[[:encoded, "Director of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies, Shaunaka Rishi visits our class for an enlightening chat with Joshua about the Bhagavad Gita, Vedic culture, interfaith communication, dogma, and a variety of other topics."]]

Visit us at GitaWisdom.org

[[:encoded, "Deity worship is sometimes confused with idolatry. This brief Q&A addresses the differences and some of the history.\n\nRecorded during Long Island Series, Week 15 (August 9, 2018)"]]

Visit us at GitaWisdom.org

Deity worship is sometimes confused with idolatry. This brief Q&A addresses the differences and some of the history.

Recorded during Long Island Series, Week 15 (August 9, 2018)

[[:encoded, "Why do we become apathetic about spiritual practices? Rational excuses can disguise deeper causes. Bhakti practices, in particular, challenge us to confront our material discomforts—and often it is easier to pretend we are “One”. We should take care not to avoid the very relief we seek. [BG 4.9, 4.10]\n\nTopics include:\n - An explanation of \"ego\" or How material ego differs from the spiritual self\n - Why people reject the idea of an eternal self\n - Why people reject the idea of God as a person\n\nAdditional topics:\n - Meaning of the chant Govinda Jaya Jaya\n - The Nine Stages of Bhakti\n - The Bhagavad Gita as a non-sectarian text\n\nClass notes available at www.gitawisdom.org/podcast\nQuestions? Join the Gita Wisdom Discussion Group on Facebook.\nWe are reading from Bhagavad Gita As It Is by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada"]]

Visit us at GitaWisdom.org

Deity worship is sometimes confused with idolatry. This brief Q&A addresses the differences and some of the history.

Recorded during Long Island Series, Week 15 (August 9, 2018)

[[:encoded, "BG 4.7 explains that Krishna appears in this world when there is a decline in morality, a rise in violence, when leaders rule against the well-being of their citizens. The current state of the world seems to fit this description. So, where is Krishna now?\n\nTopics include:\n- Krishna’s purpose for appearing in the world\n- The different avatars of Krishna\n\nAdditional topics include:\n- How do we know Krishna is the Supreme? Why take him at his word? \n- A brief telling of Krishna’s birth and the lifting of Govardhan Hill \n- Street chanting\n- The arrival of A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada\n\nClass notes available at www.gitawisdom.org/podcast\nQuestions? Join the Gita Wisdom Discussion Group on Facebook\nWe are reading from Bhagavad Gita As It Is by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada"]]

Visit us at GitaWisdom.org

[[:encoded, "Arjuna, who grew up with Krishna, questions how Krishna taught the science of the self to the sun god at the dawn of time. [BG 4.4 - 4.6]\n\nTopics include:\n - The role of karma in shaping our lives and bodies\n - Why we don’t remember our past lives\n - What happens when we are liberated\n - The story of Jada Bharata\n\nAdditional topics include:\n - Three obstacles to chanting\n - The story of Kalman Shapira, the rebbe of the Warsaw Ghetto\n\nClass notes available at www.gitawisdom.org/podcast\nQuestions? Join the Gita Wisdom Discussion Group on Facebook\nWe are reading from Bhagavad Gita As It Is by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada"]]

Visit us at GitaWisdom.org

[[:encoded, "Until now, Krishna has not given any hints as to his true identity. In Chapter 4 Krishna reveals he taught this ancient knowledge to the sun god at the dawn of the millennium. [BG 4.1 - 4.3]\n\nAdditional topics include:\n - An explanation of the invocation om namo bhagavate vasudevaya\n - The power of the Gita teachings for good and evil\n - The role of faith in understanding the Gita\n\nClass notes available at www.gitawisdom.org/podcast\nQuestions? Join the Gita Wisdom Discussion Group on Facebook\nWe are reading from Bhagavad Gita As It Is by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada"]]

Visit us at GitaWisdom.org

[[:encoded, "Chapter 3 of the Gita points to the pathology of conditioned life and obstacles on the spiritual path. This class includes a summary of the Vedic story of Dhruva, the boy king who found God through meditation. Additional topics include:\n-How our spiritual knowledge can help us navigate life’s challenges\n-The role of guru\n\nClass notes available at www.gitawisdom.org/podcast\nQuestions? Join the Gita Wisdom Discussion Group on Facebook\nWe are reading from Bhagavad Gita As It Is by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada"]]

Visit us at GitaWisdom.org