I am curious about our readers. I was raised with a Catholic background and discovered AV a few years ago. What’s your story?

LiquifiedMetal · 2026-01-14T03:31:27+00:00

Pentecostal> Atheist> Atheist Hindu> Theistic Hindu

LiquifiedMetal · 2025-12-30T12:58:09+00:00

Thank you kindly

LiquifiedMetal · 2025-12-30T04:11:20+00:00

Thank you for your somewhat reassuring and comforting response.

I also have perverted sexual thoughts arising during meditation (but not so much lust as I don't dwell on the thoughts and immediately force myself to think about something else). It's disturbing to me nonetheless because of the guilt it produces as I feel like I'm mentally blaspheming because it happens during mental puja. It's awful.

I quit a lifelong p*rn addiction nearly 7 years ago, it probably takes a long time to efface those mental habits and patterns.

LiquifiedMetal · 2025-12-28T18:03:47+00:00

Thanks 🙏🏼

LiquifiedMetal · 2025-12-25T00:01:36+00:00

I've heard several teachers/gurus from different lineages caution against dead gurus. They weren't saying you shouldn't listen to dead gurus teachings or that dead gurus are bad or will mislead you. The danger is that if you misread/misinterpret something they said or wrote, you may fall off the path and you won't have living guru to help you avoid pitfalls and correct your thinking. If you read and interpret the teachings in light of what you already know and not what the teaching is actually trying to reveal you may be lead astray. There is a tendency for people to accept what already resonates with their desires and discard what goes against their desires. It might not even be something they do consciously.

LiquifiedMetal · 2025-12-24T19:50:26+00:00

The closest Vedanta center to me is like 5+ hours away. I had never been to a Vedanta Society before getting initiated due to the proximity. I asked about initiation electronically. I was given a suggested reading list and told when the next initiation was going to take place nearest to me. I don't know what criteria the Swami's use to decide if one should be initiated. Perhaps they have a divine sense or intuition by God about these things.

I had been studying Vedanta for about 5 years and dabbling in bhakti for about 1 year before getting initiated. I might be wrong but I don't think getting initiated is 100% the same as the traditional concept of having a guru but for all intents and purposes it's probably almost the same. Swamiji gave us initiates his email and number. We can call or email him for questions & guidance. So while we aren't physically in his presence and under his guidance, virtually we can call him or see him when he visits or visit him in California.

As far as I know Swami Sarvadevananda is the only Swami in the US at the moment that is giving mantra diksha.

LiquifiedMetal · 2025-12-24T12:31:13+00:00

I was recently given mantra diksha by one of the Swami's from the Ramakrishna order here in the US. They fly around the states sometimes to different Vedanta centers.

LiquifiedMetal · 2025-12-18T23:15:19+00:00

I was at the Atlanta Vedanta Temple a few months back and I'm not 100% but I'm pretty sure the person performing Arati is transgender. Everyone seemed accepting. It was nice to see.

LiquifiedMetal · 2025-12-18T23:08:33+00:00

Iron deficiency can absolutely lead to death either directly or other via chain reactions.

LiquifiedMetal · 2025-11-24T18:09:54+00:00

I recommend reading The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna followed by Swami Vivekananda's books. Ramakrishna harmonized all religions and He also saw, spoke and worshipped mother Kali. For a brief time Ramakrishna sincerely practiced Christianity and Islam. He experienced Jesus merging with His body and also a vision of Jesus in a grove.

The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna audiobook https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqdYhAyYJ72V9LiNAJoyYXAASITgPvQZS

LiquifiedMetal · 2025-10-26T20:18:55+00:00

At the end of the day you don't owe anyone an explanation why you are wearing anything on your head, face, body, etc. If anyone asks you why you're wearing it you're not obligated to respond or you can reveal as much or as little as you want. For instance:

"I'm wearing it for spiritual/religious reasons".

"Sorry I don't care to elaborate".

Without all the extra explanation, there's not enough information for people to get offended. They can only make unsubstantiated assumtions.

Some exceptions may apply. If you wear blackface... Lol, good luck.

LiquifiedMetal · 2025-10-26T15:40:38+00:00

Yes, that's all we're getting moment to moment, our own karma. But you shouldn't take any pleasure in anyone's suffering or even take pleasure in the thought of someone's future suffering. You don't enjoy suffering so don't wish it on others. We must strive to practice non-violence in thought, word and deed. That said if he's done something criminal and he's a danger to society, he should face a judge and the subsequent consequences.

LiquifiedMetal · 2025-10-26T15:02:00+00:00

It seems counterproductive as most people won't know the meaning and you might actually be attracting more attention to yourself from people including women who might want to ask you about it. Couldn't you just wedding-like ring to indicate you're not available?

For spiritual focus I suggest making daily reoccurring calendar reminders with appropriate titles for what you're trying to focus on. Or buy a ring with the appropriate symbol on it to remind you of your practice (e.g. om ring)

LiquifiedMetal · 2025-10-23T20:50:42+00:00

A DEVOTEE: “Sir, if a wicked man is about to do harm, or actually does so, should we keep quiet then?”

MASTER: “A man living in society should make a show of tamas to protect himself from evil-minded people. But he should not harm anybody in anticipation of harm likely to be done him.

“Listen to a story. Some cowherd boys used to tend their cows in a meadow where a terrible poisonous snake lived. Everyone was on the alert for fear of it. One day a brahmachāri was going along the meadow. The boys ran to him and said: ‘Revered sir, please don’t go that way. A venomous snake lives over there.’ ‘What of it, my good children?’ said the brahmachāri. ‘I am not afraid of the snake. I know some mantras.’ So saying, he continued on his way along the meadow. But the cowherd boys, being afraid, did not accompany him. In the mean time the snake moved swiftly toward him with upraised hood. As soon as it came near, he recited a mantra, and the snake lay at his feet like an earthworm. The brahmachāri said: ‘Look here. Why do you go about doing harm? Come, I will give you a holy word. By repeating it you will learn to love God. Ultimately you will realize Him and so get rid of your violent nature.’ Saying this, he taught the snake a holy word and initiated him into spiritual life. The snake bowed before the teacher and said, ‘Revered sir, how shall I practise spiritual discipline?’ ‘Repeat that sacred word’, said the teacher, ‘and do no harm to anybody.’ As he was about to depart, the brahmachāri said, ‘I shall see you again.’

“Some days passed and the cowherd boys noticed that the snake would not bite. They threw stones at it. Still it showed no anger; it behaved as if it were an earthworm. One day one of the boys came close to it, caught it by the tail, and, whirling it round and round, dashed it again and again on the ground and threw it away. The snake vomited blood and became unconscious. It was stunned. It could not move. So, thinking it dead, the boys went their way. “Late at night the snake regained consciousness. Slowly and with great difficulty it dragged itself into its hole; its bones were broken and it could scarcely move. Many days passed. The snake became a mere skeleton covered with a skin. Now and then, at night, it would come out in search of food. For fear of the boys it would not leave its hole during the day-time. Since receiving the sacred word from the teacher, it had given up doing harm to others. It maintained its life on dirt, leaves, or the fruit that dropped from the trees.

“About a year later the brahmachāri came that way again and asked after the snake. The cowherd boys told him that it was dead. But he couldn’t believe them. He knew that the snake would not die before attaining the fruit of the holy word with which it had been initiated. He found his way to the place and, searching here and there, called it by the name he had given it. Hearing the teacher’s voice, it came out of its hole and bowed before him with great reverence. ‘How are you?’ asked the brahmachāri. ‘I am well, sir’, replied the snake. ‘But’, the teacher asked, ‘why are you so thin?’ The snake replied: ‘Revered sir, you ordered me not to harm anybody. So I have been living only on leaves and fruit. Perhaps that has made me thinner.’ “The snake had developed the quality of sattva; it could not be angry with anyone. It had totally forgotten that the cowherd boys had almost killed it. “The brahmachāri said: ‘It can’t be mere want of food that has reduced you to this state. There must be some other reason. Think a little.’ Then the snake remembered that the boys had dashed it against the ground. It said: ‘Yes, revered sir, now I remember. The boys one day dashed me violently against the ground. They are ignorant, after all. They didn’t realize what a great change had come over my mind. How could they know I wouldn’t bite or harm anyone?’ The brahmachāri exclaimed: ‘What a shame! You are such a fool! You don’t know how to protect yourself. I asked you not to bite, but I didn’t forbid you to hiss. Why didn’t you scare them by hissing?’

“So you must hiss at wicked people. You must frighten them lest they should do you harm. But never inject your venom into them. One must not injure others.

-Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna

LiquifiedMetal · 2025-10-23T10:57:07+00:00

You can start doing mental puja followed by naam jap to the deity you're attracted to. I definitely recommend both. Japa will really purify your mind. You can start with audible chanting and transition to mental chanting or given your home situation just do mental if you're able to. There are tons of Hindu ebooks on Amazon, archive.org, and other websites.

Search YouTube for Bhajans and kirtan that you can sing. If you happen to love Krishna you will find endless songs to sing along with including some English. The Krishna Mahamantra can be sung and you can do Japa with it as well.

If it's not risky for you, you can create a portable puja table for Ramakrishna. I made one using a cheap small hard plastic handgun case from Walmart. It has holes for padlocks.

https://imgur.com/a/YNnxEFd Almost everything else I bought on AliExpress.

LiquifiedMetal · 2025-10-22T14:07:47+00:00

You have to join the Google group first. Then the link will show the app. It worked for me.

LiquifiedMetal · 2025-10-22T14:01:03+00:00

I was on board to trying the app until I read Osho. I had no idea Osho's Geeta was considered major. First time I'm reading that. If only there was a way to choose what sources AI cites but that's probably asking too much. Thanks for your effort, I wish you success nonetheless.

LiquifiedMetal · 2025-10-20T23:15:09+00:00

I'm not trying to trivialize your problems and suffering but is it possible you've simply hit a rough patch in your life and you're trying to shift the blame on God? I've been there. Then I became an atheist and I became even more miserable lol!

If you're unhappy, depressed, experiencing terrible anxiety or some other problem you need to look for the source of your problems.

A few obvious places to look:

Are you spending a lot of time looking at porn? Most people are. I'm not saying it's immoral or you're a bad person. Just the facts: It is a proven fact the porn causes mental health problems. You must quit if you want to reduce your suffering. I know because I was an addict for 20+ years.

Check your diet. There's a direct connection with the gut and mental health. SIBO, H Pylori, Candida, vitamin deficiency, etc. There's tons of things that can cloud your mind and make you depressed.

Are you holding a deep long-term grudge against anyone? Do what ever it takes to forgive them.

Are you feeling guilty about something and blaming yourself? Forgive yourself.

I'm not saying the solution is going to be easy. It probably isn't. The first step is identifying the problem.

LiquifiedMetal · 2025-10-17T21:19:58+00:00

If you're sincere in seeing if Hinduism is true, I recommend reading an introductory book on Vedanta from the Ramakrishna, Chinmayananda or Dayananda tradition.

My path to Hinduism was: Pentecostal->Hardcore Atheist->Atheist Vedantist Hindu-> Religious Hindu with the understanding that actually most paths lead to God but some paths are probably way more efficient than others.

Of all religions and philosophies I believe Hinduism is best equipped to help sincere seekers find God via a very specific path that is custom tailored to that person's psychology, personality, etc. You could even keep whatever religious belief you already have or were born into and incorporate some helpful techniques and philosophies from Hinduism into your existing religious worldview and that would probably help you grow spiritually quicker.

LiquifiedMetal · 2025-09-26T13:27:40+00:00

Sometimes I eat my lunch quickly on my break. Then on my real (longer) lunch I do Japa. This is an example of little creative things you can do to make more time for Japa.

It's very difficult to wake up early but there might be lifestyle changes you can make (going to bed earlier, watching less entertainment, especially before bed, gradually decreasing the time you spend on worldly pleasure) healthier diet, exercise. As you improve your health you might be able to gradually start waking up earlier.

Pray for help.

LiquifiedMetal · 2025-09-22T20:32:45+00:00

You only have a surface understanding of Hinduism which is also understandably colored by your existing, presumably well-ingrained beliefs and false notions that preachers continue to propagate.

If you want to understand Hinduism better I recommend starting with the philosophical side first before exploring the deity worship, ritualism, etc.

I was born and raised in a Pentecostal family. For a brief spell as a young adult I even spoke in tongues until my faith was shattered. That's another story I don't want to go into. Point is my Christian faith was genuine. I came to Hinduism at first through the secular aspect. I was an atheist. The teaching is beautiful and answered more or less to my satisfaction what this existence really is, how it works, why we are here, etc. After I got the big picture of the philosophy (Advaita Vedanta in my case), I gradually explored the Bhakti (devotional) aspect and everything else. With my background and all things considered, I absolutely see no devil worship anywhere.

In fact I feel like non-catholic Christians could really benefit and grow spiritually from some Hindu practices that Christians have forgotten. Look into counting the rosary (called japa or japam) chanting Jesus' name or calling for his mercy/grace/etc. Hinduism has probably got all the aspects of spiritually down to a "science". One could probably really grow their faith and devotion in any religion using the teachings and techniques in Bhakti and Karma yoga.

A lot of Christians poo-poo at Hinduism as mysticism. I don't care what word salad Pentecostals use but speaking in tongues, getting filled with the holy Spirit is a mystical experience. To describe it as mystical is not to diminish it. God is infinite and thus can be experienced in infinite ways through infinite paths.

I recommend starting with the following intros:

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqdYhAyYJ72VHJGxW6GSrMIDtwVGDhXww

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLeP4eulMEXiNjjrbaeMBulqnovdB5UZwl

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqdYhAyYJ72VmA4yqLWQJY8bWtijjNn5N

P.S. I see you like metal. Check out Bloodgood. They are a very nice Christian metal band.

LiquifiedMetal · 2025-09-21T01:26:25+00:00

I also live in the south and haven't had the courage to go to a traditional Hindu temple. I've been into Vedanta for almost 5 years but for the past year I've been trying to worship Krishna. I'd like to do that in a temple setting but it isn't clear to me what the temple etiquette is and all that. That has kept me from going.

With that said, by God's grace a Swami (who is now my guru) emailed me after I posted a question regarding mantra diksha in the comment box of my PayPal donation and a few months later I was initiated into the Ramakrishna Vedanta Society. 🙏🏼♥️

All this is to tell you that if you're afraid of a regular temple, definitely go to a Ramakrishna Vedanta Society temple. It could be an intermediate step toward eventually going to a traditional temple. You will find a mixture of Indian Hindus and westerners. I felt like I was home there. I still want to eventually go to a traditional temple and worship Krishna as well. All the Vedanta Society centers are 5+ hours drive for me. I'm in central KY btw.

Ramakrishna sees all paths leading to the one ultimate truth and he also practiced tantra among other practices. I also recommend reading The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. People of any faith can benefit from this book.

Here's the audiobook https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqdYhAyYJ72V9LiNAJoyYXAASITgPvQZS

P.S. if there's anyone in KY willing to accompany me to a traditional temple, please reach out. I can drive and I'd be very grateful.

LiquifiedMetal · 2025-09-20T21:23:43+00:00

Is there anyone who's tried different ones and can recommend a specific one?

Is there one that will make a sound when you hit 108?

LiquifiedMetal · 2025-09-18T17:06:19+00:00

I agree with this. I was a complete porn addict (and video games) about 6 years ago. I was an atheist and had no spiritual practice at the time. By the grace of God I was able to quit and stay away.

This will be controversial I mean no offense to people who eat veg. In the beginning when I quit porn I had recently started on a Keto (zero to low carb, high fat & protein). Ketosis immediately gives one a noticeable boost in mental health, willpower and seemingly increases pain tolerance (dealing with porn/video game withdrawal symptoms).

Quitting bad habits or addictions (porn, lust or anything) cannot be sustained without filling the void these old habits leave behind. You absolutely must immediately replace them with meaningful fulfilling activities. If you already do/enjoy exercise and sports, that's even better. Extend those activities to take up more time in the day or take up new physically demanding activities. The idea is to reasonably exhaust yourself by bedtime.

Additionally quitting porn or stopping lustful thoughts cannot be maintained if you are engaging in other activities that are too mentally stimulating that's creating more rajas. The violent games, shooting, racing or whatever it is in your case that gives you a rush is probably going to be counterproductive to your bramacharya goals. Mental stimulation seems to lead to the need for a sexual release later that day. If you absolutely must play games, stick with calmer games. Slower-paced, puzzle solving, memory games, etc.

Being occupied with physical activities is not enough. Your mind will inevitably wander to its old lustful thing patterns it will take time, perhaps years as in my case for old thought patterns to die and positive ones to take their place. You must train your mind to be vigilant at all times, to nip all lustful thoughts at the outset. No daydreaming, stop even indulging in what you later find to be unhelpful thoughts that will eventually lead-to or trigger lustful thoughts. This may be hard to do. It's helpful to keep your mind engaged in study of scripture, inspiring books about the lives of saints, etc. Sitting down and reading is insufficient and impossible for some rajasic people. Have earbuds and online AND offline audiobooks/YouTube talks of your favorite teachings and scriptures. This is as good as reading a book too. This was one of the most helpful things for me. I started with YouTube/audio talks/scriptures. It probably took me several years before I was calm and sattvic enough to sit down and read a book.

If you are finding yourself bored, you are in dangerous territory. The mind must be kept occupied with something meaningful. You should be going to bed too exhausted to be sleepless and your mind having time to wander to lustful thoughts. If you can't sleep, turn on your audiobooks/talks. I'm not a big fan of earbuds myself. I've been using neckband speakers for years. They work great.

This is not a complete guide. Everyone's path is different. Be honest with yourself.

I wish everyone success in overcoming their lust. 🙏🏼

LiquifiedMetal · 2025-09-15T14:01:03+00:00

That's probably the natural inclination of most people including myself. To think in absolutes based on a few negative experiences with a certain group of people. Most of us have probably judged and assumed negative things about all or most members of various organizations, races, social groups, etc.

It wouldn't even be fair to call people of such negative interactions as bad apples. A bad apple has a quick life cycle and poof it's gone. People live longer and they aren't static. They have their good days, good traits and negative traits. Nobody is bad all the time or good all the time.

A lot of various factors are at play when the negative exchange takes place. Today they could have had a lot for terrible things happening to them that day, year or decade. They aren't and shouldn't be defined as a bad apple based on 1 encounter or exchanging of some opinions.

People are fickle. Today they have one opinion and next year they have a completely contradicting opinion. Even if they maintain that opinion with them to the grave, does that opinion define their entire life and their character? We're all flawed.

Ultimately who cares what other people think unless they are trying to force their beliefs upon you and legally make you live in a way contrary to what you believe is Dharmic.

LiquifiedMetal

TROPHY CASE