Re: [silk] The Mother [was: Capitalism and Climate Change]

[Suresh Ramasubramanian]

  
  


  
  
  


A dread and hatred of time is ubiquitous in Shakespeare's sonnets - 
even in the ones that are about love.  So more than one undergrad has written 
papers on the themes of time and love in the sonnets ++ there are several peer 
reviewed journal articles on the same theme.
But then time seems to be a popular trope for poets from around the world.
https://www.rekhta.org/Top-20-waqt-shayari
guzarne hī na dī vo raat maiñ neghaḌī par rakh diyā thā haath maiñ neWaqt,  
VisaalSHAHZAD AHMAD
I did not want that night to end at allSo much so that I put my hand on the 
clock 


--srs

  




On Sat, Oct 13, 2018 at 12:39 AM +0530, "Heather Madrone"  
wrote:










Ashim D'Silva wrote on 10/12/18 8:45 AM October 12, 2018:
> It’s well summarised in the oft misrepresented Frost poem:

I often hear the claim that the poem is misrepresented, but I don't know 
how people who actually read the poem can misinterpret it. Or even that 
poetry can be misinterpreted. There's a lot there, under the hood. The 
reader brings their own knowledge and experience to bear, and so 
interpretations multiply.

The poem twists and turns back on itself, now saying one thing and then, 
in the next breath, saying the opposite. Catch it from one angle, it 
seems to say one thing. Shift your perspective, and it says something else.

"I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference" 
is the punch line, surely, and therefore the bit to quote to invoke the 
rest of the poem, and to prompt people to go and read it again.

The roads are pretty much of a muchness, covering much the same 
territory, and with pretty much equal traffic. It's a nothing choice, 
but it's the only choice the traveler can make, and so it makes all the 
difference.

A lot of choices are like that, and we are constrained to make just one. 
The process that Frost describes is universal and familiar, and I am 
often left wondering whether the man was a genius or a just a hack 
clever enough to repackage our truisms for us. (Which might be the mark 
of his genius.)

I think the big reveal in the last stanza is the repeated "I." Like he 
started to end the poem one way, changed his mind, and then decided to 
finish with a flourish.

Frost was a populist poet. He knew what the public wanted, and he tended 
to give it to them. Wherever his poems venture, he knew he had to tuck 
his readers in for the night in the last stanza.

The couplet is a hard habit to break.

I've been re-reading Shakespeare's sonnets. Between bouts of savoring 
the man's way with words, I am struck how every single one of 
Shakespeare's sonnets is about his implacable enemy, Time.

I studied haiku for some years, and have some appreciation for how 
deeply wabi and sabi are ingrained in the art form. It gave me a start
to recognize these deeply Zen principles in Shakespeare.

I have been wondering whether you can actually write poetry without 
invoking them. You capture the moment, and the images, but they are 
gone. Any good poem makes the reader feel that loss.

> *I shall be telling this with a sigh*
> *Somewhere ages and ages hence:*
> *Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—*
> *I took the one less traveled by,*
> *And that has made all the difference.*
> 
> The first line is generally omitted, practically reversing the meaning of
> the poem and proving his point.

What does that sigh mean to you? Is he wistful that he no longer has 
that moment of choice and freedom, that he had to close down all the 
possibilities of the road not taken by choosing the other? Do you think 
he thinks he made the wrong choice? Is it a sigh of acceptance or smug 
satisfaction?

And what do you see as his point? It seems to me that he has many, and 
that he is a skillful-enough juggler of words to keep them all in the 
air at the same time.

> I do additionally object to devaluing an artistic work because it is done
> for money. The story of the artist depressed and in poverty has so consumed
> our collective psyche we expect artist to not be paid for their time. We
> see this in the piracy of movies and music or in the promise of working for
> “exposure”.

There's also a sense in which this can be seen as elitist, in that only 
those who are independently wealthy can have true artistic freedom. 
Beyonce' and Taylor Swift can be true artists, but the graphic designers 
who create the small artistic details of our daily lives are just wage 
slaves.

> The current art world is its own awful mix of capitalism gone mad and
> exclusionary barriers of entry and so I can’t defend its excesses either. I
> guess I have to remain stuck in the middle and confused. It doesn’t help
> that Banksy recently both sold a piece at a record price, and then
> destroyed it before the sale leading to the question of whether the
> destroyed piece is worth more or less now!

It shredded itself right after the sale was final, as it was unhooked 
from the wall. It was 

Re: [silk] The Mother [was: Capitalism and Climate Change]

[Heather Madrone]

Srini RamaKrishnan wrote on 10/12/18 10:20 AM October 12, 2018:

Now if that's not an apt use case for the Americanism, shit happens... I
don't know what is :-)


I came down with an acute case of appendicitis while clerking a Quaker 
Meeting for Worship for Business. It's an interesting experience to try 
to hold the state of worship for the whole gathered Meeting while your 
insides are exploding.


I thought for a time that I could do it, that I could somehow arrive at 
a deep enough state of worship to subdue my rebellious innards. After an 
hour, I realized I wasn't enlightened enough and headed to the hospital 
for a more conventional cure.


--hmm

Re: [silk] The Mother [was: Capitalism and Climate Change]

[Srini RamaKrishnan]

On Fri, Oct 12, 2018 at 10:44 PM Suresh Ramasubramanian 
wrote:

> It was within less than a minute after he'd sat down to 'meditate'.
>
> So unless he slipped into some extremely deep yogic state within seconds
> after shutting his eyes ..
>

Now if that's not an apt use case for the Americanism, shit happens... I
don't know what is :-)

Re: [silk] The Mother [was: Capitalism and Climate Change]

[Suresh Ramasubramanian]

It was within less than a minute after he'd sat down to 'meditate'.

So unless he slipped into some extremely deep yogic state within seconds after 
shutting his eyes .. 

On 12/10/18, 9:38 PM, "silklist on behalf of Srini RamaKrishnan" 
 wrote:

It's quite likely he may have been doing his meditation properly. Digestive
turbulence during intense Yoga is common if the digestive tract isn't
empty, 

Re: [silk] The Mother [was: Capitalism and Climate Change]

[Srini RamaKrishnan]

On Fri, Oct 12, 2018 at 9:16 PM Ashim D'Silva 
wrote:

> The current art world is its own awful mix of capitalism gone mad and
> exclusionary barriers of entry and so I can’t defend its excesses either. I
> guess I have to remain stuck in the middle and confused. It doesn’t help
> that Banksy recently both sold a piece at a record price, and then
> destroyed it before the sale leading to the question of whether the
> destroyed piece is worth more or less now!
>

I don't think poverty is any requirement for one who's surrendered to the
art, but it's often an unfortunate outcome for one who doesn't bend to
market forces or anything other than one's artistic inspiration..

Srinivasa Ramanujam was lucky to be discovered by Hardy, otherwise he'd
have likely rotted away in penury and anonymity as a clerk. Whereas,
Mahakavi Subramaniya Bharathi had material misfortune chase him like a pack
of hungry wolves wherever he went, yet his poetic voice never trembled.

In the Thiruvilayadal literature the Gods often test the great Bhaktas to
see if they have the courage of their convictions. One can simply be lost
in Mathematics for example, and be a great Bhakta, because in whatever is
pure and undiluted with ego limitations like fear and self protection
there's the divine.

Re: [silk] The Mother [was: Capitalism and Climate Change]

[Srini RamaKrishnan]

On Fri, Oct 12, 2018 at 7:18 PM Manu Bhardwaj  wrote:

> I'm uncomfortable with this. If you had ended up doing the opposite, you
> might then either have
> - forgotten about the incident altogether, or
> - rationalized it with an entirely different story
> in order to make it consistent with the presence of some innate sixth sense
> or feeling.
>
> If I were not able to explain something logically, I would conclude only
> that the logic was beyond my cognitive ability.
>

I can see that line of thought. I've only shared a couple of incidents but
my conclusions were drawn from a life time of such experiences that were
internally consistent and have since reinforced their wisdom on a daily
basis.

Ultimately in subjective experiences, the only person who needs to buy the
story is the story teller.  :-)

Re: [silk] The Mother [was: Capitalism and Climate Change]

[Srini RamaKrishnan]

On Thu, Oct 11, 2018 at 10:00 AM Suresh Ramasubramanian 
wrote:

> Well that was remarkably philosophical - and sincerely felt. More
> power to you.
>

Thank you Suresh.


> The one thing I remember about the Aurobindo Ashram


[...]


was having a gentle joke at the expense of that ostentatious 'devotee'.
>

That must have elicited a few laughs.

It's quite likely he may have been doing his meditation properly. Digestive
turbulence during intense Yoga is common if the digestive tract isn't
empty, which is why serious practice is generally avoided for several hours
after a meal. Meditation near Sri Aurobindo + The Mother's samadhi can be
very powerful to one who is open and receptive to the energy, sending one
into deeper states rather more rapidly than normal. He may not have been
prepared for it. Whenever I've meditated there I've found it very easy to
lose track of time, what feels like 15 minutes could be two or more hours
lost in meditation.

The gemstone rings can be useful and even vital for some people - they can
be life savers on the spiritual path. They can also be spiritual
materialism.

Obviously none of this is new, villains have wandered around in the garb of
holy persons since before the Ramayana, where Ravana abducts Sita disguised
as a Sannyasi.

Re: [silk] The Mother [was: Capitalism and Climate Change]

[Ashim D'Silva]

It’s well summarised in the oft misrepresented Frost poem:

*I shall be telling this with a sigh*
*Somewhere ages and ages hence:*
*Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—*
*I took the one less traveled by,*
*And that has made all the difference.*

The first line is generally omitted, practically reversing the meaning of
the poem and proving his point.

I do additionally object to devaluing an artistic work because it is done
for money. The story of the artist depressed and in poverty has so consumed
our collective psyche we expect artist to not be paid for their time. We
see this in the piracy of movies and music or in the promise of working for
“exposure”.

The current art world is its own awful mix of capitalism gone mad and
exclusionary barriers of entry and so I can’t defend its excesses either. I
guess I have to remain stuck in the middle and confused. It doesn’t help
that Banksy recently both sold a piece at a record price, and then
destroyed it before the sale leading to the question of whether the
destroyed piece is worth more or less now!

On Fri, Oct 12, 2018 at 3:48 PM Manu Bhardwaj  wrote:

> On Wed, Oct 10, 2018 at 11:59 PM Srini RamaKrishnan 
> wrote:
>
> When I didn't know as much about these things, I would be struck by some
> > experiences, unable to explain them logically. Many years ago I was in
> > Amsterdam, and I used to spend hours in front of a single painting by Van
> > Gogh, and mere minutes in front of the works of Rembrandt. I couldn't
> tell
> > you exactly why then, but it was clear to me that Van Gogh put his heart
> > into his paintings. Now Rembrandt was not a bad painter by any means, but
> > he didn't care about his work like Van Gogh, he did care, very much,
> about
> > being successful. This intuition I learned much later was true when I
> read
> > his life history, he liked to make money off his paintings, and so cared
> > about customer satisfaction. Van Gogh died in poverty.
>
>
> I'm uncomfortable with this. If you had ended up doing the opposite, you
> might then either have
> - forgotten about the incident altogether, or
> - rationalized it with an entirely different story
> in order to make it consistent with the presence of some innate sixth sense
> or feeling.
>
> If I were not able to explain something logically, I would conclude only
> that the logic was beyond my cognitive ability.
>
> Manu
>
-- 
Cheerio,

Ashim D’Silva
Design & build
www.therandomlines.com
instagram.com/randomlies

Re: [silk] The Mother [was: Capitalism and Climate Change]

[Manu Bhardwaj]

On Wed, Oct 10, 2018 at 11:59 PM Srini RamaKrishnan 
wrote:

When I didn't know as much about these things, I would be struck by some
> experiences, unable to explain them logically. Many years ago I was in
> Amsterdam, and I used to spend hours in front of a single painting by Van
> Gogh, and mere minutes in front of the works of Rembrandt. I couldn't tell
> you exactly why then, but it was clear to me that Van Gogh put his heart
> into his paintings. Now Rembrandt was not a bad painter by any means, but
> he didn't care about his work like Van Gogh, he did care, very much, about
> being successful. This intuition I learned much later was true when I read
> his life history, he liked to make money off his paintings, and so cared
> about customer satisfaction. Van Gogh died in poverty.


I'm uncomfortable with this. If you had ended up doing the opposite, you
might then either have
- forgotten about the incident altogether, or
- rationalized it with an entirely different story
in order to make it consistent with the presence of some innate sixth sense
or feeling.

If I were not able to explain something logically, I would conclude only
that the logic was beyond my cognitive ability.

Manu

Re: [silk] The Mother [was: Capitalism and Climate Change]

[Suresh Ramasubramanian]

  
  
  

So do I!  My immediate reaction when I see that sort of getup is to 
check whether my wallet is still in my pants pocket.



--srs

  




On Thu, Oct 11, 2018 at 10:11 AM +0530, "Deepa Mohan"  
wrote:










Enjoyed this account very much!

I find that I unconsciously judge people on the basis of things like
prominent streaks of vibhuti or sandal paste, astrologically significant
rings, flowing matted locks, and other external accoutrements. I  find that
this is my mental conditioning due to the "dressing up" of many
quackreligious people...but since I should not judge thus, I am schooling
myself not to do so.

Still, it is hard to not to equate things like large quantities of
rudraksha malas with the kind of people who are right now providing
amazingly entertaining videos while sitting, smiling beatifically, on
silver thrones, with silver sceptres in their hands...

Cheeni is, in many ways, my guru. There is not a single conversation with
him which does not lead me to re-examine many of my ideas and beliefs...and
sometimes see that I am as ignorant, or prejudiced as those whom I hold to
be so.  He allows me to throw light into my own mind...and to me, that is
what a guru is.

Deepa.

On Thu, Oct 11, 2018 at 10:00 AM Suresh Ramasubramanian 
wrote:

>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Well that was remarkably philosophical - and sincerely felt. More
> power to you.
> The one thing I remember about the Aurobindo Ashram after being an on
> again off again visitor over the past two decades (my wife's family are
> believers and I'm normally elected to drive them across)..
> This was around 2005 or so, we were at the ashram and this six foot tall
> man with a magnificent mustache, ostentatiously dressed in simple looking
> but designer khadi, his fingers festooned with navaratna rings (with nine
> gemstones, supposedly very astrologically significant) came in, sat in
> front of the Samadhi in a rigid yogic meditation type pose and proceed to
> meditate, to the general admiration of all.
> A couple of minutes into this grand performance and the man let out a
> loud, long, thundering fart, (which sounded even louder because silence is
> requested and adhered to in the ashram premises), looked around him with a
> suddenly embarrassed face and beat a hasty retreat to, presumably, the
> nearest restroom.
> I always wondered after that incident whether the mother - or more likely
> Aurobindo, who being a bengali before becoming a saint, was doubtless well
> acquainted with rich feasts and a wide range of digestive medication (and
> this is something that is proverbial among the bengalis and depicted in
> movies and popular culture) was having a gentle joke at the expense of that
> ostentatious 'devotee'.
>
>
>
>
> --srs
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Thu, Oct 11, 2018 at 9:28 AM +0530, "Srini RamaKrishnan" <
> che...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Wed, Oct 10, 2018 at 9:05 PM Manu Bhardwaj  wrote:
> [...]
> > Your Google logo is of The Mother (
> > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirra_Alfassa)! Are you also an alumnus of
> > Sri Aurobindo Memorial School, Bangalore? I remember/realised that Udhay
> is
> > one too, so this list might have many more.
>
> I was not a student there, I connected with The Mother about 11 or 12 years
> ago when I visited her Samadhi in Pondicherry, though obviously I had heard
> of her before, as many have, at least in this region of India.
>
> As to why I added her photo to my DP, that was merely an act of intuition,
> or inspiration. For many years now most of my life isn't led with thought
> or logic, if I feel inspired to do something I do it.
>
> If I had to supply a post-hoc logic to it, it would go something like this.
>
> I generally don't have any photo on my profile. While messing around with
> my Google profile settings the other day a thought occurred that rather
> than having that space remain empty there might be a way to make it useful.
> I looked around in my device and found The Mother's picture, which I
> promptly added.
>
> In every photograph or creative work of a person, something of the
> consciousness of the person is present. This may not be immediately
> apparent, but this is often why humans pay millions for some paintings that
> look like a disaster. Something stirs deep inside when we look at powerful
> images, hear powerful sounds, experience powerful vibrations, and this
> photo of The Mother can do that.
>
> Many Saints carry such an aura, Bhagawan Ramana Maharshi
>
> for example, is another image I could have used. I didn't want an image
> that triggered religious or sectarian pre-conceptions. We lose our
> innocence when we approach things with a preconception of what it is. Those
> unfamiliar with The Mother I hoped would be able to look at the image with
> a curiosity, maybe they'd assume she's my grand mother? In that moment of
> innocence something remarkable can happen.
>
> When I didn't know as much 

Re: [silk] The Mother [was: Capitalism and Climate Change]

[Deepa Mohan]

Enjoyed this account very much!

I find that I unconsciously judge people on the basis of things like
prominent streaks of vibhuti or sandal paste, astrologically significant
rings, flowing matted locks, and other external accoutrements. I  find that
this is my mental conditioning due to the "dressing up" of many
quackreligious people...but since I should not judge thus, I am schooling
myself not to do so.

Still, it is hard to not to equate things like large quantities of
rudraksha malas with the kind of people who are right now providing
amazingly entertaining videos while sitting, smiling beatifically, on
silver thrones, with silver sceptres in their hands...

Cheeni is, in many ways, my guru. There is not a single conversation with
him which does not lead me to re-examine many of my ideas and beliefs...and
sometimes see that I am as ignorant, or prejudiced as those whom I hold to
be so.  He allows me to throw light into my own mind...and to me, that is
what a guru is.

Deepa.

On Thu, Oct 11, 2018 at 10:00 AM Suresh Ramasubramanian 
wrote:

>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Well that was remarkably philosophical - and sincerely felt. More
> power to you.
> The one thing I remember about the Aurobindo Ashram after being an on
> again off again visitor over the past two decades (my wife's family are
> believers and I'm normally elected to drive them across)..
> This was around 2005 or so, we were at the ashram and this six foot tall
> man with a magnificent mustache, ostentatiously dressed in simple looking
> but designer khadi, his fingers festooned with navaratna rings (with nine
> gemstones, supposedly very astrologically significant) came in, sat in
> front of the Samadhi in a rigid yogic meditation type pose and proceed to
> meditate, to the general admiration of all.
> A couple of minutes into this grand performance and the man let out a
> loud, long, thundering fart, (which sounded even louder because silence is
> requested and adhered to in the ashram premises), looked around him with a
> suddenly embarrassed face and beat a hasty retreat to, presumably, the
> nearest restroom.
> I always wondered after that incident whether the mother - or more likely
> Aurobindo, who being a bengali before becoming a saint, was doubtless well
> acquainted with rich feasts and a wide range of digestive medication (and
> this is something that is proverbial among the bengalis and depicted in
> movies and popular culture) was having a gentle joke at the expense of that
> ostentatious 'devotee'.
>
>
>
>
> --srs
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Thu, Oct 11, 2018 at 9:28 AM +0530, "Srini RamaKrishnan" <
> che...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Wed, Oct 10, 2018 at 9:05 PM Manu Bhardwaj  wrote:
> [...]
> > Your Google logo is of The Mother (
> > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirra_Alfassa)! Are you also an alumnus of
> > Sri Aurobindo Memorial School, Bangalore? I remember/realised that Udhay
> is
> > one too, so this list might have many more.
>
> I was not a student there, I connected with The Mother about 11 or 12 years
> ago when I visited her Samadhi in Pondicherry, though obviously I had heard
> of her before, as many have, at least in this region of India.
>
> As to why I added her photo to my DP, that was merely an act of intuition,
> or inspiration. For many years now most of my life isn't led with thought
> or logic, if I feel inspired to do something I do it.
>
> If I had to supply a post-hoc logic to it, it would go something like this.
>
> I generally don't have any photo on my profile. While messing around with
> my Google profile settings the other day a thought occurred that rather
> than having that space remain empty there might be a way to make it useful.
> I looked around in my device and found The Mother's picture, which I
> promptly added.
>
> In every photograph or creative work of a person, something of the
> consciousness of the person is present. This may not be immediately
> apparent, but this is often why humans pay millions for some paintings that
> look like a disaster. Something stirs deep inside when we look at powerful
> images, hear powerful sounds, experience powerful vibrations, and this
> photo of The Mother can do that.
>
> Many Saints carry such an aura, Bhagawan Ramana Maharshi
>
> for example, is another image I could have used. I didn't want an image
> that triggered religious or sectarian pre-conceptions. We lose our
> innocence when we approach things with a preconception of what it is. Those
> unfamiliar with The Mother I hoped would be able to look at the image with
> a curiosity, maybe they'd assume she's my grand mother? In that moment of
> innocence something remarkable can happen.
>
> When I didn't know as much about these things, I would be struck by some
> experiences, unable to explain them logically. Many years ago I was in
> Amsterdam, and I used to spend hours in front of a single painting by Van
> Gogh, and mere minutes in front of the works of Rembrandt. I couldn't 

Re: [silk] The Mother [was: Capitalism and Climate Change]

[Suresh Ramasubramanian]

  
  
  

Well that was remarkably philosophical - and sincerely felt. More power 
to you.
The one thing I remember about the Aurobindo Ashram after being an on again off 
again visitor over the past two decades (my wife's family are believers and I'm 
normally elected to drive them across)..
This was around 2005 or so, we were at the ashram and this six foot tall man 
with a magnificent mustache, ostentatiously dressed in simple looking but 
designer khadi, his fingers festooned with navaratna rings (with nine 
gemstones, supposedly very astrologically significant) came in, sat in front of 
the Samadhi in a rigid yogic meditation type pose and proceed to meditate, to 
the general admiration of all.    
A couple of minutes into this grand performance and the man let out a loud, 
long, thundering fart, (which sounded even louder because silence is requested 
and adhered to in the ashram premises), looked around him with a suddenly 
embarrassed face and beat a hasty retreat to, presumably, the nearest restroom.
I always wondered after that incident whether the mother - or more likely 
Aurobindo, who being a bengali before becoming a saint, was doubtless well 
acquainted with rich feasts and a wide range of digestive medication (and this 
is something that is proverbial among the bengalis and depicted in movies and 
popular culture) was having a gentle joke at the expense of that ostentatious 
'devotee'.




--srs

  




On Thu, Oct 11, 2018 at 9:28 AM +0530, "Srini RamaKrishnan"  
wrote:










On Wed, Oct 10, 2018 at 9:05 PM Manu Bhardwaj  wrote:
[...]
> Your Google logo is of The Mother (
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirra_Alfassa)! Are you also an alumnus of
> Sri Aurobindo Memorial School, Bangalore? I remember/realised that Udhay
is
> one too, so this list might have many more.

I was not a student there, I connected with The Mother about 11 or 12 years
ago when I visited her Samadhi in Pondicherry, though obviously I had heard
of her before, as many have, at least in this region of India.

As to why I added her photo to my DP, that was merely an act of intuition,
or inspiration. For many years now most of my life isn't led with thought
or logic, if I feel inspired to do something I do it.

If I had to supply a post-hoc logic to it, it would go something like this.

I generally don't have any photo on my profile. While messing around with
my Google profile settings the other day a thought occurred that rather
than having that space remain empty there might be a way to make it useful.
I looked around in my device and found The Mother's picture, which I
promptly added.

In every photograph or creative work of a person, something of the
consciousness of the person is present. This may not be immediately
apparent, but this is often why humans pay millions for some paintings that
look like a disaster. Something stirs deep inside when we look at powerful
images, hear powerful sounds, experience powerful vibrations, and this
photo of The Mother can do that.

Many Saints carry such an aura, Bhagawan Ramana Maharshi

for example, is another image I could have used. I didn't want an image
that triggered religious or sectarian pre-conceptions. We lose our
innocence when we approach things with a preconception of what it is. Those
unfamiliar with The Mother I hoped would be able to look at the image with
a curiosity, maybe they'd assume she's my grand mother? In that moment of
innocence something remarkable can happen.

When I didn't know as much about these things, I would be struck by some
experiences, unable to explain them logically. Many years ago I was in
Amsterdam, and I used to spend hours in front of a single painting by Van
Gogh, and mere minutes in front of the works of Rembrandt. I couldn't tell
you exactly why then, but it was clear to me that Van Gogh put his heart
into his paintings. Now Rembrandt was not a bad painter by any means, but
he didn't care about his work like Van Gogh, he did care, very much, about
being successful. This intuition I learned much later was true when I read
his life history, he liked to make money off his paintings, and so cared
about customer satisfaction. Van Gogh died in poverty.

I had the same experience years earlier in graduate school. I was at
Carnegie Mellon, a top school for computer science, better in every
materialistic measurement, but it just failed to inspire me like my days in
the early Linux/FLOSS community. I found not many actually cared about the
ideas they worked on, their primary focus was success, ambition and a
desire to be unrivalled among peers. Their creative energies lacked heart.
Of course, I did learn valuable lessons from this fierce energy of success
too. All the same, it was not what I came to CMU to learn.

I later made this heart centered approach to life the very essence of my
life, and this led me to radically change my life, though again it was less
a conscious choice, and more an 

Re: [silk] The Mother [was: Capitalism and Climate Change]

[Srini RamaKrishnan]

On Wed, Oct 10, 2018 at 9:05 PM Manu Bhardwaj  wrote:
[...]
> Your Google logo is of The Mother (
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirra_Alfassa)! Are you also an alumnus of
> Sri Aurobindo Memorial School, Bangalore? I remember/realised that Udhay
is
> one too, so this list might have many more.

I was not a student there, I connected with The Mother about 11 or 12 years
ago when I visited her Samadhi in Pondicherry, though obviously I had heard
of her before, as many have, at least in this region of India.

As to why I added her photo to my DP, that was merely an act of intuition,
or inspiration. For many years now most of my life isn't led with thought
or logic, if I feel inspired to do something I do it.

If I had to supply a post-hoc logic to it, it would go something like this.

I generally don't have any photo on my profile. While messing around with
my Google profile settings the other day a thought occurred that rather
than having that space remain empty there might be a way to make it useful.
I looked around in my device and found The Mother's picture, which I
promptly added.

In every photograph or creative work of a person, something of the
consciousness of the person is present. This may not be immediately
apparent, but this is often why humans pay millions for some paintings that
look like a disaster. Something stirs deep inside when we look at powerful
images, hear powerful sounds, experience powerful vibrations, and this
photo of The Mother can do that.

Many Saints carry such an aura, Bhagawan Ramana Maharshi

for example, is another image I could have used. I didn't want an image
that triggered religious or sectarian pre-conceptions. We lose our
innocence when we approach things with a preconception of what it is. Those
unfamiliar with The Mother I hoped would be able to look at the image with
a curiosity, maybe they'd assume she's my grand mother? In that moment of
innocence something remarkable can happen.

When I didn't know as much about these things, I would be struck by some
experiences, unable to explain them logically. Many years ago I was in
Amsterdam, and I used to spend hours in front of a single painting by Van
Gogh, and mere minutes in front of the works of Rembrandt. I couldn't tell
you exactly why then, but it was clear to me that Van Gogh put his heart
into his paintings. Now Rembrandt was not a bad painter by any means, but
he didn't care about his work like Van Gogh, he did care, very much, about
being successful. This intuition I learned much later was true when I read
his life history, he liked to make money off his paintings, and so cared
about customer satisfaction. Van Gogh died in poverty.

I had the same experience years earlier in graduate school. I was at
Carnegie Mellon, a top school for computer science, better in every
materialistic measurement, but it just failed to inspire me like my days in
the early Linux/FLOSS community. I found not many actually cared about the
ideas they worked on, their primary focus was success, ambition and a
desire to be unrivalled among peers. Their creative energies lacked heart.
Of course, I did learn valuable lessons from this fierce energy of success
too. All the same, it was not what I came to CMU to learn.

I later made this heart centered approach to life the very essence of my
life, and this led me to radically change my life, though again it was less
a conscious choice, and more an inspired movement. This is also the essence
of Yoga.

When we even need watches to tell us our heart rate, which is a very
obvious grossly sensate mechanical event, most people will be dull to
subtler realities such as the quality of consciousness.

I come across some stirrings in the logical world

about this now and then, but materialistic proof always needs an instrument
with dials and switches to tell people what they already can feel. Maybe
someday such consciousness can be measured, but until then, I urge everyone
to look within, the answers are already there.



> We received a LOT of (what I now consider) propaganda about her teachings
> while we were at that school. We also received delicious laddoos on her
> birthday every year, so overall, I have no complaints.

Firstly, she existed in an age before media management, where every word
she uttered has been recorded by those around her and reproduced later with
varying degrees of accuracy.

Secondly, most people, especially devotees confuse the person with the
consciousness. They assume praising the Guru, lionizing the individual is
the way to convince people to look  at greater Truths. This only forms
religion, and religions become political forces, surviving on propaganda
and measuring success mostly by the number of unquestioning followers and
impressive buildings. Religions are not useless, they