How to be conscious of Krishna at home. For those working toward initiate lifestyle [with or without ceremony], OR those already initiated to revitalize, OR folks who simply want to do what they can - finding nectar within it. All levels exist here. NO NEED TO JOIN ANY organization. Additionally, there are bits of my life in the Movement of 1970's and beyond. To get the latest post with new info, SUBSCRIBE. :)
George tells it like it as [at the end]. Its all about love.
God is
love, Krishna is Love [being God], and the love you give is the love
you get, or the love you get is the love you give? Both. :) We need to be a loving society, which can be a balancing act since we
still need to tell the truth - but we can learn to tell it politely.
Additionally, here George speaks of an experience some may not know of [and some may] -
"Once I was on an airplane that was in an electric storm. It was hit by lightning three times, and a Boeing 707 went over the top of us, missing by inches. I thought the back end of the plane had blown off. I was on my way from Los Angeles to New York to organize the Bangladesh concert. As soon as the plane began bouncing around, I started chanting Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. The whole thing went on for about an hour and a half or two hours, the plane dropping hundreds of feet and bouncing all over in the storm, all the lights out and all these explosions, and everybody terrified. I ended up with my feet pressed against the seat in front, my seat belt as tight as it could be, gripping on the thing, and yelling Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare at the top of my voice. I know for me, the difference between making it and not making it was actually chanting the mantra. Peter Sellers also swore that chanting Hare Krishna saved him from a plane crash once."
AND George: "I think it's better that it is spreading into the homesnow. There are a lot of 'closet Krishnas, you know. There's a lot of people out there who are just waiting, and if it's not today, it will be tomorrow or next week or next year.
Back in the sixties, whatever we were all getting into, we tended to broadcast it as loud as we could. I had had certain realizations and went through a period where I was so thrilled about my discoveries and realizations that I wanted to shout and tell it to everybody. But there's a time to shout it out and a time not to shout it out. A lot of people went underground with their spiritual life in the seventies, but they're out here in little nooks and crannies and in the countryside, people who look and dress straight, insurance salesmen types, but they're really meditators and chanters, closet devotees."
Quotes from George about his memories with Srila Prabhupada:
"I liked Prabhupada’s humbleness. I always liked his humility and his simplicity The servant of the servant of the servant is really what it is, you know. None of us are God—just His servants. He just made me feel so comfortable. I always felt very relaxed with him, and I felt more like a friend. I felt that he was a good friend. Even though he was at the time seventy-nine years old, working practically all through the night, day after day, with very little sleep, he still didn’t come through to me as though he was a very highly educated intellectual being, because he had a sort of childlike simplicity. Which is great, fantastic. Even though he was the greatest Sanskrit scholar and a saint, I appreciated the fact that he never made me feel uncomfortable. In fact, he always went out of his way to make me feel comfortable. I always thought of him as sort of a lovely friend, really, and now he’s still a lovely friend." VINYL RECORD 45 RPM COLLECTOR'S ITEM! Produced by George Harrison, Hare Krishna mantra / Prayers to the Spiritual Master. If you're a collector this is a great one to have! Please get it thru my link here.
Yes, it can be done! I've thought of it when hiking around, wondering what time this or that plant wakes up or goes to sleep. Then a godsister, tho unknowing of my desire, shared this link, below. Oh, I have not done it yet. ha It may take me time - but it may not take others time. Spring is not fully here, but its getting close. So buy the appropriate seeds and you can grow a flower clock in your backyard! Shhhhh Don't tell anyone. Than when you tell time by taking a sneak-peek at your flowers, everyone can think you are a great mystic. LOL Just kidding, but you can find ways to have a little, honest, fun with it. :)
We have so much trippy stuff going on in our Movement.
When we get one drop of it fixed, or at least blocked, we feel a sigh of relief. "Ahhhhh all better - at least for now." :)
However, what would happen if ....now visualize with me cuz it will take a bit of imagination hehe .... So for a moment think what it actually would be like if ....One day GM and ISKCON devotees found a way to get along, ISKCON and Ritvik devotees found a way to get along, VAD and Sankirtana devotees found a way to get along. And so on. NOT saying anyone to give up what they believe, just to accept the fact that this is the world we live in and it has not changed with fighting. So can we locate some thread of commonality to get along over?
If we succeeded, what would we do with it? Would we get bored?Do some just love the drama?
While some do love drama, it is a mistake to assume everyone does. Many can't stand it.
There are yet others, not necessarily in the category of enjoying drama, but they find peace bores them. So that too can become a problem in a world that finally found peace. Next may be a category within a category ha.... Some fault-finders think they're preaching, think they're purifying you - but often are perfectionists [not healthy!] who need to work on themselves to over-come fault finding, and learn how to tolerate others when those others are less than perfect.
Often they are just seeking perfection in the wrong places. We all may do this at times, it's human. The difference is, they do it too often and can't put on the breaks. Prabhupada is perfect, not me. Krishnaloka is perfect, not this entire Earth planet or every community.
Those who are qualified would not be upsetting you with preaching, rather they'd find ways tobe inspiring for you.
Sure, sometimes we need to be corrected. A little humility is good. Butheavy preaching has been overdone. Now it's time for the enlivenment aspect.
So lets not go out of our own way of "unnecessarily" expressing negative emotions to a person. That seldom resolves anythinganyway. Often just creates a cycle of the same argument. [This post is not about abuse.]
Besides, many bad habits etc have been 'seen' to fall away 'automatically' when one keeps reading the books, chanting, and doing service. All very pleasant and fun activities! :) Therefore, circling back: What would we actually DO if we figured out how to put all that at bay - and everyone just got along?
Have you ever asked yourself this question? Maybe it takes going thru enough 'stuff' to ask it, but I sure have.And my reply to myself was....
I feared someone out there would merely stir the pot again, that somebody would cause trouble - cuz they were bored, or did not know what to do with the peace, or use a fault-find style of preaching, or have issues of their own they don't want to admit they have.
We 'could' all unite in this Movement. Often this gets confused with giving up. Mixed with concepts of taking on others belief's and throwing out our own. It's why I mention a second time - no - we can keep preaching, nicely, what we believe. Just stop seeking out "reasons" to fight!
Someone's not perfect? Nobody'sgoing to think exactly as you do. Nor exactly as I do. Thus, why bring to the surface what it is about them - that bothers you? Instead, either walk away - or show them a beautiful picture of Krishna.
And a certain amount of [sane] forgiveness may be required, because everyone
can not always be on exactly the same page. That is called "Personalism." Not to worry, in
shastra even pure devotees had disagreements. It's normal. How we deal
with it in kali-yuga, now that is a different topic.
If we can understand all this, and utilize it to move forward.... next .... What would we do with that "getting along" thing? :)
Would some stir the pot anyway? Others seek out the fun of drama cuz their own life is null? Would some say "Look at this tiny spec of imperfection that's irritating me which I discovered within you..." ??
Or would we get back to the mood of the old days where Prabhupada showed what is more important - to put all our personal focus on Krishna, not on each other? [Referring to the tendency to fault-find when it's on others too much or imbalanced.]
I like to hope, we would stop wounding one another, especially out of ignorance, but even with intent. Instead if such a world ever comes to pass - may we all do what we each do:
Be it Deity Service, or Sanskirtana, or Sharing/Preaching online, or Prasadam distribution... etc ...whatever is one's natural propensity - to do it without creating wars.
Vaikuntha on earth. It IS possible.
Can we please start working toward this goal? Actively, and not just lip service. Actions speak louder than words.
