Hare Krishna to all devotees,
Please accept my humble obeisances,
All Glories to Srila Prabhupada,
I have heard some sentences from scriptures in temple which seem to contradict each other.
1(a). A learned man sees a brahmana, a dog, a dog-eater and an elephant with equal vision
1(b). A devotee should be in association with only devotees
2(a). A devotee of the Lord should be humble,compassionate, kind, good and all..
2(b). Things unfavorable to KC should be rejected.
For the first one, if devotee has association of fellow devotees only, is it still equal vision?
And the second vision, if we are humble, compassionate, kind,, is it so easy to reject things unfavorable to Krishna?
Replies
One must also ask himself, HONESTLY, what is skillful means as regards to MY OWN practice. Anything i say here can be taken as being said from me or slightly quoted from a very limited knowledge of this particular path. I love the people here though, and find you all inspirational which is why I come and why I dare to post.
1a. Acting as if, simply acting as if all are equal is a good start and can certainly be beneficial. However when one truly delves into the question of what is the "self" That which he finds he will then naturally and truly see in all things, rocks, plants, birds, trees, beings. Murderers, priests. Pious and impious. I by no means am giving free reign to do as you please and it does indeed matter, its just a way of wording an experiential sight.
1b. I am guilty of not being in too much association, I am usually solitary. Though the groups I do attend are more geared toward the path I have taken. Although, I will ALWAYS own a Gita for sure.
2a and 2b seem pretty self explanatory. But there is balance in all things. Mercy is balanced by severity. Too much mercy leads to trouble as much as too much severity. Balance.
It is good to have a Sangha, a place in which others who are striving on the path can come together and speak and do activities together that are of spiritual nature. I think in the Jewish faith they say a congregation is no less then 10. This is association as well. It builds a group spirit, in the spirit of the ONE, with ONE heart. It is in fact harder alone...i know that for sure. What that means though is even in association, it does not mean non Krishna devotees or other human beings are lesser then. They are not. So no, equal vision can be had regardless of association. If this is your path i would however have to say even from a practical perspective, devotee association is a great thing.
And...usually picking one path and sticking with it until the end is advised, so anything deemed unskillful in this path should be rejected for progress in this path.
This is just my opinion....whether it means anything here or not i do not know, Just offering it,
Much Love All <3
Hare Krishna ,
Thank you Rashmi Mataji and Adam Prabhu. I feel somewhat better. I will try to be more in association of devotees and read Prabhupad's books. And I will try to follow what is suggested to me here.
Hari bol,
Servant of Your servant
Hare KRsna Prabhuji,
PAMHO.
I will attempt to answer your questions -
1(a) A devotee has to see with equal eye all 4. What does that mean - if a brahmana comes home, he should wash his feet and give him nice seat to sit, should he do the same if a stray dog comes home? No na - devotion does not mean that one has to become stupid. It means that one shoudl be able to see the presence of soul in every living entity, and not see only the external body. I can say from my own experience - I have stopped shrieking everytime I see a cockroach or lizard. My thoughts immediately go to - I was also a cockroach or lizard in some birth and people would scream looking at me too.
1(b) Taking the same example further - can a devotee (lady) associate with some street urchins - the wrong kind or should she associate with her kind? We do not expect a mataji to associate with or even go and sit beside someone who is looking at her with wrong eyes - you know what I mean. Despite the fact that all are soul and all souls are in human body, she has to differentiate with whom she can be around. That same way, a devotee should be around other devotees - this gives the energy to remain steady in devotion. It is also said in common parlance na that one man is recognised by the company he keeps. Therefore, while one respects the supersoul in every living entity, one associates with their own kind for further progress in spiritual life.
2(a) Yes, whats the problem with being humble, kind, compassionate to all?
2(b) Does that mean that if one is offered (say) a cigarette, one should humbly accept ? What is unfavourable to KC has to be rejected - but it can still be done humbly. One neednt do it arrogantly. And if one is asked the reason for rejecting something, one can very kindly and humbly explain one's point of view.
I hope I have been able to answer your queries. If you have futher doubts, please feel free to ask.
Haribol,
YOur servant,
Rashmi
Hare Krishna Mataji,
Thanks for the reply.I am completely satisfied and convinced with the answers given for 1(a) and 1(b). But, I have some problem with 2(a) and 2(b). Humbly and kindly we cannot convince some people. Even harshness or something else does not help with some other people. This is the case with my father. I stay in Bangalore. I try to avoid onion and garlic when I am in Bangalore. But when I go to my hometown, my father can see what I am eating. If I just talk about onion and garlic, he becomes so angry. I tried to explain him so many times in so many ways. He is not at all listening. What to do in this case? Listen to him and consume onion and garlic ? Or still try to convince him? I am very confused
Hare Krsna Prabhuji,
PAMHO.
You do neither - do not eat onion garlic, and stop preaching to your father. You would have told him enough reasons, still he chooses to disregard and wants you to eat onion garlic. I know it is most difficult to preach to own family members, esp elders. Do not try - simply stick to your sadhana with faith and conviction. At the same time be respectful towards your father and under no circumstances should you insult him or look down upon him.
Be patient and kind with him. THat is real compassion. Do not answer back if he shouts at you - that is real humility. Always try to serve him to the best of your capacity - that is pleasing to Krsna. If you do all this, you will become an exalted devotee in no time.
You appear to be very young - thats why father is trying to prevail his thoughts over you. Think of it this way, instead of becoming Krsna Conscious, if you had fallen into ad company and become (say) an alchoholic, woudl you stop drinking just because father says? I think no and I also think father also knows that.
Dont worry, with time, he will learn to respect your choices, even if he cannot accept them for himself.
Haribol,
Your servant,
Rashmi