Monkey Stories and Chinese Catapults in Ceylon

 Monkey Stories and Chinese Catapults in Ceylon

I decided to pen this down having seen imported Chinese catapults selling street hawkers in the City of Kandy.

They are meant to harm and injure monkeys who venture into human habitat.

1. 50 years ago

Even though monkey population has dwindled over the past 50 years the remaining population is treated as unwelcome guests in this Buddhist city of Kandy.

What made me to write this was a baby monkey’s plight and the mother monkeys resolve to retrieve it from disaster.

But let me list few of the encounters I had with them.

Unlike 50 years ago, monkeys have become aggressive and fierce.

If a foreign visitor sees a monkey in anywhere in this country do not try to befriend them.

It is a very risky and they will bite you and you may have to get the anti-rabies vaccination.

This was not so when we were kids.

If I (we) wanted a mango,what I used to do was to throw a piece of wood at the tall mango tree avoiding the monkeys.

If monkeys did ignore my act, on the first instance, I would throw another just close enough (not directing at them) to the young monkeys (The King Monkey would be guarding the retinue from an advantage point).

It yielded the intended result.

Young but stupid monkey would pick one ripe mango and throw at us holding firmly the other ripe mango in its left hand.

Young monkeys love to imitate our actions by default.

So I pick up the mango and eat it on my way to school. 

Kandy city had enough trees, especially mango trees (the best small variety I loved was Mee Amba- I hate fleshy Kartha Kolumbo) of different varieties which the Reverend Mahinda Thera discovered with his encounter with the King Devanampiya Tissa (which is very well documented in our history).

It was then the level of intelligence that was the subject matter.

In my piece here, it is the level of stupidity and disregard for mother nature that is intended to depict.

Buddhism is a deep philosophy and a high level of intelligence is needed to grasp the subject.
It was only after testing his level of intelligence that the Thera preached to him the Dhamma. The dialogue between the king and Arhat Mahinda which is known as the Intelligence test is as follows.
 
Arhat Mahinda (A.M):
Mighty King, What is this tree? (pointing at the Mango tree which was near by)
King(K):
It is a mango tree
A.M:
Are there any other mango trees other than this tree?
K:
Yes, there are several
A.M:
Are there any trees other than this mango tree and other mango trees?
K:
Yes, But those trees are not mango trees.
A.M:
Are there any trees other than those mango trees and the trees which are not mango?
K:
Yes, It is this mango tree
A.M:
Do you have relatives?
K:
Yes, several
A.M:
Are there any one who is not related to you?
K:
Yes, several
A.M:
Are there anyone else other than those who are your relatives and non relatives?
K:
Yes, It is me.

Satisfied with his level of intelligence, Arhat Mahinda preached to him Chulla Haththipadopama Sutta. The king soon became a follower of the Buddha. Then Arhat Mahinda ordained Banduka and preached Samachiththa Pariyaya Sutta to the gathering.


2. Encounter with a Photo Frame

30 years ago, we still had monkey visitors to our neighborhood but without any discordance.

They pick a few mangoes from our garden and then move forward.

I had just returned from UK and I gave my father in law a tiny but beautiful photo frame (I forget what the inscription was) as souvenir.

He had a tiny cubicle separate from the main house for his meditation activities.

He kept the door and window opened and was chatting with us.

Then, I noticed a monkey descending from a tall Kotta (Cotton) tree towards the roof. I just wanted to watch (hiding) what the monkey was up to.

He entered through the window and I knew that he was up to pick something that attracted it.

Mind you it was the picture frame (souvenir) it grabbed.

In a flash, he was up the cotton tree and I tried my primitive skill of throwing something at him and expecting him to return the favour.

But this monkey was not stupid enough like the yesteryear monkeys, took to his swing and in a moment was away from our garden.

I distinctly remember it regarding its own picture as a shadow as it was ascending the tree.

I had gone wild for moment but had not trained sufficiently enough then to reflect meditatively of my monkey predicament.


3. Recent Encounter in Kandy

I can be bit reflective of the recent incident.

I visit the city briefly and return no sooner my jobs are attended, mainly in the evening.

This day, I visited the city in the morning and finished my work and was coming towards the bus halt.

There was bit of a pandemonium going on and as usual a crowd of people gathered there watching the unfolding scenario.

I generally avoid these encounters but was inquisitive enough to casually asses the situation.

At a distance I saw something like a splashed banana skin (triangular in shape), if I did not see it, I would have involuntarily trod on it.

It was a tiny monkey face down (face not visible but covered by the trunk).

It looked dead but second thought knew that it had fallen down from the tall pipal tree and concussed.

My immediate response was to act as a traffic warden.

I hid behind a make shift shed (right in the middle of the road) avoiding eye contact with the mother monkey.

I stood across the road so that I prevented the three wheeler (from behind) drivers won’t run across the pour soul.

People coming from front, I diverted towards the crowd that had gathered and was enlarging.

In about five minutes it lifted its head but still hanging down and the mother on the ground at a distance was watching the progress.
The rest of the monkeys of the pack were on the pipal tree.

Then a stupid guy threw some water from a bottle and I said don’t in a high voice and thankfully the water did not reach the baby monkey.

It is a height of stupidity and water does not have a place when somebody is concussed (injured) it might choke and kill instead.

This was the crescendo event and the mother monkey fiercely charged at the offender crossing the road and passing the baby in its move.

Then the baby lifted its head for a moment and then the mother approached it but it slumped back to stupor and the mother retreated back.

Then in about a few minutes it regained it composure and clung to the belly of the mother.

I was expecting the mother to pick the baby up and to my enlightenment it is not the monkey way of baby care.

It had to cling to the mother while she does the jumping and it failed in its repertoire and fell from her (tree) belly in the first instance.

The mother trained it for the second time, cling hard and firm.

In a flash the mother was up on the tree and another young monkey came across the road and charged at the crowd, especially the guy who threw water and retreated having displayed its fierce gesture.

I failed to realize that there was a monkey sitting on the roof of the shed, right above my head ready to attack.

A women seated in a bus, a slight distance away from this scene, alerted me and I quietly walked back "saying to the monkey" now that you got the baby back why not pull back to the trees.

I believe, if you talk gently to these monkeys they seem to understand and become adaptable to the human presence.

With that friendly command they retreated without much a do.

These monkeys are very aggressive, not docile like the old monkeys.

Then I related this story to the bus driver and he told me in a near by village a bus had run over a monkey on the road and for a day the monkey pack had stopped buses plying on that road till night fall.

Long time ago (15 years ago) I saw a baby monkey had fallen off from a electric post and dead on the pavement with the brain exposed.
I did not have the patience to watch what the pack’s response was then.


4. Grieving Monkey

A bus driver in Ampara had befriended a lonely monkey.

This guy unfortunately had died recently.

I saw this monkey landing on the front of the bus and looking at the driver and not finding the diseased driver and moving onto another bus.

I was told this went on for weeks and I have not seen it again.

It used to ply on the top of the bus from Ampara to Kandy looking for his human friend.

This is getting lengthy and I will close up with few lines.

As kids I used to partake mangoes as a gift from monkeys.

Now we do not have monkeys nor mango trees in the city of Kandy.

As Parents I used to guard against monkeys stealing food from my daughter’s mid day pack.

These monkeys did not fear the dogs.

In actual fact, dogs feared them.

I had the habit of feeding monkeys with ice cream packed in plastic balls.

The Wall’s Ice cream made these ice cream balls.

I leave few of these plastic balls on the tree trunks.

They come down and grab them and get a freezing shock but in a few trial and error encounters open the lid on top and enjoy the ice cream just like our kids do.

I have heard a family who moved (probably to enter the kids to a school in Kandy) into a residence in Kandy had poisoning monkeys.

Our closest evolutionary link is treated as Unwanted Guests in this Buddhist City.

That is the evolution of the modern business man.

Speculative Theories and Course Correction

Speculative Theories and Course Correction
 
There are sixty one (61) theories that are considered to be Wrong Views by Buddha.
Many of them existed before Buddha and many of them are still considered to be the essence of humanity, even today.
My belief, is that the present existence of speculative theories are mostly based on Kalama Sutta’s modern interpretation of reality.
Any one new to Buddhism should read Kalama Sutta in conjunction with Brahmajala Sutta (All Embracing Net of Views).
Reading one only leads to misinterpretation of Reality.
 

I have discussed this before on three points.
They are;
1. Reality
2. Perception
3. The Gap or Void
 

Wrong perception leads to misconception and misinterpretation and the Gap or the Void is filled with the Wrong View/s.
To start with Buddhism is not a Philosophy, in the true sense of Philosophy.
If you read Prof. A.D.P. Kalansuriya’s book “The Buddha’s Discourses and Wittgenstein” he tries to correct this course and found fault with his fellow Buddhist Philosophers (they were not true thinkers but adherent to dogmas, at that time, naming them is improper).

He was trying to free the Philosophy into its own domain which is a first order discipline by definition.
(Even Wittgenstein saw this malady and called it the "Language Games" played on our minds).
In doing so he cleverly freed the Dhamma from corruption by the fellow travelers, of his age.

These modern age guys were interested in selling their books often derived from their PhD theses.

Having said, that I can now say that Buddhism is a way of life not a philosophy to trash about.
Why I say so.

The Brahmajala Sutta is meant for course correction and laid the foundation of Dhamma.

If one wants to label philosophical tenets, there are only three elements, nothing more.

1. Unsatisfactoriness (of both pain and pleasure principles)

2. Impermanence (of both mind and matter and the material world-Uppada, Thitti, Banga, Arising, Stabilizing and Falling nature of all things)

The modern rendering is “the state of flux”.

3. Impersonal nature of “Beings” and Bhava (Sansara).

Buddha is a teacher.

He laid down the cause (Kamma) and effect (Bhava).

He is not a Saviour.

He shows the path he trod on.

He has no reservations left for himself.

He is freed, so why any reservations?

There is a caveat here.

One is his/her own saviour.

On has to be diligent about the “Wrong View” or the “Wrong Path”.
There is only “One Way”.

Ekayana Maggo!

That way is “Meditation” and correct understanding of the three principles born above.
So Meditation (if one has the time and resources) is a “Way of Life” not a theory for philosophizing.

With those two out, I need to summarize the Nets of Views in brief.

There are basically three types of persons, who want to have their views heard loud and clear.
They are the Eternalists, Rationalists and Skeptics.

All are based on afterlife except one group.
There is no religion in this world that disputes the existence of afterlife except nihilists or skeptics.

Their views are either based on self realization in Jhana states or rationalization based on one’s own thinking.

One can read ones previous life (Jhana State Five) and based on these experiences some of them formulate that, since there was a past life, there ought to be an eternal life that continue after death.

In some religions merging of self with the eternal self tend to be the essence.
Many selfs are not identified as individual entities but one of a wholesome divine entity.
The next subset in this is that there ought to be a divine creator or God.
There are at least 18 subsets based on eternity.

In this subset, it is the Maha Brahma (may be some of his retinues) who had the grandiose illusion that he was the creator of the world.

The bottom line is, when they consume these planes of lives and exit, they are often reborn in lower form of life often, even lower than human life.
It is a pity.
One who has not pursued the Jhana states to clear vision or wisdom sees these as eternal truths and postulate them as their discoveries.

They are the eternalists.

Then there are the skeptics who do not believe in afterlife.

They create the nihilistic view (only one out of 44 views).

There are 44 views (including View of the Buddha) with future life in in perspective.

This is where the category of perception comes into play.

The perception has a void in it and that gap is filled with any view out of the 62 views of reality.
The Brahmajala Sutta is an attempt at Course Correction from Eternalists, Rationalists and Skeptics, not from Divinity but for the Emancipation from ills, wills and imperfections.
That is to untangle from the tangled entanglement of the Wrong View.

That is why Samma Ditti is the first of the Eight fold Pathway.
In other words Mithya Ditti is the sure recipe for prolonging agony in the lower worlds of existence.

Once one gets his/her mind out of the Kalama Sutta and the Brahmajala Sutta one is free to delve into enormous Sutta discourses and Abhidhamma (mind you very dry in content) for clear view of Dhamma.

No part of Suttas or Abhdhamma is redundant for a wayfarer.
One either needs a true guide or one has to chose his own Sutta or Abhidamma discourses as a guide.

Please read the book of late Prof. A.D.P.Kalansuriya, if one is interested in philosophy.
It is heavy reading by the way, but that does not deter you from reading it, in small doses.  

Philosophy is more difficult than Dhamma.

Monkey Talks

Monkey Talks

 

We have cleared the jungle to less than 15% and our monkeys and elephants have no place to roam about.

This is not about NPP, JVP, UNP or SJB monkeys.

This is all about Real Monkeys.

In my book published about few years ago, "Living with Nature", the first 3 chapters were dedicated to monkeys and mangoes.

Mangoes are my favorite fruits.

Never mango drinks.

I hate fruit juices but love Coca Cola and Ginger Beer. 

 

This was during my weaning off period from alcohol.

My favorite was Gin and Tonic.

Billiards game to go with it.

I hate the smell of local Arrack but had a penchant for VSOA during hospital life.

To cut that story short when I realized I was an alcoholic, I abruptly stopped.

That's it.

Mahinda Thera supposed to have had a "Mango Quiz"  with our first King Devanam Piya Tissa.

What I extract from this story is not logic but that our ancestors like any prehistoric civilization were hunters.

Nothing but hunters.

But they never hunt our monkeys.

But presently, Ceylonese hunt, kill and eat money meat.

 

Monkeys carry human related diseases and AIDS is one among the many.

To begin with, one should never mess with our crows.

They are intelligent.

I am made to believe that even the descendants of crows treated badly remember their ordeals.

This is an epigenetic trait that is passed down to subsequent generations. 

 

I tend to believe, if we ill treat monkeys for several generations they would pass down that trait like the crows.

What I have noticed is during the first generation itself monkeys tend imitate us and act rudely to humans.

The bottom line is do not ill treat monkeys.

 

Do not become friendly, too.

Be indifferent and shoo them away gently.

 

What I used to do is, if they come to our roof top, I climb to the roof top garden and watch.

Never leave water or food.

Won't react adversely but observe and respond in gentle tone "that your time is up to leave".

If you are having fruit trees have only one or two near your house which you can protect.

If you have a fruit garden, it is a full time job to protect the garden.

Like mongooses that open the doors of pens where animals are kept monkeys are adept at opening doors to look for food and some are really mischievous.

For the rest of the monkey stories read my book "Living with Nature" which include looking after water lilies, cherry tomatoes and allowing little birds (munia) to make nests.

I will end up with one monkey story.

We used to come to school very early in the morning. 

One is to play soft ball cricket.

The other is to pluck fruits on our way to school.

Lovi-lovi

Ugurassa

Amberalla

Mangoes 

Very rarely Tamarind

Velvet Tamarind (Gal Siyambala)

Mora

This list is in my book "Vegetarian Saga".

What we used to do is to throw a stick at the mango tree.

Not towards the monkey.

Invariably a stupid monkey would hit us with a ripe mango.

Pick it up and say Thank You and move on.

Please treat our monkeys well.

 

I can remember giving monkeys a treat with "Ice Cream Balls" from Alleris Company.

 

It is a rude shock for them with ice cold fingers but they find a way to open the "Ice Cream Balls" and enjoy them nevertheless.

The stupid guy the boss of Kandy, Maligawa or the Diyawadena Nillme was the one who poisoned our monkeys.

How come he is a Buddhist?

Ill treating elephants on parade is another issue.

NPP Lies (Pacha) Exposed

NPP Lies (Pacha) Exposed

It is true political lies get exposed within a year or so.

But not within a month.

They are all so embedded in lies it is time to examine credentials of all the 139 members.

Current speaker epitomizes the long chain of lies.

He cannot prove his education qualifications.

I thought, the lies related to promises pledged would be exposed in about 3 years.

I am proven wrong.

They are exposed day by day.

 

In is pertinent note that the fourth precept is to promise I do not lie.

Because these guys are religion-less lot, Precepts do not apply, them.

They are called "Niraghamika" Type.

I can now take a long break.

 

It looks like, I need not tabulate them for the average citizen.

Citizens should first test their mental agility first, not to get caught in a blatant lie.

If they believe if they are of sound mind, then they can start counting on the promises not kept.

If they can count up to 100 misses, then they should be made eligible to vote in the next round of elections.

One of the biggest lies is that Central Bank did not print money.

 

They did and they are released in small batches.

However, AKD signature is not there but RW signature will prevail.

My prediction is by April 2025 the dollar rate will revert back to Rupees 330 per dollar.

 

That is realistic.

In financial news for the first time after 27 months foreign remittances have started dipping down.

That is the first sign that guys abroad have realized the trend.

I continue to remit foreign currency albeit in small amounts.

Economic recovery is not within sight.

 

It is a mirage.

Why I Hate Chinese Food?

I Hate Chinese Food

 

I have been teaching about Atherosclerosis all my life. 

The final theory is discussed in my book "Vegetarian Saga". 

Please, Do not believe the American Medical Association's Food Advice dished out in December, every year.

It is worse than Anthony Fousi talking about "Gain in Function" protocol in Wuhan, China laboratories.

It has chapters on coconut oil, chocolates, meditation and beautiful mind.

Final chapter is on "Fact Based" or "Evidenced Based Medicine".

It would be out in mid January, 2025 after the inauguration of Donald Trump as the President of USA.

 

I am still editing it.

 

I am a doctor in retirement.

This advice is using myself as a subject of concern.

I used to eat Chinese Food in UK on weekends. 

I'll come to that later.

I entered UK in late 1979 and I was without a job living alone for 4 months on my own.

I did not know how to cook.

We used to get two meals free from the hospital and we eat a Full Chicken a day (half a chicken a meal). 

Two bottles of milk free on hospital account. 

It was only 20 pence a pint. 

I love Manchester milk.

Mind you, unlike today cost of living in UK was damn cheap, then and 95% of my salary was saved. 

I used to buy all the fancy stuff including cameras and Japanese Walky Talkies. 

I had a digital radio to wake me up at 7AM to Joe Vogan the Irish comedian.

The Joe Rogan, type.

For two hours I read something including academic stuff. 

I collected over 2000 to 3000 books on many topics other than medicine.

I had few books on psychology which I did not like very much.

Psychology was in infancy then and probably even now.

I delved into Dhamma and Abhidhamma well past 50.

Thankfully, cheap computers were not in existence. 

There were no cellphones.

The Bleeper weighed half a brick and I used to drop that to the bin basket on weekends.

I lost my Seiko wristwatch with keys of the alphabet on top, within 10 days. 

It was left in my on call room.

Probably the cleaner took it. Which one I could not figure out.

I reported that I lost it in the common TV Lounge.

In a way, protected any litigation but the general manager knew it and it was his responsibility to protect our belongings.when on call.

Quickly adapted Bank Cards for transactions and a receipt for every transaction.

It was fully insured and I bought a cheaper Seiko. 

My current digital wristwatch is a cheap one which I bought before leaving Ceylon. If I lose it I do not care.

Currently, I do not use my cellphone for calls and use it only for searching the Internet.

My cheap Intel NUC computer with Debian installed doing all my academic work.

No Microsoft Windows or Apple Mac to entice me.

In early 1980s, Medical Secretaries we're learning Word Processing in DOS format. 

I decided to buy an Electric  Typewriter to do my own typing of letters and resumes. 

That typewriter is still in working order, of Olympia make.

I must remind the time of Sirimavo and NM. 

People were practically starving but we had a reasonable good meal in our quarters but very badly cooked.

Coming to UK with plenty of food, within a year I got bloated up.

I was like a fully fed pig.

I was 55kg when I entered UK and when I left it could have been 62 to 64kg.

 

It could have been even more. 

 

I am 61 KG now and my highest in New Zealand was 64Kg.

I did not weigh myself, in UK.

I weighed myself (with clothes) just before I left New Zealand 1994 and then, the peak weight was 64kg. 

I became health conscious in the 1990s and now propagate Single Good Meal a day and No Rice at all (except occasional indulgence) for over 15 years.

I decided to change to healthy Fish and Chips which was the staple and cheap food in UK.

Cod and haddock were the high end fish but plaice and pollock were the commoner variety, in fish and chips shops. 

I did not bother about the fish type.

Salmon was not popular except in cans. That was my only cooking of fish experience.

Put it to the pan and fry. 

Adding butter, salt and fish (salmon) in a mashed mix was the sandwich mix.

But I missed katta,  tuna and dried fish of Ceylon. 

Cooking fish in Ceylonese way is not an easy job. 

So getting addicted to chicken was natural. 

I do not eat chicken at all now.

Mind you, a large English portion of fish and chips was enough for me for the entire day, living alone in UK without a job.

A light English Breakfast was enough to prevent hypoglycemia in the winter months. 

Plenty of sweets in my pocket and that changed to chocolates and liqueured chocolate during Christmas time.

Off days, I used to go for a Chinese Fish and chips. 

I did not realize they add some additives to either chips or fish. I could not be sure since both are fried in the same meat oil.

Fish oil is good for your health!

The oil they use for cooking is the one with the contentious issue. 

Now, I know they use meat oil or suet or tallow. 

The boiling point of meat oil is about 40 degrees which is ideal for frying.

So this Chinese deep frying kills the value of fish oil.

One must remember our taste buds needs oil to sensitize the nerve ending and if one adds Ajinamoto to that one gets addicted to Chinese food.

That is why I do not eat Chinese food and boycott Chinese restaurants.

They use tallow liberally.

By the way, Chinese eat any meat under the sun.

I have almost become a vegetarian.

My book  "Vegetarian Saga" is almost finished and a little footnote about Chinese deep frying would be added to that book.

Syrian Debacle

Druze

Alawhites

Secular Syrians

Christians

Kurds 

French Syrian Diaspora 

Syrian Rebels supported by America

ISIS now in control

Syrian Debacle.

Nobody talks about the Syrian citizens.

There is no civilan administration or a political party.

There is a name sake Prime Minister without a proper parliament.

The military is corrupt to the core.

Anarchy (chaos) is the end result.

I do not understand Middle East Politics, at all.

The present debacle is created by Turkey.

Turkey has a 800 kilometer border with Syria. 

Kurds are in Northern ? Iran ? or Syria. 

Kurds are supported by CIA. 

Kurds are anti-turkish by nature. 

So Turks have some interest in the region.

Turks by nature like Indians are double dealers (which they have learned from Americans) by being in the NATO.

Turks were helping Israelists to coordinate all the movements while pretending to be against the Jews.

Turkey is a dictatorship without a democratic mechanisms to fall back to.

It will one day fall just like Syria.

These wheeler dealing with Israel will backfire.

Israel's business is to bring chaos into the Middle East and reap benefits.

They literally go for "The One pound of Beef" approach when the opportunity is suits them right.

Only Iran can stand up to Israel but they have not yet perfected the Nuclear Bomb.

Nuclear Bomb (probably not from North Korea) may come from either Iran or Israel when they go head on.

America cannot prevent this.

Russia cannot prevent this.

Once the chaos starts to reign in in Syria the destabilizing effect would engulf the entire Middle East.

Do not forget the state of affairs in Yemen.

 

Turkey represents NATO, US and Israeli interests, all put together in one basket.

 

They organized a mercenary outfit to oust Syrian President. 

By the way, Russia has a border with Syria and had been helping the ousted President for over a decade. 

 

Americans used Al Qaeda and ISIS to counter the Russians interests in Syria.

Russians have a Naval Base and Air Base in Syria and rebels did not attack these bases in revenge of Syrian regime.

By the way, this has some relationship to Ukrainian defeat.

The supposed plan was to divert Russian forces to defend unpopular regime (ousted President). 

Russia did not fall into this trap but allowed an almost bloodless transfer of power. 

There is no Syrian Army left but disbanded in preparation for the coup de tart.

That was to avoid a ongoing Civil War with so many internal (at least three depending on the region of Syrian territory but may be four) fractions.

It dangerous to let a country run by rag tag mercenary army. 

They are mostly Turkish and not Syrian rebels.

There are many fractions in Syria including Christians.

Druze

Alawhites

Kurds

Secular Syrians with West inclination.

French Syrian diaspora 

Then there is Sunni and Shia divisions.

 

Iranians are Shia majority country and they did not consider or foresee fighting in Syria at this juncture at the expense of exposing to the Israel exploitation.

By the way, Israel and Turkey blocked any exchange of military supplies to Syria.

 

Israel occupies Golan heights that belongs to Syria.

This all looks like that America is getting ready for President Donald Trump's  inauguration.

He is an ardent supporter of Israel.

With Donal Trump coming to power there is more and more wars on the card.

American Military Industrial Complex is hard at work preparing ground work for the incoming administration's  War Policy.

Why I hate the phrase “Lotus eaters”

Tuesday, April 26, 2016
Why I hate the phrase “Lotus eaters”?

I hate the phrase or metaphor lotus eaters.

There is no inherent reason except, I love all types flowers of Water Lilies.

Are we lotus eaters?
 
In Greek mythology the Lotus-eaters, also referred to as the lotophagi or lotophaguses (singular lotophagus ) or lotophages (singular lotophage), were a race of people living on an island dominated by lotus plants. 

 

The lotus fruits and flowers were the primary food of the island and were narcotic, causing the people to sleep in peaceful apathy.

1. Lotus-eater or Lotus Eater Greek Mythology One of a people described in the Odyssey who lived in a drugged, indolent state from feeding on the lotus.

2. A lazy person devoted to pleasure and luxury.

If we take the above definitions the island Ceylon fits nicely, especially after ex-president’s period.
 
The narcotic sales hit a zenith.
 
People were elated (especially with the racial dogma) but lazy.
 
Expansion of temples all over the country needed large amount of Water Lilies for worshiping.

Then of course, the people eat most of the  parts of the plant including the rhizome.
 
My gut feeling is these rhizomes concentrate arsenic and heavy metals which can be poisonous after about 30 to 40 years of eating.

Increase detection (I won’t use an epidemic) of chronic renal disease is relevant here.
 
Other relevant point is from C. P De Silva’s (1960s) time we had been importing and using poisonous pesticides and artificial fertilizer loaded with heavy metals.

The coal that we import from China will also be contributory where Coal Power Plants are located.
 
The name lilies is a broad term and many lilies can be poisonous to cats and dogs.

Below is a Reproduction

 
Quick warning:
No matter the circumstance, never eat any plant unless you're absolutely sure that it's safe. This means either a) having bought it from a grocery store, or b) having it identified with all possible certainty (both as a particular species and as edible) by a reliable authority.
 

Don't just take my word for it!

That said... The word "lily" covers an astonishingly wide variety of plants, most of which are indeed poisonous.
I'll go over them a few at a time, by botanical categories.
True lilies (genus Lilium -- Easter lilies, stargazer lilies, etc.) are definitely toxic to cats.
My sources are more dubious regarding humans: they are at very least dubious. Numerous species are outright poisonous (if only mildly), while many others are inedible and bitter.
 

Do not eat.

Day lilies (genus Hemerocallis) are not at all poisonous -- in fact, they're lauded as tasty in numerous books of edible wild plants.
Apparently all parts of the plant are edible, and many are pretty good eating.

One plant sometimes referred to as "Easter lily" is also called the calla lily (Zantedeschia aethiopica): it is toxic.
All parts of the plant contain calcium oxalate, which causes swelling, burning, and highly unpleasant digestive symptoms.
 

Do not eat.
 
Lily of the valley (Convallaria majus) is highly toxic -- it's full of cardiac glycosides, to the point that merely handling it and then licking one's fingers could cause some symptoms.

Do not eat.

Water Lilies (Nymphaeaceae spp.) are too large a group for me to say anything definite.

They seem mostly innocuous, but it'd be advisable to research any given species individually before trying to eat or plant it.

Sonia Barnett was delighted to receive a beautiful bouquet on Valentine’s Day.
But her joy turned to horror when the flowers poisoned and killed three of her beloved cats.
Miss Barnett did not know that ingesting any part of a lily can be fatal to felines, with even a small amount of pollen enough to kill them.

Futuristic Digital Office

This is of course, is a dream.

I sleep well and as a result for some time there was a pausity of dreams. 

I am working on a book of "Biorhythms and Dreams" and I found a way to activate my dream resources.

Problem was not dreaming but recollecting them to be retold with a bit of satirical spin.

This dream has no satire.

This dream concept if applied in hospitals, pharmacies and certain part of public areas in the airport, it would help the floor administrators immensely.

I wanted to implement this in private sector hospitals long time ago (30 years ago) to see the bottlenecks and point of congestion but could not do so, due to money and non avaibility of technical resources. 

This is in addition to training personnel.

I believe we are ready with both technology and know how.

It is similar to video conferencing.

Work floor is connected with monitors which look like both mirrors as well as cameras with cellphone architecture.

This is bit different to the camera linked surveillance systems.

Everything is a networked and connected to a server.

The biggest camera or monitor is in the center where the supervising manager sits.

Unlike the Elon Musk and his reaction with the Nurse in Charge comedy drama, the supervisor does not have to walk around.

Working area is displayed right in front on the monitor with some audio connection (using screened headphones).

The only downside is the privacy of the service seekers are impacted by the overall connectivity.

I strongly oppose public places with camera surveillance. I avoid visiting such units. These recording if erased every 24 to 48 hours, it is OK. But they can be kept indefinitely with servers having high capacity. 

The type CIA and KSB use.

I am a computer guy and I know how to manipulate resources.

Training personnel is difficult.

Person should have the capacity to absorb vital information and assimilate them quickly.

React, act and cordinate with fellow workers, instantly to avoid the "Elon Musk Saga". 

It is not for a person who sleeps or gossip on the desk as is seen in many private hospitals in Ceylon.

It is like the control tower of an airport where safety is of paramount importance both in air and on the ground.

Eagle eyed person with the detective talent and rapid response is necessary.

Hard to comeby.

My Theory of Level I Civilization

My Theory of Level I Civilization

This is theoretical and one should not take it literally and become paranoid.

Now that I have postulated the possibility of Level II and III involvement in current Nuclear Affairs and War Mongering this piece is relevant.

 

This is regarding the White race and its supremacy. 

 

According to my medical genetic understanding, genetically White Race is inferior in design, due to lack of an enzyme component in Melanin Melanization protocol where one enzyme is missing which is involved in dispersion of melanin pigment in the pigment layer. 

There is only 1 to 3% melanocytes to 100 keratinocytes in the epidermis.

This was very well discussed in Harrison's Textbook of Medicine. 

This chapter was deliberately deleted from this book probably by American Medical Association, in subsequent editions. 

 

I have now begun not to believe AMA and  their doctored protocols.

I still have transparencies (Windows Media Presentations were not in existence, then) with me depicting the melanin melanization sequence.

There are few things about the White Skin.

 

1. We do not know where, when and how white skin came into existence.

No historical records.

 

2. We do not know why this happened.

Natural mutation

Genetic manipulation

 

3. Who created this White Supremacy Theory

Nazis 

Aliens

We Asian lacks the ability to assimilate D3 in the Western Hemisphere. We Asians have to take it as a supplement. 

In the tropics with adequate exposure to sunlight it is automatically synthesized.

White skinner guys develop skin cancers including nasty malignant melanoma when exposed to sunlight. 

That itself is enough to subdue the White Supremacy Theory.

  

This brings to live my hypothesis.

Properties of this civilization is given below.

My hypothesis is very simple.

It was fast losing civilization due to planetary catastrophe.

They have lost 95% of the ozone layer.

They use molecular gold in the stratosphere to protect what remains of the Ozone layer.

They have been mining our planet for gold from prehistoric time.

That is why we have almost depleted gold reserves on this planet.

 

They are also harvesting our Magnetic Filed for what purpose, I cannot guess. 

 

Perhaps my "Golf Ball" concept operating in a  Magnetic Filed is a probability of their advanced technology.

My theory has an alternative to the Natural Evolution of Mankind which I still tend to believe (but it is a very, very slow process).

 

Thee guys descended on this planet and used our primates for genetic manipulation.

End result is a hybrid reptilian breed.

We have 90% animal genetics (46 instead of 48 in apes) and 10% Reptilian race.  

Skull and Bones Clan have about 50% Reptilian Genetics.

Just look at their faces and eyes. 

They make sacrifices of new born infants in their rituals.

They are in fact barbarians.

By the way, still some African tribes practice this ritual.

You are free to read my book "Alien Saga" at Amazon about the different type of Alien Races.

 

Level I 

Takes about 300 years for coming to being.

It is a Planetary Civilization.

Absorb all the energy of the solar system.

70% of the solar energy is absorbed by the earth.

Plants use only 4% of the solar energy.

Nuclear fusion not nuclear fission.

Medical Marvels

Fission Crafts with unlimited energy

Space Travel 

Most likely a Reptilian Race 

They lost their planet due to Nuclear Wars.

Genetic Mutation

Loss of Ozone layer

Need a ZERO level Civilization for their Genetic Recovery (the remaining lot of the genetic material).

Genetic Manipulation is a necessity.

Probably were not Reptilian to begin with but Genetic Mutation did cause Reptilian mutation which they are ashamed of.

They shape shift to Humanoid appearance.

1001 Days of War Games with Russia

1001 Days of War Games with Russia

This piece is for my own consumption.

I wanted to visit Russia one day.

This desire was from late seventies when detente was not an option or operational.

I was planning to fly by Russian Aeroflot to London in the late seventies. 

It was the cheapest but I could not fly Aeroflot due to insufficient connection flights.

But I took the Swiss Air which was the most expensive at that time.

I decided NEVER to fly by Swiss Air again. They distinctly had this "White Supremacy Syndrome".

I do not think Russian have this "Supremacy Syndrome" after the October Revolution. 

According to Socialism we are all Global Citizens with Equal Rights. 

No country has supreme rights over another countriy.

This relationship changes when War is declaredt. There are lot of wars not clearly declared but started by USA/CIA machinery or Military Industrial Complex.

This is when War not battles (mostly internal) ruled the world to possess what one does not own, to begin with, by military might or power.

This was well before LTTE and I used to give the White Supremacists a bit of a tussle, within my rights, never exceeding the limits permitted.

If they crossed my civil rights, as a simple airline passenger, I get activated by default.

Certain parts of any International Airport is global in context and does not belong to that particular country.

When one is an airline passenger one can enjoy this freedom of global citizenship.

Edward Joseph Snowden is one who exercised this right in Russia. Russians did not intervene. Then, after lengthy examination he was allowed Russian citizenship knowing very well, if he returned to America natural justice did not apply to him.

See the film "Airport" for details of another real case.

This is about a guy who lived within this space for almost an year, until he ran short of money.

I have my own fictional story, "Ten days in America, I am already broke", at Amazon books.

Thousand days or three years is a long time.

1. I kept a very casual interest in Ukraine War and it's war mongering with Russia.

2. It took a long time for me to work out, it was a Proxy War.

3. The "Colour Revolution" in Ukraine and it's politics were not my interests.

4. I did not know it was a CIA project until Angela Merkel spilled the beans.

5. Then from that point onwards, I was totally focussed on Ukraine.

6. Russian Limited Operation was a disaster.

Ukrainian was well fortified and they were well dug in.

Mind you, Ukrainians are good battle hardened soldiers.

It is the politics that is rotten.

Russia did not have a spy chain in Ukraine, at that time.

It was bound for disaster for Russians.

Currently Russia has a superior spy chain within Ukraine.

Americans have nothing substantial to boast about their spying spindles.

Americans think Ariel Survey and Satellites are enough to counter Russia. 

They are proven wrong.

I come to that point later.

7. Coronavirus Saga and more than 30 odd Viral Laboratories in Ukraine to kill Russian President Putin was a secret program headed by CIA aided by Ukrainians.

This plan was well in advance when Russia invaded Ukraine.

Russians destroyed the viral labs and took over the viral contents.

As usual WHO hushed this up.

8. For some unknown reason I was very supportive of Biden's bid for Presidency.

Now, I am very much ashamed of that stance.

Now I am particularly averse to the Democratic party, Obama, Clinton and Pelocy Clan. 

Over the years, I have my doubts about the American strategic plan and their administration in general, in spite of who is in power.

9. I have no affinity for Donald Trump but I hate this Anthony Fausi guy who manipulated the Coronavirus Saga. 

He used the so called pandemic protocol  to undermine Donald Trump politically.

Fausi crossed the Redline.

As a medical guy and with numerous abreaction to the first dose of Moderna Vaccine and with the effects of myocarditis hitting me hard to,  near death scenario, I activated myself to the zenith well before the Americans, the British and the French about the Coronavirus Saga.

Now that, Junior J.F. Kennedy has taken over the Health and thereby clearing the marsh, as it were, I need not bother about the Coronavirus, anymore. 

With time TRUTH will dawn.

10. Biden did not have a plan.

It was all Russophobia.

Regime Change in Russia was his slogan from the first year of administration to the eventual downfall.

He deserves to be impeached for many wrongful acts but now it is too, late.

11. For President Putin from his original  miscalculations to the current Oreshnic (Hazel Nut Tree) missile, the "Wonder Weapon" on the 1001th day, the strategy of President Putin was measured and appropriate.

New technology potential he developed in Russia is phenomenal.

An achievement par excellence..

NATO and America have no answers, left to ponder.

They are mumbling in hideous corners.

12. This battle now is NOT fought on foot soldiers. 

It started with terrain and foot soldiers.

But not any more.

They are now using ground drones to save the foot soldiers.

 

We will know about the Russian current plan many years later when the dust settles down.

It is probably a top military secret.

I am not a military guy but a scientist and I won't waste my time on military activities.

It is hide and seek and lot of propaganda.

I guess Russians are using an expensive network of Mobile Units with very little tell tell signatures for the the radars and satellites to detect.

They are automated and in fact, I think AI dominated.

This is why Russian are having a laid back approach to the ground operations.

The longer this war drags on it is better for the Russians.

Russian War of Attrition.

Whereas, America wants results to report to the Senate and perhaps to the New Administration.

Two opposing approach to the battle front.

One is winning and the other is in Panic Mode.

This is why they used a swarm of ATACMS, Scalps and Storm Shadows.

They did not anticipate Oreshnics.

Whole NATO is in Panic Mode.

Foot soldiers are only on standby duty and never on the field except the type of Akmhad and Aladinov Types of battle hardened guys.

They do the advance survey, on the moving battle front and retreat, the moment the job is done.

They are in small units and they value the contribution of each member to the unit of surveillance.

Whereas, Ukrainian or US strategy is human resource driven with NATO boots on the ground. 

The value of this strategy is under question.

 Already over 30,000 loses in Kursk.

13. I think 3 or 4 waves of soldiers on the battle ground perished from 2022 onwards.

Many more are maimed.

The fourth wave was the NATO soldiers mainly from Poland and a few token contribution from British and French.

This war is not like the World War II.

It is a Meat Grinder for Polish Soldiers.

14. Kursk was a strategic disaster geared by the British "Arm Chair" war pundits.

Over 30,000 already dead.

Rest incarcerated.

Mines are used to stop Russian advance.

There are no Ukrainian foot soldiers left to fight.

15. ATACMS and Mines

American's Army Tactical Missile System, one millions a piece is fast getting used up. 

They were in stockpile for over one year in Poland.

Russians have mastered how to deactivate them already,  only an occasional stray one gets through.

Civilians have already left the ATACMS range or moving out fast.

It is in fact, has become a buffer zone.

There is an unofficial Buffer Zone in Russian side determined by ATACMS range.

There going to be an appropriate Buffer Zone on the Ukraine side, in the East, stretching up to Dnieper River. 

Russia has already earmarked the boundary zone by the latest Oreshnic  Test.

Any peace proposal could not violate that Ground Reality.

Free Range for the American, British and French missiles is exhausted.

NATO boots should / wish not enter this Buffer Zone.

Only option is to throw out the 100 odd ATACMS stored up in Poland.

16. Next stage is World War III and demolition of Poland, yet again. 

For Poland it is History Repeats, Itself.

Annexing part of Ukraine to Laviv is only a fantasy.

Oreshnic is waiting for Poland military depot.

They Do not have a counter for the pre-nuclear Wonder Weapon.

President Putin unlike Biden is a master strategician and a tactician. 

He has moved the last chest piece.

It is time for Biden to bow down gracefully.

Is he going for the Nuclear button?

OR Say, Zelensky to Fly a Kite.

This war is not yet over.

Russians will slowly move up to Odessa by the end of 2025.

It is a war of attrition.

I do not think President Trump can steer away from the ultimate goal of Russians.

Checkmate!

Games and Music Last Forever

 Games and Music Last Forever

We all are at crossroads.

The transfer to Digital Games from Physical Game consoles is happening at this moment.

 

Is it going to a dead end for play consoles?

I do not think so, but that is my opinion.

 

Let me start with music.

I used to collect Cassettes and Cassette Recorders in the 80s and gradually moved to CD/DVDs and DVD players.

 

It culminated with combos and amplifiers.

Then I went to digital music.

 

Then I stopped completely.

Parallel with music and with children growing up, I went for gaming. 

I had a real attachment to Atari and Commodore gadgets.

That also ended up when children grew up.

Finally I ended up promoting Linux Games and the Steam Deck and Drive.

But my interest in Linux outlasts all of them. 

 

That is due to the Freedom it gives.

 

I do not have to pay to a company which profits a huge margin.

That does not stop me writing books on many topics right into my full retirement.

I just saw a guy who works 70 hours a week full-time on Physical Gaming Industry. 

He has an impressive sales outlet which he is going to sell when he is fifty and retire. That is in about 15 years or, so. 

His plan is to recover the capital and have a profit margin.

This is in a volatile market.

I do not think he is going to be happy, unless of course he finds another hobby or a similar type of entertainment businesses.

He is a man with the passion and the drive.

These types of guys either breakdown (including business failures) or need some form of occupation to keep them happy.

I do not say he is a workaholic guy and he is a family man.

He has started with entertainment business and migrated to his present store. 

 

It is one man show.

By the way, I work more time than him as a doctor but always found different form of entertainment including delving into politics, aspiring for a system change.

When young ones takes over I sidestep and only provide vision to the changing dynamics. 

Politics is not something for a weaker heart.

One has to take up as much as one gives out.

 

We call it brickbats.

 

Problem in politics is that is firmly bound to economics and the moment they guys and girls get richer they forget the masses.

One has to start again.

I have seen this happening in the Third World, ad nauseatum.

Constitution, Dhamma and the Lullaby

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

 

This my response to current religion-less (Anarghamika not Anagamika) Government of Marxists.

 

Karl Marx never said "Religion is an Opium" but it was later adoption, by whom I do not know.

 

Constitution, Dhamma and the Lullaby
 
I am sorry for repetition but this has a political impact.
 

I hate the use of Buddhism as opposed to Dhamma.
 

Let me make some qualifications.
 
1. Dhamma has no parallels in philosophy, politics or science.
 
2. It is boundless and timeless and permeate all spheres of human mental activity.
 
3. It is not an institution in a religious sense.
 
4. It does not belong to a particular country or race or a constitution.
 
5. It belongs to the human race.
 
6. Having said that it does not disregard existence of the right of other living beings.
 
7. It accepts the presence of extraterrestrial beings of higher or lower order to human beings.
 
8. It is a way of life with special attention to mental purity (getting rid of defilements).
 
9. It has a very simple moral code, “Live and Let Live Principle”.
 
10. It has no rigid rules and bylaws.
 
11. Above all it is Open to Question or Inquiry but not at global sense but at Individual Level.

That is why I say it is not a religion but a simple way of life for every individual with an iota of intelligence.
 
12. It does not exclude mentally weak and that is why it emphasize the “Sardha” or the Devotion (Sila) or reverence to the exalted one.

If you take all the above qualifications it should be Above of All the World Constitutions and not within a structured articles of intent be that it may be United States or Ceylon.

Constitution in brief, in my opinion is a piece of paper article to govern weak subjects by supposed to be powerful and the elite by coercion or rigidity of laws and bylaws.
 
It took almost 2500 years for the Human Rights Charter to be declared (only on paper but violated left, right and center depending on the declared sovereignty of a state or government).
We cannot do without it.
It is the political will of a set or group or collection of people.
It got to be simple to interpret.
It should have a practical value.
It should have the political will to harness harmony and disengage discrimination.
On all the above grounds it cannot be called a perfect article of faith.
It is a near enough document but since it is not perfect it should be scrutinized, restructured, revised on a regular basis.
 
Dhamma does not need any of the above revisions and that is why it should be kept above all constitutions.

That is my view.
 

By putting it on paper called constitution won’t have any impact on the state or the corrupt people in service or politics, except as a cosmetic exercise.

What I said above won’t apply to Christianity and Muslim religions since they are invariably bound by power, politics, commerce, money and conspiracies to cover up corruption.
 

In exalted ones and the ones who are on the path of  Dhamma are completely detached from power, money and corruptions, conspiracies of all kinds.
 
Dhamma is for the Mind and not for an Institution.

That is why Buddha did not appoint a successor and let the boundless Dhamma takes it own course.

It does not mean Dhamma could survive on its own since there is always room for distortion within and from without.
 

That is the very reason I have penned down my thoughts and the constitution lobbyist (Lullaby) would find a way to insinuate and lower its status of universality.
 

The current government is doing it in simple but step wise stages.

 

BEWARE
 

Repetition below is a previous piece.
 
Dhamma is boundless and timeless.

It permeates all reams and universes (There is no one world but many worlds).

Four abodes of the enlightenment or the sublime states are;

Metta
Karuna
Muditha (no proper word in English nearest is “Sympathetic Joy”)
Upekka

Way forward is Meditation either;
Samatha Bhavana-Concentration or Focused Attention to the Present
Samatha Bhavana, the development of mental tranquility with concentration, is accompanied by three benefits; it gives happiness in the present life, a favorable rebirth, and the freedom from mental defilements which is a prerequisite for attainment of insight.

Vipassana Bhavana-Insight Meditation
Vipassana bhavana is realization of the three signs of being, anicca, dukkha, and anatta,

My Focus is

Metta Meditation

Moment Meditation or Living in the Present Moment (admittedly very difficult poor memory and attention span)

Memory is redundant in my belief and mere reciting and memorizing Dhamma won’t get one nowhere. It had a historical value passing down the ancient wisdom but in digital age there is abundance of textural messages but very little practice.
That is why I highlight meditation (detached attention) as the only way forward.

One needs a good teacher not books.