JAN 2011

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NIGHT OF KIRTAN Review by Roy from Encinitas Night of

Kirtan is a wonderful, joyous gathering for everyone! Led by simple, unassuming ashrama monks, the event provides a warm, informal and inviting atmosphere free from any dogmatic haughtiness.

Abundant cushions and chairs, soothing lighting, and refreshments are provided to make Night of Kirtan a comfortable, fun event.

The night opens with a sanctifying invocation of mantras to a small holy fire altar, reminiscent of old school Indian village gatherings, in which everyone is inspired to participate by the down-to-earth monks. This invocation dedicates the gathering as a yajña (sacrificial performance) for sankirtan (sacred group chanting), a practice referred to in the ancient texts of the Vedas. After this, the devotees,

musicians, monks, and everyone gather around with harmonium, mŗdungas (indian drums) and karatals (small hand cymbals), etc, and even sometimes a flute is brought in. Personally, I brought my own karatals.

Video and pictures of Krishna play on the wall and the marvelous old style singing and chanting begins. This is where everyone joins in. The main mantra is the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, the words to which are conveniently posted on the wall so you need no preparation.

Lead singers change several times and various melodies flow in and out spontaneously. If at times one finds a melody too slow or hard to follow, it soon changes to one that is easier or livelier. Also, interim breaks occur, in which a poetic monk I nicknamed “DJ Nectar” raps amazing little wisdoms from Sanskrit Vedic verses in English.

It is remarkable how the night develops. Before long everyone gets absorbed into a deep and easy meditative state.

“This is as cool as it gets!” you start to realize. You’re at the best gig in town, nothing touches this ultimate underground nectar, and there is no cover!

The night closes with a “rocking” inspired stand-up kirtan.

On the last night I went, everyone in the place was dancing and singing like crazy. It felt like the original stories of the start of the sankirtana movement 500 years ago in West Bengal, India where everyone was led by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and his associates.

I am completely convinced that if everyone joined into these simple parties they would wish to do so every night. You don’t know what true bliss is like until you have come to the Night of Kirtan! �

NIGHT OF KIRTAN

7pm-11pm 2nd Friday of every month KRISHNALOUNGE.com fest108@gmail.com 858.405.5465

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<(previous issue's cover)>

INTRO

ARE YOU MORE THAN GREEN, RIGHTEOUS, & DEAD?

By Jayadvaita Swami

Thirty years ago, no 16Rounds to Samadhi 16Rounds is published: ● To propagate spiritual knowledge and to educate all people in the techniques of spiritual life in order to check the imbalance of values in life and to achieve real unity and peace in the world. ● To bring people closer together for the purpose of teaching a simpler and more natural way of life. ● To expose the faults of materialism. ● To bring about the well-being of all living entities.

16Rounds is an independent magazine compiled, written, and published by a few Hare Krishna monks.

It is produced in an attempt to benefit its readers, for our own purification, and for the pleasure of our spiritual grandfather, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhakti­ vedanta Swami Prabhupada, the founder and spiritual guide of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON).

The first copy is free; additional copies of the same issue are $10 each. © 2010 16Rounds to Samadhi. All rights reserved.

16Rounds Staff:

one gave a damn. You could gum up a river with factory sludge, chop down rain forests wholesale, spray fluorocarbons into the air like a kid sprinkling confetti, and no one would say boo.

No longer. Grade-school kids want to grow up to be ecologists. New York tycoons sort their trash to recycle. Rock singers play concerts to save prairies and wetlands. Political candidates tell us they’re worried about the fate of the three-toed baboon.

Caring about the environment helps you feel good about yourself. At the supermarket you choose paper instead of plastic. You write your thank-you notes on cards made from ground-up newsprint and cotton waste. You chip in a few dollars for Greenpeace. Hey, you care about the earth. You’re a righteous human being.

Yet too often our concern for the earth lacks a metaphysical grounding. Intuitively, living in harmony with the earth feels right.

If the earth is the house we’re going to live in, why litter the rooms with beer cans or pee all over the carpet?

But in an ultimate sense, so what? If life is just a series of chemical reactions, what does it matter if the chemicals go messy? Species come and species go. Why get all mushy and teary-eyed if a few berserk bipeds wipe out some hundred thousand kinds of their neighbors? The earth may be our mother, but sooner or later she’s going to blow to atomic dusting powder anyway. And from a cosmic point of view that’s just a few mega-moments down the

Editor: Mahat Tattva Dasa Mahat has been a monk since 1995 and is currently serving as the president of the Hare Krishna temple in San Diego.

Assistant Editor & Layout: Giriraj Gopal Dasa Giriraj Gopal Dasa is a working artist and a bhakti-yoga teacher and practitioner.

Graphic Design: Alexander Shenkar Alexander majored in Philosophy at the University of Texas in Austin and is currently living as a monk at the San Diego temple.

The (re)cycle of birth & death. line. So why all the fuss?

You can say it’s for our children, it’s for future generations. But they’re also just a flash in eternity. Why bother for them?

Guardians of the green remind us urgently that dirtying and devouring the earth is short-sighted. But to be far-sighted we have to look beyond what seems clean, pleasant, and harmonious on a physical spot of earth on a brief ride through the universe. We have to ask ourselves not only how well we’re treating the earth but why we’re on it and where we are ultimately going.

Otherwise, though ecologically aware, we’re metaphysically dead. �

MEANING OF “16ROUNDS” CONTACT: We love to be in touch with our readers. Want to talk about stuff, discuss things, or even hang out?

Let us know.

16rounds@gmail.com www.16ROUNDS.com 1030 Grand Ave. San Diego, CA 92109 FaceBook facebook.com/16rounds ADVERTISE Call Mahat at #858.405.5465.

See media/advertising kit at www.16rounds.com/advertise

Yoga is a Sanskrit word that means “union” or “linking.”

Meditation is a process of yoga by which the spiritual practitioner achieves union with the Divine. The recommended process of meditation for the age we are currently living in is mantra meditation. This process involves chanting of mantras. The Upanishads, the classical spiritual texts of ancient India, say that the best mantra is the Hare Krishna mantra: hare krishna hare krishna krishna krishna hare hare hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare.

A “Mala” is a set of 108 beads strung on a thread, sort of like a rosary. The spiritual practitioner prayerfully and with great concentration recites/chants the whole mantra once for each bead of the mala. The mala or the string of beads is held in the fist of the right hand and is meant to help us count how many times we chanted the mantra.

It also helps engage the sense of touch in the process of meditation. Once we have chanted the mantra 108 times, or once for each bead, we have completed “one round.”

Serious practitioners of this spiritual discipline take a vow to chant at least sixteen times round the mala every day; thus the name “16 Rounds.”

Photo Credits #1(flickr.com/79805619) #2(flickr.com/3821120232) #4(flickr.com/3205519237) #5(flickr.com/artofdreaming) #6(flickr.com/ccdoh1) #7(flickr.com/h-k-d) #8(flickr.com/anotherphotograph) #9(flickr.com/mgerskup) #10(flickr.com/ricardodiaz) #11(flickr.com/headache) #12(flickr.com/soldiersmediacenter) #14(flickr.com/marketing-deluxe) #15(flickr.com/hannap) #16(flickr.com/hpnadig) #17(flickr.com/30003321@N00) #18(flickr.com/ffreakazzoid) #19(The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International)

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SOCIETY

INDUSTRIALIZATION CREATES A HYSTERICAL POPULATION The Ethics of Modern America

By Giriraj Gopal Dasa

While it is

true that our modern society has come a long way in securing certain material comforts, we have to ask ourselves the real questions.

Have any of these material advancements like gigantic industry, gerontology, and other so-called advancements within human culture or science produced any actual advancement of happiness and wellbeing? Does our investment of time and energy in the production and marketing of artificial necessities truly allow us a life of liberty and increased freedom? Does the scientific achievement of say producing breast implants for cosmetic reasons constitute real progress in human society, especially if it is considered a more desirable asset than an inalienable asset such as self-contentment? If not, what are the ethical implications of selling such products and using psychologist-researched marketing techniques to instill some sense of stature into an impressionable young female consumer? Isn’t this actually nothing other than a highly invested attempt to superimpose a non-essential necessity of life on a particular individual in order to increase the capital of the corporate entity itself at the expense of an ignorant, despondent, and highly-distracted-by-entertainment public?

In the simple and profound writings of the world renowned Vedic scholar, spiritual leader, and critic of America’s postmodern materialistic value system, Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, in 1964 wrote:

If the human civilization has sufficient grains, minerals, jewels, water, milk, etc., then why should it hanker after terrible industrial enterprises at the cost of the labor of some unfortunate people? Human prosperity flourishes by natural gifts and not by gigantic industrial enterprises. The gigantic industrial enterprises are products of a godless civilization, and they cause the destruction of the noble aims of human life. The more we go on increasing such troublesome industries to squeeze out the vital energy of the human being, the more there will be unrest and dissatisfaction of the people in general, although a few only can live lavishly by exploitation. (Srimad-Bhagavatam

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©#1

Isn’t this actually none other than a highly invested attempt to superimpose a non-essential necessity of life on a particular individual in order to increase the capital of the corporate entity itself at the expense of an ignorant, despondent, and highly-distracted-by-entertainment public?

1.8.40).

Swami Bhaktivedanta is stating that if by observation we can see that nature already contains within it the sufficient necessities for the proper maintenance of

all biological life on this planet, then why should mankind create so much painstaking troubling to create a gigantic industry for producing and acquiring so many varieties of useless commodities? A single society which consumes a major portion

of the world’s resources to maintain a small portion’s spendthrift and hedonistic lifestyle is not a social model capable of sustaining itself, what to speak of the sustention of the entire planet. Today, 72% of the U.S. economy is devoted to consump-

SOCIETY tion as opposed to production, representing the largest percentage in the world (Pruett, 2009). Thus, the current system is simply there just to provide for a small percentage of the population’s lavish and profligate personal sense-gratification.

Without a doubt, an industrialized capitalist economy by its very nature encourages people to accept the philosophy of materialism. Take television for example. It is reported that millions of young viewers are exposed to tens of thousands of commercials each year, and many researchers suggest that beyond the promotional messages that are including in such advertising, the promotion of consumption itself is foremost (Twitchell, 1999). It could be easy to see why money and consumption become status symbols in an industrial society. They send a constant and clear message to all of its viewers that material goods and happiness are indefinitely related (Postman, 1988). Remember, in an industrialized culture, labor becomes less of a factor in production. Thus gigantic corporations who own ungodly and indecent industrial complexes are able to easily inflate the needs of a consumer, meanwhile advertising and media outlets bring the whole show to life by promoting that the acquisition of such products are the new status-quo for a happy life here on Earth.

This idea alone wouldn’t be a problem if it weren’t for the fact that human beings cannot be satisfied with alienable goods alone. The very reason the country was started was to pursue quintessential inalienable assets, such as freedom in the pursuance of happiness along with the right to personal prosperity. Not only are such things essential for humanity, but without them, alienable goods seem like nothing in comparison. No one

in the history of the world was satisfied with alienable, material possessions alone.

Murray N. Rothbard in his book, Man, Economy, and State with Power and Market states:

No one denies that there are nonmarketable, nonexchangeable goods (such as friendship, love, and religion) and that many men value these goods very highly.

They must constantly choose how to allocate their resources between exchangeable and nonexchangeable goods (Rothbard, 2004).

Time in human life is limited indeed, and as one fa-

claims to offer more freedom, people end up spending less time at home and more time at work than a traditional agriculture-based social structure. Rothbard therefore brings up a really interesting point when he says that we all must choose how to best allocate our energy and resources, including time, between the tangible and the intangible things of this world. It is obvious to any sane person that the greatest human needs are inalienable goods, otherwise what need was there for so many declarations of independence over the course of human history. The original socio-religious concepts of the New America, and many other

ism are cutting themselves off from the real goal of human life, they may begin to feel that in order to have stature in such a materialistic society they too must also come to acquire such non-essential luxuries of life, things such as cosmetic breast implants, boy-band CD’s, sports cars, strip clubs, children’s plastic toys, feature films, fast-food restaurants, artificially flavored soda drinks, lipstick, high heels, video games, etc. You get the idea.

Of course, to continuously increase the artificial needs of the human being, in order to fill the inner void that results from not living with a definite purpose in the world, is the essence of the materialistic philosophy.

The materialistic philosophy inculcates that acquisition of matter is the highest public and private value both individually and internationally, and places the value of such acquisition over the moral and ethical pursuit of happiness. Thus, the ethics and ideology of materialism prove to be the one true enemy of social harmony and individual progress.

In a carnal-driven and materialistic culture, everything becomes capital and personal value gets measured by money. The ethical and moral considerations in an individual’s quest for pleasure at best become second place in regards to their behavior and relationships with others.

Many imbalances are popping up, due to a more vested interest into the hyper-materialistic value system.

The National Institute of Mental Illness Statistics reports that in 2009: mous historical Indian philosopher and socio-reformer, Chanakya Pundit, wrote, “Time itself becomes one of man’s most valuable resources, so valuable that millions of gold coins cannot even purchase it.” This is very interesting, because rarely do we think of time as a resource in an industrialized s o c i e t y.

The irony is that although the industrial society

fund a mental religious cultures of the ©#2 whole, is that life becomes prosperous automatically when we use our energy to ethically pursue inalienable goods like religious freedom, love, and happiness, without creating more artificial needs to add further to the burden and suffering of mankind.

So, from the point of view of the history of the world, this brand new industrial culture and its ideology comes along and through its increased production, advertising and sales, sways a large number of people to place their hope and aims into succeeding in the “acquisition-of-material-assets” game. This game requires that the society adopt a certain mindset to stay afloat- the consumer-unit mindset. Besides the fact that people who are swayed by the philosophy of material-

Mental disorders are common in the United States and internationally. An estimated 26.2 percent of Americans ages 18 and older — about one in four adults — suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year. When applied to the 2004 U.S. Census residential population estimate for ages 18 and older, this figure translates to 57.7 million people. Even though mental disorders are widespread in the population, the main burden of illness is concentrated in a much smaller proportion — about 6 percent, or 1 in 17 — who suffer from a serious mental illness.

People are not able to cope with the fast paced and superficially imposed pressures of modern life, despite having so much materialistic advancement. So many young people are not able to cope with the rejection and the pressure that comes from living within a money and body worshiping society. Everything is for sale here in such a culture, especially the female image.

A very recent report of the American Psychological Association found evi-

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SOCIETY system and lifestyle to see if it is heading in a truly moral and ethical pursuit of happiness. In other words, as soon as we put monetary gain above the spirit and principle of life itself, we stand at the verge of our own destruction. Rather, when we use all resources simply as a medium to achieve a greater sense of unity with the diversity of our world, it is at this moment we will experience the true satisfaction that human life was meant to offer. � References:

American Psychological Association,Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls. (2007).

Report of the APA Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls.Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Retrieved from www.apa.org/pi/wpo/sexualization.html Bhaktivedanta Swami , A. (1964). Srimad Bhagavatam. (Vol. Canto 1). Los Angeles: Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.

Edin, K. and Kefalas, M. (2005). Promises I can keep: Why poor women put motherhood before marriage. Berkley, CA: University of California Press

©#4

Mental disorders are common in the United States and internationally.

An estimated 26.2 percent of Americans ages 18 and older — about one in four adults suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year. dence that the sexualized images of girls and young women in advertising, merchandising, and media is harmful to girls' self-image and healthy development. To complete the report, the APA Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls studied published research on the content and effects of virtually every form of media, including television, music videos, music lyrics, magazines, movies, video games and the Internet. They also examined recent advertising campaigns and merchandising of products aimed toward girls. (American Psychological Association, 2007) It was the second industrial revolution which eventually changed and broke down the traditional extended family, leading to the modern day nuclear family.

Women had high-labor market participation during World War II, because women had to take up jobs to support their family and keep their local economy on track.

Many women dropped out of the labor

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force when the men returned home from war to raise children born in the generation of the baby boomers. In the late 1960s when women began entering the labor force in record numbers, they were entering in addition to all of the men, as opposed to substituting for men during the war. This dynamic shift from the one-earner household to the two-earner household dramatically changed the socioeconomic class system of this country (Edin & Kefalas, 2005).

In addition to this point, many recent studies have shown that people who live together as an extended family occasionally feel a greater security and belonging than the nuclear family model of modern America (Pillitteri, 2009). There are advantages of extended type of family because this family contains more people to serve as resources during crisis and provides more role models for behavioral values. The disadvantage of living in an

extended type of family is that they have to bear more expenses for their combined needs. Though, we can also see how this extended family model suits the agriculturally based society nicely, because people find more pleasure and security in family relations alone and don’t have to seek fulfillment in the cold impersonal acquisition of plastic and or the individualistic search for meaning through petty and obscure personal achievement.

Leo Tolstoy once wrote about a transition in his life when he began to question everything, despite his great success. Following Tolstoy’s example, imagine that you possess great material abundance such as exorbitant wealth, fame, vast knowledge, and dazzling beauty. Now ask yourself, are any of these things worth it if there is not some loved one with which to share it?

In conclusion, we as Americans should continue to re-evaluate our current value

Das, Mahat-tattva. (2010). What The Heck Is Wrong With Materialism. Retrieved August 26, 2010 from 16Rounds.com: http://www.16rounds. com/2010/04/what-the-heck-is-wrongwith-materialism/ Pillitteri, A. (2009). Maternal and Child Health Nursing: Care of the Childbearing and Childrearing Family. Baltimore, MD: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Postman, N. (1988). Conscientious objections: Stirring up trouble about language, technology, and education. New York: Knopf, 1988.

Preston, P. (2001). Six million and Counting. The Observer (guardian.co.uk).

Retrieved June 14, 2001.

Pruett , J. (2009). The Consumption of Status and Signs. Retrieved August 15, 2010 from Knol: a unit of knowledge: http://knol.google.com/k/the-consumption-of-status-and-signs.

Rothbard, M. (2004) Man, Economy, and State with Power and Market: Scholar's Edition. Ludwig von Mises Institute: Alabama, The National Institute of Mental Illness (2009). Statistics. Retrieved August 08, 2010 from August 06, 2009.: http:// www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/statistics/index.shtml

Twitchell, James B. (1999). Lead us Into Temptation: The Triumph of American Materialism. Columbia University Press

READER

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SELF REALIZATION

©#6 ©#5

CONSISTENCY That is a Good Thing

It seems that a serious seeker of the truth would always be searching for more explanations of the intricacies of reality to fill in any missing pieces in his or her life paradigm.

By Ryan Hazlett

As human

beings, we all have philosophies that guide us in our lives. Generally, people believe that life came from God/a supreme force or slowly evolved from primordial slime. Whatever we believe it seems to me that our philosophies on life should be consistent and without obvious contradictions. It seems that a serious seeker of the truth would always be searching for more explanations of the intricacies of reality to fill in any missing pieces in his or her life paradigm.

For example, I would like a mainstream empiric scientist, that is a scientist who searches after the truth by using one’s own senses or machines that enhance the senses, to show me documented evidence of consciousness. No one has ever cut

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open a human body and said “Wow this guy’s consciousness is really swollen and inflamed”.

The fact is that consciousness is a metaphysical concept, meaning that it is beyond the measurable physical realm. Human rights are also not detectable or measurable by any empiric scientific method or high tech gadget, but everyone agrees that humans have them. So if everyone believes in consciousness and human rights, which are beyond the measurable realm of empiric science, then everyone therefore believes in metaphysics. Also, I don’t think anyone would say that science has discovered all there is to discover, so it logically follows that there are aspects of reality, maybe major aspects of reality, that the scientists are currently completely unaware of. So, if everyone agrees that things do exist that are outside the realm of current science,

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then why not metaphysical spiritual realms? Is it really rational to say that things like ghosts, angels, rain gods, Atlantis, levitating yogis, or smirfs definitely don’t exist simply because we have not yet detected them?

I am also curious why there is a widespread belief that humans have rights, but animals and plants have less or no rights.

Why is it philosophically ok to slaughter millions of highly conscious animals like cows and pigs, but if I rounded up and killed 100 dogs I would go to jail (It’s because dogs aren’t delicious.). Why is it not ok to murder people, but it’s ok to mow down millions of acres of the world’s forests killing or turning into refugees countless forest dwelling animals. In the forest lots of cute, fluffy baby bunny rabbits live. And what about the widdle baby dear? Where will they go if we cut down the for-

est?

In western society, these days, it’s acceptable to present the western empirical scientific view of reality, but not any other.

For example, a college professor can say that life definitely came about by random chance, but it’s not ok to suggest that the god Zeus could be in charge of the weather, or make any other religious based claim. To me it seems more philosophically consistent to teach that the empiric scientists have their theories about reality and different spiritual or religious traditions have other ideas. Why should our educational system be biased towards current scientific dogma when most people in the world have some kind of a religious or spiritual orientation (a 2009 Gallop poll finds that only 39% of Americans believe in evolution)? It is pure arrogance on the part of the scientists to think that their dogmas should be ex-

©#7

clusively taught in schools, but that the various religious dogmas of the world can’t be offered as being possibly legitimate alternatives to current scientific theories.

One problem with the mainstream scientific paradigm is the dreaded, headache causing problem of “infinite regress”.

To give an example of this phenomenon, if life was started by random occurrence then what was the origin of this random occurrence? Even randomness must have an origin, right? And what is the origin of the origin of randomness, and so on and so on. Or if a person says “I exist”, I could ask “How do you know?” If they said “Because I can think and feel” I could say “How do you know that you are not just hallucinating what you are thinking and feeling?” They might say “Well, I just know” and I could say “How do you know?”

This asking “how” or “why”

SELF REALIZATION

The Words of Great American Sages "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines" - Ralph Waldo Emerson "Consistency is the foundation of virtue."

- Francis Bacon ©#9

If everyone believes in consciousness and human rights, then everyone should believe in metaphysics. could go on forever and is called infinite regress. If one believes in logic and sense perception only, then there will always be the problem of infinite regress and everything will always require further explanation, thus leaving everything unexplained. The problem of infinite regress is only solved when one accepts a supreme, self-evident, eternal source of everything that has no origin. By definition this supreme cause of all causes is metaphysical because it is eternal and is the source of all physical laws. It is therefore more powerful than all physical laws put together. Because it is eternally beyond and not affected by the laws of science it is therefore metaphysical.

In conclusion I would like to say that blind faith, that is faith without deep

thought, is not very intelligent. However, blind doubt is equally silly. If we accept that the scientists haven’t discovered everything, then logically we must accept the possibility that metaphysical or spiritual realities could exist. If we don’t accept that the source of the whole universe and everything in it is spiritual/metaphysical, then we can never solve the problem of infinite regress. Also, it seems like a good idea to keep an open mind in life in general; that is of course unless one already knows everything. �

"Without consistency there is no moral strength."

- Owen • • •

empirical [ em'pirik�l ] adjective

based on sensual observation or experience rather than theory or logic

Pan Asian Vegetarian food 100% VEGETARIAN www.cafejaysd.com Catering Service. Party Tray.

Hours: Mon-Fri 10am - 8pm | Ph#: 858-558-8598 In Sorrento Valley food court (by Qualcomm)

©#8

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COVER STORY

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COVER STORY

WICKED LEAKS A Cannibal Culture Autopsy Perhaps you've noticed the photo fudging phenomena while browsing your friend's Facebook profile albums. A classic sign of fudging is the raging trend among the ladies to press the lips together and to then push them out, in a way reminiscent of Paris Hilton or the socioeconomic elite class who can afford lip implants.

By Alexander Shenkar

No matter

how well you might think you know the territory, if you walk into a dark room without flipping on the light switch then you're quite likely to bang your head against the bed post or step onto some sharp unpleasantries. Yet often we proceed to do just that: not bother to flip on the intelligence and instead resort to the use of imagination to navigate the landscape of life. Invariably this is a recipe for a rude awakening or what is more frequently the case, a reason to hit the snooze button. In our day to day encounters with the world we come into contact with people and must present ourselves, but if we don't know who we are then who is the person we present? It's the false ego. The false ego is doomed for constant challenges because it goes against the grain of reality. So when information contrary to the false ego clobbers us over the head, we can do two things: realize that we're in the dark and look for the light source, or send the object linked with the pain out the window - in other words, we can try and fail to shape reality according to our whims. In such way we haphazard into great misery because what we think is merely a flung object sometimes turns out to be a person, and instead of sending him out the window the United States military puts a bullet through his head.

Š#10

Consider this scenario: An email message appears in your inbox with the subject, "Steve Reynolds tagged a photo of you on Facebook." You take a deep breath only to discover that your friends Billy and Holly commented on the tagged photos before you even had the chance to review them. You log into the Facebook, click on the crimson notification box, and follow the photo link.

Slowly the image loads. Damn it! Just what you had been afraid of seeing: an amateur

photographer snapping shots at the wrong moments and in an awkward lighting. I don't really have the double chin, you think to yourself.

And why do the camera flashes have the annoying habit of adding extra volume in all the wrong places? I'm only a quarter Jew, not an Orthodox.

In the comment box you start writing, "Jesus... Thank GOD we are souls within a material body," but on a second thought you place the cursor over the "remove tag" link and click, letting out a deep sigh of relief while simultaneously hoping and praying that none of your three hundred and sixty seven friends noticed the photo in their activity stream, particularly that one friend whose attention you wish to attract.

Sounds familiar? If you can't quite relate, then perhaps you have noticed the photo fudging phenomena while browsing your friend's Facebook profile albums.

A classic sign of fudging is the raging trend among the ladies to press the lips together and then push them out, in a way reminiscent of Paris Hilton or the socio-economic elite class who can afford lip implants. The fudge is then traditionally sauced up with unusually wide eyes and a carefully angled cheekbone, positioned to present the preferred side of the face. Depending on your particular situation, fat girls shoot their photos from above and crop at the neck to avoid unsightly traces of their midnight love affairs with the refrigerator. Fat boys show their photos from five years ago or from afar, and if they've lost all decency then you'll see them sitting in front of a greasy steak or gripping a pint of brewsky to illustrate a story along the lines of, "I may be fat and unwholesome, but at least I know how to have a good time.

Go Cowboys!" The physically unattractive bodied people who are loaded with money

Julian Assange: Information activisit and WikiLeaks founder. will wear designer clothing while sitting in a Mercedes Benz or whichever vehicle they associate with strength, beauty, and vigor. If you doubt, just take a look and observe for yourself these strange days when breasts aren't for feeding infants any longer. If you got 'em and you know it, all of your friends will know it too. The better friends will comment how much they'd like to have sex with you. In exchange you will thank them and out of politeness return the favor, even if their body induces you to vomit.

These observations are not meant to be out of condemnation or praise. If they seem uncharitable and cruel to the people and their struggles, it's only due to the fact that an overwhelming majority of the people are in the dark and subscribe to a materialistic concept of life. A person who identifies with the body automatically makes the foolish choice of being judged in terms of the body.

Since the body is irrevocably destined to suffer the ravages of old age and disease, it follows then that to accept oneself as the body

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COVER STORY

is also to accept great misery. Clearly the body passes through the natural phase of youth, middle age, and then old age.

So if a person identifies with the looks of the youthful body, then what will happen when the person transitions into middle age? Endure what's called a midlife crisis?

Therefore, the intelligent person does not identify with the body. Yet, in defiance of all logic, nearsightedness is the stuff that the American culture thrives on. The people who at first bask in the glow of adulation for their physical beauty or talents are also the ones to suffer the nightmare of turning into a boney witch stirring the cauldron of times gone by. One such example is Michael Jackson who at the peak of his career was hailed as the King of Pop but then quickly declined into the infamy as Jacko the Wacko. Despite all efforts to avert the effects of time, not even the Beverly Hills plastic surgeons could restore Jackson's looks. Yet, like a desperate person who keeps digging his grave further, Jackson continued to thrill us until his nose was history. Now this legendary sex symbol is nothing but a sticky pool of goo which the public was all too eager to sweep six feet under.

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At the heart of the materialistic concept of the self is accepting the enjoyment of the bodily senses as the ultimate goal of life. Such a paradigm strips people of an intrinsic value and measures their worth in terms of the sensual excitation produced when the bodily senses come into contact with the dehumanized objects of desire. A materialistic person knows no limit for the desire to acquire the means by which they can control these objects: money! That is unlimited. He thinks only of how much assets he has now and schemes to increase that stock of wealth further and further. For that reason, he does not hesitate to act in any way and deals in the black market. He is enamored by the possessions he has already, such as land, family, house and bank balance, and he is always planning to improve them. Such a demoniac person thinks: "I am Tiger Woods, the most successful Af-

rican American athlete in the world.

So much wealth and fame do I have today, and I will acquire more according to my personal fitness and training regime. So many Grand Slam titles I have won, and I will increase the number, more and more. I am black, powerful, and happy. Watch me drive the golf ball 300+ yards. I am the Mac Daddy, king of the streetwalkers, master of the tricks and hoes. So many porn stars I have torn to shreds and so many more of the BunnyRanch hookers I will enjoy."

Unfortunately for Tiger and the materialistic bunch, the happiness derived from the contact of the senses with the objects is like nectar at first that turns into poison at the end. Simply put, the false ego is unsustainable and sooner or later reality will clobber the materialist over the head with the hammers of karmic reaction. The Bhagavad-gita outlines the course of events as follows: "While contemplating the objects of the senses, a person develops attachment for them, and from such attachment lust develops, and from lust anger arises. From anger, complete delusion arises, and from delusion bewilderment of memory." After the bombshell discovery of the serial philandering, every effort was made in the Tiger's legal camp to put a lid on the propagation of the allegations and to root them out of the public's memory. As part of the divorce settlement deal with his former wife, Tiger paid a whopping 110 million dollars to gag the raunchy details.

No book deals, no radio, no television interviews. Effectively, Elin Nordegren's lips were bribed shut.

Monetary incentive is just one of the many ways to avert an information crisis - that is, to toss the inconvenient information out the window. In the instance of Rush Limbaugh, the radio show host who was caught doctor shopping for Oxycontin while at the same time telling his listeners "if people are violating the law by doing drugs, they ought to be accused and they ought to be convicted" - it was

due to the doctor-patient confidentiality agreement that the investigators had to put a stop to shedding light on Limbaugh's crimes. Remember LewinskyGate and the moral appeal by the Bill Clinton supporters that the President of the United States receiving oral sex at the White House is a private family business that is not subject to the public's scrutiny? Just another information dampening ploy. "Whatever happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas." Oh really? When an image of your body is tagged on Facebook and you remove the tag, you are equally guilty of manipulating information in a vain attempt to preserve the false ego. Face it, the body is nasty and the ego is a bubble waiting to burst. But just like a camel who chews on thorns and thinks himself to be enjoying what is actually the taste of his own blood, the materialist proceeds to convert this hell into paradise with the touchstone of selective hearing and seeing. Whether the reason to custom tailor the truth is on the grounds of morality, legality, or a botched photography job, just remember this: Materialism is predicated on a lie.

These seeds of self-delusion spawn on the individual level and reach all the way up to wreak havoc on the international level. A so-called American patriot thumps his swollen chest with pride and mythologizes the grandeur of the United States to cosmic proportions. He thinks, "So much wealth do we have today, and with the two-year extension of the Bushera tax cuts we will stimulate the economy. So many countries depend on our

COVER STORY The soldiers cheer, "All right, hahaha, I hit [shot] 'em... Oh, yeah, look at these dead bastards. Nice." They compliment each other: "Good shooting. Thank you." But the celebration is premature. Namir isn't dead yet; he's crawling on the curb soaking in blood. prosperity, and the number will increase in the future, more and more. The terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan are our enemy which we have killed, and our other enemies in Iran will also be killed. We are the most powerful nation on the face of the earth. Our military is second to none.

Our democracy may not be perfect but it's the best form of government that exists.

We are the best there is and will ever be.

There is no one as powerful and happy as us. We shall perform philanthropy.

We shall give some charity to the United Nations to feed the African children, and thus we shall rejoice, not even asking for so much as a thank you." In this way, the United States is deluded by the darkness of ignorance.

So, ruled by the bodily senses and attachments to false prestige, the materialist see foreign nations in terms of the economic benefits and elect a government that can pursue this agenda. This appetite for luxuries has made much headway since the simple days of "a chicken in every pot (ewww, yuck) and a car in every garage." Now it calls for a four bedroom house at an exclusive suburb, a family minivan and a recreational vehicle for the tennis lessons on weekends; and at the peak of perfection one must have more of everything than the next door neighbor.

Of course, the next door neighbor, taking note of his friend's luxuries on Facebook, pursues the exact same plan and escalates the need for natural resources, cheap labor, and the urge to plunder abroad. So, much in the same spirit of a rapist who succumbs to the bodily temptations and molest a child claiming that the child wanted the sex and in fact seduced him, the American government succumbs to the consumerism urges and proceeds to initiate preemptive wars on the trumped up charges of weapons of mass destruction and other baseless national security nonsense.

To illustrate how far down the road of dehumanization the material concept of life can take us, let's picture the following scenario: Through the crosshair of a helicopter video camera you see two Reuters News employees, Namir Noor-Eldeen, 22, and driver Saeed Chmagh, 40. Namir is from a family of journalists and is considered one of the best war photographers in Iraq. The reporters are carrying cam-

like

era equipment and in the background you can hear a pilot say, "Hotel Two-Six; have eyes on individual with RPG. Getting ready to fire." Then, "Light 'em all up. Come on, fire!" Clouds of dust puff up and the reporters jump aside as the bullets roar across the ground. Saeed is running towards a building while a stream of bullets follows him. Then, a direct hit.

The soldiers cheer, "All right, hahaha, I hit [shot] 'em... Oh, yeah, look at these dead bastards. Nice." They compliment each other: "Good shooting. Thank you." But the celebration is premature. Namir isn't dead yet; he's crawling on the curb soaking in blood. Eager to pull the trigger, the soldiers pray: "Come on buddy. All you got to do is pick up a weapon." The prayer is answered, a van pulls up and the driver runs out to help the wounded man. "We have a black SUV-uh Bongo truck [van] picking up the bodies. Request permission to engage." The soldiers fire. "Oh yeah, look at that. Right through the windshield!" Inside the van are two children. Both of the children are injured and their father is shot dead. The soldiers respond, "Well it's their fault for bringing their kids into a battle. That's right."

The events described are real. Thanks to Julian Assange, the person behind the whistle blowing website WikiLeaks, you can see for yourself the video that the United States government tried to hide from you. Go to www.collateralmurder. org and look at what the U.S military is doing on your behalf. On the morning of July 12, 2007, two Apache AH-64 helicopters using 30mm cannons killed about a dozen people in the Iraqi suburb of New Baghdad. As you watch the video, keep in mind that the U.S. military claims that all of the dead were "anti-Iraqi forces" or "insurgents." What's more, the authorities have concluded that the actions of the soldiers and pilots involved were in accordance with the law of armed conflict and the Rules of Engagement. One can only speculate how the events would have unfolded differently if the black van in Baghdad was replaced with the fortified motorcade rolling down the Pennsylvania Avenue and the names of the two girls inside were Sasha and Malia. Perhaps the soldiers behind the canons would hesitate to fire. Perhaps we wouldn't see people run for life while the soldiers laugh. Apparently, the value of one person's life is

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deemed to be greater than another. Such duplicity can only be reconciled by using an illusory set of vocabulary such as "American" vs. "Foreign" and so on. You see, there is no just reason for brute materialism - the blood of both Iraqis and Americans is equally red. If you were stranded on a desert island with Barack Obama and there was nothing left to eat, guess what? Chances are great that overcome with the urge to eat, he will look at you with that ravenous glaze in his eyes

some chicken tenders and then justify reaching for the fork and knife with all the arguments befitting a Harvard Law graduate.

In response to WikiLeaks release of information, the Secretary of State Hilary Clinton said, "There is nothing laudable about endangering innocent people and there is nothing brave about sabotaging the peaceful relations between nations on which our common security depends."

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COVER STORY The people Hillary was referring to are not the murdered Iraqis but the American soldiers who committed the crimes of war. Clearly, the disinformation covers have been lifted and the people in charge are furious. They don't have the Facebook delete tag button to press, no one to bribe shut, no patient-doctor confidentiality agreement to hide under, no way to suppress the release of this damning information - at least not for the time being, but they're feverishly working towards that end. According to Robert Gibbs, the White House Press Secretary, "We are looking at a whole host of things and I would not rule anything out." This means they're planning to play dirty. Already caving in under the pressure, companies like Amazon, Paypal, Visa, and Mastercard pulled out services and shut down accounts used by WikiLeaks. Web companies that direct traffic to WikiLeaks are shaking at the knees and are being subjected to constant denial of service attacks. Getting right to the point, Democrat Bob Beckel said, "A dead man

"There is nothing laudable about endangering innocent people and there is nothing brave about sabotaging the peaceful relations between nations on which our common security depends." -Hillary Clinton can't leak stuff... there's only one way to do it: illegally shoot the son of a bitch."

Though still alive, Assange is now being charged on allegations of sex abuse, a move closely resembling a smear campaign tactic. Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more, the U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bill that proposes to block FCC's net neutrality plan, meaning they want to tie a noose around the people's ability to freely disseminate information on the internet.

Seeing this turn of events, an intelligent person must seriously consider whether U.S. government is taking advice from Joseph Goebbels, Hitler's Master of Propaganda, who said: "If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State." What is the U.S government trying to hide from you? If the people elect the government to act as their representatives then shouldn't the government activities be transparent? Who were the American soldiers

representing when they murdered the Reuters reports? How can anyone accept Espionage charges against WikiLeaks when the American government broke the espionage laws themselves by spying on the UN figures so as to collect information such as DNA, fingerprints, credit card numbers, and iris scans? We've been deceived. Our democracy is hypocrisy. We're being force-fed a lie. America, Wake up!

How can Americans murder the innocent? Assange gives two reason, "One, because it's fun to kill people. If you are in that environment, removed from all the effects of killing people all the time, it's like a video game in high school. The other [reason] is that they brag after a killing streak about the number of people they've killed. They go back to the base and say, hey, I've killed thirteen today."

Stop and consider. Log into Facebook and to see for yourself the bragging. In a friend's profile picture a piece of a breast fills the bottom half and at the top her tongue curls up. The status update reads, "is thankful for boys' linuses." Another one says, "This is me, thinking of smug things to say at you." A girl posts some carefully selected images and impatiently waits for the compliments. Score! Someone comments, "bump, bump, bump."

And a second later she replies with a smile: ;-) What is this nonsense if not an overt display of a person being judged in terms of their ability to stimulate the senses? Is it really

30 mm bullet. Reuters News employers, Namir Noor-Eldeen, 22, and Saeed Chmagh, 40, were shot with such bullets. Look how big that is. surprising that after having extinguished the person, the American soldiers see the Iraqis non-different from an enemy character on Call of Duty? We are but a shadow of ourselves, walking in the dark.

The injustice committed abroad begins with injustice on you. You, who are you?

How many people have you killed today?

Walking in the dark, you slip on a puddle and fall flat on your back. Streams of blood cover your face while the world appears as if viewed through some rose colored glasses. A pattern of galaxies swarm the sky, and you think, "Gee, I want to be a star too, one day." America, wake up. Suicide is on your hands. Enough with the snooze button. ďż˝

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NATURAL LIVING

AYURVEDA

Ancient Science

Ayurveda is an ancient science of health, originating in India, which incorporates the healing of body, mind, and spirit. In the Sanskrit language, Ayur means life, and Veda means knowledge. Ayurveda is thus the science or knowledge of life.

By Sara Bock

According to

Ayurveda, we are spiritual beings having an earthly experience. Disease of the body and mind originate from misidentifying ourselves with matter. Healing thus occurs on the spiritual level as well as physically and mentally. Ultimate healing occurs when we reach a state of selfrealization, attaining liberation from past karmic actions and awakening to our true spiritual identities.

Why does misidentification with matter lead to illness and disease? When we identify too strongly with matter, we look to material objects for satisfaction and may overindulge in bodily pleasures.

Such overindulgences can lead to illness, as the

physical body is meant to be nicely maintained, not extravagantly enjoyed. For example, we may stay up too late drinking alcohol or watching tv, eat too much cheesecake because it tastes good, or keep a job that causes us stress and strain because we want more money. We may exercise too much to achieve society’s ideal of a perfect body, or too little due to lack of motivation. When we identify ourselves with spirit on the other hand, we recognize the value of our bodies as important vehicles for cultivating spiritual practice, and therefore care for them nicely to maintain good health, rather than looking to our bodies as a source of pleasure. We then experience inner peace, no longer looking to bodily pleasures for happiness, and are better able to maintain good health, living less extravagantly and sensually, and with more wisdom.

There are three main causes of disease according to Ayurveda. One cause of disease is living out of harmony with our nature, or taking in objects with our senses that are not natural or conducive to good health.

Each person has a unique physical and mental constitution, and needs to live accordingly to keep good health. For example, some people need to be very physically active, others are musically inclined, and others intellectually inclined. Each person should follow his/her unique nature and take objects into the consciousness that a r e h a r moni-

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ous and healthy. Spending time in nature for example, is harmonious to our bodies, whereas watching too much tv or taking in artificial sources of pleasure is not in harmony with our nature and can lead to imbalance or illness.

A second cause of disease according to Ayurveda is called prajnaparadha, or not following our higher wisdom. For example, we may know that we should eat

a well-balanced and healthy diet, but instead of listening to that wisdom we may indulge in fast food – this would be prajnaparadha. We may know for example, that spending two hours driving in traffic to get to work each day is stressful, yet may avoid searching for work closer to home because we prioritize our work over our own personal health. In some cases driving far for work may be neces-

Misidentification with matter leads to illness and disease. When we identify too strongly with matter, we look to material objects for satisfaction and may overindulge in bodily pleasures which can lead to illness, as the physical body is meant to be nicely maintained, not extravagantly enjoyed.

NATURAL LIVING teaches the individual self-care which can be preventative of future disease.

AYURVEDIC TIPS

Some basic Ayurveda health tips you can start to take into practice to keep your life in balance are as follows:

Start the day with a morning routine – try to wake before sunrise or as early as is practical for you. Do some morning meditation or yoga to start your day off right.

In the Hare Krishna practice, we start the day by chanting the Hare Krishna mahamantra. If you feel anxious or ungrounded, you can also massage your body in the morning with oil before showering, the process which is called abhyanga (Ayurvedic oil massage). Check with an Ayurvedic practitioner which oil is right for your body type.

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Ayurveda aims to find and treat the root of illness, rather than just treating external symptoms, recognizing that a symptom is an external manifestation of a deeper imbalance. sary, but this example refers to situations where the drive is causing undue stress in one’s life.

A third cause of disease is parinama – decay due to time and motion. As we age, our bodies and minds naturally decay, however the more of a fast paced life we live, the faster this aging process may occur. In Ayurveda, we learn to slow down the mind through meditation, yoga, and other such practices, and once the mind is slowed down, the body often follows suit. When we live a slower paced life, our stress is reduced, the mind becomes peaceful, and the body stays healthier.

You can start slowing your life down by taking time each day to sit and meditate – like in mantra chanting, doing deep breathing, or another form of meditation suitable for you.

While Ayurveda can be used to treat illness and disease already manifested, Ayurveda is also largely a preventative science of healing. Through Ayurveda, we learn to recognize early signs of imbalance in the body and mind, and then take appropriate action to rectify these imbalances before they reach the state

of serious disease. Ayurveda also aims to find and treat the root of illness, rather than just treating external symptoms, recognizing that a symptom is an external manifestation of a deeper imbalance.

With Ayurvedic treatment, the symptoms may not always be alleviated immediately because it takes time to heal the root of the problem at a deeper level, but the healing is then long lasting.

According to Ayurveda, there are three basic doshas, or constitutions individuals have – vata (air), pitta (fire), and kapha (earth). Everybody has a combination of all elements, but each person has one or two dominant elements which influence one’s mental and physical tendencies, physical structure, and even personality to some degree as well as which diseases one may be prone to. Certain foods and lifestyles aggravate certain doshas, while others soothe and balance them.

If a person who is by birth of a vata (air) constitution lives a lifestyle that is very vata aggravating (eating light, raw foods, traveling often, moving at a very fast pace, living in a dry and windy climate), such a person may develop a vata imbalance.

Such an imbalance may at first manifest

itself as small symptoms like gas or constipation, but can eventually, if left untreated, lead to more complicated illnesses of body and mind. This person would then need to alter his/her lifestyle to reduce or keep the air element in balance, perhaps by eating heavier, moister foods, sleeping with a humidifier, and having regular oil massages. A person of pitta (fire) nature will get aggravated by eating spicy foods, and one of kapha (earth) nature will get aggravated by living too much of a sedentary lifestyle or eating heavy foods. The key to Ayurvedic treatment is recreating balance amongst all three elements.

To balance the elements in one’s body, treatments include change in diet and lifestyle, intake of natural herbs, incorporation of meditation and mantra practices, yoga poses suited for one’s constitution, aroma and gem therapies, and deep purification and tonification treatments. Ayurveda treatment is teamwork between the doctor and the patient. The doctor can prescribe a certain lifestyle, but the patient must take control of eating right and living a right lifestyle for gradual healing and long term health.

Ayurvedic treatment empowers and

Eat consciously – prepare your food with love, and offer it on an altar or to God if you practice spiritual life. Eat with attention - not while driving, walking, watching tv, etc. This leads to better digestion. Eating is a sacred process and should be done mindfully. Meditate on where your food came from. If you are trying to become vegetarian, such a meditation can help. If you are conscious before eating that your food has been slaughtered, you will be more likely to select vegetarian choices.

Eat foods that are as fresh and natural as possible, trying to avoid processed foods, artificial colors and flavors, and anything else unnatural. Avoid eating fruits in combination with any other food for best digestion, and avoid drinking cold milk. Milk is better digested warm and with spices such as cardamom, cinnamon, or cloves.

Use spices in your cooking. Spices have much health value. For example, turmeric is a blood tonic, ginger and fennel help digestion, and cinnamon can stimulate circulation.

Spend time in nature regularly. We are surrounded by cell phones, computers, and so much artificial stimulation. It is essential to reunite and harmonize with beautiful nature.

Find and develop an occupation that is meaningful to you – something you feel you were born to do that can earn yourself a decent living while keeping you in good health and spirits.

For further information, you can look online to find an Ayurvedic practitioner near you, and above all, remember that your health is your wealth – take time to maintain it as your body is a temple of you - the soul. �

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OPEN MIC

THE BURDEN ISSUE

By Srila Prabhupada

Human

society in the name of civilization is creating one kind of trouble to avoid another kind of trouble. In contemporary civilization we see that there are many automobiles manufactured to carry us swiftly from one place to another, but at the same time we have created other problems. We have to construct so many roads, and yet these roads are insufficient to cope with automobile congestion and traffic jams. There are also the problems ©#17 of air pollution and fuel shortage. The conclusion is that the processes we manufacture to counteract or minimize our distresses do not actually put an end to our pains. It is all simply illusion. We simply place the burden from the head to the shoulder. The only real way we can minimize our problems is to give ourselves up to superior guidance and protection. The Supreme Personality of Godhead can make arrangements to mitigate our painful life in material existence. �

EATING FLESH IS FOR ZOMBIES

By Jeannet & Tyler Franks

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FAITHFUL DOG facebook.com/16rounds From "A Transcendental Diery"

Srila

Prabhupada said there is nothing lower than a dog, yet even dogs have one good quality — faithfulness. And he told me a story about a man, a dog, and a baby.

The man had to leave his house for a few minutes, so he placed his baby on a bed and left his dog in the room to guard it. When he returned a short while later, the room was empty. He was horrified to find a trail of blood leading out into the garden. Following it, he suddenly came upon the dog running out from the bushes, its mouth covered in blood. The man was shocked. He thought that the dog must have attacked the baby, dragged it into the bushes and killed it.

He angrily rushed inside, got a gun, and returned to face the dog. As he pointed the gun at the dog, the animal sat obediently before his master, making no attempt to run away. Bang! He killed the dog.

But at the loud report of the gun, the cry of a baby rent the air. Confused, the man ran inside and found his child lying under the bed, unharmed. Now perplexed, the man retraced the trail of blood into the garden. Behind the bushes he found the body of a dead fox covered in blood. It was clear what had happened: The fox had threatened the baby, so the dog put the baby under the bed to protect it. It fought and killed the intruder and dragged it out into the garden.

The man lamented his hasty action. The dog was so faithful that, although he knew he had fulfilled his duty in a valiant way, still he did not protest when his master shot him.

Cathirose Oh what a story....dog is a reflection of god....

Karl Its so easy to misconstrue the evidence of the senses... I am learning more about that every day, it seems. Its sad how many 'dogs I have shot'; metaphorically speaking of course!

Bhavani Thank you for posting this. It definitely creates a shift in consciousness. A 'must read' for us all.

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NATURAL LIVING

AYURVEDA

TheThree Modes The three modes govern everyone's behavior and characteristics. By associating with the modes in the form of food we eat, music we listen to, etc., we partake in shaping our lives, our destiny.

By Sara Bock

In Ayurveda,

w e learn about three modes of nature, also taught in the Bhagavad-gita. These three modes are sattva (goodness), raja (passion), and tama (ignorance). Although each individual may be born with a leaning towards living under one mode of nature, our daily lifestyle practices can greatly influence the modes we acquire, and we can gradually raise ourselves to a state of goodness, or degrade ourselves to a state of ignorance.

Examples of living in tama guna (ignorance) include oversleeping, laziness, dull mind, intoxication, inactivity, hatred, and violence. Foods in ignorance include meat, canned foods, leftovers, and old, stale foods. Tama guna is not a state of happiness except for the feeling one may experience at times that ignorance is bliss. A person in ignorance is literally in ignorance of oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s spiritual nature, and performs activities that are often harmful to one-self and others.

grains, wheat, rice, oats, nuts, fruits and vegetables. A vegetarian diet is in goodness. Activities in goodness are regulated and duty bound, without attachment to the result, and are done with attention, care, and consciousness of their effects on oneself, the environment, and other living beings. One in goodness can keep better health and experiences a state of inner peace. One in goodness is not striving for a more and more material gain, but rather lives a life of peaceful regulation, accepting what is necessary without being greedy for more.

Ultimately we want to transcend all three modes of nature and achieve spiritual bliss. Cultivating a genuine spiritual practice while working to keep good health can help one gradually achieve this state of being. ďż˝

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Raja guna, or passion, characterizes a majority of our modern day fast-paced city life. People in passion rush about, in a hurry to accomplish more and more, to earn more money, acquire more material possessions, and achieve material success. Foods in passion include spicy and fried foods, and sexual attraction is also usually in the mode of passion. In passion there is a feeling of happiness from chasing after material success, but also some misery accompanying the journey and hard struggle to get there, as well as disappointment when the pleasure ends, as material pleasure cannot last forever.

In goodness, one experiences a mental state like a calm lake. In passion there are many ripples in the lake of the mind, and in ignorance there is mud in the mind like at the bottom of the lake, but in sattva (goodness) the mind is peaceful and unagitated. Foods in goodness include milk,

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