A pure way of life

No gambling




In krishna consciousness, you"re trying to purify your mind--to
make it clear and steady for spiritual realization. But gambling
makes the mind cloudy. It agitates the mind. You start thinking:
What are my chances? How much could I walk off with? What could
I do with my winnings? Even if you just play for the sake of playing,
gambling pulls the mind away from thinking about the real purpose
of life.




No intoxicants
No drugs, no liquor, not even coffee, tea, or cigarettes. The


world is already high enough--high on illusion, high on greed,
high on false power and false ego. The devotee of Krishna wants
to be thoughtful, sober.





Material substances like drugs are useless for spiritual realization.
They can bend the mind, but they can"t free it. They may take
you up, but sooner or later they let you down.


The self within is by nature joyful. So we don"t need any material


stuff to *make* us happy. We just need to purify ourselves and
uncover the happiness that"s already there.




No meat-eating



No meat, no fish, no eggs. Devotees of Krishna avoid needless
violence. They see other creatures as spiritual living beings.
Though these creatures may be less intelligent than we, they are
also God"s children, our brothers and sisters. So why should we
kill them? If a child were to kill a less intelligent brother,
do you think the father would be pleased?





By the subtle laws of karma, the suffering we cause others will
come back looking for us.





By nature"s arrangement we have plenty of fruits, vegetables,
grains, milk products, and other innocent food. We should content
ourselves with this and be happy.




No illicit sex





Everything has its place, and that includes sex. When sex takes
place within marriage, and for the sake of having children, it"s
fine. You"re accepting the pleasure, and you"re accepting the
responsibility.





Otherwise, sex brings about entanglement, exploitation, disappointment,
and illusion. For spiritual advancement, you want to simplify
your life and bring your mind and senses under your control. Being
temperate about sex helps you.