An Authentic Life 1.1 for pdf - Universalist Radha-Krishnaism

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simple contemplative life in this place of pilgrimage and myth. I became friends with Dr. Kapoor, a large friendly man. He wore traditional white clothes as many married Indians do. Dr. Kapoor spoke English well. He was head of a college and a philosophy professor. He was also a learned devotee who wrote books and gave talks around town regularly. He was warm and friendly to me. Both Swamiji and Dr. Kapoor separated from the Gaudiya Math, the institution founded by their spiritual teacher Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati. After the death of Bhakti-siddhanta, Dr. Kapoor was inspired by another spiritual teacher, Gauranga Das, and adjusted his practices accordingly. Gauranga was from a contemplative disciplic succession whose approach entailed entering the mood of the cowherd girls who are Krishna's greatest devotees. I was extremely interested in this practice, since it was a viable means to live the myth, or enter Radha-Krishna’s reality here and now. Dr. O.B.L. Kapoor 116
Dr. Kapoor referred me to Gauranga Das who lived alone at the north edge of town in Raman Reti. Although he looked like a Mayavadi sannyasi, he was a great devotee of Radha-Krishna. As we sat on the flat roof of his home, he informed me that some gurus tell their disciples what their spiritual identity is and how to meditate on their personal pastimes with Radha-Krishna. He didn’t want to tell me that information without Swamiji's permission. He asked how many rounds of beads I chanted. I said, "Sixteen." Gauranga advised, "You should increase your chanting to sixty-four rounds a day minimum, but if you don't know your relationship to Krishna, how will you maintain that? If someone you don't know does something very wonderful, you will think, 'O, so what.' However, if your son does something ordinary, you think, 'How wonderful.' So we must know what our relationship to Krishna is. For the time being just think, 'I am his. He is mine.' as you go on chanting Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare." I took his advice and had it in mind when writing the English mantras found in Universalist Radha- Krishnaism. He also recommended, "Never leave Vrindaban. In Vrindaban, you will gain energy for developing your Krishna consciousness. Everywhere else you 117
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An Authentic Life A Spiritual Autob
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Copyright © 2012 by Steve Bohlert
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TABLE OF CONTENTS IN THE BEGINNING!
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Chapter 1 IN THE BEGINNING When I w
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I laid in my crib at night listenin
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When I was eight, we moved to a new
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oad jump far enough. The Coast Guar
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other engineering students. I made
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ens, goats, vomiting babies, and po
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cali, on the California border. I t
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As the new year began, we went to W
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saying, “No, don’t stick me wit
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We heard a couple of fishermen appr
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When we reached Colima, Mexico, we
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started out, so we should march to
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Swami Bhaktivedanta would arrive at
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The small storefront temple was ful
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anarchist, and Swami advocated the
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Rubbing his head, Swamiji replied,
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Swamiji said, "What is your name?"
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were on the bill. The biggest names
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Subal seated left front, Krishna De
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The next day, we told Swamiji what
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was a big responsibility running a
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of Vrindaban. He gave a powerful ta
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plained that there were Indian buri
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the spiritual master. The bonafide
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sion and please try to follow my in
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The next morning, I took a train to
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When I got back to Santa Fe, Krishn
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for help. But we have to pray at ev
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and start ISKCON Press. Other times
Page 65 and 66: jana. Anthony later became Rebatina
Page 67 and 68: me Prabhupad was going to initiate
Page 69 and 70: ics, was senior editor. Cover artic
Page 71 and 72: tenement and had bed bugs in it. Mu
Page 73 and 74: Devotees went downtown afternoons a
Page 75 and 76: scene. When Prabhupad was in Boston
Page 77 and 78: A van full of devotees picked me up
Page 79 and 80: Prabhupad who handed us our staffs.
Page 81 and 82: wanted to run ISKCON, the Internati
Page 83 and 84: world. It was an opportunity to ren
Page 85 and 86: like the good fairy or aliens from
Page 87 and 88: was raining, but we managed to get
Page 89 and 90: I stayed with the devotees in their
Page 91 and 92: visible on many Berlin buildings al
Page 93 and 94: Bhaktivinode wrote many poems that
Page 95 and 96: queen did not accept unsolicited gi
Page 97 and 98: I was in charge of publicity. I han
Page 99 and 100: For a devotee like me, Vrindaban re
Page 101 and 102: enjoy sweet drinks, spicy pastries,
Page 103 and 104: Next, Sharma and I went to the Radh
Page 105 and 106: it was. I was enchanted by the exot
Page 107 and 108: woman. I didn't know what to do. I
Page 109 and 110: The next day, they visited me. It w
Page 111 and 112: Native residents of Vrindaban were
Page 113 and 114: ground together into a medicine. I
Page 115: courtyard. There was no toilet. We
Page 119 and 120: used to develop that mood. Swamiji
Page 121 and 122: Another time, we three monks went t
Page 123 and 124: who resisted Moslem conquest. Some
Page 125 and 126: Gaur-kishor Goswami, the head pries
Page 127 and 128: Rohini-nandan was Mr. Sharma's olde
Page 129 and 130: manufacturing family. When Swamiji
Page 131 and 132: We decided to risk spending the mon
Page 133 and 134: We raised 35,000 rupees in three we
Page 135 and 136: walking cane and told Biharilal to
Page 137 and 138: yard. However, the whole thing was
Page 139 and 140: chastised Yadav-acharya and I in fr
Page 141 and 142: The priests daily apply layer upon
Page 143 and 144: Thakur and brother of Bhakti-siddha
Page 145 and 146: seed and tulsi-wood bead necklace h
Page 147 and 148: and decorated in an Asian motif. We
Page 149 and 150: Chapel Hill, North Carolina, a univ
Page 151 and 152: Chapter 4 NATURAL DEVOTION I took a
Page 153 and 154: you've come all by yourself prepare
Page 155 and 156: This is my and Bhaktivinode Thakur'
Page 157 and 158: as a "Russian heart attack." They t
Page 159 and 160: thirteen even though I wanted to be
Page 161 and 162: It was spring, and devotees from th
Page 163 and 164: and a great way to end my stay in I
Page 165 and 166: make a counter-emblem. The communis
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A woman devotee got backstage and t
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quitoes. There was no body surfing,
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ers wanted it. We decided to resign
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Chapter 5 NEW LIFE I moved to Wailu
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“Yeah, but I couldn’t get the n
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As I regained outward consciousness
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along on the low branches from tree
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They accepted my offer. Jake let me
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dedicated to Shiva-Shakti, and she
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ing me astrology. There was a fring
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through Study of Religion and the W
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I met and knew many wonderful peopl
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lack-sand beach. I climbed down the
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He said I could camp on the beach,
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headed for Gaursundar’s farm on t
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attle or a prisoner on death row be
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in Bangkok, I found out why it's ca
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was asked to give a lecture in the
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loyalties would be divided between
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When I discussed this with Kuladri,
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an first, but since the other guy w
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Then she got more money from her fa
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times. Doing manual labor and worki
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firewood business off of the ranch.
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Chapter 7 UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST A
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He and I hosted an ecumenical study
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smoke sacrament together. We went t
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She asked me to do her horoscope. I
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The interview went smoothly. We dis
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where we’d be more independent an
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paying nursing jobs and enrolled in
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Marv questioned whether Moses ever
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On vacation in the Oregon Cascades
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from birth to death. This along wit
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The next step was for me to fly the
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When we arrived in Clinton, church
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gued that he should be allowed to h
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fire me. They said if I left volunt
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I told Van, “This is no youth gro
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Our first winter there was unusuall
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I felt baptism was for people who j
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I met with Don Stalhutt, a UCC mini
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Sunday morning, I preached at St. J
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celebrate my call and her birthday.
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attended the ceremony, and Mom cook
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I worked with Concerned Clergy of W
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source materials. The hymns and pra
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pastor of Wallin United Church of C
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I must admit, I found it refreshing
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We walked to a meeting of this co-h
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I lay my life at your feet. My only
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live upstairs from Above and Beyond
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construction was out of our reach w
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meetings at our yurt. Jahnava and I
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from the past that entail a degree
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outstanding job of designing the bo
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