Narrated by a depressive and socially isolated protagonist, Michel Houellebecq’s first novel Whatever traces the disaggregating effects of post-Fordism on the intimate spaces of human affect. Set in the burgeoning information technology industry of the mid-1990s among a hitherto literarily neglected social group of middle managers (cadres), the novel suggests that the cultural project of […]
The Vedas, Shastras and Puranas all give definitive explanations about what is True, but still, realization of one’s True Nature does not take place – Chapter 7 Sub-Chapter 10 – Dasbodh When I first moved to Somerville in October 2018, I met my house mate who was a visiting Sorbonne educated Economist from Galicia. He […]
There are several texts that I would like to read but I am surprised these have not been translated in to English. Having read many texts in translation I am aware of the difficulty and that one cannot truly approach a text in translation, however, should these be accessible, I believe some progress can be […]
The Earth is far more alive than previously thought, according to “deep life” studies that reveal a rich ecosystem beneath our feet that is almost twice the size of all the world’s oceans. – The Guardian One of the most important lessons I learnt is when I impertinently told my teacher that I smoke and […]
I was scarcely able to maitain any decorum on the bus when reading Soho Machida’s Life and Light, The Infinite. A friend who wrote about some of the personal profound revelations on “Light” managed to maintain the presence of mind to reference Machida’s article. Although I have been reciting the Nianfo (念佛) for the past eight […]
I’ve moved to Boston as of September 13th as some of the first autumn leaves have just began appearing. I am temporarily residing in Reading, MA, house-sitting for a family friend while looking for a permanent place. Now to wait and see what this new endeavor will bring but I have already visited several libraries […]
That in which there is no appearance of maya (illusion), In which there are no effects of maya (delusion), In which there is neither knowledge nor ignorance, In which there is neither Lord (Isvara) nor individual (jiva), In which there is neither reality nor unreality, And in which there is not the least appearance of […]
As I sit alone in the rain under a slim bit of shade drinking what was donated to me and watching a ladybird climb up my chair, I am reminded of my past bacchanalian excesses. Of a time when good friends of high standing, not of wealth or pillars of society but instead rich in […]
In 2010, at my first Yi lesson, I was told that I ought to read three stoic texts before proceeding. The three texts being Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations, Seneca’s Epistles Vol. I-III and Epictetus’s Enchiridion. Although at first I read the Penguin translations, however, as I found myself returning to these texts every year, I invested in the beutifully made […]
I was once in the company of friends who could sniff out the author of a poem regardless of who recited them or medium. Now I am in the company of people of who miss quote adverts they barely remember. I never understood poems, i never understood Mark E. Smith and yet I long for […]
