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Earlier on this year I had a small clash of perspective on this my blog I was a little perplexed given that the article that had rattled them most ended in a question to which me being me simply felt they could have replied to.
However they did make a small notation which I’ve been pondering on “remember others read and what you say could influence or even put them off krishna consciousness or ISKCON” Now although I have strong views in certain areas it has made me ponder and think before each post.
Recently though I’ve been hit by what many of would see as being spam but on the whole sinister, unfactual and offensive however the last one I felt needed a response
The first questioned the parampara
Then Bhaktivinoda Thakur
The last was picking up on when Srila Prabhupada talked about his own marriage and the system of finding a life partner, it’s undertones and assumptions was shocking inaccurate but more so was it’s conclusion.
Let’s face it when Srila Prabhupada talked about the age people got married this was seen as the social norm but at no stage did Srila Prabhupada say this was the ages and that we should follow it precisely, it was a conversation and contextually accurate.
However the individual stated two unfactual and offensive notations
1) Srila Prabhupada was a phedophile
2) Due to this ISKCON is a haven for phedophile’s
My first notation and response:
Indeed the British introduced in 1860 setting the age at 10 years in 1891 it was raised to 12 years but not the age of marriage and was only considered rape if under 10 years of age, in 1949 this was raised to 15 and then again in 1982 to 16 years of age being raised to 18 in 2012
To apply the current age of consent to Srila Prabhupada indeed anyone from that era is unfair and in itself illegal as no law should be applied retrospectively
Indeed using the persons logic that simply means that my own ancestors seeings that in 1576 the age of consent was 10 years of age, 1875 raised to 13 years of age and in the 1920 to the current age of 16 years; so does that make our grandparents who were married at this age phedophile’s?
Thus applying simple logic anyone by association must also be like minded
My second notation and response:
Yes ISKCON has had problems with some individuals who have harboured and acted on their desires for young children (and unlike Srila Prabhupada had sexual relations with legally underage children)
This does not mean its a pandemic and practiced by most or all of the society as the individual suggested
Yes as a society and this was also reflected in the wider society outside of ISKCON a period of denial which meant more people were abused however this was the case in most organisation at the time.
ISKCON however has put in place a robust no tolerance reporting system, applying the legal age of consent and laws of the land; I am not nieve to believe that this will mean their will no longer any cases of phedophile but more importantly lessons have been learnt and once alerted full assistance and support will be given to the victim and justice in the law courts persuid
And that we see practically within ISKCON many loving and caring families whom make this society one that is special and an honour to be a part of.
Spam e-mail and the internet can be a medium for false information or false accusations
Some will believe and yes disinformation can indeed cause problem’s
But for me this disinformation can if the person is willing to listen and entre into dialogue
However I feel this person would not actually enter into a discussion or look retrospectively at the laws at the time and will continue in his pursuit of passing on misinformation.
It also reminded me of the need for checking and rechecking before publishing anything or allowing a dialogue for open discussion with a view that maybe yours rather than the person reading viewpoint has to change.

Thursday, September 4th, 2014
→ The Walking Monk

Toronto, Ontario

Flashes in the Night


At long last the summer has come as we usually know it – hot and somewhat humid.  Sunlight hours are not the most conducive for hiking up and down streets.  You wait until nighttime when it cools down or take to early morning strolls. 

The city is teeming with energy.  Very close to our ashram, movie lovers are filling the streets for TIFF, the Toronto International Film Festival.  It’s a big one. 

It would be so nice, had there been the same passion for spirituality.  I believe the film industry and media in general, has done a fairly good job at downplaying the soul searching culture.  I say this sarcastically.  Exposing faulty habits by spiritual leaders has become a preoccupation.  There is some validity to this, however.  Our own guru would take the time to express what he felt about bogus people in the dress of religious garb and status.  People we sometimes refer to as ‘bhogi yogis’. 

At the same time, reporting should be balanced and highlight benefits of personal discipline and expression of humility.  We generally hear about the bad apples, but why not talk more about the good apples.  Yes, the balance of presentation is weak. 

We glamourize the night life of people in fancy dress, people we call ‘stars’.  They drive around in limos and take to parties.  They often enough detour fans with their sensuous lifestyles and rocky relationships.  They are not always the best role models.  It’s really a lot of tinsel flashing in the night.  What society needs is a boost of wholesome direction. 

May the Source be with you!


10 KM

Wednesday, September 3rd, 2014
→ The Walking Monk

Montreal, Quebec
 
The Trash Task
 
It’s painful to see the waste all around.  You’ll walk up a street and see rejected furniture, for instance, a big sofa set, tables, chairs, beds, and mattresses.  Often they look to be in good condition.  Then you have lined-up on the street bags and bags of wrapping, compost, and all kinds of refuse.  It’s all neatly consolidated into shiny bags of plastic.
 
Then, there’s the scrap yard.  Have you ever walked through one?  I have!  It’s like a visit to hell.  Speaking of which, we can all feel the weight of guilt because it’s all one big SIN!  We all contribute to “the pile.” 
 
Our turnover of stuff is phenomenal.  We are very good at trashing, and that’s not only with stuff.  We do it to people.  We do it to our partner.  We do it to God!
 
Again we make it all look good.  Landfill makes great landscape with a bunch of smooth sod over it.  I’m sarcastic, of course.
 
Have you ever walked over a beach full of empty disregarded plastic bottles?  I have!  You couldn’t see the sand.  I was slipping on the bottles and struggled to keep my balance.  I felt bad at that point, not sorry for myself.  I felt bad being a human and contributing to the culture of junk.
 
Now, I might complain about the trash without.  I must also contend with the trash within.  Clean up time!  That’s a herculean task!
 
May the Source be with you!
 
10 KM

Sunday, August 31st, 2014
→ The Walking Monk

Montreal, Quebec

For Montreal
Before I left for a quick flight to Montreal, I discovered some guy sprawled out on the outdoor stair landing of our ashram. No doubt the fellow had passed out or was fast asleep or something, a result of some intoxication.

"You won't be able to stay here," I said as he was blocking the way.

Instantaneously he woke up, looked up to notice me and said, "Oh! Buddha!" I had remarked something to Dakshin, a monk visiting from Miami, and who had been standing nearby. The fellow managed to hoist himself to midway and said, "Oh! Another Buddha!"

"Yes, well, the two Buddhas are trying to say that you have to move on. Do you mind?"

He complied and left, hopefully to seek nirvana.

The purpose to my visit to Montreal was to do a talk during a festival in honor of our guru, Srila Prabhupada. I spoke about my personal time with him in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, and Toronto. About half of the anecdotes had to do with my walking with him and his entourage. 

Then I learned from the coordinator of the event that in '68, when our guru made his first visit to Montreal to deal with U.S. visa issues, he had walked a good seven to eight kilometres from the Notre Dame Basilica to the ecumenical centre for visiting all religions: "Le Centre Montchanais." This was in June, July and August.

Also, he once mentioned he loved majestic flowing rivers which compelled him to walk along the Riviere St. Laurent, up to Mont Royal Park.

Guess who's going to check out those locations on foot? Yes, to me they are pilgrimage places.

May the Source be with you!

6 KM

Tuesday, September 2nd, 2014
→ The Walking Monk

Montreal, Quebec

Original Goddess


My embarrassing low tally for walking kilometres today was not fueled by a seemingly discouraging encounter I had on Saint Catherine’s, but by being busy in devotional service.  Also stacked on top of that was the hot and humid nature of the out of doors.  I was a tad bit intimidated, I’d say, during the sunny hours.  Then came the festival to honour Krishna’s eternal consort, Radha.  The day is called Radhastami.  She was born on this day. 

The Early Morning Encounter
 
At approximately 4 AM, I trekked with japa beads in hand while going west on Saint Catherine’s, when a  prostitute on a street corner made a proposal.  Naturally, I declined and told her that I have my goddess, Radha, whom I’m off to worship.  The lady was persistent and continued to walk by my side until about 2 blocks when we came about a second lady of the street.  Just to get her off my back, I suggested the two women get to know each other and make friends.  The suggestion did not sit well with either.  I picked up speed and left the two to mumble whatever they were saying the French medium, which I couldn’t well understand.  I turned a corner and paced back to our Montreal ashram into a more civilized atmosphere.  Frankly, I had enough with goddesses for the day, except for the Supreme One, who was honoured in style, in Her murtii form in the morning, noon and night.  I had the pleasure to speak twice today on the subject on the supreme balance to Krishna, and to highlight the great compassion She (Radha) has for souls who are struggling in this world.

May the Source be with you!

2 KM

Monday, September 1st, 2014
→ The Walking Monk

Montreal, Quebec

Good Place and People


About 30 of us pilgrims walked, almost waltzed, down Prince Arthur in the McGill University area.  We stopped in front of one residence, by Sumir’s arrangement.  He functions as the coordinator of our chanting party today.  I objected to singing and drumming in front of someone’s home at 11 AM on Labour Day. 

“I know this is the building that Prabhupada (our guru) stayed for the summer in ’68, but I have some apprehension about us being in someone’s face.  Maybe people are still sleeping, it’s a holiday.”

Sumir assured me that it’s okay.  The front door to the handsome looking home opened, there, appeared a smiling woman.  She waved us in, so a small contingent of three entered and stepped in.  There we met the family that was expecting us.  Sumir explained to me, “It’s always on Labour Day that we do this.”

We met Matt, the lady’s husband, a cello player and teacher at McGill.  They are the home owners.  He’s also good friends with John McLaughlin of the Maha Vishnu Orchestra.  He asked us which year was it that our guru met John Lennon and company.  It was from the downstairs quarters that our guru lived here, and then spent time training six of his students in harmonium, mrdanga (drum), karatalas,  and voice, before dispatching them to England when they met the Beatles. 

“It was in around ’69,” I suggested to Matt. 

In any event, it was great to be in that spot.  The couple mentioned that they’ve been to the other three duplicates of their home which are all in an attached row, but, to quote them, “But no place has the same good vibes as this home.”  It was implied that a very special person had been living here. 

So after our visit, we continued the walk with kirtan on the grounds of McGill.  The security, lead by three people, approached our man in the front and inquired.  I guess the grounds do not permit assemblies of different kinds.  When they saw how harmless we were, and that we were ‘just passing through’, they let us off the hook.  They were taken by the good vibes.

May the Source be with you!

6 KM

Saturday, August 30th, 2014
→ The Walking Monk

Dundas, Ontario

There is One Thing
 
There is one thing I would like to declare, unofficially; that those Johnny-on-the-spot outdoor toilets are perfect self-realization cubicles. 

I personally stepped into one of those purely to make a change into my swimming trunks for water exploration. In the cubicle next to me a woman entered saying, "Gross!", horrified at the contents. That's why I say, "A step into one of those units and you've got reality staring you in the face." It's the lump-sum of human bodily constituency. It's eye opening while the nostrils and mouth stay tightly shut. 

The place of activity for the day was Spencer's Gorge, near Dundas, Ontario, which became a real hot spot for family and community fun. I spent the morning, and part afternoon, with our Brampton community; bonding, tracking, learning, chanting and having a picnic. It was a bhakti blast. The water experience took some bravado.

Every person that came to this outdoor haven circumvented barriers to reach the base of Spencer's Gorge/Webster's Falls. Vrajadham from Hamilton was our guide. He took us to what seem like Jules Verne's "Journey to the Center of the Earth". The notable place of ecstasy was right under the falls, a strong penetrating continuous shower. Going behind the constant pour was another "looking behind-the-scenes" experience. It was unobnoxious compared to the toilets.

The anatomy of this day was ending in Richmond Hill at the home of a god-brother, Subha Vilas. There, I delivered a theatrical reading of the Gita along with another spiritual bro, Krishna Das. Yes, it was well received, as was Kalyapani's song of Krishna done to an Irish tune. It was totally sweet!

May the Source be with you!

6 KM
 

Friday, August 29th, 2014
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Toronto, Ontario


Don't You Know, We're Eternal?


I pulled out of the closet, my '96 blue backpack with the logo "Cross Canada Walk" sewn on, before I embarked on a Bloor Street trek for two hours. This small pack provides enough space for overnight provisions - a tooth brush, clean set of robes and swimming trunks. My destination was anywhere on Bloor St. until my host from Milton, Aindra by name, would see me from his car and then scoop me up for a ride to his home.

I like Bloor St. It's not raunchy like sections of Yonge. Bloor is multi-culturally vibrant. It has a more quaint "downtown" feel. As I was recently reminded from a mundane prospective, Petula Clark's song, "When you are alone and life is making you lonely, you can always go downtown." The transitional community phases from Bloor and Spadina range from Anglos, to Koreans, to Portuguese, to Polish. There are Caribbean shops too - "Mom and Pop shops" - along the way. You are not in a crazy concrete jungle when you're on Bloor. 

Perhaps, the most memorable encounter of today was not on Bloor but earlier in the day when I joined Godbrothers, Dharma and Krishna Das, both who, like myself, are in our 60's. Dharma has suffered from a stroke back in the early 80's. He moves slow and limped during our mini-procession. As we went down Yorkville Ave. with our kirtan, a group of guys were sitting at a patio outside a bar. 

One white-haired man drinking his liquor and bearing a resemblance to Michael Douglas, shook his head in disgust when he saw us. Now, practically everyone who saw and heard us on the street was either indifferent or favourable in their response. This fellow seemed to discard us, "Aren't you, guys, too old for this?" Inside me, I took offense. Externally, I smiled and said, "Don't you know we are eternal? Have a nice day!" He kind of went blank. 

May the Source be with you!

12 KM

World Holy Name Week: Day 2
→ ISKCON Malaysia

BY GAURAVANI DASA

KUALA LUMPUR - World Holy Name Week: Day 2



"O Lord! Be merciful and appear on my tongue in Your holy name; dance there constantly, O Lord! I fall at Your lotus feet and beg You. You may keep me in this world or take me to Your abode, as You please, but whatever You do with me, feed me the divine nectar of Your names. You have descended into this world to distribute the Holy Name, so kindly also consider me one of those You intended to bless. I am the most lowly, whereas You are committed to the uplift of the lowest; this is our eternal relationship, O Savior of the fallen! On the strength of this unbreakable connection between us, O Lord, I beg You to shower me with the nectar of the Holy Name." - Uttered by Haridas Thakur, Harinama Cintamani 11.53-57

12 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Lord Vamana and Vamana Dvadasi
→ ISKCON Malaysia

BY GAURAVANI DASA

KUALA LUMPUR - 12 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Lord Vamana and Vamana Dvadasi:


1. He is known by many names, the most common ones being Vamana (the little dwarf), Trivikrama (he who has taken three steps, the giant form), and Upendra (Indra's younger brother);


2. In every planetary system the denizens worship a particular Visnu-tattva as their sole Lord (Plaksadvipa, Surya-Narayana; Maha-purusa, Brahmaloka; Yajna-purusa, Maharloka, et cetera) and in the heavenly planets, the demigods worship Lord Visnu in His plenary portion: the four-armed Vamana;


3. When Indra and the demigods leave Svargaloka temporarily to battle the asuras, Vamana stays behind and protects the Heavens by flying around on the back of Garuda, and pierces demons with His trident;

4. When Vamana took His second step, He pierced a hole through the subtle coverings that surround our universe, and Ganga and Yamuna flowed into our universe through that hole that Vamana made with His toe;


5. Srila Prabhupada had said that to honor festivals such as Rama Navami and Vamana Dvadasi, the devotees could dress up and worship a small boy as the particular avatar. In Mayapur, every year on Vamana Dvadasi a young gurukuli from the Bhaktivedanta Academy is chosen to 'be' Vamana for the day. A foot washing ceremony is performed, followed by elaborate offerings of bhoga (he gets to eat whatever he wants!), arati, pushpanjali, and distribution of his maha-prasad.


6. Bali Maharaj is a mahajana, and represents atma-nivedanam, the act of surrendering fully to the Lord, one of the angas of bhakti. 


7. Bali Maharaj also become Indra in the next manvantara;


8. Vamana did not kill Bali Maharaj, because He had promised Prahlad Maharaj (Bali Maharaj's grandfather) as Lord Nrsimhadeva that He would not kill anyone in his family lineage, before or after his time; 


9. Vamana eternally resides on His personal planet in Vaikuntha, and as the door-guard to Bali Maharaj's kingdom in the lower planetary systems, as well.


10. Once Ravana tried to force himself into Bali Maharaj's kingdom. Vamana kicked Ravana with his toe and sent him flying 10,000 yojanas away.


11. When Vamana pushed Bali Maharaj down to Sutalaloka, Bali Maharaj received special permission from the Lord to visit his kingdom on earth once a year, the day of Onam. 


12. That day is today.

State government announces anyone who has lived in India for six months will get significant monetary benefit :-)
→ Dandavats.com

If the state government were to announce today that anyone who has lived in India for six months will get one million gold coins as a gift, how many of us will not accept such an offer by none other than the government itself? None, provided all of us are smart. Why? First because it is a gift and secondly, it is offered by the state government, a body we can trust in. My question is, do we really trust in God? Do we also not trust the Vedas and Puranas? If we can trust God and if we can trust the Vedas and Puranas, then we ought to also trust what is written in there, in full. Offers and assurances given by such scriptures are not imaginary although they may appear to be fantastic to our miserly intelligence. While reading Sri Navadvipa Dham mahatmaya, we hear the following from Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur. Read more ›

Five thousand devotees for the Russian Yatra festival in Anapa (Album 46 photos)
→ Dandavats.com

Indradyumna Swami: Five thousand devotees came for the installation of Panca Tattva deities on the first day of the Russian Yatra festival in Anapa. After presiding over the festival the deities will be worshipped in the temple in Krasnodar. Their installation is another milestone in the amazing history of the Russian yatra. It has all come about by the strong desire of Srila Prabhupada who visited Moscow in 1971 Read more ›

Srila Prabhupada Outlines the Essence of His New Vrindaban Vision in Two Sublime Sentences – July 1973
→ New Vrindaban Brijabasi Spirit

Prabhupada New Vrindaban 1976

Srila Prabhupada on a morning walk with his disciples in New Vrindaban, June 1976.

“Agriculture and protecting the cow, this is the main business of the residents of Vrindavan, and above all simply loving Krishna. The cows, the trees, the cowherd men and Gopis, their chief engagement was loving Krishna, and in New Vrindaban we want to create this atmosphere and thereby show the whole world how practical and sublime our movement is.”

Click here to read the rest of the letter at the Vanipedia website.