To Be Nice Is Not To Be Naive
Ultimately, the difference between being nice and being naive boils down to adherence to dharma.
A poem by Ananda Vrindavan Dasi.
I want to help. Still, I know my limitations when it comes to rescuing people. So I tell them the only thing I know to be true.
A spiritual tradition is known by its luminaries. When one looks at a tradition in the abstract, much is missed, but if you look at the lives of people who live it on a daily basis, you see what the tradition is really all about.
The bullets fired from the most sophisticated weapon may harm a person physically but the harsh words said to others torn apart a person emotionally.
The ancient teachings of the Vedas say there are 5 things humans can do everyday to be happy. We would say that these are directly connected to an effective spiritual practice.
Why do we deviate? Because our mind is restless. We become committed when we learn to maintain focus in spite of our mind, not because our mind maintains focus.
What a relief to know that the very same Lord living within our own heart is simultaneously moving in the hearts of all others, guiding, comforting and attracting us all to his eternal dance.
“Forty-six festivals, one after another,” I thought. “And with Woodstock in the middle. No wonder I’m exhausted.” But there was no time to dwell on the tiredness of my body. Hundreds of excited people were already taking their seats on the benches in front of our stage.
One of the greatest problems of materialistic society is the tendency to compare yourself with others. What is envy? It means to feel a slight pleasure when you see others suffering.
Some people are chronic complainers who justify their negativity, irritability and disagreeability self-righteously, “Can’t you see how many things have gone wrong in my life? What else do you expect from me?”
Although “we desperately seek and desire profound connections, we are terrified of being rejected and isolated”
Our senses, which are mostly uncontrolled, are compared to deadly serpents. Just as a bite of a snake kills a person similarly the wild senses many a times drive a person crazy to the extent that the person destroys himself.
Sometimes, in the interests of spiritual development, practitioners avoid, suppress, or disconnect from their feelings viewing them as taboo.
“Did some gypsies really save your life?” my driver, Prema-vilas dasa, asked me as the light turned green.
At a recent meditation retreat, I learned two very helpful concepts - “it’s about connection, not concentration” and “be a receiver, not an achiever”.
Establishing and maintaining heart-connecting relationships with devotees of Krishna is fundamental for our spiritual growth and self-realization.
There are times in our lives when the cloudburst lets loose and we are thrown into intense situations. Emotions are fierce and there is no visibility, no answer, and no clear direction.
The world is like a mega-theater where multiple stories are being enacted. Herein, we can enact a grand story, provided we understand ourselves.
“The real purpose behind the vow taken during these four months is to minimize the quantity of sense gratification. This is not very difficult.”- Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya Lila 4.169, Purport
The material energy binds us in this material world by our senses. The more we try hard to enjoy here our senses becomes wild and strong. And instead of we being in control of our senses our uncontrolled senses take control of our lives.
When someone’s misbehavior irritates us, we may tell them off: “Why are you letting your mind take you for a ride?”
It is the 19th century, the British have already colonized India and western influence has already started taking its shape in Bengal. The British along with Bhadralok (the members of social elite) have already belittled Hinduism and Gaudiya Vaishnavism was no exception. In this period of chaos a great personality - Kedarnath Dutta - took birth amongst the Bhadralok.
Love is a small word with a big promise. In a spiritual practice like Krishna Bhakti, the intent is to awaken love - our original pure love between us and our source of life, Krishna, as well as our natural love for everything connected to Him.
Priyavrata Das' mother was the mother of three devotees. She always supported their children on their paths. She passed away on June 19th, 2019.
