theist

Google has links to 180 article3s about this. ------ Ayurvedic medicines contain toxic amounts of heavy metals: Study: [Health India]: Washington, Dec 15 : A new study has found that herbal medicines may not be completely natural, and may contain potentially toxic amounts of heavy metals. An analysis of a sample of Ayurvedic herbal medicine products found that 20 percent contained metals such as lead, mercury and arsenic at levels that could be toxic if taken as directed, according to a study in the December 15 issue of JAMA. The researchers found that 14 (20 percent) of the 70 the herbal medical products contained lead, mercury and/or arsenic, and that if taken as recommended by the manufacturer, each of these could result in heavy metal intake above the published regulatory standards. Although the prevalence of heavy metal-containing Ayurvedic HMP use is unknown, the number of individuals at potential risk is substantial," the authors write. "Public health and community organizations should consider issuing advisories to current or previous Ayurvedic HMP users, encouraging them to consult their physicians about heavy metal screening." "Our findings support calls for reform of DSHEA that would require mandatory testing of all imported dietary supplements for toxic heavy metals," they concluded. (ANI)

Yes a man came down with what was determined to be lead poisoning. His blood level was at 89 and the normal is 2. What those numbers mean I don't know but it is obviously 87 over where it should be. It was later traced to a product called Googalru? or something like that which he had been taking for the last 6 years.

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What we don't want as well as the heavy metals in our medicine is the FDA using this as an excuse to regulate herbs like drugs. Avoid all Ayurvedic products made outside of US. --------------------------- Lead, arsenic in imported herbal remedies-US study 14 Dec 2004 21:07:34 GMT Source: Reuters CHICAGO, Dec 14 (Reuters) - More than a dozen "Ayurvedic" herbal remedies imported from India and Pakistan were found to contain harmful levels of the heavy metals mercury, lead and arsenic, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday. "Although the prevalence of heavy-metal-containing Ayurvedic herbal medicine products use is unknown, the number of individuals at potential risk is substantial," said Robert Saper, who did the study while at Harvard Medical School, and is now at Boston University. Saper purchased 70 traditional Ayurvedic remedies at Boston-area South Asian grocery stores touted as cures for ills ranging from child colic to urinary tract infections and found 14 contained potentially toxic levels of mercury, lead and arsenic. The report, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, urged consumers of these products to get screened for heavy metal poisoning. It also renewed the American Medical Association's call for closer governmental monitoring of herbal remedies. A few Ayurvedic products legally manufactured in India and Pakistan are herbs deliberately "cooked" with metals such as mercury, but any such product would be banned in the United States, said Michael McGuffin of the American Herbal Products Association, who was asked to respond to the journal article by Ayurvedic education groups. "Mercury is an ingredient in traditional Ayurvedic formulas. They might be comfortable with it, my association is not," he said. The tainted products purchased by the researchers would not be widely available, and customers were likely immigrants and others familiar with them, he said. Ayurvedic products made in the United States and sold in many health food stores are free of such toxins, McGuffin said. Like most herbal remedies, they are benign and usually less powerful than prescription drugs, which he said do need close monitoring by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Based in philosophical theories propounded in India thousands of years ago, the Ayurvedic medical system encompasses a range of treatments and lifestyle measures said to prevent disease by balancing "principles" at work in the body.

What are they so afraid of? Krsna. He ruins the illusion of our being the prime enjoyer. But just think of the world that has opened up to mr. Flew. He didn't come to that position wholly on his own strength. Krsna is beginning to show Himself to this soul through his evaluation and speculations on the cosmos. In that sense his books of material scientific knowledge become a type of scripture for him irrespective if all the particulars of the theories contained within are literally true or not. At this point I think he is starting to add yoga to his jnana. He just needs a spiritual master to keep him concentrated on the essence. "Amongst logicians I am the conclusive truth." - Gita

Some teach the chanting of Hare Krsna as a means to merge into the impersonal Brahman. Someone else may teach the mantra as a means to attain heaven. This type of chanting should be avoided because their chanting is not infused with bhakti-shakti. Same with the professional chanting from movie productions or people who chant just as a means to earn a livlihood. Some times devotees will go to some mayavadi group and really appreciate their bhajana or kirtana because "they have such a nice chanting style" or something. But we are advised to hear the chanting of the Lord's pure devotees instead even if the chanting comes from a raspy voice and out of tune.

I thought of you when I saw this picture. I knew you would appreciate it.

I have wondered the same thing. In the late 70's I remeber the FDA was trying to ban it on the grounds there is some cancer causes agent. Apparently that had given some mouse massive doses of the oil and it developed cancer. Absurd but I think someone saw it as a possible competitor to some pyschotropic conceoction they had coming to market either for depression or ADD. I'll learned to suspect the worse from that crowd. Just like Trytophan was banned due to a bad batch from japan ONE TIME. Oddly enough that was followed by the introduction of prozac onto the market to elevate seretonin levels to fight depression. Tryptophan is a seretoin precurssor and raises it's levels in the body. The thing is you can't patent an amino acid. I wish I could chew it. That seems to be the best way but even the faint smell upsets my stomach. Others like it. I hope someone reads your experience with it and gives it a try.

"Also, Mary is the representation of the energy of God. Either as internal energy Radharani or as external energy Durga, the energy of Godhead can be considered the mother of the living entities." - letter to Sivananda Holy Mother, be mercy to us, please engage us in the internal service to Sri Krishna. In Yeshua's name we pray.

Frank Wesley, India ________ John 4 Jesus Talks With a Samaritan Woman 1 The Pharisees heard that Jesus was gaining and baptising more disciples than John, 2 although in fact it was not Jesus who baptised, but his disciples. 3 When the Lord learned of this, he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee. 4 Now he had to go through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour. 7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, Will you give me a drink? 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink? (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered her, If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water. 11 Sir, the woman said, you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds? 13 Jesus answered, Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life. 15 The woman said to him, Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water. 16 He told her, Go, call your husband and come back. 17 I have no husband, she replied. Jesus said to her, You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true. 19 Sir, the woman said, I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshipped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem. 21 Jesus declared, Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshippers must worship in spirit and in truth. 25 The woman said, I know that Messiah (called Christ) is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us. 26 Then Jesus declared, I who speak to you am he. The Disciples Rejoin Jesus 27 Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no-one asked, What do you want? or Why are you talking with her? 28 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29 Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ? 30 They came out of the town and made their way towards him. 31 Meanwhile his disciples urged him, Rabbi, eat something. 32 But he said to them, I have food to eat that you know nothing about. 33 Then his disciples said to each other, Could someone have brought him food? 34 My food, said Jesus, is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.

SB 11.10.2: A purified soul should see that because the conditioned souls who are dedicated to sense gratification have falsely accepted the objects of sense pleasure as truth, all of their endeavors are doomed to failure. SB 11.10.3: One who is sleeping may see many objects of sense gratification in a dream, but such pleasurable things are merely creations of the mind and are thus ultimately useless. Similarly, the living entity who is asleep to his spiritual identity also sees many sense objects, but these innumerable objects of temporary gratification are creations of the Lord's illusory potency and have no permanent existence. One who meditates upon them, impelled by the senses, uselessly engages his intelligence.

Krsnaji, please post smaller pictures so that the thread does not become excessively wide and thus hard to read. thanks

SB 11.9.24: O King, from all these spiritual masters I have acquired great wisdom. Now please listen as I explain what I learned from my own body. SB 11.9.25: The material body is also my spiritual master because it teaches me detachment. Being subject to creation and destruction, it always comes to a painful end. Thus, although using my body to acquire knowledge, I always remember that it will ultimately be consumed by others, and remaining detached, I move about this world. SB 11.9.26: A man attached to the body accumulates money with great struggle to expand and protect the position of his wife, children, property, domestic animals, servants, homes, relatives, friends, and so on. He does all this for the gratification of his own body. As a tree before dying produces the seed of a future tree, the dying body manifests the seed of one's next material body in the form of one's accumulated karma. Thus assuring the continuation of material existence, the material body sinks down and dies. SB 11.9.27: A man who has many wives is constantly harassed by them. He is responsible for their maintenance, and thus all the ladies constantly pull him in different directions, each struggling for her self-interest. Similarly, the material senses harass the conditioned soul, pulling him in many different directions at once. On one side the tongue is pulling him to arrange tasty food; then thirst drags him to get a suitable drink. Simultaneously the sex organs clamor for satisfaction, and the sense of touch demands soft, sensuous objects. The belly harasses him until it is filled, the ears demand to hear pleasing sounds, the sense of smell hankers for pleasant aromas, and the fickle eyes clamor for pleasing sights. Thus the senses, organs and limbs, all desiring satisfaction, pull the living entity in many directions. SB 11.9.28: The Supreme Personality of Godhead, expanding His own potency, maya-sakti, created innumerable species of life to house the conditioned souls. Yet by creating the forms of trees, reptiles, animals, birds, snakes and so on, the Lord was not satisfied within His heart. Then He created human life, which offers the conditioned soul sufficient intelligence to perceive the Absolute Truth, and became pleased. SB 11.9.29: After many, many births and deaths one achieves the rare human form of life, which, although temporary, affords one the opportunity to attain the highest perfection. Thus a sober human being should quickly endeavor for the ultimate perfection of life as long as his body, which is always subject to death, has not fallen down and died. After all, sense gratification is available even in the most abominable species of life, whereas Krishna consciousness is possible only for a human being. SB 11.9.30: Having learned from my spiritual masters, I remain situated in realization of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and, fully renounced and enlightened by realized spiritual knowledge, wander the earth without attachment or false ego. SB 11.9.31: Although the Absolute Truth is one without a second, the sages have described Him in many different ways. Therefore one may not be able to acquire very firm or complete knowledge from one spiritual master. SB 11.9.32: The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: Having thus spoken to King Yadu, the wise brahmana accepted obeisances and worship from the King and felt pleased within himself. Then bidding farewell, he left exactly as he had come. SB 11.9.33: O Uddhava, hearing the words of the avadhuta, the saintly King Yadu, who is the forefather of our own ancestors, became free from all material attachment, and thus his mind was evenly fixed on the spiritual platform.

Between a homosexual promoting Krsna consciousness to fallen souls and one who is promoting homosexuality to the Krsna consciousness movement.

SB 11.9.22: If out of love, hate or fear an embodied soul fixes his mind with intelligence and complete concentration upon a particular bodily form, he will certainly attain the form that he is meditating upon. SB 11.9.23: O King, once a wasp forced a weaker insect to enter his hive and kept him trapped there. In great fear the weak insect constantly meditated upon his captor, and without giving up his body, he gradually achieved the same state of existence as the wasp. Thus one achieves a state of existence according to one's constant concentration.

SB 11.9.21: Just as from within himself the spider expands thread through his mouth, plays with it for some time and eventually swallows it, similarly, the Supreme Personality of Godhead expands His personal potency from within Himself. Thus, the Lord displays the network of cosmic manifestation, utilizes it according to His purpose and eventually withdraws it completely within Himself.

Indian Film Star Says He'll Perform Despite Buddhist Monks' Self-Immolation Threats Associated Press Colombo, Sri Lanka, Dec. 10 - Indian film idol Shahrukh Khan said Friday his concert in Sri Lanka can't be postponed despite Buddhists monks' threats to set themselves on fire to protest the show, which coincides with the anniversary of a cleric's death. "The timing maybe wrong. We will observe a two-minute silence in memory of Venerable Gangodawila Soma," Khan said in a statement in Sri Lanka's capital, Colombo. Saturday's planned concert featuring Bollywood stars would come a day before the first anniversary of the death of Soma, who campaigned against Christian conversions of Buddhists. Buddhist monks have said the weekend should be reserved for religious observances and have vowed to launch protests to stop the show. "This may include self-immolation," Rathmalana Seelawansa, a monk who supports the clergy-backed opposition National Heritage Party, told reporters Friday as dozens of his saffron-robed colleagues marched to the venue in Colombo. "We are not against individuals, but people must also understand our sentiments," Seelawansa said. Khan said that the program had been organized four months earlier, and that it was too late to postpone the event when organizers learned of the anniversary. "We come here with a lot of friendship and peace," he said. "We think of Sri Lanka as our home." "The show may be glamorous, but we want to make people happy and spread happiness," he said. The monks are a powerful political force here because the majority of Sri Lankans are Buddhists. In the past, politicians have often sought guidance from their spiritual leaders, and monks have succeeded in halting legislation and reforms. Soma died while on a visit to Russia. Although doctors said he died of a heart attack, some Buddhists blame Christians for his death, and there was a surge of attacks on churches for months after he died. Earlier this week the monks handed a petition protesting the concert to Indian High Commissioner Nirupama Rao. The show, called "Temptation 2004," also features Indian film stars Preity Zinta, Saif Ali Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Javed Khan and Celina Jaitly.

I never knew that. I just heard that Prabhupada had said that it would not be productive as their insurance co. would just build them a new a better facility. No devotees needn't plant bombs, they need to spread kirtan and knowledge. But that leaves alot of others...

Afterall there is no Krsna conscious representation in that sphere especially at those levels. The only descent presentation on radio is NPR. They have some class but they flaunt it too much. Great bumper music! No overt commercials! But they get boring as hell a lot too and their PC agenda is so blatant. Can't listen to any of their political commentary. Terry Gross and Fresh Air is usually good. It's hard being an extremist on both sides of the aisle. I mean everyone seems too centrist on every issue. On terrorism I am to the right of Paul Wolfiwitz (sp) and co. As far as corporations go I see these big mutinationals (99%) as being the enemy of mankind and the Earth in general. I would love to wake up some morning and find that all the McDonalds were being burned down along with the abortion mills. ALF ELF and those that shut down abortion providers all have a place in my heart but not in each others. A lot of those on air conservatives seem to take pot shots at animal rights activist from time to time and I just want to shove their cigars right down their throats. Yes if only we had a Krsna conscious communism going but we don't and so we have to pick through the trash and use what we find to our best advantage. Between the two parties it's an easy choice. I'll never support a baby killer for anything or those that assault the practice of religion. therefore the Demoncrats are out. By default or on a couple of issues the Republicans are better. It's the age and Pariksit ain't comin' back. I turned off my TV service. So now it's Savage nation for a little while, Rush for a little while, NPR from time to time, and Coast to Coast while always wishing George Noory was Art Bell. I am tortured. Why? Because I have no taste for Krsna-katha.

BG 13.32: Those with the vision of eternity can see that the imperishable soul is transcendental, eternal, and beyond the modes of nature. Despite contact with the material body, O Arjuna, the soul neither does anything nor is entangled. BG 13.33: The sky, due to its subtle nature, does not mix with anything, although it is all-pervading. Similarly, the soul situated in Brahman vision does not mix with the body, though situated in that body.

Glad that he came to this before his death. He is 81. ------- Famed atheist concedes: evidence points to God New York, Dec. 10 (CWNews.com) - Antony Flew, the British scholar who for years has been the world's most noteworthy philosophical proponent of atheism, has conceded that scientific evidence points to the existence of God. Flew-- a prolific writer and energetic lecturer who has advanced atheist arguments throughout his long academic career-- made his dramatic concession in a video presentation on scientific evidence for the existence of God. In the video-- based on a conference held in New York in May of this year-- Flew said that the latest biological research "has shown, by the almost unbelievable complexity of the arrangements which are needed to produce (life), that intelligence must have been involved." Early this year, writing in Philosophy Now magazine, Flew had indicated that his commitment to atheism was wavering. He wrote: "It has become inordinately difficult even to begin to think about constructing a naturalistic theory of the evolution of that first reproducing organism." Flew credited a Texas Catholic, Roy Varghese, with helping to persuade him that biological research points to the workings of an intelligent creator. Varghese, the author of The Wonder of the World , organized the May conference at which Flew first questioned his own atheistic position, and produced the video in which the 81-year-old scholar abandoned that stance. Flew-- whose 1984 essay, "The Presumption of Atheism," fixed his place as the leading proponent of that view-- emphasizes that he has not accepted Christianity. He said: "I'm thinking of a God very different from the God of the Christian, and far and away from the God of Islam." He likened his current position to the deism of Thomas Jefferson, explaining that he is now sympathetic to the researchers who theorize about an "intelligent design" in the working of creation. Antony Flew conceded that many of his philosophical followers will be shocked by his announcement. But he told Associated Press: "My whole life has been guided by the principle of Plato's Socrates: Follow the evidence, wherever it leads."

It seems the less I add my own hot air the fresher the breath remains. /images/graemlins/smile.gif Hare Krsna

That you will have to learn through spiritual practice and spiritual growth. I am speaking of a process of accepting spiritual master. The relationship develops along with your practice of sadhana bhakti. You must continualy ask the Lord in the heart to make Himself known to you. That connection is what bhakti-yoga is all about. There are other questions here that must be understood deeply and not just on a superfical level. One question, very basic but very important is What does it mean to ACCEPT a spiritual master? Many assume that having gone through an emotional experience and a ceremony that that is accepting someone as guru. But is it? There may be many levels to accepting a guru. How can I say I accept someone as a spiritual master and yet I don't follow all his instructions? And as I follow his instructions I may find that his instructions are more involved than just what time to get up and what songs to sing. They may involve very subtle and deep changes of heart. It is possible to follow the outer program of the spiritual master and yet have one's heart far from him. This is why I consider accepting a guru as a process and not just an initial emotional event. Our acceptance grows deeper and becomes more substantial. I am also very much against social pressure being placed on anyone to declare "Who is your guru prabhu"? "You must have a guru or you will not make advancement"etc. First off you already have guru. Caitya-guru the Lord in the heart is your guru. Guru is in his writings and shastra. Are you developing faith in Srila Prabhupada? That faith comes from the Lord in the heart. Follow the faith to your guru. And the Lord may take you to different gurus also, such as one of his disciples. Consider concentrating more on taking advantage of the gurus you already have then adding another name to the list. Always,daily, hourly praying to the Lord in the heart to direct you back to Him. He may inspire within you a faith in a particular manifestation of Himself and there you may find a very special relationship including vows and so many other formal things. All I am suggesting is that you be sure you are directed there by the Supersoul for the purpose of finding a more solid connection with Him and not any other reason. By that I mean Supersoul is directing everyone everywhere already but you must make sure your motive is pure. You asked how can I be sure I am hearing tparamatma? That is a very intelligent question. Now ask it of Supersoul as well as other devotees. Primarily Supersoul. he is the one who gives the knowledge on how to come to Him. He is the dispeller of darkness. People that accepted Srila Prabhupada in the beginning were receipients of unusual mercy. But how deep did they take the acceptance process is the question? They had no knowledge of scripture in terms of what to look for in guru nor the eyes to see with anyway. Krsna took them to Prabhupada. Krsna pointed him out and said "Here is my beloved devotee in whom I am well pleased. Serve him, assist him." Undoubtedly many were continuing the process they had begun in the past. Others may have just received a rare mercy from Krsna. In a sense of course it is all rare mercy but some may have been spiraling downward with little or no sukriti in their accounts and Krsna just graced them from His own sweet will. I can't say. But I can say he wasn't claiming a GBC sanction from the Gaudiya matha as proof he was guru, he carried no certificate with anyone's stamp of approval to hang on the wall, he had no birthright to guruship. What did he carry as proof? Only a total dedication to fulfilling the mission of and wishes of his spiritual master. His perfect service attitude was his proof he was master. Stay concentrated on siksa, if you take some initiation for Deity worship fine, just watch out for making eternal vows to someone who may not be qualified. That will not help you. You should know that I am only giving my opinion and I speak with no authority so you must scrutinize everything I say, or just ignore it. But you may not blindly believe it. I'll close with a reference from a Prabhupada purport I'll try to remeber correctly but you should look it up independently. "One who has accepted Lord Caitanya as the universal guru and Lord Jagganatha as Krsna receives all the blessing of guru and God" That is only a paraphrase as I can't remember exactly where it is in CC but please look for it and meditate on it. Hare Krsna

It's the LORD IN THE HEART that will tell us. Not just listening to our feelings at the moment about a certain person. That method can't be relied on to find a good mate let alone guru. The Lord in the Heart or Supersoul is directing everyone according to their desires. If we are sincere about finding guru, not a "guru", but His representative on Earth we must desire correctly with sincerity. "Oh, Lord please reveal to me your true representative that I may hear correctly of You from him." Don't rely on feelings from the mind, "Oh I feel like I'm floating on air in his presence." or "He had a light around him, I could feel his powerful aura" etc. This hippie approach will get you cheated. And don't rely on group pressure even from a religious institutions that may produce all sorts of ceremonial pomp and circumstance. You will also be cheated. Just rely on Krsna. He has followed us from the time we slipped into maya. Waiting and watching as we tried to madly enjoy this world of matter for countless lifetimes waiting for us to exhaust ourselves and turn to Him for guidance home. There is absolutely no chance that we will be cheated if we rely upon Him, pray in earnest to Him. It is the one and only absolute, foolproof, sure thing, garunteed path to success. "By the grace of Krsna one gets guru, by the grace of guru one gets Krsna." So our position is to pray to Krsna for such grace. Why do we complicate such a simple thing? We have ill-motives that's why.

I don't think you can prove it to him. State your reasons for accepting it as such and leave him to believe what he will. For evry reason you site why it is divine scripture he will have a countering doubt. Why? Because Krsna will give him the doubt from within. Just as Krsna gives you faith from within He covers the faith of others with doubt. Why? Because He allows us to remember Him or forget Him both. Perhaps he will need to see the change in you personally before he believes. That may be the best way to prove it to him.