Vegetarian Ideal


Nothing will benefit human health and increase the chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.
- Albert Einstein

Friday, March 2, 2012





Golden Temple


red carpet?


Source:
http://www.sikhchic.com/article-detail.php?cat=29&id=3036


The Dance of Life:
The Talking Stick Colloquium 

 

# 73Convenor: RAVINDER SINGH

 
 
 

The hands beat like cymbals, the eyes, percussion like, the rebab sounds the tune
The ears resonate, the strains of the flute, the tongue, singing the song.
The mind dances to the sway of anklets||1||
This is the dance of Life.
The Merciful One watches. ||1||Pause||
The world is a stage, the sky a giant canopy.
The wind is the director; people are born of water.
From the five elements the puppet was created. ||2||
The sun and the moon like two lamps lighting the cosmic stage.
The senses, like the chorus - sing and dance together.
Playing their part, their own moves, and their lines. ||3||
Day and night the dance continues, the bugles blow.
Some dance and whirl around; some come and go; some are reduced to dust.
Says Nanak, one who meets with the True Guru, does not have to dance the dance
over and again. ||4||7||
  [Guru Arjan, GGS:884]
 
LET'S CONSIDER

The passage describes the underlying symbiosis of all creation. The world a stage, the sky a giant canopy, sun and moon the arc lights. The mind, besotted with maya, dances to the tune that the body makes (with its senses).

This is the dance of life, the coming and going that marks human existence.
Despite our unenviable condition, as described in this passage, there is also the promise of change. The cacophony of our present lives can be transformed into a harmonious symphony.

The frequent use of body metaphors in gurbani seem to suggest (at least to me) that in Sikh teachings, the body is seen as the ground of all understanding, a vital link between sensory experience and the highest mystical vision. Plato seems to have proposed a similar thought: the physical senses can open the mind’s eye to the divine.

This attitude is in marked contrast to prevailing views where much of spirituality is contaminated with hostility towards the body that has resulted in a fracture between the spirit and the body. We are conflicted between sense pleasure and the joys of the spirit.

From this passage, I gather that the music in our lives requires the body as much as the mind and soul. If the mind is the director, then it needs the different parts of the body as instruments to play the piece.

“If the doors of perception are cleansed,” William Blake suggests, then, “everything would appear to man as it is, infinite.”

How do we discover this healing?


 

Man and Superman: The Talking Stick Colloquium 

# 74 Convenor: RAVINDER SINGH

 
 
 
I am a sacrifice, a hundred times over, to the Guru
Who illumined my mind, without delay.
The light of a hundred moons,
And the radiance of a thousand suns,
Cannot dispel darkness without the Guru.
Says Nanak, being heedless of the Guru
And following our whims,
We are like a scattered seed,
Abandoned, with a hundred masters to please.
Reduced to ashes.


Guru Nanak, GGS:462
 
The header for this week’s narrative is borrowed from George Bernard Shaw’s four-act play, Man and Superman, written in 1903 as an elaboration and refinement of the popular Don Juan theme that runs through European thought.
I have used it as a title in part because it is catchy, but also because it speaks to the theme of Guru Nanak’s opening salok from Asa ki Vaar, albeit with a twist.
It would be interesting, I thought, to note the similarities and differences.

The idea that runs through this salok is one of self-transcendence, of exceeding oneself, made possible only through the transformative presence of the Guru. Else, we will miss the point and not live as we are designed to, becoming, instead, neurotic and self-centered.

The impulse to exceed oneself is a singularly human trait. The evolution of the species, from a single cell organism to a self-conscious animal with the promise of infinite potential testifies to this constant struggle of going beyond our limitations. Science and technology are but outward manifestations of our innate need to be more than we are.

In the West, poets, philosophers and writers have, like Guru Nanak, captured this human yearning as well: from Prometheus to Don Juan, to Nietzsche’s Superman (Ubermensch), to Maslow’s self actualization, they all reflect our desire to self-transcend.

Robert Browning, the poet, captures this human yearning beautifully: “Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp - or what’s a heaven for.”

LETS CONSIDER
1  The passage opens with a call to being a sacrifice to the Guru. What is the nature of this sacrifice? The dictionary meaning of the word sacrifice implies a giving up in return for something. What are we being asked to give up? What do we get in return for this sacrifice?
2  The passage speaks of the transformative power of the Guru that makes a devta (enlightened being) out of a maanas (ordinary mortal). Without the transforming catalyst (Guru), our potential (seed) is scattered by the winds of time and the fire of unchecked passions reduces us to ashes. In other words, in our lives without the Guru, we are like an untapped potential, or a seed that did not flower. An opportunity missed. We are not working as designed. What is the blueprint/ design that we are supposed to live by?
3  It is interesting to note that Shaw, Nietzsche, and Maslow speak of a new Man in terms of defying obsolete moral codes and being anchored in a unique moral code. Man, says Nietzsche, is an obstacle which “ought to be overcome,” not by “superior strength or mental capacity,” but through a unique “moral code.” Does this ring a bell with Guru Nanak’s pointer to Dharam?
 
January 30, 2012


 Comment:

I don't know if your comparison between Neitzsche and Guru Nanak here is appropriate. Maybe you can tell us more about it. Nietzsche spoke against the Judeo-Christian moral codes that define man by juxtaposing good with evil; with good seen as other-worldiness, piety, meekness, submission and evil seen as worldly, wealth, etc. Neitzsche proposed "death of God" and abandonment of good versus evil over "will to power" and embracing power over weakness to allow the emergence of Superman in Man who is enslaved under the slave-morality of religion. How is it fit in here?


 Nietzsche worships power. "Will to power" is his ringing creed - survival of the fittest. The weak must be crushed so that the superman can stand on top of the heap. That is not Guru Nanak's superman. His superman is compassionate with the power and will to gather the downtrodden to himself.


Translating 'devta' as 'superman' is, I believe, incorrect. The literal meaning of the word is "one who gives" are the "giver", that is, one who gives without making any distinction between place/person or region. Like the sun, fire and air are all refeered to as devtas in Hinduism. So the message is that the Guru can turn any person in an instant into a devta.

Ravinder Singh  (Westerville, Ohio, U.S.A.), February 01, 2012

 

Vachoa ji, Devinder Singh ji and Prakash Singh ji: your comments are appreciated. I chose the title, not because I was trying to equate or translate Superman as devta, but to explore similarities in the two concepts, if any. The common thread that I saw through all of this was the human need for transcendence - expansion past ones limitations, manifested in technology as airplanes, telephones and computers. That is how I understand Guru Nanak's message as well - to become a devta from a maanas is, in a manner of speaking, exceeding oneself. Likewise with Superman. The mode may be quite different. We should continue this thread. More later.

Nirmal Singh Nilvi (Texas, U.S.A.), February 01, 2012, 10:07 PM.

The writer's tug of war with thought-overload, trying to connect square pegs with round holes, has been rightfully questioned and reflected in the feed-back. But let us ignore these elements and embrace the central theme (not the heading) of "stretching beyond limits", offering so much to reflect and share. Guru Nanak himself is a unique and befitting model. His vast journeys visiting faraway religious dens, confronting odds, fearlessness, courage; all are proof of surpassing one's limits. Superman is a myth and has no relevance to the discussion. But humans have Creator-given capacity to surpass limits, because limits are self-imposed. We don't need superman-like mythical strength to cross limits. Simple and small acts like returning one more call, drafting another memo, a small detour, extra hello, etc; over time, add up to substantial difference in performance. The outcome of such extra efforts is relevant to all endeavors - work, relationships, socials, service. Under His scheme and willingness to stretch, men have the potential to become devtas;, inner awakening is as critical as sunlight, while seeds without proper scattering and nurture can turn into dust and become worthless.

Ravinder Singh  (Westerville, Ohio, U.S.A.), February 02, 2012, 4:06 AM.

Thank you, Nilvi ji, for centering the discussion. Perhaps I threw it off kilter by introducing Nietzsche, Shaw and the notion of Superman. But on closer reflection you might find that such an insertion isn't that far fetched. Nietzsche's attacks on Judeo-Christian morality were not that dissimilar from Nanak's criticism of the Hindu moral code - both found contemporary morality enfeebling and shackling. Nietzsche saw man as a "transition" and a "bridge and not a goal." Much like maanas to devta. But there certainly are fundamental differences.

Ajit Singh Batra (Pennsville, New Jersey, U.S.A..), February 02, 2012, 8:42 AM.

Sikhi has for its aim the spiritual transformation of a person. It enables one to rediscover one's true self and to get reunited with the Source of one's being, as that is the only condition for a life of perfect peace and happiness. Its goal is to transform a person to a God-conscious person. Our Gurus gave us the tools to achieve that.

Mohan Singh (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), February 04, 2012, 8:54 AM.

Gurbani consists of divine hymns that connect the Sikh with One God. A true Sikh believes in it as 'gyan guru' and reveres it with profound respect and love. Guru Ramdas said: "The Word of the True Guru's bani is the embodiment of Truth; through gurbani, one becomes perfect." He further said: "Truthful Sikhs sit by the True Guru's side and serve Him. The false ones search, but find no place of rest. Those who are not pleased with the words of the True Guru - they are cursed and wander around, condemned by God." [GGS:304-]. 'Devta' is a much higher state of mind than a 'super man' or any other. There are over 5,867 shabads in Guru Granth for comparison within; all you need is insight into it. There is no comparison of Guru or gurbani outside of it.

 

 

 

 

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