How can we convert our mind to be our friend through association?

From HG Vaisesika Dasa Gurudeva's excellent class - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pv3fkxXIktE&t=1341s

"For him who has conquered the mind, the mind is the best of friends but one who has failed to do so, for him the mind will remain the greatest enemy."

Goal of Yoga is to pacify the mind. When the mind is thinking about how to satisfy the senses then it's our enemy, but when the mind is the friend it has the concept that I'm spiritual. When you start thinking I'm this body then mind is our enemy. So can we train the mind? 

The first and most important is good association. When we have association with Sadhus then it's the speech that cuts away SB 11.26.26.

SB 11.26.26 states:

tato duḥsaṅgam utsṛjya
satsu sajjeta buddhimān
santa evāsya chindanti
mano-vyāsaṅgam uktibhiḥ

Translation
An intelligent person should therefore reject all bad association and instead take up the association of saintly devotees, whose words cut off the excessive attachment of one’s mind.

Words of a Sadhu are like a sharp instrument. They cut all the excessive attachement of one's mind. The method of the Sadhu is by Sharpened topics and their words are sharp. They help us wake up from false ideas we have. 

Your attitude is determined by the association you keep. If you have good association you will have a good attitude, if you have bad association you will have a bad attitude. Hence, it's very important to associate with devotees and *reject* the bad association.

How can we control and train the mind?
--------------------------------------
1. Hearing the words of a Sadhu. They cut through one's mind's attachments to the material world ex - Krsna's words to Arjuna; Mahaprabhu's words to Sarvabhauma, His sharp words cut through. Same way Mahaprabhu asked us to go out door to door and share this knowledge with everyone and speak Krsna's words. 

2. Regularly reading the SB and BG. Krsna says He himself resides in the heart of one who reads the SB as He is so interested to hear. Read from SB and BG everyday, so the mind gets trained everyday. When mind is directed towards Krsna then it's our friend. Both 1 and 2 work very closely as Sadhus only speak from BG and SB.  SB is very intimate as it melts the heart. By chanting and hearing regularly our heart melts!

How to make your heart change? By the transcendental sound vibration:

Heart is the chariot driver of the body. Heart melts by chanting the Holy Name, it's given in the SB. 
Srila Isvari puri taught Mahaprabhu this verse at the time of his Initiation and asked him to memorize it. 

SB 11.2.40
evaṁ-vrataḥ sva-priya-nāma-kīrtyā
jātānurāgo druta-citta uccaiḥ
hasaty atho roditi rauti gāyaty
unmāda-van nṛtyati loka-bāhyaḥ


By chanting the holy name of the Supreme Lord, one comes to the stage of love of Godhead. Then the devotee is fixed in his vow as an eternal servant of the Lord, and he gradually becomes very much attached to a particular name and form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As his heart melts with ecstatic love, he laughs very loudly or cries or shouts. Sometimes he sings and dances like a madman, for he is indifferent to public opinion.

3. Learn Toleration. Tolerate the minds plans by dovetailing with Krishna's plan. Matra sparsah tu kaunteya - Irrespective of anything, we should continue doing our duty. For example:

• Whatever happens complete your rounds - Complete your vow- ALWAYS COMPLETE YOUR ROUNDS AND DO WHATEVER YOU CAN TO COMPLETE IT!!!
• From Shastra Visvanath Chakravarti says It's very difficult in Kali so people get disturbed in their practices but he says don't worry keep going. 
• Also SB it's said from Karbhajana muni that devotees will fall down from their practice sometimes but all we need to do is pick it back up and just start chanting and do your rounds gain. Just keep chanting and bring it back again. 
• Whatever happens never miss your daily reading - Srimad Bhagavatam and BG.
• Whatever happens always offer your food to Krsna.

This helps us to overcome our mind's plan making on how we want to become comfortable and mind's imaginations. Imaginations with various combinations to make us more comfortable in this material world. Hence, SP says dovetail your plan with Krsna's plan. 

Get a list of mentors and take their help when hard decisions come. Have senior devotees as your mentors.

Realizations from last week...

- This world is a temporary place and everything around you is false except the Holy Name.
- Only by Chanting the Holy Name offenselessly can we realize everything about Krsna and only by His Mercy - Form, Qualities, Pastimes and achieve the purpose of life.
- Tolerate all naggings in material life and consider it a blessing from Krsna for you to come closer to Him.
- Nobody, NOBODY is your friend in this material world - except Krsna and his associates who want to help you come back to Him, because Krsna is really missing me. Missing me more that I miss Him
- Always take the humble position and consider yourself the servant of everyone. You are here to serve Krsna's kids whom he loves dearly.
- Make your lifetime successful by chanting and reading Srila Prabhupada's books. Also, when you read or hear make the information change to transformation. Transformation of your heart.
- Book distribution, Slokas and Philosophy is very dear to Gurudeva.
- By doing something regularly, it becomes second nature eg - Brahmasamhita learning and Evening aarti
- To grow in Bhakti, we need to hide our Bhakti
- Simple living, High thinking
- Prasadam is mercy, don't look to honor opulent prasadam, just have simple prasadam and always consider it mercy.
- Cooking for Krsna is mercy of Srimati Radharani and do it with love.
- Service you get, take it with care and love, it can be taken away from you anytime!

How to cook for Krsna:

I love to cook for Krishna and when you love ,you want to please and do your best for your beloved 🙏❤

Cooking for Krishna
Three essentials are consciousness, cleanliness and timeliness:

CONSCIOUSNESS OF KRISHNA
A LOVING EXCHANGE
Cooking is a loving exchange with Krishna. We get to make something with our own hands to feed to the Lord, beg Him to eat it, and then accept whatever He gives to us in return as prasadam. Actually, our love is the most essential item

LITTLE THINGS COUNT
Cooking should be done, therefore, with as much care and attention as possible. For example, if a pot has a little spot on it from not having been cleaned properly, cleaning it before using it only takes a minute. For this reason and in case of other contamination in the meantime, it is also a good practice to rinse everything before using it. Also sifting through the bhoga like dahl and spices will ensure no foreign matter is mixed in. All the bhoga chosen for the offering should be as fresh and pure as possible.

HEARING, CHANTING, REMEMBERING PASTIMES
It is said that a cook's "mood goes into the food". Praying and chanting mentally helps. Or keep a recording in the kitchen, playing devotional music and lectures

CLEANLINESS
PERSONAL CLEANLINESS
It's best to take a bath, change into clean clothes and tie and cover one's hair before cooking

Another thing is while cooking, one must be careful not to engage in conversation. This is to ensure no saliva accidentally falls from one's mouth into a preparation. And it is much easier this way to focus on quality and meditate on making the offering pleasing for the Lord.

CLEANING WHILE COOKING
The kitchen should be clean before one cooks, while cooking and immediately after. A helpful rule is to "Clean while you cook". This may include rinsing after use everything that needs only rinsing, while leaving in the sink for washing afterwards (or as soon as possible) only the things that need to soak or are greasy.

TIMELINESS
Timeliness is yet another sign of love. Preparing offerings on time, as regularly as possible, means caring about the Lord and others who may be hungry.

Yes, we still have a material body that sometimes feels very tired, or the weather may be very hot, but it is helpful to remember that while others may simply drive to a fast food joint for lunch, Krishna is especially pleased by all the effort and sacrifice made instead, to prepare something nice for Him. Feeding His devotees afterwards can serve as a pretty good indicator about how much this is true. And sure, this may all sound troublesome to some, but it is always voluntary; it is the way of love.