Websites from the ISKCON Universe
Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2016%20QA/11-16%20QA/When%20God%20is%20omniscient%20and%20knows%20our%20suffering,%20why%20do%20we%20need%20to%20go%20to%20him%20to%20get%20relief.mp3
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The post When God is omniscient and knows our suffering, why do we need to go to him to get relief? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2016%20QA/11-16%20QA/How%20can%20the%20presence%20of%20suffering%20be%20reconciled%20with%20God’s%20existence.mp3
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The post How can the presence of suffering be reconciled with God’s existence? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2016%20QA/11-16%20QA/audio/CCD%20QA/2016%20QA/11-16%20QA/Can%20we%20change%20our%20destiny%20by%20living%20according%20to%20a%20particular%20path.mp3
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The post Can we change our destiny by living according to a particular path? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2016%20QA/11-16%20QA/Every%20effect%20has%20a%20cause%20-%20why%20can’t%20this%20argument%20be%20applied%20to%20God.mp3
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The post Every effect has a cause – why can’t this argument be applied to God? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2016%20QA/11-16%20QA/Why%20didn’t%20Rama%20uphold%20the%20truth%20of%20Sita’s%20purity.mp3
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The post Why didn’t Rama uphold the truth of Sita’s purity? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2016%20QA/11-16%20QA/Why%20did%20Rama%20take%20people’s%20criticism%20of%20Sita%20so%20seriously%20-%20why%20didn’t%20he%20just%20neglect%20it%20and%20do%20what%20was%20right.mp3
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The post Why did Rama take people’s criticism of Sita so seriously? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2016%20QA/11-16%20QA/When%20the%20Paramatma%20is%20always%20in%20the%20heart,%20how%20can%20Krishna%20leave%20the%20heart.mp3
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The post When the Paramatma is always in the heart, how can Krishna leave the heart? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2016%20QA/11-16%20QA/Is%20there%20any%20evidence%20that%20chanting%20or%20bhakti-yoga%20decreases%20stress.mp3
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The post Is there any evidence that chanting or bhakti-yoga decreases stress? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2016%20QA/11-16%20QA/How%20do%20we%20explain%20the%20triangularity%20of%20desires%20to%20children.mp3
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The post How do we explain the triangularity of desires to children? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2016%20QA/11-16%20QA/When%20bhakti%20provides%20higher%20pleasure%20than%20sensuality,%20why%20does%20the%20mind%20still%20crave%20for%20sense%20pleasure.mp3
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The post When bhakti provides higher pleasure than sensuality, why does the mind still crave for sense pleasure? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2016%20QA/11-16%20QA/If%20we%20don’t%20have%20the%20inclination%20to%20do%20some%20service,%20should%20we%20still%20do%20it%20just%20to%20purify%20ourselves.mp3
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The post If we don’t have the inclination to do some service, should we still do it just to purify ourselves? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2016%20QA/11-16%20QA/In%20our%20spiritual%20life%20how%20can%20we%20be%20both%20satisfied%20and%20ambitious.mp3
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The post In our spiritual life how can we be both satisfied and ambitious? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2016%20QA/11-16%20QA/When%20Sita%20was%20devastated%20on%20Rama’s%20exiling%20her,%20how%20can%20we%20say%20that%20she%20just%20accepted%20her%20exile.mp3
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The post When Sita was devastated on Rama’s exiling her, how can we say that she just accepted her exile? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2016%20QA/11-16%20QA/When%20we%20can’t%20even%20be%20sure%20whether%20this%20world%20will%20exist%20tomorrow,%20why%20bother%20thinking%20about%20some%20other%20world%20that%20is%20anyway%20held%20as%20inconceivable.mp3
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The post When we can’t even be sure whether this world will exist tomorrow, why bother thinking about some other world that is anyway held as inconceivable? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2016%20QA/11-16%20QA/Is%20old%20age%20present%20in%20the%20spiritual%20world.mp3
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The post Is old age present in the spiritual world? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2016%20QA/11-16%20QA/Yoga%20Maya%20can%20cover%20Krishna%20-%20how%20is%20this%20different%20from%20the%20Mayavadi%20idea%20that%20we%20all%20are%20God%20covered%20by%20Maya.mp3
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The post Yoga Maya can cover Krishna – how is this different from the Mayavadi idea that we all are God covered by Maya? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2016%20QA/11-16%20QA/Can%20individual%20or%20group%20chanting%20promote%20world%20peace.mp3
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The post Can individual or group chanting promote world peace? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2016%20QA/11-16%20QA/Some%20devotees%20see%20social%20issues%20as%20irrelevant%20-%20isn’t%20bhakti%20meant%20to%20be%20socially%20relevant.mp3
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The post Some devotees see social issues as irrelevant – isn’t bhakti meant to be socially relevant? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Gita verse-by-verse study Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2015%20classes/12-15%20classes/Gita%2008.08%20-%20Practice%20to%20take%20consciousness%20beyond%20endlessly%20deceptive%20material%20reality%20to%20Krishna.mp3
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The post Gita 08.08 – Practice to take consciousness beyond endlessly deceptive material reality to Krishna appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
During the London leg of my tour of the West, the most memorable engagement was a talk show at Queens College, Cambridge University. The format was that the program coordinator acted as a host for a talk show entitled “Debunk the monk.” He shot a flurry of questions at me, challenging my beliefs and practices and the students got into the spirit and followed shoot. I was enlivened by the program format and the QA soon went in the direction of science and spirituality, as I had hoped.
Ever since I had read Richard Dawkins “The God Delusion” about a decade ago, I had been itching for an opportunity to counter the many fallacious arguments therein. And here in UK, in the land of Dawkins, I was handed that opportunity when a student quoted Dawkins and repeated his question: “If God created everything, who created God?” The question was like giving a juicy half volley to an aggressive batsman and I duly dispatched it, repeating the answer I had written here and spoken here. As the students heard logical and persuasive answers, they opened up and we went over the whole gamut of standard questions about God ranging from his relationship with science (my one-line answer: God is not an explanatory alternative to science; he is the explanatory foundation for science) and the problem of evil (my one-line answer: Suffering exists not because of God but in spite of God – he is the cure for suffering, not its cause).
Overall, this was my most intellectually intense QA session on science & spirituality, far more intense than what I have had with IIT students in India. After the QA session, the coordinator said that next year they would try to organize a bigger program at the celebrated Cambridge Union.
While going to the program venue and returning form it, I crossed over the famous mathematical bridge at Cambridge. For many students, that bridge is an intellectual pilgrimage place and it would have been for me too, twenty years ago; it would have filled me with awe at the power of science and the brilliance of scientists.
But now it filled me not so much with awe as with sadness. While I do respect the knowledge-acquiring power of science and the change-producing power of technology, I am increasingly aware of how science has been hijacked by materialists and atheists to propagate their own world-view.
Pioneering scientists saw their scientific discoveries as spiritual insights into God’s way of working through nature – consider Newton’s quote on making a discovery: “O God, I think Thy thoughts after Thee.” Unfortunately, over the centuries, science has become increasingly divorced from spirituality, till we now have Dawkins claiming that science enabled him to become “an intellectually fulfilled atheist.”
The rupture of science and spirituality has fragmented the human person between the heart that seeks higher purpose to life and a head that seeks rational explanations of nature. Bhakti-yoga with its potent experiential dimension has the potential to be recognized as a spiritual science, […]
The post Science & Spirituality talk show at Cambridge University – Undoing an unfortunate divorce? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2016%20QA/11-16%20QA/How%20can%20we%20explain%20rasa-lila%20to%20new%20people.mp3
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The post How can we explain rasa-lila to new people? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2016%20QA/11-16%20QA/How%20can%20spirituality%20help%20amidst%20increasing%20social%20polarisation,%20often%20caused%20by%20religion.mp3
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The post How can spirituality help amidst increasing social polarisation, often caused by religion? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2016%20QA/11-16%20QA/Are%20all%20svakiya%20relationships%20in%20this%20world%20false.mp3
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The post Are all svakiya relationships in this world false? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2016%20QA/11-16%20QA/How%20can%20we%20guide%20our%20children%20in%20their%20teenage%20years.mp3
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The post How can we guide our children in their teenage years? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2016%20QA/11-16%20QA/When%20anxiety%20distracts%20us%20during%20chanting,%20should%20we%20try%20to%20counter%20those%20thoughts%20or%20just%20wait%20for%20those%20thoughts%20to%20go.mp3
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The post When anxiety distracts us during chanting, should we try to counter those thoughts or just wait for those thoughts to go? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2016%20QA/11-16%20QA/Does%20our%20enthusiasm%20in%20bhakti%20come%20from%20our%20sincerity%20or%20from%20Krishna’s%20mercy.mp3
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The post Does our enthusiasm in bhakti come from our sincerity or from Krishna’s mercy? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2016%20QA/11-16%20QA/How%20can%20we%20know%20that%20God%20is%20still%20living.mp3
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The post How can we know that God is still living? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Prabhupada disappearance day offering
Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2016%20classes/11-16%20classes/Appreciating%20Srila%20Prabhupada’s%20transcendence%20in%20sharing%20bhakti.mp3
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The post Appreciating Srila Prabhupada’s transcendence in sharing bhakti appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
In acquiring knowledge, it is said that what we can know depends on what we know. On seeing pale fingernails, a layperson sees just the discoloration of the nails, but a doctor sees signs of anemia. As the doctor knows more about the body’s functioning than a layperson, the doctor can come to know more about its possible malfunctioning on seeing things that convey nothing significant to laypeople.
Similarly, the more we come to know about bhakti and especially about the challenges of sharing bhakti with others, the more we can appreciate the sacrifice of those who have dedicated their lives to sharing bhakti. And the greatest among the modern sharers of bhakti is our exalted founder-acharya, His Divine Grace A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada, whose thirty-ninth disappearance day we are observing today.
During the last few years, since I started traveling in various parts of the world for sharing bhakti, I have gained increased appreciation of two aspects of Srila Prabhupada’s outreach: his capacity to transcend jet-lag and his capacity to transcend his body’s need of sleep for writing.
Beyond jet-lag
I had heard from Srila Prabhupada’s close associates, especially his personal servants, how Srila Prabhupada was never affected by jet-lag. But the significance of this point didn’t register in me till I found myself afflicted by jet-lag . When we travel across time zones, the body’s biological clock remains in the time zone we were in earlier, even if the body is now in another time zone. Getting the body’s clock to adjust to the new time zone often takes several days. And during that interim period, our sleep cycles, digestion patterns and other bodily functions get disturbed, even disrupted, thereby adversely affecting our capacity to function effectively. That is the way with most normal human beings.
Srila Prabhupada traveled extensively and tirelessly, his functioning never impeded by jet-lag. Such uninterrupted service is testimony to his absorption in Krishna and in his capacity to transcend a bodily limitation that affects most human beings.
Beyond sleep
Another way in which Srila Prabhupada transcended his body’s normal limitations has been far more consequential for all of us: by his writing books after just a few hours of sleep. How difficult such writing can be, I would like to share from an author’s perspective.
As I have many writing commitments – and keep getting many more – many times I have resolved to cut down on my night sleep so that I can wake early and write. Even if I do manage to wake early, I have found that my brain is in no condition to write. On most such occasions, I simply struggle against sleep without doing any constructive writing. And the experience of most authors is similar. Whatever books on writing I have read, therein I have found that writers are unanimous that one needs to sleep adequately to write effectively.
Of course, it could be said that any bodily activity requires that the body be sufficiently rested. That’s true, but that requirement of rest is all […]
The post Appreciating Srila Prabhupada’s transcendence in sharing krishna-bhakti (Prabhupada disappearance day meditation) appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2016%20QA/11-16%20QA/How%20is%20Hinduism%20different%20from%20other%20religions.mp3
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The post How is Hinduism different from other religions? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2016%20QA/11-16%20QA/How%20can%20we%20prevent%20our%20faith%20from%20going%20down%20with%20the%20passage%20of%20time.mp3
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The post How can we prevent our faith from going down with the passage of time? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2016%20QA/11-16%20QA/We%20know%20our%20likes%20and%20dislikes,%20but%20how%20can%20we%20know%20ourselves.mp3
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The post We know our likes and dislikes, but how can we know ourselves? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2016%20QA/11-16%20QA/Is%20there%20any%20way%20we%20can%20use%20procrastination%20positively.mp3
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The post Is there any way we can use procrastination positively? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2016%20QA/11-16%20QA/When%20religious%20conflicts%20cause%20violence,%20how%20can%20religious%20practice%20bring%20peace.mp3
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The post When religious conflicts cause violence, how can religious practice bring peace? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2016%20QA/11-16%20QA/Did%20Karna%20choose%20his%20fate%20or%20was%20he%20fated%20to%20die.mp3
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The post Did Karna choose his fate or was he fated to die? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2016%20QA/11-16%20QA/When%20mantra%20meditation%20involves%20actions%20and%20changes,%20how%20does%20it%20take%20us%20from%20the%20unchanging%20to%20the%20changing.mp3
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The post When mantra meditation involves actions and changes, how does it take us from the unchanging to the changing? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2016%20QA/11-16%20QA/Where%20is%20the%20svabhava%20stored%20-%20is%20it%20always%20unfavourable%20to%20bhakti.mp3
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The post Where is the svabhava stored – is svabhava always unfavourable to bhakti? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2016%20QA/11-16%20QA/What%20is%20the%20difference%20between%20svabhava%20and%20conditionings.mp3
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The post What is the difference between svabhava and conditionings? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2016%20QA/11-16%20QA/How%20can%20we%20avoid%20getting%20sucked%20into%20local%20temple%20politics%20while%20practicing%20bhakti.mp3
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The post How can we avoid getting sucked into local temple politics while practicing bhakti? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2016%20QA/11-16%20QA/Is%20meditation%20on%20sound%20preferable%20to%20silent%20meditation.mp3
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The post Is meditation on sound preferable to silent meditation? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.