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Episode Synopsis
Answer Podcast
Transcription :
Transcriber: Suresh Gupta
Editor: Raji Nachiappan
Question: How can we increase our determination for waking up in the morning?
Answer: Firstly, denying the body’s needs should not be mistaken as a sign of determination. If the body has a habit of sleeping for six-seven hours, suddenly expecting one to manage with five hours or less and considering inability to do so to be lack of determination, is not a correct understanding of determination. Determination is a matter of will power, which is basically the soul’s capacity to desire which is expressed through the mind on to the body.
The body is like a vehicle. The driver may have a lot of will power but if the vehicle does not have any fuel, then will power alone will not work. Therefore, we cannot deny body’s needs. It is true that Prabhupada said that as we become spiritually advanced, the needs of the body will decrease. Srila Prabhupada gave the example of Goswamis who slept and ate very little. That is true, however, that alone is not the sign of spiritual advancement. It is also not that, by artificially eating or sleeping less we will make more spiritual advancement. Srila Prabhupada also said that if we sleep too much we will become lazy and if we sleep too less we will become crazy. This means that when we sleep too less, the mind will not work properly. Even if we are awake, we will be half asleep or inattentive or sometimes even irritable. Therefore, the inability to decrease the body’s needs in sudden steps is not a lack of determination. The body’s needs will decrease organically. That means as we find more and more absorbing things to do in Krishna’s service, then naturally we will not spend so much time sleeping and as a result, the body’s sleep will decrease.
Practically speaking, we can decrease our sleep in steps – from six hours thirty minutes to six hours fifteen minutes and then to six hours. As the body adjusts, we can try to decrease sleep over a period of time. However, just decreasing sleep alone is not the sign of spiritual advancement nor is the inability to decrease amount of sleep a sign of lack of determination. If we want to improve our sadhana and we want to wake up in the morning, generally it is good to sleep earlier, so that we get adequate rest.
With respect to waking up three different things can be done:
I. Team-up: If there is another devotee who wakes up early, teaming up will help. When we set the alarm, we battle with our own mind. However, if we team up, then the devotee also helps us in our battle.
To some extent, the association of the devotees helps us to use the power of our ego in devotional service. For example, we do not want the other devotees to think of us as lazy or lacking in determination. This thought process is not necessarily [...]
The post How can we increase our determination for waking up in the morning? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Transcription :
Transcriber: Suresh Gupta
Editor: Raji Nachiappan
Question: How can we increase our determination for waking up in the morning?
Answer: Firstly, denying the body’s needs should not be mistaken as a sign of determination. If the body has a habit of sleeping for six-seven hours, suddenly expecting one to manage with five hours or less and considering inability to do so to be lack of determination, is not a correct understanding of determination. Determination is a matter of will power, which is basically the soul’s capacity to desire which is expressed through the mind on to the body.
The body is like a vehicle. The driver may have a lot of will power but if the vehicle does not have any fuel, then will power alone will not work. Therefore, we cannot deny body’s needs. It is true that Prabhupada said that as we become spiritually advanced, the needs of the body will decrease. Srila Prabhupada gave the example of Goswamis who slept and ate very little. That is true, however, that alone is not the sign of spiritual advancement. It is also not that, by artificially eating or sleeping less we will make more spiritual advancement. Srila Prabhupada also said that if we sleep too much we will become lazy and if we sleep too less we will become crazy. This means that when we sleep too less, the mind will not work properly. Even if we are awake, we will be half asleep or inattentive or sometimes even irritable. Therefore, the inability to decrease the body’s needs in sudden steps is not a lack of determination. The body’s needs will decrease organically. That means as we find more and more absorbing things to do in Krishna’s service, then naturally we will not spend so much time sleeping and as a result, the body’s sleep will decrease.
Practically speaking, we can decrease our sleep in steps – from six hours thirty minutes to six hours fifteen minutes and then to six hours. As the body adjusts, we can try to decrease sleep over a period of time. However, just decreasing sleep alone is not the sign of spiritual advancement nor is the inability to decrease amount of sleep a sign of lack of determination. If we want to improve our sadhana and we want to wake up in the morning, generally it is good to sleep earlier, so that we get adequate rest.
With respect to waking up three different things can be done:
I. Team-up: If there is another devotee who wakes up early, teaming up will help. When we set the alarm, we battle with our own mind. However, if we team up, then the devotee also helps us in our battle.
To some extent, the association of the devotees helps us to use the power of our ego in devotional service. For example, we do not want the other devotees to think of us as lazy or lacking in determination. This thought process is not necessarily [...]
The post How can we increase our determination for waking up in the morning? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
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