Category:Making Advancement in Spiritual Life
Theme Analysis
Making advancement in spiritual life is not a matter of sentiment or external show; it is a rigorous discipline requiring specific qualifications and practices. Śrīla Prabhupāda teaches that the foundation of advancement is tapasya (austerity) and the control of the mind and senses. Without a pessimistic view of material life and a strict adherence to regulative principles, progress is impossible. The process is facilitated by the mercy of the spiritual master, the association of devotees, and the transformative power of chanting and prasādam. Even social institutions like marriage are recontextualized not for sense gratification, but for mutual cooperation in spiritual growth.
- Discipline and Austerity: One must follow the path of nivṛtti-mārga (cessation of material enjoyment). Cleanliness, mind control, and strict adherence to vows are essential.
- Guidance and Association: Advancement depends on ācāryopāsanā (worship of the ācārya) and sādhu-saṅga. One must avoid non-devotee literature and the company of pretenders.
- Practical Methods: Chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra and eating only prasādam are direct methods that simultaneously end material existence and awaken love of God.
- Proper Attitude: A devotee views enemies as agents of Kṛṣṇa sent to correct them and sees marriage as a partnership for spiritual service, not sense enjoyment.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: Essential Principles for Making Advancement in Spiritual Life.
Pages in category "Making Advancement in Spiritual Life"
The following 34 pages are in this category, out of 34 total.
A
- A devotee knows that, Nobody can become my enemy unless Krsna desires. So why shall I think of him as my enemy? Krsna has desired him to act as my enemy just to correct me, to make me more advanced in spiritual life. Why shall I take any action upon him
- A Krishna Conscious marriage is not based on sense gratification but rather mutual cooperation between husband and wife for making advancement in spiritual life and also for raising Krishna Conscious children
- A person sometimes accepts the dress of a sannyasi or babaji in the renounced order, but he cannot give up desires for sense gratification, especially for the association of women. Such a person cannot make advancement in spiritual life
- Acarya does not write any book of sex psychology, Freud's philosophy. That is not acarya; he is a rascal. Acarya gives direction how one can make advance in spiritual life. That is acarya
- And as far as possible try and associate exclusively with the devotees there. That is strongly recommended for one who is serious to make advancement in spiritual life
- As a result of chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, one makes such great advancement in spiritual life that simultaneously his material existence terminates and he receives love of Godhead
B
- Because you have worked so hard for Krishna, making all sacrifice without any personal selfish motive, therefore you are making such nice advancement in spiritual life. Thank you very much for helping me in this preaching work
- By eating prasadam one makes advancement in spiritual life. Therefore, we should never consider ordinary food on an equal level with maha-prasadam
- By helping the other three sections of society cultivate spiritual values, the householder also makes advancement in spiritual life. Ultimately every member of society automatically becomes spiritually advanced and easily crosses the ocean of nescience
I
- If you get knowledge, automatically tapasya will follow, and then you make your advancement in spiritual life. So to get knowledge is the first item for anyone who is hoping to find the perfection of his life
- In all spiritual affairs, one's first duty is to control his mind and senses. Unless one controls his mind and senses, one cannot make any advancement in spiritual life
- It is better if one fixes up a regulative principle according to his own ability and then follows that vow without fail. That will make him advanced in spiritual life
- It is simply a relationship of mutually helping each other, man and wife, to make advancement in spiritual life, nothing more
O
- Of course to call a thief a thief is not faultfinding, but to call an honest person a thief is very much offensive for one who is making advancement in spiritual life. BG 1972 purports
- One should be very much pessimistic of this material world. Then he can make advance in spiritual life
- One who is engaged without a relationship with Krsna is certainly always in distress and is without peace, however much one may make a show of peace and spiritual advancement in life. BG 1972 purports
S
- So you should be very, very careful how to follow the rules and regulation. That is nivrtti-marga. If we still remain in pravrtti-marga, then we will not be able to make any advance in spiritual life
- Such position of leadership and organization is regarded as Krishna's special favor upon you, because you are forced in this way to become very responsible and set the ideal KC example, and in this way you will make very nice advancement in spiritual life
T
- Tapasya is required. Without tapasya you cannot make advancement in spiritual life, or life of knowledge
- That is dharma, discipline, to abide by the state laws. There must be some discipline. Similarly, to make yourself advanced to spiritual life, you must have to observe the discipline. Without discipline, it is not possible
- The association of a great saintly person (sadhu-sanga) is very important, because even if one is not advanced in knowledge, simply by association with a great saintly person one can immediately make considerable advancement in spiritual life
- The spiritual world, they want to become servant of the servant. That is a bigger position. So as we make advance in spiritual life, we understand this
- These fools (who consider krsna-lila to be a subject of art) take pleasure in material sense gratification, but one who wants to make advancement in spiritual life must scrupulously avoid their literature
- To become a brahmacari means to make advance in spiritual life. And the social order is there, the brahmanas, ksatriyas. So it is called varnasrama-dharma
W
- We have to worship the acaryas. That is recommended in the Bhagavad-gita, for making advancement in spiritual life, acaryopasana
- We prescribe certain rules and restrictions for our disciples so that they can make real advancement in spiritual life. This Yogananda gives no restrictions or regulative principles to his disciples, and thereby collects all nonsense class of men