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Today I got up and taught again. What a revealing experience. I have really got to work on making clear instructions and stating the learning outcomes clearly before the lesson starts. Today some of the students were trying to have me on a bit. At first I just sort of ignored it and went on…

by Radharani dd This incident happened some years ago: I was distributing in Nevada USA. We stopped at a gas station to get some gas and water. When I got out of the van I saw one man that looked like he would be receptive to the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. So I approached…

A woodcutter decided to journey to the great Sundarban forest to collect a big load of wood. A friend warned him that the Sundarban is filled with wild animals. “You should not fail to take a weapon with you,” his friend advised. The woodcutter snorted, “I am an experienced woodsman. Your advice that I should…

Today I realized that a large part of the teaching job is getting organized … staying on top of things.

After a public lecture, a guest asks the question: “How can we distinguish between different religious practices and traditions, and determine their respective merits?” sattvanurupa sarvasya sraddha bhavati bharata sraddha-mayo ‘yam puruso yo yac-chraddhah sa eva sah “O son of Bharata, according to one’s existence under the various modes of nature, one evolves a particular…

Questions and Answers with Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja The following article appeared in issue number 15 of Sri Krishna Kathamrita Bindu, the free fortnightly email magazine from ISKCON Gopal Jiu Publications. Question: How can we have unalloyed devotion to our guru and also see the godbrother of our spiritual master as our spiritual…

It so happened that a frog found a half-rupee coin at the bottom of his pond. He seized it and thought, “Is there anyone who is as rich as I am now? So now I shall claim what is rightfully mine. This pond belongs to me alone!” Clutching the half-rupee coin tightly, the frog sat…

This was written by Jaya Govinda Prabhu who is a devotee caught up in the war in Iraq. It seems he has managed to keep his eye on the real target even in such spiritually austere circumstances. (This is submitted with his permission.) From: http://blog.world-sankirtan.net/jayagovinda/index.php?p=8#more-8 Joe Millionaire Gains Wealth in Iraq August 24, 2004 –…

So who is God? In all parts of the world and in every human culture there is some conception of God. Sometimes God is seen as being all pervasive within nature and sometimes God is depicted as having personal qualities and a form. How are we to reconcile all of the different opinions and understandings…

A village was predominated by a proud pandit named Dada Thakura who, in spite of his brahminical heritage, was an unlettered fool. But it had been the custom for many generations for the villagers to respect the male members of Dada Thakura’s family as great learned authorities. There was one villager who was a little…

Krsna Consciousness means We should always be satisfied and happy, Not that we must work something impossible, Become overburdened and then, Because we are unhappy by so much trouble, We lose enthusiasm and give up all hope. By all means we must preserve our spiritual status, that is the point. Not that we are mad…

Amar was a boy of the village. He’d been suffering intensely from a boil on his back. Around him, friends and relatives tried to alleviate his pain in different ways. His mother waved a hand-fan upon the swollen boil, and sometime she blowed upon it orally. A neighbor suggested that Amar be given an anaesthetic…

A foolish boy was flying a kite to his heart’s content upon an unwalled rooftop. So engrossed was he in the fun that he was totally oblivious to his surroundings. A man passing by on the street below looked up to see the boy standing right on the edge of the roof, one foot dangling…

Today I took an entire class. It was the last period on a Friday – so that presented a few challenges with management. According to the feedback given to me by my associate it seems I did well. She said that I could improve in these areas: – clear simple instructions at the beginning of…

A rich landlord had a flattering servant, a “yes man” who was always most deferential to his master only because he desired reward. The master asked the servant one day, “What is your opinion of potatos?” The servant was hesitant in his reply. “Oh, my dear sir, I suppose I’ve never thought about potatos much,…