AncientMariner Posted April 3, 2004 Report Share Posted April 3, 2004 Is gambling bad if you win? I was lucky enough to win 500 dollars on an internet gaming site but the games were not pure luck they are skill based. I chant Hare Krishna while I am playing the games. I know that is not pure devotion but its the best I can do right now. I also play a lot of golf and I know that this is unnecessary waste of time but I have been golfing since I was 6 years old and its hard to give it up so the best I can do is chant Hare Krishna while I play golf. I am just not cut out to be a preacher because when I am serious people think I am joking and when I am joking people think I am serious. That's not a good combination when it comes to preaching. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gopi_dance Posted April 3, 2004 Report Share Posted April 3, 2004 Hare Krishna. All glories to Srila Prabhupada! The four regulative principles of no meat eating, no intoxication, no illicit sex, no gambling, seem to suggest that gambling is not a good idea. These four illegal activities increase lust and greed and the desire for material, bodily conscious satisfaction rather than spiritual growth. So by disciplining ourselves, we purify our bodies and hearts to be more susceptible to the truth when we hear and chant, etc. We must be pure in order to know the truth. So any breaking of the regulatory principles is like a veil over our eyes to see the truth. Use your winnings to serve the Lord. Even when you're golfing, think of the Lord. Everything we do can be dovetailed to serve the Lord. I'm in school right now and I try to think that I'm writing some test for Krnsa, I am writing a thesis for His transcendental pleasure. Even if an activity is not overtly about Krsna, think of it as an offering to Him. Thus we will be steady minded and think of Him always. Happiness and distress come and go but Krsna is always there in the heart. Another thing, about chanting. You should try to concentrate of Krsna while chanting. Doing some other activity means only part of your mind is attentive to the holy names. Srila Prabhupada suggested that if your mind wanders while chanting, bring it back to just focus on the sounds. If the names are purely chanted, Krsna dances on the tongue of the devotee! Hari Bol! I don't know if any of this made sense but just some thoughts. Hari Bol! Aspiring to serve the Vaisnavas, gopi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gopi_dance Posted April 3, 2004 Report Share Posted April 3, 2004 Hare Krsna! One question to all the devotees-- what about the stock market--is it considered gambling? Some people say yes and others no. I personally don't have enough money to even *consider* investing, but just wondered. I see so many people get into anxiety about losing money or greed when gaining money that I would tend to think it is not a good idea for a devotee anyways, but what is the general consensus? Aspiring for service, gopi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gHari Posted April 4, 2004 Report Share Posted April 4, 2004 You will be forgiven, my son. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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