theist

Srinivas, are you able to practice Krsna Consciousness there in an open manner?

We want to stick with karma-yoga a bit even though we know there are more intimate states up ahead.Grounded, down to earth, practical.

At what point do altruistic activities become a type of karma-yoga?

Say for example someone is working to end the suffering of animals in slaughterhouses but has no real spiritual understanding, doesn't understand the presence of the soul at all, but just appreciates that causing that needless suffering is wrong. And is pained to see it happen. Is this karma-yoga? If not then how does one so engaged change to make it karma-yoga?

I am trying to redirect my consciousness from all this harsh worldly reality. But I cannot ignore what I see. On one hand I know its a dream but on the other hand I know, though temporary, its real.

I don't really have a taste for strict devotional practice. A little here and there, hit or miss. And I am surely far from any genuine spontaneous love or affection for the Supreme Person.

On top of that, I am not inclined to the rigors of detachment or deep philosophical study.

I do get involved in various social action projects. Is it possible for me to dovetail these types of actions in Krsna's service? And what are the particulars, the specifics.

I just noticed I forgot to place the quote from Isopanishad in the original post. Sorry. So I will do it here.

When altruistic activities are executed in the spirit of Sri Isopaniñad, they become a form of karma-yoga. Such activities are recommended in the Bhagavad-gétä (18.5-9), for they guarantee their executor protection from the danger of sliding down into the evolutionary process of birth and death. Even though such God-centered activities may be half-finished, they are still good for the executor because they will guarantee him a human form in his next birth. In this way one can have another chance to improve his position on the path of liberation.

So what is "the spirit of Isopanishad"?

What is karma-yoga?

Would someone elaborate on these words from Srila Prabhupada which are found in a purport to the 2nd mantra in Isopanishad?

Hopefully the voucher system will get some support and then interested parents will be able toafford removing their children from these giant daycare centers we call schools, and have them in some private schools.

Couldn't find the US. I believe it.

I guess I shouldn't talk about what they teach or don't teach too much since I essentially stopped going during the 7th grade. I did at least get quite expert around the pool table.

Hare Krsna,

Problem Child

The fact that the "white girl pow" got so much press is insinuated as racism. That is a mis-conception. At the time she was the only one found. The black pow was found with a group of others. The white girl had both her legs broken and also an arm. The Iraqi' doctor who tipped off the US said those holding her were going to amputate her leg. The black girl was unharmed physically. No racism folks. Just different stories.

Srila Prabhupada was certainly guilty of excessive compassion. He could have played it safe and stayed in Vrndaban. I guess he was so infected with the magnanimus and forward looking vision of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta though in one sense he had no choice.

He in fact initiated the whole western world into Harinam.

Some fell from the sannyasa ashram. So what? The service they did remains on. There is no loss. Many just got married and kept on with their bhakti.

Your post is just too long and riddled with misconceptions and left twists to straighten out point for point. But because I can't control my urge to speak out I must say I heartily disagree. But you knew that.

In one of your recent posts during the war you said you were going back to work for the military. You mentioned they paid well. Hmmmm....?

You never burned a flag huh? Me either. But I did tear up and throw on the ground my draft card in a public park demonstartion in '69. Some Christians challenged us and when I asked them if Jesus would be for the draft they said he would and would carry his card. I then took mine out and ripped it and threw it to the wind.

Blind following is just as bad as blind dissent.

I missed three. Will I be kicked out? I remember helping this Viet Naimese family prepare for this test and it seems like there was fifty questions or so. I remember that I didn't know half of them then.

Hey Babhru, any reason why we don't teach the bill of rights as mandatory in middle school?

LE what was your score? I hope you did better than me.

leyh,

Every situation is different. Attacking the Soviet Union would have been MAD. Mutually Assured Destruction.

The cold war also included various proxy conflicts. Why did the US give stinger missles to the Afghan Mujahadeen? The Soviets were decemating the country with their Hein helicopters. The Afghans called them village destroyers because they would fly in and wipe out an entire village. They really wanted Karachi Pakistan for a warm water port. They all work under the idea of 'my enemies enemy is my friend'. So the US fought them by proxy.

Threats against anyone won't work unless them believe those will be backed up. Also containment would not have done much for the 24 million Iraqi's. Another reason is the nature of the threat. Suit case sized nukes can be brought to any major city of the world and set off by a handfull of terrorists. Do you wait or use intelligence and pre-emptive action to prevent it?

Recently it came out of some terrorists desire to have some of them infect themselves and then enter countries and spread disease just by minglingly around in highly populated areas. Think about it. Some terrorist flys into Hong Kong from Singapore. This person has pre-infected themselves with small pox. No way that airport security could ever detect it. They spend their last days just going around Hong kong infecting as many as possible. This is how these people think. It's a new world and it ain't pretty.

The ONLY way to stop it is to locate these terrorists first and take 'em out. That is the hard reality. Containment is complacency to them and they hope for it.

Realize that these people have already declared war. Its not even really pre-emptive in a way. They need to be taught some good lessons in a language they understand. They seem to understand A 1 Abrahm tanks and stealth bombers. Beyond that I think they are illiterate.

The terrorists and the states that sponser them have been served a notice.

My hope is the US troops rest and then some go back to Afghanistan to solidy that region. Then or maybe conjointly a visit should be payed to the Bekkaa(sp?) Valley in Lebanon.Take out Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad. That one is long over due. That should be a wake up call for Syria. If not well...

No need to try and make peaceful Brahmins out of the warrior class.

Better than I usually do.Thanks for not being to technical with name thang there Babhru.

I would love to see that picture.

Bill, here is a link to the gita online at this site: Check it out.

http://www.bhagavad-gita.us/

Here is a verse from the 10th chapter. Hare Krsna's accept that God dwells within the heart of every soul. The Soul of souls or Supersoul as we say.

To show them special mercy,I, dwelling in their hearts,destroy with the shinning lamp of knowledge the darkness born of ignorance. Bg10.11

 

 

From within the Lord enlightens us and from without as the guru or enlightened teacher and the scriptures.

This is the way to know God. In other words it comes by His mercy and revelation.

Praise Jesus Praise Krsna

before the bombs started falling I saw this one wanker handing out flyers to people that read in Eglish and Arabic "We are with you".

She gave this flyer to this guy who just looked at her like she was friggin' nuts. She had this look on her face that showed she was expecting to deeply appreciated for her great sacrifice.

They wanted to go to the hospitals and schools and shield them. Turns out that is where Saddam was stashing all the weapons.

leyh,

Please give us your idea of a better solution to the problem that was Iraq.

The UN idea went on for 12 years with no results. The inspectors being allowed back in only after Bush started sending troops and tanks.

What would you have done? I have asked this 5 or 6 times now of various people . I have yet to receive even one response. be the first.

guest number one above should remember this. This is not your personal forum, nor mine, to pick and choose who may speak here.

I'll bite with some guesses

Hawaii-New Navadvipa

1970 day? month?

Sai as Siddhasvarupananda Gosvami

only degrees will ever be found in the material world.

Forget WMD's. That bad taste alone is reason enough to take him out.

shag carpet???

Who is starting to see the truth?

Bill,

Sorry so late in responding. I had problems logining in for a few days and this thread got buried by then.

The Hare Krsna movement is centered around chanting the names of God and inspiring others to chant God's names.It is a mono-theistic understanding of God. There is one God and that God is personal. he has placed His spiritual power in His hundreds and millions of names.

The basic chant or prayer is:

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna

Krsna Krsna Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama

Rama Rama Hare Hare

Here is something on the mantra that you may enjoy. It is A.C. Bhaktivedanta speaking.

The Hare Krsna Mantra

The transcendental vibration established by the chanting of Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Räma, Hare Räma, Räma Räma, Hare Hare, is the sublime method for reviving our transcendental consciousness As living spiritual souls, we are all originally Krsna conscious entities, but due to our association with matter from time immemorial, our consciousness is now adulterated by the material atmosphere. The material atmosphere, in which we are now living, is called mäyä, or illusion. Mäyä means that which is not. And what is this illusion? The illusion is that we are all trying to be lords of material nature, while actually we are under the grip of her stringent laws. When a servant artificially tries to imitate the all-powerful master, it is called illusion. We are trying to exploit the resources of material nature, but actually we are becoming more and more entangled in her complexities. Therefore, although we are engaged in a hard struggle to conquer nature, we are ever more dependent on her. This illusory struggle against material nature can be stopped at once by revival of our eternal Krsna consciousness.

Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare is the transcendental process for reviving this original pure consciousness. By chanting this transcendental vibration, we can cleanse away all misgivings within our hearts. The basic principle of all such misgivings is the false consciousness that I am the lord of all I survey.

Krsna consciousness is not an artificial imposition on the mind. This consciousness is the original natural energy of the living entity. When we hear the transcendental vibration, this consciousness is revived. This simplest method of meditation is recommended for this age. By practical experience also, one can perceive that by chanting this mahä-mantra, or the Great Chanting for Deliverance, one can at once feel a transcendental ecstasy coming through from the spiritual stratum. In the material concept of life we are busy in the matter of sense gratification as if we were in the lower animal stage. A little elevated from this status of sense gratification, one is engaged in mental speculation for the purpose of getting out of the material clutches. A little elevated from this speculative status, when one is intelligent enough, one tries to find out the supreme cause of all causes within and without. And when one is factually on the plane of spiritual understanding, surpassing the stages of sense, mind and intelligence, he is then on the transcendental plane. This chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra is enacted from the spiritual platform, and thus this sound vibration surpasses all lower strata of consciousness namely sensual, mental and intellectual. There is no need, therefore, to understand the language of the mantra, nor is there any need for mental speculation nor any intellectual adjustment for chanting this mahä-mantra. It is automatic, from the spiritual platform, and as such, anyone can take part in vibrating this transcendental sound without any previous qualification. In a more advanced stage, of course, one is not expected to commit offenses on grounds of spiritual understanding.

In the beginning, there may not be the presence of all transcendental ecstasies, which are eight in number. These are: (1) Being stopped as though dumb, (2) perspiration, (3) standing up of hairs on the body, (4) dislocation of voice, (5) trembling, (6) fading of the body, (7) crying in ecstasy, and (8) trance. But there is no doubt that chanting for a while takes one immediately to the spiritual platform, and one shows the first symptom of this in the urge to dance along with the chanting of the mantra. We have seen this practically. Even a child can take part in the chanting and dancing. Of course, for one who is too entangled in material life, it takes a little more time to come to the standard point, but even such a materially engrossed man is raised to the spiritual platform very quickly. When it is chanted by a pure devotee of the Lord in love, it has the greatest efficacy on hearers, and as such this chanting should be heard from the lips of a pure devotee of the Lord, so that immediate effects can be achieved. As far as possible, chanting from the lips of nondevotees should be avoided. Milk touched by the lips of a serpent has poisonous effects.

The word Harä is the form of addressing the energy of the Lord, and the words Krsna and Räma are forms of addressing the Lord Himself. Both Krsna and Räma mean the supreme pleasure, and Harä is the supreme pleasure energy of the Lord, changed to Hare (Hah-ray) in the vocative. The supreme pleasure energy of the Lord helps us to reach the Lord.

The material energy, called mäyä, is also one of the multi-energies of the Lord. And we the living entities are also the energy, marginal energy, of the Lord. The living entities are described as superior to material energy. When the superior energy is in contact with the inferior energy, an incompatible situation arises; but when the superior marginal energy is in contact with the superior energy, called Harä, it is established in its happy, normal condition.

These three words, namely Harä, Krsna and Räma, are the transcendental seeds of the mahä-mantra. The chanting is a spiritual call for the Lord and His energy, to give protection to the conditioned soul. This chanting is exactly like the genuine cry of a child for its mother,s presence. Mother Harä helps the devotee achieve the Lord Father's grace, and the Lord reveals Himself to the devotee who chants this mantra sincerely.

No other means of spiritual realization is as effective in this age of quarrel and hypocrisy as the mahä-mantra: Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Räma, Hare Räma, Räma Räma, Hare Hare.

So that gives an idea of the basics. I find it very compatable with the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Oh, and the reference at the bottom is to a letter that was sent by Bhaktivedanta Swami to one of his students who was having trouble with an allegory in a scripture that went against modern science. Bhaktivedanta Swami advised him not to worry about such allegorical descriptions but rather to take the essence.

Glad to see you are still with us Bill

God bless and Hare Krsna

I am confused on this part however:

Everything seems to be running here due to attachment, ego and a notion to obtain something. Then i had another realization, if attachment, ego and all these other mentally formed notions didn't exist, then there is no "US".In other words, there is no "ME" or "YOU" or any sort of individualism but pure space. Then i saw this space void with nothing in it but light. Nothing existed except things emerging and leaving as if they were never there in the first place, I saw this whole "worldly existence" as a vibration that occurs due to sheer disturbance.

 

 

Who saw that there is no me you or us? We noticed that was nothing but light? If this whole universe is just a disturbance, which I agree with, who caused the disturbance?

Aztecs? Yeah that makes sense. But what if you want some blondes? Or Fare East Asians?

Also I caution to read the fine print. Does it say they will all be gorgeous? They may have been virgins for another reason. They could have died old maids and have seven inch noses.

Remember Hiranyakasipu? He thought he had it all worked out too with all the bases covered.

If pictures are worth a thousand words then this site is a bank. Be warned it's graphic.

http://www.factoryfarming.com/gallery.htm

Farm Sanctuary :

http://www.farmsanctuary.org/

These will get you started.

This is the place to start. At the bottom of the page there is a section of other sites. There you can go to cowsarecool.com

I post some others here a little later so check back. And when you find some good ones please let us have their address as well.

Hare Krsna

http://peta.org/