QA tradition brings intellectual vibrancy to bhakti
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Srimad Bhagavatam class at Denver

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Manage the mind through introspection and meditation
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Talk at University of Colorado

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How to realize the true nature of religion?
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Dharma or religion is of two types (1) material and (2) spiritual . Normally, when people talk about religion or god, it is the material version. That sort of religion is primarily practiced for selfish reasons. Men have unlimited desires so the reasons to practice religion selfishly is also unlimited. By and large these desires are to promote one's own family, social, economic and political status. In short, material opulence and selfish desires impel one to practice some sort of religion. However, we see in today's day and age, even that sort of religious adherence is declining because people find alternate avenues to satisfy their passions. As a result, all places of worship today is either closed or functioning as a cultural relic.

Srila Prabhupada very astutely captures this idea in his book Teachings of Lord Chaitanya.

Thus driven by sense gratificatory consciousness, men perform religious rituals and pious activities with the aim of acquiring some material gain. But if such material gain is obtainable in another way, this so-called religion is neglected. This can be seen in modern human civilization. Since the economic desires of the people appear to be fulfilled in another way, no one is interested in religion now. The churches, mosques and temples are practically vacant, for people are more interested in factories, shops and cinemas than in the religious places erected by their forefathers. This definitely proves that religious rituals are generally performed for the sake of economic development, which is needed for sense gratification. And when one is baffled in his attempt to attain sense gratification, he takes to the cause of salvation in order to become one with the supreme whole. All these activities arise with the same aim in view – sense gratification. - Ch 23 Teachings of Lord Chaitanya

Unless we address our material desires for this world in a sober and balanced manner, it would be very difficult to have any meaningful realization of the true nature of religion or dharma.

Hare Krishna

Hare Krishna! Do We Complain Too Much? While performing our…
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Hare Krishna! Do We Complain Too Much?
While performing our services according to ability and inclination, mistakes will be expected. The tendency to highlight those as faults can be habitual, which has the effect of being caught up in a cobweb. If we persist in complaining about faults, thinking we are still advancing in spiritual life, without any ill effects to our health or well-being, will solidify to become steel cables. The fact that the mind is attracted to flying towards the sores of others’ mistakes is evident the Lord is displeased. Such behavior is really a selfish activity. How so? More often than not, if we are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but due to our own estimation of it, and we have the power to revoke it by becoming more Krsna conscious.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=2018

Medical Practitioners Meet and Retreat At Gita Nagari Yoga Farm …
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Medical Practitioners Meet and Retreat At Gita Nagari Yoga Farm
More than 50 ISKCON medical practitioners—doctors, nurses, medical technicians, Ayurveda experts and other healthcare professionals—gathered at the Gita Nagari Yoga Farm in rural Pennsylvania on September 25-27 for a three-day event, the “North American ISKCON Medical Professionals Retreat.” The event was organized by four doctors, Lila Manjari dasi, a Psychiatrist from Columbus, Ohio; Premvilas das, a physician of Internal Medicine and his wife Lalita dasi, a physician in Family Practice and Palliative Care, both from Columbus; and Acyuta Gauranga das, a Vascular Surgeon from Detroit, Michigan.
Read the entire article here: http://goo.gl/OWo8dN

FATAL FAT Chaitanya Charan Das: Obesity and all other…
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FATAL FAT
Chaitanya Charan Das: Obesity and all other indulgence-induced problems originate from the presumption that material enjoyment is the only enjoyment available to us – and so we must have it, whatever the cost. But the Vedic scriptures – and indeed all the great spiritual texts – inform us that this presumption is a misconception. We are intrinsically spiritual beings. Our deepest fulfillment comes from having a satisfying relationship with God. The unlimited inner happiness thereof is our birthright, but being spiritually uninformed, we are searching in vain for that infinite happiness in the realm of finite matter. Most people assume that they can’t enjoy life because they don’t have enough money. But obesity statistics show that, even if they get all the money in the world to eat whatever they like as much as they like, still they will not be able to enjoy unlimitedly because their body limits their capacity to enjoy – inescapably.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=2202

The spiritual world
→ KKSBlog

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 19 September 2015, Midrand, Johannesburg, Lecture)

kks_RY

When one corner of the spiritual world becomes covered by a cloud of illusory energy then Krsna cannot be seen, nāhaḿ prakāśaḥ sarvasya, yoga-māyā-samāvṛtaḥ, mūḍho ’yaḿ nābhijānāti, loko mām ajam avyayam (Bhagavad-gita 7.25), Krsna becomes covered by his yogamaya energy.

āvṛtaḿ jñānam etena, jñānino nitya-vairiṇā, kāma-rūpeṇa kaunteya, duṣpūreṇānalena ca (Bhagavad-gita 3.39), Krsna becomes covered when lust is burning in the heart. In this way, the living being resides in this covered portion of the spiritual world. Somehow, due to the illusory energy, living beings are thinking that they are in the material world but Srila Prabhupada pointed out that we are actually in the spiritual world right now. There is nothing separating us from the spiritual world other than our own illusion.

It is not that after a lot of hard work in devotional service, after chanting many, many rounds and after being a very good devotee then may be/possibly/theoretically speaking it could happen that at the end of this life, one might actually go back to Godhead… and it is a long, long journey. No, it is instantaneous.

It is not a physical journey, it is a journey of becoming aware of that other dimension and once that other dimension is there, we are there – it is not like a long drive to the spiritual world…

 

Kirtan Fest Brazil One of the most expected events of ISKCON…
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Kirtan Fest Brazil
One of the most expected events of ISKCON Brazil provides us with a great deal of enthusiasm and makes sure that there is no other way except get the shelter of Maha Mantra Hare Krishna. This year, KIRTAN FEST will give even more emphasis to the chanting of the holy names with lectures conducted by Purushtraya Swami, Yamunacarya Goswami, Lokasaksi Prabhu and Setukara Prabhu who dedicated their lives to this sublime process. The kirtans will be even more inspiring with the participation of large Brazilian kirtanyas, besides the presence of Amala Kirtan Das and Krishna Gour Das. The prasadam will be prepared by the best-known chefs of ISKCON Brasil and their famous dishes. Children will have a special space: KIRTAN FEST KIDS, with activities. All this will take place in New Gokula, Radha Gokulananda’s house.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20135

Hare Krishna! Representing ISKCON in a religious assembly On 27…
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Hare Krishna! Representing ISKCON in a religious assembly
On 27 September 2015 His Holiness Lokanath Swami was invited by High Highness Divyasinghdev Gajapati Maharaj, the current king of Jagannath Puri to celebrate the 100th birth anniversary of Swami Chidanand Sarasvati. More than 8,000 people had gathered from all over India to attend this festival in the land of Lord Jagannath. Moreover, it was a wonderful preaching opportunity to represent Krishna’s holy name in front of a large religious assembly. There were many organisations such as the Ramakrishna Math, Divine Life Society and Chinmaya Mission.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20130

Devotees Chant with Mongolian Orphans
→ ISKCON News

Much of the Mongolian population lives below the poverty line and many families struggle just to get by. It is common, especially in the capital Ulaanbaatar, to see children who have been abandoned. They are typically a product of social upheaval caused by alcoholism, rapid urbanization and poverty. Little is known of the history of most of the 80 children in the orphanage Indradyumna Swami and his group visited in Erdenet. Many were abandoned at birth in hospitals, or left simply on the side of the road. (A video by Ananta Vrindavan.)

Kirtan in the Gobi Desert, Mongolia
→ ISKCON News

In 1996, several foreign devotees who were visiting Mongolia, held kirtan in the streets of the capital, Ulaanbaatar. They were immediately caught and deported. For almost 20 years now the streets of the country have remained silent of the singing of Krishna's holy names. ISKCON's renewed status as a religious organization, however, now allows devotees to sing freely everywhere with prior permission. (Video by Ananta Govinda)

Presuppositions
→ Servant of the Servant

The “four pillars” of evidence supporting the Big Bang theory are:

  1. The observable expansion of the Universe.
  2. Origin of the cosmic background radiation.
  3. The abundance of light elements.
  4. Formation of galaxies and large-scale structure.
The above evidences are valid only if we assume (presuppose) that the universe and its laws are uniform at all times and in all places (the universe by the way is so big even scientists do not have a complete idea). Because modern scientific methods can never test the presuppositions of science, in my opinion, science is founded on principles of faith.

"Nowhere in science do we start from scratch. There is only one place where we can start, that is from where we are...Science is no miraculous creation out of nothing, no spontaneous generation of knowledge from ignorance. When presuppositions are denied a logical status, we remain mired in skepticism" - Abraham Kaplan (philosopher).

"For science does not have any choice about whether or not to accept presupposition of the species-individual structure. It must accept it because, any classification, induction, and gathering of experience in certain laws would be entirely impossible. For there would be an infinite series of experiences without any possibility of connecting one experience with another" - Andrew van Melsen (philosopher)

The quotes from modern philosophers question the objectivity of science as science cannot be purely objective. The bottom line is we are limited beings with limited access to the natural world. If we can recognize this limitation within our knowledge system, we can be more open to other avenues of knowledge gathering.

Hare Krishna

Hold On To Your Beads!
→ Japa Group

In the beginning, the rock stubborn, lazy mind will rebel with a thousand excuses and obstacles to foil one's attempt to implement the three M's. Persevere; hold on to your beads! By the mercy of Sri Guru and Gauranga one will patiently progress through the three stages of method, mood and mellow.

From Art Of Chanting Hare Krsna
by Mahanidhi Swami

Bhaktivinoda Thakur
→ Ramai Swami

th-1th-2image

Carana Mitra, a Calcutta High Court Judge, wrote:

“I knew Thakur Bhaktivinoda intimately as a friend and a relation. Even under the pressure of official work as a magistrate in charge of a heavy subdivision he could always find time for devotional contemplation and work, and whenever I met him, our talk would turn in a few moments to the subject of bhakti and dvaitadvaita-vada and the saintly work that lay before him. Service of God was the only thing he longed for and service under the government, however honourable, was to him a clog.”

The appearance of Bhaktivinoda Thakur was observed by the devotees at Jagannatha Gauranga Mandir, Bali.

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Iskcon Brampton celebrates the World Holy Name Week (WHNW) Oct 3rd, 2015 from 11:00am to 4:00pm
→ ISKCON Brampton

World Holy Name Week:

An important GBC initiative, to glorify Srila Prabhupada and Holy Names – World Holy Name Week (WHNW) has begun already(Sep 24-Oct 4,2015). This year it’s very special as it marks the 50th anniversary of Srila Prabhupada’s arrival in the west and bringing the Holy Names to the shores of the western world.
That World Holy Name Day is made an annual program for all ISKCON centers. The observance of the World Holy Name Day is to be held in connection with the anniversary observances of Srila Prabhupada’s arrival in the USA Sept. 17, 1965
(GBC resolution 2006)
On seeing the tremendous success and potential of this event, in 2008 GBC has resolved ‘World Holy Name Day’ into ‘World Holy Name Week’ and to celebrate this event for an extended period of time.We at ISKCON Brampton will be celebrating this event on October 3rd.
There are limitless ways to spread and glorify Holy Names.
 
Program:
11:00 - 11:30 am -Discourse - HG Vaishnava Prabhu
11:30 - 12:00 pm -Japa session - HG Vaishnava Prabhu 
12:00 - 12:30pm-  Kirtan  
12:30 - 1:00 pm -  Kirtan  
1:00   - 1:30 pm -  Kirtan 
1:30   - 2:00 pm -  Kirtan
2:00   - 2:15 pm -  Light Prasadam
2:30   - 4:00 pm -  Book distribution (subzi mandi - McLaughlin/Ray Lawson)

“How to conquer our attachments” (6 min video) Do…
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“How to conquer our attachments” (6 min video)
Do you find yourself stuck due to attachments, though earnestly you want to make spiritual progress? Srila Prabhupada sets us free by urging us to “lift our anchors”. Please watch this video where we discuss practical ways to conquer our attachments to be free to meet our Lord in the spiritual sky.
Flow of the video:
1. Only pure love qualifies us to go back to Krsna.
2. Discussion/Examples of how our attachments are blocking our progress.
3. How to let go of the anchor.
4. Example of two boats going in opposite directions.
5. Choice is ours!
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/ZjaKZY

Hare Krishna! Before I Die… Ananda Vrindavanesvari Devi: The…
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Hare Krishna! Before I Die…
Ananda Vrindavanesvari Devi: The Gita teaches that wherever our mind is at the time of death, that will determine our next destination. Better not leave that to chance as our mind is undependable. In a split second it goes off on any emotion, both good and bad. Before we die, therefore, we need to practice what state of mind we want to be in at the time of death. That’s the practice of Bhakti. If our heart is filled with affection for Krishna, then at that critical moment we will call out to Krishna, and place our heart, and therefore our mind there. Love conquers all, especially the mind. If we love Krishna, that is where we will go for shelter. And that is where we will go at the time of, and after, death.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20127

Welcoming Rohini Priya das Back to Toronto!
→ The Toronto Hare Krishna Temple!

The Toronto Hare Krishna Temple is excited to announce that HG Rohini Priya das will be back in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) from October 2nd to 6th!  He will facilitating programs all around the GTA, including the Sunday Feast discourse on Sunday, October 4, 2015.

His Grace Rohini Priya Das Prabhu graduated as a doctor of Medicine from Mumbai university but decided to dedicate his life in the service of Lord Krishna.  He is a senior brahmachari (monk) at ISKCON's Sri Radha Gopinath mandir at Chowpatty,Mumbai,India. He is currently serving as the Vice President at ISKCON Chowpatty in Mumbai.

For the last 19 years he has not only been practicing Krishna Conciousness but has been actively distributing the message of Bhagavad Gita to thousands of Engineering , Medical students and other professionals all over India.

He also travels widely to USA, UK, Singapore, Malaysia, Mauricious, Nepal and Canada and delivers various seminars on Krsna Consciousness.  He also delivers various seminars in Universities and other ISKCON centers.

Pictures from the Community Town Hall
→ The Toronto Hare Krishna Temple!

This past Sunday, September 27, 2015, the management of the Toronto Hare Krishna Temple - the Temple Council - hosted their latest "Community Town Hall".  Pitched as an opportunity for our congregation to hear about accomplishments, challenges and financial updates since the last Community Town Hall, the attendance was small but solid.

When the presentation opened up to the attendees to share ideas, concerns, suggestions and more, a wonderfully lively conversation ensued with highlights including, among other things:

  • suggestions about improving seating in the Prasadam Hall and Green Room
  • requests for regular financial updates
  • feedback about recent Janmastami celebrations
  • suggestions for better flower storage
  • feedback about our Ratha-Yatra festival and more!

Check out some pics below:
...

Radhastami Celebrations Video & Audio
→ The Toronto Hare Krishna Temple!

On September 21, 2015, the Toronto Hare Krishna Temple celebrated the wonderful festival of Radhastami. Festivities included, kirtan prasadam a class and more!  We are happy to share a nice video which summarizes the festival, made by one of our regular temple attendees, Carolina.  There is also another video from our dear Sathi prabhu who faithfully captures most big festivals at the temple.

We also have included audio recordings from the festival as well.  The festival was certainly very special and now you can experience it all over again through the video and audio below!




 

Traveling and preaching in Mongolia (6 min video) Indradyumna…
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Traveling and preaching in Mongolia (6 min video)
Indradyumna Swami: We’re on the road again, taking the holy names of Krsna to as many towns and villages as we can during our 3,500-kilometer journey through the remote areas of Mongolia. There’s a special satisfaction pioneering Krsna consciousness in a place where people have never seen devotees before, or heard of Lord Caitanya. Yesterday in Darhan people immediately crowded around us as we began Hari Nama, eager to hear our message and buy books. Some of them followed us back to a hall where we had a two-hour program. Step by step we are conquering the hearts of the people of this beautiful country.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/3IJGDu

Hare Krishna! Interview with Bhakti Rasamrita Swami – Pandava…
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Hare Krishna! Interview with Bhakti Rasamrita Swami – Pandava Sena Alumni
A special interactive interview with HH Bhakti Rasamrita Swami. This session was a discussion on the modern application of Krishna Consciousness and took the format of an interview by Nanda Parkinson (Chat Show Host). We also had 30 minutes for QnA from the audience
Watch it here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20123

Follow the leader
→ KKSBlog

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 15 September 2015, Durban, South Africa, Kirtan at NJP)

mayapur_2013Kirtan means that we have to listen. Just like in chanting japa, in kirtan there is also inattentive chanting. Inattentive chanting means that we sing something else than what the leader is singing and that is what you are doing. Of course, it is very beautiful what you are singing but it is something else. So let us try again. There are some varieties in the tune, it is not just staying the same all the time which means that you have to really listen each time and not go on automatic pilot. There is no automatic pilot in kirtan.

 

Hare Krishna! Former Premier among 15,000 other guests at…
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Hare Krishna! Former Premier among 15,000 other guests at Australia’s Albert Park Iskcon Temple
The devotees thanked the former premier for helping in getting 500 K grant for Albert Park Temple’s “Kitchen Project” In his speech, Mr Baillieu thanked the Victorian Indian and Hindu community for their overall contribution to Victoria and Australia. During the informal chit-chat about the upcoming kitchen project, Mr Baillieu’s cooking skills came under discussion. ISKCON devotes said they would love to see Mr Baillieu’s cooking skills at the upcoming kitchen, and the former premier said he would be more than happy to oblige.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20119