This course is part of Sastra-Caksus, Year 2 and consists of 25 lectures, available on:

http://seminary.bhaktivedantaacademy.com/classes/noi-thematic/

Given in Bhaktivedanta Academy, Sridham Mayapur November-December 2011

The following are lecture notes briefly delineating its contents

• One must accept proximity with both bad and good people throughout one's life, but giving food and charity should not be done with affection towards materialists, otherwise it becomes asat-sanga.
• Donations, prasadam etc should be accepted from pious people, or given away.
• Book distribution from the viewpoint of different varnas.
• If one is obliged to accept prasada in a dubious place, one should stick to fruits, milk etc and avoid grains.
• We should be careful in out dealing with the family, so that it is not asat-sanga.

SATO-VRITTEH-FOLLOWING IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF PREVIOUS ACARYAS

• Pure devotion is not in the skill. External difficulties help us to become aware that the externals are only the medium for devotion.
• Just as we should not eat more than we digest, we should not deal in any of the sensual areas more than we can comfortably handle and use it.
• Manu gives a whole chapter how to understand what is emergency and what to do in it.
• Hindus in Bangladesh appreciate Krishna consciousness more than in West Bengal because they don't take it for granted.
• One should be careful while living in devotee community to actually take advantage of their association, then one can advance very quickly. Otherwise, those who live outside devotee community, but appreciate devotees, actually advance more quickly.
• Only human beings can be situated in the mode of goodness, and advance from there to the transcendental.
• Varnashrama situates us in the mode of goodness. Passion and ignorance means doing whimsical things.
• Symptoms of goodness (described in SB 7.11.8-12) are speaking the truth without distortion (we don't adjust the truth for our own purpose), sympathy to those suffering, austerity, cleanliness, chanting the Holy Name, tolerance, distinguishing between good and bad, control of the mind, nonviolence (not subjecting any living entity to the threefold miseries), sense control, brahmacharya (preservation of semen; if married, proper relationship with one's own wife), charity (at least 50 percent of income), study of transcendental literatures, simplicity, being satisfied with what is easily available, rendering service to saintly persons who see all living beings as spirit souls, not taking part in mundane philanthropic activities, distinguishing between what needs to be done or not, being grave and silent, distinguishing between body and soul.
• When mind accepts that doing certain thing is right, that is called dama.
• Child produced on another's wife belongs to whomever the woman belongs.
• Semen is pervading the whole body.
• There is 8 drops of ojas in the body, and if it reduces one may die.
• Srila Prabhupada called sexual activity 'just squeezing.'
• One must give in charity at least 50% of the netto income, not brutto.
• Srila Prabhupada in Swedish university. It is essential in preaching to cut through people's issues, otherwise they cannot understand.
• 01:42 Real charity is giving Krishna consciousness. We must be careful distributing Prasadam in Food for Life to actually let people know that it is prasadam, otherwise they only get pious benefit.
• Sharing of prasada by Indians and Westerners.