THE GREAT PRETENDER....

Has to be one of my favorites of all time.

"One who restrains the senses and organs of action, but whose mind dwells on sense objects, certainly deludes himself and is called a pretender." Bhagavad Gita As It Is 3.6

I've been there for sure. I have to stay on my toes not to slip into "self-deception." Can't always blame everyone else, you know! There is a saying for someone who is stuck like this in a battle against their own self realization.

"Drinking water under water while bathing on a fast day."

How often do I see myself one way but my actions show something entirely different? I am intelligent and compassionate. And then someone cuts in front of me in traffic or follows too closely behind trying to make me drive faster and what is my response? Kind? Intelligent? Compassionate? Hell no. I'm ready to kill someone.

It doesn't work to just externally restrain actions. It may seem to work for a little while but the "thinking" cannot be changed so easily. And from thinking comes feeling... and from feeling comes willing... and the next step is action. Thinking. Feeling. Willing...and eventually acting.

For a practicing transcendentalist to be thinking about enjoying sensual activities while restraining from engaging in them is ridiculous. It is not possible to become peaceful in such a state. Engaging in the sensual activities is what wins out in the end. And the transcendentalist is left at square one to try again to gain sense control.

This will happen again and again and again if such a person is simply relying on external control and does not address the root. The mind.

It is similar to trying to keep a society safe and peaceful. After all society is a social body. Those who transgress the rules of the society may be restrained... say put into prison where they cannot commit the crimes. But as soon as they are let out they may do it again unless there is a change in their consciousness. Their thinking.

There are many pretenders on the spiritual path. They very often can convince others that they are somehow empowered and very advanced spiritually.

But mostly they are cheating not only those who follow them and hang onto their every word as good as God but they even more sadly are fooling themselves. And they certainly aren't going where they think they are going.

They are inviting people to join them in a journey across the ocean in a stone boat.

Link to the text: https://prabhupadabooks.com/bg/3/6