A Mind is a Terrible Thing

(Posted with permission), reader M.C. from India writes:

Dear Rebecca

 

I saw your noting on moonology.com about Guru Poornima where you mentioned that Guru is a "revered teacher". You are close.

 

"Acharya" is the literal translation for teacher. "Guru" is mentor.

 

In each village, there were a few Gurus (less than five) and each family selected one of them as their Guru and sought his wisdom as and when required. Gurus keep tab on their wards just as a father would but without meddling until asked for and gave unbiased and the best possible guidance according to religious books. By and large, these Gurus were Brahmins.

 

In Hindus, we used a barter system until 1950s. No money was ever transacted. So, for people who are in specialized professions, we earmarked a day in the year when we go to those persons and pay whatever little tribute we can and show our respect and gratitude.

 

Guru Poornima is such a day when we are supposed to go to our mentors and pay our respects and tributes.

 

Of course, now a days, the barter system is gone and we pay fee for every transaction. Also, nobody goes to a Guru and we do not have any real Gurus.

 

What is happening in the name of Guru Poornima today, is a sham.

 

You ask me how do I know all this – well, I come from one of those Brahmin-Guru families, – my dad’s elder brother was such a Guru.

Best wishes for your success & happiness

(…)  I would add though that although in a historical sense, you are absolutely correct about the GP holiday having been turned into something else in most places — but in my spiritual studies at the Shiva Sai Mandir ashram in Penukonda, the date retains the heart of its original purpose: To give thanks to my spiritual mentor, and through him to our divine lineage.  No money is involved as such, but rather promises to do my dharma to the very best of my ability.

(Many thanks to M.C. for his thoughtful and informative letter.  My only point of disagreement is that there are no ‘real’ Gurus in the world anymore.  I feel there are still ‘gurus’, although perhaps their role has changed somewhat, as has that of their students and devotees.  The respect and gratitude is still there, as is the spiritual mentoring on the part of the teacher.)

BBC NEWS | South Asia | Deaths reported in India blasts
Make-shift devices appear to have been hidden in everyday items At least 15 people have been killed and more than 100 wounded after a series of explosions struck the western Indian city of Ahmedabad, officials have said. More than a dozen blasts are reported to have hit residential areas, crowded markets, a train station and a bus in Gujarat state’s commercial capital. It is thought the explosions were caused by crudely-made devices hidden in boxes and on bicycles. On Friday a series of similar blasts hit the southern city of Bangalore.

I weep for humanity…  This is so very, very wrong.

BBC NEWS | South Asia | Serial bombs hit Indias IT hub
Seven bombs have hit the southern Indian city of Bangalore in a span of 15 minutes, police say. One woman was killed and several people injured. Police say bombs were detonated with timing devices. The blasts have been described as low intensity and all are reported to have occurred in crowded areas.

Stephanie and I happened to arrive in Bangalore via car this afternoon, around 3:30pm — and were immediately cautioned by the Ballal Residency hotel staff not to go out anywhere today.  The last two of the (currently reported) 7 blasts were about 1km from here (Vittal Mallaya Road and Richmond Town), roughly an hour before we got here.  So it’ll be room service for dinner tonight.

Our prayers are with the victims, and we hope the perpetrators are brought to justice.

I’m not sure what the appropriate salutation is for Guru Purnima.  ‘Happy GP’ just doesn’t seem to cut it.

Instead, I’ll just say a little about what Guru Purnima is:

It is the Full Moon of the Guru, and happens each year roughly in July (depending on the lunar cycles), and is a day (and night) on which we thank our spiritual teachers (after all, ‘guru’ means ‘revered teacher’) for everything they’ve given us.  It’s also considered to be the most auspicious time to connect to the Divine, and to strengthen the bond between guru and student, and helps foster growth and enlightenment.

My own guru, Sri Kaleshwar, gives thanks to his guru, Shirdi Sai Baba, on this day.  With my personal observances of this sacred day, I also connect through Sri Kaleshwar to Baba — and to all the divine masters in the lineage I’ve been called by my heart to follow.  (My favorite, besides SK?  Vivekananda.)

I’ll not proselytize though…but rather just humbly suggest that if you happened to stumble onto this post (whoever you are), that you just take a few moments to give thanks to all those in your life who have guided you onto the right paths.

For those curious about events here at the Penukonda ashram…well, it’s been an amazing, huge, and exceedingly busy program.  Hundreds of students from all over the world are visiting, and it’s been a time of both crazy-busyness and big experiences.

I’ve had a really good time, but I’m also looking forward to when things get quiet around here again.

cheers,
Becca

Via the Democratic Underground:

SUBJECT: Fwd: The Truth About John Sidney McCain III

If you only forward one email this year, make it this one… America needs to know the truth about John Sidney McCain III and the disaster that awaits us if he becomes president.

DID YOU KNOW? John McCain came back from Vietnam and cheated on his disabled wife before leaving her and his three children and marrying a rich heiress 17 years his junior. McCain obtained a marriage license for his second marriage while he was still married to his first wife. (1)

DID YOU KNOW? The McCains own ten homes, valued at more than $13 million, including TWO swanky beachfront condos in California. The McCains failed to pay taxes on one of those beach homes for the past four years. (2)(3)

DID YOU KNOW? The McCains have been known to charge hundreds of thousands of dollars IN A SINGLE MONTH on their credit cards. (4)

DID YOU KNOW? John McCain’s chief economic adviser, rich Swiss Bank lobbyist Phil Gramm, recently told the Washington Times that the current economic crisis is a "mental recession" and said that America is a "nation of whiners." (5)

DID YOU KNOW? Earlier this year John McCain said, "I don’t believe we’re headed into a recession, I believe the fundamentals of this economy are strong and I believe they will remain strong." He also stated that, "The issue of economics is not something I’ve understood as well as I should." (6)

DID YOU KNOW? John McCain regularly plays craps for "a few thousand dollars at a time." He loves to gamble and is extremely superstitious. (7)(8)

DID YOU KNOW? John McCain recently called Social Security "an absolute disgrace." McCain was a big supporter of President Bush’s unpopular plan to ditch Social Security and replace it with private accounts. (9)(10)

DID YOU KNOW? American taxpayers spend $340 million EVERY SINGLE DAY in Iraq. Yet John McCain thinks it would be okay to keep our brave troops there for up to "one hundred years." (11)(12)

DID YOU KNOW? Disabled American Veterans give John McCain a 20% rating on his voting record for Veterans, the worst score among all 100 senators (tied with Mike Crapo and Larry Craig). The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America gave him a "D" rating. (13)(14)

DID YOU KNOW? John McCain says he wants to save the environment, but the League of Conservation Voters currently ranks him DEAD LAST among all 535 members of Congress, with a 0% rating. (15)

DID YOU KNOW? McCain has failed to vote on the last 19 environmental bills in the Senate, dating back to 2005. (16)

DID YOU KNOW? Every single day for the first four months of this year 1.6 million barrels of U.S. oil were exported to foreign countries – up 33% from last year – while our gas prices continue to go through the roof. The McCain/Bush solution is to give big oil companies even more opportunities to pollute our coastlines and despoil the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. (17)(18)

DID YOU KNOW? The Department of Energy estimates that if we start the McCain/Bush offshore drilling plan today, we could lower gas prices by 6 cents – but not until the year 2025. (19)

DID YOU KNOW? John McCain, like George W. Bush, supports using the form of torture known as waterboarding. (20)

DID YOU KNOW? John McCain will continue George W. Bush’s "rich get richer, poor get poorer" fiscal policies. If you make under $112,000 per year you will pay HIGHER taxes under John McCain than under Barack Obama. One quarter of McCain’s tax breaks go to people making more than $2.8 million per year. (21)

(1) Infidelity: http://tinyurl.com/5k6f9r
(2) Ten homes: http://tinyurl.com/63wssh
(3) Tax default: http://tinyurl.com/6mxchp
(4) Credit cards: http://tinyurl.com/5hmyep
(5) Nation of whiners: http://tinyurl.com/6hsxo7
(6) No recession: http://tinyurl.com/585whv
(7) Gambling: http://tinyurl.com/57dxsd
(8) Superstition: http://tinyurl.com/68jfao
(9) Disgrace: http://tinyurl.com/6aus4k
(10) Privatization: http://tinyurl.com/69taza
(11) Cost of Iraq war: http://tinyurl.com/yv48rs
(12) 100 years: http://tinyurl.com/2pgk3t
(13) DAV rating: http://tinyurl.com/5h7j7r
(14) IAVA rating: http://tinyurl.com/5wqrwo
(15) Environment: http://tinyurl.com/557d4g
(16) Missed votes: http://tinyurl.com/6lq6j4
(17) Oil exports: http://tinyurl.com/5ruu3j
(18) Offshore drilling: http://tinyurl.com/5mg9cz
(19) 6 cents by 2025: http://tinyurl.com/5f2u8m
(20) Waterboarding: http://tinyurl.com/677m53
(21) Taxes: http://tinyurl.com/3pycml

For those coming to Penukonda for the Guru Purnima program — and who might be swinging by this here blog for updates and whatnot — a quick weather status:

It’s been cooler than it was a couple months ago, with daily high temperatures in the mid- to upper-80s (F).  However, it’s also been very humid, with occasional afternoon and evening rain showers.  Temperature in the low 70s sometimes by early morning.

Recommended gear for the current climate:

• Small umbrella if you can manage it in your luggage.  Or else pick up one in Bangalore (I’ve seen them at the 5th Ave Supermarket, on Brigade Road).
• Folding hand-fan.  Sometimes it can get really oppressive, especially at the long meditations and talks.
• Insect repellent.  DEET, non-DEET, Picardin — just something that works on these seemingly steroid-enhanced mosquitoes and crazy-making tiny gnats.
• Bed-sheet and/or light blanket.  The night-time temperatures do get down far enough to warrant covering up while sleeping, and they’re not provided (nor are towels, for that matter).  Actually, last night was quite chilly and windy…so it’s a definite yes on the light blanket.

More information about ‘enjoying an ashram stay’ at this post here.

Oh, one other thing:  The monkeys around here appear to be in the midst of their mating season, and so have been rather aggressive of late.  When here, be extra careful when transporting food…or even when taking out the trash.  No open bowls or containers, etc.  And for heaven’s sake, don’t leave your front door open, especially in the early morning — over the years, more than a few friends of ours have literally had their entire apartments ransacked by marauding bands of simians.

Safe travels!
Becca

Can’t say I agree with the order…and possibly even with some of the items.  I think ‘torture’ actually is far, far more indicative of the crimes of the current US administration (as opposed to just ‘Abu Ghraib’).

Here’s the summary list:

10: Bush Gets Re-elected
9: Alberto Gonzales’ Congressional Testimony
8: North Korea Conducts a Nuclear Test
7: Colin Powell’s Bogus WMD Presentation at the U.N.
6: The Terri Schiavo Affair
5: Bush and Condi’s Excellent Gaza Adventure
4: “Brownie, You’re Doing a Heckuva Job”
3: Abu Ghraib
2: 9/11
1: “Mission Accomplished”

Full story by Brad Reed at AlterNet is here.

I thought my schedule was full before… Talk about understatements.  GP preps.  Meditation programs.  Seva projects galore.

Sometime, soon as I can manage it, I do promise another ‘ashram life’ post.

Meanwhile though, I have to say — it’s been one hell of a ride.