16 Rounds to Samadhi | Issue #5

www.16ROUNDS.com Issue 5

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INTRO

America: THE LAND OF THE FREE! (Which includes the freedom to work 9 to 5.)

"Wherever the standard of freedom and independence has been or shall be unfurled, there will be America's heart…"

– John Adams, a founding father of the United States

Anyone who spends

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: 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.

even a small amount of time within the boundaries of Western Civilization, under the leadership of America, will soon take note of the importance placed upon the concept of freedom. Westerners consider freedom to be a way of life—an ideal to continuously integrate into both our civil discourse and our spiritual aims.

Considering the plethora of quotes like that of John Adams’ mentioned above, it’s safe to say that America and freedom are practically synonymous. Just consider the following buzzwords: civil liberties, democracy, revolution, freedom of speech, the right to bear arms, reproductive rights—the list goes on. But let’s face the fact: freedom is not so easily achieved.

Like it or not—America sets the standard of living for the rest of the world. But what kind of example is being set? With an estimated 50% divorce rate1, 2/3 of the population overweight or obese2, half the nation “regular drinkers”3, 1,500,000 violent crimes per year4, and an average 56 tons of trash per year per American5—clearly there are some freedoms which come at a cost to both the individual and society. The trump card, however, looms ominously in America’s increasing rates of depression and dissatisfaction. Maybe it’s time to redefine this central value to society.

Real freedom isn’t necessarily the freedom to say whatever you want, produce whatever media you want, freedom to marry whomever, etc. Even if we were to achieve all these “freedoms”, still we’re still stuck with the grid-iron shackles of old age, disease, and death. No number of protest marches can empower any government to free its citizens from these strict laws of material nature. Yet, where in the world can one gain access to freedom from such harsh realities?

Every living being is anxious for complete freedom because that is the transcendental nature of spirit. We naturally crave for

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this boundless freedom in the same way that a fish desires to swim within water. Due to a lack of transcendental knowledge, we focus almost entirely on the need for illusory freedoms within the prison house of the material cosmos—freedoms based entirely on the temporary.

Transcendentalists seek freedom of an entirely different quality—full freedom from all the miseries of material existence.

Their consciousness is far superior because they get free from concepts the average person would simply overlook. Transcendental freedom is the mysterious treasure which popular transcendentalists such as Thoreau and Emerson encouraged their fellow Americans to pursue.

Freedoms, whether they are transcendental or mundane, stand out as a common desire for all. Yet, there simultaneously remains a deep need for each soul to freely express their personal individuality in this world—bringing us to the crux of the issue. Freedom within and of itself is not so wonderful, more important is gaining knowledge of how people can utilize freedom in a way that will uplift society’s consciousness as a whole. This all-auspicious perspective is a new chapter in western society’s progress and we’ve decided to make it the focal point in this issue of 16Rounds. We hope that a fresh perspective on this topic will move the reader beyond stereotypical freedoms and into the genuine lasting freedoms, which inherently belong to us all. ■ ©#1

MEANING OF “16ROUNDS”

Photo Credits

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.

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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.”

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READER

Freedom & Its Concomitant Responsibility

GIVE HIM ENOUGH ROPE TO HANG HIMSELF WITH Man himself is quickly becoming a cataclysm. Those "freedoms" which are now in man's hands, given through the cultivation of technologies, have now become a prison for our brethren creatures, and our Mother, Nature, is convulsing, spewing poisonous liquids into her own children's playground, on account of us.

By Dr. Benjamin McClintic

There is the

now old saying, "Give him enough rope to hang himself with". This saying suggests that freedom, taken in a certain way and to a certain extreme, becomes self-destructive or suicidal. Imagine if, with a view to manifesting as much as possible, human beings of every sort were to perform whatever whimsical act crossed their minds without the slightest sense of restraint or self-control. Suicides might escalate to enormous heights, simply because one took no care to second think a feeling of freedom that came over them at the moment. Persons might walk out the door completely naked simply because the thought happened to cross their mind.

Lies would no doubt escalate whenever honesty required an admission of responsibility for the faultiness of an action. And so on. In light of this, it is fairly obvious that freedom is not always something good in itself, but rather, remains good as part

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of a whole, a virtuous world, in which other virtues, such as selfrestraint, sharing, and responsibility, are also cultivated.

In the discourse recorded as the Bhagavad-gita, Sri Krishna describes what later commentators refer to as "the regulative principles of freedom". Here, Krishna asserts a critical prin-

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ciple which is to guide us, that freedom is tied into a regulative character. We imprison the beast, sometimes, even for its own sake.

Yet the prison of man, and that of the beast, though in some ways similar, are in important ways different. The zoo holds beasts as does the prison hold man. What is common in both cases is that the creature held loses the luxuriousness and freedom of the wider natural world.

What is different is perhaps that we may in some greater degree feel kindly toward these coiled creatures whom we measure, these rotund mammoths that we coddle, whose companions we arrange marriages for, whose children we watch, as if loving

In their impatient struggle for power, they destroy incidentally, because that which they must move through blockades their grasp of power. They seek freedom-to, but also attempt to maintain themselves in a freedomfrom-responsibility that attends this freedom. They want the milk without maintaining the cow.

READER The critical point is that we seek freedom, not for its own sake, but rather because freedom itself seeks satisfaction. This satisfaction is an ideal state, something to be legitimately striven for by legitimate means, a clarity in which the world is seen as good in itself, and anxious longing disappears. Such is the most complete and authentic freedom, a freedom to be sought for its own sake. But this requires that we practice self-restraint in the direction dictated by a mature understanding of self-satisfaction. grandparents. We watch them, who are as if our own family, with awe and reverence for the diversity of forms whose like we have never seen. It is a different situation in the prisons of men. Here, we do not coddle and comfort, but strike and restrain. We may measure here, but not because we care-for; rather, we fear-from.

The prisoner's satisfaction is not sought, in the case of man; only his complacency.

Thus, a minimum of care is given, in stark contrast to the maximum given to our endangered friends.

It is perhaps no small coincidence that the words 'damage' and 'domain' derive from the same ancient phoneme, as any life in man's domain is certainly a creature in danger of damage, even of utter elimi-

nation. The technological superiority of man has no match among the beasts. Our technology has enabled us to endanger the greater realm of the earth. Not even the remote King Penguins of Antarctica, nor the Polar Bears of the Arctic regions-what to speak of the aquatics and avians of the Gulf of Mexico--remain outside man's reach, and thus outside the threat of his present environmentally damaging behaviors. Man himself is quickly becoming a cataclysm. Those "freedoms" which are now in man's hands, given through the cultivation of technologies, have now become a prison for our brethren creatures, and our Mother, Nature, is convulsing, spewing poisonous liquids into her own children's playground, on account of us. Man sometimes amuses himself in

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the idea that nature is a cruel mother. Yet man has proven far crueler a force to life in this world as of now. What are her hurricanes, and forest fires, by comparison with man's ambitions, his will to power?

Man is now freer than ever to pursue his unprecedented ambitions, because of the state of his technologies, but does

to approach the Grandfather of all beings, Brahma. This idea of the Earth as a Goddess is not simply a crude, pagan fantasy, but is deeply significant, perhaps now more so than ever before. How we treat our cows in the West, how we treat our women, how we treat the Earth, all fall along the same set of values: We want the

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he see fully the consequences of his actions? The Bhagavad-gita suggests that men, overcome by lust, engage in activities bent on destroying the world. Now, are we to suppose that, like the Joker of DC's Batman comics, the CEOs of BP, or the Ship's captain of the Exxon Valdez-or name any other major man-made disaster you like--they desired to see the world destroyed? This is of course to transform the complex human character into an oversimplified myth. But this is not, I think, what the Bhagavad-gita is trying to say. It suggests rather that, in their impatient struggle for power, they destroy incidentally, because that which they must move through blockades their grasp of power. They seek freedom-to, but also attempt to maintain themselves in a freedom-from-responsibility that attends this freedom. They want the milk without maintaining the cow.

The language of the Srimad Bhagavatam confirms this sort of view of the Earth in the fourth Canto, Chapter 18, whose title is translated by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami as, "King Prithu Milks the Earth Planet". The comparison of the Earth to a cow is repeated elsewhere in the same work, such as at the beginning of the 10th Canto, in which the Earth goddess, Bhumi, takes the form of a cow in order

milk without maintaining the cow. This is the essentially demonic idea of freedom.

It is a freedom-to-do-as-pleases-us which does not take into mind the responsibilities that attend such freedoms. Thus, destruction and failure is bound to occur, as much as in the Pancha-ratra tale of the man who tried to increase the economic efficiency of the goose that laid the golden egg came to an abrupt and disastrous end when he cut its head off so as to eliminate its own need for food. This sort of laissez faire view of natural resources is fantastically problematic, and in my view, deeply suspect in terms of the legitimizable range of its motives (though, to a growing number, I am speaking the obvious). Perhaps in one's own space, and insofar as one's activities are clearly not producing any negative impact on others, we can say that one is free to do as pleases one. But beyond this, when such fantastic risks are taken for short-term profit, with a minimal view of personal liability and responsibility to such damages as one enacts, this moves in the direction of a demonic enterprise, and has no legitimate or sustainable place in this world. Such action must be revolted against with all our human energy.

The critical point is that we seek freeCont'd on pg. 20 ›››

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SOCIETY WATCH

INDEPENDENCE & PATRIOTISM What qualifies one as a patriot?

Are we getting ahead of ourselves here? What exactly is patriotism? Patriotism to what? A country, a place, a way of life?

By Karnamrita Dasa

The 4th of July

is Independence Day in the USA, celebrating the independence of the 13 colonies from British rule, and the beginning of a new country, the Untied States of America. Once there was a discussion on NPR (National Public Radio), on on the Diane Rehm Show, about the meaning of patriotism in the US. I found it very interesting and would like to share some of my thoughts. It is really a huge discussion which I can’t give justice to. I bring it up as food for thought to stimulate your asking yourself and others questions. We all live in counties, and I am sure that wherever it is, there is a sense of national identity and pride.

This discussion in general has applications for anyone in the world, because most leaders and many citizens of countries put forward national interests (economic, political, and geographical, i.e., national boundaries and rights etc.) above what could be considered the interests of the planet—and currently the “health” of the planet is very poor. According to one of the shows guests, the Right (of the

political spectrum) puts the national interest above the world, whereas the Left tends to see the world interest above the Nations.

I don’t think the designation of being a Liberal or Conservative can really define a spiritual person, because someone such might be seen as either on different issues, according to the person’s conditioning and perspective. Perspectives on various social issues are relative and one may have good reasoning to support them. In any case there was a lengthy discussion about the new trend of immigrants to keep their former identification with their country or continent of origin, which the guests thought undermined the future of

the “American identity”. They didn’t like the hyphenated designations, like “Chinese-American”, etc. They put forward the idea that people should see themselves as Americans first, and their connection with their home country second. We could have a discussion of what being an American, Indian, Chinese, Mexican, or any citizen of a particular country actually means from the material and spiritual perspective.

Regardless of how the country or world may categorize me or any Vaishnava (my spiritual tradition), for those of us on a spiritual path it is important to use days like this to reflect on our relationship to our country and the world in light of our spirituality. I am personally grateful for the religious and other freedoms I have by living in America. I do see my identity partially as

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American in terms of my body, even thought I see my spiritual relationship with God as most important. I acknowledge that being a member of Nation requires us to have certain responsibilities in exchange for our Rights. At the same time, I am well aware of the huge downside of national patriotism in regards to the peace and ecology of the world.

Certainly my spiritual teacher, Shrila Prabhupada was very critical of any type of body identification or what he called, “skin disease”. So in light of this, let me pose the question, “If we put our allegiance to Krishna or God or our Higher Power above the National interest, does that make us unpatriotic, or not useful for the national interest?” There are many serious spiritual practitioners involved in the US military and in public service.

If spiritual folks are law-abiding, morally upright, tax paying, are they not to be

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SOCIETY WATCH Whether a family, dynasty, sports team, religion, race, or nation, these limited ways of defining ourselves create enmity and strife and pit one group against another. On the larger stage of the world, national or religious identifications have brought about all the wars and the degradation of the environment. . . .

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seen as patriotic? The shows guests emphasized the importance of peacefully expressing disagreement with government policies.

The events of Sept. 11 put a new urgency into the topic of patriotism in the US in the minds of many—and some leaders tried to exploit this sentiment to their political agenda saying basically “If you are not for us in fighting terrorism, you are against the ideals of America”. In the last Presidential election, the idea of the candidate’s patriotism received much press.

The implication was that the candidate who was more patriotic would be a better president. Is that really true?

But we are getting ahead of ourselves here. What exactly is patriotism? Patriotism to what? A country, a place, a way of life?

And is patriotism always a good thing, or is it sometimes bad? Of course this last question was unfortunately not asked

on this show. Although I think Diane (the host) is a good person and has an important show, she tends to be rather conservative in her views (everyone has their bias and agenda). The guests were older (no young people were heard) and in agreement about the positive ideal of American patriotism. The discussion was simply to see what people’s conception of patriotism was. Certainly there are good things about patriotism within a certain context, yet it is not politically correct to discuss its’ negative aspects.

In a broad sense national patriotism is about bodily consciousness, which from a spiritual perspective is the root cause of all problems. Patriotism can be like a person’s religion. We extend our false identification of our self as the body to include our spouse, children, relatives, community, ethnicity, religion, and nation. Although from one perspective, it is good to expand our limited sense of self from just our body and our selfish desires, it should

not stop at a particular nation, species or even the whole planet. If it doesn’t progress beyond a particular physical designation, then we will be at odds with those who identify with a different one.

Whether a family, dynasty, sports team, religion, race, or a Nation, these limited ways of defining our self create enmity, strife, and pit one group against another.

On the larger stage of the world, national or religious identifications have brought about all of the wars, and the degradation of the environment.

One of the show’s guests disagreed with a caller who said patriotism should include everyone who lives in the country—including the animals, and the land.

He said that is a geographical idea, and to him American patriotism is to the ideals of the Constitution and what America stands for. He said patriotism is not a list of qualities but a feeling in the heart.

Cont'd on pg. 19 ›››

Everyone is interested in their bodily enjoyment-and their family’s-and if their country provides them that, then they are patriotic. The “American way of life,” which is often spoken of, is a life of material enjoyment and opulence of a certain familiar variety. People want to continue that, even though America consumes a huge percentage of the world’s resources and is willing to go to war to preserve that.

One of the show’s guests disagreed with a caller who said patriotism should include everyone who lives in the countryincluding the animals and the land. . . .

Nationalism, as it is generally practiced today, is actually another name for militarism. Only if people have a spiritual vision of everything and every living being can nations live peacefully together.

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SOCIETY WATCH

Oil Fry 1)

After the disastrous oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, news media showed disturbing images of animals suffering and dying.

il, Birds drenched in o y cry, a m u o y h g u o th d n a how do they differ ie? from birds sent to d

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The gentle, soft-hearted, & compassionate were in shock. Some even wept.

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3)

Yet how many of those same gentle and soft-hearted people cried or were shocked over what was on their plates for dinner that night?

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FOOD FOR THOUGHT

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This idea that we can and should forgive everyone comes from understanding the law of karma.

If someone wrongs us it is because we have wronged someone else in a similar fashion. A cosmic force greater than both us and them has directed them to cross paths with us and deliver our karmic reaction. . . .

If a person is directed by karmic law to punish us, then are they just robots being completely controlled?

KARMA, FREE WILL, & FORGIVENESS They all coexist without canceling each other.

By Ryan Hazlett

The word

karma is often used by aspiring spiritualists, and why not, karma makes sense. Let’s look at the ancient Vedic texts of India, where the idea of karma originates, and what they have to say on the subject.

First let’s look at, “Why do “bad” things happen to “good” people?” Well, the simple answer is karma and reincarnation. Suppose an innocent looking little kid is regularly picked on at school by a bully. According to the law of karma this seemingly “bad” act is occurring because the “innocent” child bullied other small children in his previous life. Karmic law is perfectly just and infallible. The child that is getting harassed was placed in that particular situation by universal law of justice. So the child’s punishment is not bad, it’s just, and the child isn’t completely innocent; it is guilty of similarly rude behavior that he had committed in a previous lifetime.

Secondly, this child u n d e r discussion is not a

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child at all; it is an eternal spirit soul who happens to be in a human child’s body in this lifetime. We as spirit souls are placed in different bodies, on different planets, at different time periods, and in various pleasant or unpleasant conditions all based on our previous actions, or in other words our karma.

If one has

a beautiful or an ugly body, if one lives in hellish or heavenly circumstances, if a person is rich or poor, it is all because of one’s karma.

. . .

"Life is eternal, love is immortal, and death is only a horizon; and a horizon is nothing save the limit of our sight." - Rossiter W. Raymond

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FOOD FOR THOUGHT rangement and the person deserves it, we still have to pay for our bad behavior. We can choose at any time to stop behaving badly, and then we won’t be used to deliver other’s karmic reactions.

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According to the Vedic texts, one important concept we should live by is complete forgiveness. This idea that we can and should forgive everyone comes from understanding the law of karma. If someone wrongs us it is because we have wronged someone else in a similar fashion.

A cosmic force greater than both, us and them, has directed them to cross paths with us and deliver our karmic reaction. So the advanced transcendentalists forgive everyone for every offense, because they know that they are getting only what they deserve and nothing more. If it wasn’t one person giving us the reactions to our bad karma, it would be someone else. So if we retaliate or try to get revenge when people upset us, then we create more bad karma that must be paid for later.

One question you

might have about all this is, “If a person is directed by karmic law to punish us, then are they just robots b e i n g completel y c o n -

trolled?” The answer is no. We all have free will, so the person who is mean to us was probably in a bad mood that day and was just looking for someone to take it out on. We happened to be nearby, and happened to have the karmic reaction of someone being rude to us coming, so we and the person in a bad mood crossed paths. If a person desires to commit any bad or evil act, there is always someone who deserves such a punishment nearby. However, this is not a license to be mean and say “Well, they must have had it coming to them.” Since we have free will, if we desire for a victim to be brought to us, even if higher powers made t h e a r -

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Another possible misunderstanding is, “If everyone is getting what they deserve, then shouldn’t we let them get what’s coming to them and not feel compassion?” Well, I would say that we all have behaved badly at some point in our life. I know that sometimes I snap at people, and I have done things in the past that I wish I hadn’t. I would want a spiritually advanced person to have compassion on me, and help me to better myself.

Compassion is one of the main characteristics of saintly people from any tradition, and the Vedic texts recommend that we develop feelings of compassion for other living beings.

Unfortunately everyone is forced to suffer or enjoy the results of their karma from this and previous lives in this lifetime, but even if there is some enjoyment there will inevitably be some suffering also. The Vedas tell us that there is no pure happiness in the material universe; that we shouldn’t dabble in karma, whether good or bad, at all. The solution is to become transcendental to material karmic law altogether. When we serve the supreme spiritual cause instead of our narrow personal, family, or national interests, then we transcend the material plane of existence and its karmic laws characterized by concentrated and extended selfishness. If one is a Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, or a member of any spiritual tradition, one is advised to seriously follow the universal scriptural injunctions from their particular tradition, about what to do and not to do.

I personally follow the Bhagavad Gita, one of the most known and important Vedic texts, which clearly explains how to transcend material consciousness.

However, whatever tradition one may follow, if one cultivates forgiveness and compassion and lives for a higher spiritual purpose, one can stop the chain reaction of karma forever. ■

A possible misunderstanding is, if everyone is getting what they deserve, then shouldn’t we let them get what’s coming to them and not feel compassion? ... I have done things in the past that I wish I hadn’t.

I would want a spiritually advanced person to have compassion on me, and help me to better myself. . . .

There is no pure happiness in the material universes and we shouldn’t dabble in karma, whether good or bad.

The solution is to become transcendental to material karmic law altogether. . . .

Forgiveness is the answer to the child's dream of a miracle by which what is broken is made whole again, what is soiled is made clean again. - Dag Hammarskjold

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COVER STORY

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COVER STORY

Why More Is Less The general assumption is that the more choices one has, the more freedom one has. This assumption is so deeply rooted in our psyche that we might not even consciously notice it. If, however, we come to ponder it more deeply, we can see how this assumption can be quite wrong.

By Mahat Tattva Dasa

First, let us

consider why we think that having more choices leads to freedom. We notice, for example, that if we have more money we have greater options in life. We can take a vacation almost anywhere, pick and choose what we want to buy, and so forth. These choices give us a sense of freedom, and we think that increased freedom will lead to well being. Most people want freedom and well being and thus conclude that having more choices in life is optimal.

REGRET SENSITIVITY

Now let us examine the opposite idea so that we can understand the falsity in this conception. First we look at what professor Barry Schwartz calls regret sensitivity. Regret sensitivity refers to the regret a person feels after making a particular choice While we may have many options to choose from, ultimately we have to choose only one Picking one choice implies turning down all other options. The more options we have to turn down, the more painful this decision process will feel Let us say we are planning a vacation and select to go to Hawaii.

Although Hawaii is a pleasant option, by choosing Hawaii, we forego traveling to Europe, the Bahamas, and Jamaica, which feels painful and causes regret, or regret sensitivity.

playing with it and want a new toy. Even when traveling, people eventually tend to want to return home, back to their usual routine. No material choice will bring us complete satisfaction even when we have many options to choose from.

PARALYSIS BY CHOICE

The third concept that shows the negative correlation between having more choices and feeling an increased sense of well being is called paralysis by choice.

While making a selection, a person examines each option and its benefits. During this analysis process, some people get paralyzed, fear making the wrong choice, and may even leave the store or give up completely. When there are only two or

three items to choose from the paralysis is less, but nowadays in the grocery stores, for example, there are rows and rows of items to choose from, even a simple item like toothpaste. All of these choices, instead of increasing one’s well being and freedom, can actually cause paralysis by analysis If one survives the paralysis stage and makes a choice, one still has to experience regret sensitivity and satiation as already discussed. We might not consciously notice this experience, but it does occur.

PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY

Fourth is the notion of personal responsibility which refers to the responsibility

Cont'd on pg. 14 ›››

SATIATION OR ADAPTATION

The second related concept is called satiation, or adaptation which refers to the idea that nothing in this world is perfect, and no material object will ever completely satisfy us. Even if one choice initially appears to be perfect, by the laws of satiation, eventually this choice will be something we tire of The senses adapt to the object of pleasure and find it less interesting than it was initially. A child, for example, is excited to get a new toy, but after some time may feel bored

In Febrauary of 2009, VF.com published an article with the following introduction: "Cosmetic surgery is now so popular that even young, healthy, attractive women are choosing to be 'enhanced.' In a quest for insight into this $13 billion industry, the author—a five-foot-nine, 120-pound 27-year-old—went undercover, asking three plastic surgeons what they’d do to her nose, her breasts, and her, uh, 'banana rolls.' The answers were as different as the doctors themselves."

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COVER STORY WHY MORE IS LESS ››› Cont'd from pg. 13

placed on us, the consumers, to make the right decision when making a purchase.

One uncomfortable example is the pressure placed on modern women to look sexy and physically attractive. With plastic surgery and so many cosmetic procedures, not only do women have freedom, but they are almost obliged to look attractive, particularly sexually attractive to the world. The increase in the amount of choices of beauty products leads to an increased feeling of responsibility to utilize these products and actually look attractive.

Another example of personal responsibility related to choice involves going to the doctor. Previously, in bygone ages, if one went to a doctor and told the doctor his/her symptoms, the doctor would tell

HIGH EXPECTATIONS The fifth and last concept to discuss is the high expectations which come from having many products to choose from.

When purchasing a vehicle for example, the more vehicles we research, the more our expectations increase. Learning about many different features that could be have in a vehicle will pump up our expectations. Once our expectations have grown, even if we get a good quality car, we feel less satisfied since high expectations are hard to meet. When faced with fewer options, even though we purchase a qualitatively lesser product, our satisfaction is greater because we expected less. Modern generations might not be aware of this phenomena because they have been born and raised in the age of consumerism. However, if one has spent some time at a yoga retreat or has otherwise experienced living a simple life, one

that one actually becomes a happier person when one’s options are restricted.

Take diet for example. If one eats an unrestricted diet, one will lose control over one’s health since food affects us physically and mentally. On the other hand, one with a restricted diet who eats just once or twice daily at regular times, or who restricts oneself from eating unhealthy foods, can stay healthy and feel happier.

Secondly, let us look at restricting our options in regards to relationships.

How would a person feel if their partner thought, “Why should I oblige myself to this person? I will sleep with whomever I like.“ Or if one has a friend who is not able to commit or forego one’s personal choices for the benefit of the friend. Such a friend is not a friend at all. In these situations we see how restriction of choice

"indecision"

©#17

"overdosed"

©#16

the patient exactly what to do and what medicine to take. Nowadays, there is a certain ethic in place in which the doctor will not tell you exactly what to do, but will give options, along with the cost/ benefit analysis of each option. Then you, the patient, as a layperson, are supposed to make a choice and live with responsibility of making it.

A third example is deciding on a vacation spot. A couple, for example, is planning a trip, and the man wants to go to Italy while the woman prefers France.

They finally choose Italy, but it rains during the whole trip, while in France the sun is shining. The woman blames the man for his decision and the man feels responsible for having made the wrong selection.

Our feeling of responsibility increases with the increase of options.

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is aware of the satisfaction that comes from not being bombarded with so many choices. This consumerist attitude is reflected in many parts of our lives, even in the tendency to waste water or food. I watched a movie in which a man took a few bites of his sandwich, and after talking to a lady and feeling frustrated by their exchange, tossed away his sandwich and left. He was throwing away food, but someone with high expectations doesn’t think like that, but rather has the attitude that what matters most is me and my consumption.

PARADOX

Psychologists say that due to these five concepts (regret sensitivity, satiation, paralysis by choice, personal responsibility, and high expectations) having more options does not necessarily increase our freedom or well being. The paradox is

©#18

is highly beneficial and can build moral character. Restricting ourselves to one life partner, or to making decisions that benefit others rather than oneself is quite important to increasing the quality of our lives. Of course we are referring to voluntary restriction. Restriction imposed by a third party would be called oppression.

Yet even oppression in some cases can be beneficial as it can prevent one from making wrong decisions that may ultimately harm oneself and others. In this country we currently see much chronic depression and this is due partially to disappointment people experience from having such high expectations. Social statisticians and psychologists have recently been studying this topic of happiness more and more due to the amount

of unhappy Americans increasing as the age of consumerism increases. Social statistics even show that children who have more options, such as kids raised in affluent families, tend to be less happy and even less prosperous people. Even though objectively they may have better paying jobs and better facilities, the inner sense of well being is often less. Having no options would be an unhealthy opposite extreme, but fewer options should be beneficial.

SPIRITUAL PRACTICE

How does this topic of choice and restriction relate to spiritual practice?

Nowadays when people come to spiritual

Cont'd on pg. 20 ›››

READER

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15

CULTURE THE FIRE OF DESIRE When fire is utilized in the proper spirit, it is like a nice bonfire that many others can take shelter of for warmth and light.

With its illumination, it can reveal the truth of who we are, our surroundings, and can show us the path we need to take to get home. However if that same fire is allowed outside of the boundaries of the fire pit, it can consume the whole forest.

Human life is successful when we learn how to utilize human energy for the benefit of others. When we use our own desire potency for selfish purposes, for increasing our selfish pleasure at the expense of others, then, depending on our social position, we can create a lot of devastation. We are thinking in our so-called expression of American freedom that our actions don’t affect the lives of others, but actually we are much more interconnected than people realize. Every single action creates a ripple effect, and can set a bad example for society at large.

Atomic energy, discovered by scientists, in itself is not really a problem. What is a problem is when this energy is used to make bombs which can destroy entire cities.

INTERNAL ASSETS

Yogis, monks, and sages of ancient times warn us that desire itself is an extremely powerful asset and if we lack the knowledge of how to properly use it, we can easily create devastation in our and others' lives.

By Giriraj Gopal Dasa

Fire has

immense potential. While a tiny flickering flame looks so seemingly innocent, in actuality it carries the potential to produce immense devastation to the life of an entire city if allowed to burn out of control.

Curious children sometimes play with fire and can set a house on fire in their innocence; being unaware of the power of the small flame within their possession.

Similarly, everything we do individually has a huge impact collectively. Like uneducated children, we are not even aware of the actual impact of our own apparently

16

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innocent actions.

In American culture, we are very much proud of our freedom to express ourselves. We also feel satisfaction in the fact that we can do so, “just as long as it doesn’t get in others’ way.” The Constitution tells us that we have the freedom to pursue individual happiness. Being able to pursue each and every desire that makes its way into the mind’s agenda for happiness is the ultimate expression of freedom, isn’t it? Everything we have ever desired was good for us and brought us happiness in every situation. Right?

WRONG! Don’t be fooled by the external hype. Let’s look at the history of our

own lives.

It sounds good in theory, but in practice we find that the reality of chasing certain desires bears serious unwanted consequences and puts us in situations that severely limit our freedom of self expression altogether.

That’s why yogis, monks, and sages of ancient times warn us that desire itself is an extremely powerful

asset and if we lack the knowledge of using our most valuable asset, we can easily create devastation in our lives and the lives of others around us.

Such a weapon has no other purpose than to destroy the lives of others in an attempt to gain power over them. Like the forest fire, such a person gradually becomes caught in self-created network of lust, greed, and untruth to artificially satisfy one's seemingly innocent but burning desires that are uncontrolled. That individual’s personal expression of freedom is going to devastate and affect the lives of millions of innocent people.

Fire is always hungry, and no matter how much fuel you put on it, it grows and becomes hungrier. Similarly, lust is like fire, the more you cater to the sense’s demands for pleasure, the more the itching sensation of longing becomes prominent.

This exaggerated emphasis on acquiring material objects to satisfy lust is the source of all social and political conflict in the world today.

©#19

CULTURE INTERNAL VS. EXTERNAL ASSETS Attention fellow Americans!

In order to be happy you must have: car, bank balance, social life, bodily beauty, nice home, soft bed, etc. This is the garbage you’re fed day and night by TV, radio, movies, newspapers, billboards, videogames, etc.

©#20

CONTROLLING THE FIRE  People are often morose in our society, despite so much technology and industry, because they do not know how to properly utilize this fire of desire. They do not know how to use desire in a way that can completely satisfy the heart.

Peace, fearlessness, and other superb character traits come from controlling sensual desire, yet people are under the impression that to be happy one has to constantly cater to these in-

cessant sensual urges. People are so blinded by the power of this addiction that they cannot see how their lives are becoming more miserable on account of chasing the imaginary and petty achievements created by the mind. Unfulfilled and unnecessary desire is our greatest enemy in the search for inner fulfillment.

Buddhists say, “You cannot eat a painted cake.”

Not that because you are capable of desiring, you should desire to have, control, and posses more and more material things.

world’s problems, but the real problem-solving has to begin within. The disturbing things we see on the evening news are only but symptoms of the sickened person who cracked under the internal pressure of lust, envy, and depression.

The purpose of television, advertisements, etc. is to make you feel dissatisfied and to increase your lust for materialistic enjoyment. While you are busy chasing the carrot dangling at the end of the stick, other people are getting rich with your money and you are becoming a much more docile and manageable consumer unit for them to utilize in their profit schemes.

Material possessions will never provide you happiness. Without acquiring the critical asset of CONTENTMENT, no matter how much you own, you will never be happy. On the other hand, if you have the INTERNAL ASSET of CONTENTMENT, no matter what you have or don’t have, you can be happy in any situation.

So if one truly wants to improve the quality of one’s life, he must strive for internal assets.

Cont'd on pg. 20 ›››

People don’t know that the quality of happiness is not enhanced by money, although they will argue ‘till their dying day that it is.

Arjuna: O Krishna, by what is one impelled to wrong action, even unwillingly, as if engaged by force?

Sri Krishna: It is lust only, Arjuna, which is born of contact with the pyschological state of passion and later transformed into wrath, and which is the all-devouring enemy of this world.

As fire is covered by smoke, mirror by dust, or as the fetus is covered by the womb, the living entity is similarly covered by different degrees of this lust.

Thus the wise living entity’s pure consciousness becomes covered by his eternal enemy in the form of lust, which is never satisfied and which burns like fire.

The senses, the mind and the intelligence are the sitting places of this lust. Through them lust covers the real knowledge of the living entity and bewilders him.

Does eating out of a golden pot or eating out of a steel pot really make that much difference? How is sitting on a golden toilet really that much different from sitting on a ceramic one?

Remember: everything has a price. The price for materialistic hankering is perpetual dissatisfaction.

Actually, the quality of life depends on accumulation of INTERNAL ASSETS. We have to make a solution to the

EXCERPT FROM THE BHAGAVAD GITA:

©#21

Therefore, O Arjuna, in the very beginning curb this enemy by regulating the senses, and slay this destroyer of knowledge and selfrealization.

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CULTURE

LIVING WITHOUT A LICENSE

We can see the result of this ignorance everywhere. Practically everyone is living without a license, and the world is suffering as a result. Famine, war, the economic crisis; these scourges of humanity are the natural consequence of collective human endeavors undertaken under the spell of ignorance.

By Pyari Charan Dasa

Everyone

in this modern world is concerned with two things: themselves, and the world around them.

This is natural. We have to wonder though, how much do we actually know about ourselves? This is a fundamental point. Actually, understanding ourselves is the prerequisite for interacting with the world at large. In other words, who we are, is required knowledge for relating appropriately and harmoniously with the world we find ourselves in. Without this knowledge, we cannot know what the consequences of our actions will be. This is because we do not understand who is doing the acting. It is very much like driving - or living - without a license.

We can see the result of this ignorance everywhere. Practically everyone is living without a license, and the world is suffering as a result. Famine, war, the economic crisis; these scourges of humanity are the natural consequence of collective

18

human endeavors undertaken under the spell of ignorance. Of course, we do not think of ourselves as ignorant. Generally, each of us is quite proud of our own self awareness.

Once we reach adulthood and have had a chance to “get to know” ourselves through college, drugs, a trip to Europe, a serious relationship, prison, having a child, or any of the host of other experiences that may comprise the process of growing up, we tend to feel we have a handle on ourselves. We view the major calamities of the world as unfortunate, but certainly not related to our own conception of ourselves. We are simply living our lives, trying our best to be good people. We speak out against injustice when we can, or help those less fortunate than ourselves, but beyond that, what can we really do?

We never consider that our own ignorance and the collective ignorance of humanity combine to visit these miseries on mankind.

How is this possible?

What ignorance could be so fundamental that it leads to such awful situ-

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ations in this world? The ignorance is the spiritual kind. Who we are, means understanding that we are spiritual beings, that we are distinct from our material bodies made of blood and bone, and that we are eternal fragmental parts of the Supreme Spirit. This is the knowledge that Krishna explains in the Bhagavad Gita. It is fundamental. These are the spiritual ABC’s, and understanding them is essential if we wish to live a life that doesn’t contribute to the problems of this world. Don’t believe me?

Think how differently you might act if you knew - really knew - that you were eternal? What about if you knew that your body was just a temporary vehicle, and not who you really were? How might you act then? And if we really are a fragmental part of the Supreme Spirit, what is our relationship?

See, the problem with being ignorant is that we don’t act properly because we don’t understand what is what. When we think of the problems of the world in this way, they suddenly make a lot more sense. If everyone identifies them-

Crap, bro! We're

©#22

busted driving without a licence or parrents.

Mom will kill us!

©#23

©#24

selves with their temporary material bodies - forgetting their eternal nature as spirit souls - they will act in very predictable ways. If you believe that your material body is the all in all of your existence, you will naturally live life in ways that maximizes the happiness of that body. In other words, all of your activities will be undertaken with the best interest of your body in mind. Of course, the best interest of my body might compete with the best interests of your body. Whose interest wins out? This is the source of all conflict. Fighting for resources, racial hatred, abortion; these are extreme cases where the interests of bodies conflict. But, we can trace all human conflict to the misidentification of the self with the temporary body.

Eternal spirit souls have a totally different business in this world. The goal of life is not merely to maintain the temporary body. There is much more to it than that, as Krishna explains to Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita. There is a completely different way of acting and living that is consistent with this understanding of our constitutional reality.

When we act according to the knowledge that we are spirit, our activities do not have the same consequences because they are not in relation to this temporary material world. Spiritual entities have spiritual activities.

We are all meant to live this way; it is not a pie in the sky, kum-ba-ya, type of philosophy. It is reality, and we need to understand it. Otherwise, we are living without a license, and that can be reckless. �

INDEPENDENCE & PATRIOTISM ››› Cont'd from pg. 7

I was really taken back by his ideas.

They seemed so limited and intangible.

I’m sure the mass of people living in this country would not agree with him (perhaps the feeling part)—perhaps theoretically, but not in their practical application. Very few people today even know what the American constitution says. There is a vague idea of freedom for what the Constitution says: freedom for “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”, yet that means different things to every group of people.

Everyone is interested in their bodily enjoyment–and their familie’s--and if their country provides them that, then they are patriotic. The “American way of life”, which is often spoken of, is a life of material enjoyment and opulence of certain familiar variety. People want to con-

tinue that, even though America consumes a huge percentage of the world’s resources, and is willing to go to war to preserve that.

Spiritually everyone must understand their soul identity—we are all brothers and sisters of a common Father, although he is called by many different names. There is one spiritual system in the Universe, and regardless of one’s religious lens, we have to be convinced that the land does not belong to any people, religion, race, or nation. The land has been there before us, and is going to be there after us. It is the responsibility of every human being to take care of the planet and all living beings as service to the common Father, our spiritual source. We may live in a particular country and prefer that country to others, yet our sense of nationalism or patriotism must extend beyond the limited and artificial national borders.

If we don’t develop a spiritual sense of our true identity and know who the real

proprietor of the land is, it is certain that the number of world conflicts and wars is not going to decrease. We have to expand our sense of patriotism by expanding our sense of self. Patriotism has its’ place, yet I don’t believe it should be at the cost of other people, countries, or the environment. It is a complex topic, though at least the spiritual perspective should be introduced while understanding other perspectives.

The Bhagavad Gita, which is one of the oldest scriptures on Earth, gives us the peace formula in the 5th chapter, 29th verse: “A person in full awareness of Me, knowing Me to be the ultimate beneficiary of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme and proprietor of all planets and higher beings, and the benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities, attains peace from the pangs of material miseries.”

©#26

The Honda rider was travelling at such a high speed, his reaction time was not sufficient to avoid this accident. Swedish Police estimate a speed of 250 KM/h (155 mph) before the bike hit the slow moving car side-on at an intersection. At that speed, they predicted that the rider's reaction time (once the vehicle came into view) wasn't sufficient enough for him to even apply the brakes. The car had two passengers and the bike rider was found INSIDE the car with them. The Volkswagen actually flipped over from the force of impact and landed 10 feet from where the collision took place. ©#25

©#27

All three involved (two in the car and the bike rider) were killed instantly. This graphic demonstration was placed at the Stockholm

Motorcycle Fair by the Swedish Police and Road Safety Department. The sign above the display also noted that the rider had only recently obtained his license.

At 250 KM/h (155 mph) the operator is travelling at 227 feet per second. With normal reaction time to SEE-DECIDE-REACT of 1.6 seconds, the above operator would have travelled over 363 feet while making a decision on what actions to take. In this incident the Swedish police indicate that no actions were taken.

In other words, they didn't even have time to say, 'Oh, ####!'

Therefore true “patriotism” is spiritual patriotism. Though we may temporarily inhabit a particular body, race, gender, family, city, country, planet, or Universe, our real lasting connection is to the Supreme Owner of Everything, the Creator and Source of all. Nationalism, as it is generally practiced today, is actually another name of Militarism. Only if people have a spiritual vision of everything and every living being can nations live peacefully together. Nationalism has to be spiritualized if we are to avoid future world conflicts of “national interest”.

Certainly this “solution” for world strife is likely impossible without enlightened, spiritual leaders, but that doesn’t mean we should discuss it and strive for it in our life and in a larger sense as we can.

Everyone is important, and the more people walk a spiritual path, the better.

If we want a better world, we must start by being better people and then influence our circle to walk the spiritually conscious life. �

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GIVE HIM ENOUGH ROPE TO HANG HIMSELF WITH ››› Cont'd from pg. 5

dom, not for its own sake, but rather because freedom itself seeks satisfaction. In Sanskrit, this satis-faction (from Lat., "making full") is called 'prasadam'.

Prasadam is an ideal state, something to be legitimately striven for by legitimate means, a clarity in which the world is seen as good in itself, and anxious longing disappears. Such is the most complete and authentic freedom, a freedom to be sought for its own sake. But this requires that we practice self-restraint in the direction dictated by a mature understanding of self-satisfaction. To be tranquil is to be blessed with a freedom that is rarely attained in this world, and whose worth is beyond comparison. But to attain this, we must become free first from those activities which only produce further dis-satis-faction, further longing, desire, addiction, and angst. The Bhagavad-gita, in sum, describes the "methods", the practices, by which, prasadam, or "satisfaction", becomes established. And such an establishment of freedom is joyfully unbreakable once it is achieved. What freedom can one imagine which outstrips that? �

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WHY MORE IS LESS ››› Cont'd from pg. 14

life they may find spiritual practice limiting. People ask, “Why should I limit myself? I want to have plenty of options and do whatever I want whenever I want to do it.” But in a spiritual practice, there must be restriction to help the mind become peaceful. People tend to encounter challenges when beginning a restrictive regiment, but once one breaks through the “cold turkey” period and becomes more disciplined, one becomes a very happy person whose wellbeing increases continuously over time.

When we come to a genuine spiritual practice we experience having to voluntarily restrict our choices. For example, my practice requires me to sit down each morning from 5 am to 7 am with my chanting beads to recite a mantra.

No matter what, rain, shine, or grenades falling, I sit down and chant my mantra.

Something would have to be of cosmic importance to prevent me from doing this practice. What am I doing? I am restricting my options to one single option.

Whatever my mind tells me or wants me to do during this time, I tell it, “Sorry pal, this is our only option, so be quiet!” Such mental discipline or voluntary restriction is a crucial part of spiritual practice.

If one brings in the consumerist attitude to spiritual life, one will experience difficulty making genuine progress because one will continue to float on a sensual and mental plane. To access the happiness of the soul, one must move beyond, or transcend the sensual plane, the plane of the body and mind. The whole point of a spiritual practice is to change ourselves and to realize our greater potential. Acknowledgment that we need to change implies that currently we are not perfect, but that a higher state of consciousness is possible. We can then accept that restricting our options may indeed help us grow spiritually and experience more satisfaction.

SUM UP

In sum, having too many options simply does not result in an increase of one’s well being, but rather can increase one’s stress due to regret sensitivity, satiation, paralysis by choice, personal responsibility, and high expectations. Spiritual practices that restrict one’s choices on the other hand, will actually lead to an increased sense of well being, happiness, and peace. �

INTERNAL ASSETS ››› Cont'd from pg. 17

©#28

In other words, what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your soul?

Internal wealth is unconditional love, meaningful relationships, peace of mind, deep spiritual life purpose, and being free from things like hatred, jealousy, envy, and pride. This can only come through a genuine and spiritual cultivation of wisdom.

The Krishna Consciousness movement is attempting to provide society with inner fulfillment through this publication.

I know, I know, it doesn’t appeal that much. Okay, the article is done, now you can go back to your mindless routine of eating, sleeping, mating, and defending, and peppering it up with Concerts, Sports, Beer, and Shopping.

ENJOY! �

CULTURE

TALKING POOP, FREEDOM, & ASSOCIATION The Most Important Principle of Yoga Mad Mike

takes a dump.

He

looks at the pile of

stool, all disgusted.

The

This funny story

is meant to tell us about an important principle in the life of a yogi: the unsaid law of association.

It is the nature of all conscious beings to take on the qualities of the environment around them. For example, when a human, or even an animal, lives in a clean and peaceful environment, he or she will eventually become clean and peaceful. Similarly, by spending time in a disturbing environment, any conscious being will eventually become disturbed.

grossness of the

scene is...

It is the very purpose of meditation to create a spiritual environment within which the meditator, or yogi, dwells for a period of time. Thus the first step of meditation is to withdraw the senses from the field of materialism and, second, to focus the mind and the senses on spiritual information. By deeply contemplating such information, this newly manifested “non-material” environment, the yogi's consciousness is spiritualized through the unsaid law of association.

Amongst a plethora of spiritual inputs, one may choose to contemplate a mantra (spiritual sound vibration) or a spiritual form, like the form of Krishna for example. Thus the meditator starts to see the world through the lens of his/her own, now spiritualized, consciousness.

...penetrating

his

consciousness.

"What are at?!!!"

you looking

To

By moving through the world, conscious beings, especially consciously developed beings such as humans, are taking in information about the world through their senses. They then, to various degrees, intellectually and emotionally process that information. In turn, such knowledge changes, shapes, and forms one’s consciousness. New developments in consciousness will ultimately transform one's lifestyle, alter one's activities, and dictate one's likes and dislikes. They will modify how one relates to the rest of the creation. Thus Mr. Greedy will see the forest as a means for making money, Mr. Lusty will see the forest as a suitable place to bring his girlfriend to, and Mr. Yogi will see the forest as a sacred place suitable for meditation and worthy of his respect.

his surprise,

the pile spoke out.

"Last

night

I

Just

see what

was

a beautiful apple.

I

have turned into by one night's

association with you." said the pile.

If the environment within which we spend significant amounts of time defines our consciousness, our lifestyle, and the way we relate to the world, then where is the question of freedom?! The only freedom a conscious living being has is the choice what to expose oneself to, and even that freedom may be restricted due to previous life choices. Thus the tradition of yoga and meditation advise us to select the environment and association that will maximize our potentials, maximize our freedom, and bring about our best well being. ■

W

e had an interesting comment submitted on our website about the comic on the left. Here it is. Interpret it as you like.

"Don't let the materialistic world swallow you up! It will only make a mess out of you! It will put you through all kinds of twists and turns and then you will get dumped out on the ground or flushed into another labyrinth of twists and turns ultimately to be swallowed up by another beast.... And like that over and over again."

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OPEN MIC God’s Embrace

By Rebecca J. LePage

On ocean breezes, Windswept sand Waves of vibrant light With wings like swan And heart of grace Making pearls opalescent I’ve waited for thee When darkness falls and light of day fades

I sense your presence your gifts of infinite peace and quiet mind I float on supple clouds With hands embracing Orange, red tulips

You have arrived Your coming was imminent Because I knocked and you Opened the door.

To freedom My soul no longer bound by earth.

I do not need to fight.

The Messenger

By Abiyoyo Lorfes

I surrender because I am the water in your nets!

I.

Kill me for I am a messenger, kill me because you cannot kill the source.

You speak in palindromes: war is peace, peace is war.

Destroy me because you cannot destroy the endless reservoir of love.

To tell me that someone is fighting for my freedoms is to regurgitate patriotic rhetoric.

Silence me since you cannot silence the eternal resonance.

To be patriotic is to become emotionally polarized on command to an artificial cause.

III.

My mind will not get in line.

My heart will not mobilize for you.

I do not accept your definitions.

I do not believe your explanations.

I do not need your sculpted world of lies that stack high like a house of cards.

II.

This rebellion is undetectable, this rebellion is universal.

Its echo is transcendental; it will not be censored or intercepted.

It will not be mutilated or manipulated.

Peace and love will never be taken from us just as light cannot be taken from a blaze.

I will wait for you on the other side, we will wait for you on the other side, join us on the other side.

ILLUSION

By anonymous

I think

"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."

that politicians should be required by law to wear logos of their lobbyists on their suits, much like Jeff Gordon who wears patches of his sponsors.

||Comment by Mahat||

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It cannot be achieved through bloodshed just as love cannot be achieved through rape.

©#29

SPONSORS

22

Love will never come from politicians.

Peace cannot be voted into office or signed into legislation.

Peace like love is our forgotten position and like the wind it cannot be stopped, and like the skies it cannot be cannot be erased.

So I surrender because

I am sensing fear in the above post. Perhaps I am superimposing my own experience? In any case lack of objectivity and lack of justice (not talking about law) are fear and mental-discomfort causing agents. It is stated in the Bhagavad-gita that those who are attached to material opulence and pleasures, are not free and lack ability to be objective and just, much like the politicians who lost their freedom to lobbyists and financial sponsors. That's why one of the first principles of yoga is detachment, or should I call it freedom from attachment, from sensual allurements.

True peace has always been the effulgence within us, not fighting wars in its name or honor.

The above is

a quote from an ancient book on the science of yoga. The book's title is Srimad Bhagavatam.

©#30

Readers are invited to elucidate, comment, and explain the meaning of this quote. Questions are also welcome. Your responses will be published in this section of the next issue of 16Rounds.

Email your responses to 16rounds@gmail.com.

©#31

LIFESTYLE

THE PURPOSE OF FOOD

"The purpose of food is to increase the duration of life, purify the mind and aid bodily strength. This is its only purpose." -- His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

By Jason & Pia

You have the

freedom to think, the freedom to choose, and the freedom to evaluate as many possibilities as you can! Your mind can be your own best friend or worst enemy.

The beauty of your life is that you can align with the blessings that are already in your life, honor them, and expand them with your good use of them. What blessings in your life are you aware of right now for which you can consciously be 100% grateful?

One such blessing you are offered is food. Now, the purpose of food, you should remember, is to give you energy.

And, energy for what? For walking, for riding your bike, for going to work, for playing sports? Ultimately, the energy is

for living your spiritual purpose. And, as a principle, everyone's spiritual purpose is to love God (called Krishna in the yoga tradition).

Just as you want your car performing in optimal condition while you are driving, you want your body to be in optimal health while you are in it. There is no denying that your health is your wealth. To have the healthiest life you can have, you should know what to do to create this for yourself. Food Enlightenment is about you knowing how to nourish yourself in the healthiest way possible such that you have more energy, longevity, and strength.

And ultimately, the purpose of increasing these qualities is to help you awaken your inner qualities of spiritual love.

Intellectually, consider that you are part of something bigger than just yourself. You are a part of the whole of life. Ev-

erything and everyone is in relationship with one another. Inherently, everything you do has an effect on the whole. Therefore, you should endeavor to treat yourself in the best, most loving, and compassionate way possible, thus projecting this experience of enlightened love onto the world. In terms of Food Enlightenment, this means to consume only the highestenergy foods that are most positive for your health. As you awaken greater energy in yourself, greater positivity in yourself, you awaken these qualities in everyone. The whole world becomes naturally uplifted by your choices and behavior.

Here is a high-energy recipe for a snack or dessert: Bali Orange Bliss Balls –

2 cups of raw cashews, 2 TBSP coconut oil, 10 soaked dates, 1 tsp cardamom, 1

tsp cinnamon, pinch of vanilla, 1 orange, 2” piece orange peel, pinch Himalayan salt. Mix all ingredients in Food Processor. Stir in chopped almonds, roll into bliss balls! ■

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)

www.16rounds.com

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www.16rounds.com