Showing 419 articles
The Wisdom of Trees
Author: Manjula NanavatiMarch 28, 2022
“Trees are sanctuaries. Whoever knows how to speak to them, whoever knows how to listen to them can learn the truth. They do not preach learning and precepts, they preach, undeterred by particulars, the ancient law of life.” – Herman Hesse (1) There is a relative uncertainty as to when our earliest human ancestors evolved [...]
Matrix 4 Film Review
Author: Pierre PoulainFebruary 24, 2022
The Movie The Matrix, released in 1999, and its two sequels (Reloaded and Revolutions), released in 2003, have together been an international phenomena. The first movie in particular, was known as a modern version of Plato’s Myth of the Cave, and the two subsequent parts are of the same universe – the real world and the [...]
Are we all Culturally Appropriating?
Author: Gilad SommerFebruary 8, 2022
The concept of cultural appropriation originated in academic circles in the 1980s. In the last decade, it had gained popularity, especially in the US, aiming to give autonomy to minority populations and to prevent the use of cultural elements to denigrate these populations and reinforce prejudice. Nevertheless, like many other things in the political correctness [...]
Embrace the Light and the Darkness
Author: Savonne Johnson and Tushar SawantJanuary 27, 2022
Last year was a time of hardship and difficulty. We encountered new challenges and trials that made us question ourselves in the face of fear and anxiety. These fears can be catalysts for change. Let us look at an example from our youth. When we were young, we believed things that were not true. An [...]
Living Philosophy: How Words of Plato and Marcus Aurelius are Relevant Today
Author: Trishya ScrewvalaJanuary 3, 2022
First published in The Indian Express on 18th Nov 2021 As we begin to step out after almost two years of being largely confined to our homes, the occasion of World Philosophy Day today offers an opportunity to reflect on the challenges we faced, and the value and need of philosophy in these unprecedented times. [...]
For Your Soul to Grow
Author: Jorge Angel LivragaJanuary 3, 2022
I am not referring to your Divine Spirit which, because it is so, can neither grow nor diminish, be born nor die, but to that higher part in us which we commonly call Soul. It is common knowledge that physical exercise, for example, develops muscles, and that any learning must be based on tenacity in [...]
The Ancient Stoics Come to our Aid Today
Author: Delia Steinberg GuzmánDecember 13, 2021
As a result of the number of adverse situations we have to face, many health professionals are having to propose solutions to deal with the ever-increasing number of cases of uncontrolled and unmanageable emotions, depressions or, on a smaller scale, states of anxiety. It is interesting that this has led us to turn to the [...]
A Sufi Transformation: Baba Bulleh Shah
Author: Sukesh MotwaniNovember 7, 2021
Hazrat Baba Bulleh Shah is believed to have been born in 1680, in the small village of Uch (Bahawalpur, Punjab) in present-day Pakistan, where his father, Shah Muhammad Darwaish, was a Paish Imam and teacher. Most historians confirm that Bulleh Shah worked as an adolescent herder in the village. Despite his poverty, however, he was [...]
Mastering the Bow
Author: Harianto MehtaNovember 7, 2021
Yogastha Kuru Karmani First establish being in yourself, and only then perform action. Introduction Amidst a series of mystical verses compiled in the Bhagavad Gita, this is one of the fundamental instructions that Krishna transmits to a distraught Arjuna, when faced with the prospect of killing his own cousins in the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in [...]
Transitions
Author: Nuphar TavorSeptember 28, 2021
We are so busy trying to build ourselves a permanent, stable, comfortable life environment. Our steady job, the people we meet, the things we do when we are not at work. Stability is very important to us, perhaps to every living creature. We need reassurance that tomorrow will look more or less like yesterday and [...]
The Darshanas: Six Schools of Indian Philosophy
Author: Manjula NanavatiAugust 25, 2021
“Truth is one. Sages call it by different names.” – Rig Veda The six darshanas are philosophical systems, or schools of thought, that take their authority from the Vedas. As implied by the meaning of the word darshana, to see or to experience, the six disciplines offer unique points of view, six separate windows from [...]
The Story of Cinderella – An Inner Voyage
Author: Akanksha SanghiAugust 25, 2021
I recently had the opportunity to investigate my all-time favourite fairytale, Cinderella, in a new light. I realised that we can infact extract very practical principles to apply in our daily lives. But for this, we need to look at the story that we are so familiar with, through a new lens, leaving behind our [...]