Prabhupada: 5 Acres of Land

[Guest guest]

<< All very simple, now if you want air conditioning and keeping car etc. you

will need a higher income - means longer working hours and more entanglement,

then best you not engage in this KC.

Dirk:

Not to discredit your contribution, prabhu... it was very inspiring, but I

have a bad feeling with this statement...

First of all to discourage someone to take up KC is not the most KC thing to

do. Even if performed imperfectly or for a short time, none of it goes in

vain, and makes one fortunate. I never heard Prabhupada doing so... He always

had enthusiasm and advice to encourage anyone. I do understand your concerns

and know you have a reason to say so, but to put it like this might give some

people a wrong impression.

 

Comment:

Yes you are correct, some of my old nature - cynical is showing through,

please forgive me.

 

Dirk:

Second of all, it is not because you would want a higher income, that you can

not practice KC.

 

Comment:

It is not that you may want a higher income, it is that you see many things as

necessary and the endeavour to achieve them takes away from a simple program.

We westerners are very spoilt, it is going to be difficult for most of us to

be simple.

 

Dirk:

You know there's different levels of engagement and besides that: wealth is

not a bad thing. But, it won't go together very well with a life on the land

and cow protection. That I think I have clear in my head... maybe you were

referring to that ? Then I'm sorry...

 

Comment:

Do not be sorry, when we have money it is the tendency to support the

non-devotee with it by purchasing things that would be of little use to one

engaged in simple living.

 

Let me use an example, Prabhupada want that we not use electricity, because we

would then be dependant on the electric company. He saw that the devotees were

a little taken back by that and stated what ever is good for pushing on this

movement. I do not think he would object if some how we could generate

electricity our selves (windmill …) then that would be OK. He did not want us

to become entangled in the material world. We can use anything in Krsna's

service, but it must be for direct preaching not because we want a more

comfortable situation.

 

*********************

Prabhupäda: Let people be engaged. Machine means one man or two man working...

That will mean unemployment. Machine means unemployment. The principle should

be that everyone is employed. Either brähmaëa, either kñatriya, either vaiçya

or çüdra. Nobody should become idle and gossiping, and sleeping, then

utilize... This should be principle. Everyone should be engaged in Kåñëa

consciousness, then life is successful. And self-sufficient. If we have got

spoiling living program, these are necessities. Growing, cultivating,

producing, there will be not possibility of, and we don’t want more than the

necessity. If by God’s grace we get more then you can make sale, we are not

going to work for selling purpose. Then money will be there. How to get money,

how to get money? And as soon as you get money, more than necessity, then

sense gratification, then this, that, this, that, then you become implicated.

Ato gåha kñetra sutäpta... ahaà mameti [sB 5.5.8]. As soon as you become

implicated with material want, gåha, kñetra, vittair, ato gåha kñetra sutäpta,

children, wife, friendship, then the false ego, “I am this body and this is my

property,” will increase. For that is material world. People do not know the

end of life, or the aim of life. They are misguided, hence the Kåñëa

consciousness movement to give them an ideal way of life.

 

**************

Brahmänanda: The modern civilization has made everything easy, everything

convenient.

Prabhupäda: Not easy, difficult.

Brahmänanda: Well as far as doing one’s life’s activities, they make it easy

for you, buying in the supermarket, canned food, it’s already cooked, you put

it in the oven, five minutes it’s ready. They have laundry machines.

Prabhupäda: That is not very healthy.

Brahmänanda: Oh, no. But they have made it so that there’s less...

Prabhupäda: They are impetus to catch their disease.

Brahmänanda: So these are the reactions.

Prabhupäda: Yes. The disease is already there, but we have made such a disease

that it will be incurable.

 

Comment:

Both of the above quotes occurred in New Talavan on August 1st. 1975.

Note that Srila Prabhupada says there are reactions for their disease.

Therefore; following of the four pillars (no meat eating …), hearing and

chanting, associating with the non-devotee only to preach (giving your

association but not taking theirs), engaging everything in Krsna's service

solely for the glorification of Krsna and his devotee.

ys, Rohita dasa