Saturday, May 3rd, 2014
→ The Walking Monk

Charlottetown/Halifax

Three Provinces

I’m smack in the middle of what’s called The Gentle Province, in the tiny city of Charlottetown which has real live Canadian historical significance.  Here, papers were signed in 1867 declaring confederation.  A nation was born which would shape into a huge country with thousands of trails.

Sobha was host to our party of four, Nitai, Fernanda, Nina and I, who made the trip for the satsang program at Sobha’s home.  Sobha is involved in the government’s accounting and advisory department, and we suggested a portion of the budget be set aside for kirtan chanting projects.  It’s wishful thinking.  With a smile, she agreed that kirtan has rehab and therapeutic effects that are socially advantageous.

In the early morn, while all were asleep, including Sobha’s exotic fish and gerbil, I took a morning walk off to that confederation building, the ocean docks, and the theatre where the popular “Anne of Green Gables” is performed on stage.  All was good.

On the return journey to Halifax, Nova Scotia, I would jump out of the car when we stopped for a refueling.  Down the highway I’d go until the car’s stomach was happy and ready to move forward.  I suggested a second stop at Amherst, New Brunswick, where we could all stretch legs and get some japa meditation in.  In the course of that walk, I met Jonathan, a local bloke.  I praised him for his heroism – walking instead of zipping around in a car.  But he didn’t quite get what I was talking about.

In Halifax, and in our third province, we converged for a gathering at Savitri’s in her condo.  Savitri is a Dutch born lady in her retirement now.  She recently got hit at the knee by a motorist.  It took its toll on her skeletal structure, but she’s strong willed and is going to be fine.

I’m not sure if I were to meet Jonathan again that I would be able to convince him of the automobile’s evil side.  Just how many people get killed annually global wise by the magic machine?  India alone claims 100,000 lives a year.  Conservative figures I’m sure.  I wonder what the collective stats look like.  It would be a number right up there with cancer, heart related diseases, mental disorders, etc.  I’ll bet you that it’s a big figure.  Sorry, but I’m not supposed to gamble.

May the Source be with you!

13 KM

Sex: Is that all there is?
→ KKSBlog

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 07 March 2014, Sydney, Australia, Srimad Bhagavatam 2.9.34)

love-man-womanThe whole world was talking about sex. At first, I didn’t know what it was but as I grew up, I finally got the idea of what it was. But of course, I had not become active in the field as yet so that was a very frustrating time. Finally, it happened and then when I was walking in the street, there was a song that played in my mind, an old one, “Is that all there is… Is that all there is?”

And I thought, “My God, such a hype, such a big thing… it was alright but not THAT incredible as I thought it would have been!?” I was a bit disappointed. I tried again and again after that… I’m not trying to say it was a total frustration but still, it didn’t satisfy me enough to say that this is what drives me. So I came to a point where I said, ultimately I don’t have faith in sex that it would make me happy. I just don’t believe in it anymore and as far as I am concerned, the world is over-sexed; it has made too much of it!

Love Of God Will Come Out
→ Japa Group

"As you chant Hare Krsna, your dormant love of God will come out, just as butter comes out when we churn milk. Butter is already there in milk, but it has to be brought out by the process of churning. So your love of God is there, it just has to be brought out by your chanting."

From Japa Reform Notebook
by Satsvarupa dasa Goswami

Donor Appreciation Banquet
→ TKG Academy

On Sunday May 4th 2014, TKG Academy teachers, parents, and alumni students appreciated our family of supporters and donors.  TKG Academy students welcomed everyone with kirtan and recitation of the Siksastakam Prayers.  Guest Speakers were His Holiness Rtadhvaja Swami, Vishvambhar Prabhu, Nityananda Prabhu, Alumni Student Kapil Prabhu and newly initiated Rasamrta Sindhu Prabhu (Subra Narayan).  The decorations were sponsored by Prema Sindhu Prabhu.   Thank you to all the volunteers who cooked and decorated, working hard to make the event successful. Here are the pictures of the lovely event.

Prabhupada Letters :: Anthology 2014-05-04 15:53:00 →

May 4, 1949: "According to Bhagavad-gita the whole trouble of the world is due to the decrease in the number of the daivas and the increase in the number of the asuras. Thus it is not possible to solve the world problem by holding occasional discussions by some who are already themselves under the influence of the asuric qualities."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1947-64

Why Be Part of An Institution?
→ Dandavats.com

Francis Xavier Clooney, S.J., is an American Jesuit Roman Catholic priest and scholar in the teachings of Hinduism. He is currently a professor at Harvard Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. "Why be part of an institution? Especially in times of disagreement (or embarrassment), I've asked myself this question and have, on more than one occasion, struggled to find an answer." Read more ›

A Mixed Bag of Material and Spiritual Tendencies
→ Karnamrita's blog

Author: 
Karnamrita Das

(this blog is recorded on the full page: quick time player is needed; works best with Firefox or Explorer; if you are using Google Chrome it will automatically play, so if you don't want to listen, mute your speakers.)
Benifited, but ungrateful photo Learningandungrateful_zps21ff6315.png[republished from 2014-05-04]
While the experience that prompted this free verse poem wasn’t planned, it was welcome, and seen as an occasion for reflection. Association with saints is desirable for developing good qualities, and yet being with people in general can also foster our personal and spiritual growth, because in their company who we are as a person is revealed and we may discover part of the spiritual work we have left to do. Anyone can be our teacher if we have the humility to be open to learn, either how to act, or how not to act.

Every day we have the opportunity to learn from life situations, which include dealing with or observing others, whether at work, running errands, attending school or college, or interacting with our family and friends. While it is essential to learn about others, in relationship to them we will learn much about ourselves since people are mirrors in which we project our ideals or see our faults. From another angle of vision, Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu also considers our heart a mirror. This mirror is covered by the dust of our conventional (physical) ego and material conditioning which obscures our spiritual nature (soul). In all our dealings we can pray to remember that we are all souls having a physical experience and in this way part of the same spiritual family.

When we have made the decision to give our life to the pursuit of loving and serving Krishna, our life is forever changed. This is true in spite of our inability to walk the path in the most ideal way. To help us have a humble attitude we can remember our life before we began the spiritual quest, or that we all begin life in ignorance. We should know and remember the spiritual goal, and where we are on the map of our spiritual journey, in order to adapt the path to our unique life situation. This is why practical guidance from

read more

Chandan Yatra 2014 (Album 70 photos)
→ Dandavats.com

Chandan Yatra falls on Akshaya Tritiya. Both the Sun and Moon are exalted on this day. Some other important events that took place are: 1) The Appearance of Lord Parasuram. 2) The Appearance of the Ganges River. 3) Sudama brought poha to Krsna! 4) Khir- Chor -Gopinath Pastime stealing of the sweet rice done by Gopinath. 5) Krishna presented Draupadi with the Akshaya Patra- pot that never lacked.. 6) Ganesh Ji started writing Maha Bharat! 7) They start building the Rath Carts in Puri! 8) They open Char Dham in the mountains up for travel. 9) Treta Yuga began on this day. 10)The Beginning of Chandan Yatra commences because the Sun is right over head for 21 days, so devoted souls keep the Lord cool by applying sandal wood paste Therefore anything undertaken on this day (even material with eventual desire to dovetail in Krsna's service) turns out auspicious. Read more ›

ISKCON Pada yatra reaches to Kolkata (Album 13 photos)
→ Dandavats.com

"If Indian young men join me, I am immediately ready for this traveling, touring from village to village and town to town. However, my foreign disciples have the language defect - they can't speak the village language. Otherwise I would have started this program long ago. If some young men like you would join me, then along with some foreign disciples I can immediately take up this program. If you are very eager, please get hold of at least half a dozen young men like you, then with another half dozen foreign disciples I can immediately take up this program and tour village to village and town to town. It will be very, very effective. I know that." (Srila Prabhupada's letter to Panjabi Premananda, a young Indian man who had suggested to him that ISKCON organize a padayatra under Prabhupada's direction. April 16, 1976) Read more ›

Good Practice is Never Forgotten or Lost
→ simple thoughts

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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.

——————————————————————

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

New_Vrindaban_ISKCON_Logo_black_small

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