Wanna really know about someone's character?

[krsna]

People rarely disclose their character so clearly as when they describe someone else's.

[Pankaja_Dasa]

Trinad-api sunicena...

 

Do a maun vrata (don't speak). lol

[pranay2]

Never critisise anyone.See your faults and others Good and develop.the reverse will bring doom.Ego is the enemy of Bhakti. Kirtanta of Gods name brings Bhakti and Kirtana of others Faults will.......

[suchandra]

 

People rarely disclose their character so clearly as when they describe someone else's.

 

What was/is the catalyst for this thread?

[raga]

 

Never critisise anyone.See your faults and others Good and develop.the reverse will bring doom.Ego is the enemy of Bhakti. Kirtanta of Gods name brings Bhakti and Kirtana of others Faults will.......

With this, one should also be careful in thinking that others are criticizing or finding faults. It is quite possible that we have just misunderstood another, or we may even lack the adhikara for understanding another altogether.

 

Then, in our enthusiasm to avoid fault-finding and to eulogize the same, we have fallen into the pit of projecting (even in public!) this greatest of vices upon others -- what then will become of us? If undue fault-finding is the greatest obstacle to bhakti, and if we unjustly find the fault of fault-finding others, does that not pose the greatest obstacle to our devotion?

[krsna]

 

With this, one should also be careful in thinking that others are criticizing or finding faults. It is quite possible that we have just misunderstood another, or we may even lack the adhikara for understanding another altogether.

 

Then, in our enthusiasm to avoid fault-finding and to eulogize the same, we have fallen into the pit of projecting (even in public!) this greatest of vices upon others -- what then will become of us? If undue fault-finding is the greatest obstacle to bhakti, and if we unjustly find the fault of fault-finding others, does that not pose the greatest obstacle to our devotion?[/quote]

 

Dear Sripad Madhavananda Das,

 

Could you please elaborate on your post above for the more we hear about this the more there is a chance we may give up this fault of fault-finding.

 

Thank you.

 

krsna das:pray:

[raga]

For example.

 

"Prabhus, never find fault in Vaishnavas. Just like that Krishna Das, he's such a fault-finder. Don't become like him!" (Followed by an innuendo on why Krishna Das is so bad because he's a fault-finder: Just see what fault-finding turned him into.)

 

That's an extreme example, but not uncommmon I find.

 

Then, you have the countless other cases where someone starts accusing another of being a fault-finder because of a misunderstanding. A rule of thumb, then, is to "always assume best intention".

 

Devotees in internet forums, especially those who feel they need to be on the defensive, often assume the worst and start blasting off others for being offensive, even if the original poster never meant any offense.

 

Another important rule is, "Ask to clarify before you state a conclusion about another." I cannot claim to be perfect in following all this myself, but I think it is important that everyone recognizes this in principle and tries to adjust their conduct accordingly.

[krishnadasa]

Some one told be longtime back

 

Be a FACT finding machine not a FAULT finding one

[gHari]

The Answer's At The End

 

George Harrison

 

Scan not a friend with a microscopic glass

You know his faults, now let the foibles pass

Life is one long enigma, my friend

So read on, read on, the answer's at the end

 

Don't be so hard on the ones that you love

It's the ones that you love we think so little of

Don't be so hard on the ones that you need

It's the ones that you need we think so little of

 

The speech of flowers excels the flowers of speech

But what's often in your heart, is the hardest thing to reach

And life is one long mystery, my friend

So live on, live on, the answer's at the end

 

Don't be so hard on the ones that you love

It's the ones that you love we think so little of

Don't be so hard on the ones that you need

It's the ones that you need we think so little of

 

Don't be so hard on the ones that you love

It's the ones that you love we think so little of

Don't be so hard on the ones that you need

It's the ones that you need we think so little of

 

Oh, we think so little of the ones that we love, sometimes

Isn't it a pity how we hurt

The ones that we love the most of all

The ones we shouldn't hurt at all

 

You know my faults, now let the foibles pass

'Cause life is one long enigma, my friend

Live on, live on, the answer's at the end

Don't be so hard on the ones that you love

 

It's the ones that you love we think so little of

Don't be so hard on the ones that you need

It's the ones that you need we think so little of

Don't be so hard on the ones that you love

 

It's the ones that you love we think so little of

Don't be so hard on the ones that you need

It's the ones that you need we think so little of

The ones that we love

 

We hurt the most of all, sometimes

And isn't it a pity how

We hurt the ones that we love (fade)