16Rounds to Samadhi | Issue #6

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Delineation of the

BHAKTI MARGA: THE ROAD OF DEVOTION A.K.A. Say No to Spiritual Prostitution www.16rounds.com

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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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INTRO

THE PLAGUE

By Jayadvaita Swami

The very

word plague brings dread. We recall medieval images of the Black Death, scourging fourteenth-century Asia and Europe. We envision rampant rats and dying children.

Late in 1994, as plague broke out in the Indian state of Gujarat, people fled in the hundreds of thousands. Neighboring countries sealed their borders. Airlines cancelled flights. Even doctors grabbed their stethoscopes and scrambled for their lives.

Now, of course, life is back to normal. The outbreak had been quelled. We’re no longer in the fourteenth century; the plague bacillus yields to tetracycline.

Yet all of us find ourselves still encircled by death. Rats!

16Rounds to Samadhi

It may be today from plague or tomorrow from cancer, old age, a car crash, an armed burglar. All we’re doing is putting death off—we think.

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.

Everyone has an appointed time to live, say the Vedic sages, and an appointed time to die. When your time comes you go, plague or no plague, medicine or none. And so it sometimes happens that a hopeless case survives and a man the doctors tell us ought to live drops dead.

Anyway, while life is still in us, what are we living for? If we don’t know and don’t ask, what’s the use of our life?

Matter will be finished—all of it. Every material body is destined to be a corpse, every universe a cinder. The more we embrace matter and try to hold onto it, the more we suffer, and the more we lose. Material enjoyment is an oxymoron. Security is humbug.

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).

This is the plague of the material world. For one who is born, says the Bhagavad-gita, death is certain. And after one dies one is sure to be born again. Tetracycline isn’t a cure for the cycle of birth and death.

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

16Rounds Staff:

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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: Coral McIntyre Coral has a degree in Creative Communications. At free time she is giving her creative services to enrich her community.

The severest plague, worldwide in its extent, is that of spiritual ignorance. It is this plague that has driven us into the materialism, and that keeps us there suffering. It is this plague that fools us into making our problems still worse. And this plague of ignorance can be cured only by spiritual knowledge. �

MEANING OF “16ROUNDS” CONTACT: 16rounds@gmail.com www.16ROUNDS.com 1030 Grand Ave. San Diego, CA 92109 ADVERTISE Call Mahat at #858.405.5465.

See media/advertising kit at www.16rounds.com/advertise FaceBook Find us on FaceBook: www.facebook.com/16rounds ERRORS If you believe that we have made an error, email us at 16rounds@gmail.com.

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/deadstar) #2(flickr.com/webagentur) #4(flickr.com/estarsid) #7(flickr.com/veganporn) #8(flickr.com/dhammza) #9(flickr.com/blackmetta) #10(flickr.com/skytruth) #11(flickr.com/orinrobertjohn) #12(flickr.com/scabeater) #13(flickr.com/tobanblack) #14(flickr.com/kurtz433) #15(flickr.com/12392252@N03) #16(flickr.com/94681647@N00) #17(flickr.com/mynameiskellyn) #18(flickr.com/timsamoff) #19(flickr.com/sarasimmons) #20(flickr.com/matmcdermott) #21(flickr.com/spike55151) #22(flickr.com/astro-dudes) #23(flickr.com/ciscel)

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READER

ALTERNATIVE TO THE MORTIFYING ROUTINE Sparking A Revolution In A Humdrum Human Existence

they can help us achieve our highest potential, but we should always remember that they can also cause us great pain.

This presentation is going to be a bit radical. After all, that is what this publication is all about. We are trying to offer an alternative; I am a member of a community dedicated to sparking a spiritual revolution.

Revolution means to revolve, to turn around. Revolutions begin with radical ideas.

By Mahat Tattva Dasa

It is not

that I am trying to be radical. Rather, I am trying to be objective; but while trying to be objective, one can’t help but be radical. That is because so much of the basis for today’s modern world is founded upon ideas and principles which have no solid philosophy and even less common sense. If we think of the world in this way, objective ideas become radical.

Please try to read this with an open mind and an open heart. I too am open for criticism. Feel free to express yourself in the Open Mic section. I welcome only constructive criticism though. Please try to be philosophers rather than politicians.

Think of what is written here in terms of philosophy, rather than politics or social norms.

Our bodies - all bodies - are made up of different senses. At times we are very happy to have these senses. At other times they become the source of our pain. In different species of life, different senses are prominent.

For example, dogs can hear much better than humans.

Their hearing organs are the most refined sense that they possess.

Similarly,

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fish have an acute sense of taste. As a matter of fact, that’s how cruel people catch fish; attracting them by taste to the fishing hook.

Humans however, have all the senses more or less equally developed; developed to an astonishing degree. The human mind and intellect, for example, are unmatched.

Often, if you want to understand a thing well, you need to stand a bit away from it, in order to be truly objective. When you take a look at life from a distance, free from the influence of attachment and aversion, what do you see? Start from the beginning. You see yourself being born. Young and ignorant, you’re sucking your thumb and sticking everything you can get your hands on into your mouth.

Roaming here and there, first on all fours and then on two feet, you’re learning about life; but you’re still ignorant. You are not very conscious of other living beings and their needs, but you do have this mother and father who seem to do stuff for you. In grade school you start to learn a bit more. You start to interact with the other kids and learn playground stuff like bullying and name calling. Or you’re a nice kid and you learn about sharing. Either way, your childhood is a blur and you can’t wait until you’re big.

Then one day, you become a teenager.

Your body starts to change in all sorts of funny ways; your hormones boil up and you stop thinking with your brain and use

How do these senses give us pleasure and happiness? To the degree that one is developed in one’s sensual, mental, and intellectual sophistication, to that degree one can enjoy beautiful and ever more subtle things such as music, association, literature, philosophy, art, and creativity in many different ways.

We can also use our senses to experience gross pleasures like eating and drinking, or having sex.

In these ways we can employ our senses and enjoy life.

On the other hand, these

senses can also give us a lot of trouble.

A friend of mine once pointed out how much pain he experienced by smashing his little toe into a rock. He marveled at the idea that this toe did not add to his pleasure in life – in fact, he was hardly even aware of it – but still, it had the potential to cause him such pain. Similarly, our minds can go out of control and cause great emotional pain far worse than any physical ailment. Sometimes, people even need to be medicated just to get the mind under control so that they can participate in daily activities. Other people cannot control their appetite and become overweight and unhealthy. They suffer physical and emotional torment. Still others are mired in substance or alcohol abuse which exacts a great price upon their health and their relationships. All these problems - and countless more - come from uncontrolled senses. Our senses can certainly bring us great pleasures, and

your genitals instead. All you can think about is sex. In other words you lose the ability to be objective. You can not think dispassionately towards life and life situations because you’re just trying to get

READER laid. By the end of your teenage years, if you are a guy, you’ve knocked up a girl, and if you are a girl, you’ve been impregnated by some guy who said he was in love. Suddenly you find yourself in a whole new world; a world of responsibilities. The picture you had as a teenager of a carefree life, with the whole world waiting for you to conquer, is suddenly gone.

It’s shattered into a thousand pieces by the shrill sound of a newborn’s tears. A new reality sets in; one you weren’t expecting at all.

Work. You have to work to maintain your family...unless you want to be a bastard and walk away from the responsibility. Probably you’ll gut it out. Soon you’ll discover that maintaining a family takes a lot of hard work in fields

hate just to make enough money to pay the mortgage on a home that’s worth less than you paid for it. These are all some of the exciting adventures that await you.

Then, one day you’ll wake up and discover that you’re sixty, seventy, eighty years old. All the promise in life is gone.

Your body is shriveling up. Things that used to work effortlessly suddenly don’t.

You’ve lost most of your hair where you wanted it, and sprouted fresh tufts in places where you didn’t want it, like in your ears. Your body starts to ache all over; you’ll take two dozen pills each day that you keep in a small color coated plastic container so you won’t forget. Your memory isn’t what it used to be - which is a good thing - because you can’t remember all the side effects of the drugs you’re taking. Your whole focus will shift to making yourself comfortable until the inevitable final departure. If you’re especially unlucky your ungrateful children will dump you in a nursing home; otherwise you’ll sit around your home with your spouse, waiting for one of you to pass, leaving the other one utterly alone. What will you have learned? What will you’re life have been for?

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"We settle for basic biological reproduction: we are ignorant; our hormones boil; we do something stupid; we find ourselves in the bleak world of hard work and maintenance; we get old; and then off we go." you have never even dreamt about. You’ll spend the next two or three decades struggling to make ends meet. Buying diapers and baby food, making car payments, cooking, cleaning, taking care of the yard, driving the kids to soccer practice, laundry, boring school musicals, and going to work day after day in a job you

mance has a function in the reproductive system, that is, to get you in the game, to get you to bite the hook.

Why settle for something as mediocre as biological reproduction? I am not saying that we should completely do away with biological reproduction, but to settle down just for that is a bit sad.

Why can’t we be more productive, more creative with our lives? There is a whole world waiting for us; the whole spiritual creation waiting to be discovered, yet we settle down for the mere biological thing.

For centuries before the modern, industrial, consumer-crazed society, people were doing all kinds of “radical” things like exploring a life of celibacy, as monks and nuns. They reduced their biological life in order to save time for awesome, truly important things such as self-realization and personal development. There is so much more for you besides a life centered upon mere biological reproduction. Don’t let trivial society bring you down to a trivial level. If you are so in-

clined, you too could be a radical. Pursue spiritual development; become a monk.

Why not? Give yourself a brake. Not just a weekend. Take twenty, thirty, forty years or even your whole life. Why not? Express yourself. Be fine, refined; boldly experience life and the limits of the conscious human existence. Interact with the world.

Discover your spiritual self. Go on a serious adventure. Why always be mediocre, or even puny, when you can do so much more? So once more, I ask you to please not misunderstand me. I am not saying that we should do away with biological reproduction. I’m not even saying that everyone should become monks and nuns, although that would be quite blissful too.

Rather, we shouldn’t settle down for the mere biological routine. That would show a great lack of imagination and creativity.

Often times, many people find themselves living a life of great boredom and monotony, simply because they weren’t aware of an alternative. But there is one. Are you radical enough to accept it? �

This is life when you look at it from a distance. I can already hear you protesting, “My life will be different!” Will it? Due to our inability to dispassionately evaluate life, we simply plug into this biological cycle. Spurred by our hormones, we blindly reproduce, thus creating, in most cases, further cycles of ignorance in the form of our offspring. We take on this immense struggle for the promise of mere biological reproduction – sex – which we use to spice up the weekends; the only time when we aren’t working our ass off.

I know this might sound like a cynical view of the world. I am really not trying to offend anyone. Rather, I’m trying to stimulate thinking. Again, please don’t look at this from the political point of view. Look at it from the philosophical point of view.

We settle for basic biological reproduction: we are ignorant; our hormones boil; we do something stupid; we find ourselves in the bleak world of hard work and maintenance; we get old; and then off we go.

Worldwide statistics show that romance, on average, lasts just about a year.

Just long enough for you to do the biological thing called “reproduction” and then face the real world. In other words, ro-

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READER A SCIENTIFIC TAKE ON AN AGE-OLD ETHICAL QUESTION

ANIMAL RIGHTS & HUMAN WRONGS Do animals have rights? Do animals have souls? What does your faith say about animal consciousness, suffering, sacrifice and stewardship?

to see the likelihood that animals have souls as well. If not, what makes them alive (they don't have batteries or keys to wind)? Those who reject this understanding of animals likely do so because it is inconsistent with what they have been taught or choose to believe. If they want to reject it on these grounds, they have the right to, but they do so in spite of a rational conclusion based on accepted characteristics of the soul.

By Ramdas Lamb (Hindu monk in India from 1969-1978.

Professor, University of Hawaiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;i, world religions and contemporary American religion.)

Q: Expensive

a n d time-consuming efforts had been made to rescue and rehabilitate animals threatened by the Gulf oil spill. Do animals have rights? Do animals have souls? What does your faith say about animal consciousness, suffering, sacrifice and stewardship? Dr. Paul Waldau, a lecturer in animal law at Harvard Law School , says, "Religion is a major player in the way humans think about other living beings."

What does that mean to you?

We live in a society where more and more of us attempt to consider the effects we have as individuals and as a society on other nations, on other people, on the environment, etc. We increasingly ask ourselves, "Do our actions infringe on others' rights?" When this questions is directed toward the issue of animals, the answer is an easy one for me: absolutely! In the U.S. alone, we are responsible for the torture and slaughter of more than 25 million animals EVERY SINGLE DAY. While many may be astounded by the numbers and not believe them, others will simply say, "So what?", "Why should we care?", or "They are only animals." However, the reasons to care are many, and I will try to address a few.

Most followers of the Abrahamic religious traditions do not believe that animals have souls. These religious traditions, as well as most cultures, promote the belief that animals are simply here for human benefit. Their followers have been taught and like to believe that humans are the superior species on earth, and that all

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Thus, if an entity is alive, there must be a life force within, and there must be a soul. It would seem, then, that one who believes in the existence of a human soul would have to see the likelihood that animals have souls as well. If not, what makes them alive? of nature is simply for our use. We are the only living beings that matter, so we can pretty much do what we want with animals: own them, play with them, kill them, eat them, wear their body parts, destroy their homes and environment, etc. This would not be as easy to do if people actually stopped to consider whether animals have souls.

A good way to begin to deal with this question is to look at what one conceives

Actually, when most Americans eat meat, they don't stop to think about its source, or how the animal, whose body parts they are consuming, was raised, treated, and killed. They don't stop to think whether animals have souls. Meat eaters, who otherwise care about the consequences of their actions or who argue for the rights of minorities or oppressed groups, tend to create a psychological distance between what they eat and the fact that it came from the body of an animal that was imprisoned most or all of its life, usually suffered tortuous treatment, and was then killed, all to satisfy human taste buds and an addiction to flesh consumption. Meat eaters are typi-

a soul to be. In the vast majority of religious and philosophical traditions in which there is a belief in a soul, it is understood to be intimately connected with the life force within the body. It is what animates us when we are alive and what leaves the body when we die. Thus, if an entity is alive, there must be a life force within, and there must be a soul. It would seem, then, that one who believes in the existence of a human soul would have

"We are the only living beings that matter, so we can pretty much do what we want with animals: own them, play with them, kill them, eat them, wear their body parts, destroy their homes and environment, etc. This would not be as easy to do if people actually stopped to consider whether animals have souls."

The pop star Lady Gaga poses covered in raw meat for the latest issue of Vogue Hommes Japan. I guess this is what some people think animals are for.

READER cally raised to ignore these contridictions and rarely ever discuss or think about them. To them, meat is "just food".

Vegetarian Trend on the Rise in USA

Those who want a more peaceful and non-violent world or who support the rights of the oppressed should consider visiting a slaughterhouse for a day or at least watching a video at www.meat.org.

Anyone who will take the time to do so will have a much better understanding of how their daily flesh consumption is directly responsible for the extremely inhumane torture of animals that occurs 24/7 all over the country.

Many people have been fooled by the meat industry into thinking they must consume flesh in order to survive or that vegetarians cannot be healthy. People who think this need to open their eyes and minds to a broader understanding of health. There is increasing medical evidence that not only is meat eating unnecessary for health, but that it actually causes many of the health problems

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"Many of us come to the realization that our pets are conscious beings, with desires and fears, aspirations and frustrations. They experience happiness and sadness, comfort and pain. Yet, most of us pretend that all the other animals we don't know personally are somehow different."

7.3 Million Americans Are Vegetarians & Additional 22.8 Million Follow a Vegetarian-Inclined Diet

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Meat eaters are typically raised to ignore these contridictions and rarely ever discuss or think about them. To them, meat is just food.

Americans face, especially diseases like heart attacks, obesity, cancer, etc. Not only have many sick people turned to vegetarianism for a cure but a significant number of professional athletes have become vegetarian because they found that it helps them to become stronger in a more healthy way. Two of the earliest vegetarian athletes that I learned about growing up were Roger Bannister and John Landy. In 1953 they became the first two humans to officially run a mile in under four minutes. Both attributed their diet to their amazing accomplishments.

There have been and continue to be many more athletes who are vegetarian, as well as millions of regular people all over the world, especially in India.

The indigenous religions of India (Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism) promote a kinship with all life forms that is unique among the world's major religions. Although not all their adherents follow it, these traditions as a whole take non-violence seriously, and one of the central reasons that most do is the belief that animals have souls. Clearly, when it comes to the treatment of animals, these religions stand out and lead the way. One of the things that first attracted me to Hinduism was Mahatma Gandhi's views on non-violence and his respect for animals and nature. Although I became a vegetarian awhile before I adopted Hinduism as my chosen way of life, Gandhi was a great influence on me. The more I learned about the tradition, the more I found within it beliefs that resonated with my own evolving feelings and views about the sanctity of life and the evils inherent in most incidents of violence.

The just-released “Vegetarianism in America” study, published

by Vegetarian Times (vegetariantimes.com), shows that 3.2 percent of U.S. adults, or 7.3 million people, follow a vegetarian-based diet. Approximately 0.5 percent, or 1 million, of those are vegans, who consume no animal products at all. In addition, 10 percent of U.S., adults, or 22.8 million people, say they largely follow a vegetarian-inclined diet.

-From Vegetariantimes.com

I know it is much easier to believe animals have no souls, that they somehow are alive without one, and that their existence is simply to fill our bellies. However, at some point, many of us come to the realization that animals are conscious beings, with desires and fears, aspirations and frustrations. They experience happiness and sadness, comfort and pain.

We see this in the pets who live with us and we would be extremely pained if anyone even thought about treating them the way millions of animals are treated every day in America. Yet, most of us pretend that all the other animals we don't know personally are somehow different. Their lives don't really matter, the torture they experience doesn't really matter, their slaughter doesn't really matter.

I understand and acknowledge that in some climates and places, meat eating, or at least fishing, is necessary for survival, but these places are in the minority, and America is not one of them (except maybe in portions of Alaska). Nevertheless, I believe that when we eat meat, we perpetuate violence in the world, and we enhance its presence in our lives, either directly or indirectly. The animals whose dead bodies or body parts end up on American plates were, for the most part, raised in an abusive way before they were killed, and far too many of us turn our backs to that reality. We do so because it is simply easier and more comfortable, not because we need meat to survive, or because there is no other food option.

When there is harmony in the world,

Cont'd on pg. 21 ›››

Koreans Killing Dogs for "Hot-Dogs" Most of you will agree that this is a most unethical scene, but what is the difference between this scene and your modern American slaughterhouse and its killing wholesale of baby calves?

Is there such a thing as "ethicalkilling" of animals. Why is it that humans can demand rights, and yet strip rights away from animals. Are they not beings with a need for affection and love? www.16rounds.com

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LIFESTYLE

WHAT IS KRISHNA CONSCIOUSNESS?

By Vic DiCara

Where and When Does it Come From?

Historically speaking, “Krishna Consciousness” in its exact current form began in West Bengal, India towards the beginning of the Modern Era of human history at the end of the fifteenth century.

The founder was Sri Krishna Caitanya, more simply called “Mahaprabhu,” the Great Master.

It existed in slightly different forms long before that, dating back at least to the earthly advent of its central figure, Krishna, roughly 5,000 years ago in

North-Central India.

Philosophically speaking, “Krishna Consciousness” refers to the inherent state of enlightenment. There have always been such enlightened souls in the universe, so Krishna Consciousness has existed in some form or another since the dawn of existence.

Who is Krishna?

Who am I?

Krishna is the One Supreme Being from whom all beings emanate, but being “one” has an "imperfection" – loneliness. That is why the one becomes many and eternally manifests countless persons, places and

things; including me and you.

Who am I? I am not this temporary physical body, nor am I any emotion or concept connected to my body. I am an eternal fragment of Krishna. Like my source, I too desire not to be lonely. Both Krishna and I want to experience the joyful feelings of oneness and togetherness that are inherent in the emotions of love.

While under the influence of illusion I seek this fulfillment apart from Krishna, but when enlightened I realize unlimited fulfillment of these desires by focusing them on their original source, Krishna.

How Do I Realize Krishna and Become Enlightened?

I simply need to practice doing things for the sake of love for Krishna. There are unlimited possibilities, but a simple and effective way is to lend my ear to hearing about Krishna’s all-attractive, divine personality.

Mahaprabhu taught the version of Krishna Consciousness most appropriate for the conditions of modern life.

This version does involve silent personal meditation but more strongly emphasizes the value of hearing about Krishna in social, entertaining, and engaging formats, especially involving music. Both in private meditation and in musical format the main thing to do is to hear Krishna’s names, especially the maha-mantra: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

Hare invokes the Goddess of Love.

Krishna invokes the supremely enchanting and attractive Godhead. Rama invokes the source of all joy. Hearing and reciting these names for the purpose of sharing oneself emotionally with Krishna is the primary method of enlightenment on the path of Krishna Consciousness.

Thanks for reading. �

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SOCIETY WATCH

THE VEGAN THREAT TO BOVINE WELFARE Debunking Vegan Hype ommended by the government.

Attentive consumers also know that itemizing all the extra controversial ingredients that find their way into the milk supply is irrelevant to any serious discussion related to evaluating the relevance of what whole, unadulterated fresh milk has on our diet.

"For every questionable esoteric study vegans use to attract new converts, there is a mountain of research that confirms the nutritional values of natural whole milk.

Yet vegans are reticent about these medical reports and that's both embarrassing and bad publicity."

By Mayesvara Dasa SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT As director of the American Vedic Association and a practicing Vegetarian I have embraced the tradition of honoring and protecting the cow as one's own mother for nearly 40 years. I therefore share with the Vegan community their outrage at the cruelty inflicted on commercial dairy cows. I don't however agree that the Vegan gospel "Thou Shall NOT drink Milk" is the most effective strategy for putting an end to the barbaric way the dairy industry exploits

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and abuses cows. In fact there is good reason to believe that Vegan Fundamentalists will be the ones responsible for perpetuating the suffering of cows well into the future for endless generations.

IRRELEVANT, MISLEADING AND DISTRACTING

Vegans are well known for generating a lot of propaganda about the sins related to drinking milk. One of the more aggressive themes they are fond of promoting is the declarative "Milk is Poison" [1] campaign. To defend their agenda for abolishing the consumption of milk, vegans

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start by demolishing the reliability of USDA recommendations.

They then make long lists of all the various hormones, vaccines, and wonder drugs that have become a standard part of what the large corporate dairy farms must do to stay in business because of the unnatural, confined, factory like environments they subject cows to use in order to stay competitive.

This makes some dramatic headlines, but informed people already know how various food industries, such as the cattle ranchers and mega dairies, have historically influenced the daily nutritional requirements rec-

Vegans also generate a lot of hysteria about the fat content in milk and the lactose intolerant population. They consider these things as further "Proof" why humans should not consume milk products. However if we accept these claims as legitimate reasons to avoid all forms of milk, then we should also abandon the consumption of peanuts, wheat and hundreds of other types of foods that are fattening or may sometimes cause allergic reactions.

FAILED BEWILDERMENT

Most people agree that the excessive consumption of any single food has a negative health impact and this is also true for milk. However, when backing claims of the negative health effects of milk, vegans often cite studies of people examined immediately after consuming a frothy milk shake or who are in the habit of eating way too many milk products. Studies also show that the body has a severe reaction to the consumption of hot chilies, but nobody gets alarmed about the capsaicin which causes those biological symptoms. Yet vegans act like they attained â&#x20AC;&#x153;culinary nirvanaâ&#x20AC;? and have been anointed with the great commission to save the world from the evils of milk. Just how prudent is it to promote controversial, fear based, skewed propaganda if we really wish to put an end to the abuse of dairy cows?

Independent

neurologists

have confirmed the importance of vitamin B12 in our diet. This nutrient is available predominantly in dairy, fish, meat, poultry, eggs and shellfish. A deficiency in B12 leads to anemia, irritability, anorexia, regression, poor brain growth and cognitive problems, particularly in young developing children! [2] However, vegans tend to ignore these important facts. They never mention the studies that conclude with the warning: "In order to reach favorable vitamin and mineral intakes, vegans should consider taking supplementsâ&#x20AC;Ś" [3]

It is therefore disingenuous for vegans to prance around giving people the impression that it's easy for the average carnivore to just immediately cut all meat, fish, eggs, poultry, honey, and dairy out of their diet. The truth is that only a very small percent of the population has the fortitude to start the vegan diet and even a smaller percent can stick to it. At least part of the reason why some drop out is because vegans must plan their meals very carefully if they want to stay healthy, and who has the time for that in a culture addicted to fast food and frozen dinner convenience?

"Poorly planned vegan diets can be low in levels of calcium, iodine, vitamin B12, iron[7][8] and vitamin D. Various polls have reported vegans to be between 0.2%[4] and 1.3%[9] of the U.S. population, and between 0.25%[5] and 0.4%[10] of the UK population." [4] BLOWBACK FROM FANATICISM

When all the "studies" are objectively considered, the so called research used to buttress up the vegan agenda is very limited, controversial, inconclusive, speculative and zealously misleading. For every questionable esoteric study vegans use to attract new converts, there is a mountain of research that confirms the nutritional values of natural whole milk. Yet vegans are reticent about these medical reports and that's both embarrassing and bad publicity. By failing to acknowledge the gaping flaws in the vegan doctrine the whole vegetarian movement becomes stigmatized as unrea-

SOCIETY WATCH "One popular guilt-generating tactic is to dramatize the plight of a thirsty calf getting dragged away from its mothers udder. After giving birth a cow will offer approximately 50 lbs of milk a day. It is ridiculous for anyone to assert that a baby calf weighing somewhere between 40-100 lbs. could possibly drink that much milk!" sonable and radically out of touch.

What's particularly disturbing about the vegan dogma is the potential for irreversible damage in the development of innocent babies born to naive vegan parents. When the evening news starts interviewing pediatricians for children that were never allowed to drink cow milk and now suffer with underdeveloped brain tissue [5], the whole vegetarian movement will suffer a huge public relations catastrophe! Then the dairy industry will not only go unchecked, but we can expect that even more slaughterhouses will get built.

If we listen closely to moderate vegans, they sometime reluctantly acknowledge under their breath that there is a lot of hyperbole being spewed to leverage the public into denouncing milk. When confronted with long-standing facts, some vegans quietly acquiesce that there really isn't anything wrong with a diet that includes a moderate amount of milk products.[6] The Vedic rule of thumb is that one can safely enjoy the equivalent of one cup of milk a day, be it in the form of butter, gee, farmer's cheese or home-made cultured yogurt, etc. Objective experts confirm this ancient wisdom: "Our study does seem to show that a bit of what you like [milk] does seem to do you good." - Dr Andy Ness, Bristol University [7] MANIPULATIVE ETHICS

When the issues related to health are debunked and exposed, vegans take up an ethical assault against those who dare to patronize the dairy industry. One popular guilt-generating tactic is to dramatize the plight of a thirsty calf getting dragged away from its mother’s udder. Large commercial dairies no doubt do that at some point to maximize their harvest, but this

overly dramatized event, and is not an honest reason to indict the consumption of milk for the rest of eternity. Such emotionally charged arguments may temporarily convince uninformed people to stop purchasing milk for a little while, but

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An angry vegan. once the public realizes how their sentiments have been maneuvered they will resent giving up the occasional pleasure of cottage cheese and pineapple for absolutely no reason.

After giving birth a cow will offer approximately 50 lbs of milk a day. It is ridiculous for anyone to assert that a baby calf weighing somewhere between 40100 lbs. could possibly drink that much milk! Furthermore dairy people know that if that excess milk isn't removed from the udder of that cow in a timely fashion,

it will be painful to the cow. When that happens a biological message is sent to the cow's milk producing organs to start shutting down. By regularly milking the cow, both the calf and the person tending to the health and safety of the cow are provided with an abundant supply of fresh wholesome milk. This is actually the reason why the cow is so highly respected in agrarian societies, most particularly in India. The cow has the miraculous ability to eat dry straw, grass, and kitchen scraps and convert these uneatable things into one of the most nutritious, versatile and good tasting foods, long after humans are weaned from their birth mother.

Pushing someone into the deep end of the pool when they don't even know how to swim is the best way to traumatize someone so they never want to be around a pool again. Our first task should be to educate the general public about the benefits of a vegetarian diet, not terrorize them into following fanatically austere eating habits they are completely unprepared for and will probably abandon. The purpose of this article is to show how this aggressive strategy is counter-productive.

The one ethical argument that is legitimate is in relation to all the business driven cruelty corporate dairies inflict on cows during their short lives. When the white-gold milk-wells run dry, these innocent animals are sent off to the slaughterhouse to be processed into USDA approved 50lb boxes of frozen fast-food burger patties. This is the epitome of ungratefulness and an atrocity no sensitive individual would ever condone. Determining how to effectively put an end to this barbaric arrangement brings us full circle back to the opening question.

"What is the best way to alleviate the suffering of cows abused by commercial

dairies?" �

• • •

Mayesvara Dasa is the director of the American Vedic Association (AVA) located in Ojai California and has been a LactoVegetarian since 1973. On the first and third Tuesday of every month he sponsors a discussion group to help educate the public about the great Vedic culture of ancient India and serves a Free Vegetarian dinner to all who attend. He can be reached at wgr@jagannatha.com, and (805) 640-0405.

FOOTNOTES

[1] See Robert Cohens Exhaustive web site: http://www.notmilk.com/

[2] Graham, SM et al. 1992. Long-term neurologic consequences of nutritional vitamin B12 deficiency in infants. J Pediatr 121(5pt1)710-4. & Stollhoff, K and Schulte, FJ. 1987. Vitamin B12 and brain development. Eur J Pediatr 146(2):201-5.

[3] German Vegan Study 2002 See Conclusion At: http://www.nature.com/ ejcn/journal/v57/n8/full/1601629a. html

[4] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Vegt[5] http://www.devdelay.org/newsletter/articles/html/340-preventingsensory-processing-disorders.html

[6] Spinning Out of Control / Vegans say no to extreme "not milk" spin. See: http://www.mts.net/~baumel/Cohen. html [7] May 2001, BBC News See: http:// news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/1321000. stm

Vegan Nazi: (vee-guhn naht-see) Someone who is a vegan and goes beyond the acceptable ways of professing this fact (wearing t-shirts and patches, handing out leaflets, writing 10-page facebook comments, chasing you down the street, and so on) and harasses people about their meat/dairy eating ways in a non-joking manner. (not to be confused with your garden variety vegan.)

E.G. - "dude, that kid started screaming at me for eating a cookie with milk in it... what a vegan nazi!"

- From urbandictionary.com www.16rounds.com

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COVER STORY

Delineation of the

BHAKTI MARGA: THE ROAD OF DEVOTION A.K.A. Say No to Spiritual Prostitution

EXCLUSIVENESS is the greatest feature of love. The very idea of recieving exclusive love makes our soul tingle. When love is made exclusive it makes it possible for the lover to love their beloved on the deepest level you can imagine, thus giving the word "love" it's actual substance.

The perfection of all yoga paths is to reach Samadhi; Samadhi means that the mind is always cent-per-cent in concentration on the supreme object of meditation.

By Giriraj Gopal Dasa

Recently,

some of my friends came back from Bhakti Fest 2010, which was held in Joshua Tree, CA. I really enjoyed hearing of their experiences. It’s so nice that people are finally coming in contact with many of the spiritual methodologies outlined in the traditional Vedic texts – the same ancient Vedic hymns which shout, “Shanti Shanti Shanti.” It means “Let there be peace for all living beings in the upper, middle, and lower worlds.”

I’m thankful for such an event, which can help lift modern materialistic American culture from the clutches of corporate slavery and the embarrassment of accepting our human existence as nothing more than a soul-less conglomeration of insentient chemicals firing in the brain.

This conception we partly gain due to our exposing the same brain to mainstream media outlets and thus gleaning the doctrines of the latest avant-garde atheists of our time.

But, one thing boggles my mind completely!

First of all, it’s well known that Americans as a whole are cursed with the mentality of trying to get satisfaction for the lowest possible price. (Witness the success of fast-food and other similar industries.)

THE REALLY SAD THING TO ME IS.... that many of the leaders of our recent bhakti trend teach a very perverted idea of what bhakti-yoga really is.

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Unfortunately, because we often carry that same 'fast-food-America' mentality into spiritual life, we end up relegating spiritual practice to the category of hobbies and side interests so we can maximize our time for DEVOTION to some

COVER STORY Again, we should know that there are actually very detailed road maps that show the bhakti path, and there are also universities (ashramas), professors (gurus), and textbooks (ancient Sanskrit manuscripts) to guide us on the way.

But again, if you want cheap fast food instead of the real thing, then unfortunately that is what you’re going to end up with: a cheap, watered-down version of the real thing.

I’m not a fighter, I’m a lover, but I will fight for what I love, and it’s gonna be for the truest and purest definition of love.

teachings of Sri Krishna, in such a way that you would assume he fully abides by it.

Now once again, I don’t hate, but I have a brain and an intellect, and they tell me that many things are amiss in this picture.

Let’s see if you agree.

First of all, Orthodox Buddhism teaches "anatma," which is a philosophy that says we don’t have a soul and that we’re just a mind reincarnating. The goal of this path is to end one’s personal existence by stopping all thought and merging into what is called Nirvana -- the big, black, empty void. This is a doctrine completely differ-

Bhakti-yoga is a science like all other yoga paths. Hatha-yoga, for example, is not some whimsical practice where you can throw on a pair of spandex and act like you’re BKS Iyengar himself. very un-spiritual and unnecessary materialistic activities.

Some will say that bhakti is what you feel inside, it’s all your own opinion and path; no one can tell you what bhakti is for you; it’s you who have to define it, create it all by yourself, without the help of any dogmatic religious priests, books, or disciplinary guidelines.

Well, to that I say, if that’s your philosophy, then that rule should apply in the real world. Could that mentality fly in the real world of action and reaction? We should understand that Bhakti-yoga is an actual science like all other yoga paths. Hathayoga, for example, is not some whimsical practice where you can throw on a pair of spandex and act like you’re BKS Iyengar himself. Furthermore, in most states if you want to teach yoga you FIRST must be CERTIFIED. Is it not so?

EXACTLY WHO OR WHAT ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO BE DEVOTED TO WHEN YOU PRACTICE BHAKTI-YOGA, THE YOGA OF DEVOTION?

Is it to Shiva, Kali, Krishna, or none of them? Are they symbolic images, real higher living beings, or just mythological symbols we use to access greater aspects of our own self through meditation?

Well, you can begin to see what I mean.

Now regardless who your teacher is (your guru), or regardless how you are feeling today, we can all agree on one thing. Bhakti is supposed to be the ultimate expression of love of the soul. IT IS CALLED “THE YOGA OF DIVINE LOVE”.

Now, I don’t think too many people will disagree with this interpretation of the Sanskrit word bhakti.

What happens when you go to a hathayoga teacher who is not certified? You may break your back, pull a hamstring, or even worse.

So, you have to know who is qualified to be a teacher of that science. And bhakti-yoga is no less a science than hathayoga. In fact, it’s the most advanced science of all the yoga paths. It’s an ancient art, a spiritual craft in a league of its own.

There are universal, time-tested, validated, scientific ways to cultivate that devotion within. But before you get there you have to have a basic road map of some kind.

I’m not a fighter, I’m a lover, but I will fight for what I love, and it’s gonna be for the truest and purest definition of love.

All I know is that when I looked up a particular famous Kirtan singer’s webpage and read what his philosophy of life is and what he taught his fans, it clearly said that it is the path of bhakti-yoga.

Okay, fair enough. So, when I looked up this one main headliner at the BHAKTI FEST, it stated that though he teaches bhakti-yoga he is also initiated into a sect of Buddhism in India. Furthermore, he claims that his teacher appointed him as the leader of a temple of the Hindu Goddess Durga, and moreover he quotes the Bhagavad-gita, a book containing the

ent from that of Durga worship, which is rooted in the Advaita school of thought.

This school teaches that we’re not matter but spirit and that this spirit is undivided, although it appears to be divided into individual persons, whom we see as each other in this world. Then there is the Bhagavad-gita philosophy, which clearly teaches that the Supreme Truth is a Personal God, Krishna, who is the origin of all things material and spiritual, and that the perfection of all yoga systems is to constantly remember Him in devotion through bhakti-yoga. To follow this path properly one should, as Krishna says, “give up all other dharmas, or methods of worship, and take exclusive shelter of Me in devotion.”

The Bhagavad-gita is the main text of the bhakti school, which teaches that God is an individual person, as are we, but that He is in the supreme position as the controller and origin of all that be. In other

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COVER STORY Anyways, it’s clear to me that spiritual prostitution exists. And it’s a fact that there are these modern kirtan gurus popping up who will prostitute themselves philosophically to gain access to a greater demographic of consumers, and you should know that they are alive and doing well, very well.

FINAL THOUGHT:

If you are married to a person and you tell that person “I love you. My love is completely devoted to you.” and then you are constantly calling another person, talking about them, singing to them, how do you think your spouse is going to feel?

"If you are married to a person and you tell that person “I love you. My love is completely devoted to you” and then you are constantly calling another person, talking about them, singing to them, how do you think your spouse is going to feel?" words, it wouldn’t make sense for someone who truly accepts the Gita’s teachings to take a break from this path and worship Durga or any other god or goddess or object. If you truly accept what the Gita is saying – that Krishna is the origin of all things and that all things are emanating from Him and contained within Him – what would be the point of worshiping any other person or object? So if you do sometimes worship someone or something else, that proves that underneath all your external public display of heartfelt “bhakti” you don’t really think that Krishna is the supreme goal of meditation. In other words, you don’t really accept as true Krishna’s teachings in the Bhagavadgita. Right?

How can a person follow all three extremely contradictory spiritual paths simultaneously? This unfortunately sounds to me like a most bogus kind of “bhakti”. It’s like a guy offering “respect” to a priest by touching his foot with one hand while beating him over the head with a shoe held in the other hand! Fol-

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lowing the teachings of a voidist path like Buddhism or an impersonal path like advaitism while trying to cultivate devotion to a personal Supreme Truth through a theistic path like bhakti is like trying to start a fire while simultaneously pouring water on it. It just doesn’t work. In other words, there can be no real bhakti potency in such chanting of mantras. It must be a farce.

Maybe you think that one who is advanced spiritually can see the divine in all things. But then again, what is your position: is there a soul, or isn’t there one? Do you devote your being to Durga, or do you actually worship Krishna/Vishnu? Which is it? Shouldn't we want to know?

What is the meaning of a guru’s giving you a name such as Govinda Das if you regularly chant the name of Durga or Kali? It’s as if I’m married to a woman named Patty but I’m always calling Sherry on the phone. Are you really devoted to the person whose name you’re calling out repeatedly? Or do you do so solely for entertainment purposes and recognition?!

Someone may argue that if you love God then do you not love everything and everyone? Sure, but what would be the point of bhakti-yoga practice unless you’re trying to direct all your love and action to watering the root? Unless you’re trying to give it all back to God, the place where it all comes from? And if we can chant any name, then why do I have to go to a yoga studio and try to bend up like a pretzel and look all spiritual, when I can just chant my girlfriend’s name in the back of my Cadillac on Mount Solidad and make profuse amounts of "love" and call it “divine bhakti.”

In other words, what is the actual substance of bhakti that makes it bhakti?

We should understand this science and investigate ALL of these different philosophical doctrines. We should continue to go deeper and deeper in the ocean of knowledge of life and reject obvious contradictions and misinterpretations of those doctrines. We should not follow anything blindly. Question Everything; Know for yourself.

In conclusion, real love is exclusive.

“Love” that is not exclusive is prostitution — it’s not love at all. This kind of “love” is self-serving and cannot truly satisfy the self. If you think that sex with multiple partners is an advanced form of bhakti-yoga, then you’re not even on the spiritual path at all, because the spiritual path means knowing that you are not the body made of flesh and blood but that we should actually endeavor to realize and nourish the eternal spirit within. This is not a criticism of the search for genuine love; it’s just a criticism of the modern materialistic mindset of making the most valuable things in life cheap and simulated.

May all those sincere seekers who wish to experience the true depth of the heart of the bhakti-yoga science find such guidance and shelter in the teachings of Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who taught the complete science of bhakti and wrote it all down in numerous books, especially The Nectar of Devotion.

(See www.nectarofdevotion.com) � OM TAT SAT

READER

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CULTURE

THE ATTITUDE PROBLEM Don't Forget The Oil Spill Yet The Gulf oil spill was more an attitude problem than anything else. The Vedic sages of old knew the truth that our attitude, our consciousness, is what becomes manifest on the outside in the phenomenal world. Therefore, they concentrated their problem solving on purifying the consciousness.

By Sesa Dasa

Report:

July 10, 2010, Gulf oil spill day number 81 and counting, and Mother Nature is still bleeding to death. But, don’t worry, according to a July 7, 2010 report published by the Wall Street Journal, utilizing yet another new approach, petroleum giant “BP PLC is pushing to fix its runaway Gulf oil well

by July 27, possibly weeks before the deadline the company is discussing publicly, in a bid to show investors it has capped its ballooning financial liabilities, according to company officials” (“BP Sets New Spill Target”, Wall Street Journal Digital Network, July 7, 2010). Of course, given the history of failed attempts to stem one of the biggest environ-

mental disasters ever, company officials are giving themselves a safety cushion, “At the same time, BP is readying a series of backup plans in case its current operations go awry.”

I agree it’s time for a new approach, but forget about the top kill, containment domes, siphons, top hats, junk shots, relief wells, and concerns for investors and the future economic viability of BP. How about letting concern for poor old Mother Nature drive our thinking?

This isn’t the first time in recorded history that an ocean pollution disaster has threatened the world. Perhaps if we review what people did before we can find the answer of what to do now. This is the way Vedic sages of old applied their intel-

ligence to problem solving. They would always refer to previous incidents in history and take lessons on how to approach finding solutions to a current problem. One important difference in their approach was that their deliberations centered on the qualities and attitudes that affect how work is accomplished, not just the practical mechanics of work.

submitting themselves as his dependents, they requested his assistance in gaining relief from the danger of this poison. Lord Siva is the master of the material energy, and the husband of Bhavani, Mother Nature herself.

The demigods knew that Lord Siva, the “father of all planets,” could be relied upon to be a responsible person, and as such that his first concern would be for his wife, the mother who nourishes all living beings. A willingness to taking responsibility is the first thing to be

©#8

Srimad Bhagavatam describes that there was a time in the universal creation when, as a result of a similar attempt to extract riches from the ocean, a great poison leaked from the ocean and rapidly spread throughout the universe, threatening the life of men, aquatics, plants, and animals. At that time, the demigods approached Lord Siva, and

©#9

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CULTURE learned from this first historical “poison spill” incident.

Who is willing to take responsibility for the Gulf oil spill? It’s easy to point the finger solely at BP, but to do so would be somewhat irresponsible on our part.

BP exists on our consumption, and thus each of us is responsible to one degree or another.

Are we willing to take responsibility for our share in creating this problem, to do our part in solving the problem? I’m not one who advocates totally eschewing the consumption of oil, but I do advocate responsible con-

ended up hurting others and I want to see you accept what you did and take responsibility for it.

When you are ready to do that I will help you.” We all know this material world and those in it, including ourselves, are far from perfect, yet even when we make mistakes, it takes some humility before we are willing to admit our mistakes and seek help in resolving a problem.

Such humility is lacking in BP’s efforts. Let the following quote from the Wall Street Journal article serve as evidence, "In a perfect world with no interrup-

Because the demigods were willing to sacrifice their pride, Lord Siva naturally agreed to make a personal sacrifice to help them solve their problem. This is how one gains the good will of others, marshals resources, and even moves the powers of the universe. Sacrifice means to use one’s strengths not in one’s own interests but to serve the needs of others. sumption. It is certainly not too much to ask everyone who uses oil to be proportionally responsible to Mother Nature.

Taking responsibility requires humility, the next thing we learn from the demigods approaching Lord Siva. Although my grandfather wasn’t a demigod, he had enough common sense to teach me some things about the humility required for one to actually take responsibility. I once broke one of his power tools but tried to hide it. Of course, he found out, yet he waited for the culprit to come forward and admit it.

But, I didn’t come forward. After a few days he had to ask me about it. “I don’t care about the tool,” he said, “but what you did could have

tions, it's possible to be ready to stop the well between July 20 and July 27," said the head of BP's Gulf Coast restoration unit, managing director Bob Dudley, in an interview. He added that this "perfect case" is threatened by the hurricane season and is "unlikely." Excuses, excuses.

The demigods submitted themselves because they realized that, in world prone to imperfection and dangers, their desires had put others at risk. Thus they humbly approach Lord Siva.

The Srimad Bhagavatam continues to describe that because the demigods were willing to sacrifice their pride, in reciprocation Lord Siva naturally

agreed to make a personal sacrifice to help them solve their problem. This is how one gains the good will of others, marshals resources, and even moves the powers of the universe. Sacrifice means to use one’s strengths not in one’s own interests but to serve the needs of others. Lord Siva was undoubtedly powerful enough to sacrifice alone, and so he immediately drank all the poison and solved the poison spill problem.

A solution to the Gulf oil spill problem will not be so easy for BP or the rest of us. BP is too worried about its investors and its future economic viability to admit their bewilderment. The rest of us seem unwilling to sacrifice our comfortable lifestyle for the future benefit of the planet. The Gulf oil spill is more an attitude problem than anything else. The Vedic sages of old knew the truth that our attitude, our consciousness, is what becomes manifest on the outside in the phenomenal world. Therefore, they concentrated their problem solving on purifying the consciousness.

Modern approaches to prob-

lems in the phenomenal world, problems such as the Gulf oil spill, continue to focus on external, practical mechanical avenues. Avenues which according to BP's Gulf Coast restoration unit, managing director Bob Dudley, are essentially out of our control. Whereas, the only thing we really can control, our attitude, is seen as irrelevant.

Krishna Consciousness offers the world a method to gain a measure of control, a method to change your consciousness, and by doing so to change the phenomenal world around you.

Chanting Hare Krishna is the sacrifice meant for this age. By chanting Hare Krishna you purify your consciousness, and with a purified consciousness you understand your relationship with God, the phenomenal world, and all living entities. Situated in such a position of inner strength you can take actual responsibility, evoke universal powers of change, and even effectively deal with oil spills.

If you choose not to look inward for change, the world will stay the same: Gulf oil spill day 82 and counting. �

"We are not on this earth to accumulate victories, things, and experiences, but to be whittled and sandpapered until what's left is who we truly are." -Arianna Huffington • • • To conquer oneself is a greater task than to conquer others.

-Buddha • • • "If you would make a man happy, study not to augment his goods; but to diminish his wants."-Orestes Brownson, 1864.

• • • It is not MY fault that I never learned to accept responsibility. -Idiot

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CULTURE

HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH Simple Spiritual Living In The Face Of Consumerism

?

Having more choices, although valued, actually makes life more confusing, complex, and just plain convoluted. What should be a simple process becomes a stressful consideration of so many features or varieties, with the purpose of the device becoming lost. Our true needs have become covered over by so-called modern conveniences.

By Karnamrita Dasa

Though

I have spoken about this often, it is important enough to devote a whole blog to it.

Why?

The reason this is important is

because we live in a time when the way many companies make money is by getting the population obsessed with technological or other unique gadgets— supposedly to make life better, but actually resulting in more complicated life and people less satisfied. This is outlined in a ©#11

book I have titled, “When More is Less— The Paradox of Choice” in which having more choices, although valued, actually makes life more confusing, complex, and just plain convoluted. What should be a simple process becomes a stressful consideration of so many features or varieties, with the purpose of the device becoming lost. Our true needs have become covered over by socalled “modern conveniences”.

Why does one have to have a better phone with more apps and features than their per-

©#12

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fectly good, not very old one? It is only because companies are dictating what is “cool” or necessary to be better than others who don’t have their product.

People become blinded by false substitutes for their real needs, created by companies seeking to exploit people for their profit.

“Cool”, being better or “improving life” has replaced intelligent discussion, introspection and seeing the bigger picture; a common sense which isn’t very common today. When companies and their media have control over the direction of our aspira-

“Cool”, being better or “improving life” has replaced intelligent discussion, introspection and seeing the bigger picture—common sense, which isn’t very common today.

tions we are in serious trouble of

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CULTURE losing peace of mind and simple happiness.

This mentality of being dissatisfied and seeking to fulfill it through material goods is called in Sanskrit “raja guna,” or the quality of passion by which modern materialistic society runs. The symptoms of the quality or “mode of passion” are great attachment, fruitive activity, intense endeavor, uncontrollable desire and hankering.

These qualities by themselves are not helpful in uncovering the spiritual urge of human beings and bringing the fulfillment everyone naturally wants. Material lust is compared in the Bhagavad-Gita to a blazing fire which can never be extinguished simply by adding more fuel of desires and selfishness.

Now I am not against capitalism per say— every system has its good and bad points and can be constructively used or abused— but consumerism is really a type of enslavement in its harshest form, or something like an addiction where more and newer is craved. In the 1950’s in the United States consumerism was actually promoted by some national leaders as a way to keep people busy and prevent them from causing trouble to the nation. Unfortunately, consumerism, though superficially keeping people busy, caused them great dissatisfaction.

This dissatisfaction fermented into the development of the coun-

When companies and their media have control over the direction of our aspirations we are in serious trouble. ter-culture of the ‘60s youth which valued simple living and renunciation of materialism.

When we become ruled not by genuine needs but by unrealistic emotional wants or views of personal grandeur we will only become frustrated. Our wants never end if fueled by the promise of more enjoyment in the future.

Beyond material happiness, real lasting happiness comes from the soul and understanding its spiritual food, quite apart from

from consumer spending. Companies need consumers to thirst for the products they make. If people are simple and satisfied they won’t be good consumers.

Companies only exist to make a profit even, if people would be happier with fewer things and more time for relationships, and for those on spiritual paths— more time for self-realization and service to God and others.

In a June 18, 2010 article in the Washington Post entitled “USA:

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any physical necessities.

Unfortunately, happiness has not been promoted as a state of inner being, but rather as dependent on external conditions or things to be obtained (from a company’s product or service). Interestingly being satisfied is not considered good for a nation’s economy where threefourths of its money comes

The World's Drug Addict,” it was outlined that the US, with only 5% of the world’s population, consumes 25% of the world’s resources. A more astonishing statistic though is that this same minority population consumes 65% of the world’s illegal drugs. How is this for a testimony that material goods don’t make one happy? It would be assumed by conventional wisdom that a country with a high standard of material enjoyment and

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prosperity would be the most happy and least in need of drugs.

However, this “formula” for success is obviously greatly lacking and based on faulty assumptions.

It is interesting that the current recession in the US and many places in the world has caused some people to reevaluate their lives, their spending, and what is really important.

Thrift and saving money were common virtues which went out of fashion many years ago after decades of material prosperity and excess. With the economic downturn (certainly a recession and perhaps a depression), the old values are gaining popularity and acceptance. This was elaborated in the article, “The Leap to Cheap” in the AARP magazine.

The article’s author, Jeff Yeager, who also has two books on this topic, such as “The Cheapskate Next Door”, traveled all over the USA to interview 300 people he dubbed his “miser advisers” who outlined how they get more for less, and have a lifestyle of doing without, or getting used items instead of new.

Some onlookers have concluded that people tend to become thrifty when forced by economic hardship, while spending freely in better times. This

observation is in line with Srila Prabhupada’s “Nectar of Devotion”, in which he cites that people tend to alternate between material enjoyment and renunciation. In fact these polarities fuel much of material life and even spiritual pursuits, where people become frustrated with sensual pleasure and give up the world by cultivating knowledge of the soul. Without bhakti-yoga, the yoga of philosophy and devotion, we can’t remain steady in our life’s direction or convictions and have to alternate between overindulgence and doing without, or between work and vacation.

On the other hand, some people consider that the importance of thrift and savings will likely become a permanent value for many. Time will tell of course, yet those who have simplified their lives tend to realize the many unexpected benefits. They find what really makes them happy— and it is not simply “things,” but relationships, peace, spirituality, volunteering, and time to devote to them. Thus, thrift, for those who employ it, is more about knowing what is cherished and skipping the rest. This simplicity of living can also be favorable for spiritual cultivation which can be fostered by the thoughtfulness generated by a peaceful

Cont'd on pg. 22 ›››

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FOOD FOR THOUGHT

SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE A Critical Component

By Ryan Hazlett

Excerpt from the Bhagavad-gita: Arjuna said: O Krishna, what are the symptoms of one whose consciousness is merged in transcendence? How does he speak, and what is his language? How does he sit, and how does he walk?

Krishna said: O Arjuna, when one gives up all varieties of desire for sense gratification, which arise from mental concoction, and when his mind, thus purified, finds satisfaction in the self alone, then he is said to be in pure transcendental consciousness.

One who is not disturbed in mind even amidst the threefold miseries or elated when there is happiness, and who is free from attachment, fear and anger, is called a sage of steady mind.

In the material world, one who is unaffected by whatever good or evil he may obtain, neither praising it nor despising it, is firmly fixed in perfect knowledge.

One who is able to withdraw his senses from sense objects, as the tortoise draws its limbs within the shell, is firmly fixed in perfect consciousness.

The embodied soul may be restricted from sense enjoyment, though the taste for sense objects remains. But, ceasing such engagements by experiencing a higher taste, he is fixed in consciousness.

The senses are so strong and impetuous that they forcibly carry away the mind even of a person of discrimination who is endeavoring to control them.

One who restrains his senses, keeping them under full control, and fixes his consciousness upon Me, is

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A lot of

p e o p l e in modern America perform spiritual activities. Some go to churches, some go to mosques, and some, being more freelance spiritual types, prefer reading many different spiritual books, going to yoga studios and perhaps drum circles. It’s common for people to add spiritual activities to the routine lifestyle they are already comfortable with.

However, a critical component to spiritual advancement is refraining from certain activities. Often this means not doing things we otherwise might want to do. Spirituality is not a hobby to do in one’s spare time while not bothering to change some of our old habits. Rather, it is the reason we exist.

©#18

In order to change our consciousness for the better, we should resist dong things that are spiritually counterproductive, and sometimes force ourselves to do things we might not want to do, but are essential for spiritual advancement.

It is not that one goes to church on Sunday, then the rest of the week drinks, smokes, cusses, and generally behaves like a Neanderthal. One is not advised to go to the yoga studio a few times a week, while the rest of the week compulsively giving in to the demands of the tongue and genitals. To make real advancement we have to overhaul our whole life, habits, and habitual ways of thinking.

In order to change our consciousness for the better, we should resist dong things that are spiritually counterproductive, and sometimes force ourselves to do things we might not

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the mind, and perform 4 hours of meditation and study. We constantly strive to control our thoughts and actions, and have as few possessions as possible.

We follow four principles which are no in-

want to do, but are essential for spiritual advancement. When we practice the do’s and don’ts of our spiritual discipline, our consciousness gets purified. If we do this for long enough, we become habituated to living a purer, more spiritually elevated lifestyle. This is how one makes spiritual advancement.

In the Sanskrit language the word to describe this concept is tapasya, which can be translated as austerity or voluntarily accepting discomfort in order to make spiritual progress. To give you some example of tapasya, the monks at our temple wake up between 3 and 4 in the morning, take a cold shower to purify

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toxication, no meat eating, celibacy, and no gambling.

Certainly, though, celibacy is not for everyone.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT For one, there wouldn’t be any people left on the Earth in about 100 years if everyone were celibate monks. But the idea is the more we voluntarily sacrifice for spiritual advancement, the more advancement we make.

In the ancient Vedic culture of India, a person is not considered to be quite on the human platform unless he or she is able to forgo urges for immediate satisfaction in favor of noble, pure, and longer term achievements.

Animals don’t think about the

consequences of their actions, they just do what feels good in the moment. If a lot of food is put in front of an animal it will gorge itself. If an attractive member of the opposite sex walks by, it will have sex and then leave without considering the welfare of its

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offspring or the mother. However human beings have certain social responsibilities and if everyone just did whatever feels good in the moment, then society would collapse.

The human body that we as eternal spirit souls currently possess, is meant for self-realization. It is not meant for just eating, sleeping, mating, and defending our territory and mating rights. If we choose to reduce our existence to the bestial platform, then we should not be surprised if in our next life we get an animal body. But if we choose to consider our actions carefully and practice self-control, we can be elevated to higher planes of consciousness. �

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ANIMAL RIGHTS & HUMAN WRONGS ›› Cont'd from pg. 7

there is peace. Disharmony leads imbalance, disease, and destruction. The BP oil spill is a product of an approach to nature that reeks of an attitude of destruction and has little or no sense of respect or harmony for nature. This does not mean that we cannot use things in nature for our benefit, and sometimes this includes animals, but that we should do so in a respectful way. As citizens of a country that uses more energy than any other country, we have to share with BP a moral, if not financial, responsibility for what had happened. How many of us who complain about the ongoing environmental degradation have altered our lives to use alternate energy instead? How many of us drive only alternate energy vehicles, have solar panels on our homes, recycle all our waste, plant trees wherever we can, and stop adding to the massive pollution caused by the livestock industry? Not many. There is an environmental crisis that is apparent today and has therefore gotten most of our attention, but there is a morality crisis that has been going on for a long time in the way we treat Mother Earth and her residents, and very few of us even think about it. While many individual Christians, Jews, and Muslims act in environmentally conscious ways, it is time that Western religions start including in their teachings a genuine and proactive concern for nature and for the other beings that share the Earth with us.

They claim to believe that all of creation is from God. It is time they begin to treat these divine creations with the respect they deserve.

I realize that the views I have expressed will likely upset some.

I am only expressing my personal beliefs, and I do so with the hope of inspiring a bit more awareness about the non-human beings and other forms of life that are such beautiful and important parts of the natural world. Vegetarianism is great for health, and that is why I first became a vegetarian. However, I Cont'd on pg. 22 ›››

known as a person of steady intelligence.

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. When memory is bewildered, intelligence is lost, and when intelligence is lost one falls down again into the material pool.

But a person free from all attachment and aversion and able to control his senses through regulative principles of freedom can obtain My mercy completely.

For one thus satisfied in Krishna consciousness, the threefold miseries of material existence exist no longer; in such satisfied consciousness, one's intelligence is soon well established.

One who is not connected with the Supreme can have neither transcendental intelligence nor a steady mind, without which there is no possibility of peace. And how can there be any happiness without peace?

As a strong wind sweeps away a boat on the water, even one of the roaming senses on which the mind focuses can carry away one's intelligence.

Therefore, one whose senses are restrained from their objects is certainly of steady intelligence.

What is night for all beings is the time of awakening for the self-controlled; and the time of awakening for all beings is night for the introspective sage.

A person who is not disturbed by the incessant flow of desires— that enter like rivers into the ocean, which is ever being filled but is always still—can alone achieve peace, and not the person who strives to satisfy such desires.

A person who has given up all desires for sense gratification, who lives free from desires, who has given up all sense of proprietorship and is devoid of false ego—he alone can attain real peace.

That is the way of the spiritual and godly life, after attaining which a person is not bewildered. If one is thus situated even at the hour of death, one can atain the spiritual abode. �

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OPEN MIC

ILLUSION

like state.

the planet of Krishna.

I've heard it described the way that one knows he is his same self in waking or dreaming is due to this Brahman nature. Otherwise one could never be sure if one was awake or sleeping - while one is in the world, which would make this place more confusing than it already is!

The way to do that is to chant Hare Krishna and perform Bhakti-yoga of serving Krishna. Then one awakens his original spiritual position and spiritual form and goes back home to Krishna.

At any rate, knowing this one can at least for a moment touch Brahman or have a point of reference.

Thereafter one might want to know, what next? How can I truly find a state where I'm not dreaming, or dreaming I'm dreaming? What about maybe this Brahman state?

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“Just as a dream is merely a creation of one’s intelligence but has no actual substance, similarly, material lamentation, bewilderment, happiness, distress, and birth and death are all creations of the illusory energy.”

ROY: Each living entity is a spark of higher eternal spiritual nature, specifically "aksaram (indestructable) brahma (Brahman (means "spiritual") paramam (transcendental) svabhavo (of eternal nature) adhyatmam (the

self).)'(BG 8.3) ("The indestructable transcendental living entity is called Brahman, and his eternal nature is called the self.")

The identification we have with the material transitory energy's changes arise from sensory perception (matrasparsas)(BG.2.14) which is a dream-

ANIMAL RIGHTS & HUMAN WRONGS

HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH

remain a vegetarian for ethical reasons.

Meat eating and the resulting wholesale slaughter of animals causes more destruction to our environment, our health, and our relationship with the world than any other single cause. More than that, it promotes a careless attitude toward life and a mind set that makes violence more acceptable. I have countless friends and family members who are not vegetarian, and this does not prevent me from having deep respect for many of them. At the same time, I do feel a great sense of sadness for all the suffering that is caused by the food choices of meat eaters. For all those people who consider themselves to be pro-peace or pro-life and who are bothered by all the violence in the world, I would only ask them to look at their dinner plate and reflect for a moment on how much hard work fighting injustice and violence will be offset by the torture, suffering, and rights abuses that occur simply so they can consume a piece of meat. �

mind.

›› Cont'd from pg. 21

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Well, it is described that one can (and many yogis do) attain to the unchanging nature beyond this changing material world in which are floating countless spiritual sparks like himself in the place called the Bramajyoti which is actually the effulgence of Lord Krishna.

If one gets there he can stay for many eons of time, away from the material world of changes. However, one eventual gets spiritually bored there and returns to the material world.

So what can one do? Well, one needs to have a spiritual body and to be invited beyond the Bramajyoti to

›› Cont'd from pg. 19 Time and money are often considered as important yet sometimes conflicting goals, yet of the two, time is more important. And counter intuitive to our overspending culture is the realization of a formula that “spending less money creates more time”. One may have millions of dollars yet receive little of the hoped-for benefit. Though working so hard to “improve” one’s perceived status or estate, what is the use if one never has time for God, seeing one’s family or even going home! What a cruel irony and perfect example of the meaning of “maya,” the Vedic name for the force of material illusion, or “that which is not”. The biggest allure of this force is not our present standard of enjoyment, but the promise of future happiness, akin to the proverbial carrot before the donkey. This promise runs the modern materialist engine: “Although you are not happy now you will be with this product!”

Open Mic for the next issue

TRUE VOYAGE

This is actually what all entities are searching for as it is our true home and real life!

Matthew Reed: Dream is an illusion to the self in the sense that whatever is happening in the dream is not happening to the person who is dreaming. For example, one may be dreaming to be walking on a beach. However the reality is that one is not walking on the beach. One is rather drooling all over his pillow while only dreaming about the beach.

In the same sense things such as lamentation, bewilderment, happiness, distress, birth and death are illusory because they are not happening to the self, the spirit soul.

They are rather happening to the body that the self is encased within.

This body consist of two parts, gross and subtle. The gross one is made up of elements that can be sensually experienced. The subtle body is com-

Getting out of the mood of intense greed and hankering for improving one’s standard of material comfort and prosperity by needless consumption can be the beginning stage to realizing happiness, but not the end. However pleasant any material situation is, the nature of the world is change and deterioration. Our happy life will eventually be the cause of our suffering. Never-the-less we find that every person wants to be everlastingly happy without having to give up their loving relationships and standard of living. One of life’s secrets is that the desire for lasting fulfillment actually comes from the eternal soul and can only be fulfilled by spiritual means. Our soul’s nature is being full of knowledge and blissfulness by our eternal constitution of service to God.

So our problem is not just making material adjustments to be happy, but is realizing our eternal joyful nature as souls.

Though we have to keep body and soul together by some kind of activity, our lasting happiness is beyond the physical plane, on the dimension of the soul who is a part of God, or Krishna. Therefore, reviving our eternal consciousness is the

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"The true voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes."

Comment, expound, etc. on the above quote. Presentations which we deem to be the best will be published in the next issue of the 16rounds newspaper.

Email your submissions to 16rounds@gmail.com posed of the mind, intellect, and false ego. Birth and death are occurring to the gross body, whereas lamentation, happiness, distress, etc. are happening to the subtle body. The self, the soul, is neither gross neither subtle body.

real solution to life’s apparent problems and suffering.

Krishna consciousness, or bhakti-yoga, is the process of converting our illusion of trying to be the lords of all we survey to one of being the joyful eternal servants of all with God in the lead. It means we wake up to our real self, a lover of God. That is our normal, happy life and is far, far away from our hankering for the next computer system or technological marvel. All the Vedic texts (such as the Bhagavad-gita and the Srimad Bhagavatam) are meant to teach us how to do this, and those who follow this path share their experience and happiness with whoever is interested. Although life normally appears very ordinary, it becomes extraordinary when we see the hand of Krishna everywhere. It is possible to develop such a vision through prayer, spiritual practice and saintly association. Be blessed and find your true spiritual lasting happiness.

Hare Krishna! �

LIFESTYLE

DECLINE OF A CIVILIZATION CHEMICAL ABUSE

By Miroslav Krleza, 1932, “The Return Of Filip Latinovicz”

vention and marketing of fictitious diseases that "require" medication), false advertising, junk science, bribery of doctors, corruption of government regulators, control of the monopoly drug market, and the destruction of natural alternatives, to name a few of the tactics.

People

are passing by, carrying within them, in their dark intestines, a mixture of the heads and legs of boiled fowl, the dreary eyes of birds, cow’s buttocks, and horses’ haunches, while only the night before those same animals were cheerfully swinging their tails - the hens squawking in the hen house on the very eve of their death. Now, everything has found its way into the human intestines.

All this movement and gluttony is, to sum it up, the life in the western European cities, the dusk of an old civilization.

Miroslav Krleza (1893 1981) was a novelist, poet, essayist, short-story writer, and playwright, a central figure in modern Croatian literature.

Nearly half the U.S. population is now taking a daily dose of one or more pharmaceuticals. The drug industry, which once merely hoped to medicate sick people, now has a more ambitious goal: medicate everyone, including people who aren't sick.

The way they do that, of course, is to engage in disease mongering (the in-

That modern medicine today is even called "medicine" is astonishing. It has nothing to do with helping patients prevent disease or cure disease, and is almost entirely focused on "managing" or "controlling" disease symptoms through drugs that must be taken for a lifetime. The real scam, of course, is that patients actually pay for this sort of chemical abuse. Even worse, they're easily fooled into thinking it's "medicine."

[Source: www.NaturalNews.com]

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