{"id":170981,"date":"2020-10-26T12:00:42","date_gmt":"2020-10-26T12:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=170981"},"modified":"2020-10-22T08:20:23","modified_gmt":"2020-10-22T07:20:23","slug":"thought-seed-oct-2020-issue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2020\/10\/thought-seed-oct-2020-issue\/","title":{"rendered":"***Thought Seed*** \u2013 Oct 2020 Issue"},"content":{"rendered":"<blockquote><p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/thought-seed-cover-2.jpg\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-170986\" src=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/thought-seed-cover-2-671x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"381\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/thought-seed-cover-2-671x1024.jpg 671w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/thought-seed-cover-2-197x300.jpg 197w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/thought-seed-cover-2-768x1172.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/thought-seed-cover-2-1007x1536.jpg 1007w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/thought-seed-cover-2.jpg 1075w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/a><\/em>Dear Antonio,<\/p>\n<p>Greetings from India!<\/p>\n<p>My school friend Bhargav Vyas and I have started monthly letters, named <strong>Thought Seed<\/strong>, for our very small group of interested readers. The central theme of these letters is <em>finding the truth of life deep within<\/em>, wherein we also aim to bridge the difficult gap between theory and practice. We wish to appeal equally to atheists and theists.<\/p>\n<p>The first issue of<strong> Thought Seed<\/strong> was brought out in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2020\/09\/thought-seed-sep-2020-issue\/\" >Sep 2020<\/a>. Each issue is prepared after a dialogue between the two of us, and brought out in three languages. For example, the first version of the current issue was prepared by Bhargav; I added a few comments to that. To bring to light this process of dialogue, a few parts of the letter are placed within brackets.<\/p>\n<p>It is a pleasure for me to have this letter published in <em>TMS <\/em>as <em>Letter to the Editor<\/em>. We have also made a convenient repository for all our letters here: <a href=\"fb.me\/our.own.heritage\">fb.me\/our.own.heritage <\/a><\/p>\n<p>With best wishes for all,<br \/>\nNaresh Jotwani, Member of TRANSCEND<\/p>\n<p>***************<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>*** Thought Seed \u2013 October 2020 ***<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>In <a href=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2020\/09\/thought-seed-sep-2020-issue\/\" >the first issue<\/a> of <strong>Thought Seed<\/strong>, we discussed:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Collective consciousness,<\/li>\n<li>Enhancing immunity to disease by relying on our inner strength, courage as well as good health practices and precautions, and<\/li>\n<li>Making wise and mindful use of available economic resources.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>We also said that, in order to truly and rationally resolve the issues facing us, we must discover the roots and even the origin of the issues. Accordingly, we shall now cultivate our understanding of cosmic energy and how it operates.<\/p>\n<p>Fundamentally, energy is limitless, infinite. Therefore, with our limited understanding, it is not possible to know it fully. Cosmic energy is so immense and powerful that the knowledge gained about it by all our ancient sages and\u00a0 modern scientists is negligible in comparison.<\/p>\n<p>[Comment by Naresh: A hundred years ago, Einstein proved that matter and energy are equivalent in a fundamental sense. Therefore it is certainly possible to posit that the universe is nothing but infinite, limitless energy; that is, matter is simply a manifestation of energy.]<\/p>\n<p>Cosmic energy operates in two modes: centripetal and centrifugal. Centripetal energy draws itself inwards, towards itself. Centrifugal energy is expansive, towards the infinite. These energy modes make up cosmic beats, which are far too immense and far too distant for our understanding, which is limited in time and place. Cosmic energy is limitless. Therefore, with our present and even future instruments of understanding, we cannot reach its limits. However, even a fleeting insight into it proves hugely beneficial in an individual\u2019s life.<\/p>\n<p>[Comment by Naresh: Bhargav is certainly right here. But a further conclusion can also be drawn from what he has said. Any person&#8217;s claim to \u2018know it all\u2019 must necessarily be baseless and a fraud. How can a mere mortal of a tiny frame claim to know the infinite and the limitless? It does not matter whether such a claimant wears a loin-cloth or a hugely impressive suit!<\/p>\n<p>Further comment by Bhargav: A truly enlightened person never makes a false claim. Therefore all such false claimants are flawed personalities, and it is best to stay away from them.]<\/p>\n<p>In the current circumstances, we are all under the influence of a powerful flow of centrifugal energy \u2013 feeling its physical impact, but also almost drowning in virtual reality while gasping desperately for breath. The situation is akin to a powerful torrent of water sweeping everything along with it. Yet only our own inner spiritual energy, which rises above all other forms of energy, can help us understand the cosmic play of energy.<\/p>\n<p>To cultivate our own spiritual energy, it is essential to attain equanimity, which is possible only through meditation. Therefore we must take up meditation. There is no need of any further \u2018bookish&#8217; study of the energies which are in play.<\/p>\n<p>It must be understood that in knowledge there is huge scope for verbal exposition, but that such expositions are little more than entertainment for the indolent mind. Even a modest aim gives direction to life, and lived experience is of course in a class by itself.<\/p>\n<p>This path is beneficial for us all.<\/p>\n<p>[Comment by Naresh: I understand Bhargav&#8217;s point in another sense as well. Meditation and other lived experiences are mutually complementary, and both essential for a balanced life.]<\/p>\n<p><em>_________________________________________________<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Naresh-Jotwani-e1518950747297.jpg\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-106734\" src=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Naresh-Jotwani-e1518950747297.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"100\" height=\"145\" \/><\/a><\/em><em>Dr. Naresh Jotwani is a semi-retired academic living in India and a member of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/\" >TRANSCEND Network for Peace Development Environment<\/a>. Apart from part-time engagements in engineering education and consulting, he engages in an in-depth, personal exploration of how Gautam Buddha\u2019s profound discoveries and teachings can be applied to the acute problems of modern life.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>Bhargav Vyas is an engineer by training who has worked in industry for several decades, in Mumbai and Ahmedabad. All along, however, his primary interest has been the search for truth through deep meditation. At present he is living in Ahmedabad with family. Inspiration for writing \u2014 prose and poetry \u2014 comes to him in meditative state.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dear Antonio, Greetings from India!<br \/>\nWe have started monthly letters named Thought Seed for interested readers. The central theme of these letters is \u2018finding the truth of life deep within,\u2019 wherein we also aim to bridge the difficult gap between theory and practice. We wish to appeal equally to atheists and theists. It is a pleasure having it published in TMS as a Letter to the Editor.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":170986,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2208],"tags":[290,759,1177,642,380,805],"class_list":["post-170981","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-letters-to-the-editor","tag-culture","tag-india","tag-inspirational","tag-literature","tag-solutions","tag-spirituality"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170981","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=170981"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170981\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/170986"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=170981"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=170981"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=170981"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}