Harimedia Forum

kamalamala1 wrote:I just really cannot figure out how cheaters and cheating can help anybody. But I can accept that for some period of time, before one figures out who their so called gurus are, he can get benefit just because he changed all his bad habits and began to meditate on God. (more)

A known argument, you remain true to yourself Kamalamalaji. See: www.scribd.com/doc - www.fortunecity.com. But I would say now its time to take the past to rest and together move on hopefully into a better future and spiritual understanding. For example we could discuss among us here what could be or is a good alternative to the understanding of spiritual life, the spiritual guide (guru) the spiritual growth ("purification") or all the other concepts related to spiritual life or "Krishna consciousness" we may have developed in the known society and association we may have shared together in the past. Could it be this alternative - see: Spiritualhumanism.co.za or a combination of all known and helpfull concepts of the past expressed and applied in more modern terms and spiritual practices? Is the mystical path a right alternative to the known path of bhakti? Or something complitelly new?

The alternative is given in so many books .
And Haris lectures .
Just read the Journey of soul by Mickel Newton.
There are so many very good books.
For us the people from devotional tradition the best is Haris lectures.

I guess what you propose here as an alternative is somehow not really one in the sense I would understand such a word. I will explain. In the lexical database for the English language, (WordNet from the Princeton University one can read:

The noun alternative has 1 sense.
1. (16) option, alternative, choice -- (one of a number of things from which only one can be chosen; "what option did I have?"; "there no other alternative"; "my only choice is to refuse")

The adj alternative has 3 senses (first 2 from tagged texts)
1. (4) alternate, alternative -- (allowing a choice; "an alternative plan")
2. (1) alternative, mutually exclusive -- (necessitating a choice between mutually exclusive possibilities; "`either' and `or' in `either this or that'")
3. alternative -- (pertaining to unconventional choices; "an alternative life style")


Thus as an "alternative" for our known spiritual concepts one can understand a variety of different things. You write that "so many books" would be an alternative like "Journey of soul by Mickel Newton" or Hari's lectures. No doubt good information in this regard can be found in many books and in many lectures and writings of Hari as well.

But it may also be what you do with this information, how and what you are using it for, how you assimilate it and apply it in your life what may make the difference - be an alternative. Are the persons who may write some books or give some lectures the alternative ( an option, alternative, or choice -- (one of a number of things from which only one can be chosen etc.)
Is the knowledge we could get from this persons and their books or lectures the alternative (allows us a choice, and helps us to make an "alternative plan" of viewing things)?

I say the alternative (the change, choice or option) may not really be just in the change of some clothes or change and follow one 'sect' (Latin sequi - to follow. In ancient times...see: klartext.de) in favor of another, but somewhere else? In our personal understanding of spirituality and the way how we personally may assimilate and apply in our life the information we may gain from somewhere or someone else, whoever that may be. At the end I am my own "guru" (my own teacher or guide, my own example) since I am the one who decides my fate and makes on an every day basis the decisions which may concern me and my life.

"Life means change" ~ Gautama Buddha

Ok I understand wath you mean.
In other way you are asking in practice the alternative?