The Way of Natural Devotion - Universalist Radha-Krishnaism

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Go and stay peacefully at home, do not be mad [crazy]; only gradually do people gain the shore of the sea of the world. Do not show people outward renunciation, but as is appropriate enjoy worldly things, without attachment to them. Be steadfast in your heart, and outwardly do the work of the world, and soon Krishna will rescue you. (Chaitanya-caritamrita 2.16.235-237) This remains one of the most important scriptural passages for guiding our devotional life. Our spiritual practices are primarily an internal process performed with our spiritual body. It consists of adopting the mood, form, love, and relation of a resident of Braj. We may follow this practice in all circumstances. Our external circumstances may vary greatly according to our nature, occupation, home, social standing, etc. We may act according to the standards of contemporary society. We need not be in people’s faces with our beliefs. We need not be different externally. Others may not even know we practice devotion, but hopefully they sense we are kinder, more loving, more compassionate, and more giving than others. Thus, we enjoy a normal life in society while cultivating pure love. This constitutes a healthy, holistic approach to life. We need internal steadiness to achieve success. An external show of steadiness remains a false display for others. If real internal devotion and steadiness exist, the bondage of the material world quickly disappears. Pure knowledge and detachment increase as genuine devotion increases. We need not adopt the external signs and practices of Indian devotees to develop this internal process. The goal is not to become Indian but to become a lover of Radha-Krishna. Natural devotion may be practiced by anyone, anywhere, in a nonsectarian manner. Gradually, we see our life transformed into the spiritual world. We may perform various devotional practices. Some more effectively produce results than others. One of the most important practices for followers of Chaitanya is chanting Radha-Krishna’s names, which devotees consider non-different from the Divine Couple themselves. We call upon them as our only shelter and depend upon their grace and mercy to save us. When we call out in love, they hear us and respond due to the natural, innate love that exists between Radha-Krishna and us. They exist symbolically in the sound vibration of their names. There are no fixed rules for chanting the divine names, but when we put more feeling into it, we get a greater response. Our yearning, longing, loving calls must attract them to us. Traditional devotees constantly chant the names of Radha- Krishna while counting the chanting on strands of 108 prayer beads. When I lived as a renunciate and could free myself of administrative duties, I regularly chanted the Hare Krishna mantra sixty-four rounds of 108 beads, which equals over 100,000 names daily. Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare • Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. This practice effectively focuses the mind on Radha-Krishna. Even when we do not chant on beads, the mantra may still go on mentally. When I left the renounced order of life, of course, my lifestyle and devotional practices changed. Our efforts are not as important as the grace of Radha-Krishna. All our endeavors will not bring us to them without their grace. This easy, natural way of devotion leads to the supreme goal of pure love. I now mentally chant Om, one of the oldest and simplest names of God-dess, as a meditation throughout the day. Om is symbolic of the Divine Couple and the living entities united in love. It centers me as I go about the activities of the day. From this center, I relate to others, the world about me, and Radha-Krishna in a natural way while being present in the moment and responding fluidly to the flow of life. As a Christian pastor, I called it practicing the presence of God. We may mentally repeat “Ommmm… Ommmm… Ommmm” letting it reverberate within our consciousness until it becomes ingrained. We develop a peaceful inner center filled with Om, and we come from that place in everything we do. It is the peaceful place we constantly return the restless mind to. The chanting becomes automatic like our 6
eathing, and we hear creation echoing its sound. We remain grounded and experience the immanence of God-dess along with developing a transcendental relationship. Chanting Om serves as an effective spiritual practice which allows us to maintain body, house, and society in a manner consistent with our life situation, which may vary greatly. In Chaitanya’s teachings, there are two principles: taste for the name, and mercy to the living entities. A person is a devotee insofar as these two principles manifest. It is not necessary to work for other qualities. The qualities of the devotee instinctively appear, and the devotee naturally enjoys benefiting all. Chaitanya instructed Raghunath Das, “Always take the name of Krishna and in your mind serve Radha and Krishna in Vraja” (Caitanya Caritamrita 3.6.235) suggesting he internally worship Radha-Krishna throughout the day. As we chant, we remember the pastimes of Radha-Krishna through the day and serve them in our spiritual body. Thus, we must know our relationship to the Divine Couple, their pastimes, and how they like to be served following the examples of the eternal residents of Braj and the disciplic succession. Traditionally the teacher reveals this to the disciple, although we may come to the realization through inner grace. In this way, our relationship with Radha-Krishna becomes real, personal, and mutual attraction increases. Right livelihood is important. Most of us do not have enough independent income to support ourselves, what to speak of our dependents. Therefore, most of us must engage in some sort of work and hope to make a decent living by doing so. Blessed are the carpenters, doctors, lawyers, business persons, and others with marketable skills that earn a good income and are in high demand. Others may not be so fortunate and struggle to make a meager living doing things that do not suit their nature. While we do not like to acknowledge we have a rigid caste system, today’s society is a form of caste system indeed. Our caste is determined by our innate qualities, upbringing, education, social position, wealth, skills, and talents. Some are laborers, others farmers and business persons, others warriors and administrators, while others are priests and teachers. All are necessary for the smooth running of society. All should be adequately compensated for their work. Therefore, we strongly advocate for the living wage movement and welfare rights for those unable to work. No one should be without necessities in a world as abundant as ours. It is not a question of scarcity but of distribution. We work for the equitable distribution of wealth and opportunity so all may enjoy the blessings of life. Until we achieve systemic change, we reach out to help those who are less fortunate. Devotees live their lives as exemplary persons. They: · Speak the truth in a direct, sincere manner. · Show compassion and try to relieve the suffering of all. · Accept what is needed to maintain life. · Engage in work suited to their nature. The difference between devotees and others rests more in the difference of consciousness their activities are performed in rather than the activities themselves. When we constantly dedicate our actions to God-dess, they become spiritual. We may live comfortably in the world and cultivate devotion. Through constant practice, we gradually progress on the path. We should not advance too quickly or too slowly. We become firmly situated on one level before advancing to the next, but we also should not stagnate without progress. In this one lifetime, we can progress to the highest level of divine love. Constant cultivation of our relationship with Radha-Krishna remains the essential element. We cultivate devotion with the intent of pleasing Radha-Krishna. We hear, glorify, and meditate on the spiritual pastimes of Radha- Krishna, especially their appearance, activities, qualities, and names. Thus inspired, we perform all actions as an offering to please God-dess. All the senses, their objects, and their actions may be offered to Goddess for his-her pleasure. We learn to relate everything to God-dess in this way. Such actions do not bind us to the material world like self- 7
Page 1 and 2: The Way of Natural Devotion Devoti
Page 3 and 4: differently in different languages,
Page 5: the world, most beloved by guru and
Page 9 and 10: of devotion and leads to greater in
Page 11 and 12: devotion flows from their heart spo
Page 13 and 14: DIVINE NAMES AND MANTRAS God-dess
Page 15 and 16: cal Indian eroticism, drama, and po

The Way of Natural Devotion - Universalist Radha-Krishnaism

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?