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Mahaprabhu Das introducing Willy Fautre from HRWF

By Mina Sharma

Day Two of the European Communications Conference began with a very relevant and hard hitting talk by Willy Fautre of Human Rights Without Frontiers (HRWF). This led to much discussion about various cases of abuse of human rights on the basis of religious belief and how HRWF has helped. It was also a fascinating opportunity to learn about the importance of PR and lobbying to raise awareness and tackle these issues.

Next was an e

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By Her Grace Malati Devi Dasi

Developing congregations in ISKCON is actually something so important that enough cannot be said about it. Initially the temples were our homes, and if you were not living in the temple, then you were considered to be in maya. Thankfully that concept no longer exists. As wonderful and as big our temples may become, they are not going to be able to be big enough to accommodate the whole world.

Lord Caitanya’s movement is meant to encompass the whole world. The temple i

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People

By Madhava Smullen

A lifetime dream is finally being fulfilled as Prabhupada disciple Mahendranath Das captains his Sailing Temple, “The Jai Nimai Nitai,” 16,000 nautical miles from Mississippi, USA to Mayapur, India. The trip began in July 2018 and will likely end in November this year.

After joining ISKCON in 1972 in San Antonio, Texas, Mahendranath helped reconstruct the temple in New Orleans, and was one of the pioneers of the New Talavana farm near Picayune.

The idea that would drive him

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I walked a bit of Tottenham, and then we drove to Brampton, then Toronto, Ontario, on this fine but cloudy Mother’s Day.  I introduced the latter two communities to Kalakanta, but before doing so read a passage from the magazine “Spirit Soul” from   https://iskconnews.org/new-magazine-spirit-soul-makes-bhakti-yoga-accessible,6602/   It was a powerful message.  

“There once was a treacherous being guarding a lake that contained the only water for hundreds of miles, and King Yudhisthira was thi
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ISKCON: More Gurus Needed!

By Kripamoya dasa

Whether you like it or not, Jehovah’s Witnesses are always ready to do two things (1) Distribute books (2) Sit down and talk with you, and help you to understand. ISKCON has many book distributors, but we need more gurus.

After people have read one of Srila Prabhupada’s books, and if they want to know more, their first question is often something like this: “How can I find out more about all this? Do you have any meetings in my town?” or “Are there any other Krishna people liv

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Activism
 
By Madhava Smullen 

Food For Life London, which has been feeding hot vegetarian meals to the homeless since 1994, is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year with its first ever “Walk Against Hunger.”

A project of ISKCON’s Radha Krishna Temple, Food For Life serves around 900 prasadam meals a week – a total of over 1 million since its inception.

Its ten-mile “Walk Against Hunger” will start and finish at Soho Square on June 29th, and will circumambulate the temple, symbolizing ISKCON Founde

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By Mina Sharma

Around sixty devotees from across Europe and the US have gathered in New Vrajamandala in Spain, to participate in the European Communications Conference running from 27th - 30th May. 

Day one of the conference has focused upon ISKCON and the Environment, where there have been exciting presentations from a number of devotees. 

Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies Director Shaunaka Rsi Dasa spoke about the Vedic Perspective on the Environment, where he discussed the Vedic concepts of R

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It Was Heaven by Bhaktimarga Swami

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Kalakanta came all the way from Mayapura, India, to be with us.  With origins from Brazil, he took to the path of Bhaktiyears ago, and has adopted and adapted to a more simple way of life, and been blessed to be the Minister of Cow Protection and Agriculture for ISKCON. We are fortunate to have him inspire us with our various farm initiatives in central Canada, which will soon culminate in a Farmer’s Conference in Quebec on the 18th.

Taking a stretch of the Great Trail, Vishal, the owner of t
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Preaching Means Congregational Development

By His Grace Aniruddha Dasa (Temple President Melbourne Australia)

I think it is important that the leaders of our society put effort into training and educating the congregation because we have discovered how effective it is, especially if the leaders themselves are the teachers. There is this concern that if we train up all these people and they have home programs they won’t come to the temple. But what we have actually found is that if you put the time in to training, educating and making frie

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A to Z of Krishna Consciousness

A to Z of Krishna ConsciousnessA- Association of DevoteesB- BooksC- ChantingD- Diety WorshipE- Ekadasi fastingF- Food offered to KrsnaG- Guru SevaH- HearingI- InitiationJ- Journey to Holy DhamK- KirtanL- Live simplyM- Mangla AartiN- No PrajalpaO- Offering ObeisancesP- PreachingQ- Question humblyR- Regulative PrinciplesS- Surrender (Saranagati)T- Tulasi sevaU- Understand philosophyV- Vaisnav sevaW- Work in Krsna ConsciousnessX- Xerox the teachings (Repeat as it is)Y- Yearn for BhaktiZ- Zeal for s
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The purpose of chanting is about taking shelter. Everyone needs shelter in this world; we know that very well. But where is our shelter other than at Krsna’s lotus feet? That is our situation, there is no other shelter! Everything else is illusory shelter. Real security and shelter is found in Krsna and that is the essence of spiritual life.
When we are new in spiritual life then we think we are advancing – we feel we are advancing, we feel things are changing, we feel our life is changing, we

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There once lived a seeker of God called Surdas. He was eager to study and understand Spirituality (knowledge about God). He approached a Guru and requested that the Guru teach him spiritual practice so that he could get close to God.
The Guru was well aware of Surdas’ defect of anger. He knew that this would prevent Surdas from feeling closeness with God. So the Guru decided to first prepare Surdas before teaching him serious spiritual practice. So the Guru replied, “Dear Surdas, chant the Lord

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I have been rereading the First Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam and receiving great illumination and inspiration from it. Srila Prabhupada said that he was not sure how long he would live, so he put everything into the First Canto, and Ramesvara Prabhu told me that whenever he told Prabhupada that the BBT had money and asked what they should print, Prabhupada would reply “Reprint the First Canto.”
Reading the First Canto yesterday, I came across the solution to the political problems we are facing i

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In the midst of the lush, green Grihasta Para housing area of ISKCON Mayapur the Sri Mayapur International School is situated.  The school campus features an idyllic combination of brick buildings, pathways, and tree-filled grounds, and those living nearby can often hear the children at play, performing kirtan, or practicing mridanga.

The Sri Mayapur International School, one of the educational institutes of ISKCON Mayapur, has been educating the children of Mayapur since it was founded in 198

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Major walking today consisted of a two kilometre walk and dip into a sunken park that leads to the Studio Building.  Constructed in 1914 is a three storey brick edifice that has historic value (for Canada at least) and is just around the corner from our ashram.
 
Before I became a monk, I was a fine arts student, and I had a weak spot for the Canadian Group of Seven, impressionistic artists of natural sceneries.  Lawren Harris was my favourite.  Well, this is the building they met in, gather
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Nowadays the great innovations of medical and scientific science can maintain patients alive, even those that in the past were given no hope to survive. These innovations can prolong the patient’s existence artificially even knowing that they will never regain acceptable health and life conditions. This situation is commonly called over-medication. The definition of cerebral death, since the end of the sixties has allowed for the development of transplant surgery. Before that time, the extracti

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Lord Nrsimhadeva Reciprocates Instantly

By Pankajanghri das

The fact that people just love to hear stories is one reason why some of the Vedic codes were gradually transmitted in story form, like the epic histories Mahabharata and Ramayana and the Puranas. When such stories concern the pastimes of the Lord and His devotees, they are called lilas. Being labeled Lord Nrsimhadeva’s pujari in Mayapur, I have been asked to recount some stories in connection with Him, but unlike the sastras (scriptures), these “lilas” (pastimes) have no auth

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How can I chant with pure love?

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By BB Govinda Swami

Gopa Kumara asked “How can I chant with pure love?” And they said “Well, if you want to chant with love you must know the Srimad Bhagavatam.” This shows that basically Gopa Kumara had travelled through all the levels of the material cosmos. He had even been Brahma but still he has not been scientifically trained in the science of loving Krishna. We can imagine he was even Brahma. But he did not understand the science of Krishna. He even went to Brahman by the power of his ch

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The Material WORLD

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The Bhagavad-gita, chapter two text twenty states:
For the soul there is never birth nor death. Nor, having once been, does he ever cease to be. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing, undying and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain.

What is our real identity?

Am I American, Indian, black, white,  Hindu, Jewish, Christian or Buddhist , Muslim etc?
Am I my thoughts?

Who am I?

Hence, in order to realise that inherent and untainted happiness, which indeed he daily experiences when the mind

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