Connect is like a Temple!!

I have heard this following quote quite randomly from many devotees that newly moved into the temple. "I have learned more here in one week (or month) then I have learned in the past 10 years!" This spontaneous quote is heard quite often when new devotees come to the temple frequently or move into to the temple as a full monks (ladies included). One of the reasons for this is that there is so much facility to inquire about the details of Krishna Consciousness, which covers practically every aspect of knowledge. Prabhupada has suggested that we should study his books for 2 hours a day. But when one is in the association of others who are also reading Srila Prabhupada's books then the number of reading hours we have access to multiplies exponentially. At Connect I can ask a question about Krishna and it like I have a great research team dedicated to giving me an answer. Not just one answer but many wonderful answers from different angles. I am really thankful that such a facility is available on the internet for all.
ISKCON Utah Spanish Fork Temple

Hare Krishna

Your humble servant,

Nityananda Chandra Das

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Comments

Mon, 12/17/2007 - 07:22 — thirtho

good

ofcourse... i m a new comer but i m repecting ur word

Sun, 12/16/2007 - 15:59 — Krishnaowned

This IS My Temple!

I've said this more than once ... without all these wonderful devotees, I would not be anywhere near where I am now. You've all been SO wonderful!

Mon, 12/17/2007 - 03:05 — japaholic

mine too

Connect is my wondeful temple.

I knew about Krishna.com since day one I became KC but for some reason it just dint occur to me to join connect. After a while I started praying to Krishna for devotees association, one day I just joined & here I am associated with all humble devotees. Ever since I joined I have learnt a lot about Krishna, cleared my doubts.

Japaholic

Sun, 12/16/2007 - 15:45 — Navasi

Wow!

What time is Mongol Arotike Nityananda Chanrdra!!????
lol :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

Sun, 12/16/2007 - 17:54 — NityānandaChandra

Ha Ha it is always the

Ha Ha it is always the auspicious hour here at Connect.

Sun, 12/16/2007 - 18:00 — Navasi

Oh Good! :)

Ah Ha Ha!....
so glad to hear that! yes, I'd have to agree,

around here it's pretty much auspicious all the time!!!

:) :) :)

Sun, 12/16/2007 - 14:36 — Radwinters

Me Too

I'm also very thankful for this resource. In the past I read a lot of books on Krishna but never really felt that I was "connected" because I had never known any devotees. Now I get to find some over the Internet and I can only conclude that Krishna is using this medium for His will.

Sun, 12/16/2007 - 14:32 — Go-Seva

Jaya Connect!

Hare Krishna~ I feel very fortunate that the wonderful devotees at Krishna.com have created this "virtual temple" for those of us who are aspiring servants of the servant, and who live too far from a temple to regularly attend. Reading and learning from the forums, the blogs and the glorious devotees themselves have brightened my spiritual life immensely. I am sure that this magnificient association of devotees will help me in my journey.

Haribol!

Sun, 12/16/2007 - 15:17 — abrennan

MMMooooooo

: )
________________________________________

Visit the Food Channel @ Krishna.com

Mon, 12/24/2007 - 12:54 — Anand_Gurdas

California Cheese Commercial

Have any of ya'll seen the TV commercial?
Its got a duck chanting "ooommmm" and the cow walks up and says "no you're doing it all wrong, its MMMmmooooooo" (and the duck still can't get it right!"

Very cute
AGS

Mon, 12/24/2007 - 15:38 — abrennan

Hey, that cow Stole my

Hey, that cow Stole my line

______________________________________
Visit the Food Channel @ Krishna.com

Sun, 12/16/2007 - 18:01 — Navasi

Chanting Cows

Antony's a chanting cow I guess lol lol lol :)

Sun, 12/16/2007 - 14:28 — Navasi

This Temple

Hare Krishna, Dear Nitynanda Chandra,
Yes, I agree with you on this, I feel this way too....

It is exactly like a temple, connect.

A temple is where devotees come together to serve Krishna and learn about Krishna together... and that's what we do here...

I have always felt like this was just like a temple, this connect community we are all so fortunate to be a part of...

Wonderful example that.... :)

"Iskcon Connect Internet World"

(all we need now is a picture of it!)
LOL! :)

Maybe one of our resident artists will paint a picture of a 'virtual temple' for us to use! :) :) :)

Love,

Navasi

The Glories of Association

Sat, 12/01/2007 - 12:39 — NityānandaChandra

Recently I went on a family trip to my place of birth, Honolulu HI. It was there that I first learned about the service of Lord Sri Krishna. This all auspicious activity, Devotional Service, is brought to everyone by means of association. We find this wonderful statement in the Sri Caitanya Caritamrita. Madhya 22.54
'sadhu-sanga', 'sadhu-sanga' -- sarva-sastre kaya
lava-matra sadhu-sange sarva-siddhi haya
TRANSLATION
"The verdict of all revealed scriptures is that by even a moment's (1/11th of a second) association with a pure devotee, one can attain all success." Association with the Saints
When I was 14 years old I learned about Krishna
Consciousness from a friend mine.
At the time I was a punk kid and would spend a lot of time going hanging out with other punky/goth and hippyish kids.

 

Me in 1995 prom day.

Me in 1996
It was in that crowd where I met a great friend for whom I am eternally grateful. Her name is Kalae, a young bright faced half Hawaiian beach loving girl. With all of our friends we used to spend the night talking about so many interesting subject matters; ghosts, aliens, government conspiracies, reincarnation, and spiritual consciousness. She always had such wonderful things to say, so much so that by her association I became vegetarian and had taken a personal vow of no intoxications since one week of hanging out with her. Since that time I have had no difficulties in maintaining those vows. She spoke often of the Bhagavad Gita, and although she was 2 years younger, perhaps 12 or maybe 13 at the time, she had so much wisdom and great personal character. She taught about the universal form of the Lord which is described in the 11th chapter of the Bhagavad Gita. To see the trees as the hairs on the Lord's body, and rivers as His veins, the sun and moon as His eyes, and mountains as His bones. And in this way I became attracted to the wisdom of the Vedas. She also explained that the soul and body are different things, that the body was simply a vehicle and the soul was the driver. That the soul in the body of a hog is not difference in quality as the soul in the body of a human. So from the there on I started following the no drugs, no meat and celibate lifestyle. On this trip I had the opportunity to see her again and thank her once more.
I also had opportunity to solve what was a mystery to me. How did she know so much about Krishna and His service at the age of 12/13? She explained that not to long before we met she learned about Krishna from a taxi driver. We actually had a good group of us 13 year old and 14 year old punk rockers who were interested very much in Krishna.
Kalae and Me, Nov 2007 She is 8 months pregnant in the photo.
But it seems that the association did not just start there. On this family trip I had a chance to spend time with my father and family from his side of the family. It had been 12 years since I had a chance to see any of them. I never really could afford a trip back to Hawaii. I had learned before of my father's previous contact with Krishna Consciousness, but not with so much detail. My father grew up in bad area of South Bronx, New York, and he always prided himself for not getting involved with gangs or drugs even though he was on his own since the age of 17. He attributed this to his interest in spirituality and personal discipline. At an early age he became interested in and studied into yoga & meditation. So much so that he started to collect a good library of eastern literature. At the foreground of his collection was Srila Prabhupada's books which he quoted were his "life and soul". My Father, who had been vegetarian for 12 years, stated that it was very difficult for him to maintain his vow of vegetarianism after he joined the army in the mid 70's. When my father joined the military he brought with him a huge duffle bag of his books weighing over 100 lbs. The bag was so heavy that the strap ripped right off. He commented that those books were so important to him that there was no possibility of him leaving them behind. He also mentioned that both in Hawaii and in New York he had the opportunity to eat prasadam, food that has been offered to Krishna with love and devotion.
My sister, my dad, and me.
Me and Dad eating some prasadam that we all cooked together.: We cooked a stir fry broccoli sabji with carrots, and tofu. We also had some rice with green peas. They cooked this relishing the kirtan of BB Govinda Swami and Karnamrita Dasi
My father is now a Jehovah Witness, a religious tradition that he became attracted to after marrying my wonderful step-mother 25 years ago. Although my father never really had the opportunity to intimately associate with the devotees I feel that Srila Prabhupada's books have helped him to become the great gentleman my father is today, and as well as helped me to come also to Krishna Consciousness. My trip overall was very wonderful for I had the opportunity to get in many Krishna Conscious conversations especially with my father and my step mother. Hare Krishna
Your humble servant,
Nityananda Chanda Das

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Comments

Mon, 12/03/2007 - 09:21 — vikasmalhotra

Excellent Blog

Hare Krishna
I am touched with this wonderful blog and feel that you are so fortunate to have people around you who are involved with Krishna some way or the other.
Hare Krishna.