How We Killed Our Science Education
It was a strange coincidence that I took to science for higher education.
There were no mentors.
There were no specialists to introduce it in smaller doses.
If not for the British Council Library, I would have gone astray.
There were plenty of booklets from photosynthesis to life on earth to scientific trends.
The school library did not have anything of substance.
Luckily school times were short and on my return I go to the library and glanced through the science magazines.
They were not for burrowing.
Few years before the government at the behest of stupid politicians decided to change the medium of instruction.
Luckily I had the option to select English as the medium of instruction.
My English was no good but I knew given the time I will pick up the terminology in science.
There were no dictionaries in science.
The science teachers without training in teaching would dish out the notes they collected in their education ladder.
We were the guinea pigs.
But books in the science and magazines in the library kept us ahead of them.
It took more than thirty years for the books published in seventies to be translated and they were outdated before they come out in print form.
This is how we killed the science education in schools.
There were attempt to teach Medicine in mother tongue.
I was a raw hand taken in, to teach and translate.
I craftily made my professors to understand, it was not worth.
Even after three months of deliberations, if one of the members found a suitable word, I would tear it off to pieces with counter arguments.
Finally we decided to call it off.
Higher education was in English but there was option for one to select mother tongue if one wished.
It worked in seventies.
I do not know what the trend is how.
Tuesday, March 29, 2016
Saturday, March 26, 2016
Conspiracies in Science.
I thought I can write a book on Conspiracies in Science.
I thought I could make 10 easily!
It does not look like preset day scientists are bent on conspiracies.
I lost count at EIGHT of course I left out the minor events.
Have you thought about any?
Well I have found 11, NOW.
It is all due to my memory failing.
Conspiracies in Science in my List.
1. Microsoft’s Strategy
Bulldoze other operating systems with Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt (FUD).
2. Drug Companies
Demise of Professor Bible
3. AIDS Epidemic
Germans in Mid Africa
4. UFOs
America's Blue Book
5. Big Bang Theory
This is the biggest for me to satisfy the Church.
6. Global Warming
America aided by Oil Companies headed the misinformation campaign
7. Mad Cow Disease
Late British PM headed it.
8. Coconut Theory
America's peanut industry.
9. Chip Conspiracy
Silicon Valley kept the chip technology their copyright.
10. Solar Cells
We could have (96% of the solar energy is wasted) been a better country without coal power.
If Sri-Lankan invested on SOLAR 40 years ago, we won't have power cuts now.
11. Lithium Dry Cell battery
Is the biggest conspiracy.
The dry cell and lithium battery for the electric car was designed in the sixties but Americans shelved it.
I wrote about it many moons ago but I have lost the original references.
I thought I could make 10 easily!
It does not look like preset day scientists are bent on conspiracies.
I lost count at EIGHT of course I left out the minor events.
Have you thought about any?
Well I have found 11, NOW.
It is all due to my memory failing.
Conspiracies in Science in my List.
1. Microsoft’s Strategy
Bulldoze other operating systems with Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt (FUD).
2. Drug Companies
Demise of Professor Bible
3. AIDS Epidemic
Germans in Mid Africa
4. UFOs
America's Blue Book
5. Big Bang Theory
This is the biggest for me to satisfy the Church.
6. Global Warming
America aided by Oil Companies headed the misinformation campaign
7. Mad Cow Disease
Late British PM headed it.
8. Coconut Theory
America's peanut industry.
9. Chip Conspiracy
Silicon Valley kept the chip technology their copyright.
10. Solar Cells
We could have (96% of the solar energy is wasted) been a better country without coal power.
If Sri-Lankan invested on SOLAR 40 years ago, we won't have power cuts now.
11. Lithium Dry Cell battery
Is the biggest conspiracy.
The dry cell and lithium battery for the electric car was designed in the sixties but Americans shelved it.
I wrote about it many moons ago but I have lost the original references.
Thursday, March 24, 2016
Hot Weather and Early Rise, Why not?
Hot Weather and
Early Rise, Why not?
I do not know about
humans but I know birds change their daily routine on summer months.
They are the early
to rise and early to retire.
Their haemoglobin is
different to ours and they need lot of energy to fly.
They use air
currents to assist flying and rarely fly in opposite direction to the
wind.
Their nests are
built so that when they return in the evening air currents are
towards the nests.
The man with the
superior brain does not use his common sense, to rise early and
finish they day's work by mid day when sun is directly above our
head.
With this extremely
(my fish in the open die due to the heat and I have made alternative
arrangements) hot weather soring to 40 Centigrade, we need a
strategic plan at least for school children.
I saw a little girl
almost collapsing in the bus (Woman PC's kid and she did not realize
it) at 2 P.M.
This girl should
have been at home by mid day the most (12 P.M.).
Why cannot we start
school (appropriately for office hours too) one hour early and close
one and half hours early (time table reduced by half an hour, ideally
one hour-not for teachers)?
There is a problem for children (they have to get up early) commuting a long distance.
The teachers should do a survey of the late comers and probably have a less demanding work in the first hour (Physical training included).
All this can be done if common sense is used instead of rigidity (most teacher from my time are /were rigid, I often wonder how I survived).
We have education
ministers who had not attended school beyond 8th grade or
drug peddlers in the parliament who had not even gone to primary school.
I do not think they
get a brain wave to act.
I think we should
close school early for new year and catch up the missed time when
rain gods (May probably) answer our calls.
I must say my dog is
struggling to survive with its furry coat.
The dogs I feed on
my bizarre routines were not there waiting for me to feed.
All of them were
hiding under a shade, I believe.
Please leave some
water for them to drink.
Monday, March 21, 2016
Happiness
Happiness
I am trying to work
out Sri-Lankan Happiness Index.
Strangely it works
negatively.
For example when
India got beaten by New Zealand we were very happy.
When we see nearly 2
billion Indian unhappy, we become elated.
It is with Indian
and South Asian cricket umpires too.
When an umpire gives
not out, as an out, just what happened to Dilshan, the other day, two billion Indians get
happy.
In this scenario for
all us in Asia to get happy we need simple thing like Donald Trump
makes a slip in his tongue or his slip or fly is open in public rally
would do.
So American can make
us happy by default.
I am trying to think
of a positive thing making me happy like an asteroid hitting a monk
possessing an illegal baby jumbo.
This is because we
cannot depend on our Judges to make jumbos (four legged) go free.
I think they are all
unhappy judges.
That is why they
(judges) always try to make us unhappy.
We become very happy
when we see a high ranking politicians lose an election.
The corollary is
that all our politicians are happy when the citizens are unhappy with
cost of living going up.
So making others
unhappy is in our genes.
So don't come here
looking for happiness unless you too have unhappy genes in your
system, like all Asians.
Happiness Index
Happiness Index
157 countries in the
table.
Syria one before
last.
Burundi the last.
Denmark comes first
but its its happiness is decreasing.
Sri-Lanka one above
India at 117 and happiness going up (probably related the surge in
alcohol sale).
South Africa is one
above us.
New Zealand is on
the 8th position but happiness going down but will go up
if they win the T20 World cup.
Singapore at 22nd
place with happiness going up.
England just one
below Singapore and is going down in happiness.
USA is in the 13th
unlucky position with happiness going down probably due to
presidential campaign.
I am waiting for
someone from happy country to send me one of their not used air
ticket for me to get out, before our April New Year where happiness
takes a nose dive in this country.
Why Science took a back seat in Human History
Why
Science took a back seat in Human History
Biggest
obstacle to science was the religion.
That
includes Buddhism too.
Even
though Buddhism encouraged Scientific Inquiry in “Kalam Sutta”,
it was never taken forward in the Eastern civilization.
When
religion takes its roots dogmas get embedded in human thinking.
But
when we consider how religion originated, the answer becomes
startlingly obvious.
Man
had an affliction to mood elevating drugs from prehistoric time.
Mood
elevating drugs impair critical thinking capacity.
Some
of these psychedelic drugs put man in “Trance States.”
Some
of these guys in the human hierarchy who were addicted to these
potent substances for their existence and survival created bizarre
theories of human origin including God.
On
top of religion there is an another dogma God and his creation.
In
actual fact, it is these psychedelic drugs that retarded critical
thinking and the evolution of scientific thinking.
The bottom line is
the drugs that effect sleep, memory and critical thinking are the
byproducts of chemistry that came with scientific evolution.
In
actual fact science itself is killing its roots.
LSD
is a case in point.
Alcohol too effect memory and normal sleep.
Imagine
an airline pilot or an astronaut who is addicted to mood elevating
drugs.
Would you board on a spaceship man by an addict?
For our critical capacity to work
efficiently, clear mind and perfect memory are vital ingredients.
Our
survival in this century depends on these factors.
Any political leader with paranoid inclination would derail human survival.
Any political leader with paranoid inclination would derail human survival.
I
have summarized by thinking below.
Right
Constitution
1.Scientific
outlook comes first.
2.
Rules of law and fair play and Justice to all living beings (Plants
and Animals) is second.
3.
Democracy as a force and the tolerance to diverse views is the
third.
4.Universal
suffrage without bondage, dogma and external powers influencing
(encourage the internal powers of the mind) the decision making, is
the fourth.
5.
Religion has no place or should reign below the above four
pillars.
If an individual has a certain conviction for solace, be that be so, but he/she should tolerate views of the others including, especially those who want not to be bound by any religious dogma.
If an individual has a certain conviction for solace, be that be so, but he/she should tolerate views of the others including, especially those who want not to be bound by any religious dogma.
Psychedelic Drugs
Under previous regime this industry was promoted actively.
With the bizarre coalition government they are still active.
If your children are poor in their studies either in schools or universities, it is worthwhile checking their habits including alcohol.
Below I have given how hashish effects one's memory
Psychedelic Drugs
Hashish is a potent form of marijuana extracted from cannabis plants.
Short term effects
The short term effects of hashish use include problems with memory and learning; distorted perception (sights, sounds, time, touch); difficulty in thinking and problem solving; loss of coordination; and increased heart rate, anxiety, and panic attacks.
Long term effects
People who smoke marijuana often have the same respiratory problems as cigarette smokers. These individuals may have daily cough and sputum, symptoms of chronic bronchitis, and more frequent chest colds. They are also at greater risk of getting lung infections such as pneumonia. Marijuana contains some of the same, and sometimes even more, of the cancer causing chemicals found in cigarette smoke.
Effects on Learning and Social Behavior
Marijuana or hashish affects memory, judgment and perception. Learning and attention skills are impaired among people who use hashish heavily. Longitudinal research on marijuana use among young people below college age indicates those who use marijuana have lower achievement than the non users, more acceptance of deviant behavior, more delinquent behavior and aggression, greater rebelliousness, poorer relationships with parents, and more associations with delinquent and drug using friends.
Effects on Pregnancy
Any drug of abuse can affect a mother's health during pregnancy. Some studies have found that babies born to mothers who used marijuana during pregnancy were smaller than those born to mothers who did not use the drug.
A nursing mother who uses marijuana passes some of the byproducts to the baby in her breast milk. Research indicates that the use of marijuana by a mother during the first month of breast feeding can impair the infant's motor development.
Addictive Potential
A drug is becoming addictive, if it causes compulsive, uncontrollable drug craving, seeking, and use, even in the face of negative health and social consequences. While not everyone who uses marijuana becomes addicted, when a user begins to seek out and take the drug compulsively, that person is said to be dependent or addicted to the drug.
The biggest danger is going for harder drugs like heroin.
Manna Mushroom
Manna (Hebrew) or al-Mann wa al-Salwa (Arabic),is an edible substance according to the Bible and the Quran. It is believed that, god provided this substance to the Israelites during their travels in the desert.
Manna is from Heaven, according to the Bible, but the inherent identification of manna as naturalistic is historic.
In the Mishnah, manna is treated as a natural but unique substance, "created during the twilight of the sixth day of Creation" and ensured to be clean, before it arrives, by the sweeping of the ground by a northern wind and subsequent rains.
According to classical rabbinical literature, manna was ground in a heavenly mill for the use of the righteous, but some of it was allocated to the wicked and left for them to grind themselves.
There are many types of mushrooms used from China to Middle east to Mexico with various and potent psychedelic constituents.
With the bizarre coalition government they are still active.
If your children are poor in their studies either in schools or universities, it is worthwhile checking their habits including alcohol.
Below I have given how hashish effects one's memory
Psychedelic Drugs
Hashish is a potent form of marijuana extracted from cannabis plants.
Short term effects
The short term effects of hashish use include problems with memory and learning; distorted perception (sights, sounds, time, touch); difficulty in thinking and problem solving; loss of coordination; and increased heart rate, anxiety, and panic attacks.
Long term effects
People who smoke marijuana often have the same respiratory problems as cigarette smokers. These individuals may have daily cough and sputum, symptoms of chronic bronchitis, and more frequent chest colds. They are also at greater risk of getting lung infections such as pneumonia. Marijuana contains some of the same, and sometimes even more, of the cancer causing chemicals found in cigarette smoke.
Effects on Learning and Social Behavior
Marijuana or hashish affects memory, judgment and perception. Learning and attention skills are impaired among people who use hashish heavily. Longitudinal research on marijuana use among young people below college age indicates those who use marijuana have lower achievement than the non users, more acceptance of deviant behavior, more delinquent behavior and aggression, greater rebelliousness, poorer relationships with parents, and more associations with delinquent and drug using friends.
Effects on Pregnancy
Any drug of abuse can affect a mother's health during pregnancy. Some studies have found that babies born to mothers who used marijuana during pregnancy were smaller than those born to mothers who did not use the drug.
A nursing mother who uses marijuana passes some of the byproducts to the baby in her breast milk. Research indicates that the use of marijuana by a mother during the first month of breast feeding can impair the infant's motor development.
Addictive Potential
A drug is becoming addictive, if it causes compulsive, uncontrollable drug craving, seeking, and use, even in the face of negative health and social consequences. While not everyone who uses marijuana becomes addicted, when a user begins to seek out and take the drug compulsively, that person is said to be dependent or addicted to the drug.
The biggest danger is going for harder drugs like heroin.
Manna Mushroom
Manna (Hebrew) or al-Mann wa al-Salwa (Arabic),is an edible substance according to the Bible and the Quran. It is believed that, god provided this substance to the Israelites during their travels in the desert.
Manna is from Heaven, according to the Bible, but the inherent identification of manna as naturalistic is historic.
In the Mishnah, manna is treated as a natural but unique substance, "created during the twilight of the sixth day of Creation" and ensured to be clean, before it arrives, by the sweeping of the ground by a northern wind and subsequent rains.
According to classical rabbinical literature, manna was ground in a heavenly mill for the use of the righteous, but some of it was allocated to the wicked and left for them to grind themselves.
There are many types of mushrooms used from China to Middle east to Mexico with various and potent psychedelic constituents.
Sunday, March 20, 2016
Addictions
Addictions
Humans had been using addictive and stimulant drugs probably from prehistoric times.
They included tea to, coffee to, psychedelic drugs.
Careful examination of the practices in the monasteries both in the East and West, provide ample evidence to support the use of psychoactive drugs, if not habitually but in secretive ceremonies.
They were kept out of reach of the laypersons.
It is even postulated that discovery of divine spirit and religious teachings originated under the influence of these mood elevating psychedelic drugs.
They are kept away from layperson so that the divine incarnation was for only a few selected individuals in the hierarchy of the religious institutions.
Even the Red Indians and natives of the South America had used various preparations obtained from plants.
But the discovery of these methods and plants in the last century and their extraction in concentrated form changed the secretive habits to the public domain.
LSD was a case in point in nineteen sixties but the ban on LSD did not stop the discovery or the use of cocaine and heroin. In fact, the use has been gradually increasing and drug cartels started emerging all over the world.
It is controlled by the underworld and no government in the East or West was able to stop this trend.
My own views are strong and against their use, even in minute quantities. The simple reason is that the user is not satisfied with the milder form and their tendency is to go for stronger and more addictive ingredients.
That is the nature of the affliction called addiction.
If they have been used in monasteries or by so called gurus or ascetics, in my pervasive view is, it defeats the very intent of meditation practice or mental culture.
Humans had been using addictive and stimulant drugs probably from prehistoric times.
They included tea to, coffee to, psychedelic drugs.
Careful examination of the practices in the monasteries both in the East and West, provide ample evidence to support the use of psychoactive drugs, if not habitually but in secretive ceremonies.
They were kept out of reach of the laypersons.
It is even postulated that discovery of divine spirit and religious teachings originated under the influence of these mood elevating psychedelic drugs.
They are kept away from layperson so that the divine incarnation was for only a few selected individuals in the hierarchy of the religious institutions.
Even the Red Indians and natives of the South America had used various preparations obtained from plants.
But the discovery of these methods and plants in the last century and their extraction in concentrated form changed the secretive habits to the public domain.
LSD was a case in point in nineteen sixties but the ban on LSD did not stop the discovery or the use of cocaine and heroin. In fact, the use has been gradually increasing and drug cartels started emerging all over the world.
It is controlled by the underworld and no government in the East or West was able to stop this trend.
My own views are strong and against their use, even in minute quantities. The simple reason is that the user is not satisfied with the milder form and their tendency is to go for stronger and more addictive ingredients.
That is the nature of the affliction called addiction.
If they have been used in monasteries or by so called gurus or ascetics, in my pervasive view is, it defeats the very intent of meditation practice or mental culture.
Saturday, March 19, 2016
Learning a Second Language, the contribution of British Council Library.
Learning a Second Language, the contribution of British Council Library.
What is, “Learning a Second Language” has got to do with Long Life?
It may sound ridiculous or not relevant.
Let me untangle the tangled minds.
Suppose in your retirement, you like to visit a foreign country or one of your friends living abroad invites you to visit him/her.
Won’t that be a nice to have a working knowledge of English?
But if your friend is from Germany or France, would it be enough, knowing only English?
English is the business language of the world and if you intend to expand your local business to a foreign soil, it is vital that you have a team with language expertise to communicate and work with.
One cannot become an efficient ambassador, unless you are an expert and well versed with the language of the local community.
Depending on a translator is a handicap.
It was unfortunate in my formative years nobody emphasized the importance of language. If at all they discourage learning English.
I had the common sense that if I were to master science, English was the language of instruction.
The city school I went did not have a proper library. For my luck British Council Library was doing a yeoman service to help young readers of our time. Because of political indifference and interference, the USIS library closed its operation in Kandy long time ago.
I would close my introduction by saying that a sure way to train a dictator is to make him or her learn only the mother tongue of the local community. We have had enough examples in this small country with ethnic division making inroads and politicians capitalizing in the fringe.
None of the above is my reason for encouraging one to learn at least two languages.
Please read on, to get my point of view.
Learning a language and mastering it is no easy task for most of us. This is especially so when it is learned as a second language. When the mother tongue is not taught properly and its advantages and disadvantages are not highlighted, at an early age, children are at a loss to coordinate their interests and achievements. This is true for learning languages and I am yet to find a child who is genuinely interested in learning a language (for example Sinhala or Tamil) for its own beauty.
They become rote learners and drag along, in a system oriented for examination performances. Rather than bringing the best out of the innate talents of children, language difficulty becomes a stumbling block to progress.
If children are forced to learn a single language, there is no way of unlearning the bad habits.
Single language narrows the interests of young children.
If the quality of the available reading material is poor how are we to instill creativity in young minds?
One of the most interesting feature of leaning a second language is that it arouses the creativity along with curiosity.
Learning a language and its intricacies is quite different from learning a language of instruction. For an example English is a suitable medium of instruction for science without which vast knowledge base cannot be tapped.
Similarly, learning a computer language is entirely a different exercise altogether.
So language of upbringing (mother tongue), language of instruction (English) and the language of technical communication (Linux) are few facets of the emerging global trends and requirements.
Only few of us have the mastery of all these aspects of communication. How we could direct our children without unduly burdening them in early years of their life is the challenge for our educationists and reformists.
What is happening is little bit of this and little bit of that and the final chutney (Achcharu) is not of any taste to the child's creative mind.
There is a particular age where children are at ease with learning a second language other than the mother tongue. Beyond this period it is a tedious task for any body. To learn a new language especially the phonetics as an adult is not an easy task. Then there are many other aspects including, grammar, syntax, idioms, expressions and dialects to deal with.
I am no specialist in this game of languages.
As child I was attracted to books initially for the colorful pictures then to the stories. I was in no way attracted to the daily papers except the cartoons. Neither the history nor the literature attracted me but quite unknowingly the science was the theme that interested me.
There was the Russian ‘Sputnik’ and the Lyka the dog going to the outer space in my childhood. Gradually I begun to understand that unless I learn to read English I won’t be able understand all those exciting cartoons (Tin Tin, Denis the Menace and Andy Capp) and science fiction.
Learning English was fun and learning Sinhala was boring,, in early years of my life.
For my luck I had very good Sinhala teacher and a very good English teacher. If not for them I would not have gone far. Even though, I left the homely village life in my formative years to a school in the city, quite frankly I did not learn much in the city school.
It was actually the British Council Library that provided me with all the books I needed. City school library was not much to talk about. So I learned my second language at my own pace at my own leisure.
The seat of knowledge was the British Council Library.
What is, “Learning a Second Language” has got to do with Long Life?
It may sound ridiculous or not relevant.
Let me untangle the tangled minds.
Suppose in your retirement, you like to visit a foreign country or one of your friends living abroad invites you to visit him/her.
Won’t that be a nice to have a working knowledge of English?
But if your friend is from Germany or France, would it be enough, knowing only English?
English is the business language of the world and if you intend to expand your local business to a foreign soil, it is vital that you have a team with language expertise to communicate and work with.
One cannot become an efficient ambassador, unless you are an expert and well versed with the language of the local community.
Depending on a translator is a handicap.
It was unfortunate in my formative years nobody emphasized the importance of language. If at all they discourage learning English.
I had the common sense that if I were to master science, English was the language of instruction.
The city school I went did not have a proper library. For my luck British Council Library was doing a yeoman service to help young readers of our time. Because of political indifference and interference, the USIS library closed its operation in Kandy long time ago.
I would close my introduction by saying that a sure way to train a dictator is to make him or her learn only the mother tongue of the local community. We have had enough examples in this small country with ethnic division making inroads and politicians capitalizing in the fringe.
None of the above is my reason for encouraging one to learn at least two languages.
Please read on, to get my point of view.
Learning a language and mastering it is no easy task for most of us. This is especially so when it is learned as a second language. When the mother tongue is not taught properly and its advantages and disadvantages are not highlighted, at an early age, children are at a loss to coordinate their interests and achievements. This is true for learning languages and I am yet to find a child who is genuinely interested in learning a language (for example Sinhala or Tamil) for its own beauty.
They become rote learners and drag along, in a system oriented for examination performances. Rather than bringing the best out of the innate talents of children, language difficulty becomes a stumbling block to progress.
If children are forced to learn a single language, there is no way of unlearning the bad habits.
Single language narrows the interests of young children.
If the quality of the available reading material is poor how are we to instill creativity in young minds?
One of the most interesting feature of leaning a second language is that it arouses the creativity along with curiosity.
Learning a language and its intricacies is quite different from learning a language of instruction. For an example English is a suitable medium of instruction for science without which vast knowledge base cannot be tapped.
Similarly, learning a computer language is entirely a different exercise altogether.
So language of upbringing (mother tongue), language of instruction (English) and the language of technical communication (Linux) are few facets of the emerging global trends and requirements.
Only few of us have the mastery of all these aspects of communication. How we could direct our children without unduly burdening them in early years of their life is the challenge for our educationists and reformists.
What is happening is little bit of this and little bit of that and the final chutney (Achcharu) is not of any taste to the child's creative mind.
There is a particular age where children are at ease with learning a second language other than the mother tongue. Beyond this period it is a tedious task for any body. To learn a new language especially the phonetics as an adult is not an easy task. Then there are many other aspects including, grammar, syntax, idioms, expressions and dialects to deal with.
I am no specialist in this game of languages.
As child I was attracted to books initially for the colorful pictures then to the stories. I was in no way attracted to the daily papers except the cartoons. Neither the history nor the literature attracted me but quite unknowingly the science was the theme that interested me.
There was the Russian ‘Sputnik’ and the Lyka the dog going to the outer space in my childhood. Gradually I begun to understand that unless I learn to read English I won’t be able understand all those exciting cartoons (Tin Tin, Denis the Menace and Andy Capp) and science fiction.
Learning English was fun and learning Sinhala was boring,, in early years of my life.
For my luck I had very good Sinhala teacher and a very good English teacher. If not for them I would not have gone far. Even though, I left the homely village life in my formative years to a school in the city, quite frankly I did not learn much in the city school.
It was actually the British Council Library that provided me with all the books I needed. City school library was not much to talk about. So I learned my second language at my own pace at my own leisure.
The seat of knowledge was the British Council Library.
Monday, March 14, 2016
Single Meal
Reproduction
Single Meal
Single most important principle in Buddhist Practice is its alms (Dhana), the giving away one’s possessions, without expecting anything in return.
This is something of an antithesis to modern world, where, self, image and one’s possessions are dear and belonging.
How it should be practiced by a Buddhist monks is discussed here briefly to make a novice monk adapt to modern trends in a demanding world.
A Buddhist monk ought to be light in baggage and belongings. A monk could have only two cloths (Chivara), one for wearing and another for change. How it should be made is also under strict and elaborate instructions.
The eating habits are also under strict code of practice.
I would discuss that in detail here.
When it comes to eating, if one ignores the morning meal, which is very light indeed, a monk has to survive on a single meal and that has to be taken in the early evening, in the modern day practice.
You may wonder why I took some interest in this.
This examination is scientific in nature.
There are many reasons, and I would state only a few.
If monks in the West practice this according to the strict code, it is a severe test for them, adopting this regime in the winter months. Equally, I have seen some monks who try to adhere to the regime rigidly and religiously have ended up sick and malnourished. If one becomes a Buddhist monk in adult life who had enjoyed somewhat a liberal life, changing to a single meal is a severe restriction on his / her diurnal habits.
One’s hormonal status, glycogen storage and status of the acid secretion in the stomach are habituated by ones daily routine (lifestyle). Changing abruptly, having become a monk should be done on a staggered basis, giving time for the body to adjust. Additionally, many of them do not have an understating of what is a balance diet.
Over years, I have seen many Buddhist monks suffering from food related diseases, especially diabetes mellitus. This is something not welcome and unexpected for my own liking.
I have no intention of going into how one becomes a diabetic but for me somebody on a single meal getting diabetes mellitus was something of an enigma.
In this context, having thought about it, I put the blame squarely on the layman.
Hope, one is not amazed by this statement.
I should go into this briefly.
The upper and the higher middle class families are the ones who get quota for the alms (Dhana) for the residential monks in the city. Their, idea of a meal is a lavish one. Many of them are also diabetic because of their over indulgence.
The offer of alms (Dhana) is not done on a regular basis.
So on the day, all the sugary, starchy, heavy but nutritionally unbalanced is offered. These alms (Dhana) days also happen to fall on weekends and holidays.
The monk has no choice.
He consumes a diet heavy in carbohydrates which stimulate their pancreas to the limits on weekends and practically having an austerity meal, in the rest of the week. My theory is, this up and down (erratic) stimulation of the insulin status, make them prone to diabetes mellitus, in the middle age. This may be aggravated by lack of exercise and having sugary drinks (tea) to counteract, the late evening hypoglycemia.
It is the duty of the layman to look after their welfare on a regular basis instead of a lavish feast once a month.
Medical education is in its prime stage now, especially on nutrition, the doctor should advise the upper middle class families what is a balance single diet for a monk who are practically at the mercy of the rich laymen who impart their inherent diseases on the clergy, unwittingly and unwillingly.
I would give some advice later regarding what to be offered and what ought not to be but for now let me digress a little.
I wanted to test myself whether I can survive on a single meal. I am more than convinced that it is possible and healthy.
But it takes time and it cannot be practiced overnight.
Prehistoric Time -15,000 to 30, 000 ago
Having proved it to myself that I can sustain on a single meal, I delved into man’s prehistoric period and how man survived in adverse climatic conditions and food scarcities.
Hunter gather never had three meals a day.
At best he had only a single square meal, never three meals. He mainly survived on a big game, in a community life style.
He was omnivorous and supplemented his diet with fruits and nuts. He probably did not suffer from diabetes mellitus and his teeth were strong, the enamel was thin but the dentin was thick, hardly had any caries. In times of food shortages and diseases there were signs of enamel deficiency and bone diseases.
These changes are recorded in prehistoric fossils which date back to 15,000 to 30,000 years.
Until such time he became nomadic, milk was in short supply.
Only milk supply was maternal.
The average woman was thin, and she only had children once in four years or so.
It is now believed that when a woman was thin -prehistoric women, had to work hard, almost equaling man’s efforts, like modern day women athletes, in whom the ovulation does not occur, regularly. Additionally, prolong breast feeding without weaning suppresses ovulation.
The man probably was sturdier and taller but comparatively thinner since he had to work hard in hunting exercises. He probably lived a shorter life than a woman (45 years), probably 35 years or so / died not of modern day diseases but as a result of injuries sustained in hunting.
As for prehistoric man is concerned the existence on a single meal was not a fantasy but a fact.
Paleolithic Period- 5000 to 13 000 years
Why man became an agricultural man is a mystery but available evidence suggests dramatic changes in climate at the end of the ice age and the population expansion contributed. With the emergence of the nomadic life and man’s entry into agricultural endeavors, he entered into a sedentary life style.
However, he never gave up game and hunting until such time he domesticated adequate livestock.
I would like to figure out that he was never a pure vegetarian.
The Asian wolf became associated with man around 13,000 years ago probably scavenging around man’s domain. The dogs and wolf can live on a single meal perhaps even longer and with the loss of mammoths and huge game, wolf also found living difficult but drifted with the man for game. His eating pattern, scavenging to begin with which our present day dogs inherit and illustrate by scavenging city dumps, is a reminder that even this period the man existed (present day practice of feeding a single meal to a pedigree dog, which I do not agree) on a single main meal.
Even though, the agricultural practices were extensive, failure of crops was common phenomenon, the demise of Maya Dynasty was a true example of catastrophe in history. In spite of extensive agriculture, food was not in plenty and the food preparation from harvest to meal was labor intensive and man continued to supplement meal on animal and animal sacrifices.
In this period population expanded probably because women becoming comparatively fatter and fertile (it is interesting to note that when a woman is too fat, like in the present day, fertility drops) and their body composition was ideal for reproduction.
But with success there was impending catastrophe too.
Famines were common due to reduction of crops, failure of rain or floods.
The man became shorter and less sturdier due to sedentary life.
We may be able to surmise that even in this period man ate a variable diet, characteristically a single meal which was supplemented by animal, fish, shells, fruits and nuts.
How and when man discovered use of salt and spices is open to question, probably towards the latter stage of Paleolithic time.
Contemporary History from 5000 years to 2500
During this period man was eating mixed diet containing milk (animal), sugar, salt, spices and animal and fish products. In spite of agriculture man never ceased to consume animal food, in fact it became a major constitute, judging by the tribal and religious practices from 5000 to 2000 years.
This is probably the period where single supper or a single meal changed to multiple meals especially the upper classes but slaves and lower classes subsisted on an average single large meal.
The longevity and average health increased proportionately probably doubled compared to the prehistoric period.
Most of the sages and philosophers except hedonists lived an austere life while recommending the same to the masses.
2500 and the emergence of the Vegetarian Life
Even though, some Jainers advocated vegetarian life, it was with the emergence of the Buddhist way of life in India that preceded the current wave of vegetarian (purported to be healthy) food fads.
Neither, Ten Commandments, the Jesus Christ’s sayings nor Muslim Koran abhors sacrifices of animals.
The vegetarian life is comparatively new, probably only 2500 years old in the history of mankind and that is why, there are so many misconceptions. Unlike monkeys, baboons and gorillas who are mostly vegetarians, from which man originated in an evolutionary point of view, the man had always been a carnivorous mammal.
2500 years is a small time in evolutionary time scale, a healthy dialogue on vegetarian diet is mandatory in the present context.
Our intestine and teeth bear different relationships to tree dwelling mammals, some are morphological in nature (genetic) and some are based on the diet (environmental) we eat.
As far as the growth and development of children are concerned my view is that single diet is not adequate.
That is my entry point to discuss another point of view.
Can a young novice monk who has not gone through puberty be sustained on a single diet?
This is a question, I find it difficult to answer even though, I have stated my gut feelings above.
This is one reason, out of the many, I do not agree and defer on ordaining young underage monks. Apart from lack of psychological maturity, to go on an austere life as prescribed by Vinaya is asking too much from a child.
Parents should have a say on these issues.
They should not force a young one into priesthood in their tender years.
American Pie
As a comparison, I thought of writing something relevant. Comparing an average American’s eating habits with our´s is a revelation by itself.
An American eats a cow / bull every ten years.
In every American there are at least 5 cows in him by the time he is fifty. If he has not got mad cow disease or Alzheimer’s disease what he eats in the rest of his life is any American doctor’s guess.
He eats a pig every three years.
He eats at least 50 chickens and one turkey a year.
Some Americans of course eat much more than this.
My worry is every cow/bull he eats, at least an equivalent of 8Kg of fodder is needed to support its life to obtain 1Kg of beef. If an American stops eating 1Kg of beef he is saving about 8Kg of grain for a poor soul in Africa or Bangladesh.
Out of the tons of grain produced half is spent on animal feeds and some American cows are better fed than African kids.
Only to be sacrificed as human food.
The current Pope should give due consideration to these facts and he should give a hearing to this fiasco and if the grain saved by saving the poor cows / or bulls is multiplied by the factor of eight by 1000 (well fed cow’s weight) there is an excess grain in this world to feed everybody.
Equally FAO should take this into cognizant.
Looking by some of Sri-Lankans who lavish on food I cannot say there is any difference to American mentality, here in Sri-Lanka (especially who visit here to take a break from the winter).
Coming back to a single meal, if an American or Western guy sacrifices a single meal a week, like our Buddhist monks who live on a single meal a day, we would be able to feed some hungry children in Africa and Asia without any problem or NGOs.
WHO also should take this fact to their cognizant.
I don’t believe in what our agriculture minister who says, that food prices have gone up because of biofuels. The production of biofuels had been going on for over 25 years.
One should realize that the ancient man and his closest friend the dog survived on a single meal in spite of their aggressive hunting skills.
What should an average Dhana (Single Meal) should contain?
The physiological effect of an average meal should last 18 hours (that is the time when the glycogen storage starts to become depleted) of its intake. The diet should not have high sugary (dessert) components that stimulate surge of insulin and late dumping syndrome due to insulin surge at the time of the meal.
The vegetarian diet has no problem since the fiber makes the release of dietary sugar gradual.
The best dessert for the monks is not ice cream but fruits.
Out of the fruits, the best is bananas which releases its sugars slowly without insulin surges and maintaining a stable blood sugar.
Milk and curd are preferred, since they give ample supply of fat for starving intervals.
Missing ingredient is nuts.
Not only that they contain short chain fatty acids which supply energy for starving intervals, they are rich in healthy vitamins.
I would encourage the young monks to go liberal on fruits and nuts.
A supply of nuts (no aggalas, jaggery or sweets), fruits, papaw, banana and proper breakfast cereal containing millet (Kurrakkan) should be the breakfast for the monks.
Somebody should invest and develop a proper breakfast cereal for our kids. The same breakfast cereal can be used by young monks in their growing years (assuming they are ordained young).
For the monks in the West a Buddhist dietitian with knowledge in Vinaya practice should investigate how their midday Dhana should be constituted.
My belief is many of them are having an inappropriate diet for winter conditions.
I hope a good breakfast cereal will emerge from there for the monks on a meager diet.
My prescription for priesthood is entirely different.
When I see young monks in the TV giving emotional speeches rather than mature sermons, I become sometimes terrified.
Even my twilight years, I sometimes reserve my judgment or giving advices on certain issues.
Never over the telephone.
Only, when I can have an eye to eye contact with the person concerned when I can have an immediate assessment of the person’s psychological makeup and the reactions, I give some advice with lot of reservation.
One can do more damage by volunteering advice not appropriate.
My advice goes as this.
Let the young one follows a simple observational life.
In other words train them to observe in a simple and logical fashion. Teach the scientific facts in simple doses as they tend to make mistakes, in distinguishing, facts from fiction.
Children prefer fiction in the early years and they should be allowed to change gradually into scientific way of thinking. Even at 16 years of age (formative thinking is established) many find it difficult to grasp scientific concepts clearly.
They have the philosophical views embedded in their brains. Encourage them as much as possible.
This is why they always asks mommy why?
Encourage the philosophical views at an early age, even though, we do not have ready made answers, to their questions.
Training them in “Thinking to Think” is the most appropriate method.
Then only, they should be allowed to think of a religion or religions in their life.
What I stated above is very important, if we are to stop, young ones being taken into terrorist or religious cadres and indoctrinated with fanatic ideas.
That is the only way out.
That is the very thing we are not doing at present and ignoring.
We are slowly encouraging and allowing young militants being made out of innocent minds because of our failure in commonsense education. Some religious and militant groups know very well, the best currency to propagate their rigid views is the young mind.
The Experiment
I was the subject of the experiment.
Not by design but by default.
There was no conviction, compulsion or any consideration for my health. The circumstances had lead me to the experiment fortuitously.
Take it or leave it principle of mine.
I did plunge, unprepared.
Skipping the major meal for good.
I was on probation and I was working alone even though, I was given freehand by my superior. I had to develop my division and had to do research as well as teaching. I did not take it as a big deal but the time table was not to my liking.
The only day, I could concentrate on research work was on Wednesdays and to this day I use Wednesdays exclusively for my work and nothing else. I had to come home for lunch and rush back to work at 1 P.M. My wife was working full time and my elderly mother in law had to prepare meals for us. I did not want to make it very punctual but that meant I used to get back late and being on probation that was not a good omen.
Nearly two and a half hours lost in transit and without enjoying the lunch.
So when the work was heavy I used to skip the lunch.
I used to subsist on bananas and milk.
Milk was essential since I used to get early peptic ulcer symptom by skipping the lunch.
Fortunately banana and milk were cheap and were in liberal supply then.
To this I added Dhal Waddai.
Nuts were eaten in liberal doses and jumbo nuts were cheap then.
Still later I added chocolates, not necessarily dark chocolates.
That was the regime and in about six months, I was very comfortable and no dumping syndrome associated with rice.
I did not lose weight but did not feel any ill effects.
The gastric symptoms which was a worry disappeared spontaneously.
My work output increased tremendously since there were two additional hours to my work schedule.
I did not give much thought to it, till lately.
Come to think about it, when I was working in UK, on many a days, skipped the lunch, only a snack to fill the tommy, lot of coffee, which was the usual thing to do, even in the thick of winter.
Then have a very heavy supper.
This was not a big deal in tropical Sri-Lanka.
Of course this habit has now gone into a much bigger thing.
I decided to stop eating rice altogether, the reason for which I would not state or discuss here.
I have celebrated three years without rice!
It was difficult to begin with and I had to eat junk food since most of the alternative food items like couscous, spaghetti, pasta had gone up in price and some of the replacement items were horrible in taste, to say the least.
But I survived on a variety of diet except manioc for over a year to begin with (and still continuing).
Within six months, I started losing weight but I continued on a single main meal.
Then I did some background study to realize that the best way to lose weight is to stop eating rice.
The reason is that we generally eat three times what is required as calories on a rice diet. Because it is lacking in few amino acids (not total lack but relative deficiency), we make up the lack by eating an excess of rice.
Unlike manioc one can live on a rice diet without malnutrition but one tends to get obese in the long run.
The extra starch is invariably converted to fat in adipose tissues and they remain there happily unless we go on a hunger strike.
A few leafy vegetables, eggs and other grains can make it a balance diet but with a major problem.
With a huge increase in calorie intake.
We put on weight unlike the ones who do manual labor.
The manual worker of course, can utilize this load and easily burn them for extra calories.
So, final conclusion of the experiment is that one can survive on a single main meal, provided that it is a balance diet without losing weight, but if one wants to lose weight one should cut down on rice by at least two third´s of one´s rice portions.
I of course cut rice down to zero (completely) but enjoy liberal amount of chocolates, nuts and junk food and wine too.
Single Meal
Single most important principle in Buddhist Practice is its alms (Dhana), the giving away one’s possessions, without expecting anything in return.
This is something of an antithesis to modern world, where, self, image and one’s possessions are dear and belonging.
How it should be practiced by a Buddhist monks is discussed here briefly to make a novice monk adapt to modern trends in a demanding world.
A Buddhist monk ought to be light in baggage and belongings. A monk could have only two cloths (Chivara), one for wearing and another for change. How it should be made is also under strict and elaborate instructions.
The eating habits are also under strict code of practice.
I would discuss that in detail here.
When it comes to eating, if one ignores the morning meal, which is very light indeed, a monk has to survive on a single meal and that has to be taken in the early evening, in the modern day practice.
You may wonder why I took some interest in this.
This examination is scientific in nature.
There are many reasons, and I would state only a few.
If monks in the West practice this according to the strict code, it is a severe test for them, adopting this regime in the winter months. Equally, I have seen some monks who try to adhere to the regime rigidly and religiously have ended up sick and malnourished. If one becomes a Buddhist monk in adult life who had enjoyed somewhat a liberal life, changing to a single meal is a severe restriction on his / her diurnal habits.
One’s hormonal status, glycogen storage and status of the acid secretion in the stomach are habituated by ones daily routine (lifestyle). Changing abruptly, having become a monk should be done on a staggered basis, giving time for the body to adjust. Additionally, many of them do not have an understating of what is a balance diet.
Over years, I have seen many Buddhist monks suffering from food related diseases, especially diabetes mellitus. This is something not welcome and unexpected for my own liking.
I have no intention of going into how one becomes a diabetic but for me somebody on a single meal getting diabetes mellitus was something of an enigma.
In this context, having thought about it, I put the blame squarely on the layman.
Hope, one is not amazed by this statement.
I should go into this briefly.
The upper and the higher middle class families are the ones who get quota for the alms (Dhana) for the residential monks in the city. Their, idea of a meal is a lavish one. Many of them are also diabetic because of their over indulgence.
The offer of alms (Dhana) is not done on a regular basis.
So on the day, all the sugary, starchy, heavy but nutritionally unbalanced is offered. These alms (Dhana) days also happen to fall on weekends and holidays.
The monk has no choice.
He consumes a diet heavy in carbohydrates which stimulate their pancreas to the limits on weekends and practically having an austerity meal, in the rest of the week. My theory is, this up and down (erratic) stimulation of the insulin status, make them prone to diabetes mellitus, in the middle age. This may be aggravated by lack of exercise and having sugary drinks (tea) to counteract, the late evening hypoglycemia.
It is the duty of the layman to look after their welfare on a regular basis instead of a lavish feast once a month.
Medical education is in its prime stage now, especially on nutrition, the doctor should advise the upper middle class families what is a balance single diet for a monk who are practically at the mercy of the rich laymen who impart their inherent diseases on the clergy, unwittingly and unwillingly.
I would give some advice later regarding what to be offered and what ought not to be but for now let me digress a little.
I wanted to test myself whether I can survive on a single meal. I am more than convinced that it is possible and healthy.
But it takes time and it cannot be practiced overnight.
Prehistoric Time -15,000 to 30, 000 ago
Having proved it to myself that I can sustain on a single meal, I delved into man’s prehistoric period and how man survived in adverse climatic conditions and food scarcities.
Hunter gather never had three meals a day.
At best he had only a single square meal, never three meals. He mainly survived on a big game, in a community life style.
He was omnivorous and supplemented his diet with fruits and nuts. He probably did not suffer from diabetes mellitus and his teeth were strong, the enamel was thin but the dentin was thick, hardly had any caries. In times of food shortages and diseases there were signs of enamel deficiency and bone diseases.
These changes are recorded in prehistoric fossils which date back to 15,000 to 30,000 years.
Until such time he became nomadic, milk was in short supply.
Only milk supply was maternal.
The average woman was thin, and she only had children once in four years or so.
It is now believed that when a woman was thin -prehistoric women, had to work hard, almost equaling man’s efforts, like modern day women athletes, in whom the ovulation does not occur, regularly. Additionally, prolong breast feeding without weaning suppresses ovulation.
The man probably was sturdier and taller but comparatively thinner since he had to work hard in hunting exercises. He probably lived a shorter life than a woman (45 years), probably 35 years or so / died not of modern day diseases but as a result of injuries sustained in hunting.
As for prehistoric man is concerned the existence on a single meal was not a fantasy but a fact.
Paleolithic Period- 5000 to 13 000 years
Why man became an agricultural man is a mystery but available evidence suggests dramatic changes in climate at the end of the ice age and the population expansion contributed. With the emergence of the nomadic life and man’s entry into agricultural endeavors, he entered into a sedentary life style.
However, he never gave up game and hunting until such time he domesticated adequate livestock.
I would like to figure out that he was never a pure vegetarian.
The Asian wolf became associated with man around 13,000 years ago probably scavenging around man’s domain. The dogs and wolf can live on a single meal perhaps even longer and with the loss of mammoths and huge game, wolf also found living difficult but drifted with the man for game. His eating pattern, scavenging to begin with which our present day dogs inherit and illustrate by scavenging city dumps, is a reminder that even this period the man existed (present day practice of feeding a single meal to a pedigree dog, which I do not agree) on a single main meal.
Even though, the agricultural practices were extensive, failure of crops was common phenomenon, the demise of Maya Dynasty was a true example of catastrophe in history. In spite of extensive agriculture, food was not in plenty and the food preparation from harvest to meal was labor intensive and man continued to supplement meal on animal and animal sacrifices.
In this period population expanded probably because women becoming comparatively fatter and fertile (it is interesting to note that when a woman is too fat, like in the present day, fertility drops) and their body composition was ideal for reproduction.
But with success there was impending catastrophe too.
Famines were common due to reduction of crops, failure of rain or floods.
The man became shorter and less sturdier due to sedentary life.
We may be able to surmise that even in this period man ate a variable diet, characteristically a single meal which was supplemented by animal, fish, shells, fruits and nuts.
How and when man discovered use of salt and spices is open to question, probably towards the latter stage of Paleolithic time.
Contemporary History from 5000 years to 2500
During this period man was eating mixed diet containing milk (animal), sugar, salt, spices and animal and fish products. In spite of agriculture man never ceased to consume animal food, in fact it became a major constitute, judging by the tribal and religious practices from 5000 to 2000 years.
This is probably the period where single supper or a single meal changed to multiple meals especially the upper classes but slaves and lower classes subsisted on an average single large meal.
The longevity and average health increased proportionately probably doubled compared to the prehistoric period.
Most of the sages and philosophers except hedonists lived an austere life while recommending the same to the masses.
2500 and the emergence of the Vegetarian Life
Even though, some Jainers advocated vegetarian life, it was with the emergence of the Buddhist way of life in India that preceded the current wave of vegetarian (purported to be healthy) food fads.
Neither, Ten Commandments, the Jesus Christ’s sayings nor Muslim Koran abhors sacrifices of animals.
The vegetarian life is comparatively new, probably only 2500 years old in the history of mankind and that is why, there are so many misconceptions. Unlike monkeys, baboons and gorillas who are mostly vegetarians, from which man originated in an evolutionary point of view, the man had always been a carnivorous mammal.
2500 years is a small time in evolutionary time scale, a healthy dialogue on vegetarian diet is mandatory in the present context.
Our intestine and teeth bear different relationships to tree dwelling mammals, some are morphological in nature (genetic) and some are based on the diet (environmental) we eat.
As far as the growth and development of children are concerned my view is that single diet is not adequate.
That is my entry point to discuss another point of view.
Can a young novice monk who has not gone through puberty be sustained on a single diet?
This is a question, I find it difficult to answer even though, I have stated my gut feelings above.
This is one reason, out of the many, I do not agree and defer on ordaining young underage monks. Apart from lack of psychological maturity, to go on an austere life as prescribed by Vinaya is asking too much from a child.
Parents should have a say on these issues.
They should not force a young one into priesthood in their tender years.
American Pie
As a comparison, I thought of writing something relevant. Comparing an average American’s eating habits with our´s is a revelation by itself.
An American eats a cow / bull every ten years.
In every American there are at least 5 cows in him by the time he is fifty. If he has not got mad cow disease or Alzheimer’s disease what he eats in the rest of his life is any American doctor’s guess.
He eats a pig every three years.
He eats at least 50 chickens and one turkey a year.
Some Americans of course eat much more than this.
My worry is every cow/bull he eats, at least an equivalent of 8Kg of fodder is needed to support its life to obtain 1Kg of beef. If an American stops eating 1Kg of beef he is saving about 8Kg of grain for a poor soul in Africa or Bangladesh.
Out of the tons of grain produced half is spent on animal feeds and some American cows are better fed than African kids.
Only to be sacrificed as human food.
The current Pope should give due consideration to these facts and he should give a hearing to this fiasco and if the grain saved by saving the poor cows / or bulls is multiplied by the factor of eight by 1000 (well fed cow’s weight) there is an excess grain in this world to feed everybody.
Equally FAO should take this into cognizant.
Looking by some of Sri-Lankans who lavish on food I cannot say there is any difference to American mentality, here in Sri-Lanka (especially who visit here to take a break from the winter).
Coming back to a single meal, if an American or Western guy sacrifices a single meal a week, like our Buddhist monks who live on a single meal a day, we would be able to feed some hungry children in Africa and Asia without any problem or NGOs.
WHO also should take this fact to their cognizant.
I don’t believe in what our agriculture minister who says, that food prices have gone up because of biofuels. The production of biofuels had been going on for over 25 years.
One should realize that the ancient man and his closest friend the dog survived on a single meal in spite of their aggressive hunting skills.
What should an average Dhana (Single Meal) should contain?
The physiological effect of an average meal should last 18 hours (that is the time when the glycogen storage starts to become depleted) of its intake. The diet should not have high sugary (dessert) components that stimulate surge of insulin and late dumping syndrome due to insulin surge at the time of the meal.
The vegetarian diet has no problem since the fiber makes the release of dietary sugar gradual.
The best dessert for the monks is not ice cream but fruits.
Out of the fruits, the best is bananas which releases its sugars slowly without insulin surges and maintaining a stable blood sugar.
Milk and curd are preferred, since they give ample supply of fat for starving intervals.
Missing ingredient is nuts.
Not only that they contain short chain fatty acids which supply energy for starving intervals, they are rich in healthy vitamins.
I would encourage the young monks to go liberal on fruits and nuts.
A supply of nuts (no aggalas, jaggery or sweets), fruits, papaw, banana and proper breakfast cereal containing millet (Kurrakkan) should be the breakfast for the monks.
Somebody should invest and develop a proper breakfast cereal for our kids. The same breakfast cereal can be used by young monks in their growing years (assuming they are ordained young).
For the monks in the West a Buddhist dietitian with knowledge in Vinaya practice should investigate how their midday Dhana should be constituted.
My belief is many of them are having an inappropriate diet for winter conditions.
I hope a good breakfast cereal will emerge from there for the monks on a meager diet.
My prescription for priesthood is entirely different.
When I see young monks in the TV giving emotional speeches rather than mature sermons, I become sometimes terrified.
Even my twilight years, I sometimes reserve my judgment or giving advices on certain issues.
Never over the telephone.
Only, when I can have an eye to eye contact with the person concerned when I can have an immediate assessment of the person’s psychological makeup and the reactions, I give some advice with lot of reservation.
One can do more damage by volunteering advice not appropriate.
My advice goes as this.
Let the young one follows a simple observational life.
In other words train them to observe in a simple and logical fashion. Teach the scientific facts in simple doses as they tend to make mistakes, in distinguishing, facts from fiction.
Children prefer fiction in the early years and they should be allowed to change gradually into scientific way of thinking. Even at 16 years of age (formative thinking is established) many find it difficult to grasp scientific concepts clearly.
They have the philosophical views embedded in their brains. Encourage them as much as possible.
This is why they always asks mommy why?
Encourage the philosophical views at an early age, even though, we do not have ready made answers, to their questions.
Training them in “Thinking to Think” is the most appropriate method.
Then only, they should be allowed to think of a religion or religions in their life.
What I stated above is very important, if we are to stop, young ones being taken into terrorist or religious cadres and indoctrinated with fanatic ideas.
That is the only way out.
That is the very thing we are not doing at present and ignoring.
We are slowly encouraging and allowing young militants being made out of innocent minds because of our failure in commonsense education. Some religious and militant groups know very well, the best currency to propagate their rigid views is the young mind.
The Experiment
I was the subject of the experiment.
Not by design but by default.
There was no conviction, compulsion or any consideration for my health. The circumstances had lead me to the experiment fortuitously.
Take it or leave it principle of mine.
I did plunge, unprepared.
Skipping the major meal for good.
I was on probation and I was working alone even though, I was given freehand by my superior. I had to develop my division and had to do research as well as teaching. I did not take it as a big deal but the time table was not to my liking.
The only day, I could concentrate on research work was on Wednesdays and to this day I use Wednesdays exclusively for my work and nothing else. I had to come home for lunch and rush back to work at 1 P.M. My wife was working full time and my elderly mother in law had to prepare meals for us. I did not want to make it very punctual but that meant I used to get back late and being on probation that was not a good omen.
Nearly two and a half hours lost in transit and without enjoying the lunch.
So when the work was heavy I used to skip the lunch.
I used to subsist on bananas and milk.
Milk was essential since I used to get early peptic ulcer symptom by skipping the lunch.
Fortunately banana and milk were cheap and were in liberal supply then.
To this I added Dhal Waddai.
Nuts were eaten in liberal doses and jumbo nuts were cheap then.
Still later I added chocolates, not necessarily dark chocolates.
That was the regime and in about six months, I was very comfortable and no dumping syndrome associated with rice.
I did not lose weight but did not feel any ill effects.
The gastric symptoms which was a worry disappeared spontaneously.
My work output increased tremendously since there were two additional hours to my work schedule.
I did not give much thought to it, till lately.
Come to think about it, when I was working in UK, on many a days, skipped the lunch, only a snack to fill the tommy, lot of coffee, which was the usual thing to do, even in the thick of winter.
Then have a very heavy supper.
This was not a big deal in tropical Sri-Lanka.
Of course this habit has now gone into a much bigger thing.
I decided to stop eating rice altogether, the reason for which I would not state or discuss here.
I have celebrated three years without rice!
It was difficult to begin with and I had to eat junk food since most of the alternative food items like couscous, spaghetti, pasta had gone up in price and some of the replacement items were horrible in taste, to say the least.
But I survived on a variety of diet except manioc for over a year to begin with (and still continuing).
Within six months, I started losing weight but I continued on a single main meal.
Then I did some background study to realize that the best way to lose weight is to stop eating rice.
The reason is that we generally eat three times what is required as calories on a rice diet. Because it is lacking in few amino acids (not total lack but relative deficiency), we make up the lack by eating an excess of rice.
Unlike manioc one can live on a rice diet without malnutrition but one tends to get obese in the long run.
The extra starch is invariably converted to fat in adipose tissues and they remain there happily unless we go on a hunger strike.
A few leafy vegetables, eggs and other grains can make it a balance diet but with a major problem.
With a huge increase in calorie intake.
We put on weight unlike the ones who do manual labor.
The manual worker of course, can utilize this load and easily burn them for extra calories.
So, final conclusion of the experiment is that one can survive on a single main meal, provided that it is a balance diet without losing weight, but if one wants to lose weight one should cut down on rice by at least two third´s of one´s rice portions.
I of course cut rice down to zero (completely) but enjoy liberal amount of chocolates, nuts and junk food and wine too.
Right Constitution
Right Constitution
1.Scientific outlook comes first.
2. Rules of law and fair play and Justice to all living beings (Plants and Animals) is second.
3. Democracy as a force and the tolerance to diverse views is the third.
4.Universal suffrage without bondage, dogma and external powers influencing (encourage the internal powers of the mind) the decision making, is the fourth.
5. Religion has no place or should reign below the above four pillars.
If an individual has a certain conviction for solace, be that be so, but he/she should tolerate views of the others including, especially those who want not to be bound by any religious dogma.
1.Scientific outlook comes first.
2. Rules of law and fair play and Justice to all living beings (Plants and Animals) is second.
3. Democracy as a force and the tolerance to diverse views is the third.
4.Universal suffrage without bondage, dogma and external powers influencing (encourage the internal powers of the mind) the decision making, is the fourth.
5. Religion has no place or should reign below the above four pillars.
If an individual has a certain conviction for solace, be that be so, but he/she should tolerate views of the others including, especially those who want not to be bound by any religious dogma.
Sunday, March 13, 2016
Watching this duo, Chithrasena and Viajra was a treat.
Reproduction
I was never into music and dancing.
Watching this duo, Chithrasena and Viajra was a treat.
I hope somebody write a book on them and their family for posterity.
This is an adaptation by Samson Abeyagunawardena of an article by Marianne Nuernberger, published in The Sri Lanka Journal of the Humanities, Vol 40. Dr Nuernberger did field research for her doctoral thesis (University of Vienna):Dance is the Language of the Gods:the Chitrasena School and the Traditional Roots of Sri Lankan Stage Dance.
Vajira celebrates her 85th birthday next Tuesday – 15 March. Her legacy to the arts and culture of Sri Lanka is her astonishing family dedicated to dance: Kandyan, Low-country, Sabaragamuwa. The family of three generations comprises dancers, musicians, choreographers, dance teachers, costume designers and dance administrators.As a dancer, Vajira was world class. In 1963 the Perth Festival of the Arts director described her as "a dancer to treasure". The dance critic of Australia’s prestigious national newspaper, The Australian, saw Vajira’s grand-daughter Thajithangani, dance at the Sydney Festival in January 2015 and wrote: If there is a more immediately captivating dancer than Thajithangani, I have yet to meet her/him.
The path to great heights has not been easy..
What was it like in Sri Lanka 65 years ago for a young Sinhala woman, English educated and of the highest caste -goyigama- to go on stage as a professional Kandyan dancer? No other Sinhala woman had done it before. There were hundreds of male ritual dancers performing in the three indigenous styles: Kandyan, Low-country and Sabaragamuwa, but not a single female professional dancer of any of these styles. In the culture of that time, a woman who dared to dance in one of the indigenous styles was believed to be ill, insane and possessed by demons.
Vajira dared.
Vajira
was eighteen in 1950 when she married Chitrasena who had founded the
Chitrasena Dance Company in 1943. He was pioneering in adapting the
traditional dances of the Sinhalese to the modern stage so that
theatregoers in Sri Lanka and overseas could enjoy them as
sophisticated entertainment.Chitrasena was handsome, charismatic and on the path to achieving iconic status as a dancer. How did Vajira adapt to be the spouse of such a man? How did she cope with being a professional dancer in a culture where ritual dance was a domain of males only.
After marriage, Vajira worked with Chitrasena to become the "inventor" of a graceful female style– lasya - of Kandyan dance, of modern stage dance training and of children’s ballet. Together they raised the standard of virtuosity for the Kandyan dance and added, with sympathetic understanding , new dimensions to the classical repertoire of movement.
Vajira’s lasya interpretation find its most effective expression in her adaptation of the Gajaga Vannama, a traditional up-country dance of the royal court of Kandy. Her modified choreography of this dance has even been incorporated into the curriculum of the government art colleges. The song texts of the older Vannams include descriptions of various birds and animals, but no interpretations of the texts were originally shown in the dance. The choreographies of the Vannams of the Chitrasena and Vajira School introduced such interpretations. From that time onward, Vajira was given the opportunity to develop her own choreographies at the Chitrasena School; the female parts she created had the lasya quality. All the major ballets of the Chitrasena-Vajira School from 1952 onward were the outcome of the collaboration between Chitrasena and Vajira.
Vajira is an astonishing woman. Age has not deprived her of her intensity, her vitality – an austerely restrained form of tenacious energy – or of her extraordinary courage. Whenever I remember Vajira, I see her as a teacher leading the dance in front of the regular rows of her pupils. I remember her smile, her stringency, the earnestness of her talk when speaking about her longing for a peaceful time and a place to meditate. It was no surprise for me to learn that Vajira’s extraordinary success in the role of the young and beautiful Sisi in Chitrasena’s ballet Karadiya can be viewed as a creation of her own identification with the oppressed and confused state of that tragic character.
There is no suggestion here that Vajira alone broke through the gender barrier to stage dance, that she set the pace for the first Sinhalese female religious specialists and ritualists. Numerous women came before her. Sinhalese historians write about a lost tradition of female ritual dancers who were similar to the devadasis of India. Then there were the female ecstatic priestesses of the Tamil Hindu rituals in Sri Lanka who gained importance through the rise of Kataragama as a religious centre also for the Sinhalese. To a certain degree, women in Sri Lanka have always had some kind of silent power and authority inside their homes. There is no despising of widows, no killing of female babies after birth. A further factor is that in recent times, the social order has opened up to women opportunities to work outside the family.
Since the beginning of the 1980s Sinhalese female ritual dancers could for the first time be seen to practice as exorcists and dance priestesses. In the same way that men of groups other than the traditional Berava caste took over the ritualistic dance-art, women now appeared on the scene to get their share of the activities of the new ritualist.
There is no suggestion here that Vajira’s modern dance-art solely caused this change. Rather, I believe that as the traditional dance-art had socio-religious significance, modern stage-dance and school-dance gave considerable impetus to the opening-up of religious and ritual functions to women. Modern non-ritual dance has astoundingly managed to close the gap between castes and sexes on the terrain
of its rituals. It has become a social bridge to the new ritual forms. It has also contributed to new female professions in this field. And Vajira was the first Sinhala woman who made dance in the Kandyan style her full-time profession. Is it too much then to say that her life’s contribution reaches far beyond the sphere of stage dance?
Vajira is no ritual dancer. She was a stage dancer for 50 years. Now she is principal of the Chitrasena-Vajira Dance School, where she also teaches. It is difficult even today for a Sri Lankan woman to become a professional dancer and stay on for the rest of her working life. Most women who learn to dance go on to teach and do not devote themselves to dancing on stage. However, Vajira’s pioneering work has ensured that a number of teachers and stage dancers earn a steady income. She is an artist who has spent months perfecting the choreographies of the Ballets of Chitrasena. She is a pedagogue who has researched dance teaching methods in India, Russia, the US and Europe. And she is a mother, grandmother and great grand-mother.
Vajira
has choreographed 26 productions, of which eleven are children’s
ballets and the rest adult’s ballets. Her numerous performances in Sri
Lanka include several one-and two-week festivals celebrated every year
from 1965 on. During the celebrations at the Lionel Wendt Theatre in
1996 commemorating her 50 years of dancing, she announced her last
appearance on stage. Alas, there have been no more Chitrasena-Vajira
Dance Festivals since then.The third generation has now taken over management of the Chitrasena-Vajira School of Dance and of the Dance Company. Vajira’s mantle as principal dancer of the Chitrasena-Vajira Dance Company passed on to her elder daughter, Upeka and then in 2011 on to her grand-daughter Thajithangani. Grand-daughters Heshma and Umadanthi, are the company’s artistic director and administration manager respectively. The company does not have a principal male dancer. It has been unsuccessful in attracting personable young males to go through the six years of rigorous training required before they can come into serious contention for selection as principal male dancer.
What of the future?
The Chitrasena-Vajira Dance Foundation (CVDF) aspires to create a self-sustaining Centre for the dance that includes:
- a healthy pool of new talent drawn from all parts of Sri Lanka;
- a growing base of trained teachers across the country;
- a professional dance company that provides opportunities for artists to meet, collaborate and commit to the dance;
- and a program of outreach, education and marketing to increase the base of knowledgeable and discerning audience at national and international level.
The CVDF has an approved plan for the construction of a cultural centre, designed by a renowned architect, on the site of its present temporary premises at Elvitigala Mawatha, Colombo -5.The plan includes a hall for teaching classes, a studio in which to conduct rehearsals, a studio for creative work, an apartment for the resident principal, a library, dormitories for males and females, toilets, kitchen, dining room and storage room.
-The dormitories are for students who travel from distant outstations and have to stay overnight.
lArun Abey, a Sri Lankan expatriate long settled in Australia, is patron of the CVDF. At a Kalayathanaya event in February 2014 he, on behalf of the three generations of the Samson and Annapurni Abeyagunawardena family settled in Australia, pledged $(A) 100,000 (about eleven million Sri Lanka rupees) to the CVDC Endowment Fund and invited others to chip-in.
Vajira hopes, more than anything else, that many Sri Lankans, expatriates and well-wishers would chip-in so that the Chitrasena-Vajira Cultural Centre she dreams of would be built in her lifetime. Please chip-in when you wish Vajira a happy birthday next Tuesday – 15 March.
Thursday, March 10, 2016
Long Life
Nobody seems to have addressed this issue of Long Life of our yesteryear Buddhist monks and their secrets.
I have a list of reasons and they are listed not in any order of merits.
1. Simple Monastery Life
2. Vegetarian Diet
3. Meditation Practice
4. Rituals like Recitation of Stanzas by heart
5. Multi-language Capability (as many as six to eight)
6. Wondering life style (No fixed aboard)
7. Village Life Style
8. Simple exercises like walking from temple to temple
9. Herbal medicines and their use
10. Sleeping (resting) Schedule
Having analyzed the impact of above observations, I have formulated the following for working adults.
1. You are, What You Eat
It is very simple and easy to change food habits.
I am not asking you to change to a vegetarian diet.
Two meals are sufficient, healthy breakfast and one major meal according to the life style.
One must never miss the breakfast (after all you are breaking the overnight fast).
At least carry a snack with you, if you have to run for the bus or train and eat it on the go, once you have boarded the transportation.
Fruits and nuts are for your breaks, if you have any, not tea and coffee.
Chocolates are OK but not Coca Cola.
Milk should be a daily accompaniment (think of the osteoporosis when you are 70) and soothing for your stomach and duodenum.
2. Things you have to STOP
There is no place for smoking in healthy living.
3. Drink in Moderation
That got to be alcohol (100 mg the most).
4. Never in Life
Never hashish.
They lead you to urge or try more potent ones.
5. Plenty in Life
Exercise in plenty.
6. Never not Enough
Good Friends are never enough.
7. Mental Culture
All waking hours.
My prescription is 3M (Minute Moment Meditation)
8. Plant Watching (my addition)
If your favorite pot plant is dying, there is something wrong with you.
I discourage keeping pet fish unless an aquarium keeper visits you at short notice.
It can be a pain.
I have plenty of pet Fish.
9. Games
Including computer games.
10. Grandchildren
Having grandchildren is a contentious issue.
I will leave at that.
Many more items can be fitted into this list of priorities and I do not intend to go beyond this point.
11. Summary
1. If you smoke, quit today.
Avoid Passive smoking!
2. Get plenty of exercise.
Walking is a great all around activity.
3. Limit your drinking or no alcohol.
4. Eat fruits, nuts and vegetables daily
5. Get enough sleep each night.
Sleep can help to recharge your immune systems as well as give you the energy you need each day.
6. Maintain a healthy weight.
Consider reducing starch, fat and meat in your diet.
7. Schedule your health checkups.
8. Become Educated.
Learn about medical conditions that you may have.
Or be at risk for developing.
9. Practice Meditation
Practice stress management.
Your emotions can affect your health.
10. Have a hobby (Minimum “Plant Watching”)
Practice simple computer games.
Frozen Bubble is my favorite with the cellphone
12. Balancing your Brain (my addition)
This is a concept I have developed on my own.
There are many techniques including learning a new language but less demanding ones can be formulated.
I have discussed this elsewhere!
I have a list of reasons and they are listed not in any order of merits.
1. Simple Monastery Life
2. Vegetarian Diet
3. Meditation Practice
4. Rituals like Recitation of Stanzas by heart
5. Multi-language Capability (as many as six to eight)
6. Wondering life style (No fixed aboard)
7. Village Life Style
8. Simple exercises like walking from temple to temple
9. Herbal medicines and their use
10. Sleeping (resting) Schedule
Having analyzed the impact of above observations, I have formulated the following for working adults.
1. You are, What You Eat
It is very simple and easy to change food habits.
I am not asking you to change to a vegetarian diet.
Two meals are sufficient, healthy breakfast and one major meal according to the life style.
One must never miss the breakfast (after all you are breaking the overnight fast).
At least carry a snack with you, if you have to run for the bus or train and eat it on the go, once you have boarded the transportation.
Fruits and nuts are for your breaks, if you have any, not tea and coffee.
Chocolates are OK but not Coca Cola.
Milk should be a daily accompaniment (think of the osteoporosis when you are 70) and soothing for your stomach and duodenum.
2. Things you have to STOP
There is no place for smoking in healthy living.
3. Drink in Moderation
That got to be alcohol (100 mg the most).
4. Never in Life
Never hashish.
They lead you to urge or try more potent ones.
5. Plenty in Life
Exercise in plenty.
6. Never not Enough
Good Friends are never enough.
7. Mental Culture
All waking hours.
My prescription is 3M (Minute Moment Meditation)
8. Plant Watching (my addition)
If your favorite pot plant is dying, there is something wrong with you.
I discourage keeping pet fish unless an aquarium keeper visits you at short notice.
It can be a pain.
I have plenty of pet Fish.
9. Games
Including computer games.
10. Grandchildren
Having grandchildren is a contentious issue.
I will leave at that.
Many more items can be fitted into this list of priorities and I do not intend to go beyond this point.
11. Summary
1. If you smoke, quit today.
Avoid Passive smoking!
2. Get plenty of exercise.
Walking is a great all around activity.
3. Limit your drinking or no alcohol.
4. Eat fruits, nuts and vegetables daily
5. Get enough sleep each night.
Sleep can help to recharge your immune systems as well as give you the energy you need each day.
6. Maintain a healthy weight.
Consider reducing starch, fat and meat in your diet.
7. Schedule your health checkups.
8. Become Educated.
Learn about medical conditions that you may have.
Or be at risk for developing.
9. Practice Meditation
Practice stress management.
Your emotions can affect your health.
10. Have a hobby (Minimum “Plant Watching”)
Practice simple computer games.
Frozen Bubble is my favorite with the cellphone
12. Balancing your Brain (my addition)
This is a concept I have developed on my own.
There are many techniques including learning a new language but less demanding ones can be formulated.
I have discussed this elsewhere!
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Sphere of Activity
Ambidextrous of Activity
Instead of a programmed or rigid life style, I am proposing a balancing act or the right and the left coordination technique, in daily living and practices.
It is simple.
Learn to use both hands.
If you are right handed in writing try to use left hand for toilet cleaning (wipe the back with the left hand with tissues or without tissues).
Try combing with the left hand on alternative days.
Try the same with shaving.
I believe one has to be ambidextrous when shaving anyway.
If you take Route A for your walk (not jogging) one day, the next day make it the Route B and reroute your walking (for example turning left, where you turned right the day before and vice versa).
Never take the same route in two consecutive days.
It is difficult but with perseverance one can reschedule the routes.
In other words become ambidextrous in all your activities.
I have observed many right handed people have left handed strokes.
I postulate the concept that when one neglects an activity over time, that side of the brain gets less blood flowing in day to day life. So I believe the atherosclerotic patches appear on blood vessels supplying, that side of the brain, first. Or may be when shower of fat particles leave a plaque from the aorta or its major branches, the slow circulation (narrow to begin with) has a greater chance of obstruction.
Mind you I have been teaching atherosclerosis all my life.
Its emphasis changed over time and current belief is it is due to inflammation that trigger thrombosis.
I am entitled to have my own views about atherosclerosis / thrombosis, saga.
I do not even believe the cholesterol theory since cholesterol is a vital biochemical molecule which even produce sex hormones.
Now they have changed the concept to free radical damage and oxidized cholesterol and scavenger receptors in macrophages having a role (going back to inflammation theory).
So trying to promote blood flow to the non dominant side of the brain by actively promoting ambidextrous activity is a plausible strategy.
This I believe is very healthy but a simple method and prevent strokes on the non dominant side of the brain.
I would expand on this further stating that learning a second language promote the activity of the creative brain or the non dominant brain and the second language is located on the right side (the activities are represented in the opposite side of the brain due to crisscrossing of nerve fibers in the brain stem).
In actual fact the evolution has promoted this by design but we tend to neglect.
The Chinese are adept at using both hands.
The ancient Chinese wisdom was to promote children to be ambidextrous and knitting embroidery, crotchet are Chinese inventions.
My mother who lived up to nineties was a good exponent of these dying arts.
She also possessed the ability of two languages, thanks to British education.
Sphere of Activity
Few lines about sphere of activity is in order.
My definition of sphere of activity is the extent of the expansion of your geographical movement in your daily activities including work, shopping, going to the library or bookshops or any recreational activity, including meditation and religious activities.
That covers a lot and unfortunately the cellphone extends your sphere of activity beyond the shores.
I consider telephone as a hindrance except when one travels aboard.
The car also expands it.
I believe in reducing the sphere of activity to the minimum functionality one needs for survival.
Of course it reduces the traffic-jams of present day and one less person on the road is better for this planet wellbeing (less fuming exhaust).
Why go to a meditation retreat when one can do “Moment Meditation” or “Plant Watching” as an exercise at home?
Instead of a programmed or rigid life style, I am proposing a balancing act or the right and the left coordination technique, in daily living and practices.
It is simple.
Learn to use both hands.
If you are right handed in writing try to use left hand for toilet cleaning (wipe the back with the left hand with tissues or without tissues).
Try combing with the left hand on alternative days.
Try the same with shaving.
I believe one has to be ambidextrous when shaving anyway.
If you take Route A for your walk (not jogging) one day, the next day make it the Route B and reroute your walking (for example turning left, where you turned right the day before and vice versa).
Never take the same route in two consecutive days.
It is difficult but with perseverance one can reschedule the routes.
In other words become ambidextrous in all your activities.
I have observed many right handed people have left handed strokes.
I postulate the concept that when one neglects an activity over time, that side of the brain gets less blood flowing in day to day life. So I believe the atherosclerotic patches appear on blood vessels supplying, that side of the brain, first. Or may be when shower of fat particles leave a plaque from the aorta or its major branches, the slow circulation (narrow to begin with) has a greater chance of obstruction.
Mind you I have been teaching atherosclerosis all my life.
Its emphasis changed over time and current belief is it is due to inflammation that trigger thrombosis.
I am entitled to have my own views about atherosclerosis / thrombosis, saga.
I do not even believe the cholesterol theory since cholesterol is a vital biochemical molecule which even produce sex hormones.
Now they have changed the concept to free radical damage and oxidized cholesterol and scavenger receptors in macrophages having a role (going back to inflammation theory).
So trying to promote blood flow to the non dominant side of the brain by actively promoting ambidextrous activity is a plausible strategy.
This I believe is very healthy but a simple method and prevent strokes on the non dominant side of the brain.
I would expand on this further stating that learning a second language promote the activity of the creative brain or the non dominant brain and the second language is located on the right side (the activities are represented in the opposite side of the brain due to crisscrossing of nerve fibers in the brain stem).
In actual fact the evolution has promoted this by design but we tend to neglect.
The Chinese are adept at using both hands.
The ancient Chinese wisdom was to promote children to be ambidextrous and knitting embroidery, crotchet are Chinese inventions.
My mother who lived up to nineties was a good exponent of these dying arts.
She also possessed the ability of two languages, thanks to British education.
Sphere of Activity
Few lines about sphere of activity is in order.
My definition of sphere of activity is the extent of the expansion of your geographical movement in your daily activities including work, shopping, going to the library or bookshops or any recreational activity, including meditation and religious activities.
That covers a lot and unfortunately the cellphone extends your sphere of activity beyond the shores.
I consider telephone as a hindrance except when one travels aboard.
The car also expands it.
I believe in reducing the sphere of activity to the minimum functionality one needs for survival.
Of course it reduces the traffic-jams of present day and one less person on the road is better for this planet wellbeing (less fuming exhaust).
Why go to a meditation retreat when one can do “Moment Meditation” or “Plant Watching” as an exercise at home?
Saturday, March 5, 2016
Plant Watching
Plant Watching
Super market chains, convenient in many ways, allowing the customer to buy some chocolates and a tot on the way home can play a significant role in “trend setting”. At least is in the West most of the established supermarkets have garden centers incorporated in the complex so that gardening is encouraged especially, the indoor variety. Unlike here, every year the gardener has to redo quite regimental in practice, what he did the year before if he or she wants to keep the garden good looking in spring and summer. The gardening is an expensive hobby there and most of them turn to indoor plants as an alternative to expensive outdoor gardening. So on there way home in addition to a tot most of them buy a sturdy indoor (tropical) plant (with a leaflet on how to care the plant).
This is an important hobby of majority of the healthy elderly pensioners who had made their contribution to their country when they were young and hearty. The secret of their health is when they were young and healthy they did their jobs to best of their abilities however menial the jobs would have been (dignity of labour) with dedication (which is lacking in this parts of the world) and in retirement (because of their good work habits when young) keep on doing worth while pastimes which include gardening.
Them taking a tot I do not find disruptive (part of their secret for not getting heart attacks) and the added calories they consumed were easily dissipated in their daily healthy activities (this is not true of the new breed of yuppies). Outdoor gardening apart the indoor gardening adds a new dimension to their life in winter. The outdoor activities are curtailed because of the inclement winter weather and looking after the indoor plant is also not easy due to dry conditions. Equally keeping indoors warm is difficult and expensive. If the indoor plants look unhealthy it is a sure sign something amiss in the household. Some help is needed either financially or otherwise. So plant watching is a health indicator in that setup and the pensioner who looks after their plants well looks after his or her health too. Unfortunately this is rapidly changing for the middle class in the West and only the rich can enjoy their retirement.
Unlike here there are no meditation practices and watching the indoor plant for five minutes is a close substitute (approximates its health contribution in many ways) to a well trained-mind of meditation practice, especially if it is done without any attachment to the plant for its own well being.
In other words it is the practice of equanimity.
Watching for signs of ill health in the leaves and watering and adding a bit of mineral support as and when necessary and making this a daily routine is very satisfying. Instead sitting in front of the idiot box this is what most of the elderly did in the yesteryear.
So plant watching is bit of meditation practice for the elderly in the west.
So what about our pensioners in general?
The pittance they get as their pensions would drive most of them to either madness or depression if not for the extended family support. This was true of my father and my father in law.
Why most of them do not commit suicide is something worth pondering?
Probably most of them lived an austerity life all their life and living on pension was no different with their inborn tolerance.
Probably the other reason is Buddhist attitude to life.
Any government, industry and business community that ignore senior citizens having utilized their human labour when young is not worth considering as equal opportunity partners or clients. Global economy is casting a dark shadow on senior citizens and they are treated as economic waste and outcasts. Unfortunately countries like us trapped in their aid packages are advising the opposite of the responsibility and concern in good governance.
Meditation and plant watching are not the exercises that I recommend.
Human rights, equal opportunity and dignity are important issues to elderly.
Resigning them to elderly homes is not the solution if they are healthy both physically and mentally. If they are medically incapacitated some form of medical insurance is mandatory. Most of the paid insurances have hidden clauses and not worth considering.
Examples are hearing and vision impairment.
A set of denture is not within their finances.
They are fading away like a plant without water. That is a bit of meditation one should do when watering plants.
In a country where legislators are given a pension after five-year stint and ex-presidents are given such important packages, this is an anomaly, an aberration and an example par excellence of double-dealing. Please give some respect and dignity to the elderly. Just talk a bit and spend some time with them whenever an opportunity comes one’s way.
That probably is the best Christmas gift one can give without any expense.
What made me to write this was watching a few pensioners (either separated from their family or living alone) doing their shopping for a “chummery”. They were chopping many other items in their shopping list for their favorite drink
Chocolates not included.
Super market chains, convenient in many ways, allowing the customer to buy some chocolates and a tot on the way home can play a significant role in “trend setting”. At least is in the West most of the established supermarkets have garden centers incorporated in the complex so that gardening is encouraged especially, the indoor variety. Unlike here, every year the gardener has to redo quite regimental in practice, what he did the year before if he or she wants to keep the garden good looking in spring and summer. The gardening is an expensive hobby there and most of them turn to indoor plants as an alternative to expensive outdoor gardening. So on there way home in addition to a tot most of them buy a sturdy indoor (tropical) plant (with a leaflet on how to care the plant).
This is an important hobby of majority of the healthy elderly pensioners who had made their contribution to their country when they were young and hearty. The secret of their health is when they were young and healthy they did their jobs to best of their abilities however menial the jobs would have been (dignity of labour) with dedication (which is lacking in this parts of the world) and in retirement (because of their good work habits when young) keep on doing worth while pastimes which include gardening.
Them taking a tot I do not find disruptive (part of their secret for not getting heart attacks) and the added calories they consumed were easily dissipated in their daily healthy activities (this is not true of the new breed of yuppies). Outdoor gardening apart the indoor gardening adds a new dimension to their life in winter. The outdoor activities are curtailed because of the inclement winter weather and looking after the indoor plant is also not easy due to dry conditions. Equally keeping indoors warm is difficult and expensive. If the indoor plants look unhealthy it is a sure sign something amiss in the household. Some help is needed either financially or otherwise. So plant watching is a health indicator in that setup and the pensioner who looks after their plants well looks after his or her health too. Unfortunately this is rapidly changing for the middle class in the West and only the rich can enjoy their retirement.
Unlike here there are no meditation practices and watching the indoor plant for five minutes is a close substitute (approximates its health contribution in many ways) to a well trained-mind of meditation practice, especially if it is done without any attachment to the plant for its own well being.
In other words it is the practice of equanimity.
Watching for signs of ill health in the leaves and watering and adding a bit of mineral support as and when necessary and making this a daily routine is very satisfying. Instead sitting in front of the idiot box this is what most of the elderly did in the yesteryear.
So plant watching is bit of meditation practice for the elderly in the west.
So what about our pensioners in general?
The pittance they get as their pensions would drive most of them to either madness or depression if not for the extended family support. This was true of my father and my father in law.
Why most of them do not commit suicide is something worth pondering?
Probably most of them lived an austerity life all their life and living on pension was no different with their inborn tolerance.
Probably the other reason is Buddhist attitude to life.
Any government, industry and business community that ignore senior citizens having utilized their human labour when young is not worth considering as equal opportunity partners or clients. Global economy is casting a dark shadow on senior citizens and they are treated as economic waste and outcasts. Unfortunately countries like us trapped in their aid packages are advising the opposite of the responsibility and concern in good governance.
Meditation and plant watching are not the exercises that I recommend.
Human rights, equal opportunity and dignity are important issues to elderly.
Resigning them to elderly homes is not the solution if they are healthy both physically and mentally. If they are medically incapacitated some form of medical insurance is mandatory. Most of the paid insurances have hidden clauses and not worth considering.
Examples are hearing and vision impairment.
A set of denture is not within their finances.
They are fading away like a plant without water. That is a bit of meditation one should do when watering plants.
In a country where legislators are given a pension after five-year stint and ex-presidents are given such important packages, this is an anomaly, an aberration and an example par excellence of double-dealing. Please give some respect and dignity to the elderly. Just talk a bit and spend some time with them whenever an opportunity comes one’s way.
That probably is the best Christmas gift one can give without any expense.
What made me to write this was watching a few pensioners (either separated from their family or living alone) doing their shopping for a “chummery”. They were chopping many other items in their shopping list for their favorite drink
Chocolates not included.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)