Konstantin Volegna asked:


For every practice or thought, there is an opposite viewpoint. This is true with religious beliefs, political beliefs, and even opinions and studies of the environment. As humans, we both consciously and unconsciously choose to believe a side. There are many, many individuals who can see the reasoning on both sides of the proverbial fence, but there are also those that are staunchly devoted and will see no side other than their own. Medical treatments are no exception to this rule.

There are religious groups through out the world, including some who believe that a transfusion of blood is sacrilegious and would never take someone else’s blood into their body, as it makes them “impure”. There are some who do not believe in modern medicine and still, to this day, practice holistic medicine. However, most religions do not have a prejudice against Western medicine in whole, but may be against particular things, such as prescriptions for depression. Many Eastern religions have given birth to medical practices of their own. An example of this would be Taoism. Taoism believes in studying nature and its influences upon man. From this belief and observation rose the practice of acupuncture, which has to do with the flow of energy, Qi (pronounced chee), and how those affect areas of the body.

Passages from bibles, scriptures and a religion’s written word tend to be used by devout followers to discount the possibility of acupuncture as being a good thing. Many people will manipulate subjective - and even not so subjective - text from their spiritual writings to show that certain procedures and actions are nothing more than hocus-pocus or the “Devil’s work.” Certainly, once someone has taken a side and holds a firm opinion, they tend to feel that they have basis for their views and feel that others who argue with them have the wrong set of beliefs, no matter which religion they consider themselves a part of.

Quick fact: The traditional Chinese explanation of the effectiveness of acupuncture is based on the Taoist philosophy according to which good health depends on a free circulation of chi or life-force energy throughout all the organs of the body

However, for the most part, acupuncture is receiving a positive welcome in communities around the globe. Perhaps this is because of exercise programs, such as Yoga and Pilates, which have become so popular. Asian culture has exploded into the main stream in fashion, thought, spirituality, technology, and medicine. Years ago, such things as acupuncture and Yoga were only for the “beatniks”. The regular Joe did not practice such things and would not have heard the positive benefits, but nowadays, people around the globe want different choices when it comes to their bodies. Many individuals want to try to live a life with minimal medication and invasive procedures, turning to nature to help with illness and pain. Acupuncture is a good alternative.

Did you know that most experts would say that acupuncture is at least 2000 years old. The exact age is less important than the fact that Oriental Medicine is the most widely utilized healing system on this planet

Acupuncture, as mentioned before, has to do with the flow of energy in the body. The energy flows along pathways, fourteen to be precise, which are called meridians. All along the meridian, there are points within that can become blocked. Acupuncture is used to unblock the meridian and allow the energy to flow. This is done with the use of long, thin, solid needles, but most people report that the procedure is painless, so do not worry.

The medical field and the health-care services we choose to receive fall into our set of values and beliefs, be they moral or religious. Certainly, the ultimate decision to accept acupuncture or consider it nothing more than psychological smoke and mirrors remains yours alone, depending much on your personal group of beliefs and your opinion.



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Victor Epand asked:


Remembrance, Forgetfulness and Knowledge are important and connected. Krishna, as the Supersoul in everyone’s heart, ‘helps one to fulfill one’s desires in this world. According to our aspirations, we require to forget some things (such as God if one is an atheist), we require to remember other things, and we need knowledge.

Even the animals have instinctually based behavior that coincides with their desires. This so-called instinct is actually Krishna in the heart helping them to carry out their plans. Krishna knows the aspirations of all living entities. Krishna does this to give them facility to enjoy all of the varieties in this world. When the soul has finally realized the futility of attempting to enjoy separately from God, he turns to Krishna in the heart.

We have forgotten that we are part and parcels of Krishna, His eternal servants, because we want to pretend to be the” master of all we survey.”Krishna, however, sends messengers (saints, sages, preachers) to us to remind us of who we are. Krishna says that to one who seeks Him, serving Him with devotion, He gives knowledge how to approach Him. When someone comes to full Krishna consciousness, He reveals their eternal relationship with Him and removes all ignorance. 1. Bhagavad-gita 15.15, 2.Bhagavad-gita 10.10

The perverted Material world. What is this? In the Bhagavad-gita, krishna comares this material realm with a banyan tree that has its roots upwards and branches down. We may think that such a tree does not exist, but we can perceive such a tree as the reflection of an actual tree on the bank of a river. The root of such a tree, or where the actual tree and the reflected tree join, can be compared to the desire of the individual soul, which is manifest by his utilization of free will. By this free will he may choose to enter into the spiritual realm(actual tree) or the material world (reflected tree on the water). Just as a reflection is an inverted replica of the original, the relationships in this world are reversed representations of the relationships in the kingdom of God.

The Vedas tell us that there are five rasas, or relationships, that exist in the trancendental dimension: 1.Passive adoration, 2.Servitude, 3.Friendship, 4.Parental affection, and 5.Conjugal love. The asas are sometimes flavored by indirect relationships that come and go appropriately according to different situations. All of these relationships have as their focal point Krishna, Who is understood as the enjoyer in every instance, whereas the individual soul is the enjoyed, taking as his only pleasure the satisfaction of the Supreme Soul. This attitude brings complete satisfaction to the soul.

Here in the perverted reflection (material world) the individual soul attempts to be the enjoyer, taking all other entities, the material energy, and even God as the objects of enjoyment. The conditioned soul structures his life is such a way as to maximize this enjoyment, but is continuously frustrated. Ultimately, everything is taken away by the Supreme Lord in the form of time.



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Nawaz asked:


Religion is as old as the rise of self consciousness in men but its origin, as that of man is shrouded in obscurity. A man has probably lived on earth for about a million years. During the greater part of this period, he had no civilization and has not left his impress on any durable material. All we know about him is based on his fossilized remains and while they tell us a good deal about his physical shape and structure, they tell us little about the man in him. Men acquired some rudiments of civilization when he began to work on stone and metal and to shape for himself tools, which hitherto he had taken ready made from nature. The remains of his artifacts, however shed valuable light on his developing needs and beliefs.

Religion can be traced back to the dawn of human civilization. The caverns of primitive men, wherein dead bodies were laid with a provision of food and weapons, suggest beliefs and practices which are unmistakably religious in character. It would seem that no sooner had man attained the stage of mental development, represented by self consciousness and started on the road to civilization than his breathless wonder at the world around him gave way to speculation on his origin and destiny and on the power which created the world and sustains it. His thinking took the form of myth-making and his tools of thought were not concepts but symbols. He felt vaguely but intensely an infinite power at work in the world around him. This dimly sensed power evoked in him the responses of fear and reverence or worship. The urge to worship appears to have always been there, but man can worship only that which he believes to be both good and powerful, because of his own helplessness. Primitive man was slowly and painfully groping his way to the idea of religion. He was seeking with his scanty resources, for an object which he could appease or revere and worship. No doubt, he worshipped crude objects or simple natural phenomena, but we must not forget that for him they only symbolized the supreme power at work in the universe. Worship is a characteristic religious activity and the anthropologists have amassed ample evidence to prove that primitive man did worship something or other. It has also been proved that primitive tribes, even now living cherish beliefs and engage in practices which are undeniably religious in character in as much as they refer to some deity or deities and to life after death.

In the light of these findings one can safely affirm that religion is a universal phenomenon (for the simple reason that, as explained in the Introduction, the instinct of self-preservation is inherent in man).

In the modern age, religion is visible in many different aspects, sometimes it is looked upon as a natural phenomenon and as such it falls within the sphere of science. But as the experience of individual man, it falls within the purview of psychology, while as a social fact, it is the concern of the sociologist. The sociologist is however interested only in the function of religion as a cohesive force in society.



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Eric Putkonen asked:


Understanding is very different than knowledge. We could learn about something in great detail, accumulate many facts about it, and yet not really understand it. To understand something is to gain the meaning or essence of something, not to merely have a catalog of facts or just naming it. Understanding also implies being able to apply your understanding. For example, if I said 5 plus 5 equals 10, but 1 plus 1 and 8 plus 8 also equal 10…how many would agree? All three statements are true, but do you have the understanding to see through the problem?

We must also be wary of our beliefs, whether based on knowledge or not. Our beliefs act as blinders and colored lenses through which we perceive the world around us. Optimists and pessimists see the world very differently. When trying to understand something or learn about it, the best thing would be detachment from the results. You do not want to have a stake in your findings. I know skepticism is hailed as the right way to research, but that can only bring us so far. It has its limits because you believe that it is not and therefore that belief is coloring your own perceptions. It is like having a believer research something, the more he researches the more he finds that substantiates his belief and he overlooks much to the contrary. The same applies to non-believers…the skeptics. “Scientific Detachment” is what we need. To just look without a care about what you see. In this way we see reality clearly without coloring our perceptions. We want to understand…see the reality of it…without tripping over the obstacles of what we think we know or our beliefs - for or against.

Also having our consciousness in the here and now is needed. We can’t be attached to the past for what we find out may be very different. Also we can’t be dwelling on what will be or we won’t be looking at what is right now. To keep conscious and in the here and now will assure that what is perceived is the reality of the present, not an afterimage of the past or a mirage of the future.

Here is an exercise to try some time. Take a piece of fruit…say an orange…and really take a look at it. Look at it as if for the first time and you did not know what an orange was. Don’t name or label it, just look at it. Weight, color, texture, smell, temperature, size, imperfections, etc…experience this thing totally with all your senses. Now slowly peel it…again experience its color, texture, smell, temperature, how much force is needed to peel it, etc. Next you take a piece…keep mindful of the experience the whole time…and then put a piece in your mouth but do not immediately chew it. What is the initial taste, texture, etc? Then slowly chew it…does it make a sound, again how does it taste, texture, etc. Keep chewing until it is liquefied. Most people swallow without fully chewing their food. Chew really well…when you think it is enough, do it some more. Does the flavor change? Keep using all your senses and see how much you can get out of this experience. What did you learn that you did not know before? Do you better understand oranges? To go further, you could go see what an orange tree looks like and experience/investigate it totally. Look at the seeds and do the same. This is time consuming, but it is amazing how much can be learned about things we take for granted. Lastly, do not merely accumulate facts…try to sense the essence or meaning.

So back to the original problem…5+5=10, 1+1=10, and 8+8=10…and all are true…how could this be? The skeptic would immediately find reasons why these are not all true, but this would get in the way from understanding the reality of it. The answer lies in letting go of the assumptions and possibly the known, and try to see the reality. Each may be true, but does 10=10=10? In this scenario, they equal each other pictorially/visually but not mathematically. So what would give 1+1 the answer of 10 pictorially…binary. 1+1=2 and 2 is represented by 10 in binary. 8+8 would give the answer 10 in hexadecimal. So each set is using a different base…base 10, base 2, and base 16 respectively. Knowledge of different bases and math skills do not necessarily mean someone would understand and solve the problem when they encounter it. This illustrates vividly the difference between knowledge (accumulated facts) and understanding.

The deepest understanding would entail trying to become one with object…presently. Knowledge is only in the past. It is only memories of what was and not necessarily of what is; therefore, knowledge does not bring about understanding. As the past and present are two different things, so knowledge and understanding are two different things; and the twain shall never meet.



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