Lively, insightful commentary on contemporary issues facing spiritual practitioners.
Book, film, and audio reviews of contemporary Gaudiya media, as well as a wide variety of media of interest to the spiritually minded.
News from around the world with an emphasis on alternative press that is especially relevant to spiritual practitioners.
Excerpts from classical Gaudiya texts, with and without commentaries, hosted by teachers with whom readers can interact and ask questions.
Philosophical articles on Gaudiya Vaisnavism that focus on the tradition’s scriptural conclusions as well as its feeling for the nature of ultimate reality.
When one is exclusively devoted and unconscious of the environment, then one may go on with his smarana within. But this is not at all possible for the beginners.
“Researchers and policy makers generally don’t see the earth that predates humans as an optimal original state. ‘Obviously the best thing for the environment is to kill ourselves,’ Jahn says.”
A grassroots movement has recently emerged in which a number of scientists, philosophers, ethicists and legal experts have rallied together in support of the idea that some nonhuman animals are persons.
“…may I be blessed with the grace of Gadadhara Pandita, the master of the Bhagavatam from whom Mahaprabhu listens to the Bhagavatam. I invoke his mercy.”
Too often we encounter either complete beginner’s guides to spiritual practice or the classic sacred texts, which have endured yet may be hard to penetrate. Karnamrita’s book falls nicely in between these extremes.
Nice…very nice. Always my favorite theme: remember you are striving for something tangible.
Relevant new dissertation put out by Travis Chilcott – The Transformative Path of Krsna Bhakti: The Cognitive Dynamics of Religious Experience in the Gaudiya Vaisnava Tradition. UC Santa Barbara
I think perhaps the most relevant point made here to most practitioners is “the willingness to retire other interests.” We often have our desires shown to us in the course of our practice but if we’re not proactive in rooting them out when they appear to us then we don’t go anywhere. I know this because I’ve failed to do it on many occasions, choosing instead to harbor the desire. It’s a “have your cake and eat it too” mentality: I want spiritual life without having to give up the things that have been sources of pleasure in the past. As Swami often says, we have to pull up the anchor if we expect our boat to move.
Sure Cittster… Point well taken (i won’t take it too personally, as your posting has an absurd amount of relevance for me!).
But I guess one can say the piece had at least two points: 1. You want progress, make sacrifices and retire other interests and 2. There is reason to believe progress is feasible.
After all, why raise the anchor unless you had somewhere to go? As Aristotle and GM say, we move because we have desires and longings.