First impressions hereon will be a blog that would give my first impressions on any book I am reading/have read.
I came across the book "Spontaneous Healing" at Twice sold Tales, a second hand bookshop in Seattle. The first three chapters were gripping and discussed the importance of belief and faith in healing.
The book describes the author's journey for alternative medicinal practices that serve to treat the root cause of a disease rather than the sometimes superficial symptoms shown by a patient.
A wonderful account of the healings through "Osteopathy" is described. The medicinal benefits of herbal plants such as Gingko Bilaba and Bloody root are also given through many testimonials. The author mentions that testimonials are usually dismissed by the so-called modern allopathists because endorsing them could get them into trouble. But the author takes pains to explain that his exploration of the truth behind these testimonials have helped many of his patients (For instance, Bloody root being very helpful for benign/malignant moles that develop on skins).
Most of the case-studies presented are spontaneous remissions in cancer affected patients. This is something also discussed by Deepak Chopra in his book "Quantum Healing". Review of this book in a later blog.
The theme in both these books is that there are many cancer cases that are dismissed by doctors as untreatable, that is the cancer has become so deep-rooted in the organs of the patient's body that nothing short of a miracle can heal the patient. The books go onto say that when these miracles do happen, doctors dismiss them as rare cases. The two books emphasize that these so-called miraculous cases need to be investigated thoroughly because modern allopathic medicine fails to include one important component that is the basis of many alternative medicinal systems - Faith and belief of the patient in a cure and the body's ability to heal itself.
Friday, December 28, 2007
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi
I read this book partially back in college. Heavy with philosophy but great with insights.
Got this book again now. Gonna read it over the next 3-4 months and see how the experience is.
Got this book again now. Gonna read it over the next 3-4 months and see how the experience is.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Lessons learnt over the past one year
I have been a graduate student for around one year. I have learnt a lot of lessons over the past one year, that I wish to document some place and this is that right place:)
The lessons I have learnt are both academic and personal in nature. The lessons learnt are as much about success in life as much about happiness in life. [Note the two are not necessarily correlated].
1) I came here with a great motivation. I wished to do a phd in 3 years, make a mark in the academic community, and ofcourse publish a lot of papers.
2) While I had the desire to work at the level required to attain the goal mentioned in the previous point, I didn't have the perseverance required to do the same. You got to be able to go everyday to the lab and plug in 8 hrs and hope that you get atleast 4 hrs worth of work done. This is something I had to learn the hard way. I was used to work in the bursts, and the bursts occuring as the deadlines approached closeby.
3) I had learnt that research is what you wish to do. Its not what your advisor directs you to do and you just execute the same. No, its more of a process of becoming an independent researcher, needing minimal guidance from your advisor. Its a process where you become more confident in your committment to work, perseverance, dedication to work and skills in time management. Yep, time-management would sum it all up. Drawing up 3-4 goals for the day and executing as many of them as possible is the way.
4) Your advisor is your biggest asset while you are in graduate school. Make sure you are in good, nay really good terms with the advisor, even if you don't think that's required. The academic community is a small world, my dear, and realationships matter here more than in the real world(read: jobs, personal life, etc).
5) When in doubt, be honest and when in doubt again, be nice to people. Being nice is the first thing people expect from you and its easier to get around with that attitude.
6) Honesty is the best policy is something I learnt while I was a kid in school. I am relearning the same through my experiences in life.
7) There are several aspects to our personality: The physical, intellectual, mental, psychological, emotional, etc. It is not good at all to neglect any one part of your personality. When you are hitting rock bottom, your way out is made easier if the aspects of your personality are well balanced. Infact, you wouldn't hit rock bottom unless there is an imbalance in your personality.
8) Be modest. It doesn't matter who you are or where you come from. Every single human being, however wretched or however great deserves the same amount of respect and that includes yourself too.
9) Work hard. There is nothing like hard work to get you out of a 'seemingly murky' situation.
10) State of mind: Your state of mind should be equanimous, especially when things are not going well for you. It removes the perception of negativity from the so called 'bad experiences'.
11) Meditate: Take time to meditate everyday, bring a sense of steadiness to your life.
The lessons I have learnt are both academic and personal in nature. The lessons learnt are as much about success in life as much about happiness in life. [Note the two are not necessarily correlated].
1) I came here with a great motivation. I wished to do a phd in 3 years, make a mark in the academic community, and ofcourse publish a lot of papers.
2) While I had the desire to work at the level required to attain the goal mentioned in the previous point, I didn't have the perseverance required to do the same. You got to be able to go everyday to the lab and plug in 8 hrs and hope that you get atleast 4 hrs worth of work done. This is something I had to learn the hard way. I was used to work in the bursts, and the bursts occuring as the deadlines approached closeby.
3) I had learnt that research is what you wish to do. Its not what your advisor directs you to do and you just execute the same. No, its more of a process of becoming an independent researcher, needing minimal guidance from your advisor. Its a process where you become more confident in your committment to work, perseverance, dedication to work and skills in time management. Yep, time-management would sum it all up. Drawing up 3-4 goals for the day and executing as many of them as possible is the way.
4) Your advisor is your biggest asset while you are in graduate school. Make sure you are in good, nay really good terms with the advisor, even if you don't think that's required. The academic community is a small world, my dear, and realationships matter here more than in the real world(read: jobs, personal life, etc).
5) When in doubt, be honest and when in doubt again, be nice to people. Being nice is the first thing people expect from you and its easier to get around with that attitude.
6) Honesty is the best policy is something I learnt while I was a kid in school. I am relearning the same through my experiences in life.
7) There are several aspects to our personality: The physical, intellectual, mental, psychological, emotional, etc. It is not good at all to neglect any one part of your personality. When you are hitting rock bottom, your way out is made easier if the aspects of your personality are well balanced. Infact, you wouldn't hit rock bottom unless there is an imbalance in your personality.
8) Be modest. It doesn't matter who you are or where you come from. Every single human being, however wretched or however great deserves the same amount of respect and that includes yourself too.
9) Work hard. There is nothing like hard work to get you out of a 'seemingly murky' situation.
10) State of mind: Your state of mind should be equanimous, especially when things are not going well for you. It removes the perception of negativity from the so called 'bad experiences'.
11) Meditate: Take time to meditate everyday, bring a sense of steadiness to your life.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Monday, September 10, 2007
Dream - I: Arousal
I will try and record my dreams in this blog since it might help me review them later on.
Dreams for me, have been mostly in B&W, with a few notable exceptions lately - Colour and the one I remember vividly is greenery, green grass which seemed as real as in life. Dreams in my experience are mostly a projection of my frustrations and angst or things that have been occupying my mind during the time I have those dreams.
But of late, and in particular, yesterday, I had a dream that had an amazing climax..or just shy of a climax.
I was in my hostel at IITM in a friend's room and since I am in recollection mode right now, I hardly remember what I was doing there. But a while later I was down and that's where I noticed the surrounding greenery and I was pleased with the colour in the dream. Later on, I was among a group of people who were hanging around the hostel and doing some vague stuff.
Dreams are hard to recollect as you can see from my description. A girl who was with me accompanied me back to my friends room(why not my room? dreams have not much logic), but this time it was only me and this girl.
And wonders of wonders, she sported a bikini. I only got to look at her butt and her long slender legs, but that was enough to have me completely aroused in the dream and I was rushing to my friends room and I even remember asking her if she could indulge in some sex, and wierdly and ofcourse shockingly to me, she consented with a smile. I hurriedly tried unlocking the friends room and during those tense moments, I woke up excited and the arousal stayed with me for quite sometime.
Frequent dreams like these and I wouldn't mind sleeping often!
Dreams for me, have been mostly in B&W, with a few notable exceptions lately - Colour and the one I remember vividly is greenery, green grass which seemed as real as in life. Dreams in my experience are mostly a projection of my frustrations and angst or things that have been occupying my mind during the time I have those dreams.
But of late, and in particular, yesterday, I had a dream that had an amazing climax..or just shy of a climax.
I was in my hostel at IITM in a friend's room and since I am in recollection mode right now, I hardly remember what I was doing there. But a while later I was down and that's where I noticed the surrounding greenery and I was pleased with the colour in the dream. Later on, I was among a group of people who were hanging around the hostel and doing some vague stuff.
Dreams are hard to recollect as you can see from my description. A girl who was with me accompanied me back to my friends room(why not my room? dreams have not much logic), but this time it was only me and this girl.
And wonders of wonders, she sported a bikini. I only got to look at her butt and her long slender legs, but that was enough to have me completely aroused in the dream and I was rushing to my friends room and I even remember asking her if she could indulge in some sex, and wierdly and ofcourse shockingly to me, she consented with a smile. I hurriedly tried unlocking the friends room and during those tense moments, I woke up excited and the arousal stayed with me for quite sometime.
Frequent dreams like these and I wouldn't mind sleeping often!
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Equanimous state of mind - I
Let me ask you, what if a man were to attain a state of mind that is independent of external events. Even if the world is wallowing in the sorrow of say a famine or drought or earthquake, even if his own professional life were to be screwed up, even if his personal life were to be screwed up.. The man has the same state of mind, a state of mind that can be best described as equanimous.
Wouldn't the man be happy and peaceful, all the time?
Wouldn't the man be happy and peaceful, all the time?
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