Understand Mind through Social Media | Psychology of Mind
 

Social Media (like Facebook, Twitter etc) has a concept of showing a stream of activities (feeds) on our homepage. The nature of the post that we see here depends upon the kind of friends circle we have. If we have only devotee friends we will see Devotional Feeds, if we have materialistic friends we will get materialistic feeds like sports, movie, news, their personal material gains etc.

Our mind is quite similar to this homepage.

It is getting constant feeds from the various sources we are connected to through our Knowledge Acquiring Sense (the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and touch). These feeds create an impression on our mind, called samskara. This shapes our consciousness. Some of the samskaras are so strong that we carry it for lifetimes and find it difficult to shed off.

So we have to be extremely careful in choosing our association. The most powerful senses are our eyes, ears, tongue.

What we see or watch (news, website, mundane literature, social media post, movies, YouTube video, cheap comedy, etc. or devotional books, videos, post, website )

What we hear (mundane songs which teach us worshiping opposite gender, our senses, intoxicant or devotional kirtan, spiritual lectures)

What we talk (some mundane gossip or something devotional?)

What we eat (there is a concept of GIGO - Garbage In Garbage Out. So the kind of food we are taking in, impacts our physiology, as stated in scriptures and proved by modern science)

Therefore it is always strict advice of every scripture that we must restrict our association. Out of the six unfavorable principles of Bhakti mentioned by Srila Rupa Goswami, three are about this.

Eating more than necessary or collecting more funds than required

Talking unnecessarily about mundane subject matters

Associating with worldly-minded persons who are not interested in Krsna-consciousness


Even Krishna warns us to control our sense organs;

The sense organs for acquiring knowledge—the eyes, ears, nose, tongue and touch—should be fully controlled and should not be allowed to engage in self-gratification.

 

Bhagavad Gita 8.12

 

However as every one of us will agree, it is very difficult to control the urges of our senses. However, Krishna provides us a solution - experiencing a higher taste will help us overcome the attraction of these lower sense desires.

Though the embodied soul may be restricted from sense enjoyment, the taste for sense objects remains. But, ceasing such engagements by experiencing a higher taste, he is fixed in consciousness.

 

Bhagavad Gita 2.59

 

By the sincere practice of Krishna Consciousness principles, following the four regulative principles (NO Non-Vegetarian diet, NO Intoxication, NO Gambling, NO Illicit Relation), honestly chanting the holy name and serving Lord and His Devotees helps us to develop a natural inclination to perform devotional activities and in turn, help us to voluntary reject the materialistic way of life. Because the devotional service of Krishna is the highest taste.

Kṛṣṇa attraction means decreasing attraction for the material world. Go on. (chants japa) One can test his advancement for spiritual life, how he is being detached to the material life. That's all. It is not to be taken certificate from others. Just like when you eat, you haven't got to take certificate from others. You'll feel, "Yes, I'm satisfied." That's all. You don't require, while eating nicely, you don't require to take certificate: "Am I eating nicely?" You'll know yourself.
Srila Prabhupada, General Lecture, 18 July 1971, Detroit

 

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