Ajay0

Lol... There is no shortage of entertainment after trump took over. Beats the tv soap operas anytime. I wonder what the european leaders have to say to Rutte's remark that Europe deserves to pay as they should in a big way, and his compliments of Trump. Both Macron and Rutte has been subject to global humiliation over an alliance that should not have existed after the cold war.

Ukraine is suffering heavy losses of manpower due to the ongoing war. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/05/world/society/ukraine-population-collapse/

Ukraine seems to have a demographic problem even before the war started, as per this report. https://euobserver.com/health-and-society/ar978eff35

A report has linked european trophy hunters to more than 80% of cheetah deaths around the world. https://the-european.eu/story-46267/exclusive-european-trophy-hunters-linked-to-more-than-80-of-global-cheetah-kills-report-warns.html

Many endangered animals other than cheetahs are also facing the heat from trophy hunters seeking perverse fun from killing them, taking advantage of weak regulations and rules in europe. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/trophy-hunt-animals-uk-ban-elephant-b2777875.html

This is true, and consequently I don't think this is something special or anything. Psychic abilities may come up due to spiritual exercises in this life or past lives , though it may seem serendipitous in the beginning. Decades back, I remember reading an article of a western woman who had some abilities related to x-ray eyes , and who was obviously disturbed seeing the internal organs of living people around her. As per author Dan Brown, most of the so-called witches in europe were actually spiritually evolved women who had psychic abilities as a consequence. However, their abilities attracted the wrong attention to them, leading to their genocide leading to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of women with spiritual potential. As per Brown, this created an inauspicious vacuum of the spiritual, feminine qualities and domination of the masculine qualities in europe, leading to a large number of wars disproportionate to the population, reducing it to a fraction of what it ought to be.

Yogananda wrote a story related to a yogi in his book , ' Autobiography of a yogi', of a naked yogi stumbling into the tent and harem of a muslim chieftain . Seeing the commotion caused by the naked yogi, the chieftain lopped off his hand with his sword. Unperturbed , the yogi just walked away. Feeling sorry for what he done, the chieftain took the lopped hand back to the yogi, who just reattached and healed it. The yogi then imparted some wisdom to the chieftain who sought the same. This is how the story goes in the book. There is no tiger and yogananda was not present during this incident, but only wrote it out of hearsay. I am not inclined to believe it unless there is direct witnessing. However I have read, heard and seen yogis capable of doing some fantastic stuff with their bodies and minds, some of which has been documented as well, so I won't be that surprised if the above story is true as well. I incline to the agnostic position here.

I suppose the reference is for the psychic abilities mentioned that most westerners find hard to believe. As a skeptic-rationalist myself, I have myself witnessed many psychic abilities in enlightened sages and yogis in India, which heavily eroded the skepticism within me. In course of meditation and Satsang, I found psychic abilities even rising in my own person, which left me totally convinced of such abilities. Imho, it is only when we discover such abilities rising in ourselves, that the cocoon of disbelief in them is finally shattered. These psychic abilities can be manifest in any healthy human being provided there are the right causes. Yogananda mentions such psychic abilities and astral dimensions and so on in his book, 'The autobiography of a yogi'. I don't know about the astral dimensions due to lack of direct personal experience but I do know that psychic abilities is a fact. However the likes of Buddha and Ramakrishna discouraged the exhibition of such psychic abilities which comes automatically in the spiritual process, as they are bound to increase the ego and tendencies to show off which can be detrimental to spiritual growth. However a utility of such psychic abilities is that one realizes the limitations of modern education and the voidness of the notion that the material world is the fundamental and only reality.

The two world wars which originated in europe and killed over a hundred million people, were said to have been a consequence of failures in diplomacy by short-sighted politicians as per historians. It is important to learn from the lessons of the european past, and ensure a robust mechanism for diplomacy and dialogue in europe to prevent any habitual return to unnecessary conflicts and wars leading to casualties and injuries. The UN, NAM and other neutral and unbiased international bodies can play a role in ensuring diplomatic channels for dialogue in Europe as they lack the emotivity and reactivity of european countries associated with the long history of national and regional conflicts over there, and which prevents an impartial observation of the situation and perception of the bigger picture.

If BRICS get involved, I would say the ukraine war will be over in a second. Both India and China have the two largest armies on earth, and is ranked third and fourth respective in air power. Either one have nearly inexhaustible manpower resources which can enable the creation of any number of million-strong armies that can overrun any battle field on earth. China especially has officially stated that Russian defeat in the ukraine war is not an option for neighboring chinese strategic interests, considering its own feud with Nato, and hence it will keep on supporting Russia to the very end till a russian victory is gained. This does not include the rest of the brics nations and global south that are supporting Russia officially or clandestinely. Europe , with an ageing and shrinking population, and a weakening economy due to lack of cheap russian energy, should see the writing on the wall, and get into diplomatic talks with russia.

India has good strategic ties with the Russians and Americans. I am hoping such a scenario does not come to pass as they can pressure India, which has the second largest army and third most powerful air force on earth to join them in their rampages. India should maintain its strategic autonomy and non-aligned state, and resist coercions to join them.

Geopolitical writer and commentator Arnaud Bertrand has praised India for its political courage which EU lacks, as per his perception. He also praised India for upgrading its diplomatic ties with China. https://www.businesstoday.in/amp/india/story/modi-has-the-political-courage-europe-lacks-entrepreneur-says-eu-lacks-will-courage-shame-for-giving-in-to-trumps-demands-490405-2025-08-21

John Mearsheimer, professor of political science at the University of Chicago, has said India's response to U.S. tariffs and pressure shows diplomatic sophistication, comparing with what he described as Washington's strategic blunders under President Donald Trump. https://www.businesstoday.in/india/story/indians-are-smart-top-us-scholar-says-trumps-chaos-wrecks-american-strategy-in-asia-493049-2025-09-08

A new promising era of surgical innovation have come up with the world's first long-distance robotic bariatric telesurgery in India. This potentially enables surgeons to operate across geographical regions in real time and ensure access to surgical expertise around the world where it was previously inaccessible. https://thewire.in/ptiprnews/india-ushers-in-a-new-era-of-surgical-innovation-with-worlds-first-long-distance-robotic-bariatric-telesurgery

India rejected as "factually incorrect, baseless, careless", Nato chiefs remarks to a reporter, on Modi calling Putin to discuss war strategy on Ukraine. https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/careless-india-rejects-nato-chiefs-pm-called-putin-for-ukraine-plan-claim-says-no-such-talk-took-place-2793921-2025-09-26 https://www.reuters.com/world/india/india-rejects-baseless-nato-chiefs-remarks-about-modi-putin-talks-2025-09-26/

India's 15-Year Space Plan:The plan includes deploying 103 satellites, launching multiple Chandrayaan missions, building a satellite-based internet constellation, and placing an Indian astronaut on the Moon by 2040. https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/indias-15-year-space-plan-103-satellites-chandrayaan-8-indian-on-moon-9150212

Isro has lined up Chandrayaan-6, 7 and 8 missions ahead of India's 2040 Moon landing goal, with the objective of creating human habitation bases on the moon, mars and other extraterrestial bodies. https://www.indiatoday.in/science/story/isro-lines-up-chandrayaan-6-7-8-ahead-of-indias-2040-moon-landing-goal-2776846-2025-08-26

Awareness is the quintessential teaching of the Buddha–from the awareness of cool air as you breath in and then out, to the profound awareness of natural perfection. And with boundless compassion and courage, the sole purpose and activity of all the Buddhas it is to ring the alarm bell that brings us to this awareness. ~ Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche “Awareness itself allows us to stand at the river’s edge without getting sucked into the current. We are liberated from the tyranny of the monkey-mind. Thoughts are still there. They may be quiet or turbulent, focused or wild and scattered. But we have stopped identifying with them. We have become the awareness, not the thoughts." ~ Mingyur Rinpoche If you conquer the primordial nature by distinguishing mind from awareness, the view of the absolute will naturally become clear…One day, as your confidence in awareness grows, mind will appear as witless as a child, and awareness as wise as a venerable old sage. Awareness will not run after mind, but eclipse it. In a relaxed, serene state, rest with ease. ~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

Russia already have major sphere's of influence in Asia, Africa and South America. Brics is largers than G7 and accounts for nearly half of the world population in itself. Russia boasts of friends like China, India, Indonesia Kazhakasthan, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, South Africa, Nigeria, Vietnam, Mongolia and so on. Why should Russia be interested in some very small eastern european countries which does not have any major economic strength or resources to boast of ? Russia's only interest in eastern europe is in its neighbors on the border for obvious security reasons !

The US has a 38 trillion dollar debt, the largest in the world, which is increasing in leaps and bounds, and can create catastrophic damage and American decline if not managed properly. Trump, a shrewd businessman, realizes this better than his predecessors , and consequently is creating pacts to reduce the haemorrhaging of American economy and also redirect it from a potential nuclear war with Russia, which can end the American dream forever. This is why he wants Europe alone to fight Russia and keep the US out of it opportunistically so that only Europe will end up as the loser. However European nations are also not free from debt and economic crises, and the loss of cheap energy from Russia replaced by highly expensive energy from the US has increased inflation and poverty in Europe. Though less than past years, this is why Europe still pays many billions to Russia each month for its energy, or else the economic backlash can be severe on the european economy as well. This is why the EU, that is at war with Russia with western media narratives proclaiming it as its most dangerous adversary, and at the same feeding it billions of euros each month for its fuel and adequately funding its war campaign. Since Russia’s war in Ukraine began, the EU has paid over €220 billion for Russian energy - about the same amount that Russia has spent on its war. It is similar to criticizing a ruffian for kicking one's behind and then paying him well for some valuables he has in his pocket. And then continuing the same process again and again endlessly. It is clear that EU still wants cheap Russian fuel to power its economy rather than going to poverty, and at the same time they want Nato to come to russian borders. Both cannot happen at the same time. If they want Nato at Russian borders, they should be willing to leave all of Russian fuel and risk greater poverty and a weaker economy in the process. If this is not an option for EU, then they should get to negotiations with the Russians. Obviously if trade is good enough for EU to give the russians billions each month even in wartime, why not sit and talk about the weather as well and later on about each other's security considerations and create a best case scenario for both parties.

I think Putin does not want countries neighboring Russia like Ukraine to be part of Nato, a military alliance hostile to Russia. This is highly understandable as no country on earth wants a hostile military force in its neighborhood. For example, the US threatened Russia during the cuban crisis with nuclear war, if it did not remove its wmd targetting the US from Cuba. Putin is okay with Ukraine being part of EU though.

Yes, thoughtless present moment awareness is what Osho and other spiritual masters are talking over here. Thought is a good tool for practical purposes like calculation and planning, but getting lost in incessant thinking and emoting due to influence of past memories and future imagination (leading to strong desires like cravings and aversions) is what is stated as unconsciousness here. Thinking here is compulsive and not conscious, and not switched off in a timely manner. Natural joy, peace and contentment is self-generated in thoughtless present moment awareness , while misery and psychological suffering is generated in the unconscious state of compulsive thinking and emoting, as the latter is an unnatural state and consequently unhealthy. I had created some threads on awareness and unconsciousness to shed light on the same...

Osho on why 23 hours of unconsciousness defeats a single hour of meditation, and the necessity for meditative awareness throughout the day. https://iosho.co.in/notes/meditation-can-happen-only-if-you-are-meditative-for-twentyfour-hours-a-dayosho/

Prince Andrew who is second in line to the british throne was also good friends with Epstein. Due to accusations and photographic evidence, Andrew however is now in a lot of trouble. It appears that Epstein cunningly created a social circle of high-profile figures around him to insulate him from any potential issues. Bill Clinton during his presidency and after that as well had a good relationship with Epstein. There has been no accusations and allegations against Clinton though. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relationship_of_Bill_Clinton_and_Jeffrey_Epstein

Around 15 years back I quit my job and lived like a hermit for a couple of months using my savings and a creative frugal lifestyle so as to reduce expenses. I took the time to read books, contemplate, gain perspective and practice meditation. An interesting insight I found then was that my life had slowed down to the point where I found myself enjoying the beauty of the full moon at night , something which I had never done before. Same with the beautiful orange sun set at evening. I even wondered why no one else around is observing such free beautiful sights and seemed to be carried away by unimportant trifles with their minds elsewhere and not present. I am not a hermit now but make it a point to slow down and enjoy the free sights of nature around in all its beauty. This always puts me in a good mood without fail and destresses me. A guy can live in the most beautiful place and yet still miss its beauty due to unconsciousness or psychological time in past/future, and be perpetually miserable instead consequently.