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Go Back   Spiritual Forums > Religions & Faiths > Hinduism

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  #1  
Old 12-01-2019, 05:05 AM
Crystalsun Crystalsun is offline
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No Gurus in my christian coutry; only option is to follow Prabhupada's books,lectures

Unable to get to ISKCON centre at this point, it is very far from my city. I have to walk on my own for now.Wheater it is right or not, no options for now.What do you think ?
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  #2  
Old 12-01-2019, 05:14 AM
Shivani Devi Shivani Devi is offline
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What county do you live in?

Do you love Lord Krishna?

I will begin with those two questions.
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  #3  
Old 12-01-2019, 05:19 AM
Crystalsun Crystalsun is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Shivani Devi
What county do you live in?

Do you love Lord Krishna?

I will begin with those two questions.

Hello, nice to see you.
Do I love Him? I definately feel affection.Haven't developed 100% love.Give me time.
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  #4  
Old 12-01-2019, 05:33 AM
Shivani Devi Shivani Devi is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by crystalsun
Hello, nice to see you.
Do I love Him? I definately feel affection.Haven't developed 100% love.Give me time.
Nice to see you too.

Having love/affection for Sri Krishna is pretty much a prerequisite for getting into the ISKCON teachings.

Back in the early 80s, there wasn't much "Hindu stuff" in my country either, so I joined ISKCON...was a Gaudiya Vaishnava for two years before realising that it wasn't Lord Krishna who stole my heart...It was (according to them) a "demigod"...so I left in disgust and joined the Theosophical Society.

You didn't answer my question about your country of origin..but if it were ME and the ONLY alternative I had was to follow Srila Prabhupada's teachings (which I have read them ALL by the way), I would just cut my losses and just remain online, looking for other options THERE...but that's just ME and has absolutely no bearing on what you choose to do.

Good luck with whatever you decide.
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  #5  
Old 12-01-2019, 05:44 AM
Crystalsun Crystalsun is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Shivani Devi
Nice to see you too.

Having love/affection for Sri Krishna is pretty much a prerequisite for getting into the ISKCON teachings.

Back in the early 80s, there wasn't much "Hindu stuff" in my country either, so I joined ISKCON...was a Gaudiya Vaishnava for two years before realising that it wasn't Lord Krishna who stole my heart...It was (according to them) a "demigod"...so I left in disgust and joined the Theosophical Society.

You didn't answer my question about your country of origin..but if it were ME and the ONLY alternative I had was to follow Srila Prabhupada's teachings (which I have read them ALL by the way), I would just cut my losses and just remain online, looking for other options THERE...but that's just ME and has absolutely no bearing on what you choose to do.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

A small coutry near "Black sea"...
I am online quite often, you know. Even my literature from much time is on the smartphone.
So I am constantly surfing about things i am interested in. Anyway, this T.Society, r you talking about Helen Blavatsky, the one she founded?
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  #6  
Old 12-01-2019, 05:53 AM
Shivani Devi Shivani Devi is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by crystalsun
A small coutry near "Black sea"...
I am online quite often, you know. Even my literature from much time is on the smartphone.
So I am constantly surfing about things i am interested in. Anyway, this T.Society, r you talking about Helen Blavatsky, the one she founded?
Yes, that is the one and apart from ISKCON, it was the ONLY other alternative for "Hindu things" available in my country at that time.

The change came when Swami Satyananda Saraswati visited Australia and a retreat was established at Mangrove Mountain which was awesome! UNTIL one of the monks there decided to take sexual liberties with a few female devotees (WAY after my time).

I looked online yesterday to see if that Ashram was still going when I became aware of that sad and sorry tale, leading to the ashram's closure a few years ago...shame that was.
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  #7  
Old 12-01-2019, 08:07 AM
Crystalsun Crystalsun is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Shivani Devi
Yes, that is the one and apart from ISKCON, it was the ONLY other alternative for "Hindu things" available in my country at that time.

The change came when Swami Satyananda Saraswati visited Australia and a retreat was established at Mangrove Mountain which was awesome! UNTIL one of the monks there decided to take sexual liberties with a few female devotees (WAY after my time).

I looked online yesterday to see if that Ashram was still going when I became aware of that sad and sorry tale, leading to the ashram's closure a few years ago...shame that was.

That's interesting...and disturbing.I mean, the sexual part...There are some loco and lusty monks all around the world, here in my country there was a sexual scandal, all ove the media; two male monks got into a relationship while in the monastery...Nightmare.

Anyway,
Little do I know about T.Soc. but I remember the-" There's no religion, higher than the tuth" - quote, I've always liked that one... :)
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  #8  
Old 12-01-2019, 11:55 PM
Still_Waters Still_Waters is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Shivani Devi
Nice to see you too.

Having love/affection for Sri Krishna is pretty much a prerequisite for getting into the ISKCON teachings.

Back in the early 80s, there wasn't much "Hindu stuff" in my country either, so I joined ISKCON...was a Gaudiya Vaishnava for two years before realising that it wasn't Lord Krishna who stole my heart...It was (according to them) a "demigod"...so I left in disgust and joined the Theosophical Society.

You didn't answer my question about your country of origin..but if it were ME and the ONLY alternative I had was to follow Srila Prabhupada's teachings (which I have read them ALL by the way), I would just cut my losses and just remain online, looking for other options THERE...but that's just ME and has absolutely no bearing on what you choose to do.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

It's interesting how our paths have certain common threads.

I actually met Prabhupada since he started his western mission right here in NYC and, every once in a while, I do attend sessions at the storefront on 2nd Avenue where Prabhupada's meetings were often held.

When I was in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, my friends took me to a vegetarian restaurant where there were pictures of Krishna all over the restaurant as well as a picture of Prabhupada and some of his devotees. When I mentioned that I had met Prabhupada personally in NYC, they were awed and took me into the temple adjacent to the restaurant where we chanted the Hare Krishna Maha mantra for a while before returning for a wonderful vegetarian meal. When I was in Cuzco, Peru, I had a similar experience and yet another one in Budapest, Hungary. It's always good to meet sincere bhakti devotees of Lord Krishna.

In addition, I too explored the Theosophical Society before I met my own spiritual mentor. Ironically, she had been a member of the Theosophical Society during her younger years and recalled some of the great figures from that organization. Her "guru" was the ascended Master Moryai.

It's always interesting to hear about paths that others have explored along the way.
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  #9  
Old 13-01-2019, 12:36 AM
Shivani Devi Shivani Devi is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Still_Waters
It's interesting how our paths have certain common threads.

I actually met Prabhupada since he started his western mission right here in NYC and, every once in a while, I do attend sessions at the storefront on 2nd Avenue where Prabhupada's meetings were often held.

When I was in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, my friends took me to a vegetarian restaurant where there were pictures of Krishna all over the restaurant as well as a picture of Prabhupada and some of his devotees. When I mentioned that I had met Prabhupada personally in NYC, they were awed and took me into the temple adjacent to the restaurant where we chanted the Hare Krishna Maha mantra for a while before returning for a wonderful vegetarian meal. When I was in Cuzco, Peru, I had a similar experience and yet another one in Budapest, Hungary. It's always good to meet sincere bhakti devotees of Lord Krishna.

In addition, I too explored the Theosophical Society before I met my own spiritual mentor. Ironically, she had been a member of the Theosophical Society during her younger years and recalled some of the great figures from that organization. Her "guru" was the ascended Master Moryai.

It's always interesting to hear about paths that others have explored along the way.
Yes, we do have similar experiences happening in our past.

During my late teens, I really got into the music of George Harrison...He was my idol and spiritual muse.

I managed to pick up a copy of the Radha Krishna Temple Album and had it playing non stop for months. After which, I managed to get a tape of Benediction Moon, which had Prabhupada singing on it and I would chant the Maha Mantra for ages..this led me to visit the Govinda Temple in Darlinghurst, Sydney..where the twice weekly prasadam visit led to me staying there, studying the Srimad Bhagavatam and the collected works of Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami.

During that time, I honestly thought I loved Lord Krishna and I really TRIED to, but whenever I heard about the passtimes of Lord Shiva or saw His image, I totally lost it inside. It didn't take long for me to discover who my Ishta Devata REALLY was...and this was also the first time I was actually able to apply Vishishtadvaita to Shaivism... through the Hare Krishna movement, of all things...but after that realisation and subsequent humiliation, I knew it was time to move on.

With much trepidation as a nineteen year old seeker, I approached the Theosophical Society in Kent St, Sydney and attended a lecture there...It was at that lecture I was given a cassette tape by Geoffrey Hodson (about a month before he passed on) all about Kundalini..and it wasn't long before I found myself at the Adyar library, checking out a copy of The Serpent Power and Shakta and Shakti by Sir John Woodroffe and The Secret Doctrine by HPB as well as finding "The Tibetan Book of The Great Liberation" (Maha Nirvana Tantra) by Evans-Wentz...My reading material was secured for the next six months and the rest, as we say is history.

I eventually left the TS and followed Swami Satyananda for a while, before traveling back to Indonesia to learn Balinese Qi Gong (Yellow Bamboo) then came back to Australia, got married to a Hindu priest, joined the Divine Life Society and did my IYTA accreditation.

That's pretty much it.
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  #10  
Old 13-01-2019, 01:48 AM
Shivani Devi Shivani Devi is offline
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I am going to go out on a limb here...and I may fall off, but this is just boiling inside me:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...sion-told.html

The Swamiji that I knew and loved would never have done this! Never!

I never knew/met Swami Akhandananda, so maybe he may have done those terrible things...but to associate Swami Satyananda with being a pedophile... NEVER! He was the meekest, humblest and wisest man I ever met and I cannot believe he would even have that capability!

Do you know what I think? I think that certain people were against the Swami, what he taught and believed in, so they couldn't find any other way to discredit him, but to make up such perverse LIES and collusion is a very powerful thing... especially in the eyes of the law.

Have one person say: "Swamiji raped me" and justice would demand evidence..have two or more disgruntled ashramites who have been secretly meeting in private to "get their stories straight" say "I was there to witness this and he also did that to me TOO" and suddenly, the justice system will take it more seriously and before long, the Swami's reputation is ruined..He faces criminal charges and then disappears off the face of the planet...mission accomplished!

I have also noticed similar things happening with disgruntled employees after they get fired...they find others who have been fired...have meetings to "get their stories straight" and collude to bring down the boss and his business by making false accusations. I mean, Blind Freddy can SEE this is what is happening, but nothing can be said because there is no proof... because the word of half a dozen people who ACT as one, is stronger than the word of any single individual and that is what they use and hope for.

/rant
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