Me on 23rd Aug

Have you ever had a feeling that the whole world is going to come tumbling. Its a disastrous feeling that I'm having tight now. Not sure of the actual reason but I've been feeling down for the past few days.

Wonder what's wrong? Can't seem to think of an answer or perhaps too many things are on my mind till I can't pin point what's the matter! After the last weeks paranormal thing that I expected, I've been on my toe. Who should I speak to when no one is available when I need them.

Plus I've been making silly mistakes at work which obviously not gaining me any popularity with my vicious boss. My mind doesn't feel at ease at all. Or is utter my heart. The loneliness is killing me but then we I think about it, I feel like I should stay single. The marriage stories that I'm hearing is not at all comforting.

I've been meditating for the pastvfew weeks. Guess it helps me a little from turning me into total lunatic. Is itvtrue that god will test you when you start to meditate by chanting? Seems like I've been having problems after I started. Paranoid? Maybe. The last time this happened, I stopped meditating. I'm not stopping this time. Why jump into a conclusion?

Time will tell..Test

Me on 12 Aug

Life is as usual. Went out for dinner plans but was informed at the last minute that its cancelled. To think that i spent nearky a hour stuck in jam trying to make it on time. These days i spend lots of hours worrying over the future. Not mine but my family. Going through a tough time hoping for the best. Crying for goodness. Praying for betterment. One could only hope that all will be well. Hope..

Proof of living?

 DNA building blocks found in meteorites 

Ponggal Festival

Thai Pongal (Tamil: தைப்பொங்கல்) is a harvest festival celebrated by Tamils in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, Indian Union Territory of Puducherry and in Sri Lanka. Pongal coincides with the festival Makara Sankranthi celebrated throughout India. Pongal in Tamil means "boiling over or spill over." The boiling over of milk in the clay pot symbolizes material abundance for the household. Thai Pongal, celebrated at harvest time, is traditionally intended to thank the Sun God and farmstead livestock that helped create the material abundance. 

The saying "Thai Pirandhal Vazhi Pirakkum" (தை பிறந்தால் வழி பிறக்கும்) meaning "the commencement of Thai paves the way for new opportunities" is often quoted regarding the Pongal festival[1] The festival usually occurs from January 13 — 15 in the Gregorian calendar i.e. the last day of the Tamil month Maargazhi to the third day of Thai.

Pongal is traditionally dedicated to the Sun God Surya. Tamils thank the solar deity for the good harvest and consecrate the first grain to him on this 'Surya Mangalya'.

The holiday denotes the start of the Tamil month of Thai (தை). It marks the day when the Sun purportedly shifts northwards. It signifies the commencement of Uttarayana, which represents the northward journey of Sun. The days get longer in the Tamil lands. Thai Pongal falls on Makara Sankranthi celebrated throughout India as the winter harvest. This also represents the Indic solstice when the sun purportedly enters the 10th house of the Indian zodiac i.e. Makara or Capricorn.

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Me on 11/01/11

Doesn't the date sound and look cool?? It's not like anything cool or significant happened today. Just wanted note down something for the date sake. Work was as peaceful as I could wish for. Nothing got in way and nobody pissed me off. Probably not a date that I would remember by the look of it.

Just thinking of the person who recently passed away. Emm.. The wife is so scared that his ghost might haunt her that she is fixing up prayers after prayers to please his soul. It's funny how people don't care much for the living, yet when you die you get stuff done to satisfy you. I'm pretty sure the soul isn't interested in tormenting anyone. He sure looked forward to move on, especially move away.. Hahaha

Well, this serves as a lesson. Appreciate the living and not the dead!

Protecting your Personal Information on Social Network

Tips to Stay Safe


Here's some advice from Sileo, who wrote the "Facebook Safety Survival Guide," about protecting online privacy on all social-networking sites:


• Never post your exact date and place of birth. It's invaluable information to identity thieves, particularly when the two are bundled together.


• Never post your address, phone number or email address. This is plum information to scammers and marketers who are looking for nuggets of your identity.


• Control who can see your personal information. Many social-networking sites have privacy features, but they change often. Know what they are, stay on top of them and restrict your page to your real friends, not friends of friends or someone you met in a bar.


• Limit information about your activities. If you must brag about a trip or a fabulous party, do it after the fact.


• Remember that what you post is public and permanent. Don't put up embarrassing photos that you wouldn't show your grandmother. Don't complain about your job or your boss. Don't say something to or about someone that you wouldn't say to his face. Don't threaten others.


• Know the four types of Facebook users: friends, outsiders, businesses and enemies.


• You should know exactly who wants to be your friend or is asking you to link into their network. Some people will befriend your friends to get to you or your company.


• Be wary of seemingly harmless quizzes. When someone invites you to take a survey, say, "10 Things Others Don't Know About You" or "My Favorite Things," it may be designed to harvest your data. The name of the street you grew up on or your favorite vacation spot could be clues to your passwords.


• Before you share any information anywhere online about yourself or your workplace, ask this question: What would the consequences be if this information fell into the hands of my boss, competitor or people who don't like me?


http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/111722/what-your-facebook-profile-may-be-telling-id-thieves?mod=series-m-article-a

Where Does the Soul Go After We Die?

As Catholics, we believe that when a person dies, the soul separates from the body. He then stands before God in judgment. Remember that the soul is really "who" we are: while the body lies in death, our soul — who we are — lives on and returns to the Lord for judgment. The Catechism clearly teaches, "Each man receives his eternal retribution in his immortal soul at the very moment of his death, in a particular judgment that refers his life to Christ: either entrance into the blessedness of Heaven — through purification or immediately, — or immediate and everlasting damnation" (No. 1022).


Let's dissect this teaching: When we die, our soul stands in judgment immediately. We will have to account for our lives, for the good that we have done and for the sins we have committed. We call this the particular judgment because it is particular to each person. If we are free of all sin and the hurt caused by sin, we immediately will be welcomed into Heaven, where we will enjoy the beatific vision, seeing God face to face. If we have died with venial sins or the hurt caused by sin, our Lord in His love and mercy will first purge and heal the soul in the place called Purgatory; after this purgation and healing, our soul will then be welcomed into Heaven. However, if we have died rejecting God, with mortal sins and with no remorse for those mortal sins, then we will have damned ourselves to Hell; the firm rejection of God that we made in this life, will continue on in the next. This teaching is substantiated by our Lord's declaration to the repentant thief, St. Dismas: "This day you will be with me in paradise" (Luke 23:43). (Note that this teaching on the particular judgment was defined at the Second General Council of Lyons in 1274.)

At the end of time, our Lord will come again to judge the living and the dead. Our Lord taught in the Gospel of St. John: "The Father has given over to Him [Jesus] power to pass judgment because He is the Son of Man; no need for you to be surprised at this, for an hour is coming in which all those in their tombs shall hear his voice and come forth. Those who have done right shall rise to life; the evildoers shall rise to be damned" (John 5:27-29). Here again the Catechism teaches, "In the presence of Christ, who is Truth itself, the truth of each man's relationship with God will be laid bare. The Last Judgment will reveal even to its furthest consequences the good each person has done or failed to do during his earthly life" (No. 1039). Here is a judgment not only of the individual standing alone, but also as a member of society and before the whole community of mankind. Those who have already died and have been judged will remain in Heaven or Hell; those who have not died will now be judged and enter Heaven or Hell. Since after the final judgment, only Heaven and Hell will exist, St. Augustine and others speculated that all purification of the soul — for those already in Purgatory and now those faithful awaiting judgment at this final judgment — will be completed.

Here then is a succinct presentation of the Church's teaching concerning the judgment of our soul. Whether we consider the particular judgment or the final judgment, we must be ready to face judgment. Archbishop Fulton Sheen stated, "For when the curtain goes down on the last day, and we respond to the curtain call of judgment, we will not be asked what part we played, but how well we played the part that was assigned to us" (Moods and Truths, 75).




ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Saunders, Rev. William. "Where Does the Soul Go After We Die?" Arlington Catholic Herald.
Reprinted with permission of the Arlington Catholic Herald.

If we adopt a few religions in doing various activities, is it wrong?

No, it is not wrong. Hinduism believes in the truth of all religions and it does not restrict people of other faiths in adopting Hindu practices neither does it legislate against Hindus in adopting practices that they feel an affinity to, even if it is of another faith. Studying scriptures of other religions and drawing wisdom from them are also acceptable practices.


My parmaguru (guru's guru) Satguru Yogaswami was a staunch Saivite. On occasions he quoted from the Bible and Buddhist teachings. My guru, Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami for a time received guidance from a Theosophist teacher, a Christian man who was a buddhist monk and a Musliim mystic before he found his ultimate guru, Satguru Yogaswami.


If you went to some of the major religious festivals in India you would see a diversity of people from different religions following the festivals. For instance the Tiruvembavai festival, Navaratri (Dusheera), Ram Jeyanthi is celebrated across the board not only by Hindus. Devotees of other religions are also swept up by the wave of devotion. Equally if you went to the Annai Velankanni Church in Nagapattinam, during the Saint Ann's feast you will observe that it is a festival that is celebrated by Hindus, Christians and Muslims alike.



Sometimes though, your parents may not agree with some of your adoptions. If this is the case it is best for you to follow the guidance of your parents until later in life when you can make your own decisions. Hinduism is really a very personal religions. Though all the sects and sub-sects of Hinduism do have specific codes of conduct, they are not restrictive, or at least they are not supposed to be restrictive. My usual quip "as many Hindus as there are in the world, there are as many versions of Hinduism" as each devotee endeavours to find their way back to God.

Written by Guhanatha Swami (http://www.myhindupage.org/index.php/5-unique-questions-on-hinduism#4)

Is it a must to follow the rules of the religion to the letter?

Hinduism is a religion that doesn't have hard and fast rules. Instead Hinduism promotes recommendations for living life that are guidelines. The reason we have guidelines instead of rules is because rules have to change based on situation. If we are stuck with one rule that cannot apply in a situation, then the rule will have to be broken or rewritten. Guidelines on the otherhand are more flexible.

This use of guidelines is derived from the way the law of karma works. Karma delivers the consequences of our actions based mainly on the intention behind the action. For instance, let us take not hurting another person. Hindu guidelines recommend the use of ahimsa or nonviolence as a cardinal code of living. However, sometimes the use of violence is condoned and it does not create a bad karma even if another person is hurt. Such as, in the case of somebody protecting themselves or another in their care from a violent situation. In this case even if the defender hurts the offender, there is no bad karma nor good karma accrued by the defender. His intention was to protect, and if the intention is sincere than no bad karma is created. However if you hurt another person out of hate, malice or vengence then the full force of the negative karma will be accrued because the intention was evil.

You all probably know all this already. I believe your question is more directed to lesser issues such as elders or priest saying things like you must go to the temple on Fridays. You must wake up early and pray to God. There are many 'must' and 'must nots' like these. Some of these are good advice while others like you cannot wear black to the temple, or you must not keep an image of Lord Shiva in your house have no basis in Hindu philosophical truths or in the guidelines of living. Such rules are mere superstition and they can be duly ignored. Certainly no harm will come to anybody if you do not follow them to the letter. However, you should endevour to follow the rules of living that your parents and community set out for you as they were created for character development or with your safety in mind. These are rules such as coming back home before a certain time or cleaning up your room.

Karma

Karma is a law of nature just like gravity postulated by Hinduism. Karma regulates the consequences to the actions that we do. According to the law of karma, all our actions reap consequences that are equal in nature to our original action, which returns to us at the most appropriate time in our life. To put it simply, the law of karma states that if one does good, good experience of equal measure is received; if one does bad, bad experience of equal measure is received. Sometimes teachers equate karma to Newton's Third Law of Motion, which states that, for every action there is and equal and opposite reaction. However, karma does not govern motion, instead it governs our deeds.

Karma like the law of gravity affects everyone equally. It does not matter whether you believe in karma. Just like the law of gravity doesn't discriminate whether you believe in it or not. Certainly a person who doesn't believe in gravity is not going to become weightless all of a sudden and float away.


According to the belief of karma, one shapes ones own destiny through deeds. Thus the happiness or sorrow that we experience in life are the cause of our previous actions. Karma spans through lifetimes. In other words the consequences of our deeds don't necessarily return to us in the same lifetime, instead it can come back to us in a future life. Karma explains many of the anomalies in life. For instance why should one child be born a natural genius and another mentally challenged. Sure one can say it is because of their genes. However, if you look for deeper purpose and ask why should God allow such a situation, endowing one with a much more superior quality compared to the other, then, only an understanding of the law of karma can give an adequate solution. Reasoning that one's past deeds determines situations in current life.


This also means that we are the masters of our destiny. That by every deed we do to others and even unto ourselves we are shaping our future. Karma puts the responsibility of our lives squarely on our shoulders. Though sometimes it may be difficult to accept that we have to pay for actions (the bad ones that is) we do not remember from past lives, karma, when understood in the right perspective is an ally to our spiritual life. Karma is the teacher. This teacher creates situations (based on our own doings) in our lives for us to derive lessons from and therefore enjoy or suffer in the world. It is through this process that we grow spiritually. I cannot go into much details about the working of karma or how we can use this God given power within us to our positive advantage, in this brief session. However you all should know that Hinduism is all about karma management. The goal of karma management is to maximize the creation of good karmas and minimize if not avoid altogether the creation of bad karmas. This is Sanatana Dharma.

http://www.myhindupage.org/index.php/9-common-qs-on-hinduism

Are there many Gods in Hinduism?

The truth is, in Hindusim we only have one Supreme God. Supreme Godhead in Hinduism is characterized by His or Her ability to Create the world and life. There is only One Being who has this ability. This is the One God whom we all pray to. A quote from the Rig Veda goes like this: "They call Him Indra, Varuna, Mitra or the heavenly sunbird Garutmat. The seers call in many ways that which is One; they speak of Agni, Yama, Matarishvan."

However in Hinduism we believe that All-Mighty God can appear to His or Her devotee howsoever He or She pleases. Thus in Hinduism we have many varied forms of a Singular Godhead. This is also why Hindus understand that people of other religions are also praying to the same God as we are, albeit in another form. Thus you will hear Hindus claim that there is One Truth but many paths leading to it.

An analogy commonly use to explain Gods appearance in varied forms, is as follows: Take a family man. This one individual, to his wife, he is her husband; to his children, he is their father; to his employees, he is their boss and to his friends, he is their buddy. In all his different relationships, though he is the same person, the experience of his wife, his children, his friends and his employees are all unique while having similarities. Even his name, though he will have one legal name, his wife, children, friends and employees will address him differently according to their social standing with him.

Indeed God has a penchant for creating variety. Just look at the world around you. You will see that despite the fact that we are all humans, no two of us are completely identical. Even twins have features that distinguish them from each other. God didn't create the world with just one kind of tree or one kind of bird. He created all sorts of beings and plenty of variety within them. So logically, we can assume that God too allows Himself (or Herself) this freedom of expression in variety.

http://www.myhindupage.org/index.php/9-common-qs-on-hinduism

Know God from Personal Experience

To have direct experiences of God, such as seeing God's Holy form through worship or experiencing God's presence or form through meditation. Such experience affirms a devotees belief of God's existence, thus creating a profound change in the devotees life. The perspective of the devotee changes from a materialistic base to a spiritual one. The ultimate goal of Hinduism is to guide its devotees to have personal experiences of God. Hindu Scriptures and gurus urge devotees to strive for such experiences.

The Scriptures explain that the soul is born on Earth countless times until it experiences God or in other words achieves God realization It is the experience required for the soul to achieve moksha. Knowledge of God from personal experience is differentiated from understanding the nature of God through the process of study or learning, which is academic and not personal. It is however helpful to first have an understanding of God academically before seeking God Realization. ( God Realization: The meditative experience of the meditator’s awareness merging into God’s Being. At the point of God Realization the meditator's awareness and God's Pure Consciousness are One.

There are many levels or experiences in God Realization, such as experiencing God as Divine Light, or Pure Love, or Infinite Vastness, or as Absolute Reality–the experience most yearned after by ardent spiritual seekers. The ultimate goal of the practice of Hinduism is to guide its devotees to the experience of God Realization. After the seeker has achieved God Realization he or she is said to be enlightened. According to Hinduism, God Realization is a required experience for each soul in order to achieve moksha. Hinduism also recommends that a seeker be under the guidance of a guru to learn to achieve God Realization. The Sanskrit word equivalent to God Realization is samadhi. Moksha: Liberation.

In Hinduism the salvation of the soul is defined as freedom from the cycle of reincarnation on the physical plane, or Earth. After moksha the soul abides eternally in heaven. Before moksha the soul will enter heaven or hell temporarily between births, depending on the merits or demerits it accrues in the form of karmas during it’s life on Earth. Moksha is in a sense a graduation from having to live life on Earth anymore. It is achieved after the soul has fulfilled all of it’s desires for life on Earth and has Realized God. It is synonymous with mukti.)

Courtesy of http://www.myhindupage.org/index.php/myhindupage-glossary-k

The Twelve Beliefs of Hinduism

1. Hindus believe in One Supreme God whose nature is All-Pervasive, while also Transcending the universe. His functions are Creation, Preservation, Dissolution, Showering Grace and Obscuring Grace.
2. Hindus believe in the existence of unseen spiritual worlds, abodes where God and His mighty band of Spiritual helpers–Mahadevas and devas–live. It is through worship and spiritual disciplines that we communicate with God and the Mahadevas.
3. Hindus revere the ancient Vedas–Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharva–as our Holy Scriptures revealed by God.
4. Hindus believe in the existence and immortality of the atma or the soul, which is the spiritual body of light and divinity within them, created by God. The atma grows and evolves spiritually through the physical body during its incarnations on earth.
5. Hindus believe in the law of karma. The spiritual law of cause and effect. Karma dictates that whatever action one performs whether through thoughts, words or deeds, he or she will reap the same reaction. Such as goodness begets goodness while hurt begets hurt. Through karma our individual future is formed and our soul evolves through the lessons it learns from karmic effects.
6. Hindus believe in reincarnation, that the soul undergoes countless cycles of birth, death and rebirth on earth. The ultimate achievement of life on earth is the attainment of moksha–freedom from the cycle of birth, death and rebirth on Earth.
7. Hindus believe in the need for the personal experience of God. This is accomplished through temple worship, virtous conduct, by performing penance, self-inquiry and meditation. The personal experience of God is required for resolution of all karmas and to achieve moksha.
8. Hindus believe in dharma, or the inherent spiritual laws created by God to govern the spiritual and physical universe. Through dharma proper guidelines are drawn towards the achievements of the purusharthas, or the 4 goals of life, namely virtuous conduct, wealth, pleasure and liberation.
9. Hindus believe in the need for a guru to guide the devotee into an ever deepening experience of God.
10. Hindus believe in ahimsa, or non-violence in thought, word and deed as a cardinal virtue of life, and believe in the ultimate sacredness of the entire universe.
11. Hindus believe that the universe is governed by immense cycles of time called the yugas and repeating cycles of creation, preservation and dissolution.
12. Hindus believe in the acceptance and existence of other genuine religions and spiritual persuasions. The existence of diverse religions are all part of God’s Grace and compassion for humanity. No particular religion has an exclusive claim to salvation.

  

Courtesy of http://www.myhindupage.org/index.php/hindu-beliefs

 

 

 

 

 

Me on 9 Jan

Health has been a huge issue these past few days. Its not allowing me to perform well at work. This in turn bring unpleasant reaction from my boss. Its seems like her reaction are genuine but is she being truthful? Only she can answer that.

I'm going crazy being stuck at home. Being sick has its perk whereby I get to rest, sleep the whole day. Mind at ease thinking of how to recover rather than other thoughts. Yet, its a boring thing to do. My friend did ask me out for a movie, but I choose to stay home instead and get some rest, prepare for work tomorrow.

I'm feeling more courageous these 2 days. Reason? I'm not sure. Maybe because I'm tired of being scared of every event that is going to take place each day. Let things unfold as its meant to be. I leave it to god to decide my action and reactions. Sure there is a reason for every thing that happens. I should face it all with courage. I know in my heart that I'm bound to my conscience and fear of god. Therefore, i shouldn't quiver over every thing.

This new found courage should stay with me all the time, I hope. I pray to god to keep me in line and sane. I pray for courage, bravery and strong will. May the lord be with me!

Poem

Mother love

Nothin' wrong with me
Mother love
Come and let me see
Mother love
Just leave me alone
Mother love
Now I'm dead and gone
Mother love
Never let me see
Mother love
Never let's me be
Mother love
Took my life away
Mother love
Hate me every day
Mother love
Take away my pain
Mother love
Make me go insane
Mother love
There is no such thing
Mother love
Hate is everything.

Me on 7 Jan

Still feeling sick. Haven't recovered since past few days. My mind is at peace for now. Things are calm at work. Till when? Only God knows the answer to that. Home? I'm not sure what's going through everyone's mind right now. The ritual are still going on for the death that recently occurred. There isn't time to reflect on the past few days events.

The fact that I'm not feeling well is really bring me down. Its making me disoriented and confused. All that medication cant do me good right. The weather hasn't been good either. Its raining day and night. Is mother nature feeling down as well? Maybe, she is.

'Just get over it, ' they say
I wish I could find a way
Living with it day by day
Memories won't go away
Medication helps to sway
Many feelings of dismay
But they do fail to decay
The loss that one does survey...

Me on 03 Jan

I truly learnt the meaning of life these past few days. Someone I know was admitted in hospital. He slipped into coma. Doctor's said he is just waiting to part. I had to live through few days fearing every phone ring, every message. He wasn't getting better and doctor's has given up. Of course the pain wasn't the same as the others close to him felt but then, the pain was definitely there. For him and for the future deaths. I have always had a problem dealing with death. I cant face it. My own, I will receive it with open arms but other? No..

Finally the reality hit me and I prayed. I prayed to god to bless his soul and be with him when he passes. His family did the same thing and he passed peacefully. Everything came to an end yesterday and today, he has peacefully moved on to the ether world. May his soul rest in peace. It was such a hard thing to watch, another life just slips pass you. How do one deal with death? With much courage. I wasn't sure what was that upsets me most. Still not sure.

Even during the funeral my mind was divided. Should I say good bye or should tend to the annoying messages I was getting from my boss. Small matter that as usual she blew out of proportion. She at least had the decency to stop messaging me after i replied but once I came home after the funeral, she drilled me and said that my explanation is not acceptable and I am to see her first thing when I report to work. Such a blow out.

I was so distressed. She could have solve it. She could have asked me to see her in person and explain, but NO. She had to send me a sarcastic message showing me who's the boss.. Well, you know what they say 'no one is spared, no situation is compromised'.

When I think of all this, I feel like the earthly matters are not my cup of tea. I want something beyond this petty minute matters. I want to feel god, experience him. I want a life beyond this. How do I achieve it? When will I truly be spiritually ready for this matters. I feel fed up of all this trivial. Is this what life is all about? Earthly nonsense. Are emotions irrelevant? I spent the past few days crying and I still feel like crying. When I got the message, I wanted to shout out, freak out, scream at the top of my lungs. Maybe god should have spared the person's life and take mine instead. I have not achieved anything neither I have independents. At least he could have spend more time with his family.

What is god's calculation? Where is my life heading to???