Envy, material desires, false ego, and harsh speech
When I noticed that my mind was trying to find faults with my Spiritual Master, who is actually the Lord personally who has come to save me - who is an expansion of my supersoul, I was disturbed.
How have I become so degraded and fallen that my envy is being directed towards fault finding even in the person who is my well wisher eternally, who is my Lord, who is my worshipable Diety, for whose pleasure I am striving and trying to chant offenselessly, for whose service I am hankering?
Does the soul choose to wear envy as an ornament? Or is envy a covering that automatically envelopes a soul who looks away from Krishna? What is envy? How does it originate? How does one become free from the influence of the false ego, envy, and material desires?
When the message of the Bhagavad Gita was spoken to Arjuna, he said, "BY YOUR MERCY, I have regained my memory". So he had lost his memory? His spiritual memory? And he got it back just by listening attentively and without envy to Krishna's words?
The Gita's message cannot be spoken to those who are envious. So we ask them only to chant. Nothing else. Chant, listen to lectures at the temple. Were Jagai and Madhai epitomes of envy? Yes. Lord Nityananda preached to them to just chant Hare Krishna. No philosophy. Just asking them to chant.
By chanting gradually the envy becomes less? What if one does not give up envy even after chanting for a long time?
Those who are envious are destined to degrade to the level of cats/dogs and other such species. Can anyone interfere in their destiny? How can it be done?
Should philosophical preaching only be done for non-envious or less envious persons? How can one judge the level of someone's envy?
I was praying today as I chanted - please free me from the influence of the false ego, of material desires, and envy. I cannot be freed from these things, but I can be freed from their influence.
The realizations I am getting while chanting are all due to the prayers of my Spiritual Master for me, and due to his mercy upon me. If I can seriously do inner work while chanting by meditating on how to remove undersirable qualities and bad habits, then my chanting will be sincere and will please my Gurudeva. I should make a vow to stop chanting inattentively - during which my mind is allowing me to mumble a mantra while it carries out its important business of engaging me in thoughts related to planning, memories of the past, and dreams of the future. I must force my mind to give up its restless need for newness and activity by focusing steadfastly on those qualities that I wish to develop and those that I wish to give up. By meditating on blessings and mercy that I am hankering for, and things i want to avoid. The dust of the feet of vaishnavas, the water that has washed their feet, and all the forms of mercy of the Lord act on one's impurities like material desires, envy, duplicity, etc. and gradually make one free from their influence (although these propensities do remain). We cannot remove these qualities from our hearts on our own. And so while chanting we must beg for mercy. Beg for shelter, service, and good association.
As time goes by I will be able to more appreciate the message of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Right now, I will simply focus on trying to chant offenselessly, equipped with my present knowledge.
May I never find faults with others, and be able to check the action of envy on my heart.
How have I become so degraded and fallen that my envy is being directed towards fault finding even in the person who is my well wisher eternally, who is my Lord, who is my worshipable Diety, for whose pleasure I am striving and trying to chant offenselessly, for whose service I am hankering?
Does the soul choose to wear envy as an ornament? Or is envy a covering that automatically envelopes a soul who looks away from Krishna? What is envy? How does it originate? How does one become free from the influence of the false ego, envy, and material desires?
When the message of the Bhagavad Gita was spoken to Arjuna, he said, "BY YOUR MERCY, I have regained my memory". So he had lost his memory? His spiritual memory? And he got it back just by listening attentively and without envy to Krishna's words?
The Gita's message cannot be spoken to those who are envious. So we ask them only to chant. Nothing else. Chant, listen to lectures at the temple. Were Jagai and Madhai epitomes of envy? Yes. Lord Nityananda preached to them to just chant Hare Krishna. No philosophy. Just asking them to chant.
By chanting gradually the envy becomes less? What if one does not give up envy even after chanting for a long time?
Those who are envious are destined to degrade to the level of cats/dogs and other such species. Can anyone interfere in their destiny? How can it be done?
Should philosophical preaching only be done for non-envious or less envious persons? How can one judge the level of someone's envy?
I was praying today as I chanted - please free me from the influence of the false ego, of material desires, and envy. I cannot be freed from these things, but I can be freed from their influence.
The realizations I am getting while chanting are all due to the prayers of my Spiritual Master for me, and due to his mercy upon me. If I can seriously do inner work while chanting by meditating on how to remove undersirable qualities and bad habits, then my chanting will be sincere and will please my Gurudeva. I should make a vow to stop chanting inattentively - during which my mind is allowing me to mumble a mantra while it carries out its important business of engaging me in thoughts related to planning, memories of the past, and dreams of the future. I must force my mind to give up its restless need for newness and activity by focusing steadfastly on those qualities that I wish to develop and those that I wish to give up. By meditating on blessings and mercy that I am hankering for, and things i want to avoid. The dust of the feet of vaishnavas, the water that has washed their feet, and all the forms of mercy of the Lord act on one's impurities like material desires, envy, duplicity, etc. and gradually make one free from their influence (although these propensities do remain). We cannot remove these qualities from our hearts on our own. And so while chanting we must beg for mercy. Beg for shelter, service, and good association.
As time goes by I will be able to more appreciate the message of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Right now, I will simply focus on trying to chant offenselessly, equipped with my present knowledge.
May I never find faults with others, and be able to check the action of envy on my heart.
posted by Vyoma at Thursday, October 15, 2015
<< Home