"If you don't ackowledge efforts, you ultimately get mediocre performances."
Ken Blanchard probably did more in his book 'The One Minute Manager' then anyone to bring forth the concept of "catch people doing things right". For some reason many leaders have the mentality that it is their role and duty to catch people doing things wrong. Once this kind of mentality permeates the culture of an organization, the employees become fearful. A swordwieling leader will never get the best from his employees. People may respond short term to this approach, but in the long term they will move on to another job. I 'm amazed at how many leaders still think they have to be Attila the Hun. It is interesting to note, however, that those individuals who manage by fear are usually the most insecure.
From : "The key to great leadership", Peter Burwash, chapter 9 : High level of Appreciation for Employees.
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Wednesday, November 26, 2008
BEAUTIFUL
Everything looks beautiful when it is related with something very intimately.
On the full-moon night, when the moon is there and the stars are shining brilliantly, it looks beautiful.
The state looks very nice if there is good government, good king, good president. Then everyone is happy, everything is going on nicely.
A girl looks very beautiful when she has a husband.
If a man is ugly, if he is a learned scholar, that is his beauty.
Similarly everything will look very beautiful when Krsna is there.
Queen Kunt said "When Krsna leaves, this kingdom will not be beautiful. As long as Krsna is with us, we Pandavas, our kingdom, and Hastinapura, everything is beautiful."
Zero has no value. But if you bring one by the side of zero, it becomes ten. We are insignificant, but if we serve Krsna we become glorious.
On the full-moon night, when the moon is there and the stars are shining brilliantly, it looks beautiful.
The state looks very nice if there is good government, good king, good president. Then everyone is happy, everything is going on nicely.
A girl looks very beautiful when she has a husband.
If a man is ugly, if he is a learned scholar, that is his beauty.
Similarly everything will look very beautiful when Krsna is there.
Queen Kunt said "When Krsna leaves, this kingdom will not be beautiful. As long as Krsna is with us, we Pandavas, our kingdom, and Hastinapura, everything is beautiful."
Zero has no value. But if you bring one by the side of zero, it becomes ten. We are insignificant, but if we serve Krsna we become glorious.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
INTERVIEW WITH AKRURA DASA ABOUT THE PERSONAL SPIRITUAL GUIDANCE SYSTEM
Interview by Guruttama dasa from ISKCON Budapest
10 November 2008, London
*
Guruttama dasa: Tell us about Gita Coaching.
Akrura dasa: Since January 2006, I had over 900 sessions with 250 devotees all over the world. I do coaching on the phone, on Skype, on email, and I had Gita Coaching seminars in twelve European countries. Many know about it, but not too many have become coaches.
Gd: Why?
Ad: It’s a new thing, so I am trying to find more people. Coaching can be a part of a spiritual guidance system, and Euro GBC has given a guideline about the Spiritual Guidance System. They support this idea, that every European ISKCON center develops this kind of system. So I am helping yatras to develop this system and train personal spiritual guides.
Senior devotees say that it is better if we don’t use these terms like counselor, mentor or coach. They suggest using siksa guru. Not everyone agrees with this, because many don’t feel comfortable using a term guru. So we agreed to call it “spiritual guide”. I have a slide show which explains how spiritual guidance system works. It is based on a system devotees have in Chowpatty. We added a part that speaks about how to conduct effective one-to-one meetings, which includes some coaching skills. We are working now on a course for training spiritual guides.
In Ukraine they have already developed a system, and they just sent me some pictures of their counselor retreat, with about 200 devotees there.
Here at ISKCON London we have 70 counsellees and 9 counsellors and we haven’t even officially announced it. We are still testing it, but probably next year in the first two months we will announce it. And when we announce it, it means that from then we can bring in more counselors and counselees, train them and expand the system. We have nine counselors, and we are managing and leading this project together. My service is coordinating the meetings and helping other counselors when needed. I have my own counselees (six) and they all live outside.
Spiritual guidance means that we want to provide holistic care, which means body, mind, heart and soul; not only spiritual life but everything that needs to be taken care of. For now we are having nice results, devotees seem to like it, but we would like to expand the number of counselors.
Two times a month we have a group meeting with counselees and once or twice a month we have a one-to-one meeting, where they can speak about their personal life, privately, confidentially, and we don’t speak to anyone else about their issues.
Gd: How are you invited to other countries, how do they get to know about your system?
Ad: I usually meet devotees here in London, via Internet or at the European Leaders Meeting. I also send emails on the PAMHO Free Forum or to devotees I personally know. When I coach someone in a foreign country they volunteer to organize a course in their country. They talk to their leaders and they usually agree, because there is a clear need for this everywhere.
The Global GBC is developing a leadership succession training program, for new leaders who would succeed old leaders, who will be GBCs, temple presidents, project leaders, department heads. It is a very comprehensive program: six times two weeks over two years. Anuttama Prabhu, one of the best ISKCON facilitators will be teaching about coaching when this course starts in spring 2009 in America. We are preparing lesson plans for him now.
Coaching is an official part of that leadership training program. The students will get coaching themselves, but they will also learn how to coach each other. They will be coaching each other after the first few coaching lessons. I will also coach them, and there are some other devotee coaches who can coach them. They are trained coaches.
We are also developing a course for spiritual guides and coaching skills will be part of it. The first part of the course will be about how to do group meetings, what qualities a spiritual guide must have, what attitude, etc. I call this course “Helping Devotees Succeed”, and it is about personal spiritual guidance. It’s a two- or three-day course, 10-12 hours.
Gd: How much does it cost?
Ad: At least for now, I don’t charge for the course. What only has to be covered is my travel cost.
In the coaching course it’s more one-to-one assistance, where I teach about listening, asking effective questions, turning problems into opportunities, goal setting, and accountability. I also have written material on this, it is on our Gita Coaching website and on my Gita Caoching Blog.
In the spiritual guidance course I will be teaching about how to lead a group meeting and how to keep in touch with the devotees in between. In my group I have six counselees, and some of them are employed in a very big company. They have families and for them following the sadhana and chanting is always a challenge. Therefore now we have a program to which everyone is committed, to do something about our japa. They are committed to, for example, chanting four rounds before work, at least, or eight rounds. Others will finish their rounds by 10 am every day. We have an email group to report every day to each about our rounds. This is provides inspiration and mutual accountability, which brings better focus and better results.
We also report if we have any preaching experience, maybe at work or on the train or with neighbors or relatives. Some of them are sending stories that inspire us. Since we started it two or three weeks ago, we are all getting better. One of them was in Vrndavana (India) where he finished his rounds by 7 am every day. Now his wife is also improving her japa.
So this mutual support helps, and in my role as a guide I am not acting as a senior devotee who is talking all the time, but I am opening the conversation, they also speak in our group meetings. And when we meet one-to-one, I don’t speak very much. About 75 percent of the time they speak. I listen and ask questions and summarize.
Gd: So they are talking about their everyday life, what do they do, etc.?
Ad: Yes. And this one-to-one assistance helps you to learn to solve your own problems. I help them to think creatively and responsibly about how to solve their problems and this empowers them to become self-reliant. And I tell them: “I want you all to become preachers and leaders.” Some of them already started giving classes.
There is a devotee I tried to get him to give class for a few months. He said I am not good enough, my sadhana is not good. Then I said that when you start it, you will be forced to improve your sadhana. So he agreed. Amazingly, he is an expert in Sanskrit and he reads books by the acaryas. So I told him that he has to share his knowledge with others. He might die tomorrow. He started preaching and he likes it very much.
I also assist ISKCON leaders, even some GBC members, and most of them have a challenge of working too much. So I am trying to help them to find a balance.
Gd: How are you doing that?
Ad: I make them to choose their most important activities that have the greatest impact. The rest they can delegate to others, or they can just delete. Or, for instance, accepting invitations. You don’t have to accept every invitation that you receive. You can accept about 70 percent. Then you will have time for reading and relaxing, which is not a luxury.
I induce devotees to take time off for themselves, like walk in nature, chant in nature, because it’s sometimes just too much pressure. They have many responsibilities and so many people they have to meet. I have to remind them occasionally to please slow down and relax.
For instance, the temple president in one large temple in the USA once a week he is not there. He is chanting, reading, he is on his own, or with some, but not too many, devotees. He renews himself, so he is fresh and in the mood of goodness. The next day, next week, he is ready to deal with devotees and continue with serving the mission.
A good leader always thinks how he can empower devotees. If a devotee has some potential he will train him and help him to become accountable and self reliant. We are looking for people who want to take responsibility for others’ growth. I have been studying leadership since 1992 and for several years I have published a newsletter called Leadership Excellence. It is now in the Vedabase 2003 and you can order from me an ebook with all of them free of charge.
One thing we have to do is to look how our leadership can be more effective. Who could do more, who could do things better. We can create systems and procedures and align it with our mission. If your temple has a mission statement, you always need to check are you really following it. How it can be turned into day-to-day activities?
You can quickly empower people. You can tell them: “Look I want you to take responsibility for your service, for your life. You can have a training in a few months but then think about how can you start taking care of others.” You have to introduce this idea to the devotees early. You say: “Look, you are maybe a beginner now, but in two years you will come to a state where people will come to you and say, Prabhu please help me, please instruct me, please enlighten me.” They have to learn how to solve problems and how to help others to solve problems.
Gd: I have experience that young people don’t like to take responsibility.
They just want to enjoy life.
Ad: To such people you cannot tell that they are suffering, you have to show them that you are enjoying more than them. And when they see that the devotees enjoy more, they might want to check it out. You can show them that Krsna consciousness is fun.
In a group if someone is a leader and someone out of ego comes up and says that I could also be a leader, you tell them: “You can be a leader but you have to get qualified, you have to get trained, and there are certain qualities of a leader you have to meet.”
I have identified four roles of a leader. First is example. Second is that you have to be ready to provide support to people. Third is to provide guidance. You have some knowledge and you know what you are telling them, how you are instructing them. Fourth is challenge. People that you are leading you have to challenge. Prabhupada said that a leader should always give a fresh challenge.
In the Vedabase you can find a letter to Karandhara from 1972, leaders should study this letter, there are wonderful instructions on leadership, you cannot guide people, and you cannot change people unless you are a good example and you care. There is a saying “I don’t care how much you know, until I know how much you care.” So there is a much more effective way to be a leader, and to be able to make other people to be leaders. One thing is that the best leader he actually makes leaders.
Your Guru Maharajá, SIvarama Swami, created some leaders in Hungary. Somehow he trained devotees, he initiated them. The best leaders in our movement create new leaders. Some disciples of Radanatha Swami are going around the world and preaching and guiding people. If you tell people we want you to become a leader some of them will be inspired, because everybody is ambitious, and they can see that in this movement I can become a leader, a spiritual leader.
I have a lot of professional materials online, and I can create a link so you can download them. I have a website and a blog as well. On the blog I have a lot of articles and on the Gita Coaching website I also put up some audio interviews. I try to put up a lot of things so devotees can use them, for free. There is even some devotional modern and traditional music.
Coaching is becoming very popular in the West, and devotees in Hungary could be one of the first who promote life coaching in Hungarian society. Maybe some people are already doing this. You might want to check it out.
We also have a GITA Coaching Model. By using it you can coach anyone, including yourself. First part is Goal, second is Instructions, third is Tests and fourth is Action. If someone comes to a session we first talk about the goal. Ok, what do you want to achieve in life? Choose one area. For example, I want to get up in the morning and chant my rounds. See instructions from the Bhagavad Gita or other instructions that can help you do it. Krishna says in the BG “one has to control the mind, bring it back when it wanders away from Krsna.”. Also He is saying that “Of sacrifices I am japa”. So these two verses can help with chanting.
Then what do you have to do? I have to go to bed early in the evening, eat less in the evening, have a good alarm clock.
And what are the tests? You have to be very determined to overcome obstacles.
And finally what are you going to do? I will get up four in the morning, go to Mangala-arati, chant my rounds, and I am going to report to you every day what I have done or haven’t done. So this is accountability. And if they don’t keep their commitment, they feel very bad. They know they have to report what they do, so reporting helps them focus. But this accountability is voluntary, I don’t push them.
We have created some more tools for devotees like Japa Excellence Table and 55 Gita Coaching Cards. The Cards have some questions and quotes from Srila Prabhupada, and you can use any of the cards to achieve any goal you want. We also have an e-book called “Helping Devotees Succeed”, and a Handbook for the course. We have weekly organizers for time management as well. We have DVDs, slides, stories, interactive games, etc. The training course also involves exercises, which are the best part of the seminar.
If you preach to people that we are at the cutting edge of professional development, many people could be attracted. If you know what is happening outside, what are professionals doing, what is coaching, it can help your preaching. You can even tell people that you can help them how to make money, but that it’s not the ultimate goal of life.
Leadership and coaching are the main topics of training and development. I found in one book that for resolving conflicts there important, powerful steps. First we have to agree that we will look for a third alternative that is better that mine or yours originally proposed. This is not compromise, but something better than I propose or you propose. For that, we have to communicate, and it has to be very respectful.
So how should we communicate in order to try to find some creative solution? Practically it means that I listen to you and I have to repeat what I have heard - to your satisfaction, and you have to be satisfied with what I am saying.
For instance you are saying that my classes are too heavy. Then I have to repeat back to you, making sure I understood you. Then you say: Because you always speak against sex, you always undermine women, you always criticize materialists, people end up fried in your classes. Than I have to repeat, so you are saying that my classes speak against sex, women feel undermined, and I criticize materialists, and people are frightened away. Is that what you mean? And you say yes. Now you feel understood.
Now, I have the right to make my point. I say: “The reason why I am speaking like this is because people are sleeping and somebody has to smash them and shake them because if you are too soft in your class nothing happens.” Now you have to repeat to me what I said. So in this way we patiently and respectfully communicate, and then look for a best alternative to resolve the issue.
Gd: What I understand is that you are speaking so strongly because otherwise they just keep sleeping, and they don’t wake up to ask themselves the questions of life.
Ad: Yes, I am not against them I just want to wake them up. So now, when I am satisfied with your understanding, now you can make your point. You say something.
Gd: But if you keep being so harsh they will leave and never come back.
Ad: I might say something to that but at one point we will say look into what would be the best solution for this situation.
I might say: “Because I have to say the truth, that is my duty, I am a teacher, but at the same time I don’t want to frighten away devotees from the temple. Like if I am a guest teacher, and you say that you would like to invite me, but your guests are complaining about me, and they said not to invite me again because I’m too heavy. But you still want to invite me, so what would be the best alternative? Maybe through stories I can say heavy things in a soft way, and normally people can accept. What do you think?”
Gd: It’s good.
Ad: You see? This could be a solution. I am happy, you are happy, and this is a win-win alternative.
I want to please you, and you want to please me, and we both want to please Krishna, so through communication, and our willingness to look for the best solution, we solved the problem. That is called synergy or creative cooperation.
You can also sign up on websites and forums where you can talk about these principles with other people. And it can be a preaching opportunity, because we can start talking to others about Bhagavad Gita. You can say: “Look, these principles can be found in the Gita, it might be interesting for you.”
There is a lot of things that can be used in Krsna consciousness, and we should. That is called yukta-vairagya, it is also called ajagara-vrtti. A mouse makes the hole, the snakes comes in, eats the mouse and lives in the hole. We can do the same thing, use their systems to improve ours, but we don’t make a new religion out of them. We just use what we need.
It takes only one devotee who takes responsibility who can bring about change. There’s an example of a small rudder on a boat that can change completely the course of the boat. Similarly, if one devotee understands basic principles of personal and interpersonal effectiveness they can achieve so many things.
We need to first of all work on our own self discipline: our sadhana, behavior, etc. Then we work on our close relationships, than we learn how to be a member of a team and how to build a team. Then you try to apply the principles to the team, than you gradually build many teams and then build communities. So everything is in order, and if you know what you are doing, you can do so many things, you can be an instrument in Krishna’s hand.
There is one man who is now a world expert on trust and building trust. He is showing that trust is not an emotional feeling but an economic driver that actually affects the profit of the company. It influences the money-making of the company. He shows that when trust is there, speed goes up and costs goes down. In relation to this current world financial crisis, there were big business people invited to a meeting to discuss what to do. It was a pleasant surprise that this man was also invited to speak about trust. Maybe different time is coming when spiritual values will become more relevant to the world.
The trust is one thing that stays clearly in line with Srila Prabhupada’s instructions. Prabhupada said love and trust. So what does trust mean? How we do it? Ok, I trust you because you come to the Morning Program. But what else? So things like that which are common sense we can learn in more detail from the outside sources. If it helps, why not use it?
Regarding spiritual guidance, we are trying to start this on a European level and trying to create a a European team for care and guidance of devotees. I would like to expand that team, to have more devotees on it. Any devotee can learn one-to one skills, how to help other devotees succeed. When someone appreciates one-to-one assistance and coaching we encourage them to learn more about it and start assisting others.
Coaching and spiritual guidance are not the same. You can use coaching skills to be a spiritual guide, but coaching can also be very non-directive. Devotees already know so much, they just don’t have a habit to think deeply enough. So we help them or sometimes force them to think. And because the ideas and solutions come from them, they actually use them, and they buy into them. If it comes from me, they might say thank you, very nice, but they might forget it.
Another thing is that if there is a problem, I ask them: “How can you turn that into an opportunity? Give me at least ten ideas.” Say, you have problem that you can’t sleep until midnight. How do you turn that into an opportunity? It’s an opportunity to find the cause of the problem, to learn everything you can about solving that sort of problems. So we help devotees to think how to solve problems and how to be self reliant. Thus they become self responsible and self reliant. And this will help them become leaders and preachers.
Gd: Thank you very much.
Ad: Thank you for your interest in these topics and services. Hare Krsna.
* Akrura dasa is a spiritual life coach who currently serves as a Counsellor System Coordinator and at ISKCON London and coaches ISKCON leaders and other devotees all over the world.
Contact: Akrura@pamho.net
Gita Coaching - “Helping devotees succeed!”
http://vedicilluminations.com/gitacoaching
http://gitacoaching.blogspot.com
10 November 2008, London
*
Guruttama dasa: Tell us about Gita Coaching.
Akrura dasa: Since January 2006, I had over 900 sessions with 250 devotees all over the world. I do coaching on the phone, on Skype, on email, and I had Gita Coaching seminars in twelve European countries. Many know about it, but not too many have become coaches.
Gd: Why?
Ad: It’s a new thing, so I am trying to find more people. Coaching can be a part of a spiritual guidance system, and Euro GBC has given a guideline about the Spiritual Guidance System. They support this idea, that every European ISKCON center develops this kind of system. So I am helping yatras to develop this system and train personal spiritual guides.
Senior devotees say that it is better if we don’t use these terms like counselor, mentor or coach. They suggest using siksa guru. Not everyone agrees with this, because many don’t feel comfortable using a term guru. So we agreed to call it “spiritual guide”. I have a slide show which explains how spiritual guidance system works. It is based on a system devotees have in Chowpatty. We added a part that speaks about how to conduct effective one-to-one meetings, which includes some coaching skills. We are working now on a course for training spiritual guides.
In Ukraine they have already developed a system, and they just sent me some pictures of their counselor retreat, with about 200 devotees there.
Here at ISKCON London we have 70 counsellees and 9 counsellors and we haven’t even officially announced it. We are still testing it, but probably next year in the first two months we will announce it. And when we announce it, it means that from then we can bring in more counselors and counselees, train them and expand the system. We have nine counselors, and we are managing and leading this project together. My service is coordinating the meetings and helping other counselors when needed. I have my own counselees (six) and they all live outside.
Spiritual guidance means that we want to provide holistic care, which means body, mind, heart and soul; not only spiritual life but everything that needs to be taken care of. For now we are having nice results, devotees seem to like it, but we would like to expand the number of counselors.
Two times a month we have a group meeting with counselees and once or twice a month we have a one-to-one meeting, where they can speak about their personal life, privately, confidentially, and we don’t speak to anyone else about their issues.
Gd: How are you invited to other countries, how do they get to know about your system?
Ad: I usually meet devotees here in London, via Internet or at the European Leaders Meeting. I also send emails on the PAMHO Free Forum or to devotees I personally know. When I coach someone in a foreign country they volunteer to organize a course in their country. They talk to their leaders and they usually agree, because there is a clear need for this everywhere.
The Global GBC is developing a leadership succession training program, for new leaders who would succeed old leaders, who will be GBCs, temple presidents, project leaders, department heads. It is a very comprehensive program: six times two weeks over two years. Anuttama Prabhu, one of the best ISKCON facilitators will be teaching about coaching when this course starts in spring 2009 in America. We are preparing lesson plans for him now.
Coaching is an official part of that leadership training program. The students will get coaching themselves, but they will also learn how to coach each other. They will be coaching each other after the first few coaching lessons. I will also coach them, and there are some other devotee coaches who can coach them. They are trained coaches.
We are also developing a course for spiritual guides and coaching skills will be part of it. The first part of the course will be about how to do group meetings, what qualities a spiritual guide must have, what attitude, etc. I call this course “Helping Devotees Succeed”, and it is about personal spiritual guidance. It’s a two- or three-day course, 10-12 hours.
Gd: How much does it cost?
Ad: At least for now, I don’t charge for the course. What only has to be covered is my travel cost.
In the coaching course it’s more one-to-one assistance, where I teach about listening, asking effective questions, turning problems into opportunities, goal setting, and accountability. I also have written material on this, it is on our Gita Coaching website and on my Gita Caoching Blog.
In the spiritual guidance course I will be teaching about how to lead a group meeting and how to keep in touch with the devotees in between. In my group I have six counselees, and some of them are employed in a very big company. They have families and for them following the sadhana and chanting is always a challenge. Therefore now we have a program to which everyone is committed, to do something about our japa. They are committed to, for example, chanting four rounds before work, at least, or eight rounds. Others will finish their rounds by 10 am every day. We have an email group to report every day to each about our rounds. This is provides inspiration and mutual accountability, which brings better focus and better results.
We also report if we have any preaching experience, maybe at work or on the train or with neighbors or relatives. Some of them are sending stories that inspire us. Since we started it two or three weeks ago, we are all getting better. One of them was in Vrndavana (India) where he finished his rounds by 7 am every day. Now his wife is also improving her japa.
So this mutual support helps, and in my role as a guide I am not acting as a senior devotee who is talking all the time, but I am opening the conversation, they also speak in our group meetings. And when we meet one-to-one, I don’t speak very much. About 75 percent of the time they speak. I listen and ask questions and summarize.
Gd: So they are talking about their everyday life, what do they do, etc.?
Ad: Yes. And this one-to-one assistance helps you to learn to solve your own problems. I help them to think creatively and responsibly about how to solve their problems and this empowers them to become self-reliant. And I tell them: “I want you all to become preachers and leaders.” Some of them already started giving classes.
There is a devotee I tried to get him to give class for a few months. He said I am not good enough, my sadhana is not good. Then I said that when you start it, you will be forced to improve your sadhana. So he agreed. Amazingly, he is an expert in Sanskrit and he reads books by the acaryas. So I told him that he has to share his knowledge with others. He might die tomorrow. He started preaching and he likes it very much.
I also assist ISKCON leaders, even some GBC members, and most of them have a challenge of working too much. So I am trying to help them to find a balance.
Gd: How are you doing that?
Ad: I make them to choose their most important activities that have the greatest impact. The rest they can delegate to others, or they can just delete. Or, for instance, accepting invitations. You don’t have to accept every invitation that you receive. You can accept about 70 percent. Then you will have time for reading and relaxing, which is not a luxury.
I induce devotees to take time off for themselves, like walk in nature, chant in nature, because it’s sometimes just too much pressure. They have many responsibilities and so many people they have to meet. I have to remind them occasionally to please slow down and relax.
For instance, the temple president in one large temple in the USA once a week he is not there. He is chanting, reading, he is on his own, or with some, but not too many, devotees. He renews himself, so he is fresh and in the mood of goodness. The next day, next week, he is ready to deal with devotees and continue with serving the mission.
A good leader always thinks how he can empower devotees. If a devotee has some potential he will train him and help him to become accountable and self reliant. We are looking for people who want to take responsibility for others’ growth. I have been studying leadership since 1992 and for several years I have published a newsletter called Leadership Excellence. It is now in the Vedabase 2003 and you can order from me an ebook with all of them free of charge.
One thing we have to do is to look how our leadership can be more effective. Who could do more, who could do things better. We can create systems and procedures and align it with our mission. If your temple has a mission statement, you always need to check are you really following it. How it can be turned into day-to-day activities?
You can quickly empower people. You can tell them: “Look I want you to take responsibility for your service, for your life. You can have a training in a few months but then think about how can you start taking care of others.” You have to introduce this idea to the devotees early. You say: “Look, you are maybe a beginner now, but in two years you will come to a state where people will come to you and say, Prabhu please help me, please instruct me, please enlighten me.” They have to learn how to solve problems and how to help others to solve problems.
Gd: I have experience that young people don’t like to take responsibility.
They just want to enjoy life.
Ad: To such people you cannot tell that they are suffering, you have to show them that you are enjoying more than them. And when they see that the devotees enjoy more, they might want to check it out. You can show them that Krsna consciousness is fun.
In a group if someone is a leader and someone out of ego comes up and says that I could also be a leader, you tell them: “You can be a leader but you have to get qualified, you have to get trained, and there are certain qualities of a leader you have to meet.”
I have identified four roles of a leader. First is example. Second is that you have to be ready to provide support to people. Third is to provide guidance. You have some knowledge and you know what you are telling them, how you are instructing them. Fourth is challenge. People that you are leading you have to challenge. Prabhupada said that a leader should always give a fresh challenge.
In the Vedabase you can find a letter to Karandhara from 1972, leaders should study this letter, there are wonderful instructions on leadership, you cannot guide people, and you cannot change people unless you are a good example and you care. There is a saying “I don’t care how much you know, until I know how much you care.” So there is a much more effective way to be a leader, and to be able to make other people to be leaders. One thing is that the best leader he actually makes leaders.
Your Guru Maharajá, SIvarama Swami, created some leaders in Hungary. Somehow he trained devotees, he initiated them. The best leaders in our movement create new leaders. Some disciples of Radanatha Swami are going around the world and preaching and guiding people. If you tell people we want you to become a leader some of them will be inspired, because everybody is ambitious, and they can see that in this movement I can become a leader, a spiritual leader.
I have a lot of professional materials online, and I can create a link so you can download them. I have a website and a blog as well. On the blog I have a lot of articles and on the Gita Coaching website I also put up some audio interviews. I try to put up a lot of things so devotees can use them, for free. There is even some devotional modern and traditional music.
Coaching is becoming very popular in the West, and devotees in Hungary could be one of the first who promote life coaching in Hungarian society. Maybe some people are already doing this. You might want to check it out.
We also have a GITA Coaching Model. By using it you can coach anyone, including yourself. First part is Goal, second is Instructions, third is Tests and fourth is Action. If someone comes to a session we first talk about the goal. Ok, what do you want to achieve in life? Choose one area. For example, I want to get up in the morning and chant my rounds. See instructions from the Bhagavad Gita or other instructions that can help you do it. Krishna says in the BG “one has to control the mind, bring it back when it wanders away from Krsna.”. Also He is saying that “Of sacrifices I am japa”. So these two verses can help with chanting.
Then what do you have to do? I have to go to bed early in the evening, eat less in the evening, have a good alarm clock.
And what are the tests? You have to be very determined to overcome obstacles.
And finally what are you going to do? I will get up four in the morning, go to Mangala-arati, chant my rounds, and I am going to report to you every day what I have done or haven’t done. So this is accountability. And if they don’t keep their commitment, they feel very bad. They know they have to report what they do, so reporting helps them focus. But this accountability is voluntary, I don’t push them.
We have created some more tools for devotees like Japa Excellence Table and 55 Gita Coaching Cards. The Cards have some questions and quotes from Srila Prabhupada, and you can use any of the cards to achieve any goal you want. We also have an e-book called “Helping Devotees Succeed”, and a Handbook for the course. We have weekly organizers for time management as well. We have DVDs, slides, stories, interactive games, etc. The training course also involves exercises, which are the best part of the seminar.
If you preach to people that we are at the cutting edge of professional development, many people could be attracted. If you know what is happening outside, what are professionals doing, what is coaching, it can help your preaching. You can even tell people that you can help them how to make money, but that it’s not the ultimate goal of life.
Leadership and coaching are the main topics of training and development. I found in one book that for resolving conflicts there important, powerful steps. First we have to agree that we will look for a third alternative that is better that mine or yours originally proposed. This is not compromise, but something better than I propose or you propose. For that, we have to communicate, and it has to be very respectful.
So how should we communicate in order to try to find some creative solution? Practically it means that I listen to you and I have to repeat what I have heard - to your satisfaction, and you have to be satisfied with what I am saying.
For instance you are saying that my classes are too heavy. Then I have to repeat back to you, making sure I understood you. Then you say: Because you always speak against sex, you always undermine women, you always criticize materialists, people end up fried in your classes. Than I have to repeat, so you are saying that my classes speak against sex, women feel undermined, and I criticize materialists, and people are frightened away. Is that what you mean? And you say yes. Now you feel understood.
Now, I have the right to make my point. I say: “The reason why I am speaking like this is because people are sleeping and somebody has to smash them and shake them because if you are too soft in your class nothing happens.” Now you have to repeat to me what I said. So in this way we patiently and respectfully communicate, and then look for a best alternative to resolve the issue.
Gd: What I understand is that you are speaking so strongly because otherwise they just keep sleeping, and they don’t wake up to ask themselves the questions of life.
Ad: Yes, I am not against them I just want to wake them up. So now, when I am satisfied with your understanding, now you can make your point. You say something.
Gd: But if you keep being so harsh they will leave and never come back.
Ad: I might say something to that but at one point we will say look into what would be the best solution for this situation.
I might say: “Because I have to say the truth, that is my duty, I am a teacher, but at the same time I don’t want to frighten away devotees from the temple. Like if I am a guest teacher, and you say that you would like to invite me, but your guests are complaining about me, and they said not to invite me again because I’m too heavy. But you still want to invite me, so what would be the best alternative? Maybe through stories I can say heavy things in a soft way, and normally people can accept. What do you think?”
Gd: It’s good.
Ad: You see? This could be a solution. I am happy, you are happy, and this is a win-win alternative.
I want to please you, and you want to please me, and we both want to please Krishna, so through communication, and our willingness to look for the best solution, we solved the problem. That is called synergy or creative cooperation.
You can also sign up on websites and forums where you can talk about these principles with other people. And it can be a preaching opportunity, because we can start talking to others about Bhagavad Gita. You can say: “Look, these principles can be found in the Gita, it might be interesting for you.”
There is a lot of things that can be used in Krsna consciousness, and we should. That is called yukta-vairagya, it is also called ajagara-vrtti. A mouse makes the hole, the snakes comes in, eats the mouse and lives in the hole. We can do the same thing, use their systems to improve ours, but we don’t make a new religion out of them. We just use what we need.
It takes only one devotee who takes responsibility who can bring about change. There’s an example of a small rudder on a boat that can change completely the course of the boat. Similarly, if one devotee understands basic principles of personal and interpersonal effectiveness they can achieve so many things.
We need to first of all work on our own self discipline: our sadhana, behavior, etc. Then we work on our close relationships, than we learn how to be a member of a team and how to build a team. Then you try to apply the principles to the team, than you gradually build many teams and then build communities. So everything is in order, and if you know what you are doing, you can do so many things, you can be an instrument in Krishna’s hand.
There is one man who is now a world expert on trust and building trust. He is showing that trust is not an emotional feeling but an economic driver that actually affects the profit of the company. It influences the money-making of the company. He shows that when trust is there, speed goes up and costs goes down. In relation to this current world financial crisis, there were big business people invited to a meeting to discuss what to do. It was a pleasant surprise that this man was also invited to speak about trust. Maybe different time is coming when spiritual values will become more relevant to the world.
The trust is one thing that stays clearly in line with Srila Prabhupada’s instructions. Prabhupada said love and trust. So what does trust mean? How we do it? Ok, I trust you because you come to the Morning Program. But what else? So things like that which are common sense we can learn in more detail from the outside sources. If it helps, why not use it?
Regarding spiritual guidance, we are trying to start this on a European level and trying to create a a European team for care and guidance of devotees. I would like to expand that team, to have more devotees on it. Any devotee can learn one-to one skills, how to help other devotees succeed. When someone appreciates one-to-one assistance and coaching we encourage them to learn more about it and start assisting others.
Coaching and spiritual guidance are not the same. You can use coaching skills to be a spiritual guide, but coaching can also be very non-directive. Devotees already know so much, they just don’t have a habit to think deeply enough. So we help them or sometimes force them to think. And because the ideas and solutions come from them, they actually use them, and they buy into them. If it comes from me, they might say thank you, very nice, but they might forget it.
Another thing is that if there is a problem, I ask them: “How can you turn that into an opportunity? Give me at least ten ideas.” Say, you have problem that you can’t sleep until midnight. How do you turn that into an opportunity? It’s an opportunity to find the cause of the problem, to learn everything you can about solving that sort of problems. So we help devotees to think how to solve problems and how to be self reliant. Thus they become self responsible and self reliant. And this will help them become leaders and preachers.
Gd: Thank you very much.
Ad: Thank you for your interest in these topics and services. Hare Krsna.
* Akrura dasa is a spiritual life coach who currently serves as a Counsellor System Coordinator and at ISKCON London and coaches ISKCON leaders and other devotees all over the world.
Contact: Akrura@pamho.net
Gita Coaching - “Helping devotees succeed!”
http://vedicilluminations.com/gitacoaching
http://gitacoaching.blogspot.com
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Friday, November 21, 2008
HABIT
I am your constant companion.
I am your greatest helper or heaviest burden.
I will push you onward or drag you down to failure.
I am completely at your command.
Half the things you do you might just as well turn over to me, and I will be able to do them quickly, correctly.
I am easily managed — you must merely be firm with me.
Show me exactly how you want something done, and after a few lessons I will do it automatically.
I am the servant of all great people: and alas, of all failures as well.
Those who are failures, I have made failures.
I am not a machine, though I work with all the precision of a machine plus the intelligence of a human being.
You may run me for a profit or turn me for ruin—it makes no difference to me.
Take me, train me, be firm with me, and I will place the world at your feet.
Be easy with me and I will destroy you.
Who am I?
I am habit.
- Anonymous
I am your greatest helper or heaviest burden.
I will push you onward or drag you down to failure.
I am completely at your command.
Half the things you do you might just as well turn over to me, and I will be able to do them quickly, correctly.
I am easily managed — you must merely be firm with me.
Show me exactly how you want something done, and after a few lessons I will do it automatically.
I am the servant of all great people: and alas, of all failures as well.
Those who are failures, I have made failures.
I am not a machine, though I work with all the precision of a machine plus the intelligence of a human being.
You may run me for a profit or turn me for ruin—it makes no difference to me.
Take me, train me, be firm with me, and I will place the world at your feet.
Be easy with me and I will destroy you.
Who am I?
I am habit.
- Anonymous
Thursday, November 20, 2008
LEADERSHIP
Leadership is balance between control and release.
Every leader does both.
It's just a question of percentage.
Every leader does both.
It's just a question of percentage.
POWER
In leadership, there is position power and the relationship power.
Position power is temporary, while relationship power is lasting, because people can see that a leader has their best interest in mind.
Position power is temporary, while relationship power is lasting, because people can see that a leader has their best interest in mind.
SUTRA TIPS
Health
Eat less, exercise more.
Relationships
Judge less, help more.
Money
Always spend less than you earn.
Change
If you want to change the world, start with yourself.
Eat less, exercise more.
Relationships
Judge less, help more.
Money
Always spend less than you earn.
Change
If you want to change the world, start with yourself.
TOUCH
We can touch people's hearts when we speak realized knowledge.
And we can have realized knowledge when we apply what we teach.
And we can have realized knowledge when we apply what we teach.
PERSONAL MISSION STATEMENT
Personal Mission Statement can be a very effective tool for spiritual advancement and conributing to the preaching mission. Here's an example of an excellent PMS, by Mukunda Goswami:
Mission Statement, Updated 7 April 1996, Queensland, Australia
1. I am a loyal son to Srila Prabhupada so that he can be proud of me. I endeavor to be everything he could hope for me to be. I will increase my meditation on Srila Prabhupada (“Let me meditate on him being enthused as he enthused us”), trying to inculcate the vision that he is personally standing, sitting, walking, or riding (figuratively swimming or running) beside me at all times. I endeavor to always keep my mind filled with thoughts of Krsna and Srila Prabhupada and their teachings.
2. My devotional service is primarily manifested through the art of writing, since my spiritual master instructed and ordered me to write as my “business.” I will endeavor to become as humble as possible.
3. I will always chant at least sixteen rounds daily, strictly follow the four regulative principles, and read the Vedic literature regularly. I will endeavor to develop the twenty-six qualifications of a devotee. I will endeavor to constantly remember Krsna and never forget Him and to attain pure love for Radha-Krsna. I will act according to Vaisnava etiquette and follow as far as possible all the other detailed ritualistic devotional activities taught by our sampradaya.
4. I will endeavor with all the strength and knowledge at my command to present Krsna consciousness to the major publics of the world to help them realize Srila Prabhupada and His movement as practical, philosophically stimulating, fascinating, and beneficial, so that they will be disposed to change their behavior in accordance with these realizations.
5. I will do my utmost to help lead and manage (organize and administer) ISKCON Communications (IC) to the best of my ability, drawing primarily on the wisdom from Srila Prabhupada’s teachings, but also sometimes on worldly knowledge if and when applicable. I will apply such “secular” knowledge strictly according to the spiritual principle of yukta-vairagya. For preaching work, I will work with effective teams whose members will get significant results, who will continuously strive for superexcellent, “cutting edge” quality, and who make a full commitment to “make a positive difference” for Srila Prabhupada’s mission. These teams will produce mission statements, goals, policies, procedures, project and job descriptions, and action plans.
6. I will deal with Godbrothers and Godsisters as peers (like fellow “faculty” members). I will treat disciples, prospective disciples, and new uninitiated devotees as my younger brothers and sisters (“students” in the school metaphor) or as my children. I will endeavor to relate with them as an “older brother,” an “enlightened parent,” a guide, leader, coach, cheerleader, and facilitator. Wherever and whenever possible, I will assist them in their specific engagement in devotional service.
It is my solemn duty to clearly educate all my disciples to realize that I am a servant of ISKCON and the GBC body and that they are the authorities to whom I am accountable and responsible. I direct my disciples to generally regard and honor my Godbrothers with the same genuine level of respect they have for me (“One should respect one’s spiritual master’s Godbrothers as one respects one’s spiritual master.”—Srila Prabhupada in the purport to Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi 5.147).
7. I will try to always be personally interesting to all people who see or come into contact with me. I want to radiate peace and happiness, and therefore my demeanor will also include dressing and behaving at all times according to this vision of myself. This must be so because I represent Lord Krsna, and I want my existence to attract as many people as possible to Him and His movement (ISKCON). This will also help me remember that I am first and foremost a servant of Lord Krsna. I will endeavor at every opportunity to strengthen ISKCON.
8. I will look after the physical side of my life in order to maintain the bodily and mental strength I need to help execute Srila Prabhupada’s mission and to follow Srila Prabhupada’s daily example of enacting fitness principles and techniques.
9. I will teach one or more persons as much as possible what I have learned, realized, and believe in regarding the effective realization and spreading of Krsna consciousness so that whatever my contribution to society and the disciplic succession may be, it may not be lost but will continue through the agency of other devotees after I leave my body. I will produce and develop teaching materials (including written manuals and instructions, video and audiovisual presentations like CD ROMS, etc.) as necessary to help achieve this aim.
10. My “successes” will be determined in large part by systematic and periodic review and accountability to superiors, subordinates, experts, and others, and to the principles of success and effectiveness that I have established for myself.
11. I will increasingly endeavor to realize that the holy name is nondifferent from Lord Krsna himself and that offenseless, attentive chanting brings direct realization of Krsna Himself. I will also continuously endeavor to realize that constant and pure chanting of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, both in japa and sankirtana, is the highest benediction for all living beings, including myself.
12. I am committed to do whatever is necessary to help make ISKCON Potomac more than just an “ideal” Krsna conscious ISKCON center and community. It must be one that truly “makes a difference” for Srila Prabhupada’s movement, a center devotees will want to join above all others in the United States, and one that neighbors and others who live outside the community will want to visit as often as possible and stay for as long as possible. It must be an ISKCON center that other temples seek to emulate. Since the location is Washington, D.C., and since it is the site of the IC Global and IC North America headquarters, I must do whatever is necessary to help make it THE “cutting edge,” premier, showcase ISKCON temple community in the United States.
Mission Statement, Updated 7 April 1996, Queensland, Australia
1. I am a loyal son to Srila Prabhupada so that he can be proud of me. I endeavor to be everything he could hope for me to be. I will increase my meditation on Srila Prabhupada (“Let me meditate on him being enthused as he enthused us”), trying to inculcate the vision that he is personally standing, sitting, walking, or riding (figuratively swimming or running) beside me at all times. I endeavor to always keep my mind filled with thoughts of Krsna and Srila Prabhupada and their teachings.
2. My devotional service is primarily manifested through the art of writing, since my spiritual master instructed and ordered me to write as my “business.” I will endeavor to become as humble as possible.
3. I will always chant at least sixteen rounds daily, strictly follow the four regulative principles, and read the Vedic literature regularly. I will endeavor to develop the twenty-six qualifications of a devotee. I will endeavor to constantly remember Krsna and never forget Him and to attain pure love for Radha-Krsna. I will act according to Vaisnava etiquette and follow as far as possible all the other detailed ritualistic devotional activities taught by our sampradaya.
4. I will endeavor with all the strength and knowledge at my command to present Krsna consciousness to the major publics of the world to help them realize Srila Prabhupada and His movement as practical, philosophically stimulating, fascinating, and beneficial, so that they will be disposed to change their behavior in accordance with these realizations.
5. I will do my utmost to help lead and manage (organize and administer) ISKCON Communications (IC) to the best of my ability, drawing primarily on the wisdom from Srila Prabhupada’s teachings, but also sometimes on worldly knowledge if and when applicable. I will apply such “secular” knowledge strictly according to the spiritual principle of yukta-vairagya. For preaching work, I will work with effective teams whose members will get significant results, who will continuously strive for superexcellent, “cutting edge” quality, and who make a full commitment to “make a positive difference” for Srila Prabhupada’s mission. These teams will produce mission statements, goals, policies, procedures, project and job descriptions, and action plans.
6. I will deal with Godbrothers and Godsisters as peers (like fellow “faculty” members). I will treat disciples, prospective disciples, and new uninitiated devotees as my younger brothers and sisters (“students” in the school metaphor) or as my children. I will endeavor to relate with them as an “older brother,” an “enlightened parent,” a guide, leader, coach, cheerleader, and facilitator. Wherever and whenever possible, I will assist them in their specific engagement in devotional service.
It is my solemn duty to clearly educate all my disciples to realize that I am a servant of ISKCON and the GBC body and that they are the authorities to whom I am accountable and responsible. I direct my disciples to generally regard and honor my Godbrothers with the same genuine level of respect they have for me (“One should respect one’s spiritual master’s Godbrothers as one respects one’s spiritual master.”—Srila Prabhupada in the purport to Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi 5.147).
7. I will try to always be personally interesting to all people who see or come into contact with me. I want to radiate peace and happiness, and therefore my demeanor will also include dressing and behaving at all times according to this vision of myself. This must be so because I represent Lord Krsna, and I want my existence to attract as many people as possible to Him and His movement (ISKCON). This will also help me remember that I am first and foremost a servant of Lord Krsna. I will endeavor at every opportunity to strengthen ISKCON.
8. I will look after the physical side of my life in order to maintain the bodily and mental strength I need to help execute Srila Prabhupada’s mission and to follow Srila Prabhupada’s daily example of enacting fitness principles and techniques.
9. I will teach one or more persons as much as possible what I have learned, realized, and believe in regarding the effective realization and spreading of Krsna consciousness so that whatever my contribution to society and the disciplic succession may be, it may not be lost but will continue through the agency of other devotees after I leave my body. I will produce and develop teaching materials (including written manuals and instructions, video and audiovisual presentations like CD ROMS, etc.) as necessary to help achieve this aim.
10. My “successes” will be determined in large part by systematic and periodic review and accountability to superiors, subordinates, experts, and others, and to the principles of success and effectiveness that I have established for myself.
11. I will increasingly endeavor to realize that the holy name is nondifferent from Lord Krsna himself and that offenseless, attentive chanting brings direct realization of Krsna Himself. I will also continuously endeavor to realize that constant and pure chanting of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, both in japa and sankirtana, is the highest benediction for all living beings, including myself.
12. I am committed to do whatever is necessary to help make ISKCON Potomac more than just an “ideal” Krsna conscious ISKCON center and community. It must be one that truly “makes a difference” for Srila Prabhupada’s movement, a center devotees will want to join above all others in the United States, and one that neighbors and others who live outside the community will want to visit as often as possible and stay for as long as possible. It must be an ISKCON center that other temples seek to emulate. Since the location is Washington, D.C., and since it is the site of the IC Global and IC North America headquarters, I must do whatever is necessary to help make it THE “cutting edge,” premier, showcase ISKCON temple community in the United States.
CONDITIONED BY GOODNESS
People who are predominantly in the mode of goodness are conditioned by a sense of happiness and knowledge.
Often the result of developing the mode of goodness is that one becomes wiser than those conditioned by the lower modes: passion and ignorance.
A man in the mode of goodness is not so much affected by material calamities, and he has a sense of advancement in knowledge.
It's a natural law that goodness brings greater knowledge and a greater sense of happiness.
The problem is that when a man is situated in the mode of goodness he starts to think that he is advanced in knowledge and is better than others.
The good examples are modern success gurus. Each is very proud of his knowledge, and because they generally improve their living conditions, they feel some material happiness.
This sense of happiness in conditioned life makes them bound by the mode of goodness of material nature.
They are attracted to work in the mode of goodness and get material happiness.
As long as they are attracted to work in that way, they have to take some type of material body, life after life.
Thus there is no likelihood of liberation from the material conditioning, or of being transferred to the spiritual world.
Life after life, one may become a success guru, a philosopher, or a scientist, and repeatedly become entangled in the same disadvantages of birth and death and new material bodies.
By the influence of the illusory material energy, one thinks that that such a life is pleasant.
Often the result of developing the mode of goodness is that one becomes wiser than those conditioned by the lower modes: passion and ignorance.
A man in the mode of goodness is not so much affected by material calamities, and he has a sense of advancement in knowledge.
It's a natural law that goodness brings greater knowledge and a greater sense of happiness.
The problem is that when a man is situated in the mode of goodness he starts to think that he is advanced in knowledge and is better than others.
The good examples are modern success gurus. Each is very proud of his knowledge, and because they generally improve their living conditions, they feel some material happiness.
This sense of happiness in conditioned life makes them bound by the mode of goodness of material nature.
They are attracted to work in the mode of goodness and get material happiness.
As long as they are attracted to work in that way, they have to take some type of material body, life after life.
Thus there is no likelihood of liberation from the material conditioning, or of being transferred to the spiritual world.
Life after life, one may become a success guru, a philosopher, or a scientist, and repeatedly become entangled in the same disadvantages of birth and death and new material bodies.
By the influence of the illusory material energy, one thinks that that such a life is pleasant.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
INTERVENTION
There are two ways to intervene: butchery and surgery.
In most situations it is better to not slaughter a person, but to help heal him or her.
In most situations it is better to not slaughter a person, but to help heal him or her.
SHALL WE MAKE IT
Danda Music Song
Shall We Make It
I sit here thinking
About my future
Trying to make
The best plan of all
Time passes quickly
Heart is still burning
Krsna is waiting
My final call
Shall we make it
In this lifetime
Succeed to attain
A pure heart and mind
Shal we qualify
To go back to him
Stop imitating
Become genuine
Oh, Gopal
Oh, Gopal
You said You are
The ability in man
Please help me hear
Pure holy name
My own selfishness
Bothers me the most
Make me Your servant
Or I will be lost
Shall we make it
In this lifetime
Succeed to attain
A pure heart and mind
Shal we qualify
To go back to him
Stop imitating
Become genuine
Oh, Gopal
Oh, Gopal
Shall We Make It
I sit here thinking
About my future
Trying to make
The best plan of all
Time passes quickly
Heart is still burning
Krsna is waiting
My final call
Shall we make it
In this lifetime
Succeed to attain
A pure heart and mind
Shal we qualify
To go back to him
Stop imitating
Become genuine
Oh, Gopal
Oh, Gopal
You said You are
The ability in man
Please help me hear
Pure holy name
My own selfishness
Bothers me the most
Make me Your servant
Or I will be lost
Shall we make it
In this lifetime
Succeed to attain
A pure heart and mind
Shal we qualify
To go back to him
Stop imitating
Become genuine
Oh, Gopal
Oh, Gopal
Monday, November 17, 2008
NEVER DISTURBED
A pure devotee is never disturbed in any circumstances.
*
An ascetic is never disturbed by all kinds of sufferings, and that makes him strong and determined on the path of spiritual progress.
*
The devotees like Maharaja Pariksit are powerful enough to forbear such distresses, by the will of the Lord, and they are never disturbed.
*
The Bhagavatam's conclusion is that a devotee is never disturbed by such reverses. He accepts even reverse conditions as the grace of the Lord. One who continues to serve the Lord even in reverse conditions is assured that he will go back to Godhead, back to the Vaikuntha planets.
*
The pure heart of a devotee is never disturbed when he executes devotional service in the form of hearing, chanting, remembering, etc.
*
When a devotee strictly follows the rules and regulations, Bhaktidevi becomes very much satisfied with him, and at that time he is never disturbed by anything external.
*
A Krsna conscious person is never disturbed by the bodily necessities -- namely eating, sleeping, mating and defending.
*
An unalloyed devotee is never disturbed by any kind of trying circumstance.
*
Despite the disturbing dualities of the material world, devotees are not disturbed at all. Because they fix their minds on the lotus feet of the Lord and concentrate on the holy name of the Lord, they do not feel the so-called pains and pleasures caused by the dualities of this material world.
- Srila Prabhupada
*
An ascetic is never disturbed by all kinds of sufferings, and that makes him strong and determined on the path of spiritual progress.
*
The devotees like Maharaja Pariksit are powerful enough to forbear such distresses, by the will of the Lord, and they are never disturbed.
*
The Bhagavatam's conclusion is that a devotee is never disturbed by such reverses. He accepts even reverse conditions as the grace of the Lord. One who continues to serve the Lord even in reverse conditions is assured that he will go back to Godhead, back to the Vaikuntha planets.
*
The pure heart of a devotee is never disturbed when he executes devotional service in the form of hearing, chanting, remembering, etc.
*
When a devotee strictly follows the rules and regulations, Bhaktidevi becomes very much satisfied with him, and at that time he is never disturbed by anything external.
*
A Krsna conscious person is never disturbed by the bodily necessities -- namely eating, sleeping, mating and defending.
*
An unalloyed devotee is never disturbed by any kind of trying circumstance.
*
Despite the disturbing dualities of the material world, devotees are not disturbed at all. Because they fix their minds on the lotus feet of the Lord and concentrate on the holy name of the Lord, they do not feel the so-called pains and pleasures caused by the dualities of this material world.
- Srila Prabhupada
Saturday, November 15, 2008
CREATING AN ENVIRONMENT
Leadership creates an environment that helps people grow and develop, dicover and use their talents, and relase their potential.
Leadership creates an environment in which people want to be part of the organization and not just work for the organization.
Leadership creates an environment that makes people want to, rather than have to, do things. It is an imperative to create such environment.
As a leader, I am obliged to create an environment where people feel part of something greater than themselves, feel satisfieded, and have purpose. It is purpose — it is value in their lives — that leads them to truly give their hearts and minds.
When you see people only as fulfilling a function, you're treating them like a thing, like the chair you're sitting on.
The greatest satisfaction for people is to feel part of something great and to feel trusted to make decisions and to contribute.
Leadership creates an environment in which people want to be part of the organization and not just work for the organization.
Leadership creates an environment that makes people want to, rather than have to, do things. It is an imperative to create such environment.
As a leader, I am obliged to create an environment where people feel part of something greater than themselves, feel satisfieded, and have purpose. It is purpose — it is value in their lives — that leads them to truly give their hearts and minds.
When you see people only as fulfilling a function, you're treating them like a thing, like the chair you're sitting on.
The greatest satisfaction for people is to feel part of something great and to feel trusted to make decisions and to contribute.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
GOPAL
Gopal Prabhu is a disciple of Barshana Maharaj from New Vrindavan farm community in West Virginia (USA). I saw him in 1997 at Chowpatty when he had visited Sri Sri Radha Gopinatha Mandir. He narrated to us the following story about how he became a devotee or came in contact with devotees.
He was a drug dealer and involved in a lot of criminal activities before seeing the devotees in the town of West Virginia (USA). Once he was being chased by the police man and he was trying to hide himself otherwise he would have been death-sentenced because he had committed eight murders and was on the hit list of the police.
Just then he saw a group of devotees chanting and dancing and singing the holy names in Sankirtana on the streets where the police were chasing him. He hid his face and joined the party and started dancing and singing like the other devotees. Then he got into the van when the sankirtan party finished harinama and landed in the temple. There he was not noticed by the other devotees who thought that he was a new bhakta who has joined the temple recently.
In this way he started going for all the programmes: Mangala Arati and SB class, etc. He first had only a bead bag and used to act as if he is chanting like the others. All these activities he was doing only to hide from the police as he very well knew that the police will never ever think of coming to the FARM COMMUNITY in the midst of 600 acres of land owned by the temple authority and catch hold of him. In the meantime he started getting taste for spiritual life and used to like the prasadam the warmth of all the devotees and he made a few friends as well.
After one long month he decided in his heart that he should not try and cheat the devotees because by now he had understood the philosophy a little bit. So he decided to confess to the temple president. Gopal narrated his whole life story and also what he was doing in the temple amongst devotees.
The temple president asked Gopal to surrender to the police and leave the rest to Lord Krsna. Whatever happened will be for the good he assured him and then Gopal left to surrender to the police at the closest police station. The police in charge at that time found out his records and arrested him and convicted him for eight murders and drug selling charges. Gopal was then taken to the magistrate in the court of justice in the city. There the judged examined all the papers submitted and then asked Gopal what does he do now for a living or where was he for the last one month. Gopal Prabhu told the truth about the temple Sri Sri Radha Vrindavan Chandra and his activities -
Morning 4.30, Vibhavari Sesha prayers then Mangala Arati, Narshimha Aarti, Tulsi
pooja, chanting japa for two hours on the beeds - the Hare Krsna Mahamantra, then Shringar Darshan (govindam prayers), Guru Puja, Srimad Bhagwatam class. Then prasadam, then cleaning the ashram and other services,etc.
After listening to the above narration the judge was so moved that he said you
should go back to the temple and stay there for your whole life because the life in the temple is more troublesome and hectic and pressurising than the jail life so that itself is a sentence to all your crimes committed by you. Gopal prabhu's case was cancelled and all his charges about the eight murders and the drugs business were wiped out by the grace of Lord Krsna and Srimati Radharani who engaged him later in their services at the temple.
Gopal went back to the temple and started a new life full of bliss and happiness ever afterwards. He also entered the grhastha ashram life and married a very nice devotee.
Such is the power of association of devotees and the HOLY NAME.
Syamasundara dasa
He was a drug dealer and involved in a lot of criminal activities before seeing the devotees in the town of West Virginia (USA). Once he was being chased by the police man and he was trying to hide himself otherwise he would have been death-sentenced because he had committed eight murders and was on the hit list of the police.
Just then he saw a group of devotees chanting and dancing and singing the holy names in Sankirtana on the streets where the police were chasing him. He hid his face and joined the party and started dancing and singing like the other devotees. Then he got into the van when the sankirtan party finished harinama and landed in the temple. There he was not noticed by the other devotees who thought that he was a new bhakta who has joined the temple recently.
In this way he started going for all the programmes: Mangala Arati and SB class, etc. He first had only a bead bag and used to act as if he is chanting like the others. All these activities he was doing only to hide from the police as he very well knew that the police will never ever think of coming to the FARM COMMUNITY in the midst of 600 acres of land owned by the temple authority and catch hold of him. In the meantime he started getting taste for spiritual life and used to like the prasadam the warmth of all the devotees and he made a few friends as well.
After one long month he decided in his heart that he should not try and cheat the devotees because by now he had understood the philosophy a little bit. So he decided to confess to the temple president. Gopal narrated his whole life story and also what he was doing in the temple amongst devotees.
The temple president asked Gopal to surrender to the police and leave the rest to Lord Krsna. Whatever happened will be for the good he assured him and then Gopal left to surrender to the police at the closest police station. The police in charge at that time found out his records and arrested him and convicted him for eight murders and drug selling charges. Gopal was then taken to the magistrate in the court of justice in the city. There the judged examined all the papers submitted and then asked Gopal what does he do now for a living or where was he for the last one month. Gopal Prabhu told the truth about the temple Sri Sri Radha Vrindavan Chandra and his activities -
Morning 4.30, Vibhavari Sesha prayers then Mangala Arati, Narshimha Aarti, Tulsi
pooja, chanting japa for two hours on the beeds - the Hare Krsna Mahamantra, then Shringar Darshan (govindam prayers), Guru Puja, Srimad Bhagwatam class. Then prasadam, then cleaning the ashram and other services,etc.
After listening to the above narration the judge was so moved that he said you
should go back to the temple and stay there for your whole life because the life in the temple is more troublesome and hectic and pressurising than the jail life so that itself is a sentence to all your crimes committed by you. Gopal prabhu's case was cancelled and all his charges about the eight murders and the drugs business were wiped out by the grace of Lord Krsna and Srimati Radharani who engaged him later in their services at the temple.
Gopal went back to the temple and started a new life full of bliss and happiness ever afterwards. He also entered the grhastha ashram life and married a very nice devotee.
Such is the power of association of devotees and the HOLY NAME.
Syamasundara dasa
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Saturday, November 8, 2008
EINSTEIN
When somebody asked Einstein what question he would ask God if he could ask one, he replied,
"How did the universe start? Because everything after that is just math."
And after thinking for a while, he changed his mind. He said,
"Instead I would ask, 'Why was the universe created?' Because then I would know the meaning of my own life."
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
THE FOUR PRINCIPLES OF COMMUNITY BUILDING
1. Treat everyone you encounter as if the success or failure of your spiritual life depends on the quality of your interactions with them.
2. Think of the person you love the most and aspire to treat everyone with that same quality of love.
3. View all conflicts as your own fault first.
4. Realize that people in your present environment might very well be the people with whom you will live out your life and who are likely to be with you at the time of death.
- Bhakti-tirtha Swami
2. Think of the person you love the most and aspire to treat everyone with that same quality of love.
3. View all conflicts as your own fault first.
4. Realize that people in your present environment might very well be the people with whom you will live out your life and who are likely to be with you at the time of death.
- Bhakti-tirtha Swami
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
FOUR ROLES OF A LEADER
There are four main roles of a leader:
1. Example
2. Support
3. Guidance
4. Challenge
In order to do 3 and 4, we must first do 1 and 2.
1. Example
2. Support
3. Guidance
4. Challenge
In order to do 3 and 4, we must first do 1 and 2.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
EVERY PROBLEM IS AN OPPORTUNITY
In this article I will give you several principles and perspectives that will help you become more happy, more successful and more creative and productive in your life. These principles will be useful only if you apply them.
God Is Pleased If We Cooperate
In the Srimad-Bhagavatam there is a story of Pracetas, sons of King Pracinabarhiṣat, who were performing austerities under water for a long time by chanting the Song of Lord Shiva. It is a very nice prayer, a song which describes Krishna and asks Krishna for mercy and benedictions. Pracetas were doing this together, and Lord Vishnu was so pleased with their friendly relationship and cooperation that He came on His carrier Garuda to see them and said that they may ask Him for any benediction. This shows how, when devotees cooperate, when they work together, Krishna descends or comes and is ready to give them anything they need to serve Krishna or to spread Krishna consciousness.
We are all different individuals and we have different opinions about things, even in devotional service, but Srila Prabhupada says that these opinions are considered to be spiritual, because the goal is one: to please Krishna.
We Don’t Know Who Is Who
There is a story that explains a very important point - that we don't know who is who among us. Once there was a monastery full of monks. Many people were visiting, but over time the monks started to quarrel amongst themselves. Gradually, people stopped coming. The atmosphere became very bad. After this situation went on for some time, one of them decided to consult a sage who was living nearby, “How can we bring back visitors and how can we bring back the good atmosphere in the monastery that we once had?” The sage said, “Come to me tomorrow, and I will give you an answer.”
The next day, few of the monks from the monastery came and asked him, “So, what shall we do?” The sage said, “I was meditating a lot and praying about this and I have to tell you that one of you is messiah, one of you is the saviour. So you have to be careful with each monk. I cannot reveal who he is, but you have to be careful, because any of you can be a messiah.” Thus they started treating each other with great respect. They didn't know who the messiah is but they followed sage’s advice. Gradually, the whole atmosphere changed and people started visiting the monastery again. There was no politics, there was no back-biting.
Now, it doesn’t matter whether that was true or not, because in one sense it is true. Everyone is potentially a saint, at least. Therefore, we need to learn to see people in terms of their potential, not in terms of their present performance or behaviour. And the potential of everyone, as we know from the scriptures, is that they are sac-cid-ananda, a spirit soul who is eternal, full of knowledge and bliss, part and parcel of Krishna. So they deserve our respect.
We may think this person is a software expert from IBM or a football player or a musician, but we actually don't know who is who and therefore we need to respect every single person and every single devotee. Especially those who come to Krishna consciousness, they are so rare, so few. Therefore every such soul is extremely special and deserves our respect and affection.
Every Soul Is Amazing
For example, if you have a child and you see your child in terms child's present behaviour, you will go crazy. But if you see your child in terms of the potential this child could manifest in the future, you will be patient, you will believe in the child and you will support the child, so the child can grow. Thus it is very important how we see people. We should not see them based on just what we see externally or at the present moment. The people’s form that we see at the moment is an expression of their conditioning in time and space. Some people, when they look in the mirror, may be very impressed. They think that nature was very kind to them. They think they look very nice. But actually it is a temporary form. It's not the real you. Similarly, what we see when we look at somebody is not the soul, is not the real person, and that soul which is within the body is actually amazing. Bhagavad-gita (2.29) says that the soul is amazing.
“Some look on the soul as amazing, some describe him as amazing, and some hear of him as amazing, while others, even after hearing about him, cannot understand him at all.”
I had a slogan for my coaching service “Every soul is amazing!” It's a motivational slogan inspired by this verse from the Gita. To me, it has two meanings. Everyone is amazing in two ways. You're amazing in a sense that you have an enormous potential which is not used and you can release that potential. Another way in which everybody is amazing, especially the conditioned souls, is that they are amazingly foolish. We are experts at sabotaging ourselves; we are experts in being our own enemy. Even among devotees this habit is very prominent. I coach hundreds of devotees all over the world and most of them have this habit. They are experts in how to act against their own self-interest. So we have to stop that.
Become Your Own Coach
The devotee has to become his own friend. If you say, “I have no support. No one cares about me.” – then what can you do? You have to start supporting yourself. It’s important how you talk to yourself. We know about negative internal and positive internal dialogue. If you talk to yourself and say, “You are bad, you are useless, you are never going to make it to the spiritual world!” - in this way you're preventing yourself from going forward. But if you tell yourself, “Well, you are maybe fallen and hopeless but Krishna is almighty, for Him anything is possible. He can take even you to the spiritual world and even you can become a pure devotee.” In this way you have a hope. You will talk to yourself in a positive way and say okay, “Get up. You are useless. That's true. Now get up and MOVE! Do something!. Don't lament and just find excuses.”
When I coach people, I ask them what do they want. And they say, 'I want this.' Okay, so what's stopping you from having it? And then they give a huge list of excuses. We then work with this list and we try to eliminate all these excuses. When we look very deeply into what's stopping you from becoming happier, more successful, more Krishna conscious, we see that the greatest obstacle is actually - you. You are your greatest obstacle. Prabhupada once said that we are own greatest obstacle. External obstacles may be few percent but most of it, say 95 percent, is inside, in the mind. “I cannot do it. I am incapable” Therefore you have to learn to become your own life-coach and cheer up yourself.
Raise Your Hands Frequently
Sometimes we are down. Some people are down all the time, very rarely they are up. Some people are occasionally down. But whenever you are down, whether it is non-stop or it’s occasional, you have to learn to lift yourself up. I am teaching devotees a very simple technique. Let's do a little exercise. Please get up and raise your hands! Now try as hard as you can to be frustrated in this position. Is it possible? Try to be depressed, dejected, sad. Some of you may be experts in this thing, even with raised hands. But actually it is very difficult. If you want to change your mood, you just change your posture and Gaura-Nitai are teaching us from the altar to raise our hands. Immediately your mood will change.
Once I was coaching on the phone a young lady who was depressed most of the time and I told her, “Put the phone down and raise your hands.” She did it. “How do you feel now?” She said, “Well, I feel better.” I said, “You can always do that to change the way you feel.” Unfortunately people don't like to do this. We like to be frustrated, we like to be sad, because then we can continue to be self-centred and self-absorbed.
It’s very easy, instead of going for seven years to psychotherapy, you can cheer yourself up by raising your hands. And if you start doing swami step it’s even more difficult to remain frustrated and if you start chanting Hare Krishna, practically it's gone completely. All the frustration is gone. But we think, “This is too simple. I have to take some pills. And I have to go and talk the same thing to the psychotherapist. And I have to lament and I have to be hopeless and I have to complain about life and people and the universe.” With this simple thing, you can change your life. I suggest you do it every day, raise your hands any time of a day and see what happens. It's even good as an exercise. Krishna has given us very simple techniques and similarly there are so many other tools in the Bhagavad-gita. What to speak of chanting Hare Krishna attentively.
Stop Blocking Yourself
Prabhupada said preaching is the essence. If we want to preach Krishna consciousness, we have to somehow sort out ourselves first. Become happy, realise Krishna consciousness, realise that this is the process which is the source of all happiness and then we can give it to others. We can fire up people in our town and we can show them that this is the real knowledge. The science of happiness is given in the scriptures.
The success formula is simple for those who are intelligent. Personal effort plus Lord's mercy equals success. Try to make some effort. If you make an effort to chant one round a day, or two or chant five rounds a day, that invokes Krishna's mercy. In this way, we can change our lives, we can be happy, we can work with other devotees to spread Krishna consciousness, we can preach, but we have to start moving. We have to stop blocking ourselves.
Don’t Think “If Onlys”
Did you hear about “if onlys”? “If only I wouldn't be a family man, I could be a preacher.” Well, that's not true. You can be a preacher even as a family man. “If only my wife would be more kind to me, I would be more happy and more Krishna conscious.” “If only I would have more money.”
I joke when I give talks in London. People come to London and they say, “You know what, I just want some money. That's all.” “Well you're really unique! Nobody ever told me that they just want some money.” People think that if they get money, they will become happy. Even if they are spiritually inclined, they think of money. Money will make them happy. So people want and get the same material things and they all think this is unique. Like when you buy Nike tennis shoes or the gear. It's all the same and everybody thinks “I'm really special”. Similarly, people have same motivations, same desires, and they think, if only I would have this, then I would be happy. They don’t consider that these things didn’t make anyone happy in the history of this planet.
Be Grateful
It may be that you already have everything to be happy, but you don't see it. You don't appreciate what you already have. I advise devotees that every day, every morning when you wake up, write down ten things you're grateful to the Lord for. And see how your life changes.
There was one guy who did an incredibly simple thing. He invented a “gratitude stone.” He would take some stones from the ground and they would remind him to be grateful for certain things. He started selling them also. Many people reported to him that he changed their life with the stones because the stones helped them become more grateful for what they have.
There are so many less fortunate people. They have no hands or no legs. We do have two hands, two legs, we have a head. Some people have a head but it doesn't work! We have a head which works quite a bit. We have so many instruments that we can use to actually become very happy and successful.
Today people who almost have no brains, they become successful, just by being persistent. And what to speak of you, you have mercy of God already with you. You have maha mantra, prasadam, association fo devotees and wonderful Srila Prabhupada’s books. It's amazing what we can do if we just become aware of and grateful for what we already have.
Learn To Look Around You
I have learned from a marketing expert to become more aware of what's around me. He wrote, “You have so many opportunities around you to become very happy and successful but the problem is, you don’t see them.” In this way, we almost are as good as blind. So I want to teach you opportunity thinking. Become an opportunist. And it's simple. Just ask yourself, “What this problem is an opportunity for?” or “What hidden opportunities lay in this problem?”
Let’s say you have no job. It’s a problem. What is this problem an opportunity for?
Go out and start search for a job, get a very nice job, find out what is your strength, start to preach, start something else, learn more so you can expand your skills, look at your life from a different angle (like birds eye view), see what direction do you want to go, decide more clearly. These are all opportunities. If you list them and if you read them, you can become enlivened. There is no problem any more. There is no problem, just an opportunity. So if we change the way we think, our life will change. The problem is the way we think. We think in a such a way as to limit ourselves. But higher intelligence is telling us, don't limit yourself, expand your options. There is so much opportunity.
Sometimes here in London people live in squats. They will come to one place and there is nothing there or it’s a mess and they think “We don't have this, we don't have that.” When they look around a little bit, there is so much already there: there is a light bulb, a candle, a mattress, a table. Then they make friends with the neighbours and they also help a little.
Few years ago, we had an exercise during the Teacher Training Course at the Bhaktivedanta College Radhadesh. We were asked to build a temple out of nothing. The teacher said, “Go out and get what you need.” All three groups had to make a temple. Somehow I happened to be a leader of one group. I had no idea what to do. I didn't know where to get things because I don't know Radhadesh so well. Some devotees went out, some used things from the classroom, and it was amazing what they made out of nothing - three beautiful temples. My group was so together, my team found everything and they made the best temple out of three groups and we won (none of my credit). Do what you can, with what you have, right where you are.
There is also a story how first tampura was made. Someone was walking down the road and found a wire and then a pumpkin and a stick, and he connected them and this was the first tampura. It was made of three things which, on their own, are more or less useless for making music.
Similarly, if you learn in your life to look around, it will help you enormously. If you go back to your home, just look at what you already have and how you can use it to your advantage. Just think of the people you have in your life, who can support you or give you good advice, even perhaps give you money to start a project. There is so much opportunity. We need to look and take it.
An Abundant Universe
God's universe is full of abundance. We have this scarcity mentality: “Oh, I don't have this, I don’t have that.” We think something is always lacking, but it's not true. This is an abundant universe. We limit ourselves and our options because of the way we think.
I used to have this mentality and still have it to some extent, but gradually it's changing. I can see that I have everything I need. Of course, I also train myself to not need very much but that's another story. Anyway, if you develop this opportunity thinking or possibility thinking, your life will change.
Turning A Problem Into An Opportunity
I heard stories about people who are very disabled. One guy first had an aeroplane accident, survived, but remained paralysed. Then he burned himself completely in a motorbike accident. Nowadays he is a motivational speaker. Can you imagine?! His face is still burnt, he can't walk, he doesn't even have hands, but the guy is so happy and successful.
When he was in a hospital, a nice-looking nurse came to take care of him. This guy decided to marry her. He looks almost like a monster, he but his mind is so focused, so strong. She is now his wife and she is happy to have such a husband. I'm not just talking, you can see him on the Internet, he writes books, gives talks to large audiences.
People have such extreme difficulties in their lives. It’s much worse than anything we went through. This man turned a huge problem into an opportunity. Similarly, in the Bhagavad-gita, Krishna says:
“O Partha, happy are the ksatriyas to whom such fighting opportunities come unsought, opening for them the doors of the heavenly planets.” Bg 2.32
Arjuna saw fighting as a problem, but Krishna explained that this is an opportunity. The biggest problem is not the problem itself, but the way we see the problem. Train yourself to see problems as opportunities and to turn problems into opportunities and your life will improve in a way that will surprise you and enliven both you and the people you care about.
Contact: Akrura@pamho.net
GITA COACHING
“Helping devotees succeed!”
http://vedicilluminations.com/gitacoaching
http://gitacoaching.blogspot.com
God Is Pleased If We Cooperate
In the Srimad-Bhagavatam there is a story of Pracetas, sons of King Pracinabarhiṣat, who were performing austerities under water for a long time by chanting the Song of Lord Shiva. It is a very nice prayer, a song which describes Krishna and asks Krishna for mercy and benedictions. Pracetas were doing this together, and Lord Vishnu was so pleased with their friendly relationship and cooperation that He came on His carrier Garuda to see them and said that they may ask Him for any benediction. This shows how, when devotees cooperate, when they work together, Krishna descends or comes and is ready to give them anything they need to serve Krishna or to spread Krishna consciousness.
We are all different individuals and we have different opinions about things, even in devotional service, but Srila Prabhupada says that these opinions are considered to be spiritual, because the goal is one: to please Krishna.
We Don’t Know Who Is Who
There is a story that explains a very important point - that we don't know who is who among us. Once there was a monastery full of monks. Many people were visiting, but over time the monks started to quarrel amongst themselves. Gradually, people stopped coming. The atmosphere became very bad. After this situation went on for some time, one of them decided to consult a sage who was living nearby, “How can we bring back visitors and how can we bring back the good atmosphere in the monastery that we once had?” The sage said, “Come to me tomorrow, and I will give you an answer.”
The next day, few of the monks from the monastery came and asked him, “So, what shall we do?” The sage said, “I was meditating a lot and praying about this and I have to tell you that one of you is messiah, one of you is the saviour. So you have to be careful with each monk. I cannot reveal who he is, but you have to be careful, because any of you can be a messiah.” Thus they started treating each other with great respect. They didn't know who the messiah is but they followed sage’s advice. Gradually, the whole atmosphere changed and people started visiting the monastery again. There was no politics, there was no back-biting.
Now, it doesn’t matter whether that was true or not, because in one sense it is true. Everyone is potentially a saint, at least. Therefore, we need to learn to see people in terms of their potential, not in terms of their present performance or behaviour. And the potential of everyone, as we know from the scriptures, is that they are sac-cid-ananda, a spirit soul who is eternal, full of knowledge and bliss, part and parcel of Krishna. So they deserve our respect.
We may think this person is a software expert from IBM or a football player or a musician, but we actually don't know who is who and therefore we need to respect every single person and every single devotee. Especially those who come to Krishna consciousness, they are so rare, so few. Therefore every such soul is extremely special and deserves our respect and affection.
Every Soul Is Amazing
For example, if you have a child and you see your child in terms child's present behaviour, you will go crazy. But if you see your child in terms of the potential this child could manifest in the future, you will be patient, you will believe in the child and you will support the child, so the child can grow. Thus it is very important how we see people. We should not see them based on just what we see externally or at the present moment. The people’s form that we see at the moment is an expression of their conditioning in time and space. Some people, when they look in the mirror, may be very impressed. They think that nature was very kind to them. They think they look very nice. But actually it is a temporary form. It's not the real you. Similarly, what we see when we look at somebody is not the soul, is not the real person, and that soul which is within the body is actually amazing. Bhagavad-gita (2.29) says that the soul is amazing.
“Some look on the soul as amazing, some describe him as amazing, and some hear of him as amazing, while others, even after hearing about him, cannot understand him at all.”
I had a slogan for my coaching service “Every soul is amazing!” It's a motivational slogan inspired by this verse from the Gita. To me, it has two meanings. Everyone is amazing in two ways. You're amazing in a sense that you have an enormous potential which is not used and you can release that potential. Another way in which everybody is amazing, especially the conditioned souls, is that they are amazingly foolish. We are experts at sabotaging ourselves; we are experts in being our own enemy. Even among devotees this habit is very prominent. I coach hundreds of devotees all over the world and most of them have this habit. They are experts in how to act against their own self-interest. So we have to stop that.
Become Your Own Coach
The devotee has to become his own friend. If you say, “I have no support. No one cares about me.” – then what can you do? You have to start supporting yourself. It’s important how you talk to yourself. We know about negative internal and positive internal dialogue. If you talk to yourself and say, “You are bad, you are useless, you are never going to make it to the spiritual world!” - in this way you're preventing yourself from going forward. But if you tell yourself, “Well, you are maybe fallen and hopeless but Krishna is almighty, for Him anything is possible. He can take even you to the spiritual world and even you can become a pure devotee.” In this way you have a hope. You will talk to yourself in a positive way and say okay, “Get up. You are useless. That's true. Now get up and MOVE! Do something!. Don't lament and just find excuses.”
When I coach people, I ask them what do they want. And they say, 'I want this.' Okay, so what's stopping you from having it? And then they give a huge list of excuses. We then work with this list and we try to eliminate all these excuses. When we look very deeply into what's stopping you from becoming happier, more successful, more Krishna conscious, we see that the greatest obstacle is actually - you. You are your greatest obstacle. Prabhupada once said that we are own greatest obstacle. External obstacles may be few percent but most of it, say 95 percent, is inside, in the mind. “I cannot do it. I am incapable” Therefore you have to learn to become your own life-coach and cheer up yourself.
Raise Your Hands Frequently
Sometimes we are down. Some people are down all the time, very rarely they are up. Some people are occasionally down. But whenever you are down, whether it is non-stop or it’s occasional, you have to learn to lift yourself up. I am teaching devotees a very simple technique. Let's do a little exercise. Please get up and raise your hands! Now try as hard as you can to be frustrated in this position. Is it possible? Try to be depressed, dejected, sad. Some of you may be experts in this thing, even with raised hands. But actually it is very difficult. If you want to change your mood, you just change your posture and Gaura-Nitai are teaching us from the altar to raise our hands. Immediately your mood will change.
Once I was coaching on the phone a young lady who was depressed most of the time and I told her, “Put the phone down and raise your hands.” She did it. “How do you feel now?” She said, “Well, I feel better.” I said, “You can always do that to change the way you feel.” Unfortunately people don't like to do this. We like to be frustrated, we like to be sad, because then we can continue to be self-centred and self-absorbed.
It’s very easy, instead of going for seven years to psychotherapy, you can cheer yourself up by raising your hands. And if you start doing swami step it’s even more difficult to remain frustrated and if you start chanting Hare Krishna, practically it's gone completely. All the frustration is gone. But we think, “This is too simple. I have to take some pills. And I have to go and talk the same thing to the psychotherapist. And I have to lament and I have to be hopeless and I have to complain about life and people and the universe.” With this simple thing, you can change your life. I suggest you do it every day, raise your hands any time of a day and see what happens. It's even good as an exercise. Krishna has given us very simple techniques and similarly there are so many other tools in the Bhagavad-gita. What to speak of chanting Hare Krishna attentively.
Stop Blocking Yourself
Prabhupada said preaching is the essence. If we want to preach Krishna consciousness, we have to somehow sort out ourselves first. Become happy, realise Krishna consciousness, realise that this is the process which is the source of all happiness and then we can give it to others. We can fire up people in our town and we can show them that this is the real knowledge. The science of happiness is given in the scriptures.
The success formula is simple for those who are intelligent. Personal effort plus Lord's mercy equals success. Try to make some effort. If you make an effort to chant one round a day, or two or chant five rounds a day, that invokes Krishna's mercy. In this way, we can change our lives, we can be happy, we can work with other devotees to spread Krishna consciousness, we can preach, but we have to start moving. We have to stop blocking ourselves.
Don’t Think “If Onlys”
Did you hear about “if onlys”? “If only I wouldn't be a family man, I could be a preacher.” Well, that's not true. You can be a preacher even as a family man. “If only my wife would be more kind to me, I would be more happy and more Krishna conscious.” “If only I would have more money.”
I joke when I give talks in London. People come to London and they say, “You know what, I just want some money. That's all.” “Well you're really unique! Nobody ever told me that they just want some money.” People think that if they get money, they will become happy. Even if they are spiritually inclined, they think of money. Money will make them happy. So people want and get the same material things and they all think this is unique. Like when you buy Nike tennis shoes or the gear. It's all the same and everybody thinks “I'm really special”. Similarly, people have same motivations, same desires, and they think, if only I would have this, then I would be happy. They don’t consider that these things didn’t make anyone happy in the history of this planet.
Be Grateful
It may be that you already have everything to be happy, but you don't see it. You don't appreciate what you already have. I advise devotees that every day, every morning when you wake up, write down ten things you're grateful to the Lord for. And see how your life changes.
There was one guy who did an incredibly simple thing. He invented a “gratitude stone.” He would take some stones from the ground and they would remind him to be grateful for certain things. He started selling them also. Many people reported to him that he changed their life with the stones because the stones helped them become more grateful for what they have.
There are so many less fortunate people. They have no hands or no legs. We do have two hands, two legs, we have a head. Some people have a head but it doesn't work! We have a head which works quite a bit. We have so many instruments that we can use to actually become very happy and successful.
Today people who almost have no brains, they become successful, just by being persistent. And what to speak of you, you have mercy of God already with you. You have maha mantra, prasadam, association fo devotees and wonderful Srila Prabhupada’s books. It's amazing what we can do if we just become aware of and grateful for what we already have.
Learn To Look Around You
I have learned from a marketing expert to become more aware of what's around me. He wrote, “You have so many opportunities around you to become very happy and successful but the problem is, you don’t see them.” In this way, we almost are as good as blind. So I want to teach you opportunity thinking. Become an opportunist. And it's simple. Just ask yourself, “What this problem is an opportunity for?” or “What hidden opportunities lay in this problem?”
Let’s say you have no job. It’s a problem. What is this problem an opportunity for?
Go out and start search for a job, get a very nice job, find out what is your strength, start to preach, start something else, learn more so you can expand your skills, look at your life from a different angle (like birds eye view), see what direction do you want to go, decide more clearly. These are all opportunities. If you list them and if you read them, you can become enlivened. There is no problem any more. There is no problem, just an opportunity. So if we change the way we think, our life will change. The problem is the way we think. We think in a such a way as to limit ourselves. But higher intelligence is telling us, don't limit yourself, expand your options. There is so much opportunity.
Sometimes here in London people live in squats. They will come to one place and there is nothing there or it’s a mess and they think “We don't have this, we don't have that.” When they look around a little bit, there is so much already there: there is a light bulb, a candle, a mattress, a table. Then they make friends with the neighbours and they also help a little.
Few years ago, we had an exercise during the Teacher Training Course at the Bhaktivedanta College Radhadesh. We were asked to build a temple out of nothing. The teacher said, “Go out and get what you need.” All three groups had to make a temple. Somehow I happened to be a leader of one group. I had no idea what to do. I didn't know where to get things because I don't know Radhadesh so well. Some devotees went out, some used things from the classroom, and it was amazing what they made out of nothing - three beautiful temples. My group was so together, my team found everything and they made the best temple out of three groups and we won (none of my credit). Do what you can, with what you have, right where you are.
There is also a story how first tampura was made. Someone was walking down the road and found a wire and then a pumpkin and a stick, and he connected them and this was the first tampura. It was made of three things which, on their own, are more or less useless for making music.
Similarly, if you learn in your life to look around, it will help you enormously. If you go back to your home, just look at what you already have and how you can use it to your advantage. Just think of the people you have in your life, who can support you or give you good advice, even perhaps give you money to start a project. There is so much opportunity. We need to look and take it.
An Abundant Universe
God's universe is full of abundance. We have this scarcity mentality: “Oh, I don't have this, I don’t have that.” We think something is always lacking, but it's not true. This is an abundant universe. We limit ourselves and our options because of the way we think.
I used to have this mentality and still have it to some extent, but gradually it's changing. I can see that I have everything I need. Of course, I also train myself to not need very much but that's another story. Anyway, if you develop this opportunity thinking or possibility thinking, your life will change.
Turning A Problem Into An Opportunity
I heard stories about people who are very disabled. One guy first had an aeroplane accident, survived, but remained paralysed. Then he burned himself completely in a motorbike accident. Nowadays he is a motivational speaker. Can you imagine?! His face is still burnt, he can't walk, he doesn't even have hands, but the guy is so happy and successful.
When he was in a hospital, a nice-looking nurse came to take care of him. This guy decided to marry her. He looks almost like a monster, he but his mind is so focused, so strong. She is now his wife and she is happy to have such a husband. I'm not just talking, you can see him on the Internet, he writes books, gives talks to large audiences.
People have such extreme difficulties in their lives. It’s much worse than anything we went through. This man turned a huge problem into an opportunity. Similarly, in the Bhagavad-gita, Krishna says:
“O Partha, happy are the ksatriyas to whom such fighting opportunities come unsought, opening for them the doors of the heavenly planets.” Bg 2.32
Arjuna saw fighting as a problem, but Krishna explained that this is an opportunity. The biggest problem is not the problem itself, but the way we see the problem. Train yourself to see problems as opportunities and to turn problems into opportunities and your life will improve in a way that will surprise you and enliven both you and the people you care about.
Contact: Akrura@pamho.net
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