As my plane lands, I try to make sure where to put my legs- where do I stand? Of course I am no pilot, so this is figurative, but one thing this year has really brought is turbulent weather. Good turbulent weather. At some point in my childhood I …
Author Archives: Jaya Kesava Das
Landing
Landing
→ the world i know
As my plane lands, I try to make sure where to put my legs- where do I stand? Of course I am no pilot, so this is figurative, but one thing this year has really brought is turbulent weather. Good turbulent weather. At some point in my childhood I …
Lessons from 2012
→ the world i know
So far, the first 6 months of 2012 has been, what i would like to call it, a “molding by doing” 6 months. Growing in the Krsna consciousness movement, I always avoided big lessons simply by watching and observing others learn through their own lessons,…
Lessons from 2012
→ the world i know
So far, the first 6 months of 2012 has been, what i would like to call it, a “molding by doing” 6 months. Growing in the Krsna consciousness movement, I always avoided big lessons simply by watching and observing others learn through their own lessons,…
Be Sure, Be Specific
→ the world i know
Imagine, (or just look around and observe) a person in the process of buying a house, a car, a computer; their main concern is the lifetime of said product: how long will it last, how much happiness will I derive from it, what are the specs? Home buyer…
Be Sure, Be Specific
→ the world i know
Imagine, (or just look around and observe) a person in the process of buying a house, a car, a computer; their main concern is the lifetime of said product: how long will it last, how much happiness will I derive from it, what are the specs? Home buyer…
PUNISHMENT
→ the world i know
For us who grew up in the west, a deep understanding of sinful activities and its reactions were never quite well explained. God hates sin, we were told, and one who sins goes to eternal damnation, never to be reinstated by divine grace- except if you accept such and such person and such and such path. This is the only way. So a person became hard-hearted very quickly and either (a), rejected the idea of someone so unforgiving, and usually for the silliest of crimes, as in the case of a kid like Aladdin who “gotta steal to live, tell you all about it when he’s got the time”,or (b) became so afraid of the notion of eternal suffering that they took to religion like stink on funk; fanatically rejecting their own kinsmen if such people behaved contradictory to the laws of God.
Yes, I was in category (a), but couldn’t reject God completely; funny enough, after studying his very creation, and the nature of beings. How long can you really be angry at someone? How deep was your relationship with that person anyway? So if I could eventually forgive and forget even the worst of crimes, and God couldn’t then, forgive me this sin, I have a quality that God doesn’t have… .
I can forgive! Regardless of the persons nationality, religious affiliation, etc etc. So then God isn’t a big deal. And no need to worry about that person we so much dread. If I can forgive and God can’t, or if I have a form, even though illusory as some may claim, and God is formless, or if I, by my own will can have as many children as I want, but God, that oh so great being, can only beget one, and sorry to say, we deserve eternal hell because we killed him; (well not me, but so distant relative 2000 some odd years ago), then again, I one up God in many ways. No need for God then. But people walk around daily in the material atmosphere propounding such ridiculous philosophies of sinners in the hands of an angry God, or God has no form, or we’re all made of chemicals, to name a few. Hm.
Yes I am back in India, and can sit from afar and write this, but that’s the point- I can sit. And think.
In the bhakti tradition, God has a different face. A face more acceptable and lovable, not just because the sages needed some being to counteract the above conceptions, but because they have experienced such a personality through deep awareness, action, and full surrender. Srila Prabhupada writes that Krsna wants us more in the spiritual world than we are willing to go back there. God turns no one away. As for relationship, we, us and God, (from now on I’ll say Krsna), have a very deep and close relationship; each person on a very individual level. There’s something that every being has that only he/she can give to Krsna through loving interactions. And the Spiritual realm is unlimited in space and time, where as the material world is limited, so there is room for every entity in this realm, in that realm. The bhakti scriptures gives us deep information with even deeper realizations from experienced people who have seen that realm and who live in that consciousness.
In fact the many traditions and divisions of faith are there to help a person gradually rise in consciousness from low material sense gratification to high ever increasing spiritual bliss. No one religious tradition has all the answers, rather, each tradition has codes and answers that people can accept in their time place and circumstance. For example math is math, but 2nd grade math can’t be taught in the 10th grade. So Krsna is Krsna, but not every one can understand his nature fully. So according to time, place and circumstance, Krsna reveals himself differently. Look at the world, there are some people who you wouldn’t just freely hang out with; perhaps because of their consciousness, or qualities, etc. Some we would lie intimately with, while others we’ll never let close to our bedroom.
So where does sin fit in? Sin means action that keep us away from understanding our deeper relationship with Krsna. I once saw a sticker which read; “we are not punished for our sins, but by them.” So who’s the one doing the punishing? The very person engaged in the sinful act. As you sow, so shall you reap. We are so much blinded by the senses that we see no deeper than the mind; if it feels good, do it. So we go on doing what feels good; the example of the camel chewing thorny twigs applies here. The camel loves thorny branches, and so he eats as much as possible, but as he chews, the thorn cuts his tongue and he bleeds. The taste of that blood mixed with twig then seems ever so delicious for him.
So we forget that the reason we inhabit different forms is due to activities in the past that didn’t foster desires for deeper self realization, and if we perform similar activities now, self realization will be very difficult work. Each sensual activity creates the need to do more sensual activities. Sin 101.
Self realization begins when a person asks the simple, but sublime question. “why am I suffering?”
So to wrap up here, from my hideaway in India, real knowledge begins with proper understanding of the self, the supreme self, and our relationship. And acting under the influence of ignorance is the greatest sin, because it keeps us apart from that most amazing personality, Krsna, who is ever inviting us to come and associate with him, tend the cows, play in the dust of Vrindavan, swim in the Yamuna, etc etc. So give Aladdin his bread, he needs it to live, read that book, Bahgavad Gita as it is, and try to apply the knowledge in your life. Until next time….
PUNISHMENT
→ the world i know
For us who grew up in the west, a deep understanding of sinful activities and its reactions were never quite well explained. God hates sin, we were told, and one who sins goes to eternal damnation, never to be reinstated by divine grace- except if you accept such and such person and such and such path. This is the only way. So a person became hard-hearted very quickly and either (a), rejected the idea of someone so unforgiving, and usually for the silliest of crimes, as in the case of a kid like Aladdin who “gotta steal to live, tell you all about it when he’s got the time”,or (b) became so afraid of the notion of eternal suffering that they took to religion like stink on funk; fanatically rejecting their own kinsmen if such people behaved contradictory to the laws of God.
Yes, I was in category (a), but couldn’t reject God completely; funny enough, after studying his very creation, and the nature of beings. How long can you really be angry at someone? How deep was your relationship with that person anyway? So if I could eventually forgive and forget even the worst of crimes, and God couldn’t then, forgive me this sin, I have a quality that God doesn’t have… .
I can forgive! Regardless of the persons nationality, religious affiliation, etc etc. So then God isn’t a big deal. And no need to worry about that person we so much dread. If I can forgive and God can’t, or if I have a form, even though illusory as some may claim, and God is formless, or if I, by my own will can have as many children as I want, but God, that oh so great being, can only beget one, and sorry to say, we deserve eternal hell because we killed him; (well not me, but so distant relative 2000 some odd years ago), then again, I one up God in many ways. No need for God then. But people walk around daily in the material atmosphere propounding such ridiculous philosophies of sinners in the hands of an angry God, or God has no form, or we’re all made of chemicals, to name a few. Hm.
Yes I am back in India, and can sit from afar and write this, but that’s the point- I can sit. And think.
In the bhakti tradition, God has a different face. A face more acceptable and lovable, not just because the sages needed some being to counteract the above conceptions, but because they have experienced such a personality through deep awareness, action, and full surrender. Srila Prabhupada writes that Krsna wants us more in the spiritual world than we are willing to go back there. God turns no one away. As for relationship, we, us and God, (from now on I’ll say Krsna), have a very deep and close relationship; each person on a very individual level. There’s something that every being has that only he/she can give to Krsna through loving interactions. And the Spiritual realm is unlimited in space and time, where as the material world is limited, so there is room for every entity in this realm, in that realm. The bhakti scriptures gives us deep information with even deeper realizations from experienced people who have seen that realm and who live in that consciousness.
In fact the many traditions and divisions of faith are there to help a person gradually rise in consciousness from low material sense gratification to high ever increasing spiritual bliss. No one religious tradition has all the answers, rather, each tradition has codes and answers that people can accept in their time place and circumstance. For example math is math, but 2nd grade math can’t be taught in the 10th grade. So Krsna is Krsna, but not every one can understand his nature fully. So according to time, place and circumstance, Krsna reveals himself differently. Look at the world, there are some people who you wouldn’t just freely hang out with; perhaps because of their consciousness, or qualities, etc. Some we would lie intimately with, while others we’ll never let close to our bedroom.
So where does sin fit in? Sin means action that keep us away from understanding our deeper relationship with Krsna. I once saw a sticker which read; “we are not punished for our sins, but by them.” So who’s the one doing the punishing? The very person engaged in the sinful act. As you sow, so shall you reap. We are so much blinded by the senses that we see no deeper than the mind; if it feels good, do it. So we go on doing what feels good; the example of the camel chewing thorny twigs applies here. The camel loves thorny branches, and so he eats as much as possible, but as he chews, the thorn cuts his tongue and he bleeds. The taste of that blood mixed with twig then seems ever so delicious for him.
So we forget that the reason we inhabit different forms is due to activities in the past that didn’t foster desires for deeper self realization, and if we perform similar activities now, self realization will be very difficult work. Each sensual activity creates the need to do more sensual activities. Sin 101.
Self realization begins when a person asks the simple, but sublime question. “why am I suffering?”
So to wrap up here, from my hideaway in India, real knowledge begins with proper understanding of the self, the supreme self, and our relationship. And acting under the influence of ignorance is the greatest sin, because it keeps us apart from that most amazing personality, Krsna, who is ever inviting us to come and associate with him, tend the cows, play in the dust of Vrindavan, swim in the Yamuna, etc etc. So give Aladdin his bread, he needs it to live, read that book, Bahgavad Gita as it is, and try to apply the knowledge in your life. Until next time….
From a Love of God Perspective.. free write.
→ the world i know
On Farming and stuff…I overhear and sometimes take part in discussions on the need of developing farm communities so that we can be well sustained in times to come. Mostly the energy in such conversations become tense because most of us don’t feel re…
From a Love of God Perspective.. free write.
→ the world i know
On Farming and stuff…I overhear and sometimes take part in discussions on the need of developing farm communities so that we can be well sustained in times to come. Mostly the energy in such conversations become tense because most of us don’t feel re…
PULL
→ the world i know
Yes, PULL! That is the feeling I got after I woke up from this evening’s nap. I am about to drive a few ungodly hours to the divine ISV (Iskcon Silicon Valley, or Iskcon Sankirtan Village, as I prefer to call it) and get the association of the great so…
PULL
→ the world i know
Yes, PULL! That is the feeling I got after I woke up from this evening’s nap. I am about to drive a few ungodly hours to the divine ISV (Iskcon Silicon Valley, or Iskcon Sankirtan Village, as I prefer to call it) and get the association of the great so…
Intermission
→ the world i know
Intermission
→ the world i know
Questions that Exercise me (us)
→ the world i know
Integration: The action of incorporating a racial or religious group into a community The act of combining into an integral wholeI like the word. I he…
Questions that Exercise me (us)
→ the world i know
Integration: The action of incorporating a racial or religious group into a community The act of combining into an integral wholeI like the word. I he…
To All my Friends
→ the world i know
Another year. Gone. I sit and reflect on 2010 and realize that it was a year for growth. A year that began brightly; seeing new horizons, listening to supersoul’s cautions and empowerings, learning to step into my own skin. Association of high level de…
To All my Friends
→ the world i know
Another year. Gone. I sit and reflect on 2010 and realize that it was a year for growth. A year that began brightly; seeing new horizons, listening to supersoul’s cautions and empowerings, learning to step into my own skin. Association of high level de…
And that was my impression
→ the world i know
When we first meet people or visit places, especially for a long term stay, the first few days can be a bit rocky, sketchy, uncertain. But as far as I have experienced in my travels, its a hard thing leaving once you’ve spent time with people.Newfoundl…
And that was my impression
→ the world i know
When we first meet people or visit places, especially for a long term stay, the first few days can be a bit rocky, sketchy, uncertain. But as far as I have experienced in my travels, its a hard thing leaving once you’ve spent time with people.Newfoundl…
CATCH AND RELEASE, … with Knowledge
→ the world i know
Before I left Montreal for St John’s Newfoundland yesterday morning, the bhaktas put forth a series of questions, one on the topic of dovetailing our attachment in devotional service. What actually is dovetailing? Especially as we would use it as an IS…
CATCH AND RELEASE, … with Knowledge
→ the world i know
Before I left Montreal for St John’s Newfoundland yesterday morning, the bhaktas put forth a series of questions, one on the topic of dovetailing our attachment in devotional service. What actually is dovetailing? Especially as we would use it as an IS…
GETTING AN INVITE
→ the world i know
The world becomes a bit more interesting each day as we realize that people exist on so many levels and dimensions. Life facilitates as many types and kinds of consciousnesses as there are elements- and then some.Some like water, go with the flow, othe…
GETTING AN INVITE
→ the world i know
The world becomes a bit more interesting each day as we realize that people exist on so many levels and dimensions. Life facilitates as many types and kinds of consciousnesses as there are elements- and then some.Some like water, go with the flow, othe…
Simply contemplate, contemplate.
→ the world i know
For the last few weeks I’ve been opening up to questions about the civil war in my country and using some memories as tools to help the listener understand how philosophy isn’t about hypothetical situations. I sometimes have to take myself back to age …
Simply contemplate, contemplate.
→ the world i know
For the last few weeks I’ve been opening up to questions about the civil war in my country and using some memories as tools to help the listener understand how philosophy isn’t about hypothetical situations. I sometimes have to take myself back to age …
CRAWL. . . STAND . . WALK. . . RUN. . FLY (Spirituality for Valley People)
→ the world i know
As nature would have it, every important thing in life happens in stages. Unless somewhat handicapped, progress is so natural that we often overlook it (well we seem to over look every natural thing), but by careful observation we can grow both Materia…
CRAWL. . . STAND . . WALK. . . RUN. . FLY (Spirituality for Valley People)
→ the world i know
As nature would have it, every important thing in life happens in stages. Unless somewhat handicapped, progress is so natural that we often overlook it (well we seem to over look every natural thing), but by careful observation we can grow both Materia…
Aindra Prabhu
→ the world i know
Dear Aindra Prabhu,Please Accept My Most Humble ObeisancesAll Glories To Srila PrabhupadaToday I feel empty, no emotions, just numb. But tears are flowing, so I guess a Vaisnava like yourself can penetrate deep- to the soul. I feel like the music died….
Aindra Prabhu
→ the world i know
Dear Aindra Prabhu,Please Accept My Most Humble ObeisancesAll Glories To Srila PrabhupadaToday I feel empty, no emotions, just numb. But tears are flowing, so I guess a Vaisnava like yourself can penetrate deep- to the soul. I feel like the music died….
What a Wonderful World
→ the world i know
We took a morning walk along Lake Ontario and these were some thoughts running through my head… I like beaches, fresh ocean, well, lake air, Wine Bottle from a dark nights rendezvous, McDonald’s bags, 1, 2 few, many- all over. Cigarette butts, tissue…
What a Wonderful World
→ the world i know
We took a morning walk along Lake Ontario and these were some thoughts running through my head… I like beaches, fresh ocean, well, lake air, Wine Bottle from a dark nights rendezvous, McDonald’s bags, 1, 2 few, many- all over. Cigarette butts, tissue…
GUTS
→ the world i know
Another day in my internal little world.Today I contemplate the phrase “being convinced that Krsna is there”Really, that’s quite embarrassing for a spirit soul. I mean have we really dug that deep into illusion to now have to ask ourselves does God exi…
GUTS
→ the world i know
Another day in my internal little world.Today I contemplate the phrase “being convinced that Krsna is there”Really, that’s quite embarrassing for a spirit soul. I mean have we really dug that deep into illusion to now have to ask ourselves does God exi…
YOU CHOSE IT, USE IT
→ the world i know
I’ve been listening to various lectures on the intricacies of Karma and examining, various scenarios, personalities and situations and trying to understand the Karma concept better. A simple and sublime explanation I heard is as follows: &n…
YOU CHOSE IT, USE IT
→ the world i know
I’ve been listening to various lectures on the intricacies of Karma and examining, various scenarios, personalities and situations and trying to understand the Karma concept better. A simple and sublime explanation I heard is as follows: &n…
Child, GOD,simple
→ the world i know
Inspired by a few devotees who do some power walking- HH Bhakti Marg Swami walking worldwide, or Vaisesika Prabhu walking around Govardhan in Kartik, etc etc, I’ve been walking an exploring Toronto a bit more lately.On Sunday Morning the cutest scene o…
Child, GOD,simple
→ the world i know
Inspired by a few devotees who do some power walking- HH Bhakti Marg Swami walking worldwide, or Vaisesika Prabhu walking around Govardhan in Kartik, etc etc, I’ve been walking an exploring Toronto a bit more lately.On Sunday Morning the cutest scene o…
LONG BREAK.
→ the world i know
… But I’m still here.Actually sometimes there’s writers block; I’m no writer but I write on here for purification. Some realizations lately:Its hard to delete a Facebook account, an illusion within the illusion. We’re that stuck in here. Imagine dele…
LONG BREAK.
→ the world i know
… But I’m still here.Actually sometimes there’s writers block; I’m no writer but I write on here for purification. Some realizations lately:Its hard to delete a Facebook account, an illusion within the illusion. We’re that stuck in here. Imagine dele…