i find people much more interesting when taken as they are. i'd like to hear what he has to say, without him being sniped at. he seems a sensible chap in no need of rescuing; others whose comfort zones he rattles dont agree...however i am not interested in their opinions in this context, which is why i began my previous post with the word "mandell" :1eye:
he wasnt sniped at imo, he was simply asked to expand upon his beliefs and he resorted to some pretty childish and unsavory remarks
Yes, that's how I took it. BTW - his being banned has nothing to do with me. Md's attempts at insulting me rather than answering quite reasonable questions haven't led me to complain - I see no need - I think he's his own worst advocate.
I think you fail to see that Md resorts to insults precisely because he can't handle questions which rattle his 'comfort zone'. This is perfectly in line with the behaviour exhibited by religious and other fanataics of all persuasions. My whole purpose in asking those particular questions which relate directly to the text of the Bhagavad Gita and therefore to Bhakti yoga, the alleged topic of this thread, is to 'rattle the comfort zone', or at least raise questions in the minds of those who take on board as dogma ideas which seemingly have no basis in actual reality. Ot at least, no-one can actually give any satisfactory explanation. If you post stuff in a public forum, you often get replies from people other than than the person to whom you adressed the reply -.
thank you, yes. i put that first post in this thread because it was the only way to express my request for contact with a banned member. i made it pretty clear i was not, as such, joining the discussion. however i have since contacted the administrators to help me find mandell and so i shall no longer trouble you.
if i may chime in, i thank svggrdnbeauty for her question. i appreciate that she asked what bhakti means to us as individuals and without quoting shastra and gurus etc. for myself, i have practiced bhakti since childhood and to me it means not only devotion, but is implicitly linked with service. bhakti is practical and not conceptual IMO. for me this service / bhakti becomes manifest through worship of the deities in the temple. performing the rituals of arcana and all other activities in regards to the deities. in my personal experience, and which works well with my tradition (gaudiya vaisnava), the worship of the personal form of the lord helps me to remember that god / bhagavan is also present in the hearts of humanity as the paramatma. and by serving humanity as well, with the consciousness that the deity is there, we ultimately please god and personify bhakti. just my 2 cents.
