Renowned Audiobook Narrator Amala-bhakta Das Takes Sannyasa at 83
→ ISKCON News

Born in New York City, Amala-bhakta Swami worked in motion pictures in California before beginning a search for the true purpose of life. Moving back to New York in 1957, he studied and then began teaching ashtanga yoga, establishing his own yoga center and amassing a following of 400 disciples. In 1976 he moved to Los Angeles to join the ISKCON temple there and receive initiation from Srila Prabhupada.

Hare Krishna! Another Dimension – Ukraine Television…
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Hare Krishna! Another Dimension – Ukraine Television Interview
Another Dimension – Ukraine Television Interview with Bhakti-Chaitanya Swami. The process of systematically cultivating transcendental consciousness by offering loving service to the Supreme Living Entity upon Whom all is resting and depending. Bhakti yoga and the chanting of Hare Krishna.
Watch it here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20153

A Christian meditation: Acknowledge your blessings I dreamt that…
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A Christian meditation: Acknowledge your blessings
I dreamt that I went to Heaven and an angel was showing me around. We walked side-by-side inside a large workroom filled with angels.
My angel guide stopped in front of the first section and said, ‘This is the Receiving Section. Here, all petitions to God said in prayer are received.’ I looked around in this area, and it was terribly busy with so many angels sorting out petitions written on voluminous paper sheets and scraps from people all over the world.
Then we moved on down a long corridor until we reached the second section. The angel then said to me, 'This is the Packaging and Delivery Section. Here, the graces and blessings the people asked for are processed and delivered to the living persons who asked for them.’
I noticed again how busy it was there. There were many angels working hard at that station, since so many blessings had been requested and were being packaged for delivery.
Finally at the farthest end of the long corridor we stopped at the Door of a very small station to my great surprise, only one angel was seated there, idly doing nothing. 'This is the Acknowledgment Section,’ my angel friend quietly admitted to me. He seemed embarrassed 'How is it that there is no work going on here?’ I asked.
'So sad,’ the angel sighed. 'After people receive the blessings that they asked for, very few send back acknowledgments.’
'How does one acknowledge the blessings?’ I asked.
'Simple,’ the angel answered. Just say, 'O Lord! Let me be grateful to You for all Your blessings upon me.’ (Or chant “Hareee Krishna”!)

Where Should We Chant?
→ Japa Group

When and where should we chant? During the Brahma Muhurta hour is ideal and in a peaceful non-distractive environment.
The main thing is not to allow ourselves to get distracted by anything around us, so choose a good place away from your normal activites (computer, cell phone etc.).

How can we differentiate between Krishna and Maya in subtle situations?
→ The Spiritual Scientist

Answer Podcast:


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How does the existence of the finite point to the existence of the infinite?
→ The Spiritual Scientist

Answer Podcast:


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

Lecture Podcast:


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Manage the mind through introspection and meditation
→ The Spiritual Scientist

Talk at University of Colorado

Lecture Podcast:


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How to realize the true nature of religion?
→ Servant of the Servant

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…
→ Dandavats.com



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)