Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 14, No. 1
By Krishna-kripa das
(January 2018, part one)
New York City, North and Central Florida
(Sent from Tallahassee, Florida, on January 19, 2017)
Where I Went and What I Did
I
continued chanting Hare Krishna in New York City subway stations with
the Yuga Dharma New York City harinama
party
the first week of the new year, for four hours a day, while
recovering from sickness for the first four days and then six hours a
day for the next three. I
sang on the campus of University of North Florida in Jacksonville for
two days
with Hare Krishna chaplain, Amrita Keli Devi Dasi, and the second day also with
Adikarta Prabhu. The next day I chanted Hare Krishna with Ramiya
Prabhu and his wife, Ananta Dasi, at University of South Florida in
Tampa. The following day I chanted Hare Krishna at Krishna Lunch in
Gainesville and at the University of Florida entrance in the evening.
Saturday I attended a presentation by Murali Gopal Prabhu to
Bhaktivedanta Institute Gainesville members on modifying current
theories of decision making to include the modes of material nature.
In the evening I chanted Hare Krishna with Krishna House devotees by
the bars across from the University of Florida campus. Sunday I
attended a three-hour campus kirtan at the University of South
Florida in Tampa, where Bada Haridas, Nanda Priya, Havi, Jagi Kirtan,
and Bhadra Prabhus all chanted Hare Krishna. Monday I chanted Hare
Krishna with Krishna House and New Raman Reti devotees in the Martin
Luther King Day March back in Gainesville, and I took the bus to
Tallahassee to help make Krishna consciousness more available there.
I
share quotes from Srila Prabhupada’s books and lectures. I share
insights from classes by Jayadvaita Swami, Adi Purusa Prabhu, Rama
Raya Prabhu, and Jaya Jagannatha Prabhu in New York City. I share
notes on lectures by Adikarta, Nagaraja, Ramiya, and Sesa Prabhus of Alachua. I
share quotes from Back
to Godhead articles
by Badrinarayana Swami, Caitanya Carana Prabhu, and Giriraja Govinda
Prabhu. I
include
notes from
a conversation with Adi Purusa in which he tells how devotees can, by
doing bed and breakfasts, survive in an expensive Western city and
share Krishna with others. I
share a nice point by Mother Mukhya and another by Mother Vegavati. I
tell a nice story about sharing Krishna wisdom at the airport.
Thanks
to the son of Yogesvara Prabhu, Namamrita Prabhu, a pilot for
Southwest Airlines, for his complimentary ticket to Florida. Thanks
to Adi Purusa Prabhu, who does prasadam
distribution
in New York City, for his free rooms so I could get enough sleep to
be able to chant six hours of harinama
in
a happy mood.
Thanks
to Rama Raya Prabhu, Sundari Gopi Devi, and Bhakta Sasha for their
very kind and generous donations which will help me to go to Europe,
and hopefully, India this year. Thanks to Mahotsaha Prabhu for his
foreign currency for me to spend there. Many thanks to Bhakta Chris
and Mother Nanda of Alachua for their very kind donations.
Thanks
to Amrita Keli Devi Dasi for advertising our campus kirtan at UNF!
Itinerary
January
15–26: Tallahassee (FSU on weekdays, Lake Ella on weekends)
January
26: Gainesville Krishna House Friday program
January
27: Tampa Ratha-yatra or harinama
January
28–30: Gainesville
January
31: Jacksonville, University of North Florida Krishna Club with
Adikarta Prabhu
February
1: Tampa, University of South Florida Bhakti Yoga Club
February
2: First Friday in Tallahassee
February
3–4: Gainesville Krishna House
February
5–16: Tallahassee (FSU on weekdays, Lake Ella on weekends)
February
17: Tampa, University of South Florida Campus Kirtan
February 18–20: Gainesville Krishna House
February 21: Jacksonville, University of North Florida Krishna Club
February 22–March 12: Tallahassee (FSU on weekdays, Lake Ella on weekends)
March 12–13: Gainesville Krishna House
March 14–17: Jacksonville?
March 18: Gainesville Krishna House / Alachua Sunday Feast
March 19–March 23: Tallahassee (FSU on weekdays, Lake Ella on weekends)
March 23: Gainesville Krishna House Friday Night – Talk on Ratha-yatra
March 24: St. Augustine Ratha-yatra
March 25: Gainesville Krishna House
March 26–April 5: Tallahassee (FSU on weekdays, Lake Ella on weekends)
April 6: Tallahassee First Friday
April 7: Tallahassee Ratha-yatra
April 8: Gainesville Krishna House
April 9: Albany
April 10: Philadelphia?
April 11–13: Washington, D.C.
April 14: New York City
April 19–24: Newcastle
April 27: Amsterdam (King’s Day)
April 28–29: Radhadesh
May 1–4: Newcastle
May 5–6: Birmingham 24-Hour Kirtan
May 7–14: Newcastle, Sheffield, and Leeds
May 15?–July 15: Paris
July 16–July 23: North UK
July 24–27: Vaishnava Summer Festival in Lithuania
July 31–August 4: Polish Woodstock
August 5: Berlin
September 26: Newcastle
September 27: Dublin
Chanting Hare Krishna in New York City
It
was very cold the end of December and beginning of January in New
York City. As I was recovering from being sick I just chanted four
hours the first four days of the year. For two days I had to switch
hands every fifteen minutes because the coldness of the harmonium
made my fingers hurt. I did not record many videos during this
period.
From
January 5 to 7 we chanted in Grand Central subway station, the
warmest of our winter venues, where gloves were not required, and I
went back to chanting six hours a day. Because of construction, a venue for approved musicians appeared just opposite from where we
chant so we moved to a new location near the Times Square shuttle
which in many ways proved much better. More people hear the chanting
there, and the corridor is narrower so people are closer to our
party.
Rama
Raya Prabhu led many enthusiastic kirtans as usual:
Here
Rama
Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna and devotees and passersby dance at
the 42nd St. / Grand Central subway station by the Times Square
shuttle (https://youtu.be/8nzO8k1nf5s):
Rama
Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at the 42nd St. / Grand Central
subway station near the Times Square shuttle, and devotees dance with
passersby (https://youtu.be/x4iU82uktN0):
Rama
Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at the 42nd St. / Grand Central
subway station by the Times Square shuttle
(https://youtu.be/GMHh0fH--0A):
Rama
Raya Prabhu leads a very lively Hare Krishna chant at 42nd St. /
Grand Central subway station near the Times Square shuttle
(https://youtu.be/t4IQqkJvw9U):
We
had one new visitor during my last week on the party. A
brahmacari
from
Croatia, Gokulendra Prabhu, who spent a lot of time with the
Twenty-Four Kirtan at Krishna-Balarama, joined the New York party on
January 6 for about a month, a pleasant change for him from gardening
in North Carolina. Here
he
chants
Hare Krishna at the 42nd St. / Grand Central subway station near the
Times Square shuttle (https://youtu.be/PEBmO2wfnf0)
Rama
Raya Prabhu does not like there to be a gap without the sound of the
holy name between singers so some of us try to keep the chanting of
Hare Krishna going while the next singer gets ready. Even in that
interim period some passersby danced with the devotees
(https://youtu.be/NagSbBrgajo):
Here
Bhakta
Josh chants Hare Krishna at 42nd St. / Grand Central subway station
as a man films our kirtan while holding a bouquet from Radharani we
gave his wife (https://youtu.be/89UP8iuncXQ):
Natabara
Gauranga Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at the 42nd St. / Grand Central
subway station by the Times Square shuttle and a guy dances with
Mahotsaha Prabhu (https://youtu.be/sUnPJvYJlkU):
Bhagavata
Purana Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at the 42nd St. / Grand Central
subway station near the Times Square shuttle
(https://youtu.be/AvFDHMDMYXc):
Abhaya
Prabhu, younger brother of Ananda Gauranga and Kishor Gopal Prabhus,
chants Hare Krishna at the 42nd St. / Grand Central subway station by
the Times Square shuttle (https://youtu.be/MEl3XsihcaQ):
Priya
Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at the 42nd St. / Grand Central
subway station by the Times Square shuttle
(https://youtu.be/SIDcClEoBXo)
Priya
Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at 34th St. / Penn Station subway
station on New Years Day (https://youtu.be/WO_zQdpoLew):
Kaliya
Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at the 42nd St. / Grand Central
subway station by the Times Square shuttle
(https://youtu.be/WaVgeMfBlF0):
Abhaya
Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at the 42nd St. / Grand Central subway
station by the Times Square shuttle (https://youtu.be/j1eXh9i8ABQ):
Govind
Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at the 42nd St. / Grand Central subway
station by the Times Square shuttle (https://youtu.be/qgWFxmVS5Jc):
After
our six-hour harinamas
in New York City, Yuga Dharma Ashram leader, Rama Raya Prabhu, speaks
some words of encouragement to his staff and the passersby. On my
last day, he included some words of farewell to me
(https://youtu.be/NeyS36L3VTs):
It
was an honor to be allowed to be part of the Yuga Dharma New York
City party for four months in the autumn season. There are so many
dedicated devotees there.
Leader
Rama Raya Prabhu was inspired to assist Aindra Prabhu with the
24-Hour Kirtan in Vrindavan for many years. Knowing of Aindra
Prabhu’s previous dedication to doing harinama
sankirtana daily
in New York City and of his desire that it continue, after Aindra
Prabhu left this world, Rama Raya Prabhu returned to New York City to
make daily harinama
sankirtana a
reality once again. Rama Raya Prabhu begins chanting japa
every
day at 2 a.m. and finishes well over 16 rounds by the time of
mangala-arati.
He
also takes care of a Govardhan sila
daily.
Because of his determination the party has chanted every day since
March 25, 2012.
Many
devotees assist Rama Raya Prabhu in his service. Ananda Sankirtana
Prabhu does accounting, prepares the newsletter, prints invitations,
and pays part of the rent from his salary in the accounting field.
Josh helps manage things, exterminates bed bugs, organizes
maha-cleanups,
and cooks meals, in addition to playing the drum, and learning a
couple of tunes on the harmonium.
Natabara
Gauranga Prabhu does purchasing and cooking, in addition to playing
the drum and singing. Krishna Prasad Prabhu cooks, plays drum, sings,
and distributes books. Vishnu-citta Prabhu is very serious and very
steady in distributing books. Mahotsaha Prabhu is an ocean of
enthusiasm and is willing to try to distribute a book to almost
anyone. He
also sings and dances with passersby. Gopal
Campu Prabhu is mellowness personified when he sells books and never
stresses anyone out. He
orders books and sets up the book table as well. Kate
peacefully and joyfully distributes books for hours a day. Diane also
does hours of book distribution. Abhaya
Prabhu, a new addition to the party, sings beautifully and plays the
drum expertly. Kanai Krishna Prabhu, temporarily in Germany to renew his visa, plays drum and sings. Kaliya Krishna Prabhu comes for several hours almost
every day and sings nicely. Govind comes after work a few days a week and sings and plays trumpet. It is very inspiring to see the hours of
service all the devotees perform to share the holy name and
transcendental literature with thousands of fortunate New Yorkers and
visitors to New York every month.
To see
what is going on with the Yuga Dharma New York City party, and to see
how you can help them share Krishna consciousness with New York and the
world, click here: http://www.ydnyc.org/
Chanting
Hare Krishna at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville
I chanted with Hare Krishna chaplain, Amrita Keli Devi Dasi, two days on the campus of the University of North Florida in Jacksonville.
Adikarta
Prabhu, joined us the second day, and sold books in addition to
chanting.
The
first day Darrell,
Jenny, Paul, Kelly, and Srivas stopped
by. We also
met
people interested in yoga, meditation, vegetarian food, psychology,
and literature who were happy to learn of our Krishna Club programs.
Chanting
Hare Krishna at UNF we always meet old friends and make new ones.
Thanks Amrita Keli for her enthusiasm to share Krishna on the
campus!
Here
Prabhupada
disciple and book distributor Adikarta Prabhu chants Hare Krishna
outside the University of North Florida Bookstore. Amrita Keli Devi
Dasi, Hare Krishna chaplain at the university, plays the drum
(https://youtu.be/BLOZwLgiD0I):
Here
Amrita
Keli Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna outside the UNF Bookstore,
accompanied Adikarta Prabhu on the harmonium
(https://youtu.be/VMGpdfB-sNQ):
Chanting
Hare Krishna at Krishna Lunch in Gainesville
While
serving Krishna Lunch each weekday to about 1,000 students at the
University of Florida in Gainesville, devotees chant Hare Krishna for
two and a half hours.
Here
Bhaktin
Aris chants Hare Krishna at Krishna Lunch in Gainesville
(https://youtu.be/7XRePP5teCI):
Here
Bhakta
Eduard, a former UF student, who Adikarta Prabhu inspired to become a
fulltime brahmacari book distributor, chants Hare Krishna at the
University of Florida Krishna Lunch during a brief visit en route to
Miami and ultimately India (https://youtu.be/Kt-bkpA1-qQ):
Krishna-kripa
Das chants Hare Krishna, and the devotees who serve Krishna Lunch
play instruments and dance. I do not remember ever having group of
devotees serving Krishna Lunch as enthusiastic about chanting Hare
Krishna kirtan as these (https://youtu.be/0RqOj7_ZyHg):
Devotees
Chant Hare Krishna at the University of Florida Entrance
Krishna
Keshava Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at the University of Florida
entrance in Gainesville during the weekly Friday harinama organized
by the Alachua devotees (https://youtu.be/vnqv7lTtS2E):
Kaliyaphani
Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at the University of Florida entrance
(https://youtu.be/dX_jQXDopNI):
Tulasirani
Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna at the University of Florida entrance
(https://youtu.be/Y-e_3PhFnQ8):
Bhaktin
Christiana chants Hare Krishna at the University of Florida entrance
(https://youtu.be/2wQS10LEZo4):
Krishna
House Devotees Chant Hare Krishna Near UF Campus Saturday Night
While
I was traveling in Europe and the Northeast USA, Krishna House
introduced a new weekly event in Gainesville, the late Saturday night
harinama by the bars across from the University of Florida campus.
Despite temperatures below 40° F (5° C), several students looking
for a good time found it in dancing with our party. I was amazed to
see how many youthful Hare Krishnas were willing to sing on such a
cold winter night in Gainesville! (https://youtu.be/S6SahgHZt7Y)
University
of South Florida Campus Kirtan in Tampa
The
University of South Florida Bhakti Yoga Club was fortunate to have
some of the best kirtan leaders and musicians that New Raman Reti (ISKCON of
Alachua) has to offer play at their campus kirtan, and I share video clips of their kirtans
below.
Although
most of the audience was from the local Tampa nama-hatta, several
students came, including roommates of club officers.
I
talked to one enthusiastic young man interested in Hindu thought who
bought a Bhagavad-gita and
stayed for two hours of the kirtan program, singing and even dancing
as he watched and listened. Another new young gentleman also stayed
about two hours.
Bada
Haridas Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at a three-hour University of
South Florida campus kirtan in Tampa (https://youtu.be/8DpMnj73NIk):
Nanda
Priya chants Hare Krishna at a three-hour University of South Florida
campus kirtan in Tampa (https://youtu.be/KZKGIT2dEDk):
Havi
Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at a three-hour University of South
Florida campus kirtan in Tampa (https://youtu.be/Tf48mEm2jVg):
Jagi
Kirtan Prabhu plays guitar and chants Hare Krishna at a three-hour
University of South Florida campus kirtan in Tampa
(https://youtu.be/zopPMmciUiE):
Bhadra
Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at a three-hour University of South
Florida campus kirtan in Tampa (https://youtu.be/cjdWAXsR_-Y)
Bada
Haridas Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at the end of a three-hour
University of South Florida campus kirtan in Tampa
(https://youtu.be/vTwbLzsWh9I):
Chanting
Hare Krishna in the Gainesville Martin Luther King Day March
Devotees
from Krishna House in Gainesville and New Raman Reti in Alachua
joined together to chant Hare Krishna in the Martin Luther King Day
March in Gainesville. Special thanks to Bhaktin Christiana for
engaging so many onlookers in dancing, Abhimanyu and Animesh for
playing drum, Brajananda Prabhu for playing harmonium, Bhakta Chris
for bringing the sound system, Bhaktin Tess, Kaliya Damana Prabhu,
and Christiana for book distribution, Murali Gopal Prabhu and Daniel
for dancing continuously, and Bhaktin Aris, Brajananda, and Animesh
for leading the chant (https://youtu.be/aMXYpkLfSuI):
Insights
Srila
Prabhupada:
From
Srimad-Bhagavatam
4.20.11,
purport:
“Lord
Krishna says in Bhagavad-gita
that the body, made of the gross physical elements (earth, water,
fire, air and sky) and the subtle elements (mind, intelligence and
ego), is completely different from the soul proper. One should
therefore not be disturbed by the action and reaction of these eight
gross and subtle material elements. The practical process to attain
this stage of indifference is to execute devotional service. Only one
who constantly engages in devotional service twenty-four hours a day
can be indifferent to the action and reaction of the external body.
When a man is absorbed in a particular thought, he does not hear or
see any external activities, even though they are enacted in his
presence. Similarly, those who are fully absorbed in devotional
service do not care what is going on with the external body. That
status is called samadhi.
One who is actually situated in samadhi
is understood to be a first-class yogi.”
From
Sri
Caitanya-caritamrita, Antya-lila
5.88, purport:
“To
inundate the three worlds with nectar is the purpose of the pastimes
of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. . . . Now that same mercy is overflooding
the entire world through the Krishna consciousness movement. The
present Krishna consciousness movement is nondifferent from the
pastimes performed by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu when He was personally
present, for the same principles are being followed and the same
actions performed without fail.”
From
a class on Srimad-Bhagavatam
1.15.27 in Los Angeles on December 5, 1973:
“The
problem which arose in the heart of Arjuna on the Battlefield of
Kuruksetra was solved by the teachings of the Bhagavad-gita. Again, after the departure of the Lord from the vision of earthly people, when Arjuna was face-to-face with being vanquished in his great acquired power and prominence, he wanted again to remember the great teachings of the Bhagavad-gita just to teach all concerned that the Bhagavad-gita could be consulted in all critical times, not only for solace from all kinds of mental agonies, but also for the way out of the great entanglements which may embarrass one in some critical hour. The merciful Lord left behind Him the great teachings of the Bhagavad-gita so that one can take the instructions of the Lord even when He is not visible to material eyesight.”
“We
are taking suffering as enjoyment. Just like in this winter season,
we cover ourself very nicely with gloves, with overcoat. It is simply
counteracting the suffering. But a man who has got a nice overcoat
and gloves, he is thinking he is enjoying. This is maya. He forgets that he is simply trying to counteract the suffering. Actually, he is suffering. But having a nice coat or nice place, he is thinking that he is enjoying. That is foolishness. That is called maya. There is no enjoyment in this material world. Simply we are trying to counteract the suffering. This counteraction of suffering, we are accepting as enjoyment.”
“You
can derive the same benefit as Arjuna by reading Bhagavad-gita. People say that Arjuna was enlightened because Krishna was present before Him. But Krishna is present before you also, by His words, by His sound representation. Just like Hare Krishna mantra, Krishna’s name, it is not different from Krishna. . . . abhinnatvan nama-naminoh. . . . Here in the material world the name and the person whose name, that is different because it is material. If you want water, this water substance or water is different from the name water. You cannot quench your thirst simply by chanting ‘Water, water.’ That is not possible. Because it is material. But you can realize the Supreme Personality of Godhead by chanting Hare Krishna mantra. That is the significance of spiritual and material. Otherwise, how people are satisfied simply by chanting Hare Krishna mantra? Let him chant some other name, material. No. You cannot chant more than three times. Then you will feel tired. But you can go on chanting Hare Krishna maha-mantra for hundreds and millions of years, . . . still you will not feel tired. That is the difference. Therefore His name and He is not different.”
Bhaktivinoda
Thakura:
From
“Sri Bhagavata Dharma Vichar”:
“Therefore,
those who are simply astonished by the powers of anything in the
creation of the Lord, without any factual information of the Lord
Himself, are known as shaktas, or worshipers of the great powers. The modern scientist is also captivated by the wonderful actions and reactions of natural phenomena and therefore is also a type of shakta.”
Jayadvaita
Swami:
Everything
is meant to be done for Vishnu (Krishna) otherwise our activities
entangle us in this world.
Sense
gratification is allowed, but when it goes beyond regulation it
becomes entangling, and even regulated sense gratification is a
problem when not offered to Vishnu.
Feet
means person. Mayavadis fall down from neglecting the lotus feet of
the Lord.
Control
of the mind means fixing it on Krishna’s name, form, pastimes, etc.
The
soul, who has hands but does not use them to serve the Lord, who has
a tongue but does not use it to serve the Lord, according to
Yamaraja, is fit for punishment.
One
who develops love for Krishna is free from the Yamadutas.
Unchaste
mind means not thinking of distributing books.
If
one is fully engaged in devotional service, varnasrama
is
not necessary. But Srila Prabhupada made the point, “If they are
fully engaged in devotional service, then why are they falling down?”
Therefore, he began stressing varnasrama.
It
is not that we can hang out with girls and attend kirtan fetivals and
cultivate love of Krishna and love of this world at the same time.
Get married or be brahmacari.
The
brahmacaris
are
not meant for collecting funds to pay for diapers. If you are
married, you have to have your own income.
Ekada
api (even
once) some commentators say means once a life, once a year, once a
day. Lord Caitanya said that someone who chants Hare Krishna once is
a devotee.
People
who are attached to degraded activities we can encourage to chant
Hare Krishna and take prasadam,
but
we cannot condone their sinful activities and say you can be a
devotee and continue them.
From
another Srimad-Bhagavatam
class
at The Bhakti Center:
“My
men have done it. Therefore I must take responsibility for it.”
That is how responsible Yamaraja is. Our tendency is to always blame
someone else. Yamaraja, as a mahajana [a great personality], showed by example to take responsibility.
If
my dog bites you, I cannot say “My dog bit you, not me.” The dog
owner is the one who is sued, not the dog, because he is responsible
for the dog.
Krishna
tells Arjuna, “Declare it boldly, My devotee will never be
vanished.” Krishna considers, “It is known that I have to protect
the word of my devotee so people will take it seriously.”
Yamaraja
does not wait for Narayana to send the Vishnudutas to say “what is
going on here in Yamaloka?” He recognizes, takes responsibility,
and apologizes for the improper action.
Visvanatha
Cakravarti Thakura takes sva-purusaya,
here
translated as “his own men”
to
be su-apurusaya
meaning
“very bad men.”
Dharma
is difficult to understand, and thus we have to follow the mahajanas.
There
is one devotee who tried basically to steal the temple in Hawaii, and
Srila Prabhupada was very strong in that case ordering his disciples
to sue him.
We
have to be careful not to appoint ourselves to be the disciplinary
agent for the whole world.
Avoiding
responsibility can go way back. “It was the woman You gave me who
gave me the apple to eat.” It can go back to blaming God.
Causes
of irresponsibilty are many: illusion, fearfulness, laziness, etc.
Bhakti
Charu Swami once said, “I am Srila Prabhupada’s dog, and
therefore, if there is something threatening to Srila Prabhupada, I
have to bark.”
Narada
told his disciple the snake, who was being harassed by kids who found
he had become nonviolent, “Don’t bite, but raise your hoods as if
you are going to bite.”
Aleksandr
Solzhenitsyn tells a story during Communist times when the police
were practically all-powerful and would punish anyone. Some police
unnecessarily harassed some older women. Some younger women, seeing
this, chewed them out, saying “These are your mothers. What are you
doing?” The police retreated.
Comments
by Adi Purusa Prabhu:
Your
classes are like warm milk. The truth soothes when so nicely
presented.
It
is wonderful that Krishna is willing to forgive sins. Some people go
away from the association of devotees and the practice of Krishna
consciousness, feeling their sins are unforgivable, but that is not a
fact.
From
a class on Srimad-Bhagavatam
6.3.31
at The Bhakti Center on January 4, 2018:
If
Ajamila could be relieved from sins by chanting indirectly to
indicate something else what benefit is there from chanting the holy
name in the association of devotees for the glorification of the
Lord?
Chanting
the name of Vishnu is mentioned. Not demigod kirtan or mixed kirtan.
Atonement
rituals counteract sinful reactions but do not destroy the seed of
sinful desires unlike pure devotional service.
The
living entity is the servant of the holy name. He does not make the
holy name his servant, especially by using the holy name to
neutralize the sinful reactions of activities he intentionally
performs.
Comment
by Adi Purusa Prabhu: The Christians identify sinful persons as those
who are enthusiastic to perform sinful activities.
Q:
How do we deal with devotees who are struggling with sinful life?
A:
Srila Prabhupada was sometimes lenient and sometimes strict.
Q:
How do we explain how intoxication is sinful?
A:
Srila Prabhupada would explain, “You are already intoxicated and
thus it is difficult to understand spiritual life. Why would you want
to increase your intoxication?” A serious person will understand.
Others may have to hear many times.
Q:
What is special about Lord Caitanya’s sankirtana
movement?
A:
It is prema
sankirtana. Lord
Caitanya is krishna
prema prada. He
is giving Krishna prema,
especially
to those who are chanting the holy name.
Bhavanuvada,
according
to Bhaktivinoda Thakura, is translation of the sense of the thing.
The acaryas
[spiritual
teachers] include explanation of the importance of the verse with the
literal meaning of the verse itself.
People
are very unlucky due to Kali-yuga, and thus the devotees spread the
chanting and the books for the welfare of everyone. They give the
people prasadam
and
invite them to associate with devotees.
Badrinarayana
Swami:
From
“In Defense of the Vedic View” in
Back
to Godhead, Vol.
53, No. 3 (May / June 2018):
“We
do not hide from the fact that Vaishnava theists describe an amazing
universe. But the other side of the equation is the fact that the
materialists have their own set of amazing stories. Thus, the
question is not whether or not to believe in amazing stories; the
question is which set of amazing stories to believe – the Vaishnava
theists’ or the materialists’?”
Adi
Purusa Prabhu:
We
are here to perform sacrifice simply by hearing about Krishna.
The
12 step people say: “The mind is like a bad neighborhood. You
should not go there alone.”
I
like this temple. I don’t like that temple. I like this devotee. I
do not like that devotee. That is platform of the mind and is all
centered around me. The spiritual platform is to act to please
Krishna out of love.
What
does the Gita say
to do about the river of desires entering the heart? Ignore it!
The
purification of hearing from sastra
is
that we learn of another possibility.
Srila
Prabhupada is eternally present. We should use the present tense to
speak of him.
If
we do the best we can, Krishna is pleased. Krishna says every
endeavor is covered by fault.
Some
devotees may still have issues, but don’t criticize. There may be
some dirt, but they have the soap in hand.
The
Catholics talk about avoiding the occasion for sin. There are things
we can do decrease the likelihood of getting entangled in sin.
Associating with devotees is one very powerful thing.
The
nectar is in the service. Do the service with relish, feeling
privileged to have some service to do, and go on in devotional
service.
Focus
on pleasing Krishna.
Srila
Prabhupada would always preface talk of the four regulative
principles, by saying: “If you want to go forward in spiritual
life, following the four regulative principles will help.”
The
Christians say, “Seek first the kingdom of God, and all else will
follow.”
Comment
by Campaka-lata Devi Dasi: There is the practice and the lifestyle
that supports the practice. We have to be careful to emphasize the
practice over the lifestyle that supports the practice.
When
asked by Srila Prabhupada what is the highest service, he replied,
“To do the service I am asking you to do.”
From
a conversation about his
strategy for surviving and sharing Krishna in Western cities:
Throughout
the years of his mission, Srila Prabhupada often addressed the
practical challenges of adjusting the organization of Krishna
consciousness to Western society. In the role of Acarya, Srila
Prabhupada was totally open to practical adjustments. “Preaching is
the essence, Books are the basis, Purity is the force, Utility
is the principle.” In other
words, Srila Prabhupada was saying: If a particular
organizational-strategy works, then let’s do it that way.
In
several conversations Srila Prabhupada mentioned: “It might be
helpful for us to look at how the Catholic Church is doing. It’s
possible that Krishna has shown them some things we can imitate.”
The
Catholic Church has many different monastic Orders. Each monastic
Order was instituted by a powerful saintly personality. The
Franciscan Order was begun by Saint Francis. The Dominican Monastic
Order was started by Saint Dominic. The Benedictine Order was founded
by Saint Benedict. There are also many Orders, in the form of
convents . . . established for women, In our recent experience,
Mother Teresa formed the Convent Order of the Sisters of Charity.
We’ve
noticed some interesting practices within these religious orders. For
example, when a new Bhaktin (a novice nun) enters the convent, the
Order requires the new devotee nun’s family to give a donation of a
large sum of money (sometimes as much as $50,000).
The
religious order doesn’t spend that Laksmi.
The Order carefully puts the Laksmi
aside. Then they tell the new devotee: “If you ever decide that the
Lord is asking you to leave the convent, we are happy to give you
back this Laksmi
to allow you to easily re-adjust to life outside the convent.” On
the other hand, in our Krishna Consciousness movement, it is normal
for young men who enter the brahmacari
ashram to serve Guru and Krishna with 100% of their time and energy
for two, five, or ten years, or longer. . . but then, if that person
feels Krishna asking them to move on to the householder
stage of life, they are left somewhat empty-handed. They have no
resume, no savings, no income – perhaps only a few dhotis
and a pair of flip-flops.
When
this happens, we notice that Krishna’s Perfect Care for his
devotees always makes some kind of arrangement for that devotee to
shift to some kind of gainful employment to begin to be able to
support wife and children.
Recently,
there was a brahmacari
who selflessly served in The Bhakti Center for six years. He was
accepted as a first initiate, and one year later was given second
initiation. Then he began to serve by dressing Radha Muralidhara during
the morning program. This devotee was always the first one in the
temple each day to chant japa.
He steadily followed four regs nicely. His main service during the
day was in Krishna’s Prasadam Restaurant – cooking full-time, six
days each week, for over six years. During those years, the temple
was giving the brahmacari
$50 per week for his personal maintenance.
One
day, this brahmacari
told us he felt Krishna nudging him to change his ashram and get
married. But he had no clue how about how he would be able to earn
funds to maintain himself. He had no means to obtain an apartment
near the temple where he and his new bride could live and continue
their service at this temple.
Radha
Muralidhara’s
Temple is in the heart of Manhattan. Resident apartments within these
Kali-yuga cities
are ferociously expensive. Usually a married couple who feel Krishna
asking them to try to continue to live hear the city temple need to
go out and get karmi
jobs. Once someone makes a commitment to a karmi
job, they have to virtually sell-their-souls to a karmi
boss for at least eight hours each day in order to be able to pay
rent for an apartment near the temple. The commitment to a full-time
karmi
job means less time for sadhana,
less time for service to the temple, less time to devote to helping
to push on Lord Caitanya’s Mission. More often than not, newly
married couples are not able to afford to continue to live near the
city temple. Financial considerations, often force them to move far,
far away from the temple . . . far from the middle of the city. They
are forced to move to less expensive residential areas like New
Jersey, or Brooklyn, or even move to some place like Mayapur.
By
Krishna’s Grace, at the time when this devotee changed ashrams and
needed a place to live and an income, we had already been taking care
of Krishna’s Bed and Breakfast Guest Room Program near the temple
for several years. Krishna in in His Abundant Mercy, allowed us to
help this sincere brahamacari-turned-householder.
We borrowed Laksmi
and rented a four bedroom, duplex apartment two short blocks away
from Radha Muralidhara’s
temple.
The
devotee and his new wife lived on one floor of the duplex. On the
other floor there were three extra bedrooms. The three bedrooms
served as bed and breakfast guest rooms. This bed and breakfast guest
room ministry is an interesting preaching experiment. People come to
stay as guests with the devotees for a few days or a week. The
devotees in residence serve as hosts. The couple is able to decorate
the guest rooms nicely with devotional pictures, play devotional
music in the dining area, provide nice Krishna Prasadam for
breakfast, keep the place spotlessly clean, and welcome Krishna’s
guests, with just a few hours of service for the guest program each
day. They are able to have a substantial income and are able to have
time to continue their sadhana
and service at the nearby temple.
The
cost for guests in each of three guest rooms is $145 per night. The
guest room income pays the rent and also provides nicely for the
financial maintenance of the devotees. If you feel Krishna attracting
you to look further into this guest program ministry, please feel
free to contact us or come to stay with us for awhile to see it in
operation, first hand.
This
is an interesting preaching strategy that other devotees might also
easily adapt. It might help them live near one of our city temples
within an expensive Western cities like New York. By Krishna’s
Grace, over the past sixteen years we have been able to share this
strategy with other devotees. We can give you many more details about
how this strategy works. This system has worked nicely for many
devotees. There is some austerity involved. But for some devotees
this is working very nicely. Srila Prabhupada asked us to double our
service every year. We find ourselves so fully engaged it is hard to
imagine how to double our service unless we train up someone else to
do what we are doing,
Please
help us to double our service by introducing you to Krishna’s bed
and breakfast guest room program.
Contact
Adi
in New York Interfaith Community Services (http://www.untotheleastofthybrethren.org)
Adikarta
Prabhu:
Krishna
was not satisfied in Dvaraka because He had to be very formal there.
Krishna
apparently goes to Dvakara, but He still remains living in the hearts
and minds of the residents of Vrindavan. Thus it is said He never
leaves Vrindavan.
Although
He was the greatest scholar Lord Caitanya only left eight verses, and
He left to the Goswamis
the task of writing many authoritative books on the science of
Krishna consciousness.
The
pastime of the residents of Vrindavan meeting Krishna again at the
solar eclipse happened after Balarama went to Vrindavan to pacify the
residents and before the Rajusuya sacrifice and the Pandava’s
losing their kingdom.
Although
Radharani cooks a feast for Krishna in the morning, He does not eat
too much as He does not want to appear greedy. That contrasts with
Lord Caitanya, who at one point, eats a whole roomful of food.
We
have to find out about Krishna by studying the books of the Six
Goswamis. This knowledge will not just manifest in our minds.
Unlike
the eight principal queens, the sixteen thousand queens, because they
had heard about Krishna from Uddhava, who had been to Vrindavan,
developed a special affection for the lotus feet of Krishna like the
residents of Vrindavan.
Mother
Mukhya:
From
the morning announcements:
Nothing
regularly happens unless someone takes personal responsibility to
make sure it goes on every week. Thus we are grateful to Krishna
Keshava Prabhu for maintaining our weekly Friday harinama
for
so many years.
Nagaraja
Prabhu:
In
the book Varnasrama
Dharma by
Hare Krishna Dasi there are many quotes from Srila Prabhupada.
Summarizing
Srila Prabhupada’s different statements on varnasrama,
it
seems he is saying that it is impossible to implement varnasrama,
but
it is essential, and therefore, the Krishna consciousness movement is
going to do it.
Srila
Prabhupada makes the point that for the whole world to become Krishna
conscious, varnasrama
needs
to be introduced. Otherwise we will continue to pick up just a few
people as we are presently doing.
In
one instance Srila Prabhupada makes the point that the sudras
do
not need much training, and the varnasrama
college
is meant for training the three higher classes.
Throughout
history philosophers have speculated about how to organize society so
everyone will become happy. Varnasrama
is
Krishna’s system of social organization.
How
do we do the impossible? By the mercy of Lord Caitanya. Srila
Prabhupada did the impossible.
Comment
by Kaliyaphani Prabhu: We had small groups of little ruffians coming
to the New Raman Reti farm to work off their community service hours.
In the beginning they were sluggish and morose, but over the course
of the day, by working with the devotees, they became more enlivened,
submissive, and eager to please, hugging their devotee supervisors.
So the good qualities are there, but they need the right situation to
manifest.
Comment
by mataji: Varnasrama is
definitely the way of creating a situation when everyone feels
satisfied playing their own role.
One
reason Srila Prabhupada proposed varnasrama
communities
is so his followers would not have to interact with the materialistic
society.
Comment
by Sesa Prabhu: Srila Prabhupada’s idea was that all the kids go to
gurukula till
eleven years or so, when their specific tendencies begin manifesting,
and then they would be sent to varnasrama
college.
Ramiya
Prabhu:
This
Hare Krishna chant is attractive to people of all nations because it
is based on the soul.
The
inventor of Oracle databases used his wealth to buy a big house in
the Hawaiian Islands. Sounds good, doesn’t it?
However, he was worried about being disturbed by others, so he had to
buy up all the houses on the island so as not to be disturbed.
Those
who are good at tolerating are undisturbed.
We
all like a good meal, but who eats just once a week? Similarly, we
need spiritual food every day, not just once a week.
Sesa
Prabhu:
The
brahmacari ashram
is a very important
ashram in ISKCON, always has been, always will be.
Jayadvaita
Swami was asked about those to vow to observe brahmacarya
for
one day. He joked that that one day would be the best day of their
lives.
The
Chowpatty brahmacari
ashram
is well known in ISKCON. The first rule to join the ashram is that
you can never say “no” to an opportunity to do service. If you
do, you are out. They summarize brahmacari
life
with five words beginning with “S”:
Sadhana
[regulated
spiritual practice]
Seva
[service]
Svadhaya
[study]
Sanga
[association
with devotees]
Sadacara
[good
behavior]
Comment
by Janmastami Prabhu: Sadhana
allows
us to get a higher taste by being in the internal energy of the Lord.
Comment
by Pran Govinda Prabhu: Sadhana
keeps us fixed on the goal of Krishna prema.
Comment
by Ragatmika Devi Dasi: Sadhana
helps us develop our relationship with Krishna.
You
cannot mix unserious people in with people who are serious and have a
good result.
Comment
by Kaliyaphani Prabhu: Boy is good. Girl is good. But there is
something that arises between them that is not good.
Comment
by Guru Prasada Devi Dasi: I find as I get older I appreciate the
brahmacari
ashram better. It is easier to see the brahmacaris
as
my sons, and I am more inclined to not talk to them unnecessarily.
Comment
by Brajananda Prabhu: We are trained to respect the ladies and to not
talk with them unnecessarily. You see the brahmacaris
who
are the
most
averse to women are the ones who get married first.
The
brahmacarya ashram
in ISKCON developed through letters that Srila Prabhupada wrote to
different devotees.
Comment
by Guru Prasada Devi Dasi: My daughter loves to read and loves
Sanskrit, and I know she got it from the ashram. Thus I am grateful
to Laxmimoni and Akuti for doing that girls ashram for so many years.
Comment
by Ekadasi Vrata Devi Dasi: Those five practices apply to everyone.
Comments
by Adikarta Prabhu:
Sivarama
Swami was married when he met the devotees, and he took his wife back
to her parents because he wanted to be a brahmacari.
Some
married men become hateful toward their wives and blame them when
their actual problem is their own sensual agitation. That is a real
problem.
Comments
by me:
The
brahmacarya restriction
of association with women seems extreme. This verse shows why it is
necessary:
“The
attraction between male and female is the basic principle of material
existence. On the basis of this misconception, which ties together
the hearts of the male and female, one becomes attracted to his body,
home, property, children, relatives and wealth. In this way one
increases life’s illusions and thinks in terms of ‘I and mine.’”
(Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.5.8)
Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati Thakura, the ultimate brahmacari,
had a very positive way of seeing women:
“Please
perceive everything of this world as ingredients for serving Krishna,
for all is actually meant for Krishna’s service. View the whole
race of women as beloved consorts of Krishna and help them to engage
constantly in His service. Do not consider them objects of your sense
enjoyment. They are to be enjoyed by Krishna, never by the minute
jiva.”
I
went to a ceremony of a new Bhaktivedanta Manor brahmacari
being
awarded saffron, and three swamis spoke. Beyond the things you
mentioned in your lecture, these things I found most striking in
their speeches:
From
Bhakti Rasamrita Swami:
Literally
brahmacari
means
one who lives in relationship with spiritual truth. Brahma
means
spiritual truth. Acara
means
behavior, and acari
means
one who behaves.
Tolerance
is very important to brahmacari
life,
especially for living in an ashram. It is a necessity for survival as
a brahmacari.
A
brahmacari
should
not get angry. “Why did he say that to me?” That is not living
in relationship with spiritual truth.
Some
of the divine qualities are cultivated in specific ashrams, but
simplicity is important for all ashrams.
Wearing
saffron helps us to act properly. One will think twice about doing
something not appropriate for a spiritual aspirant.
From
Dayananda Swami:
Lord
Caitanya said that renunciation is the sustaining principle in the
life of His devotees. In brahmacari
life
we learn this renunciation.
The
brahmacari
is
the servant of the other ashrams, and the brahmacari
is
dependent on the other ashrams.
We
are only renunciates because of the support of the other ashrams, and
remembering this can keep us from becoming proud.
If
we can understand the great opportunity we have as brahmacaris,
we can be grateful, and that will help us remain steady.
Bhakti
Prabhava Swami:
The
brahmacari
lives only to serve the spiritual master.
Whatever
it takes, the brahmacari
acts
for the pleasure of the spiritual master.
The
relationship between the brahmacari
and
the spiritual master is one of love.
Vegavati
Dasi:
From
a Facebook post:
“Make
new friends, but keep the old – one is silver and the other gold.”
Rama
Raya Prabhu:
From
a lecture at 26 Second Ave. at our Wednesday program on meditation:
We
consider what we are doing so important [chanting Hare Krishna in
public] that we do it every day. If it is under 55°F we chant in the
subway stations,
which is about 5½ months a year.
Spirit
is such it has no beginning, dwindling, or vanishing.
Srila
Prabhupada was asked in the the sixties, “Why everything?”
He
answered in one word, “Pleasure.”
This
body is on rental from Krishna, so we have to use it properly.
Real
wealth is an eternal asset which goes beyond this life.
As
an actor has a portfolio of the different parts he has played, there
is a history of Krishna’s different incarnations appearing in the
past.
If
we have a friend, it is not that we merge together and become one.
The same is true if we have a beloved. So it is also like that with
loving Krishna.
On
Krishna’s planet everything goes on in spontaneous love.
As
there are fewer people in prison than in free society, fewer people
live in the material world than in the spiritual world.
So
many of Srila Prabhupada’s disciples experienced that he could see
through them.
Once
Srila Prabhupada said that nothing else is required to be done than
to love God.
No
matter what the material world can dish out, if you chant Hare
Krishna, if you take shelter of Krishna, you will be alright.
In
the spiritual world there are ever escalating relationships of love
with Krishna and everyone else.
Everyone
is looking to be in love all the time.
Krishna
does not have to go to the factory. Krishna’s internal energy
supplies what He and all His associates need.
Separating
our loving propensity from all mundane objects and focusing it on
Krishna is the goal.
Purva-raga
is
like love at first sight, although all the relationships between
Krishna and the living entities are eternal.
We
cannot perceive the spiritual energy through our empiricism.
Krishna
has an infallible security system to keep unwanted people out of the
spiritual world so that the spontaneous love there is not disturbed.
In
this age, Krishna is appearing in the form of His holy name. Thus we
try to chant it for six hours a day in public, and in principle, we
could increase the number of hours.
There
is one temple in Vrindavan where they have had kirtan continuously
for 100 years.
Wherever
Krishna appears, all kinds of auspiciousness result.
Christ
preached only three years and made such a different for two
millennia.
Krishna
consciousness is revolutionary because it is meant to change the
course of history.
The
British empire was one of the most bigoted and ruthless of all.
Srila
Prabhupada said the reason for the fall of the British empire is the
British stole the jewels from the deities in the temples in India.
Srila
Prabhupada refused to accept his diploma from the British-run
Scottish Churches college, being a follower of Gandhi’s movement of
svaraja.
When
Srila Prabhupada was preaching in America, there were 90 million
Americans under 25, the baby boomers.
Devotional
service means doing things to please Krishna, and because Krishna is
the soul of all souls, that completely satisfies the soul.
The
ultimate yoga is fully realized love of Godhead.
Q:
What evidence is there that a change is coming?
A:
When I grew up if you said you were vegetarian people thought that
you were queer, and people would litter without thinking about it.
Now many people are vegetarian, and there is more concern for the
environment. Now if you say things against someone’s race, people
object to it, but when I was younger, racial slurs were still common.
Because God Himself has come as Lord Caitanya, there is a purifying
effect. We should not worry about when the change will come but try
to take Krishna consciousness seriously and attain perfection.
When
people ask, “Do you believe in reincarnation?” I reply, “Do you
believe in being left back [failing to go on the next grade in
school]?”
There
are many rich men, but who can say, “I have all the money.” Only
God can say that.
Christ
said a rich man was unlikely to go to heaven. Rich people have a
overly high estimation of themselves.
Lord
Caitanya advised humility. One who is humble can always experience
the mellows of love of God.
Your
chanting will give you your personal relationship with Krishna which
no one can interfere with.
If
you chant you will become attached to it because you can’t live
without love.
Caitanya
Carana Prabhu:
From
“Intention in Tension?” in Back
to Godhead, Vol.
53, No. 3 (May / June 2018):
“The
point of relationships is not mutually destructive condemnation, but
synergistic elevation. We are not here to see through each other; we
are here to see each other through. Keeping this cooperative focus in
mind can make our relationships symbiotic, not antagonistic.”
“Sometimes,
we may want a God-centered relationship, but the other party may not
want to be God-centered or may not act in a godly way. Still, if we
center our heart on God by taking fervent shelter of Him, we can get
the solace and strength necessary to endure the disappointment in
that relationship. Then we will understand that we are acting in our
relationships not so much to serve the other people as to serve God
through them – so our behavior with them should be determined not
just by how they behave but by how God would want us to behave in
that situation.”
Jaya
Jagannatha Prabhu:
The
path of knowledge addresses the root cause of sinful activity, and
thus it is superior to rituals of atonement. Its problem is that
knowledge is only possible in the mode of goodness, and as Krishna
says in Bhagavad-gita,
the
modes are always vying for supremacy, and thus it is hard to be fixed
in the mode of goodness. Therefore, it is not sustainable.
Sankirtana
[congregational
chanting of the holy name] destroys the sinful reactions, the desires
that cause the sinful deeds, and the ignorance that gives rise to
those desires.
Bhakti
comes
from bhakti. Only
sadhana-bhakti can
lead to bhava-bhakti
and
ultimately prema-bhakti.
Jnana
can
purify the mind and senses, but beyond that, bhakti
can
purify one from his identification with matter.
Maya
has
two knowledge features, knowledge of one’s self as a product of
matter and knowledge of one’s self as different from matter. Thus
jnana
is
still a product of matter.
The
light of the soul is like a cigarette lighter, but bhakti
is
luminous like the sun. Thus the darkness of maya
is
dissipated.
If
you are always doing bhakti,
there
will not be any opportunity to commit offenses.
There
are so many people who want to do good for the world, but because
they are contaminated by lust, greed, and anger, what good can they
do? Even if you are fixed in goodness, your good results will
eventually come to an end.
Bad
karma is good because you suffer, and it makes you philosophical,
whereas the enjoyment from good karma distracts you from your
spiritual life.
In
the verse “Those
who, even while remaining situated in their established social
positions, throw away the process of speculative knowledge and with
their body, words and mind offer all respects to descriptions of Your
personality and activities, dedicating their lives to these
narrations, which are vibrated by You personally and by Your pure
devotees, certainly conquer Your Lordship, although You are otherwise
unconquerable by anyone within the three worlds” (Srimad-Bhagavatam
10.14.3), the word jivanti
means
they get life from these devotional messages.
By
the blazing light of your bhakti,
you
can attract the world.
The
ignorance which is the unawareness of the beauty of Krishna is what
Krishna dissipates in Bhagavad-gita
10.11.
Devotees
may do karma and jnana,
but
these should not cover the bhakti.
When
our bhajana
increases,
our offenses will decrease.
Giriraja
Govinda Prabhu:
From
“The Reliable Way to Gain Knowledge” in Back
to Godhead, Vol.
53, No. 3 (May / June 2018):
“Such
an authority is the trio guru-sadhu-sastra
[preceptor-saint-scripture].
They
are like the three legs of a tripod, together supporting the
knowledge of the Absolute Truth.”
“Who
does not know Sir Isaac Newton, the father of mechanics? Even today,
after three hundred years, we use Newton’s laws of motion to launch
rockets and satellites into space. We use his theory of optics to
make telescopes and study the properties of light. We use calculus,
his invention, a special branch of mathematics. His contributions to
modern science are profound. But he said, ‘Gravity explains the
motions of the planets, but it cannot explain who sets the planets in
motion.’ Although Newton mathematically formulated the laws of
motion, he was aware that the origin of such laws could not be
explained. Why the gravitational force is the way it is continues to
amaze the best scientific brains even today. Newton took a spiritual
perspective alongside the material perspective. He marveled, ‘This
most beautiful system of the sun, planets, and comets could only
proceed from the counsel and dominion of an intelligent and powerful
Being.’”
Murali
Gopal Prabhu:
From
a presentation on his model of buddhi
to
a meeting of the Gainesville Bhaktivedanta Institute:
There
are two types of theories of decision making, (1) proscriptive (how
one should make decisions) and (2) descriptive (how people do make
decisions).
Decision
Field Theory (DFT) and Leaky Competing Accumulator (LCA) are two
competing theories. DFT has been around longer. LCA, by Usher and
McClelland, which was developed around 2001, includes the idea of
loss aversion, which I found attractive, and so I will begin with
that.
Researchers
found there is a diminishing return for gain, and that a little loss
causes greater pain than a little gain causes pleasure.
Comment
by Brahma Tirtha Prabhu: In a book called Predictably
Irrational, a
study is reported where at the MIT Student Union they distributed
Hersey’s Kisses for $0.01 and a higher quality Truffles chocolate
bar for $0.15. The better candy was more popular. Then they reduced
the price by $0.01. Free Kisses and $0.14 Truffles, and the Kisses
went faster.
In
the process of making a decision, in time we accumulate additional
factors to solidify our decision. Our imperfect memory of all the
factors affects our decision. Strong factors
must be adjusted to count for more than weak ones. Minor factors must
also be included. The decision can be made at a fixed time or when we
best meet our criteria.
My
proposed adjustments to the LCA model could also be applied to the
DFT model.
Joke
by Brahmatirtha Prabhu: A mezuzah is a scroll of verses from the Old
Testament, which actually have lot of bhakti
in them and which is hung on the home of every Jew. A Jew wanted a
mezuzah on his Lamborghini [Italian sports car]. He decided to
approach some rabbis to obtain one. The two most conservative rabbis
he consulted asked him, “What is a Lamborghini?” The reform rabbi
he approached, however, was excited to hear of the Lamborghini, and
was curious about the model and other details. He asked a
different question,
“What is a
mezuzah?”
Traditional
models deal with the internal factors affecting one’s decision but
do not deal with one’s external environment. I will add this
missing ability to the present theory, introducing with it the
principle of the three modes of material nature.
Anger
appears between passion and ignorance, pictured on the base of a
triangle with goodness on the top, opposite it.
Comment
by Brahmatirtha Prabhu: Sometimes you have to do counter-intuitive
things to break out of a cycle. You would not think that removing
graffiti reduces crime, but it actually does. Similarly if you are
depressed and you take a bath, you will feel better.
Both
ignorance and passion steal away our ability to remember.
Two
comments by Krishna Bhajan Prabhu:
Muhammad Ali used to speak words inciting his opponents to anger, knowing that if they became angry they would make mistakes, and he would win the fight.
People with anxiety disorders can be moved from panic to anxiety in a moment. The one bad experience they remember covers their memory of the many similar situations in which everything was OK.
Those
in ignorance will never accumulate enough factors to ever make a
decision.
If
one has desires, if they are fulfilled one becomes greedy (passion),
and if they are not fulfilled, one becomes angry (ignorance).
The
concept of the modes of material nature is useful because it is so
all-encompassing.
Comment
by Krishna Bhajan Prabhu: You could use the Vedic Personality
Inventory to position a person in the modes of nature, and then you
can assign that which they are attracted to to the same position in
the modes.
Comment
by Prishni Dasi:
The advertising industry is using a lot of ideas from this discussion
of the modes of material nature without actually being aware of what
they are.
Comment
by Tamra Prabhu:
I researched on the Internet, and there is a lot of talk out there
about how external factors affect our decision making.
Comment
by Dhira Govinda Prabhu: When talking to those unfamiliar with the
three modes of nature, I often use these words: inertia
(ignorance), activity (passion), and enlightenment (goodness).
A
study shows that when gamblers are shown an erotic picture they
become less worried about taking risks in their wagers.
Comment
by Krishna Bhajans Prabhu: It is not uncommon for low income families
to spend 40% of their income on cigarettes and alcohol.
Comment
by Dhira Govinda Prabhu: There seem to be two things we are
discussing: The extent one is moved by joy or sorrow, and the extent
one’s conception of gain or loss is based on reality.
If
someone can do the experimental part, I can do the theoretical part.
Comment
by Brahmatirtha Prabhu: The big thing you are doing and what Dhira
Govinda Prabhu was doing is adding values to it.
Comment
by Krishna Bhajan Prabhu: There are studies by Isaac Ajzen showing if
you know someone’s intent, you can predict the outcome of his
eventual behavior. His theory is called “The Theory of Planned
Behavior.”
Comment
by Brahmatirtha Prabhu: When people argue, I propose to offer a
solution as a mediator, and I then advise: “You are arguing over
$1,000. What don’t you stop arguing and just give it to charity?”
That sort of shakes them up and gets them thinking rationally again.
I
need choice studies, showing the effect of the environment.
Comments
by Brahmatirtha Prabhu:
If you want money, ask for advice. If you want advice, ask for money.
Srila Prabhupada told us to find out from the Catholics how to organize things.
Krishna-kripa
Das:
From
a Facebook post:
“I
thanked the lady cleaning around my seat at the Nashville airport as
I awaited my flight to Jacksonville, saying that cleanliness was
important. She expressed dismay at how sloppy some people are. I
smiled and said, ‘They are forgetting it is God’s property and
that they are servants of God, so they should keep it nice.’ She
said it would be nice if everybody thought that way.”
-----
naca,
gao, bhakta-sange kara sankirtana
krishna-nama
upadesi’ tara’ sarva-jana
[Srila
Isvara Puri told Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu:] “My dear child, continue
dancing, chanting and performing sankirtana
in association with devotees. Furthermore, go out and preach the
value of chanting krishna-nama,
for by this process You will be able to deliver all fallen souls.”
(Sri
Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi-lila
7.92)