see *some* women as mother?

[Guest guest]

On 12 Feb 1999, Hare Krsna dasi wrote:

 

> there seems to be a natural tendency

> to regard women as inferior to men. For one thing, most women are not as

> strong

> as most men.

 

 

Frankly, I do consider women inferior to men in SOME things. One that you

mentioned is bodily strength and there are others. But I really do not look at

women overall as inferior living beings. Their bodies are clearly different

(Thank God!) and they are clearly superior to men in many things. I'll never

be able to have a baby (in this life anyway)and give the incredible nurturing

that women have naturally. I think those abilities are incredible. Also, while

I can sew and cook and clean, (and some people think I do a very good job at

all of them!) it just doesn't seem to have that special quality that a women

has in doing those same things.

 

Another is beauty. This is one area where some women have an incredible

superiority over men, no matter how strong they may be. If a beautiful women

walks by me I lose all my gravity, focus, and any vestige of pride there may

be left in me. All my muscles are about as good as a jellyfish. I don't even

have time to catch my mind and other senses before I have become smitten. As I

get older I catch myself a lot sooner but that power is still overwhelming

naturally.

 

> What does it do

> to

> the men? It gives them a feeling of superiority which reinforces their

> identification with the body. It reinforces a mentality of controller-ship

 

The common ISKCON saying that women are 9 times lustier than men hasn't helped

much. And by the way WHERE are those women? I've never been able to find one

yet! I think the saying got switched around somewhere along the line!

 

 

> rather

> than a mentality of service. It reinforces the natural tendency towards

lust.

 

 

Admittedly, but almost impossible to deny. What I have tried to do since

becoming an aspiring bhakta is to at least be a gentleman. I try to bear my

lusts in subordination to the Lord. The lust is like a forest fire, sometimes

starting for no apparent reason, other times due to my playing with "matches",

but it is burning nonetheless. As in a forest fire, it is very difficult to

put it out by human efforts of pouring water on it, but if the rain comes it

is extinguished easily even though the rain is little tiny drops. That is how

I meditate when I'm chanting japa - I think of each Holy Name as a drop of

rain extinguishing little parts of my various forest fires. I keep adding fuel

to the fire, I know, but I think the rain will gradually overcome that too.

 

 

 

> Only when women are widely viewed and respected as "mother" is this

artificial

> feeling of superiority -- which is such stumbling block for spiritual

progress

> --

> begin to be diminished.

 

 

Yes, but certain bodily functions of my male body just don't work when I try

to look at a woman as a physical partner and then call her Mother! :-) It

doesn't mean I don't respect her.

 

 

 

 

 

> but nevertheless I think that you may have

> much

> more to gain than you realize if you could at least see *some* women as

mother.

> Just for example, you may be friends with an older devotee whose wife you

could

> regard as "mother" when you have occasion to visit with them or associate

with

> them. In this way, you may eventually find that such a "mother" can help

you

> meet

> the person who will help you in your service to guru and Krsna.

 

 

This I agree with wholeheartedly! I'd rather meet someone through that method

than some of my lesser successful methods which I will not detail here. And

thanks for being gentle with this inferior man.

 

 

 

> Again, it was good to hear such a frank

> presentation

> from both of you. It helps us look at our own motivations, too.

>

> your servant,

>

> Hare Krsna dasi

 

 

Thanks Mother, it makes it much easier to discuss when we receive such a

gentle and loving response to our manly mouthing-off.

 

Your fallen son,

Janesvara dasa