Websites from the ISKCON Universe
New Varshana Auckland NZ (Album 32 photos)
Our first sunday feast for the year starting with a fire yajna and our first Rathayatra on the farm.
See them here: http://goo.gl/PS9N1t
Bhagavatam-daily Podcast:
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(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 01 December 2014, Mayapur, India, Srimad Bhagavatam 6.1.50)
Question: To a certain degree, we may want to become pure devotes, but how can we make this desire more solid?
Srila Prabhupada explains that everything moves by taste, because if there is no taste, then it is very difficult to do anything. Srimad Bhagavatam, 1.2.16 says: śuśrūṣoḥ śraddadhānasya, vāsudeva-kathā-ruciḥ, syān mahat-sevayā viprāḥ, puṇya-tīrtha-niṣevaṇāt.
We should serve the vaisnavas and in that way, we will get the taste to hear about Krsna. Once we have taste to hear about Krsna, then that desire will come. Because by hearing about Krsna, the desire to become a pure devotee will become stronger. So, it all begins with serving the vaisnavas.
Question: What does it take to be a pure devotee?
First thing is to serve a pure devotee but not just to serve a pure devotee a little bit. No! It means to give one’s life to a pure devotee, to understand, ‘I am the property of that pure devotee!’ In that way, one can become a pure devotee. That is the first thing. Ado guru-padasraya (Cc. Madhya 22.115) – first we should become a property of a pure devotee.
The post January 4th, 2015 – Darshan appeared first on Mayapur.com.
HH Bhakti Rasamrita Swami Caitanya Caritamrita Madhya Lila 19 148 20141227073622
In “Politics and the English Language,” an essay published in 1946, George Orwell showed how political writing and speech, which, he said, are “largely the defense of the indefensible,” corrupt language through wordiness, hackneyed expressions, vagueness, ambiguity, and euphemisms. The intent of the writer or speaker, Orwell said, is to conceal what he is actually saying—even from himself. For example: “Defense-less villages are bombarded from the air, the inhabitants driven out into the countryside, the cattle machine-gunned, the huts set on fire with incendiary bullets: this is called pacification. Millions of peasants are robbed of their farms and sent trudging along the roads with no more than they can carry: this is called transfer of population or rectification of frontiers. People are imprisoned for years without trial, or shot in the back of the neck or sent to die of scurvy in Arctic lumber camps: this is called elimination of unreliable elements. Such phraseology is needed if one wants to name things without calling up mental pictures of them.”
Orwell’s essay has become famous, but that did not inhibit American officials from using these very euphemisms during the Vietnam War.
More recently, the American public was given a dramatization of Orwell’s lesson in the widely-viewed television show Holocaust. A leading character in the story was one Eric Dorf, a bright young lawyer who rose to prominence in the S.S. chiefly because of his talent for manufacturing euphemisms. Dorf named the ghettos in which Jews were confined “Autonomous Jewish Territories;” the removal of Jews to death camps he called “resettlement” and “relocation;” the murder of Jews en masse he named “special handling.” Thus Dorf provided the S.S. a way to talk about their activities without making themselves and their listeners unduly conscious of what they were actually doing.
“Political language,” wrote Orwell, “is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable.” But neither Orwell’s essay nor the popularization of his lesson in Holocaust seems to have deterred people from using political language. It continues to fulfill a great need. One particular contemporary American instance is very revealing.
“We have taken rigorous measures in the pursuit of information.”
The political issue here is abortion. But abortion is an ugly and brutal word because what it names is ugly and brutal. A billboard advertising ABORTION in yard-high letters would shock our sensibilities. But we are not made needlessly conscious of the service offered when we read PREGNANCY TERMINATION. Here is political language at its finest. A clumsy cluster of polysyllables is substituted for a short, direct word. The new expression slyly sidesteps the fact that a life is ended by suggesting only that a pregnancy is. The phrase, to use Orwell’s words, “falls upon the facts like soft snow, blurring the outlines and covering up all the details.”
Moreover, when the mother comes to have her pregnancy terminated—that is, her fetus aborted—she never hears that anything so crude and offensive as the killing of a child will take place. Rather, she hears that the tissue will be removed, an expression that puts the operation comfortably on the level of the cutting out of an ingrown toenail or the lifting off of a wart.
Obviously some anonymous Eric Dorf has been diligently at work, doing a necessary service.
The very fact that proabortionists take refuge in political language is itself a strong argument against their case. There would be no need for euphemism if there were nothing to hide. The transparency of the deception only shows how desperate people are to become unconscious of their acts. Although at heart they recognize the self-deception, they carry on the ruse, for the clarity of consciousness would be unbearable.
Orwell saw that when language is corrupted, thought is corrupted, consciousness is corrupted—people are corrupted. To improve language is to improve human beings. Yet the appearance of political language among abortion advocates especially shows how difficult the problem is. For most, proabortionists are liberals and, as such, claim to be sensitive to the kind of language needed for the totalitarian bureaucratization of evil. They, above all, listened to Orwell. Yet they are sadly susceptible to the same corruption. Pregnancy termination and removal of the tissue must be added to pacification, elimination of unreliable elements, and special handling as part of the particular contribution of our time to the corruption of human life.
I suspect, however, that an advocate of abortion would charge that my case is question-begging and assert that I must deal with tissues more substantive than language. Pregnancy termination and removal of the tissue, the proabortionist might say, are somewhat euphemistic, but they are more than that. The mother seeking an abortion has made a difficult choice, and much of her difficulty is due to her conditioning by a specious outlook that regards the fetus as a person and its destruction as homicide. This view is based on the unscientific idea that the fetus is a person by virtue of a “soul.” Calling the fetus “tissue” only emphasizes that tissue is all the fetus, in fact, is, and tissue is all that is destroyed. My argument presupposes that the fetus is a person, but that assumption is precisely what is in question.
Here, then, abortion is justified by a view of the world that (appealing to the authority of science) sees everything in existence, human beings included, as arising out of ultimately accidental combinations of blind and lifeless matter. Everyone is familiar with this position. As a justification for abortion, however, it has problems. According to this view, a fertilized ovum becomes a human being through a gradually increasing complexity in organic structure. Yet the point in this process at which the entity is complex enough to be called “human” is acknowledged to be arbitrary. Any number of different criteria can be picked for any number of reasons. Granting the principle that reduces human beings to complexities of matter, a strong case has been made that a child becomes human only well after birth—for example, when it has developed the neural connections associated with language. The point is that we decide, arbitrarily, whether or not we want to recognize some being as human. After all, the same reductionistic philosophy that decrees a fetus to be tissue also decrees you and I to be tissue. We are, all of us, nothing but tissue. But because we have chosen to kill the unborn child, we now make a point of calling it “tissue.” If we chose to kill others, we could classify them as “tissue” also. Are the mentally retarded “tissue?” Are the old and infirm “tissue”? Of course they are, and if we decide that it is too expensive and bothersome to take care of them (or, in political language, that it involves “too high a social cost”), we will start calling them “tissue” and beg for their “termination.”
We are back to language. It makes it easier for us to kill people if we don’t think of them as such. By word magic, we make them less than human: “scum,” “gooks,” “pigs,” and, in this case, “tissue.” That we have a philosophical justification for this procedure only makes it worse. Certain Eric Dorf’s language was based on the philosophy that Jews were not human and killing them not murder—but only “special handling,” like disposing of unwanted warehouse stock.
The linguistic issue and the substantial issue really come to the same point: depersonalization. Historically, depersonalization began with nature. Before nature could be conquered and exploited, it had to be depersonalized. As long as nature was thought to be controlled by personal forces, one had to placate and satisfy them through propitiation and sacrifice. The powers were stronger than men and easily offended; one had to be careful and subservient; at best, control was indirect and precarious. But the mechanistic view the world as nothing but structures of dead matter shoved about by unvarying impersonal forces, which made possible the innovation of technology for the direct human domination and control over nature.
This depersonalization, however, has already begun with Christianity, which banished the pagan gods and the myriad local spirits of woods and streams and mountains. Christianity recognized a single transcendent Deity entirely separate from His creation. Thus nature lost both its personal and its sacred character. In fact, with Christianity, the nonhuman part of creation became something of an anomaly; it had no significance in itself but was merely the backdrop for the central human drama of redemption. Humans alone had immortal souls, and all the excess of furious and intricate life that otherwise fills the world was an unintelligible addendum, meaningful only when it serve some human end. The world, thus depersonalized and desacralized, could now be regarded entirely as a thing, as an object for detached study and the mechanical manipulations of an impersonal, science.
There was some success in this endeavor, and naturally the question arose: why should humanity itself be unique, categorically different from the rest of creation? If laws are universal and nature a unity, why shouldn’t human beings be subject to the same categories of explanation that cover everything else? And as for God—God was already seen as essentially disconnected from the creation, so transcendent that we can properly form no positive idea of Him at all, and the vision of the world as a field of impersonal forces operating according to unchangeable laws made Him even more remote and finally irrelevant. God went into eclipse, and humanity was no longer unique.
That human life itself is now becoming more and more impersonal and machines are simply-the latest stage in this historical development. We depersonalized nature; we depersonalized God; now we are busy depersonalizing ourselves. The domination of the mechanistic and reductionistic view of the world in our culture insures that the process will continue. Although people continually complain about being treated as things, these same people fully accept a view of the world that makes them into things. This is why the nightmare vision of society turned into a numbered, robotized collective, enslaved to mindless routines by an inscrutable bureaucracy or a remote, omnipotent leader haunts us with such persistent force. It is genuinely prophetic, for the future is already in us. We have accepted all the conditions for it, and now we fearfully await the manifestation.
The establishment of abortion brings the nightmare closer to reality. We may fear the growing depersonalization of life, but to justify the killing of an unborn child because it is nothing but tissue is to advance that depersonalization one terrifying step further.
Depersonalization means the deadening of life, the transformation of what is vital into something inert and mechanical. It signifies a loss of consciousness. This is important to realize, because it brings to light the fact that no one can depersonalize others without at the same time depersonalizing himself. The people who make an unborn child less than human; thereby, make themselves less than human, and they unwittingly reveal this by adopting language that is designed to foster unconsciousness. Orwell himself particularly observed that a speaker of political language is more like a “dummy” than a live human being: he “has gone some distance toward turning himself into a machine” and entered into “a reduced state of consciousness.” Reduction of consciousness precisely defines the regression of the human race.
Progressive human life means a continual struggle against unconsciousness. The enhancement of consciousness is the triumph of life over death, of spirit over matter. Depersonalization or unconsciousness, threatens everything of value human life can achieve. Yet we have for some time already been reduced in consciousness. The depersonalization of God and of nature were significant steps toward our own depersonalization; seeing God and nature as insentient is a function of our own reduced sentience.
Before we can do anything about depersonalization, we have to understand its cause. Depersonalization is necessary for us to dominate and enjoy others. When I, a conscious subject, recognize another as a conscious subject like myself, the kinds of relationships we have are what we call personal, based on a mutual respect for each other’s subjectivity. If, however, I set out to dominate another in order to use that person as an instrument for my own enjoyment, then I change him or her into an object, a mere means. The person becomes merely a tool to be manipulated and controlled. I do not consider that the other has significance for himself, and thus I lose the consciousness of the other as a person. For example, a factory owner interested only in profit will not really consider his employees to be humans. As such, they are merely tools of labor, factors in an economic equation, usable commodities. In a similar way, women are exploited by men when men regard them only as objects for enjoyment, mere instruments. The exploiter of workers or of women depersonalizes them, but in the process he has depersonalized himself, for he has become unconscious. Thus incapacitated, he is unable to experience personal relations and has emptied his own life of significance.
Thus, the drive to satisfy human appetites causes depersonalization and unconsciousness. All human relations in which this drive is a factor, are to that extent corrupted, and the would-be enjoyer, his consciousness diminished, becomes deprived of the only real source of happiness: genuinely personal relations, which alone enhance consciousness and life itself.
For this reason, we must accept the hard but unavoidable conclusion that depersonalization and unconsciousness can be eliminated only by eliminating the desire to enjoy others. Since this desire is so deeply rooted, its eradication would seem to require a very fundamental kind of human reformation. This may seem radical but it should not be surprising. We have seen how the steady encroachment of depersonalization and unconsciousness into our lives—exemplified in our acceptance of abortion—is a function of a long- established, fundamental view of the world. Constitutional amendments, legislation, and similar superficial measures are not going to change that. Rather, the impersonal, mechanistic view of the world must be abandoned. But that will happen only if we can become free from the desire to make others instruments to our own enjoyment.
The vision of the world that is fully personal, that sees both God and all fellow living beings as irreducibly conscious and personal, is taught by Lord Krsna in the Bhagavad-gita and elaborated further in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. According to this view, not just humans—and human fetuses—are souls: all living beings are souls. The soul is a minute but eternal spiritual entity with consciousness as its essential characteristic. Souls animate bodies of matter; they are the living force. Thus, there is no living creature without significance for itself. A person who has become fully conscious by following the directions of the Bhagavad-gita sees this, and he will not exploit any creature for his enjoyment. His love is unrestricted and unimpeded.
A conscious person will not kill even animals (much less very young humans) for his pleasure or convenience. Certainly the unconsciousness and brutality that allows us to erect factories of death for animals lay the groundwork for our treating humans in the same way.
The idea that life is the property of souls is derisively referred to by mechanistic thinkers as “vitalism” or “animism.” They assert that there is no evidence for souls. Yet it has been a singular failure of materialistic science to demonstrate how out of a world composed of nothing but matter something arises that experiences matter. Moreover, the ability to apprehend souls is not possessed by everyone—it is not, in particular, possessed by those who have become unconscious because of their exploitative mentality. A society whose ideal is to reduce everything to exploitable objects will not produce many people conscious enough to see what is living and personal. That society will advance only into the increasing obscurity of unconsciousness and impersonality.
Yet it is possible to counteract this corruption of our experience, this brutalization of consciousness that annihilates our ability to enter into personal relations and condemns us to an absurd, insipid existence in a lifeless, soulless world. We do not have to be victims of the politics of unconsciousness.
According to the Bhagavad-gita, the desire to control and enjoy others is not natural in us. Desire itself is the symptom of life; desire is natural, but in its original state that desire is manifest as unrestricted love for God, Krsna, the Supreme Person—and through Him, for all other persons that come from Him and are part of Him. Only in our unconscious state have we forgotten the real object of our love and allowed our love to be transformed into lust, into the desire to exploit others for our selfish purposes. This transformation can be reversed.
The practical method that reconverts lust into love, unconsciousness into consciousness, is called bhakti- yoga. This yoga redirects the use of the senses from dominating and enjoying others to serving Krsna, who is the natural master of the senses. In the course of that devotional service, all the potentialities of the soul become manifest. We experience the true pleasure of full consciousness, of life without limitation or qualification. This advancement into complete consciousness and unimpeded personal relations is the aim of human life.
Even though consciousness is a live option, the future for human society still looks bleak. The acceptance of abortion is a great victory for the politics of unconsciousness. Still, unlike the millions of innocent children it has ruthlessly destroyed, we do not have to become its hapless victims. We do not have to succumb to this monstrous negation of life. We can still accept the invitation of Krishna and rejoin the world of the living.
“What’s the matter? It’s all just matter!”
I was born in 1975. As a child and through my teens I was exposed to a fair number of artistic expressions of a fear that many humans have, the fear of the machine-takeover. Novels, prose, theater, movies were a few of such media.
I remember the times when the phones were corded and had round dial pads. To dial a number you had to push your finger into a corresponding hole and then turn the dial. Dialing a long number, like when calling out of the country, took a while. If the connection dropped, which was not completely unusual, and you had to dial the whole lengthy number again, you would find yourself cursing. No! We would not curse. We did not know of any better system and were thus happy with what we had. We were happy that we did not have to drive to the other side of the planet just to talk to a relative in a foreign land. Our expectations were not inflated and so we were simply happy with what we had.
Comparing then and now, I see simultaneous progress and regress. I see the progress in technological development and regress in humanity. Machines seem to be getting more and more sophisticated and seem to be gradually replacing humans. We seem to have increasingly pronounced relationships with instruments, gadgets, machines, electronic devices, etc. than with people, animals, trees, live stuff. It almost seems that machines are replacing humans. (Machines are definitely taking over jobs that humans used to have.) Our relationships are progressively involving more machines than humans. Consider social media which is there to connect humans (besides the fact that their creators are primarily seeking monetary gains), but somehow or other the machine gets inserted in between, to the point that we are having more of a relationship with the machine than with another human being. Human beings almost seem to be excuses for our relationship with the machines, namely our computers, cellphones, tablets, etc.
Who on Facebook posts pictures of themselves exactly as they look?! We all want to show ourselves in the best possible light. So when we are socializing on the internet, we are not socializing with people exactly as they are. We are socializing with imaginary people who merely resemble the real people. In this way a machine inserted itself between two humans and so humans seem to be socializing with machines rather than humans.
Elysium is a 2013 science fiction thriller film starring Matt Damon who plays the role of Max. The following two scenes communicate a human fear of machines. Machines are stupid and rigid. They lack complexity, compassion, and are merely programed to limitedly respond and react to complex and often emotionally charged circumstances. They are impersonal.
Scene 1:
Max is going to work and is waiting in the line at a bus stop to board the bus. Two police officers, both robots, are scanning people in the line. When they reach Max, who is on parole, they stop.
Max: Good morning officer.
Robocop: Extensive criminal history. Multiple felonies. What’s in the bag? (Robot is referring to Max’s backpack.)
Max: Hair products, mostly. (Max is obviously joking because he is bald, he has no hair.)
Robocops start to aggressively close in on Max and grab for the backpack.
Max: I am just messing with you. Hey! Hey! I am just going to work, man. There is nothing in the darn bag. Come on.
Robocops (while pulling max out of the queue): Misdemeanor. Citizen disobedience.
Max: I am just going to work, man. Come on.
Robocops now hit Max’s arm with a baton, injuring it. They inspect Max’s backpack and issue him a citation for misdemeanor due to disobedience.
Scene 2:
Max is now at the office of his parole officer, a robot.
Max: Hello. Before we start, I would just like to explain that…
Parole officer (a robot): Max Da Costa. Violation of penal code 2219, today at bus stop 34B.
Max: Yes. That’s exactly what I wanted to talk to you about. You see, I believe there’s been a misunderstanding.
Parole officer: Immediate extension of parol by further eight months.
Max: What!? No, no, no, no…I can explain what happened. I just made a joke and…
Parole officer: Stop talking. Police officers detected antisocial behavior. We regrettably must extend parol. (Short pause.) Elevation in heart rate detected. Would you like a pill?
Max: No. Thank you. What I’d like to do is explain…
Parole officer: Stop talking. Personality matrix suggests 78.3% chance or aggression to all behavior patterns. Grand theft auto, assault with deadly weapon, resisting arrest. Would you like to talk to a human?
Max: (Imitating the voice of the robot) No. I am OK. Thank you.
Parole officer: Are you being sarcastic and or abusive?
Max: (Still imitating the voice of the robot) Negative.
Parole officer: It is a federal offense to abuse a parole officer.
Max: Understood.
And now we have, in the Bay Area, the first robots to replace police officers. Yep, machines are starting to police humans in Silicon Valley. The security robots, called Knightscope K5 Autonomous Data Machines, were designed by a robotics company, Knightscope, located in Mountain View, California. These robots are programed to detect “unusual” behavior and report it to the control center. They can remember up to 300 number plates a minute, monitoring traffic.
But wait a sec! What is going on here? Are humans, and dare I say, dumb humans, giving judicial power over other humans to a machine? Knightscope may not be completely invested with this power yet, but have we made a step in that tragic direction? Are we really starting to hand power over to machines?
Don’t think that these fears and concerns are unwarranted and baseless. Humans have a long history of dumbness. Humans are the only species we know of that destroy the very environment in which they live, their own habitat. A while ago a friend of mine half jokingly concluded that if bugs were to be exterminated, the food chain would be disturbed and the world would collapse. But, if instead of bugs, the humans were to somehow get exterminated, everything would flourish. It just goes to show that humans are actually capable of being colossally stupid. Humans handing the judicial power over to machines is not an unwarranted fear. As far as I can tell, we are making solid steps in that direction.
The inventors, developers, and researchers in the field of artificial intelligence and robotics seem to be thrilled by their discoveries and, not always expressed in the public media but still pretty obvious, prospects of earning large sums of money. This thrill is powerful enough to cripple, stunt, and arrest the human ability to clearly think and to desire goodness rather than pleasure and personal profits. Worst evils, by the way, often begin with the search for personal pleasure and profits.
Looking at the situation from the spiritual perspective, we could ask ourselves, “What in the world is going on here?”
The modern mind tends to criticize the industrially underdeveloped countries, but they don’t know that many of the modern, third world countries lost the industrialization race because they refused to enter this race. Their culture, very often spiritually based, demanded a simple lifestyle to allow for sophisticated thinking. As one of my spiritual teachers often said, “Simple living – high thinking.” Such spiritually based cultures were aware that “complicated” living is grounds for poor thinking. From such a perspective, industrially developed countries have actually regressed.
To use the Vedantic language, this is called “maya” or illusion. In this illusion, you are not satisfied with who you are; you don’t understand that you “are” and that that is enough. You are not incomplete. “om purnam” – Sri Isopanisad states: “You are complete.” Only due to illusion do you think yourself incomplete and therefore there is this constant strive for completing oneself. You are complete even without Google Glass. Until someone invented it, you did not know you “needed” it. Google Glass, and the whole slew of modern inventions, is simply a product of a dissatisfied civilization; people who are trying to complete themselves by add-ons. This seems to be a trigger for constant technological “progress;” an endless race that keeps humans constantly dissatisfied and eventually takes them, individually and collectively, to some dark destinations.
“Completing” the physical body does not complete the self. The self-realized, self-actuated person understands that he is complete as he is; a being of spiritual nature, a spirit soul encased in the physical and imperfect body, a spirit soul having a human experience. The purpose of life, from this perspective, is not to create more and more add-ons for the physical body, but to learn our lessons, become wise, and then continue our spiritual existence even after the physical body drops dead. Without the spiritual perspective, I am afraid that the disturbing struggle for “completion” will not end. People will continue to stick into their bodies add-ons such as Google Glass, bluetooth… stick, stick, stick.
Without spiritual realization, I am afraid that humans will continue on the path of unnecessary technological progress and one day may even hand over their lives into the hands of the machines, machines they themselves have created. Something like the bugs who build cocoons around themselves in which they then get entangled and die.
I was born in 1975. As a child and through my teens I was exposed to a fair number of artistic expressions of a fear that many humans have, the fear of the machine-takeover. Novels, prose, theater, movies were a few of such media.
I remember the times when the phones were corded and had round dial pads. To dial a number you had to push your finger into a corresponding hole and then turn the dial. Dialing a long number, like when calling out of the country, took a while. If the connection dropped, which was not completely unusual, and you had to dial the whole lengthy number again, you would find yourself cursing. No! We would not curse. We did not know of any better system and were thus happy with what we had. We were happy that we did not have to drive to the other side of the planet just to talk to a relative in a foreign land. Our expectations were not inflated and so we were simply happy with what we had.
Comparing then and now, I see simultaneous progress and regress. I see the progress in technological development and regress in humanity. Machines seem to be getting more and more sophisticated and seem to be gradually replacing humans. We seem to have increasingly pronounced relationships with instruments, gadgets, machines, electronic devices, etc. than with people, animals, trees, live stuff. It almost seems that machines are replacing humans. (Machines are definitely taking over jobs that humans used to have.) Our relationships are progressively involving more machines than humans. Consider social media which is there to connect humans (besides the fact that their creators are primarily seeking monetary gains), but somehow or other the machine gets inserted in between, to the point that we are having more of a relationship with the machine than with another human being. Human beings almost seem to be excuses for our relationship with the machines, namely our computers, cellphones, tablets, etc.
Who on Facebook posts pictures of themselves exactly as they look?! We all want to show ourselves in the best possible light. So when we are socializing on the internet, we are not socializing with people exactly as they are. We are socializing with imaginary people who merely resemble the real people. In this way a machine inserted itself between two humans and so humans seem to be socializing with machines rather than humans.
Elysium is a 2013 science fiction thriller film starring Matt Damon who plays the role of Max. The following two scenes communicate a human fear of machines. Machines are stupid and rigid. They lack complexity, compassion, and are merely programed to limitedly respond and react to complex and often emotionally charged circumstances. They are impersonal.
Scene 1:
Max is going to work and is waiting in the line at a bus stop to board the bus. Two police officers, both robots, are scanning people in the line. When they reach Max, who is on parole, they stop.
Max: Good morning officer.
Robocop: Extensive criminal history. Multiple felonies. What’s in the bag? (Robot is referring to Max’s backpack.)
Max: Hair products, mostly. (Max is obviously joking because he is bald, he has no hair.)
Robocops start to aggressively close in on Max and grab for the backpack.
Max: I am just messing with you. Hey! Hey! I am just going to work, man. There is nothing in the darn bag. Come on.
Robocops (while pulling max out of the queue): Misdemeanor. Citizen disobedience.
Max: I am just going to work, man. Come on.
Robocops now hit Max’s arm with a baton, injuring it. They inspect Max’s backpack and issue him a citation for misdemeanor due to disobedience.
Scene 2:
Max is now at the office of his parole officer, a robot.
Max: Hello. Before we start, I would just like to explain that…
Parole officer (a robot): Max Da Costa. Violation of penal code 2219, today at bus stop 34B.
Max: Yes. That’s exactly what I wanted to talk to you about. You see, I believe there’s been a misunderstanding.
Parole officer: Immediate extension of parol by further eight months.
Max: What!? No, no, no, no…I can explain what happened. I just made a joke and…
Parole officer: Stop talking. Police officers detected antisocial behavior. We regrettably must extend parol. (Short pause.) Elevation in heart rate detected. Would you like a pill?
Max: No. Thank you. What I’d like to do is explain…
Parole officer: Stop talking. Personality matrix suggests 78.3% chance or aggression to all behavior patterns. Grand theft auto, assault with deadly weapon, resisting arrest. Would you like to talk to a human?
Max: (Imitating the voice of the robot) No. I am OK. Thank you.
Parole officer: Are you being sarcastic and or abusive?
Max: (Still imitating the voice of the robot) Negative.
Parole officer: It is a federal offense to abuse a parole officer.
Max: Understood.
And now we have, in the Bay Area, the first robots to replace police officers. Yep, machines are starting to police humans in Silicon Valley. The security robots, called Knightscope K5 Autonomous Data Machines, were designed by a robotics company, Knightscope, located in Mountain View, California. These robots are programed to detect “unusual” behavior and report it to the control center. They can remember up to 300 number plates a minute, monitoring traffic.
But wait a sec! What is going on here? Are humans, and dare I say, dumb humans, giving judicial power over other humans to a machine? Knightscope may not be completely invested with this power yet, but have we made a step in that tragic direction? Are we really starting to hand power over to machines?
Don’t think that these fears and concerns are unwarranted and baseless. Humans have a long history of dumbness. Humans are the only species we know of that destroy the very environment in which they live, their own habitat. A while ago a friend of mine half jokingly concluded that if bugs were to be exterminated, the food chain would be disturbed and the world would collapse. But, if instead of bugs, the humans were to somehow get exterminated, everything would flourish. It just goes to show that humans are actually capable of being colossally stupid. Humans handing the judicial power over to machines is not an unwarranted fear. As far as I can tell, we are making solid steps in that direction.
The inventors, developers, and researchers in the field of artificial intelligence and robotics seem to be thrilled by their discoveries and, not always expressed in the public media but still pretty obvious, prospects of earning large sums of money. This thrill is powerful enough to cripple, stunt, and arrest the human ability to clearly think and to desire goodness rather than pleasure and personal profits. Worst evils, by the way, often begin with the search for personal pleasure and profits.
Looking at the situation from the spiritual perspective, we could ask ourselves, “What in the world is going on here?”
The modern mind tends to criticize the industrially underdeveloped countries, but they don’t know that many of the modern, third world countries lost the industrialization race because they refused to enter this race. Their culture, very often spiritually based, demanded a simple lifestyle to allow for sophisticated thinking. As one of my spiritual teachers often said, “Simple living – high thinking.” Such spiritually based cultures were aware that “complicated” living is grounds for poor thinking. From such a perspective, industrially developed countries have actually regressed.
To use the Vedantic language, this is called “maya” or illusion. In this illusion, you are not satisfied with who you are; you don’t understand that you “are” and that that is enough. You are not incomplete. “om purnam” – Sri Isopanisad states: “You are complete.” Only due to illusion do you think yourself incomplete and therefore there is this constant strive for completing oneself. You are complete even without Google Glass. Until someone invented it, you did not know you “needed” it. Google Glass, and the whole slew of modern inventions, is simply a product of a dissatisfied civilization; people who are trying to complete themselves by add-ons. This seems to be a trigger for constant technological “progress;” an endless race that keeps humans constantly dissatisfied and eventually takes them, individually and collectively, to some dark destinations.
“Completing” the physical body does not complete the self. The self-realized, self-actuated person understands that he is complete as he is; a being of spiritual nature, a spirit soul encased in the physical and imperfect body, a spirit soul having a human experience. The purpose of life, from this perspective, is not to create more and more add-ons for the physical body, but to learn our lessons, become wise, and then continue our spiritual existence even after the physical body drops dead. Without the spiritual perspective, I am afraid that the disturbing struggle for “completion” will not end. People will continue to stick into their bodies add-ons such as Google Glass, bluetooth… stick, stick, stick.
Without spiritual realization, I am afraid that humans will continue on the path of unnecessary technological progress and one day may even hand over their lives into the hands of the machines, machines they themselves have created. Something like the bugs who build cocoons around themselves in which they then get entangled and die.
I love advertising because I love lying. In advertising everything is the way you wish it was. I don’t care that it will not be like that when I actually get the product being advertised, because in between seeing the commercial and owning the thing, I am happy, and that’s all I want. Tell me how great the thing is going to be. I love it. I don’t need to be happy all the time. I just want to enjoy the commercial. We know that the product is going to stink. We know that because we live in the world and we know that everything stinks. We all believe, “Hey, maybe this one won’t stink.” We are a hopeful species. Stupid, but hopeful.
We are happy in that moment between the commercial and the purchase, and I think spending your life (referring to all present who are in the advertising business) trying to dupe innocent people out of hard earnings to buy useless, low quality, misrepresented items and services is an excellent use of your energy.
I also think that just focusing on making money and buying stupid things is a good way of life. I believe materialism gets a bad rap. It is not about the amount of money. Nothing is better than a VW Beatle, or a pair of regular Levis. If your things don’t make you happy, you are not getting the right things. This will all be in my new book, Soulful Materialism, which is in the planning stages at this moment.
Thank you and have a great evening.
” I love advertising because I love lying.”
I love advertising because I love lying. In advertising everything is the way you wish it was. I don’t care that it will not be like that when I actually get the product being advertised, because in between seeing the commercial and owning the thing, I am happy, and that’s all I want. Tell me how great the thing is going to be. I love it. I don’t need to be happy all the time. I just want to enjoy the commercial. We know that the product is going to stink. We know that because we live in the world and we know that everything stinks. We all believe, “Hey, maybe this one won’t stink.” We are a hopeful species. Stupid, but hopeful.
We are happy in that moment between the commercial and the purchase, and I think spending your life (referring to all present who are in the advertising business) trying to dupe innocent people out of hard earnings to buy useless, low quality, misrepresented items and services is an excellent use of your energy.
I also think that just focusing on making money and buying stupid things is a good way of life. I believe materialism gets a bad rap. It is not about the amount of money. Nothing is better than a VW Beatle, or a pair of regular Levis. If your things don’t make you happy, you are not getting the right things. This will all be in my new book, Soulful Materialism, which is in the planning stages at this moment.
Thank you and have a great evening.
” I love advertising because I love lying.”
The English word religion is a little different from the Sanskrit word dharma. Religion conveys the idea of faith, and faith may change. One may have faith in a particular process, and he may change this faith and adopt another, but dharma refers to that activity which cannot be changed. For instance, liquidity and heat are essential characteristics of water and fire respectively. Without these qualities, fire and water can not exist. Similarly, the eternal function of the eternal living entity cannot be taken from the living entity. Dharma is eternally integral part of the living entity. That which is eternal, which has neither end nor beginning, must not be sectarian, for it cannot be limited by any boundaries. Dharma is the business of all the people of the world—nay, of all the living entities of the universe.
A particular religious faith may have some beginning in the annals of human history, but there is no beginning to the history of dharma, because it remains eternally with the living entities. Insofar as the living entities are concerned, the authoritative scriptures state that the living entity has neither birth nor death. In the Bhagavad-gita it is stated that the living entity is never born and that it never dies. He is eternal and indestructible, and he continues to live after the destruction of his temporary material body. In reference to the concept of dharma, we must try to understand the concept of religion from the Sanskrit root meaning of the word. Dharma refers to that which is constantly existing with a particular object. We conclude that there is heat and light along with the fire; without heat and light, there is no meaning to the word fire. Similarly, we must discover the essential part of the living being, that part which is his constant companion. That constant companion is his eternal quality, and that eternal quality is his eternal religion or dharma.
The English word religion is a little different from the Sanskrit word dharma. Religion conveys the idea of faith, and faith may change. One may have faith in a particular process, and he may change this faith and adopt another, but dharma refers to that activity which cannot be changed. For instance, liquidity and heat are essential characteristics of water and fire respectively. Without these qualities, fire and water can not exist. Similarly, the eternal function of the eternal living entity cannot be taken from the living entity. Dharma is eternally integral part of the living entity. That which is eternal, which has neither end nor beginning, must not be sectarian, for it cannot be limited by any boundaries. Dharma is the business of all the people of the world—nay, of all the living entities of the universe.
A particular religious faith may have some beginning in the annals of human history, but there is no beginning to the history of dharma, because it remains eternally with the living entities. Insofar as the living entities are concerned, the authoritative scriptures state that the living entity has neither birth nor death. In the Bhagavad-gita it is stated that the living entity is never born and that it never dies. He is eternal and indestructible, and he continues to live after the destruction of his temporary material body. In reference to the concept of dharma, we must try to understand the concept of religion from the Sanskrit root meaning of the word. Dharma refers to that which is constantly existing with a particular object. We conclude that there is heat and light along with the fire; without heat and light, there is no meaning to the word fire. Similarly, we must discover the essential part of the living being, that part which is his constant companion. That constant companion is his eternal quality, and that eternal quality is his eternal religion or dharma.
As we are in the midst of the holiday season, you might find yourself so much in the spirit of giving that you neglect your own self care and end up drained, stressed, or exhausted. This article will suggest ways in which you can care for yourself throughout the holidays, and will also touch upon the meaning of self care and what actually is the meaning of self.
Spiritual seekers are taught to be givers, compassionate, and caring of others. We may worry that taking time for self care comes in the realm of selfishness, especially during this holiday season of giving. You may think, I will just bake one more fruit cake to give to a friend, write one more Christmas card, or I will attend one more holiday party, when really inside you are running on empty. We must remember that self care is not selfishness in the negative sense of the word. In order to really be of service to others, we need to be fit, healthy, and of a balanced mind ourselves.
On that note, if you find your batteries running low during your third round of holiday shopping, or while baking that fourth batch of holiday cookies, take a step back and try the following holiday self care techniques:
1) Take inventory of your diet. It is ok to say a polite “no thank you” to all those holiday treats at work. It is not about watching your waistline, but about fueling your body with the proper energy sources (whole grains, fruits, nuts, legumes, vegetables, etc.) and minimizing the high sugar, artificial foods. At a party, accept a small sampling to be polite if needed, but stick to small portions of the sweets which can give you a short term sugar high but a bigger energy crash later. One tip is to fill your stomach with healthy snacks and vegetables before attending a party so that saying “no thanks” to the sweets will be easier. Avoid crash diets or the binging and purging cycle, but rather take time to eat healthy and balanced meals mindfully while sitting down, to keep your batteries running strong during the holiday season.
2) Take a spa day (or hour). If the holiday season seems to be go, go, go, schedule into your calendar some self care time, be it a trip to the spa, a massage, restorative yoga class, day at the beach, journaling, or any other healthy and relaxing activity. If you are always on the move, literally pencil this self care time into your calendar. If your mind starts screaming at you about your mile long to do list, gently allow your intelligence to inform your mind that you will be more productive after taking some rejuvenation time.
3) Exercise! Exercise reduces stress and renews energy; so, do not neglect your regular workout schedule during this busy time of year. If time is short you can at the very least go for a brisk walk, do some sit ups at home, or turn on your favorite music and take a dance break.
4) Meditate and breathe. Nothing helps bring a frenzied mind back to feeling grounded and calm like some meditation time. Whether you have a morning breathing practice (see page ? for one suggested calming breathing exercise), silent meditation practice, prayer or mindfulness session, mantra practice or visualization, starting the day with meditation (or taking a mindfulness break during a busy day) can help us step back and see the bigger picture of life and not get stressed out by the little details.
Meditation can also help us turn inwards and get in touch with the spiritual aspect of the holidays. After all, Jesus Christ did say to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Let’s not neglect the loving ourselves part. This takes us to our last point of discussion on what really is self care in the spiritual sense. In order to care of the self, we need to know who the self is. Caring for the health of our bodies and minds is essential, as the body is a vehicle for us to move around in this world, and the mind a more subtle aspect of ourselves which can become our own best friend or worst enemy depending on our ability to guide our thoughts accordingly. However our bodies and mind change, our sense of self is constant. As Miley Cyrus recently posted on her Instagram account a photo from the Bhagavad Gita, our bodies were once in the baby form, but then grew, but inside there is a spark of consciousness or sense of self identity that remains constant throughout our lives despite our physical transformations. This spiritual spark, according to the Bhagavad Gita and other authentic spiritual texts, IS the real self.
How do we care for this true self, the spirit soul? That is a very large topic of discussion, but as a basic introduction, any activities that connect the self to its source, to the Supreme Soul, or God (known as Krishna among many other names), is an act of spiritual self care. Praying, hearing from authentic sources about God, glorifying Him, remembering Him, serving Him and His devotees, and offering one’s heart to Him in love, are all spiritual activities that enliven and bring happiness to the permanent self. Chanting the Maha Mantra, which is a form of prayer and meditation combined, is a very simple, free, and easy method of engaging in self care, and connecting to this source of pure love. The mantra is as follows:
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
and is a call to be engaged in spiritual service. This form of meditation also has the favorable side effects of focusing and grounding the mind, helping one become more present, and bringing a sense of inner happiness and fulfillment to the self. You can chant anytime – either as a more structured sit down form of meditation on meditation beads, while walking, while engaged in other activities like cooking, cleaning, working, or shopping, or you can sing the mantra alone or with a group accompanied by musical instruments. You can even engage in self care by finding some youtube links of the beautiful Maha Mantra and simply listen to this meditation while performing your other holiday related duties. Additionally, you can take a break and visit your local Krishna temple or other place of worship for some spiritual self care during this busy holiday season in order to connect with the original meaning of these holy-days (holidays).
In summary, amidst your shopping marathon, string of holiday parties, pageants, and performances, take some time out for self care. Eat healthfully, plan some self nurturing time, exercise, and meditate or pray, and in this way keep your body, mind, and yourself – the spirit- in a balanced, energized, healthy, and happy state during the holidays. Your sense of calm will then rub off on others, and you will then be sharing actual holiday joy and cheer, rather than just barely getting through the season while feeling stressed and tired.
Happy Holidays and Hare Krishna!
As we are in the midst of the holiday season, you might find yourself so much in the spirit of giving that you neglect your own self care and end up drained, stressed, or exhausted. This article will suggest ways in which you can care for yourself throughout the holidays, and will also touch upon the meaning of self care and what actually is the meaning of self.
Spiritual seekers are taught to be givers, compassionate, and caring of others. We may worry that taking time for self care comes in the realm of selfishness, especially during this holiday season of giving. You may think, I will just bake one more fruit cake to give to a friend, write one more Christmas card, or I will attend one more holiday party, when really inside you are running on empty. We must remember that self care is not selfishness in the negative sense of the word. In order to really be of service to others, we need to be fit, healthy, and of a balanced mind ourselves.
On that note, if you find your batteries running low during your third round of holiday shopping, or while baking that fourth batch of holiday cookies, take a step back and try the following holiday self care techniques:
1) Take inventory of your diet. It is ok to say a polite “no thank you” to all those holiday treats at work. It is not about watching your waistline, but about fueling your body with the proper energy sources (whole grains, fruits, nuts, legumes, vegetables, etc.) and minimizing the high sugar, artificial foods. At a party, accept a small sampling to be polite if needed, but stick to small portions of the sweets which can give you a short term sugar high but a bigger energy crash later. One tip is to fill your stomach with healthy snacks and vegetables before attending a party so that saying “no thanks” to the sweets will be easier. Avoid crash diets or the binging and purging cycle, but rather take time to eat healthy and balanced meals mindfully while sitting down, to keep your batteries running strong during the holiday season.
2) Take a spa day (or hour). If the holiday season seems to be go, go, go, schedule into your calendar some self care time, be it a trip to the spa, a massage, restorative yoga class, day at the beach, journaling, or any other healthy and relaxing activity. If you are always on the move, literally pencil this self care time into your calendar. If your mind starts screaming at you about your mile long to do list, gently allow your intelligence to inform your mind that you will be more productive after taking some rejuvenation time.
3) Exercise! Exercise reduces stress and renews energy; so, do not neglect your regular workout schedule during this busy time of year. If time is short you can at the very least go for a brisk walk, do some sit ups at home, or turn on your favorite music and take a dance break.
4) Meditate and breathe. Nothing helps bring a frenzied mind back to feeling grounded and calm like some meditation time. Whether you have a morning breathing practice (see page ? for one suggested calming breathing exercise), silent meditation practice, prayer or mindfulness session, mantra practice or visualization, starting the day with meditation (or taking a mindfulness break during a busy day) can help us step back and see the bigger picture of life and not get stressed out by the little details.
Meditation can also help us turn inwards and get in touch with the spiritual aspect of the holidays. After all, Jesus Christ did say to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Let’s not neglect the loving ourselves part. This takes us to our last point of discussion on what really is self care in the spiritual sense. In order to care of the self, we need to know who the self is. Caring for the health of our bodies and minds is essential, as the body is a vehicle for us to move around in this world, and the mind a more subtle aspect of ourselves which can become our own best friend or worst enemy depending on our ability to guide our thoughts accordingly. However our bodies and mind change, our sense of self is constant. As Miley Cyrus recently posted on her Instagram account a photo from the Bhagavad Gita, our bodies were once in the baby form, but then grew, but inside there is a spark of consciousness or sense of self identity that remains constant throughout our lives despite our physical transformations. This spiritual spark, according to the Bhagavad Gita and other authentic spiritual texts, IS the real self.
How do we care for this true self, the spirit soul? That is a very large topic of discussion, but as a basic introduction, any activities that connect the self to its source, to the Supreme Soul, or God (known as Krishna among many other names), is an act of spiritual self care. Praying, hearing from authentic sources about God, glorifying Him, remembering Him, serving Him and His devotees, and offering one’s heart to Him in love, are all spiritual activities that enliven and bring happiness to the permanent self. Chanting the Maha Mantra, which is a form of prayer and meditation combined, is a very simple, free, and easy method of engaging in self care, and connecting to this source of pure love. The mantra is as follows:
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
and is a call to be engaged in spiritual service. This form of meditation also has the favorable side effects of focusing and grounding the mind, helping one become more present, and bringing a sense of inner happiness and fulfillment to the self. You can chant anytime – either as a more structured sit down form of meditation on meditation beads, while walking, while engaged in other activities like cooking, cleaning, working, or shopping, or you can sing the mantra alone or with a group accompanied by musical instruments. You can even engage in self care by finding some youtube links of the beautiful Maha Mantra and simply listen to this meditation while performing your other holiday related duties. Additionally, you can take a break and visit your local Krishna temple or other place of worship for some spiritual self care during this busy holiday season in order to connect with the original meaning of these holy-days (holidays).
In summary, amidst your shopping marathon, string of holiday parties, pageants, and performances, take some time out for self care. Eat healthfully, plan some self nurturing time, exercise, and meditate or pray, and in this way keep your body, mind, and yourself – the spirit- in a balanced, energized, healthy, and happy state during the holidays. Your sense of calm will then rub off on others, and you will then be sharing actual holiday joy and cheer, rather than just barely getting through the season while feeling stressed and tired.
Happy Holidays and Hare Krishna!
Sit comfortably in a place free from distractions. Sit with a straight spine as much as possible, or use support for the spine if needed. Rest your left hand comfortably in your lap, or in jnana mudra with the thumb and index finger touching and the remaining three fingers extended. This is the mudra, or hand position, of knowledge and wisdom. Close eyes and turn attention inward.
Make a loose fist with your right hand. Keeping index and middle finger folded into the palm, extend the ring finger and thumb. Plug right nostril with your thumb and inhale through left nostril for a slow count of three. Keep thumb plugging right nostril while you plug left nostril with your ring finger and hold breath calmly for a slow count of 9. While holding breath, keep face and jaw relaxed and keep your inner gaze at your third eye, your point of intuition between the eyebrows. Release thumb while still plugging left nostril with ring finger, and exhale right nostril for a count of 6. Repeat on the other side by inhaling right for 3, holding breath while plugging both nostrils for 9, and exhaling left for 6. Continue – inhale left for 3, hold for 9, exhale right for 6, etc. for five minutes. Then return breathing to normal with eyes closed, and simply observe the calming effects on the mind.
You can make counts shorter or longer but the ratio should be 1-3-2, and should be as long as possible without straining.
“This breathing exercise helps to balance the left and right (lunar and solar) pathways of breath in the body and instantly calms and focuses the mind.”
Sit comfortably in a place free from distractions. Sit with a straight spine as much as possible, or use support for the spine if needed. Rest your left hand comfortably in your lap, or in jnana mudra with the thumb and index finger touching and the remaining three fingers extended. This is the mudra, or hand position, of knowledge and wisdom. Close eyes and turn attention inward.
Make a loose fist with your right hand. Keeping index and middle finger folded into the palm, extend the ring finger and thumb. Plug right nostril with your thumb and inhale through left nostril for a slow count of three. Keep thumb plugging right nostril while you plug left nostril with your ring finger and hold breath calmly for a slow count of 9. While holding breath, keep face and jaw relaxed and keep your inner gaze at your third eye, your point of intuition between the eyebrows. Release thumb while still plugging left nostril with ring finger, and exhale right nostril for a count of 6. Repeat on the other side by inhaling right for 3, holding breath while plugging both nostrils for 9, and exhaling left for 6. Continue – inhale left for 3, hold for 9, exhale right for 6, etc. for five minutes. Then return breathing to normal with eyes closed, and simply observe the calming effects on the mind.
You can make counts shorter or longer but the ratio should be 1-3-2, and should be as long as possible without straining.
“This breathing exercise helps to balance the left and right (lunar and solar) pathways of breath in the body and instantly calms and focuses the mind.”
Holy Name Meditation Podcast:
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Giriraj Swami and others spoke during the program.
“Srila Prabhupada said to Mr. Sethi. ‘It is the duty of the spiritual master to provide accommodations for his disciples. And just as you are building these accommodations here at Hare Krishna Land, Lord Krishna is making your rooms ready in Vaikuntha.'”
Bhagavatam-daily podcast:
Preaching programs in Heathrow to Swansea (Album 13 photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Persons suffering from jaundice cannot taste the sweetness of sugar candy, although everyone knows that sugar candy is sweet. Similarly, because of the material disease, nondevotees cannot understand the transcendental name, form, attributes and activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 10.2.36 Purport).
See them here: http://goo.gl/h5uPnh
Keshava dasa & Atulya devi dasi Wedding Highlights (8 min video)
Saturday 3rd January 2015, Hare Krishna Melbourne
Watch it here: http://goo.gl/KzbXTp
Adventures In Iran!
We looked at the machine gun, we looked at the crowd and decided to get off! We got off the bus and then the people made a path way into an army barracks and as we walked pass the crowd, the people started to hit us on the back and we ran in the courtyard and the solders were waiting for us and they said, “Line up against the wall!” There my Krishna consciousness was tested, there I was chanting very carefully because they were Muslims and I didn’t want to agitate them.
Read the entire article here: http://goo.gl/WakYyD
Merry Krishnas Harinam in Tel Aviv, Israel 31.12.2014!!! (Album 113 photos)
Srila Prabhupada: “O Lord,” the demigods say, “the impersonalists, who are nondevotees, cannot understand that Your name is identical with Your form.” Since the Lord is absolute, there is no difference between His name and His actual form. In the material world there is a difference between form and name.
(Srimad-Bhagavatam, 10.2.36 Purport).
See them here: http://goo.gl/sA5SQZ
Devotees at the British Yoga Show, Business Design Centre, London - Dec 2014
In this workshop, Radhanath Swami shared with us lessons he learnt from various esteemed yogis in the Himalayas and across India. These teachings helped him connect with his inner essence to find inner peace, contentment, and love. We explored how every interaction, event and circumstance in our lives can be an opportunity for a deep spiritual transformation that leads to a more happier, joyous life.
Hare Krishna!
The post Scenes from Heathrow to Swansea appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.
The lonely vaisnava
Kadamba Kanana Swami: I used to think, before I came to Krsna consciousness, that now I would join a movement of very like-minded people and that I would feel very intimate friendship. Then, I was shocked to see that that person who I kind of detested for his views, he also had joined! (laughing)
Read the entire article here: http://goo.gl/F5FvR3
Udupi Krishna (Album 112 photos)
Indradyumna Swami: The city of Udupi is situated in the southwest state of Karnataka in India. It has a population of 165,000 people, but is filled with visiting pilgrims throughout the year. Devotees come specifically to take darsan of the beautiful deity of Krishna [ Udupi Krishna ] who was established by Sripad Madhvacarya in the 13th century. Udupi is the headquarters of the followers of Madhvacarya. ISKCON identifies with the personal philosophy expounded by Madhvacarya, calling ourselves part of the ‘Brahma Madhva Gaudiya Sampradaya.’ Lord Caitanya visited Udupi during His travels in South India. During our 3 day visit we appreciated how Vedic culture is very much intact in Udupi and recommend it as a place devotees visit for Krsna conscious inspiration. Unfortunately, we did not get permission to take a photo of the deity of Udupi Krishna.
See them here: http://goo.gl/yxsuuD
Kirtan evening in Cardiff.
The post Mantras, mantras and the Maha-mantra appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.
The post January 3rd, 2015 – Darshan appeared first on Mayapur.com.
From Raja Parikshita Prabhu:
Answer Podcast:
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From Raja Parikshita Prabhu:
Answer Podcast:
Download by "right-click and save content"
Mangala Arati – 24.12.2014 Iskcon London
Young Calves in New Vrindaban, summer 2014
“Agriculture and protecting cows, this is the main business of the residents of Vrindaban, and above all simply loving Krishna.” – Srila Prabhupada, July 1973.
Click here to read the rest of the letter at the Vanipedia website.