Now and Beyond: A Collection of Poems, Paintings, Photographs and Essays

By Vinod D. Deshmukh MD PhD and Sunanda V. Deshmukh MD FFARCS

NOW AND BEYOND is a collection of poems, essays, photographs and paintings inspired by the beauty and love of Nature.

NOW is what is experienced by an individual at the present moment. It is the multimodal field of fluid contents of a conscious mind. Now is a specified set of observations by a person of itself and its surroundings. That is why the experience of now is always personal, private and dualistic. It is usually dominated by visual, auditory, somatosensory and memory-based cognitive inputs.

BEYOND is what is beyond the now-experience. It is the spontaneous process of being alive, awake, aware and attentive. It is the living consciousness itself. Consciousness is founded on multiple life-processes including conscious arousal, awareness, attention and cognitive self-control. Each process has multiple components including biophysical, psychosocial, cultural and spiritual. We cannot completely see the whole big picture. But we are capable of being integrally present with a wholistic feeling of being connected to the natural reality, since we are always immersed in it.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jun 7, 2019
• ISBN: 9781728314235

Vinod D. Deshmukh MD PhD

VINOD D DESHMUKH MD, Ph.D. is a retired neurologist from Jacksonville, Florida. He was an Associate Professor of Neurology at University of Florida from 1984-1996. He had his private practice of Neurology at the Flagler Hospital in St Augustine, Florida from 1996-2007. He has published several scientific articles, monographs and books of poetry, photography and paintings. His recent books include 1) The Astonishing Brain and Holistic Consciousness, 2) Presence: The Key to Mental Excellence, 3) The Last Leaf, 4) A Poet’s Walk, 5) A Poet’s Vision, and 6) Natural Bliss. He received The Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018. SUNANDA V DESHMUKH, MD, FFARCS is an American board-certified Anesthesiologist. She was an Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology at the Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas in 1976-1978. She was awarded the international H G Wolff award for her research on the platelet dysfunction in Migraine headaches. She had her private practice of Anesthesiology in Jacksonville, Florida from 1978-2011. She loves portrait painting, sailing and gardening.

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2019 Vinod D. Deshmukh, MD, PhD; Sunanda V. Deshmukh, MD, FFARCS.. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or

transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 06/13/2019

ISBN: 978-1-7283-1422-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-7283-1423-5 (e)

ISBN: 978-1-7283-1424-2 (hc)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019906923

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

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About the Book

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NOW AND BEYOND is a collection of poems, essays, photographs and paintings inspired by the beauty and love of Nature.

NOW is what is experienced by an individual at the present moment. It is the multimodal field of fluid contents of a conscious mind. Now is a specified set of observations by a person of itself and its surroundings. That is why the experience of now is always personal, private and dualistic. It is usually dominated by visual, auditory, somatosensory and memory-based cognitive inputs.

BEYOND is what is beyond the now-experience. It is the spontaneous process of being alive, awake, aware and attentive. It is the living consciousness itself. Consciousness is founded on multiple life-processes including conscious arousal, awareness, attention and cognitive self-control. Each process has multiple components including biophysical, psychosocial, cultural and spiritual. We cannot completely see the whole big picture. But we are capable of being integrally present with a wholistic feeling of being connected to the natural reality, since we are always immersed in it.

Vinod D. Deshmukh, MD, PhD;

Sunanda V. Deshmukh, MD, FFARCS.

[e-mail]

Good Life

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Oil on canvas painting of a concrete sculpture

By Vinod D Deshmukh (2019)

This morning,

I was surfing the Facebook.

I came across a sad news from a friend.

She had posted a photo of

Her grandfather with his grandchild.

Unfortunately, grandpa had passed away

After a struggle with cancer.

I wrote to her,

"I am sorry to hear the sad news.

He seems to be a loving grandpa.

Hope he lived a good life.

Our best wishes for peace in family."

Then, I went for a morning walk to the river.

I started thinking, What is a good life?

I recalled Bertrand Russell’s statement,

That the good life is inspired by love,

And guided by knowledge.

But, how does love to come to be?

For instance, I love myself, my wife,

My children and grandchildren, and

All of my extended family and friends.

I love my Life and Nature.

When I am in Nature,

I have a unique feeling of selflessness,

When I forget myself as an individual,

And I have an ineffable sense of unity

With an unique feeling of existential oneness.

Universe after all exists as one reality.

As David Bohm wrote insightfully,

"Space is not empty. It is full…

The universe is not separate

From this cosmic sea of energy."

To me, this Cosmic Sea is

Not only of energy,

But also, of matter and information.

Information is essentially an electrochemical signal, a bio-molecule or a gene

For an observing organism, like us.

What is an organism?

It is organic matter with functional systems,

Which can integrate energy, matter information, and self-organizes itself

into a whole in its environmental niche.

All living organisms

Love themselves, their loved ones,

And their self-created, protective nests.

Like all living beings,

We are both individual beings,

As well as integral part of the universe.

How we perceive ourselves and experience our world, depends on our self-perspective.

So, to live a good life,

One needs to have a feeling of beloved unity,

With self, others and the world,

Without any fear, jealousy, anger or greed.

This would truly be a good life,

Which anyone could hold dear to one’s heart.

October 23, 2015

Sharing a Tree

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I was out on my morning walk.

I noticed this live Oak tree,

Which we share with our good neighbor.

We both care for its survival,

And let it grow naturally.

How artificial it would be

To say that this branch is mine,

And the other branch is yours.

It is after all one living tree.

Yet, that is exactly

How we treat Nature.

This square foot of land is mine;

This oceanfront beach is ours;

This 12-mile radius around the island

Is our protected ocean territory;

And even the infinite sky is

Zoned into multiple nationalities,

And the layers for airplanes and drones.

Of course, some limits are reasonable

To prevent accidents, clashes and wars.

But, can we not learn to share and appreciate

Most of Nature and her infinite wonders?

For instance,

This majestic river is being shared

By our good neighbors and the community.

Even a dead Cypress tree

Can share the burden of

A beautiful but, leaning Oak tree.

We share our stories and experiences,

And also share flowers

Like these Parijatak and Mums,

To enhance love and friendship.

We of course have to share

All of the natural elements,

Since our very life and existence

Depend on them.

We share the living planet-earth,

The air, the water and the biosphere,

The Sun and the Solar system,

And even the Cosmos beyond.

All living organisms

Sense their natural surroundings,

And manage the exchange of

Molecules, energy and information,

Because all life depends on such

Self-organization and homeo-dynamics.

We also share

Our lived moments of time

With our loved ones, friends and

All Life around us.

Thus, sharing is natural.

A shared life is truly a beautiful life.

October 30, 2015

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Acrylic on art paper painting by

Sunanda V Deshmukh (2004)

Wisdom Spring

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A feeling of being a lone Starling flying in the sky,

a feeling of being a Cloud of Starlings streaming freely in the sky,

And a feeling of being the Limitless Sky.

A feeling of being a fish in the Ocean,

A feeling of being a school of fish in the Ocean, and a feeling of being

the vast ocean itself.

A feeling of being a human being in this confused world,

a feeling of being the Humanity on this planet Earth,

And a feeling of being

the wonderful natural world.

A feeling of being free of personal space-time

and experience, being free of selfish intent, context and consequence.

Such a unique selfless freedom is just that -

A genuine feeling of being selflessly present in the infinite now,

a truly ineffable, loving and holistic experience.

From such a spontaneous self-experience,

Gushes forth the Wisdom Spring,

That is full of love and compassion

For all Living Beings and Nature.

May all Life live well.

May all beings be happy, healthy and wise.

May no one suffer through life.

Let the universal natural healing be the rule.

Let all Life blossom fully.

November 29, 2015

Reminders

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When I entered the temple this morning,

I struck the bell at the entrance.

The echoing sound reminded me

Not only to listen to its complete song,

But also, to pause and listen to

The serene and healing silence

That followed and continued

In my mind for a long time.

When I looked at the burning flame

Of the lamp used for worshiping,

It reminded me of the infinite light

That fills up the cosmos,

And the same loving energy

That wells up in all hearts.

When I smelled the sweet fragrance

Of a slowly burning jasmine stick,

It reminded me of the multiple fragrances

Flowing through the Earth’s atmosphere,

And nourishing the lungs of innumerable living beings.

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Oil on canvas painting by Vinod D Deshmukh (2015)

When I witnessed the central idol

Of a beautifully decorated Deity,

It reminded me to be aware

Not only of its personified perfection,

But also, of the perfect energy-awareness-being

that pulsates in all living beings.

When I received the sweet rice as a blessing,

It reminded me to nourish and satiate

Not only my own hunger and thirst,

But also, that of many unfortunate beings,

Who are undernourished and thirsty,

For food, water, shelter, education, and above of all,

unconditional love and care.

When I came out of the temple,

I realized that such valuable reminders

Are scattered at every corner of our daily lives,

only if we would pause, every now and then,

and look, listen, love and care for

Whosoever we are facing at the moment.

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This will make

Our whole life meaningful.

Then, the life outside the temple

Would be just as pious as

The life within.

December 1, 2015

Dancing with the Body

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Body breathes, I stay still.

Mind talks, I remain silent.

Ego worries, I feel serene.

Movements dissipate in stillness.

Words disappear in silence.

Worries vanish in serenity.

Body, mind and ego

Do their own activities.

But I stay calm, alert and present,

Untouched and unaffected,

By any momentary event.

I playfully dance

With my body, mind and ego

And enjoy the natural bliss.

December 11, 2015

No-Thingness and No-Oneness

I see no face. I hear no voice.

Yet, I am clearly present,

Contently watching and listening

To no-thing and be-ing no-one in particular.

When I am happy with myself,

I am without a name, face, voice or thought.

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I am the spontaneous energy-awareness-being

that is naturally present.

I was so-and-so in my recalled life.

But, now in this pristine presence,

I am no-one special and nothing specific.

In fact, that is what everyone truly is

In their essence, the infinite presence.

With such a mindset,

No-thing is the source of every-thing and

No-one is the source of every-one.

Although, it is hard to believe this truth.

It is hard to realize that

Every-thing that one experiences

Emerges from that no-thingness,

And anyone that one becomes

Emerges from that no-oneness.

That one alone is the source of all.

December 10, 2015

Voice of Silence

To move or not to move

Is always a question.

But in the flow of stillness,

There is an endless reality.

To react emotionally or not

Is always a question.

But, in the pristine serenity,

There is no other to react to.

It is content with itself, suffused with

A feeling of oneness and natural bliss.

December 10, 2015

What am I?

Body is the elephant in this room.

Mind is a way to communicate and create.

Ego is the situational role that I play now.

Am I the encompassing field?

Of awareness, energy and being,

Which is ever so silent, still and serene,

Untouched and unaffected

By any observable experience?

I create and uncreate

The world of my experience.

I become and unbecome constantly.

All of my experience ever changes,

And yet I remain the same.

What I am then?

That, only I can know

And feel within me.

What about you?

What are you, now?

December 16, 2015

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Pastel color painting by Sunanda V Deshmukh (2015)

Universality

All of us understand our personality.

All of us have a personality.

It depends on our genetic make-up,

And life-long experiences, memories,

and habits with personal likes and dislikes,

Desires and fears, love and hatred,

Expectations, goals and ambitions.

All of these make us

What we are as individuals.

Personality develops day-by-day,

Due to our self-oriented perspective,

And interactions, with our world and others.

It is like the iterative growth of a giant Fig tree

with many branches and aerial roots.

Universality is different.

It is what we are as an existential being.

It is still, silent, serene and selfless

Spontaneous energy-awareness-being.

It is the quale of our being in existence,

Our very aliveness in a living Universe.

It is non-cognitive, non-interactive,

and non-personal.

As J. Krishnamurti said, To be is to be related,

We are related to all that exists,

Through our universality, our sarvãtmatã.

Sri Jñāneshwara expressed his feelings of universality as

हे विश्वची माझे घर

This universe is my home.

He prayed to the "Vishwatmaka Deva,"

The Universal Being,

For the happiness and wellbeing of all.

So, we need to be aware of

Our personality as well as universality,

And live a blissful life of

Compassion, clarity, curiosity and creativity.

December 18, 2015

Preconscious Mind and The Mindful Presence

Consciousness is a living, organismic process. It is a systems level process and an information-processing property of all life. Brain is the organ of experience and behavior. Conscious experience is a synthesis of three aspects: the observed world, the observable mental activity, and the essential self-awareness. It is the existential-spiritual aspect of our holistic energy-awareness-being. It is the mysterious wonder within all of us.

In clinical neurology (1), consciousness is defined as a set of neural processes that allow an individual to perceive, comprehend and act, on the internal and external environments. It has three functional aspects, arousal, awareness, and attention. Consciousness is viewed as a self-generating and self-organizing process from an ecosystems perspective.

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Conscious arousal is the degree to which an individual is awake and able to interact with the environment. Conscious arousal requires the interplay, between the midbrain reticular activating system (RAS) and the cerebral hemispheres. Midbrain RAS has three principal projective pathways to a) median brainstem raphe (Serotonin) and locus coeruleus nuclei (Noradrenaline), b) hypothalamus, basal forebrain and limbic system, and c) thalamic reticular nucleus (GABA) and the neocortex. Like a pilot flame, the RAS is spontaneously and continuously active in all human beings. It is like the central processing unit of the nervous system. Without it, a conscious life is not possible.

Conscious awareness implies that the individual is not only alert but also