World Holy Name Week: Day 8
→ ISKCON Malaysia

BY GAURAVANI DASA 

KUALA LUMPUR - "I offer my obeisances unto the shoes of those devotees who are expert in extricating those sunk in the rotten muck in the bottom of the ocean of material existence, and who become blissful by hearing the pair of syllables, 'Krsna', impelled to dance with all their hairs bristling." [A verse by an Utkala Poet from Srila Rupa Goswami's 'Padyavali'] 

Initiation Ceremony, September 7, ISKCON Silicon Valley, Mountain View, California
Giriraj Swami

07.09.14_04.ISVGiriraj Swami and Vaisesika Dasa spoke and accepted disciples during the ceremony.

“The spiritual master goes from place to place speaking about Krishna and in that way captures the soul. Then the person who becomes inspired by that spiritual master captures him by asking for initiation. So they capture each other in different ways. In this way they enter into a sacred relationship that is meant to connect to the adi-guru, the original spiritual master, who is Krishna. Srila Prabhupada would give the example of copper wire. No matter how far down the line you are, if the wire is connected, you will get electricity.”

—Vaisesika Dasa

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Initiation Talk by Vaisesika dasa
Initiation Talk and Name-giving by Giriraj Swami

Bhakti Rasamrita Swami speaking about Dharma of Identity at Ernst & Young, UK (video)
→ Dandavats.com

This seminar helped us to explore the finer dimensions of identity, how it affects our work and relationships. We also learned how to transform our work duties into an avenue for personal development and growth. By attending the seminar we heard about: •How to inspire others and be inspired •How to use your occupation as a catalyst for personal development •How to enhance any relationship •How to understand the feelings and needs of others and much more... Read more ›

An Offering of Love: Recipes of Newfound Meaning
→ ISKCON News

She was in the prime of her youth when her world flipped upside down in an instant. Up until the year before, Jahnavi had been enjoying all of the thrills and fun that life could offer. Not worrying about the future, not taking the Krishna consciousness that her parents had given to her very seriously. But then it happened – the harsh pains of suffering that many of us have faced in this world hit her family like a storm.

Mission Impossible
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People have a romantic idea of spirituality: escape worldly distraction, access higher states of consciousness, and settle into an internal serenityThe dedicated practitioners, however, will frankly admit that it doesn’t always work like that.

ISKCON to Provide TB Hospital Patients with Wholesome Food
→ ISKCON News

Patients at Sewree's TB Hospital will soon be fed hygienic, protein-rich food specially prepared by cooks from the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). Keeping in mind that patients need wholesome meals to improve their health, BMC has asked ISKCON to set up a kitchen at the 1,000-bed hospital, that has recently come under fire for bad food and poor hygiene. 

14,000 food packets for Jammu Flood victims from Iskcon Delhi (Album 22 photos)
→ Dandavats.com

ISKCON Devotees haven so far sent 14,000 prasadam packets to help the victims of the severe floods in Jammu & Kashmir. In Delhi , devotees begin packing early in the morning at 5:30 am and once done its picked up by the Indian Air Force to be sent by airplanes to the disaster relief centers in J & K. In wake of this disaster, we request you to please keep them in your prayers. Read more ›

Searching For Vedic India Available as E-book
→ ISKCON News

An updated edition of  Searching For Vedic India by Devamrita Swami is now available as an e-book in all flavors at bbtmedia.com. The sages of India’s lost past delighted in knowledge of the nonmaterial. But they testified that they also knew how to produce material benefits without industry. Dare we consider that the subcontinent of India, thousands of years ago, was the center of the greatest spiritual wisdom and mystical technology that Earth has seen?

Is butter good for you?
→ Dandavats.com

Not only does butter taste incomparably better, it's a natural product that human beings have been eating and cooking with for centuries without ­damaging their health. So the good news is that we can carry on eating butter (in moderation, of course) or even start eating it again if we were one of the millions duped into swapping it for unhealthy and unpalatable margarine. Read more ›

Initiations Committee Open House – September 21, 2014
→ The Toronto Hare Krishna Temple!

After having served in ISKCON for sometime, a stage comes in our Krishna conscious journey at which a devotee develops a desire to seek shelter of an ISKCON approved initiating guru to achieve formal initiation. This inspiration may come from various sources such as reading Srila Prabhupada’s books, serving devotees, devotee association and receiving encouragement from initiated devotees or initiating gurus. Also, more often than not, devotees need guidance and support from a more experienced devotee and a nurturing and caring environment as they endeavour to progress on the path of their devotional practices and try to maintain.

Here at ISKCON Toronto, an Initiations Committee consisting of Sita Thakurani devi dasi, Rupanuga das, Jagannath Misra das and Shyama Mohini devi dasi and has been put in place with the mandate to develop and manage a mentorship system. This system will facilitate and nurture interested devotees aspiring for first and second initiation. The information on initiation standards and procedures will be available here shortly (a dummy link with our documents). The Initiations Committee has also developed an initiations policy to help aspiring candidates prepare themselves better to seek initiation from an ISKCON guru. We hope you will find it informative and fair. 

Based on the above-mentioned information and your enthusiasm to continue to serve ISKCON, you are humbly invited to attend an information session on Sunday, September 21, 2014 from 4:00 - 6:00 PM at Govinda’s for further details on the Mentorship System including the process of seeking formal initiation at ISKCON Toronto. To help us plan better, please register and RSVP for this informative seminar by clicking here.

It is our sincere request that you attend this enlivening and informative session in our humble attempt to please Srila Prabhupada. For further information, please take a look at these following documents to get a better understanding of the process so far:

Resources: