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EDITORIAL  Mind Your Own Bhakti BY GOPA KUMARA DASA EDITORIAL, Nov 21 (VNN) — Although the topic of human sexuality has been placed on the forefront by my gay and lesbian Vaisnava peers and myself, I often grow tired of the obsession people have with other devotee's sexual behavior. Vaisnavas are searching for scriptural injunctions that can be interpreted literally to condemn another's material attachments and behaviors. Throughout the history of world religions there have been people who interpret the scripture of their tradition literally and/or allegorically. For the Gaudiya Vaisnava community the important thing should be to discover the scriptural substance behind the form in order to aid us in spiritual cultivation. Following regulations for the sake of the regulations themselves is Vaidhi-Bhakti (ritualistic devotion). We should be aware of our regulative principles. They have much benefit in themselves and should be practiced. However our goal is to cultivate Raganuga-Bhakti (the path of passionate Love) by modeling the behavior of those devotees that follow the footprints of the inhabitants of Vrindavana. Vaidhi-Bhakti in its highest form is useful because it allows us to cultivate Raganuga-Bhakti. So everyone should be concerned with their own Sadhana rather than offending another Sadhaka. Our Siksa Guru Bhakti Raksaka Sridhar Maharaja says, "The footprints of those that are going to the divine world chalk out the broad path. This is our surest guidance. Only they may be reliable guides. All else may be eliminated because calculation is fallible." Therefore, we should all follow what has been set before us by OUR spiritual master, the active spiritual agent. Beware of interpretation and speculative thinking that is utilized as hate propaganda. Although there is some value to reasoning, it is limited. We should follow the active agent and avoid calculation. The spiritual master is said to be all knowing, all seeing, subjective. Guru can only see the ultimate reality subjectively otherwise he/she is making the Supreme Lord an object of vision. Only the Master of the spiritual world can be objective, and WE are the objects of His vision. Furthermore, the spiritual world is the source of our diversity and we should all learn to respect and care for each other because none of us will ever cease to exist. We are bound to each other eternally. Please imagine the beautiful diversity of the spiritual world if this material world is only its perverted reflection. We should try to establish ourselves on the plane of dedication (seva) rather than the material plane of exploitation. Dedication makes everyone and everything our friend as we begin to see the world in relation to our sweet Cowherd Friend. There is no benefit to exploitation and it is from this exploitation that hatred springs. Please follow your Guru, develop your Bhakti, and avoid judgments and offenses directed at other Vaisnavas. What we should really do is utilize our energy to look at our OWN attachments and do something about them. Your friend and servant, Gopa Kumara Dasa (Albert Varona) Bhaktaboy@aol.com Disciple of Om Sripad Bhaktivedanta Tripurari Swami Maharaja  Comment on this storyContact VNN about this storySend this story to a friend
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