Santana Dharma
Hinduism gave itself no name, because it set itself no sectarian limits; it claimed no universal adhesion, asserted no sole infallible dogma, set up no single narrow path or gate of salvation; it was less a creed or cult than a continuously enlarging tradition of the God ward endeavor of the human spirit. An immense many-sided and many staged provision for a spiritual self-building and self-finding, it had some right to speak of itself by the only name it knew, the eternal religion, Santana Dharma.
Now just here is the first baffling difficulty over which the European mind stumbles; for it finds itself unable to make out what Hindu religion is…. How can there be a religion which has no rigid dogmas demanding belief on pain of eternal damnation, no theological postulates, even no fixed theology, no credo, distinguishing it from antagonistic or rival religions? How can there be a religion which has no papal head, no governing ecclesiastic body, no church, chapel or congregational system, no binding religious form of any kind obligatory on all its adherents, no one administration and discipline? For the Hindu priests are mere ceremonial officiants without any ecclesiastical authority or disciplinary powers and the Pundits are mere interpreters of the Shastra, not the law-givers of the religion or its rulers.
How again can Hinduism be called a religion when it admits all beliefs, allowing even a kind of high-reaching atheism and agnosticism and permits all possible spiritual experiences, all kinds of religious adventures?
— Sri Aurobindo, India’s Rebirth
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Come Home
Thich Nhat Hanh Surrender Yourself to the NOW
how can you be alive when only your body is there and the mind still wanders in the past or in the future.. you are not really alive.. you are not really available to you.. and you are not available to your beloved one.. so come home to yourself in the here-now.. become fully alive.. and your true presence profits yourself… your true presence profits your beloved
George Harrison – Be Here Now
Remember, now, be here now
As its not like it was before.
The past, was, be here now
As its not like it was before – it was
Why try to live a life,
That isnt real,
No how
A mind, that wants to wander,
round a corner,
Is an un-wise mind
Now, is, be here now
And its not what it was before,
Remember, now, be here now
As its not like it was before – it was
Sunshine Offers Powerful Healing
The Sun’s amazing healing powers were known to Indians for ages. The Sun is related to our eyes (according to the Purusha Sooktha, the Sun was born from the eyes of the Purusha).
New research explains how exposure to light helps our bio-rhythm and why it is vital for older people to get adequate sunlight exposure.
For decades, scientists have looked for explanations as to why certain conditions occur with age, among them memory loss, slower reaction time, insomnia and even depression. They have scrupulously investigated such suspects as high cholesterol, obesity, heart disease and an inactive lifestyle.
Now a fascinating body of research supports a largely unrecognized culprit: the aging of the eye.The gradual yellowing of the lens and the narrowing of the pupil that occur with age disturb the body’s circadian rhythm, contributing to a range of health problems, these studies suggest. As the eyes age, less and less sunlight gets through the lens to reach key cells in the retina that regulate the body’s circadian rhythm, its internal clock.
Circadian rhythms are the cyclical hormonal and physiological processes that rally the body in the morning to tackle the day’s demands and slow it down at night, allowing the body to rest and repair. This internal clock relies on light to function properly, and studies have found that people whose circadian rhythms are out of sync, like shift workers, are at greater risk for a number of ailments, including insomnia, heart disease and cancer.
So-called photoreceptive cells in the retina absorb sunlight and transmit messages to a part of the brain called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (S.C.N.), which governs the internal clock. The S.C.N. adjusts the body to the environment by initiating the release of the hormone melatonin in the evening and cortisol in the morning.
Melatonin is thought to have many health-promoting functions, and studies have shown that people with low melatonin secretion, a marker for a dysfunctional S.C.N., have a higher incidence of many illnesses, including cancer, diabetes and heart disease.
These vital cells, it turns out, are especially responsive to the blue part of the light spectrum. The photoreceptors of the average adult receive just 50 percent of the light needed to fully stimulate the circadian system. By age 55, it dips to 37 percent, and by age 75, to a mere 17 percent.
“Anything that affects the intensity of light or the wavelength can have important consequences for the synchronization of the circadian
People should make an effort to expose themselves to bright sunlight or bright indoor lighting when they cannot get outdoors. Older adults are at particular risk, because they spend more time indoors.
“In modern society, most of the time we live in a controlled environment under artificial lights, which are 1,000 to 10,000 times dimmer than sunlight and the wrong part of the spectrum,” Dr. Turner said.
Source: NY Times: Aging of Eyes Is Blamed for Range of Health Woes
Non Seeking
Demographics of Depression
Percentages of people who have experienced or will experience depression at some point in their lives:
| High-income: | Low- and middle-income: | |
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(Brazil and France are known for ‘less work, more leisure’ attitude very unlike China and Japan. Unconvinced? Compare France to its neighbor Germany, a country known for its work culture. aaram haraam hai…? )
Women are from where?
One factor that held true across countries was the gender ratio of depression. No matter the nationality, women were twice as likely as men to have experienced depression.
Marriage to the rescue?
Marital status was linked to depression in both low- and high-income countries, with people in high-income countries more likely to be depressed if they were separated or never married, and people in low-income countries more likely to be depressed if they were divorced or widowed.
Source: Live Science: US and France More Depressed Than Poor Countries
(How could they not study sunshine intensity as a factor? We all tend to be gloomy on cloudy days).
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And now this: Men are Happier at Work Than Women, Survey Finds
Dirt Poor
Crops grown decades ago were much richer in vitamins and minerals than the varieties most of us get today.
Comparision of nutrient data from 1975 to 1997 found that average calcium levels in 12 fresh vegetables dropped 27 percent; iron levels 37 percent; vitamin A levels 21 percent, and vitamin C levels 30 percent. There have likely been declines in other nutrients such as magnesium, zinc and vitamins B-6 and E, but they were not studied in 1950.
“New varieties of crops that provide greater yield, pest resistance and climate adaptability have allowed crops to grow bigger and more rapidly but their ability to manufacture or up↑take nutrients has not kept pace with their rapid growth,” explains Professor Donald Davis of University of Texas at Austin. Also, modern intensive agricultural methods have stripped increasing amounts of nutrients from the soil in which the food we eat grows.
What can be done? Foregoing pesticides and fertilizers in favor of organic growing methods is good for the soil, the produce and its consumers. Those who want to get the most nutritious fruits and vegetables should buy regularly from local organic farmers.
Source: Scientific American, Earth Talk – Have Fruits and Vegetables Become Less Nutritious?
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If you have 90 minutes, watch this: Sugar -The Bitter Truth by Robert H. Lustig, MD at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine. This was recently covered in NYTimes: Is Sugar Toxic?, a must read.
Children of Immortality!
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Children of Immortality!
Remember that you are created
In my image and likeness.
Perfect!
Live up to this image, in every way, in all planes.
Live like Masters!
Walk this earth with your heads held high,
Your spirits soaring…
Your hearts open to Love…
And believe in yourself and God within you.
Then all will go well.
Earth is but a manifestation of My Being.
Made out of My Life!
Wherever you look, I am there.
Wherever you walk, I am there.
Whomsoever you contact, I am that person.
I am in each, in all My Splendour.
See Me everywhere,
Talk to Me and love Me,
Who am in each.
Then from each, I will respond
And bring you into Glory.
You cannot see Me in one place and not in another,
For I fill all space.
You cannot escape Me
Or do anything in secret,
For there are no secrets with Me.
Live… Live… Live… in perfect accordance
With My laws, and wonders will ensue.
Think now. Does error clog the free flowing
Essence of My Being through you?
Ask Me this moment to reveal to you your errors
In the silence of your meditation.
Let old memories well up in you,
From My subconscious in you…
Old patterns…
Old forgotten feelings and thoughts.
Now plunge them into the Ocean of Light,
Burn them from the consciousness
So that you may be true emblems of My Being.
Right now,
Visualize My burning flame
Rising higher and higher
As it burns through you.
It is a flame that is cooling,
Cleansing and healing,
That soothes the hidden sorrow…
And leaves you calmed and quiet.
Rest in my Love.
Let all that you have been through
In your many lives up to this day,
Melt away in My redeeming Light.
Children of My Being!
Dissolve your sorrows and fears in Me.
Let me efface
All your karma.
Come back into My Consciousness, which is
Your own true Consciousness.
Let your petty human self fade away, right now,
As you come to Me, who am your Inner Self.
You are now My radiant glorious Self…
No longer separate from Me.
Melt with Me… Merge with Me…!
Become Me!
Sathya Sai Baba
From: Prema Dhaara: Letters Written by Bhagavan to His Students; Sathya Sai Books & Publications Trust, Prashanti Nilayam
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Chita Chora Murali Bala .. (these Croatians, they sing so well)
Bhajamana Govinda Gopala .. (same bunch, more joy!)
Maa .. (beautiful song, you will love it)
Kalathithaya Siddhi Rupaya .. (broke down totally while watching this, which prompted this post)
up↑take 