namahatta.org - Congregational Development Ministry

Watch Video

I'm not sure who wrote this but I like it.

"Be willing to publicly acknowledge when you are wrong. Those selling an ideology likewise have great difficulty admitting to being wrong, as this undercuts the rhetoric and image that is being sold. You get small points for admitting to being wrong on trivial matters and big points for admitting to being wrong on substantive points. You lose big points for failing to admit being wrong on something trivial."

 

Let's face it; sectarianism is dumb.

It provides many people these days a seemingly reasonable alibi to avoid acknowledging any concept of a Supreme Being in their lives. In recent years there have been a few bestseller books positing the idea that many of the ills of society can be attributed to not just religious sectarianism, but religion in and of itself. These authors explain theistic contemplation as an undesirable remnant of our evolutionary progress from primordial goo to an Anglo-saxon academic.

“Rasa is not a part of sadhana. Therefore if somebody says: ‘Come, I will teach you rasa’, then it will be his wickedness or foolishness. Rasa is not the subject of knowledge but of taste.

"It is not helpful for a conditioned soul to meditate upon the asta kaliya lila (the eight daily pastimes) of Sri Sri Radha Krishna because one who is unqualified will commit aparadhas".

Words from Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura:

Give up the shackles of matter slowly. Cultivate your spirit inwardly. Give up prejudices which you have acquired from the so-called rational thinkers who deny the existence of spirit.

Be humble in yourself and learn to respect those who work towards spiritual attainments. Do these with your heart, mind and strength in the company of spiritual people alone and you will see Krishna in no time.

Excerpt from The Bhagavata: Its Philosophy, Its Ethics, and Its Theology by Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura

"The Bhagavata teaches us that God gives us truth as He gave it to Vyasa: when we earnestly seek for it.

I suspect that there are many members of ISKCON who aren't aware of an alarming decision made at this year's Mayapur meetings by the GBC. The entire list of resolutions was released on their website Dandavats.com. Buried in the lengthy formal parliamentary legalese was Resolution 311:

Whereas some of Srila Prabhupada's books contain sentences such as the following, which when taken in isolation may be considered derogatory to and offensive against women: