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Krsna times his reciprocation perfectly

Hare Krsna,
My obeisances to all devotees, guru and gauranga.

Over the past few days and weeks, I have found that my mind is taking me on a wild ride all over the universe during chanting. Even to get one round of attentive chanting was a challenge no matter how many times I tried to bring the mind back to chanting the holy name. I have slapped myself trying to distract the mind from unwanted thoughts and tried different things to try and concentrate but to no avail. Everytime I did mangal arati, I would request krsna to give me an opportunity to chant his names but still I struggled. Does this feeling sound familiar fellow devotees??

Today I got this email in my inbox and it is related to how one should approach the holy name during chanting. Krsna timed it perfectly, dont you think? So, I am pasting the contents of the mail here so everyone can benefit from it. I understand that many would have received this mail as part of the distribution list.

Have a read and please pray for me to chant the holy name in a humble and concentrated state of mind.


Approach Holy Name with Respect

So lack of attraction for the holy name is no new thing in the life of a conditioned soul. The conditioned soul wants to do everything other than focusing his mind on Krishna. So while chanting the holy name, to not have taste or to have a flapping mind, which wanders all over, the universe is not a very surprising thing. What the solution is given in the scriptures – kintu adarata anudinam kalusaiva justah svadvikramad tadgata mula hantri. So it is said the solution is kintu adarat anudinam – 2 words are used here. But one very respectfully approaches the holy name and also chants the holy name, anudinam means regularly, daily. Then gradually, it is said, tadgate mula hantri, the disease will be completely uprooted from the heart and one will develop a loving attraction for the holy name. So one should chant regularly. At the same one should approach the hole name respectfully, it is said. In Bhagvad Gita Lord Krishna says abhyasena tu kaunteya vairagena ca grihate – In order to achieve success in spiritual life Krishna says one should perform the abhyasa or one should regularly practice and vairagya, he says.

One should detach oneself. So the mind is like the naughty child who does not want to study for the examination. He wants to study the comics book. So detachment means to convince him to give up the comics book and abhyasa means to make him study for exam. And in order to do that you can give a child lollypop or something attractive for him that will make him study. On the other hand you have to show stick also. If you show the stick then he will be afraid but you shouldn’t make him so afraid that he runs away. He will not study or he will run away with the comics book. At the same time you have to show some lollypop to inspire him to stay and do his work. Similarly, our mind also… sometimes in the name of detaching if one very strongly practices detachment then the mind becomes frustrated totally and the mind doesn’t delight in the spiritual engagement. On the other hand if one is not practicing detachment then the mind starts delighting in sense gratification. So these are the practical problems in dealing with the mind. That is why the shastras are speaking so much about the mind.

So in the assembly of devotees one should learn from one’s superiors how one can bring about detachment, especially somebody who is feeling a very great flickering of mind. Mind is so oscillating that the person is running hither and thither and he is not able to focus on the holy name. He immediately requires a detachment course, immediately. Such a person should hammer the mind with a solid detachment program, like we should rise early in the morning. Get up at 2:30-3:00 o clock. Take a cold water bath and chant sometimes extra rounds before the mangal arati. Or cut down a part of your prasadam and increase your reading of Srimad Bhagvatam. In this we have to have detachment program by which one’s mind will become calm and pacified. So we need a program for detachment. And also we need a program for constant engagement. Abhyasa is regular engagement. One who is feeling to averse to the holy name should chant the holy name more and more. Chant more extra rounds. So whatever is required if we do…, but all these things should be done kintu adarat anudinam kalusaiva justah. One should never get tired in endeavoring to chant attentively. One should go on chanting regularly and with… respectfully one should approach the holy name with the firm hope that many many great souls in the past have chanted properly and have bahavo jnana tapasa puta mad bhavam agatah Krishna says – Many many souls have become purified by this process and they have achieved me. You are not the first one to practice. Don’t think you are put on trial. Many have been put on trial and they have succeeded and then they have gone back to Godhead. Simply follow their footsteps and then one day you will also succeed in calling out the holy name very fervently. Hari nama prabhu ki – “Jai”.


"Chant Hare Krishna and be happy"

Hare Krsna.

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  • Haribol,

    Dear krsna dasa and other devotees,

    I humbly want to share my experience on this. As my mind also loves to wonder non-stop.. Although it has become much calmer in the last week or so - I recall that only two-three weeks ago I had the worst nightmarish thoughts that took me all over the place while chanting. I persevered through that time, but I knew that I had to have a better leverage over my conditioned mind.I am certain that I am not alone who have experienced this.

    So I just wanted to share a new technique that I learned through Krsna's Grace about a week ago or so. This technique is called non-dual meditation. Having only practiced this once, I quickly realized the full potential of this technique to help me free myself from the clutter of the mind during chanting. I do not believe in "stick and sweet" (or the amoeba theory) methodology as I think that it can be quite abusive to one self and become even counter productive. Remember that a conditioned mind can also sense danger, and if the danger is too great our minds may simply produce an even more blinding false ego effect that may be more difficult to overcome in the future... Personally I think that the best technique is that of non-violent nature towards one self. With this statement, I quickly realized that if one cannot have compassion towards himself/herself how can one practice compassion toward others? I also do not believe in torturous methods in the name of compassion that can help one to attain the freedom to chant more or perform more service. Remember that the root of our service has to be love, not torture. I hope I am not defying some long preached practice or a teaching... 

    Please kindly follow these steps while chanting and feeling your mind is going loose:

    1. Let your thoughts come and Allow them to exist freely- do not fight them internally or externally

    2. Focus on the source of these thoughts - the source is your inner most self. Your inner most self does not have any thoughts, colors, or sounds, or tastes or smells... it is simply your soul. It has no material attachments around it. It does not choose one way or another. It is simply a witness to what your mind produces and what your body feels - everything that occurs that we pay attention to.

    3. Every time you have a thought, or a feeling, let it occur Freely, but always bring your complete focus BACK to your inner self - the origin of that thought. 

    If practiced properly you will see that these thoughts and the feelings that we have DO NOT DEFINE our inner most self. These thoughts and feelings are just by-products of our false ego - which is external to our soul (our inner being).

    Example:

    I am chanting and I start thinking about food. My body reacts (imagining the taste and smell) so naturally I get hungry. My mind is roaming and I feel like eating something that I have. My belly is rumbling and I feel like unless I eat I cannot chant any more. So I ask myself (as I am chanting) Where do these thoughts and this experience come from? I say my inner most self, my soul does not require food right now (because I want to chant) and what I am experiencing is on a material level (reaction of false ego). So I simply observe my bodily reaction and the reaction of my mind (my thoughts). At that point I realize that I am chanting, so I re-focus and I move on from being hungry naturally -

    here I free myself from this material hunger by simply observing that I am hungry and allowing these thoughts to occur - but I know that I am more hungry for chanting the Maha Mantra :) and I remove the mind attachment to that physical hunger or thoughts of hunger by simply making an observation of my thoughts (boy my body is hungry) and my physical state (my belly rumble or saliva forming in my mouth).

    The guided, non-dual meditation technique can be found online and you can practice this several times to get a hang of it..

    After a while I noticed that many of these disrupting thoughts stop re-occurring...

    Please be kind to yourself when you chant the Maha Mantra, and always chant with love.

    Also please let me know if I am missing something or any other interesting ways to beat this mind clutter in non stick and sugar way :)

    your servant,

    -Ilya

    • Volunteer

      Hare Krsna,
      My obeisances to all devotees, guru and gauranga.

      Ilya prabhu, I appreciate your comments and thoughts. I think the stick and sugar method has its pros and cons like any other method. One has to try and adapt to the method he/she is quite comfortable to calm the mind. I was initially happy with keeping the Lord's form rather than hearing to the Holy name (as recommended), but then I found that concentrating Lord's form in my mind for 2 hours is not possible for me. So, I am now practicing to concentrate on the holy name. Not working for me 100% but I think with Krsna's grace I will progress gradually, one round at a time.

      My mind mainly wanders on topics debating Krsna's supremacy and knowledge and the justification. The debate is mainly on the interaction with my friends about Krsna's pastime and his instructions. One topic leads to others and I am constantly contemplating on giving information to help the other person understand Krsna consciousness. The other person feels that I am preaching but I feel I am not as I am providing basic information on KC. Does providing information also constitute as preaching?

      Yes, my mind do wander on material things, conflicts and arguments with wife and day-to-day activities. This I somehow can over come by bringing my mind back but I cannot seem to control my thoughts on arguments about Krsna's supremacy. is this a good thing or bad thing?

      I came across this lecture by Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja. A bit lengthy for the actual message but it has its impact. Please take time to watch it.


      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwNyEm7KFII


      Hare krsna

      • Hare Krsna!

        Thank you so much, dear Prabhu krsna dasa, for your suggestion and thoughts. I watched the video and find it quite informative. However to be honest I did not get to watch the whole video yet. :) and I will in the next few days.

        I just wanted to add that I do not expect that in this Kali Yuga it is possible for these disruptive thoughts to simply go away or disappear. I find that every day, week, month, and year there are new thoughts and new sinful / offensive reactions. I think that HH Bhakti Tirtha Swami has one of the best messages in his lectures on Madhurya Kadambini (that I recently started listening to). I think he has one of the best sensible approaches and understanding I have ever heard.

        I think that there is nothing wrong with sharing knowledge, information or techniques taught to us by our acaryas.  I find that even non-devotees have taught me a lot about my own devotional life, what to speak of the messages and teachings shared by devotees and spiritual masters - they are priceless! 

        Haribol! 

        Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare!

        Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare!

        your servant,

        -Ilya

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