Jagannath-Express

Nityaananda! Gauraanga! Hare Krishna!
dear diary,
today the brother of Tulasi das, Haridas, has arrived from Bengal. i asked Tulasi, wheter he came by train or by bus. He answered: "by train, Jagannath-Express!"
It's exhilarant to see how spirituality is still imbedded in every day's life in India. We western devotees (actually all mankind) should do this more often too.
Thank You Nityaananda, that we have an express to go back to Godhead in the Nityaananda- and Gauraanga-Mantrarajas!

candlelight-Arati

Nityaananda! Gauraanga! Hare Krishna!
dear diary!
Finally i am writing again...
Did buy a bicycle, to explore the region. One of those without gears... and did get a sunburn on the first ride. The sun burns without mercy and its very hot.
We had tonight no electricity and a romantic candlelight-Arati without amplifier... liked it a lot. It was so peacefull and virtuous.
Haribol!

nectarean association

Nityaananda! Gauraanga! Hare Krishna!
The new Pujari Premananda das is a bright and sprightly devotee. He doesent know much english, but he tries to speak, and sometimes a whole tirade comes from his mouth :) His hearty nature and nectarean association are very inspiring to me.
Thank You, oh Lord, for this advanced devotee and that i am allowed to have his association. Please help me Nityaananda, that i can get some of his natural way of Krishna-conciuosness.
Thank You.

newspaper distribution indian style

Nityaananda! Gauraanga! Hare Krishna!
Today i was watching my indian collegue, and i would like to describe what happened :)
Ok, he arrives on bicycle and stopps in front of our neigbours gate, grabs a rolled newspaper out of the basket on his cycle and throws it well aimed at the balconydoor on the first floor, where it lands with a loud sound on the balcony. And off he goes again.... :)
Hare Krishna

spiritual craw

Nityaananda! Gauraanga! Hare Krischna!
after a long break, today there will be some posts.... :)
Often i have an encounter with a craw when i am on parikrama around the temple or on the roof. Then i will chant loudly in front of it, cause that craw has no fear. Very attentively the craw is listening the mantras Nityaananda, Gauraanga and Hare Krishna, today it even caws after each mantra, as if it wanted to chant. i think it is a devotee, which has in this life a body, which is not suitable to chant the holy Names. The whole incident reminded me of brother Francis from Assisi, who even preached to the birds.
Please Lord, let us use this body and its rare option to serve You wisely and chant Your holy Names. Let us live peacefully with all living entities, and be aware of the fact that we are all spiritual souls. Let us please live the simplicity and naturality of St.Francis.
Thank You.

The personal Impersonalist

Nityaananda! Gauraanga! Hare Krishna!
dear diary!
Today i went to Tota Gopinath with a devotee named Shiva. On our way back we met an older Sannyasi or Brahmacari wearing safran. It was a Shivaite which could be seen at the way he had his tilak. He was greeting us first with folded hands. A very personal impersonalist.... there are also impersonal personalists, but i dont want to write about them now. It became clear to me that impersonalism and personalism are the two sides of the same coin, both is existing and belonging togheter.
ॐ नमो शिवाय! हरे कृष्ण!

you can't run away from yourself

Nityaananda! Gauraanga! Hare Krishna!
Dear diary,
i am not feeling so well at the moment... i am having second thoughts wheter i am able and worthy to go this way... sometimes i have even doubts about the philosophy...
and i have to fight against me, i cannot run away from myself, the old Ralph is here too, with all his wishes and anarthas (undesired qualities).
But i keep on going, praying to God that He please might take away what is hindering me to go back to Him and give me what i will need on this way.
Hare Krishna

neighbour's garden

Nityaananda! Gauraanga! Hare Krischna!
Next to the Ashram there is a nursery... and i am sometimes looking wistfully into neighbour's garden. How i would like to work in a garden again! But isn't it that we always want what we don't have, that we are looking into neighbour's garden?
Please Nityaananda, help me to be satisfied and use my talents for Your service!

Jagannath, Baladeva and Subhadra

(this is the posting from sunday march 15th)
Jay Jagannath!
Some days ago, three children came to Gaura-Arati. They all stand in a line and sang Kirtan full of devotion. A devotee whispered to me: "look, just like Jagannath, Baladeva and Subhadra!" and he was right... the two boys on the right and left side and the smaller girl in the middle, it was amazing...
Surely they were God's expansions.
May Nityaananda give us that godly view, to see God in all our fellow men!

unfair competition

Nityaananda! Gauraanga! Hare Krishna!
Dear diary!
We have still no internet-connection. It looks like the local Internet-providers are cutting each other's wires to win some new customers, not understanding that they all loose only. Welcome to India in the age of Kali... so i have to write offline and i am missing my good old dictionnary made from paper, like that i will have to edit my translation, once the online dictionnary will be available again.
so long,
Nityaananda! Gauraanga! Hare Krishna!
(internet just now came back)

Internet-Ekadasi

Nityaananda! Gauraanga! Hare Krischna!
Dear diary!
Today (13th of march) is internet-ekadasi :)
it means that we restrain from internet like we do from grains on ekadasi. Its clear that i am making here out of the bad deal a good bargain, like the man whos bed crashed after being eaten by termites, and when he was forced to sleep on the floor he told: "i dont need a bed anymore, i make tapasya"...maybe its only caus it is friday the 13th? anyway, a good chance to read and think more...
Nityaananda! Gauraanga! Hare Krischna!

The Dream in the Dream

Nityaananda! Gauraanga! Hare Krishna!

A very nice and advanced devotee, Gopal Kripa das, once said that a computergame is a "dream in the dream", and he is perfectly right... isn't this world already a dream or even a nightmare? ... but the living entity doesn't want to wake up... better fall into a deeper sleep, only not to see the true reality of Gauranga Mahaprabhu and to serve Him...

standing on the roof of Swamijis ashram, i watch down in the dream, and everything seems so unreal, i feel like on a island in the ocean...

Oh Nityaananda, please let me wake up in this life, and to start to live in reality to serve You!

नित्यानंदा!

गौर पूर्णिमा

नित्यानंदा! गौरंगा! हरे कृष्ण!
Dear diary!
Today is Gaur Purnima, a very important festival, the appearance day of the Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu und also Holi, the springfestival. i realized how important it is in Kali-Yuga to chant the holy Names of Nityaananda and Gauraanga and how fortunate i am to celebrate Gaur Purnima with those nice Devotees here. It was a very beautiful and authentic festival.
Thank You, Mahaprabhu!

The frog that is waiting for rain

Nityaananda! Gauraanga! Hare Krischna!
dear diary!
Every evening after Gaura-Arati i see some frogs (or toads), and i always wonder how they can survive in this dry climate. I have the impression that they are waiting for rain. Sometimes i feel like one of those frogs in this dryness, that comes out every evening to await wishfully the rain to come... only that i am without Krishna Prem, Love to God, and chant everyday my rounds, hoping to attain some day that Love to God, which is at least as refreshing for the soul as rain is for a frog!
May Nityaananda please help me, that this rain may soon come ...

soundvibrations

Nityaananda! Gauraanga! Hare Krischna!
dear diary :)
Today in Gaura-Arati, a advanced devotee, Tulasi das, gave a spontaneous lecture in Bengali. In spite i did understand nearly nothing, i was touched by his words on a subtle platform... the transcendental soundvibrations of a advanced devotee... his energy, his charisma, how ever one likes to call it, it was clear to me, that he is empowered from God.
Thank you Nityananda for the nectarian association with Your devotees!

auspicous bath

Nityaananda! Gauraanga!
dear diary!
Today is a special festival in puri, which takes place only every 60 years. One should take a bath in the sea to wash the sins away, which i did. A big crowd was gathered at the main bathing place, so i go in at a place where there were less people. It was very nice and sure did something good to me.
Jay Jagannath!
Jay Nimai, Jay Nitai!

electric- and cultural shock

dear diary!
Nityaananda! Gauraanga! Hare Krishna!
Today i dont know actually what to write. Maybe that i had Darshan from Swami Gaurangapada, und that he treats me very nicely as his guest. When he relized how hot it is in my room, he immediately offered a table-fan to me, from which later on i got a electric shok. That woke me up a bit :) The whole day i was in my room, it is too hot for me and i want to back out a bit, maybe i want to forget about being here? I am in a strange mood today, maybe i have a cultural shok too. Please pray for me that i could become a usefull devotee.

language- and other barriers

Nityaananda! Gauraanga! Hare Krishna!
dear diary!
its a pity, but i dont speak at all enough Hindi to comunicate with people, and most of them here can speak only little english. Today in Mangala-arati Tulasi das was reading something in Hindi (or was it Bengali?), and i could experience the language barrier quiet intense. On request of HH BR Sadhu Swami Gaurangapada i will translate and publish my blog now in english too. Now i cannot hide behind a language barrier anymore, all becomes transparent. So i immediately start to translate and make the layout. i would like to learn Hindi too.
Nityaananda! Gauraanga! Hare Krishna!

true blessings

(this was originally posted on 5th of march)

Nityaananda! Gauraanga! Hare Krishna!

The translation work goes surprisingly smooth in spite of the high temperatures (near 40°C), and i wonder why that could be. first of all i am in a Pancha-Tattva-temple here and then i have the association with a very advanced devotee who chants 64 rounds of all the three mantras daily (Nityaananda, Gauraanga and Mahamantra). i didnt had darshan from Swamiji since my arrival three days ago, and that was disturbing me at first. But now i realized that, when He is chanting, it will be very beneficial for me, much more than if He would be travelling with me or talking to me. i am simply thankfull that i can be here. One day Maharaj said something like: "What a spiritual master has to offer to his disciples if he is not chanting at least 100000 holy Names daily? Thats why i prefere to stay in the holy dhaam as much as possible and chant the holy Name of the Lord."

And in this way i can "profit" and i can notice it already.

Thank You, Nityaananda

quantity and quality

(this was originally posted on 5th of march)
Nityaananda! Gauraanga! Hare Krishna!
dear diary!
Becaus of the great heat (nearly 40°C) i have some problems to fall asleep. Looks like the climate scheme wasent right, it should not getting hotter than 30°C, or this is the famous exeption...
anyways, its really hot here. And in this way i missed the Mangala arati today. i did chant more rounds of the Nityaananda- and Gauraanga- Mantrarajas, but didnt improve the quality of my chanting, which was alterded furthermore due to my tiredness. i really need to improve the quality of my chanting. Also the complete 11 volume Caitanya Caritamrita in german which i brought here remains unread so far. i would like to read it here and should start today with it. see you later, dear diary,
Nityaananda! Gauraanga! Hare Krishna!

Sadhana upgrade

(this was originally posted on 4th of march)
dear diary,
today when translating the Nityaananda Gauraanga Naam book i realised that "real shelter of the names of Lord Nityananda and Lord Gauranga means to chant Them atleast one thousand times i.e. 10 rounds daily"...
so i will chant from tomorrow on eight instead of four rounds, to improve my sadhana slowly.
Nityaananda! Gauraanga! Hare Krischna!

spiritual moskitos :)

(this was originally posted on 4th of march)
Nityaananda! Gauraanga! Hare Krishna!
Ok, now its the time for a moskito-net. There are some at the windows, but in this high-tech-ashram there are, besides of many gaps, also holes for wires in the walls, which could grant entry to lots of moskitos. They are getting used to the lavender-oil very quickly, and after the wind calmed down they arrived. i will talk with Jay Krishna about it...
Its like in the spiritual live: Didnt we fix everywhere spiritual moskitonets at the entries for demons? But what is the use of those, if we have somewhere gaps and holes to let Maya in? i think i will need a spiritual moskitonet too... at least those beasts wake me up at 5 am , so now i can attend the Mangala-arati (at 6 am here). Full of sweat and pierced by moskitos i go for a shower now. So long, dear diary.
Nityaananda! Gauraanga! Hare Krishna!

Nityaananda's mercy

(this was originally postet on 3rd of march)
Nityaananda! Gauraanga!
Already i have the chance to practice some tolerance. At Gaura Arati there were three things to tolerate: draft, very laod ear-deafening bhajan and the request to lead the kirtan... i did tolerate all, and spoke later to Jay Krishna, a loving devotee about the volume and draft. i guess, the Pancha-Tattva was happy with me trying to tolerate those things, and i am feeling brilliant. Maybe i could really change myself?

the first Japa-walk

(originally posted on 3rd of march)
Nityaananda! Gauraanga! Hare Krishna!
Today i slept for a long time and missed the Mangala-Arati and morning-class. After breakfast to the beach... i feel good, did sleep well in my little flat on the roof in spite of the heat, and the two, three mosquitos i chased away with lavender-oil. The first human being i meet on the beach is an indian (as expected :) ), he is doing his morning toilet, the whole beach is a big toilet and between it and the beachroad there are piles of rubbish... at least this will keep the foreign luxury tourists away. The indians are mostly very friendly, met a brahmin, who looked at me and greeted me very friendly. A schoolboy on the bicycle calls loud "Hare Krishna", as we meet in a sideroad. A man greets me with "Jay Jagannath". Poverty and hard work is everywhere, but my old thik skin has been well-proven. There are workers that carry stones on their head and others are pulling small loaded boats through the waves at the beach. Again it happened that someone asked me for 10 rupies and as i offered him 3, he rejected it... so i was walking away, not giving anything at all.
Some things have changed, others stayed the same... me i have also changed, i want to try to better approach people, and to stay back in line some more, to be not so stubborn anymore when it comes to living toghether, means become more tolerant and humble. Thats what i pray to God for: May Nityaananda please help me with it!

again to India

(This post was originally posted in german on 3rd of march, but translated later)
Nityaananda! Gauraanga! Hare Krishna!
Against all my plans, i travelled again to India, the holy Land. After the common hectic and turbulent preparations and detachements from the native place i started the journey early in the morning togheter with Matus as my driver...
i shared the 5 am train from Bern to Geneva with some drunken carneval people (that was a good preparation to what lies ahead of me on this trip...) and the waited in front of the wrong gate at bthe Geneva airport (Hare Krishna!), again leaving the security zone and again security check, but this time with a long queue and not alone like the first time :) . Short stop in Paris and long stop in Kuwait. Met some friendly chineese, and of course the first indians. At the airport in Kuwait they have such glashouses for the smokers...
The security check was very chaotic, a big pushing, it was tapasia, but i overcame it humbly and brave :))
Early in the morning on 2nd of march arrived in Bombay, there with the transferbus to the domestic airport. i realize how mobilephone-addicted the indians are, everywhere mobiles are ringing, even in the airplane where it is strictly forbidden, and those who switched it off, turn their handy again on as soon as the plane had landed, i had one time three of those rayguns pointed on my head :(
the domestic airline (Kingfisher) was very good, and noone was interested in my 2-4kg baggage overweight or the creditcard confirmation.

At the security-check the officer ask me where i want to go to and when i answered :" to Jagannath Puri" he tells me that the security chief is from Orissa and sends me to his desk, and after a short talk with the chief about Orissa and religion he shakes hands with me, wishes me the best and i can pass.

A bag full of no more needed clothes accumulated since my departure from Aarwangen in Switzerland (-5°C) and at the arrival in Bhubaneshwar its really hot (35°C). Vishnu Prasad, a taxi-enterpriser met me at the airport, he was sometimes using two mobile phones at a time during driving... He invites me to drink fresh coconutjuice and after i explained him the way we finally arrive here in Puri at the ashram.

The ashram is very nice and very indian style, everywhere some improvisations and hack jobs, but very fine prasadam and very friendly devotees. i take shower and prasadam and darshan (in that order...)from the spiritual master HH BR Sadhu Swami Gaurangapada and the newly installed deities of Pancha-Tattva.