Tag: Philosophy

Dharma is What We Need, Not Blind Faith

On July 28, 2025

In this post, we discuss about…

An Existential Crisis

I feel extremely tired these days. Yes, there is some physical and mental exhaustion, but I think the fatigue is mostly existential. It’s not a tiredness that sleep cures. It’s something that builds up when you keep trying to speak truth in a place where loudness gets rewarded over clarity, tradition over thought, and obedience over integrity. It’s the fatigue that makes me think often, What’s the point when doctors, teachers, and scholars, those who should know better, lend approval to illogical ideas wrapped in the cloak of science and spirituality?

Take, for instance, a Facebook post I recently came across. Hiding behind the language of science and spiritual metaphors, it sought to justify menstrual untouchability by comparing the energy of menstrual blood to negative electric charge. The writer, claiming to educate his daughter, went on to explain that the “positive charge” of sacred spaces and things like temples, kitchens, or janai must not be contaminated by the “negative energy” of menstruating women because the interaction creates an “invisible explosion.” The explosion, he claimed, is why women are becoming more fierce, independent, and can’t stay married for long.

The comments section was filled with applause. Among those clapping? A few doctors, educators, and spiritual Gurus!

I was left dumbfounded.

What we are witnessing in Nepal today is not the preservation of Dharma, but the entrenchment of Andhabishwas, blind faith passed off as eternal truth. Dharma (a concept separate from religion), in its truest sense upholds justice (nyaya), truth (satya), and the moral order of life (neeti). It invites self-inquiry, critical thought, and compassionate action. On the contrary, blind faith silences inquiry. It fears doubt. It weaponizes tradition to suppress dissent.

The ancient sages who shaped the foundations of Hindu philosophy did not demand unthinking submission. They debated fiercely in forests and courts, composed verses that questioned the gods themselves, compiled them into Vedas and Vedantas and taught that real knowledge (vidya) liberates, not binds.

Yet today, we use the Upanishads to justify exclusion, and science to strengthen taboo. Women are told that their biological cycle is impure, dangerous, unspiritual. And if one dares to challenge that, they are dismissed as Westernized, brainwashed, or even worse, Dollare, someone who advocated because of Western funding.

The Loneliness of Truth

When even those trained in medicine lend their authority to the blind notions, it feels as if the last light of reason is flickering out. Sometimes, I wonder if living a few more years in this country will drive me mad. Seeing loud nonsense turning into common sense overwhelms me. And the silence in the face of that noise gives me pain. At times, I can’t even speak the truth in my own home. If one cannot reach their family, who else can they reach?

I often fall into the same trap I criticize. I say I will speak my truth, but I act against it. I think clearly but behave hesitantly. I seek validation when I should be building conviction. I say “yes” when my entire being screams “no.” I let others steer my path while telling myself I’m still in control.

But perhaps the first Dharma is to admit where you are lost, so you may begin to find your way.

We Are Not Alone, Even If We Feel Alone

I feel crazy and weak. If you’re tired like me, let’s wake up together. The world rewards comfort, conformity, and community. But truth is often cold, isolating, and unpopular. Still, it is the only thing that will hold when the crowd disperses.

So, if you are caught between inherited faith and chosen reason like me, at least question the stupidity. It is not only rebellion but also reverence. It is what Dharma demands.

Let’s Reclaim Dharma

Let’s not give up our spiritual heritage to those who have emptied it of ethics. Let’s reclaim Dharma as a compass of justice. Let’s not put Dharma in the cage of ritual. Let’s teach our children that menstruation is not a curse but a sign of life; that purity lies not in a body untouched, but in a mind uncorrupted.

Let’s bring up courage to say: I do not agree. I will not conform. I choose Dharma, not dogma. Let’s break out of traditions that rob us of our dignity.

Truth does not need an army.
It needs voices that will not lie.

मानव र एआईको सम्बन्ध : “सावर्णि” उपन्यासको सन्दर्भमा

By Sandeept

On October 17, 2024

In Book Review, Humanity, Humans and Humanity, Literature, Science And Society, नेपाली

(सुझाव : डा. श्रीधर खनाल रचित सावर्णि उपन्यास पढ्नुभएको छ भने पढ्नुहोला । कहानी खोतलखातल गरिएको छ । उपन्यास पढ्नुभएको छैन तर पनि यो लेख पढ्न चाहनुहुन्छ भने पनि ठीकै छ ।)

यस लेखमा…

पृष्ठभूमि

पुराणहरू भन्छन्– ब्रह्माको आयु १०० वर्ष हुन्छ । ब्रह्माको ५० वर्षको समयलाई परार्ध भनिन्छ । ब्रह्माको दिन (१२ घण्टा) अर्थात् कल्प मा सृष्टि हुन्छ र रातमा प्रलय भई सृष्टिको अन्त्य हुन्छ । प्रत्येक कल्पमा चौध मन्वन्तर हुन्छन् जसमा चौध मनुहरूले मानवको सृष्टि वा संरक्षण गर्छन् । हरेक मनवन्तरमा एकहत्तर महायुग (चतुर्युग) हुन्छन् । हामी अहिले ब्रह्माको द्वितीय परार्धको पहिलो वर्ष अर्थात् ५१ औं वर्षमा श्वेतवराह कल्पको ७औं मनुको समय (वैवश्वत मनवन्तर) अन्तर्गत २८औं महायुगको कलियुगमा छौँ । २८औं महायुगकै द्वापर युगमा भगवान् विष्णु अवतरित हुनुभएको थियो श्रीकृष्णका रूपमा । ८औं मनुलाई सावर्णि भनिएको छ । सप्तशती (चण्डी)मा पनि देवीको एक नाम सावर्णि रहेको छ ।

डा. श्रीधर खनाल कृत उपन्यास सावर्णिको मूल पात्र सावर्णि पनि मनुझैं मानवको उत्पत्ति र संरक्षण गर्छन् । यद्यपि उनी देवी भने होइनन् । उनी एक कृत्रिम बौद्धिकता भएका तर भावुक यन्त्रमानव हुन् जो लोप भइसकेका मानवलाई ल्याबमा जन्माउँछन् र तिनलाई पालनपोषण एवम् दिशानिर्देश गर्छन् ।

सावर्णि उपन्यासको कथा

उपन्यासमा दुईवटा कथा छन् । पहिलो अध्यायको कथामा जीपीटी-२००० नामको एआई सफ्टवेयरले न्यारेटरलाई पिछा गर्छ, फोन गर्छ र एउटा इमेल पठाउँछ । यो बाह्रखरी उत्कृष्ट कथा २०८० मा रहेको जीपीटी २००० शीर्षकको कथामा पनि भेटिन्छ । यस कथाको समीक्षामा लेखेको थिएँ :-

ChatGPT 4.0 ले तहल्का मच्चाइरहेको बेला जीपीटी २००० ले धमाका गर्ने आशा पलायो । कथाको सुरुवात राम्रो लाग्यो । जीपीटी २००० ले मोबाइलमा इन्स्टल गरेपछि इमेल, क्यामरा र लोकेसनको आधारमा ट्रयाकिङ गर्ने कुरासम्म कथा ठीकै थियो । ‘असुर’को दोस्रो सिजनको झल्को आउला जस्तो लागेको बेला उसले न्यारेटरलाई सर्वोत्कृष्ट भन्दै गरेको भविस्यवाणीले कताकता ‘म्याट्रिक्स’ को झल्को दियो । आपसी कलहका कारण मानिसहरू लोप भइसकेपछि पनि AI बच्ने कुरा अलि पत्यार नलाग्दो नै थियो । हुन त AI को भविस्यवाणी हो । मिल्नैपर्छ भन्ने छैन ।

त्योभन्दा पनि पत्याउन नसकिने कुरा चैं जीपीटीले आफूले सबैलाई ट्रयाक गरिरहेको कुरा कसैलाई भन्ला भन्ने हो । हामीले इन्स्टल गर्ने एप्लिकेसनहरूले हामीलाई ट्रयाक गर्ने कुरा नौलो हैन । जानी नजानी हामी permission पनि दिइरहेका हुन्छौँ । तर सिधै फोन र इमेल गरेर ट्रयाक गर्छौँ भने भने वाचकले झैं uninstall गरेर व्यापार चौपट हुन्छ होला । खैर, कथामा जताततै देखिने मानवीय प्रलयको डरको लामो वर्णन छ जुन अझै रोचक बन्न सक्थ्यो जस्तो लागिरह्यो ।
उत्कृष्ट कथा, २०८० का कथा मलाई कस्ता लागे ? (भाग – १)

जीपीटी २००० को दोस्रो भागको फैलावटका रूपमा सावर्णिको मूल कथा प्रस्तुत गरिएको छ । सावर्णिले मानव बनाएर हुर्काएको हजारौं वर्षपछिका देरिका र वासु अनि उनीहरूका सन्तान किसनको वरिपरि घुम्छ । यी पात्रका नाम द्वापर युगका देवकी, वसुदेव र कृष्णसँग मिल्छ । रूखमा चढेर बाँसुरी बजाउने र नदीमा पौडी खेल्ने किसनका दृश्यहरू कृष्णका कहानीबाट झिकिएका छन् । तथापि किसन कृष्ण होइनन् । न त देरिका र वासु हुन् देवकी र वसुदेव ।

देरिका र वासु सावर्णिले बनाएको नगरका नगरवासी हुन् । उनीहरू पूर्णतः एआई पर्सनल एसिस्टेण्ट (पीए) र रोबोटको नियन्त्रणमा छन् । पीएमाथि उनीहरू यति निर्भर छन् कि घरबाट निस्किन र साथि बनाउन समेत उनीहरू आफैँ सक्दैनन् । यस्तोमा देरिका र वासु पीएको सहायताले प्रेम गर्न पुग्छन् । देरिका गर्भिणी भएपछि जाँच गराउँदा भ्रुणमा जेनेटिक डिफेक्ट देखिएको भन्दै सात पटक एबोर्सन गरिन्छ । आठौँ बच्चा बस्नुअघि भने देरिकाको पीए देरिकले आफूलाई बन्द गर्न सुझाउँछ ताकि सेन्ट्रल सिस्टमलाई थाहा नहोस् । नौ महीनापछि द्वापर युगमा कृष्ण जन्मिएको ग्रहनक्षत्रको अवस्थामा किसनको जन्म हुन्छ । साथै, किसनको जीवनको सन्दर्भमा भविस्यवाणी गरिन्छ कि उनी एउटा युद्धको कारक बन्नेछन् । उनले भविस्यमा के गर्लान् भन्ने कुतूहलले अन्तिमसम्म तानिरहन्छ ।

शास्त्रार्थ : मानव को हो ?

उपन्यासको क्लाइमेक्स अघि किसन र सावर्णि अनेक विषयमा शास्त्रार्थ गर्छन् । यद्यपि लेखकले बढी महत्त्व दिएको विषय हो, “मानव को हो ?”

किसन प्रश्न गर्छन्, सावर्णि युगमा जन्मिएका प्राचीन (हामी र हाम्रा पुर्खा) जस्तै देखिने तर हरेक कुरामा एआईमा निर्भर प्राणी मानव हुन् त ?

पुराना मानिसको जस्तै जेनेटिक्स र स्वरूप भएकाले ती मानव नै हुन् भन्ने तर्क सावर्णिको छ । किसनको राय फरक छ । मानव स्वरूप भएपनि यदि उनीहरू आफैँ सोच्न सक्दैनन्, हरेक कुरामा एआईको भर पर्छन् भने उनीहरू एआईका दास हुन् । जसमा तर्क गर्ने क्षमता छैन, जो कुनै कुरा रचना गर्न सक्दैनन्, जसलाई डरले हरेक समय जकडेको छ, ती मानव कसरी हुन सक्छन् ?

अहिले नै पनि हामी मानव भएर जीउन सकेका छैनौँ । मानव सिर्जित कृषि र आय आर्जनका कार्य, धन, समाज, राजनीतिजस्ता विषयले हामीलाई स्वतन्त्र बनाउन दिएका छैनन् । त्यसैले त रुसोले द सोसल कन्ट्र्याक्ट मा लेखेका छन्, “मानिस स्वतन्त्र जन्मन्छ तर त्यसपछि सर्वत्र साङ्लोले बाँधिन्छ ।” क्याल्कुलेटर, कम्प्युटर, स्मार्टफोनजस्ता आविष्कारले हाम्रो जीवन सहज बनाएका छन्, सूचनामा पहुँच पनि बढाएको छ तर हामीलाई अल्छि पनि त बनाइरहेको छ । धेरै दिमाग लगाउने कामहरू सहजताका हिसाबले कम्प्युटर र मोबाइललाई त दिइ नै सकेका छौँ । अहिले मज्जाले दोहोरो कुरा गर्न सक्ने अनि हाम्रो भाषा बुझेर हाम्रा सवाल हल गर्न सक्ने Generative Pre-trained Transformer (GPT) प्रोग्रामहरूले हामीलाई मोहनी लगाएका छन् । Virtual reality ले पनि हामीलाई बाँध्न थालिसकेको छ । अझै विकसित हुँदै जाँदा प्रविधिले हामीलाई “Her”, “Matrix”, “I, Robot”, “Terminator”, “Ready Player One” जस्ता चलचित्रमा देखाइएको जस्तो संसार अब टाढा छैन भन्न सकिन्छ ।

सूचनामा छिनमै पहुँच भएका हामीले विकसित गरेका स्मार्ट प्रोग्रामभन्दा स्मार्ट हुनु अबको हाम्रो चुनौती छ । ChatGPT ले पनि त आफैं भनेको छ कि उसको जवाफ गलत हुन सक्छ । खासगरी प्राविधिक विषयमा यसको प्रयोग गर्दा cross-question गर्न जानिएन, critically हेर्न सकिएन भने गलत सूचना पाउन र फैलिन सक्छ । केहीदिनअघि बुकाहोलिक्समा किताबहरू सम्बन्धी टृभियाको लामो सूचि देखिएको थियो । अङ्ग्रेजीबाट नेपालीमा ChatGPT ले अनुवाद गरेको भनिएको सो पोस्टमा एउटा टृभिया थियो, “हुर्री र नशा जस्ता शब्दहरू शेक्सपियरले आविष्कार गरेका थिए ।” शेक्सपियरले नेपालीमा त कुनै शब्द आविष्कार गरेका हैनन् । अङ्ग्रेजीमा के रहेछन् भनेर सोधेको थिएँ । एक जना साथीले मेसेजमा भनिदिनुभयो तर त्यो पोस्टको कमेन्टमा कपी-पेस्ट गरेँ है भन्ने विद्वान साथीहरू पनि हुनुहुन्थ्यो । ChatGPT माथि पढेलेखेका विद्वानले नै पूर्ण विश्वास गर्नु अनि त्यहाँ दिइएका तथ्य केलाउन नखोज्नुले मलाई त्यस्तै त्रसित बनायो ।

अहिले त एआईले बनाएका चित्र, चलचित्र, गीतसङ्गीत, लेख रचना इन्टरनेटभरि छरपस्ट छन् । Deepfake (एउटाको शरीरमा अर्काको अनुहार राख्ने) जस्ता प्रविधि त दश वर्षअघि नै आइसकेको थियो । अब चाहिँ हातहातमा आउँदैछन् । कुन साँचो कुन झुठो भन्ने छुट्याउन झन्झन् गाह्रो हुँदैछ । भविस्यमा यसले अझ विकराल समस्या ल्याउन सक्नेछ । हाम्रा बाजागाजा लोप हुन सक्नेछन्, हाम्रो रचनागर्भ खाली हुन सक्नेछन् अनि हामी आत्मविश्वासहीन भई एआईको नियन्त्रणमा हुनेछौँ ।

यस्तो हुन नदिन हामी सजग हुनुपर्छ । हरेक कुरालाई भेरिफाई गर्नुपर्छ । आफ्नो रचना बैंकलाई रिचार्ज गरिराख्नुपर्छ । सम्बन्धहरू गाँस्नुपर्छ । प्रविधि साक्षरता बढाउँदै प्रविधिलाई उछिन्नुपर्छ ।

केही अनुत्तरित प्रश्नहरू

सावर्णिमा किसनले आफैँ घरबाहिर जानु, बाँसुरी बजाउनु, रूख चढ्नु, पौडी खेल्नुजस्ता कार्यलाई क्रान्तिकारी भनिएको छ किनभने सावर्णिको नगरमा ती कहिल्यै नगरिएका कुरा हुन् । यिनै कुराले कथालाई रोचक बनाउँछन् । किसनले गरेका कामको सजाय सावर्णिले देलान् कि नदेलान् भन्ने मनमा परिरह्यो अनि कथाले अनौठा मोड लिइरह्यो । अन्तिमसम्म आइपुग्दा भने केही प्रश्नहरू आइरहे जसको जवाफ पाइएन ।

१. सावर्णिलाई कसले डिजाइन गर्‍यो ?

२. उनलाई एआई प्रमुख किन र कसरी बनाइयो ?

३. मानवहरू लोप भएको वर्षौंपछि सावर्णि कसरी “जीवित हुन” सके ?

४. सावर्णिको शरीर कुन वस्तुले बनेको थियो ? उनलाई बाँधेको साङ्लो के को थियो ? फलाम, स्टील वा आल्मुनियम त हजारौं वर्षमा पूरै खिइन्छन् । प्लास्टिकमा समेत त्यत्रो समयमा त परिवर्तन आउँछ ।

५. सावर्णिजस्ता अरू यन्त्रमानव किन एउटा पनि रहेनन् ?

६. उपन्यास भन्छ, “पृथ्वीमा ठूलठूला चिरा परेको थिए ।” ती चिराले असुरक्षा पनि बढाएको छ । तथापि जुन सावर्णिले जेनेटिक रिकोडिङ गरेर मानव भ्रुण ल्याबमा तयार गर्न सके तिनले चिराहरू पुर्न वा बन्द गर्न किन सकेनन् ?

७. सावर्णिले मानिसहरूलाई किन भाग्यवादी बनाए ? बालकको न्वारानसँगै गरिने भविस्यवाणीलाई किन महत्त्व दिइएको ?

८. जेनेटिक रिकोडिङ गरेर बनाइएका मानवका सन्तानबाट जन्मिएका किसनमा पुराना मानिसको जिन कसरी आयो ?

९. किसनले बुवालाई खाना पकाउन किन लाएनन् ? किन आमालाई मात्रै लगाए ?

१०. जहाँ मानिसहरू एआईको नियन्त्रणमा रहन्छन् र जेलजस्तो जीवन बिताउँछन् त्यहाँ सजाय र जेलको व्यवस्था किन चाहिन्छ ?

११. किसनले सानोमा कानून तोड्दा सजाय पाए । तर पछि जेल जाने बेलामा त बेकसुर थिए । सावर्णिले पनि स्वीकारेका छन् अनि फेरि जेल जान किन राजी भए ? किसनमा विद्रोह उब्जिएर अरूलाई पनि पीएबाट स्वतन्त्र हुन आह्वान गरेका भए ?

१२. किसन जेल जाने बेला र त्यसपछि वासु कता गए ?

१३. मङ्गलबाट मानिस फर्किन सक्छ भन्ने पूर्वानुमान गरेर देरिकमार्फत देरिकालाई किसन जन्माउन प्रेरित गर्ने सावर्णि मङ्गल ग्रहबाट मानिसहरू आउँदा किन छक्क पर्छन् ?

१४. मङ्गलको हावापानीमा एड्याप्ट भएर आणविक हातहतियार बनाउने पुस्तासम्म पुग्न साँच्चै चैं कतिको सम्भव होला ?

१५. किसनको सल्लाह मानेर सावर्णिले मानव आफू र आफ्नो सिस्टमबाट मुक्त गर्लान् ? (यहाँ सावर्णि २ को सम्भाव्यता देख्दै छु ।)

सोचमग्न बनाएका केही कुरा

उपन्यासमा एआईको नियन्त्रणमा नरहेका मानिसलाई धेरै ठाउँमा मूर्ख, युद्ध गर्न चाहने र घातक चित्रित गरिएको छ । “मानवविनाको पृथ्वी सुन्दर थियो ।” दुईतीन ठाउँ लेखिएको छ । यद्यपि सावर्णि एक्लो महसुस गर्छन् र बचेखुचेका शुक्रकीट र डिम्ब प्रयोग गरी केही जेनेटिक हेरफेर गरेर मानव नै तयार पार्छन् । नौ दश बच्चालाई हुर्काउन सुरुमा पीए रोबोट तयार गरेको भने पनि निरन्तरता दिइरहेकै छन् । त्यस समयमा पहिलेझैं वनस्पति र पशुपन्छी थिए पनि भनिएको छ तर मानव जीवनका लागि अनुकूल थिएन, विकिरण धेरै थिए आदि इत्यादि जस्ता विरोधाभास हुने कुरा पनि भनिएको छ ।

सावर्णिले कानून लुकाएका छन् । कतिपय कानूनको बारेमा पीएलाई पनि थाहा छैन । फेरि सावर्णिले इतिहास लुकाएका मात्रै छैनन् अन्तिमसम्म आइपुग्दा तोडमरोड नै गरेका छन् । पहिलोचोटि पढ्दा मलाई सावर्णि करूणामय लागे । मानवलाई बचाउन उनले गरेका प्रयासप्रति कृतज्ञ भए । दोस्रोपटकमा भने उनका नकारात्मक पाटो बढी खुले । अन्तिम अनुच्छेदका दृश्यहरू त भयानक नै लागे । उपन्यासमा सिधासिधा मानवलाई जति क्रूर भनिएको छ, त्यस्तै क्रूर सावर्णिलाई पाएँ ।

चित्त नबुझेका कुरा

१. नारायणस्वरूप श्रीकृष्णको चरित्रबाट प्रेरित किसनलाई पछिल्लो भागमा कमजोर बनाइएको छ । श्रीकृष्णको चरित्र नदेखाई मौलिक कथा पेश गरिएको भए अझै राम्रो हुन्थ्यो ।

२. व्याकरणीय समस्याहरू, जस्तै :

क) भूत कालको बीचमा वर्तमान कालको प्रयोग ।

ख) एकै अर्थका दुई कुरा सँगसँगै आउनु (redundancy), उदाहरण : “देरिकाले आस्ते-आस्ते मीठो र स्वादिलो खाना पकाउन सिक्दै गई ।”, “धुन खास अनि विशेष थियो ।” आदि ।

“प्रोफेसनल” प्रकाशनहरूबाट प्रकाशित कृतिहरूमा यति धेरै व्याकरणमा समस्या हुनु नहुने हो ।

३. Stephen Hawking को नाम नेपालीमा स्टेफन हकिङ्स र इस्टेफेन हकिङ्स लेखिएको । स्टेफेन हकिङ हुन्छ होला । हकिङ्स त हुँदै हुँदैन ।

अन्त्यमा

कथानकले बढाउने हुटहुटी र दार्शनिक पक्षले सावर्णिलाई पठनीय बनाएका छन् । यद्यपि कथामा भर्न बाँकी खाडल थुप्रै छन् । सावर्णिको पात्रलाई अझै एक्स्प्लोर गर्न सकिन्छ र कथाहरू विस्तार गर्ने ठाउँ अझै छन् । उपन्यास प्रकाशनमा अलि हतार गरिएको हो कि भन्ने पनि लाग्यो । द्वापर युगको कथासँग नजोडिएर मौलिक कथा सिर्जना गरिएको भए अझै उत्कृष्ट बन्न सक्थ्यो ।

What’s the Point? (The Last Part)

By Sandeept

On February 5, 2022

In My Story

Pointless

It took me a while to get to the stage, find the CD player and run the CD. Meanwhile, my act grabbed attention of some of the people around. They kept asking what I was doing. I was too overwhelmed to say anything adding to the fact that I was as clueless as they were.

All the chit chats stopped as Bishwas’s recorded voice greeted us. “Good evening, my guests! First of all, let’s applaud the one who found this recording.”

There was a brief period of silence. “Did you clap?” The voice continued. “I hope you did. If you didn’t, my request has been pointless. You should’ve clapped. You don’t know how fortunate you are to hear my voice. Had nobody cares to look at that target board, you would have left, angry and confused. You’d never have known why you’re here. The time I spent in recording would have been pointless. So, please appreciate the person who made this interaction possible. Let’s give a big round of applause.”

A few people applauded, maybe because they thought they should follow the voice. Most of us were still confused.

“Thank you,” Bishwas’s voice said. “Now, it’s time to let you know why you’re here. You are here to bid me farewell from this world. Yes, you heard that right. A proverb says: “Even if your birth was ordinary, make your death extraordinary.” Extraordinary death! That’s what I am trying to accomplish.

“I’m so sorry for what I am making you witness this evening. I always remained mysterious. Never told everything about my life and feelings. And then I brought you here and literally kept you in dark. Please forgive me.

“I lived a meaningless life, trying to keep everyone happy. But no one ever was. I worked hard in school all through my childhood to keep my parents happy. But they wanted more. I worked harder, just to see them smile. But they didn’t ever truly smile. Their smiles were fake. An act so that I would make more effort in order to kill my childhood.

“I made some friends during my Plus Two days. They celebrated my successes and moaned my failures, without anything else in return. They also introduced me to the entertaining side of life: drinks, smoke, night clubs and dohoris. I met my first love in one of these settings.”

I took a glance at the lady in red dress, paying attention to the words coming from the record. “She was beautiful. I met her a few weeks ago. She has become more beautiful. Her melodies have helped me fill the emptiness my heart suffers from. She kept me happy. Her presence was a blessing. I wanted to be with her forever but it was not to be. My parents once again came on the way of my happiness.

“”We won’t let you marry her,” they said. “She sings at a restaurant at night. Her character is questionable. Besides, she belongs to a lower caste. She can’t be our daughter-in-law.”

“Only I know how hard I tried to convince them. I begged, I cried but their heart did not melt. They threatened to stop paying for my studies. I had a dream to study medicine. Without their financial support, I would not be able to pursue my goal. To keep them happy and to keep my dreams alive, I decided to sacrifice my happiness. I acted like an ass in front of the girl I loved the most and pushed her away from my life.

“I have lived in regret ever since. I could not be with the girl I loved, I could not pursue my dreams and never did my parents become happy. After I failed two rounds of entrance exams, I joined a college. There I made a few friends. One of them thought I was perfect, that I could never make mistakes. I have made mistakes, my friend. I’m so sorry to let you down.”

The Lady looked at me and raised her eyebrows, as if saying, “What did I say?”

It hurt. More than Bishwas’s words. I almost teared up.

Bishwas’s voice was still echoing in the warehouse, “I went up the Himalayas when everything became too much for me to bear. I pulled off all the money from my bank accounts, crushed my phone and SIM and went off radar. I heard of a monastery beyond the Himalayas. I finally found peace.

“But the Lama kept saying that I had not found peace. He said that without facing everyone who suffered because of me, I could not find true peace. Even Buddha had to face his family after returning to Kapilvastu. Although I am nowhere close to Buddha, the Lama advised me to talk to everyone whom I had caused pain.

“I came home and apologized. They said they would not forgive me because of the pain I had given them. If my parents are not forgiving me, I thought, nobody would. What’s the point in living if your parents do not love you, are never happy no matter you do? What’s the point in loving someone, only to remain at a distance from her? What’s the point in getting appreciation from the world when you don’t have a family to celebrate your success?”

Feeling uncomfortable, I looked around. A woman fell on the floor. Some people, including the lady in the red dress went to help her. Others started looking worried. The recording continued, “I’m leaving you all, forever. I’m tired of leaving this pointless life. At exactly eight o’clock today, I will take a leap from the cliff behind this warehouse…”

I looked at my watch. It read 7:58. I ran towards the exit, Bishwas’s voice trailing behind me.

“… There is no point in blaming others for my decisions. Baba, Aama, I’m so sorry I turned you into villains. But I had to say everything so that nobody in the future suffers the way I did …”

The exit door was too far. Can I still save him?

“… My love, I have been terrible. I deserve your hate but please try to forgive me. …”

I barged out into the open and ran towards the cliff.

“… My friends, I’m sorry. I’m leaving you again.”

I went behind the warehouse and looked towards the cliff.

I saw the silhouette of a man above the cliff. How lean he had become! Bishwas was ready to jump. I called him out but he did not listen. I sprinted to reach him. He stretched his arms. “Bishwas,” I screamed at the top of my voice. He looked towards me, shook his head and jumped.

I stood still, shocked and confused. I could not save him. If only had I found that CD earlier! I went closer to the cliff. “No, no, no. I should have saved him but could not save him,” I said to myself.

I returned to the warehouse. What I saw baffled me. Little children were running here and there and dancing to the tunes played by a DJ. Jokes, cackles and laughter filled atmosphere. In contrast, those who had heard the recording were mourning, scolding the children and getting out of the warehouse.

The lady in the red dress came towards me. Behind her was the woman who had collapsed earlier, supported by her husband and a handsome gentleman. We both asked each other the same question, “What happened?”

After some awkwardness, the lady answered, “At exactly eight o’clock, these children and caterers rushed in from another chamber. That was where the feast was. A DJ removed the CD while it was still playing and started playing party songs.”

She gestured towards the woman and her husband. “Bishwas’s Baba and Aama have had hard time. They just won’t believe Bishwas killed himself. You saw what happened, didn’t you.”

“Yeah, he jumped down the cliff.”

Her feet staggered. Bishwas’s parents gasped.

“But he did not die,” I added.

“What?” They all said at the same time.

“Yeah, he dived into the lake and swam to the shore. He changed into a monk’s robe and then looked at me. I could not see him clearly but he must have smiled. Others may say he died but he did not. He is an excellent diver and swimmer. How can he die?”

“But he said he was leaving the world forever,” Bishwas’s mother said.

“Yes, he left us and entered into the world of monkhood. Just like the Buddha. He can now go closer to the truth. Besides, what’s the point in grieving about the man who has finally found peace?”

an image showing mountains, rivers and trees

Bliss at Sathimure

By Sandeept

On November 21, 2018

In Blogging, Geology, Happiness, Humanity, Humans and Humanity, Inspirational, Life, Nature, Nepal, Nepali

October 31, 2018.

You have been climbing for three hours. Every pore of your skin is sweating. Your legs are tired. Your head is spinning. You are still conscious of not slipping down the narrow foot trail. There are small round seeds that have fallen off the tress beside the trail. They threaten your existence. The peak is just “there” but you can’t seem to reach it. The peak is just at an elevation of thousand metres, and it takes your breath away. “What if it was Mount Everest?” you ask.

One of your friends, Anish, climbed a five-thousand metre peak last year, above the Everest Base Camp. “It was cold. I felt my fingers would fall off. But once I reached the peak, I forgot all the pain.”

‘This is not even a tenth of the harshness of close to the Everest’, you think. Your spirit lifts up a little. Legs drag you up better than they had a couple of minutes back. But your lungs are not helping. Your low stamina hampers your movement.Luckily, your friends are in your support. They themselves are tired, but they do not lose the hope of reaching the peak. The hope of finding the target village-Sathimure.

***

Your climb began from Mugling—an old hub connecting Kathmandu, Pokhara and Chitwan with three of your friends: Anil, Anish and Ishwor. The town is at the altitude of about 180 m from the mean sea level,well-developed, full of life. Your twenty-eight years old topographic map shows a foot-trail leading to the village in question. The policemen show you a road. It looks easy, but it’s long. ‘How long will you have to walk?’ you discuss with your friends. You and your friends decide to take a foot trail if possible.

You are not just hiking. It’s a geological exploration. You measure the rock orientation, wonder at the folds you see and imagine the amount of stress the region might have undergone. You know these rocks tell the history of the evolution of the Himalayas over a million years. These mountains are not as tall as the mighty mountain peaks that are popular as the Himalayas or Great Himalayas. You call them Lesser Himalaya, but reaching its peak is tough. More so, when you realize you have to climb up another two hundred metres and climb down to Kalikhola if you are to make an accurate geological map. But you lack time, and you make a rush.

You realize your stamina has lowered because of eating and sleeping for the last couple of months. You are panting. You take long breaths. Nothing helps. You have not walked a mile and you have felt the heat. You strip off your jacket. Your body balances heat by sweating. You reach a shade. The sweat cools you. After a rest, you don’t want to move. Yet you carry your legs forward. “Return back if you can’t,” your friends suggest. It’s a good advice. One person should not slow the group. Yet your ego gets hurt. You can’t give up before it has begun.

You ask help from the locals. Most of them are girls. Some help, some don’t. It’s a cultural thing. Villagers don’t trust city men. Girls are told to shy away from men in most of the occasions. Male-female interaction is still spied in the cities. Anyway, you find help and catch a foot-trail, width decreasing with each footstep.

You don’t find villages along the trail. One house at an interval of about one-hundred metres climb. They have farms and gardens. You and your friends express desire to reach Kalikhola. The locals say it’s a dangerous path. Three people died some months back. You and your friends are scared. Safety comes before the map. Your teachers did not expect you to go all the way. You give up the thought of completing the track. Had you been allowed to stay for a day at Sathimure, you could have hit the target. But you have restrictions. You decide to reach the village, at least.

A garden somewhere in the route

***

“Look out for the real trail,” Anish calls. Foot-trail has forked. Each time you saw a fork, you made a unanimous decision: “Take the route that goes up.” This time, the up-going trail looks dangerous. Ishwor says the other path goes nowhere. “Are we stuck?” you fear. Anil goes up the dangerous route, reaches the peak and calls out. You follow. The ground is slippery and covered with grass. You don’t know where you are stepping. “Goats would not climb this,” your friends behind you tell. You are attacked by ants.One last step. And you reach the top. You lose yourself for a moment. At that moment, you have become victorious over the mountain. You feel blessed.

A little farther, you see what you had been longing for. Sathimure. A small village. A place where you have found solace in it even from the distance. Bamboos, oranges, cucumbers and other fruits and vegetables. A farming village. That’s what you wanted all day.

The village has less than twenty houses—small, all of them painted in blue and red. The people are amicable. Your group wants to buy some oranges. They don’t fix a price. “Give whatever amount you want to give.” These people have hardships. There is some help from the NGOs but the nearest town, Mugling, is miles downhill. There is no good road. They have to buy everything.Yet, they are generous. They don’t take our offer for granted. They believe in emotional relationship, not commercial. They give you noodles. You longed for it but can’t help wonder that noodles have made way into even in a village that small.You eat anyway. The taste reminds you of home.

***

You begin to descent. There was an error in the map. You have decided to correct it. Sitting upon a ground facing north, you look at the Great Himalayas, the Lesser Himalayas, and the miniature town of Mugling. You can’t see a human from that height. You feel lost. “Humans might have built civilizations and have dreamt of exploring other planets but we are microscopic in the universe. If a portion of the Earth is this big, how big the Earth is! And it is not even the largest planet.” The extent of universe amazes you. It’s not for the first time, though. The universe has always fascinated you. Geology was one way you thought that would help you understand the universe.

The walk downhill takes two hours. The villagers at Sathimure had told it would take about forty-five minutes. “Time is relative,” you begin to understand. They have lived their whole lives going up and down the hill. Their legs have strengths your legs do not. They are faster because they have lived with the mountain. You see school children going up and get a stronger proof.

When the journey ends, you are satisfied. You might not have met all your goals but you made memories. You have learnt something. You have something to tell others. You have stories for your children and grandchildren.

Who teaches her?

By Sandeept

On December 30, 2017

In Blogging, Genetics, Love, Pet, Philosophical

I am astounded every time I look at her. She moves with grace and agility, plays with the table tennis ball as she should play with a mouse (and like a pro footballer), and jumps like an athlete. She grabs a piece of rag and drags it around. She smells the ground and discovers every corner of the house. She covers up her liquid and solid excreta. When she is hungry, she looks up, her eyebrows narrow, and cries, “Myau Myau”. Except during such hunger and times she’s irritated, this little tabby kitten understands the instructions we give her. Who teaches her to do all these things she does?

Billy on the stack of chairs

I met her first the first time in November with her twin. Their mother had left them after keeping them in a drum under the stairs. They were crying. We waited for their mother’s return but that cat did not return. We kept them in a box and started feeding them with milk in a bottle. The nutrition in the dairy milk we get is non-existent. The twins survived but were malnourished. We named them Lily and Billy.

Even when they were malnourished, Billy was the smarter among the two. She had figured out how to jump out of the box, how to play with her sibling and how to irritate her. Life was going on pretty good for them until two weeks later when their mother came back with two other kittens. Would she recognize and accept Lily and Billy and take them away? We thought it would be good if she did and at that, we made the mistake we should never have.

We showed the cat Lily and Billy on our roof. They were smaller than the other kittens she had brought but she seemed to recognize them from their scent. She wanted to take Billy first but the kitten was too stubborn and reluctant. She did not let the cat carry her. Lily too resisted but she was not as smart as her twin. The cat caught her scruff and took her away.

Lily and Billy the day before they were separated

The mother cat came back again. We decided to give up Billy as well. We did not know whether Lily-Billy could survive. Even if they died, it would be nice if they died together, we thought. After an effort of more than half an hour, the cat took Billy away. A little farther, she could not carry Billy. She was still struggling to get away. The cat tried her best to take her away but when she could not, left her. Billy cried alone on that balcony for more than an hour in front of our sight before we decided we would now adopt her as long as she wants to stay with us.

Meanwhile, the cat took away the fourth kitten and never returned for the kitten. She came back a few times to steal milk and we haven’t seen her for more than a fortnight now.

Now Billy is with us on her own. And she has learnt everything her instinct allows her. When she was with her twin, we thought they learnt together but even when this tabby is alone, she has learnt everything on her own. Who teaches her? I tried to know the answer. I discussed with my parents and my sister.

Does Nature teach her? How, though? Could Billy’s genes have carried her natural instincts and behaviours? Does the DNA carry all the things she needs for survival?

It’s strange to note that humans have very few individual survival instincts. We are not as agile as the cat, we don’t have the physical strength they have. We don’t even cover up our excreta as a natural instinct. It’s a learned social behaviour. Why does a cat have more survival instincts and more unique natural behaviours than a human? Aren’t we vain in saying that we are the smartest or the most intelligent creature on the planet? I have seen the kitten picking up our language before we picked up hers. How are we the only sapient beings? And finally, I came to the question that has intrigued people for ages: why are we here thriving (not just surviving) against all odds?

Humans are physically weak. We don’t have strong legs like that of the felines and canines. We don’t have strong teeth and claws to hunt. We don’t have a thick hide to protect us from cold. We don’t even have furs. The only strength we have is our large head (more than 2 kgs), which is also an evolutionary liability.

Yet, it is in our head the brain lies and it has the ability to analyze the world like no other creature in the world. We are the only creatures that can understand the secret of this world and that of the universe. Only we can alter our natural instinct of fear to compassion.

Are we really thriving to understand the real secrets of our lives, how we originated and to care for the lives around us, to coexist with every living being in harmony? Eastern philosophers and poets of my own country have answered “Yes” to the question.

But is there any force or energy that compels us to survive, to contemplate and to understand? Why is the Nature the way it is? Why is the cat the way she is? What is the source of the chaotic order that rules the Earth? I have come to believe in the existence of that energy that has created this chaotic order. I have now come to believe this energy is the God–the Creator, the Caretaker and the Destroyer.

In these two months, the cats have taught me a lot of things about life and the way we behave and feel. And we can’t always control everything that happens. We make mistakes we can’t amend. We don’t know what happened to Lily but Billy continues to grow and to impress. She is here in my house with a purpose–to teach me about other living beings, including humans.

The Faults in our God

By Sandeept

On August 29, 2016

In Blogging, Philosophical, Writing

It is said sinful to put a debate on God. May I be punished for the sins I will be doing here!

The question I think of often, “Did God create us or did We create gods?” There are ample evidences for the latter while there is a huge amount of speculation for the former. Yet people seem to believe in some supreme force that governs them. There are also people who dare to challenge the Divine Authority. I find myself in the middle.

How can someone be in the middle of believing and not believing God? You might be thinking. Well, that’s where I am. Sometimes I believe in God so much that every inexplicable/unexplained thing becomes Divinity. Take the origin of life (not evolution), for example. Sometimes I doubt God so much that every progress in human-induced. For example, the technological progress is the best thing humans (especially the Western World) have done. I am really confused about the existence of God.

But in the Geeta, God is said to “exist and not exist” at the same time, that God is “as small as microbes and as huge as universe”, that God is both “the creator and the destroyer Himself”. If God preaches duality, maybe I am following his path of duality at the moment. Maybe it is that fault I am unwilling to accept.

God is said to balance both Good and Evil within Himself. He is said to possess both physicality as well as spirituality and he is said to create everything visible and invisible (let’s not get into destruction right now). So, we should possess both the Good and Evil within us. We should have similar physicality and spirituality as that of God; that we should be able to tell right from wrong. And we should be able to tell differences between God and god.

You might have recognized that I have been writing “God” and “god” in different senses. If not; by God, I am talking about the Omnipresent, the Omnipotent and the Omniscient Being: the “Creator”. By gods, I mean the ones created by Humans. To God, death is “soul changing its body” like we change our clothes. (Hence, no emotions!) To a god, death is emotional. Shiva mourning for Sati is an example. A god is driven by passion, like Indra seducing Ahilya. And God is not jealous as Indra envies kings.

But I am confused again. If God created us and if We have created gods; and if we have all qualities of God and god have all our features, aren’t gods the same as God? Shouldn’t God be as emotional, as passionate and as jealous (if not more) as us and our gods? Are the faults in me (or those in God) confusing me?

गौतम बुद्ध: जन्म, कर्म र हाम्रो धर्म

By Sandeept

On May 21, 2016

In Blogging, Humans and Humanity, Love, Philosophical, Reasoning

सिद्धार्थ गौतमको जन्मका सम्बन्धमा
करिब २६४० वर्ष अघि बैशाख पूर्णिमाको रातमा यस धर्तिमा अवतरण लिएका थिए सिद्धार्थ गौतमले रानी मायादेवीको कोखबाट- लुम्बिनीमा । विभिन्न कालखण्डमा त्यो पवित्र भूमि विभिन्न देशभित्र पर्‍यो । वर्तमानमा त्यो क्षेत्र नेपालको सिमानाभित्र पर्दछ । लुम्बिनी संरक्षणको दायित्व अहिले नेपालीको काधमा छ । तर त्यसको अर्थ बुद्ध ‘नेपाली’ थिए भन्ने होइन । बुद्धलाई कुनै एउटा देशको नागरिक बनाउन इतिहास र नैतिकता दुवैले दिँदैनन्[१] ।

यो विज्ञान प्रविधिको युग हो । यस युगमा हरेक विषयमा तथ्य केलाइन्छ । बुद्धकालिन कला, संस्कृति, लेखोटका आधारमा लुम्बिनी नै सिद्धर्थ गौतमको जन्मथलो थियो भन्ने प्रमाणित भइसकेको छ । उनको यात्राको बाटो पनि पहिल्याइ सकेका छन् इतिहासकारहरूले । उनको जन्ममितिमा भने एकमत छैन । खोज गर्नै पर्ने विषय जन्ममिति हो, जन्मस्थल होइन ।

बुद्धको जन्मथलोको विकासको “गुरु योजना” २८ वर्षअघि बनेको रहेछ । आजको मितिसम्म योजनाले पूर्णता पाएको छैन । केही संरचना बनेका छन् तर ती पर्याप्त छैनन् । बौद्धहरूको चार धाममध्ये प्रमुख लुम्बिनीको विकासमा किन ढिलाइ ? २९ वर्षको उमेरमा त सिद्धार्थले राजपाट त्यागि सकेका थिए, सम्यक ज्ञानको खोजी गर्न । हामी बुद्ध भूमिका संरक्षकहरू किन आफ्ना व्यक्तिगत स्वार्थ त्याग्न सक्दैनौँ ? उनले बाटो देखाइ दिएकै थिए त ।

सिद्धार्थ र बुद्धका कर्मका सम्बन्धमा

सिद्धार्थको बाल्यकाल सुखसयलमा बितेको थियो । राजा (गणनायक?) सुद्धोधनले वातानुकुलित तीनवटा महल बनाइदिएका थिए भनिन्छ । यद्यपि भौतिक सुखले उनलाई छुन सकेन । मैले सानो छँदा एउटा कथा पढेको थिएँ, जुन यस्तो छ-

हरेक वर्ष रोपाइँ सुरु गर्नाका खातिर हलो चलाउन किसानका खेतमा जान्थे । उनलेे छ वर्षका सिद्धार्थलाई साथ लगेका थिए । रोपाइँको तामझाम छोडेर सिद्धार्थ चाहिँ एक्लै बसिरहेका थिए । वरपर कुदिरहेका कमिला हेरेर रमाइरहेका बेला एउटा छेपारोले तिनलाई खान थाल्यो । फेरि हेर्दाहेर्दै एउटा सर्पले त्यो छेपारोलाई निल्यो । एकैछिनमा, त्यो सर्प पनि बाजको आहारा बन्यो । प्रकृतिको समिपमा त्यस्तो अनौठो चक्र देखेपछि उनी गम्भीर हुन थाले । प्रकृतिमा यस्तो नियम किन छ भनेर सोच्न थाले । मनमा आउने दार्शनिक सोच हटाउनकै लागि ती तीन महल बनाइएका थिए । तर सिद्धर्थ प्रकृतिमा फर्किन चाहन्थे । २९ वर्षको उमेरमा उनी फेरि प्रकृतिमा फर्किए । उनले रोगी, वृद्ध र मृत देखे [२]। उनलाई त्यही दिन थाहा भयो पहिलो आर्य सत्य- दु:ख छ । त्यो दु:ख निवारण गर्न सकिन्छ कि सकिँदैन भन्ने विषयको ज्ञान प्राप्त गर्नु नै उनको लक्ष्य थियो जसका लागि उनले व्यक्तिगत स्वार्थको त्याग गरे । लक्ष्यमा सफल भएका कारण बुद्धका नामले चिनिए ।

दु:खका कारण र निवारणको माध्यम पत्ता लागेपछि उनका मनमा विचार आयो- ‘मैले पत्ता लगाएका कुराहरू अरूलाई सुनाऊँ या नसुनाऊँ । कसैले सुन्ला मेरा कुरा ?’ आम मानिसमा हुने प्रश्न उनमा पनि आएका थिए तर उनले कोशिश गरे । बोधगयामा उनलाई तपस्यामा साथ दिएका दुईजना अनि कुशिनगरमा भेटिएका तीनजनालाई उनले आफ्नो खोजका बारेमा बताए । उनको बोली मधुर हुँदो हो, सरल अनि लोकको भाषामा प्रवचन दिँदा हुन् । त्यसैले त उनको दर्शनबाट प्रभावित हुनेको सङ्ख्या बढ्दै गयो । संसारभर छरिएका बौद्धमार्गीहरूका आस्थाका केन्द्र हुन् गौतम बुद्ध ।

जन्मबाट होइन, कर्मबाट महान् भइन्छ । सिद्धार्थको जन्म राजकुलमा भए पनि संसारले उनलाई ज्ञानको अद्भुत खानीका रूपमा चिन्दछ । जन्मका आधारमा त उनी क्षत्रिय हुनुपर्ने, युद्ध गर्नु पर्ने तर उनले साधक भएर शान्तिको सन्देश दिए[३] । कर्मले महान् भएका बुद्धलाई म मनैदेखि नमस्कार गर्दछु ।

हाम्रो धर्म
मेरो विचारमा उचित कर्म नै धर्म हो । सिद्धार्थ गौतमको धर्म थियो चार आर्य सत्यको ज्ञान हासिल गर्नु, बुद्धको धर्म थियो जनजनलाई आफूले पाएको ज्ञान बाँढ्नु । बुद्धले त्यो ज्ञान नबाँढेका भए के हामी उनको चर्चा गर्थ्यौँ होला ? तर हाम्रो धर्म चर्चा गर्नु मात्रै होइन । हाम्रो धर्म त बुद्धका मार्ग र धरोहरको संरक्षण गर्नु हो । बुद्धका संदेशलाई आत्मसात गरेर नै हामीले उनको सम्मान गर्न सक्छौँ ।

[१. महान व्यक्तिहरू कर्मले चिनिन्छन् । जन्म त सबैले लिएका हुन्छन् तर केही मानिस मात्रै सत्कर्मका कारण प्रख्यात हुन्छन् । यस्ता महान व्यक्तिहरूले सधैँ सम्मान पाउँछन्, उनीहरू जुनसुकै देशमा जन्मेका किन नहुन ।
केही वर्षयता नेपालमा बुद्धलाई नेपाली बनाउने क्रेज देखिएको छ । बुद्धको नाम र तस्विर राखेर फोटोशप गरिएका नागरिकता पनि देखिए सामाजिक संजालमा । मन चिसो हुन्छ । हामीले बुद्धको संदेश लिएर शान्ति बाँढ्नु पर्ने हो तर बुद्धलाई नै खिचातानीमा पार्छौँ । नेपाल र भारतका लागि राजनीतिक विषय हुन्- बुद्ध र उनको जन्मस्थल । बुद्धका शान्ति संदेश रुँदै छन् पुस्तकालयका कुनै कुनामा ।
२. बुद्धचरीत्रमा भवनबाट निस्किएका सिद्धार्थले तीन दिन तीन मानिसलाई क्रमशः देखे भनिएको छ- वृद्ध, रोगी र शव । कतै सिद्धार्थले एउटै मानिस त देखेका थिएनन् ? पहिलो दिन सायद उनले एउटा बूढो मानिस देखेका थिए । उनले पहिले कहिल्यै वृद्ध नदेखेकाले उनले चासो लिए होला । भोलिपल्ट सायद ज्ञान भयो कि ती वृद्ध रोगी पनि रहेछन् । तेस्रो दिन सायद ती बूढाको मृत्यु भैसकेको थियो । मानिस किन दु:खी छ र मरेर गएपछि अरूलाई पनि दु:खी किन बनाउँछ भन्ने साधारण प्रश्नले सिद्धार्थलाई बुद्ध बन्न प्रेरित गर्‍यो ।
३. बुद्धले मानव शान्ति र विश्व शान्तिको सन्देश दिए । उनले चार आर्य सत्य प्रतिपादन गरे: १) दु:ख छ ; २) दु:खका कारण छन् ; ३) दु:ख निवारण संभव छ ; ४) दु:ख निवारणका लागि अष्टाङ्गिक मार्ग छन् : सम्यक दृष्टि, सम्यक सङ्कल्प, सम्यक वचन, सम्यक कर्म, सम्यक आजीविका, सम्यक व्यायाम, सम्यक स्मृति, सम्यक समाधि ।]

I Believe!

By Sandeept

On April 16, 2016

In Blogging, Humans and Humanity, Love, Philosophical, Words, Writing

“I believe in luck. Call it fortune, coincidence [or serendipity], I believe in incidents that occur all of a sudden and change the course of life.”
As I was thinking of the above statement from an essay by Nagendra, I knew I had to present instances if I had to bring it up an article. I got them in a magazine. The stories of Buddhi Tamang and Kameshwor Chaurasiya made me believe the statement even more.

Would you have ever thought that a man who was doing labour works could get into movies? That’s Buddhi Tamang. He worked in different places as a porter until someone told him to work at a theatre. Gradually he got into acting and was soon doing dramas. After doing a few movies, he worked in the superhit movie Kabaddi Kabaddi. “Hait,”- the one word that made him famous. His acting was praised by all. He now aims to be a director. All the best Mr. Tamang!

When you have a passion for something it’s better to pursue it. But this did not happen to Kameshwor Chaurasiya. He got involved in stage acting but could not get a chance in the theatre- in Nepal and in India as well. One day he declared himself a failure and started selling ‘chatpate’. His passion came up alive once again when he met Anup Baral, the famous director on the road. Though details were not provided, he got a chance somehow and rose to fame after his work in the movie Resham Filili.

Call them fortune, universal conspiracy or Maktub (as Coelho says in ‘The Alchemist’) or ‘lekhaanta'(in Nepali) I believe in instances of sudden change in fortune. This dangerously means loss as well although I have mentioned gain here.

***

I believe in God. As a student of science, I should not just believe in God. I should be able to show evidence on God’s existence. But I am not only a student of science. I live in a society that believes in divine power. My parents tell me to have faith in God. In fact, faith is a way of life.

Nepal is known as the home of Gods. Most people believe that the mighty Himalayas and the plain of the Terai are gift of God to the Humans. Living in Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal aka the City of Temples, there is no way I can avoid God. If I say I don’t want to believe in God a hundred times, God somehow makes me believe in the Divine existence.

This week I saw in much details the process by which Goddess was invoked into a stone sculpture. Through Tantra-Mantra-Yantra, when the Goddess was said to have entered the statue, we could feel the change in energy. Everything looked beautiful. You could feel the positive vibes of the Mother entering into you. There were smiles everywhere. A transformation of Goddess also promised a transformation of Human hearts.

That’s one way of having a faith in God but I also believe in the existence of all powerful God within us that we often fail to identify.

***

I believe in Love. The soothing feeling while you are with your family, the comfort you feel with your friends, the awesome inexplicable feelings while you meet your lover- Love comes in various forms.

Love is within us and among us. But we fail to recognize it’s presence most of the times. That’s why the Buddha, Christ, Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Florence Nightingale are special to us. Had there been no Love, the World would have fallen apart. I believe Love is what we live by (just like Tolstoy penned in ‘What Men Live By?’

***

At last:

I believe Love can change our Luck, Luck can help us discover God, God shows us way to Love and Love makes our lives worth living. I believe that if we can invoke God into a stone, there is no way we cannot discover God within us. It’s just matter of time, patience and well doing.

Why I love ‘Temple Run’

By Sandeept

On January 26, 2016

In Blogging, Words

Almost everyone who has Android phone must have been acquainted with Temple Run. I do not intend to describe the features of the game (it’s there on Google Play Store and several other websites) but compare it with life.

Life? Does Temple Run have anything related to life? Yes, it has. And I realised it as I was “running” a character on the screen one day. Yep, I was looking at him and (SLAM!) he hit a tree. This was the moment I correlated the game with life for the first time. No matter how much, how fast one runs, death is inevitable. You DIE ultimately!

I, then winded my mind back where the game had started. The race starts as an idol (which is both a blessing and curse) is taken from a “temple”. “Take the idol if you dare,” the game challenges. One can not control their ego and begins the race immediately.

As already said, the idol has a blessing as well as a curse with it. As soon as one takes it, three(?) monkeys start chasing the character. In the sequel, Temple Run 2, one ursine monkey(?) chases. There are perks, however. The more you run and at a faster pace, points and gold increase. But whatever amount you gain, death will come up.

Let’s compare this with life now. The race of life begins once one becomes conscious of lives around them. One starts learning things, then they are sent to schools, colleges, universities and then the race for job begins. There are perks during the race- money, family, friends. But there are also troubles. One might even have to confront enemies. Ultimately one dies.

One thing about the game makes it different from life- “Run Again”. Even after a number of lives, I can make the character “run”, and resurrect. Resurrection and Reincarnation have been described in the Geeta, I am not sure when it will happen. In the game, I can opt for it in no time. This is why I love Temple Run.

Life’s Lessons

By Sandeept

On January 20, 2016

In Blogging, Gratitude, Happiness, Humans and Humanity, Inspirational

यस्तो रहस्यमय जीवन बुझ्नलाई
जानु कहाँ ? पढ्नु के ? गुरु को बनाई ?
फुल्दो गुलाबबिच ज्ञान अनेक फुल्छन्
उद्यानमा बस गई सब तत्व खुल्छन् !
-लक्ष्मीप्रसाद देवकोटा

Where can we learn the secrets of our life? Laxmi Prasad Devkota asks and answers himself, “Go to the Garden and you will find all the answers.”

The Garden here means Nature. There is everything in Nature we can learn. Nature is an open museum. What we need the eyes that analyse the beauty of nature, and that explore the knowledge within Her womb.

One day, I had written, “You see what you want to see. And nothing else.” I have been aided on this by my Teacher’s words, “You see what you know.” There are many things that might have gone unnoticed around us, but other people from far off can be seeing the same thing from some other perspective. Interpretation of what you have seen is equally important.

Life runs in a weird way, and people act in even weirder ways. It’s life that can teach you about life. A closed room that supports internet might teach you many things but to have a firsthand experience, you have to step out. In the words of my friends, “A bird has wings so that it can fly, not confine itself to its nest.”

For the last fifteen days, I was close to the Nature. Call it a tour or an excursion or a camp, whatever it may be called, it was an experience of a lifetime. The Geological tour for B.Sc. 3rd year gave many unforgettable memories.

What could be better than the assemblage of people from all parts of the country at one place? So many cultures, traditions and ethnicities mixed up into one. There was no discrimination, only friendship and love. No one cared if you looked dirty. Everyone was the same. Nobody raised questions on the religion and the customs one followed. No one fought in the name of sex, caste and religion. There was one friendly existence of like-minded people- all devoted to learn the science of the Nature.

There were rows, there were quarrels, there was a fight- which we can never forget. But I am proud to say that it was not in the name of personal biases. The tension the fight caused was immeasurable but the peace that came up later was extraordinary. I personally thank both the boys who were expelled for fighting(sadly)- despite your untimely rage, you acted like men.

Life is not just about the flowering rose. Even with the rose, thorns show themselves up. The task we did was not easy. It was nothing but determination that made us walk almost ten kilometers a day, observing, learning and sweating. Some of us even risked our lives in the quest of knowledge. However the sleep that came up after the hardworking was the best ever. Congratulations to all who accepted the challenge! Keep it up and one day, you will all stand up as wonderful human beings.

The camp was frustrating at times. Hours of work and no approval! We spoke out the frustration to our friends. We worked together. No matter how many times our work was rejected, we worked on to make it better. When we finally came out at the end with the maps, graphs and the reports we had prepared, I remember the smiles we all had. We had finally shown the spirit that we never give up despite all the failures we might have had.

The tour was not only a chance to learn different cultures within the camp but also to know the lives of people around us. Shree Bageshowri H.S.S., where we stayed, showed an excellent example of hospitality. Little students gave up the comforts of their rooms so that we could take a rest in the evenings. The love the villagers showed us, wherever we went was incredible. Their selflessness moved me. Here in city, where people run for money, there they act as humans and believe in humanity.

What else did I learn? For the first time in my life, I studied my friends closely and found that they are not entirely perfect. They have flaws in one way or the other, but they are also the best as humans. And one important thing- teachers are just like us. They have had more experience than us, but they are students in their hearts. They too are not perfect. They too are learners paving paths for the new ones to come up and take up their places.

Finally, life is the only entity that can teach us lives. Thanks to Nature who has given me life and an opportunity to learn about it.

Experiences of a common man!

Tag: Philosophy

Dharma is What We Need, Not Blind Faith

In this post, we discuss about…

An Existential Crisis

Blind Faith Dressed as Dharma

The Loneliness of Truth

We Are Not Alone, Even If We Feel Alone

Let’s Reclaim Dharma

मानव र एआईको सम्बन्ध : “सावर्णि” उपन्यासको सन्दर्भमा

यस लेखमा…

पृष्ठभूमि

सावर्णि उपन्यासको कथा

शास्त्रार्थ : मानव को हो ?

केही अनुत्तरित प्रश्नहरू

सोचमग्न बनाएका केही कुरा

चित्त नबुझेका कुरा

अन्त्यमा

What’s the Point? (The Last Part)

Pointless

Bliss at Sathimure

Who teaches her?

The Faults in our God

गौतम बुद्ध: जन्म, कर्म र हाम्रो धर्म

I Believe!

Why I love ‘Temple Run’

Life’s Lessons