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And now on Friday comes further bad news for its principle party, Congress and the influential Gandhi-Nehru dynasty. Whatever hopes it may have had to regain ground in Uttar Pradesh (UP), the country’s biggest and most politically important state, have been dashed. In fact it has lost ground in UP again. Since 2004, Congress has lost power state elections in Punjab, Uttarakhand and Kerala. It has also done badly in municipal elections in states it rules, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Delhi. Friday’s poor showing in UP provides more evidence for those predicting further reverses for Congress in Gujarat later this year.
‘Reforms stalled’ So what does this mean for the central government’s ambitious economic reform programme, based on a prediction of 10%+ economic growth? Does the economist Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, have political space to push for further reforms?
The editor of one of India’s leading business dailies, The Business Standard, AK Bhattacharya, is among the pessimists. He argues that the reform process “had in any case stalled. The problem for reforms in India is not outside the (governing) UPA but inside the UPA. A defeat in UP will see the situation worsen further”.
Mr Bhattacharya says crucial reforms will suffer. These include:
The basic problem facing the ruling Congress Party has been its inability to widen its electoral base in the country, three years since coming to power with the support of several regional parties and the communists. A coalition of social groups that the Congress forged after Independence in 1947 helped the party retain power in UP and at the national level for over four decades. But that has now been hijacked by the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). Led by the populist Mayawati, the BSP is a party that was formed to champion the cause of Dalits, who are right at the bottom of the Hindu social order. However, the BSP has now succeeded in winning the support of all social groups including Muslims in Uttar Pradesh. And that is reason enough for Congress to worry. ‘Status quo’ Every electoral loss leads the anti-reformists in the Congress to demand the slowing down of reform measures.
The bureau chief of The Times of India, Diwakar, highlights the failure of the Hindu right, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), to stop its reverses in UP. A resurgent and auto and home owner insurance BJP, he argues, would have helped the Congress appeal for greater discipline and unity within the ruling UPA coalition. “UPA government ceased to function a year ago,” says Diwakar. “from now onwards do not expect any major announcement that would take India further on the road to globalisation. It will be status quo till 2009.” Under that scenario, the left-wing parties in the governing coalition will be applying the brakes whenever the government seeks to push its reformist agenda.
‘Serious problem’ Communist Party of India(Marxist) MP Sitaram Yechury says there is a “growing hiatus between shining India and suffering India”, referring to growing divide between urban and rural India. Mr Yechury believes the UPA government needs to focus on agriculture and rural India otherwise “winning (home insurance quote) elections in 2009 will be a serious problem”. Rising inflation, a fall in the employment growth rate and rising home-loan rates have impacted on a large number of Indians. The UPA came to power in 2004 on the promise that it would focus attention and provide a bigger share of resources to the vast majority Indians, that is, the poor. Some decisions, like a job guarantee programme for rural people when rains fail and a law to give land rights to 100 million tribal people are widely seen as progressive moves by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s government. On the other hand, efforts by senior Congress ministers to woo retail giants like Walmart, moves to allow Fortune 500 oil company Reliance Industries to acquire vast areas of farm land for Chinese-inspired Special Economic Zones and attempts to open the country to foreign legal firms and foreign universities are seen as moves that would not politically help the UPA, particularly the Congress Party, to turn round its electoral |
Sarvajan Hitay Sarvajan Sukhay-For The Gain of The Many and For The Welfare of The Many
Dear Dhammachari Chandrashekar,
You will have received my email (given below here), after my telephonic conversation with you… I feel very grateful you have accepted to speak to us on Nov 9th.Meanwhile, may I request you send me your bio-data. It could be sent by email to my ID above or by post to my address (Fr Ronnie
Prabhu, Fatima Retreat House, Kankanady, Mangalore 575 002).
Dear Dhammachari Chandrashekar,,
It was a joy to talk to you today and I am grateful you have accepted to speak to us on Friday 9 November, the second day of our three day Kristotsava festival. I am grateful also to Banthe Ananda for speaking to you about this.
We expect to have around a thousand Catholics from different part of Karnataka. Though educated, a good number of them will not be able to speak in English and we would appreciate you talking in Kannada, with a mixture of English!
It is our conviction that we will be helped in this if we can see ourselves also as others see us. So we are requesting a representative form each major religious community to give us a feedback covering the following questions:
What in the message of Jesus strikes a chord in you and what do you like about Christianity Where do you find the Christians and the Church in our times in India falling short of the teachings of Christ
You will necessarily have to do some plain speaking and the reason why we are approaching you is that you are one who can speak the truth with love.
The Kristostsava festival will be held in the Good Shepherd Convent Hall, < ?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags” />
I know you are extremely busy with many concerns and I am happy and grateful you will still do this for us. This invitation comes to you from the Catholic Bishops of Karnataka, who are the organizers of this program. Writing on their behalf, I convey their great appreciation and gratitude to you.
Yours sincerely,
Ronnie Prabhu
With regards,
Ronnie Prabhu
ronnieprabhu@yahoo.com
Bio data
Dear Most Reverend Ronnie Prabhu
I am grateful to your Kind self and Venerable Ananda Bhante for asking me to do some plain speaking of truth with love to you on Friday 9th November 2007, the second day of the three day Kristotsava festival.
I informed Venerable Anand Bhante that I wish to present a prepared speech on that occasion. I have already started preparing the speech. Hence this delay in giving you my bio-data.
My prepared speech will be sent you your kind self and Venerable Anand Bhante.
In fact if all the speakers do the same and if I get a copy of the same I wish to publish in
I hope you are visiting that site.
Also I will be very grateful to your kind self if you can prepare a speech on
What is the message of The Buddha strikes a Chord in you and what do you like about Buddhism. Where do you find the Buddhists and Monasteries in our times in Jambudvipa that is The Great Prabuddha Bharath falling short of the Practice of the Doctrine of the Buddha.
The other speakers may also be asked to prepare on the above subject to enable me to publish the same in http://sarvajan.ambedkar.org on the occasion of completion 2550th Buddha Jayanthi.
Bio-data
A Peaceful Revolution
At the age of 65 Dhammachari Jagatheesan Chandrasekharan is one of the most senior members of Mahabodhi Society
My parents followed some other culture out of ignorance of the fact that more than 98% were original inhabitants of Jambudvipa that is the Great Prabuddha Bharath. After visiting a slaughter house in childhood, the suffering of the animals those were slaughtered developed loving kindness and compassion. While human beings were cremated or buried in the grave yards. It was observed that the birds, fishes and domestic animals were in double trouble. They were cremated in the kitchen crematoriums, after storing them in refrigerator mortuaries and buried in the mobile human beings grave yards that are their stomachs.
Then step by step I started training my mind and started practicing abstaining from the taking of life that leads to longevity, abstaining from stealing to prosperity, abstaining from sexual misconduct to popularity, abstaining from false speech to a good reputation, and abstaining from intoxicants to mindfulness and wisdom.
Attended Pabajja and Vipassana and Zen Meditation Practice
To preserve the practice of the Triple Gem in the mind, the body is kept in a fit condition by daily cycling for 10 Km and swimming. Participated in State, National competitions and would participate in International events.
Practice to endure being contented and satisfied with little; eating little, sleeping little, speaking little and living in moderation. By doing this we can put an end to worldliness.
Retired as Senior Manger (Design) Aircraft Research and Design Centre, involved in designing passenger Aircrafts in HAL Bangalore .
Dear Most Reverend Ronnie Prabhu
Thank you very much for your mail.
I will come on my own.
If you prepare a talk on Buddha, kindly mail it to me.
Now many people are returning back to their own home i.e., Buddhism, after realizing the true fact that they are the original inhabitants of Jambudvipa i.e., The Great Prabuddha Bharath, since every one in this world are for the gain of the many and welfare of the many and wish to live a very happy and peaceful life.
We are all part of this one family of humankind and that is one reason that your kind self is able to bring all of us together. If this exercise continues, it will set an example to the whole world as how to live in peace. This is possible in this country since we originally belong to that one family. I also sincerely feel that if all the invited speakers could prepare talks on different religions and exchange amongst each other that will go a long way.
I have prepared the following presentation for 9th November 2007. I discussed with Venerable Anand Bhante and decided to send the same to your kind self for amendments if need be.
It was very easy for me to get the translation in English. But it will be very difficult to get it translated to any other languages including Kannada. Hence I would like to make this written presentation with any amendments you would like to make in the larger interest of mankind. I have no attachment to my presentation.
If I talk in Kannada or any other languages, the murder of the language will be keenly observed by the audience. But that will not happen when it is presented in English. Since it is a prepared presentation one can translate at leisure.
With Kind regards and
Lots of Metta
Jagatheesan Chandrasekharan
Presentation
Most Respected Reverend Ronnie Prabhu, Venerable Nidumamidi Swamiji, Dr Taha Mateen and Honourable < ?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags” />
I am very grateful to Venerable Anand Bhante, Reverend Ronnie Prabhu, Catholic Bishops of Karnataka who are the organizers of this program on whose invitation this presentation is made for the benefit of this learned august house of Original Inhabitants of Jambudvipa that is The Great Prabuddha Bharath.
As the purpose of this get-together is to do some introspection as to
whether as a Christian community we are living up to expectations of our faith.
If faith is “the substance of things hoped for,” then worry is the substance of things dreaded (Hebrews 3:6). Worry is destructive. It fritters away time. It kills creativity and it often is a prophet of its own self-fulfilling doom. Most of all worry keeps us from claiming the blessings God has for us. It prevents us from living up to the fullness of our creation and finding joy in life. How do you fight worry and build faith?
Danema, 48,
I’ve come to stand on God’s word, “As a man thinketh, so is he”. Since God gave us the freedom of choice. Why is it so hard to “choose” not to worry? I’ve pondered this question many times, realizing as scripture reveals that all things are rooted in either fear or love. Since I know God is love and I believe God loves me…then I have to question any and all thoughts of doubt and negativity as to its root. I ask myself, is there truth to this thought of doubt or negativity? Is it based on love or fear? Exercising the power of choice, or should I say the gift of choice, is what I have to do daily. This goes along with the scripture that says, Examine each thought carefully. And also what the word says about meditating on the word, meditating on truth day and night… So therefore, I make a decision and choose to “meditate” on the positive, standing in faith using prayer as a tool and wait in expectation from my the best to come out of the situation, praising God all the way. And then I get up each morning and start all over again, exercising my muscles of faith. When I need more strength, I call on God even more
Coming to the Center
Try watching a spider. A spider spins its web in any convenient niche and then sits in the center, staying still and silent. Later, a fly comes along and lands on the web. As soon as it touches and shakes the web, “boop!” — The spider pounces and winds it up in thread. It stores the insect away and then returns again to collect itself silently in the center of the web.
Watching a spider like this can give rise to wisdom. Our six senses have mind at the center surrounded by eye, ear, nose, tongue and body. When one of the senses is stimulated, for instance, form contacting the eye, it shakes and reaches the mind. The mind is that which knows, that which knows form. Just this much is enough for wisdom to arise. It’s that simple.
Like a spider in its web, we should live keeping to ourselves. As soon as the spider feels an insect contact the web, it quickly grabs it, ties it up and once again returns to the center. This is not at all different from our own minds. “Coming to the center” means living mindfully with clear comprehension, being always alert and doing everything with exactness and precision — this is our center. There’s really not a lot for us to do; we just carefully live in this way. But that doesn’t mean that we live heedlessly thinking, “There is no need to do sitting or walking meditation!” and so forget all about our practice. We can’t be careless! We must remain alert just as the spider waits to snatch up insects for its food.
This is all that we have to know — sitting and contemplating that spider. Just this much and wisdom can arise spontaneously. Our mind is comparable to the spider, our moods and mental impressions are comparable to the various insects. That’s all there is to it! The senses envelop and constantly stimulate the mind; when any of them contact something, it immediately reaches the mind. The mind then investigates and examines it thoroughly, after which it returns to the center. This is how we abide — alert, acting with precision and always mindfully comprehending with wisdom. Just this much and our practice is complete.
This point is very important! It isn’t that we have to do sitting practice throughout the day and night, or that we have to do walking meditation all day and all night long. If this is our view of practice, then we really make it difficult for ourselves. We should do what we can according to our strength and energy, using our physical capabilities in the proper amount.
It’s very important to know the mind and the other senses well. Know how they come and how they go, how they arise and how they pass away. Understand this thoroughly! In the language of Doctrine-True Practice of The Path Shown by The Blessed, Noble, Awakened One we can also say that, just as the spider traps the various insects, the mind binds up the senses with impermanence, unsatisfactoriness, not-self. Where can they go? We keep them for food; these things are stored away as our nourishment. That’s enough; there’s no more to do, just this much! This is the nourishment for our minds, nourishment for one who is aware and understanding.
If you know that these things are impermanent, bound up with suffering and that none of it is you, and then you would be crazy to go after them! If you don’t see clearly in this way, then you must suffer. When you take a good look and see these things as really impermanent, even though they may seem worth going after, really they are not. Why do you want them when their nature is pain and suffering? It’s not ours, there is no self, and there is nothing belonging to us. So why are you seeking after them? All problems are ended right here. Where else will you end them?
Just take a good look at the spider and turn it inwards, turn it back unto yourself. You will see that it’s all the same. When the mind has seen impermanence, unsatisfactoriness, not-self, it lets go and releases itself. It no longer attaches to suffering or to happiness. This is the nourishment for the mind of one who practices and really trains himself. That’s all, it’s that simple! You don’t have to go searching anywhere! So no matter what you are doing, you are there, no need for a lot of fuss and bother. In this way the momentum and energy of your practice will continuously grow and mature.
[The Evil One]
Those with children
Delight
Because of their children.
Those with cattle
Delight
because of their cows.
A person’s delight
Comes from acquisitions,
Since a person with no acquisitions
doesn’t delight.
[The Blessed, Noble, Awakened One:] 
Those with children
Grieve
because of their children.
Those with cattle
Grieve
because of their cows.
A person’s grief
Comes from acquisitions,
Since a person with no acquisitions
Doesn’t grieve.
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Then the Evil One — sad & dejected at realizing, “The Blessed One knows me; the One Well-Gone knows me” — vanished right there.
Shot into the night {bad people}
If, by forsaking
A limited ease,
He would see
An abundance of ease,
The awakened man
Would forsake
The limited ease
For the sake
Of the abundant.
He wants his own ease
By giving others dis-ease.
Intertwined in the inter-
Action of hostility,
From hostility
He’s not set free.
In those who
Reject what should,
& do what shouldn’t be done
— Heedless, insolent —
Effluents grow.
But for those who
Are well-applied, constantly,
To mindfulness immersed in the body;
Don’t indulge
In what shouldn’t be done
& persist
In what should
— Mindful, alert —
Effluents come to an end.
Having killed mother & father,
Two warrior kings,
The kingdom & its dependency —
The invader, untroubled, travels on.
Having killed mother & father,
Two learned kings,
&, fifth, a tiger —
The invader, untroubled, travels on.
They awaken, always wide awake:
Blessed, Noble, Awakened One’s disciples
Whose mindfulness, both day & night,
Is constantly immersed
In the Blessed, Noble, Awakened One’s.
They awaken, always wide awake:
Blessed, Noble, Awakened One’s disciples
Whose mindfulness, both day & night,
Is constantly immersed
In the Doctrine-Practice of Path Shown by The Blessed, Noble, Awakened One.
They awaken, always wide awake:
Blessed, Noble, Awakened One’s disciples
Whose mindfulness, both day & night,
Is constantly immersed
In the Spiritual Community of The True Followers of The Path Shown by The Blessed, Noble, Awakened One.
They awaken, always wide awake:
Blessed, Noble, Awakened One-’s disciples
Whose mindfulness, both day & night,
Is constantly immersed
In the body.
They awaken, always wide awake:
Blessed, Noble, Awakened One-’s disciples
Whose minds delight, both day & night,
In harmlessness.
They awaken, always wide awake:
Blessed, Noble, Awakened One’s disciples
Whose minds delight, both day & night,
In developing the mind.
Hard is the life gone forth?
Hard to delight in.
Hard is the miserable
Householder’s life.
It’s painful to stay with dissonant people,
Painful to travel the road.
So be neither traveler
Nor pained.
The man of conviction
Endowed with virtue,
Glory & wealth:
Wherever he goes
He is honored.
The good shine from afar
Like the snowy Himalayas .
The bad don’t appear
Even when near,
Like arrows shot into the night.
Sitting alone,
Resting alone,
Walking alone,
Untiring.
Taming himself,
He’d delight alone —
Alone in the forest.
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Whether we are truly followers of Christ and what steps we should take to revitalize ourselves in the path of Christ.
What in the message of Jesus strikes a chord in you and what do you like about Christianity Where do you find the Christians and the Church in our times in India falling short of the teachings of Christ
Buddhist views
Buddhism and Christianity (are two major religions that are compared and contrasted by scholars, with parallels between the two revolving around perceived similarities in the teachings and in the spiritual intent and practices. Given these correspondences, questions arise as to their origins, influences, and interaction. Scholars remain divided on whether the religious parallels are coincidental, or arising from separate but similar developments, or the result of a direct or indirect influence of Buddhism on early Christianity).
Buddhists’ views of Jesus differ, since Jesus is not mentioned in any Buddhist text. Some Buddhists, including Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama[124] regard Jesus as a bodhisattva ( are motivated by the wish to benefit other beings and to lead them to awakenment). who dedicated his life to the welfare of human beings. Both Jesus and Buddha advocated radical alterations in the common religious practices of the day. There are occasional similarities in language, such as the use of the common metaphor of a line of blind men to refer to religious authorities with whom they disagreed [125][126]. Some believe there is a particularly close affinity between Buddhism (or Eastern spiritual thought generally) and the doctrine of Gnostic texts such as The Gospel of Thomas[127]
Now, some people confuse the clay pot with the treasure. They think if the church and Christians aren’t perfect, they are not worth considering. Hey, wait a minute. The only way you can get into a church is to admit you are a sinner and you need help.
The church is a place
where people who are spiritually sick can get well,
where people who are unconnected with God can connect,
where folks who are ignorant of spiritual truth can learn,
and where self-centered people can learn to love and serve.
I mean, do you criticize a hospital because it has sick people in it?
Do you criticize a school because it has people in it who don’t know everything?
Paul says we are like earthen cookware. The reason we need to keep this image of ourselves, he says, is so that we remember the power and the glory is not in ourselves but in the treasure. Well, let’s talk about the treasure.
The Treasure 
Paul spends the rest of the chapter talking about the treasure we have in Christ. The Christ-treasure I will call it. It is completely differently from most human treasure. Like, most human treasures are in a specific location like a vault, or a lock box.
In Robert Louis Stevenson’s
Like most hidden treasures it was buried in a specific place.
Contrast please with the treasure we have in Christ.
The Christ-treasure is buried not in a geographical location but in the minds of his disciples. Listen to the Apostle:
“We always carry around in our body . . . Jesus.” (2 Cor. 4:10) God has chosen us to “carry around” his treasure.
Maybe most important, we don’t find the Christ-treasure, the Christ treasure has already found us. In Christ’s eyes, we are the treasure. And we’ve been found. But we hold the key to the lock on your mind. You can say to the Lord, enter, or stay away.
Don’t miss this:
A human treasure is to be protected. Consider how rare jewels are placed in secure places. Bank vaults with security alarms paint the picture.
How different is the gift of our Lord. The Christ-treasure doesn’t seek to be protected at all. In fact, it prefers to lead us into the battles of life. It is more like an infantryman than a security officer. Listen as Paul describes how aggressive the Christ-treasure is.
“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed;
Perplexed, but not in despair;
Persecuted, but not abandoned;
Struck down, but not destroyed.” (2 Cor. 4:8,9)
You see, we don’t so much push Christ into a safe place as Christ walks with us when life pushes us into a land mine. Christ is a treasure you can take with you in life, in suffering, and even in death and the resurrection.
“Therefore we do not lose mind. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” (2 Cor. 4:10-12)
There had been some difficult days as a church family recently. Eight times in the last two weeks they have stood at opened graves and grieved with those who are left behind. Their minds have been broken. Remember that we have no immunity from life as believers, only the infectious presence of the One who died on the cross and conquered death. When we are stripped of everything we expected, we discover He is there and our church is there. In the end the treasure and the earthen vessel remain.
The late Henri Nouwen, the Catholic Priest who taught as Yale and Notre Dame spent his last years at a Retreat center for handicapped adults near
When Nouwen arrived the Chaplain was waiting for him along with others who had been invited. “Where’s Trevor?” asked Henri. “You will see him after dinner explained the Chaplain. The patients are not allowed to eat with the guests…” “But I am here to see Trevor,” said Nouwen. “That is impossible,” said the Chaplain, “because you see we are having dinner in the Golden Room and patients are not allowed to eat there.”
Nouwen was completely taken by surprise and said, “If Trevor does not eat I will not eat. If Trevor can’t come to the Golden Room I will not be eating there either.” That brought on some serious whispering. Henri went looking for Trevor and found him as always looking for flowers. He saw Henri and ran to him and said, “Here, I brought you some flowers.” Finally they said, “Alright we will invite Trevor.”
Trevor sat by Nouwen. As is usual, drinks came first. Nouwen poured Trevor a coke. The mood was somewhat serious as guests became acquainted with one another. Suddenly Trevor stood up and said, “Ladies and gentlemen, a toast,” as he held his coke up. Everyone looked up partly anxious and partly embarrassed. Nouwen said later he could read their thoughts: “What in the heck is this patient going to do? Better be careful.”
Trevor, like a little child, seemed to have no worries. He began to sing, “When you’re happy and you know it, lift your glass, when you’re happy when you know it lift your glass.” As he sang, people’s faces relaxed and started to sing and not long after everyone was standing and singing under Trevor’s direction.
Trevor’s toast changed the whole mood in the Golden Room that day. He had brought strangers together and made them feel at home. His beautiful smile and fearless joy turned a place of sorrow and joy into a place of blessing.
Maybe the church is like Trevor, not invited to many Golden Rooms. But don’t count us out. At surprising times we wind up giving blessings to those who walk through difficult, difficult times.
We have this treasure in earthen vessels!
Kindly visit:
http://earthenvesselsweb.org/CMS/index.php
The Trap of the Senses
The THE BLESSED NOBLE AWAKENED ONE talked about desire and the six things by which desire is gratified: sights, sounds, smells, tastes, touch and mind-objects. Desire and lust for happiness, for suffering, for good, for evil and so on, pervade everything!
Sights… there isn’t any sight that’s quite the same as that of a woman. Isn’t that so? Doesn’t a really attractive woman make you want to look? One with a really attractive figure comes walking along, “sak, sek, sak, sek, sak, sek,” — you can’t help but stare! How about sounds? There’s no sound that grips you more than that of a woman. It pierces your mind! Smell is the same; a woman’s fragrance is the most alluring of all. There’s no other smell that’s quite the same. Taste — even the taste of the most delicious food cannot compare with that of a woman. Touch is similar; when you caress a woman you are stunned, intoxicated and sent spinning all around.
There was once a famous master of magical spells 
from Taxila in ancient Jambudvipa That is The Great Prabuddha Bharath. He taught his disciple all his knowledge of charms and incantations. When the disciple was well-versed and ready to fare on his own, he left with this final instruction from his teacher, “I have taught you all that I know of spells, incantations and protective verses. Creatures with sharp teeth, 
Antlers or horns, 
and even big tusks, 
you have no need to fear. You will be guarded from all of these, I can guarantee that. However, there is only one thing that I cannot ensure protection against, and that is the charms of a woman. I can not help you here. There’s no spell for protection against this one, you’ll have to look after yourself.” 
Mental objects arise in the mind. They are born out of desire: desire for valuable possessions, desire to be rich, and just restless seeking after things in general. This type of greed isn’t all that deep or strong, it isn’t enough to make you faint or lose control. However, when sexual desire arises, you’re thrown off balance and lose your control. You would even forget those raised and brought you up — your own parents!
The THE BLESSED NOBLE AWAKENED ONE taught that the objects of our senses are a trap — a trap of the evil one’s. Evil One should be understood as something which harms us. The trap is something which binds us, the same as a snare. It’s a trap of the evil one’s, a hunter’s snare,
and the hunter is evil one.
If animals are caught in the hunter’s trap, it’s a sorrowful predicament. They are caught fast and held waiting for the owner of the trap snare springs and “boop” — caught by the neck! A good strong string now holds it fast. Wherever the bird flies, it cannot escape. It flies here and flies there, but it’s held tight waiting for the owner of the snare. When the hunter comes along, that’s it — the bird is struck with fear, there’s no escape!
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The trap of sights, sounds, smells, tastes, touch and mind-objects is the same. They catch us and bind us fast. If you attach to the senses, you’re the same as a fish caught on a hook. When the fisherman comes, struggle all you want, but you can’t get loose. Actually, you’re not caught like a fish, it’s more like a frog — a frog gulps down the whole hook right to its guts, a fish just gets caught in its mouth.
Anyone attached to the senses is the same. Like a drunk whose liver is not yet destroyed — he doesn’t know when he has had enough. He continues to indulge and drink carelessly. He’s caught and later suffers illness and pain.
A man comes walking along a road. He is very thirsty from his journey and is craving for a drink of water. The owner of the water says, “You can drink this water if you like; the color is good, the smell is good, the taste is good, but if you drink it you will become ill. I must tell you this beforehand, it’ll make you sick enough to die or nearly die.” The thirsty man does not listen. He’s as thirsty as a person after an operation that has been denied water for seven days — he’s crying for water!
It’s the same with a person thirsting after the senses. The THE BLESSED NOBLE AWAKENED ONE taught that they are poisonous — sights, sounds, smells, tastes, touch and mind-objects are poison; they are a dangerous trap. But this man is thirsty and doesn’t listen; because of his thirst he is in tears, crying, “Give me water, no matter how painful the consequences, let me drink!” So he dips out a bit and swallows it down finding it very tasty. He drinks his fill and gets so sick that he almost dies. He didn’t listen because of his overpowering desire.
This is how it is for a person caught in the pleasures of the senses. He drinks in sights, sounds, smells, tastes, touch and mind-objects — they are all very delicious! So he drinks without stopping and there he remains, stuck fast until the day he dies.
“Now, the well-instructed disciple of the noble ones, when touched with a feeling of pain, does not sorrow, grieve, or lament, does not beat his breast or become distraught. So he feels one pain: physical, but not mental. Just as if they were to shoot a man with an arrow and, right afterward, did not shoot him with another one, so that he would feel the pain of only one arrow. In the same way, when touched with a feeling of pain, the well-instructed disciple of the noble ones does not sorrow, grieve, or lament, does not beat his breast or become distraught. He feels one pain: physical, but not mental.
“As he is touched by that painful feeling, he is not resistant. No resistance-obsession with regard to that painful feeling obsesses him. Touched by that painful feeling, he does not delight in sensual pleasure. Why is that? Because the well-instructed disciple of the noble ones discerns an escape from painful feeling aside from sensual pleasure. As he is not delighting in sensual pleasure, no passion-obsession with regard to that feeling of pleasure obsesses him. He discerns, as it actually is present, the origination, passing away, allure, drawback, and escape from that feeling. As he discerns the origination, passing away, allure, drawback, and escape from that feeling, no ignorance-obsession with regard to that feeling of neither-pleasure-nor-pain obsesses him.
“Sensing a feeling of pleasure, he senses it disjoined from it. Sensing a feeling of pain, he senses it disjoined from it. Sensing a feeling of neither-pleasure-nor-pain, he senses it disjoined from it. This is called a well-instructed disciple of the noble ones disjoined from birth, aging, & death; from sorrows, lamentations, pains, distresses, & despairs. He is disjoined, I tell you, from suffering & stress.
“This is the difference, this distinction, this the distinguishing factor between the well-instructed disciple of the noble ones and the uninstructed run-of-the-mill person.”
The discerning person, learned,
Doesn’t sense a (mental) feeling of pleasure or pain:
This is the difference in skillfulness
Between the sage & the person run-of-the-mill.
For a learned person
Who has fathomed the Doctrine-Practice of the Path Shown by the Blessed, Noble, Awakened One,
Clearly seeing this world & the next,
Desirable things don’t charm the mind,
Undesirable ones bring no resistance.
His acceptance
& rejection are scattered,
Gone to their end,
Do not exist.
Knowing the dustless, sorrow less state,
He discerns rightly,
Has gone, beyond becoming,
To the Further Shore.
“When embraced,
The rod of violence
Breeds danger & fear:
Look at people quarreling.
I will tell of how
I experienced
Dismay.
Seeing people floundering
Like fish in small puddles,
Competing with one another —
As I saw this,
Fear came into me.
The world was entirely
Without substance.
All the directions
Were knocked out of line.
Wanting a haven for myself,
I saw nothing that wasn’t laid claim to.
Seeing nothing in the end
But competition,
I felt discontent.
And then I saw
An arrow here,
So very hard to see,
Embedded in the heart.
Overcome by this arrow
You run in all directions.
But simply on pulling it out
You don’t run,
You don’t sink.
Whatever things are tied down in the world,
You shouldn’t be set on them.
Having totally penetrated
Sensual pleasures,
Sensual passions,
You should train for your own
Unbinding.
Be truthful, not insolent,
Not deceptive, rid
Of divisiveness.
Without anger, the sage
Should cross over the evil
Of greed & avarice.
He should conquer laziness,
Weariness,
Sloth;
Shouldn’t consort with heedlessness,
Shouldn’t stand firm in his pride —
The man with his mind set
On Unbinding.
He shouldn’t engage in lying,
Shouldn’t create a sense of allure in form,
Should fully fathom conceit,
And live refraining from impulsiveness;
Shouldn’t delight in what’s old,
Prefer what’s new,
Grieve over decline,
Get entangled in
What’s dazzling & bright?
I call greed
A ‘great flood’;
Hunger, a swift current.
Preoccupations are ripples;
Sensuality, a bog
Hard to cross over.
Not deviating from truth,
A sage stands on high ground
: A brahman.
Having renounced all,
He is said to be at peace;
Having clearly known, he
Is an attainer-of-wisdom;
Knowing the Doctrine-Practice of the True Path Shown by the Awakened One, he’s
Independent.
Moving rightly through the world,
He doesn’t envy
Anyone here.
Whoever here has gone over & beyond
Sensual passions —
An attachment hard
To transcend in the world,
Doesn’t sorrow,
Doesn’t fret.
He, his stream cut, is free
From bonds.
Burn up what’s before,
And have nothing for after.
If you don’t grasp
At what’s in between,
You will go about, calm.
For whom, in name & form,
In every way,
There’s no sense of mine,
And who doesn’t grieve
Over what is not:
He, in the world,
Isn’t defeated,
Suffers no loss.
To whom there doesn’t occur
‘This is mine,’
For whom nothing is others,’
Feeling no sense of mine-ness,
Doesn’t grieve at the thought
‘I have nothing.’
Not harsh,
Not greedy, not
Perturbed,
Everywhere
In tune:
This is the reward
— I say when asked —
For those who are free
From pre-
Conceptions.
For one unperturbed
— Who knows —?
There’s no accumulating.
Abstaining, unaroused,
He everywhere sees
Security.
The sage
Doesn’t speak of himself
As among those who are higher,
Equal,
Or lower.
At peace, free of selfishness,
He doesn’t embrace, doesn’t
Reject,”
The Blessed One said.
Thus abstaining from the taking of life leads to longevity, abstaining from stealing to prosperity, abstaining from sexual misconduct to popularity, abstaining from false speech to a good reputation, and abstaining from intoxicants to mindfulness and wisdom.
For one who desires
Long life, health,
Beauty, heaven, & noble birth,
— lavish delights, one after another —
The wise praise heedfulness
In performing deeds of merit.
When heedful, wise,
You achieve both kinds of benefit:
Benefits in this life,
& benefits in lives to come.
By breaking through to your benefit,
You’re called awakened,
Wise.
But one awakened & knowing,
On acquiring wealth,
Enjoys it & performs his duties.
He, a bull among men,
Having supported his kin,
Without blame
Goes to the land of heaven.
AS YOU REQUESTED LAST NIGHT I HAVE SENT IT AGAIN. KINDLY SEE THE ATTACHMENT AND THE LETTER HERE.
Ronnie Prabhu
Date: Mon, 5 Nov 2007 08:52:43 -0800 (PST)
From: Ronnie Prabhu
Subject: Fwd: Your talk on the 9th
To: sarvajanow@yahoo.co.in, trirathna@dataone.in
Ronnie Prabhuwrote:
Date: Mon, 5 Nov 2007 02:36:17 -0800 (PST)
From: Ronnie Prabhu
Subject: Your talk on the 9th
To: sarvajanow@yhaoo.co.in, trirathna@dataone.inDear Reverend Jagatheesan Chandrashekaran,I am just back from outstation and have just seen your presentation. It is really so kind of you to send it to me; you are the only one of the speakers to do so yet!I see you have taken a lot of trouble to prepare your talk. I am grateful.It makes good reading and is very instructive. It has very good spiritual points that are perennially valid for all of us!In some way you have attempted to answer the questions put to you. But I must say that I do not quite find the answers to the questions. It does not bring out your observations regarding the Christian community, not even what in the message of Jesus attracts you.But that does not matter. Possibly you want us draw conclusions regarding the Christian community from what you say, without you yourself spelling it out.Another point is that the talk is too long. You have 20 minutes, an absolute maximum of 25; I would not like the chairman to remind you it is time etc; it will be very helpful to be mindful of the time.Keeping these two points in mind I have taken it on myself to make a suggestion. I have in the attachment given your talk, but I have indicated the parts you could conveniently drop, without losing your central message. What is to be dropped is put in small print and italics; what isto be read is given in ordinary print, bigger font.At the end of you could add a conclusion. I have indicated where the conclusion is to come. You could say in the conclusion that you were asked to give your thoughts on Jesus Christ and how the Christian community must live their faith in Jesus; In your mind Christians should keep the points you stressed on: (1) faith that keeps worries away, (2) the lessons from the spider drawing us to the centre (3) the mindfulness with which we must carry the treasure that is ours in the clay pots of our bodies and (4) thus keeping away from the trap of our senses.These thoughts are found in the teachings of Jesus too, and naturally a Buddhist finds these attractive, and if the Christian community gives greater attention to these teachings of Jesus (and of the Buddha!), they would walking in the right path!It is unfortunate you cannot speak in Kannada. Your talk will need to be translated. That will mean even less time for you. The story of Henry Nouven and Trevor is interesting and meaningful, but that too can be dropped without affecting your central theme. But I have not indicated that it be dropped.I did not know you are in Chennai. I got the impression that you are at Mahabodhi in Gandhinagar. Please let me know what you expect of us regarding bringing you to the venue, whether you will be coming on your own with a companion or two from Mahabodhi (the venue is: Good Shepherd Hall, Sacred Heart High School, with an entry on Residency Road (opp St Joseph’s Pre University College) and another entry on Museum Road, opposite St Patrick’s Church). If you want to be picked up well us when and where - I need to know this by tomorrow evening!!!The programme begins at 9.30 (and not later as I had earlier indicated).Thank you once again Rev Chandrashekarji. May your talk awaken us and lead us closer to enlightenment.Ronnie PrabhuFINAL PRESENTATION MADE ON 09-11-2007Namo Tassa Bhagavato Harahato Samma SambuddhaNamo Tassa Bhagavato Harahato Samma SambuddhaNamo Tassa Bhagavato Harahato Samma SambuddhaMay You All Be Ever HappyWell and SecureMay you all live longMay all beings in this Universe be ever happy, well and secureMay you always be Calm, quiet, alert and atrtentive and have anequanimity mind with a clear understanding that naothing is permanentMost Respected Reverend Bishops, Venerable Nidumamidi Swamiji, Dr Taha Mateen and Honourable Sumati Vimala Kumar
I am very grateful to Venerable Anand Bhante, Reverend Ronnie Prabhu, Catholic Bishops of Karnataka who are the organizers of this program on whose invitation this presentation is made for the benefit of this learned august house of Original Inhabitants of Jambudvipa that is The Great Prabuddha Bharath.
As the purpose of this get-together is to do some introspection as to
whether as a Christian community we are living up to expectations of our faith.If faith is “the substance of things hoped for,” then worry is the substance of things dreaded (Hebrews 3:6). Worry is destructive. It fritters away time. It kills creativity and it often is a prophet of its own self-fulfilling doom. Most of all worry keeps us from claiming the blessings God has for us. It prevents us from living up to the fullness of our creation and finding joy in life. How do you fight worry and build faith?
Danema, 48,
North Carolina saysI’ve come to stand on God’s word, “As a man thinketh, so is he”. Since God gave us the freedom of choice. Why is it so hard to “choose” not to worry? I’ve pondered this question many times, realizing as scripture reveals that all things are rooted in either fear or love. Since I know God is love and I believe God loves me…then I have to question any and all thoughts of doubt and negativity as to its root. I ask myself, is there truth to this thought of doubt or negativity? Is it based on love or fear? Exercising the power of choice, or should I say the gift of choice, is what I have to do daily. This goes along with the scripture that says, Examine each thought carefully. And also what the word says about meditating on the word, meditating on truth day and night… So therefore, I make a decision and choose to “meditate” on the positive, standing in faith using prayer as a tool and wait in expectation from my the best to come out of the situation, praising God all the way. And then I get up each morning and start all over again, exercising my muscles of faith. When I need more strength, I call on God even more
Coming to the Center
Try watching a spider. A spider spins its web in any convenient niche and then sits in the center, staying still and silent. Later, a fly comes along and lands on the web. As soon as it touches and shakes the web, “boop!” — The spider pounces and winds it up in thread. It stores the insect away and then returns again to collect itself silently in the center of the web.
Watching a spider like this can give rise to wisdom. Our six senses have mind at the center surrounded by eye, ear, nose, tongue and body. When one of the senses is stimulated, for instance, form contacting the eye, it shakes and reaches the mind. The mind is that which knows, that which knows form. Just this much is enough for wisdom to arise. It’s that simple.
Like a spider in its web, we should live keeping to ourselves. As soon as the spider feels an insect contact the web, it quickly grabs it, ties it up and once again returns to the center. This is not at all different from our own minds. “Coming to the center” means living mindfully with clear comprehension, being always alert and doing everything with exactness and precision — this is our center. There’s really not a lot for us to do; we just carefully live in this way. But that doesn’t mean that we live heedlessly thinking, “There is no need to do sitting or walking meditation!” and so forget all about our practice. We can’t be careless! We must remain alert just as the spider waits to snatch up insects for its food.
This is all that we have to know — sitting and contemplating that spider. Just this much and wisdom can arise spontaneously. Our mind is comparable to the spider, our moods and mental impressions are comparable to the various insects. That’s all there is to it! The senses envelop and constantly stimulate the mind; when any of them contact something, it immediately reaches the mind. The mind then investigates and examines it thoroughly, after which it returns to the center. This is how we abide — alert, acting with precision and always mindfully comprehending with wisdom. Just this much and our practice is complete.
This point is very important! It isn’t that we have to do sitting practice throughout the day and night, or that we have to do walking meditation all day and all night long. If this is our view of practice, then we really make it difficult for ourselves. We should do what we can according to our strength and energy, using our physical capabilities in the proper amount.
It’s very important to know the mind and the other senses well. Know how they come and how they go, how they arise and how they pass away. Understand this thoroughly! In the language of Doctrine-True Practice of The Path Shown by The Blessed, Noble, Awakened One we can also say that, just as the spider traps the various insects, the mind binds up the senses with impermanence, unsatisfactoriness, not-self. Where can they go? We keep them for food; these things are stored away as our nourishment. That’s enough; there’s no more to do, just this much! This is the nourishment for our minds, nourishment for one who is aware and understanding.
If you know that these things are impermanent, bound up with suffering and that none of it is you, and then you would be crazy to go after them! If you don’t see clearly in this way, then you must suffer. When you take a good look and see these things as really impermanent, even though they may seem worth going after, really they are not. Why do you want them when their nature is pain and suffering? It’s not ours, there is no self, and there is nothing belonging to us. So why are you seeking after them? All problems are ended right here. Where else will you end them?
Just take a good look at the spider and turn it inwards, turn it back unto yourself. You will see that it’s all the same. When the mind has seen impermanence, unsatisfactoriness, not-self, it lets go and releases itself. It no longer attaches to suffering or to happiness. This is the nourishment for the mind of one who practices and really trains himself. That’s all, it’s that simple! You don’t have to go searching anywhere! So no matter what you are doing, you are there, no need for a lot of fuss and bother. In this way the momentum and energy of your practice will continuously grow and mature.
Whether we are truly followers of Christ and what steps we should take to revitalize ourselves in the path of Christ.
What in the message of Jesus strikes a chord in you and what do you like about Christianity Where do you find the Christians and the Church in our times in India falling short of the teachings of Christ
Buddhist views
Buddhism and Christianity (are two major religions that are compared and contrasted by scholars, with parallels between the two revolving around perceived similarities in the teachings and in the spiritual intent and practices. Given these correspondences, questions arise as to their origins, influences, and interaction. Scholars remain divided on whether the religious parallels are coincidental, or arising from separate but similar developments, or the result of a direct or indirect influence of Buddhism on early Christianity).
Buddhists’ views of Jesus differ, since Jesus is not mentioned in any Buddhist text. Some Buddhists, including Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama[124] regard Jesus as a bodhisattva ( are motivated by the wish to benefit other beings and to lead them to awakenment). who dedicated his life to the welfare of human beings. Both Jesus and Buddha advocated radical alterations in the common religious practices of the day. There are occasional similarities in language, such as the use of the common metaphor of a line of blind men to refer to religious authorities with whom they disagreed [125][126]. Some believe there is a particularly close affinity between Buddhism (or Eastern spiritual thought generally) and the doctrine of Gnostic texts such as The Gospel of Thomas[127]
Now, some people confuse the clay pot with the treasure. They think if the church and Christians aren’t perfect, they are not worth considering. Hey, wait a minute. The only way you can get into a church is to admit you are a sinner and you need help.
The church is a place
where people who are spiritually sick can get well,
where people who are unconnected with God can connect,
where folks who are ignorant of spiritual truth can learn,
and where self-centered people can learn to love and serve.I mean, do you criticize a hospital because it has sick people in it?
Do you criticize a school because it has people in it who don’t know everything?
Paul says we are like earthen cookware. The reason we need to keep this image of ourselves, he says, is so that we remember the power and the glory is not in ourselves but in the treasure. Well, let’s talk about the treasure.
The Treasure
Paul spends the rest of the chapter talking about the treasure we have in Christ. The Christ-treasure I will call it. It is completely differently from most human treasure. Like, most human treasures are in a specific location like a vault, or a lock box.
In Robert Louis Stevenson’s
Treasure Island you may remember the story revolves around a crudely constructed map with directions written on the back of it… Some of the words were: Tall tree, Spyglass shoulder,Skeleton Island , Ten feet.Like most hidden treasures it was buried in a specific place.
Contrast please with the treasure we have in Christ.
The Christ-treasure is buried not in a geographical location but in the minds of his disciples. Listen to the Apostle:
“We always carry around in our body . . . Jesus.” (2 Cor. 4:10) God has chosen us to “carry around” his treasure.Maybe most important, we don’t find the Christ-treasure, the Christ treasure has already found us. In Christ’s eyes, we are the treasure. And we’ve been found. But we hold the key to the lock on your mind. You can say to the Lord, enter, or stay away.
Don’t miss this:
A human treasure is to be protected. Consider how rare jewels are placed in secure places. Bank vaults with security alarms paint the picture.
How different is the gift of our Lord. The Christ-treasure doesn’t seek to be protected at all. In fact, it prefers to lead us into the battles of life. It is more like an infantryman than a security officer. Listen as Paul describes how aggressive the Christ-treasure is.
“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed;
Perplexed, but not in despair;
Persecuted, but not abandoned;
Struck down, but not destroyed.” (2 Cor. 4:8,9)You see, we don’t so much push Christ into a safe place as Christ walks with us when life pushes us into a land mine. Christ is a treasure you can take with you in life, in suffering, and even in death and the resurrection.
“Therefore we do not lose mind. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” (2 Cor. 4:10-12)
The Trap of the Senses
The THE BLESSED NOBLE AWAKENED ONE talked about desire and the six things by which desire is gratified: sights, sounds, smells, tastes, touch and mind-objects. Desire and lust for happiness, for suffering, for good, for evil and so on, pervade everything!
Sights… there isn’t any sight that’s quite the same as that of a woman. Isn’t that so? Doesn’t a really attractive woman make you want to look? One with a really attractive figure comes walking along, “sak, sek, sak, sek, sak, sek,” — you can’t help but stare! How about sounds? There’s no sound that grips you more than that of a woman. It pierces your mind! Smell is the same; a woman’s fragrance is the most alluring of all. There’s no other smell that’s quite the same. Taste — even the taste of the most delicious food cannot compare with that of a woman. Touch is similar; when you caress a woman you are stunned, intoxicated and sent spinning all around.
There was once a famous master of magical spells from Taxila in ancient Jambudvipa That is The Great Prabuddha Bharath. He taught his disciple all his knowledge of charms and incantations. When the disciple was well-versed and ready to fare on his own, he left with this final instruction from his teacher, “I have taught you all that I know of spells, incantations and protective verses. Creatures with sharp teeth,
Antlers or horns, and even big tusks, you have no need to fear. You will be guarded from all of these, I can guarantee that. However, there is only one thing that I cannot ensure protection against, and that is the charms of a woman. I can not help you here. There’s no spell for protection against this one, you’ll have to look after yourself.”
Mental objects arise in the mind. They are born out of desire: desire for valuable possessions, desire to be rich, and just restless seeking after things in general. This type of greed isn’t all that deep or strong, it isn’t enough to make you faint or lose control. However, when sexual desire arises, you’re thrown off balance and lose your control. You would even forget those raised and brought you up — your own parents!
The THE BLESSED NOBLE AWAKENED ONE taught that the objects of our senses are a trap — a trap of the evil one’s. Evil One should be understood as something which harms us. The trap is something which binds us, the same as a snare. It’s a trap of the evil one’s, a hunter’s snare, and the hunter is evil one.
If animals are caught in the hunter’s trap, it’s a sorrowful predicament. They are caught fast and held waiting for the owner of the trap snare springs and “boop” — caught by the neck! A good strong string now holds it fast. Wherever the bird flies, it cannot escape. It flies here and flies there, but it’s held tight waiting for the owner of the snare. When the hunter comes along, that’s it — the bird is struck with fear, there’s no escape!
The trap of sights, sounds, smells, tastes, touch and mind-objects is the same. They catch us and bind us fast. If you attach to the senses, you’re the same as a fish caught on a hook. When the fisherman comes, struggle all you want, but you can’t get loose. Actually, you’re not caught like a fish, it’s more like a frog — a frog gulps down the whole hook right to its guts, a fish just gets caught in its mouth.
Anyone attached to the senses is the same. Like a drunk whose liver is not yet destroyed — he doesn’t know when he has had enough. He continues to indulge and drink carelessly. He’s caught and later suffers illness and pain.
A man comes walking along a road. He is very thirsty from his journey and is craving for a drink of water. The owner of the water says, “You can drink this water if you like; the color is good, the smell is good, the taste is good, but if you drink it you will become ill. I must tell you this beforehand, it’ll make you sick enough to die or nearly die.” The thirsty man does not listen. He’s as thirsty as a person after an operation that has been denied water for seven days — he’s crying for water!
It’s the same with a person thirsting after the senses. The THE BLESSED NOBLE AWAKENED ONE taught that they are poisonous — sights, sounds, smells, tastes, touch and mind-objects are poison; they are a dangerous trap. But this man is thirsty and doesn’t listen; because of his thirst he is in tears, crying, “Give me water, no matter how painful the consequences, let me drink!” So he dips out a bit and swallows it down finding it very tasty. He drinks his fill and gets so sick that he almost dies. He didn’t listen because of his overpowering desire.
This is how it is for a person caught in the pleasures of the senses. He drinks in sights, sounds, smells, tastes, touch and mind-objects — they are all very delicious! So he drinks without stopping and there he remains, stuck fast until the day he dies.
“Now, the well-instructed disciple of the noble ones, when touched with a feeling of pain, does not sorrow, grieve, or lament, does not beat his breast or become distraught. So he feels one pain: physical, but not mental. Just as if they were to shoot a man with an arrow and, right afterward, did not shoot him with another one, so that he would feel the pain of only one arrow. In the same way, when touched with a feeling of pain, the well-instructed disciple of the noble ones does not sorrow, grieve, or lament, does not beat his breast or become distraught. He feels one pain: physical, but not mental.
“As he is touched by that painful feeling, he is not resistant. No resistance-obsession with regard to that painful feeling obsesses him. Touched by that painful feeling, he does not delight in sensual pleasure. Why is that? Because the well-instructed disciple of the noble ones discerns an escape from painful feeling aside from sensual pleasure. As he is not delighting in sensual pleasure, no passion-obsession with regard to that feeling of pleasure obsesses him. He discerns, as it actually is present, the origination, passing away, allure, drawback, and escape from that feeling. As he discerns the origination, passing away, allure, drawback, and escape from that feeling, no ignorance-obsession with regard to that feeling of neither-pleasure-nor-pain obsesses him.
“Sensing a feeling of pleasure, he senses it disjoined from it. Sensing a feeling of pain, he senses it disjoined from it. Sensing a feeling of neither-pleasure-nor-pain, he senses it disjoined from it. This is called a well-instructed disciple of the noble ones disjoined from birth, aging, & death; from sorrows, lamentations, pains, distresses, & despairs. He is disjoined, I tell you, from suffering & stress.
“This is the difference, this distinction, this the distinguishing factor between the well-instructed disciple of the noble ones and the uninstructed run-of-the-mill person.”
At the end it was concluded after thanking Reverend Ronnie Prabhu for the efforts he made in incorporating the changes.It was a joint presentation for the gain of the many and the welfare of the many (1) faith that keeps worries away, (2) the lessons from the spider drawing us to the centre (3) the mindfulness with which we must carry the treasure that is ours in the clay pots of our bodies and (4) thus keeping away from the trap of our senses.These thoughts are found in the teachings of Jesus too, and naturally a Buddhist finds these attractive, and if the Christian community gives greater attention to these teachings of Jesus (and of the Buddha!), they would walking in the right path!
UPPCL chief: No powercuts today
Express news service
Varanasi, November 8: There will be no load shedding in Uttar Pradesh during Diwali celebrations this year. The state is purchasing an additional 1,000 MW of power from different agencies to ensure uninterrupted power supply for the occasion, Chairman, Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL), G Patnaik said on Thursday.He said that the corporation would supply about 7,000 MW of power per day during Diwali against the normal daily supply of about 5,200 MW. “To maintain the power supply level for Diwali, the state is purchasing the power at the rate as high as Rs 6 per unit,” he said.
Giving the break up he said that Uttar Pradesh is producing 2500 MW of power while it is getting 3500 MW of power as central sharing and one thousand MW of power is being purchased.
In view of shortage of power, UPPCL has introduced a rostering system for all districts in the state based on which certain regions are supplied power for six to 20 hours a day. He said recently the demand for power has increased due to festivities, while the generation has dipped. Vishnu Prayag Hydro project of 400 MW has stopped power generation, he said.
There is also a shortfall in power generation at thermal plants of Bra and Anpara. Against the installed capacity of 2,500 MW at these plants, the total generation was only about 1250 MW, Patnaik said.
High alert sounded in Uttar PradeshLucknow, Nov 08: Uttar Pradesh government sounded a high alert in the state to prevent any untoward incident during Diwali.Directives have been issued to all the district police chiefs to maintain extra vigil during the festive period, official sources said.
The Home department, in a letter to all the district police chiefs, directed them to beef up security in crowded, religious and sensitive areas having history of communal violence, they said.
Police has been asked to keep extra vigil at malls and multiplexes.
The Health department has been asked to ensure timely treatment of patients with burn injuries, the sources said.
Bureau Report
Web-based software to track big-project delays
NEW DELHI: About 866 large projects in the country are running behind schedule. Some of the high profile ones include the Godavari delta oil and gas extraction project, parts of Golden Quadrilateral and hydroelectric projects at Tehri and Kameng. But if the country would have undertaken web-based project monitoring system, about Rs 24,000 crore worth which would be incurred additionally now on these projects would have been saved.With a single day delay in a Rs 100 crore project, the government loses at least Rs 3.6 lakh per day. According to a recent report, the current delay in ongoing projects will cost the government about Rs 24,000 crore in addition to the cost of the projects. This blatant waste of taxpayer’s money can, however, be stopped.
To minimise that waste, Indian IT companies are developing web-based software which can track implementation of projects on a minute by minute basis. One such software is PROMOTE, developed by Delhi-based ISG Software Ltd. The company has developed a web-based project monitoring system and implemented it in Noida on a pilot basis.
Similarly, another Gurgaon based IT company, Paramarsh has also developed a web-based software motoring system, which has been deployed by UNICEF and RITES.
Currently, about 190 projects worth about Rs 700 crore being implemented in Noida, Delhi’s satellite township located in Uttar Pradesh, are being monitored by Promote. According to ISG Software officials, the web-based project monitoring software can save about 70% of the time government projects spend in information collection and dissemination.
Available online, and thus open to the public, data on a project’s progress can be monitored by anybody, thus making the government officials and contractors accountable.
Industry observers say that each delay in a Rs 100 crore project costs the government at least Rs 3.6 lakh — at an interest rate of 10% and average inflation of 3%.
“The software pops an alarm each time it shows a bottleneck,” says LK Gupta, chief engineer at Noida. “Through it we can monitor all ongoing projects, their payment cycle and physical completion by way of photographs posted on the web based software daily,” he adds.
Project monitoring software like PROMOTE can monitor and save valuable time, highlight bottlenecks and expose weak links in the project execution cycle. “Through web-based project monitoring software I could monitor all the bottlenecks every morning.
It saved us crores of rupees. If there was any defect or bottleneck we could immediately identify that and direct prompt action. PMS should be made compulsory in all government departments,” says Ravinder Naik, special secretary to Uttar Pradesh CM and ex-additional CEO of Noida under whose regime the project was implemented.
His successors have continued with the scheme and anyone logging on to noidaauthorityonline.com can see the current status of all projects, arranged sectorwise in a searchable format, being implemented by Noida.
India has seen a negligible implementation of these web-based PMSs as it will improve transparency. Though PMS like Primavera and Microsoft Project do exist in the market most of them have not adopted the software as a service (SaaS) model based on the web.
While the Centre seems to be a laggard, a few states have taken a lead. For instance, Andhra Pradesh government has a website — http://ppms.cgg.gov.in — where state officials can monitor the undergoing projects. This site is, however, not available to the public.
“The software can be deployed within 24 hours and requires only a few hours to train people on it compared to non-web based software. The software will publicly expose ‘the corrupt contractors’ who are responsible for projects delays,” ISG Software CEO Pawan Jain said.
But apathy on the state governments’ part is blocking the way. If all project monitoring is available online, it will reduce corruption, increased GDP growth rate and stop wastage of taxpayer’s money.
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novembre 8th, 2007 by ninav0