Planet ISKCON

His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaj gave a special class on his memories with His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada at ISKCON Seattle on 5th April 2016. Maharaj also sang the song by Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur – Suddha Bhakata Caran Renu. Please find the video of the same :

The post Memories with Srila Prabhupada – by HH Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaj appeared first on Bhakti Charu Swami.

Discussing Plans to Return to India

This afternoon myself and a team of 14 devotees arrived in Beijing, China. We were greeted at the airport by a small contingent of devotees who drove us to a facility outside the city which will act as our base for 18 days. The devotees have arranged for us to meet many important Chinese dignitaries [...]

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 02 August 2011, Flumserberg, Switzerland, Seminar “On the way to Krsna, we meet ourselves”)

Sanatana Gosvami makes an interesting statement about austerity for the devotees of Krsna which is: tapas or austerity does not refer so much to the troublesome austerity of the body as much as to one-pointed concentration of the mind. That is really nice – that our austerity is one pointed concentration of the mind. When I read that, it sort of struck a chord with me because we often speak about how difficult it is to fix the mind during chanting; we struggle with inattentive chanting. But I think it is not just inattentive chanting – it is inattentive living; we are guilty of inattentive living. Everything we do, we just do it automatically, inattentively. We do not remember Krsna in every situation. If simply in every situation we try to focus on Krsna, that would make a great difference.

TKG Academy Science Video (4 min video)
Take a look at how TKG Academy students explore Science every day! Listen to their discoveries in Krishna’s magical creation.
TKG Academy (Dallas, TX) is the first Gurukula school established in the Western world by His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-Acharya of the International Society for Krishna consciousness.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/djPvAM

Srila Rupa Goswami says one of the qualities of a devotee is patience. Lack of patience means we are hovering on the mental plane which is material. In material transactions, things fail or succeed in matter of time and we can witness that success or failure. We get a closure and move on. In Krishna consciousness, seemingly, it is endless. We chant, and chant and then chant and still feel we are in the same location. This perception of lack of progress is a mental yardstick which is a factor of time which is material. Since we are used to assessing progress based on time, we tend to assess our progress in Krishna consciousness similarly.

Actually, patience in Krishna consciousness does not mean like a mother waiting 9 months to give birth to a child, that is - the result is obtained after a certain time gap. That is material patience. In Krishna consciousness, patience means to realize our connection with Krishna which we have previously forgotten. To put it differently, the second we connect with the Holy Name and the spiritual master, we are instantly connected. No question about that! But we do not realize it from the depths of our heart due to our mental distractions. So the realization we are always connected with Krishna, for that idea to take hold in our hearts takes time and that means patience. Otherwise, without Krishna there is no question of anything existing.

As devotees, therefore, we should not doubt that we are disconnected and get frustrated and keep trying innovative so-called devotional techniques. Simply we follow the instructions of previous acharyas and perform our dharma materially and spiritually diligently praying to Krishna to give us the inner realization to see His Hand in all of our lives and through that inner vision, we will always be nourished and happy in our duties towards this world and Krishna.

For the prayer to work, we simply need to be focused and humble towards Krishna and gradually the dense fog of forgetfulness will rise to the point where we will see we were never separate from God or Krishna.

Hare Krishna

THE POWER OF QUESTIONS and MEDITATION ON WHO WE THINK WE ARE: A natural process for me, almost like breathing, is my daily and frequent contemplation to question myself as to what I am truly absorbed in, focused on, and desire more than anything else, and also my aspirations and highest ideals, or what I want to be absorbed in, and become.( My prayer life is full of sharing this with Krishna, and praying for the empowerment to best serve others by who I am, and who I am becoming.)

The answers to such questions are essential to understand as it tells us who we are, and what we are becoming, in this life and beyond. There are so many ways to say this from many spiritual traditions and also in the Success literature of our time. To me, this is one of the many benefits of facing inevitable death of the body, either today, or tomorrow. Here is a short free verse rambling from last year which expresses this:

What do you believe about your self
and what do you actually have faith in—
that is so much a part of you
it’s invisible, hidden, yet constant
like the air you breathe?
You hardly perceive it
but it’s your sense of self
that gives you a life attitude
like the scent of your body
which life, people and dogs can smell.

It follows you everywhere
like your shadow
determining how you think
what you give energy to by attention.
Coloring your outlook
it’s what you project onto life

read more

Despite the success of Vaishnavism as a worldwide phenomenon, there are yet some persistent difficulties faced by converts in understanding and implementing the ancient guru-disciple tradition. Partial understandings of source texts combined with highly selective use of quotes has only served to exacerbate the divisions of thought. This is particularly true of the writings on the delicate subject of guru-disciple.

This is probably as much as can be expected considering the prevailing climate. Whether we term it ‘post-modernism’ or not, the current intellectual and philosophical climate in the industrialised world has contributed to a particular perspective on the Vedas and the guru-disciple culture which is at its heart. The post-modern paradigm has several elements which may be helpful to the spirituality required to fully understanding the guru-disciple relationship. Conversely, it has some that directly militate against it:

1. Relational rather than hierarchical – Post-modern people are suspicious of the mainstream in any area of life and much prefer flat or networked organisations to hierarchies. Post-moderns want to humanise the world and are drawn to marginalised people; they are relationship centred. They give a higher priority to building a relationship than maintaining a building or structure. This view of the world probably helped to create the Hare Krishna movement back in the 1960s and 1970s.

However, as the role of the guru in the Hare Krishna movement has become augmented with organisational position and corollary power, there have been more complaints about the ‘position of guru’ being used to preserve the ‘institutional hierarchy.’ As the movement has gone from the social fringes to a more ‘mainstream’ position, the post-modern observers have re-categorized it from a ‘spiritual movement’ to a ‘religious institution.’ Although there is only a difference in size and complexity, that is enough for some to regard the guru-disciple relationship as an instrument of a religious hierarchy – and to react against it.

2. Spiritual rather than rational – Post-modern people, it is said, are more inclined to honour feelings along with rationality. They are drawn to signs, symbols and mysticism and love to hear stories of miraculous or mysterious experiences. Social psychologists suggest that this may have something to do with the ‘feminisation’ of society – and they may be partially right, since some aspects of masculinity are being challenged – but it may also be because spirituality itself has been subjugated to the principle of mere religious conformity for a prolonged period. The mystical element of religion, the tangible experiences of a higher reality, have been so rationalised away that people now crave this very real dimension of life.

Though all of this would seem to support people entering into the guru-disciple relationship, it has actually led, in some cases, to blind acceptance of self-declared, somewhat under-enlightened guru figures and belief in their pseudo-spiritual revelations. This alarming state of affairs has, by turn, led to the growth of evangelical rationality, as evidenced by the profusion of the ‘anti-God’ books written by neo-atheists. Within the Hare Krishna movement, this post-modern trend has often led to initial credulity of the guru’s qualifications, without any prior checking, followed by disenchantment some time later. Some post-modern Hare Krishna members have consequently become very influenced by the ‘new atheist’ writings and have placed rationale as their new guide to reality, completely foregoing their previous convictions in direct mystical experience. In this condition, some have rejected the Vedas entirely.

3. Explorative rather than possessive – Post-modern people dislike boundaries. ‘To travel is more important than to arrive.’ To explore is OK, to say that you have arrived is pride, and to then package what you’ve discovered is exploitation. They distrust notions of progress and tend to refuse to judge anyone else. They don’t like the differences between one person and another or between one religious group and another, and tend to want to de-emphasise them, preferring to think of every person and every path as equal. Again, this makes the Bhagavad-gita very interesting reading for them since Lord Krishna speaks of the soul present in every physical form and the inherent equality of all life. But the post-modern mind doesn’t like there to be any superior path to God-realisation because that makes others ‘inferior.’ Similarly, they don’t like the guru to be a person who knows it all and who can teach them. Rather, they want the guru to be more of an equal – a ‘soul friend.’ Of course, the guru is the best friend of the soul, but he is more, and must be regarded as more if the real benefit of having a guru is to be ever obtained.
4. Inclusive rather than exclusive – Because they don’t like to judge or pigeon-hole others, post-modern people tend to want to draw out the possibilities in others and seek to include them. Rather than regarding others in terms of their spiritual commitment or membership of a spiritual group, they would prefer to see them in terms of their potential. They are most likely to find some aspects of religious identity – where a spiritual practitioner chooses the company of like-minded others – as cultural aloofness or elitism. Buildings and organisational structures are not as important as the building of communities based on spiritual relationships.

Again, all of this may sound very good but a rejection of good discrimination can cause ineffectiveness in helping others. Different people have different spiritual needs, for instance, and require different approaches of teaching and guidance. And an extreme example of inclusivity in eating, for example, would see a vegetarian post-modern person sit down for a non-vegetarian meal out of respect for the dietary decisions of a friend. But not everyone’s dinner is suitable for an aspiring transcendentalist, and judgement is therefore required. Krishna speaks of categories of faith, practise, friends, types of personal discipline and stages of mystical revelation, and reality – according to Him, the One who sees reality as it really is – is made up differences between things, at least as much as similarities.

So although inclusivity is important, not everything or everyone can always be included in everything. Social inclusivity is no doubt the hallmark of Vedic culture since no-one is left out and everyone is on the path back to God. However, the disciplines necessary to develop higher states of awareness rest upon the ability to carefully discriminate between what to do and not; what to study and recite and not; what to eat and drink and what to avoid. After initiation the disciple is meant to honour the instructions of his guru above all others; and to practise the disciplines he has been given as a daily choice. Failure to do this – to try to establish a moral and spiritual equivalence amongst all instructions and all people – simply leads to the ultimate loss of regard for the guru and an inability to honour ones vows.

5. Culture friendly rather than ‘anachronistic’ – Post-modern religion, if a person chooses any religion at all, is religion a la carte. People select the ingredients with which they feel most comfortable. That will, inevitably, include elements of contemporary political or philosophical thought, speech, dress and culture being added to traditional time-honoured practises. They tend to view history as progressive and incrementally revelatory, a procession of human enlightenment leading to some ultimate revelation of peace and truth for all humanity. Ideas expressed in the past – simply because they were in the past – are less relevant than those expressed today. What this linear view of history does is to relegate the Vedas to a less enlightened period of human development, a period that produced some good ideas and noble thoughts, but cannot claim to have all the answers.

While intellectually a post-modern thinker may be drawn irresistibly to the logic of Vedanta he will almost unconsciously place a limitation on his beliefs since he anticipates another set of ‘Vedic’ revelations coming along soon. The guru-disciple relationship itself is also subjected to this view of history. The submission required to understand the Vedas may be regarded as an anachronism, as is the guru himself. The spiritual aspirant or disciple regards the guru as a helpful notion – for the people of another country, in another era – but can’t see the relevance of such an antiquated relationship in ‘today’s world.’ After initiation, the ‘post-modern disciple’ may begin to regard the vows he made as historical and therefore less relevant than those he might make today. By constantly reinventing himself in the light of his new experiences and understandings, such a disciple must be extremely careful not to reinvent himself out of his commitment to his guru’s instructions.

The added difficulty for anyone approaching the Vedas and the guru today is that none of us are accustomed to serving anyone in order to gain knowledge. If we need to learn something we simply pay a class or course fee, sit in front of the teacher, listen carefully and make notes. We don’t have to ‘surrender’ to the teacher or ‘make submissive enquiries,’ or make any extra effort to please the teacher by ‘rendering him service,’ all of which are recommended in the Vedas. There is no relationship we are obliged to enter into, and there is no question of ‘obedience.’ Logic also commands us to answer the question: “If the Vedas are written down and are now published in the form of a book, why can I not just pick up the book and read it?”

In the modern world, since 1450 at least, we Europeans have learned about the Divine through the medium of the printed word on paper. Great Protestant Christian martyrs have been publicly burned to death in England for daring to declare that God can be revealed through English language print. They suffered a painful end for insisting that no priest was required as an intermediary. If any lands are totally unsuitable for the guru-disciple method of teaching it must surely be the Protestant countries. These are the countries which rebelled against the notion that a priest was required to pass down messages from God or to take our prayers to Him. The Vedas would agree – to an extent. They explain that God does indeed reveal himself in the form of the written word – but that we can learn even more if we have a genuine guru.

In the early 21^st century the internet search engine promises to provide us all the information we can possibly take in. Never before in human history have we been able to access so much information, store it and share it with whomever we like. The invention of information technology has revolutionised human communication in a way never thought possible some decades ago. Surely this has changed the way we can learn and understand the Vedas?

But there is a difference between information and knowledge, and a difference again between knowledge of something and a true understanding of it. The development of a true apprehension of higher reality comes as a result of incremental mystical revelation. And that, say the Vedas, can only be obtained by serving the guru – the one who is speaking the words of God – and serving him as a representative of God.

In 1977 when His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaj was serving Srila Prabhupada as his personal servant, Srila Prabhupada would lovingly call  Maharaj as the famous cook. Here on 2nd April 2016, the fortunate devotees of ISKCON Seattle learn to cook bottomless pizza, simply spinach, vegetable stir fry personally from Maharaj.

The post Cooking classes by Srila Prabhupada’s “the famous cook” appeared first on Bhakti Charu Swami.

By Cintamani Dhama Devi Dasi

I know that if I really want to help my children, I have to help them become conscious of Krishna. To do that, I too have to become Krishna conscious. After all, you can't give what you don't have. Children are sensitive to hypocrisy. You can't tell them "Chant Hare Krishna, offer your food to Krishna, don't take drugs or have illicit sex" unless you practice what you preach. If we want our children to be devotees, we have to teach by our own example. To me this is a powerful reason to set the best example I can and to pray constantly to Krishna to help me do better. I don't want these children to suffer in ignorance and be forced to be born again. Since I love them, I want to help them get out of the material world. Continue reading "Increasing Our Dependence On Krishna – Raising kids and realizing Krishna do they go together?
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The post Daily Darshan: April 6th, 2016 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

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Iskcon Nepal: Brief Emergency Relief Report (Album with photos)
Food for Life Nepal was quick to respond to this massive earthquake that devastated the region.
• Volunteers started serving hot meals from the very first day.
• Over 200,000 meals served for 2 months.
• 2600 blankets distributed.
• Rescue Health Camp Organized in dozens of affected places.
• 47 Temporary shelters built with collaboration with Lumanti.
• Food Materials Distributed to More than 10,000 victims.
• Clothes or tents were distributed to more than1000 victims.
• We reached out to Nuwakot, Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Bhaktapur, Sakhu, Dharmasthali, Dhading, Gorkha etc.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/SaM3cf

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House program at Singapore

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The post A health update and my ensuing plan for this year, 2016 appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

One Voice Children's Choir, under the direction of Masa Fukuda, performs "True Colors" by Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly. Shot on location at the Holi Festival of Colors at the Radha Krishna Temple in Spanish Fork, Utah.

Harinama in Arbat Street (mainly referred to in English as the Arbat, is a pedestrian street about one kilometer long in the historical centre of Moscow.) (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Constant chanting of the holy name of the Lord after the ways of the great authorities is the doubtless and fearless way of success for all, including those who are free from all material desires, those who are desirous of all material enjoyment, and also those who are self-satisfied by dint of transcendental knowledge. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 2.1.11)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/bcPlwK

Snana-yatra 2016 Festival (Album with photos)
Snana-yatra festival at New Govardhana, San Diego. April 3, 2016
Srila Prabhupada: One cannot capture the blowing wind. And it is even more difficult to capture the turbulent mind. One must engage one’s mind fully in Krishna. Only then will there remain no other engagements to agitate the mind. (Bhagavad-gita 6.34, purport).
Find them here: https://goo.gl/nKla0R

Radha Kunda Seva - March 2016 Photos and Updates (Album with photos)
March was a quiet, uneventful month of steady seva. Cleaning and prasadam distribution every single day.
We could tell you about all the developments we’re waiting for because… well, because it’s India, but we won’t bore you with all that. I think you know anyway. Kitchen! We’re waiting to build our kitchen!
Only, we’re not waiting and twiddling our thumbs. Thanks to your ongoing support, we get to keep serving and serving.
Please browse our latest photos and join our efforts by visiting www.radharani.com.
Your servants, Mayapurcandra dasa, Campakalata Devi dasi, Padma Gopi Devi dasi, and Urmila Devi Dasi.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/6EQDsZ

Dear Devotees

Please accept my blessings, all glories to Srila Prabhupada.

I am writing this letter from Vrndavana, outlining my plans for this upcoming year. As you may know I am going to be 67 years old this year and to be honest I feel it. As Srila Prabhupada said, travelling takes a toll on a preacher. I feel that toll.

A turning point came after I surfaced from the bliss of participating in this year’s Prabhupada marathon. The physical strain seriously exacerbated a neurological condition that effects my spine, a condition with which I have been coping for the last two years. I won’t get into the details, but the physical effects are intense and unrelenting. If the condition gets out of hand, I could become disabled. Obviously I don’t want that to happen. There are other, currently secondary ailments, but in short, my body is rundown. So, I feel that the prudent thing to do is to both change my lifestyle and take a semi-break for this year.

By a change of lifestyle I mean that I will come to Hungary as planned, but I will not travel to other centres in Hungary, UK, Romania or Turkey. I will stay only in Budapest and New Vraja-dhama and make use of modern internet technology to give classes and to communicate with those places where I cannot physically go. And of course those devotees are welcome to visit where I am.

As for a semi-break, a period for recuperation, I plan on spending half the year in the Hungarian yatra’s apartment in Mayapura. That means being in India this year for most of July and August, October and November, and for the next year from January to April. In total I will be in Hungary for five months, with one brief visit to Istanbul and London.

Those rest periods will also give me an opportunity to spend further quality time in chanting and reading. So in effect it will be like a partial sabbatical. However I will continue to be accessible and I shall be on line to maintain contact with the yatra’s leaders and with devotees in general.

That is it in short. No doubt you will hear me explain this in further detail, in person. I look forward to seeing you all soon.

Hoping this meets you in the best of health and Krsna-consciousness
I remain you ever well-wisher in the service of Srila Prabhupada.

Sivarama Swami

The post A letter regarding my plans for this year, Gaura Purnima 2016-2017 appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

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Here are photos and recordings of Kadamba Kanana Swami from the Sunday Program on 03 April, taken at the New Jagannatha Puri Temple near Durban.

KKS_DBN_03April2016__NJP_SundayProgram_JRM

KKS_DBN_03April2016__NJP_SundayProgram_Lecture

 

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​Evening program at ISKCON, Perth

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North Indian Carrot Halava.
Kurma dasa: Since so many have asked, here is my recipe for carrot halava. It is not the usual milky version. I like this one better because the taste of the carrots comes through.
Unlike the Middle Eastern sesame based halva, Indian halavas are more like fluffy puddings, and can be made with grains, vegetables, fruits, seeds or legumes. In my ultra-simple version of the famous North Indian dish, fresh sweet carrots are shredded and cooked with ghee or butter and sweet spices, then folded with dried fruit and nuts to form an aromatic dense pudding. Carrot halava is delicious, and ideal when you want to prepare something a little different. Serves 4 – 6 persons.
2/3 cup unsalted butter, or ghee, about 140g
900g (almost 2 pounds) carrots, trimmed, peeled and coarsely shredded (weighed after trimming and peeling)
1 teaspoon powdered cardamom seeds
¾ cup raw sugar
¼ cup sultanas
½ cup toasted almond slivers, pistachios or cashews
Light cream to serve
Melt the butter or ghee in a large non-stick saucepan over low heat.
Add the shredded carrots, increase the heat to moderate and, stirring frequently, cook the carrots and butter together for 30 minutes, or until the carrots are very reduced, dry and completely soft.
Add the powdered cardamom, sugar, and sultanas, and stirring steadily to prevent scorching, cook for about 10–12 minutes, or until the orange coloured ghee oozes out of the pudding, and the mixture is again nearly dry. Remove the carrot halava from the heat, fold in the nuts and serve hot or warm.

By Shyamasundara Dasa

The name of King Kulasekhara Alvar is well known to the followers of Srila Prabhupada. His Divine Grace used to relish with great ecstasy the Mukunda Mala Stotra written by this great saintly king. This stotra is commonly known in ISKCON as the Prayers of King Kulasekhara. Though his name is well known, for most devotees, very little is known about Maharaja Kulasekhara. We shall now try to remedy this lacuna by presenting a concise synopsis of his life. But before we start we must briefly answer the question-- Who are the Alvars? Continue reading "The Life of King Kulasekhara – a great Rama Bhakta
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By Shyamasundara Dasa

The following history from the Valmiki Ramaya is full of import for anyone who wants to be a guru, GBC, temple president or leader in ISKCON or any spiritual institution. "Sri Rama said to Laksmana who was seated there and who was characterized by auspicious marks, ‘O Long-armed Laksmana! Go out and call by turn those, who have come with some business’. Having listened to Sri Rama’s order, Laksmana endowed with auspicious marks, going to the palace-gate himself called those who had come with some request. Continue reading "The incident of Lord Rama and the Dog
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​Saturday feast program at ISKCON, Brisbane

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