My family calls me Pancho and I'd like you to know that I love you all...
Last Wednesday was another incredible Wednesday, and yes, very special. Mama Harshida joined the circle (she usually stays in the kitchen) and, of course, the sharing had a special power. We all hope to see the kind couple (she and papa Dinesh) joining the circle like that more often.
Please Take a look at brother Somik's comment where he describes some of the magic that happened last week. As he mentioned, brother Neil opened the circle with 3 inspiring points that summarized, from my perspective, the depth and profoundness of the passage. These were the 3 points that he shared with us:
1. The Golden Rule.
2. Mirror Neurons.
3. Reducing ourselves to Zero.
1. The Golden Rule. "Do onto others as you would wish them do onto you." The foundation of all religions and secular humanism, a simple rule that is hard to follow because many times we are violent to ourselves. The main message of Gandhi while touring India to organize the people to achieve a nonviolent Independence was this: the violence of the mind shown in violent thoughts, emotions and feelings is worse than open physical violence. It follows that the most important part in nonviolence is inner nonviolence, and this can only be achieved through fearlessness.
I understand the so called Golden Rule in the following way: No one likes to be treated rudely, to be rushed or belittled or ignored. Everyone appreciates patience, kindness, forgiveness and respect.
2. Mirror Neurons.
Linked to this pragmatic idea is the scientific explanation of the Golden Rule, or nonviolence for that matter: mirror neurons or as VS Ramachandran calls them: Gandhi Neurons :-) When we attack someone (physically, emotionally or psychologically) we are harming ourselves. Aren't we the ones who say that we are ONE?
[When we were coming back to Berkeley that night, in the carpool, sister ShanShan, Kye and I had a pretty insightful conversation about this topic. We were (and are!) so inspired that we are thinking about writing a short paper about nonviolent direct action and mirror neurons. Stay tuned, we'll share it soon. The preview is that we can instantaneously affect other people with our attitudes and intentions, it is some sort of magnetic feel... ;-) I _love_ Wednesdays!]
3. Reducing ourselves to Zero.
Brother Neil talked also about how he understood during his examinations that it is not worth to take the feedback from professors an/or colleagues personally. After all, he said, my thesis is just a (pragmatic) idea. In other words, he felt how useful was to to reduce his ego to Zero. That's also one of Gandhi's (and many other mystics) great teachings. If the aspirants to obtain a PhD had the consciousness level as brother Neil, those titles would really mean something because today we have enough PhDs, what we now need is some PhDos like him! ;-)
Nipunbhai-ji hasn't post his insightful comment yet, but we love him as he is ;-) Instead we have Albert Einstein to remind us the interconnectedness of all life and service (beautifully encircling the 3 points):
“A human being is part of a whole, called by us the Universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.”
May all become compassionate, courageous and wise.
On Feb 15, 2010 Pancho wrote :
My family calls me Pancho and I'd like you to know that I love you all...
2. Mirror Neurons.
3. Reducing ourselves to Zero.
Brother Neil talked also about how he understood during his examinations that it is not worth to take the feedback from professors an/or colleagues personally. After all, he said, my thesis is just a (pragmatic) idea. In other words, he felt how useful was to to reduce his ego to Zero. That's also one of Gandhi's (and many other mystics) great teachings. If the aspirants to obtain a PhD had the consciousness level as brother Neil, those titles would really mean something because today we have enough PhDs, what we now need is some PhDos like him! ;-)
“A human being is part of a whole, called by us the Universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.”
Pancho
Last Wednesday was another incredible Wednesday, and yes, very special. Mama Harshida joined the circle (she usually stays in the kitchen) and, of course, the sharing had a special power. We all hope to see the kind couple (she and papa Dinesh) joining the circle like that more often.
Please Take a look at brother Somik's comment where he describes some of the magic that happened last week. As he mentioned, brother Neil opened the circle with 3 inspiring points that summarized, from my perspective, the depth and profoundness of the passage. These were the 3 points that he shared with us:
1. The Golden Rule.
2. Mirror Neurons.
3. Reducing ourselves to Zero.
1. The Golden Rule.
"Do onto others as you would wish them do onto you." The foundation of all religions and secular humanism, a simple rule that is hard to follow because many times we are violent to ourselves. The main message of Gandhi while touring India to organize the people to achieve a nonviolent Independence was this: the violence of the mind shown in violent thoughts, emotions and feelings is worse than open physical violence. It follows that the most important part in nonviolence is inner nonviolence, and this can only be achieved through fearlessness.
I understand the so called Golden Rule in the following way: No one likes to be treated rudely, to be rushed or belittled or ignored. Everyone appreciates patience, kindness, forgiveness and respect.
Linked to this pragmatic idea is the scientific explanation of the Golden Rule, or nonviolence for that matter: mirror neurons or as VS Ramachandran calls them: Gandhi Neurons :-) When we attack someone (physically, emotionally or psychologically) we are harming ourselves. Aren't we the ones who say that we are ONE?
[When we were coming back to Berkeley that night, in the carpool, sister ShanShan, Kye and I had a pretty insightful conversation about this topic. We were (and are!) so inspired that we are thinking about writing a short paper about nonviolent direct action and mirror neurons. Stay tuned, we'll share it soon. The preview is that we can instantaneously affect other people with our attitudes and intentions, it is some sort of magnetic feel... ;-) I _love_ Wednesdays!]
Nipunbhai-ji hasn't post his insightful comment yet, but we love him as he is ;-) Instead we have Albert Einstein to remind us the interconnectedness of all life and service (beautifully encircling the 3 points):
May all become compassionate, courageous and wise.