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Pankaja_Dasa

Are Forums really a Bad Idea?

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I want to have a disscussion [!]

Are forums really such a bad idea?

 

We come here to learn? Right?

 

Personally for me it is 30/70.

 

Sometimes I read something and it confuces the hell out of me or shocks me out of my 'nice auroa'. Then I need to find out what 'it' really means. Which may take me a day or a year. Normally some of the things I hear I would maybe never hear in real life. So I think sometimes Forums are places of 'gossiping' and backbiting'. But now and again [only] I see some nectarian peices of advice or pastimes and I feel it's all been worthit. Ahhh.

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That is, would you be chanting so sweetly now? Would you have learned so much? Would you have accepted initiation as Pankaja dasa from such a glorious master, one of the few remaining disciples of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta himself?

 

So many good things Krsna has given you at the Audarya. Perhaps another bhakta will find their destiny here one day, as did you. And we will all be glorified by their good fortune, just as we are now, watching you rise with Mahaprabhu.

 

It is a wonderful thing watching Krsna's mercy extend through this medium. For the sincere seeker, the Audarya is an ocean of mercy. This portal into the Kingdom of God grows and becomes greater every day - every day flooding the world with the truth that can set it free. It's Prabhupada for everyone; it's Gauranga on tour; it's Krsna sankirtana, the yuga dharma, God's mercy for everybody!

 

Hari! Hari!

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I learned a lot yes. When I went to the temple before [months ago]. The Lecturer was saying about 'Shankracharya and Mayavada'. He was looking at me in a way that 'this person has been contaminated by Mayavada'. It has taken me at least 1 Year to 'get over it'. And I never actually knew I was contaminated until that very day. In fact I would have to say it scared the living hell out of me. [i am not being funny or sarcastic at all, it was crushing my very exsistance]. I do not know how I got over it. It just must be Krishna Grace.

This was the Purport which saved my LIFE:

Bg.2.13:The Mayavadi theory of oneness of the spirit soul cannot be entertained on the ground that spirit soul cannot be cut into pieces as a fragmental portion. Such cutting into different individual souls would make the Supreme cleavable or changeable, against the principle of the Supreme Soul being unchangeable.

--

In all fairness without Mayavada I would probably not be more closer to Krishna. As devotees we MUST know this. But that doesn't mean we should associate with Mayavadis. In the end it makes us stronger. Jaya Prabhupada.

Personally speaking whatever Prabhupada says in Bhagavad-gita each and every word. I take my to my heart as 'essence of vedic knowledge' This is THE ABC of knowledge. You can't get any better then this. ABC means first accepting the Supremacy of Krishna. Then you read Bhagavatam.

Sorry for those reading this who are new to Krsna Consciousness [new lol as If I am old]. I can explain and kill Mayavada conception in two ways:

You cannot cover Brahman with Maya. As in you cannot cover the ENTIRE Brahman Impersonal aspect with Maya. Try it with your hands. Can you cover the sky with your hand? Think of your hand as Maya, is it possible to cover the sky? Unless you cut the sky, then it is very possible to cover a part of the sky.

The reason why the above argument is so strong is because everything is Brahman, so how do you cover it? Unless you cut it. Since it is cut it is changeable. You cannot change Brahman since it is eternal. So we are eternal parts. Generated in Tatastha Shakti. Either way God can never be covered by Maya. And we cannot merge with God. If you don't understand this then you will probably turn to Buddisum. Or Athiesium. Or something else. We have a short life. Just accept Prabhupada!

What I said is a refutation against Mayavada. No need need to go beyond this. Stick to your first point FIRST. Mayavada is VERY VERY deluding in that and Prabhupada says they use flowery language. Once Mayavada conception is gone. It is only a matter of little intelligence to see God is Personal. But always look for grace of Guru. Hare Krishna.

One other point is. Unless you surrender to God or Krishna. Maya will always delude you in some way or another.

Sorry about my spelling and grammer.!

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Personally speaking whatever Prabhupada says in Bhagavad-gita each and every word. I take my to my heart as 'essence of vedic knowledge'

Thanks for sharing that Pankaja. I appreciate your faith.

I have come to learn here at this forum also. Being fairly isolated geographicly from a community of like minded souls, I have come here

seeking association over the net. So in that sense, forums are

good. And I sure have a lot to learn here.

When pockets of followers of Caitanya Mahaprabhu begin to appear in many

vast areas of the world, not near established Hare Krsna communities, maybe this type of online association will become much used. So maybe we are pioneers in a way.

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Yes birds of the same feather flock together. I try to stay away but I always seem to come back, alas!

 

I hope you have a good stay. But remember! You can't really learn anything here. I find myself reading something here and having to check what Prabhupada said. By using Vedabase. That is probably the only 'real' time I read. It's like an investigavite report. I have to check it out. Them maybe I meet another devotee on-line somewhere else who says something. The real essence is with 'THE devotees'. Not in Books, or Magazines. Or Holy Places. !

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Yes birds of the same feather flock together. I try to stay away but I always seem to come back, alas!

 

I hope you have a good stay. But remember! You can't really learn anything here. I find myself reading something here and having to check what Prabhupada said. By using Vedabase. That is probably the only 'real' time I read. It's like an investigavite report. I have to check it out.

This is why I come here. I find AF indepensible in this way. This is a fabulous study tool in which we can help and be helped in our present clumsy struggle to gain sanity in Krsna consciousness. And this is how we should approach ALL such associations. Everything should be cross checked with the previous acaryas writings, prayerfully laid at the Feet of the Lord in the heart and with properly directed intuition to Him we should wait for confirmation.

This is true if you are here on AF or sitting in a SB lecture at Radha Kunda.

What is the alternative? Blind acceptance?...or like below

Them maybe I meet another devotee on-line somewhere else who says something.

What the hell does that mean? How do you know that person is a devotee first of all? You don't. Next there are all levels of realization within the devotee community at large. So this "devotee on-line" may say something different than the last "devotee on-line" you met somewhere else. Then what will you do?

No one should come to AF or any forum and just believe what anyone says. That is how a fool seeks knowledge and is sure to cheated.

The way I see this forum is that we are helping each other keep their minds remembering Krsna. That is priceless.

 

The real essence is with 'THE devotees'. Not in Books, or Magazines. Or Holy Places. !

The Real Essence is everywhere because the Lord is everywhere. But what is our ability to appreciate His presence?

Lord Jagganatha, kindly reveal Yourself to me.

Pankaja prabhuji, you think too much.;)

 

 

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What I meant by meeting devotee is, they have read or heard from spiritual master and know what they are talking about. I used to accept everything I heard now I do check with Sastra. I cannot forget the time a devotee told me 'I fell from Goloka, at that time I was New to Krsna Consciousness. I put up a fight. When I think I'm right I don't allow anybody to come in the way!'. Fell from Goloka indeed!

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Prabhupada taught that his books are the essence. Devotee association is very important but his books are the essence.

 

Anybody can say anything they want on the internet. They can lay claims to all kinds of stuff including hearing from a bona fide spiritual master. Names, places, activities and history, even supposed knowledge, can all be fabricated behind the screen.

 

The internet can be a great place but it also can be like some fictional movie with actors playing parts. Some play these parts better than others.

 

We can only place our faith and trust in Srila Prabhupada and Lord Krishna. If we surrender fully at the Lotus Feet of guru and Krishna we will always find ourselves on the right path.

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Prabhupada taught that his books are the essence.

Can you bring evidence that he wrote in any of his commentaries to his translated books, or any other books, that his books are the essence?

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Can you bring evidence that he wrote in any of his commentaries to his translated books, or any other books, that his books are the essence?

Sorry, got it backwards.

Prabhupada told us that preaching is the essence and books are the basis.

BTW, you don't have to yell to get your point across Anadi.

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anadi said:

Can you bring evidence that he wrote in any of his commentaries to his translated books, or any other books, that his books are the essence?

[Airicky]

Sorry, got it backwards.

Prabhupada told us that preaching is the essence and books are the basis.

BTW, you don't have to yell to get your point across Anadi

Dear Airicky,

Sorry, Anadi didn't mean to yell. He wanted to make clear, your statement need a specific correction.

He said the basis are the books (meaning bhakti and especially rupanuga bhakti books) not his books.

It is also true that he said some of his lazy disciples not only to distribute his books but also to read them, as Srila Rupa Gosvami advised:

siddhanta balya cite na kora alas

iha hoite krishna lagi suddridha manas

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anadi said:

Can you bring evidence that he wrote in any of his commentaries to his translated books, or any other books, that his books are the essence?

[Airicky]

Sorry, got it backwards.

Prabhupada told us that preaching is the essence and books are the basis.

BTW, you don't have to yell to get your point across Anadi

Dear Airicky,

Sorry, Anadi didn't mean to yell. He wanted to make clear, your statement need a specific correction.

Thank you for clarifying that. Next time just say something like "I think what Prabhupada really said was...." or "Are you sure? I seem to remember...."

:)

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... Next time just say something like "I think ... really ...or "Are you sure? ...."

Sorry, AnAdi will first ask for evidence regarding doubtable statements, he is not in the position to make hazardous statements.

 

Is there more than one person using Anadi i.d.?

The one who says something is a third person: anAdi, not I.

For a rupanuga the nature of the I is to be active in dealings related to pure love to the All Atractive Couple of Vraja

The nature of the I is not to make some statements in this forum.

And for anAdi .. for example the essence is not preaching, but hari-nama.

But the hari-nama of anAdi is not the hari-nama of the I.

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What I meant by meeting devotee is, they have read or heard from spiritual master and know what they are talking about.

Yes, but I view this even as a dangerous approach. Several things have to line up.

1.The spiritual master he heard from must be a realized lover of Krsna or what was heard from him may be tainted.

2. The spiritual master may be perfect but did he hear clearly or just listen.

3. He may have processed what he heard only intellectually and may be speaking with a subtle motive to manipulate us.

How can we know the answer to these questions? We cannot from our present position of ignorance. Therefore I say we can only trust the Lord in our heart to guide us and enlighten us.

Until then I take everything at arms length. This approach works for me. I have had to become patient with my own ignorance but I feel it is best to know that I am ignorant then to pretend to myself and others that I am in knowledge.

When the Lord chooses to enlighten me on any particular point then I will truly know, until then I simply do not know.

When your intelligence has passed out of the dense forest of delusion, you shall become indifferent to all that has been heard and all that is to be heard. - BG 2.52

I take it this means I should also be indifferent to what I hear from most devotees also. It certainly applies to my own mind and that is the hard one to ignore.

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Yes but no need for semantics. It is Caitya guru that reveals who is His advanced devotee. Not just somebody who has been around a long time, or who traveled with the acarya etc. or who has a big position in the institution the acarya began. That sort of miscalculation is an invitation to be cheated.

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Yes but no need for semantics. It is Caitya guru that reveals who is His advanced devotee. Not just somebody who has been around a long time, or who traveled with the acarya etc. or who has a big position in the institution the acarya began. That sort of miscalculation is an invitation to be cheated.

That's okay. I was cheated many times as I came to Krsna Consciousness. But I learnt from the mistakes. I try not to hold any grudges. Sometimes I get really paronoid as 'whom do I hear from'? Personally I feel it is about knowledge. Because in Bhakti-yoga it's not about just devotion, devotion comes with the whole package. This includes knowledge.

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That's okay. I was cheated many times as I came to Krsna Consciousness. But I learnt from the mistakes. I try not to hold any grudges. Sometimes I get really paronoid as 'whom do I hear from'? Personally I feel it is about knowledge. Because in Bhakti-yoga it's not about just devotion, devotion comes with the whole package. This includes knowledge.

That is a good attitude I think. Learn from the mistake and move on. Afterall a cheater couldn't cheat without someone who allows themselves to be cheated. And how many people have we cheated in our own material journey? We can't waste our lives in feelings of victimhood and resentment.

I am also trying to gain some knowledge. I have little to no developed tendency towards devotion although I see it as the goal. So now we need to focus on what specific knowledge we need the most. I am trusting that my present fog will lift when I come to see myself as the actual self and then I can progress from there. Some take more directly to devotion and they are fortunate as self realization seems to occur for them along with it.

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