Monday, July 8th, 2013
→ The Walking Monk

What We Did

Toronto, Ontario

By the time I got freedom to make any kind of a jaunt on foot, torrential rains descended on the city. Thunder, lightening, "stay inside, keep safe," went the little voice from within.

Another rain came my way today - it was a rain of mercy. It came in the form of 40 souls, a group exploring different faiths. Our ashram was on their list for today. I became the fortunate host. By the kindness of my guru, Srila Prabhupada, who has passed away, but is still living in a divine way, I lead the group in a small ritual, a chant and a gesture of flower petals thrust to his foot imprint. I then presented a viewing of our Radha Krishna deities. Then questions came about the divine vigraha (forms of Krishna). We then zeroed in on chanting along with an explanation, "Oh beautiful Creator, please allow the joy of serving You to take place."

Uttamanada, my brahmachari (monk) assistant, delivered a drumming demo on the mrdanga, and Anthony displayed his know how on the karatals (hand cymbals). We pulled it all together to let everyone sing in rhythm with the instruments. Then dinner came and our girls served it so well. It was Absolute food, prasadam, cooked by our boys. Mind, body and soul were gratified.

When the water deluge came down it was there to humble us all. It was just another great installment from the Supreme.

7 KM

Monday, July 8th, 2013
→ The Walking Monk

What We Did

Toronto, Ontario

By the time I got freedom to make any kind of a jaunt on foot, torrential rains descended on the city. Thunder, lightening, "stay inside, keep safe," went the little voice from within.

Another rain came my way today - it was a rain of mercy. It came in the form of 40 souls, a group exploring different faiths. Our ashram was on their list for today. I became the fortunate host. By the kindness of my guru, Srila Prabhupada, who has passed away, but is still living in a divine way, I lead the group in a small ritual, a chant and a gesture of flower petals thrust to his foot imprint. I then presented a viewing of our Radha Krishna deities. Then questions came about the divine vigraha (forms of Krishna). We then zeroed in on chanting along with an explanation, "Oh beautiful Creator, please allow the joy of serving You to take place."

Uttamanada, my brahmachari (monk) assistant, delivered a drumming demo on the mrdanga, and Anthony displayed his know how on the karatals (hand cymbals). We pulled it all together to let everyone sing in rhythm with the instruments. Then dinner came and our girls served it so well. It was Absolute food, prasadam, cooked by our boys. Mind, body and soul were gratified.

When the water deluge came down it was there to humble us all. It was just another great installment from the Supreme.

7 KM

316. Stolen identity
→ 9 Days, 8 Nights

I came across this video made by a bank in Belgium showing the dangers of sharing one’s personal information online which eventually gets misused by a thief. Definitely an educational video one should watch. It’s not too long.

Later in the day, I began to ponder over this video from a spiritual perspective. In the video, you see the thief stealing your identity to control your life and you have no idea what is going on. Similarly, our true spiritual identity has been stolen by maya (the material energy) who then uses our mind and intelligence to keep us in illusion and entangled in miseries. We have no idea what’s going on.

The only way to get out of such a mess is to report your situation to proper authorities (devotees and spiritual teachers), follow safe practices (regulative principles) and inform others of this true life danger (sharing the wisdom of the scriptures).


The Yoga of Ecology: More From Bluestone Farm
→ The Yoga of Ecology



One of the most amazing things that I heard about at our student orientation at Union Theological Seminary last fall was the existence of the "nun farm." Claire West, a Masters of Divinity student and one of the people behind the Edible Churchyard project at Union, told me about the Bluestone Farm community and the wonderful Sisters who were creating, harvesting, weeding, and living a simple yet grand experiment in spiritually-formed ecologically-sound living in upstate New York.

In my own anticipation to see what the "nun farm" was all about, I began to understand what communities like Bluestone were anticipating. Now, after having spent some actual time with the Sisters, in the dirt and sweat and joy, having left a little piece of my heart at the farm to make sure I return, this anticipation becomes tangible. I am becoming part of a group of seekers, both of the spirit and the land, who are shaping visions of community and civilization as we shift from industrial-technological civilization to ecological civilization.

Bluestone Farm is an anticipatory community, a community that by its very living example is anticipating the coming shape of our communities and civilization, a shape that we hope and work for in such a way that it will be in harmony with the shape of our Mother Earth. We hope, work, and anticipate that this shape of life will not become weakened by a romanticism or an idealism which doesn't have it's feet in the ground, its hands in the dirt, or which stands apart or aloof from the concerns of justice, which doesn't allow the voices of the marginalized, both human and non-human alike, from being heard, honored, and brought to the front.

The deep loving spiritual vision that the Sisters are trying to imbibe and present through their work on the farm is linked to a "new cosmology" of inter-being and inter-spirituality. They explain on their website:


The "new cosmology" is an important theological strand that weaves together great scientific discoveries of recent decades with the wisdom of mystics throughout the ages.  The late Thomas Berry was perhaps the first to use this phrase in its theological context, and it has since been further developed by many others, including mathematician Brian Swimme and Sister Miriam MacGillis of Genesis Farm. The new cosmology confirms for our current day what Jesus and prophets from all religious traditions have long said — all living beings are sacred, we are all interconnected and creation is our home and our very being.
Such a fantastic universe, with its great spiraling galaxies, its supernovas, our solar system, and this privileged planet Earth!  All this is held together in the vast curvature of space, poised so precisely in holding all things together in one embrace and yet so lightly that the creative expansion of the universe might continue into the future.  We ourselves, with our distinctive capabilities for reflexive thinking, are the most recent wonder of the universe, a special mode of reflecting this larger curvature of the universe itself.  If in recent centuries, we have sought to collapse this larger creative curve within the horizons of our own limited being, we must now understand that our own well-being can be achieved only through the well-being of the entire natural world about us.  The greater curvature of the universe and of the planet Earth must govern the curvature of our own being...
Thomas Berry, The Dream of the Earth
In particular, we offer our companion "travelers" opportunities to experience what it might mean to recognize and embrace our essential spiritual nature as we are transformed from consumers into citizens. We feel our path is one more way in which human civilization might be transformed for the benefit of all.

The vision for the future of the Bluestone Farm community as a whole includes an inter-spiritual center that would give space and facility to many different wisdom traditions to give of their hearts and to receive, to add their own seeds to the farm and their own angles of theological vision. The community also anticipates the shape of spirituality as we move into the dynamically uncertain waves of the 21st Century. They want to provide a integrative space for the spiritual and ecological seeker who may not necessarily be inclined to monastic life or other traditional religious and spiritual vocations. Yet it is the strength of the Sisters' vocation, based in what has worked and open to what will work, and the strength of the community they have built around their vocation, which provides a structure for the 21st Century person willingly or unwillingly immersed in the post-structural and the post-modern.

At the center of it all is the land and the cow and the spirituality of farming. The Sisters write:


With the passing of each season, on the farm and through the church calendar, we are coming to know how agricultural, environmental, and spiritual practices are truly intertwined. Our study and our prayers have moved us toward living more sustainably in the city, and toward building a new sustainable and energy-efficient convent with an architecture that allows us to live out our values.  Our work to cultivate Bluestone Farm has given us farmers' hearts, which resonate and rejoice in the Scriptures' charge to tend the land, to give thanks for the harvest, and to see God's hand in every living thing.

Our call to heal the soil, live sustainably, reskill, and worship on this our plot of land is upheld by friends, neighbors, and Church in an ever-widening and deepening social geography.  We find that our Community's desire to live in ever-increasing appreciation of the wonder of creation is shared widely, beyond the church, by small farmers, local food advocates, and environmentalists.  It gives us great joy to share our understanding of the spirituality of farming with this growing network: our farm is at once a gift, a work, an invitation, and a prayer.  


The philosophy the Sisters are developing in their work on the farm is based much more than just the obvious, much more than what can only be seen with our eyes or directly perceived by our senses. They have been developing biodynamic methods based on the teachings of Rudolf Steiner. They are convinced, as generations and generations before them, of the miraculous utility of cow manure. In my own small way, in my recovery from nature-deficit disorder, I have begun to develop a set of "soft eyes" which lets me see all the peas or asparagus I need to pick, and all the specific weeds I need to pull. In fact weeding, the eternal art, is a kind of Zen activity if one is able to simply disconnect from the urbanized, carbonized, and digitized whoosh that seems to be blowing like a gale through our minds constantly.

Here again are some images of life at Bluestone Farm which illustrate our values, joy, and abundance



A little baby cucumber enters into this mad, mad world


Beautiful broccoli waiting to be fully bloomed, harvested, cooked, buttered, and enjoyed



A mystical rainy afternoon on the Farm...but too much damn rain this summer!



Mashing comfrey leaves to make comfrey tea, a permacultural (and very smelly) prep designed to prevent bad bacteria, fungi, and pests from wreaking havoc.


Halfway to my nine-pound harvest of champagne currants



"Sister" Katie Ferrari uncovers a cow horn filled with cow manure that had been buried in the garden all winter.


This is a biodynamic technique, based on the theories of Rudolf Steiner, in which the energy-drawing design of the horn helps to maximize the nourishment potential of the manure


Sister Helena Marie removes the manure from the cow-horn



Cow manure, God's greatest invention


Sister Carol Bernice, the sacred cow-woman of Bluestone Farm, lovingly cares for her favorite girls, Jiffy and Mercy



Our worship at Bluestone Farm is like everything else we do, rooted in traditional wisdom but always seeking to integrate the threads of spirituality which we all share in the 21st Century. One of the most unique creations the Sisters have grown is the Celebration of Life eucharist, in which the traditional elements of communion, such as the bread and wine, are exchanged with bounties from the garden, such as fresh blueberries and buttermilk. The liturgy is also geared towards an understanding of the Earth as Eucharist. To whit:

Today we continue to participate in this dance of life, taking in and releasing energy just as our ancestors the first particles learned to do. Our duty and our joy is twofold: to speak the glad celebration of all creation, and to participate in the evolutionary journey of consciousness with mindfulness and awe.

We celebrate our own place in the community of Mother Earth, giving praise to the Holy Dream that transformed a cloud of hydrogen into stars, otters, and rosebushes. We remember that this miracle of transformation occurs because the journey of life in this Universe in deeply Eucharistic.

The worship at the Farm is also deeply inter-spiritual. In my time there we took part in a traditional Chinese tea ceremony led by our friends and Community Associates Kay and Anne from New Mexico, and I led a kirtan from the bhakti-yoga tradition of India. The community also incorporates elements of Sufi zikr.


The bell that calls us to worship in the chapel


Our chapel space, prepared for a traditional Chinese tea ceremony


The Divine Mother



and Divine Mother Earth


Our Summer Solstice drum circle


Anne and Kay bang the drum slowly


as does Matthew

To everyone at Bluestone Farm, all of my love, blessings, and gratitude for opening your home and making me feel at home. To any ecologically-minded spiritual seekers, worshipers of Divine Mother Earth, any time spent with the Sisters is an experience you will cherish.

For more information on internships and volunteering, check out the Farm online.


The Yoga of Ecology: More From Bluestone Farm
→ The Yoga of Ecology



One of the most amazing things that I heard about at our student orientation at Union Theological Seminary last fall was the existence of the "nun farm." Claire West, a Masters of Divinity student and one of the people behind the Edible Churchyard project at Union, told me about the Bluestone Farm community and the wonderful Sisters who were creating, harvesting, weeding, and living a simple yet grand experiment in spiritually-formed ecologically-sound living in upstate New York.

In my own anticipation to see what the "nun farm" was all about, I began to understand what communities like Bluestone were anticipating. Now, after having spent some actual time with the Sisters, in the dirt and sweat and joy, having left a little piece of my heart at the farm to make sure I return, this anticipation becomes tangible. I am becoming part of a group of seekers, both of the spirit and the land, who are shaping visions of community and civilization as we shift from industrial-technological civilization to ecological civilization.

Bluestone Farm is an anticipatory community, a community that by its very living example is anticipating the coming shape of our communities and civilization, a shape that we hope and work for in such a way that it will be in harmony with the shape of our Mother Earth. We hope, work, and anticipate that this shape of life will not become weakened by a romanticism or an idealism which doesn't have it's feet in the ground, its hands in the dirt, or which stands apart or aloof from the concerns of justice, which doesn't allow the voices of the marginalized, both human and non-human alike, from being heard, honored, and brought to the front.

The deep loving spiritual vision that the Sisters are trying to imbibe and present through their work on the farm is linked to a "new cosmology" of inter-being and inter-spirituality. They explain on their website:


The "new cosmology" is an important theological strand that weaves together great scientific discoveries of recent decades with the wisdom of mystics throughout the ages.  The late Thomas Berry was perhaps the first to use this phrase in its theological context, and it has since been further developed by many others, including mathematician Brian Swimme and Sister Miriam MacGillis of Genesis Farm. The new cosmology confirms for our current day what Jesus and prophets from all religious traditions have long said — all living beings are sacred, we are all interconnected and creation is our home and our very being.
Such a fantastic universe, with its great spiraling galaxies, its supernovas, our solar system, and this privileged planet Earth!  All this is held together in the vast curvature of space, poised so precisely in holding all things together in one embrace and yet so lightly that the creative expansion of the universe might continue into the future.  We ourselves, with our distinctive capabilities for reflexive thinking, are the most recent wonder of the universe, a special mode of reflecting this larger curvature of the universe itself.  If in recent centuries, we have sought to collapse this larger creative curve within the horizons of our own limited being, we must now understand that our own well-being can be achieved only through the well-being of the entire natural world about us.  The greater curvature of the universe and of the planet Earth must govern the curvature of our own being...
Thomas Berry, The Dream of the Earth
In particular, we offer our companion "travelers" opportunities to experience what it might mean to recognize and embrace our essential spiritual nature as we are transformed from consumers into citizens. We feel our path is one more way in which human civilization might be transformed for the benefit of all.

The vision for the future of the Bluestone Farm community as a whole includes an inter-spiritual center that would give space and facility to many different wisdom traditions to give of their hearts and to receive, to add their own seeds to the farm and their own angles of theological vision. The community also anticipates the shape of spirituality as we move into the dynamically uncertain waves of the 21st Century. They want to provide a integrative space for the spiritual and ecological seeker who may not necessarily be inclined to monastic life or other traditional religious and spiritual vocations. Yet it is the strength of the Sisters' vocation, based in what has worked and open to what will work, and the strength of the community they have built around their vocation, which provides a structure for the 21st Century person willingly or unwillingly immersed in the post-structural and the post-modern.

At the center of it all is the land and the cow and the spirituality of farming. The Sisters write:


With the passing of each season, on the farm and through the church calendar, we are coming to know how agricultural, environmental, and spiritual practices are truly intertwined. Our study and our prayers have moved us toward living more sustainably in the city, and toward building a new sustainable and energy-efficient convent with an architecture that allows us to live out our values.  Our work to cultivate Bluestone Farm has given us farmers' hearts, which resonate and rejoice in the Scriptures' charge to tend the land, to give thanks for the harvest, and to see God's hand in every living thing.

Our call to heal the soil, live sustainably, reskill, and worship on this our plot of land is upheld by friends, neighbors, and Church in an ever-widening and deepening social geography.  We find that our Community's desire to live in ever-increasing appreciation of the wonder of creation is shared widely, beyond the church, by small farmers, local food advocates, and environmentalists.  It gives us great joy to share our understanding of the spirituality of farming with this growing network: our farm is at once a gift, a work, an invitation, and a prayer.  


The philosophy the Sisters are developing in their work on the farm is based much more than just the obvious, much more than what can only be seen with our eyes or directly perceived by our senses. They have been developing biodynamic methods based on the teachings of Rudolf Steiner. They are convinced, as generations and generations before them, of the miraculous utility of cow manure. In my own small way, in my recovery from nature-deficit disorder, I have begun to develop a set of "soft eyes" which lets me see all the peas or asparagus I need to pick, and all the specific weeds I need to pull. In fact weeding, the eternal art, is a kind of Zen activity if one is able to simply disconnect from the urbanized, carbonized, and digitized whoosh that seems to be blowing like a gale through our minds constantly.

Here again are some images of life at Bluestone Farm which illustrate our values, joy, and abundance



A little baby cucumber enters into this mad, mad world


Beautiful broccoli waiting to be fully bloomed, harvested, cooked, buttered, and enjoyed



A mystical rainy afternoon on the Farm...but too much damn rain this summer!



Mashing comfrey leaves to make comfrey tea, a permacultural (and very smelly) prep designed to prevent bad bacteria, fungi, and pests from wreaking havoc.


Halfway to my nine-pound harvest of champagne currants



"Sister" Katie Ferrari uncovers a cow horn filled with cow manure that had been buried in the garden all winter.


This is a biodynamic technique, based on the theories of Rudolf Steiner, in which the energy-drawing design of the horn helps to maximize the nourishment potential of the manure


Sister Helena Marie removes the manure from the cow-horn



Cow manure, God's greatest invention


Sister Carol Bernice, the sacred cow-woman of Bluestone Farm, lovingly cares for her favorite girls, Jiffy and Mercy



Our worship at Bluestone Farm is like everything else we do, rooted in traditional wisdom but always seeking to integrate the threads of spirituality which we all share in the 21st Century. One of the most unique creations the Sisters have grown is the Celebration of Life eucharist, in which the traditional elements of communion, such as the bread and wine, are exchanged with bounties from the garden, such as fresh blueberries and buttermilk. The liturgy is also geared towards an understanding of the Earth as Eucharist. To whit:

Today we continue to participate in this dance of life, taking in and releasing energy just as our ancestors the first particles learned to do. Our duty and our joy is twofold: to speak the glad celebration of all creation, and to participate in the evolutionary journey of consciousness with mindfulness and awe.

We celebrate our own place in the community of Mother Earth, giving praise to the Holy Dream that transformed a cloud of hydrogen into stars, otters, and rosebushes. We remember that this miracle of transformation occurs because the journey of life in this Universe in deeply Eucharistic.

The worship at the Farm is also deeply inter-spiritual. In my time there we took part in a traditional Chinese tea ceremony led by our friends and Community Associates Kay and Anne from New Mexico, and I led a kirtan from the bhakti-yoga tradition of India. The community also incorporates elements of Sufi zikr.


The bell that calls us to worship in the chapel


Our chapel space, prepared for a traditional Chinese tea ceremony


The Divine Mother



and Divine Mother Earth


Our Summer Solstice drum circle


Anne and Kay bang the drum slowly


as does Matthew

To everyone at Bluestone Farm, all of my love, blessings, and gratitude for opening your home and making me feel at home. To any ecologically-minded spiritual seekers, worshipers of Divine Mother Earth, any time spent with the Sisters is an experience you will cherish.

For more information on internships and volunteering, check out the Farm online.


The Meaning Of The Mantra
→ Japa Group


O Hari! Having captured my mind, please free me from material bondage.

O Krsna! Please attract my mind by pulling it to You.

O Hari! Please capture my mind by Your unsurpassed sweetness.

O Krsna! Please purify my mind with knowledge about devotional service given to me by Your own devotee.

O Krsna! Please make me able to relish Your transcendental name, form, qualities, pastimes, etc.

O Krsna! Please make me able to relish Your transcendental name, form, qualities, pastimes, etc.

O Hari! Please make me fit to serve You.

O Hari! Please make me able to relish Your transcendental name, form, qualities, pastimes, etc.

O Hari! Please direct me to do some particular service for You.

O Rama! Let me hear about Your most cherished pastimes in the company of Your dearest devotee.

O Hara (Radha)! Please reveal to me Your most cherished pastimes with Your beloved Sri Krsna.

O Rama! Please reveal to me Your most cherished pastimes with Your beloved sri Radha.

O Rama! Please engage me in remembering Your transcendental name, form, qualities, pastimes, etc.

O Rama! Please make me fit to serve You while remembering Your transcendental name, form, qualities, pastimes, etc.

O Hari! Having accepted me as one of Your own servitors, please enjoy me as You please.

O Hari! Please enjoy with me in Your transcendental way.

This is my humble request at Your lotus feet.

Written by Bhaktivinoda Thakur

The Meaning Of The Mantra
→ Japa Group


O Hari! Having captured my mind, please free me from material bondage.

O Krsna! Please attract my mind by pulling it to You.

O Hari! Please capture my mind by Your unsurpassed sweetness.

O Krsna! Please purify my mind with knowledge about devotional service given to me by Your own devotee.

O Krsna! Please make me able to relish Your transcendental name, form, qualities, pastimes, etc.

O Krsna! Please make me able to relish Your transcendental name, form, qualities, pastimes, etc.

O Hari! Please make me fit to serve You.

O Hari! Please make me able to relish Your transcendental name, form, qualities, pastimes, etc.

O Hari! Please direct me to do some particular service for You.

O Rama! Let me hear about Your most cherished pastimes in the company of Your dearest devotee.

O Hara (Radha)! Please reveal to me Your most cherished pastimes with Your beloved Sri Krsna.

O Rama! Please reveal to me Your most cherished pastimes with Your beloved sri Radha.

O Rama! Please engage me in remembering Your transcendental name, form, qualities, pastimes, etc.

O Rama! Please make me fit to serve You while remembering Your transcendental name, form, qualities, pastimes, etc.

O Hari! Having accepted me as one of Your own servitors, please enjoy me as You please.

O Hari! Please enjoy with me in Your transcendental way.

This is my humble request at Your lotus feet.

Written by Bhaktivinoda Thakur

Like master, like servant!
→ KKS Blog

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 14 March 2013, Amsterdam, Netherlands, Bhagavad-gita 7.24)

krishna-arjunaWhat is the purpose of music if it is not meant to uplift the consciousness? There are all kinds of music - crazy stuff that brings you down - but if it is not used to uplift the consciousness, then what is the point? What is the meaning of buildings if these buildings are not doing something to uplift mankind? What is the point? A huge skyscraper and then what? We had two twin towers and then “boom” they went down - then all the records were totally lost! All the black money in that building disappeared into smoke. What to say!

Everything in our life, if we see the connection with the Supreme and we see, “I didn’t make this world. I appeared in this world. It was already there. It is not mine therefore, it actually was made by someone else – the Supreme Lord and it is his. I am meant to use it for his purpose and not for my purpose.” Then, one becomes an agent; then one becomes a via media; then one becomes surcharged, electrified, mystified; one becomes potent with spiritual energy. At that time, we become spiritually empowered. That is the purpose of human existence. One then develops saintly qualities!

If one is the servant, then the servant naturally develops the qualities of the master because whatever is important to the master is suppose to be important to the servant. So in this way, the servant gradually develops qualities like the master. Therefore, the devotee develops qualities like Krsna and therefore he or she becomes more and more saintly, day-by-day, moment-by-moment. And that saintliness translates not only to like, ‘In the sky, with devotional prayers, with tears running from the cheeks and burning candles.’ But also just down to earth, in all directions, in all dealings. Everything is a sacred space. Every interaction is meant to be a sacred space; like that every dealing is to be sanctified. That is our life! So it has to be transformed, in every aspect.

 

Within & Beyond this World
→ Bhagavatam By Braja

Srimad Bhagavatam 2.6.17

Nārada: It seems unusual that an entity so essential and fundamental to this world should have its true, original position beyond it.

Brahmā: It is not unusual. Take life-air (prāṇa) for example. It has its own energy, but it also lends its energy to other things. Another example is the Sun, it shines by its own power, but lends its radiance to all things. In a similar way, the Supreme Person is situated apart, within his own power, but lends his power to all things. Thus he is both within and beyond everything.

18-20

Nārada: I really want to know how the Supreme Person exists beyond this world. Please explain this to me!

Brahmā: He is the perfection of fearless nectar, far exceeding any mortal happiness! My dear spiritually inspired child, we cannot find any limit on his excellence!

Please understand that the place in which we all dwell reflects merely one-fourth of the Supreme Person. His true abode is beyond even what is beyond the three worlds – a place of nectar, security, and fearlessness.

That place beyond our world represents three-fourths of the Supreme Person. It is the abode of those who are not forced into rebirth. Those who instead take birth within our three worlds do so because they have a selfish bent, being without very strong convictions toward that Supreme Person.

21

Nārada: What happens to those souls?

Brahmā: They roam far and wide within our worlds.

Nārada: In what directions?

Brahmā: Those with some knowledge move towards emancipation. Those without knowledge move towards accumulation. In truth, the Supreme Person is the shelter for both of them.

22

Nārada: I can see why he would be the shelter of those striving towards enlightenment, but how is he also the shelter of those striving to accumulate material objects?

Brahmā: What are they searching for except him!? The egg of the universe comes from him. It produces elements, senses, and powers that allow the two to interact – everything they desire.

Nārada: Then, since they both seek the Supreme Person, are the those who strive for material objects on an equal footing with those who strive for emancipation?

Brahmā: No. Those who seek enlightenment are more evolved.

Nārada: Why?

Brahmā: Their outlook is more like the divine outlook of the Supreme Person.

Nārada: How so?

Brahmā: The Supreme Person is uninterested in the material objects he manifests in this world.

Nārada: Why?

Brahmā: All these things are simply like sunshine, but he is the brilliant sun!


Lecture – Jayapataka Swami – Panihati and Initiation
→ Classes and Bhajans

We were blessed to have the association of HH Jayapataka Swami for one day here in Dallas on Panihati day.  This lecture is a wonderful account of the Panihati festival along with the devotees that participated in it.  He then initiated three devotees.

Veda -> Veda Priya Radha devi dasi
Isha -> Isha Prema devi dasi
Ashkan ->  Asesa Gaura Hari das

Dallas, TX
2013-06-22 


Download: 2013-06-22 - Jayapataka Swami - Panihati and Veda Initiation.mp3

My favorite song
→ Servant of the Servant


gaurāńga karuṇā koro dīna hīna jane
mośamo patita prabhu nāhi trībhūvane

dante tṛṇa dhari gaura ḍāki he tomare
kṛpā kari eso āmār hṛdaya mandire

jadi dayā nā karibe patita dekhiyā
patita pāvana nāma kisera lagiyā

paḍechi bhava tuphāne nāhika nistāra
śrī carana taranī dāne dāse kara pāra

śrī kṛṣṇa caitanya prabhu dāser anudāsa
prārthanā karaye sadā narottama dāsa


O my dear Lord Gauranga! Please show Your mercy to this lowly and destitute soul. O Lord! There is no one more fallen than myself in all the three worlds.

Holding grass between my teeth, O Lord Gaura, I am calling out to You now! Please be compassionate upon me and come to reside within the temple of my heart.

If You do not give Your mercy, seeing how fallen I am, then why are You known as Patita Pavana -- the merciful Savior of the fallen?>

I am plunged amidst the violent hurricane-stricken waves in the ocean of this material world, from which there is no escape. Kindly give me the gift of Your divine lotus feet, which are compared to a boat in which Your servant may cross over the ocean of birth and death.

Narottama Dasa, the servant of the servant of Lord Sri Krsna Caitanya Prabhu, ceaselessly makes this prayer.

By Srila Narottam Das Thakura

My favorite song
→ Servant of the Servant


gaurāńga karuṇā koro dīna hīna jane
mośamo patita prabhu nāhi trībhūvane

dante tṛṇa dhari gaura ḍāki he tomare
kṛpā kari eso āmār hṛdaya mandire

jadi dayā nā karibe patita dekhiyā
patita pāvana nāma kisera lagiyā

paḍechi bhava tuphāne nāhika nistāra
śrī carana taranī dāne dāse kara pāra

śrī kṛṣṇa caitanya prabhu dāser anudāsa
prārthanā karaye sadā narottama dāsa


O my dear Lord Gauranga! Please show Your mercy to this lowly and destitute soul. O Lord! There is no one more fallen than myself in all the three worlds.

Holding grass between my teeth, O Lord Gaura, I am calling out to You now! Please be compassionate upon me and come to reside within the temple of my heart.

If You do not give Your mercy, seeing how fallen I am, then why are You known as Patita Pavana -- the merciful Savior of the fallen?>

I am plunged amidst the violent hurricane-stricken waves in the ocean of this material world, from which there is no escape. Kindly give me the gift of Your divine lotus feet, which are compared to a boat in which Your servant may cross over the ocean of birth and death.

Narottama Dasa, the servant of the servant of Lord Sri Krsna Caitanya Prabhu, ceaselessly makes this prayer.

By Srila Narottam Das Thakura

tired of the same old?
→ everyday gita

Verse 3.41: Therefore, O Arjuna, best of the Bhāratas, in the very beginning curb this great symbol of sin [lust] by regulating the senses, and slay this destroyer of knowledge and self-realization.

Find yourself doing the same old things again and again and not really feeling any happier? I was reflecting on this yesterday night as I caught myself falling into the trap of doing the same old things that honestly don't help increase my happiness levels. After all, let's be perfectly honest - most of us want to be happy and there's nothing wrong with that!

It may seem contradictory, but the advice we hear today of regulating the senses can lead to new experiences, fun AND has the benefit of progressing in our path of self-discovery. It's not as limiting as one might think.

For some of us, it means taking a good hard look at our lives and asking, "What makes me happy?" In fact, it's an exercise I'd encourage everyone to do. Take a piece of paper and write down what you do in your free time. Now, write down on a scale of 1-10 how happy those activities make you. It could be anything from eating, hanging out with friends, sleeping etc... Got that down...well now comes the tough question:

How long does that happiness last?

That's the question we should really be asking. It's become enough to just feel happy, no matter how temporary it may be. But yoga isn't about getting second rate things, it's about getting the best. The best is finding those things that will sustain our happiness.

Regulating the senses means to stop settling for second best.

Practically speaking, it means recognizing that happiness comes from service as opposed to selfishness. It ties back into the concept of non-attachment and gratitude. After all -

A life of happiness is directly proportional to the gratitude that we feel and express.

When we are covered over by lust, we feel the need to possess and control things because we are feeling empty. Gratitude, on the other hand, paves the way to invoking the love that is lying within us and fills us with it. It reminds us that we are recipients of great gifts, talents, and facility.

Regulating the senses means to utilize our senses in expressing gratitude to the Divine for giving us so much. Instead of trying to satisfy our own senses, which are limited and are always hankering for more, we can utilize our senses to convey how grateful we are. It's a matter of changing our attitude.

In the beginning, it can simple as expressing positive words to one another since we recognize that we are all part of a spiritual family, incorporating a compassionate vegetarian lifestyle or praying on behalf of loved ones. As our thoughts become filled with positivity and appreciation, a positive feedback loop starts to form. We experience a profound internal happiness that can't compete with the temporary pleasures we experienced before. That gratitude becomes a permanent fixture in our lives and we'll see more than our mind-sets and attitudes change - we'll actually become (and remain) happy.

tired of the same old?
→ everyday gita

Verse 3.41: Therefore, O Arjuna, best of the Bhāratas, in the very beginning curb this great symbol of sin [lust] by regulating the senses, and slay this destroyer of knowledge and self-realization.

Find yourself doing the same old things again and again and not really feeling any happier? I was reflecting on this yesterday night as I caught myself falling into the trap of doing the same old things that honestly don't help increase my happiness levels. After all, let's be perfectly honest - most of us want to be happy and there's nothing wrong with that!

It may seem contradictory, but the advice we hear today of regulating the senses can lead to new experiences, fun AND has the benefit of progressing in our path of self-discovery. It's not as limiting as one might think.

For some of us, it means taking a good hard look at our lives and asking, "What makes me happy?" In fact, it's an exercise I'd encourage everyone to do. Take a piece of paper and write down what you do in your free time. Now, write down on a scale of 1-10 how happy those activities make you. It could be anything from eating, hanging out with friends, sleeping etc... Got that down...well now comes the tough question:

How long does that happiness last?

That's the question we should really be asking. It's become enough to just feel happy, no matter how temporary it may be. But yoga isn't about getting second rate things, it's about getting the best. The best is finding those things that will sustain our happiness.

Regulating the senses means to stop settling for second best.

Practically speaking, it means recognizing that happiness comes from service as opposed to selfishness. It ties back into the concept of non-attachment and gratitude. After all -

A life of happiness is directly proportional to the gratitude that we feel and express.

When we are covered over by lust, we feel the need to possess and control things because we are feeling empty. Gratitude, on the other hand, paves the way to invoking the love that is lying within us and fills us with it. It reminds us that we are recipients of great gifts, talents, and facility.

Regulating the senses means to utilize our senses in expressing gratitude to the Divine for giving us so much. Instead of trying to satisfy our own senses, which are limited and are always hankering for more, we can utilize our senses to convey how grateful we are. It's a matter of changing our attitude.

In the beginning, it can simple as expressing positive words to one another since we recognize that we are all part of a spiritual family, incorporating a compassionate vegetarian lifestyle or praying on behalf of loved ones. As our thoughts become filled with positivity and appreciation, a positive feedback loop starts to form. We experience a profound internal happiness that can't compete with the temporary pleasures we experienced before. That gratitude becomes a permanent fixture in our lives and we'll see more than our mind-sets and attitudes change - we'll actually become (and remain) happy.

Prahladananda Swami – Memories of Srila Prabhupada
→ Prahladananda Swami

Once Prabhupada came to the University of Buffalo and lectured to many students in one of the university rooms. Afterwards he asked for questions. One boy stood up and said, “Swamiji, tell us truthfully, are you really happy?” Prabhupada became grave. He said, “If I told you, would you believe me?” The boy said, “Swamiji, come on, tell us. Are you really happy?” Srila Prabhupada looked at him even more gravely and said, “If I told you would you believe me?” The boy repeated, “Oh, come on Swamiji, just tell us. Are you really happy?” Then Prabhupada smiled beautifully and said, “Yes, I am very happy.” The devotees said, “Jaya, Prabhupada!” This boy’s grin turned into a big frown, and he sat down. Just by his smile Prabhupada could defeat someone.

DEFINITIONS:

Jaya – an expression of acclaim

– Memories: Anecdotes of a Modern-day Saint (Volume 1, Tape 14, pg. 346)

Copyright © 2002 Monsoon Media
All rights reserved

Transcriptions from video interviews conducted and compiled by Siddhanta das.

To order your volumes of Memories: Anecdotes of a Modern-Day Saint or Memories: The Video Series, please contact:

http://prabhupadamemories.com/

His Holiness Bhakti Caitanya Swami will be at ISKCON Brampton on Wednesday July 10th
→ ISKCON BRAMPTON'S BLOG

His Holiness Bhakti Caitanya Swami will be at ISKCON Brampton on Wednesday July 10th

We are pleased to announce that His Holiness (HH) Bhakti Caitanya Swami will be at ISKCON Brampton on Wednesday July 10th @ 7:00pm. Join us in hearing about 'The glories to Vrindavan Dham and the pastimes of Lord Krishna'.

HH Bhakti Caitanya Swami was born on August 14th 1951 in Auckland New Zealand. His first contact with Krishna consciousness was while at university in Auckland where on the university grounds he saw devotees throwing flowers at the lotus feet of Srila Prabhupada while Srila Prabhupada was walking. In 1972 HH Bhakti Caitanya Swami left New Zealand to make an extensive world tour and met ISKCON devotees in London and later joined Srila Prabhupada's International Society for Krishna Consciousness. After taking initiation from Srila Prabhupada, he became involved in public relations and book publications for the Bhaktivedanta Manor (ISKCON's British Headquarters). In 1980 he went to South Africa to oversee ISKCON's activities as Temple President at Cato Ridge and to help with the overseeing of the construction of the Sri Sri Radha-Radhanatha Temple project. Bhakti Caitanya Swami Maharaja is closely associated with the educational programs of ISKCON and teaches courses at the Vaisnava Institute for Higher Education in Vrindavana. In 1994, during the Gaura Purnima Festival, HH Bhakti Caitanya Swami took to the renounced order of sannyasa. HH Bhakti Caitanya Swami has continued to travel extensively preaching the message of Krishna consciousness in: Russia, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, England, India, America, Mauritius and South Africa.

Please join us on Thursday and Friday for a morning program in the association of HH Bhakti Caitanya Swami. Program will be @ the Sohal residence  - 16 Cedar Lake Cres, Brampton, ON, L6Y 0P9 (mavis and 407) starting at 6:00am to 8:00am. Please contact Savyasacin Dasa on 416 574 7116 for more information.

ISKCON Brampton is a nut free environment, please contact the prasadam coordinators for more information. 

His Holiness Bhakti Caitanya Swami will be at ISKCON Brampton on Wednesday July 10th
→ ISKCON BRAMPTON'S BLOG

His Holiness Bhakti Caitanya Swami will be at ISKCON Brampton on Wednesday July 10th

We are pleased to announce that His Holiness (HH) Bhakti Caitanya Swami will be at ISKCON Brampton on Wednesday July 10th @ 7:00pm. Join us in hearing about 'The glories to Vrindavan Dham and the pastimes of Lord Krishna'.

HH Bhakti Caitanya Swami was born on August 14th 1951 in Auckland New Zealand. His first contact with Krishna consciousness was while at university in Auckland where on the university grounds he saw devotees throwing flowers at the lotus feet of Srila Prabhupada while Srila Prabhupada was walking. In 1972 HH Bhakti Caitanya Swami left New Zealand to make an extensive world tour and met ISKCON devotees in London and later joined Srila Prabhupada's International Society for Krishna Consciousness. After taking initiation from Srila Prabhupada, he became involved in public relations and book publications for the Bhaktivedanta Manor (ISKCON's British Headquarters). In 1980 he went to South Africa to oversee ISKCON's activities as Temple President at Cato Ridge and to help with the overseeing of the construction of the Sri Sri Radha-Radhanatha Temple project. Bhakti Caitanya Swami Maharaja is closely associated with the educational programs of ISKCON and teaches courses at the Vaisnava Institute for Higher Education in Vrindavana. In 1994, during the Gaura Purnima Festival, HH Bhakti Caitanya Swami took to the renounced order of sannyasa. HH Bhakti Caitanya Swami has continued to travel extensively preaching the message of Krishna consciousness in: Russia, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, England, India, America, Mauritius and South Africa.

Please join us on Thursday and Friday for a morning program in the association of HH Bhakti Caitanya Swami. Program will be @ the Sohal residence  - 16 Cedar Lake Cres, Brampton, ON, L6Y 0P9 (mavis and 407) starting at 6:00am to 8:00am. Please contact Savyasacin Dasa on 416 574 7116 for more information.

ISKCON Brampton is a nut free environment, please contact the prasadam coordinators for more information. 

Sweetest Of All
→ travelingmonk.com

“Sweeter than the sweetest; the greatest good amongst whatever is beneficial for the welfare of all; the most delicious fruit of the wish-fulfilling vine that is the Vedic literatures and their corollaries; the very form of inherent, spiritual cognition. O best of the Bhargavas! If a human being even once sings the name of Krsna, [...]

Searching, Searching
→ Seed of Devotion

When I was in India and I got homesick for America, I would have a very specific daydream:

The library.

Wander into a beautiful library with vast ceilings, shelves filled with books and books, immerse myself in the mystical mood of knowledge and inquiry. And of course, AC. Then, I would settle into a nook and read lovely children's picture books. 

So yesterday I caught the F train to the New York Library on Fifth Avenue, one of the most famous and magnificent libraries in the world.

(photo by flickr.com)

I wandered vast marble halls and passed giant oak doors with gilt metal handles. I made my way to the children's section and read lovely children's picture books. And there was AC!

I stayed for awhile.

Nice. Yeah. I wandered back out onto Fifth Avenue, the buildings stretching to the sky, rivers of people moving along the sidewalks. I walked into Zara to admire clothes. Within minutes, I walked out. I picked a direction and eventually came to a bookstore, but even there I felt the fever of everyone around me to buy, buy, buy.

I felt the energy pulsate in the air of everyone searching for something, searching, searching. 

Including me. 

At last, a little dizzy, I took the F train back to the Bhakti Center.

Recently, I received brahmin initiation, which allows me the responsibility and privilege to worship the Lord in His deity form on the altar. That evening, I was scheduled to receive training to put Radha Murlidhar to rest.

When I came back from my city sojourns, I showered and put on a sari. I entered the templeroom and a whoosh of quiet fell over me. Soon, my teacher greeted me with a smile and training began. We prepared a tray of cookies, fruit, and milk in shining silver bowls, and I offered a short arati of incense and flowers. Several people came to sing evening lullabies for the Lord.

The cold and hard edges of the entire day seemed to soften.

We closed the curtains. I moved to place the small brass deities of Radha Murlidhar into Their wooden bed. I moved Them with such tenderness, like a mother tucking her children into bed. I stepped back to look at Them sleeping and I sighed.

How many times must I lose Krishna to realize that He is to be found within my own heart?

(photo by Alex Vaishnava)

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Searching, Searching
→ Seed of Devotion

When I was in India and I got homesick for America, I would have a very specific daydream:

The library.

Wander into a beautiful library with vast ceilings, shelves filled with books and books, immerse myself in the mystical mood of knowledge and inquiry. And of course, AC. Then, I would settle into a nook and read lovely children's picture books. 

So yesterday I caught the F train to the New York Library on Fifth Avenue, one of the most famous and magnificent libraries in the world.

(photo by flickr.com)

I wandered vast marble halls and passed giant oak doors with gilt metal handles. I made my way to the children's section and read lovely children's picture books. And there was AC!

I stayed for awhile.

Nice. Yeah. I wandered back out onto Fifth Avenue, the buildings stretching to the sky, rivers of people moving along the sidewalks. I walked into Zara to admire clothes. Within minutes, I walked out. I picked a direction and eventually came to a bookstore, but even there I felt the fever of everyone around me to buy, buy, buy.

I felt the energy pulsate in the air of everyone searching for something, searching, searching. 

Including me. 

At last, a little dizzy, I took the F train back to the Bhakti Center.

Recently, I received brahmin initiation, which allows me the responsibility and privilege to worship the Lord in His deity form on the altar. That evening, I was scheduled to receive training to put Radha Murlidhar to rest.

When I came back from my city sojourns, I showered and put on a sari. I entered the templeroom and a whoosh of quiet fell over me. Soon, my teacher greeted me with a smile and training began. We prepared a tray of cookies, fruit, and milk in shining silver bowls, and I offered a short arati of incense and flowers. Several people came to sing evening lullabies for the Lord.

The cold and hard edges of the entire day seemed to soften.

We closed the curtains. I moved to place the small brass deities of Radha Murlidhar into Their wooden bed. I moved Them with such tenderness, like a mother tucking her children into bed. I stepped back to look at Them sleeping and I sighed.

How many times must I lose Krishna to realize that He is to be found within my own heart?

(photo by Alex Vaishnava)

Subscribe

Gundicha Marjanam
→ Mayapur.com

Please view the gallery: Gundicha Marjanam The day prior to Ratha Yatra is Gundica Marjana, the cleaning of Gundica temple takes place to welcome Lord Jagannath, Baladeva and Subhadra. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu performed Gundica Marjana with great jubilation. By cleaning the Lord’s temple, one’s mind becomes purified. “In this way all the quarters of the [...]

The post Gundicha Marjanam appeared first on Mayapur.com.

New Vrindaban’s Pushpa Abhishek and Swan Boat Festival – Jul 27th, 2013.
→ New Vrindaban Brijabasi Spirit

Sri Sri Radha Vrindabanchandra Pushpa Abishek Celebration, 2011.

Sri Sri Radha Vrindabanchandra’s Pushpa Abishek Celebration, 2011.

What: Pushpa Abhishek and Swan Boat Festival.

When: Saturday, July 27th 2013.

Where: Sri Sri Radha Vrindabanchandra’s Temple of Understanding.

For two years, New Vrindaban has been celebrating Puspa Abhishek, an elaborate & fragrant flower petal bathing ceremony, of Their Lordships Sri Sri Radha Vrindabanchandra. We would be very honored if you would join us in serving the Deities during this vibrant and colorful ceremony!

While New Vrindaban gardners have been lovingly growing an abundance flowers in preparation for this festival, feel free to bring your own flowers to offer as well.

After the Puspa Abhishek, the enchanting Swan Boat will float majestically around the lake, accompanied by a brilliant display of fireworks and an enthusiastic Hare Krsna kirtan.

I Stick To The Sim­ple Method
→ Japa Group


"I stick to the sim­ple method taught by Lord Cai­tanya and passed on by Srila Prab­hu­pada. The name of Krishna is not dif­fer­ent than Krishna Him­self. Some­times the Lord delib­er­ately taught false philoso­phies, but in any case they are not to be fol­lowed per­pet­u­ally. Only devo­tional ser­vice is the means by which to chant the holy name and ben­e­fit from its eter­nal proposition."

From Viraha Bhavan #166
by Satsvarupa dasa Goswami