Why are things that we hear and accept still difficult to apply?

Answer Podcast

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
they are easy to accept, but they are really difficult to implement.
There are 2-3 main reasons for this, 1st is that the difficulty in implementation is because of the decrease of spiritual energy, when we hear in the Bhagavatam in the 4th canto it is described in the Prithu Maharaj pastime that when the sages, everybody took different things from the earth, the sages took spiritual sound vibration because that is the source of spiritual strength, so when we hear, hearing is the source of spiritual strength, so by the course of nature that strength decreases, just like if I eat something I get energy, but 6 hours afterwards or one day afterwards that energy will be gone, so what I need to do is, I cannot just let my energy go away, I have to eat again, so like that hearing is the source of energy and we need to keep hearing regularly, that is something which is a necessity, if we don’t hear naturally we will become de-energized and will not be able to apply what we have heard, what we have resorted towards, so 1st is regular hearing is needed, 2nd is that when it comes to difficulty in implementing, often it is that within our subtle body there is an intelligence and there is a mind, the intelligence is what listens to reason, so when something is presented in a intellectually appealing way or a rational, logical way, then the intelligence accepts it, but the mind doesn’t immediately accept it, so roughly speaking the intelligence, we could compare it to a mother and the mind is like a child, the mind is chinchala, children are chinchala, so suppose if somebody is sick, suppose child is sick and the mother takes the child to the doctor, so at that time the doctor will test the child, but the doctor will talk primarily with the mother and take this medicine, give the medicine in the morning, afternoon and make sure that these things are done, so after that it is the mother’s responsibility to ensure that the child takes the medicine, so the spiritual master is like the doctor, the intelligence is like the mother, the mind is like the child and process of bhakti yoga is like the medicine, so when we hear it appeals to our intelligence, just as the doctor is not going to always be there with the child, the spiritual master is not going to always be there with us, but after we hear, it is our responsibility using our intelligence to make sure the mind does the things, so just as the mother will naturally understand that the child is not going to listen to him, the mother gives the medicine to the child, the child is restless, so the mother understands and expects the child’s restlessness, but she somehow finds a way to make the child take the medicine, so it is if you start expecting things to be easy, that expectation makes things difficult, so we should expect that the mind is not going to listen easily, because the mind is restless like a child, but I have understood my intelligence, then let my intelligence be like a mother and let me make myself do these things, and as the child takes the medicine, the child starts feeling healthier, and not just feeling healthier, the child has to be able to connect, that I am feeling better, this feeling better is happening because of this medicine, when that happens, then the child will start taking the medicine, similarly, sometimes when we practice bhakti, we feel good, but somehow our mind doesn’t get the connection, if you felt good, that’s fine, but there are so many other things which also make me feel good, this doesn’t make me feel good right now, so why do it, why should I do it, so when we talk about realization, when the mind accepts something, then it becomes a realization, when the intelligence accepts it, that is understanding, but when the mind accepts it, then it’s a realization, so we have to keep doing it, Krishna says, whenever the mind wanders, bring it under the control of the self, how? intelligence sustained by connection, that’s the second point, the mind is going to be restless and we have to explain that, the third is that, knowing that there are going to be difficulties, we should try to create support systems for ourselves, for doing what we want to do, so for example, if we want to study Bhagavad Gita, then we can try to make a plan, where we either study with some other devotees, or we plan, we tell other devotees, I want to study Bhagavad Gita, then they also say, I’m also going to study, then we share, last week I studied this much, last week I studied that much, so it is just intention is not enough, we have to create support systems, by which there is a facility, there is the opportunity for us to do those things, then when we create that, so for example, Association of Devotees itself is one facility, so another facility could be that, we all find out ways in which we feel inspired in Bhakti, and try to maximize our exposure to those things, so if something attracts us a lot in Bhakti, some darshan of Krishna, some verses, some classes, some kirtans, then we keep them readily available for us, by which we get inner strength, and then we can do those things, and gradually as we keep practicing Bhakti, the difficulty level will go down, as our mind becomes attracted to Krishna more and more, then the difficulty level will go down, because the mind will get it, this is joyful, currently what happens, the child’s idea is, playing is joyful, taking this medicine, I don’t want to do it, so like the mind thing, eating, sleeping, mating, defending, for us, eating, sleeping, mating and defending, they are the favorite pastimes, and chanting, hearing, all these are prescribed duties, you don’t feel like doing them much, but if you do them wholeheartedly, then gradually our values change, and then as the mind is getting attracted to them, then first Krishna says, शुषोखान्करत्मावुदिया, Bhakti becomes joyful at that time, does it answer the question? Thank you, great, any one last question, we will stop, yeah, anyone else has, anyone else has questions?