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“To become truly great, one has to stand with people, not above them.”
-Charles de Montesquieu
For this week's MacroMondays group theme of "Humility" - my inspirations was to look up quotes on humility and let them guide me. This particular quote reminded me of the mindset when I was hired on as a manager at several of my previous jobs. Respect does not come by position or by what you say, but by EARNING the respect by your actions - showing you are one with the team and doing the work... That is why this quote touches my emotions...
On a separate note, in reading through the web page on quotes on humility I was hoping someone would do the following quote (my wife wouldn't volunteer for this one.. lol):
“Humility is like underwear, essential, but indecent if it shows”
Requiring humility, disclipline, and deep sacrifice. Offering only the occasional peacefulness silently in return, rowing is the closest thing to religion in my life.
This sport is esoteric & so elusive that you spend many quiet morning hours alone with your thoughts; the relentless wind and dawning day your only companions. Who else would routinely risk hypothermia at that black hour? There is no one on shore but the geese. The life of responsibility and ticking clocks awaits you--as soon as lactic acid begins to win & you head for home. Silently you glide towards the awakening sun. Once in a while (once a year that is) the shores of the same quiet Charles river overflow with throngs of people who share your strange but daily toil. They speak the same language, of limbs on fire.
And it swells your heart!! On dark quiet lakes in Quebec and Switzerland where the mist rises hours before you do; on warm brown rivers in Thailand and Brazil, these fellow rowers begin their days with the same painful poetry as you--in that narrow little boat.
So in the end it is not your absentee father's haunting voice that brings a tear as you round the last bend of the long long race. But the loud cheers of these beautiful strangers from the river's edge that push you on, far past the searing pain pleading with you to stop. From the familiar depths of their own experience, your fellow oarsmen encourage your success. They have become your lungs & precious breath when needed most. You move with them in one seamless powerful motion, far transcending this moment & its aching self.
Rowed in my 10th Head of the Charles this weekend. I'm officially a "masters" athlete now. That's me in the red boat, 4th person from the front. Terrific weather on Saturday, we had a long but smooth row; great rhythm & swing. And of course, speed. That taste of blood in your lungs & the relentless demand for more speed! I had an oustanding day, on & off the water.
As always, the head of the chuck was a great opportunity to re-connect with old friends from Philly, Boston & Barcelona--2 of whom I raced aginst! Kind of a reunion weekend.
p.s. Photography credit for this shot goes to my friend Dirk, who shot this from the Anderson bridge.
“It is God's power that carries us through every moment. If we are aware of this, we will spontaneously be humble, our attitude towards the Almighty will be transformed into an attitude of worship, our focus on Him will blossom with our every step and we will be successful in our efforts."—Amma, Awaken Children
"He must increase, but I must decrease."--John 3:22-30
"He that humbleth himself shall be exalted. "—Luke 14:11
"They shall cast their crowns before the throne, so saying: Worthy art Thou, our Lord and our God, to receive the glory, and the honor and the power: for Thou didst create all things, and because of Thy will they are, and were created. "—Rev. 4:11
“Isn't it true that the air we breathe is our home, that the blue sky, the rivers, the mountains, the people around us, the trees, and the animals are our home? A wave looking deeply into herself will see that she is made up of all the other waves and will no longer feel she is cut off from everything around her.”—Thich Nhat Hanh
“An umbilical cord links you to the sun. Another umbilical cord links you to the clouds in the sky. If the clouds were not there, there would be no rain and no water to drink. Without clouds, there is no milk, no tea, no coffee, no ice cream, nothing. There is an umbilical cord linking you to the river; there is one linking you to the forest. If you continue meditating like this, you can see that you are linked to everything and everyone in the cosmos. Your life depends on everything else that exists—on other living beings, but also on plants, minerals, air, water, and earth.”
—Thich Nhat Hanh
If finally you have lost your illusory flight the arrogance ... you collect the humility residual and ... walking again
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Madonna of Humility, The Blessing Christ, Two Angels, and a Donor
Andrea di Bartolo (Siense, 1389–1428)
Tempera on Panel, c. 1380/1390
Inscription: AVE MARIA GRATIA PLENA
(Latin, "Hail Mary, full of grace...")
1/125, f/2.8, Tri-X, Mamiya-Sekor 80mm f/1.9 C + #1 tube on M645. HC-110, 1:160, 38 min @ 22C semi stand
OBAMA HUMILITY / TRUMP HUMILIATION Posters on Utility Box at Connecticut Avenue and I Street, NW, Washington DC on Monday afternoon, 20 February 2017 by Elvert Barnes Protest Photography
Anti-Trump Street Art Project
Elvert Barnes WRITING ON THE WALLS 2017 at elvertbarnes.com/graffiti.html
Monday, 20 February 2017 Presidents Day NOT MY PRESIDENT DAY PROTESTS / DC docu-project at elvertbarnes.com/20February2017.html
The Sri Mariamman Temple is Singapore's oldest Hindu temple. It is an agamic temple, built in the Dravidian style. Located at No. 244 South Bridge Road, in the downtown Chinatown district, the temple serves mainly South Indian Tamil Hindu Singaporeans in the city-state. Due to its architectural and historical significance, the temple has been gazetted a National Monument and is a major tourist attraction. Sri Mariamman Temple is managed by the Hindu Endowments Board, a statutory board under the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports.
The Sri Mariamman Temple was founded in 1827 by Naraina Pillai, eight years after the British East India Company established a trading settlement in Singapore.
Pillai was a government clerk from Penang who arrived in Singapore with Stamford Raffles on his second visit to the island in May 1819. He went on to set up the island's first construction company. He also entered the textile trade. Pillai rapidly established himself in business and was identified as a leader of the Indian community.
Built in the South Indian Dravidian style, this temple features a gopuram (entrance tower) that rises above the main entrance along South Bridge Road. It is richly embellished with six tiers of sculptures of Hindu deities, other figures and ornamental decorations. The tower tapers up towards to a moulded ornamental ridge. The scale of each tier and its sculptures is slightly smaller than that of the tier immediately below it. This helps to create the illusion of height and adds to the symbolic importance of the building. Flanking the gopuram are a sculpture of Murugan on the right and Krishna on the left (as you enter). The sculptures are all of plaster, which allows for fine detailing. They are painted in a variety of bright colours, which adds to the visually spectacular quality of the gopuram.
The floor plan of the gopuram base block is rectangular and is bisected by an entrance passageway. The entrance contains a pair of very large double-leaf timber doors. The scale of these doors is intended to induce humility in the visitor and emphasise the diminutive human scale in relation to the divine. The doors are studded with a small gold bells arranged in a grid pattern. Devotees are supposed to ring as they move through. Footwear is also stored around the entrance area, as this is not allowed within Hindu temples, as a sign of respect.
Detail of the temple exterior.
The main entrance gopuram is only one of the entrances into the temple compound, which is surrounded by a perimeter wall. Side openings also exist, which open onto the flanking Pagoda and Temple Streets. However, these are mainly used as service entrances, with all devotees and visitors entering through the gopuram doors. The compound wall is also decorated with ornamental mouldings, as well as figures placed on top of the wall at various points, including several prominent seated cow sculptures.
Within the walled compound, the temple comprises a combination of covered halls, shrines and service areas as well as open to sky spaces. Leading directly from the gopuram entrance via a covered hall is a main prayer area, with richly ornamented columns and ceilings with frescoes. The ceiling paintings include a large mandala diagram.
The focus of this main prayer hall is the central shrine of Mariamman, which is flanked by the shrines of two secondary deities - Rama and Murugan. The main prayer hall is surrounded by a series of free-standing shrines, housed in pavilion like structures with decorated dome roofs, known as 'Vimana'. These are dedicated to the following deities: Durga, Ganesh, Muthularajah - also known as Mathurai Veeran, a rural Tamil deity, Aravan and Draupadi.
The shrine to Draupadi is the second most important in the temple, as she is central to the annual fire walking festival held in this temple. To the left of Draupadi are the five Pandavas from the Mahabharata epic - Yudhisthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Sahadeva and Nakula. They are presided over by Lord Krishna.
Another important element of the temple is the freestanding flagpole. A few days before major festivals or ritual ceremonies, a flag is raised here. The temple compound also contains a Lingam sculpture and Yoni sculpture.
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Mariamman_Temple,_Singapore
Shot this one a while back at a Launch night for Taygan Paxton's EP " Wait for love" where there were several live performances from various acts including Duke (Live beatbox band and Britians got Talent finalists) and Luke Godwin pictured here who opened the show with his fierce punk acoustic set.
Strobe Info:
Left: Canon 430ex Speedlite - Lastolite 9" Ezybox - 1/8 24mm
Right: Yongnuo 560II - Diffused 1/8 80mm snoot.
“What makes humility so desirable is the marvelous thing it does to us; it creates in us a capacity for the closest possible intimacy with God”
~Monica Baldwin
My first try at a diptych, the first is a Sikh man in the sanctum of the Gurudwara Seesganj Sahib at Delhi and the second is the "hijra" who came to our house to bless my newborn nephew.
Because I love being an American, let me share just a little personal experience I had today that concerns public spaces, transportation, terrorism, and the need to protect civil liberties (including the right to make photographs in public).
I was accosted by an MBTA employee when I took this shot waiting for an Outbound train at Central Square Station in Cambridge---a smaller stop on the Red Line between MIT and Harvard---and was told in no uncertain terms that photography is strictly forbidden on the T. This assertion was, of course patently incorrect and misinformed. Having recently passed through Grand Central in New York and taken photos in those few moments without fuss, I was struck when this happened by how well New York has adapted to the pressures of living in the "New Age of Vigilance" as I like to term it, whereas folks at home in the Boston area are still trying to sort things out. In New York, I was just one of many tourists vying for a space on the platform to take "the grand shot of Grand Central". Here in Boston, the big nerdy Asian dude with the thick glasses and the tiny tiny camera is a threat to security. Now, I'm no militant activist, but I will say I will not bend to paranoia and misinformation, nor be pushed around by someone with nothing better to do in the course of "just doing his job".
To Whom It May Concern: Wanna make a dent in the threat? Take a lesson from our Founding Fathers and educate yourself, better yourself, and carry yourself with some humility as an American, with respect for the rights you profess to protect. No, I don't mean walk around like a mouse. Meditate for real on the word humility. It's a word we Americans need to come to terms with in its positive aspects. As for me, I'll do the same, and say I'm with Ben.
"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." -- Benjamin Franklin
Bahubali (English: One With Strong Arms) was the son of Rishabhanatha, the first tirthankara of Jainism. Bahubali is a much revered figure among Jains. He is said to have meditated motionless for a whole year in kayotsarga (standing) posture because of which climbers grew around his legs. After one year of meditation, Bahubali attained Kevala Jnana (omniscience) and became an omniscient being. According to Jain texts, Bahubali's soul attained moksha (liberation from the cycle of births and deaths) at Mount Kailash. He is revered as a Siddha (liberated soul) by the Jains.
Bahubali is also called Gommatesha because of the Gommateshwara statue dedicated to him. The statue built by the Ganga dynasty minister and commander Chavundaraya, is a 17 m monolith (statue carved from a single piece of rock) and is situated above a hill in Shravanabelagola, in the Hassan district of Karnataka state, India. It was built in around 983 A.D. and is one of the largest free standing statues in the world.
LEGENDS
The Ādi purāṇa, a 9th-century Sanskrit poem, deals with the ten lives of the first tirthankara, Rishabhanatha and his two sons, Bharata and Bahubali. It was composed by Jinasena, a Digambara monk. A 10th-century Kannada text based on the Sanskrit text was written by the poet Adikavi Pampa.
BIRTH
Bahubali was born to Rishabhanatha and Sunanda in Ikshvaku dynasty in Ayodhya.
KING
According to Jain texts, when Rishabhanatha decided to become a monk he distributed his kingdom into his 100 sons. Bharata got the city of Vinita (Ayodhya) and Bahubali got the city of Bodanapur (Bodan-Telangana). After his digvijaya (winning six divisions of earth in all directions), Bharata proceeded for his capital Ayodhyapuri with a huge army and divine chakra-ratna (spinning, disk-like super weapon with serrated edges). But the chakra-ratna, surprisingly, stopped on its own at the entrance of Ayodhyapuri signalling to the emperor that his 99 brothers have yet not submitted to his authority. Bharata's 98 brothers became muni (ascetic) and submitted their kingdoms to him. Bahubali was endowed with the final and superior body of extraordinary sturdiness and strength (vajra-ṛṣabhanārācasaṃhanana) like Bharata. He hurled open defiance at the chakravartīn and challenged him to a fight.
The ministers on both sides gave the following argument to prevent war:
- The brothers themselves, cannot be killed by any means; they are in their last incarnations in transmigration, and possess bodies which no weapon may mortally wound in warfare! Let them fight out the issue by themselves in other ways.
It was then decided that to settle the dispute, three kinds of contests can be held between Bharata and Bahubali. These were, eye-fight (staring at each other), jala-yuddha (water-fight) and mala-yuddha (wrestling). Bahubali won all the three contests from his elder brother, Bharata.
FAMILY
Bahubali had a son named Somakirti (also known as Mahabala)
RENUNCIATION
After the fight, Bahubali was filled with disgust for the world and developed a desire for renunciation. Bahubali abandoned his clothes and kingdom to become a Digambara monk (nude Jain monk). Bahubali began meditating with great resolve to attain Kevala Jnana but he couldn't succeed as the thought that he is standing on Bharata's land troubled him.
He is said to have meditated motionless for a whole year in kayotsarga (standing) posture because of which climbers grew around his legs. However, he was adamant and continued his practice unmindful of the vines, ants, and dust which enveloped his body. At last at the end of the year, it occurred to him that "common lands were not capable of exclusive proprietary possession and that saints could use such lands without lowering themselves in any way". About the same time Bharata himself came, in all humility, to him, and worshipped him with veneration and respect. Bahubali was then able to quell the disturbing element in his thoughts, and soon succeeded in his effort to destroy the four kinds of inimical karmas.
According to another version, the thought that was disturbing Bahubali's meditation was a kind of painful regret that he had been the cause of his elder brother's humiliation, which was dispersed when Bharata came and worshipped him with reverence and affection. Bahubali was then able to destroy four kinds of inimical karmas including the knowledge obscuring karma because of which he attained kevala jnana (omniscience). He was now revered as a Kevali (omniscient being). Bahubali finally attained moksha (liberation) and became a siddha, i.e., a pure liberated soul.
STATUES
IN KARNATAKA
There are 5 monolithic statues of Bahubali in Karnataka measuring more than 6 m in height.
- 17.4 m at Shravanabelagola in Hassan District in 981 CE
- 12.8 m at Karkala in Udupi District in 1430 CE
- 11.9 m at Dharmasthala in Dakshina Kannada District in 1973 CE
- 10.7 m at Venur in Dakshina Kannada District in 1604 CE
- 6 m at Gommatagiri in Mysore District in 12th Century CE
In 2016, Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) excavated another 13 feet statue of Bahubali belonging to 3rd - 9th century in Arahipura, Mandya district. The excavation work is expected to be completed by 2018. It has excavated another 8th Century AD statue of Bahubali in Arathipura, Maddur, Mandya, Karnataka which is 3 feet wide and 3.5 feet tall.
GOMMATESHWARA STATUE SHRAVANABELAGOLA
The colossal monolithic statue of Bahubali at Shravanabelagola is 158 km away from Bangalore. This gigantic statue of Bahubali is carved out of a single block of granite and stands majestically on top of a hill. The statue built by the Ganga dynasty minister and commander Chavundaraya, is a 17 m monolith (statue carved from a single piece of rock) and is situated above a hill in Shravanabelagola, in the Hassan district of Karnataka state, India. It was built in around 983 A.D. and is one of the largest free standing statues in the world. The statue is visible from a distance of 25 km. Shravanabelagola has remained a great tirtha (pilgrimage center) for the Jains.
One can have a beautiful view of the surrounding areas from the top of the hill. An event known as Mahamastakabhisheka attracts devotees from all over the world. The Mahamastakabhisheka festival is held once in 12 years, when the Gommateshwara statue is anointed with milk, saffron, ghee, etc. to maintain its freshness. On August 5, 2007, the statue was voted as the first of Seven Wonders of India; 49% of the total votes went in favor of it.
ICONOGRAPHY
The statue depicts the prolonged mediation done by Bahubali. Motionless contemplation in kayotsarga (standing still) posture lead to the growth of climbers around his legs. In the introduction to his English translation of the Gommatsāra, J.L. Jaini writes:
“The grandeur of the Image, as also its serene-looking and peace-inspiring presence, are well-known to all Jainas and non-Jainas who have had the good fortune of visiting it. When I visited the sacred place in 1910, I met some English men and women missionaries, who out of respect for the Holy Image took off their shoes and visited it in their bare feet. They also held the opinion which I have given above. The Image is about 57 feet high and still every limb and minor limb thereof is in exquisite proportion. It is impossible to convey its glory and artistic excellence by words. Any one who has the chance of seeing it personally will easily agree with the hitherto general opinion. This gives an answer to some critics also who call the Jainas Idolatrous. The Jainas do not worship the stone, silver, gold or diamond of which the Images are made. They worship the qualities of Total Renunciation of the World, the Acquisition of undisturbable Harmony with the Infinite, and the Identity of the Liberated Soul with Peace everlasting, which these Images represent.”
KARKALA
Karkala is a town and also the headquarters of Karkala Taluk in Udupi district of Karnataka, India, and is located about 38 km from Udupi and about 480 km from Bangalore. About, 52 km. North-east of Mangalore, is known primarily for the statue of Lord Bahubali (Gomateshwara).
Karkala is well known for its massive 42 feet monolithic statue of Gomateshwara Bahubali, believed to have been built around 1432 AD. The statue is the second tallest in the State.
The towering 41.5 ft. granite monolith of Bahubali, also known as Gommateshwara, is built on an elevated platform on top of a rocky hill. The colossus was consecrated on 13 February 1432 A.D. by Veera Pandya Bhairarasa Wodeyar, scion of the Bhairarasa Dynasty, feudatory of the Vijayanagar Ruler.
VENUR
Venur is a small town in Dakshina Kannada District of Karnataka state situated on the bank of river Phalguni. Thimmanna Ajila built a colossus of Gommateshwara 38 feet high in 1604 AD.
Venur colossus is the shortest of all the three Gommateshwara’s within the radius of 250 km around it.It also stands in an enclosure, on the same pattern as that of Shravanabelagola. The Kings of Ajila Dynasty ruled here from 1154 AD to 1786 AD.
DHARMASTALA
A 39 feet (12 m) high that weighs about 175 tonnes is installed at Dharmasthala in Karnataka.
GOMMATAGIRI
Gommatagiri is an acclaimed Jain centre. The 12th-century statue of Bahubali (also known as Gomateshwara) is erected atop a 50 meter tall hillock called 'Shravana Gudda'. The statue of Gomateshwara at Gommatagiri is an early Vijayanagara creation in granite. It has serene facial expressions and curly hairs. This Jain centre attracts many pilgrims during the annual Mahamastakabhisheka in September. The local Jains have a belief that the entire region was a bastion of Jainism at least since the 2nd Century BC.
The 20 feet statue at Gommatagiri is very similar to Gommateshwara statue in Shravanabelagola (58 feet) except that it is smaller in size. Historians attribute the statue to an early Vijayanagar period.
OUTSIDE KARNATAKA
Bahubali Atishayakshetra, Kumbhoj
28 feet monolith of Bahubali at Kumbhoj
Kumbhoj is the name of an ancient town located in Kolhapur district in Maharashtra. The town is about eight kilometers from Hatkanangale, about twenty seven kilometers from Kolhapur. The famous Jain Tirtha (pilgrim place) known as Bahubali, is just two kilometers away from the Kumbhoj city. Bahubali statue at Kumbhoj is identical to the Bahubali of Shravanabelagola known as Gommateshwar to the south in Karnataka. This statue is of 28 feet in height.
WIKIPEDIA
"Life is a long lesson in humility."
~ Barrie
memories from the flower museum in Chiba (Japan)
Thanks for stopping by
and God Bless,
hugs, Chris
A statue near the Winter Gardens in Weston-super-Mare that appears to display humility, in this case allowing a sheep to nibble your fingers.
NN. 5–9167 {provide} moral and ascetic lessons from the humility and virginity of Mary. Virginity is praiseworthy, but humility more so. Virginity is counseled, but humility is commanded. If you cannot be a virgin, you can at least be humble. He who is without virginity can still please God by his humility, but without humility even the Virgin Mary would not have been pleasing to God; and though her virginity was pleasing to God, it was her humility that caused her to conceive the Word, because if she had not been humble, the Holy Spirit would not have rested upon her (see Isaias 66: 2). The obedience of Jesus to Mary teaches us the greatest humility and obedience. “As often as I wish to be placed in command over men, I desire to go ahead of my God and therefore I do not really know the things of God” (60). 168 Here again, we can say that St. Bernard is doing what he did above: penetrating from external signs to the inner mystery of our life in God. Virginity and purity may be signs of sanctity, but humility and obedience are closer to the essence. The deepest reality in the moral and ascetic life is participation by love in the total obedience and humility of Christ.
-The Cistercian Fathers and their monastic theology : initiation into the monastic tradition 8 / by Thomas Merton ; edited with an introduction by Patrick F. O’Connell ; preface by James Finley.
Gate of Humility, Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, 27 Feb 2016
One of the most historic features of Gonville and Caius college is its iconic trio of gateways. The Gateways of Humility, Virtue and Honour can be found in the grounds of the college. They are said to symbolize the pathway of academic life.
One arrives through the Gateway of Humility, humble before the task of academia before you.
In the centre of the college is the Gate of Virtue. Students must pass regularly through this gate during life at the college, representing the values of virtue that creator Keys saw as synonymous with learning.
Finally upon graduation students pass through the Gate of Honour on their way to receive their degrees at the Senate House.
Obviously the Gate of Humility is the simplest and the Gate of Honour the grandest.
The Beautiful Complexity all around Us
All around us there are innumerable cells working together to form beautiful, complex organisms, bacteria populating the planet, all this wonder. And all we see are our mundane little problems. All we see is some irrelevant expectation of ours not met, or chance playing to our seeming disadvantage.
But remember the miracle that makes you possible. 100 million million living beings cooperating seamlessly and in symbiosis with 10-20 times as many microbes in your body to make it possible for you to exist, to live, to be conscious.
Read more at my blog post Scales of Life – From an Atom to the Human Body
Öffne deine großen schwarzen Satinaugen,
die wie Kissen sind, in die man sinkt!
Schmeichle meine Füße, phantastische Sphinx!
Und singe mir all deine Erinnerungen!
Oscar Wild
Rest your body on the threshold of my reality
Awaken with a new strength to excel valorously
Live each day with honesty and humility
Walk in the footsteps of excellence through righteousness
Make each day’s journey clean and fresh like mountain streams
Ascend and descend in the cycle of renewal, sons and daughters
Use the ladder of life to teach your children well
Pathway to the Divinity is by climbing the ladder of... "love to oneself and to all things"
I was reading the Christian Bible about the story of Jacob and thought
all the messages of all the great teachers, from all the great lands, became distorted to serve man and
to help man control man out of fear and persecution.
This is a huge flaw in human development…again “Separation” of humans
because of spiritual beliefs, geographic location and the color of our skin.
To grow into ourselves, to Love ourselves and to Love each other,
is the key to a…… Bright Future….. We need to stop the madness…..
Lies, Hate and Tyranny has crippled us and transgresses us all to a group of one legged men in an ass kicking contest…..
We are all in the same……. “Human Family”
It’s time to wake-up…..
How many wounds will our mother take from us, before she tires of our petty self-serving
indulgent behavior.
Will she sacrifice all for one….she never has in the past…..History, and our actions will decide our fate
Since Tiruvannamalai is the place where Lord Shiva (Destroyer-cum-Rejuvenator) takes form of one of the five elements - Fire - the purifier or sins - since this is the place where he taught humility to Lord Vishnu (Savior) and Lord Brahma (Creator).
For record, the 5 pilgrimage spots for each of the 5 elements are:
1. Fire - Tiruvannamalai - Annamalayar Temple;
2. Water - Thivaanaikkaa, Trichy - Jambukeswarar Temple;
3. Earth - Kanchipuram - Ekambareswarar Temple;
2. Air - Sri Kalahasthi, Andhra Pradesh - Kalahasteeswarar Temple; and
3. Sky / Space / Ether - Chidambaram - Natarajar Temple.
Coming back to Tiruvannamalai, when Vishnu and Brahma had an argument amongst themselves as to who is greater and could not decide amongst themselves, they chose to have Shiva as a mediator. Remember that Shiva tends to be very playful and mischievous almost all the times, except when he is angry (normally for a good cause).
Shiva told the other two மும்மூர்த்திகள் (Trinity members) that he would conduct a competition and will stand as a flame that would rise to the skies and dwell through the earth's underground and whoever finds the end would win. Shiva stood as a fire in Tiruvannamalai. Vishnu is known for his Varaha avatar (boar form) and bore through the ground to find the root of the flame. On the other hand, Brahma called for his வாகனம் (vehicle) - the swan and flew up towards the sky to find the head of the flame.
However, both could not succeed in finding the ends of the flame. Vishnu gave up realizing humility. Brahma happened to meet தாழம்பூ (Fragrant Screw Pine) on the way, which was used to decorate Shiva's head earlier. Brahma made a pact that meeting this pine flower is as good as seeing the head and asked the flower to witness, for which the flower agreed too. When Brahma claimed that he saw the topmost tip of the flame and Fragrant Screw Pine fake-witnessed it, this enraged Shiva who ordered that there would not be any temple with prime God as Brahma and that the Fragrant Screw Pine will never be used as items used in any aspect of worshiping Shiva. Owing to this, Brahma has only one own temple in the whole world where He is the primary God (மூலவர்) and the flower is never used in worshiping of Shiva.
It is good to worship him by burning camphor (but not this quantity). Scientifically, eyes need some traces of sulphur and phosphorous for good health and this is obtained by burning camphor. The same practice has been adopted by Jewism and Christianity who replaced camphor with candles, which is less smoky.
Devotees conglomerate in Tiruvannamalai on every Full Moon Night for கிரிவலம் (Girivalam, which is a combination of Giri - hill and valam - round), which is to go around the hill (about 16 km barefoot walk) to see and worship Lord Shiva in his purest of forms in the place where the whole hill is considered to be Lord himself, where Shiva appeared as fire. From the spot called as பஞ்சமுக தரிசனம (Panchamuga Dharisanam), one can see the shape of Shiva Lying with features of face, arms, chest, legs clearly depicted by the five peaks in the hill. From நந்திமுக தரிசனம் (Nandhimuga Dharisanam) and 3 other spots, the outline of the hill shows the shape of the bull's head, which is Shiva's வாகனம் (vehicle).
With so many spiritual factors in this place, It is claimed that those who think of this holy place (Tiruvannamalai) would get out of the vicious life-death cycle and become eternal. Apart from being a spiritual spot, taking up Girivalam has its own medicinal effects, since the barefoot 16-km walk is a good session of Accupressure and excites all nerves on the surface of the feet, thereby realigning all simple malfunctions in the body, thereby rejuvenating the senses. Moreover, this village is yet to be polluted and fresh air from the medicinal plants and minerals from the hill and countryside is a refreshing experience in itself. No wonder a lazy guy like me does not bother to pursue Girivalam seriously since Jan 2006 every full-moon night without a break in between, come what may!
We often wear material things to protect our body...but little that we know that there are people out there who protect our Spiritual Life...that our essence as human beings, and that is as a Children of God...may still be preserved and defended...and these people teach us to be compassionate...to see greater than the material things that lure our senses and bodily desires...they may be workers behind the enjoyments of those who are more blessed...who needs to be acknowledged for their humility...who truly protects Humanity…
through everyone's childlikeness...of humility, affection, and innocence...that Humanity will hopefully experience peace...
Kaore te kūmara e kōrero mo tōna māngaro = The kūmara does not speak of its own sweetness.
also listen
www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/teahikaa/audio/2018...
Planeta
A little angel depicted on the headstone of Mary Dougherty, her granddaughter Hilda Nelson and her daughter Mary Ann Nelson kneels over the family grave.
Kneeling symbolises worship and honour. It is a gesture of humility before the Lord and is often accompanied with a request or prayer. The angel’s wings are spread wide open symbolising the flight of the soul to heaven or rebirth. [1]
The arch of the once white gothic shaped headstone which represents a portal to heaven, is decorated with a chain of shamrocks. The shamrock has been a symbol of Ireland since the 18th century and is commonly found on Irish Catholic grave monuments. [2] Yet the Waikumete Catholic Burial book records Mary Dougherty, who passed away of bronchitis, was a native of England and had been in Auckland for 31 years. She was indeed born in Preston, Lancashire and baptized at St Peters Priory, Lancashire, England in 1831 [3]. It was Mary’s husband Richard who was born in Ireland and died at Auckland Hospital at the age of 68 years on June 11 1891, due to stricture of the oesophagus and Pthysis which he had suffered for 3 years. He was interred in Waikumete Cemetery Roman Catholic Division B, Row 4, Plot 18. [4] [5]
Mary Ann Coyle married Richard Dougherty in 1853 at the Church of Saint Ignatius Preston, Lancashire, England. [5]
The couple arrived in New Zealand sometime before the birth of their youngest daughter Mary Ann Dougherty in 1867. [6] [37]
Life in New Zealand was no bed of roses for Mary or her family of four children. [5] Newspapers reveal that she was a victim of domestic violence at the hand of her drunkard husband who threatened her life and beat her. [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] Also in an attack by her teenage daughter Lizzie in 1878 Mary was stabbed with a knife in the head. [14]
By the age of 17 years Richard, a shoemaker, had already spent time as a prisoner in the house of correction at Preston for stealing a dress. [15] [16] [17] And in 1889 when on trial for larceny the police gazette reveals that Richard had 12 previous convictions in New Zealand. [17] These included yet were not limited to drunkenness and disorderly behaviour, indecent exposure, selling and receiving stolen goods, stealing from the person, failing to support/being in arrears in support of his wife, and violent assault. [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] [31] [32] [33] [34] [35] [36]
In July 1874 Richard was serving a sentence for robbery and in September the same year Mary was gaoled for vagrancy. It appears that with both parents unable to care for their younger children they were placed into care, and during December 1874 Mary and Richard’s two youngest girls Lizzy and Mary Ann [37] ran away from the St Marys Industrial school. They were found with their sister Catherine Dougherty and her partner William Scurry/Scarrah who were charged with harbouring the escapees. [38] [39] [40]
Mary was charged with vagrancy again 10 years later when in 1884 without any means of support she was sentenced to 2 months imprisonment. Once she had completed her sentence she was unable to be taken into ‘the old women’s refuge’ so was returned to gaol for another 30 days. [41]
By 1893 Mary was working as a domestic and living in Auckland city's Durham St West. [5] [42] Her death notice reveals that she had been ill for some time before her death which occurred at her residence. “Her end was peace” [43]
Mary’s young granddaughter Hilda who passed away at her home in 1909 [44] rests with Mary in Roman Catholic Division A Row 7, Plot 42. The Auckland Council online cemeteries data base reveals that Mary’s daughter Mary Ann Nelson who appears to have married young to Ernest Saxwell in 1883 and despite leaving him soon after, gave birth to at least two children by him, passed away in 1925 and lies alongside her mother and child. [45] [46] [47] [48] They were finally joined by Mary Ann’s 2nd husband Andrew Nelson, a master Mariner who passed away at the Epsom infirmary in 1932. [49] [50]
Their grave markers are inscribed:
In Loving Memory Of
MARY DOUGHERTY
Died 29th Nov. 1893
Aged 48 years
Also
HILDA
Grandchild of above and daughter of
A & M NELSON
Died 20th Jan. 1909
Aged 11 years & 4 months
Also of MARY ANN.
Wife of ANDREW NELSON
Who died 6th July 1925
Aged 59 Years
Rest In Peace
Plaque at the base:
Also ANDREW NELSON
Died 19th March 1932
Aged 65 years
Roman Catholic Division A Row 7, Plots 40 - 42
Mary Dougherty and Hilda Nelson Plot 42
Andrew Nelson Plot 40
Mary Ann Nelson between Plot 40 and 42
[1] www.thankgodforjesus.org/spiritual-meaning-of-bowing-knee...
[2] www.gmct.com.au/media/720756/gmct-information-sheet-_ceme...
[3] Liverpool Record Office; Liverpool, England; Liber Baptizatorum; Reference Number: 282 PET/1/3
Liverpool, England, Catholic Baptisms, 1802-1906 Ancestry.com 2011
[4] 581/1891 Richards death entry
[5] Waikumete Cemetery Catholic burials, 1886-1923 p102 and p13
[5] P582 England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1837-1915 Ancestry.com 2006
[6] Dept internal affairs NZ 1867/97831867DoughertyMary AnnMary Ann Richard
[7] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DSC18700527.2.27.2
POLICE COURT.—Thursday. [Before James Naughton and James Baber, Esqs., J.P.s.], Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXVI, Issue 3982, 27 May 1870
[8] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DSC18720420.2.20.2
POLICE COURT.-Friday. [Before J. M. Dargaville and W. A. Gra. HAM, Esqs., J.P.s.], Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXVIII, Issue 4573, 20 April 1872
[9] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DSC18700527.2.10
The Daily Southern Cross., Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXVI, Issue 3982, 27 May 1870
[10] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DSC18700527.2.27.2
POLICE COURT.—Thursday. [Before James Naughton and James Baber, Esqs., J.P.s.], Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXVI, Issue 3982, 27 May 1870
[11] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DSC18711102.2.21.2
POLICE COURT.—Wednesday., Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXVII, Issue 4427, 2 November 1871
[12] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DSC18720420.2.11.1
SATURDAY,'APRIL 20, 1872., Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXVIII, Issue 4573, 20 April 1872
[13] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DSC18730715.2.22
POLICE COURT.- Monday. [Before his Worship the Mayor.], Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXIX, Issue 4958, 15 July 1873
[14] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AS18780125.2.23
POLICE COURT.—This Day, Auckland Star, Volume IX, Issue 2447, 25 January 1878
[15] census Class: HO107; Piece: 2267; Folio: 804; Page: 18; GSU roll: 87292 ancestry.com
[16] England & Wales, Criminal Registers, 1791-1892 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2009.
[17] www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000099/18510...
Preston Chronicle - Saturday 12 April 1851
[18] New Zealand Police Gazettes, 1878-1945. Archives New Zealand, Wellington, New Zealand. Ancestry.com. New Zealand, Police Gazettes, 1878-1945 2018.
[19] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH18891113.2.7
LAW AND POLICE., New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVI, Issue 9521, 13 November 1889
[20] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH18870228.2.8
LAW AND POLICE., New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIV, Issue 7883, 28 February 1887
[21] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH18690227.2.29
MANGAPAL.—A CHILD DROWNED., New Zealand Herald, Volume VI, Issue 1644, 27 February 1869
[22] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AS18801028.2.32
POLICE COURT.—This Day., Auckland Star, Volume XI, Issue 3204, 28 October 1880
[23] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AS18810528.2.24
POLICE COURT.-This day., Auckland Star, Volume XII, Issue 3381, 28 May 1881
[24] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH18690817.2.25
POLICE COURT.-TUESDSAY., New Zealand Herald, Volume VI, Issue 1790, 17 August 1869
[25] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH18700223.2.24
POLICE COURT.-TUESDAY., New Zealand Herald, Volume VII, Issue 1905, 23 February 1870
[26] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH18700511.2.28
POLICE COURT.—Tuesday., New Zealand Herald, Volume VII, Issue 1970, 11 May 1870
[27] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DSC18700514.2.24.2
POLICE COURT. -Friday. [Before G. M. Mitford, and Joseph May, Esqs., J.P.s.], Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXVI, Issue 3971, 14 May 1870
[28] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AS18701117.2.13
POLICE COURT—THURSDAY., Auckland Star, Volume I, Issue 267, 17 November 1870
[29] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DSC18710331.2.10
The Daily Southern Cross., Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXVII, Issue 4252, 31 March 1871
[30] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DSC18710704.2.29.2
POLICE COURT.—Monday. [Before J. O'Neill and J. M. Dargaville, Esqs., J.P.s.], Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXVII, Issue 4332, 4 July 1871
[31] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AS18720805.2.17
POLICE COURT., Auckland Star, Volume III, Issue 795, 5 August 1872
[32] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AS18801028.2.32
POLICE COURT.—This Day., Auckland Star, Volume XI, Issue 3204, 28 October 1880
[33] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AS18820608.2.13
POLICE COURT.-This day., Auckland Star, Volume XIII, Issue 3690, 8 June 1882
[34] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH18821017.2.5
LAW AND POLICE., New Zealand Herald, Volume XIX, Issue 6526, 17 October 1882
[35] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AS18850623.2.22
Auckland Star, Auckland Star, Volume XXVI, Issue 141, 23 June 1885
[36] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH18891213.2.8
LAW AND POLICE., New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVI, Issue 9547, 13 December 1889
[37] Turner family tree ancestry.com
www.ancestry.com.au/family-tree/person/tree/120100662/per...
[38] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/TS18740703.2.17
INQUEST., Star, Issue 1974, 3 July 1874
[39] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DSC18740902.2.19
THE POST OFFICE SAVINGS BANK., Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXX, Issue 5312, 2 September 1874
[40] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AS18741214.2.12
POLICE COURT.- This Day., Auckland Star, Volume V, Issue 1511, 14 December 1874
[41] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH18840804.2.6
LAW AND POLICE., New Zealand Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 7087, 4 August 1884
[42] New Zealand City & Area Directories, 1866–1955. Microfilm publication, 921 fiche. Anne Bromell Collection, BAB Microfilming. Auckland, New Zealand. Ancestry.com. New Zealand, City & Area Directories, 1866-1954 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.
[43] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/THS18931130.2.5
DEATH., Thames Star, Volume XXIV, Issue 4598, 30 November 1893
[44] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH19090121.2.2.2
DEATHS., New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 13964, 21 January 1909
[45] Dept internal affairs NZ 1883/9101883Mary AnnDoughertyErnestSaxwell
[46] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH18830510.2.2.6
Page 1 Advertisements Column 6, New Zealand Herald, Volume XX, Issue 6701, 10 May 1883
[47] Department of Internal Affairs NZ
1885/94451885SaxwellErnest WilliamMary AnnErnest
1887/170521887SaxwellMary CatherineMary AnnErnest
[48] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH19250707.2.2.3
DEATHS., New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19063, 7 July 1925
[49] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH19320321.2.2.4
DEATHS., New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21137, 21 March 1932
[50] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AS19320321.2.3
DEATHS., Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 68, 21 March 1932
Link to image of the kneeling angel
www.flickr.com/photos/discoverwaikumetecemetery/418313528...
Photo: Cathy Currie
Must be fall... I've been away from you a few days as I've been busy hosting a visit from my mom who lives far away. Precious time with a special person. Hope you've all been well. Hope you each had someone like her to teach you kindness, compassion, determination, and service. And may they all live long.
Alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much. - Helen Keller
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Original photo credit: Lukas Johnns