Am back to India !! Wanted to post this one 10 days back..... couldn't :(
Landed in Bangalore on saturday (April 16) night. Same route that I took, the last three times. This time also I took the transit tour from the Bangkok Air port. Visitted the Grand Palace - Emerald Buddha Temple. Well, coming to the point, this blog is just a comparison between Buddhism and Hinduism.
There is a long standing opinion that Buddha is the NINTH incarnation of Vishnu, out of his "Dasaavathaara", the tenth one namely "Kalki" (Vishnu on a white horse), yet to be taken when the "Kali Yuga" ends through the yet to come "Pralaya" or the great disaster. There is also an opinion that, this thought of Buddha being an incarnation
of Vishnu, was being spread by Aadhi Shankara, whose purpose of birth was to spread Hinduism and avoid it being taken over by the then spreading Buddhism and Jainism. But I do believe in the first statement.
Before putting my thoughts, here are the 10 avatars of Vishnu. Matsya (Fish), Koorma (turtle), Varaaha (wild boar), Narasimha (Half human-half lion), Vaamana (short person), Bhargava (also called Parasu Rama), Rama, Krishna, Bouddha (Should be Buddha) and Kalki (yet to come). Some say that, Balarama (Krishna's brother) is the ninth incarnation of Vishnu. That is not true as it is mentioned in the Bhagavatha as well as in the Mahabharatha, that Bala rama is the incarnation of Aadhi Sesha (The cobra on which Vishnu sleeps). Btw, Lakshmana was also an incarnation of Aadhi Sesha. Please note that, Rama avatar was in "Thredha Yuga" and
Krishna avatar was in "Dwaabara Yuga" and there is no point taking incarnations of Krishna and Bala Rama in the same Yuga - Four yugas as per Hinduism are - Kritha, Thredha, Dwabara and Kali (current and last).
Well, here are my points favouring my thoughts. Buddhism was born in India, the land where Hinduism evolved. I am using the word "evolved" coz, no one knows when Hinduism started and also there are no governing bodies etc. for spreading Hinduism. "Siddhartha" - The real name of lord Buddha is one of the thousand names of lord Vishnu (Sahasra nama). For that matter "Pali" the language that Buddha used to preach is very close to "sanskrit". For instance, the guide who took me around in Bangkok was called, " Suk Neethi" which he said means " Happy by law" in Pali. It means the same in Sanskrit. many places and landmarks in Thailand have Pali names and they sound and mean the same in sanskrit too. Also, all the kings of Thailand are named Rama.
The Emerald Buddha temple had the complete Ramayana depicted in a pictorial form. The hero of the Ramayana according to them is "Hanuman". He is depicted in the same way as we know him in India :-), the only difference being he is a casanova according to Buddhist belief as against the "Brahmachari" image that we have about him. The wife of Hanuman is a Mermaid as depicted by their pictures. There is one belief in Hindu mythology too about Hanuman, which is, when Hanuman was flying across the sea to Lanka, his sweat fell on one of the fish and eventually the fish gave birth to a child who was also as powerful as Hanuman was :-). This is
somewhat close to the mermaid depiction.
There were statues of Buddha with four heads (Brahma). Most of the Buddist temples also have a "Ganapathi" vigraha. Also I have seen Siva in the form of Linga in most of the temples. One very special fact is that, there is a temple called the "Sleeping Buddha" temple, where in the Buddha poses on a "Naga", resting his head on his palm. We have temples of Vishnu in the same pose in "Srirangam" near Trichy or the "AnanthaPadmanabha swamy" temple in Trivandrum (Kerala).
Lastly, there is a Stupa in the Grand Palace which is for "Kalki" incarnation that Buddha is going to take. I will surely upload some photoes in my blog soon. Well, the above blog is definitely not some kind of Hindutva spreading mission :-). Just some thoughts that I was able to corelate between Hinduism and Buddhism. I conclude saying what Suk neethi told me when he left..."
Your God and Our God are the same".
Bye !!
Tuesday, April 26, 2005
Friday, April 15, 2005
Time to leave ...
Hey
Today is my 39th day at Taiwan and I am leaving by the 9 AM flight tomorrow. Taipei - Bangkok - Bangalore. Planning to take the transit tour of Bangkok as usual.
This stay at Taiwan was the longest and the most memorable, I would say. Firstly, I landed here on my birthday !!! Then a series of Monday blues and the exciting weekends at Danshui, WuLai and the Pacific, got to meet Edgar, Ashish and Jayesh - nice company. Food was also not that much of a problem since the hotel where I stay has a new chef who knew how to make Indian curry !!!!! Was normally having it for dinner and sometime for breakfast. Of course had a nice South Indian lunch at a friend's place. Weather, this time was totally crazy !! Would be very cold on some days, very hot and humid on some, drizzle or pour on some other day and so on. Was afraid I might fall ill, but luckily nothing happened. :-). Incidentally, I was here for Shivarathri (on march 8), good friday and began "Parthiba" year (The new Tamil year) in Taiwan.
By the way, this week was cool, in all sense (weather as well as work). Our client was happy with the progress, this monday was not "blue" and I managed to get a 1 GB USB disk with the amount of money I had !!! Because of my extension of stay, I ran short of money and hence had to borrow some to settle my hotel bill :-(. I had to drop my plans of buying USB sticks for colleagues and friend(Saravanan), USB MP3 player desperately wanted by a colleague and of course the short pants that Anuj asked me :-( Sorry Anuj... I am sure anuj will ask me how I was able to get a 1 GB USB hard disk but not a short pant .... a valid question. But I am equally sure that he knows the answer.
Btw, Eddie gave me a souvneir, a dabba full of Pcific sand and shells. thanks for the same !!
Ok. time to leave. Will update about my flight, Bkk trip etc. in my next blog from Bangalore.
bye Bye !!
Today is my 39th day at Taiwan and I am leaving by the 9 AM flight tomorrow. Taipei - Bangkok - Bangalore. Planning to take the transit tour of Bangkok as usual.
This stay at Taiwan was the longest and the most memorable, I would say. Firstly, I landed here on my birthday !!! Then a series of Monday blues and the exciting weekends at Danshui, WuLai and the Pacific, got to meet Edgar, Ashish and Jayesh - nice company. Food was also not that much of a problem since the hotel where I stay has a new chef who knew how to make Indian curry !!!!! Was normally having it for dinner and sometime for breakfast. Of course had a nice South Indian lunch at a friend's place. Weather, this time was totally crazy !! Would be very cold on some days, very hot and humid on some, drizzle or pour on some other day and so on. Was afraid I might fall ill, but luckily nothing happened. :-). Incidentally, I was here for Shivarathri (on march 8), good friday and began "Parthiba" year (The new Tamil year) in Taiwan.
By the way, this week was cool, in all sense (weather as well as work). Our client was happy with the progress, this monday was not "blue" and I managed to get a 1 GB USB disk with the amount of money I had !!! Because of my extension of stay, I ran short of money and hence had to borrow some to settle my hotel bill :-(. I had to drop my plans of buying USB sticks for colleagues and friend(Saravanan), USB MP3 player desperately wanted by a colleague and of course the short pants that Anuj asked me :-( Sorry Anuj... I am sure anuj will ask me how I was able to get a 1 GB USB hard disk but not a short pant .... a valid question. But I am equally sure that he knows the answer.
Btw, Eddie gave me a souvneir, a dabba full of Pcific sand and shells. thanks for the same !!
Ok. time to leave. Will update about my flight, Bkk trip etc. in my next blog from Bangalore.
bye Bye !!
Monday, April 11, 2005
The Pacific or The Hindustan ??
Hi All !!
I had put my leg into the Pacific Ocean on April 8, 2005!!! Here is the complete coverage :-)
I had to go to another office for a meeting today. So Eddie, from my client's office had come to pick me up in the morning. We first went to the American Express Bank as I had to exchange some money (in fact quite a bit, around 110,000 NT$ !!, for settling my hotel account). Then we went to the place where we were supposed to go. The office building was really massive. I am really quite impressed with the infrastructure here (if at all, it matters !!). The meeting was over just before lunch time. I was planning to have my lunch at the Indian restaurant. Before I suggested this to Eddie, he asked me whether I would be interested to go and see the Pacific. I WAS THRILLED !!!!
But great things in life come only if we make sacrifices. Here is the option given to me.Go to Indian restaurant, have a great lunch. I was even mentally prepared to have Tomato soup, naan, Malai koftha + Bindi masala, Subzi biriyani and kulfi... That's it !! that's what I normally have when I go to the Hindustan (The name of the Indian Restaurant here). Or, take some sandwich or something and go to Keelung island, where the Pacific is accessible. The Red and the Blue pill !! Doing both is not possible due to various reasons like distance, time etc.
Believe me !! It was a very very tough decision to make !! There are two ways of thinking about the given situation. One is, " (1) What is there in the Pacific Ocean ? The same blue, salty sea water. H2O + NaCl. Should I sacrifice a nice food after starving for nearly a month without good food ? After all we live and earn to eat properly :-)" or " (2) Still one more week. I am going to have Indian food once I go back to India. After a month, if I feel like eating a Biriyani, I can. But if I feel like going to the Pacific ... Can I ? For that matter no sea coast is close to Bangalore :-)." Number 2 won. No Indian food :-( !!
So we packed a Spaghetti + French fries and started to Keelung. The ride was through mountains and tunnels. Very picturesque. We even passed the port where a ship bound for Japan was about to start and then the National Taiwan University (where Eddie did his Bachelors degree) and the bridge that marked the end of Taiwan Strait and the beginning of the Pacific !!! At last we were there. It was not some kind of a beach but was a rocky sea shore where people can take some snaps, pick sea weeds, catch crabs etc. It was a great sight to see the sea surrounded by rocks and mountains. We had our Spaghetti sitting by the rocky shore. Not good :-((. Since the water had a lot of sea weeds it was really slippery. So I carefully went in and stood in a place where the waves can kiss my knee :-). Took some snaps as a proof and waved adieu to Prashanth (Hey, Pacific is called Prashant Maha Sagar in Hindi !!)
Thanked Eddie for his suggestion and time and rode back to work, with the sense of achievement, bidding farewell to the Queen of Oceans !!
I had put my leg into the Pacific Ocean on April 8, 2005!!! Here is the complete coverage :-)
I had to go to another office for a meeting today. So Eddie, from my client's office had come to pick me up in the morning. We first went to the American Express Bank as I had to exchange some money (in fact quite a bit, around 110,000 NT$ !!, for settling my hotel account). Then we went to the place where we were supposed to go. The office building was really massive. I am really quite impressed with the infrastructure here (if at all, it matters !!). The meeting was over just before lunch time. I was planning to have my lunch at the Indian restaurant. Before I suggested this to Eddie, he asked me whether I would be interested to go and see the Pacific. I WAS THRILLED !!!!
But great things in life come only if we make sacrifices. Here is the option given to me.Go to Indian restaurant, have a great lunch. I was even mentally prepared to have Tomato soup, naan, Malai koftha + Bindi masala, Subzi biriyani and kulfi... That's it !! that's what I normally have when I go to the Hindustan (The name of the Indian Restaurant here). Or, take some sandwich or something and go to Keelung island, where the Pacific is accessible. The Red and the Blue pill !! Doing both is not possible due to various reasons like distance, time etc.
Believe me !! It was a very very tough decision to make !! There are two ways of thinking about the given situation. One is, " (1) What is there in the Pacific Ocean ? The same blue, salty sea water. H2O + NaCl. Should I sacrifice a nice food after starving for nearly a month without good food ? After all we live and earn to eat properly :-)" or " (2) Still one more week. I am going to have Indian food once I go back to India. After a month, if I feel like eating a Biriyani, I can. But if I feel like going to the Pacific ... Can I ? For that matter no sea coast is close to Bangalore :-)." Number 2 won. No Indian food :-( !!
So we packed a Spaghetti + French fries and started to Keelung. The ride was through mountains and tunnels. Very picturesque. We even passed the port where a ship bound for Japan was about to start and then the National Taiwan University (where Eddie did his Bachelors degree) and the bridge that marked the end of Taiwan Strait and the beginning of the Pacific !!! At last we were there. It was not some kind of a beach but was a rocky sea shore where people can take some snaps, pick sea weeds, catch crabs etc. It was a great sight to see the sea surrounded by rocks and mountains. We had our Spaghetti sitting by the rocky shore. Not good :-((. Since the water had a lot of sea weeds it was really slippery. So I carefully went in and stood in a place where the waves can kiss my knee :-). Took some snaps as a proof and waved adieu to Prashanth (Hey, Pacific is called Prashant Maha Sagar in Hindi !!)
Thanked Eddie for his suggestion and time and rode back to work, with the sense of achievement, bidding farewell to the Queen of Oceans !!
Thursday, April 07, 2005
Weekend Vs Monday
Hi !!
If the above two candidates contest in a poll there will be no need for counting the votes !!
I am experiencing this Monday Panic like never before, in my current trip of Taiwan. I have spent 4 (weekends + monday) here so far and I was never happy on any of the mondays :(. It's mainly coz, we leave some "over the weekend" tests on friday evenings hoping to see things working great on Monday morning. Guess what ?? That was never the case, this time at least.
Anyhow, all the weekends were great so far :). I would prefer writing about the weekends than the monday that followed :-)
The first two weekends were full of eating and sleeping including a Real Good South Indian Lunch at a friend's house :-).
The third one - planned to go to Damshui - A place close to the seashore; South China Sea. I had visited that place with my client when I had come here, the first time. I remember my client telling me that this is the best place in Taipei to have a date !! As expected and as it was the case with me(and my friends) always, I went there with guys ( :(((( ). Three of them, in fact - Ashish, Edgar and Jayesh - they are also from India and they will be here for at least a month. This is one phenomena that is with us always. Be it Ooty or Kodaikanal or Tirupathi we were a group of 8 or 10 guys always. Taipei was no exception :). No complaints though :-). Had a great time at Fisherman's Wharf and the sea coast. Spent nearly 4 to 5 hours there.
In the last weeknd we went to WuLai Hot springs zone, which is some 50 km from the place where we stay. We took an MRT (Mass Rapid Transport) to Xindian and then a bus to WuLai. The place was amazing - Nature at its best !!! We first laid ourselves in the Natural Hot Springs for nearly an hour. I was surprised to see boiling hot and Ice cold water just separated by a layer of pebbles. Mother nature is amazing !!! Then we saw the water falls. Also, went to the park on the other side of the mountain via Cable car( The only mode of transport connecting the two sides). I was able to see nothing but greenery where ever I turned :-). Came back to the room after a nice 10 hours, with my mind still lingering around the springs, falls and the green vegetation.
As the other side of the picture the mondays that followed were totally _____ and ***** (upto the dirty mind of the reader to fill in the blanks :-)). That's the reason why, I din't write this blog on Monday. Moreover yesterday was a holiday as it was the "Tomb Sleeping Day" in Taipei, a day to pay homage to the ancestors. I converted it to a "Room Sleeping Day" :-).
Awaiting to see what the next Monday unfolds :-). Wish me luck !!
Bye !!
If the above two candidates contest in a poll there will be no need for counting the votes !!
I am experiencing this Monday Panic like never before, in my current trip of Taiwan. I have spent 4 (weekends + monday) here so far and I was never happy on any of the mondays :(. It's mainly coz, we leave some "over the weekend" tests on friday evenings hoping to see things working great on Monday morning. Guess what ?? That was never the case, this time at least.
Anyhow, all the weekends were great so far :). I would prefer writing about the weekends than the monday that followed :-)
The first two weekends were full of eating and sleeping including a Real Good South Indian Lunch at a friend's house :-).
The third one - planned to go to Damshui - A place close to the seashore; South China Sea. I had visited that place with my client when I had come here, the first time. I remember my client telling me that this is the best place in Taipei to have a date !! As expected and as it was the case with me(and my friends) always, I went there with guys ( :(((( ). Three of them, in fact - Ashish, Edgar and Jayesh - they are also from India and they will be here for at least a month. This is one phenomena that is with us always. Be it Ooty or Kodaikanal or Tirupathi we were a group of 8 or 10 guys always. Taipei was no exception :). No complaints though :-). Had a great time at Fisherman's Wharf and the sea coast. Spent nearly 4 to 5 hours there.
In the last weeknd we went to WuLai Hot springs zone, which is some 50 km from the place where we stay. We took an MRT (Mass Rapid Transport) to Xindian and then a bus to WuLai. The place was amazing - Nature at its best !!! We first laid ourselves in the Natural Hot Springs for nearly an hour. I was surprised to see boiling hot and Ice cold water just separated by a layer of pebbles. Mother nature is amazing !!! Then we saw the water falls. Also, went to the park on the other side of the mountain via Cable car( The only mode of transport connecting the two sides). I was able to see nothing but greenery where ever I turned :-). Came back to the room after a nice 10 hours, with my mind still lingering around the springs, falls and the green vegetation.
As the other side of the picture the mondays that followed were totally _____ and ***** (upto the dirty mind of the reader to fill in the blanks :-)). That's the reason why, I din't write this blog on Monday. Moreover yesterday was a holiday as it was the "Tomb Sleeping Day" in Taipei, a day to pay homage to the ancestors. I converted it to a "Room Sleeping Day" :-).
Awaiting to see what the next Monday unfolds :-). Wish me luck !!
Bye !!
Friday, April 01, 2005
Eating Habits
This is a bit lengthy, but interesting.
Of late I had faced many interesting incidents with this V-NV (Vegetarian - Non Vegetartian) food habits. Especially the recent surge of Eastern Journeys I underwent have given me experiences that I would prefer to share with you people.
Firstly, I will tell you about the veggie Sandwich that I get in the SubWay outlet close to my client's office, where I normally have my lunch or dinner. The sandwich is called Veggie Delite. I am really trying to find out what's so delightful about this stuff !!! It is bun filled with stuffs that only cattle will enjoy. To me that sandwich is a human rights violation !!! As a human being am i not entitled for something which is baked / boiled / fried or at least heated ? But I should admit that the soup and cookies I get there are good and that's the reason I keep going there.
I can't blame these people. For them vegetarian is something totally harmless - food to be eaten when someone is sick. But different people here have different definitions for vegetarian. When I was dining at the hotal where I stay, I asked for vegetarian fried rice. The guy asked me whether onion is allowed. I felt that was a sensible question and said "yes". Then came the stunner !!!! He asked me whether pork is allowed ??!!@&* To be frank, pork is the last thing on earth that I will categorize as Veg. I could not understand what made him put pork and onion at the same level :-). I answered him with a pathetic "No". I ended up getting a fried rice with some pink things on it resembling shrimp. Then he explained me it is made of soya bean just to give an NV feeling !!!!!
This one is really good. Happened in the flight between Bangkok and Bangalore last time. It was time to eat and the air hostess asked me whether I want pork + rice or prawns + rice. I could not answer. Just said her I am a veggie. She perused thru her passenger list, cross checked with another air host and triumphantly declared "we have no vegetarians on board". I felt ignored and less important than a piece of paper :-(. The only reason why I was not harsh on her was I din't want to earn the hatred of a beautiful creature ;). I think she also had some soft corner for me :). She searched for 15 mins and gave me a veg meal which i really enjoyed !! Three cheers to Thai airways air hotess' !!!
We have a lot of funny arguments over our lunch table in my office where we have a group which loves plants like anything, they never harm them ;-). In one such discussions I said I am a oo-lacto-vegetarian. That is - I can take egg and milk. Bang came the reply from the other group... I am a porko- muttono - chickeno oo- .... vegetarian !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I really envy the NVs ;-)
ok.....it's time to have a veggie delite !!
Of late I had faced many interesting incidents with this V-NV (Vegetarian - Non Vegetartian) food habits. Especially the recent surge of Eastern Journeys I underwent have given me experiences that I would prefer to share with you people.
Firstly, I will tell you about the veggie Sandwich that I get in the SubWay outlet close to my client's office, where I normally have my lunch or dinner. The sandwich is called Veggie Delite. I am really trying to find out what's so delightful about this stuff !!! It is bun filled with stuffs that only cattle will enjoy. To me that sandwich is a human rights violation !!! As a human being am i not entitled for something which is baked / boiled / fried or at least heated ? But I should admit that the soup and cookies I get there are good and that's the reason I keep going there.
I can't blame these people. For them vegetarian is something totally harmless - food to be eaten when someone is sick. But different people here have different definitions for vegetarian. When I was dining at the hotal where I stay, I asked for vegetarian fried rice. The guy asked me whether onion is allowed. I felt that was a sensible question and said "yes". Then came the stunner !!!! He asked me whether pork is allowed ??!!@&* To be frank, pork is the last thing on earth that I will categorize as Veg. I could not understand what made him put pork and onion at the same level :-). I answered him with a pathetic "No". I ended up getting a fried rice with some pink things on it resembling shrimp. Then he explained me it is made of soya bean just to give an NV feeling !!!!!
This one is really good. Happened in the flight between Bangkok and Bangalore last time. It was time to eat and the air hostess asked me whether I want pork + rice or prawns + rice. I could not answer. Just said her I am a veggie. She perused thru her passenger list, cross checked with another air host and triumphantly declared "we have no vegetarians on board". I felt ignored and less important than a piece of paper :-(. The only reason why I was not harsh on her was I din't want to earn the hatred of a beautiful creature ;). I think she also had some soft corner for me :). She searched for 15 mins and gave me a veg meal which i really enjoyed !! Three cheers to Thai airways air hotess' !!!
We have a lot of funny arguments over our lunch table in my office where we have a group which loves plants like anything, they never harm them ;-). In one such discussions I said I am a oo-lacto-vegetarian. That is - I can take egg and milk. Bang came the reply from the other group... I am a porko- muttono - chickeno oo- .... vegetarian !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I really envy the NVs ;-)
ok.....it's time to have a veggie delite !!
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