New Members--Please Read, and welcome! Options

[0planetpriya0]

Welcome Maj, once you feel comfortable enough to add to  your bio according to the guidelines at the beginning of this topic,  you'll be able to post anywhere in the forum. Send one of the moderators a private message when you have done so, and we'll upgrade you to full membership. The unmoderated forum has a password and we can give you the password at that time as well.

nOT ONE of us could ask for a more efficient moderator Tapati! :You truly are amazing

[Tapati]

Why thanks, but I don't do all the moderating myself.

Our staff of moderators (in alphabetical order) Chanahari, Dhyana, and Milla, all share in the technical and moderating duties and with the original formation (along with Angrezi) of our policies and design of the forum.

Together we check in throughout the day and night as we live in different parts of the globe.

I wouldn't have taken all of this on by myself with my health problems. If something happens to me I am confident that they can take over without a hitch.

[Tapati]

Welcome to Swarupdas, my dear friend. I've already mentioned the registered membership program through which I joined--it was the brainchild of Swarupa, who corresponded with me when I was a teenager in Keokuk, Iowa.

More recently I ran into him on both Istagosthi and Gaudiya Discussions.

Welcome, welcome!

[Tapati]

Welcome to Berna, our newest member!

This is the new member orientation topic, and we suggest you read from the beginning. If you have any questions please send me or the other moderators a private message.

Grab some and join us!

[Tapati]

Periodically a newcomer mistakes this for a Gaudiya Vaishnava forum, as in current GV adherents. While we are happy to have a few brave souls among our members that fit this category, the forum itself was created by and for former members, hence the word repercussions. I've tried to make this a little clearer in our board title, so that people just joining in can better understand up front that we might not want to participate in preaching efforts, or be preached to ourselves.

As always we endeavor to support our members in whatever spiritual path they are on, and members are welcome to promote their pro-GV sites in signatures and links and such, as long as they are also regular contributing members of the forum. Some of you are already doing so.

If a Gaudiya Vaishnava feels that our forum is not their cup of tea, but would like to send us a link to their Vaishnava oriented site without joining GR, we do have a section for such links and non-members can email me the link and what they'd like us to know about their site:

tapati --at-- livejournal --dot-- com

Please put into the correct email format, which I've avoided doing to fool spammers' 'bots. I'm sure they'll catch on soon, though, because people are doing this kind of thing all over the internet and it won't be long before it stops working for us.

[0Maryada0]

Periodically a newcomer mistakes this for a Gaudiya Vaishnava forum, as in current GV adherents. While we are happy to have a few brave souls among our members that fit this category, the forum itself was created by and for former members, hence the word repercussions.

I am happy to inform you that apparently that failed.

It seems that GR has gone beyond this designation of "by and for former GV members" through the unproven natural selection so dreaded by non-darwinians. My personal experience of GR is that it is a sounding board that goes beyond the taboos, for any and all who have encountered vaishnavism. Not just for former vaishnavas or former gaudiya vaishnavas, but for current vaishnavas and vaishnava related spiritual seekers, too. It obviously attracts seekers from all walks of eastern philosophical life.

So I am taking repercussion in its more general meaning of "An often indirect effect, influence, or result that is produced by an event or action," without its somewhat negative impression. The "indirect effect, influence, or result" being the enormous variety of persons and experiences that do not conform to the unrealistic expected default of "pure devotee." Hence, although I am an active participant in temple programs and vaishnava association, I don't see myself as a "brave soul" for frequenting GR. Merely a fellow seeker interested in any kind of repercussion of contact with eastern philosophy, be it GV or not.

Tapati, you have created a wonderful opportunity for many former and current seekers to exchange experiences and learn from each other in so many ways that are not found elsewehere -- beyond the dogmas and catmas. Since I have not done it before, I would like to thank you wholeheartedly for this endeavor.

[jonny rama]

Tapati, you have created a wonderful opportunity for many former and current seekers to exchange experiences and learn from each other in so many ways that are not found elsewehere -- beyond the dogmas and catmas. Since I have not done it before, I would like to thank you wholeheartedly for this endeavor.

Bravo, Maryada. So nicely stated. Thank you and thank you Tapati didi.

[Tapati]

Why thank you kind sirs.

Sometimes it doesn't work out for current and former members of a faith to hang out together in the same space, but we were hoping that we could make it work here.

I do have to say that if ever there is a conflict between the needs of former GV members and current GV members, though, we have to come down on the side of the former GV members. I hope that doesn't happen and that we can continue to co-exist respectfully. We have had a few current GV people stop participating, and I understand their discomfort. But I think it is healing for former Gaudiya Vaishnavas to hang out with those current Gaudiya Vaishnavas who are not dogmatic and sectarian.

My feeling is that there are still several places on the web for current GV people but as far as we know, only one home for former GV members. I'd ultimately love it if every former Gaudiya Vaishnava in the world could find out we exist, even if they don't feel a need for our services.

[Dhyana]

(Maryada)

It seems that GR has gone beyond this designation of "by and for former GV members" through the unproven natural selection so dreaded by non-darwinians. My personal experience of GR is that it is a sounding board that goes beyond the taboos, for any and all who have encountered vaishnavism. Not just for former vaishnavas or former gaudiya vaishnavas, but for current vaishnavas and vaishnava related spiritual seekers, too. It obviously attracts seekers from all walks of eastern philosophical life.

It was nothing I thought of when we created this site, but if we can coexsist here and have exchanges both "sides" find meaningful, wouldn't this mean that all of us with a GV experience have more in common than what divides us? That would be wonderful. If a practicing Vaisnava, an agnostic, an atheist, a Pagan and a bunch of existentialists of all descriptions could all feel we are sitting in the same boat!

[Tapati]

Well, we all are sitting in the same boat (the world). We're just disagreeing about how the boat came into existence, what kind of boat it is, what it's course may turn out to be, and maybe even the substance the boat appears to be floating in.

As long as we don't sink, we should be fine.

[0Maryada0]

Well, we all are sitting in the same boat (the world). We're just disagreeing about how the boat came into existence, what kind of boat it is, what it's course may turn out to be, and maybe even the substance the boat appears to be floating in.

As long as we don't sink, we should be fine.

Hey, that almost sounds like the UNIX community!

Maybe it's a religion, after all...

[Tapati]

Hey, that almost sounds like the UNIX community!

Maybe it's a religion, after all...

Oh, definitely. I know a group of unix geeks who still run their unix based forum long after they left their computer science courses behind. There are now second generation unix geeks, little geeklets if you will, who are learning unix as their second language. Or maybe their first. I can see them, eating dinner and conversing from the separate terminals.

On topic, I just want to say that while mods can design the topic areas and try to keep a forum somewhat on course, the character of a forum is shaped by its participants and their contributions, and this is working (so far) because by and large we've attracted mature and well mannered people who are content not to shove their belief system down one another's throats.

Bravo, members! Some people say it can't be done, but you manage to talk religion and politics and keep it civil!

[Tapati]

I want to extend a warm welcome to extranjero. You'll find some former BBT members here as well.

This is the new member topic and at the beginning we explain our membership and posting system and requirements. If you have any questions please feel free to send a Private Message to any of the moderators, such as myself, Chanahari, Dhyana or Milla.

Blessed be--

Tapati

[Tapati]

I'd like to welcome osho_sannyass to Gaudiya Repercussions. This is our new member orientation topic, please let me know if you have any questions after reading it.

Bright Blessings

--Tapati

[Dhyana]

Also, welcome kalki!

[evakurvan]

hi there kalki

[Tapati]

Wow, did I miss one?

I need to watch that number count more closely. Sorry Kalki, I didn't mean to overlook your arrival!

Welcome, welcome!

[0moksha0]

I'd like to welcome osho_sannyass to Gaudiya Repercussions. This is our new member orientation topic, please let me know if you have any questions after reading it.

Bright Blessings 

--Tapati

Thank you for your nice welcome Tapati.

[Tapati]

I'd like to welcome osho_sannyass to Gaudiya Repercussions. This is our new member orientation topic, please let me know if you have any questions after reading it.

Bright Blessings 

--Tapati

Thank you for your nice welcome Tapati.

Osho Sannyasin is now known as moksha in order to be more clear that he is not pushing any belief system. (I didn't think that he was but now that should be clear to all.)

So, welcome again, moksha.

[0moksha0]

thanks Tapati-