A Philosophical Question

A Philosophical Question

Philosophy is the first order discipline, in that it asks an appropriate (in time, place, person and context) question, never wanting a simple answer.

Even one tries to answer, the true philosopher would never believe, it upfront.

That actually leads to the second order disciplines like religion which became redundant over time due to dogmatism.

That leads to the scientific inquiry (Kalama Sutta, brandishing 13 qualifications for inquiry, was a fore runner) which got muddled in the material physics (5% of total) leaving behind 95% of the virtual (dark matter and dark energy) matter, in the universe unexplained.

We are yet to comprehend the total and somewhere down the line mankind coined the irrational words, conventional truth and absolute (ultimate), masking the simple truth.

I think mankind wants to be in the dark and never want to come out of the Deep Mind Pit, they are already in.

I call it, the virulent brain virus that retards our escape from the tight entanglement without a logical treatment in sight!

Are we free to exercise our free will?

Philosophy

Philosophy 

Our Country never had philosophers of real character.

Let me define (according to Prof; A.D.P.Kalansuriya) philosophy in brief.

It is the ability to ask the right question at the right time.

The right question at the wrong time has no currency.

Philosophy is the first order discipline.

All other disciplines are second order disciplines.

That include science and religion.

Religion including Buddhism of course is not a philosophy but a dogma.

Correct definition of Buddhism is a way of life preached by Buddha with sublime goals of Metta, Karuna, Muditha and Upeksha.

The last word is wrongly translated to equanimity is the most difficult state to achieve on the face of adversity.

We had the Abraham’s dogma and his second wife’s son’s rival dogma.

Both were ideologists (Idea created in the Mind by itself is a dogma) of two extremes that led to the Bible War which is currently acted on our land (long gone paradise) by their blind followers.

Ideology does not equate with reality. The reality is that the man is mad (always) to create different ideologies. Its only outcome is blind faith. Golden rule is to be without any dogma.

Modern Philosopher

Posted on January 2, 2011
Only a few philosophers can attribute an impact with one or two words.
For example Thinking to Think, Lateral Thinking and Water Logic carry far greater impact than a political definition (incarceration) of the Rich and the Poor, The Power and its Inherent Corruption and I-Me (substitute any man or woman in power) and My Philosophy.
Mahinda Chinthanaya is not a philosophy but a Unending Greed for Power (even in the dream state).
In the modern world we need crisp and compact concepts to work on.
It was Ying Yang in the past which Chinese are rediscovering.
Any philosopher who writes volumes and volumes won't have any space in this fast moving world.
There is a dearth of modern philosophers who fits into the shoe of modern mode.
A philosopher who does not live and move with modern change is virtually dead and probably does not contribute his/her weight in gold but only his dead weight!
For the modern world I have the Black Box (past) and Open Box (future) Theory of Mine.
However, we either live in the past or in the future but not in this precious present moment of reality that we are always fallible.

Hate

Hate

Posted on January 5, 2011

There were and are waves of hate (philosophy) in this small country.

The first wave was related to the ethnic issue.
The second wave was related to the party politics.
The third wave is against the international community.
And the fourth wave is going to be the imaginary aliens, I guess.
My fourth prediction was wrong!
The fifth wave is the current Religious Mafia.
I beg pardon from Mafia (they operate on a better discipline)

This was a country when Atomic bomb was dropped on Japan and then late J.R.J uttered a verse in Dhammapada for record.
But when JRJ left, this country was beset with hate in all directions.
It was an irony!
Once I had the rare distinction of taking to a young Japanese gentleman who had done a lot to this country.
I asked him why he was so devoted to Ceylon.
Without hesitation he said when he was a kid he could only remember the Japanese translation of the Dhammapada Verse and one day when grown up he would visit Ceylon and pay his dues.
Which he did in abundance.
I told him that he should change roles and become an ambassador to which he only smiled and said one does not need to be an ambassador to do good.
That was an emphatic statement.
From that point onward when we refer to Dhammapada it was only for reference value and not for any concrete actions of compassion or empathy.
Why?
I do not know.
But I have only one theory.
When one studies only one language and specially the books dished out from the government without true educational philosophy, the Creative part of the Brain is permanently stunted and deranged.
There is no lateral or creative thinking capability.
Even the erasing of a word called Ceylon from memory is a symptom of this malady.
One cannot erase history or dictionary value of a coined word simply with rhetoric.
In time to come this country will be famous for its rhetoric with no actions.
NATO-C
The No Action Talk Only Country.
I hope in the New Year true senses should come to our body politics and restore us to ancient Eastern values.
Power and Party Politics is a Western creation to institute divide and rule philosophy.
We have become slaves of that creation and forgotten our ancient roots.
I think the presidential advisers who can read and write English should read Prof. De Bono’s books on Beautiful Mind and Lateral Thinking.
For a start we should get him (Prof. De Bono) for a Guest Lecture in honour of late Laxman Kadiragarman.
He is very expensive to hire and very busy but if given the needs and proper objectives he would oblige.
I believe he was one (LK) who had the courage and the charisma to have a beautiful mind in the face of adversity.
May we remember him for that character.
We do not want Lion Foxes, and for that matter any foxes to come to this country.