namahatta.org - Congregational Development Ministry

Arriving at HG Vaisesika Prabhu's and Mother Nirakula's was wonderful and I was treated to seeing their amazing altar. For those that don't know: ISKCON Silicion Valley is amazing. The program they have in place is cutting edge and really setting an example for the rest of ISKCON to follow. I recommend anyone interested in congregation development to go there and take notes.

Ali Asalim Air Base, Kuwait

 I am sitting in Kuwait at the moment, having finished fifeteen months in combat, the time I have here is a very slow pace. The operational tempo I am use to is slowing down, making more time in my life for devotional activities.

We arrived at 0400 hrs and were processed. Afterwards I wanted to stay awake for the long flight, but there was a problem—our plane was broken down in the States.  Oh well, I thought, let me go and walk around.

Today is Rupa Goswami's disappearance day. It was also the day of the last program in Iraq. This program was with the Indian-bodied contract workers here on the base. While going over material to discuss during the class it made perfect sense to speak about the pastimes of this pure soul, Srila Rupa Goswami. ...

But to my amazement more people kept coming, and more and more! When the program started the place was packed, there was no sitting room. I made a remark that all of Mosul is in there, and one man said "Prabhu, this is the last program, everyone is here because we don't know if a devotee will ever be in Mosul again."

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rsdasa

Date: 

3 weeks 5 days ago

Original article: 

http://soithappens.com/2008/08/12/invocation-%E2%80%9Centering-the-inner-kirtana...

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Bhaktin Sara Bock

Date: 

4 weeks 3 days ago

Original article: 

http://soullostintime.blogspot.com/2008/08/rules-of-kindess-what-pleases-lord-mo...

There has been some confusion in my mind lately and some sadness. One friend has decided to go brahmacari (not officialy even, he lives at home with his parents still). To him brahmacari means not talking to any ladies at all. Not the ones who he used to be good friends with, not the ones who introduced him to Krishna in the first place. Is this fanaticism? Is this pleasing to Krishna when many delicate feelings of other devotees are being hurt and tears are being shed?

I was approached by one officer in my Squadron, she wanted to relay a story about an event that happen to her lately. She told me she was at headquarters and two senior sergeants were standing at the smart box that is set up in the little recreation center, holding two books. She said oh, great those books again.

They asked her, "Ma'am, do you know what these books about?" She said "Yes, I do. They are from Sergeant Sonnenberg."

by Kaunteya das

Competing brands of Gaudiya-vaisnavism at times claim that Srila Prabhupada only gave the basics, and that ISKCON people need to take shelter in their representatives to accede to higher dimensions of bhakti.

I beg to disagree. Besides the insulting and indefensible remark that ISKCON's Founder-Acarya didn't provide his followers with enough directions to achieve whatever is there to achieve, I would propose that ISKCON—or at least a good percentage of its members—need to go in a different direction. My observation is that devotees would tremendously benefit by absorbing themselves in the narrations of Mahabharata and Ramayana, thus imbibing the fundamental ethical values presented therein.

I received an email from HG Ratna Bhusana Prabhu, seems there was another soldier in Iraq reaching out for Krishna. When i opened the mail and saw the name I realized I knew this guy. Bhakta Andrew is a friend of mine that I met after a tour in Iraq. We met at a skatepark in Germany and became friends. He was already a vegetarian and over time became favorable to Krishna consciousness.  He received a Bhagavad-gita from me and read it, then left to the States for his next assignment.

"Child-worship is more important than deity-worship. If you cannot spend time with your child, then stop the duties of pujari. These children are given to us by Krishna. They are Vaisnavas and we must be very careful to protect them. These are not ordinary childern, they are Vaikuntha children, and we are very fortunate we can give them chance to advance further in Krishna Consciousness. That is very great responsibility, do not neglect it or be confused."

Letter to Arundhati, July 30, 1972

The ashram is officaly closed, because we have to make room for our replacments; I had to move in with another senior leader in my unit. Before I moved I asked my detachment sergeant if I could have one more day to do a last morning program.

I sent out the invitations, and in the morning of the program set up a book table and made a small feast. I woke up extra early, woke the Lords, and started chanting my rounds.

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Ryan

Date: 

11 weeks 2 days ago

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TO BUSY FOR KRISHNA

I have found mys self thinking I'm too busy to serve krishna. I mean I chant my sixteen rounds every day, and the days I don't, I make up for them the very next day. I read Srila Prabupada's books regularly, wether it's ten minutes or two hours, there's always some time in the day to read a little.

The service I'm talking about is getting out there and spreading Krishna's names, pastimes, and glories to the rest of the world.

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38 years 37 weeks ago

Well I’ve grown a year older the march of time continues and as I wave good-bye to the body of my youth and embrace the body of a middle aged man I have to grow used to the new aches and pains.

But the main problem is faced by my colleges and friends who see this march in time as an opportunity to celebrate the problem is what to get me, but also how do I not cause offence when the gift is not quite right.

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38 years 37 weeks ago

Sometimes the preaching or spiritual activities get tough, and when things get tough and purification of the heart begins, the mind's inclination is to run away to its comfort zone where it feels safe, loved, welcome, etc. If instead of running away, we resolve to be spiritual warriors and work on ourselves - our inner motivations, impurities, consciousness, etc., we can rise above the mind and access a higher level of consciousness, and come to real peace (as opposed to immediate pleasure/gratification).

I remember the days of living in a temple, when book distribution was an all day affair from 10:00 am to 4:30 pm. There we were at the airport for six hours with not much else to do other than keep on distributing books (or try to escape the austerity and catch a last minute flight to Hawaii!)

Can You Say, "Agitated Brahmacari"?

With the brahmacari asram becoming a novelty in ISKCON, and laxer standards for new brahmacaries, the reference in this post’s title may be too obscure for many, but the first generation devotees will recognize the old cliche. Perhaps the following article will shed some light on one causative factor:

Emotions Run Amok in Sleep-Deprived Brains

Without sleep, the emotional centers of our brains dramatically overreact to bad experiences, research now reveals.

“When we’re sleep deprived, it’s really as if the brain is reverting to more primitive behavior, regressing in terms of the control humans normally have over their emotions,” researcher Matthew Walker, a neuroscientist at the University of California, Berkeley, told LiveScience.

I admit it. I'm addicted. But it's not my fault. Really, I am innocent. I was simply asked to co-facilitate some japa retreats and workshops and I innocently accepted. And now I've become a japa retreat addict. I drop whatever I am doing and go to the next retreat or workshop. I simply can't control myself. My material life is dissolving, my attachments are fleeing left and right, I am loosing interest in material pleasure, and I just want to chant more and more. My addiction has taken control of my life!

Having the opportunity to be at three japa retreats and one japa workshop this year has been the greatest blessing. My japa has gone through some major transformations and is nourishing my Krishna consciousness in new and profound ways. Thus, I have many realizations from the retreat and I'd like to share them with you in hopes that they will be a boost to your japa.

by phanisvara das

The TV Monster is loose again—going after the littlest ones. Babies from their birth (or before) are being targeted by the "Edutainment Industry" with their newest range of products: DVDs and multimedia CDs supposed to increase your baby’s intelligence, learning ability, language development, or athletic enthusiasm—to be played to babies still within the womb, and up to kindergarten age, when, supposedly, the brain’s ability to learn and adjust diminishes drastically.

Even President George W. Bush endorses the trend, by paying tribute to Julie Aigner-Clark, founder of the Baby Einstein Company, as “representing the great enterprising spirit of America,” in his recent State of the Union Address. (Apparently Bush wanted to praise her mainly for working together with John Walsh of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, in producing child-safety videos, but his speech-writers should have looked into the latest scientific research, which clearly states that watching TV or DVDs doesn’t help babies’ development—on the contrary.)

 

A commenter on my personal blog raised an interesting question about the way devotees dress and present themselves at outreach events. The question and my response are below...

The question:

Good on you, Vyenkata Bhatta dasa and everyone who took part in the AIDS walk!

Looking at the photo above though, I can't see any devotees sporting sikha or wearing dhoti. Is it common now in ISKCON for members not to dress like ISKCON used to? I know it's a little shallow, and clothes do not maketh the man (or monk), but that's how I recognise the devotees of Krsna. Also didn't Prabhupada himself recommened dhoti, tilak and sikha for all devotees?

by Kaunteya das

The message of this posting is very simple: watching TV is bad, very bad for bhakti-yoga. 

Yes, I hear the objection: "But Prabhu, we use it only to watch videos of Krishna and Srila Prabhupada!" If this is true for you, I offer you my humble obeisances and assure you that this article is not written for you.

I often have to encourage devotees, especially those not living in the temples, to rise early in the morning and come to the temple for the morning program, or to have one at home. Devotees should generally rise by 4 am, which means that their lives must be organized in such a way that they get sufficient rest, meaning taking rest early.

By Romapada Swami

The process of retraction of bad habits can be summed up as follows: Recognition, Regret, Rectification, and Reinstatement - aided by saintly association and devotional practices.

O Dear Readers, a warning: If ye know not what a clicker be, turn ye back now! Runneth and chanteth upon thy beads! For verily ye may think thy japa grand, but be ye warned, if ye readeth on, may ye suffer the likely fate that follows such terror, such evil... such illusion as The Clicker!!