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The following are the words of the great spiritual master, Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur:
"The Bhagavata teaches us that God gives us truth as He gave it to Vyasa: when we earnestly seek for it.
Truth is eternal and unexhausted. The soul receives a revelation when anxious for it. The souls of the great thinkers of the bygone ages, who now live spiritually, often approach our inquiring spirit and assist in its development. Thus Vyasa was assisted by Narada and Brahma.
Our Shastras, or in other words, books of thought, do not contain all that we could get from the infinite Father.
No book is without its errors.
God's revelation is absolute truth, but it is scarcely received and preserved in its natural purity. We have been advised in the 14th Chapter of 11th Skandha of the Bhagavata to believe that truth when revealed is absolute, but it gets the tincture of the nature of the receiver in course of time and is converted into error by continual exchange of hands from age to age. New revelations, therefore, are continually necessary in order to keep truth in its original purity. We are thus warned to be careful in our studies of old authors, however wise they are reputed to be.
Here we have full liberty to reject the wrong idea, which is not sanctioned by the peace of conscience. Vyasa was not satisfied with what he collected in the Vedas, arranged in the Puranas and composed in the Mahabharata. The peace of his conscience did not sanction his labors. It told him from within, "No, Vyasa! You cannot rest contented with the erroneous picture of truth which was necessarily presented to you by the sages of bygone days. You must yourself knock at the door of the inexhaustible store of truth from which the former ages drew their wealth. Go, go up to the fountainhead of truth, where no pilgrim meets with disappointment of any kind." Vyasa did it and obtained what he wanted. We have been all advised to do so.
Liberty then is the principle which we must consider as the most valuable gift of God. We must not allow ourselves to be led by those who lived and thought before us. We must think for ourselves and try to get further truths which are still undiscovered. In the Bhagavata we have been advised to take the spirit of the Shastras and not the words. The Bhagavata is therefore a religion of liberty, unmixed truth and absolute love."
A religion of liberty, the Thakur tells us, is not one of slavery to fashion, bureaucracy, group think or blind ritual. Coercion thru words or actions is never the means to liberty. Individual austerity, spiritual habits, tolerance of our own karma, humility and kindness to all jivas is the path to liberty.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Maharaj Yudhistira's Words
I just returned to Boston from Miami where i officiated at my uncle's funeral and cleared out his apartment in a condo resort inhabited by seniors. It's a beautifully landscaped property with a small lake and tropical flora in South Florida. It has the look and feel of an upscale kibbutz for wealthy Jewish 90 year olds. The vast majority of residents are semi-invalids who use walkers or wheelchairs to move around. Many have one or two caregivers (the new term for 'servant') to assist them. During the day, the residents come downstairs for their meals in a large dining hall cum restaurant. They then sit outside on lounge chairs, discussing their medications and health problems, or go into a large room filled with tables and chairs where they play cards with their peers or listen to guest speakers on subjects of interest to them. A few of the more savvy ones use the two computers in the card room to play solitaire. This is their public life.
My uncle was the most fit amongst them. Although he had just turned 91, he looked 15 years younger and walked around without any aids or servants. He took a lot of health supplements, being one of the early adaptors of vitamins. He ordered and swallowed thousands of dollars of alternative supplements every year. Perhaps it helped him, but in the end, he died from liver failure. I wonder if all those supplements were too much of a burden on his liver.
What struck me the most when i was cleaning out my uncle's apartment and living in this somewhat surreal world of well-off 90-year-olds are the words that Maharaj Yudhistira spoke to his father, Yamaraj, when asked about the most wonderful thing in this world. He famously answered that while death is all around everyone in this world, no one thinks that death will touch him.
While this is universally true for young people and even the middle-aged, by the time someone reaches 90, they know that death is approaching. They make out their wills; they see their relatives and friends dropping one by one; they look in the mirror and are sometimes stunned when they see the irrepressible force of old age. But a lifetime of habits and beliefs cannot be undone at the fag end of life. I observed my uncle during several visits before his final illness, and he basically carried on as best he could, with the habits he had established 50 or 60 years ago, when he was young. He didn't have the energy or passion he once had, but he tried to follow (or was forced to follow) the same basic patterns that took root during his youth and middle age. I'm sure he had thoughts about his own death, but he was helpless to do anything to prepare himself for it. So he continued to take those vitamin supplements, and hope against hope that the inevitable might be delayed.
I think the moral of this story is not to wait until old age to realize that death is indeed very close at hand. It's a neighbor one cannot get rid of, one can never move away from. The smart thing to do is to change one's habits to conform to this reality. Our mortality is alive and well, and this fact renders activities that are averse to the Supreme Spirit-- however attached we may be to them-- null and void of value.
The purport behind Maharaj Yudhistira's prescient observation is a lesson for us to take to heart. It means: don't follow the crowd blindly. And don't be a leader to blindly try to change the world. Stop following your mind and follow a mahajan. Change your habits accordingly and change your heart, while you still have blood pumping thru it.
My uncle was the most fit amongst them. Although he had just turned 91, he looked 15 years younger and walked around without any aids or servants. He took a lot of health supplements, being one of the early adaptors of vitamins. He ordered and swallowed thousands of dollars of alternative supplements every year. Perhaps it helped him, but in the end, he died from liver failure. I wonder if all those supplements were too much of a burden on his liver.
What struck me the most when i was cleaning out my uncle's apartment and living in this somewhat surreal world of well-off 90-year-olds are the words that Maharaj Yudhistira spoke to his father, Yamaraj, when asked about the most wonderful thing in this world. He famously answered that while death is all around everyone in this world, no one thinks that death will touch him.
While this is universally true for young people and even the middle-aged, by the time someone reaches 90, they know that death is approaching. They make out their wills; they see their relatives and friends dropping one by one; they look in the mirror and are sometimes stunned when they see the irrepressible force of old age. But a lifetime of habits and beliefs cannot be undone at the fag end of life. I observed my uncle during several visits before his final illness, and he basically carried on as best he could, with the habits he had established 50 or 60 years ago, when he was young. He didn't have the energy or passion he once had, but he tried to follow (or was forced to follow) the same basic patterns that took root during his youth and middle age. I'm sure he had thoughts about his own death, but he was helpless to do anything to prepare himself for it. So he continued to take those vitamin supplements, and hope against hope that the inevitable might be delayed.
I think the moral of this story is not to wait until old age to realize that death is indeed very close at hand. It's a neighbor one cannot get rid of, one can never move away from. The smart thing to do is to change one's habits to conform to this reality. Our mortality is alive and well, and this fact renders activities that are averse to the Supreme Spirit-- however attached we may be to them-- null and void of value.
The purport behind Maharaj Yudhistira's prescient observation is a lesson for us to take to heart. It means: don't follow the crowd blindly. And don't be a leader to blindly try to change the world. Stop following your mind and follow a mahajan. Change your habits accordingly and change your heart, while you still have blood pumping thru it.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Jackie Warner 1917-2008
My uncle, Jackie Warner, just passed away at the age of 91. Uncle Jack was an unusual person. He was from the depression and WWII generation and his politics and life views were molded by those times. But his heart and spirit belonged to show business. He was trained as a classical dancer and went on to work as a professional dancer in night clubs and on Broadway. Later he worked in television and in theatres around the world as an actor, producer and director.
He looked and acted 15-20 younger than his natural age, and he even had a driver's license and passport to prove it! He was someone who wanted to entertain people. He was also a humble man, making others feel important by always being very personal with them and appreciating even the least positive reciprocation.
Uncle Jack was independent-minded and eccentric. Pink was his favorite color for shirts and socks, although he was not gay in the least. He could never say 'no' to anyone who asked him for charity, and he gave away tens of thousands of dollars to people he never met. He was a generous and talented person who had an interesting life.
He tolerated the indignities and loneliness of growing old. He didn't complain, but didn't like it either. His sudden passing away on his 91st birthday was, i believe, a gift to him. I'll miss him. But my sadness is far outweighed by my certainty that he's going on to a bright new engagement in a fresh body. And this time, he's going to be dancing for the Lord.
Uncle Jack: May Krishna smile on you and the sun shine on you, forever.
He looked and acted 15-20 younger than his natural age, and he even had a driver's license and passport to prove it! He was someone who wanted to entertain people. He was also a humble man, making others feel important by always being very personal with them and appreciating even the least positive reciprocation.
Uncle Jack was independent-minded and eccentric. Pink was his favorite color for shirts and socks, although he was not gay in the least. He could never say 'no' to anyone who asked him for charity, and he gave away tens of thousands of dollars to people he never met. He was a generous and talented person who had an interesting life.
He tolerated the indignities and loneliness of growing old. He didn't complain, but didn't like it either. His sudden passing away on his 91st birthday was, i believe, a gift to him. I'll miss him. But my sadness is far outweighed by my certainty that he's going on to a bright new engagement in a fresh body. And this time, he's going to be dancing for the Lord.
Uncle Jack: May Krishna smile on you and the sun shine on you, forever.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Krishnaland
For readers who have seen a lot of my posts, you know how critical i am of today's Iskcon. The truth is, internally i was critical of Iskcon almost since i joined, because i have the kind of mind that cannot overlook or justify exploitation and abuse. And there was plenty of that from the leaders of Iskcon that i saw with my own eyes--and much, much more that i didn't see but heard about-- since the early '70s. The simple fact that Krsna Consciousness is both a process and a goal based on "relationships," the Achilles heel of Iskcon has always been the betrayal of relationships between its temporal leaders and followers.
But in fairness to Iskcon, there have been and still are relationships between devotees that were/are not abusive. Even in today's Iskcon, while i complain and am disgusted by the unresolved issues of the past, and the lack of competence, sincerity and vision of most of its present-day leaders, there are still lots of nice vaisnavas and situations where Iskcon serves the higher purpose that it was created for: to help jivas reconnect with the Supreme Lord thru sadhana bhakti.
I slept last nite at the Chicago temple. Got up for mangal arotik and attended the morning program. Perhaps because i joined in Chicago, way back in 1970, when it was a small, freezing storefront manned by a handful of insanely blissful devotees, i have a soft spot for this temple. It has gone thru many incarnations: at least 3 locations and probably more than 20 Temple Presidents. I was here when a devotee named Rudra was its first TP, and later, when Sri Govinda installed the deities of Sri Sri Kishore Kishori. They asked Prabhupada, who named the deities, why Radharani's name came after Krishna's, when the standard form is that Her name is first. Prabhupada, charmingly replied something to the effect: "We decided to save the best for last."
The current TP in Chicago is an African American devotee, an anomaly in an organization that is run by Indian Americans and some old-timer Iskcon apparatchiks. He appears to be an exceptionally low-key, humble guy. And the temple is basically a brahmacari ashram now, which helps keep the atmosphere free from drama. There are brahmacaries from India, a few from Russia. And one American devotee: a very nice godbrother who has lived in the temple since around 1975. He let me spend the nite on a sofa in the temple library.
When i arrived the Sunday Feast was in full swing. Of course, as usual, it was an Indian American affair. Fat middle aged Indian ladies in saris and gold bracelets, waddled like ducks around the temple. Middle aged men in shirt and pants followed them with their large "pakora" bellies. Lots of young Indian professional couples with their well behaved one, two or three children, were snapping digital pictures right and left of the deities and themselves. It reminded me of a kind of Disneyland where exceptionally pious people go with their families. You can call it Krishnaland.
I arrived after the lecture, so i cannot give my impression of that, but the feast was simple but tasty and the kirtan in the temple was sweet, sung by a devotee who learned how to do kirtan in Vrindavan. The guests stayed for the last arotik and even longer, and the temple shop and a prasadam stand sold their wares. The brahmacaries kept mostly to themselves, but everyone was at mangal arotik six hours after the last guest had left. Another nice thing was there were no high profile gurus or GBCs, and the morning class was given by Srila Prabhupada, from a conversation that was recorded in Bombay! I've been so critical of Iskcon in this blog that i wanted to share something more positive.
So here's the bottom line: There is hope when simplicity and following of the basic mood given to us by Srila Prabhupada becomes prominent. With that as the criteria, there is great hope. Practically, the current generation of leaders should resign en masse from their posts and allow vaisnavas to act like devotees, to have honest relationships with each other where there is less drama and more service. I would gladly renounce all my criticism if such a reality came to be. Of course, that won't happen anytime in our lifetime. But still, i challenge everyone, including myself, to help create such a bright new world, based on honest relationships and a Krishna centered, rather than ego-centered, world. That was the world Srila Prabhupada lived in, and the world he risked his life to give to others, and it remains the most noble object of sacrifice.
But in fairness to Iskcon, there have been and still are relationships between devotees that were/are not abusive. Even in today's Iskcon, while i complain and am disgusted by the unresolved issues of the past, and the lack of competence, sincerity and vision of most of its present-day leaders, there are still lots of nice vaisnavas and situations where Iskcon serves the higher purpose that it was created for: to help jivas reconnect with the Supreme Lord thru sadhana bhakti.
I slept last nite at the Chicago temple. Got up for mangal arotik and attended the morning program. Perhaps because i joined in Chicago, way back in 1970, when it was a small, freezing storefront manned by a handful of insanely blissful devotees, i have a soft spot for this temple. It has gone thru many incarnations: at least 3 locations and probably more than 20 Temple Presidents. I was here when a devotee named Rudra was its first TP, and later, when Sri Govinda installed the deities of Sri Sri Kishore Kishori. They asked Prabhupada, who named the deities, why Radharani's name came after Krishna's, when the standard form is that Her name is first. Prabhupada, charmingly replied something to the effect: "We decided to save the best for last."
The current TP in Chicago is an African American devotee, an anomaly in an organization that is run by Indian Americans and some old-timer Iskcon apparatchiks. He appears to be an exceptionally low-key, humble guy. And the temple is basically a brahmacari ashram now, which helps keep the atmosphere free from drama. There are brahmacaries from India, a few from Russia. And one American devotee: a very nice godbrother who has lived in the temple since around 1975. He let me spend the nite on a sofa in the temple library.
When i arrived the Sunday Feast was in full swing. Of course, as usual, it was an Indian American affair. Fat middle aged Indian ladies in saris and gold bracelets, waddled like ducks around the temple. Middle aged men in shirt and pants followed them with their large "pakora" bellies. Lots of young Indian professional couples with their well behaved one, two or three children, were snapping digital pictures right and left of the deities and themselves. It reminded me of a kind of Disneyland where exceptionally pious people go with their families. You can call it Krishnaland.
I arrived after the lecture, so i cannot give my impression of that, but the feast was simple but tasty and the kirtan in the temple was sweet, sung by a devotee who learned how to do kirtan in Vrindavan. The guests stayed for the last arotik and even longer, and the temple shop and a prasadam stand sold their wares. The brahmacaries kept mostly to themselves, but everyone was at mangal arotik six hours after the last guest had left. Another nice thing was there were no high profile gurus or GBCs, and the morning class was given by Srila Prabhupada, from a conversation that was recorded in Bombay! I've been so critical of Iskcon in this blog that i wanted to share something more positive.
So here's the bottom line: There is hope when simplicity and following of the basic mood given to us by Srila Prabhupada becomes prominent. With that as the criteria, there is great hope. Practically, the current generation of leaders should resign en masse from their posts and allow vaisnavas to act like devotees, to have honest relationships with each other where there is less drama and more service. I would gladly renounce all my criticism if such a reality came to be. Of course, that won't happen anytime in our lifetime. But still, i challenge everyone, including myself, to help create such a bright new world, based on honest relationships and a Krishna centered, rather than ego-centered, world. That was the world Srila Prabhupada lived in, and the world he risked his life to give to others, and it remains the most noble object of sacrifice.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Two Worlds-- Or Is It?
The other day i was at the Apple Store to take a tutorial, a one-on-one class with an Apple creative employee. For $100, you get one tutorial session per week, for one year. That's less than $2 for a private class. Another brilliant marketing idea for Apple. The more familiar people are with their computers and software, the more popular they'll become. During the class, the Apple guy asked me if i was going to the "Opening" of the new Apple Store in Boston that evening. I had not heard about it, but he told me the Boston Store will be the largest Apple Store in the world and that evening they were giving away some goodies to everyone who attended the opening. So i thought, why not?
I thought i would just walk in, underestimating the popularity of the Apple brand. When i arrived at the Store, there were queues of over 500 people standing behind police barricades, waiting to get in. The security guys were allowing groups of 10 or so people in at a time. The Store itself was typically design perfect. Three floors of a transparent glass front, with the famous white Apple Logo built in to the glass on the third floor. Inside were lots of camera crews from the local news stations and almost as many Apple staff as guests. They cheered each guest as they entered and exited the store. For some reason, i thought: this is something Srila Prabhupada would envision for the opening of a new temple. There would be a Tilok Logo instead of the Apple, and devotees would greet each guest with a warm welcome, maybe a flower garland and sweet words. Then, after the guests had darshan, they would be given a plate of sumptuous prasadam to take with them. In this way, Krishna consciousness would become part of the popular culture.
Awakening from my daydream, i decided that i had no interest in standing in line for over an hour simply to visit the Apple Store and possibly get a small gift. So i left the scene with the Boston Police, the barricades and queues of curious Apple customers, and walked about five blocks to the Iskcon temple.
Being a weeknite, the temple was empty, except for three young Indian professionals who were singing kirtan during the evening arotik. A young Indian couple also entered during the arotik. Afterwards, the kirtaneers invited the young couple to take some prasadam upstairs. I stayed and chanted some rounds. I was happy to leave the crowds at Apple behind and be in front of the Lord. OK, i thought, it's not popular but it's real. That's a relief.
Today was Narasinga Caturdasi, so i decided to go again to the temple. Today the temple, being Sunday and a holy day, was packed. Again, it was 90% Indian. I arrived during a fire yajna. Fire yajnas were never one of my favorite things. They are Vedic, but in my opinion, Iskcon overdoes them. And why? Because it's a way to get their donors, the Indian community, to give more. It's a ritual they can relate with. I stayed for the yajna and then had darshan of the deities, as the devotees led Guru Puja for the murti of Srila Prabhuapada who sits on a vysasan at the back of the temple. Call me cynical or call me a pasandi (atheist), but i felt not an iota of bhakti in their kirtan. To my ears, it was a show. It appears to me that Iskcon is now a religion like all others, this one catering to its congregation of pious Hindus. And cultivating its donor base. Preaching? Yeah, to the choir.
Maybe if Steve Jobs had met Srila Prabhupada things could have turned out different. It might be just as materialistic, but at least it would have been better designed.
I thought i would just walk in, underestimating the popularity of the Apple brand. When i arrived at the Store, there were queues of over 500 people standing behind police barricades, waiting to get in. The security guys were allowing groups of 10 or so people in at a time. The Store itself was typically design perfect. Three floors of a transparent glass front, with the famous white Apple Logo built in to the glass on the third floor. Inside were lots of camera crews from the local news stations and almost as many Apple staff as guests. They cheered each guest as they entered and exited the store. For some reason, i thought: this is something Srila Prabhupada would envision for the opening of a new temple. There would be a Tilok Logo instead of the Apple, and devotees would greet each guest with a warm welcome, maybe a flower garland and sweet words. Then, after the guests had darshan, they would be given a plate of sumptuous prasadam to take with them. In this way, Krishna consciousness would become part of the popular culture.
Awakening from my daydream, i decided that i had no interest in standing in line for over an hour simply to visit the Apple Store and possibly get a small gift. So i left the scene with the Boston Police, the barricades and queues of curious Apple customers, and walked about five blocks to the Iskcon temple.
Being a weeknite, the temple was empty, except for three young Indian professionals who were singing kirtan during the evening arotik. A young Indian couple also entered during the arotik. Afterwards, the kirtaneers invited the young couple to take some prasadam upstairs. I stayed and chanted some rounds. I was happy to leave the crowds at Apple behind and be in front of the Lord. OK, i thought, it's not popular but it's real. That's a relief.
Today was Narasinga Caturdasi, so i decided to go again to the temple. Today the temple, being Sunday and a holy day, was packed. Again, it was 90% Indian. I arrived during a fire yajna. Fire yajnas were never one of my favorite things. They are Vedic, but in my opinion, Iskcon overdoes them. And why? Because it's a way to get their donors, the Indian community, to give more. It's a ritual they can relate with. I stayed for the yajna and then had darshan of the deities, as the devotees led Guru Puja for the murti of Srila Prabhuapada who sits on a vysasan at the back of the temple. Call me cynical or call me a pasandi (atheist), but i felt not an iota of bhakti in their kirtan. To my ears, it was a show. It appears to me that Iskcon is now a religion like all others, this one catering to its congregation of pious Hindus. And cultivating its donor base. Preaching? Yeah, to the choir.
Maybe if Steve Jobs had met Srila Prabhupada things could have turned out different. It might be just as materialistic, but at least it would have been better designed.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Parama Karuna
One of Srila Prabhupada's favorite Bengali bhajans is a song by Srila Locan das Thakur, Sri Sri Gaura-Nityanander Doya. It's commonly known as "Parama Karuna," from the first two words of the song.
Those two persons, dui jana, who are the supremely kind divinity, are actually Nitai and Gauracandra. They are the most precious of all jewel-like transcendental avatars. Amongst divine incarnations who descend from Vaikuntha, these two are the best. In this descent, they don't kill any big demons with weapons. They deliver the demoniac masses with the power of their Ecstatic Love.
The songwriter then tells the listener: dear brother, with firm faith, let go of your material addictions. Give up the imaginary pursuit of pleasure and prestige in this world. Absorb yourself in Nama prabhu. Chant his names and connect to the Lord.
Then he says: Don't worry, you will never find anyone in this universe more merciful or more generous than these two Brothers. They will easily deliver you. Even birds and animals taste ecstasy and stones melt just by hearing of their transcendental qualities.
Finally, Locan das laments on our behalf. It seems that death will force him to suffer the reactions of his karma, because he stubbornly clings to his material identity. He cries that he is unable to aspire for the lotus feet of Nityananda and Caitanya.
Prabhupada's singing of this bhajan is wonderful. Two versions: CDV 21-05 and CDV 23=05 in the Vintage Series. There are also English purports spoken by Prabhupada after each song.
Those two persons, dui jana, who are the supremely kind divinity, are actually Nitai and Gauracandra. They are the most precious of all jewel-like transcendental avatars. Amongst divine incarnations who descend from Vaikuntha, these two are the best. In this descent, they don't kill any big demons with weapons. They deliver the demoniac masses with the power of their Ecstatic Love.
The songwriter then tells the listener: dear brother, with firm faith, let go of your material addictions. Give up the imaginary pursuit of pleasure and prestige in this world. Absorb yourself in Nama prabhu. Chant his names and connect to the Lord.
Then he says: Don't worry, you will never find anyone in this universe more merciful or more generous than these two Brothers. They will easily deliver you. Even birds and animals taste ecstasy and stones melt just by hearing of their transcendental qualities.
Finally, Locan das laments on our behalf. It seems that death will force him to suffer the reactions of his karma, because he stubbornly clings to his material identity. He cries that he is unable to aspire for the lotus feet of Nityananda and Caitanya.
Prabhupada's singing of this bhajan is wonderful. Two versions: CDV 21-05 and CDV 23=05 in the Vintage Series. There are also English purports spoken by Prabhupada after each song.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
The End of Politics
After spending valuable time reading the NY Times along with many other online publications (including the Sampradaya Sun), i've come to a conclusion. There is no end to politics.
Politics is about finding fault. Finding someone to blame for our misery. Projecting a demon outside the self. Making a hero out of the false ego, a king out of a beggar.
I read an article about feminism infiltrating Iskcon. Another condemning most of the human population of the world as meat-eating Abrahamic donkeys (referring to every living Jew, Christian and Muslim). These articles were written by thoughtful devotees. It shocked me at first, until i realized that devotees are no different than any other conditioned soul, until they develop real humility and tolerance as taught by Mahaprabhu (trnad api sunicena).
Jnana is not that much different than ignorance until the heart becomes purified and is lit up from realization. Enlightened. Just as power or any opulence can be used for good or bad, so too can knowledge. Ravana was a brahmin.
So the world goes on perpetuating lies about itself. Lies that I am number one. Or as Prabhupada said, quoting the demoniac mind: I am God. That's the essence of politics. I cloak myself in any manner of holy garb: as an ayatollah, guru, monk, priest or president. But whatever my dress, politics means that I have the answer and that the problem is somehow out there, threatening, foreign, to be attacked. That's the false ego projecting the shadow of its own darkness. A perfect example of illusion that is impossible to overcome without surrendering to the Perfect Intelligence.
Politics is about finding fault. Finding someone to blame for our misery. Projecting a demon outside the self. Making a hero out of the false ego, a king out of a beggar.
I read an article about feminism infiltrating Iskcon. Another condemning most of the human population of the world as meat-eating Abrahamic donkeys (referring to every living Jew, Christian and Muslim). These articles were written by thoughtful devotees. It shocked me at first, until i realized that devotees are no different than any other conditioned soul, until they develop real humility and tolerance as taught by Mahaprabhu (trnad api sunicena).
Jnana is not that much different than ignorance until the heart becomes purified and is lit up from realization. Enlightened. Just as power or any opulence can be used for good or bad, so too can knowledge. Ravana was a brahmin.
So the world goes on perpetuating lies about itself. Lies that I am number one. Or as Prabhupada said, quoting the demoniac mind: I am God. That's the essence of politics. I cloak myself in any manner of holy garb: as an ayatollah, guru, monk, priest or president. But whatever my dress, politics means that I have the answer and that the problem is somehow out there, threatening, foreign, to be attacked. That's the false ego projecting the shadow of its own darkness. A perfect example of illusion that is impossible to overcome without surrendering to the Perfect Intelligence.
Friday, May 2, 2008
Pandering Politicians
From a conversation on May 1, 1976 with Srila Prabhupada:
"These leaders, they are samstutah, they are very much worshiped. By whom? Sva-vid-varahostra-kharaih. By the dogs, by the pigs, by the.... sva-vid-varaha..., camel, and by the ass. Because these particular names, I have explained in the Bhagavata... So suppose one man has become lion, and he's praised by dogs, camels, asses, and pigs. Naturally, they will praise, "Oh, sir, you are the king." Does it mean he's king? He's animal.
"So it is going on. They are electing a big animal as president. And when he begins to eat, animal, big animal, then they protest, "Oh, now he's not proper president. Get him down, get him down." But why you sent him? "Because we are pigs; we have no other knowledge. We another, appoint another big pig as our president." Everything is explained in the Vedic literature.
"The voters are sva-vid-varahostra-khara. And the president is another big animal. That's all. This is transaction of animal kingdom. A lion is the king of some asses, pigs, dogs, and hogs. What business you can expect there? This is their real picture. One who is a human being, he's seeing that how the animals are enjoying by voting and electing president. But they are thinking, "We are busy in a very great business. We are electing president."
Now a major election is going on in the US, and the graphic example that Prabhupada took from the Bhagavatam can be seen in the behavior of the pandering politicians running for President. The Republican, John McCain, who wants to keep US troops in Iraq for another 100 years, and the Democrat, Hillary Clinton, who will say or do anything to get elected, are caricatures of the animals Prabhupada spoke about. They pander to the ignorant masses who identify with them based on gender, race, class or so-called values.
Barack Obama is relatively better, at least he has more noble ideals. But he's being chased around the room by other animals with sticks, who accuse him of not being tough enough or middle class enough or 'white' enough to make a good President. It's a very ugly scene. Even if he somehow wins the nomination and election, Obama will be under terrific pressure from demoniac and divisive forces who will do everything in their power to turn the already polarized citizens against him.
The real issues facing the world are so grave they need immediate attention. But they will go unaddressed while people are distracted until our collective karma produces a crisis of huge proportions. It looks like that is coming soon enough. The current transactions of ignorance, dressed up as advanced civilization, will not be sustainable when the economic and political tsunamis hit our shores. The effects will be devastating and global. We are already starting to see the early signs in food shortages, inflation, bank meltdowns and soaring energy prices.
In an eerily similar way, the politicians of Iskcon pander to their congregations, entertaining them with comical anecdotes, bhagavat saptas, sentimental performances and personal stories. None of these methods were taught to us by Srila Prabhupada. But it's good for collecting disciples and donations while travelling around the world accepting gorgeous positions as gurus and quasi-spiritual leaders. In the meantime, their temples (at least in North America) are empty, just like the churches, except on Sundays, when they are filled with pious Hindus who come for darshan. No one talks about varnashram or any serious alternatives to this material society, and no one seeks to bring back the 95% of Prabhupada's direct disciples who left Iskcon and are not welcome back into the "family" unless they come to glorify the saffron-clad leaders who got themselves elected to the vyasasans.
While this game is going on, the collective consciousness of the world keeps accelerating faster towards a crash and transformation that only Krishna knows how traumatic it will be. While blind leaders-- secular and spiritual both-- are pandering and being praised, the world is quickly losing its balance. The compassionate paradigm that Prabhupada taught us was: "let the blind man and the lame man combine to lift up the world." The miserly paradigm now being followed is: "let blind leaders pander and be worshipped by their blind followers. So what if they both land up in the ditch? That's not our business." It's a topsy-turvy philosophy. It's certainly not vaisnava philosophy.
You can know the truth when you can see it. Prabhupada is showing it and teaching us how to see it. But we need to open our ears if we want to see it with our eyes. Is anyone listening past the pandering?
"These leaders, they are samstutah, they are very much worshiped. By whom? Sva-vid-varahostra-kharaih. By the dogs, by the pigs, by the.... sva-vid-varaha..., camel, and by the ass. Because these particular names, I have explained in the Bhagavata... So suppose one man has become lion, and he's praised by dogs, camels, asses, and pigs. Naturally, they will praise, "Oh, sir, you are the king." Does it mean he's king? He's animal.
"So it is going on. They are electing a big animal as president. And when he begins to eat, animal, big animal, then they protest, "Oh, now he's not proper president. Get him down, get him down." But why you sent him? "Because we are pigs; we have no other knowledge. We another, appoint another big pig as our president." Everything is explained in the Vedic literature.
"The voters are sva-vid-varahostra-khara. And the president is another big animal. That's all. This is transaction of animal kingdom. A lion is the king of some asses, pigs, dogs, and hogs. What business you can expect there? This is their real picture. One who is a human being, he's seeing that how the animals are enjoying by voting and electing president. But they are thinking, "We are busy in a very great business. We are electing president."
Now a major election is going on in the US, and the graphic example that Prabhupada took from the Bhagavatam can be seen in the behavior of the pandering politicians running for President. The Republican, John McCain, who wants to keep US troops in Iraq for another 100 years, and the Democrat, Hillary Clinton, who will say or do anything to get elected, are caricatures of the animals Prabhupada spoke about. They pander to the ignorant masses who identify with them based on gender, race, class or so-called values.
Barack Obama is relatively better, at least he has more noble ideals. But he's being chased around the room by other animals with sticks, who accuse him of not being tough enough or middle class enough or 'white' enough to make a good President. It's a very ugly scene. Even if he somehow wins the nomination and election, Obama will be under terrific pressure from demoniac and divisive forces who will do everything in their power to turn the already polarized citizens against him.
The real issues facing the world are so grave they need immediate attention. But they will go unaddressed while people are distracted until our collective karma produces a crisis of huge proportions. It looks like that is coming soon enough. The current transactions of ignorance, dressed up as advanced civilization, will not be sustainable when the economic and political tsunamis hit our shores. The effects will be devastating and global. We are already starting to see the early signs in food shortages, inflation, bank meltdowns and soaring energy prices.
In an eerily similar way, the politicians of Iskcon pander to their congregations, entertaining them with comical anecdotes, bhagavat saptas, sentimental performances and personal stories. None of these methods were taught to us by Srila Prabhupada. But it's good for collecting disciples and donations while travelling around the world accepting gorgeous positions as gurus and quasi-spiritual leaders. In the meantime, their temples (at least in North America) are empty, just like the churches, except on Sundays, when they are filled with pious Hindus who come for darshan. No one talks about varnashram or any serious alternatives to this material society, and no one seeks to bring back the 95% of Prabhupada's direct disciples who left Iskcon and are not welcome back into the "family" unless they come to glorify the saffron-clad leaders who got themselves elected to the vyasasans.
While this game is going on, the collective consciousness of the world keeps accelerating faster towards a crash and transformation that only Krishna knows how traumatic it will be. While blind leaders-- secular and spiritual both-- are pandering and being praised, the world is quickly losing its balance. The compassionate paradigm that Prabhupada taught us was: "let the blind man and the lame man combine to lift up the world." The miserly paradigm now being followed is: "let blind leaders pander and be worshipped by their blind followers. So what if they both land up in the ditch? That's not our business." It's a topsy-turvy philosophy. It's certainly not vaisnava philosophy.
You can know the truth when you can see it. Prabhupada is showing it and teaching us how to see it. But we need to open our ears if we want to see it with our eyes. Is anyone listening past the pandering?
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Prabhupada's Melliferous Voice
I've been listening to a lot of the Vintage series of recordings produced many years ago by the BBT. It's a collection of kirtan and bhajan recordings that Srila Prabhupada made, either singing solo, leading kirtans, or sometimes, singing in response to one of his disciple's leading kirtan.
Prabhupada was very humble about his own singing. He insisted his lectures be recorded, for the benefit of his disciples and future generations. But i think it was more by the initiative of his disciples that his singing was also recorded. I was in L.A. in 1972 when he recorded some bhajans at a small studio we had there. We had to ask him to record them. After finishing a bhajan, he asked us if it was all right, and went on to sing the next one. Everything of course was just one take. Sometimes he added his own mrdunga (drum) or kartals (hand cymbals) part on another track. That same year, he also sang the first couple of chapters of Srimad Bhagavatam and Bhagavad-gita-- specifically for me-- to engage me. He suggested that i could go to the temples and teach the devotees how to sing Gita and Bhagavatam verses.
What strikes me most about Prabhupada's voice is how comforting it is. It's like a giant banyan tree, offering beauty and shelter to anyone who comes close to it. Late last nite i was lying in bed, half or 3/4 asleep while a kirtan led by Visnujan Swami was softly playing on my iPod speakers. Then there were some excited sounds, and all of sudden, Prabhupada's voice was leading the kirtan. Hearing his voice gave me a sense of great relief. There was nothing wrong with Visnujana's singing, but somehow it did not pacify me; there was some effort to it. But as soon as Prabhupada started singing, there was no more anxiety. It felt like Vaikuntha.
Prabhupada's voice, for me, is the most distinct and richest voice i have ever heard. It is a voice saturated with love. Effortless and intense at the same time, it's soaked in the honey of prema. Prabhupada was not a trained singer, but his melodies and the inflections of his notes are very unique. In all my travels in India, i have never heard anyone else sing in that way. He had his own mode of expression, based on his pure heart and his inner life, not on a musical style or a desire to imitate or to show off. Prabhupada was never "trying" to be anyone other than himself. He was never a "wannabe" as so many of our godbrothers have become. He never even played the role of world acarya. He just was. And it shows in his voice. The sound of a voice does not lie if one's ears are open. Even if you cannot understand the meaning, a pure voice alone can enlighten you. An impure voice may entertain, but it can never purify anyone.
Many times he told his disciples that we are not musicians but devotees. He warned us that the quality of devotional feeling is what matters; not any technical skills. Yet, he had both: his honey-saturated voice could easily melt one's heart, and his melodies, inflections, mrdunga and harmonium playing were extraordinary and gifted. And Prabhupada did all of it as naturally as a bee takes nectar from a flower.
Prabhupada, please give me this blessing: that i can continue to hear your singing and your melliferous voice in every one of my coming births.
Prabhupada was very humble about his own singing. He insisted his lectures be recorded, for the benefit of his disciples and future generations. But i think it was more by the initiative of his disciples that his singing was also recorded. I was in L.A. in 1972 when he recorded some bhajans at a small studio we had there. We had to ask him to record them. After finishing a bhajan, he asked us if it was all right, and went on to sing the next one. Everything of course was just one take. Sometimes he added his own mrdunga (drum) or kartals (hand cymbals) part on another track. That same year, he also sang the first couple of chapters of Srimad Bhagavatam and Bhagavad-gita-- specifically for me-- to engage me. He suggested that i could go to the temples and teach the devotees how to sing Gita and Bhagavatam verses.
What strikes me most about Prabhupada's voice is how comforting it is. It's like a giant banyan tree, offering beauty and shelter to anyone who comes close to it. Late last nite i was lying in bed, half or 3/4 asleep while a kirtan led by Visnujan Swami was softly playing on my iPod speakers. Then there were some excited sounds, and all of sudden, Prabhupada's voice was leading the kirtan. Hearing his voice gave me a sense of great relief. There was nothing wrong with Visnujana's singing, but somehow it did not pacify me; there was some effort to it. But as soon as Prabhupada started singing, there was no more anxiety. It felt like Vaikuntha.
Prabhupada's voice, for me, is the most distinct and richest voice i have ever heard. It is a voice saturated with love. Effortless and intense at the same time, it's soaked in the honey of prema. Prabhupada was not a trained singer, but his melodies and the inflections of his notes are very unique. In all my travels in India, i have never heard anyone else sing in that way. He had his own mode of expression, based on his pure heart and his inner life, not on a musical style or a desire to imitate or to show off. Prabhupada was never "trying" to be anyone other than himself. He was never a "wannabe" as so many of our godbrothers have become. He never even played the role of world acarya. He just was. And it shows in his voice. The sound of a voice does not lie if one's ears are open. Even if you cannot understand the meaning, a pure voice alone can enlighten you. An impure voice may entertain, but it can never purify anyone.
Many times he told his disciples that we are not musicians but devotees. He warned us that the quality of devotional feeling is what matters; not any technical skills. Yet, he had both: his honey-saturated voice could easily melt one's heart, and his melodies, inflections, mrdunga and harmonium playing were extraordinary and gifted. And Prabhupada did all of it as naturally as a bee takes nectar from a flower.
Prabhupada, please give me this blessing: that i can continue to hear your singing and your melliferous voice in every one of my coming births.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
A Small Story
Today i woke up and went to check my email. I have a wireless connection to the internet, via a "data card." It's a small portable modem that connects to my computer via the USB port, and gets a signal from one of the wireless networks. This morning when i connected it, i couldn't get online. A "modem error" message came up on the screen. So i called the wireless company's tech support and explained that the modem wasn't working on either of my two Macs. He said, must be the modem, if it doesn't work on both machines. He advised me to go back to the store where i purchased it and swap it or upgrade the card.
That meant a trip to Boston. Since i found the store originally when i was on my way to the temple one day last month, naturally i thought it would be a good chance to have darshan of Sri Sri Radha Gopi Ballabha. I decided when i moved to Cambridge that i would go once a week for darshan. Not because the temple atmosphere was inspiring, but because the deities are charming, transcendental, and i was lucky enough to be there when they originally were brought to Boston and personally installed by Srila Prabhupada. Why else would Krishna want to live in Boston, i thought, except on the invitation of his beloved pure devotee?
I got to the temple around noon, just in time for the Noon arotik. I rang the bell (the front door was locked) and one mataji let me in. I took off my shoes and thanked her. Inside the temple, the deities looked gorgeous. I commend the devotees and in particular, the pujaris, for keeping up a high standard of beauty and regularity in the deity worship. There was a tape playing, so i chanted a few rounds during the arotik. An older Indian man arrived with a large cloth bag. He stood in front of the deities, carefully taking items out of his bag and arranging them on a tray. Tulasi manjaris, milk sweets, fruits, a $20 bill and a few tupperware containers with unknown contents. He placed them on a plastic tray on the arotik table, after the pujari had finished his offering. He also had what looked like an invitation in his hand that he was offering to Radha Gopi Ballabha. This offering the invitation and praying went on for awhile. I thought the man was perhaps inviting the Lord and seeking his blessings for a wedding.
After the pujari took the tray of offerings from the man, he handed the pujari the printed invitation and requested he place it on the altar. Then, the man walked around me (so he would not walk in front of me and offend me) to the Donation Box and made another cash donation. I thought the whole exchange was touching. As he was leaving the temple room, i wanted to say something to him. "So you invited the Lord to your daughter's wedding?" I asked, just guessing. "Yes," the man quietly replied, "my daughter is getting married," as he reached into his bag to offer me one of the milk sweets still in the bag. "I'm sure he will attend," I said back to him, as a way of acknowledging his devotion.
Such an exchange is quite remarkable when you think about it. Someone inviting God to their daughter's wedding. Sure, the father wants blessings, as all parents want, for his daughter's happiness and security. But to personally come to the temple and extend an invitation to the Lord shows the essence of personalism. There are plenty of codes and rituals in all religions, but in a spiritual culture, a pious father humbly asks Krishna, the Supreme Person, to please attend his daughter's wedding.
This is the meaning of the culture that Srila Prabhupada introduced to the West. How come then, his own disciples have such a difficult time to apply it, even amongst their own god brothers and sisters, friends and disciples? The unfortunate answer is, they are not practicing spiritual culture, no matter how many seminars on Radha Kund or Bhagavat Saptas they give. They are practicing a form of material culture, with their own brand of politics, diplomacy and donation/disciple collecting. Personalism is what is missing in Iskcon. The leaders should learn from that simple man whom i met at the temple today. They should get down from their stages and learn to become real spiritualists.
That meant a trip to Boston. Since i found the store originally when i was on my way to the temple one day last month, naturally i thought it would be a good chance to have darshan of Sri Sri Radha Gopi Ballabha. I decided when i moved to Cambridge that i would go once a week for darshan. Not because the temple atmosphere was inspiring, but because the deities are charming, transcendental, and i was lucky enough to be there when they originally were brought to Boston and personally installed by Srila Prabhupada. Why else would Krishna want to live in Boston, i thought, except on the invitation of his beloved pure devotee?
I got to the temple around noon, just in time for the Noon arotik. I rang the bell (the front door was locked) and one mataji let me in. I took off my shoes and thanked her. Inside the temple, the deities looked gorgeous. I commend the devotees and in particular, the pujaris, for keeping up a high standard of beauty and regularity in the deity worship. There was a tape playing, so i chanted a few rounds during the arotik. An older Indian man arrived with a large cloth bag. He stood in front of the deities, carefully taking items out of his bag and arranging them on a tray. Tulasi manjaris, milk sweets, fruits, a $20 bill and a few tupperware containers with unknown contents. He placed them on a plastic tray on the arotik table, after the pujari had finished his offering. He also had what looked like an invitation in his hand that he was offering to Radha Gopi Ballabha. This offering the invitation and praying went on for awhile. I thought the man was perhaps inviting the Lord and seeking his blessings for a wedding.
After the pujari took the tray of offerings from the man, he handed the pujari the printed invitation and requested he place it on the altar. Then, the man walked around me (so he would not walk in front of me and offend me) to the Donation Box and made another cash donation. I thought the whole exchange was touching. As he was leaving the temple room, i wanted to say something to him. "So you invited the Lord to your daughter's wedding?" I asked, just guessing. "Yes," the man quietly replied, "my daughter is getting married," as he reached into his bag to offer me one of the milk sweets still in the bag. "I'm sure he will attend," I said back to him, as a way of acknowledging his devotion.
Such an exchange is quite remarkable when you think about it. Someone inviting God to their daughter's wedding. Sure, the father wants blessings, as all parents want, for his daughter's happiness and security. But to personally come to the temple and extend an invitation to the Lord shows the essence of personalism. There are plenty of codes and rituals in all religions, but in a spiritual culture, a pious father humbly asks Krishna, the Supreme Person, to please attend his daughter's wedding.
This is the meaning of the culture that Srila Prabhupada introduced to the West. How come then, his own disciples have such a difficult time to apply it, even amongst their own god brothers and sisters, friends and disciples? The unfortunate answer is, they are not practicing spiritual culture, no matter how many seminars on Radha Kund or Bhagavat Saptas they give. They are practicing a form of material culture, with their own brand of politics, diplomacy and donation/disciple collecting. Personalism is what is missing in Iskcon. The leaders should learn from that simple man whom i met at the temple today. They should get down from their stages and learn to become real spiritualists.
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