Touch of Color bezel – While the crystal-like bezel frame catches light beautifully, it actually reduces reflection of light off the bezel.
Dolby Digital Surround: An invisible speaker system with Dolby Digital Surround (3 W x 2 ch) gives sound quality to match the impressive picture.
10,000 – 1 Dynamic-Contrast Ratio – The ultra-wide range gives you blacks and whites that are full of detail, even under adverse lighting conditions
300 cdm2 Brightness
The T220HD features a built-in full HD 1080p digital HDTV tuner, so you can watch both TV and HDTVDual HDMI inputs
Imagine staring at the Samsung Touch of Color Series T220HD 22″ widescreen HDTV monitor. A luxurious glass-like frame with gracefully sculpted edges is fused to a rose-black bezel, giving a soft hint of rich red. The result is an elegant HDTV monitor that feels more like handcrafted artwork than a high-performance video display. The T220HD features a built-in digital HDTV tuner capable of HD 1080p, a USB hub and 2 HDMI connections. The Samsung T220HD 22″ widescreen HDTV monitor. On or off, it’s
Devotees from around Grey-Bruce welcomed their Hare Krishna movement's spiritual leader in Canada to a public vegetarian feast and celebration Saturday. Owen Sound organizer Rajesh Kalavadia said the first-time event at Kelso Beach featured three elements: vegetarian food, spiritual activities like chanting and meditation, and entertainment including music, freestyle dance and a secular drama about loneliness
Madhava Smullen - writing for ISKCON News - has featured Manoj Prabhu's blog on their Inside ISKCON page. There you can see some highlights of Manoj' last pilgrimage to the Holy Dhama.
'In our latest photo-journalism piece blogger Manoj, an Indian living in Australia, shares a highlight of his recent trip to ISKCON’s headquarters in holy Mayapur, India. There, he caught a behind-the-scenes glimpse of how the hard-working temple cooks prepare food for thousands of devotees.'
Yes, ok, it does sound a bit like an Indie movie title, but in fact it's a link to a food blog of interest. You may remember Cindy and Michael from a blog I published not long ago.
No? well refresh your memory, and check out their panir adventures.
In Mangalore until 17 June then depart for Bangalore 21 June to Hyderabad 25-27 June Andhra Pradesh sravan-kirtan camp 29 June to Mumbai 1 July to Jamnagar July 3rd Sat Jamnagar, Rath Yatra 6 Rajkot 7 Amreli 8 Mahuva 9 Bhavnagar 10 Vallabh Vidyanagar 11 Initiations 12 Ratha Yatra Vallabh Vidyanagar 13 morning to Baroda, midday to Surat for Ratha Yatra; possible midday stop in Bharuch 16 to Munich 17 to Moscow 21 to Kazan 22-26 July Kazan festival 30 to Moscow 31 to Ljubljana
...realization of the science of Godhead and relief from the unnecessary, useless struggle for existence are not at all difficult for the willing candidate. But they are very difficult for persons who are not surrendered souls but only simple, profitless speculators.
Govinda's Dining Hall proudly presents the second installment of their new monthly program, where once a month your dining experience will be accompanied by live entertainment!
The event will be taking place on Saturday, June 26th, 2010. In addition to Govinda's famous vegetarian buffet, the evening will feature a musical performance by Saawun. Saawun is focused on presenting Indian Classical music in its pure format and setting, but using western instruments in place of India’s traditional instruments.
The performance will begin at 6:30 pm at Govinda's Dining Hall, $12.00 per person includes vegetarian buffet.
Future monthly programs will feature classical Indian dances, dramas based on classical Indian literature and more!
I have my whole morning to complete my quota and so I should not think I am in a deep hole. You need to encourage yourself over this precious sadhana and not be down on yourself if you start out slow and tired.
When we become familiar with the Holy Names then this leaves us open to offenses....the seed offense is inattention which can be very hard to detect. Our mind may get into a habit of being distracted by many things....sounds, sights and by other means - that is why the environment that we chant in is so vital to our concentration.
If you are a householder then the main distraction could be the children, or finances playing on our mind or many other things....it recommended that we rise as early as possible to get the best Japa we can before the day starts and we are occupied with many duties. As a brahmacari the distraction may be in the mind...many services to perform or the day ahead on sankirtan or maybe we are in the habit of talking and chanting at the same time in the temple room.
Actually regardless of our ashram, the realisation about concentrated Japa needs to be there and we need to keep hearing about the importance of avoiding distraction.
Here is some very good advice given by Mahanidhi Swami:
It is often very difficult to keep one's attention on the holy name while chanting japa. This is because the mind is not trained to bear prolonged attention. It gets bored with the monotony of japa and runs to more pleasing things. By increasing one's interest or taste in japa, one will be able to chant attentively.
Spiritual knowledge is known as ‘Sruti’ – ‘that which is heard.’ In bygone ages, sages would hear such knowledge, remember it, assimilate it, and perfectly communicate it to the next person without any deviation. Chapter 4 is entitled ‘Transcendental Knowledge’, and it is such knowledge which helps one understand the process by which they can make the divine connection. The famous Vedic aphorism thus encourages, ‘try to see God through the ears rather than the eyes.’
E - Eternal education (Verses 1-10) - Just as every gadget comes with an instruction manual, this entire universe comes with guidelines which enlighten one about its purpose and function. Such knowledge is of divine origin and is imparted at the time of creation. Krishna explains how this eternal educational system was setup by Him, and perpetuates in the universe through qualified and saintly persons. Such teachers impart this knowledge to the masses in a dynamic, applicable and practical way, and thus, the material creation is essentially a university within which we rediscover our spiritual identity. As the creator and maintainer, Krishna periodically appears to ensure the smooth functioning of the universe, by re-injecting spirituality and removing materialistic influences.
A - Accurate Understanding (Verses 11-15) - Thus, when transcendental knowledge is received through the eternal educational system, one gains an accurate understanding. Most people know something about God, something about religion and something about spirituality. However, ideas and understandings can often be quite hazy and confused. In three verses, Krishna clears up the three most common misconceptions of eastern spirituality. Verse 11 addresses the misconception that all spiritual paths lead to the same destination – Krishna explains that there is unity in diversity, but simultaneously different gradations of spiritual elevation. Verse 12 reinforces the fact that there is only one God - Krishna removes the misconception that eastern scriptures talk of polytheism and the idea of ‘many gods.’ Verse 13 addresses the concern that the Caste system is unfair and exploitative - Krishna underlines the true purpose and basis for the division of society.
R – Reactions (Verses 16-24) - While transcendental knowledge helps one to clear up philosophical doubts, it also helps one to clear up their ‘karmic bank balance.’ Karma is a universal law reminding us that every action yields an equal and opposite reaction. While bad karma is obviously undesirable, Krishna further explains that even good karma should be avoided since it still binds one to material existence. Beyond good and bad, is action on the spiritual level – action which yields no reaction, action which ultimately frees one from the anxieties and entanglements of this world. Such action is known as 'akarma.'
S – Sacrifice (Verses 25-42) - In order to acquire, understand and realise transcendental knowledge, however, one must make a sacrifice. While material knowledge is dependent on calibre, spiritual knowledge is dependent upon character. Sacrifices help refine one’s character so they become eligible to achieve this knowledge. One of the biggest sacrifices is to relinquish one's pride by humbly submitting himself to a guru. By faithful service and inquiry within such a relationship, the heart becomes fertile ground for spiritual knowledge to blossom.
England football team captain Bobby Moore borne aloft with triple goal-scorer Geoff Hurst flanking him on our left. It was 1966 and we had won.
If there’s two dates in history that every English schoolboy knows, its 1066 and 1966. The first was the Battle of Hastings, which ushered in The Norman Conquest and had enormous repercussions on the future of our small island; the second was when England won the football World Cup in a dramatic final with West Germany at Wembley Stadium in London.
It was only twenty years after the end of the Second World War and there was still strong feelings about the old enemy Germany. The score was one goal each after the first 16 minutes and it was a nail-biting tension felt by each of the 98,000 fans in the stadium for the next 62 minutes during which the ball was artfully kicked up and down the pitch with no result for either team.
England scored in the 78th minute and it looked as if they were going to win (only 90 minutes in a game, you see) but then the referee allowed a free kick to Germany from which they scored. England protested, but the goal was allowed. In the final minute of the match the score was 2-2.
Extra time was added to the 90 minutes to compensate for time lost for injuries and stopped play. Then Geoff Hurst, who had already scored one goal, scored again when the ball bounced off a crossbar. This time the Germans contested, but again the goal was allowed. That goal has been discussed for the last 44 years.
Then came the will of God, or so the English felt. In the 98th minute of play, just as fans were invading the pitch, Geoff Hurst scored one more goal to bring the final score to England 4 – West Germany 2. The entire country was ecstatic. For the second time in living memory England had beaten off the Germans. England had won in the last minute and there was a God. The celebrations went on for weeks. I was 10 years old, and Britain was really top of the world.
But that was 44 years ago. Not since those days has England tasted the same success. Footballers today are paid huge sums of money, quite unimaginable by the players back then. But never has the England team equalled the result of 1966.
There are now just a few days left until the World Cup 2010 begins. My entire street is draped in English flags, buntings and banners of red cross on white background. Up and down the country people are praying. They are praying to a God who does not take sides, to look favourably upon this country’s football team, and to maybe, just maybe (please Lord) show the divine grace He so obviously did back in 1966 and allow their country’s football team to win the World Cup. Meanwhile, over in Germany, and Brazil, Portugal, Spain, and a host of other countries, even the USA, they are all praying exactly the same prayer to the same God.
We were in Town Hall, Sydney, Australia. There was a big parade honoring the war veterans. Soon it died down and so did the flow on the streets. We now had several book distributors and not enough people to stop between us. Bhakta Sean wasn't feeling the vibe of the whole ordeal so we decided to go for a wonder down to Martin Place (another good sankirtana spot). I wasn't distributing many books at the time so I decided I would follow along and see if Krsna's mercy was available there. I had to push the trolley and keep up pace and this was distracting me from doing any books. I started to doubt the whole idea of walking all this distance. "Oh Krsna, Where are you taking me? What is the point of coming here?" I said within my mind, appealing to the almighty.
Sure enough, as soon as I stopped my book trolley on the wall, an Indian gentleman in a suit arrived. "What have you got there?" he asked, in a curious but very firm tone. I wasn't sure whether he was going to ridicule or if he was genuinely interested. I didn't really care at this point whether he was going to spit on me or insult me, any chance I had to distribute a book was worth the try. I showed him the books, gave him a quick talk over the subject matter, even though he seemed to know what it was. Then it came to the crunch, "we just ask for a donation" I said. He looked at me, fumbled through his wallet super casually, whimsically thrust $40 dollars towards me and took my whole stack. Before I could say anymore, he was gone. Surely Krsna arranged this whole meeting.
I was confident Krsna wasn't done yet. I bumped into another boy in Martin Place. I captured his familiarity when I found out that he was a stone mason (which is what my younger brother is training to be). I begged for some of my brother's piety as I tried to distribute a book to this boy. I wasn't sure how he was going to relate to a book on yoga, being a hands-on, working class man. I told him, "It's about how to understand the connection between the body, mind and soul." He said, "This is exactly what I have been trying to look into. What a coincidence." "There are no such things as coincidence" I replied, "If you honestly hanker for these things then the knowledge will come."
Yesterday evening I attended the ‘Gita Wisdom’ class at Jivamukti Yoga, near Union Square. It has been running for about five years now, and is taught by Joshua Greene (Yogesvara das), a seasoned bhakti yogi and dedicated student of the Bhagavad Gita.The class takes place in one of the large, bright studios and hosts a sincere group of spiritual seekers from different walks of life. Many are yoga teachers, eager to integrate these spiritual teachings into their physical asana practice and pass this on to their own students.
Last night was the final class for the chapter by chapter study that has run for the past few months. It started out with a few minutes of simple Hare Krishna kirtan that set a meditative mood. All of the thirty-odd students sat on the floor, unpacking notebooks and pens, and well-thumbed copies of the Gita. Joshua began the summary of the final eighteenth chapter by talking about the character of Vidura. I loved the way he brought the characters to life. I think one of the most important things about studying any scripture is to understand its reality – these characters are not mythological – they were real, living breathing, thinking, feeling, and their struggles, lessons and successes can be directly applied to our own lives if we perceive them in this way.
I’m always amazed at how lessons from the Gita that I’ve heard hundreds of times growing up can strike me with a shocking freshness, again and again. When Joshua explained that spiritual life is experienced in progressive stages, and that what Krishna tells Arjuna at the very end: ‘Fully surrender unto me’, couldn’t have been spoken at the beginning without being preceded by deep explanation, I thought deeply about my own spiritual progress. I often give myself a hard time for not doing better; not getting up early without fail every day; for not being more disciplined and regulated; for my moments of ‘weakness’ when I just long for home comforts, or turn a blind eye to my responsibilities.
The truth is, we are all struggling somehow on individual journeys. Just as Arjuna’s dilemma is not an allegory, but very real, our daily choices and activities present so many real, sometimes frightening challenges. It’s tempting to think that there must be a way of side stepping. Perhaps by choosing a ‘spiritual life’ we can just be peaceful and avoid the inner battle. But these things have to be faced as a part of our path to remembering who we really are, a blissful soul in an eternal, loving relationship with God. With challenges come realisation and increased opportunity to depend on God in humble, loving surrender.
Every morning I wake up here in New York and have a ‘What am I doing here?’ moment. It’s scary to not have the full picture. It’s humbling to realise how small I am in this sprawling, frantic city. But I am so thankful that I have the Gita to help me remember that this time is a gift from Krishna. These challenges are a vital part of the big picture.
Check out the Gita Wisdom facebook page, for photos, recipes and links to watch the class live each week.
We were in Town Hall, Sydney, Australia. There was a big parade honoring the war veterans. Soon it died down and so did the flow on the streets. We now had several book distributors and not enough people to stop between us. Bhakta Sean wasn't feeling the vibe of the whole ordeal so we decided to go for a wonder down to Martin Place (another good sankirtana spot). I wasn't distributing many books at the time so I decided I would follow along and see if Krsna's mercy was available there. I had to push the trolley and keep up pace and this was distracting me from doing any books. I started to doubt the whole idea of walking all this distance. "Oh Krsna, Where are you taking me? What is the point of coming here?" I said within my mind, appealing to the almighty.
Sure enough, as soon as I stopped my book trolley on the wall, an Indian gentleman in a suit arrived. "What have you got there?" he asked, in a curious but very firm tone. I wasn't sure whether he was going to ridicule or if he was genuinely interested. I didn't really care at this point whether he was going to spit on me or insult me, any chance I had to distribute a book was worth the try. I showed him the books, gave him a quick talk over the subject matter, even though he seemed to know what it was. Then it came to the crunch, "we just ask for a donation" I said. He looked at me, fumbled through his wallet super casually, whimsically thrust $40 dollars towards me and took my whole stack. Before I could say anymore, he was gone. Surely Krsna arranged this whole meeting.
I was confident Krsna wasn't done yet. I bumped into another boy in Martin Place. I captured his familiarity when I found out that he was a stone mason (which is what my younger brother is training to be). I begged for some of my brother's piety as I tried to distribute a book to this boy. I wasn't sure how he was going to relate to a book on yoga, being a hands-on, working class man. I told him, "It's about how to understand the connection between the body, mind and soul." He said, "This is exactly what I have been trying to look into. What a coincidence." "There are no such things as coincidence" I replied, "If you honestly hanker for these things then the knowledge will come."
This edition of ISKCON Toronto's Flashback Photos features a very special sannyasi (monk). It shouldn't be too hard for many of us to guess who this is, but we still encourage comments for those who would like to venture a guess!
HINT: It was on the instruction of SrilaPrabhupada that he came to Toronto to open the first center here. This was the beginnings of our first Temple on Beverley St. which is shown in the above picture.
I slept without a headache but woke up about a quarter after two and soon felt a headache coming on. I took medicine at 2:45 and began chanting, but the pain did not go down. It hampered my concentration, but I persisted. When Baladeva came up at 3:30 I took more medicine. By then I had chanted eight rounds. My ninth round was more intimate with clearer hearing of the mantras. I was feeling pleasure. My new book has arrived, Japa Transformations. I liked it when I read about one-third of it, and I feel it’s an accomplishment to have published this book about chanting. It was written at the time when my chanting is better than it is now. And I’m glad I was able to preserve that period. Now we will distribute the book to specific persons and places. I feel the writing I am doing on japa sessions now is more a reportage of a negative side, but I’m trying to avoid that and see the good in what I am doing. I should not be down on myself and certainly not be down on the magnificent process of chanting Hare Krishna. Krishna Ksetra Prabhu who wrote the foreward to the book said I am both an instructor and a student and that is true. Lately I have been teaching by my struggle which is another form of instruction aside from citing victories in japa.
Japa Transformations, deep
changes for the better,
expressions of victory and
the importance of the yajna.
It is an accomplishment to
have captured in writing
reports of praise for
harinama and feelings
of breaking through. The
book contains confessions
that I have not reached the
suddha-nama, but that is
welcomed too for honesty
and sharing the attempt
with fellow chanters.
It’s right to continue
reporting even if you don’t
feel great improvement.
You still fight to
vanquish inattention, and
you register some success.
It’s your main life duty
along with writing and
you have faith still
in chanting and reporting as
a service to your friends.
Devotees from around Grey-Bruce welcomed their Hare Krishna movement's spiritual leader in Canada to a public vegetarian feast and celebration Saturday. Owen Sound organizer Rajesh Kalavadia said the first-time event at Kelso Beach featured three elements: vegetarian food, spiritual activities like chanting and meditation, and entertainment including music, freestyle dance and a secular drama about loneliness
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