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By Mahatma Das<\/strong><\/p>\n In this article I focus on how our degree of commitment to our vows and promises is affected by what we believe is possible for us. I also look at how beliefs affect us in general. Some of our beliefs give us strength and some make it difficult or impossible to achieve our goals. And many of these beliefs are transparent, i.e. you don’t even know you have them. <\/p>\n It\u2019s important to uncover your beliefs so you can see if they are empowering you or holding you down. If they are not helping you, it\u2019s possible to change them into beliefs that support your goals. Sound intriguing? It is. <\/p>\n The Soul is Made of Faith<\/p>\n In this article I use the word belief as \u201ca feeling of certainty about what something means.\u201d I discuss how this feeling of certainty affects the way you look at things, and the way you look at things affects your actions. Therefore, in this sense things are less the way they are and more the way we are. <\/p>\n Belief is fundamental to consciousness. In Chapter 17 verse 3 of the Gita, Krsna says the atma is made of faith. If someone doesn\u2019t believe that the atma is made of faith, it just means they have faith (they believe) that the atma is not made of faith. Since that is also a belief, it proves that the atma is made of faith. <\/p>\n What Do You Believe?<\/p>\n If you ever find it difficult to keep your vows and promises or commit to something new, it\u2019s possible you have beliefs that are preventing you from being more committed. If you believe something is difficult to do or if you believe something is possible to achieve, you are usually right, not necessarily because that\u2019s true, but because of the way you think about it (or the way you think about yourself). <\/p>\n You may ask, \u201cWhat if I believe I can be the president of the USA? Just because I believe it doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s going to happen.\u201d That’s true. That might be totally unrealistic for you (in which case you probably wouldn’t even try for it). But the point is that if you believe you can do greater things than you are doing now, you will start working towards greater things. Prabhupada said if you try for first class, you\u2019ll get second class; and if you try for second class you\u2019ll get last class. <\/p>\n And why would you try for second class unless you believe that\u2019s all you can get or that\u2019s all you deserve? <\/p>\n Isn\u2019t it true that your belief in what you can do, including how much you believe Krsna can work through you, is so powerful that it sets a governor on your activities? For example, if an athlete thinks, \u201cI could never make it to the Olympics,\u201d it\u2019s unlikely he or she will even try for it unless someone with faith in their ability pushes them. Similarly, unless someone really pushes us, we normally only attempt to achieve a level of success that fits the image of how successful we believe we can be (which again, includes how much you think Krsna can do through you). Altering your beliefs about what is possible for you will have a major effect on both what you attempt and what you achieve. <\/p>\n What\u2019s Your Script?<\/p>\n Beliefs are like internal scripts that talk to us. If you are wondering why you are having difficulty following a vow you made, you might have a script that says \u201cI can\u2019t follow this principle, it\u2019s too difficult to follow that principle, I am not strong enough to follow, it won\u2019t make me happy to follow it, it’s not possible for a young person (old person, fat person, skinny person, white person) to follow.”<\/p>\n If you see something continually playing out in your life, it\u2019s likely you have a belief that\u2019s affecting that. If you have continual difficulties in marriage (or if you can\u2019t seem to get married), it might be because of beliefs you have about the opposite sex or marriage. If you find you don\u2019t have enough money or can\u2019t seem to keep money when you get it, it\u2019s likely your beliefs about money are causing this. <\/p>\n Have you ever entertained beliefs like, \u201cit\u2019s not possible for me to be really Krsna conscious in this life,\u201d \u201cI could never be like such and such Prabhu,\u201d etc? If so, these beliefs are affecting how high you set your goals in devotional service. <\/p>\n What are You Asking?<\/p>\n An easy way to understand some of your beliefs is to look at the questions you ask. If you are asking, \u201cHow can I become fully Krsna conscious in this life?\u201d it means you believe you can do it. If you are asking, \u201cHow can I distribute 100 big books in a day?\u201d it means you believe it\u2019s somehow possible. If you are asking, \u201cHow can I follow the principles of sadhana bhakti and chant x number or rounds?\u201d it means you believe you can do it. <\/p>\n And look at your excuses. Your beliefs often remain hidden behind excuses like, I couldn\u2019t do that because\u2026\u2026\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Psyche Yourself Out<\/p>\n Prabhupada tells the following story of the man whose friends decide to bewilder him. \u201cSo there was a circle of friends. So all the friends conspired to make another friend bewildered. So they conspired that “As soon as you meet that gentleman you cry, ‘Oh, here is a ghost! Here is a ghost! Here is a ghost!’ “So all the friends, they come, “Oh! You are dead, you are ghost, you are ghost!” So after ten times like that, he thought, “Have I become a ghost?” Then he became bewildered, “Whether really I have become ghost, I am dead?” <\/p>\n What if a group of us decided to do a similar trick on one healthy devotee? Let\u2019s say we decide that whenever we see this devotee we will say, \u201cPrabhu, are you feeling ok? You don\u2019t look well. Are you sick? You look really tired. It looks like something is seriously wrong with you. You should definitely go to the doctor. I\u2019m worried about you.\u201d<\/p>\n How do you think she is going to feel? She\u2019s probably going to start feeling tired and weak. And she’ll probably be really worried about her health and think that something is seriously wrong with her. And she might even get really sick, all from believing that she is sick. <\/p>\n So it’s obvious what negative beliefs can do to us. You might have all kinds of negative beliefs that are affecting your devotional service, beliefs that are saying you are not good enough, strong enough, smart, enough, qualified enough, etc. to be a good devotee, to practice good sadhana, to follow vows. <\/p>\n So it’s of utmost importance that you explore what negative beliefs you might have about becoming advanced in Krsna consciousness. I want you to make a list of your negative beliefs. Before you start I\u2019ll give you a few more ideas to help you with this exercise. <\/p>\n 1) I committed so many sinful activities in my past that it\u2019s sooooooooooooo difficult to be very Krsna conscious now. All these and other similar beliefs hold you back from making a greater effort to be Krsna conscious?<\/p>\n So make your list. It is important to uncover these beliefs because you need to acknowledge anything that may be making it difficult for you to go forward. <\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve made your list, please repeat the following mantra over and over as loud as you can: <\/p>\n \u201cThis list is killing me.\u201d <\/p>\n Let me show you why it\u2019s killing you. How would you feel if everyone you met told you what\u2019s on that list? Not too good, right? Well, your beliefs speak to you 24\/7. So to be Krsna conscious we need beliefs that foster our spiritual lives rather than undermine them. Having this list resonating inside of you is like attempting to climb to the top of a mountain while chanting the mantra, \u201cI\u2019ll never reach the top of this mountain.\u201d<\/p>\n But what if we turned this list around? How would you feel if everyone you met told you that you are a spiritual person, an insightful person, someone with potential to make spiritual advancement, a person who is different from the masses? Wouldn\u2019t that have a positive effect on you? And to be a devotee, you obviously have those qualities \u2013 and probably a lot more. So let\u2019s look at your qualifications. <\/p>\n Contemplate what advantages you have that aid you in becoming Krsna conscious. Maybe it\u2019s your natural attraction to God and spiritual activities, you natural attraction to devotees, your natural faith in the importance of spiritual life. It could be that you are a seeker of truth, one who lives for truth and understanding. Perhaps you have a strong desire to see others become Krsna conscious. Maybe you have always felt close to God and trusted Him. Could it be that you have natural qualities that make it easier to be Krsna conscious, qualities like determination, enthusiasm, patience, humility, gentleness, etc? Or perhaps you have a natural service attitude, which is, of course, a great asset for spiritual advancement. <\/p>\n Maybe you\u2019ve seen the ugliness of material life and fully believe that real happiness doesn\u2019t exist in this material world. Have you ever tasted the nectar of Krsna consciousness in such a way that you believe that it\u2019s the only thing that can make you really happy? Do you have faith that the holy name can bring you to Krsna\u2019s lotus feet if chanted properly? Whatever it is, make a note of it and write it down. <\/p>\n The point is that you have a choice of what to believe about yourself and how the process of bhakti works in your life. If you believe you can become Krsna conscious in this life (Prabhupada believed you could), it will give you more energy, enthusiasm and determination to advance. If you believe it\u2019s going to be a problem for you to commit, a problem to make much advancement, a problem to overcome your anarthas, a problem to increase your service in bigger and novel ways, a problem to have a good marriage, a problem to \u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026, isn\u2019t it obvious it will have a negative effect on you? <\/p>\n Maybe you feel that\u2019s too simple an explanation for where you are at in Krsna consciousness. Maybe you are thinking it\u2019s not right to say that I am not as advanced as I could be simply because I don\u2019t believe I can be that advanced. I have my past lives of conditioning \u2013 whatever bhakti I may have performed, my samskaras, my past pious and sinful acts – and they are all affecting me.<\/p>\n OK. But you don\u2019t even know exactly what those past activities were. If you believe you can\u2019t be that Krsna conscious because you were very sinful in your past life, the story of the deliverance of Jagai and Madhai proves you wrong. They got the gold medal for sin. They were way more sinful than you ever were or ever could be. In any case, if you believe you are especially (or uniquely) fallen and sinful, wouldn\u2019t it be wiser to adopt an empowering belief like, \u201cI need to try harder than the other devotees?\u201d <\/p>\n The point is to look at your beliefs and ask, \u201cIs this belief helping me or hurting me?\u201d If it isn\u2019t helping, why not change it or get rid of it? Negative beliefs limit what you believe is possible for you in Krsna consciousness (and also in everything you do). And the reality is that sooner or later you will get what you expect. <\/p>\n Usually the people who keep failing are the ones who expect to. <\/p>\n A mind saturated with fear of failure or images of unwanted results, can no more accomplish anything great than a stone can violate the law of gravity by flying upwards. Krsna does not alter the law of gravity to accommodate a person who walks off the roof of a house. Similarly, you will achieve what you work towards, focus on, desire, and believe you can achieve. Great devotees have great hope. They know Krsna will fulfill their hopes and dreams for pure devotional service. <\/p>\n Changing Your Beliefs As referred to above, maybe you think you can\u2019t be very Krsna conscious because you did many horrible sinful things before you were a devotee. That belief could easily be changed into a belief that the holy name is so powerful that it can purify persons who are more sinful than you (the sastra is full of such references). Plus, Lord Caitanya is especially merciful to the fallen. Isn\u2019t it interesting how we can somehow end up having a belief that we aren\u2019t capable of making a lot of spiritual advancement even though we are inherently Krsna conscious and Krsna is ready, willing and able to help us in all ways? Just the fact that we are (always have and always will be) spirit souls, and that we contacted Lord Caitanya, makes us pre-qualified to become Krsna conscious (congratulations, you are pre-approved to become fully Krsna conscious!). If you have even one negative belief about something as positive as Lord Caitanya\u2019s mercy, that belief needs to be changed. <\/p>\n Here\u2019s another common belief: \u201cIt\u2019s difficult to control the mind?\u201d Yes, it\u2019s difficult, but not for those who are Krsna conscious. We have the maha-mantra which is the ultimate process for controlling the mind. Therefore shouldn\u2019t we really have the belief that it\u2019s not difficult to control the mind for one who daily chants the maha-mantra sincerely? <\/p>\n Caught In Your Own Web There’s No Time to Chant My Rounds I Can Never Be Fully Krsna Conscious Why not do an experiment and just for this week raise the bar and plan to be really Krsna consciousness (rising earlier, getting your rounds done earlier, reading a lot, no TV, no internet surfing, more service, etc.). <\/p>\n \u201cOh I could never do that.\u201d <\/p>\n Oh, there you go again with those beliefs. Let me ask you, \u201cIs it absolutely true that you really couldn\u2019t be a lot more Krsna conscious this week? <\/p>\n Cause and Effect Sound like a good idea? Sounds like the worst idea I\u2019ve ever heard. But our beliefs operate exactly like this. They continually replay themselves on our sub-conscious. So if you actually believe you can\u2019t be more Krsna consciousness this week, that song will be playing for you all week (or maybe it\u2019s been already playing for a long time), and then that\u2019s what you\u2019ll get (or should I say that\u2019s what you won\u2019t get). <\/p>\n Of course, no one in their right mind wants disempowering thoughts to be repeated? The good news is that if we change disempowering beliefs into empowering beliefs, they\u2019ll always be there helping us, feeding us encouraging and positive thoughts. <\/p>\n Change Your Beliefs And if you don’t have time to do these exercises now, I beg at the dust of your lotus feet to make the time to do them later. Yes, it might be difficult to face those beliefs, and that might be why you don\u2019t want to do this. But those beliefs might be exactly what are getting in the way of achieving your goals. So to use a famous Iskcon expression, \u201cJust surrender Prabhu.\u201d <\/p>\n Lack of Belief in Oneself \u201cA man is not defeated by his opponents but by himself.\u201d<\/p>\n Ok, we are all fallen and we have our faults. The problem is thinking that\u2019s what\u2019s holding you back from being more Krsna conscious or achieving success in your endeavors. Believe you can do more than what you think is possible for you and you will start to do more. <\/p>\n \u201cTry for things I think are impossible? That sounds totally impractical.\u201d At first it does, but the more you think about this the more you will see the power in it. Most people are not where they want to be in their lives – and they never will be. Why? Because they don\u2019t think they can get there (they\u2019ll say the reason is because they don\u2019t know how, but that\u2019s not the real reason). When you start to plan for things far greater than what you think are possible, something magical happens. You start to ask empowering questions, and these questions force you to come up with ideas how to achieve those \u201cimpossible\u201d dreams.You begin to think and act in new and empowering ways. <\/p>\n \u201cThe greatest danger for most of us is not that we aim too high and we miss it, but we aim too low and we reach it.\u201d\t\t\t\t\t\tMichelangelo<\/p>\n Look at what you are aiming for. If it\u2019s all in your comfort zone you are aiming too low. <\/p>\n It\u2019s About Attitude So if you think you can be more Krsna conscious, more committed and can do bigger and better service – or if you think you can\u2019t – you will fortunately or unfortunately find out you are right. <\/p>\n This article was based on a section of an upcoming online course on \u201cSacred Vows.\u201d More information about the course is available at: If you who have the belief that you can\u2019t be Krsna conscious at work, read the Illuminations newsletter, \u201cTransforming Your Workplace into the Spiritual World.\u201d The Soul is Made of Faith. In this article I use the word belief as \u201ca feeling of certainty about what something means.\u201d I discuss how this feeling of certainty affects the way you look at things, and the way you look at things affects your actions. Therefore, in this sense things are less the way they are and more the way we are. Belief is fundamental to consciousness. In Chapter 17 verse 3 of the Gita, Krsna says the atma is made of faith. If someone doesn\u2019t believe that the atma is made of faith, it just means they have faith (they believe) that the atma is not made of faith. Since that is also a belief, it proves that the atma is made of faith. What Do You Believe? If you ever find it difficult to keep your vows and promises or commit to something new, it\u2019s possible you have beliefs that are preventing you from being more committed. If you believe something is difficult to do or if you believe something is possible to achieve, you are usually right, not necessarily because that\u2019s true, but because of the way you think about it (or the way you think about yourself). <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,51],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3743","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles","category-mahatma-das"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3743","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3743"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3743\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44015,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3743\/revisions\/44015"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3743"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3743"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3743"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n2) My bad upbringing is preventing me from being very Krsna conscious now.
\n3) Although I keep trying, I don\u2019t make any advancement.
\n4) I don’t have a strong spiritual inclination.
\n5) My material desires and attachments are especially bad. Other devotees are not as bad off as me (you\u2019d be surprised how many devotees think like this).
\n6) I could never be a spiritually advanced person.
\n7) I don\u2019t deserve it.
\n8) It\u2019s not possible to balance my material and spiritual life
\n9) I have some heavy karma
\n10) I can\u2019t be Krsna conscious if I am married.<\/p>\n
\nLet\u2019s look at the beliefs that are hurting you and see how you can change them into beliefs that will help you. In this way you can start getting 24\/7 encouragement from yourself for your commitment to Krsna consciousness (if you ever feel a strong need for or dependence on encouragement from your guru or others, it\u2019s could be because your own beliefs are discouraging you).<\/p>\n
\nOf course, if you don\u2019t chant much or don\u2019t chant well, it will be natural to develop a negative belief about controlling the mind. Krsna says in the Gita that the modes of nature you cultivate dictate the kind of faith you develop. For example, if you live predominately in passion and ignorance, you will believe Krsna consciousness is difficult to follow (I can\u2019t control my mind, I can\u2019t control my desires, etc). And believing that it\u2019s difficult reinforces the difficulty you have following Krsna consciousness. So if you don\u2019t practice good sadhana and cultivate more activities in goodness, your beliefs remain tinted by passion and ignorance (things are not the way they are, they are the way you are). In this way you get caught in your own web. The point is that beliefs will also change when actions change. For example, if someone stops eating meat for a short time it\u2019s likely their belief that some animals are meant for food will change. <\/p>\n
\nLet\u2019s look at a popular belief, the belief that there\u2019s not enough time in my day to chant my rounds. If you have this belief, it makes it more difficult for you to find time to chant your rounds. And when you do chant all your rounds, this belief will often cause you to get them done as quickly as possible (\u201cit\u2019s time to play \u2018beat the clock japa\u2019). Am I saying that more time will manifest if you believe there is enough time? Not exactly. I am saying that the time to chant japa will manifest because you\u2019ll make the time for japa (and you\u2019ll do this by choosing not to do the things that take away time from your japa). If you still think that there just isn\u2019t time to chant, let me ask you if you have you on any regular basis not found the time to eat. If not, it means you don\u2019t believe there\u2019s not enough time to eat. (\u201cOh, but I have to eat.\u201d Yes, but you could live 40 days on water).<\/p>\n
\nWhat else do you believe about being Krsna conscious? How about, \u201cI am not planning to become fully Krsna conscious is this life.\u201d So what are you planning? Are you planning to be 44\/100ths Krsna conscious in this life because that\u2019s all you believe you can get? Well, if you plan for 44\/100ths Krsna consciousness in this life, I bet you\u2019ll only be trying to be 44\/100ths Krsna conscious in your devotional practices. I don\u2019t imagine that you\u2019d be calling out to Krsna and practicing sadhana with the same intensity as if you were trying for 100% Krsna conscious. The more Krsna consciousness you plan for (the more you believe you can get), the more your life adjusts to that plan. <\/p>\n
\nLet\u2019s look at the effect of this and other disempowering beliefs. One way to fully understand their effect is to imagine what it would be like to repeat them over and over again. Obviously it would be stupid to repeat over and over again, \u201cI could never be a lot more Krsna conscious this week.\u201d And wouldn\u2019t that be an especially dumb thing to say before you chant japa or in between each round? How about repeating it when you arrive at work? What about when you get home? And let\u2019s try that mantra ten times before going to bed and ten more times when you wake up. <\/p>\n
\nSo go back to your list of disempowering beliefs and see how you can turn them into empowering beliefs. If needed, use the list of positive traits and beliefs you have to help you. Every negative belief you change into an empowering belief will have a dramatically positive effect on your life. I can\u2019t over emphasize the power of this one little exercise. <\/p>\n
\nSo where do these negative beliefs come from? Some of them come from a lack of belief in yourself – and we should also add, \u201ca lack of belief in your Self.\u201d Krsna can work through you to do what you now think is impossible for you. To encourage us, the scriptures are full of stories of fallen people who became great devotees and accomplished great things. Still, the problem is that we set our goals based on our beliefs about what is possible for us, not what is possible through us.<\/p>\n
\nKrsna responds to our attitude. If our attitude is to see all the reasons we can\u2019t follow, Krsna will help us see all kinds of \u201cgood\u201d reasons. But no one ever becomes successful meditating on all the reasons they can\u2019t be successful. They became successful by meditating on how to be successful – and then acting on those ideas. <\/p>\n
\nwww.bhagavatlife.com<\/p>\n
\nTo access this newsletter, to read other newsletters, or to sign up to receive my monthly newsletter in your inbox, go to www.tstrain.com <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"![\"Hare](\"http:\/\/dandavats.com\/wp-content\/uploads5\/2017-03-15_09-56-29.jpg\")
By Mahatma Das<\/strong><\/p>\n