The Soul and Reincarnation. Letter to a Christian.
As the embodied soul continually passes in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. The self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change.
Dear John,
Hello, Hare Krishna. Thanks for the letter and this time I can understand what you are saying better. I just want to say that I was brought up as a Christian by very good Christian parents and I always believed in God, the Bible and Lord Jesus Christ. And I still do. I never considered that I gave up being a Christian as when I studied the philosophy of Krishna consciousness I found it was the same philosophy Jesus was preaching, only in a different language and presented in a different cultural background.
I very much appreciate the idea that man is made in the image of God. We completely agree with that. Our form is made in the image of God’s form. So God has two hands, two legs, etc. The difference between His form and our form in the material world is He is eternally youthful, full of knowledge and full of bliss, whereas in the material world our material bodies are temporary [getting old and dying], full of ignorance and full of anxiety. But we do have an original spiritual body, which is currently covered by this material body. And that spiritual body has the same qualities as God’s body [eternally youthful, full of knowledge and full of pleasure]
(p>Although your letter is easier for me to understand than before you have introduced another aspect of the Christian philosophy that always made me uncomfortable–That some of your Christian friends think the animals have souls, but not human souls, but you don’t think so, because it is confusing, but if I like I can think like that… It’s not nice to my logical brain. I used to work as a computer systems analyst and was trained up in “logical” thinking where everything is neatly explained. But this explanation is not at all ‘neat.’
I was greatly relieved when I read the Bhagavad-gita and other Vedic scriptures and found a very ‘neat’ and logical philosophy that was not at all in conflict with what Jesus teaches in the Bible. As in Christianity where there are many different groups, also in India there are many different groups of followers of the Vedas, and they have slightly differing understandings on certain philosophical points also. But they all completely agree on all the basic points like the nature of the soul, karma, reincarnation, etc. It is because these things are so very clearly explained in the Bhagavad-gita by Krishna that no one disagrees with His explanations. I can give you quotes from the Vedic scriptures to back up every point:
“O son of Bharata, as the Sun alone illuminates this universe, so does the living entity [the soul], one within the body, illuminate the entire body by consciousness.” [Bg. 13.34]
There are hundreds of verses so I will not put them all here, but the point is the science of the soul, reincarnation, karma, etc is clearly described in the Bhagavad-gita and other scriptures so there is no disagreement about the understanding of these points among ANY of the different spiritual groups in India. Even the Buddhists, although the conclusion of their philosophy is vastly different from what Jesus taught or what Krishna taught, their understanding of the soul, reincarnation, karma, etc is IDENTICAL with ours.
So while Christians really can’t agree on the nature of the soul, etc, ALL Eastern spiritual groups completely agree on these points. Although there is disagreement on some more subtle points, these basic principles are accepted by absolutely everyone.
I have sometimes thought about why this is so and I studied the development of the Christian philosophy at one time. It seems that most of the Christian philosophy and doctrines do not come from the Bible directly. There is a long string of philosophers who gradually developed the Christian philosophy starting with the Greeks before Christ: Socrates [who believed in reincarnation], Plato and Aristotle, then after Christ Plotinus then Origen who is considered the founder of formal Christian philosophy, then Augustine then Thomas Aquinas who compiled the entire church doctrine in “Summa Theologiae” which is the official philosophy of the Roman Catholic Church…
So all these philosophers [and others] gradually developed the Christian doctrine. Therefore it is largely “man-made” and as a result contains many faults and illogical contradictions.
The Vedic philosophy, however, was not constructed by philosophers. It comes straight from the Bhagavad-gita which was spoken personally by Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead when He was physically present on this planet 5,000 years ago in India. It is standard, completely logical and perfect and EVERYONE in any field of Eastern spiritualism accepts it as the standard.
As for your question about souls in bacteria, etc. Yes there are souls in bacteria. It becomes a bit mind-blowing when you start to realize how many souls there are and therefore how fortunate we are to actually have the human form of life which we can use to reestablish our relationship with God and after leaving this body go back home, back to Godhead. That opportunity is only available in the human form of life. That is why the human form of life is so valuable and special.
So we, the person, are only one soul. Each body is occupied by one soul who is conscious of the entire body and generally the soul is present in the heart. But, as you have hinted at, the body contains many other living entities. Maybe every cell has a soul even. Things do get a little unclear [at least to me at the present moment] when one tries to determine exactly at what point there are souls. But certainly there is a soul in every bacteria…
And the quality of the soul in the bacteria and the quality of your soul and my soul is identical… It may seem hard to believe. But what differentiates you and me from the bacteria is only our consciousness. According to our consciousness we are awarded a particular type of body. That is the basic principle of reincarnation:
“Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, O son of Kunti, that state he will atain without fail.” [Bhagavad-gita 8.6]
So we are creating our own future. You find the same idea in the Bible, “What you sow, so shall you reap.” If we elevate our consciousness to God consciousness and think of God at the time of death we will go to God. However if we degrade our consciousness and at the time of death are thinking just like an animal our next body will be an animals body. And the same soul can go down so low as the bacteria and so high as Lord Brahma who is the first living entity born in the universe and who supervises the running of the whole universe. The quality of the soul is always identical, it is only the consciousness of the particular living entity that determines whether he will be born as a worm or as a very well-placed human being.
The whole thing is probably a bit difficult to grasp and accept if you have not ever contemplated it before, but the more you find out about the Vedic philosophy the more you see how beautiful and perfect it is and how it so nicely explains everything in such a wonderfully logical and consistent way.
I would very much encourage you to read the Bhagavad-gita As It Is. It is a very famous book and has always been a great source of inspiration for thinkers, scholars, philosophers and anyone who reads it. You can read it at http://www.asitis.com and you can also download it there to read off-line as well. I guarantee you will get a lot of inspiration and strength from it. You don’t have to give up being a Christian, you can understand God as a Christian, but if you read Bhagavad-gita you will get a better, more complete understanding of God.
You have been telling me that we are made in the form of God, but usually when I ask Christians what God looks like they tend to become confused. Do you know what God looks like?
As for your question, “How do you explain that your concept of the soul is not only immortal, but also able to reincarnate?” It is nicely described in Bhagavad Gita:
“As the embodied soul continually passes in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. The self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change.” (Bg 2.13)
“That which pervades the entire body you should know to be indestructible. No one is able to destroy the imperishable soul.” (Bg. 2.17)
“For the soul there is neither birth nor death at any time. He has not come into being, and will not come into being. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain. (Bg. 2.20)
“As a person puts on new garments, giving up the old ones, the soul similarly accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones.” (Bg. 2.22)
“The living entity in the material world carries his different conceptions of life from one body to another as the air carries aromas. Thus he takes one kind of body and again quits it to take another.” (Bg. 2.18)
So you can see that the soul is eternal, therefore he existed before this body and will continue to exist after this body. His next body is determined by his consciousness at the time of leaving this body.
“Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, O son of Kunti, that state he will atain without fail.” [Bhagavad-gita 8.6]
So it is very logical. If one is God conscious at the time of death, he goes to God, if he is in animal consciousness he gets an animal’s body, if he is in human consciousness he gets a human body, etc.
“Those who worship the demigods will take birth among the demigods, those who worship ghosts and spirits will take birth among such beings; those who worship ancestors go to the ancestors; and those who worship Me [Krishna, God] will live with Me.” (Bg. 9.25)
So I would encourage you to read the Bhagavad-gita As It Is by the Founder-Acarya of the Hare Krishna movement, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and I am sure you will find it very interesting and enlivening. The second chapter describes the soul very well so if you are particularly interested in the soul that is the place to look.
Thanks for the letter. Looking forward to hear what you think and please check out the Bhagavad-gita as http://www.asitis.com
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
From a discussion in the new Krishna.org ARTICLE COMMENTS SYSTEM
About the Author
Madhudvisa dasa My first contact with a Hare Krishna was a most merciful Mataji in Oxford Street, London who sold me a "Higher Taste" cook book in 1984 while I was on holidays there. I started seriously reading Srila Prabhupada's books in Australia 1985 and by 1986 Srila Prabhupada had convinced me "Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead" and "we should surrender to Krishna." I joined the Hare Krishnas in Perth, Western Australia in 1986. Since then I have been chanting Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, reading and distributing Srila Prabhupada's books and preaching as much as I can. That's my life and full-time occupation now really. I like it more than anything I've ever experienced before. Srila Prabhupada's books are so amazing... Even after reading them all many times they're still fresh and new. They are truly transcendental! That's it really. Now I'm just hankering to once again see the world chant Hare Krishna, dance and feast and float away in the ecstasy of Lord Caitanya's Sankirtana movement as it did in Srila Prabhupada's physical presence. Let the whole world drown in the ecstatic flood of love of Krishna!
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Hare Krsna Madhudvisa dasa. Thank you again for elucidating the Krsna conscious philosophy as you do. I learn and understand more from your articles and advice given freely, as I continue to study the vast array of literature provided for us Westerners who most certainly have a poor fund of knowledge and understanding about the eternal soul.
I am very grateful and wished again to express my gratitude, on behalf of my self, that has begun to realise, truly, the state of my very depraved and malnourished soul.
It has occurred to me that in realising the self, & coming to understand the Vedic wisdom, I also had to humbly acknowledge the state of ignorance & depravity I have been existing in, prior to receiving the blessing of God’s Grace; His undeserved kindness, by way of Vedic scripture.
With kindest regards, mandi
Hare Krishna Madhudvisa sir
//Devotees of Krishna do not care what a person should eat. Devotees of Krishna want to please Krishna//
I agree that Krishna was God but this does not mean that you are not. Hinduism ( Sanatan Dharma) states that Ishvasya midam Sarvam means God pervades everything.
Devotees of Krishna want to see everyone enjoying Krishna prasadam. Because the devotees of Krishna know that when a person associates with Krishna by tasting the remnants of food that Krishna has tasted that person will develop his dormant love for Krishna.
Yes. It is true that God, Krishna, is all-pervasive. Krishna is conscious of everything, everywhere. We are only conscious of things within the boundary of our body. Within our body we are conscious but outside our bodies, in others bodies, we are not conscious. Krishna is conscious of everything everywhere. We are not. So that is a very clear difference between Krishna and us. If you are not conscious of everything everywere then you are not God, you are not Krishna.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Namaste Swamiji,
Being an ardent devotee of Lord Krishna you would have heard about the famous Guruvayoor Lord Krishna temple in South India , i suppose. The temple became well known because of a few ardent
devotees of Lord Krishna.One of them was Melpathoor Narayana Bhattathiripad who lived in 16th century.it is believed that he had severe rheumatic disease .what he did was he took the refuge of Krishna at Guruvayoor temple. He wrote ‘Narayaneeyam’ 4 lines a day. By the 100th day he got a darshan of Lord Krishna who completely cured him of his disease.this was a disease which was not at all be cured even by the most expert medical practitioners of those times.
My question is do you believe in this? if so how did he achieve it? and is it possible for any body to have that darshan from the Lord like the above said and have his wishes obtained ? to be more precise suppose a handicapped person like myself who is unlucky because of my previous birth deeds, desperately needs a material wish to be obtained in my next birth. and i am a loner,unmarried and has done some sins like being a little non veg: like consuming fish,egg etc(not higher animals).now i realised those are sins and completely stopped these. but i am so desperate to have that material wish satisfied which i am incapable of doing in this birth .i know every wish is an obstacle to reach Krishna. But yet i can’t suppress my desperation in his matter . i have never been to a women for sex in my life. but i have watched porno movies,photos etc lot. never have i drunk alchohol or taken a cigarette in my entire life. I used to eat even cow meat a little. but by age of 24 , i thought deeply of the pain these animals undergo. so after that i never touched cow meat or goat meat or even chichen.after 24 i could even put a full stop to fish eating but egg consumption continued. but occassionally i took fish(not higher animals flesh). it was some start-stop. all in all after age 24 i would have cousumed fish for say 250 days randomly. now i have put a full stop to all flesh eating , even egg. i am 41 now. also my family life till now was not at all happy because of an over ambitious,alchoholic father. he is so imposing that he always creates peaceless ness in family by drinking and all. i have suffered a lot due to all the above. i had even quarrels with him in the past a no: of times.now i am in a mentally depressed state. now if i put a full stop even to the most temptating lusts of those(sexual thoughts) and chant KRISHNA mantra regularly moving forward, will the lord forgive me? i have always been a believer in ‘GOD’ but with my share of few bad habits.now being a loner because of me being handicapped and suffering from severe health problems thru out my life, i shall do all the charity works in the name of Lord Krishna as well as i can. if i wish to see Lord just like’ Melpathoor’ can that be achieved? even if i do , do you believe he might forgive me of all sins and can have a human birth the next time so that i shall achieve my most desired wish and from then try to escape from this cycle of karma-result for ever. i know this may appeal a bit strange to you but ,yes to be frank i am so unfortunate to have born as i am and cannot lead a normal life.
Hare Krishna Mohan
You have to see and become free from the illusion that Maya is presenting to you that you can be happy in the material world. You are thinking that you are not happy now because of your disability but somehow if you get a miracle and your disability is cured you will be happy. This is a mistake. This is not the fact. We are suffering in the material world or so-called enjoying in the material world as the result of our karma, our work in the past. So you are destined to suffer a certain amount and to enjoy a certain amount because of your previous work. So you can not change this. No matter what you do your destined suffering and happiness will come.
So it is best to forget about, to transcend, the body and the problems of the body. Everyone has problems with their body. Everyone suffers from old age, disease and death. The body is only capable of inflicting suffering on us ultimately.
So the idea is to give up this dream of being happy in the material world because it is only an illusion. It is not possible. And become Krishna conscious.
Surrender to the process. Actually strictly follow the four regulative principles, chant at least 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra every day, read Srila Prabhupada’s books for at least 1-2 hours a day. This is the beginning. This is the only auspicious path…
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Hare Krishna Ani
Devotees of Krishna do not care what a person should eat. Devotees of Krishna want to please Krishna, so they cook for Krishna and offer the food to Krishna. And Krishna tells us the foods that he wants us to offer to Him and that is food in the mode of goodness. That means foodstuffs made from Grains, Milk Products, Vegetables and Fruits.
Krishna will not accept offerings except from these four food groups. So that is what we offer to Krishna and a devotee will never eat anything which was not cooked for Krishna and offered to Krishna with love by a devotee of Krishna. So that is your answer. We just eat Krishna prasadam and nothing else.
It sounds like you are an Indian so the Vedic culture is your culture, of course actually the Vedic culture is for everyone, but Krishna and so many other Visnu forms appeared in India and there is so much facility for the Indians to follow the Vedic culture so obviously you should know that you should follow the sanatana-dharama, the eternal occupation of the soul, which is to serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna. This is beyond religion. Religion you can change from one religion to another. But Krishna consciousness is not like that. Krishna consciousness is the eternal occupation of the soul. Krishna consciousness is for everyone. So you should read Srila Prabhupada’s books and follow the instructions you find as you read his books.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Thank You and Hare Krishna 🙂
Madhudvisa dasa is correct. John has to rethink over what he has commented.
This is all such nonsense. If all living things have souls, then a human being has trillions of souls, one for each living cell, and a few more for the bacteria which we all need to preserve life. PLease use your intelligence, it’s why God gave it to you!
It is not nonsense, it is true. Krishna is even present within the atom. So you have correctly estimated, or probably underestimated actually the vast number of spirit souls here in the material world. Now try and understand how fortunate you are to be the spirit soul who is the controller of the human body you are now within. How fortunate you are to have this very, very, very rare opportunity of having the human form of life. Because in the human form of life you have developed consciousness and with this developed consciousness you can question: “Why am I here?” “What is the meaning of life?” “Is there life after death?” and in the human form of life you can also find the answers to these and other important questions…
So please use your intelligence and if you want to understand the world around you and how to transcend it, how to escape from it and insted go back home back to Godhead, then hear about these things from Krishna… That is the only way to get real knowledge, to hear it from someone who knows.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
SCIENTIFIC AWARENESS OF REINCARNATION : BASES FOR A NEW UNIVERSAL RELIGION
According to Dr. Granville Dharmawardena of Colombo University reincarnation may be defined as the re-embodiment of an immaterial part of a person after a short or a long interval after death, in a new body whence it proceeds to lead a new life in the new body more or less unconscious of its past existences, but containing within itself the “essence” of the results of its past lives, which experience goes to make up its new character or personality.
In the seventeenth century Rene Descartes divided everything in the universe into two realms as “Res Extensa” (matter) and “Res Cogitans” (mind). Gathering knowledge within the realm of Res Extensa was called Science and the phenomenon of reincarnation got pushed into the other realm Res Cogitans which was not considered suitable for scientific probing. Science developed in the framework of Res Estensa is known as “Classical Science”. Classical science had tremendous material achievements because it helped all round growth of technology which brought about prosperity to mankind. The air of frame work of Classical Science was blown out by Henry Becquerel in 1896 by the discovery of Radioactivity. The discovery of Theory of Relativity by Albert Einstein in early 20th Century gave it further blow. The advent of Quantum Theory and the Uncertainty Principle did the rest. It is significant to note that Einstein’s discovery fall entirely within the frame work of Res Cogitans as it did not involve any experiments or measurements. Gravitation Force Theory of Newton is also an example of such observation and intuition work involving no experiments and measurements.
Modern Science enhanced man’s knowledge surpassing the restrictions imposed by the five senses and took us to hidden areas of nature and profound changes had been introduced in procedures of science. Our ability to understand everything by way of perceptible mental pictures is reduced and it became necessary to imagine models with components which behaved in ways that had no counterparts at all in the world familiar to us. In most cases mechanisms involved in these models not only are imperceptible but also consist of elements that operate in ways never known in the world that we actually experience through sensory inputs.
Modern science tied up the two realms, Res Extensa and Res Cogitans and made us to understand that they are not independent and cannot be completely studied independently. Within the establishment of modern science some of the aspects of nature that did not strictly adhere to the realm of Res Extensa, which were therefore earlier condemned as unbecoming of scientists to talk about have become respectable. Reincarnation falls into this category
Reincarnation is a very old belief and a large fraction of the world population believes it. For example Rene Descartes’ statement “What I have said is sufficient to show clearly enough that the extinction of the mind does not follow from the corruption of the body and also to give men the hope of another life after death” in 1641 confirms his belief in reincarnation. About 20 percent of those in the Western World whose religions shun reincarnation nevertheless believe it. According to opinion polls this percentage is rising.
Lisa Miller, Religion Editor of Newsweek says that Americans are becoming more Hindus. According to 2008 Harris Poll 24% of Americans say they believe in reincarnation
Steven J Rosen writes in The Reincarnation Controversy, Uncovering the Truth in World Religions (New Age Books) that belief in reincarnation allows us to see ourselves as architects of our own future. Rosen raises certain queries,‘ what is it that reincarnates from one body to another? Is it the soul? the mind? the intellect? To understand this we should suggest answer to these questions. We all know that there are four fundamental forces in the universe viz., gravitation force, electromagnetic force, weak nuclear force and strong nuclear force. I have written a paper entitled ‘Gravitation Force is the Ultimate Creator’ and presented it at the 1st International Conference on Revival of Traditional Yoga held in Lonavla Yoga Institute, Lonavla in January 2006. In this paper I have defined soul (individual consciousness), mind and body. According to this every point of action of Gravitational Force Field is individual consciousness or soul, electromagnetic force as the force of mind and weak and strong nuclear force as the gross material force which constitute physical frame of body.
Consciousness is All Intelligent and pervades everywhere. Although all other remaining three forces are also intelligent but they are subordinate to Gravitational Force. THIS DESCRIPTION WILL HELP TO UNDERSTAND ‘WHAT IS IT THAT REINCARNATES FROM ONE BODY TO ANOTHER.
According to Buddhism this is not the supreme atman or soul that ties one life to another, instead it talks about past lives as evolvement of consciousness, emergence of a new personality from the same stream of consciousness.
Reincarnation is not an exclusively Eastern precept. It is contained in some form in almost every major religion and mystical philosophy. Research indicates that it was an accepted doctrine, at least in some quarters, at the time of Christ, and is still an integral part of some sects of the Jewish tradition. The Bible contain no condemnation of the principle of reincarnation, and in fact, when Christ was asked when Elijah would return, he answered that Elijah had returned, referring to John the Baptist.
Sakina Yusuf Khan writes in an article A Night Of Forgiveness published in The Speaking Tree: “It (Shab-e-Barat) is also a festival associated with the dead. It is believed that the souls of the dead are set free on this night to visit their relatives.” What this indicates? This is a belief in reincarnation, of course in subtle body.
Unaccomplished activities of past lives are also one of the causes for reincarnation. Some of us reincarnate to complete the unfinished tasks of previous birth. The is evident from my own story of reincarnation:
“My most Revered Guru of my previous life His Holiness Maharaj Sahab, 3rd Spiritual Head of Radhasoami Faith had revealed this secret to me during trance like state of mine. This was sort of REVELATION.
HE told me, “Tum Sarkar Sahab Ho” (You are Sarkar Sahab). Sarkar Sahab was one of the most beloved disciple of His Holiness Maharj Sahab. Sarkar Sahab later on became Fourth of Spiritual Head Radhasoami Faith.
Since I don’t have any direct realization of it so I can not claim the extent of its correctness. But it seems to be correct. During my previous birth I wanted to sing the song of ‘Infinite’ (Agam Geet yeh gawan chahoon tumhri mauj nihara, mauj hoi to satguru soami karoon supanth vichara) but I could not do so then since I had to leave the mortal frame at a very early age. But through the unbounded Grace and Mercy of my most Revered Guru that desire of my past birth is being fulfilled now.”
I am one the chief expounder and supporter of Gravitation Force Theory of God. This is most scientific and secular theory of God. This is the Theory of Universal Religion. I have given Higher Theory of Everything. Sometimes back I posted this as comments to a blog on:
‘Fighting of the Cause of Allah by Governing a Smart Mathematics Based on Islamic Teology’
By Rohedi of Rohedi Laboratories, Indonesia. Rohedi termed my higher theory of everything more wonderful than which has been developed by Stephen Hawking. Some details are quoted below:
rohedi
@anirudh kumar satsangi
Congratulation you have develop the higher theory of everything more wonderful than which has been developed by Stephen Hawking. Hopefully your some views for being considered for Unified Field Theory are recognized by International Science Community, hence I soon read the fundamental aspect proposed by you.
I have posted my comments to the Blog of Syed K. Mirza on Evolutionary Science vs. Creation Theory, and Intellectual Hypocrisy. Syed Mirza seems to be a very liberal muslim. He responded to my comments as mentioned below.
“Many thanks for your very high thought explanations of God.
You said:
“Hence it can be assumed that the Current of Chaitanya (Consciousness) and Gravitational Wave are the two names of the same Supreme Essence (Seed) which has brought forth the entire creation. Hence it can be assumed that the source of current of consciousness and gravitational wave is the same i.e. God or ultimate creator.
(i) Gravitation Force is the Ultimate Creator, Source of Gravitational Wave is God”
Whatever you call it, God is no living God of any religion. Yes, when I call it “Mother Nature” is the God generated from all Natural forces and Gravitational force is the nucleus of all forces or we can presume that Gravitation is the ultimate guiding principle of this Mother Nature we call it non-living God unlike living personal God of religions. I can not believe any personal God would do so much misery created for its creation. Hence, only non-living natural God can explain everything in the Universe. When we think of any living personal God, things do not ad up!”
I have also discovered the mathematical expression for emotional quotient (E.Q.) and for spiritual quotient (S.Q.).
Austrian Scientist Rudolf Steiner says,
“Just as an age was once ready to receive the Copernican theory of the universe, so is our age ready for the idea of reincarnation to be brought into the general consciousness of humanity”.
Forgive me, but I would rather believe that the previous scientific line of thinking that there was no life after death was right before I would believe this nonsense. Just because I am ADHD, your kind believes me to be some old soul of infinite wisdom when I’m clearly not. I have problems even spelling things, I do not claim to understand how the universe works or how I work for that matter. The thought of being this “infinite being of wisdom” terrifies me, because all I am is a twenty-three year old girl. I’m not ready to accept such responsibility, especially when I have been raised to believe the Christian faith and I’m fighting desperately to keep that faith. I am not an enlightened soul in the least. In fact change terrifies me. I was always terrified of my mother becoming pregnant and having another child, because I felt that I had lost my biological father to my sister. I had nightmares when transcending from the Christian faith to the Wiccan and the thought of this joining with this divine entity terrifies me. If I join with him, her, or even it then I will simply cease to exist, won’t I? I won’t be alive any more… I won’t be able to walk this Earth or become a singer (which I have wanted to do from a very young age) or even find Mr. Right and live happily ever after. I need the Christian God to be real and I need to only have one life. I don’t mind if my life is prolonged through science and if I can stay eternally young that way. But to live another life in an eternally different body… I don’t want to. I want to stay who I am right now. Sehena, a girl from Georgia in the country of America. I want to remain with the same family I have now and stay with the exact same mother I have now. So unless your God can offer me my mother, my entire family, my friends and the man I love eternally then no! I refuse!
The problem isn’t that enlightenment is terrifying but more so that you are deluded to think that the contrary is the more pleasurable when in fact material life is more terrifying, as everything is temporary and bound to dissapear over time. The love of your mother or of that from/towards a man is present in greatest capacity and pure form in Krishna’s energy only.
So you should try chanting and reading sps books and follow principles. Every activity requires some faith in order to proceed and if you do the same then you’ll finally understand how wrong in your thinking.
Does Hell exist?
Dear Pravin
Yes. Hell exists. Not just one Hell, but there are many Hellish planets. These are very graphically described in the Srimad Bhagavatam. You can read about Hell at http://www.PrabhupadaBooks.com
http://prabhupadabooks.com/?g=46283