A murti of Lord Ganesh from Indonesia, Java Island. See more pictures here.

“Never think there is anything impossible for the soul. It is the greatest heresy to think so. If there is sin, this is the only sin: to say that you are weak, or others are weak.”

-Swami Vivekananada

I stumbled on this NYTimes article regarding nasal irrigation treatment for allergies via Hinduism Today.

The Claim: Nasal Irrigation Can Ease Allergy Symptoms

Pollen forecasters are predicting a heavy season this year, so allergy sufferers may be struggling to find relief.

For some, the neti pot, a nasal irrigator that resembles a small teapot, has become an alternative remedy. While it is not nearly as convenient as popping a pill or using a spray, several recent studies have found that nasal irrigation can reduce symptoms of allergies and other nasal problems.

One benefit is that irrigation can clear nasal passages without dryness or “rebound” congestion, which occurs when overuse of decongestants leads to dependence and irritated tissue.

In one independent study in 2008, researchers examined a group of children with severe allergies. They found that regular nasal irrigation with a mild saline solution significantly eased symptoms and helped reduce the need for steroid nasal sprays. A 2007 study at the University of Michigan looked at 121 adults with chronic nasal and sinus problems. Over two months, the scientists found that those treated with nasal irrigation reported greater improvements than those treated with a spray.

Other research, including an analysis of studies in the Cochrane database in 2007, found that it can be an inexpensive adjunct to medication: most neti pots are about $10.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Studies suggest that nasal irrigation can reduce sinus and allergy symptoms.

Jai Shri Krishna!

“The question of whether there is a God or truth or reality, or whatever you like to call it, can never be answered by book, by priests, philosophers or saviours. Nobody and nothing can answer the question but you yourself and that is why you must know yourself. Immaturity lies on in total ignorance of self. To understand yourself is the beginning of wisdom.”

- J. Krishnamurti, Freedom From the Known.

This article from the New York Times details a new study highlighting the risks of consuming red meat.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/28/health/28brod.html

“… a new study of more than 500,000 Americans has provided the best evidence yet that our affinity for red meat has exacted a hefty price on our health and limited our longevity.”

Here is the abstract of the study itself as well, along with a link to purchase the full text.

(more…)

This documentary features excellent cinematography, beautiful enthralling scenes, and more importantly, a message about the uneasy balance between man and nature.  It is worth checking out!

http://www.hulu.com/watch/63305/india-kingdom-of-the-tiger?c=News-and-Information

” Man is his own star; and the soul that can
Render an honest and a perfect man,
Commands all light, all influence, all fate;
Nothing to him falls early or too late.
Our acts our angels are, or good or ill,
Our fatal shadows that walk by us still.”

Epilogue to Beaumont and Fletcher’s Honest Man’s Fortune

I found this quote as the introduction to Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essay, Self Reliance.  It draws me to think on the divine potential within man, and karma yoga.

“There is not a fellow under the sun who is my disciple. On the contrary, I am everybody’s disciple. All are the children of God. All are His servants. As for me, I consider myself as a speck of the dust of the devotee’s feet.”

Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa (1836-1886)

Traditionally, we have been lead to believe that spiritual or religious inquiry has been a matter of faith or belief. However, a number of people have challenged this notion. After all, we, as a society, constantly question the world, and each other. According to Swami Vivekananda, this idea of faith or belief being the pillar of spirituality is false.

…We see that in the study of this …Yoga, no faith or belief is necessary. Believe nothing until you find it out for yourself; that is what teaches us. Truth requires no prop to make it stand.

Here Swamiji is turning this conventional notion on its head. Note that in this context, yoga does not mean the popular system of physical exercise (hatha yoga), but rather the quest for union with divinity. Swami Dayananda Saraswati also explains that it is teaching that is required for spirituality, rather than preaching. He explains that in preaching, a person makes a statement, that other people may decide to believe or not. If they do not believe, then the preaching does not have any effect, as there is no basis for them to move to belief. If they do believe, even then the preaching does not have an effect, as it is merely restating what they already believe.  As I wrote in our discussion on values:

All of our confusion arises from a lack of understanding, not a lack of belief. We certainly believe that telling the truth is good, but do we understand why we should tell it? If our confusions arise from lack of understanding, and not belief, then, as Swamiji says, “We don’t need any preachers, what we need is teachers.” This is an important fundamental point. All the preaching in the world about telling the truth may not affect you, because you already believe it at some basic, albeit one-sided level. It is teaching the value, the full understanding of the value, and all its implications that really changes a person’s life.

What does this mean for us?  Well it means we should seek answers to ethical and spiritual questions with the same zeal, and with the same skeptical criteria, as we do all other questions in life.