On the 10th of June around 70 devotees coming from Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto assembled in the Buddhist Retreat Center Pho Da Son in Val-des-Monts, Canada – a perfect setting to go into seclusion for three days and dive deeply into another reality: Harinama eva kevalam – the holy name alone is everything. The participants were keen to embark on this transcendental journey under the expert guidance of Devaki Mataji, and their hearts and minds were open in order to capture insights into the secrets of chanting – in japa as well as in kirtan. Our seminar room had the perfect size so everyone could fit in comfortably, which creates a personal and confidential atmopshere. The devotees had arranged for a nice altar and Vyasasana for Srila Prabhupada, and vases with wild flowers and blossoming twigs created a devotional atmosphere. It was a perfect bhajan kutir for the following three days, to enter a transcendental journey of introspection and reflection.

We remembered the wonderful statement Srila Prabhupada made during the Mayapur festival in 1975: “This chanting should go on. Instead of meetings, resolutions, dissolutions, revolutions and then no solutions, there should be chanting.” Especially the chanting in kirtan has a very powerful and uniting effect, focusing everyone on the real goal of life, namely to re-connect with Krsna. In kirtan we are all equal – spirit souls chanting the holy name, no matter whether we are a new bhakta or a most senior leader. Kirtan has the power to help us go beyond the bodily platform, to overcome all designations, all upadhis. We all know the story of Mahaprabhu chanting in the Jharikhandha Forest. He made all the animals chant the holy name and dance – the elefants, tigers, deers, monkeys. They forgot their animal-like conditioning: their tiger mentality, monkey mentality, deer and elefant mentality. They simply chanted and danced in ecstacy, and the deer and tigers were embracing, in fact even kissing each other! Such is the power of chanting the holy name! And these animals are of course nobody else but us. We have a few elefants amongst us. There are a few tigers around as well, not so many deers, and lots and lots of monkeys! By chanting deeply, with longing to serve, we can free the heart from all temporary designations. We will give up all enmity and tendencies for quarrel and conflicts, and we will simply glorify the Lord in harmony and love, overcoming all bodily identifications and interests. We can just imagine what an amazing effect it would have when in each of our yatras the devotees would assemble every day for two hours in kirtan. Not only the young devotees, but ALL devotees! This would indeed give everybody a highly transcendental focus and would provide the solution to all misgivings, tensions and disagreements. Such a simple solution, yet so difficult to put into practice…..!

For further information please visitwww.theholynameretreat.net


Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=29025

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