Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Bulsajo]

[Rteacher]

Awright, I didn't mean to personally insult anybody - other than for humorous effect. I consider most people - including myself sometimes - to be ignorant (and, if I really wanted to insult you I would have suggested that your heads were "inyouranuses".... )

I don't especially like the "fruity" remark (especially since my thread title contains "don't ask...don't tell"...) but pomegranate juice is reportedly good for losing weight (and is a purty red color... )

"Nowhere Man's" post is very spooky ... One thing I like about Krishna consciousness is that it accepts the existence of all kinds of ghosts, goblins, hobgoblins, witches, UFO aliens, etc....

[JongnoGuru]

Hey, Rteacher, what do you think about 20% being the new minimum tip at restaurants in the West? See that thread by Ya-ta on General Forum, about making 3,000 won/hour the slow way?

Oops... I'm not supposed to actually address you directly here, right?

Okay:

Gee, I wonder what Rteacher thinks about 20% being the new minimum tip at restaurants in the West... Hmm. Maybe he'll see that thread by Ya-ta on General Forum, about making 3,000 won/hour the slow way, and post something there...

[jinju]

Why do krishnas bother people? If they arent doing it at train stations or airports, its on daves. I wonder who is more despised, Krishnas or Jehovas Witnesses.

[Rteacher]

Actually, the title of this thread is more-or-less meaningless because I was just jumping on the "Ask a Whatever..." bandwagon. I don't really want to discourage questions. (I was thinking about changing the title to "Go Ahead and Ask Me blah, blah, blah..." but I don't want to be accused of "flip-flopping" or "waffling" - as those labels could haunt me when I eventually run for President...)

Re "jinju's" post: I think there's really no good reason why either Krishnas or Jehovah's Witnesses should be despised for reasonably exercising their rights to free speech and religion. I know that preaching to the masses through public chanting and distribution of literature is definitely part of the Krishna consciousness movement (sankirtana) that has its roots in the sankirtana parties of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who spread the chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra all over India in the 15th century. Bhaktivedanta Swami was a spiritual teacher in that same disciplic succession and he came over on the order of his guru (Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati) to spread the Hare Krishna movement of Lord Chaitanya to the western world.

Because the Hare Krishnas' exotic culture and free vegetarian food attracted many "hippies" - some of whom (like myself) had been forced to learn street survival skills of panhandling and hustling T-Shirts at concerts (etc...) a lot of neophyte devotees were probably at times over-aggressive in their "transcendental competitions" to distribute the most books and collect the most donations. (Somehow the motto became "By hook or by crook sell 'em a book"...) Eventually, laws were passed that severely curtailed getting donations for religious literature at public places. (Devotees are certainly more mature now - in the U.S. the congregations are mainly comprised of Hindus from India...)

Anyway, we are all being bothered - especially as we get older - by one thing or another at almost every moment. Our own minds and bodies bother us in countless ways... Other people (including hogwan directors, mothers-in-law, corrupt politicians, noisy kids, polluters, cell-phone users, road-ragers and obnoxious drunks ...) are always bothering us one-way-or-another. And, occasionally, natural disasters devastatingly bother millions of people at once (what to speak of inevitable miseries of old age, disease and death that do us all in...)

From that realistic perspective, why should we be bothered by someone trying to get our attention for a minute-or-so to sell us a book containing knowledge of how to become liberated from all miserable conditions of material life (no - not by suicide - although in India a person who takes vows of the renounced order, sannyasa, is considered legally dead for material purposes...)

[Satori]

[endofthewor1d]

[Rteacher]

The founder of the modern Hare Krishna movement, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami was almost universally admired and respected among leading intellectuals actually familiar with his devotional scholarship and exemplary character. The fact that some followers caused PR problems with immature or (in some cases) bad behaviour (especially after he passed away in 1977) unfortunately reflects badly on him among large segments of the public. However, the misdeeds of followers does not diminish the value of his singular contribution to the welfare of mankind - and all living beings - his transcendental books, which potently explain the spiritual science of self and God realization.

Srila Prabhupada wrote and published over 70 volumes of spiritual literature which he considered to be his most important contribution. Despite the heavy demands of establishing and managing a worldwide movement, Srila Prabhupada never failed to rise early in the morning to perform his beloved writing work. He applied great devotion and care in translating the ancient Vedic literatures into English from the original Sanskrit and Bengali languages. He would then dictate his famous "Bhaktivedanta Purports," further explaining the meaning of each verse and its relevance to the modern age. His books are highly acclaimed by scholars and students alike (see reviews below). They have been translated into more than 60 languages and have been sold in the hundreds of millions.
http://prabhupadaconnect.com/Prabhupadas_Books.html

Thirty-seven highly favorable reviews - including those of scholars at prestigious universities and famous theologians - are listed at the above website. Prabhupada wrote more than 60 volumes after age 70. His regular routine was to go to bed by ten, rise at 12:30 am, chant and meditate for an hour, then work on his translations and purports until the morning devotional program beginning at 4:30 am, which he would attend with all the devotees. He maintained this schedule even while circling the globe 14 times at his advanced age in order to establish and maintain 108 temples in nearly all major cities...

[Rteacher]

double post

[Satori]

You can be very passionate and dedicated and still be wrong!

[NearlyKorean]

Have you ever read something, then realize it wasn't worth reading?

[Rteacher]

Of course, it's possible that despite his pure devotion and dedication the books he produced are full of mistakes. They are authoritative in the sense that they present the same essential message that was originally compiled by the sage Vyasadeva ("literary incarnation" ) about 5000 years ago just after the departure of Lord Krishna from this planet. And the unbroken chain of disciplic succession coming in line from "Veda Vyasa" (including Lord Chaitanya who appeared a little over 500 years ago) serves to preserve the original message while adjusting it according to different times and circumstances.

Bhaktivedanta Swami prayed intensely to his guru and Krishna that his commentaries on Vedic literature could somehow be understood when transplanted to western culture. He did so while coming to America on a cargo steamship he had begged free passage on and suffering two heart attacks en route. At the age of about 70 years old, he arrived at Boston Harbor with only three cases of books he had translated and about seven dollars worth of rupees...

On September 17, 1965, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada arrived in Boston on board the ship Jaladuta. He carried within his heart the orders of his spiritual master to spread the teachings of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu to the entire world. The following poem, originally written in Bengali, perfectly illustrates Srila Prabhupada's complete humility and dependence on the Supreme Lord for the success of his great mission.________________________________________________________


My dear Lord Krsna, You are so kind upon this useless soul, but I do not know why You have brought me here. Now you can do whatever You like with me.

But I guess You have some business here, otherwise why would You bring me to this terrible place?

Most of the population here is covered by the material modes of ignorance and passion. Absorbed in material life, they think themselves very happy and satisfied, and therefore they have no taste for the transcendental message of Vasudeva. I do not know how they will be able to understand it.

But I know Your causeless mercy can make everything possible because You are the most expert mystic.

How will they undersand the mellows of devotional service? O Lord, I am simply praying for Your mercy so that I will be able to convince them about Your message.

All living entities have become under the control of the illusory energy by Your will, and therefore, if You like, by Your will they can also be released from the clutches of illusion.

I wish that You may deliver them. Therefore if You so desire their deliverance, then only will they be able to understand Your message.

The words of Srimad-Bhagavatam are Your incarnation, and if a sober person repeatedly receives it with submissive aural reception, then he will be able to understand Your message...

How will I make them understand this message of Krsna consciousness? I am very unfortunate, unqualified and the most fallen. Therefore I am seeking Your benediction so that I can convince them, for I am powerless to do so on my own.

Somehow or other, O Lord, You have brought me here to speak about You. Now, my Lord, it is up to You to make me a success or failure as You like.

O spiritual master of all the worlds! I can simply repeat Your message, so if You like You can make my power of speaking suitable for their understanding.

Only by Your causeless mercy will my words become pure. I am sure that when this transcendental message penetrates their hearts they will certainly feel engladdened and thus become liberated from all unhappy conditions of life.

O Lord, I am just like a puppet in Your hands. So if You have brought me here to dance, then make me dance, make me dance, O Lord, make me dance as You like.

I have no devotion, nor do I have any knowledge, but I have strong faith in the holy name of Krsna. I have been designated as Bhaktivedanta, and now, if You like, You can fulfill the real purport of Bhaktivedanta.

Signed - the most unfortunate, insignificant beggar

A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami,
on board the ship Jaladuta, Commonwealth Pier,
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
dated 18th of September, 1965
http://prabhupadaconnect.com/1965_2.html

[Rteacher]

At one point while speaking Bhagavad-gita to his friend/surrendered soul, Arjuna, just prior to the epic Battle of Kuruksetra, Krishna mystically displayed various forms revealing that He was the Supreme Personality of Godhead...

[Maserial]

Speaking of various forms of the Supreme Godhead, there was a mad scene within the local 7-11, Rteacher, and I was hoping that you could shed some light on the situation.

So, basically, I entered the convenience store with the sole intention of purchasing a delicious Bravo! cone (you know the kind), and what do I see? Kali was in there, knocking the hell out of a lowly, female clerk. Normally, I wouldn't think to question the omniscient goddess, but after she slapped the poor girl right to the ground, I felt compelled to say something. (Here are a few images to assist in the visualization.)
She wasn't the most attractive Korean woman I've ever seen, but that's beside the point, really.
Tantalizing, I know.

Anyway, I was like 'Wow! It's Kali!' (granting, of course, that I've met her before, but it's always nice to entertain the notion of celebrity), followed by 'Say, Kali, was all that really necessary? I mean, I didn't catch the whole story, but-' and as you can guess, Kali cut me off. She's rude like that.
'Hiss! Snarl! Growl! Big Trouble in Little China! Howl! Wail! Hare Krsna!', she spewed out so quickly that I could barely understand her.
'Yeah, okay, Hare Krsna, and all that. Seriously, what's the deal?' Kali then pointed to an unopened bottle of Jinro Soju on the counter.
'Hare Krsna' she repeated, with quite the emphasis on the 'Krsna'. It was then that I understood that she hadn't been able to purchase the soju (perhaps due to the fact that she wasn't likely to carry much in the way of Korean currency), and it had aggravated her considerably. Even so, I was a bit perturbed, as the entire scenario had inhibited my ability to score the Bravo! cone.
To make an already long (too long) story a bit shorter, I informed her that I was going to purchase a goddamn Bravo! cone regardless of the situation, and that she had better stop bashing Big Trouble in Little China.
Needless to say, here I am, typing this post and enjoying a delicious Bravo! cone, sans three fingers, spleen, and a testicle. 7-11 melees suck ass.

My question, Rteacher, is thus: What, ultimately, is Kali's deal? I understand that she's merely a facet of the Supreme Personality, but even so...
What does the Bhagavad-gita have to say about this? Sure, I've read it, but I will happily defer to your superior understanding.

[Rteacher]

Goddess Kali is the fiercest aspect (or form) of Durga, who is Lord Shiva's wife and the personification of the illusory maturial nature. (Lord Shiva is the most powerful demigod, and he is in charge of the material mode of ignorance and devastations that occur at the end of cosmic time-cycles...) Here are a few more pics for ya:



Kali, the fierce form of Durga or Parvati. Lord Shiva himself has to calm her by laying his body before her. Thus, in her excited state she accidentally places her foot on him and realizing her mistake she sticks her tongue out in shame


A view of Kali, one of the aspects of Durga, as she kills the demons

Goddess Kali as Mahishasuramardini as she kills the demon Mahishasura who took the form of a bull