Bhakti Tirtha Swami
Reflect on a time in your own spiritual journey in which you felt abandoned by God. Although you initially felt this way, you later found out that not only had God not abandoned you, but He was actually giving you some special mercy during that time. We often experience depression or anxiety when we feel that the Lord has abandoned us or when we cannot understand the events in our lives. During such times you began to question God’s existence or His fairness. However, when you look back now, you realize the purpose of such events because they helped you elevate your consciousness. Often, the result of intense suffering is elevation in consciousness. Such suffering gives us the intensity to break through the last layers of mundane consciousness.
Bhakti Tirtha Swami
Leaders who understand themselves and their own deepest motivations will be far more effective at resolving conflicts than those not given to selfknowledge. In any particular situation, difficulties are inevitable as long as human beings remain ignorant about who they really are and what would genuinely make them happy.
Bhakti Tirtha Swami
Endeavoring seriously to defeat the culture of nescience is similar to engaging in warfare. Diversity combined with dedication results in success, protection and progress. If we are genuine and committed, our devotional encounters will be similar to the attainment of on-going victories.
Bhakti Tirtha Swami
Most importantly, we do not want to make all of our evaluations with ourselves in the center. It will naturally create problems for us if we make judgments of right or wrong with ourselves at the focal point. We will end up as spiritual failures because the more we place ourselves in the center, the less we will be able to recognize Mother-Father God as the true center. Conversely, the more that we become the servant of the servant, the more we move ourselves away from the center and really become genuinely spiritual. And the more we access genuine spirituality, the more we will remove ourselves from the artificial center.
Bhakti Tirtha Swami
Most television viewing amounts to an endless campaign for bodily comfort. This is because the backers of most televi- sion programs manufacture products that cater to our bodily comforts. This in turn produces an obsessive interest in concerns of the body, and an extreme distraction from matters of the soul.
Bhakti Tirtha Swami
Considering that self-centeredness interferes with spiritual advancement, we must constantly take inventory of ourselves and examine our thought patterns to root out selfishness. Most of the time we are preoccupied with our wants—not even our needs. Even such a lofty desire as the wish for salva- tion is rooted in selfishness.
Bhakti Tirtha Swami
When someone accidentally deviates due to overwhelming circumstances, the deviation is considered to be a sin. However, if the person continues acting defiantly even after recognizing their improper behavior, it then turns into an offense.
Bhakti Tirtha Swami
It is very materialistic when we have people in the devotee community who so eagerly want to get credit for their activities and who so eagerly want to claim responsibility. Whenever Srila Prabhupada received glorification, he would react in the opposite way by giving all the credit to his spiritual master. On the other hand, materialistic people and neophytes are so quick to let everyone know that they are the ones. Some people are so much into glorification that they get disturbed when they do not get enough praise. Therefore, when a little praise does come, they wonder why it took so long. When people get their Nobel prizes, their Oscars, their degrees, they say, “It’s about time. They should have given it to me last year. Even though I had the best performance last year, at least they gave it to me this year.”
Bhakti Tirtha Swami
The real test of renunciation comes as we encounter various situations in daily life. Renunciation means a genuine commitment to serve the Lord rather than ourselves in all circumstances. We must see ourselves as caretakers for the Lord rather than proprietors of anyone or anything.
Bhakti Tirtha Swami
Real preaching is through example. Speaking the philosophy without honestly being an example of the message falls into the category of karma-kanda according to Srila Bhaktisiddhanta. A proper devotee’s vacana (speech) should be in line with his pracara (behavior), and his sadacara (good behavior) ultimately is his real preaching.
