Germany reflections (part 2): clutter and time
I’m back in Manchester from my visit to Germany. My realization is that the external environment makes a huge difference one’s ability to practice Krishna consciousness.
My parents’ house in Germany is filled with so much stuff: over 30 years of clutter. This mass of mess (even if orderly arranged) seriously agitated my senses. I could not chant the maha-mantra property in that environment. My mind would constantly interrupt, asking me to do so many seemingly important things. Very soon I would give in to its demands, my resolve weakened by the atmosphere.
- The result: I didn’t chant all in one go, but spread out throughout the day.
- The result: chanting became a chore, an unwelcome duty that I had to push myself to do.
- The result: my meditation was wavering, weak and wholly inadequate.
- The result: my days became distracted, full of sense-gratification and completely unproductive.
Krishna is not kidding in the Bhagavad Gita when he says that he is time. With the pure single-pointed attention that Krishna consciousness brings one can accomplish many, many things in a seemingly very short amount of time.
An inattentive, unconscious person might work really hard their whole life, but ultimately get very little done. However, a fully Krishna conscious devotee (such as Srila Prabhupada) can write 60 books, circle to globe 14 times, initiate thousands of disciples and create a world-wide network of temples and ashrams all in just 12 years.
This morning, back at my flat, I was amazed at how much better my chanting was. Chanting was such a rejuvenating and refreshing experience. I didn’t want to stop. I could have gone on for hours and hours.
The experience has strengthened my determination to live simply. Today I went through all the stuff in my flat and threw a load of it away. I filled two large garbage bags full of unless junk I had accumulated. I must do this kind of review more often.
January 7th, 2006 at 10:24 am
This is a good reminder for me, I am naturally a hoarder & messy person. It is amazing how when we have a clean & simple environment the basic practices of Krishna consciousness become so much easier. I will follow your example today….
January 9th, 2006 at 9:42 pm
I was getting fried out cooking in my kitchen & I was confused why. Last night, remembering this post, I took a whole lot of stuff and put it in the cupboard. Cooking dinner was much more peaceful after that.
January 10th, 2006 at 3:12 am
I know what you mean about being totally unproductive when on holiday with family who aren’t devotees! Although it’s normal in my country for people to drink alcohol, and although my family would be considered civilized people who drink in moderation, I found it weird that there was always alcohol in the house and they felt the need to drink every night with dinner. There wasn’t a problem with clutter, untidiness or dirt, but the heat of summer and idleness of our days had a soporific effect. I felt too self conscious to chant aloud near them, and would get behind with my chanting through a sort of sloth. (My fault and not theirs!) Without daily association, I found maintaining even my loose neophyte habits difficult. I love my family but I’m glad to be back in a meat-free home.
January 12th, 2006 at 2:47 am
[...] Your living environment affects your consciousness, as explained by Candidasa recently. [...]
January 18th, 2006 at 9:56 pm
[...] I will probably be moving house yet again in a couple of weeks due to my uncertain financial situation. I will have to move back to my father’s house. This is not very good for my spiritual progress. As Candidasa noted on his recent trip home: for those of us who are not completely transcendental, environment affects sadhana. In some situations it is possible to do something about the environment – tidy up, move out etc. but sometimes you just have to tolerate it somehow. Last time I saw my spiritual master he told me to “go with the flow†a bit more. Not sure what that means. Hope I don’t bloop (the sound the soul makes when it falls back into the material pool). [...]
February 19th, 2006 at 2:45 am
Hare Krishna,
I have very similar experiences in my home. Almost always I feel disturbed and even imprisoned by the clutter and stressful atmosphere constantly and stagnantly present. Unfortunately I do not have any control over it, because if i try to remove some of the mess, my parents will only get angry or use the space created to store more of their things. I dont know what to do, it seems like i have tried everything and now I am back to the stage of just trying to tolerate the mess and my parents. Any suggestions would be most appreciated because this prison of mine heavily gets in the way of my spiritual efforts.