A new book: Things I Wish Someone Had Taught Me When I Started Krishna Consciousness
Like in the previous books, I will be publishing new chapters daily, and at the end, the PDF of the complete book will be available. By following the posts, you can read the book as we go.
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From today, I will be publishing the chapters of a new book: Things I Wish Someone Had Taught Me When I Started Krishna Consciousness
Like in the previous books, I will be publishing new chapters daily, and at the end, the PDF of the complete book will be available. By following the posts, you can read the book as we go. Here is the page:
What is the book about?
Some time ago, I wrote a short article outlining eleven conclusions that I wish someone had taught me when I joined Kṛṣṇa Consciousness. From this brief reflection came the idea of writing a book describing challenges that devotees commonly face in spiritual practice and how to recognize them before they stall our progress.
Most of these lessons came to me only after years of trial and error. If I had understood them earlier, I could have avoided much unnecessary pain and frustration on my spiritual path.
This book is my attempt to share those lessons, in the hope that others may walk the path with more clarity and confidence. If just a small part of what follows helps you avoid some of the obstacles I stumbled upon, the effort will be worthwhile.
The starting point is that original article, the 11 points that became the seed of everything that follows. These eleven points have been expanded into the four chapters of this book, with examples, reflections, and practical advice drawn from experience.
Reflection: A few things I wish someone had taught me when I was starting my path in Kṛṣṇa Consciousness:
- Don’t expect our movement to be a perfect society. Even Vedic societies were not perfect. Most devotees are battling their imperfections just as we are battling ours. If we go to a hospital, we can’t expect to find only healthy people there.
- There is more than one way to practice spiritual life. Learn to respect differences and avoid people who think they are the only ones doing things correctly. Often, they are just neophytes wanting to control others.
- Avoid personality cults, they often concentrate the most toxic people. People surround famous people hoping to get something out of it, not out of love. The predominant mentality in most such groups is to exploit, not to give.
- Our philosophy is yukata-vairagya, not dry renunciation. Don’t give up your previous talents or skills when you start practicing Kṛṣṇa Consciousness. Instead, keep developing them and use them for Kṛṣṇa. You may temporarily focus on other things if you join an asrama or start on book distribution, for example, but you should continue maintaining your natural talents to use them in your future services.
- A very small percentage of devotees can remain successfully as celibates for all their lives. Practically everyone needs to enter into family life, and a great deal of our spiritual advancement depends on the result of such a relationship. Plan in the long run. If you decide to join an asrama, don’t burn the bridges you will need later when you decide to enter married life.
- Don’t trust the institution to take care of your spiritual advancement or the maintenance of you and your family. The institution is an impersonal being; it can’t maintain anyone. Instead, depend on individual devotees whom you feel you can trust. Don’t surrender to the institution, surrender to Kṛṣṇa and His devotees.
- Don’t automatically trust anyone just because this person is famous or is in a high position. Often, materialistic persons get into high positions simply because they are the ones who want and are prepared to fight for such positions. The fact that someone is in a high position is just one more reason to examine him or her carefully before depositing your trust.
- Don’t blindly follow the guru. There is an entire apasampradaya of blind followers, called the kartabaja. Don’t be a blind follower. Instead, try to understand the instructions of the guru and apply them in your life. A bona fide guru doesn’t want some incapable dependent children around him; he wants his disciples to grow and become responsible devotees.
- Relationship with the guru doesn’t mean physical proximity, but spiritual connection. Although these two things can be simultaneously present, they are quite different. One may be living under the same roof with the guru and be very distant from him, while others may always be with him, although thousands of miles apart. Even a guru who has left the planet can continue guiding disciples who are truly connected with him.
- Get a good grasp of the philosophy of Kṛṣṇa Consciousness early on, and after that, continue studying regularly and hearing devotees whom you respect. Don’t cut into your studying or japa time to do more service. Everything should have its time. There is no point in taking from the foundation of the house to build the roof; it will collapse later.
- Find good friends, and surround yourself with like-minded people. Good friends whom we can trust are the most important asset in Kṛṣṇa Consciousness. Devotees who fail to develop deep friendships and keep surrounding themselves with toxic people more often than not fail in the spiritual path.
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