Serenus...

It was not unusual for Chetan to put this word as his custom message on the Gmail Talk. Well, this is something to notice; now a days the hidden personality being revealed on the web differently. However. Chetan and his creative musings are a good combination; since I know him as a mentor and friend for last a decade. He is in the core list of friends..


But this blog is not about Chetan, it is about Serenus. It is a latin word meaning calm and serene. Also some words that follow the same line are Serena or Serenity

Selene is the Roman Goddess of Moon. The beauty is the story that follows. Selene is known for her countless love affairs. The most famous of her loves is the shepherd Endymion. Other affairs of Selene's include involvement with Zeus and also Pan.

The details can be found at
http://thanasis.com/selene.htm and http://www.theoi.com/Titan/Selene.html

Endymion was a legendary character in Greek mythology. His is a unconventional love story. It is said that in time Selene bore the handsome mortal fifty daughters. Scholars have suggested that the number of daughters is symbolic, with each daughter possibly representing an individual month of an Olympiad. The details of his compelling legend have inspired art, poetry, and literature over the centuries.

The myth is twisted a bit to accommodate the mortal and an immortal engagement with each other. As a mortal, Endymion was subject to aging and death. But the Goddess Selene is young and beautiful for all times. To solve this, the Goddess of the Moon cast a spell on her lover, making him sleep forever. In this state of eternal slumber, Endymion kept both his youth and his good looks.

But as it goes "Endymion was visited by Selene every night and softly kissed by her rays of light".

I am not sure whether Selene and Endymion live for ever or not; but they live as the epitome of their love. Most importantly Selene lives in the words; and Serenus is one of them.

Chetan says he has a special liking for the word....GOD knows why, he will not reveal, and he goes one step further, to name his future baby in this name..Well; we all wait .....

Kazunori Konishi and Kanreki

Kazunori Konishi is the Principal Research Engineer,KDDI R&D Laboratories Inc. and also he is the trustee of Japan Network Information Center (JPNIC). JPNIC is the National Internet Registry in Japan that provides allocation and registration services of IP addresses and AS numbers. (http://www.nic.ad.jp/). JPNIC contributes to the society by providing Internet-related information as an information hub, and performing research, education and enlightenment activities.

Kazunori Konishi is a interesting person and at 60 years, he is dynamic and enthusiastic. I met him in the Internet2 fall 2006 meeting and we were together on various meetings. His involvement with APAN (http://www.apan.net) and the vision of taking it forward was the main discussion agenda for us. We agreed on various futuristic efforts and goals.

However, in the APAN dinner meeting, on 6th Dec 2006, it was a pleasant surprise when we celebrated the 60th Birthday of Konishi. Of course the food was great with the drinks. Copies of a sheet went around the tables and it read as follows :

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Kanreki

For men, the 60th birthday is called kanreki, the recognition of his “second infancy.” The Japanese characters in the word kanreki literally mean “return” and “calendar.” The traditional calendar, which was based on the Chinese calendar, was organized on 60-year cycles. The cycle of life returns to its starting point in 60 years, and as such, kanreki celebrates that point in a man’s life when his personal calendar has returned to the calendar sign under which he was born.Traditionally, friends and relatives are invited for a celebratory feast on one’s 60th birthday.

It is customary for the celebrant to be given a red hood and wear a red vest. These clothes are usually worn by babies and thus symbolize the celebrant’s return to his birth.

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This was in explanation to the red dress for the 60 year baby and for the celebration. Japanese tradition has great words and ways of celebrating occasions.

Kazunori Konishi was as youthful and fresh as a baby.

Kazunori San; we look forward for your koki (70th), kiju (77th joyous year), sanju(80), beiju (88) and sotsuju(90) and hakuju (99) ...and the celebrations there on with APAN group and others...

The following photo says it all ...

Ligten the Lamp, Enlighten the House, Awaken the Life..

"There is a house which is dark; and there is no electricity..and the Ghost with his two sisters used to stay there, crawling around the village sometimes.." I remember my grandma saying this in a shrill voice to all of us - clinging to her and trying to imagine the house. This used to make us silent and further follow her up in the story..and no need to say that the never-ending stories never used to end before we sleep ..or the sleep used to come before the story used to end.

Today, even when I imagine this house, it seems so scary so dark. Living in such a house is out of question. And so we can go there with a matchstick and a candle and illuminate the house..or try to get electricity and make it illuminated.

The house gets its beauty, its light and the visibility inside when the candle is lighted or the bulb glows. The Ghosts will go away and it will be place to live.

Is not the same thing goes with life, with the body and with the mind. Unless one switches on the light, it is so dark. Years together we never make the choice of illuminating the life and so it remains dark, it remains unexplored and not a place where the good thoughts can stay. Darkness swallows the self, the soul inside and we are left in the deep darkness.

Once the new light is searched for, there is connection that gets established between the body, the mind, the soul and the inner self. All of them gets connected, everything becomes so visible, so simple and logically connected. And the darkness is removed, the blind spot gets open, we see ourselves, and ...in the process others also see us and we see others.

Yes...there is a choice that is to be made. The choice of Darkness and Ghosts..or the choice of Lights and Living, beautiful house..The choice has to be made by you, by me, by the self, not by anyone else.

The first realization that there is a light beyond the darkness of life, the connection that exists between the inner self, the mind, the body, the soul and the life; this realization need to be there. Then only the choice can be made. Once the choice is made, the awakening happens, the flaring up, waking up, the soul-searching starts. The Ghosts like fear, insecurity, jealousy, greed, anger, ego, pride, selfishness start running away. The clear image transforms, the clarity evolves out of the fog...

They may call it Nirvana or Awakening or soul searching; but for me; it is just to share with You with Me and connect You with Me..through the invisible thread.

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Near death experience and Superconcsiousness...

Mellen-Thomas Benedict is an artist who survived a near-death experience in 1982. His experience is at : http://www.weboflove.org/neardeathexperience

Somewhere; it is said that these experiences are common to people who leave the aspiraiton of life towards the end; try ot see the world in a different way and are ready to face death. Research has a different point all together. Realistic views of life deny this factor all together.
The saints and sadhus of India or Hinduism has many such mention of experiences. Specially if one goes to Varanasi or Allahabad, there are many Sadhus who will always mention this aspect of life and tell the stories of nearness to God and Death many a times. However, not to mention that, some of them are good are in meditation for long hours.

Some of the stories of Manoj Das (http://www.loc.gov/acq/ovop/delhi/salrp/manojdas.html) also mentions this view. he says such experiences may be spiritual; but there may be some truth in it. He himself has gone to the way of searhing soul and has dedicated to the service at the Aurobindo Ashram. Prof. Das Says " Today's man is so preoccupied with his present that the future remains behind the curtain of his vision. He is not ready to ponder over the future because he feels it is very uncertain, and even a little inward thought digs out memories of a past burdened with agonies and woes." http://www.lifepositive.com/Spirit/masters/sri-aurobindo/manoj-das.asp

Whatever it may be, these stories mention the presence of the wider life beyond the human. It makes the linkage with the spiritual world. There is a control somewhere, there is a dynamic world beyond life and what science has found till now. Hopefully as we explore further, there will be more and more findings.

Question is - which path of exploration should one adopt? Is it the way Scientists and Psychologists try to explore? Is it the way The Near to death researchers try to explore? Or is it the way he has suggested in the book The Monk who sold his ferrari??

- Question perhpas will come when one is ready to explore..!!!!! In waiting for that day .....