Math Imitating Life

These are going to just some comments and references for a future article.

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Here is something by Albert Einstein to wonder about.

Relativity, The Special and General Theory

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In the first chapter of this book, Einstein makes the following points:

  1. Truth is relative to one’s experience. 
  2. If the experience is limited then one’s “truth” is limited.
  3. Euclidean Geometry is based on limited experience. 
  4. How do we consider a straight line? How do we consider distance?
  5. We assume locations in space to exist as if on a rigid body.

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Points from Chapter II:

  1. Let’s use a “rigid” Cartesian Coordinate System, and a rigid body as a unit, to describe positions in space.
  2. But, since optical observations are involved, let’s also take into account the properties of the propagation of light in determining the measurements.

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Points from Chapter III:

  1. Regarding “motion in space,” there is no such thing as an independently existing trajectory but only a trajectory relative to a particular body of reference. 
  2. The finiteness of the velocity of propagation of light would influence the perception of change in position with time.

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Points from Chapter IV:

  1. A system of co-ordinates of which the state of motion is such that the law of inertia holds relative to it is called a “Galileian system of co-ordinates.” 
  2. We cannot use a system of coordinates rigidly attached to earth, because, in that system of coordinates, stars would appear to be moving in a circle in violation of the law of inertia.
  3. We assume Galileian systems of co-ordinates, which are rigid but not attached to earth. 

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Points from Chapter V:

The principle of relativity (in the restricted sense)If, relative to K, K’ is a uniformly moving co-ordinate system devoid of rotation, then natural phenomena run their course with respect to K’ according to exactly the same general laws as with respect to K.

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There is no loss of energy in a pure standing wave. In other words, the energy would be conserved. We may then look at this physical universe as an example of pure standing wave, because energy is conserved in this universe.

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The most fundamental phenomenon in this universe seems to be a back-and-forth motion around a reference value. Call it a vibration that creates waves; but this phenomenon seems to underlie all other phenomena.

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Light seems to be tied to the vacuum of the space itself rather than to anything existing in that space. In other words, light does not seem to travel relative to anything in space. The velocity of light is the same regardless of the motion of the frame of reference that is used.

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The velocity of light is finite . Einstein used this fact to query the very basis of perception on cosmic scales.

At atomic scales, light seems to condense as standing waves instead of reflect. It seems to be the fractal iteration of this condensation that appears as electrons, protons, neutrons, etc. This makes perception at atomic scales questionable too. Our perception seems to be limited to the middle band.

The frequency and wave-length of light corresponds in such a way that the velocity of light always remains the same. That is the basis of confirming that the universe is expanding using the redshift of the Doppler effect. We apply the same argument to the shift in the pitch of the sound of whistle of a passing train. This brings up the following questions:

(1) The velocity of sound is constant with respect to a medium, such as air. Would we perceive the same shift in the pitch of sound if the air is not all displaced and moved around  by the passing train?

(2) The velocity of light is constant in space. Can we treat space as a “medium” made up of not the usual material, but dark matter perhaps!

(3) Does this dark matter get disturbed by passing light, similar to the way air gets disturbed by the passing train?

(4) How does this dark matter appear to behave at atomic dimensions?

Note: This seems to be looking at the old ether theory again.

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Counting goes up to infinity; then that collection of infinity may be regarded as “one.” For example, Infinity of fundamental particles may take the shape of an apple. We may then count apples. Not all apples will have the same number of fundamental particles, but each would be regarded as a unit apple.

http://io9.com/5809689/a-brief-introduction-to-infinity

The counting to infinity may be repeated with this new “one.”  This procedure may continue without limit. This procedure may be reversed without limit also.

This raises the question, “Do we have a rigid relationship between the “numbers” used to account for the atomic phenomena and the numbers used to account for the cosmic phenomena?”

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The following is the basic assumption underlying Euclidean Geometry, which was pointed out by Einstein:

Euclidean geometry assumes that points, directions and distances behave as if they are associated with a rigid body. We are conditioned to think this way because the rigid body of earth provides our frame of reference.

But the question remains, “Does the “fabric” of space behaves like a rigid body, and if not, then do the laws of Euclidean Geometry still apply?”

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Here is a very interesting comment on mechanical brain and free will by Alan Turing (AMT/B/5 Image 5):

http://www.turingarchive.org/viewer/?id=459&title=5

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[To be continued...]

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Doing Time Doing Vipassana

Winner of the Golden Spire award at the 1998 San Francisco International Film festival and winner of a 1998 NCCD PASS Award of the American National Council on Crime and Delinquency.

This extraordinary documentary takes viewers into India’s largest prison – known as one of the toughest in the world – and shows the dramatic change brought about by the introduction of Vipassana meditation.

This is the story of a strong woman named Kiran Bedi, the former Inspector General of Prisons in New Delhi. It tells how she strove to transform the notorious Tihar Prison, once a hellhole of crime, and turn it into an oasis of peace. It is a story of an ancient meditation technique, Vipassana, which helps people to take control of their lives and channel them towards their own good and the good of others. But most of all it is the story of the prison inmates who underwent profound change, and who realized that incarceration is not the end but possibly the beginning of a new life.

Produced & Directed by by Ayelet Menahemi & Eilona Ariel, Karuna Films, Ltd., 1997, 52 min.

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KHTK 18: Helping Somebody in Need

All of us encounter situations when somebody is really hurting and our heart goes out to them. We wonder how we can help them most optimally.  Here are some of my thoughts on this subject.

(1) Assess your own ability to help. Extend your help only when you sincerely feel that you can help that person.

(2) As your first action get into a sincere communication with the person.

(3) Be a good listener. Listen carefully to what the person is telling you, without interrupting.

(4) Acknowledge appropriately so the person knows he or she is being listened to.

(5) Do not offer any advice. Do not comment on what the person is telling you.

(6) If the person asks for advice simply provide him with your honest experience in a similar area, but also tell him that  it may or may not apply to his or her situation.

(7) If the person’s asks any questions then answer as honestly as you can in a manner, which encourages the person to look more closely at his or her situation.

(8) Introduce the person to KHTK principles. Explain that resolution comes rapidly when one looks non-judgmentally and without resistance, with enough patience.

(9) Observe the area the person has most attention on. Notice possible inconsistencies.

(10) Point to that area and ask the person if he or she sees any inconsistencies in it. Do not suggest anything.

(11) Never ask for any details. Let the person determine what to tell you.

(12) Guide the person as best as you can in looking in the direction where maximum inconsistencies lie.

(13) It is the person’s looking, and not he or she talking to you, that will bring clarity to that person’s mind.

(14) Realize that you have helped the person, when his or her attention is freed up, and the person appears to be more “there” and  happy.

(15) Always help the person in the direction of making him or her more capable.

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Finnish First

DAN RATHER REPORTS

FINNISH FIRST, January 17, 2012

In just 30 years, Finland transformed its school system from one that was mediocre and inequitable, to one that consistently produces some of the world’s best students, while virtually eliminating an achievement gap. And they do it without standardized testing…

Download the complete TV Show from iTunes and watch it. It is worth it.

http://itunes.apple.com/us/tv-season/finnish-first/id485436827?i=496109252

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Pariyatti Timeline

At this “hinge of history” that we occupy—the arising of the Second Sāsana—the teaching of the Buddha is available to untold numbers of people. We may take for granted the proliferation of Dhamma practice centers and resources for Dhamma study, and the unprecedented means to find them. Only 70 years ago, practice of the Noble Eightfold Path was confined to a tiny number of renunciates and aspirants in a few countries. Computers, the internet, cell phones, online libraries, websites, social networks, eBooks—harbingers of the Digital Age—were unimagined. The flowering of “numerous arts and sciences to serve human needs under the canopy of civilization” that we live in, is a fleeting wonderment.

The timeline below features noteworthy events of pariyatti (theoretical knowledge of the Buddha’s teaching) as well as examples of advances in communications. Not intending to be comprehensive, we offer this timeline as food for thought and to underscore the great good fortune of our era. For a blink in cosmological time, the possibility of freedom from samsāra is robustly alive and able to be conveyed and dispersed to vast numbers through a myriad of carriers; in this dispensation Pariyatti (the non-profit organization) has its role to play.

“May all beings be able to muster immense zeal!”

A selective timeline of pariyatti

  • c 563 to 483 BCE—Life of Gotama Buddha: in 45 years of teaching the Dhamma the Enlightened One is said to have given over 84,000 discourses
  • 483 BCE—First Council convened outside Rājagaha 3 months afterMahāparinibbāṇa of the Buddha; first compilation of authenticated Pāli Canon (known as Tipiṭaka—literally, “three baskets,” also translated as “three treasuries”)
  • 483 BCE to 1954—Second Council through Fifth Councils were held to recite, redact and authenticate the Tipiṭaka for prosperity. Second in Vesāli, India; Third in Paṭaliputta, India, under the auspices of Emperor Asoka; Fourth in Tambapaṇṇi, Sri Lanka; Fifth in Mandalay, under the auspices of King Mindon.More info.
  • c 1871—Completion of “the world’s largest book” in Mandalay: contemporaneous with Fifth Council, entire Pāli Tipiṭaka inscribed on 729 marble slabs at Kuthodaw Pagoda. Historic temple intact and a place of reverence to this day.
  • 1881Pali Text Society (PTS) founded in Oxford, England to foster and promote the study of Pāli texts
  • 1900—Printed copy of Pāli Tipiṭaka published (in 38 volumes of 400 pages each) by Hanthawaddy Press, Burma (established 1879); described as “true copies of the Piṭaka inscribed on stones by King Mindon”
  • 1944—One of the first computers (Harvard Mark I) is designed
  • 1952 to 1963—The Union of Burma Buddha Sāsana Council in Rangoon publishes The Light of the Dhamma magazine; a sister publication The Light of Buddha is published from 1956 to 1965 in Mandalay
  • 1954 to 1956—Sixth Council (Chaṭṭha Saṅgāyana) convened in Rangoon 2,500 years after Mahāparinibbāṇa; publishes authenticated Tipiṭaka and Commentaries in printed books
  • 1955—Date recognized by many Theravādins as the beginning of the SecondSāsana (arising of the teaching of the Buddha)
  • 1955—S.N. Goenka takes first Vipassana course under Sayagyi U Ba Khin at International Meditation Center (IMC) in Rangoon
  • 1958Buddhist Publication Society (BPS) founded in Kandy, Sri Lanka “to make known the teachings of the Buddha”; becomes a leading publisher of Theravāda works in English, publishing over 800 titles
  • 1969—S.N. Goenka travels from Burma to India to teach Vipassana; he carries printed Chaṭṭha Saṅgāyana Tipiṭaka books, thereby bringing both paṭipatti(practice) and pariyatti (scriptures)
  • 1969—ARPANET (the precursor to the internet) is created
  • 1973—First cell phone is invented
  • 1985Vipassana Research Institute (VRI) is established in Igatpuri, India to conduct research into sources and applications of Vipassana
  • 1986—Pariyatti Book Service is started in California to import books from India and Sri Lanka on Buddha’s teaching for North American meditators
  • 1986—First book on nanotechnology is published
  • 1990—VRI starts project to publish Tipiṭaka and Commentaries in Devanagiri script
  • 1992—Electronic Buddhist Text Initiative started in Berkeley CA, to assist digital preservation and organization of Buddhist canonical texts
  • 1993Access to Insight starts, growing into free online Theravāda library offering over 1,000 suttas and hundreds of articles
  • c 1994—VRI makes Chaṭṭha Saṅgāyana Tipiṭaka CD-ROM available free of charge; sets of Tipiṭaka books in Devanagari script (over 100 volumes each) are printed for free distribution to monasteries, universities, meditation centers, temples, libraries
  • 1995—Vipassana Research Publications of America (VRPA) is started in Seattle, sanctioned by S.N. Goenka; mission to make Vipassana literature more available in West through importing of Pāli Tipiṭaka books (for free distribution to scholars) and English-language titles from VRI
  • 1996—VRPA purchases Pariyatti Book Service; new book publication and import entity is incorporated as Pariyatti
  • c 2000—Entire Tipiṭaka and Commentaries in 14 scripts available to anyone in the world with access to the internet (www.Tipitaka.org)
  • 2000—Wikipedia is created
  • 2002—Pariyatti becomes North American distributor for Pāli Text Society; Pariyatti has largest North American inventory of PTS titles and one of world’s largest English-language Theravāda collections
  • 2004—Facebook is created
  • 2005 to present—Pariyatti’s expanding online resources “Treasures of Pariyatti” offers permanent repository of and free access to Dhamma literature in danger of being lost; painstaking optical character recognition technology allows rare copies of The Light of the Dhamma and The Light of Buddha to be preserved
  • 2010—Vipassana centers in tradition of Sayagyi U Ba Khin as taught by S.N. Goenka offer over 2,000 10-day Vipassana courses annually, and serve about 120,000 people annually. 
  • Present—In continuous service since 1881, Pāli Text Society: publishes Pāli texts in Roman script, English translations, and ancillary works including dictionaries and concordance; keeps nearly all its publications in print; provides research scholarships in Pāli studies in various countries; supports the Fragile Palm Leaves Project (identification and preservation of Southeast Asian manuscripts)
  • PresentVipassana Research Institute continues research into Pāli texts and personal effects of Vipassana meditation; many titles are available via free download; monthly newsletter in Hindi and English has 25,000 subscribers worldwide
  • 2012 January 19—41st anniversary of demise of Sayagyi U Ba Khin (1899 to 1971) who proclaimed: “The time-clock of Vipassana has now struck!” and “May all beings be able to muster immense zeal!”
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Guilt

[Revised January 22, 2012. Revisions are in blue.]

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

Guilt is the state of being responsible for the commission of an offense. It is also a cognitive or an emotional experience that occurs when a person realizes or believes—accurately or not—that he or she has violated a moral standard, and bears significant responsibility for that violation. It is closely related to the concept of remorse.

Remorse is an emotional expression of personal regret felt by a person after he or she has committed an act which he deems to be shameful, hurtful, or violent.

Personal guilt occurs when someone compromises one’s own standards. One experiences conflict at having done something that one believes one should not have done (or conversely, having not done something one believes one should have done). It gives rise to a feeling which does not go away easily. Freud came to consider ‘the obstacle of an unconscious sense of guilt…as the most powerful of all obstacles to recovery’.

At the root of guilt is the conflict between what one expects of oneself and what one finds oneself to have become. This is essentially a confusion. The feeling of guilt starts to go away as one starts to recognize this confusion. Guilt cannot be “mastered” by repression, projection, rationalization, denial or blaming the victim.

To address the feeling of guilt, the following may help:

  1. Take up something “what you expects of yourself” .
  2. Compare it to “what you find yourself to be”.
  3. Trace back that expectation in 1. to its source.
  4. Look at the beliefs and ideas that define you in the area of expectation above.
  5. Spot any inconsistencies if and as they come up.

‘What one expects of oneself’ can be traced back to the standards that were laid down before one by one’s parents or loved ones when one was very young. ‘What one finds oneself to be’ can be reduced to ideas and beliefs that have become rather fixed, and which now define one’s self.

These two sets of notions can be put side by side. And, while doing so one may start looking at them non-judgmentally and without resistance. As this action is continued, and inconsistencies are spotted, the sense of guilt is very likely to start dissipating.

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