Changing Course of Brahmaputra- Dalai Lama the Change Initiator (An Old and Rare Book)

About The Author Dr. Bhaskar Vyas

is a plastic surgeon of eminence. He taught surgery at the Medical College, Baroda. He is widely travelled. He is a theosophist as well as a student of Sri Aurobindo's philosophy. He has been an exponent of classical Indian as well as Tibetan traditions at the international conferences in India and abroad. His activist activities e in the field of human resource development and nation building. They range from sponsoring co-operatives for the onion growers, working for the lumpen proletariat, management of medical and paramedical institutions, medical hypnotherapy, mediatation, organisation of youth activities etc. His other works are on sex education and holistic health. He is a spare time painter.

Dr. Damoda.V. Nene

, popularly known as Dadoomiyan is a well-known writer and a political analyst. He is a historian too; currently working on an encyclopedia of political events and ideas. His original research contribution to the history of 1857 heroes is well acclaimed. He has authored several books, best known amongst them has been the biographical work, Can Indira accept this challenge? He has been a founder trustee of several voluntary organisations and has been the founder president of some of them. He has been actively associated with various institutes in divergent fields such as defence of India, education, treasure hunting, consumerism, literature etc.

Preface We were drawn to H.H. the Dalai Lama through a spiritual urge. In 1987 during a retreat at the Theosophical society, Adayar, Madras, this urge became evident. It was an enlightening experience to study the multifaceted diamond that is Buddhism. If this study is so revealing, how much enlightenment would there be to come in living touch with someone who is an embodiment of all those noble qualities?

At this time our studies on science and spirituality were running into rough weather when it came to the understanding of consciousness. Science and spirituality both endeavour to decipher the ultimate reality through different methodologies. However they tend to point towards consciousness as the final end of the riddle. But then, how imperfect is our understanding of the commonplace phenomenon that we call consciousness? It is through consciousness that we are aware of the world. The classical Indian tradition propounds that consciousness is not just a function of the brain as the modern science would want us to believe, it undoubtedly is the ultimate reality. It was our quest to understand the mystery of this phenomenon that led us to Dharmashala.

The very experience of being in the presence of H.H. the Dalai Lama was in the nature of enlightenment. Once in Dharmashala, however, it was impossible to be imperceptible to the temporal aspect of Tibetan situation. It became evident that the spiritual and the temporal cannot be exclusive of each other. The subtle blending of the two in the refined personality of a sovereign and a monk was a luminous example. To write about such a personality would be an enriching study.

When an emotional aspiration crystallized into action, we soon realized what Will Durant means by "a brave stupidity". There are several biographies of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama.

Foreword Since the dawn of human history, the rhythm of our civilization has from time to time been overshadowed by discordant notes struck by malign forces. During such moments, spiritual leaders invariably emerge to set the flow of civilization into its eternal course. This century which is soon coming to an end has been witness to several such turning points in its tortuous history, when our civilization seemed to be at the crossroads, uncertain of its future course. The rise and fall of Fascism, the dismantling of the colonial regimes through the instruments of satyagraha and ahimsa, the disintegration of the Communist monolith, the struggle to abolish the Apartheid are some of the events that have been witnessed and which have produced some great figures.

The Fourteenth Dalai Lama is one such benign and compassionate presence in our midst today. His spirituality and compassion have influenced a large cross-section of people all over the world, and have been a source of hope and inspiration to many despite the strife and struggle for survival which are ravaging many nations. In this volume Dr. Bhaskar Vyas and Dr. D.V. Nene shed interesting light on his personality. As a mighty river on its journey from its source in the eternal snows of the Himalayas to the limitless sea, meanders through a tortuous course changing directions many points but finally rushes to meet its destiny in the ocean, so does this book, Changing Course of Brahmaputra contain reflections of the authors on the eternal values which seem to change their texture with the passage of time but remain steadfast in their goal.

Introduction Man is a unique phenomenon in the universe. The Mother earth, as of today, is the sole abiding place of this singular species in the cosmos. There are several remarkable traits of this species. One of the most outstanding amongst them is the sustained attempt by man to understand man. And still, inspite of a cultural heritage going beyond 5000 years, the man remains enigma to man.

The riddle is indeed complex because of multiplicity of behaviour patterns. Man does not live by bread alone: or does man strive for livelihood only. The complex behaviour of man has its bearing in man's innate ability to build culture and civilization. This he has been doing ever since we know the origins of history. And all throughout, he began with the axiomatic theme of glorifying the uniqueness of being man. He is the king of all that he surveys; he has the ability to ponder over the perplexities of the limitless skies; he can also fathom the boundaries and the depths of majestic seas. He can compute such information so that concepts are formed. The concepts can give rise to systems that are reproducible and repeatable.

Faculty of memory is the foundation on which various civilizations rested primarily. This was the basis of all learning. Memory has provided basis for building of knowledge. But somewhere along its accumulation, there is a possibility of ostracization of facts from the life forces.

The capacity of the human mind to act reflexly according to set patterns, in such a situation, gets further sequestrated into a conditioned reflex. The reflex actions of an individual can be protective; but the habits of a society do not have any rationally; they can be self destructive.

Book's Contents and Sample Pages