jueves, 3 de junio de 2010

ISKCON News.com: Dalai Lama, in New York, preaches a sunny gospel



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"Planet ISKCON" - 38 new articles

  1. Dandavats.com: Iskcon Boston Srila Prabhupada's Arrival Festival 45th Anniversary
  2. Akrura das, Gita Coaching: ANGER
  3. Bharatavarsa.net: Bhakti Vikasa Swami: No one could defeat him
  4. ISKCON News.com: Children 'More Likely to Own a Mobile Phone Than a Book'
  5. ISKCON News.com: Census Question Over Caste Identity Divides India
  6. ISKCON News.com: Mexico Bans Junk Foods in Schools
  7. Srila Prabhupada's Letters
  8. Srila Prabhupada's Letters
  9. Srila Prabhupada's Letters
  10. Srila Prabhupada's Letters
  11. Srila Prabhupada's Letters
  12. Srila Prabhupada's Letters
  13. Srila Prabhupada's Letters
  14. Srila Prabhupada's Letters
  15. ISKCON News.com: Germs in Soil Might Give Learning a Boost
  16. ISKCON News.com: Dalai Lama, in New York, preaches a sunny gospel
  17. ISKCON News.com: BP Spill Doesn't Make the Top Ten
  18. ISKCON News.com: PETA Plans to Rent Amityville Murder House for Exhibit
  19. Japa Group: Dependant On The Lord
  20. H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami: '455' from The Yellow Submarine
  21. H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami: 'Littler Drops of Nectar: Venice Beach' from The Yellow Submarine
  22. H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami: 'You Can Hear Him' from The Yellow Submarine
  23. H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami: 'The Boatman' from The Yellow Submarine
  24. Dandavats.com: Ad for a primary school teacher
  25. Dandavats.com: 8th Annual Festival of Chariots Baltimore Saturday June 26th ,2010
  26. Dandavats.com: Loans for Milk Production Business Arranged
  27. H.H. Sivarama Swami: Vyasa puja book – 2010
  28. Matsyavatara das (ACBSP), Italy: Freeing Ourselves From Our False Ego
  29. Akrura das, Gita Coaching: Sri Harer Namastakam
  30. Mayapur Online: 'Cintamani Krsna'!
  31. H.H. Sivarama Swami: The best part of festivals are loving exchanges and chanting the holy names
  32. H.H. Sivarama Swami
  33. H.H. Sivarama Swami: Video of children offering gifts
  34. Yoga of Ecology, Bhakta Chris, USA: ISCOWP Update Mid-May 2010
  35. Bhakta Chris, New York, USA: Many Faiths, One Truth
  36. Madhava Ghosh dasa, New Vrndavan, USA: My Favorite Bead — Last One Of The 15th Round
  37. Gouranga TV: Kamaniya &Keshavacharya Das 1
  38. Bharatavarsa.net: Book distribution seminar: Who's in Maya?
  39. More Recent Articles
  40. Search Planet ISKCON

Dandavats.com: Iskcon Boston Srila Prabhupada's Arrival Festival 45th Anniversary

Daru Krishna das: We invite you to come and celebrate the 45th anniversary of Srila Prabhupada's arrival in the West, Sept 18th & 19th, 2010. The festival highlight is a visit to Boston's Commonwealth Pier, where Srila Prabhupada first stepped ashore in the USA and a yacht cruise of Boston Harbour with Srila Prabhupada and hundreds of devotees.

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Akrura das, Gita Coaching: ANGER

To get freedom from anger, one should learn how to forgive.

- Bhismadeva

By constantly hearing about devotional service, one can check the force of anger, which is detrimental to the process of devotional service.

- Srila Prabhupada

Narottama Dasa Thakura says that we should control our powers and apply them in the proper cases. We may become angry, but our anger must be controlled. For example, although Caitanya Mahaprabhu taught that we should be very submissive -- humbler than the grass and more tolerant than a tree -- He became very angry upon seeing His dear devotee Nityananda Prabhu hurt by Jagai and Madhai. Everything can be properly utilized in the service of Krsna, but not for personal aggrandizement.

- Srila Prabhupada

My dear son, those Yaksas, who are descendants of Kuvera, are not actually the killers of your brother; the birth and death of every living entity are caused by the Supreme, who is certainly the cause of all causes.

- Svayambhuva Manu

A person who desires liberation from this material world should not fall under the control of anger because when bewildered by anger one becomes a source of dread for all others.

- Svayambhuva Manu

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Bharatavarsa.net: Bhakti Vikasa Swami: No one could defeat him

...we looked to Srila Prabhupada. We all acknowledged that we could not see, but we had full faith that he could see. He was compassionate toward the suffering of the world; he could defeat the nonsense. No one could defeat him. We walked beside him and behind him on the morning walks like little children, yet as soldiers ready to fight the enemy on his word.

from ISKCON in the 70's by SDG

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ISKCON News.com: Children 'More Likely to Own a Mobile Phone Than a Book'

By Graeme Paton for The Telegraph (UK) on 26 May 2010
Children as young as seven are more likely to own a mobile phone than a book, figures show, fueling fears over a decline in reading.
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ISKCON News.com: Census Question Over Caste Identity Divides India

By Tim Sullivan for AP on 27 May 2010
India's census, being held in stages over the next year or so, delves into the wealth, living conditions and other personal details of the country's 1.2 billion people. But still undecided is one question — "What is your caste?"
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ISKCON News.com: Mexico Bans Junk Foods in Schools

By Jo Tuckman for The Guardian (UK) on 27 May 2010
Government orders end to fried foods and sweets on school grounds in fight against childhood obesity.
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Srila Prabhupada's Letters

1975 June 2: "Regarding registration with the Endowments dept., we're not going to be controlled by them. That is not good. They are all worldly men. Why should we be controlled by them? Regarding your preaching, what is the use of criticizing Sai Baba and creating some enemies? Do not do this in public meetings."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1975

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters

1969 June 2: "I an enclosing an idea for a painting of Krishna showing Mother Yasoda the universe within His mouth. I have so many ideas for paintings. In our Krishna Book we are showing the Western World what is God for the first time. So please be very serious to do this work nicely. It is no unimportant task."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1969

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters

1969 June 2: "Please take nice care of this boy who has become attracted to our movement. There are so many good souls we must contact and when another man is sent by Krishna to help us it is our great duty to help them understand Krishna Consciousness to the best of our ability."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1969

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters

1969 June 2: "This is the sure and certain method of propagating Krishna Consciousness, if we simply chant Hare Krishna with karatalas and mrdanga and speak from Bhagavad-gita exactly as we hear it in disciplic succession, then automatically people become attracted."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1969

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters

1970 June 2: "It is now definitely ascertained that there will be no difficulty to maintain a center anywhere. The only thing required is to create some nice devotees. So together help me open at least 108 centers - that will satisfy me."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1970

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters

1970 June 2: "When there are many letters I think how I shall reply, but if I do not get letters from you I become still more uncomfortable. So you please send me a letter at least once in a week, that will give me a great pleasure."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1970

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters

1974 June 2: "I am appointing you regular GBC representative with full standing. I have instructed the temple presidents to send new initiates beads to you for chanting. Discharge these duties with full responsibility especially seeing that the spiritual life in the temples is not neglected."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1974

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters

1975 June 2: "There are many examples of persons who are physically disabled but are determined to practice Krishna Consciousness to their best ability. So, you should also do like that. If you require medical help, take as much as is needed."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1975

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ISKCON News.com: Germs in Soil Might Give Learning a Boost

By Randy Dotinga for Health Day News on 25 May 2010
Mice exposed to the bacteria got through mazes twice as fast, researchers report.
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ISKCON News.com: Dalai Lama, in New York, preaches a sunny gospel

By Chris Herlinger for Religion News Service on 21 May 2010
In a city tired and edgy from a sagging economy, terrorist threats and a cold and wet spring, came the Dalai Lama with a sunny message of hope.
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ISKCON News.com: BP Spill Doesn't Make the Top Ten

By Hank Green for envirowonk.com on 2 Jun 2010
The BP oil spill has now overtaken the Exxon Valdez incident as the worst in US history, but it is still far from the worst worldwide.
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ISKCON News.com: PETA Plans to Rent Amityville Murder House for Exhibit

By Robert Burton-Bradley for news.com.au on 31 May 2010
THE animal rights group PETA has set its sights on leasing the notorious Amityville murder house on Long Island, which it plans to turn into an exhibit to scare people off meat and dairy products.
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Japa Group: Dependant On The Lord


Chanting allows us to come to the point of dependence on the Lord's spiritual energy....by the purification of serious chanting, we can realise that our only shelter is the Lord and His internal spiritual energy. Our protection is the rememberance of Krsna at any given time....by remembering the Lord always, we are safe in any circumstance. This remembering comes from concentrated and powerful chanting and the Lord reciprocates with this effort.
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H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami: '455' from The Yellow Submarine

www.sdgonline.org. SDGonline Daily updates

3:42 A.M.

I slept peacefully last night without a headache and woke up with the alarm clock at 2:30. My chanting of japa has been plodding. I can't break through to a devotional mood. But in a soldier like way I persist and cover the ground slowly, as if through mud, making my quota. I've only chanted eight rounds. But I have no doubt that I will finish the quota today later in the morning. I pray to Krishna that He will allow me to be inspired enough to write something in my journal that will be passable and at least a little inspired. This is my service, and it's only successful if Krishna allows me the words. As for the chanting, I am feeling physically fatigued but my commitment is deep so I push on regardless.

Chanting japa with tired
eyes and head. You
judge yourself, but even
if you give a low score,
the quota increases and
you credit yourself.
The numbers increase, and
you fulfill your vow.
I won't berate myself
but hack through the
jungle like a do-or-die
warrior. I'll never give
up trying. Hope springs
eternal within the human
breast. But how far can
I go in this lifetime?
You'll do better later today.

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H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami: 'Littler Drops of Nectar: Venice Beach' from The Yellow Submarine

www.sdgonline.org. SDGonline Daily updates

Prabhupada smaranam

Prabhupada walks in the brilliant sunshine of a cold morning on Venice Beach, California. The surf is noisily crashing to the shore. The devotees shoes are making deep imprints in the soft section of the sand. But Prabhupada sometimes says the Pacific Ocean is restricted not to come in any further on the land by the order of the Supreme. Prabhupada and the devotees are wrapped up warmly against the wind. Prabhupada especially seems to be enjoying the effects of the wind on his face. We know Prabhupada likes to talk on the walk, but sometimes the chill air and loud surf makes him silent for awhile. But the sunshine is enjoyable, and he likes to be basking in the full morning rays.

Everyone looks so satisfied just to be with him. In the "Description of Autumn" section of the Krishna book, a saintly person is compared to a mountain river. In the rainy season he flows or talks and in the non-rainy autumn season the river does not flow, or the saintly person does not talk. Prabhupada was asked what this analogy means, that the saintly person sometimes talks and sometimes is silent. He replied "he is not obliged." So the devotees are content whether Prabhupada decides to talk non-stop or whether he makes his walk in silence. Either way they are pleased to be with him. If he returns from the walk and the other devotees ask "what did Prabhupada say?" And the answer is "nothing", that does not mean it was not an exciting adventure to walk with him. His walking companions can say "we were happy just to walk with him. He poked his cane in the sand, and the surf crashed, and he appeared happy to be out exercising."

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H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami: 'You Can Hear Him' from The Yellow Submarine

www.sdgonline.org. SDGonline Daily updates

Krishna is like the guru,
sometimes He talks and sometimes
He is quiet. "He is not obliged."
"He talks, but not to a
nonsense. He talks to His own
men."
How can I expect He will
talk to me? You have to listen
carefully. He is in your heart,
and if you listen attentively
you may hear what He has to
say. And Bhagavad-gita already
tells us. He says "Give
up all varieties of religion
and surrender to Me. Do not
be afraid.  I will protect you."

Did you hear it and did
you think it was not for
you but someone else?
Don't be so dumb.
He is speaking to me.
He is telling me to give
up my so-called
obstacles to surrender,
my excuses and delays.

Krishna wants to talk
to me. He wants me
to be close to Him,
but only when I
make the effort.

I have to give up my childish and mischievous
proclivities and sincerely
turn to Him. Don't
count the days until
you move to New York.
Just count today.
Maharaja Pariksit had seven
days to live, but you
have no guarantee
of more than one.

You should listen in
the wind. On your outdoor
walk, in your indoor
music, listen in between
the lines for what
seems to be a cryptic
message.

It's really clear as a bell.
He's telling you to come over.
He asks you to stop the risqué
and the political and the bodily
indulgence. Listen for the
spiritual chant.

You chanted eight rounds
so you have eight more
to go. Hear from Him carefully
with devotion. Think "Here
is Radha beside Her Krishna.
Here is Krishna with His
arm around Her and
They are both holding
the flute. Hear the intimate
pastimes if you can
purify your heart."

Listen to Krishna even
in your conversation
with your friends and
in the scratching of your
pen on paper and
in the Bill Evans trio.
Don't hear maya.

You'll find Him there,
and He will say, "Come
to me and share My
bliss. Be a servant.
Spread  My word."

Don't say Krishna doesn't talk.
He wants to commune with you
and touch your hand.
If you bow down to Him
you'll hear His blissful
whispers and His clear clarion call.
You just need to be
receptive and willing to
carry out what He asks you
to do. He'll
let you hear and
taste and touch
and be with Him forever.
Just be ready.

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H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami: 'The Boatman' from The Yellow Submarine

www.sdgonline.org. SDGonline Daily updates

Free write

In a poor county a young boy might make his living being a ferry boatman or dropping down nets for fish. This boy looks very young to be all by himself yet circumstances have found him to be self-sufficient. Not only is he working alone in his boat, but he has been exploited by a man who is employing him and giving him only a small salary. When he was a young boy, Krishna sometimes acted like a boatman but He was independent and cocky. He used to trick the gopis with His boatmanship. Sometimes He had big, loud arguments with the gopis bartering over the price for carrying them across the Yamuna. Once when He filled the boat up with gopis and their milk pots a storm arose on the river. The boat was in danger of capsizing. Krishna told the gopis to give Him their filled milk pots. He drank the milk and threw the pots overboard to make it more safe. Then He ordered them to throw overboard their heavy expensive jewelry. He also asked them to remove their heavy outer garments and throw them overboard. The gopis were panicked and did what Krishna told them to do in fear of their lives. The river calmed and Krishna slept. He also belched from drinking all the milk. Then one of the gopis discovered who the boatman was. The gopis became delighted to learn they were actually alone with Krishna. But they acted angry with Him for tricking them to throw all their valuables overboard.

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Dandavats.com: Ad for a primary school teacher

Raseswari (dd) JPS (Mayapur - IN): The successful applicant will have either a recognised teaching qualification, and/or a proven track record of successfully teaching in schools, and have the ability to plan, deliver, assess and report student outcomes according to the U. K. curriculum.

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Dandavats.com: 8th Annual Festival of Chariots Baltimore Saturday June 26th ,2010

Neeraj Verma: Devotees of New Kulina Gram Dham Iskcon Baltimore would like to cordially invite all of you for our 8th annual Rath

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Dandavats.com: Loans for Milk Production Business Arranged

Vilas Kowjalgi: We arrange finance for Milk Projects ( Milk production , Milk related Products like Butter, Ghee, Cheese, Yoghurt, Ice Cream Plants , Mawa and Milk made Sweets

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H.H. Sivarama Swami: Vyasa puja book – 2010

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Matsyavatara das (ACBSP), Italy: Freeing Ourselves From Our False Ego


By Matsya Avatara Dasa

Our ego is a Destructor, the principle of separation and disunion. It is the opposite of Love.

The ego gives illusion to possess happiness, but if we come in contact with it we only get ephemeral pleasure. The ego gives illusion to possess love, but this sentiment, when it gets close to the ego becomes nothing else than unhealthy attachment. Divine immortal love belongs to the soul. Egoistical and conditioned attachments belong to the ego.

Freeing ourselves from the prison of the ego, (ahamkara) is the first and most important job to do for an aspirant spiritualist, whatever tradition or spiritual path we chose to follow.

By freeing ourselves from it we don't lose our identity, instead our true identity can rise again only when the false identifications and masks of their personality (sarvo upadhir vinir muktam) will be gone. As long as we remain clutched to our false ego and we entertain ourselves with it, there will not be a reason to know God or ourselves. The job to be done is serious and demanding, but also wonderful and charming. It leads us to see ourselves, others and anything in this world with the eyes of the soul, by perceiving ourselves as creatures of the Lord and we will work for His Grace and Mercy, in harmony with the Whole.

In Buddhism ego is described as the cause for pain and of all illness. It is fought with the radical renunciation of the world. In the mid-oriental Traditions, Judaism, Christianity and Islamism ego is fought with renunciation, prayers and fasting. In the Franciscan order, the three perpetual vows are: poverty, chastity and obedience.

In Vedanta and Samkhya, ego is considered the principal cause of avidya, removal from God, collapse and degradation. It is the greatest obstacle to realization of the Inner Self and of Happiness. It is the strength that is opposed to the soul and to God. It is the main cause for envy and the falling of angels and men such Lucifer and Macbeth in ancient stories, as well as other examples in modern ones. Because of his ego, Lucifer becomes Satan and Lord Macbeth becomes a degraded and disgusting individual. In Lord Macbeth, the ego manifests itself in the form of Eva, Lady Macbeth who stimulates and increments his most negative tendencies. The principle of Eve and Adam is in each one of us, as in each of us is the angel, the pure devotee who aspires to liberation for himself and others. If we chose to feed the snake, the snake will win. If we feed the angel and his luminous spiritual nature, the angel will win. In each of us there are Vitra and Indra, Lucifer and Michael. Our destiny depends on the choices that we make, one way or the other.

Together with pride and haughtiness, the false ego is the principal characteristic of the asura. Humility is the opposite attitude and partially it is the antidote.

In a famous metaphor where Shri Caitanya Mahaprabhu trains his greatest devotee, Shrila Rupa Gosvami, the Bhakti of the aspiring spiritualist is compared to a tender little plant, bhakti lata bija, surrounded by plants infested by the ego which aim to grow and destroy it. We must, with all of our might, take care of and protect this tender plant of Bhakti by practicing sadhana (spiritual discipline) in a constant way (abyasa) with emotional detachment from world phenomena (vairagya), by developing pure desire of service and offering to God. The offer to the Supreme of all that we own is defined by Shri Caitanya as the highest renunciation: yukta vairagya. The bad plant of the ego is eradicated by constant practice of sadhana bhakti with humility and in spirit of service.

In the vaidhi sadhana bhakti the centrality of the spiritual practices is constituted by Harinama Japa and Harinama Sankirtana, the imploration to God through the Holy Names and serving the Deities by calling His Name, because God and His Name are the same thing, His Name Itself is a divine manifestation.

Invoking the Holy Name with purity and without an offensive attitude takes humility. This derives from the consciousness of our nature of servants of God. The humility of one part relates to the Whole, to God, to His creatures and to His create.

Humbleness is developed by learning to respect and value all living beings, whomever or whatever they are, it doesn't matter what body they temporarily wear. Only then, for divine mercy, the offenses that threat our spiritual realization will cease and it will be possible to chant the holy names in ecstasy.

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Akrura das, Gita Coaching: Sri Harer Namastakam

By Yamunacarya

The holy name of Sri Hari (Krishna) is alone the sweetest of all sweet things. It is the most auspicious of all auspicious things and is the greatest purifier of all purifying things.

The entire material creation from Brahma down to the clump of grass is a product of the illusory energy of the Supreme. Sri Harinama is alone reality.

If someone teaches us to remember the holy name of Hari alone, then that person is our preceptor, father, mother and friend.

There is no certainty in when our last breath will come. Therefore the name of Hari must be exclusively chanted from one's very childhood.

Sri Hari eternally dwells in that place where great souls chant His holy name alone with great devotion.

Alas, what a sadness, what a great sorrow, it is more painful than any misery, that this jewel of the Harinama [the holy name of Lord Hari] has been mistaken as a piece of glass and has thus been forgotten by the general mass of people.

Hear again and again, utter over and over, eternally sing and sing again the name of Hari alone.

It is the Harinama alone which is full of ecstasy and divine knowledge. It is the supreme pure and reigns supreme over all, making the entire universe seem as insignificant as a blade of grass.

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Mayapur Online: 'Cintamani Krsna'!

"The supreme abode of the Personality of Godhead, Krsna, is described in the Brahma-samhita as cintamani-dhama, a place where all desires are fulfilled. The supreme abode of Lord Krsna known as Goloka Vrndavana is full of palaces made of touchstone. There are also trees which are called "desire trees" that supply any type of eatable upon demand, and there are cows known as surabhi cows which supply a limitless supply of milk. In this abode the Lord is served by hundreds of thousands of goddesses of fortune (Lakshmis), and He is called Govinda, the primal Lord and the cause of all causes.

read more

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H.H. Sivarama Swami: The best part of festivals are loving exchanges and chanting the holy names

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H.H. Sivarama Swami

Music praises God. Music is well or better able to praise Him than the building of a church with all its decorations; music is the church’s greatest ornament.

- Stravinsky

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H.H. Sivarama Swami: Video of children offering gifts

to Maharaja on the occasion of Vyasa-puja

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Yoga of Ecology, Bhakta Chris, USA: ISCOWP Update Mid-May 2010


Here's the latest inspiration from our friends at The International Society For Cow Protection (ISCOWP)

Click here to check it out!

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Bhakta Chris, New York, USA: Many Faiths, One Truth

An op-ed from The Dalai Lama, appearing in the 5-25-10 edition of the New York Times

WHEN I was a boy in Tibet, I felt that my own Buddhist religion must be the best — and that other faiths were somehow inferior. Now I see how naïve I was, and how dangerous the extremes of religious intolerance can be today.


Though intolerance may be as old as religion itself, we still see vigorous signs of its virulence. In Europe, there are intense debates about newcomers wearing veils or wanting to erect minarets and episodes of violence against Muslim immigrants. Radical atheists issue blanket condemnations of those who hold to religious beliefs. In the Middle East, the flames of war are fanned by hatred of those who adhere to a different faith.

Such tensions are likely to increase as the world becomes more interconnected and cultures, peoples and religions become ever more entwined. The pressure this creates tests more than our tolerance — it demands that we promote peaceful coexistence and understanding across boundaries.

Granted, every religion has a sense of exclusivity as part of its core identity. Even so, I believe there is genuine potential for mutual understanding. While preserving faith toward one's own tradition, one can respect, admire and appreciate other traditions.

An early eye-opener for me was my meeting with the Trappist monk Thomas Merton in India shortly before his untimely death in 1968. Merton told me he could be perfectly faithful to Christianity, yet learn in depth from other religions like Buddhism. The same is true for me as an ardent Buddhist learning from the world's other great religions.

A main point in my discussion with Merton was how central compassion was to the message of both Christianity and Buddhism. In my readings of the New Testament, I find myself inspired by Jesus' acts of compassion. His miracle of the loaves and fishes, his healing and his teaching are all motivated by the desire to relieve suffering.

I'm a firm believer in the power of personal contact to bridge differences, so I've long been drawn to dialogues with people of other religious outlooks. The focus on compassion that Merton and I observed in our two religions strikes me as a strong unifying thread among all the major faiths. And these days we need to highlight what unifies us.

Take Judaism, for instance. I first visited a synagogue in Cochin, India, in 1965, and have met with many rabbis over the years. I remember vividly the rabbi in the Netherlands who told me about the Holocaust with such intensity that we were both in tears. And I've learned how the Talmud and the Bible repeat the theme of compassion, as in the passage in Leviticus that admonishes, "Love your neighbor as yourself."

In my many encounters with Hindu scholars in India, I've come to see the centrality of selfless compassion in Hinduism too — as expressed, for instance, in the Bhagavad Gita, which praises those who "delight in the welfare of all beings." I'm moved by the ways this value has been expressed in the life of great beings like Mahatma Gandhi, or the lesser-known Baba Amte, who founded a leper colony not far from a Tibetan settlement in Maharashtra State in India. There he fed and sheltered lepers who were otherwise shunned. When I received my Nobel Peace Prize, I made a donation to his colony.

Compassion is equally important in Islam — and recognizing that has become crucial in the years since Sept. 11, especially in answering those who paint Islam as a militant faith. On the first anniversary of 9/11, I spoke at the National Cathedral in Washington, pleading that we not blindly follow the lead of some in the news media and let the violent acts of a few individuals define an entire religion.

Let me tell you about the Islam I know. Tibet has had an Islamic community for around 400 years, although my richest contacts with Islam have been in India, which has the world's second-largest Muslim population. An imam in Ladakh once told me that a true Muslim should love and respect all of Allah's creatures. And in my understanding, Islam enshrines compassion as a core spiritual principle, reflected in the very name of God, the "Compassionate and Merciful," that appears at the beginning of virtually each chapter of the Koran.

Finding common ground among faiths can help us bridge needless divides at a time when unified action is more crucial than ever. As a species, we must embrace the oneness of humanity as we face global issues like pandemics, economic crises and ecological disaster. At that scale, our response must be as one.

Harmony among the major faiths has become an essential ingredient of peaceful coexistence in our world. From this perspective, mutual understanding among these traditions is not merely the business of religious believers — it matters for the welfare of humanity as a whole.

Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, is the author, most recently, of "Toward a True Kinship of Faiths: How the World's Religions Can Come Together."

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Madhava Ghosh dasa, New Vrndavan, USA: My Favorite Bead — Last One Of The 15th Round

Initiated devotees take a vow to chant 16 rounds a day, called japa, which takes 1.5 to 2 hours.

I am no paragon of japa chanting. Unfortunately I have no attraction for the Holy Name so I am not qualified to speak about chanting. Still I have been having this persistent thought I wanted to share.

That thought is that my favorite bead is the last one of the 15th round. What it means is I have controlled my mind enough to get 15 done and only have one to go, and once I have done 15, the last one is a piece of cake. The light at the end of the tunnel is bright, the bulk of the endeavor is over, and it is like coasting to the finish line. The sense of accomplishment is already taking hold.

The first round or two are hard, trying to get the mind to chill out with the busy-ness. For me, that never really goes away but once I hit the pace, it recedes into the background and becomes more manageable. After that it is a matter of not letting distractions break into the flow, the Zen of chanting. I mean Zen in the sense of being “in the zone” and not any Mayavadi associations that may trigger in some readers.

By the time the last bead of the 15th round ends up between my fingers, the amount of time left to finish is almost insignificant and any distraction can be easily put off. It is even better than the last bead of the 16th round, IMHO, because by then the mind is chomping at the bit thinking about what it is going to do next and that very final bead can almost be lost in the shuffle.

The last bead of the 15th round the full attention is still there, but infused with satisfaction of the imminent finish. Ergo my favorite bead.


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Gouranga TV: Kamaniya &Keshavacharya Das 1

Kamaniya & Keshavacharya Das 1

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Bharatavarsa.net: Book distribution seminar: Who's in Maya?

One day, during our mid year marathon in Sydney, bhakta Josh, bhakta Sean and I all went to Cronulla Beach for some sandy sankirtan nectar!

Unfortunately I was not distributing many books at all so I took the opportunity to just try and relish the taste of duty to the spiritual master.

My weapons, my stopping lines were all futile. I tried all the different styles.

Funny ones like "Are you together or just trying to keep warm?" (its winter in Sydney) or "Are you an umbrella salesman?"

Serious ones like "Are you an undercover policeman?"

Or even intellectual ones like "Are you a professor or a scientist?"

In my desperate struggle to impress Krsna by being the doer I was stopping anyone whom entered my arms reach.

But all day nothing was working.

I thought to myself "hhhhhmmmm I'll bet that in this vulnerable position Maya is about to send me a knock out blow with one of her finest agents."

Then suddenly...... she appeared. She had all the qualifications to bewildered a wounded soldier.

I said to Josh "Look out here comes Maya Devi."

As she got closer I said "Excuse me. Did Maya send you?" she looked at me perplexed and said, "What?" "Maya sent you right?" I said. She was intrigued. She stopped. She was confused.

"Don't worry" I said, "We are monks. Check this out (I handed her a book), meditation, yoga, etc. etc."

And..... she took a book. With full enthusiasm! I couldn't believe the only person interested taking a book about Krsna was the personification of maya.

Although, to be safe I kept it very short and formal.

I learnt from this experience that Maya is actually a devotee and it is I that is the deviant.

Your impudent servant, Dhruvananda Dasa (Text D:2945669) -------------------------------------------

------- End of Forwarded Message ------

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