Hare Krishnas

[kieranperez]

What are your thoughts of the Hare Krishnas?

[Preetom]

Like almost all other religions, built with good intentions but diverted to land of delusion 

[okulele]

The ones I met where massively dogmatic. It's not a non-dual path. You can still a lot about bhakti with them, if you can manage not to get pulled into the dogma.

[Leo Gura]

They are worse than traditional religion. They are a legit cult. They will psychologically manipulate and exploit you.

I will talk about the dangers of cults and how they work in the future.

[Tony 845]

@Leo Gura hey Leo, how did you get into all this shit anyway? Like how did you come across it? 

[kieranperez]

It's weird. I talked to a bhakti yogi monk from India today. I literally ran into him on Haight Ashbury today as I was walking around and he was just handing out books. We  talked about his enlightenment and everything he was saying was really really grounded and humble but also we talked about all the different sages and how they're all talking about the same thing and he seemed open minded. He told me practices bhakti and told how his teacher is Radhanath Swami who frequently comes to SF which made it seem more legitimate but when I asked him if he's part of the Hare Krishna's he said yes which struck me odd because I didn't get this coverting cultish fake ingenuine vibe. I mean, he seemed really really open minded which I feel like is the antithesis of cults. He said he's part of Krishna Consciousness

[VioletFlame]

I look forward to this topic. Westboro Baptist Church is another one that makes me cringe.

There has even been a good amount of dogma & deception within traditional Wiccan covens throughout the years as well. I know several mystic women and men personally who have had their fair share of negative experiences within covens, and myself as well, from merely observing within the community. 

This is one of many reasons why I would encourage someone to by all means study religion, but to practice spirituality and find their own path that works best for them and their highest good.

Wicca is rather dogmatic. Witchcraft on the other hand, is great in the sense that it gives you the choice to either take a religious route or a more spiritual one, choosing not to worship one God, Goddess or deity, but to develop your own eclectic practice, integrating various methods & forms from different areas, expanding your perspectives. The very choice given in that one can practice the craft without falling under any religious demands or limitations, is what initially attracted me to it, but I've come to find that no matter what someone's religious or spiritual beliefs and practices are, or who they say they are, this does not necessarily change or neglect their psychology, behavior or neurosis. 

Just like if you're a practitioner of magic but you also lack empathy & compassion for others. If you have a negative, psychotic mentality on life, then sure enough you're going to practice "Black Magick" whether you realize you are intentionally or not. This is why it's best to practice these things when your head's on your shoulders and with clear awareness of your own emotions. Magic is very psychological and much like a mind game.

In a way, we are all practitioners of magic everyday since magic is happening all around us, even in the little simple things. It's all about being alert and attentive to what's occurring around you. One could consider a glass of water, curing dehydration, to be a magical potion. Or when you're taking a walk at night and you see a beautiful owl, and suddenly an unopened fortune cookie makes an appearance in front of you and you've got yourself a significant message. (This synchronicity actually happened to me! There's nothing like random surprise Chinese aphorisms.)

But it all depends on how you see "magic." When one curses, complains and bitches & moans, one is permeating that negative energy into the atmosphere, which to me is a subtle form of everyday "Black Magick." Think of politicians. When you are raising your vibration and consciousness, sending positive loving intentions outwards, this is simply white magic, in which the world could use some more of right now.

@Leo Gura Have you ever heard of the cult "Children of God" during the late 1960s? I discovered it through a documentary on Narcissism a few years back. David Berg, the leader of the cult is considered to be the absolute archetype and paragon of a Narcissistic "leader." It's an interesting read. 

Edited November 18, 2018 by VioletFlame

[kieranperez]

4 minutes ago, VioletFlame said:

"Children of God" during the late 1960s?

They’re still around today. There’s no such thing as “worst” cult. That’s all relative. Culture is itself a cult. 

[VioletFlame]

@Leo Gura I was going to ask actually if you would be interested in doing a video on Stockholm Syndrome and how it relates to the ego and how common it can be within cults (and cultures, abusive tribes/groups, etc)?

[VioletFlame]

@kieranperez Well said! I like got chills for a split second reading that haha

[Leo Gura]

@VioletFlame I am no expert on Stockholm Syndrome.

[Freakyboo]

We used to go to the Hare Krishna restaurant all the time when I was a student, and their food is freaking delish.

Other than that though, they are the very definition of a toxic cult and the leaders appointed by the founder, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada turned it into a drug/gun running enterprise, and ex-members who try to expose the cult fear for their lives.  They're also being investigated for a history child sexual abuse in their institutions, such as boarding schools.  

Prabhupada himself is worshipped and revered more than Krishna and he was basically a nutcase. "Because Prabhupada’s near-every word was documented, followers are aware of his colourful history. He impregnated his wife when she was 14; he said men’s brains weigh twice as much as women’s; he claimed that syphilis is the result of women keeping large dogs for sex, and he believed men never really landed on the moon,"  http://pages.shortlist.com/news/inside-the-dark-secrets-of-the-hare-krishnas/

Having said all that, I have a couple of friends who joined the cult when they were young and it helped them become nicer more caring people, though they are fanatics.