Ever heard anyone say that something was "the pits?" That means something was a real bummer, a big disappointment, or a downright tragedy.
People think that they are supposed to be always happy in this world. But this world is not our real home. This material world is a temporary place of reform. Like a prison. It's meant for those who have rebelled against the supremacy of God, or Krishna. Krishna has made the material world miserable so that we'll want to get out of here and go back home to the all-blissful spiritual realm where we belong.
Material life is fraught with disappointments. They are "built in" and are part of the nature of this material creation. The idea is that we are supposed to get sick and tired of being burnt by such material disappointments and turn to Krishna. But sometimes, even those of us who are trying to fully dedicate our lives to the service of the Lord are troubled by disappointments, setbacks, sometimes just general feelings of unhappiness. Occasionally, such feelings of unhappiness can become chronic. Sometimes even a devotee can feel that his whole world is crumbling around him and that life, with all its anxieties and distressful situations, is useless and hopeless. People can become reclusive, catatonic, or even suicidal because of such feelings. This is what many experience as depression, which is known as an "anxiety disorder" and actually comes under the heading of mental illnesses.
Do you find yourself occasionally going through periods of unhappiness, loneliness, hopelessness, or even depression? Know that you are not alone. In fact, anxiety disorders are the most common type of mental illness, affecting 40 million adults in the U.S., ages 18 and older. What is an anxiety disorder? An anxiety disorder is "A chronic condition characterized by an excessive and persistent sense of apprehension, with physical symptoms such as sweating, palpitations, and feelings of stress." Modern treatments include the comfort offered by understanding the condition, avoiding or desensitizing exacerbating situations, and medications.
In the Nectar of Instruction, one of the loving exchanges recommended for devotees is to "reveal one's mind in confidence." There is great benefit in such heart-to-heart talks, and to find even one friend that we can bare our souls to is a great blessing. But even if Krishna gives us such a friend with whom we can share confidences, sometimes the relief of having "cried on her shoulder" is helpful for a while, but then problems arise again. Our experience in the material world is that one cannot fully avoid "exacerbating situations" and that problems repeat themselves over and over again. The reality is that frustrations will continue to happen as long as we are in material bodies in the material world. The solution is to get out of this material world for good. Toward this solution, there is another treatment, a proven remedy.
Srila Prabhupada, our Guru, taught us how to meditate on the holy names of God. He taught us that chanting the holy names of God is the most highly recommended method of meditation in this Age of Kali (the Age of Quarrel and Hypocrisy) and that this chanting can actually awaken our love for God and get us once and for all out of this material world. One can chant any bona fide name of God, but if one doesn't know any bona fide name of God, he can chant the maha-mantra, or the Great Chanting for Deliverance: Hare (pronounced huh-ray) Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare / Hare Rama (RAH-muh) Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. The maha-mantra (maha means "great" and mantra means a sound that delivers the mind from forgetfulness of God) is a scientific arrangement of syllables that frees one from the shackles of material ego. It is material ego that keeps us trapped in the cycle of repeated births and deaths, in material body after material body in this world. Only by the grace of God, Krishna, can we get free from this miserable cycle and return to our normal, natural, blissful life of loving service to Krishna in the spiritual realm, the realm where depression and other anxiety disorders are conspicuous by their absence.
So please consider chanting the holy names of God as your daily meditation. As I mentioned above, even devotees who have been chanting the holy names for some time can occasionally become discouraged because of the sufferings of the material body and the daily strife of living here in this material world. But Srila Prabhupada often told devotees who were suffering in this way to increase their chanting. So try to increase your chanting. Even if you can't increase your chanting because of time constraints, at least you can try to increase your focus during your chanting time. Srila Prabhupada told us, "Just try to hear." Just try to hear the holy names and give your mind and all your cares to Krishna. He will take over your life and your depression will be gone and your heart will be healed.
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare / Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare!
People think that they are supposed to be always happy in this world. But this world is not our real home. This material world is a temporary place of reform. Like a prison. It's meant for those who have rebelled against the supremacy of God, or Krishna. Krishna has made the material world miserable so that we'll want to get out of here and go back home to the all-blissful spiritual realm where we belong.
Material life is fraught with disappointments. They are "built in" and are part of the nature of this material creation. The idea is that we are supposed to get sick and tired of being burnt by such material disappointments and turn to Krishna. But sometimes, even those of us who are trying to fully dedicate our lives to the service of the Lord are troubled by disappointments, setbacks, sometimes just general feelings of unhappiness. Occasionally, such feelings of unhappiness can become chronic. Sometimes even a devotee can feel that his whole world is crumbling around him and that life, with all its anxieties and distressful situations, is useless and hopeless. People can become reclusive, catatonic, or even suicidal because of such feelings. This is what many experience as depression, which is known as an "anxiety disorder" and actually comes under the heading of mental illnesses.
Do you find yourself occasionally going through periods of unhappiness, loneliness, hopelessness, or even depression? Know that you are not alone. In fact, anxiety disorders are the most common type of mental illness, affecting 40 million adults in the U.S., ages 18 and older. What is an anxiety disorder? An anxiety disorder is "A chronic condition characterized by an excessive and persistent sense of apprehension, with physical symptoms such as sweating, palpitations, and feelings of stress." Modern treatments include the comfort offered by understanding the condition, avoiding or desensitizing exacerbating situations, and medications.
In the Nectar of Instruction, one of the loving exchanges recommended for devotees is to "reveal one's mind in confidence." There is great benefit in such heart-to-heart talks, and to find even one friend that we can bare our souls to is a great blessing. But even if Krishna gives us such a friend with whom we can share confidences, sometimes the relief of having "cried on her shoulder" is helpful for a while, but then problems arise again. Our experience in the material world is that one cannot fully avoid "exacerbating situations" and that problems repeat themselves over and over again. The reality is that frustrations will continue to happen as long as we are in material bodies in the material world. The solution is to get out of this material world for good. Toward this solution, there is another treatment, a proven remedy.
Srila Prabhupada, our Guru, taught us how to meditate on the holy names of God. He taught us that chanting the holy names of God is the most highly recommended method of meditation in this Age of Kali (the Age of Quarrel and Hypocrisy) and that this chanting can actually awaken our love for God and get us once and for all out of this material world. One can chant any bona fide name of God, but if one doesn't know any bona fide name of God, he can chant the maha-mantra, or the Great Chanting for Deliverance: Hare (pronounced huh-ray) Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare / Hare Rama (RAH-muh) Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. The maha-mantra (maha means "great" and mantra means a sound that delivers the mind from forgetfulness of God) is a scientific arrangement of syllables that frees one from the shackles of material ego. It is material ego that keeps us trapped in the cycle of repeated births and deaths, in material body after material body in this world. Only by the grace of God, Krishna, can we get free from this miserable cycle and return to our normal, natural, blissful life of loving service to Krishna in the spiritual realm, the realm where depression and other anxiety disorders are conspicuous by their absence.
So please consider chanting the holy names of God as your daily meditation. As I mentioned above, even devotees who have been chanting the holy names for some time can occasionally become discouraged because of the sufferings of the material body and the daily strife of living here in this material world. But Srila Prabhupada often told devotees who were suffering in this way to increase their chanting. So try to increase your chanting. Even if you can't increase your chanting because of time constraints, at least you can try to increase your focus during your chanting time. Srila Prabhupada told us, "Just try to hear." Just try to hear the holy names and give your mind and all your cares to Krishna. He will take over your life and your depression will be gone and your heart will be healed.
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare / Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare!
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