Religion & Intelligence

What is Religion?

True religions possess two important limbs, namely, its philosophy and its ritualistic injunctions.

Mere ritualism, bereft of philosophy is only superstition,
while bare philosophy without ritualistic practices tantamount to madness.

Both the aspect should go hand in hand. Philosophy reinforces the external practices of rituals and gives them a purpose and goal for realization.Together, they bring out the meaning, significance and purpose of religion.

Philosophy is the theoretical aspect of religion which, with scientific and rational analysis, elucidates the why and where for of life and universe and contains a coherent system of thought for interpreting the reality.

Ritualistic injunctions deal with the practical aspect of the religion and lay down the spiritual practices to be followed for reaching the ultimate goal in life.

Religion, therefore, is a happy and intelligent blending of philosophy and ritualism. If the two aspects are not synchronized properly, there can be no religion. Unfortunately, however, man commits the blunder of projecting one of these two aspects and calls it religion and attributes its decadence and failure to religion as such.

What is different Religions then?

Religions are like so-many paths leading to the same goal, i.e., God. Man reaches his religious goal when he attains his highest moral development. All religions are true. God can be reached by different religions.

It can be explained like this. Many rivers flow by many ways but they fall into the sea and begins at the sea.. All are one in the sea (god). A truly religious man should think that other religions also are paths leading to truth. We should always maintain an attitude of respect towards other religions.

Why do relatives or parents get angry when I say that I want to follow another religion?

The main reason being they are attached to their own religion and they think it is the best in the world. Furthermore, they want you to adhere to their particular manner of thinking, to their group, their race, their class; and ALSO, if you follow another religion you would become a nuisance, a trouble to family.

What happens when you leave one organized religion to other? Have you not merely moved to another prison? As long as mind clings to a belief, it is held in prison. What is important to see is that when you take up another religion you have merely taken on a new set of dogmas in place of the old. You might be little more active, a little more this or that; you are still in the prison of belief and dogma.

So, don’t exchange religion, which is merely a revolt within the prison, but break through prison walls and find out for your self what is god, what is truth. That has meaning. But merely going from one prison to another and quarrel about which prison is better – this is a child game. Only the man who is free of belief can discover that which lies beyond all belief, which is immeasurable.

“”Swami Vivekananda wrote:
If you want to be religious, enter not the gate of any organized religion. They do a hundred times more evil than good, because they stop the growth of each one's individual development. ... Religion is only between you and your God, and no third person must come between you. Think what these organized religions have done! What Napoleon was
more terrible than those religious persecutions? If you and I organize, we begin to hate every person. It is better not to love, if loving only means hating others. That is no love. That is hell! If loving your own people means hating everybody else, it is the quintessence of selfishness and brutality, and the effect is that it will make you brutes.
[The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, Volume I,Topic 'The Gita III'] ””

What is True Education & Intelligence?

Intelligence is the capacity to think freely, without fear, without a formula, so that you begin to think for yourself what is real, what is true; but if you are frightened you will never be intelligent. Where there is fear, there is no intelligence. Revolt against everything – against tradition, against organized religion, against the present rotten society. Find out for yourself what is true. Not to imitate but to discover – That is education.

We see the world is caught up in endless wars; it is guided by politicians who are always seeking power; it is a world of ambitious men and women all wanting position and all fighting each other to get it. There are also so-called saints, the religious gurus with their followers; they also want power, position, here or in next life. It is a mad world, completely confused. Everybody is against somebody struggling to arrive at a safe place, a position of power or comfort. The world is torn by conflicting beliefs, by caste and class distinctions, by separate nationalities by every form of stupidity and cruelty.

Don’t take it for granted that this is orderly society. If you see decay, you have a challenge: You are challenged to find a way of solving this urgent problem. And how you respond to the challenge is important.

Conclusion:

God is everywhere but he is most manifest in Human. So serve Human as God.

Recomended to view/listen to " I CAN ONLY IMAGINE "

After view/listened to the link above, try to find out, who is the god for whom.

- Vineeth Menon

Cosmic law – Do the Power Hungry Politicians know about it?

The most important lesson involving human conduct and interaction, from individuals to governments, is seen in the Cosmic Law of Cause & Effect or karma. Knowing how the Law works helps to understand the means to achieve inner and outer peace, and why governments need to be "reconstituted".

The lesson begins with the understanding that the universe is a SEA OF ENERGY that can be either calm or stormy, depending on how it's used.And science has shown how this field of energy works;

“For every action, there is equal and opposite reaction."

It's the law, and it was expressed in spiritual teachings long ago;

"Be as wise as serpents and harmless as doves."

A modern addendum is "don't get even, get smart".

Governments have continued from antiquity the practice of initiating physical force to control people, contrary to timeless wisdom;

"You must not propagate lies as a truth to establish righteousness by the power of civil governments or by the inaction of secular laws. You must always labor to PERSUADE human minds .You must never dare to compel them."

For government, the Cosmic Law of Cause & Effect, or karma, means "do unto others as you would have them do unto you". The Cause of Initiating physical force produces in-kind Effects, or karma, at some point in time. It could be IMMEDIATE or in FUTURE.

Every human thought, word and deed is a Cause that sets off a wave of energy throughout the universe, creating calm and desirable, or stormy and undesirable Effects.

Every Cause, whether individual or collectively by government, results in an Effect, from the microcosm to the macrocosm .

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In the 1997 edition of his book "Rising Out of Chaos", spiritual leader Simon Peter Fuller emphasized the importance of living in harmony with the Law;

"We are totally responsible for our every thought, word and deed while on Earth, and karma, both positive and negative, ensures that we re-balance all the energy or matter (so called sin) we have ever disturbed."

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Deepak Chopra, a leader in mind-body medicine, identified the issue in his 1993 book "The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success";

"...no debt in the universe ever goes unpaid. There is a perfect accounting system in this universe, and everything is a constant `to and fro' exchange of energy."

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It's the Law for all human action in government, business, labor, education, etc., as well as individually.

The Cosmic Law of Cause & Effect requires that governments holding to the karmically-incorrect practice of initiating physical force, or violence of any kind, be RECONSTITUTED with positive principles, policies and practices in harmony with the higher Law, a new way of looking at government.

Being consciously unaware of having caused negative energies that must be re-balanced, humans generally regard themselves as "victims" of some undesirable Effect, but somewhere in the individual or collective history there was a Cause, possibly during past incarnations. This may be better understood by reversing the words of the Law;

"For every Effect, there is a Cause."

There are only Effects of Causes and Causes with Effects.

With regard to government, the bottom line is every thought to be projected in government Principles, every word to be carried out in government Policies, and every deed to be carried out in government Practices, must be assessed for its karmic implications. And this requires an AUTHENTIC CONSTITUTION in harmony with the natural Cosmic Laws of the universe.

This can even be said like this in present circumstances to more than 5 million citizens.
"You didnt use your right to vote - so you suffer" - Also a cosmic Law

- Vineeth Menon

Education and Reservation

RESERVATION IN EDUCATION IS RUINING MALAYSIA

Are the politicians misusing the word reservation to serve their power interests?

What educational reservation can do may not be visible now. But it has the potential to ruin the nation. We are living in the 21st century, but we still believe in the race or religion based reservation system.

Looking back, that is 50 years after independence; we have made its mark on the economic front. But when it comes to universities, it is falling behind in the global context. What then plagues it?

The major obstacle has been reservation, which is more an outcome of a political game plan than a genuine compassion to uplift the left-behind populace. It has opened the university doors preferentially for certain races, putting merit on the backburner. It shows the extent to which the corrupt politicians, for whom there is nothing more important than vote, to grab power.

Every citizen is entitled to the best possible basic education. Reservation in that domain therefore might be justified, if the economic criteria have been preferred over race or religion based reservation system.

But the greater area of concern is university education, which is a gateway to the professional world. Race-based reservation is of no use in the changed circumstances. This is even dangerous as it will forever keep the country divided. Reservation will also compromise with the quality of student intake and thus the output.

Let’s think of years from now when the country would need a greater pool of talent performing optimally. We need to change our reservation policies and rectify our past mistakes.

Is reservation a necessity? isn't it embarrassing?

Is Reservation still the need of the hour? How long should it exist? Some people were given a special privilege because it was the need of that hour. In order to bridge the divide, the government or rather the leaders of that era felt the need to implement policies that would give these people some privileges. The aim of these policies was to improve the standard of living of the people who are referred to as Bumiputras.

This race system is man-made and therefore the question of granting privileges does not arise. It is like hurting a man’s dignity and then making up by giving him some privileges. I again say that I am not against reservation, but undue relaxations are not welcomed. Awarding reservation in education is not justified because bumiputras also have the mental capability required to work hard and do well. God bestowed them with equal mental power. It is the politicians and many of us, who made them weak and now in order to rectify our own mistakes, we are committing more.

Financial assistance up to a certain extent is acceptable. If a person is competent enough, no race and no system can stop him/her to achieve success. Success doesn’t come by your race. It is the fruit of your hard work. No organization selects a candidate on the basis of his/her race (In Malaysia may be). I don’t understand why our society is still driven by such race based reservation systems.

Man has reached Mars and still on Earth we treat each other as creatures!
Spiritualism is gaining momentum and still we look down upon others!
Oh God! I sometime wonder, are we moving ahead or going back. We do not respect each other. We are still following the mistakes committed by our forefathers. We sit in a Mercedes S Class but refuse to part with those 100 year old thoughts. Modernization has taken place in the world, but it is yet to reach our minds, our souls.

Ends
vineeith@yahoo.com

Media - Democracy - Consequences

DO WE HAVE VITALS OF RESPONSIBLE CITIZEN IN A DEMOCRACY ?

The current state of the news media is partially to blame for the public’s general lack of information vital for responsible citizenship in a democracy. The news media has become an aspect of show business, offering merely infotainment.

It has evolved into an entity that tends to function as a public relations agency for wealthy and powerful multinational corporations, members of UMNO, the current Prime ministerial Administration including the administrations that preceded it.

The news media is being utilized as a political tool of suppression and propaganda by those in power, and propaganda is psychological in nature. Full of half-truths and utter misinformation, it’s an arrogant and very commercial strategy that is implemented because it appeals to emotions, fear being the main one relentless talk of national security, personal and community safety, can trigger childhood insecurities and indoctrinated views of authority.

Ends.
Vineeth Menon
vineeith@yahoo.com

My Suggestions for Better Malaysia

PAS and DAP could stop using Religion and secularism as the major factor and instead take somethings like this to their election Manifestos for better Malaysia.This could give a common platform to fight the election and the country would be much better.

MY IDEAS ON INITIAL REVAMPING OF MALAYSIAN SYSTEMS

Revamping the education system:-

• Compulsory and Free education to all citizens till SPM.
• Make Malay and English a Compulsory Subject.
• Provide Chinese & Indian languages as optional additional subjects.
• Free education for all, whose household income is below RM1500.
• Exams will never be allowed to intercept with any religious holidays.
• Reservations in all education system will be in same ratio of the population composition based on the latest government data
• Race and religion details in all the examination papers has to be replaced with just Serial Numbers.
  
• Start the education at the age of 5.Age of 5 is the age at which the children start grasping things. Also, this will enable our next generation to be graduated early.(Look at India).Also you could retire early.
  

Revamping the working Sector:-

• Fix the minimum Salary to RM950
• Implement an objective based evaluation and appraisal system for the government sector.

Revamping the reservation System:-

• All the existing reservation for Malays will remain with a change that these reservations are valid for ONLY the Malays, who’s income is less than RM2000
• Houses which are worth more that 250k wont have any bumi quota as these people are considered rich and do not need government assistance
  

Revamping the EPF procedures for the safety of the people:-

• Investment withdrawals are only allowed in the sectors where the government feels that there is minimum Risk.
• Create/Review the LIST of investments which government feels safe.
• Education withdrawals for education should only be allowed to the courses which are recognized by government.

Revamping of the Religious matters:-

• All the places of worship which are more than 25 years will be given land title; Provided it has been proved so in the court
• If any place of worship has to give way for development; the notice of 6 months will be given to the management of such places from the date of allocation of relocation place.
• All the places of worship which has mushroomed in last 25 years will be given notice to integrate with the older places of worship.
• Permits for new places of worship will be given, provided there is no such place existing in 10 sq km area of the requested place.
• Clarify the ambiguity between civil and Syariah law

Reassuring the Citizen’s freedom of Expression:-

• Press will be free to publish their views and other citizen views in all matters except the religious matters which are explosive in nature.
• Blogs and other media will be motivated and enlightened of the responsible journalism from time to time will be allowed to publish all the matters except the religious matters which are explosive in nature.
• ISA will be amended so that it won’t be able to use against any citizens for any political reasons. It will solely be used against terrorists and external forces trying to harm the country.

Revamping of the Election System:-

• The election commission is totally responsible for the Election. This means that "it supervises, guides, controls all aspects of the election process". Including the registration of the political parties.

• The election commission should enjoys full independence from the executive body in the state. The Agong appoints the high commissioner of the commission.

• The elected government is the executive power and it manages the administrative system of the state. Thus, the election commission is to ensure that the ruling party will not manipulate with the coming elections for forming a new government. Right now, the government is the body that supervises the general elections.

• The election commission supervises all government bodies during the time of holding the general elections. This means that the commission would have full control over the paramilitary troops and the police as well as all state property and their staff. This action guarantees the fairness of the elections. I have no doubt that all democratic powers in Malaysia would welcome the idea of establishing such a commission as the actual intervention of the police in the election process represents a great concern to all of us.

• The commission also acts as a judiciary body for solving election disputes. This means that it is the body that finally names the parliament members.

• Implement ELECTRONIC VOTING .We can copy the technology from India. It is well known that India is the first country in the world that managed to almost reach perfection regarding the standards of fair voting through ELECTRONIC VOTING.

To sum up, if we have the required guarantees to secure a fair election in place, we can catch up with India as a democratic country that is respected by its people and by the whole world

Revamping the judiciary:-

Present State of Judiciary: -

• There are reports that a section among the judges is corrupt. The dispute is only about the percentage. There are allegations that some judges are showing favoritism and some are inefficient. Some judgments are trying to rewrite the Constitution by giving innovative interpretations of the Constitutional provisions. Some judgments show intolerance to mass struggles and mass organizations. Inordinate delay in court proceedings are denying justice to common man. The people are increasingly loosing confidence in the judicial system.

How it should be: -

• The system of appointment of judges has to be changed and as in the case of other countries, the executive, the legislature, the public and the judiciary should be given appropriate role in the appointment of judges. The system of appointment should be transparent and subject to public scrutiny. The public should be given an opportunity to express their views on the names nominated for the post of a judge. Eg: In France, the president of the republic presides over an 18-member council comprising of minister of justice, prominent public figures and judges.
  

Recommendation: -

• I would recommend that the constitution of a National Judicial Commission with representatives from the three organs of the government – executive, legislature and judiciary – representative of the bar association and the general public. This commission should be vested with the powers to make recommendations for the appointment of judges, to conduct inquiries into the misbehavior of a judge, to impose minor punishments and to recommend to the president for the removal of a judge for proved misbehavior or incapacity.

- Vineeth Menon

Mouse Story - A reminder to all Malaysians

Mouse Story ...........

A mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife open a package.

"What food might this contain?"

The mouse wondered -he was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap.

Retreating to the farmyard,the mouse proclaimed the warning.

"There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house

The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said,

"Mr. Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it.

The mouse turned to the pig and told him, "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!"

The pig sympathized, but said, "I am so very sorry, Mr. Mouse, but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured you are in my prayers."

The mouse turned to the cow and said, "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!"

The cow said, "Wow, Mr. Mouse. I'm sorry for you, but it's no skin off my nose."

So, the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer's mousetrap-- alone.

That very night a sound was heard throughout the house -- like the sound of a mousetrap catching its prey.

The farmer's wife rushed to see what was caught.In the darkness,she did not see it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught.

The snake bit the farmer's wife. The farmer rushed her to the hospital and she returned home with a fever. Everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup,so the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup's main ingredient.

But his wife's sickness continued, so friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock. To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig.

The farmer's wife did not get well; she died. So many people came for her funeral, the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide enough meat for all of them.

The mouse looked upon it all from his crack in the wall with great sadness. So, the next time you hear someone is facing a problem and think it doesn't concern you, remember -- when one of us is threatened, we are all at risk.

We are all involved in this journey called life. We must keep an eye out for one another and make an extra effort to encourage one another.

A friend once wrote "There are many ignorant people all around us, some lack the capacity to see beyond the apparent...many gullible to the small doings by officials... most only able to see the benefit they may derived…failing to see the disadvantaged position of the community as a whole. Everyone has got different levels of understanding. You cannot fault an idiot for being stupid if that is his inherent nature."

Source: forwarded mail..

Is Malaysia a democratic Country?

Democracy!!!

What does it involve?
Many people think that elections every few years is enough to make a country a democracy. This is not so.

Democracy requires votes. Every adult person should be able to vote regardless of gender, colour, race, religion, sexuality or political belief. Some countries deny the vote to people in prison. This is only valid if there are no political prisoners.

For votes to meaningful, the voter must have freedom and not be intimidated. Voting must be secret to allow complete freedom to vote.

For voting to be meaningful, there must be a real choice for the voter. Excluding parties or people from standing as candidates lessens voter choice.

People need information and education if they are to use their vote effectively.

In most countries of the world the providers of information, the media are often owned by a few large corporations or government.This lessens sources of news and information and does not allow people to make informed choices.

This is a big problem which have votes for all, little political intimidation, many political parties and fair voting systems.

Conclusion:
A country is only democratic if people have a right to elect the representatives of their choice with a full understanding of the issues.

Ends.
Vineeth Menon
vineeith@yahoo.com

What is Patriotism ?

WHAT IS PATRIOTISM?

Patriotism is not about the National song or Flying the Flag

Is a patriot " someone who loves his country" ?

Patriotism is one of those words which have been politically abused for a long time.It has become a badge like "Anti Rasuah" . Wearing it and still continue doing otherwise.

It has now become a word, anyone who says he does not like something about his country, might very easily be labeled as "unpatriotic". In worst case scenario he might even get hauled off to the jail on charges of treason or Sedation.

Patriotism is the last refuge of scoundrels, who label every infamy and abomination as patriotism. Here are some of them:

Ruthlessly destroying the forests.

Promoting racism as a means of winning elections.

Cutting away at civil rights.

Lying about every question of the public good.

Poisoning the atmosphere with auto emission and pollution and acid rain.

Spending our wealth on "sure to fail" projects while our cities crumble, our infrastructure disintegrates .

Doing the justice only for the family & friends of People in Power.

Fooling the emotional public by pulling them into the illusion that they are benefiting (NEP) while the actual benefactors are the Cronies of the people in Power.

What they call patriotism down here stinks to high heaven of brainlessness, racism, greed, fear and hatred of the common people.

Patriotism, however, as a word, applies to true love of one's country and a code of conduct that echoes such love.

Ends.

Vineeth Menon

vineeith@yahoo.com