Things I wish someone had taught me when I started Krsna Consciousness

A few things I wish someone had taught me when I was starting my path in Krsna Consciousness...

A few things I wish someone had taught me when I was starting my path in Krsna 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 Krsna Consciousness. Instead, keep developing them and use them for Krsna. 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.

- Only 0.1% 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 Krsna 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 apasamradaya 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 Krsna 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 Krsna Consciousness. Devotees who fail to develop deep friendships and keep surrounding themselves with toxic people more often than not fail in the spiritiual path.

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