Planet ISKCON

22|1I spent Christmas in Germany with my parents. View the pictures.

I like Germany. This is partially to do with my having grown up here, but also because Germany has a very deep history and culture. Just turn on one of the many classical radio stations to see what I mean. Of course, any piety that is left in Germany is rapidly dwindling due to the influences of Kali-yuga pop-culture. Such a shame, Germany has/had so much potential.

Example: I talked to a neighbor last week (Frau Schott). A 91-year old lady. She was still sharp-witted, living with and giving advice to her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Her body was strong enough to walk up the town's step hills carrying her shopping basket. Certainly some very good karma there for a very nice lady.

I also met some old friends from high-school. It was interesting to hear what has happened to everyone. I can see that they are all just harvesting the results of the karma: some have gotten married (most haven't), some have children (mostly accidentally), some are still studying (forever aimless students), some are working (and are too busy to do anything else but work). I could see, in every case, that whatever my past classmates were experiencing was pre-determined. Everyone was automatically getting their various desires fulfilled by the laws of nature according to their various stocks of pious-credits. Very little free will (although quite a bit of good karma).

The same would also have happened to me. I too would be living the same, old, boring, mundane, dry, been-there-done-that life that everyone seems to take so seriously. But in the period from 2000 until 2002 I gradually made the conscious decision to switch trains: from the Karma-merry-go-round to the Krishna-Express. Looking back, I'm glad I did.

(My eternal gratitude to those devotees who influenced and advised me.)

I recently read an interesting article by Paul Graham on how to make wealth. He advocates working really, really hard in a start-up for a few years and (maybe) getting a huge pay-off from the effort (or ending up with nothing, if the venture, like ever so many start-ups, fails).

However, an interesting point he makes is the distinction between wealth and money. Wealth is what we are really after, while money is just the exchange medium for wealth we use in today's society. All the money of the world would be of no use to you if you were stranded on a desert island with nothing to buy. Similar, if you had a machine (or surabi cow) that could create anything you desired, you would have no need for money.

Graham writes:

Until recently even governments sometimes didn't grasp the distinction between money and wealth. Adam Smith (Wealth of Nations) mentions several that tried to preserve their "wealth" by forbidding the export of gold or silver. But having more of the medium of exchange would not make a country richer; if you have more money chasing the same amount of material wealth, the only result is higher prices.

Similarly, on a smaller scale, many people chase after money, when what they actually desire is wealth. Wealth is whatever someone values and therefore wants to acquire.

Graham falls into the same trap that ensnares practically everyone. He reasons:

Create things that people desire => make money => buy things you desire => objective accomplished.

In reality the following happens:

... buy things you desire => desire more => buy more => desire more => buy more => never become truly satisfied

The spiritual solution is given in BG 2.70: instead of trying to create more and more wealth we should practice minimizing your desires (and since annihilating desire is impossible, replacing it with a higher taste - BG 2.59). That way, even if we don't have the luck (good karma) to be part of a successful start-up, we'll still be supremely wealthy. We'll be able to buy all the things you want, even with a modest income, because we'll desire less stuff than the common manipulated-by-marketing consumer. Even better, we'll also will gain permanent, spiritual wealth.

All material wealth is eventually destroyed by the effects of time. However, spiritual advancement lasts forever.

I recently read an interesting article by Paul Graham on how to make wealth. He advocates working really, really hard in a start-up for a few years and (maybe) getting a huge pay-off from the effort (or ending up with nothing, if the venture, like ever so many start-ups, fails).

However, an interesting point he makes is the distinction between wealth and money. Wealth is what we are really after, while money is just the exchange medium for wealth we use in today's society. All the money of the world would be of no use to you if you were stranded on a desert island with nothing to buy. Similar, if you had a machine (or surabi cow) that could create anything you desired, you would have no need for money.

Graham writes:

Until recently even governments sometimes didn't grasp the distinction between money and wealth. Adam Smith (Wealth of Nations) mentions several that tried to preserve their "wealth" by forbidding the export of gold or silver. But having more of the medium of exchange would not make a country richer; if you have more money chasing the same amount of material wealth, the only result is higher prices.

Similarly, on a smaller scale, many people chase after money, when what they actually desire is wealth. Wealth is whatever someone values and therefore wants to acquire.

Graham falls into the same trap that ensnares practically everyone. He reasons:

Create things that people desire => make money => buy things you desire => objective accomplished.

In reality the following happens:

... buy things you desire => desire more => buy more => desire more => buy more => never become truly satisfied

The spiritual solution is given in BG 2.70: instead of trying to create more and more wealth we should practice minimizing your desires (and since annihilating desire is impossible, replacing it with a higher taste - BG 2.59). That way, even if we don't have the luck (good karma) to be part of a successful start-up, we'll still be supremely wealthy. We'll be able to buy all the things you want, even with a modest income, because we'll desire less stuff than the common manipulated-by-marketing consumer. Even better, we'll also will gain permanent, spiritual wealth.

All material wealth is eventually destroyed by the effects of time. However, spiritual advancement lasts forever.

download
Verse: BG 5.21-22
Place: ISKCON Leipzig, Germany
Time: 44 min.

Summary:
This is a very provocative verse. Krishna rejects all false pleasure. Shouldn??(TM)t there be a balance between both false and real pleasure? Physiologists say that repression can be damaging to the psyche.

No! Would you make a balance with real and counterfeit money? A yogi has better things to do than enjoy false pleasure. And, by the way, psychologist is the profession with the highest suicide rate.

Detachment requires training. We must know what is good, what is bad and get a taste of the real, unlimited pleasure obtainable by concentrating on the Supreme. Such spiritual pleasure is far, far higher than the highest material pleasure (sex life). It is worth the small inconvenience necessary to obtain it. Material pleasure simply traps us.

Questions:

• What is the role of intuition when choosing a guru?
• How to employ the material elements for the atma-tattva?
• Why do you wear a watch? Time does not play a role for Krishna! You??(TM)re under the same material stress and time pressure as everyone else. Isn??(TM)t that a contradiction?
• What does it mean to serve Krishna?
• But Krishna talks of two yogas: jnana and bhakti?

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Verse: BG 5.21-22
Place: ISKCON Leipzig, Germany
Time: 44 min.

Summary:
This is a very provocative verse. Krishna rejects all false pleasure. Shouldn??(TM)t there be a balance between both false and real pleasure? Physiologists say that repression can be damaging to the psyche.

No! Would you make a balance with real and counterfeit money? A yogi has better things to do than enjoy false pleasure. And, by the way, psychologist is the profession with the highest suicide rate.

Detachment requires training. We must know what is good, what is bad and get a taste of the real, unlimited pleasure obtainable by concentrating on the Supreme. Such spiritual pleasure is far, far higher than the highest material pleasure (sex life). It is worth the small inconvenience necessary to obtain it. Material pleasure simply traps us.

Questions:

• What is the role of intuition when choosing a guru?
• How to employ the material elements for the atma-tattva?
• Why do you wear a watch? Time does not play a role for Krishna! You??(TM)re under the same material stress and time pressure as everyone else. Isn??(TM)t that a contradiction?
• What does it mean to serve Krishna?
• But Krishna talks of two yogas: jnana and bhakti?

I just listened to an interesting interview with John Barrow, a cosmologist and mathematician who talks about his book: The Infinite Book : A Short Guide to the Boundless, Timeless and Endless.

He explains how the Universe may or may not be infinity and outlines a theory where our particular Universe is finite, but there exists an infinitely old realm of unlimited parallel universes beyond ours. We will however, never know for sure, since, in order to get information from those other Universes that information would have to travel faster than the speed of light, which is, of course, impossible (according to Einstein).

This theory sounds remarkably similar to the view of the Universe given in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. Maha-Visnu is in the infinite spiritual causal ocean where time does not exist and generates unlimited finite Universes just like ours.

Barrow also explains how there are different sized infinities (as discovered by Galileo Galilei). There are, in fact, an unlimited number of infinities, each larger than the next. The infinite infinity is mathematically impossible (as shown by Georg Cantor, but hypothetically possible for a meta-physical being such as God.

There are several statements in Vedic literature that the spiritual energy is three times larger than the material energy (SB 2.6.20 and Caitanya Caritamrita Madhya-lila Chapter 21 Verses 51, 55, 56, 57, 87). Devotees always told me that these statements were not to be taken literally. I was however never satisfied with that explanation. However, using Cantor??(TM)s mathematics of infinite sets, it is indeed perfectly reasonable to talk about multiple differently sized infinities.

I just listened to an interesting interview with John Barrow, a cosmologist and mathematician who talks about his book: The Infinite Book : A Short Guide to the Boundless, Timeless and Endless.

He explains how the Universe may or may not be infinity and outlines a theory where our particular Universe is finite, but there exists an infinitely old realm of unlimited parallel universes beyond ours. We will however, never know for sure, since, in order to get information from those other Universes that information would have to travel faster than the speed of light, which is, of course, impossible (according to Einstein).

This theory sounds remarkably similar to the view of the Universe given in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. Maha-Visnu is in the infinite spiritual causal ocean where time does not exist and generates unlimited finite Universes just like ours.

Barrow also explains how there are different sized infinities (as discovered by Galileo Galilei). There are, in fact, an unlimited number of infinities, each larger than the next. The infinite infinity is mathematically impossible (as shown by Georg Cantor, but hypothetically possible for a meta-physical being such as God.

There are several statements in Vedic literature that the spiritual energy is three times larger than the material energy (SB 2.6.20 and Caitanya Caritamrita Madhya-lila Chapter 21 Verses 51, 55, 56, 57, 87). Devotees always told me that these statements were not to be taken literally. I was however never satisfied with that explanation. However, using Cantor??(TM)s mathematics of infinite sets, it is indeed perfectly reasonable to talk about multiple differently sized infinities.

I??(TM)ve just fixed some more bugs in this website. For some reason the last few lines of some of my modified WordPress theme files got cut off and replaced with a garbled server error message. Weird (or: hackers!?). If this website looked a bit strange over the past few days, then that was the reason.

Anyway, it's all working again now (and more secure, too). Enjoy.

(Note: I've also changed the layout slightly. Tell me what you think.)

I??(TM)ve just fixed some more bugs in this website. For some reason the last few lines of some of my modified WordPress theme files got cut off and replaced with a garbled server error message. Weird (or: hackers!?). If this website looked a bit strange over the past few days, then that was the reason.

Anyway, it's all working again now (and more secure, too). Enjoy.

(Note: I've also changed the layout slightly. Tell me what you think.)

download
Place: ISKCON Leipzig, Germany
Time: 19 min.

Summary:
Why struggle so hard for material enjoyment which is temporary in nature? Erich Honecker, for example, thought that the Berlin wall would be there 100 years from now. 6 months later: both he??(TM)s gone and the wall is gone.

There is an attitude of: "just be as happy as you can, focus on the pleasure and don??(TM)t be negative, just follow your heart and intuition". French existentialist philosopher Albert Camus said: "Don??(TM)t try to lead me, don??(TM)t try to follow me, just walk with me through the chaos".

However, in any practical situation no one actually does that. For example, when going on a walk in forest we make a plan, take a map and follow the official path established by forest rangers.

Krishna consciousness is the authorized way. The Vedic literature is the torchlight of knowledge that allows us to see the whole picture of what is going on, instead of stumbling blindly in the darkness of ignorance.

download
Place: ISKCON Leipzig, Germany
Time: 19 min.

Summary:
Why struggle so hard for material enjoyment which is temporary in nature? Erich Honecker, for example, thought that the Berlin wall would be there 100 years from now. 6 months later: both he??(TM)s gone and the wall is gone.

There is an attitude of: "just be as happy as you can, focus on the pleasure and don??(TM)t be negative, just follow your heart and intuition". French existentialist philosopher Albert Camus said: "Don??(TM)t try to lead me, don??(TM)t try to follow me, just walk with me through the chaos".

However, in any practical situation no one actually does that. For example, when going on a walk in forest we make a plan, take a map and follow the official path established by forest rangers.

Krishna consciousness is the authorized way. The Vedic literature is the torchlight of knowledge that allows us to see the whole picture of what is going on, instead of stumbling blindly in the darkness of ignorance.

Namahatta has a great article from HH Radhanath Swami. He talks about the counselor system in the temple in Mumbai, Chowpatti. It sounds like a great place. A perfect situation where everyone is super nicely cared for. The article is well worth reading.

Namahatta has a great article from HH Radhanath Swami. He talks about the counselor system in the temple in Mumbai, Chowpatti. It sounds like a great place. A perfect situation where everyone is super nicely cared for. The article is well worth reading.

This week's Vedicsoc session was different. As a follow on from Sunday's Gita reading I advertised a Bhagavad-Gita Q&A. Unfortunately the interest of the student community in such things is practically zero these days. Well, two, to be exact. I taught a very quick yoga class (some breathing and 10 sun salutes), followed by an extra long japa session (18 minutes of chanting of the maha-mantra).

Then we had what ended up being a two hours long discussion. I found myself battling mayavadi conceptions throughout most of that time. However, even given Prabhupada's authoritative purports the two guys that came did not accept. Ultimately we came to some intricate (irrelevant) detailed questions about the nature of the time which I could not answer. I stressed that the proof of the pudding is in the eating. But, alas, the maha-mantra of today's society is: "never commit to anything".

Still, we parted favourably (and I sneakily gave both of them a gift of a MP3-CD filled with Krishna conscious talks lectures).

This week's Vedicsoc session was different. As a follow on from Sunday's Gita reading I advertised a Bhagavad-Gita Q&A. Unfortunately the interest of the student community in such things is practically zero these days. Well, two, to be exact. I taught a very quick yoga class (some breathing and 10 sun salutes), followed by an extra long japa session (18 minutes of chanting of the maha-mantra).

Then we had what ended up being a two hours long discussion. I found myself battling mayavadi conceptions throughout most of that time. However, even given Prabhupada's authoritative purports the two guys that came did not accept. Ultimately we came to some intricate (irrelevant) detailed questions about the nature of the time which I could not answer. I stressed that the proof of the pudding is in the eating. But, alas, the maha-mantra of today's society is: "never commit to anything".

Still, we parted favourably (and I sneakily gave both of them a gift of a MP3-CD filled with Krishna conscious talks lectures).

Forrester magazine has an interest short article on the subject. View it here.

Forrester magazine has an interest short article on the subject. View it here.

download
Verse: SB 2.10.1
Place: ISKCON Berlin, Germany
Time: 59 min.

Summary:
There is always change. The body changes, the government changes (Devamrita Swami tells some stories of preaching in the DDR, former East Germany) and people become bewildered.

Srimad Bhagavatam however allows us to conquer the darkness of ignorance, the conception that the world is here for our enjoyment, and understand that all energy has an owner who (at least) likes be acknowledged. Devotion can come later. Devotees as devoted as Mother Yasoda can even conquer Krishna.

The creation is supreme exhibition of artistry. It is so expertly arranged that it looks like no one is behind it. It is like an expert manager who sets things into motion without people noticing it was actually him. Things generally progress from subtle to gross. It is like that in management, male/female relationships and many other things.

Don??(TM)t get caught up in all the changes, attacks of material nature and material desires. Srimad Bhagavatam gives both knowledge and detachment.

Questions:

• How is it that if we stop practicing Krishna consciousness in this life we can continue from where we left off in the next life?
• How to convince someone that God didn??(TM)t give them this world for their enjoyment?
• My understanding is that you should only have a relationship to Krishna, not anybody else, is that right?

download
Verse: SB 2.10.1
Place: ISKCON Berlin, Germany
Time: 59 min.

Summary:
There is always change. The body changes, the government changes (Devamrita Swami tells some stories of preaching in the DDR, former East Germany) and people become bewildered.

Srimad Bhagavatam however allows us to conquer the darkness of ignorance, the conception that the world is here for our enjoyment, and understand that all energy has an owner who (at least) likes be acknowledged. Devotion can come later. Devotees as devoted as Mother Yasoda can even conquer Krishna.

The creation is supreme exhibition of artistry. It is so expertly arranged that it looks like no one is behind it. It is like an expert manager who sets things into motion without people noticing it was actually him. Things generally progress from subtle to gross. It is like that in management, male/female relationships and many other things.

Don??(TM)t get caught up in all the changes, attacks of material nature and material desires. Srimad Bhagavatam gives both knowledge and detachment.

Questions:

• How is it that if we stop practicing Krishna consciousness in this life we can continue from where we left off in the next life?
• How to convince someone that God didn??(TM)t give them this world for their enjoyment?
• My understanding is that you should only have a relationship to Krishna, not anybody else, is that right?

The ancient Japanese art of paper folding has come a long way since the time of ancient Japan. Using computers to calculate the folds necessary Robert Lang creates some amazing origami artwork. Check it out here.

The ancient Japanese art of paper folding has come a long way since the time of ancient Japan. Using computers to calculate the folds necessary Robert Lang creates some amazing origami artwork. Check it out here.

Gita Jayanti was today. I invited some of the Vedicsoc crew over to my flat for a reading of the Bhagavad-Gita. Three guys from Vedicsoc attended.

We started off taking (ekadasi) prasadam. I made the following:

• Chinese leaf salad
• Sago Pilaf
• Tomato chutney/sauce
• Potato wedges
• Sweet potato pie (the speculation buckwheat pastry turned out quite good)
• Luglos

I was intending to make a few more preparation, but ran out of time. I??(TM)ll try better next time.

So, anyway, after chatting for a bit we got into reading the Gita. Three hours later: a deep feeling of peace pervaded the atmosphere, everyone was blissful, spiritually satisfied and saturated with transcendental knowledge.

I found the austerity of the reading extremely rewarding. The Bhagavad-Gita is such an amazing book. So much knowledge!

Gita Jayanti was today. I invited some of the Vedicsoc crew over to my flat for a reading of the Bhagavad-Gita. Three guys from Vedicsoc attended.

We started off taking (ekadasi) prasadam. I made the following:

• Chinese leaf salad
• Sago Pilaf
• Tomato chutney/sauce
• Potato wedges
• Sweet potato pie (the speculation buckwheat pastry turned out quite good)
• Luglos

I was intending to make a few more preparation, but ran out of time. I??(TM)ll try better next time.

So, anyway, after chatting for a bit we got into reading the Gita. Three hours later: a deep feeling of peace pervaded the atmosphere, everyone was blissful, spiritually satisfied and saturated with transcendental knowledge.

I found the austerity of the reading extremely rewarding. The Bhagavad-Gita is such an amazing book. So much knowledge!

download
Place: Nienburg, Germany
Time: 69 min.

Summary:
Jihad consciousness is the traditional, village culture, not necessarily exclusive to Islam. It is any group of people that value their cultural uniqueness and ethnicity. These kinds of people want to fight the ongoing globalization by any means.

McWorld consciousness is the global consumer culture. Global brands, global food, global pop-stars, global morality (make up your own religion and do whatever feels right). These people look down on the primitive tribespeople. The McWorld is ruled by big business. It is good business if everyone wants the same food. Big Macs can then be mass produced in large quantities for large profits.

Both types of consciousness are merely polished animal life. They are in what is known as ??oesilpa jnana??. Higher than that is ??oebrahma vidya??, or knowledge of a spiritual reality beyond the bodily identification. However, that is just the beginning, the kindergarten, of spiritual knowledge. Higher than that is knowledge of ??oeparamatma??, the Supersoul. The peak of knowledge is knowledge of ??oebhagavan??, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This level includes all the lower levels.

Questions:

• How can this absolute knowledge manifest in our daily lives?
• In the Bhagavad-Gita it says that a householder must perform his duty? What is this duty?
• How can be become perfect if our karma is in the way?
• When following the spiritual path there are often so many obstacles, impediments and unfortunate circumstances that one gets confused. I have so many problems with my children that I can no longer believe in God.
• Is it possible to enlighten the Jihad and McWorld people with real spiritual knowledge?

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Place: Nienburg, Germany
Time: 69 min.

Summary:
Jihad consciousness is the traditional, village culture, not necessarily exclusive to Islam. It is any group of people that value their cultural uniqueness and ethnicity. These kinds of people want to fight the ongoing globalization by any means.

McWorld consciousness is the global consumer culture. Global brands, global food, global pop-stars, global morality (make up your own religion and do whatever feels right). These people look down on the primitive tribespeople. The McWorld is ruled by big business. It is good business if everyone wants the same food. Big Macs can then be mass produced in large quantities for large profits.

Both types of consciousness are merely polished animal life. They are in what is known as ??oesilpa jnana??. Higher than that is ??oebrahma vidya??, or knowledge of a spiritual reality beyond the bodily identification. However, that is just the beginning, the kindergarten, of spiritual knowledge. Higher than that is knowledge of ??oeparamatma??, the Supersoul. The peak of knowledge is knowledge of ??oebhagavan??, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This level includes all the lower levels.

Questions:

• How can this absolute knowledge manifest in our daily lives?
• In the Bhagavad-Gita it says that a householder must perform his duty? What is this duty?
• How can be become perfect if our karma is in the way?
• When following the spiritual path there are often so many obstacles, impediments and unfortunate circumstances that one gets confused. I have so many problems with my children that I can no longer believe in God.
• Is it possible to enlighten the Jihad and McWorld people with real spiritual knowledge?

The Vedicsoc session was interesting yesterday. One of the students from last week liked the Power Yoga so much that she enthusiastically brought one of her friends along. Word of mouth is the best advertising. Altogether four people attended the session.

I taught I rather good slow-deep aerobic class that was well received. We then chanted the Hare Krishna mantra for a while on beads. This was received with some suspicion. Then, coming to the discussion, the two new girls affirmed that they were perfectly happy with their life and did not want to have anything to do with any spiritual process or ??oereligion??. Yuck! (though I explained, or at least attempted to explain, that it was actually a very scientific process)

They continued to affirm: ??oewe like passion and are perfectly happy with our lives as they are. We like stress: it gives us the opportunity to learn to manage our time better.??

I tried loads of approaches to introduce them to spirituality, but no chance. They almost certainly won??(TM)t come back next week. In any case, they have gotten a lot of benefit from their brief exposure to Krishna consciousness.

The Vedicsoc session was interesting yesterday. One of the students from last week liked the Power Yoga so much that she enthusiastically brought one of her friends along. Word of mouth is the best advertising. Altogether four people attended the session.

I taught I rather good slow-deep aerobic class that was well received. We then chanted the Hare Krishna mantra for a while on beads. This was received with some suspicion. Then, coming to the discussion, the two new girls affirmed that they were perfectly happy with their life and did not want to have anything to do with any spiritual process or ??oereligion??. Yuck! (though I explained, or at least attempted to explain, that it was actually a very scientific process)

They continued to affirm: ??oewe like passion and are perfectly happy with our lives as they are. We like stress: it gives us the opportunity to learn to manage our time better.??

I tried loads of approaches to introduce them to spirituality, but no chance. They almost certainly won??(TM)t come back next week. In any case, they have gotten a lot of benefit from their brief exposure to Krishna consciousness.

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Verse: Damodarastaka prayers, verse #2
Place: Dortmund, Germany
Time: 48 min.

Summary:
Krishna is the most beautiful little cowheard boy. He is also the Supreme Lord. He is full of paradoxes: here is God and he is hungry, attention seeking, wanting to be fed, stealing butter, fearfully running away, being caught and bound up by his mother. Only in Vrindavana, where no one thinks of Krishna as God, can such intimate pastimes take place. Brahma and Siva can??(TM)t relate with Krishna in such ways. Our goal in the month of Kartika should be to understand this Krishna.

Questions:

• Was Krishna really afraid, or was he just putting on a show?
• Isn??(TM)t it impossible to understand Krishna?

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Verse: Damodarastaka prayers, verse #2
Place: Dortmund, Germany
Time: 48 min.

Summary:
Krishna is the most beautiful little cowheard boy. He is also the Supreme Lord. He is full of paradoxes: here is God and he is hungry, attention seeking, wanting to be fed, stealing butter, fearfully running away, being caught and bound up by his mother. Only in Vrindavana, where no one thinks of Krishna as God, can such intimate pastimes take place. Brahma and Siva can??(TM)t relate with Krishna in such ways. Our goal in the month of Kartika should be to understand this Krishna.

Questions:

• Was Krishna really afraid, or was he just putting on a show?
• Isn??(TM)t it impossible to understand Krishna?

I've just fixed some bugs in this website. Some dead links in the picture gallery now work. The entire site should now display better in Internet Explorer ... and if you are still using Internet Explorer:

I've just fixed some bugs in this website. Some dead links in the picture gallery now work. The entire site should now display better in Internet Explorer ... and if you are still using Internet Explorer:

In today??(TM)s world it is not enough simply to offer some service or product. Products and services are very quickly becoming commoditized, so one must offer some extra value in order to stand out of the crowd. One??(TM)s offering needs to be polished. Here are some examples:

Mac OS X is a very polished computer operating system software: much more so than Windows and much, much more so than Linux (which might have all the features, but lacks the glitter). Polish may seem irrelevant to someone who just wants something that will get the job done, but most people want more. My parents were certainly impressed at the rotating cube fast user switching effect on their Mac mini. That sort of good impression is much more important than the ability to open a file a few milliseconds more quickly.

A good yoga teacher will not just show the yoga asanas (postures). He or she will give a running commentary, tell jokes, tell stories, correct the students??(TM) postures, offer complements to the students when they perform a difficult asana, play background music, light incense, in short, offer a whole polished yoga-experience. Anyone can, after all, do gymnastic exercise.

Chanting the Hare Krishna Maha-Mantra is easy. You just say the words. However, attentive chanting is difficult (at least for me). The aim is to be so fixed in one??(TM)s attention and cry out with such sincerity that Krishna can??(TM)t help but take personal notice. Even chanting just one mantra in such a pure fashion can make someone completely Krishna conscious in an instant. All material contamination is brushed aside. Someone like me however is far away from that stage of shininess and needs to keep polishing. Luckily, practicing the chanting is the very means of polish.

In today??(TM)s world it is not enough simply to offer some service or product. Products and services are very quickly becoming commoditized, so one must offer some extra value in order to stand out of the crowd. One??(TM)s offering needs to be polished. Here are some examples:

Mac OS X is a very polished computer operating system software: much more so than Windows and much, much more so than Linux (which might have all the features, but lacks the glitter). Polish may seem irrelevant to someone who just wants something that will get the job done, but most people want more. My parents were certainly impressed at the rotating cube fast user switching effect on their Mac mini. That sort of good impression is much more important than the ability to open a file a few milliseconds more quickly.

A good yoga teacher will not just show the yoga asanas (postures). He or she will give a running commentary, tell jokes, tell stories, correct the students??(TM) postures, offer complements to the students when they perform a difficult asana, play background music, light incense, in short, offer a whole polished yoga-experience. Anyone can, after all, do gymnastic exercise.

Chanting the Hare Krishna Maha-Mantra is easy. You just say the words. However, attentive chanting is difficult (at least for me). The aim is to be so fixed in one??(TM)s attention and cry out with such sincerity that Krishna can??(TM)t help but take personal notice. Even chanting just one mantra in such a pure fashion can make someone completely Krishna conscious in an instant. All material contamination is brushed aside. Someone like me however is far away from that stage of shininess and needs to keep polishing. Luckily, practicing the chanting is the very means of polish.

I heard a researcher make the following comment in a recent mp3 lecture I was listening to: ??oeThe fact that all species use DNA as their means of copying and reproduction is the single most compelling proof of the theory of evolution.??

Juxtaposing that with the following: ??oeThe fact that computers all use transistors is the single most compelling proof that they came about by random mutations of silicon ore.??

I heard a researcher make the following comment in a recent mp3 lecture I was listening to: ??oeThe fact that all species use DNA as their means of copying and reproduction is the single most compelling proof of the theory of evolution.??

Juxtaposing that with the following: ??oeThe fact that computers all use transistors is the single most compelling proof that they came about by random mutations of silicon ore.??

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Verse: SB 4.29.36-37
Place: Goloka Dhama, Abentheuer, Germany
Time: 56 min.

Summary:
Material happiness is altogether miserable and blinds one to the real goal of life. This should be our mission statement. Of course, we??(TM)re not kill-joys who look down all happiness. A devotee is meant to be jolly. At the same time there should not be spiritual hedonism.

Prabhupada set the standard: there was a controversy in Los Angeles where devotees where only reading certain intimate sections of Prabhupada??(TM)s books. Prabhupada was furious when he found out.

The highest level of spiritual life is not to become a rasika, but to sacrifice for preaching. This is the actual mood of the gopis in Vrindavana. The highest level of Krishna consciousness: love in separation.

The austerity of leadership is the greatest sacrifice. Co-operating with other leaders is especially difficult. More difficult than controlling sex desire. This is why Prabhupada established the GBC. It is radically different from the traditional matha system of one person being the acharya. ISKCON however is bigger than any one person.

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Verse: SB 4.29.36-37
Place: Goloka Dhama, Abentheuer, Germany
Time: 56 min.

Summary:
Material happiness is altogether miserable and blinds one to the real goal of life. This should be our mission statement. Of course, we??(TM)re not kill-joys who look down all happiness. A devotee is meant to be jolly. At the same time there should not be spiritual hedonism.

Prabhupada set the standard: there was a controversy in Los Angeles where devotees where only reading certain intimate sections of Prabhupada??(TM)s books. Prabhupada was furious when he found out.

The highest level of spiritual life is not to become a rasika, but to sacrifice for preaching. This is the actual mood of the gopis in Vrindavana. The highest level of Krishna consciousness: love in separation.

The austerity of leadership is the greatest sacrifice. Co-operating with other leaders is especially difficult. More difficult than controlling sex desire. This is why Prabhupada established the GBC. It is radically different from the traditional matha system of one person being the acharya. ISKCON however is bigger than any one person.

(Warning: this is going to be kind-of technical)

I??(TM)ve just changed how I deal with email. Here is what I did:

I opened two accounts using Google??(TM)s free Gmail service. I then set my university email account to forward all messages I get to one Gmail account. I then set that Gmail account to forward all messages it gets to the other Gmail account (but does not archive it). This second Gmail account applied various filters and labels to all incoming messages. Newsgroup messages are, for example, automatically archived upon receipt. That way they don??(TM)t clog my inbox, but I can search them quickly and easily using Google if I need to. I then also set all my private email account to forward to email to this second email account.

To check email I simply download from the second Gmail account using Microsoft Outlook and POP, or, if I??(TM)m traveling or am at University, just log into Gmail. When I??(TM)m in University, I download from the first Gmail account and set Gmail to archive the messages I have downloaded. That way my work machine only gets PhD related email.

The end result: All my email is backed up on one Gmail account, my University email and private email are separated, I have a nice email web interface I can use when on the road and both my home and University PCs get copies of all email relevant to me at those locations.

Now, all that was left to do was to create a backup of all my old email. After some trying I used to University??(TM)s SMTP server to and Mozilla Thunderbird (using an extension called Redirect, which has the ability to bounce email messages) to forward all my old email to myself in the newly setup Gmail accounts. I don??(TM)t think the University was too happy about my suddenly spamming their server with the 20000 (don??(TM)t ask) emails I??(TM)ve received in the past year and a half. Anyway, it??(TM)s for a good cause and they haven??(TM)t blocked me yet.

This all worked well. I now have all my old email stored in Gmail for instant access wherever I go.

(Warning: this is going to be kind-of technical)

I??(TM)ve just changed how I deal with email. Here is what I did:

I opened two accounts using Google??(TM)s free Gmail service. I then set my university email account to forward all messages I get to one Gmail account. I then set that Gmail account to forward all messages it gets to the other Gmail account (but does not archive it). This second Gmail account applied various filters and labels to all incoming messages. Newsgroup messages are, for example, automatically archived upon receipt. That way they don??(TM)t clog my inbox, but I can search them quickly and easily using Google if I need to. I then also set all my private email account to forward to email to this second email account.

To check email I simply download from the second Gmail account using Microsoft Outlook and POP, or, if I??(TM)m traveling or am at University, just log into Gmail. When I??(TM)m in University, I download from the first Gmail account and set Gmail to archive the messages I have downloaded. That way my work machine only gets PhD related email.

The end result: All my email is backed up on one Gmail account, my University email and private email are separated, I have a nice email web interface I can use when on the road and both my home and University PCs get copies of all email relevant to me at those locations.

Now, all that was left to do was to create a backup of all my old email. After some trying I used to University??(TM)s SMTP server to and Mozilla Thunderbird (using an extension called Redirect, which has the ability to bounce email messages) to forward all my old email to myself in the newly setup Gmail accounts. I don??(TM)t think the University was too happy about my suddenly spamming their server with the 20000 (don??(TM)t ask) emails I??(TM)ve received in the past year and a half. Anyway, it??(TM)s for a good cause and they haven??(TM)t blocked me yet.

This all worked well. I now have all my old email stored in Gmail for instant access wherever I go.

download
Place: Goloka Dhama, Abentheuer, Germany
Time: 38 min.

Questions:

• The king and householder Maharaja Rantideva didn??(TM)t teach spiritual knowledge directly, so how can we learn from him?
• How will someone learn from the reactions to their bad deeds in past lives if they can??(TM)t remember them?
• How can we possibly offend Krishna? Who are we to be able to offend God?
• How to be so compassionate that we accept other??(TM)s suffering?
• Was Citraketu??(TM)s insulting Lord Siva and being cursed by Parvati Krishna??(TM)s arrangement?
• When and how do we get the mercy of the devotee?
• What is the nature of ??oerealization???
• How can we change our tactics to better connect with present-day people?
• How do we understand the Bhagavad-Gita where Krishna says that he who explains him to the devotee is most dear?
• Krishna is self-satisfied and has only created this material world for our sake, but he arranged for Jaya and Vijaya??(TM)s falldown so he could have a good fight. Isn??(TM)t that some selfish desire on his part?