Jagannatha's blogging Hut
Ghosts
Leave a Comment
4 Views
Our Humble Obeisances Jaya Srila Prabhupada
(We didn`t hear personally but) There was recently radio program in
Finland`s national channel, where group of young people or young
adults, from different locations had reported about phenomena known in
esoteric circles as sleep parallysis, also called “the old
hag.” They had experienced it somewhat on same nights.
They had woken up, feeling parallysed, not being able to move. Some
of them had seen form of (dead?) ghostly lady coming above them and
staying very near to them.
There were some psychologists speculating something about ram-sleep
and so on, but according to our understanding caused by the pretas.
Your servant Muniraja dasa
“Lord Siva is called the Bhuta-natha, being assisted by
various types of powerful ghosts and denizens of the
inferno–Bhutas, Pretas, Pramathas, Guhyakas, Dakinis, Pisacas,
Kusmandas, Vetalas, Vinayakas and Brahma-raksasas. (Of all kinds of
ghosts, the Brahma-raksasas are very powerful. Brahmanas transferred to
the role of ghosts become Brahma-raksasas.)”
Krsna Book, Chapter 63
———-
Hare Krsna,
At least here in Radhadesh (situated in an old castle), this is a
quite common phenomena. Several times I experienced this here also and
I have heard from different devotees going through similar experiences,
with or without ghostly appearances. While in such a state, chanting
Hare Krsna or Nrsimha-prayers seems to be the best remedy to get out of
it quickly.
Nothing to worry about all together…
Your servant,
Mukunda
“Ghosts and mischievous hobgoblins are also the creation
of Brahma; they are not false. All of them are meant for putting the
conditioned soul into various miseries. They are understood to be the
creation of Brahma under the direction of the Supreme Lord.”
Srimad-Bhagavatam 3:20:40
———-
Nitai-Gauranga,
yes it has happened to me, several times this year also. Even if one
tries to keep strick cleanliness and sleeps in temple this may happen.
Burning maha-incence before going to sleep is also effective to keep
these fellows away.
Just interesting that they openly speak about this in radio.
ys muniraja dasa
“Prabhupada: That religiosity also different kinds:
rajasic, tamasic, and sattvic, according to one’s nature. The
sattvic, they worship Visnu. The rajasic, they worship the demigods.
And the tamasic, they worship bhuta, preta, pisaca…”
Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Bombay 04-08-74
———-
Generally this condition is caused by ghosts trying to enter the
body while the owner is sleeping. One way to keep them away is to
sprinkle Ganga-jal each night around all the entrances to the
room–windows and doors. Chanting the Nrsimha mantras or the
Narayan-kavaca before going to sleep is also very effective. And sleep
with a Bhagavatam nearby your head.
I once had an experience with a ghost in Mayapur when I was serving
Srila Prabhupada. I had a vivid dream in which I was attacked by a
particularly nasty ghost. When I chanted Hare Krsna to drive it away,
it simply became angrier. Then I shouted out the prayers to Lord
Nrsimhadeva — Namaste Narasimhaya!
Prahladalada-dayine….” The ghost immediately fled and the
dream ended. In fact I chanted so loudly that I woke myself up.
I saw Srila Prabhupada later in the morning and described what had
happened. I asked him if it was just a dream, or was it really a ghost?
He said it could have been either–there are ghosts in the dhamas
also. “Anyway,” he concluded, “its good that you
chanted.”
Your humble servant,
Hari-sauri dasa
“Sometimes due to sinful activities, too much attachment,
a man becomes ghost. Ghost, there is ghosts. Bhuta preta pisaca. Not
only this life, demonic life, but after death also, there are ghostly
lives. They do not get this gross body. They remain in the subtle body,
mind, intelligence, and ego. Due to their gross sinful life, they are
punished by not getting a gross life. Because without getting a gross
life, we cannot enjoy. With mind, I cannot enjoy rasagulla. I must have
the tongue, I must have the hand, fingers, I can pick up, then…
In the mind, I may think of eating or collecting rasagulla, but
actually I do not get the taste.”
Srila Prabhupada Lecture, London 07-29-73
GBC, stop rubber stamping!
Leave a Comment
Message to the GBC: Get Out of the Guru Business
BY: KSHAMABUDDHI DASA
Nov 28, USA (SUN) —
Since the passing of Srila Prabhupada and the dismantling of the ISKCON
ritvik system, the ISKCON GBC has taken the authority upon themselves
to oversee the regulating of diksha gurus in ISKCON. Though there is no
evidence that Srila Prabhupada ever endowed the GBC with the authority
to regulate, approve or disapprove gurus, the GBC has taken the
authority without authority from Srila Prabhupada or shastric
precedent.
Though,
there is some direct evidence from direct disciples that Srila
Prabhupada did grant the GBC authority to appoint ritviks as needed,
since the GBC has rejected the ritvik system, this authority to appoint
ritviks does not transfer over to being authority to regulate, appoint
or reject who performs the function of diksha guru in ISKCON.
However,
since the passing of Srila Prabhupada the GBC has assumed authority
over regulating diksha gurus in ISKCON and as such have overstepped
their authority and violated traditional Gaudiya etiquette in the
matter of guru and disciple relationships which are based upon faith,
trust and respect.
Since
the ISKCON GBC has deemed it proper to reject the ritvik system and
promote so-called traditional parampara, then the first order of
business would be to completely take their hands out of guru-disciple
affairs and allow the free flow of faith and trust to take it’s
own course without bureaucratic intervention or interruption.
If
the GBC insists to regulate and restrict guru-disciple affairs within
the devotee society, then they need to resort back to the ritvik
system. If the GBC wants to promote traditional parampara, then they
need to get their hands completely out of the guru business and stop
interfering with free choice and faith in the matter of accepting a
diksha guru.
As
Srila Sridhar Maharaja suggested, if senior disciples of Srila
Prabhupada accept the responsibility of accepting disciples, then they
should arrange for living space and housing for their followers in
quarters off of ISKCON property. ISKCON temples should be neutral zones
where no one guru or disciple of Srila Prabhupada exerts influence to
dominate, monopolize or overtake the temple community and make the
temple a personal stronghold.
In
order for ISKCON temples to be guru-neutral and free from prejudice and
discrimination either for or against any Vaishnava guru or disciple,
the matter of GBC favored, endorsed or approved gurus must be stopped
and ISKCON temples must become neutral zones where any guru and any
disciple is free to come and worship without fear of intimidation or
harassment by a popular guru who has a strong following in the
community.
Free
choice must be allowed to predominate. If a person makes a bad choice
for a guru, then that should be on that person and that guru. The GBC
should neither be endorsing or regulating gurus within the ISKCON
community. It was never their right, their authority or their business
to do so. The GBC cannot present one authoritative statement from Srila
Prabhupada where he grants the GBC oversight over the matter of
guru-disciple affairs in the ISKCON community.
ISKCON temples must be guru neutral if in fact Srila Prabhupada has
been removed as the diksha guru in ISKCON. Otherwise, the GBC has
become a renegade bureaucracy acting without authority in violation of
the Vaishnava principles in the matter of guru-disciple relationships.
The
message to the GBC from the ISKCON community is “Get out of the
guru business altogether”. Neither promote nor regulate the
guru-disciple affairs of the ISKCON community. Leave faith alone and do
your corporate managerial duties and stop assuming the authority of
God. The ISKCON GBC has no right or authority to interfere or meddle in
the business of guru-disciple affairs within the Vaishnava community.
The attempt to do so has resulted in massive disruption of the Krishna
consciousness movement.
Initiation and Ritvik
Leave a Comment
Gurus Present, Initiations Real
BY: TAMOHARADASA (ACBSP)
Nov 27, CALGARY, CANADA (SUN) —
The topic of ritvikism has again risen on the website. I have read most
of the ritvik publications, and although impressed by the presentation
and conviction, and although I sympathize to the fullest with their
intent and idealism, Gour Govinda Swami’s refutation has
convinced me of the correctness of continuing the disciplic succession
by the standard means of initiating diksa gurus. I accept his
statements that advanced devotees are practically always present, by
grace of Godhead.As
hopefully apparent from other comments, I have the highest respect for
the many advanced Vaisnavas in our society, and see great value for
those fortunate to have taken them as siksa and diksa gurus. However, I
also accept the ritvik initiation mode, both, and feel that ritvik
disciples of Srila Prabhupada should be accepted and accommodated with
no prejudice. They want Srila Prabhupada, no other. This is not a crime
deserving of rejection. They should have all privileges as offered by
ISKCON. This would also go a long way to ameliorate the hard feelings
developing stronger and stronger over this divisive issue.It
has been pointed out that Srila Prabhupada asked Gour Govinda to act as
initiator, and although I have no personal experience of that, I lived
with him in 1978, acting as Temple President back when we had but the
mud hut on the edge of the desert. We ate simple dahlma once a day,
slept on the ground, and were very happy there. No one from outside
knew who Maharajah was. Practically, it was those living in
Bhubaneswara, including my humble self, who first attempted to fully
honor him as the uttama adhikari that he is. Bhagavata Prabhu and
Lagudi Prabhu, for example, spent much more time with him in those
early days, and were great admirers of Gour Govinda.I
was and am but a small player in ISKCON, so could only have a minor
impact, such as insisting that he sit upon a special seat to give class
on Sunday. He refused, but finally relented when informed that such
respect was meant for the benefits of the listeners, who would benefit
by honoring the Vaisnavas. At that time, he wasn’t even scheduled
to give any classes at the annual Mayapura Gaura Purnim festival,
though we Bhubaneswara devotees knew that Maharajah was like a diamond
hidden under a pile of straw. The local Oriyaan devotees had no doubts
as to his exalted status, to the extent that they refused to take diksa
from anyone else, even when offered, until he was officially
“OK’d” by the ISKCON GBC. His effulgence was
generated from within by the Lord, no rubber-stamp vote required. So it
is not the case that qualified gurus are now unavailable, as ritvikism
argues.Further,
the ritviks like to point out that the process of initiation is a
formality, secondary to sincere hearing and acceptance. This sounds
good, but I have an experience that suggests the power of the
initiation ceremony. It was in Sridhama Mayapura, 1976. A fire
sacrifice was arranged and performed, attended by Srila Prabhupada
himself. HH Brahmananda Swami Maharajah taught us the Gayatri, as
ritvik. About an hour after the ceremony, I was sitting in the
“wall building” chanting. Suddenly, my whole inner visual
field totally cleared and expanded, like I was entering a large open
space, as opposed to my usual restricted inner state! I felt lighter,
3-D as opposed to 2-D, exactly as if I’d been reborn! I have
never been the same since. Since, I have felt saved, free, inspired,
clear-headed, awake, happy, etc. This was the single largest change in
my consciousness in this lifetime.So,
like the man who has eaten and feels satisfied, I have taken diksa and
feel like a new person. There is no doubt that this ceremony had great
value for me in the service of Srila Prabhupada. So, by personal
experience, I have to say that this initiation was no mere formality,
rather it is dynamically potent, although admittedly secondary to the
initiating faith that develops from reading Prabhupada’s books,
which is the start. To say that it is mere formality begs the question
of why it is done at all? If it is just a formality, then why bother at
all, unless there is real value and potency? By encouraging us to take
these initiations, Srila Prabhupada established their importance. He
also wanted to make it clear that reading his books was in itself also
sufficient to enable us to begin to surrender to devotional service,
and thus redevelop our love of Godhead. If the Guru is present, take
full advantage of the opportunities for service. When the acarya is not
present, he is available also in his books, fully. Acintya bheda-abheda
tattva.Your servant,
Tamoharadasa (ACBSP)
Untitled
Leave a Comment
Mainstream consumer culture is very aware of the potency of “school” to shape a child’s world view, values and future and so should we. Our children must learn to devalue the government accreditation and certification process and value spiritual progress.
The Sampradaya Sun – Independent Vaisnava News – Editorials – November 2006
unis
Leave a Comment
In the education of our children and adults it is extremely vital that we do not accept the modernistic idea of using government accreditation process. It instills in our devotees values of mainstream consumer culture and not spiritual culture and is therefore diametrically opposed to the instructions of our spiritual master Srila Prabhupada and therefore guru aparadha.
The Sampradaya Sun – Independent Vaisnava News – Editorials – November 2006
Schoooling
Leave a Comment
When a person enters into mainstream ‘normalization’ processes such as the
educational system (School) they more or less knowingly fall prey to the
predominating trend or point of view.
The students are “schooled” to confuse process and substance. Once these
become blurred, a new logic is assumed. The student believes that more
educational process equals better results; or, escalation leads to success.
The pupil is thereby “schooled” to confuse teaching with learning, grade
advancement with education, a degree with competence, and fluency with
being independently intelligent. The curriculum becomes a systematic and
ritualistic (test / degree / diploma) process in order to judge ones worth,
inside the school system as well as where they fit into the consumer based
bureaucratic workforce.
Ones imagination is “schooled” to accept service or a position, in a place
that mainstream society values. Medical treatment is mistaken for health
care, social work for community development, police protection for safety,
military poise for national security, the rat race for productive work.
Health, learning, dignity, independence, and creative endeavor are defined
as little more than the performance of the institutions which claim to serve
these ends. Further that any improvement in their results will be entirely
dependent on the allocation of more resources to the management of
hospitals, schools, and other agencies in question.
Institutionalization of values leads inevitably to physical dis-ease, social
polarization, and disempowerment (psychological impotence). This leaves the
individual in a highly susceptible state and therefore easily influenced by
institutional values.
This process is accelerated when material needs are transformed into demands
for commodities; when health, education, personal mobility, welfare, or
psychological healing are defined as merely the result of services or
“treatments by agencies.”
Rich and poor alike depend on schools and hospitals which guide their lives,
form their world view, and define for them what is legitimate and what is
not. Both view healing oneself as irresponsible, learning on one’s own as
unreliable, and community organization, when not paid for by those in
authority, as a form of aggression or subversion. For both groups the
reliance on institutional treatment renders independent accomplishment
suspect.
In the past it was the normal thing to be born and to die in one’s own home
and to be buried by one’s friends. Now to begin and end life at home become
signs either of poverty or of special privilege. Dying and death have come
under the institutional management of doctors and undertakers. Society
dictates that a student is put through a process that conditions them to
accept and value institutional life as the best and only way of life.
The student graduate is one of the best “consumers” for this
corporate/institutional/consumer world that we live in. This is noticeable
in second and third world countries where the difference between the
educated and the villager is more pronounced. The graduate is a much better
consumer than the villager.
In the sixties there was a move amongst the younger generation and many
intellectuals to opt out of the mainstream ‘normalization’ system and thus
the hippie generation was born. They mainly stood for Nuclear Disarmament
(Hence the ubiquitous peace symbol) as they saw weapons of mass destruction
as the zenith of consumer culture. Here adherents understood the problems of
the “system” and rebelled against it.
Modern consumer based culture became manifest at the dawn of the
“industrial revolution” in the late 18 hundreds in Britain. This is when
“machines” became more important than humans in the workforce.
It also meant the rapid increase of production. With that demand increased
as did availability. With increasing demand (consumers) and subsequently
production, capitalism increased exponentially. This increased the need of
having people trained to fit into the roles within the production side as well
as the demand.
For consumer culture to be efficient then it needs absolute control of the
consumers and the best way to achieve this is to set up a system that
produces controllable consumers. Thus the life of a consumer had to be
institutionalized from birth to death and the best way to achieve this is to
instill values into the consumer such as the ‘work ethic’ etc that ensure
compliance.
Thus the Hippies opted out of the work force, refusing to accept
institutionalized positions as they saw it was the only way to break the
cycle. They were thinking that by the use of ‘passive resistance’ they could
achieve both awareness of the problem in consumers and/or a ‘revolution in
thinking’ that would lead to creating a better society.
Many social commentators of the sixties and seventies considered that monies
saved from say the school system could be diverted back into the community
in the form of training centers that were apprenticeship based and aimed at
teaching children and adults in a more “experiential” way with emphasis
being placed on ability and aptitude.
Sentencias
Leave a Comment
| “La escuela equivale a empezar la vida con una condena a 12 años de cárcel en la que los malos hábitos son el único curriculum realmente aprendido”
|
| “La naturaleza benigna provee de manera que en cualquier parte halles algo que aprender.”
|
“A la escuela, propiamente dicha, no le debo nada”
|
| “Desde muy niño tuve que interrumpir mi educación para ir a la escuela”
|
| “El niño debe ser educado en un espíritu de comprensión, tolerancia, amistad entre los pueblos, paz y fraternidad universal, y con plena conciencia de que debe consagrar sus energías y aptitudes al servicio de sus semejantes.”
|
| “La parte más importante de la educación del hombre es aquella que él mismo se da”
|
| “El objeto de la educación es formar seres aptos para gobernarse a sí mismos, y no para ser gobernados por los demás”
|
| “La enseñanza que deja huella no es la que se hace de cabeza a cabeza, sino de corazón a corazón”
|
| “Nunca he permitido que la escuela entorpeciese mi educación.”
|
| “La educación es el desarrollo en el hombre de toda la perfección de que su naturaleza es capaz”
|
| “Es imposible educar niños al por mayor; la escuela no puede ser el sustitutivo de la educación individual.” “El
|
| ¿Cómo es que, siendo tan inteligentes los niños, son tan estúpidos la mayor parte de los hombres? Debe ser fruto de la educación.
|
| “Si a mi hijo sólo puede enseñarlo un profesional, entonces yo sólo puedo acostarme con una prostituta” (una profesional del sexo)
|
| “La única diferencia entre un aficionado y un profesional es que, para hacer exactamente el mismo trabajo, el primero paga y el segundo cobra.”
|
| ¿Cree que sería adecuado que los padres españoles tuvieran el derecho de educar a sus hijos como les parezca; en colegios o en casa, en unión con otros padres, tal y como hacen en EE UU?
Es
Monseñor Antonio |
| Y otras menos directas… |
| Para quienes pensaban que no se podía educar en familia, pero al conocernos han cambiado de opinión: “Nada
|
| Porque educarse es mucho más que aprender contenidos…
“El
|
| Sobre nuestro derecho a educar:
“La
|
| Para consolarnos en nuestros malos momentos:
“En
|
|
I believe that the testing of the student’s achievements
|
| Los juegos infantiles no son tales juegos, sino sus más serias actividades.
|
Talk about karma
Leave a Comment
Woman shot six times in head lives
<
POSTED: 3:13 p.m. EST, November 11, 2006
SAO PAULO, Brazil
(AP) — A Brazilian woman who was shot six times in the head after an
altercation with her ex-husband was out of the hospital and talking to
the media on Saturday.
“I know this was a miracle,” 21-year-old
housewife Patricia Goncalves Pereira told Globo TV. “Now I just want to
extract the bullets and live my life.”
Pereira was shot Friday in
the small city of Monte Claros, about 900 kilometers (560 miles) north
of Sao Paulo, after quarreling with her former husband, who was
reportedly upset because she refused to get back together with him. She
was also shot once in the hand.
Doctors could not explain why the
.32-caliber bullets did not penetrate Pereira’s skull and didn’t even
need to be extracted immediately.
“I can’t explain how something
like this happened,” surgeon Adriano Teixeira said, adding that the
bullets were lodged under the woman’s scalp.
The ex-husband was still at large.
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
