The Middle Path It gives vision, gives knowledge, and leads to calm, to insight, to enlightenment and to Nirvana. And what is that Middle Path realized by the Tathagata? It is the Noble Eightfold path, and nothing else, namely: right understanding, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration. In a world divided by extremes, I have chosen the middle path. After much reflection on the various arguments on various subjects, I have realized that the middle path is the sanest, safest and the one which can allow for progress towards a better world without annihilating the one we currently occupy. The mindset which says, ‘my way or the highway’ doesn’t leave much scope and quickly divides into ‘for’ or ‘against’. Two warring factions that shall never meet. In my youth, I too started out as an extremist, judging things, people, opportunities as good or bad, right or wrong through my own set of filt...
I have been writing about my trips on this blog regularly under the label footprints . So much so that part of the excitement of going on a trip now seems to be the recounting of it once back on the blog for friends. The trip this time was no different, since right from the beginning I kept filing away details in my mind and clicking pictures all with the view that it would get space on the blog. However since my travel mate Mampi is already writing about the exact activities of the trip in great detail I am not going to repeat it. You can visit her blog for details. Let me therefore share with you some snippets and photographs. It was Dalhousie that we went to this time. Famously nicknamed " dull & lousy " by the boisterous crowds, the place is a military cantonment and a quaint little town that was set up just 150 years ago. We arrived there in high spirits, the thrill of having escaped the mundane hectic lives we normally lead giving all of us extra broad smiles. A ...
As we see the images of Kashmiris asking for separation over and over again. It hits home that all this hullabaloo is actually because they find their homeland under threat. The threat is real or imagined can be a matter of debate however the fact remains that having your home turf under attack is not a easy feeling to live with. So what am I trying to say? Well just that the Kashmiris are not the only one clamouring to be heard through their many parades and leaders, some dumb creatures too are crying out and asking for our support. The Olive Ridley Turtles are going to lose their breeding grounds soon thanks to a port that the Tata’s are planning at Dhamra, one of the last natural habitats of these endangered species. I wrote a letter to Mr. Ratan Tata today through GreenPeace an organization which is fighting on behalf of the turtles and their right to live. Here is my letter: Dear Mr.Tata, It would be nice to know that apart from a lot of steel you also have a heart. Money can...
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