Re: Offender chanting Hare Krishna

Dear Vaisnavas,

      Nityananda Gauranga Hare Krishna! Please accept my respectful obeisances! I just want to make a few points about the discussion going on. I was moved by Bhaktatommy's experience on how he came to devotion. We should realise how fortunate we are.

       Different devotees have posted up very nice experiences and realisations as part of this thread. But there are a few places where certain unwanted tendencies are beginning to creep in. I have asked many questions to the readers and I humbly request all of you to consider them once and judge.

      1. The same doubt can manifest itself in many ways again and again, thanks to logic, can it not? I have a feeling that this is becoming repetitive even though it gets cleared every time. So far that's what I see. A fundamental doubt is persisting despite repeated discussion.

      2. Logical study of scriptures is useless. Speculation is a colossal waste of time and energy.  A topic is being made increasingly and unnecessarily confusing by presenting the same doubt in more complicated ways

      3. Analysing scriptural words with speculative logic and thinking that's all in all is simply too incomplete. Scratching the surface, but not knowing much. Devotional service is understanding and practice, not hypothesis and speculation.

     4. Past offences getting burnt is all done when one chants Nityananda Gauranga just once. Unlimited sins and offenses in unlimited births are destroyed. Then why are you still offending? The offensive propensity is the root cause, the offences are only secondary. Haven't we noticed that most of the time we commit offences only because we want to? Propensity works only when we allow it to.

      5. A devotee chanting Nityananda Gauranga must never say "Something else forcing me to offend...". This is only passing the buck on to other things. Its just trying to say, "Its not my fault." The Padma Purana injunction is perfectly correct as nearly all offenses are committed because we want to. The temptations are due to the offensive mentality, but it is WE who decide. Accepting our own mistake is the first step to humility.  There is no one else to blame.

     6. Why is the speculation persisting in spite of repeated scriptural advice to avoid it? Let me state here that the tendency to ask all sorts of trick questions is just a subconscious desire to challenge the power of the mantrarajas.

      7. The so called 'intellectual' tendency flies in the face of geniune humility. As long as we remain full of ourselves in our own petty little speculation and logic, we don't give room for the Lord to enter.

      8. We think that if we know the cause we can find the cure, my friends. But you yourself admitted that knowing the cause doesn't make a difference in our fallen situation. But when we already have the cure, why move heaven and earth to find the cause? Are we interested in the cure or the cause? Are we aware of how complicated the web of reactions is?

      9. Knowing very well that certain things are too complicated for the mind and intelligence,  there is still speculation. Is it necessary? Why try to speculate on something that can't be understood by speculation? What are we going to do by untangling the web of actions and reactions, which is infintely complicated? 

      10.  The cure for stopping and burning all offenses is dedicated chanting and CHANTING and service. No amount of speculative study can ever tell you how to get rid of them. You already know the answer, but you're searching for the key knowing its in your hand. Why? Are you indulging in arguments with your own mind? Its quite common for many thinkers...isn't it?

      11. Better to live in the present and see what can be done to improve our chanting and our service. The past is now gone. Its enough to have learnt one's lesson and look ahead. I say this because a friend argued with me, "Unless we discuss our past, how will we serve the Lord?" But what will happen is that we only keep wondering "Why, what if, where, how, maybe, i think,....." and forget the Lord!!!

Before we ask a question, let us first think whether it will help myself and others in our devotional service and bring us closer to the Lord. Let us ask ourselves, "What am I going to do knowing this. Will it make a difference?"

It is not correct to use the devotees as a book, or the guru as an encyclopedia to satisfy our mind. As long as we remain full of ourselves in our own petty little speculation and logic, we don't give room for the Lord to enter into our life and we delay our progress more and more. Don't be preoccupied by imaginary doubts that aren't there. It will take you away from the Lord. Quit the speculation and you will find a whole new life awaiting you.

From my experiences,

Srinath

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Sridhara Kolavaca - Gauranga Naam Jaap

Nityananda! Gauranga! Hare Krsna!

Jaya Gauranga Naam! Dearest Sridhara Kolavaca, may meditation upon Sri Gauranga's Holy Name grant me residence at your lotus feet!

So that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu may come and grant me  fair trade also, stealing all my sense of proprietorship and replacing that with His merciful glance!

Dearest Associate of the Lord, please hear my plea!

May that prayer manifest as I chant your Lordships Holy Name, constantly! Jaya Gauranga Naam!

y.s.

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Re: Offender chanting Hare Krishna

Dear Nava Prabhu,

Nityananda ! Gauranga ! Hare Krishna !

Thank you much Nava Prabhu. Your posts along with other devotees posts here is a wonderful opportunity to use all my doubts into pieces. I athis forum as a tool to break m sure we will know each other much better when I return.

Tommy wrote : It is more important to stop offenses than to burn past offenses

This is a good point. Padma Purana does say to avoid offenses while chanting the mahamantra, it does not say to burn the past offenses. However Bhaktivinod Thakur stresses a lot on mountains of offenses we have done in the past to be an obstacle in our chanting for pure love of God. When we combine the 2 logics may be it means if we have unburnt past offenses of our previous births then we will not be able to avoid offenses. The way our past sins force us to continue sinning but if our past sins are burnt then we will stop sinning. Though I am not too sure about this as it is pure speculation but this is a good point to discuss further.

Sincerely,
Mihir.

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Re: Offender chanting Hare Krishna

Nityananda! Gauranga! Hare Krsna!

....though I know very well that material enjoyments is pure distress disguised in the form of enjoyments. by mihir

Thank you for pointing this out Mihir, an excellent point. I asked one person sometime ago why did God make this world? His response was 'God is kind and made this world so we can enjoy!'

In a way he gave a half correct answer, because God is kind and wishes us to learn. But this philosophy that life is purely for sense enjoyment is really limited vision and incorrect. I sometimes wonder if in the west, surrounded by opulence, rarely seeing extreme poverty and other suffering, that it is such a blinder  we miss the point that this world is a prison house. Unless we have encountered some personal suffering (which is life changing), we may just see this world as a place to work, gain wealth, have successful relations and enjoy. But unfortuntely that way is destined to fail, because the temporary will never satisfy fully, and so on.

Listening to Srila Bhaktivinoda teach Sri Caitanya's precepts, that this world is a prison house for those who wish to forget God - some may perceive this as negative spirituality. But I ponder how much more is life fulfilled when we have relations in God realization. We are most fortunate to have seen the truth of the matter, and to be moving toward a life of simplicity and love. As we grow older the fruit will become more and more evident.

By the way Mihir, I have really appreciated reading your posts in the last few days, and getting to know you a little bit more. Thank you.

y.s. Nava.
 

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Re: Offender chanting Hare Krishna

Nityananda! Gauranga! Hare Krsna!

please accept my simple obeisances

It is more important to stop offenses than to burn past offenses.
Nothing is regrettable and nothing is wasted everything is as it should be otherwise it would not be so.
everything is serving to reveal the truth to us.  we can be grateful for this and for everything then we will find happiness.  this lifetime is like a strong river and we either swim upstream and progress or we backslide down there is no staying . We must concentrate on what we have influence over like avoiding offenses.  When we concern ourselves with matters out of our influence, then our influence shrinks.  Before you burn this mountain , stand on it and reach a higher taste.  You can feel lucky you are coming to Krsna on your free will without such a misery motivating you.  The first time i entered a temple I was homeless and starving child of 17 who was very miserable and lonely.  I went because someone I met told me we could have a free meal.  There is a video "right now" you can find here http://video.iskcondesiretree.info/WMV/

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Re: Offender chanting Hare Krishna

Nityananda! Gauranga! Hare Krsna!

please accept my simple obeisances

thoughts that help chanting mood:

this lifetime is taking place in the moment before death.
success in life is remembering krsna at time of death
nothing in material manifestation is nice for very long
our desire has caused us to emerge in realm of birth, death and disease.
our desire may liberate us from this realm when it is sincere and fixed on serving the Lord
emergence in this realm or a hellish planet is not desireable
"O Lord  I have no appetite for bewilderment and madness"
"O Lord even in liberated bliss I reject disease and death"
"O Lord I wish only to emerge in your abode as nothing else is desireable"
i must remember krsna always I must remember Krsna at time of death


aspiring service
bhaktatommy

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