Tattva-viveka
The Harmonist
Nitaisundara Das - March 12, 2009 3:16 pm
Haribolo,
Guru Maharaja has decided to go forth with an idea he has explored before of having a Gaudiya news site. 'The Harmonist' will be something like the Sampradaya Sun without the apasiddhanta and with more intelligent and deep content. Ultimately there will be Gaudiya news, editorials, book reviews, and articles, from the Gaudiya, religious, and secular world. There will also be a forum. Guru Maharaja wants to create a good supply of articles so we will be able to maintain new content in the beginning with ease. So everybody here has the opportunity to find articles and book reviews that you think will be good and pull them out. I suppose you can just post them here. Maybe more specific directions will develop as things continue. I guess when we are up and running everyone can report the Gaudiya news that they catch wind of too.
Jaya Guru Maharaja, the foremost harmonist in the Gaudiya world!
In service
Nitaisundara dasa
Prema-bhakti - March 12, 2009 3:19 pm
Jaya!!!! :Cool: 
Prahlad Das - March 12, 2009 4:31 pm
Haribolo,
Guru Maharaja has decided to go forth with an idea he has explored before of having a Gaudiya news site. 'The Harmonist' will be something like the Sampradaya Sun without the apasiddhanta and with more intelligent and deep content. Ultimately there will be Gaudiya news, editorials, book reviews, and articles, from the Gaudiya, religious, and secular world. There will also be a forum. Guru Maharaja wants to create a good supply of articles so we will be able to maintain new content in the beginning with ease. So everybody here has the opportunity to find articles and book reviews that you think will be good and pull them out. I suppose you can just post them here. Maybe more specific directions will develop as things continue. I guess when we are up and running everyone can report the Gaudiya news that they catch wind of too.
Jaya Guru Maharaja, the foremost harmonist in the Gaudiya world!
In service
Nitaisundara dasa
This, "the Harmonist", is currently being used by "Pure Bhakti" as a monthly publication. Is there any issue with using the same name? It must be available as a domain name though if you are considering it. I love the idea, and look forward to seeing it, and perhaps, taking part in it.
Tadiya Dasi - March 12, 2009 4:33 pm
Jaya Guru Maharaja, the foremost harmonist in the Gaudiya world!
Jaya!
Swami - March 12, 2009 4:49 pm
Their publication is entitled "Rays of the Harmonist."
Prahlad Das - March 12, 2009 6:56 pm
Their publication is entitled "Rays of the Harmonist."
Great! Lets stoke the furnace.
Yamuna Dasi - March 12, 2009 7:49 pm
Sounds great!
Who from our sampradaya was publishihg on paper with this title? And was it a magazine or a newspaper?
Will you try to follow that pattern or?
Will it be for broad public preaching or rather a vaisnava oriented web site?
Bhrigu - March 12, 2009 8:02 pm
Great news!
Prahlad Das - March 12, 2009 8:03 pm
Whoa! I just noticed a sub-heading under the thread title! Let me know what I can do! 
Vrindaranya Dasi - March 12, 2009 11:21 pm
Haribolo,
Guru Maharaja has decided to go forth with an idea he has explored before of having a Gaudiya news site. 'The Harmonist' will be something like the Sampradaya Sun without the apasiddhanta and with more intelligent and deep content.
Yikes, I'd say more like Shambhala Sun than Sampradaya Sun!
Braja-sundari Dasi - March 12, 2009 11:35 pm
Great news!
Syama Gopala Dasa - March 13, 2009 5:13 pm
Whoa! I just noticed a sub-heading under the thread title! Let me know what I can do!
From Nitai's post:
"So everybody here has the opportunity to find articles and book reviews that you think will be good and pull them out."
Devyah-pati Das SERBIA - March 16, 2009 8:29 am
Haribolo,
'The Harmonist' will be something like the Sampradaya Sun without the apasiddhanta and with more intelligent and deep content.
Ultimately there will be Gaudiya news, editorials, book reviews, and articles, from the Gaudiya, religious, and secular world.
I am interested a little more what kind of articles from the secular world is GM interested in in this case?
Just to get some clue... Is it some articles like usualy devotees cite and use, like, how some scientist is
telling that there must be some force behind the wonderful acts of nature, etc.
So,
1) I am interested to get some more specific clue on those secular articles he is interested in,
and
2) I am interested to get some more specific clue on those religious articles he is interested in.
3) Regarding the Gaudiya articles I will try to make my contribution of course, but I see so many
expert devotees on this forum that are familiar with all the websites where those articles can be
found, so I would rather wait a bit to see what they have supplied and what is the direction
in which this all goes.
In ISCKON, on lecture, we could hear all the same things over and over again, until everybody
could know all the historical events and all the philosophical points that are presented
Basicaly, you go to the lecture because it is a custom.
For the first time I could hear something new, is when I started to hear GM lectures
and read his books.
So, I am not an expert in details of Gaudiya siddhanta or history, and even though I am
connected with Krsna consciousness for 20 years, I believe that my understanding
is quite shallow 
Still, with the encouragement I will get by association with you all here,
I am sure that I will be able to make my contribution in this field also.
Ys,
Devhah-pati das
Prahlad Das - March 16, 2009 3:36 pm
This has been posted in another forum. It may be of interest to others. As follows:...
The excerpts below are from an article an elder in the 7th Day Adventist Church has entreated me to read. He knows that I have been an observant Hindu since 2001 but he has made it clear to me that he agrees with the article in its entirety. He has made statements similar to those in the article over the years. I would appreciate it if someone would like to provide a refutation to this article and I will forward the link of this thread to him. Thank you.
Quote:
Quote:In Hinduism, the Self is also referred to as the Brahman. In Buddhism, it is said to be Nirvana. Every thought, muscle movement, and breath you take in a yoga class or exercise is designed to bring you under the influence of some heathen god. But the gurus do not explain that to all their pupils. Actually, there are no real heathen gods; they do not exist. The yogi, on whatever level he may be, is really being brought into subjection to demonic spirits.
Mantras are secret words or short phrases which are supposed to invoke reception of ancient gods, while protecting one from demons. In reality, they do the opposite of providing protection! They invite demons to take control of the mind.
Quote:
EFFECT ON THE YOGA CULTURESThe objective of Buddhism and Hinduism is to destroy personality and all the special characteristics which make us human. This includes compassion and are for people. In those Buddhist and Hindu cultures, not influenced by the Western (Judeo-Christian) world, there is no interest in building hospitals, schools, or orphanages. There is no basis for morality.There is also no science or technology. In Hinduism, the physical material world is viewed as an illusion (maya). The religious leaders (a Hindu swami or Buddhist monk) in India or Southeast Asia do nothing for people, but just beg for food while denouncing the world. Human life is not valued. Only the Bible and Jesus Christ can solve the problems of mankind. The invasion of Eastern religions
into the West has the effect of tearing down the moral fabric of society. It stifles the conscience, and every sense of right and wrong, and leads to pleasure
seeking and crime. Warn everyone who is thinking of dabbling in this dangerous practice. Yoga may be presented as something very attractive and inviting. But, as we have discovered, at the very least, it will weaken your willpower and personality. If you continue it long enough, it will ruin your life. —vf
Nitaisundara Das - March 16, 2009 4:28 pm
Guru Maharaja mentioned today that we need to start getting articles together, so i just wanted to pass that along. One service someone could do is look through TV and possibly pull out articles that have been discussed in the past. Also, the articles do not have to be perfect, we can use the subject matter and other elements to write our own, so that should broaden the scope. Maybe if we just start putting some here GM and everyone can give feedback and that way we can all come to understand more what the best articles are. We are all getting a chance to assist in GM's preaching/publishing, Jaya-o! :Cow:
Devyah-pati:
I dont have a very good answer to you questions so maybe someone else can shed more light.
Prahlad:
That guy is 
and makes me 
Bhrigu - March 16, 2009 4:35 pm
I recently read a book by an American Evangelical Christian with much the same points, though in a somewhat less crude form. You can post the below in your answer to him, but don't give him a link here, since I don't think he would fit into our group that well...
The excerpts you posted show that this person has a very limited understanding of Hinduism and Buddhism, and therefore, we can assume, know very little of what he is talking about, i.e., yoga. For that reason, we can safely assume that he may also not know what yoga leads to.
Some of the mistakes he makes:
1. Not all Hinduism is the same as Shankara's idealist monism. In fact, the Yogasutras of Patañjali are neither idealistic nor monistic, and they strongly support the notion of surrendering to God (Isvara -- the same term that Christians in India today use for God).
2. The Self is not termed Brahman in Hinduism, neither is it called Nirvana in Buddhism.
3. None of the traditional yoga scriptures agree with what he says is the purpose of asanas and breath excersises. According to Patanjali (YS 2.48), asanas should lead to freedom from the oppression of dualities (cold/ heat, pleasure/ pain), so as to facilitate meditation etc.
4. How has he proved that the Hindu gods are demons? He cannot refer to the Bible, because then you can just as easily refer to the Vedas. If he has not proved that, he cannot prove that mantras invoke demons.
5. The effect of Yoga cultures-paragraph is completely false. In fact, there have been hospitals in India at least from the time of Ashoka (304-232 BC). Also, the Yogasutra (1.33) explicitly say that the yogi should cultivate compassion towards the suffering. Again, not all of Hinduism is idealist, in fact most Hindu philosophers are realists. And if you wish to use the present poverty of India as an illustration of the evils of Hinduism, you must be able to explain how many strongly Christian countries in Africa (e.g. the Congo) are faring even worse.
6. Where is the evidence that yoga leads to loose morals? Instead, we have plenty of evidence to show that the so-called Bible Belt fares worse than the rest of the USA in many "moral" issues. For a recent example, see
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn1668...-consumers.html
Atmananda Dasa - March 16, 2009 5:15 pm
Guru Maharaja mentioned today that we need to start getting articles together, so i just wanted to pass that along. One service someone could do is look through TV and possibly pull out articles that have been discussed in the past. Also, the articles do not have to be perfect, we can use the subject matter and other elements to write our own, so that should broaden the scope. Maybe if we just start putting some here GM and everyone can give feedback and that way we can all come to understand more what the best articles are. We are all getting a chance to assist in GM's preaching/publishing, Jaya-o!
I'm currently working on an article about ritvik-vada. Once I have a rough draft, I'll post it here.
Gopala Dasa - March 16, 2009 6:01 pm
Also, the articles do not have to be perfect, we can use the subject matter and other elements to write our own, so that should broaden the scope. Maybe if we just start putting some here GM and everyone can give feedback and that way we can all come to understand more what the best articles are. W
Perhaps this?
Time magazine staged a debate between atheist poster child Richard Dawkins and Francis Collins, geneticist (and theistic) former head of the Human Genome Project:
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/...1555132,00.html
It contains some interesting back-and-forth on the limits of reason, scientific inquiry, etc. These points have been discussed on TV before, I believe in relation to Dawkins, but not Collins.
Prahlad Das - March 16, 2009 6:29 pm
This is an excerpt form the West German High court rulings on Meditation. I believe the rest will be found at the link on the bottom. This should show that it is more prevalent then just a few nuts out there. The Seventh Day Adventists are preaching hard against meditation and mantra. It is much more in depth than a few intermittent cases. This is just something I've come across recently. Thanks Bhrigu Prabhu, I'll use what you've written to incorporate, and I won't link here (of-course )
W. GERMAN STUDY:
The Various Implications Arising From the Practice of Transcendental
Meditation
On May 29, 1989 the West German High court ruled the study valid.
Excerpts:
4.3.3 TM has a detrimental effect on the decision making process.
There is loss of self-determination and a turning toward the TM authorities
for guidance, i.e. in the case of important decisions. Also, the variables,
facial expression, bodily posture, voice and handwriting point to
the fact that the total personality is gravely altered under the influence
of TM.
4.5.4 Whereas before the TM phase performance at school was well above
average, and those investigated were most happy with their school
or job situation, a considerable worsening in these areas occurred
as a result of the practice of transcendental meditation. 56% had
decreased concentration abilities during the TM phase, only 16% reported
an improvement. 61% found it more difficult to manage the workload,
as against 13% who reported an increased capacity. TM had a negative
influence on the professional careers of 58% of meditators. Altogether
28 meditators (42%) gave up their studies or professional career in
order to work full time for the TM movement or to be able to go on
long courses. They did this on the basis of promises made them by
the movement. An analysis of the taped interviews and the stenographer's
scripts only serve to strengthen the suspicion that the TM organization
aims at cheap labor, which in the case of those people who became
unfit to work in the course of time, can be sent away again without
any real difficulty.
4.6.6 In 76% of cases psychological disorders and illnesses occurred,
9% of meditators had had therapeutic treatment before the TM phase,
43% had psychiatric treatment or had to have medical treatment during
the TM phase. The psychological disorders most prevalent were tiredness
(63%), ``states of anxiety'' (52%), depression (45%), nervousness
(39%), and regression (39%). 26% had a nervous breakdown and 20% expressed
serious suicidal tendencies. Psychological illness already present
before the TM phase worsened considerably. TM can cause mental illness
or at the very least prepare the way for the onset of mental illness.
A lack of opportunity for the treatment of meditation experiences
and/or altered perception of reality create suitable conditions for
a pathogenic appearance. Added to this is the heightened delicacy
and increasing helplessness in the personality of the meditator, which
can develop into a complete depersonalization.
5.6.4 The suspicion grows that the meditation offered by TM, caused,
in the meditators' cases which we have investigated, a far reaching
alteration in the view of reality, which damages or causes further
damage to social relationships, the drive to achieve (motivation)
is considerably lessened, to the degree that practical work (i.e.
in a job) becomes intolerable to the meditator, in addition to all
conditions brought about by the intense practice of the meditation,
it gives rise to physical and mental damage.
Government Ministry of Youth, Family and Health, Germany, 1980. ~
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Germany
JUDGMENT OF GERMAN COURT
The ruling of the highest federal administrative tribunal, the
Bundesverwaltungsgericht on May 24, 1989 in Case number 7 C 2.87 is:
1) The Federal Government is competent and allowed to care about cults.
2) The Federal Government is allowed to warn of TM.
3) The Federal Government is allowed to designate TM a "Youth Religion"
as well as a "Psychogroup".
4) The Federal Government is allowed to say that TM is taught by teachers
who are not qualified [to deal with the TM problems].
5) The Federal Government is allowed to say, TM can cause psychic
defects or destruction of personality.
Copies of the German Study are available from TM-EX and the Cult Awareness
Network. ~
Bhrigu - March 16, 2009 7:52 pm
Note that the West German study is 20 years old (that is a lot in these cases), and that Germany (though less than France) has taken a very strong stance against all kinds of cults (including Christian ones). They are not at all focused only on the dangers of Eastern religions. This German study has been severely criticised by many scholars of religion, both in Europe and the US.
Prahlad Das - March 16, 2009 10:54 pm
Note that the West German study is 20 years old (that is a lot in these cases), and that Germany (though less than France) has taken a very strong stance against all kinds of cults (including Christian ones). They are not at all focused only on the dangers of Eastern religions. This German study has been severely criticised by many scholars of religion, both in Europe and the US.
Its ironic, I noticed the age of the finding the same time I posted this. Thanks for highlighting it though. Would you say that it has changed since recently?
Prahlad Das - March 16, 2009 11:51 pm
By the way, nice reply Bhrigu Prabhu!
Swami - March 17, 2009 4:02 am
Perhaps this?
Time magazine staged a debate between atheist poster child Richard Dawkins and Francis Collins, geneticist (and theistic) former head of the Human Genome Project:
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/...1555132,00.html
It contains some interesting back-and-forth on the limits of reason, scientific inquiry, etc. These points have been discussed on TV before, I believe in relation to Dawkins, but not Collins.
This is a good example of an article that could be either be posted as is or commented upon in a new article. There should be a good amount of ongoing material available concerning science and religion. So this is one area. Book reviews are another. Read and comment on that which is out there that makes you think about Gaudiya Vaisnavism in some way.
Gaura-Vijaya Das - March 17, 2009 7:42 pm
This is something which I had compiled a few days back but I am not getting time to elaborate on it or edit it well.
In course of observing the effort great people put into mathematics and sciences, I wonder about the startling conclusions they have derived. That an innocuous argument like the Axiom of Choice can lead to Banach Tarski paradox is surprising. Informally put, the axiom of choice says that given any collection of bins, each containing at least one object, it is possible to make a selection of exactly one object from each bin. This is absolutely trivial in the case of finite bins but accepting the axiom of choice in infinite dimensions leads to the Banach Tarski paradox. This paradox implies that given any two "reasonable" objects (such as a small ball and a huge ball), either one can be reassembled into the other. This is often stated colloquially as "a pea can be chopped up and reassembled into the Sun" which is highly counterintuitive. Mathematics always has taught us to be extremely careful when extending theorems for finite elements to infinite elements. The arguments used to prove things in the infinite limit have to be very subtle indeed and only a refined mathematician will be able to appreciate the importance of these things. For most people these subtleties of mathematics will be a complete chore with no practical use, though they may be using gadgets whose foundations are built on the very mathematical rigor they detest. Mathematicians and physicists allow engineers to use the tools developed by them to make practical things useful for society. Anybody wanting to understand deeper truths about the tools can dive deeper according to his interest, desire and priorities.
In spiritual traditions exploring metaphysical realities even bigger complexities arise. A genuine spiritual aspirant is humbled by the finitude of his mortal existence in front of the infinity of creation and the Absolute truth. This infinity is even more complex to deal with than the mathematical infinity. The question is how many people actually understand what they are dealing with—not many. And the ones who do have direct experience of some aspect of the Absolute are the mystics. Their numbers are few, but like mathematicians and scientists, they would also like to extend something practical to the common people. In doing so they have to make some compromises and remove the subtleties that arise in expressing ideas about the Absolute. If the genuine interest of the spiritual aspirant is awakened, he will dive into the ocean of the Absolute like the mystic and find the subtleties for himself. That interest according to Plato has to be as intense as the infatuation of a young boy for a young girl. According to the Vedantic tradition, the progress of the individual towards the Absolute is carried out gradually over lifetimes and the intensity in the souls’ approach increases simultaneously.
When the limits of human reason that are defined by mathematical logic cannot capture the physical world perfectly, then where does one stand with respect to the Absolute truth? Therefore, the Vedantic tradition tells us that to resolve conflicting issues in the realm of intellect, we need to move to a higher plane. What then is this higher plane? It is the realm of the soul or the realm of pure consciousness. In that plane one can actually begin to approach the Absolute, though even then he can capture only an aspect of the Absolute. That suffices for him because he can function in wholesome harmony with the will of the absolute, and experience great happiness. The contradictory statements given in the Upanishads about the Absolute truth, like “ He is near yet far away, He is in everything yet outside of everything, He is the perfect lover but he is perfect in renunciation” have to be understood with the right frame of mind of a submissive inquisitive student. Here we are dealing with the biggest “infinity” and we need to be open to ideas that cannot fit the realm of human logic. And a particular tradition of Vedanta, Gaudiya Vaishnavism , states that it is the inconceivable potency of the Absolute that makes it possible for the Absolute to manifest seemingly contradictory qualities as seen from the lens of human intellect.
This tradition draws out a roadmap for a spiritual practitioner to progress into the plane of the soul and beyond and function in harmony with the Absolute. The complete manifestation of the Absolute in whom all contradictions are reconciled is Sri Krsna, according to the theistic Vedanta tradition. The goal set for a practitioner is pure love for Sri Krsna and his practice is meant to help cross the sensual, mental and intellectual planes and come to plane of consciousness where the loving exchange between the soul and Sri Krsna is fully realized.
Gaura-Vijaya Das - March 17, 2009 7:58 pm
This is a good example of an article that could be either be posted as is or commented upon in a new article. There should be a good amount of ongoing material available concerning science and religion. So this is one area. Book reviews are another. Read and comment on that which is out there that makes you think about Gaudiya Vaisnavism in some way.
This is the discussion we had on this debate between Dawkins and Collins before.
http://tattvaviveka.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=952
This has a wealth of nice points made by devotees.
Then there are some more articles
(When does the soul enter the body?)
http://tattvaviveka.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=1294
NDE and ketamine explaining visions of God.
http://tattvaviveka.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=1190
then a very good one.
Karma in light of the times.
http://tattvaviveka.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=1524
Perennialism
http://tattvaviveka.ipbhost.com/index.php?showforum=4
GM debates with a Christian
http://tattvaviveka.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=1485
Incarnations and Vraja bhakti
http://tattvaviveka.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=1462
Comparisons of eastern and western religions.
http://tattvaviveka.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=1498
advaya jnana tattva
http://tattvaviveka.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=497
brahman realization and dependence on bhakti
http://tattvaviveka.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=830
regarding divine origin of rivers, moutains,epics
Yamuna Dasi - March 18, 2009 9:06 pm
I would appreciate it if someone would like to provide a refutation to this article and I will forward the link of this thread to him.
You can give him a link to here, but since it's a closed forum he could not enter to read it because he will be prompted to enter user name and password. And Bhrigu is right, he would not fit here from what I've read from that article. Bhrigu had a lot of patience to dedicate time to refute points in that article which is so ignorant about the topic it tries to discuss that one would rather pass it by without any comment. Very kind of you, Bhrigu prabhu!
Madhavendra Puri Dasa - March 19, 2009 6:52 am
Sometime ago I posted here link to good in my opinion view by a guy who presents universal view in Christianity, acknowledging validity of all religions.
Nitaisundara Das - March 30, 2009 4:10 am
Guru Maharaja has graciously given me the service of being the managing editor for the Harmonist. I am very excited, and nervous. Anyway, he has given a rough outline to the structure of it all and some suggestions for whom to enlist. I will be contacting various people with ideas that GM has in hopes of getting commitments and what not. He would like to have people in charge of individual sections as well.
Overall GM was stressing tonight that to do this right, in accord with his vision, it will take the dedicated commitment of many people, but it is a great opportunity for us to assist GM and ourselves. GM wants everyone who can to participate. He has said before and has been saying a lot recently how much he wants that his students could write themselves, but there will be plenty of seva, not just writing. We will need to monitor websites and blogs, transcribe portions of talks, collect quotes, and on and on.
I'm sure many things will become clearer as everything continues. Soon I think we can start here one or more special threads just for the harmonist, like a quote thread, a book thread (books to be reviewed), and so on.
Brhat Mrdanga Seva Ki Jaya!
Nitaisundara Das - March 30, 2009 4:16 am
Some more:
Right now the task is to accumulate as much content as possible. If we all just keep the Harmonist in the back of our head when we are doing things we can pull out a lot. For example:
When you read note down topics for articles or quotes for our daily quote section, Gaudiya or otherwise.
Any pertinent blogs or youtube videos mark down URL's
Find sites with good news coverage (not necessarily mainstream, but like yoga news or whatever)
Sites with good articles, like once Gaura-Vijaya posted an article from the Encyclopedia of Death and Dying, which has some good articles.
Just "harmonize" everything
You can start sending stuff to me as soon as possible.
How exciting.
Syama Gopala Dasa - March 30, 2009 4:35 pm
here are some very rough ideas I once jotted down. Perhaps they help.
paul klee's painting on Narasimha deva
Thoreau and the Gita
How Green is Blue Krishna?
Meditation and Concentration
Protestant work ethic vs Vaisnav service attitude
Swami - March 30, 2009 5:23 pm
here are some very rough ideas I once jotted down. Perhaps they help.
paul klee's painting on Narasimha deva
Thoreau and the Gita
How Green is Blue Krishna?
Meditation and Concentration
Protestant work ethic vs Vaisnav service attitude
What would help is if you would write the articles that match these titles; 500-2000 words
Gaura-Vijaya Das - March 31, 2009 3:30 am
Some of the mistakes he makes:
1. Not all Hinduism is the same as Shankara's idealist monism. In fact, the Yogasutras of Patañjali are neither idealistic nor monistic, and they strongly support the notion of surrendering to God (Isvara -- the same term that Christians in India today use for God).
I think that the word idealism has many connotations and it is good to clarify what you mean by idealism. According to me, GV has some traces of idealism. SSM's descriptions in Subjective Evolution of Consciousness are closer to idealism than realism. And here is what Kant had to say about idealism and it is similar to what SSM said:
We are perfectly justified in maintaining that only what is within ourselves can be immediately and directly perceived, and that only my own existence can be the object of a mere perception. Thus the existence of a real object outside me can never be given immediately and directly in perception, but can only be added in thought to the perception, which is a modification of the internal sense, and thus inferred as its external cause ... . In the true sense of the word, therefore, I can never perceive external things, but I can only infer their existence from my own internal perception, regarding the perception as an effect of something external that must be the proximate cause ... . It must not be supposed, therefore, that an idealist is someone who denies the existence of external objects of the senses; all he does is to deny that they are known by immediate and direct perception.
Bhrigu, can you clarify what exactly you mean by idealism? In the 11th Canto the world is described as "false" as it is created out of our conditioning and is subjective. Only when seen in relation to its source Krsna, the world is seen in reality . Or else we see reflections(like the inverted banayan tree ). The B.G verse on the Banyan tree has idealism stamped all over it.
GV can be represented as theistic "monism"(advaya jnana tattva) or dualism(like BVT did) and as idealistic(as SSM represented) or realistic.
There is a lot of fluidity.
Bhrigu - March 31, 2009 8:16 am
By Kant's definition, everyone is an idealist, since it is ludicrous to say that we can know external objects by our senses. I see a table before me, and I know that it is square, but from where I am sitting, it does not look square at all. I know it is of one colour, but when I look at it, the light falling on it gives it several different shades. The table itself and my perception of it do not therefore seem to be exactly one and the same thing. What I meant by idealism was rather exactly what the quote says is not idealism, that is, considering the outer world to be only a mental construction, whether in our minds or someone else's (such as God's in Berkeley's doctrine). And yes, there is a lot of such idealism in the Bhagavata. Note that I was only speaking about the Yogasutra.
Gaura-Vijaya Das - March 31, 2009 2:30 pm
And yes, there is a lot of such idealism in the Bhagavata. Note that I was only speaking about the Yogasutra.
Before Kant, there were people who were not idealist even according to his definition!! surprising but true. I understand you were speaking about Yoga Sutra. I just said that you should clarify the term "idealism" to be subjective idealism of Berekeley as opposed to transcendental idealism(Kant), absolute idealism(Hegel) and real idealism(Plato and Fiche)
But what is your view on idealism in Bhagavata?
Bhrigu - March 31, 2009 2:37 pm
But what is your view on idealism in Bhagavata?
I'll have to pass, Gaurada, because this is such a huge topic. And as you can see, I am not as knowledgeable about the shades of idealism as you are. But there are some verses in the Bhagavata that seem to say that the world is just the dream of Mahavishnu.
Gaura-Vijaya Das - March 31, 2009 3:05 pm
I'll have to pass, Gaurada, because this is such a huge topic. And as you can see, I am not as knowledgeable about the shades of idealism as you are. But there are some verses in the Bhagavata that seem to say that the world is just the dream of Mahavishnu.
Sorry Bhriguda, I did not mean to put so many terms to intimidate you. I thought you were more aware than me about these things.
I must admit I don't have complete hold on these things either. I need to really put a focused effort to understand the subtleties in these terms if and when I get time in this life!
Prahlad Das - March 31, 2009 7:16 pm
Before Kant, there were people who were not idealist even according to his definition!! surprising but true. I understand you were speaking about Yoga Sutra. I just said that you should clarify the term "idealism" to be subjective idealism of Berekeley as opposed to transcendental idealism(Kant), absolute idealism(Hegel) and real idealism(Plato and Fiche)But what is your view on idealism in Bhagavata?
Exciting! I look forward to more in this vein!
Nitaisundara Das - April 1, 2009 3:21 am
For those of you who have not been, www.TED.com has some really cool videos, with new ones added each week. They can imbed like youtube vids and some have real substantial content that could be commented on in an article. This is a good place to start because it already gives you a lot of substance for the article, so the written portion could be fairly small.
Nitaisundara Das - April 2, 2009 3:41 am
In hopes of getting the Harmonist train moving I thought I would put some ideas here. I know all of you are seeing things daily that could inspire articles...I'm watching you... :Broken Heart: 
:Shame On You:
Some book review ideas (some of these I would love to do myself but we will see if people take them up that is all well)
I am not sure that all of these would be good, but they are places to start
The happiness hypothesis by jonathan haidt
the paradox of choice by barry schwartz
feet of clay by anthony storr
eat, pray, love
movies: (kind of dated, but what can I say?)
one: the movie
born into brothels
OK that was a smaller list than I was hoping, but that was just off the top of my head.
Vamsidhari Dasa - April 2, 2009 6:18 am
The happiness hypothesis by jonathan haidtthe paradox of choice by barry schwartz
feet of clay by anthony storr
eat, pray, love
new age called and left a message to give it back its literature!
Can we actually come up with our own books to review or do we have to follow directive cuz I am a bit over that! Thanks.
Nitaisundara Das - April 2, 2009 1:43 pm
I believe its been pretty clear that we all should come up with ideas, but seeing as there were none appearing, I thought I would try to get something going. Please share any ideas as well.
Nitaisundara Das - April 2, 2009 1:52 pm
new age called and left a message to give it back its literature!
Can we actually come up with our own books to review or do we have to follow directive cuz I am a bit over that! Thanks.
the second two books I listed I know almost nothing about...except the first is about gurus and the second an international best seller(i.e. the kind of book people might want to a read a review on). So they may be new age-y. But the first two I think are hardly that, are you familiar with them?
Syama Gopala Dasa - April 2, 2009 3:23 pm
The second book is written by a psychologist, TED talk up here: http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/barry_s..._of_choice.html
Vamsidhari Dasa - April 2, 2009 3:26 pm
the second two books I listed I know almost nothing about...except the first is about gurus and the second an international best seller(i.e. the kind of book people might want to a read a review on). So they may be new age-y. But the first two I think are hardly that, are you familiar with them?
No, I was just poking your chubby cheeks! and of course getting some perverse pleasure out of it.
On the second point I am serious. Maybe we could just find books that we think are useful or inspiring to us and write something about them First we would have to check in with your "exalted editorial self" but its just an idea. Maybe that is not a idea behind the harmonist?
Vamsidhari Dasa - April 2, 2009 3:29 pm
The second book is written by a psychologist, TED talk up here:
God help us from psychologists in shorts, thats all I got to say. What's next, Dr. Phil?
Syama Gopala Dasa - April 2, 2009 3:33 pm
God help us from psychologists in shorts, thats all I got to say. What's next, Dr. Phil?
I know you prefer giving patients drugs.
Tadiya Dasi - April 2, 2009 3:47 pm
Some book review ideas (some of these I would love to do myself but we will see if people take them up that is all well)I am not sure that all of these would be good, but they are places to start
The happiness hypothesis by jonathan haidt
the paradox of choice by barry schwartz
feet of clay by anthony storr
eat, pray, love
I've read Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert.
The author is practising yoga in the 'lineage' of Siddha Yoga gurus and her guru is Gurumayi Chidvilasananda. Her spirituality, as it comes across in the book, is quite eclectic and of the "we are all one" variety. The book is divided into three parts: Pleasure, Devotion and Balance. The book is about her journey to Italy, India and Indonesia. A journey that she chose to embark on after she divorced her husband, became clinically depressed and had a bad relationship with some guy. In the cover of the book it's described as, "one woman's search for everything."
The 'Pleasure' part is set in Italy, where she basically eats a lot (and gives graphic descriptions of her non-vegetarian meals 
) , gains 25 pounds while learning the Italian language and trying to re-discover the pleasures of life she had forgotten in her depressive state after a painful divorce.
After the hedonistic Italy comes the 'Devotion' part, in which she stays in one of the Siddha Yoga ashram's in India, describes her meditations on the Guru-gita and her seva of scrubbing the temple floors, writes about the various people she meets in the ashram and her yearning for God and devotion.
After India, she flies to Bali, Indonesia. There, she meets an old medicine man, strives to find the balance between pleasure and devotion, and within herself. Eventually she also meets a man, from Brazilia, who becomes her lover. The rest of the book is about her love affair with the Brazilian man (now they are married, I think.)
The book is quite entertaining, her writing is humorous and even hilarious at times. But her spirituality - aside from her devotion towards her guru, which was touching - was rather disappointing. It's been awhile since I read the book, but I am not sure what I could get out of it that would be fit for the Harmonist...
Nitaisundara Das - April 2, 2009 3:58 pm
Thank you Tadiya, thats the kind of discussion was hoping for. So I think we can say that that book is out. One Down.
Vamsidhari Dasa - April 2, 2009 4:09 pm
I know you prefer giving patients drugs.
Yeah and I have just the right one for you! It solves all your problems and makes you instantly happy!
Nitaisundara Das - April 2, 2009 4:13 pm
No, I was just poking your chubby cheeks! and of course getting some perverse pleasure out of it.On the second point I am serious. Maybe we could just find books that we think are useful or inspiring to us and write something about them First we would have to check in with your "exalted editorial self" but its just an idea. Maybe that is not a idea behind the harmonist?
Vamsi I don't know if you have read this thread at all but clearly people are encouraged to follow their inspiration. At the same time that does not mean that will result in something suitable for the harmonist. So you do not have to check in with me but ultimately I will be one of the people deciding if the articles are representing GM's vision, so you may want to check in ahead of time. Thats the way GM has decided to arrange this.
The idea behind the harmonist is seva, like the subtitle of the thread points out. And seva does mean according to necessity. I was given some seva for the HArmonist by GM and I am grateful. Everyone is welcome to do seva for the harmonist as well, as GM has pointed out, but if it is not needed (read: suitable) then it will not be used. Simple. I find it very confused to sarcastically call me exalted when I am merely doing my service to Sri Guru – the only way I will ever become humble.
Madan Gopal Das - April 2, 2009 5:24 pm
Forgive me for getting a little "family therapy" here, but I know many of you enough that I'm stepping back from the various conversations going on today and I feel we're all missing a lot in the subtleties of communication that are absent on the internet. Feelings are being hurt, accusations are made, misrepresentation of ideas and misconstruing of meaning... I know that I'm guilty of assuming that people get my sense of humor and the way that I think. No, I don't expect us all to see eye to eye with each other on everything under the sun that we discuss, but GM is the person that "harmonizes" us all. So, I don't know how to proceed, but this petty fighting around threads on T.V. is getting a little ridiculous. Can we take it for granted that GM has a lot of space (unlimited?) in his heart for a variety of personalities who have gathered at his feet? Let's treat each other with kindness and appreciation, and if we unintentionally hurt each other, humbly remember the worth that all these people have in GM's eyes and proceed with caution while maintaining our enthusiasm for tattva-viveka. Please consider me your servant...
Swami - April 2, 2009 6:56 pm
Thank you Tadiya, thats the kind of discussion was hoping for. So I think we can say that that book is out. One Down.
Well there is also a place for reviewing books that are not that useful or are even misrepresentative of essential or Gaudiya spirituality. We can have short reviews as well as feature reviews that go into greater depth because the book warrants it. With a few connecting sentences Tadiya's comments could be turned into a short review. The Harmonist should have its own in house reviews that take a position on a book, good or bad, long or short, or somewhere in between. Remember that reviews can also be commented upon by any readers fostering further discusion.
I once had an idea to do a site that consisted entirely of book reviews. So there a lot to do in this area. Read and write. But yes, we do need a managing editor and not everything written will necessarily be published. So communication with the managing editor is important. And incidentally the managing editor lives a few feet away from me. I manage the managing editor, and to his credit, he likes it like that.
Babhru Das - April 2, 2009 7:43 pm
Well there is also a place for reviewing books that are not that useful or are even misrepresentative of essential or Gaudiya spirituality. We can have short reviews as well as feature reviews that go into greater depth because the book warrants it. With a few connecting sentences Tadiya's comments could be turned into a short review. The Harmonist should have its own in house reviews that take a position on a book, good or bad, long or short, or somewhere in between. Remember that reviews can also be commented upon by any readers fostering further discusion.
Ditto. When I read Tadiya's post, I saw it as a first draft of a nice review of that book. Reviews are written to give readers an idea of what to read and what not to read--and why. They often pan their subjects. So I think this may be a good place to start. Another book someone may want to review is the one Oprah Winfrey has been trumpeting all over the place, Eckhart Tolle's book (whose title suddenly escapes me). From what I've seen, he has a sort of New-Agey, Buddhist approach, and it may be useful to comment on how helpful that approach is for genuine spiritual life.
For those who may find it useful, here's part of a handout I used for years in my college writing classes, where I made a book review one of the assigned projects. Of course, there much more to say about reviews, but this was a way to help students who may never have seen one get an idea of what they were about. I also suggested they find places where good book reviews could be found and read them, places such as the New Yorker magazine, The New York Review of Books, The New York Times Sunday book section, and the LA Times Sunday book section.
A book review tells not only what a book says but also what it attempts to achieve (and how well) and how it can be used. To discuss a book’s usefulness, you also need to explore you own reactions to it, for these reactions reveal how you responded to the book. Thus, when you review a book, you need to be able to summarize, analyze critically, and express your own reactions. The nature and length of the review depend on the book, the purpose of the review, and the audience for whom you write. This project will help you develop your critical skills as a reader and researcher.
Some questions you should answer before you write a review:
• What seems to be the author’s main purpose or point?
• Is this purpose aimed at any particular group of readers?
• What information or knowledge does the book convey?
• What personal or practical meaning does the book have for you?
• What are the most practical terms by which to evaluate this book?
• On the basis of the criteria selected in response to the above question, how successful do you think the author was in carrying out the book’s overall purposes?
If you’re writing about fiction, you may also want to address these issues:
• Theme(s); moral, social or other issues; values
• Plot, subplots (including conflicts, crises, resolution)
• Characters--major, unless minor roles are notable
• Language--the author’s, the characters’
• Settings
• Typical or atypical features of the mode (mystery, science fiction, cyberpunk, etc.)
Beyond a few items you must include in a review, what you include and how you organize it is pretty much up to you. The required items are a matter of common sense; your readers will want to know what book you’re writing about, so head your review with bibliographic information, including the title, author, place of publication, publisher, date, number of pages, and price. It should look something like this:
Composition as a Human Science
by Louise Wetherbee Phelps
Oxford University Press
Reviewed by William R. Reed
The first time you mention the book in the review, state the author and title again, so your readers don’t have to refer back to the bibliographic information.
The review’s body must give a clear overview of the book’s contents, its special purpose, and your reaction and evaluation. Reviews typically open with a direct statement about the kind of book being reviewed and its main topic, followed by a brief overall evaluation. If the book raises any special question that the review will address later, these should be mentioned here. This way, in your first few sentences, you give the reader a good idea of where the review is headed.
The next section often includes some background that helps place the book in context. You may do this by mentioning other books the author has written or describing the general problem the book addresses. Since the context helps define what the book is supposed to do, this is also an appropriate place for you to discuss the criteria you use to judge the book.
The next section may summarize the book’s main points, highlighted by paraphrase and occasional quotation. You may also want to include your reactions here, or you may want to save them for the end. Note, however, that even if you decide to withhold your comments, the way you describe the contents often provides good clues to what you think about the book. Always use clear attribution so your readers can always distinguish between the author’s ideas and yours (I don’t see any clear connection . . .; Phelps asserts that . . .).
The final section of your review will probably discuss the book in one or more of a variety of ways, as you see appropriate. You may want to evaluate how well the book has achieved its goals, explore the possibilities the book offers, argue with a specific point the author makes, discuss things you think the book leaves out, maybe even discuss some personal experience related to the subject. At the end, you’ll probably want to close with a more direct comment on the book and tie together the various issues you raise in the review. This will give your review a sense of unity, closure, perhaps even grace.
Nitaisundara Das - April 2, 2009 8:19 pm
Thanks for the tips Babhru!
Kamalaksa Das - April 2, 2009 9:28 pm
Of books I've recently read (or re-read), there are a few I could see as interesting for a wider audience.
The first of these is the late Susan Sontag's book called On Photography. It is not, despite what one might think from the title, a handbook in the techniques, but rather a philosophical study of picture-taking and how photography inevitably distorts the perception of reality, misrepresenting or aesthetisizing it beyond recognition.
I will have to return to the book, as I read it not with a review in mind, but I think there are some very interesting parallells between what she describes as one of the characteristcs of photography, and what we call maya (i.e. that which is not).
The second one would be an essay from a book called The Myth of Progress originally given as a speach in 1988 by Georg Henrik von Wright. The essay is followed by the author's own commentary dated 1992. (GHvV was a close colleague and the successor of Wittgenstein in Cambridge.)
The problem with this text is that I am not sure whether it is available in English.
*
Would these be acceptable?
Unfortunately I might not have time to write these reviews before the semester ends in a month or so. Right now my studies and work and keep me a bit too busy...
Nitaisundara Das - April 2, 2009 9:37 pm
The first sounds interesting to me. The second I could not find on Amazon in English so we may not want to do a review, but maybe an article based off of some of the concepts presented there? with citations to that text. I am trying to do some articles like that.
Babhru Das - April 2, 2009 9:47 pm
What I think may make Sontag's book even more interesting is that she was Annie Liebowitz's long-time partner (several decades, I think). Sontag was thoughtful and provocative. I attended a talk she gave at San Diego State University in the late '80s or early '90s and was quite taken by her presentation.
Babhru Das - April 2, 2009 10:18 pm
And, boy, oh, boy, do I wish von Wright's essay were available in English. This is one of the ideas I tried challenging my students to confront when I was teaching in college. And I'd also be interested in his studies of C. S. Peirce, whose thinking influenced my approach to the teaching of critical thinking in my second-semester and upper-division courses. A big part of my courses was semiotic analysis of American popular culture. The other major strand was analysis of television's impact on contemporary culture, especially on public discourse.
Nitaisundara Das - April 3, 2009 4:04 am
I have started a new Harmonist category at the bottom of the main TV page. All ideas can be discussed there from now on.
Jaya guru Maharaja!
Bhrigu - April 3, 2009 9:41 am
I've read Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert.
I haven't read the book, but I've heard a TED talk by her, and apart from her being quite the performer what she said (about being or having a genius) was quite good. I also think that you could make that post into a review, Tadiya!
(For those of you not reading Ananda I should say that Tadiya is a regular contributor of excellent reviews there. Just the other day I again heard someone praise her review of a book about Jesus and India.)
Gaura-Vijaya Das - April 3, 2009 2:53 pm
I haven't read the book, but I've heard a TED talk by her, and apart from her being quite the performer what she said (about being or having a genius) was quite good. I also think that you could make that post into a review, Tadiya!
(For those of you not reading Ananda I should say that Tadiya is a regular contributor of excellent reviews there. Just the other day I again heard someone praise her review of a book about Jesus and India.)
Can I see her review about the book on Jesus and India. Is is available?
Nitaisundara Das - April 3, 2009 3:50 pm
Wow Gaura Vijaya, I knew you were smart, but I did not realize you could read Finnish?! :Just Kidding: :Just Kidding:
Gaura-Vijaya Das - April 3, 2009 4:15 pm
Wow Gaura Vijaya, I knew you were smart, but I did not realize you could read Finnish?! :Just Kidding: :Just Kidding:
haha!!
I thought it may have been translated into English too!!
Nitaisundara Das - April 3, 2009 4:33 pm
Sorry, I am such a vastarannan kiiski. :Just Kidding:
Bijaya Kumara Das - April 4, 2009 3:42 am
haha!!I thought it may have been translated into English too!!
i have an english copy about jesus lost years in india some where
Gaura-Vijaya Das - April 4, 2009 3:45 am
i have an english copy about jesus lost years in india some where
I was talking about tadiya's review.
Devyah-pati Das SERBIA - April 7, 2009 10:20 am
Haribol to all!
I have some ideas for the design of the name of The Harmonist.
For the time being I do not know to work in PhotoShop, so I did
it in CorelDraw.
So, I could make some details like that, some lotus flowers, or some
compositions of photos... for site of The Harmonist that they
change from time to time so that the site visualy gets some dinamics
as well.
Gradualy I will send you my works, as I get inspiration to make
something nice 
Ys,
Devyah-pati das
Devyah-pati Das SERBIA - April 8, 2009 11:33 am
Here are few more of my ideas for the name.
I think that it should change from time to time, like on Google.
I am waiting to see how you all react on this I made so far,
and to hear from editor(s) if they have some specific task
for me - to try to make some photo mix for some article, or so.
In the meanwhile I will make some of my ideas regarding
some other things, some details for The Harmonist...
Ys,
Devyah-pati das
Devyah-pati Das SERBIA - April 8, 2009 11:44 am
Bad lines here in Serbia...
I hope that this time it will upload the whole image...
Still it is never sure...
Here you realize that you depend on Krsna for anything and everything... so it is maby not so bad 
Devyah-pati Das SERBIA - April 8, 2009 11:58 am
Let's try with a smaller file... for example
I'm so eager to send it that I am forgeting the rules...
But rules are there to be broken... sometimes...
Devyah-pati Das SERBIA - April 8, 2009 12:01 pm
Finally!!!!!
Nitaisundara Das - April 9, 2009 12:26 am
Sorry I have not responded earlier Devyah-Pati, but the design is all being taken care of. Vrindaranya is doing the whole website and has been working on it for some time. Thanks for making these though and sorry I did not respond before you went through the effort to do more.
Gaura Krsna Dasa - April 9, 2009 9:04 pm
I like the idea of checking devotees' responses to ideas before launching into projects. If only I had learned to do this earlier, so much trouble I could have saved myself!
It's thrilling to hear Guru Maharaja "harmonize" knowledge and perspectives from far-flung sources. This approach is exciting, it gives texture and color to philosophic discussion, and on a website, it draws search hits from all sorts of mysterious places.
Here's a couple of interesting books I mention specifically because they aren't "spiritual:"
One is What to Listen for in Music, a classic and enjoyably readable introduction to music appreciation by the great American composer Aaron Copland. I liked it not only because it's full of quotable wittiness, but because it essentially tells us how to apply philosophic meaning to our sensory experience. Parts of it can also be read as metaphor for spiritual life- Vaisnavism from out of nowhere. One of Copland's points is that by applying our mind properly, but overcoming our tendency to hear music out of a desire to be sensually and emotionally stimulated, we can awaken to a aesthetic plane, to perceiving the genius of life, so to speak.
Another great one I read recently is a new release: Gardens: An Essay on the Human Condition by Robert Pogue Harrison. Another book about inner cultivation, the one is pithy, scholarly, and beautifully crafted. Being a professor of literature, Harrison draws on discussion and descriptions of gardens from various great works, and great gardens themselves, to explore the ways people draw meaning from the trials and tribulations of life and then attempt to change the world and/or change themselves. Since the book pivots around the theme of "cultivation, " there is a lot of room for Vaisnava comment and criticism. We know a lot about what gardens are (and can be) about.
Any comments or criticisms from the Vaisnava?
Guru-nistha Das - April 11, 2009 2:00 am
Gaura Krsna,
I thought both of the books sounded really interesting, especially the one about music and how to listen without an "enjoying spirit". You could possibly expand on the fact in the review how GV is very much about sound and about listening to the sound in the right way. Just a thought.