Gauracandra

Excerpted from 'Audarya Fellowship': Haribol. Gauracandra

Guys, Don't take this too seriously. To me the only problem is if the editing is done in a dishonest way. Like if you were to put in your list "Audarya Fellowship", and then follow up and say "Hey, I won, I'm glad you liked my suggestion" I think we all are mature and won't stoop to those levels. Now lets go have som fun Gauracandra

Haribol one and all, I just wanted to share a very nice experience I had this morning. On Friday, at work, a friend told me about a very grand Buddhist temple in my area. He gave me directions and suggested I check it out (he knows I'm into that sort of thing). So this morning, I woke up extra early and got an early headstart (to avoid the traffic). It took me about 1 hour to reach the temple mostly due to the poor instructions by my co-worker The temple was situated in some rolling hills, and I pulled up into their parking lot. The temple itself was HUGE and gorgeous. No one was around except maybe myself and one other person. First I did a quick circumabulation of the temple to get an overall feel for it. The architecture itself was very traditional chinese architecture, with lots of dragon motifs, and lions guarding the gates. The area was very peaceful, and it being early in the morning there was a slight misty fog in the air. Walking up some stairs, I approached the first temple. There were a number of deities of various disciples of the Buddha. In the inner sanctum were three huge Buddhas. I took a single sandalwood incense stick, lit it and offered it to Lord Buddha. It was really serene in the first temple, and tiny little birds were flying around inside it. Next, I walked around to the central courtyard, which was again breathtaking. Everything was very nicely laid out, and there were a number of singular statues of the Buddha each expressing a different mood. Also, there was one section with paper mache sort of creations that had the Buddha, peacocks, and surprisingly a cardboard cutout of Lord Rama and Sita. I figured since the Ramayan is so popular in Southeast Asia that they included this. At the end of the courtyard was the central temple. I walked up the stairs and was greeted by an old chinese woman. She didn't speak english but motioned that I should fold my hands when before the deities. Inside were a few women monks all dressed in brown. The central altar had some giant deities of Lord Buddha (Like 10-15 ft tall maybe). The walls of the sanctum were covered in boxes each containing little carvings of Lord Buddha. And overhead, the ceiling had some huge chandalier sort of arrangement but it was very subdued (don't picture your traditional chandalier, because its not even remotely close, but its too hard to describe I remained very quiet and respectful. One woman monk sat in meditation, another was reading a small book, and one was sweeping the floor. In front of the altar were various fruits and flowers, perhaps as an offering. As I was leaving, I saw in front of me a young woman monk. She was perhaps 18-20 years old, with a shaved head. She started to sing as she crossed the courtyard, and it was very pleasant. The whole experience was really nice. The temple itself was huge by western standards. I was just really impressed by how nice the atmosphere was and the whole setting. Just wanted to share my morning experience. Take care. Gauracandra [This message has been edited by Gauracandra (edited 05-13-2001).]

I originally posted this in the Spiritual Discussions forum, before we had this new forum. So I figured I'd post this experience here as well. Gauracandra

I went for a walk this morning, and at one point I passed an electrical/telephone pole. It was vibrating and making crackling sorts of sounds. Perhaps this was due to the mist and moisture in the air. As soon as I got within its vicinity I immediately started to get a headache. And once I was like 15ft away, the headache disappeared. I have got to think that the trillions of gigawatts of energy coursing through the copper wirings of our cities can't be good for our health and disposition. Perhaps this is why city folks tend to be so agitated while country folk are more peaceful Gauracandra

I found the following article on CNN.com and found it kind of interesting. My thumbs down graphic is for the name they chose: Megha Tropiques. You have to admit that is not a pretty name.

I was curious if anyone could fill me in on Indian politics. First, in what manner is the government set up. For instance, in the U.S. we have three branches: 2 houses of Congress, the President, and the Supreme Court. Second, India seems so diverse, so what are the major parties, and how would one define their principle philosophies. In the U.S. we have 2 major parties (Democrats & Republicans, with 2 smaller parties the Green party and Libertarian party, and after that a bunch of tiny little parties). Also, is there a lot of regional affinity to certain parties (ie. people in Rajasthan usually vote for such and such party). Finally, when is the next election, what are the major points of debate, and who is likely to win. I'm just curious how politics is played out on the other side of the ocean. Gauracandra

Actually Bhakta Shakta has been around for some time in these forums but just doesn't post too often. Gauracandra

JNDas, While the editing feature can be useful, I fear that it might be used inappropriately. I can understand that one may want to edit due to mistakes, or to clarify a point that was not fully thought out. However, it appears that individuals may make changes to postings days later. I find this troubling because it creates a false impression with regards to those postings that came after it. I realize that a little editing message pops up saying it was edited, but we have no idea, or new readers will have no idea, in what manner the changes occured. You may be debating a point philosophically only to find out that days later the posting you were referring to was changed. (with new additions, changes in wording etc...) I think this is a bit dishonest. Is it possible to set the editing feature on any given article to say 1 day from when it was posted. This way, if someone truly needs to edit a posting, they can. But it will block the ability to change the points of debate. I think this is important. Gauracandra

The joke forums are new so I don't know how far we can go with the humor. Personally I find the next joke pretty harmless. But if you find the humor a bit off color, I apologize. I think once we get used to this new forum we'll have a better gauge of what is acceptable. ******************************************** In a train car there was Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, a spectacular looking blonde woman and an old woman. After several minutes of the trip, the train passes through a dark tunnel, and the unmistakable sound of a slap is heard. When they leave the tunnel, Clinton had a big red slap mark on his cheek. 1) The blonde thought – “That rascal Clinton wanted to touch me and by mistake, he must have put his hand on the old lady, who in turn must have slapped his face.” 2) The old woman thought – “That dirty old Bill Clinton laid his hands on the blonde and she smacked him.” 3) Bill Clinton thought – “George put his hand on that blonde and by mistake she slapped me.” 4) George Bush thought – “I hope there’s another tunnel soon so I can smack Clinton again.”

A few days after George W. Bush’s inauguration, a man came up to the Marine on duty at the White House and said “I’d like to see President Clinton.” The Marine politely answered “Sir, Mr. Clinton is no longer president.” The man said, “Oh, OK” and walked away. The next day the Marine was again on duty and the same man approached and again asked to see President Clinton. The Marine again answered, “Sir, Mr. Clinton is no longer president.” Again the man answered, “Oh, OK” and walked away. The next day the same man approached the same Marine and again asked to see President Clinton. The Marine, a little annoyed, said “Sir, I’ve told you, Mr. Clinton is no longer president. Don’t you understand that?” “Yes, I do” said the man, “but I just enjoy hearing it.” The Marine smiled and said, “See you tomorrow.”

Personally I thought JNDas was very surgical in disproving the article, one point at at time. This idea of "becoming" a scholar is silly. Who will decide who is and who is not a scholar? If you can prove the article wrong thats proof enough for me. We are all intelligent individuals, and we can see based on logic, whether someone has proven their case. In this situation, there is no doubt JNDas did a very good job of rebutting the article. Take care. Gauracandra

Oh well, what can be said. There will always be those who wish to take any opportunity to criticize rather than discuss philosophically. I think both Satya and JNDas have given reasonable proof and explanation that chanting the Hare Krsna mantra in kirtan is valid. Now that that has been established, we can move onto the next topic, hopefully without the personal attacks by some. Gauracandra

Haribol one and all, I just wanted to share a very nice experience I had this morning. On Friday, at work, a friend told me about a very grand Buddhist temple in my area. He gave me directions and suggested I check it out (he knows I'm into that sort of thing). So this morning, I woke up extra early and got an early headstart (to avoid the traffic). It took me about 1 hour to reach the temple mostly due to the poor instructions by my co-worker The temple was situated in some rolling hills, and I pulled up into their parking lot. The temple itself was HUGE and gorgeous. No one was around except maybe myself and one other person. First I did a quick circumabulation of the temple to get an overall feel for it. The architecture itself was very traditional chinese architecture, with lots of dragon motifs, and lions guarding the gates. The area was very peaceful, and it being early in the morning there was a slight misty fog in the air. Walking up some stairs, I approached the first temple. There were a number of deities of various disciples of the Buddha. In the inner sanctum were three huge Buddhas. I took a single sandalwood incense stick, lit it and offered it to Lord Buddha. It was really serene in the first temple, and tiny little birds were flying around inside it. Next, I walked around to the central courtyard, which was again breathtaking. Everything was very nicely laid out, and there were a number of singular statues of the Buddha each expressing a different mood. Also, there was one section with paper mache sort of creations that had the Buddha, peacocks, and surprisingly a cardboard cutout of Lord Rama and Sita. I figured since the Ramayan is so popular in Southeast Asia that they included this. At the end of the courtyard was the central temple. I walked up the stairs and was greeted by an old chinese woman. She didn't speak english but motioned that I should fold my hands when before the deities. Inside were a few women monks all dressed in brown. The central altar had some giant deities of Lord Buddha (Like 10-15 ft tall maybe). The walls of the sanctum were covered in boxes each containing little carvings of Lord Buddha. And overhead, the ceiling had some huge chandalier sort of arrangement but it was very subdued (don't picture your traditional chandalier, because its not even remotely close, but its too hard to describe I remained very quiet and respectful. One woman monk sat in meditation, another was reading a small book, and one was sweeping the floor. In front of the altar were various fruits and flowers, perhaps as an offering. As I was leaving, I saw in front of me a young woman monk. She was perhaps 18-20 years old, with a shaved head. She started to sing as she crossed the courtyard, and it was very pleasant. The whole experience was really nice. The temple itself was huge by western standards. I was just really impressed by how nice the atmosphere was and the whole setting. Just wanted to share my morning experience. Take care. Gauracandra

Personally I have always considered Mahaprabhu to be a revolutionary, indiscriminantly giving the process of chanting the holy names of the Lord to one and all. I seriously doubt that Sriman Mahaprabhu would be against devotees dancing in front of the deities, chanting Hare Krsna. This sounds more like the "Hey, look their socks don't match" sort of logic. And if you approach it like that, you may or may not have an understanding of the formalities but you will definitely completely miss the essence. I think Mahaprabhu essentially wanted to have the Lords names on the lips of one and all, as often as possible. I just returned from a short road trip (1 hr) this morning, and was singing the mahamantra as I was driving, and tapping my steering wheel like it was a mrdunga. Would Mahaprabhu be against that? I don't think so. Let us look at the essence of his instruction and apply that to our lives. Gauracandra

I’m writing this posting as a way of explaining a phenomenon I’ve noticed over the years with regard to analysis of spirituality and religion. It seems to me that within spirituality we have a constant struggle between the rules and structures that help guide us and the individual spiritual experience that brings meaning to our lives. At times, structure or organization can dampen those spiritual experiences by focusing so much on the tasks at hand, the daily routines of maintaining and developing that structure. At the same time we should recognize that the loss of structure and discipline often leads to whimsical decision making with regard to a true spiritual experience. Most people think they are more spiritually advanced than they are in fact. Not all who reject structure are immature, though often immature people reject structure because of an over-inflated sense of self. Similarly, spiritually immature people will be found within institutional structures, finding safety in numbers rather than forging ahead and taking the risk to capture that individual spiritual experience. But I believe most people within various religious institutions are mature and sincere. They find rules and structure helpful in guiding them towards finding that individual experience. Now comes the tricky part – how to balance these two ends. This can only come about through introspection and a development of a true sense of one’s own spiritual advancement. This is difficult, and it seems to me more cultural than intellectual – developing a sense of refinement. This being said, let me get a little bit more specific. Often times people will criticize those within religious institutions. They will point to the faults of individuals and ascribe ridicule to all. But here comes a key point – the faults they criticize are often based on selective perception that people within these institutions have these faults, while those who follow a less regulated system don’t fall into these categories. For instance, in Iskcon, if tomorrow a sannyasi “fell down” and decided to get married, instantly you would hear criticism of him, and some people would point to Iskcon and say “Look at those people in Iskcon. They claim to renounce the world, and then they fall prey to the charms of a woman.” As such they take an individuals personal spiritual failing, and judge a group of people. But why are they able to pinpoint this individual? Simply because Iskcon is a large organization, with many different people. There are also those who follow the less structured road, who renounce the world, and then fall prey to the charms of women. But do we ever hear of them? No. It’s a selective perception. The reason why people are able to criticize organizations is because they are large entities, made up of the same fallible people as those following the less structured road. Those following this less structured path fly under the radar, no one notices them. They have just as many faults, but they can blend in with the masses. Let me show this same selective perception in another way. With all examples, there are bound to be problems so please accept the essence of what I’m about to say. One of my hobbies that I love to do is going to see movies. Now over the last several years a similar “selective perception” problem has occurred in the movie arena – we have the division between the independent filmmakers and the “Studio” filmmakers. There are those who will insist that the independent filmmaker is the last source of personal creative expression. They view the studio system as not capable of creating those true gems of films. You will often hear “Oh those Italian filmmakers make such beautiful, personal films. The European filmmakers are so much more subtle and meaningful.” So here is the essential question: Are Italian filmmakers inherently better directors than American filmmakers, or are we again engaging in selective perception. Italy has say a population of 100 million Italian speaking people. Their film industry is geared to the home market. The best of the Italian films will leave the home country’s borders and go to other markets in Europe (Belgium, France, England etc….). If it is successful in these other markets, it may be put up for an award at the Cannes Film Festival. And if it should win awards there, it may be picked up for international distribution by Miramax, and be brought over to the U.S. Once in America it will be shown in the “independent film” theaters. If it is successful in these theaters, then more people will hear about it and come and see it. They will then come and see it and conclude “Oh those Italians make such gems of film”. But guess what, there are tons of bad, and I mean really bad Italian films. The independent film community does produce some really fine films (“Life is Beautiful” (an Italian film), “Hoop Dreams” etc….) but they produce far, far more bad films. The naïve person will conclude that European films are the best. But they aren’t. If anything, I would say American Studio films more often than not are better as a whole. Certainly America produces bad movies, but because the English speaking market is larger, they can afford better cinematography, higher production values etc…. The Studios create some fantastic movies: Schindler’s List, The Shawshank Redemption, Quiz Show, The Last of the Mohicans, The Mosquito Coast and I could go on and on. What we have to recognize is that both systems have benefits and both systems have drawbacks. The Studio system, because of its structure, may not always allow the independent director to create “his” vision. In such cases, that person may turn to the independent route, and create good, bad, fantastic, really bad, who knows? Movies. So what should a movie lover like myself do? Very simple, when “Life is Beautiful” came out, I went and saw it, and when “Schindler’s List” came out, I went and loved it. There are some things that small filmmakers can do that large filmmakers can’t, and there are somethings large filmmakers can do that no small filmmaker could ever hope to accomplish. The key to understanding and appreciating these films is not to view them as exclusive and competing, but rather understand that they each have very different scopes. This is why I will appreciate an institution like Iskcon, or Gaudiya Math, which preach all over the world. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said that one day his name would be chanted in every town and village. Today there are people wearing Gaudiya tilak in Russia, in Chile, in Saudi Arabia, in Portugal, in Taiwan, (and I could go on and on,) performing Harinam every day. These institutions are trying to do something big. And sometimes they will fail and sometimes they will succeed. I spoke before about how at my temple, we have a homeless man who comes to the temple, chants japa-mala, and comes to see the deities. Who else is going to take this person in? He may not make us look good, he may make us seem unrefined, and perhaps we will be criticized because of his presence, but personally I don’t want to lose that individual. That person. At the same time, I will appreciate, I will not criticize someone who is living in Vrindavan, with a pair of kartals, chanting Hare Krsna. To me that’s wonderful. We have different scopes. We are each trying to express Sri Caitanya’s will in our own unique way. I think if we understand this, then it will only intensify our own spiritual understandings.

Haribol Cintamani Das, I agree with you, but I would make one little 'tweak'. We have to remember that the forums are simply a medium to transfer information. Each individual adds to the forum atmosphere, and makes it either positive or negative. Thats actually very empowering when you think about it. Each of us, if we want, can keep the discussion really high class, and exchange our own personal realizations. Or as individuals we can take a negative/cynical approach of analysis/discussion. The last several days I think as a forum collectively and as individuals personally we have done pretty good. In the end, I can only control myself and so I will do my best to always keep my language and manners as high class as I can. Haribol. Gauracandra

One day a man decided to go to the Himalayas and perform austerities wishing to gain a boon from Lord Brahma. After much time, Lord Brahma appeared before this man and asked him what he wanted. The man said he would like to ask him a few questions. First he asked, “My dear Lord Brahma, you are so magnificent that everything must seem trivial to you. Please help me understand your greatness. For you, what is a thousand years like?” Lord Brahma replied “A thousand years is like a second to me”. The man then asked “My dear Lord Brahma, how do the vast oceans compare to you?”. Lord Brahma replied “All of the oceans are not even a single drop of perspiration to me”. The man pursued it further and asked “My dear Lord Brahma, then how does the whole earth compare to your greatness”. Lord Brahma replied “The earth is simply like a glass marble for a child to me”. “And what of the sun, with it brilliance, and heat” queried the man. “The sun is simply like the flame of a match, easily extinguished should I please” was the reply from Lord Brahma. Finally the man asked “Then what is a million dollars to you?” And Lord Brahma said “A million dollars is like one penny to me.” The man then jumped in and said “My dear Lord Brahma, oh truly magnificent creator, would you give me a penny?” And Lord Brahma said “Sure, just give me a second”.

I was curious if anyone could give me insight as to how (if at all) Srimati Tulasi Devi is perceived by other Sampradayas. For instance, I know not all Sampradayas have their japa-mala made from the Tulasi plant. And if they worship her, in what ways is the worship different and in what ways is it similar. Gauracandra

Sri Tulasi Pranama vrndayai tulasi-devyai priyayai kesavasya ca krsna-bhakti-prade devi satyvatyai namo namah I offer my repeated obeisances unto Vrnda, Srimati Tulasi Devi, who is very dear to Lord Kesava. O goddess, you bestow devotional service to Lord Krsna and possess the highest truth. Sri Tulasi-kirtana namo namah tulasi krsna-preyasi radha-krsna seva pabo ei abhilasi je tomara sarana loy, tara vancha purna hoy krpa kori’ koro tare brndabana-basi mor ei abhilas, bilas kunje dio vas nayane heribo sada jugala-rupa-rasi ei nivedana dharo, sakhir anugata koro seva-adhikara diye koro nija dasi dina krsna-dase koy, ei jena mora hoy sri-radha-govinda-preme sada jena bhasi O Tulasi, beloved of Krsna, I bow before you again and again. My desire is to obtain the service of Sri Sri Radha and Krsna. Whoever takes shelter of you has his wishes fulfilled. Bestowing your mercy on him, you make him a resident of Vrndavana. My desire is that you will also grant me a residence in the pleasure groves of Sri Vrndavana-dhama. Thus, within my vision I will always behold the beautiful pastimes of Radha and Krsna. I beg you to make me a follower of the cowherd damsels of Vraja. Please give me the privilege of devotional service and make me your own maidservant. This very fallen and lowly servant of Krsna prays, “May I always swim in the love of Sri Radha and Govinda.” Sri Tulasi Pradaksina Mantra yani kani ca papani brahma-hatyadikani ca tani tani pranasyanti pradaksinah pade pade By circumambulation of Srimati Tulasi Devi all the sins that one may have committed are destroyed at every step, even the sin of killing a brahmana.

I sat down and brainstormed a bit, but didn't come up with anything satisfactory. Basically I put down a bunch of words trying to describe what we do, hoping that a good name would reveal itself. Here are some of the words I came up with: exchange network resource united communication association index connection So the idea would be names like 'Friendly Exchange' or 'Sanatan Dharma Network' etc.... but nothing really struck me right. I'll keep thinking. Gauracandra

I wouldn't put much into that topic. It has more to do with politics than with any basis in fact. I had one person say just as much several years ago (that he didn't care if it was true or not, so long as his political view of how things should be managed was implemented because of it). It was big a few years back because of naivete about the internet which allowed a few to pretend to be many and spread rumors like wildfire. But everyone has looked into this and it really means nothing. Its unfortunate that although we call ourselves Vaisnavas, often we engage in conduct not becoming of that title. Gauracandra

One day a Vrindavan pujari was visiting the Pope in Vatican city. The Pope invited the pujari into his personal quarters to discuss various spiritual issues. During the conversation the pujari noticed a small red phone with a single button in the middle. The pujari asked: "What is that little red phone with a button in the middle?" The Pope responded by saying that it was his direct connection to God. If ever he had a question that he couldn't resolve he'd press the button and would be put through directly to the Lord. The pujari had some spiritual dilemas he had been pondering for some time and asked if he could use his phone. The Pope obliged. After talking for perhaps a half-hour the Vrindavan pujari hung up the phone and asked the Pope how much the charge would be. The Pope said that at the going rate a half-hour would be 100,000 Lira. The pujari paid this amount and then the two parted. Several months later the Pope was embarking on a trip around the world. On this trip he stopped off in Vrindavan to meet with his old pujari friend. The Pope met with the pujari and was brought into his private quarters. There they continued their spiritual discussions from where they left off some months before. During the conversation the Pope became curious as he saw a solitary red phone with a single button in the corner of the pujari's room. The Pope asked: "By the way, what is that little red phone with the single button?" The pujari responded that, like the Pope, he too had a direct connection to God, and when he had philosophical questions he couldn't resolve, he would call up the Lord for the correct answer. The Pope asked the pujari if he could use the little red phone. The Pope explained that he had a number of serious philosophical questions that needed answering, and being on his world trip, he hadn't had access to his red phone in Vatican City. The pujari obliged. After about a half-hour conversation, the Pope hung up the phone and asked: "So how much do I owe you for the phone charge?" The Vrindavan pujari replied: "Oh, about 5 rupees". The Pope was surprised and replied: "Only 5 rupees? Why so little?". The Vrindavan pujari humbly responded: "Oh, its a local call" I hope you enjoyed that. Gauracandra

I wouldn't judge someone. I read a nice quote by JNDas, perhaps in his newsletter, which made a lot of sense to me. He said we should never judge ourselves or others against one another ("Oh he is spiritually advanced, but that other person is less so, but I am a little bit more than that person" etc...". One can judge ONESELF only against the saints and only as a way of measurement. One should not spend one's time measuring others advancements. I really wish I had that quote available, because he said it so much better than I am right now. But when we are as fallen as we are, where is the question of "falling down". We should praise all others for what ever little they have done. Gauracandra

I wouldn't judge someone. I read a nice quote by JNDas, perhaps in his newsletter, which made a lot of sense to me. He said we should never judge ourselves or others against one another ("Oh he is spiritually advanced, but that other person is less so, but I am a little bit more than that person" etc...". One can judge ONESELF only against the saints and only as a way of measurement. One should not spend one's time measuring others advancements. I really wish I had that quote available, because he said it so much better than I am right now. But when we are as fallen as we are, where is the question of "falling down". We should praise all others for what ever little they have done. Gauracandra