Guest guest Posted October 25, 2002 Report Share Posted October 25, 2002 I am from the USA..I know I believe in God, but I am not sure of my spirtual direction..Sometimes I feel I will never find the answers that I seek..Perhaps I need some guidance..I have visited this site, because sometimes, even though our cultures are very different, I have found it much easier to communicate with people from India..I hope someone could help me..I do not know if I would convert to a religion such as is in India, but at this point, I am open to different options..I know I must read up on all and do what I think is right.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 25, 2002 Report Share Posted October 25, 2002 dear guest please visit www.near-death.com and read some profound near death experiences.they will help you a lot as they have helped me. also get yourself "Bhagavad Gita as it is" http://bhaktivedanta.org/gita/ it is only $15 You are very fortunate that you are searching for meaning of life and your relationship with God.Please feel free to hang around here.posts here are informative and interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 26, 2002 Report Share Posted October 26, 2002 Try chanting hare krishna hare krishna krishna krishna hare hare hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare for this day and age this divine mantra known as the maha-mantra, the great sound incarnation of God, is the easiest way to directly connect with God. The mantra itself when meditated on opens up the mind to the true reality all around us, the conscious mind becomes connected to the superconcious mind within us all. This mantra has the power to give direct perception of the self as being part of the universal Self, or God. The vedic authorities instruct us to meditate daily on this mantra , doing so will open your eyes to the infinte possibilities we all possess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 26, 2002 Report Share Posted October 26, 2002 also http://www.asitis.com/ for the Bhagavad-Gita online Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 26, 2002 Report Share Posted October 26, 2002 Thank you for trying to help me..I will check out the web-sites that you have mentioned and study them..It really seems odd that sometimes I feel more comfortable with Indians than I do with people from my own country..Do you think maybe I might have been a Indian in a past life??May be, Maybe not, but I have become increasingly interested in Indian cultures and religion..I have even changed my eating habits, to be vegetarian, as some of my Indian friends have always done..I actually think it has been healthier for me, in doing so...But I will keep studying to try to find the answers..Thanks for your comments Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 26, 2002 Report Share Posted October 26, 2002 Could you please tell me what the words "krishna krishna hare hare,hare rama hare rama," mean in english, please, so I might understand...Also the word "mantra"..Forgive me,if I do not know their meaning..Thanks Debbie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leyh Posted October 26, 2002 Report Share Posted October 26, 2002 Dear Debbie: I hope the follwing explanation by His Divine Grace A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (1896-1977), the Founder-Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness will be of interest for you: "This transcendental vibration of chanting of Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare / Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare is the sublime method of reviving our Krsna consciousness. As living spiritual souls we are all originally Krsna conscious entities, but due to our association with matter since time immemorial our consciousness is now polluted by the material atmosphere. In this polluted concept of life, we are trying to exploit the resources of material nature, but actually we are becoming more and more entangled in her complexities. This illusion is called maya --- our hard struggle for existence for winning over the stringent laws of material nature. This illusory struggle against material nature can at once be stopped by the revival of our Krsna consciousness. Krsna consciousness is not an artificial imposition on the mind. It is the original energy of the living entity. When we hear the transcendental vibration, this consciousness is revived, and therefore the process of chanting Hare Krsna is recommended by authorities for this age. By practical experience, also, we can perceive that by chanting this maha-mantra, or "the great chanting for deliverance," one can at once feel transcendental ecstasy from the spiritual stratum. When one is actually on the plane of spiritual understanding, surpassing the stages of sense, mind, and intelligence, one is situated on the transcendental plane. This chanting of Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare / Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare is directly enacted from the spiritual platform,surpassing all lower stages of consciousness, namely sensual, mental and intellectual. There is no need to understand the language of the mantra, nor is there any need of mental speculation, nor any intellectual adjustment for chanting this maha-mantra. It springs automatically from the spiritual platform, and as such anyone can take part in this transcendental sound vibration without any previous qualification and dance in ecstasy. We have seen it practically --- even a child can take part in the chanting, or even a dog can take part in it. The chanting should be heard, however, from the lips of a pure devotee of the Lord, so that the immediate effect can be achieved. As far as possible, chanting from the lips of nondevotees should be avoided. Milk touched by the lips of a serpent has poisonous effects. The word Hara is a form of addressing the energy of the Lord. Both Krsna and Rama are forms of directly addressing the Lord, and they mean the highest pleasure."Hara" is the supreme pleasure potency of the Lord. This potency addressed as Hare, helps us in reaching the Supreme Lord. The material energy, known as maya is also one of the multipotencies of the Lord. The living entities are described as an energy that is superior to matter. When the superior energy is in contact with inferior energy, it becomes an incompatible situation. But when the marginal potency is in contact with the supreme spiritual potency, Hara, it be- comes the happy normal condition of the living entity. The three words --- namely Hare Krsna and Rama --- are the transcendental seeds of the maha-mantra and the chanting is the spiritual call for the Lord and His internal energy, Hara, for giving protection to the conditioned souls. The chanting is exactly like genuine crying by the child for his mother. Mother Hara helps in achieving the grace of the supreme father Hari, or Krsna, and the Lord reveals Himself to such sincere devotees. Therefore no other means of spiritual realization is as effective in this age as chanting the maha-mantra:Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare / Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 26, 2002 Report Share Posted October 26, 2002 The best way to do something is to ask someone who already did that. And the best way to do thing you want to do is - to associate with that person and let him help you with his blessings. The best way to associate with the person you would like to become like is - to serve that person and help him or help her in divine mission. The best way to help in divine mission is to always be moderated by him or by her. That is way reading holy books and having a spiritual teacher is very important. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 27, 2002 Report Share Posted October 27, 2002 www.mantra-meditation.com Lord Krsna was present on planet earth 5000 years ago. Krsna conciousness=Christ conciousness=God conciousness=love You must get yourself a hard copy of Bhagavad Gita as it is.It will help you realize the basic philosphy.It is all you need. You can love God in many ways.In spirit,Krsna,Jesus...result is same. you say you are attracted to indian spiritual culture.thats very nice.may be in your previous birth you had some connection with the land.krsna conciousness has lots of 1st class knowledge.religions are institutions of knowledge only.Goal is to revive dormant love for God which is already present in our heart but is covered with material dust that we have accumulated over millions of birth. hoping best for you dearheart Debbie.All understanding and peace will not come overnight.have patience,have faith and with a cool mind try to understand the science. God bless you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bhaktavasya Posted October 27, 2002 Report Share Posted October 27, 2002 Spiritual guidance is not only found in India. Although Krishna appeared in the place now called India, He is the Lord of everyone's heart, and there are many friends, lovers and servants of Krishna all over the world. As it is said "By the mercy of God, one finds his/her guru, and by the mercy of guru, one finds God." Good luck on your search! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 27, 2002 Report Share Posted October 27, 2002 Dearest Leyh, I would like to thank you for your most descriptive explanation of the chanting..I will surely study it well, and hope it may help in finding my direction..I know,there are many things different from you and I, but I feel, that you have reached out your hand to ofter help to someone in need,me..I do not think that our countries that we live in make a difference, when it comes to one helping the other..We are all in this world together, and I wish that all people could be as generous in their actions. Thanks again, Debbie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 27, 2002 Report Share Posted October 27, 2002 I am not able now to respond to all of your posts, but I would like to thank each and everyone of you, for all the information you have given me..I wish that I could sometimes talk to some of you personally in an email, but I do not know if that is possible..If it were, I am sure, we would have some lengthy discussions on this subject, that I am most interested.. Thanks again Debbie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leyh Posted October 27, 2002 Report Share Posted October 27, 2002 Dear Debbie: I'm glad you have found the description of the Hare Krsna mantra to be useful. But you really shouldn't thank me. You should thank His Divine Grace A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (1896-1977), the Founder-Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. It was Srila Prabhupada who provided the description and it was he who ventured to your country all alone at the age of 70 to execute his Guru's order to preach Krsna Consciousness in the Western world.On the way to America, Srila Prabhupada suffered two heart attacks and upon landing on American soil, he wandered from one accomodation to another for one purpose only --- to deliver the chanting of the holy names of God to America and the rest of the world. Although Srila Prabhupada has passed from our mundane vision, his mission is still very much alive and today, the Hare Krsna mantra is being chanted all over this planet, thanks to an elderly Vaishnava gentleman who sailed across an ocean to preach.Thank you, Srila Prabhupada. I wish you all the best in your spiritual journey, Debbie.I think the very fact that you are searching for God is already very pleasing to Him who is patiently waiting for us to return back home, back to Godhead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
debbie Posted October 27, 2002 Report Share Posted October 27, 2002 I also thank His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada(1896-1977)..I will have to learn all of these things in my studies..But can I thank you for contributing the information.. Debbie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jahnava Nitai Das Posted October 27, 2002 Report Share Posted October 27, 2002 Hi Debbie, nice to see you register. Now everyone can get to know you more through your posts. I am sure there will be more replies to your question, just give it some more time. You can also look around through some of the older posts, you will find interesting information there as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 27, 2002 Report Share Posted October 27, 2002 www.krishna.org Site has many lectures of his divine grace. Srila Prabhupada wrote many books and translated vedic literatures into english. He founded ISKCON in 1966.The word "acarya" means spiritual master who teaches by example. Srila Prabhupada wrote over 50 volumes of transcendental literature. From original Sanskrit or Bengali texts, he would write word-for-word and complete translations for each verse and comment on the text in his famous Bhaktivedanta purports. He called these purports "My emotional ecstasies." In clear and lucid language, he exposed the foolishness of the modern materialistic society, which often acts no different than polished animals. But merely exposing the modern society was not his main purpose. He sincerely wished the best for all living entities. Therefore he presented the vast science of spiritual knowledge in such a manner that even any slightly intelligent person could understand the truth: We are eternally parts of Krishna; we are His eternal servants. Srila Prabhupada's works include the Bhagavad-gita As It Is, Srimad Bhagavatam (12 Cantos), Caitanya-caritamrta (17 volumes), The Nectar of Devotion, Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Teachings of Lord Caitanya, The Teachings of Lord Kapila, The Teaching of Queen Kunti, Sri Isopanisad, The Nectar of Instruction, and dozens of smaller books. Srila Prabhupada produced these books (excepting the original First Canto Bhagavatam) within a short span of 11 years, a superhuman feat unmatched in recorded history. Every day he would dictate the text, and later his devoted followers would type his recorded voice and edit the copies. Prabhupada slept only 3 hours a day and ate only a handful of food. The early morning hours, between 1:30 and 4:30 a.m., he would spend writing, and later in the day he would preach to all classes of people in public and in private. Even up to the day before his death, when his physical body was at its end, he was writing the final purports to his last book. By any calculation, he was an extraordinary person. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 28, 2002 Report Share Posted October 28, 2002 http://krsna.com/seva/ifolio/imageFolio.cgi?img=0&search=&cat=all&bool=and&x=6&y=13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gauracandra Posted October 29, 2002 Report Share Posted October 29, 2002 Hi Debbie, My best advice is to look honestly within yourself and try to understand what your spiritual mood is. Perhaps it’s a bit theoretical for me to say this, since I can’t honestly say I’ve gotten to this point. But my theory is that no one religion can satisfy the spiritual mood of every aspirant. There is a particular mood in Christianity, in Catholicism, in Judaism, in Islam, in Buddhism, and in Vaisnavism. Perhaps a person is raised Catholic, but the hierarchy, ritualism and symbolism of Catholicism does not match their inner mood in terms of their relationship with God. If you can understand what your mood is then you can search for a religion that matches that mood. I believe most people aren’t “converted” from one religion to another. Instead, many simply find a religion that already agrees with them. For instance, of those who became Hare Krsna’s in the 1960s and 1970s, about 50% were already vegetarian before joining (despite 1-2% of the population being vegetarian). This suggests to me that these individuals found a religion that expressed at least one aspect of their inherent values. Anyways, for what it is worth, those are my suggestions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
debbie Posted October 29, 2002 Report Share Posted October 29, 2002 Thanks for your comments..I realize they make a lot of sense..Since I am not really sure of my real direction, I just keep searching, and I am sure I will find it, eventually..In my life, as it is now, I am not sure if the religions around here really is right for me..But then again, I do not know which one does yet...I only know that right now, I am increasingly curious and about religions that are in India..They seem to fascinate me..If this is right for me,I do not know yet, but I will surely continue my research, for right now, I feel like a lost soul..Thanks again. Debbie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theist Posted October 30, 2002 Report Share Posted October 30, 2002 debbie, Feeling like a lost soul is a great symptom.It points to the growth of wisdom from within you.We are all lost but rare is the soul that admits it and is willing to seek out the real truth. One simple prayer that I like goes something like this."Oh Lord of the universe,kindly reveal yourself to me." He will answer and guide us. God bless Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
debbie Posted October 30, 2002 Report Share Posted October 30, 2002 Theist, Thanks for your comments..I am not afraid to admit that I do need help and guidance..I know some people go on it seems forever, and will not even try to find the truth for themselves..I know I am getting older..I am 46, and if I do not find what I am looking, I may remain lost forever..That makes me very sad, especially know I have waited all these years, and still have not found my way..I have been most fortunate to be lead here, that I might take the necessary steps into finding the truth. Debbie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 30, 2002 Report Share Posted October 30, 2002 your inner mood ? what are you talking about ? The soul is on a journey directed by god, not some inner mood,whatever that means. The catholics ,jews, muslims, buddhists, whatever ,are not following their inner mood in relation to god, that is some new age psuedo spiritual bunk. Krishna describes that after many lives of suffering the reactions coming from karmic activity one is finally led to His devotee. This doesn't mean that the catholics,jews,etc., are on the end of their sojourn in the material realm. All paths are not the same. In school,are all grades the same ? No, in the same way all religions are not the same, when one is still on the karmic path of action and reaction,enjoying and suffering, being born and dying, he may be a jew,muslim, hindu,whatever, only when the soul has come to the end of the material sojourn is contact made with Krishna's representative. This has nothing to do with some illusory inner mood, it has everything to do with the destiny of the individual soul. Only when one has exhausted the desire for exploitation, does one recieve the entrance into the eternal realm of Sat-Cit Ananda- FULL consciousness, TOTAL knowledge, and sublime ecstacy. All other paths are just that,paths. The goal is Krishna bhakti. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
debbie Posted October 31, 2002 Report Share Posted October 31, 2002 I do not know who you are,or any of you are, for that matter, I really enjoy your discussions, even though sometimes, for now, I really have no clue to what you are talking about..I know it is going to be a long journey for me into the unknown, but it is a journey,I must take in order to find my true spirtual awakening..I have nothing against what ever religion, that anyone devotes to, as long as all are headed in the same direction..Maybe when I talk, no one understands what I am saying, but then again, maybe you do... Debbie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jahnava Nitai Das Posted October 31, 2002 Report Share Posted October 31, 2002 Just try to read a lot and see what attracts you the most. Hinduism has so many branches and schools of thought, that there will certainly be something that you like and can relate to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 31, 2002 Report Share Posted October 31, 2002 I have nothing against what ever religion, that anyone devotes to, as long as all are headed in the same direction.. Good comment Debbie. If any religion is helping us to love God and be devoted to Him, then there's nothing wrong in that. Because the final aim of any religious and pious activity is attaining the "Love of God". God is sometimes called as "Krishna" meaning All-Attractive. And the potency in this name of God is immense as realised by the Great Saints. If you notice it - Niether the Christian religion nor the Mohammedan religion give the name of the God. They say "God" or "Allah" - meaning God. But Sanatana Dharma or the "Eternal occupational religion" gives the name of the God, His address, His form and so on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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