CHAPTER 6, TEXT 24: One should engage oneself in the practice of yoga with determination and faith and not be deviated from the path. One should abandon, without exception, all material desires born of mental speculation and thus control all the senses on all sides by the mind.
I have a (totally unscientific) theory that when anyone wakes up to spirituality, s/he goes through a "fanatic" stage. No matter what tradition one belongs to, there seems to be an obsession with rules ("NO onions/garlic/vinegar/mushrooms/chocolate"), and the "right" thing to do seems so obvious ("just do what the scripture says!").
This Fanatic stage is usually accompanied by extreme enthusiasm to participate in all gatherings (Kirtan Melas! Church on Sunday!), rituals (Holy Communion, sing a prayer before eating), and cultural connections (wear a sari/anarkali/gopi skirt, wear yogi pants). Holy days/seasons are observed with fastidious attention to detail and any requisite fasting is done with a kind of fiery passion.
I went through my own reawakening Fanatic stage when I was about 13 years old. I had a mysterious illness that could have been death knocking on my door, so I seized upon spirituality with a fervor to make sense of my short life before my time was up.
With an unrelenting passion for truth, I became obsessed with rules, doing the right thing, attending as many gatherings as humanly possible, following rituals, and observing holy days with zeal.
This went on for a couple years.
One can imagine that my family members tolerated me with remarkable self-control. But one day, my father said to me gently and firmly, "You want to be a devotee [of God] for your whole life."
His words sobered me. Quieted me.
The fire of enthusiasm must be tempered.
I may sound tongue-in-cheek, and that I seem to be smirking at The Fanatic (and myself) for being immature and silly.
On the contrary, I believe (unscientifically) that being a "fanatic" is a necessary stage of spiritual growth. Being "fanatic" is a kind of extreme enthusiasm, like a fire that burns brightly in the night, and that is beautiful - albeit dangerous.
Fire needs fuel to keep burning, and this fuel is Determination. Determination keeps the fire burning. Even then, fire will burn up the fuel of determination. So we need to keep adding logs of fuel, day after day, year after year. Adding the fuel unswervingly is Perseverance.
Prabhupad quotes Upadeśāmṛta, Verse 3 in the purport to this verse in the Gita: "One can execute the process of bhakti-yoga successfully with full-hearted enthusiasm, perseverance and determination." Thus all three elements are needed for success on the spiritual path.
The fire, fuel to the fire, and the dedication to keep adding fuel are all elements of spiritual life, to keep the fire of love and devotion burning in our hearts.
I have a (totally unscientific) theory that when anyone wakes up to spirituality, s/he goes through a "fanatic" stage. No matter what tradition one belongs to, there seems to be an obsession with rules ("NO onions/garlic/vinegar/mushrooms/chocolate"), and the "right" thing to do seems so obvious ("just do what the scripture says!").
This Fanatic stage is usually accompanied by extreme enthusiasm to participate in all gatherings (Kirtan Melas! Church on Sunday!), rituals (Holy Communion, sing a prayer before eating), and cultural connections (wear a sari/anarkali/gopi skirt, wear yogi pants). Holy days/seasons are observed with fastidious attention to detail and any requisite fasting is done with a kind of fiery passion.
I went through my own reawakening Fanatic stage when I was about 13 years old. I had a mysterious illness that could have been death knocking on my door, so I seized upon spirituality with a fervor to make sense of my short life before my time was up.
With an unrelenting passion for truth, I became obsessed with rules, doing the right thing, attending as many gatherings as humanly possible, following rituals, and observing holy days with zeal.
This went on for a couple years.
One can imagine that my family members tolerated me with remarkable self-control. But one day, my father said to me gently and firmly, "You want to be a devotee [of God] for your whole life."
His words sobered me. Quieted me.
The fire of enthusiasm must be tempered.
I may sound tongue-in-cheek, and that I seem to be smirking at The Fanatic (and myself) for being immature and silly.
On the contrary, I believe (unscientifically) that being a "fanatic" is a necessary stage of spiritual growth. Being "fanatic" is a kind of extreme enthusiasm, like a fire that burns brightly in the night, and that is beautiful - albeit dangerous.
Fire needs fuel to keep burning, and this fuel is Determination. Determination keeps the fire burning. Even then, fire will burn up the fuel of determination. So we need to keep adding logs of fuel, day after day, year after year. Adding the fuel unswervingly is Perseverance.
Prabhupad quotes Upadeśāmṛta, Verse 3 in the purport to this verse in the Gita: "One can execute the process of bhakti-yoga successfully with full-hearted enthusiasm, perseverance and determination." Thus all three elements are needed for success on the spiritual path.
The fire, fuel to the fire, and the dedication to keep adding fuel are all elements of spiritual life, to keep the fire of love and devotion burning in our hearts.
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