Krsna Kills the Witch: Bhakti Goes Beyond our Linear and Cyclical Stories - SAP ep 65

Happy Janmastami!!
The importance of lineage:
Contrasting the Christmas experience to the Krsna holidays
Was Jesus born in the winter or the spring??
The importance of lineage to verify historical truth when religion collides with culture
Society seems less concerned with backing up Belief with proof
Metaphysics of religion:
More important than the Historical event is the Subtle/Allegorical experience. More important than that is the Transcendental/Spiritual reality
Is there anything more to you than just a physical body existing in time?
If not, you need to ascribe to a belief in a historical savior.
The allegory resonates with something inside you, ie the subtle body. The Savior can reach you here now.
Krsna consciousness is most concerned with the spiritual level: finding the part of you that resonates with divine personalities, because that's how you're going to discover your Self.
How we form identity across three concepts of time: linear, cyclical, and transcendental.
Coming into the heartspace to connect with the divine personalities who are active and available in the present (viz. Eternity) to reveal our true nature beyond all the story that we may live
Lineages can only be begun or revived by an avatar.
Connections with divine personalities tether us to the spiritual reality, and without whom our position is very unstable.
Circular reasoning of not admitting an absolute authority: you make up your own truth which is unverifiable.
John Lennox vs. Richard Dawkins: Are theists just making up their own idea of God?
Mayavadis make the same assertion: they think theists are just anthropomorphizing Spirit. (From our last reading)
Atheist thinks humans superimpose human figures onto impersonal energy to cope with the struggles of the Hero's Journey. i.e. Your ideas of God are coming from you. Lennox says, "no they're not, they're coming from God."
We do not condone blind following:
Hearing the stories of divinity should resonate with something within you so that your faith is grown by personal experience, not mere belief.
If we aren't open to that, probably we're holding onto religious belief to shield ourselves from pain.
Krsna accepts Putana as His Nurse!!
Different interpretations, coming from bona fide authorities - spiritual paradoxes can coexist.
The absolute nature of Krsna's love: even though Putana came with misdirected intention, Krsna accepted the aspect of bhakti in her attempt to nurse Him.
The significance of Vrtrasura:
The inside is more important than the outer dress.
Bhagavatam flips the script!
Two types of liberation: impersonal and personal.
Krsna gave Putana devotional service! Why is that so special?
Krsna accepts the devotion and wipes away everything else.

[@tristanbrown8600]

parampara is so beautiful and critically important. thank you all for doing this. hare krishna!

[@SoulAshraya]

Thank you, brother! Hare Krishna

[@robertjensen501]

Happy Janmastami, all! Balarama, you are a very wise teacher-I never cease to learn from you. You have a vast fund of knowledge about many things, i.e., Jungian psychology and other religions, etc. You should debate the noted Atheist Dan Barker who resides in my home state of Wisconsin. Please flourish and prosper (to borrow a phrase from Scientology). Take care!

[@SoulAshraya]

Thank you so much for your encouragement, Robert. I'm very happy to be of service in sharing my knowledge and learning a lot as I do! May we continue to be so... I'm honestly not well suited as a debater. Nor do I find that any atheists enter into debates open to being convinced, and nor would any honest theist believe that one can find God through argument. Nevertheless, it is very helpful when different sides of an issue can be well presented and taken to their logical conclusions.