The more I read quotes like these from Guru Dev, the more convinced I am that he was just another super religious guy who preached a bunch of beliefs. Another "I know the truth about God and you don't", Jerry Falwell in a robe.
His grandiose put down of "worldly" people's ability for happiness is another indication of his lack of understanding of anyone who isn't as interested in religion as himself. Calling someone else's happiness "relative" happiness is such a crock. He never wrote a song and performed it in front of a crowd who collectively shared his poetic vision for that moment. There are all sorts of experiences that give my life meaning that he has no idea about. But I am not saying that my happiness is superior to his because I can be happy with my own life without having to be a dick about how he chooses to live his life. Here is my problem with super religious people. I get that they are really into their beliefs. Good for them, let them build big temples or whatever floats their boat and have a ball, it just isn't my thing. But leave my "happiness" out of it. Their put downs only reveal their inability to really comprehend people who are living with a radically different value system then they have. And closed mindedness is not a great advertisement for their supposed "higher state" of mind. I'll bet without all the filters Maharishi handed us, we would hear Guru Dev's quotes just as we do the Catholic Pope's assertions of belief. Without them he is just another guy telling us how we should behave and what to believe to be like him. Oh yeah, and it must always be mentioned that he was a super camper when evaluating how special he was. Really, a super camper. The guy could rough it with the best of them. Even better then the guy who lives behind the 7-11 dumpster in my neighborhood. --- In [email protected], "do.rflex" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > --- In [email protected], "sandiego108" <sandiego108@> > wrote: > > > > --- In [email protected], "do.rflex" <do.rflex@> > > wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > --- In [email protected], TurquoiseB <no_reply@> wrote: > > > <snip> You will "have time" only if Jim allows you > > > > to. He creates the world, remember? > > > > > > > > > > Sorry Barr, it doesn't work that way. Despite your humorous > > attempt to > > > > make me responsible for the universe you create, you have > > created your > > > > own universe all by yourself, and continue to do so. Own your > > stuff > > > > please. what other choice do you have? > > > > > > > > > The resident FFL self-appointed 'enlightened guy' preaches > > > contemporary new age baloney by suggesting that there are as many > > > universes as people - as if there is no *universal* > > > objective/subjective reality. > > > > > <snip> > > > > Your disagreement with me proves my point. If in fact there was just > > one objective/subjective reality, why would you disagree with me? I > > think that the only reason you do is that you see me challenging > > your view of what you believe to be an objective reality. But I am > > not challenging you as the creator of your universe John. I am > > validating it. > > > No. You're ignoring what I posted from Guru Dev that there indeed IS a > universal subjective/objective reality which is ALL worthy of > pursuing. Read it again and see if it's within your capability to > comprehend it: > > > SAT CHIT ANANDA > > ~~~ The form of happiness then is the form of sachchidananda (truth, > consciousness, bliss) is really Paramatma and from coming in contact > with that the jiva can become happy and there is no other way to be > happy. ~~~ > > A few people are getting up and having a big argument to measure and > distinguish saakaara (with form) and niraakaara (formless) separately. > If you accept paramaatmaa [God] is all-powerful then how can you say > afterwards that he is not with form or that he is really shapeless? > > If you have been accepting that paramaatmaa is all-powerful, it is > improper to say that he is niraakaara (formless), that he is not > having form. When he is said to be free and independent then what can > he not be and what can he not do? > > Bhagavan is nirguNa (without qualities) and saguNa (endowed with > qualities). > > The way of the group of those who believe in nirguNa [without > qualities alone] spread more wickedness because these people do not > accept the manifest form of Bhagavan [God] and suppose that the > niraakaara [formless] cannot see or hear. > > So they do their mind's desires; they have no concern for what is > wicked and what is sacred. > > > 'For the welfare of saadhu and for the destruction of the wicked I am > manifest and for the estsablishment of dharma I am manifest.' > > ~Bhagavad Gita 4:8 > > > By the word "saadhu" don't understand it to be the ones who have > red-brown tilaka marking or maalaa of beads around the neck. The > meaning of the word "saadhu" is 'good', the person who has a good > disposition that man exists as a saadhu, that man accepts the code of > conduct of the Veda shaastra, whose faith is in tending his own > religion. Really for the welfare of them Bhagavan becomes the avataara > (incarnation). > > ~~ Swami Brahmananda Saraswati - Guru Dev [Shri Shankaracharya > UpadeshAmrita kaNa 88 of 108] > > > Only by contact with Paramatma (God, the Supreme Self) can there be > true happiness for the jiva (the individual soul) since in that is the > highest happiness. > > If one has something, the very same one can give to another. To demand > any money from a pauper would really be a folly then. Wealth of that > kind can only be gained by going to a mass of wealth, only from a > treasury of knowledge can knowledge be gained, that kind of > treasure-house of happiness / form of happiness is who Bhagavan (the > supreme Being) is, really only from them can happiness be gained. > > In worldly existence devotees of Bhagavan are left to be vessels of > grace and nobody else is happy. Only those devotees who desire > spiritual contemplation of Paramatma have an experience of happiness - > otherwise to all, little-by-little only suffering slowly is lived. In > worldly existence nobody is found to be happy. If someone has a lack > of something they regard someone who has that as the way to happiness. > But the one who has, does not see regard themselves as happy. > > He who has no son regards the one with sons as happy, but from the son > how much happiness is there, ask this of any with sons. It is already > known, in truth in anything else earthly and material there is no > happiness. The form of happiness then is the form of sachchidananda > (truth, consciousness, bliss) is really Paramatma and from coming in > contact with that the jiva can become happy and there is no other way > to be happy. > > Actually, Paramatma is like a "general merchant" in whose place there > is no deficiency of any articles of happiness. But in order to gain > his grace regular effort is required, not only some reading of the > greatness of Paramatma. By studying an catalogue how can you become > wealthy? > > To wish for happiness from worldly people is a mistake. ...how can > someone who is himself unhappy make another happy? In worldly life > those who are seen as happy, that is relative happiness. By any one > thing someone is happy then someone is happy in another part. > > If you are to ask for any happiness then beg from this place, from > wherever all happiness can be gained. Remember this that whoever bows > in the direction of Paramatma the very same can obtain happiness and > peace in worldly existence, otherwise not. To search for happiness in > worldly existence is similar to quenching one's thirst by collecting > drops of dew. > > ~~ Swami Brahmananda Saraswati - Guru Dev > [Shri Shankaracharya UpadeshAmrita kaNa 1 of 108] > > All links: http://www.paulmason.info/gurudev/upadesh.htm >
