Sense Gratification ????

[Erik 0]

Hello,

 

well, i have just the most stupid question, i think, but it bothers me....

 

I take shower 2 times a day (must be 3, maybe in the future, we'll see), but i am very fond of taking looooooooooong hot showers.

 

I don't know, in Rishikesh, and in most places in India i visited, i took cold showers, also in the morning, i just hated that, although i was completely refreshed after it.

The long hot showers have a somewhat other effect, but i just like it.

 

Now,.....is this some kind of sense-gratification ???

 

Erik.

[theist 1]

Erik,

 

We have much bigger problems facing us. Birth death old age disesase. The more you can stay away from illict sex, intoxication, gambling and meat eatting the better and that is basically enough.

 

The point is to stay clean. I love looooooong hot showers myself. Very relaxing and I feel more clean then taking cold showers. I do like to finish with a VERY brief cold shower. That leaves me with that awakened and alert feeling and it also takes the sting out of cold water hitting the skin. Best to chant Hare Krsna while showering also.

 

There are many simple pleasures in the material world. I like the feel of warm sunlight on my skin or the taking in the visual beauty that surrounds us like sunrise and sunset, flowers ect. Just knowing these are temporary pleasures that arise just from having a body just like the temporary pains that also come along with it and not being attached and wallowing in them when they come is all that is required.

 

The trick is to remember Krsna when either pain or pleasure come around.

 

Always remember Krsna and never forget Krsna.

 

Hare Krsna

[Erik 0]

Hey Theist,

 

thankx for the answer.

 

I always sing devotional songs while showering, and i sing Hare Krishna while showering.

 

Yeah....your answer reminds me of a dream i had on december the 19th 2006....or was it the 17th.....i have to check this in my dreambook, anyway, this dream...i was in the basement of Radhadesh, in the devotees kitchen and Bhakta Rick and me had a conversation and he said, out of the blue : "We ourselves have to enjoy life !!".

 

Now, i didn't understand this from him, as i was under the impression that Krishna was the Supreme Enjoyer and therefore we shouldn't enjoy life.

I took it as a sarcastic message (we ourselves have to enjoy life), because i was rebelling against this statement that we couldn't enjoy all the time, by asking questions about it and then putting foreward my opinion that, at least, i enjoyed life always and promised that i kept on enjoying, no matter what, as i didn't want to become a frustrated and gloomy devotee, who denies himself enjoyment.

I got many suspicious looks thrown into my direction, but that was because i was revolving and so on.

 

But since not too long ago, i enjoy exactly like you describing, there is a forest around here and when i walk there, i really enjoy the scenery, the birds shirping and so on, the views on the hills.

And then i think by myself : "Man, God/Krishna....this is already so far out....what if i would be on Vaikuntha for example.....

And about the not so nice things in life...speaking of...today, the appearance day of Caitanya...everybody will have the best time of their life here in the temple and i....have to do service in the restaurant....on the busiest day of the week.....from 10.00 till 20.00....and all alone, since the manager hasn't returned from Germany yet.....can you picture it. ...the pizza's, veg.burgers, frites, samosa's to make....drinks to serve...cleaning, doing dishes and so on....yet i remember Krishna !!

 

Jay !!!

 

Erik.

[theist 1]

Yeah Erik, we are secondary enjoyers. Afterall Krsna is the Prime enjoyer and we are part of Krsna. Real enjoyment MUST be in relationship to Krsna. I like where Arjuna in the Gita while praising Him referred to Him as the all-pervading beauty.

 

I am perfectly willing to allow others to go into the cold mountains and perform austerities trying to control their senses. They are stronger men then me by a loooong shot. I'll just gaze up at the stars and wonder in amazement about our Glorious Lord. Then I'll go into my little apartment and sleep in my warm bed.

 

Resteraunt work is never done but glad you remember Krsna. I gotta say you made my hungry for some samosa's.

[Erik 0]

Yeah man,

 

without becoming an old sentimental man, i am only 38, i remember i always enjoyed watching the stars in the sky at night in the garden we had in Rotterdam in the street where i grew up, preferably in the winter, then i was amazed by them and wondered all kind of things, i used to climb the biggest trees (20 meters) to watch some light coming from behind the house, i wanted to check where it eminated from and saw the moon, i was amazed.

 

 

Now i know why i was so amazed thinking where this all came from.......

 

Erik.

 

PS...i'll try to sent you a few transcendental samosa's by thought tranferrance, it's possible:).