How can our vertical and horizontal progress be harmonized?

Podcast

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
so how are vertical and horizontal growth related if we consider two main things here one is that the two are not interchangeable at the same time the two are not entirely isolated so for example, generally if we have certain resources to go horizontally if we have certain talents, we have certain skills we have certain positions, certain resources then those very things can also be used to serve Krishna so in the sense they can also help us to so whatever helps us to grow horizontally can in principle also help us to grow vertically so for example, say somebody is a good speaker or somebody is a good writer or somebody is a somebody is a good artist or somebody is a good professional those skills it is possible they can be used to serve Krishna also some skills can be used to directly serve Krishna some skills can be used to serve Krishna indirectly say writing, speaking, singing they can be directly used in service something like medical expertise we can use that also to serve Krishna we can help devotees who have health issues so there are various ways so in general the same skills can be directly or indirectly used to serve Krishna that’s one thing second thing is that the horizontal growth that which uses horizontal growth the challenge with that is that can also create a sense of sense of self satisfaction rather we may not feel the need for Krishna because we think I have so many things and in the Bhagavatam it is said that that that once one has wealth or beauty or high birth or learning then they cannot call out to Krishna wholeheartedly because they don’t feel the need for Krishna it could be the mode of goodness it could also be the mode of passion where one feels that I will just enjoy this and I don’t need anything else both ways so in principle the resources which are used for horizontal growth can also be used for vertical growth but in practice one may not feel inspired to grow vertically because one is growing horizontally a lot that can happen so that’s why we need philosophical understanding about what is temporary, what is eternal what is going to really satisfy us and what is going to only titillate us then we can learn to balance now I am coming to that so now horizontal growth it can be defined in various ways at one level it can just be earning more money, getting a bigger position in society and that kind of growth now in and of itself it is it may not be done with any spiritual consciousness but it can be done with spiritual consciousness also so for example Arjuna was an archer and Arjuna trained himself in archery and when he was training himself he worked very hard for that but he was also thinking that I am going to use this in Krishna’s service so the horizontal growth if it is done with the intention to serve Krishna then Krishna says that by your work you can worship that all pervading absolute truth so it’s possible in principle to serve Krishna even through our work and if the intention is to serve Krishna Bhagavad Gita actually gives this dramatic example of war which we assume for most people quite like anti-spiritual activity but even an activity like war can be spiritualized by one’s consciousness so that is one thing which can be considered here but the point in today’s scenario is that trying to grow horizontally requires three things first it requires too much time and energy second is it places one in materialistic association where the impetus for spiritual growth is quite decreased by that and third is it may also require one to make some lifestyle choices or some ethical choices which may militate against devotional growth so especially if it becomes unidimensional when say people become workaholics then what to speak of spiritually growing even their family life is also not healthy at that time so growth in a sense is a natural state like the body from a child to adult it grows now cancer is also a growth but cancer is a growth which is disproportionate and therefore it is disastrous so like that if a person starts growing materially in a disproportionate way where it takes all their time, their energy they compromise their spirituality, their ethics then that can become cancerous but if it is done in a balanced way where one recognizes when one gives one’s due time for various aspects of one’s life and whatever time one is investing in one’s profession, one’s horizontal aspects if they do that well then that growth is natural, that growth is harmonious so if it is done with the intention to serve Krishna it can help us to grow closer to Krishna but that intention is not just a matter of sentiment for sustaining that intention we need association of those who have strong spiritual intention we need to have some quality time for connecting with Krishna directly we need to have some solid ways in which we are directly connecting with Krishna then through our work also, through our horizontal aspect also we will be indirectly connecting with Krishna so without a direct connection, the indirect connection will be very superficial and sentimental and beyond that does one stop horizontal growth? traditionally there are the four ashramas so eventually one takes to the retired order vanaprastha where one decreases one’s engagement in worldly life so that is usually when the basic responsibilities basic worldly responsibilities are taken care of adequately but nowadays who follows the vanaprastha? I was just giving that as an example of how things were in the past so many devotees in today’s world may not officially take to the retired order but after a few years after maybe a few years or a few decades of spiritual practice, as in professional practice they may feel more inspired to spend more and more time for their spiritual growth and when that happens then they may either take up they may choose to decrease that amount of time and energy they spend in their profession, maybe take a low profile role in their job or take up some type of consultancy where they can have more time for their spiritual side but Saburya that would be for say a non-devotee right? that at this stage at least you should materialize as devotees we should start doing that as early as possible so now this is a matter of individual situation because say it also depends on what is one’s financial stability, what is one’s social what is one’s qualification basically the broad principle is that there is just like with respect to the food that we eat nobody needs to tell us don’t eat so much we all ourselves learn if I eat too much it just makes me lazy, it makes me overweight and I need to regulate it so like that all of us we have our quota and the basic criteria for determining what our quota is, I gave a series of three classes when I was in Denver on how to determine our quota, how much to strive for in material life so I can send you those links if you want but basically the point is that our material needs or material side should not become a competitor to our bhakti that means to our bhakti so that it can become a competitor in two ways just like when I am eating food if I don’t eat any food at all or if I eat very little food then I am always feeling so hungry that I can’t do anything spiritual even if I am in a class, I am chanting or whatever I can’t really focus on Krishna on the other hand if I become so obsessed with food I am always thinking about food only, I am almost like a food addict then whatever I am doing I am actually thinking about food so excessive indulgence and excessive restriction both can work out negatively so therefore there has to be a balance and like that if there is if we put ourselves in situations that are too materially deprived that will create a problem for us because we will feel very deprived on the other hand if we are putting ourselves in situations that are materially too we are just getting too caught in materialistic things then that will also become a competitor so we can over a period of time find what is a stable state for us and we can move onwards towards Krishna so that stable state may not necessarily work out immediately even for devotees because in particular phases of their life certain aspects of materials life may take up more priority basically if we are travelling in a car we want to go to a particular destination but the speed at which we go will vary depending on the traffic and sometimes if the traffic is a lot and traffic is a lot then we may go slowly and other times we may go fast so like that sometimes in some aspects of our life the traffic may become too much and if that happens then we may have to slow down other aspects of our life during that period which is fine, it is not necessarily a sign of spiritual deficiency it is just a circumstantial necessity and over a period of time we can when other aspects, the demand goes down we can always accelerate it and move forward more so adjusting things according to the circumstances that is just a matter of basic functional necessity and intelligence and that way we can move onwards so overall our material growth can also help us in our spiritual growth provided we have a strong spiritual intention and provided that there is a healthy balance so that there is no obsession with any one side but there is a balance between the both