The Six Session DYS (Spiritual Scientist / Discover Your Self) Course

The candidates from the ONE TIME programs or from Book Distribution database can be registered for the Six sessions certificate course on DISCOVER YOUR SELF. This course puts a foundation on basic understanding of topics like:

• Can a Scientist believe in God? (proves God’s existence systematically)
• Getting the eyes to see God (shows the deficiency of our senses to know Truth)
• Vedic wisdom – privilege of humankind (establishes Vedas as the only way to Wisdom)
• Science of Soul (teaches knowledge of SOUL scientifically)
• Substance and Shadow (Real happiness is only in the spiritual world)
• If God is one, why there are so many different religions? (commanality in all religions, superiority of Sanatana Dharma and Bhakti yoga, Prabhupada’s contribution to the modern world)

Special Features of the DYS Course

• Color slide show presentation with animation with over 300 slides
• Video clippings for each session to keep the show enlivening and enlightening
• Fun and learning go hand in hand
• Group Work and GD to offer participation and involvement to students
• Audio Lectures by Director are available (Preacher can avail this facility)
• Elementary for any newcomer to understand the profound KC concepts
• The course can be directly introduced to any newcomer

At the end of DYS Course, we introduce the students to the following courses based on the series of books, entitled ESSENCE OF BHAGAVAD GITA.

On Scientific Preaching...and DYS Course

Here are some of my humble feelings that I would like to express based on my little preaching experience to college youth:

There are many students who already are in touch with God within their heart and are searching for Him outside. They are looking for someone who can introduce them to God and help them be put back in His service. They may have a little bit of “dirt” that they carry due to scientific academic education. The first two sessions of DYS cleanses off that dirt and introduces them to Vedas as the ultimate knowledge. The DYS book, my audio lectures and my slideshow are all extremely simple and are understandable to even a fifteen year old boy or girl. I deliberately kept it simple because most of the audience is simple; they are looking for truths presented in an easy and understandable manner. We don’t have to complicate the simple Vedic wisdom with some jargon to impress the boys or frighten the boys to make them accept the Vedas. If our preachers are honestly following the principles of Krishna consciousness and they present the logical truths as presented in DYS book, they will emerge successfully with many sincere students taking to Krishna consciousness.

The goal of the course is not to defeat the students and drive them away, but to wipe out the misconceptions by replacing them with right Krishna conscious understanding. This will need a healing approach rather than a bombing approach. Thus you will see that in all my DYS lectures I give more weight to devotional approach rather than just elaborating on the problems of science. Even DYS Session 2, shows the optic illusion through fun to bring out the fact that our senses are defective. Thus the audience doesn’t feel overly criticized, but learn the human defects with laughter. Besides that the devotional approach helps audience to absorb their consciousness in devotional service and develop attraction for the superior taste of Krishna consciousness.

Sometimes ‘liberal minded’ preachers go for too many quotes and facts from sources outside Srila Prabhupada’s books. One of our goals in preparing this book, slideshows and lectures was to use Srila Prabhupada’s examples in parampara as far as possible and not to introduce non-Shastric examples. Prabhupada’s logic and reason is spotless and I have simply repeated them by putting them in a particular order. I am very confident that Prabhupada’s examples work powerfully in the heart of a conditioned soul and cure the malady of materialism. We may take occasional outside examples, but not too many.

Sometimes ‘visual intelligent’ preachers are fond of adding too many slides with too many moving pictures or cliparts to make the presentation ‘attractive’. But that distracts the audience from the real goal of the course. The audience’s mind is more with the fun and curiosity than in the philosophy of Krishna consciousness. Even the current slide show that I prepared is too lengthy and I am thinking of cutting it short in future. We should not increase the size of slideshow bigger than this.

Sometimes ‘humorous minded’ preachers get into a spirit of making audience laugh. Thus they come up with varieties of incidents, examples and stories that are not from Srila Prabhupada’s books but heard from here and there. Although this may be apparently appealing to the public, this does not cure the disease in the heart of hearers and arouse Krishna consciousness. Just as Humor and fun come and go, the audiences also come and go; nobody stays through. Thus the goal of DYS course is not to just make people laugh and feel light hearted but to give them solid principles of Krishna consciousness and awaken them to the reality.

Sometimes ‘scientific minded’ preachers get into a ksatriya spirit and try to ‘smash’ scientists to dust. Thus they spend most of the time in smashing science rather than giving the positive Krishna conscious aspects. Such criticism may win us some applause, but may leave us behind with no serious candidates to follow. Thus criticizing scientists is not the goal of DYS course, but to bathe the atheists with ‘krishna rasayan’, cleanse them of all atheism, make them innocent hearted children and carry them with us to Sri Krishna.

DISCOVER YOUR SELF – 6 sessions, 120 min/session

Concepts to be covered

The following information is for a DYS Course, where each session will take about two hours. It seems that modern youth of today sometimes has difficulty to spare two full hours for a session like this. Keeping this in mind I am working on preparing a one hour slide show presentation which may be released in a few months. The advantage of the one hour show is that it leaves enough time for the Mentor to interact with the participants on a personal level.

Breakup of the two hour session time (sessions 1 to 3)

Kirtan and Prayers	15 min
Slideshow and GD	75 min
Q & A	20 min
Kirtans	10 min
Total time	120 min

Breakup of the two hour session time (sessions 4 to 6)

Kirtan and Prayers	10 min
Slideshow and GD	70 min
Chanting Hare Krishna japa	10 min
Q & A	20 min
Kirtans	10 min
Total time	120 min

Session 1 : Can a scientist believe in God?

Specific Aims

To help students understand the presence of God scientifically, based on our own observations.

Objectives

At the end of the session, the student should be able to :

• Cite examples to show God as the Artist, Designer, Lawmaker, Organiser behind the universe.
• Quote at least three scientists who say that the universe was created by God not by chance.
• Explain how there is a law (not chance) that governs our beauty, riches, intelligence.
• Compare the government of any country and universal government of God to prove His presence
• Outline the fallacies of the ‘big bang’ theory
• Enumerate the four duties of scientists

Session 2 : Getting the eyes to see God

Specific Aims

To help students appreciate the fact that:

• No one can understand either the material world or the Absolute Truth completely and correctly by any amount of endeavour, because our senses are defective and limited.
• Truth can be understood only by hearing from a bonafide authority.

Objectives

At the end of the session, the student should be able to :

• Illustrate with a story how our senses are imperfect to know truth.
• Mention the three methods of gaining knowledge (in Sanskrit with translation in English).
• Explain each of the three methods with a couple of examples for each method.
• Cite the four defects that human beings have with at least one example for each.
• Explain how is the method of receiving knowledge in shabda different from pratyaksa and anumana.
• Highlight the importance of seeing things as they are through the eyes of scriptures.

Session 3 : Vedic wisdom – The Privilege of Humanity

Specific Aims

To help students appreciate the fact that

• The essential difference between humans and animals is that humans can inquire about the cause of suffering and the ultimate destination of life.
• Advancement in the field of Science, Technology and Medicine can only superficially cover up the problems by offering temporary stopgap solutions to our sufferings; they cannot eradicate our sufferings.
• The solution for all sufferings lies in hearing the Vedic scriptures from a bonafide teacher and applying the laws of God in one’s life; when we give up breaking the laws of God, we can also become free from suffering.
• Accepting Vedic axiomatic truths is not blind, as in every field whether it be Mathematics, Science or Thermodynamics, we accept axioms.
• Vedas are timeless and the truths spoken in the Vedas are becoming confirmed by modern science; the prophecies made in the Vedas are being proved. Thus a wise person should take advantage of the Vedic wisdom and not reject it blindly based on some superficial perception of the ignorant public.
• Just as we have authorized College, Professor and Books, similarly we have authorized Parampara, Spiritual teachers and Vedic texts. Thus one should approach spiritual knowledge scientifically.

Objectives

At the end of the session, the student should be able to :

• Mention the four activities common to animals and humans
• Explain how animals also have reasoning power, thinking ability, technology – but only for doing the four basic activities of eating, sleeping, mating and defending.
• Explain how animals are superior to humans in the four basic activities.
• Quote the verse from Mahabharata about how humans are superior to animals in performance of Dharma.
• Highlight the special prerogative of humans over animals as the ability in humans to inquire about the cause of suffering and the ultimate destination of life.
• Tell the story of mahamoorkha and illustrate the lessons from the story, especially the importance of knowing the destination of life.
• Enumerate the threefold miseries with an example for each.
• Explain with a story or example clearly how the scientific advancement can only superficially cover up the problems.
• Illustrate how the temporary stopgap solutions to our sufferings cannot eradicate our sufferings; we suffer because of breaking God’s laws; we can avoid suffering by knowing God and His laws.
• Explain that the solution for all sufferings lies in understanding the three essential aspects taught in Vedic scriptures from a bona fide teacher.
• Give four examples to prove that acceptance of Vedas is not a blind faith.
• Give four examples to show that the timeless Vedic truths are confirmed by recent advances in the field of science.
• Give four examples to show how the Vedic prophecies have become true.
• Highlight the difference between ascending and descending knowledge with examples and the disadvantage of ascending knowledge.
• Illustrate how the Vedic process of learning is not dogmatic but scientific.

Session 4 : Science of Soul

Specific Aims

To help students appreciate the fact that:

• presence of soul makes the living body exhibit consciousness; a dead body has no consciousness.
• There are many empirical scientific ways of inferential logic to appreciate the presence of soul.
• Knowledge of soul can offer us innumerable benefits in everyday life.
• Soul as opposed to matter has different set of nature and characteristics.
• We are not Gods but we are God’s property.

Objectives

At the end of the session, the student should be able to:

• Explain the difference between matter and spirit.
• Explain how the soul makes the living body exhibit consciousness; a dead body has no consciousness.
• Logically explain that we are not just chemical bundle but pure spirit soul trapped in a material body.
• Give two examples to illustrate difference between body and soul.
• Give four empirical scientific ways of inferential logic to appreciate the presence of soul.
• Cite four practical benefits of Knowledge of soul in everyday life.
• Philosophically explain the characteristics of Soul based on Bhagavad gita.
• Illustrate with four examples differences between God and soul.

Session 5 : Substance and shadow

Specific Aims

To help students appreciate:

• God or Krishna is full in six opulences and the soul is only a part and parcel of God.
• Nature of Material beauty and Spiritual beauty.
• Spiritual world and material world.
• Right use and misuse of independence by the living entity.
• Importance of hearing and chanting for purification of heart .

Objectives

At the end of the session, the student should be able to :

• Quote the six opulences (beauty, wealth, strength, riches, knowledge, renunciation) the tiny presence of which makes one attractive in the eyes of others.
• Explain how God or Krishna is ‘all attractive’ while souls are only his part-and-parcel and thus exhibit a small spark of His opulences.
• Distinguish between material beauty (fleeting, like a counterfeit note) and spiritual beauty (permanent, real).
• Give reasons why the soul has come to the material world.
• Illustrate with an example and a story how the soul can never be happy by turning away from God; he can only be happy by surrendering to God and serving Him with love.
• Logically prove that the material world is a prison to reform the conditioned soul of his wrong mentality to become an independent enjoyer.
• Enumerate the clearcut differences between the nature of spiritual world and nature of material world.
• Show through a story the mistake of Mundane intellectuals and atheists, how they are deluded by outward beauty of the relative truth (material body) because they are unaware of the spiritual spark, which is both truth and beauty at the same time.
• Explain how the True love exists on a spiritual plane between God and the living being. The so-called love of the material world is only a perverted reflection of that pure love.
• Highlight the importance of returning back home back to Godhead, because Lord Krishna or Lord Rama is Supreme Personality of Godhead and the pastimes of the Lord with devotees is also divine. The real family is in the spiritual world. The society, friendship and love of the material world is simply a counterfeit as we have no permanent longlasting relationships in this world.
• Bring out the important conclusion about the purpose of life in this world, which is to purify our hearts and return back home back to Godhead by:
  • hearing ‘Krishna katha’ (pastimes of the Lord) and ‘Krishna upadesh’ (instructions of the Lord). One can become free from all the contaminations of the heart - lust, pride, envy, anger, illusion, greed - by such hearing.
  • chanting the holy names - ‘Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare’. The purpose of yoga and meditation is to revive our forgotten relationship with the Lord.

Session 6 : If God is one, why there are so many religions?

Specific Aims

To help students appreciate:

• By comparison how the principles presented in all religions is same, but the depth of information and the surrender taught is according to the ability of the audience to digest the truth.
• Understand the different platforms in which God is worshipped - Fear, Desire, Duty and Love.
• Appreciate the ultimate understanding of God as Krishna and the ultimate goal of life as Love of God without any motivation.
• Practical steps for a peaceful life, the ABCD formula.

Objectives

At the end of the session, the student should be able to :

• Quote an example to show that different religions are presented according to the ability of audience to digest the Truth
• Establish with quotes from Bible, Quran and Gita the loftiness of Sanatana Dharma over all other religions
• Present the essential difference between Sanatana Dharma (depth of verifiable and inconceivable information in Vedas is enormous) and other religions (give very brief information about God)
• Compare the different teachings of religions and synthesize them to show that they all essentially teach the same truth, but present the truth to gradually elevate the follower to the highest platform of love of God.
• Clarify with an example that although God is one Supreme, still different religions approach Him at different levels of intimacy.
• Explain the four different motivations for one to approach God - Fear, Desire, Duty and Love.
• Explain with an example the nature of love without motivation.
• Compare the age of different religions and establish that the fact that Sanatana Dharma is the oldest and supermarket of all religions.
• Understand and explain the differences between worship in mode of ignorance, passion and goodness.
• Explain logically why do we call Krishna as God and the nature of Krishna’s personality and His descent into the material world.
• Cite the ABCD formula with explanation and example for each of the topics.