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You have to admit, that you are conditioned by some authority. When you are put into jail, you cannot act independently. You have to act according to the jail superintendent's order

Expressions researched:
"you have to admit, that you are conditioned by some authority. When you are put into jail, you cannot act independently. You have to act according to the jail superintendent's order"

Conversations and Morning Walks

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Devotee (4): Prabhupāda, we're in this material world, in this human body, we're having to work with this intelligence, with mind, material things. So there is a group of philosophers that say that actually because we're a product, our mind, the way we're thinking now, is a product of our upbringing and our past; that actually we have no free will, but we're forced to think and act in a certain way. Prabhupāda: Why you are forced? Devotee (4): Because of conditioning. Prabhupāda: Then that you have to admit, that you are conditioned by some authority. When you are put into jail, you cannot act independently. You have to act according to the jail superintendent's order. The same thing. "Now let me finish." You will never be able to understand if you jump over like that. Let one thing be understood.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Similarly, soul does not mix with the matter, and by this art, transcendental knowledge, you can become out of it.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: So that's why we need a process and someone who knows the process of.

Prabhupāda: The process is bhakti-yoga. Sa guṇān samatītyaitān (BG 14.26): "Anyone who has taken to this bhakti-yoga," māṁ ca vyabhicariṇi bhakti-yogena yaḥ sevate, "he immediately becomes freed from the mixture of these three guṇas." Sa guṇān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate. "He again revives his Brahman nature." Ahaṁ brahmāsmi. Brahma-bhūtāḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54): then he understands that "I have no connection with these all nonsense things. I am brahma-bhūtāḥ."

Devotee (4): Prabhupāda, we're in this material world, in this human body, we're having to work with this intelligence, with mind, material things. So there is a group of philosophers that say that actually because we're a product, our mind, the way we're thinking now, is a product of our upbringing and our past; that actually we have no free will, but we're forced to think and act in a certain way.

Prabhupāda: Why you are forced?

Devotee (4): Because of conditioning.

Prabhupāda: Then that you have to admit, that you are conditioned by some authority. When you are put into jail, you cannot act independently. You have to act according to the jail superintendent's order. The same thing. "Now let me finish." You will never be able to understand if you jump over like that. Let one thing be understood.

Devotee (4): So he admits he's conditioned, but still, there's no free will. He says, "Yeah, so I'm in the prison. I'm imprisoned. I'm conditioned."

Prabhupāda: No, no, no. Free will. . . Just like a man commits theft by his free will. But when he is put into jail, then no more free will. He has to act according to the jail superintendent. But his beginning of jail life is free will. Nobody asked him that "You go to jail." But why he has come? He knows also that "When I am put into jail, I will lose all my freedom." He knows that. Still, he comes. Why does he come? He knows that. That is called ajñāna. Mūḍha. That is called mūḍha. He knows; still, he does.

Page Title:You have to admit, that you are conditioned by some authority. When you are put into jail, you cannot act independently. You have to act according to the jail superintendent's order
Compiler:Soham
Created:2023-02-12, 10:12:52
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=1, Let=0
No. of Quotes:1