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Showing posts from April 12, 2007

#013, Bengal brings Asthma

Swami Vivekananda wrote to Ms. Christina Greenstidel from Belur Math on Sept. 2, 1901: "... Of course, Bengal brings Asthma now and then, but it is getting tame, and the terrible things--Bright's disease and diabetes have disappeared altogether." NOT GOING TO TRY THE BENGALEE MOUNTAINS ANY MORE "Within the last few months, I got two fits [of asthma] by going to two of the dampest hill stations in Bengal — Shillong and Darjeeling. I am not going to try the Bengalee mountains any more." Swamiji wrote to Ms. Christina Greenstidel from Belur Math on Sept. 7, 1901: "As on the one hand there is some risk of catching malaria in Belur this month. In Calcutta, on the other hand there is the danger of plague." BLOGGER'S VIEWs *Afraid of Bengalee plains *Afraid of Bengalee mountains *Afraid of Malaria, Plague, Asthma *Which disease Swamiji was not afraid of?

012 Christina ! Sacrificed a goat and burned a lot of fireworks

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Advaitic Monks (Monistic Monks) preaching Advaita Vedanta (Monistic Philosophy) are supposed to be DISTINCT from mendicant monks and ordinary householders. Advaitic Monkhood is based on "GnAna" or GnAna Yoga, i.e. Awareness, and the Path of Awareness. What is this awareness about? It is about the Unity or oneness of one's living soul (jIvAtma) and the Supreme God (paramAtma). They are not separate. Once, a person gets this knowledge, and implements it in his daily life, he will become a jIvan-mukta (a liberated person, while being still alive). This jIvan mukta can never think of , or boast of petty things like worship of idols, sacrificing goats to idols, lighting and exploding fireworks. This must be particularly true of a monk, who goes on trumpeting in the entire world that he is an Advaita Philosophy Preacher, and who wants to accept disciples from foreigners who do not know anything about Advaita philosophy. Swami Vivekananda wrote to Ms. Christina Greenst

#189 I have manfully borne the terrific heat of my country

Swami Vivekananda wrote to Ms. Christina Greenstidel in June 1901:- "...I have manfully borne the terrific heat of my country in the plains, and now I am facing the deluging rains of my country. ..." BLOGGER'S VIEW * Manful in bearing the heat of India ? Didn't the 360 million Indians (population of India in those days) of his days endure it? Was Vivekananda an exception? *Swami always went in search of cool stations like Ooty, Mount Abu, Almora, Darjeeling, Murre, Dehradun, Almora, Switzerland etc. *Numerous examples are available for this cooling himself fanatism. *Today India's population is 1100 million. At least 1090 million bear the heat of India. They do not have Air conditioners or coolers or they do not live at hill stations.