From Shraddha to Nishtha

When we create a curriculum, whether for ourselves, our mentee, or the entire community, we need to answer several questions. One of them is what and in what order we need to teach or learn. This work is an attempt to answer that question. In ISKCON, there are already a considerable number of courses or educational programs, and each community is gradually building its own educational system. Over time, these systems will continue to grow and take shape, turning into full-fledged institutions. Since our entire society is built on the spiritual growth of the devotees, if these institutions are not synchronized with each other, then our entire society in different projects or regions will take on completely different forms. There is no danger in this if such diversity has a certain unity at its core. The description of the path of spiritual development of the devotees is one of the pillars of such unity.

Therefore, this work serves as a reason for Vaishnavas to discuss these topics with each other, relying on ready-made material. The author is aware that much may have been overlooked in this work, and at times the emphasis may not have been clearly placed, creating the possibility of ambiguous or even incorrect interpretations of what has been written. However, it is necessary to start somewhere. We hope that this work will continue to improve due to feedback from different Vaishnavas, and that over time we will be able to help devotees spiritually develop in a more competent and coherent manner.