Prabhupāda Trains His Disciples to Keep Their Thinking Focused on Kṛṣṇa
The perfection of human life is achieved by completely absorbing the mind in thoughts of the Supreme Lord. To ensure his followers reached this elevated stage, Śrīla Prabhupāda constantly instructed them to reject materialistic anxieties and instead cultivate a consciousness centered on humble service and devotion. By learning to control the mind and maintain a mood of deep spiritual reciprocation, disciples can navigate the challenges of the material world and successfully remember the Lord at the time of death.
Simple Living and High Thinking
Modern civilization encourages humanity to endlessly expand its material desires, leading to a life of exhaustive labor simply for the sake of sense gratification. To counteract this destructive trend, the members of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement are trained to adopt a lifestyle of minimal material entanglement. By keeping their external needs simple, disciples free up their valuable time and mental energy to focus on high, transcendental thoughts about the Supreme Lord.
- If you want to be peaceful, happy, you have to again bring in the Vedic culture—simple life and high thinking. That is wanted. If you introduce more and more anarthas only, unwanted things, how you can be happy? We have to minimize even whatever we absolutely require..
- Our motto is simple living, high thinking; we should think of Krishna without being hampered by material disturbances, as far as possible. So too much risky thing is not for us.
- Definitely, the BBT cannot pay any salary to anybody. Our philosophy is "simple living and high thinking" - not sense gratification. The temple presidents and leaders (elder students) must show this by example.
- Perfect community of plain living, high thinking.
- Plain living, high thinking, that is required. It is not necessary that unnecessarily we increase objectives of sense gratification and be entangled. Minimize it and live peacefully, chant Hare Krsna.
The Art of Remembering Kṛṣṇa
The ultimate test of a successful life occurs at the moment of death, where one's destination is determined by their final thoughts. Therefore, it is absolutely essential to practice remembering the Supreme Lord continuously throughout one's active life. Disciples are taught to associate everything they do—from eating to chanting—with Kṛṣṇa, ensuring that their minds become thoroughly trained to dwell on His divine form and pastimes without interruption.
- Always think like that, that as soon as you are chanting Hare Krsna, you must know that you are touching Krsna with your tongue.
- Always think of Him. Always become His devotee. Worship Him. Offer your obeisances. That's all. That is for you.
- At the time of death we have to think very rightly. That is required. That is human life. You have to train yourself in such a way that at the time of death you think of Krsna.
- If you very much affectionate to your dog or something else, you will think at that time. Therefore practice Hare Krsna, so that at the time of death you can think of Krsna and your life is successful.
- If you can manage to remember or memorize the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Narayana, at the end of your life, that is your success.
Rejecting False Independence
Conditioned souls suffer under the grand illusion that they are independent actors and the ultimate enjoyers of the material world. To cure this disease of consciousness, the practice of bhakti-yoga requires a complete paradigm shift, where one recognizes that everything belongs to the Supreme Lord. By avoiding idle, materialistic thoughts and focusing on practical service, a devotee systematically dismantles the false ego and realizes their true, dependent position under the protection of the Lord's energy.
- We falsely think that we are independent, but we are not independent. We are completely under the clutches of maya.
- Because it (sex urge) is an old habit we are unable to check it unless we can understand the nature of feeling, willing and then action, and how by proper use of intelligence and prevent thoughts which must come from maturing into actions.
- Don't consider what will happen to this world. The nature will take care of it. You don't puzzle your brain with these thoughts. You utilize whatever time you have got in your possession and go back to home, back to Godhead.
- Idle brain is devil's workshop. And the devil is kamini-kancana, woman and money. This is devil. So if you remain idle, then you shall think of devil. So we should see that everyone is engaged properly.
- There is no reality in the material beauty. What you think as real that is also unreal because everything material transforms into matter at the ultimate stage. It is the spirit soul who is beautiful and not the matter.
Cultivating a Humble Disposition
Pride is a dangerous stumbling block on the spiritual path, often tricking practitioners into believing they have achieved absolute perfection or mastery. To protect his followers from this subtle degradation, disciples were strictly trained to view themselves as the eternal servants of all other Vaiṣṇavas. By cultivating the mindset that everyone else is their prabhu (master) and avoiding unnecessary arrogance, the devotees maintain a safe and genuinely progressive spiritual attitude.
- I have asked you all to address your Godbrothers as prabhu. This prabhu means boss. If everyone of us thinks of his fellow worker as boss there is no question of misunderstanding.
- The mistake is that being addressed as boss or prabhu one thinks himself as exactly Prabhu or the boss. One should not forget himself as humble servant even though one is addressed as prabhu.
- We are trained up to say my brother, that "prabhu," "such and such prabhu." Prabhu means master. Nobody think himself that he is master. He should always think that everyone is his master because he's serving the master. This is our philosophy.
- Lord Caitanya said that "I am the servant of the servant of the servant 100 times removed" and similarly we should think ourselves.
- Unnecessary pride is very bad. "Oh, I have become very advanced in Krsna consciousness." That we should never think.
Controlling the Restless Mind
The unpurified mind frequently dictates whimsical actions and manufactures its own methods of meditation, leading the practitioner away from the authorized path. Disciples are warned never to blindly trust their own mental concoctions or assume they are perfectly liberated. Instead, true meditation, or samādhi, is achieved by strictly following the instructions of the spiritual master, absorbing the mind in authorized service, and transforming the mind from an enemy into a reliable friend.
- As soon as you become expert in hearing and chanting, then the next stage is smaranam. Smaranam, thinking of. Anything you speak or hear, later on you contemplate, you meditate, smaranam. So smaranam is the third stage.
- Don't manufacture your meditation. Just like there are so many meditators. They have manufactured their own way of meditation. That is not recommended, anusmara. Anu means "Follow. You become thoughtful, but taking the instruction from higher authority."
- If we can utilize the friendship of the mind, then we are elevated to the highest perfectional stage. But if we create mind as my enemy, then my path to hell is clear.
- We should not believe our mind, that we have become perfect. By mental dictation we should not be guided. That is a very bad practice, to think of, that "I have now become liberated, I don't require to follow the regulative principles."
- Samadhi means to be absorbed in some particular type of thought. That is called samadhi. So if you are fully Krsna conscious, that is samadhi. Twenty-four hours samadhi. Not that a periodical samadhi.
Transcendental Reciprocation
In spiritual life, physical proximity is secondary to the profound connection established through consciousness and instruction. Śrīla Prabhupāda beautifully reassured his disciples that by constantly thinking of him and executing his orders, they were never truly separated from him. This loving meditation forms an eternal bond, where the disciple and the spiritual master continuously dwell within each other's hearts, ensuring absolute protection and spiritual success.
- Always remember that I am always with you. As you are always thinking of me I am always thinking of you also. Although physically we are not together, we are not separated spiritually.
- If you think of me and work for me, then I am in your heart. If you love somebody he is in your heart.
- Just as you are thinking of me so often, similarly, you should know that I am often thinking of you also.
- The description of your dream is very fascinating. It appears that you are constantly thinking of me and Lord Nrsimha has given you the chance to see Him because of your constant devotion. It is very encouraging.
- To feel separation from the Spiritual Master or Krishna is very good position. That means one who is in pure love with Krishna and His Representative, Spiritual Master, he thinks always of Them.
Conclusion
By carefully shaping the internal consciousness of his followers, Śrīla Prabhupāda provided the ultimate armor against the illusions of the material world. Through the practice of simple living, humble service, and strict adherence to the paramparā, the mind is naturally cleansed of its false independence. As disciples learn to keep their thoughts eternally fixed on Kṛṣṇa and the spiritual master, they achieve the state of true samādhi, guaranteeing their safe return to the spiritual realm.
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 Thinking (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.