Tag Archives: God

Tuesday Text – The Story Of Philosophy

Image August 5, 2014 jcisnowjs Leave a comment

‘The Story Of Philosophy‘, is a book by Anne Rooney, illustrating the advent of thinking Philosophers and the evolution of Philosophy over the time. This book traces it’s Philosophical roots from ancient Greeks to the modern thinkers.

Beautiful illustrations with side notes, and related short stories embedded in the text, enhances the whole experience of reading and learning. It won’t make any point in reviewing this book, as it actually is a journey of the philosophical ideas of various philosophers. So, I would rather present to you some snapshot, or shall I say intellectual words deserving a good sharing with wider audience.

When Rene Descartes said, ‘I doubt, therefore I think, therefore I am‘, he put forward a very good reasoning, that I reason, that is why I am into existence, but what am I? What is I? This is the difference between Being and Knowing.

Another riveting topic is, should we believe in God, or not? Or, why should we believe in God? Pascal’s wager gave us a solution about the existence of God. He said “If God does not exist, we lose nothing by believing that he does – death brings annihilation whether we believe or not. But if he does exist, then we stand to gain everything (salvation) by believing that he does, and to lose everything (damnation) by thinking that he doesn’t.”

Thought proving discussion has taken place among philosophers of various centuries to understand, what are we? What is Human Being? Is he mind, or matter, or soul? Where does our soul go when we die? Where do we go, when we die? Is there a heaven and hell? What is Self? What is consciousness? As Searle, put it, “Consciousness is an emergent property of the brain”. But, is it, only that?

Most fascinating thing that happened in the history of Philosophy is the relationship that three of the world’s greatest Philosophers have shared with each other. Great Philosopher Aristotle, was a pupil of Plato, who was actually a devoted pupil of Socrates, the great thinker of his time. What an amazing Philosophical lineage?

Socrates has once stated that “man cannot search either for what he knows or for what he does not know. He cannot search for what he knows – since he knows it, there is no need to search – nor for what he does not know, for he does not know what to look for.”

How should we live? If everything is predestined by God, how does it matter? How can we judge action of others, if every one of us is behaving the same way as God has destined us to do? What is a free will? If there is a free will, what will we choose, good or bad? How will we choose? Can we ever live in a perfect ethical and morally good society? What is good?

At the end, a Quote by Bertrand Russel, summarize it all by stating “The point of Philosophy is to start with something so simple as not to seem worth stating, and to end with something so paradoxical that no one will believe it.”

Life

Saturday Scroll – From Hamlet by William Shakespeare

Quote August 2, 2014 jcisnowjs Leave a comment

“What a piece of work is a man,

how noble in reason,

how infinite in faculties,

in form and moving how express and admirable,

in action how like an angel,

in apprehension how like a god!

the beauty of the world,

the paragon of animals—and yet,

to me, what is this quintessence of dust?”

Life, Spiritual

What Is Hindu Dharma?

Image June 19, 2014 jcisnowjs 4 Comments

Few weeks back, I took Marriage Blessings in a church (with the same husband of mine, of the last five years). Why? There is quite an interesting story behind it…. promise to post it in my next writeup.

It’s not a big deal if you want to read your marriage vows again, but if you are a Hindu by religion and do some function, that too, of marriage sort of, in a Church than it’s bound to raise many questions. Some of them were less of a question and more of statements, coming from family and friends. Like, have you changed your religion?, or, Is it done for some christian belief?, or, did you forgot abut your culture?, or, You are now totally in influence of western culture… and blah blah…..

Questioning is good, it makes your mind curious, and makes you look out for the right answer. I am reading about religion, specially Hindu, since childhood, now a days I have taken a fancy about other religions too and their stories, about their evolution and coming to existence. Reading about other religions has in fact made me more closer to understanding my own religion – Hindu Dharma.

First of all, Hindu is not a religion, it’s a Dharma. If you go into translation, then Dharma (Hindi/Sanskrit word) is translated as Religion in English. But, Dharma has a more broad meaning to it than just Religion. Dharma means to hold, to bear, to believe; to hold what you believe, to believe what is true, to believe what is right. Dharma means to hold on to your rightful beliefs and truth.

Hindu Dharma, Hinduism, or Sanatan Dharma as called popularly, actually speak of practices which are in harmony of nature, and manifestation of happiness and peace. When our Vedas and Upanishads speak of God, they do not talk of something which is out of reach and unimaginable. Bhaagvat and Shiv Puran when speak of, how God, or to say, super almighty came into existence and this universe is created, they say that God was always there, and he created man as his image. It also states that all the Devs and and Devis, resides in various forms in man’s body.

But, why say that Gods resides in your own body? Why are we going to temples then? When our Vedas say, that everything is created by God, and He is residing in everything and everyone. He is everywhere in everyone, then why are we looking outwards for him? Why are we not respecting others and ourselves too, as God is within all of us.

So, lets settle on the point that God is within you and me. But, does he resides in my American friend too? He is no Hindu. So maybe not my God, but the God that he believes in, maybe He is in him. But, does that mean that I should not respect him, as he has some other God? Wait, but it’s a God. Why take a Panga (make an issue), with any God? So, let’s respect all. Settled.

Now, coming to Church and temples. Hinduism is the oldest practices in this whole world, and the reason why it has survived for so long is mainly based on one of it’s founding principle of “Vasudeva Kutumbakam”, which states that entire world is actually a big family. Acceptance of all the things as they are, and grasping every good thing is the key behind this ever evolving religion.

In it’s entire history, Hinduism have not embarked on any other religion or belief, to impose itself. Over the years it has learnt to live with peace and harmony, with others. This is what it teaches us too. As long as Hindu Dharma is preaching the above, I feel proud to be one. I have always believed in respecting others beliefs and rituals and will proudly do so, always. This is My Dharma, My Religion.

Life, Spiritual

Religion and My Ignorance

Image May 7, 2014 jcisnowjs 6 Comments

I have read so many mysteries and thrillers, but most mysterious and thrilling stories are from our Religious notions. There is so much that we don’t know, still there is so much that we believe in. Believing in something which we don’t know fully, still we have full faith in our beliefs. I am writing this post cause my curious mind took me to a journey of some of the widely practiced religions and stories behind them.

I am ashamed to say that I knew so little about them, even right now, I am so unsure of my limited knowledge(rather say ignorance), but I am eager to learn.

For instance, I didn’t knew that three of the most popular religions, Christianity, Judaism and Islam, originated from one. But, I did knew that, Hinduism is considered as the oldest Religion and it has given birth to several most widely practiced other religions too, like Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. Most astounding fact being, that all these religions emerging from Hinduism are in accord and harmony (as far as I know).

The case is not same with Christinaism, Judaism, and Islam. They started from the same Abrahamic belief, and then along the way they distinguished themselves and took separate paths. A path which now seem, so extreme from each other that one can never imagine that their roots were in the very same area of Jerusalem.

A holy place captured and attacked so many times in history, and now surrounded by walls reaching the sky. A holy place which is the center point for the most controversial religious debates between three major Religions of the world. I wonder if God still resides there, enclosed in those walls.

This actually reminds me of my visit to disputed Ram temple site of Ayodhya, India. A place of worship and faith, surrounded by army and police, guarded in such a way, to make you feel like, distant from your own God. I read about and also watched some documentary on Jerusalem, and the only thought that came to my mind was, why can’t they all live in peace accepting each others Religion. What’s wrong if person of two religion wants to pray in a single place?

It strikes me, how I felt about the Ram Temple and Babri Masjid disorder. How would I feel, if I am praying their and at the same time my Muslim friend is offering his prayers too? Will it create more discord, or, it just won’t matter, as long as we both have a right to express our religious beliefs freely?

It’s too complicated, or maybe not. I am trying to understand, what need not require understanding. Religion is not meant to be interpreted. It’s for believing. It’s for practicing my beliefs, without hurting others. It should be about love and closeness with the Lord, and not about building walls. I believe in that.

Kids and Me, Life

Lucky Are Those Who Have Twins

Image April 30, 2014 jcisnowjs 10 Comments

I am Lucky. In every phase of my life, I have felt that way. God has given me everything more than what I have ever expected (rather deserved). There are so many things which make me feel blessed, one, or should I say two of the reasons are my twin boys, Otu and Renne.

I do not come from the family of twins, but I always wished to have twins, that too, preferably non identical. Two different personalities, just growing together. Not only me, my hubby too, used to say to me, how good it would be if we will get twin babies. We were so obsessed by twins, that when we went for ultrasound, for the very first time, we bluntly asked the technician, “Is it Twins?”. She also responded in the same blunt way, “No”. We the stubborn one, asked “Can you check again, Please? :)”

LOL…. at that time, we didn’t knew that, Tisha, our first born, has already made a setting with God, to send her two little twin brothers, only after she has amply enjoyed the full love and attention of her parents, for some time. She did enjoyed a lot of attention back then, still does, being the only Princess of her Papa’s heart (now, her brother’s heart too).

It didn’t take long for our Twins blessing to reach us. This time, our ultrasound technician, smiled and said “I don’t know if this will help you or not, but this time, you have Twins.”

Then their were Heartbeats, two of them, running strong, so fast and loud, and there we were, all laughing, giggling and with teary eyes. Rejoicing the moment, as we got what we asked and then nearly forgot about it, but someone up there who always keeps track of our wishes, delivered.

Every mother will say, that first pregnancy is special; for me, my first was special because it was The First, and second became more special because of my twin boys. If you are lucky enough to experience motherhood of twin babies, then you will agree, that there is never a dull and quiet moment, when you are pregnant with twins.

One is sleeping, other is awake, one is pushing, other is kicking. Oh… I loved that. It was a special feeling to be aware of two individuals nurturing inside you. I could actually feel them, fighting with each other, pushing each other, trying to poke my tummy with their feet, sometimes. My Renne used to be a full time boxer in their. He still is.

Even our ultrasound time was fun. Once we saw them kicking and hitting each other with their legs, as if they were playing around in their very own personal playground. From our ultrasound tests, we always used to come out crying and laughing at the same time.

Most of the women say to me, how do you handle three kids, specially twins? How did you managed twins? Every time, I recall that first moment when I heard their heartbeats, two different heartbeats. Then I try to recall, when did I feel overwhelmed by having twins? I didn’t. Never.

They were and are, always a blessing and I will tell this to everyone, don’t ever feel that twins can be a burden, they are fun, lots and lots of. Actually double the fun. I loved the time, when I was pregnant with them, and I love it now, when I saw them running around me, fighting, playing, doing every possible crazy thing possible, and then giving me their precious wickedly cute smile. Two different heartbeats, two different individuals, united in so many ways still very different, My Otu and My Renne 🙂