WholeDude

Whole Dude – Whole Strategy

Chanakya Niti or the Doctrine of Chanakya, Kautilya, or Vishnu Gupta, the Indian Statesman and Philosopher

Chanakya could be described as the pioneer economist of the world. He is known for his shrewdness, astuteness and diplomacy. He may have been influenced by Zoroastrians who arrived in India from Persia (present day Iran). He became a counsellor and adviser to King Chandragupta (reigned c. 321- c. 297) of the Mauryan Empire in India. King Chandragupta was a contemporary of Alexander the Great. Chanakya was instrumental in helping Chandragupta to overthrow the powerful Nanda dynasty at Pataliputra, Magadha.

Chanakya is praised for his sound political wisdom and knowledge of human nature. Because of him the Mauryan Empire under Chandragupta and later under Ashoka (reigned c. 265- c. 238) became a model of efficient government.

Chanakya wrote a classic treatise on polity, Artha Shastra. Artha means property, economics or material success. It incorporates Principles of Economics and Administration. The book discusses monetary and fiscal policies, welfare, international relations and war strategies. His book Niti Shastra deals with the ideal way of life. The book Chanakya Niti enunciates his policies.

American Foreign Policy – Hegemony:

***Whole Dude – Whole Strategy: Chanakya Niti – A review of the Doomed US foreign policy called Hegemony.***

Dr. Henry Alfred Kissinger who was chief foreign policy adviser and Secretary of State to Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford is described as the architect of American foreign policy which he named as hegemony.

***Whole Dude – Whole Strategy: Chanakya Niti – A review of the US policy of Hegemony. The chief architect of the doomed US policy***

At the end of the cold war, America has assumed the role of World’s only Superpower (Hyperpower) and is willing to dominate the globe in all aspects including that of being the sole military, political, economic and socio-cultural power.

What’s Good for America is Good for the World:

If Chanakya is called upon to evaluate the performance of American foreign policy, he would naturally first look at the impact of American military spending. The total amount of year 2008 supplemental funding for American wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is $ 189.3 Billion and $ 158 Billion is for the Iraq war. The total spending for the Iraq war is $ 617 Billion and would be increasing on a daily basis. The total U.S. casualties in Iraq has reached a grim milestone of 4,000. America fought battles in World War II, Korea and Vietnam and the human toll was very heavy. But, in terms of the costs of waging wars, the present costs are astronomical. Does this military spending boost the national economy and create jobs? The verdict is that the military spending is draining resources from the productive economy. It has a detrimental impact on many sectors of the economy. It has resulted in slow economic growth, less investment, higher trade deficits and fewer jobs. American economy has now slowed down and currently it is the biggest concern of the American public and the concern for economy is greater than the concern for the future course of war in Iraq.

In the United States, the national debt is expanding by about $ 1.4 Billion a day. It means about $ 30,000 in debt for each man, woman, child and infant living in the United States. Currently, the national debt stands at $ 9.2 Trillion. In the fiscal year 2006, United States government spent $ 406 Billion on interest payments to the holders of the National Debt. The interest payments keep compounding, and could in time squeeze out most other government spending. The national debt is projected to grow beyond $ 10 Trillion by January 2009 when the Americans would have chosen the next President to lead their country.

How would America defends its National Security?

**Whole Dude – Whole Strategy: How would America defend its National Security?**

American national security will remain hostage to events on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan. There is no easy way out. The next President of the United States would not be in a position to pull back the troops in spite of the election time rhetoric. The moment America pulls out of Iraq, the power vacuum would be filled up by Iran which would be against American interests in the Middle East. The situation is much worse in Afghanistan. Their economy survives on foreign support and as of today the government in Kabul rules very little of its territory.

America claimed a big success for its foreign policy in the break up of the Republic of Yugoslavia and for creating the State of Kosovo. Kosovo has no economy of its own and is currently dependent upon the American and European troops who spend their money while they are stationed there. American military spending in Europe is projected to increase much more on account of the new missile and radar bases it would have in Poland and Czech Republic.

Whole Dude – Whole Strategy: Chanakya Niti – A review of the US policy of Hegemony. The chief architect of the doomed US policy. The ideals and principles contained in the historical document known as ‘The Declaration of Independence’ could not be translated into reality. In the United States, rulers have become corrupt, they pursued economic, trade, and commerce policies that caused a huge chasm between aspirations and accomplishments of this independent nation. National, and personal indebtedness has grown to unimaginable levels while very few individuals have amassed immense personal wealth. Employment opportunities are lost as the country depends upon products and services that are entirely imported from foreign countries like People’s Republic of China where people have no representative government. United States lacks an informed population while people use education as a tool for economic privilege. There are no laws and institutions to compensate for the diminution of public virtue.

None of these foreign policy initiatives for global dominance could help America to balance its federal budget and control its deficit spending which is the root cause of the problems that its economy is facing now. If American economy suffers, it would definitely cause a ripple effect. I am not surprised to hear that the merchants in the New York city are willing to accept payments in Euros as an acknowledgement of the fact that the U.S. Dollar has become weak and will continue to remain weak in comparison to major global currencies.

American military spending has a detrimental impact on many sectors of the economy. It has led to slow economic growth, less investment, higher trade deficits and fewer jobs. Is that Good for America?

Whole Dude – Whole Angel

THE ADORATION OF WHOLE ANGEL #WholeAngel : — **Whole Dude – Whole Angel: The Adoration of Whole Angel, The Queen of Angels.**

Yes Indeed, Life is Complicated. The complexity of Life involves the basic problem of earning one’s own Daily Bread and Butter. If earning the Daily Bread and Butter involves stocking a bread-related item such as the Hamburger Buns, sometimes, the man needs a miracle to do the job on time while the daily routine at workplace involves numerous other chores.

**Whole Dude – Whole Angel: The Rudi Connection at Whole Foods needs a miracle on Sunday, February 22, 2015 to keep earning the Daily Bread and Butter**

Whole Dude – Whole Angel: The Rudi Connection at Whole Foods needs a miracle on Sunday, February 22, 2015 to keep earning the Daily Bread and Butter. WHOLE TEAM-WHOLE MESSENGER-WHOLE ANGEL: THE ADORATION OF WHOLE ANGEL – #WholeAngel . JENNIFER LOPEZ’S ANGELIC APPEARANCE SPRINGS FROM THE COLOR OF HER GOWN WHICH NATURALLY BLENDS WITH HER SKIN COLOR. IN MY VIEW, COLOR IS THE MOST CREATIVE PHENOMENON OF OUR NATURAL WORLD .

The Adoration of Whole Angel is in celebration of perfect coming together of Idealism and Naturalism in Art, Food, and Life to shape the Realism of Jennifer Lopez’s appearance as “Queen of the Angels” in a City named Los Angeles, Spanish. Reina de los Angeles, which literally means “Queen of the Angels.” Idealism emphasizes the primacy of Spirit or Consciousness in viewing the World. In an Idealist’s perception, reality of objects resides in the mind’s perception of the objects. Naturalism is the belief that the natural World is all that exists and that there is no supernatural or spiritual creation. Realism represents the theory that individual things exist independently of the mind’s perception of them, In a Realist’s perception, objects exist in themselves apart from the mind’s consciousness of them. The word ‘Reality’ means the fact of or quality of being real or being true to life. In the view of an Idealist, the beauty of Jennifer Lopez simply exists in the eye of the beholder. In the view of a Realist, Jennifer really exists as a beautiful object in the natural world that is perceived. I coined the term Whole Angel, blending the percpetions of Idealist and Realist to describe Jennifer Lopez as a “Natural Queen of the Angels” in a City that really exists with that particular name.

WHOLE TEAM - WHOLE MESSENGER - WHOLE ANGEL : — Whole Dude – Whole Angel: The Adoration of Whole Angel, The appearance of the Queen of Angels in a City named Los Angeles. The perfect blending of Idealism, and Naturalism has lead to Realism. The Rudi Connection at Whole Foods needs a miracle on Sunday, February 22, 2015 to keep earning the Daily Bread and Butter

Whole Dude – Whole Angel: The Adoration of Whole Angel, The appearance of the Queen of Angels in a City named Los Angeles. The perfect blending of Idealism, and Naturalism has lead to Realism. The Rudi Connection at Whole Foods needs a miracle on Sunday, February 22, 2015 to keep earning the Daily Bread and Butter

Whole Dude – Whole Adoration

WHOLE TEAM – WHOLE MESSENGER – WHOLE ADORATION: Ms Jennifer Lopez, the gorgeous star, musician, and dancer looked incredible in a plunging Ellie Saab Tulle Gown on Sunday, February 22, 2015 at the 87th Academy Awards function held at Dolby Theatre, Los Angeles.

It is with a sense of great pleasure I announce that Ms. Jennifer Lopez is the Whole Angel of the Whole Team. I claim that in the City of Los Angeles, Ms. Jennifer Lopez had arrived on the Red Carpet at the Dolby Theatre on Sunday, February 22, 2015 to attend the 87th Oscar Academy Awards Function to deliver a ‘Whole Message’ to the Whole Team. For she has successfully delivered a ‘Whole Message’, I named her as a ‘Whole Messenger’. She arrived presenting a most elegant, and naturalistic appearance that drives and motivates the Whole Team which derives inspiration from the philosophy of Idealism. The Whole Team strives to find perfection called Naturalism in Art, Food, and Life. In Jennifer Lopez, the Whole Team has discovered the perfect blend of Whole Idealism, and Whole Naturalism.

The word ‘Angel’ is derived from Greek. ‘Angelos’ which means a ‘Messenger’. Scripture describes ‘Angels’ as supernatural, heavenly beings with bodily form and human appearance. They are of various ranks and endowments but only one Angel called “Michael” is Archangel. In this context, I would like to mention that the ‘Whole Team’ has already designated a Whole Team Member as our ‘Archangel’. Good Angels assist, protect and deliver God’s people. They often guide God’s children. The Scriptures often speak of Angels as Messengers of God. The City of Los Angeles derives its name from Spanish. Reina de los Angeles which literally means “Queen of the Angels.”

The term ‘Angel’ may be used to refer to a person regarded as being as beautiful as an Angel. Ms. Jennifer Lopez established her celebrity status as a musician, dancer and actress. But, Lopez is known to the Whole Team since June 2013 for she is one of the Executive Producers of a Television Family Drama series called “The Fosters.”

WHOLE TEAM - WHOLE MESSENGER - WHOLE ANGEL #WholeAngel : "AMAZING" JAKE T. AUSTIN WHO ACTED AS JESUS FOSTER IS THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE WHOLE TEAM AND JENNIFER LOPEZ . — Whole Dude – Whole Messenger: Whole Adoration of Whole Angel. Amazing Jake T. Austin who acted as Jesus Foster was the connection between the Whole Team and Jennifer Lopez. Austin shaped our interest in the executive producer of the TV Family Drama Series called The Fosters.

The Fosters is an American Family Drama Television series that aired on the ABC Family network from Monday, June 03 2013 to March 24, 2014. In this drama, the character known as Jesus Foster played by “Amazing” Jake T. Austin interested the Whole Team. It is because of Jake T. Austin, the Whole Team started giving attention to Ms. Jennifer Lopez who is as an Executive Producer of The Fosters 2013 TV series. The Whole Team still continues to love “Amazing” Jake T. Austin and wishes him all the best in his future endeavors.

Whole Angel – Queen of the Angels – Whole Message:

On Sunday, February 22, 2015, the High Priest of the Whole Team had communicated with two of the Whole Team Members giving directions to perform a high priority task. However, his direct communication had failed and both the Whole Team Members forgot about that important task. Fortunately, Miracles do happen. On that day, one of the Whole Team Members while taking a lunch break, turned on the television while ABC was airing the “Red Carpet Arrivals” at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Just by either unknown Divine Plan or fortunate coincidence, Ms. Jennifer Lopez arrived on the Red Carpet instantly revealing the ‘Message’ to which the High Priest attached a very great importance. The Whole Team Member got immediately connected to the instructions given by the High Priest and could complete the task in time to uplift the Whole Team from a possible failure in work performance. For Jennifer Lopez delivered the ‘Whole Message’ by simply appearing on the television screen, an angelic appearance that inspires the ideals of Whole Naturalism, the Whole Team now regards her as a Whole Angel.

**Whole Dude – Whole Messenger: Whole Adoration of Whole Angel.**

**Whole Dude – Whole Messenger: Whole Adoration of Whole Angel: The Rudi Connection at Whole Foods needs a miracle on Sunday, February 22, 2015 to keep earning the Daily Bread and Butter**

Whole Dude – Whole Enlightenment

Could science and the methods of rational and empirical inquiry help us in knowing the nature and the destiny of humanity? Could we extend scientific methods into every field of inquiry? Could we find truth and reality as an external experience or is it visualized entirely in the realm of intuition and conscience?

Enlightenment – The Age of Reason

Enlightenment is a European intellectual movement of the 17th and 18th centuries in which ideas concerning God, reason, nature and man were synthesized into a world view. The thinkers of the Enlightenment were committed to secular views based on reason or human understanding only, which they hoped would provide a basis for beneficial changes affecting every area of life and thought.

The Enlightenment was based upon a few great fundamental ideas- such as the dedication to reason, the belief in intellectual progress, the confidence in nature as a source of inspiration and value, and the search for tolerance and freedom in political and social institutions. Central to Enlightenment thought were the use and the celebration of reason, the power by which man understands the universe and improves his own condition. The goals of rational man were considered to be knowledge, freedom and happiness. It instigated revolutionary developments in art, philosophy and politics. Sir Issac Newton is considered to be the true father of Enlightenment. He established the basic idea of the authority and autonomy of reason.

The Enlightenment Movement eventually broke up under the impact of new evidence and new insights. Nature, once considered a synonym of reason and visible proof of the existence of God and His benevolence, broke up into something to be studied with scientific objectivity and something to be enjoyed in romantic indulgence. The most significant contribution of the Enlightenment came in the field of social and political philosophy.

Rousseau, Jean-Jacques – The Role of Intuition

Whole Dude – Whole Enlightenment: JEAN-JACQUES, ROUSSEAU(b.JUNE 28, 1712, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND-d. JULY 2, 1778, ERMENONVILLE, FRANCE) FRENCH PHILOSOPHER, POLITICAL THEORIST WHOSE IDEAS INSPIRED THE LEADERS OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION.

JEAN-JACQUES, ROUSSEAU (b.JUNE 28, 1712, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND-d. JULY 2, 1778, ERMENONVILLE, FRANCE) FRENCH PHILOSOPHER, POLITICAL THEORIST WHOSE IDEAS INSPIRED THE LEADERS OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION.

Rousseau is the least academic of modern philosophers but in many ways he is the most influential. His thought marked the end of the Age of Reason and the birth of Romanticism.

Rousseau had a profound impact on people’s way of life. He opened men’s eyes to the beauties of nature and he made liberty an object of almost universal aspiration.

He is credited with having introduced a great discovery about the nature of freedom and he emphasized the primacy of individual liberty. The other Enlightenment thinkers pursued the nature of humankind empirically in physiological and psychological studies or in historical and anthropological researches, whereas Rousseau sought the nature of humans in the wholly private realm of intuition and conscience. He looked inward for the fundamental source of moral obligation. Enlightenment has faith in reason which is understood as abstraction from external experience, Rousseau has emphasized that the inner life as a source of truth.

Rousseau had shared the Enlightenment view that society had perverted natural man, the “noble savage” who lived harmoniously with nature, free from selfishness, want, possessiveness, and jealousy. In his essay, ‘ A Discourse on the Sciences and the Arts ‘(1750), he argued that the history of man’s life on earth has been a history of decay. Man is good by nature but has been corrupted by society and civilization.

One of the first principles of Rousseau’s political philosophy is that politics and morality never be separated. The second important principle is freedom, which the state is created to preserve. The state is a unity and as such expresses the general will. The general will is to secure freedom, equality and justice within the state and in the Social Contract, individual sovereignty is given up to the state in order that these goals might be achieved.

In his political book called ‘ Du Contrat Social ‘(The Social Contract) published in 1762, Rousseau begins with the opening sentence; ” Man was born free, but he is everywhere in chains “. He proposed a society able to cultivate the individual’s moral stature without injury to his freedom. He had expressed freedom and equality of citizens in the idiom of natural and inalienable rights. Rousseau had believed that man has to find his way to his pure nature and to achieve this , man’s duty is to look for his most deep interior feelings and follow them.

Buddha’s Enlightenment

Gautama, at the age of 35, attained the Enlightenment or Awakening. In Buddha’s own recorded words : ” My mind was emancipated…. Ignorance was dispelled, science(knowledge) arose, darkness was dispelled, light arose.”

Science and scientific methods bring us knowledge about life, nature and the universe that we live in. But, intuition provides us with the insight to improve the way we live this life. My Guru, Shankara has spoken a word of caution:

maa kuru dhana jana yauvana garvam

harati nimeshhaat kaalah sarvam

maayaamayamidamakhilam hitvaa

brahmapadam tvam pravisha viditvaa

Could science and the methods of rational and empirical inquiry help us in knowing the nature and the destiny of humanity? Could we extend scientific methods into every field of inquiry? Could we find truth and reality as an external experience or is it visualized entirely in the realm of intuition and conscience?

Whole Dude – Whole Eternal

Tarangini – A Flowing River or Stream – River Ganga or Ganges emerging from the Shivalik Hills, Rishikesh. She symbolizes an immortal stream of thoughts, ideas, and mental conceptions that drench the soils of the Land of Bharat and the minds of its inhabitants.

How can a Man survive after his death?

This is not a discussion about “Afterlife”, or “Hereafter”. This is not a discussion about death, resurrection and then “Everlasting Life.” This is not a discussion about man’s historical legacy, his enduring fame after death, or about his perpetual existence in a Heavenly Mansion after his physical death. This is also not a discussion about transmigration or reincarnation of the human soul.

The Lotus Effect - The Nature of Human Existence — **Whole Dude – Whole Life: Transient Being vs Eternal Being. The Two Facets of the Human Existence. The Two Facets of the Lotus Flower. Mortal vs Everlasting Life.**

The concept of immortality describes deathlessness or the idea of “Lasting forever”. In the material realm, everything that is born must die. The fleeting experience of human existence is often compared to the existence of an air bubble on the surface of a Lotus leaf. The material body cannot enter the immaterial realm. Only a “Tarang” or a ‘Wave’ that is not attached to any physical or material entity, a Wave that is set free and remains in motion, could make the transition and journey into the immortal realm. Does Individuality survive the physical death of the Individual?

**Whole Dude – Whole Eternal: Transient Being vs Eternal Being**

What it is to be a Substance? and What it is to Exist? We need to establish knowledge about the man on a firm basis and the information it provides must be tested for its accuracy and consistency with an external reality. We have to make the fundamental distinction between the living and the non-living matter. The scientific advances of the 19th and 20th centuries reinforced the materialistic position concerning the basic similarity of organic living and inorganic physical matter. The man is viewed as a product of natural evolution and is thought to be subject to the same laws of Physics and Chemistry or mechanistic principles.

We need a methodology to study philosophy and to understand philosophical statements. Logical Positivism, also known as Scientific Empiricism aims to clarify concepts in both everyday and scientific language. It describes analysis of language as the function of philosophy. This analysis of language and of concepts is important to understand questions of belief and ideology which affect what we think we ought to do individually and socially.

**Whole Dude – Whole Eternal: Transient Being vs Eternal Being. The Two Facets of the Human Existence. The Two Facets of the Lotus Flower.Mortal vs Everlasting Life.**

I use this method of ‘Analytic Philosophy’ to analyze the concept of Spiritual Optics, the Spiritual dimension of the Man’s experience of Life in the Natural World. There are two facets of the man’s experience of his own existence. These are, 1. The Identity which keeps changing or varying over the entire lifetime, and 2. The Individuality which continues to be the same without changing under the influence of time. The man can be presented as the constantly changing or varying, transitory, mortal, physical being on the basis of his Identity and on the flip side there is the dimension of unvarying, unchanging, constant, and eternal being defined by his Individuality.

Whole Dude – Whole Life

The Experience of Life in the Natural World

**Whole Dude – Whole Life: Transient Being vs Eternal Being. The Two Facets of the Human Existence. The Two Facets of the Lotus Flower.Mortal vs Everlasting Life.**

Botanist Wilhelm Barthlott of the University of Bonn in Germany discovered in 1982 that the lotus leaf has a naturally self-cleaning, water-repellent surface. The secret lies in waxy microstructures and nanostructures that, by their contact angle with water, cause water to bead and roll away just like mercury. Barthlott patented his discovery, calling it the Lotus Effect.

While Barthlott takes credit for his discovery of the waxy surface of the lotus leaf, Indians have known the Lotus, an aquatic plant, for a very long time. Lord Vishnu, the Protector always carries a Lotus flower in his hand, He is generally depicted in images in a lying pose with a lotus springing out of His belly button, His eyes are always compared to the petals of the Lotus flower and His consort Goddess Lakshmi prefers to be seated on top of a Lotus flower. Indians use the Lotus flower for their worship and in Indian Art and Literature, Lotus finds a prominent place and the Lotus is given the official status of the National Flower. Indians are also equally impressed about the waxy nature of the surface of the lotus leaf and they know that the surface causes the water to bead and the drops rollaway with great ease. This phenomenon is very often used to describe the transient nature of human existence.

But, the Lotus is the only flower that is constantly held in the hand of Eternal God.

Whole Dude – Whole Life: Transient Being vs Eternal Being. If Identity described by the Phenotype establishes one face of the Coin, the Individuality describes the second face of the same coin and is established by the Genotype. The same Individual with the same Genotype exists as different Individuals with varying features of Identification.

Whole Dude – Whole Life: Transient Being vs Eternal Being. Identity and Individuality are the two sides of the same Coin. The Phenotype establishes the Identity, and the Genotype establishes the Individuality of a Living Cell or of a Living Organism.

The coins that we use are minted with two different faces and we need to flip the coin to see the face on the opposite side. So also, human existence has its two sides, an eternal entity and at the same time a transient, perishable, temporary, ephemeral, fleeting, and finite entity. I would refer to the following two verses to illustrate this view-point.

THE BHAGAVAD GITA, CHAPTER II, VERSE 13:

“As the embodied soul continually passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth, and then to old age, similarly, the soul also passes into another body at death. The self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change”.

Since every living entity is an individual soul, each is changing his body at every moment, manifesting sometimes as a child, sometimes as a youth, and sometimes as an old man, the spirit soul however remains the same and does not undergo any change. The individual soul eventually changes the body itself, the soul transmigrates from one body to another body and hence death is viewed as the soul changing bodies from old to new one. According to one’s work in the present life, the living entity experiences enjoyment or suffering with the changing of bodies. This view helps the individual not to lament about death.

SHANKARA’S BHAJA GOVINDAM AND NIRVANA SHATAKAM LYRICS:

nalinīdala-gatajalamatitaralaṃ
tadvajjīvitamatiśaya-chapalam ।
viddhi vyādhyabhimānagrastaṃ
lōkaṃ śōkahataṃ cha samastam ॥ 4 ॥

The life of a man is as uncertain as rain drops trembling on a lotus leaf. Know that the whole world remains a prey to disease, ego and grief.

The ‘ADVAITA’ school of Indian philosophy was founded by the great teacher Shankara who is popularly referred to as Adi Shankaracharya. He composed lyrics known as Bhaja Govindam (Praise Lord Vishnu, the Protector) in which he describes the transient, ephemeral, and fleeting nature of human life and existence.

He compares human life to that of the bead of water drop on the surface of the Lotus leaf. He reminds us to understand that the body’s existence is very temporary and he observes that the entire humanity is suffering due to sickness caused by ignorance which makes people to crave with a sense of attachment and desire to keep their impermanent existence.

Whole Dude – Whole Life: Transient Being vs Eternal Being. The Two Facets of the Human Existence. The Two Facets of the Lotus Flower. Mortal vs Everlasting Life.

The very same Adi Shankaracharya in the lyrics known as Nirvana Shatakam describes the individual entity as an embodied Soul. The Soul is eternal but the physical body is temporary and just like the water drop on the surface of the Lotus leaf, the drop could roll away any moment, and the Soul may change bodies sooner than we wish or desire. There is no point in cultivating a sense of attachment to the body as the Soul is not willing to cling to the physical body.

Man is a created being, exists as an Individual with Individuality, and has living substance constituted by Chemical Elements that are immortal, imperishable, or eternal. However, Man, the physical being with a shape and form is transient as he is born with a plan for the dissolution of its form.

Simon Cyrene

Whole Dude – Whole Realism

Half Full or Half Empty is not the Right Question – Can You Drink the Cup I Drink?

**Whole Dude – Whole Realism: **Half Full or Half Empty? – What is the real Question?** Can You Drink the Cup I Drink?**

Excerpt: When I drink from the ‘Cup of my Life’; What I truly experience from my life, the reality of my condition is more important than my attitude towards existence. The man has no hope to find happiness until and unless he renounces all desires including the desire to find happiness. The man has no choice other than that of living in the moment without concern for either pessimism or optimism. The attitude of dispassion automatically excludes both pessimism and optimism.

HALF FULL OR HALF EMPTY? IS THAT REALLY IMPORTANT?

I drank from that cup. Now, the cup could be described as half full or half empty. Is that really important? The cup that I drink from gives me pain and I experience suffering. What would be the right question if I have to drink from that cup? What I truly experience from my life, the reality of my condition is more important than my attitude towards my existence. The issue is not about optimism or pessimism. I need to focus on knowing the reality and I need to face the reality about what I experience when I drink from that Cup of my Life.

IS IT POSSIBLE FOR THIS CUP TO BE TAKEN AWAY FROM ME ?

I would answer this question from a reading from The New Testament of The Holy Bible. I would like to quote verses 36 to 44, chapter 26, The Gospel According to Matthew.

36. Then Jesus came with His disciples to a place called Gethsemane and said to them, “Sit here while I go and pray over there.”

37. And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed.

38. Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.”

39. He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless not as I will, but as You will.”

40. Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour?

41.”Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

42. Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, may Your will be done.”

43. And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy.

44. So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.

Jesus had prayed three times, saying the same words. It was not possible for the cup to pass away and Jesus had to drink from the cup.

THE TEACHINGS OF GAUTAMA BUDDHA:

Whole Dude – Whole Realism: Lord Gautama Buddha has laid the foundation for understanding Pain and Suffering that is implicit in Human Existence. Half Full or Half Empty? – What is the real Question? Can You Drink the Cup I Drink?

At age 29, Prince Siddhartha realized that humans are subject to old age, sickness, disability and death. He became aware of the suffering implicit in human existence. Buddha described the nature of reality and Dharma (“true law”) as the Four Noble Truths (1) life is fundamentally disappointment and suffering; (2) suffering is a result of one’s desires for pleasure, power, and continued existence; (3) to stop disappointment and suffering one must stop desiring and (4) the way to stop desiring and thus suffering is the Noble Eightfold Path- right views, intention, speech, conduct, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and concentration.

From the hymns popularly known as Bhaja Govindam, while I drink from the Cup of my Life, I will keep contemplate on the concept of dispassion:

“KASYA SUKHAM NA KAROTI VIRAGAH”

suramandira-taru-mūla-nivāsaḥ
śayyā bhūtalamajinaṃ vāsaḥ ।
sarva-parigraha-bhōgatyāgaḥ
kasya sukhaṃ na karōti virāgaḥ ॥ 19 ॥

Living in temples or at the foot of trees, sleeping on the ground, wearing deer-skin, renouncing all possessions and their enjoyment – to whom will not dispassion bring happiness?

The verse 19 in Shankaracharya’s Bhaja Govindam questions, “Kasya sukham na karoti viragah?”, which means, “What pleasure cannot be given by dispassion?” It gives all the pleasures because you are so totally living in the moment.

The man has no hope to find happiness until and unless he renounces all desires including the desire to find happiness. The man has no choice other than that of living in the moment without concern for either pessimism or optimism. The attitude of dispassion automatically excludes both pessimism and optimism.

**Whole Dude – Whole Realism: Half Full or Half Empty doesn’t change the reality of the experience.**

**Whole Dude – Whole Realism: The Cup of Life holds for me Pain, Humiliation, and Loss of Face.**

Whole Dude – Whole Peace

Human existence evokes a sense of fear and anxiety from two directions. 1. The fear is associated with the idea that the journey is long and tedious and the uncertainty of reaching the final destination. 2. The anxiety is because of the fact that the life span is over as the time marches on relentlessly. The passage of day and night, the change of seasons, the spring and the winter, the life span is over even if the individual wants to cling to his life.

The life span is often compared to bubbles and beads on the surface of lotus leaf. The water beads and the air bubbles exist only for a moment evoking a sense of anxiety about the transient, ephemeral, mortal existence. The long journey generates fear and the short life span produces anxiety. When the heart is troubled and when the mind is afraid, there is no peace.

Searching for Peace when the heart is troubled:

1. Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (PHILIPPIANS4:4-7)

**Whole Dude – Whole Peace: The Fruit of Spirit is Love**

2.But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (GALATIANS 5:22-23)

3. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid”. (JOHN14:27)

**Whole Dude – Whole Peace: Peace is attained through the idea of Refuge and Strength**

Whole Dude – Whole Promise

Whole Dude – Whole Promise – Walong Will Never Fall Again

This is my special tribute to Lohit River and I post this blog to remember my life’s journey; a journey from 1962 to 1972. During 1962, I was a student at Giriraj Government Arts College, Nizamabad, Andhra Pradesh (now Telengana), India and I was studying in the First Year of a 3-Year Bachelor of Science Degree Course. During October 1962, when China attacked India across the Himalayan Frontier, Indian people spontaneously reacted condemning the act of Chinese aggression. It gave me a strong motivation to serve the country to defend the Northern Frontier. My dream came true during 1969 when I was granted Short Service Regular Commission to join the Indian Army Medical Corps.

On completion of my basic military and professional training, I was deputed to Special Frontier Force and I had the proudest moment of my life when I visited the War Memorial in Walong, Lohit District, North East Frontier Agency (NEFA) during 1972. I got married during January 1973, while I was serving in the North East Frontier Agency and Lohit River is my witness to my Life’s Journey and Commitment.

Special Frontier Force - Lohit River: Walong War Memorial — **Whole Dude – Whole Promise: Walong Will Never Fall Again. Special Frontier Force – Lohit River: Walong War Memorial**

SPECIAL FRONTIER FORCE - LOHIT RIVER: Map of Anjaw District, Arunachal Pradseh State, India. — **Whole Dude – Whole Promise: Walong Will Never Fall Again. SPECIAL FRONTIER FORCE – LOHIT RIVER: Map of Anjaw District, Arunachal Pradesh State, India.**

I am pleased to share an article titled ‘China opens new highway near Arunachal Pradesh Border’ written by Ananth Krishnan that was published in the HINDU on November 01, 2013. I had served in that area and the military organization in which I had served discouraged photography and I did not take photos of the natural scenery of that area. I would like to share some photo images published by http://GreenerPasturesInd.Wordpress.com and others, particularly the images of Lohit River that flows down the Anjaw District of Arunachal Pradesh.

The North East Frontier Agency (NEFA) was constituted in 1912-13. To settle the border between India and Tibet, Sir Henry McMahon, Secretary in the Indian Foreign Department represented Great Britain at a conference held in Simla during 1913-14. The Simla Accord or Simla Agreement between India, Tibet, and China resulted in the McMahon Treaty and the McMahon Line established the official border between India and Tibet. India after gaining her independence and after becoming an independent Republic has ratified the McMahon Treaty. People’s Republic of China which came into existence during 1949 had opposed this Treaty and had occupied Tibet during 1950 rejecting the status of Tibet of being an independent nation. The Communist China’s occupation of Tibet has posed a military threat to Peace and Democracy in Southeast Asia and Tibet’s Head of State, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama fled to India during March 1959 as a consequence of China’s repressive, brutal military actions. On August 26, 1959, in this northeast frontier sector, China’s People’s Liberation Army crossed the McMahon Line for the first time to capture an Indian border post. China abandoned this post during 1961 and launched a major offensive war during October 1962 attacking Indian Army positions in the entire North East Frontier Agency. Due to the firm intervention by the US President John F. Kennedy, China declared unilateral ceasefire and withdrew its forces from all the areas it had captured in the North East Frontier Agency. One of the consequences of this 1962 War of China’s Aggression on India was the creation of a military alliance/pact between India, Tibet, and the United States to defend the border and to challenge the military occupation of Tibet. This military pact/alliance has established a military organization called Establishment No. 22 which is later given the name of Special Frontier Force. I had served in Special Frontier Force along with Tibetan soldiers and we were defending North East Frontier Agency during that period of my military service. The North East Frontier Agency became Indian Union Territory and was named Arunachal Pradesh on January 20, 1972. The State of Arunachal Pradesh was formed on February 20, 1987.

I arrived in Doom Dooma (Dum Duma) during February 1972 after my successful participation in the military action called ‘Operation Eagle’ which initiated the Liberation of Bangladesh on November 03, 1971 with attacks on Pakistan’s military border posts in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. The United States had withdrawn its CIA personnel from our Organization prior to the launch of Operation Eagle. However, our military alliance/pact withstood the test of the times. In 1972, CIA contacted my Unit in North East Frontier Agency and requested us for our assistance to plant monitoring devices to record data from China’s underground nuclear tests in occupied Tibet. China’s occupation of Tibet, it claims for Indian territory and China’s military build up still pose a grave threat to Peace and Freedom in Southeast Asia.

Special Frontier Force - Lohit River: I was based at Dum Duma(Doom Dooma) Airfield during 1972-73. — **Whole Dude – Whole Promise: Walong Will Never Fall Again.Special Frontier Force – Lohit River: I was based at Dum Duma (Doom Dooma) Airfield during 1972-73.**

Special Frontier Force - Lohit River: Lohit River enters the plains and flows as the Brahmaputra River. — **Whole Dude – Whole Promise: Walong Will Never Fall Again. Special Frontier Force – Lohit River: Lohit River enters the plains and flows as the Brahmaputra River.**

Special Frontier Force - Lohit River: At the southern end of Lohit District, Lohit River enters the plains. — **Whole Dude – Whole Promise: Walong Will Never Fall Again. Special Frontier Force – Lohit River: At the southern end of Lohit District, Lohit River enters the plains.**

Special Frontier Force - Lohit River: The bridge near Parasuram Kund also known as Brahma Kund. — **Whole Dude – Whole Promise: Walong Will Never Fall Again. Special Frontier Force – Lohit River: The bridge near Parasuram Kund also known as Brahma Kund.**

Special Frontier Force - Lohit River: This Border Road along Lohit River did not exist during 1972-73. I had the pleasure of trekking along this route. — Whole Dude – Whole Promise: Walong Will Never Fall Again. Special Frontier Force – Lohit River: This Border Road along Lohit River did not exist during 1972-73. I had the pleasure of trekking along this route.

Special Frontier Force - Lohit River: Suspension Bridge across Lohit River. — **Whole Dude – Whole Promise: Walong Will Never Fall Again. Special Frontier Force – Lohit River: Suspension Bridge across Lohit River.**

Special Frontier Force - Lohit River: A Special Tribute to Lohit River. — **Whole Dude – Whole Promise: Walong Will Never Fall Again. Special Frontier Force – Lohit River: A Special Tribute to Lohit River.**

Special Frontier Force - Lohit River: This bridge swings in the air and is commonly called "JHULA" which refers to the swing found in recreational parks and playgrounds. — Whole Dude – Whole Promise: Walong Will Never Fall Again. Special Frontier Force – Lohit River: This bridge swings in the air and is commonly called “JHULA” which refers to the swing found in recreational parks and playgrounds.

Special Frontier Force - Lohit River: Walong Valley — **Whole Dude – Whole Promise: Walong Will Never Fall Again. Special Frontier Force – Lohit River: Walong Valley**

Special Frontier Force - Lohit River: Parashuram Kund — **Whole Dude – Whole Promise: Walong Will Never Fall Again. Special Frontier Force – Lohit River: Parashuram Kund**

Special Frontier Force - Lohit River: A view taken at Hayuliang. — **Whole Dude – Whole Promise: Walong Will Never Fall Again. Special Frontier Force – Lohit River: A view taken at Hayuliang.**

Special Frontier Force - Lohit River: Hayuliang-Walong Road. — **Whole Dude – Whole Promise: Walong Will Never Fall Again. Special Frontier Force – Lohit River: Hayuliang-Walong Road.**

Special Frontier Force - Lohit River: — **Whole Dude – Whole Promise: Walong Will Never Fall Again. Special Frontier Force – Lohit River:**

Special Frontier Force - Lohit River: Walong, Anjaw District. — **Whole Dude – Whole Promise: Walong Will Never Fall Again. Special Frontier Force – Lohit River: Walong, Anjaw District.**

Special Frontier Force - Lohit River: Trip to Kibithu — **Whole Dude – Whole Promise: Walong Will Never Fall Again. Special Frontier Force – Lohit River: Trip to Kibithu**

Special Frontier Force - Lohit River: Mishmi Hills — **Whole Dude – Whole Promise: Walong Will Never Fall Again. Special Frontier Force – Lohit River: Mishmi Hills**

Special Frontier Force - Lohit River: Hayuliang — **Whole Dude – Whole Promise: Walong Will Never Fall Again. Special Frontier Force – Lohit River: Hayuliang**

Special Frontier Force - Lohit River: The Border Post at Kibithu — **Whole Dude – Whole Promise: Walong Will Never Fall Again. Special Frontier Force – Lohit River: The Border Post at Kibithu**

Special Frontier Force - Lohit River: Lohit River near Indo-Tibet Border — **Whole Dude – Whole Promise: Walong Will Never Fall Again. Special Frontier Force – Lohit River: Lohit River near India – Tibet Border.**

Rudra Narasimham Rebbapragada

SERVICE INFORMATION:

R. Rudra Narasimham, B.Sc., M.B.B.S.,
Personal Numbers: MS-8466/MR-03277K, Rank: Major,
Branch: Army Medical Corps/Short Service Regular Commission (1969-1972); Direct Permanent Commission (1973-1984).
Designation:Medical Officer.
Unit:Establishment No.22 (1971-1974)/South Column,Operation Eagle (1971-1972).
Organization: Special Frontier Force.

Published in the HINDU: November 1, 2013 03:14 IST

BEIJING, November 1, 2013

China opens new highway near Arunachal Pradesh border

Ananth Krishnan

Nearly 1 billion Yuan project comes to light after seven failed attempts over the past 50 years

China on Thursday opened a new highway that links what the government has described as Tibet’s “last isolated county” – located near the border with Arunachal Pradesh – with the rest of the country and will now provide all-weather access to the strategically important region.
Chinese state media have hailed the opening of the highway to Medog – which lies close to the disputed eastern section of the border with India – as a technological breakthrough, with the project finally coming to fruition after seven failed attempts over the past fifty years.
China started attempting to build the highway to Medog – a landlocked county in Tibet’s Nyingchi prefecture – in the 1960s, according to State media reports, in the aftermath of
the 1962 war with India.
With Thursday’s opening of the road, every county in Tibet is now linked through the highway network, underlining the widening infrastructure gulf across the disputed border, even as India belatedly pushes forward an upgrading of border roads in more difficult terrain.
The official Xinhua News Agency on Thursday described Medog as “the last roadless county in China”. Before this week, Medog was the only one of China’s 2,100 counties to remain isolated from the highway network, according to State broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV).
What the project will do
State media reports have focused on the development benefits that the project would bring and have sought to play down the strategic dimensions. Local officials said the road’s opening will bring down commodity prices and widen access to healthcare.
The road will also provide access to the border county for nine months of the year. That the government was willing to spend as much as 950 million Yuan – or $ 155 million – on a 117-km highway, with ostensibly few economic returns expected, has underscored the project’s importance to State planners.
Local officials said prior to the opening of the highway, reaching Medog required traversing the treacherous Galung La and Doxong La mountains at an altitude of 4,000 metres. With frequent landslides, the road was often rendered impassable.
Now, the road will be accessible for “8 to 9 months per year, barring major natural disasters”, Ge Yutao, Communist Party head of the transportation department for the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), told Xinhua.
Work on the 117-km road began in 2009, a year after the project was given the green light by the State Council, or Cabinet.
Renewed attention on infrastructure projects
The opening of the road comes at a time when there has been renewed attention on infrastructure projects in border areas in India and China.
Last week, both countries signed a Border Defence Cooperation Agreement (BDCA) during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Beijing, aimed at expanding confidence-building measures. The agreement calls for setting up channels of communication between military commands, increasing the number of border personnel meetings, and formalizing rules such as no tailing of patrols, to build trust and avoid incidents.
The agreement does not specify or limit either country’s plans to boost infrastructure – an issue that, analysts say, has in the past triggered tensions along the disputed Line of Actual Control (LAC), most notably in April when a Chinese incursion sparked a three-week-long stand-off in Depsang, Ladakh.
Han Hua, a South Asia scholar at Peking University, suggested in a recent interview that the “basic reason” for the incident was “too much construction” along the border. The Chinese side, she acknowledged, did not have to build closer to the disputed LAC because their infrastructure, as well as more favourable terrain enabled quicker mobilisation.
“If we don’t have the overall collaboration of the military, policy-makers and decision-makers on both sides,” she said, “it will be difficult to avoid such incidents.”
‘India’s plans will not be limited’

The BDCA, Indian officials said, will not limit India’s plans to upgrade infrastructure. It recognises the principle of equal and mutual security, which allows either side to pursue its security in its own way. At the same time, officials say the BDCA will still help “regulate activity” along the border by opening up new channels of communication, even as the border continues to remain a matter of dispute.
On Thursday, Chinese Defence Ministry spokesperson Yang Yujun told a regular press conference that military personnel would hold “regular meetings” and “make joint efforts” to maintain peace in border areas, following the signing of the BDCA. The agreement, he said according to a Xinhua report, “summarised good practices and experiences on the management of differences in China-India border areas”.

Keywords: Sino-Indian border, Arunachal-China border, infrastructure, Tibet Autonomous Region

Special Frontier Force - Lohit River: I was based at Doom Dooma or Dum Duma during 1972-73. — **Whole Dude – Whole Promise: Walong Will Never Fall Again. Special Frontier Force – Lohit River: I was based at Doom Dooma or Dum Duma during 1972-73.**

Special Frontier Force - Lohit River: Landscape of Anjaw District — **Whole Dude – Whole Promise: Walong Will Never Fall Again. Special Frontier Force – Lohit River: Landscape of Anjaw District**

Special Frontier Force - Lohit River: "WALONG WILL NEVER FALL AGAIN." — **Whole Dude – Whole Promise: Special Frontier Force – Lohit River: “WALONG WILL NEVER FALL AGAIN.”**

Whole Dude – Whole Opportunity

STRAIT OF HORMUZ - THE BOUNDARY BETWEEN OMAN AND IRAN. — **Whole Dude – Whole Opportunity: Iran – A Missed Opportunity? My military service in Royal Oman Army 1984-86.**

The Strait of Hormuz

Whole Dude – Whole Opportunity: The rugged sea coast of Musandam Peninsula where I had worked hard patrolling the coastline, visiting remote villages, looking for Iranian infiltrators. Iran is just 18 miles away. I used to look towards Bandar Abbas of Iran which is clearly visible while I used to drive over these hill cliffs. I had a sense of fascination for Hormuz region of Iran. Parsi community of India had arrived from Hormuz. My military career in Indian Army had started under General Manek Shaw. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s husband Feroze Gandhi was a Parsi by birth. I had actually visited Iranian Embassy in Muscat. The Staff were excited to receive me as I went there in my military uniform and they had recognized that I was stationed at Khasab defending Strait of Hormuz. They wanted to help me but they had no powers. I was not seeking a tourist visa. I had reconciled. It was not God’s Plan. When God plans your Journey, there would be no obstacles. His uplifting power would enable you to overcome all obstacles.

The Strait of Hormuz connects Persian Gulf with Gulf of Oman and kindly view the enlarged picture and you would appreciate the maritime boundaries between Iran and Oman and the narrow shipping lanes that are vital for global energy supply. I served in The Sultanate of Oman’s Land Forces and also took part in the operations conducted by The Sultanate of Oman’s Air force, Navy and Coast Guard almost on a daily basis while I was stationed at Al-KHASAB air base.

**Whole Dude – Whole Opportunity: Iran – A Missed Opportunity? My military service in Royal Oman Army 1984-86. The Gulf Crisis in Qatar – The US Military Presence in Oman. The Khasab airfield.**

My Unit Hq PENSEC is responsible for the security of the Musandam Peninsula and also safeguard Oman’s territorial waters. We keep a 24 hours watch on all the vessels that transit through the Strait of Hormuz and provide navigational guidance and assistance as needed. Apart from keeping this vigil and monitoring the activity in the narrow shipping lanes, we regularly patrol all the coastal villages and contact the residents on a regular basis and gather information about any possible cross border infiltration. I used to make my trips using a variety of modes of transportation that included boats, smaller naval vessels, helicopters and land rovers. There are very few roads and the terrain is rocky and very rough. The villages are literally cut off from the rest of the country. Oman’s Ministry of Health runs clinics and hospitals at places like Khasab and Bukha and the smaller village communities have no such facilities and I have not noticed even grocery stores as the places are remote and inaccessible. I made a very dramatic impact upon the Village Patrolling operations in Musandam Peninsula and successfully redirected the military security and intelligence operation to provide assistance to the villagers.

**Whole Dude – Whole Opportunity: Iran – A Missed Opportunity? My military service in Royal Oman Army 1984-86.**

I used to spend my time talking to the residents, provide free medicine and arrange free helicopter trips to obtain hospital care in Khasab. Many of them needed dental treatment and were not able to visit a dentist. I could use the military helicopters to take them to the dentist and bring them back to their homes at the end of their appointments. During all of my trips, women, children, the elderly and others used to come out of their dwellings and line up to converse with me. To my utter surprise, sometimes I used to meet women from Hyderabad, India who had married Omani citizens. During my journeys, I used to get a very clear view of the coastline of Iran and I was told that many villagers regularly do their shopping at Bandar-e-Abbas of Iran.

Iran – A Missed Opportunity?

Before I moved to Oman in January 1984, I made an attempt to find employment in Iran. I visited the beautiful Iranian Consulate in Hyderabad, India. Several of my friends who were then serving in the Medical and Health Services of the Government of Andhra Pradesh, had been to Iran on 5-years deputation, gave me a very good account of their service conditions and experience in Iran. I was looking for an opportunity to serve in the Iranian Armed Forces and was not really keen to take up a job with their Ministry of Health. Simultaneously, I found this opportunity in Oman to serve as an Officer with a good contract from their Ministry of Defense. Interestingly, I had again gone to the Iranian Embassy in Muscat, Oman in July, 1986 looking for an opportunity to live in Iran. I met with their senior officials who received me with great courtesy. Very regretfully, they claimed that their hands are tied and they could not give me the type of Visa I wanted. However, they sincerely appreciated my desire to work and live in Iran. If God is willing, may be I would get a third chance to knock on the doors of some Iranian Embassy. When I look back into our history, the story of Aryan Migration to Iran interests me a lot and I also recognize that Persian was the Court language during the long rule by Mughals (Moguls) and I love listening to ‘ghazals’, the lyrics composed in the Indian language Urdu which is enriched with the ideas and thoughts that are expressed in the Persian language.

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