ancient_paztriot

Doctors Puzzled by Man's Shrinking Brain By TRAVIS REED BOUNTIFUL, Utah (AP) - David Mitchell is changing in a way that is ruining his life and confounding doctors. He's starting to lose his balance and peripheral vision. The 50-year-old has very little short-term memory, and the formerly glib salesman now struggles to remember and pronounce words like ``raspberry'' in simple conversation. And the headaches are so severe, he doesn't want to get out of bed. It's because the left side - and only the left side - of his brain is shrinking, and has been for about 10 years. ``Every once in awhile, I realize, 'Gee, I can't do that anymore,''' Mitchell said. Doctors do not have a clue why this is happening, and say normally suspect causes - like multiple sclerosis or Alzheimer's disease - are not at play here because they would equally shrink both sides of the brain. But in Mitchell's case, the left side of his brain is 10 percent smaller than the right. ``That's very, very uncommon,'' Dr. Juan Troncoso, associate professor of pathology and neurology at Baltimore's Johns Hopkins University, said of Mitchell's condition. ``There are cases described of degenerative diseases that are dominant on one side of the brain. But then, over 10 years of progression, you'd expect the other side to have some kind of abnormality.'' Mitchell is scheduled to have a brain biopsy at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., later this month, a procedure that could be fatal. Even though there is no guarantee it will uncover the cause of his shrinking brain, both Mitchell and his wife, Cynthia, said he has to try. ``I just don't want to sit there and not do anything,'' he says. Mitchell's rare case has been featured at medical symposiums, but still hasn't produced a diagnosis. He's seen about 15 neurologists, who have performed a battery of tests but found no answers. ``It was puzzling to the physicians,'' said Dr. Patrice Duvernay, a neurologist for Intermountain Health Care in Salt Lake City who has treated Mitchell. Duvernay said the left side of his brain will continue to slowly shrink until doctors find a solution. The shrinkage is only visible by looking at an MRI or CT scan, but what's going on inside his skull has taken a big toll on Mitchell's quality of life. He can watch a movie a hundred times and still not remember how it ends. His wife can tell him to be ready in a half an hour to visit a friend's house, and within 15 minutes he will have no idea why she's disappointed that he's not dressed. The condition has completely changed Mitchell's personality. He now sleeps 12-14 hours a day, and said before he never slept more than six. Sleeping and staying in bed about two days a week, he says, is one of the only ways to escape the constant headaches. A cabinet full of pain medication doesn't help. Cynthia has seen her husband transform from a runner and hiker to a shy shut-in. ``It's hard, because David used to be such a vibrant extrovert,'' said Cynthia, who knows when her husband is having a bad day because there is a bulging vein in his forehead. Mitchell also no longer enjoys socializing, because it frustrates him to probe for words while others wait. ``It's too hard to do it,'' Mitchell says. ``I'm a lot quieter with people I don't know that well.'' Another problem facing the couple is that they no longer have medical insurance. They say they were dropped after missing a recent payment. Cynthia Mitchell estimated they will have racked up about $100,000 in bills by the time he has the biopsy. Neither a fund-raiser nor an account set up at a local bank has brought in much relief. Despite worries over money and health, the Mitchells remain amazingly upbeat. They have learned to laugh when David Mitchell forgets things, like how to tell the difference between a club and a spade on playing cards (he has to be reminded that spades don't have the ``things sticking out''). ``We laugh. We have to, or we'd cry,'' Cynthia Mitchell says.

That's just what I was looking for. Thanks. This is interesting… pleased with the service and surrender of Sri Isvara Puri, Madhavendra Puri blessed him to attain divine Krishna prema. On the strength of this benediction he would later be glorified by having Caitanya Mahaprabhu as his disciple. Dig this… Krishna accepts the mood in which things are offered as the most substantial part of the offering. Now this requires gravity… In this way Caitanya Mahaprabhu demonstrated that no matter how learned a disciple is, he will always be a "fool number one" in front of his spiritual master. and this… Service to the guru is the door to devotion.

Isvara Puri was Lord Caitanya's spiritual master. Wow! Anyone have a bio or something interesting to post about him? Anyone know his spiritual identity?

You can't wake a man pretending to sleep. You can't fake devotion to one who has it. You can't teach others what you don't know. You can't base a philosophy on "I can't." Some of these people are busy digging holes for "the faithful" to fall in… But "we see… them" making the holes! /images/graemlins/smile.gif Pigs (Three Different Ones) Big man, pig man, ha ha charade you are. You well heeled big wheel, ha ha charade you are. And when your hand is on your heart, You're nearly a good laugh, Almost a joker, With your head down in the pig bin, Saying "Keep on digging." Pig stain on your fat chin. What do you hope to find. When you're down in the pig mine. You're nearly a laugh, You're nearly a laugh But you're really a cry. Bus stop rat bag, ha ha charade you are. You . up old hag, ha ha charade you are. You radiate cold shafts of broken glass. You're nearly a good laugh, Almost worth a quick grin. You like the feel of steel, You're hot stuff with a hatpin, And good fun with a hand gun. You're nearly a laugh, You're nearly a laugh But you're really a cry. Hey you, Whitehouse, Ha ha charade you are. You house proud town mouse, Ha ha charade you are You're trying to keep our feelings off the street. You're nearly a real treat, All tight lips and cold feet And do you feel abused? .....! .....! .....! .....! You gotta stem the evil tide, And keep it all on the inside. Mary you're nearly a treat, Mary you're nearly a treat But you're really a cry. – Pink Floyd

one of many such stories. How the evil thrive in ignorance… for awhile… (since reincarnation is a given) probably much longer and deeper than they had planned. Just ask The Cat. (They can't all be as lucky as Hiranyakasipu).

From Consciousness: The Missing Link… Dr. Benford: You seem to place emphasis on what knowledge does for you. What about the sheer joy of discovering how nature works? For example, now we think that we understand matter like this [he indicates the grass on which they are sitting]. We think that we know from experiments, theory, and analysis that it is made up of particles that we cannot see, and we can analyze the properties of it through experiment. We know that it is made up of molecules. We understand some of the forces that hold it together, and this is the first time we knew this. We didn't know it before. Srila Prabhupada: But what is the benefit? Although you know every particle of this grass, what benefit is derived out of it? The grass is growing. It will grow with or without your knowledge. You may know it or not know it, but it will not make any difference. Anything you like you may study from a material, analytical point of view. Any nonsense thing you take you can study and study and compile a voluminous book. But what will be the use of it? Dr. Benford: I seem to view the world as- Srila Prabhupada: Suppose I take this grass. I can write volumes of books-when it came into existence, when it died, what are the fibers, what are the molecules. In so many ways I can describe this insignificant foliage. But what is the use of it? Dr. Benford: If it has no use, why did God put it there? Isn't it worthwhile studying? Srila Prabhupada: Our point is that you would rather study the insignificant grass than the God who has created everything. If you could understand Him, automatically you would study the grass. But you want to separate His grass from Him, to study it separately. In this way you can compile volumes and volumes on the subject, but why waste your intelligence in that way? The branch of a tree is beautiful as long as it is attached to the main trunk, but as soon as you cut it off it will dry up. Therefore, what is the use of studying the dried-up branch? It is a waste of intelligence. Dr. Benford: But why is it a waste? Srila Prabhupada: Certainly it is a waste, because the result is not useful. Dr. Benford: Well, what is useful? Srila Prabhupada: It is useful to know yourself, what you are. Dr. Benford: Why is knowledge of myself better than knowledge of a plant? Srila Prabhupada: If you understand what you are, then you understand other things. That is called Atma-tattva, atma-jnana, self-knowledge. That is important. I am a spirit soul, and I am passing through so many species of life. But what is my position? I don't wish to die, because I am afraid to change bodies. Therefore, I am afraid of death. This question should be raised first: I don't want unhappiness, but unhappiness comes. I don't want death, but death comes. I don't want disease, but disease comes. I don't want to become an old man, but it comes anyway. What is the reason that these things are coming by force, despite my desires to the contrary? If I am forced, what is that force and why am I under this force? Who is enforcing these things? These things I do not know, but these are the real problems. I don't want excessive heat, but there is excessive heat. I have to take shelter of electric technology-a refrigerator, a cooler. Why? Who is enforcing these things? Why are they being enforced? I don't want this heat; what have I done? These are real questions, not just the study of foliage and writing volumes of books. That is a waste of energy. Study yourself: You don't want suffering, but why is it forced upon you? Who is enforcing? Why am I forced? These things you do not know. Dr. Benford: Is it worthwhile, then, to try to stop excessive heat, say, or disease? Srila Prabhupada: You may want to stop the heat, but you cannot. Your scientific knowledge is not so perfect that you can stop the heat. Therefore, somebody is enforcing this. This is the right subject matter for thinking: Why am I being forced? Who is the enforcer? I don't want this heat, therefore I shall make an air conditioner. But this is only a temporary arrangement. You are scientifically advanced enough to manufacture nice medicine, so why can't you stop disease? Dr. Benford: We don't understand it well enough. Srila Prabhupada: Therefore you are a fool. As soon as you don't understand, you are a fool.

Think you know who you are? Get a scientific perspective… http://channels.netscape.com/ns/atplay/dogbreedtest.jsp?floc=ap-main-1-L1

Conspiracy? noun, ies. 1. The act of conspiring; secret planning to do something wrong, especially a wrong against a government, public personage, etc. 2. a combination of persons for an evil or unlawful purpose; plot. 3. An agreement by two or more persons to act unlawfully. I think this pretty much sums up our business in this world. There is little else: We conspire against Krsna, we conspire against each other, we conspire against ourselves. Conditioned life means you/we are conspirators. It takes two to conspire? I don't think so. How about what you do for that paycheck? Is that a conspiracy? "Hey! I'm just doing what I'm told! It's my job. [subconsciously: (You smuck!)]" /images/graemlins/frown.gif Nor does the so-called preaching of many participants here have any benefit… little more than doubts and delusions. Shameless repetition. "I don't care" is Govindaram's ad… like he thinks that's a preaching basis. I save myself the trouble and don't read these folks. This technique will have to be learned to deal with them later when there are more people seeking inquiry here. I probably don't know what I'm talking about. I guess the moderators can prove me wrong. Anyway, I know I can't get sucked in now. Think "conspiracy". I'm not missing that TV. /images/graemlins/smile.gif (I'm a conspirator for saying that). Fixing A Hole I'm fixing a hole where the rain gets in And stops my mind from wandering Where it will go I'm filling the cracks that ran through the door And kept my mind from wandering Where it will go And it really doesn't matter if I'm wrong I'm right Where I belong I'm right Where I belong. See the people standing there who disagree and never win And wonder why they don't get in my door I'm painting my room in the colourful way And when my mind is wandering There I will go And it really doesn't matter if I'm wrong I'm right Where I belong I'm right Where I belong. Silly people run around they worry me And never ask me why they don't get past my door I'm taking the time for a number of things That weren't important yesterday And I still go I'm fixing a hole where the rain gets in And stops my mind from wandering Where it will go – Beatles

"Facts cannot be interpreted." This person doesn't seem to be aware of much. The American legal system; dispurte the facts and the interpretation of evidence over the facts… 2 experts give opposiing views over same evidence. And marketing mullah. I read a history book when I want real fiction. Are you a terrorist because your government says so? Can you prove this is the real world and not a dream? What are the facts?

Prabhupada from Dialectic Spiritualism..... Krsna has three varieties of energy.” (Caitanya-caritamrta, Madh. 20.108-109) By his constitutional position, the living entity is the eternal servant of Krsna. In the Vaikuntha planets, cooperation is voluntary, and here in this material world, cooperation is forced. In the material world, we are serving maya, working under her force. We can avoid that force only by voluntarily cooperating with Krsna. daivi hy esa guna-mayi mama maya duratyaya mam eva ye prapadyante mayam etam taranti te “This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it.” (Bg. 7.14) Automatic cooperation is bhakti, and forced cooperation is karma. These may appear to be the same, but they are not. The karmi may be typing, and the bhakta may be typing, but the karmi is typing under the force of maya, to earn money for sense gratification, and the bhakta is typing for the glorification of Krsna. The activity is the same, but the consciousness is different. .............................................. another place....... In Bengali, this is called maya-tattva. It is a bug's business to suck the blood of others. In the winter,the bug dries up, but as soon as summer comes, he immediately starts sucking again. In the material world, the mentality is to exploit others and become fat like a bug. Whether you are a Communist in the winter, or a capitalist in the summer, your tendencies are the same. As soon as you have an opportunity, you will become fat by extracting the blood of others. Unless there is a change in heart, this cannot be stopped.

Krsna is The Cat. His name was Nrsimhadeva. He loves to play 'fate' with these demons. Everyone thought Hiranyakasipu was indestructable… And he had alot more going for him than the modern clowns who interface with some expensive machine you don't have and think their supermen.

SB 12.1.36 At that time the brahmanas of such provinces as Saurastra, Avanti, Äbhira, Sura, Arbuda and Malava will forget all their regulative principles, and the members of the royal order in these places will become no better than sudras. SB 12.1.37 The land along the Sindhu River, as well as the districts of Candrabhaga, Kaunti and Kasmira, will be ruled by sudras, fallen brahmanas and meat-eaters. Having given up the path of Vedic civilization, they will have lost all spiritual strength. SB 12.1.38 There will be many such uncivilized kings ruling at the same time, O King Pariksit, and they will all be uncharitable, possessed of fierce tempers, and great devotees of irreligion and falsity. SB 12.1.39-40 These barbarians in the guise of kings will devour the citizenry, murdering innocent women, children, cows and brahmanas and coveting the wives and property of other men. They will be erratic in their moods, have little strength of character and be very short-lived. Indeed, not purified by any Vedic rituals and lacking in the practice of regulative principles, they will be completely covered by the modes of passion and ignorance. PURPORT These verses give a concise, accurate description of the fallen leaders of this age. SB 12.1.41 The citizens governed by these low-class kings will imitate the character, behavior and speech of their rulers. Harassed by their leaders and by each other, they will all suffer ruination. PURPORT At the end of the Ninth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam, it is stated that Ripunjaya, or Puranjaya, the first king mentioned in this chapter, ended his rule about one thousand years after the time of Lord Krsna. Since Lord Krsna appeared approximately five thousand years ago, Puranjaya must have appeared about four thousand years ago. That would mean that Visvasphurji, the last king mentioned, would have appeared approximately in the twelfth century of the Christian era. Modern Western scholars have made the false accusation that Indian religious literature has no sense of chronological history. But the elaborate historical chronology described in this chapter certainly refutes that naive assessment. Thus end the purports of the humble servants of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada to the Twelfth Canto, First Chapter, of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, entitled “The Degraded Dynasties of Kali-yuga.”

Sounds like the criterion materialists have for God… and us.

It is a matter of power, but within that postion… they have access to you but not you to them. No wonder most conspiracies fizzle out. But that power? Yeah. They can kill a story with a phone call. Or they can hire a bunch of trolls to cry, "Judas!"

How do you educate an insect about 'our' activities? So we are all insects crawling on the Absolute. We speak much the same language. A liberated spiritual master is what guest(s) need. But that's not likely to happen on this forum. I think they should read Prabhupada's books and they'll know what we know. If they still don't have the devotion? Well, some things you just have to do for yourself. Anyway, the volumes of literature they can read are considered unlimited. It's too much for us to understand in this lifetime. AND compared to what else is available, it's full of rich detail. It's enough to carry you away.

Came across this verse working just now… I'm having new appreciation for it. It is VERY trippy. .............................. “O Arjuna, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, I know everything that has happened in the past, all that is happening in the present, and all things that are yet to come. I also know all living entities; but Me no one knows.” (Bg. 7.26)

That happens sometimes when I don't read the posts. Crazy eh? I'm very careful I don't waste my time bickering with 'em. Not reading many posts achieves just that.

I didn't tell the admins that I have been posting alot of DS as relief from the more devious posts. I don't consider them my posts so they shouldn't be counted as such (lol). But I'm at the end of the book anyway. /images/graemlins/smile.gif I don't have enough praise for that Dialectic Spiritualism volume. And so packed with knowledge.

I agree. But I didn't want to repeat that. I'll just drop 'em. You should probably just delete them all. Most of them are under Dialectic Spiritualism threads. I reminded to ask, what is the time limit on editing post(s)? My time seems really short.

Just bump em off then. I'm sure whoever is gonna read 'em has done so. I'm on the last chapter in Dialectic Spiritualism. 'bout to finnish a major hurtle. I won't be posting them then. Last DS post maybe within the hour! I have many faults. One of them is pushing Prabhupada "too much".

Syamasundara dasa: Jung sees the mind as being composed of a balance of the conscious and the unconscious, or subconscious. It is the function of the personality to integrate these. For instance, if one has a strong sex drive, he can sublimate or channel that drive into creative art or religious activity. Srila Prabhupada: That is our process. The sex impulse is natural for everyone in the material world. If we think of Krsna embracing Radharani, or dancing with the gopis, our material sex impulse is sublimated and weakened. If we hear about the pastimes of Krsna and the gopis from the right source, lusty desire within the heart will be suppressed, and we will be able to develop devotional service. What we must understand is that Krsna is the only purusa, enjoyer. If we help Him in His enjoyment, we also receive enjoyment. We are predominated, and He is the predominator. On the material platform, if a husband wants to enljoy his wife, the wife must voluntarily help him in that enjoyment. by helping him, the wife also becomes an enjoyer. The predominator, the enjoyer, is Krsna, and the predominated, the enjoyed, are the living entities. Actually, both enjoy, but one enjoys as the predominated, and the other as the predominator. When the predominated helps the predominator, that is the perfection of enjoyment. We must admit that sex desire is present in everyone, both male and female, and from an impartial point of view, it appears that the male is the enjoyer and the female the enjoyed, but if the female agrees to be enjoyed, she naturally becomes the enjoyer. All living entities are described as prakrti, female. Krsna is purusa, male. When the living entities agree to help Krsna’s sex desire, they become enjoyers. Syamasundara dasa: What is meant by Krsna’s sex desire? Srila Prabhupada: You might more correctly say “sense enjoyment.” Krsna is the supreme proprietor of the senses, and when we help Krsna in His sense enjoyment, we also naturally partake of it. The sweet rasagulla is to be enjoyed, and therefore the hand takes it and puts it into the mouth so that it can be tasted and go to the stomach. It is not that the hand tries to enjoy it directly. Krsna is the only direct enjoyer; all others are indirect enjoyers. by satisfying Krsna, we also satisfy others. We cannot possibly satisfy others directly. For instance, when a wife sees her husband eating and enjoying himself, she becomes happy. Upon seeing the predominator happy, the predominated becomes happy. Syamasundara dasa: In the individual, should the unconscious state be predominated by the conscious? Srila Prabhupada: that is being done. Unconscious or subconscious states sometimes emerge; we are not always aware of them. but consciousness is always there. Actually, the word “unconscious” is not a good word because it implies a lack of consciousness. “Subconscious” is a better word. Syamasundara dasa: Psychologists say that the unconscious or subconscious often acts through the conscious, but that we do not know it. Srila Prabhupada: Yes, that is what I am saying. The subconscious is there, but it is not always manifest. Sometimes it is suddenly manifest, just as a bubble will suddenly emerge in a pond. The energy was there within all the time, but suddenly it comes out, just like a bubble popping to the surface of the water. You may not be able to understand why it emerges, but it is assumed that it was in the subconscious state and then suddenly manifests. That subconscious state does not necessarily have any connection with our present consciousness. It is like a stored impression, a shadow, or a photograph. The mind takes many snapshots, and they are stored. Syamasundara dasa: Does the subconscious mind think like the conscious mind? Srila Prabhupada: No, but the impressions are there and they may suddenly come to the surface. Syamasundara dasa: For Jung, there are two types of subconscious states. One is the personal unconscious, consisting of those personal items stored from our individual childhood, a repressed history of stored impressions that can be aroused to consciousness in dreams and through psychoanalysis. the second is what Jung calls the collective unconscious, consisting of the collective experience of the race, archetypal images passed on from generation to generation, and common to men all over the globe. Srila Prabhupada: Yes, we might even call that tradition. Of course, we emphasize parampara, which is different. Parampara means receiving proper knowledge from the Supreme. this is not something archetypal. Archetypes may change, but the knowledge received from Krsna is different. Spiritual knowledge imparted in Bhagavad-gita is not knowledge coming from tradition. Rather, we learn it from a great authority like Krsna. Hayagriva dasa: Jung could see that the soul is always longing for light, and he wrote of the urge within the soul to rise out of primal darkness, making note of the pent-up feelings in the eyes of primitive people, and even a certain sadness in the eyes of animals, “a poignant message which speaks to us out of that existence.” Srila Prabhupada: Yes, every living entity, including man, is constitutionally a servant. Therefore everyone is seeking some master, and that is our natural propensity. You can often see a puppy attempt to take shelter of some boy or man, and that is his natural tendency. He is saying, “Give me shelter. Keep me as your friend.” A child or a man also wants some shelter in order to be happy. that is our constitutional position. When we attain the human form, when our consciousness is developed, we should take Krsna as our shelter and our leader. In Bhagavad-gita, Krsna tells us that if we want shelter and guidance, we should take Him. “Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender to Me.” (Bg. 18.66) This is the ultimate instruction of Bhagavad-gita. Syamasundara dasa: Jung would say that our understanding of Krsna as the Supreme Father and the cause of all causes is an archetypal understanding that is shared by all humans. People may represent Him in different ways, but the archetype is the same. Srila Prabhupada: Yes, it is exactly the same. Krsna, or God, is the Supreme Father. A father has many sons, and all men are son of God, born of their father. This is an experience common to everyone at all times. Syamasundara dasa: There are certain common archetypes in the dream life of all men, and even similar symbols found among the Incas of South America, or the Vaisnavas of India, or inhabitants of the Pacific Islands. Could this be due to a common ancestry in the original Vedic culture? Srila Prabhupada: Vedic culture or no Vedic culture, there are many similarities experiencd in human existence. Becasue we are all living beings, the similarities are there. Every living being eats, sleeps, mates, fears, and dies. These are experiences common to everyone; therefore there must be similarities in representations, or whatever. Syamasundara dasa: Jung believes that the unconscious sometimes energes in the form of a superiority or inferiority complex, by which we react in inhibited or arrogant fashions. Srila Prabhupada: What are we, inferior or superior? In Krsna consciousness, we consider ourselves servants of God. We are not guided by impulses or complexes; we are guided directly by the superior. Syamasundara dasa: Jung states that there are two basic attitudes; extrovertive and introvertive. Srila Prabhupada: The introvert is called a muni becasue he is introspective. The extrovert is generally guided by rajas, the mode of passion. Syamasundara dasa: The personality and behavior of a living entitiy are determined by the interaction between the unconscious and the conscious mind. Srila Prabhupada: Full consciousness in Sanskrit is called jagaranam. Dreaming is called svapnah, and susuptih refers to no consciousness, as in an anesthetized state. Syamasundara dasa: Jung would call the dreaming state the unconscious also. The contents of the unconscious spill over into the conscious mind during dreams. Srila Prabhupada: I do not like the word “unconscious” because it implies lack of consciousness. In such a state, you can be cut open and not even know it. However, when you sleep or dream, a mere pinch will awake you. As I said before, “subconscious” is a better word. Syamasundara dasa: Both Jung and Freud used the world “unconscious” to refer to the subconscious mind that determines our personality. Srila Prabhupada: When the living entity is in the womb of the mother, he is unconscious. Death means remaining unconscious for seven or nine months. the living entity does not die; he simply remains unconscious for that duration. that is called susuptih. When you have an operation, an anesthetic is administered, and you are unconscious for a period. When the anesthetic wears off, you emerge into the dream state. That dream state is actually a state of consciousness. When you dream, the mind works. Syamasundara dasa: Jung believes that if we don’t awaken to the many unconscious factors governing our personality, we will remain slaves to our unconscious life. The point of psychoanalysis is to reveal them to us and enable us to face them. Srila Prabhupada: That is what we are teaching.We say that presently the soul is in an unconscious stae, and we are telling the soul, “Please wake up! You are not this body!” It is possible to awaken the human being, but other living entities cannot be awakened. A tree, for instance, has consciousness, but he is so packed in matter that you cannot raise him to Krsna consciousness. Jagadish Candra Bose proved that a tree feels pain when it is cut, although this pain is very slightly manifest. A hman being, on the other hand, has developed consciousness, which is manifest in different stages. Lower life forms are more or less in a dream state, or unconscious.

Syamasundara dasa: For Freud, the unconscious process, the id, was invariably animalistic and lawless, whereas for Jung, these unconscious energies were potentially sources of positive creative activity. Srila Prabhupada: The subconscious state is covered by our present consciousness, and it can also be covered by Krsna consciousness. In that case, the subconscious states will no longer be able to react. For instace, the subconscious sex drive is there, but because Yamunacarya was in Krsna consciousness, he could overcome it. the subconscious experiences, which have been gathering for life after life, which are stored, as it were, will not be able to overcome the individual if he is fully Krsna conscious.

Hayagriva dasa: Jung gave the following criticism of Sigmund Freud: “Sexuality evidently meant more to Freud than to other people. For him it was something to be religiously observed… One thing was clear; Freud, who had always made much of his irreligiosity, had now contructed a dogma, or rather, in the place of a jealous God whom he had lost, he had substituted another compelling image, that of sexuality.” Srila Prabhupada: Yes, that is a fact. He has taken sexuality to be God. It is our natural tendency to accept a leader, and Freud abandoned the leadership of God and took up the leadership of sex. In any case, we must have leadership. That is our position. In Russia, I pointed out that there is no dfference in our philosophic processes. However, whereas they accept Lenin as their leader, we accept Krsna. It is the nature of human beings to accept a leader. It is unfortunate that Freud lost God’s leadership and took up instead the leadership of sex. Hayagriva dasa: Jung concluded: “Freud never asked himself why he was compelled to talk continually of sex, why this idea had taken such possession of him. He remained unaware that his ‘monotony of interpretation’ expressed a flight from himself, or from that other side of him which might perhaps be called mystical. so long as he refused to acknowledge that side, he could never be reconciled with himself.” Srila Prabhupada: Yes, that was because he was accepting the leadership of sexuality. If we accept the leadership of Krsna, our life becomes perfect. All other leadership is maya’s leadership. There is no doubt that we have to accept a leader, and therefore he was constantly speaking about sex. Those who have taken God as their leader will speak only of God, nothing else. Jivera ‘svarupa’ haya——krsnera ‘nitya-dasa’ (Caitanya-caritamrta, Madh. 20.108). According to Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s philosophy, we are all eternal servants of God, but as soon as we give up God’s service, we have to accept the service of maya.

Hayagriva dasa: Freud admits that without religion man will “find himself in a difficult situation. He will have to confess his utter helplessness and his insignificant part in the working of the universe.” Yet he goes on to say that without religion, man will venture at last into the hostile world, and this venture is his “education to reality.” Srila Prabhupada: And what service has Mr. Freud rendered? He has misled the world and mad it more difficult for people to accept the words of God. Men who are innocent accept the words of God, but now many have become “over intelligent,” and they think that sex is God. It will take some time to counteract this type of mentality, but man must eventually learn that his happiness is found in understanding and accepting the way of life defined by God Himself. Hayagriva dasa: Christ pointed out that unless one bcomes as a little child, he shall not enter into the kingdom of God, but Freud advocates “growing up” and setting this illsuion aside. Srila Prabhupada: He may advocate so many things, but if he does not know the meaning of God, or God’s nature, what is the value of his knowledge? According to the Vedic philosophy, we should receive knowledge from a person who knows God. If one has not known God, his knowledge is useless, or, even worse, misleading. It is a fact that there is a supreme controller, and real education means understanding how the supreme controller is working. Denying Him is useless. He is there beyond our control, and we cannot avoid His control. We may make plans to live here very happily, but today or tomorrow, we may die. How can we deny the fact that we are being controlled? Knowledge means understanding how the supreme controller is controlling. People who defy religion and deny the existence of a supreme controller are like the jackal that keeps jumping and jumping, trying to reach grapes on a high vine. After seeing that he cannot reach the grapes, he says to himself, “Oh, there is no need to reach them. They are sour anyway.” People who say that we do not need to understand God are indulging in sourgrape philosophy.

Hayagriva dasa: Marx called religion “the opiate of the people,” and Freud similarly says that “the consolations of religion may be compared to that of a narcotic.” Srila Prabhupada: As I have said before, neither Marx nor Freud know what religion is, and that is their difficulty. First, they have to learn what religion is before they can discuss it intelligently. Hayagriva dasa: Freud writes: “The believer will not let his faith be taken from him neither by arguments nor by prohibitions. And even if it did succeed with some, it would be a cruel thing to do. A man who has for decades taken a sedative is naturally unable to sleep if he is deprived of it… ” Srila Prabhupada: It is also cruel to mislead people by telling them that God the Father is simply an infantile conception. That is real cruelty. It is cruel to stress sex and death and eny the conception of God as the Supreme Father. Hayagriva dasa: Freud would not think that it is cruelty to disenchant man with an illusion. He writes: “I disagree with you when you go on to argue that man cannot in general do without the consolation of the religious illusion, that without it he would not endure the troubles of life, the cruelty of reality.” Srila Prabhupada: Without a spiritual education, man remains an animal. A man’s life should be more than merely eating, sleeping, mating, defending, and dying. Man should stive to advance in spiritual knowledge. Spiritual education means understanding God. Freud may deny the existence of God, but in any case the conception of God is there in human society. One may accept or reject different conceptions of god, but the fact is undeniable that in every civilized country, there is some form of religion. One may be Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, or Muslem: the designation is not very important. Understanding God is the important factor, because that ultimate understanding is Vedanta, the ultimate conclusion of all knowledge. Athato brahma-jijæasa (Vedanta-sutra). Now, in this human form, is the time to inquire, “What is Brahman?” Brahman, the Absolute Truth, is the goal of real knowledge. Man does not have to be educated to understand sex. According to a Bengali proverb, you do not have to be taught how to cry, and when there is the impulse to enjoy sex, you enjoy it automatically. This doesn’t require the help of an educator like Mr. Freud. Everyone, animals and human beings, knows how to enjoy sex. There is no question of a “sex philosoophy.” Philsophy means inquiring into the Absolute Truth, Brahman, the supreme controller, He from whom everything has emanated. Philosophy is concerned with understanding where things come from. We may inquire into the origin of life on earth, and conclude that life comes from water, eath, or fire. Then, where do earth, water, and fire come from? He who is the source of everything is the Absolute Truth. In Bhagavad-gita, Lord Krsna says: aham sarvasya prabhavo mattah sarvam pravartate iti matva bhajante mam budha bhava-samanvitah “I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who perfectly know this engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts.” (Bg. 10.8) You become a devotee of Krsna when you perfectly understand that Krsna is the ultimate source. This knowledge comes after many lifetimes of searching and searching. bahunam janmanam ante jæanavan mam prapadyate vasudevah sarvam iti sa mahatma su-durlabhah “After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare.” (Bg. 7.19) After understanding that Vyasadev, Krsna, is everything, the mahatma, the great soul, begins his bhajana, his worship. mahatmanas tu mam partha daivim prakrtim asritah bhajanty ananya-manaso jæatva bhutadim avyayam “O son of Prtha, those who are not deluded, the great souls, are under the protection of the divine nature. They are fully engaged in devotional service because they know Me as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, original and inexhaustible.” (Bg. 9.13)