1000s of pics, this life is about changing our bodies every moment.

Posted by dinesh

Ecological problems - Vedic solutions

Prabhupada explained the point by way of an analogy. "Just like in the cinema spool. The picture is changing, and because it is changing so swiftly, you are seeing that one man is moving. In actual fact, there are only hundreds and thousands of pictures moving. So your body is changing at every moment. That is medical science."

Prabhupada's consistently succinct explanation started to make sense to Justin. "Absolutely. Yes. At every moment."

Prabhupada brought the example to its natural conclusion. "So you are changing your body. That's a fact. And you remember that you had such-and-such body. Therefore you are different from the body. This is the science. 'I am not this body. I am different from the body. I am changing bodies. Therefore I will have to change this body and accept another body'"

Prabhupada asked Amogha to read the relevant verse from the Bhagavad-gita.

"As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. The self-realised soul is not bewildered by such a change."

Prabhupada nodded his head. "The simple truth. But people have no education. That is the defect of modern civilisation. This is the fact, that you are accepting every moment a different body. So after death you will have to accept another body. Now, we should know "What kind of body am I going to accept next?" That is intelligence. That is civilisation."

This seemed to strike a chord with Justin.

"Do you mean if I come to that realisation, it will then allow me to continue to improve my mind, continue to study, to think, to gain knowledge beyond say, the normal sixty-five or seventy years that I might live in what I imagine to be this body?"

Prabhupada agreed. "Yes. Human life is meant for acquiring knowledge -- real knowledge."

"But so many people don't see it that way."

"At least one class of men must be thoroughly conversant, thoroughly aware of things as they are. They are called brahmanas, first-class men. They may be few; it doesn't matter. Ideal class. People will learn by their behaviour, character and knowledge."

The idea of a first-class person aroused Justin's interest. "Where are they?" he asked.

Prabhupada explained that there must be a department to train first-class men. Justin joked that there were none in the universities. "So therefore it is chaotic," said Prabhupada. "No first-class men -- all third-class, fourth-class."

Justin asked what the specifications for a first-class person were. Amogha read from the Bhagavad-gita, Chapter 18, verse 42. "Peacefulness, self-control, austerity, purity, tolerance, honesty, wisdom, knowledge, and religiousness -- these are the qualities by which the brahmanas work."

Prabhupada: This is a first-class man.

Justin: Who decides whether a man is first-class or not?

Prabhupada: Anyone can be trained up. Just like these boys. They were fourth-class, fifth-class, and now they are trained up to become first-class men. Just like anyone can become a geographer or an engineer by proper training.

Justin turned to Amogha. "Do you think you'll make it?"

Amogha: I'm making progress.

Prabhupada: They are young men. They are all within thirty years.

Justin: And your aim, all of you, is to become first-class men?

Jayadharma: Yes.

Justin: Does it matter how long it might take you? Can you become first-class men soon? Within five years?

Prabhupada: Oh, yes, sufficient, sufficient. We can make in one year.

Justin: Really? I wish you all well. Well, thank you. I hope I won't give you offence if I look at my watch. I'm afraid my life is one of these selfish lives. I wish you all well, and maybe I should think along those lines myself. It's been most interesting talking to you.

Prabhupada: Yes, it is necessary to create a class of men, first-class, ideal. And if you all create fourth-class men, then there cannot be peace. It is not possible.

Justin: Thank you.

Prabhupada: Hare Krsna.

Justin: Excellent talking to you. Thank you very much, and I wish you well in Melbourne.

Srutakirti: Here is a sweet we have made from milk.

Justin: Thank you. Good night.

Prabhupada: Hare Krsna. Jaya.

Amogha gave Justin a couple of Back to Godhead magazines and walked with him to his car. Justin expressed his mind -- he had found Prabhupada's arguments thought-provoking and convincing -- especially those concerning the connection between contemporary problems and the bodily concept of life.

As he was leaving he turned to Amogha and smiled. "Now I have to go back to my fourth-class life." Amogha related this to Srila Prabhupada, who was happy to hear the news. "This means he has understood," Prabhupada said. "He is better than so many clergies."

- From "The Great Transcendental Adventure" by HG Kurma Prabhu

--
Yours
Dinesh
Blog:http://dinesh-krsna.blogspot.com