By Mahatma Das
I admit it. I’m addicted. But it’s not my fault. Really, I am innocent. I was simply asked to co-facilitate some japa retreats and workshops and I innocently accepted. And now I’ve become a japa retreat addict. I drop whatever I am doing and go to the next retreat or workshop. The Holy Name is the Most Valuable Possession I Have Without the holy name I would practically have no spiritual life, no real happiness, no intimacy with Krsna, no peace of mind, and no ability to control my senses. My entire relationship with Krsna, the most important relationship in my life, is revealed through His holy name. Without the holy name I would be lost, miserable, spiritually weak and destitute. Yet sometimes I treat this most valuable relationship as a botheration, something that gets in the way of me doing “more important” things or “more desirable” things. What helps me in these times is to remember that I get to chant, that I want to chant, that I love to chant (deep down inside). To think I have to chant reinforces the idea that chanting Krsna’s lovely names is something I’d rather not be doing.