Radhanath Swami's Blog, page 19

Radhanath Swami Speaks at EY Diwali Showcase in London

Radhanath Swami gave the keynote address at EY, Tower Bridge, London on the 24th November, 2015.

With the bright lights from the London skyline seeping into the ninth floor room at EY, one of the “big four” international professional services firms, Radhanath Swami gave spoke at their Diwali cultural showcase, “Life Beyond Borders”. As is tradition, he began with the chanting of ancient mantras, which created a mood of serenity. Regardless of background, when the Swami folds his hands, and bursts the pin-drop silence with his elongated “Aum,” you sense that something special is about to happen. Yeohan Kim, an actor with MTV, thought the same: “I heard about the Swami and his incredible story through Russell Brand and he didn’t disappoint. His words were refreshing and were like nuggets of wisdom.”

Martin Pollard, a postgraduate journalism student, said “The moment he stepped onto the stage, his energy was infectious. He changes the room just by his presence and I was inspired how conscientiously he answered my questions.” Martin added “I get quite nervous seeing men of the cloth and I’m definitely in the non-religious camp, but the principles he spoke of, I could relate to. He was just a really compassionate, wise man to be honest!”

Although this event was commemorating Diwali, a traditionally Hindu celebration, over half of the audience were agnostic, reflecting the rising popularity of do-it-yourself spirituality, yoga and meditation in the West.

“What I enjoyed about his talk were the personal anecdotes he gave. They were filled with universal truth that I could relate too,” said Sophie, who works with UNESCO. Radhanath Swami focused on the truths of inner-transformation: “Diwali takes place on the new moon — the darkest, most inauspicious night of the year — but Diwali is the time of the brightest lights. That is transformation. Diwali is a time when we really focus on bringing light into our own hearts.” He continued by shedding light on the ancient classic, the Ramayana, stressing how all citizens from that era were described to have lived with compassion. Why? Because their leaders lived with compassion.

Sandhiya Indurjith, a Tech Consultant from Accenture, expressed a liking to similar principles in an interview after the event. “I loved his point on earning with integrity, spend with compassion” she said. “He brought my awareness, my consciousness to another level.” When asked what she would like to hear him speak on in the future, she passionately interjected, “His life stories! When he was talking about his adventures and the lessons he had learned, that really resonated with me. What an exciting life.”

“He has a serious message to share with the world, about leadership and values, but he’s so humble, endearing and entertaining that his ideals become easier to fathom and implement.” said Bijal Majithia, the organiser of the event hosted by the EY Hindu Network, Veda London and the Assistant Director for Global Diversity & Inclusiveness at EY. “He has a way of connecting with everyone!” she exclaimed.

Radhanath Swami was delighted with the event. He personally congratulated the Veda London team for their commitment to presenting ancient wisdom from the Vedas to a contemporary city audience.

Govardhan Eco Village Wins The International Green Apple Environment Award

ISKCON Govardhan Eco Village (GEV) a 100 acre sustainable farming community and retreat center, based near Mumbai, India has won the Green Apple Environment Award in Gold category in an international campaign to find the greenest companies, councils and communities.

ISKCON GEV’s participation was amongst 500 other nominations in the Green Apple Awards for Environmental Best Practice, and were presented with their trophy and certificate at a glittering presentation ceremony in the Houses of Parliament, Westminster ,London on Monday, November 16 2015. Srutidharma Prabhu, Temple President of Bhaktivedanta Manor, on behalf of ISKCON GEV, received this award from the hands of Mr. Mark Wolens, General Manager of The Green Organization

As a result of this Green Apple Award success, GEV has been invited to have their winning paper published in The Green Book, the leading international work of reference on environmental best practice, so that others around the world can follow their example and learn from their achievement. GEV is also invited to progress to represent its country in the Green World Awards and the European Business Awards for the Environment. GEV will also be given free Ambassador Membership of Partners in Protecting the Planet (PPP) the organization planting trees to help save livelihoods, wildlife and the planet.

The Green Apple Awards began in 1994 and have become established as the UK’s major recognition for environmental endeavor among companies, councils, communities and countries. The Green Apple Awards are supported by the Environment Agency, the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, the Chartered Institution for Wastes Management and other independent bodies. The Green Apple Awards campaign was one of the first to be accepted by Britain’s RSA Environmental Awards Forum as meeting the high standards and criteria to be approved as an automatic conduit into the Brussels-led European Business Awards for the Environment.

The awards are organized by The Green Organization, established in 1994 as an international, independent, non-profit, non-political, non-activist environment group, dedicated to recognizing, rewarding and promoting environmental best practice around the world. The Green Organization work for various environmental causes including the Green Earth Appeal and The United Nations to plant trees where they will do most good in the world and is having various environment initiatives of its own as well

Cooking for 5600 on Radhanath Swami’s Pilgrimage to Vrindavan

“If we always hold onto those things in our lives that don’t change, then the meals we serve may reflect the times and trends and our increasing knowledge of fine eating and good health, but they will also reflect those deeper attachments.” – Yamuna Devi

For celebrity chef and author Yamuna Devi, ‘those deeper attachments’ were to Sri Krishna, her guru Srila Prabhupada and to the service of devotees. Chefs at the makeshift kitchen of Radhanath Swami’s recent annual pilgrimage to Vrindavan, India were seen following in the footsteps of Yamuna. They prepared 90 dishes in 9 days – South Indian, North Indian, Chinese, Thai, Italian – cooked with devotion as an offering for Sri Krishna, and then served out to the 5600 pilgrims.

“Our preparations started 4 months before the pilgrimage,” says Sri Nimai, a monk and a member of the core kitchen team. “It took two months to finalize the menu and recipes, and two months to purchase the ingredients and the equipments.” Sri Nimai was a practicing doctor before he joined the monastery at the Radha Gopinath Temple in Mumbai.

Even with all that preparation, life was still intense at the kitchen during the pilgrimage. The days started early, with the head chefs up by 1:00 a.m. To ensure good devotional consciousness they preferred to do their Daily meditaitions before entering the kitchen. Once in the kitchen, the pressure was on – breakfast had to be ready by 6:00 a.m., because the pilgrims went out in groups to visit holy spots by 7:00. After breakfast lunch had to be ready by 1:00 p.m., when the pilgrims returned. And as the pilgrims took a nap post-lunch, the kitchen got busy again, preparing for the next day. “It was a joy to serve the devotees.

“Sometimes when we lost enthusiasm, we gained inspiration seeing our comrades. Radhanath Swami would visit the kitchen every day. To see the smile on his face was a rejuvenating experience. And of course, Gauranga prabhu was a great example to look up to,” said Radha Vallabh Das, monk and head chef. Both Radha Vallabh and the overall coordinator of kitchen operations Gauranga Das have degrees in engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology. A decade ago Gauranga Prabhu and his team of monks came up with a replicable model of a makeshift kitchen – with stoves designed for huge containers, with pulleys for lifting and with rail tracks for transporting. Damodar, another monk and IIT graduate, oversees the onsite set-up of the kitchen each year. “We monks take cooking as an opportunity to serve the congregation,” says Damodar.

The opportunity to cook was opened for the entire congregation on two occasions: the disappearance anniversary of the founder of ISKCON Srila Prabhupada, and the traditional food festival day called annakut. 2000 pilgrims jumped in and came up with 3700 food preparations. All the variety of Indian and international cuisines could be seen in one place.

A television crew arrived at Vrindavan to film the kitchen operations of the entire pilgrimage. Radhanath Swami’s kitchen is likely to be featured along with other mega kitchens on an international channel in the months to come. How happy will the departed soul of Yamuna Devi be, when that happens!

Global Participation for Radhanath Swami’s Annual Pilgrimage to Vrindavan

This year 5600 people from 30 countries participated in the annual pilgrimage to Vrindavan, India lead by Radhanath Swami. It was held from November 7th to 17th.

Every morning participants went out in groups to visit holy spots of Vrindavan where Sri Krishna had enacted his pastimes 5000 years ago. And every evening they converged at the festival site where Radhanath Swami spoke on the pastimes of Sri Krishna and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. This year being the 500th anniversary of Sri Chaitanya’s visit to Vrindavan, Radhanath Swami extensively spoke on the life and teachings of Sri Chaitanya from His biographies, Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita and Sri Chaitanya Bhagavat. The talk was translated into eight languages.

Following in the tradition of Sri Chaitanya, who emphasized sankirtan – the congregational chanting of the holy names of Sri Krishna, every evening after the talk devotees from many nations held hands and danced in kirtan. Devotees from United States and China, from Russia and Ukraine, from Iran and Saudia Arabia called out the holy names in one voice, for the wellbeing of the entire world. The devotional celebrations ended every night with each devotee offering a lamp to Sri Krishna, with heart-felt devotion.

Founder of Bhakti Fest, Sridhar Silberfien, who has been a special guest during the annual pilgrimage for several years, shared his experience: “Whenever I am here, I am left with tears of joy in my eyes. I yearn to be here in Vrindavan with Radhanath Swami.”

‘The Journey Home’ Book Launch in Latvia

 

As part of his Summer European Tour on Sunday, August 2nd, 2015 at the famous Rigas’s Daile Theater in Latvia, Radhanath Swami spoke on “The Journey Home.” This event marked the official launch of his book in Latvia. The occasion was received by a 1000 attendees.

Radhanath Swami shared many examples from his journey which finally culminates in his meeting of his spiritual teacher Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. The colourful stories deeply touched the hearts of the listeners.

After the talk a press conference was held, with questions presented to Radhanath Swami on life and his journey.

One odf the attendees, Skaidrīte Logina said, “The thing that touched me the most in Swami’s speech was his peace, tremendous goodness and desire to share with his heart’s deepest conviction”

Video of the class:

Video of the Press Conference

Audiobook slide

‘The Journey Home’ Now Available as an Audio Book

Mandala Publishing has released Radhanath Swami’s The Journey Home as an Audio Book. In this extraordinary memoir, he weaves a colorful tapestry of adventure, mysticism, and love. With the author’s masterful reading, listeners are guided by the former Richard Slavin from the suburbs of Chicago to the caves of the Himalayas as he transforms from young seeker to renowned spiritual guide. The Journey Home is an incredibly intimate account of the author’s steps to self-awareness and also a penetrating glimpse into the heart of mystic traditions and the challenges that all souls must face on the road to inner harmony and a union with the divine. Through near-death encounters, apprenticeships with advanced yogis, and years of travel along the pilgrim’s path, Radhanath Swami eventually reaches the inner sanctum of India’s mystic culture and finds the love he has been seeking. It is a tale told with rare candor, immersing the reader in a journey that is at once engaging, humorous, and heartwarming. A constantly in-demand speaker, Swami’s audiobook presents a rare opportunity for listeners to have an incredibly intimate and personal experience with a globally respected spiritual guru.

The audio book is available through the Mandala website as well as major national retailers:

Mandala

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Listen to a preview of the audio book below.

Love is in the Details

Bhakti is about detail, little things. Big things are wonderful, but even more wonderful are the little things within the big things. And if you don’t have a big thing, equally wonderful is the little things.

The culture of bhakti is something very deep. In the Bhaktivedanta Hospital the big things are the machines and the surgeries going on. But when someone comes around and offers cHarnamrta or Jagannath’s chariot comes around, its the small detail that changes people’s heart. Devotees kindness, a few words from the spiritual care department transforms peoples hearts and lives. So much of the love and expression of devotion is in those details. Not just what we speak but how we speak. What little things we do to uplift a conditioned soul.

Srila Prabhupada taught by his example – How much he encouraged and appreciated devotees and at the same time trained devotees. All under the package of his compassion. One time Srila Prabhupada was given a flower by a simple lady. Years later he reminds her of that flower and that love keeps her through thick and thin. Anything that happens to her she can take shelter of that one little gesture. A few words are never forgotten by that person’s heart. Such appreciation and affection for the littlest thing encouraged his devotees. But at the same time his correction of the littlest thing encouraged them to keep the standard.

Devotees need to feel encouraged, appreciated and valued. We need to focus on both appreciation and correction. If one is too heavy you can crush a person’s enthusiasm to serve. So we want to create that type of loving association in sharing Krishna katha and Vaisnava culture. Then the experience is so wonderful that all the anartha’s are tolerable and we carry on pursuing the higher experience. – Radhanath Swami

Our Love & Prayers For The People of Paris

Terrorism is born of false ego. Strife and friction are caused when we understand only the letter of the religious law but ignore the spirit behind it. Unity and brotherhood of mankind can happen when we transcend the external differences and focus on the spiritual essence of all great traditions.

The essence of every religion is sincerity in cleansing our own hearts, and cultivating humility by honouring every living entity as a child of God. We must educate the youth about these universal principles which teach us to love God and love every

living being as a child of God. – Radhanath Swami

Govardhan Eco Village Hosts the Nexus Eco-Conference

Nexus, a 2-day national eco-conference, was held at Govardhan Eco Village on the weekend of October 31st, 2015. The objective was ‘to pool in ideas on integrated, sustainable and eco-ethical management of food, water, energy and waste, and to cast those ideas into working solutions.’ Twenty experts delivered their talks and over two hundred people participated in the conference.

Delivering the keynote address Radhanath Swami said, “On a deeper level, we are confronted not with the crisis of environment, but with the crisis of human spirit. Whatever we see in the ecology of the world very much corresponds to the ecology of people’s hearts. When we understand the science of clearing the heart of toxins, we can truly live in harmony with all living beings and with nature. The urgent requirement of the world is active, intelligent, determined compassion with commitment and care.”

Social activist and retired police officer Kiran Bedi recommended that short films be made on the activities at Govardhan Eco Village, and that a three month university course on eco-living be designed based on the practices at the Eco Village. Mrs. Bedi, a winner of Ramon Magsaysay Award, was the first woman to be appointed the United Nations civilian police adviser. Chairman of the Piramal Group, Mr. Ajay Piramal, spoke on social wellness and Swami Vigyananda, the founder and global chairman of World Hindu Foundation presented a Vedic perspective of environmentalism.

Founder of EFI (Environmentalist Foundation of India) Arun Krishnamoorthy, who won the Rolex Award for cleaning 17 lakes in India, shared his thoughts on collectively taking responsibilities for reviving natural water resources. A discussion on food was lead by renowned environmentalist Dr. Calude Alvares and the legendary organic farmer Sri Narayan Reddy. Also, managing director of the ERF (Ecoscience Research Foundation) Sultan Ahmed Ismail shared his ideas on vermicomposting, and how cow dung and cow urine can add value to the soil. Ismail is associated with the Department of Science and Technology of the Government of India.