Ajay0

He was one of those rare American and world leaders who made a positive impact in his country and the world in both the presidential and post-presidential phases of his life. He won the Nobel peace prize in 2002 for his humanitarian efforts around the world through his NGO Carter center and which played a major role in eliminating the dreaded guinea worm disease. Hence he is remembered with respect and affection around the world. https://www.cartercenter.org/ He was noted for his work on peace and wanted the US to be a leader of peace rather than the world's largest supplier of weapons. He had also expressed his concerns over American democracy and felt that it has become an oligarchy instead.

“The more you are identified with your thinking, your likes and dislikes, judgments and interpretations, which is to say the less present you are as the watching consciousness, the stronger the emotional energy charge will be, whether you are aware of it or not.~ Eckhart Tolle You can't control emotions by thought; you can invoke emotions by thought. Only by being more aware, emotions settle down. ~ Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Peace ends when you are emotionally involved in a situation. The practice of being a detached observer helps you stay stable and calm. It is the best way to approach a decision in any circumstance. ~ Prajapita Brahmakumaris

Emotions when properly employed can bring happiness and creativity in life, while improperly employed through lack of discrimination or discretion can result in reactions leading to regressive conflict and strife . Through Awareness, one goes beyond the realm of conditioned likes and dislikes, attain better self-mastery, and cultivate a progressive positive attitude in all situations and circumstances in life.

Teachings of the Masters on Awareness-Proactivty and Unconsciousness-Ego-Reactivity.... Act. Do not react. --Sri Ravi Shankar Sin is never in action. It is always in reaction. -- Swami Chinmayananda Virtuous ( proactive) action increases intelligence, while sinful ( reactive ) acts decreases intelligence. --Vidura Neeti ( Mahabharatha ) If you want to progress in your life and grow, act not to react. --Harbhajan Yogi Bhajan Respond. Do not react. --Osho Just stay focused. Don't react. Just be a witness and you will see the magic of it. --Swami Chidanand Saraswati Be proactive. Do not be reactive. --Stephen Covey ( Author of 7 habits of highly effective people ) Habitually we react to external stimuli, that is we are generally overwhelmed by retaliatory emotional forces within us demanding appropriate action. But surely this cannot be called 'action' , it is in fact ' re-action' . Discipline of the reasoning mind controls the reactive forces and results in appropriate 'action' rather than 're-action', one should endeavour to establish control and avoid retaliatory behaviour. --Acharya Mahaprajna Quality of life depends on what happens in the space between stimulus and response. -- Stephen Covey Because of the space between stimulus and response, people have the power of choice; therefore,leaders are neither born nor made meaning environmentally trained and nurtured. They are self-made through chosen responses, and if they choose based on principles and develop increasingly greater discipline, their freedom to choose increases. -- Stephen Covey Reaction is unconscious. You do not know exactly that you are being manipulated. You are not aware that you are behaving like a slave, not like a master. Action out of consciousness is response. -- Osho You can act in two ways -- one is reaction, another is response. Reaction comes out of your past conditionings; it is mechanical. Response comes out of your presence, awareness, consciousness; it is non-mechanical. The ability to respond is one of the greatest principles of growth. You are not following any order, any commandment; you are simply following your awareness. You are functioning like a mirror, reflecting the situation and responding to it -- not out of your memory from past experiences of similar situations, not repeating your reactions, but acting fresh, new, in this very moment. Neither the situation is old, nor your response -- both are new. -- Osho One who is obsessed with worldly pursuits, one who is body-oriented, cannot really go into this. We need to develop a distance from our mind and not give in to impulsiveness. Those who react are the ones who are living mindlessly. So in a way, we can say that living mindfully is being in meditation. -- Anandmurti Gurumaa So action which is born of reaction breeds sorrow. Most of our thoughts are the result of the past, of time. A mind that is not built on the past, that has totally understood this whole process of reaction, can act every minute totally, completely, wholly. J. Krishnamurti Action which is born of reaction breeds sorrow. J. Krishnamurti

Below are some sayings on the nature of auspiciousness from various Hindu and Buddhist masters that I have compiled for better understanding of the subject from the perspective of eastern philosophy. So from here, we can see that it is the agitated mind that is productive of negative vibrations or inauspicious energies while the equanimious mind is productive of positive ones. The Bhagavad Gita states that mental equanimity is yoga and leads to skill in action. Awareness or mindfulness comes about in an equanimous mind. What agitates the mind is numerous strong desires in the form of cravings and aversions. In an extreme form, these cravings and aversions take on the form of vices like greed, hatred, lust,egoism,inordinate attachments which are the source of all crimes as well devoid of virtue. In the enlightened sage, the mind is equanimous at all times, and this results in undisturbed awareness or mindfulness productive of positive vibrations and energies which have a beneficial effect on those around them. In a village in my district , there lived a female enlightened master in the last century. This region, in comparison to other regions have a very low crime rate and low incidence of natural disasters which people attribute to the master's grace. Even now one can still feel the positive vibes and auspiciousness over this place and it is now a popular tourist site as well. I know of similar other regions which has an auspicious air about it due to the presence of enlightened sages. I think this is the factor that is in work at pilgrimage sites too.

Sadhguru is a genuine enlightened sage, and I have learnt a lot from his talks and videos and cleared much of my doubts. I regret not coming across his teachings at a much younger age, as it could have given my life a much healthier perspective and course formulation and corrections if needed. If people dislike him and avoid him, that is their personal choice and bad luck. It also means that they have not done their research and homework well.

Insightful article by the Brahmakumaris on creating a methodical roadmap to overcome old negative habits and addictions... https://www.brahmakumaris.com/blog/how-to-overcome-old-habits/

You are welcome. Since love is a higher state of consciousness , obviously virtue or value-based conduct is a means forward to achieve this state. These sayings can bring perspective in this regard... As for love being an antidote to nihilist despair, I would say that nihilist despair arises from the perception that the universe or existence is meaningless, random and chaotic. If you hold on to such a conditioned reality tunnel as a fact of life, despair is naturally and obviously the result. I had already stated that nihilism is a short-sighted perspective that does not take into account the phenomenon of Buddhahood or enlightenment (present in various religions like sufism, hinduism, buddhism, jainism, taoism.) and is based on a superficial, uni-dimensional understanding of reality . It is a philosophy that arose in the western civilization which does not have the antiquity of the eastern. I would exhort you to observe and study more world philosophies instead of settling for a certain segment of the philosophical spectrum. 'A few observations and much reasoning leads to error; many observations and a little reasoning to truth.' ~ .Alexis Carrell

It just came to my attention recently that the mass shooter is a girl, and that there has been nine such female shooters in the past. This is a bit unbelievable for me as females usually have a natural instinct for non-violence and compassion . I had listened a few days back to a video of a spiritual master stating that the balance between the masculine and feminine (or yin yang) in the world is overwhelmingly in favor of the masculine, around 85 percent, and even women are now imitating masculine values and traits. The feminine does not have much space for creative expression in the world at the moment. This obviously must lead to a grosser and more conflict-prone world. Just my thoughts on the subject.

Declassified pentagon files have suggested the possibility that reincarnation is real based on data derived from its research projects. https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/research/a63149552/pentagon-psychic-spies/ https://www.uniladtech.com/news/pentagon-study-reincarnation-could-be-real-298673-20241210 https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-14166719/Secret-Pentagon-study-reincarnation-consciousness-Monroe-Institute-Gateway.html

As per eastern philosophy, nihilism is a short-sighted philosophical perspective. Nihilism considers all virtues and values to be mere abstract contrivances, while eastern religious philosophies of Buddhism and Hinduism states that virtuous or value-based conduct results in progressively higher states of consciousness and enlightenment or Buddhahood eventually. Buddha and Anandamayi Ma had creditted virtuous conduct with potential attainment of enlightenment. You might find these thoughts insightful and useful to develop a better perspective Rajini Menon is a modern enlightened sage who attained enlightenment solely by adherence to virtuous conduct and following her conscience at all times. Here is a thread I had created on her in this regard...

The Law is that a man should be at rest, at peace, undisturbed, and the body should always be in motion; the mind to be subjected to the laws of statics, and the body subjected to the laws of dynamics; the body at work and the internal Self always at rest. That is the Law. Be free. ~ Swami Rama Tirtha Patience in mind and dynamism in action is the right formula. Usually, we hurry the mind but we're slow in our action". ~ Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Being exuberant, balanced, and equanimous gears you up for the highest possibility of life. ~ Sadhguru

Life is inclusive. Only your mind is exclusive. ~ Sadhguru The only burden you have ever had is your mind ~ Robert Adams. If your mind carries a heavy burden of past, you will experience more of the same. The past perpetuates itself through lack of presence. The quality of your consciousness at this moment is what shapes the future. ~ Eckhart Tolle The mind spends most of the time lost in fantasies and illusions, reliving pleasant or unpleasant experiences and anticipating the future with eagerness or fear. While lost in such cravings or aversions, we are unaware of what is happening now, what we are doing now. ~ S.N.Goenka "Train the mind to live in the present moment, drop the stress that you are carrying for nothing". ~ Sri Sri Ravi Shankar A disciplined mind leads to happiness, and an undisciplined mind leads to suffering. Whether our action is wholesome or unwholesome depends on whether that action or deed arises from a disciplined or undisciplined state of mind. ~ Dalai Lama

Reincarnation has been part of eastern Dharmic religions ( Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism,Sikhism ) as well as Taoism, and also native european belief systems such as the Orphic Greeks, Celts, native German, Slav and Norse religions for milleniums. Reincarnation is also a belief in native north American tribes such as the Inuit, Navajo, Tlingit, Haida. Gitxsan, Dene Dháa . Also african tribes such as the Igbo, Nupe and Yoruba of Nigeria, Akamba of Kenya, Akan of Ghana, Baganda of Uganda. Also in some cultural groups in the native Australians. Even in the Abrahamic traditions, reincarnation as a belief exists among the Druze, Islamic shia sects (Alawites, Ahmadi religion of peace and light. ) , Jewish Kaballah, early Christian sects of Cathars, Bologmils ( which were persecuted to extinction by the Catholic church) and modern christian sects like 'The Christian Community , 'The Order of The Cross' , Kardecism. In western psychiatry and psychology as well, the likes of Dr. Brian Weiss, Dr. Michael Newton , Dr. Ian stevenson ,Dr. Jim Tucker and others has compiled a body of research work substantiating reincarnation and showing that it may have a basis in fact.

India is considered to be the only country on earth which has never persecuted its Jewish population. Zilka Joseph’s new of book of poetry, ‘Sweet Malida: Memories of a Bene Israel Woman,’ dips into the culture and mythology around the subcontinent’s largest Jewish community. ‘What’s Kosher?’ An Indian-Jewish poet’s take on memory, belonging, and her people’s delicious history. https://forward.com/culture/617986/indian-jewish-food-poetry-bene-israel/

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-M) in collaboration with the Brahmakumaris have devised an interesting way to process recycled construction and demolition debris involving solar thermal energy ensuring sustainability. The Brahmakumaris have an excellent track record in green energy projects, and scientific researchers used their giant solar concentrators of the thermal power plant in the Brahmakumari headquarters for their research purposes, which yielded excellent data on recycling waste concrete and the valuable properties the processed concrete possessed with various structural applications. This is a good case study of collaboration between spiritual institutions and scientific researchers for furthering green energy research, initiatives and environmental conservation. https://thebetterindia.com/309007/prof-ravindra-gettu-iit-madras-scientists-recycle-waste-concrete-using-solar-thermal-energy/

American economist, academic and public policy analyst Jeffrey Sachs on Nato... https://www.jeffsachs.org/newspaper-articles/ap6xhb4f2h8taxn3f9486kallhnsxw

Ashoka was the third Mauryan Emperor ( 304 – 232 BCE) in the Indian subcontinent, who is considered a major patron of Buddhism responsible for spreading it across Asia and the known world then. He started his imperial career as an aggressive young conqueror seeking to expand his empire and invaded the state of Kalinga , an independent feudal kingdom. While Ashoka emerged victorious in the hard fought war, the heavy casualties he witnessed depressed him and he experienced a bout of unhappiness and mental anguish instead. This was instrumental in his conversion to Buddhism and pacifism later on. Aśokāvadāna is a book that is about Ashoka and is part of the Divyavadana which are some of the oldest Buddhist writings. His remorse after the bloodshed of the Kalinga war is poignantly expressed thus :                  "What have I done?                   If this is a victory,                 what's a defeat then?             Is this a victory or a defeat?              Is this justice or injustice?                Is it gallantry or a rout?   Is it valor to kill innocent children and women? Did I do it to widen the empire and for prosperity or to destroy the other's kingdom and splendor?                One has lost her husband,                       someone a child,               someone an unborn infant....            What's this debris of the corpses?          Are these marks of victory or defeat?                       Are these vultures,                                crows,         eagles the messengers of death or evil?"

Attention deficit, I suppose. I had mentioned in the op that Ashoka embraced Buddhism and pacifism later on after the brutal Kalinga war.

Odisha (An Eastern State In India) has decided to Expand Mangrove Forests In Coastal Areas For Cyclone Protection https://orissadiary.com/odisha-to-expand-mangrove-forests-in-coastal-areas-for-cyclone-protection/

Mangrove forests significantly mitigated the impact of Cyclone Dana along Odisha's coast in eastern India. The dense mangroves near near Bhitarkanika National Park and Dhamra Port helped reduce wind speeds and prevent severe damage to structures, proving essential in the region's defense against natural disasters. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/etimes/trending/how-mangroves-in-odisha-likely-reduce-cyclone-danas-impact/articleshow/114861057.cms In 2023, the world's economic loss from natural disasters was estimated at $380 billion. Using natural resources like mangrove forests to reduce the impact of super-storms and cyclones is one example or case study of using nature itself as a means to fight natural disasters effectively and reducing substantially the damage caused in the process.

The best indicator of your level of consciousness is how you deal with life's challenges when they come. Through those challenges, an already unconscious person tends to become more deeply unconscious, and a conscious person more intensely conscious. You can use a challenge to awaken you, or you can allow it to pull you into even deeper sleep. The dream of ordinary unconsciousness then turns into a nightmare. ~ Eckhart Tolle Every challenge takes you a little deeper and awakens you again and again. Without the challenges, you probably would go to back to sleep. The challenges keep you awake. ~ Eckhart Tolle I do not put much emphasis on periods of meditation - if you do meditation, it's fine - but the important thing is to bring the awareness into everyday life, into every little action that you do, into the varied challenges of everyday life. ~ Eckhart Tolle https://www.azquotes.com/author/14703-Eckhart_Tolle/tag/challenges

A message by Dadi Janki of the Brahmakumaris on interfaith harmony , delivered for World Interfaith and Harmony Week 2015. https://aboutbrahmakumaris.org/un-page-on-interfaith-and-harmony-week/

This is actually an ancient concept known as the Rajarshi. The Rajarshi means one who has attained both spiritual prosperity as in enlightenment and material prosperity as in wealth and riches. The Rajarshi is considered superior to the mere monk because the monk is dependent on the Rajarshi for his food, shelter and other necessities. By aiding the monk in his material needs, the Rajarshi gets the spiritual merit for it. The slogan of the enlightened sage Prem Nirmal is to become 'an enlightened billionaire.' Janaka is mentioned in the Vedas and Bhagavad Gita as an ancient enlightened king who attained enlightenment , and is often considered as a symbolic example of the Rajarshi. Solomon is similarly an example of a wise and wealthy philosopher-king in the Abrahamic tradition. Janaka and Solomon are good examples to follow in terms of people who have attained both spiritual and material prosperity.

The two world wars which originated in europe and killed over 100 million people came as a result of military alliances and competition over colonies. The wars weakened the european colonial powers to the point that the asian, african and south american nations were able to gain their independence and freedom. Sadhguru is a Guru and has disciples in China as well and does not have any nationalistic bias. He is only wishing for world peace and hoping that the ukraine war does not result in further casualties . India , in a display of its diplomatic prowess and capabilities, patched up its relations with China recently and Modi and Xi were seen together in the Brics summit recently. ( Brics now covers more people and gdp than the g7.) US-nato however still keeps a confrontational posture with Russia( the only power on earth with the nuclear weapon capabilities to wipe out US-NATO) instead of seeking diplomatic solutions through talks and dialogue.