Wisdom of the Sages

don't waste your time / our desires get in the way of making sense of the universe / you need a peaceful mind to perceive truth / peace comes from selflessness / misconceptions of "there is no Mara" - "we are all Mara" / no mantras, no gurus, no chanting...no yoga / Srimad Bhagavatam is the spotless Purana / to those who are attached to sense enjoyment and material opulence, "no samadhi for you!"...

go right for the essence / if you're broken, you're qualified / Instagram's measure of success / establishing cosmic order / creating with the mind - the iPhone is a looking glass / empirically, I can see that people wrongly limit their idea of what is possible / all-auspiciousness / Raghu's experiments in nature / qualifications to hear & know / spirituality isn't joining a club, it's a practice...

two paths - red pill - knowledge, blue pill - ignorance / ignorance of the principle of sacrifice results in clash & frustration / sacrifice means to make something sacred by reconnecting it / Bhagavad-gita shows how to make one's entire life a sacrifice / ritual is designed to bring the mind back to reality / it's all God's anyway / we find peace though sacrificing for Krishna, the dearest friend...

everyone has their spiritual awakening / the hardest lessons are the ones best learned / the light of knowledge / the planting of the seed of bhakti / why become a monk? / the proof is in the higher taste / take risks! / how faith increases / my home is the world, the people of the world are my family / I've been taught to see the soul / raising saints / so much hard endeavor in the material world...

is there a certain way a yogi should act around non-yogis? / do I have a dharmic responsibility to vote? / where is the line between free will, my endeavor, and what God has planned? / what is life for the monks who don't greatly achieve? / how to present important spiritual values (such as humility and not criticizing) in a way that the possible negative material manifestations of them found in o...

The Purusha Shukta describes the totality of creation as 1/4 illusion & 3/4 spiritual reality / our choice the red pill or the blue pill / the fine print on the material blue pill - "users may experience death, fear and old age" / some gastrointestinal advice from Raghu / materialism is the blue pill - jnana is the red / bhakti synthesizes everything - you can maintain your material life while sti...

the mantras of the Vedas are echoed & expanded on in Srimad Bhagavatam / what do we pray for? / virtual reality is generated out of reality / the universe didn't appear by chance, it is designed to facilitate our desires / we are given the virtual equipment (senses & sense objects) to experiment with separate enjoyment / Bhakti Yoga means we reconnect the senses to their original source SB 2.6.1-1...

our depression, anger, etc. are not us, they are equipment not functioning well / pleasure of the ego always leads to pain / Sankhya - counting the material elements and knowing that I am something else / sattvic happiness turns from poison into nectar, rajasic happiness turns from nectar into poison / monk life strips away everything you've got / our little bit of freedom / sattvic living loosens...

wisdom means making the micro - macro connections / universal creation is like baking bread / adding the elements of time, karma, and individual nature to the dough / the world is moving for our purification / Groundhog Day / our life is one thin page / Lord Vishnu on 3 levels / the ingredient of false ego facilitates the illusion we desire / earth, water, fire, air & ether / the 11 senses / for e...

Raghu's tamari almond binge & subsequent 90's girl band binge / there's either the pain of discipline or the pain of regret / behind the world we perceive is a director we don't perceive / studying the psychic effects of thinking, feeling and willing / God is never covered - we are / the bird and the hole in the wall / the false premise that everything real can be perceived empirically / ultimatel...

a hollowness inside myself / India - an atmosphere of faith / inspiration from the widows of Vrindavan / getting past the immaturity of early followers / understanding Srila Prabhupada's intention / quaint, gleeful Vrindavan / the realization that I'm meant to serve with love / the journey from immature to mature spirituality Check out her book, Five Years, Eleven Months and a Lifetime of Unexpect...

who is your favorite character from Mahabharata & why? / how do Kaustubha and Raghu practice japa? / how to not become discouraged when our progress seems slow? / how to find community when isolated in a lonely part of the world? / how does one become initiated in a bhakti lineage? / how can we start letting go of these habits like pornography and masturbation?

illusory I & Mine conceptions of the self in the center / Brahma's clarification - everything is seen in relation to Narayana / to say "there is no Absolute Truth" is an absolute statement / with no spiritual foundation there is no basis for ethics / Kaustubha's Satanic friend / the understanding that consciousness in non-material leads to recognizing that all life is sacred / yoga & tapas are mea...

levels 1,2 & 3 of the Bhagavatam / where is the school that studies the nature of the soul? / I'm not God - my significance comes from my contribution / we are made up of mercy / if Brahma is God why does he perform austerities? / sampradaya - lineage / a good question is as important as a good answer / "gurus" who let their followers think they are God / I meditate on Vasudeva / the illusion of I...

respects to Vyasadeva who compiled the Vedic teachings / one becomes enlivened through spiritual sound / drawing from the works of the previous teachers / exoteric and esoteric understandings / Krishna pastimes are transcendental, and so we meditate on them / Rasalila>10th Canto>Srimad Bhagavatam>Vedic literature / the words of the gopis at the Rasalila is the pinnacle of all the yoga teachings /...

spiritual knowledge is a lamp lit from within / the lamp requires the right attitude & the right process / gimme a straight answer! / service attitude / the GPS is inside of us / spiritual knowledge is handed down in a chain - otherwise it's fruitless / the teacher has to be firmly devoted to the Absolute Truth - the student has to come carrying wood / nothing grows beautiful without the spiritual...

purifying the mind before speaking / receiving the spiritual download / intelligence engaged in enjoying prison life vs intelligence engaged in becoming free / 'I live to be corrected' / Krishna from within the heart gives intelligence / the manas and the buddhi / Raghu's mindset on Joe Rogan / Kumbakarna forgets everything / Keshava Kasmiri and the Goddess Sarwaswati SB 2.4.19 - 20

our attention is our one greatest asset / the human body is a lab for experimentation / impressions we allow in our minds become the mold of our future / develop a service mindset / the attitude "I live to be corrected" is pivotal / application - make incremental improvements- mini habits / the wedge / Bhagavatam understands us www.vaisesikadasa.com www.fanthespark.org

how to understand & respond when discontent, bitterness, envy & resentfulness arise / what does spiritual maturity look like? / I'm isolated and my spiritual life is sliding downhill - what to do? / why does the soul need to keep reincarnating to find what it already is? / do you have tips for someone with ADHD? / how to pluck the weeds that grow alongside the bhakti creeper? / how can I get past...

elevation through reconnection / the complete whole is within everyone / Krishna is the attractor / no matter how dented our can is, remembering Krishna elevates us / reconnection liberates us from distress / reconnection purifies our bad karma / reconnection frees us of attachment to good karma / our good qualities only have value when we reconnect / cultural appropriation and who it applies to -...

bhakti satisfies the simple & complex / there's our faith & there's what our faith is based on / Vedic culture never broke / essentially, we have one big choice - to disconnect and live in service to the mind & senses or to connect and live in service to the root of all existence / is our body really ours? / the 4 defects of the conditioned soul / backing up what we say / the beautiful freedom of...

Dillinger Escape Plan's Liam Wilson - why a lot of musicians get into bhakti / the culture of respect facilitates truth perception / where one is at determines how much they can hear / we've got a culture of disrespect / the mood for learning / to one person it's a statue - to another it's Lord Vishnu / guru is the therapist - mantra is the medicine / Krishna creates, maintains & withdraws his ene...

the yogi & the mouse fable / dovetailing material energy with the spiritual / the value of destitution / letting go of anxiety / letting go of possessiveness, not responsibility / a verse about connecting to the root / a verse about freedom from the need for validation / a verse about offering oneself completely to the supreme friend / 2 striking verses about unconditional love SB 2.3.25 - 2.4.4

Makeover Monday / Raghu dreams of Krishna / rules facilitate freedom / the change in heart / the balance between not changing the teachings, and explaining them in our own words / a mantra must be received in the lineage in order to be effective – the rational and transrational understanding / 10 important considerations in the meditation on the maha mantra SB 2.3.24

Peace Corps in India / meeting Prabhupada and inquiring / shifting from an observer to a practitioner / the secret - who we reveal our minds and listen to - who we trust / details vs principles / the Bhaktivedanta Institute - studying science & Vedanta / in order to really understand consciousness, we need to raise our consciousness