iMonk Archive: 2006
The iMonk spends most of the year in the holy association of his gurudeva, Srila Govinda Maharaj — six months in India, and two months in Russia during His Divine Grace's 22nd World Tour.
January
January 1st Search and subscribe
Introducing an email-based iMonk subscription [replaced by RSS] and a search engine to help you quickly browse the archives.
January 4th A fishy tale
The strange story of how the Roman Catholic Church classified the capybara, the largest living rodent in the world, as... a fish!
January 6th More than a park
For us, this is a place of pilgrimage because it has been purified by the holy lotus feet of Srila Gurudeva and Srila Prabhupad.
January 8th Unexpected darshan
It is not so easy to get Srila Gurudeva's darshan. We must be satisfied with only the opportunity to serve from afar...
January 10th Krishna unconscious
God makes Himself known to us in mysterious ways, but we never want Him to make us conscious of His presence like this!
January 13th Grim reminder
This is how it ends. Alone. Waiting to die. Clinging to memories... which condemn you to repeat the cycle of birth and death.
January 15th Distinguished guests
The Cultural Director and the First Secretary from the Indian embassy come for lunch and attend the Sunday program.
January 16th Back to California
The iMonk returns to California after spending the first weeks of the year at the Parama-Karuna temple in Caracas, Venezuela.
January 30th Add iMonk to My Yahoo!
Introducing an RSS/XML feed — subscribe to iMonk via online services like BlogLines or personalized news pages like My Yahoo!
February
February 5th Our future prospects
If our youth are ever going to play a pivotal role in the future of our mission, they must be given meaningful roles in the present.
February 14th Spiritual outreach
These nama-sangha programs are a great way to enliven and be enlivened by the devotees in the Santa Cruz and San Jose area.
February 19th Return to India
Because maya is everywhere, we cannot escape the lure of illusion, or misconception, simply by changing our environment.
February 21st End of a rough ride
An accident on the road from Calcutta to Navadwip reminds the iMonk how all living entities rush blindly into the jaws of death.
February 28th Excess baggage
We cannot escape our karma, our nature, simply by changing our environment: we have to change our consciousness.
March
March 7th Making progress
We must never be satisfied with our progress: satisfaction is the enemy of progress. We must always be eager for the next step.
March 11th A new sannyasi
This morning Srila Gurudeva gives the sannyas mantra to Sri Govinda Prabhu, and the name Bhakti Vigraha Nyasi Maharaj.
March 14th Gaura Purnima
The iMonk celebrates Gaura Purnima in Navadwip dham with his guru and thousands of pilgrims, for the fourth consecutive year.
March 19th Third anniversary
Three years after receiving the sannyas mantram from his guru, the iMonk meditates on his tenuous connection with reality...
March 31st Journey into consciousness
The search for reality begins with the search for the self: it is an inward voyage of self-discovery, an exploration of consciousness.
April
April 3rd Our first service
Srila Gurudeva reminds us just how important it is to chant the Holy Name: the very first service that he gave us at initiation.
April 7th Another reminder
We waste our lives seeking a shortcut to Krishna consciousness instead of following this simple formula Srila Gurudeva gave us.
April 14th Sadhana is also service
Because service is stressed above all else, we may think sadhana is not important, but sadhana is also service to Srila Gurudeva.
April 21st Sevak Bhavan
Srila Gurudeva's humility gives us an idea of what an honor it is to be allowed to stay in the servants' quarters (Sevak Bhavan).
April 29th Mind games
It's funny what we remember, isn't it? How will we keep these images and ideas from subverting our consciousness at death?
May
May 7th Spiritual archaeology
The iMonk suggests that we become "spiritual archaeologists" if we want to uncover the self, to understand who we really are...
May 14th Who's fooling who?
If you think you can fool God, you are fooling yourself. If you try to cheat Him, He will cheat you. Just ask Hiranyakashipu!
May 21st Embarrassing predicament
The iMonk's smugness turns to embarrassment when realizes that the Bengali phrase, ganga-jale, ganga puja, applies to him!
May 29th A touch of grace
What is prasadam? A shortsighted focus on the ritual can blur the reality... and prevent us from recognizing Sri Guru's grace.
June
June 7th Backpedaling
The iMonk is self-conscious about his so-called service: is it really necessary? What causes him to backpedal from this notion?
June 14th Sri Guru and His Grace
You will always get new light and inspiration from this wonderful book by Srila Sridhar Maharaj. Read it again for the first time.
June 21st Going forward
Readers respond to the 'service angst' the iMonk expressed in his Backpedaling blog...
June 30th Laziness is sinful
Laziness (not doing our service) is a disease we are all afflicted with from time to time. Is there a "medicine" for this malady?
July
July 7th Ten offenses
What are the ten offenses against the Holy Name, and why is it so important to avoid committing these offenses?
July 14th Four regulative principles
How important is it to follow the four regulative principles — no illicit sex, no intoxication, no meat-eating and no gambling?
July 21st Srila Gurudeva's order
Incredibly, even in our own society, some "devotees" think that it is not necessary to follow the four regulative principles!
July 28th Sincerity is invincible
Hope for the hopeless. Don't be discouraged if you cannot always follow the four regulative principles — but don't be insincere!
August
August 1st New Russian archive
Many of the iMonk blogs have been translated into Russian, and are now available from the iMonk's new Russian Archive.
October
October 13th iMonk returns
The iMonk returns to Russia after a little over a year, and to regular blogging after a hiatus of two months...
October 21st Look and learn
In so many little ways, Srila Gurudeva shows us how to treat everybody courteously and respectfully.
October 31st Srila Gurudeva gets his wish
On the last week of his 22nd World Tour, in Saint Petersburg, Srila Gurudeva gets his wish to see... Russian snow.
November
November 3rd Why?
Haiku lamenting Srila Gurudeva's departure.
November 7th Cold comfort
The cold Russian weather and the fresh snow increases the iMonk's feeling of separation from his guru.
November 11th Warm welcome
The iMonk catches the midnight train from Moscow to Smolensk for a weekend preaching engagement in that city.
November 12th Real welfare work
The iMonk urges students from the Smolensk Medical Academy to investigate the cause of disease, not just treat its symptoms.
November 21st Russian trains
Why the iMonk prefers to ride in the third class car (platskartniy) when traveling by rail in Russia.
November 24th Another lesson
The iMonk is again reminded that appearances can be deceiving when he returns to Yaroslavl after three years.
December
December 6th Who is guru?
On the occasion of Srila Govinda Maharaj's 77th birthday (Vyasa Puja), the iMonk meditates on who (or what) is guru.
December 14th Word association
A typographical error inspires the iMonk to create a neologism of his own: "fizzical."
December 21st Where is the snow?
I wonder if the Russian snow is trying to tell us something? Nah. That's silly. Everybody knows: snow can't talk!
December 31st The eye to see guru
Srila Sridhar Maharaj's answer to: "Does guru keep returning to this material world until all his disciples are liberated?"
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