If my chanting remains inattentive despite my best effort, am I being offensive?

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
So one of the offences to the holy name is inattentiveness.
Now I have faith in the chanting of the holy names. But still I am not chanting attentively. Even if I try to.
So I am making an offence. What is the consequence? And how can I not make this offence? The first thing is that we don’t want to practice bhakti at the level of fear. We want to practice bhakti at the level of love.
So our goal in chanting is to try to remember Krishna. So that we can develop a loving relationship with Krishna. If I am always paranoid.
I don’t want to commit this offence. I don’t want to commit this offence. Then we are offence conscious not Krishna conscious.
We don’t want that. Now as far as inattention is concerned. Yes we want to avoid it.
But Krishna is an understanding God. Krishna if you see in the Bhagavad Gita. It doesn’t tell Arjuna that you are a Kshatriya but you have to become a Brahmana.
You serve another Kshatriya. That is your nature. You serve that way.
So Krishna also in the 12th chapter. He gives us multiple levels at which we can replicate. So always fix your mind on this.
I can’t do that. Then try to fix your mind on this. I can’t do that.
Then work for me. Then you do whatever work you want. Offer the fruits.
Whatever work you do. Offer the fruits. It is some sacrifice to someone.
Try to develop some self love. So Krishna offers multiple levels at which we can connect. So it is not that Krishna is like a fault finding God.
Hey you committed an offence. Now I will punish you. It is not like that.
Krishna also understands at our level. Our minds are uncontrolled. And it is very difficult for us to be attentive.
So sometimes we just not feel like being attentive. Sometimes we may try but we may not be attentive. So there is a very important difference to recognize.
Between there is our intention. There is our emotion. And there is our action.
I may start chanting with the intention. Today I want to chant attentively. But my emotion is completely immaculate.
So we may feel in a hundred different ways. And these emotions they are simply the results of the moods. So we just like we have an environmental, you could say there is a social or environmental climate that is there.
Which is not in our control. Sometimes it will be warm. Sometimes it will be cold.
Sometimes it will be windy. That is just we live with it. So just as the environmental weather may change unpredictably, uncontrollably.
Similarly our emotional weather may also change. Today I feel very enthusiastic. Tomorrow I just feel so.
Now just as we can’t control the external weather. Often we can’t control our inner weather also. I should not feel more.
When I am feeling more what do I do? We can’t wish away our feelings. Now that doesn’t mean that we simply succumb to our feelings. But rather if I am feeling a particular way I try to accomplish that.
Today I am feeling very tired. Today I am feeling very disturbed. Yes that is the way I am feeling.
But if I identify with those feelings and get carried away. That is the problem. I have my intention.
I want to chant attentively. But today I am just not feeling like that. Then Krishna sees not just our feelings.
He sees our feelings about our feelings. That means I am feeling very bored. So yes that feeling of boredom has come within me.
But what is my response? Krishna I don’t want to feel bored like this. Sorry I am not able to chant. But please help me.
So the feeling of boredom is there within us. But we are trying to maintain our intention. So sometimes when our mind goes into Rajoguna or Tamoguna.
And it just wanders everywhere. Or in Tamoguna it actually doesn’t go anywhere only. We want to chant but the mind is so lethargic.
Sometimes our mind is like a horse. We just run so fast we have to catch it. And sometimes it is like a buffalo.
Sometimes a motorcycle hits a buffalo and the motorcycle falls down. So the mind doesn’t move. Now at such times if at that time we are trying.
Please help me Krishna. Our chanting may not be attentive at all. But our intention will please Krishna.
And we will make spiritual advancement through that. Somebody else they might be in a mode of goodness. And their mind may be very calm.
And they may chant very attentively. But they may not make much advancement. Because they are in a mode of goodness.
So they are set erect. Nice posture. Clear pronunciation.
The whole mantra goes off. But the heart is not invested. I am not saying that people who are doing like that are necessarily like that.
But the point is it is not just external. So sometimes I may be focusing on Krishna. In the sense that I am clearly pronouncing.
My mind is not wandering. But am I taking shelter of Krishna? Some people just stall it. They don’t get very easily excited or agitated.
But that doesn’t mean that they are absorbed. It is our intention that matters. So bhakti is quite subtle.
Sometimes we may chant with seeming attention. But we may not make much advancement. Because we are not really calling out to Krishna.
The word is mama, Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna. The word is coming out and the word is going in. But no heart is being invested.
Sometimes our chanting may be very inattentive. But our heart is Krishna. I want to chant.
And despite that inattentive chanting we may make advancement. So we don’t have to become just too discouraged by anything. Even if our chanting is inattentive.
Still we try to keep chanting. And then especially on such days. We can take a few minutes out.
To look at what was inattentive. To look at what was inattentive. When I say it was inattentive.
That means it was attentive about something else. The mind is never inattentive. It is just attentive to something else than what we want it to be.
So you have to find out what was it attentive about? Why was it attentive about? And then what can I do about it? So if I have some worry about my job. If I have some worry about some relationship. If I have worry about my health.
I can’t wish these worries away. But I can use my intelligence. So I am a little worried.
What if I lose my job? What will I do? Then if that worry is there. We use our intelligence to process that worry. Just have faith in Krishna.
Krishna will take care of everything. Yes that’s fine. But in fact there is dependence and there is also diligence.
So if I lose this job. I can do this one, two, three. I have enough savings for a few months.
I can work things out. Basically use your intelligence to address that concern of the mind. And then the next day when you are chanting.
Again that concern comes up. Just take a few minutes break. Just read through what you did.
I am not saying this daily. Just read something else while chanting. But I am talking about this.
Or maybe before chanting itself. We try to go through it once. So once we come to know what are our major distractions.
We try to address those distractions. And that way the mind is basically. Mind’s concern is taking care of the subject.
I will conclude with one metaphor for this. That the mind. Sometimes we say it is like an enemy.
But. It’s not. It’s not enemy of the kind we can get rid of.
Even if it’s an enemy. It’s an enemy we are stuck with. So the enemy metaphor.
Is helpful. For just being aware. Of the dangerousness of the mind.
At the same time. For practical functioning. We can use other metaphors.
So one of the metaphors I find helpful is. The mind is like a child. So.
When a child starts crying. The mother has to. Has to pacify the child.
Now how the mother will pacify the child. That will vary from situation to situation. Sometimes we need expertise for that.
Once when. Somebody sent me a YouTube video. The child is crying loudly.
And the child is crying. And all the little ones are trying to pacify. And the child is not listening only.
And finally. The mother. I told about the inner world going on.
And the mother. The child is screaming. And loudly.
What is this? Who is screaming? The child becomes silent. The point I am making here is that. With respect to the mind.
We have to. Be fixed. In purpose.
But we have to be flexible in practice. Whatever works. We have to use it.
There are certain reasons. Certain reasons. Because of which it is becoming inattentive.
We have to deal with that. Rather than saying. I was inattentive.
What was it that made it inattentive? And use the intelligence to address that. And once we do that. Then gradually.
The mind will go off course. But we will get it back on course faster. It is like when we are chanting.
The mother is there. The child is there. Now the mother wants the child to study.
But the child wants to run here and there. Now the mother can’t just literally. Repress the child.
Mother has to persuade the child. We promise the child something. Somehow get the child to study.
Similarly for us. We are like the intelligence. We identify as the intelligence.
And recognize the mind is like a child. So when it goes off. We have to get it back.
Now how I get it back? I have to use my intelligence and find out ways. So each person’s mind is individual. All of us have our own concerns.
And we have to find out. The way. Which works best.
Like say. If parents have 2-3 children. I cannot use the same formula for all children.
I have to talk in a particular way to a particular child. I have to talk in a different way to another child. So like that all of us have our own mind.
So there is. Something called Uddhipan. Uddhipan means spiritual stimulus.
So we have to find out. What is the Uddhipan that works for us. That is as I said earlier.
Some of us may be kirtans. Some of us may be picture of deities. Some of us may be picture of our spiritual master.
When we are chanting. We keep picture of our initiation in front of us. I made a vow to chant.
This is my service to my spiritual master. So we find out. What is it that works as Uddhipan for us.
And. Here we have to take. Individual responsibility for our spiritual development.
Somebody else. Just sit at one place. And chant 16 rounds.
Yes. It’s good if you can do it. But sitting at one place.
Chanting 16 rounds and sleeping 16 times. What is the use. Maybe I can stand up and chant.
It’s not that. At the material level. Chanting is spiritual.
But we are doing it to the material body. So at a material level. There is no one formula that works for everyone.
The shoe that fits one leg. Bites another leg. So we may hear in different classes.
Different things for controlling the mind. And some of them may work for us. Some of them may not work.
We just have to be pragmatic. Whatever works for me. I use it and move forward.
While practicing bhakti. Check what is the deeper that works for me. So earlier I talked about.
Processing our distractions. When mind is being inattentive. What is it that is causing the distraction.
I process that. Now I am talking about. Finding our attractions.
The mind is going off. I don’t let it go there. I use my intelligence to process that.
Now how to get it back. There is a point of concentration. And there is a circle of concentration.
That means. The ideal chanting is when I simply. Hear the holy name.
But that is very difficult for us. Because right now for us. We don’t associate the name with the person.
Now if I call one of you. If I call Sanatan Piyapuram. I use his name.
I remember him. I remember his. The nama brings the remembrance of the.
Gunarupa Leela. I know about his personality. His qualities.
His activities. So that stimulation comes up. But for us.
When we chant Krishna’s name. We don’t associate it with Krishna’s activities. Krishna’s pastimes.
Krishna’s qualities. And that is why it becomes like a mechanical sound. So what I need to do is.
Because I can’t focus on the point of concentration. I need a circle of concentration. That means.
Let me have something related with the holy name. I can have a print out of the mahamantra. I can have.
As I said earlier. Picture of a spiritual master. Picture of my favorite deities.
I can have some quote about the importance of the holy name. I can have some picture of my favorite pastime. Where Krishna has given shelter to his devotees.
And I have to find out some circle of concentration. So when the mind wants to. Wander.
Then rather than letting it wander all over the universe. We let it wander within that circle. I just can’t focus on this holy name.
Ok. Just think about this. How beautiful these deities are.
Ok. These deities are Krishna. I am calling Krishna.
So we get the mind back to Krishna. So we find out. What can work as our circle of concentration.
And use that in our journey. So there is no need to. Be too much paranoid.
Or guilty conscious. Because of inattentiveness. Inattentiveness is simply.
Is almost impossible to avoid. But what we can do is. Even amidst inattention.
We can try to maintain our full inattention. So inattention. Is something that happens to us.
But intention. Is something which we can choose. So if we can maintain our intention.
Even amidst inattention. Then we will. Get purification through that.
Krishna will see that intention. And Krishna will bless us. So when we are chanting.
It is not just the sound that we are uttering. It is important. Very important.
But it is the person whom we are calling. And that person is a loving person. That person is an understanding person.
That person. Is one who wants to help us. He is not there to judge us.
So if we try to maintain the loving intention. Krishna will help us. Gradually to overcome the inattention.
Thank you very much.