Category Archives

Archive of posts published in the category: Personal Growth

Welcome to Vrindavana

While hanging around the temple the other day I picked up “Vrindavan Memories” book and read a few stories from it. This book is a collection of personal remembrances related to building Krishna Balaram Mandir. Usually our memoirs are centered on Srila Prabhupada,…

Stop the Italian conspiracy

Part one I heard few times of the ‘jewish conspiracy’ and I made jokes and laughed about it. This until  few days ago when I met a new devotee just coming from a journey. He told me of his experience and he mentioned…

Four Ways to Stay

Recently I was in New York attending an initiation ceremony. As I watched the new devotees, young and old, take their vows, I reflected on my own beginnings. Over 35 years ago I sat before the fire and took the same vows. I…

Seeing With Your Ears (from the book “Wise Love”)

Ears are crucial wherever eyes cannot help. We can’t see someone trapped in a storm drain, a coalmine, or under the debris of a collapsed building, but we can hear them. When we’re asleep – and our eyes are closed – a way…

The Yoga of Love (from the book “Wise Love”)

Bhakti reveals that our inherent, perfect state is as a lover. As a yoga practice, bhakti is the path of evolving the heart and is known as the yoga of love. I think of bhakti as the path of heartfulness. Given our current…

Look back to look forward

Few days into 2019; an appropriate time to review our resolutions. Realistic, achievable and still alive? Need some tweaking? If Plan A is falling apart don’t worry – there are another 25 letters in the alphabet! In fact, modern-day motivators reassuringly remind us…

How to Balance Maintaining a Family & Giving in Charity?

Dear Grihastha Coach, My wife and I have been married for five years. We have two children and both of us work as computer professionals. She and I were initiated before we were married and in general get along well. Lately, though we…

HaloWin

About 50 years ago, when I was a small boy, the most loved and awaited celebration of the year was Christmas; then few decades later Santa Claus appeared, a commercial figure that now unfortunately almost replaced Baby Jesus. I never liked him so…

Q & A on Premarital Issues

The following is an interview by Damayanit Fornos Monco of the Devotee Care Committee in Argentina with Uttama devi dasi, GVT member. Damayanti: What qualities should we search for in a spouse? Uttama: You should look for someone who has similar values to…

The Power of a Family Prayer Group

At a couple’s retreat in South Africa in 2009 my wife and I gave couples different tools to help their marriages, and also different ways of thinking about themselves and their problems. One of my topics was family or couple’s prayer. The subject…