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Basic Philosophy

The Vedas say we are all spiritual beings—eternal, blissful, full of knowledge—and so is God. The difference is God is infinite and we are not. In this world, everyone mistakenly thinks their temporary body is their real self.

We belong in the spiritual world with God (one of Whose names is Krishna, "the All-attractive one"). But until our pure love for Him awakens—and we no longer want to try to enjoy separately from Him—we must stay in the material world.

We need to understand the problems of life in the material world, such as:

  • We suffer from old age, disease, and eventually die
  • The reactions to our activities, or karma, force us to take repeated births in various species.
  • Whatever sensual pleasure we do get is temporary and ultimately disappointing.

    • Our life is perfect once we find a teacher, or guru, who can show us how to purify our consciousness and reestablish our love and service attitude for God. The easiest (and most highly recommended) method of self-purification is to chant the holy names of God—the Hare Krishna mantra—in the company of like-minded spiritual seekers, or devotees of Krishna.