Not the Real World??

[Guest guest]

> Dear Braja Sevaki Prabhu,

>

> Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

>

> Thank you for your letter.

> >

> > I'm not sure what you're alluding to here: "those who live in the

> > world."

>

> I simply meant those who are grihasthas and interacting with the material

> world in a different way then those who live in an ashrama. I did not mean

> to make a classification of status. As a grihastha, I personally think

> that those who live in an ISKCON temple and ashrama, and are serving a

> 100% Srila Prabhupada's mission in full sincerity are far better situated

> in devotional service than I do.

 

That's a given, but the altarnative to living outside the temple is not to

learn from conditioned souls how to cope with reality. My point is that as a

practicing devotee, if we find a need for the Dr. Phils of this world, it

means we are not doing devotional service right, because if we were, which

means with the right attitude, even though we cannot live up to the

standard, we will still make progress and obtain peace of mind. I know this

because I have triede it and seen it works. It is not a matter of strict a

devotee you are in terms of following all the rules, it is a matter of

having the right attitude which means you approach Krishna and allow Him to

purify you. If you approach Krishna in such a humble mood He is garanteed to

help you no matter how fallen or incomplete you are.

 

Krishna consciousness does work. It doesn't matter whether you are a

professional working with materialists all day, or if you live in the

temple, it does work, and it works ten, million times better than DG's

program. To enter a vaishnava community and suggest that modern

psychological techniques can be of any benefit, that's like suggesting that

I swop my BMW for your push bike. The only reason a person would do that is

because of a lack of knowledge. We already have the supreme psychological

method and understanding. Our Gaudiya vaishnava philosophy is the only

psychological system on the planet in which a coherent definition of mind,

intelligence and false ego in terms of the three modes of material nature is

given. If we think we can learn about the mind and how to obtain peace and

satisfaction without understanding the three modes of material nature, we

are simply deluding ourselves.