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Frequently asked Questions on Mentoring
 

When I was initiated in 1975, Srila Prabhupada wrote a letter to my temple president at the Bhaktivedanta Manor, asking him to make sure I followed all the rules. He wrote:

13th November, 1975

My dear Prabhavisnu das,

Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter undated and accept upon your recommendation the following as my initiated disciples….I also accept the following as twice-born brahmanas and their threads and mantra sheets are

We’re spirits inside material bodies. If we do something about our own spiritual life—like find out who we really are and what we’re meant to do—life can only improve. We generally prefer consciousness to unconsciousness, except during surgery. Putting zero effort into finding our true identity and purpose while keeping our bodies and minds pleasantly occupied is like always stopping for gas but never eating. What good is keeping our car’s fuel tank full if we’re starving? How can we have a bal

With the Mangalacarana prayers, we have invoked the blessings of the entire parampara, coming down from Lord Krsna and all the acaryas. That is how an initiation takes place. It is by the grace of all these personalities. We are all here simply as representatives of the mercy flowing from this parampara. Somehow or other, we have received mercy and because of that mercy, we are able to be here in some role. And the roles we play simply depends on whatever the vaisnavas have bestowed upon us. Be

By A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

On the 16th of February 1957 a meeting was held at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan to discuss the above subject matter. Distinguished gentlemen from different categories spoke on the subject, but practically nobody could give us a definite direction as to what actually the matter was that was troubling the whole situation. This feeling of pinching in the existence of our life is a good sign for progress. It is an urge for enquiry what is the wrong in the world

King Pariksit continued: “The ability to talk can be perfected only by describing the transcendental qualities of the Lord. The ability to work with one’s hands can be successful only when one engages himself in the service of the Lord with those hands. Similarly, one’s mind can be peaceful only when one simply thinks of Krsna in full Krsna consciousness. This does not mean that one has to have very great thinking power: one has to understand simply that Krsna, the Absolute Truth, is all-pervas

Sometimes we may question the suitability of the term “razor’s edge” when applied to the process of Krsna consciousness. Isn’t this too harsh? Shouldn’t Krsna be more kind and yielding to His devotees? Is there not a more suitable term that we could use?

That God displays features of unyielding and uncompromising hardness cannot be denied. In Bhagavad Gita Lord Sri Krsna says: “Those who are envious and mischievous, who are the lowest among men, I perpetually cast into the ocean of material exi

Uttama-adhikari is living in a close relationship with Krsna. The uttama-adhikari is always thinking about Krsna in every moment. And every moment is dedicated to Krsna. This devotee is not wasting a single moment on anything else.

kṣāntir avyartha-kālatvaṁ
viraktir māna-śūnyatā
āśā-bandhaḥ samutkaṇṭhā
nāma-gāne sadā ruciḥ
(Caitanya Caritamrta Madhya Lila 23.18-19)

When the seed of ecstatic emotion for Krsna fructifies, many symptoms manifest in one’s behaviour. One of them is a taste for chanti

In material life, time is the big enemy. Time is the ultimate power and nothing escapes the all-destroying influence of time.

In spiritual life, time works completely in our favour. Through time, we automatically build up spiritual advancement.

Time is the big enemy. Time is the ultimate power and nothing escapes the all-destroying influence of time. But in spiritual life, time works completely in our favour. Through time, we automatically build up spiritual advancement. Just by our connecti

Let us hear how to overcome the overwhelming mental health challenges in one’s spiritual life from Citi Sakti Devi Dasi who is an expert psychiatrist and practicing spiritual life for more than two decades.

About Citi Sakti Devi Dasi

Citi-Śakti Devi Dasi is a disciple of H.H Bhakti Tirtha Swami and is based in London, UK. She serves as a preacher, mentor & sangha leader. In her endeavors to make Krishna consciousness available to as many as possible, she reaches a broad variety of people interna

Join us to hear from Giriraj Swami on the Purpose #3 of ISKCON (To bring the members of the Society together with each other and nearer to Krishna, the prime entity, thus developing the idea within the members, and humanity at large, that each soul is part and parcel of the quality of Godhead, Krishna).

Video: Click here

Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=87414

Please join us to hear from Radhanath Swami on the Purpose #3 of ISKCON (To bring the members of the Society together with each other and nearer to Krishna, the prime entity, thus developing the idea within the members, and humanity at large, that each soul is part and parcel of the quality of Godhead (Krishna)
About Radhanath Swami
Radhanath Swami is one of today’s most beloved and respected spiritual teachers. He spent his youth wandering through disparate countries and cultures yearning for a

I do not usually cover the topic of disrespecting vaishnavas, as in one sense, it is a distasteful topic. I do not like to discuss all the unpleasantness of vaishnava-apradha as it is not filling our hearts with great happiness. To make vaishnava-apradha the focus of spiritual life is also not what it is about. Our lives must be dedicated to devotional service. Let us just think day and night about expanding our devotional service and about expanding the mercy of Lord Caitanya in all directions.

Let us hear from HH Bhakti Vijnana Goswami as he reaffirms the purpose#1 of ISKCON (To systematically propagate spiritual knowledge to society at large and to educate all people in the techniques of spiritual life in order to check the imbalance of values in life and to achieve real unity and peace in the world)
About Bhakti Vijnana Goswami.

Bhakti Vijnana Goswami was born in Tashkent, former Soviet Union. He took to spiritual life in 1980, during a difficult time during the communist era in th

We make arguments that spiritual life is difficult. We always find a reason to say it is difficult. It is difficult because I am too young. It is difficult because I have to study. It is difficult because I have to work. It is difficult because I am married. It is difficult because I am not married. It is difficult because I have to cook. It is difficult because we have a house. It is difficult because we have a mouse! (laughter) We find so many reasons to make spiritual life and taking up Krsn

“While teaching Rupa Gosvami, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, guru-krsna-prasade paya bhakti-lata-bija: one can achieve the seed of devotional service by the mercy of the guru, the spiritual master, and then by the mercy of Krsna. This is the secret of success. First one should try to please the spiritual master, and then one should attempt to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura also says, yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasado. One should not attempt to please the S

Devavrata Prabhu writes: Recently, I asked a boy whom I have been cultivating during the Corona-virus shutdown to write a testimony of his experiences in Krishna consciousness. I hope that devotees are finding it inspiring to reach out to the people we have met and to nourish the relationships.

Here is what Chris wrote:

When I met my wife, she was practicing an Indonesian martial art known as Poekoelan Tjiminde Tulen. It was deeply traditional, and I was struck by its cultural authenticity. I,

We see that brahmanas in Vedic culture would refuse to simply take up a job. They just lived from teaching scriptures and glorifying scriptures. People would bring them some rice and other things and in this way they lived their whole lives; it was very simple, “My wife makes this very nice soup. We have a tamarind tree in our yard and my wife uses its leaves to cook this nice soup with the rice. I am very happy!” So like this, it was a virtue in Vedic culture; the highest class people were the

Krishna has given us a little independence, because we are part and parcel of Krishna. Krishna is fully independent. He does not depend on anyone. We have got independence to a certain extent, but under the control of maya. In the spiritual life there is also maya. That is called yoga-maya. And in the material life there is also maya. That is called maha-maya, Durga. So we, being very little . . . Just like a small child: he is given either to the mother for taking care or to the nurse for taki

There is an oasis in the middle of a desert, and in this oasis, there are many people living. It is an oasis of sense gratification in the middle of the desert of material existence. In this oasis, there are a lot of things to enjoy. There is camel milk and there are dates, and with these two, the people can make camel milk dates shake. The people can make camel milk dates barfi and all other kinds of camel milk dates preparations. There is a huge variety of preparations that are possible. But