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Thaipusam Book Marathon 2015 (Album 98 photos)
Sri Jagannatha Mandir,ISKCON Malaysia HQ
See them here: http://goo.gl/5sksK9

Hare Krishna! Mayapur Sanga of ISKCON Sannyasis, Gurus and GBCs – Day Two
The discussions were dynamic and pertinent, and then the participants broke for lunch. After lunch, the participants stood before a large banner on the wall with an important excerpt from a letter from Srila Prabhupada: “This is called unity in diversity. I am therefore suggesting that all our men meet in Mayapur every year during the birth anniversary of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. With all GBC and senior men present we should discuss how to make unity in diversity. But, if we fight on account of diversity, then it is simply the material platform. Please try to maintain the philosophy of unity in diversity. That will make our movement successful.” Giriraja Swami, Radhanath Swami, and Anuttama Prabhu were invited, one after another, to read the excerpt aloud, and time was given for everyone to meditate on Srila Prabhupada’s words.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=15493

Iskcon leaders meet in Mayapur for the 2nd day (Album 58 photos)
On day one participants explored ISKCON’s past, examining the trends in and influences on ISKCON, both internal and external. Following from that, on the second day participants began to look at ISKCON’s present. The meeting’s facilitator’s started with a question: How well do the four groups in the room (the GBC members, the sannyasis, the gurus, and the BBT trustees) address the trends in ISKCON. They were asked to list their perception of the strengths and weaknesses of each of the four groups of devotees.
See them here: http://goo.gl/JtMwFA

Hare Krishna! All the way from Finland - to do Harinama in London!
This week we were joined by two enthusiastic devotees, Nrtya Gita Dasi and Bhaktin Jaana, who had taken the time to travel all the way from Finland to London, especially to take part in our popular London Saturday Night Harinam. In the short video clip below, you will see Nrtya Gita dressed in orange dancing joyfully and encouraging bystanders to take part in the Kirtan. Also, at the end of the video, our Govinda prabhu gives a very potent little public address.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=15487

Hare Krishna Melbourne: Faces of the St Kilda Festival (Album 36 photos)
Happy faces at a happy event!
See them here: http://goo.gl/EV0D62

[The theme of this blog is very much on my mind and was originally published in 2008-08-08--I spruced it up a bit and added pictures to make it more consistent with my current blogs.]I just returned from a trip to the ocean. I spent time thinking of some lessons I learned during my life which I wanted to share with you. As we age and hopefully mature we have to apply the spiritual principles of Krishna consciousness in different ways. At the same time, in our pursuit of spiritual perfection, we also have to apply different material strategies of support (i.e marriage, living in an ashram, occupational development, etc.) in order to be peaceful, satisfied, and able to remain fixed in our goal of loving and serving Krishna for our whole life. We don't want to be a shooting star, but a brilliant sun in lasting service. The following are points for your contemplation:

As we mature we will have a much different idea of what spirituality is than when we were young and inexperienced. In fact we may very well see what we once thought was Krishna consciousness, was only a shadow, or a beginning layer of a much deeper, broader, nuanced view.

Your conceptions of Krishna consciousness, and what you thought was your level of advancement will in time be challenged—so never be complacent and think you have gone somewhere by only a head full of knowledge or some years of chanting and service. The quality of our practice is much more important than the time spent. We may obtain Krishna in a moment, or not for a million births.

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Hare Krishna! “Elementary, my dear Watson, elementary…”
Admiration for the astounding abilities of Sherlock Holmes is certainly not misplaced. The methods he and his contemporary scientific counterparts use for acquiring knowledge—observation and reasoning—are universal and necessary, and even the Vedic literature of ancient India recognizes them as valid for certain purposes. Nevertheless, they are not sufficient. Because they are imperfect processes, subject to limited certainty and scope, they should not be independently relied upon.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=15484

The post Remembering how meticulous Gaura Govinda Swami was in selecting a bona-fide spiritual master appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

Hare Krishna! Hold on!
I analyzed my work through the lens of Krishna consciousness and found it degrading and contrary to Krishna consciousness. I work for a retail company where I create propositions that entice people to buy more and more. I started feeling that any kind of work is equivalent to contributing to maya’s trap of increasing material desires. “I’m on the path of Krishna consciousness to escape the influence of maya, but I’m busy creating material allurements for others.” That thought disturbed me constantly.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=15481

Hare Krishna! We need to go back to Dwarka. This is why
Could Dwarka really be the most ancient civilization in human history?
=> Was there or was there not a government cover-up?
=> Did Dwarka truly possess ahead-of-its-time technology?
=> What other ancient scriptures offer clues to the truth about Dwarka?
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=15478

Hare Krishna! NOW STARTING–Distance Learning Hospice Course
REGISTRATION is NOW OPEN for the Vaishnavas C.A.R.E. Distance Learning Hospice Course where you can learn “The Art of Caring for a Terminally ill Loved One” in the quiet and comfort of your own home.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=15474

The post February 10th, 2015 – Darshan appeared first on Mayapur.com.

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05-01-2015 SB 1.11.37 Lord Krishna’s Transcendental Personality, ISKCON Durban, South Africa.mp3

Written by Madhava Smullen. Archival Research by Chaitanya Mangala.

New Vrindaban, August 31^st, 1972 – Just as he had three years prior in 1969, Srila Prabhupada arrived at New Vrindaban in a black Lincoln Continental, winding down the country road towards the excited group of waiting devotees.

But this time, the group was much larger, belting out a joyous kirtan, and standing in front of a new converted farmhouse temple. During Prabhupada’s last visit, there had only been the original Vrindaban farm and a few dozen close followers. Now, New Vrindaban had expanded to several farms including this main one, Bahulaban, presided over by Sri-Sri Radha-Vrindabanchandra.

As Srila Prabhupada stepped out of his car, the devotees hit the ground in exuberant prostration. They pressed around him as he walked in his regal manner across the lawn and sat on a red-velvet vyasasana strewn with garlands and surrounded by a forest of Tulasi plants.

Thanking the devotees for all the hard work they had done to organize the upcoming festival, Prabhupada introduced the concept of the Bhagavat Dharma Discourses he was to hold at New Vrindaban. The event, where he would speak for over a week on the Bhagavatam, was to be one in a series that was already attracting thousands in cities throughout India.

“Just try to hear about Krishna,” he said. “Your life will be successful…. This is called bhagavat-dharma.”

After his talk, Prabhupada rode to an old farmhouse at Madhuban two miles away, where he would stay during his visit. He was clearly pleased to be back at New Vrindaban. “This Vrindaban, that Vrindavan, no difference,” he said.

The festival began the next morning. Over 500 devotees, guests and reporters had flooded in from all over the US for the biggest public event ISKCON had seen so far.

They all had to brave the austere weather and conditions of West Virginia mountain country. With no guesthouse, vans and tents dotted the hillside. During the festival heavy rain fell, chilling campers to the bone and turning Bahulaban into a sea of mud. In the mornings, devotees found their way through the dark to “the Ghat,” a cold, muddy pool next to the cowshed to bathe. Drinking water was hauled from a well. And cooking was done outside on makeshift stoves.

But devotees faced the hardships with good humor and comraderie, nicknaming Bahulaban “Mudsville” after the local town of Moundsville, and enjoying working with godbrothers and godsisters from all over the country. They were prepared to encounter any austerity for Prabhupada’s association. And Prabhupada himself didn’t mind the lack of facilities (his quarters had no running water). He was just happy to absorb the simple mood of New Vrindaban.

At 7:00am on September 1^st – Janmastami Day – he walked the dirt road up “Govardhana Hill” with his entourage to give his first Discourse. The hill overlooked Bahulaban and provided views of densely wooded mountains fading off into the mists at every turn. At the top was the large open-air pavilion devotees had built themselves to accommodate all the visitors.

As a crowd of devotees and guests greeted him with loud kirtan, Prabhupada ascended a stage that stretched across one entire end of the pavilion and sat on his vyasasana. To his right, against a dramatic red backdrop, was a lifesize painting of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. To his left were Deities of Sri Sri Radha Damodara and Lord Jagannath. Flags and streamers hung everywhere.

Prabhupada spoke powerfully about the purifying nature of Krishna conscious sound vibration, the always blissful nature of God, or Bhagavan, and our relationship to Him – Bhagavat-Dharma.

Later, he inaugurated the beautiful new marble-floored temple room at Bahulaban, and presided over a large initiation ceremony at which many candidates from across the country received new names.

In the evening, after arati, came an experience many would still remember decades later. As devotees packed tightly into the temple room, Prabhupada had some of the sannyasis read aloud from Krishna book. After the entire introduction and first chapter on Lord Krishna’s advent, they thought it might be time to stop. But Prabhupada indicated that they should continue.

As they read on for hours, the exhausted devotees, famished from fasting all day and crammed into the sauna-like temple room, struggled to stay attentive to the weighty philosophy of “Prayers by the Demigods for Lord Krishna in the Womb.” Gradually, everyone began nodding off. A comical scene ensued as the dandas of sleepy sannyasis fell, crossing like swords across the aisle and then bobbing up as their owners jerked themselves awake.

Only Srila Prabhupada listened attentively, relishing Krishna’s pastimes. At last, well after midnight, he smiled. “I think you have had enough. Take prasadam. You are a little tired.”

Despite their exhaustion, after arati and the feast at 1:00am, many devotees stayed up through the night to chant their rounds and make sure they didn’t miss mangala arati the next day. For it was a most auspicious event — Srila Prabhupada’s seventy-sixth appearance day.

The next morning was beautiful and sunny as Prabhupada emerged from his car in front of the pavilion in his saffron robes and fresh, perfectly applied tilak. A sense of purity emanated from him, an otherworldly quality that stood out against the old car, as if he were from another age.

“When Prabhupada looked out of the Volkswagen, which was being driven by Hayagriva, he smiled like I’ve never seen him smile —  except in that picture in the Lilamrita when Brij stood up for the first time and he was just beaming,” recalls Varshana Swami. “As Sally Agarwal described it, that oceanic smile.”

Showers of flowers rained on Prabhupada as he entered the pavilion. Devotees chanted his pranam mantra at the tops of their lungs and hit the ground before him. Some smiled fondly at him; some seemed awestruck. All adored him. But Prabhupada didn’t play to the crowd as he made his way through it. He simply walked quietly to the stage, folded his palms before the Deites, and offered his obesiances to Them.

As he ascended his vyasasana to address the packed audience of devotees, guests, scholars, local politicians and reporters, he expressed that he didn’t want them to think he was receving all this adoration for himself. “It may be misunderstood,” he said. “An outsider may see that “Why a person is being worshipped like God?’ There may be some doubt.”

The name “Vyasa Puja,” he explained, comes from Vyasadeva, the incarnation of Lord Narayan and original author of all Vedic literature. Because the spiritual master passes this knowledge originating from the Lord through disciplic succession without change, he is offered respect once a year on his birthday.

Prabhupada emphasized that just as the viceroy of the king may accept valuable jewels and gifts on behalf of the king, similarly the spiritual master “receives all honor… on behalf of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, not for his person.”

After Prabhupada’s talk, devotees ascended the stage one by one to offer flowers and obeisances and read out literary offerings. With such a crowd, not many got the chance – Silavati Dasi, an authority on Deity worship, was notably the only woman to make an individual offering, personally invited by Srila Prabhupada.

Bharadraja Das then began the Gurvastakam prayers. Hundreds rose to chant and dance, as Prabhupada looked on from his vyasasana and played kartalas.

As the kirtan began to get more lively, Vishnujana Swami took over the lead, playing mridanga right in front of Prabhupada. He sang with feeling, building the kirtan in intensity. In response, Prabhupada closed his eyes and began first to rock his head from side to side, then his whole body, his eyes tightly closed as he crashed his kartals together with more and more force.

Vishnujana’s kirtan reached a crescendo, and at last, as Radhanath Swami recalls, “It appeared that Prabhupada could not contain himself.” Overwhelmed with love for Krishna and the devotees, he took over the lead, calling out the Lord’s names in a strong voice.

The crowd went mad. Devotees rushed the stage, and a thousand arms reached out towards Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada began to cry, chanting through his tears. The devotees were swept up in his rare exhibition of spiritual emotion. A wave of love of Godhead hit them and they cried openly too, crushing the stage with total abandon and roaring out the Holy Names.

“Srila Prabhupada’s chanting was so beautiful, it was almost like the sky opened up, love of God came down and it poured over all of us,” recalls Satyanarayan Das. “I’ve never been to a kirtan like that before in my life and never since… It was a divine experience.”

After the kirtan, as everyone sat stunned, a group of devotees staggered up the hill carrying an enormous birthday cake baked by Gayatri Dasi. Srila Prabhupada took a tiny morsel and nodded his approval, then left to go back to his quarters at Madhuban. The devotees, wide-eyed, looked at each other. It was maha-prasada!

In one surging mass, everyone dove at the cake, all wanting a piece of Prabhupada’s mercy. Some playfully attacked each other for a piece. Others rolled the cake through the crowd as devotees grabbed huge handfuls and stuffed it into their mouths. Some, in bliss, ran down the hill offering cake to astonished guests. “Here, this is Prabhupada’s cake!”

“The cake was completely demolished, within minutes, in a frenzy,” Gokularanjana Das recalls. “In retrospect, it was offensive, but at the time it was like spontaneous devotion.”

Later that evening, Vishnujana performed several selections from the Radha-Damodara Traveling Sankirtan Party’s Transcendental Rock Opera, then launched into another ecstatic kirtan. As darkness fell, the local devotees built a bonfire, and everyone sat around it, watching the flickering flames as they took turns reading about Lord Chaitanya’s pastimes.

The Bhagavat Dharma discourses continued for another week, with Srila Prabhupada carried royally by palanquin to the pavilion and back to the temple every evening, surrounded by an ocean of devotees carrying torches, lanterns, and flashlights and chanting uproariously.

“In each successive Discourse, Prabhupada took the devotees deeper and deeper into the meaning of Srimad-Bhagavatam,” recalls Suhotra Swami. “It was a perfect outline… Every devotee should study these lectures to study the logic of the Bhagavat philosophy, to see how every element of the philosophy is fundamentally connected to all other elements.”

Meanwhile, Prabhupada wrote to his disciples elsewhere in the world expressing his appreciation of  the festival. “The Bhagavata Dharma discourses here in New Vrindaban are going on very nicely, and daily several hundred devotees and guests are coming to hear, and it is truly a wonderful time,” he wrote to Radha Damodar Das. And to Brahmananda, he wrote, “Now go on holding [these] Bhagavata Dharma discourses in every city of the world.”

At last, on September 10^th, the festival came to an end, and on September 11^th, Srila Prabhupada departed, leaving the New Vrindaban devotees feeling satisfied and energized.

“[At the festival we had] the feeling that we were a family and there was Srila Prabhupada, he was our father,” recalls Krishna Kumari Dasi. “We all felt sheltered, we all felt protected. It was like a resurgence of energy and rededication. We all went back to our temples completely refreshed and rejuvenated and ready for whatever austerities we had to perform.”

Lord Ramchandra Illustrious Pastimes Day 3 Youddha Kanda Part 2

The “SGGS” short for the Sannyasi, Guru, GBC, Sanga meeting in Mayapur was attended by 60 or 70 senior devotees from around the world.

Devahūti felt unfit to live in such a beautiful place. Though she was naturally lotus-eyed and beautiful, after so many years of austerity her breasts and body were caked with dust, her hair was ruined and matted, and her clothes were worn-thin. “O Hesitant Lady,” her husband Kardama said, reassuringly, “Before ascending into this palace, please bathe in the sacred lake created by Śukla. This lake fulfills all desires.”

Following her husband’s suggestion, Devahūti entered the lake, which contains the auspicious waters of River Sarasvatī. Opening her eyes beneath the water, she saw a chamber. In it she found ten hundred youthful maidens, each as fragrant as a lotus flower. When they saw her, they immediately stood up, folded their hands, and said, “We are your maids. Please tell us what we can do for you.”

Those heavenly maids were Vidyādhara with super-human expertise in the arts. They bathed the most respectable Devahūti in very valuable oils, carefully dressed her in spotless silk cloth, decorated her with resplendent and incalculably priceless jewelry, and fed her the most healthy and delicious foods and drinks, including a powerful elixir of fertility known as āsavam.

When the maidens very respectfully brought a mirror, Devahūti saw her effulgent body bedecked with jewelry and dazzling clothing, and decorated with auspicious designs. Even her hopelessly matted har was restored to glossy beauty. Every part of her body was ornamented. On her neck hung a gold medallion and a pearl necklace. On her wrists were bracelets. On her ankles were tinkling, golden ankle bells. On her hips was a golden belt with many jewels. She wore fine cosmetics and her face beamed with beautiful teeth and eyebrows. Her lovely eyes glanced sideways, defeating the beauty of budding lotuses. Her curls of hair were like dark emeralds.

She thought of her beloved husband, the best of sages, and immediately she found herself at his side, along with all the young ladies. Seeing herself next to her husband and surrounded by a thousand young women, she became completely amazed by the extent of his mystical powers.

Tagged: Beauty Salon, Devahuti, Mystic Beauty, Yoga

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 16 January 2015, Bhaktivedanta Manor, England, Srimad Bhagavatam 9.10.21-22)

The reputation of Krsna’s devotee is essential. A devotee is naturally honest and detached. Dishonesty is a sign of material attachment, it is a sign where we think that we have to be controllers, ‘This situation is getting out of hands! I am not getting what I need in this world of dharma and this honesty is simply blocking the way. Now, only a lie can save me!’  This means that we want to be controllers, it means that we want to bring this situation into our grip so that WE get the advantage. It means that we have a fruitive intent and we are calculating for our gain, and we think, ‘I am the controller of this universe and I need to make arrangements to put everything in the right place so that everything is comfortable for me!’  

This shows a lack of reliance on the Supreme Lord, a lack of knowing that Krsna will provide and Krsna will take care. Therefore, a vaisnava will naturally take shelter of honesty. He does not take shelter of manipulation, lying and scheming. No, it is all selfless for Krsna. A vaisnava knows, ‘I am not a controller, I simply try and Krsna will make all the arrangements.’  Therefore, honesty is natural for devotees. It is a quality of goodness, of saintliness, of being trustworthy and of being transparent.

Vaisnava honesty is important because if we are not honest, who will take this message of Krsna consciousness, who will trust us!? And if people do not trust us, they will not trust what we have to say either. Therefore, this honesty is essential for a devotee who is simple and has nothing to hide. If one takes this position that there is nothing to hide, then there can be no sinful activities, no skeletons in the closet. How simple and nice is life then – with no facade, no mask, just be as you are!

 

"I have chanted twelve rounds so far, and they were decent. I paid attention and rolled the mantras through my mind. It’s the best part of the day. Even when we don’t perfectly focus on Radha and Krishna we are saying Their names, and we get great credit."

From Bhajan Kutir #336
by Satsvarupa dasa Goswami

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Appearance day of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati in Mayapur.
Today, 9th February, 2015, ISKCON Mayapur celebrated the auspicious appearance day of His Divine Grace (HDG) A.C. Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura, the spiritual master of HDG A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. He was the son of Bhaktivinoda Thakur, a great acarya in the line of Gaudiya Vaisnavism. His prominent contributions are in form of His writings , 64 Gaudiya Mathas and giving the world a disciple (Srila Prabhupada) who preached the message of Lord Caitanya all over the world.
Read the entire article here: http://goo.gl/hhlsf8

Hare Krishna! Dhotis, fur hats, burkas and other items of cultural baggage
By Kripamoya Dasa
Some things must, unavoidably, be jettisoned as excess baggage and some things adapted if the distinct religious community is to survive. Yet it would seem that some things – essential aspects of the theology, for instance – must be carefully protected if the religion is to continue to exist at all. Full cultural assimilation may completely swallow up a unique religious tradition causing it to disappear, along with any contribution it offered. The questions confronting religions today, spread as they are around the globe yet wishing to preserve themselves, is which aspects can be sacrificed and which carefully guarded?
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=15468

Hare Krishna! From Sri Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir: HG Hari Vilas Prabhu
In France we were very poor also. So Prabhupada wanted us to open a temple. So somehow or other by a miracle we opened a temple. And we invited him to come. So first he went to Moscow from India and then from Moscow he came to Paris. The day before he came I was in deep, deep anxiety. We didn’t have any money, we couldn’t buy flowers, we couldn’t buy bhoga, we didn’t have a car, we couldn’t even rent a taxi. That night I could hardly sleep. I woke up very early in the morning, went down to the temple room, I started chanting. I was thinking what are we going to do? We are going to hitchhike to the airport, but we can’t hitchhike back with Prabhupada! Now this is a true story. I am not making anything up, I am not elaborating it or… . While chanting I noticed there was a brown bag in the temple room. It was a brown paper bag. So I picked it up, I looked inside it was full of money. More money than I had ever seen in my life! So immediately I put it under my arm and covered it with a chadar. (claps) and I started to sweat thinking what will I do if someone comes looking for the bag? (laughter) So I just started chanting, we had mangala arati. It wasn’t really a temple room, it was a room with a very small little altar, with small picture of Panca tattva and few pictures of the parampara. By 11 o’clock in the morning no one had asked me for the bag. We had to pick up Prabhupada at 1 o’clock in the afternoon. So I accepted this as Krishna’s mercy. I gave people money to buy flowers, to buy bhoga, we got a taxi, and we went to the airport.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=15465

Hare Krishna! Radhanath Swami Attends Reception for Barack Obama at the Invitation of the President of India
Last month President Barack Obama took in a regal display of Indian military hardware, marching bands and elaborately dressed camels, becoming the first American leader to be honored as chief guest at India’s 66th annual Republic Day festivities at the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In honor of the visit by the U.S. President and First Lady, the President of India, Mr. Pranab Mukherjee, hosted an “At Home” reception at his residence Rashtrapati Bhavan wherein many distinguished guest attended, among them Radhanath Swami.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=15462

nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktisiddhānta-sarasvatīti nāmine śrī-vārṣabhānavī-devī-dayitāya kṛpābdhaye kṛṣṇa-sambandha-vijñāna-dāyine prabhave namaḥ mādhuryojjvala-premāḍhya-śrī-rūpānuga-bhaktida śrī-gaura-karuṇā-śakti-vigrahāya namo ‘stu te namas te gaura-vāṇī-śrī-mūrtaye dīna-tāriṇe rūpānuga-viruddhāpasiddhānta-dhvānta-hāriṇe I offer my respectful obeisances unto His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī, who is very dear to Lord Kṛṣṇa, having taken shelter at His lotus feet. I offer my respectful obeisances to Srī Vārṣabhānavī-devī-dayita […]

The post Appearance day of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati- 2015 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Iskcon leaders meet in Mayapur to plan how to spread Lord Chaitanya’s Sankirtan movement (Album 152 photos)
See them here: http://goo.gl/V5RiCZ

One of the consequences of modern globalization is that we are all being forced to reconsider the external elements of our respective faith traditions. The religions of the world took birth in different countries and each of them is consequently overlaid with the cultural aspects of that part of the world.

Climate, landscape, diet, customs and local history have all influenced architecture, sacred language, clothing styles and political perspective. Theology, too, no matter how pure the original knowledge, becomes incrementally adapted to human needs and prevailing customs.

As religions move beyond their tribal roots and regional origins, its members and community leaders are being confronted, time and again, with the need to decide whether to retain every aspect of their tradition, or to acclimatise and adjust their religious practise in its new home.

When the Jews were dispersed from their lands in AD 70, and the focus of their religion, the temple in Jerusalem, almost completely destroyed, they were forced to consider new ways to worship, and new methods to preserve their ancient traditions, far from their homeland and the origin of their faith.

Similarly, when early Christians ventured to India, they were forced to consider whether their Roman and European traditions sat well with the local population, and what should be sacrificed for the sake of their message being fully assimilated, as was their wish.

Some things must, unavoidably, be jettisoned as excess baggage and some things adapted if the distinct religious community is to survive. Yet it would seem that some things – essential aspects of the theology, for instance – must be carefully protected if the religion is to continue to exist at all. Full cultural assimilation may completely swallow up a unique religious tradition causing it to disappear, along with any contribution it offered. The questions confronting religions today, spread as they are around the globe yet wishing to preserve themselves, is which aspects can be sacrificed and which carefully guarded?

Africa

I lived in Africa for two years, and part of my time was spent with the coastal people of Mombasa in Kenya. Many of them were a mixed race, descended from both Arabian traders and local tribes, and the majority of them were Muslim. With eight hours of sunshine every day and equatorial temperatures hovering in the eighties, our mutual light cotton clothing made sense. The men wore white kikoi and small caps known as walai. The women mostly wore black bui bui and a hijab on their heads. I wore a light cotton dhoti and a kurta shirt.

But in freezing London, wearing a thin cotton sheet around one’s legs doesn’t quite make climatic sense. I have years of experience to testify to the impracticality of such attire on all but warm spring and summer days. And it has not proven its suitability for driving a car on a rainy winter day, let alone for riding a bike. It does, however, form a connection with my religious antecedents.

Those religious antecedents were living in a hot country, though, and the connection is now largely anachronistic: in Bengal, the home of Gaudiya Vaishnavism, dhotis are hardly ever seen these days, and worn mainly by a small group of people on special occasions, not for daily wear. The ubiquitous trousers have long replaced them in many parts of India, although the southern version, the veshti, is still common.

In the cooler climate of London, the black bui bui, or the all-in-one burka, no longer serve to protect a woman’s skin from the scorching sun. Without its climatic purpose, that form of dress also becomes a somewhat impractical body covering.

Similarly the fur hat or shtreimel of the orthodox Jew, particularly when coupled with a thick black woollen coat, and worn in the flaming heat of a Jerusalem noon, serves no climatic purpose. In its Polish and Lithuanian homeland, however, and at the time of its origin in the 18^th century, such garb was both highly practical and the height of fashion.

Exoteric and Esoteric

Clothing says a lot about how we think, and wearers of such garb may do it because it connects them to an important part of the world and an important time in their religious history. That’s fine, and everyone, within reason, should be free to dress as they wish, for the reasons they wish. But ultimately, the clothing is part of the exoteric inheritance of that faith tradition – the outer shell or cultural package – and as such could be given up with no great loss to the much more important esoteric aspect.

Of much more concern than clothing are the other cultural practises that have been inherited by religious people. But at this point in history we are cautioned not to be too hasty to judge another’s culture. After the war, the world was confronted with the great tragedy of what can happen when human beings allow an ideology of misplaced categorization of human beings to influence entire populations. Millions died as a result of having their ethnicity or religion determined to be less than human. One of the results of this on the intellectuals of Europe was to usher in a form of thinking in which the very notion of a hierarchy of civilizations was considered unconscionable. No longer would so-called ‘postmodern’ thinkers, construe the people of the world to be divided into categories such as ‘primitive’ or ‘advanced’ or ‘civilized.’ Instead, everyone would be considered equal, and equally deserving of respect. That viewpoint has influenced a generation of anthropology, sociology and other branches of scientific social analysis.

Yet with the hit-and-miss record of the achievements of science, and widespread doubt that the so-called ‘first world’ is really any happier than the ‘developing’ or ‘third world,’ there is a tendency for the average thinker to consider that all branches of human beings must be equally happy, whatever their level of technological development. In one sense that is true and we often find the unlikely opposite to be more accurate: that people in undeveloped countries have happier lives. Extensive research conducted by the United Nations recently found no correlation between industrial development and happiness of the population generally.

Yet our civilization is not sustainable without some form of judgement of human behaviour, both individual and collective. Some human beings do bad things to others, for instance, and we subject their actions to the rule of law and often lock them away so they cannot do bad things to any more people. We don’t consider them less than human, but we consider them a danger to the rest of the population. So we remove them from our civilized society – in order that our society remains civilized. In this way, contemporary society continues to make judgements on groups of human beings while simultaneously paying respect to the idea that all are equal.

Cannibals

Many years ago I was on a sacred walk in India. My travelling companions were a diverse range of people from all over that huge country, including one elderly man from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. He told me of his homeland, a chain of 572 tropical islands lying more than 1200 kilometres out in the ocean, but still a part of India. There were all kinds of exotic flowers, fruits and creatures there, he explained, with some of the largest butterflies in existence. It sounded fascinating, and for a few minutes I had already added a visit there to my bucket list. But then he almost casually explained the prevalence of cannibalism there, and particularly so on the island where he grew up.

I learned that India also has ‘tribes’ that live in the jungle, just as South America has in its own jungles such as the Amazon. It was the first time I had been introduced to the notion of India having jungle tribes, sometimes known as adi-vasis, or ‘original inhabitants.’ “You should not go there,” he cautioned, “it will be dangerous for you.” Despite my European tendency to ascribe nobility to these jungle tribes, I also had to make a value judgement based on the potential harm that might come to a fleshy white man wandering around alone trying to spot enormous butterflies. My categorization of human beings had to be based partially on a hierarchy of perceived threat to life, and the cannibal tribes of Andaman and Nicobar were crossed off my list of friendly folks to visit.

It doesn’t mean that I don’t like them, you understand, its just better that they live there and I live here. I have nothing against them per se, but I have to say that, as civilizations go, I can’t help but consider that cannibalism is something of a marker of being somewhat less advanced as a human being. And yes, I do realise that comment might offend some people.

So when we consider cultures and types of civilization embodied by certain tribes of the earth, I do think we can have in mind some kind of scale ranging from ‘primitive’ to ‘advanced.’ It may not always be accurate or impartial, but at least it may serve to help us make discernment when we need to. And discernment in the field of religion is particularly important because religion influences behaviour.

As my regular readers will know, my daughter Tulasi is a midwife, and has lamented many times the situation of young women she encounters who, at an early age, were subjected to the torment of genital mutilation. We are told that this is not a part of Islam, but a part of a tribal culture from parts of Saharan Africa and Arabia. As such – and if it has nothing at all to do with Islamic theology – it must be firmly rejected as something injurious to health that should have no place in our country.

There is nothing wrong with better use of our faculty of discrimination in matters of religion. Discrimination is not a negative use of reasoning after all, it is one of the marks of a truly civilized life. But it must be based on accurate information and have no prejudice involved. Only when we can understand the difference between a cultural accretion and a vital spiritual principle will we all be able to understand each other and move slowly towards a unity of faith.

 

 

February 2015 Newsletter of the New Govardhana Community
Last month one of our sponsors came to visit “his cow”, along with his family. After their brief visit he asked if he could sponsor another two cows. Of course I said yes. He then said that he would like to sponsor all of our cows. Knowing the number of cows, bulls, and calves we have here at New Govardhana, I didn’t take his comments too seriously. As we have 80 or so cows here at New Govardhana, i thought that he couldn’t possibly sponsor them all. As he and his family were about to leave, I said to him, “by the way, we have 80 cows here”. He thought for a moment, and with a very earnest, yet sweet smile, he said, “yes, I want to sponsor them all”. Cow protection, ki jaya!
Read it here: http://goo.gl/Zx1vbQ

From Gunjan Mala Vaswani Mataji

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