A Takeaway for 2024: Weekly Time Off the World
Dear Upbuild Community,
Another year gone like lightning! Unspoken and unadmitted, even to myself, I always thought that when you grow up to be a whole 20 years old, you probably stay there something like forever, until you become 30…then you probably stay there something like forever, until you turn 40…and so on. This year I reached that 40 mark, and in case I needed any further confirmation, I can now see very clearly: It’s not like that! …Really, it’s not! Sure, everyone says time goes fast, and the older you get, the faster it goes, but despite that, I still have this strong impulse in me that tells me I should never die or think about dying. Death doesn’t obey that same impulse. I now know how quickly it’s coming, no matter what ripe old age I hope to reach before then. And to make the best use of this life requires a very sober, thoughtful, and intentional approach. That’s my aim with each Takeaway for the year — to increase my sobriety, thoughtfulness, and intentionality so I make the best use of this life and try to help you do the same.
The canvas I use for these reflections consists of two primary borders or constraints that shape what becomes my Takeaway:
1. Something I want to focus on improving about myself in the new year
2. Putting into action the treasure of my guru, Sacinandana Swami’s instructions, as he has lived exactly the way I aspire to by giving up the ego of who we think we should be for the true self that we really are
In 2024, after 10 years, I had the privilege of meeting again with Bhurijana Prabhu, a dear friend of Sacinandana Swami and one of my most important mentors. In February, my wife and I visited Vrndavana — the sacred birthplace of Krsna, the speaker of the Bhagavad-Gita. There, Bhurijana Prabhu guided us through a beautiful experience he offers to large groups, called ‘Alone with Krsna.’ The purpose is to nourish the actual self — the soul — concentratedly with what it requires most. And what is that? As Sacinandana Swami puts it, the 3 P’s — People, Practice, and Philosophy. For several hours, we sat in solitude, offering incense, prayers, sacred mantras, reading sacred texts, and writing our realizations. Krsna’s teachings in the Gita, which are Upbuild’s inspiration on how to awaken the self, formed the basis of our experience. It was incredibly moving to take this opportunity alone, though we were also together. The outcome was phenomenal. With Bhurijana Prabhu’s encouragement and blessings, my wife and I adopted this as a weekly practice to get out of the world and into what matters most. It’s made a tangible difference in raising our consciousness that we can no longer live without.
What you give your time and attention to is, of course, what will determine your results. And there’s nothing that yields greater results for everyone in your life than investing in who you really are, free from distraction. The soul is aching to be contacted by People, Practice, and Philosophy. How long will we set it aside for other things? It’s inhuman. We’re starving ourselves day in and day out, letting the time pass. Cleaning the cage of the body and all the people and things connected to it without feeding the bird inside, as my guru’s guru, Srila Prabhupada would say. Then the cage looks nice, but the inhabitant slowly dies. This has to stop while there’s still time. If we don’t stop now to carve out space for the self, there is no future time when we’ll have momentum to do it. The inertia only grows with our growing in age. However, growing in age with the momentum of People, Practice, and Philosophy gives us everything… Please don’t think it will be different than this like my own unexamined fanciful thinking that I’ll just somehow always be around. We all have too many responsibilities and desires, no doubt. Even if it’s only 15 minutes a week, but we do it regularly, that will have amazing effects! Then gradually try to increase it as far as possible for increasing impact. The key is commitment and sincerity to carve out this weekly time off the world the best we can.
For me, the focus going forward is to keep it up as consistently as possible and try not to be disappointed that it’s not exactly as I’d like. My challenge is always in striking the balance between stretching myself to give my best and accepting where I am. I wish I could do so much more and be so much more spiritually advanced than I am which leaks into my weekly time off the world. I wish I had more time to write. And more than anything, I wish I had more profound experience of the self. What can be done?
I’m working on accepting where I am, without settling for less than my potential. The art lies in keeping fierce determination alive with increasing resolve to improve, while also being satisfied and grateful for the humbling state I’m in. I am making this my concentration in relation to the weekly time for immersion in People, Practice, and Philosophy. I’m so inspired to continue evolving with the empowerment to become purer, experience the self more fully, and serve others the best I can, thanks to these 3 P’s. I’m committed to having time for them both daily and weekly — they are the force behind all that I do and all of my aspirations. They are what keep me going and keep me growing. Therefore I’m always making whatever commitments I can to increase time and inspiration for them.
After 18 years on the spiritual path, this new feature of weekly time off the world gave me something brand new, even in spite of my rigorous daily practice. The daily routine is vital. Yet to get out of the routinized approach is also vital. And to step out of the constant deluge of life every week works wonders! It further invigorates my daily practice and my days.
The point is to make it ceremonious. Something outside the norm which gives you more of what nourishes the real self in a way that feels special. People who are sharing their teachings and who we can connect with through those teachings. Practice that takes the form of prayer, reading, or meditation. And Philosophy that ties it all together — the purpose, understanding, and impetus for connecting with such elevated People and Practice. All of these are deeply intertwined. Ultimately, it’s People who give us everything — the Philosophy to Practice that they strive to embody. See how they each work in harmony when we engage in a weekly forum off the world.
What does time off the world look like for you even in just 15 minutes?
Start by putting your phone on airplane mode, setting a timer if it helps, and playing a soothing sound like rain pattering with birds chirping. Prepare to enter a new arena. Take up what’s called mauna vrata — a vow of silence. Not necessarily complete silence, but refrain from messaging or communicating with those around you. Allow the sacred atmosphere to envelop you. When you emerge from the experience, if possible, debrief with someone to anchor what you’ve received and cultivate more meaningful connection with fresh spiritual vision. Now, here’s a breakdown of the time.
What if you were to spend:
One minute offering a heartfelt prayer to receive what you’re meant to from this experience, stating your determination to be receptive
Another minute offering incense to God in your mind or to the picture of a self-realized soul who you affectionately admire like Jesus, for example, which then creates a captivating mindset and attractive aroma to perpetuate that mindset
Seven minutes reading from a sacred text like the Bhagavad-Gita
Five minutes writing about how what you read applies to the way you want to live in the coming week
And one final minute reciting the sacred sound, “Ram,” several times consecutively — a mantra yogis have meditated on for millennia to realize the self
If you do this, you won’t want to stop at 15 minutes…
I desire this evolution of becoming the self more than anything — and I desire it for you too, as I’ve seen what it can do for all of us at varying stages. Please create a system for yourself like the above example of weekly time off the world for People, Practice, and Philosophy, where you carve out the time with the support, accountability, and resources you need to sustain and grow the experience. I have full conviction that it will be transformative. It will take you and the people in your life that you stand to benefit far beyond the temporal exchanges we’re conditioned to settle for. Let’s not settle anymore. Let’s seriously invest in who we really are, while there’s still time.