Wednesday, January 9th, 2013

Example Is Best

 

Houston, Texas

A progenitor of the world has fathered many children, and they were in turn expected to do the same –populate the world. The children, all boys, were groomed as youthful monks who performed austerities and were anticipated to be future family men. They were well behaved, cultured individuals. They were pious.

A lifelong monk came to the location where the young men were leading a simple existence. He examined them and finds them fit candidates for a higher level of education, such as seeking liberation from this world. The young monks eagerly consumed the information and become determined that they will be celibate for life, much to the dismay of their father. He had another program in mind. The boys took to the unpleasant approach of disobedience to their father. They wanted to transcend, which is the ultimate purpose in human life. Education does, or should lead to this point – transcendence.

This interesting story (and there’s more to it) is what I was speaking about from the book, Bhagavatam, Canto 6. The message I was trying to emphasize was that while it’s good to be pious, it’s more important to eventually transcend and to go beyond levels of piety and the conventional life of being proper and good. The class today was not scheduled for anyone to give, but I was there and was happy to sit there on the chair and speak to a group of eager souls who wanted to hear an important message for the day. In the life of a monk, one is not just set to do some walking on pilgrimage, but it’s about teaching through precepts and examples. So I was doing the precepting, we just have to make sure that we’re going to try to be the good example as well. So, having the opportunity to speak to people on the topic of spiritual life just reminds me that I must walk my talk.

5 KM