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H.H. Devamrita Swami: Monk Apprentices in the Wild West? Part 2 H.G. Sankarshan das Adhikari, USA: Thursday 18 March 2010--Always Keep a Cool Head--and--Mentally Reciting the Name of Allah Clemens Both, Germany: "out with the boys" Japa Group: Please Join The Japa Group Akrura das, Gita Coaching: PANCA TATTVA SLIDES Akrura das, Gita Coaching: GUEST Ekendra das, Alachua, USA: Fool's Move ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Daily Class - Ramai Swami ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Jaya Radha Madhava - Ramai Swami H.H. Bhaktimarg Swami: Tuesday, March 16th, 2010 H.H. Bhaktimarg Swami: Monday, March 15th, 2010 HH. Satsvarupa das Goswami: 378 ISKCON News.com: Ramayana Renewed: Pixar Cartoonist Revamps the Ancient Hindu Story ISKCON News.com: WHO Says Cell Phone Use Linked to Brain Tumors ISKCON News.com: Indian Village May Hold Key to Beating Dementia ISKCON News.com: Christ in the Koran? ISKCON News.com: Chanting and Meditation Can Lower Blood Pressure ISKCON News.com: Faith-Based Panel Submits Recommendations as Some Issues Remain Unsolved ISKCON News.com: Kerala's Love Affair With Alcohol HH. Satsvarupa das Goswami: Prabhupada with Professor Dürckheim in Germany HH. Satsvarupa das Goswami: Do Not Wait ISKCON Toronto, Canada: Snapshots of the Spirtual Visit of Vaisesika das HH. Satsvarupa das Goswami: A Necklace Sutapa das, BV Manor, UK: Decisions... Decisions... Kripamoya dasa, UK: England's Vaishnava Resources Exhibition Japa Group: The Lord's Reciprocation Shalagram das, Dallas, TX, USA: Need more organic matter to break up the clay Akrura das, Gita Coaching: HOLY NAME VIDEO Madhava Ghosh dasa, New Vrndavan, USA: Bamboo Rising Gouranga TV: Srivasar Thakur Appearance Day abhisekh in Mayapur Dandavats.com: Krishnamarriage.com Srila Prabhupada's Letters Srila Prabhupada's Letters Srila Prabhupada's Letters Srila Prabhupada's Letters Srila Prabhupada's Letters Srila Prabhupada's Letters Srila Prabhupada's Letters Srila Prabhupada's Letters Book Distribution News: Books on the home front, another venue for BD Yoga of Ecology, Bhakta Chris, USA: National "Best Books" Finalist Defies Darwin Manorama dasa: Költözés és vendégvárás Namahatta.org: New Generations & New Strategies ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Daily Class - Aniruddha Prabhu Madri dd, South Africa: Relishing the study of Srila Prabhupada's books Dandavats.com: Hare Krishna Rock Music and Bharat Natyam in ISKCON MVT ( Vrindavan ) Dandavats.com: Brahmacari Convention at Bhaktivedanta Manor UK 2010 ISKCON Toronto, Canada: Gaura Purnima & Holi Festivies Doused With Colour! More Recent Articles Search Planet ISKCON In a spiritually progressive Vaishnava community, everyone profits from a genuine program of monk apprenticeship, the brahmachari ashram. The men participating receive a solid foundation in sense control and discipline, in pursuance of scriptural study and its application. Necessary social advantages in a spiritual society, such as cooperation and voluntary selfless service, predominate. And of course, wouldn't it be nice that men at least learn courtesy, sensitivity, and good manners?
Knowledge and the distribution of knowledge is the hallmark of a man properly situated in the ashram. Needless to say, in ISKCON version 2.0, appropriating the monk manpower for a fund-rasing concentration is taboo, . The brahmachari ashram gives the man a "once in a lifetime" opportunity for substantial immersion in the sacred texts, their assimilation, and their distribution. "Love to read Srila Prabhupada's books, and love to distribute them, one way or another" is the motto. Striving to communicate effectively the timeless message of bhakti-yoga, according to the current world context, taxes the brain of the savvy and compassionate brahmachari. Especially outreach work at universities, so demanding of patience and determination, expands both the material and spiritual skill-set of the monk apprentice.
Bhakti is "the kitchen religion." Moreover, often it is said: "Just as women like to talk, men like to eat." The ashram serves as probably the only place these days where a Western male practitioner of bhakti can acquire sensational cooking abilities that will, regardless of his future choices, aid him lifelong. The tongue is the most powerful sense, and certainly--both in the ashram and out--tasty prasad rocks and rules. Lovingly prepared "monk food," saturated with bhakti, captures the sensory world of the cultivated.
Why keep the brahmacharis locked up, cloistered? For cultivating everyone except single ladies, a genuine monk apprentice is a strikingly impressive person--a gallant yet humble hero, as he circulates among guests and contacts who appreciate spiritual culture and integrity. Although the Western world has long discarded it--and the new India, lamentably, is racing to catch up--fundamental integrity is a prerequisite for a good and just human society. Brahmacharis and their abode should radiate this spiritual jewel.
"Who me--marry a former brahmachari?" Whether in the material or the ISKCON society, ladies know it's so hard these days to find a good man. Pulverized and vulgarized by today's hedonistic overload, men have lost their backbone, their stamina, their reliability. Indeed, racking up the hits in the girl-getting game, stripped of sober intelligence and fortitude, men have lost their very self. Lady devotees, please meditate upon Prabhupada's statement that the brahmachari ashram is the best training for both those renunciant candidates who remain lifelong as well as for those who choose to graduate. "Especially meant for training both the attached and the detached," the genuine program of monk apprenticeship generates an important and socially attractive by-product. It benefits Vaishnavis as a lucrative wellspring of future marriage candidates--that is, for the discriminating lady who has on her mind steady progress back to Godhead.
Obviously, outside of India, statistics show that a significant number of brahmacharis will eventually choose to marry. Lucky is the lady who gets a man who has practiced sense control, even at least for some years. A solid assurance that a potential husband will be Krishna conscious in the future is the time he has spent as an authentic, progressive brahmachari in the past. Realistically speaking, even if after marriage such a man dips in his practice, generally after some time, he'll eventually re-stabilize himself, remembering the sweet taste for bhakti knowledge and it practice, so heartily experienced during his apprenticeship days. Difficult it is, no doubt, to revive something never acquired.
The entire ISKCON devotional community can feel pride in a real brahmachari ashram. Householders, the vast majority in ISKCON, want to see monk apprentices who are industrious, competent, hard-working, morally upright, and psychologically wholesome. No one benefits by the negative: lazy, goal-less, irresponsible men, who seem to loiter in the ashram just to escape getting on with their life. "I don't want to get married now, and I don't want to work, so I think I'll be a brahmachari . . . ." That rationale won't get a man far, in a genuine ashram. Actually, that mindset should never even enter the ashram, from the onset. More on this later, in Part 3.
This material world is a full of so many varieties of uncertainties. As soon as we feel that everything is okay, another calamity befalls us. We arrived in India on 7 March minus our lost luggage, but it was all recovered within several days. Now as we prepare to go to Europe, where I will teaching a mini-course on pure devotional service at Bhaktivedanta...
last week a few prabhu's and me went out after finishing our service at the University catering and had a ginger beer at the waterfront of Wellington. It felt very rejuvenating and at the same time we were quite self-conscious about the whole 'program', wondering: is this connecting to Krishna? it's not about the ritual of course, but every ritual provides a particular platform suitable for a
Please share your realisations with other devotees from around the world...simply send me an introduction email and I will be happy to make you a member:
I created a guestbook at Slide.com. Please take a minute and sign it.
Fool's Move®
I worked as a security guard for a while, in a gated community. What I really wanted to do was write songs, and someone recommended the job to me: "You let in a few cars, you call the residents. Plenty of time to write."
Fox Run, Deer Chase, Wildlife-Be-Gone Gated Communities, Inc.
After some months of spending too much time cooped up in a guard shack, I became constipated. Not enough exercise. My wife, expert herbalist that she is, suggested I try some Traditional Medicinals Smooth Move® tea. I mention the brand in case you find yourself similarly clogged. It's effective stuff—more effective than I ever imagined at the time. "OK, I'll try it." I had low hopes.
Keep Out Of Reach Of Children And Other Substance Abusers
One day after work, I drank a cup of Smooth Move®. Of course, nothing happened. "Well, what's going to happen?" I thought. "It's just some hot water with a little tea in it." When the whole evening passed by—without anything else passing—I thought, "If I want results, I better have more tea, 'cause nothing's going on here." "Maybe something will happen tomorrow morning, but I'm not counting on it. It's just herbal tea, anyway." I brewed another cup, gulped it like water, and went to bed.
I awoke in the middle of the night. Something was pinching my intestine. I had dreamt it was a lobster that wouldn't let go. Now I tried to go back to sleep but no. I turned over on my left side. I turned to my right. I lay on my stomach. I curled up into the fetal position. No relief. What was this? My cramps made me feel like a water balloon in a vise. I got up and tried sitting in "rock pose"—so named because you're supposed to be able to digest anything—even rocks—after sitting in that asana. No luck.
Maybe I should sit on the toilet. Maybe something needs to come out. As I walked to the bathroom, I began to sweat and shake, as if I had a fever. Something was very wrong. "Is this what appendicitis feels like?" I wondered. I sat down, but nothing happened. The pressure increased. I felt like some huge hands were trying to wring me out like a dishrag.
Then my mind kicked into high gear—inexplicably churning out a stream of delusional nonsense—as if refusing to be outdone by the inexplicable churning going on in my lower forty: My fever became the "Red Menace." I didn't have the "trots," I had the "Leon Trotskys." "Hey, quit Stalin and lemme use the bathroom." "I'm tryin' to let loose a pile of Bolshevik in here." Welcome to my inner world.
Sitting just made the pain worse, so I lay down on the terrazzo floor of the bathroom. I gazed up through bulging, tear-filled eyes at the toilet paper roll I was unable to use. My body writhed in pain. My mind continued to writhe its way through the Russian revolution. I sweated, and prayed for relief. After only God-knows-how-long, my agony reached its natural conclusion—a tingling in my feet that signaled I was about to merge with the urge to significantly purge. It was a Stalinist purge. The toilet became a Soviet launch pad. My body fired retro rockets, ICBMs, Sputniks. The sheer volume recalled Khrushchev promising Kennedy, "We will bury you."
At the height of the Cold Toilet Bowl War
I went back to bed, exhausted.
The next morning, my wife asked, as she always does, "did you sleep OK?" I told her the story of the Leon Trotskys.
"Why didn't you wake me up?"
I'm never able to answer that one.
"What did you eat yesterday?"
"Nothing out of the ordinary," I told her.
"Did you take any Smooth Move® tea?"
"Yeah." So what, I thought. What does that have to do with anything?
"How much?"
"Just two cups."
"TWO CUPS? What the hell? Are you crazy? What were you thinking?" (Another unanswerable question.) "That's just crazy. You overdo everything. You're supposed to drink one cup and let it work overnight. Especially a skinny guy like you. I can't believe you did that. From now on, you're not allowed to take any medications except what I give you directly from my hands. You might kill yourself otherwise."
This morning I was drinking a glass of water. Out the back window, some motion caught the corner of my eye. I turned my head to confirm my peripheral vision and, sure enough, there was a squirrel, leaping from branch to branch. "Boy, am I glad my instruments of perception are in such good working order," I thought. Then the water went down the wrong pipe and I choked until I cried.
guard shack photo courtesy of Sure Security
Srimad Bhagavatam 11.18.28 - The position of a paramahamsa.
Length: 10:10
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4.20 A.M. I had a long dream last night which kept me awake. I kept sleeping until Narayana woke me up at 3 A.M. so I'm behind on my rounds. I've only chanted five. I'm feeling tired in my bones and not chanting very quickly. I'll be behind on my rounds this morning, and it will take me awhile to complete them. I'm sorry about that. But complete them I will that's for sure. My chanting has been below average with a kind of drowse, but at least I've been saying the names, the holy names, and keeping true to my vow. Prabhupada has given us this vow, and we'll always be true to it even though the chanting is sometimes not on the best level. Today is one of those days. But I will try to improve in the remaining rounds.
You chant, you chantsadhana bhakti , repeatingnama prabhu in silence.
By Aarti Betigeri for CNN Go on 12 Mar 2010 "Ramayana: Divine Loophole" is Sanjay Patel's thoroughly modern rendering of the ancient Hindu epic about gods, demons and monkeys.
By David Gutierrez for Natural News on 12 Mar 2010
The conclusions are particularly surprising given that the industry-funded effort has been widely criticized for designing its studies to minimize the apparent risks of cell phone use.
By Jane Hughes for BBC News on 3 Feb 2010
Ballabgarh in northern India has unusually low levels of Alzheimer's disease. More than 820,000 people in the UK are living with dementia, a number that is expected to double by 2051.
By Mark Oppenheimer for The New York Times on 12 Mar 2010
Christian preachers cause controversy by citing references to Jesus in the Muslim scripture.
By Nick Harding for Daily Mail (UK) on 16 Mar 2010
The calm state reached through yoga makes the brain subconsciously alter the sympathetic nervous system.
By Adelle M. Banks for Religion News Service on 9 Mar 2010
A White House advisory council submitted 164 pages of recommendations on ways the federal government can better partner with faith-based groups in tackling a host of social problems, from poverty to improving interfaith relations.
By Soutik Biswas for BBC News on 12 Mar 2010
People in the southern state of Kerala are the heaviest drinkers in India, and sales of alcohol are rising fast.
Prabhupada Smaranam
Morning walks in Germany. In the first photo I'm reading a book out loud to Prabhupada. This was an unusual practice. The other time I remember doing this was when he had a devotee read the Krishna book out loud in Bombay, so Dr. Patel wouldn't come and interrupt us with his argumentative mayavadi talks. But here there is no danger of an outsider; Prabhupada wants to hear the book read out loud as he walks. I don't remember what book it was, but I was delighted to be his reader and hear him make interjected remarks. It was summer of 1974, but it was still chilly in the morning. The devotee on the left wearing an orange coat is Sacinandana Brahmacari. We were walking through the street-spattered town on our way to the fields. The temple was located in the Schloss (or castle). Prabhupada looks grave but seems to be keeping a sprightly pace in his bright orange socks and canvas shoes. (Prabhupada wore canvas shoes so often that it became a fashion with his disciples, as did chadars and swami hats).
In the second photo, a distinguished guest, Professor Dürckheim, is on the walk. Both Hamsaduta and I are carrying microphones to catch the conversation. Dürckheim was a university professor and when they first drove him to the Schloss he noticed many posters which the devotees had put up with a picture of Prabhupada and big letters "Den Fuehrer is Coming." The professor was very upset by these posters and said "you have made a very great mistake." But when he met Prabhupada and was charmed by his warmth and wisdom, he calmed down. He realized the posters were not Prabhupada's idea. The professor was very talkative and spoke on near-death experiences and life changing transformations and all sorts of wide ranging subjects. Prabhupada kept bringing him back to Krishna consciousness and the absolute truth. The man was attracted to Prabhupada and stayed over night so that he could go on the morning walk. He gradually became submissive and did more listening than talking. There are archival tapes of these conversations .
Krishna is my best friend,
He's my beloved, my protector,
You have to be very dear to
I chant His names each
There's nothing better thangopis.
The way He steals theirprema , the nectar
From my position ofsadhana I hope
I pray to make the change from
Oh, can I achieve such
A look at Vaisesika das' sublime visit this week to our Toronto Temple through the eyes of a camera lens!
Free write
In 1966 Swamiji allowed us to wear a small wooden Jagannatha murti in a necklace around our necks, in addition to the standard tulasi-mala . An eye-screw was inserted into His flat head and a strap or necklace was worn around the neck coming down to about the chest. For awhile it was quite popular and many of the then-few devotees wore them. I even wore mine with my suit and tie to my welfare office job. When the case workers went on strike, and I broke the picket lines they used to mock me for wearing my protective amulet and threatened to harm it. Some devotees even dressed the deities. But after a few years the fashion wore out. Maybe even Prabhupada suggested it wasn't such a good idea. But this photo shows the ultimate extreme in the around the neck altar. Instead of just Jagannatha, Baladeva and Subhadra are included, in large size and complete with hands, flute, sticks, garlands etc. There is even a little version of what appears to be the stambha with eyes. This altar seems to be appropriate for a procession such as a padayatra or Rathayatra.
Some devotees do wear silas wrapped in pouches around their necks. Some wear ornate flat tulasi necklaces shaped in fancy ornamentation. Some devotees decorate their kanthi- malas by alternating their tulasi beads with silver beads or even semiprecious stones. There seems to be a point where neck gear may be overdone and turn into jewelry ornamentation or oversized neck paraphernalia.
The altar in this picture is a nice parade piece but much too awkward for regular purposes. How do you cook with a necklace like that? How could you read a book or write? Prabhupada wore only a three-strand tulasi-mala .
Ever been in a dilemma? Making decisions can be a painstaking process. In the first chapter of the Bhagavad-gita, Arjuna makes the decision not to fight the battle. His line of thinking is as follows. He fears that if he kills elders, the family tradition will be vanquished. This will cause a rise in irreligion and in particular a neglectful attitude towards the protection of women. The subsequent promiscuity will result in 'unplanned' children being born into unstable family situations without proper care and support. These children will unfortunately create disturbances in society, which will perpetuate the situation and gradually lead to social degredation and mayhem. When I read that I thought 'wow!' I don't think I've ever considered the ramifications of any life-decision that deeply and thoroughly!
Graphic art and branding, film-making, online TV and much more: The Vaishnava Resources Exhibition
This weekend we're having a Vaishnava Resources Exhibition at the Bhaktivedanta Manor. Its an opportunity for creative devotees to show what they're offering to the community and a time for networking and offering encouragement to innovative preaching.
After the morning session we'll be going over to the new Krishna-Avanti Primary School for a guided tour, giving many devotees their first opportunity to view this architectural and educational marvel.
For those readers who cannot make it, here's just some of the good people that will be assembled under one roof for the first time:
Adi-Guru das works to present Krishna consciousness to a variety of audiences at new age shows like the Yoga Show and Body Mind Spirit. He presents books, beads and incense and bhakti yoga directly. He does mantra meditation workshops and stage shows at events all over England. He offers classes in Bhagavad-Gita, bhakti-yoga and workshops in kirtan and story-telling anywhere in the country. www.pure-incense.com www.ashram-emporium.co.uk email: info@pure-incense.com
M ayapur.tv is ISKCON's provider of live transcendental video over http://mayapur.tv/ info@mayapur.tv Ben Loka is a video content creator for YouTube. Using various creative devices he has been trying to present Krishna Consciousness via the internet to a growing subscriber base that currently stands at over 25′000 people holding a viewership of 4 million worldwide. Attracting attention from appearances on national TV, media campaigns and his own self-produced comedy sketches he is able to direct viewers to spiritual presentations, vegetarian cooking, and information on the Vedic lifestyle, distributing books to those who are interested." www.benloka.com email: benloka@googlemail.com
The Lotus Trust aims to raise the quality of life of people throughout the UK, celebrate multiculturalism and diversity, and reach those who may be socially deprived or in isolation. It has created ground breaking projects such as the Sita Drama Troupe, Karma to Climate Change and the Ahimsa – Cruelty free milk campaign. The welfare arm of The Lotus Trust has recently started the Haiti Appeal and have raised a substantial amount for the victims of the earthquake by providing daily food supplies. www.thelotustrust.org
email: info@thelotustrust.org
ISKCON Pandava Sena (IPS) is a dynamic youth group known for making spirituality fun and for helping youth to develop deeper understandings about life. Consisting of youth between the ages of 15 and 25, its aim is to reveal to youth the essence of the teachings of spiritual India. IPS' three main activities are:
Jammin is a fun, dynamic, thought-provoking, socially and spiritually charged alternative Friday/Saturday-night experience. It includes the core elements of spiritual wisdom, Deity worship, mantra meditation, rocking kirtan (spiritual music) and sumptuous prashad (sanctified food)
KC socs – With over twenty university societies around the country, KC Socs gives you the opportunity to take part in interactive presentations and discussions, meals out in London, international trips during the summer and amazing day retreats to Bhaktivedanta Manor (IPS's UK headquarters in Watford, Hertfordshire). www.psena.com
The Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies (OCHS) is a Recognized Independent Centre of Oxford University. The principal aim of the Centre is the study of Hindu culture, religion, languages, literature, philosophy, history, arts and society, in all periods and in all parts of the world. Projects and initiatives of the Centre include: facilitating Hindu communities to create effective plans for protecting the environment; offering online courses giving a thorough grounding in Hindu beliefs, practices, and traditions; a Hindu studies book series with Routledge, providing publishing opportunities for scholars; publishing the Journal of Hindu Studies in partnership with Oxford University Press. www.ochs.org.uk email: info@ochs.org.uk
At Connect programmes, groups of members meet on a regular basis to systematically study and discuss the content of the books of Krishna consciousness, such as the Bhagavad-gita, and thereby further cultivate a good foundation in the related teachings. Typically taking place in someone's home in each of the IPS areas, there is an intimate atmosphere in Connect sessions in which everyone's views are respected. Those that are still fairly new to KC find that they benefit greatly from the matured understanding and appreciation of those who have been practicing for many years. As participants share their realisations, they find that their relationships with others also develop. Email: nimaicandra@psena.com
Fitzrovia Press grew out of the work of Ranchor Prime. After publishing a dozen books on Hinduism and spirituality, and working as an adviser to environmental projects in India and Europe, he saw the need for a publishing house bringing together these interests. He and his sister Sally founded the company in October 2008. www.fitzroviapress.com
Yoga Maya Films is a motion picture production company based in central London, in the UK. They have multiple feature length projects in development. They also host regular events, such as the bi-weekly 'Feature Screenwriter's Group' meetings and 'The Film Producer's Podcast'. Yoga Maya Films' main focus is on developing and producing films that merge the deeper philosophical insights of the East with pure Hollywood entertainment, production and storytelling values. www. yogamayafilms .com
Bhaktivedanta Book Trust was founded in 1972 by Srila Prabhupada. The BBT is the world's largest publisher of ancient and classic Vaishnava texts, epics, and contemporary works on the philosophy, theology and culture of Bhakti yoga. BBT especially emphasizes the works of the Gaudiya-Vaishnava tradition. BBT UK email: Titiksu@pamho.net
Rathayatra is celebrated by devotees all over the world after being introduced to the west in 1967 in San Franscisco by Srila Prabhupada and his first American disciples. Rathayatra is ISKCON's biggest street festival expanding to more than 20 places in the UK. It features three huge, wooden chariots pulled by hand accompanied by singing, chanting, drums, cymbals, and dancing. The procession ends with a stage show, festival and delicious vegetarian prasadam feast. www.rathayatra.co.uk
At Manor Volunteering you will find a great choice of services for you to get involved with. It's completely your choice. At Manor Volunteering what every help you can give is very much appreciated. www.manorvolunteering.com
Krishna Club (in the suburbs) is a little sister for the Krishna Club Sunday School, who are now in its 15th year at the Manor. Krishna Club is now in three locations: East, North and West of London.
Weekend Warriors is a small street festival organized by small team of devotees from Soho St. Temple. They hold a programme every Saturday in different areas of London to support the local sanga groups, West London, South London and East London areas. You will regularly see them in Ealing Broadway, Croydon and Ilford with a table displaying the Deities, books, leaflets, and prasadam. email: sachinkotak108@gmail.com mobile: 07535 211555
Today I was reflecting on the importance of hearing about chanting....in our everyday lives we may neglect our Japa and probably we don't even know it. Here in the Japa Group we can be reminded of various aspects of Japa and what our duty is to improve that.
The Lord is always ready to reciprocate with us, He wants us to depend on Him and in this way so He can experience our devotion and thus the exchange of spiritual energy with the living entity. If we make an effort with our Japa - try hard to pronounce the words clearly and to listen carefully, then the Lord has something He can respond to and He does! His reciprocation is that we feel spiritual energy during Japa, and by this experience our faith in the Holy names is increased.
It's a simple act of trying hard to chant the best way possible...and it starts now with the next mantra.
In January we tilled the soil, tilled in 6 inches of leaves, and added soft rock phosphate and other nutrients to balance the soil. We have not tilled or dug in the garden since then. Until the last few days, that is. The clay soil simply has not broken up enough. We're going to have to add a LOT more [...]
THE HOLY NAME
It is balmy weather here now, not quite T shirt weather but very comfortable outside and all the snow is melted, daffodil shoots thrusting through the soil surface. A zillion things to do, yesterday I was cutting firewood for next winter. I like having next winter's wood cut and stacked before summertime so it is dry as possible for next burning season and I don't have to be bothered with it while busy in the garden.
Taking several breaks I was able to burn a tank of gas in my chain saw. Of course, it wasn't all sawing because I was stacking as I went, but still, I used to burn through two tankfuls and then take a break. Such is the decline of old age.
The snow is all melted but for over a month my bamboo was weighted down with it, bent to the ground.
Once the snow started to melt, the bamboo started to rise.
Because it had gotten tangled most of it was staying pretty bent over, so one day I went out and pulled on it. As soon as I would release a shoot, it would spring up. Once they were all up I pushed them up a bit more because there are so many they still were slightly bent and keeping each other bent.
I also had to cut about 30 shoots, less then 5 % of the patch, because they had broken off and were holding back progress. That helped a lot because they were never going to come back up.
The smaller shoots are pretty straight now but the larger ones are still sort of bent. We had a windy day where they were swirling around and that must of helped.
Fortunately the direction of the bend is leaning into the prevailing wind so maybe once the fibers in the shoot get a chance to stretch a little bit they will straighten up some more, but if not it is fine.
None of the leafs dropped. 4 out of 5 years this type of bamboo is evergreen here and the years it holds its leaves the patch tries to expand aggressively. I have been growing it for 10 plus years trying to fill a patch behind the house to maximize the benefit of shade in summer and windbreak in winter and this may be the year it finishes.
If it goes where it isn't supposed to, I just cut the new shoots for food or mow them. After about a month in the spring it stops making new shoots.
While we do harvest and strip bamboo for use in the garden and crafts, the small size limits what we can do with it. The largest shoots do get thicker than my thumb and over 20′ (6m) tall but that is small relatively for bamboo. Some places it is big business.
Demand for bamboo grows as wood substitute and food
"Growing up as a farmer's son, Lin Zuojun used to play hide-and-seek with his friends in the bamboo forest of Fujian province. Little did he know back then that he would one day make millions of yuan by selling those most common plants of the region.
"Harvesting more than 1.6 million bamboo trees and 25,000 tons of bamboo shoots every year, his company, Asian Bamboo, is China's biggest bamboo producer today…"
(end excerpt)
"The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: Freed from all sinful reactions are those who rise from bed at the end of night, early in the morning, and fully concentrate their minds with great attention upon My form; your form; this lake; this mountain; the caves; the gardens; the cane plants; the bamboo plants ; the celestial trees; the residential quarters of Me, Lord Brahma and Lord Siva; the three peaks of Trikuta Mountain, made of gold, silver and iron; My very pleasing abode [the ocean of milk]; the white island, Svetadvipa, which is always brilliant with spiritual rays; My mark of Srivatsa; the Kaustubha gem; My Vaijayanti garland; My club, Kaumodaki; My Sudarsana disc and Pancajanya conchshell; My bearer, Garuda, the king of the birds; My bed, Sesa Naga; My expansion of energy the goddess of fortune; Lord Brahma; Narada Muni; Lord Siva; Prahlada; My incarnations like Matsya, Kurma and Varaha; My unlimited all-auspicious activities, which yield piety to he who hears them; the sun; the moon; fire; the mantra omkara; the Absolute Truth; the total material energy; the cows and brahmanas; devotional service; the wives of Soma and Kasyapa, who are all daughters of King Daksa; the Rivers Ganges, Sarasvati, Nanda and Yamuna [Kalindi]; the elephant Airavata; Dhruva Maharaja; the seven rsis; and the pious human beings."
Srimad Bhagvatam 8.4.25
Srivasar Thakur Appearance Day abhisekh in Mayapur
Jagannathesvari devi dasi: Krishnamarriage. com, the only ISKCON marriage website to have been created from an original software program, purpose-built for devotees. Our website includes original articles on compatibility and grihastha ashram, based on Srila Prabhupada's books.
1966 March 17 : Prabhupada Journal :: 1966
1968 March 17 : "In San Francisco State College I delivered a lecture and the students enjoyed the atmosphere very much. They stood around me after the meeting was over. One girl questioned why I am against meat eating, and she was very satisfactorily replied." Prabhupada Letters :: 1968
1968 March 17 : "Today I lectured and held Sankirtana in the local YMCA and they all danced and sang with us and the scene was very pleasing. So I am very much hopeful that this movement can be spread all over the whole world simply by the performance of Kirtana and a little lecture on the principles of Krishna Consciousness." Prabhupada Letters :: 1968
1970 March 17 : "Roy Ramananda has given open instruction that it does not matter what is the social or ecclesiastical order, if one is fully Krishna Conscious, he can act as Acarya. So follow this instruction and show the world how man and woman can be united for the service of the Lord." Prabhupada Letters :: 1970
1970 March 17 : "All of you just make a very rigid plan for opening hundreds of centers in every nook and corner of the European countries. Surely the people will feel very happy as soon as they come in touch with our movement. Execute this responsibility and Krishna will be very happy upon you." Prabhupada Letters :: 1970
1971 March 17 : "My Dear Jayadvaita, I do not know what may have happened to the letter but I have not received it. Regarding your questions: I have dictated the missing purports and they are set enclosed herewith. So far changing the wording of verse or purport of 12:12 discussed before, it may remain as it is." Prabhupada Letters :: 1971
1974 March 17 : "That Narayana comes in the form of daridra to receive our service is against our philosophy. Daridra is daridra and Narayana is Narayana. Narayana demands service directly not through daridra. There is no need of rendering service to the daridras in order to reach Krsna." Prabhupada Letters :: 1974
1974 March 17 : "It will be a great pleasure for me if you can come and live with me for some time. You are 79 years old and I am also 78. I wish that in the fag end of life if you and I together can preach Krsna Consciousness all over the world, people will be benefited and all problems of the world will be solved. That is my conviction." Prabhupada Letters :: 1974
In Sydney, I mainly do book distribution on the street. We are also very fortunate to have a strong team of six Devamrita Swamis bramacaris opening the storehouse of love of God on the streets of hundreds of suburbs in Sydney.
Since I took to the Grhasta asram, I have found another avenue for book distribution - inside our house. We set up a shop in the foyer with mainly books but other paraphenalia also. So we do home programs and some people buy books during the programs. But some of the most enlivening experiences are when people come to do some work for us or people knock on our door to sell us things. We had a plumber come to do some work. He ended up sitting down for a full meal of prasadam and bought a Gita and cookbook for $50. He also told us about these South American guys who install Pink Bat installation in the roof to give extra cooling in summer and heating in winter. He said they do it for free as the government offers this benefit to people so they use less air conditioning etc. So I called them up. They came around a few days later and installed the insulation. I cooked a simple lunch of Upma, tomato chutney, strawberry lassi, halava and custard. We all sat on the back lawn and took lunch prasadam. They all loved the prasadam and one man in particular was asking a lot of questions about our philosophy. He out of the four men asked for seconds and thirds of prasadam! They went back to work and when finishing, this one man asked if he could stay and ask some questions. We sat down in the shop and he asked very intelligent questions for 1 or 2 hours. He ended up buying a variety of books and gave $60.
Sometime later we were preparing for the birth of a child. We planned to do a home birth so we got in touch with a professional midwife who has been doing homebirths for 20 years. On the day she came with her assistant. The birth went well and we were chanting Hare Krsna along with Prabhpada on a CD. We also fed the midwifes prasadam on the day. After the birth the midwife came for a visit and she took a keen interest in the books. She was eagerly looking over them in the shop and ended up getting $100 worth of books! The other midwife did not get any books then, but I met her on the street in her home town some weeks later and she purchased a Bhagavad Gita.
Also we have had a number of people knocking on our door to sell us something. Most of them walk away with a book and some of them are happy to sit down and take prasadam with us. So I encourage all Grhastas to keep a good stock of books in your house because you don't know who will knock on your door and you can have them walk away with the supreme benefit; Krsna conciousness, through Srila Prabhupada's books.
Your servant, Rupa Raghunatha das
Image: natureiq.com
The Egyptian vulture breaks eggs using rocks as a tool.
A book by two Hungarian ISKCON devotees, Isvara Krishna Dasa and Bhagavat Priya Dasa, has been chosen as a Finalist in 2009's National "Best Books" Awards, sponsored by USABookNews.com.
Nature's IQ: Extraordinary Animal Behaviors that Defy Evolution finished as one of two finalists in the Science category, just missing out on the top spot to winner Robert L. Piccioni, with his book Everyone's Guide to Atoms, Einstein, and the Universe.
Released in the US in April 2009 by Torchlight Publishing, Nature's IQ was among 500 winners and finalists in over 140 categories.
The nomination, announced on October 20th, 2009, was an honor and boost of recognition for Nature's IQ, as the "Best Books" Awards is one of the largest mainstream book award competitions in the United States.
However, Isvara Krishna and Bhagavat Priya are no strangers to appreciation for their book. Since it was released in the US last year, Nature's IQ has garnered many glowing reviews from scientists, authors, professors, and newspaper reporters. And upon its Hungarian release back in 2002, it attracted plenty of media attention, both positive and negative, including a write-up in Hungarian Science, one of the country's leading scientific journals.
Featuring 200 vivid color photographs, Nature's IQ presents one hundred of the most amazing instinctive behaviors in the animal kingdom. Often highly complex, these behaviors are successful only if all elements in the chain are simultaneously present—any go missing, and the behavior is useless. The authors thus logically conclude that such animal conducts probably did not evolve over a long period of time, but appeared as a whole. This is their distinctly anti-Darwin take on life's origin, backed up by the ancient Vaishnava perspective.
The examples in Nature's IQ also point to a higher intelligence guiding every living being. In fact, the authors say that their research has strengthened their own conviction in this intelligence, known in Vaishnava philosophy as Paramatma, or the Supersoul.
Nature's IQ, explains Torchlight Publishing's Dharmasetu Dasa, invites us to investigate an alternative explanation, and the possibility that a supernatural intelligence has applied its own infinite genius to create living beings and the world around us.
"Darwinism will probably always remain on the stage," admits author Isvara Krishna Dasa. "We cannot control that. But we will continue to inform others about its weaknesses, and about the other choices they can make."
For more information, please visit www.naturesiq.com or www.torchlight.com , or pick up the November/December issue of Back to Godhead magazine.
Ismét költöztem. Budakalászról a 3. kerületbe. Találtam a templom közelében egy nagyon olcsó, ugyanolyan méretű (sőt nagyobb – 27nm-ről 35nm-re) lakást. Korábban is bhakták laktak már itt. Azért is tetszik a hely, mert csak simán átsétálok (1250 m) az irodába vagy a templomba. És amikor a városba akarok menni, akkor a Hév is 750m -re van. Tudom, biztosan viccesnek találjátok, hogy tudom méterben is, de hát egy matematikus elmének ezek fontos számok.
Már most több vendéget fogadtam, mint a korábbi helyen. Azt mondják, hogy jó a lakás "vibrációja", "aurája". Ugyan még nincs teljesen készen, de ha ellátogatnál hozzám, akkor szeretettel várlak.
-Kaunteya das
Nancy Gibbs recently wrote an article for Time magazine entitled "Generation
Article in Time Magazine She analyzes how today in the USA the generation gap is not as intense or as read more
Srimad Bhagavatam 11.18.27
The Bhaktivedanta College of Education and Culture [BCEC] was established in 1991 by HH Bhakti Brhat Bhagavata Swami under the guidance and instructions of HH Giriraj Swami in an attempt to help fulfill Srila Prabhupada's desire. After distributing more than 30 000 of Srila Prabhupada's books in South Africa HH Brhat Bhagavata Swami was instructed by HH Giriraj Swami to make a program whereby the recipients of the books were tested for their understanding of the knowledge therein. Hence HH Bhakti Brhat Bhagavata Swami started BCEC.
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada has written, "Bhagavad-gita is the widely read theistic science summarized in the Gita-mahatmya (Glorification of the Gita). There it says that one should read Bhagavad-gita very scrutinizingly with the help of a person who is a devotee of Sri Krishna and try to understand it without personally motivated interpretations." [Bg 1.1]
In keeping with this desire of Srila Prabhupada BCEC has been offering structured courses in Vaisnava Etiquette; Spiritual Master and Disciple; Science of Self-realization; Bhagavad-gita As It Is; Sri Isopanisad; Nectar of Devotion; Nectar of Instruction; Srimad Bhagavatam and other books by Srila Prabhupada. Courses are interactive and are conducive for seasoned devotees or are also adapted for curious newcomers. These courses have been taught since 1991 in various countries. Educational courses for children are also available and have been taught through the years.
Contact a Director near you to enrol now.
Lakshman (das) Vrindavan (IN): March 5, 2010 eve ISKCON MVT (Vrindavan) garden was blowing up with Hare Krishna rock music and Bharat Natyam
Caitanya Jivan das: We require your attendance confirmation by the 15th MAY and no later. We will then be able to make suitable facility and transport arrangements.
Sunday, February 28th Gaura Purnima Caitanya Mahaprabhu Caitanya Mahaprabhu Maha Festivities Mangala Arati HERE for Gaura Purnima arati Krsnadas Kaviraj das arati Prahlada Maharaj Hiranyakashipu Hiranyakashipu Prahlad Maharaj Holika Prahalad Maharaj's Holika Holika Holi Holi Gaura Purnima animations Caitanya Mahaprabhu Krsnadas Kaviraja das Caitanya Mahaprabhu Mayapur Caitanya Mahaprabhu's ISKCON illuminated abhisheka Caitanya Mahaprabhu Nityananda Prabhu kirtan Dhira Grahi das kirtan Satyananda das arati Caitanya slideshow festivites
*some photos courtesy of Manish Thorat
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