The Heretic: Martin Luther
This year is the 500 anniversary of the reformation that began when Martin Luther, a stubborn monk and a leader of protestant movement, published his 95 theses or complaints against Catholic Church. This marks the beginning of a revolution in the annals of Christianism. But the interesting thing about this book is that there are about 11 other books published in 2017. In addition, this biography is a graphical illustration and not a textual record. It is certainly creative, but the pictorial arts are unappealing. The graphics is poorly portrayed; much of life-like illustrations are dark or dark brown. In many instances the background is too dark to really appreciate the vibrancy of historical facts. The author fail to hold the reader’s interest. Comparing this book to textual biographies already published, this work comes short. Another con is that the pages of the book have a very unpleasant odor, and the smell simply does not go away.
While being born in poverty, plague, and superstitions, Martin Luther joins a monastery after graduating from the university. He becomes disillusioned with the practices of Catholic Church and seeks for redemption. Luther begins to revolt against Rome’s teachings. He spends his time incognito at Wartburg Castle, translates Bible into German, and finally his morally offensive marriage to former nun Katharina von Bora reflects negatively in the eyes of Catholic Church. In his later years, his tirades against peasants and Jews tarnishes his character. Despite that, one of the bright aspect of this book is the final chapter, “The Epilogue.” This is perhaps the best work of the creators wherein the a private conversation between Luther’s companion Philip Melanchthon and Luther’s crypt, and the a royal decree read by the Ferdinand I of Holy Roman Empire officially recognizing the protestant faith is creatively presented. Accordingly, each German prince is free to choose between the Catholic and Protestant faiths. And the prince’s religion becomes the exclusive faith of his kingdom.
Saturday, September 30, 2017
Friday, September 29, 2017
Book Reviewed: 50 Maestros, 50 Recordings by Amaan Ali Khan and Ayaan Ali Khan
Indian classical music and a book of cultural choice
In this edition, the authors have described the work of 50 classical musicians from India. The life and their work are very briefly described. The elucidation is rather sketchy and the work and recording information is incomplete. Many recordings have dominated the classical music world for decades and their work is available from numerous sources. But not all the recordings have been listed in this book.
These two Muslim authors were born to a Hindu mother. As always, in these relationships, children become Muslims on the belief that they are few steps closer to God as Muslims. Jihad works! And it is very much alive!
In this edition, the authors have described the work of 50 classical musicians from India. The life and their work are very briefly described. The elucidation is rather sketchy and the work and recording information is incomplete. Many recordings have dominated the classical music world for decades and their work is available from numerous sources. But not all the recordings have been listed in this book.
These two Muslim authors were born to a Hindu mother. As always, in these relationships, children become Muslims on the belief that they are few steps closer to God as Muslims. Jihad works! And it is very much alive!
Thursday, September 28, 2017
Book Reviewed: The Evolution of Gods: The Scientific Origin of Divinity and Religions, by Ajay Kansal
Essays on religion and related subjects
This book lacks focus. The author has no specific objective but runs amok through the ancient history of human beings, and dwells on subjects like anthropology, religion and human evolution. But he gets lost while defining the myth of human life. Civilization grew first and spirituality came long after humans learnt to survive in this world. The author has a spiritual awakening in his life but he cannot let his attention diffuse on numerous areas of human knowledge.
In the book, “Why I am not a Christian and other essays on religion.” Bertrand Russell says in his Preface that, “I am firmly convinced that religions do harm.” He questions about man’s place in the universe, and about morality, freedom, education, and sexual ethics in Abrahamic religions. He brings into discussion the same courage, scrupulous logic, and lofty wisdom for which his other philosophical work is famous for. There is no question that religions like Islam and Christianism distort of the origins of life in the cosmos. We think of God as merciful, just and compassionate. In fact, much of Old and New Testaments, Quran and Hadith lays out God’s qualities as: jealous, petty, unforgiving, bloodthirsty, and vindictive. There is no science and reason in religious arguments. We need to focus on metaphysical reasoning and understand quantum physical reality. We need to rejoice at the wonders of creation through the Hubble Telescope and particle accelerators like Large Hadron Colliders. And how consciousness fit in all this.
There are just too many books that discusses the human desire to connect with the God Almighty. And how established religions took hold of civilizations. The author would have done better job on focusing on just one topic.
This book lacks focus. The author has no specific objective but runs amok through the ancient history of human beings, and dwells on subjects like anthropology, religion and human evolution. But he gets lost while defining the myth of human life. Civilization grew first and spirituality came long after humans learnt to survive in this world. The author has a spiritual awakening in his life but he cannot let his attention diffuse on numerous areas of human knowledge.
In the book, “Why I am not a Christian and other essays on religion.” Bertrand Russell says in his Preface that, “I am firmly convinced that religions do harm.” He questions about man’s place in the universe, and about morality, freedom, education, and sexual ethics in Abrahamic religions. He brings into discussion the same courage, scrupulous logic, and lofty wisdom for which his other philosophical work is famous for. There is no question that religions like Islam and Christianism distort of the origins of life in the cosmos. We think of God as merciful, just and compassionate. In fact, much of Old and New Testaments, Quran and Hadith lays out God’s qualities as: jealous, petty, unforgiving, bloodthirsty, and vindictive. There is no science and reason in religious arguments. We need to focus on metaphysical reasoning and understand quantum physical reality. We need to rejoice at the wonders of creation through the Hubble Telescope and particle accelerators like Large Hadron Colliders. And how consciousness fit in all this.
There are just too many books that discusses the human desire to connect with the God Almighty. And how established religions took hold of civilizations. The author would have done better job on focusing on just one topic.
Book Reviewed: Gods, Demigods and Demons: An Encyclopedia of Greek Mythology, by Bernard Evslin
The treasures of Greek mythology
This book is introductory in nature that describes Greek gods, goddesses and heroes that have inspired human creativity in Western civilization. It delineates Greek myths and their relevance to Greek religion and nature worship, which was also prevalent in ancient Israel and ancient India. The gods and goddesses are described alphabetically and the myths include stories about the gods and the role they played in human emancipation.
Ancient Greek, Egypt and Roman religions had numerous gods and goddesses. They were worshipped similar to gods of Rigveda in ancient India. But these religions did not survive after the advent of Christianism because there were no sacred scriptures and religious literature that could have supported their beliefs and practices. In contrast to this, Ṛgveda evolved as a major sacred scripture of early Hinduism that paved the way for other Vedic literature like Aranyakas, Brahmanas, Upanishads, epics (Itihasa), Bhagavadgita, and Puranas. The six schools of Hindu Philosophy that includes Vedanta were built on strong foundations of Vedic literature. This partly explains the survival of Hinduism over Greek, Egyptian and Roman religions. In addition, the Roman Empire’s embrace of Christianism accelerated the dominance of Roman Catholic faith.
The Greek religion believed that the pantheon of deities lived on Mount Olympus, the highest mountain in Greece. From their perch, they ruled every aspect of human life. Olympian gods and goddesses looked like men and women, but they could change themselves into animals and other things. Homer’s epics of the Iliad and the Odyssey described the mythical story of Trojan War as a divine conflict as well as a human one. But he did not name the gods and goddesses who are probably his main characters. But about one hundred years later, Hesiod’s Theogony offered the first written origin story of Greek mythology. It said that the universe came from nothingness (Chaos, a primeval void) to being, and a family tree of elements, gods and goddesses evolved. They descended from all over; Gaia (Earth), Ouranos (Sky), Pontos (Sea) and Tartaros (the Underworld).
Serval gods of Greek and Roman religions bear resemblance to gods of Ṛgveda of Hinduism. They all have originated from a proto Indo-European inhabitants (Yamnaya culture). For example, god’s names had similar origin; Zeus (Greek) and Dyaus Pitar (Hindu); Hades (Greek), Yama (Hindu) and Yima (Persian mythology); Uranus (Greek) and Varuna (Hindu); Mars (Greek) and Maruts (Hindu); Daphne (Greek) Dahana (Hindu); and Paris (Greek) Panis (Hindu). Zeus (Greek), the king of gods is affirmed with thunder and lightning, the lightning bolt as his primary weapon. Similarly Vedic god Indra is king of the gods and heavens. One of his trademarks is the “Vajras” or lightning bolt, representing immense power and influence. Saraswati (Hindu goddess) is a “cosmic musician,” embodying perfection, knowledge, and wisdom, and Athena (Greek goddess) is very intelligent (Regula) and heroic. The Vedic trinity in ancient Hinduism was Indra, Varuna and Mitra, whose Greek counterparts were Zeus, Poseidon and Hades.
The supreme ruler of the Proto-Indo-European pantheon was the god *Dyḗus Pḥatḗr, whose name literally means "Sky Father". He was believed to have been worshipped as the god of the day-lit skies. Linguists reconstruct the names of some deities in the Proto-Indo-European language. The term for "God" was deiwos; this is reflected in Hittite as sius; Latin as Deus or divus; Sanskrit as deva; and Persian as daeva or div.
This is a good book for quick reference. But the author does not provide any illustrations, photographs, drawings or genealogical tables. In fact there is no introduction to this volume. Recommended to readers interested in ancient history, Greek history and Greek religion.
This book is introductory in nature that describes Greek gods, goddesses and heroes that have inspired human creativity in Western civilization. It delineates Greek myths and their relevance to Greek religion and nature worship, which was also prevalent in ancient Israel and ancient India. The gods and goddesses are described alphabetically and the myths include stories about the gods and the role they played in human emancipation.
Ancient Greek, Egypt and Roman religions had numerous gods and goddesses. They were worshipped similar to gods of Rigveda in ancient India. But these religions did not survive after the advent of Christianism because there were no sacred scriptures and religious literature that could have supported their beliefs and practices. In contrast to this, Ṛgveda evolved as a major sacred scripture of early Hinduism that paved the way for other Vedic literature like Aranyakas, Brahmanas, Upanishads, epics (Itihasa), Bhagavadgita, and Puranas. The six schools of Hindu Philosophy that includes Vedanta were built on strong foundations of Vedic literature. This partly explains the survival of Hinduism over Greek, Egyptian and Roman religions. In addition, the Roman Empire’s embrace of Christianism accelerated the dominance of Roman Catholic faith.
The Greek religion believed that the pantheon of deities lived on Mount Olympus, the highest mountain in Greece. From their perch, they ruled every aspect of human life. Olympian gods and goddesses looked like men and women, but they could change themselves into animals and other things. Homer’s epics of the Iliad and the Odyssey described the mythical story of Trojan War as a divine conflict as well as a human one. But he did not name the gods and goddesses who are probably his main characters. But about one hundred years later, Hesiod’s Theogony offered the first written origin story of Greek mythology. It said that the universe came from nothingness (Chaos, a primeval void) to being, and a family tree of elements, gods and goddesses evolved. They descended from all over; Gaia (Earth), Ouranos (Sky), Pontos (Sea) and Tartaros (the Underworld).
Serval gods of Greek and Roman religions bear resemblance to gods of Ṛgveda of Hinduism. They all have originated from a proto Indo-European inhabitants (Yamnaya culture). For example, god’s names had similar origin; Zeus (Greek) and Dyaus Pitar (Hindu); Hades (Greek), Yama (Hindu) and Yima (Persian mythology); Uranus (Greek) and Varuna (Hindu); Mars (Greek) and Maruts (Hindu); Daphne (Greek) Dahana (Hindu); and Paris (Greek) Panis (Hindu). Zeus (Greek), the king of gods is affirmed with thunder and lightning, the lightning bolt as his primary weapon. Similarly Vedic god Indra is king of the gods and heavens. One of his trademarks is the “Vajras” or lightning bolt, representing immense power and influence. Saraswati (Hindu goddess) is a “cosmic musician,” embodying perfection, knowledge, and wisdom, and Athena (Greek goddess) is very intelligent (Regula) and heroic. The Vedic trinity in ancient Hinduism was Indra, Varuna and Mitra, whose Greek counterparts were Zeus, Poseidon and Hades.
The supreme ruler of the Proto-Indo-European pantheon was the god *Dyḗus Pḥatḗr, whose name literally means "Sky Father". He was believed to have been worshipped as the god of the day-lit skies. Linguists reconstruct the names of some deities in the Proto-Indo-European language. The term for "God" was deiwos; this is reflected in Hittite as sius; Latin as Deus or divus; Sanskrit as deva; and Persian as daeva or div.
This is a good book for quick reference. But the author does not provide any illustrations, photographs, drawings or genealogical tables. In fact there is no introduction to this volume. Recommended to readers interested in ancient history, Greek history and Greek religion.
Friday, September 22, 2017
Book Reviewed: The Mystery of Israel in Ancient Egypt: The Exodus in the Quran by Louay Fatoohi and Shetha Al-Dargazelli
This book is in error
This book is in error! It is written by a couple of amateurs! These discussions are appropriate for Islamic schools in Muslim countries. It does not offer any intellectual material for helpful discussions that could be verified with countless academic work done in the field of ancient Hebrew literature and Biblical studies. The authors argue that Quran is based on historical facts, but Judaism and Christianism are not. How absurd such an idea sounds? One example is that authors try to prove that Quran reveals accurate facts about the Book of Exodus. The authors say that “this scholarship” on the “historical Jesus shows that, unlike the New Testament accounts, the Quranic image of Jesus is consistent…… with history.” “The Christian Jesus is unhistorical, this study makes a strong case for the historicity of the Jesus of the Quran.” Extensive historical records clearly demonstrates that Old Testament existed as early as tenth century B.C.E and the books of New Testament came after Jesus in the first century A.C.E. Islam came into existence in seventh century A.C.E. Much of Quranic discussion of Old Testament came from Hebrew literature, later modified and corrupted by Islamic instructors. The following examples serve to illustrate this point:
Quran 5:43. But why do they come to you for judgement when they have the Torah which contains Allah's commandments…….
Quran 5:44. Indeed we revealed the Torah to Moses, in which there is guidance and light: By its laws, all the Prophets, who were Muslims, judged those who call themselves Jews…….
Quran 2:55. Remember when you said: "O Moses! We shall never believe you until we see Allah with our own eyes," a thunderbolt struck you while you were looking on and you fell dead.
The authors also note that “Propaganda of believers of other faiths who saw Islam as a competing religion.” And “Western double standards have also played a major role in distorting Islam and jihad.” They suggest that Jihad is nonviolent and “Jihad is the person’s ongoing struggle against all manifestations of evil, starting with the evil drives within one’s self.” But evidence found in Quran and Hadith are contrary to these assertions. Actually, Quran contains at least 109 verses that speak of war with nonbelievers (non-Muslims). Some are quite graphic, with commands to chop off heads and fingers and kill infidels wherever they may be hiding. The following examples illustrate as how Islam treat non-believers like Jews and Christians:
Quran (2:191-193) - "And kill them wherever you find them, and turn them out from where they have turned you out. And Al-Fitnah [disbelief] is worse than killing.....
Quran 5:82. You will find the most violent in enmity to the Islamic believers are the Jews and the mushrikin (pagan Arabs)……..
Quran 4:160. Because of the wrongdoing of the Jews. We forbade them good things which were (before) made lawful unto them, and because of their much hindering from Allah's way,
Quran 5:63. Why do not the rabbis and the priests forbid their evil speaking and their devouring of illicit gain? Verily evil is their handiwork.
Quran 33:26. And those of the people of the Book (The Jews) who aided the invaders, Allah did take them down from their strongholds and cast terror into their hearts……
Quran 5:64. And the Jews say, "God's hand is shackled!" It is their own hands that are shackled; and rejected [by God] are they because of this their assertion……
Quran 5:51. O ye who believe! Take not the Jews and Christians for friends. They are friends one to another. He among you who taketh them for friends is (one) of them. Surely Allah does not guide the wrongdoers.
Quran 3:56. ….As to those who reject faith, I will punish them with terrible agony….
Quran 3:151 …..Soon shall we cast terror into the hearts of the unbelievers…….
Quran 4:74 ….Let those fight in the way of Allah who sell the life of this world for the other. Whoso fighteth in the way of Allah, be he slain or be he victorious, on him. We shall bestow a vast reward." In fact this is the theological basis for today's suicide bombers.
The “Hadith” is another set of Muslim literature that narrates the words and deeds of Muhammad. According to Hadith, Jihad is a religious duty of Muslims and it suggests that jihad means warfare. In fact that there is a chapter called "Fighting for the Cause of Allah (Jihad)". This book has no academic merits and written for an Islamic fundamentalist. A mainstream reader will not benefit from this book.
This book is in error! It is written by a couple of amateurs! These discussions are appropriate for Islamic schools in Muslim countries. It does not offer any intellectual material for helpful discussions that could be verified with countless academic work done in the field of ancient Hebrew literature and Biblical studies. The authors argue that Quran is based on historical facts, but Judaism and Christianism are not. How absurd such an idea sounds? One example is that authors try to prove that Quran reveals accurate facts about the Book of Exodus. The authors say that “this scholarship” on the “historical Jesus shows that, unlike the New Testament accounts, the Quranic image of Jesus is consistent…… with history.” “The Christian Jesus is unhistorical, this study makes a strong case for the historicity of the Jesus of the Quran.” Extensive historical records clearly demonstrates that Old Testament existed as early as tenth century B.C.E and the books of New Testament came after Jesus in the first century A.C.E. Islam came into existence in seventh century A.C.E. Much of Quranic discussion of Old Testament came from Hebrew literature, later modified and corrupted by Islamic instructors. The following examples serve to illustrate this point:
Quran 5:43. But why do they come to you for judgement when they have the Torah which contains Allah's commandments…….
Quran 5:44. Indeed we revealed the Torah to Moses, in which there is guidance and light: By its laws, all the Prophets, who were Muslims, judged those who call themselves Jews…….
Quran 2:55. Remember when you said: "O Moses! We shall never believe you until we see Allah with our own eyes," a thunderbolt struck you while you were looking on and you fell dead.
The authors also note that “Propaganda of believers of other faiths who saw Islam as a competing religion.” And “Western double standards have also played a major role in distorting Islam and jihad.” They suggest that Jihad is nonviolent and “Jihad is the person’s ongoing struggle against all manifestations of evil, starting with the evil drives within one’s self.” But evidence found in Quran and Hadith are contrary to these assertions. Actually, Quran contains at least 109 verses that speak of war with nonbelievers (non-Muslims). Some are quite graphic, with commands to chop off heads and fingers and kill infidels wherever they may be hiding. The following examples illustrate as how Islam treat non-believers like Jews and Christians:
Quran (2:191-193) - "And kill them wherever you find them, and turn them out from where they have turned you out. And Al-Fitnah [disbelief] is worse than killing.....
Quran 5:82. You will find the most violent in enmity to the Islamic believers are the Jews and the mushrikin (pagan Arabs)……..
Quran 4:160. Because of the wrongdoing of the Jews. We forbade them good things which were (before) made lawful unto them, and because of their much hindering from Allah's way,
Quran 5:63. Why do not the rabbis and the priests forbid their evil speaking and their devouring of illicit gain? Verily evil is their handiwork.
Quran 33:26. And those of the people of the Book (The Jews) who aided the invaders, Allah did take them down from their strongholds and cast terror into their hearts……
Quran 5:64. And the Jews say, "God's hand is shackled!" It is their own hands that are shackled; and rejected [by God] are they because of this their assertion……
Quran 5:51. O ye who believe! Take not the Jews and Christians for friends. They are friends one to another. He among you who taketh them for friends is (one) of them. Surely Allah does not guide the wrongdoers.
Quran 3:56. ….As to those who reject faith, I will punish them with terrible agony….
Quran 3:151 …..Soon shall we cast terror into the hearts of the unbelievers…….
Quran 4:74 ….Let those fight in the way of Allah who sell the life of this world for the other. Whoso fighteth in the way of Allah, be he slain or be he victorious, on him. We shall bestow a vast reward." In fact this is the theological basis for today's suicide bombers.
The “Hadith” is another set of Muslim literature that narrates the words and deeds of Muhammad. According to Hadith, Jihad is a religious duty of Muslims and it suggests that jihad means warfare. In fact that there is a chapter called "Fighting for the Cause of Allah (Jihad)". This book has no academic merits and written for an Islamic fundamentalist. A mainstream reader will not benefit from this book.
Thursday, September 21, 2017
Book Reviewed: Jubilee Bible - From the Scriptures of the Reformation by Russell M Stendal
A good computer resource for Biblical study
This is good resource to study Bible that has both Old and New Testaments. It is easy to navigate within the book using the standard Kindle book tools, and search for words, and phrases. You can also go directly to a specific verse within each book of the Bible. This text is a translation from Spanish into English by the author after a comparative study with the King James Version of Bible. The two translations looks similar. The search features make this eBook an outstanding Bible to study on computer.
For those who are interested in Biblical studies, there are numerous resources available online (internet). A simple Google search should give you web addresses of plenty of resources that includes translations, interpretations, commentaries, historical significance and many other relevant information.
A hymn of interest from Old Testament is the Book of Exodus 3:14. And God answered unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM. And he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the sons of Israel: I AM (YHWH) has sent me unto you. In this verse, Yahweh, the god of the Israelites, whose name was revealed to Moses as four Hebrew consonants (YHWH) is called the Tetragrammaton. After the Babylonian Exile (6th century B.C.E), Jews ceased to use the name Yahweh and replaced with Elohim, meaning God. For the regular synagogue usage the Hebrew word Adonai (“My Lord”) became common.
This is good resource to study Bible that has both Old and New Testaments. It is easy to navigate within the book using the standard Kindle book tools, and search for words, and phrases. You can also go directly to a specific verse within each book of the Bible. This text is a translation from Spanish into English by the author after a comparative study with the King James Version of Bible. The two translations looks similar. The search features make this eBook an outstanding Bible to study on computer.
For those who are interested in Biblical studies, there are numerous resources available online (internet). A simple Google search should give you web addresses of plenty of resources that includes translations, interpretations, commentaries, historical significance and many other relevant information.
A hymn of interest from Old Testament is the Book of Exodus 3:14. And God answered unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM. And he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the sons of Israel: I AM (YHWH) has sent me unto you. In this verse, Yahweh, the god of the Israelites, whose name was revealed to Moses as four Hebrew consonants (YHWH) is called the Tetragrammaton. After the Babylonian Exile (6th century B.C.E), Jews ceased to use the name Yahweh and replaced with Elohim, meaning God. For the regular synagogue usage the Hebrew word Adonai (“My Lord”) became common.
Wednesday, September 20, 2017
Book Reviewed: The Visions of Zechariah, by Brian Johnston
Faith and Belief in the Church of Jesus Christ
This is a call for the followers of Christian faith to relate to the visions of Prophet Zechariah in light of the ministry of Jesus Christ. The book of Zechariah begins recalling the history of Israel, and then follows with a series of eight visions (Zechariah 1:7–6:8). Chapter 9 to 14 has two "oracles" or "burdens," and the first oracle (chapters 9-11) gives an outline of God's providential dealings with his people down to the time of the coming of the Messiah (Old Testament). And the second oracle (chapters 12–14) points out the glories that await Israel in "the latter day", the final conflict and triumph of God's kingdom. The author and like many preachers of New Testament suggest that this refers to the coming of Jesus Christ. Zechariah’s vision, the author argues isn’t just about the restoration of the service of God’s house in the sixth century BC, during the days of Tabernacle in ancient Israel. But it symbolizes the good times which were to come after Christ’s Advent. It emphasize the vision of God on earth is designed to be a witness to His son’s coming. To that end it functions by the Spirit of God with God-given light, as said in the book of Revelation. There is gracious blessings of the Lord for Israel, and his own followers in the ministry of Jesus Christ. The text of this book could have come from a sermon delivered at the church by the author of this book.
This is a call for the followers of Christian faith to relate to the visions of Prophet Zechariah in light of the ministry of Jesus Christ. The book of Zechariah begins recalling the history of Israel, and then follows with a series of eight visions (Zechariah 1:7–6:8). Chapter 9 to 14 has two "oracles" or "burdens," and the first oracle (chapters 9-11) gives an outline of God's providential dealings with his people down to the time of the coming of the Messiah (Old Testament). And the second oracle (chapters 12–14) points out the glories that await Israel in "the latter day", the final conflict and triumph of God's kingdom. The author and like many preachers of New Testament suggest that this refers to the coming of Jesus Christ. Zechariah’s vision, the author argues isn’t just about the restoration of the service of God’s house in the sixth century BC, during the days of Tabernacle in ancient Israel. But it symbolizes the good times which were to come after Christ’s Advent. It emphasize the vision of God on earth is designed to be a witness to His son’s coming. To that end it functions by the Spirit of God with God-given light, as said in the book of Revelation. There is gracious blessings of the Lord for Israel, and his own followers in the ministry of Jesus Christ. The text of this book could have come from a sermon delivered at the church by the author of this book.
Tuesday, September 19, 2017
Book Reviewed: The Pagan Madonna, by Harold MacGrath.
Harold MacGrath’s intriguing novel
This novel was written in 1921, which is re-created in a digital format, by the bestselling American novelist Harold MacGrath. The Pagan Madonna is one of a number of novels and short stories he wrote, and some of his novels have made into movies during the Hollywood’s silent era. This story is set in Shanghai, China and narrates a story of a millionaire art collector Anthony Cleigh who cuts into the paths of Jane Norman, a Red Cross nurse from the United States, Ling Foo, a shifty pawn shop keeper, and Cleigh’s son, Dennison. The rational is simple; Jane buys a string of pearls unknowingly that it is a precious piece of antique and has huge monetary value. Cleigh schemes to abduct her and retrieve the merchandize. This intrigue over a personal ornament turns the lives of four people upside-down by Chance--the Blind Madonna of the Pagan. In this adventurous story, would you give a chance for love between Jane and Dennison? Or will it be lost like so many others into thin air?
The last few pages turn into a sentimental breakup for Jane and Denny. The conversation becomes very collected, self-possessed, serene, and tranquil. The relationship ends in a grand finale; Denny gives jewelry box to Jane and asks her to open it. Between the layers of cotton wool she finds a single pearl as large as a hazelnut, pink as the Oriental dawn. One side it is slightly depressed, as though some mischievous, inquisitive mermaid had touched it in passing. “Oh, the lovely thing!” she gasps. “The lovely thing! But, Denny, I can’t accept it!” “And how are you going to refuse it? Keep it. “It is an emblem of what you are, honey.” The poor devil! And he put his arm round her. He understood. Why not? There are certain attractions which are irresistible, and Jane was unconscious of her possessions. Jane tells him, I am “leaving to-night. Bought a sloop down there, and I’m going back there to live. Tired of human beings. Tired of myself.” The lagoon is like turquoise and the land like emerald and the sky a benediction. There was a spell of silence and immobility. Denny couldn’t believe her; for Jane a little shiver ran over her. But that is the way it is going to roll down. She was determined. It is an irresistible thought for Jane who needs time to contemplate on her own, far away. But it is also a reminder of a soul lost in a purely material world searching for inner-peace.
A movie with the same title “The Pagan Madonna” was produced in 1980 by the Hungarian Director Bujtor István that also deals with similar intrigue, theft, conspiracy and collusion. Recommended to readers interested in historical fictions and the work of Harold MacGrath.
This novel was written in 1921, which is re-created in a digital format, by the bestselling American novelist Harold MacGrath. The Pagan Madonna is one of a number of novels and short stories he wrote, and some of his novels have made into movies during the Hollywood’s silent era. This story is set in Shanghai, China and narrates a story of a millionaire art collector Anthony Cleigh who cuts into the paths of Jane Norman, a Red Cross nurse from the United States, Ling Foo, a shifty pawn shop keeper, and Cleigh’s son, Dennison. The rational is simple; Jane buys a string of pearls unknowingly that it is a precious piece of antique and has huge monetary value. Cleigh schemes to abduct her and retrieve the merchandize. This intrigue over a personal ornament turns the lives of four people upside-down by Chance--the Blind Madonna of the Pagan. In this adventurous story, would you give a chance for love between Jane and Dennison? Or will it be lost like so many others into thin air?
The last few pages turn into a sentimental breakup for Jane and Denny. The conversation becomes very collected, self-possessed, serene, and tranquil. The relationship ends in a grand finale; Denny gives jewelry box to Jane and asks her to open it. Between the layers of cotton wool she finds a single pearl as large as a hazelnut, pink as the Oriental dawn. One side it is slightly depressed, as though some mischievous, inquisitive mermaid had touched it in passing. “Oh, the lovely thing!” she gasps. “The lovely thing! But, Denny, I can’t accept it!” “And how are you going to refuse it? Keep it. “It is an emblem of what you are, honey.” The poor devil! And he put his arm round her. He understood. Why not? There are certain attractions which are irresistible, and Jane was unconscious of her possessions. Jane tells him, I am “leaving to-night. Bought a sloop down there, and I’m going back there to live. Tired of human beings. Tired of myself.” The lagoon is like turquoise and the land like emerald and the sky a benediction. There was a spell of silence and immobility. Denny couldn’t believe her; for Jane a little shiver ran over her. But that is the way it is going to roll down. She was determined. It is an irresistible thought for Jane who needs time to contemplate on her own, far away. But it is also a reminder of a soul lost in a purely material world searching for inner-peace.
A movie with the same title “The Pagan Madonna” was produced in 1980 by the Hungarian Director Bujtor István that also deals with similar intrigue, theft, conspiracy and collusion. Recommended to readers interested in historical fictions and the work of Harold MacGrath.
Book Reviewed: Brahmi script on Indus civilization coins, by Birendra Jha
The unicorn and the Brahmi script
In this book, largely based on two ancient seals with Brahmi inscriptions and a unicorn, the author attempts to explain an Indian culture may bear resemblance to an early Indian inhabitants in the ancient city of Babylon (Iraq). The unicorn was first found among ancient seals of the Indus Valley Civilization. Later is mentioned in ancient Greek literature. Prior to this it may have existed in early Mesopotamian artworks. But seals with a unicorn and Brahmi script were of high social rank or perhaps of a priest or a king in ancient India.
Certain poetical passages of the Bible refer to a strong and splendid horned animal called reʾem. This word was translated as “unicorn” or “rhinoceros” in many versions of the Bible, but many modern translations prefer “wild ox” (aurochs), which is the correct meaning of the Hebrew reʾem. As a biblical animal, the unicorn was interpreted allegorically in the early Christian church. One of the earliest such interpretations appears in the ancient Greek bestiary known as the Physiologus, which states that the unicorn is a strong, fierce animal that can be caught only if a virgin maiden approaches it. Then the unicorn leaps into the virgin’s lap, and she suckles it and leads it to the king’s palace, thus capturing the animal. Medieval writers thus likened the unicorn to Christ, who raised up a horn of salvation for mankind and dwelt in the womb of the Virgin Mary.
The theory advanced by the author is a little far-fetched and the evidence is feeble. And the Brahmi script, the writing system ancestral to all Indian scripts except Kharoṣṭhī may be of Aramaic inspiration that can be traced only to the 8th or 7th century B.C.E. long after Indus Valley Civilization. It may have been introduced to Indian merchants by people of Semitic origin. The author must study more archaeological artifacts and provide explanations backed by the historical findings.
In this book, largely based on two ancient seals with Brahmi inscriptions and a unicorn, the author attempts to explain an Indian culture may bear resemblance to an early Indian inhabitants in the ancient city of Babylon (Iraq). The unicorn was first found among ancient seals of the Indus Valley Civilization. Later is mentioned in ancient Greek literature. Prior to this it may have existed in early Mesopotamian artworks. But seals with a unicorn and Brahmi script were of high social rank or perhaps of a priest or a king in ancient India.
Certain poetical passages of the Bible refer to a strong and splendid horned animal called reʾem. This word was translated as “unicorn” or “rhinoceros” in many versions of the Bible, but many modern translations prefer “wild ox” (aurochs), which is the correct meaning of the Hebrew reʾem. As a biblical animal, the unicorn was interpreted allegorically in the early Christian church. One of the earliest such interpretations appears in the ancient Greek bestiary known as the Physiologus, which states that the unicorn is a strong, fierce animal that can be caught only if a virgin maiden approaches it. Then the unicorn leaps into the virgin’s lap, and she suckles it and leads it to the king’s palace, thus capturing the animal. Medieval writers thus likened the unicorn to Christ, who raised up a horn of salvation for mankind and dwelt in the womb of the Virgin Mary.
The theory advanced by the author is a little far-fetched and the evidence is feeble. And the Brahmi script, the writing system ancestral to all Indian scripts except Kharoṣṭhī may be of Aramaic inspiration that can be traced only to the 8th or 7th century B.C.E. long after Indus Valley Civilization. It may have been introduced to Indian merchants by people of Semitic origin. The author must study more archaeological artifacts and provide explanations backed by the historical findings.
Thursday, September 14, 2017
Book Reviewed: Hindu Philosophy by Theos Bernard
The Hindu thought and the nature of physical reality
Since civilization dawned on humans, they looked up at the sky and always puzzled as to what could be there in that vast space. The idea also lurked in their minds slowly and steadily as to the nature of force behind the diversity and creation. Why are we all here? And what is reason behind human existence? Spiritual and philosophical thoughts crossed human minds at various levels and these ideas evolved slowly but steadily into sophisticated form of reasoning.
The earliest metaphysical thought emerged from the early Upanishads, dating back to 9th century B.C.E. The Vedic sages and preceptors built Hindu Philosophy based on the teachings of Vedas and Upanishads. They are called the Astika (orthodox) philosophical traditions. There are six schools of metaphysical systems, and they are, Samkhya Philosophy, Yoga Philosophy, Nyaya Philosophy, Vaiseshika Philosophy, Mimamsa Philosophy and the Vedanta Philosophy. The Buddhist and Jain philosophical schools also evolved in ancient India independently of Hindu scriptures.
Hindu philosophy also includes several sub-schools of theistic philosophies (focused on devotion to God) that integrate ideas from two or more of the six orthodox philosophies, such as the realism of the Nyaya School, the naturalism of the Vaiseṣika School, the dualism of the Samkhya Philosophy, the Oneness of School of Vedanta; and self-discipline of Yoga School and asceticism.
Hindu philosophy covers an exhaustive amount of material, but the author has summarized this in about 200 pages. The metaphysical concepts has not been described fully and accurately in this book. I recommend the readers interested in the wisdom of ancient Indian philosophy to numerous online resources available at Wikipedia, HinduWebsite.com, Encyclopedia Britannica, Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy @Iep.UTM.Edu, and Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. The published books such as “A history of Indian Philosophy, by S. Dasgupta, and Indian Philosophy by S. Radhakrishnan could be of some assistance in familiarizing the underlying principles.
Since civilization dawned on humans, they looked up at the sky and always puzzled as to what could be there in that vast space. The idea also lurked in their minds slowly and steadily as to the nature of force behind the diversity and creation. Why are we all here? And what is reason behind human existence? Spiritual and philosophical thoughts crossed human minds at various levels and these ideas evolved slowly but steadily into sophisticated form of reasoning.
The earliest metaphysical thought emerged from the early Upanishads, dating back to 9th century B.C.E. The Vedic sages and preceptors built Hindu Philosophy based on the teachings of Vedas and Upanishads. They are called the Astika (orthodox) philosophical traditions. There are six schools of metaphysical systems, and they are, Samkhya Philosophy, Yoga Philosophy, Nyaya Philosophy, Vaiseshika Philosophy, Mimamsa Philosophy and the Vedanta Philosophy. The Buddhist and Jain philosophical schools also evolved in ancient India independently of Hindu scriptures.
Hindu philosophy also includes several sub-schools of theistic philosophies (focused on devotion to God) that integrate ideas from two or more of the six orthodox philosophies, such as the realism of the Nyaya School, the naturalism of the Vaiseṣika School, the dualism of the Samkhya Philosophy, the Oneness of School of Vedanta; and self-discipline of Yoga School and asceticism.
Hindu philosophy covers an exhaustive amount of material, but the author has summarized this in about 200 pages. The metaphysical concepts has not been described fully and accurately in this book. I recommend the readers interested in the wisdom of ancient Indian philosophy to numerous online resources available at Wikipedia, HinduWebsite.com, Encyclopedia Britannica, Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy @Iep.UTM.Edu, and Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. The published books such as “A history of Indian Philosophy, by S. Dasgupta, and Indian Philosophy by S. Radhakrishnan could be of some assistance in familiarizing the underlying principles.
Wednesday, September 13, 2017
Book Reviewed: Beacon Lights of History, Volume 1 the Old Pagan Civilizations by John Lord
A brief review of ancient religions and its impact on culture
This book was first published in 1888 and it is republished now as an eBook by Amazon Kindle. This is a series book with 11 volumes, and this book focuses on ancient religions of Egypt, Greece, India, Persia, Rome, China, Japan and other Middle Eastern religions before Christianism was born. This is an introductory book and it tries to cover much material. A lot of research has been done since this book was last published and our understanding of ancient religions have grown significantly. Nevertheless, reviewing this book, I find that the author has done a reasonably good job in researching the literature.
A brief summary is as follows: The ancient religions of India (ancient Hinduism), Egypt, Greece, Persia, Rome and Israel worshiped the powers of nature; the sun, the moon, the planets, the air, the storm, light, fire, the clouds, the rivers, the lightning, all of which were supposed to exercise a mysterious influence over human destiny. There was a sense of almighty over all that could be seen or known. Ancient Indians, Egyptians and Greeks made them divinities.
The Egyptian polytheism was complex and even contradictory. There were seventy-three principal divinities, and hundreds of lesser gods, discharging peculiar functions and presiding over different localities. Every town had its guardian deity to whom prayers or sacrifices were offered by the priests. Embracing the worship of animals was like knowing the powers of nature. They believed in the transmigration of souls, and a sacerdotalism which carried ritualistic ceremonies with the exaltation of the priesthood. Egypt did not have sacred books. Our knowledge is mostly confined to monuments, on which the names of their deities are inscribed, the animals which they worshipped, symbolic of the powers of nature, and the kings and priests who officiated in religious ceremonies. The Assyrian, Babylonian, and Phoenician religions were also polytheistic. The settlers of Canaan (current Palestine) were the pre-Israelite inhabitants called themselves Phoenicians. The descendants of them gave people of Israel, returning from Egypt, the early thoughts of god, religion and spirituality. For Phoenicians, the chief deity was called Bel, or Baal, meaning "Lord," the epithet of the one divine being who rules the world, or the Lord of heaven. In recent years these deities are in much news since the ancient temples of these gods in ancient Palmyra region of Syria was destroyed by Islamic terror group, ISIS.
The most distinguishing feature in the worship of all the gods of antiquity, whether among Egyptians, or Indians, or Assyrians, or Babylonians, or Phoenicians, or Greeks, or Romans is that of oblations and sacrifices. These oblations and sacrifices were sometimes offered to the deity, whatever his form or name, as an expiation for sin; sometimes to obtain divine favor, as in military expeditions, or to secure any object dearest to the heart, such as health, prosperity, or peace; sometimes to propitiate the deity in order to avert natural catastrophe. Fire, heat and light were Anima mundi (The world soul), an intrinsic connection between all living things on the planet, which relates to our world in much the same way as the soul is connected to the human body. In Egypt, Osiris, the principal deity, was a form of Ra, the sun-god. In Assyria, Asshur, the substitute for Ra, was the supreme deity. In ancient India, Mitra, in Persia Mithra, the sun-god was the prominent deity, as Helios was among the Greeks, and Phoebus Apollo among the Romans. The sun was held one of the highest places in ancient religions.
It is probable that the religion of the common progenitors of the Hindus, Hebrews, Greeks, Romans, Persians, Assyrians, Babylonians, and Phoenicians were the same. The Indus civilization flourished for half a millennium from about 2600 BCE to 1900 BCE. Then it mysteriously declined and vanished from view. Unlike ancient Egyptians, ancient Indians did not keep a historical record of their community, culture and their government. Much of it came from Vedic scriptures such as Ṛgveda, but it said very little about the civilization in the cities of Harappa and Mohenjo Daro of Indus Valley. The origins of Vedic population of India, Persians and Europeans is linked by the genetic archeology, paleo-biological studies and the science of Indo-European languages. Linguistics, phonetics, morphology, semantics and syntax of diverse languages such as Sanskrit, Greek, Latin, Italian, Spanish, German, English, French, and Russian is traced to one parent language called “Indo-European language.” This originated with the inhabitants called “Yamnaya” of the grasslands north of the Black and Caspian Seas in Central Asia, according to the “Steppe hypothesis.” At about 5,500 years ago, this region was occupied by the Yamnaya culture who were farmers and cattle herders. A section of the population migrated east towards Persia and Indus valley of India and they had their own language, Sanskrit and Persian respectively. Later, around 4,500 years ago, the rest of Yamnaya nomads blazed a trail westwards into Europe from their pastoral homes in central Asia. The European languages thus originated from them.
Recently, archaeologists have unearthed a 6,000-year-old temple in the city of Nebelivka in Ukraine that shows the existence of an ancient religion with complex sacrificial practices. This prehistoric place of worship was found to contain raised clay altars with burnt lamb bones in the temple. The temple also had human-like figurines shedding light on practices within a huge prehistoric settlement. It was at the heart of a village with 1,200 buildings and 50 streets which gives a credence that nature worship and sacrificial practices were widely prevalent in the Yamnaya culture. And they took these beliefs and the language when they migrated to Persia, India, Greece, Rome and other parts of Middle East and Europe. These practices reflect on the belief system of ancient pastoralists. One possible explanation is that they were looking into spiritual side of life, and perhaps trying to find a connection between humans and the nature (and its creative force and energy.) This book is recommended to readers interested in the history of ancient religions.
This book was first published in 1888 and it is republished now as an eBook by Amazon Kindle. This is a series book with 11 volumes, and this book focuses on ancient religions of Egypt, Greece, India, Persia, Rome, China, Japan and other Middle Eastern religions before Christianism was born. This is an introductory book and it tries to cover much material. A lot of research has been done since this book was last published and our understanding of ancient religions have grown significantly. Nevertheless, reviewing this book, I find that the author has done a reasonably good job in researching the literature.
A brief summary is as follows: The ancient religions of India (ancient Hinduism), Egypt, Greece, Persia, Rome and Israel worshiped the powers of nature; the sun, the moon, the planets, the air, the storm, light, fire, the clouds, the rivers, the lightning, all of which were supposed to exercise a mysterious influence over human destiny. There was a sense of almighty over all that could be seen or known. Ancient Indians, Egyptians and Greeks made them divinities.
The Egyptian polytheism was complex and even contradictory. There were seventy-three principal divinities, and hundreds of lesser gods, discharging peculiar functions and presiding over different localities. Every town had its guardian deity to whom prayers or sacrifices were offered by the priests. Embracing the worship of animals was like knowing the powers of nature. They believed in the transmigration of souls, and a sacerdotalism which carried ritualistic ceremonies with the exaltation of the priesthood. Egypt did not have sacred books. Our knowledge is mostly confined to monuments, on which the names of their deities are inscribed, the animals which they worshipped, symbolic of the powers of nature, and the kings and priests who officiated in religious ceremonies. The Assyrian, Babylonian, and Phoenician religions were also polytheistic. The settlers of Canaan (current Palestine) were the pre-Israelite inhabitants called themselves Phoenicians. The descendants of them gave people of Israel, returning from Egypt, the early thoughts of god, religion and spirituality. For Phoenicians, the chief deity was called Bel, or Baal, meaning "Lord," the epithet of the one divine being who rules the world, or the Lord of heaven. In recent years these deities are in much news since the ancient temples of these gods in ancient Palmyra region of Syria was destroyed by Islamic terror group, ISIS.
The most distinguishing feature in the worship of all the gods of antiquity, whether among Egyptians, or Indians, or Assyrians, or Babylonians, or Phoenicians, or Greeks, or Romans is that of oblations and sacrifices. These oblations and sacrifices were sometimes offered to the deity, whatever his form or name, as an expiation for sin; sometimes to obtain divine favor, as in military expeditions, or to secure any object dearest to the heart, such as health, prosperity, or peace; sometimes to propitiate the deity in order to avert natural catastrophe. Fire, heat and light were Anima mundi (The world soul), an intrinsic connection between all living things on the planet, which relates to our world in much the same way as the soul is connected to the human body. In Egypt, Osiris, the principal deity, was a form of Ra, the sun-god. In Assyria, Asshur, the substitute for Ra, was the supreme deity. In ancient India, Mitra, in Persia Mithra, the sun-god was the prominent deity, as Helios was among the Greeks, and Phoebus Apollo among the Romans. The sun was held one of the highest places in ancient religions.
It is probable that the religion of the common progenitors of the Hindus, Hebrews, Greeks, Romans, Persians, Assyrians, Babylonians, and Phoenicians were the same. The Indus civilization flourished for half a millennium from about 2600 BCE to 1900 BCE. Then it mysteriously declined and vanished from view. Unlike ancient Egyptians, ancient Indians did not keep a historical record of their community, culture and their government. Much of it came from Vedic scriptures such as Ṛgveda, but it said very little about the civilization in the cities of Harappa and Mohenjo Daro of Indus Valley. The origins of Vedic population of India, Persians and Europeans is linked by the genetic archeology, paleo-biological studies and the science of Indo-European languages. Linguistics, phonetics, morphology, semantics and syntax of diverse languages such as Sanskrit, Greek, Latin, Italian, Spanish, German, English, French, and Russian is traced to one parent language called “Indo-European language.” This originated with the inhabitants called “Yamnaya” of the grasslands north of the Black and Caspian Seas in Central Asia, according to the “Steppe hypothesis.” At about 5,500 years ago, this region was occupied by the Yamnaya culture who were farmers and cattle herders. A section of the population migrated east towards Persia and Indus valley of India and they had their own language, Sanskrit and Persian respectively. Later, around 4,500 years ago, the rest of Yamnaya nomads blazed a trail westwards into Europe from their pastoral homes in central Asia. The European languages thus originated from them.
Recently, archaeologists have unearthed a 6,000-year-old temple in the city of Nebelivka in Ukraine that shows the existence of an ancient religion with complex sacrificial practices. This prehistoric place of worship was found to contain raised clay altars with burnt lamb bones in the temple. The temple also had human-like figurines shedding light on practices within a huge prehistoric settlement. It was at the heart of a village with 1,200 buildings and 50 streets which gives a credence that nature worship and sacrificial practices were widely prevalent in the Yamnaya culture. And they took these beliefs and the language when they migrated to Persia, India, Greece, Rome and other parts of Middle East and Europe. These practices reflect on the belief system of ancient pastoralists. One possible explanation is that they were looking into spiritual side of life, and perhaps trying to find a connection between humans and the nature (and its creative force and energy.) This book is recommended to readers interested in the history of ancient religions.
Tuesday, September 12, 2017
Book Reviewed: What Happened by Hillary Clinton
What went wrong for Hillary in 2016 presidential run?
Hillary blames everyone but herself for her failed 2016 run against Donald Trump. Senator Bernie Sanders is on the top of her blame game. On The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Senator Sanders gave the best comment on Hillary’s new book. “Secretary Clinton ran against the most unpopular candidate in the history of this country and she lost. She’s upset about it. I understand that.” “But our job is not to go backward. ... I think it’s a little bit silly to keep talking about 2016.” That is the best review anyone can give on a very bad political analysis. In fact she never blames her close friend, Muslima Huma Abedin. Many moderate voters (“progressives”) were too afraid of Abedin’s influence in the White House, which could have had detrimental effect on issues such as Israel, the Middle East, Muslim policies and promoting sharia laws in this country. It is a fallacy to blame others. The “progressives” were driven out of the party because of her close relationships with Wall Street millionaires, and her email scandals. A recent poll showed that Hillary Clinton may have broken the laws of this country with regards to emails. Just in today, that a Maryland county judge has ordered the state bar to investigate three lawyers accused of deleting thousands of Hillary Clinton's emails.
Sanders energized progressive movement in this country and grassroots activism is much stronger than ever been. Young people began to vote for the first time, and became very vocal and highly engaged in the political process. That is something Sanders should be very proud of. He is a true reformer. Hillary Clinton was unpopular, because she was dishonest and opportunistic. Many moderate voters found Donald Trump is more trustworthy, and his messages were well received. The Clinton Foundation, a nonprofit “global philanthropic empire” was nothing but a criminal enterprise, observed one FBI official. FBI Director James Comey’s interventions on the subject of her emails helped her from criminal inquiry and did not hurt her as she claims in this book.
People are tired of hearing about Clinton family, especially from Hillary after her embarrassing defeat. In a recent Morning Consult poll, 39 percent of 2,000 respondents said Hillary Clinton should cease all influence on the Democratic Party. That would be the best thing that could ever happen to America.
Hillary blames everyone but herself for her failed 2016 run against Donald Trump. Senator Bernie Sanders is on the top of her blame game. On The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Senator Sanders gave the best comment on Hillary’s new book. “Secretary Clinton ran against the most unpopular candidate in the history of this country and she lost. She’s upset about it. I understand that.” “But our job is not to go backward. ... I think it’s a little bit silly to keep talking about 2016.” That is the best review anyone can give on a very bad political analysis. In fact she never blames her close friend, Muslima Huma Abedin. Many moderate voters (“progressives”) were too afraid of Abedin’s influence in the White House, which could have had detrimental effect on issues such as Israel, the Middle East, Muslim policies and promoting sharia laws in this country. It is a fallacy to blame others. The “progressives” were driven out of the party because of her close relationships with Wall Street millionaires, and her email scandals. A recent poll showed that Hillary Clinton may have broken the laws of this country with regards to emails. Just in today, that a Maryland county judge has ordered the state bar to investigate three lawyers accused of deleting thousands of Hillary Clinton's emails.
Sanders energized progressive movement in this country and grassroots activism is much stronger than ever been. Young people began to vote for the first time, and became very vocal and highly engaged in the political process. That is something Sanders should be very proud of. He is a true reformer. Hillary Clinton was unpopular, because she was dishonest and opportunistic. Many moderate voters found Donald Trump is more trustworthy, and his messages were well received. The Clinton Foundation, a nonprofit “global philanthropic empire” was nothing but a criminal enterprise, observed one FBI official. FBI Director James Comey’s interventions on the subject of her emails helped her from criminal inquiry and did not hurt her as she claims in this book.
People are tired of hearing about Clinton family, especially from Hillary after her embarrassing defeat. In a recent Morning Consult poll, 39 percent of 2,000 respondents said Hillary Clinton should cease all influence on the Democratic Party. That would be the best thing that could ever happen to America.
Thursday, September 7, 2017
Book Reviewed: Advaita Vedanta by Eliot Deutsch
The wisdom of Hindu Philosophy: School of Advaita Vedanta
Advaita (no twoness) is a non-dualistic system of Vedanta expounded largely by Adi Shankara, although this concept was first proposed by sages like Yajñavalkya, Uddalaka, and Bādarāyaņa. The substance of this system of thought is that the physical reality that describes the universe with living entities, matter and energy, and cosmic structures is due to One Supreme Consciousness pervading the universe. It is referred to as Brahman. Brahman has no attributes, but it is an entity that encompasses omniscience (infinite knowledge), omnipotence (unlimited power), omnipresence (present everywhere), Omni benevolence (perfect goodness), immutable, divine simplicity, and eternal existence. Brahman exists in spaceless and timeless dimension in an unchanging reality amidst and beyond the realm of the universe. These qualities are personal and impersonal; variously referred to as God or the Supreme Lord in Hinduism. (One God is worshipped in various forms such as Krishna, Vishnu, Rama, Hari, Shiva, Brahma, Shakti, Kali, etc.) The Pure Consciousness, the Brahman transcend all possible laws of physics, all dimensions and all physical realities in an infinite space that may have multiverse. That is the True Reality. There is no room for dualistic thought, such as God and living-beings having separate existence; or God and material world are two different things. There is no separate subject and object; there is no me and Almighty God; there is no you and Almighty God. There is Oneness. Brahman as a transcendental entity in a spiritual domain that defies all humanly description or characterization. As sage Yajnavalkya observed that “there is no other or better description (of Brahman) than “not this, not this” (neti neti).
Eliot Deutsch is an eminent scholar of Vedanta and spent his lifetime teaching and researching in the field of Hindu Philosophy. Advaita is widely regarded as the pinnacle of wisdom among Hindu philosophers in post-Vedic India. It is a metaphysical system that explains physical reality in the most profound form. It is an unflinching theory and a focused system of thought that has intellectual depth and great insight that comes close to the reality reasoned within the laws of quantum physics. Erwin Schrodinger, the father of wave mechanics was a life-long Vedantin (Advaitin) according to his biographer, Walter J. Moore. Schrodinger showed the wave-particle duality of matter at its most fundamental existence. All quantum states theoretically calculated for a particle exist in spacetime until an experimental observation collapses them into one particular state. Before measurements, the particle (wave) can exists at virtually anywhere in the universe; it could be at two places at the same time. This wholesomeness of quantum reality and existence is inherent in nature.
A brief summary of this book is as follows: The world has no separate existence apart from Brahman. The experiencing self (jīva) and the transcendental self of the Universe (ātman) are in reality identical (Oneness in Brahman). Although the individual self seems different from Brahman, like space inside a milk bottle that looks different from space outside if it. The space inside the bottle takes the shape of the bottle, but it is still part of the larger space. Plurality is experienced because of error in judgments (mithya) and ignorance (avidya). Advaita Vedanta interpret the relationship between Brahman and the world in terms of satkaryavada, the theory that effect pre-exists in the cause. The vivartavada theory observes that effect is only an apparent manifestation of its cause. Both lead to same conclusion and are rooted in the same action, the cause which is a concept of Maya, avidya (ignorance) and adhyasa. When we transform the impersonal (Brahman) being into personal being. We bring an association of the impersonal with Maya. Maya is the ontic-noetic state where limitations (upadhis) are imposed upon reality. Attachments, aversions, fears, dreams, and semi-dreams are all smeared with illusory power of Maya. All memories, cognitions, percepts, and logics are grounded in mirage, apparition and deceptive appearance. Maya appears whenever we fail to realize the oneness of the Brahman.
Advaita establishes the Oneness of Reality and this self-knowledge enables the knower to overcome all pain, misery, ignorance, and bondage. The self and the knowledge of the whole leads to freedom and wisdom. Self is described in four states of consciousness and there is no discontinuity of consciousness. The states of waking (jāgrat), dreaming (svapna) and deep sleep (susupti) and the fourth nameless state turiya. The four states misidentifies the self but they are changes in the power of awareness. The waking and dream states which can be brought together into a single category corresponding to gross and subtle bodies (Virat and Hiranyagarbha). The state of deep sleep corresponds to saguna Brahman (Brahman with attributes) or the divine (Isvara) and transcendental consciousness. Hence in the waking – dream state, the self is caught with objects, internal and external and loses sights of its own true nature as pure subject. In deep sleep, consciousness and the self is free from objects but not yet transcended to the fourth state of turiya. In the fourth state the self-transcendence that brings about the awareness of one-self as not different from Reality.
To explain the material reality, Advaita advocates that Isvara, the Brahman with attributes become personalized as deity. He is the creative Lord who calls forth worlds, maintains them, and re-absorbs them as lila, as sport or play. There is no purpose in creation. He is free with unlimited power. Creation is only apparent change and not a change in Brahman in reality. Brahman is unchangeable and immutable. The actual experience of attaining the moksha (salvation) is through self-knowledge and wisdom. Constant meditation that will help identify with self. Neti Neti, the self is not this, not this; “my,” “me,” “mine,” becomes sounds signifying nothing, Tat tvam asi – the Self is Reality. Hence “You,” and ‘me,” are not different. Cause and effects are mutually involved; the material elements (gross and subtle) that constitute physical nature are ontologically the effects of (ahmankara) (I-consciousness) and buddhi (intelligence); but their cause is saguna Brahman or consciousness associated with maya. Saguna Brahman has its own ultimate ground in pure consciousness or nirguna Brahman. De-superimposition (apavada), reconnecting the effects back into their causes, the discriminating away of all lower levels of experience (sadness, unhappiness, and sufferings) is the sword that cuts away false identifications.
Knowledge of Brahman alone is the route to liberation for Śaṅkara. The role of action (karma) and life experiences and tribulations is to purify the mind (antaḥkaranasuddhi) and make it free from likes and dislikes (raga dvesavimuktaḥ). Such a mind will be instrumental to knowledge of Brahman.
Professor Deutsch has explained Advaita in a very lucid, luminous and intelligible language. Highly recommended to readers interested in Hinduism, Hindu Philosophy, and Advaita Vedanta.
Advaita (no twoness) is a non-dualistic system of Vedanta expounded largely by Adi Shankara, although this concept was first proposed by sages like Yajñavalkya, Uddalaka, and Bādarāyaņa. The substance of this system of thought is that the physical reality that describes the universe with living entities, matter and energy, and cosmic structures is due to One Supreme Consciousness pervading the universe. It is referred to as Brahman. Brahman has no attributes, but it is an entity that encompasses omniscience (infinite knowledge), omnipotence (unlimited power), omnipresence (present everywhere), Omni benevolence (perfect goodness), immutable, divine simplicity, and eternal existence. Brahman exists in spaceless and timeless dimension in an unchanging reality amidst and beyond the realm of the universe. These qualities are personal and impersonal; variously referred to as God or the Supreme Lord in Hinduism. (One God is worshipped in various forms such as Krishna, Vishnu, Rama, Hari, Shiva, Brahma, Shakti, Kali, etc.) The Pure Consciousness, the Brahman transcend all possible laws of physics, all dimensions and all physical realities in an infinite space that may have multiverse. That is the True Reality. There is no room for dualistic thought, such as God and living-beings having separate existence; or God and material world are two different things. There is no separate subject and object; there is no me and Almighty God; there is no you and Almighty God. There is Oneness. Brahman as a transcendental entity in a spiritual domain that defies all humanly description or characterization. As sage Yajnavalkya observed that “there is no other or better description (of Brahman) than “not this, not this” (neti neti).
Eliot Deutsch is an eminent scholar of Vedanta and spent his lifetime teaching and researching in the field of Hindu Philosophy. Advaita is widely regarded as the pinnacle of wisdom among Hindu philosophers in post-Vedic India. It is a metaphysical system that explains physical reality in the most profound form. It is an unflinching theory and a focused system of thought that has intellectual depth and great insight that comes close to the reality reasoned within the laws of quantum physics. Erwin Schrodinger, the father of wave mechanics was a life-long Vedantin (Advaitin) according to his biographer, Walter J. Moore. Schrodinger showed the wave-particle duality of matter at its most fundamental existence. All quantum states theoretically calculated for a particle exist in spacetime until an experimental observation collapses them into one particular state. Before measurements, the particle (wave) can exists at virtually anywhere in the universe; it could be at two places at the same time. This wholesomeness of quantum reality and existence is inherent in nature.
A brief summary of this book is as follows: The world has no separate existence apart from Brahman. The experiencing self (jīva) and the transcendental self of the Universe (ātman) are in reality identical (Oneness in Brahman). Although the individual self seems different from Brahman, like space inside a milk bottle that looks different from space outside if it. The space inside the bottle takes the shape of the bottle, but it is still part of the larger space. Plurality is experienced because of error in judgments (mithya) and ignorance (avidya). Advaita Vedanta interpret the relationship between Brahman and the world in terms of satkaryavada, the theory that effect pre-exists in the cause. The vivartavada theory observes that effect is only an apparent manifestation of its cause. Both lead to same conclusion and are rooted in the same action, the cause which is a concept of Maya, avidya (ignorance) and adhyasa. When we transform the impersonal (Brahman) being into personal being. We bring an association of the impersonal with Maya. Maya is the ontic-noetic state where limitations (upadhis) are imposed upon reality. Attachments, aversions, fears, dreams, and semi-dreams are all smeared with illusory power of Maya. All memories, cognitions, percepts, and logics are grounded in mirage, apparition and deceptive appearance. Maya appears whenever we fail to realize the oneness of the Brahman.
Advaita establishes the Oneness of Reality and this self-knowledge enables the knower to overcome all pain, misery, ignorance, and bondage. The self and the knowledge of the whole leads to freedom and wisdom. Self is described in four states of consciousness and there is no discontinuity of consciousness. The states of waking (jāgrat), dreaming (svapna) and deep sleep (susupti) and the fourth nameless state turiya. The four states misidentifies the self but they are changes in the power of awareness. The waking and dream states which can be brought together into a single category corresponding to gross and subtle bodies (Virat and Hiranyagarbha). The state of deep sleep corresponds to saguna Brahman (Brahman with attributes) or the divine (Isvara) and transcendental consciousness. Hence in the waking – dream state, the self is caught with objects, internal and external and loses sights of its own true nature as pure subject. In deep sleep, consciousness and the self is free from objects but not yet transcended to the fourth state of turiya. In the fourth state the self-transcendence that brings about the awareness of one-self as not different from Reality.
To explain the material reality, Advaita advocates that Isvara, the Brahman with attributes become personalized as deity. He is the creative Lord who calls forth worlds, maintains them, and re-absorbs them as lila, as sport or play. There is no purpose in creation. He is free with unlimited power. Creation is only apparent change and not a change in Brahman in reality. Brahman is unchangeable and immutable. The actual experience of attaining the moksha (salvation) is through self-knowledge and wisdom. Constant meditation that will help identify with self. Neti Neti, the self is not this, not this; “my,” “me,” “mine,” becomes sounds signifying nothing, Tat tvam asi – the Self is Reality. Hence “You,” and ‘me,” are not different. Cause and effects are mutually involved; the material elements (gross and subtle) that constitute physical nature are ontologically the effects of (ahmankara) (I-consciousness) and buddhi (intelligence); but their cause is saguna Brahman or consciousness associated with maya. Saguna Brahman has its own ultimate ground in pure consciousness or nirguna Brahman. De-superimposition (apavada), reconnecting the effects back into their causes, the discriminating away of all lower levels of experience (sadness, unhappiness, and sufferings) is the sword that cuts away false identifications.
Knowledge of Brahman alone is the route to liberation for Śaṅkara. The role of action (karma) and life experiences and tribulations is to purify the mind (antaḥkaranasuddhi) and make it free from likes and dislikes (raga dvesavimuktaḥ). Such a mind will be instrumental to knowledge of Brahman.
Professor Deutsch has explained Advaita in a very lucid, luminous and intelligible language. Highly recommended to readers interested in Hinduism, Hindu Philosophy, and Advaita Vedanta.
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