28th Edition Of Shadow Dancing With Mind and Celebrating 250K Hits..

Celebrating 250,000 hits and more on my blog with 390 followers with my 28^th Editions of Shadow Dancing With Mind. I am grateful for the loyal friends and critics who made my blogging journey all the more worthwhile. Their thoughts and encouragement that kept me going on and on…

In this edition, you will find many interesting thoughts, stories and poetry but there is something that touched me to the core… The 10 Bomb Blasts in Bodh Gaya which shattered the peace of the most serene temples of Buddhism, the place where Buddha himself attained peace…

Anyhow, here you go with topics in this 28^th Edition, if you like something, please click to read more, I am sure you will not be disappointed…

THOUGHTS THIS WEEK:

Commenting Is dead?

Recently I have been wondering why there are not many comments on my blog post. Started having doubts on my writing capabilities and content that I am sharing with my followers. After digging a little deeper I found that though there are not many comments but my hit rate on the posts are going up steadily. From 100 per day to 1000’s (An average of 500 per day, and recently crossed 250,000 hits), its been going upwards…  so what do you think is happening?

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“The Psychology of Kundalini Yoga” By Carl Jung

As early as 1912, in Transformation and Symbols of the Libido, Jung provided psychological interpretations of passages in the Upanishads and the Rig Veda.

"Indian philosophy is namely the interpretation given to the precise condition of the non-ego, which affects our personal psychology, however independent from us it remains. It sees the aim of human development as bringing about an approach to and connection between the specific nature of the non- ego and the conscious ego. Tantra yoga then gives a representation of the condition and the developmental phases of this impersonality, as it itself in its own way produces the light of a higher  supra-personal consciousness."

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TALKING POINT: Einstein and Tagore - 19th August1930

Bertrand Russel said once for Tagore, “I regret I cannot agree with Tagore. His talk about the infinite is vague nonsense. The sort of language that is admired by many Indians unfortunately does not, in fact, mean anything at all.” And I believe … Scientists and logicians are handicapped by the limitations of sense perception. I am happy that someone like Einstein has the humility to accept it and some like Stephen Hawking (He went on to famously proclaim, “God Does Not Exist”)feel that what they know, is absolute truth.

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THE READER:

Don't Kill Him (OSHO) - by Ma Ananda Sheila

A book by Ma Anand Sheela (Sheela Ambalal Patel) Secretary of Osho (He was called Bhagwan Rajneesh by his disciples) from 1981-85, about her life and experiences with Osho, and account of, as she said in the book, “building an entire commune in Oregon and how in fit of rage, Osho destroyed it, after I resigned from his services in the year 1985.” Personally I feel that "Don't Kill Him" is about her side of the story after being accused of bio-terror etc even by OSHO himself…

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Family Happiness - Leo Tolstoy

An interesting story (Novella) that I recently read about life. A girl's desires and feelings, before and after marriage to a much older person so beautifully envisaged by Tolstoy. His amazing description of young girls emotions, his take on the feelings of young and then matured person in the ways of the world of Russian Social life, before and after marriage, is great and to me, looks quite truthful.Though never married, it seems Tolstoy wrote ‘Family Happiness’ – which is about marriage, to prove to himself that their marriage would not have been successful…

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Testament Betrayed by Milan Kundera

Testament Betrayed is a book which brings out the times that we live in and how we become what we are. A collection of essays which brings out arrays of ideas in a coherent narrative. For the writer’s its kind of challenge that Milan Kundera throws to come out of the set thought pattern and travel out of one’s comfort zone to explore spaces that sometimes are dark, filled with unknown doubts but sometimes brings out the light as at the end of tunnel. If you are a serious aspiring author, then you must read this book.

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STILL LIFE: In Shadows of Bomb Blast, rememberingserenity of Bodh Gaya

Woke up to the sounds of Bomb blast’s this Sunday morning  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…

Click here to walk with me to Bodh Gaya and more…

WHISPERS: Burning Bridges....

She wanders alone

(You know any path will take you,

if you don’t know where you are going)

And moves in and out of my thoughts

Like waves upon waves

That crash on the bounded beach

Weaving a cosmic design

With her foot prints

In my heart.

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HAIKU TEA: SESSION IV-V - 'Before it all ends'& 'Journey of life'

Read the collaborative efforts of dozes of poets from across the world. And if you write, love collaborative writing, enthusiast of poetry and enjoy writing short verse like Haiku, Tanka, Renga, Renshi etc, then Haiku Tea sessions are for you...  Click here to join in for the Session VII (which will start from 15^th July…)

Click here to read more…

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.

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Shashi
ॐ नमः शिवाय

Om Namah Shivaya

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THE READER: Family Happiness - Leo Tolstoy

An interesting story (Novella) that I recently read about life. A girl's desires and feelings, before and after marriage to a much older person so beautifully envisaged by Tolstoy. 

Interestingly, this is the first time Tolstoy narrated the story through the main character of the heroine (Masha), which apart from being very difficult for a male, as at the time, he was an young unmarried writer; goes on to show his uncanny ability to get under the skin of his characters.

His amazing description of young girls emotions, his take on the feelings of young and then matured person in the ways of the world of Russian Social life, before and after marriage, is great and to me, looks quite truthful.}

FamilyHappiness, published first time in 1859, like almost all the novels of Tolstoy has an autobiographical connection. Tolstoy (then 31 years old) met 20 year old Valerya Vladimirnova Arsenyeva in 1856, and fell in love. And as told to his biographer, he almost got engaged to her. Later as recollected by Valerya’s daughter in 1926, told to Mr. P Pavlov, that they actually parted company because Valerya refused to accept the conditions which Tolstoy attached to his proposal of marriage: 20 years’ quiet seclusion in the country. 

Though never married, it seems Tolstoy wrote ‘Family Happiness’ – which is about marriage, to prove to himself that their marriage would not have been successful. While he was writing it, he was most enthusiastic about it and described it as a poem, but when he had finished it, he was reluctant to have it published as he disliked it intensely.

Brief Note About The Author
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Since Leo Tolstoy is quite well known, I will skip the usual biodata of the author (Toread it at Wikipedia, click here) but will reproduce something that caught my eyes…

Countess Tolstoy writes about Leo Tolstoy

In 1909, writing of “Who are the murderers?” Countess Tolstoy wrote, “…it could be interesting. But the same old reproach – descriptions of peasant life. His relish at a woman’s full bosom and a girl’s sun burnt legs, all that once so strongly tempted him; … “

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BACK TO THE BOOK...
Now here are some of the thoughts I enjoyed reading from the book…

He (Sergy) was right when he said that there was only one happiness in life – to live for others. (Masha)

“A man can say that he is in love, but a woman cannot.” She (Katya) said. “But I don’t think a man should say he loves someone, either; nor can he,” he (Sergy) said. “Why not,” I (Masha) asked. “Because it always be a lie. Is there really anything, new in the fact that a man loves someone? As if, as soon as he says it, something clicks, bang – he is in love. It is as if, as soon as he pronounces this word, something extraordinary must happen, there should be some omen, all the trumpets should sound at once. It seems to me, “he continued, “that people who solemnly pronounce the words: ‘I love you’ either deceive themselves or, even worse, deceive others.”

It was as if I was in a happy dream in which it seemed that everything in the future had already happened, and that I had known about it for a long time, and yet I felt that it would happen again, and I knew that it would happen. (Masha)

A quiet, secluded life in our country back water, with the possibility of doing good to people whom it is easy to do good to because they are not used to it; then work – work which one thinks is useful, then rest, nature, books, music, love for the person who is close to you – that’s my idea of happiness. (That is) For me, whose youth is over, that is, but not for you,” he went on. “You haven’t lived yet. You may want to look for happiness elsewhere perhaps, and perhaps it is elsewhere that you will find it…” (Sergy)

Can one really feel annoyed about anything, when one is as happy as I am? It is easier to yield than to impose one’s will… (Sergy)

Once I had experienced the happiness of falling in love with him, I could not rest content with affection. I wanted movement, not the calm flow of life. (Masha)

Worst of all, I felt that , with each day, the habits of live were moulding our life into a definite pattern, that our feeling was ceasing to be free and was being subjected to the even, passionless flow of time. (Masha)

I want to move forward, and every day, every hour I want something new, but he wants to stay still and to hold me back with him. (Masha)

My former religious ecstasy and the love I had once felt for him, the old fullness of life, now seemed so distant and impossible. I would not now have understood what had before seemed to me so obvious and right – the happiness of living for someone else. Why live for some else when there is no desire to live for oneself? (Masha)

Why did you let me have my freedom, which I did not know how to use? (Masha)

“There is season for every love…. When I first got to know you I spent sleepless nights thinking of you, and created my own love, and that love grew and grew in my heart, so, in Petersburg and abroad, I spent dreadful nights awake destroying, breaking up that love which tormented me.” (Sergy)

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Shashi

ॐ नमः शिवाय

Om Namah Shivaya

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How to write a book - Milan Kundera