750: Q & A - Volume 109

don’t just be a critic - plant a seed in the ground - do something, no matter how small! / the shame in the game of the critic / the tension, the waiting period, the resolution / focus on growth in the waiting period / Sri Caitanya’s visit to Varanasi / humility through understanding one’s blissful nature / the sannyasis of Varanasi discover the nectar of Bhakti Vedanta SB 7.7.34

Bhagvatam’s prescription - focus the mind on Krishna, see Krishna in everyone / Yoga Sutra’s prescription - focus the mind in general, relate to others with sattvic clarity / the disinterest of the referee / comparison is the thief of joy - the dangers of social media / friendship toward those who are happy, compassion toward those in distress, joy toward those who are virtuous, equanimity toward those who are non-virtuous / the evolution from equanimity to empathy / the dissolution of one’s lower nature SB 7.7.30-33

Kaustubha explores questions about the application of modern mental health therapies in the context of the practice of Bhakti-yoga with Relationship Counselor, Dhanya Rico and Hospital Chaplain, Kula Pradipa Das. Find Dhanya's newest song at  https://open.spotify.com/album/17HCyp59thGRtJPUhyKAUi?si=iczTCsYTRPCefe4vvILAew

Bhakti is the confidential teachings of Vedanta / the heart needs to be opened to understand Bhakti / compassion through not asking “what is their karma?”, but instead asking “what is my dharma?” / individuality should not be suppressed / Education not indoctrination - how to think, not what to think / the role of menial service / understanding bhakti is not merely academic - it involves both inquiry (to gain information), and service (to purify the heart) / Eastern vs Western attitudes towards hierarchies SB 7.7.29-31

the self is a flashlight; wakefulness, dreaming and deep sleep are the layers that cover its illumination / are we any less helpless in the waking state, than we are in the dream? / just as the changing body is not me, the same is true for the changing mind / anchoring our awareness in something beyond change / 2 yogas - turning consciousness away from the world and directing it to the source of the world / moving through this world as an actor with awareness of the director and the nature of the film / our fundamental identities and our functional identities / extending the duration of our moments of spiritual awareness / harmonizing our external pursuits with our internal values / moving forward with balance SB 7.7.28-29

Kaustubha Interviews Krishna Kshetra Swami (Dr Kenneth Valpey) on the specialty of the Srimad Bhagavatam and the importance of the reoccurring theme of hospitality found in its narratives. Find his upcoming course at  https://ochsonline.org/course/bhagavata-purana-sacred-text-tradition/

On the day of its official release, Raghunath and Kaustubha read from and discuss Raghunath's memoir From Punk to Monk, available at https://a.co/d/bqccpnS

Is it primitive to believe that the eclipse is inauspicious? If you have questions, e-mail us at [email protected]

Its okay to be a dented can / de-mything the sacred texts / in whatever you shine in, you become an influencer / our karma gives us a recipe for future experiences / as changing aromas are evidence of the air that carries them, changing states of awareness are evidence of the soul that experiences them / just as one knows all things made of clay by knowing a piece of clay, one can know everything by knowing Krishna / our material experience is like a bad dream (unwanted and temporary) SB 7.7.25-27

to understand “what is the meaning of life?”, we first need to understand “who am I?” / Is our happiness coming from the soul or the ego? / purifying the mind through self analysis / the self is distinct from from all things that undergo creation, maintenance and destruction / life doesn’t develop from the body - the body develops from life / what’s the real creation myth? / attachment, fear and anger block perception of the divine / Einstein’s humility SB 7.7.24