Living and Dying for Krishna: Emperor Parikshit's example

For our benefit Krishna
arranged the curse
so Shukadeva could speak
Parikshit would inquire
all could hear Krishna katha
which destroys materialistic life
giving a higher taste
maturing into Krishna Prema.

Story about "What is Important?" and a Prayer for Balance

IMPORTANT THINGS IN LIFE

A philosophy professor stood before his class with some items on the table in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly he picked up a very large and empty widemouthed gallon jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks, about 2 inches in diameter.[This is a story which is used in the Japa Retreat for setting our priorities of what is really important. I also found in on the Internet taken here with a little modification (i.e., "swanning")]

The Land Beyond Death and Doubt--the Homeland of the Heart

I
The Iron Age of Quarrel
or the machine/garbage age,
glorifies technology
along with those
who can run it,
considering them most interesting,
important—even supreme
things and persons.

Not arguing for our faults, but affirming our highest good

The soul's condition in the material world is pitiable, restrictive, limited. We have bought into a conception of our self that is so much less than who we are spiritually. On the one hand we need to humbly accept that we are a tiny fragment or part of God completely dependent on him for everything. On the other, compared to our spiritual heritage and nature, we are acting in such a tiny, selfish capacity according to the limitations of matter and our self limiting beliefs.

What is Education--Learning Information, or Knowledge of the Self?

The theme of "what is education" is a frequent topic in the writings of Prabhupada since the Vedas also pose this question in many places in order to point our intelligence to the soul and God. In this blog we hear this question posed by Sanatan Goswami in his prayers to Shri Chaitanya. He gives his opinion about true knowledge which brings satisfaction to the self. From the spiritual perspective it is essential to know who we are beyond the physical, especially in the materialistic time we live in when people only conceive of themselves as a body or mind.

The Power of Attitude in Noticing the Miraculous

There are many inspirational books which recount the
miraculous events of “ordinary” unsuspecting people which positively changed their lives by giving them faith in God’s or angelic protection by Divine intersession, a new opportunity, or a way out of a great difficulty. Some of them point out that these “miraculous” occurrences may occur in small everyday events, if seen differently from a new, broader vantage point. (My wife and I have taken the theme of finding the gems in misfortune, and applied it to experiences of devotees in a book we are working on.)

Scriptural stories to inspire our chanting with ungency

I am sure there are many more stories, but here are the most obvious ones I thought of as a meditation on urgency when chanting (one perspective is to imagine as best we can how we would feel in a similar situation as the devotees in the scriptural pastimes....naturally we won't feel exactly the same, but some idea.) In the picture above the gopis remember Krishna by embracing a tamala tree in their great danger.

Chanting with urgency by remembering we will die--part 1

When we chant the Hare Krishna mantra in either japa or kirtana there are certain moods that are favorable for getting the most from chanting. The most basic thing is to really hear the holy names, and gradually developing the proper conceptual orientation and feeling of urgency and finally love. Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur has instructed us that our chanting should not be lip deep, but heart deep. This means that it is not just moving our lips, but engaging our heart that is the most important thing. With the proper attitude amazing things may happen--even defying gravity!

As Relationships Change So Must We

Relationships change in time
with others & our own body/mind;
even as Krishna's energy sustains all
being the background and rest
in conditioned life our most
fundamental relationship is our body/mind.

Prayer for Gratitude for the Boon of the Holy Name

Considering my childhood history (which I know was arranged from my previous life's unfinished spirituality), becoming a devotee was the natural course of my life. In a sense, there was no other appealing option, so I embraced the life of a devotee as my highest prospect, which included chanting the holy name. In those days we used to do loud street sankirtana (group chanting) for 8-10 hours or more a day and this practice transported me to another world of bliss and intensity--the likes of which I had never know or imagined before.