Gender

Male

Birthday:

March 26

Name / Initiated name

Maxime

Daily number of rounds of Hare Krishna mahamantra.

40 times minimum. i once reached 8 days in a row chanting from morning to night and i felt as if my voice was initially made to chant Hare Krishna! I stopped this process to put my mind in a state of revision of the revealed Scriptures.

When, where and how did you come into contact with the Hare Krishna Movement?

The first time i read about Krishna consciousness i was 17 years old (10 years ago). But i was exploring spirituality at large. So i was reading everything i had in hands. By reading some esoteric and new age litterature, (that i put in practice), i developped schizophrenia and suffer a lot for myself was now lost in contradictory, illusory patterns about the spiritual self. It is when i got out of psychiatric hospital for the last time that i met someone who gave me her Bhagavad-gita (as it is) that she had in extra. I was so glad to come back with the strong and absolute teachings of Sri Krishna. I then found from my reading of the gita all the answers about why my past spiritual practice have been a radical failure that I have been personally touched by our Lord Krishna and His loving service. Before that time, i was too young inside to aim at devotional service and was attracted by developping my own empowerment by meditating on spiritual knowledge...But i needed to add some changes in my ''formula'' to self-realisation, seeing that I was always ending in Hell rather than in an illuminated state. Frustraded but still in need of spiritual values and advancement, i surrendered to Lord Krishna and aim to please Him with bhakti-yoga practices introduced in the Bhagavad-gita. I now wake up every morning with the developement of my Krishna consciousness in aim. All at home, alone, for two years now. Remember i am schizophrenic ? It means that i don't have to work as others. I recieve money and my freedom for being mentally ''ill'' (but i know i was only faithfull to something unknown or refused by atheists) The point is that I have the chance to practice 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, devotional service to Sri Krishna :D AND since i become an unofficial devotee, what i call this curse that i had ( every two years, my mind was breaking all boundries by spiritual gymnatics, leading me to the feeling i was almighty. It was quasi impossible to resist going further and not think i was a god... After few months in that state, i always ended in psychiatry, like a tormented soul.) has finally come to an end by replacing speculative knowledge by Sri Krishna teachings and service!!! I read Bhagavad-gita twice before i got involved in the collection of Srimad-Bhagavatam bought online with the money i recieve from government each month. I read it from the beginning to stop at the 3rd Canto part 4, where i had to come back to the gita. But i can say i have a special attraction to the Nectar of devotion ! :)

Name the nearest or most frequently Visited ISKCON temple/ centre and name few of the devotees whom you know.

The Hare Krishna movement and temple in MONTREAL. I never visited the temple but at a crucial point in my life (17years old) i fleed from my parents house after choosing to quit school by refusal of our social meanings and goals in life, and imitated what i knew of pilgrimage, which leaded me to Montreal (1 hour with a car from where i started my own way, walking without anything and hiding from parents and police). Having reached Montreal after a long and significant travel in which i stopped my travel to enjoy the beginning of summer in few villages on the road, I remember at that time, after reaching Montreal (finally), the groups of Vaishnavas wearing orange color and loudly practicing Sankirtana for the benefits of masses. I remember myself looking at them as brothers and sisters, for maybe i was alone and without guidance, but i was trying to reach what they were working for... By living on the streets of a big metropolis, it is rare to see the same people as yesterdays. But i remember a Vaishnava devotee that was spreading Iso Upanishad booklets on Sainte-Catherine, where i was always passing by. And we became familiar to each other. It is sad i cannot remember his name... Ahahah, but i remember him being so much patient and generous with me while i was sharing with him my own concocted ideas of spiritual enlightenment... May Krishna gives today a special attention to that devotee!

Please describe yourself so that other like minded devotees can find you.

Before engaging in Krishna consicousness at home, i was versed in occultism and other kind of enlightenment process. I worked hard following instructions here and there to escape material reality by any mental processes. But actually, I was always mistaken in my practice for I had strong results that were leading me straight to hell for the mind. As if i was ''loosing my soul''.... Well, i can say i am a living exemple of the spiritualists who gave in the past attention and faith to unauthorized scriptures written by all those ''John McLaynn'' and ''Jerry Jeriko the Indian shaman of the year'' (fictional funny names)... My excuse, because i had to find one, is that i was not yet a responsible adult, having no spiritual master and being often caught without food, roof nor authorized scripture to attain spiritual realization ; where i thought i was going. That was for sure the way i wanted to follow, and still what i can call my way of life, even if it leaded me to be strapped up in psychiatric hospital, even if i tried to kill myself more than twice, even if i had to reclaim power over my mind, rebuilding everything inside from that state of eternal punishment through the choas i lived... Yes, I tried what is forbidden. If you know i mean... I now know all of this as my past by Krishna's mercy. After living what you just read, our society has left me free of working for the rest of my life with reasonable money gains. And there is not a single day that is passed without working directly with Krishna, my Deliverer, Master, Confident and eternal Friend. For the Supreme Personality of Godhead knows everything from everyone, He knows i tried more than once to attain godly opulences without knowing that i had to render service unto His lotus feet. And now peace and fraternity are coming from this ''new'' friendship we have and which i sometimes remember from a distant memory, as if i can say, when i fix His beautiful face, that i saw Him the past, longly. I do not want to claim that i can see Krishna moving, but every time He do, i can only think of this very moment as a blessing towards me and all the trouble i created in the past, having choosed not to follow the instructions of Sri Krishna and Prabhupada with great risks! I am now 27 years old, following the more regulative principles that i can (i still use drugs and masturbate but since i work on developping Krishna consciousness, i cant look at myself having serious engagement with someone only because of sexual intercourse. I can already see this imaginary girlfriend taking all the place between Krishna and me, and with all that material conditioning implies, i would easily spit on this naive idea of love between two conditioned souls having been raised with different concocted ideas. I rather salivate to be able to surrender more and more to the Lord's lotus feet to understand and act according to Krishna consciousness with this ultimate and eternal relationship in aim ! Thank you. .:: Max ::.

What are your expectations from this community?

1- Talking about Krishna 2- Developping my firsts devotees friends !!! 3- Acquiring knowledge and motivate myself to work harder, 4- Find some unexpected tips to help me in my devotional service to the Lord. 5- Developping the will and courage to finally enter in a Krishna temple to maximize my spiritual work and become a real and authorized bhakta.

Describe any specific service you would love to offer to Lord Krishna & His devotees?

Daily, i try to find new ideas to convince my neighboors and friends to accept Krishna as God, telling them that this knowledge would change everything in their lives... I once said to Krishna in our rasa that I would not like to end the material existence alone. For so much people i know suffering of materiality that i know Krishna can save with my presence and dharma in His hands (especially girl friends i have and always love to share life with as if we were brother and sisters.) I would love to lead them to Krishna and having participated to their love of God. I promised Krishna that it would be for me the nicest way to clean myself from jealousy to lead those girls to the loving service of the Lord as gopis. :) .::Hare Krishna Hare Krishna::.::Krishna Krishna Hare Hare::.::Hare Rama Hare Rama::.::Rama Rama Hare Hare::.