Determination and free choice.

"For the Jews, God creates an imperfect world; it is up to man to perfect it, hence the idea of progress and free choice. There is no determined archetype." I wrote this reflection while reading a book on the philosophy of Baruch Spinoza. That was his thought.

There are two postures to action defended by the vaishnavas; that of the kitten which the mother catches by the mouth, or that of the monkey clinging to its body. One depends entirely on his protector; the other must do his part, and effort is required. 

Animals don't change their way of thinking and living, because of their instincts. They don't allow them to do whatever they want. They don't wear mask. They cannot change the profile of their person, if they have one.

Although we are not free as God is, we have a small independence, very small. At one point of our evolution, if a man or a woman is fortunate enough, he can start to think for himself. Srlla Prabhupada said so many things; everyone of us can take what he wants, and reject what he does not want from his instructions, according to how much he is groomed by autorites. I learned some important lessons from him: Krishna consciousness is not a sect, and the process is scientific. Now, if you are a disciple of Srila Prabhupada and you tell me it is a sect or a religion, I will object to your posture. It is my choice I have taken from his teachings. 

You should know that Prabhupada said everything —and its opposite. Nevertheless, it is by scrupulously studying his books and his lectures, his conversations and his correspondence, that one can grasp the real substance of his thought. This, I know from experience, is not given to everyone, although all his disciples have been initiated into the brahmana order.

Some devotees call others 'liberal' as if it were an insult, but Srila Prabhupada said: "That poet Allen Ginsberg he said: 'Swamiji, you are very conservative.' No I am most liberal." (Delhi, 16 Nov 1973)