Friday, January 17th, 2020
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Trinidad and Beyond

Anticipating Places

The flight to Port of Spain was early, and  got me landed in plenty of time for some fun happenings within the range of devotional yoga.  I’m looking forward to the next ten days which will include a quick trip to Tobago.  We have been contemplating for years on doing a visit to this touristy island.  Also, on the list, is my second journey to Suriname where everyone speaks Dutch.

Google tells me that the first permanent settlement of Europeans in Suriname was established by a group of British planters and their slaves in 1651.  In 1667, Suriname was seized by a Dutch fleet, and that year it was ceded to the Netherlands in exchange for New Amsterdam, now New York City.
https://youtu.be/LnPAdPmTHKA

When I visited Suriname, about five years ago, I was astounded not just to find mostly Hindustani persons (East Indians), but that the Dutch language prevails.  It is expressed from their tongues, and that’s the language of my ancestry.  It makes me feel kind of at home.  While winter bleakness will dominate the Canadian homefront, I’ll be soaking in some sun and rain.  

Which reminds me, just before I left for this trip my friend, Gaura, and I chatted, and brought up the subject of my favourite pop artist, voice-wise.  It goes to James Taylor, and his song, “Fire and Rain” with such poignant lyrics as: “Been walking my mind to an easy time my back turned towards the sun/ Lord knows when the cold wind blows it’ll turn your head around."   https://youtu.be/N4E9MKbOFAY

I anticipate a good time with walks, chants and various services.

May the Source be with you!
0 km




Thursday, January 16th, 2020
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Toronto, Ontario

Keep the Sense of Gravity

I picked up a few sayings which very much resonated with me today.  

Sayings such as:
“You may not always be called upon to be successful, but you will always be called upon to be trustworthy.”  Mother Teresa.

Another very reflective one:
“The trouble with most of us is that we would rather be ruined by praise than saved by criticism.” Norman Vincent Peale.

I take a special liking to this one:
“You cannot build a reputation on what you are going to do.”  Henry Ford.

Corrado and I went for a brisk walk as it felt as if winter had finally set. In.  I talked to him about the importance of flexibility, and presented this one: “A tree that bends with the wind doesn’t break!” It was a version of what Confucius once said.  I can’t quite remember what Corrado and I were speaking about when mention of that one came about.  

As we trekked along Yonge Street,  the actual wind was quite strong when not near a building.  Certainly one has to be firm and grounded in goodness in order not to be blown way.  My scarf was rather up in the air, tossing about, but I kept my gravity.

May the Source be with you!
4 km




Wednesday, January 15th, 2020
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Oakville, Ontario

Spoiled

This day was a day when I got spoiled.  Alexander, a massage therapist and healer, came to the ashram to do some treatment on us older monks.  I'm only sixty-seven, but another monk behind me, Dharma Prana, has reached his seventieth, and suffered a terrible stroke in '82.  However, I happened to be in the front of the line and received the first fine session.  

Alexander, amongst other things, was trying to read my mind.  "You have many thoughts," he said of me.  "There is much nostalgia and thoughts upon thoughts."

"Yes, that's right.  I carry many concerns about others, always, but I'm happy."  

He put me to sleep very quickly, and then I awoke and was whisked away for the second ‘getting spoiled for the day’.

Jay drove.  Corrado came long. They are both younger monks, and age twenty-nine.  We drove to Lakeshore in downtown Oakville to the Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy where they sell Kyboot products, shoes made from advanced technology.  I was overdue for a pair of sandals and took full advantage of my doctor's gift toward these wonderful orthopaedic footwear products.  I tried on a pair of really good monk-like sandals, made my test run (walk) down the aisle of the pharmacy and fell in love.  

I felt like a teen with new duds on.  I felt like I was floating in the air.  Later on I took them for an eager stride, once back in the big city of Toronto, at the City Hall.  

I want to thank Richard Price, the salesman, and Jagannatha Misra, my doctor and the sandals’ donor.  He treated us to dinner that night.  We got spoiled.

May the Source be with you!
4 km

Tuesday, January 14th, 2020
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Toronto, Ontario

Unpredictable

I rather surprised myself, on this second consecutive day, with a nighttime walk.  Corrado has now moved into the ashram with us, and he and I set a spontaneous faster-than-usual pace.  Both times I returned from a spritely trek in the neighbourhood, feeling no joint issues, especially with my knees.

What certainly contributed to the uninterrupted speed was the no-ice factor.  We have been running on above-freezing temperatures, and I'm not complaining.  Mind you, I am a bit of a sucker for the white snow.  But I am like most people—I don't want to go over my quota of the stuff.  

In speaking on the phone today to two Calgarians, when they said they were going through a forty-below-zero spell, I felt the chill in my bones, only because I've been there before.  Why not try 50 below in Saskatoon?  It's really something.

But feel the warmth, or feel the freeze, Krishna tells us in the Bhagavad-Gita that "it is all only by sense perception.”  Because we are not really this physical body with sensory organs hooked to it , it relieves us to know that we are beyond all of this.  We are transcendental.  Real life is with the spirit, and not with the flickering and mistrusting material energy. 

In two days, I'll be in Trinidad, and the weather will show a side of sticky heat.  Maybe so.  You never know.  It is unpredictable.  The uncertainty of it all makes life adventurous.  

May the Source be with you!
5 km

Monday, January 13th, 2020
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Toronto, Ontario

People Are Problems

Back from the U.S.  Back to work.  Back to play.

My day began with the chant, a look at sastra, and then a breakfast.  Some leftovers do not intimidate me.  Warm them up, as Uttamananda did, and they can be tastier than the day before.  Then jet lag got the better of me.

I went for a much needed nap, and as I was about to doze off, images of the infamous New York City blackout entered my mind.  I had seen the documentary by the name "Black Out" on the plane last night.  Quite devastating! As are the destructive bush fires currently in Australia!  I slept.  

And awoke to the sound of calls.  I peered at the caller's name on my cell.  I ignored it.  I will address it later.  Eyelids went shut again.  Another call.  Better tend to it this time.

Calls are always interesting.  Often they are a follow-up to what needs to be done.  At times a call is addressing and listening to a soul needing attention.  Whether by cell, e-mail, or a knock on the door, or a cry through the ether, it happens.

Over the weekend in D.C., when a group of us came together for a leader's retreat, it came to my mind that in dealing with persons you must be ready for energy input/output.  I wrote in my notes at one session "people are problems," but that can lead to prema (love of the Absolute) when people are well directed.  And I'm not the one directing but encouraging people who come to me to take some direction from above.  

After a great evening with ashram residents, Corrado and I walked peacefully.  

May the Source be with you!
5 km


  

Sunday, January 12th, 2020
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Potomac, Maryland

Our Experience

Included in our morning sadhana, at Rockwood Manor, was a line-up of chairs, and seated upon them were the direct students of Srila Prabhupada, our Guru Maharaja.  There were six of us. We were given three questions to answer, from our personal perspective, and were obliged to deliver to the thirty or so listeners, our experiences.

Question One:  What encourages you to stay (in devotional life) and to keep going?
Question Two:  What fears do you encounter about the future, and also what hope do you have?
Question Three:  What particular verse from the sastra (scripture) inspires you the most?

The presentation by members was good.  

What else did you take away from this weekend's retreat?  I noted a few items from the notes affixed to the walls of our conference room—notes which were a result of our collected wisdom.

"The by-products of listening and reflecting are feeling understood and validated, empathy (feeling pain), being respected and cared for, [knowing] you are not wrong for having an emotion, [understanding] there was need to give advice and input, vulnerability (expressing our own shortcoming), shared understanding, and the most useful thing [was] completing the cycle. "

Also "The Four Principles":

1) Whoever comes are the right people
2) Whatever happens is the only thing that could have happened
3) When it starts is the right time
4) When it over it's over

https://www.instagram.com/p/B7Prj6lAkH5/?igshid=1810tma164xlo

The last item for me today was taking a lead at the Washington temple.  

May the Source be with you!
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Saturday, January 11th, 2020
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Potomac, Maryland

Contributing Something

I had been asked by organizers of these ISKCON Leaders Meetings to begin the two sessions of each day with warm-up exercises, both vocal and physical.  It worked out marvellously for me, because I felt like I was contributing something.  What I offered was much like what I do for theatre arts workshops, or what we do for warm-up exercises before we get into the play practices that I conduct.  

This is not what I do in the higher echelons of our mission.  Our twice a year meetings for the Governing Body Commissioners, are much more serious in their approach.  Participants are mainly of the senior calibre, on the average.  I was just happy to be able to serve in this group so well, by usually initiating the meetings with kirtan, and often being asked to do a reading from an excerpt of sastra (scripture), just to set the right mood.  

For our break-time, after lunch, which was vegan, a group of us arranged for vehicles to be driven to the Great Falls by the Potomac River.  About fifteen of us loaded into those vehicles to make it to a nature's wonder.  My guess is that it took a one kilometre walk to get to the most compelling section of the river.  An old canal built two centuries back was under renovation.  Canals, also a fascination for me, are a display of man's engineering power.  So you have the power of water and the power of man to put you in awe.  https://www.instagram.com/p/B7M-pPsAuBE/?igshid=10um9z7i032s0   

The meetings are interactive, stimulating and fun.  To put a fragmental bit of additional fun to our Saturday night, Pyari Mohan, executed an entertaining magic show, preceded by Kalakantha's laugh-at-yourself band, "Blind Uncle”.  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWgForS32hu8ri0Ccmi91nA

May the Source be with you!
4 km




Iskcon temple resurrected after devastation from the earthquake (Album of photos)
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Iskcon temple resurrected after devastation from the earthquake (Album of photos)
A visit to ISKCON Christchurch, New Zealand.
Ramai Swami: It’s always nice visiting our temple in Christchurch. It’s been around 3 years since it opened after the devastating earthquake destroyed the previous one. The deities of Sri Nitai Gauracandra are beautiful as ever and the devotees enthusiastic.

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ISKCON Christchurch
→ Ramai Swami

It’s always nice visiting our temple in Christchurch. It’s been around 3 years since it opened after the devastating earthquake destroyed the previous one. The deities of Sri Nitai Gauracandra are beautiful as ever and the devotees enthusiastic.

I went to the new “Jagannatha Restaurant” that Krsna Gopal opened downtown on Colombo Street, which is just a block from our previous restaurant that also had to be knocked down because of the earthquake. The decor and prasadam were great.

Simply things
→ simple thoughts

Share

The other day I was studying a picture of a small toddler looking up at an old lady in a wheelchair, the toddler looked inquisitive looking at the lady in the chair.

I was pondering how this in itself showed how quickly time passes, the old lady was once like this small toddler inquisitive and learning about the world around her, it just seems an eternity away from being so old.

It won’t be long before ones knowledge expands and schooling takes place, the body goes from toddler to one of a young lady, and how this now old wheelchair bound lady was chased my many admirers some wanted and some not so.

She had her own children and guided them as they grew and before long found herself holding her grandchildren wondering how quickly time has passed, now the toddler looks at her and could be her great grandchildren.

Time waits for no one and this little picture seemed to encapsulate this, and it reminded me that as a devotee Srila Prabhupada reminded us to not waste time and to make sure we go home back to Godhead this lifetime.

It also made me appreciate how something simple can remind us of Sri Krishna and the lovely purports from Srila Prabhupada books, it’s the simple things.

Prominent Indian Corporate billionaires initiate efforts to develop Mayapur Heritage City
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By Parijata dasi

The first meeting of the Advisory Committee for the development of Mayapur Heritage City was held on 9 January 2020 at Sajjan Jindal's office. The meeting was initiated by Devakinandan Das, Zonal Secretary and Vice Chairman of Member of Mayapur Executive Board (MEB), and saw the participation of some of the most distinguished members of the corporate world namely Sajjan Jindal (Chairman - JSW Group & Advisory Committee), BK Goenka (Chairman - Welspun Group), Ajay Piramal (Chairman - Piramal Group), Ashok Goel (Chairman - Essel Group), Harshvardhan Neotia (Chairman - Ambuja Neotia Group) and Sanjiv Goenka (Chairman - RP Industries Ltd). Other businessmen who are members of the Committee but were unable to attend the meeting are Shri Gautam Adani (Chairman, Adani Group), Shri Anil Agarwal (Chairman, Vedanta Resources) and Puneet Dalmia (Dalmia Bharat Group). Continue reading "Prominent Indian Corporate billionaires initiate efforts to develop Mayapur Heritage City
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TOVP Pujari Floor Grand Opening, February 13 – H.H. Bhakti Caru Maharaja Speaks Out
- TOVP.org

On February 13, 2020 all of ISKCON will be celebrating the historic, milestone Grand Opening of the completed Pujari Floor. In this video His Holiness Bhakti Caru Maharaja speaks about the importance of this accomplishment as we head towards the Grand Opening in 2022.

This event heralds the relocation of our beloved world deities into Their new, long-awaited new home. It is the largest facility of its kind in the world at over 2.5 acres in size with over 20 seva rooms specially designed by Their Graces Jananivas and Pankajanghri prabhus.

You can read more here: https://m.tovp.org/pujarifloor. The entire event can be viewed live on mayapur.tv

 

The post TOVP Pujari Floor Grand Opening, February 13 – H.H. Bhakti Caru Maharaja Speaks Out appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

Further Progress of Pujari Floor Ceiling Panels
- TOVP.org

With less than a month to the Grand Opening of the TOVP Pujari Floor on February 13 we are racing to complete all the details and embellishments. Pictured here are the beautiful and ornate ceiling panels being installed from which chandeliers will be hung.

Below is the official promo flyer for the Pujari Room Grand Opening with the schedule. Please share with other devotees to get the word out about this historic, milestone event. You can watch live on Mayapur.tv.

 

The post Further Progress of Pujari Floor Ceiling Panels appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

Cow protection – interview (audio)
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Cow protection - interview (audio)
HH Krishna Ksetra Swami: Here’s an interview I gave a few days ago on NewBooksNetwork about “Cow Care in Hindu Animal Ethics”
What does cow care in India have to offer modern Western discourse on animal ethics? Why are cows treated with such reverence in the Indian context? Join us as we speak to Kenneth R. Valpey about his new book Cow Care in Hindu Animal Ethics (Palgrave Macmillan, 2019). Valpey discusses his methodological odyssey looking at ancient Hindu scriptural accounts of cows, to modern Hindu thinkers (Gandhi, Ambedkar) on cow protection, to ethnographic work on individuals engaged in the modern Indian cow protection movement.

(This post has been viewed 350 times so far)

Do you remember me?
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Do you remember me?
I was distributing in Byron Bay, Australia. When I approached a man, he asked, “Do you remember me?” “No, sorry, I don’t.” “Three years ago, you gave me the Bhagavad-gita, and I gave you a donation.
I thought it might help me through my troubled times. I had lost my business and my family, so I was drinking a lot. Basically I wanted to drink myself to death. Miserable.


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HG Satyasena Prabhu ACBSP left the mortal world yesterday
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HG Satyasena prabhu ACBSP left the mortal world yesterday evening in Belgaum (India). By Krishna’s mercy, just before leaving the body, he was in the temple - all good, chanting, listening class and all of a sudden he left!
He left his body in Uttarayan (Makar Sankranti was just the day before yesterday) in the temple – while chanting, listening katha in the association of devotees, his family was there, HH Bhakti RasamritaSwami was also there - so surely he has gone back to his eternal service for his beloved Lord in Goloka Vrindavan.

(This post has been viewed 336 times so far)

Sunday Love Feast – Jan 19th 2020 – Vedic Discourse by His Grace Kashyap Muni Prabhu
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Chant: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare 

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare 

And Be Happy!!

ayur harati vai pumsam
udyann astam ca yann asau
tasyarte yat-ksano nita
uttama-sloka-vartaya

Both by rising and by setting, the sun decreases the duration of life of everyone, except one
who utilizes the time by discussing topics of the all-good Personality of Godhead.
 ~ Srimad Bhagavatam 2.3.17




11.00 - 11.15      Tulsi Puja
11.15  - 11.30     Guru Puja
11:30 - 11:55     Aarti & Kirtan
11.55  - 12.00    Sri Nrsingadeva Prayers
12.00 - 12:55    Vedic discourse
  1.00 - 1.30      Closing Kirtan
  1.30 - 2.00     Sanctified Free Vegetarian Feast

COMING UP AHEAD

Sat-tila Ekadasi
Fasting.....................on Mon Jan 20th, 2020
Breakfast................  on Tue 21st Jan, 2020 b/w 7:45am – 10:54am

Every fortnight, we observe Ekadasi, a day of prayer and meditation. On this day we fast (or
simplify our meals and abstain from grains and beans), and spend extra time reading the scriptures
and chanting the auspicious Hare Krishna mantra.By constantly ‘exercising’ our minds through
regular japa we can train our senses to push the threshold of contentment.
English audio glorification of all Ekadasis is available here 




ONGOING PROGRAMS

Adult Education At The Temple
ISKCON Brampton offers various courses and Seminars for adults. The courses take a personal approach to learning. It encourages the student not only to study thoroughly the contents of Srila Prabhupada’s books but also to clearly understand the philosophy and practically apply it. The course focuses on behaviour and character, nurturing students in appropriate Vaishnava values.
Professionally designed and presented, it draws on the principles of Krishna consciousness
and the best of progressive education. In this way, it is true to ISKCON’s heritage and at the
same time relevant to its mission in contemporary society.

For further information, please contact HG Prema Gaurangi Devi Dasi @ premagaurangi.jps@hotmail.com


Sunday School

To register,contact us
Email:sundayschool108@gmail.com
Call:647.893.9363

The Sunday School provides fun filled strategies through the medium of music, drama, debates,
quizzes and games that present Vedic Culture to children. However the syllabus is also designed
to simultaneously teach them to always remember Krishna and never forget Him.
The Sunday School follows the curriculum provided by the Bhaktivedanta College of Education and Culture (BCEC).


Monthly sankirtan Festival(MSF)
“One who has life can preach, and one who preaches gets life.”(Previous Acaryas)
Every member of ISKCON should have the opportunity to make advancement in Krishna
consciousness by preaching.We encourage everyone to come out and participate and make
Srila Prabhupada happy.

Please contact:
Dharma Dasa- dharandev58@gmail.com-647.892.0739(Mississauga and Brampton regions)


The Mentorship Program

Please note that registration in the Mentorship System is now a mandatory requirement for all initiation requests at ISKCON Brampton.It

1.Facilitates  and nurtures devotees aspiring for first and second Initiation.
2.One-on-One personal follow up on a regular basis.
3.Systematic training to devotees in matters of Philosophy, Sadhna, Vaishnava behavior, etiquette, Lifestyle and attitudes.

To find details please click here


Gift Shop

Are you looking for some amazing gift items which are less expensive and more beautiful for your
loved ones for festivals or many other occasions??
Our boutique is stocked with an excellent range of products, perfect for gifts or as souvenirs of your
visit. It offers textiles, jewelry, incense, devotional articles, musical instruments, books, and CDs
inspired by Indian culture.We're open on all Sundays and celebrations marked in our annual calendar.

Bhakti Center: A Journey of Self-transformation!
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The Bhakti Center is more than a Lower East Side yoga studio, a meditation school, a temple or even a cultural center. The Bhakti Center is a place of spiritual education and personal transformation. Each year in January we publish an annual report: a document that highlights our key achievements and successes of the year. This year, we decided to focus on the stories of our community –and their experiences of spiritual growth. We hope this publication will not only inspire you, but will invite you into the lives of our community members and help you feel a part of our growing Bhakti community.

(This post has been viewed 361 times so far)

Food, Diet and Cooking
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Srila Prabhupada: Even if we vegetarian are, then how you become big? The goats are vegetarian. Huh? Apadāni catuṣ-padām. This vegetable is meant for the catuṣ-padām, for the animals, four-legged animals. If somebody says that "Why shall I take this vegetable? It is meant for the animals. I shall take the animal." That is a good argument. Yes. So, to become vegetarian is not ahiṁsā at all. It is a bogus theory. To become a devotee and take Kṛṣṇa prasādam, that is perfect. Kṛṣṇa says, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati


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