February 11, 2009


Dear Friends,

Hare Krishna!

Thank you for your support. Herein is the February update letter.

Cows
I (Chayadevi) have been replacing Balabhadra and Lakshmi in the everyday care of the cows in the barn. Ray has been coming almost every day to help me and he has been a tremendous help especially with the heavier tasks. I have finally learned how to pitch hay more efficiently than ever before :).

Now we are having some warm weather, but we had a full month of very cold weather, sometimes -8. There was also lots of ice and snow. I wanted to get you all pictures of this weather but it was a challenge just to get the tasks done in the freezing temperatures.

The water system broke down in the geriatric barn on one of the very cold days. Tejo, our devotee plumber, came and worked on it in the freezing cold for hours. He was very determined to make sure the cows would have water. He achieved a temporary fix that will have to be dealt with when the temperatures are consistently warm.


Everyone is happy with plenty to eat and a warm sunny winter day after freezing temperatures.

It is quite amazing how the cows do not seem to feel the cold, even the Brahmans. They have all grown their thick furry coats. As long as they have plenty to eat and drink, they do fine. Of course, nothing compares to grazing on green pastures. I have noticed that in the very cold weather they eat and drink more. Due to the presently warm weather, they are now in the barnyard enjoying the sun and warmth. Since the lower barnyard was covered with snow and ice, they did not venture beyond the immediate barn area for a month. I do expect that we will get cold weather again before the official winter season is over, but the warmth is a nice reprieve for everyone.

Winter temperatures in the barnyard.

Balaram receiving some love from Madhava on a warm sunny winter day

Health Update
As receivers of the previous updates, you know that Balabhadra had a heart attack and a leg and knee problem that prevented him from walking for over a month. Our recent visit to the heart doctor gave us some information. He has coronary artery disease. One of the main arteries on one side of his heart is blocked. It is very thin in one area and then shortly after is completely blocked. Because the other arteries are in very good condition and the other side of his heart in good condition, he has done very well for so long without incident. Now he is on a cocktail of heart drugs that he seems to be tolerating well and keeps his high blood pressure down.

Due to his acupuncture treatments, he is now walking for short periods of time and short distances. There is still a degree of pain. We have an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon on February 18. Due to the help of Dr. Piyush Gupta, we have gotten an MRI of his hips and knee and this appointment. Now we have quite a collection of MRIs and X-rays to show the surgeon, since up until now we have been sent for tests but not been given a diagnosis. We will have more to tell you after this appointment.

You also know that our daughter Lakshmi broke her wrist and is now wearing hardware on her wrist and arm. She is the one that usually takes care of the database, monthly letters, gifts, etc. The bones are healing very well and the pain has decreased greatly. A few days ago, the stitches came out. She is now holding down her meals as before the pain medicine made her nauseous. She has the use of only her left hand. Maybe in 3 to 6 weeks the hardware will come off and then she will be in a splint, still with restricted movement. Her pregnancy is progressing nicely and according to her OBGYN her baby is in good health despite all the trauma.

Our Services to You
We want to thank all of you for all the letters of concern and encouragement. We know this time will pass, as everything does, but it sure is helpful to hear encouraging words from all of you. Please be patient with our services to you, monthly update letters, gifts, etc. I have been putting most of my energies into taking care of the cows and now I hope to see to some of the paper work since lakshmi and Balabhadra are feeling a little bit better. As you may have guessed I have never had the inclination or physical capabilities for this part of the service and at 63, I thank Krishna that I have been able to do it. It is actually fun, I just wish I was a bit younger :).

Praying that this letter finds you well,

Coming back from serving the cows at the barn

Your Servant,
Chayadevi
(Irene M. Dove)
ISCOWP Co-Managing Director

A Hare Krishna festival in Uzbekistan's central city of Samarkand [Samarqand] in the north-western Karakalpakstan [Qoraqalpoghiston] region, was raided and halted by the authorities, police have confirmed to Forum 18 News Service. Police are gathering evidence to open administrative cases against Zafar Kasimov, a Hare Krishna devotee in Samarkand.

This Valentine’s Day seems a good time to consider booking a spot at ISKCON’s first “Vaishnava Marriage and Family Fest,” hosted at the Festival of Inspiration in New Vrindaban, West Virginia this May 8 – 10 by the Grihastha Vision Team (GVT), a group of professional marriage and family educators and therapists.

This year a very special offering is being prepared for Srila Prabhupada. Using the facility of modern technology a team of devotees from Mayapur.tv (www.mayapur.tv) will bring the Sridham Mayapur and Gaura Purnima festival into your home or your temple, live on the Internet.

Through the revival efforts of Ram-Lila Dasa and a host of other members from the ISKCON community in Guyana, Padayatra once again graced the village streets of Guyana from January 26 – February 1. During this week long festival, devotees, well wishers, and enthusiastic onlookers covered approximately 40 kilometers through some of the most populated villages en route to Georgetown, the capital city of Guyana.

The ministerial course in Radhadesh, Belgium that he’d just attended had changed something in Jaya-Govinda. After the intensely healing and personally revealing experience, he found that he could no longer relate to the ways and views of the Prabhupadadesa temple management. Struggles, both internal and external, raged. And for the first time in years, he began to doubt his status as a celibate brahmacari monk.

The 2009 Annual General Meeting of ISKCON's Governing Body Commission commenced with arati and guru-puja kirtana to Srila Prabhupada, who is present in murti form in the meeting hall. Apart from the large murti, this year there is a small murti of Srila Prabhupada fixed on a beautiful altar near the Chairman's seat. After the reading of Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.9.16, Ramai Swami, Chairman, began the proceedings by explaining the absence of several members, mostly due to health issues. He also gave a brief summary of the Executive Committee's work during the year.

She says: "Who am I? We're not the body. The body is just the covering of the soul; it identifies us. I am Aruddha, born in India but really, we are spirit - part and parcel of the greater spirit. "And then the part serves the whole, just like the hand serves the body. The purpose of our tiny soul is to serve the greater soul, which is God. That's where our happiness is.

This photo appeared on page 24 of The Times (of London) on the 10th of February 2009. The caption reads, "Krishna worshipers are seen through a window while eating together after a temple service in the Krishna Valley of Somogyvamos, 180 miles southwest of Budapest in Hungary. They live apart from the mainstream population on a 250-hectare estate, where they produce all their own food."

Travelers battling through the Westminster traffic this month are likely to encounter a bleak message emblazoned on buses. “There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy life,” is the dubious legend plastered to a number of the vehicles meandering around the nation’s capital. I’m not sure how its authors think we should respond to this call.

While we were celebrating Sri Nityananda Prabhu’s Festival on Saturday, the police were breaking up a similar festival in another country. The devotees were arrested and their religious paraphernalia confiscated. The country, not surprisingly was Uzbekistan and the city, Samarkand.

Dear Lord, we may not be able to remember Your name, form and qualities due to stumbling, hunger, falling down, yawning or being in a miserable diseased condition at the time of death. We therefore pray unto You, O Lord, for You are very affectionate to Your devotees. Please help us remember You and utter Your holy names, attributes and activities, which can dispel all the reactions of our sinful lives.

Srimad Bhagavatam - Canto 5 Chapter 3 Verse 12

If the selection above is hosted by YouTube then after the video plays there will be several links presented to other videos. ISKCON News Weekly has no control over the selections presented and is not responsible for their contents.

If the selection above is hosted by YouTube then after the video plays there will be several links presented to other videos. ISKCON News Weekly has no control over the selections presented and is not responsible for their contents.

1972 February 14: "So as GBC you must see that the highest standards are maintained throughout all the centers. That is our first business."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

1972 February 14: "GBC men should not dictate very much. Tmple presidents should be more managerial, more individual. If we lose individuality what is the point?"
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

1972 February 14: "In this and other matters you have to manage. You have to instruct others so they will not resent - if they resent, how things can be managed?"
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

The youth of ISKCON Toronto cooked and distributed food to the homelesses and distributed the Hare Krishna Maha-mantra.

If the selection above is hosted by YouTube then after the video plays there will be several links presented to other videos. ISKCON News Weekly has no control over the selections presented and is not responsible for their contents.

Kazakhstan, a key U.S. economic partner in Central Asia, has dramatically reversed legislation curtailing religious freedoms after the measure and the jailings and expulsions of two religious activists caused an international outcry. With little explanation, the country's constitutional council announced Wednesday that amendments to a religion law were "inconsistent" with Kazakhstan's constitution.

Kazakhstan's Constitutional Council announced on 11 February that the restrictive "Law on Amendments and Additions to Several Legislative Acts on Questions of Freedom of Conscience and Religious Associations" is unconstitutional. Gulnara Baygeldy, the Council's press officer, told Forum 18 News Service from the capital Astana on 12 February that "now the President [Nursultan Nazarbaev] should decide to agree or disagree with us within 10 days.

“I especially wanted to stay in India for this Mayapur Celebration. Such festivals should be held very grandly. So I think you should plan that we shall definitely be coming to Mayapur and hold a grand festival there for Lord Caitanya’s Appearance day celebration”- Srila Prabhupada ( 21/1/72 Bombay-Jayapataka Maharaja)

read more

1967 February 14 : "I have postponed your journey. Your absence is not advisable while I am not there. I think the ship Jaladuta must be reaching New York by this time. Please take care of the bill of Lading for clearing the Mrdangas."
Letters :: 1967

1969 February 14 : "Medicine is not the remedial measure. Ultimately we have to depend on the mercy of Krishna. So we should chant regularly, pray and if required, consult some approved physician."
Letters :: 1969

1970 February 14 : "The Spiritual Sky is far away, but you just try to do it. Wherever Rathayatra is performed, it is not different from the Spiritual Sky."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1970

1973 February 14 : "Reach a conclusion amongst yourselves and then present it for my sanction. In this way I will be free to concentrate on my translation of Srimad Bhagavatam."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1973

1973 February 14 : "There is no need for us to directly attack these charlatans but simply by this distribution of books the sunlight of Krishna consciousness will prevail."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1973

1973 February 14 : "Your proposal for organizing the college programs is first class. All programs must go on but it is a fact this book distribution program is very, very important."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1973

1972 February 14: "In this and other matters you have to manage. You have to instruct others so they will not resent - if they resent, how things can be managed?"
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

1972 February 14: "GBC men should not dictate very much. Tmple presidents should be more managerial, more individual. If we lose individuality what is the point?"
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

1972 February 14: "So as GBC you must see that the highest standards are maintained throughout all the centers. That is our first business."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

Does your Pepsi lack pep? Is your Coke not the real thing? India's Hindu nationalist movement apparently has the answer: a new soft drink made from cow urine. The bovine brew is in the final stages of development by the Cow Protection Department of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), India's biggest and oldest Hindu nationalist group, according to the man who makes it.

The U.S. Religious Landscape Survey finds that more than one-in-four (27%) American adults who are married or living with a partner are in religiously mixed relationships. If people from different Protestant denominational families are included - for example, a marriage between a Methodist and a Lutheran - nearly four-in-ten (37%) couples are religiously mixed.

Prague, Taichi akademie

Could a natural rhythm - which some experts believe we all possess - be a cure for a variety of health problems? Some certainly think so. Musician Simon Lee, from Kent, is called on to teach drumming to patients with problems ranging from addiction to autism, and learning difficulties to mental health issues.

Watching our car being towed away by the American Automobile Association or triple A as it is commonly referred to, I was thinking how in our own devotional life we are each bestowed with association of the AAA. The AAA is best known for its emergency services, it also guides us to our destination by way of road maps and even offers insurance facilities. Likewise, in the journey of life Krishna

The other day when our flight was landing in Dallas the stewardess made an announcement over the airplane's public address system wishing us all a great day. I appreciated her announcement and I certainly did have a great day. But I was thinking that in this Krishna consciousness movement we have something more than a great day to offer people. We are...

Eating meat and dairy products may increase the risk of prostate cancer, research suggests. Such a diet raises levels of a hormone called Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 (IGF-1) which promotes cell growth.

1969 February 13: "In London a report was published with the heading, KRISHNA CHANT STARTLES LONDON. So you shall also try to startle Germany with the Krishna chant. That should be our main program."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1969

1972 February 13: "As GBC you should see the standard is perfectly maintained. Neglecting the principles means neglecting Krishna's order. These regulative principles are our life, if they are not respected then the whole thing is finished."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

1972 February 13: "Unless one is perfectly behaved, he cannot teach others. All the GBC should be strictly to the standard, and see that others are also following them. Then our centers will be well-managed."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

Initiation Lecture - SB 1.1.3 Drink Srimad Bhagavatam through ears.

Brahma Samhita

By Ananda Tirtha das

The 2009 Annual General Meeting of ISKCON's Governing Body Commission commenced with arati and guru-puja kirtana to Srila Prabhupada, who is present in murti form in the meeting hall. Apart from the large murti, this year there is a small murti of Srila Prabhupada fixed on a beautiful altar near the Chairman's seat. After the reading of Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.9.16, Ramai Swami, Chairman, began the proceedings by explaining the absence of several members, mostly due to health issues. He also gave a brief summary of the Executive Committee's work during the year.

It is necessary that you call on Him, loudly uttering the maha-mantra. When you loudly recite Sri Krishna's names and keep track of the number of times that they are uttered, then all evils are steadily overcome and lethargy vanishes with all of its concomitant defects. At that time even persons who are of an antagonistic nature, apathetic to Hari, will be forced to give up their mockery. "Those who come to scoff will remain to pray" with you.

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura.

>From Sri Chaitanya's Teachings p. 128

In my location, 14 Feb 09 is the appearance anniversary of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura.

I wish I was in pangs of separation for Krishna, but unfortunately I am just not that elevated; however I am very much in feelings of separation of some wonderful devotees. This time last year I was having a fantastic time, surrounded by friends, aromas of good food and transandental sound vibrations of the holy names. Perfect. Unfortunately [...]

Last night at Stanford there was a screening of the documentary Why We Fight, it is well done and the people who organized the event were sincere but I couldn't help but feel they were missing a significant piece of the puzzle, the spiritual piece. There was a discussion afterward, I couldn't stay for the whole discussion but I did say my piece in a very brief form, when I got home I wrote out my thoughts a little more in depth. Here they are,

Why We Fight

You can’t be against the wars in the Middle East and live a petroleum based lifestyle. At least not in any significantly meaningful way.

The artificially high standard of living that we enjoy as Americans, most of Western Europe, and a select few in the developing world is because others in the world are living at a lower standard of living. People in developed nations consume more resources than the land in their countries can produce. That means that they are consuming resources from other countries. That means the people in those countries are deprived of those resources. Although it is blatantly obvious this is a fact that most people are not willing to admit.

It is easy to blame the war on Bush, or Cheney or Rumsfeld, or groups of elite think tanks like the council on foreign relations or project for a new American century dictating American foreign policy, or on corrupt members of congress who didn’t have the moral integrity to stand up for what they knew to be right. But if we really want to know why we fight we have to look deeper than that, we have to look in a place that we might not have suspected, we have to look at ourselves.

As long as we can blame someone else than we free ourselves from any guilt or responsibility, but if we are willing to be brave and look into the depths our own soul we might be ashamed and appalled at what we find. We might find that the thing we most hate we secretly harbor in our own hearts. That we are more like Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfeld than we would like to admit. Or at the very least we are a willing co-conspirator in the plot. That we willingly close our eyes to reality: to the reality that most of the world lives in abject poverty, conditions that we would find intolerable, we willingly close our eyes to the fact that our lifestyle depends on cheap goods manufactured in other countries by what could only be described as salve labor, that our diet is destroying the planet and causing untold suffering to humans and animals, that our petroleum based lifestyle is the direct cause of the war in Iraq, and the countless other war that the United States, Britain, and the rest of developed world have been involved in over the past century.

Then we might understand why Christ said “It is easier for camel to pass through the eye of a needle than a rich man to enter heaven.”

Throughout the ages saints have called us to give up meaningless pursuit material possessions, which are obtained by enslaving and exploiting other people which don’t even bring any happiness anyways, live a simple life based on devotion to God and accepting the basic necessities of life for survival.

When we remove God from our lives we try to find meaning in material possessions and ambitions. The sublimation of the soul’s original love of God can never provide the satisfaction that we seek, and therefore we strive in vain to posses more and more. But no matter how much we conquer, posses or control it is never enough. John D. Rockefeller was once asked, “How much money does it take to be happy.” And his response was, “A little more than one has.” Money, material possessions, power, sex, and anything else of this world can never provide any real satisfaction to the self. Rather they only make one more and more frustrated which leads one to ever more desperate attempts to gain happiness and meaning through the material. The only way out of the vicious cycle is to realize that we our spiritual in nature and that we can only be satisfied with spiritual things. And thus being satisfied we will no longer hanker after the temporary.

A society that doesn’t recognize that our fundamental nature is spiritual is bound to fall into the trap of materialism which naturally leads to the conflict over scarce resources. The only hope for peace in world is a global awakening of spiritual consciousness. An awareness that we are spiritual, that we are part of God, that we are all eternal servants of God and that the only way we can find true happiness in meaning in life is by connecting to God. Rejecting God we are cursed to constant war and strife.

Why do we fight? Because we have forgotten God and we have forgotten ourselves our spirit beings.

When we reawaken to our spiritual identity we can experience real satisfaction that has nothing to do with the material possessions of this world, then we can throw off the shackle of materialism, and then we can truly say in a meaningful way that we are against the war in Iraq and every other war, and every other violation of fundamental human rights.

This is so important for anyone interested in social justice but it is infinitely more important for those interested in God and the kingdom of God.

Why is it easier for a camel to pass through the eye of needle than a rich man to enter heaven?

Because without compassion for our brothers and sisters there is little meaning to belief in God. The practical test of whether one loves God with all one’s heart and soul is how one loves thy neighbor as thyself. There is little meaning to compassion as long as we enjoy at our neighbors expense, or we live comfortably while they suffer lacking the basic necessities of life. That is why saints throughout history have given up all material possessions and lived as beggars, lived as poorest of the poor, because in that way they could truly experience the deepest level of compassion for all of humanity, they understood that as long as we cling to any material possessions our gestures of compassion are not complete, as long we have a higher standard of living than anyone else the flow of our compassion will be hindered and they knew that without this level of universal compassion that any expressions of devotion would ultimately be empty and hollow.

The bovine brew is in the final stages of development by the Cow Protection Department of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), India’s biggest and oldest Hindu nationalist group, according to the man who makes it.

Om Prakash, the head of the department, said the drink – called “gau jal”, or “cow water” – in Sanskrit was undergoing laboratory tests and would be launched “very soon, maybe by the end of this year”.

“Don’t worry, it won’t smell like urine and will be tasty too,” he told The Times from his headquarters in Hardwar, one of four holy cities on the River Ganges. “Its USP will be that it’s going to be very healthy. It won’t be like carbonated drinks and would be devoid of any toxins.”

The drink is the latest attempt by the RSS – which was founded in 1925 and now claims eight million members – to cleanse India of foreign influence and promote its ideology of Hindutva, or Hindu-ness.

Hindus revere cows and slaughtering them is illegal in most of India. Cow dung is traditionally used as a fuel and disinfectant in villages, while cow urine and dung are often consumed in rituals to “purify” those on the bottom rungs of the Hindu caste system.

In 2001, the RSS and its offshoots – which include the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party – began promoting cow urine as a cure for ailments ranging from liver disease to obesity and even cancer.

The movement has often been accused of using more violent methods, such as killing 67 Christians in the eastern state of Orissa last year, and assaulting women in a pub in Mangalore last month. It also has a history of targeting foreign business in India, as in 1994, when it organised a nationwide boycott of multinational consumer goods, including Pepsi and Coca Cola.

The cola brands are popular in India, now one of their biggest markets, but have struggled in recent years to shake off allegations, which they deny, that they contain dangerous levels of pesticide.

Mr Prakash said his drink, by contrast, was made mainly of cow urine, mixed with a few medicinal and ayurvedic herbs. He said it would be “cheap”, but declined to give further details about its price or ingredients until it was officially launched.

He insisted, however, that it would be able to compete with the American cola brands, even with their enormous advertising budgets. “We’re going to give them good competition as our drink is good for mankind,” he said. “We may also think of exporting it.”

Posted in Cows and Environment

Today is Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura's appearance day and one of the most important quotes I remember from him in one of the lectures I heard on japa is that chanting must be heart deep and not only with the lips like something mechanical - in other words, chanting with the heart is our goal.

We had an interesting ice breaker at SOAS last week. I asked everyone to introduce themselves and also cite a piece of wisdom that has guided their life. It was amazing to see how universal spiritual ideas and concepts are, spanning cultures across the world.

One religious extreme we often come across is the idea that there is only one way. The idea that spirituality and God consciousness can only be experienced through a certain path and practice. Seeing so many spiritually advanced people from so many diverse traditions, such ideas never made much sense. How can one tradition have a monopoly over all spirituality? God, thankfully, is not a religious fanatic.

The other extreme, however, is to see all traditions as completely identical. Proponents claim that it doesn't matter what you follow, since everyone will end up in the same place eventually. This 'new age' approach may do wonders for PR, but logically and philosophically has no foundation. We clearly see differences in terms of detailed knowledge of the spiritual reality.

The Vedas outline that there is a unity in diversity. If one is able to go beyond ritualistic, cultural and often superficial differences between religious teachings, at the very essence of each message is the same core principles. However, there is a progression of thought amongst these traditions, each with a different emphasis, and each approaching God with varying levels of intimacy.

By Matsyavatara Dasa

Nowadays, various forms of Yoga are known the world over. In numerous cases however, Yoga has been reduced to its physical aspect (asanas or postures), with scarce knowledge of its ancient original tradition, as well as its true meaning and objective. There are actually few individuals who can apply this ancient science in its globality, aware of the physical technology it has developed in thousands of years.

Yoga is based upon the wisdom of the Vedas, which reveal the secrets of the universe and of the conscience; by its inner-self technology, one can regain a real and everlasting wellness, and ultimately realize the spiritual and immortal nature of the one’s real self.

Not an escape from the world

Traditional ancient Indian literature contains elevated teachings of philosophy and psychology, but the chore is about the art of living: learning how to move in the world and relate to the creation and its creatures in a right and harmonic way. Indian sages have indicated this attitude, encompassing the spheres of thinking, feeling and acting, by the word Yoga, from the Sanskrit root yuj, which means “to join, unite, put in contact”. This contact or union, which becomes communion at the highest levels, is between the infinitesimal atman and the Supreme Being Paramatman. Yoga could be compared to a bridge joining the human and the divine dimension. Like all authentic spiritual paths, it is not an escape from the world, nor a contingent flattening, but utilizes all the physical and psychological instruments available to emancipate the creature from the limits and sufferings of the conditioned existence, and to re-discover its essence. In the view of ancient Indian thought, the imminent and the transcendent dimensions touch each other, they are an integrated extension of one another.

Yoga utilizes all the physical and mental instruments of the individual, to obtain emancipation from limits and existential sufferings.

Spirit and Matter

The material world is not in antithesis to the spiritual world. The universe is conscience in expansion; ultimately, matter is energy and its source transcends the physical dimension, while at the same time it sustains and pervades that same reality. In this stimulating perspective, the world appears as a gigantic, charming laboratory, in which the spiritual and therefore eternal individual experiences repeated joys and pains, successes and defeats , births and deaths, searching for his real identity. The veritable disease of the West is the unilateral concentration on what is external to the subject, the neglect for studies on the person and his vital necessities, which in reality extend much beyond psycho-physical needs. Once the individual discovers his place in the universe and his relationship to creation, creatures and Creator, he can again enter the dimension described by the Vedas as "overflowing with light and bliss", already during his earthly experience. Yoga is a term mentioned numerous times in the main Indian books (Veda, Bhagavad-Gita, Bhagavata Purana, and Upanishads) and in many other important works of classic Indian literature. Through the science of Yoga, the individual can participate in his real immortal nature and again draw from that inexhaustible reserve of knowledge, consciousness, and bliss which belongs to him. This realization mitigates or eliminates existential ailments, not only related to the physical body, but mostly to mental and moral sufferings.

The techniques

The most ancient forms of Yoga are found in the Veda Samhitas,specifically in the Rigveda, conventionally considered the most ancient book that humanity has knowledge of. For instance, mentions are made of mantrayoga, based on the inner and outer recitation of mantras (mantra meditation), which illuminates the deep areas of the unconscious and allows entrance to a higher level of consciousness. Among the Upanishads, 11 are explicitly dedicated to Yoga, and are in fact called Yoga Upanishads. They explain the postures or asanas, the respiration techniques or pranayama, and the ultimate goal of these ancient practices: re-establishing the forgotten relationship with the Supreme Being. They also analyze the various phases of yoga and emphasize the importance of the active process of concentration, which gives the possibility to eliminate false identifications and breaks the chains that tie to samsara, the cycle of repeated births and deaths. A relevant treatise on Yoga is found in the Bhagavata Purana, where Krishna describes to his devotee and friend Uddhava the logic meditation, by which it is possible to develop awareness of the self and of the cosmic Being, and to restore the harmony between the self and the universe, man and God.

Spiritual realization

In the Bhagavad git,a Krishna utilizes the term Yoga to indicate the perfect action, illuminated and illuminating, the one leading to a secure result, in respect of the law and support to the cosmos. The same term is used to define equanimity and balance, among the main characteristics of the evolved spiritual person. In chapter 6 of the Bhagavad-gita, which can be rightly considered a psychology treaty by itself, Krishna enounces a series of Yoga doctrines that correspond to the ones described by Patanjali in his Yogasutras. The requirements for those who are seriously interested in developing a complete knowledge of Yoga are basically two:

• Jijnasa, the intense wish for knowledge. The ideal student focuses his attention only on the Supreme objective, on the solution to existential problems, and abandons the superficial research and dispersion on thousands of different objects.

• Abhyasa, dedication, constant practice; the attitude that reserves the necessary resources and energy to the study of the self.

The Brahmasutras, another text referring to Yoga, says: Icchami Brahman, “I’m longing for Brahman”, I wish for spiritual realization: the yearning, the will, are fundamental, because to obtain good results in Yoga, it is necessary to exercise control on the senses, to dominate the mind and at the same time receive its petitions and demands without denying them. This teaching was already stated by Patanjali, thousands of years before the repression theory elaborated by Western psychological science.

Naturally, the major reference to Yoga remains Patanjali’s Sutras; they explain that the preliminary preparation to yoga practice is the ethic aspect, which cannot be disregarded. Yoga consists of three interacting phases: rigorous consistency, study of one’s self from the psychological and spiritual perspectives, and finally the rejoining with the cosmic divine order and with God. This will first reduce and then completely eliminate the sufferings from the so called material existence, allowing the person to find its perfect balance and original harmony.

A true psychological auto-analysis

Sufferings (klesha) are of four origins: ignorance of one’s spiritual nature, identification with the ego and its multiple manifestations , the fatal and inseparable pair of attraction and repulsion, and the phobic terror of death, resulting from the attachments to certain life conditions and from the conviction that the individual will die with the body.

Becoming conscious of the origin of suffering through an in-depth psychological auto-analysis is the first step to reduce its manifestations, but its trails, the seeds at the bottom of conscience, can disappear only at the end of a serious and constant work done by the individual on himself, with the help of verified elaboration and meditation techniques. Our present experience, the circumstances and situations we live in, are the consequences of our past actions, pertaining to this life or to previous existential vicissitudes. In this context, conflicts arise mostly from the error of identifying the inner witness, the self, with the object of perception, which belongs to the external world and, in varying degrees, carries the imprint of the three qualities of nature, called gunas: harmony, energy, inertia. This wrong identification is a serious obstacle, because it hinders the perception of truth. The error comes from the witness ignoring its ontological nature, therefore the person is invited to take a route towards mental decontamination and conscience evolution through the famous 8 Yoga phases, which are: abstentions, observances, postures, breath control, introspection, concentration, meditation and samadhi or absorption in Reality.

The starting point is obviously the condition of our ordinary conscience, where the mind is restless and agitated by mental dynamics which are hard to eradicate; but the science of Yoga, if practiced seriously and with the assistance of an expert, allows you to take over the helm of your life and eliminate emotional blocks and complexes. We can thus regain height towards the enlightened peaks of conscience since, as Durkheim says, the real success in mental activity is to surpass ourselves.

The constant practice of yoga techniques allows you to take over the helm of your life and eliminate emotional blocks and complexes.

1966 February 13 : "Today the whole day was raining. Talked with Mr Mukherji by telephone also with Mrs J. K. Banerjee correspondent of Hindusthan Standard. No Expenditure"
Journal :: 1966

1968 February 13 : "I am your servant also, so I cannot accept service from you, or from any of my disciples. I accept service from my disciples only on behalf of Krishna."
Letters :: 1968

1968 February 13 : "Any one who accepts this philosophy of God's Mercy in suffering conditions, and still makes progress in Krishna Consciousness, he is sure to go back to Home, Back to Godhead"
Letters :: 1968

1969 February 13 : "It is very nice that you wish to remain brahmacari. Actually it doesn't matter if one is householder or brahmacari. Sincerity of purpose is the only qualification for Krishna Consciousness."
Letters :: 1969

1972 February 13 : "Impressive but not repressive - that is the system. Please institute these most important principles but do it so that people will not go away."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

1972 February 13: "Unless one is perfectly behaved, he cannot teach others. All the GBC should be strictly to the standard, and see that others are also following them. Then our centers will be well-managed."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

1972 February 13: "As GBC you should see the standard is perfectly maintained. Neglecting the principles means neglecting Krishna's order. These regulative principles are our life, if they are not respected then the whole thing is finished."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

1969 February 13: "In London a report was published with the heading, KRISHNA CHANT STARTLES LONDON. So you shall also try to startle Germany with the Krishna chant. That should be our main program."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1969

The definition of a devotee is based on two simple premises in my opinion. First, a devotee recognizes the authority of God as the supreme proprietor and controller of the world and of himself. Second, he or she understands their own distressed and spiritually impoverished condition in relation to God. Before we can recognize our oneness with the Lord, we need to recognize our smallness. By recognizing our smallness, we also see the oneness of all jivas with God which leads us to offer them profound respect.

Respect is not lip-deep or a misty new age projection. It is a profound regards for other jivas that creates a feeling of heartfelt compassion for their suffering. No one can love another jiva or be in a position to guide them or save them, without first having basic respect for them. You cannot be a guru, father, mother, husband or leader without respecting those who are depending on you.

Where there is false pride, you will see imitation leadership, bullying and cronyism. The results will not be inspiring. Love and devotion will be conspicuous by their absence. The "us and them" mentality will prevail. Disrespect will be the currency of communication.

When we look at the dealings of devotees in all camps, more often than not we see a culture of indifference and disrespect. Everyone attempts to present themselves or their group as self righteously perfect. We hear blatant name calling, condescension, contemptuous language, straw man arguments, guilt by association and twisted logic all over the internet between vaisnavas. And we wonder: are these immodest persons really devotees?

It takes more than theoretical knowledge, semantics and basic faith to be a devotee. Sambhanda, the first stage of bhakti, is not just knowing our eternal relationship with God, but also knowing and acknowledging our separation from God due to our own mistakes. To act with respect and without duplicity towards others is required to pass the entrance exam to bhakti. Spiritual practice (abhidheya) and the goal of life (prayojana), are out of context without sambhanda. Often more harm than good can be done by pretending to practice or to have achieved the goal without experiencing and acting on this foundation of our true position.

If someone praises God without acknowledging their own smallness and inner fallen condition, certainly they are pious, but are they a devotee?

I challenge anyone who claims to be a devotee to first accept their own distressed, miserable condition and acknowledge it publicly. To avoid seeking praise or profit for oneself based on so-called devotion and to genuinely respect others will go a long way to create an atmosphere where a real society of devotees can grow.

Such open hearted behavior is the pillar of success in spiritual life, as expressed in the teaching of Sriman Mahaprabhu: amanina manadena. According to Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati, this advice is the ultimate siddha-pranali mantra. (The mantra for attaining your spiritual body.)

And what about criticism? Is it all right to criticize others for their apparent failings? Or for their misuse of power? The answer is that there is no contradiction between showing respect to others and offering criticism if it is done in a humble spirit. That means we first acknowledge our own responsibility and our own limitations. For example, all of us who participated in Iskcon during the time of Srila Prabhupada, have to share some of the burden for supporting the corruption that took place both during Prabhupada's time and after his departure. We allowed corrupt leaders to control us. Some of the reaction came down on us. We need to proclaim our own mistakes as loudly as we point out the mistakes and misrepresentations of others. No one can claim they were completely innocent victims. And no one will be free from the reactions of their abuse.

The status quo is wanting in every respect. It is shameful what goes on in the name of bhakti and religion. But devotees who call for reform or revolution will never be successful without genuine modesty. This modesty is not to be confused with etiquette. We have all seen how words spoken without sincerity do more harm than good. And we have also seen how artificial submissive behavior creates tyrants!

What is needed is a paradigm shift towards promoting truth without biases or material ambition, a new pattern of honesty without duplicity towards our brothers and sisters, a reprogramming of our personality minus the arrogance and self righteousness. The tendency towards herd mentality, following others blindly, setting up leaders who are themselves imperfect must be overcome. Sober, mature, tolerant, inner focused must be the new standard. Change must come from within.

Without such a shift, we may be able to temporarily impress, persuade or even control others. We may even get some concessions from the established political hierarchy. But in the end, unless we change ourselves, nothing will change. The last laugh will be on us. We shall have to ask ourself at the time of death: what have i done with my life? Why did i hesitate to go deeper? Why did i shortchange my higher purpose for some lesser goal?

I'm afraid the answer to: "who is a devotee?" is still pending for the vast majority of us. We have not yet answered this basic question for ourself and some of us have not even bothered to ask it. Whatever our position, we cannot act for the greater good until we are able to get our own inner house in order. We must stop distracting ourselves by all sorts of things: traveling around without purpose, shouting at each other, jockeying for position, looking for respect or appreciation, giving in to bad habits.

Some of us struggle on in loneliness, thinking about what to do. Anyone who has the chance must make it his necessity to shift egoistic thinking and sacrifice old habits. No shortcuts will work. The state of mind must be simple and lead to kirtan. When we actually find a taste in kirtan, we will probably find that our life is no longer morose, our doubts no longer trouble us and our hopes no longer are in vain.

That is when we can call ourself a devotee. By then, we won't need to call ourselves anything. We will be happy without any designation and feel free amongst the noisy chaos and clamor of the world.

Source: Mayapur.com BY SHYAMAGOPIKA DD MAYAPUR, INDIA - A community hall for the resident devotees in Mayapur was inaugurated in a colorful function on 11th Feb.09. HH Radhanath Swami, HH Umapati Swami, HH Bhakti Raghava Swami, HH Bhakti Purusottama Swami, HG Visuddha sattva prabhu participated in the inaugural ceremony and blessed the activities of Mayapur Community Sevaks. [...]

Recently on Skype Japa we discussed the importance of making our Japa the No.1 priority in our lives...it's easy to see how Japa is the cornerstone of our spiritual life and has a flow on effect into the rest of our sadhana and the rest of our day. Like a building has a cornerstone that supports the rest of the structure...so too Japa is the cornerstone of our spiritual life that supports the other areas of sadhana etc. If the cornerstone is strong, the rest is strong. Here is a nice quote to illustrate the importance of making Japa a priority:

Source: JPsoffice.com Mumbai, INDIA - Due to Ivesvara and Teja Gaurangi’s inspiration, on the day of Lord Nityananda we prepared a little sketch for GM of the pastime when Lord Gauranga met Lord Nityananda for the first time. Teja and I, started practicing one hour before, it was very exciting, we were both very nervous and we [...]

By Mayapur.tv

The Mercy of Pancha-Tattva Within Everyone's Reach. Six fancy cameras have been installed in the temple room with a high-speed internet connection. A broadcasting/mixing room has been constructed and a film crew have come from the UK to film around the campus

The following is a Śrīmad Bhāgavatam class given by H.H. Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja at ISKCON Ujjain.

To download the lecture, right click on the download link and choose either “Save link as” or “Save target as”

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 3.9.23 - Chapter 9: Brahmā’s Prayers for Creative Energy

The following is a Śrīmad Bhāgavatam class given by H.H. Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja at ISKCON Ujjain. To download the lecture, right click on the download link and choose either ldquo;Save link asrdquo; or ldquo;Save target asrdquo; Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 3.9.23 - Chapter 9: Brahmārsquo;s Prayers for Creative Energy

Dear Lord, all the great sages who are thoughtful and saintly persons incessantly recount Your spiritual qualities. These sages have already burned up all the unlimited dirty things and, by the fire of knowledge, strengthened their detachment from the material world. Thus they have attained Your qualities and are self-satisfied. Yet even for those who feel spiritual bliss in chanting Your attributes, Your personal presence is very rare.

Srimad Bhagavatam - Canto 5 Chapter 3 Verse 11

Plesse accept my humble obeisances All glories to Srila Prabhupada

Some stories for the pleasure of the devotees..

I was in Liverpool, a western suburb known for its drugs and crime. I saw one middle aged lady covered in tattoos and and piercings, she looked miserable and run down, so I thought what a perfect recipient for Lord Caitanyas mercy. I stopped her to show the books she glared at me and scrunched her face like she just saw a dead body. She said Naa!Naa! and briskly paced away. about ten minute later I see her again, but this time she was accompanied by a rough looking man with a his muscles bulging out form his sleeveless shirt. He looked at me angrily and shouted for me to come and see him, making gestures with his arms. I thought, oh no what have I got myself into now? As I was intensely praying to Lord Nrsimhadeva he quickly walked right up to my face, clenching his fist and asking me why I was talking to his girlfriend. In all humility I said that I was a religious monk showing people books about God. At that moment his whole demeanour changed and he began to act like a baby. His tone immediately changed and asked me how much the books were. he gave ten dollars and I handed him the Krsna book. His girlfriend came up to us scornful and asking this man what he was doing, she was shocked. The man yelled and cursed her and said, "I knew you brought me here for a reason". He grabbed her by the arms and waved back at me with a Krsna book wedged between his arms as he walked away...

Again at Liverpool it was blazing over thirty degrees and I was excessively tired from the heat. I was cooling down outside the shop doorways with air conditioning. I had to sit down half a dozen times already that day just to get over from the heat. I was thinking how am I going to get the energy to go on for the rest of the day. I tried to muster up some enthusiasm and stopped one gentleman in a suit, he was friendly and very interested he didn't have any money because he had left it in his office. He asked me to walk with him so he could give a donation. So I walked back to his office and it turns out that he was the regional manager for the Common wealth bank. We walked through a few glass doors and he sat me down on a luxurious couch in his air conditioned office. I thought, this is just what I needed. So, he said lets examine these books more closely. I displayed all the books I had on his desk, Bhagavad Gita, Krsna book, Srimad Bhagavatam and various small books. He asked questions about Krsna consciousness for half an hour and with in our conversation I found out that he was actually a Muslim but very interested in philosophy and theology. He was impressed with Srila Prabhupadas books and we established that the Koran and the Bhagavad gita both teach a universal and personal existence of one God and that Krsna is another name for Allah. He shook my hand and gave a donation for a small set of books. he personally walked me outside the bank and gave me his card with his contact details. I waved goodbye some what rejuvenated from the terrible heat.

Towards the end of the marathon one boy stopped me outside the Sydney central railway station. He said, "do you remember me? You tried to stop me three weeks ago and I just walked by. I was feeling very bad for not talking to you, many things had happened to me and Ive actually been contemplating more about life." He said that he was praying to God to show him the purpose of life. One day he found a peculiar blue book called the the "Science of self Realization" someone had left at his work. He began to read it and was convinced by Srila Prabhupadas preaching, his new years resolution was to follow the four regulative principles. He bought the Bhagavad Gita from our second meeting. Recently he came to Govindas and to the ashram, he likes to chant and is very submissive towards the books. He's a young Fijian Indian boy working full time as a supervisor for an arcade. Hes also a stand up comedian and was on television several times, now hes reading Prabhupadas books to find out how he can get people to laugh at the futility of material existence.

hope this meets you in good health;

Ys Hrman Krsna das (Text D:173530) --------------------------------------------

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

Plesse accept my humble obeisances All glories to Srila Prabhupada

Some stories for the pleasure of the devotees..

I was in Liverpool, a western suburb known for its drugs and crime. I saw one middle aged lady covered in tattoos and and piercings, she looked miserable and run down, so I thought what a perfect recipient for Lord Caitanyas mercy. I stopped her to show the books she glared at me and scrunched her face like she just saw a dead body. She said Naa!Naa! and briskly paced away. about ten minute later I see her again, but this time she was accompanied by a rough looking man with a his muscles bulging out form his sleeveless shirt. He looked at me angrily and shouted for me to come and see him, making gestures with his arms. I thought, oh no what have I got myself into now? As I was intensely praying to Lord Nrsimhadeva he quickly walked right up to my face, clenching his fist and asking me why I was talking to his girlfriend. In all humility I said that I was a religious monk showing people books about God. At that moment his whole demeanour changed and he began to act like a baby. His tone immediately changed and asked me how much the books were. he gave ten dollars and I handed him the Krsna book. His girlfriend came up to us scornful and asking this man what he was doing, she was shocked. The man yelled and cursed her and said, "I knew you brought me here for a reason". He grabbed her by the arms and waved back at me with a Krsna book wedged between his arms as he walked away...

Again at Liverpool it was blazing over thirty degrees and I was excessively tired from the heat. I was cooling down outside the shop doorways with air conditioning. I had to sit down half a dozen times already that day just to get over from the heat. I was thinking how am I going to get the energy to go on for the rest of the day. I tried to muster up some enthusiasm and stopped one gentleman in a suit, he was friendly and very interested he didn't have any money because he had left it in his office. He asked me to walk with him so he could give a donation. So I walked back to his office and it turns out that he was the regional manager for the Common wealth bank. We walked through a few glass doors and he sat me down on a luxurious couch in his air conditioned office. I thought, this is just what I needed. So, he said lets examine these books more closely. I displayed all the books I had on his desk, Bhagavad Gita, Krsna book, Srimad Bhagavatam and various small books. He asked questions about Krsna consciousness for half an hour and with in our conversation I found out that he was actually a Muslim but very interested in philosophy and theology. He was impressed with Srila Prabhupadas books and we established that the Koran and the Bhagavad gita both teach a universal and personal existence of one God and that Krsna is another name for Allah. He shook my hand and gave a donation for a small set of books. he personally walked me outside the bank and gave me his card with his contact details. I waved goodbye some what rejuvenated from the terrible heat.

Towards the end of the marathon one boy stopped me outside the Sydney central railway station. He said, "do you remember me? You tried to stop me three weeks ago and I just walked by. I was feeling very bad for not talking to you, many things had happened to me and Ive actually been contemplating more about life." He said that he was praying to God to show him the purpose of life. One day he found a peculiar blue book called the the "Science of self Realization" someone had left at his work. He began to read it and was convinced by Srila Prabhupadas preaching, his new years resolution was to follow the four regulative principles. He bought the Bhagavad Gita from our second meeting. Recently he came to Govindas and to the ashram, he likes to chant and is very submissive towards the books. He's a young Fijian Indian boy working full time as a supervisor for an arcade. Hes also a stand up comedian and was on television several times, now hes reading Prabhupadas books to find out how he can get people to laugh at the futility of material existence.

hope this meets you in good health;

Ys Hrman Krsna das (Text D:173530) --------------------------------------------

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

The other day I read an article about a Brigham Young University information pack on evolution.

Personally I resonated more with the presentation given by the Presbyterians and Catholics than by the Hare Krishna representative, Caru das.

Now, as a caveat: I recognise that I am reading an article written by someone else summarising the situation. Also, Caru is speaking to a particular audience with this, and it's not me. However, I'm going to go ahead and use this as an example, in the interests of discussion and dialogue, and not as anything personally directed at Caru (my comment at the end is tongue-in-cheek). Having said that...

The Presbyterians and Catholics basically said that if it didn't involve a foundational principle of their faith, they could accomodate it. As far as evolution is concerned their position is that life comes from life, not from dull matter, but after that evolution may occur, and they are open to empirical evidence either way.

According to the article, the Hare Krishna, Caru das, outright denied evolution as a possibility, stating:

“Evolution is a myth. There is no evidence to support it.”

To me, that's a problematic position to take.

From Madhava Ghosh's post Ten signs of Intellectual Honesty

6. Demonstrate consistency. A clear sign of intellectual dishonesty is when someone extensively relies on double standards. Typically, an excessively high standard is applied to the perceived opponent(s), while a very low standard is applied to the ideologues’ allies.

In this case, Caru das' position is that there is no evidence to support evolution, therefore it is a myth. Or more precisely: it is a myth, therefore there is no evidence to support it.

At the same time, if he is to fly the Hare Krishna flag at full mast he believes in "flying mountains". And where is the evidence for those?

If "no evidence = myth" is consistently applied to that, then...?

At the same time there *is* empirical evidence for evolution, certainly more than there is for flying mountains. Take for example the recently concluded 20 year study that examined 30,000 generations of a bacteria, and observed distinct evolutionary changes through mutation. An article on Ars Technica examines the reaction of Christian conservatives to that research: Bacteria evolve; Conservapedia demands recount.

When I read about research like that I don't find myself having to fanatically reject it or else become an atheist. I think to myself: "What great intelligence has created such a system that life forms evolve in this way? How majestic and mind boggling. God does not act like a bigger version of a human creator, fashioning animal species from clay. Instead he lays the principles of the universe and lets them work naturally. He is orders of magnitude removed."

One pithy explanation of the way in which God is ultimately in control, yet we bear responsibility for our lives is that "God is the architect of the universal system, but we are the authors of our own destiny."

In Bhagavad-gita Krishna explains both that material nature is the source of all bodies, and that he is the seed-giving father.

So I don't see that the research that these scientists have done, and the findings that they report contradict this. As I discussed it with a friend at work he said to me: "Science has no definition for life. It's problematic. We can't define what life is."

The genetic expression (the bodies) of living entities *does* mutuate and evolve over time, as demonstrated in this research, but again we come back to the point: the difference between spirit and matter.

How does the living force come into contact with the bodies, being so expertly produced by the material nature? That's the area where science leaves off, and we pick up.

Richard Dawkins reacts strongly to the imposition of religious thought into the scientific process. Science started out as the enemy of religion. It was the philosophical system that enabled a social revolution that broke the political strangehold of the church. Established religion tried to maintain its power in society by attacking science. However, science has demonstrated itself to be valid as far as it goes. However, while it excels in the empirical area, it does not extend into the metaphysical.

If we can stop trying to defeat science in areas where it is valid, we can be more rigorous about not allowing science to impose itself into the metaphysical arena. Scientific atheism is a reaction to religious fundamentalism. It's throwing out the baby with the bathwater. The more fundamentalist religious representatives become, the more atheistic scientists will become.

The solution to this impasse is to recognize the strengths and contribution of each - "the lame man and the blind man".

Unless, of course, you get funding from the Mormons, in which case you should preach something close to their doctrine in your local area to be practical.... ;-)

What do you think?

I'm currently working on an apologetic pamphlet to hand out on harinam this year. [read about Christian apologetics on wikipedia]

The working title is: "What do Hare Krishnas think about...?"

The format is to tackle significant contemporary concerns using this question - issues like the environment, financial crisis, the meaning of life, evolution, etc...

I'll also include a section at the end that talks about external aspects like tilak, clothing, etc. However, I didn't want it to be defensive, but rather pro-active. That's why I want to demonstrate that we have answers to questions that people have about life, not just about "the Hare Krishnas".

One commenter on my blog (anonymous) said:

Please check with your local GBC before publishing any booklet to make sure that some of your opinions are actually representative of the teachings and movement of His Divine Grace Srila A.C. Bhaktivendanta Swami Prabhupad and not that of something else, a yoga club or whatever your tendencies and affiliations are.

I replied with: "I have three GBCs. They all have their own opinions. Which one should I take?"

In one sense I was being flippant. I am not a fan of anonymous comments, especially ones that use anonymity to cast aspersions.

In another sense, however, I was pointing out the fact that ISKCON is a diverse society with many different viewpoints within it. Any realistic presentation of "the Hare Krishnas" should present that, rather than an artificial homogeneity.

Different devotees have different things to say.

Notice the subtle but important difference between:

What do the Hare Krishnas have to say about...?
and
What do Hare Krishnas have to say about...?

I will be passing my pamphlet by a number of persons for their feedback before publishing it. I don't expect to be able to completely satisfy everyone, but I do expect to get valuable insights and guidance.

Religious or philosophical revolutions cannot be divorced from social revolutions.

The other day Steven Rosen published a piece on Buddha from a Vaisnava perspective (only available to Facebook members at this point). It's the classic narrative that explains that the Vedic brahmanas as a class had become degraded. These brahmanas were performing many sacrifices in order to consume the flesh of the animals. Therefore Lord Vishnu incarnated (in the form of a saktyavesa-avatara, or empowerment of a human being) as Buddha.

A side point with a tip of the hat to Kripamoya prabhu. First of all, someone (for example, a modern anthropologist) may attempt to cast this as using a sectarian meta-narrative to ascribe everything to the tribal Hindu Deity Vishnu. "Jesus? Oh yeah, a saktyavesa-avatara of Vishnu!" It's an easy strategy to adopt and use to "embrace, extend, and extinguish" other religions.

However, as a counter to this - if the Supreme Lord does exist, then everything is part of his scene, whatever you want to call Him. And actually, Hare Krishnas don't even think that Vishnu is the Supreme - they believe that Vishnu himself is an incarnation. In this analysis of Buddha as "an incarnation of Vishnu" "Vishnu" is a employed in a more generic sense meaning "the Supreme Lord", rather than the Hindu Deity Vishnu (who is another incarnation of that "Vishnu" who empowers Buddha) . So it's not some kind of sectarian chauvinism to interpret Buddha in this way.

So we have a narrative in which everything is part of the big plan of the Supreme Lord. It's not a sectarian narrative, it's the meta-narrative of theism.

Leaving that point aside, to focus on the social aspect of Buddha's revolution, which modern anthropologists, sociologists and devotees can agree on:

What gave Buddhism the ability to spread the way it did was a large group of socially disaffected people who were ready for another grand narrative, one that they could rally around to change their social situation. Buddhism provided exactly that.

These people were oppressed under the rule of the Brahmans. Buddhism provided them with a socially liberating philosophy, much more egalitarian than the rigid caste system.

This social precondition can be interpreted as historical coincidence or part of the divine plan, nevertheless, it existed, and its discontent powered the spread of Buddhism.

A similarly socially disenfranchised, disaffected, and discontent sector was responsible for the spread of the Hare Krishna movement in the 60s and 70s.

The spread of early Christianity similarly took place among the socially disenfranchised.

Modern science rose to its present prominence in a similar way. It is a philosophical system that enabled social revolution around the world, breaking the social and political stranglehold of the Church. Its political counterpart, liberal democracy, is designed to create an egalitarian state that does away with the rigid stratification of feudalism.

This is an important point to understand:

Science as a philosophy is an enabler for social revolution against the oppression of a ruling religious elite.

God is not the enemy of science. People who try to rule oppressively in the name of God are.

Religion and Science are not incompatible. They are complimentary. Science addresses "how?", in a powerful way. Religion answers the question "why?"

Religious Fundamentalism, however, is incompatible with Science.

Religious Fundamentalism is an attempt to maintain a monopoly of control over the minds and the lives of the people. It perceives Science as its deadly enemy, and can brook with no co-existence.

While Science is compatible with Religion, Religious Fundamentalism's counterpart, Scientific Atheism, is not.

The equation is simple:

The more fundamentalist Religion gets, the more atheistic the scientific reaction will be.

Got that? Dawkins is reacting.

Simhachalam

There's anticipation in the air! Tomorrow is my dressing exam for dressing Radha and Krsna. There are four Radha and Krsna deities that the students get to practice on and have been doing for the past couple of weeks. Every student has 1 1/2 hours to dress Radha and Krsna and so there were eight devotees (four in the morning and four in the afternoon) who completed their assessments. Everyone did really well. Tomorrow morning is me! Eep! Please give me your blessings that I maybe able to dress them nicely!

Today is the most auspicious appearance day of His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati, the spiritual master of my beloved guru, Srila Prabhupada. I was here in Atlanta in 1975 with Srila Prabhupada on this day when we along with him worshipped his spiritual master. To stand there near Srila Prabhupada seeing how devotedly he offered arati...

1968 February 12: "They want to be cheated, and Krishna sends them a cheater. You can test any follower in their knowledge of Bhagavad-gita, you will find it is nil."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

1968 February 12: "Krishna helps one to find bona fide Spiritual Master, and bona fide Spiritual Master helps one to understand Krishna. If one does not get bona fide Spiritual Master, then how he can ever understand Krishna?"
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

1972 February 12: "Do not think because you are sometimes sick or weak that you are not making any advancement. Simply if you are able always to chant Hare Krishna, that is the same as following all other regulative principles."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

Srimad Bhagavatam 11.6.13 - A journey from hellish to heavenly planets and beyond.

Narayana-parah sarve na kutascana bibhyati (SB 6.17.28). A pure devotee of Narayana is never afraid of any material danger. There are many examples of devotees such as Prahlada Maharaja, who was tortured by his father but was not at all afraid, although he was only a five-year-old boy. Therefore, following the examples of Ambarisa Maharaja and Prahlada Maharaja, a devotee should learn how to tolerate all such awkward positions in this world. Devotees are often tortured by nondevotees, yet the pure devotee, depending fully on the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is never disturbed by such inimical activities.

>>> Ref. VedaBase => SB 9.4.47

I have been thinking about the packaging of products and how this reflects modern relationships in a round about way. You see most of it is not needed it is simply their to attract us The shinier the product’s packaging the more likely it is to be bought no matter what the overall quality is An overt advertising [...]

My neighbor's neatly maintained lawn resembled a rubbish heap. Empty Styrofoam cups floated around. The kids broke out in a frenzy running around flapping their arms. The dry winter leaves flew in the air looking like a flock of sparrows. Plastic bags hung from tree branches and the wind howled and roared at times as if making an announcement. "Who is that?" questioned the little girl. In the

1972 February 12 : "He's a sinful man, I know him, at least sinful according to our four principles. He has been lecturing for 20 years, still his asrama stands vacant. Unless one's life is made up, what this lecturing will do?"
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

1968 February 12 : "It was all risky, and I was alone, but I took it depending on Krishna. So if you take the risk for Krishna's sake, Krishna will supply you the required money undoubtedly."
Letters :: 1968

1970 February 12 : "This is the real course of study. I am so happy that you have introduced our classes in the two Universities. Conduct these courses diligently and influence the hearts of the students."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1970

1971 February 12 : "So your activities are now supposed to be on the pure spiritual platform and by continuation of this process you will increase your spiritual blissful strength and influence those who come in your contact."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1971

1972 February 12 : "Where is the question of not serving with devotion? Despite all difficulties we can chant, so long we have got the tongue - and even we have got no tongue - we can chant in our mind."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

1972 February 12: "Do not think because you are sometimes sick or weak that you are not making any advancement. Simply if you are able always to chant Hare Krishna, that is the same as following all other regulative principles."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

1968 February 12: "Krishna helps one to find bona fide Spiritual Master, and bona fide Spiritual Master helps one to understand Krishna. If one does not get bona fide Spiritual Master, then how he can ever understand Krishna?"
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

1968 February 12: "They want to be cheated, and Krishna sends them a cheater. You can test any follower in their knowledge of Bhagavad-gita, you will find it is nil."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968