Radhanath Swami's Blog, page 11

How to Live in a World Plagued by Selfishness?

Question: Namaste Swamiji. It is said that we should always associate with selfless people, and that’s very critical. Then, how should we interact with the people who are selfish? As you say, we should also love them as they are also part of God. So, if we are surrounded by such people, how should we act?

Answer: By being a good example. Of course, if those people open their minds and hearts for us to speak to them about higher virtues and higher truths in life, then that is our service to them—to offer them that higher ideal, that higher philosophy that’s based on truth. We should not be egoistically thinking, “I know more than you.” We should be humbly serving all living beings by sharing a spiritual message that will enlighten them, bring joy in their life, and relieve them of suffering. So, if we learn the philosophy and the truth nicely ourselves, we can present it in a way that can help convince others of the good way of living.

But if people are unwilling to hear, we can just be good examples. They should see that we are dynamic and successful in whatever we do, as far as possible. At the same time they should see that we do it without greed, without anger, as an expression of our love for God. They should see that we’re actually good, we’re actually spiritual and selfless. That will have a tremendous impact on people.

We live in a world where people have very difficult time trusting one another because they’re exposed to so much hypocrisy. Most people say one thing and do the other. But when we act in a spirit of selfless service, which comes by cleaning our own hearts through chanting the names of God and living a service-oriented life, people will feel the radiation of your spiritual energy and they’ll be able to trust you. They’ll say that this person actually has a simple and innocent heart and I can trust him/her. And when people trust you, you can do so much good in their lives by your example, by your words. So we should not hate people that are selfish. We should feel compassion for them, and we should live in such a way that we can somehow reach their hearts and help them, and if we can’t do anything else, we can pray for them. You may not be able to change the world, but you could change yourself. And when you access that spiritual potency, you could do your part of making the world a better place.

In building the bridge across the Indian Ocean from Ramesvaram to Sri Lanka, Hanuman was lifting mountain peaks and putting them in the water, and there was a little spider kicking grains of sand with his little legs. Hanuman told the spider, “Move aside!” and Rama said to Hanuman, “No! You move aside! That spider is doing as much as you. In helping me in my mission he is doing as much as he can. That spider’s capacity is to kick one grain of sand at a time, you’re capacity is to rip off mountain peaks and put them, but you’re each doing what you can do; therefore, you are both equally perfect in my eyes.” So, let us be happy just doing our part, whether it’s big or small. And let’s try our best to clean our own hearts to love God and to do actual good in the world.

Radhanath Swami Speaks at The Bhakti Center’s Festival of the Divine Protector

On Saturday, May 6th, 2017 The Bhakti Center, in New York City observed a traditional festival, celebrating the divine appearance of Sri Nrsimhadeva the half-man half-lion avatar of Lord Vishnu, with special guest speaker Radhanath Swami.

The appearance of Sri Nrsimhadeva has been observed for millennia in India and is now celebrated world-wide. His story is beautifully told in the sacred text Srimad Bhagavatam. Traditionally, bhakti-yogis honor Sri Nrsimhadeva as the protector of His devotees and the remover of all obstacles and difficulties on the path of devotion.

The evening featured a talk by Radhanath Swami and included a line-up of wonderful kirtan leaders, a drama, a beautiful traditional ceremonial bathing (abhishek) of the form of Sri Nrsimha and an amazing vegetarian feast served to all guests. You can see a video of Radhanath Swami’s talk above.

Radhanath Swami Leads Thursday Night Kirtan at The Bhakti Center in New York City

On May 4th, 2017 Radhanath Swami joined a group of over 250 devotees, yogis, seekers and kirtan enthusiasts for an evening of devotional song, leading the group as part of The Bhakti Center’s regular Thursday Night Kirtan in New York City. Word’s fail to capture the essence of the evenings joy, but you can watch the video below to get a better idea.

Nasdaq Tower Slide

Radhanath Swami’s Bestseller “The Journey Within” Lights up Broadway

The Nasdaq Tower is an icon of New York City’s Times Square and the largest stationary video screen in the world, standing seven stories tall. It is approximately 10,000 square feet and consists of nearly 19 million light emitting diodes. An estimated 1.5 million consumers view the site on a daily basis. Generally, it’s space is rented by Nasdaq listed companies as a unique and unprecedented platform for promotion. On May 8th, 2017 The Nasdaq Tower featured Radhanath Swami’s New York Times Bestelling book, The Journey Within.

The promotion acompianied of Radhanath Swami’s appearence on Nasdaq Reads an ongoing book series featuring talks with the authors of books about innovation, entrepreneuralism. The Inteview was conducted by motivational and lifestyle vlogger Jay Shetty. The live feed of the interview was viewed by 184,00 people on Facebook. You can see the interview below.

 

 

“The Journey Within” Wins the IBPA Benjamin Franklin Gold Medal

On April 7, 2017, during a gala dinner ceremony in Portland, Oregon, the Independent Book Publishers Association’s (IBPA) announced that Radhanath Swami’s Book, The Journey Within: Exploring the Path of Bhakti: A Contemporary Guide to Yoga’s Ancient Wisdom, had won the IBPA Benjamin Franklin Gold Medal for the category “Body, Mind & Spirit”. 

The IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards, which include fifty-five categories recognizing excellence in book editorial and design, are regarded as one of the highest national honors for independent publishers.

 

The ceremony marked the 29th Annual Benjamin Franklin Awards, which are administered by the IBPA with help from over 150 book publishing professionals including librarians, bookstore owners, reviewers, designers, publicity managers, and editors. Winning an IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award expands a books marketability and solidifies it’s credibility in the publishing world. In a very crowded book market, this award sets a book apart. 

In the IBPA’s annoncement on their website it was mentioned, “With illuminating references to Western religions and ideologies, The Journey Within invites readers from all backgrounds to discover the simple truths that unite us.”

Radhanath Swami speaks on ‘Unity in Diversity’ at International Law Firm Norton Rose Fulbright, London

On 20th March 2017, Radhanath Swami addressed a lunchtime crowd at Norton Rose Fulbright’s London office – a global firm that has over 3500 lawyers and legal staff across more than 50 cities in the world. Given Radhanath Swami’s unique life experiences, highlighted in his bestselling memoir, The Journey Home, the firm was curious to hear his thoughts on how to build a culture of collaboration, build genuine relationships and cut back on stress through mindfulness.

The Rt. Hon Shailesh Vara MP for North-West Cambridgeshire opened the event with the following words of praise: “As a politician I get to meet many people, but Radhanath Swami is definitely one of the most special people I have met. All of us believe that we lead busy lives and men of God do not. But that’s not the case with Radhanath Swami. He is a man who has started up a project feeding 300,000 people daily, setting up schools, ecovillages, schools and orphanages.”

Norton Rose Fulbright prides itself on the principles of quality, integrity and unity. They aim to do this by valuing differences, promoting a culture of respect for each individual and encouraging workforce diversity at all levels. The event was organised by the firm’s Origins network – the London office’s Black, Asian and minority ethnic employee resource group.

One of the more memorable stories Radhanath Swami shared with the group was his experience of being invited by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to welcome the President and First Lady of the United States of America. With all the pompadour of the welcoming ceremony, across the lawns of the Sansad Bhawan, he questioned what he was doing there. He felt insignificant and unqualified. Looking up at the clear sky, he saw a small bird circling above. As he sat in a room full of the most powerful people in the world, he thought to himself: “this tiny bird cannot do anything they can. It cannot manage countries, make trade deals or run for a public office. But similarly, the people in this room cannot do what the bird does – fly”.

A room full of lawyers can be a speaker’s worst nightmare. Every word could be construed to have a different meaning and every phrase questioned for its authenticity. However, after an hour of pin-drop silence, with the professionals attuned to the Swami’s every word, there was a rapturous round of applause.

After the talk Manuela Sforza, the firm’s diversity & inclusion advisor, commented: “I wish all employees could have been here to hear Radhanath Swami speak. We often address the corporate side, but this addressed people in a very personal and spiritual way”. Siri Nomme, the head of diversity and inclusion at the company added, “I was incredibly tense coming here this morning; I had a very busy morning. The Swami made me feel calm and reminded us not to judge and make assumptions about people”

James Morrison, a newly qualified solicitor explained how the stresses of his demanding and challenging role dissipated as Radhanath Swami was speaking: “I was excited about the event because it’s not every day you get to hear a speaker talking about balance, spirituality and taking time to connect to yourself. For me, it came at the perfect time and I was grateful for the opportunity to speak to him one-to-one.” Shiv Daddar, an intellectual property lawyer and co-vice chair of Origins group echoed his remarks: “the Swami’s talk was inspiring, relevant and current. I love how he drew perspectives from ancient texts and from his personal life experiences to teach us a different way of looking at the world today.”

“I wish all employees could have been here to hear Radhanath Swami speak. We often address the corporate side, but this addressed people in a very personal and spiritual way.”

Manuela Sforza, Diversity & Inclusion Advisor, Norton Rose Fulbrigh

How to Give up Bad Habits

Question: I have heard that Bhakti Yoga helps us to give up bad habits. But how exactly does it work?

Radhanath Swami: My dear god brother, Shyamsundar, he is an example of how bhakti can transform a heart, to help us give up very difficult habits.

In 1967, Srila Prabhupada asked Shyamsundar to carve the deities of Lord Jagannath, Baladev and Subhadra from the little model that they had. He was in his room working, very, very hard. One day, Srila Prabhupada came into the room to examine how the deities were, and he saw on Baldev’s head a pack of cigarettes. He was smoking cigarettes as he was carving the deity of Jagannath! He didn’t want to, he knew it was wrong, but he just couldn’t give it up. So, Prabhupada looked at the pack of cigarettes and he smiled. He said, “What is this!” Prabhupada just hit the pack of cigarettes with his cane. And he said, “Do you want one little stick of tobacco to stand between you and Krishna, God?” Prabhupada had such compassion.

You take the name of God, you pray to God, and you follow the process of Bhakti. And as Padma Purana and Rupa Gosvami explain – the power of bhakti is, it actually pulls out the root of the weed of sinful desires, removes the cause of these addictions and fills our heart with loving service to the Lord.

Within a matter of a week, Shyamsundar gave up smoking of cigarettes. Something that was so difficult became so easy. Why? Because he replaced it with something higher – ‘param dristva nivartate’. This is the teaching of the Bhagavad Gita. Unless you experience a higher taste, it’s very difficult to continually be able to give up our lower conditional habits.

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How to Connect to the Divine?

Question: It is said that God is present everywhere. But I don’t perceive his presence anywhere. Can you explain?

Radhanath Swami: To connect to the Divine presence of God within ourselves and within everything that exists cannot be done with our senses, no matter what microscopes or telescopes we use, no matter how many degrees we have or how many books we memorize. Our sciences may be very helpful in dealing with the temporary problems of this material world, but to actually connect to the Divine—according to all of the great saints throughout the ages—the bridge is faith; not blind faith but real substantial faith. Through this faith we can see, we can hear, and we can feel the Divine within ourselves, in every other living being, and in everything that exists. But where does that faith come from? It is within our hearts, and it is awakened when we associate with saintly people who have that faith.

Krishna explains that He manifests within this world especially through the hearts and the lives of those who love Him. Therefore it is said that even a moment’s association with a person who really loves the Divine is more precious than anything else in creation. That association awakens that hope, hope in the infinite love of God. It can awaken that faith which is preliminary to actually follow the path that God has given us for enlightenment.

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The Great Gift of Chanting the Holy Names

Illusion is to see things separate from God. So to see the sacredness in everything is to realize or understand that everything has a relationship with God. Illusion is when we don’t see anythings eternal connection to its divine source.

So when we understand our eternal nature and everything is connected and emanating from God, then we can actually see things in truth. Misconception of appearances due to illusion is the cause of so much suffering and conflict. The knowledge of the relationship between the soul and God, soul and the entire creation and soul with all other souls both in the conditioned and liberated state, is inherit within all of us. Yet is temporarily covered by the mind. When the mind is affected by the ego it comes under the direction of the body and the senses. Yet the mind is meant to be under the direction of the soul.

Everyone is seeking pleasure because it is our nature to experience the pleasure of love of God. It is within us, it is our nature and it is who we have always been. But in the dream like state the ego makes us forget our spiritual nature and think we are all this body so then we have to find pleasure in that forgetful state and look for it through the interaction between the senses and their objects.

The soul is supposed to be in charge but in the conditioned state we have lost connection to the real desires of the soul. Yet the paramatma in the heart is there, who is giving us direction, but when we forget our relationship with paramatma due to being subservient to the dictations of the mind and senses, we are lost. But guru, sadhu and sastra are the external manifestations of this paramatma and telling us the needs of the soul.

The mind when it is actually in tune with our spiritual essence is the source of the greatest happiness and liberation. There is only one enemy – not people or things, but one’s own uncontrolled mind. Its like a thief that steals away our treasures.

So all the problems we have are because of this mind’s association with the ego. Illusion promises us something very pleasing and pleasurable that will relieve us of all pain, but just beneath the surface of what we see are things to cause us suffering – the three fold miseries are always there. But there is another ocean, Krishna, who is an ocean of compassion and kindness and if we dive into ocean we actually find the relief and the pleasures we have been looking for.

He has appeared within the sound of the holy names which cleanses the mind and brings it to its pure state where it becomes in harmony with the eternal blissful loving nature of the soul – that is the perfection of yoga. When the mind is no longer being dictated by selfish egoistic needs but in harmony with eternal compassionate loving nature of the soul.

The mind and the intelligence are beautiful, the body is a holy temple and the senses are incredible instruments for divine seva. Transforming material energy into spiritual energy, it doesn’t mean to destroy it but to transform it to its true essense, our real potential. Chanting God’s names is meant for that, it has that power.

The way to control the mind is to engage the mind in the loving service of the Lord. Govinda Das is praying to his own mind, ‘My dear mind, please engage yourself in the loving service of Sri Nandanandana, then you will be free of all fear forever. Fear of death, heartbreak of all the numerous uncertainties of this world. That fear is due to a lack of inner fulfillment. When you have a foundation of deep spiritual fulfillment there is nothing to fear because nothing can move you. Whatever may happen we know the soul and one’s relationship with God is indestructible. Whether I am serving here or in the spiritual world, in this body or another body, service is always here. Love can never be destroyed. This is the great gift of chanting the holy names. – Radhanath Swami

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