old3bob

Hello Maddie, Glad to hear things are working out for you in Germany and like you said for obvious reasons! There is so much bad mojo and violent unravelling going on in some parts of the world that its hard to believe although tons of people are also pushing back on that! You are looking good and Take care....

karma can also be like rust, and rust is not just a story in your head for it has mass and size that has to be dealt with. thus it can be like crusty rust covering you up and weighing you down, but there are anti-rust (dharma) help methods and laws that can remove the rusty kind.

a couple of those look a little like gremlins in the movie with the same name...

one of my distant relatives made pork jerky or bacon like strips from wild pigs which I tried one time but he put so much salt and pepper into it that I could hardly eat it, thus it was a little meat with your main course of salt and pepper!

I'd say it's a lot easier to think of "God" as Source beyond the powers of the mind to wrap its head around with this or that human projection, including our various meanings for Love... but we can also use some generic handles aka concepts and better yet more personal examples/experiences to get the process rolling. For instance: ask yourself how often has "God", Spirit or the "still small voice" of your inner self saved your ass?

Written by: a blogger Industry Non-Profit Occupation Activist Location United States Introduction I'm writing this blog anonymously under the name of Sulochana Dasa who was murdered by an ISKCON hitman on May 22nd, 1986, 1:00 a.m., Los Angeles, two days after his book The Guru Business was published which exposed the ISKCON leadership and their excesses. Interests Giving people access to the truth about ISCKON aka THe Hare Krishna Movement. Giving access to resources to to show the dark side of so-called paradise and expose the misdeeds of it's leaders. "Why I left For many years I wrestled with my conscience, integrity, and my common sense as to why I should stay in a movement that I no longer believed in or felt at home in any longer. It always bothered me that ISKCON leadership valued the buildings and rituals more than the members themselves. Like many members I was disturbed by how ISKCON treated the sick, old and the burned out. I remember one instance when I was extremely sick with a sinus infection so badly my face swelled up on my left side to the size of a grapefruit. Their reply to me was, "chant more". A devotee with a little more common sense took me to the hospital, I had a severe sinus infection that had almost ruptured and if it had spread to my brain it could have killed me. On another occasion at a meeting at (New Raman Reti) the Alachua Farm in 1994, Gunagrahi Swami told me when asked, "what rights do we have in ISKCON" he replied, "You have the right to do what we tell or to do or you can leave". I left a week later and returned to New York to a personal hell, post traumatic stress and jobless. After some time in NYC and working a job, I decided to give ISKCON a second chance, not because I trusted the leadership but I missed my friends and thought I could live on the fringe of the movement without being under the thumb of the GBC (Governing Body Commission). I lived on an ISKCON farm for a while but the dire conditions and failing health forced me to leave, after all medical care is maya (illusion). I left for Gainesville where I met my now ex-wife, got a job but soon we were on the move again to New England. Married life in ISKCON is an impossible situation, you're expected to practice celibacy with the exception of having children and then only with the blessings of Guru. ISKCON marriage is a 3 way relationship, husband ,wife and guru till death do you part. This is the reason why most marriages in ISKCON fail, there is no sense of privacy and devotees live under constant scrutiny. Senior devotees are always evaluating what you eat, who you talk to, your conversations, what your wearing, even when and how you use the toilet. Heaven forbid if you use toilet paper or take a shower with your genitals exposed. Every bit of the tiniest minutia is scrutinized by people who are flawed themselves and who are looking for your weaknesses. You are taught to except unwarranted criticism from people who are ego maniacs. Once a new temple president who was on a power trip tried to bully me around till I pointed out the fact that if he were to walk outside the temple and inform the first Karmi (non-devotee) of who he was and try to order him around that he would find out first hand that outside those walls he was a nobody just like the rest of us. ISKCON leaders are drunk with power and quote mythological texts as proof to assert their authority when the fact is, that outside of their imaginations no such authority exists. they use religious texts as proof and exclude actual evidence as maya (illusion). Take the Moon landing for example, they believe the astronauts landed a planet called Rahu. Rahu is a demon's head that swallows the Moon and Sun, it's what really causes eclipses, they believe scientists are wrong . They still believe in the geocentric model of the Solar System where the Sun revolves around the Earth and the Moon is further away than the Sun.They also believe there is only one Sun in the universe and that there is an ocean at the bottom of the solar system and hold a belief in an ocean of milk where their god sleeps on a giant snake.Their basis of science is the Vedas and if the two conflict then science is flawed. I will high light the beliefs of ISKCON in regards to science in another article but my point is reality for the Hare Krishna is what is inside their books and the realm outside of their books is illusion. Their reality is a fantastical realm that they aren't pure enough to see because of spiritual contamination. But, if you asked them where are all the "Pure Devotees" in ISKCON were then they'd be hard pressed to answer. Their cavalier attitude towards child abuse and children in particular is abysmal. I have to admit that till 1998 most devotees didn't know the extent of the abuse due to the fact that they happened in the Gurukalas (boarding schools) mostly over seas out of the sight of most devotees. I was floored when I found out that Murlivadika dasa was involved in that scandal and that Rupa Vilas who had convinced me to move in the temple was also involved in it's cover up as well as physical abuse of children himself. It made me sick to my stomach. I knew others as well that I had trusted and I held with the highest regard as people of integrity but it was all a sham. I absolutely despise anyone who would harm a child but ISKCON's answer was, "well, they must have done something in a past life to justify the karma", it's a cop out ludicrous answer and if the answer is true then why even bother to have a justice system at all, if everything is cosmic payback. Why prosecute murderers, thieves and rapists if the victim deserved it. ISKCON loves to play blame the victim game especially when they are at fault. They throw people away when they lose their usefulness or when they wise up. They despise people who don't need them or who able to stand their own ground. The ultimate reason I left was, I could no longer tolerate how ISKCON treats it's members, children and dissidents. I no longer feel a need for any theistic philosophy, I'm finally at peace with myself but I'm writing this blog to warn others who might have an interest in joining ISKCON or for those looking for the courage to leave. There will be more to follow."

no shit dude,

Video showing that many Russians are not so different than people anywhere and who want to live decent lives along with many also wanting to visit or live in the modest countryside homes and enjoy more natural ways...(I'd say away from the harsh realities and or very tough conditions that many of their civilian's live under in big cities that we in the west often hear reported about) we have also met humanity and he/she is us...

that could be one way to feel the workings of instant karma

doesn't anyone see it, that's really a merman.

Chapter 74 of the T.T.C. 'When people don’t appreciate living, And so aren’t afraid of dying, What good is threatening them with the death penalty? When they appreciate and love life, They fear heaven’s executioner, They naturally love and take care of their lives. But even if having a human executioner Would make people change for the better, Who could justly taking on this role? Only the karmic Net of Heaven can do that. Anyone usurping this role of heaven, Only causes great harm to themselves." (my underline, and I'd also add harm to others in the last line, yet we still have agreed upon human laws that are supposedly for the better of all by ideally being in line with the Tao)

So how many of us recognize that evil is more or less running wild in the world with horrific actions, (and that in most cases silence anywhere or by anyone about same is an indirect form of helping that evil) none of the great masters so often quoted here were silent when it came to dealing with evil...aka the adharmic.

you might consider cropping your photo's somewhat which would still make your point.

just don't pass out in the sauna and wake up on the other side...oops

true on the first two paragraphs, which could have some slippery slopes to deal with...as humans there are times that we would like karma to speed up, slow down, or kick in but it doesn't follow our desires...besides there being more to it than easily discernible simple action/reaction that one might know or see.

good point, especially spiritually speaking...

don't follow orders but be ready to pay the ultimate price is how that works...

has that ever worked with the lawless and violent in the world?

I think many would agree with the above for minor or intermediate wrongs but when it comes to major wrongs like dictators or murderers commit (for instance killing from one to millions of people!) in this world who then could name or see a penance to offset or mitigate wrongs at such levels?? A great master could/would still see the Atman or (Buddha nature if you are Buddhist) in such people yet again there is no penance in this world to offset acts of limited or mass murder so then what would a master say or prescribe related to that? Btw, in some Buddhist schools there is this saying: "In some Mahayana Buddhist traditions, there is a story or ethical discussion that a highly realized being (a Bodhisattva) might, out of immense compassion, intentionally kill a person to prevent that person from committing an even greater crime (such as murdering many others), thus saving the potential murderer from accumulating an enormous amount of negative karma that would result in eons of suffering". And in Tibetan Buddhism there is this story: "according to traditional biographies and legends, the Tibetan yogi and spiritual poet Milarepa was a mass murderer in his youth, using black magic to kill 35 people. This dark past is a central part of his famous redemption story within Tibetan Buddhism. The Story of Milarepa's Violence Betrayal and Revenge: After Milarepa's father died, his aunt and uncle seized the family's wealth and property, leaving Milarepa, his mother, and his sister impoverished and effectively as servants. His mother, driven by grief and a desire for justice, insisted that her son learn sorcery to take revenge. Mass Murder: Milarepa left home and found a master of the dark arts. After acquiring these skills, he cast a powerful spell that caused the house where his relatives were celebrating a wedding feast to collapse. Thirty-five people died in the collapse; ironically, his aunt and uncle reportedly survived, though their sons and their wives were among the dead. Further Retaliation: When the remaining villagers became furious and sought to retaliate against his mother, Milarepa sent a hailstorm to destroy their crops. Remorse and Redemption Immediately after these acts of violence, Milarepa was overcome by deep guilt and remorse, realizing the heavy karmic consequences of his actions. This profound regret marked a turning point in his life, leading him to seek a path to purification and enlightenment. He eventually sought out the great Buddhist master Marpa Lotsawa, who subjected him to severe physical and psychological trials for years to purify his negative karma. Milarepa's perseverance and devotion under Marpa's guidance ultimately allowed him to achieve full enlightenment within a single lifetime, transforming him from a murderer to one of the most revered figures in Tibetan Buddhism. His life story is a powerful testament to the Buddhist belief in the possibility of redemption and spiritual transformation, no matter how great the past misdeeds. " ...even with great effort and several earth years of purification work mentioned above it seems it would take far more than that to offset murdering 35 people? As for someone like Stalin maybe it would take 35 million years of suffering for him to come around? or maybe some Beings spend an entire cosmic cycle in the hell realms by refusing to make amends. (all that is above my pay grade so to speak)

11 hours ago, old3bob said: Btw, the following saying is simple and pure, even transcendent in a way without overly lamenting or trying to be profound even if it is profound for a Christian and really for any religion if understood right, "There but for the grace of God go I". "Now you seem to be saying if it was not for God 's grace you might have become a heavy metal musician ?" by Nungali nope, but my experiences with falls could have been worse and farther...

Excerpt from BKS Iyengar, "Light on Yoga" "The yogi opposes the evil in the wrong-doer, but not the wrongdoer. He prescribes penance not punishment for a wrong done. Opposition to evil and love for the wrong-doer can live side by side. A drunkard's wife whilst loving him may still oppose his habit. Opposition without love leads to violence; loving the wrong-doer without opposing the evil in him is folly and leads to misery. The yogi knows that to love a person whilst fighting the evil in him is the right course to follow. The battle is won because he fights it with love." ( implied between human beings)

What the heck are you doing Charlton?

go back 2 to 4 thousand years and read of some of the pointers that Spiritual giants left us.

some of it is better than weird or cult like fiction that is repeated, Btw, many missed their ride on that comet and spaceship a while back and paid with their lives: "in 1997, 39 members of the Heaven's Gate cult died by mass suicide in the belief their souls would board a supposed alien spacecraft they thought was traveling behind the Hale-Bopp comet. They referred to the process as shedding their "bodily containers" or "meat vehicles" to "graduate" to a higher existence".