JaneSmith105
Member
- Joined
- May 1, 2019
- Messages
- 362
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 16
The question of who or what is God is an important question that every thinking individual has pondered during his life. Is there a God? What does He look like? What does He want from me? Unfortunately, although we are equipped with an adequate amount of intelligence to manipulate our environment and live somewhat of a descent life with so many modern day inventions, we are not able to grasp what is God. Everyone has there own ideas, including the Churches, Temples and Mosques, but still God remains very elusive, a faceless Entity that sometimes answers the prayers of the pious. With such a distance between the Supreme and His subjects, it is no wonder that modern day man has become confused and godless, unconnected to his inner self, fellow man and the world around him.
According to the Vedas, God is both form and formless but of the two, His form is superior because it is the source of the formless. God has a form that is purely spiritual and timeless. Although His form is eternal, He does not age past a budding youth. His body and self are identical. He is known by many, many names of which the name Krishna is His original name. Krishna is the source of all beauty, wealth, strength, fame, knowledge and detachment. In other words, the Absolute Truth is the walking embodiment of everything that we yearn. He is described in the Vedas as millions and milions of times more captivating than Cupid. Because He is the Supreme Absolute Truth, there is no work for Him to perform. The creation is performed through His expansion known as Vishnu. Krishna is the epitome of playfulness and pleasure. To increase His pleasure, He expands multitudes of spiritual entities to engage with Him in loving pastimes called lila. In the spiritual planetary systems, Krishna is the predominant living being and all other entities engage in His service. Both Krishna and His pure devotees enjoy life in an atmosphere that is completely free from time and destruction. It is man's aspiration to gain eternal life but until he surrenders and worships Krishna exclusively, eternal life will remain elusive. Since all living beings are originally Krishna Conscious, once we understand our constitutional position, it feels quite natural to render loving service without any expectations of reward or remuneration.
Krishna's existence is beyond the scope of our tiny intelligence. He cannot be perceived with a telescope or reached with a rocket ship. The only way to approach the Greatest of All is through loving surrender, under the guidance of a purely realized soul called a spiritual master. Trancendental knowledge is received from the spiritual master much like mundane education is taught by a qualified professor. There is no possibility of correctly imagining what is God. If we are interested in understanding God's existence, then we must approach a proper authority with the proper submissive spirit.
The guru is the representative of Krishna. It is his business to accept disciples who are eager to learn about God. Only then can there be an actual transference of transcendental knowledge. The guru trains the disciple in pure spiritual behavior and teaches him the practical methods of keeping the body, mind and intelligence always engaged with the Absolute Truth. Gradually, by constantly associating with the Supreme Lord Himself, the disciple is washed of all previous material contaminations and his heart is able to receive direct perception of Krishna and His abode. This timeless process is known as Krishna Consciousness and the method that the guru teaches is bhakti-yoga.
In the present age, modern man has all but forgotten himself and his real mission in life. Instead, he is focused on his outer life, namely his body, his family and his country. He has no practical method of gradually withdrawing the senses from their sense objects, which is the only way to lasting peace. Society means economy and economy means consumption. The more we consume, the more the economy grows but this is of no value to the tiny spirit soul that inhabits the body. Western man is very intelligent about creating temporary happiness in this temporary world but all his endeavors will meet with destruction at the time of death.
The Vedas advise man to live a godly life because it is only by God's grace that the sun rises, the wind blows, the rains fall and food is produced. Without God's help, we would all starve. God or Krishna provides for every living being, whether man or animal. We must learn to live a simple life and use our valuable time for advancing in God consciousness. Because most of us have very little training in yoga or controlling our senses, we require a simple yet effective program that can be done on a daily basis, in spite of our work schedule and other commitments. The process of God realization for this age can be easily performed at home and the results are immediate and progressive. Sitting in meditation or doing yoga poses is not for the masses. For the present age, the Vedas recommend chanting the names of God. They can be chanted quietly or sung in groups accompanied by musical instruments. The most potent names of God are contained in the ancient mantra known as the Hare Krishna mantra. The full mantra is as follows:
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
These are names of Krishna, the Supreme Person and most beautiful living entity. His names are non-different than Himself. Thus, whatever unlimited potency and purity that is found directly in Krishna can be experienced by chanting the Hare Krishna mantra. It is much easier to chant then sit in meditation or do some yoga poses, and the results are even more profound. We encourage everyone to chant the names of God, regardless of one's present religious affiliation.
Purifying the senses by chanting the names of Krishna will leave one feeling absolutely wonderful. There is no need to run here and there to gratify ourselves if we can easily and effortlessly enjoy life from within. That will save us so much trouble; after all, life is very entangling. The basic concept that we must understand is that although our senses are very strong, no matter how much effort we make to satisfy them, they will always want more. If we just focus our life on pleasing our senses, then our life is a waste because the body must die. What makes sense is to regulate the senses and save some valuable time for chanting. Cultivating a higher taste from within is more valuable than any other form of activity because the results are real and permanent. There are some yogic principles that will help us with our chanting that should be introduced into our daily practice as soon as possible. One should refrain from gambling, intoxicants, meat eating and illicit sex. One should also get in the habit of first offering all his meals to Krishna, then consuming the remnants. This is called prasad or the Lord's mercy. These principles may seem difficult to follow but they will greatly increase the ease by which the senses can be controlled.
source: krsnaconsciousness.org
According to the Vedas, God is both form and formless but of the two, His form is superior because it is the source of the formless. God has a form that is purely spiritual and timeless. Although His form is eternal, He does not age past a budding youth. His body and self are identical. He is known by many, many names of which the name Krishna is His original name. Krishna is the source of all beauty, wealth, strength, fame, knowledge and detachment. In other words, the Absolute Truth is the walking embodiment of everything that we yearn. He is described in the Vedas as millions and milions of times more captivating than Cupid. Because He is the Supreme Absolute Truth, there is no work for Him to perform. The creation is performed through His expansion known as Vishnu. Krishna is the epitome of playfulness and pleasure. To increase His pleasure, He expands multitudes of spiritual entities to engage with Him in loving pastimes called lila. In the spiritual planetary systems, Krishna is the predominant living being and all other entities engage in His service. Both Krishna and His pure devotees enjoy life in an atmosphere that is completely free from time and destruction. It is man's aspiration to gain eternal life but until he surrenders and worships Krishna exclusively, eternal life will remain elusive. Since all living beings are originally Krishna Conscious, once we understand our constitutional position, it feels quite natural to render loving service without any expectations of reward or remuneration.
Krishna's existence is beyond the scope of our tiny intelligence. He cannot be perceived with a telescope or reached with a rocket ship. The only way to approach the Greatest of All is through loving surrender, under the guidance of a purely realized soul called a spiritual master. Trancendental knowledge is received from the spiritual master much like mundane education is taught by a qualified professor. There is no possibility of correctly imagining what is God. If we are interested in understanding God's existence, then we must approach a proper authority with the proper submissive spirit.
The guru is the representative of Krishna. It is his business to accept disciples who are eager to learn about God. Only then can there be an actual transference of transcendental knowledge. The guru trains the disciple in pure spiritual behavior and teaches him the practical methods of keeping the body, mind and intelligence always engaged with the Absolute Truth. Gradually, by constantly associating with the Supreme Lord Himself, the disciple is washed of all previous material contaminations and his heart is able to receive direct perception of Krishna and His abode. This timeless process is known as Krishna Consciousness and the method that the guru teaches is bhakti-yoga.
In the present age, modern man has all but forgotten himself and his real mission in life. Instead, he is focused on his outer life, namely his body, his family and his country. He has no practical method of gradually withdrawing the senses from their sense objects, which is the only way to lasting peace. Society means economy and economy means consumption. The more we consume, the more the economy grows but this is of no value to the tiny spirit soul that inhabits the body. Western man is very intelligent about creating temporary happiness in this temporary world but all his endeavors will meet with destruction at the time of death.
The Vedas advise man to live a godly life because it is only by God's grace that the sun rises, the wind blows, the rains fall and food is produced. Without God's help, we would all starve. God or Krishna provides for every living being, whether man or animal. We must learn to live a simple life and use our valuable time for advancing in God consciousness. Because most of us have very little training in yoga or controlling our senses, we require a simple yet effective program that can be done on a daily basis, in spite of our work schedule and other commitments. The process of God realization for this age can be easily performed at home and the results are immediate and progressive. Sitting in meditation or doing yoga poses is not for the masses. For the present age, the Vedas recommend chanting the names of God. They can be chanted quietly or sung in groups accompanied by musical instruments. The most potent names of God are contained in the ancient mantra known as the Hare Krishna mantra. The full mantra is as follows:
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
These are names of Krishna, the Supreme Person and most beautiful living entity. His names are non-different than Himself. Thus, whatever unlimited potency and purity that is found directly in Krishna can be experienced by chanting the Hare Krishna mantra. It is much easier to chant then sit in meditation or do some yoga poses, and the results are even more profound. We encourage everyone to chant the names of God, regardless of one's present religious affiliation.
Purifying the senses by chanting the names of Krishna will leave one feeling absolutely wonderful. There is no need to run here and there to gratify ourselves if we can easily and effortlessly enjoy life from within. That will save us so much trouble; after all, life is very entangling. The basic concept that we must understand is that although our senses are very strong, no matter how much effort we make to satisfy them, they will always want more. If we just focus our life on pleasing our senses, then our life is a waste because the body must die. What makes sense is to regulate the senses and save some valuable time for chanting. Cultivating a higher taste from within is more valuable than any other form of activity because the results are real and permanent. There are some yogic principles that will help us with our chanting that should be introduced into our daily practice as soon as possible. One should refrain from gambling, intoxicants, meat eating and illicit sex. One should also get in the habit of first offering all his meals to Krishna, then consuming the remnants. This is called prasad or the Lord's mercy. These principles may seem difficult to follow but they will greatly increase the ease by which the senses can be controlled.
source: krsnaconsciousness.org
