How Prabhupāda Trains His Disciples to Develop Tolerance in Spiritual Life
Progressing on the path of pure devotion requires practitioners to cultivate profound patience amidst the endless disturbances of the material world. Throughout his instructions, Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that developing genuine tolerance is not merely a passive coping mechanism, but an active, spiritual necessity. By learning to endure physical discomforts, social friction, and the challenges of preaching, a devotee ensures their steady advancement and lasting success.
Tolerating the Frailties of the Material Body
The physical body is a constant source of misery, naturally subjected to disease, discomfort, and relentless sensual demands. Recognizing this reality, Śrīla Prabhupāda instructs his students to accept these bodily tribulations as temporary inconveniences that must not interrupt their spiritual duties. Whether facing illness or the persistent itching of the sex urge, a determined practitioner tolerates these conditions to remain firmly situated in bhakti.
- Regarding your child, the Vedic philosophy is that the miseries of the material body must be tolerated.
- Regarding your illness - so long we have got this material body, the miseries will be coming and going, simply we have to tolerate them and try to make advancement in Krsna consciousness as best we can.
- In the material world sex urge is the binding force for material existence. A determined person tolerates such sex urges as one tolerates the itching sensation of eczema.
- It (bhakti) does not even finish with the end of the body, but it continues eternally. And it is joyfully performed. At first, though, there may be some inconveniences, but we must tolerate them and we shall realize the goal.
Humility and Tolerating the Faults of Others
True spiritual vision allows a person to see others with deep compassion, recognizing that misbehavior is often a symptom of material conditioning. Because of this understanding, Śrīla Prabhupāda teaches that an advanced devotee naturally overlooks the faults of newcomers and nondevotees alike. By consciously viewing oneself as the most flawed individual, the practitioner develops the radical humility required to maintain a peaceful and forgiving attitude.
- One quality of a devotee is that he is always very much tolerant of other people, so I request you simply to tolerate the faults of others and always think that I am myself the most faulty. In this way your humble attitude will qualify you to advance.
- A devotee is always very understanding if there is some discrepancy behavior on the part of nondevotees, and even some devotees misbehave, he is always very tolerant and understanding.
- We recruit devotees with great difficulty. So they must be well-treated. New men may not always behave so nicely but we must be tolerant.
- Because we understand that Krsna is our Protector under all circumstances, we have no more any anxiety, so we become very liberal and tolerant of all kinds of seeing others' sinful activities, and we see them innocent victims of maya.
Cooperation and Enduring Interpersonal Differences
Working collaboratively within a spiritual society naturally brings together individuals with varying backgrounds, which can occasionally lead to friction and disagreement. During such times of conflict, Śrīla Prabhupāda strictly warns his disciples never to abandon their service or leave the association of devotees. Instead, these inevitable inebrieties must be resolved through maturity, forbearance, and a steadfast commitment to the cooperative spirit.
- I know you are always experiencing difficulties in living with devotees, but we must be tolerant and endure the personal differences, being humbler than a blade of grass, and stick to our duties to the spiritual master.
- Sometimes there may be disagreement and quarrel but we should not go away. These inebrieties can be adjusted by the cooperative spirit, tolerance and maturity so I request you to kindly remain in the association of our devotees and work together.
- If you yourselves are suffering from the very ills we are trying to remove, how can the people be influenced favorably? Stop this fighting, tolerate, chant and read our books.
- We insist our students that "Don't go out." Even you are discomfortable, you should tolerate, but you should not go out of the society. Then you will surely fall down, surely fall down.
Facing Criticism and Opposition in Preaching
The mission to distribute transcendental knowledge is frequently met with misunderstanding, hostility, and criticism from those absorbed in mundane life. To be effective instruments of compassion, Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that preachers must remain entirely undisturbed by such opposition. By embodying the tolerance of a tree, a dedicated servant can successfully navigate the resistance of the conditioned souls and bring them to higher spiritual consciousness.
- For the devotees of the Lord there always many difficulties for propagating Krsna consciousness among the nondevotee demons. But we must learn to tolerate all the difficulties and push on regardless of whatever obstacles we may be presented with.
- If anyone becomes spiritually advanced, the agents of maya will criticize. So therefore you have to become tolerant.
- Do not be agitated with the criticism of your friends because Caitanya Mahaprabhu said that one should be humbler that a blade of grass and should be more tolerant than a tree for chanting Hare Krsna mantra.
- You cannot expect that your audience should be all highly brain. No. Preaching is required because they have no brain. Therefore your duty is to tolerate all difficulties and bring them to the sense of brain.
Developing the Core Brahminical Quality of Tolerance
At the highest levels of spiritual realization, forbearance is not a forced practice but a natural symptom of internal equilibrium. The quality of titikṣā is foundational to the brāhmaṇa character, and Śrīla Prabhupāda highlights that it allows a person to dismiss the temporary whims of nature. When a devotee is fully absorbed in serving the Supreme Lord, they simply have no time or energy left to become angry or take offense.
- Brahmana qualification is truthfulness, cleanliness, satyam saucam. Sama, equilibrium of the mind, without any disturbance, without any anxiety. Satyam saucam samo dama. Dama means controlling the senses. Samo dama titiksa. Titiksa means tolerance.
- Devotee means he is able to tolerate all kinds of discomfort and whims of the material nature, and because he is so much absorbed in serving Krishna, he takes no time to become angry or take offense with others or find out some fault, no.
- According to Bhagavad-gita we have simply to tolerate all these temporary appearances and disappearance, our main function being to make steady progress in Krsna consciousness.
- If anyone becomes humbler than the grass and more tolerant than the tree, it is understood that he has accepted a spiritual master.
Conclusion
Developing the capacity to tolerate is absolutely essential for anyone serious about completing the journey back to Godhead. Through his practical guidance, Śrīla Prabhupāda ensures that his followers are equipped to endure the frailties of the body, the friction of interpersonal dealings, and the immense challenges of preaching. By remaining humbler than a blade of grass and more tolerant than a tree, a devotee transcends material disturbances and securely anchors their consciousness in eternal, joyful service.
Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani
Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category Our Tolerance (Disciples of SP). We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.