Learn To Control Your Anger

This morning in Bhagavatam class we discussed anger and how to deal with it. This discussion was in the context of the description of Lord Boar speaking in such a way as to make Hiranyaksa angry. “The Personality of Godhead said: Indeed, We are creatures of the jungle, and we are searching after hunting dogs like you. One who is freed from the entanglement of death has no fear from the loose talk in which you are indulging,for you are bound up by the laws of death.” In this particular... Read more »

If You Desire Something Enough, The Universe Will Deliver It

There is a philosophy going around that if you desire something enough in a positive way, and you visualize it continually the universe will deliver the fruits of that desire. There are some instances depicted where a man really wants something like a new sports car and he meditates on it (don’t try this!), sees it in his minds eye, tries it out in his imagination, surrounds himself with picture of it, etc; and lo a behold this sports car manifests one day on the gross plane and he is able... Read more »

Dealing With Blame in ISKCON

Yesterday one devotee was commenting that on each level of ISKCON management we find devotees blaming the persons on the level just above them for their problems. That is if one is a cook in the temple for example, one will blame the temple commander, if one is the temple commander one will blame the vice president, the VP will blame the President, and the president will blame the GBC or guru. The standard way of dealing with this blaming situation (the one which leaders use now) is to say this indicates... Read more »

When Krishna Comes to this World and The Four Sinners-The Four Saints. Impersonalism vs. Personalism

In the Bhagavad-gita Krishna states that He comes to this world whenever there is a rise in religion and a decline in religion. He comes to re-establish religious principles, annihilate the miscreants, and protect the devotees.By the phrase “rise in irreligion,” Krishna indicates that irreligious activities such as meat eating, illicit sex, intoxication, gambling, and Godlessness in general are widespread. In the modern age, we not only find the majority of the populace performing these... Read more »

The Basics Of Wicca

First, let me give you my Basics of Wicca write-up, which is my own take on Wicca based on 13 years of practice. It will suggest a couple of truly informative books for you to read. Wicca is a very complex faith, which embraces widely varying practices and many different Traditions. The following, however, is what I consider to be “the basics”. Wicca is about 60 years old, with roots in Masonic practices, ceremonial magic, and the Romantic era’s ideas of classical religions. Its... Read more »

Why Krishna Consciousness Is Joyfully Performed

Last night we had a interesting discussion about austerities. My understanding is that Krishna consciousness is meant to be “joyfully performed.” In other words, whatever austerities that we may execute should be done joyfully or happily. For many this appears to be a tall order. There are different motivations that people have for performing austerities. Here are some of them that I can think of: Guilt, Fear (of getting smashed for not doing it), material goals (Hiranyakasipu type, desire... Read more »

Experience True Happiness Of The Self

Autonomy is an interesting concept. It is defined as: “independence or freedom, as of the will or one’s actions.” It is a basic need of the soul to be autonomous, which basically means the soul needs to be free to express itself. Outside of Krishna consciousness autonomy is not possible for the soul. Why is this? Krishna das Kaviraja Goswami explains this quite nicely in the Caitanya Caritamrta:”Because a devotee of Lord Krsna is desire less, he is peaceful. Fruitive workers... Read more »

Easter Basket Traditions and History

Easter baskets are a symbol of the holiday. What would Easter be without baskets filled to the brim with candy treats such as chocolates and jellybeans, all of these usually in the shape of an egg or a rabbit. In addition, these candies may be hidden in hollow plastic eggs in a variety of colors. If you were lucky, there would be Easter egg hunts where you could search for boiled, colored eggs or the plastic ones filled with chocolates of every conceivable shape and flavor. Have you ever considered... Read more »

Cosmic Ordering: The Secret Ingredient Revealed!

If you are having trouble making your cosmic dreams come true, maybe you need to add this secret ingredient into the mix. Without it, you may end up sabotaging the dreams you seek. Celebrity stories and press coverage of the successes of Cosmic Ordering can easily leave you with the impression that all you have to do is make a wish and voila! Your deepest desires immediately arrive as if by magic. However, this is not the whole story. The cosmos expects you to do your part too. “What? I hear... Read more »

The Secret of a Thankful Heart

So many times a door in life closes and we become angry, cursing our fate. We lose a job, our girlfriend or boyfriend leaves us, our house is virtually destroyed in a storm and we have to move. To The famous Roman orator, Cicero, who lived in the First Century, A. D., had this to say about attitude, “A thankful heart is not only the greatest Virtue, but the parent of all the other virtues.” At first glance, this is a puzzling little saying, but since Cicero is probably one of the world’s... Read more »