How can we progress internally in Krsna consciousness?

There is no "internal progress" and "external progress" once one is engaged in Srila Prabhupada’s mission. Whatever is done for enhancement of His mission is of transcendental nature. Srila Prabhupada, despite writing and publishing so many books, introducing His disciples to a regulated life based on four regulative principles and chanting of the Holy Name according to fixed numbers of rounds… even He was also criticized, that “He is doing too much”. 

It was exactly this intense organizational preaching work which made Srila Prabhupada so distinct from many of learned and pure vaisnavas who made their goal to cultivate "their" god-consciousness while embarking on the "path of inner search after God and His pastimes". 

Knowing the depth of conditioning of His disciples, Srila Prabhupada gave us a very busy life, so our acquired passion doesn’t divert us to destructive activities. He was strongly opposing the "bajanandi" life style which was even in His presence promoted by some of His "prematurely pure" disciples. Now, without His personal guidance, it became rampant. 

Personally, I earned not long time ago from one of the leading ISKCON authorities a sarcastically remark, “you and your mission you preach all the time!”. A sobering experience indeed. 

But there is no spiritual progress available for anybody who claims to be member of Srila Prabhupada’s ISKCON without serving His mission. Just by

1. Publishing His books.
2. Distributing His books.
3. Chanting the Holy Name privately and publicly.
4. Preparing and distributing prasadam.

One will find out that there is enough to do for everybody to engage himself for the rest of his life. Even one of these activities is entirely liberating. In order to do so, temples should serve as sources of inspiration for devotees as most of them will live outside of these temples. Temples should not be, as Srila Prabhupada already envisioned, "lunatic asylums" or places filled with ambitious kanistha type of politicians. 

Any program based on these four programs can only increase preaching. Any program diminishing these four programs will fail as history has shown us. 

Of course, we know that preaching can be polluted by passion and so stress has to be also given to study Srila Prabhupada’s books, follow the regulative principles and chant the Holy Name with most sincere attention. But to "dissect" the Holy name or dive into academic comparative studies will never liberate us from the very same mental platform these ideas are generated from. 

Srila Prabhupada gave us a simple schedule of two lectures a day, one guru puja and two aratikas… and hard work in-between. This is far more as any educational institution can offer. Those who live outside of the temples, struggling for their maintenance can often only dream about such standard, but seem still to find time enough to travel to some exotic locations, outside of the temples where Deities are worshiped, in order to join "inner-progress retreats" of various kind. 

As harmful it is to turn new devotees in name of Srila Prabhupada’s mission into money-collecting machines, it is harmful as well to invite them to mentally inspired introverted voyages in name of retreat from any physical activity… with the result to simply enhance their pride. 

The book distribution, Holy Name distribution and prasadam distribution in Srila Prabhupada’s mission is so wonderful and self-satisfactory that anybody absorbing himself in these activities will experience inner satisfaction never felt before. 

Because far above our demand for academic study, or "inner search after the enlightenment", an endless storage of inspiration can be found… Srila Prabhupada’s mercy which contains automatically the mercy of the whole guru parampara. 

Reaching these realms, suddenly a blind man can see reality, lame man can jump high in the kirtan and a dull man can preach effectively. To lead sincere seekers into the dark pits of introverted mental "research" is a great crime. Such misleaders in need of their own propitiation impress the public with their sloka collections, not understanding the connection between the divine knowledge they blindly repeat, the sand they mix into the sweet rice… and themselves. Such knowledge is irrelevant both to the speaker and to the listener, as they are both still suffering from the animalistic impulses imposed upon them by the modes of material nature. 

We may remember where we came from, we may study where to go , but when we don’t know where WE are, then we are still lost. Serving Srila Prabhupada’s mission clears the path instantly and finding ones place in it according to ones guna and karma is success of life. Preaching can be conducted from any position, as it is the sincerity and the honesty of the preacher with which he follows the rules Srila Prabhupada gave us which is convincing to the public and not academic erudition or some fancy vocabulary covering our hypocrisy and confusion. 

The "vimukta maninah"-progress, progress confined to mental concepts only, is the progress of materialists who after using many fancy words return to their barbarian search after more intense sense gratification. And so many "internal seekers" were rewarded for their increased academic pride with the taste of the lower modes of nature, dying spiritually to the echoes of their own eloquent speeches. 

Meanwhile those who surrender their intellectual and sensual needs to the mission of Srila Prabhupada strive in the rain of His mercy, gradually being lifted up to the level of unconditional devotional service. Their path is decorated with true humility and true introspection, something the "extroverted introverts" are entirely bereft of. 

And so I still vividly remember us, the young passionate distributors of Srila Prabhupada’s books, standing forty years ago in amazement in front of Sri Sri Radha Madan Mohan, collecting the glimpses of their smiles and blessings while getting ready for another week of traveling sankirtan book distribution marathon. 

This may be seen as the bliss of few privileged ones, but ANYBODY sincere at heart can receive this mercy, regardless his or hers varna and ashrama position. Once engaged in Srila Prabhupada’s mission, His mercy prevails and whatever may be aspired by "the mentally liberated ones" becomes automatically a property of those who are reaching the platform of spiritual reality.