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Required Reading for all New Student Forum Users and Newcomers

Why this Forum Exists

  • As noted in our New Visitor page, Esoteric Teaching is a serious spiritual school. Therefore this forum is only for serious students of the Esoteric Teaching of the Vedas. It is not a debate forum, for personal issues, speculation or light contemplation, or presentation of unrelated subjects.
  • These Forums are designed as an aid for self-study of the Esoteric Teaching. They are only for use of students of the Esoteric Teaching as presented by Srila Prabhupada and Master Teacher David Bruce Hughes (respectfully addressed as Babaji by his students and disciples).
  • Before you post a question for the first time, you should introduce yourself on the Āśrama (Student Lounge) Forum. That way we can understand who the question is coming from.
  • If you find any of the courses or terminology confusing, you may post your questions on the Forum. New students should post only on the Kurukṣetra (Questions from New Students) Forum. Questions will be answered by senior students under the supervision of Babaji, who will occasionally comment as his valuable time permits.
  • Here you have the opportunity to be part of a unique international community of students, studying together to advance their spiritual growth and their understanding of the Absolute Truth under the guidance and supervision of a highly qualified, self-realized guru. Students and devotees are extremely fortunate to have this community and the guidance of Babaji. We are here to work together in accomplishing what is expected of us from Lord Krsna, and nothing more.
  • Questions about the material of the Esoteric Teaching are welcome, but the material itself, the ancient message of the Vedas, is not up for debate. For those seeking to test their religious philosophy against the Esoteric Teaching to see if it is worth pursuing further, please read the remaining “required reading” posts.
  • This is not a venue for posting random links to other sites, personal issues or speculative musings.
  • If you don't like what we are doing, please keep your comments to yourself and go somewhere that meets your expectations. Our mission is very clearly established, and posting critical, argumentative or offensive comments will not accomplish anything except to get your posting privileges canceled and land you into spiritual difficulties.

New Arrivals: How to Get Started

Required Etiquette, Guidelines, and Forum Rules

  • Please do not post in these forums unless you have already been through the introductory materials on the New Visitors page. Those are clarified in the How to Get Started section above. Only then are you invited to begin your participation here.
  • Please do not open with the intent to debate your religious views vs. ours. See the section below on Testing Your Religious Beliefs.
  • This is a free resource provided by Krsna devotees at their own expense and time. Please be respectful of the spiritual essence of our community.
    • We go out of our way to be humble and show respect to one another.
    • Students should show particular reverence to Master Teacher David Bruce Hughes, and to his guru, Srila Prabhupada. We are all extraordinarily fortunate that Babaji, a self-realized soul and lifetime devotee to the Esoteric Teachings and its disciplic lineage, is leading our community.
    • Post according to our recommended format.
    • Pick an appropriate and descriptive title for your posts.
    • Rudeness, argumentation or spam will not be tolerated.
  • Don't be Lazy! Be respectful of others' time and efforts:
    • As a student, you are expected to do most of the work for your own education. Resources are provided free as a courtesy, as are answers to your questions. However, this does not imply that your fellow students are here to do your research.
    • Search before you ask! We appreciate this material may open many doors and questions for you, but please respect that you are not the first to be learning it. Especially early on, use AskBaba and the Forum Search function to see if your question has already been addressed. If you do, you will find most of your questions have already been asked and answered!
    • Read the entire response to your questions carefully.
      • Also study the links and scriptural references thoroughly; much research is required for the supporting material that is provided. It is there for your benefit, not to demonstrate how much the person providing it knows.
      • Don't just fire off another question; meditate on the answer and digest it.
      • Read Good Questions, Bad Questions
      • If you need further clarification, post a follow-up comment.
      • Read through any assigned materials. Often times the answers to impatient questions are just around the corner! The Vedānta-sutra is of a transcendental nature, and it is divinely laid out to raise questions and answer them.
  • Limit yourself to one main question per post. Ask different questions in separate posts.
  • Please keep up with our podcast and the other parts of the site.
  • Ask a question that really matters to your spiritual growth. Idle curiosity is a waste of everyone's time.
  • Lack of use of the Forums will imply that your are in a lapsed state. If 90 days pass without logging into the forums, your account will be deleted.
  • Please, if you don't like what we are doing, keep your comments to yourself and go somewhere that meets your expectations. We have our mission very clearly established, and posting critical and offensive comments will not accomplish anything except to get your posting privileges canceled and land you into spiritual difficulties.

On Testing Your Religious Beliefs

Some who go through our introductory material (and more than a handful who don't bother) still are not entirely convinced of our message, and therefore they wish to engage our community in a discussion or debate of their (or some prominent authority's) understanding of religion—be it a variation of Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, or otherwise—versus the Esoteric Teaching. Most do so out of three different motivations:

  • an attempt to make sense of the new information we have provided, as a means of confirming its superior nature
  • a fun exercise in general speculation
  • a crusade to prove the superiority of their own beliefs and philosophy

It is pretty easy to discern these different attitudes. Only the first is acceptable.

Generally, we no longer engage in such discussions given so much has already been previously covered in these forums, and also because so many wanting to engage this conversation arrive with their minds generally closed to information that disagrees with their own preconceived notions of religion. That is an extremely deep seeded ontological problem that our site is not dedicated to solving, although our site is filled with information for those willing to question their ontological framework against ours. Actually our understanding is not based on speculation, but references Vedic materials that predate all mainstream organized religions.

Testing one's beliefs before taking the plunge and making a commitment to a school is understandable, although we believe the intro material sufficiently covers the basics. Additionally, if you are genuinely seeking the Absolute Truth about God with an open mind, we believe that progressing through our coursework, alone, will gradually provide the answers to all questions you currently feel compelled to ask (and much more). Comprehending the Absolute Truth and cultivating a relationship with the Lord is no light task, especially for someone brand new to the subject. It comes no more easily to the neophyte student than practicing medicine comes to the brand new medical students studying to become a doctors. Both take time, study, devotion, and sacrifice for the benefits to manifest.

For those interested in following past discussions on this subject that have taken place on these forums, below are some links that you may find valuable. Regardless of your background, please read them all if you are inclined to debate your philosophy vs. the Esoteric Teaching, since they cover the subject thoroughly. After reviewing each thread, you will notice a common progression: Either you accept that you must take the time to study what we recommend in our coursework, or there's really no point for you to be part of our community.

Also, this site is filled with information related to Christ's teachings and how Christ's message is imbued with the Esoteric Teachings. Please be sure to visit those references, which includes many videos and books, including:
Last modified: Friday, June 20, 2008, 09:06 AM