http://absolute-truth.net/forums/ Tattvavicharana: Forum: Truth Musings - Recent Posts en Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:39:29 +0000 http://absolute-truth.net/forums/topic/bound-to-be-free#post-94 Mon, 01 Feb 2010 13:41:48 +0000 Abhishek 94@http://absolute-truth.net/forums/ <p>Once a drunk person walking on a roof came dangerously close to the edge. When a wise person warned him, &quot;Stop.<br /> Don't move forward,&quot; he angrily retorted, &quot;Who are you to stop me? I am free to go wherever I want.&quot; Yes free he<br /> was, as he soon found - free to suffer and free to lose his freedom to walk forever.</p> <p>Restriction is not a depriver of freedom, but a provider of freedom. When a doctor restricts the diet of a patient, that restriction facilitates the patient's quick freedom from disease and provides future freedom to eat properly. If the patient rejects the restrictions, he aggravates his disease. Either he loses his digestive ability permanently and has to live on soup lifelong, which is a pathetic loss of freedom in eating. Or he may lose his life itself, which is the ultimate loss of freedom.</p> <p>The sacred Vedic scriptures - and indeed the all religious scriptures in essence - explain that our present material existence is a diseased state of existence. We are eternal spiritual beings, beloved children of God, but are currently restricted to temporal, physical existence due to spiritual amnesia. This original malaise subjects us to mental miseries like stress, anxiety, depression, jealousy as well as physical sufferings like old age, disease and death.</p> <p> TheShrimadBhagavatam(1.17.38) declares illicit sex, gambling, meat-eating and intoxication as four primary anti-<br /> spiritual activities. Modern social sciences have discovered how these activities harm us physically, psychologically, economically, ecologically, educationally and socially, as analyzed by scholar Steven Rosen in his book &quot;The Regulative Principles of Freedom, A Comprehensive Study.&quot; These physical drives also increase our bodily identification and perpetuate our spiritual forgetfulness, thus making us bereft of our natural spiritual joyfulness. Those who eschew these soul-defiling pleasures and cure their spiritual amnesia by chanting the names of God become increasingly free from petty bodily hankerings and lamentations and experience profound devotional happiness even in this life, what to speak of the next. Srila Prabhupada, called these restrictions as &quot;the regulative principles of freedom.&quot; The wise who follow them are bound to be free. </p> http://absolute-truth.net/forums/topic/the-tragedy-of-self-destruction#post-93 Thu, 28 Jan 2010 07:03:41 +0000 Abhishek 93@http://absolute-truth.net/forums/ <p>The trout is caught by the fisherman’s lure, the mouse by cheese. A tragic irony of the struggle for existence is that living beings are often destroyed by what they desire. But at least the fish and the mouse have excuses: the bait and the cheese look like sustenance. Also the fish and the mouse do not know in advance that they will be trapped. Humans seldom have either of these excuses. The temptations that wreck their lives are quite often pure indulgences that are known to be dangerous. For example, no one has to smoke for survival and almost all smokers are aware that smoking is dangerous.</p> <p>TRAGICALLY TRAPPED</p> <p>Consider the following World Health Organization statistics: Tobacco kills nearly 10,000 people worldwide every day. By 2020 it is predicted that tobacco use will cause over 12% of all deaths globally. This is more deaths<br /> worldwide than HIV, tuberculosis, maternal mortality, motor vehicle accidents, suicide and homicide combined.<br /> Half of those who start smoking in adolescence will die in middle age, losing around 22 years of normal life<br /> expectancy.<br /> Add the facts that an average cigarette contains 401 poisons and 43 cancer-causing chemicals and that there are<br /> around 1.1 billion smokers in the world (about one-third of the global population aged 15 and over) and we have quite a sobering picture of the world around us. The statistics about other self-destructive behavioral patterns – alcoholism, substance abuse and suicide - are equally, if not more, alarming. And even among so-called normal people, practically everyone is victimized by some form of self-destructive behavioral pattern - unwarranted expression of anger that turn out to be disastrous, unintentional use of caustic words that break hearts and ruin lives and so on.</p> <p>A question naturally arises: how does an intelligent human being embark on such a destructive course? Most people<br /> know that when they start, say, smoking, they are treading into a danger zone. But the media, the friends circle, the peddlers persuade them to experiment just once. Seeking a break from the humdrum daily life with its inane pleasures, they acquiesce. The impression of instant pleasure gets embedded in their mind and in future whenever they face a reversal, they tend to seek immediate relief through smoking. Every successive experience of smoking reinforces the earlier impressions, strengthens the tendency to seek momentary relief and weakens the voice of intelligence and conscience. Till smoking becomes an irresistible demand, a compulsive need, an addictive habit. They are by then helpless victims, driven again and again towards smoking like a moth attracted towards fire.</p> <p>CURRENT SOLUTIONS<br /> Let us now analyze some of the methods currently used for de-addiction: </p> <p>1. Knowledge: It would seem that if people knew about the dangers involved, that would deter them from indulgence. Sometimes. But not generally. Sometimes knowledge has the opposite effect. For example, after governmental regulations made it mandatory to display, &quot;Cigarette smoking is injurious to health&quot; on every cigarette ad and pack, cigarette sales increased; the warning tended to evoke a dare-devilish spirit in smokers.<br /> 2. Emotional Support: Often people turn to addictions when they are emotionally let down or betrayed by their loved ones. Also adolescents who have not been emotionally cared for tend to be more susceptible to addictions. So providing emotional support through personal counseling is thought of as a solution. But this often leads to the addicts becoming chronically dependent on their counselor. In the fast-paced modern lifestyle few people can invest the time and energy to provide intensive emotional support consistently. Seeking professional guidance entails prohibitive costs. Moreover psychologists and psychiatrists often become so harassed by calls for help from distressed patients at unearthly hours that they themselves sometimes end up in need of counseling.<br /> 3. Sublimation: Sublimation involves replacing a gross physical drive with a more refined substitute. For example, an alcoholic might try to seek refuge in music instead of alcohol. But this can work only if he has a strong liking for music and if his addiction to alcohol is not overpowering. Another problem is that, due to recent mental impressions of indulgence in alcohol, that urge generally appears far more attractive than its substitute.<br /> 4. Willpower: Seeing the physical and emotional pain that he is inflicting upon himself and his loved ones, an addict may sometimes by sheer determination decide to give up his perverted habit. Unfortunately few people are able to muster the necessary willpower. Even if successful, they face the grim prospect of an entire lifetime of constant inner struggle with the fear of succumbing at any moment. And failure often brings with it intolerable feelings of guilt, making living itself an agony.<br /> 5. Religion: Statistical surveys have shown that the religiously committed are less likely to succumb to seeking perverted pleasures. Adopting religious principles rigorously also sometimes helps addicts to free themselves. Dr Patrick Glynn writes in his book God: The Evidence, &quot;It is difficult to find a more consistent correlative of mental health, or a better insurance against self-destructive behaviors, than a strong religious faith.&quot;</p> <p>While each of these methods has had some small success, humanity at large is mostly in darkness as regards a clear understanding about the factors that impel self-destructive behavior and the means to permanently rectify such behavior. Let us now consider the Vedic perspective about self-destruction. </p> <p>THE VEDIC PARADIGM<br /> In the Bhagavad-gita (3.36), Arjuna asks Lord Krishna, &quot;By what is one impelled to sinful acts, even unwillingly, as if engaged by force?&quot; Lord Krishna replies, &quot;It is lust only, Arjuna, which is born of contact with the mode of passion and later transformed into wrath, and which is the all-devouring sinful enemy of this world.&quot;</p> <p>The background of this dialogue is as follows. The fundamental teaching of the Bhagavad-gita is that the source of life in the material body, the actual self, is a non-material particle of spirit, known as the atman or the soul. The essential need of the soul is to love and be loved and to experience unbounded happiness through loving exchange. Being spiritual by constitution, the soul belongs to a higher dimensional milieu, the spiritual world. There the loving propensity of the soul finds complete fulfillment in the supremely lovable all-attractive person, who personally reciprocates with his love.</p> <p>In fact, the Vedic texts state: eko bahusyam. The Supreme has expanded into infinite subordinates for the purpose of loving reciprocation. The Vedanta Sutra explains: raso vai sah. The Supreme is the reservoir of all divine loving emotions. The Srimad Bhagavatam confirms that this Supreme Person is all-attractive and is therefore best known by the name Krishna, which means all-attractive in Sanskrit. In the spiritual world Krishna is the pivot of all relationships and the soul continually relishes ever-intensifying and ever-expanding ecstasies of love in relationship with Him there. Love necessitates freedom; only when the object of love freely chooses to reciprocate one's love does the experience of love becomes truly satisfying and fulfilling. The soul is therefore endowed with a minute free will to enable him to experience the joy of loving the Supreme Person Krishna. But when the soul misuses his free will and becomes causelessly unwilling to love Krishna, he has to find a substitute in whom to repose his loving propensity. Of course by definition there can be no substitute for the Supreme and by constitution the soul cannot find happiness in loving anyone other than the Supreme. But for those souls who insist on making that attempt, the world of matter (where all of us currently reside) provides the necessary arrangement for experimentation and rectification. </p> <p>THE ENEMY WITHIN<br /> As soon as the soul comes to the material world, his love for Krishna becomes perverted into lust. Lust is a formidable illusory force that offers the soul various surrogate objects of love to experiment with. Lust creates and perpetuates the misidentification of the soul with the material body that he is given. Lust causes within all living beings the overpowering drive for gross sexual enjoyment in specific, and all forms of material enjoyment in general. Modern civilization with its media, social environment, culture and overall values aggravates lust disproportionately. Especially the celluloid promises of unending sexual bliss provoke wild erotic fantasies. But the actual experience of sexual enjoyment is heartbreakingly brief; dreams cherished for years vanish within moments. Though what people experience is so pathetically little as compared to the hype, the media blitz goads them on. Sexual enjoyment, especially illicit, is a complicated affair; it involves money, time, intense emotions, interpersonal relationship dynamics, risk for prestige and so on. And the attempt for such enjoyment, even if somehow successful, leaves one feeling disappointed and cheated - and craving for more. And if unsuccessful it creates great anger. Either way the victims are soon so enslaved by lust that the more they try, the more they get frustrated, and yet the more they become impelled to keep trying. Eventually the accumulated enormous frustration makes instant relief a desperate necessity. Such people easily fall prey to the lure of quick pleasure offered by addictions.</p> <p>Lust is thus the internal enemy, which causes all self-destructive behavioral patterns. The Gita (18.39) describes<br /> vividly the nature of all perverted pleasures: they appear to be like nectar at first but poison at the end. Srila<br /> Prabhupada comments, &quot;While one enjoys sense gratification, it may be that there is some feeling of happiness, but<br /> actually that so-called feeling of happiness is the ultimate enemy of the sense enjoyer.&quot; Lust is present in everyone in varying degrees. That is why everyone, no matter how materially successful he may be, has some tendencies towards self-destructive behavior. People generally become concerned about such tendencies only when it exceeds socially acceptable limits. But actually lust throttles the ability of everyone to make meaningful contributions toward society and even towards their own future; the difference is only in degree. From the piritual<br /> point of view, lust is inherently self-destructive; it strips the soul of the unlimited spiritual happiness that is his birthright and forces him to labor for paltry material sensations of pleasure that can never satisfy his immortal longing.</p> <p>THE SUPREME CONQUEST<br /> Lust being a perversion of our original, essential nature, cannot possibly be annihilated, suppressed, repressed or even sublimated. But it can be reverted to its original nature by redirecting our loving propensity back to Krishna through the scientific process of devotional service. Action on the spiritual platform is what Lord Krishna recommends to Arjuna as the key to overcoming lust, &quot;Therefore knowing oneself to be transcendental to the material senses, mind and intelligence, O mighty-armed Arjuna, one should steady the mind by deliberate spiritual intelligence (Krishna consciousness) and thus – by spiritual strength – conquer this insatiable enemy known as lust.&quot; (Bhagavad-gita 3.43) The channeling of consciousness from matter back to Krishna is most easily and effectively executed through the medium of divine sound. The Supreme Person Krishna being omnipotent is fully present in His Holy Names. Chanting of the Holy Names therefore connects one immediately with Krishna, who is the supreme pleasure principle. Regular meditation on the Holy Names enables one to experience happiness streaming down from the spiritual dimension. This spiritual pleasure is so satisfying that it soon frees one from the craving for perverted mundane pleasure like drugs, alcohol etc.</p> <p>Millions of people all over the world have experienced the purifying potency of the Holy Names of God. During the<br /> period of the counterculture in the US in 1960s and 1970s, Srila Prabhupada propagated the congregational chanting of the Holy Names and saved thousands of young people from a condemned life of drug addiction. All over the globe<br /> ISKCON devotees who practice mantra meditation – chanting of the maha mantra Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna<br /> Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare - everyday for two hours are easily able to eschew intoxication (of all forms), gambling, meat-eating and illicit sex, which are the primary self-destructive activities impelled by lust. Ability to follow these four regulative principles is not necessary to begin chanting, but as these four activities greatly obscure the original consciousness of the soul, abstaining from them helps to accelerate the process of purification. While many people in the modern times are so captivated and enslaved by lust that they consider life without these activities an impossibility, devotees lead lives that are natural, peaceful, satisfying, meaningful and constructive, protected as they are by their mantra meditation. But the benefits of chanting do not stop with freedom from addiction, nor is chanting meant only for those victimized<br /> by self-destructive behavioral patterns. Chanting the Holy Names of God is a universal, time-tested, non-sectarian<br /> method of bringing about the blossoming of consciousness to its highest bloom of pure love for God and all living<br /> beings. Chanting frees one from all selfish desires, which throttle the flow of the fullness of life. It enables one to experience within oneself continuous happiness, which is absolutely independent of the state of the body and the external world. Chanting thus heralds the advent of a life of selfless spiritual service to God and all His children. This selflessness within individuals alone can form the basis of lasting world peace and harmony. Srila Prabhupada succinctly summarizes, &quot;Without the awakening of divine consciousness within the individual, there is no use of crying for world peace.&quot;</p> <p>The world-famous Beatle, late George Harrison, a diligent lifelong practitioner of mantra meditation, sings: If you open up your heart, You will know what I mean We’ve been polluted so long But here’s a way for you to get clean By chanting the name of the Lord and You’ll be free The Lord is awaiting on you all to awaken And see. - ‘Awaiting On You All’ from the album ‘All Things Must Pass’</p> <p>By Chaitanya Charan Das (BE E&amp;TC) </p> http://absolute-truth.net/forums/topic/a-prisoner-of-success#post-92 Thu, 28 Jan 2010 06:44:31 +0000 Abhishek 92@http://absolute-truth.net/forums/ <p>“Success nowadays means to drive in a loaned car on a toll-charged expressway using credit card fuel.” This poignant statement shows the deceptive nature of the definition of success that is imposed on us by society. Indeed, most people today are “prisoners of success.” How? Generally, a prisoner is one whose freedom is restricted by immovable physical bars. The modern definition of success restricts people in their freedom by inflexible mental conceptions.<br /> For example, a person, to be considered a social success, has to have a posh row-house, a sleek car, a trendy cell-phone…. And for this, many people have to take a variety of loans, which indenture them to blood-sucking labor for years. Not only that, these loans create an agonizing mental burden due to the anxiety of repayment. This anxiety doesn’t allow them to peacefully enjoy the very comforts for which they accepted those anxieties.<br /> Even those who don’t have to take loans to maintain a “successful” image in society are not spared by the ghost of anxiety. They are haunted by the anxiety to protect what they have from rivals, thieves and even relatives. Thus they too are prisoners of success.</p> <p>If “success” does not make us happy, but instead makes us miserable, stress-filled, anxiety-ridden, then is that the kind of success we want in life? Unfortunately, most people run like programmed machines to try to achieve “success,” no matter how troublesome it is to achieve or maintain. Srila Prabhupada reveals the spiritual secret for a successful lifestyle, “Life is never made comfortable by artificial needs, but by plain living and high<br /> thinking.” Plain living will appear unattractive and impractical as long as we don’t find the spiritually satisfying object for high thinking – God, Krishna. </p> <p>When our thoughts are high and enlightened, we understand that we are spiritual beings thirsting for the nectar of love of God. We can have real peace by harmonizing with the benevolent will of God, by learning from the sacred scriptures like the Bhagavad-gita to accept gracefully and gratefully whatever He provides. And we can have real happiness by awakening our dormant love for God by chanting His holy names.</p> <p>By Chaitanya Charan Das (BE E&amp;TC) </p> http://absolute-truth.net/forums/topic/alco-hell#post-91 Wed, 27 Jan 2010 10:22:44 +0000 Abhishek 91@http://absolute-truth.net/forums/ <p>Imagine a tribal who drinks a stinking toxic liquid, goes crazy, shouts insensibly, topples into dirt, falls unconscious, returns to consciousness after several hours with severe headache and stomach upset and vomits helplessly in agony.</p> <p>Yes, this ad-glamorized modern ritual of self- torture is – alcoholism. This self-destructive ritual has turned the lives of millions of people into a alco-hell, as seen through the following US statistics:</p> <p>Alcohol contributes to 100,000 deaths annually, making it the third leading cause of preventable mortality in the U.S., after tobacco and diet/activity patterns. (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism) Approximately once every week, someone in the U.S. dies a needless and fully preventable death due to alcohol poisoning caused by alcohol overdose (This happens even among non- addicted binge drinkers). (ibid.)<br /> During 2004, 16,694 deaths (one death every 31 minutes) occurred as a result of alcohol-related motor-vehicle crashes.<br /> This amount was approximately 39% of all traffic fatalities. (ibid.)<br /> Alcohol is typically found in the offender, victim or both in about half of all homicides and serious assaults, as well as in a high percentage of sex-related crimes, robberies, and incidents of domestic violence(NIAAA)</p> <p>Excessive drinking contributes to illness in each of the top three causes of death: strokes, cancer, and heart disease.<br /> (The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University) Adolph Hitler propagated, “If you tell a big enough lie and tell it frequently enough, it will be believed.” Few things illustrate this truth the way the lie of the pleasure of intoxication does. People know drinking kills – themselves and others, yet, victimized by propaganda, they become blinded to the suffering and captivated by the hope of pleasure.</p> <p> THE ULTIMATE INTOXICATION<br /> Some of us may have been saved from victimization by intoxication. Still even sober people can identify with the desire to experience a higher state of excitement and enjoyment that intoxication falsely promises to fulfill. That desire<br /> to be intoxicated with happiness stems from our spiritual essence. In our original pure existence in the spiritual world, we as souls are intoxicated with love for God and live in eternal happiness, oblivious to everything except our beloved Lord.<br /> No wonder that the Srimad Bhagavatam (11.13.36) compares a pure devotee with an intoxicated person, “Just as a drunken man does not notice if he is wearing his coat or shirt, similarly, one who is perfect in self-realization and who has thus achieved his eternal identity does not notice whether the temporary body is sitting or standing. Indeed, if by God's will the body is finished or if by God's will he obtains a new body, a self-realized soul does not notice, just as a drunken man does not notice the situation of his outward dress.”</p> <p>We can all experience that spiritual intoxication of divine love here and now by singing bhajans and kirtans, as many devout people can testify. Indeed the holy names of God like the Hare Krishna mahamantra bring so much joy that even addicted drunkards can quickly get rid of their addictions just by chanting regularly. No wonder Prof Stillson Judah, Berkeley University, USA, commended Srila Prabhupada, the founder of ISKCON and the greatest exponent of chanting: “I am simply amazed by your ability of turning drug-addicted hippies into devotees of Krishna (God), and servants of mankind.”<br /> Let us free ourselves – and others – from the deceptive high that alcohol promises.Let us instead “stay high forever” by reclaiming our rightful spiritual joyfulness. </p> http://absolute-truth.net/forums/topic/sun-and-moon#post-90 Tue, 19 Jan 2010 09:27:49 +0000 saurabh005 90@http://absolute-truth.net/forums/ <p>this sun and moon is like 2 eyes of Krishna continuously monitoring<br /> and what every energy effulgence coming out from body of lord Krishna<br /> this sun and moon just acting as reflecting mirror according as just<br /> them self like in morning sun is hot because we need energy in morning<br /> to work hard and in night we need cooling effect which is given by<br /> moon. </p> http://absolute-truth.net/forums/topic/how-can-i-develop-my-personality#post-89 Wed, 06 Jan 2010 05:01:33 +0000 Abhishek 89@http://absolute-truth.net/forums/ <p>How Are Your Pies!!</p> <p>Modern psychologists have found four principal parameters that determine our success and happiness Physical Quotient (PQ), Intelligence Quotient (IQ), Emotional Quotient (EQ) and Spiritual Quotient (SQ), which form the acronym PIES. Interestingly, four activities integral to Vedic culture nourish all these four dimensions of the human personality. </p> <p>1. PQ – Prasad –Sometimes people think of prasad as the small morsel of sweet handed out after religious rituals. However all the food that is sanctified by offering to Lord Krishna with love, as mentioned in the Bhagavad-gita (3.17), becomes prasad, the mercy of the Lord. So if we offer our whole meal, made of lacto-vegetarian foods, to Krishna, then all of it can be delicious and nutritious Prasad, that enhances our lifespan, strength and health.</p> <p>2. IQ- Svadhyhaya - Real intelligence is not just the ability to process information, which is primarily what we learn in academic institutes. Intelligence is the ability to discriminate between the short- term and the long-term, the material and the spiritual and the harmful and the beneficial. This intelligence is increased by studying, under the guidance of a guru, the time-honored manuals for holistic living like the Bhagavad-gita. </p> <p>3.EQ- Satsang – Real satsang is the association of those who have sadachara (exemplary behavior). The abilitytoresponsibly<br /> manage our own emotions and maturely respond to the emotions of others – the essence of EQ - comes by observing and imbibing the example of selfless saints. By their purity, maturity and sensitivity, these saints inspire and encourage others to discover God in their own hearts and thus become godly, loving and caring</p> <p>4. SQ – Sadhana – Our daily spiritual discipline, sadhana, rejuvenates us through contact with God and helps us stay focused on our life’s goals - spiritual and material. The easiest and most effective sadhana in the current cosmic age is chanting of the holy names of God. The sound of the holy name awakens us, souls, to our eternal spiritual glory as beloved children of God and eventually, by reviving our pure love for God, reinstates us in our eternal home, the kingdom of God.</p> <p>So are you baking your PIES to improve their taste?</p> <p>By Chaitanya Charan Das (BE E&amp;TC) </p> http://absolute-truth.net/forums/topic/how-to-deal-with-problems#post-88 Wed, 16 Dec 2009 11:14:01 +0000 Abhishek 88@http://absolute-truth.net/forums/ <p>Learning the Language of GOD</p> <p>Imagine that you are on a trek in a foreign land. Suddenly you see a person rushing toward you with both fists raised shouting madly in a foreign language. Instinctively you raise both hands to counter-attack. But that person rushes by and you hear a heavy blow landing on someone else. Surprised, you turn around and suddenly understanding dawns. A ruffian had been stealthily creeping in to attack you from behind and the person ahead had been rushing to save you from the ruffian. In his foreign tone he had been warning you, but being unable to understand his language you had completely misunderstood his intentions. You regret: if only I had known his language … Could this be the way we misunderstand God when problems suddenly rush into our lives? There is an amazing intelligence that arranges for all our basic needs – air, heat, light, water and food. Equally awesome is the organization that enables all the life-sustaining bodily mechanisms like metabolism, respiration, blood circulation. Sadly most people hardly spare even a thought to understand the purpose of the universe. And when things don’t work out according to the plans they make in a few minutes with their puny brains, they conclude that God is perverse, negligent or non-existent. Like in the above story, they can’t understand the language in which God speaks.</p> <p>Therefore, God gives us scriptures to serve as translators for us to understand His message and His plan. The Vedic scriptures – and indeed all religious scriptures– assert unequivocally that God is our greatest well-wisher. Through them God alerts us about the imminent onslaught of misery, old age, disease and death. God’s ultimate plan is to save us from all suffering and reinstate us in our eternal blissful life in His abode. As a part of His plan, God often breaks things to transform them into something far more valuable. He breaks clouds to give rains, breaks soil to give grains, breaks grains to give bread and breaks bread to give nourishment. Similarly, He sometimes has to break our plans for temporary material enjoyment to enrich us with everlasting devotional bliss. Therefore, next time when providence seems to be inimically charging toward us, let us empower ourselves with divine vision and wisdom. </p> <p>By Chaitanya Charan Das (BE E&amp;TC) </p> http://absolute-truth.net/forums/topic/how-to-deal-with-fear#post-86 Mon, 07 Dec 2009 12:25:21 +0000 Abhishek 86@http://absolute-truth.net/forums/ <p>The Secret Of Fearlessness</p> <p>Have you seen how peacefully a child sleeps in the lap of his parent, even in a noisy, crowded local train? The hustle-bustle disturbs everyone, but not the child – due to his implicit faith in the protection of his parent.</p> <p>All of us strive diligently to overcome our many fears – financial, familial, social, academic and physical. However the necessary security measures like insurances, helmets, buzzer alarms, health checkups fail to free us from a disconcerting sense of insecurity within us. Why? The Vedic texts explain that all fear originates in an unbalanced, unrealistic material conception of life. The material aspect of our life has its importance; we need to feed, clothe, house and provide for ourselves and our loved ones. However Krishna explain in the Bhagavad-gita (16.10) that when we seek our sense of identity, self-worth, security and pleasure exclusively from our material positions and possessions, we open ourselves to fear. Because the material realm is characterized by constant, unpredictable changes, which often threaten to destroy or harm whatever is dear to us. We prepare ourselves to face some of the small, predictable and<br /> controllable changes, but still we consciously or subconsciously dread the huge, unpredictable and uncontrollable changes. Is there any way to overcome this deep-rooted fear? The more things change, the more we need to embrace the things that don’ change. That Bhagavad Gita (2.14) describes, “Of the material, there is no endurance and of the spiritual there is no cessation.” Beyond the stage of material activity that preoccupies our mind lies a vast, unexplored realm of spiritual tranquility. We are spiritual beings, souls, originally from a spiritual world, the kingdom of God, who is our eternal loving father. Currently we are occupying material bodies and inhabiting this material world. The more we harmonize with our spiritual nature, the more we become fearless. Understanding that we are, at our core, spiritual and, hence indestructible, fills us with an unshakeable self-security; we recognize that worldly upheavals that affect our material assets have no power whatsoever to hurt us. Moreover, understanding that a<br /> benevolent God is ultimately orchestrating all material happenings helps us to see order amidst change, plan amidst chaos. </p> <p>The most practical and potent technology to equip ourselves with steady vision of this spiritual reality is divine sound. By chanting the bona fide holy names of God like the Hare Krishna mantra, we progressively experience both our own spiritual identity and God’ the protective presence ands guidance in our life. The more we enrich our faith by chanting, the more our devotion for Krishna increases. And when we make our life’ work a devotional offering for His service, we focus more on the object of our service – God and not its fruit – the immediate material result. This shift of focus releases large reserves of mental energy, which are choked by our worry about the future. Chanting gives us the calmness to see that almost all fears are more perceived than experienced. The more we become free from fear of the future, the more we can fully absorb ourselves in our present duties. Thus spiritual principles and practices empower us to access and utilize even our material talents better and execute even our material duties better. Ultimately spirituality is the only way to conquer the greatest of all fears – death. For a mature devotee, death is not a fearful<br /> termination of existence, but a joyful reunion with God in His everlasting abode. Therefore just as the child stays peaceful amidst chaos, let us become tranquil amidst ups and downs by empowering ourselves with spiritual devotion.</p> <p>By Chaitanya Charan Das (BE E&amp;TC) </p> http://absolute-truth.net/forums/topic/are-you-centrifugal-or-centripetal#post-83 Mon, 07 Dec 2009 06:07:49 +0000 Abhishek 83@http://absolute-truth.net/forums/ <p>Are You Centrifugal Or Centripetal!!</p> <p>All of us have two conflicting forces within our psyche: A centrifugal force that directs our quest for enjoyment outwards to the endless parade of sense objects.<br /> A centripetal force that directs us inwards to the all-attractive reservoir of all pleasure, God, Krishna, residing in our own hearts.</p> <p>In most people, the centrifugal force is so overwhelmingly powerful that they their centripetal force becomes almost non-perceivable. Our society – culture, media, billboards – continuously adds vectors to the centrifugal force already raging within us. Centrifugal lifestyle leads to anxiety and misery:</p> <p>Anxiety: When we feel our happiness and our very self-worth dependent on externals like fashionable clothes, jazzy mobiles, posh houses, trendy cars, then we undergo constant anxiety to get what we lack and to preserve what we have.</p> <p>Misery: Sooner rather than later, when we lose our prized car to the mortgage or when a colleague gets a better car, we burn in misery. Will we become happy by earning more and accumulating more? Never. Because, no matter how much<br /> we have, the centrifugal force will keep dragging us outwards to get still more. </p> <p>To find satisfaction, we need to change our lifestyle from centrifugal to centripetal. How do we do that? The first step is to meet centripetally-oriented scientists – spiritual activists devoted to the service of God and the welfare of humanity – and to see for ourselves how less is more; the less they are externally distracted, the more they are internally fulfilled. They will offer us the first centripetal push.</p> <p>The most sustainable centripetal propeller for our steady inner journey is the holy name like the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. The holy name not only effectively counters the centrifugal passions, but also. efficaciously kindles our dormant zeal for centripetal research<br /> This centripetal research culminates in the greatest discovery of our lives – the discovery of Krishna, the source of all happiness. Then we won’t need to demand the Nobel Prize to reassure ourselves of our success – for that will stand exposed as another centrifugal illusion. Instead, we will nobly share our prize with everyone by inspiring and guiding them to become centripetal millionaires.</p> <p>By Chaitanya Charan Das (BE E&amp;TC) </p> http://absolute-truth.net/forums/topic/are-dreams-real#post-81 Tue, 01 Dec 2009 06:12:12 +0000 Lndasa 81@http://absolute-truth.net/forums/ <p>We accept particular bodies in our dreams to be ourselves. We may dream that we are king, or dream that we are pauper, or a woman. In the dream we are thinking “This is me.” When we wake up, we find that it was a dream and that the temporary dream body is disappeared.</p> <p>So in a similar way, by the influence of material nature, we get a particular body in this life, and we identify with this body that it’s ourselves. When we actually wake up to our real eternal identity, we find that this temporary body is not our real self.</p> <p>When we dream, it lasts for a few seconds; we sleep during night five ti six or even seven hours. We have this temporary body for say hundred years or fifty years, or seventy years. So relatively speaking, that seems much more real.</p> <p>Dreams may change often. In relation to our eternal self, this temporary body which we get from the material world is also just like a flash, a very short period of time. Therefore, it could be compared to a dream.</p> <p>When we are in a dream, it seems real to us. We are experiencing happiness, pleasures, sadness, anxiety or fear, depending on whether it’s a nice dream or nightmare.”<br /> HH Jayapataka Swami </p> http://absolute-truth.net/forums/topic/how-does-spirituality-help-in-daily-life#post-79 Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:48:34 +0000 Abhishek 79@http://absolute-truth.net/forums/ <p>SO WHAT IS YOUR SQ?</p> <p>&quot;While computers have IQ (Intelligence Quotient) and animals can have EQ (Emotional Quotient), it is essentially SQ (Spiritual Quotient) that sets human beings apart,&quot; observe Danah Zoher and Ian Marshal in their book SQ: Connecting with our Spiritual Intelligence.</p> <p>Till the first half of the 20th century, the mainstream scientific notion was that we humans are just complicated machines, with computer-like brains. The consequent attempts to measure intelligence in terms of information processing ability led to the development of IQ, which tests our logical, mathematical and linguistic skills; the higher the IQ, the more brilliant the person, so said the theory. Computers can have high IQ; they know the rules and follow them without making mistakes. But in real life, high IQ people didn’ always turn out to be the most wealthy, famous, successful or happy. In mid-1990s, Daniel Goleman revealed findings in neuroscience and psychology that stressed the importance of Emotional Quotient (EQ). EQ enables us to be aware of our feelings and those of others. This awareness is vital because we fail to behave rationally when we are overpowered by emotions,. Therefore Goleman argued that EQ was a basic requirement for the use of IQ. Animals can be said to have EQ; they have a sense of their environment in terms of emotions – dangerous, safe, unpleasant, pleasant - and know how to deal with it – fight or flight, for example. </p> <p>The transformative power of SQ distinguishes it from IQ and EQ. While IQ and EQ help in dealing with situations, SQ allows us to ask if we want to be in that situation in the first place through questions like - &quot;Is my job giving me the fulfillment I seek?&quot; &quot;Are my relationships with others mutually satisfying?&quot; &quot;What are my priorities in life?&quot;<br /> &quot;What is the purpose of my existence?&quot; SQ motivates us to create new situations if necessary. Thus it determines our happiness as also our ability to meaningfully utilize IQ and EQ.</p> <p>SQ has many characteristics, most of which center on perception of the unchanging, non- temporal, divine aspect of life. The word “spiritual” is interpreted differently by different people and accordingly SQ also has different parameters. Theistic SQ – SQ as measured by one’ levels of God consciousness. Interestingly, theistic SQ has a scientific basis. In the 1990s, research at the University of California led to an identification of a 'God-spot' in the human brain. This area, located among neural connections in the temporal lobes of the brain, lights up during scans with positron emission topography whenever research subjects are exposed to discussion of spiritual topics. The existence of the God-spot indicates that the brain is programmed to ask ultimate questions. This finding falsified the earlier allegation of some psychologists that religion was a neurosis, a mental disorder. Scientific findings found even more revealing. In the highly acclaimed Handbook of Religion and Health, published by Oxford University Press, Harold G. Koenig, MD; Michael E. McCullough, PhD; and the late David B. Larson,MD, carefully reviewed no fewer than two thousand published experiments that tested the relationship between religion and everything from blood pressure, heart disease, cancer and stroke to depression, suicide, psychotic disorders and marital problems. </p> <p>Some of their findings are: People who attended a spiritual program at least once a week lived average seven years longer than those who don't attend at all. </p> <p>Religious youth showed significantly lower levels of drug and alcohol abuse, premature sexual involvement, criminal delinquency and suicidal tendencies than their nonreligious counterparts.<br /> Elderly people with deep, personal religious faith have a stronger sense of well- being and life satisfaction than their less religious peers.” Koening’ Conclusion: &quot;A high SQ faithfulness to God appears to benefit people of all means,s educational levels and ages.&quot; Scientists are also discovering how harmful a relatively low SQ can be to your health. One recent study looked at individuals whose idea of being successful means having the biggest house on the<br /> block or newest luxury car. The consequences of this secular view of life are devastating, explains Ohio State University psychologist Robert Arkin: “The cycle of materialistic pursuits is disappointing and exhausting in the long run and can make people perpetually unhappy.” Interestingly, the modern concept of SQ parallels the Vedanta-sutra principle of brahma jijnasa (spiritual enquiry), which is also unique to human beings. Like the threefold intelligences IQ, EQ and SQ, the Vedic guidelines encompass our three-dimensional existence - body, mind and spirit. To attain lasting happiness, we need to go beyond gratifying our bodies and pacifying our minds to harmonizing our souls with the supreme soul, God, through devotional service. Amazingly, the characteristics of high SQ people, as stated below, are almost identical with those of advanced spiritualists mentioned in the Bhagavad-gita. Consider for example the capacity for holistic thinking – the ability to see connections between diverse things- considered the hallmark of high SQ people. When people with high IQ / low SQ look at the world, they see only space and time, mass and energy, logic and<br /> reason. This vision prompts analysis, but offers no sense of direction in life. People with high IQ / high SQ also see connectivity and design, purpose and meaning, faith and mystery. This vision enables them to see the hand of God and so gives them direction in life. The other strikingly similar qualities are given below braces) - Self-awareness (2.13)<br /> An ability to face and use suffering (2.15) The ability to be inspired by a vision (2.41) A desire and capacity to cause as little harm as possible (12.13) Most importantly, the Vedic scriptures delineate a practical and potent ABCD formula for dramatically increasing our SQ and happiness. </p> <p>A - Association: Interacting with and learning from high SQ people like devotees of God enables us to see order amidst chaos, plan amidst change<br /> B - Books: Studying spiritual books like the Bhagavad-gita answers life's fundamental questions and empowers us with inner direction and motivation<br /> C - Chanting: Regular meditation on the holy names of God like the Hare Krishna mahamantra bestows spiritual tranquility even amidst material adversity.<br /> D - Diet: Eating vegetarian food sanctified by offering to God nourishes our body, purifies our mind and awakens our soul.</p> <p>The Bhagavata Mahapurana (7.7.21) urges us to become spiritual gold-seekers, &quot;An expert geologist can understand where there is gold below the earth and extract it from the gold ore by various processes. Similarly, a wise person can understand the spiritual dimension within the material body, and, by spiritual excavation, attain fulfillment in life.&quot; Most people spend their entire lives unaware of the treasure of peace, joy, love and wisdom that lies within their own<br /> hearts, just as uninformed people living in a gold ore area stay unaware of the treasure below them. The treasure in our heart is spiritual – it is our eternal loving relationship with God, Krishna. </p> <p>Modern science by acknowledging the primacy of SQ has started discovering this latent wealth. The ABCD formula of Krishna consciousness enables us to spiritually excavate and fully utilize this treasure. According to Robert Emmons (The Psychology of Ultimate Concerns, 1999), spiritual intelligence helps one to transcend the physical and material, experience heightened states of consciousness, sanctify everyday experience, utilize spiritual resources to solve problems, and, be virtuous, showing such traits as humility, gratitude, forgiveness and compassion. This suggests that just as financial capital is the basis of any business, the spiritual capital – SQ – is the basis of our<br /> business of life. It fills us with divine confidence in all our endeavors. Lest we neglect our spiritual enrichment, modern management guru Stephen Covey reminds us, &quot;We are not human beings on a spiritual journey; we are spiritual beings on a human journey. (with the corresponding Gita verses in </p> <p>By Chaitanya Charan Das (BE E&amp;TC) </p> http://absolute-truth.net/forums/topic/how-do-i-increase-my-willpower-1#post-78 Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:09:01 +0000 Abhishek 78@http://absolute-truth.net/forums/ <p>Nourish The Will To Win (determination &amp; discrimination)</p> <p>Where there is no will, there can never be any way. Willpower is the greatest human power and its absence is the greatest human weakness. What are the factors that enhance and erode willpower? The Upanishads offer valuable insights into willpower through a thought-provoking chariot-body analogy: the body is compared to a chariot, the five knowledge-acquiring senses (eyes, ears, nose, tongue and skin) to the horses driving the chariot, the mind to the reins controlling the horses, the intelligence to the charioteer and the self to the passenger. The passenger can reach his desired destination in the chariot only when the charioteer is strong enough to control and direct the horses. Similarly we can exercise our will power and achieve success only when our intelligence is strong enough to control and direct our senses. Strong intelligence has two essential components – discrimination and determination. Discrimination is the capacity to differentiate between the harmful and the beneficial, the short-term and the long- term, the temporary and the eternal, the material and the spiritual. Determination is the strength to act as per our discrimination; to accept the beneficial, even if it is temporarily painful and to eschew the harmful, even if it is temporarily pleasurable. Going back to the chariot-body analogy, discrimination refers to the fixity and clarity of vision of the charioteer and determination refers to his physical strength and skill in manoeuvring the horses. </p> <p>Therefore to increase our willpower, we need to increase our discrimination and determination. Just as the horses may be distracted from the path by fruit-bearing trees, our senses may get distracted by the allurements for instant gratification. This in turn weakens our discriminatory power. Therefore we need to study spiritual literature (svadhyaya) and associate with mature spiritualists (satsang) to sharpen our discrimination. Just as Arjuna accepted Krishna as His charioteer and emerged victorious in the battle of Kurukshetra, we can also invoke the supreme powerful to empower our intelligence and thus emerge victorious in the battle of life. We can access divine power by sadhana, regular spiritual disciplinary practices. Just as body building can strengthen the charioteer, our daily sadhana is like a spiritual body building program to strengthens our determination. </p> <p>Thus svadhyaya, satsang and sadhana bring out our best – materially and spiritually.</p> <p>By Chaitanya Charan Das (BE E&amp;TC) </p> http://absolute-truth.net/forums/topic/what-is-axis-of-reflection-between-material-world-and-spiritual-world#post-77 Wed, 25 Nov 2009 06:26:11 +0000 saurabh005 77@http://absolute-truth.net/forums/ <p>Bhagavad Gita 15.1 describes the material world to be a reflection of spiritual world. What is the axis of separation? Is that or consciousness. Here is what Srila Prabhupada says in the purport of that verse.</p> <p>Now, there is no ready experience in this world of a tree situated with its branches down and its roots upward, but there is such a thing. That tree can be found beside a reservoir of water. We can see that the trees on the bank reflect upon the water with their branches down and roots up. In other words, the tree of this material world is only a reflection of the real tree of the spiritual world. This reflection of the spiritual world is situated on desire, just as a tree's reflection is situated on water. Desire is the cause of things' being situated in this reflected material light. One who wants to get out of this material existence must know this tree thoroughly through analytical study. Then he can cut off his relationship with it.</p> <p>So its the desire and consciousness.</p> <p>Posted by SAURABH. Edited by LNDASA. </p> http://absolute-truth.net/forums/topic/does-reincarnation-really-happen#post-75 Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:47:58 +0000 Abhishek 75@http://absolute-truth.net/forums/ <p>Om Shanti Om - Romantic Reincarnation?</p> <p>The unconventional storyline of Om shanti om featuring the rebirth of both the hero and the heroine – and its immense popularity – are strikingly indicative of the growing social acceptance of reincarnation. The pioneering efforts of rigorous researchers like Dr Ian Stevenson, Dr Brian Weiss and Dr Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, to name a few, have provided scientific evidence for afterlife. Moreover, many eminent personalities including US Presidents like Benjamin Franklin and John Adams,<br /> business magnates like Henry Ford, philosophers like Socrates and Ralph Waldo Emerson, and psychologists like Carl Jung have believed in reincarnation. Not only that, rebirth has always been a central theme in Vedic and Buddhist scriptures, as is quite well-known. Perhaps less known is the fact that reincarnation is explicitly mentioned in Judaeo-Christian and Islamic texts too. Going back to om, its novel storyline - a frustrated romance being fulfilled in the next life - has mass appeal.<br /> But is this just a reel fantasy or is it a real possibility?</p> <p>The mechanism of reincarnation, as described in the Vedic literature, is a precise higher-dimensional science involving cosmic justice and divine sanction. We are spiritual beings, souls, temporarily inhabiting various bodies that are like dresses, as stated in Bhagavad-gita (2.22). Just as in this life we change dresses as per our likes and our budget, similarly at the end of life, we change our bodily dress, that is, transmigrate into new bodies, as per our individual desires and deeds, which are like our karmic budget. If we do good deeds, we get healthier, stronger and more attractive bodies in our next life. And the converse also holds true. In general, because all of us have different desires and perform<br /> different deeds, so normally we will all go in entirely different directions after this life. </p> <p>Nonetheless, the longing for reunion with the beloved after rebirth has a spiritual fulfillment - there is indeed a divine realm where romance, reincarnation and reality intersect. As souls, our natural and eternal object of love is God, Krishna, who possesses in full all the qualities – beauty, wealth, knowledge, strength, fame and renunciation – that attract us to different people in this world. Krishna already loves us and is simply waiting in our own hearts for us to reciprocate with his love. So unlike in reel life, where one has to be a Kapoor, a Khanna or a Kumar to succeed, in real life, the only K that matters is of Krishna; if we make the right choice to love Krishna, then anyone and everyone can attain the highest piritual success. The Bhagavad-gita (7.8) declares om to be a manifestation of God, Krishna. So, when we take shelter of Him by devotional service centered on chanting his holy names, then we can experience the ultimate shanti of divine love. In that shanti of divine love, we can “live happily ever after”, because divine love conquers all obstacles -- even death. Our bodies will inevitably succumb to death, but we will not experience the traumatic rupture of relationships that befalls hose who have restricted their love to only this world. Rather, death will free us from the bodily limitations that impede us in expressing and experiencing divine love. Further death will serve as the doorway to usher us into the kingdom of God, where<br /> we will delight in endless love with our beloved Krishna. Indeed the recurrent assertion in om “If you wholeheartedly desire something, then the entire creation starts endeavoring to assist you in that quest” becomes true specifically when that object is none other than the Lord of the creation and the original Lord of our heart, Krishna Himself. If om shanti reminds us of that glorious destiny which is our spiritual birthright, then it will go beyond providing fleeting entertainment to directing us towards everlasting enlightenment. </p> http://absolute-truth.net/forums/topic/does-god-exist#post-74 Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:55:11 +0000 Abhishek 74@http://absolute-truth.net/forums/ <p>We often hear of waterproof cans and bulletproof vests, but what about aircraft-proof gadgets? Even the twin tower<br /> designers couldn't do that. But do we not see aircraft-technology in action just overhead? An &quot;ordinary&quot; cloud is a<br /> massive mobile airborne water tank, which is aircraft-proof; an entire plane passing through it causes no leakage! And<br /> what raw materials fabricate this incredibly hi-tech product? Mainly water vapor and dust! What a masterpiece of<br /> design! No wonder Lord Kelvin remarked, &quot;If you think deeply enough, you will be forced by science to believe in God.&quot;<br /> Science reveals the intricate design and delicate harmony in nature that provides all our necessities – heat, light, air, water and food. For the thoughtful and faithful – like Kelvin, this is obvious evidence of the Supreme Scientist in action. Atheists are allergic to the very idea of `faith', but can they prove the non-existence of God? No. Is it<br /> scientific to say that God doesn't exist just because we can't see Him? If yes, then we shouldn't believe that electrons exist as we can't see them either. We benefit from electricity – the effect of the flow of electrons and so<br /> infer that electrons exist. Similarly when we benefit from universal design, shouldn't we infer that a designer exists?<br /> Atheists counter: if God exists, why does He let His own children suffer? But does sickness prove the non-existence of<br /> doctors? Can sickness not be due to the patient's neglecting the doctor's prescriptions for good health? Similarly can<br /> our suffering not be due to our neglecting God's guidelines for happy, harmonious living? All God-given scriptures<br /> advise us to restrict sensual pleasures and seek spiritual fulfillment. Scientific findings have vindicated this scriptural counsel. Indiscriminate indulgence is hazardous – smoking ruins our lungs, alcoholism our liver and illicit sex our immune system. Millions worldwide are benefiting from spiritual practices like meditation, yoga, prayer and chanting. Hence if we let the facts speak, it is atheism or faithlessness that turns out to be a form of faith; a blind, unreasonable and unprovable faith that God doesn't exist. We must protect ourselves from faithlessness if we wish to avoid suffering and achieve happiness.</p> <p>Once an atheist challenged Srila Prabhupada, the founder of ISKCON, &quot;You have dedicated your whole life to serving<br /> Krishna. What if after death you find that Krishna doesn't exist?&quot; Srila Prabhupada unhesitatingly replied, &quot;I will still serve Krishna, because in this very life, I am much happier than the atheists.&quot; Srila Prabhupada then countered, &quot;What if all your life you don't serve Krishna and after death you find that Krishna exists? What will happen to you then?&quot; </p> <p>Chaitanya Charan Das (BE E&amp;TC), Editor, The Spiritual Scientist </p> http://absolute-truth.net/forums/topic/if-this-is-exploitation-what-is-loving-service#post-72 Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:32:44 +0000 girimurari 72@http://absolute-truth.net/forums/ <p>Dear Sir</p> <p>There is one question that has always left me wondering. You always say that we must do our duty so we can look after our homes and our families. Doing our duty means working for and alongside other sinners. And the government whom you often<br /> refer to as fools pay us our salaries. Out of these salaries you expect a donation to do your humble work. You have guessed my question already, haven't you? Don't tell me the answer...I give you my money, and because I give you my hard-earned cash out of the goodness of my heart, then that money somehow becomes clean money so you can travel the world, eat and board free of charge and don't have to undergo the daily stress that I alongside many have to endure before we earn that cash. Not only that, you expect a percentage to be given to your good cause each month. Isn't that exploitation? Isn't that what the government calls tax, you call offerings? What a sad world we live in when we can trust no one, not even those who pretend<br /> to be God's messengers. May you have good health and good sleep after a long hard day's work.</p> <p>An angry but confused and aspiring devotee.</p> <p>Answer: If This is Exploitation, What is Loving Service?</p> <p>My Dear Angry, Confused, Aspiring Devotee,</p> <p>Please accept my blessings.</p> <p>All glories to Srila Prabhupada.<br /> I have received your email and have noted the contents with care.</p> <p>Ordinary citizens work 40, 50, or 60 hours a week on the condition that they are paid some money for their work. If they are not paid, they will not work. My typical work week is 126 hours of work for which I am not paid a single penny. </p> <p>Devotees all over the world are very eager that I come to their country to enlighten them in the science of bhakti. Because of this eagerness they cover the cost of my airfare. They give me a place to sleep, sometimes a mattress on the floor. They also provide me with my meals. </p> <p>I can also add that even though I am offered nice hot vegetarian meals on the airplanes I never accept them because they are not prepared by devotees. I bring my own simple vegetarian prasadam such as chapatis and subji with me on the plane even though I have to eat such meals cold.</p> <p>In spite of the tremendous sacrifice I am making of my entire life in the service of God and humanity and the toll that all of this traveling is taking on my 62 year old body, you accuse me of being a pretender and an exploiter. This goes to show that being a messenger of God is often a thankless task. Jesus was crucified for being a messenger of God. It appears that you would like to see me crucified also.</p> <p>Today I have been working since 3:00am. Now it is after 10pm and I have not still not taken my evening meal because I have been so busy in preaching the entire day. </p> <p>It will be after 11pm before I take some rest after having put in a 20 hour work day for which I received zero remuneration. And you call this exploitation. If this is exploitation, what is loving service? Sometimes we see that drunkards, drug addicts, and women hunters are shown more appreciation than those who are trying to save the suffering humanity from the cycle of birth and death. What can be done? We must repay such hatred with love.</p> <p>If you would like to be a devotee, kindly note that Krishna only accepts as His devotees those who are the devotees of His devotees. If we cannot appreciate the devotion of someone who has dedicated his entire life to spread the glories of Krishna all over the world, Krishna will never accept our devotion.</p> <p>You have failed to note that all wealth, no matter how gained, is Lakshmi, the goddess of fortune and is therefore meant to be engaged in the service of the Lord. And thus you object to the seeing the goddess of fortune being engaged in the Lord's service.</p> <p>Kindly try to open your heart and appreciate the compassion of those who are truly your well-wishers.</p> <p>I hope this meets you in the best of health and in an ecstatic mood.</p> <p>Always your well-wisher,</p> <p>Sankarshan Das Adhikari</p> <p>More information is available for study at: </p> <p><a href='http://www.ultimateselfrealization.com'>http://www.ultimateselfrealization.com</a> </p> http://absolute-truth.net/forums/topic/on-dishonest-activities#post-71 Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:10:22 +0000 Krsnamitranitai 71@http://absolute-truth.net/forums/ <p>Q: If at work, whether in business, education, or the military, etc., one is told to do something dishonest, is it the worker's responsibility to refuse an order or does the responsibility for that action fall upon the superior?</p> <p>Ans:We do have to bear responsibility for all our words and deeds, the only exception being activities in devotion and surrender done on the order of Supreme Lord or His representatives. Just as in ordinary state law, although a superior who directs others to act nefariously is certainly held seriously responsible, those who execute such actions are also personally responsible for their compliance. The laws of karma work similarly. It helps, therefore, to choose one's occupational field carefully and judiciously at the very outset considering one's own nature and the nature of the occupation, so as not to be implicated in compromising situations.</p> <p>You will find that when you choose honesty in your dealings and stand on that principle, over the course of time you are very likely to earn the respect of those you work for or work with, and even if not, more importantly you will gain the favor and protection of the Supreme Lord.</p> <p>It is instructive in this regard to consider the stark example of Bali Maharaja when he promises to give three paces of land in charity to Vamanadeva, and his guru Sukracarya tries to dissuade him from keeping his promise. Sukracarya warns that Bali was about to lose everything due to Vamanadev's trickery, and although he offers many arguments and loopholes by which Bali can safely retract from his promise, Bali Maharaja takes the great risk of transgressing the order of his preceptor &amp; being cursed by him for the sake of upholding truthfulness, the highest truthfulness being satisfying and surrendering to Lord Vishnu. Bali Maharaja is celebrated for this exemplary act of surrender, by even rejecting the so-called pseudo spiritual master who comes in the way of such truthful surrender. (Cf. SB 8.19.28-43; 8.20.1-5)</p> <p>Srila Prabhupada would say that the better part of valor is to maintain the principles of religion despite all kinds of odds; those who protect virtue are in turn protected by virtue. </p> <p>Answer by H.H Romapada Swami </p> http://absolute-truth.net/forums/topic/on-moon-landing#post-67 Fri, 16 Oct 2009 12:52:45 +0000 girimurari 67@http://absolute-truth.net/forums/ <p>Inhabitants of earth are limited by Space and Time. Space has three dimensions, length, breadth and height and we can go forward and back in it. Time the fourth dimension - is where we can only forward and not go back. These are our limitations. </p> <p>Do Vedic texts ascertain extra capabilities in terms of space and time for inhabitants of moon ? </p> http://absolute-truth.net/forums/topic/vishvesha-teertha-releases-advaita-book#post-66 Fri, 16 Oct 2009 12:36:52 +0000 girimurari 66@http://absolute-truth.net/forums/ <p>Present Shankaracharya is expert on Vedic Mathematics - Sutras, Trigonometry and stuff. </p> http://absolute-truth.net/forums/topic/more-plants-need-not-mean-less-co2#post-65 Fri, 16 Oct 2009 12:31:20 +0000 girimurari 65@http://absolute-truth.net/forums/ <p>Vegetation is more in the northern hemisphere of earth than in southern. So, when Northern hemisphere faces sun during revolution, the rate of photosynthesis is high and plants absorb CO2 more. When northern hemisphere faces away from Sun, CO2 is absorbed less. Global warming cannot be stopped mere by increase of trees. Can a small sapling substitute a giant tree ? And how long will a baby plant take to grow to become a big tree ? And what is the rate at which we contribute green house gases to atmosphere ? The equation is terribly imbalanced. The effects of Global warming is not just increase of temperature and melting of Polar ice caps or Green Land. Global warming causes precipitation and absorbs moisture from soil causing drought. Because the temperature rise, ocean currents get affected, hurricanes are formed. Because, the sea level increases, the low level countries like Netherlands will be flooded. 2005 was the hottest year since the last Ice age ! </p> http://absolute-truth.net/forums/topic/do-people-in-the-east-and-the-west-think-differently#post-64 Fri, 16 Oct 2009 11:58:11 +0000 girimurari 64@http://absolute-truth.net/forums/ <p>Excellent analogy. Indian sages treated World as hospital while Modern West sees world as hotel. The Rest is clear as sun ! </p> http://absolute-truth.net/forums/topic/american-president-obama-celebrates-diwali#post-63 Fri, 16 Oct 2009 11:52:47 +0000 girimurari 63@http://absolute-truth.net/forums/ <p>It is a news which makes every Indian proud ! In a historical move, American President Barack Obama celebrated Deepavali by lighting the lamp in White House. The President of the most powerful country made an act which no other president of America ever did before. Lighting the lamp in White House amidst Vedic hymns chanted by Indian pujaris is somethig special. Political reasons apart, the event has something every Indian to think. To think about something which might have been over looked or taken for granted. Obama said - &quot;..symbolize the victory of light over darkness, and knowledge over ignorance &quot;</p> <p>Lamp and Indian Culture:</p> <p>Indian culture has lamp a prominent place to play. Lamp is inseperable from it. Every day, every home has lamp lit in it. Since ages, any auspicious moments have been celebrated with lighting of lamp. Till date, at every walk of life lamp is used at ceremonies. Though electric serial sets have become popular, it is nevertheless a symbol of fun and celebration. Lamps are not substituted by serial sets rather complement it. Lamps have undergone evolution with lots of aesthetics built in them in the form of various shapes, substances. Traditionally lamps were made of clay and now metals like silver and white metal is most popular.</p> <p>Science behind Lamp </p> <p>A lamp has science behind it. Psychological science. A lamp has postive effect on person who lights it. A person feels serenity while lighting a lamp. He feels darkness dispelled when a tiny flame begins to appear waving gently . It makes even a tensed man temporarily patient. When he protects the little yellow dot against breeze, a flash of smile appears on the face. When he sees the flame stable a sense of satisfaction is felt. While litting other lamps, a sense of creation or distribution is experienced. Lighting of lamp is a form of prayer. It is prayer to to God to remove darkness - darkness of ignorance. A small act of lighting the lamp has great benefits on mind. We are busy day in day out dealing with serious stuffs that we overlook or do not bother to see the benefits of such a trivial task. Lamp lighting and offering can be best stress realeaser !</p> <p>Indian culture has suffered attacks from &quot;rationalists&quot; terming many of them to be rituals. Perhaps, lighting the lamp is one such activity which is so universal, scientific, psychological, rationally approvable, sensitive - with absolutely no side effects !</p> <p>This is a month - where we celebrate exculsively with lamps. Deepavali is coming and in past, Lord Ram and Krsna performed several pastimes this month - the famous being Damodar lila of Lord Krsna. So, people offer ghee lamp to Lord Krsna. Let us all do it and see how such a small act can transform our hearts, calm our minds and release our tensions. Besides its fun to see lamps around ! </p> http://absolute-truth.net/forums/topic/do-people-in-the-east-and-the-west-think-differently#post-60 Mon, 05 Oct 2009 09:44:27 +0000 Abhishek 60@http://absolute-truth.net/forums/ <p>&quot;East is east and West is west, and the twain shall never meet,&quot; sang English poet Rudyard Kipling. What is it that is so different between the East and the West? Stated analogically, the modern Western worldview sees this world as a hotel, whereas the ancient Vedic worldview sees it as a hospital. In a hotel, we command; in a hospital, we cooperate. In a hotel, we expect enjoyment; in a hospital, we expect treatment.</p> <p>Most modern people presume this world to be the arena for their planning, executing and enjoying. But even a little experience of life can show that things don't always happen as we want them to. When faced with repeated obstacles or reversals, people become disheartened - all the more so when they are expecting to command and enjoy like in a hotel. This disappointment may aggravate into chronic depression and even suicidal thought, both of which are rampant in our society. Moreover the hotel worldview is quite dehumanizing. How many hotel-goers love and care for the waiters who are serving them? Similarly when people imagine that others exist only for &quot;waiting&quot; on them - facilitating their enjoyment, they become impatient, impersonal, insensitive and intolerant towards others. This selfish, enjoyment-centred worldview is at the root of deteriorating relationships and rupturing families. Worse still, the frustration resulting from such a worldview may escalate into anger and violence. Also in the hotel worldview, the final truth and end of life - death - defies explanation: if the world is a hotel, then why does death always spoil the party? Let’s consider the hospital worldview. The Vedic literature informs us that all living beings in this world are like patients afflicted with amnesia. We have forgotten our spiritual glory as eternal beloved children of the supremely wealthy and loving Mother-Father and are misidentifying ourselves with our temporary material bodies and designations. The Supreme Being is the expert doctor, who is treating us through a prudent blend of congenial stimuli and jolting shocks - all ultimately meant to awaken our spiritual memory and reinstate us in our divine glory. Shock treatment may appear undesirable to the uninformed patient, but the well-informed patient understands that it is not just desirable, but essential, for his ultimate well being. Similarly when we are spiritually well-informed, that is, when we see the Supreme as a doctor and not as a waiter, then we understand that reversal are a part of the divine shock treatment. Even if things are going &quot;wrong&quot; as per our short- term perception, they are still going &quot;right&quot; as per the long-term therapeutic plan. </p> <p>Thus the hospital worldview helps us make sense out of reversals and gives us hope, confidence and strength. Indeed when we have the right worldview, even death fails to cause us fear, for it becomes another phase in a multi-life treatment plan. If our amnesia is cured, then death becomes a discharge from the hospital so that we can return to our original home in the spiritual world, the kingdom of God. If our treatment is not yet complete, death is like the transfer of the patient to another unit for faster and better treatment. People all over the world who have been misled by the hospital worldview into having unrealistic expectations - and enduring the consequent unbearable frustrations - sorely need the balm of the hospital worldview. </p> <p>Lest we have second thoughts about this fundament and indispensable paradigm shift, the exhortation of eminent British historian Dr Arnold Toynbee can prod us on, &quot;It is already becoming clear that a chapter which had a Western beginning will have to have an Indian ending if it is not to end in the self-destruction of the human race. At this supremely dangerous moment in history, the only way of salvation for mankind is the Indian way.&quot; </p> <p>By Chaitanya Charan Das (BE E&amp;TC) </p> http://absolute-truth.net/forums/topic/do-our-beliefs-affect-our-health#post-58 Thu, 24 Sep 2009 08:44:24 +0000 Abhishek 58@http://absolute-truth.net/forums/ <p>Made For Each Other</p> <p>&quot;You're saying your research proves this higher reality exist?&quot; asks writer Vince Rause.</p> <p>Prof Andrew Newberg of the University of Pennsylvania replies, &quot;I'm saying the possibility of such a reality is not<br /> inconsistent with science.&quot;</p> <p>&quot;But you can't observe such a thing in a scientific way, can you?&quot;</p> <p>Newberg grins. He hasn't simply observed such a state; he has managed to take its picture.</p> <p> DIVINE FINDINGS<br /> What you are reading is an extract from a fascinating article in the Jan 2002 issue of the Readers Digest, Searching for the Divine (pg 125) Prof Andrew Newberg is a leader in neurotheology, an emerging science which explores the links between spirituality and the brain.</p> <p>Newberg and his team took pictures of the brain of the subjects in a normal waking state and in deep meditation. When they studied the scans, their attention was drawn to a chunk of the brain's left parietal lobe which they called the orientation association area. This region is responsible for drawing the line between the physical self and rest of existence, a task that requires a constant stream of neural information flowing in from the senses. What the scans revealed, however, was that at peak moments of prayer and meditation, the flow was dramatically reduced, indicating a decrease in neuronal activity. In such a brain state, the subject loses awareness of his physical self, goes to a state of complete relaxation and deep satisfaction and ?experiences a higher reality.</p> <p>Newberg concludes such an experience of God by the human brain is as much a reality as any perception by the brain of &quot;ordinary&quot; physical reality.<br /> This article is representative of what modern medical science is discovering (or rather rediscovering). More and more rigorous and unbiased studies are providing impeccable scientific evidence establishing the benefits, and indeed the necessity, of spirituality as an integral part of human existence.</p> <p> LET THE DATA SPEAK<br /> Consider the following data compiled by Patrick Glynn, Associate Director at the George Washington University, in his book God: The Evidence:</p> <p>Suicide : A large-scale 1972 study found that persons who did not attend spiritual prayer meetings were four times as likely to commit suicide than were those who attended spiritual prayer meetings frequently. A review of twelve studies of the relationship between religious commitment and suicide found a negative correlation in all twelve cases. Lack of spiritual prayer meetings attendance has been found to be the single best predictor of suicide rates, better even than unemployment.</p> <p>Drug Abuse: Numerous studies have found an inverse correlation between religious commitment and abuse of drugs.<br /> One survey of nearly 14,000 youths found that substance abuse varied in inverse proportion to strength of religious<br /> commitment, with the most conservative religious youths abusing the least. The authors concluded that &quot;importance of religion&quot; was the single best indicator / predictor of substance abuse patterns.</p> <p>Alcohol Abuse: Several studies have found that alcohol abuse is highest among those with little or no religious<br /> commitment. One study found that nearly 90% of alcoholics had lost interest in religion in youth , while among the non - alcoholic control group 48% reported an increase in religious commitment in adulthood and 32% reported no change. Depression and Stress: Several studies have found that high levels of religious commitment correlate with lower levels of depression, lower level of stress, and greater ability to cope with stress. Religious people recover from surgery more quickly than do their atheistic counterparts.</p> <p>Divorce: A number of studies have found a strong inverse correlation between spiritual prayer meetings attendance and divorce. Spiritual prayer meetings attendance also correlates strongly with the expressed willingness of a partner to marry the same spouse again - a measure of marital satisfaction. </p> <p>Marital and Sexual Satisfaction: A study found that spiritual prayer meetings attendance predicted marital satisfaction better than any other single variable. Couples in long-lasting marriages who were surveyed in another study listed religion as one of most important &quot;prescriptions&quot; of a happy marriage. Most strikingly, an analysis of data from a massive survey of Redbook magazine readers found that &quot;very religious women report greater happiness and satisfaction with marital sex than either moderately religious or nonreligious women&quot; So religious people even seem to enjoy better marital sex!</p> <p>Overall Happiness and Psychological Well-being: Strong religious believers consistently report greater overall<br /> happiness and satisfaction with life. In one Gallup survey, respondents with a strong religious commitment - who agreed that &quot;My religious faith is the most important influence in my life&quot; - were twice as likely as those with minimal spiritual commitment to describe themselves as &quot;very happy&quot; Thus statistics show that it is difficult to find a more consistent correlative of mental health, or a better insurance against self-destructive behaviors, than a strong religious faith.</p> <p> A REMARKABLE REVOLUTION<br /> That psychology and its affiliated fields have come up with these findings is remarkable, to say the very least.<br /> Since the early 20 century, a group of psychologists has been caustic in their condemnation of religion. They have<br /> branded faith as a form of mental disorder, a disorder that they predicted humanity would outgrow. Such thoughts<br /> have led to the predominance of the atheistic mentality in the psychology and other related fields and in medical<br /> science at large. But even in those times there were renowned thinkers who differed markedly. Consider for example what the famous Carl Jung remarked in 1932: Among all the patients in the second half of my life,? there has not been one whose problem in the last resort was not that of finding a religious outlook on life. It is safe to say that every one of them fell ill because he had lost that which the living religions of every age have given their followers and none of them has really healed who did not regain his religious outlook.<br /> In other words, Carl Jung firmly believed that faith was a medicine rather than a disease.<br /> And the findings of the late 20 century show that the atheistic challenge to religion, made under the guise of<br /> science, has collapsed - that too under the weight of scientific evidence. That this has happened in such an emphatic way in psychology itself, the field where it once gathered great momentum, is eloquent testimony to the sheer magnitude of the revolution in science vis-à-vis spirituality that we are witnessing.</p> <p>The physicians are coming up with similar findings. Harvard Medical School associate professor of medicine Herbert<br /> Benson states that contemporary medical research is showing that the human mind and body are &quot;wired for God&quot;. A Time cover story puts it even more explicit terms. When it comes to health, &quot;the faithful actually have God on their side.&quot; Several other fields as wide-ranging as sociology and ecology are coming up with increasing evidence showing that only a spiritual way of life is sustainable and satisfying; atheism courts disaster at every level. </p> <p> THE REDISCOVERY<br /> Thus modern science is slowly and painfully rediscovering what all the religious scriptures have been teaching since time immemorial: the living being and God are made for each other. When a living being rejects God, he is, by<br /> deliberate misuse of his God-given intelligence, stripping his own life of all meaning, direction, substance, peace and happiness.<br /> The big question however remains. Has modern man experienced enough to learn this lesson? Or does he want to<br /> continue in the school of hard knocks? At a global level, time alone will tell. </p> <p>By Chaitanya Charan Das (BE E&amp;TC) </p> http://absolute-truth.net/forums/topic/cant-science-answer-everything#post-56 Mon, 14 Sep 2009 13:20:34 +0000 Abhishek 56@http://absolute-truth.net/forums/ <p>SCIENCE – &quot;TWO&quot; SHORT TO ROPE THE UNIVERSE<br /> -Damodara lila special</p> <p>One of the important legends associated with Diwali is Damodara lila, a pastime in which mother Yashoda tried to tie Krishna with a rope. The rope turned out to be two fingers short. So she tied more rope, but, no matter how many ropes she tied together, the combined rope remained two fingers short.<br /> This pastime signifies that no matter how much we try, we will always fall short in our attempts to understand God with our intelligence. Modern science is finding the same about the universe too, which, the Vedic literatures state, is a product of God's super intelligence. Centuries of cosmological research has increased scientific information, but not scientific understanding, because of &quot;two&quot; unexpected trends:<br /> 1. The more scientists know, the more they realize how little they know – Science &quot;conquered&quot; space – and realized how little it knew about space. To the uninformed, space missions proved human greatness. To the well informed, they showed human smallness. Space research reveals that there are more stars in the universe than all the grains of sand on all the beaches of earth, and our sun is just one of these cosmic grains. No wonder former President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science Kenneth R Boulding admitted, &quot;Cosmology… is likely to be very insecure because it studies a very large universe with a small and biased sample.&quot;</p> <p>2. The more scientists know, the more they realize what they previously &quot;knew&quot; was wrong – Newton' laws were considered bedrock truths of physics till they were found inapplicable in the microscopic and the macroscopic realms. Quantum physics was developed to explain the atomic world, and relativistic physics for the cosmic. But then both of them turned out to be violently contradictory. As both have to coexist at the origin of the universe – when both the microscopic and the macroscopic were one, science had the formidable challenge of devising with a Theory of Everything (ToE) to unify these irreconcilable pillars of science. Let's review the history of the development of the ToE: Initial vain roar: Physicist Leon Lederman, former president of the American Physical Society, &quot;we hope to explain the entire universe in a single, simple formula that you can wear on your T-shirt.&quot; Subsequent exasperated grunt: Astrophysicist Steven Weinberg, a Nobel laureate in physics, &quot;As we make progress understanding the expanding universe, the problem itself expands, so that the solution always seems to recede from us,&quot; Final concealed whimper: Theoretical physicist John Wheeler of Princeton University, &quot;Never run after a bus or woman or cosmological theory, because there'll always be another one in a few minutes.&quot; Going back to the pastime, the rope Mother Yashoda was trying to tie around Krishna was only two fingers short. But the rope of ToE that science has been trying to tie around the universe is not only short, but also broken, as Stephen Hawking confessed, &quot;The theories (in physics) we have so far are both inconsistent and incomplete.&quot; Mother Yashoda did eventually succeed in tying Krishna - but only after when Krishna, by His own grace, let Himself be bound. Similarly science can understand the universe, especially our place and purpose within it - but only when it harmonizes with super intelligence by researching and applying the verifiable spiritual science delineated in BG, thus paving the way for spiritual revelation.</p> <p>That's not as unscientific as it may sound. A scientist no lesser than founder of quantum physics Nobel Laureate Max Planck stated, &quot; For religion, God is at the beginning; for science, God is at the end.&quot; And science has started reaching that end by its discovery of &quot;fine tuning&quot; of the universe – micro-precise adjustment of the values and inter-relationships of at least 80 parameters essential for life. Obviously fine-tuning needs a fine tuner. Of course, diehard devotees of atheism have proposed chance and multiple universe theories, but these are all intrinsically unproven and unprovable. They fit better the realm of science-fiction than science.<br /> When scientists accept the verdict of their own evidence, they will remove the obstacle in a long-overdue spiritual leap of science. Lest they hesitate or falter in this bold step, renowned physicist Michael Faraday's reminder can urge them on, &quot;We ought to value the privilege of knowing God's truth far beyond anything we can have in this world.&quot; </p> <p>by Chaitanya Charan Das </p> http://absolute-truth.net/forums/topic/the-other-face-of-ysr#post-53 Wed, 09 Sep 2009 07:40:53 +0000 Vishva Mitrah 53@http://absolute-truth.net/forums/ <p>Isoupanishad Iso 9 says</p> <p>andhaḿ tamaḥ praviśanti<br /> ye 'vidyām upāsate<br /> tato bhūya iva te tamo<br /> ya u vidyāyām ratāḥ</p> <p>Those who engage in the culture of nescient activities shall enter into the darkest region of ignorance. Worse still are those engaged in the culture of so-called knowledge. </p> http://absolute-truth.net/forums/topic/the-other-face-of-ysr#post-52 Tue, 08 Sep 2009 07:19:45 +0000 Vishva Mitrah 52@http://absolute-truth.net/forums/ <p>One of the prominent CM recently met with a fatal accident involving a plane crash. The next day the newspapers were abound with glorification for his uncanny ability to understand the pulse of people. He was hailed as an great statesman and leader of the people. There was also a little mention of his corruption and deception skills. Anyway that has become one of the qualifications of being a statesman.</p> <p>The other part of him which no one likes to talk about was his pioneering efforts in using religious conversion to conserve vote bank. A converted Christian himself he used christian evangelising a state policy. During the peak of which he also made an failed attempt to construct a church on the top of Tirumala hill. </p> <p>So the approach of Christian missionaries is not to spread the message of Christ in its true essence instead they employ <a href='http://www.absolute-truth.net/docs/IndiaToday.pdf'>deceptive skills</a> to blaspheme Vedic culture and scriptures to gullible masses who have no proper knowledge of them. They exploit this ignorance to have their way. So what did all this mis-propaganda result for the CM? brutal death. Vilification of the Supreme Lord awards one eternal residence in darkest regions of hell.</p> <p>Although the people may not notice this and the world may forget but the laws of nature will never. </p> <p>It is the duty of the leader to be beyond all favouritisms. Look here to know more about the duty of a ruler according to <a href='http://absolute-truth.net/wiki/Raja_Dharma'>Vishnu dharma saastra</a>. In the ABTN we promote honest enquiry rather than prejudiced one sided propaganda and blasphemy. A real truth seeker gives proper merit to every path according to how much it relates to the truth rather than indulge in prejudiced blasphemy and deceptive skills. </p> http://absolute-truth.net/forums/topic/can-technology-make-the-world-a-better-place#post-50 Fri, 04 Sep 2009 10:56:10 +0000 Abhishek 50@http://absolute-truth.net/forums/ <p>'Technology: the knack of so arranging the world that we don’t have to experience it.' - Max Frisch, Homo Faber</p> <p>We live in the age of technology. We commute by automobiles and airplanes and communicate by emails and mobiles. The media and the Internet provide us the latest information from all over the world. Movies filled with hi-tech special effects entertain us. Air conditioners and room heaters keep our life comfortable despite climatic inconveniences. The list goes on. Technology has transformed almost every aspect of our lives. Of course, a few of us may have concerns about the pollution and environmental problems that technology has led to. But overall most people feel that technology has benefited us immensely.<br /> But, as per the above quote, that precisely is the expertise of technology: to not let us experience the reality of the world. Therefore let us go deeper to analyze the effects of technology on our society.</p> <p> TECHNOLOGY HARMS MORE THAN IT BENEFITS<br /> • How many people can afford a car? Not everyone. But how many people have to breathe the poisonous exhaust of the<br /> car? Everyone.<br /> • How many people enjoy consumer products? A few. But when the industries manufacturing these products release<br /> toxic effluents into the rivers, how many people suffer? Everyone.<br /> • How many people have benefited from fertilizers, insecticides, terminator seeds, and other artificial techniques for increasing agricultural production? Some people for a generation or two. But how many people are troubled by the soil infertility and the resulting ever-increasing prices of essential food grains? Everyone for many generations to come<br /> • Who benefit from cell phones? The vendors and the users. But who are exposed to the harmful electromagnetic waves<br /> that fill the atmosphere? Everyone.<br /> • Whom does nuclear technology help? Mainly a few power-hungry politicians. But whom does it endanger? Everyone.<br /> • Who are benefiting from extensive technological advancement? A few developed countries. But who will suffer from<br /> the global warming they have caused in the process? All the coastal countries of world.<br /> Technology offers luxuries to a few, but strips millions of their necessities in the process. In other words, technology heals in retail and kills in wholesale.</p> <p> TECHNOLOGY CREATES A WORLDVIEW WHICH MAKES ITS MISUSE NATURAL</p> <p>Often the proponents of technology argue that the misuse of technology is to be condemned, not technology itself.<br /> They liken technology to a knife; in the hand of a murderer it kills, but in the hand of a surgeon, it cures. Similarly, the argument goes, technology cannot be blamed if mavericks threaten to, say, misuse nuclear weapons.<br /> The analogy is good, but does it apply to technology? Technology does not just create machines. It also creates the<br /> worldviews of the users of those machines. In a technology-centered world, multitudes of gadgets promise control and enjoyment. Consequently people develop, consciously or unconsciously, a worldview that everything is meant for their enjoyment if they can just get the means. Technological education, being secular, teaches them nothing about any higher spiritual purpose of life. Having no knowledge or opportunity for finding inner fulfillment, people consider material enjoyment to be the only goal of life. Further the media, using the most sophisticated technology, fills their minds with lust for enjoyment and greed for possessions. In a world of limited resources and unlimited desires, frustration of lust and greed is inevitable. This frustration soon erupts as anger. And whey people are given no knowledge of karmic justice, what is going to stop them ’impelled as they are by lust, greed and anger - from misusing technology, their most powerful resource, while pursuing pleasure?<br /> • Once I saw a jazzy billboard announcing an upcoming beauty pageant. Below the lewd pictures read a note: The<br /> proceeds from this contest will be used to treat AIDS patients. I couldn't resist commenting to my friend, &quot;I don't<br /> know whether any people will be cured of AIDS by this, but I know for sure that many people will get AIDS due to<br /> this.&quot;<br /> • In many reputed educational institutes, students are provided with high-speed broadband Internet connections to<br /> facilitate their research work. But what is the main search object for most students? Pornography.<br /> • Do we ever see ads promoting rice, vegetables and other essential food items that nourish our bodies? Rarely. But how often do we see ads that seduce us to smoke and drink and destroy our bodies? Everywhere all the time.<br /> • What is the main purpose for which almost all the countries use technology? Defense. Not supply of food or other<br /> basic necessities.<br /> • Where does most of the funding for technological research globally come from? Either the defense industry or the<br /> consumer industry. Both of these cater, not to the basic necessities of life of everyone, but to the lust, greed and anger of the powerful and the wealthy. These few examples indicate a general pattern: technology is used far more for the selfish pleasures of some than for the selfless good of all. Going back to the knife analogy, imagine giving a knife to a person who we know is blind and mad. What is he going to do with it other than misuse it to harm himself and others? As discussed above, the technological worldview makes people spiritually blind and materially mad. When such people ’ whether they be scheming politicians, cunning businessmen or misled masses - are given technology, what will they do other than misuse it for gradual or sudden MAD (mutually assured destruction)?<br /> TECHNOLOGY CREATES, NOT PROGRESS, BUT AN ILLUSION OF PROGRESS<br /> In the past people would leave the doors of their homes open and still be fearless. Now we moderns lock, bolt, chain and buzzer-alarm their doors and are still fearful. Is this progress?<br /> Most moderns are proud of their posh houses, fast cars, smooth roads and skyscraper offices, but they can’t even<br /> sleep without a pill. Can a society be considered progressed if it makes its people struggle to get the simple and<br /> essential pleasure of sleeping, a pleasure that the ’primitive' villager gets effortlessly?</p> <p>The technological worldview being materialistic gives rise to selfishness, competition and exploitation. Most moderns, despite the show of romantic love, can't trust their own spouses - what then to speak of parents and children or bosses and colleagues. Do alienated, suspicious people comprise a progressive society?<br /> In the past, the main occupation for most people was farming. People would work around eight hours daily about four<br /> months a year during the sowing and harvesting seasons. That would provide them enough for the whole year. Then came the industrial revolution and we 'progressed' from fields to factories. And people had to work for eight hours<br /> throughout the year. As we now enter the information age, people have to work almost twelve hours a day throughout<br /> the year. To have to work more and more for the same basic necessities of life: is this progress? In fact, we proud moderns go through far more anxieties - job insecurity, stock market crashes, political instability, scandals, crimes, to name a few - to get our necessities than our ancestors. And despite the entire struggle, what we get is substandard: no fresh food, clean water or pure air! To go through greater anxiety to get life's necessities of a poorer quality - is this progress?<br /> Industrialization - an outgrowth of technological advancement - has led to factories replacing fields as the main<br /> workplace and machines replacing humans at the workplace. Result? Factories mostly provide hazardous, unhygienic or<br /> monotonous jobs that make humans slaves to machines. Even the office jobs being sedentary cause health problems.<br /> And mechanized factories can never offer as much employment as the farms did in the past. So a large number of<br /> people have to suffer or fear unemployment. For subsistence some of the unemployed turn to begging and others to<br /> crime. And overall the modernized industrial environment is so agitating to the mind that self-destructive addictions become the only solace for most people. Are these - unemployment, hazardous or unhealthy employment, criminality and addictions - indicators of progress?<br /> Technology provides comforts, but the high-speed technology-centered lifestyle takes away the peace of mind necessary to enjoy the comforts. A software engineer has an AC in his office, but still he sweats - not due to heat, but due to tension. Thus technology makes us comfortably miserable.<br /> Medical technology may have eradicated a few diseases and may offer cures to some more. But far more people need<br /> medical attention today than in the past due to unhealthy congested city living, sedentary lifestyles and polluted air, water and food. A greater number of hospitals is a sign, not so much of better health care as of worse health.Moreover many of the sophisticated medical treatments, unlike the traditional herbal cures, are prohibitively<br /> expensive.<br /> Most moderns can hardly imagine life without television, movies and myriad other forms of hi-tech entertainment. And they pity the ancestors who did not have all this enjoyment. But people in the past knew how to find joy in the simple things of life - like sharing and caring in joint families, observing and learning from nature and hearing and chanting the names and glories of God. Consequently they did not find life boring. On the contrary it is we who have divorced ourselves from simple natural pleasures by our infatuation with technology. And so, despite our much-touted entertainment, we still find ourselves constantly bored. The entertainment industry may use sophisticated technology, but is the dependence on entertainment - and the serious inner emptiness that it symptomizes - a sign of progress?<br /> Technology intoxicates us with the feeling of being the controller. Just by pressing a switch, we can cause huge<br /> machines to perform complex actions. Just by clicking a key, we can summon information from any part of the world.<br /> By constantly working with machines, we become habituated to controlling them and expect everything and everyone to<br /> be similarly controlled. When people refuse to be controlled like machines, we end up with all sorts of relationship conflicts ranging from cold wars to marital ruptures, from quarrels to murders. And in life when things don't go the way we want them to, we end up suffering from a wide range of mental problems, from depression to addiction, from stress to suicide.</p> <p> TECHNOLOGY REPRESENTS A TRAGIC MISUSE OF THE HUMAN INTELLIGENCE<br /> Imagine a doctor who prescribes only a painkiller to a seriously sick patient. The patient is happy because he gets<br /> relief. The doctor is happy because he gets his fees. Happy end of story, isn't it? The problem is - the story doesn't end there. The patient's pain is not cured, but covered. Soon it will recur and worsen.<br /> All of us are like the seriously sick patient. From the moment of birth, we have a death sentence on our heads. Time forces us to helplessly grow old, get diseased and die. Along this doomed journey from birth to death, miseries from our own bodies and minds (e.g. fever, indigestion, stress, depression), miseries from other living beings (e.g. mosquitoes, competitors, superiors, relatives), and miseries from nature (e.g. extreme heat or cold, floods, earthquakes) periodically torment us.<br /> The Vedic texts explain the root cause of our suffering. We are spiritual beings entrapped in material bodies. We<br /> belong, not to this temporary and miserable material world, but to an eternal and blissful spiritual realm, where we live forever in loving harmony with God. Due to our desire to enjoy independent of God, we are placed in this world, which is an arena for experimentation and rectification. Our advanced human intelligence is meant to recognize our terrible predicament here. For such intelligent humans, the Vedic texts offer a systematic spiritual path that enables them to re-harmonize with and return back to God.<br /> In our modern times, this intelligence has been used, not to advance spiritually, but to develop technologically.<br /> Technology gratifies our senses, inflates our ego and makes us feel comfortable and proud. However, technology<br /> provides entertainment, not peace; comforts, not happiness; medicines, not health; cosmetics, not youth; life<br /> support systems, not immortality . Thus technology is like the painkiller that deadens us to the suffering of material existence. It creates an illusory sense of well-being, which makes us feel that a spiritual solution is unnecessary. Technology, by its false promises, deprives us of the opportunity to attain everlasting happiness and condemns us to stay on and suffer in this world of birth and death.<br /> Srila Prabhupada succinctly states the superficial and futile nature of technological advancement, ’The intelligence that is meant for solving your problems permanently is misused to convert a castor oil lamp into an electric lamp.' (paraphrased).<br /> MAKE THE BEST USE OF A BAD BARGAIN<br /> 'Do we have to give up technology and return back to village life?' That is not undesirable, but it may not be practical for most of us.<br /> We don't have to give up technology; but we do have to give up the illusion that technology can make us happy.<br /> As spiritual beings our happiness lies not in material acquisition, but in spiritual realization. When by spiritual<br /> knowledge and practice we find happiness in loving and serving God, we can use technology in His service, for spreading<br /> His message and mission.<br /> Some of you may be feeling a sort of double standards in this article ’ it condemns technology, using technology. Srila Prabhupada would often give an example to clarify this:<br /> Suppose a gang of thieves robs a bank and flees in a car at a speed of 80 mph on a road with a speed limit of 40 mph. What should the police van chasing the thieves do - stick to the speed limit and let the thieves escape or break the speed limit, go faster than the thieves, arrest them and retrieve the stolen wealth?<br /> Similarly just like the thieves breaking the traffic rules, technological advancement is against the purpose of the<br /> material world. Yet when people's spiritual knowledge is being stolen away by the propagation of godlessness and<br /> materialism through technology, what should the spiritual guardians of society ’the devotees of God' do? They use the same technology to vigorously propagate God consciousness and spirituality. They thus try to save the innocent people from being misled into needless suffering in the name of technological progress.<br /> In fact Srila Prabhupada envisioned an East-West synthesis of Indian wisdom and Western technology. He knew that<br /> this alone could usher in a new global era of harmony and happiness. He compared the coming together of Vedic<br /> spirituality and modern technology to the coming together of the proverbial blind man and the lame man. But for this synthesis to take place, the technologically advanced West has to recognize that it is lacking in spiritual vision. And the materially crippled India has to recognize its wealth of spiritual knowledge. If we acknowledge our respective endowments and deficiencies, we can become pioneers in bringing about an international spiritual revival, which is the only hope for our disastrously misled modern world. Are we ready?</p> <p>By Chaitanya Charan Das(BE E&amp;TC) </p> http://absolute-truth.net/forums/topic/are-dreams-real#post-49 Tue, 01 Sep 2009 07:38:56 +0000 Vishva Mitrah 49@http://absolute-truth.net/forums/ <p>Dreams and Past Lives</p> <p>In dreams we sometimes see things that we have never experienced in the present body. Sometimes in dreams we think that we are flying in the sky, although we have no experience of flying. This means that once in a previous life, either as a demigod or astronaut, we flew in the sky. The impression is there in the stockpile of the mind, and it suddenly expresses itself. It is like fermentation taking place in the depths of water, which sometimes manifests itself in bubbles on the water's surface. Sometimes we dream of coming to a place we have never known or experienced in this lifetime, but this is proof that in a past life we experienced this. The impression is kept within the mind and sometimes becomes manifest either in dream or in thought. The conclusion is that the mind is the storehouse of various thoughts and experiences undergone during our past lives. Thus there is a chain of continuation from one life to another, from previous lives to this life, and from this life to future lives.</p> <p>Srimad-Bhagavatam (4.29.64) <a href="http://www.vedabase.net/sb/4/29/64" rel="nofollow">http://www.vedabase.net/sb/4/29/64</a></p> <p>Prabhupada replied in a general way, saying that they are impressions stored within the mind, not just from this lifetime, but also from previous ones. The dream is illusory but the objects are real. Chuckling, he pointed to the plastic bottle of mustard oil I was using. &quot;Here is a bottle of oil, and here is the bed. Both are real, but if I take the oil and put it under the pillow then it has no meaning. The pillow and oil are real, but I am crazy. That example is there in the Bhagavatam, of gold and a mountain. I have experience that there is gold, and there is mountain. I have no experience of a golden mountain, but in dream they combine.&quot; </p> http://absolute-truth.net/forums/topic/can-education-solve-the-worlds-problems#post-47 Mon, 31 Aug 2009 11:03:48 +0000 Abhishek 47@http://absolute-truth.net/forums/ <p>What Is Missing in Modern Education?</p> <p>&quot;We have controlled machines and uncontrolled men,&quot; declares a slogan depicting the potential threat of global disaster due to the misuse of technology. It catches the tragic irony of modern society. The last century has seen amazing advances in science and technology, by which, &quot;the world is at your finger-tips&quot;, as some ads put it. Yet statistics show that the last century has been the most violent century in known human history. Indeed, the violence in the last hundred years has been eight times more than in the previous nineteen centuries combined.<br /> Therefore the question begs itself: where has modern society gone wrong? Despite extensive attempts at mass education, why has the advancement of knowledge not made people peaceful? Illiteracy can no longer be considered a<br /> reason since the best schools in the world have witnessed the worst violence in the last decade. The foundation of American society has been rocked by the repeated massacres by school children of their own peers and teachers for no good reason whatsoever. In many schools, metal detectors now screen every child before he enters 'the modern temple of learning'.</p> <p>The Vedic texts, a vast body of profound knowledge coming down from ancient India, provide thought- provoking insights into this sorry state of affairs. The Vedic texts exalt knowledge for its transformational power. &quot;What you know&quot; is not considered as important as '&quot;What is the effect on you of what you know&quot;. In marked contrast, modern education swamps students with information, but the educational products are sadly lacking in character; many of the students are often victims of self-destructive habits like smoking, alcoholism and substance abuse; and even the best of them cherish no values higher than personal economic aggrandizement. &quot;Information, information, information, but no transformation&quot; is the plight of the modern educational system.<br /> Of course many curricula worldwide do have some sort of value education, but they mostly serve a cosmetic purpose; they are ineffectual in actually building the character of the students. The Vedic texts assert unequivocally that morality has to be founded on spirituality; otherwise it soon becomes a mere lip-service. Unless one has an understanding of God as the Supreme Controller, the call to ethics has no weight. After all, what is there in an atheist's world view to impel him to stick to morality in his pursuit of pleasure? If a person does not understand his identity as an eternal soul, if he thinks that he can get away with whatever he does, provided he just does it cleverly enough, why will he not try to maximize the pleasure that this life can offer him? &quot;Beg, borrow, steal, kill, but enjoy&quot; becomes the motto of such a spiritually illiterate person.</p> <p>Modern scientific education has been largely responsible for this spiritual and social decay. Honest scientists readily admit that spiritual subjects such as the existence of the soul and God are simply beyond their scope. But<br /> unfortunately practically all the science textbooks worldwide portray dubious theories such as the big bang theory and evolution theory as proven facts, thus forcing the naïve and innocent students to embrace atheism as the only &quot;scientific&quot; way of looking at the world. Many eminent scientists have openly rejected these theories as unscientific, while others continue to debate about them. But they are certainly not verified truths and putting them in the school textbooks is a travesty of justice. If we let our children be taught that they have come from monkeys, how can we expect them to not behave like monkeys? The notion that life is a result of chemical combination breeds a murderous mentality: &quot;If life is just a product of chemicals, then why can I not cut a bag of chemicals and eat it, if it tastes good? Or worse still: &quot;If there is nothing more to life than chemical activity, then why can I not destroy the lump of chemicals if it obstructs my path to success?&quot; When entire generations grow up with such perverted conceptions, is it strange that peace eludes humanity?<br /> If we want our children to inherit a peaceful world, we have to teach them the spiritual<br /> truths that will engender that peace - within and without. To this end, the following non-<br /> sectarian universal divine principles must be incorporated into the syllabus worldwide:</p> <p>1. God is the Supreme Father of all living beings and He is the Supreme Owner and<br /> Controller of everything, as confirmed in one of the foremost Upanishads, the<br /> Ishopanishad (ishavasyam idam sarvam)<br /> 2. We are accountable for all our actions to God (As you sow so shall you reap)<br /> 3. We are spirit souls, eternal sons of God and our real happiness is not in material<br /> acquisition, but in spiritual realization, in lovingly harmonizing ourselves with nature<br /> and God.<br /> These spiritual precepts do not contradict the principle of secularism because secularism should not be<br /> misunderstood or misinterpreted as atheism. Secularism basically implies impartiality towards different<br /> religions and the above precepts are the common underlying teachings of all the major religions of the<br /> world. It will be most unfortunate if, in the name of secularism, we let people stay in spiritual ignorance and<br /> thus court global disaster.</p> <p>&quot;Without the awakening of divine consciousness within the individual, there is no use of crying for world peace.&quot;</p> <p>by Chaitanya Charan Das </p>