To preach or not to preach
October 23 , 2007
Hare Krishna
and thanks so much for you inquiry.
You are so kind to go out of you way and teach Krishna consciousness, this is the nature of a devotee. A devotee will accept any kind of adverse situation in order to spread spiritual life, even at the cost of personal hardship and difficulty. Please do not be in anxiety over these situations, but rather take full shelter of Lord Krishna and to the best of your ability try to explain this wonderful philosophy and encourage everyone you can to try to understand their true spiritual nature.
I also often find that it is difficult to explain certain aspects of spiritual discipline to those who are still completely engrossed in materialism. In those situations I have found it more useful to concentrate on the "common ground" of our philosophy, than to debate those points which cause contention. This is often very difficult with the overly antagonistic, but do not become discouraged. Take shelter of Krishna and try to interject as many Hare Krishna's in the conversation as possible, focus on the positive benefits of taking to spiritual life and gaining relief from the anxieties of a material life spent uselessly in sense gratification.
So continue to encourage everyone you can to take some interest in spiritual life, and become a perfect example for their benefit. The purity and transcendental faith exhibited by your spiritual advancement will be a testament to the true value of a Krishna conscious lifestyle. Never be discouraged, for you have adopted the topmost yoga system and taken shelter of your dearmost friend. Do your best out of sincere concern for your friends benefit and they will one day get it, and thank you, or if not, guess what, they will still be eternally benefitted.
Wishing you all the best.
Sincerely,
Dulal Chandra dasa
You are so kind to go out of you way and teach Krishna consciousness, this is the nature of a devotee. A devotee will accept any kind of adverse situation in order to spread spiritual life, even at the cost of personal hardship and difficulty. Please do not be in anxiety over these situations, but rather take full shelter of Lord Krishna and to the best of your ability try to explain this wonderful philosophy and encourage everyone you can to try to understand their true spiritual nature.
I also often find that it is difficult to explain certain aspects of spiritual discipline to those who are still completely engrossed in materialism. In those situations I have found it more useful to concentrate on the "common ground" of our philosophy, than to debate those points which cause contention. This is often very difficult with the overly antagonistic, but do not become discouraged. Take shelter of Krishna and try to interject as many Hare Krishna's in the conversation as possible, focus on the positive benefits of taking to spiritual life and gaining relief from the anxieties of a material life spent uselessly in sense gratification.
So continue to encourage everyone you can to take some interest in spiritual life, and become a perfect example for their benefit. The purity and transcendental faith exhibited by your spiritual advancement will be a testament to the true value of a Krishna conscious lifestyle. Never be discouraged, for you have adopted the topmost yoga system and taken shelter of your dearmost friend. Do your best out of sincere concern for your friends benefit and they will one day get it, and thank you, or if not, guess what, they will still be eternally benefitted.
Wishing you all the best.
Sincerely,
Dulal Chandra dasa