Yuyutsu,

I watched the documentary on Auschwitz last night.

My mind can't get around how people who suffered so
much can abuse others. I suggest everyone Google the
images of What Gaza once was and what it is now. Gaza
before and after. The satellite images and statistics
of what has happened are horriic.

Hard to understand.

Dear Foxy,

«My mind can't get around how people who suffered so
much can abuse others»

Those who survived Auschwitz and are still alive, are now in their 90's or 100's.

As for the others, yet unborn at the time, refer to the Milgram experiment: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milgram_experiment

By all means, always strive for compassion, strive to become a better person, but if you expect it of others then you are bound to be disappointed -

That is because this world is but a school, so those of us who have both the intellect and moral spine to resist the Milgram experiment, are close to pass the humanity test and graduate, thus once they die they tend not to return to earth as humans again, leaving the earth in the hands of others who still need to learn their lessons. While students advance and graduate, schools remain schools, they still have their role, they are still needed for the next generations, they do not "evolve" into universities...

Yuyutsu,

You're such an interesting fellow.

Hi Yuyustu

A bit off topic so I’m not expecting a response, but knowing your interest in matters spiritual it may be of interest.

Yesterday I went to a performance of the Mahabharata. Though it’s a Hindu text, I understand some of the stories and themes have echoes in Buddhism. During the dinner break (it’s that long) many people commented on how relevant it seemed to the current conflict in Israel/Gaza. The stories of vengeance and loyalty, inter-generational grievances and the carnage and descent into depravity that can result when two sides engage in what each believes is a just war – for good reasons - seemed horribly familiar. So did the moral complexities. Even Krishna is cursed, and his consequent death ushers in the fourth and worst of the world’s ages.

Anyway, I’m happy that Yuyutsu is one of the few who survive the battle!

Dear Rhian,

Thank you.

It is a privilege to attend a performance of the Mahabharata.

The full text, containing stories within stories within stories, some spanning thousands if not millions of years, thus being the largest book ever written (I read its English translation in 23 full-sized volumes), is so vast and profound that some claim that nothing that happens in the world was not already been referred to in the Mahabharata.

While your memory is fresh, let me mention the example of Jayadratha - he was the son in law of Dhritarashtra, having married the one sister of his 100 sons. While the Pandavas were in exile in the forest, he tried to rape Draupadi, the Pandavas' wife. The Pandavas eventually caught up with him and Bhima pulled out his hair, leaving only five separate tufts of hair on his head, thus Jayadratha was too ashamed to return to his kingdom in that condition and instead stayed in the forest to perform severely austere penance, which granted him the ability to defeat the Pandavas for one day - that was the darkest day, the 13th day in the great war, when Arjuna's beloved young son, Abhimanyu, was most cruelly and unethically slain by seven great warriors at once. Jayadratha's death the following day by Arjuna's arrow was indeed miraculous.

If you look up "Jayadratha", you can find so many connected stories along the length and breadth of the Mahabharata. One may speculate that it was this particular boon by Lord Shiva that allowed Yahya Sinwar to win over Israel for one day, the 7th of October 2023.

Dear Yuyutsu

Thank you for your response. Although the production runs for almost 5 hours it can’t possibly cover the full breadth and depth of the text, and the Jayadratha story was omitted.

I’m not sure where it’s showing besides Perth, but if it comes to your home town it’s well worth seeing:
http://www.perthfestival.com.au/program/season-2025/mahabharata

I’m familiar with the New Testament and parts of the Hebrew Scriptures we Christians purloined from Judaism, but woefully ignorant of the sacred texts and scriptures of other religions. What struck me was similarities with the mythic stories of my own faith (Cain and Abel, Isaac and Ishmael) and other parallels such Dharma and Natural Law. I have a lot to learn.

As to Shiva – one of the most striking images in the production is Shiva dancing throughout the horror and carnage of the battle of Kurukshetra. I suspect Shiva has been dancing a lot in Israel and Gaza of late.