krsna

So are you going to vote for the other guy whose supporters kill millions of Cows and allows eveyone to carry a gun that leads to 30,000 deaths every year and 65,000 gun injuries etc etc.

 

As an early disciple of Srila Prabhupada, he always taught us to make the best of a difficult situation

 

My point is they are as bad as each. Why just point out Obama? I don't think that's very intelligent.

 

I think the intelligent thing to do, is support the one who can help our ISKCON movement the best, that's how Prabhupada taught us.

:confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: who the hell should we vote for then, my dear prabhu??? :smash:

The Charlatan Obama

BY: SYAMAKUNDA DAS (ACBSP)

Jul 28, USA (SUN) — For all of my Godbrothers and Godsisters who want to vote for the party that supports abortion (over 300,000 for Planned Parenthood alone), the party that supports the Darwin’s Theory Group (the anti-intelligent design people), the party that is for same sex marriage, denigration of society in general (the Hollywood Group and all of their Godless movies), the party that is for the “Nanny State” (“we need big government to take care of us”), the party of socialists and such, go right ahead. If you think that the religious right is bad, just wait until the atheists really get a handle on society.

I would expect that devotees will fall for the charlatan Obama (just see, he has a Hanuman Trinket in his pocket - he must be righteous) - just like many of my Godbrothers gave excellent Bhagavad Gita and Bhagavatam classes while in private, they were molesting children.

Oh well, Srila Prabhupada said that in Kali Yuga, communism will eventually win out.

From The London Times -- July 25, 2008:

<CENTER>He ventured forth to bring light to the world:

The anointed one's pilgrimage to the Holy Land is a miracle in action - and a blessing to all his faithful followers </CENTER><CENTER> </CENTER><CENTER>By Gerard Baker </CENTER><CENTER> </CENTER>

And it came to pass, in the eighth year of the reign of the evil Bush the Younger (The Ignorant), when the whole land from the Arabian desert to the shores of the Great Lakes had been laid barren, that a Child appeared in the wilderness. The Child was blessed in looks and intellect. Scion of a simple family, offspring of a miraculous union, grandson of a typical white person and an African peasant. And yea, as he grew, the Child walked in the path of righteousness, with only the occasional detour into the odd weed and a little blow.

When he was twelve years old, they found him in the temple in the City of Chicago, arguing the finer points of community organisation with the Prophet Jeremiah and the Elders. And the Elders were astonished at what they heard and said among themselves: “Verily, who is this Child that he opens our hearts and minds to the audacity of hope?”

In the great Battles of Caucus and Primary he smote the conniving Hillary, wife of the deposed King Bill the Priapic and their barbarian hordes of Working Class Whites.

And so it was, in the fullness of time, before the harvest month of the appointed year, the Child ventured forth - for the first time - to bring the light unto all the world.

He travelled fleet of foot and light of camel, with a small retinue that consisted only of his loyal disciples from the tribe of the Media. He ventured first to the land of the Hindu Kush, where the Taleban had harboured the viper of al-Qaeda in their bosom, raining terror on all the world.

And the Child spake and the tribes of Nato immediately loosed the Caveats that had previously bound them. And in the great battle that ensued the forces of the light were triumphant. For as long as the Child stood with his arms raised aloft, the enemy suffered great blows and the threat of terror was no more.

From there he went forth to Mesopotamia where he was received by the great ruler al-Maliki, and al-Maliki spake unto him and blessed his Sixteen Month Troop Withdrawal Plan even as the imperial warrior Petraeus tried to destroy it.

And lo, in Mesopotamia, a miracle occurred. Even though the Great Surge of Armour that the evil Bush had ordered had been a terrible mistake, a waste of vital military resources and doomed to end in disaster, the Child's very presence suddenly brought forth a great victory for the forces of the light.

And the Persians, who saw all this and were greatly fearful, longed to speak with the Child and saw that the Child was the bringer of peace. At the mention of his name they quickly laid aside their intrigues and beat their uranium swords into civil nuclear energy ploughshares.

From there the Child went up to the city of Jerusalem, and entered through the gate seated on an ass. The crowds of network anchors who had followed him from afar cheered “Hosanna” and waved great palm fronds and strewed them at his feet.

In Jerusalem and in surrounding Palestine, the Child spake to the Hebrews and the Arabs, as the Scripture had foretold. And in an instant, the lion lay down with the lamb, and the Israelites and Ishmaelites ended their long enmity and lived for ever after in peace. As word spread throughout the land about the Child's wondrous works, peoples from all over flocked to hear him; Hittites and Abbasids; Obamacons and McCainiacs; Cameroonians and Blairites.

And they told of strange and wondrous things that greeted the news of the Child's journey. Around the world, global temperatures began to decline, and the ocean levels fell and the great warming was over.

The Great Prophet Algore of Nobel and Oscar, who many had believed was the anointed one, smiled and told his followers that the Child was the one generations had been waiting for.

And there were other wonderful signs. In the city of the Street at the Wall, spreads on interbank interest rates dropped like manna from Heaven and rates on credit default swaps fell to the ground as dead birds from the almond tree, and the people who had lived in foreclosure were able to borrow again.

Black gold gushed from the ground at prices well below $140 per barrel. In hospitals across the land the sick were cured even though they were uninsured. And all because the Child had pronounced it.

And this is the testimony of one who speaks the truth and bears witness to the truth so that you might believe. And he knows it is the truth for he saw it all on CNN and the BBC and in the pages of The New York Times.

Then the Child ventured forth from Israel and Palestine and stepped onto the shores of the Old Continent. In the land of Queen Angela of Merkel, vast multitudes gathered to hear his voice, and he preached to them at length.

But when he had finished speaking his disciples told him the crowd was hungry, for they had had nothing to eat all the hours they had waited for him.

And so the Child told his disciples to fetch some food but all they had was five loaves and a couple of frankfurters. So he took the bread and the frankfurters and blessed them and told his disciples to feed the multitudes. And when all had eaten their fill, the scraps filled twelve baskets.

Thence he travelled west to Mount Sarkozy. Even the beauteous Princess Carla of the tribe of the Bruni was struck by awe and she was great in love with the Child, but he was tempted not.

On the Seventh Day he walked across the Channel of the Angles to the ancient land of the hooligans. There he was welcomed with open arms by the once great prophet Blair and his successor, Gordon the Leper, and his successor, David the Golden One.

And suddenly, with the men appeared the archangel Gabriel and the whole host of the heavenly choir, ranks of cherubim and seraphim, all praising God and singing: “Yes, We Can.”

• 
  
  "The demoniac person thinks:
  
  
  “So much wealth do I have today, and I will gain more according to my schemes. So much is mine now, and it will increase in the future, more and more. He is my enemy and I have killed him; and my other enemy will also be killed. I am the lord of everything, I am the enjoyer, I am perfect powerful and happy. I am the richest man, surrounded by aristocratic relatives. There is none so happy and powerful as I am. I shall perform sacrifices, I shall give some charity, and thus I shall rejoice.”
  
  

Life’s ultimate goal: the essence of the Bhagavatam. Caitanya-caritamrta Adi-lila 7.92–96:

(Lord Caitanya’s spiritual master told Him)

 

‘My dear child, continue dancing, chanting and performing sankirtana in

association with devotees. Furthermore, go out and preach the value of

chanting krsna-nama, for by this process You will be able to deliver all

fallen souls.’

“Saying this, My spiritual master taught Me a verse from

Srimad-Bhagavatam. It is the essence of all the Bhagavatam’s instructions;

therefore he recited this verse again and again.

 

‘When a person is actually advanced and takes pleasure in chanting the

holy name of the Lord, who is very dear to him, he is agitated and loudly

chants the holy name. He also laughs, cries, becomes agitated and chants

just like a madman, not caring for outsiders.’ (SB 11.2.40)

 

“I firmly believe in these words of My spiritual master, and therefore I

always chant the holy name of the Lord, alone and in the association of

devotees. That holy name of Lord Krishna sometimes causes Me to chant and

dance, and therefore I chant and dance…”

 

Hard to Accept that ISKCON is Really NOT Hindu

Submitted by Mukunda Goswami

Philosophical points unique to the philosophy of ISKCON include:

1. There is a spiritual universe and higher material realms.

2. The spiritual universe is larger and more populous than the material universe.

3. God is always ultimately in charge of everything.

4. We are not these bodies.

5. The soul is always reborn in the material world, where he/she is one out of 8,400,000 forms of life.

6. The soul is more powerful than the body.

7. God and His Name are the same.

8. The Deity is God Himself.

9. God is a Person.

10. We can relate with God in five principal ways: neutral, servitor, friend, parent, lover.

11. God is defined as having six opulences.

12. Yugas recur.

13. In previous ages humans lived for 100,000 years.

14. The stature of humans in previous times was larger.

15. So-called advancement in medicine, transportation and communication is primitive, coarse and gross.

16. Humans are polished animals.

That's a beautiful picture you know. It is not fantasy...saints who live in accord with super-soul live in harmony with nature. No fear/anxiety exists in that land (vaikuntha - gods kingdom)

 

Last week the Pope visited Australia and he spoke of the holy spirit alot. That is universal...living in accord with super-soul. Like the jungle animals dancing with our Lord (Sri Gaura)...we can draw close to such harmony if we choose to cultivate (and personally I feel it is possible to cultivate if we distance ourself from close intimacy with grossness).

 

I can see hope for a better world...if we can all live the universal truth of harmony with God. The birds will show us we are drawing closer. If we keep focus on Krsna (who resides in all)...we may oneday walk in God's kingdom (and be rescued from the devastation - just like the story of noah - they all ridiculed him as mad - he was sane and in direct communion with the higher principle).

 

 

 

good post, good bija. haribol!

Angel's Chic

BY: ATMA COMMUNICATIONS

<CENTER></CENTER>

Jul 21, BUSHEY, ENGLAND (SUN) —

Arjuna Krishna-Das (aka Arjunanatha dasa, ISKCON) has just published his first novel, Angel's Chîc. Set in an alternate reality Liverpool, India, Tibet and the heavenly planet Chandraloka (the Moon), Angel's Chîc is the first novel to blend social realism, science fiction, fantasy and Krishna Consciousness, and is set to become the first piece of best-selling Krishna Conscious fiction.

Arjuna wrote the story around 1992 in his twenties, when he first encountered Krishna Consciousness. "It combines all sorts of characters and places from my life" he explains. I loved Srila Prabhupada's books so much, and I wondered what would happen if people from the world I knew stepped into the worlds of the Bhagavatam."

Written in a dryly humorous style, Angel's Chîc describes the adventures of a brilliant scientist and a scatty hippy when crisis in the shape of a teleport machine brings them together. Angel's Chîc is also loosely based on the story of the Syamantaka jewel from Krishna Book, a gem so imbued with power that it cures any illness and drips gold.

"I think Angel's Chîc will open many people's eyes to Krishna Consciousness," he continues. "especially young people. Or people who lived through the 90s. Some people might never read Srila Prabhupada's books straight-off, but everyone loves a good contemporary adventure story. And once they've read Angel's Chîc, they will be curious to discover more about Krishna. It's just like putting the maha-mantra lyrics to pop music, and we know, especially in England, how important that was to the birth of ISKCON."

Not one to avoid controversy, Arjuna has also woven into the story a possible explanation of how, according to Srila Prabhupada, man never went to the Moon.

The book has entranced every reader so far:

"If you want to read something that is different and not run of the mill then this is the book for you. It has all the colour of Hinduism with a down-to-earth flavour of 90's Liverpool…" - Philip Weeks.

"Having just finished reading Angel's Chic, I felt compelled to write my appreciation. It grabs your attention from the off. The characters are believable. The escapades of the two heroes are full of fun and moral dilemmas, and I couldn't put the book down until the last page. What a remarkable first book this is. Well done Arjuna. I Can't wait for your next. What a good film it would make!" - Bart Thakery

"Absolutely amazing and wonderfully written! I was hypnotised by the climax towards the end of the book, and read until 4am. It's a marvellous piece of writing and you certainly did some research. Surreal sci-fi and horror" - Jo Kerr

Arjuna lives close to Bhaktivedanta Manor with his wife and two children, where he works as a technical author in the audio microelectronics industry. He is a disciple of HG Krishna-Kshetra Prabhu.

Angel's Chîc is published by Atma Communications, a new publisher of Vedic Fiction, with several other works in the pipeline. It is available through all good book-sellers, including Amazon.

Atma Communications

Krishna-das Website

Buy Angel's Chic on Amazon

Amazon UK

Indianized Version Of Bible Hit Among Christians

Source: http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?id=14714631

MUMBAI, INDIA, July 13, 2008: An “Indianized” version of the Bible released in India has become a huge hit among the Christian community. The Bible has proved to be extremely popular among the Catholics in Mumbai where over 15,000 copies were sold out within ten days of its release. An interesting feature of this Bible is that it has drawn references to other religions like Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism.

“What made it special was that they have also drawn the Indian mythology into it. It’s not only based on Bible and its foreign stories,” said Corin Mendonsa, a buyer of the book. Another interesting thing about the book is that it depicts Mother Mary and other characters in typical Indian clothes.

According to the Catholic community this Bible is getting a good response from the market. The new Bible, which has about 2,200 pages, costs just Rs 250.

----------------

How about folks, a westernized Gita for all them nice Westerners who can't get over their Indianized bias??? Would it work???

Devotees reach Pandarpur to meet their favorite God, Krishna

Source:

,prtpage-1.cms

MUMBAI, INDIA, July 16, 2008: An estimated crowd of over a million people have walked together in the Waari — a holy pilgrimage in Maharashtra that is perhaps the world’s longest pilgrimage.

Waari is undertaken in the Hindu month of Ashadhi Ekadashi. Every year, devotees walk along the 280 mile route from Alandi (near Pune) to Pandarpur (near Kolhapur) in Western Maharashtra. They walk to reach Pandharpur and offer their respects to Lord Vithal (Krishna). Remarkably, in over 700 years of Waari tradition, no stampede or chaos has ever taken place.

The waarkaris (pilgrims) are mainly agriculturists and the majority of them are poor. After travelling for almost 15-20 days, devotees reach Pandarpur to meet their favorite God, Krishna. This year Waari started on June 26 and ended on July 14th.

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Some of you do not know what is the meaning of this Hare Krsna. This meaning of Hare Krsna is... It is just addressing the Supreme Lord and His energy, Hara. Hara is the energy, and Krsna is the Supreme Lord. So we are addressing, Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna:

 

"O the energy of the Lord, O the Lord, please accept me." That's all. "Please accept me." We have no other prayer. "Please accept me."

 

Lord Caitanya taught that we should simply cry, and we shall simply pray for accepting us. That's all. So this vibration is simply a cry for addressing the Supreme Lord, requesting Him,

"Please accept me. Please accept me."

 

 

ayi nanda-tanuja kinkaram

patitam mam visame bhavambudhau

krpaya tava pada-pankaja-

sthita-dhuli-sadrsam vicintaya

 

 

This prayer was offered by Lord Caitanya. He's praying, "O my dear Krsna, the son of Nanda..." Krsna appeared as a foster son of Nanda Maharaja. And Krsna is very delighted when He is connected with some of His devotees' names. So Lord Caitanya addresses Him, "O the son of Nanda, somehow or other, I have now fallen in this ocean of nescience, ignorance. Please pick me up and fix me as one of the atoms of Your lotus feet."

 

That's all. Just like a man fallen in the ocean, the only survival is... If somebody goes and picks him just one inch above the water, he feels immediately relieved. Immediately. So as soon as we are fixed up in Krsna consciousness, the immediate relief. Immediately. There is no question about it. It is such a nice thing.

 

For Those Who (Like Me) Are Sinful, Short-living, Unfortunate And Above All Always Disturbed...

SB 8.6.12

Purport:

 

As stated in the Bhagavad-gita:

 

 

yesam tv anta-gatam papam

jananam punya-karmanam

te dvandva-moha-nirmukta

bhajante mam drdha-vratah

 

 

 

"Persons who have acted piously in previous lives and in this life, whose sinful actions are completely eradicated and who are freed from the duality of delusion, engage themselves in My service with determination."

 

The majority of people in this age of Kali are sinful, short-living, unfortunate and disturbed (mandah sumanda-matayo manda-bhagya hy upadrutah).

For them, Caitanya Mahaprabhu has advised:

 

 

 

harer nama harer nama

harer namaiva kevalam

kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva

gatir anyatha

 

 

"In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy the only means of deliverance is chanting the holy name of the Lord. There is no other way. There is no other way. There is no other way."

Ekadasi (11th Day) Ki Jai!!!

True in a general way but not true for the true seeker. A true seeker will always be shown the truth by Supersoul.

 

 

 

 

Antony Flew – His History

Antony Flew, a British philosopher, Oxford professor, and leading champion of atheism for more than fifty years, honestly followed the evidence and renounced his naturalistic faith in 2004. In a published interview with another philosopher, Flew said, "My whole life has been guided by the principle of Plato's Socrates: Follow the evidence, wherever it leads."

After chewing on his scientific worldview for more than five decades, Flew concluded, "A super-intelligence is the only good explanation for the origin of life and the complexity of nature."

 

Antony Flew – His Central Work

Previously, in his central work, The Presumption of Atheism (1976), Flew argued that the "onus of proof [of God] must lie upon the theist." However, at the age of 81, Flew shocked the world when he renounced his atheism because “the argument for Intelligent Design is enormously stronger than it was when I first met it." In his same 2004 interview, Flew shared, "It seems to me that the case for an Aristotelian God who has the characteristics of power and also intelligence, is now much stronger than it ever was before."

 

The story of Antony Flew reminds us that physics and metaphysics are not mutually exclusive. True science asks us to follow the observational evidence, no matter what the destination. Does life really occur in a naturalistic vacuum? Or do its design, order, and complexity necessitate something more?

 

Antony Flew – His Conclusion

Antony Flew is an honest thinker who ultimately acknowledged the existence of God. Like many of us, recognition is a huge step. However, when it comes to the questions of God, purpose, meaning, origins, and destinies, can we rest in mere recognition? What about Dr. Flew’s observations of Intelligent Design -- the immensity, intensity, and intricacy of it all -- don’t they compel us to move forward and seek additional signposts for truth in our life journeys?

KRSNA says in the Bhagavad Gita- vasudeva sarvam iti sa mahatma sudurlabha - one who knows that the Supersoul is the source of all that be is a rare good soul indeed.

This happens only if you actually HEAR from the Lips of a PURE DEVOTEE. And THIS, my dear friend IS the Lord's MERCY on you:

The scriptures declare that it is only necessary to listen with an open mind to the name of Krishna from the lips of a bona fide devotee.

As soon as Krishna enters the listening ear, he clears up the vision of the listener so that he no longer has any ambition of ever acting the part of a reformer of any other person, because he finds that nobody is left without the very highest guidance.

It is therefore his own reform, by the grace of God, whose supreme necessity and nature he is increasingly able to realize, by the eternally continuing mercy of the Supreme Lord. :pray: :pray:

 

 

 

 

"To be a leader means to be able to move masses"

- Adolf Hitler

 

 

<TABLE class=storycontent cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=2>How emotional pain can really hurt

</TD></TR><TR><TD class=storybody><!-- S BO --><!-- S IBYL --><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=466 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=bottom>By Vivienne Parry

The Pain Of Emotion

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<!-- E IBYL --><!-- S IIMA --><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=226 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD> Grief can have physical effects

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Love really does hurt, just as poets and song lyric writers claim.

New brain scanning technologies are revealing that the part of the brain that processes physical pain also deals with emotional pain.

And in the same way that in some people injury can cause long-lasting chronic pain, science now reveals why some will never get over such heartbreak.

Emotional pain can take many forms; a relationship break-up or social exclusion, for example.

But it does not get any more extreme than losing a loved one, as Scottish broadcaster Mark Stephen did.

In July 1995 he was driving a tractor while hay-making and accidentally hit his young daughter. She died shortly afterwards

Mark's grief was overwhelming, he says.

<!-- S IBOX --><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=231 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width=5></TD><TD class=sibtbg> If you listen to people who are damaged emotionally, they will often translate their pain into physical similes

Professor David Alexander, Aberdeen Centre for Trauma Research

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"When people talk about a broken heart, that for me was where it was seated, just below your sternum.

"It feels like your heart is leaking and you can't run away from it because you are the source of that pain."

Thinking he would go mad with grief, he sought help from David Alexander.

Professor Alexander is director of the Aberdeen Centre for Trauma Research. He led the psychiatric team that first responded to the Piper Alpha oil-rig disaster.

Since then, he has been involved in helping survivors of many disasters including the Asian tsunami, the war in Iraq and, most recently, the earthquake in Pakistan.

He also managed to get Mark Stephen through his darkest days.

'My guts are aching'

Professor Alexander is not surprised about the link between physical and emotional pain:

"If you listen to people who are damaged emotionally, they will often translate their pain into physical similes: 'My head is bursting, my guts are aching' and so on. The parallel is very strong."

But medical research has tended to concentrate on physical pain.

Neuroscientist Mary Frances O'Connor at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is one of the scientists who have propelled emotional pain up the research agenda.

"We're at a very new time when we can use technologies to look at the brain and the heart," she says.

Naomi Eisenberger at UCLA has shown which parts of the brain are active when we feel emotional pain.

She devised an intriguing computer game in which participants were deliberately made to feel left out.

Simultaneous brain scanning revealed that the pain of being socially rejected was processed in much the same way in the brain as physical pain and in the same area, the anterior cingulate cortex.

'Complex grief'

Why should physical and emotional pain be linked in this way?

Social relationships are crucial to our survival as a species. In dangerous situations, a lone human is in peril whereas a group may survive.

"The social attachment system is piggy-backed onto the physical pain system to make sure we stay connected to close others," says Naomi Eisenberger.

"Being wrenched from another or rejected by a group is painful, so we avoid it."

<!-- S IBOX --><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=231 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width=5></TD><TD class=sibtbg> There is an increased risk of dying in the six months after bereavement

Professor Martin Cowie, Brompton Hospital

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Physical pain warns us not to do something, walk on a broken ankle for instance. And emotional pain too can be a warning - "don't go near that sort of man again", "avoid women like her".

But sometimes physical pain can become chronic, long outlasting its original purpose, and emotional pain is the same.

Mary Frances O'Connor calls it "complex grief" and it occurs in about 10% of people after bereavement.

"They experience a lot of bitterness and anger, that their future is senseless. They don't adapt with time as others do."

There is a very strong suspicion that people who are not adapting to bereavement are also those who experience the greatest levels of physical pain.

But can we die from a broken heart?

Martin Cowie is professor of cardiology at the Brompton Hospital. He is very sure of the answer: "Yes, we can.

"There is an increased risk of dying in the six months after bereavement and it's particularly marked amongst men."

The bereaved are much more likely to be involved in accidents, which is perhaps understandable, but also to die from heart attacks and stroke. The hormones involved in the stress of bereavement make these events more likely.

This knowledge makes it essential to identify and treat those whose emotional pain is likely to become chronic, causing debilitating depression or even death.

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<H1>Theists and Atheists Forever

 

Submitted by Mukunda Goswami

 

Both believers and non-believers will always exist. No “proof” will ever convince an atheist that God exists.

 

 

 

 

This article belongs in the ISKCON Internal section. Could the moderator move it there please?

He went to the land of KRSNA and got a lot of Mercy! :pray: :pray:

 

 

Good to know that there are surely quite enough potential sponsors to build the temple construction - no stressful worries about completion of the huge complex.

http://www.moscowtemple.org/home/index.php?option=com_easygallery&act=categories&cid=13&Itemid=34

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Srila Prabhupada in Moscow!

 

 

 

 

Now is a good time to start learning Russian, da!

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Thousands Attend Marriage Conference in San Francisco

By Krsnanandini Devi Dasi, Certified Family Life Educator, Director, Grihasta Vision Team (GVT) on 19 Jul 2008

<!--paging_filter-->Wouldn’t it be grand if married couples everywhere could have enduring, satisfying relationships, based on spiritual principles?

Wouldn’t it be marvelous if all children could grow up in a healthy two-parent home?

Such was the goal of most of the attendees of the 12th Annual SmartMarriages conference from July 2-6, 2008 in San Francisco, California.

Founded by Diane Sollee, MSW, this is the premier conference of its kind in the world. More than 2,000 people from all over the globe come to share, present, gain insight and get inspiration from marriage and family books, programs, dvds, and presentations. Marriage Educators, Therapists, ministers, teachers, youth project leaders, government officials, judges, couples and other lay persons converge in a wonderful, near week-long experience of marriage and family strengthening workshops, keynotes, exhibits, roundtables and networking.

Krsnanandini Devi Dasi and Tariq Saleem Ziyad, co-directors of the Dasi-Ziyad Family Institute, traveled over two thousand miles to attend this year’s SmartMarriages conference. The conference was held at the San Francisco Hilton, by far the largest and one of the most prestigious hotels in California.

At this year’s SmartMarriages conference, the co-directors of Dasi-Ziyad Family Institute presented a workshop featuring an overview of their “From Couple to Couple” curriculum, which trains and certifies couples in healthy marriages to become Mentor Couple/Marriage Educators. These Mentor Couple Marriage Educators can then work with couples before and after marriage, modeling healthy relationship skills and teaching skills to their mentee couples. (To find out how you or a healthy couple you know can get this training, check the DZFI website at www.dzfi.org or the GVT website at www.vaisnavafamilyresources.org)

Krsnanandini and Tariq rubbed shoulders with notables like John Gray, author of the Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus series of books, Dr. Gary Chapman, author of the Five Love Languages and related works, Dr. David Olson, co-founder of Life Innovations and the internationally acclaimed set of Prepare/Enrich premarital and marriage inventories, Dr. Scott Stanley, famed author of Fighting For Your Marriage and the Prep healthy marriage curriculum and Nisa Muhammad, Director of Wedded Bliss Foundation and creator of the National Black Marriage Day Initiative.

These and other dedicated Marriage and Family proponents spend much time and effort to strengthen marriages and families. They know the benefits; And they know all too well the consequences of the break down of family. As researchers Wood, Goesling and Avellar state in their report, The Effects of Marriage on Health: A Synthesis of Recent Research Evidence, “A burgeoning literature suggests that marriage may have a wide range of benefits, including improvements to individuals’ economic well-being, mental and physical health and the well-being of their children…A focus on the most rigorous recent evidence reveals that marriage has positive effects on certain health-related outcomes.”

Further, such research is validating what many marriage and family experts already know: Marriage Education programs work to “reduce strife, improve communication, increase parenting skills, increase, stability and enhance marital happiness.”

Some highlights from the 2008 SmartMarriages conference include:

From Dr. Gary Chapman: “Many couples love each other but don’t know how to connect. Sacrificing for one’s spouse is important. When it (a service for your spouse) doesn’t come naturally, it’s actually a greater expression of love. We must learn to speak one another’s love language.”

From Dr. John Gray: “ Men talk to solve problems; Women talk to express feelings.”

From Dennis Stoica’s (Director California Healthy Marriage Initiative): “Marriage matters to children. Divorce is hard on kids and it is a serious national problem.”

From Michelle Weiner-Davis: (Founder, Divorce Buster Programs) “Real giving means giving what your spouse wants — no matter if you don’t understand it—it’s mutual caring.”

Dr. Sue Johnson (Sociologist and author): “Without empathy and secure connection, there can be no real love. All humans need nurturing, soothing and protection…… Key moment which defines forgiveness: when the injured party looks into the eyes of the offender and sees that their pains matters. They have to see it in their faces.”

Dr. Steven Stosny (Author and founder of Compassionworks.Com): “You can turn your resentful, angry or emotionally abusive relationship into a compassionate, loving one….. The urge to improve, appreciate, connect or protect are the motivations of our core values. The experience of value gives you meaning and purpose. Crime goes up when the sense of community goes down. People feel disconnected.”

Many of these thoughts are reminiscent of the teachings of an ancient Vedic holy man, Srila Rupa Goswami. In his treatise on Devotional Service, Srila Rupa Goswami delineates 6 Kinds of Loving Exchanges which keep healthy connections between people:

Over 125 workshops and 16 keynotes were presented at the conference, covering a wide spectrum of marriage, family, fatherhood and healthy relationship topics.

Next year’s 2009 SmartMarriages Conference will take place in Orlando, Florida, July 6-12, 2009.