On Thurs 7 Aug 08 @9PM I had a deeply moving and spiritual experience when I lit candles and deeyas for Tibet. This was in unison with everyone in my time zone and done globally. I'd like to explore this and share my experiences with you and hear yours as we participate in universal collective prayer events together. I hope to work together with all the universe's beings as we move toward the ideal of Universal Collective Prayer.
Come join me in Universal Collective Prayer!
May God Bless Us All!
UCP-Universal Collective Prayer is produced by Meady's Musings Production . Copyright 2006-2011
UCP and the Meady's Musings Production House apologize for no festival of Shiv this February and for practically dropping off the face of the earth since Dec 2011 i.e. all 2012 long so far! But we were busy planning a pilgrimage and touring trip of sorts to China and India! So don't despair in March we shall be back fully to share all the delights of our trip and also on Meady's Musings continue the Purple Elephant and little mouse tales. But we couldn't help but share our excitement tonight as we sit in the lap of the Himalayas...not in Rishikesh as the rest of our crew seemed to fear the crowds (or maybe the monkeys as it certainly couldn't be the cows that are so tame) and so we are nestled in the hill station of Nainital in its off season. However we were still able to make it to a Shiv temple earlier today and we felt we had to come on here and wish all our readers a Happy Maha Shiv Ratri 2012 and share some of the sights of our lovely day of Maha Shiv Ratri 2012 in the lap of the Himalayas-Nainital! :)
The owner of the Production House at Nainital, India-Feb 2012
The Shiv Lingam Nainital, India-Feb 2012
And also for an extra added treat here are some pictures of Shiv himself at Rishikesh where were lucky enough to be part of the hawan that evening when aarti is then offered to the Ganga. Later we will upload a video clip of that day...look for it in March! :)
On this day that marks the day that Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi-The Mahatma, Bapu, Father of a Nation = India left the earthly plane via the gun in the hand of Godse. I choose to explore the principles that were honed and practised by the Mahatma during his lifetime. For sure the Mahatma was an explorer of Universal Collective Prayer long before I decided to do the dance. He explored many of the world religions from what I've read about him.
When he was a child he grew up under the care of a staunch Hindu mother and in the midst of a vibrant Gujarati Jain community. Supposedly his mum made him vow before a Jain monk before he made his way to London to study that he would uphold the Hindu and I'm assuming also Jain principles that is best explained like this in this free online book-"MAHATMA GANDHI-His Life In Pictures" :
"The mother's objection to his going abroad was overcome by the son's solemn vow not to touch wine, women and meat." And I assume they meant engaging in sexual things with women other than his wife. Gandhi already being a married man at the time of his departure.
According to the book he was ex-communicated by his caste for as my people would put it crossing the kala paani. Historically I'm told my ancestors came to the Caribbean with the burden that they did like Gandhi and crossed the sea or as they called it the kala paani. So like my people and in the same 19th century as them Gandhi crossed the sea but instead he set sail for London, England.
Here's what the book goes on to say: "In Bombay, his caste people, who looked upon crossing the ocean as contamination, threatened to excommunicate him if he persisted in going abroad. But Gandhi was adamant and was thus formally excommunicated by his caste. Undeterred, he sailed on September 4, 1888, for Southampton-aged eighteen. A few months earlier Kasturbai had borne him a son.
The first few days in London were miserable. "I would continually think of my home and country. . . Everything was strange-the people, their ways and even their dwellings. I was a complete novice in the matter of English etiquette, and continually had to be on my guard. There was the additional inconvenience of the vegetarian vow. Even the dishes that I could eat were tasteless and insipid."The food difficulty was solved when one day he chanced upon a vegetarian restaurant in Farringdon Street where he also bought a copy of Salt's Plea for Vegetarianism and was greatly impressed by it. Hitherto he had been a vegetarian because of the vow he had taken. From now on he became a vegetarian by choice. He read many more books on vegetarianism and diet and was delighted to discover modern science confirm the practice of his forefathers. To spread vegetarianism became henceforward his mission, as he put it."
So I'm glad he crossed the kala paani because it made him take up a cause dear to my heart and made it his mission to spread it! Thus a great advocate of vegetarianism was born and many a 'little one' possibly saved! :)
Of course that first epiphany was just the beginning of his journey into universal collective prayer! Here is what the book goes on to say:
"Towards the end of his second year in London, he came across two theosophist brothers who introduced him to Sir Edwin Arnold's translation in English verse of the Gita-The Song Celestial priceless worth. He was deeply impressed. "The book struck me as one of priceless worth. This opinion of the Gita has ever since been growing on me, with the result that I regard it today as the supreme book for knowledge of Truth. It has afforded me invaluable help in my moments of gloom."
About the same time a Christian friend whom he had met in a vegetarian boarding house introduced him to the Bible. He found it difficult to wade through the Old Testament which put him to sleep, but he fell in love with the New Testament and specially with the Sermon on the Mount. He also read Sir Edwin Arnold's rendering of Buddha's life-The light of Asia-as well as the chapter on the Prophet of Islam in Carlyle's Heroes and Hero Worship. The attitude of respect for all religions and the desire to understand the best in each one of them were thus planted in his mind early in life."
So there you have it his big jump into the dance of Universal Collective Prayer. It would be the beginning or a wonderful journey into exploring and putting into practice universal collective prayer by honouring and practising the teachings of many of the world's great religions. It was no doubt this dance that made him hone and develop the principles of satyagraha that I am trying to learn more about and perhaps put into action in my own daily life dances. Here is a really great definition of its concepts that I found on this site- "Basic Concepts of Satyagraha: Gandhian Nonviolence: from the APT Nonviolence Trainer's Manual.
I. "Sat" --- which implies openness, honesty, and fairness: Truth.
A) Each person's opinions and beliefs represent part of the truth.
B) In order to see more of the truth we must share our truths cooperatively.
C) This implies a desire to communicate and a determination to do so, which in turn requires developing and refining relevant skills of communication.
D) Commitment to seeing as much of the truth as possible means that we can not afford to categorize ourselves or others.
II. "Ahimsa" --- refusal to inflict injury on others.
A) Ahimsa is dictated by our commitment to communication and to sharing of our pieces of the truth. Violence shuts off channels of communication.
B) The concept of ahimsa appears in most major religions, which suggests that while it may not be practiced by most people, it is respected as an ideal.
C) Ahimsa is an expression of our concern that our own and other's humanity be manifested and respected.
D) We must learn to genuinely love our opponents in order to practice ahimsa.
III. "Tapasya" --- willingness for self-sacrifice.
A) A satyagrahi (one who practices satyagraha) must be willing to shoulder any sacrifice which is occasioned by the struggle which they have initiated, rather than pushing such sacrifice or suffering onto their opponent, lest the opponent become alienated and access to their portion of the truth become lost.
B) The satyagrahi must always provide a face-saving "way out" for the opponents. The goal is to discover a wider vista of truth and justice, not to achieve victory over the opponent."
That is quite a bit to taken in as a lesson! But it is amazing how much it rings through in anything in our life! A lot like the Desiderata really but even more challenging in terms of the actions it suggests on the experimenter. Those who follow my blogs would know I work full-time as an engineer and am only a part time blogger. Reading about Satyagraha makes you realise how useful a tool it can even be in finding engineering solutions! For sure an amazing tool for communicating with anyone about anything!
So as I continue on this dance that is Universal Collective Prayer I will continue to keep my readers updated as to how this new experiment of satyagraha progresses! No doubt I must to some extent already embrace or try some of it some of the time...but now I will be consciously following it as a principle and assessing how it goes like how you should do with any true experiment...collecting the data...but it is an experiment in life not in science so don't expect charts and reports just feelings and moods and storytelling after all this is a dance not a laboratory! Besides I'm sure the Spirit in the Sky or the Akashic recorders are taking note! :)
And I leave you with one of the fav tunes of the great proponer of all this great Satyagraha business...one of the Mahatma's favs- Allah Tero Naam Ishwar Tero Naam Sab Ko Sanmati De Bhagwan/Raghupati Raghav Raja Raam! And whereever you are great one thank you Mahatma Gandhi Ji! Thank for you experimenting with Universal Collective Prayer! Thank you for being an advocate of vegetarianism and saving perhaps the lives of many a little one! Thank you for Satyagraha! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
You all know how much I cried a few days back about the animal sacrifices...but I'm always looking for the positive to highlight when I see it although I believe I need to speak out against injustices when I see them too...especially for the wordless like 'my fellow little ones' as defined in this post.
I know the cynical way of looking at this might be to say the Muslims in India are just afraid of Hindu fundamentalist rage but I think even if that is the case their actions here are in the end good and should be highlighted. Perhaps next year it will be repeated not out of fear but out of the true desire to be in Universal Collective Prayer with the Hindus. And really I don't know if some persons are truly doing this out of their heart too not out of fear but out of genuine compassion and the love of peace and universal understanding. I mean I am in no position to judge of course! And perhaps the next year it won't just be the cows who are spared but all the animals...all 'the little ones'. For as you will also know from my last post one of my fav quotes from the Gita sees cows on equal footing as 'other little ones' too.
I repeat it here:
'The Humble sages, by virtue of true knowledge,see with equal vision a learned and gentle brahman, a cow, an elephant, a dog, a dog-eater (an outcaste)'-The Gita Chapter 5 verse 18.
However I am thankful for at least the cows spared and appreciative of the overall camaraderie shown by the Muslims in India towards the Hindus there this Eid-Ul-Adah in wake of the recent Mumbai Terror Attacks.
Check out what I'm talking about here in this Washington Post article by Emily Wax-In India, Muslims Mark a Somber EidCelebrations Subdued After Mumbai Siege Special correspondent Pragya Krishna in New Delhi also contributed to this report.
I have quoted below some points in the article that to me show the goodness and reflects the values of Universal Collective Prayer the most:
'Muslim groups in Mumbai, meanwhile, have brought tea and cookies to many of the victims still recuperating at the city's hospitals.'
'Muslims around the world usually celebrate Eid by slaughtering sheep, goats and cows to commemorate the prophet Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son, Ismail, on God's command. This year, Muslim leaders asked that no cows be killed out of respect for the Hindu belief that cattle are sacred. Muslim leaders have also refused to allow the bodies of the nine fighters killed in the attacks to be buried in Islamic cemeteries. In sermons and in street demonstrations, Muslims have said they, too, want tougher laws and a stepped-up fight against terrorist attacks.'
'Near an Islamic prayer cap store and in front of a popular mosque in Mumbai, friends gathered in a narrow alleyway after prayers to console Mohammed Rafique, 45, who had been at the landmark Taj Mahal Palace & Tower hotel, the scene of much of the carnage. "We all have felt the horror," said Rafique, a driver, who was inside the hotel to help organize a wedding party. "I just hope my Hindu brethren don't blame us. We have suffered greatly, too." '
Always glad to see Universal Collective Prayer being embraced even if in a subtle way! And there you have it others very different to me in some ways are also walking in my shoes if even for a little bit!
After yesterday's terror attacks in Mumbai there will come a time of healing...it might take some time and it doesn't mean that the wound might not even be re-opened or hit into something and cause pain etc. As with the human body this happens...but as it always is with the human body, mind and spirit...there comes a time for healing and we do heal whenever the time for it comes and however long it takes us to do so. One more thing with healing is it never comes before the time is right for it and it needs to take as long as it needs...I don't know how long it will take for Mumbai, India and the world as a whole to heal...but I think this video clip below can be an inspiration to the people of Mumbai, India and any nation and perhaps in ideality one day there will only be one nation-Planet Earth.
But for sure hope of this lies in our future generations and here is the inspiration from the Hindi film Ganga Jumna(two of India's and Hinduism's great rivers)...I chose it cause of it's inspiring message to children and this time around it does have the English subtitles (although not word for word but you get the gist)which is the language that this blog is carried out in. Of course like Jesus bids us we could all become like children and then we will be able to enter the kingdom of God so perhaps this can be an inspiration to all of us if we look at it with the eyes and spirit of a child...new, fresh...look at it as if we have never been hurt...
It's Diwali time and from the Piarco International Airport here in Trinidad to central where the heart of Diwali stays as the Diwali Nagar to down south in the heart of the oil industry there are displays and shows galore! I just thought I'd share with you some footage from my adventures so far.
Photo republished from the Tibetan Government in Exile web page - http://www.tibet.net
Today the Tibetan Government in Exile carried out a day of fasting and prayer I say carried out since it was done in India and that is about 9 hours ahead of Trinidad time I believe so fasting there that started at 7 AM will be finishing off at 7 PM there which is about 10 AM Trinidad time. The web is buzzing today with details on the fast so I won't go into it here as a simple seach for 'The Tibetan Government in Exile' on google or other search engines will give you all the details of the fasting and prayer being carried out for healing of pain and sufferring caused by all the riots etc. and the health of the Dalai Lama. Well any search outside of China that is! That's the thing about Universal Collective Prayer it can happen in any space and time and it is just like the candle4tibet experience again. So the people in India and that region would have started off as they are in the East but the fast then continues on into different time zones as you move westward. In this case it is a 12 hours fast so you also have where in the period of 7 AM to 10 AM in Trinidad we would have been fasting and praying while the people in India would have still be in their 12 hour period.The Dalai Lama although hospitalised for 'abdominal pain and exhaustion' also took part in this fast in India it seems from a press release.
I'm off to a nature retreat and it is a very long drive for me so I don't plan to fast the whole 12 hours. I plan to pray along the way in my heart and mind in the best way I know how. If you read my other blog postings you might realise that these days I'm a Shiv Bhakt (devotee) so you I will be comtemplating on Shiv as I see him as the the supreme guru and a super yogi...I think looking at the murti image I'm attaching below says it all at least for me! So I contemplate on his image and try to emulate his strength and determination in yoga, meditation and self realization. Please reflect on the image if you like too. I say plan as the kind of nagging that has already started by some of my family members even before the trip and with road conditions unknown...I can only plan to do so...as I'm not perfect and on the personal level it won't be collective prayer since I can't guarantee the mindset of others in my car. But at least on the universal scale there is collective prayer.
However, I invite all to take part in Universal Collective Prayer today with me in the best way you know how. The image I'm attaching below is of a Shiv murti in Rishikesh India that I have the permission to use from a friend I made on Flickr called Jarmo Tuisk and through his kindness and generosity I can use it here. He gave me this right when I shared with him how much the image meant to me and how much it inspired me. Thanks again Jarmo and Shiv's blessings!
I also look forward to comments here or otherwise on this experience. May God Bless Us All!
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