THOUGHT FOR TODAY

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

Let nothing upset you,
Let nothing frighten you,
Everything is changing;
God alone is changeless.

Patience attains the goal
Who has God lacks nothing;
God alone fills all needs.

Saint Teresa of Avila.

RELIGIONS

RELIGIONS

In every religion, there is the fine thread of truth woven into its fabric; therefore all religions should not only be tolerated, but respected. But because of the inability of the vast majority to seek and find that thread, religion has been exclusive and divisive. Devotees of the different religions wrangle about whose fabric is the best and the only acceptable one, and this thinking, exploited by priests and gurus, is the cause of most of the bloodshed that took place and are taking place in the world.

Those fortunate ones, the mystics of whatever their religion, who have sought diligently have realized that all differences disappear when that thread is found and they see themselves as one. There is no difference in religious quest as all seek the same goal, though their paths may be different. That goal to some is Salvation, to some Nirvana and to others Brahman (the Absolute)…

When a friend asked the eighteenth century poet William Blake if he believed in the divinity of Jesus, Blake replied; “Yes, Jesus is God; so am I, and so are you”. What Blake was saying here is that man is divine, even if he does not realize it. He is a ‘spark’ of the Supreme Spirit, the image of God, and therefore identical with it. Even as the waves are identical with the Ocean; each having its own individuality, small wave, large wave, enormous wave, and tsunami, when wind or whatever the cause subsides, each realizes that it is nothing but the ocean.

A contemporary of Blake, John Donne, made this statement: “No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod is washed away by the sea, Europe is the less as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of your friends or of thine own were. Any man’s death diminishes me because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.

Another, J.D. Cole said that the world’s problems are ours whether we believe it or not, it is still ours. This brings us to the Interconnection and interdependence of mankind. Whatever happens to any individual or section of the community affects all. All life is one. Remove the source from which it comes and all cease to exist. Humanity is one and indivisible. There is only one Race, the Human Race.

These are all concepts which proclaim the interconnectedness and interdependence of all mankind. But it goes further; we are interconnected with all creation. Every creation, animate or inanimate is significant and has a purpose. It is said: “God sleeps in stone, wakes in trees, walks in the lower animals, but thinks in man”. According to this philosophy, God is in everything and is everything.

When man realizes that he is not this corruptible body, that he is not this restless mind; that he is not intellect, that he is not this craving ego; that he is Atma (Spirit), unborn uncreated, he will be liberated.

Lord Jesus said: Seek and ye shall find; knock and it shall be open unto you; ask and it shall be given unto you. Also “Be ye perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

Randall Butisingh

A SOUTH INDIAN FOLK SONG

A SOUTH INDIAN FOLK SONG

Into the bosom of one great sea
Flow streams that come from hills on every side,
Their names as various as their springs;
And thus in every land do men bow down
To one great God, though known by many names.

Birthday Message - Dec 01, 2007.

December 1, 2007. - “It is never too late to learn”

My dear all Mankind:

December 1, 2007, will be the 95th year of my sojourn on planet earth, I have lived another year to see the sun, and hopefully if it is will to see another year. I am thankful for his grace, without which, I could not have overcome so many hardships and survived so many dangers. Living long has no meaning unless it is lived with enthusiasm and commitment in service to your fellow man. We live in deeds, not years. Living long has meaning if one can redeem oneself with the the time given. It is never too late to learn, youth is an attitude, not number of years. The soul never grows old. In the evening of my day, I have done things which only my age and experience could have done. I have acquired patience, forbearance, tolerance and respect for the views and opinions of others. I have learnt that humility is a great virtue as it is the foundation for all other virtues. I am impervious to insults and anger cannot find lodging in my breast. I believe that all mankind is one and that love is inclusive. That our aim in life is unconditional love, that without love, life has no meaning. In short, no one truly lives who does not truly love.

My dear brothers and sisters, no matter how long we live in time, Life’s day is short in the context of eternity. We came into this world with nothing and we will carry nothing with us when we depart. Only what we have given in love will we take to eternity. If one has nothing but the love of children and the respect of his fellowman, he has what gold and silver cannot buy.

I love you all. May the Lord Bless and Keep you.

Randal Butisingh a/k Mahashri a/k Babuji a/k Adhyapakji a/k Teacher Randall.

WORKERS HAVE NO INCENTIVE TO WORK

WORKERS HAVE NO INCENTIVE TO WORK

(This article was written some 20 years ago, when the Guyana dollar was devalued to 115 to 1, during the Presidency of Desmond Hoyte, after the government came under IMF control and where the sudden currency devaluation had a damaging effect on the wages of workers and pensioners. Here is my article written in 1987 followed by a 2007 update.

1987: Guyana analysis by Randall Butisingh

“Today there are more Guyanese domiciled abroad than there are in Guyana.  Today, workers are still not being paid a living wage. The country is strangled by inflation.  Many Guyanese would like to return to their country to serve, but the climate is not conducive for that.

“PEOPLE are the most precious resource of any nation.  In Guyana massive migrations have eroded not only the muscle of the nation, but also the fertile top-soil of brain and spirit.  Because of this, the work force has been downgraded into mediocrity and incompetence.  The University, a free institution in one of the poorest countries of the world has been manufacturing brains for export to other countries where there is a better standard of living.

“To make matters worse, the high cost of living and the inflationary trend have rubbed salt into the wounds of the suffering worker, who, through no fault of his own, is reeling under the impact of a starvation wage..

“Poverty is a crime in the sense that anything short of a living wage will breed corruption and evils of all sorts. And in a country, where the value of the dollar is dictated by private cambios, and the price of rice is allowed to soar because of unhealthy competition, there are harder times ahead for the consumer.

“This is a moral as well as a financial crisis, and individuals, groups and organisations cannot remain neutral; they need to cry out and bring pressure to bear on the system.  If they do not, they will, in the words of Hugh Wharton, have to resign themselves to a process of slow death.

 2007: Guyana Update by Randall Butisingh:
I am now 95  years old and like many Guyanese, am no longer living in Guyana. However, with the Internet and on-line newspapers as well as visits there, I do have a good idea of the situation. In reviewing this old letter for this BLOG. I am truly amazed that how little has changed in 20 years as regards the plight of workers - workers are still not being paid a living wage.

 The US dollar exchange is now 200-1; the people are still leaving in droves; the University is still creating graduates for export as 80% go overseas within five years. The recently implemented 16% Value Added Tax imposed by IMF pressures has created even higher inflation. People on fixed incomes and pensions suffer most in such situations. No wonder the sugar workers, and civil servants like teachers, nurses, police and military, are so discontented, and are demanding higher wages. Where can be the incentive to work when the pressures of daily living are so stressful and almost overpowering?  Is this not the process of slow death as was quoted in 1987?

 Guyana may now have improved infrastructure, better roads and inflows of remittances from Guyanese overseas. These remittances keep the economy afloat and are the greatest foreign exchange earners and they  may also help in preventing widespread discontent. However, people are a country’s greatest resource, and as I said some 20 years ago, the system of low wages, low output and a dysfunctional economy where the best brains and trained people are emigrating, does not auger well for the future.

 Randall Butisingh  (rbutisingh@hotmail.com)

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

With anger we gain the power to agitate, but with love we gain the power to persuade. Anger makes us active, but love makes us insightful. With anger we can move armies, but with love we can move hearts. With anger we can fight war, but with love we can obliterate war. With anger we might end the world, but with love we can recreate it.

Marianne Wilkinson.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

If there is light in the soul
     there will be beauty in the person
If there is beauty in the person
     there will be harmony in the house
If there is harmony in the house
     there will be order in the nation
If there is order in the nation
there will be peace in the world.

Chinese Proverb

The LORD Commands

Those things the LORD has commanded me:

Fear of God in private and public;
Justness, whether in anger or calmness;
Moderation in both poverty and affluence;
Joining hands with those who break away from me,
and giving those who deprive me;
and forgiving those who wrong me;
and making my silence meditation
and my words remembrance of God,
and taking a lesson from my observation.

THE HADITH
(sayings of the prophet Muhamed)

DISCRETION IN EATING

DISCRETION IN EATING

Someone said: “However little we eat, it is a little too much and death is afraid of the hungry (not starved) man.

There can be no doubt that food is the cause of most of the illnesses among civilised people today. These illnesses are unknown to primitive man. The purpose of eating is to sustain life and provide the nourishment which will help man to live a healthy and productive life. We eat to live and not live to eat. Eating is a means to an end and not an end in itself. We pay a heavy price if we do not observe this rule.

Now let us examine how lack of discretion in eating affects the health of the body. Too many people eat, not to satisfy hunger, but for pleasure. Only when the body calls for food should it be taken, and it should be plain and fresh and living - green vegetables, raw or not overcooked, fruits and nuts.
Processed food is not living food and should be avoided.

If we eat when we are not hungry, the digestive juices do not flow properly as they are not ready to work. Note how the mouth waters when you smell or see food when you are hungry. Some people try to stimulate the juices by using condiments which tickle the palate and cause a false appetite which makes them overeat.

Overeating does much harm to the body. It puts a heavy strain on the digestive organs which in time, become impaired. This results in overweight and obesity. Then too many foods are badly mixed - too much starch or too much fat. Saturated fat causes high cholesterol which is a danger to health. Very little water should,or none should be taken while eating as this dilutes the digestive juices, and cold water should not be drunk after eating; it impedes digestion.

All foods should be properly chewed and should, in the case of your not being a raw food vegetarian, should contain enough roughage to stimulate at least one daily movement of the bowels. Oats, not the processed one-minute kind, whole wheat bread and brown parboiled rice are recommended with plenty of green vegetables. Vegetarianism is the best way to go, but it is not possible in all circumstances. White meat from organically reared birds and wild fish can be substituted. Red meat should be avoided.

All meats are acid forming, and if used, the undigested part should not remain in the body too long. It will also be necessary to detoxify the body occasionally by periods of fasting or by taking blended vegetables or fruit juices for a few days.

Boiling and baking are the best ways of preparing foods. Enough water should be taken during the day as this will keep the blood fluid, aiding the circulation and stabilizing the blood pressure. A glass of hot water in the morning and one at night will be of great help to those suffering with very high blood pressure

I have a friend, living today. He is now 82. He has been living entirely for over 60 years on Raw Foods. He has cured a bad stomach, has no need for the doctor and medication. He is a thinker, an educator and a writer.

Randall Butisingh

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

Be ever active in self improvement and in the selfless service of humanity. One striking lesson we can learn from the running brooks, from the sparkling waters of murmuring rivers, from the cascading waters of waterfalls, is that wherever there is inertia, there is stagnation, ugliness and death. But where there is constant movement and righteous activity, there is bubbling joyousness, energy and creativity.

If you turn your life into a rhythmic movement towards God, you will be amazed to discover how thrilling this human life is, and how much there is in store for everyone who lives it fully.

Swami Jyotirmayananda