Living in Mayapur, what a gift!

Cleanse your heart – Part 2

Regularly senior devotees visit Mayapur and are eager to share their knowledge and experiences. It is becoming the hub for seminars focused on spiritual growth. In Caitanya Mahaprabhu's time Navadwip was know as a center for learning and once again with the devotees' desire, this status may be revived.

We were lucky to have H.G. Mahatma prabhu with us for a short while He is an experienced preacher and senior disciple of Srila Prabhupada who is extending his compassion the residents of Mayapur by presenting these seminars.

In sharing a few statements from my notes on these seminar topics I hope that some of you will feel inspired to invite H.G. Mahatma prabhu to your area to facilitate these or other seminars for the benefit of those who surround you. He can be reached via his website, Mahatmadas.com

Fault-finding and Failures

“If you chant my name while disregarding other devotees, it is like burning
cinders being thrown at my chest” – Caitanya Mahaprabhu in Caitanya Bhagavata

We examined our heart to see what is the Cause, Pay off, and Cost, in engaging is something as hurtful to Caitanya Mahaprabhu as finding faults with other devotees. In some cases it is related to self-glorification cause by pride and low self esteem but can also be caused by lack of forgiveness. It is cyclical. Low self-esteem and pride are two aspects of the same defect and they take turn in an evil repetitive dance while inflicting pain on others and oneself.

A vaisnava never wants to criticize because aparadha creates distance between the devotee and Radha, apa-Radha, without Radha. In meditating on others' faults they enter our own heart, it hurts us. Paradoxically, focusing on our own faults helps us. Someone may wonder about the use of a personal inventory of our own defects, is it only a modern concept? According to vedic psychology, as quoted by Mahatma prabhu, defects should be presented to the buddhih, the intelligence, in this way they gradually become burnt. There is ta major difference between examining ourselves or others for flaws of character.

One may ask, what is the solution? Here are some suggestions from the course.

• Work on developing qualities such as forgiveness while the process (Bhakti yoga) is working on us
• Learn to glorify others
• Pray for our pride to be replaced with humility

In looking at how to deal with failures, we realized that we don’t need to wait for others' encouragement to go on with our progress. It can be helpful to remind ourselves of a time when we were happily engaged in service, a time when we exhibited sincerity. It is within us to be again like that.

We were given time to create a prayer to Krishna, one that is specifically addressing our own failure(s). I would have liked to present everyone’s prayer to Nrisingha deva, on a silver platter decorated with flowers. I hope they reached Him. I hope mine reached Him.

We were encouraged to move out of our comfort zone as what we want, our aspirations are beyond it.

“The greatest danger is not that we aim too high and fail to achieve but that we aim too low and achieve it” – Michael Angelo

It is not failing that makes one a failure but giving up! There are different ways to look at failure, the option is always there to see whatever we do as either a success or a learning experience. We should set our spiritual advancement thermostat higher and higher so that it doesn’t act as a boundary to our progress.

“You are your biggest obstacle to your spiritual advancement.” - H.D.G. A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada

Forgiveness

Forgiveness is a feeling situated between humility and compassion it is an integral part of Bhakti. Where there is no forgiveness there can be no Bhakti. This understanding is from Jaiva Dharma by Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur.

“Only when I can properly honor all living entities will I be able to
chant properly and all my offenses will cease.” – Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur

Forgiveness can be seen as giving up any hope of a different past.

By holding on to resentment one can re-experience the hurtful feelings repeatedly. The one who initially caused the pain is free from these feelings; we alone are experiencing the pain again and again. We are self inflicting this pain.

During this seminar some of us realized that it was ourselves we could not forgive due to a belief we alone created. Others had to face their resentment towards others. As the two full days on forgiveness went on, gradually, we could see faces become brighter, free from resentment. Eventually, most of us left without the baggage we came with, or at least lighter.


Forgiveness is a choice. Forgiveness is my choice.

More next time, as I slowly and happily take one step at a time towards Radha and Krishna's Love.


your servant of the servants