Learnings from the philosophies of J Krishnamurthy on Religion and Ethical living

Truth is a pathless land. Man can't come to it thru any organization, thru any creed, thru any dogma, priest or ritual, not thru any philosophical knowledge or psychological technique. He has to find it thru the mirror of relationship, thru the understanding of the contents of his own mind, thru observation & not thru intellectual analysis or introspective dissection. --------- J Krishnamurti

Jiddu Krishnamurti ( 1895-1986) is regarded as one of the greatest Indian philosopher, thinker, speaker, writer and religious teacher of all times globally. He did not expound any philosophy or religion, was neither of the East nor the West,but for the whole world. His entire life was focused on realizing and explaining the human quest and persisted in his efforts to set men absolutely, unconditionally free, besides bringing about a radical change in society and the world at large.

" It is beautiful to be alone. To be alone does not mean to be lonely. It means the mind is not influenced and contaminated by society", said Mr Krishnamurti.He was an exact embodiment of his doctrine of " choice-less awareness". Choicelessness is the mind's equivalent of the silence, out of which intelligible utterance arises. Creation is born out of this emptiness. In another context, he stressed upon the need of inner freedom, a timeless spiritual truth.

While he had no allegiance to any nationality, cadre, religion or philosophy, he was influenced by" occultist as well as theosophist " thinking on the grounds of his long & close association with " Theosophical society". where he was raised under the tutelage of ' Annie Besant' & ' Lead Beater', who believed him to be a vehicle for a world teacher.

He shared his thinking with several well known Hindu as well as Buddhist scholars including the famous Dalai Lama. His books and other scriptures convey his thinking as well as its impact on the masses.I share below some of his powerful teachings relevant to my blog.

ON RELIGION;

• Religion as we generally know is a series of beliefs, of dogmas, of rituals, of superstitions, of worship of idols, of charms and Gurus that should lead us to our ultimate goal.Organized religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity or others are not true, but false. These separate man from man. Beliefs do give us comfort, egotistic security or safety but true religion is not in the chants, in performance of any  ritual, not in worship of any stone images/ photos, not in reading of Bible or Gita nor in reciting a Mantra. None of this is religion.
• We start believing that Divine Beings have created these organized forms of religions. We ourselves have created them for our own convenience; thru ages they have become sanctified & now we have become enslaved to them. Religions are nothing but the vested interest of organized belief--- holding, separating and exploiting men. The Truth or Reality is not to be found in temple, mosque or a church, howsoever beautiful they are.
• Religions based on belief or authority are not religion at all.These convey that to serve God, one must be free of all desires since desires breed illusion.Accordingly, the priests try to suppress desires thru rituals, discipline and every other form of conformity.
• The Truly Religious man is not the one who practices so called religion, who holds to certain dogmas and beliefs, who performs certain rituals or pursues knowledge, for he is merely seeking another form of gratification. The man who is truly religious is completely free from society, has no responsibility towards it. Society is organized religion.
• The Religious man does not belong to any religion, to any nation, to any race, who is inwardly completely alone, in a state of not knowing & for him the blessing of the sacred comes into being. The only concern of Religion is total transformation of men while all other areas that goes on around are nonsense.
• Religion is the feeling of creation of a state of goodness. It is where there is no longer any search at all---- the search for God, for truth, the feeling of being completely good and not the cultivation of goodness. It is seeking out of something beyond the inventions and tricks of the mind, which means having a feeling for that something, living in it, being it. That is true religion.

On Ethical Living & Transformation

• In oneself, lies the whole world & if we know how to look and learn, the door is there and the key is in our hand. Nobody on earth can give us either the key or the door to open, except ourselves.
• To understand ourselves is the beginning of the wisdom. Only when the brain has cleansed itself of its conditioning, greed, envy, ambition etc, then only it can comprehend what is complete. Love is this completeness.
• From innumerable complexities, we must grow to simplicity; we must become simple in our inward life & in our outward needs.
• What is the " I "? When we talk about," I", mine, my house, my wife, my enjoyment, my wife, my children, my love. my temperament etc come to our mind. It is nothing but the result of the environment and the conflict between that result and "I".There can not be conflict between what is true and what is false.
• Refinement in behavior is not a self adjustment, an adjustment or the result of a outward demand; it comes spontaneously with this quality of love. 
• Conditioning is the tradition imposed upon us from childhood,or the beliefs, the experiences, the knowledge, that one has accumulated for oneself. Can there be a total revolution so that the mind is fresh, clear and capable of investigation, thinking and responding completely anew?
• A mind that is really humble has am immense capacity for inquiry, whereas the mind under the burden of knowledge, crippled with experience, with its own conditioning can never really inquire. A mind that is really humble, will create its own righteousness--- righteousness of living, from humility & discovering from moment to moment what is truth.
• Our chief concern is the transformation, the radical change of the human mind. Unless that radical revolution, that psychological change comes about, there will be no end to conflict, no end to suffering & all the violence that is going on throughout the world. 
• This radical change can not possibility be brought about without knowing oneself, self knowledge. Unless one understands one"s self, the self of everyday--- what it thinks, what it does, the devotion, the deceptions, the ambitions, its identification with something noble or ignoble, one is still within the field of " me".
• We are with world. The world is not separate from you and me. We have created this world of religious divisions, the world of violence, the world of anxieties, with no sense of compassion or consideration for others.
• The world about us is fragmented & so are we and its expression is conflict, confusion and misery; we are the world and the world is we. Sanity is to live a life of action without conflict.
• What is sanity? To be whole and non fragmented in action in life, in every kind of relationship is the very essence of sanity. Sanity is healthy and holy.
• A new consciousness and a totally new morality are necessary to bring about a radical change in the present culture and social structure. Any dogma, any formula, any ideology is a part of old consciousness & these are fabrications of thought whose activity is fragmentation, the left, the right or the center.
• Man wants everlasting pleasure in different ways--- sexual, sensory, intellectual, the pleasure of possession, pleasure of a great skill or knowledge, pleasure of power & ultimate gratification of what we call " God". Man has pursued pleasure endlessly in the name of God or peace or ideology. We do noble and ignoble things with the undercurrent of pleasure which shapes and guides our lives. For ethical living, we need to investigate closely, hesitantly and delicately this question of pleasure in our lives.
• We can not be sensitive if we are not passionate. If we don't have passion, how can we be sensitive to the ugly, to the beautiful, to the whispering leaves, to a smile or a cry?. A passionate mind is inquiring.
• Chastity can exist only when there is love. Without love, chastity is merely a lust in different form.
• Love alone can transform insanity, confusion and strife. When there is love, self is not since self can not recognize love. When there is love, there is no possessiveness, no envy, there is compassion. Love alone can bring about mercy & beauty, order and peace. When there is love, there is no duty. Love knows neither fusion nor diffusion. Only a quiet mind knows what love is.
• Goodness has no motive because all motive is based on the self & the egocentric movement of the mind. Goodness springs out when there is a totality of attention without any effort.
• Virtue has no authority. Virtue is not a repetition of what is good. The moment it becomes mechanical, it ceases to be a virtue.Without virtue, there is no foundation for clear thinking. Virtue transcends morality eg humility can not be cultivated & a mind without humility is incapable of learning. The social morality is no morality at all; it is immoral because it admits competition, greed & ambition.

In another context, in one of his books" At the feet of the Master", while describing ' Four qualifications for this pathway to be practiced at every step', six points of good conduct are described, given below;

1. Self Control as to the mind--- Astral body must be controlled, which include control of temper, thoughts to be calm and unruffled, never allow ourselves to be sad & depressed, hold back our mind from pride and so on.
2. Self Control in action---- Our actions should be useful to mankind, no laziness, fulfilling all our ordinary and reasonable duties, constantly engaged in good work. 
3. Tolerance--- Free from bigotry & superstitions, feel perfect tolerance for all,must not condemn others.
4. Cheerfulness--- Bear our Karma cheerfully; give up all feeling of possession.
5. One Pointedness--- No temptations, no worldly pleasures, keeping focused on the path, once entered.
6. Confidence--- Trust our Master, trust ourselves; perfect trust generates perfect flow of love & respect for others.

There is so much to learn from Sh Krishnamurti's literature and philosophy of life. Whether it is on truth and its path, or Meditation-- its practice and benefits, or Love & its role in transformation and many more. I have limited my blog on my present area of interest. He was a great thinker and influencer for the society, yet remaining a highly learned individual. I adore one of his great thought," To be alone means the mind is not influenced and contaminated by society."

 Let me end the blog by  one of his powerful message.

One has to be a light to oneself; this is the law. There is no other law. All other laws are made by thought & so fragmentary & contradictory. To be a light to oneself is not to follow the light of another, however reasonable, logical & convincing it may be.

Spiritual Learnings from Sant Kirpal Singh Maharaj of Sant Mat

Man as intended by God is a noble being with noble qualities and aspirations, directed to the attainment of self and God realization in his life time ( Sant Kirpal Singh)

Sant Kirpal Singh ( 1894-1974) of Sant Mat, a distinguished exponent of the Divine Science of the Soul, was a great Saint of 20th century, who carried out enormous work for humanity throughout the world. He taught the world the virtues of Forbearance, Patience, Forgiveness and Godliness with deep reverence. He gave the message of Love and Hope for redemption and salvation to the receptive souls.

" I am not enamoured of any worldly gain. My only wish is to attain communion with God." was his reply to his father at an early age when questioned. Through Purity of mind and sincere devotion, he had, at an early age developed," Power of Trans-vision " and could clearly see what was happening anywhere & read out people's mind. He was a great lover of books. Serving and helping others was his priority. He always looked lovable, compassionate and very kind.

 He established several spiritual and humanitarian institutions within India and abroad and initiated over 80000 followers to fulfill  this mission. He served several world bodies engaged in similar missions. To quote, he was elected the first President of World Fellowship of Religions, recognized by UNESCO, and presided over four World Conferences with participation of representatives of major world religions. He wrote scores of books for the masses, as gifts of God and given by God. Let me share a few of the key learnings from his scriptures, mostly focused on my area of the blog, under some of the spiritual headings for ease of understanding.

Religion

• Religion is that which brings into full play the dormant spiritual faculties in man & expands its little self so as to embrace the universe and fills him with loving compassion for all creatures of the world.
• All religions aim at salvation-- freedom from the plane of senses-- rising into cosmic awareness-- oneness with Christ power or the spirit of Islam or other religious philosophies,all quest for one, the Unchangeable Permanence or Life Eternal.
• Religion means " Binding back our souls to  God." This religion is above all other religions. Although our outer social bodies are different, the inner truth or the basic principle is the same.
• The highest religion is to rise to Universal Brotherhood. The message of the Unity of Man must reach every human heart, irrespective of religions and social labels, enabling him to actually put it in practice in life and pass on to others.
• The Science of the Soul is the Kernel and the Core of all religions. It is the foundation on which all religions rest.
• True Religion is the expression of the Divinity, already existing in man. Nor is true Religion to be found in rites or in ceremonies or in creeds or forms. It consists in linking the Soul with Over- Soul, in its manifested play of Light & Sound in the God made temple of the human body. It exists in love for all.
• Religion of life is required, which would shine in the deeds and lives of men. It should not be separated from life.
• All the religions agree that Life, Light and Love are the three phases of the Supreme Source of all that exists. These are the essential attributes of Divinity that is ONE though designated differently by the Prophets and Peoples of the world.

Social Conduct and Ethical Living

• Be good, Do good and Be one was the message propagated by Sant Kirpal Singh. for his disciples. Being Good means being good in thoughts, words and deeds. God is all goodness & innate in all. Be friendly with everyone, be kind and compassionate. God is all Love; love all, serve all & do good to all. God made mankind, all mankind is one. We all are born with equal privileges, from God. As Soul, we all are of same essence as that of God.
• It is necessary for the aspirants to gradually weed out moral lapses, one by one, & to cultivate in their place moral virtues. It is the knowledge of our faults and failures in the areas of non- violence, truthfulness, chastity, loving humility and selfless service, that will make us strive to correct them, This, in turn, leads to true spirituality.
• Those who want permanent joy, all glory and eternal life, should contact God, who is within you and permeating through all creation. We have to rise above the astral plane, causal plane, super-causal plane and reach that spiritual plane, which is the true home of our father.
• Speak in love, think of love and let all your affairs be saturated with love.
• To forget and forgive is what one must practice in thoughts, words and deeds. Love knows no criticism, no imposition, no boasting and no reflection on other's shortcomings.
• Let the ego be completely annihilated & we emerge out of and above the plane of duality, forgetting all about of our I- hood. Self denial and abnegation is another stepping stone to the climax of spirituality.
• We must reform ourselves before we can reform others. We should weed out all imperfections, one by one, by self introspection.
• Selfless service is a great virtue, the climax of which is annihilation of Ego.
• Everyone need to behave lovingly, to be tolerant and to exhibit in all matters a spirit of humility and self discipline. Love knows selfless service, sacrifice and self surrender.
• Gratitude is a tonic for the heart, which is the seat for loving humility & adoring devotion.
• Soul is an in-dweller of the body for a short period only. The body is not its permanent abode. It is the temple in which the soul & God reside. We have to keep it holy and not pollute it with sins connected with passions viz lust, anger, covetousness, attachment and egoism.
• Truth is above all, but true living is still above truth. This requires leading a life of continence, humility, truthfulness & love and devotion to God and all His creation.
• An ethical life is a stepping stone to spirituality. Cleanliness in thoughts, words and deeds, an essential requisite to progress in spirituality, is said to be next to Godliness.
•  Love does not want any taking, it is always giving; sacrificing for others. Those who love, they can know God. You may belong to any social religion, but without love, you are nowhere, whether in this world or in other world.
• Chastity of thought, of all outgoing faculties ( sight, audition, feelings), in other words, ब्रह्मचर्य, is the way of living to find God. It means self introspection. The other word for ethical living is सदाचार. Control your tongue, control your thought & think of no evil about anybody. Chastity is foremost of all virtues.
• " Thou shall not kill" and " live and let live" should be two important principles of our life, when dealing with others. We should sow the seeds of kindness in order to reap its fruits.

Sant Kirpal Singh, a Perfect master and a Sat-guru, gave valuable inputs on improving ethical values and overall spirituality in life, while maintaining a highly simple life profile. " The mission of my life is to help others to rise above body consciousness & have a glimpse of the Lord, with the grace of my Master", conveyed Sant Kirpal Singh. Let me share a few more of his powerful teachings/ inputs.

• नाम /Word / शब्द , the sound principle--- नाम  is a power and motor-force behind everything & hence outer actions like acts of charity, fasts, penances, yajnas are of no avail to a seeker after truth. नाम  alone is the link between God and man. नाम is unchanging permanence, invariable, ancient and eternal. We live and have our very being in नाम /शब्द and ultimately dissolve into it. Devotion to it  is the only true worship and absorption in it purifies the mind. शब्द or नाम  is the sound current or sound principle. 
• Surat Shabd Yoga--- It is a path of personal spiritual attainment under guidance of a living Spiritual Master. Basic teachings consist in opening the third eye to develop vision of inner light and inner sound. This is considered to be the power of unmanifested Godhead coming into expression and is called शब्द  in the Holy Bible and with other names viz नाम , शब्द , ओम  as well.
• Spirituality--- It is a path of love, discipline and self control. It is an inner experience, an experience of the soul. it is more a practical science rather than a mere theoretical dissertation given in several religious scriptures. The spiritual path is a difficult one and requires rigorous self discipline, which includes overcoming self love and cultivating love for God. Only an ethical life can pave the way for a spiritual life.
• Love and selfless service to humanity---  Progress on spiritual path requires a firm commitment of a person to these virtues. Love beautifies everything, recognizes service and sacrifice. Love is always giving, no taking. Selfless service may assume different forms according to one's means & capacity. Some may like to attend to the needy, the poor or downtrodden while others to the sick or disabled by lending a helping hand in their distress. The more one serves, the more one's self expands & in course of time, he goes out to embrace the entire creation.
• रूहानी सत्संग  or Science of Spirituality--- रूहानी सत्संग  is a center for imparting purely spiritual teachings and training to mankind irrespective of class barriers, free to all, who are anxious for self knowledge and God knowledge. it is a science of the beyond, also called पराविद्या. It seeks to make the human soul one with over-soul. It neither believes in any rites & rituals, nor with formal places of worship. The human body is the true temple of God.
• Self Analysis, Self realization and God realization-----  Soul or spirit represent the consciousness pervading the human body and can be realized within by introversion when the senses are controlled, mind stilled and the intellect shelved. This calls for self analysis, the first step in gaining an understanding about the soul, the power ruling both body and mind. Consistent working on Self analysis and development thru feedback correction leads to Self realization, which precedes God realization. Self realization and God realization are the highest objects of our mundane existence.
• Mind and the Karmic load--- Mind, in its present state is burdened by huge Karmic load of past lives, thru endless series of incarnations. It is enthralled by outgoing faculties of senses & thus driven helplessly into the mire of sense gratification. Mind has to be tamed for the higher purpose of spiritual progress.  

Sant Kirpal Singh gave very high emphasis on regular meditation for two to three hours each day, faithfully under the overall guidance of a living perfect Master. This involved sitting in sweet remembrance of the Lord & in doing mental Simran/repetition of the charged words, with the gaze or Surat fixed at the seat of the soul located behind and between the two eyebrows. We need to be fully awake and fully conscious during meditation.

Several other spiritual aspects were also elucidated by Sant Kirpal Singh for the benefit of masses, which include all aspects of Yoga, dualism and non dualism or Advaitism, धारणा  or संयम , सिद्धि  or Powers, समाधि  and Perfect Master. Let me quote a few of His powerful messages.

" Be not imprisoned in the jail of "I" and "Me". He who hath transcended self, he verily hath attained to the highest. He knows no difference between anyone, for God is the Lord of all & in all shines the one picture Divine." ( Christmas message 1962).

" I wish you to 'Simplify, Simplify & Simplify'. To be simple in all aspects of life is to accept life." ( Birthday message 1963).

" Spirituality and Truth are the essence of the Absolute. When one finds the source of Truth, he finds the treasure of all treasures. Truthfulness in thought means sincerity of purpose in various spheres of non violence, chastity, truth, humility etc."

Learning from the spiritual scriptures of Sant Kirpal Singh are unlimited and highly relevant in all times. A small blog of mine can not capture each and every message. Let me end the blog by a powerful message on " Selfless Service" by him , in remembrance of his Master, Huzur Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj, from his book, " The Light Of Kirpal".
  

The salt of life is selfless service,

The water of life is universal love;

The sweetness of life is loving devotion,

The fragrance of life is generosity;

The pivot of life is meditation,

The goal of life is self realization.

Love God and serve all creation. Give, give and give, all thru life. Purify your minds, meditate and realize God.

Spiritual learnings from Swami Prabhupada

Religion without philosophy is sentiment, or sometimes fanaticism; while philosophy without religion is mental speculation--- Swami Prabhupada

 His Divine Grace, Vedic Scholar and an authority on भक्तियोगा, Swami Prabhupada (Sep 1896--Nov 1977), the founder Acharya  of ( ISKCON-- International Society for Krishna Consciousness), was deeply involved with intensive devotional service to Lord Krishna. Following the philosophy of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, propagated by his spiritual master " Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur", he created a massive Hare Krishna Movement across many countries of the globe.

As a charismatic spiritual leader, he brought India's culture and religious festivals such as रथयात्रा  to the West. His contribution was acknowledged by several international religious scholars. He translated and commented on  Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagvad Gita and associated spiritual literature, which touched great milestones of dissemination all over the globe. His book titled," Bhagvad Gita As It Is" is considered as one of the finest literary works of Vaishnaivism, translated into English language. His publication, " Back to Godhead"disseminated his philosophy & activities for the spiritually hungry masses of society.

 Swami Prabhupada wrote more than eighty books, which his disciples translated into twenty five languages. He was an oriental scholar, Guru, mystic, Yoga teacher, meditation instructor and an embodiment of a whole culture which he implanted into the west. To begin with,let me share a few of his value studded philosophical highlights /quotes.

• In this age of Quarrel and Hypocrisy, the best means of spiritual realization is chanting the holy name of Lord. There is no other way. ( Bhagwad Gita As It Is--- 6.11 & 6.12)
• One should not be  Happy or Distressed over desirable s & undesirables, knowing that such feelings are just created by the mind & the mind should only be carried away by your dictation. ( Special Nectar of the words of Krishna on Bhagwad Gita As It Is)
• One has to learn Tolerance in the face of dualities such as Happiness & Distress, or Cold & Warmth, & by tolerating such dualities one becomes free from anxieties regarding gain & loss. ( Bhagwad Gita As It Is--- 2.45)
• Ignorance is the cause of sinful life & sinful life is the cause of one's dragging on into material existence. ( Bhagwad Gita As It Is--4.31)
• Happiness derived from a combination of senses and sense objects is always a cause of distress and should be avoided by all means. ( Bhagwad Gita As It Is--- 18.38)

Swami Prabhupada established more than one hundred  ISKCON temples worldwide with the objective of propagating Krishna Consciousness. As per him, Krishna Consciousness deals with our eternal relationship with Lord and the process of discharging our relative duties to Him. He lived only for others. He taught spiritual science, philosophy and vedic way of living. Let me share a few of his teachings focusing on DHARMA & ETHICAL LIVING from some of his spiritual books.

• Religion means to know God and to love Him. Nowadays, because of lack of training, nobody knows God, what to speak of loving Him ( The Science of Self Realization).
• भक्तया मम अभिजानती-- Only through the process of devotion (भक्ति ), can one understand God. No other process can help you ( The Science of Self Realization).
• We are always rendering service to someone, either to our family, country or society, yet in-spite of serving to the best of our ability, we are not satisfied---- Reason, the service is not properly directed. If the Supreme Personality of Godhead ie Lord Krishna is served, all other parts and parcels will be automatically served ( The Science of Self Realization).
• सर्वधर्मान्परित्यज्य     मामेकं    शरणम्    व्रज। अहंत्वा सर्वपापेभ्यो मोक्षयिष्यामि माशुचः। ie Abandon all varieties of Religion and just surrender into me. I shall protect you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear ( The Science of Self Realization).
• Try to learn the Truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively & render service unto him. The Self Realized soul can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth ( The Science of Self Realization).
• One, who is however, taking pleasure in the self, who is illuminated in the self, who rejoices in & is satisfied with the self only,fully satiated, for him, there is no duty (3.17 Bhagwat Gita As It Is).
• One whose happiness is within, who is active within, rejoices within & is illuminated within, is actually the perfect mystic ( 5.24 Bhagwat Gita As It Is). 
• Those, who are free from anger & all materialistic desires, who are self realized, self disciplined and constantly endeavoring for perfection, are assured of liberation in the Supreme in near future ( 5.26 Bhagwat Gita As It Is). 
• One who is free from illusion, false prestige, false association, who understands the eternal, who is done with material lust & is freed from dualities of happiness and distress & who knows how to surrender into Supreme person, attains to that eternal kingdom ( 15.05 Bhagwat Gita As It Is). 
• Serenity, Simplicity, Gravity, Self- Control and Purity of Thoughts are the austerities of the mind ( 17.16 Bhagwat Gita As It Is).
• यज्ञदानतपः कर्म न त्याज्यं कार्यमेव तत। यज्ञो दानं तपश्रोव पावनानि मनीषिणाम। ie Acts of sacrifice, charity& penance are not to be given up but should be performed. All these purify even the great souls ( 18 Bhagwat Gita As It Is).
• That understanding which considers irreligion (अधर्म ) to be religion (धर्म ) and vice-versa  under the spell of illusion & darkness, and always strives in the wrong direction, is in the mode of ignorance ( 18.32 Bhagwat Gita As It Is).
• That happiness which is blind to self-realization, which is delusion from beginning to the end and which arises from sleep, laziness & illusion is said to be of the nature of ignorance ( 18.39 Bhagwat Gita As It Is).
• शमो दमस्तपः शौचम् क्षान्तिराजरवमेव च। ज्ञानं विज्ञानं मास्तिक्यं ब्रह्मकर्म सवभाजय।  Shares some of the good qualities to be possessed by an ethical person like Peacefulness, Self Control, Austerity, Purity, Tolerance, Honesty, Wisdom, Knowledge and Religiousness ( 18.42 Bhagwat Gita As It Is).
• Happiness derived from pure devotional service is the highest because it is eternal while happiness derived from materialistic understanding  is inferior because it is temporary ( The Nectar of Devotion).
• The devotee should be more tolerant than the tree and more submissive than the grass. He should offer all honor to others, but may not accept any honor for himself ( The Nectar of Devotion).
• The senses are always desiring sense enjoyment, but when a devotee develops transcendental love for Supreme Lord ( Krishna), his senses are no longer attracted by material desires. This state of mind is called Detachment. ( The Nectar of Devotion).
• When a devotee, in-spite of possessing all the qualities of pure realization, is not proud of his position, that is called Pridelessness ( The Nectar of Devotion).
• " Yas tu sarvani bhutany, atmany evanupasyati; sarvbhutesu, catmanam, tato na vijugupsate." meaning thereby that a person, who sees everything in relation to Supreme Lord and sees all entities as His parts and parcels, & who sees the Supreme Lord within anything, never hates anything, nor any being (Sri Isopanishad).
• तदेजति तन्नैजति तद दूरे तद्वन्तिके। तदन्तरस्य सर्वस्य तदु सर्वस्यास्य बाहंताः। meaning thereby that the Supreme Lord walks and does not walk. He is far away, but He is very near as well. He is within everything, and again He is outside of everything (Sri Isopanishad).

As would be seen, most of Swami Prabhupada's scriptures focused on Purity in thoughts as well as lifestyle, selfless surrender to a Supreme Lord, deep belief in path of devotional service and truthfulness in life. Here, I would like to pick up a few more lessons from  two more of Swami ji"s  scriptures, namely, " Perfect Questions Perfect Answers" & " Dialectic Spiritualism".These are a great reservoir of practical knowledge on morality, his philosophy of life and Ethical living.

 While " Perfect Questions Perfect Answers"deal with general views on ethical/ spiritual living, " Dialectic Spiritualism"shares his Vedic view on several western philosophies propagated from Socrates, to Aristotle and Pluto & many others. . As per him, none could measure up to the high standard of Vedic ideals. He said that Dharma refers to the orders given by God and if we follow these orders, we are following Dharma.

• To a question," Is the real Goal of life to know God?", Swami Prabhupada replied," Yes, To go back to Godhead, We have come from God & now we are embarrassed by material life. Our aim is to get out of this situation & go back home to Godhead ( Ch 3, The Real Goal of Life, Perfect Questions Perfect Answers, Feb 28,1972).
• To a question," Pl explain what is meant by the mode of ignorance & the mode of goodness", Swami ji replied," Ignorance is animal life--- one does not know what is God, why we are in this world or how to become happy and so on. In passion, one identifies with his material body and tries to gratify his senses. In Goodness, one can understand things in proper perspective. He knows that there is God & the world was created by Him. Helping others or Giving assistance are some of the examples on act of Goodness ( Ch 4, Perfect Questions Perfect Answers).
• To a question," How I can come to feel closer to God?, Swami ji replied," You have to be purified. The whole life is meant for purification. If you do not purify your existence, you will have to transmigrate-- from one body to another. Instead of serving the senses, serve Krishna, the God & lead a spiritual life. The more you become purified, the more you will feel closer to God." Ch 5, Becoming Pure, Perfect Questions Perfect Answers, Feb 29,1972).
• To another question on searching for a friend to give us Peace and Tranquility, Swami ji replied," That friend is Krishna, God. Just make friendship with Him; you will find everyone to be your friend because God is situated in everyone's heart., He will dictate from within so that you are also treated in a friendly way." Ch 9, The Real Peace Formula, Perfect Questions Perfect Answers ).

• On a philosophical viewpoint of Socrates that Truth is absolute, not subjective while Ptotagaros had said," What is true for you is true for you & what is true for me is true for me; the truth is subjective," Swami ji opined that absolute truth is true for everyone and the relative truth is relative to a particular position. God is the absolute truth and the material world is the relative truth.
• According to Socrates, the real pursuit of man is the search for Absolute Good. Swami ji agreed with this view but opined that before realizing Supreme Good, we must first come to the platform of Satwa Guna including prohibiting meat eating, illicit sex, intoxication, gambling. Ultimately, we must transcend even the mode of Goodness thru Bhakti and get liberated.
• Socrates believed that thru meditation, a person can attain knowledge & thru knowledge he can become virtuous and becomes happy. Prabhupada differed slightly and said that by knowing yourselves thru meditation, or insight, one can gain self control and by being self controlled, we attain happiness.
• Socrates recommended association with good and virtuous people to develop good qualities. He believed that ignorance results in bad actions and his philosophy was a philosophy of Ethics. Swami Prabhupada concurred with this viewpoint and always felt that God is Good and full of morality.
• Plato preached that Perfection within the world of senses can never be attained but it is important that we mould our lives in such a way as to attain perfection. Swami Prabhupada agreed and felt that every endeavor of material world has some defect and Perfection can be achieved thru devotional service to Lord Krishna.
• Aristotle and Prabhupada differed on several key philosophical aspects. Aristotle said that imperfection is inherent in the substance matter & because man is made of matter, he must be imperfect. Prabhupada opined that man is not made of matter but is covered by matter and man is made of Spirit ( God). Man is originally Perfect.
• Aristotle believed in the Rational faculty of mind ( intelligence)and said that activities of mind are Pure and Perfect. For him, the goal of action is to realize our potential & attain happiness. Prabhupada differed since he believed that mind is never Perfect. Soul is perfect and has all the qualities of God.

These are only a few of his views giving his spiritual insights and directions on Ethical living . So enormous is the reservoir of knowledge in spiritual scriptures of Swami Prabhupada that one small blog can not describe it. I have picked up only few which fitted into my theme of the blog. I shall end the blog by the Invocation of Sri Isopanishad, beautifully summed by Swami ji.

ॐ , पूर्णमदः  पूर्णमिदं  पूर्णात  पूर्णमुदच्यते।  पूर्णस्य  पूर्णमादाय  पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते। 

The personality of Godhead is Perfect & Complete, and because He is Perfect, all emanations from Him, such as this phenomenal world, are perfectly equipped as a Complete Whole. Whatever is produced of the Complete Whole is also Complete by itself. He remains the complete balance.