Need help

[Guest guest]

I have been hot and cold with KC. I have been through many maifestations of religion only to be let down by most. I was raised Catholic and in my teenage years began to search out other types of spirituality. I searched through Judaism, Islam, Wicca, Protestantism (various forms). I have also taken up Yoga at first Hatha, now also Bhakti. I have come to the realization that all religions are mearly vejicle bringing one to the same place. Along this journey I fell in love with straight edge hardcore music and found a band named Shelter which led me to ISKCON. I have been involved with KC to varying degrees over the past ten years, at times very involved and at others not involved at all.

 

I am now married with soon to be three children. I want to get back involved in the path of KC but we are raising our children as Catholics and do not see any reason to change that. How do I make the two worlds mesh? My wife is very supportive... she often thinks my spiritual pursuits are quirky but just wants me to be happy. The issue is that in the past the closer I came to KC the further I felt from my family. It is difficult to reconcile a life where I am teaching my children to love Christ and my wife cooks meat as I recite Japa and eat prasadam.

 

What do I do? How do I reconcile these worlds?

 

Tony

[JLdd]

Hare Krsna Tony, I am not sure I can give you a total answer, but I can give a little advice.

In the Bhagavad Gita, Krsna tells Arjuna to fight for the sake of fighting, without consideration for happiness or distress. BY so doing he will never incur sin. So material responsibilities are like that. You should not give up either your dharma (Krsna Conciousness) or your family. You have taken them on, indeed created them in the material sense. Therefore it is your duty to see that through unless some other arrangement is made. It has to be your first service to do what you can to raise your family, and hopefully give them a good impression of what a devotee is. Be the best devotee you can be, be the best parent and husband you can be, give them as much Krsna as you can without disturbing them too much. The rest is up to them and you will have done your duty/service.

 

The material world is always distasteful to a devotee, but it does not go away when we take to Krsna. It is the inferior manifestation of Krsna and we are in the middle of it. The misery we feel comes from still thinking we are part of it. We are in it, but not of it. We are spiritual beings only and can function in it while being aloof from it.

 

I know this is not much, but I hope that it helps. I suggest that you read the Bhagavad Gita As It Is carefully. It is the first book to read to understand the philosophy. Pre-existing conditions do not restrict one from becoming Krsna Conscious. Only we can do that to ourselves.

 

YS

JayaLalitadd

[xdementorsxkiss]

I completely agree with JLdd.

 

Guest -

I too, have the same feelings. My husband is Jewish, and before we were married I promised him that one day we will raise our children Jewish. I will never break that promise.

 

We also believe that if she one day says, "I don't want to be Jewish, I want to be something else," we will stand by her and love her no matter what.

 

I really don't know what else to tell you that JLdd hasn't already said.

 

But I do feel the same way as you do, sometimes. If you ever want to talk about it, please. It'll be my pleasure.

 

my email is: jenna@harekrishnatemple.com

or xdementorsxkiss@.

and my aim, and msn screennames are xdementorsxkiss.

 

Please feel free to contact me, if you ever want to.

 

-Jenna