Tuesday, December 17, 2019
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Varadero, Cuba

Adios Amigos

Varadero is the launching pad from which we were hoisted up in the air, to go to our respective countries: Spain (for Yadunandan) and Canada (Prana and myself).  We made sure the local Vaishnavas in Cuba were equipped until our next visit with their devotional and other needs.  A mrdunga drum is now theirs, three telephones, a laptop computer, beads and bead bags, ghee, books, and some financial backing—all generous donations from Vancouver to Brampton, Toronto, Montreal, and of course, Spain.

We also left the devotees some messages of encouragement, and the theme of working together.  Empowering them was also our obligation, so the swami from Spain and I gave them some engagement, responsibilities, or services, if you will, to keep all devotionally occupied. There are the services of treasury, communications, group interfacing, festival coordination, sanghas, the farm coordination, and visitor coordination.  On top of this, we offered our prayers of goodwill in a mutual way.  They wished us a great flight, and we wished them a fantastic next year.  The year 2020 is just around the corner.

Remember Y2K and the apparent disaster predicted at the turn of the millennia?  That was just like yesterday, when the joke was on most everyone.  https://www.instagram.com/p/B6NSl8DA0F1/?igshid=12830i3rapy5t

The people of Cuba are sweet and curious about higher consciousness—very responsive.  And their love for music, song, dance—all components of a bhakti experience—makes for good ingredients.  We will see what the future holds.

May the Source be with you!
2 km

Monday, December 16th, 2019
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Havana, Cuba

Havana's Birthday

Havana is in a celebratory mood.  It turned 500 this year.  It achieved its name from a native chief who was prominent at the time of the Spanish newcomers.  But while the party is on with the city in various ways, Yadunandan Swami, Prana Gauranga and I are having our own good time with such things as kirtan, classes, eating, and of course, some walking. 

Today at the Malecon I met a very animated local—Lester, by name.

"Buddha?" he asked.

"No, Krishna!" I replied.

"Oh, I know.  I have read about him.  You people go ching...ching…ching?  And as he said this he mimed the clashing of two sweet cymbals.  

But I insisted, "No!" We go ching, ching, ching...ching, ching, ching."

"Why you have this?"  he asked pointing to the tilak on my forehead, and I responded that the marking represents the concept that the body is the temple of God."  Questions. Answers. We parted.

After our walk, we directed our meditations to a great Vaishnava yogi.  His name is Bhaktisiddhanta, and he is our guru's guru.  We noted many things about what he said.  Here's one quote.  “Do not give up devotional service, even if there are innumerable dangers, countless insults and endless harassment."

Quite staunch isn't it?

Back we went to the resort, after offering goodbyes to our Havana crew.  In Varadero, we sat in the lounge trying to catch up on e-mails, while people would just come up to us, one after the other—some  from Israel, Holland, Canada—and there was that piano player in the lounge who fully remembered us from the previous year, when she accompanied the mahamantra in front of a big crowd.

May the Source be with you!
6 km

Sunday, December 15th, 2019
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 Havana, Cuba

Different Approaches

It was a wedding in the woods.  Michael and Odelas had been wed by state law.  Papers were signed and documents filled out, but the couple were desirous of a ceremony that would have a Vedic touch, so Yadunandan Swami and I agreed to perform something that would involve the blessing by a couple of swamis, and be executed in a beautiful setting, midst papayas, guava and avocados.  The place was serene, clean and green.  

Guests were there representing Siddha Yoga (Michael's a member), the Self-realization Fellowship, Sai Baba, and the International Society for Krishna consciousness (Michael is also a member). As main speaker and co-coordinator, I welcomed all, saying, "We can do some things together."  Even with as  little as we knew, both of us swamis pulled it off.  The couple were felis(happy).  All the supporters engaged in kirtan.  We even got the women to ululate, and they did it well.  Kichari, a curried meal, was cooked on the spot, and had that ‘foresty’ flavour. 

The ritual was completed.  And it was satvic.  Attendees understood that language.  Satvic means passive, peaceful, thoughtful.  We used flowers, fruits, grains, ghee and even popcorn.  Yes, I saw at least one kernel pop, a test of success. 

Now in the morning on our walk, our group, moving along the Boulevard Paseo, spotted the remains of a Santeria ritual.  Three headless chickens lay under a street.  Nanda Tanuja, the host for our stay, mentioned he had recently saw a pig's head positioned on a pot in the same area.  Apparently curses are done, and then counter-curses involving bad and good spirits.  These are definitely different approaches to religious rites.  https://www.instagram.com/p/B6J4J7ug8cQ/?igshid=s1o9g6xc9ee8

May the Source be with you!
2 km



HH Indradyumna Swami’s health update
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HH Indradyumna Swami’s health update.
Indradyumna Swami: Last week here in Durban, South Africa, I visited my dermatologist – a skin specialist. Unfortunately, he found a Malignant Melanoma skin cancer on my face. The tumor was very near to the first one I had five years ago. It is called recurrence cancer. I had a PET/CT scan to see if this second tumor had metastasized (spread) throughout my body. The result came back clear. It had not spread. Nevertheless, as a precaution, my oncologist (cancer doctor) asked that while surgically removing this second tumor, the doctor also perform a neck dissection and remove a number of lymph nodes to ensure the Melanoma had not spread there. It sometimes happens that PET scans cannot see small traces (micro-metastasis) of Melanoma.

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Saturday, December 14th, 2019
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Havana, Cuba

Re-Connections

Our group of morning walkers met a runner—well, actually, he kind of danced or pranced around us—just as we were making an about-face at the Malecon sea wall.  His name is Steve.  "Some people call me Dr. Steve," he remarked in his most jolly way.  "I'm from D.C.—Washington—and I teach yoga."  

By them, we had all came to a stand-still.  He told us he was expecting a group from the U.S. to join him that day for yoga and healing sessions.  We introduced ourselves, mostly as Cubans, and three of us from Canada.  It's rare to meet an American in Cuba.

"Listen," said Steve, "I apologize for our president.  I didn't vote for him, and please just take it as a joke if someone says Toronto will be the 51st state."  

We discussed more but we had to walk, and he had to run.  I'm hoping to connect with Dr. Steve when I go to D.C. in January.  It's always good to build our relationships.

Speaking of which, after Yadunandan Swami, with assistant, Prana Gauranga, conducted three classes at ISECRE, an institution for religious sciences, and I, presented a sadhana program for our local devotees, I led another one of those Nine Devotions Workshops.  This program is an almost  sure winner for being a feel-good, relations-building experience.

We were happy to see a local person by the name of Laksminath, who had not been active with us for about four years.  It sometimes happens that a practitioner steps out of practice for a time, but then experiences a spurt of enthusiasm for reconnecting.

Basically, I've come to Cuba to have my own reconnection, and to instill the same in others.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B6J2rmpgWfE/?igshid=g0xs4oq8isrv

May the Source be with you!
6 km


Friday, December 13th, 2019
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Havana, Cuba

Countries

Most people who come to Havana make their way to the Malecon, a lengthy sea wall.  A hurricane two years ago, did serious damage to the wall, but it looks to me like great repairs have been undertaken.

A group of us ventured our way there on foot, and even sat on the sea wall once we reached it, to catch up on some ‘sound’ meditation.  The boulevard, which led us there, seemed to have an abundance of curious pedestrians.  It was not our intention to do a tremendous amount of outreach, but to concentrate more on providing lessons and company for the fairly isolated Krishna followers.  

One particular visit was to the Indian Ambassador, the Honourable Madhu Sethi.  It was great to chat with her.  Our dominant topic of discussion was the social disparity in the world and particularly, the change of attitude in the younger generation. 

"Even in India," she said with concern.  It was her observation, as it has been mine, that the East is turning to the West, and the West—to the East.  

Now, what about the Cubans?  Well, frankly, they seem to like Indian culture.  That is what M. Sethi is seeing; everything from the music, and the food,  to the philosophy.  I concurred and said, "Everyone has more or less a little piece of India in their DNA."

The two countries, India and Cuba, get along fabulously, and so does Canada seem to have some kind of courtship going on with Cuba.  The place does have its own resilience, despite less facility.

May the Source be with you!
4 km



Thursday, December 12th, 2019
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Varadero/Havana

The Moon...

The moon was at his most full.  He kept an eye on the Atlantic's beach and on us.  

Let's get into our beach routine, I thought, before the crowds arrive.  My personal mission at the beach was to get more of the water-rich minerals over my body, and secondly, to help Yadunandan Swami overcome a fear of water.  The bay we were targeting was full of clear water, and the waves coming in were a non-issue.  The water was as calm as a yogi's mind.  

Yadunandan, Prana and I then embarked on a journey, via taxi, to Havana.  We met some of the young men of the Krishna community.  They are progressing in their Krishna Consciousness.  We, altogether, both young and old, engaged in a kirtan at Nanda Tanuja's apartment, followed by a walk to the John Lennon Park.  

It seemed like the whole city of Havana was at that park in honour of Mr. Lennon.  "Imagine." Perhaps the "Revolution" was on.  People there were curious about us—a group of monks and lay members sitting on the grass, or in the gazebo, having chats.  And, my goodness, just about everyone who goes there takes photos of themselves sitting next to a sculpture of Lennon on a park bench.  

I guess one of the real highlights of the day was back at the Varadero beach.  We spotted an Hispanic ‘beacher’ sitting in a lotus position on the sand.  I would say he was about thirty, with some moderate tattoos on his arms.  He was silent.  Eyes closed.  Taking in the sun.  Then Prana pulled out of this backpack, a BBT book, Meditacion Y Superconciencia.  A light tap on the meditator’s shoulder awakened him, and much to his surprise and delight, he received a gift.  Grateful? Yes!

May the Source be with you!
7 km



Wednesday, December 11th, 2019
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Varadero, Cuba

It's a Sin Not to Go to the Beach

As soon as our shoes hit the sand, we kicked them off and went our barefoot way.  Then we met the water, and in our store-bought trunks went the distance to the sandbar where it was shallow.

Yadunendan Swami, Prana Gauranga, and myself sat in the lotus position, with the water at chest level, and began chanting the various aspects of our morning sadhana.  The guruvastakam, the guru vandanam, and, of course, the maha mantra. 

The public beach-goers, many of them Russian, thought our presentation different.  Prana's kartals (sweet hand symbols) provided a unique flavour.  "My experience tells me that fish don't like the high pitch sound of those, " I told Prana.  I'm not sure what they do for sharks. 

The beaches were filled up and the sun now touched us with oncoming intensity.  My companions went off for monk duties while I stuck to a walking regimen, which was different that day, because of the sand below me and the salty water next to me. 

I walked by numerous tourists, many with families, and I thought about whether I had any personal regret to saying "no" to married life, kids and so on.  The answer is a resounding, "No!"  I'm happy and grounded in my lifestyle.  I love it.  I must see these people as brothers and sisters.  I keep forgetting I'm older than most.  That makes me like a parent or grandparent to some of them.  I believe that's the direction we all should be going.  We are a universal family and we should remain harmonious in all our  endeavours. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/B58g5lPAk-r/?igshid=1wubmoou0ccua

May the Source be with you!
5 km

The Story of Back to Godhead Magazine Logo
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“From his front room at 6 Sita Kanta Banerjee, Abhay conceived, wrote, edited, and typed the manuscript for a magazine. He designed a logo, a long rectangle across the top of the page. In the upper left-hand corner was a figure of Lord Chaitanya, effulgent with rays of light like rays from the sun. In the lower right were silhouettes of a crowd of people, in darkness but groping to receive light from Lord Chaitanya. And between Lord Chaitanya and the people, the title unfurled like a banner— BACK TO GODHEAD. In the lower right corner was a picture of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati seated at his writing, looking up thoughtfully as he composed. Above the logo ran the motto ‘Godhead is Light, Nescience is darkness. Where there is Godhead there is no Nescience.’” - Srila Prabhupada-lilamrta, a six-volume biography by Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami.


Read More...

Back to Godhead!
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Back to Godhead!
Srila Prabhupada once wrote of Back to Godhead magazine, “This paper is the beginning of my spiritual life.”
By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Founder-Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.
To commemorate the seventy-fifth anniversary of Back to Godhead, we present Srila Prabhupada’s opening article of his first issue of the magazine, which he launched on the appearance day of his spiritual master in 1944. The world was at war, and Srila Prabhupada discusses that harsh reality in light of the purpose of the magazine.


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History made in British Parliament – With Bhagavad Gita As It Is! (1 min. video)
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History made in British Parliament (1 min. video)
History made in British Parliament – With Bhagavad Gita As It Is!
Radha Mohan Das: The reelected Member of the British Parliament for Harrow East, Mr Bob Blackman made history this week.
During the traditional swearing-in ceremony within Parliament’s main debating Chamber, in his right hand, he took a copy of Bhagavad Gita As It Is, along with the traditional King James Bible.
Bob Blackman MP is a Vice Chair of the Parliamentary Group Conservative Friends of India.

(This post has been viewed 491 times so far)

Bob Dylan and the Devotees
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Was Dylan empowered to sing of the coming of the Acharya of the Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu line of disciplic succession? As crazy as it sounds, at least to some disciples it makes perfect sense that he could be the prophetic voice of a minstrel who was planted by the will of the Supreme Lord into the crowd of the day’s social rebels. In his song “Lay Down Your Weary Tune”—reminiscent of the Bhagavata’s 2nd canto of describing the Supreme Lord in Nature—he sang of God’s endless orchestra in the sky and ocean. Many devotees consider that his “Mr. Tambourine Man” is a prophecy of the coming of Shrila Prabhupada and of the sankirtana movement. His “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue” speaks of the hopelessness of modern civilization.
(This post has been viewed 343 times so far)

Show people happiness
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(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 8 April 2019, Amritsar, India, Srimad Bhagavatam 1.6.37)

Prabhupada told us the story of the old Bengali lady, who while on her death bed, is being forced by her son to chant ‘Hare Krsna!’

The son says to his mother, ‘chant! chant! Hare Krsna bolo!’ but the mother is simply not chanting. The son then pushes her a little stronger and finally the lady says a full sentence, “I am dying, can’t you see? What more do you want me to say?” The lady says this whole sentence but still she could not say Hare Krsna! Why?

This is because the lady has not seen how chanting this mahamantra will bring her eternal happiness. The son continues to force his mother to chant, but if the son were to show her how this chanting will bring happiness, then she would be able to chant.

Therefore, somehow or other, we must be able to show people that there is happiness coming from the chanting of the mahamantra. And of course, this is easiest through kirtan because kirtan brings everybody happiness.

The article " Show people happiness " was published on KKSBlog.

Religion of Non-envy
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Hare KrishnaBy His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

So the Krishna consciousness movement is not for the persons who are envious. It is a movement to train people how to become non-envious. Yes, it is very first-class scientific movement not to become envious. Any religion system, if there is jealousy, it is not religion. We should understand what jealousy is. Jealousy means that you are rightful owner of something; I won't allow you to take it. This is jealousy; try to understand it. Continue reading "Religion of Non-envy
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“By his example”: GOVARDHAN HILL
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Hare KrishnaBy Guru das

About the Vrindavan days from my book "By his example". The entourage included the Maharaja of Bharatpur, two queens, the prince, various relatives, zamindhars (landowners loyal to the king), agents, a doctor, and eight soldiers dressed in Jat military uniforms, part of the Maharaja’s private army. Twelve servants carried the supplies and the largest incense sticks I have ever seen. These sticks were twelve feet high and thick as a python. Servants, beautifully dressed in long, silk robes, carried large torches ahead of the party so we could see. Continue reading "“By his example”: GOVARDHAN HILL
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Nedzad and his amazing Sankirtana experiences
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Hare KrishnaBy Damodar Nityananda Dasa

Nedzad was born in a family of practicing Muslims in the city of Tuzla in present day Bosnia in the year 1965. His father was from Tuzla, but his mother was born in Montenegro. His father was not very strict in his practices and was into music. But his mother was a very strict Muslim and she had attended Muslim school. “My mother was from a strict family tradition wherein the girls were trained in high standards. They were much regulated with no illicit sex even in mind and they knew even as a child that they were meant to be married to and stay loyal to one man throughout the life,” Nedzad quips. Continue reading "Nedzad and his amazing Sankirtana experiences
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ISKCON Brooklyn to Distribute 10,000 Books During Christmas Marathon
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Historically, ISKCON Brooklyn, New York, was perhaps the greatest center of book distribution in the world. The huge amounts of books distributed from Brooklyn, meanwhile, contributed much of the funds to build flagship ISKCON centers such as the Juhu temple in Mumbai, and Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir. For the past twenty years, however, book distribution came to a complete standstill in Brooklyn.

Food for Life Training Manual
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In 1994, Priyavrata das, working under the guidance of Mukunda Goswami, wrote and published the first edition of the Food for Life Training Manual. Mukunda Goswami wrote the foreword to the manual, praising its importance to the preaching and success of the Krishna Consciousness movement.  

Govindam Adi Purusham by Tahir Qawwal
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The well adored Sanskrit Bhajan composed from the Brahma Samhita in praise of Lord Krishna, performed by Sufi Soul Sangeet lead by Tahir Qawwal. Tahir is a world renowned Sufi Qawwali singer with his ensemble Fanna-Fi-Allah. Though a practicing sufi & qawwal by profession, he is also devoted to sharing sincere devotional wisdom from all spiritual paths reaching beyond the boundaries of conflicting belief systems. This cultural bridge building is one of the essential principals of the sufi way.

ISKCON International Vaishnavi Ministry’s Statement on Vaishnavi Dikhsa Gurus
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 ISKCON’s Governing Body Commission (GBC) recently ended a lengthy, detailed consideration of the Vaishnavi diksa guru question that has been under consideration since 2003. The Vaishnavi Ministry welcomes the new resolution, which upholds important spiritual principles and Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition while accommodating concerns about local communities having different cultural standards.

Indian origin lawmakers take oath on Bhagavad Gita in UK’s House of Commons
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Indian origin lawmakers take oath on Bhagavad Gita in UK’s House of Commons.
Two UK lawmakers Alok Sharma and Rishi Sunak took oath on the Bhagavad Gita while swearing-in as members of the parliament in the new House of Commons on Tuesday. Alok Sharma is a minister in the British cabinet, Rishi Sunak is the Chief Secretary to the Treasury.

(This post has been viewed 351 times so far)

Backyard Bhakti. Backyard Bhakti, a group that emerged from the…
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Backyard Bhakti.
Backyard Bhakti, a group that emerged from the Community Development Initiative (CDI), is committed to assisting people begin and maintain a small home garden. For the cost of materials and some pay-it-forward participation, the Backyard Bhakti team will conduct a workshop at your home on constructing, filling and planting a 4 x 8 foot raised-bed garden (just add water and bhakti). Like to have a garden at your house?
In 2018, from the Alachua Hare Krishna Temple Community Development Initiative, several Action Teams were formed to develop Focus Areas identified as interests/needs of the community. Backyard Bhakti is focusing on the vision of a community where members live a simpler, more natural way of life as taught by Srila Prabhupada.
The team’s mission is to encourage and facilitate a collaborative culture in the community for learning and implementing sustainable agriculture and cow protection.
How can YOU get a garden???

* Participate in helping install TWO Backyard Bhakti gardens at someone else’s home first. Contact Michael Peattie or see the posts telling when the next garden party is scheduled. Once you’ve done this you can sign up for a garden.

* Fee of $108 to cover cost of lumber, soil, fertilizer and seeds for a 4’ X 8’ garden

* Help promote participation and education by inviting your friends!
For more information see https://www.facebook.com/groups/backyardbhakti

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Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies – Annual Report 2019
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By Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies

>When we started our OCHS journey twenty years ago, I was focused on the study of my own Hindu denomination. I thought it time for that tradition to engage in a critical assessment of itself. We should use the apparatus of scholarship to compare its perspectives with those of other world views, and provide a basis for discussion and dialogue in a more public and global context. In the association of wonderful scholars, such as Prof. Keith Ward, Peggy Morgan, and Prof. Richard Gombrich, we realized that the field of my focus and its wider context – Hindu Studies per se – remained greatly unexplored. And so the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies was born. After twenty years we now see young scholars, from many Hindu denominations, inspired by the same impulses that motivated our approach. They are opening up fields of study, based on objective research and critical scholarship, with the support of their communities. This is a historic development and is complemented by OCHS scholars who do not share a Hindu practice. Together, these reflections create a holistic and balanced discourse Continue reading "Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies – Annual Report 2019
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Krishna House in Gainesville, Florida, an outstanding model for making devotees and caring for them
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By Kaunteya das

Interviewing His Grace Kalakantha Prabhu (ACBSP), the director of ISKCON Gainesville on the approach of Krishna House, a replicable model for attracting youths. Kalakantha Prabhu is going to present a seminar on these topics at the ILS, in Mayapur, February 2020 Continue reading "Krishna House in Gainesville, Florida, an outstanding model for making devotees and caring for them
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Gita key verses course 1 – What is the Gita? How is the Gita relevant today? Gita 1.1
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[Online Gita key verses course]

Podcast


 

Podcast Summary


 

Video:

The post Gita key verses course 1 – What is the Gita? How is the Gita relevant today? Gita 1.1 appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.