How to follow initiation (diksha) vows in spite of challenges?
Last week, I got this question from an initiated devotee girl. She had written her inability to avoid the thoughts of boy.
“Hare Krishna Prabhuji… Hide my name please. Need to ask you one doubt which is going on my mind from many years. The question is that I am a girl and I am always thinking of a one guy who was close to me some days the main point is that Why I am thinking for him. kindly help me.. Hari Bol.”
Even initiated devotees are disturbed by such thoughts and struggle to follow the vows given to their spiritual masters.
REPLY:
These types of thoughts lead one towards breaking the initiation (diksha) vows of regulative principles.
Why such thoughts come?
All are due to three gunas (modes) and your idle mind.
This question prompted me to write the sastric advices on how to follow initiation (diksha) vows in spite of challenges.
(My family compels me to eat meat for strength violating regulative principle. What to do? READ HERE!)
Read the following five tips and follow. You will come out of disturbances:
The challenges in following initiation (diksha) vows of regulative principles!
We give some initiation vows that we will CHANT Hare Krishna maha Manthra 16 rounds a day and will follow the four regulative principles strictly (No Meat, No Gambling, No intoxication & No illicit sex).
But, we face many challenges in following regulative principles.
These challenges are are due to the effect of our three Gunas (Modes) only.
Here are the details of those challenges and the solutions:
A devotee faces the following challenges in following initiation (diksha) vows of regulative principles:
(i) Laziness that is the outcome of mode of ignorance;
(ii) Enjoying Mentality that is the outcome of mode of passion;
(iii) Pride that is the outcome of mode of goodness.
How to follow initiation (diksha) vows in spite of challenges?
(i) A devotee may engage himself/ herself in reading or hearing or viewing the books/audios/ videos of Srila Prabhupada, ISKCON Gurus and senior vaishnavas. This will help him to fully engage himself in the thoughts of Krishna. (Our Site can help them greatly in this.)
(10 REASONS WHY DISCIPLINE AND REGULATIVE PRINCIPLES ARE COMPULSORY FOR THE DEVOTEES! READ HERE!)
(ii) A devotee can make his surrounding conductive to his Krishna Conscious practices by avoiding the diverting environment and factors.
(iii) That devotee may take the shelter of his/ her diksha or siksha guru and reveal his/ her problems and get guidance. (Our Site can help them greatly in this.)
(iv) One may develop an ongoing and positive taste in Krishna Consciousness by having good association (sathsangha), involving in the suitable service, etc. (Our Site can help them greatly in this.)
(v) One should make himself/ herself busy with services and saadhanas that will go to the stage of NO TIME – NO OPPORTUNITY and hence NO OFFENSE. So, being busy in our sadhanas and services is also a solution.
Thus, we can follow initiation (diksha) vows of regulative principles in spite of challenges.
(What sin we acquire if we do not follow 4 regulative principles and Ekadasi fasts? READ HERE!)