Walmart's going organic and John Logan

[Guest guest]

Dear Harsha,

Thank you for your response. I hope it was helpful.

 

About my own eating habits.

I am in recovery from cancer in my throat and now do not swallow due

to surgery and radiation. After 6 years of survival from this I still

"eat" through a feeding tube directly into my stomach. The result is

that my food is "blended" in a blender and liquified. I therefore eat

both cooked and raw foods. I am not deprived at all as I can eat

anything anyone else can eat. (I don't eat much cheese, like on a

pizza as it is a lot of trouble to clean the blender afterwards.)

 

Since I cannot actually taste the food I eat I don't have an urge to

eat food that is not good or nutritious for me. I am not vegan or

vegetarian as I am a "mixed metabolizer" and require at least a small

amount of animal protein, usually eggs, yoghurts, cottage cheese, fish

and chicken. Such meat as I do eat is sort of Chinese style, that is

small amounts in proportion to the rest of my diet, which is largle

raw or lightly steamed vegetables, fruits, grains and nuts. I am

fortunate in that one of our vendors makes a wonderful nutrious (and I

am told) tasty granola. Due to a prior heart condition, which has now

been completely healed, I eat a lot of cooked oatmeal for breakfast

everyday.

 

The diet I am on has resulted in my being healthier than I have ever

been before. I see doctors regularly and they all tell me I am most

healthy for a 73 year old man and am probably the equivalent of

someone in their 40s with a very healthy heart and all other organs

being quite healthy and normal.

 

I do "sun gazing" intermittantly which supports my health and also my

meditation practice in my own version of Surya Namaskar. My regular

meditation practice is a blend of Zazen and Pratyahara, with an

attitude derived from Papaji's "teachings" about it all. I belong to

no sect, follow no dogmas, and after much study and practice have

decided that most people are trying soooo hard to be religious (a real

problem) or spiritual that they get tangled up in Nama-Rupa in the

guise of spiritual pursuit over explanations of their spiritual views.

 

Buddhism and a personal practice in Advaita Vedanta carried me through

my recovery from cancer. I have found that most Buddhists are working

so hard at being Buddhist that they are just working at it a lot. And

so many people have Lucknow Disease in Vedanta....well enough said

about that. Ramana Maharshi got it right I think when he advised

seekers to seek "Who Am I?" and Papaji's point about that is that the

answer is only found in the instant when one is silent, like the

moment between one breath and the next.

 

Actually what I have learned from Harsha is to take quite seriously

that "All is Brahman" in a spirit of gentle acceptance. Truthfully by

any name there is no place where Brahman is not. Accepting that one

begins to see and hear, feel and know deeply. In this "Deep

experiencing" beneath the surface of our experience we begin to truly

know what is real - and now we can see the surface as the

manifestation of That, and we enter the Lila.

 

Alas we forget and are caught in the separation, and finally we learn

to love even the forgetting. This is very important.

 

Today is a beautiful day in which to have some fun,

John Logan

 

, Harsha wrote:

>

> *Dear John,

>

> Thank you for that excellent and insightful summary. The most important

> points of yours seem to be 7 and 8. We should ideally grow our own

food.

> If we are not able to do it, we should get the food as fresh as

possible

> from the local farmer's market. After what you said, I am going to try

> to find an ear of corn and pluck it and eat it raw.

>

> Do you cook your food or follow the natural hygiene way which involves

> eating mostly raw foods (fruits, vegetables, nuts, etc.).

>

> Anyway, thank you for putting the effort to repeat the post. My father

> used to grow his own food in the spring and summer. I especially

> remember the red and juicy tomatoes as well as squash and other

> varieties of foods. When my father was alive, I used to visit my

parents

> and he would always pluck the foods which were growing and clean and

> cook them the same day. A lot of it we just ate raw. Food never tasted

> so good!

>

> Love,

> Harsha*

>

> John Logan wrote:

> > Dear Harsha,

> > I am doing fine. Just very, very busy.

> > I am also trying to remember the basic elements of my reply about

> > Walmart and Organic Food.

> >

> > The main thrust had to do with these ideas:

> >

> > 1) Walmart offering organics will act to stimulate more organic

> > growers. This is a good action.

> >

> > 2) Walmart's distribution system will delay the delivery of the food

> > so that it is not as nutritious as it could be. Assimilation is

> > facilitated by enzymes and they are depleted the farther the produce

> > is from harvest.

> >

> > 3) The tastiest and most nutritious food, organic or otherwise, is

> > locally grown, freshly harvested and delivered not more than 24 hours

> > from harvest. In our local farmers markets harvesting is usually in

> > the afternoon and evening with trucking to the market about 6 am the

> > next morning. Often the harvesting is same day, picked in the morning

> > and delivered in the morning. To see the degree of degradation pick an

> > ear of corn and eat it raw on the spot. The flavor is wonderful and

> > tasty, far beyond any cooked corn. Then wait eight hours after picking

> > another ear of corn and see the difference in taste. Then wait 24

> > hours after picking another ear and now see that it must be steamed or

> > boiled to make it palatable.

> >

> > 4) In the case of tomatoes, Walmart must combine produce in their

> > trucks which means the trucks will be refrigerated, and those tomatoes

> > will lose flavor and nutrition in consequence.

> >

> > 5) Due to their distribution system much of the food will have to be

> > picked green, so even if organically grown, it will not be mature or

> > nutritious, and will again lose flavor.

> >

> > 6) And speaking of illusions...the only resolution for their mammoth

> > operations will be that the so-called "organic" products will be

> > processed, boxed, bottled or canned - and by the time it is delivered

> > to the consumer it is "dead" food.

> >

> > 7) The only truly "organic" food is live food! And that means locally

> > grown and freshly harvested, plant ripened produce in its natural

> > state and quickly delivered.

> >

> > 8) The solution is to GROW YOUR OWN!!!!!!!!!!!! and not depend on a

> > Walmart or other supermarkets.

> >

> > I think that is most of it. I hope it makes to the Group.

> >

> > John

>

[Guest guest]

Dear John,

 

Thank you for sharing about yourself. You had actually talked about your

recovery from cancer a few times before and I was aware of that but some

of the details are new. You are a very beautiful person John and your

words have a quality of experience, healing, and wisdom. Michael Bowes,

I think lives somewhere in your neighborhood and is a great soul. I went

to Scottsdale, AZ a few years ago in the winter and had a wonderful time

there. However, the cab drivers told me that summer is very very tough

with temperatures over 100 every day.

 

You mentioned Sun Gazing, which is an advanced yogic science. There is

an Indian Jain gentleman Hira Ratan Manek who is supposedly a modern

expert at it. He wrote an article on it and explained that it was

through the direct absorption of energy from the Sun (through the eyes

and the brain) that the ancient sage Mahavira was able to do without

food for extended periods.

 

http://niejedzenie.info/english/hiraratanmanek.htm

 

He now has a website and claims that through sun gazing one can have

abundant health and go without food for prolonged periods. I had

received his permission to post his article on the HS website and he had

sent that but it fell through the cracks. Joyce still may have a copy of

that article and it will be worth putting it up. Perhaps I have it

somewhere as well.

 

My teacher's name is Chitrabhanu which means one who has gazed directly

at the Sun, I think. Sun gazing is a science and has to be done

carefully otherwise there are adverse consequences on the eyes. People

start with very early morning sun for a few seconds, etc. Like most

advanced yogic practices, help of an expert, and having some common

sense are all helpful. There are many websites on it and one can do

research. The body has a wonderful intelligence and tells us if we are

doing something right or not.

 

Perhaps you can share your method of sun gazing John, if you like.

 

When I was young, I used to do advanced pranayama which involved

bhastrika and breath retention. One day after practicing for three

hours, I went outside and laid out in the Sun to relax with the sun

falling on my closed eyes. After an hour, my whole body became so hot

and I developed a headache I have never forgotten. I came inside the

house and my head was pulsating like it was going to blow up. The

headache was so totally ferocious and I knew right away that sitting in

the hot sun after generating so much internal heat had been a terrible

mistake. It took a day for the headache to wear off and it left me weak

for a few days. Live and learn. That was in 1979! But like all of us, I

learned from experience.

 

Love to all

Harsha

 

 

John Logan wrote:

> Dear Harsha,

> Thank you for your response. I hope it was helpful.

>

> About my own eating habits.

> I am in recovery from cancer in my throat and now do not swallow due

> to surgery and radiation. After 6 years of survival from this I still

> "eat" through a feeding tube directly into my stomach. The result is

> that my food is "blended" in a blender and liquified. I therefore eat

> both cooked and raw foods. I am not deprived at all as I can eat

> anything anyone else can eat. (I don't eat much cheese, like on a

> pizza as it is a lot of trouble to clean the blender afterwards.)

>

> Since I cannot actually taste the food I eat I don't have an urge to

> eat food that is not good or nutritious for me. I am not vegan or

> vegetarian as I am a "mixed metabolizer" and require at least a small

> amount of animal protein, usually eggs, yoghurts, cottage cheese, fish

> and chicken. Such meat as I do eat is sort of Chinese style, that is

> small amounts in proportion to the rest of my diet, which is largle

> raw or lightly steamed vegetables, fruits, grains and nuts. I am

> fortunate in that one of our vendors makes a wonderful nutrious (and I

> am told) tasty granola. Due to a prior heart condition, which has now

> been completely healed, I eat a lot of cooked oatmeal for breakfast

> everyday.

>

> The diet I am on has resulted in my being healthier than I have ever

> been before. I see doctors regularly and they all tell me I am most

> healthy for a 73 year old man and am probably the equivalent of

> someone in their 40s with a very healthy heart and all other organs

> being quite healthy and normal.

>

> I do "sun gazing" intermittantly which supports my health and also my

> meditation practice in my own version of Surya Namaskar. My regular

> meditation practice is a blend of Zazen and Pratyahara, with an

> attitude derived from Papaji's "teachings" about it all. I belong to

> no sect, follow no dogmas, and after much study and practice have

> decided that most people are trying soooo hard to be religious (a real

> problem) or spiritual that they get tangled up in Nama-Rupa in the

> guise of spiritual pursuit over explanations of their spiritual views.

>

> Buddhism and a personal practice in Advaita Vedanta carried me through

> my recovery from cancer. I have found that most Buddhists are working

> so hard at being Buddhist that they are just working at it a lot. And

> so many people have Lucknow Disease in Vedanta....well enough said

> about that. Ramana Maharshi got it right I think when he advised

> seekers to seek "Who Am I?" and Papaji's point about that is that the

> answer is only found in the instant when one is silent, like the

> moment between one breath and the next.

>

> Actually what I have learned from Harsha is to take quite seriously

> that "All is Brahman" in a spirit of gentle acceptance. Truthfully by

> any name there is no place where Brahman is not. Accepting that one

> begins to see and hear, feel and know deeply. In this "Deep

> experiencing" beneath the surface of our experience we begin to truly

> know what is real - and now we can see the surface as the

> manifestation of That, and we enter the Lila.

>

> Alas we forget and are caught in the separation, and finally we learn

> to love even the forgetting. This is very important.

>

> Today is a beautiful day in which to have some fun,

> John Logan