Ajay0

It has a lot to do with India's large population , largest in the world at present, and twice that of the european union. Since it is a single country, things are not often seen with the proper perspective and proportion.

Could you cite where Modi has the court's approval for president's rule in the said state! Research has shown correlation between porn and higher crime rates against women.. https://fightthenewdrug.org/studies-show-porn-often-normalizes-sexual-violence-women/ https://www.focusforhealth.org/how-pornography-impacts-violence-against-women-and-child-sex-abuse/

How is that ! The culprit involved has a case history of addiction to pornography, has violent pornographic videos in his phone, and was seen consuming alcohol the previous day. Bans however can bring wide-spread non-usage of alcohol among the general population. Yes, alcohol can be smuggled illegally but it will not be widespread and relegated to a few, and also will not be consumed in open. Those appearing inebriated in public can be arrested with alcohol tests by the police, thus preventing any potential criminal offence in the process. Alcohol consumption is also related to numerous mental and physical disorders taking a major toll on the health system, as well as socio-economic issues, and all this can be substantially reduced with its ban. Modi's Gujarat has already an alcohol ban enforced as a law. Bihar has shown much better crime and socio-economic statistics after alcohol bans came up over there. If it's a case of criminals systematically hijacking the state government machinery, it is the state government that is to blame and not the federal government. You can request for president's rule in such a scenario after dismantling the state government if it warrants that.

This has a lot to do with the naivete and inexperience of the early western educated Indian administrators and policy makers, in the middle of the twentieth century , who ensured easy access to western pornography in the form of magazines, movies and novels, as well as alcohol in India, so as to project it as a modern nation, as well as for revenue generation and tourism promotion. Imho, they should have been banned taking the example of some neighboring countries. As a child going to school in the school bus, it was normal for me to see half-naked posters of western pornographic movie actors in the streets and pre-pubescent me wondering about the same with friends and theorizing about it. These movies shown in Indian theaters were highly popular and generated good revenue, so the government put a blind eye to it. Their success also spawned an Indian pornographic industry as well which is not that successful though. In high school I remember reading my first pornographic novel of western origin with a heavy dose of sadism involved. Western marketing tactics of using sex to attract customers was used by Indian marketers and this was highly alien to the native culture where one is supposed to be well-dressed in order to look dignified and authoritative. Censor regulations in Indian movies was weak in the beginning and Indian movie-makers aping western movies and psychological tactics used a heavy dose of sex to attract customers. These were bound to have long-term repercussions though. The increasing crime rates in India however provided a much needed reality check, and consequently there has been heavy restrictions now on access to pornographic material as well as a much better regulated marketing system. It is now impossible or extremely rare to see posters of pornographic movies or gain access to such material , as well as marketing images of scantily clad women in tantalizing postures. There is also heavy censoring of Indian movies and advertisements as well. Western channels showcasing explicit serials and movies and ads have been blocked permanently. And only highly censored movies are now being shown. The recent issues will further reinforce such existing restrictions and bring in new ones, such as bans on alcohol, drugs, internet regulations, and wiping out the nexus between the mafia and corrupt government officials that are involved in the lucrative but illegal drug trade. I have nothing against western culture and whole-heartedly believe there are appreciable elements in it, but am not sure whether Indian culture is ready for the culture shock in this regard with the notions of western sexuality. Celibacy and self-restraint is heavily emphasized in yoga and Indian martial arts on the grounds that they increase the prana or vital force as well as spiritual, intellectual and physical strength, and as a potent aid to meditation. The same is true with respect to Indian classical music, dance and arts. So the native cultural aspects, if invigorated, can contribute a lot to better socio-economic progress and development, and the erasure of these issues. Indian states where alcohol has been prohibited has shown a substantial decrease in crime rates and socio-economic disorders. I would say that alcohol prohibition in states that show high statistics of crime rates and socio-economic disorders should be a requisite now. Similarly the low police to population ratio has increased from 131 to 152 at present, though it is still less than 222 recommended by the UN. Hopefully, the growing economy would ensure that the recommended numbers are met within a few years.

Gary Weber recounts on how the teachings of Ramana Maharshi influenced him to shed the excitement seeking ego, resulting in enlightenment ... https://happiness-beyond-thought.com/legacy/theauthor.html

Mooji basically teaches nonduality, and that too in a western atmosphere. I don't think he will insist on moral rules and stuff related to sex as that would drive away most of his western disciples, and would be liberal with them. Mental health issues and depression amongst western nations is very high and high health care expenses involved ensures that most westerners does not get the treatment they require, and hence it is possible that some of his disciples may be having mental health issues , but is finding peace and tranquility in Mooji's presence and his teachings. It is said that being in a Buddha's presence can bring about healing through increase in prana/chi.

In Sanskrit, 'Guru' comes from the root words 'gu' meaning darkness or ignorance and 'ru' meaning remover of that darkness. A Guru is one who removes our darkness in the form of ignorance or unconsciousness, and makes a person aware and mindful and adhering to virtuous conduct. If the system which the teacher teaches prescribes celibacy and abstinence, then it would be hypocrisy on the part of the teacher to have sexual relations with his disciples. This can be very hard in devotional paths,as the kundalini release can results in much higher sex drive and only a well-trained and experienced teacher who has a disciplined lifestyle,good physical-mental fitness, and character can withstand the same, and properly channel it to higher states of consciousness. This is the reason why scandals are common among priests and spiritual teachers in all religions. If the teacher is enlightened though, this will not be an issue. Sex is not forbidden in the left-handed path of tantra, provided the Guru has the proper qualifications for it, and can guide the disciple or partner to higher states of consciousness. But the left-handed path is very hard and the erring aspirant can easily move to lower states of consciousness instead.

Insightful article by Sister Jayanti of the Brahmakumaris on transforming negative patterns to positive ones using meditation as a tool. https://www.khaleejtimes.com/lifestyle/mental-health/gen-z-and-eco-anxiety-how-introducing-meditation-in-school-curriculums-can-help-combat-the-mental-h

Isro successfully conducts second test of Air Breathing Propulsion Technology utilising RH-560 sounding rocket as a flying test bed. https://www.indiatoday.in/science/story/isro-successfully-conducts-second-test-of-air-breathing-propulsion-technology-2570706-2024-07-23

Côte d’Ivoire will become the first country to roll-out the new R21/Matrix-M™ vaccine with the first child vaccinated in Abidjan, marking a critical step and historic milestone in the global fight against malaria. https://www.news-medical.net/news/20240721/Breakthrough-malaria-vaccines-RTSS-and-R21-poised-to-save-thousands-of-lives.aspx https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2024-07-15-c-te-d-ivoire-makes-history-first-nation-deploy-r21matrix-m-malaria-vaccine

Prana is life-energy, and is not the same as air, oxygen. Deep breathing in fresh air at early morning is a means to gain good prana levels and ward off diseases as per a spiritual teacher. Fresh air is a source of prana, but so is barefoot walking on soil ( soil prana) , exposing the body to sunlight (solar prana), dipping in streams, lakes and seas ( water prana), exposing body to wind (wind prana). Fresh vegetarian food, meditation, silence, fasting, loving nature, are considered to be sources of prana and there is no breathing emphasis involved here. Reiki and pranic healing are systems that involve increasing personal prana and transferring it to others for healing purposes.

Great thread. I would say emotional instability is a marker of low consciousness behaviors. Mental equanimity and calmness has been emphasized in most religious philosophies for ensuring a higher state of consciousness. Emotional and mental agitation tends to move in the direction of emotivity, negativity and reactivity fostering disharmony and conflict.

Ethical discipline is a necessary pre-requisite for philosophical enquiry and Self-realisation. Ethics is an enquiry into the nature of good and is concerned with an analysis of the concepts of good and bad, virtue and vice, right and wrong. ~ Swami Sivananda Ethics lead to restraint of the lower self and thereby the mind is calmed. Through calmness of mind, discrimination dawns and one knows the Self. Without ethical perfection there is no spiritual progress. ~ Swami Sivananda

But India is also one of the leaders of the NAM ( non-aligned movement), which was created to prevent the world's nuclear powers from blindly pursuing nuclear war and holocaust to the peril of their own nations. Non-aligned India can create a space of dialogue and diplomatic negotations which can prevent war and foster peace and a win-win scenario for both sides. India due to its historic relationship with the Russians can also be in a role to influence them to conduct diplomatic talks with India as mediator. This can aid the war-mongering US-Nato and Russian blocs to end their hostility and promote peace instead.

Sadly, there are many human corpses of mountaineers who had died during their expedition to the summit and which have been lying there for decades. I am hoping that drone technology can help bring down these human corpses from the mountain and hand them over to their respective families for burial.

At this point of time, one can say that gun violence in the U.S has become a threat to the democratic process itself. Two American presidents have been gunned down in the past. It is high time legislation is created to ensure hard controls on possession of guns.

Do you know the ego feels its existence in negativity and in positivity the ego doesn't feel so strongly? The ego pulls the mind back to negativity to feel its existence. Go back to your past: how many bad events of life do you remember and how many good events? You will find 90% are bad and more clear. 10% are good but like in a fog. This is the great power of our ego. ~ Baba Hari Dass In good things, the ego doesn't feel its strength of individuality as strongly as in doing bad things. If you do bad things, the ego is right there in the present. Then its memory which repeats in the past. Then its imagination of doing bad things in the future appears. If we look back in our own life, what do we remember the most? All bad things we did or people did to us. Memories of good things appear as if veiled by fog. ~ Baba Hari Dass The tendency of the mind is to hold on to something negative. If ten compliments and one insult are given, the mind holds on to the negative - that one insult. So when we know this, we are already one step out of it. Time and again, we must realize: 'I am going on a negative trip' and immediately come back to the here and now. ~ Sri Sri Ravi Shankar If we reflect on your past, you will notice that all bad things that happened to you appear as if they happened yesterday and the memory of good things appear as if in a fog. Our ego feels its presence more deeply in pain or in pain causing events, thoughts, emotions. So we always think about such things which bring unhappiness. In that unhappiness, we feel 'its happening to me' even though it happened 10-20 years ago. So pain and suffering are the expressions of the ego caused by desires and attachments. ~ Baba Hari Dass We are attached to our negative qualities because they strengthen our ego. We feel our existence more in our negative aspect of life. ~ Baba Hari Dass Desire to be happy is a natural thing in all human beings. But the mind likes to be in pain by bringing the past memories and not seeing any progress in the future. If we dwell on the negative side of the mind, then we can't be happy in any situation. ~ Baba Hari Dass

Here is an interesting conversation between the female enlightened sage Anandamayi Ma and a disciple... Through this Anandamayi Ma too, like the Buddha and female enlightened sage Rajini Menon, states that an ethical and virtuous life, is a spiritual exercise in itself and is potent enough to bring about enlightenment on its own. 'Wholesome virtuous behavior progressively leads to the foremost.' ~ Buddha AN 10.1 I would say this showcases the importance of virtues and virtuous conduct as taught in the world religions and secular humanism, and shows that they are not mere abstract contrivances or limited to mere conditioning as the nihilist philosophy states them to be.

The 40,000 strong Indian territorial army is a reserve military force composed of part-time volunteers with basic military training who provide support services to the Indian army. The Indian Army is probably the only army in the world which has implemented the concept of ecological units of the Territorial Army since the 1980s, focussed on ecological conservation and combatting deforestation, desertification and pollution . These units, called Ecological Task Forces (ETF), are officered by a mix of regular and Territorial Army officers and based on manpower comprising of young ex-servicemen. https://www.usiofindia.org/publication-journal/an-overview-of-ecological-task-forces-etf-and-ecological-institutions-of-the-indian-army-2.html Celebrating its platinum jubilee year in 2024, the Territorial Army has similarly engaged in a mass plantation drive, planting fruit-bearing and shade-giving trees https://www.indiatodayne.in/assam/story/assam-territorial-army-celebrates-platinum-jubilee-with-mass-plantation-drive-1033419-2024-06-21 I would say similar units can be created in the world's armies focusing on ecological conservation with military discipline and organization, considering the negative impact of global warming and afforestation around the world resulting in increasing frequency of natural disasters , adverse economic impact and challenges to food security.

Rajini Menon is a modern enlightened sage who attained enlightenment just through adhering to virtuous conduct and obedience to inner voice or conscience. I had described about her in this thread... In the below article Rajini Menon explains on distinguishing between the inner voice and mind noise... https://rajiniji.com/whatislife/

India to launch Chandrayaan-4 in 2028 to bring rocks from the Moon https://www.indiatoday.in/science/story/india-to-launch-chandrayaan-4-in-2028-to-bring-rocks-from-the-moon-2508305-2024-02-28

Easy to do are things that are bad and harmful to oneself. But exceedingly difficult to do are things that are good and beneficial. ~ Buddha ( Dhammapada 163) Sin is easy to commit. ~ Ashoka If there is a right thing and a wrong thing, it takes longer for the right thing to be implemented, while the wrong thing will be implemented immediately. ~ Dada Bhagavan The nature of the mind is such it ignores all the good and holds on to the negative. ~ Sri Sri Ravi Shankar The mind naturally tends towards evil deeds. It is lethargic in doing good work. That is why I say that perseverance and tenacity are necessary for success in all works.~ Sri Sharada Devi The nature of the mind is to be easy-going and indolent. It loves to shirk responsibility and to get attached to the senses and their objects. A careless man gets attached to sense-pleasures and becomes weak and stupid. The mind of such a man gets impure and weak. ~ Swami Narayanananda

Perhaps I have more experience in the real world. I think you have had some nasty experiences with poorly trained therapists and is now generalizing all as despicable. This is actually poor judgement on your part based on the actions of a few, and correlates with similar jaundiced observations of yours on other nations as well.

It is the uneducated or ignorant mind that is imprecise. You cannot generalize all people as uneducated or ignorant. If that is the case humanity would never have produced a Buddha or an Einstein. Thank you for the inspiring words. I hope you add theraphobes to the list as well. https://www.fastestbooks.com/fear-of-therapists/

This is the nature of all sensory and intellectual pleasures which are not of a permanent nature due to the factors of saturation or impermanence. You have to keep chasing such fleeting pleasures in the hope of eternal happiness which is but a mirage or illusion. However joy and bliss of a permanent nature and greater intensity than sensory pleasures, is within ourselves and accessible if one makes the proper efforts for it. Being in present moment awareness or mindfulness is one such way forward. Present moment awareness or mindfulness however requires a lot of intelligent practice as it does not come easily due to the incessant thinking and emoting of the mind. It would be great if you are in the midst of nature or in the beach as the high prana/chi levels enables better present moment awareness. Being in present moment awareness is not contradictory to enjoyment of work. In fact, if you enjoy your work projects it automatically ensures awareness. This saying by Barry Long will shed light on the subject..