little writings E-Book

Jan Wolter

• Herausgeber: epubli
• Kategorie: Ratgeber
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 59

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Beschreibung

A simple yet profound read for the basic questions of the spiritual journey. From the sacred ground of Vṛndāvana the author analyses and advises through scriptural and authoritative writings, especially those of His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada and his disciples & grand-disciples, the phenomena of that spiritual quest. It's topics include compassion and mercy (especially towards the cow), identification of the individual Soul with God, Nature, Time & Spirit, as well as the wonderful holy places (tirthas) of India namely Śrī Vṛndāvana Dhāma & Śridhāma Mayapur, but also Jagannatha Puri, Rameshwar & Dwaraka Dhamas. We are thus embarking on a spiritual journey following the author through times of departure as his spiritual master is closing the last chapter of his life. In this mood we go on a deeper quest seeking the answers given through the travel guides (acaryas) following the map (śastra) leading towards the goal (Goloka Vṛndāvana) where pure love of Godhead (Prema) is present.

Leseprobe

A compilation of Essays

on God,

Consciousness's,

on the Nature of time

on the Soul and its Absolute Nature

on Friendship, Service and Traveling the World

Written in India, 2022-2023

© Jan Wolter (Yashomatinandana Dasa) 2023

PLUS Books

More books in English:

Soul Searching

Travel Learn Grow

Where We Will Wonder

Overall Balance

Homecoming

Peace Love Unity

Blissful Bonds

Be Bliss!

Eternal Journey

Peace Love Union

Green Living

Minimalism

Atmarama

Spiritual Traveler 1 & 2

Travel Diaries (to be translated)

All published by epubli.de services, available through Amazon, Apple etc.

Free for download and distribution (e-Books)

Table of Contents

Foreword

Cow Care example in Vrindāvan Dhama

Ignorance is Bliss?

True Happiness?

Real meditation?

Why We Write?

What is time and why are we afraid to die?

Who to follow?

How important it is to serve?

How to Seva?

An eternal journey?

Chant & Be Happy?

Why is the world within war and what is its alternative?

How is the Mayapur Experience?

What is the city of nine gates and who lives there?

What is Sadhana?

How can we serve nicely?

Where is God?

What is the perfect morning routine?

How to connect formal education with spiritual wisdom?

On rāsa and why is interrelation so important?

Who am I and what is my purpose?

What is the way to overcome illusion and unhappiness?

What makes community sacred?

Rest In Peace?

Glossary

Abbreviations

About the Author

FOREWORD

by Caitanya Carana dasa, poet and copywriter

I first met Jan in Malaysia in the summer of 2023, and I was immediately struck by his earnestness and sincerity. He was simultaneously down to earth and thoughtful - a most intriguing blend. This shines through in his writing.

This is the first book written by Jan that I've read, and I must admit I have found it mesmerizing. His writing style captures the reader's attention and draws him into a deep analysis of life's journey.

Anybody who reads this wonderful book can be assured of one thing - you'll think deeply about the meaning of life.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who is on a quest to understand his purpose.

Yours sincerely,

Caitanya Carana dasa (author, proofreader, editor)

Cow Care example in Vrindāvan Dhama

Hare Kṛṣṇa,

please let me first offer my respectful obeisances to my param-guru, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who opened the Holy Dhama and spread the good fortune of Kṛṣṇa consciousness to the whole world, as well as to my guru Maharaja, Kadamba Kanana Swami, who is always supporting Go-Seva. All glories to Sri Guru and Gauranga.

A few days ago, I looked at ISKCON Kṛṣṇa-Balaram Mandirs blackboard for seva opportunities, and there I found this Go-Seva, serving the cows by writing stories and articles to raise awareness about Mother Cow, one of the seven Mothers described in sacred texts (śāstra).

ādau-mātā guroḥ patnī

brāhmaṇī rāja-patnikā

dhenur dhātrī tathā pṛthvī

saptaitā mātaraḥ smṛtāḥ

(Nīti śāstra)

Śrila Prabhupāda comments:

“There are seven kinds of mother. Real mother, then a spiritual master or teacher's wife, guroḥ patnī. Brāhmaṇī, the wife of a brāhmaṇa. Ādau-mātā guroḥ patnī brāhmaṇī rāja-patnikā. And the queen, the wife of the king. Dhenu, cow; dhenur dhātrī, maidservant, nurse.

Everyone should be addressed. We should learn this. Except one's one wife, all women should be addressed as ‘Mother’. This is civilisation.”

(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.16.23 Lecture, July 13th 1974, Los Angeles)

It is important to understand the significance of cows and why the sacred scriptures like Śrīmad Bhāgavatam stress the holiness of cows.

It says:

(Dharma speaking to Mother Earth)

“O mother earth, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, incarnated Himself as Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa just to unload your heavy burden. All His activities here are transcendental, and they cement the path of liberation. You are now bereft of His presence. You are probably now thinking of those activities and feeling sorry in their absence.

Mother, you are the reservoir of all riches. Please inform me of the root cause of your tribulations by which you have been reduced to such a weak state. I think that the powerful influence of time, which conquers the most powerful, might have forcibly taken away all your fortune, which was adored even by the demigods.

The earthly deity [in the form of a cow] thus replied to the personality of religious principles [in the form of a bull]: O Dharma, whatever you have inquired from me shall be known to you. I shall try to reply to all those questions. Once you too were maintained by your four legs, and you increased happiness all over the universe by the mercy of the Lord.

(ŚB 1.16.23-25)

So, knowing this, now is the time to act upon protecting Mother Cow (Go-raksa) and thus serving human civilisation.

Everyone can do something.

I talk to Bishal, a coordinator for ISKCON’s Go-seva and seven-year resident of Vrindavana, the Holy Dhama (spiritual abode) of Lord Kṛṣṇa.

This should be our goal, to have sympathy and a direct connection to the perfect, everlasting, spiritual world, the kingdom of God.

There, all the cows, spiritual surabhi cows, live perfectly well, giving unlimited amounts of milk.

That’s the vision. Now, Bishal takes me to a cow sanctuary where the Go-raksa-sevakas (Cow Care attendants) under the spiritual guidance of Gopesh Baba, a sincere servant of the Lord, see to the suffering cows of Vraja.

Current waves of a ‘lumpy-skin-disease’ have struck many millions of cows where hundreds of them are in the cow sanctuary in Vrindavana under Ayurvedic care of professional veterinarians.

A paste of herbs and different antiseptics is applied to the open skin, and a certain percentage of the cows are cured and fed to healthy condition, yet around 70 percent of the infected cows leave the body behind.

Here comes the importance of care, because the cows also receive spiritual care in form of transcendental sound vibration (mantras) and physical burial into the grounds next to the Holy Yamunā river.

Thus seeing a first-class endeavour of spiritual and material value we like to encourage everyone to raise awareness by studying Śrīmad Bhāgavatam and reading on.

Please find Dr. Kenneth Valpey’s (HH Kṛṣṇa Ksetra Swami) [Research Fellow at Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies, Oxford University, UK] book ‘Cow Care in Hindu Animal Ethics’ free for reading and download attached.

(https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/978-3-030-28408-4.pdf)

Thank you very much.

Hare Kṛṣṇa

Ignorance is Bliss?

Little Writings on a Long Journey Home

Śrī Vṛndāvana Dhāma

Om namo Bhagavate vasudevaya…

yaś ca mūḍhatamo loke

yaś ca buddheḥ paraṁ gataḥ

tāv ubhau sukham edhete

kliśyaty antarito janaḥ

“Both the lowest of fools and he who is transcendental to all intelligence enjoy happiness, whereas persons between them suffer the material pangs.”

(ŚB 3.7.17)

In the purport Śrila Prabhupāda paints a picture of a being living only for sense gratification, and the paramahaṁsas who are in contrast fully aloof of suffering.

Feeling in-between? That is the position of the conditioned soul, neither fully oblivious of spiritual life, nor fully transcended like Narada Muni, or even His Divine Grace himself.

So, here we build a bridge, because suffering is there with the body, accordingly we have to adjust our hearts into balance what happiness truly means and why one is suffering.