ratikala
Istha gosthi
namaskaram prabhu ji
practices ? ...sadhana , ...constant learning , even though my actual daily practice is deity seva , one is constantly learning , things constantly reveal them selves , this is enough motivation alone , gaining understanding is gaining closeness to the supreme ,
but what is most important ? ....keeping ones mind fixed on the supreme , rising above worldly concerns , that dosent mean neglecting them , simply not overly attatching to them .
amazing question , ...I dont think I plan anything , I just follow the path which is laid out in front of me , ...we each have our own Dharma , our responcibilities in this life , to me one has to follow these duties , if I aim to do anything it is to allways learn along the way , to make the most of the experience .
American , Western , British , ..what ever ...take it gently be carefull not to rush in for wrong reasons , ...make sure that you constantly keep an open mind , that you try to learn what Hinduism realy is rather than what it appears to be , ...but ultimatly we should all remember that we are not this body , we are not Indian , not American , not British , ...we are all spirit Soul , we are all Jiva .
so ultimatly this barrier of birth is only temporary and the purpose of this life is to rise above this temporary nature and to realise our true nature , our true relationship with God ,
...the only problem in the west is that we choose to come to this Hindu philosophy so we can choose , ...what do I want to be ? Advaitin , Shiva , Vaisnava , we can get too caught up on this , ...most times an Indian Born Hindu is born into a tradition he dosent have to choose , ..for us the choice can be daunting , which am I ? where do I belong ? ... so here we must be very carefull with what company we choose to keep , if it is good company it dosent matter realy which tradition one chooses , what is most important is that we choose to be amongst sincere surrendered devotees , so for this reason I would allways say that we should exercise extreme cauion , take it gently it is not something to rush into . ...but that dosent mean dont do it , quite the opposite , please do ! but do it with eyes open
1) What practices do you find most important? And what motivates you to practice them?
practices ? ...sadhana , ...constant learning , even though my actual daily practice is deity seva , one is constantly learning , things constantly reveal them selves , this is enough motivation alone , gaining understanding is gaining closeness to the supreme ,
but what is most important ? ....keeping ones mind fixed on the supreme , rising above worldly concerns , that dosent mean neglecting them , simply not overly attatching to them .
2) What do you plan on accomplishing (Over all goal of practicing Hinduism)?
amazing question , ...I dont think I plan anything , I just follow the path which is laid out in front of me , ...we each have our own Dharma , our responcibilities in this life , to me one has to follow these duties , if I aim to do anything it is to allways learn along the way , to make the most of the experience .
Seva , Seva , Seva , ..in ones daily life one serves all those around you all those that you have contact with , , ...people , ..life in general , ...Bhumi devi , ..the earth . .....seva is to be of benifit in some way how ever small .3) What are the three most important things to you? (In general)
Seva , Seva , Seva , ...I have my Deity seva this to me is very important , ...then comes seva to those around me in a spiritual sence means helping or encoraging them to stay focused on spiritual advancement , even if this is just through constant discussion of devotional and phylosopical nature , ....and finaly helping practicaly giving or sharing in some way , one can constantly give Dharma in so many ways .4) What are three most important things to you? (Spiritually speaking)
5) What are your thoughts about American-born folks that lack any experience with Hinduism and Hindu culture, and want to become a part of this practice/religion/spirituality, whatever you prefer to call it?
American , Western , British , ..what ever ...take it gently be carefull not to rush in for wrong reasons , ...make sure that you constantly keep an open mind , that you try to learn what Hinduism realy is rather than what it appears to be , ...but ultimatly we should all remember that we are not this body , we are not Indian , not American , not British , ...we are all spirit Soul , we are all Jiva .
so ultimatly this barrier of birth is only temporary and the purpose of this life is to rise above this temporary nature and to realise our true nature , our true relationship with God ,
...the only problem in the west is that we choose to come to this Hindu philosophy so we can choose , ...what do I want to be ? Advaitin , Shiva , Vaisnava , we can get too caught up on this , ...most times an Indian Born Hindu is born into a tradition he dosent have to choose , ..for us the choice can be daunting , which am I ? where do I belong ? ... so here we must be very carefull with what company we choose to keep , if it is good company it dosent matter realy which tradition one chooses , what is most important is that we choose to be amongst sincere surrendered devotees , so for this reason I would allways say that we should exercise extreme cauion , take it gently it is not something to rush into . ...but that dosent mean dont do it , quite the opposite , please do ! but do it with eyes open