Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Shushan
I don't feel the need to stop eating onion and garlic, I like an occasional glass of wine with dinner, and the idea of giving up chocolate (caffeine) is unthinkable!
|
As your practical realization reveals for yourself and everyone else, the spirituality as attained within present ISKCON cannot even uproot attachments like you mention above. And this is reported by many people who actually tried to find out, is there genuine spiritual happiness to be found within present ISKCON? Are there Vaishnavas within ISKCON actually not only having attained the state of pure spirituality but also being able to bring others to that state? If, after 35 years you're still asking this question, could be that such kind of question can't be answered by ISKCON. Where I found the answers - not within ISKCON, but within Prabhupada's books. As soon someone enjoys actual spiritual happiness, he easily gives up material attachment - he actually feels material sense gratification is dragging him down.
"As soon as irrevocable loving service is established in the heart, the effects of nature's modes of passion and ignorance, such as lust, desire and hankering, disappear from the heart. Then the devotee is established in goodness, and he becomes completely happy."
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.2.19
PURPORT
A living being in his normal constitutional position is fully satisfied in spiritual bliss. This state of existence is called
brahma-
bhūta or
ātmā-
nandī, or the state of self-satisfaction. This self-satisfaction is not like the satisfaction of the inactive fool. The inactive fool is in the state of foolish ignorance, whereas the self-satisfied ātmānandī is transcendental to the material state of existence. This stage of perfection is attained as soon as one is fixed in irrevocable devotional service. Devotional service is not inactivity, but the unalloyed activity of the soul.
The soul's activity becomes adulterated in contact with matter, and as such the diseased activities are expressed in the form of lust, desire, hankering, inactivity, foolishness and sleep. The effect of devotional service becomes manifest by complete elimination of these effects of passion and ignorance. The devotee is fixed at once in the mode of goodness, and he makes further progress to rise to the position of
Vāsudeva, or the state of unmixed
sattva, or
śuddha-
sattva. Only in this
śuddha-
sattva state can one always see
Kṛṣṇa eye to eye by dint of pure affection for the Lord.
A devotee is always in the mode of unalloyed goodness; therefore he harms no one. But the nondevotee, however educated he may be, is always harmful. A devotee is neither foolish nor passionate. The harmful, foolish and passionate cannot be devotees of the Lord, however they may advertise themselves as devotees by outward dress. A devotee is always qualified with all the good qualities of God. Quantitatively such qualifications may be different, but qualitatively both the Lord and His devotee are one and the same.