What do we call material love in our world? What we call "love" in this world is simply the self-centered desire to enjoy the "beloved" object. So our love for something or someone is dependent upon whether or not our senses are being pleased.
For example, people generally love animals such as cats because of the sensual attraction to soft fur, or dogs because of the dog's desire to please the master. But, very few people are interested in embracing a cockroach, because a cockroach is displeasing to our senses. However, a cockroach is a living entity with feelings like any other due to its essential spiritual nature.
When we think that we are experiencing a loving mood with some other creature, we are illusioned because we are unaware of their consciousness which is not "at one" with ours. It is thinking of its own gratification.
When one loves Krishna, one will love all living entities equally and truly, because of the spiritual family relationship that is there. Krishna tells us that we are all His "parts and parcels", His sons and daughters. A devotee of Krishna has no hatred for any living entity, just pure, unselfish love.
A Krishna conscious person is able to properly express this unselfish love and benefit all living entities, because he is aware of their real self-interest. However others, even if they are well-intentioned, can never give any real help to the self--the soul in the body. Material help is temporary. Spiritual help is eternal.
The real self-interest of all living entities is Krishna consciousness.
The Modes of Nature by Krishna. The Bhagavad-gita informs us that all conditioned souls are forced to act helplessly by , the impulses born of the modes of material nature. The soul is thinking that he is acting by his own volition but in actuality the modes are shaping the soul's desires and actions.
There are three modes of nature: goodness, passion, and ignorance. According to the specific combination of the three modes that a soul is affected by, he acts accordingly. The three modes combine to provide the impulses for every conceivable type of activity in this world, just as the three primary colors can be combined to yield all the colors of the spectrum.
According to the combination of modes, one is attracted to certain types of eatables. For example, the pig is very enthusiastic to partake of stool (which human beings consider abominable), because the pig loves food in the mode of ignorance. Food in the mode of goodness is sweet, juicy, fattening, and palatable. Food in the mode of passion is too bitter, too sour, too salty, pungent, dry, and hot. Food in the mode of ignorance is decomposed, tasteless, stale, putrid, and unclean (such as meat).
A devotee is only interested in eating food that has been offered to Krishna which purifies his consciousness, and helps him in his spiritual progress.
1. Bhagavad-gita 3.5
2. Bhagavad-gita 17.8
3. Bhagavad-gita 17.9
4. Bhagavad-gita 17.10
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Highlife Adventures - New Dating Trend [By: Roberto Bell]
There's a new new dating trend that is in stark contrast to the bar scene of the 1980s, the one-on-one matching services of the 1990s, and the speed dating phenomena that peaked a few years ago. "Not all singles like to hang out in bars, many don't care for the pressure of sequential one-on-one dates, and most people find that speed dating is too superficial," says Mary Vallone, President of Highlife Adventures (www.highlifeadventures.com), an upscale social club for singles in Chicago and Indianapolis. And, while online dating may appeal to some in the college crowd, many of the 25- to 45-year-olds members have "been there, done that." According to Vallone, "Meeting people online can be fun, but also fraught with pitfalls. Singles fare better when they put down the mouse, get out of the house, and meet people face-to-face."
For many singles, the trend toward group activities based on common interests breaks new ground in the dating arena. "In a sense, we're going back to the future," says Vallone. "It's as though the ice cream social of the early 20th century has been kicked up several notches."
In our fast-paced culture, people sometimes spend more time with a BlackBerry or iPhone than they do with real potential partners. Shared experiences and face-to-face interaction have almost become a thing of the past but is it what people really want? According to Vallone, "Men and women are stepping out from the anonymity of the online dating world and reclaiming their lives," Vallone says. "Today's singles not only want to meet people who share their interests, but they also want to share real-life experiences with like-minded potential mates."
Vallone explains that her approach serves to bring people together in a pressure-free setting. "When you attend an event, you're meeting people you already have something in common with and who are all there to meet you," she says. "And, when you're having fun, you let your guard down and are more likely to meet the right person."
Indeed, Highlife Adventures' 3,000 Chicagoland members would be hard-pressed to find an ice cream social among the over 65 activities planned each month. Those who crave adventure can go parasailing, caving, or experience being a fighter pilot for a day. Music aficionados can revel in a hot night of cool jazz or attend a rock star fantasy camp, while those with cultural interests can attend a performance of the Chicago Symphony or a Frank Lloyd Wright tour. Members who enjoy the club scene can participate in a trolley pub-crawl, a moonlight party cruise, or events like "Martinis and Manicures" or "Pots 'n' Shots Pottery Class."
We prescreen each member in person and have a company representative at each event to help ensure positive experiences by everyone. Ultimately," Vallone concludes, "we don't match anyone. Instead, we provide unique, fun events where groups of singles can meet one another and find what they seek – whether it's a friend, a date, or a soulmate."
For many singles, the trend toward group activities based on common interests breaks new ground in the dating arena. "In a sense, we're going back to the future," says Vallone. "It's as though the ice cream social of the early 20th century has been kicked up several notches."
In our fast-paced culture, people sometimes spend more time with a BlackBerry or iPhone than they do with real potential partners. Shared experiences and face-to-face interaction have almost become a thing of the past but is it what people really want? According to Vallone, "Men and women are stepping out from the anonymity of the online dating world and reclaiming their lives," Vallone says. "Today's singles not only want to meet people who share their interests, but they also want to share real-life experiences with like-minded potential mates."
Vallone explains that her approach serves to bring people together in a pressure-free setting. "When you attend an event, you're meeting people you already have something in common with and who are all there to meet you," she says. "And, when you're having fun, you let your guard down and are more likely to meet the right person."
Indeed, Highlife Adventures' 3,000 Chicagoland members would be hard-pressed to find an ice cream social among the over 65 activities planned each month. Those who crave adventure can go parasailing, caving, or experience being a fighter pilot for a day. Music aficionados can revel in a hot night of cool jazz or attend a rock star fantasy camp, while those with cultural interests can attend a performance of the Chicago Symphony or a Frank Lloyd Wright tour. Members who enjoy the club scene can participate in a trolley pub-crawl, a moonlight party cruise, or events like "Martinis and Manicures" or "Pots 'n' Shots Pottery Class."
We prescreen each member in person and have a company representative at each event to help ensure positive experiences by everyone. Ultimately," Vallone concludes, "we don't match anyone. Instead, we provide unique, fun events where groups of singles can meet one another and find what they seek – whether it's a friend, a date, or a soulmate."
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