Three components for a secure spiritual life

[Gauracandra]

This week’s Srila Sidhaswarupananda television program appears to be part of the Philippine lecture series. It is in a Q&A format.

 

Audience member: How can I know if I am doing my proscribed duty to God? How can I know if what I’m doing pleases God.

 

Srila Siddhaswarupananda: This is a good question. How can we know that the direction in one’s life is pleasing to God? First we must understand that we are God’s servant. We cannot be anything other than that. Since all energy is God’s, in one sense we are never separate from God.

 

We can understand what is pleasing to God by checking it in three ways: 1) Especially in the beginning when one is a novice one should approach a bonafide spiritual master. If I can find someone who is already pleasing God, then he can teach me likewise how to please God. 2) Scripture is a second way of knowing. 3) Paramatma, or the Lord within our heart, will instruct us on how to please him. Simply pray and listen to the Lord in your heart.

 

With these three things we can live our life in a very secure manner. It is very difficult and very easy at the same time. Once a person finds a bonafide spiritual master, not simply a family guru, or hereditary or ecclesiastical guru, but a bonafide spiritual master, then one can direct one’s life very straight.

 

Some will say all you need to do is follow your intuition. Others will say just follow your guru, you don’t need scripture or self-analysis. But you must cross-validate all three of these components if you are to be sure that what you are doing is pleasing to God.

 

You may think you are listening to the voice of the Lord in your heart but what if it is just your wandering mind, or ghosts influencing you. So even if 90% of the time you are right, then still you are in a very dangerous position. It is more accurate that maybe 50% of the time you will be right. Mental institutions are full of people who listened to their mind. If you are not sure of something in your mind then confirm it with guru and scripture.

 

Scripture also cannot be taken alone. You must read scripture and then understand it internally with help from the Lord in your heart.

 

And guru cannot be taken alone. Tonight I am teaching. You are listening and hearing. But you shouldn’t just take what I’m saying as the truth. You must listen, then take what I’m saying to the Lord in your heart. Contemplate it and verify it against scripture also. Don’t just accept me as a guru. There are so many false gurus in the world. Don’t be fooled by these false gurus.

 

If what I’m saying is true, it is true not because I am saying it. If I start creating my own thing then I am not guru. Truth is there with or without me. But false gurus make it up as they go along

There was one group called “The Children of God” whose leader was taking his followers around in circles. He was instructing his followers to act as prostitutes for Jesus in order to attract followers. “Isn’t Jesus good?” “Oooooh…. yeah… Jesus is great. When can I come back to church?” Did anyone ask if this is what Jesus was teaching? Or Jim Jones. If people had checked in their hearts and with scripture they wouldn’t have followed this jerk. But because of his charisma people followed him.

 

So do not take only one point. Try to appreciate how much more secure you will be if you use all three to validate how to live one’s life. If you have these three, and furthermore if you follow in the footsteps of past saintly persons, then you will be in good hands. I have my spiritual master, he has his, all the way back to Sri Caitanya, and even further back to Sri Krsna himself speaking to Lord Brahma. There is still a lot of work to do. You will have to dovetail your will with that of God. It is not easy, but it is a safe path.

 

[fade out of segment, fade in new segment]

 

How do I become perfectly spiritual? The beginning is simple. First begin by hearing. From hearing will come understanding. Meditate, consider the words, and contemplate. Then hear more. So regularly hearing is important. Set your life up in such a way so that you can regularly hear. You can watch this program, or get some tapes, or join us at the Science of Identity Institute. But try to regularly hear and then apply. We should understand that hearing also means hearing the names of God and chanting the names of God. Anyone can do it. It is easy. It costs no money, we simply give it to you. You can hear and repeat the names of God. Do this regularly. In the morning, throughout the day, and in the evening with your family. This should be daily. Hearing and chanting. Gradually you will be able to center your life around God and become more and more perfect.

 

[fade out, fade in music video kirtan]

[gHari]

I quite liked that. It seems he and I speak a lot about Paramatma. Caitya Guru's importance and glories are often downplayed by Gaudiya preachers. It is only by His mercy and permission that I am allowed to perform any semblance of devotional service to Krsna (indeed, that I can do anything, period). The Gita confirms that for one who has conquered the mind, the Supersoul is already reached.

 

I can remember asking a similar question of Kirtanananda Swami in the seventies at the Toronto New Remuna Temple: "How do we know when we are serving Krsna?"

 

He said there is a perfect answer, a more perfect answer and the most perfect answer. One answer was that we would be engaged in one of the nine devotional processes. The most perfect answer was that Krsna is there and the guru is there. I forget the other answer just now.

[theist]

Originally posted by Gauracandra:

 

With these three things we can live our life in a very secure manner. It is very difficult and very easy at the same time. Once a person finds a bonafide spiritual master, not simply a family guru, or hereditary or ecclesiastical guru, but a bonafide spiritual master, then one can direct one’s life very straight.

 

 

What is meant by ecclesiastical guru?

 

[popkern]

Originally posted by theist:

What is meant by ecclesiastical guru?

ecclesiastical guru refers to a person who became a guru by either appointment or election

 

[theist]

Thanks Popkern

 

I thought it was something along those lines.The Catholic Church comes to mind, although they are probably just the most visible.

 

Just no substitute for the Lord in the heart.

 

But the Lord also misdirects as well as He says He is directing the wanderings of all conditioned souls.Some avoid ecclesiastical gurus as well as hereditary and family gurus but still end up with an imposter.Why is this?

[popkern]

Originally posted by theist:

Thanks Popkern

 

I thought it was something along those lines.The Catholic Church comes to mind, although they are probably just the most visible.

 

Just no substitute for the Lord in the heart.

 

But the Lord also misdirects as well as He says He is directing the wanderings of all conditioned souls.Some avoid ecclesiastical gurus as well as hereditary and family gurus but still end up with an imposter.Why is this?

theist,

 

Haribol! that's an interesting point, i remember a verse in the gospel where a person asked Jesus how will he be able to know if Jesus is really the messiah, Jesus replied that if a person is doing his Father's will, that person will recognize that he is the one who is sent by God.

 

The Lord in the heart knows our desires, if we are sincere and serious in our spiritual life, Krishna will arrange our situation in such a way that we will have the opportunity of meeting His bonafide representative, in the same way if we want to seek mediocre gurus, Krishna will also make arrangements to meet bogus gurus, man proposes God disposes as the saying goes.

 

In the Bhagavad Gita 4.11 Krishna told Arjuna: "As all surrender unto Me, I reward them accordingly. Everyone follows My path in all respects, O son of Prtha."

 

Namaste.

 

 

 

[sha]

Originally posted by popkern:

theist,

 

Haribol! that's an interesting point, i remember a verse in the gospel where a person asked Jesus how will he be able to know if Jesus is really the messiah, Jesus replied that if a person is doing his Father's will, that person will recognize that he is the one who is sent by God.

 

The Lord in the heart knows our desires, if we are sincere and serious in our spiritual life, Krishna will arrange our situation in such a way that we will have the opportunity of meeting His bonafide representative, in the same way if we want to seek mediocre gurus, Krishna will also make arrangements to meet bogus gurus, man proposes God disposes as the saying goes.

 

In the Bhagavad Gita 4.11 Krishna told Arjuna: "As all surrender unto Me, I reward them accordingly. Everyone follows My path in all respects, O son of Prtha."

 

Namaste.

 

 

<font color="blue">Jesus said, "Let one who searches,

not cease searching until one finds;

and when one finds, one will be troubled,

and when one has been troubled, one will marvel,

and one will reign over the All."</font>

 

Thomas 2

 

"Ask, and it will be given to you;

search, and you will find;

knock, and it will be opened to you.

For everyone asking receives,

and the one searching finds,

and to the one knocking it will be opened.

 

"Or what person is there among you,

if his son asks him for bread, would give him a stone?

or if he asks for a fish, would give him a snake?

If, then, you who are bad

know to give good gifts to your children,

how much more will your Father in heaven

give good things to those who ask him.

 

"Thus everything which you wish

that people should do to you,

you should do so to them also;

for this is the law and the prophets.

 

"Enter through the narrow gate;

for wide is the gate and broad the road

that leads away into destruction,

and there are many entering through it;

but narrow is the gate and hard the road

that leads away into life,

and there are few finding it.

 

<font color="red">"Watch out for false prophets,

who come to you in sheep's clothing,

but inside are ravenous wolves.

From their fruit you will recognize them.

Does anyone pick grapes from thorns or figs from thistles?

 

"Thus every good tree produces beautiful fruit,

but the rotten tree produces bad fruit.

A good tree cannot bear bad fruit,

nor can a rotten tree bear beautiful fruit.

Every tree not producing beautiful fruit

is cut down and thrown into fire.

So from their fruit you will recognize them.</font>

 

"Not everyone saying to me, 'Lord, Lord,'

will enter into the sovereignty of heaven,

but the one doing the will of my Father in heaven.

Many will say to me on that day: 'Lord, Lord,

did we not prophesy in your name,

and in your name expel demons,

and in your name perform many powerful things?'

 

"And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you;

depart from me workers of lawlessness.'

 

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine

and practices them,

will be like a sensible man,

who built his house on the rock.

And everyone hearing these words of mine

and not practicing them

will be like a foolish man,

who built his house on the sand.

And the rain came down and the rivers came

and the winds blew and pounded against that house,

and it fell, and its fall was great."

 

Matthew 7:7-27

 

<font color="blue">"And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you;

search, and you will find;

knock, and it will be opened to you.

For everyone asking receives, and whoever searches finds,

and to the one knocking it will be opened.

 

"What father among you whose son asks for a fish,

would instead of a fish give him a snake?

or if he asks for an egg, would give him a scorpion?

Therefore if you being bad

know how to give good gifts to your children,

how much more will the Father in heaven

give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him."</font>

 

Luke 11:9-13

 

http://www.san.beck.org/GoodMessage/Jesus-Har-30.html#2

[theist]

Two great posts.Thank you for your answers.

 

Sha, I am wondering about the very first quote that is attributed to Jesus.It has Jesus saying that one will rule over the All.

I just don't hear His voice in that staement.

 

Of course that may just mean that I'm still deaf.

 

Where is that statement from please?

[Guest guest]

Originally posted by popkern:

theist,

 

Haribol! that's an interesting point, i remember a verse in the gospel where a person asked Jesus how will he be able to know if Jesus is really the messiah, Jesus replied that if a person is doing his Father's will, that person will recognize that he is the one who is sent by God.

 

 

A doubt - please dont misunderstand.

 

If a person is already following Father's will, why does he need Jesus ? What is the use of Jesus to a sinner who does not follow the Father's will ?

[sha]

Originally posted by theist:

Two great posts.Thank you for your answers.

 

Sha, I am wondering about the very first quote that is attributed to Jesus.It has Jesus saying that one will rule over the All.

I just don't hear His voice in that staement.

 

Of course that may just mean that I'm still deaf.

 

Where is that statement from please?

Check out the link I posted above and also

 

http://www.san.beck.org/GoodMessage/Gospels-Index.html

 

It is given under 'Thomas 2'.

 

These are the secret words which the living Jesus spoke,

and which Didymos Thomas wrote.

 

You may also get a thorough explanation from Bible scholors and monks as the quote does seem to have a deeper spiritual meaning.

 

Another quote from:

 

Thomas 3

 

Jesus said, "If those who lead you say to you,

'Look, the sovereignty is in heaven,"

then the birds of heaven will precede you.

If they say to you, 'It is in the sea,'

then the fish will precede you.

But the sovereignty is within you and outside you.

 

"When you know yourselves, then you will be known

and you will know that you are the sons of the living Father.

But if you do not know yourselves,

then you are in poverty and you are poverty."

 

Thomas 5

 

Jesus said, "Know what is before your face,

and what is hidden from you will be revealed to you.

For there is nothing hidden which will not be manifest."

[theist]

Translated by a Sanderson Beck.Okay but who is he?The Gita has been translated by impersonalists and personalists.What is Sanderson Beck view on the Absolute I wonder?

 

Do you know Sha?

 

 

[Gauracandra]

I wonder if the Lord in the heart (Paramatma) can be compared in some way to the Christian Holy Ghost. In Christianity, when one prays isn't it the Holy Ghost that fills one up with the presence of God? Is it like an intermediary between man and God, or is it considered God? I've never had a good handle on the whole trinity concept.

[popkern]

Originally posted by ram:

A doubt - please dont misunderstand.

 

If a person is already following Father's will, why does he need Jesus ? What is the use of Jesus to a sinner who does not follow the Father's will ?

ram,

 

Haribol,

 

The bible verse i mentioned was taken from John 6:17, the Jewish authorities were questioning Jesus' authority in preaching, Jesus replied "Whoever is willing to do what God wants will know whether what I teach comes from God or whether I speak from on my own authority."

 

Regarding your first question what is the need for Jesus if a person is already doing God's will, If that person is already doing God's will the more he will seek a bonafide representative of God, receive instruction from him, and become his servant.

 

On your second question, "what is the use of Jesus to a sinner who doesn't follow God's will?" a bonafide representative of God is the external manifestation of God's mercy, he gives every living entity the opportunity even the most sinful person, to revive his eternal relationship with God.

 

Namaste.