Planet ISKCON

By Kumari Kunti Dasi

November 2015 will be a month remembered in worry and fear for Muslims all over Europe, after the Paris attacks, yet again marked the tensions their religious community faces in Europe and the rest of the world.

Just a week before the attacks, from Oct. 26 – Nov 2nd, youth from all over Europe were building a network of peace and connection at the Religions for Peace Interfaith Youth Conference, in San Gandolfo Italy.

The outcome of the event was simple and hopeful – friendships and knowledge can break any barriers.

ISKCON-London was one of six other religious partners, sending five youth and one facilitator to the training conference entitled “Empowering Youth in Interfaith and Multicultural Peace Action” at the Focolare’s Mariopolis Centre in Castel Gandolfo, Italy.

The ISKCON delegation was all second generation youth from around London, took part in the seminars and forums in an active way, as well as lead a “moment of peace” for the entire assembly reciting the Mangalam Caranam prayers and the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra, as well as held evening Damodarastakam prayers where many youth form other backgrounds took part. More than 50 youth were present, representing 15 EU countries and all major faith backgrounds.

The week-long event was a rigorous schedule including back-to-back seminars such as the “Role of Interfaith Youth in the Building of the Future of Europe: Dialogue with Katarina von Schnurbein European Commission”, and “Training Youth Citizen Reporters”, “Changing Our Way of Thinking-Towards a Holistic Approach for Contributing to Peace.”

However, in between these lofty presentations was where the real learning took place. “How do deal with how people treat you in school?” Why do you think people in your country don’t understand your religion?” were some of the questions and discussions heard as one walked through the hallways and on the dining tables. The youth were setting deep set roots and making connections to the international community in ways that will last a lifetime.

As Said Touhami‎, a 21 year-old Sufi Muslim participant from the Netherlands, put it on the Religions for Peace internal Facebook group:

“In Roma [Castel Gandolofo is near Rome] we tasted a peace of Heaven. And if we only can taste a peace of Heaven when we are together. That’s only way to create one on earth. With eachothers differences, ambitions and qualities.”

By Kumari Kunti Sherreitt
ISKCON-London Communications

It’s coming very soon. And ISKCON devotees in 75 countries across six continents are determined to make their guru and Founder-Acharya Srila Prabhupada proud. In the UK, an avalanche of major, inspirational events for ISKCON’s 50^th anniversary are being planned throughout the year 2016, including some that will be tied into international efforts by all ISKCON temples.

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The post Daily Darshan : November 26th, 2015 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Forget to Remember, the new transformational short film from young Russian director Shaktyavesha Avatar Das, is now available online with English subtitles. The 36-minute Russian language short won second place at the viewer-voted Moscow film festival “I See God,” which is dedicated to work that explores different understandings of God.

Arjuna Krishna’s 3D Mobile free App, Live Wallpaper ( min video)
Everything which reminds us of Lord Krishna is useful! Let us bring Bhagavan to the center of what, for many, is their constant object of their attention :-)
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/eEupqw

Raval - The Birth Place of Radharani (8 min video)
Indradyumna Swami: Srimati Radharani appeared in Raval and later moved to Varsana when she was a young girl. The beautiful pastoral setting in Raval was a perfect place for our parikrama party to hear and meditate on the transcendental pastimes that took place there 5,000 years ago.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/VbWuUp

A visit to Sri Mayapur International School (Album with photos)
Sri Jahnavi dd: Last Wednesday Jayapataka Maharaj came to our school, he gave a very sweet and inspiring class. He said ‘I have faced many obstacles to come here today, but I really wanted to come to SMIS’ referring to a problem with the lift of his building.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/RQiJjg

Hence, although the situation seems to be very gloomy in this dark age of quarrel and hypocrisy, and people in general are ignorant and averse to spirituality, still there is a ray of hope in the form of chanting of the holy names of the Lord, which can not only counter all the ill effects of Kali Yuga, and relieve one of the pangs of material miseries, but also make one situated in the perfect stage of pure love (devotional service) with the Lord. Chanting the holy name of the Lord is especially advised in this age of kali, and described as the only means of deliverance. Continue reading "World Peace and Sanatana Dharma
→ Dandavats"

Henry Ford’s great-grandson was heading for ruin and then had a better idea: spiritual enlightenment. Now, 40 years later, Alfred Ford is spending millions to build a monument in India to the faith that brought him redemption.

Alfred Ford and Michael Glancy tour Europe in 1970.

By Jay Cheshes

Alfred Ford might have been any old corporate road warrior, in his pressed khakis and soft traveling shoes. He had come up from Calcutta, a three-hour drive along dusty roads clogged with mule-drawn carts, arriving in Mayapur, West Bengal, to look in on a big building project rising near a bend in the Ganges River.

In his VIP suite, across from the site, he slipped into a loose-fitting kurta and wraparound dhoti, a strand of beads creeping out from under his Indian shirt. A murmur of song began to rise in the distance. He caught the tune, barely moving his lips. “Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna, Krishna, Hare, Hare.”

For 40 years Ford has been repeating the mantra just as his guru instructed, 1,728 times daily, counting off under his breath while fingering beads tucked in a cloth bag around his neck. For all that time, Alfred Brush Ford—Motor City royalty, great-grandson of Henry, heir to a comfortable slice of his family’s $1.2 billion in Ford Motor stock—has been quietly living a double life. “I have kind of a split personality,” he says, “with one foot in one world and one in another.”

Source: http://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/money-and-power/news/a4350/alfred-ford-multi-million-dollar-monument-india/

November 26. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Another example of Prabhupada’s mix of worldliness and otherworldliness is his emphasis on book distribution. Prabhupada was not content to write his books on a palm leaf and just let them sit. He used book printing technology, although he said he was simply “blindly” following the order and example of his spiritual master. It took both spiritual acumen to write the books and down-to-earth practicality to transfer the spiritual message into type and then bind it. The book distribution was not a worldly activity, it required practical intelligence and hard work to accomplish. The difference between Srila Prabhupada and ourselves (there is a huge difference) is that we belong to this world and he was in another world. He always had Krishna on his mind. He could withdraw into himself and become so grave that he wouldn’t be present with us any more.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490&page=2

I am not “against intoxication.” I just haven’t had been drunk or high for many, many years, and have lived the majority of my life that way. It’s not because I am “against it.” It’s because I practice yogic mantra-meditation and rarely have much, if any, interest in drinking or getting high. When the opportunities for intoxication arise I simply find that I don’t have a hunger for what it offers, or that I have better ways of accomplishing the same effects.

I’m not “against” it. I just don’t need it.

I think alcohol is a useful, practical social thing. Alcohol and drugs are also a part of Vedic culture. Soma, for example, is an intoxicant, and is practically the most essential ingredient in Vedic ritual. Pot, aka Cannabis Indica is (as the “Indica” part indicates) a native and deeply rooted part of Indin cultures for centuries, if not millenia. In fact, the vast majority of really traditional Indian culture considers alcohol a dangerous drug, but employs cannabis as the safe and socially acceptable drug.

I don’t recommend or promote drug use, but that doesn’t mean I am “against” it.

If someone wants to be a serious yogi (including bhakti-yoga) and advance in their meditation (including nāma-japa), I would unequivocally recommend that they abstain from significant drugs like alcohol, cannabis, and so on, because the goal of yoga is to gain full control of one’s mental powers, and drugs actually work against that (though in some ways they present an illusory facade of doing otherwise) because drugs free our mental powers from our intellectual control – the opposite of what yoga works towards.

But it’s hardly realistic to expect everyone to seriously practice yogic meditation (even many of the people who have some degree of sincere initial interest in yogic meditation) so I don’t see the point of preaching to such people that it’s extremely important that they immediately stop using social drugs like alcohol and cannabis in normal social contexts and to normal social extents.

Even when I was younger and was a “straightedge hardcore kid” the militant stuff like “bring back prohibition” and “I’ll kill you for blowing smoke in my face” just made me embarrassed or amused (respectively).

I acknowledge that there is definitely such a thing as “substance abuse.” People get carried away with a lot of things, including intoxication. It’s the “getting carried away” part that seems to be the essence of the problem. Drugs do seem to be dangerously prone to “getting carried away with” – and/or they seem to have more dramatic impact when we do get carried away with them, so I certainly respect and applaud anyone – yogi or not – who abstains from intoxication for whatever reason. But that’s hardly the same as saying I’m “against it.”

Manu puts it nicely in Manu-saṁhitā (5.56). “There is no evil in eating flesh, getting intoxicated, and having sex, for these are natural behaviors of embodied beings. There is no evil in these things, but abstaining from them is a great virtue.”

Otherworldly

This is Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 4.21.34 & 35…

Some of the scholars in the assembly seemed unconvinced that conventional duties could grant transcendental results. After all, such things were material but transcendental results are spiritual. “Spiritual” and “material” are certainly like day and night, they thought.

Seeing the look of confusion on their faces, Pṛthu explained that this dichotomy between material and spiritual is not very valid or deep. After all, everything is directly connected to the Supreme Transcendental Godhead. “Yes, he is beyond the limitations of this world,” Pṛthu said, “but all the countless limited things of this world are in him, too. All the different materials we use, all the qualities and talents we have, all the deeds we perform, and all the words and songs we say and sing… all of them exist within him. The names and forms of all of them attain their true spiritual significance when they are dedicated to serving him, who is the intrinsic form of concentrated, completely pure and distinct consciousness.

“This material body is produced by consciousness interacting with several things: the external reality, time, emotions, and the inherent principles of things. So, ultimately, the material body is a product of consciousness, spirit. It is therefore capable of achieving the greatest spiritual results – just as wood is capable of producing fire.

“Different types of wood produce different types of flame, similarly different endeavors with the material body can produce different results, even on the spiritual plane.”

– Excerpt from an early draft of Part 4 of
Beautiful Tales of the All-Attractive
A translation of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam’s fourth canto

By Vraja Kishor

Parts 1, 2, and 3 of Beautiful Tales of the All Attractive
are available at VrajaKishor.com

Q: What’s the real reason for abstaining from onion, & garlic? I know that some sampradayas avoid from eating carrot too. Is it because they’re all roots of plants. We eat potatoes, but potatoes came to India later on, and maybe that’s why there is no rule about them?

It is an interesting theory, but then what about root vegetables that are a part of old Vedic tradition, like ginger, for example?

The onion/garlic thing is definitely mystifying, but I made a post about two years ago attempting to demystify it: Garlic Stinks?

Q: What’s the importance of initiation?

Initiation is a translation for the word dīkṣā. That word, dīkṣā, has two branches of meaning – one is “formal ceremony” and the other is “dedication of the self.” Śrī Jīva Goswāmī actually says that the best fullest meaning of dīkṣā is “the process of transmitting spiritual knowledge.”

The formal ceremony has its importance and shouldn’t be scoffed at or made light of. But in comparison the self-dedication to gaining spiritual knowledge (which is in fact the essence of the formal ceremony, as well) is the really important aspect of dīkṣā, or “initiation.”

With that in mind, it’s easy to understand “the importance of initiation.”

Q: One of the swāmīs I met told me that it’s impossible to get liberation without being initiated. Why is that, exactly?

Well, it should be clear why it is impossible to attain enlightenment without dedicating yourself to gaining spiritual knowledge (dīkṣā). But it is a dishonest mixing of word-meanings (probably unintentionally) to say that it is impossible to gain enlightenment without a formal ceremony (dīkṣā).

Q: What if, after some time, your ways become seperated from the guru, but you don’t break any of the basic 4 regulative principles? Will that initiation and your new spiritual name be still valid?

No, the bar-code validation on that initiation rubber stamp will have expired and require forms submitted in triplicate to the board of inquiry at Yamarāja’s district court.

Joking.

But joking to make a point that this “valid” concept is pretty weird.

The guru is the guide for your spiritual development. If you are moving away from one guru you are moving towards another – be it a traditional guru or not, be it human or not, be it another person or be it the voice in your own head/heart. Whatever guidance you are getting plays a huge role in determining where you will wind up, and how you will get there.

I think you would benefit by having a deeper concept of what “guru” is all about. I very recently made this video on the subject:

Q: Why do we put our index finger out of the bead bag while chanting?

Well, one thing is that a finger sticking out helps hold the bag on our hands. But besides that…

Different fingers represent different emotions and attitudes. The thumb expresses appreciation, admiration, and love (“thumbs up” then is probably no coincidence). The pointer/index finger represents ego and authority (we use it to tell people where to go, what to do, etc). The middle finger represents detachment (“Middle finger” = “I really don’t give a damn”). The fourth/ring finger represents morality (maybe its not a coincidence that its the place symbolic of our greatest conventional moral commitment – marriage). The fifth / pinky finger represents culture and refinement (Pinky in the air when you drink your tea).

We keep the pointer finger off the beads in as a mudra for keeping ego and prestige out of our spiritual practices.

We always chant with the thumb (love), and we usually use the middle finger to counterbalance, the finger of detachment. “Love for Krishna, detachment from ego.” vairāgya-yug bhakti. 

But I’ve heard that Hari-bhakti-vilāsa (or a similarly authentic book) says that chanting on the fourth/ring finger is even more productive.

–  Vraja Kishor das
please see my books and more at
www.vrajakishor.com

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(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 02 February 2005)

There is only one adventure, the big adventure of crossing the ocean of nescience and going back to the spiritual world. But you do not get it for nothing! You have to do better. You have to regularly look at your performance and think, “What have I done wrong? I have to do better!”

If you don’t do better, you will become dry and you will be a materialistic devotee. It is not cheap to become a pure devotee but we can! And if we don’t become pure devotees, the alternative is that maya will pull us down. There is no neutral stage, it is either to be ecstatic or to be harassed by maya!

It is one of the two. There is no “in between” and it does not matter where we hide – it does not matter whether we hide in the garb of a renunciant or whether we hide on a mountain or whether we hide in working very hard… still it may not be enough to save us from the harassment of maya until we get really absorbed, until we really get very serious about offenseless chanting! That is where we have to put our energy in!

Visakha Dasi has been a prolific author with her essays and books being widely appreciated by the Bhakti community and the Secular community as well. Her presentation of the timeless teachings of her Guru Srila Prabhupada in the Bhakti Tradition has been steady and deeply touching for many hearts. How did she start this service of writing? What keeps her inspired? What encouragement did she receive from Srila Prabhupada for this service? Watch this video to know more! For more such videos log onto http://www.bhaktiwomen.org/?q=content/BhaktiWomenShakti

How I Came to Writing and Srila Prabhupada’s Encouragement for That Service - HG Visakha Dasi (4 min video)
HG Visakha Dasi has been a prolific author with her essays and books being widely appreciated by the Bhakti community and the Secular community as well. Her presentation of the timeless teachings of her Guru Srila Prabhupada in the Bhakti Tradition has been steady and deeply touching for many hearts. How did she start this service of writing? What keeps her inspired? What encouragement did she receive from Srila Prabhupada for this service?
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/HR5oi3

Last Day Of Damodar Month At Iskcon Salem (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Krishna is the root of everything. IF He is pleased, everyone will be pleased. If you pour water on the root, the water will be distributed all over the tree. This is the best service to humanity. Letter to Mr. Karsan, December 2, 1976.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/dtybiH

"They claim to have done it in the name of God - far from it. Their work is the work of satan."

Rathayatra in Kumeu, New Zealand (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Vedic evidence is called sabda-brahma. The real essence of sabda-brahma is the chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra. By vibrating this transcendental sound, the meaning of everything, both material and spiritual, is revealed. This Hare Krishna is non-different from the Personality of Godhead. (Srimad Bhagavatam, 4.24.40 Purport)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/z0kjFS

"The Lord, being the performer of unlimited pastimes, is the reservoir of unlimited ecstasy. In loving him, our heart’s deepest longings for happiness will be perennially and perfectly fulfilled."

When we send our children to school obviously we hope that they will be taught the truth. Well, at least some of the time. It seems that painful truths may have to wait, such as the non-existence of Santa Claus

The Padayatra Worldwide Ministry headed by Lokanath Swami started to work on its offering of 50 padayatras on Gaura Purnima 2014. To this day 22 padayatras have taken place, 8 are being planned and 20 remain to be done by ISKCON devotees. ISKCON’s Padayatra Ministry is inviting all the devotees worldwide to participate in this glorification of ISKCON and Srila Prabhupada.

Eco-Ethical Integrated Sustainable solutions – Resolving Food, Water, Energy, Waste Nexus | Govardhan Eco Village – 31^st Oct and 1^st Nov 2015

By Nimai Lila das

Over the past few years, Govardhan Eco Village(GEV) has been making steady attempts to generate positive change waves on the social and environmental front through its multifarious programs and projects. GEV is frequently visited to witness a working model of spiritual ecology demonstrated with its efforts in areas like Organic Farming, Cow Care, Green building, Community living, Integrated waste management, Alternative Energy generation, Education, Rain water conservation, Floriculture and biodiversity projects. Today GEV is an acclaimed ecovillage showcasing a Symbiotic Development Model, wherein it utilizes natures intelligent design where in every system works in harmony with another. Against this backdrop, a two day National Eco conference titled Nexus Conference, which was a first of its kind event was held here. The conference was focused on the theme – ‘Eco-Ethical Integrated Sustainable solutions – Resolving Food, Water, Energy, Waste Nexus‘. The dates for the conference were 31^st Oct and 1^st Nov 2015.

The conference witnessed stimulating discourses, deliberation and dialogue in line with the above mentioned theme, under six major streams:

1. Water Conservation

2. Renewable Energy Management

3. Waste – Improperly used resources

4. Social Wellness

5. Biodiversity Conservation

6. Sustainable Agriculture Practices

The main objective of the Nexus Conference 2015 was to bring in ideas, views and experiences on integrated sustainable solutions from renowned speakers, practitioners & leaders and cast them into working solutions for a sustainable and synergistic future for all of us. Noted personalities like Dr. Claude Alvares, Dr. Sultan Ismail, Mr. Ajay Piramal, Dr. Amiya Sahu along with environmental activists like Mr. Arun Krishnamurty and Dr. M. B. Nirmal shared the stage in this two day event The conference took place at the newly constructed Yoga Studio facing the Western Ghats. It saw an outstanding presence of over 250 audience across all age groups and occupations. The biggest highlight of the event was the inspirational talk given by noted personality Smt. Kiran Bedi, who lauded the efforts of HH Radhanath Swami and the entire GEV team in her talk. The Nexus Conference 2015 was powered by Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India. The Conference was a success on account of the combined efforts of Govardhan Eco Village, Share Your Care, Artha Forum and Wada College of Management & Science.

The conference saw a fusion of knowledge and best practices from Eminent Environmentalists, Corporates, Spiritual Leaders, Academia, and Students. It brought forth valuable experiences and learnings in the respective areas of discussions. A common theme in all the sessions was the realization that environmental degradation has its close links to rampant exploitation of natural resources and our worsening human lifestyles, which warrants the dire need to spread Srila Prabhupada’s instruction of ‘simple living and high thinking’. The conference also brought home the importance of ‘Respect and Compassion’ in Environmental Conservation. It delved into the importance of water conservation and how by community initiatives our water bodies can be conserved. It underscored the importance of waste as a valuable resource. Even the food we eat can be sustainable if produced through organic practices without affecting the native vegetation.

The conference witnessed sharing of knowledge on best sustainable practices by providing an opportunity for exchange of ideas and views between the audience and the Experts. The best part of the conference was the GEV tour of the Symbiotic Development model by the experts themselves. This gave the audience an opportunity to witness the Internationally recognized and Award winning Govardhan Eco Village and learn from the experts themselves who helped to develop the Symbiotic Development Model. The venue was most opportune to host this one of its kind Nexus Conference. The Nexus Conference was a sure success and would continue to positively influence people in the days to come.

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The post Daily Darshan : November 25th, 2015 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Harinama Sankirtana in Moscow, Russia (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Lord Krishna stresses the importance of remembering Him. One‘s memory of Krishna is revived by chanting the maha-mantra, Hare Krishna. By this practice of chanting and hearing the sound vibration of the Supreme Lord, one’s ear, tongue and mind are engaged. This mystic meditation is very easy to practice, and it helps one attain the Supreme Lord. (Bhagavad-Gita 8.8 Purport)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/U1VA6P

The Messenger (34 min video)
Tribute to Srila Prabhupada performed by the students of the Bhaktivedanta Academy, Alachua, on November 14th, 2015.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/DFhVun

TOVP Facebook Page Reaches 250,000 Likes!
The TOVP Facebook Page recently achieved a landmark 250,000 Likes! All glories to Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and all glories to His devotees.
Find it here: https://www.facebook.com/tovp.mayapur

TOVP: Electrical Work Begins (Album with photos)
The first phase of the electrical work has started.
This phase consists in applying the conduits ( a tube for protecting electric wires) in the 8 staircases. This step must be done before cladding the walls with marble.
Find them here: http://goo.gl/gVfZsV

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