philip Posted June 6, 2004 Report Share Posted June 6, 2004 Hello! I have found myself being more and more interested in Hare Krishna... Last year whilst holidaying in New Orleans a devotee gave me two books: Easy Journey to Other Planets and The Nectar of Instruction. I read these when I returned home to Scotland and had a great feeling of discovery, it just felt right that I should have been given these books. Anyway, I'm seeking advice on how to gradually become a devotee, maybe not the full way, but just where to begin. I dont feel I am quite ready to become a full time Hare Krishna devotee, but this doesn't mean I cant at least do something. Best wishes Philip Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 6, 2004 Report Share Posted June 6, 2004 devotion is essentially to chant hare krsna krsna and his name are the same thing, so if we want to be his devotees we have to call his name so, please, start from now on to chant daily a fixed number of mahamantra.. hare krishna hare krishna krishna krishna hare hare hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare the best way to make this is to get a japa mala, a rosary with 128 beads sold in hare krsna temples if you cannot get it , find the way to count till 108 with something you can make crosses on a paper, you can use a christian rosary who is exactly the half (54), you can make a japa mala with a little string and some plastic pearls that you can buy somewhere, you can make knots on a little rope and so on the important thig is that you have something to help you to chant complete series of 108 mahamantras ... so, please, start chanting one complete serie of 108 every day with your best concentration you can increase until 4 series (4 rounds), 8, 16 and more the important thing is not the number but that it is fixed, steady and that you go increasing and not decreasing .. the next important thing is that you should avoid to eat meat, fish, eggs and that you take coffe, thea or alcohol. if you start taking vegetarian food and not alcoholic things you can also offer your foods to krsna before eating itpraying him with devotion to accept it and chanting mahamantra ... other rules generally followed by devotees are to not gambling, not taking intoxicants like drugs or cigarettes and at least being moral and serious in your sentimental/sexual relationships - - - chanting a fixed number of hare krishna mantras on regular basis is the minimum requirements to be considered a devotee (and it is already a great thing)... please add also the other things very soon especially the vegetarianism (no meat, no eggs, no fish.. yes for vegetables, grains, legumes, fruit, milk, milk products, honey ) . thank you very much, with this important decision you are preparing yourself to give huge benefit to all the world we live in hare krishna dear prabhu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philip Posted June 7, 2004 Author Report Share Posted June 7, 2004 Thank you for the advice and information about being a Krishna devotee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 7, 2004 Report Share Posted June 7, 2004 Hare KRishna!All glories to Srila Prabhupada!I offer my Humble obeisances unto Him! The second book you mentioned- is it "Nector of Devotion" or "Nector of Insitruction"? Just curious! Anyway, regarding the advice. Iam also like you, so cannot claim anything big. However, I would advice you to chant regularly, read Prabhupada! books daily and have association with fellow-devotees as far as possible.Do this sincerely and to your heart's content, Iam sure Krishna within you will give you a higher command. So, the essence now is to be sincere and genuine in your goals and aspirations regarding Krishna Consciousness and Iam sure you will do good. All glories to Srila Prabhupada! Haribol! anand Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philip Posted June 7, 2004 Author Report Share Posted June 7, 2004 The Nectar of Instruction was the second book he gave me. I may have a problem associating with other devotees as I live in Aberdeen, Scotland and I'm not aware of people who are Krishna in this city. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 7, 2004 Report Share Posted June 7, 2004 you might be interested in worship of lords gauranga and nityananada as a beginner and even get the deity statues for home worship before geting radha-krishna deitys in the home. as worship of the lords nityananada and gauranga are most benificial to us as we have very offencive ways and our lack of understanding of proper conduct in our worship, especially in our homes as we are so comfortable in our own homes we might offend the deitys and nityananada and gauranga can balance this out as they consider no offences and beginers in KC can focus worship on them untill we evolve to offencless chanting adn offenceless worship, look it up on the net for more info many isckon temples in scottland focus on nityananada and gauranga worship and their mantras as it is in direct instruction of swami prabupadas mission for us westerners that hav a hard time with the 4 regulations and the many others that we are required to do as we evolve in our prema for lord krishna chaitanya. focus on the nityananada and gauranga mantras is very benificial even though we can do just do the pancha tattva mantra along with the hare krishna mahamantra, our focused chanting the nityananada and gauranga mantras is the best way to begin to devolop pure devotion in the vishnava dharma , untill we are ready to directly worship radha-krishna. there is much information regarding this said by swami prabupada, many many times he has said that westerners would benifit more by focusing on nityananada and gauranga mantras and worship of them first before directly worshiping radha-krishna. i personally put my worship on nityananada and gauranga along with my attendance at my local isckon temple and the temple president is in full agreeance with this method of worship for me since i am new (2 years)to KC and he has found no fault in this practice. though i am not new to hinduism as i was raised a hindu, i am very new to KC worship. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 7, 2004 Report Share Posted June 7, 2004 the reason i recomend this is i to have trouble getting fully into it myself, i only chant go to temple and woship their and havea mini alter in my house and follow the 4 regulations, its easy as i am married (no illicit sex is easy for us married folks but personally i like to sleep alone so the lust issue is totally minimazed ) and have never liked the idea of gambling and meat eating is nasty to me as i know all about the cruelty of slaughter and how filthy it is, and the hormones and chemicals in meat is like eating pure poison, and drugs are not interesting and booze i am alergic to, so those are a easy thing for me. but others it can be very hard to follow. even though i own all the required texts CB, SB, BG, CC and all the texts of the acharyas and have been initated in a authentic the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition by a swami initated by swami prabhupada god brother.i am simple in my worship; very simple i chant most of all not much else. read here and there and go to temple some times. i wish i lived in a large KC community but where i live its mostly karmi hindus, and maybe 50 actual vishnavas in my area in the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition and maybe 3-5 that even attend our temple on temple worship days. some times one my and the temple president there. anything is better then no assocation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 7, 2004 Report Share Posted June 7, 2004 http://www.iskcon.org.uk/scotland/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philip Posted June 7, 2004 Author Report Share Posted June 7, 2004 Thank you... Questions for you. Wouldn't it make more sense to just worship Krishna as opposed to nityananada, gauranga and Krishna? Am I right in saying that if you have failed to follow the regulations of Krishna then you would be offending him by still continuing to worship? Please forgive my ignorance on these matters, I am very new to KC. I will do some research to see if there any Krishna devotees here in Aberdeen as it isn't financially feesible for me to travel to the Glasgow/Edinburgh centre. Best wishes Philip Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 7, 2004 Report Share Posted June 7, 2004 Wouldn't it make more sense to just worship Krishna as opposed to nityananada, gauranga and Krishna? •••your real worshiping is chanting hare krishna mantra... inside mahamantra there's everything, krsna, radha, rama, gauranga, nityananda, all the avataras and so on. If you have some picture or statue, having no initiation and being not an instituzionalized temple with priests, cooks and so on, you cannot expect to have a regular archana worship. So simply keep yhe images you like more, chant hare krishna before them and invite devotees and friends to sing hare krsna in congregation before them. Simply concentrate on hare krishna mantra . Am I right in saying that if you have failed to follow the regulations of Krishna then you would be offending him by still continuing to worship? •••we are in kali yuga, if the ones who make mistakes would immediately leave the temples, you'd see easily the deities alone. Any worshiping has no sense if you do not chant regularly hare krishna and the deities are more happy to hear your hare krishna chanting than to receive any other service so do not worry, chant hare krishna, images and statues are not essential.. but if you deeply desire them simply please them chanting regularly hare krishna mantra before them and inviting devotees and friend making bhajan, kirtans, discussing krsna consciousness and eating krsna prasadam - Please forgive my ignorance on these matters, I am very new to KC. •••no problem, i only recommend to you to concentrate your efforts in chanting hare krishna... krishna consciousness is remembering krsna, and chanting the holy name is the only way Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philip Posted June 7, 2004 Author Report Share Posted June 7, 2004 Thank you for this advice, you have given me a good and clear understanding of the various steps I could/should take to become a Krishna devotee... Hare Krsihna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 11, 2004 Report Share Posted June 11, 2004 the reason one would chant nityananda and gauranga mantras is because of offences during chanting but chanting these our would clear offences, a understanding of the panchatatva would explain why one should chant these before chanting mahamantra. both are advisable to chant not just hte hare krishna mahamantra. swami prabupada advised chanting these before chanting the mahamantra there for any one that says this is not nessary is clearly incorrect. also there is no problems with thenting them at all it is highly advisable per swami parbupada instructions, anyone saying differently should be advised of this. both must be chanted! no defense is nessary for justification to chant nityananda and gaurgana mantra as swami parabupada clearly states these facts, they are not in dispute so i can't fathom with anyone would say not to do so , other then they are clearly misinformed or have no knowlage of the many instructions. i knwo that chanting nityananda and gaurgana mantra is advised in all the scriptures even lord shiva chanted them in worship of krishna chaitanya, o thourght reading of the CC would clear up your misunderstanding abotu this dear poster that advises chanting the mahamantra only. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 12, 2004 Report Share Posted June 12, 2004 My personal piece of advice to succeed at gradual awakening of KC would be: always keep on chanting, as you like,and NEVER listen to the fanatical devotees that you'll meet. i remember being so often dipresssed because of immature devotees. i my faith weren't strong i would have given up because of some of them. Always seek good association. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philip Posted June 12, 2004 Author Report Share Posted June 12, 2004 So to chant whilst thinking(minds do wander) fo something else is a big no no? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 13, 2004 Report Share Posted June 13, 2004 no.. it is a big YES!! chanting is also the cure for distract chanting who can help us if our chanting of hare krishna is not good if not krishna himself? so let us chant to pray to have in the future a good chanting if you are distract, try not to be distract... but keep on chanting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 13, 2004 Report Share Posted June 13, 2004 the mind is always wandering, that's the problem of everybody.try your best, you''l do better and better /images/graemlins/wink.gif Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philip Posted June 13, 2004 Author Report Share Posted June 13, 2004 There appears to be some disagreement on this matter, but surely I am doing right by chanting the mahamantra, that IS a good thing regardless of anything else? It is better to do this than to not chant at all, to think of Krishna as often as possible... I find myself thinking of him and feeling happier because of this. Best wishes Philip Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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