"Planet ISKCON" - 41 new articles
H.G. Sankarshan das Adhikari, USA: Wednesday 14 Sept. 2011--The Ultimate Perfection of Existence--and--How Allah Consciousness is Krishna Consciousness?A daily broadcast of the Ultimate Self Realization Course Wednesday 14 September 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 Today's Thought: The Ultimate Perfection of Existence Uploaded from Sofia, Bulgaria There is no reason to suffer in a drab, boring material existence when you can be swimming in an ocean of love at every minute. The love of which I speak is Krishna prema, pure love of God, because that love is perfect in that it does not demand anything in return. When you give your love to Krishna or God that love is automatically distributed to every living being throughout the entire existence and you experience an indescribably wonderful feeling of happiness that goes on increasing unlimitedly for all of eternity. There is nothing better than this. This is the ultimate perfection of existence. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Revealing the Ultimate Perfection of Existence Krishna Yoga Center--Burgas, Bulgaria 11 September 2011 http://www.backtohome.com/images/2011-Fall/Burgas_Lecture2.JPG Answers by Citing the Vedic Version: Question: How Allah Consciousness is Krishna Consciousness? Dear Gurudeva, Regarding Allah consciousness, the Muslims are not strict vegetarians in accordance with Lord Krishna's desire. Many times, Gurudeva, you have said that Allah consciousness is acceptable as Krishna consciousness. But they sacrifice cows for their meal, and this is not a sin in their religion. So for sure Allah consciousness cannot be the same as Krishna or God consciousness. I'm very confused how you can accept Allah consciousness to be the same as Krishna consciousness. Madhavan Answer: Killing Innocent Cows is Blood-Lust Consciousness It is confirmed by His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada that Allah is a name for God. So in that sense whether we say Allah consciousness or Krishna consciousness we are talking about the same subject matter. However, if one commits sinful activities such as killing innocent cows and other animals, that is not true Allah consciousness or Krishna consciousness. That is blood-lust consciousness. We are requesting therefore that our Muslim brothers worship Allah or the Supreme Lord by offering Him only vegetarian foods We have no objection to the name Allah. But we strongly object to sinful activities being conducted in the name of any religion. When Lord Caitanya was discussing the Koran with the Muslim magistrate, Chand Kazi, He said, What kind of religion is this in which you kill your mother and father, the cow and the bull?. Chand Kazi accepted Lord Caitanya's argument and adopted Krishna bhakti by surrendering himself unto Lord Caitanya. 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 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. Searchable archives of all of course material: http://www.sda-archives.com Receive Thought for the Day as an RSS feed: http://www.backtohome.com/rss.htm Unsubscribe or change your email address Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Daily_Thought Thought for the Day on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Ultimate.Self.Realization Copyright 2005-2011 by Ultimate Self Realization.Com Distribution of this material is encouraged. Simply we request you to acknowledge where it is coming from with a link to our sign up page: http://www.backtohome.com Our records indicate that at requested to be enrolled to receive e-mails from the Ultimate Self Realization Course at: This request was made on: From the following IP address:  • Email to a friend •  •ISKCON Malaysia: New Straits Times Malaysia Publishes Peace ParadeBY MATHURA LILESVARI DEVI DASI By the mercy of Srila Prabhupada and our Spiritual Masters, the Harinam event that took place last Saturday has been featured in one of Malaysia's top English daily, The New Straits Times (NST). We are happy that the glories of the Holy Names did not stop spreading last Saturday at Bukit Bintang but is continuing to spread well and wide even to all those who could not make it. Extract from New Straits Times:
GLOBAL MOVEMENT PARADES FOR PEACE
— Pictures by Nik Hariff Hassan KUALA LUMPUR: About 70 devotees of the Hare Krishna movement took part in a parade to campaign against drug abuse and to promote racial harmony here recently. The devotees of The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Iskcon) of Malaysia sang and danced in the streets of Bukit Bintang.
The event was held in collaboration with Pemadam, and was well received by the locals and tourists.
Simheswara said: "Iskcon in Malaysia would like to work with the government against all vices. And we salute the 1Malaysia concept."
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ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Daily Darshan
• Email to a friend • •ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Daily Class - Yamunalila MatajiSrimad Bhagavatam 1.2.21 - The fourteen stages of development in bhakti as described in Srila Vishvanatha Cakravarti Thakor's compilation named Madhurya Kadambini. • Email to a friend • •Japa Group: Meaning Of The Sixteen Names PT.15
Hare nihantum asuran yato mathura-puram ity-asau tadagamad-rahah-kamo yasyah sa'sau hareti ca Sri Krsna went to Mathurapuri in order to destroy the demons. However, due to being captivated by the love of Radha, He later returned. Therefore She is known as Hara. Jiva Goswami  • Email to a friend • •16 Rounds to Samadhi Magazine, LA, USA: My Guru- TV!
One needs only to watch television for but a few minutes to get an idea of the modern culture’s mentality. From lusty sitcoms and rampant commercials with close-ups of perspiring fountain drinks along-side mile-high hamburgers, to images of war and death occurring on the other side of the globe with side bars depicting rising gas prices- modern day television in essence promotes a consciousness largely based on eating, mating, and fearing. Yet, where’s the novelty in such activities? Modern television makes us out to be merely “polished” animals- acting from lower urges in order to satisfy our desire to gratify our senses, so much so that we will even defend and fight to the death to protect this desire. But is this where true happiness lies? It is clear that more material pleasure, and the quest therein, only begets more anxiety. For if one desires to enjoy the objects of the senses they must work even harder in order to obtain such a transitory level of happiness gained through external means. This is quite the opposite from an intelligent plan. Real intelligence lies in finding out how to transcend the anxieties of modern life, which are all too apparent and are epitomized on modern television. We must inquire into the nature of the self because what and with whom we identify governs our actions and subsequently our happiness in life. We must be careful not to confuse our identity with that which is observed- namely the body and all of the activities it takes part in- with the observer; the individual spirit soul, which is eternal. Identification with matter, as has been pointed out can only lead to increasing dissatisfaction due to its ephemeral nature, whereas, knowing oneself to be a spirit soul- an eternal part and parcels of the Supreme Source gives one the proper basis upon which to act and relate to others in the world in an intelligent, selfless way. • Email to a friend • •16 Rounds to Samadhi Magazine, LA, USA: Learning Nescience and Knowledge Side By SideThe following is taken from SrilaPrabhupada’s commentary on the eleventh mantra in the book called Sri Isopanisad.The miseries of this material world serve to indirectly remind us of our incompatibility with dead matter. Intelligent living entities generally take note of these reminders and engage themselves in the culture of transcendental knowledge.Since the creation of the physical world, everyone has been yearning to attain a permanent life, but the laws of nature are so cruel that no one has been able to avoid the hand of death. No one wants to die, nor does anyone want to become old or diseased. The law of nature, however, does not allow anyone immunity from old age, disease or death. Nor has the advancement of material knowledge solved these problems. Material science can discover the nuclear bomb to accelerate the process of death, but it cannot discover anything that can protect people from the cruel hands of old age, disease, and death. Sri Isopanisad instructs us not to make one-sided attempts to win the struggle for existence. Everyone is struggling hard for existence, but the laws of material nature are so hard and fast that they do not allow anyone to surpass them. In order to attain a permanent life, one must be prepared for a spiritual journey.
Birth and death apply to the outward covering of the spirit soul, the body. Death is compared to the taking off and birth to the putting on of outward garments.The miseries of this material world serve to indirectly remind us of our incompatibility with dead matter. Intelligent living entities generally take note of these reminders and engage themselves in the culture of transcendental knowledge. Human life is the best opportunity for the culture of spiritual knowledge, and a human being who does not take advantage of this opportunity is unfortunate.  Five thousand years ago, Sri Isopanisad was studied all over the world. Concealed for centuries in the Sanskrit language of India, this ancient spiritual gen is now revealed in the first authorized English edition ever published. This masterwork of the long forgotten Vedic culture is here presented by the most venerated descendant of the culture, His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada. Sri Isopanisad is the book to ignite a spiritual revolution in the mind of a modern Westerner. Sri Isopanisad- $1.96 at store.krishna.com Therefore the culture of transcendental knowledge is essential for the human being. Sense enjoyment in the diseased material condition must be restricted as far as possible. Unrestricted sense enjoyment in this bodily condition is the path of ignorance and death. The living entities are not without spiritual senses; every living being in his original, spiritual form has all the senses, which are now materially manifested, being covered by the material body and mind. The activities of the material senses are perverted reflections of the activities of the original, spiritual senses. In his diseased condition, the spirit soul engages in material activities under the material covering. Real sense enjoyment is possible only when the disease of materialism is removed. In our pure spiritual form, free from all material contamination, real enjoyment of the senses is possible. A patient must regain his health before he can truly enjoy sense pleasure again. Thus the aim of human life should not be to enjoy perverted sense enjoyment but to cure the material disease. Aggravation of the material disease is no sign of knowledge, but a sign of ignorance. For good health, a person should not increase his fever from 105 degrees to 107 degrees but should reduce his temperature to the normal 98.6. That should be the aim of human life. The modern trend of material civilization is to increase the temperature of the feverish material condition. Meanwhile, the foolish politicians are crying that at any moment the world may go to hell. That is the result of the advancement of material knowledge and the neglect of the most important part of life, the culture of spiritual knowledge. Sri Isopanisad herein warns that we must not follow this dangerous path leading to death. On the contrary, we must develop the culture of spiritual knowledge so that we may become completely free from the cruel hands of death.
The modern trend of material civilization is to increase the temperature of the feverish material condition. Meanwhile, the foolish politicians are crying that at any moment the world may go to hell.This does not mean that all activities for the maintenance of the body should be stopped. There is no question of stopping activities, just as there is no question of wiping out one’s temperature altogether when trying to recover from a disease. “To make the best use of a bad bargain” is the appropriate expression. The culture of spiritual knowledge necessitates the help of the body and mind; therefore maintenance of the body and mind is required if we are to reach our goal. The normal temperature should be maintained at 98.6 degrees, and the great sages and saints of India have attempted to do this by a balanced program of spiritual and material knowledge. They never allow the misuse of human intelligence for diseased sense gratification. Human activities diseased by a tendency toward sense gratification have been regulated in the Vedas. This system employs religion, economic development, sense gratification, and spiritual liberation, but at the present moment people have no interest in religion or spirituality. They have only one aim in life- sense gratification- and in order to achieve this end they make plans for economic development. Misguided pople think that religion should be maintained if, or, because it contributes to economic development, which is required for sense gratification. Thus, in order to guarantee further sense gratification after death, in heaven, there is some system of religious observance. But this is not the purpose of religion. The path of religion is actually meant for self-realization, and economic development is required just to maintain the body in a sound, healthy condition. One should lead a healthy life with a sound mind just to realize true knowledge, which is the aim of human life. This life is not meant for working hard like an ass or for culturing ignorance for sense gratification. • Email to a friend • •Subhavilasa das ACBSP, Toronto, CA: Srila Prabhupada's directive: Draw Out Spontaneous Loving Spirit As anyone involved in ISKCON for any period of time can attest, along with bhakti, bliss and devotional service sometimes a dose of politics or bickering also comes. We are not oblivious to hearing about these issues but of course these talks are discouraged since it does nothing to promote Krishna Consciousness. I imagine every centre has its "huffy-puffy" that does the "stompy-bompy" that makes the temple floor shake as he walks. If you have been around since the 70's and 80's you can only help to be amused as you watch the drama...been there...seen that. A manoeuvre here, a back stab there, a flirt somewhere, a comment meant to go nowhere but that actually goes everywhere. To my surprise many of the new batch of mid-age devotees are very perceptive and despite maintaining dignity, they "get it". They realize that advancement is to SERVE. Management is to SERVE. One young man had an interesting observation when he stated that some have egos thinking they achieved something in the temple....if they want material success, power and ego they should try to get it in the outside world. (But alas in many cases their temple alter-ego outstrips their outside world capabilities.) As most readers know when we launched this blog close to a year ago we promised to keep it positive and personally I believe the politics and bickering is not only a waste of valuable time and energy but detrimental to devotional service. However this post is a positive one since it was triggered by an intriguing Srila Prabhupada letter that was quoted in an email we received earlier this week. although read before, this letter written by Srila Prabhupada on December 22, 1972 to Karandhara Prabhu blows me away in terms of Srila Prabhupada's directives, clarity and management. Towards the end of the letter, as Srila Prabhupada is wrapping it up, he states "...our leaders shall be careful not to kill the spirit of enthusiastic service, which is individual and spontaneous and voluntary." This one statement is so important. Srila Prabhupada goes on to say "That is the art of management: to draw out spontaneous loving spirit of sacrificing some energy for Krishna." So this is why this post is positive since if we listen to these words by Srila Prabhupada not only will we reduce the "churn" of devotees, congregants, donors and well-wishers but we may actually attract back many of the souls touched by Srila Prabhupada. Thus I will end this post with Srila Prabhupada's words from this letter. So the future of this Krishna Consciousness movement is very bright, so long the managers remain vigilant that 16 rounds are being chanted by everyone without fail, that they are all rising before four morning, attending mangal arati—our leaders shall be careful not to kill the spirit of enthusiastic service, which is individual and spontaneous and voluntary. They should try always to generate some atmosphere of fresh challenge to the devotees, so that they will agree enthusiastically to rise and meet it. That is the art of management: to draw out spontaneous loving spirit of sacrificing some energy for Krishna. The full letter can be found below... Los Angeles My dear Karandhara, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your dated December 11, 1972, and I have noted the contents with care. Regarding your proposal to cash my bonds and take that house in New York, I have heard from Bali Mardan that the bid was refused and that he has made another bid, but it will be some time before it is decided. And Dhananjaya has telephoned to Bombay to request for keeping that down payment, because George is very keen to purchase one monastery and there is every chance they will get it before one week. At least let us see. So there is no immediate need to cash my bonds, nor take the money from London. Jayatirtha has informed that Bali Mardan has saved more than $100,000 in few months time only, so New York is very rich place for collecting, so why not he shall collect there for few more months to raise the whole price? Also, that place on 77th Street is not so much important as 5th Avenue and 40th Street. If we are taking such big place for big risk, why not in the important business district? Now my plan for books in India is this: We shall pay MacMillan for 20,000 copies of Bhagavad-Gita at $1.25 each. Price may be settled as it is required, but not more than $30,000. I shall pay for 5,000 copies from my bonds, you pay for the balance 15,000 copies from Book Fund there. 5,000 Gitas may be sent immediately to India, the balance you distribute other places. In India we want to order a variety of books. So you may immediately order from Dai Nippon 5,000 copies each of KRSNA (Vol. II) (Hard-bound), TLC (soft-bound), NOD (soft-bound), KRSNA TRILOGY (soft-bound), Srimad-Bhagavatam (5,000 of each volume), plus you may send to India 10,000 each of each of the small books, like Easy Journey, Topmost Yoga, Beyond Birth and Death, Isopanisad, like that. So these books should be given at cost-price only, not wholesale price, and you may cash some of my bonds to pay the total cost-price of the above books to Dai Nippon and ISKCON Press. They shall pay me back here into one M-V Trust Fund Account at the rate of ten rupees per dollar, plus they shall give me some profit. So you may inform me what is the cost per book for each of the above, and the total cost you are having to deduct from my bonds. All books should be sent to India as quickly as possible. Regarding the work of Pradyumna, now he is working very hard to finish those missing portions, and he will send you very soon. Actually, whatever else he may be doing, I very much appreciate Pradyumna's work. Everyday he gives me some solid work, at least something every day, so I am very much appreciating. I was in Ahmedabad preaching daily in the morning and evening for last two weeks, and at least ten thousand were coming to hear. From January 12th our second Hare Krishna Festival will go on in the Cross Maidan in Bombay, and Tamala Krishna and Syamasundara. are planning something very gorgeous just to push on the preaching work. Meanwhile I am little resting behind the scenes for few days, and one Karatieya Mahadevia has been very kind to give us his place all to ourselves just by the seaside on Warden Road. Many big men of Bombay are coming to see me daily for confidential talks, and they are beginning to very much become inclined to our philosophy. I think in this place, it is very restful and there is no interruption, so I think I shall be able to increase my translations work. Regarding your points about taxation, corporate status, etc., I have heard from Jayatirtha you want to make big plan for centralization of management, taxes, monies, corporate status, bookkeeping, credit, like that. I do not at all approve of such plan. Do not centralize anything. Each temple must remain independent and self-sufficient. That was my plan from the very beginning, why you are thinking otherwise? Once before you wanted to do something centralizing with your GBC meeting, and if I did not interfere the whole thing would have been killed. Do not think in this way of big corporation, big credits, centralization—these are all nonsense proposals. Only thing I wanted was that books printing and distribution should be centralized, therefore I appointed you and Bali Mardan to do it. Otherwise, management, everything, should be done locally by local men. Accounts must be kept, things must be in order and lawfully done, but that should be each temple's concern, not yours. Krishna Consciousness Movement is for training men to be independently thoughtful and competent in all types of departments of knowledge and action, not for making bureaucracy. Once there is bureaucracy the whole thing will be spoiled. There must be always individual striving and work and responsibility, competitive spirit, not that one shall dominate and distribute benefits to the others and they do nothing but beg from you and you provide. No. Never mind there may be botheration to register each centre, take tax certificate each, become separate corporations in each state. That will train men how to do these things, and they shall develop reliability and responsibility, that is the point. I am little observing now, especially in your country, that our men are losing their enthusiasm for spreading on our programmes of Krishna Consciousness movement. Otherwise, why so many letters of problems are coming, dissatisfied? That is not a very good sign. The whole problem is they are not following the regulative principles, that I can detect. Without this, enthusiasm will be lacking. Even mechanically following, and if he gets gradually understanding from the class, he will come to the point of spontaneous enthusiasm. This spontaneous loving devotional service is not so easy matter, but if one simply sticks strictly to the rules and regulations, like rising early, chanting 16 rounds, chanting gayatri, keeping always clean—then his enthusiasm will grow more and more, and if there is also patience and determination, one day he will come to the platform of spontaneous devotion, then his life will be perfect. All of this I have told you in Nectar of Devotion. So I do not think the leaders are themselves following, nor they are seeing the others are following strictly. That must be rectified at once. Each centre remain independent, that's all right, but the president and other officers must themselves follow and see the others are following the regulative principles carefully, and giving them good instruction so they may understand nicely why this tapasya is necessary. And GBC and Sannyasis will travel and see the officers are doing this, and if they observe anything lowering of the standard, they must reform and advise, or if there is some discrepancy I shall remove it. Of course, if new men are coming, they may not be expected immediately to take to our regulative principles cent per cent. Therefore we should not be so anxious to induce them to live in the temple. Anyone who lives in the temple must agree to follow the rules and regulations without fail. So if some new man moves in with us he may become discouraged if he is forced in this way. Therefore let them live outside and become gradually convinced in the class why they should accept some austerity, then they will live with us out of their own accord and follow nicely everything. It is very difficult to give up very quickly so many bad habits as you have got in your country, so educate them gradually, first with chanting, and do not be so much anxious to count up so many numbers of new devotees, if such devotees go away later being too early forced. I want to see a few sincere devotees, not many false devotees or pretenders. So my point is that the regulative principles must be followed by everyone. Otherwise their enthusiasm dwindles and they again think of sex and become restless, and so many problems are there. There is some symptom of missing the point. The point is to be engaged in doing something for Krishna, never mind what is that job, but being so engaged in doing something very much satisfying to the devotee that he remains always enthusiastic. He will automatically follow the regulative principles because they are part of his occupational duty—by applying them practically as his occupational duty, he realizes the happy result of regulative principles. So the future of this Krishna Consciousness movement is very bright, so long the managers remain vigilant that 16 rounds are being chanted by everyone without fail, that they are all rising before four morning, attending mangal arati—our leaders shall be careful not to kill the spirit of enthusiastic service, which is individual and spontaneous and voluntary. They should try always to generate some atmosphere of fresh challenge to the devotees, so that they will agree enthusiastically to rise and meet it. That is the art of management: to draw out spontaneous loving spirit of sacrificing some energy for Krishna. But where are so many expert managers? All of us should become expert managers and preachers. We should not be very much after comforts and become complacent or self-contented. There must be always some tapasya, strictly observing the regulative principles—Krishna Consciousness movement must be always a challenge, a great achievement to be gained by voluntary desire to do it, and that will keep it healthy. So you big managers now try to train up more and more some competent preachers and managers like yourselves. Forget this centralizing and bureaucracy. Hoping this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS:sda • Email to a friend • •Sita-pati dasa, AU: Wednesday 14 September 2011 WorkoutFirst day at Crossfit King. I got a six weeks for $20 deal from Grabone.com.au. Warmup
Deadlift technique coaching Cindy workout
Time: 5m14s • Email to a friend • •Bharatavarsa.net: Bhakti Vikasa Swami: These people, so fallen, they cannot do anything (except chant)...there are so many processes how to get out of this material world, but Prahlada Maharaja and all the devotees, especially Caitanya Mahaprabhu, He has recommended that "Chant Hare Krsna." harer nama harer nama harer nama iva kevalam kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha [Cc. Adi 17.21] And that, you benefit. Very easy, you take it and chant it sincerely, without any offense. You haven't got to follow these, what is called, mauna-vrata-sruta-tapo-'dhyayana [SB 7.9.46]. It is not possible nowadays to be a very learned scholar in Vedic literature or to remain silent or to take some vow, then to remain in solitary place, then japa, samadhi, to remain in trance as the yogis try. They are impossible. They are recommended processes for getting liberation, but in the Kali-yuga it is not possible. So we are so fallen, it is not possible to execute all these processes. Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the mercy incarnation, that "These people, so fallen, they cannot do anything." So He has recommended a simple thing, kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha. Chant (devotees chant simultaneously) Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. >>> Ref. VedaBase => Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.9.46 -- Vrndavana, April 1, 1976 • Email to a friend • •Akrura das, Gita Coaching: VALUING PEOPLE"Most organisations are only paying lip service to their claims that they value their people."  "You are being promoted from 'ordinary guy' to 'ordinary guy who's been here a while'. Valuing people is essential for achieving high performance within an organisation. In many organisational cultures the relentless task focus and permanent busyness of the top executives meant that key relationships were undermined, people felt devalued and the quality of conversation was limited, which ultimately led to a detrimental impact on performance. People will not feel valued if no time is invested in them. Coaching provides a tangible way of valuing people and putting them first. A coach trusts that people have their own solutions and that they have inherent talent. He will help them realise that they matter by applying the essential coaching skills of listening, asking insightful questions, giving feedback and making suggestions. People feel valued if leaders and managers make the necessary investment of time and attention required for coaching conversations to take place. - Supercoaching, by Graham Alexander and Ben Renshaw  • Email to a friend • •Sutapa das, BV Manor, UK: Grateful or Great Fool?
 • Email to a friend • •Yoga of Ecology, Bhakta Chris, USA: Does America Need Manufacturing?  Gabriele Stabile/Cesuralab for The New York Times. Employees at the A123 Systems factory in Livonia, Mich. You can drive almost anywhere in the state of Michigan — pick a point at random and start moving — and you will soon come upon the wreckage of American industry. If you happen to be driving on the outer edge of Midland, you'll also come upon a cavern of steel beams and ductwork, 400,000 square feet in all. When this plant, which is being constructed by Dow Kokam, a new venture partly owned by Dow Chemical, is up and running early next year, it will produce hundreds of thousands of advanced lithium-ion battery cells for hybrid and electric cars. Just as important, it will provide about 350 jobs in a state with one of the nation's highest unemployment rates. Over the last two years, the federal government has doled out nearly $2.5 billion in stimulus dollars to roughly 30 companies involved in advanced battery technology. Many of these might seem less like viable businesses than scenery for political photo ops — places President Obama can repeatedly visit (as he did early this month) to demonstrate his efforts at job creation. But in fact, the battery start-ups are more legitimate, and also more controversial, than that. They represent "the far edge," as one White House official put it, of where the president or Congress might go to create jobs. For decades, the federal government has generally resisted throwing its weight —and its money — behind particular industries. If the market was killing manufacturing jobs, it was pointless to fight it. The government wasn't in the business of picking winners. Many economic theorists have long held that countries inevitably pursue their natural or unique advantages. Some advantages might arise from fertile farmland or gifts of vast mineral resources; others might be rooted in the high education rates of their citizenry. As the former White House economic adviser Lawrence Summers put it, America's role is to feed a global economy that's increasingly based on knowledge and services rather than on making stuff. So even as governments in China and Japan offered aid to industries they deemed important, factories in the United States closed or moved abroad. The conviction in Washington was that manufacturing deserved no special dispensation. Even now, as unemployment ravages the country, so-called industrial policy remains politically toxic. Legislators will not debate it; most will not even speak its name. By almost any account, the White House has fallen woefully short on job creation during the past two and a half years. But galvanized by the potential double payoff of skilled, blue-collar jobs and a dynamic clean-energy industry — the administration has tried to buck the tide with lithium-ion batteries. It had to start almost from scratch. In 2009, the U.S. made less than 2 percent of the world's lithium-ion batteries. By 2015, the Department of Energy projects that, thanks mostly to the government's recent largess, the United States will have the capacity to produce 40 percent of them. Whichever country figures out how to lead in the production of lithium-ion batteries will be well positioned to capture "a large piece of the world's future economic prosperity," says Arun Majumdar, the head of the Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E). The batteries, he stressed, are essential to the future of the global-transportation business and to a variety of clean-energy industries. We may marvel at the hardware and software of mobile phones and laptops, but batteries don't get the credit they deserve. Without a lithium-ion battery, your iPad would be a kludge. The new Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf rely on big racks of lithium-ion battery cells to hold their electric charges, and a number of new models — including those from Ford and Toyota, which use similar battery technology — are on their way to showrooms within the next 18 months. This flurry of activity comes against a dismal backdrop. In the last decade, the United States lost some five million manufacturing jobs, a contraction of about one-third. Added to the equally brutal decades that preceded it, this decline left large swaths of the country, the Great Lakes region in particular, without a clear economic future. As I drove through the hollowed-out cities and towns of Michigan earlier this year, it was hard to tell how some of these places could survive. Inside the handful of battery companies that I visited, though, the mood was starkly different. Many companies are working on battery-pack designs for dozens of car models. At the Johnson Controls factory in Holland, Mich., Ray Shemanski, who is in charge of the company's lithium-ion operation, said, "We have orders that would fill this plant right now." Every company I visited not only had plans to get their primary factories running full speed by 2012 or 2013 but also to build or expand others. Jennifer Granholm, Michigan's former governor, has predicted that advanced batteries will create 62,000 jobs over the next decade.  • Email to a friend • •Akrura das, Gita Coaching: COACHING MISSION, VISION AND BELIEFSThis is a mission, vision and beliefs of a UK coaching company Alexander Corporation. Our Mission We maximise performance, development and fulfilment by enabling people to go beyond what they thought was possible. Our Vision To ensure the achievement of measurable results in alignment with explicit business needs beyond what people thought was possible. Thus we have a life enhancing impact in the world of work. Our Beliefs
 • Email to a friend • •Srila Prabhupada's Letters1965 September 13:  • Email to a friend • •Srila Prabhupada's Letters1965 September 13:  • Email to a friend • •Srila Prabhupada's Letters1965 September 13: "Today is the 32nd day of our journey from Calcutta. After midnight the lurching decreased and I felt relief. In the morning I cooked 'Bati-chachari.' It appeared to be delicious and I was able to take some food."  • Email to a friend • •Madhava Ghosh dasa, New Vrndavan, USA: “Home Grown Tomatoes” by Guy ClarkThe following is a great and catchy tune that reflects my current state of mind. Unfortunately it isn’t vegetarian so I beg your indulgence and please do the following: when he says “bacon” think “tofu” , when he says “gravy” think “cream cheese” and when he says eggs, maybe “bread” or … suggestions?  Any volunteers who would like to redo this in a vegetarian rendition? Please send me the link to the video when you do it. :-) Filed under: Cows and Environment         • Email to a friend • •Srila Prabhupada's Letters1969 September 13: "So far the questions raised by your father, to understand God one must be purified. In contaminated state one cannot expect to understand the Absolute Truth. Our Krishna Consciousness movement is for bringing one to purified consciousness where one can understand Krishna."  • Email to a friend • •Srila Prabhupada's Letters1970 September 13: "Regarding the four Sannyasis, I am requesting them to not preach anything which may hamper the growth of our Society. Please try to help these boys and advise them on my behalf not to waste time in such fruitless endeavor."  • Email to a friend • •Srila Prabhupada's Letters1972 September 13: "Now go on teaching in this school and distributing our literatures and try to recruit some local men. For relying upon devotees from outside to come that is not very practical business. It is better to recruit some local men and train them to do the work."  • Email to a friend • •Srila Prabhupada's Letters1973 September 13: "When I came to Vrindaban for short periods I would stay at Radha Damodara Temple. I was staying in two rooms upstairs then one of the Goswamis asked me if I would like to stay in the two rooms below. The rooms were given to me on verbal lease for life."  • Email to a friend • •Srila Prabhupada's Letters1975 September 13: "Continue as you are doing and by the mercy of Caitanya Mahaprabhu you will be very successful. It is by His order that we are carrying this message all over the world. Now I am coming there and shall see you then."  • Email to a friend • •Srila Prabhupada's Letters1974 September 12: "The women are doing nicely, so why are they being changed from the pujari to Sankirtana? These are internal things, and you should not interfere. I do not approve. It should be the choice of the President."  • Email to a friend • •Madhavendra Puri, New Govardhana, AU: Won-Durr Boiz in Poland (Part 17) – Our Woodstock [Kostrzyn][The Won-Durr Boiz diary series is based on four ex-gurukuli brothers (surname: Durr) coming together for the first time to share Krsna consciousness with the outside world. Madhavendra Puri (the author and middle elder) has been waiting in Radhadesh (Belgium) for his brothers to arrive. Nitai Canda (the eldest) and Rupa Gosvami (the youngest) arrive first, and Bhisma Deva (the middle younger) is scheduled to come half way through. Their adventure takes them through Belgium, Germany and Poland, for rathayatras, festival tours and kirtana events. These diaries aim to bring inspiration and joy to the readers, and hopefully encourage others to entangle themselves in Lord Caitanya's Sankirtana movement – whether for the spiritual benefits or simply for the fun.]
Tuesday 2nd, August 2011.
I woke up feeling fresh. I spent some time in the morning with Prakash. It was nice to have another English speaker at base, and even an Aussie, to pass the Woodstock time period with. Amrtananda Prabhu approached us with a strange inquiry. "Maddy, can you drive?" he asked. I was intrigued where this was leading and soon found myself driving HH Indradyumna Swami's van to the Woodstock field. Amrtananda Prabhu needed to drive Maharaja's camper and I was taking the vehicle so we could drive back. There were already a few people already on the Woodstock field but it was nowhere near what it was going to be in a couple days.
On the trip home we made an inquiry about Jurek Owsiak, the organizer of the Woodstock festival, and Amrtananda gave us all the background. Woodstock had been going in Poland since 1995 and the devotees had been there since the start. Jurek soon became good friends with HH Indradyumna Swami, travelling with him to India on numerous occasions and also to Africa. Jurek told Maharaja that Woodstock would never be put on without the presence of the devotees. Jurek was a great friend and ally to have, and he really helped to make Hare Krsna's an accepted name in the otherwise sectarian land of Poland.
I returned to serve the VIP breakfast and then waited in anticipation for serving lunch prasadam. The VIPs were scheduled to eat lunch back in the Green School but the devotees were all being served on the Woodstock field, to encourage everyone to be there for the first harinam.
I started doing some research for my Bhakti Vaibhava essay and then a van arrived. HH Indradyumna Swami arrived with HH Bhaktivisvambhara Madhava Maharaja and Patita Pavana Prabhu. HH Bhaktivisvambhara Madhava Maharaja came and greeted me with affection. He now seemed like a spiritual uncle of ours, always asking about the Durr brothers whenever he sees me. All the VIPs settled to their different sections of the property to do their tasks and sadhana, and I eagerly waited for the lunch session so I could have a chance to serve them.
I was chanting my rounds in the parking lot and then HH Indradyumna Swami came out with Amrtananda. Amrtananda's hands were full of bags and Maharaja's hands were stacked with his bottles of "fire water" (fire water is a drink made of water, maple syrup, lemon and sometimes some peppers) whilst he was trying to make a phone call. I tried to spot the obvious and asked him if I could carry his bottles. Soon I was downloaded the task of carrying the whole stack, scrambling to keep it all together. The crowd loaded into the van and I tried to hand them back the bottles. I knew I was supposed to be on standby at the school so I was trying to unload the bottles and go back inside, even though I really wanted to join them for the first harinam. "Get in" said Amrtananda, in a commanding tone. I hesitated but he just repeated "get in." I went with the flow and let Krsna fulfill my desires, hopping into the back of the van.
We all loaded out on the field and the harinam party was waiting. Maharaja gave a short speech and then the party set out. I met my brothers there and we commenced on our first harinam together since childhood. It was a momentous occasion for our family and it was an amazing inauguration to the Woodstock experience. We managed to capture the scattered, early Woodstock audience and distribute to them the classy Krsna's Village of Peace fliers, which were whipped up this year by our good friend Harry. The kirtana came to an amazing end, which had me breaking the string off one of the wampers, whilst simultaneously dancing in ecstasy with my brothers.
There was some miscommunication from base with Maharaja and the VIPs stayed on the field, whilst their lunch remained at the school. The usual prasadam for the devotees also came late and we all surrendered instead to taking the Food for Life supply instead. Eventually HH Indradyumna Swami decided we should go on yet another harinam. I battered away continuously on the wampers (which were then repaired) until the finale once again.
When we finally returned to the base, Bada Hari Prabhu, Purusartha Prabhu and Madhava Prabhu were waiting for us. I had a warm reunion with Madhava and introduced myself to Bada Hari and Purusartha (who was playing bass for Bada Hari Prabhu). Caturatma Prabhu soon joined the ranks and we served them a late night dinner before the nicked off to bed. Purusartha Prabhu's baggage had been lost in transition so I also helped him get sorted with some fresh garments before we all went off to bed.
Wednesday 3rd, August 2011.
We served a massive VIP breakfast in the morning to all the assembled senior Vaisnavas. Everything worked out well and it was a welcome pleasure to serve them. I struggled to find good transport to the Woodstock field and eventually decided to walk. It was a forty-five minute walk, good for chanting some rounds, and I came to the back entrance of Woodstock. I saw all the filth and suffering which was characteristic of hundreds of thousands of young people trying to gratify their senses. As I worked through the crowded masses, I looked towards Krsna's Village of Peace, which appeared to be an island of joy in the ocean of suffering surrounding it.
I came into the Village and Radha Mohana directed me to the sound desk for some unknown reason. All of a sudden, I saw Cidananda Gaura (aka Cid) our good friend who had returned to the Woodstock festival with his family. Cid's visa applications were being delayed so he was stuck again with us on tour. I gave him a hearty greeting before spotting his brother, Srinama Vanamali Krsna Dasa (aka Vana) walking with Madhava. Everyone was asking me where Nitai was, their trusty stage manager, but it was a mystery to me also.
From the Village sprung forth a Rathayatra party, which purged into the masses. I wasn't armed with my Hare Krsna garb due to the walk but I decided to become a spectator in my undercover outfit. I took shelter of my camera and took photos from every angle. Despite my dress, HH Indradyumna Swami spotted me. He called me over and told me there was an issue with the sound. As soon as he said it, I could hear the faintness of the singer also. He told me to fetch Sadhu from the Village so I ran off to search him out. Sadhu came with me to the cart and started the whole festive life back up.
I met up with my brothers, all in their respective services. I bumped into Vaiyasakhi Prabhu, who decided to return to the base. He had an issue because his bags were with Amrtananda Prabhu, who was still on Rathayatra. I reassured him that I would fetch them, despite the van coming in only five minutes. I ran the three hundred meters there and back, panting when I reached the van, which was literally driving off as I caught up to it. I handed the baggage through the window and then they drove off with smiles on their faces.
I saw many new devotees on site, including a new set of devotees from the Aussie connection. Anantha Vrndavana Prabhu had come and was behind his photography camera as always. Premi, an old friend from Gurukula, had also come, who was set behind a video camera. Later I introduced Premi to Maharaja and pointed out how many Aussies were on tour this year. He was astonished to see the influx so he gave us some mild and encouraging words.
We performed the Gita drama yet again, this time for the Woodstock audience. It was an interesting experience performing in front of a youthful crowd, most of which were reasonably intoxicated.
I slipped out of my play gear after the show and decided I would walk off to the Red School, to see who was around and to check up on my internet addiction. After the addiction was sorted, I gathered into a small crew and we decided to continue the grand tradition of walking, making our speculative way back to the Green School from the Red School, in the middle of the night. The walk was good for clearing the mind, reminiscing about the amazing things that were happening and preparing for another gear up as Woodstock opened up its gates for the masses flooding in day-by-day.
Poland (16) . Poland (17)
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• Email to a friend • •ISKCON Malaysia: Food & Fun Fair In SJMKLBY FFL KUALA LUMPUR
• Email to a friend • •Australian News: Plane Reading for Part-time Babajis – a book by Braja Sorensen
Light reading for yogis, bhaktas, babajis, and wanna-be’s while traveling to India—and beyond. From the beginnings of my own personal spiritual path in a dusty outback town in Australia, “India & Beyond” starts at childhood and goes from cow protection to Jesus in Denmark, through to ganja smoking holy men, cult religion, spiritual equality, and old age, each chapter an often comic journey through the challenge that is India. It records some victories and even delivers some questions, and all of it viewed from front row seats in the Eastern Philosophy grandstand. Are you game? If you don’t have an e-reader, PDF versions are available here in the right margin, payment via Paypal Click here to see Braj’s blog Mayapur Days Share this story your way: Print Facebook Twitter Google Bookmarks StumbleUpon Yahoo! Buzz del.icio.us Digg Live MySpace PDF • Email to a friend • •Mayapur Online: HH Bhakti Charu Maharaj's ArrivalYesterday HH Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaj arrived a day early for the festivities. Many disciples, along with some of National School students were gathered at our main Mayapur gate to warmly welcome Bhakti Charu Maharaj. Maharaj first paid his respects to Srila Prabhupada in his Bhajan Kutir, and then made his way onward to Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir. • Email to a friend • •New Vrndavan, USA: Compostby Nityodita das Srila Prabhupada wanted NV residents to live directly from the bounty of Mother Earth and Mother Cow. He especially wanted devotees to grow their own food to offer to Krsna. In the winter of 1974, I moved to New Vrindavan attracted by that simple vision and immediately joined the garden crew under Tapapunja. My first service was to help construct a greenhouse at Bahulaban to grow food and flowers for the Temple. That spring and summer I worked outside in the garden and fields, planting, mulching, weeding and harvesting. Prabhupada gave us a vision that we have to be prepared for thousands of people coming to our farms! So we worked hard and made many mistakes wondering how we were even going to feed ourselves! In the fall, I was transferred to the Palace crew and never looked back! Decades passed and although I organized and participated in potato harvesting marathons when I was Temple President, I was seriously out of touch with the earth. As Varsana Maharaja puts it, I was no longer an earthling! This spring, having been liberated from hands-on management of the temple, I planted a small vegetable garden at my house. Not wanting to repeat the mistakes of my past gardening experience, I studied the principles set forth in a great gardening book called Square Foot Gardening. I followed the step by step method of creating my little garden. I made drawings, built the raised bed boxes and then, made my own soil! Yes! I mixed 1/3 compost, 1/3 vermiculite, and 1/3 peat moss and planted corn, carrots, tomatoes, peppers, squash, cucumbers, basil, thyme, parsley, okra, etc! Everything grew nicely and I had very few weeds! In studying about enriching soil with compost, I learned that proper composting kills weed seeds by the high temperature generated in the process and therefore is a safe way to enrich the soil. When I was making my soil mixture, I asked devotees if we had any compost at NV. I was disappointed to learn that although yearly we have tons of manure and tons of kitchens scraps and leftover prasadam, we do not have a single community compost pile or system. And although we have old piles of manure around the farm, they are sure to be loaded with thousands of unwanted weed seeds! Thus my interest in composting for Krsna was born. Last week Tapapunja Prabhu and I drove a half hour into Ohio to visit a commercial composting facility. We were greeted by Stanley, the owner, a wizzled old hippie from the 70s, who proceeded to enthusiastically give us a tour of his facilities. He has known Ranaka for years as NV used to buy grain from him for our hundreds of dairy cows years ago. He explained that years back he was also running a 400 cow dairy. To deal with all the manure, he had purchased and set up the equipment to efficiently process hundreds of thousands of gallons of raw cow manure to make what he called, the BEST compost! The process is simple but requires mixers, pumps and an expensive unit called an extractor. The extractors job is to squeeze the water out of the manure because manure is 85% water! What’s left after the extraction process is the essence, a stackable form of the original cow manure. That is then moved and piled in long rows called windrows. Over the next 4 months it sits there and is occasionally turned using a skidster to oxygenate it. With the action of millions of microbes the manure turns into beautiful compost, perfect to enrich any soil used in gardening, farming or landscaping! It needs no further screening because the cows stomachs have already done that work. And what happened to all that nitrogen rich water that was squeezed out of the dung? Stanley leads us to a pond that used to hold hundreds of thousands of gallons of the effluent where it was held until it he sprayed it onto the fields. This manure tea is a better fertilizer than raw manure as it has NO weed seeds in it BUT all the nutrition! A very nice process, indeed. When Stanley decided to get out of the cow milking business, he realized there was still plenty of money to be made in…….. compost….but with no manure, what to do? Well, Stanley…..knows that compost making is basically nature’s process that takes “useless” material such as manure, leaves, sawdust, food scraps, paper waste, grass clippings, branches, etc and turns it into a USEFUL soil amendment, the foundational building block for Eco Logical sustainability. So Stanley made deals with major grocery stores in WV and other sources of “useless” waste and trucks in tons of raw material to his farm. With a mechanical grinder, he blends these materials together, piles them in windrows, turns them over and lets nature take her course. Then he screens out any larger pieces and produces enough first class compost to be THE major supplier of compost for all the local nurseries, landscaping companies, parks, coops and serious gardeners in the area! In fact NV Community and individual devotees have bought compost from him for years! Now Stanley is willing to help NV set up our own composting operation. Of course, he would like us to buy his retired equipment at very reasonable prices. If we are seriously interested, he is willing to come to NV, assess our present facilities and equipment, advise and guide us and even engineer the whole operation! He is very qualified to do so, having an engineering degree from OSU and many years of hands on experience. He and his wife have also recently received Lord Jagannatha’s mercy. At last years NV Rathayatra festival, after hearing how it would bring him good luck to pull the Lord’s cart, he and his wife rendered service to Lord Jagannatha by joining the parade, taking up the ropes of the Ratha Yatra cart and chanting Krsna! Krsna! • Email to a friend • •Japa Group: Please Join The Japa Group
 • Email to a friend • •Mayapur Online: Appearance of Rangadevi and SudeviYesterday was the auspicious appearance day of the two twin sisters Rangadevi and Sudevi. Rangadevi is the seventh of the varistha gopis. Her complexion is the color of a lotus filament and her garments are the color of a red rose. She is seven days younger than Srimati Radharani.Her personal qualities are much like those of Campakalata. • Email to a friend • •ISKCON Toronto, Canada: Video: Surprise Send-Off Party for HH Bhaktimarga Swami
  • Email to a friend • •H.H. Sivarama Swami: Maria Singh asks about quadruple expansions
• Email to a friend • •ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Daily Darshan
• Email to a friend • •Akrura das, Gita Coaching: DEFINITIONS OF COACHINGCoaching is predominantly a non-directive method of working with people to enable them to tap into their own capability and, in the process, to find ways to perform more effectively, to resolve issues and to learn and grow. Unlocking a person's potential to maximise their own performance. Whitmore (1996) The art of facilitating the performance, learning and development of another. Downey (1999) Meant to be a practical, goal-focused form of personal, one-on-one learning for busy executives and may be used to improve performance or executive behaviour, enhance a career or prevent derailment, and work through organisational issues or change initiatives. Essentially coaches provide executives with feedback they would normally never get about personal, performance, career and organisational issues. Hall et al. (1999) A collaborative, solution-focused, results-orientated and systematic process in which the coach facilitates the enhancement of work performance, life experience, selfdirected learning and personal growth of the coachee. Grant (2000) A coach is a collaborative partner who works with the learner to help them achieve goals, solve problems, learn and develop. Caplan (2003) Primarily a short-term intervention aimed at performance improvement or developing a particular competence. Clutterbuck (2003) The overall purpose of coach-mentoring is to provide help and support for people in an increasingly competitive pressurised world in order to help them: • develop their skills • improve their performance • maximise their potential • and to become the person they want to be CIPD coaching courses definition (2004) Source: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (2004) Our definition is: Coaching is an enabling process to increase performance, development and fulfilment. SuperCoaching differs from coaching in that it maximises performance, development and fulfilment through achieving measurable results in alignment with explicit business needs. A Super Coach differs from a coach in having the experience and capability to ensure value in every coaching interaction and in enabling people to go beyond what they thought was possible. - Supercoaching, by Graham Alexander  • Email to a friend • •Gouranga TV: Kavicandra Swami HarinamaKavicandra Swami Harinama • Email to a friend • •Kurma dasa, AU: The Final Countdown
My Facebook page has less than 100 friend requests to go before it will not accept any more, since the ceiling is 5000 friends. I just thought I'd let you know. • Email to a friend • •Dandavats.com: On the Spot on 9/11By Giriraj Swami An account by Varsabhanavi dasi on October 28, 2001, in Visalia, California. Varsabhanavi dasi works for Merrill Lynch in Johannesburg, and her company offered her a course in New York City to help her develop her skills as a financial analyst. The Merrill Lynch building is just across the street from the World Trade Center, and she was there when the attack on 9/11 took place |
Bank Tibor about US forest fires, Fekete Iren about following the 4th in marriage, and Sadhaka dasa about communication with the guru.
