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Urgent: Anupama Gopi dd Health

January 21, 2010 - 6:47pm — phani

Dear Devotees,

Hare Krsna. Please accept my most humble obeisances. All glories to Srila
Prabhupada. All glories to Srila Gurudeva.

We have received a letter from Sarva Sakti Mataji who is in USA right now
where Guru Maharaja is taking treatment. One of our Godsister, Anupama Gopi,
dd, wife of Radhapran das from Phoenix is in ICU right now. We don’t have
the details of her sickness. Guru Maharaja wants all of us to pray to the
Deities for her recovery.

Your humble servant,

Ratnavali dd

How To Break A fast

January 21, 2010 - 6:20pm — Madhava Gosh

By Tom Coghill of Fasting.ws

For those who insist on returning to their old toxic diet undoing the revitalizing of fasting, here are some tongue-in-cheek suggestions.

Toxic Diet Tip 1

Slowly begin to reintroduce harmful foods. Suggestions are potato chips, pizza with extra cheese, white bread, milk, milk shakes from edible oil products, fried chicken, fries deep-fried in beef fat, eggs from chemically raised chickens, barbecued steak with a small portion of overcooked vegetables. Include lots of coffee and donuts to insure an optimum toxicity level.

Toxic Diet Tip 2

Eat very few raw fruits and vegetables. If you must eat vegetables, make sure the life has been cooked out of them or buy canned. The best fruits are canned and preserved in sugar syrup.

Toxic Diet Tip 3

Drink lots of Coke or Pepsi. Canned vegetable juice is fine in small quantities because the enzymes have been destroyed through pasteurization. If you buy fruit drinks made from powder, make sure you see food coloring and synthetic sweeteners and a few unpronounceable chemicals listed in the ingredients.

Toxic Diet Tip 4

Eat ravenously as if every meal is your last. Swallow food with the least amount of chewing. Eating your meals in less than three minutes will guarantee minimum saliva content. Use butter as a lubricant. Deep-fried foods will also require less chewing.

Toxic Diet Tip 5

Eat as much as your stomach can take. This forces the muscles that support the stomach to stretch out of shape. Try to eat till you feel stuffed to the point breathing is difficult and sitting requires that you loosen the button of your pants. Mixing proteins, starches, and sugars together with lots of liquid will reduce digestion and increase fermentation, which is necessary to create an achy bloating effect and effective high-powered flatulence.

Toxic Diet Tip 6

Avoid fiber at all cost. If forced to eat whole-wheat flour, pick the bits of bran from the bread. This will allow the food to pass more slowly through the intestine so the body may absorb optimal toxic chemicals.

Toxic Diet Tip 7

Do not exercise. Exercise oxygenates the cells and triggers the lymphatic system to cleanse the body. Try to remain in an inactive, horizontal position. TV watching on a sofa is perfect. Try to take as many snacks as possible to the sofa so you do not have to walk back and forth to the fridge.

Toxic Diet Tip 8

Snack regularly during the night so as to curb the body’s natural tendencies to detoxify during sleep.

Toxic Diet Tip 9

Attend lots of potlucks for toxic-diet encouragement from others.Do not be embarrassed about going up for seconds, thirds and fourths. Attend every interest carrying donuts and a jumbo coffee in hand in case there is not enough for you.

Posted in Health, Jokes, Liver Transplant

Universal Process of the Chanting

January 21, 2010 - 7:43am — RasaRasika108

I was recently writing one humble article dealing with Eastern Orthodox Christianity and Sufism. It was interesting to find out that in both of these traditions chanting is very essential. In Orthodox, or in Hesychasm particularly, they chant the following prayer "Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner." They chant this prayer quite similarly as we chant our japa. They similarly speak about purification of the mind from material desires, and it's said that on a high level this prayer is vibrating in the mind and heart nonstop without any extra endeavor.

In Sufism, the mystical practice of Islam, chanting the name of Allah is an essential practice also. There is small nice story about famous Persian sufi, Abu Sa´id ibn Abi´l-Khair (died 1049AD):

As a young Sufi disciple he was contemplating what book his Sufi master was holding. His master noticed this and said: “Abu Saíd! all the one hunred and twentyfour thousand profets are sended here to preach only one word. They told man to say “God” and dedicate their lives for Him. Those who heard this only with their ears, letting it come in from one ear and let go from another, but those who heard this with their soul, imprinted this into their hearts and souls and their whole being became this word. At the end they didn´t have to say say this word aloud, they were released from syllables and letters. When they had realized the spiritual meaning of the word, they got so absorbed into it, that they were no more aware about their own non-existance.”
These words made great impact into young Abu Sa´id and he left his earlier studies and started to wander the road of the sufies and seek for mystical wisdom. For seven years he chanted the name of Allah, until the word “Allah” vibrated within him without any endeavor. His being has changed into God´s glorification.

We Gaudiya Vaisnavas are especially lucky since we chant the maha-mantra which is most powerful and we follow Srimad Bhagavatam, sri-guru-parampara and the whole Vedic culture but we can take inspiration even from other traditions - by Krsna´s mercy the process of sankirtana is known to at least some degree even for christians and muslims.

-muniraja dasa

I’ll Be Chanting There

January 21, 2010 - 5:54am — RasaRasika108

This morning while chanting I thought of Prabhupada’s remark about how chanting brought him close to his disciples. He made a remark when he was leaving his American disciples to go back to India for ill health. We were expressing our sorrow that he was departing from us. Prabhupada assured us and said "I'll be chanting there and you'll be chanting here and we will all be packed up together." As I chant I think of all my friends chanting around the world and how we are together through this wonderful process of harinama.

From Bhajan Kutir #321

Australia Day Lolz

January 21, 2010 - 2:34am — sita-pati

I love Keka's Australia Day rants - and this guy has the right idea.


Feasting On Juices Day 16

January 21, 2010 - 12:36am — Madhava Gosh

“In vyabhicari ecstatic love for Krsna there is sometimes madness, dexterity, fear, laziness, jubilation, pride, dizziness, meditation, disease, forgetfulness and humbleness. These are some of the common symptoms in the stage of vyabhicari ecstatic love for Krsna.”

NoD 42: Fraternal Loving Affairs

Day 14 arrived and it was evaluate time. Checked my blood sugar and blood pressure and it was all good and the macho side of me was saying hell yeah, go for 20 days, you can do it. I believe I could but when I got up I had laid there a long time  shackled by lethargy, and it was easy to project by day 20 I might not be able to get off the couch.

The caveat about being under doctor’s care after 14 days can be taken as someone covering their a– and having taken blood work and monitoring blood pressure  I can rationalize I am doing all they would do anyway, but it is still consideration.

I checked the forecast and could see the weather was going to be dry for a few days so the opportunity to bring wood into the house was opening up. We have a large pile outside and we draw on that to bring into covered wood bins next to the stoves. We have about a month’s capacity for that and is needing restocked. I knew I wouldn’t be able to deal with the physical workload still fasting so I pulled the plug.

My mental energy is above normal for me so sedentary work isn’t a challenge.  When you fast blood usually in the stomach is freed for the brain. Most of us know the feeling after a big feast when there were samosas and laddus leftover and you took seconds you know you shouldn’t have, the mind gets dull. The same thing is going on with normal eating you just think it is normal.

Day 15 I drank three 8 oz  glasses of freshly squeezed orange juice. That is about the same amount of calories I was getting from the lemonade, which was about 700 a day, FYI.

Today I am departing from the book’s script a little but same concept. I had a 8 oz glass of fresh orange juice for breakfast again. The reason they shift from lemon to orange is supposedly that starts to reactivate the fire of digestion.

I was glad I had decided to stop because it does take 4 days to get back to a full diet and today I was getting dizzy walking up steps. I know it isn’t from  ecstatic love.

“I am trying to change diets and sometimes fasting. But after all, it is old body, so dizziness is not unnatural.”

Prabhupada letter to: Himavati  –  Los Angeles 1 April, 1970

I am also very aware of blood rushing through my head.  Not exactly a headache but unpleasant enough I checked my blood pressure to make sure it hadn’t gone high but it was fine at 123/84.  Still a sign that it was good I stopped.

Lunch today was freshly squeezed vegetable juice with a teaspoon of active culture  yoghurt. I take their word that orange juice gets digestion going but I know yoghurt does.

Juice was apples stored from the Farmer’s Market and our home homegrown beets, carrots, and Chinese cabbage with a little store bought coriander. I would have added a little fresh ginger but we were out.

Tonight will be a avegetable soup, taking mostly the broth and a few of the veggies. In addition to the above  I am soaking some dried tomatoes and peppers from the garden to add to it and a few pieces of our own potatoes we gew.

Tomorrow is raw veggies, fruit and more soup, eating the vegetables and some rice or potatoes  and eventually return to eating anything.

This one is in the record books.

Posted in Health, Liver Transplant

Question from a friend: What is the Source Morality?

January 20, 2010 - 3:19pm — gauranga kishore

Hare Krishna. I visited your blog after a long time, and was surprised and disappointed to find that you are no longer in the Bay Area ! I'm sorry that I lost in touch with you, because of several pressing personal matters. I hope everything is going well for you and your wife in your new environment.
I thought that instead of merely exchanging formal greetings, I would also comment/discuss my thoughts on some of your posts that I read, because I've been independently thinking and reading about these issues on my own side. In particular, I would like to offer my response to these statements from your blog (Jan 13/Jan 15 postings):
"But he seems to miss the basic point that I've been trying to express in the last few blog posts.
It is impossible to be "good without God" because there is no good without God. There is no meaning to the concept of good without the concept of God. If there is no purpose to the universe there is no reason any one thing is better than any other thing, so there is nothing that we can truly describe as good."
"To Jason: No I don't agree that one can desire love and harmony independent of the concept of God. What to speak of love and harmony, no concept has any meaning whatsoever independent of the concept of God. Simply put everything is meaningless without God.
In general terms meaning, purpose, good, rights, obligations, duties, and morality are all ideas that come from a theistic worldview. They are unintelligible without a concept of God."
"You don't even exist if God doesn't exist. That is what naturalism or
atheism really implies. You are an illusion."
In general, I don't enter into a discussion on the internet unless there is something I disagree on, and since you mentioned that you are writing on these subjects as a philosopher, I hope you wouldn't mind my raising some objections to the above thoughts, in the spirit of assessment that any philosophical discussion requires. I will look forward to your feedback to my comments.
Firstly, let me point out where I agree with you. I agree with you that those who believe in God derive the purpose of their lives and their moral values from their theistic religion. This has certainly happened to me.
However, this does not mean that belief in God is the only possible avenue to have morals. Both in an empirical sense and in a conceptual sense, morality is rooted in something beyond God even for theists like myself. Let me explain what I mean.
In an empirical sense, I find that both theists and atheists have moral values. I'm ignoring for a moment what those moral values are conceptually founded upon. I'm merely noting the "presence" of moral values in people of both kinds. I would also subdivide atheists into two kinds - those who follow a non-monotheistic/non-henotheistic religion (like Buddhism, Jainism, Purva Mimamsa, etc) and those who claim not to follow any religion (like Dawkins and several contemporary philosophers). Both these kinds of atheists adhere to certain moral values. Whether or not as Vaishnavas, we agree with those moral values, is a separate question. That's a question more about the specific "form" of those moral values. It's not a question about the presence or existence of morality itself. As far as my knowledge goes, there is no culture in the world that lacks morality of any kind. So empirically speaking, morality (in my opinion) does not require a belief in God.
Having looked at morality in an empirical way, let's now look at morality in a conceptual way. What are the foundations of morality for a theist or atheist? It is quite interesting to note that even for a theist (such as a person who follows Madhva philosophy), morality goes beyond belief in God. In his commentary on the Bhagavad Gita (such as verse 2.13), when Madhvacharya discusses the issue of apauruSheyatva of Vedas, in order to attempt to convince those among his audience who are Buddhists, Jains, etc, he makes no reference to belief in God even as he tries to establish the Vedas as the ultimate authority for matters of dharma. He assumes there that people from such schools do follow what they believe to be dharma. The only purvapakshi who appears to deny the existence of dharma is the chArvAka, and even to convince the chArvAka, Madhvacharya does not bring in belief in God. In fact, he considers even the existence of God to be ultimately known from the apauruSheya Veda, not through logic or empirical evidence. His strategy to convince the chArvAka is to first make the chArvAka accept the existence of dharma (or morality), then make him accept the Vedas as the epistemological authority on matters of dharma (or transcendental verities in general), following which a belief in God can be then founded based on the Veda. Given the plethora of gods or people believed to be omniscient in those days (each teaching a different philosophy), it would be impossible to have any philosophical discussion if one relied upon faith in one particular God (or even a generic notion of God) as a prerequisite (unless of course the discussion is taking place between two theists).
The reason why even such theistic philosophers did not bring in God while discussing morality is perhaps best illustrated in Plato's dialogue, the Euthyphro. One of the questions Socrates asks Euthyphro is what piety means. It's basically a question about the foundation of ethics. Euthyphro first says that piety is what the gods love. Socrates then asks whether something is pious (or moral) because the gods love it, or whether the gods love it because it's pious. I think this is a highly significant question. Euthyphro's answer is that the gods love it because it's pious. In that case, Socrates points out that piety is something even beyond the gods and he really hasn't answered what piety means. Had Euthyphro answered that whatever God ordains is pious, then as a contemporary philosopher has pointed out, God would then not be worthy of praise for being moral, because whatever He does is by definition moral, even if He were to sadistically torture a person. The very fact that theists spend so much time defending God against charges of partiality or injustice assumes that God too should hold up to whatever notion of piety they have. This means piety does not depend on belief in God even for theists (and this is certainly true for Madhvas, I don't know about other Vaishnava schools). As far as I've read, even in the classical Greek tradition, both Socrates and Plato believed in God, but they didn't found their morality on God.
I also don't see how atheism implies that everything is an illusion or that you don't exist. As for meaning, we may find everything meaningful because of a belief in God, and it may be that without God, we would find our lives meaningless. But this does not mean that everybody else is dependent on God for making their life meaningful. The issue of what gives life value has different answers depending on who you ask. There may be disagreement between you and atheists on what makes life valuable, but I see no disagreement (even between Dawkins and you) on the fact that life has value. I don't see any atheist denying that life has value, or that morality has value, or that compassion and love are values to be nourished. How they found morality may be different, but as discussed above, even a theist cannot afford to root his morality on a belief in God, because it would be meaningless to then praise such a God as all-righteous.
In summary, I think the question of morality is quite independent of belief in God, and this was recognized even by staunch Vaishnava acharyas like Madhvacharya. I would be interested in continuing a philosophical discussion if you have a response.

Please Join the Japa Group

January 20, 2010 - 5:50am — RasaRasika108

Please share your realisations with other devotees from around the world...simply send me an introduction email and I will be happy to make you a member:

rasa108@gmail.com

ys

Rasa Rasika dasa

Go On Chanting In A Regulative Way

January 19, 2010 - 5:30am — RasaRasika108

I think I am infected with some of the offences and therefore I have not attained the ultimate goal by chanting. But Prabhupada has told us not to get discouraged, rather to go on chanting in a regulative way and try our best to avoid the offences. I try my best early in the morning to chant with attention.

From Bhajan Kutir #320

Providing vegetarian food and water in Haiti

January 19, 2010 - 2:01am — David Haslan

I have never before added a contribution from a third part directly but following an e-mail from Kripamoya Das I feel that the urgency of the situation in Haiti calls for this to be urgently posted.

I will also personally guarantee that any money given will go directly to the humanitarian aid, at both the tusmami in both India and America this vegetarian aid was delivered although many of the volunteers were personally effected.

It is not a begging letter but a call to action; you too can play your part. In Kripamoya Prabhu's own words:


Dear Friends, my warmest greetings to you, and a belated Happy New Year.


I received this text this afternoon concerning one of our branches in the Dominican Republic coming forward to help out in Haiti. I thought you might like to hear about it.


Your servant, with all best wishes,
Kripamoya Das


Krishna devotees providing vegetarian food and water in Haiti

Estimates of those killed by the massive earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale that struck the nation of Haiti at 5pm local time on Tuesday, 12th January range from 100,000 to 200,000, most buried alive due to collapsing buildings. Tens of thousands of homes have been destroyed and people’s livelihoods devastated.

ISKCON devotees who have a temple within travelling distance of the affected area are preparing to provide vegetarian food as part of its Food For Life programme. The temple in Santo Domingo is on board with relief efforts and has cooking facilities with numerous volunteers ready to help. Food for Life Global is partnering with Water for Life Global who have mobile water purifying system and they will also be providing a sanitation service.

Hare Krishna Food for Life Global is planning to work under the protection of the military complementing the work of bigger agencies such as CARE and OXFAM and Red Cross at present.

ISKCON is providing volunteer support from USA, Brazil, Hungary, the UK as well as locally.

Priyavrata das, a devotee on the front line, said "it will take some time before things stabilize in the country, and is likely to end up as a four month endeavor."

The Lotus Trust, the welfare arm of Bhaktivedanta Manor in the UK, is working with partner food relief organisations currently with a base in nearby Santo Domingo, in the Dominican Republic where food supplies are being prepared to go into Haiti once the roads are cleared to ensure local people receive vital help.

Your donations are crucial, 200 meals can be served for as little as £30.

Please give generously.

Cheques can be made payable to The Lotus Trust and sent to The Lotus Trust, The Manor, Hilfield Lane, Aldenham, Watford, Herts, WD25 8EZ

Online donations can be made at: www.thelotustrust.org/earthquake.


Why I Write About Atheism

January 18, 2010 - 7:32pm — gauranga kishore
A friend recently asked why I bother to argue/write about questions like the existence of God. Is not such an argumentative spirit simply an expression of "false ego."

The reason I think about and write about the things I think and write about is because I can't help it. It is my own nature, in sanskrit the word is svabhava. Everyone has a particular nature due to the influence of the modes of nature and their particular karmic history. I am a philosopher and writer. Philosophers tend to be concerned about certain things and think about things in a certain way. But that is not the important point, the important point is that we all have a certain nature and we perform activities according to our conditioned nature. And as Krishna says in the Bhagavad-gita no one can act differently, not even for a moment.

The basic idea of Krishna consciousness as taught by Krishna in the Bhagavad-gita is that we can attain the highest perfection of life by performing our occupational duties for the pleasure of the Lord.
Below is one of my favorite purports, it describes how all advancement in culture and learning can be used to glorify the Lord and help one to attain the perfection of life. Srila Prabhupada specifically mentions that philosophers should try to prove that the "Supreme Truth is all powerful and sentient." He says that such activities are factually Hari kirtan.
This for me is a like a mission statement, and it gives me hope that I can use my conditioned nature to serve God, make spiritual advancement, and ultimately achieve the highest perfection of life, eternal liberation in the Kingdom of God.
"When advancement of knowledge is applied in the service of the Lord, the whole process becomes absolute. The Personality of Godhead and His transcendental name, fame, glory, etc., are all nondifferent from Him. Therefore, all the sages and devotees of the Lord have recommended that the subject matter of art, science, philosophy, physics, chemistry, psychology and all other branches of knowledge should be wholly and solely applied in the service of the Lord. Art, literature, poetry, painting, etc., may be used in glorifying the Lord. The fiction writers, poets and celebrated litterateurs are generally engaged in writing of sensuous subjects, but if they turn towards the service of the Lord they can describe the transcendental pastimes of the Lord. Vālmīki was a great poet, and similarly Vyāsadeva is a great writer, and both of them have absolutely engaged themselves in delineating the transcendental activities of the Lord and by doing so have become immortal. Similarly, science and philosophy also should be applied in the service of the Lord. There is no use presenting dry speculative theories for sense gratification. philosophy and science should be engaged to establish the glory of the Lord. Advanced people are eager to understand the Absolute Truth through the medium of science, and therefore a great scientist should endeavor to prove the existence of the Lord on a scientific basis. Similarly, philosophical speculations should be utilized to establish the Supreme Truth as sentient and all-powerful. Similarly, all other branches of knowledge should always be engaged in the service of the Lord. In the Bhagavad-gītā also the same is affirmed. All "knowledge" not engaged in the service of the Lord is but nescience. Real utilization of advanced knowledge is to establish the glories of the Lord, and that is the real import. Scientific knowledge engaged in the service of the Lord and all similar activities are all factually hari kīrtana, or glorification of the Lord."

Krishna On USPS Postage Stamps

January 18, 2010 - 6:15pm — Madhava Gosh

Usa-postage.com has created 7 spiritual designs targeted to the Indian community in the United States. For the first time, real U.S. postage depicting Sai baba, Lord Venkateshwara, Lakshmi, Murugan, Vinayaka, Shiva – Parvathi and Sri krishna is available on beautiful 20-stamp commemorative sheets. These are exclusive designs not available anywhere else.

Click here to see Krishna

They are ridiculously expensive but very cool.

Posted in News, Ramblings or Whatever

Mantralogy t-shirts in Australia

January 18, 2010 - 3:17pm — sita-pati

Hey, did you miss out on those awesome t-shirts during the recent Australian tour of Gaura Vani & As Kindred Spirits and the Mayapuris? If you are interested in getting some Mantralogy t-shirts, I have a stock here in Australia for sale.

If you are local to Brisbane, then hit me up in person. Otherwise, check out my listings on ebay. I've put two up, and I'll be putting up others shortly. Ebay links below the pictures.


Earth tone OM tshirt


Blue Garuda tshirt


Srila Prabhupada On Chanting Japa

January 18, 2010 - 10:07am — RasaRasika108

There were so many times that devotees went into Srila Prabhupada's room with a problem they were hoping he would solve with some particular arrangement. His solution was always the same. "Chant Hare Krishna, chant your 16 rounds." He developed the phrase, "Just do it" long before Nike.

From "Srila Prabhupada On Chanting Japa" by Srutakirti dasa

Energy From Osmosis

January 18, 2010 - 3:01am — Madhava Gosh

http://www.nordicenergysolutions.org/inspirational/renewable-energy-where-salt-water-meets-fresh-water

The Norwegian company Statkraft opens the world’s first facility for osmotic power generation. Statkraft says a full-scale commercial osmotic power plant could be ready by 2015.

Statkraft)

Salt is good for you. When salt and fresh water mix, you can generate clean energy. (Photo: Statkraft)

Osmotic power could contribute around 1,600 TWh on a global basis annually. Only in Norway osmotic power has the potential to cover 10 percent of the total power consumption.

Natural process

Osmotic power is based on the natural process of osmosis. In an osmotic power plant, seawater and fresh water are separated by a membrane. The seawater draws the fresh water through the membrane, thereby increasing the pressure on the seawater side. The increased pressure is used to produce power.

Supply of fresh and salt water

The Statkraft prototype plant is built at the paper pulp manufacturer SodraCell Tofte’s plant at Hurum in Buskerud, Norway. The location will provide the osmotic plant with a good supply of fresh water and seawater, along with access to the established infrastructure.

Large investment

When Statkraft started the establishment of an osmotic power plant prototype, the company had invested more than NOK 100 million to develop a new, renewable energy technology. The research work was supported by The Research Council of Norway, the prototype is also being supported by the the public enterprise Enova SF. Enova SF is owned by the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy and its main mission is to contribute to environmentally sound and the rational use and production of energy.

The prototype is meant to provide Statkraft with a better understanding of the challenges involved in developing osmotic power technology. StatoilHydro says the prototype built at Tofte is a necessary platform for the further development of the technology.

1970s idea

The idea to generate power through osmosis originates from the 1970s. But back then the membranes were not sufficiently effective and the apower prices were too low to enable anyone to profitably invest in such projects. Scientists at the research organisation SINTEF brought the idea to Statkraft in the 1990s.

Can be built out of sight

Around the world, rivers flow out into the sea in urban and industrial areas where it will be possible to construct osmotic power plants. A power plant the size of a football stadium could supply around 10,000 households with electricity. These power plants can be built underground, e.g. in the basement of an industrial building or under a park, minimising their visual impact. Statkraft points out that osmotic power plants give off no polluting discharges to the atmosphere or water, and that they do not affect the fauna or flora of rivers or the seafloor.

About Statkraft:

The Statkraft Group generates hydropower, wind power and district heating and constructs gas power plants in Norway and Germany. Statkraft is a major player on the European energy exchanges. In Norway the company supplies electricity and heat to around 600,000 customers through its shareholdings in other companies.

Posted in Cows and Environment

Mexican Festival Tour

January 18, 2010 - 2:23am — kmdasa

Taking some time off from her busy and sometimes harrowing life as a third-year midwifery student, my daughter Tulasi recently went to Mexico. Together with a party of young devotees she was able to take part in a festival tour presenting kirtan, dance, philosophy and food to hundreds of interested Mexicans. The Mexican-style prasadam and the beaches were good too.

Vaniseva, are You up to the Challenge?

January 17, 2010 - 11:19pm — David Haslan

Ask yourself,

  • Do you read Srila Prabhupada's books?
  • Do you use vedabase when reading or searching Srila Prabhupada's books?
  • Do you have access to the internet and some basic computer skills?
  • Can you spare some time each day, week or month; an hour or two?
  • Would you like to serve the devotee community is a special and unique way?

If you can answer "yes" to these questions, then Vanisava is for you. You can do it anywhere and everywhere, during your lunchbreak, or even sitting in your bed at home.

There is a unique internet facility for accessing Srila Prabhupada's books, quotes, lectures, called vanipedia, and you too can become a part of it. All you need is the thirst to read the nectar of the teachings of Srila Prabhupada. Now, if that wasn't wonderful enough, you can then add to vaniquotes' growing online database and serve the devotee community.

And if that still isn't enough, you will join a growing online community of devotees serving Srila Prabhupada's mission in this unique way—and it doesn't stop there. How about a vani-retreat to the dham that is known as radhadesh?

Come on, now you know you want to!

After all, the only requirement is that you give up some of your time to read Srila Prabhupada's books; it's that easy. Radanath, who is only five year old, takes part along with us slightly older souls.

If you want to know more simple send an e-mail to vaniseva@pamho.net.

Or you can skype me under the name caitanyadev and I will be more than happy to tell you more (I'm located in Wales).

Be inspired, read and share, become part of those doing Vanisava


Classes from Bhaktivadanta Manor

January 17, 2010 - 10:48pm — David Haslan

Well I've been a bit lax in updating my file sharing website, no real excuse I think.

You will notice there is more than one class from Bhaktivadanta Manor; yes after some thought and consideration I've decided not to go every other Monday; in fact I'm only going to go once a month.

Once a month how can this be, it's a lifeline and without devotional life will surely collapse? Well although I am planning on going only once a month the plan is to stay for three days, see panic over a days extra service and association for me.

That along with the new projects I have undertaken to help me increase my reading and absorption into Srila Prabhupada's books, chanting and watching Soho Street classes when not clashing with work; not to worry ISKCON Melbourne I've not neglected you, I can download and listen to the classes when not able to watch online.

So as I say there's three classes this time the first is from Hg Dhirasanta Dasa which was a very touching class lots of really nice personal realization's.

Hg Acaryavan Dasawho spoke on married life and how to make it a success.

HG Prayojana Dasa who gave a beautiful class form the Gita along with many fine quotes and thought that makes the class just that bit special.

Anyway I hope you enjoy these few fine classes, and will find it totally inspiring.

Benefits Of Chanting

January 17, 2010 - 9:03am — RasaRasika108


Hare Krsna my dear devotees. I hope this new year has been blessed by the Lord with many realisations on chanting and in your spiritual life. You have experienced in your spiritual path how chanting has changed your whole life and it will more and more if you keep trusting that chanting the holy names really benefits your life in all areas. I am an example of that in my life -how an ordinary person can become skilled in some areas of service just because of devotees and Krsna's mercy. When I started taking chanting seriously, my life was the same for years and I didn't even notice any change even though there were some. As soon as I took association of serious chanters - this japa group, japa room and also improving my chanting with prayers and dedication to concentrated japa - then my life changed in a very perceptive way, everyone could notice how grateful and enthusiastic I was with the holy names.

The first and most important thing in japa is when we develop faith that the holy names are our antidote in this material world without being affected by the material energy. A devotee is always eager to talk to others and engage everyone in chanting, because he knows when someone takes devotees association....takes Krsna prasadam and chant the names of the Lord, this person becomes blessed by this nectar and will never forget about that again. This week was impressive to me - everyone knows I am a teacher and for about 1 year and a half I started teaching people how to cook and develop a business of prasadam, some time ago I wrote to a magazine editor and asked if my recipes could be posted there and he accepted. This week was the one - I cooked 6 dishes and went to the magazine so they could take pictures of the traditional Indian recipes: lemon rice, kachoris, bengali potatoes, alu gobhi, pineapple chutney and channa masala. When I saw all those people dedicated to making my dishes of prasadam look more beautiful for the magazine I felt so happy.Then I started distributing prasadam, serving all the magazine staff with prasadam....everyone loved it because it was Krsna's prasadam. I could give mercy to someone and one of them said... "I think I know why Indian cooking is so tasty, it's because I have heard its offered with devotion"....and I said its right.
This amazing experience I had was due to my faith in chanting, I knew that the Lord could do with me whatever He wanted, I am not a very skilled chef but I trust Krsna gives us intelligence to do and serve Him in whatever we want because we will be protected by Him in every situation. I have complete faith that when we chant seriously Krsna reciprocates with that and He showers more and more benedictions of service to our lives.
Here follows a verse from the Sri Krsna Namastakam from Srila Rupa Goswami that describes some of the benefits of chanting.

"O Harinama, You destroy the many sufferings of those who take shelter of You. O Holy Name, You are the playful embodiment of intense spiritual bliss, a festival of happiness for Gokula. O perfect and complete Holy Name of Krishna, I offer pranam unto You time and again." Sri Krsna Namastakam verse 7


I hope your week is full of bliss and lots of devotional service followed by happy chanting.

your servant,

Aruna devi

Janardana's kirtan from Maha Kirtan 4

January 17, 2010 - 7:55am — sita-pati
Audio: 

Here is a recording of Janardana's kirtan from yesterday's Maha Kirtan 4.

It is an on-the-spot mix of an SM58 on the vocal, an SM57 on the harmonium, and a pair of Behringer C2s doing stereo on the mrdangas. There is some skipping in the middle. This was the live web stream dump, and people moving in front of the computer in the temple room causes the wireless signal to drop.

We know you did it.

January 17, 2010 - 4:34am — sita-pati

“Zakat Of The Body” by Abd Al Hayy Moor

January 16, 2010 - 8:43pm — Madhava Gosh

“Everything has a zakat (tax), and
the zakat of the body is fasting.”

—Hadith of the Prophet

So that it is
doing without that is
giving out,
letting go that is
letting something or
someone else grow.
Mountains erode,
seas evaporate, one
creature is food for
another in the
chain of give and
take.

Sky gives
rain to earth and
plants arise. Plants give
oxygen to
air and we
survive.

There’s a
principle here
so essential it
can’t be named.

Our eating during
nighttime hours is a
replenishing of body for the
daytime of
doing without, and
giving out.

Posted in Poetry

I am Very Grateful

January 16, 2010 - 3:31pm — RasaRasika108

Now I am continuing my chanting quietly in the shelter of my bhajana kutir. The chanting goes well as I pile up the numerical strength and keep steady, paying attention to the mantras in my mind. It is a simple exercise but deep and meaningful. I am very grateful to have been given this maha-mantra by Prabhupada.

From Bhajan Kutir #316

Good Without God?

January 16, 2010 - 4:05am — gauranga kishore
The newest book in modern atheist cannon is Good Without God by Greg Epstein.
At the beginning of the book, (and in the beginning of this talk) he makes a very interesting point. Essentially he says "This is not a book about whether you can be good without God." He claims that the answer to this question is just obvious now, because there are over a billion people in the world that we live in that already are good without God ie. non-religious law abiding citizens.
He seems to be using the basic strategy I outlined before which is to basically point out that there are people who are not religious people that are good people so that is proof that you can be good without God.

But he seems to miss the basic point that I've been trying to express in the last few blog posts.

It is impossible to be "good without God" because there is no good without God. There is no meaning to the concept of good without the concept of God. If there is no purpose to the universe there is no reason any one thing is better than any other thing, so there is nothing that we can truly describe as good.

…And Beyond. Day 11

January 16, 2010 - 1:26am — Madhava Gosh

So I went and got my blood work this morning. Afterwards Vidya and I went to the YMCA and while she was swimming I did both the sauna and the steam room twice, and the hot tub with lots of nice jets.

In between the sessions I would take a good shower. The idea being the blood comes to the surface when hot and retreats when cold, so it pumps the toxins out better.

Vidya picked me up a blood pressure meter the other day so I took my blood pressure before we went. It was 130/81 so I wasn’t too concerned about getting too hot so I was pushing myself in the heat to endure as much as possible. FYI, about an hour after leaving the Y, we were home and I took my BP again, and it was 115/71, so I think that there was no adverse effect from it.

I was getting out earlier than I normally would if I was eating, because I didn’t want to make a scene by passing out. I would lay down between sessions to recover and then go again.

The only time I miscalculated a bit was the hot tub where I definitely felt lightheaded getting out.

We went back to the hospital to get the results and they was fine IMHO to continue. Next benchmark would be 14 days and then evaluate.

The following may not that be too interesting just discussing the blood work so bail here if you are pressed for time.

I had blood work done on Dec. 28, a week before the fast started so I am using that as a baseline. I am slightly under normal in magnesium, but that is because I stopped taking my magnesium supplement. Prograf depletes magnesium so that was expected.

Sodium has dropped just below normal level but I expected that. My sodium is typically just barely normal. I may have lost sodium in the sweating after the test was taken, so that is a bit of an unknown what it truly is now, but I will take the saltwater flush tomorrow and maybe that will bump it up.

My liver enzymes had improved dramatically, from 4 or 5 times normal highs, which is typical for me, to about 3 times normal so that is good.

Surprisingly, my hemoglobin, hemocrit, and platelets also got better. Perhaps not statistically significant, but up. Good thing.

The eosinophils, which are typically slightly high this time were normal. Other stuff in that group that were either high or low daysweeks ago also came into normal range.

Potassium was in the normal range and that is good. Prograf is potassium sparing so my normal tests show slightly high to occasionally too high so no problem there.

Creatinine was .1 over but that is normal for me, one other surprise is the BUN which is always over normal came into range. That is the first time it was normal since I had my liver transplant 3 and 1/2 years ago. Prograf is hard on kidneys. Creatinine and BUN have to do with kidney function.

Another thing that went below normal just slightly was chloride, which that I truthfully have no idea what it is in the tests for, but it doesn’t worry me.

After the fast is over I will take another set of tests, just to satisfy my own curiosity as much as anything.

Posted in Health, Liver Transplant

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