PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE ARE RELATED

September 19, 2019Edit

By Promod Puri

“The past is history, future is a mystery, but today is a gift……”, stay in the present and enjoy the moments. These are some of the many favored in-vogue quotes.

The favorite quotations or advisories suggest our prospects belong to the moments we live in. We are told to live, feel, and enjoy the era of the present, rather than being prisoner of the past or future.

But the now moments are related to past and present.

Past, present, and future are interlinked, and compliments to each other with indelible events, experiences, karmas, and imaginations. The act of managing the future involves gathering and distilling the right information from the archives of the past within the time span of the present.

The independence of “now” does not exist.

Understanding and embracing the “power of now” are in fact related to past and future moments. Any expression of the “now” moment like, “I am very happy and enjoying myself,” is compared to the past or future moments.

The comparison or contrast with past or future moments gives “now” its valuation.

Our past is an assortment of both joyous, rough, memorable, and learning experiences. Whereas, our future lies in the prospect of imagination.

Imagination is an inspiring concept which is very natural foresight in the life of an individual as well as the society we belong to. Civilizations have been created, nourished, and developed on our ability to contemplate about the future.

No doubt, anxieties, worries or concerns often become parts of our contemplation, but so do the dreams. In this package, destiny is created thru our forward-looking karmas of the present which influence our future. Progress comes by prospecting in the future.

Flights to the future with optimistic imaginations are the thrills and promises of the prospective unknown.

Prospecting is natural. It is a functional activity of our cognitive powers. Sighting the future is both a conscious and unconscious activity. We can’t stop it while realizing, dealing, or playing with the moments of the present.

In these moments, our moods also swing like a pendulum, moving back and forth, from past to future while creating new flashes for the present.

Sometimes, journeys to the past contribute to the pleasures of the present. Past is a treasure like an old photo album. It is an asset and a companion. Ask the person lying on a hospital bed for a long time. Or when a fatal blow to the past happens to a person with dementia. Moments of the present do not offer a “gift” here.

Moreover, for society, the past is not merely history, but it is a heritage as well. The identity of a society is based on its culture.

Past, present, and future are interlinked, and compliments to each other with indelible events, experiences, karmas, and imaginations. The act of managing the future involves gathering and distilling the right information from the archives of the past within the period of the present.

Time does not cover the innate past, or cause a pause to our imaginations for the future. It does not flow like a river. It does not fly either. Time rather spreads out. In this spread, past, present and future reside forever.

It is our mind which ferries us around for stopovers at our memories and spurs us to conceive our imaginations, as well as bringing us back to the present. And life’s journey continues while sailing through our past, present, and future.

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(Promod Puri is a journalist and writer. He is the author of “Hinduism Beyond Rituals, Customs, And Traditions”, a book which explores the rational, secular and progressive nature of Hinduism.)

A QUICK GLANCE AT HINDU HOLY BOOK BHAGAVAD GITA

September 16, 2019Edit

Bhagavad Gita is a question-answer dialogue between Lord Krishna and Prince Arjun. It is a compilation of Lord Krishna’s philosophical and practical teachings in response to Arjun’s questioning the intricacies, the confusions and the challenges in an individual’s life.

The entire episode is set in a war zone symbolizing that human life is a combat ground as well. Gita is a sacred, practical and eternal guide as to how to tackle evils and to seek a path of spirituality. It covers ethical and moral challenges in the battlefield of life.

Bhagavad means Bhagavan, the Supreme Being, or meaning ‘bhag’, the blessed one. Gita stands for ‘geet’ meaning song. The ‘t’ in Gita is pronounced with tongue straight rather than rolled back.

Divided into 18 chapters with 700 verses Gita encourages us to enter the field of righteousness or truth as a warrior without any second thoughts. Gita calls it ‘Dharam’ or holy duty.

The allegory is when Arjun is in confusion as well as in moral dilemma to be either a contributor to the upcoming bloodshed or get out of it. He questions the worth and the outcome of the fight for dharma.

This is where Lord Krishna, the guide to Arjun in the battlefield, makes his presentation. He introduces the doctrine of karma-yogi, meaning be a warrior in life, and perform the holy duty of fighting against evil.

The field of action is what life is all about. Be a karma yogi is considered to be the most known message of Bhagavad Gita. It involves faithfully and sincerely performing our duties and obligations without attachment to results.

In the following verse Lord Krishna says:

“To action alone hast thou a right and never at all to its fruits; let not the fruits of action be thy motive; neither let there be in thee any attachment to inaction fixed in yoga, do thy work, O Winner of wealth (Arjuna), abandoning attachment, with an even mind in success and failure, for evenness of mind is called yoga”.

Gita offers the ride to a karma yogi on the route of righteousness while facing evils. In other words, life is a struggle in the material world and a journey toward the spiritual destination.

In the spiritual itinerary Gita while advocating the necessity of action with detached expectation of its outcome, emphasizes on intellectual pursuits thru knowledge, discern between right and wrong, mastery of the mind, giving up lust, anger and greed, identifying the divine and demonic traits in human nature and follow a path of devotion to reach His abode. And that is what makes a person a complete karma yogi.

The long discourse by Lord Krishna in response to Arjun’s questioning and curiosity not only covers the simplistic lessons of being an active karma yogi to handle day to day business of life but the dialogue goes beyond to more deeper philosophies. It covers the material and spiritual subjects; creation, preservation, and destruction of the universe; the flight into the celestial worlds of His multi-facet universal form; life after death, and lot more.

(Excerpts from Hinduism Beyond Rituals, Customs, And Traditions)
https://progressivehindudialogue.com/cate…/book-on-hinduism/

EXCITING ELECTION STEAMING UP IN CANADA

September 13, 2019Edit

As the starting gun was fired for October 21 election campaign, the ruling Liberal Party and the opposition Conservative Party are running almost neck-to-neck with 34 and 35 percent support respectively, according to the latest poll.

Besides, this close-race pairing, another crucial dual emerging fast, is the 11 percent support for each of the New Democratic Party and the Green Party.

And then there is a new political sneaker this time representing the Far-Right burrows of Canada. The guy is the disgruntled former Conservative, Maxime Bernier, who launched the People’s Party last year. Currently, it is getting three percent approval, according to the poll.

The real race, which is traditional in Canadian power politics, has always been between the Liberal and the Conservative parties. And this time is no different. However, the difference in this election fray is the emergence of the Green Party.

The Green is creating a strong wind to shift the direction of Canadian politics. The party will share the stage with the New Democratic Party in the roles of being the kingmaker. After all, both the NDP and the Green ideologically sit together in the same political carousal. They ride on the environmental issues facing Canada and the world. The difference between the two is only of degree.

How the post-election game will play depends upon how much the supporting parties, i.e. the NDP and the Green, can extract from either of the Liberal or the Conservative to meet their poll promises and ideological commitments.

The post-election arena would be as much exciting as during the entire campaign period. In that excitement, all eyes will be on NDP leader Jagmeet Singh and the Green Party leader Elizabeth May as which side of the seesaw they will sit.

Promod Puri

SWING LIKE A PENDULUM TO CREATE A BETTER WORLD

September 10, 2019Edit

People with free mindset attitude swing like a pendulum. Passing through the Centre, they move to the social or political ideologies of the Left or Right but not committed to either of them.

The world will be a better place if more people join the pendulum instead of being fanatics of the Right or Left, which can restrict the perception of issues confronting us individually or by the society we live in.

-Promod Puri

FEATURING MOON IN THE HINDI FILMI SONGS

September 10, 2019Edit

While space scientists can continue their exploration of the moon and establish more communication links with the cool-light planet, I along with most of us of the Indian heritage were told in very early childhood that the guy up there in the sky is a close relative from the mother side. He was referred to as Chanda-mama, to be precise Chanda uncle.

In fact, as we were growing up, we were introduced to a very popular children magazine, I believe it is still around, called Chandamama. It was an easy read comic magazine dealing with ancient Indian folklore.

Moon has a very special spot in the Indian social and cultural scene as well as in the Hindu mythology. For the Indian film, industry moon is more than a shiny twilight dish.

For the poets, it is an object of love, witness to the loving relationship, beauty, imagination, a messenger between two lovers, etc., etc. The film Chaudivan Ka Chand immediately comes to my mind. Its theme song ‘Chaudivan Ka Chand ho ya aftab ho’ is still popular even after more than 50 years of film’s release.

And then there are many Hindi film songs where uncle Chand is prominently featured. “Dum bar jo audhar moon phere oh chanda, main tum se pyar kar loongi, Chalo dildar chalo chand ke paar chalo, Na yeh Chand hoga na taare rahenge magar hum hamesha tumhare rahenge, Chand phir nikla magar tum naa aaye, Khoya khoya Chand khula aasman, Chanda re mori patiyan le ja, patiyan le ja, sajan ko pahocha de re, Chand aahein bharega, phool dil tham lenge, Chanda re chanda re kabhi to zameen par aa baithenge baatein karenge.”

These are some of the oldies which come to my mind, but there are many more where the moon is the main character in the imaginative lines of Hindi film lyricists.

Well, one day when man can comfortably visit the moon, we can replay these songs up there to the delight of our Chanda-mama.

-Promod Puri

THAT SILENCE IS NEWS TOO:

September 8, 2019Edit

The unrest and protests in the Kashmir Valley over the abrogation of Article 370 have made it insignificant the overwhelming silence and calm in Ladakh, Kargil, Jammu, Kishtwar, Doda, Rajouri, Poonch, Udhampur and other regions of the vast state of Jammu and Kashmir.

The tranquil scene in these regions has a message in it. However, that message is insignificant. What is significant and newsworthy is the hostile and volatile atmosphere in the Kashmir region. But that is not new. The mindset bias is always inspired by what happens in the Valley.

Does not this silence matter in understanding the Kashmir Problem? It seems not.

Intellectuals, academics, journalists, Leftists, and others “progressive” communities in India and all over the world avoid considering this fact. Perhaps, that would unload them from the bandwagon.

A fair perception of the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir problem is the need before delving on the Kashmir problem and its related developments.

-Promod Puri

FEELING BORED?

September 8, 2019Edit

Boredom is a very commonly expressed feeling even in this age when we have 24-hour entertainment at our convenience. There is a stream of entertainment and information from our smartphones and social media in the company of self. But still, there are occasional experiences of boredom.

Why do we feel bored?

Generally, they say boredom occurs to those who have not developed any interest in any activity or hobby. Especially this is true when in the golden years of our lives. There are plenty of dull moments which defy time and move with their own speed.

An enjoyable activity helps to ward off boredom.

There are two faces of enjoyment. One is entertainment which is infused by the actions coming from the outside, like watching a movie or a game. The other is recreation when we feel the fun of being involved with the action, like playing a game of chess, cards, or any other activity of interest.

Late British philosopher and poet GK Chesterton wrote: “There is no such thing on earth as an uninteresting subject; the only thing that can exist is an uninterested person.”

Promod Puri