Darkness in the Season of Light
*Please click here to listen to an audio narration of this blog by Rukmini Walker
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“A difficulty is a light, an insurmountable difficulty is a sun.”- Paul Valery
For many, these darkest days of the year have traditionally been celebrated as the Season of Light, or Advent, or Hanukah. Yet during this time of global pandemic, many of us are feeling and observing a collective unconsciousness in our world - a heavy or negative energy surrounding us. Some are experiencing a paralyzing fear; for some a trail of tears. Conflict and contention seem to be everywhere. Life and death seem separated by a thinner, more transparent space than usual, and no one knows what tomorrow may bring. But by our intention, by our consciousness, each day, each moment, we can shelter in grace, pulling around ourselves a chrysalis of sacred energy in the form of sound. Sacred sound can repel the negative, and attract and generate blessings.We can cover ourselves with this armor, a shining cloak of mantra that deflects fear by generating love outward from within, by keeping the mantra on our lips and in our hearts - synchronizing sacred sound with our breathing, and our heartbeats. We live in this world together, yet by consciousness we each occupy a different realm. Two of us can be standing or sitting together, and one can be experiencing a living hell, while one is sheltering in light. This is our freedom, to lean into the shelter of light, or to turn away, leaning into fear and darkness. My own little light may feel dim right now, but I can always choose to lean in to the light of God, Krsna, and His holy names. I can choose to anoint myself and others in sacred mantra as I sit or walk down the street. Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, My dear Lord, I am Yours! We are all Yours!
Wishing you light as you share your light,Rukmini Walker
Getting Through Grief with Devotion
Creating Sacred Space as We Shelter in Place
The Value of Eagerness
~Presented by Rukmini Walker
On November 22, 2020, Rukmini Walker gave this online talk speaking on the Value of Eagerness for the Vrindavan Institute for Higher Education. To listen to this inspiring discussion, please click on this link or on the video image below.
[perfectpullquote align="full" cite="" link="" color="" class="" size=""]"O Lord, I am just like a puppet in Your hands. So if You have brought me here to dance, then make me dance, make me dance, O Lord, make me dance as You like." - Srila Prabhupada at Boston Harbor, September 18, 1965[/perfectpullquote]
A Yes to What’s Been Given
-by Rukmini Walker
Please click below to listen to the audio version of this blog post:
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“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation) there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that never would otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.”
(William Hutchison Murray, concerning one of his climbing expeditions to the Himalayas)
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I witnessed this magic many times in the life of my teacher, Srila Prabhupada. Yet in his life he had innumerable setbacks as well.Psychotherapist David Richo writes that there are five unavoidable “givens”, five immutable facts, that come to visit us all many times over:One. Everything changes and endsTwo. Things do not always go according to plan.Three. Life is not always fair.Four. Pain is part of life.Five. People are not always loving and loyal all the time.We’ve all experienced these facts of life. And yet there is grace as well. Moving in our lives, unwarrantedly, and unexpectedly. St. Paul advised us to be grateful in all things, though we cannot always honestly feel grateful for all things. How do we rectify this paradox?Living in the material world can evoke a sense of pessimism. Yet unforeseen grace that arrives, beyond my plan-making or comprehension, exists as well. At those times, a material pessimism is held in tension with those rays of spiritual optimism. We are eternal beings who come from a higher sphere, meant for a higher life, a higher love, beyond this temporary world of suffering.The path of Bhakti is sometimes called, The Path of Grace. My tiny efforts and sincere intentions, coupled with grace, can move me, shift me toward a “Yes” to all that presents itself each day.All the best,Rukmini Walker
Sacred Travel: Visiting Sacred Lands In-Person & From Our Homes
Brajarani began her spiritual journey in a family of pious Christians. For more than 30 years she has served, taught, and mentored in the corporate and non-profit world, and in spiritual communities of the African Diaspora. She has served others from traumatized youth to the homeless, and from her clients in AIDS services to her teams in the corporate world.An Introduction to Gratitude
"In order for the seed to grow, it has to have soft and fertile ground. Gratitude makes our heart soft. Gratitude fertilizes our heart. Gratitude enables the seed of Bhakti to grow. When we expect, when we think we deserve, when we want something very different than what we are getting, from Krishna, that is the symptom of being ungrateful." -- Radhanath Swami
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~presented by Syamala Priya Devi Dasi
Gratitude is an essential human quality that links us to better mental health, self-awareness, better relationships and a sense of inner fulfillment. When we direct our minds toward what we are most grateful for, real inner happiness emerges.
To join Syamala in this beautiful meditation, please click here or on the video image below.
Syamala Priya dd (Sara Sheikh) is a clinical social worker and yoga teacher. She specializes in mental health and yoga-based psychotherapy for children, adolescents and families. Her most recent project is in collaboration with Y.O.G.A. for Youth and Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), as a mindfulness educator. As the most populous county in Maryland, MCPS has adopted a research based mindfulness curriculum. Syamala gains personal and professional inspiration from her many teachers from the Krishna Bhakti tradition who embody a life of wisdom and compassion.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4UmEhdq0Gs&feature=youtu.be
Finding Shelter in Challenging Times
The Greatest Gift
by Rukmini Walker
"The greatest gift we can give is thanksgiving. In giving gifts, we give what we can spare, but in giving thanks we give ourselves." - Brother David Steindl-Rast
I’ve been feeling a bit disgruntled the last few days, thinking about the upcoming annual American Thanksgiving Day. My idea of thanksgiving is to invite over all our stray friends who have nowhere else to go during a time like this. So many dear friends are away from home and family, and alone at this time of year.But our wise Maryland governor has asked us all to refrain from Thanksgiving gatherings at this time during a peak in Covid cases. We will respect his advice.But the true spirit of Thanksgiving is sacred and can’t be canceled by any pandemic or government ordinance. This is the spirit of Vasudeva Kutumbakam- the world is one family… My well being is directly tied to our well being. We’re in this together and we’ll get through this together.All the best, Rukmini Walker
Late Autumn
The leaves are almost to an end
Coming into burnt and dull colors
Even against the sun and blue sky
The cold creeps in on early morning
The cold hand of fear grips us tightly
As we try to wrap ourselves away from it.
The leaves are almost at an end
The quiet dark of winter comes early
And evening lights turn on by five.
Winter waves of joy
Rustle the last of the leaves
Piling them into heaps on the ground
Waiting for pick up by hard and underpaid
Workers, many of whom may feel like those leaves
That they can be pushed aside, pushed around,
Swept up to be cast away at a moment’s notice.
And we wonder at the discontent around us?
We are emptier of love than the bare trees
And more fallen than the leaves we walk on.
institution noun Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes
Content
The Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions , in collaboration with the UN Human Rights, grants membership and two levels of status based on the criteria set out in the Paris Principles. This is the British English definition of institution.View American English definition of institution. An established official organization having an important role in a society, such as the Church or parliament. We are the world’s leading, independent, non-profit organization dedicated to ocean research, exploration, and education. Use the clickable map below to locate institutions in a specific area. If you are looking for a specific institution, try the drop-down menu at the top of this page.
How do you get industry innovation and infrastructure?
- The expenses in research by different countries.
- The issue of internet access.
- Finance projects that have the goal to build roads, schools, business.
- Finance social entrepreneurs/non-profit organizations.
- Invest in innovation and new technologies.
Economics, in recent years, has used game theory to study institutions from two perspectives. In this perspective, institutions arise from Nash equilibria of games. For example, whenever people pass each other in a corridor or thoroughfare, there is a need for customs, which avoid collisions. Such a custom might call for each party to keep to their own right (or left—such a choice is arbitrary, it is only necessary that the choice be uniform and consistent). Such customs may be supposed to be the origin of rules, such as the rule, adopted in many countries, which requires driving automobiles on the right side of the road. The nation-state – Social and political scientists often speak of the state as embodying all institutions such as schools, prisons, police, and so on. However, these institutions may be considered private or autonomous, whilst organised religion and family life certainly pre-date the advent of the nation state.
Institutions and bodies profiles
The social function of the institution was executed by the fulfillment of roles. Basic biological requirements, for reproduction and care of the young, are served by the institutions of marriage and family, for example, by creating, elaborating and prescribing the behaviors expected for husband/father, wife/mother, child, etc. However, in countries that lack effective regulations, non-bank financial institutions can exacerbate the fragility of the financial system.
- Mutual funds can be delineated along the nature of their investments.
- Quarterly Financial Data - SDI Statistics on Depository Institutions .
- NBFIs supplement banks in providing financial services to individuals and firms.
- He had been in and out of penal institutions from the age of 16.
- These paths are determined at critical junctures, analogous to a fork in the road, whose outcome leads to a narrowing of possible future outcomes.
The most serious offenders with the longest sentences and those least likely to adjust to institutional life are placed in more secure facilities. Based on the results of this process the inmate is then transferred to the appropriate facility. Having a multi-faceted financial system, which includes non-bank financial institutions, can protect economies from financial shocks and recover from those shocks. NBFIs provide multiple alternatives to transform an economy's savings into capital investment, which act as backup facilities should the primary form of intermediation fail. The term "institutionalization" is widely used in social theory to refer to the process of embedding something within an organization, social system, or society as a whole. The term may also be used to refer to committing a particular individual to an institution, such as a mental institution. The relationship of the institutions to human nature is a foundational question for the social sciences.
Nonbanking financial institution
Anonbank financial institution is a financial institution that does not have a full banking license and cannot accept deposits from the public. However, NBFIs do facilitate alternative financial services, such as investment , risk pooling, financial consulting, brokering, money transmission, and check cashing. Examples of nonbank financial institutions include insurance firms, venture capitalists, currency exchanges, some microloan organizations, and pawn shops. These non-bank financial institutions provide services that are not necessarily suited to banks, serve as competition to banks, and specialize in sectors or groups. Sociology traditionally analyzed social institutions in terms of interlocking social roles and expectations. Social institutions created and were composed of groups of roles, or expected behaviors.
- Robert D. Ballard is Founder and President of the Ocean Exploration Trust; Director of the Center for Ocean Exploration and Professor of Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography.
- The social function of the institution was executed by the fulfillment of roles.
- Definition and synonyms of institution from the online English dictionary from Macmillan Education.
- However, in the case of brokers, they do offer a transactions service by which an investor can liquidate existing assets.
Life insurance companies insure against economic loss of the insured’s premature death. The insured will pay a fixed sum as an insurance premium every term. Because the probability of death increases with age while premiums remain constant, the insured overpays in the earlier stages and underpays in the later years. The overpayment in the early years of the agreement is the cash value of the insurance policy. Hoover scholars form the Institution’s core and create breakthrough ideas aligned with our mission and ideals. What sets Hoover apart from all other policy organizations is its status as a center of scholarly excellence, its locus as a forum of scholarly discussion of public policy, and its ability to bring the conclusions of this scholarship to a public audience. Details and Financials - ID Institution Directory .Use more criteria to, Find FDIC Insured Banks and their locations, Get comprehensive financial or demographic reports, Get current and historical data, Find groups of banks, Find a bank holding company .
Join the Hoover Institution’s community of supporters in advancing ideas defining a free society.
The Council of the European Union is made up of EU government ministers who meet to discuss, amend and adopt laws. CERT-EU responds to information security incidents and cyber threats affecting the computer systems of all EU institutions, agencies and bodies.
Indeed, during the global financial crisis, some of the twin peak jurisdictions have been relatively unaffected, while the United States, a jurisdiction with a fractionalized sectoral approach to supervision, has been at the crisis epicenter. However, the crisis experience is far from black and white, with the Netherlands, one of the examples of the twin peaks model, being involved in the Fortis failure, one of the major European bank failures.
Значение institution в английском
Located on the campus of Stanford University and in Washington, DC, the Hoover Institution is the nation’s preeminent research center dedicated to generating policy ideas that promote economic prosperity, national security, and democratic governance. Searchable database for structure transactions (e.g., new institution, mergers, closings) for institutions or offices for a specific date, date range, or quarter date based on either the processed date or effective date. A complete look historically of bank failures and assistance transactions of all FDIC-insured institutions back to 1934. Comparison Reports - SDI Statistics on Depository Institutions . Financial data from 1992 to present, Compare up to four columns. The Brookings Institution traces its beginnings to 1916, when a group of leading reformers founded the Institute for Government Research , the first private organization devoted to analyzing public policy issues at the national level. Brookings brings together more than 300 leading experts in government and academia from all over the world who provide the highest quality research, policy recommendations, and analysis on a full range of public policy issues.
Cedefop helps EU Institutions and organisations to develop and meet vocational training needs. Needs to review the security of your connection before proceeding. A person long established in a place, position, or field.She's not just any old scholar; she is an institution. The Barons are an institution in Birmingham, and one of the more prestigious minor-league clubs in the country. Lopez and Affleck took their children to the historic Brasserie Lipp in the 6th arrondissement, which has been a Left Bank institution since 1880. The result, the report says, is an institution unable to identify threats quickly or to investigate potential efforts by China to recruit U.S. talent. The change in the Fogels’ visa status took place in 2021 when the school transitioned to being a nonprofit institution.
The Federal Reserve is a much different https://turbo-tax.org/ today, thanks in large part to Volcker. A public or private place for the care or confinement of inmates, especially mental patients or other persons with physical or mental disabilities. Many are now calling for the institution of a quota system in Parliament and other political bodies to ensure equality. He had been in and out of penal institutions from the age of 16. Harvard University is an internationally respected institution.
"b-but banking institutions will be good for crypto!" people sold us out
— degen (@CryptoDegen00) August 13, 2022
It is still early to make a firm overall conclusion, and isolating the effects of supervisory architecture from other effects is notoriously hard. Institutions are a principal object of study in social sciences such as political science, anthropology, economics, and sociology (the latter described by Émile Durkheim as the "science of institutions, their genesis and their functioning"). Primary or meta-institutions are institutions such as the family or money that are broad enough to encompass sets of related institutions. Institutions are also a central concern for law, the formal mechanism for political rule-making and enforcement. Historians study and document the founding, growth, decay and development of institutions as part of political, economic and cultural history. Ian Lustick suggests that the social sciences, particularly those with the institution as a central concept, can benefit by applying the concept of natural selection to the study of how institutions change over time.
About Hoover
Quarterly Financial Data - SDI Statistics on Depository Institutions . A long established and respected organization, particularly one involved with education, public service, or charity work.The University of the South Pacific is the only internationally accredited institution of higher education in Oceania. In a 2020 study, Johannes Gerschewski created a two-by-two typology of institutional change depending on the sources of change and the time horizon of change . In another 2020 study, Erik Voeten created a two-by-two typology of institutional design depending on whether actors have full agency or are bound by structures, and whether institutional designs reflect historical processes or are optimal equilibriums. The banking, securities, and insurance markets have become increasingly integrated, with linkages across the markets rapidly increasing. In response, one of the most notable developments in financial sector regulation in the past 20 years has been a shift from the traditional sector-by-sector approach to supervision toward a greater cross-sector integration of financial supervision (Čihák and Podpiera 2008).
By viewing institutions as existing within a fitness landscape, Lustick argues that the gradual improvements typical of many institutions can be seen as analogous to hill-climbing within one of these fitness landscapes. This can eventually lead to institutions becoming stuck on local maxima, such that for the institution to improve any further, it would first need to decrease its overall fitness score (e.g., adopt policies that may cause short-term harm to the institution's members). The tendency to get stuck on local maxima can explain why certain types of institutions may continue to have policies that are harmful to its members or to the institution itself, even when members and leadership are all aware of the faults of these policies. North argues that because of the preexisting influence that existing organizations have over the existing framework, change that is brought about is often in the interests of these organizations. This produces a phenomenon called path dependence, which states that institutional patterns are persistent and endure over time. These paths are determined at critical junctures, analogous to a fork in the road, whose outcome leads to a narrowing of possible future outcomes.
O Prabhupada, Brilliant Moon
Forty-three years ago on November 14th, 1977, our beloved Guru Maharaj, Srila Prabhupada departed this world from Sri Vrndavana Dham, ending his pastimes here in this world, and returning to the Vrndavan of the spiritual world. According to the lunar calendar, we are honoring that day today, Wednesday, November, 18th.Here is a video remembrance of Srila Prabhupada by his spiritual daughter and disciple, Pranada Devi Dasi that evokes his mood of brilliant compassion. Please click here to watchSrila Prabhupada, thank you for showering this world with your divine compassion,Your eternal daughter,Rukmini Devi Dasi
Krsnanandini -- A Fearless Angel Among Us
Last Friday, our extraordinary god-sister, Krsnanandini Devi ended her sojourn in this temporary material world. My husband, Anuttama and I spoke to her over facetime on the phone just a few days before she departed. She was effulgently shining like an angel about to enter the spiritual world. She was joyous, fearless and fixed in ardent enthusiasm and unbreakable faith. In her life, she faced racism and bigotry and lived many years as a single mother with many children. Still she saw no sectarian boundaries and shared her compassion with everyone who was fortunate enough to cross her path. She lives on as a polestar in the sky of pure Bhakti and as a true guru to us all!
In this video, Krsnanandini Devi Dasi reflects on her story of coming to Krishna consciousness and how she came to be initiated by Srila Prabhupada.
To listen to this inspirational talk, please click on this link.
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Fall Birds
~by Ananda Vrindavan
I heard them first before they rose above the tree topsBlack against the evening sky with warm westing sunTheir guide to the great south and their home away from homeTheir formation of open diamond shape is art at workTheir calling and rhythm of wings is a performanceAs they carry each other together with power and beautyWe watch, those of us with eyes interested to stop and seeThose of us grounded on earth, grounded in our bodyAnd we, or at least I, am filled with a sense magic, thatSomehow these birds can make such theatre of their travelA leaving to a better place with energy and song and togethernessSanga should be this good, this visual, this aliveCalling Krishna together as we head homeMaking others stop in wonder at our joyFlying high above the world of namesInto the sunset of our material lifeTo land in a better place, in Krishna’s placeMay we all follow the longing of our heartAnd head into the open sky of BhaktiAs eager as the fall geese going south, without delay
The Poetry of Nature
a conversation with Jahnavi Harrison
During late October's Eco Bhakti Weekend, Grammy-nominated artist and BBC radio presenter Jahnavi Harrison reflected on how Bhakti poetry can help us to more connect to divinity through a deeper appreciation of the natural world. The Eco Bhakti Weekend was organized by Yale University’s Ecology Forum in partnership with the Bhakti Center, NYC and Princeton University Hindu Life Program. To listen to the session please click on this link.
Damodarastakam Prayers
Kartik, also known as the month of Damodara, is a month for deepening one's love for Krishna. This year Kartik begins on October 31, 2020. It is considered by devotees of Krishna to be the holiest month of the year. During this month, devotees make extra vows, perform extra spiritual activities, and generally worship Krishna in His form as a young boy,Here is a beautiful recording of Gaura Vani and Sri Vani Devi Dasi together singing the Damodarastakam prayers. Every year during the month of Kartik we offer this special 8 verse prayer to Krishna called Damodarastakam. It is sung either in the morning or the evening along with the offering of a ghee lamp.
Happy Kartik!All the best,Rukmini
Where Devotion Meets Sustainability
a conversation with Radhanath Swami
In the opening session of Eco-Bhakti in Action, spiritual teacher Radhanath Swami and ecological activist Gopal D. Patel discuss how to translate eco-wisdom into tangible action. To watch the session organized by Yale University's Ecology Forum in partnership with the Bhakti Center, NYC and Princeton University Hindu Life Program, please click on this link.
Balancing Feminine and Masculine Energy
This is an interview I did for a group out of Mumbai called, Pavitra Connect. They are savvy, and forward-thinking, yet rooted in deep and wise values of spirituality. Being rooted in these values is the key to balance as we weather the many storms of this world. Please click on this link or on the video image below.
All the best,
Rukmini Walker
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Autumn – A time to Pause and Check-in With Ourselves
Finding Deeper Grounding in the Roots of Bhakti
~presented by Rukmini Devi Dasi
Bhakti Yoga is the soul’s journey inward, seeking sacred love. As we move into Autumn, we seek a shifting of energy, feel a need to let go of what’s external and gather our power deeper within ourselves. What are the foundational roots of a personal Bhakti practice? How can we strengthen those roots to help us build an authentic life in our journey toward sacred love?
Autumn is a time of letting go…
During last week's Urban Devi retreat, Rukmini explored how to strengthen these pillars of Bhakti, letting go of the temporary in order to grow more deeply rooted in the eternal. To watch and listen, please click here or on the image below.
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