Guest guest Posted April 5, 2000 Report Share Posted April 5, 2000 Yesterday, Gloria Lee sent a few friends a collection of poems from children written while interned at Terezin Concentration Camp. Gloria said that these poems were selected as the lyrics for a cantata composed by Robert Convery in memory of all children who perished in the Holocaust. It was first performed in NYC, April of 1991. As I read these poems, my eyes kept filling with tears and I thought about the horrors of war that separate families, parents from children, and impose such death and destruction and suffering on the helpless innocents. It is even hard to bear imagining such things, and yet this is the reality of human history. The Jain Tirthankara Mahavira, a contemporary of Buddha, stated 2500 years ago, that all life wants to live, it wants to grow, and flower. Therefore, the primary principle that benefits everyone is Ahimsa (or refraining from violence with awareness). The attitude of nonviolence and non harming implies giving room to others and to accept and appreciate diversity in perspectives and lifestyles in the practice of religion, spirituality, and culture. The great Jnani Sage of Arunachala, Ramana Maharshi, has stated clearly that "Ahimsa Paramo Dharma" meaning that Ahimsa is the Supreme Dharma (principle). Although, it is not an easy practice, the attitude of nonviolence and what it means deserves reflection and is a worthy aspiration. It is the antidote for the suffering of the mind and the world. Self Realization is not different than the Supreme State of Silence that when reflected through human mind appears as the the milk of kindness towards all living beings. Love Harsha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 5, 2000 Report Share Posted April 5, 2000 Harsha wrote: > Yesterday, Gloria Lee sent a few friends a collection of poems from children written while interned at Terezin Concentration Camp. > > Gloria said that these poems were selected as the lyrics for a cantata composed by Robert Convery in memory of all children who perished in the Holocaust. It was first performed in NYC, April of 1991. > > As I read these poems, my eyes kept filling with tears and I thought about the horrors of war that separate families, parents from children, and impose such death and destruction and suffering on the helpless innocents. It is even hard to bear imagining such things, and yet this is the reality of human history. > > The Jain Tirthankara Mahavira, a contemporary of Buddha, stated 2500 years ago, that all life wants to live, it wants to grow, and flower. Therefore, the primary principle that benefits everyone is Ahimsa (or refraining from violence with awareness). The attitude of nonviolence and non harming implies giving room to others and to accept and appreciate diversity in perspectives and lifestyles in the practice of religion, spirituality, and culture. > > The great Jnani Sage of Arunachala, Ramana Maharshi, has stated clearly that "Ahimsa Paramo Dharma" meaning that Ahimsa is the Supreme Dharma (principle). Although, it is not an easy practice, the attitude of nonviolence and what it means deserves reflection and is a worthy aspiration. It is the antidote for the suffering of the mind and the world. Self Realization is not different than the Supreme State of Silence that when reflected through human mind appears as the the milk of kindness towards all living beings. > > Love > Harsha I'm deeply touched by your compassion, Harsha & Gloria and thank you for your message about "appreciating diversity". Regarding the Holocaust & concentration camps: Ahimsa (non-violence) refers to an inward state of mind/being and is not necessarily a complete restriction on outward action. When non-violence is used as a justification for avoiding appropriate action, more suffering may result. Ahimsa is different than non-action. If we had met Hitler with appropriate force earlier, then terrible suffering may have been averted. In fact, had Hitler NOT been challenged, his sphere of influence would probably have been even larger causing even more suffering. Consider the Christian ethic: "resist not with evil": Inward resistance with evil is counter productive because it creates more evil. Yet, outward forceful action in the world to resist the growth of destructive forces might very well be appropriate & compassionate. Consider the planet Mars which archetypally represents the warrior. A warrior dedicated to the Lord's Will preserves & protects humanity, a warrior who acts for his own selfish gain destroys humanity. Contemplating the higher & lower expressions of Mars, as well as the other archetypes, is one way of "appreciating diversity". Love, Roger www.newu.org Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 5, 2000 Report Share Posted April 5, 2000 On 4/5/00 at 1:55 PM Roger Isaacs wrote: [...] ¤If we had met Hitler with appropriate force earlier, then terrible suffering ¤may have been averted. In fact, had Hitler NOT been challenged, his sphere ¤of influence would probably have been even larger causing even more ¤suffering. [...] Apparently there are different versions of history. After WW I, Germany was humiliated to a great extent, it had to pay very large sums to pay for all damages and this badly affected the lives of all Germans, in a way creating the condition Hitler would exploit to start his atrocities. Another point was that in the eyes of the British, in technology Germany was becoming an undeniable competitor, despite the economic measures against Germany. So even without the man called Hitler, another man would have exploited the same condition that Hitler did. After WW II, regarding Germany these mistakes weren't repeated. This is evident in German policy, contrary to for instance Japan, a country that hasn't even publicly apologized for the atrocities committed during WW II, let alone pay for inflicted damages... And in Japanese schoolbooks of history, nothing is mentioned about Japanese barbarities. ¤ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 5, 2000 Report Share Posted April 5, 2000 > [...] > ¤If we had met Hitler with appropriate force earlier, then > terrible suffering > ¤may have been averted. In fact, had Hitler NOT been > challenged, his sphere > ¤of influence would probably have been even larger causing > even more > ¤suffering. > [...] Jan: > Apparently there are different versions of history. After WW > I, Germany was humiliated to a great extent, it had to pay > very large sums to pay for all damages and this badly affected > the lives of all Germans, in a way creating the condition > Hitler would exploit to start his atrocities. Another point > was that in the eyes of the British, in technology Germany was > becoming an undeniable competitor, despite the economic > measures against Germany. So even without the man called > Hitler, another man would have exploited the same condition > that Hitler did. Agreed. Lack of compassion had a terrible price. My main point was that in-action is not ahimsa. Failing to come to the aid of your neighbor might allow & incourage violence, therefore in-action can contribute to violence. Vigorous even violent right-action might prevent further violence. -R- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 5, 2000 Report Share Posted April 5, 2000 On 4/5/00 at 6:31 PM Melody wrote: ¤>.. And in Japanese schoolbooks of history, ¤>nothing is mentioned about Japanese barbarities. ¤ ¤ ¤Unless textbooks have changed substantially ¤since I was in school, nothing is mentioned in ¤American textbooks about the U.S.'s barbarities ¤and atrocities .....at least not without the qualifier ¤of it "being necessary". ¤ ¤Melody That is deplorable - during the time I was anti-war activist, "we" sympathized with the Vietnamese victims as well as with the American enlisted ones, most of whom were misled by the anti-communist propaganda. When they came back, opinion had changed and for some this meant another trauma. Not learning the lessons from experience invariably means a more tough "learning experience" will follow.... Jan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 5, 2000 Report Share Posted April 5, 2000 On 4/5/00 at 6:00 PM Roger Isaacs wrote: ¤> [...] ¤> ¤If we had met Hitler with appropriate force earlier, then ¤> terrible suffering ¤> ¤may have been averted. In fact, had Hitler NOT been ¤> challenged, his sphere ¤> ¤of influence would probably have been even larger causing ¤> even more ¤> ¤suffering. ¤> [...] ¤ ¤Jan: ¤> Apparently there are different versions of history. After WW ¤> I, Germany was humiliated to a great extent, it had to pay ¤> very large sums to pay for all damages and this badly affected ¤> the lives of all Germans, in a way creating the condition ¤> Hitler would exploit to start his atrocities. Another point ¤> was that in the eyes of the British, in technology Germany was ¤> becoming an undeniable competitor, despite the economic ¤> measures against Germany. So even without the man called ¤> Hitler, another man would have exploited the same condition ¤> that Hitler did. ¤ ¤Agreed. Lack of compassion had a terrible price. ¤ ¤My main point was that in-action is not ahimsa. Failing to come to the aid ¤of your neighbor might allow & incourage violence, therefore in-action can ¤contribute to violence. Vigorous even violent right-action might prevent ¤further violence. ¤ ¤-R- You are right about that - inaction isn't ahimsa. Ignoring violence is a kind of ostrich policy that will lead to an upward spiral of violence as the history of the past century clearly illustrates. On a small scale, the conditions that lead to violence come from a great difference in possessions and unfortunately this model is large scale too (like the US oil interests in the Middle East, its liberation of Kuwait, not Tibet). So for the sake of economical advantage, wars are waged, whether between families or nations. The nondual perspective of traditional natives (one can't owe anything) is trampled and unless it is accepted and lived up, "things" will only get worse. Jan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 5, 2000 Report Share Posted April 5, 2000 >.. And in Japanese schoolbooks of history, >nothing is mentioned about Japanese barbarities. Unless textbooks have changed substantially since I was in school, nothing is mentioned in American textbooks about the U.S.'s barbarities and atrocities .....at least not without the qualifier of it "being necessary". Melody Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 5, 2000 Report Share Posted April 5, 2000 ¤Unless textbooks have changed substantially ¤since I was in school, nothing is mentioned in ¤American textbooks about the U.S.'s barbarities ¤and atrocities .....at least not without the qualifier ¤of it "being necessary". ¤ ¤Melody >That is deplorable - during the time I was anti-war activist, >"we" sympathized with the Vietnamese victims as well as with >the American enlisted ones, most of whom were misled by the >anti-communist propaganda. When they came back, opinion had >changed and for some this meant another trauma. Not learning >the lessons from experience invariably means a more tough >"learning experience" will follow.... >Jan Well....to be fair now ... Vietnam was hardly 'history' when I was in school. :-) Current events, yes. History, no. But one need look only as far back as to WW2 to find more examples....all the way back to our colonial days. Melody ------ LOW RATE, NO WAIT! Get a NextCard Visa, in 30 seconds! Get rates as low as 2.9% Intro or 9.9% Fixed APR and no hidden fees. Apply NOW! http://click./1/2122/5/_/520931/_/954979387/ ------ // All paths go somewhere. No path goes nowhere. Paths, places, sights, perceptions, and indeed all experiences arise from and exist in and subside back into the Space of Awareness. Like waves rising are not different than the ocean, all things arising from Awareness are of the nature of Awareness. Awareness does not come and go but is always Present. It is Home. Home is where the Heart Is. Jnanis know the Heart to be the Finality of Eternal Being. A true devotee relishes in the Truth of Self-Knowledge, spontaneously arising from within into It Self. Welcome all to a. To from this list, go to the ONElist web site, at www., and select the User Center link from the menu bar on the left. This menu will also let you change your subscription between digest and normal mode. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.