Today I heard a wonderful story. A devotee wrote Prabhupada because he disagreed with the tactics devotees were using to raise donations, tactics supported by the Temple President. He expressed his specific concerns in his letter to Prabhupada. In Prabhupada’s reply, he did not address the issue. He did not say he favored one idea […]
Illuminations 57 Is forgiveness possible before we are cleansed? In this age of Kali, the golden avatar of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu encourages us to practice kirtana in a humble state of mind, showing the qualities of patience and forgiveness that are characteristic of a tree. This instruction is not intended for self-realized souls, as they […]
Illumination 13 Forgiving those who hurt us is very difficult. In some cases, this may even seem impossible. But forgiveness is a spiritual panacea, a cure for more ills than you can imagine. The purpose of this edition of Insight is to inspire and help you forgive every person or organization that has ever hurt […]
Illuminations 10 Collaboration is the most difficult task It is said that if you reach the top of a mountain alone, then you have not climbed the highest mountain. This is because by working as a team, we can achieve much more than by acting alone. But often we find it difficult to cooperate with […]
Equal Vision We tend to judge people we don’t know (and therefore treat them) based on their religion, ethnicity, race, education, gender, age, and so on. This week try to see and communicate with everyone you meet as a spiritual being that is in a human body. During the week, pay attention to the following: […]
Illuminations Newsletter 54 In this issue of Insights, we’re going to talk about responsibility. Responsibility means the ability to respond to a problem with a solution rather than blame. Srila Prabhupada said that if we see something wrong in the temple, we should think that we are responsible for the existence of the problem, and […]
Illuminations Newsletter 62 Srila Prabhupada, the sastras, and the acaryas speak of complete dependence on guru and Krishna. We are taught that independence is our disease, it is what brought us to the material world and keeps us here. However, is there such a thing as too much dependency and not enough independence? Continuing the […]
Illuminations Newsletter 80 Why do we criticize others? Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur said that we find fault in others because of our absolute lack of humility. But why do we notice the mistakes of another person (when we are not obliged to do this), if this does not help us, or this person, or anyone […]
Illuminations Newsletter 37 In this chapter, I am writing directly about Vaishnava aparadha. Why? Because I really want to help you chant better. What does Vaishnava aparadha have to do with chanting? The most direct. Attempts to improve chanting (and to improve our devotional service in general) will be frustrated if we allow ourselves to […]
People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered; Forgive them anyway If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; Be kind anyway If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies; Succeed anyway If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you; Be honest and frank […]
I am grateful for this situation. I gladly accept the hardships I need for my growth and purification. I respond positively to events in my life. I accept that no one can harm me unless I allow it. I connect with a compassionate part of me by empathizing with my “offender.” I live in accordance […]
Stories of Forgiveness – 1 A six-year-old girl in New Orleans was the first black student to attend a mixed school after apartheid. The white people were so disturbed that a black girl was going to a school that was formerly all-white, that she had to be escorted by Federal Marshals. The white students boycotted […]
Is it not hypocrisy to honor Lord Krsna, Lord Buddha, Lord Jesus or other great spiritual teachers for bringing us the gift of understanding that life is suffering, or to honor God for teaching us lessons through suffering, and then blame our “offender” who brings us the same gift as a life lesson? Is one […]
Many people tell me they are trying to forgive but can’t. This often means they are looking for logical reasons to forgive. Forgiveness is often illogical and unnatural because you are confronted with forgiving an unforgivable act. Forgiveness happens when you elevate your consciousness above hate, anger, resentment, and blame. If you remain on these […]
Do we have anyone to forgive? I received a letter from a friend in which he asks: “Isn’t gratitude the best way to forgive?” This is true if you are grateful that the person who offended you has become an instrument of your karma and helps you learn valuable lessons for your spiritual purification and […]
Where does anger come from? It may seem that external situations make us angry, but no situation, no person can make us manifest what we do not have inside. Anger is not outside, it is within us. Does anger live in you? If yes, then when someone hurts you, you are likely to get angry. But we don’t […]
In this correspondence, HE Mahatma Prabhu speaks very graciously to the devotee, accepts him, and encourages his efforts. This devotee was upset with the way his life was going. Devotee: “Hare Krsna, Mahatma Prabhuji. For personal reasons, I was upset and I wrote the previous letter under the influence of emotions. Mahatma Prabhu: “Yes, it […]
Illuminations Newsletter 48 In this recorded audio newsletter with my friend Akrura, we discuss how to coach a devotee who is trying to forgive. We focus much of the talk on dealing with the obstacle of thinking, “I just can’t forgive.” We also discuss how you benefit the most when you let go of resentment. […]
Illuminations Newsletter 51 False ego and faultfinding Our false ego prevents us from looking at our own faults. It makes it difficult for us to acknowledge our faults and therefore, instead of being introspective, we see those faults in others. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur said, “Because I am myself honeycombed with faults, I see the […]
Illuminations Newsletter 14 Prabhu: I will take your challenge to not find faults for 90 days. And I will do this by finding only good things in others. Mahatma: I already blew it. I have to start over again. It has to be 90 consecutive days. So if you get to 89 days and find […]