Safeguard Your Spiritual Earnings

While treading the path of God-realization we should be aware of some things such as not losing the positive karmas/spiritual earnings we have attained on this path.  This requires true knowledge about tolerance and the value of time.

Tolerance towards others is critical. If we wish for the world to think of us and accept us as a Krishna devotee, then we need to see Krishna in everyone’s heart. Just as he resides in our heart, he resides in the heart of all other souls also—all souls are a part of his energy. If we see Krishna in others then we will not behave badly with them. According to Shree Kripaluji Maharaj, the foremost principle to keep in mind is: “Talk less. Talk sweetly. Offending or hurting another is one of the biggest sins one can commit.” When we hurt another, not only do we hurt them, but we also incur a loss as well. This is because the desire to hurt or offend another stems from our sentiments of jealousy, rage or revenge – the very traits we are trying to overcome. Reacting according to these sentiments builds up our negative karma, which in turn, depletes the positive karma required to overcome them.

In order to attain the goal of God-realization, we need to increase our desire for tolerance – tolerance for people who are not like us as we tend to like those who think or behave as we do; tolerance for things we do not like because dualities are inherent in this world and we need to rise above them; tolerance for beliefs and values that we find distasteful as they make us question and understand our beliefs and value systems which can shake our sense of identity. Instead of focusing on others’ faults, we should introspect and focus on ours. We are not perfect and as long as we are not God-realized Saints, all faults exist within us as well. If they exist within us, they are prone to manifestation at any time as well. As a result, we should use our time wisely and focus on improving and growing ourselves instead of reflecting on others’ shortcomings.

Before going to bed every night spend a few minutes thinking about “What did I do wrong today?” “Where could I have reacted differently?” “Why did I hurt another?” Answers to such questions tend to reveal our deeply embedded feelings or values. Once we correctly identify and accept the source of such emotions, it becomes easier to change the associated thoughts and behavior. And then it becomes a matter of practice—to not get angry and say something that would hurt another or to not behave in a rude or offensive manner towards another. Repeated contemplation on the fact that Krishna resides in the other also helps us to reduce and eventually stop the bad behavior. And it all requires practice.

So, given the short amount of time we have, let’s practice. Let’s keep in mind at all times that Krishna resides in everyone’s heart and grow our spiritual karmas instead of squandering them away.