A few months ago we asked the satsang to send in any questions they had for KD. We selected a few and here’s the answer to the first straight from Krishna Das.
In this first episode of ASK KD, the topic is Fear.
Please watch the video for Krishna Das’ response.
“Dear KD, it has been said that the only thing to fear is fear itself as fear hold us back from fulfilling our true purpose but this is easier said than done in many cases. As humans living in an egotistical world, we are faced with fears of many types and levels every day and having a strong connection with your higher self and letting go of the egotistical self is one way of dealing with fear but I find I still struggle with fear quite often. My question to you is….do you have any fears? and if so, can you share your fears with us? and if not, can you share your thoughts on fear with us?”
In this video response, KD talks about his time at Bearing Witness Retreats with Bernie Glassman. If you are interested in learning more or participating in a Bearing Witness Retreat you can click the link below for more information.
The next retreat will take place in Black Hills, South Dakota, July 25-29, 2016:
NATIVE AMERICAN BEARING WITNESS RETREAT
If you would like to ask a question please post it in the comments below. We cannot answer all questions but we will do our best to cover as many topics as possible.
In the response to question on fear, it was said to be a witness to our fears; during this witnessing process if one gets overwhelmed by our fear and is shaken out if the witnessing state, then what is kd’s suggestion?
Don’t react !!!
i am touched that you would share with us your self-observed shortcomings regarding your own level of spiritual practice. It occurs to me that the majority of those who follow your kirtan may have placed you and your devotional pursuits to be far above and beyond our own.
So it would seem that we truly are all just walking each other home.
Thanks for you ‘fearless” honesty.
whoops, meant your honesty
HI KD, Thanks for being you!
My question for you:
Are you aware of a lineage, a disciplic lineage from Maharajji to a current Swami Ganeshananda who resides at the Abu Road Ashram in the town of Nib karori? From what I read on a website called my great baba, there were 3 chosen disciples of Maharajji. I actually friended him on facebook.
In Maharajji
Steve
“I have never heard anything from any Old Devotee of Maharaj-ji, and I knew MANY of them, about there being ANY chosen disciples. Maharaj-ji did not talk about these things. The 2 greatest disciples of Maharaj-ji that i have met and knew well, never claimed to be anything but His humble devotee. I do not know Swami Ganeshananda. I visited Maharaj-ji’s temple in Nib Karori last year and met no one by that name. Maharaj-ji doesn’t need Facebook or cell phones to be in touch with you. He actually lives in our hearts 24 hours a day… all we have to do is turn to Him. He said ”When you think of me I am there.” What more do we need to know?
Life after Life he finds us and leads us back to our own hearts.” ~ Krishna Das
I have a question. How do you love someone who has emotionally hurt you so badly. I can say Namaste and mean it to everyone but her. I am not comfortable with the way I feel but her emotional abuse has really gotten to me. I am a devotee of Baba and I am so grateful he has come into my live. He says LOVE EVERYONE and I’m stuck with this issue. Thank you.
“The Love that Maharaj-ji is talking about is not what happens ”between” people. Love is not between anything or anyone. Love is who we are..it is our very breath, but we are not aware of that. Why? Because we are always looking outside for “emotional” or “physical’ affection.
We are looking to other people to give us something that we feel we don’t have. We demand that another person provide just that very thing we are desire. We also demand that they don’t give us anything we don’t want!!! Where is the LOVE in that?
When Maharaj-ji says ”Love Everyone” he is not asking us to manipulate our emotions into some shape that is pleasing to us, or to ignore our own feelings, He is asking us to overcome our selfish egocentric view of the world, so that we can see REALITY..which is love…the One Being of which we are all a part, and in whom we live. He is asking us to give up our judgements of people and actually SEE them…and when we truly see someone, we see the One who lives within us. He is asking us to give up our Selfish desires, our anger, our fear, our greed and our belief that we are separate from “others.” It’s not easy, to say the least!!! But it is the Path.
The person who hurt you, by not giving you what you wanted, or by giving you what you didn’t want, was acting out of their own pain. You were not the target or the cause of their pain. Nor are they the cause of your pain. It is only our own attachments and fears that cause us pain.We project our stuff onto other people until we have processed and released our own negative emotions. We are carrying all our life experiences onto this moment from all the moments of our life. It’s a big load!!! Painful experiences in life alert us to this hurt we are carrying around in our hearts. At some point we can actually be grateful for it getting exposed. But not yet.” ~ Krishna Das
Thoroughly explained….
If we then were able to forgive that person , then we are moved to different level of living ! After accepting the wake-up call and turning things around by opening yourself more to any situation that arises , nothing is easy but dwelling in resentment is just taking the poison yourself and waiting for other person to die !
Thank you , KD for your answer to not my question but we all can relate to this…
Namaste ,
Anna
I guess you will not want to hear this and I guess your comment on your fear was certainly not intended to pull comments like this one, BUT, your work in providing Kirtan and Workshops have planted the possibility (because its up to me to water them) of millions of seeds in my heart, please don’t think for even a moment that your devotion is nothing less than heart-opening beyond words. You have brought Baba Neem Karoli in our lives in a way that he did not and could not otherwise have appeared. Your work is more than enough in doing exactly what it should be doing in the right amounts. Any more might be overwhelming and too much too fast for this western culture. Between the podcasts, book, lectures and kirtan you are not even close to being lazy, your level of devotion is so so powerful that we feel it in your words even when its a coffee/ricola kind of morning… Just as you teach us to understand that a repetition of the name plants a seed, your work is like a massive John Deere sized seeder, spreading seed where it needs to go, through out the world…. Ram Ram
Hi KD, when you talk about fear, it is so real, and I have LOTS OF FEAR,,,,the main way I TRY to relieve myself from fear is: I think, hey, you do not have it so bad, you have food and shelter, get over yourself, there are millions of people in this world that have it sooooooo much worse than you…….. God, Jesus, Saints and Angels do and are helping,,,, you just have to believe!!!!!!!
Ahem… Ahem… ummm…. I mean….
Aham Aham
Who is
The One
Who is
Witnessing
The One
Who is
In Fear…
My Heart melts for
The One
Who is
The Sacrifice
Who is
The One
Who is
In Suffering
The One
Who is
Perfectly Evil
Knowing….
The One
Who is
Perfectly Good….
To Be
That
Witness
And
To Remember
That…
Are not the same
I heard, once….
That
Forgiveness
Is not
Remembering!
My Love
Thank you…I love the “black cloud” metaphor…
Thank you for your generous sharing of this video. I have watched it before, but today I think it spoke to me even more. I totally understand your fears as I tend to be lazy, lack commitment, etc., and wonder the same myself. I wish I could extend my reach closer to your level! I have a long long way to go. But you inspire me. I thank you so much for all that you have done.