Verse 2. Happiness Follows The Doer of Good
Mind precedes all knowables,
mind’s their chief, mind-made are they.
If with a clear, and confident mind
one should speak and act
as one’s shadow ne’er departing.
Explanation: All that man experiences
springs out of his thoughts. If his thoughts are good, the words and
the deeds will also be good. The result of good thoughts , words and
deeds will be happiness. This happiness will never leave the person
whose thoughts are good. Happiness will always follow him like his
shadow that never leaves him.
Press Information Bureau
(Chief Minister’s Information Campus)
Information and Public Relations Department, U.P.
CM condemns Pune terrorist incident
Central Government should find out permanent
solution to check continuous terrorist attacks in country
—Mayawati
All police and administrative officers
should maintain caution and stick to all directives
given by State Government to counter terrorist incidents
—Chief Minister
Lucknow:15 February 2010
The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Ms. Mayawati, on behalf of her
party and State Government, has strongly condemned the 13 February
Pune terrorist incident. She has demanded from the Central Government
to find out some permanent solution to check the terrorist incidents
occurring all over the country repeatedly for past few years.
The Chief Minister was addressing media persons at her official
residence here today. She said that such incidents were causing lose of
life and property on one hand, while on the other atmosphere of fear was
created all over the country. She said that it was not good for the
country.
Ms. Mayawati said that the Central Government has intimated the
State Government that the terrorists may strike in Kanpur along with
Delhi and Indore. The media also telecast such a news item. She said that
the State Government had taken it very seriously and A.D.G. (Law and
Order) had been sent to Kanpur. He reviewed the situation thoroughly
and gave necessary directions to all the officers related with Law and
Order.
The Chief Minister said that the police and administrative officers of
all the districts had been put on high alert and they had also been
directed to stick to all the directives issued earlier regarding the terrorist
incidents. She said that the State Government had also informed
Assembly in this regard.
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C.M. accords top priority to vocational education
C.M. to head Vocational Education Department directly
Vijay Shankar Pandey given additional
charge of Principal Secretary Vocational Education
Another post of Additional Cabinet Secretary
created, Netram given additional charge
Lucknow: 13 February 2010
The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Ms. Mayawati has decided to
accord priority to vocational education with an objective to make the
youths self-sufficient by providing them more and more opportunities
of employment. She has also decided to ensure effective monitoring
through a senior officer of various schemes being implemented in 09
important cities of the state for their all-round development, besides
implementation/monitoring of the Mukhyamantri Mahamaya Garib
Arthik Madad Yojna. Additional Cabinet Secretary Mr. Vijay Shankar
Pandey has been entrusted with this responsibility. He would
thoroughly review the implementation of these schemes and submit
its report to C.M. on regular basis.
Ms. Mayawati has also taken some important decisions to effect
some changes at the highest level of the government to accelerate
the pace of various developmental and welfare schemes being carried
out in the state. Under it, another post of Additional Cabinet
Secretary has been created and Mr. Netram has been given its
charge in addition to his present responsibilities.
The C.M. would now look after the progress of Vocational
Education Department and Additional Cabinet Secretary Mr. Vijay
Shankar Pandey has been given its additional charge besides his
present responsibilities. Moreover, Mr. Pandey has also been given
the responsibility of monitoring the progress of various development
works being carried out in 09 important cities viz. Lucknow, Kanpur,
Varanasi, Allahabad, Agra, Meerut, Faizabad, Mathura and Kannauj.
He would also review the progress of Mukhyamantri Mahamaya Garib
Arthik Madad Yojna and apprise the C.M. of the inferences.
It may be recalled that Ms. Mayawati had laid the foundation of
various schemes to ensure development of basic infrastructure and
provide civic amenities in important cities of the state. The
implementation of these schemes is under progress.
It may be recalled that the Uttar Pradesh Mukhyamantri
Mahamaya Garib Arthik Madad Yojna had been implemented on 15
January 2010 last. It is a first scheme of its kind in the country. Poor
people of Sarva Samaj, who were not covered under various
government pension schemes and were not getting the benefit of the
scheme of food grains at cheaper rates, would now get an assistance
of Rs. 300 per month directly, so that they could fulfil their daily
requirements. This scheme is being implemented from the year
2010-11.
The Chief Minister, with a view to accelerating the pace of
development works and streamlining the administration, has effected
some important changes at the highest level of the government.
Under it, Mr. Raj Pratap Singh and Mr. Durga Shankar Mishra have
been appointed as Principal Secretaries to CM to strengthen the CM’s
Secretariat. Mr. R.K. Sharma has been appointed as APC. He has also
been given the additional charge of Principal Secretary Panchayati
Raj, while the APC Mr. V.K. Sharma has been posted as Chairman
PICUP.
*******
VR1
(WE ARE ONE )
+VE NEWS
MAY YOU BE EVER HAPPY, WELL AND SECURE!
MAY YOU LIVE LONG!
MAY ALL BEINGS BE EVRER HAPPY, WELL AND SECURE!
MAY YOU ALWAYS HAVE CALM, QUIET, ALERT, ATTENTIVE AND
EQUANIMINTY MIND!
WITH A CLEAR UNDESRSATNDING THAT
NOTHING IS PERMANENT!
MERITS makes us HAPPY
MORALITY makes us HAPPIER
MEDITATION makes us
HAPPIEST
The Story of Kapila
By Venerable Acharya Buddharakkhita
The Buddha was staying at Anathapindika’s monastery in Jeta’s grove near
Savatthi. Now King Pasenadi, the
monarch of Mahakosala, approached the Buddha followed by a large number of
youthful fishermen carrying a small boat filled with water and a large fish in
it. The fish had a striking look. It was completely golden, but once it opened
its mouth, the entire Jetavana was absolutely filled with foul smell. Inside
the boatful of water it was opening its mouth every now and then letting off
filthy smell.
After the king and the large group of fishermen bowed down before the lord and
seated on one side, the king said:
“Lord. these young fishermen approached me with this strangely beautiful fish,
which lets off disgusting smell. They probably approached me expecting a big
reward for such an extraordinary catch. I was struck by the beauty of the
fish yet it has such a foul smelling mouth. I wondered what kind of
kamma has resulted in such an uncommon creature found in Aciravati
river flowing along the palace ground. Since I am very curious, I have
come to the Lord along with these people and the fish in that tiny boat. Lord
what is the kammic background of this fish?”
The Buddha replied:
“Shall I make him speak for himself describing his kammic background?“
“Oh, it will be marvelous Lord!” said the king.
And the large number of people who had gathered on that open ground meant for
Dhamma-preaching of Jetavana, now became extremely curious expecting something
spectacular to happen.
The Buddha now asked the fish:
“Are you Kapila?”
“Yes Lord, I am Kapila”. said the fish.
“Now where are you born”
“In Avici Mahaniraya Lord (the hell world of Avici)!”
“Where is your elder brother Sagato?”
“He has attained Nibbana, Lord!”
Where is your mother Sadhini?”
“She is reborn in the Mahaniraya hell.”
“Where is your younger sister Tapana?”
“She is reborn in the Mahaniraya hell.”
“Now where will you go from here?”
“I will go back to my old Avici Mahaniraya, Lord!”
Then exhibiting utter despair he just jumped up and then fell back inside
the boat and died due to the impact, seeing this, the vast audience that had
been growing in number, suddenly felt a religious since of urgency, meaning
an emotional upsurge born of an insight into the predicaments of life as
revealed by this incident.
Now the Buddha relating the story of kapila, said:
“In the time of my predecessor, the Buddha Kassapa, this being was a monk,
Kapila by name. Together with his elder
brother Sagato he used to hear the Dhamma discourses of the Lord
Kassapa Buddha. Soon inspired by the Dhamma discourses both the
brothers became monks in the Holy Order of Lord Kassapa.
The narration continued as hereunder. It seems Sagato asked the teacher:
“Venerable Sir, how many Dhamma pursuits (dhoora, meaning the path of spiritual
development, are there for a monk?”
“There are two distinct paths”, said the teacher. One is the path of
meditation, both Samatha (generating tranquility) and Vipassana (generating
insight into reality), and the other is the path of study, practice and
realisation of Dhamma.
Sagato thought:
“I am now old enough to take to the path of meditation in seclusion”, and went
into forest retreat to ardently pursue the
path of meditation. He succeeded in becoming an Arahat. He was highly
regarded for his noble qualities by one and all. The Buddha Kassapa
himself commended for his accomplishment.
Now the younger brother Kapila thought:
“I am young enough still to take to the pursuit of study and practice, a
longer route for the realisation of Nibbana, while Vipassana Dhoora being the
short route to the attainment of Nibbana. So very sincerly and with great
enthusiasm, he pursued the path of mastering Tipitaka. After some years he
became very well known master of scripture and gathered around him a large
flock of monastic pupils.
Along
with his growing following, his fame too spread as a great teacher. Now
he began to attract lay followers and therewith lots of gains and
prestige. All this gain, prestige, fame etc., brought in him
intellectual conceit and arrogance. He seriously began to think that he indeed
was a great authority of Tipitaka, containing the authentic teachings of the
Buddha.
This intellectual pride made him very controversial and he began to loose his popularity.
Often he challenged, even looked down upon, the erudite scholars and their
interpretation of the Dhamma. He became extremely opinionated and
interpreted the teaching according to own whims, openly contradicting the
authentic teachings. Then he established a brand of Buddhism of his own giving
it a pompous name, which was rejected by the Maha Sangha.
Carrying a huge burden of intellectual knowledge, without ever
practicing, much less realising, what he taught, at the end of his life time
all his gains vanished. then his pupils discarded him and dying a miserable
man, he was reborn in the Avici hell, the most frightening of all hell worlds.
There he spent an immensely long period, several great aeons that span between
the arising of the two Buddhas, Lord Kassapa and Lord Gotama.
With the advent of our present Lord Gotama, he had a short reprieve from
his unmitigated suffering of Avici, and he was reborn as the fish Kapila in
Aciravati
of
caught by youthful fishermen and was taken to the king who in turn took the
fishermen and the fish to the Buddha.
The
past life account of the fish Kapila, i.e., from the monk Kapila to the
fish Kapila, was so moving that all those who were present, became
emotionally overwhelmed. they clearly understood the predicament of
worldly existence. All of them struck by samvega, thought:
“Here is a learned monk, after having mastered Tipitaka, had completely gone
astray by his own accomplishment.”
They saw through the predicament of life, how everything in life can be misused
and thereby bring misery rather than happiness. Insight into the inherent
predicament of human life brought about a religious sense of urgency(samvega),
thus:
“The
sooner one outgrows the worldly bondages the better it is. For
everything in life, whether good or bad, can put one in bondage and
block one’s progress on the spiritual path, leading to deliverance from
bondages.”
At this
critical path of intense emotional upsurge among the listeners, the
Buddha now broke into an inspiring utterance by way of four verses,
intended to rouse everyone to put forth unrelenting effort and reach
the goal of spiritual life.
These four verses are found in Dhammapada as well as in Kapila Sutta in
Sutta Nipata. They are as follows:
One given to heedless living,
His craving grows like a creeper;
Even as a forest monkey seeks fruits,
He leaps from life to life,
tasting the fruit of his kamma. -Dhp_334
Whoever is overcome by this
Wretched and sticky craving,
His sorrows grow
Like grass after the rains. - Dhp_335
But whoever overcomes
This wretched craving,
So difficult to overcome,
Sorrows fall away from him
Like water from a lotus leaf. -Dhp_336
Good luck to all assembled here!
So I say to you:
Dig up the root of craving,
Like one searches for fragrant birana grass root.
Let not Mara repeatedly crush you.
As the flood crushes reeds.
At
the end of the discourse the five hundred youthful fishermen were so
profoundly moved that they fell at the feet of the Buddha, right there,
and sought to be ordained as monks into the Holy Order established by
Lord. The Buddha bestowed on them both the lower and higher ordinations
with the special ordination procedure, known as “Ehi Bhikkhu”! As soon
as the Buddha uttered the formula “come monks, lead the holy life, make
an end of suffering”, all of them forthwith were transformed into
radiant young bhikkus endowed with all the eight monastic requisites.
This change itself was so moving that the vast crowd in one voice
shouted: “Wonderful, indeed, O Lord! Marvelous indeed O Lord!! Sadhu!
Sadhu!”
These
young monks received instruction in meditation. They put forth great
effort, assiduously practicing Dhamma in a secluded retreat. And all of
them entered the stream leading to Nibbana. They became Ariyas,
sanctified saints and later on all of them became Arahats, Perfect
Ones, Awakened disciples of the Supremely Awaken Buddha!
The
moral of the story of Kapila is indeed spiritual edifying. The first
point is the futility of mere learning without practice of Dhamma.
Because intellectual knowledge does not assure equalisation of the five
spiritual faculties. Mere knowing is not enough. What one knows must be
converted into a component of life itself. When intellectual knowledge
is combined with humility and rational faith in the supremacy of good
over evil, then this knowledge turns into wisdom. And it is through
wisdom alone that one can gain liberation from the bondage of worldly
existence, samsara.
The
five spiritual faculties are wisdom-based-faith (Saddha), energetic
self-effort (Viriya), relentless mindfulness (Sati), single-minded
concentration (Samadhi), insight into reality or intuitive insight
(Panna). All these faculties have their own specific qualities. They
are distinct. But when they are mutually and appropriately synthesised,
i.e., harmoniously combined, then they become powerful spiritual forces
(bala), that transform the consciousness from the mundane to the
super mundane.
A
consciousness, which is subject to greed, hatred and delusion, after
its transformation, is no longer subject to these negative factors,
which constitute the root cause of involvement in samsara. When Saddha,
faith , is combined with intuitive wisdom, then this combination can
work wonders. It can destroy all forms of blind faith, mental fixations
and bigotry on one hand, and dry intellectualism, doubt and cynicism on
the other. The monk Kapila had enough of learning but he had no faith
in the spiritual efficacy of what he learnt and taught. The result was
he became arrogant, intellectually dishonest and that was the end of
his career.
Likewise, vigorous effort when combined with calmness of mind or
single-mindedness, brings about equally dramatic result. The tension due to
overactive involvement and the fragile qualities of mind due to excessive use
of energy can be immediately reduced, if not done away with, by inducing
tranquility and stillness of mind born of meditative concentration. Mental
calmness while fully engaged in a given task is the hallmark of efficiency and
skill. When this combination is cultivated and practiced well, life can change
from a state of immaturity, inexperience and lethargy into a state of matured,
experienced, energetic and purposeful existence.
The fifth sense of mindfulness is the moderator regulating all bodily,
verbal and mental actions into a moral and spiritual activity that transforms
life. Unless a person trains the mind to be attentive, alert and awake all
time, through the cultivation of mindfulness, one can never achieve real fulfillment,
in any branch of knowledge and discipline.
Press Information Bureau
(Chief Minister’s Information Campus)
Information and Public Relations Department, U.P.
C.M. writes letter to P.M.
C.M. requests P.M. to direct Union Ministry of Road Transport
and Highways to sanction 60 projects worth Rs. 1424 crore
Lucknow: 06 February 2010
In a letter written to Prime Minister the Uttar Pradesh Chief
Minister Ms. Mayawati has said that the state government had sent
60 proposals of Rs. 1424 crores to the Union Ministry of Road
Transport and Highways, but none of the projects had been
sanctioned as yet. She said that State Highways and National
Highways are the backbone of the economic growth of the country
and Government of India should release funds under Central Road
Fund scheme for widening and strengthening of State Highways.
The Chief Minister referred to the meeting of Mr. Nasimuddin
Siddiqui, P.W.D. Minister, Govt. of U.P. with Mr. Kamal Nath, Union
Minister, Government of India on 24-11-09, in which he apprised Mr.
Kamal Nath about the poor condition of the highways. Mr. Kamal
Nath had given an assurance to clear the pending proposals, but no
sanction had been received from Government of India, so far. She
said that only two months of the financial year now remain, and if
these projects are not cleared within a week then the State
Government would certainly lose the bank of sanctions on the basis
of expenditure incurred. This would also limit sanctions in the next
financial year, she added.
In her letter, Ms. Mayawati said that the State Government had
also been requesting the Union Ministry of Road Transport and
Highways to reimburse the balance of Rs. 135.34 crores against the
utilization certificates submitted to Government of India by State
Government.
The Chief Minister has requested the P.M. direct the concerned
Ministry to sanction these projects and reimburse the amount at the
earliest.
*******
No import of sugar till sugar cane crushing completes
— State Government
Rs. 5939.87 crore payment by sugar mills to cane farmers so far
Lucknow:02 February 2010
Keeping in view the interests of sugar cane farmers, the Uttar Pradesh
Government has taken the decision that sugar mills would not process the
imported raw sugar, unless the crushing of canes would be completed. Due to
the efforts of the state government the cane farmers are getting the payment of
Rs. 260 per quintal at present.
Giving this information the state government spokesman said that the
state government had deferred the import/transport of raw sugar in this state by
railway rakes with a view to providing maximum price to cane farmers in the
current crushing season and make their fields vacant. The spokesman said that
sugar mills had made Rs. 5939.87 crore payment till February 01, 2010 against
the supplied cane price of Rs. 6926.58 crore. It may be recalled that period of 14
days has been fixed for cane price payment by sugar mills, but immediate
payment has been made before this time limit.
The spokesman said that state government was fully committed and
sensitive towards the cane farmers therefore, the government had made one
time record increase of Rs. 25 per quintal in SAP. This SAP is minimum SAP,
therefore with the incentive payment amount the cane farmers are getting Rs.
260 per quintal. Besides, directives had been issued to provide other facilities to
cane farmers.
The spokesman said that in view of the increase in cost of sugar cane
production and demands of farmers, the state government had taken the
initiative for mutual consent between cane development
committees/representative of cane farmers and sugar mills to provide
incentives/facilities to cane farmers, besides SAP. As a result, the cane farmers
are getting the payment of Rs. 260 per quintal.
The spokesman said that special efforts were being made to strengthen
economic condition of farmers and increase cane production. Stringent action
was being taken against the guilty persons. Massive drive has been launched to
check the less weighing of canes in sugar mills and other irregularities, due to
which 211 weighing clerks had been suspended, so far and F.I.Rs had been
lodged against sugar mill owners in 59 cases. The state government has made it
clear, that any slackness or carelessness with regard to complaints of cane
farmers would be severely dealt with.
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