ISKCON Wellington
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After Christchurch, I visited our ISKCON temple in Newlands, Wellington. This is small temple and to the side is a house that’s used for an ashrama. The devotees have a plan to build a much larger temple because the land is big enough to accommodate it. 

The devotees are enthusiastic and we had some nice programs, morning and evening. Ambarisa Maharaja Prabhu also runs programs in rental halls at Lower Hutt and Newtown on Friday and Saturday. Devamrta Maharaja’s disciples run the Bhakti Lounge downtown as well.

His Grace Jaya Vijaya Prabhu left his body
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All Glories to Sriman Jaya Vijaya Prabhu. Recently His Grace Jaya Vijaya Prabhu left his body from cancer of the bile duct. On behalf of the ISKCON Australia Management Council I have been asked to offer heartfelt condolences to his young family – his wife Varsana Radhe devi dasi, his sons - 11-year-old Arjuna and 2-year-old Kartikeya, his extended family as well as all his numerous friends.

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HARE KRISHNA! Opens in 20 Cities in Italy
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The hit film on Srila Prabhupada's life, HARE KRISHNA! The Mantra, the Movement and the Swami who started it all opens in 20 cities in Italy starting Jan. 23 and running through March 15. There is the possibility of releasing the film in up to 100 cities throughout the country if it continues to draw crowds.

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You Elected Him
Giriraj Swami

Because Yudhisthira Maharaja himself was very pious, he conducted his government in such a way that people were also pious. Yad yad acarati sresthah lokas tad anuvartate. (Gita 3.21) If the leaders are perfect, then the citizens will be perfect. If the leaders are rascals . . .

Just like in your country, now your president is caught up. Just see. Such an exalted post is occupied by a person who is subjected to so many criticisms. Why? “Caesar’s wife must be above suspicion.” The king or the president—why he should be under suspicion? And if he is under suspicion, then immediately he should resign: “Oh, people are now suspecting.” But this rascal will not resign. You see? Just see how much our leaders are polluted. He has been charged with so many things. Why he? Everyone is. He is weak; therefore he has been caught up. That’s all. He is not so perfect diplomat. Otherwise he would have not been caught up.

So the leaders must be perfect. Therefore, according to Vedic civilization, at least three persons in the society . . . First: the priest or the spiritual master, who are engaged in teaching people about religiosity, must be perfect, above suspicion. Similarly, the public leader must be above suspicion. A brahman . . . Brahman means priest also. He must be above suspicion. And the king must be above suspicion. Then things will go on. But there is no such restriction.

Nowadays it is the days of vote. Any rascal, if he gets votes somehow or other, then he acquires the exalted post. That is also written in Srimad-Bhagavatam, that in the Kali-yuga there will be no consideration who is fit to occupy the exalted post of president or royal throne. Simply somehow or other, by hook and crook, he’ll occupy the seat. Therefore people are suffering. It is not . . . Nowadays, in democratic days, the government by the people, for the people. So if the government is by the people, yes, you select your representative. If you are a fool, then you will select another fool.

So Bhagavata says, sva-vid-varaha ustra-kharaih samstutah purusah pasuh. (SB 3.2.19) Anyone who is not a devotee, Krishna conscious devotee of God, then he may be in an exalted post, but he is praised by people who are exactly like sva. Sva means dog, and vid-varaha means pigs, who eat stool. And ustra means camel. And khara means ass. If a person who is not a devotee is praised or is exalted, then the persons who are praising him must be among these animals: dog, camel, pig, and ass.

So the whole population is like that, like dog, like camel, like ass, and like vid-varaha, pig, stool-eater—the whole population, at the present moment. So they must elect another big animal who is also in this category. Because they have no knowledge. If you take votes from the camels, to whom he will vote? Another big camel, that’s all. If you take votes from the dog, then whom he will elect? Another big dog. Therefore, anyone who is not a devotee of God, Krishna, he is either of these animals. And if he is praised, it is to be understood that he is being praised by a similar type of animal.

So, if we remain sva-vid-varahostra-khara, then we must elect another big sva-vid-varahostra-khara. So how there can be good situation of the state? It is not possible. Therefore the public must be educated so that they may not elect another big dog or big camel or big ass to the exalted post. It is the public’s fault. Nowadays it is democratic days, so why should you complain against such-and-such person or president? You have elected him, and now you find fault with him. It was your fault that you elected such a rascal, sva-vid-varahostra. It is very right conclusion.

—Srila Prabhupada, talk on Srimad-Bhagavatam, Los Angeles, December 15, 1973

World Holy Name Festival Annual Report 2019
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By Ekalavya Das

World Holy Name Festival 2019 was the biggest so far. We celebrated from Sept. 17 – 24, 2019, and focused, as usual, on glorifying Srila Prabhupada as the Global Ambassador of the Holy Name. We provided ISKCON centers with resources from our website including a poster. We gave personal guidance. We established new coordinators for Africa, Australia, New Zealand and India Youth. Continue reading "World Holy Name Festival Annual Report 2019
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ISKCON Law Department Holds 1st Global Conference of Devotee Attorneys
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By Govinda Dev Das and Guru Gauranga Das

ISKCON General Counsel Devakinandan Das opened the Conference by providing a historical overview of the legal challenges that have confronted ISKCON in the past and the often ad hoc manner in which they were addressed. Since ISKCON's inception more than 50 years ago, there has been no team of in-house legal professionals able to guide ISKCON through the minefield of legal problems. Devakinandan Das reminded the assembled devotee attorneys that while ISKCON is organized for spiritual purposes, it must function in the material world, which requires awareness of and compliance with myriad legal requirements imposed by local governments and nations throughout the world. A proactive and formally organized approach to legal matters, he said, will assist greatly to protect ISKCON's assets, limit potential liabilities, deal with conflict, and ensure more informed decision-making by ISKCON's leaders. Continue reading "ISKCON Law Department Holds 1st Global Conference of Devotee Attorneys
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Bhaktivedanta Book Trust’s Revisions Review Panel
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Bhaktivedanta Book Trust’s Revisions Review Panel.
In order to assure that fidelity to Srila Prabhupada’s intent is preserved in his published works, the BBT, on October 17, 2019, assembled a Revisions Review Panel (RRP).

The RRP’s conclusions will be posted on a PAMHO conference.

For more information please visit www.BBT.info

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ISKCON Law Department Holds 1st Global Conference of Devotee Attorneys
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On January 9-12, 2020, thirty devotee attorneys, jurists and law students hailing from the United Kingdom, Russia, Switzerland, Netherlands, Hungary, Lithuania, Brazil, Nigeria, Uganda, Singapore and the United States attended the 2020 ISKCON Global Conference of Devotee Attorneys at the Historic Thomas Center in Gainesville, Florida.

Living for a divine purpose
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(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 30 June 2012, Cape Town, South Africa, Bhagavad-gita 5.8-9)

To be a well wisher of others, one could say: “Well, from now on, I’ll give something to every beggar on the street!” That is nice, but what will that person do with it? Maybe something destructive to himself? Maybe buy some intoxication? What good is that?

So no! We have to change the world into a world where everyone gets divine consciousness. We were out today and as we came back, we saw some police cars on the highway. The blue lights were flashing on the side. It looked like they were catching speeding cars or something, but when we drove past, we saw a police car and a silver car. Three men were lying flat on the ground holding each other’s legs, and there was a cop standing next to them with a gun. It looked like it could have been a stolen car. So, there is a lot of confusion in the world. There are a lot of people who do not know what to do with their life, since they are living a life of entanglement; a life where they lock themselves behind bars, maybe not necessarily in a jail, but behind the bars of material existence… locked in! But if we act according to the divine plan, accepting that ultimately our life is meant for a divine purpose, then everything becomes surcharged with positive energy. This is the key to a life of freedom!

The article " Living for a divine purpose " was published on KKSBlog.

A good year for the ISKCON Prison Ministry
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When farmers have a good harvest, they say it was a good year. That’s the feeling I have at the end of each and every year; “it was a good year.” For the prison ministry, it’s always a good year! The IPM harvest is always aplenty; this is confirmed by the inmates’ wonderful testimonials and the wonderful things that happen in their lives.

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Navadvipa Mandala Parikrama Invitation
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It is a pleasure to invite you to attend the 30th anniversary of the Navadvipa Mandala Parikrama. This year Navadvipa Mandala Parikrama will take place from 27th Feb to 4th March. Every year about ten thousand devotees from around the world attend the parikrama and receive the causeless mercy of the acharyas, Lord Nityananda, Lord […]

The post Navadvipa Mandala Parikrama Invitation appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Friday, January 17th, 2020
→ The Walking Monk

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!
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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
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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.