Education and Human Dignity - A MADIBA Story 1918 - 2013

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world,” said Mandela. Mandela who started his education journey in 1925 enrolled in a missionary primary school in Qunu where his teacher gave him the name Nelson after Admiral Nelson. In 1940 he was expelled from the University College of Fort Hare in Alice owing to a student rights dispute. Mandela had the opportunity to meet political activist, Walter Sisulu, who got him a job in a law firm. In 1942 Mandela completed his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of South Africa.

Whilst formally inducted into the African National Congress, Mandela enrolls for a law degree at the University of Wits in 1943. Upon forming the ANC Youth league and later becoming the Transvaal ANC President and rousing the famous “Defiance Campaign”, Mandela was imprisoned for 9 months in 1952. Upon his release, together with Oliver Tambo, he established the first black South African law firm.

In 1955 Mandela launches the Freedom Charter, which marks his journey to freedom taking a more militant stand in his quest.  Beginning  1962 Mandela began to spend time in prison , which lasted  27 years and was considered the longest at the Robben Island Prison. Though behind bars, the spirit of freedom he sat in motion  continued to engulf the nation. Finally with the perseverance and sacrifices of South Africans, in 1990 the apartheid  regime lifted the ban on the ANC and eventually that led to the freeing of Nelson Mandela in the same year. In 1994 Mandela was elected to the parliament as the first President of a Democratic South Africa.

“Rolihlahla” (which means ‘troublemaker’ in Xhosa) Mandela, born to an illiterate father and raised to realize the importance of education in the struggle for freedom for his people, said  “I went from having an idealistic view of the law as a sword of justice to a perception of the law as a tool used by the ruling class to shape society in a way favorable to itself. I never expected justice in court, however much I fought for it, and though I sometimes received it,” his commitment never seized.  

Abraham Lincoln, Mohandas Gandhi, Jose Rizal, Ambedhkar, Martin Luther King, and Fidel Castro (the list is not exhaustive) all had something in common where education played a significant role towards their social conscious awakening and the pursuit of justice thereafter.

Education establishes the invocation of human dignity. It is sad to see many in the world do not even have access to basic education what more tertiary education. But then again it was sheer perseverance that made Madiba the legend that he has become.

The inspiration of ‘Madiba’ Rolihlahla Nelson Mandela is best captured by this poem below by Rabindranath Tagore, which resonates  a universal pursuit of upholding human dignity.

 Where The Mind Is Without Fear

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high
Where knowledge is free
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments
By narrow domestic walls
Where words come out from the depth of truth
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way
Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit
Where the mind is led forward by thee
Into ever-widening thought and action
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake 

Om…… Shanti…..Shanti ….Shanti

PROPHETS COMPLEX

"Before the Beginning, after the great war between Heaven and Hell, God created the Earth and gave dominion over it to the crafty ape he called Man. And to each generation was born a Creature of Light and a Creature of Darkness... and great armies clashed by night in the ancient war between good and evil. There was magic then, nobility and unimaginable cruelty. So it was until that day when a false sun exploded over Trinity, and Man forever traded away wonder for reason." -  Samson in "Milfay."

A very learned friend of mine used the word “Prophets Complex” to describe someone we mutually know. That prompted me to ponder further on the phenomenon.

We are living in a highly fragile, high strung existentialist world. But society at different periods of time would have said the same thing at various times of social upheaval. Whether it was Greece during the philosophical revolution or Rome during the transition from Republican to Empire, or the end of the iron age Vedic civilization or the European Renaissance or post WW2, or the age of Digital Society, at every point in time, the world has witnessed the rise of eccentric individuals with strong convictions about their beliefs. These individuals in turn tried to exert their ideologue on the environment where they were located. Antiochus IV Epiphanes, Caligula, Shah Jehan, Hitler, Idi Amin etc. etc. are amongst some of the most famous/infamous people representing all walks of life.

Interestingly with the beginning of the industrial revolution, a new breed of corporate messiahs have emerged, propagating their own messianic vision on their sundries. Steve Jobs and Bill Gates could be an occasional exception but the host of people from Henry Frick, Jay Gould, John Patterson, Carly Fiorina, Stan O’Neil, Ken Lay, Angelo Mozilo, Gerald Levin (and the list is not exhaustive) all have one thing in common At the prime of their careers, they became God- like individuals who feared none but instead were feared by employees.

These corporate magnates achieved the highest level of success from their own humble beginnings but at their pinnacle of success they became obsessed with “sure success” that they couldn’t go wrong. Merton theorizes this as the concept of the self-fulfilling prophecy, only that in the case of the above mentioned corporate leaders, the prophecy was proven a myth.

Although the irrational actions of these corporate leaders are known, it would be a case of  “The Emperor’s new clothes” dilemma. Nobody dared to challenge the pompousness of the emperor, for if one does he/she would be ridiculed and humiliated or worse, would have faced a more severe wrath.

Whether Corporate, Religious, Social or even Political, we see an even larger emergence of such behavior with what is coined as the “Prophets’ Complex.”

Yisrayl “Buffalo Bill” Hawkins, Marshall Applewhite, Sun Myung Moon, David Koresh, Jim Jones, George Baker, Ron Hubbard and the list of endless so called GOD - Man  have thousands of followers who believe in their prophecy.

Whether it is consummation by choice or coercion in any one of these circumstances as what the Bible says, “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth”(Isaiah 53:7), the ignorant man falls prey.

From the mass suicide of Jim Jones and his followers to the scandal- tainted Ken Lay’s actions on Enron employees, the commonality is that the victims knew the irrationality but either they were too afraid to speak or did not want to jeopardize their comfort zones.

The self-perception theory developed by Daryl Bem states that people develop their own attitude based on their behavior and summing the attitudes that has caused it. In his work, “The Will to Believe”, William James asserts that the acceptance of a belief (be it religious or otherwise) unconditionally leads to the beholder’s confidence on his/her assertions. By and large an assumed socio-psychological mindset coupled with compliant stakeholders reinforces the beholder’s convictions.

So where does this leave the affected stakeholders?   “Accept and you shall perish slowly, reject and you shall be banished immediately.”  The choice is yours.

Perhaps the conversation between Rama and Ravana below from the great Hindu epic, “The Ramayana” best captures the essence of being a good leader sans EGO and displaying humility thus void of the Prophets Complex.

Ravana lies mortally wounded in the battleground, and Rama tells his brother Lakshmana to seek Ravana’s wisdom before Ravana dies. As much as Ravana was a brute King, he was a great scholar himself. Lakshmana came back to Rama dejected, saying that Ravana refused to even look at him. Then Rama asked Lakhsmana, “Where did you position yourself when seeking Ravana’s blessings?”  Lakshmana said, “I was near his head hoping to keep my ears near to his mouth to listen what he has to say.”

Rama smiled, laying his bow on the ground. He then moved towards Ravana, bows down at Ravana’s feet and says, “Lord of Lanka, you abducted my wife, a terrible crime for which I have been forced to punish you. Now, you are no more my enemy. I see you now as you are known across the world, as the wise son of Rishi Vishrava.   I bow to you and request you to share your wisdom with me. Please do that for if you die without doing so, all your wisdom will be lost forever to the world.”

To Lakshmana’s surprise, Ravana opens his eyes and raises his arms to salute Rama, “If only I had more time as your teacher than as your enemy. Standing at my feet as a student should, you are a worthy recipient of my knowledge. I have very little time so I cannot share much but let me tell you one important lesson I have learnt in my life. Things that are bad for you, seduce you easily; you run towards them impatiently. But things that are good for you, fail to attract you. You shun them creatively, finding excuses to justify your procrastination. That is why I was impatient to abduct Sita but procrastinated in meeting you. This is the wisdom of my life, dear Rama. My last words I give to you.” With these words, Ravana dies. (excerpt from Ramayana-courtesy of Bharat Janani).

OM TAT SAT.

EVIL

Caligula, Hitler, Idi Amin, and Osama Bin Ladin, all of them strike resemblance to Evil as has been perceived over time immemorial. Evil, they say from the Abrahamic patronage was first recognized as the serpent that tempted Eve. So was every other divine philosophy that has its own interpretation of evil. 

The definition of evil given by the Oxford dictionary is, an act that is profoundly wicked or immoral. Interestingly a secular definition puts man’s action as a precursor to an evil deed, however from a religious perspective it shows the existence of a higher order that commits man to such act.

Socrates states that the choices of right or wrong, serves the ends the chooser seeks to obtain and not the means through which the ends are realized. This is interesting as it appears now that the evil called Satan (or any other name) has become a scapegoat for all evil actions man does. Carl Jung theorizes that “people tend to believe evil is something external to them – yet it is a projection of the shadow onto others. As one projects the principle for absolute and unresolvable evil onto others – it is to the degree that one condemns others and finds evil in others, that one is unconscious of the same thing within oneself, or the potential of that within oneself. It is a projection of one’s shadow.”

Thus this moves to the next question, is the concept of evil globally homogeneous? Who decides then whether an individual, group of people, or even a nation is evil? What framework does one use to make such references? Is Mao Tze Tong an evil man, he was responsible for the death of millions of Chinese during the cultural revolution, and today the very foundation that was laid by Mao serves the testimony of the Chinese success, where the so called western moral propagators are sucking up to now.

If such an entity called “Antichrist”, exists, then that entity would be fuming in “Hell”, cursing man for using his name in vain, for the brand “EVIL” definitely have been hijacked by man to serve his own agenda.

From the Advaita (non-duality) philosophy, it states that there is no such thing as good or evil, but the concept itself describes man’s state of realization.

In this respect, Alexander Solzhenitsyn echoed “If only there were evil people somewhere, insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart.”

So why blame Antichrist, Satan ,Devil, Ogi, Gidim, Zyn, Otakhon, Mazu, Bhoot, Bunyip, Aniti, Yurei, Momo, ………………… for the deed that man is solely responsible for?

  

“I was inspired to pen (I mean type) on this topic after chancing upon this poem below by Dylan Thomas:

Incarnate devil in a talking snake,

The central plains of Asia in his garden,

In shaping-time the circle stung awake,

In shapes of sin forked out the bearded apple,

And God walked there who was a fiddling warden

And  played down pardon from the heavens’ hill.

When we were strangers to the guided seas,

A handmade moon half holy in a cloud,

The wise men tell me that the garden gods

Twined good and evil on an eastern tree;

And when the moon rose windily it was

Black as the beast and paler than the cross.

We in our Eden knew the secret guardian

In sacred waters that no frost could harden,

And in the mighty mornings of the earth;

Hell in a horn of sulphur and the cloven myth,

All heaven in the midnight of the sun,

A serpent fiddled in the shaping time.”

OM TAT SAT.

The Legacy of American Hegemony

Vijay Prashad (historian) wrote in The Hindu, reminiscing the words of Edward Said “Saddam was a dictator. He was a brutal ruler. He had betrayed Arab nationalism. Of that there was no doubt. But the U.S. was not to be seen as a moral force. It had drawn its sword across the neck of Arab freedom, and its attack would do nothing good for the Arabs.”

On the eve of Obama’s attempt to convince the US Congress and other leaders justifying military intervention in Syria, the article puts speculation about US agenda in perspective. As a school boy, reading Newsweek and Times linked me to world affairs.  I was in awe by the role played by the US in maintaining world peace, Vietnam, Palestine/Israel/Egypt, Cambodia, and the list goes on. This complemented all the American TV and Hollywood movies that I had been exposed to. The Cowboys Vs Injuns, Americans Vs Krauts (Germans), Americans Vs Vietcongs, Americans Vs Russians, Americans Vs Jihadis (later Terrorist), Americans Vs South American Drug Cartel, Superheroes (American) Vs Evil ( non-American or Aliens). I did not even flinch when the Federation Ship in StarTrek was called the “USS” Enterprise, thinking as a matter of fact that it must be American.

Until sometime later I realized that there was a commonality in all these propagation, that Americans were always the good guys and everyone else are out to destroy mankind, and America is always under threat from multiple psychological and physical invasion, that they have to constantly be either in a defensive or offensive mode to preserve freedom and peace.

Whether the entire actions of the Americans are purely coincidental or patriotic (nationalistic) reaction or a strategically orchestrated propaganda is any body’s guess. Nevertheless it impacted the mindset of the 20^th century onwards.

It has been said General Isoroku Yamamoto uttered these words after the bombing of Pearl Harbour, "I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve." This statement appears to resonate loudly in the context of this discussion.

Lea Brilmayer in her book “American Hegemony: Political Morality in a One Superpower World” questions the morality of one nation to police the whole world. She further questions the legitimacy of circumstances that makes it the right or obligatory for the US to intervene in the affairs of other countries.

It would be a real test for Obama to push the American Hegemony on his watch, as the world we live today seems to react independently, with a diffused and fragmented self-serving agenda.  EuroAmerican political pact aside, the voice of the people (Europe in particular) has become louder against blind actions by this pact, for a heedless attitude would cause political demise.

On 24^th September 2013,  Obama stated that he would delay his military plan against Syria purportedly preferring a diplomatic intervention via Russia, not discounting possible military action if this fails. In light of this new development Noam Chomsky candidly stated, “The Russian plan is a godsend for Obama," Chomsky says. "It saves him (Obama) from what would look like a very serious defeat. He has not been able to obtain virtually any international support, and it looked as though Congress wasn’t going to support it either, which would leave him completely out on a limb. This leaves him a way out: He can maintain the threat of force, which incidentally is a crime under international law. We should bear in mind that the core principle of the United Nations Charter bars the threat or use of force. So all of this is criminal, to begin with, but he’ll continue with that."

So is the American global socio-economic-political satire slowly weaning or simply Obama does not have the charisma and willfulness to carry on with the traditional “American” legacy?. On the other hand being the first black (or at least halfblack) American President, he may have his own private agenda. But then again can an American President afford a personal agenda? 

History tells a different story. Read Abraham Lincoln, James A Garfield, Zachary Taylor, Warren G Harding, William McKinley, John F Kennedy and the list goes on………..

Reminiscing Half A Century.

It was morning, on Thursday 19^th, September 1963, my journey began, and incidentally it is also the year Malaysia was born.

I remember………….

1969

I went to Kindergarten at Public High School. Headmistress was Rajah Mami. Uncle Muthu buys me “Roti Kahwin” (aka roti bakar) during recess.
First man on moon, “one small step for man, a giant leap for mankind.”
May 13, 1969 riots in Kuala Lumpur.
Our first black and white television.

1970

Standard One at Sekolah Bukit Hampar. Perumal Dass and me would tag behind his father Uncle Narayanasamy (also a teacher at the same school), carrying a “barber bag” (a smaller version of suit case) with a square “slate” to write.
Met John Thompson at school and eventually he, Dass and me become the inseparable trio until our form Six.
Tun Razak becomes Prime Minister of Malaysia.

1971

India Pakistan war

1972

My sister Thara was born.
Heard the name Watergate but did not understand anything.
Athletes killed in Munich Olympics.

1973

US pulls out of Vietnam
My sister Vani almost killed me by pushing me of the rambutan tree. Luckily survived with a hairline fracture of the wrist.
P.Ramlee, passes away, a symbol of how Malaysia was.

1974

I dislocated my arm, actually Raj Kumar pushed me down from a table during Tamil class. I can still feel the slap I got from my father, his instant reaction seeing me in the hospital with a bandaged arm. Cikgu Susah (my discipline teacher) had to calm my father. I had two weeks of great time at Melaka Hospital being smothered with good food and company. After that incident Raj Kumar and I became good friends.
While I was in Melaka, my sister Thara was admitted at Segamat hospital with acute bronchitis. Poor Dad had to commute from Segamat to see me in the evening in Melaka.
Sat for my first public examination ie. Standard Five Assessment Examination.

1975

Farewell party at standard 6. Sang a Hindi song…..O mere Soni ……..
Pol Pot and Khmer Rouge takes over Cambodia.
First puppy love. Had a crush on my neighbour who was doctor.
My life crashed when I was told that I am short sighted, wanted to be a pilot.
Mohammed Ali Vs Joe Bugner, Boxing, watched at the school, the whole school was hooked onto the match.
World Cup Hockey, India Beat Pakistan (2-1). But it was the semi finals that got everyone emotional Malaysia Vs India (India beat Mal 3-2). Names like SriShan, Yogeswaren, Ajitpal Singh, Alam Sher Khan, Dhyanchand, Brian Star Mariam Poon Fook Loke..... And I wanted be a hockey player.

1976

Form 1, an exciting beginning at Segamat High School.
Got my appendix removed at about midnight, since my neighbor was a doctor she got the surgeon and 2 other doctors to operate on me . Small town everyone practical knows everyone else. Life was simpler.
Heard the name Bill Gates and Steve Jobs.
Sudirman  Hj Arshad won Bintang RTM, a legacy as to how Malaysian should have been.

1977

My ammamma (maternal grandmother) passes away.
First Kiss.
Elvis Presley died.
Watched the movie Star Wars and awed by the blue screen technology.
MGR becomes Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu
Got my first guitar, and wanted to be John Denver.
Watched Saturday Night Fever and got hooked on Disco, and all the dudes started to walk like Travolta.

1978

Felt the pressure for the first time, preparing for Lower Certificate of Examination.
My classmate Rasamalar passes away due to a traffic accident before she could sit for the examination.
Went camping at Gunung Ledang with friends after examination.
Camp David Peace accord : Carter-Sadat-Begin
Test Tube baby born.

1979

Ayatollah Khomeini becomes Spiritual Leader of Iran ousting Shah of Iran.
Saddam Hussien becomes President of Iraq
Margaret Thatcher becomes the first female Prime Minister of Great Britain

1980

Malaysian Certificate of Examination was another milestone.
US boycotts Moscow Olympics
Iranian Hostage Crisis
John Lennon was shot dead

1981

Walked tall when given an opportunity to do form Six.
President Sadat assassinated, President Reagan was shot and wounded, Pope John Paul II also wounded.
Mahathir becomes Prime Minister of Malaysia.
First case of AIDS reported.
Prince Charles married Lady Diana
MTV launched

1982

Falklands war, Great Britain invades Argentinian Island and takes control of Falklands.
Leonid Brezhnev dies.

1983

Embarked on a new journey, got enrolled for a degree program at University Science Malaysia.
President Reagan’s missile plan called Star Wars was launched.

1984

Fell in love and got dumped. Love aside, I had the best time in my life. Met Chandra, Ganason, Tall Jega, Sivan, Rajalingam sir, Megan, Selva, Shanti, Short Jega, Anandan, and Kalidas.  All of them have touched and made my life meaningful during good times and bad times at campus.
Soviet Union Boycotts LA Olympics, tit for tat.
Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards. Son Rajiv becomes the Prime Minister.
Union Carbide Chemical Co. in Bhopal killed thousands due to toxic gas leak.
Mac was launched.

1985

Proton Saga, the first Malaysian car was launched.
Used my first computer ie IBM at University.
Mikhael Gorbachev becomes President of Soviet Union
The concept of Ozone layer holes was publisized

1986

Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster in Soviet Union.
Gameboy by Nintendo was launched.

1987

Last days at campus, camped out on Bukit Bendera, Penang.
My graduation.  Took photographs only to realize later that film role was not loaded.
Got my first job with Anthonian Store, a new phase in my life began.
Started smoking - Dunhill.
Iran Contra Scandal
MGR Died.

1988

Terrorist attack on Pan Am 747 over Lockerbie, Scotland.
Benazir Bhutto becomes the leader in Pakistan.

1989

Collapse of the Berlin Wall.
Tiananmen Square massacre in China.
Exxon Valdez oil spill in the Alaskan Coast.

1990

Unification of Germany.
Iraq invades Kuwait
Nelson Mandela released from prison.
Tunku Abdul Rahman Al Haj passes way.

1991

Got entangled in a dangerous liaison. An acutely stressful relationship. Thanks to my dad and "Appu" uncle I got out of it with bruised emotion. Good lesson learned.
Collapse of Soviet Union
Apartheid law in South Africa was abolished.  
Gulf War

1992

I became an Uncle. Kavin (my sister’s son) was born.
My grandmother (paternal) passes away. I was close to her. Strangely upon her death her eyes was half open, and couldn’t be shut till I came back and placed my hands on her eyes and it shut immediately.
The end of the Cold War.
Bill Clinton becomes US President.
Prince Charles and Lady Diana separate

1993

Rwandan conflict

1994

Bought my first car, a used Merc 200.
Met Greeja, was not love at first sight. But upon multiple sight we fell in love, got engaged.

1995

Our marriage.
Blessed with Raviena, the angel that changed my life completely.
I stopped smoking, went to Batu Caves, bought a packet of Dunhill and threw it into the fire, and never looked back.

1997

My grandfather (paternal) passes away.
Greeja and I completed our Masters.
Lady Diana killed in an accident.
Asian Financial Crisis

1998

Anwar Ibrahim arrested
Monica Lewinsky scandal
Viagra was launched.

1999

Joined the Academia.
Y2K scare rocks the world of computers.
We lost a child at 7 months of pregnancy

2000

Enrolled Raviena in a Kindergarten ie Child Enrichment Centre.
Mum got her 1st heart attack. A very emotionally trying time for the family.

2001

Terrorist attack on World Trade Centre.
ENRON Scandal
Greeja’s mother passes away.  Shortly after, we lost another child

2002

Raviena’s 1^st day at School, Sekolah Kebangsaan USJ2, Subang Jaya.

2003

Mahathir Mohamed steps down as prime minister of Malaysia.
Read the Da Vinci Code

2004

We purchased and moved into our very own home in February.
Tsunami left many devastating effects on Boxing day .
Facebook launched

2005

Hurricane Katrina
Youtube launched

2007

My cousin Paapa passes away.
We adopted Paapa’s children Roshen and Dhivya. I saw maturity in Raviena when she insisted that it was our duty to look after Paapa’s children. Looking back at our earlier losses, it seems there was a logical end to it.
Subprime Mortgage Collapse
iPhone launched

2008

Raviena in form 1, Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Seafield, Seafield.
Barrack Obama becomes President of US

2009

Was introduced to Ramana Maharishi by my friend. It strengthened our spiritual development.

2011

Osama Bin Laden killed in Pakistan

2012

Roshen enrolled for a Culinary Diploma at HELPCat.
Mother initiates the concept of a Family Reunion which took place in May

2013

Roshen and Raviena got their driving licence.
Raviena enrolled at Sunway doing Canadian International Matriculation
Dhivyaa enrolled at HELP University doing Foundation in Arts.
The 2^nd family reunion is held in September.

 And  THE JOURNEY CONTINUES……………………………………………………..trying to decipher who am "I".

FAMILY

Sage Thiruvalluvar in his Thirukural wrote “When family life possesses love and virtue, that is both its essence and fruition.” (verse 45) The bonding in a family occurs when there exists unconditional love. Last weekend my family had our second family reunion, a tradition that started last year initiated by my mother and an uncle.

Going back to one's roots gives the younger generation a sense of belonging and purpose. We are living in a fast track world, a life that moves forward without time for the past. But to many, moving with the flow of time, drifts them farther and farther away from their beginning, and one day when life adjourns, and when they do look back, suddenly it becomes meaningless.

Man seeks temporary shelter in the name of ‘Life’, on their ongoing journey to liberation/salvation. Life is an opportunity to equip oneself with wisdom and knowledge in the quest to seek his/her destiny.  After all George Bernard Shaw did once say “A happy family is but an earlier heaven.”

In verse 47, Sage Thiruvalluvar writes, “Among those who strive for liberation, the foremost are they, Who live the blessed state of family life as it should be lived.” Sadly though many people do not value family ties until it is too late.

The most senior member of the family today is 82 years old and the youngest would be a pair of twins just 8 months old. The clan started its journey from Vannarpannai, Ceylon, pre WW2 and made Malaysia their home, but today from this humble beginning the clan has migrated further to other parts of the world leaving behind their own footprints. There is so much to share and nurture from a diverse timeline and time zone, that would be enriching in helping to shape an individual. The insurmountable wealth of knowledge and wisdom that are already in possession would be nothing compared to what we read, rather they are firsthand accounts of the events or experience as they occurred. I still remember my grandfather (paternal) narrating tales about the “death railway” construction in Burma, where he was one of the few survivors who made it back after WW2 ended. For many people, they may have read it in history books, but to me it was direct from the horse’s mouth.

Its a pity, today people are so caught up with immediacy that they fail to connect with the virtues of family ties. It has become almost a norm now, where families meet only during a funeral or a marriage. These brief encounters during such occasions would not really do justice in establishing the lost bonds, instead it has to be done concertedly.

The realization in my family came when one by one, the senior members of the family started to depart. The loss was so profound after their death as whilst they were around they were totally taken for granted as though that they would live another day.

My colleague, who is a Brit ,is leaving for Brisbane next week, he said that he was meeting his uncle whom he has not seen for the last 30 years and also looking forward to seeing his nephews and nieces whom he has never met. I could see the sparkle in his eyes as he talked about it.

Life is short, and the journey can be an exciting one, but more importantly we have to make it meaningful. So who can make it better,  other than family and friends.

HAPPY REFLECTION DAY

To ALL MY INDIAN FRIENDS, HAPPY REFLECTION DAY.

A day to reflect what it could be.
A day to reflect what it should be.
A day to reflect what you should do.
A day to reflect what you must do.

Humanity is Universal.

Shankara, Buddha, Mahaveer, Kabir, Shridi Baba, Sheikh Farid, Ghandhi, Ramana, Vivekananda, Ramakrishna, Krishnamurthi (and the list goes on) all of them spoke for humanity with Divine Blessing.

A little curiousity, and with a little effort, will go a long way to ensure Brotherhood.

JAI HIND.

DIVINITY, RELIGION AND CULTURE

Divinity, Religion and Culture

I was at the Basilica of Our Lady of Snow at Thoothukudi  aka Tutticorin, a sea port city located at the south west of India. My visit there coincided with the church’s annual feast celebration. The city has an equally mixed population of Hindus, Moslems and Christians. 

I was particularly intrigued by how the celebration had turned the entire city into a celebrative mood regardless of religious belief.  Furthermore, Catholicism in itself is prescribed here with much blend of local culture and value system.  Interestingly, it should be noted that when Vasco Da Gama landed on Indian shores, he was shocked to find that there were already a local Christian community there. According to historians, Christianity was brought into India by St Thomas the Apostle way before the European dark ages.

As such Christianity in India has evolved on its own, void of European religious order, blending with the local sociocultural paradigm.  Rituals performed are very localised but never straying from divine purpose.  I was amazed to see how, be it political, social or even economic functionaries networked in a web of interdependence, glueing everyday life of society. Perhaps it would be naïve to say that there hasn’t been any major communal conflict, and conflicts if any, apparently usually get settled within community dialogue. 

The month of July/August is also an auspicious month for both Moslems and Hindus alike. Moslems all over the world go through a month of reverence via 30 days of fasting from dawn to dusk in the month of Ramzan (Moslem calendar) which ended with the Eid Mubarak celebration on the of 9^th of August, this year.

As for the Hindus this period is equally auspicious which is considered a month for purification of body and soul via spiritual contemplation.  The month of Aadi (Hindu calendar) is devoted to spiritual activities which includes Aadi Pirappu (1^st day of Month of Aadi),  Aadi Velli (Auspicious Friday of the month),  Aadi Ammavasai (No moon Day ie. Blessing from ancestors),  Aadi Pooram (New Moon Day i.e The birthday of Saint Poet Aandal who wrote Thirupavai), Varalakhsmi Pooja (Worship of Goddess Mahalakshmi  i.e blessings for prosperity),  Aadi Perukku (Celebration for Fertility),  Aadi Karthigai (Worship of Lord Muruga i.e. Blessing for knowledge).

The activities I witnessed in Tutticorin appeared to reflect a clash of civilizations. Everyone was busy doing their own thing side by side without any inhibitions nor ‘tolerance’. On the contrary the correct word would be ‘acceptance’ and everything was going about as a matter of fact. The Azan prayer in the evening, was followed by the sermon from the Basilica and then the chanting from a nearby Hindu temple could be heard clearly beaming out from modern loudspeakers, but never at the same time. Whether it was coincidental or not, I am not too sure, but what I witnessed that day was something beyond my imagination.

  

One common feature I saw at the entrance of all the places of worship and homes was the presence of Kolam (designs made of coloured rice). The only difference was that the designs depicted symbols of each faith but the act in itself is very much cultural in nature.

  

My experience there further reasserts my own conviction on the philosophy of Unity in Diversity. Whether it is coffee, tea or simply natural milk, what evaporates would be plain H2O.

I fervently hope for greater awareness amongst more people in this world of the above philosophy – I believe then the world will be a better place to live.  

"Who Am I?" by SRI RAMANA MAHARSHI

My life changed after I got to know Ramana Maharshi. His thoughts profoundly impacted me to question my own existence. I realized that the answer lies within. My journey has begun, not an easy path, but learning along the way. 

Ramana Maharshi is one of the outstanding Gurus of modern times. As a boy of sixteen in 1896, he challenged death by a penetrating enquiry into the source of his being. Later hailed as Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi he revealed the direct path of Self-enquiry and awakened mankind to the immense spiritual power of the holy Arunachala Hill, the spiritual heart of the world. Aruchala Hills in Thiruvannamalai has since been the source of my spiritual inspiration and motivation.

This essay was composed by Ramana Maharshi in mid-1920’s upon his original answers written in 1901.  

Who Am I?

Every living being longs always to be happy, untainted by sorrow; and everyone has the greatest love for himself, which is solely due to the fact that happiness is his real nature. Hence, in order to realize that inherent and untainted happiness, which indeed he daily experiences when the mind is subdued in deep sleep, it is essential that he should know himself. For obtaining such knowledge the inquiry 'Who am I?' in quest of the Self is the best means. 

 'Who am I?' I am not this physical body, nor am I the five organs of sense perception; I am not the five organs of external activity, nor am I the five vital forces, nor am I even the thinking mind. Neither am I that unconscious state of nescience which retains merely the subtle vasanas (latencies of the mind), while being free from the functional activity of the sense-organs and  of the mind, and being unaware of the existence of the objects of sense-perception.

Therefore, summarily rejecting all the above-mentioned physical adjuncts and their functions, saying 'I am not this; no, nor am I this, nor this' -- that which then remains separate and alone by itself, that pure Awareness is what I am. This Awareness is by its very nature Sat-Chit-Ananda (Existence-Consciousness-Bliss).

If the mind, which is the instrument of knowledge and is the basis of all  activity, subsides, the perception of the world as an objective reality ceases.  Unless the illusory perception of the serpent in the rope ceases, the rope on which the illusion is formed is not perceived as such. Similarly, unless the illusory nature of the perception of the world as a objective reality ceases, the Vision of the true nature of the Self, on which the illusion is formed, is not obtained.

The mind is a unique power (sakti) in the Atman, whereby thoughts occur to one. On scrutiny as to what remains after eliminating all thoughts, it will be found that there is no such thing as mind apart from thought. So then, thoughts themselves constitute the mind. Nor is there any such thing as the  physical world apart from and independent of thought. In deep sleep there are no thoughts: nor is there the world. In the wakeful and dream state thoughts are present, and there is also the world. Just as the spider draws out the thread of the cobweb from within itself and withdraws it again into itself, in the same way the mind projects the world out of itself and absorbs it back into itself. 

The world is perceived as an apparent objective reality when the mind is externalized, thereby forsaking its identity with the Self. When the world is  thus perceived, the true nature of the Self is not revealed: conversely, when the Self is realized the world ceases to appear as an objective reality.

By a steady and continuous investigation into the nature of the mind, the  mind is transformed into That to which 'I' refers; and that is in fact the Self. Mind has necessarily to depend for its existence on something gross;  it never subsists by itself. It is this mind that is otherwise called the subtle  body, ego, jiva, or soul. 

That which arises in the physical body as 'I' is the mind. If one inquires whence the 'I'-thought in the body arises in the first instance, it will be found that it is from hrdayam (literally 'I am the Heart), or the Heart.  That is the source and stay of the mind. Or again, even if one merely continuously repeats to oneself inwardly 'I-I' with the entire mind fixed thereon, that also leads one to the same source.

The first and foremost of all thoughts that arise in the mind is the primal  'I'-thought. It is only after the rise or origin of the 'I'-thought that innumerable other thoughts arise. In other words, only after the first personal  pronoun, 'I', has arisen, do the second and third personal pronouns ('you, he' etc.) occur to the mind; and they cannot subsist without the former.

Since every other thought can occur only after the rise of the 'I'-thought and since the mind is nothing but a bundle of thoughts, it is only through the inquiry 'Who am I?' that the mind subsides. Moreover, the integral 'I'-thought, implicit in such enquiry, having destroyed all other thoughts, gets itself destroyed or consumed, just as the stick used for stirring the burning funeral pyre gets consumed. 

Even when extraneous thoughts sprout up during such enquiry, do not seek to  complete the rising thought, but instead, deeply enquire within, 'To who has  this thought occurred?' No matter how many thoughts thus occur to you, if you  would with acute vigilance enquire immediately as and when each individual  thought arises to whom it has occurred, you would find it is to 'me'. If then you enquire 'Who am I?' the mind gets introverted and the rising thought also subsides. In this manner as you persevere more and more in the practice of Self-enquiry, the mind acquires increasing strength and power to abide in its Source. 

It is only when the subtle mind is externalized through the activity of the  intellect and the sense-organs that gross name and form constituting the world appear. When, on the other hand, the mind stays firmly in the Heart, they recede and disappear. Restraint of the outgoing mind, and its absorption in the Heart,  is known as introversion (antarmukha-drishti). The release of the mind, and its emergence from the Heart is known as bahirmukha-drishti (objectiveness).

If in this manner the mind becomes absorbed in the Heart, the ego or 'I',  which is the center of the multitude of thoughts, finally vanishes and pure Consciousness or Self, which subsists during all the states of the mind, alone  remains resplendent. It is this state, where there is not the slightest trace of the 'I'-thought, that is the true Being of oneself. And that is called Quiescence or Mouna (silence). 

This state of mere inherence in pure Being is known as the Vision of Wisdom. Such inherence means and implies the entire subsidence of the mind in the Self. Nothing other than this, and no psychic powers of the mind such as thought-reading, telepathy, and clairvoyance, can be Wisdom. 

Atman alone exists and is real. The threefold reality of world, individual soul, and God is, like the illusory appearance of silver in the mother of pearl, an imaginary creation in the Atman. They appear and disappear simultaneously.  The Self alone is the world, the 'I' and God. All that exists is but the manifestation of the Supreme. 

For the subsidence of mind there is no other means more effective and  adequate than Self-enquiry. Even though by other means the mind subsides, that is only apparently so; it will rise again. 

For instance, the mind subsides by the practice of pranayama (restraint and  control of breath and vital forces); yet such subsidence lasts only as long as  the control of breath and vital forces continues; and when they are released,  the mind also gets released and immediately, becoming externalized, it continues to wander through the force of its subtle tendencies. 

The source of the mind is the same as that of breath and vital forces. It is really the multitude of thoughts that constitutes the mind; and the 'I'-thought  is the primal thought of the mind, and is itself the ego. But breath too has its origin at the same place whence the ego rises. Therefore, when the mind subsides, breath and vital forces also subside; and conversely, when the latter subside, the former also subsides.

Breath and vital forces are also described as the gross manifestation of the mind. Till the hour of death the mind sustains and supports these forces in the  physical body; and when life becomes extinct the mind envelops them and carries them away. During sleep, however, the vital forces continue to function,  although the mind is not manifest. This is according to the divine law and is intended to protect the body and to remove any possible doubt as to whether it is dead or alive while one is asleep. Without such arrangement by nature,  sleeping bodies would often be cremated alive. The vitality apparent in  breathing is left behind by the mind as a 'watchman'. But in the wakeful state  and in samadhi, when the mind subsides, breath also subsides. For this reason (because the mind has the sustaining and controlling power over breath and vital forces and is therefore ulterior to both of them), the practice of breath control is merely helpful in subduing the mind, but cannot bring about its final extinction.

 

Like breath control, meditation on form, incantations, invocations, and  regulation of diet are only aids to control of the mind. Through the practice of  meditation or invocation the mind becomes one-pointed. Just as the elephant's truck, which is otherwise restless, will become steady if it is made to hold an  iron chain, so that the elephant goes its way without reaching out for any other object, so the ever-restless mind, which is trained and accustomed to a name or form through meditation or invocation, will steadily hold on to that alone.

When the mind is split up and dissipated into countless varying thoughts,  each individual thought becomes extremely weak and inefficient. When, on the contrary, such thoughts subside more and more till they finally get destroyed, the mind becomes one-pointed and, thereby acquiring strength and power of endurance, easily reaches perfection in the method of enquiry in quest of the  Self.

Regulation of diet, restricting it to satvic food taken in moderate  quantity, is of all the rules of conduct the best; and it is most conducive to the development of the satvic qualities of the mind. These, in their  turn, assist one in the practice of Atma vichara or enquiry in quest of  the Self. 

Countless vishaya-vasanas (subtle tendencies of the mind in relation  to objects of sense gratification), coming one after the other in quick succession like the waves of the ocean, agitate the mind. Nevertheless, they too subside and finally get destroyed with progressive practice of Atma dhyana or meditation on the Self. Without giving room even to the thought  which occurs in the form of doubt, whether it is possible to stay merely as the very Self, whether all the vasanas can be destroyed, one should firmly and unceasingly carry on meditation on the Self. 

However sinful a person may be, if he would stop wailing inconsolably: 'Alas! I am a sinner, how shall I attain Liberation?' and, casting away even the  thought that he is a sinner, if he would zealously carry on meditation on the  Self, he would most assuredly get reformed.

So long as subtle tendencies continue to inhere in the mind, it is necessary to carry on the enquiry: 'Who am I?'. As and when thoughts occur, they should one and all be annihilated then and there, at the very place of their origin, by the method of enquiry in quest of the Self. 

Not to desire anything extraneous to oneself constitutes vairagya (dispassion) or nirasa (desirelessness). Not to give up one's hold on the  Self constitutes jnana (knowledge). But really vairagya and jnana are one and the same. Just as the pearl diver, tying stones to his waist, dives  down into the depths and gets the pearl from the sea bed, so every aspirant  pledged to vairagya can dive deep into himself and realize the precious Atman. If the earnest seeker would only cultivate the constant and deep  contemplative 'remembrance' (smrti) of the true nature of the Self till he has realized it, that alone would suffice. Distracting thoughts are like the enemy in the fortress. As long as they are in possession of it, they will certainly sally forth. But if, as and when they come out, you put them to the sword the fortress will finally be captured.

God and the Guru are not really different: they are identical. He that has earned the Grace of the Guru shall undoubtedly be saved and never forsaken, just  as the prey that has fallen into the tiger's jaws will never be allowed to escape. But the disciple, for his part, should unswervingly follow the path shown by the Master.

Firm and disciplined inherence in the Atman, without giving the least scope  for the rise of any thought other than the deep contemplative thought of the  Self, constitutes self-surrender to the Supreme Lord. Let any amount of burden be laid on Him, He will bear it all. It is, in fact, the indefinable power of  the Lord that ordains, sustains, and controls everything that happens. Why then should we worry, tormented by vexatious thoughts, saying: 'Shall we act this way? No, that way,' instead of meekly but happily submitting to that Power?  Knowing that the train carries all the weight, why indeed should we, the  passengers traveling in it, carry our small individual articles of luggage on our laps to our great discomfort, instead of putting them aside and sitting at perfect ease?

That which is Bliss is also the Self. Bliss and the Self are not distinct and  separate but are one and the same. And That alone is real. In no single one of  the countless objects of the mundane world is there anything that can be called happiness. It is through sheer ignorance and unwisdom that we fancy that happiness is obtained from them. On the contrary, when the mind is externalized,  it suffers pain and anguish. The truth is that every time our desires get fulfilled, the mind, turning to its source, experiences only that happiness which is natural to the Self. Similarly in deep sleep, in spiritual trance (samadhi), when fainting, when a desired object is obtained, or when evil befalls an object considered undesirable, the mind turns inwards and enjoys that Bliss of Atman. Thus wandering astray, forsaking the Self, and returning to it again and again is the interminable and wearisome lot of the mind. 

It is pleasant under the shade of a tree, and scorching in the heat of the sun outside. A person toiling in the sun seeks the cool shade of the tree and is  happy under it. After staying there for a while, he moves out again but, unable to bear the merciless heat of the sun, he again seeks the shade. In this way he  keeps on moving from shade to sun and sun to shade.

It is an unwise person who acts thus, whereas the wise man never leaves the shade: in the same way the mind of the Enlightened Sage (Jnani) never  exists apart from Brahman, the Absolute. The mind of the ignorant, on the other  hand, entering into the phenomenal world, suffers pain and anguish; and then, turning for a short while towards Brahman, it experiences happiness. Such is the mind of the ignorant. 

This phenomenal world, however, is nothing but thought. When the world recedes from one's view -- that is when one is free from thought -- the mind enjoys the Bliss of the Self. Conversely, when the world appears -- that is when thought occurs -- the mind experiences pain and anguish. 

Not from any desire, resolve, or effort on the part of the rising sun, but merely due to the presence of his rays, the lens emits heat, the lotus blossoms, water evaporates, and people attend to their various duties in life. In the proximity of the magnet the needle moves. Similarly the soul or jiva,  subjected to the threefold activity of creation, preservation, and destruction  which take place merely due to the unique Presence of the Lord, performs acts in  accordance with its karma (fruits of past actions, in the present life), and  subsides to rest after such activity. But the Lord Himself has no resolve; no  act or event touches even the fringe of His Being. This state of immaculate aloofness can be likened to that of the sun, which is untouched by the activities of life, or to that of the all-pervasive ether, which is not affected by the interaction of the complex qualities of the other four elements. 

All scriptures without any exception proclaim that for attaining Salvation the mind should be subdued; and once one knows that control of the mind is their  final aim it is futile to make an interminable study of them. What is required for such control is actual enquiry into oneself by self-interrogation: 'Who am I?' How can this enquiry in quest of the Self be made merely by means of a study of the scriptures?

One should realize the Self by the Eye of Wisdom. Does Rama need a mirror to recognize himself as Rama? That to which the 'I' refers is within the five  sheaths (physical, vital, mental, knowledge-experience, and bliss), whereas the  scriptures are outside them. Therefore, it is futile to seek by means of the  study of scriptures the Self that has to be realized by summarily rejecting even the five sheaths.

To enquire 'Who am I that is in bondage?' and to know one's real nature is alone Liberation. To keep the mind constantly turned within, and to abide thus  in the Self is alone Atma-vichara (Self enquiry), whereas dhyana (meditation) consists in fervent contemplation of the Self as Sat-Chit-Ananda (Being-Consciousness-Bliss). Indeed, at some time, one  will have to forget everything that has been learnt. 

Just as it is futile to examine the rubbish that has to be swept up only to  be thrown away, so it is futile for him who seeks to know the Self to set to work enumerating the tattvas (classifications of the elements of existence) that envelop the Self and examining them, instead of casting them away. He should consider the phenomenal world with reference to himself as merely a dream. 

Except that the wakeful state is long and the dream state is short there is  no difference between the two. All the activities of the dream state appear, for  the time being, just as real as the activities of the wakeful state seem to be while awake. Only, during the dream state, the mind assumes another form or a  different bodily sheath. For thoughts on the one hand, and name and form on the other, occur simultaneously during both the wakeful and dream states.

There are not two minds, one good and the other evil. It is only the vasanas or tendencies of the mind that are of two kinds, good and  favorable, evil and unfavorable. When the mind is associated with the former it is called good, and when associated with the latter it is called evil. However evil-minded other people may appear to you, it is not proper to hate or despise them. Likes and dislikes, love and hatred, are equally to be eschewed. It is also not proper to let the mind often rest on objects or affairs of mundane life. As far as possible one should not interfere in the affairs of others.  Everything offered to others is really an offering to oneself; and if only this truth were realized, who is there that would refuse anything to others? 

If the ego rises, all else will also rise; if it subsides all else will also subside. The deeper the humility with which we conduct ourselves, the better it is for us. If only the mind is kept under control, what matters it where one may happen to be? – Sri Ramana Maharshi.

Copyright excerpt from Sri Ramanasramam 1959.