Overcoming Obstacles in Spiritual Life Alachua 2017

1. Overcoming
obstacles in
spiritual life

2. Theme
Wisdom means to
 understand the ideal
 accept the practical
 chart a way from the practical to
the ideal

3. Part 1
Managing the mind:
Focus more on selecting
desire than rejecting
desire

4. Mind
Lethal but essential
Eg wild horse, needs
to be broken

5. Svabhava
Gita 18.59-60: refers to
nature of the mind, not
the soul

6. Attitudes towards temporality & death
Ignorance: Everything is
worthless
Passion: Enjoy right away
Goodness: Use the temporary
to focus on the eternal

7. Identities – Fundamental & functional
Gita 2.13: “You are the
soul.”
2.14: Kaunteya,
Bharata

8. Srila Prabhupada’s expertise
To Americans: “What is the use of you
being American if you don’t do
anything wonderful.”
To Indians: “The Gita is from India.
Yet to teach the Gita in India, I need to
get people from America.”

9. Not replace, but re-place
We can’t replace
the mind, but we
can re-place it

10. The spiritual & the material
The spiritual is the purpose
of the material, not the
substitute for the material
eg Arjuna: Gita & archery

11. Varnashrama
Not rejection of the
material, but its
selection

12. Varnashrama
Allocate people the
kind of problems
they like to face

13. Rejection
Intention alone is
inadequate protection
from temptation

14. Conditioning
What we do before we realize
what we are doing Gita 3.36
Eg. Survey about no of daily
food-related decisions

15. Decision
Focus more on wise-
unwise than on right-
wrong eg. Recovering
alcoholic socializing in bar

16. Propinquity in bhakti
Use the mind’s laziness
for spiritual growth
Eg Haridas Thakura –
prostitute