Thursday, July 21, 2022
ವಿಷಪೂರಿತ ಸಂಬಂಧಗಳ ಜೊತೆಗಿನ ಅನುಭವ
Book Review: Stalking the wild pendulum by Itzhak Bentov
First published in 1977, this book is at the intersection of Modern Physics and Yoga. Of late, I have been reading books separately on Astro Physics and on Yoga. I was getting a notion that both are connected somehow but after putting my hands on this book, things seem much clearer now.
The majority of modern astrophysicists (or at least of those I have read) don’t explain what was
in place before Big Bang. They all start with Big Bang creating the Universe, its
galaxies, stars, and the planetary system thereof. And they all agree with Einstein
that nothing can travel faster than light. But this book proposes a model (not
the ultimate theory) that describes the continuous process of recreation of the
Universe, all physical objects being sucked by a black hole into nothingness, and they are being
recreated from the other end of a black hole – a white hole, through the big bang. This book describes
it as a continuous process and not a one-time phenomenon.
How does this
author know that this is the case? He says by expanding one’s consciousness
anyone can become aware of this. Then, how can one expand his/her
consciousness? He says that is possible through meditation. From unknown times,
sages who meditated have been telling the same although not in scientific
terms.
Modern
physics is getting beyond quantum physics and exploring the string theory which
says sub-atomic particles (Protons, Neutrons, and Electrons) are nothing but vibrating
energy strings. In his famous equation, Einstein said energy and mass can be
converted into each other. This author too shows that is the process happening
at the source of creation (Black hole sucking mass converting into energy and
White hole converting energy into mass). He further explains how the Universe
expands and shows where our Galaxy is placed in that scheme. Well, all of it seems to be convincing though I could not digest it
fully.
There are particles
that can travel at a higher speed than light (which modern science is
exploring now, though no firm explanations are available), and our souls too can travel
to other parts of the Universe (beyond Earth and other Galaxies in no time) and exchange information and energy. Well, that is possible when one is at the highest level of consciousness. All of us are not born with that level of consciousness.
Most human beings have their consciousness closer to that of animals and
plants. But with the training (through mediation) our level of consciousness
can be raised. Kundalini Yoga too teaches the same that through the activation of various chakras our awareness levels raise.
Our physiology
and neurological systems enable higher consciousness when they are healed
and prepared for it. They have a higher potential to do higher tasks than what an
ordinary human being uses them for. As health issues and emotional disturbances
reduce in a person, his/her brain will get tuned to vibrate with Earth's frequency. When mediation practitioners are put into vibration resonance
with that of Earth, energy and information exchange is possible with it. Though
we call it intuition, it is the information we downloaded from the space and
its members. It also enables one to get back into time (or forward) and get
to know the past and the possibilities of what the future holds. Our yogis
have been doing the same but without scientific explanation. But this book discusses
the scientific models to enable a discussion of how this is made possible.
What we
think of as superhuman skills, yogis seem to do them with ease. They are the siddhis one acquires with the expansion of consciousness. It is not that they become
superhuman or those capabilities were not in existence before, only that we were not
in tune to access them. But the process of yoga expands one’s consciousness and
in the journey, many of the siddhis become possible. This is very similar to
what Sage Patanjali had described in his Yoga sutras.
Thus, this
book bridges the gap between the ancient system of Yoga and modern physics. The
meaning of Yoga – becoming one with a higher self and what is proposed in this
book, the purpose of raising consciousness – merging with the Universe are one
and the same. I know I will have to visit this book again.
For those who practice meditation and aspire to understand the mechanics of consciousness,
this book is a great read.
Saturday, July 16, 2022
ಸರ್ವವನ್ನು ಪರಿತ್ಯಾಗ ಮಾಡಿದ ಸರ್ವಜ್ಞನು ತ್ರಿಪದಿ ಹೇಳುವುದನ್ನು ಮರೆಯಲಿಲ್ಲ
ನೀವು ಕಥೆ ಓದುತ್ತಿರೋ, ಕೇಳುತ್ತಿರೋ (ಇನ್ನೊಬ್ಬರಿಂದ ಅಥವಾ ರೇಡಿಯೋನಲ್ಲಿ) ಅಥವಾ ನೋಡುತ್ತಿರೋ (ಸಿನೆಮಾ ಇಲ್ಲವೇ ದೂರದರ್ಶನದಲ್ಲಿ) ಎನ್ನುವುದು ಮುಖ್ಯವಲ್ಲ. ಅದಕ್ಕೆ ಹೇಗೆ ಸ್ಪಂದಿಸುತ್ತೀರಿ ಅನ್ನುವುದು ಮುಖ್ಯ. ಕಥೆಗಳಿಗೆ ಭಾಷೆ ಮತ್ತು ಮಾಧ್ಯಮಕ್ಕಿಂತ ಅವುಗಳು ತಮ್ಮ ವೀಕ್ಷಕರನ್ನು ಹೇಗೆ ಹಿಡಿದಿಡುತ್ತವೆ ಎನ್ನುವುದೇ ಮುಖ್ಯ.
ಶಾಲಾ,
ಕಾಲೇಜುಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಒತ್ತಾಯಪೂರ್ವಕವಾಗಿ ನಿಮಗೆ ಕಥೆ ಓದಿಸಿದ್ದರೆ ಅಥವಾ
ಬೇಕಿಲ್ಲದ ಸಿನೆಮಾ ನೀವು ನೋಡಿದ್ದರೆ ಅವು
ನಿಮ್ಮ ಮನಸ್ಸಿನಲ್ಲಿ ನಿಲ್ಲುವುದೇ ಇಲ್ಲ. ಅದು ಸಮಯ ವ್ಯರ್ಥ
ಮಾತ್ರ. ಬರೀ ನಿಮ್ಮದಷ್ಟೇ ಅಲ್ಲ,
ಕಥೆ ಬರೆದವರ ಅಥವಾ ಸಿನೆಮಾ ಮಾಡಿದವರದು
ಕೂಡ. ಆದರೆ ನೀವು ಚಿಕ್ಕಂದಿನಲ್ಲಿ
ಅಜ್ಜಿ ಹೇಳಿದ ಕಥೆ ಆಸಕ್ತಿಯಿಂದ ಕೇಳಿದ್ದರೆ
ಅದು ನಿಮ್ಮ ಮನಸ್ಸಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಒಂದು ಶಾಶ್ವತ ಸ್ಥಾನ
ಪಡೆಯುತ್ತದೆ. ಮುಂದೆ ನೀವು ಅಜ್ಜ, ಅಜ್ಜಿಯಾದ
ಮೇಲೆ ನಿಮ್ಮ ಮೊಮ್ಮಕ್ಕಳಿಗೆ ಅದೇ ಕಥೆ ಹೇಳಲು
ಹೊರಡುತ್ತೀರಿ. ಕಾಲ ಬದಲಾಗಿದೆ. ಆದರೂ
ನೀವು ಕೇಳಿದ ಕಥೆ ಮೂಲವನ್ನು ಹಾಗೆಯೆ
ಇಟ್ಟುಕೊಂಡು ಕೆಲವು ವಿವರಗಳನ್ನು ಮತ್ತು ಹೇಳುವ ಶೈಲಿ ಮಾತ್ರ ಬದಲಾಯಿಸುತ್ತೀರಿ.
ನೀವು ಕಥೆ ಕೇಳುಗರಿಂದ, ಕಥೆ
ಹೇಳುವವರಾಗಿ ಬದಲಾಗಿದ್ದು ನಿಮ್ಮ ಅರಿವಿಗೆ ಬರುವುದೇ ಇಲ್ಲ. ನಿಮ್ಮ ಮೊಮ್ಮಕ್ಕಳಿಗೂ ನೀವು ಹೇಳುವ ಹಲವು
ಕಥೆಗಳು ಇಷ್ಟವಾಗಿ ಬಿಡುತ್ತವೆ. ರಾಮಾಯಣ, ಮಹಾಭಾರತಗಳು ಸಾವಿರಾರು ವರುಷಗಳು ಕಾಲ ಬದುಕಿ ಬಂದದ್ದು
ಹಾಗೆಯೆ.
ಕಥೆ
ಅಂದರೆ ಕೃಷ್ಣನ ಬಾಲ ಲೀಲೆಗಳು, ಶಿವಾಜಿಯ
ಸಾಹಸಗಳು ಅಷ್ಟೇ ಅಲ್ಲವಲ್ಲ. ನಮ್ಮ ನಿಮ್ಮ ನಡುವೆ
ಹೊಸ ಕಥೆಗಳು ಹುಟ್ಟಿಬಿಡುತ್ತವೆ. ಅಥವಾ ನಾವೇ ಹೊಸ
ಕಥೆಯ ವಸ್ತುಗಳಾಗಿ ಬಿಡುತ್ತೇವೆ. ನಮ್ಮ ನಡುವೆ ಅದನ್ನು
ಗಮನಿಸಿ ಹೇಳುವ ಹೊಸ ಕಥೆಗಾರ ಹುಟ್ಟಿಯೇ
ಬಿಡುತ್ತಾನೆ. ಅವನು ಅದನ್ನು ಹಾಸ್ಯಮಯವಾಗಿ
ಹೇಳಬಹುದು.
"ದೊಡ್ಡವರೆಲ್ಲ
ಜಾಣರಲ್ಲ,
ಚಿಕ್ಕವರೆಲ್ಲ
ಕೋಣರಲ್ಲ"
ಇಲ್ಲವೇ
ವಿಷಾದ ತುಂಬಿ ಹೇಳಬಹುದು
.
"ಆ
ಕೈ ಸೋತರೆ ಬೊಂಬೆಯ ಕಥೆಯು
ಕೊನೆಯಾಗುವುದೇ, ಕೊನೆಯಾಗುವುದೇ?"
ಮನಸ್ಸಿಗೆ
ತಟ್ಟಿದ ಕಥೆಗಳೆಲ್ಲ ಒಬ್ಬ ಮನುಷ್ಯನಿಂದ ಇನ್ನೊಬ್ಬನಿಗೆ
ವರ್ಗಾವಣೆಯಾಗುತ್ತ ಹೋಗುತ್ತವೆ. ಮಾಧ್ಯಮಕ್ಕಿಂತ (ಪುಸ್ತಕ, ಸಿನೆಮಾ) ಕಥೆಯ ಸಾರವೇ ಮುಖ್ಯವಾಗುತ್ತದೆ.
ಆಗ ಕಥೆ ಬರೆದವರಿಗೂ ಮತ್ತು
ಸಿನೆಮಾ ಮಾಡಿದವರಿಗೂ ಒಂದು ಸಾರ್ಥಕ ಭಾವನೆ
ಹುಟ್ಟುತ್ತದೆ. ಆ ಭಾವನೆಯೇ ಬರಹಗಾರರಿಗೆ,
ಚಿತ್ರ ನಿರ್ದೇಶಕರಿಗೆ ಸ್ಫೂರ್ತಿ ತುಂಬುತ್ತದೆ. ಸಿನೆಮಾ ನಿರ್ದೇಶಕರ ಮನಸ್ಸು ಕೆದಕಿ ನೋಡಿ. ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಅವರನ್ನು ಪ್ರಭಾವಗೊಳಿಸಿದ ಅನೇಕ ಚಿತ್ರಗಳು ಇರುತ್ತವೆ.
ಹಾಗೆಯೆ ಬರಹಗಾರನಲ್ಲಿ ಅವನು ಓದಿದ ಹಲವಾರು
ಪುಸ್ತಕಗಳು ಇರುತ್ತವೆ. ಆ ಪ್ರಭಾವ ಅವರಲ್ಲಿ
ದಟ್ಟವಾಗಿದ್ದು, ತಾವು ಹೊಸ ಕಥೆಗಳ
ಹುಡುಕಾಟಕ್ಕೆ ತೊಡಗುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಇನ್ನಾರನ್ನೋ ಪ್ರಭಾವಗೊಳಿಸುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಅವರ ಸಂತತಿ ಬೆಳೆಯುತ್ತ
ಹೋಗುತ್ತದೆ. ಅದು ಅಜ್ಜಿ ಹೇಳಿದ
ಕಥೆ ಕೇಳಿ ನಾವು ಕಥೆಗಾರ
ಆದಂತೆ.
ಎಲ್ಲ
ಕಥೆಗಾರರಿಗೆ ಅವರ ಸಂದೇಶ ಮುಂದಕ್ಕೆ
ದಾಟಿಸುವ ಅವಶ್ಯಕತೆ ಇರುತ್ತದೆ. ಅವರಿಗೆ ಒಬ್ಬ ಓದುಗ ಅದನ್ನು
ಮೆಚ್ಚಿಕೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತಾನೆ ಎನ್ನುವ ಆಸೆ ಇರುತ್ತದೆ. ನೋವಿರಲಿ,
ಸುಖವಿರಲಿ ಅದನ್ನು ಕೇಳುವ ಕಿವಿಗಳು ಇರುತ್ತವೆ ಎನ್ನುವ ನಂಬಿಕೆ ಕಥೆಗಾರರನ್ನು ಕಥೆ ಹೊಸೆಯುವಂತೆ ಮಾಡುತ್ತವೆ.
ಬಸವಣ್ಣ, ಅಲ್ಲಮ ಪ್ರಭುಗಳು ತಾವು ಕಂಡುಕೊಂಡಿದ್ದು ವಚನಗಳನ್ನಾಗಿಸಿದರು.
ಆ ಮೂಲಕ ತಮ್ಮ ಅನುಭವಗಳನ್ನು
ಮುಂದಿನ ಪೀಳಿಗೆಗೆ ವರ್ಗಾಯಿಸಿದರು. ಮೊಗಲ್ ದೊರೆ ಅಕ್ಬರ್ ತನ್ನ
ವಿಜಯಗಾಥೆ ತಿಳಿಸಲು
'ಅಕ್ಬರ್ ನಾಮಾ' ಬರೆಸಿದ. ಅಶೋಕ ಚಕ್ರವರ್ತಿ ತನ್ನ
ಸಂದೇಶಗಳನ್ನು ಕಲ್ಲಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಕೆತ್ತಿಸಲಿಲ್ಲವೇ? ಅವುಗಳು ಎರಡು ಸಾವಿರ ವರುಷಗಳ
ನಂತರವೂ ಅವನ ಕಥೆ ಹೇಳುವ
ಸ್ಮಾರಕಗಳಾಗಿ ಉಳಿದಿವೆ. ಪುರಂದರ ದಾಸರು ಬರೀ ಕೀರ್ತನೆಗಳನ್ನು ಹಾಡುವುದಷ್ಟೇ
ಅಲ್ಲ, ಅವುಗಳನ್ನು ಬೇರೆಯವರಿಗೆ ಕಲಿಸಲು ಕೂಡ ಶ್ರಮ ಪಟ್ಟರು.
ಸರ್ವವನ್ನು ಪರಿತ್ಯಾಗ ಮಾಡಿದ ಸರ್ವಜ್ಞನು ತ್ರಿಪದಿ ಹೇಳುವುದನ್ನು ಮರೆಯಲಿಲ್ಲ. ಅದು ಅವನ ಜೀವನದ
ಸಂದೇಶ. ಋಷಿ ಮುನಿಗಳು ವೇದಗಳನ್ನು
ಹುಟ್ಟಿಸಿದ್ದು ಹಾಗೆಯೆ. ಪತಂಜಲಿ ಮಹರ್ಷಿ ಯೋಗ ಸೂತ್ರಗಳನ್ನು ದಾಖಲಿಸಿದ್ದು
ಅದೇ ಉದ್ದೇಶದಿಂದಲೇ. ಅವರ ಕಥೆ, ಸಂದೇಶಗಳನ್ನು
ಕೇಳಿದ ಆಸಕ್ತರು ಅವುಗಳನ್ನು ಮುಂದಕ್ಕೆ ಸಾಗಿಸುತ್ತ ಬಂದರು.
ನಮ್ಮ
ನಿಮ್ಮಲ್ಲೂ ಕಥೆಗಳು ಇವೆ. ಅವು ಆಸಕ್ತಿದಾಯಕವಾಗಿದ್ದಲ್ಲಿ
ಅವುಗಳನ್ನು ಕೇಳುವವರು ಇರುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಇವತ್ತಲ್ಲದಿದ್ದರೆ ಮುಂದೊಂದು ದಿನ ಬರುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಸಾಕಷ್ಟು
ಜನರು ಅಲ್ಲದಿದ್ದರೆ ಒಬ್ಬರಿಬ್ಬರಾದರು ಸರಿ. ಆ ಆಸೆ
ಮತ್ತು ನಂಬಿಕೆಯೇ ನಮ್ಮ ಜೀವನವನ್ನು ಕುತೂಹಲದಾಯಕವಾಗಿಸುವುದು.
ಹಾಗಾಗಿ ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಬರೀ ಕಥೆ ಕೇಳಿ ಹೋಗಬೇಡಿ.
ನಿಮ್ಮ ಕಥೆಯನ್ನು ಕೂಡ ಹೇಳಿ ಹೋಗಿ.
Wednesday, July 13, 2022
Long way to the top but a short trip to the irrelevance
Ten years ago, it would have been impossible to get an appointment with Dr. Manmohan Singh, the then Prime Minister of India. He had an illustrious career of many decades, from working as an Economics professor to serving United Nations to Governor of RBI to Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission to Finance Minister and finally a Prime Minister for two terms. He left PM’s office in 2014 but in less than a decade, no media of current times covers him or remembers him. Though he is 90 years old, he may have valuable advice to offer but everyone is an economist these days. While leaving his office he anticipated history will be kind to him. History not only has forgotten to be kinder to him but seems to have forgotten him entirely.
Shah Rukh Khan was known as King Khan or Badshah of
Bollywood. His films were box-office hits. He had ruled the filmland for many years.
But times have changed. His romance does not charm anyone anymore. There are
new guys in the town. The tunes to which they sing, and dance have become different
too.
400 years ago, Shah Jahan (Emperor of the World) was busy
fighting wars, amassing wealth, building Taj Mahal, and finding jewels for his Peacock
throne. All of it came to a sudden end as he was home jailed by his son. When
he had nothing else to do, did he think about how difficult it was to survive at
the top?
Whether it was in the past or present, and whatever the
profession is, be it a King, a politician, a movie star, or a sportsman they
all had toiled to get to the top and had a tough time surviving at the top. Fighting
the contenders, and reinventing themselves to stay relevant is hard work, even for
Stalin or Hitler. That includes Napoleon, a master strategist, who had to
accept the defeat in the end.
One common thing to note from all these instances is that it is
a long way to the top which takes many decades of hard work. Staying there
is even more challenging. But sliding down to irrelevance is a short trip. Trust gained
over many years can be destroyed with a single wrong move. Empires that had survived
for centuries were destroyed in a single day with a loss in the war. Same with the
money too. Earnings of decades can be lost in little or no time. Embrace
success but stay humble as success is transient.
Picture Credit: Vishal Khandelwal
Tuesday, July 12, 2022
Survival of the kindest
In a podcast, Dacher Keltner mentioned “Survival of the kindest” and attributed it to Charles Darwin as the proposer of this idea. I was drawn to this thought and wanted to explore it further. Here is what I have learned.
Not the strongest but the fittest survive
We all know Charles Darwin and learned in school about him. Human beings are weaker in comparison to a Tiger, a Bison, or an Elephant and have no chance of survival in a one-to-one fight. But humans made weapons, used fire to their advantage, cooperated with other human beings to take on animals lot bigger than them, and climbed the evolution ladder expanding their population. Cooperation can kill competition. That is the essence.
Gratitude is at the root
Before we get into understanding kindness, we need to understand gratitude and compassion. Though human beings no more live in the wild, we still struggle to survive or we think so. The issues we face have become different. Most of the issues we face are not struggles for survival. They are not needs (like food, water, shelter) which are essential for survival but desires (like wealth, power, fame) of wanting more. So, when a person is in a struggle, he gets tired of stress and anxiety. But look at those who have fewer complaints about life and have more gratitude. They thank God every day for food on their plate or a roof over their head. They have a positive approach to life. They have little or no stress and are much happier in life. They are the fittest to survive.
Compassion
Tiger cubs when they lose their mother hardly have any chances of survival in the jungle. That is because Tigers live alone. Think of Deer and Monkeys who live in a pack. These animals have compassion and care for each other. They alarm each other and help raise each other’s kids. That helps those species beat the game of evolution. Same thing with human beings. If you have a support group who cares for you, you are likely to face struggles with ease and would do better.
Kindness
Apart from gratitude and compassion, a kind person is selfless and unconditional. It does not mean they don’t fight for their survival. They will have strong boundaries with narcissists who want to misuse kind people. Knowing who to be kind to is a necessary skill too. With all that in place, kind persons not only do well with their own survival but help others do better too. They uplift the weak and provide them with a better playground. That is what Shivakumar Swamiji of Tumkur Siddaganga Mutt did. He helped many thousands survive and do better.
Kind people not just survive but help the survival of their species. You don’t find them in the animal kingdom. They make humans the best species for survival.