My notes from a
meeting - HG Bhuta Bhavana Prabhu - Tree of Life - 18th January
Mentors meeting with HG Kripamoya Prabhu and others.
Prequel
1) HH Sachinanadana Swami was asked for guidance by Pandava Sena
UK for a holistic process for devotion for life.
2) His Holiness has developed the "Tree of Life"
and has shared with Pandava Sena
3) HH Bhuta Bhavana Prabhu was asked to share this with
Bhaktidevanda Manor mentors, and hence the meeting.
Introduction
1) There needs to be a balance in life.
2) Those that do well in KC are those who have this balance
and thus are well situated.
3) Please rate yourself in three areas
A) Roots - A proper sadhana, hearing, chanting, reading,
serving, association.
B) Trunk - physical, emotional, job, money - supportive
things
C) Crown - social work, i.e. KC services, reaching out,
serving, preaching, mentoring
Roots
1) One very senior Vaishnava has said "The problem in
our movement is too much hearing and reading"
2) If we eat too much food and thus the food is not digested
properly, we will become ill.
3) Similarly if hearing and reading is not digested
properly, then we have some problems
4) We do need to meditate on our own lives when we hear and
read.
5) Quality is important, Quantity will come later
6) The correct process to hear and read is
A) We hear or read.
B) We meditate on what we have read and read, in relation to
our life.
C) We apply what we have read and read, to our lives.
D) We sincerely pray for realization of what we have read
and heard, in our life.
7) In this way we will be able to digest what we have read
or heard.
Trunk
1) Wanting to live beyond our means is not sattvic(goodness)
2) Working for needs is sattvic (goodness)
3) Working for wants is rajasic(passion)
4) Living within our means, for our needs is ok
5) Living for wants is greed and will reflect in our
behaviour
6) Same with the mind, in fact "Satisfaction is the
austerity of the mind"
Bhagavad Gita 17:16 "And satisfaction, simplicity,
gravity, self-control and purification of one's existence are the austerities
of the mind."
7) For the body we need good diet, healthy sleep,
cleanliness, exercise, recreation, healthy lifestyle.
8) It is mentioned that Intelligence is the function of
sleep, when we have bad sleep, in our conditioned state we will have bad Intelligence,
and bad Intelligence would mean bad decisions.
9) Three modes interactions with people
Exchanging insults - Tamah guna(ignorance)
Exchanging desires - Rajo guna(passion)
Exchanging knowledge - Sattava guna (goodness)
10) Being in sattava Guna helps us know what is to be done
and what is not to be done
11) For a realized person body can be neglected, but we
should be very conscious of the fact that we are still very much conditioned.
12) Set small goals, with help of seniors and when you meet
those small goals, then you gain more confidence.
13) That way we become more successful and gain prowess in
various aspects of devotion.
14) Be careful! "Power corrupts and Absolute power
corrupts absolutely"
15) As we gain more and more prowess and more people follow
us, then we must also become more and more humble, or else we will fall down,
due to controlling others, for our own use and our own glory!"
16) Always the equation is "Genuine ingrained humility
> Spiritual prowess"
Crown
1) Developing empathy is extremely important; it is a must
at all times.
2) Putting ourselves in the shoes of others, this will help
develop empathy.
3) Never putting ourselves in the shoes of others, will
never develop empathy.
4) When we are empathetic, then being compassionate towards
others is easy.
5) Also when we are empathetic then our heart holds no
grudge, the heart is light, as we already understand others from their point of
view.
6) Few points to remember when we do not feel empathetic or
compassionate towards someone in particular
A) All are equal
B) All experience misery in the same way
C) To eradicate misunderstanding requires some serious
effort from us
7) Try and always emphasize common things between us, it is
simpler when we have common things to share. No need to focus time and attention
on things not common between us.
8) Not all people will have all things common with us.
9) An old HG Kripa Moya Prabhu statement repeated by HG
Bhuta Bhava Prabhu
"People do not
care what you Know ! Unless they know that you really care about them"
10) Always pray for insight and permission to inspire
11) It is never "you vs them”, instead it is "you,
Sri Krishna and them"
12) Behind all of our envy is a need, see if we have a need
and can we satisfy it in a KC way
13) Needs could be
A) Security
B) Significance
C) Satisfaction
D) Self Expression
E) Socialization
F) Spiritual Direction
14) We could have the following complaints as examples
A) These devotees are not co-operative
B) These devotees are not personal
C) These devotees do not understand me
D) These devotees are selfish
E) These devotees are not sincere
F) These devotees do have a loving nature
15) What we actually mean is
"These devotees do not recognize me as important enough
and will not do what I want them to do"
16) Again controlling mentality.
17) We have to change
or what we do to others will come back to us
18) This is what will happen to us (nothing happens by
chance)
A) We are not co-operative, and hence Sri Krishna sends us
people who are not co-operative, so we know what it is like and change
ourselves.
B) We are not personal, and hence Sri Krishna sends us
people who are not personal, so we know what it is like and change ourselves.
C) We are not very understanding of others, and hence Sri
Krishna sends us people who do not understand us, so we know what it is like
and change ourselves.
D) We are selfish, and hence Sri Krishna sends us people who
are selfish, so we know what it is like and change ourselves.
E) We are not sincere, and hence Sri Krishna sends us people
who are not sincere, so we know what it is like and change ourselves.
F) We do not love others, and hence Sri Krishna sends use people
who do not love us, so we know what it is like and change ourselves.
19) So when we see a bad quality in others, know that it is
Sri Krishna instructing us and thus we do not act that way
20) When we do act in this way sincere, personal, loving etc...
We may see that no one is actually appreciating us, and then our tendency is to
be morose
21) Do know that at all times Sri Krishna knows we are doing
the right thing and just be happy in that knowledge that Sri Krishna
appreciates us.
Discussion on values
and competencies
1) Values have to be same to get along with people and
become deep friends.
2) Competencies can be different for people with same values
3) We have to deeply respect, appreciate and be friendly to
people of all values.
4) Relationships are built on common values
5) We should do the austerity to know what people like and
talk to them about what they like and value.
6) Talking to someone about what we like and we value for
hours is not right.
7) They may patiently hear us but we may have frustrated
them, then we think why they avoid us later
8) Talking to someone about reading books for hours when this
person loves Kirtan, is not correct.
9) Not all people will be inspired by and value the exact
same things as us, we need to recognize that.
