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Reflections on Buddhism -Ven. Dr.Vinayarakkhita Thero

Mar. 14, 2012 — Earlier evidence out of UCLA suggested that meditating for years thickens the brain (in a good way) and strengthens the connections between brain cells. Now a further report by UCLA researchers suggests yet another benefit.

Eileen Luders, an assistant professor at the UCLA Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, and colleagues, have found that long-term meditators have larger amounts of gyrification (“folding” of the cortex, which may allow the brain to process information faster) than people who do not meditate. Further, a direct correlation was found between the amount of gyrification and the number of meditation years, possibly providing further proof of the brain’s neuroplasticity, or ability to adapt to environmental changes.

The article appears in the online edition of the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.

The cerebral cortex is the outermost layer of neural tissue. Among other functions, it plays a key role in memory, attention, thought and consciousness. Gyrification or cortical folding is the process by which the surface of the brain undergoes changes to create narrow furrows and folds called sulci and gyri. Their formation may promote and enhance neural processing. Presumably then, the more folding that occurs, the better the brain is at processing information, making decisions, forming memories and so forth.

“Rather than just comparing meditators and non-meditators, we wanted to see if there is a link between the amount of meditation practice and the extent of brain alteration,” said Luders. “That is, correlating the number of years of meditation with the degree of folding.”

Of the 49 recruited subjects, the researchers took MRI scans of 23 meditators and compared them to 16 control subjects matched for age, handedness and sex. (Ten participants dropped out.) The scans for the controls were obtained from an existing MRI database, while the meditators were recruited from various meditation venues. The meditators had practiced their craft on average for 20 years using a variety of meditation types — Samatha, Vipassana, Zen and more. The researchers applied a well-established and automated whole-brain approach to measure cortical gyrification at thousands of points across the surface of the brain.

They found pronounced group differences (heightened levels of gyrification in active meditation practitioners) across a wide swatch of the cortex, including the left precentral gyrus, the left and right anterior dorsal insula, the right fusiform gyrus and the right cuneus.

Perhaps most interesting, though, was the positive correlation between the number of meditation years and the amount of insular gyrification.

“The insula has been suggested to function as a hub for autonomic, affective and cognitive integration,” said Luders. “Meditators are known to be masters in introspection and awareness as well as emotional control and self-regulation, so the findings make sense that the longer someone has meditated, the higher the degree of folding in the insula.”

While Luders cautions that genetic and other environmental factors could have contributed to the effects the researchers observed, still, “The positive correlation between gyrification and the number of practice years supports the idea that meditation enhances regional gyrification.”

Other authors of the study included Florian Kurth, Emeran A. Mayer, Arthur W.Toga, and Katherine L. Narr, all of UCLA, and Christian Gaser, University of Jena, Germany. Funding was provided by several organizations, including the National Institutes of Health. The authors report no conflict of interest.

பிக்குகளே, நொதித்தல்களை பார்வையால்
கைவிடப்படவேண்டி
இருக்கிறது, சிலதை அடக்கி வைத்து கைவிடப்படவேண்டி
இருக்கிறது, சிலதை
கையாளுதலால் கைவிடப்படவேண்டி இருக்கிறது, சிலதை
பொறுத்துக்கொண்டு
கைவிடப்படவேண்டி இருக்கிறது, சிலதை அழிப்பால்
கைவிடப்படவேண்டி இருக்கிறது,
மற்றும் சிலதை வளர்ச்சியால் கைவிடப்படவேண்டி
இருக்கிறது.

பார்வையால் கைவிடப்படவேண்டிய நொதித்தல்கள்

மற்றும்
எந்த நொதித்தல்களை பார்வையால் கைவிடப்படவேண்டி
இருக்கிறது?இது ஓர்
அறிவுறுத்தப்படாத  நபரின் நேர்வு - மேதக்கவர்களுக்கு
அபிமானம் இல்லாதவர்,
நேர்மையான மனிதர்ளிடத்து அபிமானம் இல்லாதவர், எந்த
எண்ணத்தையும்  நுணுகிக்
காண கவனம் செலுத்த அருகதை இருப்பது அல்லது எந்த
எண்ணத்தையும்  நுணுகிக் காண
கவனம் செலுத்த அருகதை இல்லாதது என அவர்களின்
தம்மாவை நன்குணராத அல்லது
கட்டுப்பாடாடற்றவர்.  இது அப்படி இருத்தல், அவர்
எந்த எண்ணத்தையும் 
நுணுகிக் காண கவனம் செலுத்த அருகதை இருப்பதை
கவனிப்பதில்லை, மற்றும் எந்த
எண்ணத்தையும்  நுணுகிக் காண கவனம் செலுத்த
அருகதை இல்லாததில் கவனம்
செலுத்துகிறார்.

மற்றும் எந்த, பிக்குகபிக்குகளே, தம்மங்களை
மானஸிகாரண்யமற்ற (தகுதியற்ற கவனம்), அவர் அத்தம்மங்களை மானஸிக்கிறார்
(கவனம்) செய்கிறார்?
ஏதாகிலும், பிக்குகபிக்குகளே, எத்தம்மங்களை
மானஸிக்கிறாரோ (கவனம்) செய்கிறாரோ.

Modi - Main, Main Number 1 Moorkh - Arun Shourie -This Dirtiest Journalism when Ex Cabinet Minister Arun Shourie Ex Jounalist lies to the people of the world even against the father of the Constitution Dr.B.R.Ambedkar

Arun Shourie didn’t tell us a single good thing Modi has done in 12 years except abusing minorities.

This Dirtiest Journalism when Ex Cabinet Minister Arun Shourie Ex Jounalist lies to the people of the world.

Let Arun Shourie compile a list ten best Decisive Things of Modi in last and also 10 Best Things BJP did in six years.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PWAP/message/23925

Ten BJP (Half Pants) Sins = Rs.280 Lac Crores in Swiss Banks - Exclusive

Yashwant Sinha and Arun Jaitley made complaint to CP Delhi under section
66A very next day and no copy was mailed to me - it was rejoinder to SS
Alhuwalia BJP Spokesperson spreading Scandalous Disinformation.


Even though BJP Sins are in Public Domain none of BJP top brass had been
able to contradict even one line as reproduced at the end.

Arun Shourie was part of Coterie that ‘Stabbed Economy Like
Comodo Dragons Who Just Cut A Wound Pray Dies of Infections in Few
Days.’

BJP RSS behave with duly elected government as Prey to be Brought Down not behave like junior partner rejected by people.

I know his father also - a bogus and useless Activist always carrying
big files but failed do anything for ‘Common Cause’ in decades. Even the
Lame Duck ‘Rent Act of 1995′ was not implemented.

At IIT Delhi around 2007 he gave a foolish lecture based on his Bogus
Reseach - ‘IIT Engineers are C grade and unfit for Employment’.

I then asked ‘Mr. Shourie your BJP government gave $150b worth of
concessions to UNDERWEAR TECHNOLOGIES - Can you tell us how much support
was provided to Promote Inventions of Engineers and how many Patents
were granted in six years.’

All the licenses to Ambanis for example were given by BJP when everyone
on the Planet knew the Criminal Minds and also let them over 50% equity.

Let Shourie compile ‘Ten Best Decisive Decisions of BJP and Narendra Modi’ - we shall discuss them.

To a qualified top professional Modi is Moorkh Number 1.

Till date Modi has only one Specialization - Fabricating Data.

Ravinder Singh

progressindia008@yahoo.com

Narendra Modi is ‘decisive’ and not ‘divisive’: Arun Shourie
Pallavi Sengupta, Wednesday, August 28, 2013,

http://news.oneindia.in/2013/08/27/modi-is-decisive-and-not-divisive-arun-shourie-1292699.html

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PWAP/message/23925

Ten BJP (Half Pants) Sins = Rs.280 Lac Crores in Swiss Banks - Exclusive

For Circulation to All Indians/ NRIs Please

1. Introduced Take Over code that limited NRI investments in companies.

2. But allowed unqualified families to illegally raise equity in companies from under 12% to 50% to 90%.

3. Sabotaged Bank Nationalization, Rent Control 1995 & Dismantled FERA.

4. Sabotaged or Delayed Patents to millions of Indian Engineers SMEs.

5. Sold or leased National Wealth in Oil & Gas, Mines & Minerals to select corporate almost free.

6. Reduced direct credit to farmers promoted high interest Micro Finance.

7. Promoted or allowed Subcontracting of Major Works at 50% Cost.

8. Promoted Crooks, Astrologers, Communal Elements to sabotage development.

9. BJP was hostile against smaller neighbors started N-Weapons Race.

10. BJP Sabotaged Dams & Irrigation Projects, favored Lunatic River Links.

Here in Discussions in Rajya Sabha how BJP conspired with Looters and
deliberately caused over Rs.50,000 crores Loss of Revenue in just
TELECOM sector alone when there was Kargil and India was short of money -
Resergent India Bonds were floated for about Rs.12,000 crores.

SK Dubey letter talks of 50-50 Loot share in NHAI Projects.

There public Loot in every bid when Shourie was Rajya Sabha MP and Minister also.

http://indiankanoon.org/doc/443288/

Some importan clippings are attached here.

Ravinder Singh

Inventor & Consultant
progressindia008@yahoo.com

Shri Ram Vilas Paswan, can you tell me this? When our jawans were giving
their lives in the battlefield of Kargil, the Prime Minister was crying
for money, for war fund, for grants. Then, the total dues claimed to be
fixed by these houses of the country was to the tune of rupees one lakh
twenty-eight thousand crore. You entered into the migration package.
How much we lost? The country lost to the tune of Rs.50,000 crore.

Who are doing all these things in the name of Telecom Policy
Implementation Programme, in the entire optical fibre tender management,
right from the last three years? I demand this from the hon. Minister.
He can appoint on his own, a committee to investigate and invite us. We
will substantiate documents and papers and book the culprits who are
looting this country’s money, not to the tune of hundreds of crores but
to the tune of thousands and thousands of crores. They are talking of
poor people not getting food in Koraput and Bolangir. They are facing
starvation deaths and the cartel is looting the money.

I had been to Australia and New Zealand to represent Shri Pramod
Mahajan. They are very superior in the telecom technology. I asked them
in their country whether there is any policy of ‘First come first serve’
basis. They were laughing. In our country, it is ‘First come first
serve’

Madam, we were abused when we were in Government that whatever we did in
regard to Telecom was wrong. In our time, a sum of Rs. 22,000 crore
generation was prospected in the bidding process by 42 bidders. With the
so-called opening of the economy and with the so-called motivation of
the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister to the entire foreign
investors and the local investors, how many bidders came for the fourth
cellular licence bidding process? In our time, it was 42 and generating
Rs. 22,000 crore. Now, because of the scam in DoT and uncertainty in the
Telecom Circle, there is no chance for level playing field and no
foreign company has given its bid for the first time for any of the
circle. In regard to the Indian company also, there is such a lethargy
to touch the DoT and the total strength of the bidder is six, and the
revenue generation is Rs. 1,225 crore or a little more. So, it came down
from Rs. 22,000 crore to Rs.1,200 crore.

Sir, the Wireless in Local Loop is a very important and noble scheme
which the hon. Minister has introduced. May I request the hon. Minister
to extend this facilities to the rural areas and especially the hilly
areas of my constituency? We are facing a lot of problems there in
regard to laying of cables. The Forest Department is not giving the ‘No
Objection Certificates’. The people there are short of even the basic
amenities like the ordinary telephones.

http://indiankanoon.org/doc/443288/

GOVERNMENT BILLS: Discussion Regarding New Telecom Policy, 1999. on 29 August, 2001

[Do you know how have they made the cartel? The cartel is like this. I
read out the constitution of the cartel. The whole nation will be
shocked to know how the DoT is operating. I know, you have not yet
finalised it because you know that the dabate is coming. The tender was
opened on 24th July, 2000. It is dated 24th July and opened on 10th
August, 2001. Here is STL cartel. मिलीभगत कैसे हुआ? STL quoted the
optical fibre price of ‘12-F-60,000’ at Rs. 62,450..

“…His brother quotes Rs. 62,500; his sister quotes Rs. 62,700; Sudarshan
quotes Rs. 63,000; Unifax Rs. 64,000; Birla GTS Rs. 66,500; BUL, Rs.
66,600.” The rule is first eight will get. They come in the first eight.
Which are the first eight - चार-चार बांट लें। They are the same. What
is the lowest? It is 57,000. If I say that it is not 21 per cent hike,
even ten per cent manipulation there is Rs.500 crore.

Will the hon. Minister not take any action? We have no enmity with him. I
want him to be the fighter to remove corruption from DoT, in
implementing NTP 1999. Why is he keeping quiet? Why has such a legal
observation been made by his department (Finance Branch) in July 2000?
They allowed them again to come to the bidding. They allowed the cartel
to operate in spite of the department’s noting. They are still
continuing this practice till this date and the hon. Minister feels that
the Opposition should not raise any finger. I know, many ruling party
Members also raised objections.]

I use a cellular phone in Calcutta. I can also use it in the entire city
of Patna and Delhi. I will use another mobile hand set within a range
of 10 kms from the basic service zone or the fixed service operator’s
zone to a limited area. Both are mobile. Both are useful. Without
spectrum technology, even the mobile handset cannot work within five
kms. range. Spectrum has a fee. I calculated that the spectrum fee, used
by the operators of the cellular mobile service as the licence fee
awarded, is to the tune of Rs.7,400 crore. The spectrum utilisation in
this case would not have been more than that. The gross deficit of the
national revenue is to the tune of Rs.14,000 crore.

Optical fibre worth Rs. 5,000 crore is normally to be planned for a
year. A unit called Sterlite once got a stricture by the Department of
Telecom for a particular tender. I am not saying about all tenders. Of
course, you are worried enough to get BALCO. You will know the fate of
BALCO after 15 days. Let the Report of the C&AG come.

Do you know what is happening? A few companies are floating their sister
organisations by the names ‘x’, ‘y’ or ‘z’ and making a cartel. In that
‘millibhagat’, they are trying to quote the same tender with a little
variance of Rs. 100 or Rs. 1,000. They join the cartel and share the
benefit in the ratio of 50:50. In the optical fibre case, it is very
shocking for me to quote all these things.

From official notes, I had a privilege to know about what had been
happening in the DOT. It is an observation by the Finance Department and
the Legal Department:

Firstly, in the name of first-cum-first-served, you have shown
favouritism. You have connived with some groups and individuals to suit
the purpose of some authority in the Government, which I do not know.
You can spell out it. Secondly, you pressurised the TRAI to reconsider
your desire, which is detrimental to the interest of the country, and
compelled him to recommend again. By this action of yours, you have
transgressed your authority. Thirdly, in the name of optical fibre
tender, in spite of the observation by your Legal Department and the
Finance Department that they are looting and looting through an
organised cartel, you have encouraged them, allowed them by deliberately
entering into certain kind of arrangement by the Department at the cost
of the nation’s exchequer. That you are required to probe and we demand
a probe. Finally, what was done in the limited mobility will benefit a
middle-class person like Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi, a trader, a

shopkeeper, a consumer in the semi-town and town. It is not in the
interest of the commoners. The so-called one rupee twenty paise is not a
charge for innovation of technology but a subsidy from the
long-distance call. So, these things should be exposed and exposed to
the wind.

I charge the Government, therefore, that you have destroyed the revenue
of the country. On limited mobility alone, by wrong calculation of this
taking of charge, the benefit was to the tune of Rs.14,000 crore. You
have destroyed the revenue of the Government to the tune of Rs.50,000
crore by the migration package. You are accountable to the nation for
this fraud played on this Parliament and the nation by not exposing the
truth.

Shri Ram Vilas Paswan, can you tell me this? When our jawans were giving
their lives in the battlefield of Kargil, the Prime Minister was crying
for money, for war fund, for grants. Then, the total dues claimed to be
fixed by these houses of the country was to the tune of rupees one lakh
twenty-eight thousand crore. १,२८,००० करोड़ रुपया जबकि बिजनेस हाउसेज को
सरकार को देना है, तब कारगिल के समय जब प्रधान मंत्री सबसे कह रहे थे कि
पैसा दो You entered into the migration package.इनको माफ कर दो, तुम्हें
पैसा नहीं देना चाहिए, तुम्हें दूसरा लूटने का इंतज़ाम ९९ में करा दिया
जाएगा। How much we lost? The country lost to the tune

of Rs.50,000 crore.

Sir, Wireless in Local Loop (WLL) is of course a technology by which we
can reach the rural masses, the distant people and the inaccessible
areas in a big way. When it was asked to state categorically whether
introduction of WLL limited mobility would improve the tele-density in
the country, the Secretary, DoT replied that it would certainly help a
faster roll out of the network. I am quoting from the report of the
Standing Committee on limited mobility. But limited mobility is not a
new thing. It is because WLL technology has been there for quite some
time. In the first generation mobile radio system based on analogue
transmission techniques, was introduced in developed countries like USA,
Japan and such other countries in the early 1980s.

After the privatisation, the Government was overjoyed that the amount of
bidding was such that they would not require any money at all from any
other sources. But ultimately came the reality. Even rich multinational
telecom companies said that they had suddenly become very poor. The
Government was very sympathetic. They have become so poor that they
condoned due licence fees.. My colleague was calculating the figures and
he said that it is Rs.50,000 crore. But I think, it is more than Rs.
50,000 crore that the Government had condoned. New names were given,
viz., migration, revenue sharing, etc. But it was only to cover up the
misdeeds and the corruption which they have indulged in.

SHRI MANI SHANKAR AIYAR : Sir, my next and last point relates largely to
the Minister of State for Communications. So, I would like to switch to
English language. My reference is to the Managed Lease Line Data
Network, MLDN for which the tenders closed on 31st of July, 2000. They
were opened in August. They were evaluated in August. The CMD approved
it in early September. The letter of intent was issued the same month
and the bank guarantee was furnished by 13th of September, 2000. It is
after that that the fun begins.

The Private Secretary to the Minister – not the Minister himself – who I
assume is somebody who can take down some dictation or is at best some
IAS babu – I do not know who he is; I shall not take his name - summons
the MTNL and orders them to appoint the Technical Engineering Centre to
re-investigate the whole matter. This happens on the 4th of October. The
TEC submits its report on 27th of October, and it is clear from the TEC
report that all is well. The Legal Advisors to his Ministry, the New
Delhi Legal Office, NDLO, submit a legal view on the 14th of November,
which is Panditji’s birthday, telling, therefore, the truth that it is
in order to give the contract to L-I, that is, the lowest bidder,
Alcatel, and therefore, the matter should go forth immediately. But the
MOS intervenes and insists that the Additional Solicitor-General’s
advice should be obtained. How? It is to be obtained through the same
NDLO. The opinion of the ASGI is

transmitted through the same NDLO and there is an apparent
contradiction between what the NDLO on their own have advised on the
14th of November and what the AGSI has stated on the 18th of December, a
month later. What does ASGI say? The ASGI says that `provided the L-I
confirms their lowest bid and provided L-II comes down to the L-I level
and provided you conduct these discussions separately one from the
other, then if it turns out that L-I and L-II are absolutely on the same
footing, you cannot give it to L-I, give it instead to L-II’.

And, although the Chief Vigilance Commissioner, Shri N. Vittal, in a
directive dated 18th of November, 1998 has categorically stated – I have
that with me – that no negotiations should be held with anyone except
the lowest bidder, the Minister orders that the second highest bidder,
that is, the L-II, should also be consulted. These instructions are
carried out and on the 29th of December, 2000…

On the 29th of December, 2000, L-I and L-II are called in total
contravention of the CVC’s orders and despite being called and
negotiated with, the Ministry is informed that L-II - while it has come
down somewhat from about Rs. 139 crore to, I think, Rs. 106 crore - is
still close to Rs. 40 crore higher than the L-I.

L-1 is about Rs. 63 crore; L-2, after an illegitimate negotiation with
them, brings it down only to Rs. 106 crore. Therefore, the MTNL goes
ahead with what needs to be done. On the 6th of January, 2001 the CMD
clears the purchase order. This makes it two CMDs who cleared it — the
one who had cleared it is on the 7th of September, who was then treated
miserably by his Minister because he had not fulfilled his desires, and
then the second CMD clears exactly the same order on the 6th of January.
It is followed on the 9th of January by the submission of a detailed
bill of materials and everything is going forward magnificently. What is
needed very urgently has been acted upon urgently by the MTNL. Then,
Shri P.K. Aggarwal, General Manager (Information Technology), in the
Corporate Office of MTNL was summoned to the Ministry of Communications.
Do you know by whom — not by the Private Secretary, but by the
Additional Private Secretary to the Minister of

State? It is really shocking that he was summoned and made to speak to
him twice on that day, on the 30th of January, 2001. Do not forget, it
is on Mahatma Gandhi’s Martyrdom Day that this harkat takes place inside
the Ministry of Communications.

Before I conclude, I would like to draw the attention of the hon.
Minister to news item appeared in The Hindustan Times on 17.8.2001. I
quote:

“The Government has written off Rs.40,000 crore in telecom fees and more in non-performing assets.”

Is it true? We are concerned with the total outstanding debt of the
Central Government that stands at Rs.11,48,667 crore. In this
connection, I would like the hon. Minister to use his good offices, his
experience and expertise to recover the dues. Would he come forward to
recover Rs.40,000 crore that is the dues over the last three years?
Would he retrieve the dues depending on the merits of the case, legal
remedies like Lok Adalats, reference to Arbitrators under section 7(B)
of the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885 and the courts of law?

We are living in a country where about 40 per cent of the people are
living below the poverty line. Most of them are not getting adequate
food, adequate medicine and adequate drinking water. But our Minister
affirmed that all the villagers would get telephone facility. This is a
farce. I would like to know as to how the Government would introduce
telephone facilities.