain people who needed to know. The discussion may not be relevant today with a different audience… There are three points I can make on this topic:
1) Some of that information which has been recorded is probably hearsay… 2) She made contradictory remarks on the importance of past lives. At one point in her spiritual path, she was interested in them but later lost interest in the topic. WE have to determine what is good for us at this point in time… 3) She made remarks from a certain plane of realization. Unless we have reached the same plane of realization, it is a distraction to discuss past lives because we don’t really KNOW what we are talking about. We might as well discuss some imaginary nonsense.

Knowing one’s past incarnations might help but how does it help to know who Sri Aurobindo or the Mother were in their past lives? We were debating the value of the latter.

That is one aspect I never discuss on this blog because I think it is a needless distraction. The mind always hungers for more and more trivial facts and the adventurous vital loves to indulge in speculation. How does it matter who they were before? See my comment on a different blog post on this matter

The Mother’s remarks have no citation from the Collected Works either. It is astonishing that Roy Posner is publishing such unverified exaggerations on his website. Anyway, can’t waste time on such nonsense.

The human mind is intimately tied to the emotional being, so there will be days when all theories will seem false and nothing in the world will make sense. These phases of disillusionment disappear only when the Self (Atman) is found and the mind becomes quiescent. Until then, these theories and discussions are just a temporary support. Acceptance of reincarnation is not a prerequisite for the spiritual journey.

Don’t worry if you don’t understand what’s written on this page. Whether the Gods exist or not is of no relevance to the novice. As you develop deeper understanding of your inner movements, you will begin to understand everything else. Spiritual development is like an growing and ascending spiral, which starts from a bright point and gradually envelopes and illumines the surrounding areas.
In the beginning, one must focus on psychology (how should I live?) rather than ontology (what exists out there?). You have to read literature which motivates you to live better, which awakens introspection as well as the Atman within. If you have an affinity for Sri Aurobindo, start reading his works such as Savitri, Essays on the Gita, Life Divine, Synthesis of Yoga or the Letters on Yoga. It may take a few readings to grasp his texts but keep trying because its worth it.

There was a time when I also had the same problem. This happens to everybody. We find it difficult to withdraw from the physical world because Rajas and Tamas have taken hold of the consciousness. Our consciousness is loaded with the residual vasanas gathered from many movies, bad eating habits, too much chatting, foolish friends, etc…  If there are too many thoughts, you should meditate with open eyes. Fix the eyes on the wall or on some imaginary horizon. This prevents the thoughts from running amok.

Concentrating on a video game generally makes the mind dull (exceptions can be made for flight-training programs). A game is a repetitive task where the mind does not rise above its rational level and remains self-absorbed. Concentrating on a difficult math problem or composing a piece of music/poem is qualitatively different because it raises and widens your consciousness above your body.
The simple definition of addiction is a habit that you can’t break easily. Most video games seem to trap you into a dazzling screen replete with exciting sensory stimulations. I would say its similar to an self-absorbed reading of a sexually-titillating novel from start to finish. Both are forms of concentration but they lead to no elevation of consciousness.

I am not really good at moderating so its hard to decide what to edit or delete. Maybe we should just stop the discussion here, because it has veered off the course.

It weakens nationalism and promotes internationalism. Peter Berger in his book “Many Globalizations” says people develop layered identities. On the inside, they remain attached to their birth culture while on the outside, they adopt the global consumer culture.

What gets quickly absorbed in India is the glamorized version of the American lifestyle as seen in sitcoms like “Friends” that run on television. The strict legal framework that underpins American society takes time to disseminate. 

They get educated in Western theories of feminism, post-modernism, etc. and then proceed to regurgitate and propagate those theories during their work. They have been taught that the West had to reject Christian dogma in order to become modern. Therefore, they assume that India must also reject Hindu tradition and become immoral in order to modernize. This is a false equivalence. Hinduism is not a religion in the sense of Christianity. In Hinduism, our lifestyle must be based on the theory of Trigunas (Sattwa, Rajas, Tamas). One must choose activities which are Sattwic in order to illumine the consciousness. It is ironic that at a time when Indian spirituality is creating a new wave of American Brahmins, American sexuality is being exported to India and creating a new breed of Indian Sudras. Two-way traffic indeed!

I was attempting to capture some of the thinking which has led to the current state. No theory can be general enough to cover the entire population of a country.

The American worldview is more practical and even Darwinian, I might add… OTOH, the Indian worldview is predominantly teleological. You are told that marriages are made in heaven, or that couples continue to meet across incarnations. That is why people stress marriage and consult horoscopes to determine compatibility and karmic connections.

After ridiculing Indian arranged marriages for many decades, American “experts” are now finding that such marriages can work!

Yes, when India was struggling, people were cynical and denounced their country, but as society prospers, people regain pride in their country because they need an identity and culture around which they can build their achievements. We observe the same phenomenon in Turkey and China.

This is the Western model that Indians currently want to emulate. Large sections of India is currently enamoured by the desire to mimic the American lifestyle. There is lot of money flowing into the country and this has boosted people’s aspirations. They want to “act white“, to use African-American slang.

They both participated in the agitation which broke out after the 1905 partition of Bengal. Tagore was a sensitive poet who recoiled from the prospect of violence which arose out of mass resistance, while Sri Aurobindo was a fiery nationalist who was not afraid to shed the blood of the British in order to gain freedom.

The object of Yoga is to become the Object! As Jiddu Krishnamurti said: “The observer is the observed”.

Generally speaking, it is a good habit to remember and provide citations… Lastly, on a public forum, one has to become immune to misunderstandings and occasional abuse, so don’t worry about any allegations against you

A note on India from kitturd
Today the country is going through a churning process with different and opposite ideas claiming to guide the future of the nation. Some of these ideas are:  ancient values versus modern values, the role of woman in society, secularism and spirituality, violence and non-violence and so on. Different groups espouse different positions and a conflict has arisen. In this context this what Sri Aurobindo writes: […] It should be our duty to find out these fundamental motives or essential idea-forces and this inner commanding vision for our nation. This is urgent and the immediate need for India. Let us ponder on these deeply. Kittu Reddy

S´raddha - Sri Aurobindo Ashram PDF Nov 24, 2012 – Involution And Evolution: Some Conceptual Issues In The Contexts Of Indian Discourses - Murali Sivaramakrishnan
In a land like India with its heterogeneous culture and chequered history, the narratives linking place and humans are innumerable, couched in diverse perceptions and points of view, and filtered through multiple discourses over a long period of time. Geographically, historically and geo-psychically, Indian narratives afford pluralistic and complex readings. Philosophy, religion and poetry have a deep history in this part of the world, as much as oppression, domination, and ideologies of resistance and subversions. 7:57 pm
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Location: Shipra Riviera, Indirapuram, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh 201014, India
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