BRAINWASH

BRAINWASH

This topic was chosen to write, as very recently, a good friend of mine used this nine letter word to me that I can easily be brainwashed in religious faith on Lord Krishna, by someone close to me. It was during an informal workshop like sharing of thoughts between five of us in that group. The topic was voluntarily or involuntarily hurting others feelings. My friend’s involuntary comment on my faith, still I believe that it is an involuntary one, as above, critically registered in my mind and would like to explore how I affect others feelings involuntarily, as definitely I am not a person to hurt others by words or deeds voluntarily. I am conscious on that. Let it be. I am on it to correct myself.

Coming to brainwash, it indicates pressurizing someone into adopting radically different beliefs by using systematic and often forcible means! It may be a process to abandon their beliefs in favor of another set of beliefs! This is what different dictionary says. But is it a fact? May be, according to person to person it varies.

So, according to me it is a MYTH. Brainwashing seems to only be applied to groups we disapprove of. We don’t say that soldiers are brainwashed to kill other people: that’s basic training.

I am disheartened by how casually the word ‘brainwashing’ gets thrown around by learned people. I reject the idea of brainwashing. There seems to be no way to have a healthy conversation about brainwashing; you either accept it or you don’t. We make decisions and choices more or less freely. So I don’t take my friend’s comment as a hurting one, but everyone needs to understand that a Krishna devotee cannot be brainwashed.

My faith in Krishna Consciousness has not come due to brainwash of my mind by someone. ISKCON doesn’t convince or don’t brainwash anyone. It is not possible to brainwash or convince anyone to accept the philosophy or Lord Krishna is the Supreme God. We should use our intelligence to understand every word which ISKCON revealing.

Someone who had self-realized only can raise himself to the next higher stage of God realization. It is difficult to understand the activities of ISKCON with blind eyes, unless one follows the important four regulative principles( No Meat Eating, No Gambling, No Intoxications and No Illicit Relationships) and regularly chant the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.

ISKCON Spiritual Masters are not a hypnotic or mystic. Basic aim is to establish love for Godhead. As Srila Prabhupada said,” No matter which religion you belong to, if you love God, then you are perfect”. ISKCON devotees follow their Spiritual Master’s words and Acharya’s teachings at higher level.They can able to penetrate their pure knowledge to any fallen or conditioned soul and even save the suffering soul from material world.

On the mirror if there is dust, you cannot see your face very nicely. If you wipe the mirror very nicely, you can see yourself in the mirror. Like that chanting the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra is the process of wiping out the dust accumulated in the mirror of our mind.

From birth we have been brainwashed to believe countless things. ISKCON didn’t brainwash us; we came to them brainwashed. They are only trying to untangle the residual complications and contradictions that brainwashing left in us.

Why people are not ready to read Bhagavad Gita As It Is by Srila Prabhuda and find out themselves what is said in that Divine Song of Lord Krishna to Arjuna, with more clarity from the purport given in detail.

 There is nothing in the brain to wash, as it is a fleshy part of our body and we need to cleanse or wash the mind accumulated with dirt like many misconception from the wrong persons or books with wrong personal interpretations.  

Bhagavad Gita is the only book that is enough for us to lead a peaceful life, and no other book can be compared to it to bring peace within us. If we have inner peace, we can spread peace around us. Chant Hare Krishna and Be Happy and not to worry on ‘brainwash’.