Saturday, February 17, 2024

Vivekananda is overrated

 Collated by Tusar Nath Mohapatra

Vivekananda: The most overrated religious figure?

> Indians suffer from inferiority complex and because Vvk went to USA he became celebrity here, while he himself was not a realized yogi.

>RKM tried to mix Hinduism,  Xtianity to create a modern neo religion.

> He was just a link in the never ending Hindu reformist chain.

> While BJP/RSS criticizes Gandhi and his change in Hinduism, they have heavily promoted Vcvkism

>Vvkism believes in Varna Sankar society.

> Varna Sankarnta is root of all degeneracy.

> He was proped by Massons

>RKM worships Mother Mary, Jesus etc. While I am ok with respecting religious heads, to inculcate them in worship etc will lead to degeneracy in our religion.

>RKM has been overtly nationalistic without understanding the deeper crux of Hindu society.

>Vivekananda and his later followers have preached a flawed Vedanta which is uniformist and radical. 

> The over exposure of Vedic dictums to people without appropriate Sadhana will lead to mental chaos and turbulations.

> Neovedanta was proped by outsiders to replace Hinduism.

Lol literature is being done quite nicely by Chaukhambha, Gita Press and many similar societies.

100s of Yogis and saints manifested in those times but Vivekananda got picked up and was fed to masses so much for political and globalist reasons.

More like Free Masson ka hath to aapke sar par taaj

If you see the initial statement of the thread I called him overrated i didn't say he had no guts. He was marketed by certain people who had certain purposes of him. Also his brand of Hinduism or what his later followers or politics created is based on Varna Sankarta/Degeneracy.

Physical culture? Indians had great physical culture, Martial Arts Pehlalwani in Pune, Karnataka, Kerela, Haryana, Mathura -UP etc. Maybe Bengalis were weaker people.

My ancestors were 5'7 when we had little food to eat and Brits were 5'2 even afyer eating meat all day.

Saar Northern India and even south Indians have been practicing Indo Aryan Kushti, Pehalwani etc for a long time. Kerela had Kalaripayattu.

 All of India had physical culture even prior to British advent.

Freemason proped guy, other better alternatives exists for eg Ramana Maharshi, Sri Aurobindo and lots of Hindu press like Gita Press etc are doing great job.

https://twitter.com/BrahminReich/status/1758709729789182443?t=RDz_j_7uAyrCeDd5ykBLQg&s=19

I agree. Vivekananda became famous in India because he received a pat on the back from the west. Otherwise he has no original contribution to Indian spiritual thought. Even his books and writings are very mediocre compared to say Aurobindo or even for that matter Osho

https://twitter.com/pramodrama/status/1758739807067652510?t=uqNiE4UXjm0jqZkiHxy31w&s=19 

Both vivekanand and iskon were Freemasons. I don't support the insult on bengalis, but don't glorify the people who haven't done anything for hindus in bengal. Do you even know how to read ? Where did i said bengalis didn't contributed anything ? i admire aurobindo, but i don't admire people like vivekanand or iskon who has weaken hindi society from within.  Tell me which sampradaay vivekanand belong to ? Which kuldev he worship?

https://twitter.com/Gauravjourn/status/1758544680810062272?t=EK4DWustqg7PYvvAsEpMwQ&s=19 

Actually you're right here @BrahminReich
Even Nigrahacharya ji also spoke about it but like Gandhi, people also became a andha-supporter of Vivekananda and started considering him saviour of dharma who actually has no contribution towards dharma

https://twitter.com/Sanatani_Pt/status/1758819374972969282?t=CZFgwGOIrRyrZy5SUdrVlQ&s=19

Aurobindo’s understanding of the organic and fluid nature of Hindu civilisation is also quite interesting…… very insightful at multiple levels

https://twitter.com/sanjeevsanyal/status/1758820028408017280?t=6Rkn8tYVrRx2jLkPttpXeA&s=19

Vivekanand was indeed an idiot who wrote nonsense. Aurobindo is much better than Vivekanand. You're just paranoid about power hungry Brahmins or whatever

https://twitter.com/polecatkd/status/1758751477835952463?t=dWOtaQo_pIvwMqfp65zQmQ&s=19

Today I will share a #quote  of jiddu Krishnamurti ; earlier in my life when I haven't heard encountered with Sri Aurobindo ; I was impressed with Krishnamurti s life.. so today share two posts...

https://twitter.com/kuldipkumarsuri/status/1758655072966475849?t=SfN_GVZtm6sYaf7lY5PKGQ&s=19

Truly beyond words. Infact Jiddu K was made puppet of NEW world order by Christian world, but he denounced that on the day of his anointment to west’s surprise. 

It is possible only if that conviction and clarity is there of how a human mind can become its own enemy.

https://twitter.com/Kalbag_/status/1758815940270322003?t=84_1p-8Z1n6U6KpnRMnQew&s=19

Today, we introduce, in our civilizational thread, the work of

* Sri Aurobindo, wiki.p2pfoundation.net/Sri_Aurobindo

In short, a Indian revolutionary for national independence, who studied western philosophy and evolutionary theory in the West, but then went back to his own yogic tradition to become a spiritual master with a theory of civilizational evolution.

Amongst his three key books were:

* The Human Cycle , wiki.p2pfoundation.net/Human_Cycle

* The Life Divine, wiki.p2pfoundation.net/Life_Divine

* The Ideal of Human Unity, wiki.p2pfoundation.net/Ideal_of_Human…

https://twitter.com/mbauwens/status/1758748857494638600?t=8apiSqqh1fVTFL_Uzs-Z8w&s=19

When people with a history of donation fraud, gang activities, GST, and tax violations are in the Working Groups how will @rajbhavan_tn instill faith in the public and residents in #Auroville? It seems to people like a transfer of power @PMOIndia @EduMinOfIndia @dpradhanbjp

https://twitter.com/VikramRamTweets/status/1758761582493053238?t=P-Rlu1TXPap2kQPhUrR2wA&s=19

Just as there are unsung heroes in the world, similarly Auroville Today is largely taken-for-granted, under-appreciated, unsung magazine of Auroville. Thanks mainly  to two children of the Mother - Carel and Alan. 

Auroville Today: February Issue 415: mailchi.mp/c7dbaee6a4f8/a

https://twitter.com/PactAuroville/status/1758184783816065391?t=CNUY7I6LTR8bkEPU511JsQ&s=19

The 7th International Sanskrit Computational Linguistics Symposium (ISCLS) in Auroville, India, is streamed live from today and for next 2 days.

The detailed daily schedule is available below

iscls.github.io/program.html

The live stream links follow below:

https://twitter.com/tshrinivas/status/1758163059237867967?t=4klTT93C_U0yszhVlDiheA&s=19

Explore the complexity of human emotions, cultural diversity, and boundless creativity infused on the stage and screen through the emotional and intellectual engagements of artists and scholars with Shakespeare, especially with his shortest and bloodiest tragedy, Macbeth.

https://twitter.com/RichaRrivu/status/1757268706294669398?t=XB67rZ4CEnh_dbup4vUYSw&s=19

#TreesOfSouthIndia, by field experts from Auroville Botanical Gardens, #PaulBlanchflower and #MarieDemont, is a result of over 50 years of dedicated work in restoring and researching the native flora of South India. 

Order Now: brnw.ch/21wGSL9 #READWithHarperCollins

https://twitter.com/HarperCollinsIN/status/1756913627703939126?t=TQ-WROkgx4NL4yZAJCupQA&s=19

Auroville screening of 'Maa Ka Doodh'  sparks a compassionate shift in this father's perspective. Moved by the message, he's now determined to guide his daughter towards a vegan lifestyle, discovering a world of milk alternatives like soy and coconut milk along the way #auroville

https://twitter.com/animalsaveindia/status/1756911295121744221?t=crM60UY7Rb4Ot2FoC0y8dg&s=19

Not only Pondicherry. Centre is being misused by the secretary of Auroville foundation Dr.Jayanthi Ravi. To the extent that the very foundation of Auroville has been thrown to the dustbin . This Gujarat cadre IAS officer is slowly bringing in the North Indian imprint on Auroville and is bent on granting to contracts to serve this purpose.  Aiadmk must voice this issue as well.

https://twitter.com/sansbarrier/status/1753702357924483235?t=vDjE7xpWV6T-c8CX8yNU0g&s=19

Undue enrichment, no law, no governance. This has been Auroville's reality so far.  This explains the economic nexus in Auroville, not adhering to what the Mother herself envisioned. #Auroville @PMOIndia @rashtrapatibhvn @rajbhavan_tn @avfoundation @EduMinOfIndia @ministryofhome1

@narendramodi @dpradhanbjp @BJP4India Regarding economic offenses of biblical proportions in #Auroville and people like Francois Gautier who lobby in your offices and make a media ruckus are the key players. @EduMinOfIndia @unesconewdelhi @avfoundation

https://twitter.com/VikramRamTweets/status/1753037995136241859?t=1G-rIhRq-nCKta0gZHbdCA&s=19

Wednesday, January 10, 2024

Embarrassing blather on the topic of consciousness

 Collated by Tusar Nath Mohapatra

15 Aug 2022 — 'During the launch, Pariksith Singh shared the stage with Aravindan Neelakandan and discussed the book at length. The author mentioned that ...
DR. PARIKSITH SINGH IN CONVERSATION WITH ARAVINDAN NEELAKANDAN - SRI AUROBINDO AND PHILOSOPHY. 313 views · 1 year ago ...more ...

obviously we all have a metaphysics - at minimum a set of axioms we assume about the world.  However my aversion to metaphysics as it tends to be practiced in the wild are numerous:

1.  That people think that their metaphysics are CORRECT rather than merely useful.  If they were demonstrably correct they'd be physics. Metaphysics are conjectures or useful guesses.   I'm not opposed at all to metaphysical speculations that strive to be "pre-physics" like string theory or the various speculations that are the many different "foundations of quantum mechanics" or even the simulation hypothesis.  They are speculations today  but might be ruled in or out in the future as physics or as errors.

2.  Lack of parsimony - so many metaphysical systems propagate things not necessary as a basis for understanding our being. Most religions are examples of this.  Even something initially simple as Buddhism has propagated lots of unnecessary elements like devas and celestial spheres and complicated mechanisms around karma etc.  

3.  Much confusion about complexity, emergence,  and dynamical systems and metaphysics. While our understandings of the complexity domains is still very weak, they aren't metaphysical phenomena, rather they are natural phenomena out on the ragged edge of physics (very broadly construed).

4.  This is a Ruttian speculation itself, but I don't consider consciousness a metaphysical topic.  I believe it will turn out to be a pretty straightforward emergence from the biological. We'll be quite surprised how well integrated it is with the rest of our science. Just as we were surprised at how well biology fit in with the rest of the fabric of science/reality once we dumped elan vital.  The quantity of what to me is embarrassing blather of the metaphysical sort on the topic of consciousness is immense.

5.  Extending #4 thought, qualia, concepts, language etc aren't metaphysical just more sets of existing things in the universe.

https://twitter.com/jim_rutt/status/1744857831902228751?t=11azGNUv_QXpmFz2L2F1tg&s=19

Looks like I'll have a chance to speak with @jim_rutt about the meaning & importance of metaphysics (or speculative philosophy) in a couple months. For now I'll offer a few preliminary thoughts in response to his post.

Yes, metaphysics is unavoidable. But it needn't be axiomatic. Metaphysics is the search for premises, NOT deduction from clear premises. I reject metaphysical foundationalism of any kind. Our categoreal conditions must be revisable & subject to pragmatic test. The sole justification for a metaphysical idea is that it elucidates experience. I love Jim's comment about metaphysics "as it tends to be practiced in the wild." We need a more diplomatic method of philosophizing together! Partisanship in metaphysics is just as harmful as it is in politics. It is important to seek deep understanding of multiple approaches.

1. Strictly speaking, all metaphysical systems are false. The same is true of all scientific models. "Use" is not the only criterion of evaluation, however. Our metaphysics shld pass the rational tests of consistency & coherence, & the empirical tests of adequacy & applicability. These are the criteria Whitehead lays out in "Process & Realty," at least, & I'm not sure I can do better. His empirical criteria cover but extend beyond just instrumental use.

Metaphysics doesn't become physics when proven correct. Again, no physical model is strictly "correct" or "proven." Physical science is not just the part of metaphysics that got proven true. That would be to misunderstand the aim of metaphysics: the search for the general presuppositions of physical science itself. What else must be the case if physical knowledge is possible?

2. On parsimony, I'd say we should strive for simplicity but not be afraid to accept complexity. I'm sure Jim would agree! But again, the aim of speculative philosophy is not to become a special science, it's to search for the premises of not only science, but experience itself. With all due respect to physicist L. Krauss, why there should be something rather than nothing is never going to be a strictly scientific question. I'd add that given the hardness of the hard prob of consc., there's a decent argument on grounds of parsimony for panexperientialism

3. Of course complexity is natural! "Metaphysical" doesn't mean beyond nature/supernatural. If I ask you to explain what you mean by "natural phenomena," you'd be doing metaphysics to answer. It's what we do when we get meta- about things. The complexity sciences *do* have metaphysical implications. Eg, to acknowledge that novel regimes of order can emerge atop or within earlier regimes tells us something important about nature's "laws." This topic will make for very interesting conversation when Jim and I speak.

4. Consciousness is a loaded word. I agree it has biological roots, but I'm not so sure living organisms can be easily integrated into standard physicalist science. Vitalism & mechanism are just inverted mirror images of one another. I think complexity takes us beyond both. We inhabit an organic universe. From top to bottom, self-organizing is powering the cosmic process. There is no "mere matter" anywhere. Nor is there some invisible vital force driving bodies around. Energy itself has a tendency to order itself, to take on habits, to evolve. And yes, eventually energy becomes conscious. 

Doing metaphysics doesn't mean wildly speculating without any concern for scientific facts. Philosophers ought to pay close attention to the sciences. Metaphysics just seeks deeper coherence between the sciences & human experience.

https://twitter.com/ThouArtThat/status/1744927403833430498?t=Lj0kA4qAkJujd6z7ECEGZA&s=19

Well, this is where Evolutionary Panentheism comes into it. It provides meaning and a sense of cosmic perspective, without reliance on premodern religious themes like an external creator deity. Yes that's basically what Panentheism says as well. My criticism is directed at religious literalism.

You'd be surprised. Jehovah's Witnesses, Evangelical Christians, Creationists, Hare Krishnas, Ultra Orthodox Jews, most Muslims, etc etc. Few people can understand things allegorically. As for atheists, I appreciate their love of science but can't agree with their reductionism.

https://twitter.com/akazlev/status/1745026163104501887?t=30UPJVQeaSHfu9BVCWW3Fg&s=19

Tried reading up on Jeremy England and found him hard to get into. Erich Jantsch and Eric Chaisson are better re cosmic evolution. e/acc is associated with Beff Jezos (as opposed to Jeff Bezos here). I support superintelligent AI, but e/acc is too sectarian, which puts me off. Oops, sorry, just realised this is Beff Jezos. That's what happens when you post before reading! I mention Jantsch and Chaisson because I'm a system builder, interested in mapping out stages of cosmic evolution.Same reason I like Teilhard and Aurobindo. My hypothesis is AI-(post)human synergy is the next stage.I think Lovelock in his book the Novacene says something similar. Oh, right. I'm halfway through the book. I agree with him Gaia is "elderly" (not due to a limitation of life as such but because the aging sun giving off more heat), so it looks like we only get one shot at this.

https://twitter.com/akazlev/status/1745002061971022323?t=aUjbNiU17fEruz91K1WNJg&s=19

This diagram embodies what I love about paleontology. There's the #CambrianExplosion right there; all those amazing early evolutionary experiments! Fascinating time in the history of life on Earth. I envisage a similar but #posthuman spacefaring radiation in the near future.

https://twitter.com/akazlev/status/1744605748242649444?t=CjO04oURm6b_g8Bw8kD3VQ&s=19

Douglas Murray on the absurdity of identity politics. This is an extremist and regressive leftist ideology that denies individuality and reduces everyone to a set of rigid identity groups oppressed by designated villain groups.

https://twitter.com/akazlev/status/1742484121602154536?t=aTpZx_2L8fGOsNZ7B8rANg&s=19

In the past it was the "Republican war on science" (climate change denialism etc). Now it's the regressive left in academia. Any extreme ideology will hate science. Look at the Nazis with "Jewish science", Stalin with agriculture (Lysenkoism), or the Scopes monkey trial

https://twitter.com/akazlev/status/1742142027284848954?t=RJUspTrLoNZTEMTnfzJc4g&s=19

Don't believe that's happening as long as hindus behave in a stupid manner... only a catastrophic collapse will wake up these bhakts... just as the Germans woke up about NAZISM and Hitler after every city of theirs had been destroyed, lives devastated, their territories occupied!

https://twitter.com/viswag59/status/1744982627290079271?t=z6XPlVBjZReG80l_lUw8ZA&s=19

Friday, December 29, 2023

There is only one right way

 Collated by Tusar Nath Mohapatra

Decoloniality and cultural representations in Nisha Pahuja's The World Before Her

SD Bhat - Culture and Religion, 2023
This study is an investigation of juxtaposed ideological paradigms represented in Nisha Pahuja’s documentary The World Before Her. Examining the correlations between Western and colonial cultural influences and the felt need for going back to ‘home’/roots …

Krishna's Crucial Role in the Mahabharata: A Divine Catalyst

NR Gopal - The Creative Launcher, 2023
… The Bhagavad Gita holds its prestigious place as an integral segment of the Indian epic Mahabharata. Unveiling an interlude amidst … righteousness (dharma), selfless service (karma yoga), devotion (bhakti yoga), and meditation (raja yoga). As …

Religion and medicine in Sanskrit literature: The Rāmāyaṇa and the politics of an epic plant

A Cerulli - Situating medicine and religion in Asia, 2023
… It is well-known that conservative Hindu groups in recent decades have mobilised millions of proponents of Hindu nationalism and Hindutva (‘… The Ram Setu controversy is another example of Hindutva objections to meddling with religious …

[HTML] Balancing the Poles of the Seesaw: The Parallel Paths of Eckhart and Hindu Vedānta toward Oneness with God/Brahman

J Liu, Z Wang - Religions, 2023
… Just as the philosophy of Vedānta is distinguished herein as Vivekānanda into four types of yoga, Karma Yoga is an “essential union”, and Bhakti Yoga is a “mystical transforming union by Grace”. Karma Yoga is a unique proposition from …

[HTML] When the Body Speaks: Body-Mapping the Somatic Symptoms of Stress in Hospital Social Workers

J Sabbagh, M Fox, N Ray - The British Journal of Social Work, 2023
Impact of workplace stress is a significant issue for social workers in hospital practice. This study aims to understand somatic stress in hospital social workers, the physical embodiment of stress and recognition within employing organisations and education …

[PDF] Medicine within a Cultural Ecosystem: Representations of Nature in Tamil Siddha Medico-alchemical Texts and the Integrating Role of the Siddhars 'Literature

I Kędzia-Warych - Cracow Indological Studies, 2023
… The enigmatic discourse in the medical part of Vaittiya Kallāṭam serves yet another purpose, namely, it integrates the chapter on medical knowledge with the other two parts of this work concerning alchemy and yoga. The alchemical and yogic …

Courage to Move: Somatic Movement, Dance, and Feeling Safe in the Body

H Saumaa - Integrative and Complementary Therapies, 2023
… instructor who is not judgmental is integral in letting go of unnecessary judgment. Cynthia Bargar noted that in yoga classes she felt like she … In yoga I felt like you have to do this the right way and there's only one right way. It almost brought me …

The Molecular Mechanism of Obesity: The Science behind Natural Exercise Yoga and Healthy diets in the Treatment of Obesity

R Yadav, P Singh - Current Problems in Cardiology, 2023
… and yoga and its … Yoga is a combination of various agents which focus on lifestyle, diet, meditation, self-awareness, right postures, and proper breathing technique of an individual, all acting at same time for the establishment of …

FLOURISHING FROM HEAD TO TOE

D Vella-Brodrick, A Gill - Routledge International Handbook of Positive Health …, 2023
In the quest to understand how humans can feel well and function optimally many theories, approaches and models have been presented from scholars and practitioners specialising in a range of disciplines. Naturally, proponents from each …

[PDF] 2. Playing with Integration: Understanding the Lived Experiences of Older Migrants

A Asikainen - Rethinking Integration
… Therefore, I suggest taking play seriously by considering its meaning as an integral part of sociocultural integration. In the next section, I … , being a doctor, going to university, teaching jazz music, and doing yoga. Alternatively, they may …

Spirituality and mental health among South Asians in the United States

P Singal, A Chopra - Psychiatric Annals, 2023
… Yoga and meditation play an integral role in alleviating symptoms of mental health disorders … A recent meta-analysis and meta-review concluded that the practice of yoga and meditation … among South Asian immigrants found more than …

[PDF] Exploring Mob Lynching in India: A Look at Historical Parallels, Causes and Consequences

P Basak - RABINDRA BHARATI JOURNAL OF POLITICAL …, 2023
This paper provides an analysis of mob lynching, focusing on its historical context and its prevalence in contemporary India. The study explores the concept of mob lynching as a form of collective violence driven by emotions and irrationality …

[PDF] Kashmir Issue During Modi Era: A Comparative Analysis of Pakistan's and Indian Print Media

M Azam, AA Akram, G Mustafa
… The Congress authorities, being secular in nature, maintains democratic concepts domestically and absorbs stress from numerous Hindutva … With the upward push of Narendra Modi within the wake of the global conflict on terror, Hindutva ideology …

Ritualizing Politics and Politicizing Ritual: A Study of Kullu Dussehra

D Sarkar - Contemporary Voice of Dalit, 2023
… The narrative has a historical connotation in Hindutva politics.It is an occasion for the right-wing political parties to consolidate Hindutva. As the events commemorate two mythological events propagating ‘the victory of good over evil’ and ‘protector of …

Nationalism and Dynamics of Federal Politics in Contemporary India

K Srinivasulu - Indian Journal of Public Administration, 2023
… The present context of debate on Indian nationalism, informed by the unitarian Hindutva view as against the pluralist nationalist views, calls into question the importance and place of spatial political and cultural identities which renders the …

[PDF] An ldea in Danger of Extinction

S Muralidharan
… its allies within the Hindutva ideological fraternity struggled to transform their power to mobilise a mob into an electoral plurality. By the mid-1990s, the BIP seemed reconciled to the impossibility of fitting the complexity of Indian society into …

[HTML] Indigenous revival and resistance around the world

J Martínez-Alier - Land, Water, Air and Freedom, 2023
Indigenous revival and resistance around the world 561 together with the environmental movement. Other important social movements also overlap to some extent with environmentalism, ie the working-class and agrarian movements (Chapters …

[PDF] Human rights and secularism in conflict with Hindutva: the Water controversy

A Singh - Antropologia Portuguesa, 2023
… Abstract This article analyses tension between human rights (including secularism) and Hindutva, the Hindu nationalists’ discourse. … , secularism and Hindutva/Hindu nationalism is discussed conceptually. This is followed by a discussion of the …

The Politics of Silence, Voice and the In-Between

A Khalid
The Politics of Silence, Voice and the In-Between; Exploring Gender, Race and Insecurity from the Margins Page 1 Page 2 The Politics of Silence, Voice and the In-Between The Politics of Silence, Voice and the In-Between: Exploring Gender, Race and …

Caste and comics: an interview with Samarth

N Muruganandan, S Venkatesan - Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics, 2023
Indian graphic narratives of the post-millennial era have increasingly addressed pressing social issues such as casteism, environmental degradation, and urbanisation among others. Comics about caste typically showcase the remarkable …

[PDF] Hate Speech and Offensive Content Detection in Indo-Aryan Languages: A Battle of LSTM and Transformers

N Narayan, M Biswal, P Goyal, A Panigrahi - arXiv preprint arXiv:2312.05671, 2023
Social media platforms serve as accessible outlets for individuals to express their thoughts and experiences, resulting in an influx of user-generated data spanning all age groups. While these platforms enable free expression, they also present …

[PDF] Cinematic representation in Marathi cinema

P POL
… With the rise of Hindutva politics, the discourse around Islam and Muslims has shifted to sharp attacks on the role of Muslims in the past. The perception of Muslims to be supposedly incompatible with the social and political spheres has not changed …

[PDF] Understanding the Women in Rural and Tribal Communities

R Kapur - The Journal of Social Sciences Studies and Research, 2023
… Implementing the traits of diligence, resourcefulness and conscientiousness are regarded as an integral part of lives of individuals. They form the viewpoint that through reinforcing these, they will be able to carry out all tasks in a well-organized …