My very own book Options

[Milla]

Nice to hear that it went well! You are right about how easy is to be cool as a devotee when dealing with challenging situations in the outside world. Since you live in a different (imaginary and ephemeral) world, you don't really intersect with that evil, karmi world and can remain aloof. TV interviews, school preaching, death in the family, the war in Yugoslavia -- all of this doesn't really touch you or concern you. My parents lost their jobs and divorced, and I just shrugged my shoulders and said to myself how fortunate I was to choose a different path.

But I must admit that this ability to detach yourself from the circumstances can be used in a positive way as well. Just the idea that you are an infinitesimal speck presently in one of your trillions of births in a universe which is tiny mustard seed in a bucketful of mustard seeds, can ease a lot of tension and stress in our hectic lives. It is a nice perspective sometimes.

Do you have other book ideas in mind now that your first is out?

[zanardi]

[qote=Milla,Nov 1 2005, 09:35 PM]
Nice to hear that it went well! You are right about how easy is to be cool as a devotee when dealing with challenging situations in the outside world. Since you live in a different (imaginary and ephemeral) world, you don't really intersect with that evil, karmi world and can remain aloof. TV interviews, school preaching, death in the family, the war in Yugoslavia -- all of this doesn't really touch you or concern you. My parents lost their jobs and divorced, and I just shrugged my shoulders and said to myself how fortunate I was to choose a different path.

But I must admit that this ability to detach yourself from the circumstances can be used in a positive way as well. Just the idea that you are an infinitesimal speck presently in one of your trillions of births in a universe which is tiny mustard seed in a bucketful of mustard seeds, can ease a lot of tension and stress in our hectic lives. It is a nice perspective sometimes.

Do you have other book ideas in mind now that your first is out?

Thank you for asking, Milla. One is always a little hesitant to tell about achievements or goals, someone could mistake willingness to share to eagerness to boast. At the bookfair we had preliminary talks with my publisher about the next book. I have an idea but the angle of vision is not yet clear enough. Maybe it will never be? They did encourage me to continue as a writer and wanted to continue our co-operation. Not bad. If nothing else, I do not feel so helpless anymore, knowing that I can still do something.
I agree with you about the handiness of being able to detach oneself. Even though I would not go so far as to proclaim myself as a vaisnava, I do still love Bhagavad-gita. That is the book where this idea of detachment to the fruits of ones labour was first introduced to me. Me like it!
Now when I think about it, some occasional mantras come out of my mouth every now and then. Even worse(?), when I pray, I pray to Krishna, automatically. Does this mean I am a vaisnava? Should I be worried?

[babu]

Just the idea that you are an infinitesimal speck presently in one of your trillions of births in a universe which is tiny mustard seed in a bucketful of mustard seeds, can ease a lot of tension and stress in our hectic lives. It is a nice perspective sometimes.

the Whole wouldn't know who It was without that speck

[zanardi]

Interesting perspective, Babu. And the little speck cannot place himself outside of the Whole.

[zanardi]

Maybe this is interesting to hear? So far I have gotten nice feedback of my book. I have even received hand written letters of appreciation, not only from former HK:s, but also from people who have been members in other odd sects. One had spent 10 years in a Steiner-community, onether in a Christian-sect, a former Gurdijeff-member, Buddhist, like that, one came even from a former top athlete! All of them felt that with the help of my book they could better understand their past and their decisions and feelings then and now.
One person who had never been in any kind of religious organisation wrote and told that he could now better understand his ontological anxieties and get along with himself.
I am happy that I never intended to write my book as some kind "revelation" about Iskcon as such, but used experiences and incidents that happened in Iskcon as a sort of a backdrop for the themes I truly wanted to discuss.
Because it is sort of self biographical book, it is quite interesting to read too.
So far so good. I will keep you updated, if you are interested?

[Dhyana]

So far so good. I will keep you updated, if you are interested?

Are you kidding? Sure keep us updated phleaaase.

[babu]

Interesting perspective, Babu.  And the little speck cannot place himself outside of the Whole.

the speck can and does, how would the Whole know itself to be the Whole unless there was the speck outside the Whole?

[0Open Mind0]

Maybe this is interesting to hear? So far I have gotten nice feedback of my book.  I have even received hand written letters of appreciation, not only from former HK:s, but also from people who have been members in other odd sects.  One had spent 10 years in a Steiner-community, onether in a Christian-sect, a former Gurdijeff-member, Buddhist, like that, one came even from a former top athlete!  All of them felt that with the help of my book they could better understand their past and their decisions and feelings then and now. 
One person who had never been in any kind of religious organisation wrote and told that he could now better understand his ontological anxieties and get along with himself. 
I am happy that I never intended to write my book as some kind "revelation" about Iskcon as such, but used experiences and incidents that happened in Iskcon as a sort of a backdrop for the themes I truly wanted to discuss. 
Because it is sort of self biographical book, it is quite interesting to read too. 
So far so good.  I will keep you updated, if you are interested?

Is it available in English (or Hungarian) as well?

[zanardi]

Hungarian? All in good time, all in good time....

[Dhyana]

Don't linguists claim Finnish and Hungarian are actually related? Maybe you can read Zanardi's book in original, Open Mind?

[zanardi]

I think they are both equally difficult, maybe hungarian language even a bit more?
But to understand each other? I do not think so.

[babu]

"My very own book "

note: "Krishna owns everything. The self-realized soul knowing this is freed from sin" Sri Isopanisad.

But to be sure you know that Krishna owns that book.

[zanardi]

I am not freed from sin.

[0Open Mind0]

I am not freed from sin. 

This just reminded me of a Zen story:

A man visited some great Master (maybe Bodhidharma, but it makes no difference since the whole story may be just made up, as it is often the case with legendary masters of the past ). He was really depressed and said to the Master:
- I am a very sinful person. Please, Master, purify me from my sins.
-All right. Show me your sins, bring them here and I will purify you, I promise.
After a while the man said:
- Master, I cannot find my sins.
- Look, you are purified.

So Zanardi, keep shining.

[Chanahari]

Don't linguists claim Finnish and Hungarian are actually related? Maybe you can read Zanardi's book in original, Open Mind?

Highly improbable. Hungarian and Finnish is about as close to each other as Sanskrit to German.

(Our right-wing nutjobs don't even like the idea of Finnish link, and the mutual ununderstandability makes it easier for them to argue for more precious origins - Sumerian, Aryan and whatnot.)

[Tapati]

Don't linguists claim Finnish and Hungarian are actually related? Maybe you can read Zanardi's book in original, Open Mind?

Highly improbable. Hungarian and Finnish is about as close to each other as Sanskrit to German.

(Our right-wing nutjobs don't even like the idea of Finnish link, and the mutual ununderstandability makes it easier for them to argue for more precious origins - Sumerian, Aryan and whatnot.)

Over on ecauldron someone was asking about Hungarian paganism or pre-Christian tradition. The Sumerian theory was mentioned, among others. It sounds like there was a coming together of more than one culture, but what of the original inhabitants? It's confusing.

[Chanahari]

Over on ecauldron someone was asking about Hungarian paganism or pre-Christian tradition. The Sumerian theory was mentioned, among others. It sounds like there was a coming together of more than one culture, but what of the original inhabitants? It's confusing.

Yes, I saw the topic. I didn't reflected to it though, as I don't have a strong feeling of national identity, and I don't know too much about either pre-Christian Hungarian religion or that of the Sumerians... Also, talks like "the Judeo-Christian community doesn't want us to know our ... past" discourage me; it sounds like a world plot to oppress Hungarian national identity, something our above-mentioned right-wing nutjobs are experts of. I may answer there if I get together enough courage.

As far as language relations are concerned - Sumerian and Hungarian are indeed agglutinative languages, as is, among others, Basque, some of the Caucasian languages, the Turkish... there are words in Hungarian language which seem similar to certain Sumerian words with a close meaning. The problem is that no one could show regular sound changes between that-time Sumerian and Hungarian - which is the usual procedure when proving genetic relationships between languages, and which was successful between Hungarian and other Finno-Ugrian languages. Also, some of the Hungarian words which seem to have Sumerian cognates are proven to be more recent borrowings from Slavic, Turkic, Irani and other languages.

And religion - although many details of the original religion of Hungarians (at the time they occupied our present territory, Jews, Muslims and Christians were already present in the incoming population) is unknown as Christian authorities indeed fought determined to destroy it, the comparison of the remaining word knowledge with that of other Finno-Ugrian populations who maintained their religion for a longer time than us, and the knowledge about their culture may show us that it was a polytheistic shamanic tradition similar to its Siberian counterparts, except that horses had an imprtant role in it. It is also enough to plainly differentiate it from Sumerian religion, which was characterized by a very strong and influential clergy instead of shamans; the building of great temples (zikkuratu) in urban environment instead of open-place rituals at hills or rivers; and utilization of astrology (which was inherited into the Western civilization via the Greeks) as a means for prediction and guidance instead of artificial trance caused by dance or hallucinogenic materials.

[0Oneiros0]

and utilization of astrology

Be careful with using the word "astrology" here. I am fond of pointing out that one cannot do astrology without mathematical astronomy, something that was not available until later, in the Babylonian period. Omens were very important in Mesopotamia, including astral omens, but this is not astrology.

[zanardi]

It is now six months since my book came out. The following has happened:
2 invitations to a TV-show on account of the book.
2 radioshows for the same reason.
4 reviews in magazines or newspapers.
3 reviews in netblogs.
4 reviews in bookclubs netpages.
A pile of personal thank you letters (which I value the most).
Some angry letters from Iskconians.
Selling is OK. Not fantastic, not a disaster.
I am still waiting for at least two more reviews, which are supposed to be appear on a more academic forum.
All in all I am pretty happy with the outcome. I feel that the book was a healthy contribution and it is something one tends to read more than one time, I have been told.
I was fortunate in many ways. Like for example with my publisher. Who would have guessed that such an established publisher would immediately accept my manuscript? They gave me even a stipendium to work! I think it was sheer luck.
Finland is a small country with plenty of willing and able writers and only a small percentage get their book published. It must have been in the stars...
Just wanted to share this with you guys and gals.

[angrezi]

do you have any horny groupies following you around?