Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami gives part seven of a series of talks which give insight and elaboration into a variety of fascinating concepts revealed in the Shum language of meditation. Here, Satguru gives special attention to the 54 mambashum—important areas of the mind detailed by Shum.

Words. They are such a part of our everyday life we often don't give them their full due. Sometimes we mispel them. Sometimes we missprunciate them. Despite this abuse, they go on serving our various needs as we seek to communicate with the outside world.

English dictionaries can sometimes get over 1,000 new words per year. In 2019 the Merriam-Webster added over 600 in April and another 500+ in September. The Oxford English Dictionary just added these: loop you in, whatevs, cryptocurrency and fake news.

But these don't serve our needs that much, so we have started our own Fictionary, coining words that should exist, but don't. We share some of these today for our linguistic CyberCadets (Should Be a Word). Enjoy the words you never knew you needed, and send us creative additions to our Fictionary.



As you read below, keep in mind that we need a word for: "It's like really kinda, sorta very unique, in a way, you know."

CyberCadet: Another word for those of you visiting TAKA today.

epikarma: As with epigenetics, epikarma describes how we can change the karmas we are born with through lifestyle changes, attitudes and good works. It is possible because of karmaplasticity.

reinkarmation: 1. An intense life in which the soul goes through many profound changes but keeps the same body; 2. lifetimes in which one faces the same-old, same-old karmas because of failure to resolve them when they've come around before.

Dumbledore (v) - to in part life changing wisdom in a cryptic manner so that the receiver does not immediately comprehend what is said. Usage: "That swami just dumbledored me!"

sbaw(adj., usually enclosed in parentheses) -a lowercased acronym for "should be a word."Example:I have read that peanuts do not conduce (sbaw) to tooth decay.

BickerBabble (Squabblejounce or Verbal Skirmish)
A short, highly specialized and always unproductive squabble between two or more people who know one another well. It is characterized by reactive and softly accusatory bursts of unprovoked contention between each other, not necessarily related to the subject at hand, but rather provoked by the accumulation of many small unresolved problems over years of personal association.

meditated: the application of spiritual energies that has its parallel in the word medicated. "They returned from the silent time with the guru well-meditated for the day."

Precendent: As"transcendent" is beyond, this word is before. It speaks of the source of the very existence of a thing, the fundament. E.G. "Finally the scientist comprehended the prescendent merits of his experiment."

Mysticalize: to endow something, physical or otherwise, the deeper, profounding meanings.

treebola: A nasty plant virus that is killing the Jambu trees on Kauai in 2015.

Veganize: the missing verb in a growing vegan world. "The team worked hard to veganize the big pharma capsules."

Elsewhereland: A special place, not here, somewhere else.

Pronoiais aneologism coined to describe a state of mind that is the opposite of paranoia. Whereas a person suffering from paranoia feels that persons or entities are conspiring against them, a person experiencing pronoia feels that the world around them conspires to do them good. In 1993 the writer andElectronic Frontier Foundationco-founder John Perry Barlow defined pronoia as "the suspicion the Universe is a conspiracy on your behalf".[1]

Uniphrenia Opposite of schizophrenia, uniprenia is the long-term mental state of one who enjoys the sense of unity in thought, emotion and behaviorand indeed, unity with all of existence.

Somelife: in some lifetime. Corresponds to sometime and someday, which, when used in reference to oneself, ordinarily refer to the present incarnation.Usage: I look forward to somelife qualifying to enter the monastery.

Isn'tness: Another name for the Self that does not even possess the quality of being.

complaintiff: a particularly critical plaintiff in a lawsuit.

one-downsmanship:The deflection of praise, either turning it back on the one who has given a compliment or diverting it to someone else.

emptullness: The fullness that is found when the mind is completely and utterly empty. Sometimes called full emptitude.

omnitudinous: missing adjective form for omnitude, which means all and everything.

Wordoligist: A word deva, like Cole

whatabouts: The missing word, meaning approximately what, whose more known brother is whereabouts.

whenabouts:The missing word, meaning approximately when."The scientists were unaware of the explosion's whenabouts."

unonymous: Globally anonymous, such that no one in the world should know, a melding of unanymous and anonymous. "She demanded that our gift remain unonymous."

mismunication (n) - An incorrect communication.Happens when the perceived meaning of the words is quite different from what was intended.This is a common form of nonmunication in which the reader or listener, having come up with one meaning, does not search for others.

promunication (adj) - Refers to avoidance of at least the most common sources of nonmunication and mismunication, such as the use of words with more than one dictionary definition (particularly where the intended meaning is not the first of those) and the implied or incomplete explanation of concepts which, though obvious to the speaker or writer, may be unfamiliar to others.The use of promunication skills can help ensure effective communication.

distractionary: The missing adjective. His comments provided a distractionary moment in the awkward conversation.

sundarnym:Like a synonym but with the additional meaning of being a beautiful description of something.

awesomify -To make something that is not awesome become something awesome.(example An application of spiritual knowledge will awesomify your life.)

infinitudinous: the missing word for really big

incourageable: One who is never discouraged, one who is always full of courage.

eclipsical: the missing word meaning"about or relating to an eclipse."

to guinea pig:The missing verb fortestingand experimenting. "She asked me to guinea pig the new software today."

flusterment (n):A state of being flustered, or a situation in which people are flustered. Usage: Labeling all rudraksha products as to point of origin would help avoid the flusterment that results when customers learn that some in our shop were not grown here on Kauai.

mind hack (n):Any method by which one achieves fuller or more effective use of the mind than is known to those who do not use the technique.Usage: The religious observances, yogic practices and cultural protocols developed within Hinduism are the most powerful mind hacks known to man especially when used in concert, as a complete system.Used as a verb, it means to employ any such technique.(This is simply a more complete definition of a term already in use.)

Wealth karma: The special karma's that come to the rich alone, bad health, overweight, sleeplessness, short life, conflict, loneliness and such.

Maurispatality: the peerless and sometimes overwhelming hospitality showered by the peoples of Mauritius on one and all, an endless generosity of spirit and care for others.

whoak (pronounced wookay): When someone says whoa(such as when being surprised by something), then immediately recovers to sayOK, but all in a single motion without delay. "That startled me, but I accept it."

innerversity: Gurudeva's word for the real school of life

noncarnation(n):The period of time experienced by a soul between two incarnations.

bombasticize (vt) - to harangue others with one's ideas and beliefs, especially in a loud, supercilious and attention-demanding manner and relying more on impressive-sounding language than on a true understanding.

awesomer: The missing adjective you have always wanted to use.

emptillness: Describes the state of seeing all existence as simultaneously infinitely full and totally empty

microtyaga: a small letting go, renunciation, surrender, such as letting someone else be right, or skipping that second helping at the dinner table,ouraccepting something that you don't like. As opposed to major sacrifices and acts of tyaga.

coolth: The missing noun for cool, as warm is to warmth.

nonbreviation (or nontraction):two words which would ordinarily be abbreviated or contracted, but which in their current context must remain separate.Example:You can not only see it, but touch it as well. Here, can not is a nonbreviation, since "can" is being used in its positive sense and "not" relates toonly. Therefore, neither cannot nor can't is appropriate here.

biasist: One who is not neutral, and who holds a bias

Yesterday Acharya Arumuganathaswami held a zoom meeting with part of our Hinduism Today Young Writers group. We discussed their planned articles for the coming issues. Mugdha, upper left, is a 6th grader in Cupertino, California, and has written a piece on “ethnic dress” day in school. It’s an annual affair where kids who want to dress up in the style of their particular ethnic group—sari for her, kurta shirt for her little brother. She talks about how the other kids react, what it means to each who participate and more. The story should be in the next issue of Hinduism Today (October/November/December). Rutvij’s has already provided two stories to the magazine, one in the April issue, one in July (at the press as we speak) and is working on a new piece about the treatment of Hinduism in popular media, such as TV shows and movies. Gunap, lower left, has been learning the thrice-daily worship practice of sandyaa vandanam from his father during the pandemic and is going to tell what it means to him. Aditya Muthiah, lower right, is scheduled to review the popular Raji video game set in India’s past. Sanjeevani, middle right, has also had stories in the April and July issues and is working next on both a poll of Hindu kids on issues impacting them and on the activities of various Indian cultural groups in the San Francisco Bay Area. It was a very productive hour-long meeting and you can look forward to seeing their articles shortly. They all get out of school the first week of June and will begin work in earnest.

Om Namah Sivaya

Click through the slideshow above to join our photographer for a quick journey around the aadheenam this morning and see what's been happening.

There is One Real. Call it Śiva. This Parabrahman is formless, stainless, one without a second, changeless, beyond the highest. This Maheśvara is all-knowing, all-doing, sovereign of all, self-luminous, without beginning or end. All embodied souls, jīvas, all the born creatures, are portions of Me, like sparks of the fire. But human birth is the most important, for it is then that one becomes awake, aware of his state of bondage and the necessity of release. It is then that one is in a position to take steps for his liberation from bondage’s hold. Humans have a self-will and are not totally subject to the impulses and drives of nature as are other creatures. It is only on this Earth—and that, too, in a human body endowed with a soul—that one can choose one’s path for spiritual progress. But not all are aware of the precious opportunity afforded by human birth, which is truly the ladder to liberation.
Kulārṇava Tantra

Aum Namah Sivaya Several of the recent articles in Hinduism Today have been related to the current outlook of Hindu youth in different countries. One of Hinduism Today's correspondence in Mauritius, Savita Tiwari, is in the process of creating such a piece, focused on Mauritius. A few days ago she set up a short webinar titled "Celebrating Hinduism," attended by Mauritian youth and one of our monastics. You can view the video here: https://www.facebook.com/BharatMauritius1834/videos/145793417522834/

Aum Namah Sivaya
Here we bring you another fascinating before and after shot of Iraivan Temple's creation.

Paramacharya spends the first part of the morning polishing up Gurudeva's shrine in Kadavul Temple

Aum Namah Sivaya
Today our monks enjoyed their monthly Ashram Sadhana Day. On this day they go about cleaning the monastery buildings. Monks started the day by cleaning Kadavul Temple and moved on to their offices, work spaces, other assigned cleaning areas and their guhas. Remember, cleaning up your environment helps the energies of your life flow. If there's something you've been meaning to clean for a while, you can feel free to borrow some of our mathavasis' inspiration and start in on it right away! Aum.

Jai Ganesha!

After a year a gradual development, our Hinduism Today website has been rebuilt!

See: https://www.hinduismtoday.com/

The new website has a more pleasant look and feel and should make it easier to find the content you're looking for. This update wasn't just about looks though, 80% or so of the development was about the parts of the sight that no one sees. These included transferring and rebuilding the database and switching to a new content management system, allowing editors to more easily add and adjust content. The site is still being improved "slow by slow" as the Hawaiians would say. Past articles must be hand-checked for errors and imbued with their many images. But regardless, you can still enjoy a very searchable and clean interface as you peruse through Hinduism Today's treasure trove of content. Aum.