Janmastami on Second Avenue

Sounds like the title of a hit song from the 40's (although i wasn't around back then so i'm just guessing). Actually it was a huge hit in the 60's. It was where Srila Prabhupada performed one of the greatest miracles in religious history. Tonite i decided to go on pilgrammage to 26 Second Avenue, Prabhupada's "Matchless Gifts," the western world's first Radha Krishna temple.

I took the "C" train to West 4th St. and the "F" train to Second Avenue. The Subway in NYC is much cleaner and cooler (air conditioned cars) than back in the 60's when Prabhupada took it. It isn't a model subway, but it felt a lot safer than i recall from almost 40 years ago. When i got down on Second Avenue and Houston Street (where Prabhupada first met Hayagriva on the street in 1966), i turned and walked two short blocks up Second Avenue. There on the corner is a large Exxon petrol station and next to it sits the tiny temple, a storefront attached to a nondescript apartment building.

I crossed the street and noticed bars across the front window. The temple was locked and it was 6:45 pm, just 15 minutes before their bi-weekly program was supposed to start (Tuesday and Friday evenings, 7-9 pm). There was a sign in the window that said: Janmastami will be held at the Brooklyn Temple. Take the A train to Jay St. and another train to the next stop. I wasn't really disappointed. I thought for a minute of going to the Brooklyn temple where the devotees would be and also nice deities of Radha Govinda, but decided against it. I was inspired to visit 26 Second Avenue because of Prabhupada and what he did there, but i wasn't inspired to visit Iskcon in Brooklyn.

I stood there in front of the storefront for several minutes, trying to imagine what it was like in 1966. It's a very small space, around 8 meters wide by about 30 meters long. The devotees renovated the storefront, and it looks gentrified, much newer than it must have looked 41 years ago. It would have been nice if they had replicated it. But that requires a little imagination.

Now it looks like a comfortable yoga studio, with a shiny wooden floor, and a small altar with a black and white photo of Srila Prabhupada sitting with his three original Bhagavatams. In the storefront window, 4 books were displayed. Only one of them was Prabhupada's book, Bhagavad-gita as it is. The others were a cookbook, a compilation (Coming Back), and a book about India.

I was sympathetic to the devotee who decided to close the temple on Janmastami and go to Brooklyn where he could socialize with other devotees and participate in the abhisek, bhajans, etc. But i also thought this is typical of a movement where preaching is no longer the essence. Preaching or expanding the circle of Krishna's mercy has taken a back seat to corporate religiosity and institutional indulgence.

While i was standing in front of the storefront, two young Indian women approached, also unaware that the storefront would be closed tonite. They knew it was Janmastami. I don't know if they decided to take the train to Brooklyn for darshan. I was actually satisfied to have darshan of the storefront and the image in my mind of Prabhupada having been there. I didn't mind missing the devotees, because i expected they would have a mindset that is far from mine. And for the deities, i have a very nice photo of Radha London Isvara with me, so i can have Their darshan.

I decided to walk up Second Avenue to Iskcon's 2nd Radha Krishna Temple, which was at 61 Second Avenue. Prabhupada gave many classes and kirtans there from 1967 thru 1969. It's just 2 or 3 short blocks up from the storefront. I noticed a number of evangelical churches on the Avenue mixed in with old apartment buildings and many newer bars. In fact, 61 Second Avenue has become "Dempsey's," a fairly upscale bar. The sign outside says: Happy Hour 4-8 pm. I guess it was also Happy Hour when Prabhupada used to lead kirtans and arotiks there.

I looked in. It's much larger than the storefront. It was strange to see the bar with its customers on bar stools where the devotees used to gather for kirtan. It shows how this material nature is so transformative, constantly shifting from goodness to passion to ignorance. It never stops changing. Nothing is static.

I turned left on East 4th St. to walk towards the West Village. After some time i walked by New York University, then Washington Square Park and finally MacDougal Street, where Bob Dylan got his start as a folksinger. New York University was also where i met my friend, Marz (Atreya Rishi) at a night class. He lived in Greenwich Village and we became friends then, both of us searching for a guru. Little did we know how close we were to an uttama guru. It was only by the mercy of Krishna that after a short search, we found him.

Missing the Boat

What i'm saying, my dear friends, is that this whole discussion about guru tattva and the guru issue is wrong. From the day Srila Prabhupada left us, until today, we should be discussing not who is a guru, but "who is a vaisnava?" And helping each other develop those qualities, behaviors and thought patterns that form the foundation of a vaisnava. I am certainly not a vaisnava and although my observation is defective, i cannot easily find others who inspire me to be a vaisnava. All this talk about gurus is nonsense. When i hear it now i say: wait!! Where are the vaisnavas??

Diversity is celebrated in this universe by Lord Brahma's amazing creation, and in the spiritual world by the innumerable expansions of Visnu and nitya siddhas. Why cannot we, on this small planet, in the super tiny world of devotees, not recognize and accomodate each other? The answer: we are not yet vaisnavas. The demigods must be laughing at us as we waste our time discussing guru tattva.

Crazy Rascal Syndrome

After reading more of the Sampradaya Sun and hearing the arguments of my godbrothers on the subject of diksa initiation, my only conclusion is that Srila Prabhupada could not appoint anyone to be guru because he knew no one had even the basic qualification to save himself, what to speak of saving others. And that 30 years later, that remains pretty much the case.

We just don't have the basic mindset of a vaisnava, which is non-envious, non-greedy, not looking for our own name. We attribute material qualities and criterion to spiritual phenomena, thus contaminating our thinking, feeling and willing. We speak as if we know something and then use quotations from scriptures to support our opinion, but in reality, we know nothing when we don't know "vasudeva sarvam iti."

Even worse, we misuse the pure intentions of our eternal well wishers for our own selfish goals. We misinterpret their words and slander them, or conversely, we align our own misconceptions with their personalities to give our thoughts (or the words of our chosen spokesman cum guru), false credibility and importance.

Is it better to do this than going to a bar or a brothel? I suppose so. But it's a far, far cry from the loving exchanges between genuine devotees we read about in the books. It illustrates the terrible price we all are paying due to our own deficiencies.

So what about the guru issue? My general answer is, first things first. To everyone who is now on a soapbox promoting their "absolute" understanding of "guru tattva," i say, come down to earth and develop your qualities of kindness, tolerance, forgiveness, and the 23 other qualities of a vaisnava. Give up your pride and show us your example. When there is a chance for real sadhu sanga, the issues of guru tattva and all other controversies can easily become clear. Without sadhu sanga, you'll find yourself in another goddamned religion.

Another Sunday in New York

Sundays are a bit more reflective than other days for me. I don't know why, except it's quieter, the official day of rest, although in America all the shops are open. This morning i walked down Central Park West to Whole Foods to buy my groceries. A cop was giving a ticket to a poor black guy sitting on a park bench. I don't know if he was drunk or jonesed or why the cop was giving him a ticket. But i thought it strange that, in this country, even sitting on a bench can be a criminal offense.

Further on, a fat guy was sitting on another bench. He had two handwritten signs saying something about helping him out, and he was holding a rosary in one hand. I felt sorry for him. No one in New York pays attention to someone like him. Even i was skeptical of him. Beggars in America are untouchables. No money, no respect. After shopping, i decided to walk back instead of catching the bus. The beggar was still sitting there. Now he was looking more depressed, not fingering the rosary any more, his head down. I walked past him, then stopped, took a dollar out of my wallet, turned around and said: "Here, friend." He looked up, took the buck and said, "God bless you." "Hare Krishna," i responded, and he easily repeated: "Hare Krishna." I smiled and turned to continue walking. I was happy he chanted. Maybe he had heard Krishna's name before or maybe it was the first time, but he was totally open and had no trouble to say Krishna's name. Shows how akincina, to be possessionless, is a great qualification for spiritual life. Unfortunately, in this society, to be akincina you need to be completely down and out.

Now i'm back in my little bubble, the condo. Another week ahead of hassling with the realty company and condo supervisor, contractors and workers. And another week of hassling with my own mind which is always trying to find sense gratification, always searching out another face of maya, rather than submitting to and taking shelter at the lotus feet of Srila Prabhupada and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

The Beauty of Krishna's Toenails

This is a short excerpt from the mouth of om visnupada paramhamsa Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur. It is taken from Amrta Vani, an English translation of a book originally compiled in Bengali by a disciple of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Thakur.

"The vaisnavas are under the supreme Lord's shelter and they are his servants. That is their only pride.

"They are akincana, without material possessions, because they want nothing from this world. Nothing in this world tempts them. There is nothing in this world or the next that is more desirable to them than the beauty of Krishna's toenails.

"Whenever we are not attracted to serving Krishna purely, it must be understood that we are suffering from illusion and we have been attacked by one of the many faces of maya."

Wonderful Krishna, Wonderful Mercy

Once i had the opportunity to read a chapter of The Krishna Book for Srila Prabhupada in his garden in the Watseka temple in Los Angeles. I wanted a short chapter, something easy to read, so i selected "Wonderful Krishna." Prabhupada sat on a seat (either a wooden or concrete bench with a small carpet or cushion on it) and listened to me read his own words paraphrasing the cowherd men who glorified Krishna to Nanda Maharaj after Krishna lifted Goverdhan Hill. He just listened, not interrupting my reading. It seems like long, long ago, another age, practically another life.

But here i am (and here we are) still in this present incarnation (although most of us for just another 10-20-30 years). What have i learned in the 35 years since i read that chapter to Srila Prabhupada? I think my best realizations are:

1) that i am, indeed, a crazy rascal, as i've been writing about in this blog. This is no small realization. One of my favorite essays i came across when i first joined Iskcon was Prabhupada's "Who is Crazy?" It's no wonder i liked that writing, since all my life experience since then has demonstrated the truth of Prabhupada's purport. Everyone here, starting with me, is crazy in this material world. Who is Crazy? I am crazy.

And 2) The most wonderful thing is this world is Krishna's/Prabhupada's mercy. Sometimes that mercy comes to us in a form that appears materially beneficial. Sometimes it appears to work against us, or even to destroy us. But no matter how that wonderful mercy appears, it is Krishna and Prabhupada, always in the background, on the heart plane, calling us to wake up to the sound of Gaura's kirtan.

Oldest Person Dies at 114

TOKYO - Yone Minagawa, who became the world's oldest person earlier this year, has died at a nursing home in southwestern Japan, an official said Tuesday. She was 114. Born on Jan. 4, 1893, Minagawa was named the world's oldest person by the Guinness Book of World Records in January.

Temporary, temporary. Miserable, miserable. Yet we still don't get it.
We project, defend, judge and posture.
Crazy Rascals.

Lazy Sunday in New York

Last week was a stressful one for me. I got approval from the Realty Company that manages this condo i'm cleaning out, to renovate it. That was a big step. But on Tuesday, the movers who were supposed to come to collect and remove all the furniture and garbage (50 years of "stuff") didn't show. They flaked out on me. So i couldn't start the renovation. The apt. was full to the max with old furniture, appliances, an upright piano whose ivories had flaked off, a huge bed, dressers, mirrors, and dozens of large garbage bags i had filled up with my uncle's papers, posters, clothing and dishes from a 50 year career in show business. So i got online to look for someone else to move all the stuff out. I found a Jewish Charity who collects used furniture. They were up front that they would need to charge me. I was desparate so i asked for an estimate. They guy came out, looked around and said $1200. I agreed. So on Friday, i got permission from the Condo to reserve the lift for 4 hours (another headache and $200) and a big truck showed up with 2 Russian guys. It was really a 3-4 man job, so i pitched in. We looked like the 3 stooges. But despite my being too old and out of shape, i did my bit and in 5 hours we managed to get the job done. It was a great relief for me. Now the apt. is empty and clean, but my muscles are sore and i'm recovering. Just having a lazy weekend in NYC. Tomorrow the workers come to start the renovation.

I continue to read the Sampradaya Sun and to be amazed at the level of false ego involved in the debates going on amongst devotees. I think most devotees are not ordinary souls. But as we are all coming from an immeasurable stay in this material world (nitya bandha), we still exhibit symptoms of madness and illusion. In my opinion, most of this debating is based on these symptoms, not on any higher realization. Arguing has become a kind of addiction for some devotees. It is part of the Crazy Rascal syndrome.

I find it very healthy to have come out of the closet and admit that i am one of them. Yes, after a lifetime of pretense, i am proud to admit, "I'm a crazy rascal." You can't bullshit a bullshiter. Perhaps we should start a Crazy Rascals Anonymous group. CRA. Or CRA-ZY. We can discuss our symptoms and withdrawal problems. But that would probably become another indulgence no doubt; another way to chew the chewed, view the viewed, and avoid practicing bhakti yoga.

Instead of debating and arguing over who has got the right concept, we should recondition ourselves to develop a new addiction for hearing and doing kirtan about the Lord and his pure devotees. That is the only cure for our disease. Spiritual life, as shown by Srila Prabhupada and other pure devotees, is not pedantic or fanatic. It's not about talk but about the walk. It's practical. One of the symptoms of someone who understands the truth is that he no longer wastes his time in armchair (or laptop) debate, but engages himself in practical service that connects him with the truth.

I'm not saying that devotees such as Rocana are wasting their time. He is a journalist, so he's using his talent as a writer as best he can in the service of Prabhupada. But for most of the other so-called commentators, i would say they are better off doing some real service rather indulging in speculative writing. And i'm better off not wasting my time reading their indulgences.

Rain Cripples New York City

While the devotees are arguing with each other over semantics and interpretations of who is actually following Srila Prabhupada (everyone thinks the other guy is a crazy rascal....no one --except me and one anonymous reader who sent me an email-- has so far confessed to being a crazy rascal in print), the karmis are getting kicked by mother nature.
This morning it was simple rainfall that threw New York City for a loop. It flooded the subway system, causing massive disruptions during the morning rush hour. It's what Prabhupada called, "maya sakaya:" you fix one problem and create a greater problem with your solution. Here are excerpts from an AP wire story about today's events. One can only imagine the nightmare if (or when, more correctly) a major natural disaster like a hurricane or earthquake strikes N.Y.C.

NEW YORK - A torrential downpour sent water surging through New York's subway system and highway tunnels and across airport runways Wednesday, leaving thousands of commuters stranded and one big question: How could 3 inches of rain bring the nation's largest mass transit system to a halt?

The storm, which also spawned a rare tornado, hit just before dawn. By rush hour, the subway system was virtually paralyzed when pumping stations became overwhelmed. Bedlam resulted from too much rain, too fast; some suburban commuters spent a half day just getting to work.

"One big rain and it all falls apart," said Ruby Russel, 64, as she sat waiting on a train in Brooklyn. She had been trying to get to Manhattan for three hours.

The failure renewed a debate about whether the network of pumps, sewers and drains that protects the city's subways from flooding needs an overhaul. Every line experienced some sort of delay as track beds turned into streams gurgling with millions of gallons of rainwater. The washout was the third time in seven months that the subways were disrupted by rain.

The National Weather Service said a tropical air mass dumped an extraordinary amount of rain in a short period of time. The worst was recorded between 5 a.m. and 8 a.m., with 2.5 inches falling on Central Park and almost 3.5 on Kennedy International Airport.

Naturally, the stormwater sought the low ground, and that meant the subways. Water poured in through vents, drowned the signal system and flooded the third rail, forcing a shutoff of power on some lines.

MTA Executive Director Elliot G. Sander said the intensity of the rain was simply overwhelming. The subway's drainage system can generally handle a maximum of 1.5 inches of rainfall per hour.

"The timing and intensity of the storm took us by surprise," Sander said.

The subway problems come as weather experts predict New York is due for a major hurricane. A storm with 130 mph winds and a 30-foot storm surge could cause the Hudson and East rivers to overflow — and bring with it more significant flooding than a severe rainstorm.

Keeping the subway system dry is a challenge, even in regular weather.

On an average day, hundreds of MTA pumps remove 13 million gallons of water from the system, which includes several tunnels and stations below sea level. Much of that water is groundwater that enters from sources such as streams.

Public officials called for improvements in the drainage system after a similar rain-related shutdown in 1999, and the MTA made some changes after another round of paralyzing tunnel floods in 2004, when the remnants of Hurricane Frances washed out the subways for hours.

The city's sewer and stormwater drains can handle steady rain, "but when it comes to these very intense, high inch-count rain events, over a short period of time, it is very difficult," said Michael Saucier, a spokesman for the city's Department of Environmental Protection.

DEP Commissioner Emily Lloyd said the city is spending $300 million per year upgrading its piping systems and has been gradually building a more robust stormwater drainage system to replace the old combined sewers that handled wastewater and rain.

In Manhattan, Times Square was one huge mess Wednesday, packed with many of the 4 million riders who rely on the subway system daily. Thousands waited for hours for any means of transportation, jostling one another to get on the few buses that arrived. The suburbs were no better: In Westchester County, hundreds of commuters were stopped on a Metro-North train due to track flooding.

Streams of people in business attire — with briefcases, cell phones and BlackBerries in hand — trudged through drenched streets toward the subway. But it, too, was flooded. The hordes then made a beeline for buses they'd spotted up the street.

The storms also created problems for the region's airports, where delays of up to an hour were reported. The National Weather Service said a tornado touched down in Brooklyn, where winds downed trees, tore off rooftops and wrapped signs around posts. At least 40 homes were damaged.

Tornadoes have hit New York City before, but not often. The National Weather Service had records of at least five, plus sketchy detail on the last reported tornado sighting in Brooklyn, in 1889. None was as strong as Wednesday's twister, which had winds as high as 135 mph.

"It's a once-in-a-lifetime event," said Jeffrey Tongue, a Weather Service meteorologist.

A woman on Staten Island died when a car got stuck in an underpass and another car came along and hit hers, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said. A handful of people were injured, Bloomberg said.

Lanie Mastellone, who lives in Brooklyn's Bay Ridge neighborhood, awoke as her roof was coming off. Before escaping, she ran to get her late husband's wedding ring.

"It happened so quick. Maybe he was watching over me," Mastellone said.

At the end of the day, some trains were finally back up and running. But commuters trying to get home were met with another unpleasant surprise: The storm left behind high humidity that felt like they were walking into a sauna — and when they got onto train cars, a sardine can.

___

Confession of a Crazy Rascal

Should anyone judge me or call me an 'aparhadi' for calling them or one of their favorite devotee friends or siksa guru a "crazy rascal," i would like to confess to being a crazy rascal myself. In fact, i consider myself "crazy rascal no. 1."

No one can compete with me in terms of the quality of my madness. Part of this quality is my acceptance of the slightest praise that may come to me, and my rejection of any criticism or fault finding about me. I refuse to accept any responsibility for anything. If you object to anything in me that is objectionable, i shall have nothing more to do with you and shall find ways to defend myself and attack you either to your face or behind your back! This is only natural.

Furthermore, i reserve the right to interpret, edit and change anything written or spoken by the pure devotee who so mercifully offered me free treatment for my madness. I will do this in his name, so that no one can object to it, and to cover myself from any blame for making these changes.
I will take credit for being the one who properly understands the inner meaning of the pure devotee.

Finally, i shall instruct all my godbrothers and also those junior to me in an arrogant and self righteous manner as to the correct siddhanta. In this way, no one will be able to detect that i have learned nothing in all the years i have practiced austerity, bhajan and study, and that i plan to remain this way as long as possible. Shhhh!