5 pounds of fat :)  

Fancy a bar of choccie??

Today I bought a version of Bhagavad Gita that's not by Prabhupada.  I've been having wonderful conversations with a devotee from the advaita vedanta school on facebook, and it made me doubt some of the translations in As It Is.  When you look at the word for word translation of the sanskrit and then the actual text in English, there are often things in the text that seem to have come from nowhere.  I guess I should hide behind a chair before I get blasted with missiles for saying that.  But anyway, I just feel the personal commentary, even of a saint, should be in the commentary section and not in the actual text of an important piece of scripture.  Heresey it may be, but if we're not honest in our endevours to understand then we might as well go play bingo.  I won't have taboos imposed on me.  What the hell ... we're newbies, we know shit, this is thousands of years old and we think we can get on hobby horses about which school is superior to another? Who am i arguing with btw? duh

The impersonal aspect of the philosophy has been almost demonised within neo-vaisnava circles and that's plain wrong for a start.  Also the way we've been taught about it, misrepresents it.  It doesn't rule out Krishna being the person.  I want to learn more is all.  And I'm enjoying the new perspective.  And I guess I'm a little disappointed that our version of the Gita doesn't hold all the water I thought it did.  I feel a bit cheated.  Someone once said that when ISKCON opened a school for sanskrit scholars, all the scholars that studied there ended up leaving the movement.  Without knowing much sanskrit, i'm not suprised.

ouch. 

ok i'm going to edit this to give an example.  Because I was speaking to an impersoanlist i though AHA and quoted 7.24

Our text reads:

Unintelligent men, who do not know Me perfectly, think that I, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, was impersonal before and have now assumed this personality.  Due to their small knowledge, they do not know My higher nature, which is imperishable and supreme.

other texts read like this:

The unwise think that I am that form of my lower nature which is seen by mortal eyes: they know not my higher nature, imperishable and supreme.

.......where did "impersonal before and have assumed this personality" come from?

check it for yourself in the word for word translation

avyaktam - nonmanifested
vyaktim - personality
apannam - achieved
manyante- think
mam- Me
abuddhayah - less intelligent persons
param - supreme
bhavam - existence
ajanantah - without knowing
mama - My
avyayam - imperishable
anuttamam - the finest

....and that's all there is. 

 Todays plan is finish cleaning inside, under stuff over stuff and in the corners..no holes barred! Then hit the garden and do the same.  I am going to sparkle.  Gimmie a mexican wave!!!

Lord Buddha

"It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell. "

I'm observing Ekadasi today... which, wait for it, is the first time this year!!!
In fact, doing complete fast and even........eeeeeeeven, some Japa, despite the fact I've been allergic to beadbag since Christmas.
I'm not gonna make a habit of it tho, we don't want me all holy.

After having a run of great books from Vonnegut and Yates and Anne Tyler I can't really complain that I've hit a slump of ones I can't be arsed to finish.  Fatherland was boring, How Mumbo Jumbo Conquered The World isn't funny at all and re-reading Hinds Feet On High Places is a bit deflating because it blew my mind ten years ago...guess my mind isn't as blowable now.

 


wow we took a lotta pics.  We did collosal sight-seeing tour, had lunch in the Sherlock Holmes pub, went up in the Eye, hung out on the South Bank (hearts hearts hearts I wanna live there) went for dinner in Covent Garden and saw all the markets and street theatre.  
Best of all of course we went to Ratha Yatra, was as exciting and amazing as always.  Paul came to hang out with us, always fun with that particular brother and of course Mr Harry - who gave us a bag load of presents including some verrrrrrrry funky clocks.  (hugs)
London is fab :)

 ugh, well, all kinds of hurdles this week and was down in the dumps a few days but now i'm back up to a nicer level of dump.
I'm still zooming through Kurt Vonnegut, and since I'm discovering America I've been loading up on Anne Tyler and Yates too and all of it's a great treat.  I've also got some Steinbeck ready and to plough into.  A girl can't go wrong.  Until she starts to watch Big Brother that is....shame shame.
On top of that I'm still losing weight and back down to my right-for-your-height bracket, but actually that's tosh cos I see me naked and  I'll tell you when i'm right for my height thankin ya.
Just one day to go til London, meeting my old friend Paul there and then of course Ratha Yatra, first time this year for me to dance through the streets WOOHHOO.  Last time I went to London Rath was 06, and seems many lifetimes away now.  It's just so big there,  three carts rolling through the streets like that with so many devotees.  The best part of all is to turn around and see Lord Jagganatha smiling out at the whole of London and I like to think smiling at me too...it always brings tears to my eyes. Really. As embarrasing as it is I cry my way through every RY, Janmastami, and oh pretty much anything really...........

With BT Maharaja,and very funny at end, Indradyumna Swami spinning Radhanath Swami.  
That should wake you up :)

 I'm raising strangely culturally confused mites..i just heard Megan telling Michael the story of Ganesh, and how it all started off with Shiva and his wife Pavarotti :D

 www.iskconrefresh.info

This is a great site, even if you're a devotee who isn't necessarily a member of ISKCON, it's just full of wonderful stuff (pics, info, videos, links) and worth all the questions you have to answer to be allowed to join.  They've basically kept the lunatics out (aha, i fooled em ;)  
Don't pretend you're not an internet ho already...... ;)

I have a blog on there too so please add me if you join up.  http://puresoul.ning.com/profile/Sinead

There're three Cafe's in a row where I have my coffee on sunny mornings, but only the middle one has real coffee made from freshly ground beans and the seats outside are in a lovely little suntrap, but a hatchet faced old bitch is spoiling my breakfast.

Maybe she's not a bitch, but she certainly has a hatchet face.  It's all bitter and angry with the eyes scrunched up and glaring out at the world just DARING it to mess with her, which it must obviously have done, repeatedly.  I never listen to what she says to her friend, the aggressive mannerisms and the sour expressions are enough to depress a person without having the sound effects.  I blank it all out.  Even though it's at the next table I've never heard one word. Having two children I can not hear extremely well.

But it's still there beside me, a chilly patch in the sun spot.  Can she not just enjoy her coffee and take half an hour off from the years of stress? Poor woman can't.  So I'm working on blanking her completely with the help of good books every day.  

If me being a bit spacey and what not.  And forgetful of practicalities.  And believing strange little things.  And finding little blue spots in the sky.  If it all keeps me my silly self  with my silly smile, then yay...hope all of you can find your ways to smile against the odds and don't go spoiling people's breakfasts :)

Happy Birthday to sharkbait

 oh i'm very excited *picture me bounce* 
I've booked us tickets to go up in the London Eye and dinner afterwards at Porters while we're in London. WOOTS.

Also just had a proud moment with my daughter... following in my footsteps by doing everything in her imaginative power to get out of school sports - she went one further than us all today and in attempting to PRETEND to twist her ankle - only went and really twisted it.  Such dedication to laziness...she has some of my genes after all.  Now she has a swolen ankle too, bless :)

Since the dying dog incident i've gone a little overboard with hugging the life out of my cats.  Hence they're avoiding me like the plague, giving eachother knowing  "that mama woman done gone lost it" looks

Maybe she has :)

Well as much as I didn't plan to see Devamrita Swami today, I ended up seeing him.  We only spoke for a minute.  Was strange to look into his eyes again, forgot how much of a jolt it is.  Feeling all kinds of wierd now. 
Terrible to feel more at home than anywhere else in some place you don't want to be.
Worse to have tugs on your heart strings when you work so hard to not have.
Is there ever a time when you move on a forget? I've yet to meet anyone who successfully has.
Also it SUCKS to have your mind and rational over-ruled by some kind of magnetic force and a couple of drum beats.
I would object only.........its kinda nice too :) smiling now.

Michael and i spent the day on the beach, sun and fun and now sand everywhere 

thenew7up and I went like a whirlwind through the Continental Market yesterday.  Then we had a feast fit for a king.  When you have one bag weighed down with Olives and Cheese and the other with Turkish Delight...it's safe to say you about to blow your diet in style.  

That was fun :)

I was walking to the shop tonight when just behind me i heard a car and a big thump and a doggie had been hit.  He rolled around howling then ran over to the sidewalk right by me and lay down, i petted him for a few seconds and he died right there.  His eyes just glazed over while i watched it happening.  He didn't start to bleed til after he died and then someone found his owners and they were ... as you'd expect them to be.  The guy driving the car was in a bad state too.  Apart from insects i've never seen a living creature die before..........