Question from a member abt Caption for New Photo of the Week in SS

[Guest guest]

, "Devi Bhakta" <devi_bhakta

wrote:

>

> Here is the caption for the new photo of the week, located just

below

> the Khadgamala Devi on the group splash page at

>

> / ...

>

> A girl injured in a bomb blast lies in a hospital in Varanasi,

India,

> Tuesday, after explosions rocked a packed railway station and a

> crowded Hindu temple. (AP Photo)

>

 

 

This is from a shy, non-detacheable member of SS group. He would like

to ask :

 

"About SS -e group, u display a child and wrote there devi is

everywhere. Nice but the gal is sufferening. So, what message u want

to bring. I dont understand is the devi saved the gal or devi caused

this gal to suffer or she suffer cause of her own/"

 

Any takers?

[Guest guest]

Realising that devi is everywhere we abstain from causing harm to

others, as well as to ourselves, our true nature is devi since this

consciousness is not localized no matter who is harmend or who is

causing harm, it is we who suffer. Realising this is the end of

violence. The Buddha said that the cause of all suffering is

Ignorance, realising that devi is everywhere (our consciousness is

not localized) is knowledge, and this is the antidote for suffering.

Mahahradanatha

 

, "NMadasamy" <nmadasamy

wrote:

 

This is from a shy, non-detacheable member of SS group. He would

like to ask :

 

"About SS -e group, u display a child and wrote there devi is everywhere. Nice

but the gal is sufferening. So, what message u want to bring. I dont understand

is the devi saved the gal or devi caused this gal to suffer or she suffer cause

of her own?"

 

Any takers?

> , "Devi Bhakta" <devi_bhakta@>

> wrote:

> >

> > Here is the caption for the new photo of the week, located just

> below

> > the Khadgamala Devi on the group splash page at

> >

> > / ...

> >

> > A girl injured in a bomb blast lies in a hospital in Varanasi,

> India,

> > Tuesday, after explosions rocked a packed railway station and a

> > crowded Hindu temple. (AP Photo)

> >

>

[Guest guest]

, "NMadasamy" <nmadasamy

wrote:

>

> , "Devi Bhakta" <devi_bhakta@>

> wrote:

> >

> > Here is the caption for the new photo of the week, located just

> below

> > the Khadgamala Devi on the group splash page at

> >

> > / ...

> >

> > A girl injured in a bomb blast lies in a hospital in Varanasi,

> India,

> > Tuesday, after explosions rocked a packed railway station and a

> > crowded Hindu temple. (AP Photo)

> >

>

 

>

> This is from a shy, non-detacheable member of SS group. He would

like

> to ask :

>

> "About SS -e group, u display a child and wrote there devi is

> everywhere. Nice but the gal is sufferening. So, what message u

want

> to bring. I dont understand is the devi saved the gal or devi

caused

> this gal to suffer or she suffer cause of her own/"

>

> Any takers?

>

 

I agree the picture is not nice. It seems to say that if Devi is

everywhere, then suffering too is everywhere. But this is how the

world really is. What the picture meant to me was, when I have

doubts, fears, pain (but not at all as extreme as the girl's pain and

fears!), it is because Devi is there with me, the doubts and fears

and pain are Devi herself, and just remembering this knowledge brings

me up from there into a moment of realization and adoration. If I

could keep that moment for all time, where would be the pain and

fear?

[Guest guest]

I agree the picture is not nice. It seems to say that if Devi is

everywhere, then suffering too is everywhere. But this is how the

world really is. What the picture meant to me was, when I have

doubts, fears, pain (but not at all as extreme as the girl's pain and

fears!), it is because Devi is there with me, the doubts and fears

and pain are Devi herself, and just remembering this knowledge brings

me up from there into a moment of realization and adoration. If I

could keep that moment for all time, where would be the pain and

fear?

 

 

 

-----Mahakali hum....

 

 

[Guest guest]

Many thanks to Nora for posting the anonymous question and to ksnwcz

and mahahradanatha contributing for their thoughtful comments on the

meaning behind the Photo of the Week portraying the little girl who

was injured in the terrorist attacks on Varanasi earlier this week.

 

Since it was I who posted the pic, I guess the least I can do is add

my two cents on my thought process in doing so:

 

You see, my real problem is with the people who blow things up,

destroy things, kill living creatures in order to win attention for

their cause or to make a political or social point.

 

However right or wrong their cause may be, at this point it no longer

matters: These people have completely lost their way -- they have

allowed their ideology (i.e., their various theories about what life

is and/or should be) to trump life itself. Their love for their own

particular ideas about and perceptions of the world has eclipsed

their ability to love the world as it is. These people can no longer

see what actually is; they can see only what they have decided to

see. And that is the darkest depth of Maya.

 

That is not a partisan statement either: I refer as much to George W

Bush's assault on Iraq as to Bin Laden's assault on the WTC and

Pentagon. I refer equally to the Israeli soldier who unnecessarily

kills a rock-throwing Palestinian child, as to the Palestinean

suicide bomber who walks into a disco full of Israeli teenagers.

 

And thus we come to the little girl in the photo. She is too young to

have formed any social or political ideas. Such things are irrelevant

in her reality. She -- like any child her age -- simply is. And for

no particular reason other than being in the wrong place at the wrong

time, she got hurt by the ideologist's bomb blast.

 

The next day, like clockwork, of course the outraged Hindu fundies

came out waving saffron flags and shouting for revenge against the

Muslims, while elsewhere the righteously infuriated Muslim fundies

celebrated the Hindus getting their come-uppance.

 

But let us always keep in mind -- as Kochu pointed out here a few

months ago -- that there is no person on earth who is

less "spiritual" than a fundamentalist of any faith.

 

The truly spiritual people are the ones who are cleaning up the

messes the ideological fundies leave behind. They are the ones

working in the hospitals, extracting shrapnel from soft tissue,

sewing and repairing damaged human meat; they are the counselors,

psychologically aiding children who lost parents, parents who lost

children, wives who lost husbands, husbands who lost wives, passers-

by who lost legs and eyes -- all to help the ideologists make their

point.

 

Yes; as pointed out in the New York Times article I posted yesterday,

the truly spiritual are the ones praying in the temples and mosques

and churches while their fundamentalist brethren are out "protesting"

for the TV cameras in the street.

 

And that's why I posted the picture. Because regardless of the

ideological "meaning" of the bombs, this little girl is the reality

of their impact. Whatever motivation or cause the ideologists may

claim, this girl is the undeniable effect. All theories and

justifications aside, she is the unalloyed Truth of the act. So let

her image stand on our splash page for a while as a silent witness to

Truth.

 

A long time ago, someone told me the story of a very serious sadhak

who was sitting at a shrine, trying to win a vision of Devi. He was

very deeply involved in this great ritual, carefully keeping track to

ensure he did the proper amount of japa on the proper mantras, that

he made all the right offerings of the right items in the right

order. But he kept getting bothering by some old stray dog who was

nosing about, disturbing him. Again and again, he slapped the dog

away, finally chasing it off with a stick so that he could return to

the serious work of seeking his vision of Devi.

 

And when finally She appeared to him, She too was beaten about the

face and marked with angry welts from the sticks. Every blow to the

dog's body was a blow to Devi. Any violence done to our fellow souls

in this world is violence done to Devi. Long-time visitors to this

group know that we post a lot of happy, joyful, beautiful photos over

this caption, "Devi is Everywhere!" Because She is everywhere. And

this young girl is there to show us, if only we dare to look, exactly

what we do to Devi when we place our ideology above the reality of

living, breathing souls.

 

Thank you for indulging me on this point.

 

DB

 

 

, "NMadasamy" <nmadasamy

wrote:

>

> , "Devi Bhakta" <devi_bhakta@>

> wrote:

> >

> > Here is the caption for the new photo of the week, located just

> below

> > the Khadgamala Devi on the group splash page at

> >

> > / ...

> >

> > A girl injured in a bomb blast lies in a hospital in Varanasi,

> India,

> > Tuesday, after explosions rocked a packed railway station and a

> > crowded Hindu temple. (AP Photo)

> >

>

>

> This is from a shy, non-detacheable member of SS group. He would

like

> to ask :

>

> "About SS -e group, u display a child and wrote there devi is

> everywhere. Nice but the gal is sufferening. So, what message u

want

> to bring. I dont understand is the devi saved the gal or devi

caused

> this gal to suffer or she suffer cause of her own/"

>

> Any takers?

>

[Guest guest]

Dear DB,

 

Congrats. Your point is well made and indelibly marked on the photo.

 

JR

 

----- Devi Bhakta <devi_bhakta wrote:

 

Many thanks to Nora for posting the anonymous question and to ksnwcz

and mahahradanatha contributing for their thoughtful comments on the

meaning behind the Photo of the Week portraying the little girl who

was injured in the terrorist attacks on Varanasi earlier this week.

 

Since it was I who posted the pic, I guess the least I can do is add

my two cents on my thought process in doing so:

 

You see, my real problem is with the people who blow things up,

destroy things, kill living creatures in order to win attention for

their cause or to make a political or social point.

 

However right or wrong their cause may be, at this point it no longer

matters: These people have completely lost their way -- they have

allowed their ideology (i.e., their various theories about what life

is and/or should be) to trump life itself. Their love for their own

particular ideas about and perceptions of the world has eclipsed

their ability to love the world as it is. These people can no longer

see what actually is; they can see only what they have decided to

see. And that is the darkest depth of Maya.

 

That is not a partisan statement either: I refer as much to George W

Bush's assault on Iraq as to Bin Laden's assault on the WTC and

Pentagon. I refer equally to the Israeli soldier who unnecessarily

kills a rock-throwing Palestinian child, as to the Palestinean

suicide bomber who walks into a disco full of Israeli teenagers.

 

And thus we come to the little girl in the photo. She is too young to

have formed any social or political ideas. Such things are irrelevant

in her reality. She -- like any child her age -- simply is. And for

no particular reason other than being in the wrong place at the wrong

time, she got hurt by the ideologist's bomb blast.

 

The next day, like clockwork, of course the outraged Hindu fundies

came out waving saffron flags and shouting for revenge against the

Muslims, while elsewhere the righteously infuriated Muslim fundies

celebrated the Hindus getting their come-uppance.

 

But let us always keep in mind -- as Kochu pointed out here a few

months ago -- that there is no person on earth who is

less "spiritual" than a fundamentalist of any faith.

 

The truly spiritual people are the ones who are cleaning up the

messes the ideological fundies leave behind. They are the ones

working in the hospitals, extracting shrapnel from soft tissue,

sewing and repairing damaged human meat; they are the counselors,

psychologically aiding children who lost parents, parents who lost

children, wives who lost husbands, husbands who lost wives, passers-

by who lost legs and eyes -- all to help the ideologists make their

point.

 

Yes; as pointed out in the New York Times article I posted yesterday,

the truly spiritual are the ones praying in the temples and mosques

and churches while their fundamentalist brethren are out "protesting"

for the TV cameras in the street.

 

And that's why I posted the picture. Because regardless of the

ideological "meaning" of the bombs, this little girl is the reality

of their impact. Whatever motivation or cause the ideologists may

claim, this girl is the undeniable effect. All theories and

justifications aside, she is the unalloyed Truth of the act. So let

her image stand on our splash page for a while as a silent witness to

Truth.

 

A long time ago, someone told me the story of a very serious sadhak

who was sitting at a shrine, trying to win a vision of Devi. He was

very deeply involved in this great ritual, carefully keeping track to

ensure he did the proper amount of japa on the proper mantras, that

he made all the right offerings of the right items in the right

order. But he kept getting bothering by some old stray dog who was

nosing about, disturbing him. Again and again, he slapped the dog

away, finally chasing it off with a stick so that he could return to

the serious work of seeking his vision of Devi.

 

And when finally She appeared to him, She too was beaten about the

face and marked with angry welts from the sticks. Every blow to the

dog's body was a blow to Devi. Any violence done to our fellow souls

in this world is violence done to Devi. Long-time visitors to this

group know that we post a lot of happy, joyful, beautiful photos over

this caption, "Devi is Everywhere!" Because She is everywhere. And

this young girl is there to show us, if only we dare to look, exactly

what we do to Devi when we place our ideology above the reality of

living, breathing souls.

 

Thank you for indulging me on this point.

 

DB

 

 

, "NMadasamy" <nmadasamy

wrote:

>

> , "Devi Bhakta" <devi_bhakta@>

> wrote:

> >

> > Here is the caption for the new photo of the week, located just

> below

> > the Khadgamala Devi on the group splash page at

> >

> > / ...

> >

> > A girl injured in a bomb blast lies in a hospital in Varanasi,

> India,

> > Tuesday, after explosions rocked a packed railway station and a

> > crowded Hindu temple. (AP Photo)

> >

>

>

> This is from a shy, non-detacheable member of SS group. He would

like

> to ask :

>

> "About SS -e group, u display a child and wrote there devi is

> everywhere. Nice but the gal is sufferening. So, what message u

want

> to bring. I dont understand is the devi saved the gal or devi

caused

> this gal to suffer or she suffer cause of her own/"

>

> Any takers?

[Guest guest]

One Word : Awesome.

 

----- On 3/10/06, Devi Bhakta <devi_bhakta wrote:

>

> Many thanks to Nora for posting the anonymous question and to ksnwcz

> and mahahradanatha contributing for their thoughtful comments on the

> meaning behind the Photo of the Week portraying the little girl who

> was injured in the terrorist attacks on Varanasi earlier this week.

>

> Since it was I who posted the pic, I guess the least I can do is add

> my two cents on my thought process in doing so:

>

> You see, my real problem is with the people who blow things up,

> destroy things, kill living creatures in order to win attention for

> their cause or to make a political or social point.

>

> However right or wrong their cause may be, at this point it no longer

> matters: These people have completely lost their way -- they have

> allowed their ideology (i.e., their various theories about what life

> is and/or should be) to trump life itself. Their love for their own

> particular ideas about and perceptions of the world has eclipsed

> their ability to love the world as it is. These people can no longer

> see what actually is; they can see only what they have decided to

> see. And that is the darkest depth of Maya.

>

> That is not a partisan statement either: I refer as much to George W

> Bush's assault on Iraq as to Bin Laden's assault on the WTC and

> Pentagon. I refer equally to the Israeli soldier who unnecessarily

> kills a rock-throwing Palestinian child, as to the Palestinean

> suicide bomber who walks into a disco full of Israeli teenagers.

>

> And thus we come to the little girl in the photo. She is too young to

> have formed any social or political ideas. Such things are irrelevant

> in her reality. She -- like any child her age -- simply is. And for

> no particular reason other than being in the wrong place at the wrong

> time, she got hurt by the ideologist's bomb blast.

>

> The next day, like clockwork, of course the outraged Hindu fundies

> came out waving saffron flags and shouting for revenge against the

> Muslims, while elsewhere the righteously infuriated Muslim fundies

> celebrated the Hindus getting their come-uppance.

>

> But let us always keep in mind -- as Kochu pointed out here a few

> months ago -- that there is no person on earth who is

> less "spiritual" than a fundamentalist of any faith.

>

> The truly spiritual people are the ones who are cleaning up the

> messes the ideological fundies leave behind. They are the ones

> working in the hospitals, extracting shrapnel from soft tissue,

> sewing and repairing damaged human meat; they are the counselors,

> psychologically aiding children who lost parents, parents who lost

> children, wives who lost husbands, husbands who lost wives, passers-

> by who lost legs and eyes -- all to help the ideologists make their

> point.

>

> Yes; as pointed out in the New York Times article I posted yesterday,

> the truly spiritual are the ones praying in the temples and mosques

> and churches while their fundamentalist brethren are out "protesting"

> for the TV cameras in the street.

>

> And that's why I posted the picture. Because regardless of the

> ideological "meaning" of the bombs, this little girl is the reality

> of their impact. Whatever motivation or cause the ideologists may

> claim, this girl is the undeniable effect. All theories and

> justifications aside, she is the unalloyed Truth of the act. So let

> her image stand on our splash page for a while as a silent witness to

> Truth.

>

> A long time ago, someone told me the story of a very serious sadhak

> who was sitting at a shrine, trying to win a vision of Devi. He was

> very deeply involved in this great ritual, carefully keeping track to

> ensure he did the proper amount of japa on the proper mantras, that

> he made all the right offerings of the right items in the right

> order. But he kept getting bothering by some old stray dog who was

> nosing about, disturbing him. Again and again, he slapped the dog

> away, finally chasing it off with a stick so that he could return to

> the serious work of seeking his vision of Devi.

>

> And when finally She appeared to him, She too was beaten about the

> face and marked with angry welts from the sticks. Every blow to the

> dog's body was a blow to Devi. Any violence done to our fellow souls

> in this world is violence done to Devi. Long-time visitors to this

> group know that we post a lot of happy, joyful, beautiful photos over

> this caption, "Devi is Everywhere!" Because She is everywhere. And

> this young girl is there to show us, if only we dare to look, exactly

> what we do to Devi when we place our ideology above the reality of

> living, breathing souls.

>

> Thank you for indulging me on this point.

>

> DB

>

>

> , "NMadasamy" <nmadasamy

> wrote:

> >

> > , "Devi Bhakta" <devi_bhakta@>

> > wrote:

> > >

> > > Here is the caption for the new photo of the week, located just

> > below

> > > the Khadgamala Devi on the group splash page at

> > >

> > > / ...

> > >

> > > A girl injured in a bomb blast lies in a hospital in Varanasi,

> > India,

> > > Tuesday, after explosions rocked a packed railway station and a

> > > crowded Hindu temple. (AP Photo)

> > >

> >

> >

> > This is from a shy, non-detacheable member of SS group. He would

> like

> > to ask :

> >

> > "About SS -e group, u display a child and wrote there devi is

> > everywhere. Nice but the gal is sufferening. So, what message u

> want

> > to bring. I dont understand is the devi saved the gal or devi

> caused

> > this gal to suffer or she suffer cause of her own/"

> >

> > Any takers?