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Writings and Readings Blog

Madhu Bazaz Wangu

Feeling The Distance Goddesses Once Again

Posted on May 1, 2008
in Journaling
1 Comment

In the mid seventies when I arrived in the United States I heard people call Marilyn Monroe a goddess but Virgin Mary who had all the characteristics of being a goddess was denied that status. To me things seemed upside down. In India, I did not pay much attention to goddesses, but they were everywhere. Friends and family talked about the efficacious power (Sakti) of the Great Goddess (Devi). The many energies of Devi in the form of various goddesses is a common belief. During yearly festivals I viewed, with much interest, their graceful iconographic forms. The celebrations of Navaratra, Shivratri and Diwali brought to focus the images aflame with exquisite grace as well as sinister inelegance. The goddess myths and images awoke feelings of aesthetic delight and mystery. When I...

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Introducing Goddesses

Posted on May 1, 2008
in Being in Nature
2 Comments

Dear Readers, The last month's Goddess Lecture Series at the Northland Public Library was well received. Thanks to all the participants for insightful questions and lively comments. When I started the series I did not realize that the participants would not be familiar with Hindu goddesses. Their religious background is Judeo-Christian. The Christian trinity - Father, Son and Holy Spirit are understood (for example in visual arts, poetry and literature) as males. There is no concept of goddess. The absence of goddesses has left an empty space in this religious worldview. The pious do hold the Virgin Mary in a place of high esteem but she doesn't have the same level of holiness as the trinity. Theologians have left that space empty. There is a serious need to fill that gap...

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Twenty-Sixth Chapter: Tao-te Ching

Posted on April 25, 2008
in Meditation, Reading
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Twenty-Sixth Chapter: Tao-te Ching The heavy is the root of the light. The tranquility is the ruler of the haste. Therefore the wise person is calm In the midst of all activities. Even at the sight of opulence, He is not influenced. Why should a ruler fidget like a fool? If you fidget and flit, you lose touch with your root. Haste does not make you the master of the Self. # As I Understand it:     Carefully tend an inner landscape in which roots are firm and the surroundings peaceful. Be firmly centered. Luxuriate in the silence. Your circumstances or surroundings, opulent or poor, should not rule over you. Stay calm regardless of what is happening around you. You have innate ability to choose calmness. Next time you confront a situation that sways you or drives you crazy...

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Twenty-Fifth Chapter: Tao-te Ching

Posted on April 18, 2008
in Meditation, Reading
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Twenty-Fifth Chapter: Tao-te Ching In the beginning, there was something undifferentiated and complete, Soundless, formless, singular, unchanging. Infinite. Eternal. The mother of the universe. I call it Tao. I call it Great. Great is boundless. Far-reaching. Constantly returning to the original point. Therefore the Way of the Tao is Great. Heaven is great. Earth is great. People are great. To know humanity, understand earth. To understand earth, know heaven. To know heaven, understand the Way. To know the Way, understand the Great within you. Knowing within, experience the Great without. # As I Understand it: This chapter resonates with the Hindu Upanishadic teaching that the cosmic energy (Brahman) is within each individual as Atman -- a pure, timeless energy that remains uncontaminated by form. This understanding has made me aware that there is something "more than" my mundane self. And that I am linked to...

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Twenty-Fourth Chapter

Posted on April 11, 2008
in Meditation, Reading
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Twenty-Fourth Chapter: Tao-te Ching He who stands on tiptoe is not steady He who strides forward does not go far. He who shows off is not enlightened. He who boasts has not accomplished much. He who defines himself can't really know who he is. He who has power over others can't empower himself. He who clings to his work will create nothing that endures. From the point of view of Tao, these are all distasteful like tumor in the body. Those who possess Tao, do their jobs, then let go. # As I Understand it: Our superior qualities are hidden but become more prominent everyday. Boasting is conspicuous but what one boasts about gradually disappears. Instead of showing off seek an attitude of gratitude for the blessings of air, water, sun, health and natural beauty. Those who have tendency to control...

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Twenty-Third Chapter: Tao-te Ching

Posted on April 4, 2008
in Meditation, Reading
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Twenty-Third Chapter: Tao-te Ching Nature says few words. For the same reason a whirlwind does not last a whole morning. Nor does a rainstorm last a whole day. What causes them? Heaven and Earth - Nature. Express yourself. Then say little. Exaggerated action cannot be sustained. If Heaven and Earth cannot sustain them, How much less can man. Those who follow the Way become one with the Way. Those who follow goodness become one with goodness. Those who stray from the Way and goodness, become one with failure. If you identify with the Way, its power flows through you. Act naturally Open yourself to the Tao, Then trust your natural responses. And everything will fall into place. # As I understand it: Do your task and let go of desire to push. Observe nature. It doesn't force. It moves through the seasons and, without saying much, produces...

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Twenty-Second Chapter: Tao-te Ching

Posted on March 28, 2008
in Reading
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Twenty-Second Chapter: Tao-te Ching To yield is to be preserved whole. To be bent is to become straight. To be empty is to be full. To be worn out is to be renewed. To have little is to possess. To have plenty is to be perplexed. Therefore the sage embraces Tao within And becomes the model of the world. He does not display himself; people see his light. He does not justify himself; people trust him. He is not full; people see themselves in him He does not brag; people see themselves in him. The ancient saying, "To yield is to be preserved whole," are not empty words? He does not demand and desire; things are attracted to him # As I understand it: The supreme quality of a sage is flexibility. When destructive energy comes his way he feels it and allows it to...

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An Invitation to a Lecture Series

Posted on March 27, 2008
in Being in Nature
1 Comment

You are invited to attend a four-part series of my lectures “Awakening the Goddesses Within” sponsored by The Northland Public Library, North Hills, PA. The lectures will be held on Thursday evenings (3, 10, 17 & 24 April) from 7:00-9:00. The lectures are free. For registration call (412) 366-8100. We will discuss how major Hindu goddesses are outer reflections of the dormant powers within women, the powers Carl Jung called "archetypes." The knowledge of the behavior patterns and personality traits of these female divinities provide women tools to understand themselves and their relationship with other men and women. We will argue if women have such powerful inner forces why do they continue to follow stereotypes. We will attempt to take the goddesses out of their patriarchal...

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Twenty-First Chapter: Tao-te Ching

Posted on March 21, 2008
in Reading
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Twenty-first Chapter: Tao-te Ching The greatest virtue is to follow the Tao and the Tao alone. The Tao is elusive and vague. Although vague and elusive, It gives rise to form. It gives rise to shapes. Although dark and obscure, It is the essence. The life-breath of all things. From the time of old until now, its name has been preserved In order to recall the beginning of all things. How do I know the way of all things in the beginning? By looking at the Tao within me. # As I understand it: In this chapter Lao Tzu reaffirms (see chapter 1) the significance of being aware of the human paradox -- on the one hand, the unknowns (where we come from, where we go, why are we here) and on the other, inner feeling of Tao.   From formless we become formed; from...

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Twentieth Chapter: Tao-te Ching

Posted on March 14, 2008
in Reading
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Twentieth Chapter: The Way of Lao Tzu (Tao-te Ching) Abandon Learning and there will be no sorrow. How much difference is there between “Yes” and “ No?” How much difference is there between “good” and “evil?” Do not dread, what people dread. But, alas, I fear desolation when there is abundance. I feel darkness when light is everywhere. In springtime, some go to the park and ascend the tower. But I alone am drifting, not knowing where I am. Like an infant before it has learnt to smile. I am weary, without a home. Multitudes have too much. I alone seem to have lost all. Mine is indeed the mind of an ignorant person, Indiscriminate and simple! People rush about to get things done, to seek fame, I prefer to be left alone. Indeed I seem like an idiot: No mind, no worries. I drift...

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