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Does this look familiar ? =)

From the Bhakti List Archives

KRAZYKAT • June 7, 1995 


Greetings

It occurs to me, we really haven't discussed one thing here in our
wide, varied, and enjoyable discussions - the loss of faith.

Now this discussion may be in itself oxymoronic, considering the fact that
both bhakti and prapatti require mahaviswasa - a very great faith, and those
are the two names for this mailing list. So if you have never been troubled
by this, and don't want to be, hit 'n' now =)

Personally, and by proxy through people I know and love, I have experienced
loss of faith. I have feet of clay, it happens. It is worse when someone close
to you goes through this loss of faith, and you have nothing to say to them.
I am not prepared to mouth platitudes when the magnitude of the problem is
this fundamental. Somehow, quoting " sarva DHarmaan parityajya / mAm ekam
sharaNam vraja " does not quite cut it. Who said it first had a heck of a lot
more going for him than i ever will =)

How does one deal with this.. I ask for answers on a very real basis. I am
willing to discuss this at great length, and I promise to be short with anyone
who comes up with stock formulas =) - don't say I didn't warn you =)

"Transplanted" as I am, I will not deny that faith has been one of the 
underpinnings that kept me connected, to myself and to my roots. However,
it is sorely tested every now and then, not by things like " why do good 
things happen to bad people or vice versa" but by a fundamental nihilism.
This would not, however, interfere with my immersing myself in something
of beauty that had a relationship to faith, however - if that's a paradox, so
be it.

Anyway, I think that is enough of a seed for discussion. Any volunteers to
"boldly go where no one has gone before " ?

- Sundar