RadheyRadhey108

You're welcome Might I ask what path you follow?

I hope this helps: Q: What is the Hindu view of people like Shankara and Ramajuna and others who challenged the way Hinduism had always been? Are they revered or thought of as radicals? or are Hindus indifferent to them? A: It depends on which school of thought the person follows. If someone is a member of the Advaita Vedanta sect, they revere Shakaracharya to a rather extreme extent… many considering him an incarnation of God. I believe that Sri Vaishnavas think that Sri Ramanuja was just ‘polishing the diamond’ (so-to-speak) of Hinduism, and bringing it back to it’s beginnings. I, personally, am more devoted to Lord Chaitanya, and consider Him the incarnation of Radha and Krishna. I think that He helped to kick off the great Bhakti revolution along with other radical devotees such as Mira Bai. Q: How many Hindus do you think do a daily puja? A: I tend to perform some sort of deity worship each morning, but I know other Hindus who don’t/can’t because they either don’t have time or are lazy Q: What do you think is the most popular "face" of Brahman and why? A: I would say that the most popular form is Krishna, since nearly everyone at least knows the name ‘Krishna’. They may not know what His name means, but they at least know of Him. While some other avatars/deities, such as Varaha, are virtually unknown to the non-Hindu public. Of course, Krishna is also a large center of devotion to many Hindus as well, with Vaishnavism (the worship of Vishnu/Krishna and His avatars) comprising around 70% of Hindus. Q: How do you understand Brahman? How do you think one achieves liberation? A: I understand Brahman as being a personal force in the form of Sri Radha and Sri Krishna, as I’m a Gaudiya Vaishnava. I think one achieves liberation by loving God (in whatever form they wish to worship Him in… it all goes to Krishna anyway) and treating the creatures around them with respect, love, and dignity. Q: What is the role of the holy texts in your life? A: The Vedas don’t play a large role in my life, as well as the law books (such as Manu Samhita, since I view it as belonging to a different time), but books such as Srimad Bhagavata Purana, Chaitanya Charitamrita, and the Ramayana all play large roles in my meditations. Q: What is your view (or optionally the Hindu view in general) of women and their role in society, and how they should be treated? A: Since every Hindu is different, and diversity and dissent is allowed to some extent in Hinduism, I can’t answer for all Hindus. But, I personally think that if one is in the body or the body of a man, there’s no difference other than the outside. I think the rules that some temples have, such as not allowing women to enter during their menstrual cycles, should be abolished, since sanitation has become much more advanced and it no longer causes a threat to others’ health. I think that women should be treated with utmost respect, since it is women who carry on the human race. They should be viewed as incarnations of Sri Devi on earth, since they bring all prosperity and fortune to the household. Q: What defining rules or ethics do you think set Hinduism apart from other religions or cultures? A: There’s a large emphasis on ahimsa, or non-violence, which many other religions (esp. Western religions) don’t have. Other than that, I’d say that Hinduism basically shares the same core values that many other religions have. Q: What do you think of other religions, from a Hindu standpoint? A: Some religions are better for self-realization, and some aren’t. But, ultimately, they all lead to the same destination. Q: What do you think are the most important things a Hindu can do in his/her life? A: Treat all other beings equally and with mercy and center your life around your Ishta-Devata, your chosen form of God. Jai Nitai-Gauranga! Radhey Radhey!

And here’s some evidence from shastra for a dumbo like you (why does everyone keep ignoring this? Maybe you just can't read it in your blindness...)!: "Then, in the beginning of Kali-yuga, the Lord will appear as Lord Buddha, the son of Anjana, in the province of Gaya, just for the purpose of deluding those who are envious of the faithful theist." --Srimad Bhagavata Purana 1.3.28 You are really rather foolish, you know it? Well, since the Buddha abhorred violence, I’d say it was probably written for political power…as many wars ‘in the name of God’ have really just been wars for their political agendas hiding behind something powerful: "Abandoning the taking of life, the ascetic Gautama dwells refraining from taking life, without stick or sword." --Digha Nikaya 1.18 "Hatreds do not ever cease in this world by hating, but by love. This is an eternal truth... Overcome anger by love, overcome evil by good. Overcome the miser by giving. Overcome the liar by truth." --Dhammapada 1.5, 17.3 "If one should give you a blow with his hand, with a stick, or with a dagger, you should abandon all desires and utter nothing evil." --Majjhima Nikaya 21.6 Also, idiots like you should know that it is a Tantric Buddhist book, and not all Buddhists necessarily follow it's instructions (especially since Buddhists aren't bound by a specific scripture to follow). Kind of like how not every Hindu in the world follows the Tantras.

Bija Ji, I must say that I always get enjoyment from your location changes

I don't see what's wrong w/ promoting something that's clearly in the Lord's Lilas Okay. I think we've both shown our views sufficiently on this thread.

Hahaha

My sentiments exactly. If someone experiences just as much Rasa with chanting 'Mary Jesus', 'Allah-o-Akbar', or 'Om Namoh Buddha', why should they have to change to 'Hare Krishna'?

How so? What do you call a group of men asking another man to make love to them? Or do you think that the sages were asexual as well as the Gopis? I mean... what's the logic behind saying that the sages that begged Lord Rama to make love to them weren't homosexual? If they weren't homosexual they would've expressed their rasa for the Lord differently. There's certainly a difference between figurative parakiya-rasa and actually begging the Incarnate Lord to make love to you. They're both Parakiya-rasa... but one's a bit more drastic and I think it certainly implies something about the devotee's sexuality.

I'm not the one denying the overtones in the Rama-Lila story... you are. I'm not the one bound by the illusion that there's no such thing as homosexuality in Rama-Lila, when the example I picked showed that there clearly is.

I'm not the one diagnosing people with organic brain disorders! I didn't realize you had to have a degree in order to say that you're not sure if someone else w/o a degree is diagnosing a whole group of people correctly. Well, Baobabtree provided a Shastra showing that even in Vedic times people didn't just have sex to reproduce... so I think it's more up to the individual to decide

That's horrible. The critical guy sounds like a huge, money-grubbing jerk if all he cares about is getting ppl to go to an ISKCON temple over any other Gaudiya temple. I don't think that the sacred bond between Guru and disciple should ever be violated... that is, unless the Guru turns out to be a swindler of some type. But, even then it should be handled with sensitivity and grace.

I agree... the question of sexuality should be left out of the Lord's Lilas. However, I'm not the one that asked the question in the first place... I just answered it. However, I dare say that the Lila I mentioned is just as homosexual as the Rasa Lila is heterosexual... and that the holy sages (while in the body) were just as homosexual as the Gopikas (while manifesting in bodies) were heterosexual.

How about it's just their preference? We can't prove it's a defect, and most would deny it's a choice... so lets just leave it at "preference". Not wrong in the eyes of all people of faith. Give me a shastra explicitly condemning it and I will.

I'm not exactly sure what he was asking for either... so I supplied him w/ that example (since there are some rather homosexual overtones in the story).

Theist asked for an example of homosexuality in one of the Lord's lilas... I wouldn't have brought it up had he not asked. But, I do agree... desire for God is nothing even comparable to earthly desire (whether hertero- or homosexual).

Well said, Indulekha Ji. Who are we to judge if our impurities are more pure than others' impurities just b/c we consider them more 'natural'?

To diagnose if someone has an organic brain disorder? Wow... 8th grade students must have advanced a lot since when I was in 8th grade, if they are now able to diagnose brain disorders like that!

How does one perform Lakshmi Vrata?

I think this pada seems to list off nearly everything you listed (except for that She doesn't make mention of charity) : The colors of Shyama Sundara have penetrated Mira's body; all the other colors washed out. Making love with Shyama Sundara and eating little, those are my pearls and my carnelians. Meditation beads and the forehead streak, those are my scarves and my rings. That's enough feminine wiles for me. My teacher taught me this. Approve me or disapprove me: I praise Govardhan, the Mountain Holder, night and day. I take the path that ecstatic human beings have taken for centuries. I don't steal money, I don't hit anyone. What will you charge me with? I have felt the swaying of the elephant's shoulders; and now you want me to climb on a jackass? Try to be serious. --Mira Bai

So... where'd you get your degree in psychology? Or, are you a neuro-surgeon?

Jai Go-Mata!

Thank you I'm glad that you are able to see God everywhere... I wish I could only be so open.

And there are other scientists that say that there's no difference (organically) between a homosexual's brain and a heterosexual's brain. Well, if having sex for pleasure alone means that someone has a brain disfunction or a disability, then there must be a huge difference organically between the brains of a couple who use birth control and a couple who don't. Or, if we want to take it even farther, a couple that wish to have children and a couple that don't.

I think that all lactic acid is derived from the built up fluid in the animals muscles.

Oh please. Once again, many Hindus still practice animal sacrifice today based on their ideas of Vedic sacrifice... but I suppose the Kalighat Temple is also a lie of the white man... right? And in many western countries Hindus eat meat every day of their lives... even cow meat. Does that mean that Krishna wants His followers to do that? No. Does that mean that people who self-identify as Hindu still do it? Yes. Well, the difference is that the names 'Jesus' or 'Muhammad' aren't specifically mentioned in shastra. The city of Nazareth or the country of Saudi Arabia aren't mentioned in shastra. The missions of Jesus and Muhammad aren't mentioned in shastra. On the other hand, the name of the Buddha is, His mission is described, and it is stated when and where He would be born... all in shastra. You're really thick, you know that? So, here we go again: "Then, in the beginning of Kali-yuga, the Lord will appear as Lord Buddha, the son of Anjana, in the province of Gaya, just for the purpose of deluding those who are envious of the faithful theist." --Srimad Bhagavata Purana 1.3.28 How much more evidence from Shastra do you need? I didn’t realize we could now pick and choose which one of the Lord’s Maha Das Avatara were real avatars and which ones weren’t. I suppose next you're going to say that Lord Narasimha Deva wasn't a real avatar b/c you wonder about His 'practice of ahimsa', or that Lord Krishna wasn't a real avatar b/c you wonder about His practice of brahmacharya. Many Hindus believe that Lord Rama wasn't a vegetarian w/o basis. Does that mean that Lord Rama isn't an avatar either? And that we should hold it against Him when His 'followers' say, "Lord Rama wasn't a vegetarian so it's okay to eat meat."? Once again, many Hindus don't practice Ahimsa to it's fullest extent as well. We shouldn't always blame a religion's god, prophet, or founder for what their followers do. Especially in the Kali Yuga, when all things become corrupted.