Waves of Devotion

Perception, Contentment and Fake News[1]

The black snake was still sitting on the last step of the ghāṭa. It hadn’t moved one inch since I initially saw it when descending the stairs for my bath. A little fearful, I stopped suddenly and walked fifty meters to a safer spot. I didn’t have my glasses, so I had to squint to see why the snake was seemingly motionless. Oh, it was just a ripped black tire! I had an epiphany.

All problems are perceptual and not actual. I felt threatened by the black snake, but what was my problem? Was it a matter of what was actually there or rather something perceptual—what I thought was there?

The best example of a perceptual problem is death. When we lose what we are attached to, we suffer. At death we seemingly lose our very existence. We are, however, eternal. Therefore, death itself is only the illusion of non-existence and, in that sense, not an actual problem.

Every school of spirituality and self-improvement is based on overcoming perceptual or illusory problems. For example, the focus of the yogic process is to conquer distress and invoke contentment by purifying one’s perception, which is distorted by the static of thoughts born of ego.

Yoga corrects one’s vision by bringing the mind to sattva, which means the true nature of being. The original nature of the mind, which is like a mirror or lens, is one that is not distorted or dirty. The yogic technique for cleaning the mirror of the mind and bringing it to its true state is called meditation. By concentrating on one thought, the thoughts which distort the mind are quelled. The lens of the mind thus gradually moves to the platform of sattva, a higher level of perception and contentment, which are the main symptoms of sattva.

Similarly, in its own way, modern psychology seeks to help solve one’s mental problems by giving one a higher perspective to encounter them. Traumas, phobias, and anxieties, for example, are distortions of one’s thinking and perception. An expert in psychology may help one to identify the irrational patterns of thought that skew one’s perception and cause distress. He or she then helps one to change those patterns of thought hoping to bring one to a higher level of perception and contentment.

The purpose of the law of karma is also to elevate our vision by putting us in situations that teach us lessons to help us better understand ourselves. In that way, all spiritual schools of thought serve a singular purpose: to enlighten us or to elevate our perception to make us content or happy.

I was initially inspired to write this Monday Morning Greetings highlighting how all problems are perceptual not actual by reflecting on the perils of the internet. It skews people’s perception, forcing them to live in polarized views imbued with hate and misery. When it is used in this way it is certainly not a pramāṇa, a valid means of knowing meant to help us increase our perception and contentment. And it is surely not the world where the saintly reside. Śrīla Prabhupāda therefore condemned such media strongly:

“To read ordinary literature and books or newspapers is compared to the pleasure place of crows. The crows, they are very much attached to the rejected refuse, garbage.” (Lecture on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2.3.17, Los Angeles, July 12, 1969)

[1] This is an edited reprint of February 24, 2020.

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Preachers Part III[1]

4. Is Pro-active

Intelligent leaders don’t just react to problems. They understand the problems that may arise in the future and make the appropriate adjustments to prevent them before they arise. In the talk I gave to a gathering of almost eighty “preachers,” I noticed that the audience was at least two-thirds women. I pointed that out and asked, “Don’t you see the problems that will arise in establishing a community if there is such gender disparity in it?” I think the answer was obvious. After my talk one of the teachers belonging to a Bhagavad-gītā university asked my blessings to start a Gītā class just for men. It seems their leader, being pro-active, had already understood the problem. An effective preacher must be pro-active for even today’s success may be tomorrow’s challenge as the world and how people understand things rapidly change.

5. Gives Vrindavan

Good experiences create our objectives or goals. We therefore initially develop faith in the goal of bhakti by a sublime devotional or “religious” experience. To move forward in bhakti with determination, however, especially during life challenges and the doubts that may arise, it is essential that such powerful experiences be renewed. I think that is why Śrīla Prabhupāda established centers in Mayapur and Vrindavan. It is in those places, in my experience, that pilgrims can most readily have the sublime devotional experiences that can deepen and renew their faith. A leader on the path of devotion must be expert in giving Vrindavan. If visiting Vrindavan is not possible, leading deep devotional retreats can also renew our faith, especially if they are based on the teachings, stories, songs and prayers of our lineage, which are based on Vrindavan.

6. Imbibes and teaches the culture of bhakti

I like the following definition of culture, “an environment that is organized to give impressions in consciousness to effectively relate, learn and communicate.”[2] Culture is thus essential on the path of bhakti. Without understanding how to relate appropriately to other Vaiṣṇavas, including elders who should receive natural respect, it is not only hard to learn and develop a sense of community, but more importantly it is difficult to avoid misunderstanding and offense. It is the duty of preachers to embody and teach how to properly relate, communicate and learn. The Caitanya-caritāmṛta is a guidebook for such behavior.

7. Empowers the Next Generation

The main way devotional movements expand is through families that inspire their children to naturally follow their path. Often spiritual movements become enthusiastic about new people but lose focus on inspiring their children in bhakti. They fail to create the appropriate environment and programs for children to grow in devotion. A successful leader never loses sight of the importance of serving the needs of the families within their tradition in a way that ensures that the tradition’s teachings are carried forward by generations of devotees and not just new converts.

[1] I can’t claim that these are “the” seven habits of highly effective preachers. I was asked to share my realization to a gathering of devotees dedicated to teaching and sharing bhakti. They already had many seminars on the subject. These are what I thought I could add to the gathering by my experience.

[2] I found that definition of culture in my notes, but it wasn’t cited, and I don’t remember where I got it.

2. Empowering

A person who wants to widely communicate an important message needs people to assist in that work. It is therefore important to also empower others as preachers. That was Śrīla Prabhupāda’s example. Even though his followers were young and inexperienced, he inspired so many of them to effectively carry on his teachings, even in his lifetime. In other words, he was expert at seeing devotees’ potential, encouraging them, and then engaging them to actualize their potential, even though they were immature in so many ways. Perhaps today we can afford to better prepare and train devotees before we empower them to fully represent the mission. Of course, Śrīla Prabhupāda had no choice but to quickly put his fledgling disciples on the front lines, but he did demonstrate a powerful point—as an effective preacher, he did not hesitate to empower others to expand his mission.

When I traveled and preached in south India in the summer of 1978, everywhere I went the people would tell me that “we have heard of your Acyutananda Swami.” He was so impressive—a young Vaiṣṇava in his mid-twenties who spoke their language, could sing their songs, and expertly presented the philosophy. I remarked at the time that those people, although they had heard of Acyutananda Swami, didn’t seem to know who Śrīla Prabhupāda was yet. I saw, however, no fault in that. Powerful teachers empower students and are happy even if the students surpass them.  Of course, Acyutananda achieved influence in just one part of India, while Śrīla Prabhupāda was preaching all over the world. He was also planting the seeds of an extraordinary preaching mission that would continue after he left. Unlike most missions started by a charismatic leader and carried into the next generation by a single appointed successor, Śrīla Prabhupāda’s plan was to inspire countless devotees, men and women, to take up the mantle of his mission and even manage it after he left.  There were challenges that appeared after his passing, which could be expected. But one cannot deny that Śrīla Prabhupāda’s movement inspired innumerable devotees who have successfully carried his legacy in an unprecedented way, establishing almost 1,000 temples of Krishna worldwide. A preacher must be empowering.

3. Nonsectarian

A preacher should respect all senior Vaiṣṇavas and as far as possible welcome their help as long as they can properly respect and represent one’s lineage. This sometimes can be misunderstood to mean that a saṅga should have an open-door policy, and that one is therefore sectarian if one doesn’t give a seat in their saṅga to any powerful Vaiṣṇava who requests a visit. The term sectarian, however, has another definition. It is also sectarian to enter another saṅga with one’s own agenda rather than serve the place which has welcomed one. It is therefore not sectarian to keep such people out. I try to be non-sectarian and welcome advanced Vaiṣṇavas to enlighten my saṅga and also serve their mission wherever I am invited to theirs. I will relate my experience in this regard.

Too often, I am disappointed. I have welcomed others that request to visit my saṅga and speak but found out their only intention was to serve their own mission. For example, I hosted one mahārāja and some of his followers, only later to be shown text messages sent to one young lady in my saṅga from our guests proclaiming this visiting sannyāsī was the real “rasikā” guru and others were less qualified. Obviously, that person or his followers will never be welcomed again.

We had several good experiences also with welcoming sādhus. I arranged a program in New York City for the respected Vaiṣṇava author Simon Haas (Sundar Gopal), a disciple of Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja. It soon became clear that his only objective was to nourish our faith. He not only refused to accept any donations but left the proceeds from the sale of his own books and any donations he got personally with us. Later I co-hosted several retreats with him in Colombia and our experience was the same—his single intention was to serve us. A preacher should be intelligently nonsectarian.

Next week I will cover the other four remaining qualities of a highly effective preachers—being pro-active, giving Vrindavan, transmitting culture, and preparing the next generation.

As a good leader is one
who can achieve
many great tasks,
much better is one
who can empower others
to also perform great tasks,
and even better is one
who can inspire others
to simply love Krishna!

—Jamuna Jivana Baba (dedicated follower of Śrīla Prabhupāda)—Radha Kunda Harinam Saṅga

A group of devotees gathered to hone their skills in communicating krishna-bhakti, and I was asked to give a talk based on what makes a preacher effective. I thought about it deeply. This is what I came up with:

1. Personal Realization

Most importantly, a preacher must have personal realization in order to effectively communicate Krishna consciousness. Śrīla Prabhupāda defines personal realization:

“Personal realization does not mean that one should, out of vanity, attempt to show one’s own learning by trying to surpass the previous ācārya. He must have full confidence in the previous ācārya, and at the same time he must realize the subject so nicely that he can present the matter for the particular circumstances in a suitable manner. The original purpose of the text must be maintained. No obscure meaning should be screwed out of it, yet it should be presented in an interesting manner for the understanding of the audience. This is called realization.” Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.4.1, purport

But how does one get personal realization? It is obtained by a depth of understanding of the philosophy of krishna-bhakti as taught in one’s spiritual lineage and the sincere practice of what one has understood.

Without such personal realization, preachers will do one of two things. They will either keep the subject in the language in which they received it, even if their audience has a different frame of reference for interpreting that language. Or they will reformat the message for the understanding of the audience and lose its original meaning. An expert preacher, however, must be able format the message for a particular circumstance, as Śrīla Prabhupāda said, without losing its original intent. There is no doubt one of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s most important assets in successfully sharing krishna-bhakti around the world was his personal realization.

Eleven days after Śrīla Prabhupāda left the world, the traditional ceremony to commemorate the passing of a great soul was held at the Krishna Balarama Temple. Customarily, the most senior Vaiṣṇava present is chosen to preside over the function. In this case, a sannyāsī godbrother from an aristocratic brāhmaṇa family, who had gone to the West before Śrīla Prabhupāda, was chosen. Although he was highly lauded for bringing back two Germans whom he had converted to krishna-bhakti, Śrīla Prabhupāda’s accomplishment in preaching in the West far exceeded his own and this seemed to disturb him. That became apparent when he gave the invocation and appeared to minimize Śrīla Prabhupāda in his talk. “I could have done what Śrīla Prabhupāda had done, but I didn’t have the mentality to preach to the hippies.” Although it appeared to be an insult, at the time I somehow was able to reinterpret what he said as a compliment. I considered “What is ‘the mentality to preach to the hippies?’ It’s the deepest level of personal realization that enabled Śrīla Prabhupāda to communicate Krishna consciousness, a very high subject couched in a foreign culture, to those, possessing very little frame of reference to comprehend it.”

Although I think deep personal realization is essential for preaching krishna-bhakti carefully, we must also be careful not to make an absolute correlation between one’s ability to communicate Krishna consciousness and one’s level of spiritual advancement. There are devotees fixed in Krishna consciousness who simply lack the personal nature, communication skills, or emotional intelligence to effectively speak as a preacher to all people. One’s generational, gender, ethnic, or social experience may also be a factor in relating to certain groups. While Śrīla Prabhupāda could transcend that, not all preachers can. However, they may be able to effectively communicate to those groups that are more suited to their characteristics and experience. Still, a level of personal realization is still essential.

Because I consider personal realization as the most essential quality of a preacher, I have spent a whole post on this one quality. Next week I will discuss my experience of the six other habits of highly effective preachers—empowering, nonsectarian, proactive, giving Vrindavan, transmitting culture, and preparing the next generation.