Lecture: The Lord's Descent in this World
Please find below a lecture I recently gave on The Lord's descent in this world, drawing from the Srimad Bhagavatam (SB 2.7.11). This lecture was given at the ISKCON Punjabi Bagh Temple in New Delhi, India on February 6, 2020.
Please click here to listen to the lecture
All the best,
Rukmini Walker
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dU7bPz0PGw&feature=youtu.be[/embed]
A Letter to a Young Woman Devotee
This is my reply to a young woman who is new to the path of Bhakti. She has been regularly attending temple programs in one city in the US. Sometimes she is discouraged hearing a sectarian or misogynist slant coming from the speaker during the morning class. With her name omitted, I thought to share my reply to one of her emails. I hope you will find my reply to her helpful in your life as well. ~ All the best, Rukmini Walker
Dearest Sister,My very fond affection to you. Jaya Prabhupada.There are always many reasons to become discouraged, especially when interacting or serving in a multicultural international community or environment where people have different values and cultural norms. Please always remain vigilant to be a seeker of the essence and don't lose the precious baby when throwing out the bathwater. It's most important. Never allow yourself to become isolated from the temple sanga, no matter how discouraging some voices may be. Find the ones there with whom you find resonance. Prabhupada has shed many gallons of blood to establish these communities for you- and for all of us, without discrimination.Certain speakers at the temple might be speaking with a sectarian perspective, or sometimes you might think the Bhagavatam itself is that way. Actually, Srimad Bhagavatam exposes materialistic thinking wherever it appears - in men, in women, in high caste people, in low caste people... Generally, it will tell stories that bring down the proud, the high and mighty; and uplift the humble people - time and time again. We have to read it all in context. Like water, grace flows down. Like water, keep flowing down, keep going around any obstacles, keep seeking your Source - Sri Krsna, the origin of us all.You and I - and so many others - love the ideal of the worship of Sri Radha, but we also always have to remember that she is divine - and also that we are ourselves are not women - we are atma, jivatma, beyond this material body. The controlling, dominating ego must be given up - whether it appears in the mind and heart of a man or a woman. Of course, we hear that spiritually all living beings are of the feminine nature, in relation to the one Supreme male, Sri Krsna.There is the beautiful story of Mirabai when she came to Vrndavan and sought the darshan of an esteemed holy man. She approached the ashram and asked the brahmacarya disciple if she could have the saint's darshan. The disciple said that his guru doesn't see any women. Then Mirabai, in her deep wisdom and realization replied, "But I thought that Sri Krsna was the only male in Vrndavan!" The disciple was stumped and said, "Ok, let me go ask". Then he came back and said to her, "Yes, you are welcome, my guru said to come immediately!"So what an example she is. Mirabai was certainly humble in herself, in her prayers, and in her outlook. But her ardent love made her bold also. She could not be dissuaded from her love for Krsna. When Srila Prabhupada was asked by one woman book distributor, how can we be both humble and bold at the same time? He replied, "Be a lion on the chase, and a lamb at home". Not easy, but these dichotomies can be resolved with deep realization.In order to understand Sri Krsna, we seek the compassionate sidelong glance of Sri Radha. But today, on the Appearance Day of Nityananda Prabhu, we seek His blessings in order to achieve the grace of Lord Caitanya. Grace flows down like water, seeking the lowest place, seeking those who are humble.There is a pivotal verse given in the Sri Caitanya Candramrita of Prabhadananda Sarawati. It says:
yatha yatha gaura padaravinde
vindeta bhaktim krta-punya-rasih
tatha tathotsarpati hrdi akasmad
radha-padambhoja-sudhambu-rasih
When a pious person attains the dust of the lotus feet of Lord Gaura (Lord Caitanya), the ocean of nectar from the lotus feet of Srimati Radharani suddenly floods his heart.You are a deep thinker, and you are also trying to enter deeply into the consciousness of loving Krsna. Our candid conversations are a joy and an honor for me. Let's please keep these conversations going, ok? Hare Krsna,With all my love and prayers for your continuing advancement in Krsna Bhakti,Your sister in service,Rukmini
Is the Universe Friendly?
"I think the most important question facing humanity is, ‘Is the universe a friendly place?’ This is the first and most basic question all people must answer for themselves.
"For if we decide that the universe is an unfriendly place, then we will use our technology, our scientific discoveries and our natural resources to achieve safety and power by creating bigger walls to keep out the unfriendliness and bigger weapons to destroy all that which is unfriendly and I believe that we are getting to a place where technology is powerful enough that we may either completely isolate or destroy ourselves as well in this process."If we decide that the universe is neither friendly nor unfriendly and that God is essentially ‘playing dice with the universe’, then we are simply victims to the random toss of the dice and our lives have no real purpose or meaning."But if we decide that the universe is a friendly place, then we will use our technology, our scientific discoveries and our natural resources to create tools and models for understanding that universe. Because power and safety will come through understanding its workings and its motives.""God does not play dice with the universe,"--Albert Einstein
Observations from a Pilgrimage
~by Vegavati devi dasi
I’ve been fortunate enough to spend a couple of weeks in a very ‘happening’ place — Mayapura, in West Bengal, India. It is the gateway of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). Though begun in what was a remote village setting, it is fast becoming a spiritual metropolis. Thousands of pilgrims come every month, and work is progressing on the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium (TOVP), which is scheduled to open in 2022.
As ISKCON’s international hub, Mayapura is full of various eateries that have sprung up, and many who live in Mayapura share their cuisine with other residents and visitors, making ends meet in the process.My friend and I discovered a lunch spot, open weekdays, where a Lithuanian couple offers a healthy meal at a nominal price. One day, after lunch, I stayed a while and chanted. It was so pleasant, in an undisturbed village type of place. I soon became aware of two boys, playing nearby underneath a tree, speaking a language I couldn’t understand (later confirmed it was Lithuanian). Like characters from the Bhagavad Gita they had bows and arrows. Then I noticed one had climbed quite high in a tree. Boyhood fun. I was chanting on my beads. After some time, I heard one of them singing, over and over and over, a mantra I’d not heard before, different names for God. Acyuta Kesava Krishna Damodara / Namo Narayana Janaki-Pallava. It was so beautiful, and the natural setting so simple, I just thought ‘what a wonderful way to grow up.’ And oddly, it was not at all far removed from Mayapura’s hustle and bustle.Whether one is an extrovert, and becomes enlivened by exchanges with many people, or prefers a quieter, more inward-looking type of environment, or a mix of the two, with sincere desire, one can find a suitable place to move forward in spiritual life, glorifying the Supreme Lord.
A Wealth of the Spirit
~by Rukmini Walker
Once Mother Teresa said that the poverty she saw in the streets of Kolkata was not as severe as the poverty she saw in Europe and America. What did she mean by that?
She said that the poverty she saw in the Western countries was a poverty of the spirit. A more extreme and insidious poverty than the poverty of hunger, disease or homelessness that she witnessed each day in her compassionate work in the slums of Kolkata.
This is counterintuitive to everything we’ve grown up believing about the American Dream, or wherever you’re from - the dream of an affluent society.
In the past few months, my husband and I have spent time among some very poor and simple people in Bangladesh, India and Cambodia. Being with them causes us to question our own needs and values. How can they live with so little? And with such generosity toward a guest, and with such contentment?
As they give and serve, I say thank you for each small gesture. And they gently reprimand me. “Don’t say thank you. This is our culture. This is our fortune, to serve a guest like you.” Each time, I’m left speechless. How can I reciprocate such kind of love?
I come from a culture where there is a poverty of the spirit, and they are enriched with a wealth of the spirit. I have so much to learn…
All the best,
Rukmini Walker
Nityananda Trayodasi Meditation 2
~by Śrīla Vṛndāvanadāsa Ṭhakura
Gauracandra has candidly proclaimed that Nityānanda Svarūpa is God.
By Nityānanda's grace one may know Gauracandra. By Nityānanda's grace one may understand his devotees. By Nityānanda's grace, one's criticism of others will cease. By Nityānanda's grace one gains devotion to the Lord.No criticism of others flows from the mouth of Nityānanda's servants. Day and night, with great joy, they sing the fame of Caitanya. Nityānanda's devotees are always attentive.Caitanya is the treasure of Nityānanda's servants' lives. A little piety does not make one a servant of Nityānanda---indeed, Gauracandra himself is revealed to them! [...]All glory to Nityānanda, whose shelter is Gauracandra! All glory, all glory to Nityānanda, who [as Ananta] has a thousand mouths! All glory to the king of Gauḍa, Nityānanda Rāya!Who can obtain Caitanya without your grace? He who loses a Lord like Nityānanda will not find joy anywhere for as long as he lives.Will that day come when I will see Caitanya and Nityānanda together, surrounded by their followers?The Lord of my Lord is the beautiful Gaurāṅga---this is the great hope I harbour in my heart. [...]Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya and Nityānandacandra are my very life. Thus, I, Vṛndāvanadāsa, sing the glories of their feet.(Śrīla Vṛndāvanadāsa Ṭhakura, Caitanya-bhāgavata 2.22.134-148)-------------------------------------Happy Nityānanda Trayodaśī!
All the best,Rukmini Walker
Nityanandastakam
Lord Nityananda is the most ecstatically merciful, dearest brother of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Today is His holy Appearance Day. Please be blessed by this very sweet English rendition of a prayer to Him composed by His biographer, Sri Vrndavan dasa Thakur. ~ All the best, Rukmini Walker
~ by Srila Vrndavan dasa Thakur~
Autumn moon mocking, Pure complexion Shining, Elephant walking,
Loving God so madly, Pure goodness personified, Face smiling brightly,
His eyes always rolling, Staff in HIs hands glowing, Kali-Yuga piercing,
Worship Nityananda, Root of the banyan tree, without ending!
He carries all rasas, for HIs dear devotees, He’s incomparable,
His breath counting, Vasuda and Jahnava’s beloved husband.
Always mad with pure love, The Supreme who’s unknown, to minds of weak substance,
Worship Nityananda, Root of the banyan tree, without ending!
Son of Saci’s dearest, Served by all the universe, Made of happiness
He rescues all divas, drowning in this dark age, by HIs great kindness
Chanting Hare Krsna, removing out swelling pride, from waves of existence,
Worship Nityananda, Root of the banyan tree, without ending!
“Oh brother these people in Kali-yuga are so sinful, and more are coming,
Please devise some method, where You could redeem them, which would be easy.”
In this way You go and counsel with Gaura, out of great mercy,
Worship Nityananda, Root of the banyan tree, Without ending!
“Don’t be shy Oh brothers, Just say Hari Hari, Chanting this always,
Doing this I promise, to pull you from the ocean, of mundane existence.”
With His upraised arms, He walks to every household, shouting so loudly,
Worship Nityananda, Root of the banyan tree, without ending!
Like Agastya Muni, forcefully You swallow, this ocean of darkness,
Oh friend of the lotus, rising and increasing, our oceans of good fortune,
Like the sun You’ve come, removing the darkness, made by the miscreants,
Worship Nityananda, Root of the banyan tree, without ending!
Dancing and singing, calling out- Hari, on every pathway,
While He wanders He sees, even the mean people, as brothers and sisters,
From the corners of His eyes, He glances kindly, at sincere devotees,
Worship Nityananda, Root of the banyan tree, without ending!
Nicely holding lotus hands with HIs brother, so soft and lovely,
Each other’s face gazing, in Their hearts arising, highest ecstasy,
Wandering with sweet moods, Oh how They’re delighting, all the town’s people,
Worship Nityananda, root of the banyan tree, without ending!
Reservoir of rasa, most exalted rasika Vaisnava treasure,
Essence of all flavors, fallen souls remember Him and He saves them,
Reciting these verses, Of the supreme glories of Sri Nityananda,
May His two lotus feet, constantly manifest, within your own heart!
Bravery
by Acyuta Gopi
To be Krishna conscious, is to be brave. To live spiritually, to ask soul-deep questions, to wonder; that is bravery. When the world will whisper to you to simply close your eyes and let your soul sleep, to force your gaze in the opposite direction of that cunning complacency, that is bravery. To lean in to the truth that you are more than this one moment, more than this one year, more, even, than this one lifetime, and to choose to walk in the faith that you are being prepared for a higher purpose, is bravery. Being you, sparkling and shimmering as you are, is brave. To understand the complex sadness that often envelops this world and to hope for the joy of transcendence in spite of it, is brave. To pray time and time again and wish and hope against hope for all the miracles that your soul absolutely knows it deserves, is brave. And to live, create, feel and love in a space dominated by the one singular thought that “I believe in Krishna. I have faith in Krishna. Krishna will always help me” is the ultimate act of bravery. Surrender is brave.You are a warrior. Sharpen your weapons of faith and determination. Hone your skills of compassion and thoughtfulness. And let your overwhelming loving nature be your armor. You are a warrior. And you are brave. Don’t you ever forget that.
Lecture: Our Personal Relationships in Connection with Krishna
Presented by Rukmini Walker
Please find below a lecture I recently gave on Our Personal Relationships in Connection with Krishna, drawing from the Srimad Bhagavatam (SB 11.26.06) and other sacred texts. This lecture was given at the Sri Sri Radha Gopinath Temple, ISKCON Chowpatty on January 28, 2020.
Please click here to listen to the lecture
All the best,
Rukmini Walker
The Blind and the Lame Revisited
by Rukmini Walker
A little while ago, I wrote to say that I’m still in India, and that I’ve been walking with crutches for the last six weeks. So, I’ve been slightly lame.
But it’s been a healing kind of lame… A brilliant osteopathic surgeon here in Chennai has had me following his regimen of walking with crutches, while taking vitamins and medicines he prescribes in order to avoid hip replacement surgery that was indicated by the MRI test I had done a month before.
So after six weeks, I went back to see the doctor. He said that his regimen has worked. He gave me more vitamins and meds to continue taking on into the future.
I am amazed and so grateful. It seems that no one in the West has heard of this before. Good medicine, a good doctor and lots of prayer…
When I was on my way to India, a friend said to me, “Oh, you’re going to the land of the techies!” I was surprised. I said, “Well, it used to be known as the land of dharma.”
Here in Chennai, one of the tech centers of India, it is my dharma to be so grateful for the advances of modern medicine and a surgeon with integrity who advised me how to avoid the surgery by which he makes his living.
Srila Prabhupada wrote in one of his purports that, “Everything is moving, acting, under the supreme desire of Krsna. This consciousness is called Krsna consciousness.”
Who can understand the mysterious ways of the Lord? Sometimes even with the best doctor and the best medicines, a patient does not heal or survive.
Unconditional gratitude would mean gratefulness even when there has been no healing or no option of survival. As Sri Caitanya says, in the mood of Sri Radha, “…even if He handles me roughly in His embrace.”
There is a beautiful prayer that says:
By the mercy of the Lord, a lame person can climb mountains, a dumb person can speak eloquent words, and a blind person can see the stars in the sky. I offer my respects to such a most merciful Lord.
Now that I can walk again, I can only pray to take each step forward, each day, and each year of my life, in service, in joy and in gratefulness.
All the best,
Rukmini Walker
Krsna Becomes the Servant of His Devotee
~by Rukmini Walker
In late December we were in the state of Gujarat in India, and my friends, Sadanandi, her husband, Vamsi Bihari, and their tiny son, Vaisnava, took me to the city of Dakor to visit the famous temple of Ranchor Rai*.
As referenced in the footnote below, this temple celebrates the pastime of Krsna, Who is called Ranchor, or the One Who ran away from the battlefield.
But several thousand years later, in the year 1153, another charming pastime transpired. A simple farmer named Borana lived in the village of Dakor in Gujarat. Every six months, he would walk the four hundred fifty kilometer distance to have the darshan (sacred viewing) of his beloved Deity of Krsna, or Ranchor, in Dwaraka.
He would stay there for a few days, seeing the beauty of his Lord, and then walk the long distance back to his home again. This was his vow and this was his great joy, to visit the Lord of his heart in this way twice each year.
When he reached the age of seventy-two, he again came before his Krsna. He explained that now he was so elderly and could no longer walk the long distance again. The Deity of Krsna spoke to him and instructed him to speak to a certain man who owned an oxcart, and ask if he could borrow the oxcart to go to see his Krsna, or Ranchor. Krsna then instructed Borana that next time you come to see Me, I will come back with you in the oxcart and come to live in your village with you.
The simple farmer, Borana, followed the Lord’s instructions. The man who owned the oxcart agreed, and Borana set off in the oxcart to again go see his Lord.
When he arrived in Dwaraka in the oxcart, the pujaris, or priests of the temple, who has known him for so many years, asked him why he had come in an oxcart this time. The simple farmer told them that Krsna had told him to bring an oxcart and that He would now go with him in the oxcart to live in his village. The pujaris concluded that now the old man has gone mad.
But that night around midnight, after the Deity had been put to rest, and the temple doors had been locked up tight, by the Lord’s mystic power, all the locked doors opened, the heavy Deity of Krsna came out of the temple and came onto the oxcart that had been brought by the farmer, Borana. The oxcart was full of grass, so Borana carefully covered the Lord with grass and they drove away. But due to his age and invalidity, Borana was driving very slowly. Krsna told Borana that He would drive the cart Himself, and they made it to the village of Dakor in one night.
Meanwhile, in the morning, when they went to awaken the Lord in the altar room, the pujaris found Him to be missing. They panicked, but having heard the preposterous story spoken by the farmer, Borana, they suspected him and began the long journey to Dakor to get their Lord back.
Upon reaching Dakor, Krsna instructed Borana to hide Him in the nearby lake and to tell the pujaris when they came that he didn’t know where the Lord was.
To make the long story shorter, when the pujaris rested after their long journey to Dakor, the Lord came in their dreams and told them that it was His desire now to stay there with His loving devotee, Borana. He told them that He would appear in another form in a well in Dwaraka, and after six months, they could find Him there, and take Him to their temple and begin to worship Him there.
And so it happened, that the original Krsna Deity of Dwaraka, originally installed by Vajranab, the great-grandson of Lord Krsna, came Himself driving an oxcart, to live with and be worshiped by His simple devotee, Borana in the village of Dakor.
Krsna is called Bhakta Vatsala, or the One Who loves to serve His devotees. If our hearts become as simple and pure as the farmer, Borana, then we can also taste such a sweet reciprocal relationship. Out of love, the Absolute Truth becomes relative, to enjoy relationships with His devotees as a driver of his cart, as a friend, as a parent, or even as a lover.
Ranchor Rai Kijaya!
All the best,
Rukmini Walker
*(Ranchor means one who ran away from the battlefield. In Chapter 52 of his Krishna Book, Srila Prabhupada narrates the story of Krsna, Who is worshiped as Ranchor. The temple we visited is the temple of Ranchor Rai, which celebrates this beautiful pastime.)
Taking Refuge
Krishnanandini is a dear god-sister who is in Vrndavan receiving Ayurvedic treatment for advanced cancer, and I was fortunate to visit with her. Below, Mother Krishnanandini shares a beautiful meditation. Please keep her in your prayers! ~All the best, Rukmini Walker
~by Krsnanandini devi dasi
Hare Krsna!
Dear friends, some folks have inquired if I am experiencing pain while undergoing this rather intense healing treatment. And the answer is yes. Increasingly, I am feeling pains in the back, legs, side(waists) and head. I have been assured by the Vaidaji and people who have completed the treatment that these pains are actually signs that the treatment is working. In other words, "No pain, no gain." The Vaidaji (Ayur Vedic doctor) also says that if the pains become too unbearable, I should take some pain relief pills.
There are two other kinds of pain I am feeling for which I cannot find relief through pills or medicine. One is to witness and hear of the suffering of so many people and animals in our world, much of of it brought on by the foolishness, greed and selfishness of others. To hear of the senseless escalation of wars and rumors of wars where lives will be unnecessarily lost. The other is the pain of separation from loved ones.What gives me hope is that our sweet Lord Krsna is aware of all my pains and in Him I have taken refuge. He is the deliverer from the distress, the friend of each of us and He hears the cries of HIs servants.
Krishnanandini devi dasi was brought to Krsna consciousness by her mother as a young teenager along with her other siblings. Her mother was a simple woman and a devout Christian who deeply resonated with the Bhakti perspectives given by Srila Prabhupada in his writings. But when she came to the local temple along with her children, ready to join the community there, she faced bigotry and racism. She was treated as a troublemaker and was turned away.She took her children and put them in the car. She didn't know where to turn, but somehow by the grace of God she was given the intuition to drive all the way to Dallas, Texas. When they arrived there, to their surprise, Srila Prabhupada himself was there visiting. She explained her situation to the temple president there, that she and her children were not welcome at the temple in their hometown of Cleveland. Srila Prabhupada out of his great compassion, that very day gave initiation to her and her children as well. I've always called Krishnanandini's Mom the 'Rosa Parks of ISKCON'.
The Blind and the Lame
~by Rukmini Walker
"Glory to the all-merciful Radha and Madana-mohana! I am lame and ill advised, yet They are my directors, and Their lotus feet are everything to me."
Caitanya Caritamrita Adi Lila 1.15
This verse, stunning in its humility, was spoken by Srila Krsnadas Kaviraj Goswami as one of the prayers of invocation at the beginning of Caitanya Caritamrita. He was aged when he began, but the devotees of Vrndavan implored him to compile his great work from the notes of Srila Raghunath Das Goswami, who had been eyewitness to the pastimes of Sri Caitanya at Jagannath Puri.
I’ve been traveling in India since the middle of November and had been under a doctor’s orders to be walking on crutches for six weeks, trying to avoid a hip surgery. So was, physically, a bit lame, but trying to access the kind of humility exhibited by the great Kaviraj Goswami, who is quoted above.
I often consider that I am blind also. That Krsna, God, is everywhere - in every atom, between every atom, in the hearts of every living being - and yet I see Him nowhere. This is the blindness of those of us in this material world, who have turned away, turned our backs on the One Who loves us the most.
We’ve chosen to leave Goloka, His eternal place where He enjoys playful loving pastimes with His devotees, to come here to try to play out our own mini God projects. ‘Can I pretend to be the center of all existence?’ And how is that working out for you, dear soul who has turned away?
Srila Prabhupada used to use this analogy of the blind and the lame to illustrate the tension between East and West. Years ago, India had no technology like the West, so India could not function - or walk - the way the West could do. And the West could function well, but had no vision of the purpose of life. What is the purpose of technology anyway?
So he would say that if the lame one can get up on the shoulders of the blind one, then the two of them can help each other to both walk and see well.
These days, the tables are turned. The West is turning to India for technology, and the East is turning to the West for its culture. The internet is everywhere, addictive behaviors are being touted everywhere… and without wisdom, both the blind ones and the lame ones - the world over - are falling into a ditch.
But in the holy books of Bhakti, in the words of great sadhus, like Kaviraj Goswami, we can begin to see, to regain our vision. By the grace of Sri Radha and Madan-mohana, we can regain the strength to walk, and break open the treasure trove of wisdom that’s been gifted to us by those who have traversed the path before us.
All the best,
Rukmini Walker
Where are we going?
~presented by Ananda Vrndavan Devi
This is a good question to ask ourselves at the end of the year. Or better yet, where do we want to go? And, are we headed in the right direction? We'll take a look back and also share some thoughts and ideas for 2020.
Please click here or on the image below to play the talk.
[embed]https://soundcloud.com/iskconofdc/where-are-we-going-ananda-vrindavan-devi-dasi-last-30-minutes?in=iskconofdc/sets/sunday-open-house-talks-2019[/embed]
Ananda Vrndavan is one of my dearest friends. She is the community president of ISKCON of DC. Please visit their website at iskconofdc.org — Rukmini
Sound Awakenings
Denise Mihalik is a Certified Sound Healing Practitioner, Voice Teacher, Yoga and YogaVoice Instructor, Classical Singer, Kirtaniya, and Bhakti Yogi. Denise has been immersed in sound exploration since early childhood. The sounds of nature and the world of music have greatly influenced her life. She has been practicing yoga for the past 16 years and is a certified yoga and YogaVoice Instructor. You can connect with her at her website https://www.soundawakenings.biz/Om, Ang, Ung, Ong, and Amen
by Pranada Comtois
I had so much fun writing that title. Isn’t it absolutely cool? I mean the sound. Say it out loud, it sings!
In Music as Yoga Patrick Bernard explains that these sounds are variations of the same syllable of primordial sound–a spiritual energy with creative and transformative powers linked to the essence of consciousness. With this premise Mr. Bernard begins his description of mantra (sound) meditation, also known as kirtan or japa.
The syllables in the title above originate from Sanskrit, Chinese, Tibetan, Japanese, and Hebrew/Islam. Though I intone mantras in Sanskrit, I love the title of this blog as a mantra. I can practically hear a chorus singing it. Anyone up for composing a tune?
Back to the subject. Though claim for linguistic associations and root origins can fuel heated debate among scholars, Mr. Bernard isn’t advancing an argument along those lines about these syllables. Rather, he proposes that the sounds are similar in their effects on humans.
Meditation’s commonly understood and experienced influence, whether it be meditation with breath, mantra, postures, or focusing the mind on the Now, is a relaxation response and oftentimes can produce physical and psychological healing.
While these positive benefits are worthwhile, they are not the essence of mantra meditation or other meditative processes from India. Mantras contain the power to liberate the mind and put us in direct contact with spirit.
That’s a big claim. To understand how that might be possible, let’s start with the more obvious.
You might have noticed how your body responds to sirens screaming around you. Compare that to sensations you feel when listening to melodic instrumental music. Or imagine for a moment the physical reactions you’d have to the sound of bombs dropping from the sky and exploding nearby compared to the contagious deep belly laugh of an infant. Sound creates visceral response and subtle response in mood, thoughts, and outlook.
Numerous studies show how frequency modulations affect animals, water, plants, and humans both negatively and positively.
These facts partially explain the ancient claim that mantra meditation does more than change the body, mind, or emotions.
To understand how a mantra can be more than just a combination of words and sound capable of affecting the physical sphere, consider Plato’s argument that words denote concepts that are eternal, and the Upanishad’s explanation that certain sounds–-spiritual sounds–descend into this world from a transcendent one.
Vedic literature also states that, due to the nature of spirit, celestial sound is identical to what it names. Divinity’s qualities are eternality, knowledge, and concentrated bliss, even when it enters this world. In the superior reality, consciousness is not separate from form. In fact, form there is concentrated consciousness. Thus a body, a tree, or a desire is all pure consciousness, not inert, but aware.
Okay, okay. I’ve gotten a bit esoteric. The point is that spirit is more powerful than matter and bringing it into your life will transform you in practical ways. Matter cannot change spirit or dictate its own qualities on spirit. So transcendental sound, or mantra, in this world doesn’t have to pass through layers or barriers to touch the self and reveal the divine. Simply by speaking it!
This is the point of mantra according to all Eastern thought.
But not all mantras are created equal. Every mantra–whether one from its origins in the Eastern spirituality of India, or the mantra-oriented traditions like Buddhism, Sikhism, or Jainism, or the spell-like song of daily speech–has a specific meaning and goal.
Choosing a mantra depends on what you want. Be clear on what you want; you’ll get it. And hankering for money, sex, or other worldly fruit leaves one empty because the benefits are temporary gains unable to mitigate the self’s burning desire for union with the Supreme.
The Kali Santarana Upanishad (one of the principle Upanishads) claims the mantra: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare is a primary mantra for deliverance in the current cosmic season of discord. It’s a celebratory call of love for God that cleanses the mirror of the mind and heart so that you can see yourself and God in the heart sitting next to you.
And as thousands who have taken up chanting Hare Krishna will attest, chanting with a heart open to loving our Divine Friend Krishna brings unbounded joy, even ecstasy, not found in any other activity, process, or relationship.
Pranada Comtois is a devoted pilgrim and author of Wise-Love: Bhakti and the Search for the Soul of Consciousness, which has received four industry awards in spirituality and body/mind/spirit. She is a featured speaker in the film “Women of Bhakti.”
What Will I Carry With Me Into the New Year?
by Rukmini Walker
A friend and god-sister of mine, Urmila Devi, recently gave me a generous gift of an Amazon kindle. It’s been so useful, while traveling so much, instead of traveling with my usual overweight load of precious books.
The other day, she was giving me a (second) lesson on how to use it. I confessed to her that I have a mental block against technology. She told me firmly that she would give me the kindle lesson, only if I promised to never again say that I have a mental block against technology. I promised her that.
We all have stories about ourselves that become part of our identity, part of how we self-identify. For example, I’m not good at technology, or I’ve been abused, or I've been betrayed… These stories don’t just go away, or have to continue - but they don’t have to be a part of who I am.
If I continue to self-identify in these ways, then I will keep replaying their messages, keep reliving the past, and keep continuing these toxic patterns. And I will have no sense of my own reality without them.
What’s the new pattern I’d like to carry with me into the new year? What’s my intention of a new reality for 2020 and beyond?
Here’s one I’m putting forward for the new year:
I take each step forward each day, in service, in balance and in joyful gratefulness!
What about you? What will you carry forward into the new year? What will you leave behind?
All the best to you in the coming year,
Rukmini Walker
“Blessings”
with Br. David Steindl-Rast
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDoNHGnJLwU&feature=emb_title[/embed]
Show Up Each Day
by Ananda Vrindavan Devi
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Each day is a lifetime in itself
It’s own universe
We start again each day
Moments that are right now
Today, and that’s why
We show up to our japa
Each day, at some part of the day
To anchor ourselves
To connect with Krishna
Beyond this life and the day that’s in it
To remind ourselves that we are
Above it all, which allows us to be
Present to it all, the material energy,
As Krishna’s own energy
Part of him, belonging to him.
And as we live through it
Work through it, struggle through it
We can love and let go each day, every day
And we’ll be ready then, for the great letting go
At the end, when it happens.
Hare Krsna from India!
~ by Krsnanandini Devi Dasi ~
Hare Krsna! Just sharing a little Christmas thought from India:
Most people know that Lord Jesus Christ did not appear on December 25. Because intelligent, thoughtful people have researched and given historical evidence to that fact. Most people know there is no Santa Claus who comes down a chimney leaving much desired toys, games, clothes and other gifts. Still, in spite of this knowledge, a lot of intelligent, thoughtful people participate in Christmas gift-giving. Why? Because fundamentally we like to give and receive gifts—it’s actually two of the six kinds loving exchanges between people who care about each other.
One of our foremost spiritual teachers, Srila Rupa Goswami lists six kinds of loving exchanges between devotees (or servants of God):
1. Giving gifts with thoughtfulness and care2. Receiving gifts with appreciation3. Offering food with love4. Accepting food with love and gratitude5. Sharing the confidential desires of your heart6. Hearing confidentially and respectfully, honoring confidences
Christmas season, then, gives people a pretext to do what we should be doing all the time. Showing our love by giving. Showing our love by gratefully receiving. And this doesn’t have to be, should never be the over -commercialized event that it has become—where people spend too much for gifts, go in serious debt and forget the purpose of the season.
Something else we should consider: If we are actually trying to honor the great servant of God, Lord Jesus Christ, we should figure out what gift we can offer to him this season. We know he wasn’t materialistic, so what gift can we give? What about the gift of respecting the sacrifice he made of his life and do something -- if only one thing -- that he asked of us — like being a peacemaker.
That would be such a blessed gift!And you would truly be called a child of God.He said so himself.
Krishnanandini Devi Dasi was brought to Krsna consciousness by her mother as a young teenager along with her other siblings. Her mother was a simple woman and a devout Christian who deeply resonated with the Bhakti perspectives given by Srila Prabhupada in his writings. But when she came to the local temple along with her children, ready to join the community there, she faced bigotry and racism. She was treated as a troublemaker and was turned away.She took her children and put them in the car. She didn't know where to turn, but somehow by the grace of God she was given the intuition to drive all the way to Dallas, Texas. When they arrived there, to their surprise, Srila Prabhupada himself was there visiting. She explained her situation to the temple president there, that she and her children were not welcome at the temple in their hometown of Cleveland. Srila Prabhupada out of his great compassion, that very day gave initiation to her and her children as well. I've always called Krishnanandini's Mom the 'Rosa Parks of ISKCON'.