gHari

Offer him everything you have: your heart, your mind, your body and senses, your possessions. Thus you can follow his prime instruction: Seek ye first the Kingdom of God. That will make him happiest. And it will make you happiest too, more than you can possibly imagine. Click for: JESUS IN A NUTSHELL

Nonsectarianism !

x = a + b and b = 4

And then unofficially there was .... A Garland of Vaishnava Truths (Bhaktivinoda 1892, McGill University Canada) .... Siddhartha .... Rama of the jungle ... Save-o-rama .... Casino Rama .... My Sweet Lord ..... Rama Rama Ding Dong ... The inpouring of Indian immigrants to the West ... The internet .... Entry into the English vocabulary of words like karma, dharma .... Jaya Jagannatha! Lord Sri Krsna Caitanya garlanded the whole world with the Holy Name, and it is manifesting, if only a word at a time at times ... Change is sometimes best a gradual thing.

I find this question promotes a very intimate relationship with Krsna. Perhaps they are even questions He may ask Himself. It seems that intimate. I mean, it's always about us, our liberation, our devotion. But now it's about Him, from His vantage point. Sure, He's laughing at my naivety, but maybe He enjoys my interest just the same.

That is so wonderful. That is our Krsna.

Well, that sometimes happens, and I'm okay with that. If it matters to you, just focus on the first sentence of my original post. If it doesn't make sense, then it doesn't make sense - and I'm okay with that. That is the Vedic verdict, and it opposes Darwin's hypothesized causes: natural selection and survival of the fittest and chance.

It is the evolution of the soul we see in the fossil record - the soul passing through 8,400,000 species of life. The scientist will tell you that religion has no place in science. But please will they finally accept that science has no place in religion. Science cannot answer the question 'why' - that is religion. When they start speculating about about why evolution happens they are no longer scientists. They become cranks.

This was a question that came to me as I was chanting in the rain on the way to the Festival of India on Centre Island this year. I rarely come up with questions, so when I had the opportunity to join a group who were posing questions for Jayadvaita Swami Maharaja to answer, I wrote it on a piece of paper. He handled it quite trivially, but later we discussed it in private and realized that there was a lot of appreciation for Krsna's unique position hidden in the actual answer. It leads us to inquire: why is God a cowherd boy? Why does He play the flute? All these things - is it His choice or is that just the way He is? Is He beautiful or is what He is our definition of beauty? Hold on to your head - but it will be a nice confusion. A humbling confusion. Acintya.

This would help distinguish between quotes and non-quotes: http://www.htmlhelp.com/reference/html40/block/blockquote.html Like this: <BLOCKQUOTE> "Myquote" </BLOCKQUOTE>

I think it would be interesting on so many levels if both Babhru and KSB gave a synopsis of the talk. What message was presented? What message was received? My last partner on my job here had been an altar boy. He was the first person in forever that really deserved and received my message - completely nonsectarian, yet the whole thing. He got even more than the internet forums got over the last fifteen years. Now he's somewhere else and the world is empty again.

From 'The Teachings of Lord Caitanya': Lord Caitanya then told PrakAzAnanda SarasvatI that because He received the order from His spiritual master, He was constantly chanting Hare KRSNa, Hare KRSNa, KRSNa KRSNa, Hare Hare/ Hare RAma, Hare RAma, RAma RAma, Hare Hare. "As a result of this chanting," the Lord said, "I sometimes become very impatient and cannot restrain Myself from dancing and laughing or crying and singing. Indeed, I become just like a madman. When I first wondered whether I had become mad by chanting this Hare KRSNa, Hare KRSNa, KRSNa KRSNa, Hare Hare/ Hare RAma, Hare RAma, RAma RAma, Hare Hare, I approached My spiritual master and informed him that I had gone mad by chanting Hare KRSNa, Hare KRSNa, KRSNa KRSNa, Hare Hare/ Hare RAma, Hare RAma, RAma RAma, Hare Hare. Thus I asked him what was My actual position." In the NArada-paJcarAtra it is stated: <center> eSo vedAH SaD-aGgAni chandAMsi vividhAH surAH sarvam aSTAkSarAntaHsthaM yac cAnyad api vAGmayam sarva-vedAnta-sArArthaH saMsArArNava-tAraNaH </center> "All Vedic rituals, mantras and understanding are compressed into eight words: Hare KRSNa, Hare KRSNa, KRSNa KRSNa, Hare Hare." Similarly, in the KalisantaraNa UpaniSad it is stated: <center> hare kRSNa hare kRSNa kRSNa kRSNa hare hare hare rAma hare rAma rAma rAma hare hare iti SoDazakaM nAmnAM kali-kalmaSa-nAzanam nAtaH parataropAyaH sarva-vedeSu dRzyate </center> "The sixteen words--Hare KRSNa, Hare KRSNa, KRSNa KRSNa, Hare Hare/ Hare RAma, Hare RAma, RAma RAma, Hare Hare--are especially meant for counteracting the contaminations of Kali. To save oneself from the contamination of Kali, there is no alternative but the chanting of these sixteen words." Lord Caitanya informed PrakAzAnanda SarasvatI that when His spiritual master understood Him, he said, "It is the transcendental nature of the holy names of Hare KRSNa, Hare KRSNa, KRSNa KRSNa, Hare Hare/ Hare RAma, Hare RAma, RAma RAma, Hare Hare to transport a man into spiritual madness. Anyone who sincerely chants this holy name very soon attains elevation to the platform of love of God and becomes mad after God. This madness arising from love of God is the first perfectional stage for a human being." In a Gita lecture Srila Prabhupada notes: Therefore Caitanya MahAprabhu has introduced according to zAstra, according to the indication of the zAstras, just like in the SrImad-BhAgavatam and in other PurANas, and other Vedic scriptures this is recommended. In Kali-santaraNa UpaniSad, in BrahmANDa PurANa, in VAyu PurANa, this chanting of Hare KRSNa Hare KRSNa KRSNa KRSNa Hare Hare, Hare RAma Hare RAma RAma RAma Hare Hare is recommended. SrI Caitanya MahAprabhu simply introduced it as a great propaganda. That is. Otherwise, this is recommended in every age. There are many devotees, they were chanting. But the process of meditation is not possible. Therefore simply on the basis of this process one can attain the highest perfectional stage. In a Bhagavatam lecture Srila Prabhupada notes: Our this Hare KRSNa movement is pursuing, following the footstep of SrI Caitanya MahAprabhu. <center> harer nAma harer nAma harer nAmaiva kevalam kalau nAsty eva nAsty eva nAsty eva gatir anyathA [Cc. Adi 17.21] </center> These are all according to Vedic injunction. This Hare KRSNa movement is not a manufactured way. This is actually following the Vedic principle. This is Agni-PurANa, BrahmANDa-PurANa, Brahma-vaivarta-PurANa, and Kali-santaraNa-UpaniSad. There are many Vedic literatures, they are recommended, this Hare KRSNa. Sometime it is said, "Hare KRSNa, Hare KRSNa, KRSNa KRSNa, Hare Hare"; sometimes it is "Hare RAma, Hare RAma, RAma RAma, Hare Hare." So people become puzzled, which one should be first vibrated. So any one you can vibrate. Either you chant Hare KRSNa or Hare RAma in the beginning, it doesn't matter. There is no difference between the holy name of KRSNa and RAma. But still, there is some distinction . In the zAstra it is said that "If you chant one thousand times Lord ViSNu's name, that is equal to chanting one name of Lord RAma." Sahasra, sahasra, ViSNu-sahasra-nAma. And if you chant three times Lord RAma's name, it is equal to one time chanting KRSNa's name. This is the shastric injunction. So either you chant ViSNu name or Lord RAma name or Lord KRSNa's name, there is no difference, as you are, because different people become devotee to different forms. Sometimes they are devotee of Lord RAmacandra; they want to worship SItA-RAma. That is also good. Sometimes they want to worship LakSmI-NArAyaNa. That is also good. And sometimes they want to worship RAdhA-KRSNa. That is also the same. There is no difference. RAmAdi-mUrtiSu kalA-niyamena tiSThan nAnAvatAram akarod bhuvaneSu kintu, kRSNaH svayaM samabhavat [bs. 5.39]. There are many manifestation of ViSNu--advaitam acyutam anAdim ananta-rUpam [bs. 5.33]--but the original manifestation or original KRSNa... KRSNas tu bhagavAn svayam [sB 1.3.28]. Really, when we speak of BhagavAn, that is KRSNa. So KRSNa's expansion, they are also BhagavAn. And those who are very, very powerful like Lord Siva, Lord BrahmA, NArada, and many other devotees and sages, they are also sometimes addressed as BhagavAn in the zAstra, but not ordinary men. Ordinary men cannot become BhagavAn. That is not possible. But everyone can become exalted devotee. Just like NArada Muni. In his previous birth he was a maidservant's son, not even born in the brAhmaNa family. But by good association of devotees he became next birth NArada Muni, the spiritual master of so many exalted devotees. NArada Muni's name we hear in connection with PrahlAda MahArAja, Dhruva MahArAja, and many other devotees. And so everyone has the potency, just like NArada Muni. So it doesn't matter where you were born. NArada Muni was born as a maidservant's son, but by good association... SatAM prasaGgAn mama vIrya-saMvidaH. By good association, next life he became NArada.

"Hey, nice beads, dude!" "Yah, they're from India. I'm a singer and percussionist of sorts. Pretty hip, eh? Maybe I need an earring to be totally cool?"

Haha. Not me - a few minutes of thrills followed by weeks of joining the walking dead. It's no bargain at all. Obviously I've been there, dung that.

It was back in '80 I guess. I was working at the College, designing computer systems by day and teaching programming and system design at night. Somehow after a staff meeting, two male teachers, a female teacher and I decided to go back to her house out on Picton Island in the cottage area. Well, shortly after we got there the other two guys decided to leave. She offered to create some herbal tea and innocent as I was (sorta) I stayed, just the two of us. I guess maybe it had been a setup. I stretched and that caused my neckbeads to break while she was in the kitchen. Fortunately my shirt was tucked in, catching the beads in my belly. I was devastated, and making some lame excuse, I left quickly. It seems that 'romance' is not one of the offences one can do while wearing neckbeads. Of course, looking back, it was very beneficial not only in that dangerous situation but also in so many others that may have come along after that day. So Mr. Stud-muffin gets cured once again by a higher attachment defeating another lower attachment. And the battle continued.

I had one rule: remember Nanda Maharaja.

They need ten acres They have three. Perhaps they can sell the town house and purchase a small farm on the outskirts of town. The rednecks will surely rise if they don't stoop and scoop the cow patties on the town roads.

My birthday gift this year, last Monday was the following treasure which I would like to share with the Fellowship. Concluding the small book "Poetry of a Saint" which comprises the 5th collection of sermons of Srila Sridhara Maharaja Goswami we find: [...] Our aspiration should be for such a life. We can sincerely foster the idea to feel attraction to a life of such a plane where everything is of a musical character. This is the land of Vrndavan. This is the land where God is eternally engaged in a sweet play of love with all surrendered souls. Vrndavan is so friendly, so sweet, so near to us, and such a “well-wisher” of ours. We are quite at home there – sweet, sweet home. In our innate and innermost existence we are members of that plane. Now we have come out, and we have scattered our consciousness all over the surface. Cover, cover, cover – there are so many layers but they are all dry things. And the substance is within. Eliminating this bodily cover, the mental cover, the egoistic cover – I may enter into the land of Vrndavan – the land of love. Vrndavan resides within me , and there I can find my friends everywhere. They are my friends and relatives, and they will give me an all-too-pleasing experience – ecstasy. Sri Chaitanya came with this news for us . “Oh, you are a child of that soil; why do you suffer here, my children, my boys? Why do you suffer? You are a child of that soil, and you are suffering so much, coming in the desert? Your home is so resourceful, so sweet and you are running in the desert? What is this? Come! Leave this poisonous charm, this suicidal charm. “This so-called charm, maya-charm, misunderstanding charm – this is suicidal. Leave this apparent charm! This is poisonous – like a witch. The witch has charmed you here and made you spellbound. Come along with Me! I shall take you to your home which is so very sweet!” This should be the course of our life, our cherished goal. Srimad Bhagavatam tells us this. Home, sweet, sweet home. You are a child of that soil. <B>In one word, that is the goal. Why is that the highest goal? That is your home!</b> This one word, ‘home’, should be sufficient to attract you. You are wandering here in a foreign land, but there is your home. You will get home comfort there, and you will not be able to deny that. So, back to God, back to home, back to Godhead.

It is not that The Divine has personality, but that the personality is Divine. Sri Krsna is always the subject.

But the Supreme Spirit is a He, the He, Sri Krsna.

These words I found not coming from a personalist: "The Supreme Spirit lies indifferent beyond all epithets and categories; it does not care for your sinful activities nor is it pleased by your pious acts." They sometimes say "He" but they always mean "It".

An impersonal quotes Prabhupada - is that odd or good?

These evil desires all come from eons of past lives in millions of different species. Together they form our gestalt, our ahankara, our burden on this world. What is normal for a tiger is not normal for a human. And in today's Western world what is normal for a human is not normal for a spirit soul. So what serpent tempts us to leave the shelter of the spirit soul to fall prey to the ahankara desires of the lower world? Leave the apple on the tree for when we contemplate the objects of the senses we start the apple rolling.

http://geocities.com/caitanyamahaprabhu/garland1.htm

Bottom line: If Krsna wants someone to be diksa guru, then they are.