Good Practice is Never Forgotten or Lost
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Recalling my time as a Jehovah’s Witness I was remembering the yearly highlight of the assembly’s the large 4 day event usually held in a football ground which was always full, at this particular assembly their was always an announcement and distribution of new books.

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Recalling the excitement of getting hold of the new books and thumbing the way through it before the start of the next lectures before returning home to take a closer look and read. Pondering this made me think about how excited the devotee’s must have been upon each release of Srila Prabhupada’s book’s.

It reminded me that it wouldn’t be long before we would start studying the new books at the kingdom hall digesting the information contained and it would be sometime before these books would be made available for distribution.

It reminded me that during the door to door ministery depending how the conversation went the correct book that would cover the subject could be brought into play, this because it was normal practice to study and discuss each book. A good habit to form.

Each time I sit and read one of Srila Prabhupada books the wealth of knowledge and nectar eclipsed that of all other spiritual material I’ve ever read before indeed understanding the nature of the material world and knowledge of the spirit soul makes a big difference not only in my life but for those whom I get to share this with.

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It reminded me of the good practice my year’s as a Jehovah’s witness instilled that of reading and studying each book before then presenting it in book distribution, and I would encourage each person to get into this habit.

For the result is your knowledge and enthusiasm increases and those you get to speak to also see the real impact and have faith in the books knowing you have read and benefited from them.

And further to this it reminded me of the importance of attending both morning and evening classes it helps us benefit and gain the most of Srila Prabhupada books

Srila Prabhupada Requests That Pittsburgh & New Vrindaban Projects Be Developed Conjointly – Nov 1970
→ New Vrindaban Brijabasi Spirit

Prabhupada New Vrindaban 1976

Srila Prabhupada Requests That Pittsburgh & New Vrindaban Projects Be Developed Conjointly – Nov 1970.

From a series of letters written by Srila Prabhupada outlining his vision for New Vrindaban.

Thanks to Vanipedia for the source material.

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November 08, 1970

My Dear Hayagriva,

Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 27, Sept. I’m very pleased that you’re opening a nice center in the important city of Pittsburgh. Please develop the Pittsburgh and New Vrindaban plan conjointly. If Pittsburgh center can help contribute financially to our New Vrindaban, that will help relieve many financial problems. I am often thinking of New Vrindaban and I’m so much glad that you have taken the initiative to establish that program. Before I came to your country, I was thinking to establish an ideal Vedic community. So please work very hard to make New Vrindaban grow.

I will agree with you that we must not strain by having more devotees there than we can fit comfortably. Things must be done in such a way that no one feels inconvenienced. That is one of the problems of our modern metropolis. Everyone is packed together so tightly that the condition is always unbearable. Develop things in New Vrindaban in the natural way, so that gradually, as you have more facilities, more men can come. So far as purchasing the property and schoolhouse owned by Mr. Caufield—that is very nice proposal. So I propose that if you can collect $15,000. Then I will loan you the remaining $5,000. from my bookfund.

Your essay “The Spiritual Master: Emissary of the Supreme Person” is so nice, so why not have ISKCON PRESS publish it and then all our students can study it.

Here I am working in Bombay to establish one Krishna Consciousness Headquarters for India. There are many big influential industrialists in Bombay and the climate is very nice. So it Krishna desires, we will have a temple here. If I get such a nice temple, I may call all the men who are in India to come here, and at that time you may come also. Presently Hamsaduta, Acyutananda Swami, Jayapataka Swami, Madhudvisa Swami, and some others are in Calcutta. Kirtanananda Swami is with Ramananda in Gorakhpur and Gurudasa and Yamuna with some other devotees are in Delhi. So everyone here is trying to establish a temple and we will see where Krishna wants us to have it.

Please offer my blessings to your good wife Syama Dasi and your growing boy Samba, and I can hardly wait until he grows big enough to defeat all the mayavadis.

Hope this will meet you in good health.

Your ever well-wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

ACBS/adb

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Krishna tests to increase our devotion
→ The Spiritual Scientist

The Pandavas were devotees, but at the same time, they were king. There was attachment. So therefore Krishna took away their everything — their kingdom, their wife, their position, their honor — test him, and still, they did not give up Krishna. Therefore they came out victorious. So Krishna sometimes tests His devotees, that how much devoted he is. He forcibly makes him renounced in order. That is Krishna's special favor.

- Srila Prabhupada (Lecture in Geneva, June 2, 1974)

What is raga and who are raga worshippers?
→ The Spiritual Scientist

Those people who naturally gain satisfaction in worshipping the Lord, without motives of fear, desire or duty, begin their worship with attraction (raga). Raga is defined as the tendency of the mind to become spontaneously attracted to an object immediately on seeing it, without intellectual processing. A person who has developed this quality of attraction in his heart as soon as he thinks of the Lord is worshipping the Lord according to raga. Those who take to worship of the Lord from fear, desire or duty are not on such a pure level . Those who worship the Lord according to raga are real worshippers.

Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Chaitanya Shikshamrita

Govardhan Eco-village
→ ISKCON News

ISKCON-project Govardhan Eco Village (GEV) near Mumbai illustrates 'Simple Living & High Thinking' -- a principle which is so succinct, yet profound, and formed the basis of life in the bygone age of wisdom.

Deity Worship Minister Tours North America
→ ISKCON News

ISKCON Deity Worship Minister for North America Jayananda Das, a disciple of Bhakti-Tirtha Swami, has visited twenty-five temples in North America since 2012, and plans to visit sixteen more by the end of this year. This will bring him to about eighty per cent of the total 55 temples in North America.

Friday, May 2nd, 2014
→ The Walking Monk

Charolottetown, Prince Edward Island

From The Speaking Tree

I had landed in Halifax at 1:15 AM, caught some rest at the home of hosts, Mukunda and Hladini, and found a few minutes to stroll with monk, Nitai Ram, before a drive to Charlottetown where we took part in a satsang, spiritual gathering.  On the ride over we stopped at the border of Prince Edward Island to catch up on internet stuff.  There, we googled a newspaper article that appeared on April 27th, 2014 with the New Delhi Times, a section called The Speaking Tree.  I was honoured to be featured there as a person who is promoting pilgrimage.  And here it is:

Walkathon To Eternity

The Canadian-born BHAKTIMARGA SWAMI believes in walking in the great outdoors to find the Truth. REENA SINGH spent a morning with the ‘Walking Monk’ in Noida at the inauguration of a new ISKCON temple.

He’s a self-confessed walking addict who says he got attracted to Swami Prabhupada’s Hare Krishna movement 41 years ago because it was ‘radical, daring and different.’ Bhaktimarga Swami began walking in 1996, when he wanted to do something really big as a tribute to Srila Prabhupada’s centennial celebrations, and he hasn’t stopped since. He’s walked across Canada thrice and is due to finish his fourth walk soon. Born John Peter Vis, the 61-year-old Canadian has also walked across Ireland, Israel, Guyana, Mauritius, and Fiji Islands and is planning yet another marathon walk in 2016 from New York to San Francisco. 

He walks all mornings, 35 KM or so at a stretch and spends nights at camp sites. In between, he stops at schools, senior citizen homes, libraries and yoga studios and among Hindu communities, delivering the message of the Bhagavad Gita and conducting meditations. 

Parikrama And Pilgrimage

All along, he also promotes being one with nature and says that many countries — India, Russia, Europe, Ireland, and South and Central America — have a rich heritage of parikrama and pilgrimage. “It was common in ancient times for young people to set off on a vision quest in solitude in a kind of walking meditation. Across the globe, there is a history of people travelling light, looking for a kind of transformation, an inner cleansing. We must look at this walking culture of our ancestors more deeply and realise the value of it,” he says.

“We now live in an automated society and so hardly ever travel on foot,” he rues. “My aim is to go to every town and village — meet people and get inspired by what they do, and try to inspire them. A support person checks on me once in a while and ensures that I am still alive and that I haven’t been eaten up by a bear! The whole idea is to gain a sense of resistance and take in whatever comes of its own accord — cold and hot weather, rain, snow, mosquitoes, flies — to walk through the dualities and to gain strength,” he says. 

“What resonates with a lot of people when you get past that half century mark is that you have to spend a little more time in simplicity. Walking aids in that endeavour. My message is that we are the spirit, not just the body. Moreover, we were designed for walking, not flying, or even running. In many societies, there is a tradition of walking and leading a monastic life,” he says. 

Was there opposition from his family when he took to the Hare Krishna way of life? “I am still Roman Catholic, and I still believe in God. I have only added to something I was already practising. So while my family was taken aback at first, later they were proud of me. I keep in touch with my siblings and all of them walk with me when I come to their neighbourhood — in dhoti, kurta, chadar, japa mala, tilak, and my Crocs!” he says with a laugh. 

He admits western audiences don’t know eastern philosophy, but things are changing now and they are opening up to vedic concepts and eastern thought.

“To the western community, I also talk about my experiences on the road, tales from my treks and then teach them mantra meditation. Then, I literally pass on the hat, and donations pour in,” he says, when questioned about how he funds his walks. “People believe that if they feed a monk, something good will come of it,” he adds, with a twinkle in his eye.

His message is that the way to make spiritual progress is not just to establish your own inner temple or to visit a church or mosque. Spirituality isn’t limited to that. The world itself is a temple. “I get close to God when I am walking. Walking has a natural rhythm, you take in the great air, everyday is an adventure and when you are out there with nature, you get enlightened. That’s why the ancients did this. Why deprive ourselves of this today,” he asks. 

“It’s my hope that city planners will plan great trails where people will have great experiences. It’s the ultimate experience to walk and travel light — it’s not going to Las Vegas, Disney World or Paris. It’s going on your feet and seeing the big Imax screen all around you — of nature, itself.”

Hair-raising Tales

With children, his approach is different. He talks more about his hair-raising experiences, of being attacked by wasps on the behind, his one-time interaction with a hungry bear…. “If a truck hadn’t trundled along at that point in the morning, I would have been toast — breakfast — for the bear. It was a humbling experience,” he adds. 
 
Teens think monks are cool — the result, perhaps, of seeing so many Kung Fu movies, he explains. “A newer generation has sprung up and they are open. They admire my carefree, car-free lifestyle,” he says. “Of course, children need something exotic too — and my support person comes along with a real Amazon parrot on his shoulder — that’s a real attraction. I talk about the journey, the pilgrimage, what’s it about, how many pairs of shoes it takes to walk across Canada — four of them. I give them some numbers to crunch on. They love that,” he says. 

Educators look forward to his visit. “The biggest challenge now is to get kids away from computers and out of the house. It’s inspiring for them to hear that someone is walking across Canada. Many of them are locked into their own little communities and our Project Walk tells the kids that the globe is big and there is so much going on outside,” he adds. 

When he is not walking, he busies himself with theatre and is a well-known director of theatre arts. He has made Gita concise — and presented all 18 chapters of the Gita in a language people can understand. It includes two fusion dances showing Krishna’s dynamic virat rupa, or cosmic form, complete with music and rhythm in both English and Hindi. 
 
May the Source be with you!

3 KM

Such a musician!
→ KKSBlog

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 03 April 2014, Cape Town, South Africa, Evening Lecture)

 

krsna with cow and fluteKrsna plays the flute, in an amazing way. Krsna is such a musician that he speaks through that flute. His heart speaks through that flute to the heart of others who actually get the message. Even in this world, a good mundane musician can touch the heart, can penetrate right to our heart. So Krsna actually can speak through his flute and touches the heart of his devotees.

But this happens on the spiritual platform. So the spiritual platform is like that – full of variety, full of taste and reciprocation. It’s not just, you know, “And then there is light …..light….light..” That is not all! There is light but there’s also variety, and it’s in perfection.

 

 

 

BBT Goes Global in Latin America
→ ISKCON News

During the second week of April (7-13th), Cochabamba, Bolivia, South America received a visit from five representatives of the Spanish anguage branch of the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust. ISKCON News had the opportunity to interview the five participants and get to know about the plans and surprises that await Latin America and Spain in 2014.

What is Govardhan Eco Village? (7 min video)
→ Dandavats.com

Govardhan Eco Village (GEV), a project inspired by Radhanath Swami, illustrates 'Simple Living & High Thinking' -- a principle which is so succinct, yet profound, and formed the basis of life in the bygone age of wisdom. Life in the Vedic times was focused on service, and not on exploitation; this was the cardinal rule of living and the very essence of people's dealings -- with each other and that with Mother Nature. With the concepts of eco living being innate, the Vedic lifestyle was truly an eco friendly way of living life as instanced in the timeless Vedic scriptures like Srimad Bhagavatam and Bhagavad-Gita. Read more ›

Another Block on the Dome ToVP (spectacular 4 min video )
→ Dandavats.com

This spectacular four-minute video from BhakTV shows a massive crane lifting a one-ton stainless-steel panel onto the center dome of the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium in Sridham Mayapur, India. The crane is accompanied by a remote-controlled miniature helicopter with an on-board HD video camera. With complementary footage from a second camera on the ground, "Another Panel On The Dome" presents a view of how the constuction of this immense dome will proceed, panel by panel. Two hundred fifty panels will be fitted into place to form a massive glittering steel dome with a base measuring over fifty meters across (150ft) at a height of 70 meters (200ft) above the ground. And this is only stage one. The steel dome will act as a base for a layer of concrete poured on top of it. The present stage is the most critical in this momentous project -- a double-width dome on a world-class religious structure, the largest Hindu temple to be built in decades. Read more ›

367. Rain & Kirtan
→ 9 Days, 8 Nights

Stepped out of home and didn’t realize the rain was so strong! Seemed like a mini storm out there – thrashing rain and wind. Unable to hold the umbrella open, i ran to the temple as fast as i could. Full drenched now, changing shoes with someone else’s and gathering few devotees, took the tram to city to help setup the evening kirtan night program. Got there and helped put it all up and ready to welcome the guests. Then i was told if i could open the night for all. Gathering up some strength, thoughts and words, i said a few things over the microphone welcoming everyone. I could have done better i think but what to do now? Anyways, the kirtans have started and everyone is absolutely relaxed and meditative. Me too.

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