Carrying the stick given by Rama Sevaka Swami, Richard (now Radhanath Swami) hitchhiked and reached the outskirts of Kathmandu. A pack of snarling dogs charged towards Richard growling ferociously. Richard remembered the walking stick and wildly began to swing it back and forth. The wild dogs could smell Richard’s flesh and blood and escalated their attacks. He dove inside a house and slammed the door shut behind him. The owner of the house was alarmed at the sight of an intruder, but seeing Richard’s supplication, softened and gave him shelter for the night. Richard spent the rest of the night as his guest listening to the pack of hungry dogs barking outside the door until dawn.
Radhanath Swami recollects an analogy from the American Indians. Within every heart dwell two dogs, a bad dog and a good dog, both at battle with one another. The bad dog represents our debased tendencies of envy, anger, lust, greed, arrogance, and illusion. The good dog, our divine nature, is represented by forgiveness, compassion, self-control, generosity, humility, and wisdom. Whichever dog we feed the most through the choices we make and the utilization of our time will empower that dog to bark the loudest and conquer the other. Virtue is to starve the bad dog and feed the good dog. Richard (now Radhanath Swami) reflected on the pack of dogs that attacked him that night, foaming at the mouth with a lust to devour him. Radhanath Swami feels the incident was a graphic visualization of what he was up against in his internal journey.
Radhanath Swami explains that this internal struggle is an unavoidable reality in the life of a spiritual seeker. As we attempt to reconnect to God through spiritual practises, the mind throws up our past conditionings and sucks our enthusiasm through a barrage of negative thoughts. Therefore, Radhanath Swami says a seeker of God should learn to tap the power of the mind and not let it go astray.
While pondering over Radhanath Swami’s words of wisdom, I am reminded of a remark made by Willam Blake, “The mind is such a thing that it can make heaven out of hell and hell out of heaven.” Since we live with our minds lifelong, the state of our mind determines the state of our life.
To prevent feeding the bad dog within us, we need to use our intelligence. Radhanath Swami reveals in his talks that all sacred scriptures and cultures caution us to not succumb to the mind’s short-sighted urges for instant pleasure or relief. This demand for immediate pleasure is sought by giving in to negative forces within us, and is akin to feeding the bad dog. Quoting the Bhagavad Gita, the essence of Indian wisdom, Radhanath Swami explains that the best way to deal with the mind is to treat it as a person different from ourselves. We need to critically examine its ideas, which are often detrimental to our long-term self-interest, just as we would examine the ideas given by someone else. But the mind proposes its thoughts, desires and emotions so subtly and irresistibly that we un-thinkingly consider them to be our own and indiscriminately act on them. Therefore we have to constantly guard against feeding the bad dog- our lower natures.
I wonder how to feed the good dog within me always? And Radhanath Swami has the answer, “Selfishness is our enemy. Yet we are so inclined to fall into that state of mind. The cure for this is to serve.” By cultivating a service attitude, Radhanath Swami assures we will be feeding the good dog.
Table of Contents
Founder-acharya of the International Society For Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON)
“Go to India” a sweet but commanding voice; spoke up in the heart of young Richard (later Radhanath Swami) who was immersed in meditation, his search for meaning in life has brought him to the Isle of Crete. Today he was ordered to go to India. Born and raised in the middle class suburbs of Chicago, Radhanath swami grew up in the 1950’s and 60’s era when popular musicians protested war, prejudice and social injustice. Radhanath swami would listen to these songs again and again, but their lyrics referring to God stirred his soul. Peter, Paul and Mary- the folk trio from Greenswich village sang in their debut album
“Early in the morning, about the break of day
I ask the Lord, to help me find my way”
This simple prayer was to guide Radhanath swami in the coming years of his life........
If we can just cultivate the service attitude, which Radhanath Swami keeps emphasizing, our lives will become divine and special. Otherwise it will remain mundane and ordinary.
View CommentWhoof Whoof ! How well Radhanath Swami draws our attention to the realities we grapple with daily, somehow the other the Journey Home book unfolds so many realizations, for a drowning person it is like coming to the surface and breathing oxygen. Only problem is do we realize we are drowning?
View CommentThank you for instructions to feed the Good dog by selfless service
View CommentOne must be sincere,serious & without ulterior motives.Being sincere means to make the right decisions – that is to feed the good dog.
View CommentRadhanath Swami get be so graphic is explaining amazing concepts that could otherwise neither be understood nor practised. Thank you.
View CommentThank you I learnt two things firstyl to feed the good dog we need to serve an din order to starve the bad dog we need to critically examine the ideas posed by the mind considering it as a person different from us. Thank you Radhanath Swami for seeing God’s grace in every situation and setting an example for us
View Commentradhanath swami had to literally experience the tragedy and the problems in his path to be a true messenger of god and through these experiences he guides his followers towards the path of spiritual progress, and the best to imbibe is the example of feeding the bad and the good dog in everybody.
View CommentVery powerful reminder from Maharajah
View Comment“that this internal struggle is an unavoidable reality in the life of a spiritual seeker. As we attempt to reconnect to God through spiritual practises, the mind throws up our past conditionings and sucks our enthusiasm through a barrage of negative thoughts”. Please Maharajah bless me so i can remember this while my chanting and service.
wonderful,thank you
View CommentThank you Radhanath Swami for showing us the right path.
View CommentNice analogy to explain, how to control mind and importance od developing service attitude
View CommentThank u maharaj to tell us to feed the good dog instead of the bad one.
View CommentEvery aspiring spiritualist has to undergo this stage, where there is a struggle, applying the art of starving the bad dog and feed the good dog…however one is able to do it in much easier way by taking guidance from a saint like Radhanath Swami…
View CommentThank you for sharing this article of Radhanath Swami.
View CommentRadhanath Swami explains that the best way to deal with the mind is to treat it as a person different from ourselves-an amazing revelation! I never knew this technique to deal with the mind.Thank you for this revelation Radhanath Swami.
View Commenttreating the ideas of mind as different than ours is really a revealing concept.Thank you so much Radhanath Swami
View Commentthe example of the good do and the bad dog is very appropriate
View CommentRadhanath Swami imagery in explaining the bad and god qualities in one’s mind is wonderful!
View CommentRadhanath Swami has taught this complicated subject in such lucid and simple terms using an excellent analogy.
View CommentThank you swamiji.
View CommentThis is Amazing !
View CommentThese are really wonderful, thought provoking and helpful meditations on various chapters of Radhanath Swami’s autobiography.
View CommentIt is so important to control our mind and follow the instructions of good dog as Radhanath Swami explains..
View CommentThank You Radhanath Swami. These are 2 very useful instructions for us to follow. starving the Bad dig: “to not succumb to the mind’s short-sighted urges for instant pleasure or relief”.Feed the good Dog by “cultivating a service attitude”
View Commentamazing!
View CommentThank you Radhnath Swami for this instruction so as to take care of the negative aspect and fan the positive aspect
View CommentVery graphic example of dogs……thanks for sharing your realisations,………
View Comment“The mind is such a thing that it can make heaven out of hell and hell out of heaven.”
This is an excellent statement Maharaj.
View CommentNice realization.!
View CommentThanks for sharing.
View CommentVery nice example of dogs. Thanks for sharing.
View CommentNice analogy
View Commentvery instructive story. Thanks for sharing 🙂
View CommentNice and simple way to feed the good dog – cultivating service attitude. Thank you Maharaj.
View CommentThank you Radhanath Swami for brilliant analogy
View CommentGreat analogy – thank you
View Commentthank you for sharing this.
View CommentThe wisdom of treating the mind as another person outside of ourselves is an extraordinary advice.
View CommentGreat analogy of good dog versus bad dog…We are truly what we think!
View CommentService to Vaishnavas,Guru Maharaj, Srila Prabhupada and Radha and Krishna is feeding the good dog…this is so wonderful and gives us a chance to destroy the bad dog within us. Thank you Maharaj.
View Commentwe should listen to our wellwisher i.e the good dog
View CommentNice article by Radhanath Swami to explain that we all have both good desires & bad. Only if are in the regular association of God’s devotees can we overcome our baser desires & thoughts.
View CommentProfound thoughts. we must analyse all the thoughts and ideas proposed to us by our mind and not whimsically act on them. That is so right.
And very true that it is so subtle the way mind acts and that it becomes difficult to check the mind.
Ultimately Maharaj sums up very well. Saying that the selfless service attitude will help us deal with our mind.
Thank you very much Swamiji.
View CommentNice analogy of the good dog and bad dog. We’re up against the bad dog barking within us all the time, and often we succumb. The solution is mentioned too – give up selfishness and develop service attitude. Thank you for all this.
View Commentvery nice,thank you
View CommentThe struggle between good dog and bad dog is a reality. Radhanath Swami is so wonderfully explaining how to make the good dog a winner.
View CommentWe need to awaken the good dog within us. He has gone off to sleep without even putting up a fight. Atleast we should start fighting the bad dog within us.
View CommentServing others, especially the devotees of the Lord, is so purifying that our heart becomes more and more inclined to feed and listen to the good dog. Radhanath Swami’s instructions here address a deep problem which exists within all of us.
View Commentreally wonderful. thank you maharaj.
View Commentwhat an analogy. good & bad dog. Thank you maharaj.
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