Valediction, Buddhism, & Lunch

Leave Out Everything But The Important Stuff

Saturday, May 18, 2024

Aho’Rajanaka

Today’s note needs be breviloquent— thinkin’ why use a word like “brief” when you can use “breviloquent” ?

I just got done torturing illuminating attempting to be suitably forgettable in addressing our graduating class by offering them their valediction.  My effort to lull them with a fine blether neither too much nor too long, managed to include the Proto-Indo-European etymology of the word “valediction.”  It’s best to keep things cheery and dispensable, not so brief as to be insulting but certainly not memorable.

I shall spare you the affliction of this fascinating on second thought, maybe not etymology and instead share with you a fine exchange I had after the ceremony with an uncle of a graduate keen to tell me that he too had an interest in history. He told me that he watched a lot of The History Channel in formulating his research. 

“Noble,” I said, thinking ‘here comes the part about the aliens…’  But alas, it turned another way.

“I can understand how you got to Sanskript [sic],” he went on to say, “but why would you study, what’s it called?  Proto-Indo-European? Never heard of that.”     

“Well, no one else has heard it either for at least 8000 years. It’s a language we try to reconstruct by comparison with other languages we know.  Like peering into Alice’s Looking Glass, down that rabbit hole where rabbits talk and carry pocket watches, stuff like that.  There are no real examples of Proto-Indo-European, only what we can conjure, deduce, and derive.”

“So, it’s all made up.”

“Yeah. But in good way,” I said putting on a wee bit of Jersey in the inflection. “In an honest Buddhist kinda’ way…”

“What?” He was still interested but I could tell he was getting hungry for better.

“Buddhists think reality is a mental construct, an invention of consciousness projecting and being invented by its own projections…”

“Whoa,” he said, not noticing how much he sounded like Keanu when he said this.   “You’re saying that this ancient language is all imagined?  ‘Seems you know a thing or two.  You should be on The History Channel.”

This was clearly meant as a compliment.  So, I thought to reciprocate.

I smiled earnestly enough, “Well, I’ve never made it to The History Channel but once I was on ‘Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.’  That was a long time ago.”

He looked incredulous.
“They weren’t much interested in the dead and irrelevant languages but when I told them about the imaginary ones, well, that’s what got me the new kitchenette.” 

This is proof that you can say almost anything when you are wearing a faded very hot pink Harvard Phd gown from the ’80s, even to the most assiduous researcher, the kind committed to The History Channel and thus vetting your every word.

But at this point, not knowing what if any part of this was true, my genial interlocutor had clearly had enough.  And who could begrudge him?   There ere more important matters at hand. The buffet line warranted attention. Macaroni and cheese balls for lunch.

Today, Buddhism resumes at 5pm Eastern.  Zoom in here:

https://rochester.zoom.us/j/95057662268

Just fyi, we will further continue Buddhism for the next five consecutive Saturdays (May 25, June 1, 8, 15, 22).

Mahabharata Sundays resume tomorrow at 5pm, Zoom the usual:

https://rochester.zoom.us/j/314987250   We will have Sessions through May and most of June, then take a break for Rajanaka Summer Camp, and start up again in September.

Rajanaka Summer Camp is July 11^th-14^th.  Come to Bristol, it’s beautiful here.  If you can’t ther will be Zoom. All details are on the Rajanaka Substack.

India. Wanna come?  I must know if you are interested and actually serious about coming this year.  We’ll leave after Christmas (before New Year’s) and return about January 16^th.   Write to me: douglas@rajanaka.com

There’s a lot more and now that my school year has ended I’ll be writing more, doing some clean up on Aisle 10A (this is where the Wegmans supermarket puts Yoga, along side Seasonal Goods and Organic Snacks), and conjuring What Comes Next ‘Cause We’re Reallly Gonna Need It if there’s any chance at all for there being another valediction.

Saprema, with affection, Douglas

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