Are Games ok?

[Guest guest]

 

Sorry, I have rejected ALL Prophet-like characters. Man do not know the Truth, they can only tell you THEIR defination of Truth. For me, I will find my own. Thank you.

 

Actually, if you bothered to find out, you'd find the disciplic succession, unchanged knowledge passed down from Krishna himself. Srila Prabhupada simply represented what Krishna said.

[Guest guest]

 

So.. Your saying that it's only good to things unless you make money at it? So I can only play a Roleplaying Game unless Its a career? So what would you say to that? No? How is that different than what you do? Oh I test play games so teenagers can waste their time with playing games? You sir are a Hypocrite..

 

I'm not saying that actually. I'm saying that if you want to be serious in Krishna Consciousness, then you should do devotional service. If you're attached to role playing, then you need to dovetail this into devotional service.

A simple way to do this is Karma Yoga, giving up the results of your Karma, action.

 

If you don't want to be serious, then continue as you are, playing games for your own personal sense gratification. Personally, I preform karma yoga by my work - I give the results of my working to help the local preaching.

[Sephiroth]

 

Actually, if you bothered to find out, you'd find the disciplic succession, unchanged knowledge passed down from Krishna himself. Srila Prabhupada simply represented what Krishna said.

 

Unchanging knowledge exists in Bhavagad Gita, NOT Srila Prabhupada or whatever. Like I said before, I do not follow any prophets. It is between me and my God on how I live my life. I don't need a mediator in the middle to pass message to God.

[Guest guest]

Yes, but how do you know that your interpretation of the Bhagavad-gita is correct? So many different Bhagavad-gita's out there, how do you know which is is correctly translated? Personally, I have chosen to follow an authority, a representative of Krishna, as mentioned in Bhagavad-gita chapter 4. Even Krishna talks of the disciplic succession.

[Guest guest]

In regards to the positives of "story-creation skills...write stories...how to act": if we believe in reincarnation then we see that some people are born with phenomenal talents and skills and why? Because they have perfected these abilities in a past life, so the subtle body and soul's consciousness does not forget these things. Also, constant practice in any field of endeavor, even so-called "play", also teaches us gradually the focus and concentration required to become one-pointed in any endeavor, including the spiritual path.

 

I also agree with you that these skills are valid and useful in a wide variety of applications. One positive psychological use of your interest in role-playing games is the expressive arts, which are very healing and therapeutic to the human psyche. If you learn about the built-in side effects of all of the expressive arts and how they help one to integrate the self then it you will appreciate the blessings of role-playing, music, dance, visual arts, performing arts, writing, story-telling, and literature on a whole new dimension and level.

 

When we learn a new language we learn new terms and ways of looking at the world; so too with any knowledge applied towards the expressive arts.

We build and develop wonderful skills that can aid us in many fields. Role-playing has been traditionally used by psychologists for therapeutic ends

and you can learn how to use this giftedness to integrate your psyche as

well as to bring joy and happiness to others. The helping professions also use role-playing during seminars and in-service workshops as a means to sensitize service providers to the plight of their clients, so that they can better understand others.

 

Some websites about expressive arts therapies include:

 

www dot ieata dot org

 

www dot artsintherapy dot com

 

www dot expressivetherapy dot org

 

By learning what the expressive arts are and how they heal the individual to integrate the self then you also have a powerful preaching tool for sharing your appreciation for Hinduism and Sanatana Dharma, as well as your own particular branch of it. At its highest level of expression, each one of the expressive arts is used in Hindusim in an enchanting and delightful way. And if you just love to role-play you will learn more about how that form of the expressive arts helps you to heal and integrate the self.

 

Just thinking of the reincarnation aspects, if we have had many past lives then a person who loves to role-play could in truth be integrating all of these past roles that we have played. That means that you are very close to the end of the cycle of birth and death, repeated samsara. The Buddha said that before he became enlightened He could remember His last 100 births. On the therapeutic level by role-playing "games" you are integrating these past lives.

 

You are demonstrating to yourself that you are able to move between various personae and yet inside still be you. You can see that you are not the false ego; that the real "you" is observing all of these many different characters. You are even delighting in it; not like you are traumatized by it like those who have MPD Multiple Personality Disorder. Thus I see it can be used positively as a type of playful summation of our many past lives, and the joy one feels by doing so is we rejoice that we have learned to integrate all of the many different experiences we have recently had in samsara.

 

Sort of like the saying, "In 20 years we'll look back at this and laugh"; "In 20 lifetimes from now I'll look back at this by role-playing and laugh. I will laugh with delight that I am not the anava mala or false ego; I am the self who observes and witnesses all, assisted by my good buddy Super Soul: BFF / Best Friends Forever."

 

I feel that it is even possible that this enjoyment of role-playing is in truth a critical stage that one needs to pass through before one then approaches the task of gradually extinguishing all ties to the anava mala. "Alas before the lamp runs dry and is extinguished the flame flares up in one last blaze of glory" -- paraphrased from Chaitanya Charitamrita, the story in which Visnupriya gets getting suspicious when Lord Chaitanya starts paying alot of attention to Her one evening, as She knows this is the beginning of the end.

 

Therefore why not simply enjoy this playful and light-hearted stage of human development? "Don't jump to the top of the tree prematurely." -- a GV guru.

[Sephiroth]

 

Yes, but how do you know that your interpretation of the Bhagavad-gita is correct? So many different Bhagavad-gita's out there, how do you know which is is correctly translated? Personally, I have chosen to follow an authority, a representative of Krishna, as mentioned in Bhagavad-gita chapter 4. Even Krishna talks of the disciplic succession.

 

And that is why you are a Puppet.

You attend to follow others around, instead of thinking for yourself.

 

There is two things which I like about Bhavagad Gita :

 

1. That God (Brahman) can be approached in any way a person choose to approach Him - as Friend, Family, Senior, Father, any way you choose. (Bhakti Yoga, if not mistaken).

 

This is different from Abrahamic Religion where God is established as an Authority and you must follow Him around like a goat waiting to be slaughtered.

 

2. That Sri krishna stated that IF a person doesn't understand ANY of what is written in the Gita, he or she was to take refugee onto HIM, not run to some prophet wanna-bee.

 

So, I could safely say that many of you claims to follow Sri Krishna, but have NO IDEA what He have said in Gita.

[Guest guest]

Still, you didn't answer my question.

[Guest guest]

 

I love to play storytelling games other wise known as roleplaying.. Do I need to give these up? Its my favorite past time and I'd rather play these games than watch TV.

Hari OM:

 

If you love to play or watch or whatever thing, it is an activity in Rajasic mode, i.e., you want to do something because you can't sit idle.

 

If you do any activity for show-off to insult others, to hurt/harm them it is tamasic activity and will push you down.

 

If you do any activity for helping/satisifying others, it is sattavic activity and will pull you up.

 

If you do any activity because it is your duty or to satisify Krishna then it is an activity in Niroguna mode and will liberate you.

 

While activity is visible outside, the Guna is difficult to figure out even for the doer.

 

More than the activity itself, it is the Guna which would determine the outcome, so a Jantor doing his activities in Nirguna mode may end up in much higher plane than a religous person running a missionary and attacks other groups just to show them stupid.

 

 

To summarize we can say, dont change your activity rather change your Guna

[gHari]

"Remember Me. Do not forget Me", even when at play. Krsna can dovetail all your attachments and pastimes for His purposes. The path leads to Sri Krsna. Walk it with a noble gait.

 

http://vedabase.net/sb/10/2/30/en

 

http://vedabase.net/cc/adi/7/98/en

[Sephiroth]

 

"Remember Me. Do not forget Me", even when at play. Krsna can dovetail all your attachments and pastimes for His purposes. The path leads to Sri Krsna. Walk it with a noble gait.

 

http://vedabase.net/sb/10/2/30/en

 

http://vedabase.net/cc/adi/7/98/en

 

Now this, I can understand and accept.