Using the Internet for Krishna
It is sometimes said that a transcendentalist should have no contact whatsoever with the material energy because if he does so he will be contaminated, that he must instead completely detach himself from the material world through the process of negating all material things. According to this view it would be completely wrong to have anything to do with the internet. Such a transcendentalist should totally cut off his contact with all material things and take up residence in a remote place such as a cave in the Himalayan mountains.
But this point of view fails to take into account the fact that everything in existence is the energy of Krishna and is therefore meant to be utilized in His service. While there may some merit for one who is addicted to material sense gratification to disassociate from all material things, the highest form of renunciation is to utilize all material things in the Lord's service.
If we find a missing wallet on the roadside, we can take the money out of it and spend it, we can leave the wallet lying there on the ground, or we can return it to its owner. Which is better? The material sense gratifier is like the person who takes the money and spends it on himself. The person who ignores the wallet is the like the transcendentalist who cuts off all contact with this material world. And the person who returns the wallet to its rightful owner is like the devotee who engages everything in Krishna's service. This is the highest form of renunciation.
So the conclusion is the highest form of renunciation is to engage everything in Krishna's service. If the internet can be used successfully to spread the Krishna consciousness movement all over the world, it would be completely wrong not to utilize it.
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
Writing Thought for the Day
The Supreme Godhead has a personality. I have a false ego and a true self. Is my true self anything more than simple awareness. Do I have a personality as well? Are any of the things that I call my self (my humor for example) real at all or are they just part of my false ego?
It is a lonely prospect to think I am nothing more than awareness without a personality.
Please help me understand.
With respect,
Julianne
Every aspect of your personality is real, but now in your conditioned state it is being filtered through the material energy. This can be compared to pure white light shining through a colored filter. What comes out on the other side is colored light. But the white light is always pure white light. It simply appears colored because it is shining through a filter. As soon as the filter is removed it regains its original pure white nature. So your personality in all of it aspects is eternally real. Now you simply need to purify your consciousness by regularly chanting the holy names of God. In this way your original divine personality will become completely revived.
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
But this point of view fails to take into account the fact that everything in existence is the energy of Krishna and is therefore meant to be utilized in His service. While there may some merit for one who is addicted to material sense gratification to disassociate from all material things, the highest form of renunciation is to utilize all material things in the Lord's service.
If we find a missing wallet on the roadside, we can take the money out of it and spend it, we can leave the wallet lying there on the ground, or we can return it to its owner. Which is better? The material sense gratifier is like the person who takes the money and spends it on himself. The person who ignores the wallet is the like the transcendentalist who cuts off all contact with this material world. And the person who returns the wallet to its rightful owner is like the devotee who engages everything in Krishna's service. This is the highest form of renunciation.
So the conclusion is the highest form of renunciation is to engage everything in Krishna's service. If the internet can be used successfully to spread the Krishna consciousness movement all over the world, it would be completely wrong not to utilize it.
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
Writing Thought for the Day
Wellington, New Zealand--27 June 2010
Answers According to the Vedic Version:
Question: Does the True Self Has Personality?
Dear Teacher,The Supreme Godhead has a personality. I have a false ego and a true self. Is my true self anything more than simple awareness. Do I have a personality as well? Are any of the things that I call my self (my humor for example) real at all or are they just part of my false ego?
It is a lonely prospect to think I am nothing more than awareness without a personality.
Please help me understand.
With respect,
Julianne
Answer: Self Means Personality
Self means personality because there cannot be awareness without personality. Therefore your personality is just as real as Krishna's personality. This is confirmed in Chapter 2 of the Bhagavad-gita.Every aspect of your personality is real, but now in your conditioned state it is being filtered through the material energy. This can be compared to pure white light shining through a colored filter. What comes out on the other side is colored light. But the white light is always pure white light. It simply appears colored because it is shining through a filter. As soon as the filter is removed it regains its original pure white nature. So your personality in all of it aspects is eternally real. Now you simply need to purify your consciousness by regularly chanting the holy names of God. In this way your original divine personality will become completely revived.
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
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