How can we overcome the tendency to over-analyze?
Answer Podcast
Transcript
This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
What can we do to overcome the tendency to overanalyze things? First, we need the association of those who like to analyze. Because if we have a tendency to overanalyze, that means we have a tendency to analyze. And if we associate with those who just don’t like analysis, we will be totally thwarted.
So, it is our intellectual need. And we need to associate with devotees who like that. There are different kinds of devotees and they have different kinds of focus in studying Shastras.
So, both Bhaktivinoda Thakur that we need not just the association of devotees but we need the association of like-minded devotees. Those who think similarly. Those who have similar aspirations in Bhakti.
So, if we have intellectual needs, we need to find out devotees who are also intellectually oriented and associate with them more. And in that place, we will get analysis. And that will nourish us.
Now, it’s possible that in some cases, we may be going into an overanalytic region. And if that happens, if overall our need for analysis is nourished, then neglecting certain things will not feel like like suppression. We do that all the time.
Even when we are studying academic subjects, it’s not that we go deep into every single point that is there. Some things are important, we go into them. Some things, if we are really interested, we go deep into.
But other things, we just pass over. So, like that, some things we have to pass over, that is fine. And even the things which we have to pass over, if the same thoughts, same questions keep coming again and again, at that time, we can keep that questions in a list ready and we can contact some devotees whenever they are available and all senior devotees know everything.
As we advance in Bhakti, we understand that the knowledge of the philosophy itself is a vast ocean. And it’s not just a vast ocean, you could say that there are many vast oceans. For some devotees, we specialize in Gaurya Vishnu, some devotees specialize in Vedic knowledge, some devotees specialize in, say, Upanishads, some devotees specialize in Bhagwat, so there are different devotees who specialize in different things.
So, if we find out that we have a particular kind of interest and the thoughts keep coming, we associate with those devotees and learn from them. We may have to, we may do some service specifically for them and get connected with them and that way they will also give us some time and answer questions. So, it’s not that the tendency to be over-analyzed has to be suppressed, but we have to be realistic.
Some questions, we just can’t go around in life seeking answers to every single thing that we can find in scripture. So, if some things keep persistently coming, we should find a way to get some level of satisfaction out of it. So, humility in the intellectual realm means the willingness to acknowledge that I don’t know and that I can’t know.
There are certain things, because I’m just not able to understand, that a humility also needs to happen. It is not necessary that just by analyzing a lot certain things will become clear to you. It may need purification, it may require mercy, it may require some higher revelation to come also.
So, if something persistently troubles us, we can invest some amount of time in trying to find out the answers and trying to associate with those who will give the answers. But overall, if we find ourselves getting caught in details that are not important repeatedly, we can find out sense of perspective and by cultivating intellectual humility, we can also move forward and stay focused on the important things. So, there are heart doubts and there are brain doubts.
Heart doubts means the doubts and questions about the core principles of this Chandigarh Krishna Yoga Dharma, this Krishna Yoga, this Bhakti Yoga, the best process. These are very fundamental doubts. But some questions about what kind of brain, what kind of cosmology, some questions about Samkhya.
These are brain doubts. They are not really immediately relevant to our practice of Bhakti. So, brain doubts, we can keep in the state of suspended judgment.
No, I can say that. At my level of understanding, I don’t know how to accept this. So, I am not going to reject it.
I can’t accept it, so I move on in my Bhakti. And over a period of time, I will understand it in due course. And heart doubts, we should spend our time in analyzing and associating with those who can help in analysis and getting clearer.
That way by having a proper perspective and proper association, we can deal with the tendency of analyzing without getting into the trap of over-analyzing.