I decieded to take some of my life away from our Google overlords, and move over to a new home here.
Trodding on....
Friday, July 31, 2009
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
On Humility
Kant is among the first philosophers to view conception of humility as "that meta-attitude which constitutes the moral agent's proper perspective on himself as a dependent and corrupt but capable and dignified rational agent".
Self-importance is man's greatest enemy. What weakens him is the feeling of being offended by the deeds and misdeeds of his fellow men. Self-importance requires that one spend most of one's life offended by something or someone
The capacity to be in awe of that which we cannot explain... That, I think, is what the greater part of humility is. The capacity to be open to something greater than oneself. False humility is the pretence that one is small. True humility is the consciousness of standing in the presence of the divine, which is why it is the virtue of prophets, those who feel most vividly the nearness of God.
Self-importance is man's greatest enemy. What weakens him is the feeling of being offended by the deeds and misdeeds of his fellow men. Self-importance requires that one spend most of one's life offended by something or someone
The capacity to be in awe of that which we cannot explain... That, I think, is what the greater part of humility is. The capacity to be open to something greater than oneself. False humility is the pretence that one is small. True humility is the consciousness of standing in the presence of the divine, which is why it is the virtue of prophets, those who feel most vividly the nearness of God.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Bug's Life
It is not the urban distractions that disturb the hermit.
I spent a couple of days in an abandoned Paliwal village in the desert off of Jaisalmer. I was cooped up inside a small enclosure, which I guessed was used as an animal pen (pigs or chickens), to escape the roving Border Security Force.
Impossible to stand up straight in, just enough to lie down, light came in through a few spaces in the hay as narrow laser beams, but the whole experience was exhilarating and fascinating. The microcosm became immense, filled with miniature life and drama and significance and beauty. Because I was a part of the earth, like a creature in its burrow. There was no sign of the curse of the Paliwals, or goddesses or ghosts. Rarely had I felt such love for life as therein. For contour and texture, the bug and the microbe, the twig, straw, dust. Mere conveniences and security will never compare.
I spent a couple of days in an abandoned Paliwal village in the desert off of Jaisalmer. I was cooped up inside a small enclosure, which I guessed was used as an animal pen (pigs or chickens), to escape the roving Border Security Force.
Impossible to stand up straight in, just enough to lie down, light came in through a few spaces in the hay as narrow laser beams, but the whole experience was exhilarating and fascinating. The microcosm became immense, filled with miniature life and drama and significance and beauty. Because I was a part of the earth, like a creature in its burrow. There was no sign of the curse of the Paliwals, or goddesses or ghosts. Rarely had I felt such love for life as therein. For contour and texture, the bug and the microbe, the twig, straw, dust. Mere conveniences and security will never compare.
On Ownership
There is no delight in owning anything unshared ~ Seneca, Roman philosopher
To own something means both to have the ability to control it, and to be morally justified in excluding others from attempting to control it.
Property is abhorrent to me, even that of ideas and creativity, it is theft on numerous levels. I've have always had an allergic response, rejecting any possessiveness of any kind, though, needless to say, always respecting the property and possessiveness of others.
My general response to ownership, property or possesiveness has been to walk away.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Dakshinamurti
In Hinduism, Dakshinamurti, manifestation of Shiva, sits facing south and transmits truth through silent teaching.
To begin at the beginning...there is the abstract silence, from which arises the ego, which in turn gives rise to thought, and thought to the spoken word.
To begin at the beginning...there is the abstract silence, from which arises the ego, which in turn gives rise to thought, and thought to the spoken word.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Wierd lunch time conversations
Him : If you were to preach about something, what would you preach about?
Him : I would preach
Him : I would preach
- a Thoreau style civil disobediance on a personal level, and
- a find out for yourself attitude, Buddha style...
Small things - Ubuntu
I like to do small things....inconspicuosly. All those small inconspicuous things add up to make me. Ubuntu is the latest.
What is Ubuntu? From the wiki
"Ubuntu is an ethic or humanist philosophy focusing on people's allegiances and relations with each other. The word has its origin in the Bantu languages of Southern Africa."
“Ubuntu - the essence of being human. Ubuntu speaks particularly about the fact that you can't exist as a human being in isolation. It speaks about our interconnectedness. You can't be human all by yourself, and when you have this quality - Ubuntu - you are known for your generosity. We think of ourselves far too frequently as just individuals, separated from one another, whereas you are connected and what you do affects the whole world. When you do well, it spreads out; it is for the whole of humanity."
~ Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Now for a couple of pictures of Ubuntu in my daily life...
mmm maybe morality and the philosophy of choice as applied to technology in the next post... Take a tour of the Cathedral and the bazaar...
What is Ubuntu? From the wiki
"Ubuntu is an ethic or humanist philosophy focusing on people's allegiances and relations with each other. The word has its origin in the Bantu languages of Southern Africa."
“Ubuntu - the essence of being human. Ubuntu speaks particularly about the fact that you can't exist as a human being in isolation. It speaks about our interconnectedness. You can't be human all by yourself, and when you have this quality - Ubuntu - you are known for your generosity. We think of ourselves far too frequently as just individuals, separated from one another, whereas you are connected and what you do affects the whole world. When you do well, it spreads out; it is for the whole of humanity."
~ Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Now for a couple of pictures of Ubuntu in my daily life...
mmm maybe morality and the philosophy of choice as applied to technology in the next post... Take a tour of the Cathedral and the bazaar...
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Banksy Vs Bristol Museum
Many of you who might know of my fetish for camo gear and reggae music might not know of my urban art fetish! So now you know...
Had to share the latest Banksy offering Banksy Vs. Bristol, or just the visuals if you choose.
Had to share the latest Banksy offering Banksy Vs. Bristol, or just the visuals if you choose.
...
And Jack Sparrow said to the marooned man -
"Sir you speak as if you are an island
You are a floating body, weighed down.
Lift anchors and sail ahoy...."
- Self attributed quote to Jack Sparrow
"Sir you speak as if you are an island
You are a floating body, weighed down.
Lift anchors and sail ahoy...."
- Self attributed quote to Jack Sparrow
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
subVerser
"Once you let go of the need to express your thoughts to anyone, you suddenly feel much lighter.You just float along blissfully, finally liberated from the burden of having any presence at all. It's sort of like getting to return to the womb"
Unattributed quote
Mainstream superheros, usually have their mild mannered alter egos, who manage to blend into their societies, and they somehow manage to keep these two identities separate. It is however their moral code of right and wrong, that forces them to use their super powers from behind their masks. In their mild mannered selves, they can be called subversive and anti social, as they hide their real selves from the society at large…
I now introduce to you to the subVerser… A subVerser has several characteristics of a superhero, but is not one. A subVerser also resembles a saboteur, but is not one. A subVerser wears a mask, albeit not a literal one, but one that effectively masks. A subVerser goes against the grain of the social fabric, but does not have a complete moral stance.
Unattributed quote
Mainstream superheros, usually have their mild mannered alter egos, who manage to blend into their societies, and they somehow manage to keep these two identities separate. It is however their moral code of right and wrong, that forces them to use their super powers from behind their masks. In their mild mannered selves, they can be called subversive and anti social, as they hide their real selves from the society at large…
I now introduce to you to the subVerser… A subVerser has several characteristics of a superhero, but is not one. A subVerser also resembles a saboteur, but is not one. A subVerser wears a mask, albeit not a literal one, but one that effectively masks. A subVerser goes against the grain of the social fabric, but does not have a complete moral stance.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Trod On...
I went back to be at the beginning of this blog. In hindsight I still relate to the idealism of that post. Now that the period of wandering has come to an end, where has all this led to?
The journey continues and the traveller wears different clothes now, and has himself cast deep into murky waters of this Babylonian shitstem. But with the minds eye firmly set on a bigger phenomenon that cannot be subjected to adjectives, the traveller is strangely impervious to all attempts at urban absorption.
Trodding on...
- Summaries are conclusions, but the wandering is eternal.
- There is no knowledge in the wandering.
- It is myopic to have a destination.
- Statistics are but the crutch of the undiscerning.
The journey continues and the traveller wears different clothes now, and has himself cast deep into murky waters of this Babylonian shitstem. But with the minds eye firmly set on a bigger phenomenon that cannot be subjected to adjectives, the traveller is strangely impervious to all attempts at urban absorption.
Trodding on...
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Reinvention
I was commenting about everyone being a self immolating phoenix on a friend's blog. I remind myself that this blog is about
"A lifestyle experiment ¤ an inquiry into values ¤ a surrender ¤ a moral acid test ¤ an old fashioned adventure, and all this, while trodding through this Babylon shitstem"
"A lifestyle experiment ¤ an inquiry into values ¤ a surrender ¤ a moral acid test ¤ an old fashioned adventure, and all this, while trodding through this Babylon shitstem"
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Conversation with an Owl
Wei Wu Wei's owl just landed on my balcony! I had a conversation.
Me : Hello there. Where did you drop out of?
Owl : Dont address me. Would you address me in my absence. If you wont, then dont address me in my presence either.
Me : Why would I address you in your absence? People would think I am talking to myself
Owl : What inane split-minds to be put up with! Are you sure you are having a conversation with me, and not yourself? How can you be so sure of that?
Me : WTF??!!
Owl : Hoo Hoo
Me : Hello there. Where did you drop out of?
Owl : Dont address me. Would you address me in my absence. If you wont, then dont address me in my presence either.
Me : Why would I address you in your absence? People would think I am talking to myself
Owl : What inane split-minds to be put up with! Are you sure you are having a conversation with me, and not yourself? How can you be so sure of that?
Me : WTF??!!
Owl : Hoo Hoo
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Universal Blanket Disclaimer
Karacaranakrtam vaak
kaayajam karmajam vaa,
Shravanananynajam vaa
maanasam vaaparaadham;
Vihitam avihitam vaa
sarvametat ksamasva,
Jaya jaya karunaabdhe
shreemahaadeva shambho.
“Sins committed in action—with the hands and feet or by speech, or by the body, or by the ears and eyes,—or by those done in thoughts,—forgive all these sins whether by inclusion or omission. Glory be unto Thee, Thou ocean of mercy! Glory be unto Thee O Mahadeva Shambho!”
~Sri Sankaracharya
kaayajam karmajam vaa,
Shravanananynajam vaa
maanasam vaaparaadham;
Vihitam avihitam vaa
sarvametat ksamasva,
Jaya jaya karunaabdhe
shreemahaadeva shambho.
“Sins committed in action—with the hands and feet or by speech, or by the body, or by the ears and eyes,—or by those done in thoughts,—forgive all these sins whether by inclusion or omission. Glory be unto Thee, Thou ocean of mercy! Glory be unto Thee O Mahadeva Shambho!”
~Sri Sankaracharya
Words
we speak
as if words themselves
have the power to make
birds fly
it is no wonder that you feel
this way, the world has changed
so much, just in the last ten
thousand years
words are perhaps not the same
as they were when they came out
of language, in fact, we once were
terribly worried about the moral effect
we have serious concerns
on what people might say, in verse,
even worse
that they might stir strange
ideas about....the
nature of things, even
Words are not gods
Poets, those, maker believers!
we shall make them tell us
what we don't know...
as if words themselves
have the power to make
birds fly
it is no wonder that you feel
this way, the world has changed
so much, just in the last ten
thousand years
words are perhaps not the same
as they were when they came out
of language, in fact, we once were
terribly worried about the moral effect
we have serious concerns
on what people might say, in verse,
even worse
that they might stir strange
ideas about....the
nature of things, even
Words are not gods
Poets, those, maker believers!
we shall make them tell us
what we don't know...
Monday, March 30, 2009
Monkey Poetry
I know that a room full of monkeys have typed all my poetry
My monkey mind runs the show, after all
I take credit for the random blooms which come
from the seeds of their discarded bananas
My monkey mind runs the show, after all
I take credit for the random blooms which come
from the seeds of their discarded bananas
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Travellers of Yore
A random list of some of my favorite travelers, with a bias against missionaries, sailors, invaders and colonialists -:
1. Hiuen Tsang, China
2. Fa-Hien, China
3. Ibn Batuta, Morocco
4. Marco Polo, Venice
5. Fernão Mendes Pinto, Portugal
6. Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, Spain
7. Lewis and Clark, America
8. Sven Hedin, Sweden
9. Ferdinand von Richthofen, Germany
10. Richard Francis Burton, England
11. Adi B. Hakim, Jal P. Bapasola, Rustom B. Bhumgara, India
12. Jack Kerouac, USA
1. Hiuen Tsang
Chinese Buddhist monk/scholar who traveled to India around 630 AD on a pilgrimage to acquire sacred scriptures. He traveled the length of India and some parts of Ceylon. He also spent time with scholars at Nalanda University during its hey days, under Harshavardhana. I've been reading Samuel Beal's translation of an account of his travels, by his disciple HuiLi, called The Life of Hiuen-Tsiang. His own extensive writings on his travels Si-Yu-Ki , is next on my reading list.
2. Fahien
Another Chinese Buddhist monk/scholar who was the first traveller to leave an account of his travels to Central Asia, India and Ceylon. He predated Hiuen Tsang, and his visit to India was around 399 AD. His mission was to specifically find the scriptures of Vinaya Pitaka, which detailed the monastic rules set by Mahayana buddhism, and also visit sacred sites. I am currently reading Samuel Beal's translation of an account of his travels, Travels of Fah Hian and Sung Yun from China to India: 400 AD to 518 AD
The rest in the list will follow...
1. Hiuen Tsang, China
2. Fa-Hien, China
3. Ibn Batuta, Morocco
4. Marco Polo, Venice
5. Fernão Mendes Pinto, Portugal
6. Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, Spain
7. Lewis and Clark, America
8. Sven Hedin, Sweden
9. Ferdinand von Richthofen, Germany
10. Richard Francis Burton, England
11. Adi B. Hakim, Jal P. Bapasola, Rustom B. Bhumgara, India
12. Jack Kerouac, USA
1. Hiuen Tsang
Chinese Buddhist monk/scholar who traveled to India around 630 AD on a pilgrimage to acquire sacred scriptures. He traveled the length of India and some parts of Ceylon. He also spent time with scholars at Nalanda University during its hey days, under Harshavardhana. I've been reading Samuel Beal's translation of an account of his travels, by his disciple HuiLi, called The Life of Hiuen-Tsiang. His own extensive writings on his travels Si-Yu-Ki , is next on my reading list.
2. Fahien
Another Chinese Buddhist monk/scholar who was the first traveller to leave an account of his travels to Central Asia, India and Ceylon. He predated Hiuen Tsang, and his visit to India was around 399 AD. His mission was to specifically find the scriptures of Vinaya Pitaka, which detailed the monastic rules set by Mahayana buddhism, and also visit sacred sites. I am currently reading Samuel Beal's translation of an account of his travels, Travels of Fah Hian and Sung Yun from China to India: 400 AD to 518 AD
The rest in the list will follow...
Monday, March 23, 2009
Random Journal Entry
How do I read a book? The same way I travel ofcourse!
I travel, over land, with unrestrained senses, and an intellect sufficiently reined in. I allow everything within the realm of my senses, and that significant other, that which can be received, but is outside the realm of senses and the intellect, to affect me. I offer myself up as the clay, that under such forces, results in this living self. I have no travelogues, no photographs, no statistics...I have nothing but myself to show as a product of my journeys.
I read the written word with the same lack of restraint, with scant regard for details, and only a sufficient application of intellect. I do not allow that which is written to camouflage the unwritten. I weed through the written, to come under the influence of that which is unwritten.
I travel, over land, with unrestrained senses, and an intellect sufficiently reined in. I allow everything within the realm of my senses, and that significant other, that which can be received, but is outside the realm of senses and the intellect, to affect me. I offer myself up as the clay, that under such forces, results in this living self. I have no travelogues, no photographs, no statistics...I have nothing but myself to show as a product of my journeys.
I read the written word with the same lack of restraint, with scant regard for details, and only a sufficient application of intellect. I do not allow that which is written to camouflage the unwritten. I weed through the written, to come under the influence of that which is unwritten.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Untitled
the blaze
in eyes
that wakes up
the night
the moon
the kiss
that stays
in the solitude
together
then
a smile
half-opens
reluctant
to miss it all
in eyes
that wakes up
the night
the moon
the kiss
that stays
in the solitude
together
then
a smile
half-opens
reluctant
to miss it all
Friday, February 27, 2009
Waking from a Siesta
She leans against the wall
pale left hand on her waist
one eye out the window
one on my sheets - tobacco
and crescents of hasish
she walks slow to the window
lifts the curtain
and folds it back
so the bent oblong of sun
hoists itself across the room
framing the bed
and my bent arm
she is crossng the sun
sits on her leg here
sweeping off the makings
traces the thin bones on me
turns toppling slow on my stomach
Shiva Shihva Shivaaah
I am very still
I take in all the angles of the room
pale left hand on her waist
one eye out the window
one on my sheets - tobacco
and crescents of hasish
she walks slow to the window
lifts the curtain
and folds it back
so the bent oblong of sun
hoists itself across the room
framing the bed
and my bent arm
she is crossng the sun
sits on her leg here
sweeping off the makings
traces the thin bones on me
turns toppling slow on my stomach
Shiva Shihva Shivaaah
I am very still
I take in all the angles of the room
Suspended
What is in the saying of things?
What is in the doing of things?
What is in being the things?
Show me my corner
and I will sit and watch the world go by
with neither delight nor dismay
negating all perceptions
indulging in a dreamless slumber
What is in the doing of things?
What is in being the things?
Show me my corner
and I will sit and watch the world go by
with neither delight nor dismay
negating all perceptions
indulging in a dreamless slumber
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