Why are you still in denial that this material world is a stinking hell-hole???

[krsna 3]

But it's springtime, the flowers are blooming and I'm watching the girls go by...

 

This world appears to be a nice place sometimes!?

[theist 1]

It is that way today. Spring is in the air. A little cloudy but pleasant and pretty young things are blooming as they walk by. That is as long as I don't look to close and see the warts and blemishes. Or think for a moment what lies on the other side of that thin layer of skin. Or see one blowing her nose or something. Thank the Lord they pass stool in private..that would really wreck the mood.

 

Ahh...the bliss of ignorance.

[Guest guest]

From a Bhagavatam purport

 

Dhruva Maharaja realized that the Supreme Absolute Truth, the Personality of Godhead, acts through His different energies, not that He becomes void or impersonal and thus becomes all-pervading. The Mayavadi philosopher thinks that the Absolute Truth, being spread throughout the cosmic manifestation, has no personal form. But here Dhruva Maharaja, upon realization of the Vedic conclusion, says, “You are spread all over the cosmic manifestation by Your energy.” This energy is basically spiritual, but because it acts in the material world temporarily, it is called maya, or illusory energy. In other words, for everyone but the devotees the Lord’s energy acts as external energy. Dhruva Maharaja could understand this fact very nicely, and he could understand also that the energy and the energetic are one and the same. The energy cannot be separated from the energetic

 

Morning Walk: May 14, 1973

Dr. Singh. Is material consciousness the absence of Krsna consciousness?

Srila Prabhupada. Yes.

Dr. Singh. And when there is Krsna consciousness, where is material nature?

Srila Prabhupada. If you continue in Krsna consciousness, you will see that nothing is material. When you offer a flower to Krsna, it is not material. Krsna will not accept anything material. And this does not mean that the flower is material on the bush, and then it becomes spiritual when you offer it to Krsna. No. The flower is "material" only as long as you think that it is made for your enjoyment. But as soon as you see that it is for Krsna's enjoyment, you see it as it really is--spiritual.

Dr. Singh. So the entire world is actually spiritual?

Srila Prabhupada. Yes. Therefore, we want to engage everything in Krsna's service; that is the spiritual world.

Dr. Singh. Can we also appreciate Krsna's creation in that light? For example, can we think, "This tree is very beautiful because it is Krsna's property"?

Srila Prabhupada. Yes. That is Krsna consciousness.

Dr. Singh. If someone looks at the Deity of Krsna in the temple and thinks that it is only stone or wood, what does that mean?

Srila Prabhupada. He is ignorant of the facts. How can the Deity be material? Stone is also Krsna's energy. Just as electric energy is everywhere but only the electricians know how to utilize it, so Krsna is everywhere--even in stone--but only His devotees know how to utilize stone to appreciate Krsna. The devotees know that stone cannot exist outside of Krsna. Therefore, when the devotees see the Deity, they say, "Here is Krsna." They see the real oneness of Krsna and His energy.

[theist 1]

"... The flower is "material" only as long as you think that it is made for your enjoyment. But as soon as you see that it is for Krsna's enjoyment, you see it as it really is--spiritual."

 

[AncientMariner 0]

I figure as long as you don't associate yourself with the physical body then existence in this hell hole is not quite as terrible. It probably is a form of denial but I still have more golf to play and I was hoping the Seattle Mariners would win the World Series at least once before I kick the bucket. Of course all the psychics, witches and various other prognosticators on the Art Bell Show are saying that the war in Iraq is going to escalate and the price of gas is going to go through the roof and all sorts of other dire predictions so who knows if there will be any golf courses left 10 or 20 years from now.

 

 

I got a Buddhist friend who tells me the Buddha said something like "The tathagata no longer associates with that which is suffering" or something like that. I don't know what it exactly means but if I am correct it means to associate yourself with the soul rather than the body. I figure if the Buddha was an incarnation of Krishna there was probably some worthwhile wisdom from the Buddha and no longer associating with that which is suffering, which I assume is the physical body, sounds like a good prescription for happiness.

 

 

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Its worth sticking around just to see what Marshal Mathers is going to come up with next. /images/graemlins/cool.gif /images/graemlins/tongue.gif /images/graemlins/confused.gif

[mahoney 0]

Stay in countries like Ethiopia ,Sudan or any part of the world except the developed nations and life is a stinking hell

Many of you are lucky to stay in developed nations. Quit cribbing and enjoy every moment.Of course suffering is omnipresent but as long as your quality of life is good there is less suffering. You dont have to be packed like sardines

in a bus or train . You dont have to fear every time yo cross

a road. You dont have to be sacred of toughd who roam around harassing people everywhere. You do not have to worry about corrupt cops ,bureaucrats a flawed infrastructure,population explosion etc

 

[AncientMariner 0]

If its any consolation America is pretty much of a crumbling empire and we are being invaded by illegal Mexican immigrants so it wouldn't surprise me if America degrades on a massive scale economically in the coming years and although I don't think America will necessarily become a 3rd world country or whatever we are probably going to end up like a lot of european nations, no middle class and heavy taxation and your standard Kali-yuga stuff of the stronger section of society exhibiting an artificial predominance over the weaker sections of society or whatever that formula for the Kali-yuga is.

[theist 1]

If one is truly intelligent he will be able to discern the suffering that is present even on a world where the bodies are made of intelligence and there are no gross sufferings at all but the motive for enjoying apart from Krishna still exists within the inhabitants.

[krsna 3]

Good post Shivaji,

 

Quote:

 

"Srila Prabhupada. If you continue in Krsna consciousness, you will see that nothing is material. When you offer a flower to Krsna, it is not material. Krsna will not accept anything material. And this does not mean that the flower is material on the bush, and then it becomes spiritual when you offer it to Krsna. No. The flower is "material" only as long as you think that it is made for your enjoyment. But as soon as you see that it is for Krsna's enjoyment, you see it as it really is--spiritual.

Dr. Singh. So the entire world is actually spiritual?

Srila Prabhupada. Yes. Therefore, we want to engage everything in Krsna's service; that is the spiritual world.

Dr. Singh. Can we also appreciate Krsna's creation in that light? For example, can we think, "This tree is very beautiful because it is Krsna's property"?

Srila Prabhupada. Yes. That is Krsna consciousness."

 

[krsna 3]

Then I'd be able to honour prasad, procreate Krsna Conscious children, enter into a trance of devotion whilst resting and preach the mission of the Lord by defending the statements of all the previous acaryas from unscrupulous commentators.

[theist 1]

By doing those things that you mentioned you are giving up eating sleeping mating and defending. So what do you mean by giving up?

[theist 1]

http://www.geocities.com/jayakesava2001/beauty.html

 

ps if anyone knows where I can get a recording of the soundtrack please let know. One of my favorite songs done nicely.

[theist 1]

I happen to be reading a book that fits in nicely with this thread. It is called Stiff,the Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach.

 

Odd reading tastes I admit, especially when you consider I consider this recreational reading. She has a funny style in a slightly dark humor sort of way. Take a micro look at the immediate fate of this bag we so attached to once the soul leaves.

 

One can see it as a form of the 9 Cemetery Complimations that beginning Buddhist monks were instructed in. They had to meditate on various aspects of the decomposing body until their minds could remain calm and a smile appeared on their face.

 

This afternoon I learned why the corpse bloats up as it does. Interesting stuff. /images/graemlins/smile.gif