A look at the worldwide activities of the
International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON)
Congressman Welcomes ISKCON Students
Congressman John Bryant Discuss Religion in America
Washington, D.C. U.S. Congressman
John Bryant of Dallas recently took a break from his very busy schedule for what he called his most interesting and informative meeting in a long time. The meeting was a visit by seven ISKCON gurukula students, their teacher, and two members of ISKCON's ministry of education part of a special educational tour of the Northeast.
Rep. Bryant was already familiar with the ISKCON temple, school, and restaurant located in his congressional district in East Dallas. The students, most of whom were from the gurukula in Dallas, garlanded Mr. Bryant and served him a special lunch of prasadam (vegetarian food offered to Krsna).
When Mr. Bryant expressed a deep appreciation of Eastern philosophical thought, one of the gurukula boys took the opportunity to present him with a copy of Bhagavad-gita As It Is and also with copies of BACK TO GODHEAD magazine.
The meeting was one of the highlights of a new gurukula training program, in which students travel and experience different people and places around America.
Devotees Convert Adelaide's Eynesbury House into a Temple
Adelaide. Australia Evneshury House, one of this city's most historic and prestigious properties, was recently opened as a temple for the Hare Krsna movement. Built in 1879, Eynesbury House is considered the finest example of Victorian-Italian architecture in South Australia.
For several months the buildings underwent extensive restoration. Visitors at the inaugural opening, especially the local residents, were delighted to see the buildings resume their original splendor. After a tour, including a climb up the tower's thirty-foot spiral staircase, everyone enjoyed a sumptuous vegetarian feast of delicious krsna -prasadam.
Several TV stations and newspapers covered the opening. Said one TV broadcast: "This begins a new era for the Hare Krsna movement in Adelaide."
New Full-Color Magazine Critiques Modern Science, Offers Vedic Paradigm
Los Angeles Persons who appreciate a scientific outlook will appreciateOrigins, a new publication from the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust. While questioning the reductionistic theories of modern science, which hold that simple mathematical laws can describe all phenomena. Origins outlines an alternative theoretical system that links the domains of science and religion.
The writers of Origins derived this alternative view from the Vedic philosophy of India as it is elaborately presented in the books of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, ISKCON's founder and spiritual master. The Vedic philosophy provides a highly detailed account of the physical universe as well as verifiable descriptions of nonphysical phenomena such as consciousness.
Under the direction of BBT trustee Srila Ramesvara Swami, a staff of writers, artists, and photographers worked for more than a year to make Originsa concise and colorful statement of the Krsna conscious approach to modern science. Over sixty full-color paintings, diagrams, and photographs illustrate six articles on cosmology, psychology, evolutionary theory, biology, and other topics. Each article discusses the strengths and weaknesses of current scientific theories.