AGTSP

the greastest "tool" devotees have in preaching is the MAHA-MANTRA itself. unless one is properly qualified to preach, inaccuracies may occur in context...but we need no understanding of the language of the maha-mantra to chant and sing the glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Of course once someones hears the mantra they might become inquistive as to what it is, what it means...then this opens the door for further explaniation. Remember people can't walk into Harvard and ask for a diplomia, no, they must attend years of schooling, excel at their grades, apply then commit themselves to vigorious studies to achieve this goal. Self-realization is the same way, you can't understand the nectar right away, you have to start off slow from the beginning and advance from there... and the MAHA-MANTRA is the most beneficial way to start on the path of self realization.

we can understand that things like this are a part of something bigger. just like the hand, it is a part of the body it has meaning it has identification with the body - it gives food to the mouth, the mouth passes to the stomach, the stomach digests and passes to the bloodstream, giving back energy to the hand. now cut the hand off, it will become so dried and whitered that it's unidentifiable and has no meaning. in this way we can see the correlation of all small things and how it relates to a bigger picture.

yes after viewing THE MEATRIX you have to view THE KARMA GHOST cartoon ! http://billyblob.com/cartoons/karma-ghost/index.html

for those interested there is also a movie almost exactly based on the discussion here.. simply titled: PI while attempting to decode the numerical pattern within the ultimate system of chaos-the stock market, a brilliant numerologist becomes pursed by a Kaballah sect intent on unlocking the secrets behind their ancient holy texts. this movie won awards at the sundance film festival a few years ago.

someone who has dedicated their life to teaching and leading by example is available for us all to learn and follow from...Srila Prabhupada... www.asitis.com as for daily communication I'm sure there are many sincere individuals offering service

depending on how long the severity of depression and loneliness you experience there are different approaches to overcome those feelings. temporary feelings of loneliness and depression can be triggered by chemical reactions within our brain and and easy sure fire way to combat it is through regular exercise. exercise stimulates endorphines within our brain which control our mood and energy levels...plus getting out exercising you have the chance to meet others which could help your feeling of loneliness. long term feelings of loneliness and depression could be factors of negative experiences you have gone through in your life which havent been resolved. first you must fiqure out how often and how severe the bouts of depression and loneliness are and decide what approach you need to take to gain back control of your life.

sincerity should be the focal point of chanting, everything else will fall into place eventually by His arrangement. chant, chant, chant...if you feel you must bathe first... then bathe (while chanting /images/graemlins/wink.gif of course) "devotional service is dependent on nothing other than the sentiment or desire for such service...sincerity."

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This awakening Sri Caitanya taught could be attained by sankirtana, chanting the Holy names of the Lord, this Hare Krishna mantra.

due to my employment schedule I usually get 6 hours sleep nightly...work until midnight...bed at 2am...arise at 8...(no nap times during the day)...wash, rinse, repeat (meaning start the cycle all over again). as with anything once you get on a schedule your mind and your body can adjust...plus for me this gives me more awake time to remember the sweet image of Krishna playing !

a few years ago I was a nationally ranked swimmer here within the United States...unfortunately it was before I came upon the Krishna Consciousness movement. as with any activity one has to ask "on my way to disease, old age and death and another birth of an undetermined nature, how does this activity best suit to serve God?" therefor if you want to draw the parallel that you need a strong and acitive mind up through your "golden years" then playing chess could be utilized to keep a mind fit and active, which then gives a better capacity to serve Krishna.

it is due to conditioning that those who consume meat keep up the practice and think that they "cannot survive" without meat products. "protein" is basically slang for "amino acids" of which there are 22 known amino acids - 14 are nonessential(our body produces) and 8 essential(must get from outside sources). Of these 8 essential amino acids...vegetables, grains and dairy are VERY sufficent at meeting our daily requirements. now ponder this... the beautiful cow also consumes vegetables, grains and dairy. when humans consume the cow they acquire the amino acids which the cow consumed in the form of vegetables, grains and dairy along with the cows natural amino acids. it's plain to see that the consumption of animals acquires extra amino acids which our bodies already produce (and we dont need the extra)and the useable amino acids humans get in the form of animal flesh can easily be substituted by directly eating the vegetables, grains and dairy and not the unneccessary slaughter of animals for our food.

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

The definition of a pure devotee can be summarized thus: Ones service is favorable and is always in relation to Krsna. One must be freed from all material desires and philosophical speculation. (Any desire except for the service of the Lord is called material desire and "philosophical speculation" refers to speculation which ultimates arrives at impersonalism.) The ultimate end of philosophical speculation must be Krsna, with the understanding that Krsna is everything, the cause of all causes, and that one should therefor surrender unto Him.