As time passes, we begin to see that devotees also have imperfections. The real challenge comes when we see senior devotees, who are often practicing for 20 or 30 years, acting in questionable ways.
Very nice and relatable article. From personal experience, one of the worst thing we could do in our spiritual practice is to be very relaxed with our seniors because their "imperfections" become glaring to us or they have developed genuine humility after half a century of practice.
Speaking as someone very junior who finds their spiritual shelter in senior devotees, this complacency is a slow poison that warps our perception of all senior devotees negatively. As fanatical as it may sound, making the effort to develop humility and respect towards all your seniors (even if from a distance) really nourishes your spiritual life.
Even just making a sincere effort to develop such humility in the face of adversity really pleases Lord Krsna and His devotees. Thus the essence of Bhakti is personalism instead of impersonalism, the nectar being is that each devotee is very individual.
At what point do we also try to address the problem if we see something wrong happening amongst our seniors? Where is the line between tolerance/humility and duty/justice? The greatest challenge I have faced is finding the line between these polarities - sometimes I have seen silence and tolerance leading to the enabling or continuation of harm being caused. For example, if we see a repeated problem that hurts many devotees, do we practice tolerance and acceptance? Or do we try to address the problem and take action to improve the situation so that other devotees will not be further harmed?
Tolerance is more in the sense of things that mainly affect us, as well as bad examples, without greater gravity. When it is something serious that affects other devotees, we should seek a solution in bringing the case to the proper authorities, or even to the police or the legal system, if that's the case.
Hare Krishna Prabhu ji 🙏 very nice and needed Article . By reading your article I get to know that I am in the second category where i made a benchmark by myself that if a devotee is not like this he is not perfect . I learned by your article that I am commiting somehow or other mistake . But prabhu ji i would like to ask that we heard that we have to make friendship with like minded devotees , so for like minded devotees I have to see a devotee with a set of parameter according to my understanding, for example I like to read or hear scriptures and sharing with others ,so for me I think those devotees who are in preaching or learning the philosophy or are very good in scriptural understanding would be the best for me and i want to be around those devotees . This understanding is also wrong!???
Hare Krishna prabhuji, prabhuji one problem I find is that sometimes I find two senior devotees, whome I equally revere, to have different opinions on philosophical points, this throws me in cognitive dissonance..
Very nice and relatable article. From personal experience, one of the worst thing we could do in our spiritual practice is to be very relaxed with our seniors because their "imperfections" become glaring to us or they have developed genuine humility after half a century of practice.
Speaking as someone very junior who finds their spiritual shelter in senior devotees, this complacency is a slow poison that warps our perception of all senior devotees negatively. As fanatical as it may sound, making the effort to develop humility and respect towards all your seniors (even if from a distance) really nourishes your spiritual life.
Even just making a sincere effort to develop such humility in the face of adversity really pleases Lord Krsna and His devotees. Thus the essence of Bhakti is personalism instead of impersonalism, the nectar being is that each devotee is very individual.
Wonderful and full of helpful advice and reminders. Thank you Sir.🙏🏼
I love this: "We don’t abandon treatment because other patients cough or misbehave."
Yes, the world is full of sick people. That's why we're all here. But we are blessed to know we have a problem! And that there is a solution! 🙏🏼
At what point do we also try to address the problem if we see something wrong happening amongst our seniors? Where is the line between tolerance/humility and duty/justice? The greatest challenge I have faced is finding the line between these polarities - sometimes I have seen silence and tolerance leading to the enabling or continuation of harm being caused. For example, if we see a repeated problem that hurts many devotees, do we practice tolerance and acceptance? Or do we try to address the problem and take action to improve the situation so that other devotees will not be further harmed?
Tolerance is more in the sense of things that mainly affect us, as well as bad examples, without greater gravity. When it is something serious that affects other devotees, we should seek a solution in bringing the case to the proper authorities, or even to the police or the legal system, if that's the case.
Hare Krishna Prabhu ji 🙏 very nice and needed Article . By reading your article I get to know that I am in the second category where i made a benchmark by myself that if a devotee is not like this he is not perfect . I learned by your article that I am commiting somehow or other mistake . But prabhu ji i would like to ask that we heard that we have to make friendship with like minded devotees , so for like minded devotees I have to see a devotee with a set of parameter according to my understanding, for example I like to read or hear scriptures and sharing with others ,so for me I think those devotees who are in preaching or learning the philosophy or are very good in scriptural understanding would be the best for me and i want to be around those devotees . This understanding is also wrong!???
Hare Krishna prabhuji, prabhuji one problem I find is that sometimes I find two senior devotees, whome I equally revere, to have different opinions on philosophical points, this throws me in cognitive dissonance..