NINE
Deciding for the Future New York—July 4, 1972
BOB:  I received your very kind letter.
ŚRĪLA PRABHUPĀDA:  Oh.
BOB:  About a week ago.
ŚRĪLA PRABHUPĀDA:  Now, you are a very intelligent boy. You can try to understand this philosophy. It is very important. For sense gratification people are wasting so much energy. They are not aware of what is going to happen in the next life. There is a next life, but foolish people are ignorant. This life is preparation for the next life. That they do not know. The modern education and its universities are completely in darkness about this simple knowledge. We are changing bodies every moment—that is a medical fact. After leaving this body, we will have to accept another body. How are we going to accept that body? What kind of body? This can also be known. For example, if someone is being educated, one can understand that when he passes his examination, he is going to be an engineer or medical practitioner. Similarly, in this life, you can prepare yourself to become something in the next life.
BARBARA  [ Bob's wife ]: Can we decide what we want to be next life?
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