OCT/NOV 2011 by Mate Radovcic

www.16ROUNDS.com OCT/NOV 2011

ECO-PLEASURE Is "green" the new black?BELIEF RATIONAL SPIRITUAL COVER STORY (PG. 11):

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<(previous issue's cover)>

INTRO

AL-GEBRA TERRORIST Our dear freaked-out-of-your-minds American brothers and sisters who watch too much oil-company-sponsored TV. Here is something to help you lighten up.

This is a 16Rounds to Samadhi 16Rounds is published: ● To propagate spiritual knowledge and to educate all people in the techniques of spiritual life in order to check the imbalance of values in life and to achieve real unity and peace in the world. ● To bring people closer together for the purpose of teaching a simpler and more natural way of life. ● To expose the faults of materialism. ● To bring about the well-being of all living entities. 16Rounds is an independent magazine compiled, written, and published by a few Hare Krishna monks. It is produced in an attempt to benefit its readers, for our own purification, and for the pleasure of our spiritual grandfather, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhakti vedanta Swami Prabhupada, the founder and spiritual guide of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). The first copy is free; additional copies of the same issue are $10 each. © 2011 16Rounds to Samadhi. All rights reserved.

16Rounds Staff: Editor: Mahat Tattva Dasa Mahat has been a monk since 1995 and is currently serving as the president of the Hare Krishna temple in San Diego. Assistant Editor & Layout: Giriraj Gopal Dasa Giriraj Gopal Dasa is a working artist and a bhakti-yoga teacher and practitioner.

Layout: Bhismadeva Dasa Bhismadeva has been a monk since 2008 and is currently living in the ashram at the Hare Krishna temple in San Diego.

very serious threat, particularly for young people. Please take extra precautions in your lives. Please also share this important information with your friends, so that no harm comes to them too.

At Los Angeles’ LAX airport today, an individual, later discovered to be a public school teacher, was arrested trying to board a flight while in possession of a ruler, a protractor, a set-square, and a calculator. Justice Minister Ann McLelland believes the man is a member of the notorious al-gebra movement. He is being charged with carrying weapons of math instruction.

to a common denominator and are part of the axis of medieval, with coordinates in every country. As the great Greek philanderer isosceles used to say, there are 3 sides to every angle, and if God had wanted us to have better weapons of math instruction, He would have given us more fingers and toes. Therefore, I'm extremely grateful that our government has given us a sine that

it is intent on protracting us from these math-dogs who are so willing to disintegrate us with calculus disregard. These statistic bastards love to inflict plane on every sphere of influence. Under the circumferences, it's time we differentiated their root, made our point, and drew the line. These weapons of math instruction have the potential to decimal everything in their math on a sca-

lene never before seen unless we become exponents of a Higher Power and begin to factor-in random facts of vertex. As an American President would say, "Read my ellipse." Here is one principle he is uncertain of---though they continue to multiply, their days are numbered and the hypotenuse will tighten around their necks. �

•// al-gebra terrorist in training

Al-gebra is a very fearsome cult, indeed. They desire average solutions by means and extremes, and sometimes go off on a tangent in a search of absolute value. They consist of quite shadowy figures, with names like "x" and "y", and, although they are frequently referred to as "unknowns", we know they really belong CONTACT: 16rounds@gmail.com www.16ROUNDS.com 1030 Grand Ave. San Diego, CA 92109

facebook.com/16roundstosamadhi ADVERTISE Call/text Mahat at #858.405.5465. See media/advertising kit at www.16rounds.com/advertise SUBSCRIPTIONS 10 issues = $25 www.16rounds.com/subscribe DISCLAIMER: Views and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors.

MEANING OF “16ROUNDS” Yoga is a Sanskrit word that means “union” or “linking.” Meditation is a process of yoga by which the spiritual practitioner achieves union with the Divine. The recommended process of meditation for the age we are currently living in is mantra meditation. This process involves chanting of mantras. The Upanishads, the classical spiritual texts of ancient India, say that the best mantra is the Hare Krishna mantra: hare krishna, hare krishna, krishna krishna, hare hare, hare rama, hare rama, rama rama, hare hare. A “Mala” is a set of 108 beads strung on a thread, sort of like a rosary. The spiritual practitioner prayerfully and with great concentration recites/chants the whole mantra once for each bead of the mala. The mala or the string of beads is held in the fist of the right hand and is meant to help us count how many times we chanted the mantra. It also helps engage the sense of touch in the process of meditation. Once we have chanted the mantra 108 times, or once for each bead, we have completed “one round.” Serious practitioners of this spiritual discipline take a vow to chant at least sixteen times round the mala every day; thus the name “16 Rounds.”

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SELF- REALIZATION

WE DO IT FOR PLEASURE A Misguided Search By Sri Devi (Andrea Sonia)

Everything we do in life is motivated by our desire to feel pleasure. The businessman who works hard does it for the feeling he anticipates he will get from the respect, resources, and adoration afforded by a higher position and salary. The parents who undergo sacrifices raising their children do it because they want to experience a certain form of nurturing love. A friend who opens his heart to another does it to feel emotional relief and intimacy. The drug addict who pierces his vein with a needle does it for bliss. The ascetic meditating in a cave in the Himalayas does it for the same reason. Cont'd.››› ›››Cont'd.

tive one.

We may

At this point of evolution of our modern society, perhaps some might find a drug like soma quite useful. Because the things which we thought would give us some pleasure such as career success, happy family life, material abundance, interesting art and literature, experiencing different cultures, et cetera, are slowly and not so slowly vanishing from our world.

believe that our actions are motivated by things such as morality, love, instincts, conditioning, or escapism – and they may be – but underneath is the overarching desire to feel some form of pleasure. I use the word ‘pleasure’ here in its broadest sense: physical, emotional, or beyond. Whatever we believe will give us a ‘taste’ of some happiness, breaking us out of the ennui of our daily existence, giving us a sense of transcendence. Since pleasure, according to many thoughtful philosophers, is the natural state of the soul in the spiritual realm, it is quite natural for the living entity to want to experience more and more of it here, in the physical, material world. The problem we run into, however, is when we do not understand the difference between pleasure which elevates us and pleasure

which degrades us.

Look around. Does it seem like we, as the human race on planet Earth, have

"The problem is that we do not understand what pleasure actually is. It has the power to both elevate and degrade us." 4

One might have a desire to strive for these things, but in a way, due partially to globalization, industrialization, media, and the general “progress” and exploitation of everything, these pleasures no longer hold the same appeal, nor do they exist in the same way, nor can we really afford them.

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gotten the idea of pleasure right? Many of us are kind of “burnt out” by everything at this point. There is the economy thing, the politics/ war thing, the dysfunctional family thing, your choice of addictions, the information overwhelm, the pornographic and violence-forsport media displays, the boredom, the isolation, the “nobody gets me”. And it is getting worse by the day. Where is the pleasure we are so much after?

BRAVE NEW WORLD In his 1932 novel, A Brave New World, Aldous Huxley presents a futuristic world in which everyone is addicted to a state-sanctioned drug called soma. This drug, along with various bio-engineering techniques performed on the populace and the encouragement of promiscuous sex, is taken regularly by the citizens in order to numb out from the varieties of pain experienced in this material world, and to produce

a feeling of pleasure. The government’s motive for the dispensation of soma is not an altruistic one, but rather to keep people happily engaged in economic consumption, without being needlessly “distracted” with such things as introspection, existential doubt, and independent thought. So pleasure in this novel is presented as the ultimate tool for manipulation of the masses, and since we are designed to hanker after it, perhaps the only truly effec-

We have tried and done everything for pleasure. For example, the counterculture movement of the 1960’s and 70’s declared that sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll, which many would consider “pinnacles of pleasure,” were really the way to go as social norms. It was done for some time and perhaps somewhat enjoyed. But in the end it left us as a society, weary, unfulfilled, strung out, diseased, and dysfunction-ridden. The counterculture movement was later replaced by the exorbitant materialistic and career-driven pleasure flavor of the 1980’s. Wall

SELF REALIZATION the things we have tried to glean pleasure from. We can sense its inviting yet evanescent quality; it slips through our fingers as we try to grab it. We are trying to bottle a cloud.

Attempting to enjoy material pleasures degrades and cheats us because we endeavor in a wrong direction. We do not understand our predicament. We inadvertently perpetuate our stuck condition. We do not understand that continuing in this same cycle of attempt and failure keeps us from focusing on what this life is meant for – the realization and pursuit of our spiritual identity.

"It is like a pretty woman with nothing else going for her. She is temporary, ephemeral, shallow; she disappoints us...." Street would be the next thing.

And so all throughout the history of mankind, did we think that this thing or that would give us the pleasure we hanker after? This search was stacked on top of the ever-present need for eating, sleeping, mating, and having security - in its various forms. Such is our predicament. We are beings created for pleasure, there are pleasures all around, but trying to enjoy them hurts us. What to do?

THE COME DOWN Some of us may not necessarily see our comfortable ideas of pleasure as degrading or hurtful, because it is all we have been taught and all we have in some sense. Nor do we necessarily desire an alternative. For some of us, it is “still okay.” “Yes, I will keep trying until I get it right.” But for some of us, perhaps the more fortunate ones, it is not okay, and there is something that feels terribly wrong with

"Then, at some point, after various lives and pursuits, we are meant to stop, scratch our heads, and say, “Wait a minute. This isn’t right....”

With just a bit of analysis, one can arrive at a conclusion that there must be more than our current physical/material identity which we can right now easily discern. For example, one can readily state his current nationality, occupation, and year of birth. The engineer from Iowa, born in 1980, can state such facts with certainty. But where was this same engineer in, say, 1976? And where will this engineer from Iowa be upon his physical death? That he cannot say. He must take an explanation that is beyond the grasp of his current senses, one that alludes to a spiritual identity. A conception of life limited only to a physical identity, the one comprising our few paltry years here on Earth, leads us merely into disease, old age, and ultimately death. This is not an optimistic program nor is it a reasonable summum bonum; it must point to something greater.

A NATURAL HIGH

The Bhagavad Gita states: “Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you…nor in the future shall any of us cease to exist” (2.12). Furthermore, “Yet there is another unmanifest nature, which is eternal and is transcendental to this manifested and unmani-

"Since we are made for pleasure, engage in pleasure we must. However, we must find a different way...." fested matter. It is supreme and is never annihilated…” (8.20)

Instead of taking the broader, spiritual view, the pursuance of material pleasures serves to perpetuate the limited, depressing concept. It feeds and nurtures the temporary identity, causing us to take future births within the physical/ material realm through our over-identification with it.

Our misguided pursuit of material pleasures cheats us because instead of giving us the feelings we expect, it gives us incompleteness and even pain. Operating on a set of assumptions not based on ultimate reality, the promise of such pleasures constantly frustrates us and keeps us busy looking in the wrong places. It is like a pretty woman with nothing else going for her. She is temporary, ephemeral, shallow; she disappoints us. It does not take a mystical genius to prove any of the above statements. Have you ever tried to enjoy something which later proved extremely painful? Have you ever achieved something you worked hard for, only to realize it is emptiness and futility? Have you ever lost a loved one? Have you ever thought you might be an extra-terrestrial who has accidentally landed on a strange and absurd planet?

In Vedic literatures, we get a clear explanation of what this is all about. The material world in which we currently live is purposefully designed for this process. Like Alice, we fell down a rabbit hole into a place of curious objects which don’t make sense. We are here because at some point of our spiritual evolution we

wanted to enjoy separately from our creator, who has very lovingly offered us this facility. We asked for it.

This world is meant for us to exhaust the search for pleasure in it, by trying everything. Then, at some point, after various lives and pursuits, we are meant to stop, scratch our heads, and say, “Wait a minute. This isn’t right.” If you are feeling like you might be at this point of your life now, consider yourself fortunate. Because now the real endeavor can begin, which is the work required to qualify ourselves for reinstatement in real pleasure. When our current 70 or so years are up, we have the choice of continuing on in the material world with a new body, with the same

backdrop of false pleasures which we cannot enjoy, or we can go to a different world, where the pleasure is real and ever-lasting. The bodies we get there do not encounter the awkward and embarrassing conundrums of birth, death, old age, and disease. The pleasure there is substantial and ever-increasing. Ample descriptions of spiritual worlds exist in Vedic literatures. It is the place where we “fit” and is actually our real home. It is the place we left a long time ago, and to which now we want to return. It is a sigh of relief. Everything we are trying to enjoy here is there also – friends, family, amusements, everything. But there we actually get to Cont'd on pg. 16 ›››

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PHILOSOPHY

CASTING A DIFFERENT LIGHT Freud Was On To Something

By Devin James O’Rourke

Anyone who has taken a psychology course has heard of Sigmond Freud and Carl Jung. These two influencial psychologists set the foundation for modern psychology, and looked deeply into metaphysical nature in their studies of the paranormal and reincarnation. Ancient India's Vedic knowledge also draws many striking paralells... ©5

PART I: FOREVER JUNG

primordial swamp of sexually charged soup that Sigmund Freud called "psychoanalysis" was the beginning of popular psychology. This seething cauldron of repression, guilt, and daddy issues has since its inception been the platform by which, either through edification or denunciation, all other personality theories are measured. Freud propounded the

Sigmund Freud 6

idea that the cause of behavior for any given human is largely unbeknownst to that individual. Freud saw that we wander through life stabbing in the proverbial dark; and for what, we are really not sure - but Freud was. Sex. Freud defined the ‘id’ as an underlying primitive sexual impulse; man's motor as Sigmund defined it. As he explains, the id is single purposed, “only striving to bring about the satisfaction of the instinctual needs subject to the observance of the pleasure

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principle.”

In stark contrast to the id stands the ‘super-ego’, essentially a giant buzz kill, which imposes upon us feelings of guilt, shame, and remorse for getting our sensual jollies. This influence develops from habitual interaction with parents, and then is supplemented by teachers, bosses, meter maids, and the rest. Sandwiched uncomfortably between these two extremes is the ‘ego’, which serves the id by maintain-

Srila Prabhupada

ing the appearance of decorum. If the whole world knows you are only in it for yourself, no one will ever let you get close enough to take anything. So by maintaining the auspice of morality, the ego lulls our environment into a false security in order to preserve our sense enjoyment. See American History for a more detailed explanation of this principle. As Freud saw it, all behaviors are caused by our repressed sexual urges. The good doctor laments, “Much of our highly valued cultural heritage has been acquired at the cost of sexuality.” Srila Prabhupada, Founder of The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), confirmed Freud’s theories in a conversation about the philosopher/psychologist. Prabhupada said that “as soon as there is an embodied living being he must have hunger, he must have sex impulse.” In fact, Prabhupada's impetus for founding ISK-

CON, and encouraging the chanting of Hare Krishna around the world was to free man of a 'cat and dog society' built around sex desire. The structures of the super-ego are losing out to the collective cravings of the id. We can all agree on this point, including Prabhupada and Freud. Being ‘googoo for GaGa’ or not, the knowledge of her existence makes our use of the word 'society' dubious at best. The Vedas, India's ancient spiritual canon, and Prabhupada's own source for knowledge warned of this degradation years ago. In Canto 12 of the Srimad Bhagavatam, titled 'The Age of Deterioration', it is explained that our time in history will be a depraved one. It says, “wealth alone will be considered the sign of a man's good birth, proper behavior and fine qualities. And law and justice will be applied only on the basis of one's power.” The text goes on to say, “Men and

women will live together merely because of superficial attraction, and success in business will depend on deceit. Womanliness and manliness will be judged according to one's expertise in sex ….”

So by the Vedic standard Freud was on to something. He offered few solutions though, and the inability of his therapies to produce any positive effects has left his reputation on thin ice in today's Prozac world. One commentator writes, "even applying his own indulgent criteria, with no allowance for placebo factors and no systematic follow-up to check for relapses, Freud was unable to document a single unambiguously efficacious treatment”. So intuitively Freud's conclusions seem right, though his methodology was dicey. He also, as our critic points out, offers no tangible solutions. The Vedas offer a sophisticated structure for

PHILOSOPHY human society that is meant to harness and dovetail this latent sex desire in order to advance each individual’s consciousness. Through a miraculously intuitive process of speculation and soul searching, one of Freud’s protegé’s, Carl Jung, was able to do the same.

Carl Jung (that's Jung like Brigham) is a man whose work is the true foundation of all substantive personality theory today. He also happened to be for some time a student of Dr. Freud. Jung had this to say about his guru, “Sexuality evidently meant more to Freud than to other people. For him it was something to be religiously observed.”

The more sophisticated Jung did appreciate his teacher’s explanation of the apparently erratic actions of humans as symptoms of each individual’s 'subconscious'. Spring boarding off this theory, Jung wrote his prescient book "Psychologische Typen" (Psychological Types). The Swiss man asserts that there are two ways in which the mind could be working at any given moment, either taking in information or processing information already obtained. Both of these functions could be done in two ways. One could take in, or as Jung called it 'perceive' information either by sensing or intuiting. Then, one could process, or as Jung noted humans do, 'judge', the information by thinking or feeling. This hodge-podge of possible packages could then be wrapped in an extroverted or introverted mood, rounding out our system, and creating eight possible types as Jung saw them. These types give a clearer explanation for the way different id's, ego's and false ego's dance together. Jung addressed more of the how than the why and became famous for it.

claims that 'The more you know about yourself, your strengths, your dreams, and your options, the better choices you can make.' Though Freud's work of establishing sex as a driving factor in human behavior was essential, Jung's elaborate explanation of the mental tango between super-ego, ego, and id gave psychologists and lay people alike a way to understand themselves more completely. This is the intention of the varnasrama system offered in the Vedas. By understanding the four classes, or we might say 'types', society can curtail the counter-productive 'tale chasing' we might otherwise revert back to, and instead elevate our consciousness by engaging in service conducive to our mood.

It is true Jung's original work had 8 types, but only the indebted servants of graduate level psychology degree programs know of them. The common understanding of psychological types has been narrowed to mirror the varnasrama system thanks to a few more white people we will briefly discuss below.

Indeed, 'Typen' was an eso'terrifying monster of a work. For a public understanding of Jung we can partially thank two American women, Isabell-Briggs Myers and her mother Katharine Cook Briggs, whom according to their web-site (www.myersbriggs.org) “set out to find an easier way for people to use Jung’s ideas in everyday life.” These kind women “wanted people to be able to identify their psychological types without having to sift through Jung’s academic theory.'' Proving that one's consciousness

One might ask the question, 'why do we have such a hard time knowing about us in the first place?' Jung posits, “the attitude-type regarded as a general phenomenon having an apparent random distribution, can be no affair of conscious judgment or intention, its existence must be due to some unconscious instinctive cause. Therefore, the contrast of types as a universal psychological phenomenon must in some way or other have its biological precursor.” ©6

The mind can work in two way at any moment, either taking in information or processing information already obtained. can have its cake and eat it too, these ladies standardized Jung’s work by developing a set of questions that indicate where on the scale of taking in and organizing information one falls.

an idealist, rational, artisan, or guardian, Keirsey

Jung's explanation of 'biological precursors' is affirmed in the Bhagavad Gita, a seminal text within the Vedic canon. Krishna explains in the Gita, “Everyone is forced to act helplessly according to the qualities he has acquired from the modes of material nature[…]”. Indeed, most people do seem to have their lives planned out for them whether they would like it that way or not. What Jung called 'biological precursors', Krishna calls 'modes of material nature'. What Krishna goes on to explain is that though afflicted by

the material nature, people are actually spiritual beings.

The Gita is a conversation between Krishna, or God, and a great king. The subject of this dialogue addresses the very ills Freud, Jung, Keirsey, and the rest speculate to assuage: mainly human kind’s enslavement by sentimental sensuality. As spiritual beings trapped in a material body, we are like Red Sox fans living in Manhattan.

Jung himself, especially in his later years, wrote openly about his realization that humans are of a spiritual nature, and that the soul is something distinct from the body. Though Jung was, as far as we can tell, relying only on his own intuition, he perceived that the laws governing the transcendent soul, specifically karma and reincarnation, are everpresent. It began to dawn on Jung in his later years that the accumulated experiences of past lives by a given soul were responsible for latent subconscious behavior patterns. He commented that “I can only gaze with wonder and awe at the depths and heights of our psychic nature. Its nonspatial universe conceals an untold abundance of images which have accumulated Cont'd on pg. 9 ›››

But the cherry on top of this neuro-Neapolitan sundae came in 1984 when David Keirsey published his book Please Understand Me II. In doing so, he provided the most accessible version of Jung's work. Used by everyone from McDonalds to the United States Army, over 40 million people have been 'sorted' into one of Keirsey's four types. By knowing whether one is

Which of the four "Typen" are you? www.16rounds.com

METAPHYSICS

DO SCIENTISTS PRAY?

Albert Einstein’s Letter to Phyllis By Ananda Subramanian Best wishes,

Albert Einstein

MY CRITIQUE OF THE LETTER The above letter by Albert Einstein gives a simplistic explanation of scientific research. He explains that research or science is based on the idea that everything that takes place is determined by the laws of nature.

On January 24, 1936, Albert Einstein wrote the following letter to a sixth-grade student, Phyllis Wright, in response to her question as to whether scientists pray, and if so, what they pray for.

Dear

Phyllis,

I have tried to respond to your question as simply as I could. Here is my answer. Scientific research is based on the idea that everything that takes place is determined by laws of nature, and therefore this holds for the actions of people.

For this reason, a research scientist will hardly be inclined to believe that events could be influenced by a prayer, i.e., by a wish addressed to a supernatural being.

However, it must be admitted that our actual knowledge of the laws is only imperfect and fragmentary, so that, actually, the belief in the existence of

basic all-embracing laws in Nature also rests on a sort of faith.

All the same this faith has been largely justified so far by the success of scientific research.

But, on the other hand, everyone who is seriously involved in the pursuit of science becomes convinced that a spirit is manifest in

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To give a crude analogy, it is like when someone is interested in the laws concerning driving, but not so much interested with the department of transportation that creates and implements those laws. In one sense, one does not need to know the department to understand the law. However, such an understanding is incomplete. Unless one comprehends the functions and systems of a body of governance, it is very difficult to not only manipulate the laws completely and perfectly, but to interpret them correctly as well. In other words, incomplete and imperfect understanding of a law can lead to a system’s malfunction (disorder), thereby defeating the original purpose of the law, viz. to create order. Einstein in his letter admits to the imperfect and fragmentary knowledge base of the scientific community. What he does not say is that this imperfect learning can do more harm than good. We are now beginning to realize the dangers of imperfect knowl-

the laws of the Universe – a spirit vastly superior to that of man, and one in the face of which we with our modest powers must feel humble. In this way the pursuit of science leads to a religious feeling of a special sort, which is indeed quite different from the religiosity of someone more naïve. I hope this answers your question.

By Einstein’s own words, he implies that there is a higher intelligence governing the systematic laws of nature. The scientists, however, are only interested in understanding how the laws function. 8

A law implies systematic function over time. A systematic function indicates a system, which also indicates structure. A structure indicates hierarchy of order or cross-functioning relationships, and these relationships operate on intelligence. Therefore, by Einstein’s own words, he implies that there is a higher intelligence governing the systematic laws of nature. The scientists, however, are only interested

in understanding how the laws function and are not concerned with the system behind the laws.

"We are now beginning to realize the dangers of imperfect and incomplete knowledge."

METAPHYSICS edge. For example, the issues of global warming, environmental pollution, species extinction, cross pollination of diseases between humans and animals, the gradual degradation of social and cultural ethos that debase human society to mere animal propensities, et cetera, all indicate disorders or system malfunctions. The very laws that were created to help humankind are actually causing harm.

Einstein, revealing his true intellectual genius, admits the limitations and also writes that one who is serious about scientific knowledge is convinced of a Great Spirit above the laws of nature. He is implying that there is an intelligence beyond our own. Accepting this is the beginning of spiritual studies. The saints of the Vedic school begin where Einstein ends – that the intelligence of the universe is beyond our own and that our understanding is negligible in comparison.

Therefore, to actually be religious and scientific means to make a paradigm shift by scientifically studying and admitting our own infinitesimal position in relation to the infinite, and religiously approaching the Great Spirit (the Infinite) in a mood of humility and devotion. In that way the system will be revealed, including its laws and our relationship with those laws, and it will bestow knowledge that is perfect and complete. �

das endeavors to reach the highest system of bhakti yoga, by which they can rekindle their own exclusive relationship with God. Per our example, you might say a bhakti yogi wants to put on their brightest red, head back to Fenway, and cheer with uncontrollable fervor in the glorious shadow of the Big Green Monster forever more.

"According to the three modes of material nature, the four divisions of human society are created by Me." CASTING A DIFFERENT LIGHT ››› Cont'd from pg. 7 over millions of years.”

So if these images and traits have been accumulating for millions of years, why is it that we only seem to remember the experiences of this life? God says to Arjuna in the fourth chapter of Gita, “Many, many births both you and I have passed. I can remember all of them, but you cannot ….” As souls, we are drops in the ocean of the cosmic manifestation, tiny parts of an enormous whole. Most people have difficulty remembering to mail back their Netflix, what to speak of recalling previous lives. So what is a soul to do? As good Americans, we will say 'whatever you

want'. A comparison of the four Keirsey Temperaments alongside the four classes within the varnashrama system will help us weigh our options. The Vedic texts explain the society as a whole by using the metaphor of an individual’s body. The four classes (brahmana, kshatriya, vaishya, and sudra) make up the head, hands, stomach, and legs, respectively. The Keirsey parallels are idealists, rationals, artisans, and guardians. The Vedas posit that the goal of human life is liberation from the material world. A person studying and progressing in the yoga systems ascribed in the Ve-

Conversely, while still being a Red Sox fan, it can be assumed someone more interested in their Keirsey temperament is simply trying to find a Jeter jersey that fits them. Take the brahmanas and idealists for instance. Brahmanas, in the Vedic system, are meant to uphold the highest standards of morality and justice. They see the essence of each individual as a spirit soul and for that reason can respect all members of society, and the contribution they have to share. The Keirsey explanation of an idealist's mood is a natural parallel that says the “idealists pride themselves on being loving, kindhearted, and authentic. Idealists tend to be giving, trusting, spiritual, and they are focused on personal journeys and human potentials.” In the Keirsey paradigm, teachers and counselors are two different sub-categories of idealist. In the Vedic system, brahmanas are the 'head', and are meant to guide the rest of the body on how best to act. Similarly, kshatriya means 'warrior' and Keirsey’s rationals are often referred to as

'field marshals.' Kshatriyas are meant to be the pragmatists that implement the lofty ideals of the brahmanas, and rationals are characterized as individuals best suited for strategic planning and long term organizational leadership. The sudra and vaishya classes, said to be more controlled by the senses, are matched by their analogs. Like their aforementioned counterparts, Keirsey explains guardians and artisans take in information more so with the five senses than by intuition. Vaishyas are the business people of the Vedic system, responsible for making sure the society has adequate material goods, and they distribute these goods evenly to ensure the proper functioning of society. Keirsey calls artisans passionate “about the 'art of the deal' in business.” Here, in a comparison of these two 'Typen's', we can see the stark difference between the system offered in the Vedas, and all other personality theories. Vaishyas have a purpose in Vedic society, and their abilities to craft a deal are checked by the kshatriyas and brahmanas who serve that purpose. Another well known western psycho-philosopher, Maslow, explained with his hierarchy of needs that food, water, shelter, et cetera, must all be secured by an individual before he can begin the process of selfactualization. So the Vedic varnashrama system engages vaishyas to use their talents as businessmen in

the service of providing everyone with these basic necessities. Thus freed from animalistic anxieties generated by wondering 'what’s for dinner', a person is free to pontificate on the higher reality of things. In the Keirsey paradigm, which is simply a tool affirming Western materialism, vaishyas are expected, and in fact, encouraged to get what they can by any means, with no regard to how their actions affect others. Donald Trump is an archetypal artisan that the Keirsey sight makes note of. Enough said? God says in the Gita that “According to the three modes of material nature and the work associated with them, the four divisions of human society are crated by Me ....” God’s goal is that we use our free will to realize our eternal relationship with Him. Yet, like a fourth grader could not be expected to pass a test on derivatives, so too a person with a bodily state of conscious can not be expected to realize his position as an eternal spiritual soul overnight. So God has made nice divisions within society to help each of us gradually ascend to the highest levels of realization.

It is a fair criticism to mention that the class system of the Vedas is implemented as the caste system of India, and causes arguably more suffering than the gross materialism of the West. This is an article

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Cont'd on pg. 16 ›››

COVER STORY

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COVER STORY

ECO-PLEASURE A Spiritual System to Take the Pressure off the Material System By Yasodeva Dasa

Having

found ourselves in the abyss of an ecological tragedy contrived several generations prior, the current inheritors of the Earth are inclined to a moment of solemn reflection in which we wonder, “Am I really responsible?” It seems that the initial cause of this catastrophe dates back to a time well beyond our influence, and its solution, should there ever be one, would not really manifest until well into the future… How are the young people of today expected to feel about this mess? According to Al Gore and his article “A Climate of Denial”, published in Rolling Stone magazine, June 22, 2011, we’re expected (albeit by our well-wishing corporate overlords) to deny it, or at least feel helpless and hopeless, because it is what is best for business. Indeed, “green” is the new black, and the latest trend in self-indulgent

consumerism. It seems there are a few things we can always depend on even during a period of deadly environmental instability: that the general population is determined to purchase whatever meager sensual stimulation is available in the market, regardless of ominous self-destruction, and that determination is matched by the enterprises of clever capitalists who are always willing and able to fill the need for selfrighteous greed. Thus, an astounding array of “green” products fills your home and fills your heart with solemn promises to reduce the detrimental impact on the environment, and your guilty conscience… But while the average punters may feel peace of mind, confident in their conscientious purchasing power, the saner section of society knows that this convenient ruse can hardly evade the crisis at hand: that modern humans (particularly those who live in first-world, industrialized nations) are habituated to reckless con-

sumption and selfishness.

I hesitate to repeat the usual depressing statistics for fear of making us more desensitized. Still, just to remind everyone of the carnage, here are a few extraordinary figures. According to the World Watch Institute, 12 percent of the world’s population lives in North America and

Western Europe and accounts for 60 percent of private consumption spending, but a third of humanity that lives in South Asia and subSaharan Africa accounts for only 3.2 percent. The Sierra Club testifies that the average American buys 53 times as many products as someone in China and that one

Cont'd on pg. 13 ›››

buy • ology (n.) 1) The science of shopping green. 2) The science of continuing to be a shopomaniac while lying to yourself that you are environmentally friendly just because you are not totally and outright trashing the environment. 3) The urge to consume, purchase, buy, or own.

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SOCIETY

9/11

A Public Service Announcement

Our calendars recently marked the ten year anniversary of one of the most abominable and despicable incidents in recent US history. By James Corbett (corbettreport.com)

Here is

eve r ything you ever wanted to know about the 9/11 conspiracy theory in under five minutes…

On the morning of September 11, 2001, 19 men armed with carpet-cutters directed by a man on dialysis in a cave fortress halfway around the world, using a satellite phone and a laptop, directed the most sophisticated penetration of the most heavily-defended airspace in the world. They overpowered the passengers and the military combat-trained pilots on four commercial aircrafts before flying those planes wildly off course for over an hour, without being molested by a single fighter interceptor. These 19 hijackers, devout religious fundamentalists who liked to drink alco-

hol, snort cocaine, and live with pink-haired strippers, managed to knock down three buildings with two planes in New York. Meanwhile in Washington, a pilot who could not handle a single engine Cessna, was able to fly a 757 airplane, make a 270 degree corkscrew turn, and descend 8,000 feet to come exactly level with the ground. The pilot then hit the budget analysis office of the Pentagon, where Department of Defense staffers were working on the mystery of the 2.3 trillion dollars that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld had announced “missing” from the Pentagon’s coffers in a press conference the day before - September 10, 2001. Luckily, the news anchors knew who did it within minutes (Osama),

the pundits knew within hours (Osama), the Administration knew within the day (Osama), and the evidence literally fell into the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) lap - the passport of one of the hijakers was found blocks from the World Trade Center crash site. For some reason though, a bunch of crazy conspiracy theorists demanded an investigation into the greatest attack on American soil in history. The investigation was delayed, underfunded, set up to fail, a conflict of interest, and a cover up from start to finish. It was based on testimony extracted through torture, and the records were later destroyed. It failed to mention the existence of WTC2, Able Danger, Ptech, Sibel Edmonds, and the OBI; not to men-

tion the drills of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), which simulated hijacked aircrafts being flown into buildings at the precise time that these events were actually happening. The investigation was lied to by the Pentagon, the CIA, and the Bush Administration. And as for Bush and Cheney themselves … well, no one knows what they said because they testified in se-

MORE THAN JUST A DATE, A FRANCHISE!

He then hit the budget analysis office of the Pentagon, where Department of Defense staffers were working on the mystery of the 2.3 trillion dollars that Donald Rumsfeld had announced “missing” from the Pentagon’s coffers the day before. ©12

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COVER STORY cret, off the record, not under oath, and behind closed doors. They did not bother to look at who funded the attacks because that question was of “little practical significance“. Still, the 9/11 Commission did brilliantly, answering all of the questions the public had (except most of the questions from the victims’ families) and pinned blame on all the people responsible (although no one so much as lost their job). They determined the attacks were “a failure of imagination” because “I don’t think anyone could envision flying airplanes into buildings” said Mr. Bush. However, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), and the National Reconnaisance Office (NRO) were all aware of this potential threat. The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) destroyed 2.5 TB of data on Able Danger, but that is okay because it probably wasn’t important. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) destroyed their records on the investigation into the insider trading before the attacks, but that is okay because destroying the records of the largest investigation in SEC history is just part of routine record keeping.

National Institute of Standards and Technology has classified the data that they used for their model of WTC2’s collapse, but that is okay because knowing how they made their model of that collapse would jeopardize public safety”. The FBI has argued that all material related to their investigation of 9/11 should be kept secret from the public, but that’s fine because the FBI probably has nothing to hide. Osama Bin Laden lived in a cave fortress in the hills of Afghanistan, but somehow got away. Then he was hiding out in Tora Bora, but

somehow got away. Then he lived in Abottabad for years, taunting the most comprehensive intelligence dragnet, which employed the most sophisticated technology in the history of the world for 10 years. Furthermore, he released video after video with complete impunity (becoming younger and younger in the footage as he did so), until finally he was found in a daring SEAL team raid, which was not recorded on video. During the raid, he did not resist or use his wife as a human shield. These crack special forces operatives panicked and killed this unarmed man, supposedly the best source of intelligence about those dastardly terrorists on the planet. Then they dumped his body in the ocean before telling anyone about it. Then a couple dozen of that team’s members died in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan.

This is the story of 9/11 brought to you by the media, which told you the hard truths about JFK, mobile production facilities, incubator babies, and the rescue of Jessica Lynch.

If you have any questions about this story, you are a bat shit, paranoid, tinfoil, dog-abusing baby-hater, and will be reviled by everyone. If you love your country and/or freedom, happiness, rainbows, rock and roll, puppy dogs, apple pie, and your grandma … then you will never, ever express doubts about any part of this story to anyone. Ever. This has been a public service announcement by: the Friends of the FBI, CIA, National Security Agency, DIA, SEC, Mainstream Media (MSM), the White House, NIST, and the 9/11 Commission. Because Ignorance Strength. �

ECOPLEASURE

››› Cont'd from pg. 11 American's consumption of resources is equivalent to that of 35 Indians. They say that over a lifetime, the typical American will create 13 times the amount of environmental damage as the average Brazilian. As for plastics, the world's annual consumption of plastic materials has increased from around 5 million tons in the 1950s to nearly 100 million tons today, so says Waste Online, a UK watchdog. What about water? To grow a pound of wheat requires around 130 gallons of water. For meat, depending on the type - multiply that by five to ten times. Considering that the average American eats about 230 pounds of meat and poultry each year, it takes approximately 300,000 gallons of water each year just to sustain one person’s carnivorous diet. Perhaps electronic waste is the most embarrassing. The United States Environment Protection Agency reports that, in the year 2008, over 3 million tons of “ewaste” was disposed of in the USA alone. That’s about 30 million televisions, 200 million computer parts, and 140 million cell phones – most of which contain insoluble and hazardous materials. Meanwhile, half of the world’s population lives on less than two dollars each day… What’s an honest person to do? Sever all dependency on excessive materialism haphazardly? History has shown, as in the case of liquor prohibitions, austerity budgets and abstinence campaigns, that mere abnegation is unsustainable because of a primeval urge which impels us to seek happiness even amidst impossible circumstances. Lord Krishna characterizes this condition in His Bhagavad Gita:

Review by Nug Magazine (nubmag.com)

Traditionally

from South India, dosas are a sourdoughlike pancakes made from rice and bean dough, stuffed with flavored potatoes, and served with handcrafted chutneys to use as a dip. At Bova Dosa, they add their own Southern California twist by adding avocado and soy-free, dairy-free cheese in some of their dosas. They also have sweet ones with natural peanut butter and agave. Their food is spiritualized because they are practicing a form of Bhakti Yoga when creating it. They offer up their food to the highest source and give the food with love and devotion. They believe that when they distribute food that has been offered in this manner, both the food and the activity of giving and receiving money are spiritualized. People receive great benefits from eating it. People that are really sensitive have expressed their experience of eating their food as that of feeling a vibration. Coral, one of the owners, says, “The greatest thing is when you can do what you are doing for the highest purpose and the betterment for anyone who comes into contact with it, spreading the love that is already there. It’s as if you’re being nourished by the love of God.” So when they say it is vegan soul food, they really mean it!

“You’re eating of this is a form of yoga and a form of union; that is the form of meditation you are practicing right now, so just open yourself up to receive what it is giving you. The whole time I’m making it I’m deep in prayer thinking, ‘If you could feed God, what would you feed him?’ As I’m making this food, I’m thinking of the Beloved, and it’s like making it for the Supreme. When other people receive this food, the sensation is indescribable, but people feel it.”

“We put our love, heart, and hopes for everybody into all the food we make.” The food is also said to be medicinal; for example, their chutneys are medicinal because every ingredient in it is powerful. They crack open coconuts by hand and use over two pounds of ginger in one chutney along with whole seed spices such as fenugreek, mustard seeds, Dahl, and fresh curry leaves. “We want to heal people and help them find the highest truth, and help them refocus on watering the roots instead of running around watering the leaves. Go to the source; there’s not enough money or whatever to fulfill them, so it’s important to get centered.” You can find Coral and Sage running Bova Dosa at the Imperial Beach Farmers Market every Friday, and more markets will be coming soon. Go and treat yourself to a Dosa Love. �

“Though the embodied

Cont'd on pg. 16 ›››

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SOCIETY

UDDER HYPOCRISY

By Jessica Robbins

Why Loving Your Dog Isn't Enough I’m a

sophomore in college and it is the first day of my writing course, which focuses on animal rights. The instructor proposes a really interesting scenario for us all. He asks how we would react if a race of aliens, with IQ’s vastly outweighing humans’, came to Earth. Further, what if they rounded up the entire human population and put them in concentration camp-like spaces? In this way they could easily manufacture human flesh for the consumption of their fellow

aliens. Upon hearing this it was clear the instructor was elucidating the treatment of animals in factory farms. He was questioning the ethical validity of such treatment by putting it into a more emotionally salient scenario, and of course the entire class felt the aliens' treatment unethical. And I think most people would also agree. After all, isn’t it common sense to treat others how you want to be treated? Yet for some, this means eating a juicy steak and then

cuddling up with your dog Sparky, who is treated more lavishly than even some children in third world countries.

So, what is the real basis which determines who should be on the receiving end of ethical, compassionate treatment? Why is it that some are treated lovingly while others are exploited? It is a question of vision. The Bhagavad Gita, a sacred Indian text, describes: “The humble sage, by virtue of true knowledge, sees with equal vision a learned

and gentle brahmana, a cow, an elephant, a dog and an outcaste.” In other words, a person is truly situated in knowledge when they can see the unifying thread between every living being. Whether they are a scholar or a dog, rich or poor, Christian or Islamic—such a person exhibits equal, loving compassion towards them all. This philosophy reaches far beyond just the treatment of animals in factory farms, but should expand toward all living beings we come into contact with. This unifying thread is the sacred spark of divinity that is inherent in all living beings. And in order to perceive this animating force or spiritual essence in others, we first have to recognize it in ourselves. We hear through our ears, taste through our

tongue, see through our eyes and think with our brains. Yet, we should not identify ourselves as an ear, tongue, eye or even a brain. Rather, we should recognize ourselves as the witness of thought and of the interplay between the senses and the sense objects. That witness is termed in the Bhagavad Gita as atma, or the soul, which is a part of the Divine. And although from an external perspective a cow’s body largely differs from a human’s, the soul is still of the same quality. Just as a man in a Rolls Royce thinks “I am important,” while a man in some beat up pickup thinks, “I am poor”, but both of the men are equal as they are human beings. Yet, it is the false identification with their designated car that creates the inequality between them. Therefore, it is bodily vision which is the basis of all forms of inequal-

MY FATHER ALWAYS SAYS, "YOU ARE WHAT YOU DRIVE."

"Just as a man in a Rolls Royce thinks 'I am important,'..." 14

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ity and unethical treatment in the world today.

Compassion is a valued feature amongst cultured individuals. But eating cows, pigs, and chickens and then taking your dog for a walk in the park does not show compassion. Loving only your family, yet hating your co-workers, neighbors or others in a different social or ethnic class is not love. Compassion and love are not conditional; rather, they expand the feeling of unity—the feeling of camaraderie amongst all life forms. Only this type of loving compassion, which is unmotivated by selfish desires, can positively affect the mistreatment of animals and humans alike.

I invite readers to consider a solution for unethical treatment that is alternative to methods such as political intervention. For even man-made laws are subject to change in this world. Instead, I encourage the cultivation of spiritual vision; vision that recognizes the eternal nature of every life. This is the beginning of selfrealization; knowing our identity as spirit souls. The same spark of consciousness that blazes within every other living entity comes from one common Source. If you look around you, there is no real lasting equality on the material platform because everything is constantly changing and transforming. There can only be equality on the spiritual platform. With this understanding of our spiritual identity, we can begin to think of universal brotherhood and go even deeper, properly executing real loving compassion to all living beings. �

OPEN MIC

YOUR CONCENTRATION CAMP BURN UP SOME KARMA ART Share

your art with the world? Submit your comics, cartoons, collages, etc. and we will seriously consider printing it in the magazine. Email your stuff 16rounds@gmail.com.

COMMENT Readers

a r e welcome to comment on the art we publish. We specifically welcome commenting on the message the artists are trying to communicate. Selected comments are published in the printed and online formats.

Art by Mitra (Danbury, NC)

THE AMERICAN DREAM WORKS ONLY IF YOU ARE ASLEEP

Art by Mahat (San Diego, CA. Facebook.com/16rounds)

Art by Steve Michalak (Los Angeles, CA)

Email us at 16rounds@ gmail.com or comment on our fan page: facebook. com/16roundstosamadhi. �

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[ X ] *** WE DO IT FOR PLEASURE ››› Cont'd from pg. 5

enjoy these things and the bonds are eternal.

A NEW APPROACH

Since we are made for pleasure, engage in pleasure we must. However, we must find a different way, a way which promotes our goal of returning to our natural position, and which makes sense to us on a deep level. Bhakti yoga, the science of pleasure which is elevating for the soul, offers us this other way. This yoga is satisfying because it addresses our innate desire for pleasure and offers us a tangible way of feeling it. It feels real because it is based on ultimate reality, which is familiar to our soul. It makes us endeavor in the right direction, joyfully.

negate all the things which naturally feel good to us right now. There is no need to turn into raving nihilists or false renunciates. We can start right where we are, tweaking our approach a bit, and performing our actions in consciousness of the ultimate spiritual reality. Simple means for activating our dormant true pleasure potential are available through bhakti yoga. Try it, see for yourself. If you resonate with these words, there is something here for you. There is pleasure, real pleasure in this life as well as in the next. Because the alternative does not really exist. �

We do not have to stop or

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CASTING A DIFFERENT LIGHT

››› Cont'd from pg. 9 about archetypes though, and such discussions are befitting an article of their own. For now we will note that some, like Donald Trump, might say that the raising of enormous sky scrapers is what life is all about, but another famous artisan once sang that 'castles made of sand, fall in the sea’; and so Krishna says you will come 'to Me'...eventually. �

ECO-PLEASURE ››› Cont'd from pg. 13

soul may be restricted from sense enjoyment, the taste for sense objects remains. But, ceasing such engagement by experiencing a higher taste, one is fixed in consciousness.”

Intelligent persons, who aren’t blinded by the glitter of mass-produced fantasies, recognize that pleasure is not produced by the coupling of inorganic objects with their organic counterparts; rather, it is the inclination of the soul – which is frequently, though not necessarily, expressed through the medium of a physical body. Nor does a wise person look for solace in the difficult act of restraining the senses from their respective stimuli, whether by a willing personal endeavor or forced by worldwide economic instability. The fact

of the matter is that people will seek pleasure despite diminishing vital resources and even at the expense of moral and social principles. To remedy this insanity, people should seek to revitalize a culture of non-material pleasure, nourished by an ever-increasing and all-inclusive spiritual experience.

Genuine spiritual experience is not like the limited resources we’re so familiar with in the material world: The more oil your country has, the less oil my country has. You’re enjoying more wealth so someone else inevitably has less. Rather, spiritual pleasure is distinct from its material counterpart in one very convenient way – the more it’s tapped into, the more it

increases! The more I pray, chant, meditate, et cetera, the more the spiritual supply increases and becomes available for others. By the mass distribution of this technology, the pressure will be taken off of our scant material resources because people will naturally seek satisfaction in a dimension which is unlimited. Spiritual connoisseurs are in high demand and the marketplace is ready for them to share their wealth. Who wants to capitalize on this opportunity? Simultaneously, the current trend of materialism is blindly leading humanity towards dismal consequences. Who is ready to take responsibility? �

*** [ X ]

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LIFESTYLE

THE JOY OF AGING The Winter of Old Age By Sara Bock

In the

American culture, especially in southern California where physical appearance and beauty are highly valued, aging is not exactly something most people look forward to. Those who can afford to, sometimes undertake expensive procedures to attempt to maintain their bodies’ youthful appearances, despite their inability to stop time or the aging process. Botox, hair dye, laser treatments, and face lifts are just some of the popular procedures in the ever expanding field of anti-aging. Why are we afraid to age? Why can’t we let nature take its course without feeling anxiety? The anxiety we feel as we age and come closer to life’s end, may serve as a wake-up call that we are not using our time properly, and call us to take spiritual action. As we age, we face the reality of our mortality. In our twenties, it is easy to ignore the ticking of life’s clock. We live for the moment and feel immor-

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tal. Later in life, we start to feel the limitations of the body, experiencing aches and pains, and decreased energy, strength, and endurance. We undergo the loss of loved ones. We look in the mirror and wonder where the twenty year old face we once had went. In a culture that emphasizes youth and beauty, such experiences can be scary. We subsequently try to cling to our youth through these anti-aging treatments.

In comparison, other cultures embrace aging as a natural part of life. The Chinese, for example, are well known to revere and care for their elders. Gray hair is a sign of wisdom, not something to be ashamed of. As another example, Ayurvedic philosophy divides life into four stages compared to the seasons – the spring of youth, summer of young adulthood, autumn of older adulthood, and winter of old age. Although spring and summer are warm, flourishing, and pleasurable, winter also serves its purpose and has its beauty.

Similarly, although youth and early adulthood are joyful, productive times, slowing down in the winter of old age serves a valuable purpose and is to be embraced, not feared.

Spiritual realization is the goal of life in Vedic and Ayurvedic cultures, and one is taught from a young age onward that the body is a vehicle for the soul – a vehicle that when used properly, can drive one to the destination of selfrealization. In such a culture, striving to maintain the external youthfulness of a naturally aging body would seem unnecessary or even folly, because the focus is on the ever youthful, eternal spirit. The human body is a sacred gift. The human mind is capable of deep thought, questioning, philosophizing, and reflecting, unlike the minds of the animals. We can seek the purpose of life, and become conscious of our relationship with God. One should cultivate spiritual practice through all life stages, but old age is a time to focus

more exclusively on turning inward. After retiring from the busy life of earning a living, one has more time for introspection, reflection, and meditation. Another important task of elders is to share wisdom learned throughout life with the younger generations (if they will listen). In cultures that teach their youth to value and accept the aging process, people are not so bewildered when signs of aging appear. Each new wrinkle and gray hair can be seen as sacred reminders to use time wisely and focus on the spirit. A spiritually prepared person can walk bravely into the winter season. In the winter, we don’t pretend that it is hot and jump into the cool sea. We put on a coat and sit by the fire. Similarly, in the winter of old age we should not attempt to act like we are twenty, reliving spring and summer, or trying to reverse the aging process. Rather we should be prepared, put on the protective winter coat of our spiritual Cont'd on pg. 19 ›››

LIFESTYLE

COFFEE

By Dr. Joe Esposito

Dr. Joe Esposito is an internationally leading nutritional researcher and lecturer on food nutrition and health. He has twenty-five years of experience that includes a corpus of publications, training seminars, and lectures designed to teach viable information on how to live a healthier lifestyle. The following is a transcription from a lecture he gave on the insidiousness of drinking coffee.

Coffee

is an acid that robs your body of calcium.

Not only does it enervate the body, but aside from cigarettes, it has more synthetic pesticides than any other product on the market today. In laymen’s terms, drinking coffee is equivalent to sucking down lots of unhealthy pesticides. One study I read said that a cup of coffee has more syn-

thetic pesticides than consuming non-organic fruits and vegetables for an entire year. By now you might be thinking to yourself, “But Dr. Joe, I don’t drink regular coffee, I drink decaf.” So what is harmful about decaf? Well, if you buy commercially decaffeinated coffee, often the coffee companies will use turpentine and formaldehyde to take the caffeine out. In

fact, there is no such thing as decaffeinated coffee anymore. Decaf just means that it has less caffeine than the original brand. They take some out, and it is considered decaffeinated. In most cases, a regular coffee made at home is going to have less caffeine than a decaffeinated coffee from a fancy coffee shop.

So, you might want to consider these facts before you make your next pur-

chase.

Why then do we drink it? Energy? Coffee does not give you energy, however. Coffee actually prevents you from relaxing. There are certain receptor sites in the body called denisen receptor sites. Denisen is an amino acid that calms you down. Caffeine blocks these receptor sites, preventing the body from absorbing the denisen. So how does your body respond? It makes more denisen re-

ceptor sites, and you end up drinking more caffeine. For example, you start out drinking half a cup, which increases to one cup, and then eventually to ten cups. Therefore, the body needs increasingly more caffeine to perform at the same level of energy as it did when you only consumed small amounts of coffee. I had a patient named Yogi who drank 27 cups of coffee a day. As a result of his addiction, he lost his business. He lost his family; he lost practically everything because he was wired on caffeine. By far, the number one drug in the world is caffeine, particularly in the form of coffee. A famous man once said, “Forgive them, for they know not what they do.” So now you know; there are no more excuses. �

The reason

for which we print this publication is primarily to benefit our readers. We understand that we all share this same world. Thus, the better people we all become, better neighbors we will make. To properly perceive and understand the deep and complex truths about the wonderful creation, we need to have our minds and consciousness clear. Essentially, yoga is the path of truth lovers and seekers. Thus one of the important principles for serious yogis is to avoid intoxication. Intoxication pollutes the body and mind, skewing our perception. It hampers our ability to be objective. Intoxication melts down our resolution, determination to stay a course despite the possible difficulties encountered on the path to truth. Purity is the force. Coffee is an intoxicant. �

THE JOY OF AGING

››› Cont'd from pg. 18 practice, and experience the joy of aging. Instead of using laser treatment to counteract the aging process, try some pure spiritual mantra chanting to awaken your eternal self – the soul which never ages or wrinkles. �

Why do people drink coffee? Energy. Coffee does not give you energy, however. Coffee actually prevents you from relaxing. www.16rounds.com