This ocean, humiliating in its disguises
Tougher than anything.
No one listens to poetry. The ocean
Does not mean to be listened to. A drop
Or crash of water. It means
Nothing.
It
Is bread and butter
Pepper and salt. The death
That young men hope for. Aimlessly
It pounds the shore. White and aimless signals. No
One listens to poetry.
Mukunda Datta das singing a Hare Krishna bhajan.
2008-12-31
Dallas, TX
by Rupa Schomaker (rupa@rupa.com) at February 06, 2009 03:45 PM
The following letter was published on facebook as a note by "Hrdayananda DasGoswami". That facebook user has recently been created and as yet it is unverified that it is *the* Hrdayananda Goswami irl (irl= in real life).
A recent article on Chakra.org reported that H.H. Hrdayananda Goswami blessed a gay male couple who then performed a marriage ceremony of some description.
That report prompted a number of responses, most notably Krishna-kirti's published on Sampradaya Sun.
The following letter is interesting, and if it's not from Maharaja it's a good "fake Hrdayananda".
Letter From Hridayananda Maharaja
by Hridayananda das Goswami
Posted February 6, 2009 [via facebook]
Dear Devotees,
Jaya Srila Prabhupada. A letter of blessings that I sent to a gay couple has caused an extraordinary amount of controversy, and so I am writing here to clarify my understanding of this issue, and the intention of my letter.
In the Bhagavad-gita 17.15, Lord Krishna states that "Austerity of speech consists in speaking words that are truthful, pleasing, beneficial, and not agitating to others..."
I have clearly failed to some extent in this duty as prescribed by Lord Krishna, given the bitter and insulting nature of some responses. I sincerely apologize to the devotees for this evident failure.
I have been accused of harboring thinly veiled political motives, or of seeking to impose upon ISKCON a new and de facto social reality regarding homosexual relations. To the devotees, even to the incredulous, I state here that none of this was my intention. In my letter, as I will later explain in detail, I sought, and apparently failed, to strike a balance that would not convulse ISKCON. The great agitation produced by my letter shows that I failed in my intent, for which I again apologize.
I am keenly aware that I do not have the right within ISKCON to unilaterally establish policy on this matter, and my intention was not to preempt, nor to pressure or coerce, a GBC decision on the issue.
Ironically, my own views on homosexuality are seen by the world in general as rather conservative and indeed those views often disappoint gay rights activists. As stated in an earlier paper I wrote on this topic:
1. I do not advocate, nor perform, gay marriage. I accept the view of Srila Prabhupada, (and, by the way, of the well-known gay musician, Elton John) that marriage historically has been, and should remain, a heterosexual institution.
2. Although science proves that a segment of the population is born with a homosexual orientation, and although homosexuality is thus natural for that group, I do not believe that what is natural for an individual or a group of individuals, is necessarily natural for society. Therefore I seek a balance that respects the genetically, unavoidably homosexual nature of an individual, as well as the natural right of society as a whole to privilege heterosexuality as its social norm.
In my letter, which was addressed to educated non-devotees, I began by saying:
"Our love for each other is a reflection of God's love for us. Thus, the perfection of every relationship is to see God in each other."
Since Krishna's love for us is pure, I believed that serious devotees would understand, from the beginning of my statement, that I was speaking of spiritual love, rather than mundane, bodily lust. I believed they would see that I was encouraging the persons involved to see Krishna within each other, and thus fully transcend the bodily concept of life. I then stated:
"May God bless [these] devoted souls, as they commit themselves to each other in the spirit of God's love for them. May [they] always please God through true love for each other."
Clearly we please Krishna by renouncing all sinful activities and selfish desires, and I made this very clear to both parties in private conversations. In other words I offered blessings not for their sense gratification, but for the exact opposite: the giving up of any activity not pleasing to Krishna. I referred to them as "devoted souls" because I do not believe that a person genetically wired for homosexuality is necessarily "bestial" or "demonic" as some apparently feel.
Irrefutable history shows us that many sincere souls born with a homosexual orientation have struggled sincerely to serve Srila Prabhupada's mission, and to awaken their dormant love for Krishna, despite an often heavy private and social burden. I cannot see such souls, as some apparently do, as disgusting freaks, willfully and obscenely offending God and nature by their genetic makeup. I am well aware of Srila Prabhupada's statements on this matter and I am confident that a mature, thorough knowledge of Prabhupada's preaching content and style makes possible a more moderate interpretation of those statements. I feel that I am well prepared to logically defend this view though I will not belabor it here.
I also do not go to the other extreme of denying that homosexuality, in some ways, is problematic within a spiritual society. The special burden of devotees born with this condition can only be fully eliminated by their own spiritual enlightenment.
In the last paragraph of my letter, I said: "By such true spiritual love, may they always be, each for the other, a source of spiritual inspiration and happiness. May their relationship lead them, patiently and steadily, back to our real home in the spiritual world, where all relationships become eternal and perfect."
I believed that devotees would recognize the language of true spiritual love as referring to pure Krishna consciousness, far beyond the bodily concept of life, far above any form of sexuality. And clearly a relationship that leads people back to the spiritual world must be a relationship which, through genuine devotion and sacrifice, has become fully pleasing to Krishna.
Not a word in my letter addresses current social or political issues related to homosexuality. Not a word in my letter claims a legal status for homosexual couples, be it marriage or civil union. As a Vaishnava teacher, not as a political operative, nor as a renegade policy maker, I prayed to Krishna that He guide two sincere souls to His lotus feet.
That I expressed this sincere wish in a manner that was not sufficiently sensitive to the concerns of other sincere Vaishnavas, I admit. I truly regret this failing on my part. However, that I acted with political motives, I vehemently deny.
Let us take this situation as an opportunity to earnestly discuss how we may best preserve our sacred principles: both our moral rigor as well as our deep compassion.
With best wishes,
Your servant,
Hridayananda das Goswami
by letters (wmdean@btopenworld.com) at February 06, 2009 10:26 AM
by letters (wmdean@btopenworld.com) at February 06, 2009 10:25 AM
by letters (wmdean@btopenworld.com) at February 06, 2009 10:24 AM
by letters (wmdean@btopenworld.com) at February 06, 2009 10:23 AM
by letters (wmdean@btopenworld.com) at February 06, 2009 10:21 AM
by letters (wmdean@btopenworld.com) at February 06, 2009 10:20 AM
by letters (wmdean@btopenworld.com) at February 06, 2009 10:19 AM
Great treat for the devotees worldwide that will not attend the Mayapur Festival: Live broadcast in real time of all of its most important events!
“Sri Nityananda Prabhu’s face is more beautiful and cooling than the autumnal moon. The effulgence coming out from His body is supremely beautiful. He always moves like a mad elephant, since He is always intoxicated with krsna-prema (love of God). He is always mad after krsna-prema. His body is completely pure spiritual energy. He always has a smiling face. His eyes are very fickle, moving to and fro. His lotus hand always holds a glowing staff.
One of many examples of media intolerance is four separate newspapers publishing an identical article attacking the Jehovah's Witnesses. One of the newspapers credited the article to a named former Jehovah's Witness, one credited a different author, and two of the newspapers credited KNB secret police offices in different Kazakh regions.
by course@ultimateselfrealization.com at February 06, 2009 03:30 AM
She has discounted ladies cotton kurtis by 50%.
This Friday evening, February 6th, the Hare Krishna Temple will be celebrating the appearance of Lord Varahadeva, the boar incarnation of Krishna. Srimad Bhagavatam describes the wonderful pastime when Lord Krishna once assumed the form of a splendid, gigantic boar (Varaha) and dove to the bottom of the universal ocean to gently lift up Mother Earth on His tusks to the surface.by madhavi (noreply@blogger.com) at February 06, 2009 02:08 AM
by Vrndavana Vinodini dd (noreply@blogger.com) at February 05, 2009 11:53 PM
Currently most of ISKCON has an unspoken "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy in relation to gays. Yes, there are gay sannyasis and other members either in official organisational positions or just participating. However, they are not allowed to come out about being gay, because this causes a disturbance by challenging fundamental socio-philosophical assumptions - witness the event reported by Giridhari das.
The default "conservative" position in ISKCON is that to "be gay" is to violate a normative standard of the organization. You don't have to "do" anything more than say "I'm gay", and you've "broken the regulative principles".
Thus, persons who are gay are welcome to participate in ISKCON as long as they remain silent about their identity and do not challenge the assertion that gayness is a behaviour, a choice, or perhaps a sickness, rather than a (temporary) identity on par with others.
Dr. Peter Singer, Senior Fellow and Director of the 21st Century Defense Initiative at the Brookings Institution [website], is a speaker at this year's TED conference, currently on in California. He has written a Foreign Policy paper for the Brookings Institute entitled "How the Real World ended Don't Ask Don't Tell". Interesting reading.
A military/gay mashup right at this point in time? Krishna must be God...
The ISKCON Toronto Blog is happy to present Episode Three of Cooking for Krishna. Cooking for Krishna is a regular video series which shows how to create sumptuous vegetarian items! Once made, these preparations are lovingly offered to Lord Krishna and become "prasadam", or sanctified food!by Keshav (noreply@blogger.com) at February 05, 2009 11:32 PM
This year, as always, we request you to submit your homages to Srila Prabhupada for his Vyasa Puja book by April 15. PLEASE NOTE CHANGE OF E-MAIL ADDRESS.
>>> Ref. VedaBase => SB 3.25.38
As we learn from the Puranas, several incarnations of Lord Visnu appear more than once, at different times and under different circumstances. It is known, for example, that Matsya, the greatest of fish, appeared once at the end of a cycle of yugas to save the Vedas during the devastating flood of the universe and appeared once more, during a partial flood of the lower part of the universe, to show His mercy to Satyavrata Muni. There are also two Lord Kürmas. One held Mandara Mountain on His back while nectar was being churned from the Milk Ocean, and the other always holds up the earth. Similarly, there are at least five Lord Varahas. The first appeared from Brahma's nostril at the beginning of creation, lifted the earth, deposited her on the Garbha Ocean, and then disappeared. The second saved the earth from a partial flood of devastation, killed Hiranyaksa, and went to Svargaloka. The third, the embodiment of Vedic sacrifice, taught the methods of sacrifice, lifted the earth, spoke to her the Varaha Purana, and disappeared by His mystic power. The fourth took the earth and made her even by grinding down the excessively large mountains with His sharp tusks. The earth then assumed the form of His consort Varahi, enjoyed with Him, and gave birth to two sons. That Lord Varaha finally disappeared by merging into the form of Lord Nrsimha. And yet a fifth Varahadeva perpetually holds up the earth from below. Lord Nrsimha also made several different appearances, as we know from such sources as the Brhat-sahasra-nama-stotra. One Nrsimha defeated all the celestial mothers, another ripped apart Hiranyakasipu, and yet another assumed the form of an ordinary cat. There were also two appearances of Vamanadeva to trick two different asuras, Dhundhu and Bali, and there were two appearances each of Lord Hayagriva and Lord Hamsa.
Brhad-Bhagavatamrta 2.4.157 ppt. By Srila Sanatana Goswami Prabhupada English rendering by Sri Gopiparanadhana Prabhu
Another 'ancient' piece of wisdom, found in the treasure trove of IC Journal Online. With the debate about homosexuals in and around ISKCON heating up, Braja Bihari Prabhu's essay from 2005 gives sound advice:
by Braja Bihari das
Drawing on his
experience in conflict resolution in ISKCON, Braja Bihari Prabhu
examines one of the core factors of conflict—the division
between 'conservative' and 'liberal'
positions on the understanding and application of a shared set of
teachings.
He uses several models for understanding such conflict and from these he draws solutions that aim to enable conflict to be resolved, where appropriate, or to be acknowledged for their potential to form the basis of healthy, productive dialogue.
Recently I accompanied Vidya on a trip to the eastern panhandle of West Virginia near Washington, DC. She was jurying for a show to sell her crafted gourds at, the Mountain Heritage Arts and Crafts Festival.
We passed Berkeley Springs on the way so stopped for a mineral bath, as people have for thousands of years. As it is a tourist town, we visited some shops, as always scouting for ideas.
In one they had back issues of Life magazine. This photo journal, along with the Saturday Evening Post, used to be the most widely read magazines in America, eventually losing their prominence to TV and the internet.
We bought the issue that had the same date as her birthday. This was what people were reading when she was born, an interesting glimpse into the past.
Although she was born in Wisconsin, Vidya moved to New Vrindaban in 1971 and has had a Moundsville, WV, mailing address ever since. In this issue of Life there was a story about a prison beak at the Moundsville Penitentiary.
There was also a story about Portugal that had a picture of gourds being used as a floats.
It seems pretty coincidental that the national magazine from the week when she was born had a story about Moundsville, where she ended up living, and gourds, that she crafts for a living.
Prophetic might be a better word.
Posted in News, Ramblings or Whatever
Here’s a story of a famous incident in the line of spiritual masters coming down from Sri Ramanujacaraya whose life is celebrated today.
Yesterday was the disappearance day of Sri Madhvacarya (1238-1317), and today the disappearance day of Sri Ramanujacarya (1017-1137, two very important Vaishnava saints who took birth in the south of India. Although they missed each other by 100 years and a few hundred miles, their teachings kept the Vaishnava tradition strongly preserved for centuries.
I fasted yesterday morning, and it just so happened that a friend returned from Udupi, Karnataka around midday. Udupi is the place of Madhva, where Lord Krishna has been worshipped for the past 800 years. My friend was able to bring me up to date with what was happening in the town as well as his own travels.
Later on in the day I dropped a line to another Vaishnava who lives there. So although very distant I felt a little closer through first hearing, then writing.
When I returned home I discovered that my Nrisimhapriya magazine had arrived in the post from Chennai, the city formerly known as Madras. Every enthusiast should have their own magazine, I think, so this is a magazine for Sri Nrsimhadeva enthusiasts. Its published by the Vaishnavas in the line of Ramanujacarya.
Sri Ramanujacarya had a younger sister who married one of his disciples named Nadadoor Ammal. This devoted disciple helped to write down the acarya’s famous commentary on the Bhagavad-gita.
Nadadoor Ammal’s great grandson was Ghatikashatam Ammal, so named because he could compose 100 verses in praise of Lord Vishnu in just one ghatika or 24 minutes.
His disciple was Adivan Shatakopan who was visited in a dream by Lakshmi and Nrisimhadeva and was presented with a beautiful murti of their divine forms. They told him that the murti was to be taken on tour to uplift and enliven the devotees. He installed the deities in a temple and began the then unusual tradition of taking them periodically on preaching tours.
In effect, he was the first in a long line of spiritual masters who have worshipped Malola-Nrisimha and toured with them. Now the line of preceptors has its 45th ‘pontiff’, Srimad Azhagiya Singar who, at the age of 86, keeps travelling and preaching the message of devotion.
So my magazine keeps me in touch with another group of Vaishnavas which is keeping mediaeval traditions alive and relevant in a contemporary world.
Below: Srimad Azhagiya Singar at Ahobilam, the place of Lord Nrsimhadeva, and (bottom) worshipping the Lord in His golden shrine.
We’ve had an unprecedented amount of winter weather in the past few days. It’s almost as if all those empty weather warnings of the past decade have finally been fulfilled - all at once. This morning it was still snowing but as the day went on, the air warmed a little and it began to rain. Now the streets are overflowing with soupy, icy slush - the melted remains of the treacherous black ice that coats the pavements. Walking back and forth to the train station and on japa walks, I’ve been perfecting my cautionary waddle, with some attempt to do it with grace! Now I know why penguins move the way they do - it reduces the risk of slipping a great deal.
You can see my snow pictures on flickr by clicking here. Here’s some of the best ones.
Vimul singing a Hare Krishna bhajan.
2008-12-31
Dallas, TX
by Rupa Schomaker (rupa@rupa.com) at February 05, 2009 02:57 PM
by letters (wmdean@btopenworld.com) at February 05, 2009 01:58 PM
by letters (wmdean@btopenworld.com) at February 05, 2009 01:58 PM
by letters (wmdean@btopenworld.com) at February 05, 2009 01:58 PM
by letters (wmdean@btopenworld.com) at February 05, 2009 01:57 PM
by letters (wmdean@btopenworld.com) at February 05, 2009 01:57 PM
by letters (wmdean@btopenworld.com) at February 05, 2009 01:56 PM
by letters (wmdean@btopenworld.com) at February 05, 2009 01:55 PM
by letters (wmdean@btopenworld.com) at February 05, 2009 01:53 PM
Touch of the Brajabasi: Prologue
***
In the golden morning, I sat in a wooden chair amidst the rooftop maze of the brahmacari asram in Chowpatty, facing Radhanath Swami’s room. I basked in the quiet. I reveled in the feeling of waiting to see my spiritual master.
Maharaj emerged in his saffron robes from around a maze corner and smiled to see me. “Ah yes, please come in,” he said.
“Maharaj, I just came to give you this letter. That’s all.” I said.
He gestured to the floor, “Please, sit, Bhakti,” he said, and he settled to the bamboo mats.
“O-okay,” I said, and sat across from him. The walls were covered in beautiful terra cotta swathes of cow dung. Pictures of the seven deities of Vrindavan hung on the wall.
“Maharaj, I am leaving for Vrindavan tomorrow. It will be my first time in the holy dham,”
“Really?” he said.
“Yes. Please, I ask for your blessings to appreciate the holy dham. What are your thoughts?”
He contemplated for long moments. He then spoke with soft deliberation, “Seek out those who are living pure lives. You can socialize anywhere in the world, but Vrindavan is special, it is the holy dham. Seek out the association of the Vaishnavas who inspire you and will guide you.”
“I shall,” I said softly.
As I lived in Vrindavan for the next month and a half, his words echoed within me. For the first full month, I struggled daily to appreciate the holy dham – the streets, the temples, and most of all the people. I just didn’t connect with anything. My mind mostly raged with grievances of the pollution and the poverty, and doubts if this land was holy at all. I saw temples as businesses, every street as a ghetto, every beggar an exploiter of charity.
I had come during the holiest – and thus the busiest – month of the year, Kartik. When it ended, and Vrindavan slowed to its usual pace of a busy village, I began to see things I had never seen before.
I saw how hard my heart truly was.
Brajabasi means a ‘resident of Vrindavan (Braja)’. Somehow, the Brajabasis who lived pure lives reached out to touch me, they inspired me, and they guided me. They touched my heart in some deep way, softened it, changed it somehow. I’m still trying to understand.
The following three stories are my brushes of fate with the residents of Braja.
by Bhakti lata (noreply@blogger.com) at February 05, 2009 10:13 AM
You can check out some photos that Donna (I think, or Megan) took at the recent retreat.
This Friday evening, February 6th (6:00pm to 8:30pm), the Hare Krishna Temple will be celebrating the Appearance of the Boar Incarnation of Krishna (Lord Varahadeva). As described in the Srimad Bhagavatam, Lord Krishna once assumed the form of a splendid, gigantic boar (Varaha), dove to the bottom of the universal ocean, picked up Earth who had fallen from her orbit as a result of demonic persons, and gently carried her on His tusks to the water’s surface (learn more). Festivities will include a enthralling glimpse into this wonderful pastime of Krishna!
On Saturday evening (6:00pm to 9:00pm), a very special festival will be taking place as we celebrate Lord Nityananda's Appearance Day! Lord Nityananda is considered identical with Balarama, the elder brother of Lord Krishna. He is regarded as being like the elder brother of Lord Chaitanya and always served Him in any way (learn more). With HH Bhaktimarga Swami in attendance, festivities will be highlighted with a "dramatic" display of Lord Nityananda's pastimes and qualities! It will surely be a festival not to be missed!by Keshav (noreply@blogger.com) at February 05, 2009 08:13 AM
by the The Very Rev. Samuel T. Lloyd IIII got to be with these Christians who had the most surprising absence of fear [they said]. They just did the right thing.... I came to believe that they lived that way because they actually believed that what Jesus said was true. And I found that, to the extent that I acted as if I believed what Jesus said was true, I lived without fear.
I fled Him, down the nights and down the days;
I fled Him, down the arches of the years;
I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways
Of my own mind; and in the mist of tears
I hid from Him
From those strong Feet that followed, followed after.
by Club 108 (noreply@blogger.com) at February 05, 2009 08:00 AM
by Subuddhi Krishna das, Chicago (noreply@blogger.com) at February 05, 2009 06:32 AM
by course@ultimateselfrealization.com at February 05, 2009 03:30 AM
Every Wednesday in the month of February, there’s something far out happening for the latino/spanish community of Auckland, at the Loft. Please join us for spiritual discussions, followed by a vegetarian dinner and dessert. Only $5! in other words…..
Classes de Conocimiento Espiritual en Espanol! Todos los Miercoles 18:00HRS
$5 incluyen ~ Comida Vegetariana ~ Musica de Meditacion ~ Clases de Filosofia
103 Beach Rd, 1st floor, AKLD City, NZ fono Sammohini : 379-7301
We begin with class at 7:30am. Then - following the morning temple worship program - at 9:30am. we will gather at Gopal's Vegetarian (opposite Melbourne Town Hall in Swanston St.) for a maha-Harinama downtown. Returning to the temple, at 11:30am. we offer an abhiseka and kirtan to Sri-Sri Gaura-Nitai. 12:30pm brings arati and more kirtan, and 1:00pm the offering of gifts. At 1:30pm we will break fast with Lord Nityananda's prasadam feast.
Giridhari Prabhu, in a recent post entitled Homosexuality raises ethical and practical questions Part II, raises the issue of homosexual sannyasis (formally renounced celibate monks).
I happen to know a few, both closeted and out. Just the other day His Holiness BV Vaisnava Maharaja shared some of his realizations about being a gay sannyasi*. With his permission his words are reproduced below.
I've lived in Temples the whole time I've been a practising devotee - 23 years now. I was out to some and not to others due to like mindedness or the lack. There was the constant irony for the need to be honest so as to become purified from misconceptions and bodily identification while not being able to be out because of ignorance. To the extent I was out I grew spiritually. With those individuals I could not be honest with - I felt this compromised my ability to realise the tattva siddhanta, thus allowing bhakti to manifest in my heart. Now, I'm not deterred by someone else's limitations. I know factually that I am welcomed by the pure devotees and those who are swan-like in nature and not intimidated by those who are still ass-like and sectarian. The pure devotees are actually representative of our faith and they will never see us as mundane objects.
While living in brahmacari ashrams I was out to the temple authorities and a few devotees who were supportive and focused on realising the self. Having been a gay rights activist in the 70's it is hard for me to not be out. I don't like being so political these days however, and as a sannyasi I'm supposed to be removed from sexuality, but I do see the need to be out for those who are newer to Krishna consciousness as an example of inclusion and possibility. My Gurudeva, Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Goswami, has supported me completely and has encouraged me to help other gay devotees. He didn't hesitate to give the service of temple president in England and now preaching globally as a sannyasi. While in these services I am mostly focused on the presentation and observance of this transcendental science I am also careful to always make it clear that no one is to be rejected because all are eternally servants of Krishna. I do mention gay people quite often as part of the equation and am always ready to come out where its helpful.
My Gurudeva's mercy far exceeds my qualifications of course but the point is that under the guidance of the pure devotees everyone is welcomed and delivered to Krishna. Those who are not Jagad Guru (Guru for all in the Universe) cannot help everyone who might come to them - at least not so well, so spiritually. Krishna will provide us with good, pure association if we sincerely desire it. He will also cheat us with bogus gurus if we are weak minded. Bhakti is a transcendental love of God that leaves the devotee fearless and thus cannot be cheated or satisfied with anything less than the beloved. No one will ever, ever be able to convince me that I cannot be a devotee because I was born gay in this life. I think I'm all the better for it actually. Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Goswami used to say that "The environment is always favourable."
- H.H. BV Vaisnava Swami
I think this is a good example of a person who is able to be himself and be a devotee.
I know sannyasis in ISKCON who are of a "non-vanilla-heterosexual orientation", but the overall atmosphere in ISKCON right now is not one that allows them to come out publicly.
The first post that Giridhari made on this subject demonstrates why this is so. Philosophically, homosexuality is officially viewed as "deviant behaviour" in ISKCON, rather than an identity, and as a result it's frequently perceived and dealt with as something that constitutionally violates the organizations normative standards.
However, as Giridhari points out, increasingly it is understood as an identity - some people are just born gay, for whatever reason, just as some people are born white, black, yellow, male, female, intellectual, artistic, or whatever.
The usual response in ISKCON is to try to shunt these people out, or force them to hide their identity to avoid being shunted. As a result they are unable to find a legitimate way to participate as themselves, and get the support that they need. So when they try to participate they have to do it in a way that compromises their integrity and causes psychological stress.
At the moment we have a difficult situation. There are gay people. There are gay people in ISKCON. However, we insist on a policy of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell". As a result people end up in situations that they shouldn't be in. Instead of being able to be real about who they are and what they are doing, they are instead forced to hide it.
That's tamasic. Swami BV Tripurari makes the point in his Gita commentary that when you understand who you are, in terms of your temporary identity, and accept that and act accordingly, then that is in the mode of goodness. You'll be happy, you'll get realization. Those are the products of the mode of goodness.
The products of the mode of ignorance are madness and confusion. As long as we have an unspoken organizational policy that forces people to deny their identity in order to participate we are going to have these negative effects.
We have to let people be themselves and keep it real.
Personally I find the GALVA group facilitated by Amara Prabhu (ACBSP) to be a great resource for gay devotees to get association and good guidance.
by noreply@blogger.com (Mayapur Katha) at February 05, 2009 01:07 AM
“Okay! So we’re on at Astanga tomorrow, for six in the morning” I smiled initially but as the words registered in my brain and I realized what Gaura said, a look of confusion took over, instead. He had to be joking….or misunderstood. We just finished doing kirtan at the 1st Avenue temple and were still standing in the hallway outside of the temple room when Gaura got the call confirming that we would be doing kirtan the next morning…early the next morning.
“What time?” (more…)
#
"They aren't just our livelihood, they're part of the family..."
"We love our cows here at Eachwick and every one of them has a name...."
"Collectively we refer to them as 'our ladies' but we know every one of them and each one has her own personality...."
Read the full BBC report, then ponder this: Why slit their throats, drain their blood and eat their flesh, hypocrites? Would you slaughter your own human family?
by Vrndavana Vinodini dd (noreply@blogger.com) at February 04, 2009 10:33 PM
by Bhaktimarga Swami (noreply@blogger.com) at February 04, 2009 10:10 PM
by Bhaktimarga Swami (noreply@blogger.com) at February 04, 2009 10:07 PM
by Bhaktimarga Swami (noreply@blogger.com) at February 04, 2009 10:02 PM
Georgetown, Guyana
Every evening Padayatra (the festival on foot) is held at a different location. This evening’s was set up at Guyana’s old drive-in movie theatre. From the stage, Rajarsi of Trinidad spoke. He told a story of about approaching spiritual life with some intelligence.
“A disciple had served his guru on a journey by having the guru ride on a horse while the disciple walked along behind. They started getting cold and the guru asked the disciple, “What happened to my blanket?”
The disciple remarked, “It fell off the horse some time back.”
The guru responded, “Anything that falls from the horse, pick it up and bring it back to me.”
The horse released some dung and so the disciple picked up the dung and presented it to the guru. The guru became upset and made a list of all the items that if they happen to fall from the horse that could be picked up. After some time, the guru fell off the horse. The disciple checked the list to see if the guru was on the list. When he didn’t see the guru’s name on the list, he left the guru behind.
What we are to glean from this message was that we don’t become a mere “yes man” in spiritual life. We must make use of our intelligence. Naturally, the audience, which increases by size each day, had a good laugh and got the point.
Carrying on with a similar type of theme, I could not contain myself after trekking with Rupa for three hours and noting the huge amount of trash along the sea wall as we headed west today. With a concerned passion, I addressed the crowd, “While we cleanse ourselves through mantra, eating holy food (prasadam), and hear messages about being bright, don’t we have an obligation to look after the cleanliness of our environment?”
Indeed the culture of plastic and trash has hit Guyana leaving the beaches embarrassingly unkempt. Rejected refrigerators, TV guts, buckets, and millions of plastic bottles litter the water’s edge. If we are human and to add, a spiritual community, can’t we be somewhat more conscious? The third world tends to follow the so-called developed world in most habits. In Guyana, there is currently neither infrastructure nor the sensitivity to do much about it.
Basically we were imploring all there to play a role in ecological protection. For the long haul and the future generations, “let’s be more conscious and then it’s possible to be God Conscious.”
15km
by Bhaktimarga Swami (noreply@blogger.com) at February 04, 2009 09:56 PM
"Worship all Vaisnavas as you worship your guru. ... Have faith in the previous acaryas. ... Study scriptures that describe the glories of the Supreme Lord. ... Always endeavor for purity. ... Take shelter of the Lord and have faith in Him alone.
"If you follow these instructions, you will never be separated from me. Why should one grieve over the disappearance of the temporary body?"
----------------------- (BVS) In my location, 5 Feb is Sri Ramanujacarya's Disappearance Anniversary
This is Nitai yesterday, after his first 5 minutes of soccer for the year: One broken finger. Ay Caramba !!
Boys will be boys!
These necklaces are easy to make and the technique can be modified to add or subtract tiers. This style creates the look of multiple necklaces but because it is a single piece you don’t need to worry about different necklaces getting tangled, making dressing really simple.
Supplies:
Step 1: Begin by double stringing a generous length of the sewing thread on to your needle and tying a stop bead (simply tie a knot around a seed bead) towards the end, leaving a 3-4 inch tail. 
by Vijay Teli (noreply@blogger.com) at February 04, 2009 08:36 PM
A few years ago I was facilitating a session at Kings College London entitled 'Why do bad things happen to good people?'. I could see someone in the crowd itching to speak. Sure enough, she abruptly spoke up "I just want to help others and serve humanity - that is my religion. I don't believe in God - does that mean I can't be a good person?". It was a sticky situation, especially given the emotion with which she expressed her position. I didn't want to come across judgemental.by Sutapa das (sutapa.kks@hotmail.com) at February 04, 2009 07:44 PM
I first came up with this technique making belts for my Radha Govindaji. One day I was dressing them I tried one of the belts as a choker and it looked great, so I recently made some more specifically designed as chokers. This design is for chokers for my Jagannatha and Baladeva, but the technique is so versatile it would make excellent belts or could be modified slightly to make chokers for smaller deities. 
Supplies:
1. Sewing Thread (I find polyester thread works best)
2. Extra Fine Beading Needles
3. Cord (I used heavy cotton string from my garland making kit, but you can also use embroidery floss in a matching colour)
4-6. Beads: For this design I used pearls, seed beads and glass bi-cones
7. Scissors
Step 1: Cut two lengths of the cord and tie 2-3 knots in the center of each length, thread each of the beading needles (make sure you have a generous amount of thread on each needle) and poke each needle through the knot in one piece of the cord and tie the ends of the thread securely together leaving a 2-3 inch tail (you will need this later).
Step 2: String 4-5 of the pearls through both of the needles. Then on each needle string a seed bead a pearl and another seed bead then another pearl through both needles. Repeat this pattern to the desired length, keep in mind that you want an even number of segments as you want an odd number of the hanging segments. In this case for five hanging segments there are six of these “base” segments.
Step 3: After you have completed the required number of base segments, string 4-5 of the pearls through both of the needles and poke each needle through the knot in the second piece of cord and tie the thread securely together.
Step 4: For this design there is only have one set of the hanging segments so one of the needles can be cut off at this point (if you wanted more hanging segments you would keep the second needle and just repeat the procedure for the hanging segments). Next, pass the remaining needle through the 4-5 pearls and the seed bead and pearl of the first base segment.
Step 5: To make the first hanging segment string on three seed beads and a glass bi-cone and another seed bead, then pass the needle back through the glass bi-cone and string on another three seed beads.
Step 6: Now pass the needle through the pearl of the next base segment, and continue with the base segments for the length of the necklace/belt. When you have completed your last hanging segment pas your needle through the 4-5 pearls at the end and securely tie off your thread using the tail you left earlier and trim off any excess thread.
by Vijay Teli (noreply@blogger.com) at February 04, 2009 07:42 PM
by course@ultimateselfrealization.com at February 04, 2009 05:02 PM
It's like watering the roots of a tree. When you water the roots, the leaves and branches automatically get watered
by Akrura@pamho.net (akrura@pamho.net) at February 04, 2009 03:32 PM
As you probably know 2009 is a double Darwin anniversary: the British naturalist was born 200 years ago and his 'The Origin of Species' was published 150 years ago.
All devotees are familiar with Putana Lila. Putana was,in fact, an extremely powerful demon – perhaps the most powerful of all demons at the time of Krsna’s presence on the planet 5000 years ago.
In the Vedic and Pauranic cosmogonical perspective, the dimmed beings, asuras, are always depicted engaged in planning to conquest and dominate the universe, just like in Christian theology Lucifer or Mephistopheles keeps on hatching plots and setting traps to assert his power.
by prahladdas (noreply@blogger.com) at February 04, 2009 03:21 PM
With my last post on the Tascam audio recorders i wanted to summarize the list of audiorecorders. Of course Mark Nelson (O’Reilly) made his excellent comparison list (read here), but to make it even more concise i present my list.
In order of liking:
There are more recorders out there but i think the list above will fulfill the needs of devotees. If you are on a budget you can consider the H2, and now the Tascam. But at the moment the pound is very low compared to the euro so ordering in England can lead to good deals!!!
In Part I I discussed some ethical and practical issues concerning the subject of homosexuality, which I believe ISKCON, sooner rather than later, must deal with so that our Society can have clear, rational, moral guidelines. Here I’d like to add another, purely practical issue.
If we conclude, with the help of empirical science, that homosexuality is a result of the way one is born, and not merely a matter of whimsically deciding to be sexually attracted to people of the same sex, then how should we deal with homosexual sannyasis?
All the current, traditional rules governing proper sannyasa behavior in regards to him never being alone with a woman, never being served too closely by women, etc. render the very opposite result if the sannyasi is naturally NOT attracted to women but to men instead.
In such a case, imagine the situation of that sincere soul - to find himself alone only with the objects of his sexual desires, subdued though they may be. This is, of course, rendered more troublesome if we take into consideration all the personal service a sannyasi may naturally receive from brahmacaris or, if he is a guru, his young brahmacari disciples.
Imagine a heterosexual sannyasi being massaged, in his little gamsha, by young brahmacarini disciples! Scandalous! And what hope would that sannyasi have of keeping his lifelong vow? Yet, that is the exact equivalent of what a homosexual sannyasi may go through with his male servants.
And yet, imagine how even more scandalous it would be if a sannyasi not only openly declared to being gay, but chose to have female personal servants so as to not be sexually tempted.
How is ISKCON to deal with all this?
Chinmayi singing a Hare Krishna bhajan.
2008-12-31
Dallas, TX
by Rupa Schomaker (rupa@rupa.com) at February 04, 2009 02:28 PM
by letters (wmdean@btopenworld.com) at February 04, 2009 02:21 PM
by letters (wmdean@btopenworld.com) at February 04, 2009 02:21 PM
by letters (wmdean@btopenworld.com) at February 04, 2009 02:21 PM
by letters (wmdean@btopenworld.com) at February 04, 2009 02:20 PM
by letters (wmdean@btopenworld.com) at February 04, 2009 02:19 PM
by letters (wmdean@btopenworld.com) at February 04, 2009 02:19 PM
by letters (wmdean@btopenworld.com) at February 04, 2009 02:18 PM
by letters (wmdean@btopenworld.com) at February 04, 2009 02:17 PM
by letters (wmdean@btopenworld.com) at February 04, 2009 02:16 PM
The market is slowly filling up with decent wav/mp3 recorders now that Tascam has released two new recorders. The new DR07 and DR100 are there to get you recording classes and bhajans quickly. The DR07 comes even with a 2 GB SD memory card. Now that is what we always wanted!. And it uses standard AA batteries.. Way to go Tascam.
You can read all the details about the DR07 here
I saw the DR07 already for $199. That is not expensive at all with a 2GB SD card.
The DR100 is the bigger brother of the DR07. Tough it might be out of your budget, but if you crave for more microphones (4 instead of 2) then this is the machine to have. But we remind you it default comes with a internal LiOn battery. But you can also use AA batteries. Read more here.
When a review is posted about these gadgets i will post it. I wonder how it will compare to the Edirol R09HR.
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