Karma & Grace

[Guest guest]

Dear Krishna Moorthy:

Please read 'Race for Guruji's Grace' by Dr. Chandrashekhara Udupa.

If you wish, I could mail you a copy.

Best Wishes, Always,

Shanthi

 

Message: 1 Mon, 18 Jul 2005 03:02:16 -0700 (PDT)"k.s.krishna moorthy" Karma and GraceDear All,I am very much devoted and always chanting and prayingLord Vishnu.Still materially I suffer a lot.I facehumiliation in office,face some health problems andalways in a great fear and depression.

[Guest guest]

Dear Krishna:

 

I appreciate your comments and the great input from fellow List members.

Regarding fear and depression, I feel the key is renunciation – which is

easy to talk about, but difficult to do. Let me quote from the Sayings of

Sri Ramakrishna, which addresses both the issue of renunciation and prayer:

“Q. Is there really any efficacy in prayers? A. Yes. When mind and speech

unite in earnestly asking for a thing, that prayer is answered. Of no avail

are the prayers of that man who says with his mouth, ‘These are all Thine,

O Lord!’ and at the same time thinks in his heart that all of them are

his.” Saying 447

 

I have recently had similar thoughts, i.e., why pray if it does not appear

to produce the desired result!? Should we pray just to keep even worse

things from happening!? I think it is good to keep the above quote in mind.

One tapas I do to assist me my on path to renunciation, Bhakti, surrender,

etc., is to keep a spiritual diary describing my devotional practices for

that day, my diet, my exercise, the various karmas that manifested

themselves (i.e., good and bad events), what spiritual lessons I have

learned, what spiritual lessons I believe I am learning (i.e.,

discernment), etc. This diary has been a very valuable tool.

 

I also experience “fear.” In fact, God uses fear or pain to get me to do

what He wants me to do! That is because I am so hard headed, it requires a

strong emotion such as fear or pain (vs. much more enjoyable emotions such

as love or devotion) to get me to change! “Push” vs. “pull,” so to speak.

So, for me, a particular fear or pain is a “Holy Teacher,” instructing me

on something I have been doing, thinking, saying or attaching myself to

that is wrong.

 

Also, I try to keep in mind another valuable prayer: “Lord, I pray not for

a change in my circumstances, but for a change in me!” Recall the ecstasy

of Thakur, even during the trial of his throat cancer. Happiness does not

come from an external event, but from an internal

experience/realization/awakening.

 

Please let us know how you are doing.

 

God Bless,

Brad

 

 

 

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