Om Namah Shivaya

Om Namah Shivaya

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Showing posts with label Bodhgaya. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bodhgaya. Show all posts

Mar 14, 2014

1ST EDITION OF 2014 - Shadow Dancing With Mind

WELCOME TO THE FIRST EDITION OF SHADOW DANCING WITH MIND OF THE YEAR 2014

After a long gap I am bringing my usual edition of the blog, where I collate all the posts that I have had written previously. I hope you will enjoy this one...

Last month I had a chance to meet one of the most famous writer from Chennai, Timeri N Murari, through our Sans Serif Book Club, where we had invited him to interact and share his personal thoughts on the books that he has written. This post is about the book which chronicles his travel to Mount Kailash, Heavenly abode of Lord Shiva, “Limping To The Center of The World” – AN AMAZING BOOK


I usually don’t read hard core fiction. Murder Plots are the last on my list of fun but when, I did a little bit of research, felt little relieved that there must be something more than blood and gore. The book seemed to be one of the biggest – selling Japanese thrillers ever and the inspiration for a cult film. And yes it took me by surprise and really enjoyed reading it. It was a good book, perfectly portraying the mind of a genius mathematician Ishigami and his college mate and kind of competitor, Physics Professor Yukawa in the back drop of the accidental murder of Togashi, ex Husband of the heroine Yasuko.


The three keys to become a published author…

There are many reasons; creative people of Chennai eagerly wait for the Hindu Lit For Life Festival that started happening annually since 2010. Some of them, are there to get their 'fix' of 15 seconds of fame by standing up and giving their piece of ‘Gyan’, instead of asking questions, or proudly claiming to be better than those on the stage and some are out right blatant, promoting their blog or whatever they do, crying hoarse that no one is listening to their pearls of wisdom. But thankfully they are less in numbers and are contained by the sheer power of brilliance that Nirmala Lakshman and Hindu Team, brings forward on the stage.



WANDERLUST:

Rishikesh, one of the most serene and spiritual places of the world, has always filled my heart with peace and tranquility. This time, as there was International Yoga Festival, (1st to 7th March, 2014) Dev Bhoomi (Land of Gods) has a different color and atmosphere. As my younger brother has come from Singapore, so he thought of joining me from Delhi… So here are some of my impressions from the trip... through some of the pictures that I took there…


ANOTHER SOURCE OF SPIRITUAL ENERGY, FOUND IN HIMALAYA'S LAP....
Hidden in the thousands of valleys, surrounded by tall, serene and mysterious Himalayan peaks, one always find some secluded spot, where all the nature focuses its energy of creations to manifest the power of supreme consciousness, in physical things, which the mankind can feel if not see... And one such place, I came to be in last November, is Tadkeshwar Temple.


When you are in wilderness, and come across a signboard like the one below, that has a Tiger's fierce face and reads "This Is My Kingdom", be very very careful. It was an interesting journey last November on the trail of wild Tigers and here are some of my images from the adventure.... Come lets get lost in the Kingdom of Wild Tigers....

Though I have had attended all of the Indi Blogger meets in Chennai, it was my first Indiblogger meet in Delhi on 28th March. Sky scanner Indiblogger meet became all the more important to me, as I have had the opportunity to present to a large group of bloggers, the idea of Indi Blogger for Social Action (IBSA).


STILL LIFE:

After 7 years of making of the Shiva's Temple, based on the South Indian Temple Architecture - by the sthapati's (The builders of Temples based on Vedic Rituals and style) of Famous Madurai Minakshi Temple  at one of my friend Karuna's village, it was a pleasure to be there once again.... And this time it was to be socially responsible, as Karuna says... and we arranged Sangat Pangat event on the lines of the Famous Acharya Kishore Kunal, where we planned to have food with villagers without thinking about Caste and creed... and I loved it.



From the very beginning, Light house's have fascinated me and when there was a talk of visiting Chennai Light house as it has been recently opened for public at our Chennai Bloggers Club, I was ready to join with my handy camera..



Hope you will enjoy this edition... look forward to your comments and visit to the next Edition... please click on the “Join this Site” button on the right hand side top corner to follow my posts on this blog... I will be grateful.

__
Shashi
 नमः शिवाय
Om Namah Shivaya
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30th Edition                                                                                             32nd Edition

Feb 9, 2014

STILL LIFE: From Budha's Enlightenment to His Nirvana - A journey

WALK WITH ME...
__________________

After 7 years of making of the Shiva's Temple, based on the South Indian Temple Architecture - by the sthapati's (The builders of Temples based on Vedic Rituals and style) of Famous Madurai Minakshi Temple  at one of my friend Karuna's village, it was a pleasure to be there once again.... And this time it was to be socially responsible, as Karuna says... and we arranged Sangat Pangat event on the lines of the Famous Acharya Kishore Kunal, where we planned to have food with villagers without thinking about Caste and creed... and I loved it.

The Temple ready to be inaugurated by the (Then) Hon Minister
Sh. Shatrughan Sinha... 2007

Well I keep visiting that temple as being one of the person involved in its making, I feel great as I see the temple has kept up with the faith of the locals here who feel it to be a quite powerful in terms of granting boons. The native villagers, including the politicians who did win an election, after praying here say, that it gives what you ask for... 

As Usual, I take this image Buddha as it inspires me.. and the Guard there
asks me not too..  At Bodh Gaya.

So here I am, tracing my footsteps back in time and took 8 days out of my professional life to be here to visit the temple, Participate in Sangat Pangat Concept of Kishore Kunal to feed 5K people, at one place without the question of caste and creed, then move on to Bodh Gaya to meditate, where Buddha got enlightenment and then visit the place to think about life and death at Kushinagar, where Buddha attained Pari Nirvana ( Buddha died at this place, by such a simple way that suits such a great soul).... 

As we started... me along with Pratham and Karuna (Extreme Right) ... 

I also needed to do a ritual for my Isht Devi Durga at our ancestral place in my village where Durga Ji and Kali Ma have been around for centuries guiding all of us... So here is the story in images for my friends and family... Hope you will enjoy this journey and if you do see the images that touches your heart and encourage you to PRAY, then my job is done... I am sure that the moment any one of the images touches your soul here.. then you are blessed and lucky to have the blessings...


The Sangat Pangat.. (Community Lunch of all caste and creed) that
went beyond 5000 ppl that we planned to 10K. The temple is in the
back ground..
Karuna along with Achraya Kishore Kunal and other dignitaries..
Having food along with 10K people without the question of
caste and creed...

After all the hard work, it was a real pleasure to meet my old friend,
singing folk songs (Kirtan) ...




... and an amazing day ended.. on a high note of being together with
Karuna, Anjani and Pratham. and moved on to Anjani's village for
overnight stay ...

After finishing the work at the temple, the next day visited Bodh Gaya..

The Bodhi Tree.. where Buddha got Enlightenment...

The devotees from across the world.. 

Of course there's no other way to beat the perennial menace
of Mosquito's...  

Under the Bodhi Tree.. 





Picked up Aswani Bhai from Bodh Gaya, who landed there from
Thailand. I was surprised to know that there are 4 daily flights
from South East Asia at Bodh Gaya..

And the next day, finally moved on to my next leg of the trip...
This is how Emperor Ashoka spread Buddhism in India...
Stupa at Kesaria on my way to Village...

And my Durga Ji.. No one knows how old this Durga Ji is...
The structure is new covering her...

And my long standing wish to do this ritual prayers.. 

And Kali ma at our fields.. where the Ashram is going to come up..

And the Ashram Gang... at Kali Temple...

Kushinagar.. Maha Parinirvana Temple... 

The beauty of Lord Buddha is the serenity .....

And the fare well to my village finally... 
On the way, you see the most majestic sights of Himalaya..
Mt. Everest.. Mt. Kailash.. A perfect ending to a perfect trip....

__
Shashi
नमः शिवाय
Om Namah Shivaya
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  Chennai Light House

Jul 7, 2013

STILL LIFE: In Shadows of Bomb Blast, remembering serenity of Bodh Gaya

Buddha said, “Suffering is not the true nature of the universe. Suffering is the result of the way we live and of our erroneous understanding of life. (Quoted in a lovely book by Thich Nhat Hanh “Old Path White Cloud” click here to read more...) and that’s what exactly the source of discontent among terrorists and their leaders, across the world, as they go about spreading fear in peace loving hearts as well as pushing gullible people into acts of terrorism.

The Temple and Buddha in the inner sanctum remains secure...

Woke up to the sounds of Bomb blast’s this Sunday morning 
(To read more about the Bodh Gaya Blast, click here...) and looked up images from my last visit to Bodh Gaya. The images took on the shadows of darkness as the Peaceful serene atmosphere of Buddha’s place of enlightenment lay shattered…


While the Buddha's foot prints, under the bodhi tree suffered little damage,
as reported in  some papers (Img curtsy LiveMint)


Went to that lonely
Temple again, Buddha smiled
Was looking for pain


Come walk with me to the most holy place of Buddhism and pray for peace across the world…

Withered peace...

The shadows of anxiety...

A dark Sun sets ...

As terror dawns in Bodh Gaya...

And engulfs the peaceful shrine in darkness...

__
Shashi
नमः शिवाय
Om Namah Shivaya

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BODH GAYA: Where Buddha Attained Enlightenment

Dec 31, 2011

21st Edition of Shadow Dancing With Mind

HAPPY NEW YEAR

BLESSINGS FROM BODH GAYA
Enjoy the journey... to the place where Buddha attained
enlightenment...
Click Here

Welcome to 21st Edition of “Shadow Dancing With Mind”. This Edition has the following topics.

TALKING POINT
Some of the things that is happening around me, as I get into the daily grind of my life every day, which has made to stop and then think....

As someone who dabbles in various forms of Haiku, Poetry and writing, (but not very good at talking about it or reading it aloud to a group of friends or audience) I was not sure how a poem is performed or what actually is a performing poet. Then I came across this TEDx Talk by Sarah Kay today. Well, it changed the way I look at poetry... It’s an amazing .. Must watch the video...
Click here to read more...

Recently, I came across a beautiful documentary by Discovery Channel hosted by Stephen Hawking asking a question that has remain unanswered since the beginning of mankind, “Does a "God" or a "Celestial Dictator" exist? In this documentary, as described in the write up, Stephen Hawking dissects the science of the universe in answering this very fundamental question.


UP CLOSE & PERSONAL
The section gives you insights of some of the people I have had a chance to meet, interact or have read about that have made a deep impression on my thoughts and feelings...


Recently I came across an interesting and typical new-age commune located in the Alps of Italy, Damanhur. Some consider the Temple structure buried 100 ft under a hill, (constructed in secret by Amateurs over a period of 13 years, without any drawings and plans) 8th Wonder of the world. In exploring further, I realise the beauty of the self made architecture  as well as the guiding philosophy of the commune i.e. The Damanhurians see the temple as a pathway to the divine inside and outside of one's self. (From the book "Damanhur Temples of Humankind"). So here is an introduction... for you to explore further and possibly move in..


Yesterday, 10th Dec, 2011 was an interesting day. It was the day of longest Moon Eclipse as well as the day when I met, for the first time, Mr. Wilbur Smith. He was the one author; I followed and read for the longest period of my life. Wilbur Smith’s books got me to appreciate nature through wild life and savannahs of Africa which later got engraved more firmly in my inner psyche through my spiritual forays into Himalaya’s and grew deeper routes through books like Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra

STILL LIFE
A place where I take you with me to a journey through my impressions and pictures that I have had taken...

One of the most revered holy sites associated with Buddha - Bodh Gaya, the place where Prince Siddhartha attained enlightenment. Since I have special affinity for the thoughts of Buddha from childhood, (I was born in Kushinagar Distt in Uttar Pradesh INDIA – where Lord Buddha attained Nirvana - click here to journey with me to that place as well...) I enjoyed the powerful spiritual energy that permeates in each and everything in and around the temple.  Specially, sitting under the Boddhi Tree in meditation, was a serene and spiritually uplifting experience. 

WHISPERS
A section where I post my poetry, Haiku and verse’s about love, life and living....

I believe that sometimes we cherish pain and selfishly hold on to it till it becomes intrinsic part of our soul... Love has that effect in leaving... in emptying...

I believe that we are not living in now, as our mind is not capable of perceiving it as it is always busy experiencing, accumulating memories and then translating the present according to it...

Sharing some Haiku about life and living along with a verse about what actually it is that ‘is’... 

On the way to Delhi, going for one of my projects at Chandigarh (North India) from Chennai, I see the wings of the plane moving and felt like earth moved, though it actually did not. It triggered a thought process in me and I realised that all our life, we try or we move but actually we don’t...

Inspired by some the protagonists of Secessionist Movement from Vienna, namely Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele. To read more of my thoughts on the movement and see some amazing paintings (including the world’s costliest painting sold)...

Sitting under that Boddhi Tree, I had some thoughts about love, life and living. The Haiku below are some of those expressions. The longer verse ‘Buddha Song’ is entwined echoes of two different feelings that played within me... at the time

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Hope you will enjoy this edition... look forward to your comments and visit to the next Edition... please click on the “Join this Site” button on the right hand side top corner to follow my activities...
__________________
Shashi @ Dec 2011
नमः शिवाय
Om Namah Shivaya
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20th Edition
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