10/31/11
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On one occasion the Blessed One was staying near Savatthi in Jeta’s Grove, Anathapindika’s monastery. Then two brahmans β feeble old men, aged, advanced in years, having come to the last stage of life, 120 years old β went to the Blessed One. On arrival, they exchanged courteous greetings with him and, after an exchange of friendly greetings & courtesies, sat to one side. As they were sitting there, they said to him: “Master Gotama, we are brahmans β feeble old men, aged, advanced in years, having come to the last stage of life, 120 years old. And we have done no admirable deeds, no skillful deeds, no deeds that allay our fears. Teach us, Master Gotama. Instruct us, Master Gotama, for our long-term benefit & happiness.”
“Indeed, brahmans, you are feeble old men, aged, advanced in years, having come to the last stage of life, 120 years old. And you have done no admirable deeds, no skillful deeds, no deeds that allay your fears. This world is swept away by aging, by illness, by death. With the world thus swept away by aging, illness, & death, any restraint of body, speech, & intellect practiced here will be one’s shelter, cave, island, & refuge after death in the world beyond.”
It’s swept along: life, its next-to-nothing span. For one swept on by aging no shelters exist. Keeping sight of this danger in death, do meritorious deeds that bring bliss. Whoever here is restrained in body, speech, & awareness, who makes merit while he’s alive: that will be for his bliss after death.
http://www.in.com/news/entertainment/fullstory-indian-gp-witnesses-cricketers-and-bollywood-stars-galore-21126619-in-1.html
The inaugural edition of Indian Grand Prix with its spectacular infrastructure and almost capacity crowd witnessed some great action on the track while the action off the track too was electrifying with the cricketers and Bollywood stars lending some shine to the event.
UP CM Mayawati was here to give away the winner’s trophy, and Jammu and Kashmir CM Omar Abdullah too dropped by at the event.
UP CM Mayawati was here to give away the winner’s trophy, and Jammu and Kashmir CM Omar Abdullah too dropped by at the event.
The biography: India is not a waste of time. Photo: AFP
Walter Isaacson’ book Steve Jobs has been released and what is interesting is the mention that Jobs’ years of wandering in India in search of spiritual enlightenment were βnot a waste of timeβ. In fact the time he spent here he learnt βintuitionβ and his sense of design was greatly influenced by the βsimplicities of Zen Buddhismβ, says Jobs’ biographer. When Isaacson was asked how Jobs, a hippie college dropout goes to India and comes back deciding he wants to be a businessman, he replied, βJobs has within him sort of this conflict, but he doesn’t quite see it as a conflict between being hippie-ish and anti-materialistic but wanting to sell things like Wozniak’s board. Wanting to create a business. And I think that’s exactly what Silicon Valley was all about in those days. Let’s do a startup in our parents’ garage and try to create a business.β
Take time to step into old Tibet
Each collection of dolls in the Museum has a story to tell, spanning eras and from remote parts of Tibet, depicting how life was in the olden days.
Ever wondered what it would have been like in a day of a person staying in old Tibet? Offering a glimpse into the lives of the people from the area popularly called the βroof of the worldβ is this unique doll museum. The Losel Dolls Museum is nestled in the sylvan setting of the Norbulingka Research Institute which can be reached after a short and picturesque drive from Dharmsala in Himachal Pradesh.
Cobbled pathways, lush canopy with sunlight filtering through, bubbling fountains and a garden with the Dhauladhar range of the Himalayas as a backdrop makes for a perfect setting to house the museum. Norbulingka Institute in the picturesque Kangra Valley is an initiative in preserving Tibetan culture and handing down Tibetan tradition. The dolls museum is housed in one of the buildings of the institute and is spread over a few rooms.
Slice of life
These puppets crafted by monks from Drepung Loseling Monastery are hand painted, featuring striking eyebrows and βblushingβ cheekbones typical at high altitudes and draped in the fineries, replicas of chuba or the long sheepskin coats preferred in high lands and other traditional hand woven costumes worn by people in old Tibet.
Dolls clad in thick woollen traditional attire complete with a stylish and colourful head gear, dolls of women sporting colourful jewellery in semi precious stones and men sporting tall hats looking lifelike are also found here.
Monks dressed in saffron and maroon robes blowing the horn and playing the cymbals, takes one back to the monastic festivals in the high altitude. Musicians and marketplace, a traditional meal of momos and many more everyday moments, each collection of dolls has a warm story to tell, spanning eras and from remote parts of Tibet. A scene from the farm, a celebration of harvest and more, all the collections in different frames makes one stop and admire the dolls.
The best part is that the space around the museum is not cramped so one can move around at ease looking up the exhibits.
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422 LESSON 3110 2011 Garava Sutta Reverence
FREE ONLINE eNΔlandΔ Research and Practice UNIVERSITY
&
BUDDHIST GOOD NEWS LETTER
Through
http://sarvajan.ambedkar.org
FREE ONLINE CONCENTRATION PRACTICE INSTITUTE FOR STUDENTS(FOCPIS)-
The Narratives for the Levels of Departmental Curricula- Course Descriptions
SN 6.2
PTS: S i 138
CDB i 233
Garava Sutta: Reverence
translated from the Pali by
Thanissaro Bhikkhu
Β© 1997β2011
I have heard that on one occasion, when the Blessed One was newly Self-awakened, he was staying at Uruvela on the bank of the NeraΓ±jara River, at the foot of the Goatherd’s Banyan Tree. Then, while he was alone and in seclusion, this line of thinking arose in his awareness: “One suffers if dwelling without reverence or deference. Now on what priest or contemplative can I dwell in dependence, honoring and respecting him?”
Then the thought occurred to him: “It would be for the sake of perfecting an unperfected aggregate of virtue that I would dwell in dependence on another priest or contemplative, honoring and respecting him. However, in this world with its devas, Maras, & Brahmas, in this generation with its priests and contemplatives, its royalty and common-folk, I do not see another priest or contemplative more consummate in virtue than I, on whom I could dwell in dependence, honoring and respecting him.
“It would be for the sake of perfecting an unperfected aggregate of concentration that I would dwell in dependence on another priest or contemplative, honoring and respecting him. However, in this world with its devas, Maras, & Brahmas, in this generation with its priests and contemplatives, its royalty and common-folk, I do not see another priest or contemplative more consummate in concentration than I, on whom I could dwell in dependence, honoring and respecting him.
“It would be for the sake of perfecting an unperfected aggregate of discernment that I would dwell in dependence on another priest or contemplative, honoring and respecting him. However, in this world with its devas, Maras, & Brahmas, in this generation with its priests and contemplatives, its royalty and common-folk, I do not see another priest or contemplative more consummate in discernment than I, on whom I could dwell in dependence, honoring and respecting him.
“It would be for the sake of perfecting an unperfected aggregate of release that I would dwell in dependence on another priest or contemplative, honoring and respecting him. However, in this world with its devas, Maras, & Brahmas, in this generation with its priests and contemplatives, its royalty and common-folk, I do not see another priest or contemplative more consummate in release than I, on whom I could dwell in dependence, honoring and respecting him.
“It would be for the sake of perfecting an unperfected aggregate of knowledge and vision of release that I would dwell in dependence on another priest or contemplative, honoring and respecting him. However, in this world with its devas, Maras, & Brahmas, in this generation with its priests and contemplatives, its royalty and common-folk, I do not see another priest or contemplative more consummate in knowledge and vision of release than I, on whom I could dwell in dependence, honoring and respecting him.
“What if I were to dwell in dependence on this very Dhamma to which I have fully awakened, honoring and respecting it?”
Then, having known with his own awareness the line of thinking in the Blessed One’s awareness β just as a strong man might extend his flexed arm or flex his extended arm β Brahma Sahampati disappeared from the Brahma-world and reappeared in front of the Blessed One. Arranging his upper robe over one shoulder, he saluted the Blessed One with his hands before his heart and said to him: “So it is, Blessed One! So it is, One-Well-Gone! Those who were Arahants, Rightly Self-awakened Ones in the past β they, too, dwelled in dependence on the very Dhamma itself, honoring and respecting it. Those who will be Arahants, Rightly Self-awakened Ones in the future β they, too, will dwell in dependence on the very Dhamma itself, honoring and respecting it. And let the Blessed One, who is at present the Arahant, the Rightly Self-awakened One, dwell in dependence on the very Dhamma itself, honoring and respecting it.”
That is what Brahma Sahampati said. Having said that, he further said this:
Past Buddhas, future Buddhas, & he who is the Buddha now, removing the sorrow of many β all have dwelt, will dwell, he dwells, revering the true Dhamma. This, for Buddhas, is a natural law. Therefore one who desires his own good, aspiring for greatness, should respect the true Dhamma, recollecting the Buddhas’ Teaching.