the hierarchy of mercy?

[cbrahma]

 

As the saying goes:

 

"You can bring a horse to water but you can't make him drink."

The analogy limps. There is no bringing of water. It's more like trudging through a desert.

[cbrahma]

 

That's exactly the point: you're talking about ISKCON, and I'm not.

 

As for college professors, you check the catalogs and see if they have something you want. Then you have to apply to the university, pay a pile of money. Then you have to attend classes, take tests, fulfill assignments, and so many other things. Some people can't handle that much hassle (if you're looking for an RRH, you've found it in the university--I know because i taught there for 16 years), so they don't get degress. And that shows they really want something else. No biggie. Not everyone needs a college degree.

 

And not everyone needs a guru. Only those who are convinced that real happiness lies beyond the "life" of getting and spending, etc. and who feels he or she must have that happiness needs a guru. Others are wasting their time looking.

 

Real gurus aren't popes, they aren't despots. I'm sorry your experience has been so limited that you haven't found anyone in whom you can place your faith. That would be a rareYou should not surrender until you find someone of whom you are convinced you must have his or her shelter.

University has nothing to do with surrender, mercy spirituality.

You get out what you put in, it's as simple as that.

And don't tell me the guru/hierarchy thing is that simple - there's a lot more to give than attending classes and taking tests. How mundane. How fruitive.

[Beggar]

It must be understood that this is the same cbrahma that took it upon himself to post "The Letter" Thread on 12/4 , that is the letter from Srila Prabhupada to Rupanuga about concerning the position of Srila Sridhar Maharaj. In post #3 of that thread he states,

 

I'm not the least interested from which camp the slurs are coming.

In the light of Prabhupada's clear instructions, ISKCON members are cautioned NOT to associate, or associate with great caution. If that is apharada then Prabhupada was an apharadi.

So here he is so interested in what are "Prabhupada's clear instructions". Is Prabhupada not a guru? Then he proceeds in post #15 to blame Srila Sridhar Maharaj for the eleven appointed gurus,

 

This doesn't state his position vis-a-vis the devotees. He is conciliatory to somebody he had previously said was the best of them.

The zonal acarya fiasco, if I'm not mistaken was initiated under Sridhara Maharaja advice.

Here we see some concern about what is real guru and what is not, even if it is misguided. But misguidance or no guidance really becomes the issue even if the guidance will come in this case through a psychiatrist.

[theist]

 

The analogy limps. There is no bringing of water. It's more like trudging through a desert.

 

Desert or tropical beach, it is all right there before us and depends only on our consciousness to perceive the difference.

 

Intersting analogy you choose. I am just finishing a little book called the Alchemist by Paul Coelho. The main character is just now traveling through the Sahara seeking his destiny. He has come under the tutelage of an alchemist who while guiding him is showing him the treasure he seeks is written by the hand of God into every grain of sand.

[cbrahma]

 

Desert or tropical beach, it is all right there before us and depends only on our consciousness to perceive the difference.

 

Intersting analogy you choose. I am just finishing a little book called the Alchemist by Paul Coelho. The main character is just now traveling through the Sahara seeking his destiny. He has come under the tutelage of an alchemist who while guiding him is showing him the treasure he seeks is written by the hand of God into every grain of sand.

A feat of explaning away realities and abuses as being generated by our consciousness. Would that it were that simple I would wisk away all the hierarchies by an act of thought.

[seamusjcarroll]

when i read prabhupadas work my first reaction was this is to strict and seemed forcfull, but intelligience told me that authority is instruction , as time has passed i have learnt about objection, but in your second translation , the authority has been removed from the instrution , and for me this softening up to make it more pallitable , is misleading , if i want intruction i allways go to the most high authority , prabhupada 's AS IT IS is such authority , because he is so clear , and uncompromising, prabhupadas words are a promise , the other is not , if i were to release my ego , my top choice would be prabhupada, and while i wait for mercy about such thoughts i try to do my best , when i was in india having a very wonderful expirience , it came to me that prabhupada was the corner stone to all my valued sources of instruction, prabhupada saved my life factualy , for without GITA as it is , everything else i came into contact with was either indulgent or inpersonel , prabhupada is strictly personel , he introduced me to KRISHNA , now i can dream of syam sunder and gopal as my own personel friend ,while i look at the world i live , prabhupadas mercy is his authority jai radhe

[Murali_Mohan_das]

 

Why assume it's mercy? The rigidity is easily verified. I have done so personally.

 

I don't seek empiric verification (at least not for mercy). It's verified in my heart, and Gurudev has overflooded my heart many times over with his mercy.

 

This job I have, the air I breathe, the sunshine on my face--they are all the mercy of Srila Gurudev.

[Beggar]

Clearly cbrahma is using previous and perhaps ongoing abuses by neophytes in hierachical institutions to abuse the basic faith of those who read his posts. One has to look at what is the intent of the person writing the post.

[cbrahma]

 

Clearly cbrahma is using previous and perhaps ongoing abuses by neophytes in hierachical institutions to abuse the basic faith of those who read his posts. One has to look at what is the intent of the person writing the post.

You wish you could dismiss this as a personal problem. You're the one with the personal problem because ad hominem is your one trick pony.

 

 

[moderator's note: we will close this thread, and merge it with a smaller similar thread, as it seems to be going in circles, and seems unlikely any new points will be added]