Acupuncture

Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese method of relieving pain and treating a varity of diseases by inserting needles into various parts ofthe body. According to Chinese philosophy, disease and pain ocucur because of an imbalance between two principal forces of nature called yin and yang. The Chinese believe acupuncture influences a life force that flows along 12 paired and 2 unpaired meridians, channels of energy that run longitudinally in the body. Specialists called acupuncturists insert sharp needles at one point or any of hundreds of specific points along the meridians. Insertion of the needles produce a sharp pinching feeling. This feeling quickly disappears and is replaced by occasional tingling or a sense of numbness, heaviness, or soreness while the needles are in place.


Acupuncture is used to relieve pain and treat various conditions, including arthritis, asthma, migraine, ulcers, eye diseases, and some mental illnesses. Since the late 1950's Chinese doctors habe used this procedure to relieve pain during major surgery. The patient is conscious and apparently feels little or no pain.


Scientists have proposed three major theories for how acupuncture works. One theory suggest that the meridians actually exist and connect the body's organs is a special manner. According to this theroy, acupuncture increases activity along the meridians and thus influences organ function. Scientists also believe that acupuncture works, at least in part, by increasing the brain's production of natural painkillers called endorphins. These substances are morphinelike chemicals that influence the body's awareness of pain. Finally, scientists theorize that acupuncture may work through the nervous system, by triggering signals that interrupt pain messages sent to the brain.

Inquiries

A small child walking with his father goes on inquiring constantly. He asks his father so many odd things, and the father has to satisfy him with proper answers. When I was a young father in my householder life, I was overflooded with hundreds of questions from my second son, who was my constant companion. One day it so happened that a bridegroom's party was passing our tramcar, and the four-year-old boy, as usual, inquired what the big procession was. He was given all possible answers to his thousand and one questions regarding the marriage party, and finally he asked whether his own father was married! This question gave rise to loud laughter from all the elderly gentlemen present, although the boy was perplexed as to why we were laughing. Anyway, the boy was somehow satisfied by his married father.


The lesson from this incident is that since a human being is a rational animal, he is born to make inquiries. The greater the number of questions, the greater the advancement of knowledge and science. The whole of material civilization is based on this originally large volume of questions put/by young men to their elders. When elderly persons give the proper answers to the questions of the youngsters, civilization makes progress, one step after another. The most intelligent man, however, inquires about what happens after death. The less intelligent make lesser inquiries, but the questions of those who are more intelligent go higher and still higher.

creation

We are emphasizing the need to know ourselves - who we are; where have we come from; who is our Creator and where do we go after our present stay in this world comes to an end? I have used the word 'Present Stay' to signify that this birth is not in isolation but i in continuity to may births we earlier had in various forms. Each stage marks the beginning of a new journey. We will later on deal, in these articles, with the law of Karma which determines what we are in this birth. Here we will continue with our pursuit fdor realizing our real or true home.


Before we realize our real home, before we know where it is, what is it like, we should recognize and understand our present home. This would is created of five elements; Earth, Water, Air, Fire and Space. How was this entrie universe created? How is it that the billions of stars and planets remain in their place? There are no wall, no pillar, and no means of support. This entire world is supported by the power of the Supreme Lord. It is created, sustained and destroyed by His powers - Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh. This can only be realized and understood by a Man of Wisdom who knows his true self and has awakened his soul. The soul is always awake, always brilliant and always knowing. However, in our foolishness, we allow a think film of dust to obscure our vision.

Prayers for unbelievers

What if you don't believe in God, but still feel a pull towards prayer? Buddhism addresses that contradiction. "From our perspective, the function of prayer is to connect us with that which is greater than our smalll self", says Hogen Bays, a Zen Buddhist priest. He suggests trying the "metta" or loving-kindness prayer practive:


"Sit down, quiet your mind, and beginning with yourself, say, 'May I be free from fear. May I be free from suffering. May I be happy. May I be filled with loving-kindness.' Next, focus on someone you love and say the same prayer on the person's behalf. Then pray in the same way for a neutral person, someone you don't know. Finally, pray for someone you dislike. In doing so, you nourish the seeds of kindness and love in yourself and then let it radiate outwards."
Another centuries-old practice called "the examen of conscience" was developed by the 16th-century founder of the Jesuits, Saint Ignatius of Loyola. It involves conscious reflection on the events of the past 12 or 24 hours. "As they play through your mind, you try to notice where you sensed God's presence-the person who smiled at you on the street, the child you saw", says American theology professor Maria Tattu Bowen. "Usually it's something very small that jogs your memory about the fact that God is immanent."

Aerobics

Aerobics is a system of exercises designed to promote the supply and use of oxygen in the body. These exercises include bicycling, dancing, jogging, rowing, skating, swimming, and fast walking. Many people participate in aerobics programmes to increse their endurance and energy and to achieve and maintain their proper weight. Regular aerobic exercise may also help lessen the risk of heart disease.

A regular, vigorous programme of aerobic exercises helps the body process large amounts of oxygen efficiently. The presence of oxygen in the muscle cells causes the formation of a compund called adenosine triphosphate (ATP). The breakdown of ATP produces the energy for all muscular activity. During vigorous activity, more oxygen is inhaled and passes from the lungs into the blood. More oxygen-rich blood is delivered to the muscles, creating more ATP. This increased amount of ATP produces more energy for the body. If the circulatory system cannot supply enough oxygen to the muscles or if the muscles cannot use oxygen efficiently, the body produces less ATP. This results in early fatigue.

For maximum effectiveness, individuals should perform aerobic exercises continuously for 15 minutes to an hour 3 to 5 times a week. Men and women over the age of 35 should get a medical examination before beginning aerobics.

PRINCIPLES OF ORGANISATIONAL SECTORS

Purpose is a common way of differentiating between types of organisations. Past study indicates that the evolution of societies as modern nation-Mates gives rise to institutions and organisations and established for three relatively distinct purposes;

1) to protect, secure and regulate the lives and actions of citizens; for example, to manage how society is defended as well as how it functions and progresses.

2) to make a livelihood and create and accumulate wealth, and accumulate wealth; and

3) to purse individual interests or tackle personal or social concerns which are separate from gaining a livelihood.

The first set of purpose typically belongs to governments, the second to brsiness and the market, and the third to the self-willed association of citizens. Organisational science uses a shorthand of first, second and third sectors as labels for these purposes.

The sectors themselves can be divided into whether the purpose they serve is private or public. The first sector is concerned with what is called the public realm, that is the common area allotting all citizens in which they have rights and obligations, both of which are enforced by government agencies. The second sector makes up the private realm of people's initiatives to survive and improve economically; the third makes up the private realm for the pursuit of recreational, spiritual, social, cultural, and other personal or collective interests.

The three-way spilt is confused by the fact that private organisations can play a similar role to government when they are established for public purpose. For example, rais occurs when a voluntary organisation is set up serve some common good- such as, helping the aged, or assisting people whose rights base been abided. In addition, establishing a business or a non-profit is an act of free will: society does not expect or require any one private organisation to exist or be around for ever: this is not the case with government. Choosing to gain social recognition by formal registration means accepting society's right to oversee that you do what you say you will. In other words, registration is accepting obligations of public accountability which society determines and regulates. An important division within third sector purposes, therefore, is whether the organisation is established to serve others or to benefit those within it.

This distinguishes between third-party public service providers and self-help or mutual-benefit organisations. The former delivers something to others, the latter is there for the benefit of its own members. A charity can be created to provide clean water to poor household (third parties) while an antateur football team or choir provides mutual benefit organisation affects how they work.

The size and content of the three sectors varies from country to country and each is usually distinguished and regulated by specific legislation. Relative size is primarily determined by the political ideology dominating society, or the regime in power, and is expressed through policy preferences, legislation, and public versus private investment choices. Two examples of different sectoral set-ups. The left hand side of the figure corresponds to a society which, like the USA, actively limits the role of government while encouraging private enterprise and voluntary initiative. Western Europe would probably exhibit a larger state sector, with other circles being of a more similar size. The right-hand side is more typical of societies where governments dominate; this is often the case in the countries of the South and East, such as Tanzania, Kazakstan and India, where an ideology of public ownership and central planning has made the state the primary force for economic and social development. It should come as no surprise that the intentions and funding conditions of the international aid system are designed to make the organisational pattern of countries of the South and East look more like those of the left.

Actually, there are many overlaps between each sector, which are important when understanding NGDOs today; these are explained below.

Know Thyself

In the last issue, we dealt with the question of importance of Human Life, which we have attained after countless births in various species. We will now deal with this subject, Who Am I?
Oh Seeker? Know thyself first. Without knowing one self, how can one claim that he knows the Supreme Lord?


'Know thyself', this is one of the first lessons that spiritual seekers receive when they start out on this path. All our Gurus, our realized masters, say the same thing. Our Vedas, the Koran, the Bible, and scriptures, stress the importance of knowing oneself. They say that we cannot have 'God-Realization' without 'Self Realization'. Once a person knows himself, then all other knowledge is easy. But what exactly do we mean by knowing oneself?
When we try to analyze the situation, we find that we kow ourselves the least. We are always engaged in knowing others, spending months and years studying external objects, trying to know more and more people and more about them. Even regarding ourselves, we spend several hours each day improving our body's external appearance. But how often do we look at the real I? We do not want to look inside ourselves- at our internal faults and blemishes. We do not want to face ourselves. So we spend all our time looking for faults in others, analyzing their actions, words, and emotions.


But how can we achieve this? How can we rise above the filthy mess that we have made of our lives? Who will show us the right path? Who will lead us to true happiness? The saints and sages of the past, the rishis of Vedas, and modern seekers of God have recognized this dilemma that we face. They have said that it is our spiritual power that gices us life, that gives us capacity to think. Without this spark of consciousness, we are just a lifeles collection of five elements. In our pursuit of non-essential things, we have forgotten the essential. The essential is what the sages and rihis cal our Self, our true Nature, our Atma. They urge us to understandj our nature, to nurture our spiritual power, and to awaken our consciousness.
Because of the illusion of Maya, we fail to recognise the truth. We have to remove the straw before our eyes to see the grandeur of the mountain, the Supreme Parmatma. Once we do this, we will see the immense power and limitless capabilities of our Atma. And since this life force is same in all living beings, we will realize our onemess with all things in the universe; man, animal, or plant. The one sure way to remove all difference of caste, creed, race, and religion is to recognise the one Supreme Power in all of us. By this realization, we will become a part of the Supreme Consciousness. Our petty problems and day to day miseries and worries will not get us down.


Then later on, you will search for your original home. How will you find it? As long as the soul does not find its true abode, it wonder aimlessly in this world.
In meditation, yogis sometimes come across the formless entity (Nirankar Brahma) and think that to be their final destination. Here they experience lasting peace but not eternal bliss. Our final destination is to merge with Sachidanand Parmatma, the home of eternal truth, consciousness and bliss. Until we do that we will wandering aimlessly from place to place, from birth to re-birth.

The way out from the world

In the last two issues of Chintan, we dealt with the subject of Maya - what it is; why was it created and what is its potential; how is it misleading us and guiding us to wrong avenues? Does it mean that we cannot do anything to fight this enemy within us and do we have to suffer its pangs helplessly?


Before we answer these questions, we have to deal with a few basic issues Why and how was this world created? How is it that we find ourselves here, surrounded and hypnotized by Maya? We all know that we were living happily in our eternal abode, with the lord Supreme. There was bliss all around. There was no defiviency of any kind. Why then did we leave our abode and come to this miserable world? The Lord wanted us to experience what it would be like when we are not in that environment - to show us the opposite side of the picture - where instead of bliss, you have misery, ignorance in place of knowledge and rampant falsehood against truth. you enjoy something more either when you have ceased to possess it or what you have obtained, turns out to be much below your expectations. Then and only then do you realize the value of the original object. This is exactly the idea the Lord Supreme had in His mind. He wants us to act in a particular manner, yet he does not want to convey the impression that He is behind this idea. On the contrary, He created an urge in our mind to see this world. He simultaneously warned us suitably and adequately but we insisted that we must experience this world for ourselves.


When we came here to this world, we soon realized what a terrible mistake we had made. How do we go back to the Lord and tell Him that we had madea mistake in our choice! Our ego came in the path of admission of the truth. That is the stage when the Lord felt that we had posibly learnt our lessons. The Lord asked us to refect deeply on our antecedents and our actions. Do we not very often, tell anyone, who is behaving arratically, to look at his family background and see whether his actions were in line with his lineage? The idea is to create a feeling of remorse in the mind of an individual. The Lord followed the same technique, to creat a proper impact on our mind. He further asked us to apply the following tests to our life.


The Lord wants us to examine our lives with a critical eye and see whether what we say, act and behave are in accordance with our true nature or are they moving in different directions. It is only when all of these move on the same wave length that we find that the mesages of the Lord Supreme reach us and awaken us to our true state of SAT, CHIT and ANAND. In fact, the whole religious philosophy moves around this concept. We evolved into human life after going through various stages. We have to so regulate our lives that we can ultimately go back to the Lord and tell Him that we have not forgotten Him, amidst all the temptations of the world. 'Admit us back to our Paramdham and bestow on us your grace, your love and your affection.' This has to be our prayer to Him. There is no reason why He will disappoint us.

Outward show is not religion

Some people try to project themselves as religious people; not that they are. They only pretend to be so to impress others. In reality, they are in no way close to being a religious person.

Their mind is not pure but they try to show to others that they are a realized soul. They may try their utmost but they can never be successful in their game plan. And mind it, you can never deceive your Creator. he observes each and every action of ours. You cannot reach Him by just showing that you are religious.
Lord can never be cheated. How so ever hard we may try, we can never be successful in our nefarious attempt. We can never get rid of evil tendencies by just projecting ourselves as a saintly person.
You may keep long hair - just as Sanyasis do or have your head and beard shaved or you may pull out your hair by hand - just as Jain sadhus do. What matters is not just what you do to your body. That is only for outward show to others. Nothing happens till you have purified your mind. Your word, thoughts and deed have all to be pure and noble. Only this matters.


Another set of people think that their purpose is well served if they build a Temple or a Church or a Morque or give charity to others. Not that, one should not contribute to these Institutions. What is implied is that that is not enough. One should not rest at that alone. Constant efforts must e made to raise oneself higher by continuing on the path of nobility by self support. You will notice that I have used the word 'Deserve' and not 'Need'. A large number of people need support but what we have to determine is whether their need is genuine or not. A man needs a few dollars to satisfy his need for a drink. That is not what one needs to support. There may be a child - a brilliant one who need money for continuing his studies. Here is a cause worthy of our support. One can easily distinguish between a right and a wrong cause and it becomes our moral duty to support a worthy cause. There may be a natural calamity like an earthquake or an epidemic and then it becomes our moral and social obligation to come to the rescue of such suffering community. But one need not make a big show to impress others of what we have done. Try even not to have a feeling that I have done something great. The feeling one should have is a feeling of a gratitude to the Lord that he has given us the opportunity and the means to serve other fellow beings in distress.


A lot of people know how to earn money but how many know how to make a proper use of it? We should seek guidance and inspiration in this direction from noble souls.

Music flows even if you do not play instruments

When your mind is fresh the whole existence becomes a melody. When you are fresh, freshness is everywhere and the whole existence responds.
Celebration is possible only when existence is always young. When nothing grows old, when nothing really dies because everything is constantly reborn, it becomes a dance. Then it is an inner music flowing. Whether you play an instrument or not is not the point, the music is flowing.


I have heard a story. It happened in Ajmer. You must have heard about a Sufi mystic, Moinuddin Chishti, whose dargah, whose tomb, is n Ajmer. Chishti was a great mystic, one of the greatest ever born, and he was a musician. To be a musician is to be against Islam because music is prohibited. He played on the sitar and on other istruments. He was a great musician and he enjoyed it. Five times every day, when a Muslim is required to pray the five ritual prayers, he wouldn't pray, he would simply play on his instrument. That was his prayer.
This was absolutely anti-religious but nobody could say anything to Chishti. Often people would come to tell him so and he would start singing, and the song would be so beautiful they would forget completely why they had come. He would start playing on his instrument and it would be so prayerful that even scholars, pandits and maulvis who had come to object, wouldn't object. Tehy would remember at home; when theywere back at home they would remember why they had come.
Chirthi's fame spread over the would. From every part of the would, people came. One man, Jilani, himself a great mystic, came from Baghdad just to see Chishti. When Chishti heard that Jilani was coming he felt, "To pay respect to Jilani it will not be cordial to play my instrument now. Because he is such an orthodox Muslim, it will not be a good welcome. He may feel hurt." So only for that day, in his whole life, he decided he would not play, he would not sing. He waited from morning and in the afternoon Jilani came. Chrshti had hidden his instruments.


When Jilani came and they both sat in silence, the instruemnts began to make music, the whole room was filled. Chishti became very puzzled over what to do. He had hiden them, and such music he had never known before. Jilani laughed and saidd, "Rules are not for you, you need not hide them. Rules are for ordinary people, rules are not for you, you should ot hide them. how can you hide your soul? Your hands may not play, you may not sing from your throat, but your whole being is musical. And this whole room is filled with so much music, with so many vibrations that now the whole room is playing by itself."


When your mind is fresh the whole existence becomes a melody. When you are fresh, freshness is everywhere and the whole existence responds. When you are young, not burdened by memory, everything is young, new and strange.