The longest lines at the various theme parks are for the rollercoaster rides. There are different kinds: the one with wild thrills, the one that drops down 52.5 feet, the one that climbs up 180 foot and then rides wild in the dark, and many more.
I don’t go on such rides simply because I find them scary. Why should one be scary? After all, they are all meant to be safe. They just give you the thrill and feeling that you are being dropped from a great elevation. I saw people screaming, putting up their hands on air and laughing, enjoying themselves. I did go on a couple and screamed out of fear rather than out of joy. I thought how people could enjoy this without fear.
When I ride I identify totally with the ride thinking I am going to be harmed. Just like in a dream we identify with the situation and think we are in trouble. But others are confident there is no harm, and so relax. There is a lesson in how we as souls should view the events that happen in our lives.
The soul is separate from matter. But due to ignorance, it identifies itself with matter by the material mind and thinks whatever is happening is affecting it. Due to this misidentification the soul takes on various bodies and gets entangled in samsära. The example of dreams is given many a time in the scriptures to illustrate how we should be aloof from all the happiness and sorrow that befalls the body and the mind. In life we should be like those who enjoy the rollercoaster rides – full of joy. That is possible with worldly events only when we are on the platform of pure Krishna consciousness. BG 18.54 says when one is situated on the platform of Brahman (having realized that he is a soul) he becomes fully joyful. BG 14.26 says only those who engage in unalloyed bhakti go beyond the modes of nature and attain the platform of Brahman.
There is much improvement I should make to understand that I am a spirit soul, a spark of Krishna.
Comments
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Scaredycat!!
Does Krsna not show to Arjuna on the battlefield that clinging desperately to emotion based thought is fraught with peril worse than death?
Varna
Haribol. I agree that I am a scaredycat. And yes, Krsna asked Arjuna to overcome his weakness of heart and fight, which is basically Arjuna's varna. Krsna said neglecting to act is worse than death for Arjuna.
My point in writing this was not to emphasize that I was brave or not. I wrote this to share my realization as to how the soul should see the events happening around it unaffected.
Radhikesh das
Witness
I know what you mean but still,perhaps there might be an experience worth having on one of those rides.Surely if we have the supreme Lord with us we can do many things that scare us.
Acting for Krsna
Haribol. I disagree that there is any experience worth having on any of those rides. If people simply want to amuse themselves, that is a different story.
It is gambling to indulge in things that scares us thinking the Supreme Lord is with us. We cannot challenge Krsna to protect us by doing daring things. When circumstances present us a challenge and we have no way of overcoming it, then we can take shelter of Krsna, and pray to Him if it is His will then we will act. Arjuna had to fight a terrible war, much more scary than all the roller coasters in the world put together. But Krsna desired it and so Arjuna took shelter of Him and fought the war. That is the proper application of doing things that scare us with the Supreme Lord with us.
Radhikesa dasa
Yes I am a scaredycat as well
There is no way I am getting on a rollercoaster. I did once amd spent the whole time with my head down hoping it would be over soon.
Another great blog Radhikesh. Wherever we are, what ever we do, offer it to Him and know that the operations of material nature are the actions of the three gunas.
your friend
S Cat.
(PS my friends call me scaredy)
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Visit the Food Channel @ Krishna.com
Thrills ...
Hare Krishna, Radhikesh prabhu!
I noticed you had been away from the forum for quite some time, and was worried something might have happened to you.
But now I see you were out to have some fun - sort of.
There is something surreal in the image of a devotee on a rollercoaster ... ;)
Things like amusement parks have always made me skeptical.
For one, my housewifish propensities make me consider the hygienic standards in such parks - phew!
For two, my mechanic and technological propensities make me consider the safety of the structures there. When I look at those structures there, I can't help but to think of how those things are made - and noticing things like loose screws, rusty parts, the (in)stability of those structures and such.
And for three, the aspect of sheer gambling and denial involved in the attempt to amuse oneself in an amusement park. How much of one's perception and consideration needs to be blocked out of one's consciousness if one is to amuse oneself there.
Nobody in their right mind would think that, for example, the risks and sacrifices of going on a rollecoaster ride somehow outweigh the fun one can get from such a ride.
Perhaps the thrill many people (who look to amuse themselves there) feel on such rides is actually the thrill of denial and gambling - knowingly breaking the laws tends to come with a thrill, whether those laws are in regard to the mundane or the transcendental.
Gambling
Hare Krishna Tekisui. Thank you for your concern.
Yes, I would agree it is a bit surreal in the image of a devotee on a rollercoaster.
As for hygienic standards and safety measures, I would say for the most part the Disney parks are well maintained. Still one can never be sure.
You have made a very interesting point about gambling. It never crossed my mind and thinking about it, yes you are right. Those who enjoy those thrills dont seem to think there are risks and sacrifices involved in riding the roller coasters. Subconsciously they know there are risks but they block them out. It is like in gambling, people know they will lose money but still for the thrill that they may hit a jackpot, they indulge in it. Just yesterday I was reading the places where Kali was allowed to reside by Pariksit: dyutam, panam, striyah, suna - gambling, intoxication, prostitution and meat eating. (SB 1st canto 17th chapter).
Thanks for adding your perspective.
Radhikesh das
Haribol !
What a subtle realization - a wonderful observation of the rollercoaster, and what it teaches about life and the soul.
Our personal interactions in the world are a rollercoaster. As long as we are afraid of being hurt or criticized , bullied or terrorized, insulted or blasphemied, we are not free.
Hare Krshna.
A question
I would like to ask you a question, Krishnali,
In the light of this what you said:
As long as we are afraid of being hurt or criticized , bullied or terrorized, insulted or blasphemied, we are not free.
- Does to be 'free' mean being ready to be excommunicated from the community of devotees?
When people hurt you, criticize you, bully you or terrorize you, insult you or blaspheme you - this is usually the sign that they are rejecting you, that they don't want you.
And such behaviors sometimes come from the devotees too (fortunately or unfortunately).
Free from samsara , free to serve Krshna
Hare Krshna
No, Tekisui, i was talking about detachment while interacting with people in general. That rollercoaster is much much easier to ride than physically riding a rollercoaster and saying "I am Brahman, a part of Krshna ; Krshna ! I know you will take care of me , so why should I worry ?" :)
The opposite of free is "bound to the material mind and samsara". - exactly as Radhikesh Prabhu has elaborated below - Those were the words i was thinking of too - bound to samsara. As long as we associate with the perceived things with the body-mind-false-ego, we are in the material conditioning, bound by the modes of nature.
I was thinking of the hard core material world , not devotees, but you are right, it can happen in a devotee group too. The only thing is , devotees being a group of people coming together for a spiritual purpose, they will generally strive to see things in a correct perspective. Of course, everyone is at their own stage in spiritual life, so problems can arise.
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Do groups reject the person ? No , the person's views or ways. Many times it is individuals that reject, not the group.
A free soul has these choices or cases
1. Examine what it is they reject and try to serve the group/individual as a way of serving Krshna, careful not to disrupt or hurt. This is staying with them voluntarily.
2. Walk away from the group or individual, but for their sake, not for the sake of her own false-ego.
3. If the soul is duty-bound to serve the group or individual, by Krshna's orders / placement, she should pray and strive to align herself so as to only serve without conflict , without nurturing any false-ego (ahankar).
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Examples of false-ego
1. A person may start out very simple and naive, thinking everyone is very good and nice. Then, OTHERS may point out "Look, you did this , but she did not even bother to do that !" . Putting unnecessary worldliness into that person's head, making them stop and think and get angry at the situation, and other situations in future. Now this person has a layer of conditioning which he/she didn't have to start out with. This will typically happen only in the materialistic world.
2. " A does or says this which hurts me "
3. "I get perpetually misunderstood and am unable to clear the misunderstanding" It isn't necessary that everyone should always understand me.
4. "ABC made observations in this tiny window of time and erroneously jumped to conclusions which are far from the truth. Now the fact that A does not understand the whole truth makes me sad" Why should each and every person be clear about any intermittent truth of a situation ? Can't i rest still unless that happens ? Is it because i am associated with this situation ?
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Krshna turns things around. Krshna, devotees and Bhagavad Gita teach us to stay dettached from natural losses, as well as interpersonal conflicts. If Krshna loves me, as long as my conscience is clear , as long as i am not hurting anyone or disrupting anything, and Krshna approves of what i am doing , why should ANYTHING ELSE MATTER? That's the stage we want to be in.
May Radha-Krshna bless everyone to stay firm on their path, getting all personal problems out of the way.
Your friend from the Friends of Krshna Society
(Actually , i was just being Krshna's pen)
Good points...
Krishnali. Yes, when the soul identifies all these emotions as happening to it, it is not free but bound to the material mind and samsara.
Radhikesh das
haribol
=D
m4nj35h BaNaWaRa