What was the point?

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harsi
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Post by harsi »

pamu wrote:Happy or not with ones own personal past, I find honest reflections of ones own whereabouts always interesting and enlightening!
That, s I think a whole other way of approaching ones past experiences in life. Indeed very refreshing to read and also directed towards a whole positive outcome. Great I would like to add, to see in everything what happens in ones life a somehow positiv outcome is allways the best approach to it. Thats also my personal experience by going through the whole spiritual experience or that what we thought it would or should be...

If I may be allowed to add I really like what one "seeker" wrote, he cals himself as such, on the discussion forum of this Atheists above. He or she wrote in the threat: "It seems like the more we try to make life better and `easier´ for ourselves the more damn complicated we make it. Just like in the beginning of that movie: "The Gods Must Be Crazy".(I just write what was written there) Where it says that the more man tried to adept his environment to him, instead of adapting TO his environmant he found himself having to adapt and readapt himself with each change until he made life many times more complicated and less easy than it never was before.
I guess I long for a simpler life in Harmony with Nature. Civilization has made people less civil, more stressed, more greedy for their own man made things more...crazy." :arrow: http://www.atheists.com/modules.php?nam ... pic&t=2360

Now I dont say that everything that person wrote, in that certain discussion forum of the "atheists site above" can be aplyid complitely to our experiences in that certain society of people we asociated for some time, but I would say it neverseless inspires me to think if one was not also moving in the past in that direction in one way or other, instead of trying rather to live in harmony with the nature of things as they are or supposed to be. Since the Supreme Lord is also the supreme controler of them as well as other higher beings in the univers not only we, just my personal opinion in this regard, as all of my various comments of the past.
Thats my understanding of living in harmony with the world around us, with the Supreme Lord and the things as they are. Or what is the opinion of others in this regard? Even that of so caled agnostics and atheists http://www.atheistalliance.org/internet ... sophy.html or... http://www.eserver.org/philosophy.html
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harsi
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Post by harsi »

pamu wrote:Nowadays I do not take anybodys "understanding" of spiritual things too seriously.
Good for you, I would say, at last..."Have courage to use your own "understanding"... for reaching enlightenment, like the german philosopher Immanuel Kant would say. :arrow: http://www.eserver.org/philosophy/Kant/ ... enment.txt as he has written in this essay in 1784.

"Enlightenment is men´s emergence from his self-incurred immaturity. Immaturity is the inability to use ones´s own understanding without the guidance of another"...to this I would like to add, that to take the helping hand of someone else in this regard, is not allways bad, but finally, I think one has to stay on ones own bottom or feet, or mature understanding of ones spiritual self and ones relationship with others around us, and the Supreme as well, or what is your opinion? At ones last breath at the end of ones life, men is all on his own, although I think one could surely feel or be aware at that time, of the presents of someOne dear to him, if one has cultivated that awareness and ability to love and perceive that transcendental and Divine Person, also during ones lifetime.

Immanuel Kant continues: "There is more chance of an entire public enlightening itself. This is indeed almost inevitable, if only the public concerned is left in freedom. For there will allways be a few who... think for themselves, even among those appointed as "guardians" of the common mess. Such guardians, once they have themselves thrown off the yoke of immaturity, :?: will disseminate the spirit of rational respect for personal value and for the duty of all man...to think for themselves.

The remarcable thing about this is that if the public, which was previously put under the yoke by the guardians, is suitably stirred up by some of the latter who are incapable of enlightenment, it may subsequently compel the guardians themselves to remain under the yoke. For it is very harmfull to propagate prejudices, because they finaly avenge themselves on the very people who first encouraged them (or whose predecesors did so) For enlightenment of this kind, all that is needed is freedom. And the freedom in question, is the most innocuous form of all freedom to make public use of one´s reason in all matters."

.....to this I would like to add the writing I received recently from someone I know since many years. That person wrote to me: "We received the spiritual knowledge via the transparent medium of Srila Prabhupada, who is for us the founder acarya. Every guru receives the power to be guru from the founder acarya. Krsna liberates all those who are followers of His representative, and that reprezentative of Krsna for us was surely Prabhupada. Therefore it is important that we understand the teachings of Prabhupada and be faithfull to him. The teachings of other acaryas of the past, must be understood through understanding the instructions given of the founder acarya.
At the same time Prabhupada should not be imitated because he is special due to the teachings he gave to us and his spiritual realizations. He must be followed with a proper discrimination as Prabhupada himself would have liked it to be so.." end of quotation.

I must say by reading this, I could understand Kant much better and what he meant by writing "to remain under the yoke of immaturity..." in ones spirital understanding of things, I would like to add to this. But thats the personal opinion and understanding of the way to make spiritual progress towards that, our common spiritual goal and understanding in life, of the person, from whose message to me, I quoted above, and her own right to believe, that that would be the best, and only approach relating to this. I respect that.

Although I personally would have some doubts, if the Supreme Lord would indeed prefer, that one should have and develop only this kind of "mechanistic" approach towards the right understanding and realization of Him and ones own growing spiritual awareness in life, like Abraham H. Maslow the great american psychologist and psychoanalyst would say, and was describing in his book "Motivation and Personality". To me according to the experience and realizations I made in my life, I find there can be also another approach towards this, which seems to be more reasonable, and more practical as well, in this regard. What kind of approach that is? Well, I would say read the book I mentioned above, and you will be surprised of the deep understanding one can gain about this issue by reading it. It has something to do with seeing things in a more broader, more universal and humanistic way, directed towards the desired outcome of things and not only in this kind of mechanical way of approaching everything in life, even on the spiritual plain as if everything would function only as a kind of machine. And when the parts of this "machine" would not seize well or gear into each other in the way it should be, the whole "machine" would not "run or function well" in "producing" the desired outcome. It´s for me hard to imagine or think about, that the Absolute One, the Supreme, would be only a kind of "mechanical force" to Which or to Whom one has to subdue or submit only in this kind of "mechanistic" fashion. Who can love a "machine" or can a "machine" reciprocate or reply to ones love and personal nearness? Very unlikely, that this would or should have ever happened to someone...
The book appeared for the first time in 1954 by Harper and Row, Publishers, New York but I am sure it is now still available on the book market, like it was in Germany until recently.
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Janus
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Post by Janus »

Ya know, once a game stops being any fun anymore an intelligent person will stop playing it. If the "working model", or mechanism that Srila Prabhupada offered us didn't work to produce tangible spiritual experience, realization, etc., why follow it as there are many traditionsm such as Paul's presentation of Christianity that abandone works such as the Torah, considering that there is nothing that a human being can do (works) that can save him?
The question is for me is whether the working model that Srila Prabhupada presented worked for anyone else and I have been assured by some devotees that I know and trust that it did work for them, to a degree. Still I wonder why it didn't seem to work for so many others who were much more dedicated to it than I ever was.
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harsi
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Post by harsi »

Janus wrote:Ya know, once a game stops being any fun anymore an intelligent person will stop playing it.
I would say rather than it will start to begin to become interesting for that person, when that soul begins to consider the issue transcendetaly to this, goes to the bottom of things, and trys to reevaluate everything from there in order to come to some right conclusion about that matter. Or?
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Post by pamu »

Yes indeed, Janus. Sometimes I wonder what had happened if I had dedicated my 15 years of time and energy to some other religious system? Would I be in the same situation? "What if" is not that useful as such, but still it makes you think. There was a purpose why I was in the sect, but how can I be sure what it was and have I actually reached it?
Intriquing questions but here I sit and stare towards the vast and majestetically silent space. Hello....? :shock:
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Post by harsi »

pamu wrote:Intriquing questions but here I sit and stare towards the vast and majestetically silent space. Hello....? :shock:
Hello.. :D dear Pamu what is actually your real name? We just meet somehow in cyberspace with our messages. Nice to meet you again. Indeed some interesting questions you asked, I have at that time also no answer to them to offer.
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Post by pamu »

My initiated name was Parampara. Maybe we have met, but I do not remember Harsi. 8)
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Post by harsi »

pamu wrote:My initiated name was Parampara. Maybe we have met, but I do not remember Harsi.
Hi, Paramparaji and Haribol, what I wanted to say is, that I was just sitting in the Internet cafe hear near me, around the corner where I am living with my dear wife, she is just now not at home, she is visiting her parents in Romaia, and thought that I must add something more to my comment to Janus, so I did that, and when I pressed the button to submit my corrected coment to Harimeadia, all of a sudden the text apeared that it is not possible anymore to correct a written text to which there is already a reply. So I wandered a little bit about that, until I realized that you have already answered to the comment I have written and sendet in before. Thats the whole story about our messages meeting in cyberspace. A friend of mine Arjuna whi is living in München 150 km. from hear, is marid with a woman from Finnland, maybe you know her. She must know you also, since I think she was there also before in the association of the Finnland yatra during her time in ISKCON. Before 12 years ago or so.

What I wanted to add to my comment to Janus was the following. I wanted to prevent some misunderstandings that I may be against Prabhupada in some way or other, I mean he was a great spiritual personality, there is no nor can be I would say any doubt about that, whom I respect and appreciate very much for what he did and the knowledge he made known to us.

What I doubt a little bit is not if the so caled process which Srila Prabhupada made known to us is "working well" or not in achiving the desired spiritual goal which he made known to all of us. That´s I would say also a more personal thing of everyone, to find that out for himself, to which there may contribute also more other factors. What I doubt is if that´s all what is there to be known about that, and the way of acheving some knowledge of this kind, and if the Supreme Lord whould find it OK that one become aware of this things only if one follows this herarchical system beginning with Prabhupada and followed by the "autorized" structure, if it can be said that there would exist such a thing, which he instaled after his departer from this world, but we know that he is still "living" in his instructions and knowledge so caled, anyway, otherwise it would be out of question that one would be able to reach or achieve perfection (again one of this words?) in ones spiritual path to our supreme destination in life.

In my opinion thats a kind of human made attempt to make out of Srila Prabhupada a kind of "Pope" in spiritual matters, and cement thus his autority for the future generations to come, as well as of the "herarchical autority structure" which is basing his autority on him.
I mean the Katholik Church did the same in cementing its autority in the human society, and has the same "mechanistic" autority structure of receiving "spiritual" knowledge by its members and believers. In the sense that if someone of its followers whant to reach some enlightenment or spiritual awareness and realizations in ones life must subdue itself for clarifiying if it is so, to the autority of the Pope of Rom and those who come in his line of autority, since he is so caled the "pure" representative of St. Paul who himself is the representative of Jesus Christ and so on...

Thus as a "katholik" soul one must follow in this matters the living example of that person who is due to his status as Pope "infailible" in spiritual matters and the interpretation of the knowledge given by Jesus, as well as his estimation and mod or method of applying it in ones live for acchieving the desired result of it.

If that herarchical "mechanistic fashioned" way of achieving and realizing that spiritual knowledge is what the Supreme Lord wanted it to be so, seems for me to be very unlikely, would I say. Why should He want that this should serve as the only rule and way of achieving that. He would thus, I think rule out or put aside His own autority in this things, and the ability of His own, to let Himself know someone intuitively through the heart or by other means the way and knowledge of the right action in life to reach the spiritual goals of that particular soul. If he is realy desing it so to happen. As well as having some intimate conection with that person without the "outside" manifested structure I discribed above.
I mean He is also known as the caitya guru within. Isn´t He?
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Post by pamu »

You do not have to worry about me getting upset about if you say something deragatory about Prabhupada. He has his place in the history of GV in Western hemisphere, of course, but he is not alone in that regard.
Besides, I am no longer a "vaisnava", so you do not have to haribol me. Amen to that. No, I am not a Christian either, inshallah, no I am not a...
I am just me. Cheerio! :wink:
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Post by harsi »

You are a funny gay :D I did not meant you anyway by comenting about Prabhupad, but nice that you answered. I personally dont consider me also this or that name, but made my own realization in life that I am somehow still not alone in this world and Univers, that there is indeed someOne there, to whom I belong in some way or other to Whom I´m inclined to entrust mayself and have confidence in, thats my own experience in my life, and it does not matter anyway what name you may use for describing that or Him. I like also the word haribol by itself, why not.

Have a nice day.
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Post by pamu »

In Sweden there is candy which is called haribo. Peace and respect.
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Post by Gaura »

Today I was surfing in the internet and suddenly came to one Hare Krishna forum.
And people there are speaking about harimedia.net, Hari, that everything here are bogus, "new age" and all kind of nasty things.

But it was fanny to observe how they approach to each other there. All their letters start:
Please accept my humble!
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

When I read that approaches I remembered fashist ‘s approaches in movies. :roll:

It seems that Praphupada was powerful spiritual person but organization becoming with every year farther and farther from reality. Trying to replace own real understanding and realization with somebody’s realization. It’s like trying to satisfy thirst by word "water" or somebody else’s drinking water.
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Post by harsi »

harsi wrote:...living with my dear wife...
I just got a message that I may claim somehow false proprietership by this words which I used in my last comment here. As you may imagine I´m also very well aware of the understanding behind this. As maybe many of you. I was for a long time accustomed to have the same understanding or was interpreting such words also in this kind of way. Until I realized somehow, that it may well depend also, on which words in this line one may focus ones attention on, which may very well also reflect more ones own understanding and spiritual awareness or consciousness, which one may have developed until now. My dear wife...or my dear friend, or whomever else one may address with such kind of words. When one puts ones attention on the word "my" that could of course show also ones claim for a somehow false proprietership over another soul. What as one may know, is a kind of ilusory matter. At the same time when one focuses ones attention on the word "dear" that may very well reflect also something complitely different, namely that of the soul in the heart´s natural inclination to show and express that, what I would consider to be something complitely natural, such as love and affection or appreciation for another person, as well as among one another in the society of people one may happen to be or associate with.

Thus one could very well say, that this two words directed at some other person, can make clear or derive also two different connotations in the understanding of diferent persons, coresponding to the developed way of looking at them, or on which word one may fix ones attention on, which may be also related to ones own developed value structure in life and the way one thus values or judges everything in life. For so long one was accustomed to think, that to purify oneself means to give up all so called attachments, which are a hindrance so called, in our becoming more aware of ourself as a spiritual being the Supreme Lord and our relationship we may have among another. Thus for so long one was even accustomed to get rid of the souls, I would consider to be natural inclination to love and feel that love, and show also a kind of responsability for that of course. In this so caled purification process I would say, one often used to make, that what a german proverb is describing very apt with: "Das Baby mit dem Waschwasser ausschütten" which means to pour out the baby with the washing water. In this process of purification, so often the souls natural inclination to love and feel love, or show some affection or charity and forbearance to someone near, was also poured out in the process, if it ever was there initialy of course in the beginning.

I think therefore so many among us have so many problems of showing some love and affection for others which may imply also forgiveness of things which may have happend in the past, and thus for finding again peace and harmony and more confidence in life, since one may have to learn again what love really means. And don´t consider that to be something unworthy of that person. I would say love is ones natural energy, God is spreading this His energy all over the univers, I would say one could very well consider oneself a part of it. If one may desire that of course. Thats my understanding about that issue.
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Post by Janus »

pamu wrote:Yes indeed, Janus. Sometimes I wonder what had happened if I had dedicated my 15 years of time and energy to some other religious system? Would I be in the same situation? "What if" is not that useful as such, but still it makes you think. There was a purpose why I was in the sect, but how can I be sure what it was and have I actually reached it?
Intriquing questions but here I sit and stare towards the vast and majestetically silent space. Hello....? :shock:
"But if any person who has made any degree of progress along the path of bhakti considers himself a devotee and begins engaging in material misconduct, he will certainly fall from the path of bhakti. By coming into contact with such persons, one’s own bhakti is destroyed."
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Goswami
Anuvrtti purport to verse 6 of Sri Upadesamrta

I don't think that I ever really wanted to be a devotee, perhaps that's why I could never could manage it. I never became a devotee but in the eyes of my father I think that finally I became his son.

Who knows what use, if any God ever had for us, what purpose of His that He means us to help Him fulfill? I kinda thnk that all that Krsna wants is for us to be happy.

I don't know what would have happened if I hadn't had joined the movement, I don't know what would have happened had I stayed in it. I only know what happened when I left it, Krsna gave me what I wanted, a matchless gift.

I never became a devotee, but my father did.
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Janus
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Post by Janus »

harsi wrote:
What I wanted to add to my comment to Janus was the following. I wanted to prevent some misunderstandings that I may be against Prabhupada in some way or other, I mean he was a great spiritual personality, there is no nor can be I would say any doubt about that, whom I respect and appreciate very much for what he did and the knowledge he made known to us.
Get off it Harsi, unless you have spiritually awakened vision you don't know if Prabhupada was any different from a million other people wanering the street who think God has sent them on some mission and is talking to them.
Whatever, you do not seem to think that what God was telling Srila Prabhupada was the truth. So in your mind Srila Prabhupada was a saintly man, just misguided and that what he presented us with was bhogus.
Self realization begins at home
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