Krishna Das – Ep. 43 – Scandals, Maharajji, and Relationships

This week on Pilgrim Heart, Krishna Das gets real about scandalous acts and relationships.

Everyone is susceptible to getting caught up in their own trip, no matter how far into their inner journey they might be. Krishna Das speaks from his heart about Maharajji and what he taught KD about love.

Show Notes

Scandal and Practice (Opening) – With the good always comes the bad. Gurus and spiritual teachers have guided wisdom and healing into the world, but there are also many who get involved in scandals and hypocrisy. Krishna Dass gives a simple answer on how he reconciles this juxtaposition. We are all humans with flaws, but we have the opportunity to learn from our mistakes. This fallibility also goes for those who possess wisdom and have the capacity to share it with others. They are still just people, who are just as susceptible to our shared human nature as any other.

This fallibility also goes for those who possess wisdom and have the capacity to share. Those are still people who are just as susceptible to human nature as any. We are all humans inherently full of flaws, but we have the opportunity to learn from our mistakes.

Life is incredibly difficult; we barely know that we are alive, or what is even possible in life. It is so hard to be the person we want to be: a good caring human being. You get the strength to be that way through practice. Through practice, you overcome your selfishness, shame, guilt, fear, and excessiveness.

No Fooling Maharajji (5:00) – People would come to Maharajji and project themselves as something they were not. After sending them on their way, Maharajji would laugh and say:

“People come here, and they think they can fool me. I go on fooling the whole world, and they can come here and think they are fooling me.”

Krishna Das tells stories from his days with Maharajji. We get an understanding of why Maharajji did what he did and the kind of being he was. Spending time with a being who can never be fooled is incredible because they are also never fooled by our facade.

“He knew everything, there were no secrets. Believe me, it wasn’t easy sitting there, knowing that he saw every miserable thought you ever had.”

Love and Relationships (11:10) – If we are objective, relationships are a lot like businesses. You give affection; you get affection just like when we give friendship and get it in return. Love transcends this give and take. Love is our true nature; it is who we are. Love is not something that comes from the outside; you don’t fall in it or fall out of it. Practice opens us up to the presence of love. The deeper we sit with that, the less possessive and full of ourselves we become.

Just Sing (17:40) – KD talks about his life after Maharajji’s death. Being with Maharajji was the only time KD felt the kind of unconditional love Maharajji radiated.

“I knew that if I didn’t sing with people, then I would never be able to clean out the dark shadows and corners of my heart.”

A few decades after Maharajji’s death, KD realized that what he needed to do is sing to people. This practice is what he needed to heal himself. We all need to find the practice that works for us and use it. Having a practice works, but you have show up and do it.  Little by little things will begin to change. Be patient, the fruits of practice are slow to come but inevitable.