I have read about the miracles that Yogis and Qigong masters perform, and have witnessed a few. This video shows a Qigong master catching a fired bullet, among other incredible feats. It appears after 5 minutes into the video. This just goes to verify the infinite potential within you.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Love Can Do Anything
The power of love is understated in today's competitive, alpha-spirited world. Or rather, it is rarely visible. You catch glimpses of it in random acts of tenderness, such as the smile of an unknown child when it looks at you through the passing vehicle's glass. It is love in action. What motivated that child to smile at you ? We will never know-perhaps its innate Godliness (which is still unsullied in children) made it do it.
Terry Dobson, world famous martial expert, narrates an incident of kindness that changed his perception of martial arts and life itself. It happened while he was travelling in a suburban train in Japan. He had been learning Aikido (a martial art) there.
A drunk man in the compartment started bullying people near him. He shoved an old lady, and knocked an attendant down.
Dobson stood up, his youthful enthusiasm for adventure coupled with the desire to test his newly acquired skills in Aikido. But he wanted the drunk to make the first move, so he blew him a kiss to infuriate him. As expected, it provoked him and a fight was about to erupt when an elderly man who had been sitting quietly till then, intervened.
He spoke soothingly to the drunk man, and gently eased him away. Soon he was listening with a heart of empathy to his tale of woes. It turned out that he had lost his job and his wife too had left him !
Soon, the hulking man was sobbing in his lap like a child ! The old man's loving approach had melted the bitter hardness of his heart, embrittled by life's misfortunes.
What a way to resolve a conflict !
Terry Dobson, world famous martial expert, narrates an incident of kindness that changed his perception of martial arts and life itself. It happened while he was travelling in a suburban train in Japan. He had been learning Aikido (a martial art) there.
A drunk man in the compartment started bullying people near him. He shoved an old lady, and knocked an attendant down.
Dobson stood up, his youthful enthusiasm for adventure coupled with the desire to test his newly acquired skills in Aikido. But he wanted the drunk to make the first move, so he blew him a kiss to infuriate him. As expected, it provoked him and a fight was about to erupt when an elderly man who had been sitting quietly till then, intervened.
He spoke soothingly to the drunk man, and gently eased him away. Soon he was listening with a heart of empathy to his tale of woes. It turned out that he had lost his job and his wife too had left him !
Soon, the hulking man was sobbing in his lap like a child ! The old man's loving approach had melted the bitter hardness of his heart, embrittled by life's misfortunes.
What a way to resolve a conflict !
Monday, May 16, 2011
Have You Been Born Before ? An Argument for Rebirth with a Documented Event
The debate on rebirth has been raging for centuries. In the latter half of the twentieth century, leading authorities in various fields began publishing their experiences, research and views on the subject. Notable among them were Elizabeth Kubler Ross (M.D), George Ritchie (MD), and Brian Weiss (MD). We can find many arguments in favor of rebirth.
Is there life after death ?
For one thing, we would never know. For nobody would live to tell it, even if there were. NDEs( Near Death Experiences) are the nearest that we can come to documented study. But we can advance several case studies towards this theory.
Here I present for your consideration (for rebirth):
You need a blank sheet of paper and a pen. Take the pen and draw a line from left to right (straight or curved) on the paper. Name the end points as A and B. Your line might look like this :
A B
Now please answer these two questions :
Where is the origin of the line?
Where is its end ?
If you are like most people, you would have pointed to A and then B (or vice-versa if you had drawn right to left).
However, consider this : Precisely the line originated when you moved your hand, took the pen, then you placed its tip on the paper to draw the line AB. And before that, you were reading this post. Before that? You landed on this page somehow. Before that.....................it just goes on...and on...
And does it end at B ? No. You kept the pen down, and now you are reading this...it will continue...
So the line AB here represents the visible life on earth (from our birth to death). There definitely can be, has to be, events associated with you before your birth. You cannot assign individuality just from a point, simply because it is the only one visible.
Coming to think of it, how much can you remember of what you did and thought today ? Yesterday ? Before that ? Were you even aware ? If you were aware you would have remembered every single one of your actions (and your births).
2.The Event
This is a well known incident, documented in all major Indian newspapers, at-least those in South India. It is about a child prodigy painter called Clint who lived in Kerala, India from 1976 to 1983. A street in Kochi (his home town) is named in his memory and a film has been made about him.
He drew over 25,000 paintings in his short life span of, six years and eleven months. He never received formal training. And he drew pictures in elaborate detail.
Before you read Wikipedia's article on Clint : A question--How did Clint acquire his abilities ? He was born and raised a Christian. He drew pictures of Hindu Gods as well.
He did not acquire this ability in this life time.
The same can be said about artists and athletes who exhibit extraordinary skill in a particular art or sport early in their lives, before any formal training can be given.
Read about Clint on Wikipedia :http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_Thomas_Clint
See also: http://edmund-thomas-clint.co.tv/
Is there life after death ?
For one thing, we would never know. For nobody would live to tell it, even if there were. NDEs( Near Death Experiences) are the nearest that we can come to documented study. But we can advance several case studies towards this theory.
Here I present for your consideration (for rebirth):
- An argument
- A documented event
You need a blank sheet of paper and a pen. Take the pen and draw a line from left to right (straight or curved) on the paper. Name the end points as A and B. Your line might look like this :
A B
Now please answer these two questions :
Where is the origin of the line?
Where is its end ?
If you are like most people, you would have pointed to A and then B (or vice-versa if you had drawn right to left).
However, consider this : Precisely the line originated when you moved your hand, took the pen, then you placed its tip on the paper to draw the line AB. And before that, you were reading this post. Before that? You landed on this page somehow. Before that.....................it just goes on...and on...
And does it end at B ? No. You kept the pen down, and now you are reading this...it will continue...
So the line AB here represents the visible life on earth (from our birth to death). There definitely can be, has to be, events associated with you before your birth. You cannot assign individuality just from a point, simply because it is the only one visible.
Coming to think of it, how much can you remember of what you did and thought today ? Yesterday ? Before that ? Were you even aware ? If you were aware you would have remembered every single one of your actions (and your births).
2.The Event
This is a well known incident, documented in all major Indian newspapers, at-least those in South India. It is about a child prodigy painter called Clint who lived in Kerala, India from 1976 to 1983. A street in Kochi (his home town) is named in his memory and a film has been made about him.
He drew over 25,000 paintings in his short life span of, six years and eleven months. He never received formal training. And he drew pictures in elaborate detail.
Before you read Wikipedia's article on Clint : A question--How did Clint acquire his abilities ? He was born and raised a Christian. He drew pictures of Hindu Gods as well.
He did not acquire this ability in this life time.
The same can be said about artists and athletes who exhibit extraordinary skill in a particular art or sport early in their lives, before any formal training can be given.
Read about Clint on Wikipedia :http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_Thomas_Clint
See also: http://edmund-thomas-clint.co.tv/
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Why Germans are Great Inventors
Ever wondered why Germany is known for so many scientific and technical innovations? And about its excellent engineering products? (Scroll down to the bottom to get straight at the answer).
- Germans make excellent cars (Benz, BMW, Volkswagen)
- They invented the modern rocket (Verner Von Brown)
- Movable type printing (Gutenberg)
- Geigercounter-for measuring radioactivity (Hans Geiger)
- The first functional program-controlled Computer (Konrad Zuse)
- Uncertainty principle (Werner Heisenberg)
- Theory of Relativity (Albert Einstein)
- X-rays (Wilhelm Konrad Roentgen)
For a more complete list of German innovativeness, click the links at the bottom of this post.
Well, what forced this conclusion was a discussion on German grammar. I had been studying German for the past two months and its hair-splitting logic gave me the notion that the German society is very rule-based. This reflects the absolutely structured nature of their thought process.
Well, what forced this conclusion was a discussion on German grammar. I had been studying German for the past two months and its hair-splitting logic gave me the notion that the German society is very rule-based. This reflects the absolutely structured nature of their thought process.
For example, they distinguish between the state of repose of objects on the same platform. Suppose we have, on a table, a pen, a book, and a cup. Now in German, one has to specify like this:
The book and the pen lie on the table while the cup stands on the table.
Why do they distinguish like that ? The first two objects are horizontal whereas the cup is vertical. Now, if we were to turn the cup over on its side, so that it lies horizontally, we would have to say :the cup lies on the table.
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Wednesday, April 06, 2011
Delayed Gratification :The Marshmallow Test
Do you have it in you to delay your pleasures so that you can have a better reward ?
How do kids do on this ?
How do kids do on this ?
Here is the video of a study on kids on this topic. It is both funny and thought provoking:
Friday, September 24, 2010
The Truth Seeks Itself
There was this seeker after Truth who wandered all over the land, desperately. He went to Gurus and plied them with questions.
Their answers did not satisfy him. They did not open his eye to the truth, and his quest went on...
Then one day he sought out a less known sage. He was living in a remote area, shunning the public eye.
After the formalities, he, as was his wont, unleashed his question:
"Sir, where is the truth ? How may I see it ?"
The master looked up from the cup of tea he was holding in his hands, and gazed silently into the seeker's eyes. After a long silence, he said:
"It is verily the Truth that is asking this question!"
The answer homed into the seeker's heart like an arrow, and silenced it. His mind opened inward, and he knew:
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Want to hire me to write for your blog or online publication? You can find my contact details here: About me
Their answers did not satisfy him. They did not open his eye to the truth, and his quest went on...
Then one day he sought out a less known sage. He was living in a remote area, shunning the public eye.
After the formalities, he, as was his wont, unleashed his question:
"Sir, where is the truth ? How may I see it ?"
The master looked up from the cup of tea he was holding in his hands, and gazed silently into the seeker's eyes. After a long silence, he said:
"It is verily the Truth that is asking this question!"
The answer homed into the seeker's heart like an arrow, and silenced it. His mind opened inward, and he knew:
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Want to hire me to write for your blog or online publication? You can find my contact details here: About me
Monday, August 30, 2010
Perplexing Printer Puzzle
Recently I was learning to use a new computer printer from a leading manufacturer. It came through a Mail order service, on a web site.
Having been using printers as part of my job, still, I had not gone into the nitty-gritty of it-installation, ink cartridges etc. However, since it was a DIY manual, I decided to face up to the task.
The manual was well structured and the topics were easy to find, in logical sequence. I moved along smoothly through installing the printer software, making the settings, connecting printer and computer, even the totally unfamiliar task of loading the ink cartridges. Ah, now to print! But we needed to load the paper. Where was it? Of course, in the paper tray.
Unsuspectingly, I put the sheet of paper in the protruding tray in the front. No need of the manual for this. I switched on the power, opened a document and gave the print command.
Nada. Nothing.
I checked the manual. A picture was given of the paper tray, how to pull it out, etc. It was a close-up, and unfortunately, it did not have a reference. That is, one could not make out on which part of the printer this tray was located. I tried hard to locate any part that resembled that in the figure. The only protruding part (a paper tray should protrude, right?) was in the front, but it did not have any of the tabs mentioned in the manual and the figure. I pressed and pulled at various other parts in the hope that the tray would spring open.
Mortified that my tech savvy, super fast installation had been botched just at the finishing line by a most plain task, I stalled, perplexed. A good thirty minutes must have gone on it.
I sat before the printer, eyeing it with growing exasperation. My plight reminded me of the proverbial simian with the coconut. More than that, it hurt when one's pride in being tech-savvy was reduced to rubble.
Who would have guessed that the paper tray would be covered and be at the back of the printer? Somehow this idea clicked in my brain and I tried pulling a latch at the back of the printer. Lo! There was the paper tray. Having used only Laser jets till now, and their paper trays being opened from the front, I was conditioned to look for the tray in the front.
It was a bit frustrating that the creators of the manual did not try to think from a possible perspective that some users would have. They just cannot assume that all users will know the location of the tray. What is the point in showing a close up of the paper tray, without showing where it is located? All parts are straight lines and look alike to the first time user.
Showing a picture of the printer and referencing each part with a letter can avoid this unsavory situation. It should be easy to distinguish the front, back and the sides-left and right.
That will save time and make for a great user-friendly manual that even Grandmas can use!
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Want to hire me to write for your blog or online publication? You can find my contact details here: About me
Message Magic: Answering Machine Humor
$666.52
Having been using printers as part of my job, still, I had not gone into the nitty-gritty of it-installation, ink cartridges etc. However, since it was a DIY manual, I decided to face up to the task.
The manual was well structured and the topics were easy to find, in logical sequence. I moved along smoothly through installing the printer software, making the settings, connecting printer and computer, even the totally unfamiliar task of loading the ink cartridges. Ah, now to print! But we needed to load the paper. Where was it? Of course, in the paper tray.
Unsuspectingly, I put the sheet of paper in the protruding tray in the front. No need of the manual for this. I switched on the power, opened a document and gave the print command.
Nada. Nothing.
I checked the manual. A picture was given of the paper tray, how to pull it out, etc. It was a close-up, and unfortunately, it did not have a reference. That is, one could not make out on which part of the printer this tray was located. I tried hard to locate any part that resembled that in the figure. The only protruding part (a paper tray should protrude, right?) was in the front, but it did not have any of the tabs mentioned in the manual and the figure. I pressed and pulled at various other parts in the hope that the tray would spring open.
Mortified that my tech savvy, super fast installation had been botched just at the finishing line by a most plain task, I stalled, perplexed. A good thirty minutes must have gone on it.
I sat before the printer, eyeing it with growing exasperation. My plight reminded me of the proverbial simian with the coconut. More than that, it hurt when one's pride in being tech-savvy was reduced to rubble.
Who would have guessed that the paper tray would be covered and be at the back of the printer? Somehow this idea clicked in my brain and I tried pulling a latch at the back of the printer. Lo! There was the paper tray. Having used only Laser jets till now, and their paper trays being opened from the front, I was conditioned to look for the tray in the front.
It was a bit frustrating that the creators of the manual did not try to think from a possible perspective that some users would have. They just cannot assume that all users will know the location of the tray. What is the point in showing a close up of the paper tray, without showing where it is located? All parts are straight lines and look alike to the first time user.
Showing a picture of the printer and referencing each part with a letter can avoid this unsavory situation. It should be easy to distinguish the front, back and the sides-left and right.
That will save time and make for a great user-friendly manual that even Grandmas can use!
----------------------------------------------------------
Want to hire me to write for your blog or online publication? You can find my contact details here: About me
Message Magic: Answering Machine Humor
$666.52Tuesday, April 06, 2010
Take Charge of Your Life...or We Will !
If you do not rule yourself, you are asking to be ruled, and you will be.
If you do not manage yourself, you will be managed.
If you do not discipline yourself, you will be disciplined.
If you do not manage your time, somebody else will do it.
If you do not set your own goals, somebody else will do it.
If you do not make your choices this moment, somebody else will.
If you do not think for yourself, somebody else will do it, and not in your best interests.
After all,
you alone can eat to sate your hunger, others cannot !
you alone can breath your breaths, every single one of them !
Then why not think for yourself ?
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Want to hire me to write for your blog or online publication? You can find my contact details here: About me
If you do not manage yourself, you will be managed.
If you do not discipline yourself, you will be disciplined.
If you do not manage your time, somebody else will do it.
If you do not set your own goals, somebody else will do it.
If you do not make your choices this moment, somebody else will.
If you do not think for yourself, somebody else will do it, and not in your best interests.
After all,
you alone can eat to sate your hunger, others cannot !
you alone can breath your breaths, every single one of them !
Then why not think for yourself ?
----------------------------------------------------------
Want to hire me to write for your blog or online publication? You can find my contact details here: About me
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