BE HAPPY WITH YOUR UNDERWEAR

For my next series of blogs I'll tell a story with a moral. People are naturally simple and can grasp great lessons out of simple stories, dramatic performances and folk song. Many indigenous cultures around the world still gather around and hear stories or sing songs that tell of how their ancestors overcame some tribulation or won some prize. As a child my mother would tell us many bedtime traditional stories, and for those who have spent some time with me at monasteries I've stayed at, you know that I may sometime retell a few of those stories.

Like the previous story about the mouse and the sage, we find another mouse and another sage, but this time, with a lesson of satisfaction with whatever little we may possess.

A very renounced sage lived in a cottage by the river with only a water pot and two Kaupins (monk loincloth) to his name. He'd wear one pair of underwear today and wash the previously used one and in this way, he had very little to worry about and enough time for deeper self realization. As time went by he began to notice that a mouse had been gnawing on his hanging kaupin and was creating tiny holes in it. To protect his underwear from further damage by the mouse he decided to get a cat. So a neighbor happily gave him a cat and the mouse was never seen again.

But the cat came with all its requirements- it needed milk.

So he got another gift, a cow, who needed to be milked and cared for.

"I need a wife to help me do all this", he thought.

So came the wife, a beautiful lass from the village. the cow was daily cared for and milked, the cat was fed, the rat refused to come and bother the kaupin, which had been thrown away and a new wardrobe replaced it, just to please his wife.

Now the wife had her needs; a nice house, kids, and other things that would make them seem like a normal family and avoid bad talk from the neighbors.

As the struggle began to fulfil all these desires-desires of others, the sage began to reflect: " I was happy in that hut until that mouse came along, and just to save my stupid underwear I now have everything else but the underwear".

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Again, there's so much to be learned from this story, but for me the most important is to be satisfied with whatever little one may have. The bigger the need, the bigger the problem. In this realm of matter where we struggle to exist, there will always be some difficulty. Either your mind will give you trouble, other living entities like tiny mosquitoes or mice will give trouble, or mother nature herself in the form of hurricanes, earthquakes and tsunamis, to name a few.

Bhagavad Gita explains that true knowledge means to recognize these issues and then rise above them to a higher platform. From that higher platform called Brahma Bhuta, one can truly experience real spiritual bliss. The first experience on this platform is called prasanatma- transcendental happiness or spiritual satisfaction. Once satisfied then na socati na kanksati- no hankering for mundane things and no lamentation over the loss of mundane things. Next the satisfied spiritualist begins to see things with an equal vision- he begins to see the true spiritual nature behind everything, and the reason everything in this material world is so placed. At that time, mad bhaktim labhate param- he begins to perform only spiritual activities meant for the benefit of not just himself, but every living being.

Spiritual life teaches us to be satisfied and accept whatever our lot may be.

Material life means always hankering for things, not being fulfilled by those things and then hankering for more. But if we look at history, its hard to find a person living a life dedicated to satisfying the senses who can honestly admit actual satisfaction with what they have. Things can always be better; the grass is always greener on the other side.

But why do we hanker? Whats the root cause?

The Vedic knowledge tells us that the reason we look for satisfaction or happiness is not some abnormal thing- we're by nature pleasure seeking entities. The only problem is that we're seeking lasting pleasure or satisfaction from that which by nature cannot give it. Our very existence as eternal spiritual beings is now in an atmosphere of non-existence.

Krishna consciousness is the process by which we can find out about our real nature, experience that nature, and stay on that platform!

MOUSE ! AGAIN ?!

After some time of writer's block syndrome a student from the University of Tennessee suggested that I write about the United States hegemony. I had never before heard such a word, so i inquired from him and was enlightened. Hegemony deals with one nation as world power and others bowing down before them and surrendering all the goods (my definition). Michael wanted to hear from a monk's point of view so what follows is a humble attempt to shed some light from the Vedic point of view.
A mouse once approached a saintly person and implored his help complaining that a cat was hunting him down.
"What can I do for you, young mouse?"
"Make me a cat."
"So be it."
The new cat happily left, never to be bothered by another cat ever again until...
"What can I do for you this time, dear cat", the sage inquired.
"Dogs! Dogs are chasing me."
"Well, I'll help in whatever way I can."
"I- ... want to be a dog."
"OK, that's easy. So be it."
Young Mr. Dog happily barked and ran back to town to fearlessly face those other dogs.
No sooner had he left, and the sage started his meditation, the dog hurried back with breathless speed.
"Yes?"
"A tiger is chasing after me. Make me a tiger and no one will ever hunt me down again!"
"Sure", said the sage and with a wave of his hand, the dog transformed into a huge tiger, stronger than any other. But this time the tiger wouldn't leave. He stared hungrily at the sage.
"So, you want to eat me?"
"y..e..s", came the licking reply.
The angry sage then roared back a the tiger, "Again become a mouse!"

(This Monk's Purport)

This little story from the niti sastras (moral stories), clearly shows nature of man in his greed feature. America, as well as many other empires started with simple missions- form a country based on religious principles. "In God We Trust" and "Allah is greatest" became the fuel for their fire. The mouse-like pilgrims, having escaped oppression from waning tiger-dog-cat-like empires found greener pastures and gradually rose to their own power levels. Now with tiger strength, and a greater appetite for sense gratification, these once mice creatures try desperately to kill God , but keep his blessings to become tigers.
In their intoxicated state, they promote the slaughter or the animals they were given dominion over, degrade and continue to abuse and disrespect women and children and as they fight to conquer more and more land, those subordinate to them suffer the most. Any simpleton can predict the outcome of such actions, for history repeats itself. Sodom, Gomorrah, Egypt, Greece, India, Rome, and many others lay as examples of once high and mighty, and now low and gone. Unless people begin to educated themselves properly and understand one fact- the Supreme father hood of God, the Mother hood of nature and the Children hood of humanity at large, one can only expect to see millions of rising and falling empires.
This hard struggle for existence on top can be remedied by a simple understanding- everything animate and inanimate in this manifestation is owned and operated by the Supreme.
When we exploit nature too much due to our puffed up attitude, she shows her greater strengths through disasters like earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes etc.
In true brotherhood we can all share our father's property . yes, we all are different; different clothes, different cultures- but this keeps life beautiful.
In Vedic literature God is known by many names, but Krishna tops them all. Krishna means the all attractive personality. Why, because he's all beautiful, Adonai, All Mighty, Allah, the most Intelligent, Buddha and the highest Anointed person, Christ. Every attractive, or unattractive quality in us can be found in full in God in his absolute feature as Krishna. When we break apart the Absolute godhead, and Choose to only show one part of his personality, we will run into trouble. One who sees God as All Might (Allah), will try to conquer worlds depending on the all mightiness of God. Such a man will meet with defense from others who see the Anointed (Christ) or the Intellectual (Buddha) . History, again has shown all of this.
In conclusion, I humbly recommend those reading this journal to take advantage of the storehouse of Vedic knowledge beginning with the Bhagavad-gita and understand the essential thread that runs through all of us. As humans, regardless or caste and creed, religion or region, we can all learn something form these literatures and live on the human platform rather than the tiger or dog platform. Unity in diversity will bring about lasting peace wherever we may be. Until then, we can all pray for the protection of the Supremely powerful sage against cats, hogs, dogs, camels tigers or asses.

UNDER PROPER GUIDANCE

Srila Prabhupada's garden gave us entrance into another realm as Nandu, Mirabhai Goura and I walked in that summer day in LA. It was that time of the year again; the Festival of the Chariots was over, and a few of us locals had time to hang out together. The garden has always been my favorite place in LA and to be there with good friends made it all the more special.

Mira had come in with a basket of flowers to make garlands for the next day's offering tot he Dieties, Nandu had taken the harmonium from the temple after the noon arati and was playing some mid-day tunes next to Srila Prabhupada's sitting place. Goura stood on the other side of the water fountain and did a few bharatanatyum moves to "Yasomati nandana" while I, goofing off as usual, tried to follow her every move until she finally agreed to teach me the "real" moves.

Then it dawned on me- Srila Prabhupada's presence was there! And all of us were engaged in something connected to Krishna. Mira making garlands, Nandu singing, Goura teaching me.

This wasn't like the spiritual world, this WAS the spiritual world. Made possiible by Srila Prabhupada's mercy, we were all engaging our consciousness at that moment in relation to Krishna.

Every now and then I think about that day and wonder when that day will come when such an event will happen 24 hours. The energy was unreal, and I was in a space where everyone there with me was perfectly engaged.

The kingdom of heaven, or better yet the Village of heaven is a village of consciousness. That transcendental realm is available to anyone regardless of caste or creed and I am convinced with every passing day that we can all get there even in this lifetime, while in this body, under proper guidance :)