Conditons

I have the choice to either approach God with love or fear. Many mainstream religions promote this fear of God. Fear God so that you'll follow the rules and then achieve a paradise. Fear of God also comes in handy when people in power need to achieve a nefarious plan and of course, when people are afraid, they perform acts which otherwise they would not do.
I want love of God. But what is love of God? Today I read something that made me want to cry, but because my heart is made of stone, the tears did not come. In the Ramayan, the Lord descends as Lord Ramacandra. Lord Ram plays the part of a human. His father Dasarath longed for a successor in his kingdom, but was unable to produce a child. Finally, after performing a great sacrifice, he had four sons who are the incarnations of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Lord Ram was the eldest and most virtuous in every way. The Lord revealed Himself as the perfect human being.
The time came to make Ram Prince Regent. Due to the Demigods intervention and Kaikeyi"s (one of the queens of Dasarath) polluted desire, Ram was to be sent to the forest for fourteen years. He would wear bark from trees, eat roots and fruits and turn His beautiful hair into dreadlocks. Ram, being the perfect son, graciously left so that his father would not have to fight Kaikeyi and perhaps lose his reputation.
Before leaving, Ram went to His mother and received permission to leave. He next went to His wife named Sita. He told her that He was being banished to the forest. She should stay at the palace and serve Ram's parents.
After hearing from her husband, Sita spoke: "I am enjoined by ancient religious codes to enter the forest along with You, dearest Ram. I cannot possibly remain in Ayodhya. If You leave today for the forest, I shall walk before You, clearing away the sharp grasses and thorns on the path."
Lord Ram told Sita of the dangers of going to live in the forest. Snakes, tigers, scarce food, hard living, etc. He wanted her to be happy at the palace. She could only think of serving Ram and nothing else. No matter the conditions.
This is real love of God. Love is UNCONDITIONAL! In this material world, love is conditional, which makes it lust rather than love. Lust is about you giving me pleasure, i give you pleasure and when something gets in the way of our pleasure we end our deal and move on. Love of God is so elevated that the servant of God does not think about the conditions. That devotee loves God and serves God no matter what's happening. Sita could have stayed in the palace waiting for Ram to return and then served Him at the palace, but she wanted to be with Ram and serve Him even if it meant suffering in the forest with nothing!
The gopis also display this same unconditional love. When Krishna had a fever, Narada Muni traveled around the universe searching for a devotee who give their foot dust to cure Krishna. Krishna told Narada that that was the only remedy. He went everywhere and couldn't find one devotee who would put their dust on Krishna's head. You see this is a great offense, we want to have the dust of Krishna, but to put our dust on His head would be sinful. Narada approached the gopis. Immediately they started scraping their feet to get the dust. Narada asked, "Aren't you afraid you'll have to suffer in hell?"
They replied,"Then let us suffer. We only want Krishna to be better so if we have to suffer then let us suffer. We only want Krishna to be happy."
I look at my comfortable life and realize that I have yet to achieve any love for God. I want to serve but if the conditions aren't right then I shrink back into the palace waiting so I have the chance to serve God without compromising my sense gratification. I pray for the mercy of my Guru and the devotees so that I may one day become unconditional..............

This Is Kinda Neat

There Will Be Blood

Taken from The Business Shrink


America’s dirty little oil secret: Plastic Bottles and Bags April 26th, 2008
With oil prices surging to almost $120 a barrel on Friday April 25th, 2008 the sky is certainly looking like the limit. There are analysts and speculators that are now saying they don’t feel that $200 a barrel oil is unrealistic at this point. It’s definitely easy to question who is making money here, who is laughing all the way to the bank as the price rises and who might be responsible for the meteoric price rise in the barrel of oil. An unfortunate truth to who is helping the price levels stay high could be looking back at you in the mirror.

Even the U.S. Congress is scrutinizing oil company profits and refinery production in light of the supply and demand issues that seem apparent in the oil industry. Americans often want to point their fingers at the same culprits. As much as the oil companies, a growing global economy and wars are to blame for the oil price increases but consumer consumption of plastic products is also a culprit in keeping oil prices high and environment issues shaky.

The most reliable statistics from the Pacific Institute put America’s love affair with water bottles at 31.2 billion liters of water in 2006. Due to negative press on the possible health effects of the use, most people are aware water bottles are sold in polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles. In order to manufacture these bottles over 900,000 tons of plastic is needed. The mainstream manufacturing process that produces PET bottles requires a combination of natural gas and petroleum. The petroleum requirement is where the statistics show that America’s obsession could be hurting their wallets at the gas pump.

Bottom line, the production of 31.2 billion liters of water for the U.S. bottled water market took roughly 17.6 million barrels of oil. The calculation is explained in more detail at the Pacific Institute’s information page under the energy requirements for plastic bottles. The simple break down is 3.4 megajoules of energy to produce a water bottle, cap and packaging with a barrel of oil producing about 6 thousand megajoules. Taking those numbers into account you arrive at 17.6 million barrels of oil, enough oil to run 1.5 million cars on U.S. roadways for an entire year.

Americans are not alone in their addiction to bottled water. Although America is the number one consumer, other large consumers are Mexico, China, Brazil, Italy, Germany, France, Indonesia, Spain and India. The graph shows the difference of consumption from 1999 to 2004. A more clear version of the graph can be found here. In 2004 the previously mentioned countries consumed the following amount of liters in the billions: United States 25.8, Mexico 17.7, China 11.9, Brazil 11.6, Italy 10.7, Germany 10.3, France 8.5, Indonesia 7.4, Spain 5.5, India 5.1 and all other countries 39.9. This brings a total consumption in the billions of liters in 2004 to 154.3. Just for worldwide consumption of bottled water in 2004 alone it took roughly 87.4 million barrels of oil. You can imagine that with statistics for 2008, we have arrived at a figure in the hundreds of millions of barrels of oil being used just to produce bottled water. At 87.4 million barrels of oil, that’s enough to run 7.5 million cars on U.S. roadways for an entire year.

America and the world’s addiction to plastic doesn’t end there. Plastic bags have become commonplace all over the world for their ease of production, cheapness compared to paper bags at 2 cents a plastic bag and 4 to 6 cents for paper bags. The plastic bags are also light weight for transporting. Plastic bags take oil, just like plastic bottles to produce. Currently the U.S. consumes 100 billion plastic shopping bags in a year and worldwide consumption is estimated to be from 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags a year. That is roughly 1 million plastic bags a minute being consumed and less than 1% is recycled. The oil cost? With the 100 billion bags consumed in America it takes 12 million barrels of oil a year. Taking that figure and applying it to worldwide consumption you come up with a figure around 60 million - 120 million barrels of oil a year to produce plastic bags.

While it will not greatly impact the current problems we are having with oil, we can help save the environment by turning to recycling for all of the plastic products that we use. An interesting graph was provided by the Container Recycling organization showing the difference between the United States and Sweden in recycling PET bottles. In 2004 you can see that the U.S. was down to about 20% of all bottles consumed sending the rest to the landfill where they will sit for around 1,000 years.

Recycling plastic bags have not been much of a success either. In fact in the U.S. where 100 billion plastic bags are consumed it is estimated that only 1 percent to 3 percent of the bags are recycled. This leaves the rest of the bags in our landfills and other unsightly places like that plastic bag you saw blowing down the street last week.

In January of 2008 The Daily Green announced that China had made the decision to place a nationwide ban on plastic bags. The Chinese State Council set a date of June 1st, 2008 for all stores, small and large, to stop using plastic bags in the country. China was previously the largest user of plastic bags in the world using around 37 million barrels of oil for their bags. As mentioned by The Daily Green China is not alone with other large countries like Ireland and Uganda banning plastic bags. The United States is seeing similar measures in city and county government to place bans on the use of plastic bags.

The solutions are tough to swallow sometimes, especially when it could mean completely removing common and convenient plastic products out of our lives. However, even major retail outlets are trying to make it easier. During Earth Day Week this year Wal-Mart made prominent spots for their reusable $1.00 bags. Grabbing 5 - 10 of these bags can drastically change your impact on the environment by remembering to use a reusable and washable bag when shopping. The water bottle market is a little harder to deal with, especially in countries like Mexico where the public drinking water truly isn’t safe in some parts of the country. Home purification and refrigerator filtering systems can make sure people in America get better quality water. Looking at recently released reports, purifying your own water is probably more beneficial than the bottled water industry’s water anyway. Some reports claim that bottled water is sometimes nothing more than glorified city tap water. If you decide to take a step on your own to cut down on plastic water bottle usage, you could always get a reusable water bottle made by companies like Sigg. As of right now there are over 100 available on eBay that you can have shipped to your doorstep and start making a difference next week!

America and the world’s dirty little oil secret seems to be that while we are unhappy with the rise in oil prices, we really can make a difference if we all take action. It’s hard to change the comforts that the modern world has brought us, but you can do it in smalls steps and still have conveniences you’re use to with a little change. In just America alone, we are using 29.6 million barrels of oil a year to have the convenience of plastic bags and plastic water bottles. This could literally provide enough oil to fuel 2 - 3 million cars in the U.S. every single year. If you look at world figures we are using 147.4 - 207.4 million barrels of oil to use plastic bags and plastic bottles worldwide. That alone is more than OPEC pumps in a day at 32.22 million. The U.S. imports around 13.15 million barrels of oil a day according the CIA factbook. By seeing these number hopefully you will realize that you can make a difference in our oil costs, the environment and live a greener life all around. Please let us know your thoughts here by leaving a comment.

Amazing

Whirling Dervishes

Who is Rumi?

To properly glorify the great souls, we must sincerely pray for their guidance and the guidance of Their Divine Lordships Who reside in Goloka. Therefore, I pray unto you, O great lover of the invisible, who the West has come to know simply as Rumi. I pray to my spiritual master, His Holiness Radhanath Swami, who has cleared away the darkness in my heart.
I am insignificant and blinded by material enjoyment; I have no qualification to speak about this great soul, but the bird rises in the sky as high as he can reach according to his ability. I will try to glorify Rumi to my best ability and become purified.
To understand Rumi, we must have some knowledge of the Sufi order. Some will say that Sufism is a denomination of Islam, while others will say that it is it’s own religion. Just like Christians will deny the Gnostics. Sufism is the mystical path on the road of Islam. Muslims as well as many other religions, believe after death they will return to the paradise of God. The practitioners of Sufism believe that you can achieve an intimate closeness to God while still living. Sufis generally teach in personal groups, as the counsel of the master is considered necessary for the growth of the pupil. They make extensive use of parable, allegory, and metaphor, and it is held by Sufis that meaning can only be reached through a process of seeking the truth, and knowledge of oneself. Although philosophies vary among different Sufi orders, Sufism as a whole is primarily concerned with direct personal experience, and as such may be compared to various forms of mysticism such as Bhakti form of Hinduism, Hesychasm, Zen Buddhism, Kabbalah, Gnosticism and Christian mysticism.
Rumi was born as Mawlana Jalal-ad-Din Muhammad Rumi, on September 30, 1207. He was born in the Balkh, Afghanistan. Some argue as to exactly what village he was born in. His father was a great theologian, jurist and mystic who was nicknamed “Sultan of Scholars.” When the Mongols invaded Central Asia sometime between 1215 and 1220, his father with his whole family and a group of disciples set out westwards. On the road to Anatolia, Rumi encountered one of the most famous mystic Persian poets, Attar, in Iran's city of Nishapur, located in the province of Khor_s_n. 'Attar immediately recognized Rumi's spiritual eminence. He saw the father walking ahead of the son and said, "Here comes a sea followed by an ocean." He gave the boy his Asrarnama, a book about the entanglement of the soul in the material world. This meeting had a deep impact on the eighteen-year-old Rumi's thoughts and later on became the inspiration for his works. Baha' ud-Din, Rumi's father, became the head of a madrassa (religious school) and when he died Rumi inherited his position and succeeded him at the age of twenty-five. One of Baha' ud-Din's students, Sayyed Burhan ud-Din-e Muhaqqiq, continued to train Rumi in the religious and mystical doctrines of Rumi's father. For nine years, Rumi practiced Sufism as a disciple of Burhan ud-Din until the latter died in 1240-1. From then on started Rumi's public life. He became the teacher who preached in the mosques of Konya and taught his adherents in the madrassah.

On November 15, 1244, Rumi met the dervish Shams-e Tabrizi. This changed his life completely. Shams had traveled all over the Middle East searching and praying for friendship. A celestial voice asked Shams what he would give in return for such friendship. Shams answered, "My head." The voice told him about Rumi. On December 5, 1248, Shams disappeared. Some say he was murdered.

Rumi left the mortal realm on December 17, 1273. Above his tomb is written,
"When we are dead, seek not our tomb in the earth, but find it in the hearts of men."

Throughout Rumi's life he wrote beautiful poetry that Shahram Shiva said "is able to verbalize the highly personal and often confusing world of personal/spiritual growth and mysticism in a very forward and direct fashion. He does not offend anyone, and he includes everyone. The world of Rumi is neither exclusively the world of a Sufi, nor the world of a Hindu, nor a Jew, nor a Christian; it is the highest state of a human being..."

Rumi also began the order named Mevlevi, also known as the Whirling Dervishes. To remember God they dance and perform music, a ceremony they termed Sema. The Sema represents a mystical journey of man's spiritual ascent through mind and love to "Perfect." Turning towards the truth, the follower grows through love, deserts his ego, finds the truth and arrives at the "Perfect." He then returns from this spiritual journey as a man who has reached maturity and a greater perfection, so as to love and to be of service to the whole of creation.

I pray to Rumi that anyone who reads this will be filled with love.

Prayers To Be Absorbed In Spiritual Love

"Oh Allah!
I am Your servant,
son of Your male servant,
and son of Your female servant;
my forehead is in Your Hand;
Your judgement is exact;
Your decision about me is just;
I ask You by every name of Yours which You have called Yourself,
or revealed in a book of Yours,
or taught to any of Your servants,
or reserved within Your unrevealed knowledge,
to make the Qu'ran a spring to my heart,
a light in my chest,
that it removes my sadness,
and erase my anguish."
-Prophet Muhammad

"Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love,
Where there is injury, pardon,
Where there is doubt, faith,
Where there is despair, hope,
Where there is darkness, light,
Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that i may not so much
seek to be consoled as to console,
not so much to be understood as to understand,
not so much to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
it is in dying that we awake to eternal life."
-Saint Francis


"Let your love flow outward through the universe,
To its height, its depth, its broad extent,
A limitless love, without hatred or enmity.
Then as you stand or walk,
Sit or lie down,
As long as you are awake,
Strive for this one-pointed mind,
Your life will bring heaven to earth."
-The Buddha


"I will make a bed of the reddish lotus flower petals and request the young Divine Couple to come and sit. The enchanting lotus faces of Shyama, who resembles a blue sapphire, and Radha, who resembles gold, are decorated with sandalwood paste.

"O Queen of my life, Shri Radha, when will You show compassion on me so that Your on order I will bring varieties of flowers and hear Your sweet conversations.

"I will make vermillion with musk and decorate Your foreheads, and smear sandalwood on Your bodies. I will make garlands of malati flowers and adorn them on Your necks, and then I will drive away the bees.

"When will Lalita give me a camara to gently fan away the perspiration from Their bodies and watch Them with jubilation?

"Narottama das desires to drink the sweet nectar of service to Their lotus feet. When will that day come that I will only see Their Lordships and nothing else?" -Narottama das Thakur, Prarthana 50

Industrial Enterprises

Human prosperity flourishes by natural gifts and not by gigantic industrial enterprises. The gigantic industrial enterprises are products of a godless civilization, and they cause the destruction of the noble aims of human life. The more we go on increasing such troublesome industries to squeeze out the vital energy of the human being, the more there will be unrest and dissatisfaction of the people in general, although a few only can live lavishly by exploitation. The natural gifts such as grains and vegetables, fruits, rivers, the hills of jewels and minerals, and the seas full of pearls are supplied by the order of the Supreme, and as He desires, material nature produces them in abundance or restricts them at times. The natural law is that the human being may take advantage of these godly gifts by nature and satisfactorily flourish on them without being captivated by the exploitative motive of lording it over material nature. The more we attempt to exploit material nature according to our whims of enjoyment, the more we shall become entrapped by the reaction of such exploitative attempts. If we have sufficient grains, fruits, vegetables, and herbs, then what is the necessity of running a slaughterhouse and killing poor animals? A man need not kill an animal if he has sufficient grains and vegetables to eat. The flow of river waters fertilizes the fields, and there is more than what we need. Minerals are produced in the hills, and the jewels in the ocean. If the human civilization has sufficient grains, minerals, jewels, water, milk, etc., then why should we hanker after terrible industrial enterprises at the cost of the labor of some unfortunate men? -Shrila Prabhupada, Teachings of Queen Kunti

Ritual or Spiritual?

I am constantly being tested by my senses and mind. I find that I am unable to pass the tests when I am not sincerely praying to the Lord. As previously posted, we are in Jihad with ourselves. Because we want to enjoy separately from Krishna we are cast into an endless ocean of sufferings. Now, someone will retort saying, "Just see how your God punishes you! He wants you to serve Him and Him only and if you want some enjoyment then He throws you away."
Actually, the person who makes these kinds of statements are those who are completely immersed in sense gratification. They want to be able to lord it over the material elements. This is Krishna's mercy. He sends us away to show that we want something lower. We want something material rather than spiritual. People do not know who God is or the relationships that God has with His servants. The relationship is very intimate and deep. It's not something we can understand through intellect or austerity. It's something that has to be realized. Realization means, God bestowing causeless mercy upon you to understand truths that will never be understood through the material senses.
Yes, the material world is a place of suffering. War, famine, natural disasters, financial difficulties, old age, disease, and finally death. In the spiritual world, there is nothing but pure bliss that increases eternally. We chose to try to enjoy something that cannot last over something that gets better forever.
Yesterday was a great day of surrender for me. I really prayed to Krishna, like my daughter cries out for us when she needs something. Krishna reciprocates with our sincerity. Is our sincerity spiritual or ritual? When it is ritual, it is something of lesser quality. Spiritual means you are performing your service in such a state that you are fully absorbed in pleasing Guru and Krishna and not rushing through it to just get it done.
Dear Lord and Your wonderful servants please allow me to be fully absorbed.

Gradual Realization of Higher Truths

"Praise the Lord! Praise the name of the Lord; praise Him, O you servants of the Lord!
You who stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God,
Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; sing praises to His name, for it is pleasant."
-Psalm 135



"The holy name of Krishna is the sweetest of the sweet and the most auspicious of all auspicious things. It is the self-effulgent and beautiful fruit of the Vedic desire tree. O best of the Bhrgus, when the holy name is uttered once without offense, either attentively or inattentively, it immediately ensures the deliverance of all human beings from the bondage of illusion."
-Hari-bhakti-vilas 11.234



"Muhammad gave this indication of how to know what's
real. When you feel

a peaceful joy, you're near the truth. Unquiet and
off center, jealous or

greedy, what you do seems pretentious and those around
you insincere. Speak

the clearest truth you know, and let the disease heal.
If words are tinged with

lying, they're like water dripping into an oil lamp. The
wick won't light, and
the pleasure and rest of your love room will diminish."
-Rumi


"I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who perfectly know this engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts. The thoughts of My pure devotees dwell in Me, their lives are fully devoted to My service, and they derive great satisfaction and bliss from always enlightening one another and conversing about Me. To those who are constantly devoted to serving Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me. To show them special mercy, I, dwelling in their hearts, destroy with the shining lamp of knowledge the darkness born of ignorance."
Shri Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 10.8-12


"I worship that youthful cowherd boy whose complexion resembles the hue of fresh monsoon rain clouds, whose ears are decorated with fragrant campaka blossoms, whose gently smiling face defies the beauty of a lotus in full bloom, who wears dhoti the color of molten gold, whose crown is decorated by a peacock feather, and who is the mainstay of all the three worlds. May that son of Maharaj Nanda, Krishna, always protect me. His face is more charmingly iridescent than the full moon in autumn. He is the ecstatic ocean of divine pastimes. His exquisite hand holds a ball for playing boyish games, and He is the very life and soul of the damsels of Vraja. His entire body is covered with the fine dust raised by the hooves of calves, and He carries a flute tucked into the dhoti tied around His waist. His mellifluous voice captivates all the cows."
-Shrila Rupa Goswami, Stava-mala

Absorbed in Love?

This past week, Krishna allowed me to have a breakthrough in my spiritual life. I realized that I had been meditating more on hatred than love. This might sound a little radical, but allow me to explain. Lately, I got wrapped up in checking out the news, researching politics, and absorbing mundane philosophies that lead to more speculation. All of this produced a ranting in my mind. Circumstances to change, policies that create havoc in the lives of others, and ultimately solutions that don't resolve the problem, but might suppress it for awhile. I've been absorbed in these than absorbing myself in the sweet pastimes of the Lord and His devotees. This week I really got into the Ramayana. So much wonderful philosophy and love mixed with great stories of adventure.
We must absorb our mind in something. The pastimes of the Lord clear out the unwanted pollution in our hearts. As Shrimad-Bhagavatam says: "Shri Krishna, the Personality of Godhead, who is the Paramatma in everyone's heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses desire for material enjoyment from the heart of the devotee who has developed the urge to hear His messages, which are themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted." If we are attracted to material enjoyment than selfishness over takes the soul's natural propensity to be selfless. The more we want to lord it over the objects of this world, the more we bury the natural propensity to give love. That is why we must absorb ourselves in the spiritual topics of the Lord and His devotees.
In Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi-lila, Chapter 3, text 12 purport, Shrila Prabhupada explains: "The descent of Shri Krishna, the Absolute Personality of Godhead, is very powerful. In the Bhagavad-gita it is said that one who knows the truth about Shri Krishna's descent and His various activities is at once liberated and does not fall again to this existence of birth and death after he leaves his present material body. In other words, one who factually understands Krishna makes his life perfect. Imperfect life is realized in material existence, in five different relationships we share with everyone in the material world: neutrality, servitorship, friendship, filial love and amorous love between husband and wife or lover and beloved. THese five enjoyable relationships with the Absolute Personality of Godhead in the transcendental nature. That Absolute Personality, Shri Krishna, descends to revive the five eternally existing relationships. Thus He manifests His transcendental pastimes in Vraja so that people may be attracted into that sphere of activities and leave aside their imitation relationships with the mundane. Then, after fully exhibiting all such activities, the Lord disappears."
The Lord performs activities for the benefit of the conditioned souls. The activities are of two kinds: destroying the demons and protecting the devotees.
I beg the Lord that I can grow from this realization and keep my mind locked at the lotus feet of the Lord.

The Sky

Bhagavad-gita Chapter 9, text 6: "Understand that as the mighty wind, blowing everywhere, rests always in the sky, all created beings rest in Me."

Purport: For the ordinary person it is almost inconceivable how huge the material creation is resting in Krishna. But the Lord is giving an example which may help us to understand. The sky may be the biggest manifestation we can conceive. And in that sky the wind or air is the biggest manifestation in the cosmic world. The movement of the air influences the movements of everything. But although the wind is great, it is still within the sky; the wind is not beyond the sky. Similarly, all the wonderful cosmic manifestations are existing by the supreme will of God, and all of them are subordinate to that supreme will. As we generally say, not a blade of grass moves without the will of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Jai Radhe, the Supreme Goddess Be Merciful

Verse 3 from the Radha-Kripa-Kataksha, sung by Lord Shiva:

"Radha continuously subdues the Son of Nanda (Krishna) into complete surrender unto Herself by piercing Him with the arrows of loving glances shot from the corners of Her eyes. These glances, laden with amorous delusions, inspire Shyama (Krishna) with feelings of the most reverential submission. This is further enhanced by Radha's crookedly-bending eyebrows that dance with the most auspicious sportive interest of the God of love! O when will She shower upon me Her sidelong glance of overflowing grace?"

Bhagavad-gita Meditations

Bhagavad-gita Chapter 10, text 3: "He who knows Me as the unborn, as the beginning less, as the Supreme Lord of all the worlds-he, only, undiluted among men, is freed from all sins."

Purport: As stated in the Seventh Chapter (7.3): those who are trying to elevate themselves to the platform of spiritual realization are not ordinary men, they are superior to millions of millions of ordinary men who have no knowledge of spiritual realization. But out of those actually trying to understand their spiritual situation, one who can come to the understanding that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the proprietor of everything, the unborn, is the most successful spiritually realized person. In that stage only, when one has fully understood Krishna's supreme position, can one be free completely from all sinful reactions.

Bhagavad-gita Chapter 11, text 55: "My dear Arjuna, he who engages in my devotional service, free from the contaminations of fruitive a activities and mental speculation, he who works for Me, who makes Me the supreme goal of his life, and who is friendly to every living being- he certainly comes to Me."

Purport: A devotee of Krishna is friendly to everyone. Therefore it is said here that he has no enemy. How is this? A devotee is situated in Krishna consciousness knows that only devotional service to Krishna can relieve a person from all the problems of life. He has personal experience of this, and therefore he wants to introduce this system, Krishna consciousness, into human society. There are many examples in history of devotees of the Lord who risked their lives for the spreading of God consciousness. The favorite example is Lord Jesus Christ. He was crucified by the non-devotees, but he sacrificed his life for spreading God consciousness. Of course, it would be superficial to understand that he was killed.

Today

Searching and striving. Struggling and surviving.
Today so many thoughts have been rushing through my head.
To be humble, to be spiritual.
Why do I have to be like this? Why can't I just run through life screaming and parading without cares or worries?
After a brief moment of losing myself in dreams and memories,
I slowly come back around. The love that I have felt. The experience of God in my life.
The thrill of being in kirtan, playing the drum with sweat pouring down your face.
Singing out the holy name with enthusiasm.
Today was one of those days to really reflect on gratitude.
When you're grateful the littlest things pop out and make life worth dying for.
By Guru's mercy I'm able to chant the holy name. When I see my daughter playing her cymbals
and touching the Lord's feet, I can't do anything but smile.
Sentimental?
Today was one of those days that I saw through a lot of my faults.
No sentiment. Just seeing how merciful Radha-Krishna have been to me.
Now what can I do back?

Love of God

"Spiritual life is not about dry theories or constant struggle, strain, and self-denial. It is about profound experiences and exhilarating intoxication. Why should we cheat ourselves? We all want to love and be loved. We all want to experience the heights of pleasure. Ultimately, reduced to its simplest form, that is what spiritual life is about: the highest enjoyment, the greatest pleasure, and the most intense sense gratification- but far beyond the material level. We perform various austerities, rituals, and practices to prepare ourselves to transcend the shadows and images of this material world and attain the glories of the spiritual realm.
Remember that all living entities seek love, happiness, and pleasure, including people who behave in distorted or destructive ways. Can you imagine how intense your pleasure could be once all the barriers and limitations to its pure attainment were removed? We can gain a tiny glimpse of such a state when we experience a powerful, overwhelming feeling for someone we care about. So why should we hesitate to move closer to God and experience greater levels of pleasure?" -Shripad Bhakti Tirtha Swami

Stop the Mind

My hands and feet are bound by ropes
ropes called passion, goodness and ignorance
My tongue is tied around gibberish
My eyes are blinded by the glow of the tv set
My computer gives me access to hold me tighter
Dear Lord how can I feel lighter?
Stop the mind, stop the blame
look within realize the game
Dancing in a circle chasing your tail
what you thought was heaven was actually hell
But now you can explain your word, or will you go off chasing imaginary birds?
Am I to blame for all this pain?
Am I to identify with this stain?
Stop the mind, stop the blame
Realize the highest goal
No action, no penance, no struggle, no fasting, no meditation, no prayer will help you
if it's not pleasing to the great souls around you...
Please the dog you please the master
Please the Lord's servants you'll get there faster.....
Stop the mind, am I to blame for the violence around me? Am I to blame for the lust around me? Am I to blame for the mistakes that I keep making because I'm too weak to fight my lower desires? Am I to blame for the actions of my brothers and sisters?

All that I see is a reflection of me
All that I see is a reflection of me
All that I see is a reflection of me
All that I see is a tainted reality
Until I'm free, I won't see the purity that surrounds me...
The most confidential knowledge is only given to those who are able to utter an honest prayer...
A humble prayer, so stop the mind and loosen the bind

The flower that you offer, the water that you drink, the sun that shines
if you don't remember the unconquerable, you'll soon sink... But the unconquerable can be conquered by love
Those who understand this have flown beyond all mundane knowledge... They have reached the highest peak on the spiritual mountain...
No one left to blame but myself as I contemplate the sense objects
Soon I'll be attached and with attachment comes lust... Becoming lusty means you'll soon become angry...
When anger hits, you'll be delusional
From this delusion the memory is bewildered
That's when the intelligence is lost
When intelligence lost, you fall down... This was explained by He who has no origin
to one who had no envy... I am envious and thus I am to blame...
This stupid false ego plays this game
This game of accept and reject but I must stand up and correct for those who can look within stand erect...
Darwin got it all wrong with his evolution song..
Reincarnate
This word seems to generate some kind of hate amongst those who take this body as all in all... Don't listen when they try to call, dialing numbers that are only theoretical... Be practical and use your logic...

Some say out of chaos comes order, but there's no disorder when you can actually see...
Nothing happens by accident
Our small brains try to piece together the plan
And we try to smash it when it doesn't go our way...
Yes, I'm to blame
Now I can switch it all around
Kneel to the ground
And pray because that's how we give way to He
who some call Yew ah
but who some call Ajita, the unconquerable...

Mindflow

My mind wants to flow, where should I go?
My heart breaks, where should the weeds grow?
The sun goes down, and I feel like a clown
identifying with too much emotions
bewildered by mundane commotions...
And finally I breathe a breath that only comes at sunrise after awaking from strange dreams....
In your eyes are streams of ancient language that only mystics in the Himalayas could understand.....

My mind wants to flow, where should I go?
The eagle takes down the crow, weeds grow
These thoughts I can't shake or throw, but I know
when the sun sets the stars will shine... Constellations, stories lost in our world of technology...
Computers, tvs, cell phones suck on our souls like vampires,
are you calling me a liar, like I just said when you have the proper desire you'll fly
Why are you afraid to die? Parts of God that are never separate... Only illusion separates
unity in diversity
to segregate is perversity

Ravana- The Great Antagonist

These past few days I have been reading the Ramayana, one of the oldest of the Vedic literatures. Perhaps, it is the oldest written form of poetry. Tomorrow is the glorious Appearance Day of Lord Rama, known as Rama-navami. So, I have been meditating on the most wonderful activities of Lord Rama.
But, I want to examine the character of Ravana, the main antagonist of the Ramayana. There is so much we can learn from him. Ravana performed many austerities and penances to Lord Brahma making him extremely powerful. He then conquered his brother's city which was made from gold making him the richest person. Wherever Ravana went he conquered. Because of this he became the most proud.
Once, Ravana, along with his demon army, were flying across the Himalayan mountains. He happened to see a most beautiful woman. This was very rare. She seemed without a husband. Ravana taking a human form went down from the sky to meet her. She was deep in meditation. Her body was covered with deerskin, she had matted locks and her body was radiant. He spoke to her, "My dear woman, who are you and whom do you belong?"
She answered,"My name is Vedavati. I am an incarnation of the Vedas. I have been performing austerities for many thousands of years. My father and others have tried to marry me off, but I can have no other husband than Lord Vishnu."
When Ravana heard the name of Vishnu he became greatly angered. He replied,"If you will not come with me willingly, then you will come by force!" He grabbed her hair and was about to drag her off. But, Vedavati chanted a mantra that pushed him back and with her hand she sliced through her hair.
"Because you have defiled this body I must now give it up! I will take birth from the ground in my next life and I will be the cause of your demise!" After saying this, she used her yogic powers to ignite her body from within burning herself to ashes.
Ravana was too proud to care about that curse. He went onto his chariot the great Pushpaka and searched for battles.
After traveling far, Ravana came to a great mountain. Suddenly, his chariot dropped and could not go any further. This tiny creature that seemed half human and half monkey holding a spear came to Ravana. "I am Nandi, the servant of Lord Shiva. This is his abode known as Mount Kailash. No created being can enter. Please turn around and leave."
Ravana became very angry and started teasing Nandi about his appearance. Ravana also derided Lord Shiva. Nandi cursed Ravana saying, "Because you have insulted my monkey form, in the future a monkey race will appear that will cause you much harassment and will be your downfall."
Ravana didn't care about these pathetic curses. He walked up to the mountain feeling very proud. He stuck his twenty arms into the side of the mountain and lifted it from the Earth. The shaking of the mountain caused Mother Parvati to fall from her throne. She grabbed hold of Lord Shiva, who reassured her that this fool could not harm her. Lord Shiva gently pushed his toe into the ground causing a heavy pressure on Ravana. It was too much and his arms were crushed. He was pinned under the mountain. Ravana cried in agony from the pain. His ministers instructed him to offer prayers to Lord Shiva. After a hundred years of reciting prayers, Lord Shiva appeared in front Ravana. "Because you have pleased me, you are now free to travel anywhere," Lord Shiva spoke releasing Ravana.
Ravana then traveled across the world searching for a worthy opponent to do battle with. Finally, he reached a place called Ayodhya. This was the capital of the humans. This city was beautiful. Ravana decided to do battle with the great emporor Anaranya. There were hundreds of thousands of soldiers and hundreds of thousands of demons. They engaged in fierce combat. They shot forth arrows, maces, and swords clashed with clubs and maces. The demons used their sorcery to vanish and then reappear. Some demons could even fly. The human soldiers were soon slaughtered. King Anaranya however fought valiantly. He destroyed demons by the thousands. He produced wind weapons that would pick up the demons and toss them miles away. He would shoot many arrows empowered with special mantras. The demons would try and hide using their magic, but the King would udder a mantra that would find them using sound vibrations.
After a great battle, all the soldiers were dead and King Anaranya was the only human left standing. In great anger, he descended from his chariot and shot many arrows at Ravana. The arrows smashed into the chest and arms of Ravana sounding like thunder claps. Yet, Ravana did not even flinch. Ravana angered from this move threw his mace with great strength. It smashed into the forehead of Anaranya. The king fell to the ground. As the King lay dying, Ravana started to insult the king. The king was very pious. He did not want to curse Ravana, but he had to do something. Before he took his last breath, King Anaranya said to Ravana, "In the future, a great king will be born from my dynasty. He will be the cause of your downfall and the rest of your demonic race."
Ravana laughed and went about his way.
Why meditate on these stories? Through Ravana's actions we can understand that, when we become proud and arrogant we commit grave offenses to others. For every action there's a reaction. Ravana paved his own demise because he believed himself to be greater than everyone else. He was blinded by power and wealth. Ravana is the greatest example of one who is averse to God.
We must always seek to live our lives in such a way that we give love. This can only be done by taking the humble attitude. When we are humble we can understand everything properly. This is the greatest teaching of Lord Chaitanya, Who is Lord Rama. When are truly humble we can chant the Holy Name properly. When we chant the Holy Name properly we are in the transcendental position unaffected by this material world.
Jaya Sita-Rama- Lakshman-Hanuman!!!!!!!!!!

Prarthana Song 55

"When will I chant the names of Hari and see Lord Madana Mohana? In this way I want to travel on the path of Vraja.

Entering Vraja, I will become an ankle-bell on the feet of the gopis and cause a sweet tinkling sound. I will watch the sporting pastimes of the cowherd boys in the forest of Vrindavan and smear the dust from their feet on my body.

I will see the sweet beauty of Radha and Krishna to my eyes' satisfaction and I will stand as a guard at the gate of the groves of Vraja. O residents of Vraja! Please fulfill my desires and allow me to hear the sweet sound of Krishna's flute.

At the time of giving up my body, I will simply place it in the waters of the Yamuna and float while chanting, "Jaya Radha Govinda." Narottama das laments thus, "My desires are not fulfilled. When will I reside in Vraja?"

My Mind O My Mind

In the 6th Chapter of Bhagavad-gita, Lord Shri Krishna expounds Dhyana-yoga which entails complete control over the mind. In texts 33 and 34 Arjuna replies to the Lord: "O Madhusudana, the system of yoga which You have summarized appears impractical and unendurable to me, for the mind is restless and unsteady. For the mind is restless, turbulent, obstinate and very strong, O Krishna, and to subdue it, I think, is more difficult than controlling the wind."
Lord Shri Krishna replies in the 35th text: " O mighty-armed son of Kunti, it is undoubtedly very difficult to curb the restless mind, but it is possible by suitable practice and detachment." There we have it, the means to control the mind.
Shrila Prabhupada in the purport explains: "What is that practice? In the present age no one can observe the strict rules and regulations of placing oneself in a sacred place, focusing the mind on the Supersoul, restraining the senses and mind, observing celibacy, remaining alone, etc. By the practice of Krishna consciousness, however, one engages in nine types of devotional service to the Lord. The first and foremost of such devotional engagements is hearing about Krishna. This is a very powerful transcendental method for purging the mind of all misgivings. The more one hears about Krishna, the more one becomes enlightened and detached from everything that draws the mind away from Krishna. By detaching the mind from activities not devoted to the Lord, one can very easily learn vairagya. Vairagya means detachment from matter and engagement of the mind in spirit."

Basically, in today's so-called advanced civilization we are taught to engage the mind in activities that harm our spiritual lives. In fact, no one hardly even recognizes there's a spiritual life. We are simply engaged in material activities that drag us away from meditating on that which is most important, Krishna. My mind is raging out of control because I am attached to material activities that have no relation to who I really am. A mind flooded with pop songs, movies, television shows and countless advertisements they have created to suck people into becoming mindless consumers. The more you consume, the more your mind is wild and uncontrollable. But I have been given unconditional mercy from my spiritual master, and by following his instructions I can see the importance of controlling my mind.

Prarthana Song 6

O Lord Hari, please be merciful and keep me safe at Your lotus feet. The six enemies headed by lust and anger are dragging me to different places enticing me to enjoy my senses in various ways.

Forgetting You, I became a servant of Maya, and desired so many things for myself. Then, hoping to collect some money, I disguised myself as a Vaisnava and wandered from door to door.

After a great deal of suffering, You then kindly tied Your rope of mercy around my neck and brought me back to Vrindavan. But then Your external potency Mayadevi forcibly untied that rope and threw me into the well of material existence.

So if You kindly once again catch my hair and pull me out of the well and place me in Braja-dhama, only then will I be saved. Thus prays poor Narottama das.

Kick Out Darwin

LET"S KICK ON DARWIN"S FACE!!!!!!!!
Yes, Ben Stein's new movie is coming questioning Darwin's Theory.
He shows how many scientists and teachers are being expelled from schools and
denied grant money just because they question the many holes
in the THEORY.
The Expelled is a great movie about the 1st Amendment and our right to
question authorities who put forth theories that should be questioned especially
when they have so many gaps.....
Shrila Prabhupada said: "Darwin is a rascal. What is his theory? We kick out Darwin's philosophy.
The more we kick out Darwin's philosophy, the more we advance in spiritual consciousness."

Bhakti Thoughts 1

I've been thinking a lot about how I speak unnecessarily. Most of the time I vibrate sound vibrations that are not positive. When we're stuck in the modes of passion and ignorance we perform actions and speak words that are not conducive to spiritual life. I recently read this quote in Shrimad-Bhagavatam Second Canto, Chapter 5, text 13: "The invincibly powerful deluding energy of the Personality of God, or the third energy, representing nescience, can bewilder the entire world of animation, but still she is not strong enough to be able to stand in front of the Supreme Lord. Nescience is behind the Personality of Godhead, where she is powerful enough to mislead the living beings, and the primary symptom of bewildered persons is that they talk nonsense. Nonsensical talks are not supported by the principles of Vedic literatures, and first-grade nonsense talk is "It is I, it is mine.""
In all great teachings, religions and other forms of enlightenment controlling the mind and tongue are very important. What we speak is very important to the world. Vibrations are everywhere effecting us in ways that we cannot understand unless we're on the liberated platform. Some people will say that I'm for censorship. In some ways I am. We all have free will, but I think there's a great difference between art produced by the surrealists, books written by people like the Marquis de Sade, movies like Holy Mountain, and then video games like Grand Theft Auto. Basically, we have to look and see if this is going to make me think about life or is this creating a tendency in me to create violence against life.

A Great Clip Of My Friend

My Negative Thoughts

I was unaware of this disaster in our human history and thought it might be something we should all reflect on living in this age of chemicals and failed technology.

The Bhopal disaster was an industrial disaster that occurred in Bhopal, India, resulting in the death of about 3,000 people according to the Indian Supreme Court. However, testimonies from doctors who provided medical assistance during the tragedy claim over 15,000 were dead in the first month alone. Bhopal is frequently cited as one of the world's worst industrial disasters.

On the morning of December 3, 1984, a holding tank with 43 tons of stored MIC from the Union Carbide factory overheated and released toxic gas mixture, which, being heavier than air, rolled along the ground through the surrounding streets. The transportation system in the city collapsed and many people were trampled trying to escape. According to the Bhopal Medical Appeal, around 500,000 people were exposed to the leaking gas. Approximately, 20,000 to this date are believed to have died as a result; on average, roughly one person dies every day from the effects. Over 120,000 continue to suffer the effects of the disaster, such as breathing difficulties, cancer, serious birth defects, blindness, gynecological complications and other related problems.

Of course, when you research it more you find that the reasons for the accident were various from cutbacks to not properly containing the MIC. More than 20 years later, the people of Bhopal, India, continue to sicken, suffer and die because of their exposure to Dow-Carbide's gas and the poisons it left behind in their soil and drinking water.

So, what does this have to do with spirituality? I'll let you decide for yourself. Think about Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Chernobyl and the possibility of a nuclear war in the near future. Have we become proud of our so-called advancement? Cities filled with drugs in the water supply, slaughterhouses, global-warming. Are we proud of our technology.

Now, if you know me, I'm a very positive person, so why all the negative? Simple living, simple thinking. It's hard to apply nowadays, but have we lost our sacred connection with Mother Nature? Are we setting ourselves up for more industrial accidents. And it's all so we can live comfortably. Yes, we should live comfortably, but we shouldn't neglect our spiritual life. But are willing to sacrifice Mother Nature so we can sit on the couch and watch tv?

Hare Krishna.

Jihad, Internal or External?

I've been discussing the Islam faith more and more nowadays. The growth of the religion, the war that being fought against "Muslims" and my own research into the lives of the Prophet and Rumi have been catalysts for engaging in discussion with others. I have found that many people do not have even the basic understanding of Islam. Being ignorant of this religion allows stereotypes and other false ideas to run rampant within the mind.

Islam means, "full surrender to God, Allah." A Muslim, is therefore, one who has surrendered everything to Allah. Yes, the Qu'ran is the main scripture for the Muslims, but few realize that Islam also follows the Old Testament. They may have a few differences, such as, Abraham attempting to slay Ishmael, whereas, Christians and Jews believe it was Isaac. Still, they hold the Old Testament as truth. They even believe in angels, for it was Gabriel who revealed the Qu'ran to Muhammad. They even speak of Jesus, though they regard him as a man of faith rather than the Son of God.

There's two main branches of Islam, the Sunni and the Shia. Obviously, there might be more than those groups who focus on different aspects of the faith.

Now, many people are speaking of Jihad. It has come to mean waging war against non-believers. But, I found that it actually can mean fighting or struggling to get closer to Allah. They have classified four types of Jihad: Jihad against one's own self, Jihad of the tongue, Jihad of the hand, and Jihad of the sword.

Any serious student of the spiritual life can understand that Jihad is in every other religion and spiritual practice, though it may have different names. From Buddhism to Christianity there's always a fight for the soul. We can either submit to our senses and mind or we can try to fight against them by taking sincere surrender of the Lord and the Lord's devotees. 

I have been meditating on how close the religions are to each other, yet people are so focused on the differences rather than the similarities. 

His Holiness Bhakti-tirtha Swami has written in his Spiritual Warrior 6: " In one sense, religions are like vehicles that people choose to ride in according to their nature. The vehicle is not as significant as its ability to carry you where you need to go. It is unfortunate when people want to push other drivers off the road or cannot appreciate another driver who has a different car. Of course, some vehicles just do not function properly at all, and others look very good but still have trouble because they are not kept up properly. However, if we have a good vehicle and continue to move along the road, we will progress towards the destination. All bona fide religious systems emphasize that one must righteously pursue God consciousness. Sectarianism is a creation of humankind. If people do not fix themselves on the pursuit of God consciousness and only maintain superficial connections, they will create more fragmentation and exploitation."

The soul

Soul And The Old Woman

What is the soul? Consciousness. The more awareness, the

deeper the soul, and when

such essence overflows, you feel a sacredness around. It's 

so simple to tell one who

puts on a robe and pretends to be a dervish from the real

  thing. We know the taste

      of pure water. Words can sound like a poem but not have

  any juice, no flavor to

  relish. How long do you look at pictures on a bathhouse 

  wall? Soul is what draws

  you away from those pictures to talk with the old woman 

  who sits outside by the door

        in the sun. She's half blind, but she has what soul loves

  to flow into. She's kind, she weeps.

  She makes quick personal decisions, and laughs so easily.

-Jelaluddin Rumi

Year New Pictures

Sastra-krt Prabhu dancing in ecstasy.
Bhaktin Jackie deeply concentrating on Lord Balaram.

Parama Karuna Prabhu bathing with love.Jaya Gauranga Prabhu, my dear friend dancing away.
David Ehler at his first Snanayatra festival.
Lalita-sundari devi dasi smiling away.
Baby Gauri helping me bathe Lord Balaram.

These pictures are about a year old, but this is the first time I've even seen them and I needed something to blog about.

Political Dementia

It's hard to not get stuck in politics these days. The election is coming up, the war is still thriving, a collapsing economy and many more issues linger above the American people's heads. Some people have given up totally on politics because they feel that nothing is going to change. Is politics important for one on a spiritual path? Ultimately, no. Yes, politics do affect everyone, but when it gets into you focusing more on politics than on serving God, it can actually damage your spiritual life.

The leaders of today are lusty, greedy, and angry. In Bhagavad-gita, Chapter 18, text 43, Lord Krishna says: "Heroism, power, determination, resourcefulness, courage in battle, generosity and leadership are the natural qualities of work for the kshatriyas (leaders of society)."   Does that sound like our President or any president or prime minister? The leaders today are unqualified men who breed hate by engaging the citizens in sinful activities. Now, that may sound harsh, but allow me to explain.

 The leader of a society is always seeking the welfare of the citizens. They are expected to create an atmosphere of security and make sure the people are making process in spiritual life. Today, the government wastes so much money in war programs, works the people endlessly and then creates opportunity for people to engage in illicit activities like: drinking, smoking, and prostitution. They try to make the people comfortable with television programs, feed the people mind-numbing news, and promotes violence by keeping slaughterhouses. The two major functions of leaders is to protect the cows and protect the brahmans (spiritual intellectuals). 

Should we do away with politics and live without a government? Not at all. The government must be setup so that it is in line with the teachings of Bhagavad-gita and Shrimad-Bhagavatam.

Shrila Prabhupada gives us  a very practical way of looking at politics: "Jesus Christ and Muhammad, two powerful devotees of the Lord, have done tremendous service on behalf of the Lord on the surface of the globe. And from the version of Shrila Shukadev goswami it appears that instead of running a godless civilization in the present context of the world situation, if the leadership of world affairs is entrusted to the devotees of the Lord, for which a worldwide organization under the name and style of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness has already been started, then by the grace of the Almighty Lord there can be a thorough change of heart in human beings all over the world because the devotees of the Lord are able authorities to effect such a change by purifying the dust-worn minds of the people in general. The politicians of the world may remain in their positions because the pure devotees for the Lord are not interested in political leadership or diplomatic implications. The devotees are interested only in seeing that the people in general are not misguided by political propaganda and in seeing that the valuable life of a human being is not spoiled in following a type of civilization which is ultimately doomed."

So Clinton or Obama? It doesn't matter as long as we're sincerely trying to serve the Lord and preach the glories of Shri-Shri Guru-Gauranga. 

Dreaming

Dreams have always fascinated me. Many people place importance on dreams, while others pay absolutely no attention to them. Last night I had a dream that seemed so real. I won't go into details for personal reasons, but dreams reveal much about yourself. Of course, we can quote from Carl Jung and others who have put so much energy into researching dreams, but I'd rather write about how this world is a dream. 

We understand through Srimad Bhagavatam and Brahma-sangita that this material creation is a dream of Maha-Vishnu. Maha-Vishnu is an expansion of Lord Krishna(God) who lays down on the Causal ocean. He remains in a sleeping state called yoga-nidra. This state is not like our sleeping. Obviously, the Lord's sleeping and dreaming is able to produce millions of material universes, so how can we compare His sleeping with ours. So that is one aspect of this world being dreamlike. Shrila Prabhupada in the Fourth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam, Chapter 29, text 83 purport states: "This material creation is the spirit soul's dream. Actually, all existence in the material world is a dream of Maha-Vishnu. This material world is created by the dreaming of Maha-Vishnu. The real, factual platform is the spiritual world, but when the spirit soul wants to imitate the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he is put into this dreamland of material creation." Basically, we're in God's dream.

How do we escape from this dream and return to reality? By associating with spiritually-minded persons. They will show by example how to be freed from this illusion.

What about our dreams at night? Shrila Prabhupada states in Fourth Canto, Chapter 29, text 64 purport: "In dreams we sometimes see things that we have never experienced in the present body. Sometimes in dreams we think that we are flying in the sky, although we have no experience of flying. This means that once in a previous life, either as a demigod or astronaut, we flew in the sky. The impression is there in the stockpile of the mind, and it suddenly expresses itself."

Of course, when we chant Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/ Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, the impressions on our mind is changed to a transcendental nature. Then at night, we can dream of Radha-Krishna and the devotees.

The First Blog

"Out of so many human beings who are suffering, there are a few who are actually inquiring about their position, as to what they are, why they are put into this awkward position and so on. Unless one is awakened to this position of questioning his or her suffering, unless he realizes that he doesn't want to suffering but rather wants to make a solution to all suffering, then one is not to be considered a perfect human being."

       -Shrila Prabhupada 

This is the beginning of humanity, to question and to solve. The questions: Who are we? Why are we here? Are there practical answers?

The solution: We are eternal fragments of God. We are inconceivably one with and different from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Shri Krishna. 

This blog was created by me so that I may simply spread the love that has been mercifully bestowed upon me to others. I don't know how far this will go, but we'll try to have fun!