latest blog (26)

New Year’s Resolutions


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By Giriraj Swami

Most resolutions take the form of “do’s”—things I resolve to do—and “don’ts”—things I resolve to not do. And Vedic wisdom tells us that all do’s and don’ts should support one main do—always remember Krishna (God)—and one main don’t—never forget Him.

Now, practically, what can we do to always remember Krishna and never forget Him? The item most favorable for remembering Him is chanting and hearing: chanting and hearing His holy names—the Hare Krishna maha-mantra—and chanting and

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Much can be said about compassion, and although we’ve covered many of its different facets, there is still much more that can be said, specifically in terms of our relationships with each other as practitioners of Krsna consciousness.

This whole theme expands from one line in The Nectar of Devotion—that one should not give unnecessary trouble to any living entity. This is a principle of Krsna consciousness that every Vaisnava should aspire to achieve because, as we say every day, vancha-kalpa

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There is a lot of emphasis nowadays on the need for love and trust among devotees. We can cite the six loving exchanges between us. We can also use the strength of the often quoted, “your love for me will be shown by how you cooperate.” In spite of our efforts to promote this ideal, can we ever expect a situation where love and trust dominates in all of our devotee interactions?

Are we too big as an organisation to assume that this will happen? Can each of us get by simply by being polite to ea

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Alone with the Holy Names by Mahatma das

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Mahatma das: I happily and enthusiastically welcome the holy names every japa session.I easily chant my prescribed number of rounds with focus and attention.When I chant, I chant.I get to chant, I want to chant, and I love to chant.I treat the maha-mantra as Radha and Krsna, fully present in sound.I receive and feel Krsna’s presence, mercy and love in His holy names.I chant in full awareness that the holy name is my greatest treasure.I chant to please Radha and Krsna, not to gain anything mat

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Declaring Dependence upon the Holy Name. 
Romapada Swami: Is there anything that exists that we can say is ours? We can’t say that the body is ours because it can be taken away. Our mind is not ours because it is not under our control. Our possessions are certainly not ours. Even the soul itself is the property of Krsna. So what can we say is ours? Our acharyas give us the answer: the one thing we can say is ours is our relationship with Krsna. It can’t be taken away from us, just like the free

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One of the most amazing resources we have in our Hare Krishna movement is the Grihastha Vision Team (GVT) - an incredible group of senior devotees who dedicate themselves to helping our Hare Krishna communities become stronger by developing strength in families.

Being Family Day weekend, this seems like the most opportune time to "plug" the work of the GVT.  The mission of the GVT is to support, strengthen, educate and enliven the individuals, couples and families who are or will be involved w

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