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Archive for January, 2018

Monday Morning Greetings 2018 #5 – Blank Page Blues

January 29th, 2018

Tuesday
 
I am sitting here trying to write the next Monday Morning Greetings. My page is blank. No matter how hard I try nothing comes. I admit defeat. Today I will simply fill the page with that admission. The problem is clear. Intense travel last month has thrown off my regulation. My sādhana has suffered. And without that it seems impossible for me to come up with something substantial every week. It is the early morning now, my allotted time for writing, but I realize it is more important to leave this task and begin chanting. Hopefully with a stronger practice, I will have something more to offer tomorrow.
 
Wednesday
 
Yesterday I was able to lock in, more or less, to my regular sādhana. Inspiration came. It is always like that. In fact, this process of garnering inspiration to write is in itself the topic I feel inspired to share. The ability to say anything of minimal merit in bhakti comes only by Krishna’s mercy in reciprocation for one’s fixed devotional service, especially the chanting of Hare Krishna. Without that, I have nothing to say. Immediately four references came to mind to support my thinking:
 
From the Gītā:
 
“To those who are constantly devoted to serving Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me.” (Bg. 10.10)
 
From Caitanya-caritāmṛta:
 
The devotees assembled in Puri were astounded by the beauty and depth of Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī’s poetry. In fact, his poetical compositions were so profound that they even revealed the inner thoughts of Lord Caitanya. They began inquiring among themselves how such compositions were even possible. Śrī Caitanya revealed the answer later to Rāmānanda Rāya—that He had met Śrī Rūpa previously at Prayāga and was attracted and satisfied by his attitude of service. [1]
 
From Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta:
 
A pious professor came to Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta to resolve some deep intellectual quandary. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta was busy when he came, so he asked the professor to help polish the brass in the deity room until he was free to speak to him. After an hour Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta called him and informed the professor that he was still busy, but if he could kindly return the next day surely he would answer his question. The professor agreed. When the professor came the next day, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta was again busy and once more directed the professor to the deity room to polish the brass, but assured him that this time he would definitely meet him. True to his word an hour later he summoned the professor and informed him that he was ready to answer any inquiry. The professor, however, surprisingly replied that there was no need. He explained how suddenly in the morning while he was polishing brass he had an epiphany and the answer came. Of course, dialectic is a very important aspect of devotional service. What the story illustrates, however, is that grace invoked by service is also an essential aspect of enlightenment and revelation.
 
Friday
 
It took some time but my practices are coming back to standard. Many ideas are coming. Next week I just have to choose one of them. There is an interesting discussion on pratiṣṭhā prayāsā, over endeavor for fame, which Sanātana Gosvāmī at the conclusion of the Hari-bhakti-vilāsa writes is the greatest obstacle to bhakti. Perhaps I will write about that. I also am inspired to describe the spiritual world according to Śrī Rūpa’s revelation about the nāṭaka śāstra, the scripture pertaining to the composition of drama. Some time I would also like to write a provocative piece entitled “The Poison of Post-modernism”. For now I will just finish editing this. By the mercy of the holy name I no longer have the Blank Page Blues.
 


 
[1] Cc, Antya-līlā 1.197
 
 

Monday Morning Greetings 2018 #4 – Logos, Logic, and Prasādam

January 22nd, 2018

Have you ever gone on a “word journey”? I made the term up, but I really think it is an apropos name for my engagement with the word “logos”. That journey began when I heard it used in a particular context in a lecture and was inspired to begin a search for the root of its meaning. I then began a correspondence about the term with a friend who is a professor of Philosophy. I thought a lot about it since and feel that I gained some very important and practical insights from that journey that I would like to share.
 
Here is the basic notion of logos, as my friend presented it in our conversation:
 
“Originally, ‘logos’ meant something like rationale, reasoning, or account. So if you gave a speech or made a case for something that would be your logos. The pre-Socratic philosopher Heraclitus adapted it to be the term for a divine world order, the ordering of the world around a rational principle. So, if you were in touch with the fundamental logos, then you could see the world in harmony. If not, it would seem confused and disjointed. Christian authors adapted this idea to say that the logos is God’s divine will that orders the world. And when they say, “Jesus is the WORD,” “WORD” translates “logos” from Greek.”
 
Now let me summarize what I learned from this journey about the meaning of logos.
 

  1. The universe is rationally ordered according to God’s plan.
  2. When you act according to His plan there is harmony.
  3. When you act against this order there is chaos and suffering.
  4. God’s rational plan for the universal order is expressed in words. Such knowledge is called Veda or based on śāstra (scripture.)
  5. Therefore the most important service in society is to create order by the clear conceptualization and expression of knowledge that creates peace and harmony.

 
Based on these principles I also came up with what I think is a reasonable definition of logos that I need to share before explaining my insights: the divine rational order of the world and the knowledge or words that express that. Now I will share the practical insights I gained from this study.
 
Every year I host a retreat in Puri, which is where I am writing this article now. I take pains to organize every detail of the retreat because I have the strong conviction that there is a way or “order” to do things and when executed properly there is harmony and ultimately happiness. While overseeing the retreat in this way I realized how connected this type of effort is to the concept of logos that I was meditating on. The activity of the retreat that best struck me as a way to highlight this correlation was the serving of prasādam. In that regard, I have made an outline below showing that correlation:
 
Prasādam Serving and Logos at the Puri Yātrā
 

  1. The universe is rationally ordered according to God’s plan.

 
There is a right way to serve prasādam that I learned by living in India for over forty years. I believe even practical details like this are ultimately embedded in logos or the divine rational order of the universe.
 

  1. When you act according to His plan there is harmony.

 
The prasādam was served properly and people thus enjoyed the prasādam without anxiety in addition to feeling served or loved in the process.
 

  1. When you act against this order there is chaos and world suffering.

 
Fortunately, that didn’t happen, but just one person who serves improperly would have impeded the quick and gracious flow of serving and caused anxiety.
 

  1. God’s rational plan for the universal order is expressed in words. Such knowledge is called Veda or based on śāstra (scripture).

 
There is a proper way to serve prasādam that is carried down in word or oral tradition in India that I learned from observing the beauty and efficiency of the process by living there for over forty years.
 

  1. Therefore the most important service in society is to create order by the clear conceptualization and expression of knowledge that creates peace and harmony.

 
Before we began I personally instructed the servers on the proper method to serve prasādam. I then carefully supervised the serving to make sure they understood how to do it properly. Notice that we have used language and verbal directions inspired and directed by divine order to create harmony and peace.
 
Below are just a few of the main principles I emphasized.
 

  1. The cook will instruct people how much to serve of each item and in what order.
  2. The servers will carefully and quickly place the modest amount directed by the cook on people’s plates in a pleasant mood of service and move on to the next person.
  3. Ideally the servers should move in a way so they can serve quickly. Best therefore if they can remain bent at the waist so they can proceed without having to bend again and again slowing and impeding the serve out. At all costs they should not put the bucket down to engage with any person disrupting the flow of service.
  4. If people sitting are not conversant in the culture of prasādam serving and demand huge helpings when we first go around, politely tell them that seconds will come, or if they insist just give them a little more and move on.
  5. Remember that the joy of prasādam is not just the sensual experience but also the exchange of love that people feel when being served nicely, which means efficiently and graciously.

 
The result of following guidelines in serving prasādam is that it is served quickly, graciously, without waste and peacefully. Doing it with these principles in mind not only pleases the devotees but also invokes Krishna’s grace on the assembly. Of course this is just one example, but the principle remains in all activities – that if things are done properly reflecting an order that is imbedded within the universe by God there will be harmony.
 
Conclusion: By tapping into the proper ordering of things, and by properly instructing those who are willing to learn about the proper ordering of things, we can be centered on the Lord’s will in any activity and create harmony and joy for our self and others.
 
 

Monday Morning Greetings 2018 #3 – Happy Small

January 15th, 2018

When Saint Augustine, the inimitable Catholic theologian, was asked to name the most important practices to achieve love of God, he thought for a while, answered that there are three, and named them: Humility, Humility, and Humility!

 

I loved Augustine’s answer but had a lingering doubt: What exactly is humility? The dictionary defines humility as having a modest or low opinion of one’s self-importance, but I was not satisfied. A good definition must be precise. It cannot be too inclusive and thus encompass things that it should not. One who has low self-esteem and one who is co-dependent also have a low opinion of their self-importance, but how can a psychological aberration be included within humility? But if they do not constitute humility, then what is the difference between humility and these two conditions?

 

I came up with a simple definition of humility that I think is more precise and thus excludes psychological aberrations such as low self-esteem and co-dependence.  I define humility as “happy small.” In other words, a humble person has a modest opinion of him- or herself but is not disturbed, whereas someone with low self-esteem is miserable about their self-conception. Many psychological reasons may explain why a person with low self-esteem has such a negative outlook, but the ultimate difference between a person who lacks self-esteem and a humble person is that the one with low self-esteem is negative about their lack of self-importance and a humble person is not. A person with low self-esteem is seeking self-importance and thus feels disturbed—and unworthy—in regard to their perceived lack of importance, whereas one who is truly humble embraces their humble position out of a desire to serve others. Therefore, unlike a person with low self-esteem, a humble person sees no dichotomy between their self-ideal and their current position; there is no psychological aberration in their modest feelings.

 

Keep in mind that this is not an either-or proposition. One can at different times have feelings of both humility and low self-esteem. But one should do one’s best to make a distinction between them.

 

What about a person who is co-dependent? Are they not happy to serve their beloved? Isn’t that happy small? Yes, one may feel a certain pleasure in submitting to someone they accepts as greater, but in contrast to one with true humility they does not feel small or humble. Rather, because the person’s identity is linked to someone, their prestige is enhanced and their submission, or so-called humility, is connected to the ego, the desire to have distinction.

 

As these concepts are subtle, and I have long searched for an example to illustrate them. I thought of a good one: Happy small is like the mood of a young child in the arms of his or her mother. As the child loves the mother and the mother is a worthy shelter, the child feeling subordinate is a positive experience. Again, there is no dichotomy between the child’s self-ideal and his or her actual position of dependence, because it is natural for a small child to seek the shelter of a loving mother. Also, because that subordination facilitates feeling loved, the child feels worthy in this dependence. A child’s feeling of happy small is thus analogous to a soul’s humble relationship to God—and more generally to all genuine loving relationships. As stated in Augustine’s Christian tradition, unless one becomes like a child, one cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.

 

I can see that this is a deep topic, far beyond the scope of this week’s column. I have tried to make these distinctions because in this world of proliferating abuse and low self-esteem people tend to suspect humility, fearing weakness and exploitation, when in fact humility is a sign of strength. Only a humble person can resist the impulse of the ego. Humility is a virtue. Let us all pray to feel happy small and honor the dignity of our humble souls.

 

 

Monday Morning Greetings 2018 #2 – The Yoga of Thank You

January 8th, 2018

When I first read the second canto of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam a particular section in the fifth chapter struck me. Nārada inquires from his father, Lord Brahmā, about who is God and Lord Brahmā thanks his son profusely for doing so.
 
“My dear boy Nārada being merciful to all (including me) you have asked all these questions […]” (Bhāg. 2.5.9)
 
Śrīla Prabhupāda elaborates on the deep gratitude a spiritual teacher feels when an eager student gives that teacher an opportunity to speak about Krishna. He goes so far as deeming this the foundational principle of being a spiritual teacher:
 
“[…] Thus the devotee feels satisfied when such an opportunity is offered to him. This is the basic principle of missionary activities.” (Bhāg.  2.5.9, purport)
 
Every first Monday in January I ponder whether it is possible for me to come up with a new inspiration every week for the coming year and then find the time to write a quality essay on it? I become inspired to continue, however, when I consider the eagerness of my audience to read my weekly posts. So I thank all of you for engaging me in this service of writing Monday Morning Greetings.
 
I wanted this posting to be the first of the year because I feel there is no better subject to begin the New Year than gratitude. I miscalculated the date so I am posting it today, the second Monday of the year. Anyway, here are some thoughts on gratitude to begin the New Year.
 
Gratitude is the first budding symptom of the true self.
 
The goal of yoga is to live in the self. What is the self and what are its symptoms? We know the symptoms of the false self, the myriad of selfish desires and concerns connected to the conception of enjoyment and control. I thus think one of the symptoms of the true self must be genuine feelings that express the opposite, feelings such as gratitude. In gratitude we humbly acknowledge the mercy of receiving something that we value that is beyond our own control or ability to attain, an attitude that is the antithesis of the mood of false ego. Therefore I think gratitude must be one of the initial symptoms of the true self.
 
Śrīla Prabhupāda himself recognized gratitude as the foundation of spiritual relationships.
 
When I first became a Hare Krishna monk at the ISKCON ashram in Dallas, Texas Śrīla Prabhupāda soon came to visit. After Śrīla Prabhupāda’s morning lecture, a very tall devotee, around six foot five (apropos for Texas) named Jñāna-gamya, stood up and from his heart sincerely asked, “Śrīla Prabhupāda, how can we repay you?” I loved Śrīla Prabhupāda’s simple but profound answer that highlighted gratitude as the foundation of spiritual life: “Just remain obliged!”
 
Gratitude is the foundation of tasting the holy name.
 
Arguably the singular most important verse for followers of Śrī Caitainya[1] is the third verse of the Śikṣāṣṭakam:
 
“One should chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking oneself lower than the straw in the street; one should be more tolerant than a tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige and should be ready to offer all respect to others. In such a state of mind one can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly.” (v. 3)
 
Śrī Caitanya here equates humility with the ability to always chant. What’s the connection between the two? The only activity that one can do without break is one done in pure love or devotion, for every other activity eventually gets hackneyed or stale. But how to get such devotion? The answer is gratitude—the ability to appreciate and feel love when mercy is bestowed. A simple way to understand this correlation is to consider a spoiled child who feels proud and entitled. No matter how many gifts the parents bestow on the undeserving child, the child never feels or reciprocates its parent’s love because he feels entitled. Similarly, unless we are humble we will never feel God’s mercy in the form of the holy name, nor reciprocate that affection by chanting in devotion. Gratitude born of the mindset of humility is thus the foundation of tasting the holy name.
 
Chanting with gratitude.
 
Krishna hears our heart through the quality of our chanting and that, not just the syllables, is what actually pleases Him. Śrīla Prabhupāda thus instructed us that we should listen to the sincerity of our chanting. Therefore, when chanting, I try to hear myself expressing my gratitude to Him. “Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!” then becomes the meaning or voice of my mantra.
 
Count your blessings! Happy New Year from Monday Morning Greetings.
 


[1] Śrī Caitanya personally told one brahmacārī to wear this verse around his neck and it is the instruction he gave to Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, the prayojana ācārya (the great teacher of prema-bhakti), when he wanted to know the goal of life and the practice to attain it.
 
 

Monday Morning Greetings 2018 #1 – Tapo Divyaṁ-Divine Austerity

January 1st, 2018

When they saw me unexpectedly walking up the entrance pathway to their garden hermitage, the family of my vrajavāsī friend immediately woke him up. He was sleeping outside his simple dwelling on a plain rope bed common in rural India, trying to take advantage of the midday winter sun. I didn’t intend to disturb his deep sleep, especially as he has been struggling with high blood sugar and was taking a needed rest after lunch. I felt sorry for him. When you are ill, except when there is an initial fever, the body generally doesn’t generate much heat. I began to envision what it would be like without heat and hot water as the winter season gradually intensified. Even when he was healthy I could not imagine what it would be like to tolerate such extreme weather without counteracting such harsh conditions with the help of modern amenities such as a heater, hot water and or an air conditioner. But as I was thinking like this, my mind suddenly changed.
 
After all, isn’t this how all people have lived for hundreds of years? I started to see the benefit of such a simple life. When you live naturally you have to tolerate. In other words, you must practice tapasya, or austerity. It is healthy because when there is tapasya one is forced to abstract the mind from the body and it is this conjunction that is the root of all suffering. Modern amenities may thwart some temporary discomforts, but their excessive use is at a price. The major discomforts such as old age, disease, death, natural disasters, and a myriad of life’s challenges cannot be adjusted by a flick of a gadget, but can only be ameliorated by transcendence. The constant and artificial adjustment of the environment to avoid the practice of tolerance spurred by bodily identification only mires one to the body and thus intensifies the experience of pleasure and pain.
 
The long range tragedy of unwarranted bodily indulgence is best expressed in the aphorism, “a pinch of suffering is felt more than a ton of happiness,” which means that for every excess in the avoidance of natural austerity, the congregate amount of life’s suffering increases many fold. And this doesn’t include the mental malaise and even depression that is a result from an increasing disconnect from the soul caused by excess indulgence and consequent bodily identification.
 
In summary: As the soul’s identification with the body is just a mental concept, only by abstracting the mind from the body can one ultimately transcend its suffering. This arises only by the practice of tapasya, when the bodily discomfort impels one to loosen one’s absorption in the body. Let me share a personal example.
 
The austerities I performed my first three years in Vṛndāvana, when I stayed without break, were brutal. Without going into the details, just imagine living through summers in a climate that reaches, at its peak, nearly 118°F (~48°C) with the sporadic relief of an overhead fan, if you could call it that, limited to a few hours daily stunted by continuous electrical load shedding. The cloudy, heatless and hot-waterless winters were no less austere. After three years I returned to the US during the summer and visited my parents. My father took me to the dentist, who was also his good friend.
 
At that time the dentist never gave Novocain or any form of local anesthesia. He just told me to hold his left hand and squeeze if the drilling became too painful. He keep drilling and drilling, but I never gave any indication it was too much. He kept looking at my father appreciating my tolerance. It became clear to me then how much the austerity I performed increased my level of tolerance and enabled me to naturally abstract the mind from the body.
 
I am not recommending by this example that this level of austerity is required; It is just an example of how the mechanism of tapasya works. Living in the extreme climate of Vṛndāvana at the time was just a natural consequence of my service. And that’s the point. We don’t have to impose artificial austerity, but just accept sincerely the austerity of surrendering in devotional service and to live simply accordingly. I found a purport in the BBT’s edition of the eleventh canto of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that succinctly defines tapasya in this way: “Despite the irrational impulses of the mind one should remain fixed in executing his proper duty in life.” (Bhāg. 11.3.24, purport)
 
Anyway, seeing my friend in his simple dwelling and meditating on tapasya has been a bit of wake-up call. I do live relatively simply, but still my sannyāsa/guru life has eased into a mood a little too cushy as the standard of life in ISKCON has been raised considerably from our early pioneer days in Vṛndāvana. I am energetic and healthy for my age, but there is no doubt that at 67 one has entered the end game and one should fear entering that game in the bodily concept of life. I do. I noticed that since thinking about the simple life of my vrajavāsī friend, I have been inspired to follow suit. At least the winter has started and the heater hasn’t gone on yet. Why unnecessarily always fall prey to the call of the mind for comforts when you can practice a little tapasya well within the capacity of your health and mind to endure? I find the instructions of Lord Ṛṣabhadeva comforting:
 

tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena sattvaṁ
śuddhyed yasmād brahma-saukhyaṁ tv anantam

 
“Perform divine austerity that purifies the heart and brings unending spiritual happiness.” (Bhāg. 5.5.1)