Imagine
Kindling our Highest Dreams
Essays and Poems on:
The Spirituality/Religion divide and a One World Philosophy
By Imran Ali Namazi
Photo from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two_Trees_of_Valinor
Edition 1 - begun December 2019
Imagine: Kindling our Highest Dreams Back Cover (21 Dec 2019)
In this [ever expanding] ebook, I, Imran Ali Namazi will compile (with synopsis) my various thoughts on Religion and the One World Philosophy - an idea so powerful - for its time has come!
I’m hoping to complete it by October 15th 2020, fully 2 months after the 148th birthday of my preceptor. His speech in 1947 being the main source of my inspiration for writing on these topics.
I used to quote a lot, and though Series B is devoid of quotes (and frozen), I will do so once again in Series A, but this time with proper synopsis and my giving background on why I am quoting that particular movie or book.
Pirsig’s Metaphysics of Quality helped me realize the powerful divide between static and dynamic quality which I started applying to religion (post October 2013). I do still hate our petty divisive stereotypes but am being told that only when “infused by love” (title of my 2nd series of poems), will we realize the right spirit in which to deal with these “sub-humans”.
There is much wisdom to be found in the Old Vedic Teachings and though sometimes my writing may appear “Pro Hinduism”, the 2 are not to be confused. These 2 articles - Mission of India and SA’s Uttarpara Speech may shed some light on this important difference. So when I have a section on the religion page for Hinduism, it is this Im referring to “it is a thing that has not so much to be believed as lived” and “that wider Hinduism which is not a dogma or combination of dogmas but a law of life, which is not a social framework but the spirit of a past and [future]] social evolution”
Feeling much “sadness at the awful squanderings of time and life on our pettinesses and ignorance”, I strongly believe we should “take words like those sung to that Lady in Black, for in them is the key to release from our mutual conflict” (see Oct 2013 post).
Last year, I conceived the acronym IDEAS - Institute for the Development of Effective Applications of Spirituality. The legacy site has quotes/stories from various spiritual sources, any who knows maybe there will someday be an interfaith building that bears its name!
A pantheist/pluralist, I’m a mix of Shia and Iyer blood with a Catholic (I use this word to mean all embracing) outlook on life. I believe in rebirth (like my prayer) and support the ideologies of the Universal Life Church.
Table of Contents
51 Jump (Take a LEAP of Faith) - 25 Dec 2019
52 - Wall of Love - 8 Mar 2020
54 - Eid Mubarak - 24 May 2020
Cascade D (Inspired by Quotes / Curations)
50 - Get Going (#217) - 3 May 2020 - for Ali
49 - Holy Night (#210) - 9 Apr 2020 - In Ramzan (Being Prayerful)
48 My Will (#209) - 6 Apr 2010 - for Roger Waters
47 - Connected (#207) - 26 Mar 2020
46 - Warriors (#199) - 8th March 2020, from Imagine
45 - Dawn (#189) - 1st Feb 2020 - for MSA
44 - America (#187) for Gary and Alabama, 12 Jan 2020
43 - Stillness (#180) - 21st Dec 2019 - For Hans Wilhelm
42 - Mountains (#178) - 13th Dec 2019
41 - Song of Life (#177) - 5th Dec 2019 - For Life
40 - Almost Paradise (#176) - 4th Dec 2019 - For U
39 God in [the] Indian belief system - 15 Sep 2019
37 Inextricably Linked - 13 Sep 2019
36 Dear Modern Religious Critic - 27th Aug 2019
35 The Neverending Story - article, 13th June 2019
35 Thanksgiving (#139) - 3rd June - for Life
34 Disruptive Republic - 1st Jun 2019
33 Fantastic Four, (poem) - May 27th 2019
32 Fresh Air, (poem) - 23rd May 2019 - for Simon
31 Planetary Healing, (poem) - 26th Apr 2019 - For Simon
30 Truth Beauty, (poem) - 12th Apr 2019 - for Biraja
29 Fight, (poem) - 12th Apr 2019 – for Simon
28 Enough, (poem) - 12th Apr 2019 – for Simon
27 Fight, (poem) - 30 Mar 2019
26 Wie Lieben Dich, (poem) - 20th March 2019
25 Bless Us Father, 28 Dec 2018
24 Plug Away, (poem) Dec 12th 2018
23 Wake up, (poem) 5th + 11th Dec 2018
22 Love Our Nature (poem) - 16th Sep + 26th Oct 2018
21 Independance Day - 14th Aug 2018
19 Dear Fellow Human - 16th July 2018
18 Turn That Page, (poem) 6th June 2018
17 Field of Truth - poem on Religion - 13 Mar 2018
16 Feeling for Others (Orig Video) - 1st May 2018
15 Truth Alone Triumphs (Our Values), 1 Mar 2018
13 You and the Other - Poem on Guidance - 9th Sep 2017
12 Are good people good enough? circa Sep 1 2017
9 Teeming With Life – poem on How, 12 March 2017
8 For Queen and Country, 29 Dec 2015
6 The YieldMore Charter – (Fictionalized Future) - 14 Aug 2015
5 Reconciling Quality - Essay on Religion - 13th Aug 2015
4 Dear Brother - Fictionalized Future - 10th Aug 2013
3 Reminders to Advance the Soul - Essay - 23rd Jan 2013
2 Tripping. Shasa, Feb 22 2005
1 Religious Appeal - Letter on Harmony - Feb 2005
Series A - Freeform
(Written post December 2020, Series A is [will be] heavily edited and reworked, unlike Series B which remains frozen in time)
Cascade A
51 Jump (Take a LEAP of Faith) - 25 Dec 2019
In no other area do we clash as furiously as on the subject of religion. However, as they say, "The true office of religion is to bring out the whole nature of man in harmonious activity". It is also true that "while religion prescribes brotherly love in the relations among individuals and groups, the actual spectacle more resembles a battlefield than an orchestra.".
So why this way off the mark difference between intention and reality? Because the stories we tell our children about their faith are, to outward appearances, different from religion to religion, sect to sect.. and because everyone is convinced that for their story to be right, everyone else’s story has to be wrong or to quote a seer "other systems are either errors or saved only by such partial truth in them as links them to the one true philosophical cult".
That one true philosophical cult is ours, period. There our journey in closed mindedness begins. Fortunately, some of us are more open to new ideas than others.
I say we are like a class of swimmers learning to dive. We're on the diving platform and afraid to let go of our upbringing and its ways. We're afraid someone will find fault with our childhood beliefs and poof, we'll be left grasping at nothing. Some of us have already let go of our fears and accomplished the feat of diving.
I'm afraid of the water, afraid I can’t swim, afraid of being made fun of and afraid of all my pent up emotions. I lash out at someone down in the water below but of the two of us, who needs the support and nurturing more? Me, the guy who hasn’t yet made the leap of faith.
I implore you, o swimmers in the ocean of spirituality. That timid, afraid boy standing on the platform, fearful of letting go, embracing the water, could be your brother, son or mother. Be gentle with him. In the waters of religious pluralism, it’s not about who is right, but who can put aside their own convictions and embrace the one who differs vastly from them in their own beliefs. Welcome him, make him feel at home, let go his trepidations and MAKE THAT LEAP.
I took mine yesterday. I'm not so certain of my convictions anymore. I've newly made friends with very differing worldviews and we are not afraid to say we don't have all the answers.
We stand for liberty, geniality and thoughtfulness. Brother, I wish you well. Join us down here where we face the future together. It’s scary and cold on that platform. Close your eyes, push away the fears and JUMP.
52 - Wall of Love - 8 Mar 2020
It's only when we fail to love ourselves, our families and society that all the problem begins. Or when we love a different God than our neighbour.
So what are the causes for this failure? Bad examples around, past hurts and complexes, the media harping on all the wrong things instead of reminding us of our similarities, fixation on wealth or power, stress, vain pursuits and sometimes, sadly, religion - at least a wrong understanding of our's or someone else's.
Let us examine each of these in detail.
Bad examples by people can only mislead us when our own moral or social compass is off. Have we not felt good seeing or reading about the real heroes of the Earth - the ones that exhibit selfless love? Perhaps we spend too little time thinking of what makes us tick, allowing ourselves to become shallow and selfish? Let's replace this cold heartless exterior with a more giving and nurturing demeanour.
Past hurts were actually opportunities given to us to rise above the petty who inflicted sadness on us and learn the art of forgiveness and make us wonder what poverty of soul caused them to behave in that particular way. People who are "walls of love" or people who, by having been shown it, can understand and appreciate love seek to never hurt another person.
Complexes - we are all caught in entanglements with other individuals from past lives. Some of these lives have left us disoriented as they have been full of bad actions by people and groups of people influenced by negative forces that held sway over the 2400 year period that was the dark ages. Not to worry - the Dark Ages or Kali Yuga is now ended 320 years ago and we're beginning to feel the love radiating all around in this new age of illumination. The complexes and chinks of character can easily be weeded out with a little effort and positive action.
The media, for various reasons focuses little on giving us wholesome, inspiring information and those of us who have our guard down easily fall prey to their ignoble clutches. Not all the media I know, but I hold a large part of them complicit in the atrocities in this world.
Fixation on wealth or power - this may come from picking the wrong heroes, in a society that still values these above geniality and cameraderie. Wealth or power are not inherently wrong, but there are many who wield it to everyone's detriment.
Stress kills. Thats a proven statistic! And in the rat race that many of us are in, it's financial stress that causes a domino effect. A system that doesn't encourage everyone to find and develop their own skills and put them to use in a purposeful, inspired career will always produce unhappy people in the end. Thats where a lot of money is made, on destress techniques and self help books. Where is the open source information library full of useful techniques to use to remain happy that this world needs? Instead we have wikis for games where a lot of killing happens!
Vain or trivial pursuits will always betray us as shallow or superficial. These are to be avoided and again comes from either following the wrong heroes or worshipping the wrong ideals
In all of this and the other factors that rob us of a rich, artfully textured life, we are seemingly caught, but there are people who've found a well of love inside who lead by example and take the time to heal us as individuals and in groups. I salute them all! And some of us are seemingly down and out, spent and beaten but recovery is just around the corner and we're to become "walls of love" in our own right.
Love liberates. Absolute love liberates absolutely!
Is not religion all deeds and all reflection?
Why then do we focus on some trivial dissimilarities? Instead of embracing our brothers and sisters and asking them what of their religion inspires them, gives them the courage to go on and the impetus to be good.
I'm rather tired of propaganda-spewing pulpits and fraudulent religious leaders hogging the airspace and cyberspace.
There is no religion or religious principle that hasn't earnestly tried to increase our love for ourselves and our fellow creatures. So let's regain a rightful relation to our Makers and Saints, let go of this divisiveness and establish one RELIGION OF LOVE
53 Implore - 1 May 2020
I was reminded once again that Mohammed was the "last prophet".
I always took it as the "last prophet that needed to found a religion".
I believe the dark ages ended in 1700 and that Christianity and Islam are peculiar in that they were created to offer a "path to salvation" during the dark ages, which they did.
Hinduism isn't an "ism" in the typical sense but an ancient way of life that promoted a spiritual democracy. That's why it's not rigid, rather embraces all.
Prophet, seer, mystic, saint, enlightened one. All these are established in truth and this Earth constantly produces men and women of the finest moral caliber which we seem to venerate.
Whaț is important is to understand the commonalities of all the messages and scriptures and let each follower embrace the faith in his heart.
I believe in the end, we shall find that our paths were not all that dissimilar.
MESSAGE 54 - Eid Mubarak - 24 May 2020
https://imran.yieldmore.org/messages/
I urge you brothers and sisters as Eid ends and a new year continues, to look at all humanity with more kindness in your heart.
Remove the distrust and discord from your head and look to one another with benevolence and a gentle, genuine warmth.
Islam truly means peace and now that you have made it with yourself and your understanding of God, go now and let peace and love govern your words and deeds.
We have not much time on this planet so lets not spend it on unwholesome or vain pursuits. Let's use our every force to uplift and nurture.
The month spent in reflection should have given an opportunity for your true nature to spring forth. I hope you discovered a self that inspires you, that you are comfortable being and have no dissonance with.
Every religion has only contributed to the glory of the whole, so show your fellow being the true pious and charitable nature engrained in the Muslim mindset.
Take also the good from other teachings and live a life of virtue and benevolence. Every single soul, thought and action is magnified as the drops become an ocean, so do what your conscience dictates and continue to live an inspired, wonderful life.
Heroes and their Movements
At the zenith of its flow, the exodus was turned. A hundred different movements began that systemmatically and lovingly changed the status quo. The animal instincts were humanized and the human instincts were hallowed and heightened.
Not everyone understood all these changes as they happened, but a few who had led the exodus felt a deep stirring in their heart, and paid heed to counsels they had not heard before. Some here were given an instinct they trusted and maybe some inkling of the days to come, but only as in a dream, a promise of tomorrow, but one that had to be built.
Rejoice they did in their work, those reunited brothers and sisters. For they trusted in the sense of vision of things to come, and fretted not at the travails ahead for they knew the strength of their numbers, the numbers of their Bright Ones, and the effulgence of their Mother.
Cascade D (Inspired by Quotes / Curations)
IGNORE: On Contact
Synopsis: In this essay I will quote and respond to the movies “Contact” and “Inherit the Wind” and touch upon the work of Carl Sagan
http://www.flowersociety.org/mccaffrey-ellie.html
Ellie expresses vulnerability and her newfound faith in the unseen forces at play in the universe. “I had an experience…. I can’t prove it, I can’t even explain it… but everything I know as a human being, everything that I am tells me it was real. I was given something wonderful. Something that changed me forever…. A vision of the Universe that tells us undeniably how tiny and insignificant and how rare and precious we all are... A vision that tells us we belong to something that is greater then ourselves- that none of us are alone. I wish I could share that… I wish that everyone, if even for one moment could feel that awe and humility and hope.”
Series B - Frozen
(descending chronologically)
Cascade A
50 - Get Going (#217) - 3 May 2020 - for Ali
About: A way for humanity to solve the riddle of this world?
Take time to come to terms with the loss, grief and rage
But humanity adapt and think ahead as we turn the page
A new chapter has begun, we've reached a new milestone
Learn quickly what you may, there plenty of work to be done
Use your fresh perspective before the zombie takes over
Remember the important lesson to care for one another
We can achieve a lot if we stop feeling boggled by it all
We've been flogged and now our ego feels rather small
Take the problems floating around, take them by the balls
Think hard, there's not much time before the curtain falls
Remember how the Turing machine won a war before
We need to fix problems before they broach the shore
So crack teams need to be assembled, guided by love
Knowledgeable of the ways that God guides from above
The best way is to lead by example so remember be kind
Intervene till the lesson's clear in the wrongdoer's mind
Take a look to study those who've erred on the path
What acts of kindness brought them back, do the math
Use the media to magnify the Random Acts of Kindness
Then we'll have the beginning of a way out of this mess
49 - Holy Night (#210) - 9 Apr 2020 - In Ramzan (Being Prayerful)
About:
Another silent night passes, this one spent in prayer
A year older, my heart more careworn and frailer
All is calm, all is bright, lead us from dark to light
Let us remember to always fight the good fight
We remember you Lord in our trying times here on Earth
We ask you to receive tenderly those who lie in death
We ask you to give courage to those who survive
Give us strength to face hardship and yet thrive
You always implored us to follow faithfully our heart
To have courage to reach the finish once we start
Let's all start, becoming Divine for in us is the potential
To build here Heaven on Earth, build it especially well
We pray Lord to rise upon the wings of the eagles
To gather your bounty, fill our little cup with thrills
We're frail, and fleeting is our life but grant us this
To remember Thee, have always Thy name on our lips
We pray for family, friends and the souls of those gone
We seek to thrive upon your fertile land, watch the dawn
Light up the sky in shades of gray. We ask for your grace
And unerring aim as we rush forth to complete the race
POEM48 My Will (#209) - 6 Apr 2010 - for Roger Waters
About: Inspired by https://youtu.be/APsBr9kIPgI
It's so sad you had to kill and gouge and maim
It's time for you to meet my will, now berserk
I'm furious at you for surely driving us insane
It's time to lock you up, and get back to work
Life is wonderful, to see the sun in the morning
To hear the wind howl through the chimney
We want you to change but are still doubting
Whether there's love in your hearts for humanity
Selfless leadership is what we need to win the day
So join together and oust these clowns who rob us
Give us nothing but broken rocking horses* to play
In our time of need, let's will them away, no fuss
We see through your illusions and sleight of word
It's time you met our will which indeed shall prevail
I dont no how, the way seems unclear - but oh Lord
Your wrath shall make their ugliest designs fail
Can I show love to those devoid of love, filled with hate
Yes I can, but after I take from them the ability to maim
Let's act now, exercise our will before its too late
Be a force for good, concentrate and become the flame
* from the movie Inherit the Wind, 1960
POEM47 - Connected (#207) - 26 Mar 2020
About:
It's possible that we're all connected somehow
They say in 6 degrees, we cover all humanity
So on an evening while outside gathers snow
Look kindly and touch others through infinity
There's infinite ways we resemble each other
Our lives intermingle so lets always be kind
Show consideration to one who is a brother
Show love to our sisters too - keep in mind
We'll be judged for our actions in the hereafter
With time the bond that links us steadily grows
We're not meeting by chance, know that after
All, we planned to meet in these verdant meadows
So verdant they are that my heart is set a tingling
I feel a love emanating for all of God's creation
The night sky and silvery moon sets me singing
With the smell of Earth and Nature, I feel an elation
I touch my foot upon this fertile soil and feel our source
I see waves of light interweave as we cross paths
I wonder why do some of us have to be so coarse
I look within and know there's healing in our hearts
POEM46 - Warriors (#199) - 8th March 2020, from Imagine
About: Part of the Imagine series, meant to uplift
We are... warriors of light
Let go the nightmares of the night
A new day is dawning
Set your dreams a sprawling
Wake up and live ecstatic
Life can be most fantastic
Live it well - success is yours
Apply yourself to the passing hours
Dream with crystal clarity of a new day
Gather up all your courage up and say
We withdraw our consent from injustice
We will instead grow happy and wise
Warriors can be peaceful too you know
Planting seeds - patiently watching them grow
As a new found glory replaces the weeds of old
Our hearts are lightened - they're no longer cold
Can we realize a brighter future for one and all
Yes, our finest day is come when we can stand tall
Lets sow the seed of ceaseless toil and boundless love
Watch as our maker smiles with pride from heaven above
POEM45 - Dawn (#189) - 1st Feb 2020 - for MSA
About: Part of the Imagine Series, this one for Mirra Alfassa and Sri Aurobindo
Daily in this world I wish to see
Every last fellow creature set free
From the shackles of assumed limitations
Instead filled with delightful sensations
We're human which means we receive divinity
It slowly enters into the bones of me and thee
Worry not, its darkest only before dawn
Dance to the melody, fleet footed as a fawn
When daylight breaks, look up in utter glee
Burst into song, as you this world begin to see
In its true light, where love is what defines us
Where we give of our best without any fuss
Be a light to guide others through the dark
Lit from inside, a glimpse of that divine spark
Make no mistake, were headed for better times
Forget the nightmares, as the clock, 5am chimes
On this pristine world your blessing send, O Lord
We receive your shining light, it strikes a chord
That resonates at the core of our very being
Makes us dance and with merry voices sing
POEM44 - America (#187) for Gary and Alabama, 12 Jan 2020
The only country to have been settled after the dark ages
America stands apart, a caring one amidst history's bloody pages
How indeed the west was won, we know by men of utmost integrity
A culture of amalgamated religions and all groups of different ethnicity
How I love thy rocks and rills, thy woods and templed hills
The microcosm where unity is worked out as He wills
Where daily the fruit of positive action is offered to our Lord
And woven into His divine plan, for showing love you set a record
Sixty years since you taught us that all you need is love
Since war protests ended wars, for that end we all strove
We're on the brink of annihilation, on the day the Earth stands still
Lets flush out the negative toxins and exercise our collective will
You break down the cultural barriers, showing Angels Among Us
Pave the way to improve the human condition without a fuss
Lead us oh bough of Holly, let us our warped extremes let go
Help the world saturate on the madness of the freak show
Soon though for we tend to relive our nightmares - so not real
We want to choose our highest right, let go of this past ordeal [...]
It's over now, a warm nurturing future replaces our current misery
I said we'd do it, now it's time to tell our children a new story
POEM43 - Stillness (#180) - 21st Dec 2019 - For Hans Wilhelm
About: On meditation and finding the highs in life
While the dance goes on to music thats so loud
May we find some stillness, seated upon a cloud
Even if just a moments worth for Samadhi we seek
And find it for a fraction of a second while we sleep
With just that fraction we find beauty in this world
Some inner warmth to shut out nightmares so cold
That warmth spreads as gladness we do indeed find
As we still for a moment, our restless outer mind
Do I mean for you to meditate, yes indeed I do
I ask for you to think of good things, not a few
Remember gratitude for God's bounties that abound
As in wonder you walk along, listening for the sound
Of your indwelling spirit, may it possess you utterly
As you learn to skip along, so completely merrily
Rejoice as some do, those who've glimpsed the truth
That our maker in us dwells, so sink your last tooth
Into the wonder that is this life, sing along merrily
Forget the losses along the path, sing along gladly
Remember that in silence lies the potential of the morrow
Come rest you limbs in His arms, forget every sorrow
POEM42 - Mountains (#178) - 13th Dec 2019
#InternationalMountainDay #PoemsThatLongWistfully #PoemsThatIgnite
How I would love to leave the city, dwell upon a mountain
The mountains that beckoned to Niggle whilst he designed Eden
To pass beyond is all I seek, so let's live like Jeremiah Johnson
Perhaps in Europe, I'll visit Helagsfjallet in faraway Sweden
Or Mt Godwin Austen in India. On an eve with gentle snowfall
I'll mayhap trek the Pacific Trail and pass by Mt St Helens
Where once I cartwheeled in ecstacy, threw my first snowball!
How much longer will we despoil this Earth, must we be dense
And deaf to nature's call, deaf to hear the honk of a snowgoose
As she flaps her wings near a seashore in Wickaeldroth, England
Deaf to the cry of Babe Piglet as his footing he does loose
In panic to climb a hillside and find his family so grand
Join us as we start an #EcoDrive, build a veritable ship
Let's espouse the cause of Mother Nature, use some sense!
What worthier joy that that of accepting our Stewardship
and making this Ark to help us past our troubled adolescence
Why do we squander our capacities to love and give
We squabble and have such horrible nightmares, come on man
let's dream and walk together instead... let's forgive...
Walk as sunset falls, up the gentle slope of a Mountain
POEM41 - Song of Life (#177) - 5th Dec 2019 - For Life
Life is short you know, very short, so celebrate it madly
Make her do your bidding, love her wildly and gladly
Enjoy the lows as well - they make you appreciate the highs
It's all the way you look at it, part of the game of our lives
Play on, reach for the skies as the music rolls on
Don't stop, keep fighting till every summit is won
Let her leave you enthralled to find new joys each day
Don't let her frighten you, make you bereft of words to say
There's a kind of hush all over the world as we can hear
The sound of lovers and families and friends who bear
Testimony to the wonder of life, as warm and tenderly
They tread the winepress of life, loving her as she loves me
So what do I know of the highs and lows? I've seen my share
I've seen a mother show how tenderly she can give care
I've seen a poet among men robbed of his wonderful smile
We all share sorrows, look yonder at each other while
We go through the journey of life, give comfort if you can
Be strong for someone - do it - it'll make you a better man
Give life everything you got, always try to be strong
For through you, great beauty wakens into song
POEM40 - Almost Paradise (#176) - 4th Dec 2019 - For U
Sometimes when beaten to the brink of annihilation we find
A power within us, a connect with our Maker in heaven above
Gently He heals us, gives a purpose amidst the noise and grind
Makes us believe we can be happy again, peaceful as a dove
Why the suffering we ask, couldn't it have always been good
Why beat us senseless with acts of utterly moronic hate
We don't know where to go then suddenly a calm grips our mood
And we find its imperative to heal completely before its too late
With newfound faith in our hearts we look upward and see
A glimmering taste of paradise but then the vision is lost
Seemingly, until we remember Him and all that he causes to be
Almost Paradise and now its upto us to come to terms with the past
But how to let go so much pain and suffering, except with prayer
A daily gladness as we find new verses to sing in praise of Him
We feel sure His will will prevail, make us almost into a seer
For our constant remembrance gives us a power bright not dim
It nearly cost me my life to become the person I am today
Sweet as ever and that goodness I have is to share
With others whose faith in their maker ever holds sway
Please Lord, be gentle, show me your utmost care
Cascade B
39 God in [the] Indian belief system - 15 Sep 2019
The Shiva Linga is an atom so the polarities exist.
Q) If God is an atom then your God is bound by space
No when the polarities get together, creation is the outcome. We say simply God in English, but in India that word is used at various levels.
1) There is the one who is beyond creation called the Brahman from which the word Brahmin evolves. I believe a Brahmin is one devoted to evolving to that ultimate stage by daily reflecting on it.
brahma-brahman-brahmin-and-atman
This Brahman can be likened to Yahwe or Allah. It is gender less and sanctioner of creation. What the Gita in its final chapter calls Satchi or witness.
2) Then comes Purusha and Prakriti. Purusha means husband and Prakriti nature. The original duality.
3) Prakriti has 3 modes Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. Sattva denotes a quality of the divine, we can consider this as pure love. Rajas or dynamism and Tamas or ignorance/ inertia. These 3 are represented by the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. These 3 deities have as consorts Saraswathi, Lakshmi and Parvati.
4) God can also refer to Devas or Divine beings. Angels / Aliens if you prefer.
5) Atma or soul has Bhutatma (in mineral), Jivatma (in plant, animal or man) and Paramatma (transcendent soul)
Shiva linga is from the 3rd level and very much a part of the space-time continuum.
Shiva is considered the ultimate because another name for Purusha Prakriti is Shivam and Shakti.
You will find some Indian colouring in my list of 128 divine attributes.
38 God Again, 14 Sep 2019
Do we lose God in existence, or fulfil existence in God? Thus asked my guru Sri Aurobindo when he said, there are two paths set at the feet of the Yogin.
Fulfil implies there is still an opportunity to fill to the full. When we fill our lives with good things, we are acting in a manner we can believe will be pleasing to Him. When we do not, we are only delaying the happiness we will know when we realize His bounties and see the beauty in life. Thus unfolds his Lila - the cosmic play!
So what is God again?
Him that holds the stars in the palm of his hands... but also Him who is stuck here on the 3rd rock from the Sun, sitting with us on the bus to the countryside, who is in the rosary the firefighter kisses as he dashes of to be heroic, who is in the imaginary kangaroo of a girl named Anouk, who watches over us as we lay down to sleep and gently washes away the cares of the day and refreshes us with a spirit indomitable to plot in the grandeur of tomorrow.
Yes, he is there in our sad moments and our happy ones. He pervades all, sanctions all, witnesses all. The wise ones say that when the modes of nature attain equilibrium, we sense a new closeness to God. I would think of this as being in “flow state”, with just enough vigour and zest to meet our need. Need I say more?
His love is so high, we can’t get over it... Then why does he seem to abandon us? Let me tell u a secret, he never once abandoned us. We only cling more deeply to him when times are hard when all we need to do is accept life which flows all around us, with it's ups and downs. Here today, gone tomorrow.
Everything is transient, so embrace change, and as you become your better selves each day, try and remember He whose Divine Spark lies deep within your body, mind and psyche.
37 Inextricably Linked - 13 Sep 2019
legacy.yieldmore.org/express/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2019/09/20190914_025906.jpg
1.8 billion muslims, for the most part non violent. For the most part. But the violent ones are not really muslims in the true sense. The only violence required by any religion is in how we apply its principles rigorously to transforming ourselves into better human beings. 126 years ago, in Chicago, Swami Vivekananda said
“They have filled the earth with violence, drenched it often and often with human blood, destroyed civilization and sent whole nations to despair. Had it not been for these horrible demons, human society would be far more advanced than it is now. But their time is come; and I fervently hope that the bell that tolled this morning in honor of this convention may be the death-knell of all fanaticism, of all persecutions with the sword or with the pen, and of all uncharitable feelings between persons wending their way to the same goal.”
He was rather optimistic… but is his a gift of choice – which side do we choose to be on? Obviously not that of the fanatic. But for a man who doesn’t believe in the death sentence, can there be a path of love that’s reformative? That other powerful word which was MK Gandhi’s gift to humanity – ahimsa or non violence. How can I firmly, sternly and with love, help a brother put aside his mad ideas and mad ways? That no one religion or race is superior, that we must indeed “condemn the sin, not the sinner”.
Condemning the sin is important here and requires thinking through. Did 19 muslims take down the twin towers or was it 19 tormented souls that had been brainwashed a certain way by seeming “religious leaders”? Islam was only the tool or vocabulary being used to incite these “fanatics” to genocide.
I got into trouble last year during the pulwama attacks for suggesting we should mourn every Pakistani soldier lost since 1971. In principle this is true. Who are we that Indian soldiers only have families or comrades? War does not determine whose right or wrong, only whose left. And it’s to be hated in every form because it only brings out the worst in us.
So let’s not think of battles that reduce men to animals, so easy to begin and then impossible to end!
Let’s conquer our own ability to be polarized by the media, a media that rarely shows character, instead sensationalizing everything. Find someone you have fought with in the past and overcome that Ill feeling. Write letters to people “across the border”
I prefer to align myself to the hymn “make me a channel of your peace, where there is hatred let me bring your love, where there is injury your pardon lord, and where there’s doubt true faith in you”.
It's 52 years since the Beatles sang “all you need is love” and nearly 2 decades since Savage Garden said “forgiveness is the key to your own happiness”. So who did you forgive today? And what bridges are you building?
Remember, we are all wending our way to the same goal!
36 Dear Modern Religious Critic - 27th Aug 2019
While it is true that more people have been killed in the name of religion, it is also true that the true spirit of God maintains a living positive influence on our hearts.
Call the Divine what you will but there is certainly a force of Nature that exists beyond our minuscule understanding of the universe, ourselves and society.
Some say God, some exalt science and some say nature spirit or cosmic play.
I am here to help integrate all religions of the world, they are classified into:
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/sociology
I am here to tell you there is a pagan, an atheist and a believer in each of you.
When you realise that there needs be reform in religion and something more than a dogmatic spaghetti mess, the atheist in you speaks, trying to “crush these soiled card houses”.
When you see the multiplication of Gods in Hinduism, you wonder if they are polytheistic but then realise they submit to only one Brahman that transcends all. Brahman, not Brahma of the Trinity.
The pantheon of Greeks seems also confusing until you realise that there are indeed governing powers beyond this simple Earthly plane. When you read Tolkien’s creation myth (yieldmore.org/tolkien), you realise the confusing word GOD is used in multiple places to mean multiple things.
The Nihilistic buddhism only means God in the infinite sense. And for those who think buddhism is atheism, do remember that in Vedic Times, atheists were a well known and accepted part of society.
Pagans give obeisance to the natural forces, associating spirits or gods and goddesses with them.
I still fail to see what all the fuss or fighting is about? We live in a new age of enlightenment and need to STOP allowing dogma to divide us.
Its history that says remember the bad acts of the past and dogma and personal tastes that is used to drive the wedge of “religious differences”. No one religion, when understood correctly says to do bad, they only say, contemplate and let your conscience be your guide.
I began this essay talking of how sullied the word God has become because of constant association with violence and bloodshed. That’s extremist people who use a particular religion to suit their needs.
I believe we should rekindle in our collective minds the beauty of each religion in an attempt to throw away the hangovers of the past and BECOME AS ONE collective!
35 The Neverending Story - article, 13th June 2019
Life goes around in circles, but Angels wish us well. So, while circumambulating the centres of our various sources of our inspiration, what have we really learnt?
How do we disconnect from this overpowering wave of information that's designed to disrupt, distort and disconnect?
What happened to meaningful conversation, inspired reading and involved action. Faith, Hope and Charity? To build a life of service to the spirit of our very gods! To purify and sanctify the temple within our bodies and minds that our souls may live in a new age of illumination.
Why do we shy away from words like Yoga and Dharma? Yoga simply means union with our divine origins, and Dharma is the relentless pursuit of wisdom, truth and justice.
If the true office of religion is to bring out all of mankind in harmonious activity then why does the reality more resemble a battlefield than a symphony?
When will we stop squandering our talents and gifts on petty activities, sowing unhappiness, exploitation, plunder and warmongery?
What happened to the pursuit of happiness, creating safe communities, healing the wounded and omitting the negative? When will we recover from the hangovers of the past?
How soon can we manifest the Kingdom of Heaven and convince the religiously ignorant that it's not blasphemous to conspire to do do?
Let's rewrite new chapters of the neverending story as we go back to our childhoods and recreate a joyous atmosphere for all.
Let's put aside our differences and truly live as one family, whose cultural roots are deep and whose branches cover every square inch of this biosphere.
Let's help our brothers and sisters heal from all that life has thrown at them, giving them a place to regroup and rejuvenate.
Let's remember the Flame Imperishable, that divine spark or Jivatma in us all and build a life where every action is somehow a service to the grand originator of the universe.
Let's find more meaningful uses for technology and reduce our deleterious impact on nature.
Let's unleash our creative forces and sensibilities, harmonizing the skillful art and artful skill latent in us all.
Let's begin the next cosmological renaissance that will make ours a civilisation par excellence. A model of harmony with nature.
Let us serve as an army moving from place to place offering solace to those who endure continuous pain and suffering.
Let us be proud to call ourselves human, forgive each other our mistakes and really blossom into a wonderful world where we truly are the crowning glory of evolution.
POEM35 Thanksgiving (#139) - 3rd June - for Life
I thank you Father for being my beacon of hope and source of refuge.
For indulging my every desire and giving me a positive outlook on life.
For giving me some ability and the strong desire to put them to common use.
For friends who patiently encourage me as I try to make sense of the human equation.
For a contemplative nature and a keen sense of the profound.
For an eloquent tongue and a genuine interest in people.
For an unwavering faith in your providence.
For a soft side and a sensitive heart.
For the ability to see such inspiration all around.
For the artist's touch and the builder's vision.
For the protection from clutter and negativity.
For a deep love of nature and wonder at creation.
For a stirring in the heart at exposure to the elements.
For the opportunity to inspire children.
For a chance to hear and hug someone.
For wanting to be a good son and the longing to start a family someday.
For a chance to live in glee like the frolicsome breeze.
For being enriched by the wonderful universe of books, movies and songs.
For seeing Angels everywhere and your hand in everything.
For prana and a peaceful heart and a smile.
34 Disruptive Republic - 1st Jun 2019
I am just one man, but one who begs people to listen to their hearts. Leave this lust for power, fame and wealth.
I tire to hear whose got this new gadget, or taken a trip to the Bahamas, or has a 74 inch television.
Tell me you still live with your parents, not packed them off to some old age home. Tell me a friend can still take 3 hours out of your Monday morning routine because they "feel lost". Tell me you've not tired of the challenge to be the best version of yourself you can be.
That you can watch children on a merry go round and teleport yourself back 30 years, that you feel the promise of each new day and look forward to giving your best.
Carpe Diem! Make your lives special boys and girls. I'm afraid the clock is ticking. So decide what it is that really makes you tick. Spend a lifetime finding that out. The good news is, we're evolving into something better. Have been for about 400 years since we declared firmly that the dark ages was ended. Now we just have to make sure everyone believes it!
Sales projections are team A telling themselves just how much money they are going to put into brainwashing people B to buy a product or service. I dont know who the winner is, it's not the consumer, or the salesman - they are just cogs in a larger wheel.
Everybody has something to sell, and we've reached a point of consumerism where we dont even know what need something we buy is filling. Get off the band wagon, take a trip to a quiet mountain, chop it down with the edge of your hand if you feel like it, but come back sure of what moves you and what you think a wholesome life could mean.
I only ask questions, and I'm headed off to find those mountains Niggle hinted at so long ago. The ones Maria painted for me. yieldmore.org/niggle
Off on a 3 day holiday to wrest from life its inmost secrets.
Lovingly,
Friar Imran
IMAGINE 33 Fantastic Four, (poem) - May 27th 2019
NOTE: Unpublished in web. Added to imagine...
Serve with love he *1 had cried for a decade
Simply love the boy *2 had said a year before
Unite they had to change the cadence of things
For upon this pale blue dot had the time come
The time for acts of generosity to come flooding in
From its four corners, humans their divinity realized
As together we made our stand and gave not an inch
To injustice or warmongery for freed we were at last
Of the old jaded way of viewing and doing things
A new sense of oneness bounded us tightly
We looked at the rest of our species with warmth
As we waited for each to throw off the nightmare
A teacher *3 held us four together he was our compass
A boy from across the Atlantic *4 had won our hearts
There we were 4 simple souls driven by conscience
As we planned new ways to spread joy everywhere
We smiled and exchanged comforting words
Took up the challenge to make and unite heroes
We'd win the day soon and make life tenable
For every last creature as shared this planet with us
32 Fresh Air, (poem) - 23rd May 2019 - for Simon
I wonder if we fight for justice and right
That most times we end up losing the fight
There’s always an idiot in charge somewhere
Cast them away let them breathe fresh air
Be stern with these morons, don’t let them win
Their time is up, discard them in a nearby bin
We’ve had enough - it’s time to look everywhere
For leaders with passion like a breath of fresh air
Do we have the courage to purge the hateful
Who cause us to be at our most harmful
I beg you to be wary and think of your every care
Build a garden where blows fragrant fresh air
Who will cast out the first and worst lout
Whose time is over, is on his way out
Be careful and vote for the ones who dare
Make a paradise on Earth, full of fresh air
Were tired and depressed from all that is done
In the name of progress, no victory is won
Good times ahead, I can see it everywhere
Gardens where animals can count on fresh air
POEM31 Planetary Healing, (poem) - 26th Apr 2019 - For Simon
Our collective experience is in our DNA embedded
Especially the past 3 generations and 10 lifetimes
These find their way into the stories that abound
Paving the way for us to have much better times
As we shake off the wrongdoings of the past
Life a life of forgiveness, true to the task
Of building a better world, built to last
As we treasure the joys in our soul’s cask
They say the key to happiness is in forgiving
Perhaps we seek that gift is why so much hate
Let’s forge a future, one truly worth living
We’ve squandered time, stop before it’s too late
Let’s shake off the remnants of ages gone past
I say again to stress we’ve little time left to us
Build a structure on love that forever will last
As we serve each other, make no more fuss
For who can speak for tomorrow as time flies by
Mere mortals we are with infinity in our reach
Use time well, ask of your creator not why
Rather give in the moment, your best in each
POEM30 Truth Beauty, (poem) - 12th Apr 2019 - for Biraja
Beauty is Truth, Truth Beaty, yea that’s all we’ll ever know
As from day to day we watch our glades and forests grow
Where from comes this tide that lifts with enchantment
Swells our ranks as we live in this beautiful tenement
Truth alone triumphs, a cry from India in the forties
As lovingly we joined the march of human cities
500 cities must now come together for the environment
To make sure we don’t do things to Earth’s defilement
Cleanse the air and water and soil as Bhagvan needs
Do it in droves, inspire humanity with our deeds
Bhoomi, Gagan, Vayu, Agni, Neer we in Sanskrit say
Earth, Ether, Air, Fire, Water over which we hold sway
So lets remember to Love Our Nature as dearly as we can
Made resplendent in her Earthly abode, protected by man
Who should think of good deeds for lovingly she wrought
Our habitation in the billows of the cosmic sea, we ought
To pay homage to this Queen of Creation who houses us
Makes our lives worth living as crickets make a fuss
And kick up some noise to make us remember
Our mother whose spirit stays fiery in an ember
POEM29 Fight, (poem) - 12th Apr 2019 – for Simon
For a hill men would kill why they do not know
Gone insane by the pain that doth surely grow
The pain of a thousand murders and many a crime
Let’s make a stand and finally cleanse all this grime
The blackest of hours on this land has begun
So join the fight and march on till victory is won
Which land I sayeth not, let all lands unite in tides
For the hour is fell and we’re besieged from all sides
Warm the enemy’s fire grows, let his harvest end here
Stop turning a blind eye and let him have no ones ear
For without support his ranks can never swell
It all ends here so make a stand, we may as well
Begin to come together to save this beautiful planet
From corrupt and vile men who’ve shot their last bullet
Petty and darkened are their mansions now all lost
For we’ll never listen to them again, not one more cost
That makes this Earth want to find love and healing again
For sure as we strive for it, it and more we’ll regain
I urge you not to sit on the sidelines but join the fight
So surely we can overcome the odds, freed of our plight
POEM28 Enough, (poem) - 12th Apr 2019 – for Simon
Maybe it’s time I started using the word sub-human
Its heart wrenching to read the news every fucking day
The perpetrators that coup everything are at it again
It seems nowhere is a light to caringly guide the way
Unite and rest not until the day is won I screamed
But that movement was halted for various reasons
What is this planet becoming, what have we dreamed
What will we do to change these blackened seasons
For every selfish politician there is a dedicated leader
So Simon, come back and smoke out these politicians
Make everyone remember we can make the world better
Let leaders unite, the planet needs more beauticians
People with beauty and love in their hearts to serve
Not selfish spoiled little rascals building corrupt empires
What a disgrace to the title of human. Let’s not swerve
From the path of what’s right. Let these bloody vampires
Be outcast and thrust into the void outside. Make heroes
Instead, a large database of all those dedicated leaders
Watch the magic as they unite and expunge these zeroes
Misfits we call sub humans, unite fast my dear readers
POEM27 Fight, (poem) - 30 Mar 2019
I rather be a sparrow than a snail
Wondering when the dark forces will fail
Guess I should, if i could go out and fight
For the victory of Good – fight with all might
In another lifetime we were taught to be strong
Because in a war we are, one that takes too long
To Marshall the forces that fight for the right
Fight to stay ahead and live valiant in the light
What will we do about those who seem not to care
For their future, one that could be as of fresh air
In splendour we shall wrest the utmost from this life
What a pleasure to live an uncertain life full of strife
Strife is what makes us value the passing moment
Full of wonder for we shall strive to make a dent
And fill this world with wondrous fragrance
To bring to full cycle a life of no more negligence
Rather vocal are we that this earth should have plenty
And be bound to each other we are in our misery
But it is only darkest just before the sun breaks out
Oh will it all be made into perfection in his inmost thought
POEM26 Wie Lieben Dich, (poem) - 20th March 2019
German for “We Love You” said to JFK
We are one in our majesty, the crown of God’s creation
Bliss we feel repeatedly, a sense of pure elation
That washes over us as the mundane transcends all
Profundity magnifies His things great and small
Wie Lieben Dich ils lui a disent. We love you they told him
But he was killed for trying to stop a war so bloody grim
We’ve always killed the very best of humanity
A tragedy repeating itself in every last city
Where men gather together to teach Love’s gospel
Come let’s unite now, cast together our own spell
In which we invite our neighbour to break bread with us
Sit at our board and make of life plenty with no much fuss
Peace reigns supreme in this game of tug and war
A play into which we’ve crept, bringing us this far
Far from the madding crowd, a new lease we’ve gotten
On life, full of its nuances, in depths untrod or forgotten
We must learn to love and treat all with compassion
Love that engulfs us from mansion to remote mansion
Strive we shall in a symphony by Nature orchestrated
As we find a life, simple yet profoundly over sated
POEM25 Bless Us Father, 28 Dec 2018
Bless us Father for we are undertaking to manifest your very Heaven… On Earth…
The Year before ULC was founded, my preceptor Sri Aurobindo (though I was born 33 years after his death), who maintains a living influence on my heart, had (through becoming one with the cosmic consciousness 8 years before) helped the occult forces manifest the “sur-homme” or OverMind on Earth.
I do not say it was He exclusively, but a bunch of souls that had attained Nirvana must have been a part of the labour that resulted in this sudden “wave of the sixties”. And what of those souls here on Earth?
Where in the cosmic play were you when in 1958, we underwent a radical elevation in consciousness? I didn’t know of this until 2015 when I read Patterns of the Present though I had always wondered about the 60s and had made reference to it several times.
Now that August 2018 (the time for Liberation as outlined here in the Charter, 2015) has passed, and so has September (the time when GoodCountry.org was formed), it falls on us [Lightworkers] to help remove the last collective hangover that humans face and “Live the Life Divine”.
I appeal to you all to unify, enliven and promote the #MovementsInUnison as I have tried to in some small measure.
Biggest and furthest reaching of all is GC because its aim is to change the very fabric of society, economy and country.
I ask, what movements have you stood for and will you help us find each other and join hands?
Let us ever remember Thee.
Let us ever sing Thy glories.
Let Thy Name be ever on our lips.
Let us abide in Thee for ever and ever.
– Swami Sivananda
http://yieldmore.org/practices/prayer/sivananda/
Amen
J Shasa Shivram,
POEM24 Plug Away, (poem) Dec 12th 2018
The man of purpose never falls from the virility of youth
Builds a life that exemplifies virtue, nixes the uncouth
A rich life is built as layers of texture is added to character
A base from which to give battle in the human theater
A sense of calm as he sees others hold upright the flag
Of the Grand Architect whose service is never a drag
Always looking forward to step in, fight the good fight
Plug away as humanity sleeps peacefully into the night
Plug away until every possible path is trod and with care
Until tomorrow becomes fairer – ah fragrant fresh air
Whence comes this grace, a blessing from above
Scented with caring and plenty of Divine Love
What higher purpose than to exist; calm and resilient
Join a band of brothers of the very, very sentient
Who join to serve together with grace and aplomb
Together on this pale blue dot, a force that’s never dumb
Rather vocal in it’s charge to feed the poor and hungry
Not just food but tender loving care for all and sundry
With a warmth that pours as love from the heart
Take care to be ready as we race back to the start
POEM23 Wake up, (poem) 5th + 11th Dec 2018
The sun is burning in the sky
Strands of clouds go slowly drifting by
But the sky holds so many celestial beings
Sons of flame, helium and other things
Back to our origins, a planet of the Gods
In love we find infinity, against all odds
But how hard is it to love your brother
Son of God and also His very daughter
With his wrath aroused the son avenges, because
Their lot was neglected, none fought for their cause
Why does none fight for the very principle of right
Sons of God wake up, live the good life and in might
Engulfed in a sea of Babel’s voices we look
Confused by what’s reflected in the good book
Manifest in body is the spark of the spirit Divine
Son of God, won’t you come into my life, be mine
Transform yourselves, live the Life Divine
Hew your own way, leave the myriads behind
Yoga samatvam uchyate – union with Him and equanimity
Son of God come be that luminous glimpse of serenity
POEM22 Love Our Nature (poem) - 16th Sep + 26th Oct 2018
I saw the world as one one night
No more wars, no waking in fright
Long and hard we had dreamed
Wake up and unite, we screamed
We came from places in so many hues
Following our instinct, reading clues
Time to watch as new horizons appear
Give all ur heart, dream on my dear
Our numbers swelled, our ranks grew
Embrace change we did as time flew
Make the most of it we did each day anew
As people each brought in a fresh world-view
#LoveOurNature we said as we looked inside
Saw everyone unite, instil a sense of pride
Together we’d spend the rest of our days
Be as one, as always, live a life of grace
Stand on the Shoulders of Giants with vision we do
As in the deeps of time come wonders in every hue
Simple Ardent, Jovial, Roly-poly, Rounded and Timeless
Kingdoms of God, Loving, Dearborn and Lost in Abundance
~JSS (J Shasa Shivram)
“He has laughed and he has cried
He has fought and he has died
He’s just the same as all the rest
He’s not the worst, he’s not the best”
~ Pink Floyd (Yet another Movie)
MESSAGE 21 Independance Day - 14th Aug 2018
http://localhost/cs/doms/amadeus-sites/imran/messages/
Shasa (Imran) – August 14th 2018 – on the eve of the Indian Independence Day, In the spirit of a future oneness for this world as outlined here.
Let’s promise to really coalesce into one world as per our mandate and charter and make life “short and sweet“.
They say with Freedom comes Responsibility. More than a 100 nations won their freedom this past century and with that, our responsibilities have increased manifold. We are responsible for our own happiness and release from strife. We are free to go to war, but there is no battle that doesn’t reduce men to animals – so impossible to end!
War is to be hated in every form because it brings out the worst in mankind. That’s why the cry back in the 60’s was Make Love, Not War! But we’ve still not learnt to love one another. Not all of us, NOT YET! But we are heading in that direction. Many countries of the world are now uniting on the love front. We are measuring how much Goodness and Goodwill there is for our fellow humans. We have some nurturing values and are fostering Individual Development as well as Economic, Social and Environmental.
There’s people building a “world without hate“, and speaking for reform in the last religion that’s struggling to throw away the last remnants of the dark ages. There’s churches that sing simply “on this world, your blessing Lord” and songs that say “The promised land is waiting like a maiden that is soon to be a bride“.
Not some abstract promised land that God Ordained (though for the believers, that’s precisely how it will turn out), but one that we, humanity have to build (as from a dream).
So I say to you, we live in blessed magical times – the only moment we will ever have is NOW! It’s all right here that we must clear off our karmic debris and live in the sunlit path – the path to fulfil our own goals and ambitions. Those of Learning, Healing, Sharing, Expressing, Loving and Yielding More!
POEM20 2018, (poem) August 2018
2018 and it’s 5 preceding years – for Sahlan, Imran, Biraja & Simon
Many new blessed things didst appear
From the heavens above, a grace like a cure
For all the maladies that shook us, tearing up apart
And then a restorative, love pouring from the heart
Of the many millions we share this Earth with
Flowing towards those bereft, grief-struck, now enriched
We have a twin source – a potent all sanctioning Lord
And his Queen – creatrix of all the universe. Accord
And fraternity and sorority and egalite and harmony
As only sweet music men can conjure – a symphony
In which our darkest fears are dispelled by jyoti – light
No more can avidya come and rob the splendour of our night
A night that precludes the coming dawn – That symbol dawn!
The hour before the God’s awoke! No more time left to yawn
For us the forerunners that spread joy to our parent’s delight
Will Tulkas enjoin the battle, valiant and mirthful with his might?
What other cast aside heroes will we resurrect in this final march
Back to Eden, that Eden we shalt henceforth build on Earth
A million splendid suns as Lord Krishna didst promise
Will we find it now and make this future slip into bliss
19 Dear Fellow Human - 16th July 2018
link: Update from Simon Anholt / Madeline Hung of the Good Country, Jul 12th
We’ve lived with hangovers of the dark ages for long enough. Every decade since the worldwide revolution of the 60s has shown us increase in our ability to love, think of, and act selflessly for one another.
Time to up the ante and truly become ONE WORLD. Harmonize the conflicts. Soothe the hurts. Grow in oneness and come always from a direction of caring.
How we long to be our brother’s keeper. And to keep our sisters happy. But we’re going to need some help coming together if we’re going to make the world work. Many of us have longed for it. Some even striven for it.
Enter my friend Simon and this virtual country he is proposing. 200000 citizens for a start from all parts of the world. Speaking different languages, practising different faiths, all unique expressions of the highest beauty nature and evolution have to offer.
True believers in the power of an idea to change the world. We are after all the architects of our future lives and of this Earth’s destiny…
“We would not think of battle that reduces us to sub-humans. So easy to begin but then impossible to end”. ~ Uriah Heep
None can stop the march of evolution. And as Eru says: “nor can any alter the music in my despite. For he that attempteth this shall prove but mine instrument in the devising of things more wonderful, which he himself hath not imagined.” ~ Tolkien
George Carlin talks of the divine plan too and remember that we are heading back to regaining a glorious past. A golden age. The final establishment of a Kingdom of Heaven when we will realise and attune ourselves fully to our divine origins.
It falls on us blessed with faith and abundance to help pave this way forward. Become the forerunners of all our future selves. Healers, Thinkers, Artists, Builders, Labourers, Teachers, Parents, Statesmen ad infinitum.
There is much beauty in this world and healing in the depths of time.
Time to turn that page, let go of that hurt, rise up and make our creator proud as we go back to our illimitable origins.
POEM18 Turn That Page, (poem) 6th June 2018
Help us turn that page, Eugene!
Which decade was it that, out of the last score
didn’t bring new horrors to take the place of the old
Will the call to have no more wars be heard no more
Have we abandoned our conscience, our hearts run cold
Dismantle the machinery he said from the fore
All they did was shoot seven times with one bullet
Leaving the wall of DeCeit a memory of all that gore
Next time we say peace, lets not let them destroy it
Oh Eugene will no one hear your plea before its too late
That we can build a society of nary a single horror
Bring your future into the now for to find your love we’re desperate
Build upon trust and affection and never close the door
To another’s suffering or pain – a shock from above
To make us wake up and regard one another
In a new light of togetherness and love
Strive to be together, mayhap even love our brother
Truly in the way our God meant us to
Love every last creature of this earth
Love our sisters and wives and daughters too
For it is commanded that of love there should be no dearth
Cascade C
POEM17 Field of Truth - poem on Religion - 13 Mar 2018
To be a Muslim living in the land that invented harmony
Where we internalize the conflicts of the world
In order to breathe a new spirit of oneness
In the times and climes that agitate this pale blue dot
Ah the love and peace Mohammed intended
Just like the Kurukshetra, the Jihad is within
A fight for truth and justice, once again within
For what higher commandment than to Love Thy Neighbour
And live in the lap of God, a peace and submission surreal
Not for the faint of heart this journey with its ups and downs
Struggles without, with the foolish masses being swayed
Away from their true nature of prem and bhakti (read love and devotion)
The creed of the Aryan fighter, to stand for Dharma
Aspire to a higher calling of the Divine that says
“Do my work and shrink not from its pleasant nor unpleasant
For equanimity is the highest aspiration, that, and equipoise”
So be not afraid to be labelled a Muslim or a Hindu or a Christian.
Do not sink to the level of the stereotype
Rather rise higher than the clouds above
Reach heaven, and touch God’s face
16 Feeling for Others (Orig Video) - 1st May 2018
What stain on our soul stops us from looking around and CARING for another soul? Be it ourselves, a loved one or a complete stranger. We all carry that divine spark within no matter how buried it seems. So why this indifference/insouciance? It's because we've slowly allowed ourselves to drift away from our integral/whole selves. A kernel of Bliss (Anandamayakosha) that resonates at the core of our being.
It is only when in touch with our natural selves, and freed from this overwhelming wave of [dis]information that's engineered to wreak havoc with our inner spirit and make us not know which way to turn, that we can look around and see the world in all its beauty. The world is, was and will always be beautiful. It's only our perception that needs to change as we aspire towards perfection, dynamism and wonder.
How do we cure this internal conflict. By accepting our past and coming to terms with what we are. Limited fragments of that unlimited origin. But limitless in our own right, possibilities unmanifest and just waiting to become.
so fear not to see the world in its true light again.
just as we got accustomed to darkness, so shall we to joy
for the true spirit of us yearns to be free
and should take flight if only the windows were open
- Amore, 2004
15 Truth Alone Triumphs (Our Values), 1 Mar 2018
1. We join together to serve this land, not our self interests
2. We will not denounce other people rather seek to inspire them with our love and dedication
3. We will spend frugally and be completely open and honest in all transactions
4. We believe that inclusion should be based on aspiration, leadership and passion for a cause
5. We believe in total freedoms, swift grievance redressal and corrective not punitive measures
6. We shall strive to consider our natural ecosystem in all that we do and seek to reduce our impact on nature
7. We shall treat everyone with courtesy
8. We shall not impose too harshly our sentiments on the killing for food while still encouraging people to experiment with a meat free diet
9. We shall take our responsibility to our citizens and sister countries seriously
10. We will strive for peace and ahimsa in all that we do and insist on everyone being kind and amicable to each other
11. We will celebrate our differences and go out of our way to be hospitable to any sort of guest
12. We will be sincere, honest and soulful in all our interactions
13. We will filter out all we encounter on a screen of good and only encourage the wholesome.
14. We will do our utmost to educate and uplift the masses
15. We shall never tire from doing our duty to ourselves, our families, our communities, our geographies, our neighbours and even the world at large
16. We shall preserve our culture and values bringing new expressions of the arts and showing more of our humanity with each passing day
17. We will not squander our talents or resources on frivolous or petty desires
18. We shall seek to coexist peacefully with everyone and not let them influence us negatively
19. We will spend our time wisely preparing for a better and brighter future for all
20. We shall rise to the need of the hour and spread love, positivity and hope wherever we go
21. We shall comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable, but in a good way
22. We shall allow people their freedoms in coming closer to their Maker whether they seek to look for the divine within or without, in the mundane or in the profound
23. We will roll up our sleeves everyday, not resting until we have done our best for the realization of our goals
24. We stand together in all that we do, one pale blue dot...
14 Religion and Islam, Sep 2017
a series begun Sep 2017 in dedication to my teacher Mir Momin Ali and a part of Entheos.
To fully understand each religion, we have to look into the context and time of each, the conditions of its birth etc. Pray one day soon we will stop killing over difference of belief. Do more than pray, dedicate yourself to stamping out this inhuman characteristic, remnant of a time of ignorance. Jesus’ time with us was brief, but his messages drove home – “turn the other cheek”, “forgive them Father” and “Thy kingdom come” – lessons that are timeless.
If you spend enough time studying all the religions of the world, you fill find that they all speak of love, caring for one another, being of support and use to your family, friends and the people around you, apart from being strong and loving towards yourself.
What is this sraddha that these Seers talk so much of? Faith in a Holy Father, faith in Divine Grace, faith in that Celestial Mother, and faith in mankind [womankind].
Christianity taught us love, Buddhism spiritual discipline, Hinduism spiritual democracy and Islam social order. Remember the Holy Prophet had 27 years to perfectly formulate his message and build his legacy. I’m a Twelver, but I believe the strength of his teaching reaches across to all muslims over the world. Let’s live together and never let them divide us again.
Oh wait, everyone who said that, has been killed – Gandhi and Lennon. Faith is the most dangerous thing to play with – the appeal oft disregarded.
Sometimes I wonder what a Ramana or an Aurobindo could have achieved with today’s technology and communication media, but I guess their message is below the mainstream deliberately and left for the true seeker to uncover and propagate.
That is just what Entheos is, a platform of promoting a harmonious spiritual democracy, with each member charged with treading gently, mindful of his brother’s and sister’s seemingly opposing view. To highlight the beauty of all the scriptures and prayers, but most earnestly, to connect man [woman] with his own heart, where one finds the most authoritative scripture, it being the place where the Eternal has his [her] dwelling.
POEM13 You and the Other - Poem on Guidance - 9th Sep 2017
(Toi et l’autre, at my Guru’s Ashram)
to he who hast been the material envelope of our master
and she the executrix of that divine will and sanction
together for 30 years they hewed their way through virgin forests
pioneers them both in trying to bring the divine down into matter
he departed some years before she did to hasten the process from behind the veil
and made a breakthrough eight years later
that each new generation would reap its rewards, more and more entrenched in that grand vision of tomorrow
a farmer tending his crop with love and virility and certainty that soon shoots would appear
architects together collaborating to bring into the fore a step forward in evolution
that would be as a testament to the ages a veritable springboard from which
we would gain glimpses into the bright future in fits and starts
a light to guide us in the dark, a way paved with love
now another two score years have passed since she left and we seem on the brink
of total annihilation our pilot extinguished with no time to pause and think
to follow our highest right as dictated by that voice from within
the titanic forces abound leaving us empty our promise turned to chagrin
long and hard the days ahead these forces so easily tripping us
slide back we do no saviour comes to redress our griefs and leave us
ready for the next challenge our adversary so daunting
but persevere we shall their memory ever us haunting
12 Are good people good enough? circa Sep 1 2017
A good country it is that takes its responsibilities seriously, not just to its citizens but to the foreign Nationals that live in its borders, to its own children that fate seeks to plant elsewhere - ambassadors of its goodness who bring its best characteristics to the global melting pot - the best not the worst.
We have within every last one of us the potential to be good, not to stand by passively and let the evil forces gain even a toehold! Together we are one - we are a budding new species showing promise. Promise that is reflected in our actions, our <b>supportive nature</b>, the small tokens of goodwill we make, the leaps of faith we take, the jobs we do, the company we keep, the ideas, goals and dreams we share, our considerations to the unfortunate esp the ones steeped in ignorance who seem on the other side of the battlefield.
We get distracted by all the smoke that’s projected, being polarized when we should be more kind to one another.
Poverty, ignorance and corruption: the 3 demons against whom we must daily give battle. What of the metaphysics of quality and our quest to reclaim the dynamic from the mud encrusted static?
How do you give battle against a very subtle unseen enemy who makes it seem that the good guy from the other land is the bad guy when it’s your very leaders who are corrupted by lusting for power and money? Omit the negative from your day to day unless you believe you know how to fight it!
Build an environment of inspired people in touch with their own emotions and ambitions, far removed from ignorance and the petty mindsets that these poisonous demons promote so well.
11 God et Alii, 4th Aug 2017
Q) Does God exist?
I like how Monty says it, God comes from a direction. “an inner dimension”. Your soul is in contact with your humanity, that Divine source if you will. there are 3 things. God is the Creator (Allah, Yahwe, Brahman). then there are divine aspects and individualizations such as sattwa, rajas and tamas - the hindu trinity. then there are devas who come from heaven or the spirit world.
God is not saddened nor suffers any loss when you don't believe in him. he knows that one day you will rediscover him. It’s all his play or lila.
I belong to the old school where god is male - purusha or witness and creation or nature female - prakriti. Sivam and Shakti
Q) What is God?
God is experienced in fractions every day. he is unalloyed freedom and love. he is existence consciousness bliss. he is the perfection that we all strive for, the realization we seek. the source to which we are journeying. the one who holds the stars in the palm of his hands. the atheist or skeptic only dislikes the dogma and negative connotations attached to the word god. we all believe in a higher ideal to which man aspires. God is there in all that everyone does. the deva and the asura. God is a vibration state that we will all achieve. the journey of awakening has only just begun and we are still largely tamasic
Q) Is there any meaning in prayer?
your attitude in life determines your altitude. thou art the author of thy destiny. the only reason our dreams don’t manifest sooner is because of the number of conflicting thoughts we have. we magnetize into our life people circumstances and events when we pour in our inner voltage. this takes the form of affirmations which slowly reprogrammes our sub consciousness. prayer usually combines the best of affirmations with faith. the sounds and ideas associated with prayer form a powerful tool to change our belief systems and bring about a powerful vibration in the seat of our consciousness where magic can happen. for the bhakta, prayer brings him closer to God. for the astute businessman prayer is the spelling out of his ambitions and the means of fixing these goals in the core of his being
Q) What is our purpose in life?
the evolutionary aim of our lives... the relentless pursuit of truth. a coming to terms with all the various experiences. there are 4 aspects to our lives viz the personal, professional, social and spiritual. for each aspect there is a progression with joys and sorrows. they say the soul chooses its birth and based on its desired learnings and areas of interest it will have a different admixture of these aspects. By spiritual is not meant a running away from reality but a synergizing or integration of the other 3. a man can become intimately conversant with his inner being or godhead and can do this by following the threefold path of works knowledge and devotion so wonderfully laid out in the gita. our object in life should be not in attaining any set goal but to live each moment to the fullest and engaging in nishkama karma - action without thought for reward
Q) Is there any meaning in astrology? Is it a science or just a fraud perpetuated by charlatans?
there is mediocrity and fraud in all walks of life. astrology is based on science but since it involves faith, it is easily twisted in the hands of unscrupulous people. It’s not just a science but also an art. also it is the job of the practitioner to bolster the courage of the person undergoing hardship so they are prone to keep saying that good times are around the corner. It’s easy for a person to turn defeatist when this happens and cling for support which is one of the reasons I’d rather not know
10 A New Age - 5th June 2017
Why are we so stubbornly insensitive to other's pain? We Say "Oh God, that’s terrible", but fail to lend a comforting hand or make a prayer.
Soon we forget the incident, even though for a moment we had the chance of genuinely touching another life. Ah life, that old sparring partner of ours - always ready with a hook or uppercut. Our Lord forgotten until we see hardship again.
You gotta roll with the punches, never forgetting to live in the moment. Reflection is good, but best when interspersed with activity.
What better thing to reflect on than God? Our support and refuge in suffering. But can he also be our refuge in ecstasy and joy? Enraptured by the love with which he engulfs us. Sensitive to his every movement and gesture. Not breaking his trust nor faith in us.
We worry more about material hardships when there are people fighting for their very lives, and others left in bereavement at the ones that lost.
How do you grieve at someone's passing, knowing full well that the soul is immortal? And that they are lovingly ensconced in God's lap, either spending time in a world of their construction, or back on Earth, learning to walk again. We can sense the ups and downs of loved ones from other lifetimes, always connected by that inner sensory perception and intuition.
When you abide in that Cosmic love, there is no grief, there is no pain, but there is sensitivity to the grief and pain of others. Indifference is a mental wall to blot out the pain, but the heart knows and cares. The heart reaches out at the agony of others and can always bolster their affirmation of life.
"Father, into your hands I commend my spirit." Please don't leave me alone to suffer the anguish of a world on the point of evolving into something better. Thy kingdom is nigh. Love will always keep us alive.
We can sense this new age of interconnectedness. It's there in the numerous people we interact with, keeping their interests paramount. That Divine spark (Tolkien's Flame Imperishable) will see the light of day, buried presently under the debris of a century long war with ignorance and the Asuric forces that almost engulfed us.
But peoples like the Cathars were always there, torchbearers, upholding the Truth and Glory. They were there in every land, in every clime, struggling to keep love alive. And now that we are back to miraculous times, our numbers have swelled - everyone in search of happiness; the ultimate source of happiness is the love and joy we share with one another.
Do pray for the world's release from ignorance and suffering, barbarism and bloodshed, power games and lust after wealth, poor health and weakened minds, impure thoughts and selfish deeds. Do more than just pray - strengthen yourself and then act. Always come from an inner direction of concern and love.
Pray for the power to follow our dreams, the Grace to realize those aspirations, the chance to fight in the revolution - the last revolution - the riddance of all the negative from that harmonious integrated whole that will become, must become the fabric of tomorrow.
POEM9 Teeming With Life – poem on How, 12 March 2017
Sometimes it calls upon our hearts to step
away from the bustle and humdrum
and awaken that silent builder within us
who knows the need of the hour
and renders every hurdle to progress
to a quiet dissolution in the cauldron of life.
Reshape we do, that stream of activity
around us until the possibility of greatness
is achieved and we’ve made something special.
Fashioned by our hands, guided by
that divine craftsman who waits patiently
for His designs to become fully wrought.
For carefully laid were His plans
and us only the instrument of his execution.
Push us forward he did to build
better and better things, labouring
in timeless halls where we learned
to intuit His every whim,
until we’d built an entire community
of souls simply teeming with life.
8 For Queen and Country, 29 Dec 2015
That queen of all beings – Mother Nature, and the Transcendant Country that exceeds the ideals of all – each formed and revitalized in the recent past.
Before economy can give way to harmony, we must bring about a kind of social reform with religious zeal.
Be the change you want to see in the world around you and embrace the idealist from all walks of life and all corners of the world.
The cross pollination of peoples and communities across the world is almost complete and it is from pockets like India, England and America that a true coalescing of the modern awakened man can come.
Funny that England was one of the last countries to join the European Union, founded at the junction of Spain, Germany and France – Belgium.
In Asia, the cultures of old are serving to reunite these long sundered communities and let us not forget that the colonization and freedom struggles everywhere catalyzed a quick integration of the Occidental & Oriental, technology and the old perfected ways of life.
Capitalism has succeeded in making the world more cosmopolitan and also, the counter revolution of idealism has taken firm hold in the new millennium.
Let us not forget that America was founded only after the dark ages and hence its peoples were the first to recover from the hangovers of the past. It is no coincidence that it has become the melting pot in which the blueprints for the future are being laid out.
Africa and the Middle East have been torn apart the most by politics and it is the continued conflict there that is an affront to our initiatives of peace.
Man is too much torn by greed to heal the wounds of the world. And for the rest, hopelessness.
There are 3 major enemies to the ideals of tomorrow, projected so well by the creator of Star Trek – Gene Roddenberry.
Poverty – economic and spiritual, Ignorance – for which loving education is the solution, Corruption – for which worldwide protest, unification and a personal commitment to Truth, Equality and Justice are required.
For all this, the common man and his unlimited powers of persuasion and benevolence shall form the soil from which the last revolution shall spring.
LEARNING – for children, for adults, for parents, for communities, for corporates and countries. Learning lessons of courtesy and kindness – to fly up and know the meaning of love ^1.
Applying that knowledge, of the fundamental forces that drive nature, to reconcile political, economic, religious, ideological, societal and personal hurts – HEALING as an expression of that universal LOVE.
SHARING our deepest fears and insecurities, sharing our hopes of widespread contentment, abundance and excellence. Being true to our nature and life’s inmost secrets, we shall likely find, a few building a vision and justice to our time ^2
To EXPRESS the love and beauty ^3 that springs from the selfsame well that drowns all our sorrows. To EXPERIENCE the eternal mysteries of the universe in the simplicity of a LIFE well lived. To EMOTE with our true spirit, living a daily resurrection by treating every day as our possible last ^4 and to leave behind a world of MORE for our progeny.
^1 – Chiang in Richard Bach’s Jonathan Livingston Seagull
^2 – Short and Sweet – David Gilmour
^3 – From the novella Bethany in Richard Bach’s Curious Lives
^4 – Every Day Is Your Last – anagram for YIELD.
7 Harmony [Prayer] - Nov 2015
Dear God, give man the fortitude to listen to the words of peace and love in his heart and not be swayed by the evil forces that abound in the world around him and incite him to commit acts against the very principles that his religion and beliefs are founded upon.
Grant him the understanding that each man is free to choose his religion, that none is superior to the other, that each man understands the will of God according to his own nature and the truth of his being.
If he must talk of his religion, let it be with an openness to understand his brother’s religion as well, for as Lord Krishna says – All paths lead to me.
Let us hold hands and stand against the spread of ignorance and conflict. Let us embrace one another and truly accept each other’s faults and limitations as our Lord accepts us.
A minutes silence for contemplation and thoughts for world peace.
6 The YieldMore Charter – (Fictionalized Future) - 14 Aug 2015
Rediscovering the Flame Imperishable
With the resurgence of Avedoi Merek’s book, and Monty Ferret’s second book, The Way from Within, Alla^2 Ferret felt suddenly inspired to share with humans, the essence of Ferret Civilization. She remembered what had happened to the courtesies, how the humans had, out of reverence, written it on tablets and buried it safely in the depths of the sea. Kinnie, in a vision, told her that the time was coming where a great labour would be ahead of her, but it was alright to begin to sow the seeds.
…
On Aug 15th 2018, or D318 by Yuki Reckoning, Ulmo, Lord of the waters, bore up the tablets out from the depths of The Abyss. At hand was Alla, on Bethany’s boat, and Shasa Ferret on Nemo’s Nautilus. Alla and Shasa were entrusted with the mission of reinstating the old way of life among the humans. They had the love and support of countless lightworkers of both civilizations to build upon. The last four years of madness had seen the humans pushed to the brink of total annihilation, but the seeds of all the Bright Ones and the thousand loving movements had all borne fruit.
Upon every humans heart was writ the words – make fuck, not kill, that highest message by the one who had hoped the hardest, and fought the longest. They all got together from 6pm to midnight in stadiums and rock arenas and churches all over the world and sang songs like Imagine and Goodbye Cruel World.
A generation of torch bearers had sprung up all over the world as the product of the most liberated minds of the flower power generation. They had all managed to live clean, inspiring lives, by choosing carefully, the company they kept and the worlds they peopled. As destiny would have it, these children of the Seventies and Eighties were all born exactly a century after the plethora of original Bright Ones that strove so hard to liberate the world.
D300 (2000) had seen the complete penetration of the internet into everyday living. Expressions of spontaneous love had been triggered all over the world and the internet had brought man together and propelled him the hardest, into his divine destiny.
A new theme of Iluvatar’s design had begun. Melkor’s discord had been forcibly removed, and the next demi-century begun.
Alla and Shasa’s task was relatively easy, they simply had to rout the avidya (darkness / inconscience) from the minds of the people, but the war had been won, and people spontaneously were able to heal themselves and establish the Life Divine by plugging themselves into the Secret Universal Mind, a pooling of liberating information called YieldMore.org.
—-
^1 The Flame Imperishable – From Tolkien’s Ainulindale, but refers to the 50 year movement that will be YieldMore.org and Shasa’s life mission.
^2 Alla from Richard Bach’s Curious Lives, but also in tribute to Allah of the muslims, and the part where Don Henley’s Oh Lord sounds like Alla.
Cascade D
5 Reconciling Quality - Essay on Religion - 13th Aug 2015
Developments in thought in the 20th Century
In the pursuit of quality, we come upon Robert M Pirsig’s Metaphysics of Quality which states that quality is of 2 types – static and dynamic.
Ayn Rand referred to this as the Individual vs the Collective. She ended up speaking against altruism (for the static system it had become), not altruism the ideal (full of the dynamic). It took me some years to realise this.
As has been said, as all religions passed through the dark ages, they each became encrusted with untruths and full of dogma and bigotry. Or, they became static.
Hinduism in some ways suffered the most because there were no set dogmas to follow (and encrust) and a lot of old valid ideas became tainted with inconscience.
It took me some more years to apply the static / dynamic paradigm to religion. And when I did, all my previous rejection of the system and veneration of the individual faded to insignificance.
While we are on the topic of Pirsig's MOQ, let us mention that he also believed there to be 4 systems – inorganic, biologic, social and intellectual.
Religion is a social construct, superseded by the intellectual.
This doesn’t mean that the thinking man has to divorce himself from religion, just the untenable static, dogmatic parts of the social structure. Religion still has a dynamic quality (its original ideal) that belongs at the individual level.
With this understanding, we can go back to the lots that has been said about religion and more easily reconcile the inharmonious thoughts. Strongly stated views were just rejections of the encrusted untruths. And old (belonging to an extinct ascientific clime) ideas are actually truths blindly clung onto by the masses (or in some rare cases, fully understood) of the pure dynamic nature of the original ideals.
Rediscovery of the Old Truths
If the Sanatana Dharma hadn’t survived as it did in the Indian Subcontinent, seers would spring up again making the same insightful understandings that seers did thousands of years ago. Since not all the teachings have been completely eroded/obliterated, its is possible to refer to their remnants as found in the religion known as Hinduism which was no religion at all, just a metaphysics of old that was labelled a religion while still in the dark ages.
We may choose to remember that in the past enlightened ages, all peoples of the world understood the ideals, man lived in relative harmony with his fellow man and knew more of the occult sciences, mysticism and the illimitable truths of the eternal.
We can either approach this new world understanding by clearing away the encrustations of religion, or ignoring it altogether and coming up with new paradigms – Spirituality instead of Religion, and a Cosmic Divine instead of a God.
Whatever we call it, man has discovered Liberty, Equality and Freedom and no-one has forgotten the universal message of Love, borne by Krishna, Buddha, Christ and Mohammed. We all have a value system that is becoming more and more accepting and tolerant of one another.
Until when shall a brother continue killing his own brother upon his mother’s bosom?
Oh Liberty, awaken but one heart with the rustlings of thy wings, for from one cloud alone comes the lightning which illuminates the pits of the valleys and the tops of the mountains. Disperse with thy power these black clouds and descend like thunder and destroy the thrones which were built upon the bones and skulls of our ancestors.
World Powers
Well, one hundred years ago, in 1914, we saw the outbreak of World War I. Ghastly, yes, but for the first time, many conflicting ideologies were being forced to interact with one another and with the establishment of the industrial revolution was given us the power to exploit one another.
And for the first time, the world united to defend the afflicted. We did that again in WWII, and it's no coincidence, that the knight in shining armour was America, the Land of the Free – the only country to be founded AFTER the Dark Ages. And remember, it was the British that brought the world together, in technology and language, all of us speaking the language of love and service that is the best that Christianity continues to inspire in us.
Yes, these 2 countries have also some static qualities that must in time give way to more a harmonised world society, but remember the words of Vivekananda:
upon the banner of every religion will soon be written in spite of resistance: Help and not fight, Assimilation and not Destruction, Harmony and Peace and not Dissension.
Conclusion
A reconciliation is possible only if we first identify the two contending opposites – static and dynamic. When we realise the purposes they served, we begin to bridge the gap. Then we can bring them closer, by imbibing the static with more universal truths revealed by the mystic, and rebuilding the faith of the individual in the static as it evolves back into its older, purer ideal.
4 Dear Brother - Fictionalized Future - 10th Aug 2013
I grew up at my mother’s side. We lived on the eastern side of a mountain. By the time I was fifteen, I had come to know the facts of life. Our people were not responsible for a single modern convenience. Those came from the tribe that lived on the west slope. There was also some mention of a Golden Age in my people’s past, but that was millennia ago. I had the privilege of watching my brethren descend en masse into destitution, thievery – immorality in its many guises – a chaos that bound and enslaved us.
Repulsed by the thriving animal instinct here and lured by the order, freedom and justice there, my brothers had packed their belongings one early spring morning and began an exodus that would leave our villages bereft of most of the few remaining civilised people. The rest of us could not stand the chaos, but did not know what to do, so closed our eyes and pretended everythings alright.
We awoke after a generation, to find everything awry. The price of these conveniences had all gone through the roof, and in buying them, we had lost our souls and our pride somehow. Those brothers who had been in the exodus had also shut their eyes and wound up paying a series of prices they didnt even know existed. The prick of conscience of a land forgotten, or ignored, or spoken of with bittersweet sadness. People cloven as individuals, as well as a whole.
What remained to be done was for the tide of the exodus to be reversed. For some years now, there had been 2 trickles – one from the west, of those tired of prosthetics, who found peace in the words and works of the Bright Ones here. And another even smaller trickle of Bright Ones who went for the sake of those who knew not the way, to spread the glory and message of old.
But, everyone was playing the game of putting a price on every commodity, and on none was the price so high as on those tools and teachings that unclove the spirit. It seemed for a while that for every step taken forwards, we slid back a few. Then suddenly, we found our Mother had risen, and with a casual shake of her hand, had exposed the Fake Bright Ones and uncovered in us, the lost sense of pride, and love all-encompassing.
With arms outstretched, she embraced us all. She told us the secret that we had not always been two kindreds apart, and she welcomed back those westerners, and those west-dwelling easterners who of all it seemed had gone through the most horrible ordeal – that of amputating their homeland in their search for peace.
At the zenith of its flow, the exodus was turned. A hundred different movements began that systemmatically and lovingly changed the status quo. The animal instincts were humanized and the human instincts were hallowed and heightened.
Not everyone understood all these changes as they happened, but a few who had led the exodus felt a deep stirring in their heart, and paid heed to counsels they had not heard before. Some here were given an instinct they trusted and maybe some inkling of the days to come, but only as in a dream, a promise of tomorrow, but one that had to be built.
Rejoice they did in their work, those reunited brothers and sisters. For they trusted in the sense of vision of things to come, and fretted not at the travails ahead for they knew the strength of their numbers, the numbers of their Bright Ones, and the effulgence of their Mother.
3 Reminders to Advance the Soul - Essay - 23rd Jan 2013
https://imran.yieldmore.org/reminders/
Somewhere it is writ that life is not about the number of breaths we take but those that take our breath away. ^1
Well, how often do we allow for that to happen? Why is normal, proper, respectable so overrated? What are we afraid of?
How about I allow everyone to live their life on their terms as they also do? ^2
When can we all agree that our basic needs are met and that we don’t have to be afraid? Afraid of being alone. Afraid of not having enough to be happy. Afraid that our actions, inactions and thoughts will win us hell-fire in the hereafter. Afraid that we don’t amount to much. Afraid of not being heard. Afraid of being heard by the wrong people. Afraid of being loved, or hated.
Enough! There’s nothing to fear but fear itself. Just as we lived in the darkness, we can learn to live in the sun. ^3
It is only on Earth that we have forgotten that all beings have the power to heal themselves. ^4 And that we have the right to enjoy life. That the divine plan is just that. That the powerful play goes on and we may contribute a verse. ^5
Only love can conquer. Although faith is also an abused word, in its true sense it is a powerful thing. For it can move mountains and pull down mighty oak trees. ^6 Faith not in a maker as a being above and beyond life, but rather faith in His Divine Plan that somewhere in all this madness, there is still a right working towards Light. Faith that however many tribulations we face, and how seemingly bleak the situation is, it is man’s destiny to triumph over inconscience, inertia, darkness and fear.
Man! Man! Man! Why don’t we choose our highest right instead of our darkest wrong? ^7 Why do we forget so easily to look at life through our innocent eyes? The ones we came into this world with!
Shock and inaction and loss of faith are NOT the proper responses to evil. For it comes in many guises and we must respond to in on many different fronts.
It is most inimical to a liberated way of living and has to be fought at the personal level. Fear, ignorance and inaction form the conditions for the manifestation of evil. Fear and ignorance can be helped by a responsible and vigilant environment. One whose people can accept the inherent goodness in all, who do not get carried away with their mass fear and impose over-harsh and non corrective punishment.
For does not he who stumbles, stumble as a caution to those that follow and as a reminder that those who went ahead sought not to remove the stone? ^8 This externalization of a source of evil was a damned thing to do, for it breeds fear and renders identification with and responsibility for the sinner impossible.
What do you know about the sum of a body’s life? ^9 Ours is not to judge and die, ours is but to live, not ponder why. ^10
As the role of preventive maintenance dictates, we must root out fear and ignorance in the possible sinner just as we must inaction from ourselves as individuals and as a society.
We must respect the paths our souls chose before this journey was undertaken, and allow the creator to express diversity in all its forms.
But we must not forget that a movement is accomplished in six stages and the seventh brings return. The seven is the number of the young light. It forms when darkness is increased by one. ^11
A wise woman once told me it was better to follow a dead saint than a living one ^12. In turn, I wish to say, do not subscribe to an idea that can easily be used to control and subjugate man. Instead, believe in something that liberates and elevates you.
The creator / creatrix chose a life for us devoid of proof, not to punish us for following the wrong idea, rather to see how we could develop them, apply them and evolve from them. So is it better I follow a right rule and devolve, or follow a rule that’s not in vogue (avant-garde) and progress?
As the Principals of Organized Crime would have you believe, this life is transient and eternal damnation lies for those who don’t believe what they are told to.
Instead, wouldn’t a progressive learning over many lifetimes with a goal of divinity / perfection / bliss be a healthier idea to follow? A world where mistakes are allowed if they are not repeated with brash arrogance.
"Be quiet, follow my rules and you will be rewarded with material wealth forever". How can a true cosmic intelligence ever conceive a limited idea like that?
Are there no greater things a man can aspire for? Knowledge, freedom, creativity, communion and bliss!
So remember, if God is omnipresent, he must be in all of us. If Satan would not bow to Adam for he sensed his lowest low, remember that God’s argument was that he could not see or fathom that latent divine spark in man.
Uncover the crud, cling not to the weeds at river’s bottom and delight, for it only wishes to lift us free. ^13
Footnotes:
1 - George Carlin
2 - Richard Bach in the book Illusions
3 - Reminiscent of the second line of my first poem
4 - Prot in the movie K-PAX
5 - Walt Whitman in the poem O Me! O Life! (being quoted in Dead Poets Society)
6 - the song "faith can move a mountain"
7 - Richard Bach in the book Curious Lives (preface)
8 - Kahlil Gibran in the book The Prophet
9 - Sara Brady in the movie Inherit the wind
10 - inspired by Tennyson’s poem Charge of the Light Brigade
11 - Syd Barrett, the song Chapter 24 (Pink Floyd’s Piper at the Gates of Dawn)
12 - My sister
13 - Richard Bach in the book Illusions (preface parable)
2 Tripping. Shasa, Feb 22 2005
It has been said that India would be a superpower if she stopped tripping over her own feet.
Well, within that superpower, I am a would-be engineer. Why would be? Because our country doesn’t really produce engineers. Imagine a state with nearly 300 engineering colleges, all teaching the same syllabi in the various disciplines.
We produce a phenomenal number of ‘engineers’ each year. What do some of their best do? They go abroad to do their MSes. How many of them come back to work in industry in India? 5% was one report I heard.
What do the rest of them do? They try for admission in B Schools because Lord knows that’s where the best pay is.
By this time, the stock of smart young people is nearly depleted. Some of those remaining love this country and try to start something here.
Many wiser ones know that to accomplish anything here is a long uphill task. Just beginning anything is tough enough due to a variety of state-imposed reasons.
So they look for places abroad, promising to come back someday and make a difference. How many of these actually do?
This leads to the situation popularly called brain drain in our country. In a world of BPOs, B Schools and jobs abroad, where have all the engineers gone?
With foreign investment pouring in the way it is, what prevents us from tasking some of these ‘engineers’ to R&D in cutting edge technology in our OWN country.
Where is the encouragement for students who want exposure to the many diverse, integrally important, disciplines necessary for these sorts of jobs?
Entrepreneurship? In a country where it takes 69 days on average to start a company when in others it takes but a single day.
We’ve lost pride in our country. How long is it since the simple words Jai Hind stirred any feeling in our hearts?
Where is the educational reform a million staff and students alike yearn for?
To be like other societies where professors also carry out research! TO have a flexible environment where, progress is not determined by marks scored but rather by things learnt, where all academic institutions encourage any kind of related learning.
Where is the dignity, with most college life a sham? From papers to projects to industrial training to continuous assessment to attendance to even our semesterly examinations in some cases.
What is the point of this mass cloning when it robs us of initiative and pride in our country?
Ours is a country with everything except capital, and the little capital that comes in is soon whisked away into some smart rich person’s hoard.
Our heritage is rich and glorious. Our religion is diverse and embraces all its followers as well as members of other religions
Why does a secular nation such as ours give voice to the fools who wish to divide us on the basis of religion to further their own interests.
Why don’t they understand that through harmony and combined effort, we can bring about a state of being from which we WILL emerge as a superpower.
“To be washed away by the tide of history, but to leave behind a fragrance that lingers”
This I’d like to quote to every mortal who twists the vagaries of society to get what he wants out of it… Just to remind him of his own mortality.
What we need most of all is to instil our people with pride in their country again. It does exist but is latent.
Imagine if we could replace one of those prime-time soap operas (that I find absurd) with a program designed to fight all of these.
Sure, our news channels and other media make tremendous efforts to keep us from bursting apart at the seams, but programmes like these need centralized planning and universal co-operation.
The key to all of this is latency. I have spoken to many and come to understand that it is the system that gives us the perfect excuse to remain the way we are.
It is not in our nature as a peoples to break away from the norms and do what we think is right, even if it is for the greater good of the nation – nay, even for our children. Instead, we take the easy way out & look for opportunities abroad.
So the secret is to unleash that potential passion in each one of us Indians.
Ours is a mix of many diverse cultures, each (for the most part) living in harmony. And that is one of the few things that make this country great.
The two cornerstones I see for this country becoming a superpower are education and infrastructure. We have the means at our disposal, we simply need to bring about an attitude change in our people. We need to make them feel proud. Proud enough to stay here and then, in due course, make those who left feel like returning to a prospering place such as the ones they sought.
From what I’ve heard of the treatment we get in other countries and the lack of social completeness, I know that many of us Indians want desperately to come back. It is only family to support here, the lack of job opportunities and inefficiency of the prevalent system that drives them to linger abroad.
We also need to tackle the overpopulation problems. We must build new cities, streamline our government. There are simply too many political parties for anything but chaos to reign.
I remember that Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel integrated 563 princely states just before our Independence. Well today, we need someone to do the same with the (nearly as many) political parties, if we wish to emerge as a superpower in the ever changing landscape of tomorrow.
Then we can think of streamlining the system. I believe that there aren’t too many young people in politics. What we need to do is make the ladder easier to climb and not chock full of old leeches clinging on and sucking our Nation’s blood – bureaucracy in every form throughout our government and city officials.
Ideally, as youngsters, we should begin with social service. Nothing serious, just a fraternity where social issues can be discussed and dealt with. I believe that it is the young who truly have vision in this country, and the energy, wherewithal and the time to make their dreams come true.
So, by the end of our teens, we have been inducted into this fictitious “social service club”. And through that club, we are exposed to different wings of government and corporation functioning.
Then we can join as aides in any department, and we are given some powers of discretion and leeway.
If you read more about Bill Creech who brought about reform in the USAF, turning them into the (relatively) super-efficient fighting machine we all saw in Desert Shield and Desert Storm, he did it all though Total Quality Management.
And in his TQM, he speaks mostly of de-centralisation, trust and responsibility and the way in which it magnifies the performance of people.
Once we have proven our worth as soldiers on this social service battleground, we can enter into political service, say by around the age of thirty. With one simple rule – if we succeed in causing and degeneration in the current system, or even the least hint of corruption, we are at once suspended.
Of course, there has to be put in place ways to prevent this clause from becoming the source for power struggles and the like. And it must not scare the person so much that he dares not try anything new (and possibly good), for fear of failure.
1 Religious Appeal - Letter on Harmony - Feb 2005
https://imran.yieldmore.org/appeal/ (to be moved from reflections)
A religious person means one who loves life and can find contentment. Religion teaches us the secrets of life. The stories narrated each have their meaning, significance and purpose. But stories are not told for themselves, but for their moral and their learning.
First, do understand that whatever I say will never in a million years take you one millimeter further from Mohammed / Christ / Krishna / Buddha. They are beings I wish I could begin to be like in a 1000 years. the ideal. For the rest of this essay, I will refer to Christ, but the arguments can be fitted to any religion / spiritual leader.
Lets forget for a minute that Christ is God. For after all he did chose to come down in human form in which time he was called Jesus Christ. And he didn’t do it to amuse himself. He had a specific purpose. So lets try to understand the real significance of his coming down to earth.
He came down to save us all? No! He came down to show us all what love was. What life was. And he cared for us all. And because he loved us so deeply, with every fibre in his body, his father gave him the power to heal the sick for he was so moved by the love that poured out of his son’s core.
His son tried to explain to us all the meaning of life. But we were too busy ogling at his miracles that we forgot his words and his teachings. Do you think it would mean more to Jesus that we all prayed to him or rather, that we followed his teachings?
Yes, we all go to church to learn about his life and the good things that he taught.
But how did God take care of his children before he sent down his only son to save us all? he gave us all a conscience. And that conscience is the inner voice that tells us all through our life what good is and what bad is.
It’s that voice that tells us killing is bad. Look at the hatred religion has brought; and the bloodshed. And what makes it all possible? Religion! For its a passion that we let stir in our hearts, thinking that it will take us closer to God. And twisted minds use it to turn us against our brothers.
Or don’t you understand how propaganda works?
It’s only the religious person they can poison. People who over years of faith and belief have stopped listening to the voice inside their head, but rather to the man on the pulpit. And all of a sudden, one day he tells us of the evil the people in the temple are doing.
How each day they spurn the sacrifice of Jesus and popularize idol worship – the very evil that Jesus sought to destroy. And because we’ve stopped listening to the voice in our heads, we believe him implicitly.
When in fact, those idol worshipers are no different from us. And Jesus didn’t come here to stop anybody. He came here to spread the message of love!
But the seed has already been cast, and it doesn’t take long for us to begin to distance ourselves from the other community. This dissent is sped up by similar propaganda spread from the other pulpits, until an atmosphere of distrust reigns.
And once that foundation of distrust is built, they start feeding words to incite us. Dont believe me? You can see its effects all over the world, just turn on the news.
Wonder why I seem to be addressing Christians? Well it not that they’re especially bad! We’re all fools who’ve forgotten to listen to our own conscience all of us. once we start forming a community based on religion, we’re already doomed.
I mean how many Muslims donate to Christian charities. Or anything of the sort?
We’ll under the skin we are all the same. We were all created in His image. But why then do those very same doors that preached equality all these years, now so subtly start pointing out the differences between our communities, and how we’re the persecuted peoples.
propaganda again
divide and conquer.
And in their wars, they all sit as kings. and order us all to pick up arms and attack our own people. for like Chuck Horner said “war is to be hated in every form, for it brings out the worst in mankind”
And we think we’re all doing it to protect our religions.
But the little voice inside our heads, all this time quitely pointing out stuff to us now yells loudly at what we’ve done. We’ve just gone and burnt down a temple or taken part in a lynching. and our captains tell us what a magnificent job we’ve done and how we’ve just secured our places in heaven.
And this guy has had enough. and he yells at us to stop.
but they’ve got him lock stock and barrel.
For now he becomes the devil, come to play tricks on us as cheat us of our place in heaven. at least so they make us believe.
And were such blood-maddened souls that we even kill him. and who is he really? the gentle reminder in each of us of the love that was once Jesus and Rama and Mohammed and Buddha. Does it really matter if I forget a few names? must anyone be offended? after all they were all members of a higher community, each man serving in his place the vast multitude that is Earth.
The devil’s ultimate victory! The king in his mighty pulpit! Who has just made us turn on love itself. Killing the very ideals we seek so bitterly to please. The ultimate irony of life!
how do we stop this all?
Let’s stop going to one religious place only. Visit none, or visit them all.
Treat everyone like your brother.
Think not so much of heaven but just keep working on love (as Chiang said).
Don’t think you’ve dodged all the pitfalls of the devil and wind up at the heart of his stronghold, all the while thinking how your ‘faith’ in your leader has kept you from the path of err.