Gauracandra

1. Real-estate ads will stop saying, "Charming 900-square-foot fixer-upper is real bargain at $750,000." 2. No more pretending you actually thought Business 2.0 was something you wanted to read. 3. Your boss is older than you again. 4. Streets are no longer blocked for weekly presidential visits. 5. We never knew what to say at launch parties anyway. "Yeah, eYada.com sounds real viable to me." 6. Capitalists need no longer be referred to as "angels." 7. Your neighborhood dry cleaner and shoe repair shop are less likely to go out of business. 8. The arugula shortage is over. 9. College grads can be enthusiastic again about making $29K a year at a worthwhile nonprofit. 10. We no longer have to see William Shatner reminding us, "You know what to do, dawg! Bust a mooooove." 11. Elvis Costello should never have had to play parties where people were younger than the song "Alison." 12. Super Bowl ads can go back to being frogs and "Wasssssup?" again. 13. Children shouldn't own cell phones. 14. The smug jerk who fired us six months ago is scanning name tags and handing out his résumé at pink-slip parties. 15. Day traders can return to their original careers—Amway salesmen. 16. We no longer have to abide by absurd company titles like "Chief Goatee Boy,Chief Ponytail Guy" or the chipper/condescending "Office Mom." 17. Dogs probably weren't really ever meant to come to work. 18. Twenty-eight is too early for a midlife crisis. 19. Independent bookstores will remain more than just places to browse for titles before buying online and will stop going out of business. 20. Fewer coke-and-stripper binges means more time to work on tell-all memoir. 21. Paying for one's own $7 beers functionally limits incipient alcoholism. 22. Rats accustomed to foie gras leftovers are now dying out. 23. A Foosball table is no longer considered office equipment. 24. Now that portfolio's gone, no more annoying frantic margin calls from broker. 25. We can say goodbye to a simplicity movement that confused cleaner closets with cleansing the soul. 26. Lunch hour was meant for lunch, not yoga. 27. We can find receptionists who speak in complete sentences, and use words like "please" and "yes." 28. Dorky, geek eyewear has returned to its preboom status: dorky and geek. 29. We no longer have to listen to: "You live on less than $90,000 a year? How do you do it?" 30. The crash hit before "click-n-sniff" was perfected. 31. With stocks as a bad conversational gambit, party chatter can return to its proper content—gossip, backbiting and rumor-mongering. 32. Silicon Valley's aspiring trophy wives can now get a life. Or at least a job at the auto show. 33. There are fewer clueless yuppies with purebred puppies pretending to be animal lovers in the park. 34. No more stupid logos that resemble children's toys, animals, flying electrons or the Nike swoosh. 35. We can look forward to dramatic TV programs about laid-off dotcommers looking for something emotional and human, with titles like My So-Called Stock Options, Offline, and Burnt Beyond Recognition. 36. Fewer people from New York are moving here. 37. Dumb ideas can die with the dignity of never being funded, instead of being pitched to pension funds as lucrative investments. 38. We no longer have to dance under a cloud of the Clinique fragrance "Happy" in local clubs. 39. Those of us who never bought in (and thought we missed out) can once again raise our heads with dignity. 40. Starbucks can return to its status as the coffee belt for soccer moms, cops and professors, not aspiring entrepreneurs who can't afford office space. 41. We've seen the last of incomprehensible dot-com advertisements for incomprehensible clients during the Super Bowl. 42. Elegant restaurants can return to being a place for intimate gatherings between friends and lovers, not corporate hangouts for swarms of polo shirts trying to bond. 43. Accepting all that customer-appreciation graft—the free dog food, the maps, $10-off certificates—made us feel kind of sordid anyway. 44. Hello, grad school! 45. No more dot-com nonsense on freeway billboards. They made even The Gap ads seem clever. 46. We can book a room and a massage in the wine country without a yearlong wait. 47. Lines at the coffeehouse no longer snake out the door because of people ordering 12-packs of double caramel macchiato, with whip. 48. No more rants about "shallow Californians" from people who moved to California because they thought they could get rich quick. 49. Experience and talent can once again mean something. 50. All that shouting over cubicles, using excessive profanity and gorging on junk food didn't really reflect the company's mission statement. 51. Webvan won't have to change its logo again and PacBell Park, thankfully, will have to replace its Webvan cupholders. 52. Evening visits to supermarkets will replace chat rooms as the pickup spots of choice. 53. Maybe San Francisco will get some of its soul back. 54. Launch parties were becoming love-ins for former sorority sisters and frat boys. 55. Teens with pink hair who listen to MP3s for a living no longer get paid more than the national median wage. 56. Because an REI outfit doesn't go with an ROI discussion. 57. We no longer have to see Whoopi Goldberg stumping for Flooz.com. 58. The dotcom generation will have to retire at 60 after all—not 30. 59. Grandparents will stop asking us about this "Internut mumbo jumbo." 60. We might not have to wait a century or two for DSL installation. 61. Job attention span for twentysomethings can pass four months. 62. We don't have to put up with unsolicited career advice from recent high school grads who think the Ray of Light album is old-school Madonna. 63. Too many intellectual property lawyers were being spawned. 64. All of that free pizza and soft drink consumption was going to end up as a whopping Medicare bill around 2050 or so. 65. There are fewer people in skin-tight Spandex on $7,000 bikes that they don't know how to ride. 66. No more Solutions Architects. 67. Smarmy landlords have to go groveling for tenants again and engage in the humiliating process of upgrading their property before charging exorbitant rents. 68. Al Gore has stopped boasting that he invented the Internet. 69. We can return to more aesthetic ballpark names like Candlestick and Fenway—and fewer like 3Com, PacBell, Network Associates and Compaq. 70. There will be enough yellow beets and old vine zinfandel to go around at restaurants. 71. People finally have been forced to trade their gas-guzzling, highway-hogging, rollover-happy SUVs for cars you can see past of when riding behind them. 72. Money didn't buy refinement. 73. Civil service employees can go back to surfing for porn on their work computers, instead of constantly checking their stocks on the Internet. 74. Extraterrestrials will revert to visiting rural Midwesterners for attention, rather than wealthy young web CEOs. 75. People finally agree that dropping out of college after reading HTML for Dummies wasn't such a good idea after all. 76. Coming to a bookstore near you: Poverty for Dummies and Down and Out in Palo Alto. 77. The .com TLD isn't tacked onto every company's name, regardless of its product or service. 78. Slacker II. 79. Humvee limos aren't parked in front of every nice restaurant on Friday night. 80. Price/earnings ratios can orbit back from their parallel universe to the old textbook reality we know and love. 81. Service workers under the age of 30 will actually show up for work again. 82. Working at Lockheed has regained a measure of cachet. 83. All those "Silicon" place names were monotonous and unimaginative. Silicon Alley? Silicon Forest? What was next? Silicon Bowery? Silicon Rockies? 84. Kids will stop mistaking Bill Gates for the President of the United States. 85. After two years of trying to hail a cab in San Francisco, you can actually get one. 86. Silly topiary projects, untrimmed since the 2000 Q2 financials came out, are regaining their natural shape. 87. Stupid people are no longer "visionary," now just plain stupid. 88. You are finally able to determine who your real friends are. (Sorry, friend.) 89. Wearing Armani to pick up your unemployment check makes welfare fashionable again. 90. We're finally able to reach the eighth level of CoolBoarders. 91. Unemployed guys + unemployed gals = great sympathy sex. 92. A new last-hope website: Sparechange.com. 93. Excessive, tasteless spending can go back to its proper domains: aging English rock stars and one-hit-wonder hip-hop artists. 94. No more stock tips from the newspaper boy. 95. Liquidation auctions feature excellent prices on Aeron chairs. 96. We can wake up to alarm clock music again, not nail guns from a neighbor's monster home addition. 97. Walking someone to the door will once again be considered a courteous gesture. 98. An American Studies degree will no longer qualify one for employment at a high technology company. 99. Just like they said about the '60s: It had to end sometime. Thank God. 100. Psychiatrists are no longer suicidal from treating cases of "Sudden Wealth Syndrome."

What are Senators and why do you need them? What are college professors and why do you need them? The answer is that demigods are just people, like you or I, but on a higher level. We experience this in this very life. Demigods might be more applicable to what a Muslim might term an angel. Why do we need angels? Why do they exist? If you can answer this, then you can answer the question on demigods.

I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again, this is one of the most important services they are performing. If we could create a living document of the light that departed devotees have brought into the world what could be better? Hundreds of years from now devotees should have the ability to read about the lives of every devotee who has ever come before. In the past this wasn’t possible, but today’s technology gives us a chance to build something truly unique for Vaisnava posterity.

I was doing a clean up today, and found this nice Jagannatha picture.

You can check out my “Adventures in Gluten making” here: http://www.audarya-fellowship.com/showflat/cat/health/21437/2/collapsed/5/o/1

I’m reminded of a story I heard about one of Srila Prabhupada’s God brothers (I think I heard it on one of the memories videos). The God brother was Krsnadas Babaji Maharaj. He would just sit all day long and chant. Some people complained to Srila Bhaktisiddhanta that he wasn’t doing anything but chanting, and Srila Bhaktisiddhanta approved of his activity. In later years he would collect small funds and use the money to print bumper stickers with the Hare Krsna Mahamantra on it and plaster them all over the city.

I don't have any recommendations on casting. Though whoever plays Arjuna has to be able to have a good mustasche (which pretty much rules out most of the guys mentioned, especially as I agree with Stonehearted about Tom Cruises massive honker. What do you see in him ladies?) I just finished watching the chariot sequence of Ben Hur on TNT. That is one of the best action sequences ever filmed considering they would have actually had to film it (no CG in the day). I was struck by how beautiful the horses were and how much they reminded me of the Iskcon paintings of Krsna and Arjuna on their chariot. I have to believe that the Iskcon artists were inspired by Ben Hur. The horses were pure white and they just looked so much like the Iskcon paintings. They were beautiful.

Never heard of Asatru. I have over time come across various similarities between some European religions and Vedic religion. However, nothing as specific that would tie to an ancient Germanic religion. What sorts of comparisons are you aware of?

Never heard of Asatru. I have over time come across various similarities between some European religions and Vedic religion. However, nothing as specific that would tie to an ancient Germanic religion. What sorts of comparisons are you aware of?

That’s an interesting comment about the carbs. I’ve wondered about that myself as a vegetarian. Carbohydrates are such that if you don’t convert them into muscle they turn into fat. So even if you have a low fat diet but sit around and eat breads etc… you can put on a lot of weight. Often I wonder if we overcompensate with oils, butters, sugars in order to make vegetarian foods taste better. Vegetarianism is healthier but that doesn’t mean all vegetarian food is healthy. Think about a typical Sunday feast. You have sweet rice (lots of sugar), puris fried in ghee, pakoras fried in ghee, samosas fried in ghee, subji with ghee.

This is very sad news, though it is good he is able to chant Hare Krsna. A recent “Memories” video featured Hansadutta telling stories about Srila Prabhupada and it was one of the best of the video series. It was packed with lots and lots of stories. Perhaps I’ll rewatch and write down some of the best ones. It also goes to show that just being a vegetarian is no guarantee against heart attacks. Just in the last few months I’ve been hearing of several devotees who have suffered these heart attacks.

This week’s episode was a repeat of this episode.

Never heard of this von Goethe guy, but I like that quote. Out of curiosity, which western philosophers are compatible with Vaisnava philosophy. If anyone has suggestions please let me know.

Oh dear lord, do you guys remember that one? For those who were here for a while, there was a (now defunct) website from a Gopalprema Prabhu who was the next big acharya. It was the funniest thing you could imagine. At first we were trying to decide if it was real. Some said it was a parody. Then it was decided to be real. I'm not kidding man, it was brilliant satire, except it wasn't a satire. I'm dying laughing just remembering it. Too bad his website went down, it was brilliantly awful /images/graemlins/smile.gif

If you have any pictures please post them /images/graemlins/smile.gif

I'm with Theist. Usually I can't make heads or tails. I believe in free will, as I can't believe my typing at this moment was just a mechanical result of bouncing molecules. Another similar question is to ask if all actions are equally influencing, or are some actions more important than others. Do we have freewill on the margins, though the overall movement of life is out of our control?

Of course he is dating a westerner. My understanding is that Madhvas tend to be very caste conscious. The fact that he is dating someone who is not an indian brahmin woman, would suggest he may be more liberal. Can't really say.

I'd say that a practicing Vaisnava would avoid sex outside of marriage. The only question is how strict is this individual. You mention that he works at a temple, so it is likely he would be more strict than a casual temple goer. Thats my thinking.

I think devotees are said to avoid chocolate due to the caffeine effect. However, I don't know anyone who is literally addicted to chocolate. Usually it is something one takes here and there, and thus is not habit forming. Something like coffee and tea may be habit forming, but chocolate is very mild. Of course this can all be rationaling, but most sweets have an adverse affect on the body. You eat some burfi, or sandesh, and you get a sugar high. In either event, I think it is pretty minor.

I think devotees are said to avoid chocolate due to the caffeine effect. However, I don't know anyone who is literally addicted to chocolate. Usually it is something one takes here and there, and thus is not habit forming. Something like coffee and tea may be habit forming, but chocolate is very mild. Of course this can all be rationaling, but most sweets have an adverse affect on the body. You eat some burfi, or sandesh, and you get a sugar high. In either event, I think it is pretty minor.

There have been a few other Buddhists who have contributed to these forums in the past. It would be interesting to get a Buddhist perspective on some of these topics.

The few times I've seen his group of devotees, they perform very nice, melodious kirtans. They should hold seminars on how to lead kirtan.

I have read recently that low caloric intake results in much higher life in lab animals. They have found that if a mouse is given smaller meals (substantially smaller) that these animals live much longer. The thinking is perhaps the energy used by the body in metabolism causes the cells not to deteriorate as rapidly. They also did the same experiment where they kept the calories the same, but instead skipped one day. That is if you eat 2000 calories a day, they'd give you 4000 on one day, and 0 the next day, 4000 following, then 0 etc.... This approach also lead to much longer life. Not sure of the reasoning or if these are conclusive.

My opinion is you should not deny what your own eyes see. That is just because you "are not your body" does not mean that what your body tells you is incompatible with spiritual life. I'd suggest going with the old "Trust but verify" approach to spiritual life. That is, don't approach in a cynical or skeptical manner (either the world or religion). Cynicism I think is the opposite (or atleast hampers) spiritual development. Instead be cautious, and ever listening to what your heart tells you is true. God can direct you from within.

This week’s Srila Siddhaswarupananda television program discusses how we can purify ourselves through the chanting of God’s Holy Names. Everyone in the material world is covered by reactions to previous sinful activities. Because he has a material body he has built in suffering. The spiritual quest is a quest of purification. As long as you are covered by reaction, both good & bad, you will have to be reborn to experience birth, disease, old age, and death. Your essence is spirit, part and parcel of God. The body exists in the material dimension and cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. We have talked about this before. So how can I become purified of my previous reactions? To do this we must understand how to purify the lust in our heart that causes one to continue to engage in sinful activities. How can I become purified of my enviousness of God? In our previous discussion we talked about how some so-called Christians say that God came to this world as Jesus to make a blood sacrifice by dying on the cross in order for us to become purified. They say that a blood sacrifice was needed. However, there is no evidence for this in scripture, logic, or in our heart. Their idea was that God had to sacrifice. This assumes that God was sacrificing to someone. But God does not worship anyone except Himself. He just looks in the mirror. When He does this it is natural, when we do it, it is a perverted reflection. We have talked about this before and if you want a transcript of those programs we can send them to you. How can you be purified of that lust to lord it over the material world? It is a wonderful thing to understand that God is above the material conception. This idea that God must sacrifice is an eclipsed view of His power and magnificence. In scripture we find that God can purify each of us if we simply accept, receive, and repeat His Holy Names. He appears as His names. They are non-different from Him. Psalms 54:1 “Save me oh Lord by thy name.” How can anyone miss this? How can they say that God must bleed and die in order for us to be purified. Psalms 124:8 “Our help is in the name of the Lord who made heaven and earth.” Are they saying that God will help us materially? No. In the Srimad Bhagavatam it is stated that there is no other way, no other way, no other way but the chanting of the Holy Names of the Lord. In the Padma Purana we read “There is no difference between the Holy Names of the Lord and the Lord Himself.” It is stated by all bonafide teachers that the Holy Names of the Lord are available to us for purification. Lord Caitanaya has stated “Glory to the sri-krsna-sankirtana, which cleanses the heart of all the dust accumulated for years and extinguishes the fire of conditional life, of repeated birth and death. This sankirtana movement is the prime benediction for humanity at large because it spreads the rays of the benediction moon. It is the life of all transcendental knowledge. It increases the ocean of transcendental bliss, and it enables us to fully taste the nectar for which we are always anxious.” Not only does the Holy Name purify me, it also gives me a taste for what we are looking for. Some people are looking for nectar in ice cream, sex, surfing, in money. We are looking for that nectar and it is always on the horizon. That is how we are in life. We are always craving. Lord Caitanya is saying that what you really want can be found in the Holy Names of the Lord. Then you will experience true satisfaction. “O my Lord, Your holy name alone can render all benediction to living beings, and thus You have hundreds and millions of names, like Krsna and Govinda. In these transcendental names You have invested all Your transcendental energies.” God is not limited. He has so many names. I’ll be talking in the future about religious fanaticism. There are those who believe God is limited to their conception. But He has so many names and the great saintly persons tell us to repeat the Holy Names of God. How does God appear in this material world as His Holy Names? There is an ad for a “talking Bible”. It’s a pretty good idea but they have a few odd ideas about God. In this talking Bible they have God’s voice booming and reverberating. But that is not how He appears. He appears on the tongue of His pure devotees. Those who love Him purely repeat His names. As we hear from such saintly persons we become purified, and as our purity increases, then the full manifestation of the Lord appears to us. This is called disciplic succession. It is a descending process through a living servant of God. It enters into our ears. Let me tell you a little more about Lord Caitanya. You might not know much about Him. He appeared 500 years ago in Navadwipa. When we say that He was God, there must be scriptural evidence for this. [Next, he quotes 3 or 4 different scriptures describing the appearance, name of His mother, and activities for Lord Caitanya] He came as a devotee with the purpose of getting others to hear and chant the Holy Names of the Lord. We are following His instructions and if you would like to learn how to become purified by chanting the Holy Names of the Lord then please contact us at the Science of Identity Foundation.