Meditations on Maturity

1. Meditations on Maturity

2. Based on the teachings of Founder Acharya: His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada International Society for Krishna Consciousness

3. Image of Krishna • Animals not made in Krishna’s image • Tailored shirt • Human form unique • Become Godly, not God • Prabhupada reminds us of our original nature

4. 5 Levels of Pleasure Anna moya - food Prana moya - life forms Jnana moya - thinking, feeling Vijnana moya - brahman Ananda moya - bliss

5. Hogs & Dogs Every living being is searching after happiness, but no one knows where eternal and unlimited happiness is obtainable. Foolish men seek after material sense pleasure as a substitute for real happiness, but forget that such happiness derived from sense pleasures is also enjoyed by the dogs and hogs. The human form of life, however, is not meant for such cheap happiness.. SB 1/3/13

6. kaumara acaret prajno dharman bhagavatan iha durlabhah manusya janma tad apy adhruvam arthadam “One who is sufficiently intelligent should use the human form of body from the very beginning of life to practice devotional service. The human body is most rarely achieved, and although temporary like other bodies, it is meaningful because one can perform devotional service. Even a slight amount of sincere devotional service can give one complete perfection. SB 7/6/1

7. Crows & Swans

8. Maharaj Kulashekhar "My dear Lord, just now I am quite healthy, and it is better that I die immediately so that the swan of my mind can seek pleasure at the stem of Your Lotus Feet."

9. “One who is not envious but is a kind friend to all living entities, who does not think himself a proprietor, who is free from false ego & equal both in happiness & distress, who is always satisfied & engaged in devotional service with determination, & whose mind & intelligence are in agreement with Me, he is very dear to Me.” Gita 12/13

10. Krishna wants you to be mature in character. Krishna is loving, Krishna is fair, Krishna is truthful, Krishna is kind, Krishna is sensitive, Krishna is always just and He wants to make you like Himself in those characteristics.

11. 26 Characteristics of a Pure Devotee (1) He is very kind to everyone. (2) He does not make anyone his enemy. (3) He is truthful. (4) He is equal to everyone. (5) No one can find any fault in him. (6) He is magnanimous. (7) He is mild. (8) He is always clean. (9) He is without possessions. (10) He works for everyone's benefit. (11) He is very peaceful. (12) He is always surrendered to Krsna. (13) He has no material desires. (14) He is very meek. (15) He is steady. (16) He controls his senses. (17) He does not eat more than required. (18) He is not influenced by the Lord's illusory energy. (19) He offers respect to everyone. (20) He does not desire any respect for himself. (21) He is very grave. (22) He is merciful. (23) He is friendly. (24) He is poetic. (25) He is expert. (26) He is silent.

12. In every movement Prabhupada made, I could never find any mistake. So when you find such a person how can you let them go? Especially when Prabhupada says, “You can become like me also.” Shyamasundar

13. “Srila Prabhupada gave us spiritual life. He didn’t come to exploit, but he genuinely cared & was concerned for everyone who came to him. We definitely felt that. Never before, from anyone else in our lives, not even our parents, had we felt the love & care that Prabhupada felt for us. Krishna consciousness was a process of falling in love with Srila Prabhupada. We were responding to the warm, deep, great love that he offered us.” Malati

14. Acharya: Model "One should know the acarya as Myself and never disrespect him in any way. One should not envy him, thinking him an ordinary man, for he is My representative." (S.B. 11.17.27)

15. If you became more like Prabhupada in the way that you think, in the way you react, in the way you respond to problems and stress, in the way you talk, do you think maybe your problems might be fewer? Do you think your stress level would be lessened? Yes. Because that’s life as it was meant to be lived.

16. “One who works in devotion, who is a pure soul, & who controls his mind & senses, is dear to everyone, & everyone is dear to him. Though always working, such a man is never entangled.” Gita 5/7

17. When you understand this third purpose of Krishna, that He wants to make you godly before you go into eternity, then life takes on a whole new meaning and you look at every circumstance with new eyes. Jeweler works on stone

18. There is no situation in life that you can’t learn from if you’ll just learn to say, ‘How can I become more like Prabhupada through this?’

20. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu

21. Prakasanand Saraswati

23. Srnvatam sva katha Krishnam Punya sravanam kirtanam Hrdantas tu hi abhadrani Vidhunoti shrt satam. SB1/2/17

24. “When one is enlightened with the knowledge by which nescience is destroyed, this knowledge reveals everything, as the sun lights up everything in the daytime.” Gita 5/16

25. Ultimate Spiritual Maturity Devotional service is like a seed sown in the heart of a living entity. If he goes on hearing and chanting: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, that seed fructifies, just as the seed of a tree fructifies with regular watering.

26. The spiritual plant of devotional service gradually grows and grows until it penetrates the covering of the material universe and enters into the brahmajyoti effulgence in the spiritual sky. In the spiritual sky that plant grows more and more until it reaches the highest planet, which is called Goloka Vrndavana, the supreme planet of Krishna.

27. Character Growth Krishna’s going to have to teach you patience. Krishna’s going to have to teach you to be unselfish. Krishna’s going to have to teach you all kinds of character qualities that often are learned during problems, during pain, during difficult times, things that would normally discourage you or depress you. Krishna is working on you to grow your character and make you like Himself. That’s why Krishna came to show us what He’s like and that’s why Krishna allows problems in your life, to make you godly.

28. Patience “Srila Prabhupada, I am chanting. I am following the program. I keep wondering. Is it possible I will ever be a pure devotee, like you?” “Why not? You are in the process….” Then he looked at me with a glimmer in his eye. “But it may take some time.”

29. Determination “Those who are on this path are resolute in purpose, and their aim is one. O beloved child of the Kurus, the intelligence of the irresolute is many branched.” Gita 2/41

30. “I did not want to take sannyas, because it is a very difficult position. But I received that letter from my Godbrother, & around the same time my guru appeared to me three times in dreams. Each time he walked away from me, turned around, and beckoned me to follow. In this way, my Guru Maharaj pulled me out of this material world.”

31. Perserverance “The consciousness of a pure devotee is very deep. It is like the ocean. Near the surface there may be many waves, but as you go down into the ocean, you will find that it is still.” “Is is like that even at death?’ “Yes.”

32. A Psalm of Life Tell me not, in mournful numbers, Life is but an empty dream ! — For the soul is dead that slumbers, And things are not what they seem. Life is real ! Life is earnest! And the grave is not its goal ; Dust thou art, to dust returnest, Was not spoken of the soul.

33. H. W. Longfellow 1838 Lives of great men all remind us We can make our lives sublime, And, departing, leave behind us Footprints on the sands of time ; Footprints, that perhaps another, Sailing o'er life's solemn main, A forlorn and shipwrecked brother, Seeing, shall take heart again.

34. Song of Surrender He reasons ill who tells that Vaishnavas die When thou art living still in sound. The Vaishnavas die to live and living try To spread a holy life around! Now let the candid man that seeks to live Follow thy way on shores of time.

35. Bhaktivinode Thakur 1871 Man! Man! Thou art immortal soul! Thee Death can never melt. For thee thy Sire on High has kept A store of bliss above, To end of time, thou art His- Who wants but purest love.

36. I don't know what you're going through right now but I do know how Krishna wants you to respond. He wants you to respond the way Prabhupada did, with patience, perseverance, & determination. Life makes so much more sense when we realize it's not about what we’re doing but what we are becoming. It's not about our comfort. But it's all about our character and becoming like Prabhupada. Help us to use life for the reasons that Krishna gave it to us.

37. Dear Krishna, I don't want to stay stuck in spiritual immaturity. I want to grow up. I want to become what You made me to be. I want to become more like Prabhupada in the way that I think and act and feel. If that means taking me through troubled time, so be it. I say to You, Krishna, Your will be done in my life. I'm going to trust You.

38. Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare