relationship - Blog - ISKCON Desire Tree | IDT2024-03-28T17:19:44Zhttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/feed/tag/relationshipThe reality of cultural imbalance by Kadamba Kanana Swamihttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/the-reality-of-cultural-imbalance-by-kadamba-kanana-swami2023-03-02T08:30:00.000Z2023-03-02T08:30:00.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><blockquote>
<p style="text-align:justify;"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}3666471294,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="3666471294?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="500" /></p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Human relationships in this modern world are scary. There is so much fear whether a relationship will last. For instance, will a marriage work out or not? Why have we changed? </p>
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<p style="text-align:justify;">This is because of the culture that we live in and the changes in the Western world and in the modern world that we witness around us. Previously, holding marriage as sacred was a very serious social thing. And if one wanted to break a marriage, it was considered as a disgrace, to the extent that the entire society and community would practically just turn those people into outcasts. I am speaking of the older days of the West, what to speak of India?</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Before WWII in Europe, the idea of divorce was quite alien. After WWII, everything got destroyed. Faith got destroyed. Culture got destroyed and after that, the modernity in which we live now, where all these ancient cultural values existed, all broke down. This new attitude has gradually conquered the world. So these days, marriages are no longer being held together strongly by social structure. Now, marriages have to be held together on the strength of the relationship itself, otherwise they break. And in Indian society today, the funny thing is that most Indian fathers educate their daughters. A PhD is no longer good enough (laughter). I mean, a few PhDs would be better. Somehow or other, educating your daughters is the new culture. But so many Indian men refuse to marry such a lady because they feel intimidated by them. They want their regular house-wife who is submissive. And somehow or other, the Indian culture is a funny mix in this way. Because you can see the dichotomy, fathers that over-educate their daughters to the point that they do not want to, but they are driven and so they have to, and then potential husbands who do not want this anymore.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">So there is a cultural imbalance that exists and it is a problem, because as soon as ladies become educated (which in the modern world is going to be a fact), marriage becomes a partnership. It cannot be a vertical relationship. The old fashioned men have to get off their high horse and that is a bit difficult because they have been in this position for a long time and have sort of become got glued to the saddle, making it hard to get them off. I am sorry to say it so bluntly but the reality of this is something that we have to understand. We are living in a modern age, and ultimately partnership is where it will have to go in this modern society. A mutual respect and a genuine appreciation for mutual contributions will be crucial. So, I think that this would help in the modern world.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">But human relationships are still scary in the modern world because that social support is no longer there. However, as devotees, we should become more generous. Relationships are all about generosity. One does not have to prove themselves as correct all the time. It is not a question of acceptance or rejection. It is not about having to prove yourself at each moment, or otherwise the relationship breaks down. No, marriage means that two people are together as devotees, and that they will put in the work to make that relationship work. Once this is understood, there will be a commitment to mutually work things out when there are obstacles, and such relationships will never become a serious problem.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;"><strong>Source: </strong><a href="https://www.kksblog.com/2019/10/the-reality-of-cultural-imbalance/">https://www.kksblog.com/2019/10/the-reality-of-cultural-imbalance/</a></p>
<p><</p></div>Relationship with Vrndavana by Kadamba Kanana Swamihttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/relationship-with-vrndavana-by-kadamba-kanana-swami2022-02-08T09:52:24.000Z2022-02-08T09:52:24.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10080531688,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="600" alt="10080531688?profile=RESIZE_710x" /></p>
<p>We are building a relationship with Vrndavana, and as we know, Vrndavana is all about devotional service. Whether you are engaging in hearing and chanting or whether you are doing another service in Vrndavana, it is ultimately all about service in the dhama. Service is the way to penetrate into Vrndavana. So, when we go to Vrndavana, we start making a connection, and then we go again and again where we meditate on Vrndavana. This way, our connection to Vrndavana grows deeper and so does our desire to be in Vrndavana. In this way, it is a lifetime relationship which has to evolve, and this happens through our service.</p>
<p>You can watch the full zoom disciple meeting on our YouTube channel or by clicking the below link:<br /> <a href="https://youtu.be/Tc1eZbjOXn4" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/Tc1eZbjOXn4</a></p>
<p><strong>Source:</strong> <a href="https://www.kksblog.com/2022/02/relationship-with-vrndavana/">https://www.kksblog.com/2022/02/relationship-with-vrndavana/</a></p></div>The lost relationship by HH Sacinandana Swamihttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/the-lost-relationship-by-hh-sacinandana-swami2019-11-24T06:50:00.000Z2019-11-24T06:50:00.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p style="text-align:center;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}2515279751,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}2515279751,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="450" alt="2515279751?profile=RESIZE_710x" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Do you have strong friendships? By this I mean people close to your heart, who are with you through good and bad times, people with whom your life is tightly bound. Will these relationships endure at your deathbed and beyond? There is only one person who is tightly bound to us beyond the barrier of death. He has always been with us, even before this life. He is a friend who knows the contents of our heart… and yet we have somehow managed to forget Him. We have inconceivably lost our most important relationship… Of course, in the ultimate sense this relationship can never be lost; we only lose our consciousness of it. We are always a part of Krsna for we are souls and the soul is part of God. But we have to awaken from our forgetfulness to fully benefit from that one relationship.<br /> In the Second World War, family members from countries like Poland and Romania were torn apart. Years after the war they again found each other. Imagine the moving scene when a son was reunited with his old parents. How must he have felt? In some cases, people were infant when they were separated from their families but nevertheless they felt a deep bond when they met as adults. Their natural relationships started to blossom as soon as they were active in those relationships – talking to each other, eating and working together as a family. Just as these inactive relationships were revived instantaneously, our relationship with Krsna can be reactivated the moment we turn to Him – for example when we go on pilgrimage to a holy place such as Vrndavana, the home of Radha and Krsna. Transcendental feelings of love awaken just by visiting Them ‘at home.’<br /> In Vrndavana or Mayapur, the home of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, one can engage in chanting or other devotional practices and especially feel, ‘Krsna is here and I have a substantial relationship with Him.’ No one has to tell you about it. It comes naturally.<br /> Srila Prabhupada writes in The Nectar of Devotion: ‘The places in the eighty-four square-mile district of Mathura are so beautifully situated on the banks of the Yamuna that anyone who goes there will never want to return to this material world.’1 1 Nectar of Devotion, p. 111.</p>
<div style="text-align:justify;"><strong>Source: </strong><a href="http://www.dandavats.com/?p=71562">http://www.dandavats.com/?p=71562</a></div></div>Title : Life lessons : Five minutes to wisdom 3https://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/title-life-lessons-five-minutes-to-wisdom-32019-11-15T09:11:55.000Z2019-11-15T09:11:55.000ZAnanta Gauranga dashttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/AnantaGaurangadas<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3713955325?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><p>Small miracles to change ourselves and our surroundings.</p><p><strong>The King & a Human Skull<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></strong></p><p>How do the eyes of the wise see through the ears?</p><p>A king was once presented with a human skull as a gift. He assembled his political advisers — whom he paid exorbitantly — and enquired from them whether the person whom the skull belonged to, was a fool or an intellectual. If they could not give a suitable answer he would have them killed. How does one tell based only on bodily remains? However the most intelligent of his cabinet spoke up. He took a piece of string and treaded it from the left ear hole of the skull to the right. He then told the king that clearly this person was a fool.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> Just see how this string enters the left ear and is out the right. </span></p><p>Similarly, when we read books and or assimilate knowledge does it enter the cranial cavity and make a hasty escape. When knowledge is received for it to have a significant impact upon an individual it needs to enter through the ears and penetrate to the heart. When the heart is touched our world view is altered. Knowledge then goes from words to wisdom as it becomes a lived experience. In this way, when applied to our daily <strong>trials</strong> and <strong>triumphs</strong> it has the potential for enlightenment. The true light of knowledge is the illumination of reality. By applying knowledge into our life it becomes tangible and something mystical happens. Knowledge becomes wisdom. Wisdom is the way the wise interact with their environment.</p><p>A tomato is a fruit = <strong>Knowledge </strong></p><p>To not put a tomato into a fruit salad = <strong>WISDOM </strong></p><p>Its is said that the furthest point in this universe is the distance between the human head and the heart. When knowledge enters the head, it permeates into the heart by actively applying to your life. This is how <strong><em>the eyes of the wise see through the ears.</em></strong></p><p><strong><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Alexander the great: Mind over Matter<em><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></em></strong></p><p>How to make matter not matter so much?</p><p>Upon arriving in India, leaving numerous kingdoms conquered in his wake, Alexander came across a yogi in a cave. His troops informed him that the yogi would not venture out of the cave to offer respects and homage unto him. Infuriated by such disrespectful behaviour Alexander stormed into the hermitage with sword raised ready to slay the infidel. The yogi loudly shouted<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><strong>AAAHHH! Servant of my servant</strong> how nice to finally meet your acquittance.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p>Alexander was bewildered. He stood before this emaciated yogi, who lived in a cave, was covered in one piece of tattered cloth and he dared call the king of the ancient world not just a servant, but the servant of his servant. What did he mean by this, Alexander wondered and so inquired from the yogi. The yogi explained that even though Alexander was the conqueror of untold fortunes, lands, woman and wine, he had not conquered his mind. Whereas the simple mendicant after a lifetime dedicated to self-control, truth and study of spiritual text had developed real wealth. He was the true king for he was no longer a servant to unbridled senses and not emancipated from the trappings of a contaminated mind.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p>Alexander the Great conquered the world, but he could not conquer himself. In his conquests, he lay siege to almost every great city of the ancient world. Yet he was not able to subdue that most important city, to conquer which is the greatest of all achievements, the citadel of his mind.</p><p>This pastime should make us thoughtful. What is real wealth? Is it the perpetual drive for the accumulation of things? Or is real wealth to concur the self? When our mind is subdued and tranquil then <strong>matter will not matter</strong>. When we have too many things in our life what results is anxiety fuelled by weapons of mass distraction. A progressive society treasures people and uses things. If we are using people simply to acquire things then at the core of our mentality resides a malady, fostered by the hole we have torn into our heart. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p><strong>The Buddha’s plate</strong></p><p>Once the Buddha was having a meal on a clay plate. Upon completion of the meal, he handed the plate to a disciple who was to wash the eating utensil. On the way to the river the plate slipped from his clutches and fell to the ground in pieces. The disciple gathered up the pieces to show to his master. After he told the enlightened one about his accident, he apologised for the calamity caused. The Buddha told him to now apologize to the broken plate and the disciple duly did so. Then the Buddha asked his disciple if the apology in any way helped the condition of the plate. The disciple responded in the negative. The Buddha asked if the disciple understood the lesson. The disciple responded affirmatively.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p>When we fracture and shatter relationships simply uttering an apology — no matter how sincere — is not sufficient to mend the damaged done. The best apology a person may make is a change of behaviour, the destructive behaviour that causes traumatic emotional upheavals. All too often we feel that once an apology is given in words, then that is the end. Rather, that point is but the beginning. Closure regarding explosive interpersonal relationships requires rehabilitation of hurt inflicted upon the other.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p><strong>The Myth of Sisyphus<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></strong></p><p>Sisyphus was the king of Corant. He was punished horribly in the afterlife, some say for chaining death so that humans would no longer have to die. Others maintain<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>that he leaked secrets of the Gods for personal gain. He was sentenced to rolling a massive boulder up a hill for all of eternity. As he reached the top the boulder would roll back down and he would have to start over again.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p>This struggle of mundane endeavour not leading anywhere is emblematic of the toils and struggles in the sojourn of contemporary materialistic civilisation. Toiling in repetitive, fruitless and meaningless tasks for a few scraps off the table of life, all the while obvious to the temporal nature of this none spiritual realm.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p>What's required is a reprieve from this meaningless cycle of mundanity. Chained to a job which not only lacks lustre but tarnishes our soul. A slave to the establishment that perceives us as just another number, <strong>a bar code on the isle of human resources</strong>. A dear price shall we pay for lugging the burden of the dualities which saturate this world.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p>To escape this existence is the goal of life. Money, fame and fashion won’t satiate the yearning of the soul. Crying for a meaningful existence all the while being force feed materialistic propaganda. Don’t build your home and heart on a foundation of sand. Look within, find your true self and live a lie no longer. Let your pain drive you. Take a walk on the path less travelled and traverse your inner discord. The first step on the path of self-realisation starts with you. Or like Sisyphus, we will become chained to the boulder of suffering in the rat race of repetitive consumerism.</p></div>