In the Bhagavad-gita, when Arjuna asks Krishna about what his activity should be, Krishna's sequence of answers indicates that the question of identity takes priority over the question of activity; only when we understand correctly who we are can we figure out properly what we should be doing.
The Gita helps us to understand that we are not we what we normally think we are: our material bodies. This Gita teaching can be experienced through a simple thought experiment: let’s focus our consciousness on our bodily parts: hands, legs, stomach and ask ourselves, “Is that me?” We would answer, “These are my hands, my legs, my stomach…my body, but I am not those parts; I am observing them.” The difference between us and our body and its parts is not just a matter of language, but also of experience: we feel ourselves as the perceiver and possessor of our body and its parts, thus leaving unanswered the root question: where is the “I” who is claiming owners’ rights over the body and its parts?
The Bhagavad-gita (2.17) provides the answer by pointing to the eternal soul as the “I”, the locus of the consciousness that is radiating throughout the body.
(Kadamba Kanana Maharaja, 28 December 2011, Pretoria, SA) We are incredibly close to the time of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and the whole world is touched by the mercy of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, which is present everywhere but people don’t see it because the influence of Kali is very present…The pressure of the Age of Kali is very strong. As soon as we step out of the gate it’s another world, as everyone knows! Of course we bring with us, in that world, whatever mercy we have received. The mercy of Caitanya Mahaprabhu comes through our life and then it’s up to us to do something with it. Some don’t do so much but still they have the mercy and they keep it. Some are not looking after the mercy so well then the mercy may become a little bit dry but it’s still there and is still not gone. But those who are really taking it and making something out of it and are really trying to take advantage of it, then their spiritual life starts flourishing. It’s an individual thing….everyone has his own relationship with Krsna. Some are going to stay in this material world for another 100 000 lives and some are going to go back this life! It’s up to the individual to decide where he wants to be…
THE FOLLOWING LECTURE ON SRIMAD-BHAGAVATAM, CANTO 3, CHAPTER 1, QUESTIONS BY VIDURA, TEXT 13, WAS GIVEN BY HIS HOLINESS BHAKTI CARU SWAMI MARCH 2007 IN ISKCON SRIDHAMA MAYPAPURA, INDIA. Transcription : Click here (Click on the pictures to discover the Treasure House Of India’s Spiritual Wisdom as presented by ISKCON Founder Acharya Srila A.C Bhaktivedanta [...]
By Sutapa Das for sutapamonk.blogspot.com on 30 Dec 2011
A famous Christian leader once reminisced about his desire to change the entire world. After years of hard work he gave up, and instead shifted his focus to changing his country. Even that proved difficult, so he reverted to changing his town. When that failed, he thought he would at least try to change his family. Surprise surprise, they weren't having any of it! In his old age he realised his fatal mistake.
Sent By His Grace Bipin Prag (Click on the pictures to discover the Treasure House Of India’s Spiritual Wisdom as presented by ISKCON Founder Acharya Srila A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada)
By New Vrindaban Communications for ISKCON News on 30 Dec 2011
New Vrindaban looking for devotees to help with the day-to-day operations as well as with implementation of Srila Prabhupada's instructions through the Master Plan.
Juicing is the fast track to good health. Using organic vegetables for juicing allows you to take in more vegetables at one time than you would by eating raw or cooked vegetables.
Most people hate going to the dentist. Basic home care can be enhanced with a variety of herbal and homeopathic treatments to relieve pain and resolve minor gum and tooth problems.
1971 December 30 : "The success of our Movement is due to my books and BTG being distributed throughout the world. So I hope you will see that the magazine comes out regularly and that my books can be published in Hindi."
1971 December 30 : "Please see that we acquire land in Vrindaban immediately. We are ready to begin construction of a large Temple there. So do whatever is required, but somehow secure the land."
1967 December 30: "You will be glad to know that yesterday I have signed the agreement with MacMillan for publishing Gitopanisad. So far my health is concerned, Gaurasundara is keeping me fit by massaging and Govinda dasi is supplying me upma."
1970 December 30 : "Enclosed is one letter to the editor of the Times replying the several letters you sent me. Hand it in personally so it is published immediately. We invite all kinds of men to discuss on this high philosophy of life."
1970 December 30 : "On the 4th we are all going to Bombay and from there my party of about 25 men will go to Allahabad for Ardhakumbla mela. I am reaching Calcutta on the 5th and shall attend an important meeting & then come back to Allahabad & then to Gorakhpur, etc."
1971 December 30 : "Increase our preaching programs by using all the mass media which are available. We are modern day Vaisnavas and we must preach vigorously using all the means available."
1972 December 30 : "There is no question that he is only pure devotee and no one else is pure devotee. All of my disciples, as soon as they surrender themselves to Krsna, they become pure devotees."
1972 December 30 : "If you simply do as I am doing, then without doubt you will remain always fresh and enthusiastic for working very energetically on Krsna's behalf, without any falldown."
1972 December 30 : "That is wanted, that all of you take upon yourselves the responsibility of preaching widely everywhere the message of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu without any compromise or deviation."
1972 December 30 : "If you yourself remain always pure, then your preaching will have effect. As soon as there is little impurity, the whole thing will deteriorate and go to hell."
Posted by: The Coaching Academy In: Coaching Articles
Giving advice to clients denies them the joy and satisfaction of personal discovery, says The Coaching Academy’s former Managing Director Lesley Matile.
Almost every new coach who I meet at training events asks the question,
‘Do coaches give advice?’
I reply there are many coaches who do and there are many coaches who do not. The question that often follows is,
‘Should coaches give advice?’
My reply is that it really depends on the coach’s definition of coaching and where that coach sits on the continuum of coaching from directive to non-directive.
I would not tell another coach that s/he can or cannot give advice; that is a matter for each individual coach. I do however have a clear view as to where I sit on the continuum and some of the reasons for that positioning.
My starting point is that there is a massive difference between using coaching skills and actually coaching. Many people come to coach training events because they want to add coaching skills to their portfolio. Coaching skills are, after all, great life skills to have. Who wouldn’t see the benefits of attentive listening, asking powerful questions, goal setting, challenging limiting beliefs and helping others to move toward their desires? Many interventions – consulting, advising, mentoring, therapy, counselling – all share this skill set and a desire to see others achieve the maximum from their lives. For me, the difference lies in the finer detail of the way in which the user applies these skills.
My favourite definition of coaching is from Myles Downey:
‘The art of facilitating the performance, learning and development of another.’*
At its simplest level, the coach enables the client to define clearly where they want to be, (perhaps need to be in corporate coaching!) and then to work with the client to identify the steps forward. Coaching is goal-centred, client-centred and focused on results. The distinguishing factor of great coaching is that clients learn a huge amount about themselves and their situation as the coaching develops, but very importantly, the coaches are not teaching the clients. It is the sequenced, probing and purposeful questions from the coach that allow pertinent insights from the client to surface. Those moments offer clients the greatest value and give coaches the ultimate reward and satisfaction for their efforts.
In the purest form of coaching, which I also believe is the most beneficial to clients, there is no room for advice giving. That is a bold statement. My belief is that coaches with great skills, used in non-directive ways, can help their clients achieve fantastic results without input, advice, stories and prompts. There is a place for all these ‘assists’, but I believe too often coaches resort to these aids too quickly. This denies clients their opportunity to discover those insights for themselves, to really tap into the potential they possess and to enjoy the satisfaction of discovering their own great steps forward.
The access to this level of coaching is for the coach to develop fantastic skills and then to use those skills in a non-directive manner and in my opinion, this is what sets the superb coach apart from the average. I believe that coaches do their clients a disservice when they ask questions to lead the client to discover what is already in the head of the coach, rather than accessing the client’s inner wisdom. Coaching is client-led with the credit for change resting with the client; it is not an opportunity for the coach to demonstrate their knowledge. There is a place for the sharing of knowledge, but not in coaching in its purest sense. The only knowledge that the coach should demonstrate is an in-depth knowledge of the coaching process that enables the client to achieve great results.
If the client is stuck for options, this suggests that there is more reality to unpack or perhaps the coach needs to help the client to step back and consider the issue from an alternative perspective. A fresh perspective gives new possibilities for the way forward. I use this phrase as my benchmark:
‘My coaching is only as a good as the options the client generates.’
As our belief and skills in the coaching process grows, so our desire as coaches to offer suggestions decreases.
There is a time factor here, you may say. Offering suggestions can speed up the process. True or false? It won’t surprise you to hear me say, ‘False’. The value of coaching lies not just in helping clients get to the end of a session with options, but in building motivation, raising awareness, generating ownership and commitment to change. All my experience suggests that giving advice hinders all the above and reduces the possibility of life-long learning. Now if coaches really want to add value… sustainable and life-long learning would feature very highly on the outcome list. A colleague uses a phrase I really respect,
‘It often takes longer to do things badly than to do things well.’
Advice often springs from the thought we have, ‘If I were the client, I would…’ We all spend much of our daily lives passing information we receive through the filter paper that asks, ‘What does this mean for/to me?’ As coaches, the art of being able to be a clean and clear space is a constant challenge. We need to remember that we are not the client. There are often huge differences – gender, age, experience, background, faith, to name but a few. Our advice is often from a different context, different culture, is historical and reflects our preferences. Once we get an idea, we can become less objective and at worst, may become focussed solely on that one thought. As a result, we adopt a whole variety of assumptions that accompany our opinion, most of which mean we take our attention off the client’s map of the world. Their map is always the key one.
You may think, ‘If the client had all the answers surely they wouldn’t need coaching?’ Wrong … they may have some great ideas but they haven’t found solutions yet that will work well for them to their satisfaction. Some clients can recite loads of options but that’s not the end. In these scenarios, the coach needs to find out what the client is really seeking for from the coaching. Is it to build desire, raise motivation, or face the fear? There is something missing or the client would spend their money at B&Q or in a great wine bar rather than on coaching. The coach needs to help the client discover the vital missing link to ensure their success! That comes from great questioning.
If you are sceptical about my comments, try two things. Firstly, listen to the reaction of the client in terms of enthusiasm when you offer a suggestion. Half the responses will be, ‘Yes, but…’ Contrast that with what happens when the client comes up with his or her own solution. Secondly, keep a log of actions completed and sustained by clients. Divide them into your suggestions and the client’s suggestions generated from your wisdom-accessing questions. It will make interesting reviewing.
I am not against every sort of input to clients. I personally do a mixture of coaching and mentoring on a small number of contracts on which I am engaged. I must admit however, I prefer the pure coaching approach. I recently undertook a piece of work with some relatively new managers. After my initial meetings with the sponsor, it became clear that there was likely to be some gaps in knowledge for the managers. There had been no formal training input to this group of first line (first time) managers. I offered the sponsor a choice – that I take a pure coaching approach or I offer some models and information as might appear appropriate. The decision was that I did a mixture of the two.
So I began by coaching out need, the client’s available skills, lessons learnt by them from their own previous experience and knowledge, their ideas from seeing and talking to others, barriers they had encountered and overcome in the past and those obstacles they anticipated encountering at this point. We identified a number of options for effective ways forward. Some clients were highly imaginative and resourceful in generating options and thought they had sufficient steps to go forward.
For some, there were some feelings of needing more options and some additional input. For those, I introduced a couple of models and some research findings to prompt their thinking. I described each piece of information and then, back to coaching mode, I asked questions about the potential value to the client of the information provided, with the primary focus being on what the clients thought this might add to their list of possible ways forward. Three important considerations arise. Firstly the timing of that input, secondly the neutral manner in which it was presented and thirdly that the provision of information (note, not advice) was previously negotiated with the customer.
It has been suggested that clients will not buy coaching because the process seems vague and ill-defined. Further, non-directive coaching demands the question,
‘What exactly am I getting for my money?’
The answer is not to tell clients of your expertise in any particular area to establish your credibility and a reason for being engaged but to explain with clarity and passion the incredible benefits of the pure coaching process. You may not like this statement but I feel that some coaches knock the idea of non-directive coaching when maybe the challenge is for those same coaches to develop their own skill set to the next level to enable them to deliver great results through such methods. Clearly, I am talking about sophisticated and well-honed skills. But for me, this is part of the definition of a profession: high level skills obtained through education and hard work.
In conclusion, coaching stands and falls on the results it achieves. Some individuals and businesses seem to only want immediate, short-term results. Maybe that will be enough for a coach to short-circuit the non-directive coaching process and offer their advice and supervise its application, holding the client to account. It is my view that not giving advice, but rather facilitating the client’s discovery of their own way forward is what distinguishes coaching from related professions. My own passion is to help clients achieve great results and sustainable, long-term personal development that is transferable from situation to situation. This is achieved through a non-directive approach …coaching in its purest form.
*Effective Coaching by Myles Downey (Texere Publishing, 2003)
Bhagavad-gitadescribes three kinds of austerities in the mode of goodness. Practicing theseausterities may give a strength to any spiritual leader for pursuing hisleadership and preaching duties successfully.
We maypractice the 'austerity of the body' by forcing our body to rise early and engage in hearing and chanting.
'Austerityof the mind' may be done by reading Srila Prabhupada's books every day to learnthe art of caring and leading others, and being a good example; also thinkingalways of doing good to others and how to help them start or develop theirspiritual life.
'Austerityof speech may be practiced by making sure that we speak uplifting and wisewords, based on sastra and emanating love, patience and care. One has togenuinely want to help others, otherwise they will feel it when we speak tothem. "I don't care how much you know until I know how much youcare."
Dailyconscious practice of these austerities will give us leadership strength inmany challenges that we encounter. And above all, attentive chanting of 16rounds every day (no 'preaching excuses') is the most important purificatoryand empowering austerity. These austerities are purifying for the intelligenceand so one can serve with the help of spiritual intelligence.
Action:Remember from time to time that 'Austerity is the wealth of the brahmanas.' Andtry to apply it intentionally.
"That realm is known as Goloka only to a very few self-realized souls in this world...
where effulgence is full of transcendental bliss and the supreme spiritual entities are all enjoyable and tasty, where numberless milk cows always emit transcendental oceans of milk; where there is eternal existence of transcendental time, who is ever present and without past or future and hence is not subject to the quality of passing away even for the space of half a moment..."
(Sri Brahma Samhita 5.56)
Wherever You kindly display Your darsana is Goloka Vrindavana, O Sri Sri Radha Ballabha.
Hare Krsna my dear devotees. I hope your chanting has been focused in the end of this year. Everyone makes resolutions to the New Year - some want more money, a new job, the dream house....sometimes some devotees wish for more service, move to another temple, find the love of their lives and so on.
We all have dreams and we all want the best to our devotional and material lives, but we can never forget about our chanting, which is the basis activity of our lives. We should remind ourselves to make japa priority in this New Year that is coming, have some quality time chanting and dedicate more to our japa period.
For sure our connection with Krsna will be increased and we will definitely feel more peaceful, all our problems will disappear and all the other dreams will just come by the Lord`s mercy, we don't even need to think about them.
Wishing you a wonderful and blessed 2012, hoping all your spiritual and material dreams come true by the Lord`s mercy.
Recently we had the possible ban of the Bhagavad-Gita in Russia. When it came up, it felt like deja vu, for me; it felt like old news. Why did I feel like this? Why was there no surprise? Then I remembered a dream I had, years ago, when I was in Australia, on tour with HH Indradyumna Swami. With this recollection I tied it all in; it all made sense.
I wrote about it in one of the diaries at the time but it came back up in the reality of the now. The dream’s context was that I was in the future, not being certain whether it was one year or hundreds from now. We were walking the streets casually. Then one man began a rant, downing on Srila Prabhupada’s books, very emphatically and without much explanation. He was repeating a voice from the media though and the call was made in a global context. I rose to challenge this man then and there, and a group of different parties assembled. It was heated but the scene dissipated into another related saga, as the dream moved on.
The new scene was further in the future still and there were book distributors marching into the cities. It was stealthy work or simply daring. They could be beaten or imprisoned but they were going anyway. And Srila Prabhupada’s books had become a hot topic. Were they evil or were they the secret that a higher power was now attempting to suppress? Everyone was curious or otherwise fearful from the propaganda. There were only a few idol fence sitters but there was such a buzz that they didn’t even seem to exist. The book distributors were distributing sack loads and people were reading with grave curiosity. Some distributors were losing their lives, their books or just generally being picked on, but their efforts were heroic and nothing was going in vein.
I concluded from these dreams that we take it for granted that times are so sweet. Krsna consciousness is comfortably practiced. What are we willing to risk? I know I am not willing to risk much in my life, as much as I support our cause. But the dream also showed me something else. Suppression or no suppression, Krsna consciousness is here and here it will stay until it’s time is due, only to come again. It is the eternal principle of the soul. We are reminding people, we are not supplying something new. We are not a new religion, we are Sanatana Dharma, and when I say ‘we’ I mean EVERYONE. So the fists may shake and the sinister may stir, but these are simply externals and our personal tests from the Lord. He is almighty, they are only conditioned humans. What is this spark in weight of the pure flame?
Your servant, Madhavendra Puri dasa (aka The Mad Hatter).
Affection and relationships should be there in our life. But of course, they shouldn’t lead to illicit sex. That is the bottom line. As you know, accidents do happen. That is the nature of the senses and the mind, that where there is attachment to such sense gratification, somehow or other, when men and women come together… you just don’t know how it happened! Somehow or other, it happened… and everybody could see it coming and could understand it’s going to happen if you go on like this… because that natural attraction is there.
Srimad Bhagavatam has the butter and fire analogy where men are butter and women are fire. And when the butter comes near the fire, it melts… it always melts! Bramacharis are basically trying to keep the butter in the fridge so that it doesn’t melt quickly so they have a whole fridge system there within their saffron cloth and bramachari practises.
Ladies in spiritual life are covering the fire. That’s why they cover their heads and wear sarees which cover the body more than modern clothing. So they are trying to cover the fire.
We are not trying to blame anybody, like throw the blame on the women that they are mayadevis. The poor men are the victims and those women are nothing but trouble makers. That is a somewhat biased and wrong understanding of what the Vedic literatures are saying. However, the illusory power of the female body is very strong undoubtedly. They have this power of attraction more than males. Although males may be attractive still the male body is not as charming as the female body.
In spiritual life, we recognise that the beauty of a female body has a danger connected to it. A danger to entangle spirit souls, both men and women. The women themselves are also falling victim to their own beauty… it gives a certain power and it’s kind of addictive and difficult to stop it. So devotees realise this and therefore keep a certain amount of reservation.
It’s been a one-month break from computers, emails, skype conferences and the e-world at large. I'm not complaining. Taking full advantage of the festive season, our trio of monks travelled to towns up and down the country, with the aim of sharing spiritual wisdom in the form of thousands of books; ancient writings which are food for thought in a fast paced world. Our approximate route: London - Norwich - Lincoln - Newcastle - Sunderland - Durham - Middlesbrough - Sheffield - Nottingham - Derby - Leicester - London (and a lot of smaller towns in between!) One evening, as we drove over the River Tyne and advanced toward Newcastle City Centre, the enormity of modern civilisation dawned on me; a complex web of flashing lights, billboards, rushing cars, tall buildings and amusement facilities. It made me wonder whether the few hundred books in our car boot would change anything in this bustling city. Was the five-hour journey from London even worth it? Would we do anything of significance while we were here?
I like to see myself as someone who is efficient and effective. The thoughts troubled me, but I nevertheless continued with enthusiasm. One morning, however, a reflection offered me some perspective. This endeavor to share wisdom with the world is largely about my own transformation. Extending our hands and reaching out to others is an opportunity to develop compassion, tolerance, empathy, and sincerity. Only after developing such qualities can I think of significantly changing the world, or touching someone else's life. I contemplate my motivations while delivering my message. Is it to establish my supremacy? Is it to expand my fame and influence? Is it to cover up my own sense of insecurity? How many deliver their message out of a true sense of concern and love for another? That is what is ultimately required. Spirituality travels from heart to heart.
A famous Christian leader once reminisced about his desire to change the entire world. After years of hard work he gave up, and instead shifted his focus to changing his country. Even that proved difficult, so he reverted to changing his town. When that failed, he thought he would at least try to change his family. Surprise surprise, they weren't having any of it! In his old age he realised his fatal mistake. "First and foremost I should have changed myself. Inspired by the transformation within me, maybe my family would have changed. With their help I could have changed the town, and then we could have done something for our country. Who knows, maybe that could have led to global change!" It’s interesting how much we think of changing the world, but how little we contemplate the transformation of ourselves. The global revolution begins with a personal resolution. As Gandhi said, "Be the change you want to see in the world".
(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Mayapur, November 2011) Lecture – Caitanya-caritamrta Part 4
The story of Sākṣi-gopāla. An ancient story about a deity in Vrindavan, which was acting as a witness between the elderly brāhmaṇa and a younger brāhmaṇa. In Vrindavan, the younger brāhmaṇa served the elderly brāhmaṇa, very nicely and so he said:
“I want you to marry my daughter”.
But the elderly brāhmaṇa was rich and the younger brāhmaṇa was quite poor. The poor young brāhmaṇa said:
“Your family are not going to accept me, and they are not going to like it”.
“I can do whatever I want! I am the head of the family and if I say that I want to give my daughter to you, then I will give my daughter to you and no one can change that!”
The younger brāhmaṇa said:
“Well, all right, but I want a witness. So why don’t you say it in front of the deity of Gopāla?”
“No problem”.
He said it in front of the deity of Gopāla. So Gopāla was a witness. Later, they went back to his village which was the on the other side of India, near Puri. There the family threw a tantrum and his wife said;
“If you marry off my daughter to that boy then I will commit suicide!”
It was a big thing and the son said:
“Yes we will all commit suicide!”
It was getting too much, and he didn’t know what to do, so he said:
“Well, what can I do? I made a promise.”
So the son took over and said:
“Don’t worry. Just say that you don’t remember”.
When the young brāhmaṇa who claimed for the promise, had come to get married, the elder brāhmaṇa said that he didn’t remember. So the young brāhmaṇa brought all the villagers and there was a big discussion, and then the eldest son started to say:
“This rascal! He harassed my father. He robbed him whilst he was in Vrindavan, and he gave him dhustura, and now my father cannot remember anything”.
So his father was saying:
“I cannot remember….I cannot remember”.
The villagers became all confused. Then the young brāhmaṇa said:
“But I have a witness”.
“Okay. You have a witness. So who is your witness?”
“The deity is my witness. Gopāla – I will bring Him.”
So the son of the elder brāhmaṇa said:
“Yes you go and bring Him.”
So the young brāhmaṇa went home, stood before the deity, and was speaking to the deity, by telling Him that He should come, since he needs Him as the witness. So the deity said:
“But I am a deity, so how can I walk?”
“If you can talk, then you can walk”.
So Krishna agreed to walk behind him and said:
“Everyday you cook some rice for Me and you will hear that I am behind you by the tinkling of my ankle bells. But if you turn around…and if you look at me, then I will not go further and will stop on that spot”.
They walked until they came to the village of where they lived, and suddenly he could not hear any ankle bells. So he thought that the deity had left and looked over his shoulder and the deity just stayed there.
Then the deity said:
“I’m not going any further. Now call all the villagers, and say that your witness has come”.
Everybody came and they all saw the miracle……the old brāhmaṇa also confirmed it, and then there was a happy ending. Anyway, Jayadvaita Maharaja would say:
“An unhappy ending”.
The young brāhmaṇa got his bride and the whole family was united and together they worshiped the deity!
Something very interesting is happening in Sarajevo. In the last few months, people had been approaching our harinama team, asking them how to come to our temple. A group of young students asked for temple address and now they are regular visitors. One girl from that group told her mother that she was going to a Hare Krishna centre, and her mother told her that twenty years ago she had also visited the temple in Belgrade (Serbia), and read books about Krishna to her, when she was a little girl.
Here are five classes on the Srimad Bhagavatam (7.13.46 – 7.14.5), given by His Holiness Kadamba Kanana Swami from the 19-23 December 2011 in Cape Town, South Africa.
These verses were taken from the chapters The behaviour of a perfect person and Ideal family life respectively. It dealt with the topic of varanashrama while stressing the superiority of Krsna conciousness at every stage of life.
The following is your detailed guide to ringing in the New Year "Hare Krishna Style"! As we do every year, devotees gather at the temple on New Year's Eve and then head over to City Hall to join the tens of thousands of revelers, ushering in the new year. However, we come armed with our drums, karatalas (cymbals) and voices as well!
Here's all that you need to know about this evening:
8:00pm - Kirtan will begin at the temple.
10:00pm - The kirtan will really pickup by this time!
11:00pm - Bundle up and off to Rosedale station.
11:30pm - We will start chanting in front of Old City Hall (NE corner of Bay & Queen)
12:00am - the kirtan will reach it's peak as fireworks set the sky ablaze!
1:30am (approx) - We'll get back on the subway and make our way back to the temple for hot ginger tea and snacks!
Some tips to keep in mind for this evening:
Come early to the temple - enjoy the kirtan and association of devotees before we head out to City Hall.
Dress warmly - it will be chilly, so dress in layers!
Don't worry about weather - whether it be snow, rain, hail or sleet, we will usher in the new year with kirtan!
Bring your voices - don't forget to chant with all of your hearts!
To get a glimpse into what it's like to party with us, "Hare Krishna Style" on New Year's Eve, check out this video footage from our 2008-09 New Year's Eve kirtan!
Ever wondered why we do kirtan? Here is a wonderful video explaining mantra meditation as well as some realizations from people on their kirtan experiences.
Aaand if you cannot wait for your own kirtan experience, join us on New Year's Eve as we celebrate the arrival of the New Year - Hare Krishna style!
Lecture – Srimad Bhagavatam 6.16.46 Methods Of The Message & Questions on being Vegan 12-16-2011 Los Angeles
SB 06.16.46 Methods Of The Message 2011-12-16 Lecture - Srimad Bhagavatam 6.16.46 Methods Of The Message & Questions on being Vegan 12-16-2011 Los Angeles
In this March 28, 2004 file photo, Moscow Society of Krishna Consciousness' members pray for the construction of a Krishna temple in the Russian Capital, Moscow. A Russian court decided on Wednesday not to ban a religious text central to the global Hare Krishna movement, rejecting claims that the text is "extremist" and ending a case that has angered Hindus around the world. (AP Photo/Misha Japaridze)
By now most of the community has heard the vindication of the Bhagavad Gita by the Russian court after a small group of misdirected folks in Tomsk tried to vilify the Bhagavad Gita As-it-is. In fact they helped propagate Krishna message by so much attention be paid to the Bhagavad Gita, ISKCON and Hare Krishna devotees. So after a few blog posts on this issue, one more from the San Francisco Chronicle to wrap up the coverage.
Hare Krishna text not banned by Russian court
Sofia Javed, Associated Press
Thursday, December 29, 2011
MOSCOW --
A Russian court decided Wednesday not to ban a religious text central to the global Hare Krishna movement, rejecting claims that the text is "extremist" and ending a case that has angered Hindus around the world.
The Indian Foreign Ministry said it appreciated "this sensible resolution of a sensitive issue."
Prosecutors in the Siberian city of Tomsk had argued that the Russian translation of "Bhagavad Gita as It Is" promotes "social discord" and hatred toward nonbelievers, causing an outcry in India, where many considered the proposed ban a violation of the rights of Hindus in Russia.
The text is a combination of the Bhagavad Gita, one of Hinduism's holiest scriptures, and commentary by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, which is often called the Hare Krishna movement.
The prosecutors had asked the court to include the book on the Federal List of Extremist Materials, which bans more than 1,000 texts, including Adolf Hitler's "Mein Kampf" and books distributed by the Jehovah's Witness and Scientology movements.
Alexander Shakhov, a lawyer for Hare Krishna devotees in Tomsk, said the group is satisfied with the court's decision.
Yury Pleshakov, a spokesman for the group in Moscow, said the book in question has existed in Russia for 25 years and has never inspired violence or extremist activity.
The trial, which began in June, followed this year's ban on the construction of a Hare Krishna village in Tomsk and was based on an assessment by professors at Tomsk University, who concluded that "Bhagavad Gita as It Is" includes strong language against nonbelievers and promotes religious hatred and discrimination on the basis of gender, race, nationality and language.
The ruling came a day after Indian External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna met with Alexander Kadakin, Russia's ambassador to India, and urged the Russian government to resolve the issue.
This article appeared on page A - 3 of the San Francisco Chronicle
Sent By His Grace Ramkinkar Dasa (Click on the pictures to discover the Treasure House Of India’s Spiritual Wisdom as presented by ISKCON Founder Acharya Srila A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada) I also have fond memories of Sri Amichand Rajbansi. He was indeed a great friend and supporter of the devotees, from the very beginning. [...]
One of my favorite verses in the Bhagavad-Gita is when Krishna tells his warrior friend Arjuna of how He is the connecting thread behind all reality.
O conqueror of wealth, there is no truth superior to Me. Everything rests upon Me, as pearls are strung on a thread.
I’ve noticed how this thread connects out to a recent update of the Faith House tag line, which now reads Experience Your Neighbor’s Faith, Deepen Your Own. This is a personal revelation a lot of us have shared recently on the Faith House Bus Tour, as the different sounds, colors, tastes, and waves of devotion we have experienced together in our different houses of faith have made a deep communal resonance in our souls.
Too often (at least from my own perspective) our own practice can become caught in the mechanical. Living as a monk, in an intense and insulated environment, I often see how my consciousness during our morning meditation is directed towards how tired I am, or how I might be upset with this monk or that monk. The beautiful essence of our prayers and singing and dancing together remains lost to me.
As I was soaking up the whirling sanctity at our wonderful Bus Tour event at the dergah of the Nur Ashki Jerrahi Sufi Order, the pain of my own disconnection in my own practice became manifest, and that void was quickly filled by the wonderful and mystical people I saw around me, deeply absorbed in the love and vision of the Divine. I came to realize that what they were experiencing was something I had access to every day, if I chose to. I saw very clearly how we were all pearls on the same thread of God’s mercy. I returned to my own community and practice with a sense of renewal that has stayed with me ever since.
The interfaith experience is very important for me, and I think for all of us as a common human family. The turbulence of our age calls for a communication between peoples of faith that transcends our superficial differences and allows us to drink from the immense well of wisdom God has given us, to give solace and take profound action to help cure our shared ills.
This turbulence also calls from us a tremendous maturity from our humility, from a recognition that we cannot possibly have the exclusive answers, that the pieces of the puzzle we need come from our brothers and sisters in faith. In Thomas Merton’s journals of his final and fateful journey to India and Indonesia, where he breathed deeply of the Eastern faiths that had always intrigued and inspired him, he related a realization in this regard that has deeply touched me.
He says that those who are mature in their faith are able to enter into the experience, philosophy, and practice of another faith and gain a practical wisdom which they can take back into their own renewed and strengthened spiritual life. This is the essence of my own personal adventure in interfaith. To be able to see of and hear of and speak about and taste of and move within the common thread of our faiths together is one of the most profound experiences I have ever had in my life. It links me to the maturity needed to answer the spiritual call of our time, and I imagine it may do so for you as well.
I am always eager to point out to others that New York City is a deeply spiritual place. I want to encourage others to develop the vision of the great rivers of faith which run through this town, which are not always visible beyond the surface tumult and loosely organized chaos. I think we most easily get this personal revelation through the communities we keep and build and hold together, through the families we cherish and keep in our faith and interfaith communities.
In the love we attempt to cultivate together, for each other and towards God, we see we are all the same wonderful pearls on the thread of His love and reality manifest in this world, drawing us towards Him in our unique but shared pathways.
So I am very happy and grateful to be allowed to be part of the Faith House community, and very grateful to be able to share my thoughts with you, and I hope now and into the future some of these thoughts, simply chances for me to pass on the wisdom I have received, may inspire you in many diverse way in your faith, and that they may help us all in the great and wonderful task of opening our heart and opening our mind.
SOME 1,500 devotees took part in a procession which saw devotees pulling three gigantic wooden chariots through the heritage streets of Penang as a show of love for Lord Krishna.
The procession was held by the Hare Krishna Movement to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Ratha Yatra (Chariot Festival) of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) Botanical Garden branch.
The three-hour procession started from the Sivan Temple on Jalan Datuk Keramat before ending at the Penang Chinese Town Hall (PCTH).
Devotees had gathered at the temple as early as 4pm for the procession which started at 5pm on Saturday.
A medley of Indian cultural dances was held as soon as the procession arrived at the PCTH.
The devotees then gathered inside the hall to listen to spiritual talks conducted by ISKCON’s top spiritual leaders.
During the event, vegetarian food was also distributed to the public for free at the PCTH as part of ISKCON’s Food For Life programme.
ISKCON secretary Ramananda dasa said that the significance of the event is a symbolic remembrance of the time when Lord Krishna’s devotees would pull the chariots out of love.
“Besides that, we also hope to raise about RM40,000 from generous supporters and well-wishers to replace our old van which is being used for our weekly programmes,” he said.
From Krishna Kirti Dasa Of course, for a lady devotee to massage a sannyasi would go beyond limits, but other forms of male-female association, respectable in modern societies but frowned on or forbidden in traditional societies, when accorded some measure of acceptability result in a higher incidence of fall down. An outstanding feature of modern society that goes hand-in-hand with gender equality, after all, is sexual permissiveness. Conflicts between competing social values have, to some extent, eroded the sense of social responsibility shared by ISKCON’s members (which some argue was eroded to begin with). This eroded sense of social responsibility, in turn, has been a cause of persistent, social unrest within ISKCON.
Sent By Ananda Shivalanka Dasa (Click on the pictures to discover the Treasure House Of India’s Spiritual Wisdom as presented by ISKCON Founder Acharya Srila A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada) Hare Krishna! My Godbrother HG Surabhi Prabhu from ISKCON Ujjain is currently visiting Gurgaon. He takes care of the Carpentry Department which manufactures alters. ISKCON [...]
THE FOLLOWING LECTURE ON SRIMAD-BHAGAVATAM, CANTO 3, CHAPTER 1, QUESTIONS BY VIDURA, TEXT 13, WAS GIVEN BY HIS HOLINESS BHAKTI CARU SWAMI MARCH 2008 IN ISKCON UJJAIN, INDIA. (Click on the pictures to discover the Treasure House Of India’s Spiritual Wisdom as presented by ISKCON Founder Acharya Srila A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada) Transcription : [...]
New Vrindaban Communications: New Vrindaban Community, ISKCON's first farm community, is in the process of completing a 25-year Master Plan. Srila Prabhupada gave a wealth of instructions regarding how New Vrindaban should be developed. Right now, New Vrindaban looking for devotees to help with the day-to-day operations as well as with implementation of Srila Prabhupada's instructions through the Master Plan
This is the victory of the whole ISKCON. Of course, ultimately everything was arranged by Sri Krishna Himself, and the whole credit goes to Him. It was very clear to me being in the epicenter of the battle, but still some devotees deserve special mention
Article Sent By His Grace Pankajalochana Dasa (Click on the pictures to discover the Treasure House Of India’s Spiritual Wisdom as presented by ISKCON Founder Acharya Srila A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada) 26th December, 2011, The Emirates chauffeur was expected to come and pick us from H G Radheshyam Prabhu’s house at 1:45 AM, pretty [...]
A Russian court decided Wednesday not to ban a religious text central to the global Hare Krishna movement, rejecting claims that the text is "extremist" and ending a case that has angered Hindus around the world. A compilation of articles from the worldwide media.
1972 December 29: "Let them gradually develop the surrendering attitude and accept voluntarily the life of tapasya which must be practiced in the temple. We should not be over anxious just to recruit men if they will not be of the best quality."
1967 December 29: "Krishna has sent you to help me. As you are my sincere spiritual son, Krishna speaks within your heart so I have full faith in you. I give you full power of attorney."
1968 December 29: "Regarding questions on yoga, explain the principles of yoga from Bhagavad-gita, preceded and followed by Krishna kirtana. If they want to know about hatha yoga explain that it cannot be successfully practiced in this present age of Kali."
1971 December 29: "Restriction on reading Tenth Canto pastimes is only for those who do not know what is Krishna. But you are initiated, so you can read. Still our Krishna Book is so nice that even an ordinary man can read it and derive benefit."
1972 December 29: "Do not bother yourself by so many speculative thoughts. Remember always that you have now got this golden opportunity. It is not by accident that you have met your Spiritual Master and have become involved in Krsna's work."
1972 December 29: "So you have lost your enthusiasm due to irregular habits. Unless the determination to become successful in Krsna consciousness is there, any occupation, any place will simply become a source of restlessness and trouble for your mind."
1972 December 29: "One fixed-up devotee, he can manage everything nicely, even in huge temple with many students. The problem is not the facility itself, rather the problem is the ability of the manager."
1972 December 29: "Arrange programs immediately at the Bar Association, the Stock Exchange, the Royal Asiatic Society, Ramakrishna Cultural Institute, Gaudiya Math, YMCA, Govinda Bhavan, like that. I will speak in Bengali, Hindi, or English."
1973 December 29: "Almost all Indians have ignored the injunction of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. But now I have brought this message to the West and now you are helping me to bring it back to the people of India. It is a fact that all of humanity's suffering is due only to a lack of Krsna Consciousness."
A daily broadcast of the Ultimate Self Realization Course Thursday 29 December 2011 The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krishna, and His eternal consort, Srimati Radharani are enjoying transcendental pastimes in the topmost planet of the spiritual world, Sri Goloka Vrindavan. They are beckoning us to rejoin them. (Click on photo to see a larger image.) Our Mission: To help everyone awaken their original Krishna consciousness, which is eternal, full of knowledge and full of bliss. Such a global awakening will, in one stroke, solve all the problems of the world society bringing in a new era of unprecedented peace and prosperity for all. May that day, which the world so desperately needs, come very soon. We request you to participate in this mission by reviving your dormant Krishna consciousness and assisting us in spreading this science all over the world. Dedicated with love to ISKCON Founder-Acharya: His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, our beloved spiritual master, and to you, our dear readers. For Transcendental Association Connect With Other Members of this Course. Join this Conference: http://groups.google.com/group/sda_students Help Popularize Our Message By Liking Today's Thought on Facebook: Today's Thought: Explosion of Bliss at Bhakti Bhavan uploaded from Melbourne, Australia One of my favorite places to do home programs is Melbourne's Bhakti Bhavan. It is a small eight unit apartment building unofficially called as such, located two blocks away from ISKCON's temple in Melbourne, Australia. The unique feature of Bhakti Bhavan is that every apartment in the building is rented out by devotees. This means that when the devotees have their regular home kirtan programs there are no neighbors to make complaints about the kirtan. They can freely let their kirtans explode in ecstasy with no inhibition. The programs are so well attended that the devotees have to literally squeeze in. The space is so tight that we cannot bow down and offer obeisances to Srila Prabhupada, the acharyas, and Lord Krishna as we normally on such occasions. We have to offer our obeisances from a sitting position. Since not everyone can fit in the living room of the host apartment, those who cannot fit in attend the program from the porch by hearing and seeing through the windows. The program consists of Hare Krishna kirtan, lecture, questions and answers, and then tasty Krishna prasadam. Who said that you can't experience transcendental bliss here in this material world? Sankarshan Das Adhikari Bhakti Bhavan Home Program Melbourne, Australia 27 December 2011 http://www.backtohome.com/images/2011-Fall/Melbourne_Home.Prog1a.JPG Overflowed Assembly Relishes the Nectar http://www.backtohome.com/images/2011-Fall/Melbourne_Home.Prog1b.JPG Answers by Citing the Vedic Version: Question: Switching from Vaikuntha to Goloka? Please accept my humble obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. I am wondering if those souls on the Vaikuntha planets can ever hope to be promoted to Goloka Vrindavan. It seems to me that perhaps someone who, having achieved the ultimate goal of life, promotion to those Vaikuntha planets, might in time, as his knowledge and bliss and longing to serve Krishna increases ad infinitum, realize that he has not actually achieved the real ultimate goal of unlimited bliss as a personal associate of Krishna. It seems to me that such a soul, if he were not then eligible for promotion to that most blissful of planets/relationships, would feel as though he were actually in a kind of hell. Or are those who attain to the Vaikuntha planets kept forever under Krishna's veil of yogamaya to prevent them from ever realizing further and protect them from such a fate? Please enlighten me. David J. Answer: Full Freedom in the Spiritual World Srila Prabhupada explains that the spiritual world is a world of full freedom. Everyone is free to serve the Lord according to their heart's desire. If a resident of a Vaikuntha planet prefers to serve on Goloka Vrindavan, he can do so. Generally no one changes their position because everyone is fully satisfied. But if for any reason someone wants to change their position, they can easily do so simply by their desire. The yogamaya potency of the Lord is not covering the inhabitants of the Vaikuntha planets. Rather it covers the inhabitants of Goloka Vrindavan to make them forget that Krishna is God so that they satisfy Krishna's desire to be another one of the villagers there in Goloka Vrindavan without anyone knowing that He is God. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Transcendental Resources: Receive the Special Blessings of Krishna Now you too can render the greatest service to the suffering humanity and attract the all-auspicious blessings of Lord Sri Krishna upon yourself and your family by assisting our mission. Lectures and Kirtans in Audio and Video: Link to High Definition Videos Link to Over 1,000 Lecture Audios Lecture-Travel Schedule for 2011-2012 http://www.ultimateselfrealization.com/schedule Have Questions or Need Further Guidance? Check out the resources at: http://www.ultimateselfrealization.com or write Sankarshan Das Adhikari at: sda@backtohome.com Get your copy today of the world's greatest self-realization guide book, Bhagavad-gita As It Is available at:http://www.ultimateselfrealization.com/store Know someone who could benefit from this? Forward it to them. 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By Revati Devi Dasi
By Bhakti Vijnana Goswami
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