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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.
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Thursday, August 23, 2007
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."
"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."
Monday, August 20, 2007
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.
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.
Monday, August 13, 2007
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.
Temporary, temporary. Miserable, miserable. Yet we still don't get it.
We project, defend, judge and posture.
Crazy Rascals.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
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.
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.
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
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.
___
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.
___
Sunday, August 5, 2007
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!
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!
Friday, August 3, 2007
Crazy Rascals
The really great thing about writing a blog, in my opinion, is the freedom. I can say whatever i want, without being concerned about anyone's reaction. So today, i'm publishing an email i just sent one of my closest and dearest friends, Ananda Swarup. Most of the very select group of readers of this blog also know Ananda. I'm printing this mail because it sums up my opinion and feelings about what is going on now in cyber space and real space with "devotees." The context of this mail is an ongoing dialogue between Ananda and myself. I would like to share this with you because i believe in the truth of these words for myself.
Ananda,
What you say is totally correct. First i know to be able to follow even the minimum that Prabhupada expected of us, one has to not just be honest but make a sustained effort. To follow for "show" like many of the leaders or devotees like ***** do, that's one thing. But to follow from the heart, without the show, as you are attempting, that's the real test. And then, not to become puffed up from following, but to remain simple, even if one gets some kind of taste, that's the second test.
These are the things devotees should be discussing amongst themselves, not manjari bhava, or how Prabhupada is not a jiva, or why Iskcon is or isn't this or that. The whole scene out there is sick. I don't know if you read it, but a few days back one of the short articles on the Sun mentioned that practically every devotee is a 'nut-case.' I appreciated that statement. Crazy is the only word to describe devotees who don't get it. Rascal, the word you used, is also correct, especially for the high profile devotees. So, crazy rascals, everyone. This is the world we live in.
Now the next question is, how do we transcend this category ourself??
Start fresh is my response.
Start again with a beginner's mind. And when inspiration (or desperation) comes, start preaching to new people (the old ones are all crazy rascals, or influenced by crazy rascals). Do it differently. Cultivate self awareness. Remain simple. Pray for help. Don't get involved again with any crazy rascals, no matter how tempting it may be.
nava jauvana
Ananda,
What you say is totally correct. First i know to be able to follow even the minimum that Prabhupada expected of us, one has to not just be honest but make a sustained effort. To follow for "show" like many of the leaders or devotees like ***** do, that's one thing. But to follow from the heart, without the show, as you are attempting, that's the real test. And then, not to become puffed up from following, but to remain simple, even if one gets some kind of taste, that's the second test.
These are the things devotees should be discussing amongst themselves, not manjari bhava, or how Prabhupada is not a jiva, or why Iskcon is or isn't this or that. The whole scene out there is sick. I don't know if you read it, but a few days back one of the short articles on the Sun mentioned that practically every devotee is a 'nut-case.' I appreciated that statement. Crazy is the only word to describe devotees who don't get it. Rascal, the word you used, is also correct, especially for the high profile devotees. So, crazy rascals, everyone. This is the world we live in.
Now the next question is, how do we transcend this category ourself??
Start fresh is my response.
Start again with a beginner's mind. And when inspiration (or desperation) comes, start preaching to new people (the old ones are all crazy rascals, or influenced by crazy rascals). Do it differently. Cultivate self awareness. Remain simple. Pray for help. Don't get involved again with any crazy rascals, no matter how tempting it may be.
nava jauvana
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Living in the Material World
There's nothing exciting to report. I'm doing a project, cleaning, renovating and leasing out a condo in New York City. My day is filled with trivial necessities: finding out the rule and regulations of the management company that controls the building the condo is in, getting estimates for renovation work, talking with the broker who has an exclusive to rent out the apartment. The other part of my day consists of spending a lot of time on the internet reading articles, news and responding to emails. Then in the evenings sometimes i walk 40 city blocks to Whole Foods, the organic supermarket in mid-town Manhatten, buy groceries, and take the bus back to the condo. Quite a drab life. Only the promise of it being temporary, and the hope that a passive income stream will be created, keeps me motivated.
New York is a dynamic place, but only in the direction of passion (money) and ignorance (name your sin). I honestly can't see much goodness here, except perhaps in the nature of Central Park. It was in this busy aggressive city that Srila Prabhupada arrived, penniless, 42 years ago. Amazing how he came, struggled on his own, tolerated much, and conquered maya here.
Then i read on the Sampradaya Sun the activities of people like Satsvarupa, Hrdayananda, Giriraj and others, who are neither struggling to preach, tolerating difficult conditions, apologizing to their godbrothers for their arrogance and mistakes, nor conquering over illusion. But like characters out of a bad historical novel, they still maintain a profile of being sadhus.
I really don't wish to judge them, knowing fully that in their situation,
i would be worse. But how sad it is, both for them and for everyone, that the divine movement they once joined as sincere students, now must suffer so much from their incompetence. In the name of expression they have created depression. Srila Prabhupada himself summed it up in a letter to Gurudus:
Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter
dated August 23, 1972, and I have noted the contents carefully. Do not
be depressed. ALL ALONG MY GODBROTHERS GAVE ME ONLY DEPRESSION, REPRESSION, COMPRESSION--BUT I CONTINUED STRONG IN MY DUTY.
So that's the secret. Don't pay much attention to the godbrothers. And don't think there is anything in this world worth investing in. But continue "strong in your duty," however insignificant it seems.
New York is a dynamic place, but only in the direction of passion (money) and ignorance (name your sin). I honestly can't see much goodness here, except perhaps in the nature of Central Park. It was in this busy aggressive city that Srila Prabhupada arrived, penniless, 42 years ago. Amazing how he came, struggled on his own, tolerated much, and conquered maya here.
Then i read on the Sampradaya Sun the activities of people like Satsvarupa, Hrdayananda, Giriraj and others, who are neither struggling to preach, tolerating difficult conditions, apologizing to their godbrothers for their arrogance and mistakes, nor conquering over illusion. But like characters out of a bad historical novel, they still maintain a profile of being sadhus.
I really don't wish to judge them, knowing fully that in their situation,
i would be worse. But how sad it is, both for them and for everyone, that the divine movement they once joined as sincere students, now must suffer so much from their incompetence. In the name of expression they have created depression. Srila Prabhupada himself summed it up in a letter to Gurudus:
Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter
dated August 23, 1972, and I have noted the contents carefully. Do not
be depressed. ALL ALONG MY GODBROTHERS GAVE ME ONLY DEPRESSION, REPRESSION, COMPRESSION--BUT I CONTINUED STRONG IN MY DUTY.
So that's the secret. Don't pay much attention to the godbrothers. And don't think there is anything in this world worth investing in. But continue "strong in your duty," however insignificant it seems.
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Shambo, the Sacred Bull, is Slaughtered
I have never posted a news article here in the blog, but tonite i came across this AP story on the internet. It is a simple story, but so telling about the values (or lack of them) of our so-called civilization. It reveals the soul-less nature of secular society.
Associated Press July 27
Dateline: LONDON
HEADLINE: British police slaughter Sacred Bull
Officials drag away protesters, take sick animal from Hindu monastery
A sacred bull seized from a Hindu monastery in Wales because he tested positive for tuberculosis has been slaughtered, officials said Friday.
The plight of Shambo the bull had attracted international attention since his diagnosis this spring and prompted an Internet campaign by the Skanda Vale monastery to save him. Hindus revere cattle and said killing the bull would violate their religious rights.
More than 100 devout Hindus and their supporters prayed and chanted outside the bull’s paddock throughout Thursday, but animal health officials and police led Shambo from the monastery to a trailer at around 7:30 p.m. A Webcam site, dubbed Moo Tube, which the monastery set up to show the flower-garlanded bull in his paddock, broadcast images of an empty,
hay-lined shrine.
“I can confirm he has been put down,” said a spokesman for the Welsh Assembly, the regional government. The spokesman, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with government policy, did not specify how Shambo was killed.
Swami Suryananda, one of Shambo’s caretakers, said officials had “committed the most violent and ignorant act of desecration of our temple and destroyed an innocent life.”
“The perpetrators of this act will suffer the consequences of their actions for generations to come,” he said.
'Bye, Shambo'
A veterinary official and police officers had come for Shambo on Thursday morning, but left after monks would not let them past the gates of the remote monastery, about 230 miles west of London. They returned hours later with a warrant, which they posted to the door.
About 20 police officers later entered the temple, wading through a crowd of more than 100 supporters who had gathered in front of the bull’s paddock to pray and chant.
They cut a chain securing the gates, dragged away some of the worshippers who refused to leave, and loaded the bull into a trailer.
Police officers flanking the trailer removed their helmets, and some worshippers called out “Bye, Shambo” as the bull was driven away.
Authorities said no one was hurt and there were no arrests.
“It’s bad, but I don’t blame the police because they were friendly and they did their duty,” said one of the protesters, Verena Blum.
Secularists back decision
Regulations stipulate that cattle suspected of carrying bovine tuberculosis be slaughtered; the disease can be spread to other cattle, to deer and in rare cases to humans.
Hindus took the government to court to prevent Shambo’s slaughter. The monastery argued that it could keep Shambo isolated to prevent the TB spreading, or that it could take the bull to India. The monastery said authorities had refused both options.
Last week, a Welsh judge ordered local authorities to reconsider their decision to kill the bull. But the Court of Appeal in London reversed that decision Monday, ruling that killing him would be justified to prevent the disease’s spread.
Some people in Britain supported the bull’s seizure. Keith Porteous Wood, director of the National Secular Society, claimed Shambo’s supporters were “putting religious dogma before the welfare of the community.”
Associated Press July 27
Dateline: LONDON
HEADLINE: British police slaughter Sacred Bull
Officials drag away protesters, take sick animal from Hindu monastery
A sacred bull seized from a Hindu monastery in Wales because he tested positive for tuberculosis has been slaughtered, officials said Friday.
The plight of Shambo the bull had attracted international attention since his diagnosis this spring and prompted an Internet campaign by the Skanda Vale monastery to save him. Hindus revere cattle and said killing the bull would violate their religious rights.
More than 100 devout Hindus and their supporters prayed and chanted outside the bull’s paddock throughout Thursday, but animal health officials and police led Shambo from the monastery to a trailer at around 7:30 p.m. A Webcam site, dubbed Moo Tube, which the monastery set up to show the flower-garlanded bull in his paddock, broadcast images of an empty,
hay-lined shrine.
“I can confirm he has been put down,” said a spokesman for the Welsh Assembly, the regional government. The spokesman, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with government policy, did not specify how Shambo was killed.
Swami Suryananda, one of Shambo’s caretakers, said officials had “committed the most violent and ignorant act of desecration of our temple and destroyed an innocent life.”
“The perpetrators of this act will suffer the consequences of their actions for generations to come,” he said.
'Bye, Shambo'
A veterinary official and police officers had come for Shambo on Thursday morning, but left after monks would not let them past the gates of the remote monastery, about 230 miles west of London. They returned hours later with a warrant, which they posted to the door.
About 20 police officers later entered the temple, wading through a crowd of more than 100 supporters who had gathered in front of the bull’s paddock to pray and chant.
They cut a chain securing the gates, dragged away some of the worshippers who refused to leave, and loaded the bull into a trailer.
Police officers flanking the trailer removed their helmets, and some worshippers called out “Bye, Shambo” as the bull was driven away.
Authorities said no one was hurt and there were no arrests.
“It’s bad, but I don’t blame the police because they were friendly and they did their duty,” said one of the protesters, Verena Blum.
Secularists back decision
Regulations stipulate that cattle suspected of carrying bovine tuberculosis be slaughtered; the disease can be spread to other cattle, to deer and in rare cases to humans.
Hindus took the government to court to prevent Shambo’s slaughter. The monastery argued that it could keep Shambo isolated to prevent the TB spreading, or that it could take the bull to India. The monastery said authorities had refused both options.
Last week, a Welsh judge ordered local authorities to reconsider their decision to kill the bull. But the Court of Appeal in London reversed that decision Monday, ruling that killing him would be justified to prevent the disease’s spread.
Some people in Britain supported the bull’s seizure. Keith Porteous Wood, director of the National Secular Society, claimed Shambo’s supporters were “putting religious dogma before the welfare of the community.”
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