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The Hare Krishna Lifestyle
Accepting the Hare Krishna lifestyle means having a sane, clean, enlightened, happy life and a very bright future in the next life. It is based on the teachings of the Vedic scriptures and spiritual masters. One worships, glorifies, and serves Lord Sri Krishna while avoiding drugs, alcohol, promiscuity, nonvegetarian food, and gambling. According to the Vedas, suffering in this life and the next life is due to ignorance. People do not know that many of their activities are producing adverse reactions according to the laws of nature or karma. Any person who accepts that he or she is an eternal servant of The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, and tries their best to follow the path given by the Lord in the Vedas and taught by the spiritual masters in disciplic succession is liberated from the cycle of birth and death in the material world. It may appear that such a person is of defective character but he/she will quickly advance and attain Krishna very soon. We have been in this material world for an inconceivably long time so even a few more births is relatively soon.
Japa
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Japa is chanting the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra, hare krishna hare krishna krishna krishna hare hare / hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare. In ISKCON Srila Prabhupada set the standard that devotees should chant at least 16 rounds of japa per day. Without chanting on the Krishna bead one starts on the first bead next to the Krishna bead chanting the mantra once per bead to the other end then start at the end bead going back in the other direction etc. There are 108 beads on a strand of japa beads, so one chants the full mantra 108 x 16 times a day. One should also chant the Pancha-tattva Maha Mantra once at the beginning of each round: sri-krishna-chaitanya prabhu-nityananda sri-advaita gadadhara srivasadi-gaura-bhakta-vrinda.
The Three Modes of Material Nature
As per Vedic philosophy, as jivas or spirit souls we are always under the influence of God's energy. The liberated souls are under the influence and protection of the Divine Nature and the prominent symptom is that they love the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This love of Godhead avails happiness trillions of times greater than the love of this material world. The fallen souls are under the influence of the material energy or maya. This is also called the illusory energy. By eternal constitution we are loving servants of God, not independent enjoyers. The illusory energy facilitates the illusion of being an independent enjoyer, but this illusory "enjoyment" is temporary and not fully satisfying to the soul. The illusory energy is actually functioning as three energies called the three modes of material nature. The three modes are 1) goodness 2) passion and 3) ignorance or darkness. In the mode of goodness one can see things as they are. In the mode of passion one is not sure what is right or wrong. In the mode of ignorance one considers irreligion to be religion and religion to be irreligion. A complete course on this subject matter is found in Bhagavad-gita Chapters 14 and 18. Please click here for the complete Bhagavad-gita As It Is, translation and explanations (purports) by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, founder-acharya of The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON).
FAQ
Q: What is the difference between a Krishnaite and a Vaishnava? A: A Krishnaite is a Vaishnava whose ultimate goal is Krishna, the original Vishnu. ---- Q: Do you believe in reincarnation? A: Yes, reincarnation or transmigration of the soul is discussed extensively in the Vedas. One principal citation is from Bhagavad-gita 2.13: "As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. A self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change." This process takes place throughout different species of life and different planets (heavenly, earthly, and hellish) perpetually until one is transferred to one of the planets of the transcendental eternal nature where is no death. ---- Q: How can one be transferred to the transcendental nature? A: By the process of Krishna consciousness, aka Bhakti-yoga or devotional service to Krishna. One gradually advances from beginner to the stage of perfection in Krishna consciousness where one is able to see Lord Krishna always and feel unlimited happiness; and to go to His Supreme Abode/planet in the next life. A very special benefit of the process of Bhakti-yoga is that whatever progress we make in this life is never lost, and just by beginning the process one is guaranteed at least a human body in the next life. "In this endeavor there is no loss or diminution, and a little advancement on this path can protect one from the most dangerous type of fear." -Bhagavad-gita 2.40
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