March 19, 2021

Our Norwegian forest cat - a rare sighting

 © Mihai Caragiu


Our Norwegian forest cat - that's a rare sighting, about half a mile away from home, on a field, probably hunting some rodents...

Our entrance to the Math & Stat programs main office


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

© Mihai Caragiu

March 16, 2021

Just before the pandemic lockdowns...

 

 

Yayoi Kusama: Fireflies on the Water - exhibition at Toledo Museum of Art (and me in the middle of it - March 15, 2020, just before the first pandemic lockdown orders in US were issued)...

 

March 3, 2021

A human archaeology attempt - rediscovering my sister (3) Februarie 7, 2014

``Deci. Dl.Ravi ma provoaca la o discutie filozofica. De la ce porneste totul? De la faptul ca un mutual friend, nu importa numele, o persoana cu talente si cu o inteligenta deosebite, a indraznit sa critice sistematic matrapazlicurile clericilor, cunoscute de toata lumea. Aceeasi persoana, probabil exasperata de atitudinea fariseilor noi, a comis un gest retoric si si-a autoaplicat eticheta de antiteist.Altfel spus, a calcat cu stingul apasat si ce-i drept,a facut sa sara citiva stropi pe cei ce s-au nimerit sa-i fie in preajma,indivizi cam simandicosi...Colegul meu Ravi stia bine ca prietenul nostru comun e o fiinta deschisa la minte,cu o viziune superioara asupra transcendentei, si ca aceasta eticheta pe care si-a pus-o singur e doar un consemn,o licenta de stil, un mod mai strident de a atrage atentia asupra deraparilor grave ale institutiei bisericesti. Bineinteles, antiteismul e in sine un termen nepotrivit, pentru ca nu Dumnezeu e de vina pentru scaderile oamenilor. El e VICTIMA, ca de obicei. Asadar, Ravi vine si il invoca pe Jaspers numai pentru a-l pune la punct pe amicul comun. Aduce in discutie ideea de dialog constructiv,elaborata de filozoful german. Acesta a spus,insa :Dialogul e ceva sacru. Nu se poate dialoga pe un substrat de ipocrizie. Apoi, acelasi Ravi trimite, in mod tendentios,spre ideea de transcendenta imbratisata de Jaspers. Uitind sa mentioneze, insa, ca Jaspers s-a pronuntat categoric impotriva ideii de conditionare a credintei de ritual. A fost impotriva bisericii ca institutie de localizare si garantare a transcendentei, cum insusi a spus. Adica, i s-a parut o nerozie sa afirme cineva ca daca nu mergi la biserica si nu te impartasesti nu te mintuiesti. Ar insemna, de aici, ca 99 la suta din oameni sa mearga in iad. De aceea am refuzat categoric orice dialog filozofic pe acest substrat aluziv si ipocrit. Multi dintre barbati vor sa-si manifeste superioritatea si puterea in orice conditii. Din nefericire pentru ei, mai exista si intuitia femeii...Gata.'' (7 Februarie 2014)



© Mihai Caragiu

February 13, 2021

A human archaeology attempt - rediscovering my sister (2)

On February 25, 2015, Carmen shared a link pertaining to another central (albeit, sadly, her best kept secret from the public for various reasons, on which I will elaborate later), interest of her - Indian Philosophy (after all her Thesis was basically at the interface between Esthetics and Indian thought).


A reader loved this particular passage:

'Shiva’s trishul represents the three fundamental aspects of life. These are the three fundamental dimensions of life that are symbolized in many ways. They can also be calledIda, Pingala and Sushumna. These are the three basic nadis – the left, the right and the central – in the pranamaya kosha, or the energy body of the human system. Nadis are pathways or channels of prana in the system. There are 72,000 nadis that spring from the three fundamental ones.
 
The Pingala and Ida represent the basic duality in the existence. It is this duality which we traditionally personify as Shiva and Shakti. You can simply call it masculine and feminine. When I say masculine and feminine, I am not talking in terms of sex – about being male or female – but in terms of certain qualities in nature. You could say the logical and the intuitive aspect of you.'

Further in discussion: "Fiziologia mistica indiana, fundamentul practicii yoga,dar si al tantrismului sivait."

February 2, 2021

Freedom

"Leave alone whatever arises in the mind. Do not seek to change or alter anything. It is all perfect as it stands" ~Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche (ཆོས་རྒྱལ་ནམ་མཁའི་ནོར་བུ་ 1938-2018)

That could make sense in retrospect, after the fact (of practicing meditation/mindfulness). The practice (sometimes easy, sometimes hard) is illuminated and made meaningful precisely in the evanescent moment of its dissolution, that is the moment when it suddenly evaporates itself in satori, refreshing the meaning of the term the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind (i.e. yoga as featured in Patanjali's Sutra). To leave (the mind) alone is hard (and easy). Real freedom is paradoxical, hard and easy.

Below: Tibetan letter "A", the symbol of body of light (rainbow body).


 

February 1, 2021

Enjoying a coffe

At Barnes and Noble (Maumee, OH), 1/30/2021

© Mihai Caragiu


January 24, 2021

Multiverse?

In the news:  

"Did Scientists Actually Spot Evidence Of Another Universe?" (see here, and a recent arXiv paper)

There is a problem with that view, what does "other" really means. Since there are traces of "others" that can be detected, this suggests at least a "scheme" of laws that applies to "this" and all the "others" as well. Like a moduli space? In which case there is only one (albeit "generalized" of sorts) Universe.

January 23, 2021

January 3, 2021

Sunset

ONU campus (that's where I live for 20+ years): a beautiful sunset, on the Green Track.

© Mihai Caragiu