Spirituality for dummies

By carucandra dasa

Whether it is because of our seemingly strange hairstyle, our abnormal habits or the fact that we voluntarily steer clear of the activities that mainstream society deems most enjoyable if not mandatory, we Vaisnavas are often asked a simple yet complicated question.  i can not count the number of times i have been asked, “so what is your philosophy all about?” while being expected to give a very brief yet complete synopsis of our doctrine.

Nine times out of ten in this situation i like to present our belief system with a visual aide that i crudely sketch out in front of the curious party to give them a general understanding of what we are about.  This illustration that i commonly use was inspired by a class that my guru, Srila Ravindra Svarupa Prabhu, gave a long time ago that summarizes our philosophy quite well.  My guru, of course, heard this instruction from his spiritual master who heard it from his spiritual master, etc., so it is not a new concept at all but, like all core principles, it is timeless.

At first glance of the diagram (pictured on the right) one will notice that one side is complete chaos while the other side is quite organized.  What one might not notice right away is that each of the two sides started out precisely the same.  i randomly placed twenty five different colored dots on one half and then made an exact duplicate of it for the other side.  Then on the left side i made circles of differing sizes centered around each point.  On the right side i added a middle point and then drew a circle centered around that point through each of the other dots thus creating twenty-five concentric circles.

This diagram illustrates the difference between material consciousness and spiritual consciousness.  Each of the dots represents a person.  The left side of the diagram represents material consciousness or self-centeredness, and thus those dots are the center of their individual circles.  The right side shows spiritual consciousness or God-centeredness, and thus their circles are each centered around the midpoint.

In the material world we encounter many conflicts on a daily basis (some big and some small), but every single one of these conflicts have the same impetus.  The cause of every conflict in this world is that two or more people are claiming ownership over the same thing.  In the diagram this phenomena is depicted with overlapping circles.  The reason i made the various circles different sizes is that some of us claim more than others do…  some are satisfied with a tree to sleep under and a little food while others require a full staff servants to tend to their every whim.  But no matter how small our material desire, chances are that someone else desires exactly what we have.  In many cases even people become objects of other peoples’ desires.  Thus conflict is rampant and unavoidable in the material world.

In the spiritual world there is no desire apart from serving the Supreme Lord, from whom all things and beings are created.  Thus there is harmony instead of conflict.  Everyone serves the true owner of things and everyone lives in complete happiness.

All it takes to transport oneself from chaos to harmony is a change in consciousness.  This is where a lot of people say, “easier said than done” and stop listening, but it is actually less challenging to redirect our consciousness than it is to find satisfaction in this material world.  Although both are difficult, only one is possible and therefore placing our endeavor in the pursuit of material happiness is futile while placing it in the pursuit of spiritual enlightenment is practical.

Since the material world is a mere reflection of the spiritual world, attempts at finding happiness here is like trying to eat the reflection of an apple in a mirror.  Although the apple exists, its reflection is an insubstantial representation of the real thing and as such will provide no lasting satisfaction.  To truly experience its nourishment and flavor, we have to pry our gaze from the reflection and redirect it to the source.

As long as we are self-centered, we will always be trying to find satisfaction in a reflection.  We have not created anything and we cannot truly control or own anything, so any attempts to do so are outside of reality.  But when we realign our consciousness to be God-centric, we see things as they are in their rightful state and experience harmonic reality.

In my experience in talking with people of many different philosophies and cultures, i find that this concept is not exclusive to our Vaisnava doctrine, but is common in most spheres.  All honest religious systems encourage bringing God back into the center of our lives.

But here is where it gets interesting…  although this is a simple instruction and can be understood by a child (or even a dummy for that matter), it is actually also the highest understanding of our philosophy.  All of the Vedas from bottom to top (including karma-kanda) are designed to gradually redirect ones consciousness in this way (vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyo).  No matter what “level” we are on, this is always our compass that leads us to our ultimate goal.  Therefore true intelligence means understanding this principle and applying it in any situation. “All purposes served by a small well can at once be served by a great reservoir of water. Similarly, all the purposes of the Vedas can be served to one who knows the purpose behind them.”(Bg 2.46)

Our conditioning has compelled us to equate intelligence with academic study and achievements, but this idea is not supported in the Vedas.  One does not need to master Sanskrit or scrutinize obscure ancient texts to return to God.  We should not count ourselves out as intellectuals because “we are not good at memorizing slokas”.  On the contrary, we should each constantly exercise our intelligence by continually working on redirecting our consciousness toward the service of the Supreme Lord.  No matter how many slokas we can recite, or how well we can juggle Sanskrit, if we do not understand the principle of having God in the center, we cannot return to the spiritual realm.

Scholastic aptitude has nothing to do with our qualification for spiritual advancement.  To think that we cannot make spiritual advancement because of a material designation is foolish.  Spirit always trumps matter.  Material details cannot limit a spiritual principle.

So with that, i say set aside your material designations, and dispel the illusion of limitations…  when it comes to spirituality, forever endeavor.

Confessions of a Vaisnava tattoo artist

By carucandra dasa

For some time now i have been, in some ways, trying to keep my professional life separate from my devotional life.  When devotees would ask me what i do for a living, i would reluctantly reply, “i am an artist.”  And i would always hope that somehow the next question would not follow.  But sure enough the inevitable words “what kind of art?” were always spoken, and after a seemingly long and awkward silence, i would even more reluctantly utter, “i’m a tattoo artist”.

It’s not necessarily that i am ashamed of what i do, or that i think that is an inappropriate occupation for a Vaisnava (i can think of five other devotee tattoo artists in the state of New Jersey alone), it’s just that i don’t like to talk about tattoos when i am talking to devotees.  i hardly want to talk about them with customers most of the time, but we don’t need to get into that.

Most tattoo artists are very much immersed with their trade and base their entire lifestyle around it, with their own lingo and clothing, and special groups of people who they hang out with.  But for me, it was just another job (which might not be something you want to hear from the guy who is putting permanent marks on your body).  It’s not that i don’t care about my job or that i put less effort into the artwork than the tattoo enthusiasts do, it’s just not what my life is about.  I got into the body modification industry with the aim of saving up for college (the second time) so that i could open a preaching center with a focus on sastric study.  Then i stayed in the business to pay off my college debts, and then continued so that i could raise funds for the Bhagavat Commune.

Actually, i have been a lot of things during my devotional career…  i’ve been a college student (twice), a retail manager (twice), a graphic designer, a hot tub technician (which i spelled wrong on my business card), a plumber, a racecar driver, a musician (in a manner of speaking), an amateur mechanic, a security guard, an adventurer, a world traveler, and a few other things i’m sure i’ve forgotten about.

Although i avoid talking about my occupations among devotees, i never refrained from discussing my spirituality with my co-workers, friends and customers.  So i didn’t keep the two aspects of my life completely separate.  In fact throughout all of my various occupations and hobbies, it was well known to everyone who knew me that i was a devotee of Krsna.  From the time i was in college (the first time), where my friends would come to me to “bless” the popcorn in the study lounge before passing it around the room, to the time i was a racecar driver and my friends told the other drivers that the reason i was so good is that i raced for Visnu, it was never a secret and i was never reluctant in talking about it when asked.

So why was i withholding this from the devotees?  Was i ashamed?  Embarrassed?  Was i afraid that i would be taken less seriously?  Perhaps there was a little of each of these mixed in there, but as i mentioned before i just really do not like talking about tattoos with devotees (with a few very rare exceptions (see photo on the right)).

But recently it dawned on me that withholding this information could actually be detrimental to my preaching.  Since the most effective preaching is that which is shown through personal example, it is beneficial for others to know where i came from and what i have been through.  Otherwise, it can be difficult to relate to me fully.  So although i have a long way to go on my spiritual journey i have undeniably covered quite a bit of ground.

Perhaps the real reason i have avoided this subject matter in certain company is that it, in a way, exposes my weaknesses and vulnerabilities.  But it also shows that i am human, relevant and accessible.

i have listed a lot of things that i have done during my devotional career, and since each of these things can be utilized in Krsna’s service one may ask why i gave some of them up.  After all, if something can be used in Krsna’s service, it should be accepted, not rejected.

Which brings us to the important stuff that i like to call the “stepping stone principle”.  There are two things that need to be understood about stepping stones, and unless both aspects are acknowledged it will cause one to get stuck in an awkward and undesirable situation.  i have heard arguments that focus on either one aspect or the other, but these arguments are futile and i will explain why.

The first important thing to understand about a stepping stone is that if you are on one side of a river and desire to go to the other side without getting swept away by the current, they are extremely beneficial if not necessary.  The second aspect of the stepping stone is that if you desire to get to the other side, you eventually have to leave the stepping stone.  If you set up camp on it or try to lug it around with you, it will cease your further progress.

Each person has their own unique matrix of modes of nature that are layered around them according to their desires and past actions.  This web of material nature determines our conditioned propensities and tendencies.  Our goal is to remove these various layers to expose the pure self, but since each person’s covering is made up differently, each person has a unique process that they have to follow to shed their layers.  Just like if you have several disheveled knotted clumps of yarn, you cannot go through the same exact motions to untangle each knot.  There are common principles that one can follow for each puzzle, but the details will be different.

We each have to peel away our layers one by one starting with the most accessible one.  We learn in the Bhagavad-gita that the way to purify our material desires is to dovetail them with service to the Supreme Lord.  In this way, said activities become transcendental and therefore cause no further karmic bondage. So when we fully dovetail one of our propensities it transforms from material to spiritual and thus the layer dissolves from our covering.  Once that happens, we naturally become detached from that particular material activity and we see the world more clearly having cast away that layer.  At this point, we can move on to our next layer…  Abandon one stepping stone and leap to another.

In this regard i will share a personal example.  i was very much into racecar driving (and have the tattoo to prove it), and there were many aspects of it that increased my understanding and appreciation of spirituality.  At the track, you are very precisely timed down to the thousandth of a second at various stages of the race, so each small and seemingly insignificant thing that you do differently (shift points, launching techniques, modifications to the car etc.) has a big impact on your final time.  This helped me to understand that small things that we may take for granted in our devotional lives have a huge impact on the big picture and that we should be very persistent and precise with our devotional practice to make the most of it.  

And as i mentioned earlier, the other drivers knew that “i raced for Visnu” so it was also good for preaching in a way.  But there came a time when i no longer needed it anymore.  i used it to its full potential, became detached from it and moved on.  Had i continued with it, i would have spent a lot more money, wasted a lot more time and never would have had the property for the Bhagavat Commune.  Thanks to my study of the Srimad Bhagavatam i knew when it was time to move on and i never regretted that decision or felt like i missed out on something.

It may not always be this cut and dry, but one thing is for sure… if we want to make spiritual progress we have to slowly let go of material attachments.  We shouldn’t let them go prematurely or falsely, but once they are no longer necessary to us and we are no longer obliged to them, we should let them go and move on (there is no point in carrying around a bag of stones).

As with any instruction, this must be done with intelligence and honesty.  It should not be used to cop out of responsibilities in the name of spiritual progress.  If we learned anything from Hiranyakasipu, it is that you can not cheat in this game and expect to win it.

Being a tattoo artist has just been another important stepping stone for me.  i certainly needed to do it to get to where i am, and i likewise have to leave it sooner or later in order for me to continue my spiritual journey.

Anyway, if this process can work for a tattoo artist, racecar driver, jack-of-all-trades, skate punk, it can work for anyone.  And anyone who has known me for a long time can attest to my spiritual growth and maturation.  If we follow the process we will make spiritual advancement… we shouldn’t expect drastic results overnight if our endeavor is less than drastic or expedient, but the results will surely come when we sincerely practice.

Godspeed.

Hari, Hari!

The divine connection

By carucandra dasa

Some aspiring Vaisnavas chant japa out of duty, some have a deep taste and connection with their meditation, while others seldom to never pick up their beads.  i have heard many reasons and justifications why devotees neglect japa meditation from “i would rather chant no japa than chant inattentive or offensive japa” to “there is not enough time in the day for that” to “i just never developed a taste for it over all these years”.

The process of chanting on beads or knotted cords is certainly not exclusive to our philosophy.  In fact, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, etc. all have their version of japa mala or brahman threads.  Lately it has even become fashionable to wear said artifacts as jewelry or even tattoo them around their necks or ankles.  As misguided as this may seem (especially on the ankle), it is an affirmation of acceptance if not reverence toward active and open spiritual practice.

We residents of this material world during the iron age of quarrel and hypocrisy are fortunate enough to have an easy way out, so to speak.  In other ages, the recommended means to escape the bondage of this temporary miserable realm were quite a bit more difficult than the simple act of attentively chanting a mantra.  But that is all it takes these days.

Unfortunately we either have a “too good to be true” attitude about it, or we are just too lazy…  we have a tendency to try and cheat the system even when the system is more than fair.  We always want to haggle, even when we are already getting an over generous deal…  “all i have to do is chant this mantra, you say?...  do i have to do it all the time, or can i just do it when things aren’t going so well?...  or how about i just do it right before i die?... will that be sufficient?”

But the purpose of mantra meditation is to redirect ones consciousness back to the divine and away from the mundane…  to gradually shift from self-centric to God-centric.  When one chants with this intention, one’s chanting is effective.  But if one is chanting to alleviate stress and create a better or more peaceful material situation, the chanting will not be as effective.  So if we have a haggling attitude toward it, it may be a while before we develop a significant taste for it.

When Srila Prabhupada started this movement, he put more emphasis on chanting than anything else.  In fact, his first batch of initiates didn’t even know about the four regulative principles until the day before their initiation, but they had each already hand made their own string of japa beads.  This is because the result of attentive chanting is that all of the dirty things are removed from the heart and, as a natural side effect, we will automatically start to follow the details.  If we place our focus on the principle of keeping Krsna in the center of our lives, there will be no need to worry separately about the details because they will come automatically.

It is not my intention to judge or criticize anyone’s personal decisions, nor is it my intention to make anyone feel guilty about those decisions.  What i do wish to accomplish is to encourage my fellow spiritualists to deepen their connection with the Holy name.  No matter what level we are on, there is always room for a deeper relationship with Krsna.  Since the Supreme Lord is ever-expanding, His lovability is constantly increasing.  Thus since there is constantly more to love, there is always room for a deeper relationship with Him.  So, the exercise i am about to propose is beneficial for anyone who wants to try it regardless of their status.

The maha mantra that our beloved Srila Prabhupada has given us via Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is literally a petition to the Supreme Lord, submitting our desire to be engaged in His loving service.  Whether our consciousness is lined up with this meaning or not, this is what we are saying when we chant it.  Of course, if we ask for something, but then fail to accept it when it is presented to us, we are to blame for our lack of tangible results.  Therefore our consciousness should be aligned with the import of the mantra so that it can be most effective.

As far as the “no japa is better than offensive or inattentive japa” justification goes, consider this:  ask any parent if they would have to choose between 1. spending a little bit of time with their child each day, even if they are completely distracted by a television or playing on their smart phone, or 2. not see them for months or years at a time, which would they choose.  Sure, it is impolite and inappropriate for us to be distracted while engaging in our japa meditation, but there is still a connection and an effort.  In time our dutiful chanting will rectify our lack of manners.  But if we fail to even try, there is no connection on our end.  We already know that nama kirtan is the best way to clean our hearts and reconnect with God, so to think that we can come up with a different way is pompous and ridiculous.

So whether you are currently chanting daily japa or not, i propose that everyone who reads this tries this exercise  (i also tried this during a Sunday feast lecture in Philly with some interesting results).  If you are already regularly chanting, great…  you may choose to either add one more round of japa according to this exercise, or you may just perform this exercise on one of the one’s you were going to chant anyway.  If you do not regularly chant japa, set aside five to ten minutes per day (preferably for at least a month straight) where you can sit in a quiet room free from distractions and perform this exercise.

Here it is:  while chanting one round, be very diligent about meditating on the meaning of the mantra.  While repeating the mantra we should be thinking, “O Krsna, for so long i have been living my life without regard for you.  Please show me how to bring you back into the center of my life”.  As the mind wanders, bring it back and keep this as your meditation for the entire round.  Then, throughout the day, keep note of how this exercise has affected your life.  Have you become more peaceful?  More frustrated?  Have you become closer with friends? Have you been alienated?  Have things become more clear?  More cloudy? Have your attachments weakened?  Are they stronger?  Whatever the results are take note of them and share your experience with me or another aspiring devotee.

If the exercise is effective, do it more often as you see fit.

As always, i look forward to hearing about your experiences with this exercise, so please email me at BhagavatCommune@gmail.com with your thoughts.

Hari, Hari!

Independence is an illusion.

By carucandra dasa

i am currently staying in a town where this day is taken very seriously (in a manner of speaking)…  people of all ages travel from great distances to gather on this tourist destination island where they promptly inebriate themselves to celebrate their extended weekend while they barbecue flesh and watch fireworks with their friends and family.  Like all other holidays in America, the “true purpose” of this holiday is completely lost.

But it is not my intent today to talk about how we should take advantage of our day off of work to remember the forefathers of America who declared this country’s independence from British rule…  nor is it my intent to point out the seemingly hypocritical statements made in said declaration, claiming that all men are created equal while the laws at that time very clearly only gave rights to select few men.

What i do want to talk about is that, while the concept of independence is quite alluring, it is completely an illusion.  Whether you are a theist, an atheist, a scientist, a pragmatist or whatever, you cannot deny that we truly have no independence.

Our bodies depend on so many things just to live…  air, sun, water, food, a specific climate, etc. so to think we are independent is simply foolish… yet we work very hard to maintain this illusion…  wars are fought, sacrifices are made, logic is veiled.

Our lust for “independence” is actually the reason we are in this material world.  Our constitutional position is an eternal servant of the Supreme Absolute Truth.  Each of us fragmental portions of the Supreme Spirit serve the Absolute whole and thus the spiritual world exists in perfect harmony.

It is only when we wonder what it would be like to be the center of this harmonic situation that we are projected into the material world.  By definition there can only be one central point, so when another point desires to be the center, there is no longer harmony but instead a terrible cacophony.  But since the spiritual world is perfect, this cacophony takes place in an entirely different realm that we know as the material world.

In this world we have all declared our independence from the Supreme Lord, and even though our dependence on Him is irrevocable, He allows us to accept the illusion that we are on our own and in control.  Some struggle to grasp the concept of God letting His loved ones forget Him and undergo severe suffering in His absence, but this is what unconditional love is all about.  Without the existence of a choice to “not love”, “love” is meaningless.  So out of love, He lets us make our own mistakes all the while keeping us safe from any serious harm.

So the real independence day (the day we chose to try our hand at being the center of the universe), is not a happy day at all…  it is a day we should morn and learn from our mistakes.

When we think about it, we realize that we do, in fact, depend on a lot of things and a lot of people.  But as long as we continue to live our lives with our own self as the center, we will never know true happiness.

Srila Prabhupada started the Krsna Consciousness movement to train his followers to accept God back into the center of our paradigms.  He also gave us a specific process to follow to be able to make this transition of consciousness.

So here is my declaration of dependence…  i hold these truths to be self evident that i am a spirit soul, an eternal fragment of the Supreme Lord, and there is no possibility of existence without Him…  He is my life, my breath, my everything…  currently i am lost because i wanted to pursue life, liberty and happiness separate from Him, but now that i understand the futility of this notion i want to return to His side and again experience true happiness.  Thanks to the mercy of my guru and Srila Prabhupada, i am able to follow a process which will take me back there.