I traveled around America and then at nineteen, went to Europe and hitchhiked from London to the Himalayas in India. I studied various forms of Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and in India, various forms of Buddhism and Hinduism. Eventually, I came to the path of unconditional love and devotion to the one God, who in our tradition we call Krishna. I met my guru and became a swami. This allowed me to share that gift, which I consider to be a very deep universal expression of compassion.
I came to the conclusion that unless I found myself and became the change I wanted to see in the world - as Gandhi said - I couldn't contribute much, nor would there be anything fulfilling or meaningful in my life. So I went on a spiritual search.
If we see the body we live in as a temple used to engage in beautiful activities in the service of God's children, then we recognize it as spiritual. But if we use our body for more selfish purposes, then we're only experiencing its material conception.
There were the physical challenges of hitchhiking across Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan as they were quite dangerous areas. I wrote about that in The Journey Home. I loved my family and they loved me, so making a choice so completely different from the life they knew was also a challenge. Not having material possessions or the security of a home and taking vows of celibacy for life were kind of natural for me, although they were also challenging. But I guess the greatest challenge for me was that I loved so many different spiritual paths.
We have a mind, but we are the consciousness within the body and mind. I'm in my body but I am the eternal soul full of knowledge and bliss, unborn and undying. And the natural quality of the soul, uncovered from the ego and all our misconceptions, is unconditional love for the all-beautiful Lord.
Renunciation doesn't mean giving up things externally but rather it means diligently pulling out the weeds from the heart.
It’s not the body that people love, but the soul. The body is a temporary vehicle. Without the soul, the body is like a car without a driver. I see through my eyes, smell through my nose, taste through my tongue, hear through my ears, feel through my skin, think through my brain, and love through my heart. But who am I? Who is the witness, enjoyer and sufferer that activates my body?
That is truth. In that truth, there is real happiness. And there is nothing that could disturb that happiness.
There is false humility and genuine humility and between them, there is a desire of the practitioner to become humble.
If a leader engages in sinful activity that becomes the standard, if he is strict that becomes the standard.
To measur whether it is humility or depression, check whether you are advancing spiritually or going down.
In my own spiritual journey, I became a swami on the Hindu path of Bhakti. In the Hindu tradition, a swami is a monk who forgoes regular family life for the purpose of making the whole world his family and channels his full energy into spiritual practice, devotion to God and service to humanity.
When we awaken the love for God, that love naturally extends toward every living being. Also, the concept of Krishna and Radha, the masculine and feminine aspect of the one supreme God, was so inclusive that it touched my heart. So when Prabhupada came, I was already following his path. But it was when I saw his compassion, concern and deep wisdom, that I accepted him as my guru and decided to try and assist him. I felt that was where my real home was.
I just didn't know where I fit in - I didn't seem to fit in my parent's generation. I didn't seem to fit in my own generation. Little by little, this took me into a spiritual search for understanding; a search for meaning and fulfillment.
When we recognize how precious and truly glorious we are, then we become humbled by that and recognize everyone's true spiritual identity. And then our greatest joy is in sharing.
Wherever there is power, there is very great responsibility to utilize it properly.
Service is life. No service means, spiritually no life.
According to our purpose, motivation and sincerity, which compose our devotion, Krishna reveals Himself to us.
Real humility does not depress you, but allows you to call intensely and brings us closer to Krishna.
The more you feel you are fallen; the more you fall in love with God.
Enthusiasm and eagerness give life to our devotional service.
Do not offend devotees or even non-devotees. Because all those whom we know as devotees today were once not devotees.
Regret or remorse of the wrong we have done should be in a positive spirit of changing, turning towards God with humility.
The more we are happy in Krishna Consciousness, the more we become purified.
Giving up pride means giving all credit and glory to Guru and Krishna.
