Seven Causes of Human Suffering

here is a couplet of mine for your article:

Maale zindagi paikar-e paihum
naheeN hasil hai kutch aaho foghaaN say

The Eighth cause of suffering refers to those who have to suffer through your Goddamned articles which are moronic, dimwitted and like Gill, ill thought out and tape recorderesque. Please quit writing or atleast put some "thought" in atleast ONE PARAGRAPH of your retarded work.

Re: # 34 come on masadi why be harsh on your self. This self-flaggelation you undergo frequently on chowk can become an eye-sore.

Dr. Sohail's articles are accessible and easy to comprehend and do not require more than a popular reading list.

Re: #21
Dear Dr. Sohail

[[it took me a long time to realize that as human beings we have a choice. to suffer or to enjoy life. since i realized that it is my right to be happy, life started changing.]]

Sure but you cannot deny people the right to suffer or deprive them of their happiness in suffering. Like Jang in 9 and the man from Lumbini he quoted, do you remember the ending of Somerset Maugham's novel "The razor's edge?"

"The sharp edge of a razor is difficult to pass over; thus the wise say the path to Salvation is hard." —Katha-Upanishad.

The desire to end suffering, which is to end desire, can turn back on itself.

#31 Posted by Dash_Dot,

Yeah, but only that particular verse was relevant here. The rest would be wasted on "freethinkers".

BTW, how come you posted it alongwith translation? Do you have a point to make?

#36 Posted by swarrier,

"The razor's edge"

What else do you think 'Pul-e-Saraat' represents? :-)

(BTW Thanks for the songs on UP)

#38 Zee

Anytime. Cheerio

Re: # 37
naaah! just thought it was a good piece and worth the effort putting here.....now stop being so damn suspicious

here is an existential question for you

To be a bee, or not to be a bee. That is the question.

#40 Posted by Dash_Dot,

To pee, or to hold it till you get home, that's the REAL question ... :)

#34 Posted by masadi,

LoL masadi ... you're too unkind to the guy. After all, take into account that he just won the Humorist of the Year Award in Toronto, Canada.

#39 Posted by swarrier,

Oh well ... I know you don't get entangled in these messy arguments :-)

So I will ask kaalchakra ... I'm just curious how people relate to things like what Maugham said:

"The razor's edge"

What else does it represent if not 'Pul-e-Saraat'?

(... and joo-e-sheer, teesha-e-sang, etc etc :-)

will humanity change, naw i cant see it happening for at least another 1000 years.
As long as there is greed, lust, envy, hatred, prejudices etc humanity will not change

Zee, swarrier sahib is a bit in the mould of echo dada. He lets us underlings do the discussing :)

Zee, as a confirmed philistine, I stay away from all high lit, but can think aloud, if that's ok with you, and swarrier agrees to put us on the right track if we go wrong.

I don't really see too many much of that (Pul-Saraat, joo-e-sheer, teesha-e-sang kind) imagery in Indian tradition. It tends to be a little different, like bhava sagar (sea of existence), karma kshetra (the field of action).

Those are just the kinds of ideas that one would expect sufis to naturally misuse (claim them to be Islamic ideas), but Pul-Saraat, joo-e-sheer, teesha-e-sang etc. don't, as far as I know, have many Indian equivalents (only because Hindu "sufis" have not played the reverse game).

But if someone could clarify the basic meanings - in a broad sense - behind such concepts, may be some Hindus will pick up on something they know.

#43
Zee, I didn't your reference to the bridge that one must pass over. I thought you folks came to the bridge on judgement day.
Incidentally this idea seems to have been come from Zarathustra's Cinvat.

In our case we Hindus have no judgement day but according to the saying the path to salvation is as keen as the razor's edge.

By the way Maugham just lifted the statement from the Katha Upanishad (It is believed he got Isherwood to translate) but you remember how the main protagonist of the novel just disappears into the middle-ground America to become a mechanic. To get away from suffering, to have no possessions, no ties ....

As to paths (and that is relevant to ending suffering as well) from Islamic context, it seems the rope of faith, or follwoing the Quran's (and the Prophet's) narrow and straight path is most meaningful. By following that path, sufferings can be minimized.

Zee, did I present that accurately?

swarrier, somerset maugham actually went to India and met some sadhus there. He has to have had some idea of Indian philosophy. All this sounds too walt whimanish :)