Category Archives: Whole Dude – Whole Concept

WHOLE DUDE – WHOLE PRESERVATION

A PICTURE OF INDIA’S GRIEF OVER JIHADIST ATTACKS IN MUMBAI

TERROR ATTACKS ON INDIA  : 

Recent news reports are stating that the terror attacks on India have not seen its end and they are predicting the possibilities of more attacks similar to the Mumbai carnage on November 26, 2008. “India will continue to face a serious jihadist threat from Pakistan-based terrorist groups, and neither Indian nor U.S. policy is likely to reduce that threat in the near future”, said Angel Rabasa, lead author of the study and a senior Political Scientist with RAND, a non-profit think tank based in Santa Monica, California. According to RAND, the other extremist groups in Pakistan will find inspiration in the Mumbai attacks and there can be more attacks from groups with high body counts and symbolic targets.THE CONCEPT OF JIHAD  :  The term Jihad in Arabic means struggle and is often viewed as a religious duty. A person engaged in Jihad is called a ‘mujahid’, the plural is ‘mujahideen’. The Mumbai attackers identified themselves with the name of ‘Deccan Mujahideen’. The aim of Jihad includes the expansion and defense of the Islamic State and warfare against non-believers. Jihad ideology has historically inspired the conquest of non-Muslim population and the transformation of civil society which is viewed as corrupt, arrogant, and disobedient. The Holy Book of Quran, Surah 25, verse 52 states : “Therefore, do not obey the disbelievers, and strive against them with this, a great striving”. The objectives of armed warfare include uprooting unbelief and establishing supremacy of God, through Islam, in the world.”And fight them on until there is no tumult or oppression, and there prevail justice and faith in Allah altogether and everywhere.”

THE HISTORY OF JIHAD IN INDIA  :

Sir Jadunath Sarkar, a historian, and former Vice-Chancellor of Calcutta University had contended that several Muslim invaders waged a systematic Jihad against Indians. Sultan Mahamud of Ghazna(present day Ghazni city,Afghanistan) conducted more than twenty Jihadist attacks on North India between 1001 and 1027. In particular the records kept by al-Utbi, Sultan Ghazni’s secretary in the ‘Tarikh-i-Yamini’ document several episodes of bloody campaigns. Persian historian Ferishta records that Sultan Ghazni wants to “root out the worship of idols from the face of all Hindustan(India)”. He looked upon the destruction of temples as an act of Jihad. Mahamud Ghazni specifically directed his campaigns to temple towns of Nagarkot, Thanesar(1011), Mathura(1018), Kannauj(1019), Kalinjar(1023), and Somnath(1024). He had also destroyed temples at Varanasi, Ujjain, Maheshwar, Jwalamukhi, and Dwaraka. Mahmud Ghazni was of Turkic origin but had patronized the use of New Persian language and gave employment to writers such as al-Biruni, and Ferdowsi who gave detailed descriptions of the enormous booty and idols brought back to Ghazni city. Asaru-L-Bilad, a 13 th century geographer also described in great detail the destruction of Somnath. Apart from his regular troops, Mahmud Ghazni had assistance from 30,000 volunteer horsemen who had participated in the Jihad. To resist the attack on Somnath, Ghogha Rana at the age of 90 sacrificed himself and his clan. There are no census documents but after an analysis of all historical documents, historian K.S.Lal had estimated that about 2 million people died during Sultan Ghazni’s attacks on Indian temple towns.Similarly, Sikandar Lodhi of Delhi earned the epithet of ‘But Shikan’- the destroyer of idols. Babur the founder of Mughal empire in India in 1527 ordered a JIHAD against Rajputs at the battle of KHANUA. He had encouraged his men to fight the infidels and asked them to become either a Ghazi(soldier of Islam) or a Shaheed(Martyr of Islam). The Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb waged Jihad against Hindus as well as Shia Muslims whom he identified as heterodox. In South India, the Hindu kingdom of Vijaynagar came under repeated attacks of annual Jihad which had started in 1501 and each attack included destruction of temples. In the historical Third Battle of Panipat(January 1761), Ahmad Shah Abdali declared a Jihad against the Marathas. Estimates from historical documents indicate that about 60 to 80 million people in India died between 1000 and 1525 CE.INDIA’S RIGHT TO SELF-DEFENSE  : Indian traditions have clearly established the rules of warfare. A ‘JUST WAR’ or ‘DHARMA YUDDHA’ is a duty and is an obligation of the Ruler. We believe in the principles of protecting all non-combatants. They should not be touched or harmed in any manner. We recognize the right of self-protection, self-defense, and self-preservation. When an enemy attacks you, it would be an act of cowardice if the enemy is not engaged in a battle. In the context of defending people against Jihadist attacks, we are not only defending our territory, our property, our personal lives but also we are defending our right to think for ourselves and cherish the ideas and values that are important to our existence. We have a fundamental right to worship as we please and safeguard the traditional way of life. Since Jihadist attack is actually a war against our fundamental right to practice religion, the propagation of ideas of Jihadist warfare should be prohibited and violators should be punished. The term Self-Defense means defense of one’s rights, beliefs, and existence. The Right to defend oneself with whatever force is reasonably necessary against actual or threatened violence is universally recognized by Law. Self-Defense is a natural, inborn instinct. A National Entity has a Right and also a Duty to defend itself from attacks sponsored by an enemy or an Enemy State. The act of Self-Defense could be expressed in several different forms; a retaliation involving the use of military force, economic and trade sanctions, diplomatic sanctions, imposing travel restrictions, and other punitive or defensive actions as needed.   

Dr. R. Rudra Narasimham,  

Kurnool Medical College, Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh, India,  

M.B.B.S.,  Class  of  April,  1970.

Whole Dude – Whole Worship

"haviryajna done by a Nambudiri in Kerala...
Whole Dude – Whole Worship
Whole Dude – Whole Worship

YAGNA, A VEDIC RITUAL OF SACRIFICE-‘HOTREE’ OR ‘YAGNA PERFORMER’ OFFERS ‘HAVIS’ TO FIRE (LORD AGNI)

THE UNIVERSE AS GOD’S BODY

The word ‘omnipresent’ is defined as present everywhere at the same time. The property of being present everywhere is one of the Divine attributes. In western theism it has attracted less attention and the idea of ‘omnipresence’ is explained in a bit unclear way. In Judeo-Christian, and Islamic Cultures, God is not immersed in the substance of creation even though He is able to interact with it as He chooses. They tend to the view that God is in “HEAVEN”, and that God is above and outside of all creation. They explain ‘omnipresence’ in terms of His ‘ESSENCE’ as He is present to all as the cause of their being, His ‘POWER’ as all things are subject to His power, and His ‘KNOWLEDGE’ as He constantly watches all that goes on in the world and all things are bare and open to His eyes and hence He is naturally present in every aspect of the natural order. Whereas Indian thinkers tend to believe that a thing is said to be substantially or essentially in that place in which its substance is. Hence, people in the Land of India traditionally hold the view that God is related to the universe as though it is His body. The entire creation is seen as a manifestation of the Supreme Person. The theory of transcendent(exists apart from material universe) and immanent(actually present throughout the material universe)’omnipresence’ explains the meaning of the word ‘BRAHMAN’, the Ultimate Reality. Indian people reflect this belief in their worship of creation, and the idea that God is immersed in the substance of His creation could be recognized as a core value, the foundation upon which the Cultural traditions of India are established over thousands of years of their continued existence. The rituals of temple worship and the Vedic rituals of Yagna always include aspects of Worship of Creation and the Scriptures reveal that the Gods also Worship Creation to the same extent and the Indian way of life could be stated as a quest for unity with the Divine.

A HYMN TO SEEK PROTECTION FROM THE CREATOR

Yaa srushti srashtu raadyaa vahiti vidhihutam, yaa havi ryaacha hotree

Ye dvey kaalam vidhatta, sruti vishaya gunaa, Yaa sthithaa vyaapya viswavam

Yaa maa hu sarva bhuta prakriti riti, Ya Yaa praanina praanavanta

Pratyakshaabhi prasanna stanubhi ravatu Vastaabhi rashtaabhi reesa.

We seek the protection of God who physically manifests Himself with the eight bodies of

1. WATER- Lord VARUNA who was created prior to the creation of all other creation(of living entities).

2. FIRE- Lord Agni who receives ‘HAVIS’, the oblations or offerings given to God.

3. HOTREE- the person who is performing ‘YAGNA’, the Vedic ritual of sacrifice.

4. SUN- Lord Surya, the marker of day time.

5. MOON- Lord Chandra, the marker of night-time.

6. SKY- or ETHER which helps in the propagation of SOUND and is spread across the entire universe.

7.EARTH- Mother Earth, Goddess Bhu Devi, who bears the burden of harboring all living entities.

8. WIND- Lord VAYU who is the ‘Breath of life'(or PRANA) of all living entities that breathe.

THE FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT TO WORSHIP CREATION

The act of Creation Worship defines Indian Identity. All other Cultural Traditions that are existing in India proceed from this foundational principle. Indians seek their well-being, prosperity, happiness and eventually salvation through acts of worship. The foreign forces that occupied and ruled India tried hard to take away this Right to Worship as per our belief that God is immanent. We need to recognize the Right to Worship Creation as a Fundamental Right. Citizens while they are free to profess their religion , should not be free to ‘PROPAGATE’ a religion or idea which basically interferes with a Fundamental Right. No person could have a Fundamental Right to PROPAGATE at the expense of denying and devaluing other core values. To that extent, we should seek an amendment to PART III, Article 25 of the Constitution of India which deals with Freedom of Religion. The Constitution of India must recognize the Worship of Creation as a Foundational Principle of the Land of India and hence should be considered a Fundamental Right and should prohibit PROPAGATION of religion which infringes upon this Core Value. Such an amendment is vital to defend the Freedom of Religion as religious doctrines of Islam and Christianity are opposed to the idea of divinity of all created objects. These religious faiths divide humanity into two categories; the believers, and the non-believers. They also further express the claim that they possess a divine sanction to punish or modify the beliefs of the non-believers. In the global community, the adherents of Hindu religious faith are only a minority and they need special protection to defend the Right to Freedom of Religion. 

Whole Dude – Whole Worship: The Lord God or the Principal Presiding deity at Malibu Hindu Temple is known as Lord Venkateshwara who represents the physical manifestation of the Supreme Being, Lord Vishnu in the material realm. Since the LORD is present in this terrestrial realm, He knows the Brahman Spirit that is in Prison.

Whole Dude – Whole Service

Whole Dude – Whole Service:

John Milton (1608-1674). Milton wrote many of ...
Whole Dude – Whole Service: A Salute to The Law of Temperance. A tribute to John Milton.
Whole Dude – Whole Service: NINE YEARS SERVICE MEDAL – A SALUTE TO THE LAW OF TEMPERANCE

The Law of Temperance

Whole Dude – Whole Service: NINE YEARS SERVICE MEDAL – A SALUTE TO THE LAW OF TEMPERANCE

John Milton (1608 – 1674), in his greatest poetic achievement of ‘PARADISE LOST’ describes Man’s First Disobedience of God, and the loss thereupon of Paradise wherein Man was placed. Adam, the first Man who was created in God’s image and likeness brought Death into the World. God declares that Adam and Eve could no longer abide in ‘Garden of Eden‘, the Paradise. God sends Angel Michael with a Band of Cherubim to dispossess them. Michael reveals to Adam the ‘Law of Temperance’ which could help him to live for many long years.

Whole Dude – Whole Service: NINE YEARS SERVICE MEDAL – A SALUTE TO THE LAW OF TEMPERANCE

Angel Michael also comforted Adam by assuring him that if he observes the ‘Law of Temperance’, Death would be like the gentle act of gathering a ripe fruit when fully mature.

Paradise Lost, Book XI ( 520-540):

Whole Dude – Whole Service: In John Milton’s epic poem of Paradise Lost, angel Michael explained ‘The Law of Temperance’ to Adam, the first created man to face the threat of death.

In John Milton’s epic poem of Paradise Lost, angel Michael explained ‘The Law of Temperance’ to Adam, the first created man to face the threat of death.

I yield it just, said Adam, and submit.

But is there yet no other way, besides

These painful passages, how we may come

To Death, and mix with our connatural dust?

There is, said, Michael, if thou well observe

The rule of not too much, by temperance taught

In what thou eatst and drinkst, seeking from thence

Due nourishment, not gluttonous delight,

Till many years over thy head return:

So maist thou live, till like ripe Fruit thou drop

Into thy Mother lap, or be with ease

Gathered, not harshly pluckt, for Death mature:

The Nature of Temperance

Whole Dude – Whole Service: NINE YEARS SERVICE MEDAL – A SALUTE TO THE LAW OF TEMPERANCE

The essence of Temperance is choosing moderation and deliberately avoid excess. In Indian Culture and Tradition, living in moderation and living in virtue are almost identical. Socrates suggests that one should “choose that which is orderly and sufficient and has a due provision for daily needs”. He compares the intemperate man “to a vessel full of holes because it can never be satisfied”. Socrates describes the temperate man as able to satisfy his limited desires, whereas the intemperate man of boundless desire, can never pause in his search of pleasure. According to Freud, when “the ego learns that it must inevitably go without immediate satisfaction, postpone gratification, learn to endure a degree of pain, and altogether renounce certain sources of pleasure”, it “becomes ‘reasonable’, is no longer controlled by the pleasure-principle, but follows the reality-principle”, which seeks ” a delayed and diminished pleasure, one which is assured by its realization of fact, its relation to reality”.

Temperance and Courage

Whole Dude – Whole Service: Saint Thomas Aquinas and ‘The Law of Temperance’.

Saint Thomas Aquinas and ‘The Law of Temperance’.

Thomas Aquinas has defined Temperance as “a disposition of the soul, moderating any passions or acts, so as to keep them within bounds. Temperate refers to a man who abstains from bodily pleasures and delights in this very fact. A man not only acts temperately but is temperate in character, when his desires are themselves habitually moderated to be in accord with reason. A temperate man is not pained at the absence of pleasure or by his abstinence from it. Temperance contributes the virtue of Fortitude which strengthens men against “the enticement of pleasure” as well as against the fear of pain. A man who is able to stand firm against the onslaught of pleasures is more able to remain firm against the dangers of death. And so “Temperance can be said to be Brave”. The endurance of pain is central to the nature of Courage. Temperance and Courage are not distinct virtues as both are based upon an ability to stand firm against pain and danger.

The Nine-Years Long Service Medal – A Salute to the Law of Temperance:

Whole Dude – Whole Service: During my service in the Indian Army Medical Corps, I learned the values of Temperance, Fortitude, Courage, and delaying gratification of desires, and avoid seeking physical comforts and pleasures.

During my service in the Indian Army Medical Corps, I learned the values of Temperance, Fortitude, Courage, and delaying gratification of desires, and avoid seeking physical comforts and pleasures.

Whole Dude – Whole Service: NINE YEARS SERVICE MEDAL – A SALUTE TO THE LAW OF TEMPERANCE

During the first nine years of my Indian Army Service, apart from taking part in the War of Liberation of Bangladesh, I participated in a variety of Army Operations that keep the men ready and prepared for a battle. Military Training and Service can be best described as habituation for a temperate character. The nature of Army Operations and Tactics always demand to overcome the onslaught of sense pleasures and voluntarily delaying the gratification of personal desires. A lifestyle based upon physical ease and comfort and indulgence in food and alcohol is not compatible with the Army way of life. The nature of Army Operations is influenced by terrain, climatic conditions, distances and the availability of transportation. There is no scope to cater for physical comfort, relaxation, and entertainment. The supply of rations and food provisions is limited because of the problems of their bulk and weight. Army Rules and the Code of Conduct emphasize that men should honor their commitment to serve more than anything else. Such commitment to Serve with Honor would only be possible only when the man in uniform lives in accordance with the Law of Temperance.

Whole Dude – Whole Service: NINE YEARS SERVICE MEDAL – A SALUTE TO THE LAW OF TEMPERANCE

 

 

Whole Dude – Whole Conviction

ca. 1940, Probably India --- Vallabhbhai Patel...
Whole Dude – Whole Conviction

The Temple of Lord Somnath. The Battle between the Power of Creation and the Power of Destruction:

Kindly pay homage to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, India’s first Deputy Prime Minister who had recreated the Temple of Lord Somnath and vanquished the evil forces which visited Somnath repeatedly to utterly destroy this sacred place of Hindu worship.

Whole Dude – Whole Conviction
Whole Dude – Whole Conviction
Kindly pay homage to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, India’s first Deputy Prime Minister who had recreated the Temple of Lord Somnath and vanquished the evil forces which visited Somnath repeatedly to utterly destroy this sacred place of Hindu worship.
Kindly pay homage to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, India’s first Deputy Prime Minister who had recreated the Temple of Lord Somnath and vanquished the evil forces which visited Somnath repeatedly to utterly destroy this sacred place of Hindu worship.

Whole Dude – Whole Power

THE TEMPLE OF LORD SOMNATH IS THE EVIDENCE FOR THE POWER OF CREATION OVER THE POWER OF DESTRUCTION. 

This entry is dedicated to the memory of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, India’s first Deputy Prime Minister. 

THE SHRINE ETERNAL : 

Somnath Temple is in the ‘Prabhas Kshetra’, near the seaport city of Veraval in Junagadh District, Kathiawar Peninsula of Saurashtra , on the shores of Arabian Sea,the western coast of Gujarat, India. This holy place of pilgrimage is a place of great antiquity and recent excavations there have revealed a settlement dating from about 1500 B.C. As per Indian traditions, the place is of significance as it is considered as the place from where Lord Krishna departed from this world. The presiding deity of this temple is Lord Shiva and He is known by the name of SOMNATHA or the Lord of the Moon. The present temple as it exists today is known as ‘Kailash Mahameru Prasada and is built-in CHALUKYA style of temple architecture. The site lied in a state of ruin for centuries and the decision to rebuild it was made by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel during his visit on 13 November, 1947. The temple was inaugurated on December 1, 1951 by Dr. Rajendra Prasad, the first President of the Republic of India. He had remarked that, “The Somnath temple signifies that the power of creation is always greater than the power of destruction”. The temple symbolizes the enduring fame of Sardar Patel who during the first three years of Indian independence after 1947, had served as Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Home Affairs, Minister of Information, and Minister of States. He was considered as practical and decisive. He was the architect of the Indian Union and his greatest contribution was the achievement of the peaceful integration of over 535 princely states into the Indian Union. The principality of Junagadh, and the princely State of Hyderabad had initially resisted the offer to join the Indian Union. Having failed in his attempts to join Pakistan, the Nawab of Junagadh fled away from the country. Mr. Bhutto,( the father of Mr. Z.A. Bhutto, who served as Pakistan’s Prime minister) acting in his capacity of the ‘DEWAN’ of the court of Junagadh, had invited Lord Mountbatten to accept the accession of Junagadh to India. In the State of Hyderabad, a militant movement called the Razakars was launched seeking independence but Sardar Patel restored peace in September 1948 and the ruler Nizam had accepted the terms of accession to the Indian Union. This part of Indian history and the integration of princely states into Indian Union has again become relevant after the enemy’s brutal attack in Mumbai which I had mentioned in my previous entry. The enemy had described himself as ‘Deccan Mujahedeen’, and the media reports indicate that the enemy had specific designs to gobble Junagadh, and Hyderabad apart from encouraging insurgency in the border State of Kashmir. The enemy’s intentions will force us to defend SOMNATH in Junagadh District which is resurrected after repeated attacks over centuries. 

THE HISTORY OF SOMNATH :

Jyotirlinga Temple at Somnath is mentioned in Hindu prayers in praise and worship of Lord Shiva:”Sauraashtra dese visadeti ramye, Jyotirmayam Chandra Kalaa vatamsam, Bhakti pradaanaaya Krupaa vateernam, Tam Somanaatham Saranam prapadye.”
Somnath, the confluence of three rivers, River Sarasvati, River Hiranya, River Ilanki and Kapila is mentioned in ancient Hindu Scriptures known as Rig Veda.

 

LORD SOMNATH TEMPLE-THE SHRINE ETERNAL- TESTIMONY TO THE POWER OF CREATION OVER THE POWER OF DESTRUCTION.

 Somnath finds its mention in the ancient text of RIG VEDA. It is associated with the holy names of GANGA, YAMUNA, and SARASWATI, popularly known as ‘TIRTH DHAM’ where Indians traditionally offer worship by a practice described as ‘River Worship’. The ancient river of Saraswati may have merged into the Sea at Somnath apart from smaller rivulets known by the names of Hiranya, Kapila and Ilanki. The place is extensively described as a place of pilgrimage and its importance is narrated in the ancient texts of ‘SKANDA PURANA’, ‘BHAGAVATA PURANA’, and ‘SHIVA PURANA’. Lord Shiva in His radiant form known as ‘Jyotir Linga’ resides at Twelve different places in India and Somnath is listed as the first place of residence of ‘DWADASA JYOTIR LINGA’.Tradition claims that the original Temple of Somnath was built by Lord Moon, and was later built by King Ravana of Lanka who is a central figure in the story of Indian epic poem of RAMAYANA. The SINDH area of the Indian subcontinent came under Arab conquest in 7th century A.D. The Somnath Temple built by the YADAVA kings of Vallabhi of Saurashtra around 649 A.D. was destroyed in 725 A.D. by the Arab governor of Sindh. The Pratihara King Nagabhata II rebuilt it in red stone. Between 1001 A.D. and 1027 A.D. , the road to conquest of India was prepared by Sultan Mahmud of Ghazna( modern GHAZNI in Afghanistan) who conducted more than twenty raids into North India. His raids were mainly for plunder. They revealed the wealth of India and demonstrated the vulnerability of India to military attacks. During one of his raids, in 1024 A.D. , marching across India’s Thar Desert, Mahmud of Ghazna had plundered and destroyed the Somnath Temple. The amount looted was estimated at 20 thousand, thousand ‘Dinars’. The enormous treasures found at Somnath have been a theme of wonder for all who have written on that conquest. The Paramara King of Bhoj of Malwa, Solanki King Bhima of Anhilwara/Patan between 1026 A.D. and 1042 A.D. rebuilt the Temple. By 1297/98 A.D. , Gujarat was conquered by Ala-ud-Din Khalij, Sultan of Delhi and the Temple was razed.Solanki King Kumarapala built a Temple of stone and this was destroyed again in 1394 A.D. For the last time, the Temple was destroyed in 1706 A.D by the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb and the site remained in ruins till India’s independence in 1947. The rebirth of the Temple on December 1, 1951 demonstrates the vitality of the Indian spirit. 

A HYMN IN PRAISE OF LORD SOMNATH : 

Saurashtra dese visadeti ramye 

Jyotirmayam, Chandra kala vatamsam 

Bhakti prada naya Krupa vatirnam 

Tam Somanatham saranam prapadye. 

Lord Somanatha is dwelling in His great splendor in the Province of Saurashtra. May this Lord Somanatha who is full of radiance, and the crescent-shaped Moon shines in His matted hair, with His extreme compassion grant me a great sense of devotion with which I would seek my protection and let Him be my refuge. 

Jyotirlinga Temple at Somnath is mentioned in Hindu prayers in praise and worship of Lord Shiva:”Sauraashtra dese visadeti ramye, Jyotirmayam Chandra Kalaa vatamsam, Bhakti pradaanaaya Krupaa vateernam, Tam Somanaatham Saranam prapadye.”

Whole Dude – Whole Intuition

Whole Dude – Whole Intuition: Jean Jacques Rousseau, Swiss-French philosopher, writer, and political theorist was one of the great figures of the French Enlightenment and he continues to inspire the Romantic generation

JEAN JACQUES ROUSSEAU – FRENCH PHILOSOPHER, POLITICAL THEORIST WHOSE IDEAS INSPIRED THE LEADERS OF FRENCH REVOLUTION

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?

How to attain Enlightenment? The Methods of Inquiry called Reason, Experience, and Intuition

Whole Dude – Whole Intuition: How to attain Enlightenment?

Man has to find his way to his pure nature, and this, through feelings. Man’s duty is to look for his most deep interior feelings and follow them.

Enlightenment – The Age of Reason:

Whole Dude – Whole Intuition: How to attain Enlightenment?

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.

Whole Dude – Whole Intuition: How to attain Enlightenment?

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.

Whole Dude – Whole Intuition: How to attain Enlightenment?

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 Intuition: How to attain 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.

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.

Whole Dude – Whole Intuition: How to attain Enlightenment?

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

He is credited with having introduced a great discovery about the nature of freedom and he emphasizes 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 seeks the nature of humans in the wholly private realm of intuition and conscience. He looks inward for the fundamental source of moral obligation. Enlightenment has faith in reason which is understood as abstraction from external experience, Rousseau emphasizes that the inner life is the source of truth.

Rousseau shares the Enlightenment view that society perverts natural man, the “noble savage” who lives harmoniously with nature, free from selfishness, want, possessiveness, and jealousy. In his essay, ‘ A Discourse on the Sciences and the Arts ‘(1750), he argues 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.

Whole Dude – Whole Intuition: How to attain Enlightenment?

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.

Whole Dude – Whole Intuition: How to attain Enlightenment?

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 proposes a society that’s able to cultivate the individual’s moral stature without injury to his freedom. He expresses freedom and equality of citizens in the idiom of natural and inalienable rights. Rousseau believes 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.

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.

Whole Dude – Whole Intuition: How to attain Enlightenment

Whole Dude – Whole Opinion

My musings on the death of Socrates

Whole Dude – Whole Opinion: My musings on the death of Socrates

NO EVIL CAN BEFALL A GOOD MAN EITHER HERE OR HEREAFTER

THE DEATH OF SOCRATES

Ms. Emily Wilson is the author of this book (Harvard, 247 pages, $19.95) and it was reviewed by Thomas Meaney and the article with the title The Afterlife of a Skeptic appeared in The Wall Street Journal in its edition of Saturday/Sunday, November 24-25, 2007. The book deals with as to how the execution of a philosopher has been reinterpreted for every era. The history of the interpretation of Socrates’ death speaks about the history of philosophy in the West. Mr. Meaney begins his review with the observation that the name of Socrates recalls his death more than his bewilderingly eccentric life.

Whole Dude – Whole Opinion: My musings on the death of Socrates

Socrates, ancient Athenian philosopher, is best remembered for his admonition to “KNOW THY SELF.” He laid the philosophical foundations of Western Culture. He made an effort to shore up the ethical dimension of life. He directed philosophical thought toward analyses of the character and conduct of human life. As Cicero said, Socrates “brought down philosophy from heaven to earth” – i.e. from the nature speculation of the Ionian and Italian cosmologists to analyses of the character and conduct of human life, which he had assessed in terms of an original theory of the soul. Socrates turned philosophy away from a study of the way things are, toward a consideration of virtue and the health of the human soul. He was a man of deep piety with the temperament of a mystic. He believed in the soul’s immortality and claimed that the soul of man partakes of the Divine. Socrates held himself to be an envoy from God. He believed himself charged with a mission from God to make his fellowmen aware of their ignorance and of the supreme importance of knowledge of what is for the soul’s good.

Whole Dude – Whole Opinion: My musings on the death of Socrates

Socrates redirected philosophy from cosmology to the formulation of a rule of life, to the “practical use of reason.” The specific message from God that Socrates brought to his fellowmen was that of the “care” or “tending” of one’s ” soul, to make one’s soul as good as possible”- “making it like God,” in fact – and not to ruin one’s life, as most men do, by putting care for the body or for “possessions” before care for the “soul”; for the “soul” is that which is most truly a man’s self. According to Socrates the soul is the man. He believed that to do wrong is to damage one’s soul. From this it follows that it is always worse to do wrong than to be wronged and that one must never return wrong for wrong. He also maintained that virtue is knowledge and that all the virtues really amount to knowledge. His self-control and powers of endurance were exemplary. His self-imposed life of hardships and austerity was the price of his spiritual independence.

Whole Dude – Whole Opinion: My musings on the death of Socrates

Socrates believed that he can teach merely by asking the right questions. He spent his life in conversation with Athenian citizens, seeking true knowledge and exposing the errors of those who claimed to have wisdom. Socrates challenged anyone with a pretense to knowledge. Socrates ushered in an age of rational inquiry. According to Socrates, the radical vice of ancient democracy is that of putting society in the hands of men without true insight and with no adequate expert knowledge (and in this regard, Socrates is absolutely correct and even today that is the biggest danger of Democracy!). He expected that statesmen should act like “physicians of the body politic” and that they should promote “righteousness and temperance.”

Whole Dude – Whole Opinion: My musings on the death of Socrates

Socrates was indicted for “impiety,” “corruption of the young,” and “neglect of the gods whom the city worships and the practice of religious novelties.” He elevated virtue over the gods themselves, whose approval was so central to Athenian civil life. Socrates claimed that he could prick the city into a higher state of self-awareness by disturbing its settled world view. In Plato’s account of the trial, “The Apology,” Socrates defended himself not as a victim of censorship but as a benefactor of Athens. In an open- air Athenian court room in 399 B.C., the world’s first democracy sentenced one of the world’s first public intellectuals to death for disrespecting the city’s gods and leading its youth astray. His disciples were prepared to help him escape, but Socrates baffled them when he cheerfully swigged his lethal cup of hemlock after praising the city that wanted him gone. Socrates died for choosing the right to speak his conscience.

In the 18 th and 19 th centuries, Socrates was a hero aswellas a scourge for the best minds of their ages. Nietzsche saw Socrates as a deleterious species of cultural sickness. For him, Socrates marked the beginning of the regrettable triumph of “naive rationalism.” Socrates’ death was a hostile act that, by championing a deadeningly abstract and unattainable notion of virtue, precluded living authentically in the world. Socrates is described as a radical skeptic. Ms. Wilson in her book concludes her interpretation of Socrates’ death with a curiously banal argument. She charges that Socrates wasn’t a good family man.

In the closing words of his speech to the jury, Socrates says: “when my sons grow up, punish them, and pain them in the very same way I pained you, if they seem to you to care about money or anything else before virtue. And if they are reputed to be something when they are nothing, reproach them just as I did you, tell them that they do not care for the things they should, and that they suppose they are something when they are worth nothing .” The man who had been condemned to death for corrupting the sons of the city ends his life by instructing his executioners about how to treat his own children. He goes to his death with his faith in his own reason. After 2,400 years, it is still a resounding epitaph.

Whole Dude – Whole Opinion: My musings on the death of Socrates. LORD SHIVA – THE GOD OF LEARNING – THE PURSUIT OF KNOWLEDGE AND WISDOM

I am totally surprised by the book and its review. In the West, there appears to be no awareness of the ideas and thoughts that are routinely expressed in the East. I would not describe Socrates as a skeptic and I would never describe his way of life as eccentric. I would compare Socrates to Shiva on one hand and on the other, I would compare him to Gautama Buddha. If Jesus Christ, who had written nothing, spent His time talking to people, when put on trial did not defend Himself and made no attempt to protect His personal life and did not return to His earthly parents’ home, could be recognized as The Savior of Mankind , I would most certainly uphold Socrates’ claim that he is indeed a benefactor.

Whole Dude – Whole Opinion: My musings on the death of Socrates. SPIRITUALITY SCIENCE – THE DOCTRINE OF CREATION: SOCRATES – “KNOW THYSELF, AND YOU WILL KNOW THE UNIVERSE AND THE GODS.”