Hari Krisha!
I am new to Krishna Consciousness and already try follow some of the practices such as vegetarianism, chanting, simple living, high thinking.
My beliefs about God -
1. We are all part of God
2. God is within us all and that is what connects us all
3. Whatever happens to us in life was approved by God and is ultimately designed to help us with spiritual progress
4. All human beings are imperfect and can never be God.
How compatible are these beliefs with Krishna Consciousness?
Shane
Replies
Hare Krsna
Thank you for your questions. I would just like to refine your understanding a bit.
1. We are all part of God
We are infinitesimal or insignificant parts of God.
2. God is within us all and that is what connects us all
There are no direct and eternal connections between living creatures of this world, in this world. All direct conections like parents, siblings, marital are temporary and are at mostly at material level.
All living beings are spiritually connected to God eternally, even in this world.
3. Whatever happens to us in life was approved by God
True
and is ultimately designed to help us with spiritual progress
Not necessarily, although such an understanding is highly favourable for spritiual progress.
What I mean by this is that we cannot commit sins and say it was designed to help me with spiritual progress. On the aspect of action we should be responsible and perform action which are favourable for spiritual progress.
On the aspect of (bad) reaction that we get for past action, if we interpret it as an opportunity to correct ourself and be grateful to such a reaction, it will result in very rapid spiritual progress.
4. All human beings are imperfect and can never be God.
Not only human beings but also animals, birds, fish, insects, plants etc are all parts of God. All creatures in this world are imperfect. But all these creatures can become perfect by practice of Krsna consciousness. Humans are previliged to practice Krsna consciousness. By practice of Krsna consciousness we can become perfect and be perfect eternally. Perfection of life is in accepting our role as eternal servant of Sri Krsna.
Most important -> Even perfected living entities are not God. Even perfected living entities cannot become God ever. Even all (infinite) perfect living entities together cannot become God.
Hare Krsna
Hare Krsna Bharat, thanks for your thoughtful answers. It seems my own beliefs about God are not so far from Krsna Consciousness as I imagined
1) mamaivāṁśo jīva-loke
jīva-bhūtaḥ sanātanaḥ
manaḥ-ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi
prakṛti-sthāni karṣati
The living entities in this conditioned world are My eternal fragmental parts. Due to conditioned life, they are struggling very hard with the six senses, which include the mind.(BG - 15.7)
2) In On the Way to Krsna, Srila Prabhupada wrote - we and Paramatma are like 2 parrots sitting on a tree, where one parrot is busy on eating fruits of the tree and another is looking at him. 1st parrot is us and 2nd one is Paramatma, and the Fruits are Fruits of our Material Activities. When 1st parrot stops eating fruits and looks at the 2nd parrot, he/she is delivered.
3) Everything happens under God's will but not under God's liking. God always wants us to be his devotee.
man-manā bhava mad-bhakto
mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru
mām evaiṣyasi yuktvaivam
ātmānaṁ mat-parāyaṇaḥ
Engage your mind always in thinking of Me, become My devotee, offer obeisances to Me and worship Me. Being completely absorbed in Me, surely you will come to Me.(9.34)
But we misuse our little independence given to us by Krsna and come to this material world(although Krsna doesn't like it) to realize that we can't enjoy without Him.
4) Yes it's completely true, Jiva can never be Krsna.
I recommend you to read books with Chanting. And yes read books in the Order made by HH Bhakti Rasamrit Maharaj. 1st book is On The Way to Krsna and 2nd is Elevation to Krsna Consciousness. Many Doubts will be cleared by reading books only
Hare Krsna Gauranga, one more thing to add, on 4th point, Not only Humans every jiva in all 84 lakh species is imperfect. In Elevation to Krsna Consciousness Srila Prabhupada wrote. We can be Qualitatively equal with Krsna but not Quantitatively. As we know one type of Mukti is Swarupya Mukti - You get a Spiritual Body like Vishnu(4 hand form) but that doesn't mean you become God.