The temples of Khajuraho are very ancient, ranging from one thousand and more years. The carvings on the inner and outer walls of these temples depict the lessons in sex education. However these temples also contain the idols of Gods and Goddesses, too. This proves beyond doubt that in ancient India, sex was regarded as inherently noble, and the sexual rapture was regarded as something like the spiritual bliss.

It is believed that Indian people are very much orthodox about sex and sex related issues. But if the existence of the temples of Khajuraho is any evidence, the people of India were not so taboo-oriented about sex and education about sex.  The ironical contradiction is that India had really pioneered the education about sex and sexual relationship of humans.

In ancient India it was believed that when we go near to the God, we must be pure and empty of all of our desires, including the desire to have sex. So in these temples a devotee would see the carvings depicting the sexual poses. This would make the minds of devotees empty of such desires, as they believed that once we know about any subject we do not run blindly before that.

The Khajuraho temples witness how seriously the people of India considered the subject of sex and sexual relationship. During this period, people would know about such useful and subject like sex at public places as the temples. However this attitude toward sex may not be the representation of the psychic of the whole of the mass. But it is certain that the people of ancient India were eager to know about it. In the Indus Valley civilization also there had was practice of fertility rituals.

For Reading more about Khajuraho and the art of India with images you may visit the following links.

KHAJURAHO TEMPLES OF KAMASUTRA

BUDDHIST ART OF INDIA

Impact of Education on Ethno-Medicine and Health Care

Practices among the Tribal People of India

We must protect the forests for our children, grandchildren and children yet to be born. We must protect the forests for those who can’t speak for themselves such as the birds, animals, fish and trees.

INTRODUCTION

            Anthropology as an integrated science of man deals with biological and cultural aspects of man. Presently anthropologists are more involved in applying their knowledge and techniques for human welfare.

            Ethno-medicine is a sub-field of medical anthropology and deals with the study of traditional medicines: not only those that have relevant written sources (e.g. Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ayurveda), but especially those, whose knowledge and practices have been orally transmitted over the centuries.

            In the scientific arena, ethno-medical studies are generally characterized by a strong anthropological approach, more than a bio-medical one. The focus of these studies is then the perception and context of use of traditional medicines, and not their bio-evaluation.

TRIBES IN INDIA

            The Indian sub-continent is inhabited by 88.2 million tribal populations belonging to over 577 tribal communities that come under 227 linguistic groups. They inhibit varied geographic and climatic Zones of the country. Their vocation ranges from hunting, gathering, cave dwelling nomadic to societies with settled culture living incomplete harmony with nature.

            Forests have been their dear home and totally submitted themselves to forest settings. Their relationship with the forest was symbolic in nature. They have been utilizing the resources without disturbing the delicate balance of the eco-system. Tribal thus mostly remained as stable societies and were unaffected by the social, cultural, material and economic evolutions that were taking place with the so called civilized societies. But this peaceful co-existence of the tribal has been disturbed in recent years by the interference in their habitats. Traditional communities living close to nature have, over the years acquired unique knowledge about the use of living biological resources. Modernisation, especially industrialization and urbanization has endangered the rich heritage of knowledge and expertise of age old wisdom of the traditional communities.

            A study on the utilization of local tribal revealed that they hold precious knowledge on the specific use of a large number of agents of wild plant and animal origins, the use of many are hitherto unknown to the outside world.

HERBAL HISTORY AND TRADITION IN INDIAN CONTEXT

          The Rigveda, the oldest document of human knowledge mentions the use of medicinal plants in the treatment of man and animals. Ayurveda gives the account of actual beginning of the ancient medical science of India, which according to western scholars was written between 2500 to 600 B.C. Charaka and Susruta wrote around 1000 B.C. Charaka concentrates more on medicine while Susruta deals with surgery in details along with therapeutics.

TRIBES AND ETHNO-MEDICINE

            Ethno-medicine refers to “those beliefs and practices relating to disease which are the products of indigenous cultural development and are not explicitly derived from the conceptual frame work of modern medicine” (Hughes, 1968, cited from Misra et al, 2003). Various institutions are now concerned with the traditional health care system and means of traditional treatment.

             The tribal people are the real custodians of the medicinal plants. Out of 45,000 species of wild plants, 7500 species are used for medicinal purposes. The World Health Organization (WHO) has been promoting a movement for ‘Saving plants for saving lives’. This is because of the growing understanding of the pivotal role medicinal plants play in providing herbal remedies to health maladies.

            India is the home of several important traditional system of health care like Ayurveda. This system depends heavily on herbal products. Several millions of Indian households have been using through the ages nearly 8000 species of medicinal plants for their health care needs. Over one and half million traditional healers use a wide range of medicinal plants for treating ailments of both humans and livestock across the length and breadth of the country. Over 800 medicinal plant species are currently in use by the Indian herbal industry.

            In recent times with the increased knowledge of life and culture of the tribal communities, the social scientists are taking interest in ethno-medicinal studies. Many works have been reported especially from among the rural and tribal communities of India (Choudhury, 1986; Bhadra and Tirkey, 1997; Sharma Thakur, 1997).Ray and Sharma (2005) have given a description of ethno-medicinal beliefs and practices prevalent among the Savaras, a tribal community of Andhra Pradesh.

            Kumari (2006) gave an account on the concept of illness and disease and the application of folk medicine among the Saureas of Jharkhand. However, ethno-medicinal studies are relatively less in Northeast India. Guha (1986) has reported from among the Boro-Kachari tribe of Assam. A glimpse of indigenous health practices among the plain tribes of Assam is given by Sharma Thakur (1999). The socio-economic condition of some of the tribes of Arunachal Pradesh and their problems of health and indigenous methods of treatment has been reported by Choudhury (2000), Duarah andPathak (1997), Kohli (1999), Bhasin (1997, 1999,2002, 2003, 2005).

ETHNO-MEDICINE AND HEALTH CARE PRACTICES AMONG SONOWAL KACHARIS IN ASSAM (INDIA)

            The Sonowal Kacharis is an endogamous group of Kachari tribe and a popular plain scheduled tribe population of Assam. Various types of locally available herbs and leaves of wild plants are used by them as medicine. Like many other communities of the region, there are few herbal specialists among the Sonowal Kachari. These specialists or medicine-men have considerable knowledge about the herbs and its medicinal use. Normally they learn about these medicinal plants and its uses from their ancestor. These medicine-men are referred by different term according to the cultural norms. Among the Sonowal Kachari’s they are called as Bez (Barua and Phukan, 1958: 334). Of course in rural Assam, they are mainly known by this term.

It has been observed in the villages that use of herbal medicine for curing certain diseases are quite known to the people and besides medicine-men, many elderly persons known about the use of herbal medicines. Some of the diseases and their indigenous methods of treatment are given below:

(1) Fever: Lime (Citrus auran tifolia) juice mixed with sugar is applied on the forehead of the patient to get relief from fever.

(2) Diarrhoea: Dry goose berry (Emblica officinalis) powder and black salt mixed with cold water is taken. Bark of Long Pepper (Pipoli tree) mixed with Misiri water is also used to cure the disease.

(3) Dysentery: Lime (Citrus auran tifolia) juicewith hot water and little salt is used in dysentery. The juice of black Tulsi leaves (Ocimum sanctum) and Sirata (Swertiachirata) is also used for the purpose. The juice of tender leaves (three numbers) of mango (Mangifera indica), black berry (S.cuminii) and goose berry (Emblica officinalis) (equal proportions) together with honey are mixed with goat milk and is taken to cure blood dysentery. Honey together with the juice of Dubari grass (Family-Gramineae) can cure blood dysentery and need to be taken for three/ four days. They also use a kind of wild herb, locally called Manimuni (Centila asiatica).The juice of this herb mixed with sugar or honey should be taken continuously for a month to cure the disease. They also use limewater (chun pani) mixed with juice of turmeric (Purcuma domestica) leave to get relief from blood dysentery and mucous.

(4) Blood Vomiting: A table spoon of carrot (Dancus carota) juice mixed with honey can cure blood vomiting.

(5) Liver Disease: Two to three raw or ripe Papayas (Carica papaya) daily can cure liver disease. A curry prepared from the bud of banana (Musa paradisiaca) and the meat of pigeon is also used as a medicine for the purpose.

(6) Jaundice: The medicine is prepared by pounding five or six number of Silikha (Myroballum) mixing with jaggery and it can cure jaundice. A glass of sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) juice twice daily prescribed for the purpose. Boiled raw papaya (Carica papaya) is said to be good for curing the disease. Kardoi (Averrhoa carambola), Goose Berry (Emblica officinalis), Sugar cane (Saccharun officinarum), Neem leave (Azadirachta indica), a wild herb known as Duran ban (Lecas aspera), Brahmi sak (Herpestis monnieria), Purakol (Musa sapientum) are prescribed edibles for the patient.

(7) Nose Bleeding: Flower of Pomegranate (Punica granatum Linn) is crushed and 3-4 drops of juice is poured inside the nose to give immediate relief.

(8) Tonsilities: Juice is prepared by mixing one Amara seed (Sponolias mangifera), one Silikha seed (Mysoballum) and a piece of Turmeric (Purcuma domestica) and advice the patient gargles for a week regularly.

(9) Worms: Paste of five lemon seeds (Citrus aurantifolia) mixed with water and is prescribed to eat in empty stomach for a few days. The twigs of Chirata (Swertia chirata) are soaked in the water overnight and the water is prescribed to drink in empty stomach in the morning for one week regularly.

(10) Scabies: Lemon juice (Citrus aurantifolia) mixed with coconut oil is massaged for curing scabies. To remove scabies they take bath with hot water in which leaves of Neem (Azadirachta officinarum) were boiled. Twigs of Chirata (Swertia chirata) arecrushed into paste with water to be used as an ointment and applied on the skin. Chirata water is prescribed to drink in the morning in empty stomach.

(11) Pain in the Ear: Juice of Tulsi (Ocimum sanctum) is boiled and put it in the ears to heal earache.

            The patient is treated with available herbs, flora and minerals. Some of these are home remedies and some are specially prescribed by herbalist or folk medicine man available in the community. The practice of ethno-medicine is a complex multi-disciplinary system constituting the use of plants, spirituality and the natural environment and has been the source of healing for people for millennia. The spiritual aspects of health and sickness have been an integral component of the ethno-medicinal practice for centuries.

Diseases due to wrath of the supernatural

Disease

Supernatural agencies

Pujas (Rituals)

Dysentery, mental diseases, cancer

Deo

Propitiated by sacrificing two red cocks, one red hen, and one egg, besides other items of feast. Arrangement is made in the forest.

Asthama, Mental

Disease, cancer

Lord of water

Jalkhai puja, worshipped by sacrificing one white duck and other items of feast, rice, salt vegetables, etc.

Accident, sudden illness

Burah-dangoria

No sacrifice. Only raw items, e.g. gram, rice, powdered rice, etc. are offered to propitiate Burah-dangoria.

Gastritis

Ancestral spirits

Ai puja, no sacrifice is made except offering of raw articles, powdered rice, gram with betel nut and leaves.

Epidemic and natural calamities

Mother goddess

Community level worship by arranging bhur-utuwa puja. One pair of betel nut and leaf is offered from each family. One red duck is offered on behalf of the villagers. All the offered articles are placed in a boat.

Epidemic and large scale death of men and animals

Mother goddesses of forest.

A white goat is a must for the Puja besides other offering.

PRESENT POSITION OF TRIBES

          The tribal health care practices and system of treating diseases are based on their deep observation and belief in nature. But with the development of education and their awareness towards importance of health and health care and also with the advent of modern health care facilities, Government health measures these people are becoming more interested in taking modern medicine instead of traditional herbal medicine.   

SAVING THE PLANT IS SAVING THE LIFE

            According to the text of Vishnu Samhita, causing any harm to the plants/animals is a sin. Even purloining of parts/ products of any of these living beings is a crime. The sinner/ criminals are liable to chastisement in this life and also after death. The punishments are of diverse nature:-pecuniary, corporal, expiatory and donation of specific articles to Brahmins.

CONCLUSIONS

            The growing disinterest in the use of the ethno-medicinal plants and its significance among the younger generation of the tribes will lead to the disappearance of this practice. Educated younger generation of the tribes should be encouraged by the Government to protect and cultivate these valuable herbal plants before they get lost due to the impact of modernization and urbanization and also due to deforestation.

            The role of Anthropology is also very important in the field of saving herbal plants. By educating tribal people we can preserve all these things for future generation. It is the Government duty to take necessary steps to preserve all these things.

Reference:

Barua, I. and R. Phukan. 1990. “Socio-religious aspects of Health among Sonowal Kachari”. The Eastern Anthropologist, 55: 4.

Bhasin, Veena. 1997. “Medical Pluralism and Health Services in Ladakh.” J. Soc. Sci., 1: 43-69.

Bhasin, Veena. 1997. “The Human Settlements and Health Status of People of Sikkim”, (Pp. 153-187), in K.C. Mahanta (ed.), People of the Himalayas:Ecology, Culture, Development and Change. Delhi:Kamla-Raj Enterprises.

Bhasin, Veena. 1999. Tribals of Ladakh: Ecology, Human Settlements and Health. Delhi: Kamla-Raj Enterprises.

Bhasin, Veena. 2002. “Traditional Medicine among Tribals of Rajasthan.” J. Soc Sci., 6(3): 153-172.Bhasin, Veena. 2003.”Sickness and Therapy among Tribals of Rajasthan.” Stud. Tribes and Tribals, 1(1): 77 -83.

Choudhury, S. 2000. “Indigenous beliefs and Practices of herbal Medicine among the few Arunachalis”.Resarun, 26. 72-81, Govt. of Arunachal Pradesh,Department of Cultural Affairs.

Das, B. M. 2007. “Sonowal Kachari Nigostiya parichya”, (Pp. 1-3) in M. Sonowal (ed.), Sonowal Saurav Smarak Granth. Assam: Sonowal Kachari SanskriticMahotsava.

Duarah, D. K. and S. D. Pathak. 1997. “A short note on the health care practices among the Nishis of Arunachal Pradesh. (Pp. 73-78) in F. Ahmed Dasand R. K. Kar (eds.), Health Studies in Anthropology. Department of Anthropology, Dibrugarh University, Dibrugarh.

Kumari, P. 2006. “Etiology and Healing Practices: A study in primitive societies of Jharkhand”, (Pp. 487-499) P. Dash Sharma (ed.), Anthropology of Primitive Tribes in India. New Delhi: Serial Publications.

Guha, A. 1986. “Folk medicines of the Boro-Kacharis –A Plain Tribe of Assam”, (Pp. 191-199) B. Choudhuri(ed.), Tribal Health. New Delhi: Inter-India Publications.

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SEX EDUCATION AMONG CHILDREN

The reason we boast sometimes on Indian culture, is because it has rich values, values that are of high morale and unique to the world. Values are something on which our life thrives. We find organizations thriving on values, families stand united on its values, and the very humanity stands on human values. Without values, an individual would have no identity. We deliver value when we execute pride in holding our national symbols. We deliver value when we show respect to our elders. We owe value when we look at each female with the respect as high as that for a mother. And it is these values, that brings in us courage to hold against the odds. It is these values that help us to go ahead in life along with our family, with our friends, with our colleagues, with the society and with the nation all together. No doubt, values are as important as our life itself.

One of these great Indian values is about educating our children to hold against the most devastating erotic feelings towards opposite gender, the so called ‘Sex’. Sex is a powerful temptation and it requires very strong values to hold upon it. However, it is now days challenged by educated section of society, particularly the followers of western culture, in the name of exposing the mystery to the curious and immature child.

The conclusion made by these literates is that it is a prevention methodology, which would make the next generation safe from the perils of Sex. Universally, prevention is better than cure, goes as a law, but the question remains – Is sex education a prevention, cure or an experiment the result of which is either not known or is deliberately being forced in the society? What if you have educated a child in sex and he fails to hold his temptations thereafter? What would you call that situation – the prevention failed or the medicine failed? Let us try to understand prevention in a better way. If I am not mistaken, prevention is a boundary, a boundary that tells you what lies on the other side. At a broad level, there are three types of boundaries:

• First, we are completely aware what lie on the other side of the boundary. For example, nearly every one knows the after effect of smoking.

• Second, we are partially or unaware of the negative factors and accept the boundaries as a part of cultural values, with the awareness of the positive factors within the boundary. For example, if we do exercise, we say it is a preventive measure from bad health. The details of bad health may not be known in completeness to the doer, but there is a straight conception that fits to his mind – exercise is good for health.

• Third, we are completely unaware of positive or negative factors on either side of the boundary. For example, doing some rituals as a religious practice.

If Sex education is a prevention boundary, it should find a place in one of the above category. First, why do we need this education? A simple answer is that we do it sometimes. Second, how do we do sex (even with our spouse): in privacy or publicly? Do we discuss it out openly with friends and expose our spouse to them? If answers to these questions is ‘No’ and convincingly ‘No’, then the first boundary lies with the adults itself – how can they talk sex with their children or students, when we cannot practice it before them? We have to understand a very important aspect here. If we dare to talk such things with children, we are breaking away the boundary of respect and regard straight away (they or we not able to talk sex with each other signifying that there is some regard that produces this shyness or hesitation). We are undoubtedly introducing a concept that would teach our children to go beyond this boundary and easily practice sex, the barriers being broken and broken by teachers and parents first. During childhood, sex is a curiosity and hence is not known to them completely. All they know is that it is considered wrong by elders and is practiced between parents. Curiosity can take shape of temptation and temptations would lead to doing the wrong, if children are not taught of values that can help them prevent the temptation. Talking to them about sex would kill their curiosity and give birth to educated temptation. Thus, sex education so seeming to be an experimented cure, would necessarily lead to side effect of practicing sex as an educated practitioner. Sex education would in fact as a catalyst in producing sexual practices, and can in no way be a preventive measure. This education has no relation with feelings like temptations. Temptations can be only held by practice of cultural values, may be as a fear to breach the respectful barrier. Preventive measures are healthier and positive aspects, and can be talked and propagated positively towards everyone. Holding to values and teaching our children to remain in boundaries is actually a preventive measure and would protect majority of them from committing the hazard.

The proposed solution is still experimentation – the world is yet to see a generation that would be protected from practicing sex early during childhood and teenage after getting educated on sex. The proposed solution of sex education is thus very much risky and it can totally devastate the society if it fails to deliver the purpose, provoking children to enter premature sexual relations.

The intuition and notion of sex education as a solution started to create the awareness towards the deadly disease ‘AIDS’. It is a disease born out of sex and can spread out of various reasons which includes unsafe sex, blood transfusion, etc. The first unseen and politicized mistake is acceptance by the society that people need to be aware of this disease and should adapt to safe sex practices. At this point it seemed unquestionably correct, as adults were to be educated for usage of condoms. Unfortunately, this was the stepping stone towards growing errors. The ground error is that it is accepted that adults cannot hold from doing extra-marital and pre-marital affairs. And the true solution negated is – people not educated on values and importance of holding on values. It is here values plays its importance and Indian value in this term is very much known to the society – no extra-marital affairs and no pre-marital affairs – complete honesty with the partner and thus complete dedication towards their home leading to a life that is happy and supported by your relations and respected by outsiders – No possibility of AIDS in existence.

But more ground fact is that above values cannot be achieved unless it is inculcated in people when they are still ripe, when they are as young as children. Childhood is a state where you shape up your character. It takes huge effort for adults to change their nature, but not for a child. Values inculcated in children can help them grow to a brighter and healthier personality. This seems to me so simple to execute, simple because it can very easily get passed on to following generation as family values. In fact, it is still a part of Indian culture, which by the weapon of sex education, being totally devastated under the umbrella of the word ‘EDUCATION’. What is wrong in asking our children to respect elders and consider every woman as respectable as our own mother and sister? It is all about building this strong and positive perception in our little gems. In fact, would we dare to call our little angels as angels and gems, the moment we realize that he has adopted to means like sex which is not suitable to his age, which his mind would not absorb to the fullest of the concept, where there would be every chance for him to slip towards experiencing it because now the education is exposing the vulnerable erotic and ecstatic feelings which is yet in abnormal form of curiosity in the child – would we still dare to call our children as angels and gems. Will he not start challenging his patience by thinking the same about his relations? Will he then enjoy respect and regards towards any of the opposite gender? And I wonder why it is not thought that once sex goes into the education stream of children, children would by natural manner start talking about it among them. A child boy will talk to a child girl about their sex knowledge – a boundary that protects every child (at least most of them), from sexual pitfalls at early age would be totally destroyed. Is this what our modern parent expects from their children? As long as children do not talk about sex, they would fear to break the boundary and majority of the generation can be saved. But once, this is broken, majority of the generation would be devastated.

I sometimes ponder, why is human so weak to not realize the problems of practices like sex education? Why didn’t they look at societies which has already experimented this as a solution? We can very well go into the western education system where sex is a compulsory education and try to quantify and derive statistics on whether it has actually helped children from doing sex. The facts would be un-amazingly opposite to what is being proposed. They are exposed to sex as an adoptable practice, they are aware of how to protect from sexual disease, for instance by using condoms, and they simply enter into actually doing it. Why don’t we realize a simple thing, children would experiment everything if they are given the freedom? As responsible adults, we are to guide children about wrong and right and not expose them to the wrongs and the means to do the wrongs without getting harmed.

It would be surprising to understand that foundations of such human weaknesses are laid down by modern western thinkers, who adopt the theory and practice of allowing children to do what they wish. These thinkers believe that children require information about everything that they see and hear and if not provided they will get it from wrong sources, and hence, as responsible parents and elders we should share with them all problems like sex, deaths, hazards, etc. Truly speaking, there is a very thin boundary between good and bad, between right and wrong, so thin that once you cross, there is nearly no regret, no comeback. People often start smoking or drinking, with an attitude to taste – how it feels – and the boundary is broken. Next time, it is not the first time and they do it with the intention that it would be the last time and the action repeats. Why can’t we straightaway put into the minds of our children to keep away from these things by letting them realize that it is bad – very bad? Some parents agree to this as the impact of smoking is quite visible to them. How can it happen that all other behaviors of life don’t have similar negative impacts? It is seriously required to define the boundary of right and wrong in all that we do. For instance, philosophers and psychiatrists are now provoking people to talk sex with children. They believe that they will learn it from wrong sources and stealthily, which would create negative behavior in them. How silly? Why can’t children be allowed to consider it wrong as long as they are children? Why aren’t they allowed to learn about such things as they grow in boundaries and learn to practice it only in right manner at right time? Why are these great thinkers so eager to take away the opportunity of self – development from these children, which nature has provided them? Nature doesn’t allow children to do sex and hence it is wrong for them as long as they are children. What is wrong in telling them that it is wrong and bad when actually it is wrong at their stage? They automatically will learn its importance and usage when they grow and such children will respect sex and practice it religiously as a part of married life.

Accepting that children would learn sex from wrong sources, is actually an acceptance to the happenings in the society around – cultural degradation in social environment remains unchallenged and in fact attains maturity by allowing the upcoming generation to get educated on it and practice it untimely. Children would grow physically weak, and to much greater extent mentally weak if they endeavor to unfold their temptations through sexual education. The next generation is being challenged for their superiority of behavior and the induced sex education would surely overthrow the master culture of respect and regard.

We need to help our children to enhance their resistive power, their tolerance power, their patience, their understanding to respect and regard the values taught by parents and teachers. We cannot simply accept that our children would learn from wrong source about habits that are tempting, if we do not allow them to learn from us. We cannot make our children so weak that they go for anything that fulfills their mental desires and curiosity. We need to develop in them right from their childhood a habit to hold on temptations, so that they get matured enough to handle toughest situations in life. Indian culture have always taught children to grow up by practicing patience, yoga, respect towards elders, and all positive aspects that can create a great individual. Isn’t it necessary for our society to have stable families with respectable practices?

If Indian values and practices that taught children of such high attitude are considered as Stone Age by modern tutors, this would be unfortunate for the country. It is so simple to understand that people of Stone Age were used to living in nudity, and if we have grown rich in knowledge and understood the importance of clothes in societies, we have to respect clothes. Clothes are the first indication of boundaries against sex and children are to be protected from media which breaks this boundary. Let us promise to help our upcoming generation to become strong mentally, brace enough to fight these petty temptations and grow powerful in their thinking so that they are capable of doing great tasks.

SEX IN HINDUISM

Swami Vivekanand said, “In west, every woman other than mother is a wife. Among Hindus, every woman other than wife is a mother.” I do not know other religion, than Hinduism, which teaches values of so high regard. Such high values exist because sex was never neglected in Indian philosophy – it was rather researched to be a powerful source of energy in any individual. It was understood that any energy has to be utilized in the boundary of natural law and hence, sex was to be practiced by recognized partners, only for specific purpose and within age boundaries. It was recognized that mastering sex required immense control on the self and practicing it only with partners required even greater control on self. Going beyond this to practice it only for the purpose of reproduction, to meet the purpose of nature, was even tougher. Thus, this natural power of every creature was considered as a natural power and as usual, every natural power in Hindu philosophy holds a Deity in its name. Thus, ‘Kamadeva’ (Deity of lust) came into being. Sex became a concept of worship and anything worship-able was never misused.

Sex as a study went deep to unfold all its secrets for Ayurvedic practitioners. But for the common people, it remained a respectable action. This is one major reason, why we do not find any major disease related to sex known in Indian societies. People often quote examples of ‘Khajuraho’ as a symbol of Hindu sex – which is very wrong – why was such sensual images created in caves? Were such caves a general practice of production? How many books of Hindus describe Sex as openly as ‘Khajuraho’? The answers to these questions, clarifies, that there must have been some purpose behind ‘Khajuraho’ which is lost in the past.

Hinduism has never taught utilizing any natural power in negative fashion – unlike modern science. And sex is one such power that exists in Hinduism within natural human boundaries.

It is often seen that one bad belief by virtue of its natural capacity draws another bad belief. If Sex education among children is an attempt to molest the future of nation, the Long Leaders by virtue of their devastating attitude build one after another similar attitude – producing Reservation into system that can eradicate the unity of the nation and prove the critics that Casteism is a part of not only Hinduism, but also of Hindu nation – in which case, the concept of Secularism would be lost and immediately the Hindus would get attached to it.

India is the mother of spiritual practices, meditation, retreats in india, meditation retreats, and meditation technique. The first written book, Rig Veda, comes from India and it is all about the deepest spiritual practices. Most religions like Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism etc. had their birth in India. They are still flourishing here and have produced some of the greatest spiritual leaders in this country.

Meditation in India can be divided into four broad categories — depending upon the propensities of the practitioners, they can choose the path that is best suited to their needs:

a. Jnana Yoga: Path of Knowledge is most suitable for those who have a deep urge to understand before they can accept anything. They want clear rational and experiential proofs before having faith in any knowledge. The meditation practice in this discipline consists of Truth based mantras and analytical inquiry. The inquiry helps dig out all wrong notions and the mantras make one experience the true Self which is absolute awareness and bliss.

b. Bhakti Yoga: Path of devotion is suitable for those whose minds are more love and faith based. They would like to follow a meditation method that would help them develop in their love for God. The devotee believes more in surrendering that in understanding. He will first have faith and then this faith will take him to the sublime experience of the Truth. Surrender to the divine will and deep longing to meet God are the main traits of Bhakti Yoga.

c. Raja Yoga: Path of concentration and awareness is suitable for those who like to practice a witnessing attitude. The witness is free from desires and reactions. The practice is based on certain moral principles without following which, the witnessing cannot shine.

d. Karma Yoga: Path of selfless work helps in making the mind pure and stable and gives immense joy to the practitioner. One who is compassionate at heart and feels that the highest practice consists in helping the needy will be following this path.

For practicing Meditation in India, there are many retreats available in all parts of the country. Wherever you go, you can find true seekers and true masters who will help you find your path and walk on it. These places are called ashramas where seekers create a sort of a sangha and practice together.

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For more Details visit our site linked below:

meditation

We are providing you the mental peace through zmeditation.com with various courses and techniques like Meditation Courses, Online meditation course, How to meditate, meditation retreats, Meditation technique etc. Z Meditation is a systematic deep work of inquiring into the conditionings that are hidden in the unconscious regions of your mind. There is a possibility for you to completely eliminate suffering from your life. Freedom, Bliss and Awareness are not mere esoteric words. You can experience them as your true identities.

Z Meditation Online Course is a beautifully effective solution to overcome this problem. Sitting at home and doing all your daily chores, there is a possibility of learning and practicing the deepest principles of freedom – freedom from all deep rooted stories, illusions, conditionings and agitations. Using these principles, in the past thirteen years, thousands of students have been able to transcend their deep-rooted habit patterns and see refreshing light for their lives. The effects of this work are literally mind blowing!

In the Z Meditation Spiritual Retreats, the technique used is rational and analytical. You learn to detach from your mind’s patterns and systematically root out the roots of turbulence using deep inquiry. You employ radiant and rational mantras to get established in your pristine glory. The silence helps a lot in deep contemplation and integration.

Most of us here have forgotten smiling. Who has the time to care and share? We have got so much lost in the un-necessities and urgencies of life that the truly important values have been forgotten. Our mental state is clearly reflected on our faces. Why has this happened? Do we want to get back to the state of childlike carefree-ness and abandon? Do we have time to reflect and take corrective actions? Do we understand that the best changes about life are internal changes? Let us make one thing very clear to ourselves – if we don’t do something about our minds now, if we are not proactively trying to lift it out of its current state, it will always remain like that. It will not change and there is no magic wand that can change it overnight.

Z Meditation is taught in two levels. The first level is a fifteen-day and the second is a eight-day silent retreat held at Z Meditation Center in India. In the first level of learning, one gets all the basic knowledge of mind and meditation. One gets the knowledge and practice of the Deep DeConditioning Inquiry and Radiant Mantras. In the second level, the questions of Deep DeConditioning Inquiry deepen further and the strongest false beliefs are rooted out from the mind. The second level helps in realizing the Self that is the source of the mind and the universe.

Benefits of Z Meditation
When you sincerely practice Z Meditation, it can lead to the following uplifting results:
•    Effortless sailing in life: You now laugh at yourself that you used to consider problems as problems. They become useful opportunities of self growth.
•    Not a victim any more: You refuse to let anybody shatter your peace and fulfillment.
•    Understanding: Instead of feeling bad about the attitude of others, you rather understand the platforms from where people are behaving.
•    Inner fulfillment: You realize your fulfillment in the silence of the mind and in non-chasing.
•    Openness in relationship: You don’t have to please anybody anymore. You are honest and loving and don’t have fears of loss etc.
•    Beautiful Mornings: You wake up every day with a smile and look forward to Living it.
•    Compassion even for the unknowns: Your heart is full of love. It is Love now and not doting or attachment.
•    No judging: You prefer understanding to criticizing and judging. You understand that the latter is very harmful for your happiness.
•    Peace: You don’t get angry or frustrated anymore. Sometimes, you may need to show anger, which is like a line drawn on the surface of water. It vanishes in no time.
•    Control: You are not impulsive and have perfect control over your timings.
•    No arguments: You don’t need to or want to prove anything to anybody. You are not defensive anymore.
•    No Superiority: You are so busy in self growth that you don’t have to time to think what others are thinking about you.
•    No Inferiority: You understand that money or status or power or cars or houses or jobs have nothing to do with the state of fulfillment. If you have them, it is OK. If you don’t, it is also OK.
•    Health: It is not only your mental health, it is also your physical health also that improves and you don’t have to go to doctors anymore.
•    Happiness: You give yourself ten on ten on happiness and fulfillment as you do what you ought to and you don’t do what you don’t ought to.
•    Sleep: You sleep like a log and work like a horse. In short, you are a very happy person.

If you sincerely feel that you need a strong tool to handle the agitations and suffering of your mind and you are ready to do hard work for fourteen days, you can sign up for the Z Meditation Online Course.

For more Details visit our site linked below:

Z Meditation Centre
Shivam Marg, McLeod Ganj
h.p, h.p 176219, India

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