Posted by dinesh

DO YOU LIMIT YOURSELF BY THE WAY YOU THINK?

via Gita Coaching by akrura@gmail.com on 8/18/10

Most of the spiritual and success literature I know of teach us that we can improve our life if we change the way we think.

The mind that we posses is very powerful, and it has three main functions: thinking, feeling and willing (desiring). Bhagavad-gita teaches us that we are not the mind but the soul, who is above the mind and who has an ability to control the mind.

So we can positively influence all these three functions by the power of our intelligence and free will. We have an ability to observe these functions as if they belong to someone else. If that is true, then we can also use our power of choice to choose how we think, feel and will.

Intelligence that we posses and the soul that we are, are superior to the mind and therefore are stronger and can control it. It is simply a question of practice.

The mind is best controlled by the spiritual content. It can be a mantra or a prayer that we chant, it can be a story or a verse of wisdom, it can be a powerful question that completely re-directs our thinking to something positive, inspiring, enlightening, and uplifting.

Briefly speaking, you can choose to think, feel and will as a wise or saintly person, or choose to think, etc., as an ignorant and degraded man. The way you think influences your actions and your reactions to what you experience in life and therefore it influences your results and your happiness.

So the first task is to control the mind by engaging it positively with spiritual themes and activities.

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Posted by dinesh

CIVILIZATION

via Gita Coaching by akrura@gmail.com on 8/18/10

Life's aim is self-realization — and Lord Visnu — not the skyscrapers. This piling of stones and woods, this is not very intelligent work. Piling the woods and stones and earth is there already as big mountains and hills. You do the business of a porter, carry it out, and put it high, heap it in one place, and it becomes a skyscraper building. If you are simply proud of these heaps of stones and wood and iron, that is not civilization. Civilization is that the living entity who is using these resources must know what is his actual business.

This piling of stones and wood is done also by the birds. They also pick up, according to their strength, some twigs, and they make a nest. That intelligence is there. The rat also, he makes a subway. (devotees laugh) So this is not very intelligent work, to imitate the rats, the birds, the cats, and the dogs. That is not civilization.

Civilization means self-realization, "What I am? Why I am forced to die? I do not like to die." To know this, that is civilization. When all these inquiries will come into one's mind,like: "I do not wish to die. Why death is there, forced upon me? I am forced to die. I do not wish to be diseased. Why disease comes upon me?" When this "why" questions comes, that is humanity. And if a man remains dull, "All right, let me die," then he's cat and dog. That's all. If there is no "Why?" then he's a cat and dog.

So human civilization does not mean piling of woods and stones. Human civilization means brahma-jijñāsā, inquiry.

- Srila Prabhupada

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Seven Ways In Which Hearing Sacred Texts Purifies the Mind

Posted by dinesh

Dhanurdhara Swami January 30th, 2009

Seven Ways In Which Hearing Sacred Texts Purifies the Mind
Hearing (sravanam) is the conduit of knowledge. It is thus the first principle in the practice of spiritual life. Without gaining faith in a spiritual goal by first hearing about it from an authoritative source, why would anyone be inspired to take up an arduous path of spiritual practice? And even if one did, without sravanam how would one understand the intricacies of that practice?
Inspiration and instruction are just two of the ways in which sravanam purifies the mind. The following is an analysis of seven ways (including inspiration and instruction) in which hearing sacred bhakti texts purifies the mind of an aspiring bhakta:

As yoga: “Yoga” means to restrain the mind. When one attentively hears bhakti-sastra the mind becomes concentrated with single pointed attention and neglects all other mental impulses. Sravanam is thus (bhakti) yoga.
As very effective yoga: The efficacy of a particular yoga process is gauged in its ability to facilitate absorption in the object of one's meditation. When hearing, sastra, which is replete with appealing stories and philosophy about the all-attractive Divine, one's mind spontaneously flows to the object of meditation. Hearing sacred texts is thus a far more riveting meditation than controlling the mind by one's will power alone.
As an object of meditation with potency: Absorption in an object serves as a conduit to imbibe the qualities of that object, just as an iron rod absorbed in fire becomes fire-like. Sastra is sabda-brahman, divinity in its sound form. Meditation on sastra thus makes one divine-like.
As a source of knowledge: We have unlimited mental imprints (samskaras), many of them bad, which degrade our consciousness. Sacred texts elucidate dharma, the science of responding to the world to elevate the general tenor of the mind.
As effective teaching: Sastra exposes illusion and promotes detachment. In bhakti-sastra this challenge is often placed carefully within charming stories and illustrated by memorable examples, helping the reader to more effectively imbibe spiritual wisdom.
As a source of role models: The most powerful way to invoke positive self-transformation is the emulation of appropriate role models. Even adolescents who imitate the bravado of their favorite athletes, or follow the sensuous appeal of their favorite popular musician or movie star, gradually become like them. Similarly by sincerely hearing about the exemplars of devotion from bhakti-sastra, one naturally emulates their life and absorbs their devotion.
As a process where one's spiritual attainment is not limited to the fruits of one's endeavor: The Divine is naturally responsive to devotion. Thus by attentively hearing with devotion about the Divine (which is the subject of bhakti-sastra), the obstacles to one's focus and meditation are naturally removed by Divine grace. This phenomenon—how the process of sravanam bears fruit beyond the limits of one's effort by grace—is described in the bhakti-sastras themselves:
“Sri Krishna, the Personality of Godhead, who is the Paramatma [Supersoul] in everyone's heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses desire for material enjoyment from the heart of the devotee who has developed the urge to hear His messages, which are themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted.” (Srimad Bhagavatam 1.1.17)

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Does a fallen soul have to be depressed?

Posted by dinesh

Dhanurdhara Swami June 30th, 2010

June 30, 2010
Does a fallen soul have to be depressed?
A saintly soul prays in the mood of dhainya, utter humility:
“For my own pleasure I never fear to commit any sin. I am devoid of pity and full of selfishness; I’m sorry at others’ happiness and am an inveterate liar. Indeed, I take delight in others’ miseries.” Amara Jivana – Bhaktivinoda Thakur
If the great devotees feel like this, shouldn’t the actually fallen practitioner of bhakti feel depressed and ridden with guilt?
Remorse is certainly healthy, but does the sincere and weak need to feel shame? I don’t think so. I found a reference to support this.
“Having awakened faith in the narrations of My glories, being disgusted with all material activities, knowing that all sense gratification leads to misery, but still being unable to renounce all sense enjoyment, My devotee should remain happy and worship Me with great faith and conviction. Even though he is sometimes engaged in sense enjoyment, My devotee knows that all sense gratification leads to a miserable result, and he sincerely repents such activities.” [emphasis mine] (Bhag. 11.20.27-28)
I like the balance. We do need to be humble and repent if we cannot maintain our practices. We shouldn’t, however, embrace the type of shame and excess guilt that is depressive and lowers self esteem, that makes the adoption of spiritual life miserable and debilitating.

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Posted by dinesh

No:1 Engagement!

via .: Prabhupada Letters :. Anthology by letters on 6/29/10

1971 June 29: "Number one engagement is that you must chant at least 16 rounds Hare Krishna Mantra daily. Speak according to sastra and try to convince all conditioned souls about the real truth. You can surrender by doing your best to preach this Krishna Consciousness Movement. That will make you perfect."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1971