Saturday, March 29th, 2014
→ The Walking Monk

Toronto, Ontario

As Much As You Can

Rajneesh, so kindly drove me to Professor’s Lake in Brampton on the way to his home.  It was 11 PM and it was the first shot I had to get out and move around.  I needed to wind down.

“In order for me to get a decent sleep,” I told him, “I need to exert some physical exercise.” 

Rajneesh is very understanding.  He’s a social worker by profession and is sensitive to the human need, so we pulled into the parking lot and both took that trek for a half hour in circumambulation of the lake.  Hundreds of geese appeared to be in samadhi (trance).  You could see them faintly.  Some of them blurted out their ever so common honking sounds.  I was surprised to see ice, although thin, still on the lake’s surface.  All was serene and all was dark – a perfect place to end the day of beautiful busyness at the ashram where there was a memorial kirtan, a play practice, important calls to receive and to send, a bustling Govinda’s eating activity and intense cooking in the kitchen for the annual Yoga Show, and plus, the sanding and painting within the walls of our area.  All of these goings on were happening for the sake of advancing the spiritual cause. 

Frankly, the geese likely had a hectic day as well, and now they were resting on their laurels and acting the type of meditation they understand.  We all have to function within our own capacity.  As humans, the obligation is to be as introspective as you can. 

May the Source be with you!

 3 KM

Friday, March 28th, 2014
→ The Walking Monk

Columbus, Ohio

Walk To See A Cow

The cow’s left front leg was fractured in her home location, a barn in West Virginia.  She’s one of our cows, a Krishna cow, who hails from the New Vrindavan rural community, and was shipped over Galbreath Veterinary Center at the Ohio State University for physical care.  Gaura Nityananda, a Columbus monk, and I, felt pretty fortunate that this animal hospital was within walking distance of the Krishna House where I’m staying.  We made our way to this super clean barn which has multiple stalls.  We met Doctor Niehaus, the person who did surgery on the four year old bovine.  He was happy with the results of the surgery, and the cow (let’s call her Surabhi), seemed to demonstrate a joyful disposition, “She’s chewing her cud,” said the physician.  That was true, and at the same time that she was chewing, she also seemed to be doing an extended yoga stretch.  Her leg was in a cast, she appeared to be well on the road to recovery, and seemed to have overcome her complications. 

So now we have been speaking about a cow.  A cow, or bull, are sensitive creatures who meet with challenges of maybe a less complex nature in comparison to a human.  The human mind, for instance, is more that what anyone can comprehend.  On top of physical challenges, humans also have psychological challenges that we should perceive as opportunities. 

In this connection I would like to bring to your attention a beautiful quote that came to me today which came from Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, our guru’s guru.  Here it is:

“Anyone who cannot understand that the complications which are ever present in the material universe are beneficial in a way that is pure, eternal, complete, and free… Is deprived of his true spiritual activity, devotion to Krishna.”

May the Source be with you!

5 KM







Chant Chant Chant
→ Japa Group


The mind says "Can't can't can't" - it's the nature of the mind to accept and reject and sometimes we find our mind will reject the idea of chanting the Holy names.
Each day the mind may come up with many excuses and reasons not to chant or to put it off "Don't worry about this chanting, you can do it later...there are more important things right now" - heard your mind preaching like this?
What we can do is to ignore this internal dialogue and remember the importance of making Japa the number one priority and to act on this knowledge.

Vani and vapuh are non-different
→ The Spiritual Scientist

"We are not separated actually. There are two—vani or vapu. So vapu is physical presence and vani is presence by the vibration, but they are all the same. So Krsna when He was physically present before Arjuna is the same when He is present before us by His vani of Bhagavad-gita."

Prabhupada's letter to Hansadutta, Los Angeles, June 22, 1970.

New Vrindaban Daily darsan @ March 31, 2014.
→ New Vrindaban Brijabasi Spirit

01

In Vrinda?vana the leaves on the trees are made of emeralds, the flowers of diamonds, the new flower buds of beautiful pearls, the newly sprouting leaves of red kuruvinda jewels, the many fruits, all filled with various kinds of nectarean tastes, of rubies, the rain of an incessant shower of nectar, and the bumblebees of sapphires.

[Source : Nectarean Glories of Sri Vrindavana-dhama by Srila Prabodhananda Sarasvati Thakura, Sataka-2, Text-4, Translation.]

Please click here for more photos

The pressure to be super good!
→ KKSBlog

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 20 March 2013, Melbourne, Australia, Srimad Bhagavatam 2.7.52)

Humility is something alien in the modern world. We had a comic in Holland; I saw it as a kid but it made an impression on me. It was a simple man; he had a cap on – a labourer type – and he was coming for a job interview which was happening in a big hall. The interviewer was sitting behind a glass with a screen so you couldn’t see him but his voice was coming out through a loud speaker.

Cat-Sees-LionThe voice was saying, “Name?” Then the man said his name and he said, “Thank you very much, please.” And after every question that he answered, he said, “Thank you very much, please,” and he looked like a total fool but actually, if you think about it, he was very humble and the other man (the interviewer) was very cold and arrogant.

But this humility was depicted as like… you become a fool when you are humble. when you are simple! So the whole world projects this upon us that you’re a fool when you’re simple.

Even when you are a devotee, it hounds you, “How many slokas do you know?”

Reply, “Seven!”

“Only seven! My god, how can you know only seven slokas!?” Who can be so simple to say so…

So, the social pressure upon us in this whole world, where you have to be greater than you are, comes into every field. In the modern world, it came into the field of sex because ordinary sex will not do – it has to be super sex! You have to be a super lover and if you’re not a super lover, you’re a loser. That’s the image that is being projected.

 

Prabhupada Letters :: Anthology 2014-03-31 14:52:00 →

1971 March 31: "My Dear Dayalaji Birla, my attempt to exhibit the Krishna Consciousness Movement to the Bombay public is still going on at the Cross Maidan, and it has become very successful. Similar attempts will be made in Calcutta and Delhi. I am therefore opening a fund and I hope you will kindly contribute so that your example may be followed by other rich men in India."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1971

From the Garden — 3/31/14
→ New Vrindaban Brijabasi Spirit

BeanHouseBeginning.jpg-1

Greetings…..

This past week brought us quite the selection of early spring weather sun, rain, and even snow.  There is always such great anticipation for planting this time of year. The rule of thumb for working the soil is, “if the soil is wet enough that it easily clumps into a ball it is just too wet for tilling”.

While we patiently wait for the soil to dry we have been planting bushes and preparing our garden beds. A crew as been working on the foundation project around the temple getting it prepared for 9 types of mint and Clethra alnifolia, Summersweet, which blooms during the tourist season.  In the Garden of Seven Gates we are planting fragrant flowering bushes around the gates. This week will we will be prepping the asparagus which should bring us the first bounty of spring vegetables. Also, this week I will be seeding vegetables in the greenhouse including melons, tomatoes, peppers, and greens.  For anyone planning their own garden this year now is the time to start your transplants indoors.

On Sunday we had a new worker  his name is Jonathan Davis. He attends Wheeling Park High School and was raised on a farm here in Marshall County.  He will be working in the garden until the end of July when he is leaving to join the US Marines.

We are looking forward to a warm productive week in the gardens.    Below is a really neat idea for a spring bean house that is low cost, ideal for climbing vegetables like beans or peas, and would make a beautiful addition to any yard.

Kacey Orr

 

What Nectar!
→ travelingmonk.com

This morning we discovered a treasure-trove of nectar in a private collection next to an old temple here in Orissa. Amongst many valued articles were ancient Gaudiya Sampradaya palm-leaf scriptures and a piece of sannyasa cloth worn by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur. I held the cloth to my head for a long time and prayed [...]

Harinama and Prasadam distribution at Murari Gupta Village in Mayapur (Album 55 photos)
→ Dandavats.com

Sri Murari Gupta was a very intimate associate whose pastimes with Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu were steeped in the loving bond of their eternal relationship. As an incarnation of Hanuman, Murari Gupta is as dear to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu as Hanuman is to Lord Rama. He appeared in Sri Hatta, the hometown of Jagannatha Misra (father of Lord Caitanya) and Srivasa Pandita, but became a resident of Mayapur when he was a young boy. He was only a few years older than Lord Caitanya and a close neighbour so they shared many experiences while growing up. Born into a lineage of Ayurvedic doctor, Murari Gupta followed that profession, but because of his elevated spiritual potencies, he also cured the spiritual diseases of his patients along with their physical ailments. Murari Gupta also wrote the first biography on Gauranga Mahaprabhu named Sri Caitanya-carita. Read more ›

Members of Religious Body Offer Prayer for MH370
→ ISKCON Malaysia

BY THE STAR ONLINE

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

KUCHING - Some 80 members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, Malaysia (Iskcon) Kuching Branch held a special prayer for the passengers and family members of MH370.

The prayer session was led by its chairman Prabu Kripa Sindhu Krishna Das where they performed a kirtan prayer, chanting the maha mantra “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama,Rama Rama Hare Hare”.

The one-and-the-half-hour session from 6.30pm at the Kuching Waterfront here was to pray for all passengers of flight MH370 and their loved ones with the hope that they are safe in the hands of God and their loved ones given the strength and courage to face this unexpected tragedy.

The programme was a continuation of special prayers offered by Iskcon members at the Batu Kawah temple for MH370.

At the ceremony Iskcon Batu Kawah Kuching president expressed his heartfelt sympathy to all the passengers of MH370 and their family members.

He also thanked all his members for making the kirtan prayer a reality.

New Vrindaban Daily darsan @ March 30, 2014.
→ New Vrindaban Brijabasi Spirit

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In Vrinda?vana the effulgent ground is fashioned with many very wonderful colorful cinta?an jewels, the trees and vines are full of blissful spiritual fruits and flowers, the birds make a great tumult by reciting the hymns of the Sa?ma Veda, and the lakes and streams are filled with transcendental nectar. May my heart meditate on Vrinda?vana in this way.

[Source : Nectarean Glories of Sri Vrindavana-dhama by Srila Prabodhananda Sarasvati Thakura, Sataka-2, Text-3, Translation.]

Please click here for more photos

“I’ll carry what you lack”
→ KKSBlog

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 08 March 2014, Sydney, Australia, Bhagavad-gita 13.3)

Arjuna Acarya was a pundit who was writing a commentary on the Bhagavad-gita, and as he was writing he came along this verse, which basically says:

“I’ll carry what you lack and I’ll preserve what you have.”

KB_23 March 2014When Arjuna Acarya was reading this verse, he was thinking, “Well, of course Krsna doesn’t personally do that. He will make arrangements for that.” And he changed the Sanskrit wording in the manuscript.

After his editing and commentary, he went about purchasing some supplies from the market so that his wife could cook lunch. He didn’t return, but some boys came carrying a big bag. His wife opened the door and they said, “Your husband sent us with the supplies.”

She said, “Oh, come in! That is very nice – such nice boys like yourselves are bringing these things. Come in, I’ll give you something.”

The boys said, “Oh no! We cannot come in.”

She said, “No, it’s okay, you can come in.”

The boys said, “No, we cannot come in – your husband may come.”

She said, “Don’t worry. You don’t have to be afraid of my husband. He is very nice. He won’t beat you.”

“Oh no?” one of the boys said, and he showed his back, revealing beating marks.

 “No! Did my husband do that?” And then the boys left.

Some time later, Arjuna Acarya came home and something extraordinary had happened. His wife had cooked and she had already eaten before him. That was unheard of in those days. He was shocked.  And when he asked her what was going on, she wouldn’t reply. Arjuna Acharya wanted to know what he did wrong and asked for forgiveness.

Finally, she told him, “You brute! How could you beat those boys?”

“Beat those boys! Which boys?”

“You know! One had a light complexion, one had a dark complexion – you know very well!”

“What boys?”

“You know very well! The dark boy had beating marks on his back!”

Then Arjuna Acharya suddenly understood. He walked to his manuscript and he saw that the words that he had altered were changed back to yoga-ksemam vahamy aham  ”I carry, I personally carry what you lack, and  I’ll preserve what you have.”

So then Arjuna Acharya could see that Krsna personally comes. He personally came, he personally adjusted things. So it is like that. Krsna will make us successful. As simple as that! As long as we are sincerely trying to serve him.

 

We Change During Japa
→ Japa Group

Chanting attentive Japa opens one's heart to higher and higher stages of loving God, just as natural forces make a lotus unfold or the moon seem to wax.

We Japa chanters often begin a japa session dull, anxious, or bewildered. We leave it strong and focused. Why? Not because our breath becomes regulated or our minds numb; we change during Japa because, however awkwardly, we are associating with Krsna by chanting His name.

From Japa And The Opening Heart
by Kalakantha dasa

Thursday, March 27th, 2014
→ The Walking Monk

Columbus, Ohio

I Went To Prison

My dear friend, Akhilananda, from Salem, Ohio, took me to the Trumbull Correctional Center to see Arjuna, a prisoner (aren’t we all?), and who will serve time for another 8 years.  Because of his great conduct, officers and inmates at the institution love him.  He has been put in charge of the art department for the whole place.  Arjuna isn’t anyone I can walk with until he is discharged, but I can certainly visit him annually.  He gave the good news that he’s soon to be engaged which will last until marriage, and which also won’t happen until the sentence is terminated.  Both Akhila and I are thrilled about this new development and are impressed with Arjuna’s patience. 

To Columbus I went.  There, I had the pleasure to trek with our sole monk from Krishna House located in the Ohio State University District.  Nitai Gauranga is the name of the monk who accompanied me along the Olentangy River, a stream of constant water that flows to the Mississippi.  The city here has put incredible energy into revitalizing and beautifying the river banks and protecting it from erosion.  I’m told the trail along the way goes a good 22 miles. 

To be explored at a later date.

Finally, evening came along and the usual Thursday gathering showed up.  From the Bhagavad Gita we spoke on 11.54 regarding unbroken service which repairs the broken heart. 

In hindsight, at the prison, a janitor asked, “What order do you belong to?” 

I had to repeat myself more than once, “Hare Krishna.” 

He obviously never heard the term before, and asked, “What kind of Christians?” 

I repeated, “Hare Krishna.” 

Thinking he got it right this time, he said what he thought I said, “Oh, Happy Christians.” 

“Alright, whatever,” I thought, and he went back to sweeping.

May the Source be with you!

8  KM

Wednesday, March 26th, 2014
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Cleveland, Ohio

In Cleveland

I arrived at the bus depot in downtown Cleveland, and while I enjoyed this new space, so did some meadowlarks that happened to get inside.  They flew from light fixture to light fixture, pooping around and sometimes they came in for a landing pickingup a snack scrap or two left on the floor.  They appeared to be trapped though, and they weren’t sure how to get out. 

This dynamic nearly reminded me of a famous episode in the epic, The Mahabharat, where Abhimanyu, the young warrior, so expertly was able to penetrate through the military barrier.  Once in, he was unable to exit as the barrier closed in on him. It is actually a sad moment in the story, and it meant Abhimanyu’s end. 

Dayal Nitai, my host in Cleveland, had come to fetch me while I had eyes on birds, and mind on the battlefield.  Once we arrived at his home at Hillsdale Road, he treated me to some of his raw food preparations.  He tells me he’s writing a book which includes those recipes of his, “Masterpiece Recipies”.

Now to work off the calories of that fine food, I ventured off, but only for an hour, taking in good air and moving my limbs.  I satisfy myself in breathing in what is one of the greatest gifts, and I appreciate that my legs  are the most outstanding mobilizers that a human can savour in.

A Wednesday group met at Dayal’s in the evening, and after a kirtan, our discussion based on the Bhagavad Gita 11.53/54, was all about the aspiration to see God.  Our conclusion was that as you pursue devotion, the eagerness to have a vision of someone calms down, and that energy transforms to “doing”, at which time, God sees you. 

May the Source be with you!

5 KM

How time flies
→ simple thoughts

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Social media is a an interesting thing indeed and has the ability to send some surprises probably one of the most sobering is an old long forgotten school picture.
Sobering given how much time has passed since it’s being taken and so many hopes and aspirations that are still to be realised makes me wonder how the others in the picture are doing did they achieve the dreams all primary school children have for their future.
Dreams and hopes give way to the reality of life but still hope one day.
Time and the age of Kali take it’s toll on the entrapped spirit soul but still a great belief that some how things will work out just as we planned it, I will be the pilot flying around the world with a beautiful wife and even more beautiful children.
But I feel more fortunate even though this child hood aspirations have never been realised
Some how I came across the devotees, read Srila Prabhupada’s books and been able to do some seva for Sri Sri RadhaGokulananda.
Is this the greatest achievement making life successful when the mind is focused not on material gain but spiritual gain’s that are hard to measure without spiritual knowledge, I wonder how many of these young individuals achieved their goal in life or look back a little frustrated or with regrets.
Society measures success indeed we measure our own success on a false image of reality but even if externally to others we appear to have everything their is still internal strife for more, an eternal endeavour.
Even in spiritual life I find the same drive a need for more, the amazing exception is their is no regrets or maybe just one why did I not have this opportunity earlier, but with each small progressive step bliss and relief from material suffering.
Indeed for me peoples wealth and social status means less and less even my own progress materially seems pointless compared to spiritual progress and watching the amazing development of those who’s spiritual vision is progressing nicely.
But still sobering seeing the old school photo and how quickly time has passed, reminding me that their is no time to loose in striving for more spiritual rather than material progress

image

Prabhupada Letters :: Anthology 2014-03-30 16:54:00 →

1967 March 30: "You are feeling my absence just as I am feeling the absence from you. But in the meantime this must be so and Krishna will provide. If you chant always Hare Krishna, read my books, and preach this philosophy sincerely, then Krishna will provide you with all facility, and you will not fall down into material entanglement."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1967

Prabhupada Letters :: Anthology 2014-03-30 16:49:00 →

1968 March 30: "I was just thinking about you since you departed and was anxious to get your letter. By Krishna's Grace you are finding everything favorable. Please don't feel lonely. Krishna is always with you and I shall pray for you and to Krishna also that you may make progress more and more in this faithful discharge of duties in Krishna Consciousness."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

Prabhupada Letters :: Anthology 2014-03-30 16:46:00 →

1969 March 30: "We should everyone of us try to work as hard as possible for Krishna's satisfaction. This material body can be adjusted with practice. If we adjust these bodily activities towards Krishna's side, then the labor is fruitful, but if we adjust towards maya's side, then the labor is useless. A little labor done for Krishna is never lost. But the greatest labor done for Maya is simply a waste of time."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1969

Prabhupada Letters :: Anthology 2014-03-30 16:27:00 →

1970 March 30: "I have initiated her as you have advised. So train her up nicely in Krishna Consciousness and when you find a nice brahmacari she may be married. Then after some time she may go with her husband for starting a new center. My idea is to train up many devotees and as soon as they are ready send them out for starting new branches."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1970