Medley

An article in the New York Times of April 17, 2012, reports the rise in number of persons opting for some form of vegetarian diet (Web site: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/the-challenge-of-going-vegan):

“The dominant social-cultural norm in the West is meat consumption,” said Hanna Schösler, a researcher in the Institute for Environmental Studies at Vrije University in Amsterdam, who has studied consumer acceptance of meat substitutes. “The people who want to shift to a more vegetarian diet find they face physical constraints and mental constraints. It’s not very accepted in our society not to eat meat.” / Still, the numbers are substantial, according to according to a 2008 report in Vegetarian Times. Three percent of American adults, 7.3 million people, follow a vegetarian diet, and one million of them are vegans, who eat no animal products at all — no meat, fish, eggs, milk, cheese, even honey. (And 23 million say they rarely eat meat.) / No one knows how many people have tried and failed to switch to vegan or vegetarian diets, but the popularity of books like “The China Study” and the “Skinny Bitch” series suggests that interest is growing. New vegans often cite Robert Kenner’s 2008 documentary “Food, Inc.,” which offers an unsettling view of corporate farming and the toll it takes on animals, the environment and human health.

Ruth Richards – USA

A chapter for a book with seven chapters

2—LOOKING AGAIN: Seeing Vastly More

Even now, what we see is definitely less than what we get. Let us look again at something we have already noticed. With conscious awareness, we can unveil ever more of the invisible. The depth and detail, richness, and sometimes beauty, of things we dismiss with little more than a name or a label. Noticing only what it takes for our action or goal.

An example: Norm is at a friend’s house and they are all going to the movies. The friend’s son is loading the dishwasher and the mom points out some plates and the mugs on the counter. Off the dishes go into the dishwasher, a little roughly, actually; the boy could have broken one. Later, he probably couldn’t have described any of them; they were just things that needed moving, plates, glasses, and mugs, remembered only by their names. There was a special “mug” in there, but no one noticed at that time.

Turns out Norm had made this mug the year before, when his friend was diagnosed with cancer, and when it wasn’t clear if she’d even make it. Norm made the mug at a pottery place where people can come and glaze, paint, and fire ceramics. Norm picked a large unfinished mug of clay, solid, but not too heavy, nipped in the middle, large handle, bowed out lip—easy to lift and drink from. He glazed it light tan to go with the clay, and put lavender colored flowers for healing, actually more like abstract purple blobs, around the top, with a few accents of white and green--Norm knew drawing flowers was not his forte. Finally he wrote “Be Well” on the side in white paint. Norm’s friend really loved the mug—and she cherished every bit of his work, and all it meant at this precarious time.

An Abstract by Leon H. Maurer (August 23, 1924 - June 19, 2011)

Longstanding Theosophist.

Leon H. Maurer held a graduate degree in Chemical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he specialized in atomic energy and electronic control and communication network systems, with additional graduate studies in ceramics, material science, physics, and architectural engineering.

He completed his graduate studies in communication arts at the New York Institute of Technology. He had instructed graduate level advanced courses in motion picture optical and computer special effects, and had done pioneering work in the early development of 3-D computer graphic animation and CGI special effects systems at the NYIT Visual Arts Center and Computer Graphics Lab (1976-79). 

Maurer held patents -- as one of the earliest inventors of motion control and automatic animation systems, and of 3-D and original lithographic printing systems. He was also an expert in 3-D stereo-optic visual communication systems.

For a period of forty years, Maurer delved deeply into eastern theories of metaphysics, physiology, psychology and consciousness, and practiced Patanjali’s Rajah Yoga of Mind Awakening.

He was director of consciousness study and research for the Uniworld Institute of PsiTechology

The New York Times for April 12, 2012, has an opinion column by Nicholas D. Kristof asking the question “Is an Egg for Breakfast Worth This?” It describes the abysmal conditions in which hens are kept by large-scale commercial chicken farmers who supply eggs to most grocery chains. And of course much the same could be said generally of those who raise animal as meat. All this will come as no news to vegetarian Theosophists, many of whom eschew flesh, fish, and fowl, not for reasons of their own health (though that is certainly a factor), but rather out of the moral principle of ahimsa. It is, however, encouraging to see the problem addressed in the major national newspaper of the United States.

Ruth Richards – USA

a chapter for a book with seven chapters

“When I am creating I am more…”

AWARE

Can we be programmed to look beyond the marvels of
life? We need our conscious awareness for creativity.
True, we miss much we don’t want to see. But what
about beauty and wonder? This is where we shall start.
If tomorrow we see a new daisy that just bloomed by our
front path, this may not seem very important — never
mind the herald of a dangerous transformation in our
entire lifestyle. But it could be. Because once we learn
to see, we learn to see what we have been missing.

We can live in a world of Aha’s!, a world of wonders. If we choose, we can see marvels around each corner. Yet how often we miss this completely. You may not believe it now, but much of our reality is effectively invisible. We look right past it—as if it weren’t even there.
Yet we can open our eyes and regain this invisible world. The goal of the first chapter is precisely this: to begin to see more, and to see with fresh vision. Now we can truly be creative.

Our first step is to become more consciously aware. And then to be more aware of this awareness—more self-aware— to decide what we are doing, what we want to change, want to keep, and even make part of our lifestyle.

If you, the good reader, are willing to take a little risk and try three experiences later on, here is betting you will see a difference! Even if you’re super-perceptive right now, you should see something. After all, says the Zen student, it can take aeons truly to learn to see. But, let us add, only a microsecond to reframe our reality. And to open our minds to whole new vistas.

Not so sure about this? Here’s a moment that stopped me cold.

Compiled by Nicholas Weeks – USA

[This is an excerpt from the Avatamsaka Sutra, chapter 11, Pure Conduct.  It is a daily practice that uses our mind to uplift ordinary actions into nobler, less self-centered actions. It is from the City of 10,000 Buddhas website: Click here ]

Avatamsaka Sutra

At that time, Manjushri Bodhisattva said to Foremost Wisdom Bodhisattva, “Good indeed! Disciple of the Buddha, out of a wish to bring great benefit and peace to all beings in the world, on whom you take pity, and to benefit and delight gods and humans, you have now asked about such principles.

George Harrison must have known about Theosophy. Working Class Mystic, written by Gary Tillery was recently published by Quest Books. Look out for the review in our next issue.

George Harrison

Many articles have appeared dealing with the “Harrison phenomenon”. He was much more than just a member of the Fab Four. Also Martin Scorcese’s documentary George Harrison – Living in the Material World has contributed to a renewed interest in the life and work of the ex-Beatle.