ISKCON holds Iftar gathering. 
To celebrate the over 400-year-old amity between the Hindu and Muslim communities in West Bengal’s Nabadwip, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) Mayapur on Wednesday organised an Iftar party with elected Muslim panchayat members as its guests inside the temple premises.
The event upholds the legacy of brotherhood between the two communities, the seeds of which were sown in the 16th century by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and his relationship with the then magistrate, Chand Kazi, through his sankirtan (congregational chanting) movement.
At the Geeta Bhavan premises of the temple in Mayapur in Bengal’s Nadia district, elected panchayat members of the Muslim community of Mayapur Bamanpukur Panchayat participated in the ‘Iftar Samabesh’ along with presidents and secretaries of several mosques and one madrasa, said HG Jagadhatri Prabhu, public relations coordinator of the temple.
“Just like last year, in 2016 Jagannath Rath Yatra and Eid have fallen on the same day. So the ‘Iftar Samabesh’ is aimed at sending a strong message to the universe about peace, harmony, love and trust among communities,” said Prabhu.

I came across a line in a book about caring for roses which said, ‘if you water the roses in the right way they will happy.” Making roses happy. What a meditation.

And then I thought how we try to make so many things happy in our life – our dog, our lawn, our children, our family. And of course ourselves, we are always trying to make ourselves happy.

Sometimes we succeed and sometimes we fail in our happiness projects. Life is just like that.

And then I thought about how to make God happy. If we spend our days trying to make so many living creatures happy, why not include Him?

The problem for many is that God is a very distant proposal. A fearful proposal. And even though He is a person, He seems so far away and removed from our lives and the troubles of the earth.

Krishna Consciousness is the art of making God happy. It’s based on the philosophy of relationship and loving service. When you get to know Krishna you can’t help but love Him and want to make Him happy. That’s what love means. Wanting to make the other happy.

So what makes Krishna happy? Many many things. But especially to love and be loved. God’s not so different from us after all. Or should I say we are not so different from Him. And love is at the center of it all.

Here are some things that makes Krishna happy – milk from cows not sent to slaughterhouses, homegrown fruits and vegetables, clean and beautiful surroundings, reminding others of their long lost relationship with him, and unmotivated prayers and service.

Begin to make a list of what makes Krishna happy and start doing it. Just like watering the roots of the rose bushes makes them grow the best, making Krishna happy is like watering the roots of the tree of life. There is no better way to live.

It’s not the first time the news is filled with outrage against ill-made remarks. What a sad state to be in – to think we pull ourselves up by putting others down. Prabhupada calls the kind of remarks made by Donald Sterling, symptomatic of ‘skin disease’, or identifying people based on their body, ignoring the spiritual reality.

The Gita says it is a fact that we are not this body; we are more than this body. We say ‘This is my hand’ or ‘this is my foot.’ so who is this I? To whom does the body belong?. “I think, therefore I am.” we quote Descartes blithely. But this thinking is consciousness, is atma, is the soul. We are a soul with a body, a skin.

But what a thin layer upon which to live our lives! What a waste of precious time. We spend our days grooming our skin, comparing ourselves to others, looking to be better. This skin disease is the cause of envy, hatred, murders, and wars. It breeds bitterness, fear, regret, and emptiness. It is a contagious epidemic that is so widespread it is accepted as normal, and we don’t even know we are sick.

By promoting a culture of wisdom we can move away from the bodily concept of life. By slowing down we can be introspective. By some common sense we can see all beings as one and different, one in our shared spirituality and humanity, and different in our unique individuality.

By calling out fools who put down others based on their body we can stand up for spirituality, for wisdom, for truth. Time to leave the body behind and speak out for who we are. Time to stand up for the soul.

One of the 8 teachings left behind by Sri Caitanya speaks of humility. It says that one must be in a humble state of mind in order to meditate properly. We should feel lower than a piece of straw in the street actually. What does that mean and what are the implications for our practice?

Humility is a huge topic and true humility can’t be faked. It is grounded in the deep realization that we are not these bodies and not the owner of our things nor the controller of our lives. It’s coming to the point of dependence on Krishna, of knowing we need help to figure out who we are and where we are going. To ‘solve this mystery before we’re history’ as the song goes.

To be happy being as insignificant as a piece of straw in the street happens when we are in relationship with someone who loves us. Not ordinary love, but spiritual love, Godly love. When we know we are truly loved to the deepest core of our sacred soul, that nothing material can change that love, that we also have a capacity to receive and give endless love, then humility is a natural by product.

Getting to humility can be painful, but if we want to free ourselves from the false sense of self, then that pain is welcome. When we feel the pinch of envy or the slap of pride, the fear of failure or the anger of offense, we know there is work to be done. As we progress in spiritual consciousness we face the challenge of more subtle layers of attachment and false ego. Genuine humility isn’t cheap but it is available if we really want it, and are ready to practice it. And what is that practice? With the help of the Gita and daily attentive personal chanting we can turn our pain into gratitude, and see it as a message to remind us that we are not the body and anything connected to it is temporary.

Pick up a blade of grass or a piece of straw. Keep it on your desk and let it remind you of Sri Caitanya’s lesson on humility. As with most things spiritual, it’s an inside job. Watch your reactions. See if you are willing to let go, let love, let Krishna. Let the straw be not the one that breaks the camel’s back, but the one that you lean on to grow strong and free from this material world.

Here’s the full humility verse with Sanskrit:

trinad api sunicena
taror api sahisnuna
amanina manadena
kirtaniyah sada harih

One should chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking oneself lower than the straw in the street; one should be more tolerant than a tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige, and should be ready to offer all respect to others. In such a state of mind one can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly.

Lately I’ve been wrapped up in the non-essentials of spiritual life: work, family, money, car problems, entertainment, sense gratification, etc. The only glimmer of devotional activity in my life right now is listening to Srila Prabhupada lectures on my commute to work. Even that has become sketchy lately, as I’m usually only half paying attention or zoning out.

I feel no enthusiasm for the devotional process right now. I don’t feel eager or excited to chant. I don’t have much desire to make the effort to attend the Sunday programs. Sure, circumstances play a huge part in those choices, because when I think about taking our difficult 3-year old daughter out late at night to the temple, I don’t feel that enthused about the prospect. Or even getting up early on Sunday and trekking into New York City. It’s a serious endeavor; one that I simply can’t justify or see the reason for.

But that’s totally the wrong consciousness, isn’t it? Isn’t that the point of tapasya? Voluntarily doing something inconvenient and difficult or troublesome for some higher benefit and purpose? Well right there is where I get hung up. What is the “higher benefit and purpose?” How will my life improve if I go crazy trying to daily rise at 4am, worship my Deities, chant 16-rounds a day, attend all the devotee programs, eat only prasadam, stop watching TV and listening to mundane music, etc? The answer I say to myself is, “Well, you’d be preparing yourself for your next body. You’d be breaking the identification with this current physical body and subtle mind.” Sounds good, but it seems so…extreme, maybe?

I recently heard a quote from Srila Prabhupada that we can’t “dance with God and dog at the same time”. The point being that you can’t dabble with maya and sense gratification and be any kind of serious devotee or Vaishnava. Being a Vaishnava means being devoid of desire for personal sense gratification. That just seems impossible to attain. This is why true Vaishnavas are so rare, special and worshipable in this world.

I just don’t know what to think anymore. I’m certain there’s a deeper, more profound experience of bhakti, but I don’t seem to be willing or have the desire to do what’s necessary to experience it first hand.

I know one day I will have to face my death. It may come unexpectedly. It may come with warning and preparation. Either way it’s a reality that I can’t shake from my mind. The uncertainties that go along with death drive most people towards religion and spirituality. They drive us to find peace and comfort within those constructs. So much of that world beyond this physical body and subtle mind are foreign to us. We think of it as fantasy, yet ironically it’s more real than this present world we’re experiencing with our material senses.

I want that inner world to become completely manifest, yet I’m not willing to do anything to attain it. I want it to be effortless, painless and easy. “But really, in kali yuga, why would Krishna make it so hard?” is what my mind says. Then I hear, “Is it? Is it really that difficult to just chant the Holy Name?” Hmm. I suppose not, but to chant it with FAITH sure is.

By Daamodara Dhananjaya Prabhu

During one of our meetings between GBC-SPN (Strategic Planning Network) Outreach Committee and the ISKCON Congregational Development Ministry, the subject matter of discussion was how to improve our outreach during the festivals that we celebrate in ISKCON. It has been observed that most of our festivals are successful in creating a majestic impression in the minds of the people, but fail to generate new devotees in a large number. In spite of so much time, labor, money and intelligence being used in each festival, we remain almost unproductive. Especially our Rathayatras are celebrated with a great pomp and circumstance, but they hardly yield any fruits in terms of new devotees. Hence, the GBC-SPN Outreach Committee, in collaboration with the Congregational Development Ministry, designed a process to generate contacts during the Rathayatras and thus, make them worth all the expenditure. Before we get into the technical details, here are some practical examples of the process, successfully implemented at various places. The first implementation was at Mathura Rathayatra during the month of Kartik in the year 2015. A team of 15+ devotees was exclusively engaged in this sublime task to generate contacts. A database of approximately 400 new contacts was registered at the end of the celebration, which followed another dedicated outreach program, especially to cultivate these contacts, after around a month. ISKCON Ahmedabad implemented it twice during the Rathayatras, while celebrating the annual function, and produced a contacts database with approximately 500 entries. Very recently the same exercise was carried out with an improved modus operandi during the first ever Rathayatra at ISKCON Vapi – Gujarat, which yielded approximately 800 quality contacts to a team of 20 dedicated preachers, who carried out this mission. The feedback of the devotees who participated in this project, invariably has been extremely delightful and now this has turned out to be one of their favorite services to take. They were completely satisfied and were contented with the idea that they could be instrumental in bringing new souls to Krishna Consciousness. We, as a committee, will track their results and follow up for gathering their statistics, so as to report to the GBC. Now let us understand the step by step procedure to implement the same:

• Gather a team of preachers who are well conversant in the local language, with a pleasing personality, who are humble and tolerant, clear in their basics and responsible, as these could be (ideally – should be) the future mentors/counselors of the new contacts that they would generate in the process. Please remember, better the preachers – better the outcome. Hence, kindly do not underestimate this process and please give this service a higher priority in your list.
• Each preacher should have a separate dress code or something unique in their appearance if possible and should carry a kit which has:
  1. A handbag (Sankirtan bag)
  2. A cap for protecting them from the heat (these could be uniquely colored caps, so as to differentiate them from the others)
  3. A pen and a writing support pad
  4. An I-Card holder and a printed I-card with the heading such as ‘May I Assist You?’
  5. Handouts / leaflets / handbills – with the information about the temple/center, the programs being conducted during the weekdays, festivals, services, specialties, Govindas, etc. (whatever you wish to project). Also, add basic information about our philosophy and the importance of Sankirtan yagna, Mahamantra and so on.
  6. Printed cards with the picture of the Deities on one side and the Mahamantra on the other or some other gifts like small books, key rings, etc.
  7. Small and decent packets of dry Mahaprasadam, with a print of Lord Jagannatha on the packet, if feasible.
  8. Printed forms with the following details: Name, Age, Gender, Occupation, Education, Email, WhatsApp (mobile) number, Area of residence (full address in not required – this is just to facilitate grouping according to the area they stay in) and what is he/she interested in (list out various activities we usually have in our temple/center).
• Have a meeting with the team on the previous day or whenever convenient and explain to them the purpose and importance of the project. Handover the kits to them during the same meeting, so that they are ready for the warfront beforehand and explain about each and every item in the kit and their respective purpose.
• How and when to start? As soon as the Rathayatra begins, the team should come in action and should spread out in all the directions, walking alongside continuously with the Ratha. Matajis can cover the matajis’ side and the prabhujis can approach the prabhus (or as convenient). Begin very gently with a polished language, expressing genuine love and concern and exhibiting the service attitude. With the like genders, keeping your hand on their shoulders, handshaking and embracing will make them feel completely at home.
• Whom should they approach? Those who are well-dressed, look educated and refined, interested in the subject, residents of aristocratic societies, big shops and showroom owners, students, youth, parents of the school going children, principals or trustees of the schools or collages that come one the way, etc. The other class of people can just be given the handbills and prasaadam and can be invited verbally to the temple. The choice is yours.
• Create a small team of 2 members, responsible to supply the paraphernalia of the kit to the preachers on the field, as and when required. Generally the team leader can take up this responsibility, so as to know how the preachers are performing. A vehicle, ideally a two wheeler, is inevitable for this purpose.
• Don’t miss the prasadam pandal after completion of the Yatra, as many would have come just for the prasadam. Sit beside them while they honor prasadam and note down their details.
• Ask the team members to write their names on each form for the purpose of identification.
• Finally, collect all the forms, prepare a database in an excel sheet and segregate according to their educational level, age and the area of residence.
• Create a follow-up team. THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF THIS PROCESS. If you fail to follow them up and to keep the contacts alive, the complete effort could be wasted. Ideally, the matajis who are soft-spoken and having sophisticated language are the best for this purpose. You may contact us for further training or complete guidance on the follow-up system.
• Thereafter, arrange various step by step outreach and fundamental training programs like Discover Your Self, The Gita Program, etc. and gradually get them to the next level of interest and acceptance.
• Finally, group them according to their age group, educational background or gender and start a complete devotee training program like Bhakti-vriksha, Namahatta, Counseling system, temple residents training, etc. according to your needs and availability of the resources.

Before we conclude, here is another example of a successful Rathayatra Outreach, with some variations: A festival at ISKCON Kolkata is the breeding ground of new contacts, whether it is Janmashtami or a Rathayatra. Usually a pandal is built with multiple area wise sections, so as to facilitate easy search of a Bhakti-vriksha (satsanga) program in the closest neighborhood of the visitor. As soon as the visitors enter a relevant section in the pandal, a team of devotees belonging to that area, engage them in some or the other spiritual activities like quiz or spiritual questions, award them some gifts and give Mahaprasadam and register their details, so as to follow up and invite them to the Bhakti-vriksha program going on in their area. Eventually, a huge database of contacts is generated at the end of the festival. Hence, if you so desire, we can happily assist you at all levels, right from managing the Rathayatra Outreach Program up to the devotee training program, according to your requirements.

For further assistance please send us an email at: djparajia@gmail.com orpancharatna@gmail.com

Please visit us at: ISKCONOutreach.com and ISKCONCongregation.com

Thanking you in anticipation,
On behalf of the GBC-SPN Outreach Committee & the Congregational Development Ministry,

Your servant,
Daamodara Dhananjaya Das

During the Bangladesh ISIS attack on a café frequently visited by foreigners, which is in the headlines of the world media, an ISKCON devotee was attacked in the district of Satkhira, 300 km from Dhaka, on the border of India, a little North of Kolkata.

ISKCON has a recognized Namahatta temple in the village of Brahmarajapur, District Satkhira, Bangladesh.

The devotee in charge of it Bhavasindhu Dasa Adhikari had just finished his bath and was preparing for the Mangal Aarti at 4:15 am when the temple was stormed by three individuals bearing sharp weapons like machetes, choppers and large knives attacked the pujari with their sharp weapons, cutting him in the neck and back and with stab wounds in various parts of his body.

Bhavasindhu Dasa is presently in the district hospital. At 10 Bangladesh time, the government is sending a helicopter to transfer him to a hospital in Dhaka as he is in a serious condition.

This is the first time that an ISKCON connected devotee has been attacked by ISIS terrorists. ISIS apparently claimed responsibility for the attack. 

Please pray for Bhavasindhu Dasa.

By Syama Sakhi devi dasi

Situated in the idyllic mountain scenery of the ISKCON Hare Krishna community in Eungella, NSW, the Bhaktivedanta Swami Gurukula School is the only Hare Krishna school in Australia. It is a small but enthusiastic school with a current enrolment of 90 students and 17 teaching and support staff. The school was established more than 30 years ago, serving the community and its children by providing quality education that follows the Australian curriculum and offering spiritual guidance and mentorship.

The school is a member of the Australian Association of Independent Schools through which it receives the ongoing professional support of educational consultants in relation to its academic program and positive behaviour development. This year, the school opened its first pre-K class in a new purpose-built building adjoining the K-2 classroom in the Primary School campus and just recently proudly announced the opening of Year 11 in 2017 and Year 12 in 2018. Hence, the school has become the only Hare Krishna school in the entire Western world offering a complete educational package from pre-K to Year 12.

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE

The primary school at the Bhaktivedanta Swami Gurukula School has implemented several highly acclaimed programs to ensure academic excellence. One such framework is the Direct Instruction methodology utilised in the Reading Mastery and Spelling Mastery programs across Years K-6. Consequently, the school achieved above-national results in the 2015 NAPLAN test for Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 in both Literacy and Numeracy. To further the success of its Literacy and Numeracy Action Plan, at the start of 2016 the school engaged Direct Instruction coach, Donna Dressman from the US. In an Australian first, Donna monitors live and recorded classroom sessions during the Reading Mastery and Spelling Mastery sessions to provide explicit feedback aimed at continuously raising best instructional practices.

Complementary to enhancing the academic program, at the forefront of the school’s vision is the social and spiritual wellbeing of the students. In the primary school, the value-based learning program systematically focuses on key themes so that students’ minds and hearts grow with inspiration, dedication and realisation every day.

HIGH SCHOOL DEVELOPMENT

The development of the high school over the past few years has also been a tremendous success. The students study subjects in accordance with the Australian curriculum with a variety of electives to choose from to support their various interests and growth. One of these is the first Boardapproved Bhagavad-gita elective. The high school follows ‘The Tree of Life” program, which supports students’ academic, mental, physical, social and spiritual wellbeing. To nourish their hearts and minds students start the day with chanting and worship. Following that, they participate in various spiritual activities such as valuebased learning, hearing scriptural stories from the Mahabharata and Ramayana, and meditative chanting.

For their physical and mental wellbeing, students participate in weekly PE and sport programs, encouraging them to move and stay physically fit. Through the Physical Development and Health program, students also receive ongoing mentorship to strengthen their resilience and improve their social wellbeing.

One of the many highlights is the annual field trip. For the past two years students participated in overseas trips to India where they had the chance to offer service, deepen their connection with peers and challenge themselves within a whole different culture and lifestyle. Students created incredible memories to last a life-time. This year students will attend the 50 th anniversary of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness celebration in Sydney, followed by a trip to the snow.

With small classroom numbers, the high school students receive an enormous amount of support and guidance from their teachers that results in continuous academic development. It has proven to be an excellent way for students to bond in their friendships and support each other throughout their education and teenage years. In a significant undertaking, plans are underway to expand the high school campus to provide facilities for growing student numbers and their diverse interests.

The Bhaktivedanta Swami Gurukula School is pleased to reflect upon its growth over the years. With the Sports Day is one of the most popular days of the school year where the whole community gets together. support of parents and the wider community, students receive a unique educational experience that nourishes their development on all levels. Its loving environment allows every student to feel intrinsically safe to become the very best they can be and emerge as competent, conscious, global citizens.

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=29051

Mukunda Goswami, author and one of the society’s initiating spiritual masters, is one of the very first disciples of ISKCON’s FounderAcharya His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Mukunda Goswami presents a peek into those precious beginnings of an organisation that grew exponentially in a very short period of time. From one small shopfront in 1966, in 2016 ISKCON is estimated to now have 650 centres, temples, schools and colleges worldwide with approximately 95,000 formally spiritually initiated members. The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) has also distributed an estimated more than 3 billion vegetarian meals worldwide and published 516 million books and magazines. This year ISKCON is celebrating its 50th Anniversary with many festivals and programs throughout the world.

By Mukunda Goswami

It was a hot, muggy day in lower Manhattan during the month of May 1966. I pedalled to 26 Second Avenue where I met the Swami, a friend named Carl and the rental agent, Paul Gardiner, a short, chunky man who was wearing blue denim trousers and a white, short-sleeved t-shirt. We hired the storefront at 26 Second Avenue for $100 per month and a first-storey flat in the same building for $85 per month.

The storefront soon became a temple, and the Swami lectured there every day. By October he was hosting philosophical discussions in his small flat.

On 13 July 1966 I signed a paper that became the Swami’s first corporation. It was called The International Society for Krishna Consciousness or ISKCON. I didn’t really think it very important at the time and really didn’t care. I thought that whatever the Swami wanted was okay.

In November of 1968 I drove to California where I met a former college mate, and together we started the second ISKCON temple at 518 Frederick Street in the HaightAshbury neighbourhood of San Francisco. The area was the mecca of the hippies, and June-August of 1967 became the famous ‘Summer of Love’. The Swami (later to be known as Srila Prabhupada) regularly chanted with the ‘flower people’ in ‘Hippie Hill’, Golden Gate Park.

In September 1968, along with five others, I travelled to London, where after a year of scuffling financially, we rented a five-storey building on Bury Place, a stone’s throw from the British Museum. That year a colleague had met The Beatles, and in April of 1969 we recorded “The Hare Krishna Mantra”, which soon charted to number 13 in England and rose to number one in other countries.

At the same time, ISKCON was spreading rapidly all over the world.

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=29057

I can ask any devotee I see about faults in ISKCON and will find myself in a long conversation. But then I take a step back and ask myself again, where are the faults? Actually there are none. There are none because ISKCON is based on the Vedic scriptures such as the Srimad Bhagavatam and Bhagavad-gita, which are perfect in themselves.

ISKCON was formed by His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada who is a perfect student of such literatures. So where is the fault? The fault lies in me, in my heart. Not in ISKCON.

Look at it closely, whatever faults are found in ISKCON some are ones that I myself brought into it. Of course, ISKCON was formed so that any man or woman suffering from the pangs of material life can come and learn to free themselves from such troubles. But the troubles and problems I find in ISKCON are not ISKCON’s, they are mine.

Within ISKCON I will find the perfect yoga system for self realization as taught by numerous saints and sages of the past. I will also find that all of its members, though sincere in their desires, are not perfect, but neither am I.

As we enter ISKCON we bring with a bundle of problems with us, which, get dealt out to those devotees around us. I may be a pure spirit soul but I am a pure spirit soul who is conditioned by material nature.

So, what are the faults? Irresponsible leaders? They are everywhere, in all companies, in all nations. Child abuse? That’s everywhere, in all religions, throughout all society. Women’s issues? Everywhere, for years. Frustrated? Yes, of course, but where am I going to live where these things don’t exist? These problems were not born in ISKCON, they were brought into ISKCON. The social structure of ISKCON prohibits these activities. ISKCON is meant to set up a society based on the religious tenets found in Srimad Bhagavatam and Bhagavata gita so that modern man can find shelter from these atrocious activities. Those who join are expected to uphold, protect and promote the philosophy of these great literatures. Those who deviate are the fault, not ISKCON. And those who stand by and do nothing share in that fault and those who criticize ISKCON, feed the fault.

Therefore, I should not make the mistake of identifying ISKCON with the actions of bad devotees but I can identify ISKCON with good devotees. Because when the good devotees first arrived, they were not good. But now that they have become good then that is the credit for ISKCON. ISKCON is meant to bring in conditioned souls suffering in the material world and make them happy by purifying their consciousness. If this does not happen then it is the fault of the individual for not taking to the program properly. To say that ISKCON is bad because there are problems within it is a grievous mistake. ISKCON is always good and will always create good devotees.

ISKCON is not bad because some individuals have failed to succeed. And I cannot say that because bad devotees exist then I am unable to advance in my own spiritual life. I am responsible for my own life and it is I that am responsible for following the rules and regulations stated in ISKCON. No one can do the work of self-realization for me, that is my responsibility. Also, no one can stand in the way of a relationship between a spiritual master and his disciple. There is no person and no situation that can stop the flow of Krsna’s mercy upon us.

If I were to say ISKCON has many problems, I would be wrong. It would be more correct to say that, as these spirit souls come to ISKCON to perfect their lives, they will, inadvertently cause problems as they themselves struggle to become free from material bondage. The faults lie within all conditioned souls. The faults I see are also my own and it is my responsibility to correct them. ISKCON is the vehicle to correct and/or to remove such actions from our hearts. ISKCON is there to assist me and anyone else who are suffering from the modes of material nature. ISKCON is not an illusion factory of ever happy endings, it is a philosophical institution meant to teach and guide all living entities back to the spiritual world and back into their original loving relationship with Krsna. It is the responsibility of the individual though, to take the necessary steps towards that goal.

ISKCON is meant to create an environment where its members can come together spending the day serving Krsna and enlivening one another by discussing His pastimes and qualities. This is actually what is going on in the spiritual world. If someone is deviating from these activities in a serious way then by me focusing attention on his activities and by criticizing him, then I am also in a fallen state. Instead of placing myself in a mood of judging I should simply go on glorifying Krsna and allow Krsna to deal with the manner in His own way. I should remember that Krsna is also dealing with me and all devotees individually in such a way as to purify us. If a situation arises where my life is disrupted then I should not try to solve the problem externally but look within to see what Krsna wants me to solve there. I should also understand that we are a community and as a community it is also our responsibility to assist each other, not that we stand around and watch material nature drag down individual devotees one by one.

ISKCON does not cause problems, it solves them. No matter what problem arises among us, the solution to such problem can be found in Srila Prabhupadas books. Granted, problems do exist that are not so easy to cure. And I have seen that to cure them a host of other problems arise one after another. Patience and tolerance is certainly required at this time, along with prayer. Were devotees to throw a rock at each dark spot in me, surely I would have no place to duck. So let me practice, do onto others what I would have them do unto me. Let me pray for their advancement; let me pray that Krsna’s kindness would guide them to become a more mature devotee. I are not here to become a great leader or manager; I’m here to become pure. I am here to reestablish my relationship with Krsna, my dear most friend. Each person in his or her services is undergoing the same process of purification and we all have our own battles to fight. So instead of hatred, let me offer assistance; instead of condemning let me forgive and instruct. Let me forgive as Krsna and my spiritual master has forgiven me. ISKCON is promoting the highest religious standards in the world today. Let me read the seven purposes of ISKCON, read the rules one must follow to live in the temple, read the books I am to study and to teach others, that is ISKCON. Look at the teachings of the six goswami’s, that is ISKCON. Look at the rich culture of Vaisnava tradition and the disciplic succession, that is ISKCON.

If I do not see myself gradually becoming freed from material desires and becoming happy, then I have not joined ISKCON. I have to admit that most of the time I actually do not comprehend the depth of ISKCON. ISKCON is not a social club, ISKCON is a totally dynamic spiritual force meant to bring about a revolution in the consciousness of the entire world for many generations to come. Therefore, I should not identify the faults of a devotee with ISKCON; I should identify the faults with the material world. Problems will always be there. Troublemakers will come and go. Immature devotees will say and do immature things. It is an imperfect world so the perfect situation will never be found. I should learn to deal with each situation individually and in a way that it produces a Krsna conscious result. I may not always see an example to follow; but they are there, a lot of examples. And, if there were no examples, then I should become the example. Why do I always throw the burden of responsibility on others? I am a mature adult and should start acting like it.

ISKCON does not solve material problems, it gives spiritual solutions. But I am too quick to judge and correct others and am slow to judge and correct myself. Many criticisms are placed on our leaders. They too are not fault free. And, without question, I have made errors. But is my fault finding in the interest of lending assistance to heal an aiding society or is it meant as a vicious weapon to hurt others as means to cover up my own faults? Or still, am I looking for an excuse not to give up the sense gratification I am so dearly holding onto? I must consider as I judge and condemn my fellow devotee and the organization ISKCON, a cloud of material consciousness covers me, rendering me ineffectual in such circumstances.

Working sincerely to bring the wrong doers closer to his own perfection is what ISKCON is all about. It will be my own material desires that will distort and twist all that I hear and see. Many devotees have left ISKCON because of this reason or that, but have they reached perfection outside ISKCON? I should remember that at one point in my life, through years of suffering, I prayed for help. ISKCON was the answer to that prayer. Some even go so far as to judge Srila Prabhupada by saying that he did not give us everything, how arrogant. He gave us everything we need to return to the spiritual world. Such an unfortunate situation, that we leave his shelter after he cared for us for so many years, even forgiving us for our animal like behavior. ISKCON and Srila Prabhupada have rendered the highest service to mankind by distributing knowledge of the individual souls relationship with Krsna and as soon as ISKCON encounters some difficulty its own members turn against it. Therefore I say, if I find fault, then it is me that is ISKCON’s greatest fault. If I find fault with ISKCON, I find fault with Srila Prabhupada. And by doing so, the severest tragedy awaits me. Let the pseudo intellectuals talk all they want about the perfect society.

If I want the perfect society, then I should chant Hare Krsna perfectly and all the faults in ISKCON will flee. I must learn to stop talking about how others are not following Srila Prabhupada, but start talking about how I am not. Of course troublemakers should be dealt with but in an authorized manner. Negative talk among the devotees will hurt us more than any enemy outside of ISKCON. By negative thought and speech we are actually accepting the association of the modes of material nature. And by doing so, our future as a devotee remains uncertain. Devotees who abuse their management positions indeed bring into ISKCON a destructive element but criticism of them brings us greater harm, for both the speaker and the hearer. Therefore let me, with a sober mind deal with such problems where all parties benefit.

Many of us have seen bad managers remain in their posts far too long. We must keep in mind though that Krsna also sees them and it is Krsna that will make the final decision when and how such an individual be corrected or removed. Remember, such bad managers are also conditioned souls trying to free themselves from material nature. My goal in such cases should maintain charity and I should also avoid judging such persons in a final way, which gives him no room to change, correct or recover from his mistakes. Devotees must learn to stand up for their rights as an individual and as a group. But it should be performed intelligently and according to the Vaisnava standards that Srila Prabhupada has given us.

The road to spiritual life is not always an easy road to tread. There will be problems. But it is still my responsibility to serve Krsna with body, mind and words. Even if every devotee around me falls down, Krsna’s mercy is still available to me. I can safely say that all devotees will make a mistake; even sincere devotees who are trying to serve ISKCON. As Srila Prabhupada said, all of our books, all of our study and all our endeavors are meant to get people to chant Hare Krsna. This is our real work because this is where the purification begins. When someone begins to chant Hare Krsna I should understand that he is not an ordinary person. It is extremely rare for the living to chant Hare Krsna and try to surrender to the orders of the spiritual master.

When I see a fault it is not the time to criticize but a time to reach out and help. I should think how it will feel when no friends are found by my side when I need them most. How horrible it must feel when I fall and there is no one to extend a helping hand. This is the real mood of ISKCON, a group of individuals working together towards a common goal and when one falls, others go back, without regard for their own comfort and pick him up. All of us have been wounded by material nature; some of us are slow to accept the teachings and others always need someone to tell them what to do but when that sincere devotee steps forward to offer a helping hand without judgment then the actions of that individual devotee reflects the true depth of ISKCON. And when the leaders themselves act to rectify their mistakes and show that they see themselves accountable for their own mistakes then the society at large will become more united as they watch these devotees develop into qualified leaders.

ISKCON may suffer slightly from our wrongdoing but it will always recover. It will recover because it is Lord Caitanya’s sankirtana movement and therefore it is glorious. It is glorious because it issues forth the chanting of the Lord’s holy name and it distributes transcendental literature that glorifies the activities of Krsna. All over the world these literatures are to be found. All over the world one can hear the chanting of the Hare Krsna Maha Mantra. All over the world the Deity form of Krsna is being worshiped, prasadam is being distributed and thousands of individuals are being purified and are returning to the spiritual world. This is the real glory of ISKCON. ISKCON is perfect and complete; I only have to correct the mistakes I have made.

So where is the real fault? The only fault in ISKCON is in me, that I have not fully surrendered to this wonderful and dynamic process of self-realization. The faults lie in my heart. The faults lie in my inability to forgive, the lack of caring for others and the lack of personal interaction. These are the real evils that are tearing apart our society. This impersonalism, there is no greater enemy than this. Real unity will come when I develop discussion about Krsna, when I find pleasure in the activities of Krsna, when my only business is to give Krsna to everyone around me. Then the faultfinding will stop, the anger in my heart will disappear, the lusty desires that permeate my entire being will turn into love of Krsna and I will actually become happy and peaceful and the faults will not exist any more.

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=4960

The Walking Monk is on the road again, celebrating ISKCON’s 50th anniversary in his own unique way.

From September 20th to November 10th in 2015, Bhaktimarga Swami walked from Boston’s Commonwealth Pier, where ISKCON Founder Srila Prabhupada first reached the U.S. in 1965, to Butler Pennsylvania, where he stayed with sponsors the Agarwal family, to New York City, where he registered ISKCON in 1966.

In New York, Bhaktimarga concluded his 907-mile walk by chanting under the famous “Hare Krishna tree” in Tompkins Square Park, where Prabhupada led some of the first public kirtans in the Western World.

“That first walk was about honoring our teachers, and particularly our spiritual mentors,” says Bhaktimarga Swami. “It informed the public about Prabhupada’s contributions, and raised awareness of the Hare Krishna Movement’s current activities.”

Giving an interactive lecture at ISKCON Chicago

Now, starting on May 11th, Bhaktimarga is walking from New York to San Francisco, following the path ISKCON took when it first spread out from the East Coast to the West Coast of the U.S.

“Well, since I already walked to New York, I chopped a little bit off my trip by starting from Butler,” he admits with his typically jovial good humor.

But the Swami’s walk is still epic. The first leg of his trip, which started in May in Butler and will end in August in Lincoln, Nebraska, will be around 966 miles. Then in early May of 2017, he’ll pick up where he left off, walking the 1,600 miles or so from Nebraska to San Francisco.

“On this leg we’re trying to follow the Lincoln Highway as much as possible, because it was the first transcontinental highway built across the U.S.,” he says when ISKCON News catches up with him. “So far we’ve gone through Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, and now we’re in Illinois.”

Giving a lecture at home of Purnamasi Dasi in Cleveland. Ohio.

Along his travels, Bhaktimarga has stopped at ISKCON centers, yoga and new age centers, and the homes of isolated Hare Krishna devotees. He’s taken a dip in the Great Lakes to cool off from the heat of the road, mourned the decline of the countryside, and met many interesting people.

“Walking through Amish country and interacting with those wonderful people was very inspirational,” he says. “And in Toledo, Ohio, when I told two young guys I passed on the bridge that I was a monk, they asked me to teach them how to fight. They assumed because I was a monk I knew martial arts! I told them that I taught Bhakti yoga, because when you need to defend yourself, the first approach you use is wisdom.”

Bhaktimarga Swami also brings his message to the media, with small-town newspapers especially receptive, he says. “Through the media we encourage people to slow down the pace of life, and give some time to introspection; to connect with the self, or the soul.”

Interview with Jon Victor from Vindicator News in Youngstown, Ohio.

Everywhere he goes, he also speaks about ISKCON’s 50th anniversary, saying that he is walking for a spiritual society started by his guru Srila Prabhupada. Often, newspapers pick up on the story and research it further, many times citing Prabhupada’s full name of A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami.

Bhaktimarga walks about twenty miles per day, sometimes starting as early as 3:00am to get in his miles before the tarmac gets so hot that he gets “fried like a pakora,” in his words.

He is assisted by three second-generation devotees – Gopala, Uttamananda and Arjuna Abhimanyu – who drive his equipment, pick him up and drop him off on the road, cook and set up media interviews.

Walking into the university of Notre Dame

“The experience has been really good for them personally too,” he says. “It has improved their navigational and communication skills, given them new ideas of what one can do as a devotee, and opened up possibilities for them in the future.”

Beyond this year’s walk to Nebraska, Bhaktimarga Swami is looking forward to next year’s trek to San Francisco. There he’ll try to follow the route of the first ever Rathayatra in the Western World, held in the city in 1967, exactly fifty years before. He’ll also visit Golden Gate Park’s Hippie Hill in San Francisco, where Srila Prabhupada famously led kirtan with the devotees and a large Deity of Lord Jagannath sitting beside him.

“When reporters ask me why I’m walking, I’ve been telling them, ‘I’m walking to make America great again!’” he says. “And that always gets a big laugh, because it’s Donald Trump’s line. But we have a different take on it, of course. Paraphrasing Srila Prabhupada in his first ever newspaper interview to the Butler Eagle, “In order for Americans to be happier, they must take to spiritual life.”

Source:http://iskconnews.org/walking-monk-retraces-iskcons-journey-for-50th,5662/

“Worship of Radha-Krishna Deities is the ultimate pinnacle of Deity worship, and it must be done with the utmost caution and attention to every detail of giving opulent service. I am not recommending more temples to install Radha-Krishna Deities until I have become more convinced that they can properly manage. At least five to ten persons must be engaged full time to worship Radha-Krishna properly, and for any small temple especially that is a detrimental factor to maintaining the highest standard in other temple activities besides, because there are not enough men. You may worship Lord Jagannatha, or if you like to install Gaura-Gauranga, Gaura-Nitai, or simply Gaura Deity, He is also very liberal and will forgive and tolerate any service offered to Him even by Jagai and Madhai.” Srila Prabhupada letter to Gunagrahi July 3, 1972

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=29064

Govardhana Trail in New Govardhana, Australia.
Kishori devi dasi: Lying across two states – Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh in India – there is a mystical mountain called ‘Govardhana’. Govardhana is located in the middle of a forest called Vrindavana, the birthplace of the Lord, Sri Krishna. This mountain is considered sacred and non-different from Krishna Himself. 
Nowadays there are still some pockets of the Vrindavana forest remaining and although Govardhana has reduced in size externally and is now more of a hill, it still remains lushly green. Here, in Eungella, the Hare Krishna Community is called ‘New Govardhana’, named after this sacred Govardhana in India. 
A member of the community at New Govardhana, Maha-mantra dasa has taken up the task of creating a replica of Govardhana at the farm.
Braj Gauranga dasa provided initial funding for the excavation works five years ago, setting Maha-mantra off to a good start. 
So far Indian-style bathing steps have been built, lakes dug out and filled, trees planted, a small hill created, with a beautifully painted pavilion built, as well as many shady shelters along the walking path. 
Maha-mantra is working towards landscaped gardens and displaying impressive statues and dioramas depicting various pastimes that occurred at Govardhana in India more than 5000 years ago.
He aims to create a wonderful meditative space that everyone can appreciate, both members of the Hare Krishna community as well as guests and visitors

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=29074

Lately I’ve been asking myself what’s stopping us from living the life we long for, and I’ve had to conclude that we’re usually our own worst enemies. Instead of living fully, we allow fear, selfishness, and anger to govern us, standing passively by despite their tyrannical rule. we throw ourselves into our own prison! Someone once told me, “There are as many ways to sabotage yourself as there are people in the world.”

Even saints have the ability to sabotage themselves. Have you ever wondered what Prahlada Maharaja, Nelson Mandela, Buddha, Mother Teresa, and Jesus have in common? Despite their foibles, they’ve each managed to rise above their inner weaknesses – or at least they’ve tried very hard to do so.

In the old days, Indian warriors who could afford them bought their warhorses in Afghanistan. To decide which horse could withstand the pressures of warfare, the warriors designed a test. They would lead a horse into a corral. Then, at various intervals, they’d have a man enter the corral, shout aggressively, and threaten the horse with a stick. The stronger horses always leapt the corral’s fence to escape. They wouldn’t tolerate the threat. The weaker horses, how- ever, were easily broken. when a horse leapt the fence, the warriors knew they’d found a horse they could rely on in combat. our lives are full of unacceptable threats. Some of those threats come from outside us, like the man with the stick, and some are in- terior – fear, anger, greed, frustration. what can we do to overcome these threats and “leap the fence”?

To overcome weakness and self-sabotage, we have no other resort but to draw on our innate spiritual strength. Please don’t doubt that you have such strength. You were born with it.

We live in an age of mass-distraction

Spiritual strength can help us overcome the greatest obstruction in the pursuit of our own self-interest: distraction, or thinking other things more interesting or more important than self-realization. These other subjects are often related to the petty gratification of the senses, which binds us with the rope of attachment to a life of spiritual and material compromise.

Follow your Longing

My own spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, clearly expressed the need for the sacred dimension:

“The need of the spirit soul is that he wants to get out of the limited sphere of material bondage and fulfill his desire for complete freedom. […]He wants to see the free light and the spirit. That complete freedom is achieved when he meets the complete spirit, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. There is dormant affection for God within everyone; spiritual existence is manifested through the gross body and mind in the form of perverted affection for gross and subtle matter. Therefore we have to engage ourselves in occupational engagements that will evoke our divine consciousness.” SB 1.2.8, purport

We all have desires, but to long for the spiritual means to desire something beyond what this world offers. Spiritual longing is native to the soul. The word’s earlier roots hint at the lengthening of hope, or what we call aspiration. Spiritual longing broadens the heart while softening it with a sweet kind of pain. Fear of that pain is why we often suppress our spiritual longings and allow them to turn into the shackles of material attachment. Sacred longing then turns into longing for things that can’t satisfy the soul.

We should know that suppressing sacred longing never destroys it. To long is part of the human condition. Rather, suppressed spiritual longings still rise to the surface of our consciousness, but focus themselves wherever we’re open and vulnerable – often on our attachments. These misfocused longings even draw us into various sorts of addiction. we all know about addiction. It tends to focus on a need for position, success, affection, friendship, or some other emotional comfort, and it often begins its expression through small moments of gratification, perhaps as insignificant as eating a chocolate bar when we’re lonely. often, before we know it, we’ve grown into habits we can’t seem to shake, habits that go against our integrity.

We should know that our material attachments, serious or not, are really a suppressed longing for the sacred dimension, where we can find perfect love. we long for something to touch us to the core, to love us so completely that we will do anything – and let go of anything – to stay in contact.

But we have to do our part to dig deep, so part of the work of spiritual practice is to shift our focus back to the sacred at every opportunity and allow spiritual, not material, longing to fill us.

If you want to feel alive with spiritual longing, you need to come in contact with the sacred dimension in your life and to remain in that awareness as much as possible. You’ll know when you’ve touched that dimension because you’ll feel yourself escaping the confines of matter; the bird of your soul will take to the free air.

Here’s a small meditation to help you find your sacred longing:

Take some time away from your busy life to sit where you won’t be disturbed. allow the sounds that usually fill your life to sink into the quiet. Then ask yourself, “Do I feel my connection with the Lord?” listen in silence for the answer.

Are you in contact with the Supreme, or have you lost touch? are you only thinking about spiritual realization or actually living it? Is your Krishna consciousness alive or dry and theoretical?

These kinds of questions and their honest answers can awaken the voice of your own longing – one you may be ignoring or have been putting off until you have more time to listen. allow that voice to sing louder and reach your ear.

Then follow it.

Source:http://iskconofdc.org/follow-your-sacred-longing/

On Sunday I told the story of my mother. She was born in May, named May, and died in May. She was a beautiful person and I learned much from her that continues to have a positive influence on my everyday spiritual practice.

I shared with all that I was there with my mother at the time of her leaving her body. It was a powerful experience with my sister on one side reciting prayers from the Bible and I on the other side chanting our mantra. She left peacefully on the wings of sacred sound.

What I didn’t mention was how I felt so prepared for that moment. Of course, she had been sick for sometime so it wasn’t sudden, but still I had an awareness, or an understanding of the dying process that others around me didn’t have. I knew she wasn’t ultimately dying, that she, as the soul, was leaving one body and traveling onward – either to another body or returning to her original spiritual place of belonging.

The study of the Krishna philosophy has left me with a whole new approach to life and living, death and dying. It’s not either/ or anymore, it’s both/ and. I have learned that the body covers the soul, is animated by the soul, and death is simply the soul moving on. And the soul is me, is us – having conscious participation in the whole event. It’s like leaving one apartment and going to another, or taking off old clothes and putting on new ones.

Philosophy helps us step back and remember in times of death or crisis. The dying process is never easy – either for those leaving or those watching. But having a positive spiritual practice grounded in a sound and logical philosophy can give tremendous shelter, relief, and comfort. It allows us to say good bye with joy, and to remember with peace. It allows us to live without fear, and move on with confidence. It’s compared to the sun – that which gives light and vision.

Our main book of teachings, the Srimad Bhagavatam, says it well:

“This Bhagavat Purana is as brilliant as the sun, and it has arisen just after the departure of Lord Krishna to His own abode, accompanied by religion, knowledge, etc. Persons who have lost their vision due to the dense darkness of ignorance in the age of Kali shall get light from this Purana.”1.3.43

A little regular reading of philosophy can go a long way to creating peace in the world. Go read and make some peace today.

Source:http://iskconofdc.org/why-philosophy-works/

A young lady from Colombia was walking on the Mall in DC last week. On the same day the young man who manages the Krishna House at near the University of Maryland decided to go there and sell some Bhagavad-gitas.

He met various people and sold some books. He also met this young lady from Colombia and she bought a book. After about ten minutes he saw her coming back towards him. She stopped to ask him two questions.

“Why are you out here doing this on this cold day?” she queried.

He told her he was part of an organization that wanted to do something to help people in the world, to help make lasting change. There is a lot of suffering going on, a lot of confusion. He explained that by giving people information, a book that discusses big picture questions like love, time, death, the soul, God, they could take it home, read it and reflect, and thus be empowered in their own way, as they needed to be.

“This book changed my life,” he said. “It brought color when all was black and white and empty. It worked for me, and maybe it can work for others too.”

She then asked him, “Why me?”

He looked at her and smiled. “Krishna, as super-soul, is in everyone’s heart. It’s like intuition. I was praying to Krishna, please send someone who wants to know something more, who feels there is more to life than eating and sleeping.”

They talked for a little while on the role of karma, intuition, destiny, and serendipity in life. How life can be mysterious but if we honestly and sincerely seek goodness and truth we can be sure we will meet up with others seeking the same thing. We will meet someone trying to give goodness and truth away. And if we have a moment to stop, it might make all the difference.

Source:http://iskconofdc.org/why-me/

Last week we asked the question – what do we do with the body when we know we’re not the body? How do we view it, work with it, live with it? Here are three approaches that help us see the body from a spiritual perspective and appreciate the strong role it plays in deepening our relationship with Krishna.

A Bridge: We as spirit souls connect to the world through the body. We eat, see, hear, smell and seek happiness through the mind and senses. The body bridges the inner me to the outer world. When we use the same body to hear, see, and connect with Krishna in this world good things happen – we are more satisfied with life, the connection with Krishna purifies our mind so we perceive spiritual reality, and our love for Krishna grows.

An Instrument: We often take care of our cars, phones, musical instruments, or golf clubs better than we take care of ourselves. Why? Because they are the instruments by which we work, play, and seek fulfillment in life. The human body is also an instrument – but for self realization. We carry this spiritual tool box around with us 24/7. Krishna told Arjuna – your perfection, the realization of your deepest most complete self, is by fighting. By living in the world and using our body in accordance with the highest principles of human action (Bhakti Yoga) we can transform not only ourselves but all we interact with.

A Companion: Make our body our companion. Appreciate it, take care of it, thank it regularly. It’s who we meet in the morning in the mirror and who we are with last thing at night. The body and mind can be our friend or enemy – bringing us to good places, moods, and attitudes or making our life hell. We need to love our body because its all we’ve got. We can make a partnership that together we are going to achieve the goal of life, transcend death, and appreciate the opportunity, and privilege, this human form of life offers us – freedom from suffering and a return to love.

Source:http://iskconofdc.org/3-ways-to-love-our-body/

How to know Krishna? How to get a sense of who He is, a feeling towards Him? How can we think about Him naturally throughout the day and not just while we battle with our mind during our chanting practice? In other words, can we meditate off the mat and into the day?

Meditation is mind work. For some it’s emptying the mind of everything. For us it’s filling the mind with thoughts of Krishna. Letting the mind drift to His side, lean into His space and rest there.

Arjuna asked Krishna such a question – “How shall I constantly think of You, and how shall I know You? In what various forms are You to be remembered?” In the Gita’s beautiful poetic verses, Krishna invites us to breathe deep the extent of his presence everywhere and to let our minds connect with that. Simple, beautiful, daily meditations.

Here are my 12 favorites.

Of lights I am the radiant sun

Among stars I am the moon

Of bodies of water I am the ocean

I am inexhaustible time

Among beasts I am the lion

Of purifiers I am the wind

Of seasons I am flower-bearing spring

Of letters I am the letter A

Of the wise I am wisdom

Of the splendid I am the splendor

I am all devouring death and

I am the generating principle of all that is yet to be.

Source:http://iskconofdc.org/12-simple-daily-meditations/

In the story of the Ramayana, Sita follows her husband into exile. Up until that point their life was going fine. Princess marries the handsome prince and all in the kingdom are happy. Then boom – one person, one incident, turns their whole life upside down. An old promise has Rama banished to the forest for 13 years. He had to walk out the door with nothing but the clothes on his back. His wife Sita would not be left behind and walked the forest path with him.

Sita and Rama are divine, but they play the part of ordinary souls going through unexpected difficulties in life. In their story they show us what to do. Don’t look back, don’t try to change the outcome or figure out why. Don’t try to fight it. Keep moving forward with grace, faith, trust and acceptance. A Muslim friend of mine speaks of her multiple sclerosis – “it is written” is what she learned as a child. She says that gives her great peace.

We all have to walk into the forest at some point in our life, sometimes multiple forests. It could be a debilitating illness, a loss of a loved one, or a terrible accident. It can be any number of things that will banish us from our regular life and force change upon us. Change we never asked for, never wanted, never needed. Or it could be an everyday forest – maybe people that don’t make us feel good or family relationships that are bitter. Forests, forests, everywhere.

Knowing (and living) three things can help us through life’s inevitable difficulties. This material word means struggle and suffering. Dukalayam it is called in Sanskrit – ‘the place which sells suffering’. Knowing that means you know what you are dealing with. No surprises then when pain comes close to home, or walking straight through your front door.

Secondly, as a spark of the divine, we don’t suffer. It’s the false ego, the false identity with body, family, country, and world that brings the pain. We must take time everyday to remind ourselves that we are not the body. Maya, the Sanskrit word for the material energy, means ‘that which is not’. It’s a temporary stage for our eternal self. It does not last.

Thirdly, we must know love, divine love. All that remains at the end is pure love – how much we have or don’t have it. Everyday we must source love, connect with love, give love, and receive love. In general, we are love-starved. We are afraid to love for so many reasons and don’t trust it when it is offered to us. There is an abundance of Krishna’s love. We must receive it and give it to others generously.

As Mother Sita walked into the dark and dangerous forest, so must we. As she survived, so will we – if we walk with transcendental knowledge, awareness, and love. Then, no matter what karmic destiny is in store for us in this world, our journey through it will take us home to the spiritual world. And that’s a journey worth taking.

Source:http://iskconofdc.org/into-the-forest/

Where we put our mind
our heart, our head, and our hands

It creates space to share
with greater things

Meditation brings peace, brings slow,
brings breath, brings perspective

It’s where we go not to forget life
but to live life

meditation is where
we can make changes
forgive
decide to be better

It returns our memory
it shows the way
home

Krishna meditation uncovers
pulls back the curtain
and we know we are not alone

it is where we can begin
to repair the long lost
ancient and eternal
relationship we have
with Krishna
the Supreme Personality of Godhead

Krishna meditation is a walk
hand in hand
with a daring truth
and unconditional love

it offers us faith, courage
assurance, sweet dependence
it tells us to let go
it is sublime

Krishna meditation brings
us across the body
to know ourselves
without it

when we touch that place we are fearless

Krishna meditation brings all that
and more

If we want it

Source:http://iskconofdc.org/meditation/