Author Archives: Chaitanya Charan das

Gita 14.02 Death can’t be avoided, but affliction due to death can be
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Bhagavad-gita verse-by-verse podcast

Gita verse-by-verse podcast

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2017%20classes/09-17%20classes/Gita%2014.02%20Death%20can’t%20be%20avoided,%20but%20affliction%20due%20to%20death%20can%20be.mp3

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Understanding and fulfilling the Bhagavatam’s purpose by cultivating sensitivity
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[Bhagavatam at Bhakti Center, New York, USA]

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2017%20classes/09-17%20classes/Understanding%20and%20fulfilling%20the%20Bhagavatam’s%20purpose%20by%20cultivating%20sensitivity.mp3

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Bhagavatam study 66 01.13.24-29 Detachment emerges from education that changes our definition of success
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Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2017%20classes/09-17%20classes/Bhagavatam%20study%2066%2001.13.24-29%20Detachment%20emerges%20from%20education%20that%20changes%20our%20definition%20of%20success.mp3

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Improving Japa 2 – Concentrate by cultivating interest and appreciating importance
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[Seminar at ISKCON, Towaco, USA]

Podcast

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2017%20classes/09-17%20classes/Improving%20Japa%202%20-%20Concentrate%20by%20cultivating%20interest%20and%20appreciating%20importance.mp3

 

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Improving Japa 1 – Understand how and when we get distracted
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Podcast:

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2017%20classes/08-17%20classes/Improving%20Japa%201%20-%20Understand%20how%20and%20when%20we%20get%20distracted.mp3
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Should we learn from the past or consider that whatever happened is God’s will?
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Answer Podcast

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2017%20QA/09-17%20QA/Should%20we%20learn%20from%20the%20past%20or%20consider%20that%20whatever%20happened%20is%20God’s%20will.mp3

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Cultists, Fanatics and Spiritual Shoppers – Making sense of the world’s religious scenario
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[Bhakti Vriksha Program at Edison, USA]

Podcast

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2017%20classes/09-17%20classes/Cultists,%20Fanatics%20and%20Spiritual%20Shoppers%20-%20Making%20sense%20of%20the%20world’s%20religious%20scenario.mp3

 

 

Podcast Summary

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2017%20classes/09-17%20classes/Summary%20-%20Cultists,%20Fanatics%20and%20Spiritual%20Shoppers%20-%20Making%20sense%20of%20the%20world’s%20religious%20scenario.mp3

 

 

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When, because of our bhakti principles, we can’t eat the food offered by our relatives, how can we avoid alienating them from bhakti?
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Answer Podcast

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/Gita%20daily/2017%20Gita%20daily/08-17%20Gita%20daily/When,%20because%20of%20our%20bhakti%20principles,%20we%20can’t%20eat%20the%20food%20offered%20by%20our%20relatives,%20how%20can%20we%20avoid%20alienating%20them%20from%20bhakti.mp3

The post When, because of our bhakti principles, we can’t eat the food offered by our relatives, how can we avoid alienating them from bhakti? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Six loving exchanges – Opening the heart and reciprocating with the opened heart
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[Talk at Krishna House, Gainesville, USA]

Podcast

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2017%20classes/09-17%20classes/Six%20loving%20exchanges%20-%20Opening%20the%20heart%20and%20reciprocating%20with%20the%20opened%20heart.mp3

Podcast Summary

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2017%20classes/09-17%20classes/Summary%20-%20Six%20loving%20exchanges%20-%20Opening%20the%20heart%20and%20reciprocating%20with%20the%20opened%20heart.mp3

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We are defined by the questions we ask – in life, in science and in spirituality
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[Talk at Krishna House, Gainesville, USA]

Podcast

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2017%20classes/09-17%20classes/We%20are%20defined%20by%20the%20questions%20we%20ask%20-%20in%20life,%20in%20science%20and%20in%20spirituality.mp3

Podcast Summary

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2017%20classes/09-17%20classes/Summary%20-%20We%20are%20defined%20by%20the%20questions%20we%20ask%20-%20in%20life,%20in%20science%20and%20in%20spirituality.mp3

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Prabhupada life-story 04 – League of Devotees – A clique thwarts the promise
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Audio Podcast :

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/Srila%20Prabhupada%20life-story/Prabhupada%20life-story%2004%20-%20League%20of%20Devotees%20-%20A%20clique%20thwarts%20the%20promise.mp3

 

Video :

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Go beyond the mind’s transitory feelings to the heart’s transcendental feelings
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[Reflection at Gainesville, USA]

Podcast

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2017%20classes/09-17%20classes/Go%20beyond%20the%20mind’s%20transitory%20feelings%20to%20the%20heart’s%20transcendental%20feelings%20Gita%2018.37.mp3

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Be open-minded, not empty-minded
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“Merely having an open mind is nothing; the object of opening the mind, as of opening the mouth, is to shut it again on something solid.”

– G K Chesterton

Video:

Podcast:

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/WOW/2017%20WOW/07-17%20WOW/Be%20open-minded%2C%20not%20empty-minded.mp3
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Contemporary ethos exhorts us to be open-minded and excoriates the follies and perils of close-mindedness. Given that many people with narrow-minded, black-and-white view of things are intolerant and even violent, we do need reminders to be open-minded.

And yet overemphasizing the danger of one extreme can push us to the other extreme, whose dangers we overlook because of our paranoia about the other extreme. That’s why we need to remember the dangers not just of narrow-mindedness but also of extreme open-mindedness. We need to guard against being so open-minded that our brains fall out, of becoming utterly uncritical in evaluating things, of sentimentally assuming to be subjective things that have an objective reality, especially when such a wrong assessment can have objective harmful consequences.

For example, when doctors diagnose a patient, they need to be open-minded about what the patient might be suffering from. If they go in with a preconceived notion that the patient is a hypochondriac or that the patient, having come from a drug user’s social stratum, must be suffering from a drug-induced complication, that bias can skew their objectivity.

And yet, doctors can’t diagnose with an entirely empty mind. If they refuse to use the knowledge they have acquired during their medical education and experience, equating such knowledge with close-mindedness, they can’t assess the symptoms and the implication of those symptoms. A doctor who stays inconclusive about the diagnosis can’t help the patient. Worse still are the doctors who consider such inconclusiveness a virtue. Similar are those extreme relativists who claim subjectivity to be the ultimate virtue in the pursuit of knowledge.

To better understand this, let’s analyze the mouth metaphor used in this quote. If we are to be nourished, we need to open our mouth to take in food. And taking in food requires not just opening the mouth at the right time, but also closing it at the right time. Otherwise, if our mouth stays open, the food can’t nourish us just as it couldn’t have nourished us if our mouth were closed.

Similarly, our mind needs to stay open to take in the world, to receive the information coming in through our sensory channels. If we don’t objectively take in the sensory information, that is, if we don’t hear what others are saying as they are saying it, then we will simply read our own biases into their statements. While striving for objectivity, we need to simultaneously strive for comprehension. We need to arrive at some tangible understanding of the situation – our mind needs to wrap itself around the information taken in and process it properly using our God-given intelligence. Just as opening our mind to receive information is critical for comprehension, so too is closing the mind around that information in the sense of processing that information.

Overemphasis on open-mindedness leads […]

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The Entertainment Industry – Giving the least valuable the most value reflects ignorance
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Podcast

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2017%20classes/09-17%20classes/The%20Entertainment%20Industry%20-%20Giving%20the%20least%20valuable%20the%20most%20value%20reflects%20ignorance.mp3

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Enlightened Living with Chaitanya Charan – TV Show
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Enrich yourself with inspirational reflections on the new TV show, “Enlightened Living with Chaitanya Charan” only on Hare Krsna Live scheduled from 4th September to 10th September at US Eastern time 2.30 pm to 3.00 pm (IST 12.00 am to 12.30 am)

Check channel availability –  http://harekrsnalive.com/available-on/

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If a devotee familiar to us starts blaspheming our spiritual master, how should we deal with that devotee?
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Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2017%20QA/09-17%20QA/If%20a%20devotee%20familiar%20to%20us%20starts%20blaspheming%20our%20spiritual%20master,%20how%20should%20we%20deal%20with%20that%20devotee.mp3

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For devotees, are things happening beyond our control due to destiny or Krishna’s mercy?
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Answer Podcast

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2017%20QA/09-17%20QA/For%20devotees,%20are%20things%20happening%20beyond%20our%20control%20due%20to%20destiny%20or%20Krishna’s%20mercy.mp3

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In outreach, what needs to come first – knowledge and inspiration or facilities?
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Answer Podcast

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2017%20QA/09-17%20QA/In%20outreach,%20what%20needs%20to%20come%20first%20-%20knowledge%20and%20inspiration%20or%20facilities.mp3

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Among knowledge, inspiration and facilities, if we can’t provide all three to others, what is the most important thing to provide?
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Answer Podcast

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2017%20QA/09-17%20QA/Among%20knowledge,%20inspiration%20and%20facilities,%20if%20we%20can’t%20provide%20all%20three%20to%20others,%20what%20is%20the%20most%20important%20thing%20to%20provide.mp3

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