Bhakti and Jnana - to AdiMa

[Guest guest]

Namaste AdiMa.

 

I know i have taken too long to reply to your message, but i did so only

because i couldn't find an answer to what you asked me. I kept on reading all

posts in the group, witnessed several unprovoked attacks on yourself (just

because someone posted a weird message under the name shakti_shakti...) and

watched you as you almost took a fall, without stretching my hands to keep you

from reaching the ground. But i had confidence that through your knowledge and

devotion, unjustified (as if there was any kind of justifiable) agression could

never really harm you in any place, other than your pride (which would readily

be disregarded as unimportant and insignificant to the greatness of your being).

I didn't knew myself then well enough to reply conclusively, but up to now,

several specks of reality started to sink in. It took me 5 years of studying and

contemplating, at times wandering off, my mind being not ready, to take heed and

set focus to what matters. It took me those 5 years to find sense in meditating,

several doubts needing to be dispelled before i could attune myself to a frame

of mind that made it possible and necessary. Now i have untimely urges during

waking time (often sleeptime as well) to sit down, chant mantras and meditate.

And in one of those lucid dreaming meditations, after being taken by

unsurmountable fear, i set down and started uttering the syllable om (in my

earlier youth, catholic days, i would pray in dreams whenever i was in panic).

And as it grew in intensity and power, it resounded with such strength that the

whole scene changed to all pervading, uncanny bright light and a thunderous, all

trembling om, which made me even more scared and caused me to wake up instantly.

Since then, no time was that intense, but i changed. And i feel readier to go

back and simply contemplate. Knowledge began to take fear away.

Finally, this is all to say that, after all that has been, i will not sit

down and pray and ask anything to any particular aspect of divinity, but i will

meditate on any and all of them. So i request your help, and of any other

learned members that would like to help too, in sharing the timeless knowledge

of mantras and their meanings, so that i, and most certainly all members, could

rejoice and contemplate on their goodness and power, and bask in the sun of the

objectified knowledge of god.

 

My warmest regards, namaste to AdiMa and All...

 

PS: Where are you Chittaranjan-ji? Come back, i speak for myself, and am sure

that for AdiMa as well, when i say we miss you.

 

 

[Guest guest]

Hari OM! to all.

 

I recognize that we develop personal friendship among the posters to

share their individual feelings and opinions. That is a beautiful

fellowship indeed. AdiMa whom I affectionately call as Aditiji

corresponds with me too. However, I urge all the fellow travellers to

keep their personal correspondence outside the list serve.

 

One can always discuss the Personal spritual experiences that can be

shared with others. In the process we all grow.

 

I recently got an e-mail from a respected member of this list that there

seems to be an increasing control by the moderators.

 

Please note that this list serve is least moderated list in comparison

to other lists. Moderators step in only if the topics or discussions go

outside the range of the scope of the list or if the language of

communication goes beyond the norm specified. We encourage discussions

but not cut and paste posts coming from different sources without any

focus or acknowledgment of the sources. One can study those and present

the summary if that is relavent to the topic of discussions.

Let us concentrate on our spiritual study and use the list as means for

our Nidhidhyaasana.

 

Hari OM!

Sadananda

[Guest guest]

Namaste Satsanghis:

 

In addition to the excellent observations made by Sadaji, I want to

add some additional points to clarify the list policies with regard

to moderation.

 

(1) The list moderates mostly new members of the list when they

join the list. This is done to protect the members from receiving

unwanted Spam messages from intruders. When a new member demonstrates

his/her genuine interest in Vedanta through the postings (a minimum

of 2 messages are monitored) the moderation of postings from such

members are removed. The messages from non moderated members (99.5

percent of long-time members) are directly released by mailing

service to the list without noticing to the list moderators. At

present, only five existing long-time members are under moderation.

 

(2) When an existing member willingly violates list policies due

to various reasons (guidelines are specified in FAQ), the list

moderator sends a personal email informing the member to correct the

situation. If a member fails to correct the situation, then such a

member's posts are subsequently moderated. The five members who are

currently moderated fall into this category. In addition to these

five members, in the past, three other members have lost posting

privileges when they continue to send inappropriate materials in

spite of advanced warnings from the list. These posters have

subsequently left the list voluntarily.

 

(3) The list wants to maintain the unwritten ethical rules

maintained by the Internet community which includes the following: (a)

Whenever a published material is utilized by the poster in a message,

then the poster is obligated to provide appropriate source

information. In order to protect the `intellectual property rights,'

the posters should seek prior permission for posting substantial

portion of materials published elsewhere. Preferably, the poster

should just provide the Web address along with a small note

explaining the content of such materials. (b) Posters who repost the

messages that were elsewhere posted in other lists should indicate

appropriate reference. Ideally, cross-posting across more than one

list is not considered appropriate.

 

(4) Last but not least, the list expects all posters to be

reasonable with respect to the length of their posts and be

considerate and courteous to their fellow members. When a member

continued to post long and repeated messages without much new

materials, such members were reminded with friendly reminders.

Sometimes, one of the moderators suggest the members to post 2 or 3

messages per day (like the recent message from Sadaji). It should be

pointed out that these guidelines are not enforced but are requested

suggestions from list moderators.

 

Now let me explain to you how the moderating board operates to

enforce the list policies: Currently we have nine moderators with a

chief moderator (by rotation) and the board implements the policies

democratically. Any curtailment of list privileges is not done

unilaterally by a single moderator, but it is always done with

consensus. The moderators study the recent postings of a `violating

poster' to investigate the relevance of an intervention. Most of the

time, the violations are notified to the moderators by an informing

member. If there is credible evidence, then the chief moderator or

one of the moderators suggested by the chief moderator contact the

violator and request him/her to correct the situation. Reasonable

posters respond back and correct their situations and in those

cases, the posters will be able to continue to exercise their

rights. But when the poster sends unreasonable and arrogant replies

justifying his/her violation, the list moderators have no other

option left. Such posters lose their posting privileges.

 

I do need to clarify one other point with respect to cut and paste of

materials from published sources. In the modern times, it is

impossible for us not to use the method of cut and post a quotation

or some important passage from a published source. Vedantic message

becomes more authentic when it comes from a credible source. But it

is unethical for anyone to `cut and paste' large chunk of materials

without acknowledging the source. This is almost equivalent to

stealing the intellectual property. The worst scenario is the case

when almost the entire posted message (95 percent and more) come from

published source without an acknowledgement. The member who has

recently lost the posting privilege belongs to this category. The

list wants to maintain confidential nature of private email

transactions and that is the reason, I can't share with you the

evidence obtained from credible members.

 

In conclusion, I want to request the members to read what I stated

above carefully and please do not send your reaction to the list.

Instead, please send to list moderator's email address:

advaitins or moderators. We appreciate your

feedback and we are willing to correct ourselves so that we can serve

you better.

 

Warmest regards, (Happy Holidays and Happy New Year)

 

Harih Om!

 

Ram Chandran

 

 

advaitin, kuntimaddi sadananda

<kuntimaddisada> wrote:

>

> Hari OM! to all.

>

> I recognize that we develop personal friendship among the posters to

> share their individual feelings and opinions. That is a beautiful

> fellowship indeed. AdiMa whom I affectionately call as Aditiji

> corresponds with me too. However, I urge all the fellow travellers

to

> keep their personal correspondence outside the list serve.

>

> One can always discuss the Personal spritual experiences that can be

> shared with others. In the process we all grow.

>

> I recently got an e-mail from a respected member of this list that

there

> seems to be an increasing control by the moderators.

>

> Please note that this list serve is least moderated list in

comparison

> to other lists. Moderators step in only if the topics or

discussions go

> outside the range of the scope of the list or if the language of

> communication goes beyond the norm specified. We encourage

discussions

> but not cut and paste posts coming from different sources without

any

> focus or acknowledgment of the sources. One can study those and

present

> the summary if that is relavent to the topic of discussions.

> Let us concentrate on our spiritual study and use the list as means

for

> our Nidhidhyaasana.

>

> Hari OM!

> Sadananda

>