If you find yourself struggling with chanting or the four regulative principles, don’t be alarmed, it is natural and to be expected for any individual who makes sacrifices (mental or physical) in order to progress spiritually. In fact, expect challenges as you move forward, be prepared for them and gradually work through them rather than evade them, otherwise they will only come back again and again. Find your own level of manageable practice, even though initially it may appear to be a compromise, gradually work up to the ideal, it may take weeks……., months………, or even years! But, sincerely persevere and the Lord within the heart will reciprocate.
Whenever there is a human impulse, our tendency is to respond immediately without even contemplating the outcome. In reality there exists a short moment between an impulse and a response, catch yourself during this short moment, think first, then act. If this thinking is based on principled directions (or scripture), you will succeed in holding back the force of unwarranted impulses.
Remember, whilst striving for the highest spiritual principles, we still have responsibilities to our spouses, children and friends. We must be conscious of their needs before imposing our own.
In all cases of upholding any vows, the key principle is DESIRE, half of the battle is won if we ourselves make a conscious decision to follow a practice rather than feel obliged to do so – so desire it!
If you find it difficult to give up meat eating, the following list of progressive stages might help you to gradually come to your desired level of practice:
Chanting a few attentive rounds regularly also makes an immense difference, Krishna helps to take away the taste for meat.
Intoxication generally falls in three main categories:
If you can give up a particular type of intoxicant straight away, great, but most of us struggle for a while and then have moments of indulgence. We fall prey to subtle callings!
Once again, to state the obvious, having a desire to give up a particular intoxicant and acquiring a taste for chanting goes a long way to help achieve our goal.
Sex is very similar to an intoxicant, it thrives on an addictive urge that one feels. In today’s society, sex is all pervasive and is used to market everything from perfumes to chainsaws. The present atmosphere in the west (the east is not far behind) is one of over-stimulation. Someone else is constantly disturbing our senses to sell us something; we may think we are above it but advertising works in a very subtle way and it is very effective. In modern culture sex life has thus become exploitative and manipulative, the result is that it damages our determination. When one gives in to the sex urge, one loses the determination to do what one wants and becomes a victim to cheap desires sold by advertising campaigns.
So, what to do?
This revolves around the possibility that ‘I might win’. It carries with it an attitude that denies the existence of God. Chance becomes the greater force, chance becomes my God! Once again, this is another example of an addiction that controls one, the thrill and rush of blood which accompanies a WIN. Time wasting activities and excesses in practically anything fall under this category including excessive TV.
Gambling can be dealt in a similar way to intoxication, regulate your bad habits, come in control of your habit rather than become a victim of your habit, gradually decrease its frequency, till finally you can relinquish it.