Lately we’ve been hearing a lot about all the problems with our world with the occupy this, that or the other. Yet not many folks are proposing solutions. This is the fallacy I’m finding with most of the new movements out there. So in response to that I’ve comprised a short list of actions to take on a personal level that could have a global impact:

Soul-ution #1: Stop eating meat. It negatively impacts the environment, your physical health & your consciousness. There is no such thing as a shortage of resources, it’s an issue of mismanaging them.

Soul-ution #2: Be mindful. Think about what you do before you do it. Don’t just tow the line, question everything & make your own education decision as to what is right. As my dear friend Jerry would say,” Live in the moment as that’s where the momentum is.”

Soul-ution #3. Follow the golden rule. If everyone treated all living beings the way they want to be treated, we wouldn’t have a bulk of the problems we have.

Soul-ution #4: Reduce your consumption habits. Reuse things as far as possible or buy other folks reused stuff instead of buying new. Lastly, recycle it.

Soul-ution #5: First be conscious, then be Krishna conscious. Follow #2…turn on. Then #5…tune in. This is not a sectarian concept just because it uses the name Krishna (literally means the all attractive One). It’s about realizing that we are all intimately connected. Our actions impact one another whether we realize it or not.

Soul-ution #6: Drop out. After you’ve figured out #2 & #5 it’s time to take it to the practical level. Don’t follow the herd. Support locally owned & operated ethical businesses instead of the big boxes. Ditch the big banks, join a credit union. Think for yourself. It’s never too late to start & every bit counts.

Soul-ution #7: Be the change. Don’t just talk about how bad the world sucks & all the problems in it. Be the example of what is right & good, put into practice the ideas you feel will make the world a better place.

Soul-ution #8: Be open-minded. You can have conviction & a strong set of beliefs but still be open to other ideas/ways to expand your perspective & deepen your understanding. As the Vedic wisdom tells us, we should be ready & willing to take something of worth even from the most unlikely places. Wisdom is everywhere, we just have to develop the eyes to see it.

With all of this remember, you can be as hardcore or softcore as you want. Even one vegetarian meal a week or one can recycled or one conscientious decision makes a difference. Of course, the more you do the larger your impact will be. This is not an all inclusive exhaustive list by any means. I’m open to hear others soul-utions as well…in fact that’d be awesome. Trying to keep things non-sectarian so please keep that in mind.

When we think of the philosophical concept of nirvana which Prabhupada describes as “finishing material life” it’s not that hard to understand how it relates to the Bhagavad-Gita. But, when we think of Nirvana of the late 80s/ early 90s Seattle Grunge band variety it’s a bit harder to make that connection. Until now…

While I was perusing the internet, doing some research for creating my Graphic Design portfolio I came across the following quote attributed to Kurt Cobain (Nirvana front man who committed suicide in 1994):

“I’d rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not.” ~ Kurt Cobain

Immediately I was reminded of BG. 3.35:

“It is far better to discharge one’s prescribed duties, even though they may be faultily, than another’s duties. Destruction in the course of performing one’s own duty is better than engaging in another’s duties, for to follow another’s path is dangerous.”

Not sure if Kurt ever read the Gita, but judging by the name of the band & some of the lyrics he wrote, it seems he had to have had some philosophical musings.

This reminded me of a little tidbit from Bhagavatam class the other day namely: all knowledge both material & spiritual is included in the Vedas. Often times if you look at famous inspirational quotes you can find nearly the exact same wisdom in sastra. It’s nice seeing the inner connectivity of it all and catching glimpses of how what is spoken by sadhus & scripture actually pans out in real life scenarios.

Anyways, just wanted to pass this on down the line for pondering. ‘Tis an important teaching to understand. “Gotta be true to myself”as Ziggy Marley has said. We may be able to fool others or even ourselves into thinking that we are something other than what we are but, eventually the veil will be lifted. Really if you think about it this is the essence of Krishna consciousness…understanding who we really are & acting accordingly.

Self-realization aka keepin’ it real.

Recently I have embarked on a journey to devote more time to reading Srila Prabhupada’s books. I’m glad that Srila Prabhupada gave us a vast literary collection to choose from. Really there’s something for everyone, no matter what level or where your interest lies.

I started off with “Teachings of Lord Caitanya” & about 15 pages into it I decided that was too high level for me.

Next I turned to the  “Bhagavad Gita As It Is” which again felt like it was a bit over my head at the time.

Finally I ended up with “Krishna Consciousness: The Matchless Gift”, which felt just right. (somehow I feel like Goldilocks writing this, though in hindsight Im sure Paramatma was directing me towards the book that would hit the right spot)

I’ve been having some difficultly staying on the Krishna conscious side of the spectrum lately. Majority of my time is spent at work or school surrounded mostly by folks who have not quite made it to the “athato brahma jijnasa” stage this time around. Thus, as the wisdom of the Gita tells us, you become like those you associate with, so yeah, difficulties come.

The other day I randomly picked up a Gita and read the purport to BG. 2.40. This part especially jumped out at me and inspired me to pick myself up & move forward with greater determination no matter what apparent reverses may present themselves.

“Any work begun on the material plane has to be completed, otherwise the whole attempt becomes a failure. But any work begun in Kṛṣṇa consciousness has a permanent effect, even though not finished. The performer of such work is therefore not at a loss even if his work in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is incomplete. One percent done in Kṛṣṇa consciousness bears permanent results, so that the next beginning is from the point of two percent, whereas in material activity without a hundred percent success there is no profit.”

This made me realize the importance of reading Srila Prabhupada’s books. We spend so much time engrossed in material studies/life that we need constant reminders of why we’re here & what our real mission is. It’s easy to get lost in the fog of material life.

Again last night I picked up “Matchless Gifts” for a bit of reading and found this super inspiring passage:

“God does not interfere with our tiny independence. If we want to act according to the order of God, then He will help us. Even if one falls down sometimes, if one becomes sincere, thinking, “From this time I shall remain Krsna conscious and execute His orders,” then Krsna will help him. In all respects, even if one falls down, he will be excused and given more intelligence. This intelligence will say, “Don’t do this. Now go on with your duty.” But if one wants to forget Krsna, if he wants to become happy without Krsna, the Lord will give so many chances to enable him to forget Him life after life.”

Really Krishna is excessively kind to us. Our only atonement for whatever maya we are in is to simply rededicate ourselves to serving Guru & Krishna again & again. When we’re attempting to become Krsna conscious, surely there will be times we choose maya over Krishna & our thoughts will not be of the most transendental/ purely devotional caliber, but still what can be done?

Whether we like it or not, we’re all going back to Godhead eventually. Some folks are running back home, others are stumbling painstakingly, some are standing still, while others are walking backwards. Nontheless, when it’s all said & done, we are all eventually going to end up in Goloka, maybe this life, maybe 8,400,000 lives from now.

Still whatever steps we take towards Krishna, are our eternal asset. Whatever set backs we encounter are opportunities to pick our selves back up & keep on going with renewed patience, enthusiasm & determination. As my Guru Maharaj wrote to me in a letter a while back:

“Losing some battles, does not mean that you will lose the war. When you lose a battle you should become even more determined not to be defeated by maya again.”

Devotional service is not static it’s ecstatic (as my Guru Maharaj says). We have to always be diligent in our practice to defeat maya in the innumerable attacks she unleashes on us each day. Trick is no matter where you’re at or what you’ve done, don’t be discouraged…just keep on keeping on. As Oat Willie would say “Onward thru the fog!”

God does not interfere with our tiny independence. If we want to act according to the order of God, then He will help us. Even if one falls down sometimes, if one becomes sincere, thinking, “From this time I shall remain Kåñëa conscious and execute His orders,” then Kåñëa will help him. In all respects, even if one falls down, he will be excused and given more intelligence. This intelligence will say, “Don’t do this. Now go on with your duty.” But if one wants to forget Kåñëa, if he wants to become happy without Kåñëa, the Lord will give so many chances to enable him to forget Him life after life.

Well the first days are the hardest days,
Don’t you worry any more, ‘Cause when life looks like easy
Street, there is danger at your door.
Think this through with me, let me know your mind.
Woh – oh, what I want to know, is are you kind?

~Uncle John’s Band, the Grateful Dead

As I was driving home from the temple tonight a mini-realization struck me, so I figured what the hey, why not blog about it. After finishing up the Deity worship I sat down to listen to Bhagavad-Gita class given by Her Grace Srimati Vishnupriya Mataji (aka my Guru Mataji). When Mataji opened it up for questions I took the opportunity to whittle away at the seemingly innumerable stock of unanswered questions that sit in my notebook. I’m always looking for opportunities to ask these questions, yet it’s finding a time where the questions fit into the context of the class or a senior devotee is present & available to give time that is the difficulty.

Anyhow I started to ask questions about the modes of material nature. The first question was something to the effect that Srila Gurudeva said in a previous class that in order to become Krishna conscious we must get out of the modes, yet to get out of the modes we must be Krishna conscious, so how to understand this?

The answer was that we have to follow the instruction given by Guru, Sadhu, & Sastra and capitalize on whatever little Krishna consciousness we already have and gradually we will transcend the modes.

The next question was that I had read in a purport to Srimad Bhagavatam somewhere in the 4th canto that “the temple is non-different from Vaikuntha-loka and the 3 modes cannot enter the temple.” If this is the case then how can a person like myself enter into the temple, if I am under the modes? From this it would seem that the modes are entering with me into the temple.

The answer was that the temple is beyond the modes, it is doing nothing wrong, there is nothing wrong with the temple activities, what’s wrong is with me. I am in tama guna or whatever other mode. I am thinking whatever nonsense, so in that sense I am not actually in the temple but, rather in the modes. (yeah, tis’ a bit mind-boggling to think of that) Everyone in the temple may be in different modes, yet the temple remains transcendental to this.

After packing up a bit of prasad and offering my obeisances, I walked out to my car and began to reflect on all that transpired. As I was walking it hit me that this is actual kindness. Though the words of a sadhu may indeed be very cutting and hurt like anything, they have our highest interest at hand. Despite our constant protesting and rebelling the sadhu continues to try and bring us to the highest level. They are in actuality our greatest well wisher as they are trying to bring us out of maya and into Krishna consciousness. They want to bring us beyond the temporary happiness of the material world which is nothing more than veiled suffering to the platform of eternal happiness which relies on nothing external. They want us to become atma-rama (self-satisfied).

Mulling over what had happened tonight and how Guru Mata heavily propounded in the lecture that there is no happiness to be had in the material world, made me realize that this is my actual well-wisher. Here is a person who actually cares for me and knows what’s best for me. At the same time I felt bad for all the hell I have put both Srila Gurudeva & Mataji through with my insubordinate behavior and constant protesting to stay in maya. I feel grateful that they are patiently tolerating me and continuing to offer me all good guidance to get out of the mental mess I’m in.

As you are approaching the end of this  you may be asking, why did I start this blog post off with some lyrics to a Grateful Dead song. Well in my mind it’s a no brainer… but my mind works way differently than the rest of the worlds so a little explanation.

At first everything may appear dandy “when life looks like easy street…”, but if you “think this through with me, let me know your mind” you’ll realize often times things are as they initially appear “there is danger at your door”. What we perceive to be kindness is in actuality cruelty, and what we perceive to be cruelty is in actuality kindness.Srila Rupa Goswami has nicely explained this by saying, “My friends chastise me and my enemies praise me.”

If we can detach ourselves the grumblings of  our false ego for a bit, we can see things through the lens of our real ego and understand things as they are. Hence this brings me to a prayer I have been regularly offering to the Deities, namely begging them to help me see things as they really are, to understand in the highest sense what is right and what is wrong. Tonight I feel they blessed me with a glimpse of that vision so, I thought I would share with hopes that perhaps They may bless me with deeper realization and 20/20 or perhaps I should say 108/108 transcendental vision.

premanjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena
santah sadaiva hrdayesu vilokayanti
yam syamasundaram acintya-guna-svarupam
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami

“I worship the primeval Lord, Govinda, who is always seen by the devotee whose eyes are anointed with the pulp of love. He is seen in His eternal form of Syamasundara, situated within the heart of the devotee.” – Sri Brahma Samhita Chapter 5, “Hymn to the Absolute,” Mantra 38.

I decided it is time to dust off the blog for a post or two to try and sort out a lesson that my Guru Maharaj & Guru Mata are trying to teach me at present namely it’s not about the externals but rather about where your head is at. We may have sadhu-sanga, we may not. We may have a temple to take shelter, we may not. We may have a Krishna conscious life partner, we may not. We may have a dear devotee friend to reveal our heart to and console us in times of need, we may not. At the time of death, we’re not going to have anything to fall back upon save and except whatever Krishna consciousness we have developed. Guru can give us all good lessons, and  take us right up to the cusp, but as Srila Prabhupada has aptly stated we must “fly our own planes”, when the time of death approaches.  Srila Gurudeva nicely explains that the time of death is like hitting the total button on the calculator…wherever our thoughts, words and deeds were focused throughout the majority of our life is ultimately where we will go at the time of death.

This point is confirmed  in BG 8.6:

yam yam vapi smaran bhavam
tyajaty ante kalevaram
tam tam evaiti kaunteya
sada tad-bhava-bhavitah

“Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, that state he will attain without fail.”

In the purport to BG 3.27 Srila Prabhupada mentions that although the materialist and spiritualist appear to be engaged in the same activities externally when one analyzes the consciousness of both individuals there is a gulf of difference. The materialist is thinking he is the doer whereas the spiritualist understands everything is being carried out by the modes of material nature which is ultimately going on under the direction of Sri Krsna. A while back I asked Srila Gurudeva if we could say that the surrender Krishna speaks about in BG 18.66 is a state of consciousness as opposed to some variety of activities. He replied something to the effect that yes, the shift of consciousness is the key part in the surrender process but, where our consciousness is at will naturally manifest itself in our actions. If we are factually thinking of Krishna in a loving manner all the time as many folks claim, automatically we will be inclined to render service and execute the instructions given by the spiritual master. Yet if we are always hankering for sense gratification naturally we will fall back into our old habits.

So my Guru Maharaj & Mataji are striving to bring me to that higher level despite my incessant protests and canvassing to do this, that and the other. They’re trying to teach me that more important than adjusting the externals is to adjust the internals. If our consciousness is staunchly fixed on Krsna, we can handle any adverse conditions that maya devi throws at us. Just look at the case of Haridas Thakur. Maya personified appeared in his hut trying to seduce him, but instead of being agitated by her allurements he remained focused on the Holy Name and in turn made her forget her cunning ways and engage in devotional service. While I can clearly understand the principle of this lesson, dealing with the mind and the various desires that go along with it is a helluva struggle to say the least. Therein I can only hope and pray Krishna will give me the intelligence required to follow that which is best for me in the highest sense and not give into the various pushings of the mind and the senses.

Really if you think about it, we have the power to make anything better as it all depends on how we choose to perceive it. We can take being in this world in whatever situation we are in as a bad bargain or we can choose to make this material world, heaven on Earth. We have the choice to take whatever comes our way in a “why me, what did I do to deserve this” sort of way or we can take whatever comes our way in a grateful manner of “I deserve much worse and Krishna is so kind, to have only given me a portion of what I deserve.” We can let reverses get us down or we can take these failures as pillars to success. What it all boils down to is where is our head at. In this way we can properly utilize our propensity to control by taking full control over that which is under our jurisdiction namely our mind and senses. If we can factually do this, wherever we are and whatever we are doing will be blissful. Therein I beg for the mercy, prayers and blessings of the Vaishnavas that I may factually realize and apply this to my own life. Ultimately as Krishna tells Arjuna after speaking the Bhagavad-Gita in 18.63, “It’s up to you, what you want to do”. Tis’ amazing to think how kind Krishna is for putting Arjuna under the spell of Maya so he could teach us by his example how to get out of our fallen conditioned state and come to the platform of pure devotional service. Only difference is Arjuna got it right the first time after a 30 minute conversation, whereas many of us have studied/ practiced the teachings for years but are still thinking maybe I should surrender to Krishna or maybe not.  Ka’be Habe Bolo Sei Dina Amar?

Nearly two months have passed since my last entry and thus I have received a couple notes from devotees about my lack of blogging. For the last ever I’ve been going through a transitional stage in my attempts to practice Krishna consciousness, sometimes during these there are lots of things to write about, others I just need a bit of time to myself to ponder over things and see what I truly feel about something with little to no outside influence. Besides that last semester was probably the heaviest semester I have had since I enrolled in school, so that has been challenging as well.

The past couple weeks I’ve been on excursions of the not so transcendental variety….first was an extended weekend in West Texas, Marfa (the Chinati Foundation) and Big Bend for my artistic/professional inspiration and overall a retreat from the constant onslaught of arduous activities that comprise my life. Sometimes I get to the point where I just need a breather…a couple hours to just kick back and lounge in a hammock gaze up at the sky and turn off my brain from the constant chatter of what’s next on my agenda.Unfortunately this does not happen so often. I believe this is why I love making music and art so much, it allows me to get into this head space where nothing else matters but that which I am creating. Of course it’s a temporary state of being but, for me a much needed escape from the seemingly incessant analyzing and refining process that goes on in my brain. I can’t help it I like to think about everything I am doing and try to make sure whatever decisions I am making or philosophy I am presenting/ living by  is something which I can stand behind 100%…tis’ not a static process as understanding is always evolving and deepening thus a constant refining process is underway. I don’t want to be a blind sheep who is a staunch follower of the “ignorance is bliss” philosophy.

The weekend after my west Texas adventures, I  was off to Marietta (outside Atlanta), Georgia for my annual visit with my sister to hang out with her & her husband and meet the newest addition to the family of the dog variety. The result was I got beat down by a 95lb , 7 month old Great Dane “puppy”. Aside from that I got to visit New Panihati Dham (ISKCON Atlanta) which is one of the most loving, enthusiastic communities of devotees I have ever visited. You can feel the good energy and vibes upon walking in the door. Tis’ just like entering a new dimension. The smell of the incense was intoxicating, the kirtan was happening and the prasadam was absolutely out of this world.

I met a nice devotee named Premanjali and we exchanged contact info and I also met a theology student named Margaret who is studying to be a Presbyterian pastor. Margaret was doing a report on Sacred Spaces which led to her having a bunch of interesting questions and us having a nice philosophical discussion/ interfaith dialogue. Tis’ always refreshing to connect with other believers/devotees…it’s just like you’re on a whole other platform then the rest of the world. Despite canvassing others that the water is fine and actually quite nice, it seems the masses would rather kick it in the senses are god mode as the instantaneous “bliss” is all attractive to folks bereft of broader vision. Here I am not trying to take a holier than thou sort of position but rather exclaim how sweet it is to be able to connect with someone on the same wavelength of asking existential questions and sincerely looking for answers regardless of where they come. These sort of folks are rare and their association is indescribably precious.

While the events of the past couple weeks were no doubt fun and mostly filled with at least somewhat sattvic activities (being out in nature, hiking, camping, making music,making art,  appreciating this beautiful creation, etc), still the lack of sadhu-sanga & Krishna conscious activities for the majority of the time hampers the enjoyability of these adventures. For me it is practical realization that without Krishna everything is more or less zeros waiting for the One to be added. Nonetheless, engaging in material activities and being around non-devotees actually strengthens my Krishna consciousness. It makes me realize how special this process is and how fortunate I am to have had my eyes opened by my Spiritual Master to the wonderful world of Krishna consciousness. It also makes the return to the temple and devotee association much sweeter. You factually feel how the dham and the devotees are a source of refuge & rejuvenation. It’s uplifting.

Besides that as I was talking with some devotees outside the dham after the feast the notion was brought up that after engaging in material activities one just does not feel clean. For instance if you eat some foodstuffs cooked by non-devotees or hear some music of the mundane variety or watch tv, or a movie, you just feel dirty. Though it may nourish the body, the mind or the senses, it neglects the soul, thus leaving one in a state of emptiness despite the superficial fullness. Perhaps this will make sense to you, perhaps it won’t. One thing for sure is “things go better with Hare Krishna”. For realz.

Hoping the next blog update will be regarding the enlightening topics discussed by the speaker at the Sunday program in ATL.

Life in the material world is not easy to say the least. For the aspiring spiritualist it is especially difficult as our environment here is such where nearly every aspect of modern culture is encouraging us to engage in irreligious activities. Srila Prabhupada rightly declared the plight of a neophyte devotee as, “the war on maya”. We have to battle it out with the mind and senses who are constantly canvassing us to fulfill whatever whims they may have. Herein we are given a few checks & balances: sadhu, sastra & guru. They aid us in understanding what the proper course of action is for us to take in all times, places and circumstances.

That being said still we are not immune from the tragedies, calamities, difficulties & struggles that comprise material life. We regularly have to face them. Nonetheless, the Vedic wisdom provides the devotee with the vision necessary to make it through all these apparent reverses with a sense of equilibrium. Everything may fall apart around us, in fact given the temporal nature of this material world, it all will in due course. Though castles made of sand may be washed into the sea eventually, the devotee is not disturbed by this. Why? Because by the mercy of our spiritual masters everything has been placed into proper perspective. Devotees are blessed to see things as they really are, and thus don’t become disturbed by the waves of the material energy.

The other night we were sharing our realizations as to how/what we felt about chanting Hare Krishna. My response was that I feel that that is the only stable thing I have in my life. Everything/one else may come or go , but Sri Nama Prabhu, will always be there. Though I may turn my back on Him again & again, the Holy Name is still there patiently waiting for me to take shelter of Him and bestow endless mercy, understanding and solace unto me.

Similarly my Godbrother was saying that when he chants it just puts things into proper perspective. He was relating how something may really be nagging him like anything, so he’ll take some time out, pick up his japa beads and chant for a bit. Once he is through with chanting he can’t even fathom how he got so agitated by something so trivial.

Time and time again my experience has been that no matter what sort of crazy situation we find ourselves in, if we just take shelter of the Holy Name we will be transferred to the eye of the storm. Even though all the madness is swirling around us, still we are at peace, totally preparred for whatever craziness may be in store. Therein I feel grateful and blessed for coming into contact with the Holy Name through the mercy of my beloved Guru Maharaj & Srila Prabhupada. They have given me a place of refuge, no matter where I am or what predicament I find themselves in. I remain eternally grateful for this and pray that I may always remember and take full advantage of the shelter the Holy Name provides. All I can do is hope, pray and beg for the mercy of the Vaishnavas that I may never give up this process of Krishna consciousness no matter what trials & tribulations come up.

Hare Krishna

First post of 2010…not sure what happened to January, somehow the whole month slipped past without even noticing. Spring semester is in full force, which if all goes according to plan this should be my last intense semester. One more class in the summer then I will be done with yet another degree program. We’ve finally gotten together a regular harinam program here in Austin it seems…once a week for books, harinam & prasad distribution is a solid start considering our current situation. Begging for the blessings of the Vaishnavas that we may maintain and expand our cultivation and propagation of Krishna consciousness.

For the last ever, I have been struggling with Krishna consciousness. Hence the URL of this blog “Struggling Sadhaka” and the title…”trying to reach a state of equilibrium”. Each year, month, week, day, hour, minute, second, etc has been  filled with a variety of tests and situations whereby it is necessary to make a choice between Krishna and Maya and sometimes make compromises between the two.  Each situation is unique as is each individual. The other day in Srimad-Bhagavatam class Srila Gurudeva described the relationship the jiva has with Krishna. He said that all the jivas are like an infinite feast for Krishna, where each jiva is a unique preparation meaning we all have a unique flavor or rasa(mellow) with Krishna.

Sometimes these tests we face along the path are especially heavy. Everything falls apart around us and it appears as if there is no one we can turn to for answers. These answers must come from within. So we have to do some serious soul-searching to reassess our lifestyle choices and distill the issues we are facing to the very essence.

Upon doing this, I realized my main issue with Krishna consciousness is the high standards….I mean even pledging to follow the very basics for eternity namely : no meat-eating, gambling, intoxication or illicit sex, eating only Krishna prasadam & chanting 16 rounds a day is not the simplest task to say the least. What to speak of becoming a pure devotee ?!At the same time assessing the results from engaging in the forbidden activities makes it easy to understand that the short term “pleasure” we derive from these activities is not worth the adverse physical, psychological and spiritual side effects. That being said, due to the influence of maya and our heavy-duty conditioning we sometimes loose sight of the reality of the situation. Hence devotees fall down and sometimes stop practicing Krishna consciousness all together.

For me, I found this intense searching to be quite refreshing as I realized philosophically, I can stand behind the process of Krsna consciousness 100%. The only shortcoming in the equation is myself. The only reason I would leave Krishna consciousness or fall down would be resultant of my own inadequacies not the inadequacies of the Vedas. Vedic culture/ philosophy is flawless, whereas we are flawed due to our poor decision to come to this material world.  Hence this simple realization of “the process works if you work the process” (something my Guru Maharaj often says in his lectures) revived my patience, enthusiasm and determination to push forward in my endeavor to become Krishna conscious.

Besides that the return of Srila Gurudeva, Guru Mata & Sri Sri Radha-Damodara has also provided me with a major reality check and boost of spiritual energy. Each time they come back into town, its like everything shifts back into focus and they reel me in from my drifting far from the shore in their absence. Hence the rarity and preciousness of sadhu-sanga. Sadhus are lifesavers, again and again. I feel grateful that Krishna has put me in such a situation where I am surrounded by kind, loving devotees who will take the time and energy to repeatedly reel me back away from maya and into Krishna. I can only hope and pray He will continue to bestow this causeless mercy upon me.

Hare Krsna

The holidays have brought me a little more into Jesus consciousness mode as it’s the season (thanks to the Romans, I have been told) to try and increase our meditation on this pure devotee of the Lord and attempt to live our life according to his teachings. Hence I am poking my way through the Bible once again trying to seek out the essence of the teachings of Jesus. In the back of my mind sits the fact that I am reading a text that was severely edited at the Council of Nicea, back during the reign of Constantine. At that time it was altered to exclude reincarnation & include meat-eating and alcohol consumption due to Constantine’s attachments/philosophical stance and the priests of the age being corrupt and wanting Christianity to be the state religion for the primary purpose of ensuring that they would be cared for nicely monetarily by the state.  Hence, I am apprehensive to fully accept what is written therein as the word of God as men with their own agenda have tampered with those words. But, that’s a whole other subject…if you’d like to look more into that check out the Gospel of the Holy Twelve.

At any rate I feel reading the Bible again, slowly but surely will aid in my preaching endeavors as so many people use Jesus as their scapegoat as to why they will not take their spiritual life to the next level. The purpose of us going out on the streets is not to convert everyone into Hare Krishnas. Srila Prabhupada did not instruct us to do such a thing. Rather he taught us to spread pure love of God through chanting His Holy names. He emphasized that one can chant any name of God: Buddha, Allah, Jahweh, Jehovah, Wankan Tankan, etc and become God conscious. Labeling myself as a Hare Krishna or a Christian or a Mormon or a Buddhist or Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Muslim, etc. yet not following the teachings outlined in each denominations Holy books will not help anything. This coupled with persons who come with their own agenda in the name of religion is why wars are fought. Srila Prabhupada emphasized that we should see to it that whatever bona fide Holy book or spiritual path one is following, that they/we are doing in perfectly (well to the best of our ability).

We are not out to make people Hare Krishnas, we are out to make them pure lovers of God, be they follow the Christian, Muslim, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Ba’ Hai, path. Aside from that we are out to give people the best quality of life they can possibly have here on Earth by aiding them in tapping into the knowledge they already have within their hearts. Yet therein we face much opposition. Out on the street it is common for people to reject our books saying, I have Jesus. Oh, you have Jesus? Well that’s just great, we are also followers of Jesus. Yet when you point them to the commandment of thou shall not kill in regards to their meat eating, immediately the response is that, that means thou shall not murder. Hence their own agenda comes in.

Similarly it is common for people to “accept Jesus” as their Savior and neglect how he has stated in the Bible to “sin no more”. That’s great you have confessed your sins & chanted your rosaries in repentance but, what good is it to go out and do the same thing next week, only to repent again next Sunday? This is what turned me away from Christianity and onto to Krishna consciousness. Basically there I saw that Jesus was put on the shelf all week to be busted out only in times of trouble and on major holidays (Christmas, Easter). He held the role of a vending machine…you go to Him, put your prayer tokens in and receive your desires granted. If He does not grant your desires, than immediately I become an atheist.

Similarly when we are sinful our whole life, we rack up these charges on our Jesus credit card (“Jesus died for my sins”) only to find out in limbo that the Jesus card is not accepted. In other words, we find out that we are accountable for our actions and can not just pay lip service to Jesus and expect eternal salvation in return. We have to do our part and live our life according to the teachings of the great acaryas, it’s not enough to hide behind some label and use Jesus/ the Acarya as the scapegoat.

In writing this I’m not meaning to attack a particular group but rather bring awareness to this tendency we all have to try and cheat in all realms. When it comes down to it, if we try to cheat God, we are in actuality only cheating ourselves.  From the Vedic wisdom we can understand that sooner or later we will go back to Godhead…for some it’ll be this lifetime, others it will be millions of lifetimes from now. From the Vedas we also understand that as Kali yuga progressed, the quality of life here on earth will go further down the spiral, hence it makes sense to try and get out of this cycle of birth, death, old age & disease sooner than later. Therein, it behooves every devotee of the Lord to make it a point to take to the streets and spread the Word of the Lord along with the chanting of His Holy names despite all the opposition and austerities we must face in doing so. By doing so we are not only benefiting those we come into contact with but we are also benefiting ourselves by rendering this service to the world. Krishna confirms this in Bhagavad-Gita 18.68-69:

“For one who explains this supreme secret to the devotees, pure devotional service is guaranteed, and at the end he will come back to Me. There is no servant in this world more dear to Me than he, nor will there ever be one more dear.”

So all in all, we have nothing to lose except our anxiety and everything to gain. Just imagine living in a world where everyone is aware of the way in which we are all intimately connected, fully conscious of the ultimate reality and acting accordingly. What a wonderful world it would be.

Hare Krishna

St.Mary's Cathedral (inside)

Mostly out of sentiment and the desire to do something to some how try to spend Christmas remembering & glorifying Jesus, I made the journey down to St. Mary’s cathedral in downtown Austin to attend the 9.30am mass. The cathedral is quite beautiful both inside and out…

St. Mary's (exterior)

The services were nice, yet a bit hard to follow even with the help of the leaflet containing the itinerary. The main preacher was from India, and noted my tilak on my way out upon shaking my hand and seemed to be quite appreciative that I had come. Asking if that or maybe I was from India?  I said something about Vaishnavism, but he did not appear to want to talk philosophy so I departed and went on chanting my japa.  The sermon was about how God had incarnated in the flesh in the form of Jesus (shakti-avesya avatar) and had suffered like we suffer here, and thus we should somehow try and help those who are less fortunate like he did. At one point, it sounded as if he was preaching impersonalism as I thought he said that, we can become God several times, perhaps he did?

At any rate I didn’t feel like much of what was said had that deeper connection and understanding that I have grown to love and desire. While it is nice to see folks come in the masses to worship Jesus, it seems like much of what is done is done out of ritual & sentiment not out of a desire to really know what’s up with Jesus and what he has to teach us. Kind of like how 100s of folks you have never before seen in your life visit the temple on Janmastami, only to disappear into the oblivion of the material world until the next Janmastami.

Upon searching their website for some systematic scriptural study program or other training, I could not find much other than ways to volunteer your service to the church or give them money. Even at the church itself it does not appear to have an active evangelical program.

So what’s my purpose in relaying this experience? Well, it’s to help us address these defiencies we have in ISKCON, perhaps even in our local center. The main thing that touched my heart about Krishna consciousness was how my Guru Maharaj would encourage questions and give us all good guidance on how to progress in Krishna consciousness. He taught me that eternal salvation does not come from one merely labeling oneself as a Gaudiya Vaishnava or what have you, but rather it came from reawakening our dormant love for God via the medium of rendering pure, unalloyed devotional service unto Him and His devotees.  Similarly when I was staying in Maine and started to attend the Boston temple, Jivan Mukta Prabhu came and spoke with me, formed a relationship and helped me out along the way. Later his wife, Mother Nandanandana was the first to engage me in service regularly in the temple kitchen before the Sunday feast chopping chilis & ginger and rolling puris.

It was these relationships that attracted me and kept me here this long. When I first went to the Philly temple, it was mostly Indian congregation and no one ever talked to me. Still I was fascinated to keep coming as I knew there was something special happening there. But therein, I always had the guidance of my Guru Maharaj to fall back on and encourage me.

So what I am getting at here is that I think it is necessary to actively seek out newcomers who come to our centers and form relationships and see how we can be of service to them in their journey. Similarly I feel it is key to go out and perform sastra & harinam sankirtan to bring the masses who will not wander into our temples on their own into contact with this wonderful Vedic wisdom and most sublime process of Krishna consciousness.

We need to be personal, not just write someone off as a fixed up devotee since they regularly come to the temple and/or have taken intiation. After all initiation means that our spiritual life has just begun, not that once we take diksa we have automatically become an uttama adhikari. It takes time and a whole lot of patience, enthusiasm and determination to become Krishna conscious in a world that is arranged in such a way to keep us in material consciousness. Developing loving relationships with other devotees/ aspiring devotees  helps build our spiritual strength to overcome all the obstacles that present themselves as we are attempting to walk down the bhakti marg and it also attracts others to come join the family. After all everyone wants to be loved and to have genuine loving relationships.

It is not that this is some new idea I have come up with but, rather it is sastric. In Nectar of Instruction, Srila Rupa Goswami describes how we should associate with Vaishnavas, similarly in Caitanya Caritamrta it mentions how even 1/11 of a second of association with a sadhu is invaluable, also it mentions in Bhagavad-Gita how we become like those we associate with.  Srila Prabhupada has encouraged us to love & cooperate with one another and to factually make ISKCON a house where the whole world can happily reside. Let us kindly dedicate ourselves to setting aside our differences and working together cooperatively to see that Srila Prabhupada’s mission to make the entire world  Krishna  conscious is successful.

Hare Krsna