nasmate and others

Discussion in 'Old Hippies' started by thereaperman44, May 8, 2004.

  1. thereaperman44

    thereaperman44 Member

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    who were giving me adive on my life crisis at the moment send me a PM, i send a really long well thought out one last time and you might not have got it

    love paul xxxxx
     
  2. Graham

    Graham Member

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    Whats namstie mean? loads of people say it at the end of a post
     
  3. LotusIndia

    LotusIndia Member

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    Hey there Paul, found ya. :)

    There may have been others, but I was one of them. I never received anytihng from you since my last reply to yours. Jusd sent me a P.M. OK?

    Namaste,
    Lotus
     
  4. LotusIndia

    LotusIndia Member

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    There are many definitions. I think the most used one is, "The soul in my heart, bows to the soul within your heart."

    Namaste! :)
    Lotus
     
  5. Southernman

    Southernman Boarischer Rebell

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    N::N "Shake hands and come out fighting." It's the referee's
    A::A final counsel to two pugilists about to beat each other's
    M::M brains out with clenched fists. Even outside the ring, a
    A::A handshake can be a little off-putting. When one returns
    S::S to the West from an extended sojourn in Bharat or
    T::T elsewhere in Asia, the hand suddenly thrust forward can
    E::E seem more ominous than friendly, especially if the hand
    offered is that of a stranger. Of course, one soon
    acclimates and the menacing aspect of this salutation subsides.

    Perhaps that moment of intimidation derives from the history of
    the handshake. According to one anthropologist, the handshake
    evolved in medieval Europe, during the times of knights. It seems
    not all were laudable Lancelots or gallant Gallahads. More than a
    few would approach opponents with concealed weapons and when
    within striking distance do the needful, driving dagger or
    striking sword into the unguarded paladin.

    To fend off the fear of a foe's foul foil, knights took to
    offering their open and visibly empty hand to each other. It was
    a kind of surety, a gesture of trust which said, "See, I am
    unarmed, so you may safely let me approach." As the story goes,
    soon the gesture itself took on meaning and the less noble, less
    lethal man on the street adopted the handshake as the proper way
    to greet others.

    In much of the world today, people do not shake hands when they
    meet. They may hug formally or kiss one another on the cheek, as
    in eastern Europe and Arab states. They may bow softly, eyes
    turned to the ground, as in Japan and China. The Hawaiian
    greeting, termed "honi," consists of placing the nostril gently
    beside that of the person greeted, a kind of sharing of breath,
    which is life and Pran(a).

    For, Hindu(s), of course, the greeting of choice is "Namaste,"
    the two hands pressed together and held near the heart with the
    head gently bowed as one says, "Namaste." Thus it is both a
    spoken greeting and a gesture, a Mantr(a) and a Mudr(a). The
    prayerful hand position is a Mudr(a) called Anjali, from the root
    Anj, "to adorn, honor, celebrate or anoint." The hands held in
    union signify the oneness of an apparently dual cosmos, the
    bringing together of spirit and matter, or the self meeting the
    Self. It has been said that the right hand represents the higher
    nature or that which is divine in us, while the left hand
    represents the lower, worldly nature.

    In Sanskrit "Namas" means, "bow, obeisance, reverential
    salutation." It comes from the root Nam, which carries meanings
    of bending, bowing, humbly submitting and becoming silent. "Te"
    means "to you." Thus "namaste" means "I bow to you." the act of
    greeting is called "Namaskaram," "Namaskara" and "Namaskar" in
    the varied languages of the subcontinent.

    Namaste has become a veritable icon of what is Bharatiye. Indeed,
    there must be a Bharatiye law which requires every travel
    brochure. calendar and poster to include an image of someone with
    palms pressed together, conveying to the world Bharat's
    hospitality, spirituality and graceful consciousness. You knew
    all that, of course, but perhaps you did not know that there can
    be subtle ways of enhancing the gesture, as in the West one might
    shake another's hand too strongly to impress and overpower them
    or too briefly, indicating the withholding of genuine welcome.

    In the case of Namaste, a deeper veneration is sometimes
    expressed by bringing the fingers of the clasped palms to the
    forehead, where they touch the brow, the site of the mystic Third
    Eye. A third form of namaste brings the palms completely above
    the head, a gesture said to focus consciousness in the subtle
    space just above the Brahma-randhra, the aperture in the Crown
    Chakr(a). This form is so full of reverence it is reserved for
    the Almighty and the holiest of Sat Guru(s).

    It is always interesting, often revealing and occasionally
    enlightening to muse about the everyday cultural traits and
    habits each nation and community evolves, for in the little
    things our Big ideas About Life find direct and personal
    expression. Take, for instance, the different ways that American
    and Japanese tool-makers approach the same task. A saw for
    cutting lumber, if designed in the U.S., is made in such a way
    that the carpenter's stroke away from his body does the cutting.
    But in japan saws are engineered so that cutting takes place as
    the carpenter draws the saw toward himself. A small detail, but
    it yields a big difference.

    The American saw can, if leaned into, generate more power, while
    the Japanese saw provides more control and refinement in the cut,
    requiring surprisingly less effort. Each has its place in the
    global toolbox. each speaks -- like the handshake and namaste
    greetings -- of an underlying perception of man's relationship
    with things.

    In the West we are outgoing, forceful, externalized. We are told
    by Ma bell to "reach out and touch somebody." We are unabashedly
    acquisitive, defining our progress in life by how much we have --
    how much wealth, influence, stored up knowledge, status or
    whatever. Every culture exhibits these traits to some extent, but
    in the east Mother is there to remind us, "Reach in and touch the
    Self." here we are taught to be more introspective, more
    concerned with the quality of things than their quantity, more
    attuned with the interior dimension of life.

    So, there you have it, the whole of Eastern and Western culture
    summed up in the handshake which reaches out horizontally to
    greet another, and Namaste which reaches in vertically to
    acknowledge that, in truth, that there is no other.

    ...................
     
  6. Southernman

    Southernman Boarischer Rebell

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    As a test of how these two greetings differ, imagine you are
    magically confronted with the Divine. The Paramatma, Almighty,
    walks up to you on the street. What do you do? reach out to shake
    His hand? Probably not. Though suitable between man and man, it;'
    an unseemly expression between man and Paramatma. We never shake
    hands with paramatma. I mean, what if your palms are sweating?

    So you namaste instead. the reason it feels natural to namaste
    before Paramatma is that it is, in its very essence, a spiritual
    gesture, not a worldly one. By a handshake we acknowledge our
    equality with others. We reveal our humanity. We convey how
    strong we are, how nervous, how aggressive or passive. There is
    bold physicality to it. For these and other reasons, Popes never
    shake hands. Kings never shake hands. Even mothers don't shake
    hands with their own children.

    Namaste is cosmically different. Kings do namaste, Sat Guru(s)
    namaste and mothers namaste to their own family. We all namaste
    before the Almighty, a holy man or even a holy place. The namaste
    gesture bespeaks our inner valuing of the sacredness of all. It
    betokens our intuition that all souls are divine, in their
    essence. It reminds us in quite a graphic manner, and with
    insistent repetition, that we can see Paramatma everywhere and in
    every human being we meet. It is saying, silently, "I see the
    Deity in us both, and bow before Him or Her. I acknowledge the
    holiness of even this mundane meeting. I cannot separate that
    which is spiritual in us from that which is human and ordinary."

    And while we are singing the praises of Namaste, it should be
    observed how efficient a gesture it is in an age of mass
    communication. A politician, or performer can greet fifty
    thousand people with a single Namaste, and they can return the
    honor instantly. In such a situation a handshake is unthinkable
    and a mere waving of one hand is somehow too frivolous.

    There are other, more mystical meanings behind Namaste. The nerve
    current of the body converge in the feet, the solar plexus and
    the hands. Psychic energy leaves the body at these junctures. To
    "ground" that energy and balance the flow of Pran(a) streaming
    through the nerve system, Yogi(s) cross their legs in the lotus
    posture, and bring their hands together. The Anjali Mudra acts
    like a simple Yog(ic) Asan(a), balancing and harmonizing our
    energies, keeping us centered, inwardly poised and mentally
    protected. It closes our aura, shielding us psychically. It keeps
    us from becoming too externalized, thus we remain close to our
    intuitive nature, our super consciousness.

    Here are some insights into Namaste from a number of Hindu(s):

    o Namaste elevates one's consciousness, reminding one that all
    beings, all existence is holy, is the Almighty. It
    communicates, "I honor or worship the Divinity within you."
    Also it draws the individual inward for a moment, inspires
    reflection on the deeper realities, softening the interface
    between people. It would be difficult or offend or feel
    animosity toward any one you greet as Paramatma.

    o Namaste is a gesture of friendship and kindness, also of
    thanks or special recognition. Mystically it is called
    "Namaskara Mudra" in the Agami(c) Pooja, and it centers one's
    energy within the spine.

    o I've heard it means "I salute the Almighty within you." The
    true Namaste gesture is is accompanied by bowing the head and
    shoulders slightly. This is a gesture that lessens our sense
    of ego and self-centeredness, requiring some humility to do it
    well -- whereas shaking hands can be quite an arrogant event.

    o Touching the hands together puts you in touch with your
    center, your soul. namaste puts you forward as a soul, not an
    outer personality.

    o The gesture has a subtle effect on the aura and nerve system.
    bringing focused attention and a collection of one's forces,
    so to speak. It also protects against unnecessary psychic
    connections which are fostered by shaking hands. This might be
    called a form of purity also -- protecting one's energies.

    This form of acknowledgment is so lovely, so graceful. Just
    look at two people in Namaste and you will see so much human
    beauty and refinement.

    ================================================================
    Copyright 1993 by Himalayan Academy. ISSN: 0896-0801.
    ================================================================
     
  7. LotusIndia

    LotusIndia Member

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    Hey there Southernman,

    That's a lot more than I bargined for. LOL

    Never knew I was saying all that in my signature. :)

    Namaste!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Lotus
     
  8. Southernman

    Southernman Boarischer Rebell

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    Hi Lotus

    I couldn't leave it to post this again

    Glad to see you again,
    Namaste,
    Southernman
     
  9. eccofarmer

    eccofarmer Member

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    NAMASTE

    Southernman that is one of the best meanings and well done.
    Moved me in just reading it.
     
  10. Maggie Sugar

    Maggie Sugar Senior Member

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    Excellent post, Southernman. I am honored and happy to be in your presence.

    Blessings,
    Maggie
     
  11. rainbow dew

    rainbow dew Member

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    hey.....namaste one and all!:)

    namaste
    x x x
     
  12. Southernman

    Southernman Boarischer Rebell

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    What could be better for the beginning of a new day than to read such warm words, early in the morning at the moment here. Thanks Maggie, you made my day. I'm glad too, to be in this electronical community, where i learned and I'm learning a lot from you all.

    Blessings,
    Southernman
     
  13. Rev Van

    Rev Van Lifetime Supporter Lifetime Supporter

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    :party: Party On!




     

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