If Islam considers idolatry the greatest sin, how can it co-exist with Hinduism?
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Answer Podcast

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Why do post-modern Leftist scholars in India separate Islam from terrorism, but not Hinduism from the caste system?
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Answer Podcast

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As different paths conceive God differently, do they all lead to the same goal?
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Answer Podcast

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Ask not how could he have done that – ask what is to be done next Gita 03.39
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Podcast

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Monday, June 5, 2017
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Burns, Wyoming

The Cattle and Me

The cattle and I were separated by fence and ditch, but they were following me, nevertheless. As I made my last three miles in this ranch country, on Rd. 213, the two dozen or so black-breed bovines got attached to me and I to them.

Coming down the dusty road was a white pickup with a local farmer behind the wheel. This farmer put the brakes on and observed the cattle tagging along next to me. The farmer made the turn and proceeded to meet me on the road.

It was a woman—a country girl. “But I’ve spent my time in the city. I prefer the rural life,” she said, after introductions.

I told her of my walking mission with its spiritual edge. And we both agreed that commonality amongst faith groups needs to be emphasized; in other words, the agreed upon universal truths need to be honoured. It was terrific to meet a farmer with an open mind. It is not always like that. Cattle are open. Why can’t humans be?

Gary was another person who came onto my track with me today. Gary is from The Pine Bluffs Post. He spent forever looking for me. Wrong road. Directions given to him were misinformed. Finally, he caught up with me and the boys in the village of Burns. He asked all the normal questions and I answered them, informing him that it is a great ‘spirit’ walk, one that I hope will inspire others.

“Simple living. Less cars. 1.25 million people die each year from auto accidents. We could do better. Walk and chant!”  The cattle walked.

May the Source be with you!

21 miles

Exciting Plans Afoot for Spain’s New Vrajamandala. Yadunandana…
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Exciting Plans Afoot for Spain’s New Vrajamandala.
Yadunandana Swami’s first move is to invite capable devotees to build up the New Vrajamandala team. (“Without a good team, you can’t be successful,” he says.) Already, Sabda Brahma Das, who previously worked at a bank, has been named the new treasurer; while retired post office manager Rafael Vasco is the accountant and temple commander.
The team’s top priority is to improve Deity worship. For this, they have calculated the minimum cost to maintain a good standard of worship, including pujari maintenance, which will bring steadiness. They’ve already secured sponsors, funding, and some new pujaris, and are looking for a head pujari to oversee the department.
To read the entire article click here: https://goo.gl/5peLJR

Hare Krishna! The Film Wins Grand Jury Prize Award
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Hare Krishna! The Mantra, the Movement and the Swami Who Started It All has won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Picture at Illuminate Film Festival in Sedona, Arizona, USA, the top prize of the festival. Lead Juror Michael Kiehnert said that they awarded it to the film, which the jury felt had the potential "to reach their widest possible audience and have the greatest impact." 

Hare Krishna Iskcon Roma 2017
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Hare KrishnaEcstatic Rathayatra in Rome, Italy. Srila Prabhupada: The Hare Krishna mantra is specifically mentioned in many Upanisads, such as the Kali-santarana Upanishad, where it is said: “After searching through al the Vedic literature, one cannot find a method of religion more sublime for this age than the chanting of Hare Krishna.” (Sri-Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila, 3.40 Purport)

Sunday, June 4, 2017
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Nebraska/Wyoming

A New State

“Dudes” is a popular steak-house restaurant in Sidney. I didn’t know of the busy clientele, until I conveniently sat on one of the provided benches in front of the diner. The workers there were extra nice. Two waitresses came out and asked me to sign the newspaper which featured Hayagriva and myself  on the front page.

“Can we make you a hamburger? It’s on the House.”

“Thank you, but I’m a vegetarian.”

They came back a minute later saying they could serve me a veggie burger which was made out of black beans. I really appreciated them going out of their way to be friendly, but I just had to decline. I was full of the delicious wraps the boys had put together.

Kindness is truly prevalent on some days. Experience shows that people I meet are anywhere from indifferent to positive in their response to our walk.

The above interaction with the “Dudes” staff was on Friday night. Today, however, Sunday, showed more of an aloof reaction from motorists. Fortunately, we did reach some milestones. I stepped into the state of Wyoming. We also took a drive to the vibrant Denver community for the world popular ISKCON Sunday feast. Lastly, Aaron, whom I met on Tuesday, decided to join our team.

Aaron is a young man at an interesting juncture in his life. He’s giving the spiritual approach to life a chance. The three of us, Hayagriva, Marshall and myself, have accepted him Ike a younger brother (for me a son).

https://www.navbug.com/article257598772/walking_monk_travels_highway_30_a_hare_krishna_monk_known_as.htm

May the Source be with you.


20 miles


Srila Prabhupada Memorial Festival 2017 & 72nd Vyasa Puja of Bhakti Charu Swami
Bhakti Charu Swami

We are delighted to invite you to the ‘Srila Prabhupada Memorial Festival2017 and 72nd Vyasa Puja of His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja’ at ISKCON Ujjain from 12th to 18th September 2017. 17th September is the day when Srila Prabhupada arrived in America to spread...

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Social media – what it does for us and what it does to us
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[Phone class to everydaychant.com sanga]

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Devotion, renunciation and aversion are differentiated by the direction of emotion
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[Bhagavatam class on 11.2.48 at ISKCON, Chowpatty, Mumbai, India]

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Dumbness is not inability to understand gibberish – it is inability to see gibberish for what it is Gita 18.63
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Podcast

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Hare Krishna Film Review
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Hare KrishnaBy Sam Slovick

If Hare Krishna! film director John Griesser’s goal was to reintroduce the world to the magic of Prabhupada, he hit his mark. Hare Krishna! is the second coming of Prabhupada. Griesser (Yadubara Das) draws the viewer into to the magic of the Hare Krishna movement through an artfully crafted, seamless, multimedia medley, drawing from a wealth of existing archival elements including photographs, film, and video interviews combined with recreations, reenactments, and graphics to achieve a cinematic flow that takes you out of the theatre and into the moment. Continue reading "Hare Krishna Film Review
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World Religions 3 – Islam – Beyond the politically correct and the politically incorrect to the philosophically correct
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World Religions 2 – Christianity – Beyond authoritarian and humanitarian religion to transcendence
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Podcast

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World Religions 1 – Appreciating religious diversity amidst spiritual universality
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Podcast

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Before Nirjala Ekadashi, can we take some juices or pills to increase our fasting capacity?
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Answer Podcast

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From the karmic perspective, what is the difference between ignorant wrongdoings and intentional wrongdoings?
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Answer Podcast

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The Time of The Sages Documentary-Trailer (5 min video)The…
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The Time of The Sages Documentary-Trailer (5 min video)
The Oxford Center for Hindu Studies is host to the Bhagavata Purana Research Project. As key step in this project, we have organized an international conference in Chennai, in early 2017, with some 30 specialists from around the world presenting papers and discussing different aspects of the Bhagavata Purana. This is a perfect opportunity for us to interview and film these scholars for this documentary film. We are living in a world full of anxiety, fear and uncertainty. Bhagavata Purana can act as an antidote for these diseases of the heart. It offers a broader vision which can change ourselves individually and collectively by showing ways of seeing and living based in our fundamentally joyful nature. Krishna Ksetra Swami: I am a research fellow at the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies. Since more than 40 years I study, teach, and research on the Bhagavata Purana, the crown jewel of Indias wisdom literature. I would like to make a documentary on this great literature to make it more widely known in the West. The Bhagavata Purana invites us to participate in a nontemporal, ever-expanding reality. Its an engaging nourishment for the soul. I hope well treasure with others through this film. Dr Kenneth Valpey Watch it here: https://goo.gl/fFSGuR

Panihati Festival, June 4, Laguna Beach
Giriraj Swami

panihati_festival_rtp_final“Raghunatha dasa Goswami went to everyone there. he bowed down to them. he took dust from their feet with genuine feelings of humility and gratitude and reverence. And, he offered prayers to everyone. Seeing that this came from his heart. Lord Nityananda said that because you have served the devotees — his service so humble — because you have served them so nicely and pleased them so much in their hearts, Lord Caitanaya Himself came to this festival. And, soon you will attain freedom from all entanglements of this world. You will become one of the most intimate associates of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu under the guidance of Swarupa Damodara Goswami.” — Radhanatha Swami

Giriraj Swami, Panihati
Radhanatha Swami, Panihati
(Right click to download)

Pandava Nirjala
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Pandava Nirjala Ekadasi. “Pandava” refers to the Pandavas, the sons of Emperor Pandu. One son of Pandu was Bhima, a most powerful warrior and a most voracious eater. He was not one who welcomed fasting and admitted to not being able to follow Ekadasi.

However, he was told that if he observed complete fasting on one particular Ekadasi day annually, he would get all the spiritual benefits of having followed every Ekadasi fast of the year.

He and his brothers thus all agreed to fast on that day. “Nirjala” means “no water.” Strict followers of Pandava Nirjala Ekadasi observe a total fast, even from water.

What if …
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(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 20 June 2014, Stockholm, Sweden, Caitanya Caritamrta Madhya 22.75)

harrison_21Sometimes small things can make such a big difference. When it does not happen, that can also make a difference. I was about fourteen years old, I was on a bus and there was one empty seat next to mine. Then this Hare Krsna came onto the bus and I thought, “Oh no…” knowing that the only empty seat in the bus was next to me. I thought, “Oh God! Oh no! I hope it is not going to happen!” I almost crawled into the wall of the bus! Sure enough, he sat next to me.

I looked at him thinking, “Oh my God. Oh no! A Hare Krsna!”
He looked at me like, “Oh! A hippie! Oh God! A hippie! Oh no!”
And, I was thinking, “Oh no! A Hare Krsna!”

That is about as far as it ever got. After some stops, he got down and that was it. But, what if he would have given me an invitation card to the Sunday feast!?

What if, he would have said, “Hey. Pssst. This is for you.”
I would have said, “Uh… okay… thanks.” I would have been shocked but I might have just checked it out because I was interested in spiritual things but then he did not give me the card so nothing happened.

Somehow or other, I was getting involved in some sort of Youth Centre which had a vegetarian restaurant and different yoga courses and meditation. Then one day, there was a swami from India visiting so they asked if I could put him up for the night. I said, “No problem. Sure.”

I took the swami home but the swami was not interested in me. He was saying, “Well, tomorrow I am going to visit a Christian monastery and it will be very nice to be with some people with spiritual interests.”
I was thinking, “But I have spiritual interests.” However, he did not see it like that.

CZ RY 2014Anyway, the next morning, he left and I do not know where he went but he forgot a set of clothes on the line so I tried them on, in front of the mirror (laughter). He thought I had no spiritual interest… Anyway, I was saved from mayavada but I did get the saffron clothes and to just put them on in front of the mirror, that had an effect. That had an effect! You know, all that played its part.

So just see, we think that people are not interested but that is not a fact. Everyone, everyone is walking around thinking, “What am I doing? What am I doing actually? What am I doing?” Sometimes, only sometimes, you meet a demon who says (booming voice), “I know what I am doing! I know exactly what I am doing! I am a self-made man!” But that is rare. Most people, actually deep down in their heart are walking around and they do not know what they are doing and they know it. They know it and they wonder, “What am I doing?” Are we not like that? Were we not like that? Walking around thinking, “What am I doing?” Working at some job thinking, “What am I doing?” So many of us…

Croatia Harinama Tour (Album with photos) By congregationally…
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Croatia Harinama Tour (Album with photos)
By congregationally chanting the holy names you achieve everything, including the goal of life and the process for attaining it. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Prabhupada: …Love of Krishna is the sadhya, and congregational chanting the names of Krishna is the sadhana. Any questions that may arise in this regard can be resolved only by chanting the names of Krishna.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/X066ax

Srila Prabhupada’s book distribution (Album with…
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Srila Prabhupada’s book distribution (Album with photos)
At the Sadhu Sanga Kirtan Retreat we had a very successful BBT promo. Many devotees got their BBT pen and special bookmarks.
In addition we also distributed 76 sets of Sri Brhad Bhagavatamrta: 20 sets of Sri Chaitanya Caritamrta: 15 sets of Srimad Bhagavatam and 36 copies of Our Family Business
Find them here: https://goo.gl/RINjQp