A Bona-fide Sat-sanga

[Guest guest]

On Tuesday, Feb 16, 2010... TIME: 7:30pmAT: American Vedic AssociationSTREET: 687 West Villanova Road CITY: Ojai, California, 93023 PHONE: (805) 640-0405 C/O: mayesvara dasa ACBSP AKA: William Roberts MBA/MIS, CCP...Come join this wonderful evening that includes: Congregational Mantra MeditationA short study in SanskritA FREE Vegetarian Feast andA Bona-fide Sat-sanga where we will discuss:Don't Tell Me What To Do!

People worry about how unfair, cruel, and volatile the world has

become. Many want others to change, but who is willing to accept good

instructions and BECOME the change we all want to see? Ameliorate your

foibles by adopting world class advice from the ancient Vedic sages at

the next AVA gathering! 7:30PM / 687 West Villanova Road - 640-0405 Always Free! Prelude to This Month’s Feature Article Don't Tell Me What To Do! Deadly Inventions

Over the last 250 years the modern age has been marked by a steady flow

of new discoveries related to the world we live in. Some of those "New"

things were the various forms of deadly chemicals. By 1915, mustard gas

was being used in WWI against combatants causing some of the most

horrible injuries one could inflict on another human being. The

consequences were so terrible that in Geneva, on June 17, 1925, the

effort to ban chemical weapons was achieved by the International

Convention of The Red Cross. The efforts of that organization helped

the European nations to come to an agreement which became known as the

Protocol for the Prohibition of bacteriological warfare. It forbid the

use of deadly chemicals weapons that lead to asphyxiation and the

crippling of military forces by poisonous Gases. One of the

many things WWII brought with it was the awareness that mankind had the

ability to really mess things up very bad. History tells us that Albert

Einstein was very reluctant about joining the effort to make the first

atomic bomb because he knew that if that technology was every

developed, it would change the world in irreversible ways. He was right.

He did however decide to participate in the development of the first

nuclear bomb because he felt by doing so it would bring a rapid end to

the war. He was counting on the fact that once the Japanese realized

how terribly destructive the new US weapon was they would surrender

very quickly. It actually took two nuclear bombs to convince the

Japanese that we could literally wipe out the entire island of Japan

with very little effort. When they finally understood that, they

immediately surrendered. Historians who studied the

willpower and determination of the Japaneze during the height of WWII

tend to agree with Einstein's rough calculations. Even though the two

nuclear bombs killed thousands of people, experts feel that even more

people would have died over the period of an extended war in the South

Pacific.More Technology is good... Don't tell us what to Do!

It was the thrust of the industrial age which came after the two world

wars and the space race that led the Western world into a rapid surge

of runaway technology. Our lives radically changed with the extraction

of Oil from the earth and the subsequent development of plastics and

artificial fertilizers. Electronics, printed circuit boards, microwave

ovens, personal computers, and nowIPhones, IPods & IPads are part

of our daily life. Soon chemical fertilizers were being

promoted as viable alternatives to naturally decaying and abundant

compost piles that were local and cost nothing. In order to save their

huge investments in factory equipment, the people who made the chemical

weapons for WWI got very creative. Instead of producing deadly poisons

to kill people, they convince the world to purchase a new type of

poison that could be used to kill undesirable weeds. The public was

lured in by the illusion of picture perfect low maintenance garden or

lawn. Somewhere We Went Wrong

Hardly a day goes by without somebody commenting about how misguided,

lost, unstable and generally out of control the world has become. It is

our human nature is to dismiss those who are not following the diet,

recycling plan, investment program, charitable organization, political

party or faith that we believe is the way to go. What to do?

While one group of individuals are pointing the finger at a particular

demographic group, ten other parties are accusing that collection of

individuals as being responsible for why the world is so messed up.

Those who engage in dialogue with a wide spectrum of individuals will

quickly realize that nearly everyone has an opinion about what should

be done to improve things. The liberals want more entitlement programs,

while the conservatives want more freedom from government. The

religious minded want more access to the political process while the

atheists are doing all they can to prevent that. The Vegans want

everyone to stop using any animal products for ANY reason while the

cattle ranchers are willing to do almost anything to accelerate the

time it takes to fatten their steer cheaper. Philanthropists promote

karma yoga, yoga teachers promote various portions of Astanga Yoga, the

Neo-Advaitists offer a sanitized and simplified version of Jnana Yoga

while the devotees of the Lord request people to take up Bhakti Yoga.

Now the schools promote that children should think for themselves and

inspirational speakers teach that you have the power to make your

dreams come true. Who Should One Listen To?

Many people acknowledge their fear and say they want to see things

change, but who knows how to really change things for the better? Few

people have the ability to see what will really bring about the changes

we all want to see. This is because they keep relying on the

politicians, science, or their own imaginative ideas about how to

attain peace or act "Spiritually" to correct the current spiral

downward. The Vedas reveal that there is a subtle science

which offers the key to changing some of the biggest things we are

concerned about. If we want to change things we have to be willing to

give up our: "Don't tell me what to do" attitude and accept this good advice.

For example the Vedas teach that society will be more empathetic,

patient and cordial, if people don't indulge in intoxications like

alcohol, nicotine, drugs, and even minor stimulants like theophylline

(the active ingredient in tea) and caffeine. We would also

become a less litigious society if people were more honest and

trustworthy, but these qualities are destroyed when people gamble.

However in today's world, instead of the state striving to curb this

tendency, it promotes it in the form of the lottery! Broken

families and serious medical epidemics such as AIDs and other deadly

sexually transmitted diseases are the consequences of lascivious sexual

attitudes. Instead of helping people understand this important fact, we

the television broadcasts shows like "Sex In The City" while

pornography can be found everywhere and the sexual urges are exploited

by Madison Avenue advertising. Of all the social ills war is

the most egregious and when it is occurring it brings out the most

visible and outspoken protesters against it. Many People participate in

peach marches, silent vigils and big rally's to stop it but we can

learn from the Vedas these things will never succeed in reducing

conflicts between the people of different nations. Instead the Vedas

clearly link war as the karmic reaction to mans callous disregard for

slaughtering innocent animals simply for food! But how many war

protesters are willing to forgo lunch at their favorite fast food

restaurant?Three Responses to Vedic Wisdom

People respond to these subtle principals in a variety of ways. Some

will just dismiss them as no more significant then just personal

"Beliefs." That is the most popular response from individuals who simply don't want to be told what to do.

These folks clearly don't accept the Vedic Subtle sciences and it would

take some serious interventions or great mercy for them to appreciate

how the laws of karma actually work. Those who are serious

about wanting to make the world a better place will at least give some

consideration to these subtle laws. They remain open to the

responsibility of adopting different habits when they encounter further

evidence which support the Vedic Conclusions. The people who

are the hardest to reach are the ones who hear about these subtle

sciences and then claim to understand them but then rationalize why it

there is no conflict in violating them anyway. This type of denial is

promoted and endorsed by the New Age movement which reject all

definitive scriptural advice from everywhere. For example many people

who see themselves as being spiritually aware recognize that a serious

student of meditation MUST also be a Vegetarian. Yet there are

thousands of people performing yoga and engaging in meditation who

continue to eat turkey at Thanksgiving. In Sanskrit there are two principal words related to the concept of knowledge which are relevant here: JNANA --

knowledge. Material jnana does not go beyond the material body.

Transcendental jnana discriminates between matter and spirit. Perfect

jnana is knowledge of the body, the soul and the Supreme Lord.VIJNANA -- the practical realization of spiritual knowledge; Transcendental knowledge of the self's relationship to the Supreme Self.

If you approach a person who is a reckless driver and inquire from them

about their knowledge of driving habits they will acknowledge that they

are driving very poorly. This would be an example of Jnana.

The bad driver knows what he is doing is dangerous, but still he drives

recklessly. If the driver had experienced an accident while behind the

wheel his awareness of bad driving habits would be much greater and

that would cause him to drive slower. That deeper understanding which

actually changes ones behavior is known as ViJnana.Are YOU Part of the Solution, or Part of the Problem?

Many people have some superficial understanding of the relationship

between what they do every day and how it impacts the rest of the

world. In this regard the old saying: "You are either part of the solution or part of the problem," applies here."

One is either acting in harmony with the laws of nature or they are

not. The illustrations given above help use see what the impact is to

our way of life when we act out of harmony with those laws. If you run

a stop sign and get pulled over by a police officer because you will

not be spared the ticket if you tell him: "Yes Officer, I know I was

supposed to stop." The fact is you DID NOT stop. The consequences for

that are you will now be subjected to the laws of the land and you will

have to pay a serious fine. The sad irony is that every

conscious person wants to see things improve, but only very few people

are open to the Vedic Advice which holds the key to how we can actually

realize those improvement. Unfortunately old habits don't die easily

and the false ego is very strong. It is the rare soul who can overcome those two obstacles and

eventually come to the point where they are willing to accept world

class advice from the spotless transcendental wisdom found in the

Vedas. na mam duskrtino mudhah prapadyante naradhamah mayayapahrta-jnana asuram bhavam asritah"Those

miscreants who are grossly foolish, lowest among mankind, whose

knowledge is stolen by illusion, and who partake of the atheistic

nature of demons, do not surrender unto Me." - Bhagavad-Gita Gita As It Is Chapter 7 "Knowledge of the Absolute", Text 15. LINK: http://bhagavadgitaasitis.com/7/15/en This Issue HOT LINK: (No thanks Krishna,...) I'll Do It My Way! It is interesting

to note that in Wikipedia we learn that the song which Frank Sanatra made famous, "My Way" is apparently "... the most remade song in history!"

This is really not too much of a surprise considering the fact that in

Kali Yuga, a huge percent of the population has litle interest in

accepting Krishnas advice and instead makes the mistake of thinking

that "TheirWay" will produce good results. As students of the Vedas we

can only sigh that this is the very reason why the world is in such a

mess. When we stop thinking that our way is such a good idea and we

actually surrender to Krishna's way, then we can begin to see things

change for the better. My Way" is an English version of a French song. The English lyrics were written by Paul Anka and popularized by Frank Sinatra on his 1969 album My Way. The melody is that of the French song "Comme d'habitude" composed in 1967 by Claude François and Jacques Revaux. Anka's English lyrics are unrelated to the original French by Claude François and Gilles Thibaut. "My Way" is often quoted as the most remade song in history. (Wikipedia LINK: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Way_(song) )

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