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Oppenheimer and the Gita (2014)

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Re: Oppenheimer and the Gita (2014)

#71

Post by rblion »

edmundsauto wrote: post #34
rblion wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's important, in my view, to not only study but to sincerely experiment and eventually embody the teachings. I also read the Upanishads and the Dhammapada often to get the full message of Vedanta and living in accordance with Dharma. I also study Greek and Egyptian wisdom, it's amazing how much overlap there is when you put all of them side by side. I've spent a good deal of my 20's exploring the American National…

Apologies for hijacking, but it's interesting how lead and gold have changed in possible uses in the past couple hundred years. Gold was scarce, and used for decoration. Lead was common, but used for (unfortunately) things like pipes. Now, gold is still highly prized as a store of value, while lead has continued to be found harmful (petrol, etc.) However, gold's electrical properties (and resistance to tarnish) make…

No worries! I am very fascinated by gold as an element, diamonds too. Buddha's 'Diamond Sutra' is very powerful and literally cuts through illusion. Gold is revered around the world by cultures of all climes and times, scientists and engineers as well. It's really something to marvel at!

I find the history of alchemy fascinating too, how it evolved into chemistry as we know it today. Issac Newton was obsessed with it, I know people make fun of him for it but I will always admire his genius and his passion.

Re: Oppenheimer and the Gita (2014)

#72

Post by dang »

richard23132 wrote: post #69
dang wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Please don't take HN threads further into religious flamewar. We don't want that here; it leads nowhere good. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

This thread is about a religious book my intention is to clear the general misconception among westereners that Hinduism is in the same league as Buddhism, which it is not. Bhagavat Gita, Mahabharata and Ramayana are all about preserving the caste system. Even RMS has blogged about it https://stallman.org/articles/ramayana.html . For these reasons i think my post should not be flagged. Thanks.

What you're doing both upthread and here counts as religious flamewar, which is off topic here. Please stop.

Re: Oppenheimer and the Gita (2014)

#73

Post by 8bitsrule »

I suspect that Oppenheimer found, in 'following your duty for the good of your tribe', some justification for his moral dilemma. But the mass destruction of cities full of innocents is not, I think, the intended meaning of this Gita passage. Else, what is the whole point of spirituality? So it ends up as yet another expedient distortion.

(Just as the Bible quote 'I came not to introduce peace, but a sword' is -not- about battlefield murders.)

I'm sure that, put into a like position, Einstein would not have agreed to 'serve' in the same way. Nor would he have been the only 'refusnik'.

Re: Oppenheimer and the Gita (2014)

#74

Post by croh »

LoveDeathRobots wrote: post #66
croh wrote: post #57

This is best summary of the Gita. https://nilayashokshah.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/zzzzz-git...

Possible explains this https://www.teoalida.com/world/india/

As I know, India is home of many religions and creeds following different philosophies. So it may not. Housing issue in big cities is too common across the world.(LA, Tokyo). Don't see any relation between religious philosophy and housing issue.

Re: Oppenheimer and the Gita (2014)

#75

Post by bigred100 »

narag wrote: post #60
bigred100 wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My question is why as a Western dude who grew up with lots of exposure to Christian scripture and surrounding culture elements or churches I can visit am I gonna try and learn someone else’s religion (with none of those advantages) when even taking the “easy” route is extraordinary difficult?

Some of those traditions are previous to Christianism and most likely had a strong influence on it. So maybe for context.

So reading and learning a bit is cool. But I guess the part I wonder is how you’re gonna use it as a guidebook for life or something if you have none of the context and are kind of just guessing (maybe you’re not). For the record I actually have a similar issue with a lot of American Protestant Christians I’ve seen (have seemingly no connection to anyone but are convinced they can figure out how to successfully apply a 2000yr old middle eastern religious text to modern life on their own).

Re: Oppenheimer and the Gita (2014)

#76

Post by LoveDeathRobots »

croh wrote: post #74
LoveDeathRobots wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Possible explains this https://www.teoalida.com/world/india/

As I know, India is home of many religions and creeds following different philosophies. So it may not. Housing issue in big cities is too common across the world.(LA, Tokyo). Don't see any relation between religious philosophy and housing issue.

> Don't see any relation between religious philosophy and housing issue.

Most of the historical social movements in the west came out of the Christian tradition, whilst the eastern tradition of Karma/Dharma would say leave it, it's the wheel of life or some such.

Re: Oppenheimer and the Gita (2014)

#77

Post by narag »

bigred100 wrote: post #75
narag wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some of those traditions are previous to Christianism and most likely had a strong influence on it. So maybe for context.

So reading and learning a bit is cool. But I guess the part I wonder is how you’re gonna use it as a guidebook for life or something if you have none of the context and are kind of just guessing (maybe you’re not). For the record I actually have a similar issue with a lot of American Protestant Christians I’ve seen (have seemingly no connection to anyone but are convinced they can figure out how to successfully apply…

I don't know. I wouldn't use any book as a guidebook for life, either if it was written 2000 years ago or yesterday. Actually most religious people I know have a bond to a community, being The Book kind of an identity "totem" of such community.

Re: Oppenheimer and the Gita (2014)

#78

Post by denton-scratch »

bcaa7f3a8bbc wrote: post #33
trianglem wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What I took away from the Bhagvat Gita is that it is a treatise on why you should accept, internalize and submit to the role or place that society has assigned you.

> trianglem: What I took away from the Bhagvat Gita is that it is a treatise on why you should accept, internalize and submit to the role or place that society has assigned you. I've read the original paper linked in the article, and I agree with this interpretation. It seems the teaching of Gita is that one must follow the role the society has assigned to you, no matter what. > The Sanskrit word [...] “duty”is dharm…

"dharma is “group-centered and group-oriented."

Yes, I think the 'duty' that is being referred to is 'dharma' in the sense of 'true identity', and Arjuna's identity is a Kshatriya (warrior), as are all sons of kingly descent, and an archer. He was born and trained to fight.

"Dharma" also means 'truth'; the implication is that there is a kind of falsity in not being true to the identity you inherit, or that has been given to you (e.g. by military training).

FWIW, I don't agree that people get any permanent identity at birth, nor that they can acquire some kind of permanent identity by being trained as a soldier (or a thief, or an artist, or a comedian). Krishna/Vishnu is misleading Arjuna: we're all fluid, we can all change. Krishna knows this, and in fact he shows it, because he changes himself.

[I confess I'm not closely familiar with the BV - I think I read it in my teens. It's not that long, by comparison with other classic Vedic texts; or with western religious tracts, for that matter]

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