Ajay0

Okay, but western military industrial complex and defense company shareholders have also benefitted from the war as share values have rocketed sky high due to demand for weapons. https://theprint.in/defence/russia-ukraine-war-a-gold-mine-for-us-british-defence-firms-sales-rocket-stock-prices-soar/2056134/

Dude, the EU reduced imports of Russian fossil fuels from a high of $16 billion per month in early 2022 to around $1 billion per month by the end of 2023 (Figure 1). This still amounts to a huge figure of a billion dollars per month. https://www.bruegel.org/analysis/european-union-russia-energy-divorce-state-play#:~:text=The EU reduced imports of,largest part of the reduction. The EU is also the biggest buyers of refined oil from Turkey and India which originates as crude oil from Russia actually. Also the EU has increased substantially its gas imports from Russia. https://www.dw.com/en/war-in-ukraine-why-is-the-eu-still-buying-russian-gas/a-68925869#:~:text=According to the data provider,to the EU in 2021.

Yes, ethics or morality does not mean total self-lessness. As a parkor saying goes, 'Be strong to be useful' ( “Etre fort pour être utile” ) . One must be selfish initially or at times to ensure optimal strength and growth. It is the strong who can help or love, not the weak.

Are Spain and Turkey part of BRICS ! Spain is the second largest importer of liquified natural gas from Russia, while Turkey is the third largest importer of Russian oil. Austria, Hungary, Belgium in EU constitute other high importers of Russian gas. https://www.dw.com/en/war-in-ukraine-why-is-the-eu-still-buying-russian-gas/a-68925869#:~:text=According to the data provider,to the EU in 2021. Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has stated that Europe has imported six times the fossil fuel energy from Russia than India has done since February 2022.

Moral conduct and virtues are considered austerities in themselves hard to perform as per eastern religious philosophy, and this is why it may not be effective for most people. Self-mastery is a necessary element within oneself for virtuous conduct and this can be hard for most people. However it is considered necessary as a base for further spiritual growth and enlightenment. Yes, meditation, contemplation and noble company are considered legitimate ways to attain enlightenment alongside virtuous conduct.

Morality is one of the tools you have to wake up from the dream. Ethical and moral conduct is associated with mental equanimity and higher states of consciousness in eastern religious philosophy, leading to enlightenment. The noble eight fold path in buddhism deals with moral actions such as right speech and right effort designed to attained enlightenment or wake up from the dream. Rajini Menon is a recent enlightened sage who attained enlightenment through adherence to virtuous or moral conduct at all times. Nihilism is a license for immoral conduct which can ensure that one is trapped in the nightmare at all times without a chance for waking up and getting relief.

An article by Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev on being stoned and alert at the same time, without using any chemicals or drugs or other harmful intoxicants. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/toi-edit-page/you-can-be-stoned-and-alert-at-the-same-time/

Understanding of Buddhist psychology enables one to understand the mechanics of psychological suffering. There is no sin or punishment by God or gods, but only one's mental discipline or lack of it that determines one's happiness or unhappiness respectively. The exacting physical and mental regimen that may appear depressing are actually austerities that enable self-mastery. Buddha had emphasized a healthy body for ensuring the clarity and soundness of the mind. Also the Buddha insists on students evaluating his teachings logically rather than accepting them blindly. 'O bhikshus and wise men, just as a goldsmith would test his gold by burning, cutting, and rubbing it, so you must examine my words and accept them, but not merely out of reverence for me.' ~ Buddha , ghanavyuha sutra (Sutra of Dense Array) Buddha emphasized personal observation and experience to examine the utility of a teaching, using the example of the goldsmith . If it is useful and non-harmful , use it ; if not , discard it.

Buddhism aims with the study of the mind and using right approaches ( right speech, right livelihood, right effort and so on ) to minimize psychological suffering and ensure a disciplined mind that is conducive to the intrinsic bliss and joy in human nature or the Buddha nature within. I find Buddhism clinical and coherent without the emotions of devotion based practices of other religions.

As per the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak, the one who earns a honest living in constant remembrance of God and gives a part of his earnings in charity, does not have to perform any other austerities or rituals. This is because what he does is a great austerity or spiritual exercise in itself unsurpassed by any other austerities or exercises. Since this is supposed to be the greatest austerity, it is obviously bound to be hard and tough to perform. And that which is hard and difficult is bound to have worthwhile results.

A discussion between the enlightened sage Baba Lokenath and a disciple, on the theme of leading a peaceful and happy life through awareness... https://babalokenath.org/pages/teachings

A similar article and teaching by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar... https://wisdom.srisriravishankar.org/the-importance-of-awareness/

The UN has honored 3 Indian peacekeepers who were killed in service with the Dag Hammarskjold Medal amid calls for better protection for peace-keeping personnel in its missions. https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/india/un-honours-3-indian-peacekeepers-killed-in-service-amid-calls-for-increasing-protection

Aditya L-1's role in helping to prevent a communication catastrophe on Earth... https://www.theweek.in/news/sci-tech/2023/11/13/how-aditya-l-1-is-helping-in-detecting-and-monitoring-solar-flares.html

ISRO's Aditya L1 has reached the solar orbit. India’s maiden solar mission Aditya-L1 reached the L1 point on January 6, 127 days after it was launched on September 2, 2023. The point is located roughly 1.5 million km from earth and enables the spacecraft to view the sun continuously https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-67871797 https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/isros-aditya-l1-successfully-placed-in-a-halo-orbit-around-l1-point/article67712914.ece

For mileniums India and China were the most economically developed civilizations in the world as per economic historians. Europe gained much of its foundations in mathematics, physics and medicine from India through the medium of the Arabs. It was only in the last two centuries that India saw widespread poverty due to western colonialism which was bound on exploitation of countries in Asia, Africa and South America. When colonialism ended, Indian economy was in a state of great damage due to economic policies that favored the colonial nations but impoverished the colonised nations. Still, India has picked up its economy and is now the fastest growing economy in the world at the moment, and had replaced the UK as the fifth largest economy in the world , and is poised to become the third largest in a few years. Forecasts have also showed that India and the BRICS nations is bound to have greater surge in millionaire count than the west-centric G7 nations in the coming years. Europe is having a major issue with its ageing population and low birth rates and consequently there is bound to be need for migrants to address the shortfalls in labor and this could be a reason why european authorities are being lax on immigration from other countries. The two world wars which originated in europe on the basis of military alliances, imperialist greed also greatly decimated its population, as well as present conflicts and wars. Rather than blaming immigrants, Europe should do some soul-searching on ending its never-ending wars and low birth rates which is decimating its population.

Being a criminal is a bad idea when there are good systems for maintaining law and order, progress for all and justice. In such a case it is one's vices that is prompting one to crime and erroneous conduct which deserve punishment and correction. However, when there are no good systems for the same , and one is unable to satisfy one's basic needs ( as opposed to desires) inspite of all one's efforts in this regard, then one can exercise one's judgement to being a criminal for the greater good. Robin Hood was a robber and thief, but he is not considered and vilified as a criminal . Instead he is commended and applauded as a hero in popular consciousness. The enlightened sage Meher Baba states in this regard...

Indian and Hindu philosophy has a tradition of atheism and materialism through the Charvaks, and this has seen a revival in recent times. There had been debates and dialogues between the Charvaks and other Indian philosophical sects in ancient times. Scientific materialism and rationalism is also on the upswing in India denying anything outside of sensory perception. I used to adhere to these philosophies myself till I read, heard and even witnessed events refuting the same. I am not against these philosophies myself as they help in creating a rational and scientific temperament which is necessary in religion and spirituality too, and helps to get rid of superstitions. There are some who consider Sadhguru's teachings on consciousness and spirituality as unscientific and irrational, and seek to debate and harass Sadhguru on such points. However science and technology are not in itself capable of creating a utopia on its own. Imho, modern science and technology can even become an evil when it is handled by the wrong state of consciousness. As Wervner von Braun stated, "Science does not have a moral dimension. It is like a knife. If you give it to a surgeon or a murderer, each will use it differently." The problem lies not with science but with its handler's state of consciousness, and thus it should be given the relevant emphasis and importance it warrants instead of hiding it under the carpet.

I like Stoicism and has recommended Stoic philosophy to my friends. There is a lot of wisdom in it, and I would say understanding the stoic philosophy will help one better understand the Bhagavad Gita. Stoicism teaches the development of self-control to overcome destructive emotions. Krishna also emphasizes self-control, and states that the disciplined self is one's best friend and the undisciplined self is one's own enemy. There are a lot of teachings on self-control and disciplining the mind, so you can say Krishna is an eastern stoic philosopher as well. So, I would say stoicism is a commendable western philosophy that should be learnt by all, but I would not say that of nihilism and existentialism which I consider to be half-baked philosophies as they consider all values and virtues to be mere abstract contrivances which does not have any relevance of its own. The nazis and communists have used nihilist reasoning to support their vicious excesses in the form of indiscriminate human rights violations and genocides. It is possible that scientific materialists may also be using the same reasoning while conducting unethical experiments on human subjects in their labs. Eastern philosophy states that adherence to values and virtues are potent on their own to attain higher states of consciousness and enlightenment, and that virtuous conduct is synonymous with meditation itself. I had created a thread on a modern female enlightened sage named Rajini Menon who attained Buddhahood through adherence to virtuous conduct...

This is not an excuse. India's famous rocket scientist A.P.J.Abdul Kalam started working at ten delivering newspapers to augment his family income and to pay for his school fees. He realized his dream of becoming a rocket engineer and later became the Indian president. Dada Lekhraj, founder of the spiritual institution of the Prajapita Brahmakumaris, started working at eight as an orphan selling wheat to households, and later as a apprentice in the jewellery industry. He later became one of the richest men in India as a jewellery entrepreneur. A young Indian porter used the wifi at the railway station to learn his online lessons from a cellphone and tablet and later cleared the civil services exam recently after a couple of attempts and got a job in the government services. Napoleon Bonaparte in his childhood and youth led a poverty-stricken life , eating only once a day to save money and spend most of his time in the library and was a diligent student. He considered poverty , privation and want as the school of the good soldier. You seems to have had a good lifestyle because of affluent parents, and could have lost drive and focus in the process. It is important to fix tangible goals and self-motivate yourself to achieve them.

@Ramanujan Do a swot analysis of your talents, interests, strengths and weaknesses, and choose a career based on your strengths and interests. In this way you will enjoy the work you do and will tend to excel in it. If you cannot afford a degree, try to get a short course with a certificate or diploma , and then develop your skills in it through self-education and associating with experts in the field. If you cannot get the job you enjoy doing, get other jobs that can provide the money to pursue learning opportunities in your chosen field and thereby build your career. Your namesake, the famous Indian mathematician Ramanujan, who is considered to be on the same league as Euler and Jacobi by modern mathematicians, had no formal training in mathematics and learnt much of what he knew from borrowed books and libraries, self-education and independent research. He got a job as a clerk mainly to finance his research and studies.

Interesting article on the components of proper communication necessary for good relationship management. https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/7-38-55-rule-57-years-old-secret-exceptional-emotional-intelligence.html?utm_source=pocket-newtab-en-intl

Informative article by Sister Shivani of the Brahmakumaris on using willpower to overcoming negative sanskars (habitual tendencies) into positive ones. Sanskar is an Indian word meaning subconscious impressions that determines a habitual tendency. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/books/features/using-willpower-means-exercising-our-power-to-choose-and-to-do-what-we-want-bk-shivani-in-the-power-of-one-thought/articleshow/102537823.cms?from=mdr

There was an Indian enlightened sage in the late nineteenth century named Sreenarayan Guru, who during an intense period of austerity and meditation, lived in cave for an year or two in an isolated region. His expert knowledge of Ayurveda and herbal medicine, enabled him to create a nutritious concoction of easily available herbs which he used to eat along with nearby tubers and roots. This period of austerity and meditation resulted in his enlightenment later on, after which he returned back to society and performed a role as a spiritual master, healer and social reformer. Dada Gavand lived similarly in a small hut on top of a hill for silence and solitude with his books and stove, and a villager used to provide him with rice and vegetables at regular intervals of time. His austerity and meditation for a period of six months or so, resulted in his enlightenment. The positives of such dwellings are silence, solitude, beautiful and unpolluted natural surroundings which are rich in prana or chi, and facilitates faster spiritual growth. However it is important to do one's due diligence and research before going for such options.

Website on the teachings of Dr. Frederick Lenz, also known as Zen Master Rama (1950 - 1998) ... https://ramaquotes.com/ https://www.zenmasterrama.com/