[Talk to Bhakti Shastri students at Wellington, New Zealand]
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Websites from the ISKCON Universe
[Talk to Bhakti Shastri students at Wellington, New Zealand]
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Divine Foods service started by Veda Foundation under the direction of HH Bhakti Charu Swami (Album of photos)
A new food truc...
People have assumed that intelligence is linked to the ability to suffer and that because animals have smaller brains they suffer less than humans. That is a pathetic piece of logic, sentient animals have the capacity to experience pleasure and are motivated to seek it, you only have to watch how cows and lambs both seek and enjoy pleasure when they lie with their heads raised to the sun on a perfect English summer’s day. Just like humans. Continue reading "Labeling Body Parts
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Perhaps we should begin by defining religion. Dictionaries usually describe it as a system of belief in some supernatural power. That is where the conflicts tend to arise. My beliefs may well be different to yours, and human nature is such that we identify with these to the point where we create divisions based upon them. Hence we have many religious communities going under different names Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, etc. In most people's minds this is what is meant by religion, all these various designations. The Gita however gives a broader definition. Continue reading "Winning Life’s Battles
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Hundreds of devotees were assembled in the temple room while Srila Prabhupada spoke. Suddenly, he stopped and became silent with his eyes closed. Everyone in the room became still, not wanting to disturb him. A pin drop could be heard. We didn't dare breathe too loudly. This went on for some time. Hundreds of devotees were transfixed on His Divine Grace's ecstasy, each being transported by his rapture. Our minds were overwhelmed with blissful anticipation. Srila Prabhupada carried us all to another realm. Before he could continue, Srila Prabhupada responded in the sweetest voice, sounding a little embarrassed. "I do not do that very often," Srila Prabhupada said. Continue reading "Srila Prabhupada’s Ecstatic Symptoms
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[Talk at Wellington, New Zealand]
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[Talk to Bhakti Shastri students at Wellington, New Zealand]
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[Sunday feast class at ISKCON, Wellington, New Zealand]
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The post Relationships flourish by sharing, not by dominating – Rama Lakshmana interactions appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
7 purposes of ISKCON explained
[Talk at Wellington, New Zealand]
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The post How can we suffer insufferable people? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Mayapur Times is a newsletter of the Sri Mayapur Candrodaya Mandir. The newsletter aims to inform and inspire the local ISKCON community by reporting monthly activities, events, developments and news. You can download the Jan-April, 2019 issue here: Click here to download the Jan-April 2019 issue!
The post Mayapur Times: Jan-April 2019 Newsletter appeared first on Mayapur.com.
On Friday my chiropractor told me, “I think you will be ready to go to India next year. You withstood the travel to the East Coast well—your body feels strong and resilient—and I think you will be able to manage the trip to India.”
He had never said anything like that to me before, and his words had the ring of truth to them. I believe that, Krishna willing, I may actually go to India next year, and that made me feel very happy.
Hare Krishna.
Yours in service,
Giriraj Swami
Is the concept of “Sustainable Development” a lie? (4 min. video)
Those committed to industrial-commercial development of natural areas see this development as inherently progressive. Those committed to the integrity of the natural world and their indigenous peoples see this development as degradation since the intrusion of the human into the life systems of the planet has already gone beyond any acceptable limits.
Book Distribution in West Hartford (Album of photos)
Book Distribution and Henna during the Celebrate West Hartford festival i...
Coolangatta Rathayatra (Album of photos)
Ramai Swami: Coolangatta, on the Gold Coast, is a tourist resort town that gets hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. In the middle of the year, the township puts on a parade of vintage cars that go back to the 40s and 50s.
Sadhu Sanga Retreat 2019 (14 min. video)
Indradyumna Swami: The 8th annual Sadhu Sanga Retreat in Boone, North Carolina, USA attracted over 2,000 devotees from all over America and beyond. The main focus was, as always, kirtan. With some of ISKCON’s best chanters it was a most relishable experience. The lectures, kirtans and prasadam were all of the highest standard and the famous Blue Ridge Mountains provided the perfect backdrop.
Coolangatta, on the Gold Coast, is a tourist resort town that gets hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. In the middle of the year, the township puts on a parade of vintage cars that go back to the 40s and 50s.
Somehow, Yamal Arjuna, head of the Bhakti Centre at Surfers Paradise, was able to convince the organisers that our Jagannatha Rathayatra cart was vintage and deserved a place as one of the floats.
Of course, the devotees understand that the Lord’s cart is not vintage but actually eternal because it carries the Lord of the universe, Lord Jagannatha. The parade was attended by about sixty thousand people and from what I saw, everyone was in ecstasy.
The Chariot Festival of Lord Jagannatha (Ratha Yatra), the Lord of the Universe, has been performed at the spiritual seaside resort of Puri, India for more than two thousand years. Since 1976, this attractive, beautiful, and bliss inspiring annual Jagannath Ratha Yatra festival has been celebrated by the Hare Krishna devotees on New York’s Fifth Avenue, the heart of New York City. This Jagannatha Ratha Yatra festival is performed in a mood of love and devotion and invokes auspiciousness for universal peace, harmony, and good will for all of God’s children. Continue reading "Photos and videos from the highly successful NYC Rathayatra 2019!
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We are always on the razor’s edge, even when, by the mercy of Krsna-Guru-Vaishnava, we return back home, back to Godhead. Our original existence there is also on the edge of a razor – there is no room for inattentiveness or imperfection. Consider this statement by Srila Prabhupada: “Usually anyone who has developed his relationship with Krsna does not fall down in any circumstance, but because the independence is always there, the soul may fall down from any position or any relationship by misusing his independence” (Letter to Jagadisa February 27 1970). Continue reading "Real life on the razor’s edge
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This is the audio recording from a Lecture – SB 2.7.18 "Questions About Sannyasa Asrama" at Radhadesh (Celibacy) with interesting questions and answers about the sannyasa asrama in Iskcon. How, when and why one devotee should enter the sannyasa asrama. Includes also some history about how the sannyasa asrama was established in Iskcon and some of its results. Continue reading "Questions and answers about the Sannyasa Asrama in Iskcon
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Video – CC Adi 10.8 Srivasa Pandit Katha 2014-03-24 #Delhi
Panihati festival with Indradyumna Swami and Giriraj Swami
Posted by ISKCON Laguna Beach on Saturday, June 8, 2019
US Presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard attending the festival for Lord Jagannath in New York and will be leading the kirtan for 15...
Huge NYC Ratha Yatra! (2 and a half hours live video)
The parade started at 12:00pm, proceeded from SE corner of 45th Street a...
Podcast
Transcription :
Transcriber: Dr Suresh Gupta
Edited by: Sharan Shetty
Question: How can we overcome fault-finding tendency?
Answer: Every tendency has a black and a white side. Sometimes, where proper standards must be maintained then noting the fault with the intention of helping is not a problem. But when there is a habitual tendency to fault-finding where a person tends to see only the fault, then such attitude reduces other person’s self-esteem. However, the glory of bhakti is that everything can be used in devotional service. That is why, as interesting as it may sound, if at all there is some strong fault-finding tendency, we could use the same to find faults with the fault-finding tendencies!
Everybody has faults. Once during a workshop with devotees, I was talking about tolerance. We discussed that although being in spiritual life, we have to tolerate many things. A devotee replied that among the things that we have to tolerate, devotees are one of them. Indeed, we have to tolerate each other as all of us have defects. But we realise that just as we are tolerating devotees, they are also tolerating us. Thus, all of us have faults and different people have different faults. We should ask ourselves – how would I feel if somebody keeps finding faults within me?
The most important thing that is required for anyone to persevere on spiritual path is encouragement, appreciation, kind words. If we continuously find faults, then we dishearten people. Sometimes a person may already be burdened by many things in their lives and in that state if someone finds faults in them, they will find it unbearable. However, if at all we have to find faults to correct someone so that they follow a particular standard, then we have to do it in a very sensitive way.
One of the best parameters for understanding whether we have the adhikar or the authority to find fault, is to check our own reactions to it. If we get joy in finding faults, then it means we are not purely motivated. We may pretend to speak politely but something in our tone will reveal to the other person that we find joy in finding faults. Even a subconscious glee on the face signalling you caught the other person makes them feel alienated. The purpose behind fault fining should always be to help the other person.
Another tendency is where, as soon as we notice the faults, we immediately point it out. We should understand that sometimes it may not be the right time to speak it. In general, before evaluating someone’s deficient behaviour, we need to validate them first. With sincere intention and friendly approach, we make them feel that this not a rejection or a judgement. A relationship where there is trust that the other person is my well-wisher then even if they feel evaluated at some other aspect, they will not feel too bad about it. In general, in our interactions, appreciation should be more than criticism.
Some people may have a lot of appreciation for the other person in their heart, but they do not express it and only speak when they need to point out other person’s mistakes. Such a relationship becomes very strained. Thus, we need to appreciate genuinely because when the other person feels validated, they take our criticism constructively.
End of transcription.
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Iskcon Trivandrum - Meditation Camps at Uttarkashi - Himalayas. (Album of photos)
5 days meditation camp and Satsangh was held in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand dist, Himalayan valleys. Most rejuvenating sessions in Serenic Himalayan Valleys at 10° C.
Every day members were doing 8 hours japa meditation of 64 rounds. Evenings were filled with lectures, soul-stirring bhajans and campfire.
Everyone felt that these sessions should be conducted more.
The “Reincarnation” of a small devotee kitchen of ISKCON Radhadesh (3 min. video)
Radhadesh is a spiritual community founded in 1979 and the main center for the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in the Benelux. It is based in the Château de Petite Somme – a 19th century castle in the Belgian Ardennes. There are around 100 people who live in the community. The new residents have thoroughly restored the castle and transformed it into a true spiritual oasis where you can explore the colorful culture of the Indian traditions. Radhadesh has beautiful Deities. The temple’s main Deities (Sri Sri Radha-Gopinatha) stands on an Indian style marble altar built in 1986. According to tradition the altar is decorated daily with fresh flowers. One of the main goals of Vaishnavism is to develop a personal relationship with God. This can be achieved by practicing Bhakti Yoga and meditation (chanting of the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra on a daily basis). With this in mind, the Deity of the Lord is worshiped daily in the temple. But the castle also offers other facilities such as a vegetarian Restaurant and Cafeteria, a Guest house, an Indian store, daily Tours of the castle, a nice trail on the wooded estate, a traditional Bakery and a Playground for children. Moreover, Radhadesh is a vibrant community where many retreats, courses and cultural festivals are held.
Harinama Sankirtana yesterday in Tompkins Square Park in Manhattan, NY (3 min. video)
Today’s program, Saturday, June 8, 2019.
11:00am – 2:00pm – 44th Annual Hare Krishna Parade
5th Avenue from 45th St. to Washington Square Park
12:00pm – 7:00pm – Hare Krishna Festival @ Washington Square Park
Tomorrow’s program, Sunday, June 9, 2019
2:00pm – 10:00pm – NYC Kirtan Mela @ Radha Govinda Temple, Brooklyn NY
6:00pm – 8:00pm – Radha Govinda’s Flower Festival @ Radha Govinda Temple
Ecstatic kirtan at Times Square (4 min. video)
HH Radhanath Swami leads the Kirtan at Times Square, New York, accompanied by a...