Answer
Exactly.
As I mentioned earlier, everything begins with desire.
Suppose I have a tendency toward ignorance (tamo-guna). I can change that by associating with people who are not influenced by ignorance.
But if I do not desire such association, I will remain exactly where I am.
Therefore, in Krishna consciousness, association is everything.
It begins with:
the holy name,
the spiritual master,
the Vaishnavas,
the scriptures,
and saintly association.
These are the influences that transform us.
If you neglect such association, you will never truly change.
If you do not chant Hare Krishna, Krishna will not force change upon you.
If you chant but do not hear properly, your modes of nature will change only very slowly.
Real progress comes through both chanting and attentive hearing.
As you hear, you begin to understand what is higher and what is lower. Spiritual realization naturally flows from the holy name.
The modes of ignorance represent darkness. Through hearing and chanting, your eyes gradually open to reality.
That transformation is already happening in our lives.
For example, today you are able to sit here and give a class because your spiritual vision has opened to some degree.
Before coming to Krishna consciousness, if someone had asked you to sit and speak on these subjects, you would not have been able to do so.
Now you are speaking differently because your association has changed, your understanding has changed, and therefore your consciousness has changed. That is the practical result of genuine spiritual association.
