Devotee: How does one hear nicely? How should one hear?
Prabhupāda: Hmm?
Devotee (2): How does one hear nicely?
Prabhupāda: That you do not know? How to hear? You do not know?
Devotee: Not how to hear nicely.
(recordings speeds up)
Prabhupāda: Then how can I explain? (laughs) With attention; don’t divert your mind. That is hearing. If your mind goes away, then you bring it back again. Just like in the class, the teacher teaches. He says, "Attention!" So attention. With attention. Mind shall not go otherwise. This can be practiced.
- abhyāsa-yoga-yuktena
- cetasā nānya-gāminā
- (BG 8.8)
Those who have practiced . . . one who has practiced how to control the mind, not to go outside but hear, that is attentive. So our mind is very restless, so mind tries to go. Suppose I am speaking and you are hearing, and mind is somewhere. This is . . . ordinarily there is such difficulty, but we have to bring back the mind again. Suppose I am sitting here for hearing, but my mind has gone to the store. So we have to bring back the mind from the store again to this apartment. This has to be practiced. The mind will create disturbance like that (makes noise). That is called meditation. That is called yoga, to control the mind from all other subject matters and concentrate it on the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is called yoga. Yoga means linking. The mind goes away—bring it back again. Just like your child goes away, you bring him at home. Similarly, the mind is restless. So by practicing, when we feel interest.
Therefore there is a process. Just like those who are attending this meeting, they have got a little faith: "All right, let us go to this meeting. They are talking about something about God. Let us hear." This is called faith, little faith. So you have to increase this faith. That is required. So for increasing this faith, you have to mix with these persons who are cultivating Kṛṣṇa consciousness little intimate. Therefore better to live with us for some time. We give this chance, everyone, "Come and live with us." So anyone can come and live with us. That is called association. Faith, association. Then by association somebody becomes interested to become initiated: "So I shall also become bona fide initiated disciple." Then as soon as he takes initiation and properly discharges the duties, then all unwanted things disappear. Unwanted things means we proscribe four unwanted things: no illicit sex, no meat-eating, no intoxication, no gambling. These are not wanted. It is not that without these things a man cannot live. It is a practice only. One becomes drunkard by association. From childhood he is not a drunkard. Smoker, he becomes a smoker by association. It is not that a child is born smoking. No. He is born searching after milk. The milk is essential; the smoking is not essential. But we are practicing by bad association, so we can give it up also by good association. It is a question of association.