Preaching in Surfers Paradise, Gold coast, Queensland, Australia.
Sundar Nitai Dasa: This year I have decided to continue a program, pioneered by previous Iskcon devotees, called “Ask a monk any question ”. One sits in a public place with a sign reading [Ask a monk any question ] and awaits any approaches from the public. One can also keep some of Srila Prabhupada’s books in case one wants to inquire further into the Krsna consciousness philosophy. I thought it would be inspiring to some if I posted the events daily as they unfold.
While taking prasadam in Govinda’s restaurant, i decided to put my sign on the table just in case anyone had any questions. After I finished two young ladies, who had been sitting behind me, came to the table and said,“Hello, do you mind if we take advantage of your offer to ask a question?” this was Karen ,a religion and science student from Norway. “Please do”, I said “take a seat”, “we were wondering if you ever feel negative emotions? and if so how do you deal with that ?” [The answer was very long and the conversation was very intricate and we spoke for a long time back and forth so to convey the whole conversation would be difficult .] But what I said basically,was “yes! I do feel negative emotions sometimes!, and I pray to God and it goes away! ”. “ But how do you know it is God ?”,said Karen and not just your imagination or some belief system ? have you seen God ?how can you be sure ?“. she asked frankly. I could see where this was going so I asked her ’‘Do you know how much one mango costs to buy in India right now on the market ?” She looked confused, Mango?,“I can guess!”.she offered. “Why guess?”, I said “when you can know for sure !” “Actually, that information is bouncing off your eardrums right now and right before your eyes right now, isn’t it? , via internet technology. Do you believe in WI-FI ?”,I asked with a smile. “Yes”, she said, interested to see where this was going. “If you want to see and experience the benefits of being connected to the WI-FI there is a process. Let us look at that. 1[ you have to hear about the wi-fi from those who are connected and experiencing the benefits of being connected. 2] then have a desire to be connected also. 3]find an authorized apple/android dealer and say,” I have heard that there is an invisible entity called WI-FI can you help to experience it, please?“. he will say ’'YES, SURE, NO PROBLEM COME WITH ME .’'no doubts. he will not say, maybe! perhaps! in the future, I will be able to help. if he does then you know you need to go else where. He may also say things like, you cannot eat meat in here, nor can you get high or have sex, just sit patiently until I am ready to see you..and you must obey and wait with FAITH to be seen by the” apple/android Guru. 4]then he may give you a handset, a manual and a sim card deal with free WI-FI included [or so he promises ] some basic instructions and say , make sure you follow the guidelines in the manual,if you have any questions don’t hesitate to come back we are always here to serve you ! . you should be able to experience the benefits of WI-FI soon ! Isn’t that usually how it goes?“ i asked . ’'Yeah! and ???” she prompted. “So the same steps /process is there if you want to see God ! 1]You admit you cannot see Him, but others can and are experiencing the benefits of being connected to Him ie; more peaceful, compassionate, understanding ,kind, happy and so on and so forth. 2] your inquisitive and want to know if He is real ?can I see Him? 3]Approach an authorized Guru and inquire. 4]He may give you a practical experiment to take with you, like a prayer or mantra and a book of guidelines to live by and in no time, you will be experiencing the benefits of being connected to God. So there is always a process of disproving /verifying a theory, but we must make the experiment. So I am doing the experiment and experiencing some of the benefits, and this helps me deal with negative emotions. you can also do the same! what is stopping you ?” Karen and Stephanie were impressed, they took Srila Prabhupada’s books and gave a donation. Karen said “This is the most amazing conversation I have had in a long time, thank you for spending time with us”. I was touched deeply by the exchange. All glories to Sri Guru and Sri Gauranga! All glories to Srila Prabhupada!