Having had a liberal arts education at Princeton University under the tutelage of one of the greatest cultural historians of modern times (whose family I became a part of through marriage where I got to observe up close his actual unresolved state of being) , and then a legal education, (far less philosophical and profound) at UC Berkeley School of Law, one of the top law schools in the US, I find all that I learned in those places to be utterly mediocre in the face of Vaisnava Sastra.
The bird’s eye view and attachment to particulars are BOTH aspects of rigorous intellectual life, but they do very little, if anything, to elucidate the fundamental dilemmas of life. It is a seductive and pernicious force that has kept me in Maya most of my life save for the transcendent moments when Krsna, through His Causeless Mercy interceded in my life and made me a devotee both before living in a temple and during the two years that I did, with only spotty returns on my part to direct acknowledgment of Krsna as the Supreme Divine Person of all existence during the long trajectory of my life.
After decades of forgetfulness and full immersion in every conceivable exploration in the Humanities and the Social Sciences, AND religious traditions of every ilk, I can tell you from the vantage point of old age and a looming mortality, that NOTHING holds a candle to Vaisnava Sastra.
I disagree that the spiritualist engages predominantly in the bird’s eye view or “bottom line”: all spiritual traditions have a plethora of detail about all the aspects of living in this realm—the particulars that you speak of in your essay, as well as an overarching philosophy. The same goes for any academic discipline of any high status. So this dichotomy you name doesn’t make sense to me.
Therefore, all I can say, having returned to the one experience of all my 74 years that fully satisfied every aspect of my incarnate being, is that the Bhakti-Yoga of unalloyed devotion to Krsna has no parallel anywhere in all the multitude of academic disciplines, spiritual traditions, world cultures, that I have explored with full passion of intellect and feeling since my very early youth.
Nothing has satisfied my heart so utterly and if I turned my back on the most exalted mystical revelation of my entire life (among a good number) it was only my weakness, my addiction to rationalism, to mundane interpretations of how the world works, and other addictions to my sense gratification that made thst happen, and I joined ISKCON as what I then saw as a “penance” in light of all that Krsna had revealed to me of His All-Pervading Presence in every crevice of my then NYC-urban life.
You call what you observe in scholars “devotion”, but following that logic, so are the activities of any other common person in the world who do what they do with intention and deep commitment. And it begs the question: devotion to what? What in life IS SO fundamental that it makes the devotion fruitful, liberating of the core of the heart?? All the scholarship, all the devotion to family, country, hearth, can be stripped away in a moment, as it is, moment by moment, in this bedeviled world of ours, where the greatest thinkers and lovers alive in the world today see No Exit.
So with all due respect, Maharaj, the only utility that I see in your present reflection, is that perhaps your appreciation of scholarship in this new way, will provide another language with which to communicate the incomprehensibly magnificent revelations that Krsna, by His Causeless Mercy, has made available to us.
Never forget the treachery of Maya to entrance and seduce. I speak from deep experience, and am so profoundly relieved that Their Lordships have restored me to Their Lotus Feet, even at this very late date. I am comforted by the knowledge that where Radha-Krsna are loved, there is no such thing as limitations of time or space.
With great wishes that your impulse to serve the mission of Guru and Gauranga are purely realized in this lifetime for the benefit of all beings. Hare Krsna❣️
Thank you Maharaj for the profound article as always. Would it be a right understanding to say, the 'whole' is spiritual - which is beyond the reach of experience for a practitioner, and the part is 'semi-spiritual' (for lack of better word) which is with-in the reach of practitioner's experience - referred to as 'detail' in the article ?
like you pointed out, If I get carried away by the detail, then the detail may turn out to be 'material' for its lack of connection to the 'whole' (in perspective and in reality as well) and the other extreme is to prematurely overlook the detail assuming that stage is 'transcended' already... ?
Jay Maharaj, pamho 🙏🏼🌺 Thanks for the article. This dual perspective shows how hermeneutics helps reveal richness both in the details and the big picture.
Analysing the phrase, “When the scholar and the spiritualist converge, zooming in and zooming out, it’s a match made in heaven,” through these lenses:
In red ocean theory,such collaboration would optimize knowledge within existing boundaries—perhaps vying for intellectual or societal influence in a crowded field. However, in blue ocean logic, this convergence is a value innovation: combining the depth of scholarship (“zooming in”) with the breadth of spiritual perspective (“zooming out”) creating a new, unexplored space for wisdom and fulfillment, leaving behind zero-sum and thus making their union truly transformative. My 2 cents…
Hare Krishna danwat pranam..i think maharaj has a new discovery that not just only focus on the bigger picture swiftly but relish the process as well... thank you so much... waiting for more updates from your side..
Having had a liberal arts education at Princeton University under the tutelage of one of the greatest cultural historians of modern times (whose family I became a part of through marriage where I got to observe up close his actual unresolved state of being) , and then a legal education, (far less philosophical and profound) at UC Berkeley School of Law, one of the top law schools in the US, I find all that I learned in those places to be utterly mediocre in the face of Vaisnava Sastra.
The bird’s eye view and attachment to particulars are BOTH aspects of rigorous intellectual life, but they do very little, if anything, to elucidate the fundamental dilemmas of life. It is a seductive and pernicious force that has kept me in Maya most of my life save for the transcendent moments when Krsna, through His Causeless Mercy interceded in my life and made me a devotee both before living in a temple and during the two years that I did, with only spotty returns on my part to direct acknowledgment of Krsna as the Supreme Divine Person of all existence during the long trajectory of my life.
After decades of forgetfulness and full immersion in every conceivable exploration in the Humanities and the Social Sciences, AND religious traditions of every ilk, I can tell you from the vantage point of old age and a looming mortality, that NOTHING holds a candle to Vaisnava Sastra.
I disagree that the spiritualist engages predominantly in the bird’s eye view or “bottom line”: all spiritual traditions have a plethora of detail about all the aspects of living in this realm—the particulars that you speak of in your essay, as well as an overarching philosophy. The same goes for any academic discipline of any high status. So this dichotomy you name doesn’t make sense to me.
Therefore, all I can say, having returned to the one experience of all my 74 years that fully satisfied every aspect of my incarnate being, is that the Bhakti-Yoga of unalloyed devotion to Krsna has no parallel anywhere in all the multitude of academic disciplines, spiritual traditions, world cultures, that I have explored with full passion of intellect and feeling since my very early youth.
Nothing has satisfied my heart so utterly and if I turned my back on the most exalted mystical revelation of my entire life (among a good number) it was only my weakness, my addiction to rationalism, to mundane interpretations of how the world works, and other addictions to my sense gratification that made thst happen, and I joined ISKCON as what I then saw as a “penance” in light of all that Krsna had revealed to me of His All-Pervading Presence in every crevice of my then NYC-urban life.
You call what you observe in scholars “devotion”, but following that logic, so are the activities of any other common person in the world who do what they do with intention and deep commitment. And it begs the question: devotion to what? What in life IS SO fundamental that it makes the devotion fruitful, liberating of the core of the heart?? All the scholarship, all the devotion to family, country, hearth, can be stripped away in a moment, as it is, moment by moment, in this bedeviled world of ours, where the greatest thinkers and lovers alive in the world today see No Exit.
So with all due respect, Maharaj, the only utility that I see in your present reflection, is that perhaps your appreciation of scholarship in this new way, will provide another language with which to communicate the incomprehensibly magnificent revelations that Krsna, by His Causeless Mercy, has made available to us.
Never forget the treachery of Maya to entrance and seduce. I speak from deep experience, and am so profoundly relieved that Their Lordships have restored me to Their Lotus Feet, even at this very late date. I am comforted by the knowledge that where Radha-Krsna are loved, there is no such thing as limitations of time or space.
With great wishes that your impulse to serve the mission of Guru and Gauranga are purely realized in this lifetime for the benefit of all beings. Hare Krsna❣️
Makes me think of Viveka - discernement. Discerning just the amount of zooming in and zooming out.
Why modern hermeneutic? Nyaya Vaisheshika, conscienciouly avoided in Iskcon, could bring a serious purva paksha to its dogmas and superstitions.
Thank you Maharaj for the profound article as always. Would it be a right understanding to say, the 'whole' is spiritual - which is beyond the reach of experience for a practitioner, and the part is 'semi-spiritual' (for lack of better word) which is with-in the reach of practitioner's experience - referred to as 'detail' in the article ?
like you pointed out, If I get carried away by the detail, then the detail may turn out to be 'material' for its lack of connection to the 'whole' (in perspective and in reality as well) and the other extreme is to prematurely overlook the detail assuming that stage is 'transcended' already... ?
Jay Maharaj, pamho 🙏🏼🌺 Thanks for the article. This dual perspective shows how hermeneutics helps reveal richness both in the details and the big picture.
Analysing the phrase, “When the scholar and the spiritualist converge, zooming in and zooming out, it’s a match made in heaven,” through these lenses:
In red ocean theory,such collaboration would optimize knowledge within existing boundaries—perhaps vying for intellectual or societal influence in a crowded field. However, in blue ocean logic, this convergence is a value innovation: combining the depth of scholarship (“zooming in”) with the breadth of spiritual perspective (“zooming out”) creating a new, unexplored space for wisdom and fulfillment, leaving behind zero-sum and thus making their union truly transformative. My 2 cents…
Hare Krishna danwat pranam..i think maharaj has a new discovery that not just only focus on the bigger picture swiftly but relish the process as well... thank you so much... waiting for more updates from your side..
The scope and depth of the macro and the micro views.
The world's vibrant tapestry with delicate threads unseen,
The turquoise ocean's expanse in a swirling droplet's gleam,
The galactic universe unfurls when the heart's whispers take wing.
Hare krishna🙏
Dandvat Pranam Maharaja 🙏.
Very proud blog ✨
"When the scholar and the spiritualist converge, zooming in and zooming out, it’s a match made in heaven".
True!
Know what sparks 🎇 the light in you so that you, in your unique way can connect the Divinity ✨🙏
❤️