“Why am I engaging my senses? Why am I chanting? To whom am I calling as I chant? Why do I need to chant?” The answers to these and other thoughtful questions are given in Srimad-Bhagavatam, Bhagavad-gita and Caitanya-caritamrta. Without self-examination and awareness of the goal we are seeking—either by reading, by associating with other devotees, or by thinking on one’s own, or in prayers to Krsna—even busy engagements can degrade to niyamagraha, or the mechanical performance of Krsna conscious duties.
******
When Prabhupada gives a “translation” of the Hare Krsna mantra in his own words, we take it as a gem of devotion. We chant the Hare Krsna mantra so often every day that we may easily fall into familiarity and mechanicalness. These little gems of translation may be interjected by us, within the mind or even said out loud, along with our chanting, just to remind us of what we are doing. A shortened translation is, “Please accept me,” which actually means, “Please accept me as a devotee.” We don’t wish to be merely maintained by Krsna but to be accepted as a devotee and engaged in His loving service.
******
In addition to thinking of the meaning of the words while chanting, one may also interject prayers of appeal to the Lord for better chanting: “My dear Lord, please help me to chant.” And we should not forget to thank the Lord and Srila Prabhupada. Although we may not chant nicely, we are still very fortunate to have received the holy name: “My dear Lord Krsna, my dear Srila Prabhupada, thank you very much for giving me this maha-mantra.”
******
We may forget the necessity of saving time for chanting Hare Krsna and hearing Vedic knowledge. But the subject matter is so sublime, and our need for it is absolute. Our need is desperate: if we don’t chant and hear, we will perish in the ocean of ignorance.
******
We have to pray to Krsna to give us the strength to pay the price (laulyam) so that we may buy back our own lifetime for the purpose of hearing and chanting. We should think with great concern, “How has this happened, that I have lost my own self-interest? Who and what has cheated me in this way? I must get it back!”
******
The chanting of Hare Krsna and Krsna consciousness, as introduced by Prabhupada, is really not inaccessible, but if many people think it is too difficult, “then I am not going to change my philosophy to suit the Americans.” How grateful we are to Srila Prabhupada for keeping the purity intact!
******
Bhaktivinoda Thakura says, “Alone I find I have no strength to chant the holy name of Lord Hari.” He means we must receive the mercy of Lord Krsna and the spiritual master to chant. This is the art and science of surrender.
******
Turn to your protectors with mind, intelligence and heart—”Please accept me, please help me to chant.” Bhaktivinoda Thakura says, “I beg you, therefore, please be merciful, and with a particle of faith, give me the great treasure of the holy name of Krsna.”
******
In problematic situations we think, “How can I see Krsna here? It seems so ungodly.” But with faith we should look for God’s signs and appreciate, “Yes, here too He is present.” And when even these primary lessons in the all-pervading nature of God seem to fail us, we can remember, “Of sacrifices, I am the chanting of the holy names (japa) …”
******
The heart is granite, the mind distracted. There is almost no praying or calling out to the Lord. But I don’t give up. Every little chip I make against the stone is noticed by Krsna, and is absolute. He will help you. My Godbrothers are advancing by braver acts, but if I can at least persist in vows, prayers, and preaching, Krsna will help. Don’t give up, even in the face of your granite-like japa.
******
We should not be so reckless as to indulge in breaking the regulative principles or chanting less than the prescribed number of rounds. Without strictly following Krsna consciousness, on what firm ground are we standing that we should smirk and joke?
******
A sign of unnecessary compromise: to concede that Krsna consciousness is mostly Indian, and therefore much of it is disposable. Thus one interprets the Hare Krsna mantra as a Hindu mantra, no better than other prayers and mantras. In this mood one could also drop the regulation of chanting sixteen rounds which Prabhupada insisted on, by considering that not enough people can do it.
******
Fortunately, Prabhupada has given us the remedy: hold fast to your chanting of sixteen daily rounds of japa. Prabhupada used to say, “Can’t you spare at least two or three hours a day out of the twenty-four to give to Krsna?” If we say we cannot, that claim is itself proof that we have reverted to the Ptolemic universal view. When that happens, then even the life-saving japa quota becomes a “thing” that we have to somehow fit into our daily schedule—the schedule comes first; our life governs our Krsna consciousness.
******
The answer to our time-shortage is not to ask, “Is it possible to chant only four rounds a day?” That plea to reduce chanting comes when we think that our japa quota is somehow in opposition to our needs, our concern for others, our maintenance responsibilities and so on. But Prabhupada did not ask us to make a choice between Krsna and other necessities. We do have to decide between Krsna and so many nonsense things, prajalpa, and other time-wasters.
******
We need to understand our need to turn to Krsna. We can help ourselves by approaching Lord Krsna and His devotees and asking, “Please help me understand my complete dependence on the Lord.” When we begin to glimpse the truth, we will turn to the japa not as a bothersome duty, but realizing that these are the most real moments of our life.
******
If we chant His holy names in the morning, with intense expectation of contact with Krsna, then we will not lose too much of this contact during the rest of the day. But we have to go to Krsna in a humble mood, begging for the Holy Name and allowing the mercy of the Holy Name to work upon us.
******
Found Poems of Srila Prabhupada Talking:
“You have to mold your life
so that you always think of Krsna.
You may say,
‘Now I have chanted my sixteen rounds.
I have finished my business.
I can do whatever nonsense I like—’
but Krsna says ‘No.’
Satata means twenty-four hours,
and yukta means engaged.
What for? Bhajatam. To serve Krsna.
How? Priti-purvakam.
Not, “Oh, Krsna has said to chant.
All right, then I’ll do it.”
No—With love and affection.
If you acquire this,
then you will talk with Krsna
who is within the heart.”
—Cc. Adi, 110; April 3, 1975
******
By prayer I mean a crying out within the japa and within other services. It may be articulated in words like “Please accept me,” “Please engage me in Your service,” or as Bhaktivinoda Thakura prays, “When will this devotee be blessed by obtaining Your mercy? Please make me Your beloved servant.”
******
When Prabhupada visited Mexico in 1975, a devotee asked him, “We don’t know how we can increase our desire for chanting.” Prabhupada replied: “By performing sankirtana. Just like if a man drinks, and if he drinks and drinks, then he becomes a drunkard. Drink more and more and you become a drunkard.” I like this example very much. We are big drinkers on Ekadasi. After a few sips we don’t notice any effect. But a few more rounds and we feel a bit tipsy. More drinking and by evening we are “in our cups.” A mere sixteen rounds seems to leave us too sober. When we increase, more, more, more, it’s bound to make us “inebriated.” If only we could become daily drunkards.
******
Prabhupada said, “Drink more and more and you become a drunkard, similarly chant more and more and you become—perfect chanter.” The day after Ekadasi does not produce a hangover. It is just the opposite: we are prepared to chant a large number of rounds. We are eager to do work. The brain is clear for deciding in favor of more Krsna consciousness . . .
pp. 124-25
What’s missing in this world is Krsna consciousness. It is missing in me also. No matter how much I appreciate pleasant sensations in my body as I take a healthful walk at dawn, and no matter how much Nature allows me to appreciate the leaves dancing on the tree branches in a morning breeze, and no matter what facility in words the goddess of learning may sometimes grant me—it’s all for nothing without Krsna consciousness. But in the spiritual world everything is Krsna conscious! There they see the trees and think of Him; everything and everyone has a relationship of loving service to the Lord.
I am growing older (46), and I have learnt that further improvement in Krsna consciousness comes very slowly. I have to live with my faults and shortcomings, my lack of devotion, and yet I must try to do something to improve. Such improvement cannot be made all at once, but one must try. It is humiliating that others see me still in the beginning position after twenty years as a devotee. But that also helps me to remain humble.
Now that I have resigned from my managerial duties in ISKCON, I am free to go where I choose and do what I want.
Now what about my Krsna consciousness? Is it my new assignment to become attached to hearing and speaking about Krsna?
. . . . I will plan to keep to a simple program, participate in the temple morning program, maybe give a class in the evening. Study, pray for taste. And preaching? Maybe I can live in a temple which has a particular program I can plug into. Or, if I can rouse my resolution to do daily preaching, then I can find the preaching wherever I go.
This morning, I thought we could travel in a motor home all over North America, visit every ISKCON center and describe it all in a transcendental travel book. I spoke with Baladeva dasa, Madhu dasa, and Varuna dasa about this, and they liked the idea at once. But can we afford it? Is my health strong enough? Yes, somehow, we can do it, if we want to. . .
Romapada Swami and others said my plan to travel is what ISKCON needs. Maybe no place equals New York City, but I propose to visit them all. (Looked at a map and saw Racine, Wisconsin; Santa Fe, New Mexico . . .) And in the back seat of the car I found a copy of the 1987 directory of RV campgrounds and a new road atlas of the USA.
This is a difficult time for ISKCON in America. Is it a wrong time to travel?
The April issue of Rolling Stone magazine carries a feature article “Dial OM for Murder.” The lead-in states, “The Hare Krsna Church, once brimming with youthful idealism, has become a haven for drug traffickers, suspected child molesters — and killers.” Similar articles appear. The effect has, as one newspaper stated, “blackened the image of the Hare Krishna Movement in America.”
If we travel, will we find devotees too discouraged by the publicized scandals and by the internal splits? It is certainly hard for a newcomer to brave all this and join us.
From Listening to America, by Bill Moyer:
“The day before my departure I received … a letter urging me `not to go out earnestly in search of America’s problems but rather in search of its humor, its ironies, its humanness. Since we are obviously on the frontier of every new and old problem suffered by mankind, we need to be reminded that we are no worse than the rest of the human race. How can the United States find some humility—and from it the chance to offer decent leadership—unless we can laugh a little and stop our endless self-flagellations?”
So how can I avoid discussing the troubles of ISKCON as I travel from temple to temple and meet with devotees? But on the other hand, such a book might be improper, according to Vaisnava etiquette, and it might be unenduring. I’ll look for the good, and help make it happen.
pp. 46-47
“Nowadays there are so many so-called spiritual masters, it becomes bewildering to us as to who can actually give us spiritual knowledge. Therefore, I have written volumes of books, authorized literature, of which you can take advantage in association with the devotes who are practicing this knowledge. Thus you will be able to learn the science of God.” (Letter to Swami Satpremananda Sarasvati, June 9, 1974)
In the course of his preaching activities, Prabhupada received letters from thousands of people inquiring into the nature of spiritual life. Again and again, Prabhupada would recommend they learn the science of Krsna consciousness by studying his books.
An impersonalist sannyasi once wrote to Prabhupada asking questions about topics often misrepresented by other swamis. In the letter quoted above, Prabhupada directs the swami to learn the absolute truth by reading the authorized books and by associating with the devotees. And in a similar instance, one Dr. Kumar, a professor at McMaster University in Ontario, wrote asking about the claims of some to be incarnations of God. Prabhupada referred him to the books as well, saying, “The words of the Lord have been recorded in Bhagavad-gita, so if someone comes claiming to be an incarnation but also contradicts the Bhagavad-gita, then we can be sure he is a phony. Please try to read our books. We have many books, about fifty of four hundred pages each, as well as many smaller ones. Study this movement carefully and you will find it very rewarding.” And he corrected Mr. Sri Batterji’s notion that the Vedic literatures are myths by stating, “Please try to read real philosophy—Vedanta-sutra and its commentary written by Vyasadeva, Srimad-Bhagavatam, and the preliminary study, Bhagavad-gita. My request is that you read carefully the Bhagavad-gita As It Is and do not be misled by the fools and rascals.“
The letters quoted above show how Prabhupada’s books dispel myriad misconceptions about Indian philosophy, but students and professors of Western philosophy also become satisfied by reading them. The fact is, professors of Western philosophy starve their students of real philosophy by not presenting Prabhupada’s books. After an Eastern European professor told devotes of the library party that all intellectuals should read Prabhupada’s books, Prabhupada reacted strongly. “That is a fact,” he wrote to his library distributors. “Every person who is supposed to be an intellectual or scholar who does not read my books, is learning is imperfect, asampurna.” And to yet another inquiring gentleman, Prabhupada wrote, “In no other philosophy will you find such a clear conception of God. So I request you to kindly study with seriousness our books, and you may compare Krsna consciousness with other philosophies.” Prabhupada’s books are a great beacon light of knowledge, dispelling the darkness of all false spiritual and philosophical ideas; Prabhupada repeatedly advised his questioners to read his books and to associate with the devotees, and in this way to have their philosophical questions answered.
Quiet here. Of course, wildlife of plants and animals and insects is teeming all around the house. Not far from here also is the bitter human conflict of Northern Ireland. But this is peaceful to write.
Lord Krsna, Lord of the flies,
ornament of Radharani,
object of affection of all Vrajavasis –
so much that their whole lives are
placed in You –
Lord of demigods, Siva and Brahma,
supreme controller who allows
us to do what we want
but reminds us what is best –
I pray to You through my service.
I write, I write and
give it to Srila Prabhupada and the devotees
that the devotees may feel free
and hopeful of the possibilities for
their own growth and expression
in Krsna consciousness.
The moon should be full again before too long. I may see it as I did before. I pray to be able to serve my Lord. He allowed Kardama to go off as a bhajananandi and remain alone, worshiping Krsna in his heart. Srila Prabhupada says the bhajananandi does not take the risk of preaching. It’s a risk. The gostyanandi lives amid many devotees and organizes their preaching. He is better. What am I? Do I do either?
Do I finger
beads and
chant
hari-nama?
Krsna, Krsna
Krsna.
Krsna wrist. Krsna twist in all things. In His pastimes and teaching and names, in His order to His devotees, He’s the most sacred and powerful. Don’t adulterate or trifle with His teachings. Don’t hide Him. Don’t try to take His place. Don’t neglect His Bhagavad-gita in your life. Don’t use the body He gave you for sense gratification except as necessary to keep healthy – while you serve Him.
Best use of a bad bargain–brief existence on a merry-go-round a few more years.
Don’t climb over the fence in a zoo into polar bears’ turf. Don’t swallow poison knowingly. Worship Radha-Krsna by worshiping Their pure devotee, who sings Vrndavana-mahatmiya and Hari-hari-biphale, and writes S.B. and Cc. for you, and pushes on this movement, and wants you also.
******
Somebody talk to this Satsvarupa and straighten him out. He’s a lout, a gout, “a trout.”
Really? I thought he was “a nice guy.”
Well, he’s gone awry, away.
Okay, I’ll teach him and say, “Wise up and cooperate.”
Oh, go ahead, Sats. No one is complaining or caring. No one is looking. Say the whole truth fast.
These youngsters are my life. They are the people I talk with and give counsel to. They expect a lot of me, but they also let me be who I am. Someone posed this question last year in his letter to me on my birthday. He said it was fine with him that I was searching for myself and that I want to be myself, but since he has accepted me as his spiritual master, this sometimes presented to him . . . A disciple might say that for a guru, we need someone perfect and careful in his behavior, someone unquestionably Krsna conscious and always thinking of Krsna. For that we go to Srila Prabhupada. After all, ISKCON is constantly telling how important it is that all of us worship Prabhupada, so why can’t we accept him as our main spiritual master?
I do need to search for myself, be myself, with memories, accept my fallibility, my Westernisms, and so on. I need to be able to grow and create and relax and admit who I am, at least to myself. Then they can take that as guru or friend or big brother or whatever. I think that’s the way to go about it.
I should not be affronted if they say I am not perfect enough for guru. Say to them, “Okay, then go to Prabhupada for that and I hope to help you with it.” Don’t demand or force them if their heart and mind is not in it. Srila Prabhupada could be their main guru as siksa-guru. Admit it and don’t resent it. I used to call this the “leeway policy.” Give them leeway to choose.
pp. 44-46
Srila Prabhupada writes, “We should not forget the chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra under any circumstances.” We want to pray to Lord Krsna by uttering His holy names.
harer nama harer nama
harer namaiva kevalam
kalau nasty eva nasty eva
nasty eva gatir anyathaFor spiritual progress in this Age of Kali, there is no alternative, there is no alternative, there is no alternative to the holy name, the holy name, the holy name of the Lord.
—Brhan-naradiya Purana, cited in Cc Adi, 7.76
The Upaniasads, Puranas, and Lord Caitanya Himself all declare that the chanting of the holy name is the only means to cross the ocean of nescience in Kali-yuga. Praying cannot succeed without this main prayer. In our prayers of gratitude, we should always thank the Lord and the previous acaryas for making union with God so accessible, simply by chanting His holy name.
There is no need to invent a new method or to adopt methods which were applicable in former millennia, such as dhyana-yoga. We cannot reach transcendence by the ascending process of our own efforts or mental speculations, even if we were to attempt this for many lifetimes. But the Supreme Personality of Godhead wishes to reveal Himself to us, and He does so by appearing in the form of His holy names. The Hare Krsna mantra is the Supreme Personality of Godhead as a transcendental vibration. Srila Prabhupada writes,
“In the present age, the vibration of the Hare Krsna mantra is the only process which is in a transcendental position beyond material contamination. Since the holy name can deliver a conditioned soul, it is explained here to be sarva-mantra-sara, the essence of all Vedic hymns”
(Cc. Adi, 7.74, purport).
And in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, Srila Narada Muni declares to Vyasadeva, “Thus he is the actual seer who worships, in the form of transcendental sound representation, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Visnu, who has no material form.” (Bhag. 1.5.38)
But the all importance of the holy names does not preclude the necessity to chant them prayerfully, with attention. Krsna will not appear if we say the names without thought or feeling for whom we are addressing or if we commit offenses to the holy names. Prabhupada quotes Bhaktivinoda Thakura, “Namakara bahira haya nama nahi haya—merely reciting the external syllables of the holy name does not mean that one is actually chanting the holy name” (Lecture, January 23, 1974).
Therefore, just as in the practice of reciting sastric stotras or in praying personally, in the practice of calling on the holy name it is the quality of our utterances which counts the most. One can’t say, “I have no need for prayer, I just chant Hare Krsna,” if one’s chanting is but a mindless, muttered ritual. Chanting is the best form of prayer, and therefore it should be given the best attention.
In a lecture given in 1973, Srila Prabhupada stressed that chanting must be done priti-purvakam, with love. Prabhupada imitated the sound of a slurred, hackneyed recitation of the Hare Krsna mantra and said, “Not like that; but with priti, with love. Chant every name, Hare, Krsna, and hear. Here is Krsna. Here is Radharani.”
Lord Krsna states in the Bhagavad-gita that one can please Him by simple offerings of water, a leaf, or fruit, if they are given with bhakti. This is also true when offering the holy names of the Lord. Prabhupada says, “This is mantra. Real mantra is that not so many formalities of mantra. Krsna does not say, ‘One who offers Me with the Vedic mantras…’ Never says. Krsna says bhaktya, ‘with devotion.’”
(Lecture, June 17, 1973).
pp. 12-13
Please accept a prayer from me. I want to praise You. I want to petition You. I want to express my gratitude to You. All kinds of prayers I wish to offer to You, because You are the one to whom we should pray. You are known as Lord Krsna, the all-attractive, and I know that You are most attractive, especially to Your devotees. My dear Lord Krsna, please accept my prayers as honest tokens of love. The best prayers are when I work for You, when I try to spread Your glories to help the fallen souls. You like prayers of action, as well as prayers of beautiful words.
What is a prayer? A prayer is intimate writing to You. A prayer is flowers offered in a vase on either side of Radha-Govinda. A prayer is sweat on the brow for working for You. In New Delhi, Prabhupada worked so hard to distribute his Back to Godhead magazine that he almost fainted in the heat. His life in all his actions and thoughts was a living prayer to You. He wanted to distribute Krsna consciousness to the people of the world, and he started in a struggling way with his League of Devotees. It did not succeed, and yet he tried. He wrote letters to big politicians, and he wrote books, three big volumes of Srimad-Bhagavatam, and distributed them through the booksellers, although not many got distributed, at least not while he was in India. He brought those books with him to America and gradually sold them all. He had to print new editions, which was done by his disciples. They were at a higher standard than the Indian editions. He made his disciples pray to You with their bodies, minds and words. He created a praying movement, which exists still today.
What is a prayer? A prayer is money donated for the cause of Krsna consciousness. A prayer is the act of distributing books to people on the streets, asking them to please take a look at a book about God.
A devotee wrote to me that my prayers to You make him sad because in them, I admit my shortcomings and my sufferings. I wish my prayers would make people happy and to make You happy. But sometimes prayers are tears. Sometimes prayers are admittances of shortcomings and wishes to improve. There are all kinds of prayers, and not all of them sincere. Prayers are raucous sankirtana with drums, bugles and whompers. Prayers are soft and melancholic, with a harmonium and a spirit of yearning bhajana. Prayers are made with an overabundance of feelings of love. Prayers are made out of poverty. Prayers are composed in Sanskrit with perfect meter and always correct philosophy. Prayers are sometimes made with stuttering and mixed sentiments and unsure feelings. But You accept even the broken prayers of Your devotees who turn to You in need.
Some devotees don’t pray to You at all, they just work for You silently with no bombastic words. Other devotees are great poets and compose verses that are worth reciting by all the world. Their prayers are full of connections and defeat sunyavada and nirvisesa philosophies.
Here are my prayers, Lord. I make them every day out of the silence of my Delaware yellow submarine. I pray that You accept them as vandanam, one of the nine methods of devotional service. I ask You to forgive me for not following up my written prayers with acts of bravery and devotion. I want my prayers to be ecstatic, describing You and Your pastimes. I want my prayers to be not exaggerations of sentiment but realistic cries to You to accept me. Please accept this prayer today from me and find some good in it and let me make a better prayer tomorrow.
pp. 1-5
In the summer of 1966, in a small storefront on 26 Second Avenue on New York City’s Lower East Side, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada opened a temple for the worship of Radha and Krsna. A few young people stepped forward to become his disciples.
In our minds—fantasies, psychedelic ambitions, the belief that “IT” is impersonal light. The brass hand cymbals ring through the storefront, one . . . two . . . three, one . . . two . . . three. Then his voice —sweet and rich with Bengali melody . . . “Let it come,” we think, as he chants the ancient mantra, “let its waves carry us far and high.”
On Swamiji’s rug: a playpen romp to samadhi.
I have come for the books. “These are commentaries on the scriptures?” I ask. “Yes,” he says, and I take them from his hand. “Sit down,” he says heavily. “I’m sorry,” I say, “I’m only on my lunch hour.” But I leave with the books. He was glad to see me go like that.
Book buying:
the price is high but I want them.
Relaxed, philosophical Swamij i appears
as if he’ll never leave.
“Sit down.”
I can’t—
but the books.
Walking fast
through city streets with three big books.
“This is Steve,” I say through the phone. “Do you remember me?” He says yes. I ask if he could please save lunch for me.
Bowing this first time, my head at your feet, just you and I.
His lecture over, I loiter on the curb, wondering what to do— a dangerous moment. He sees me and calls me to him: “We are having a feast and I’m inviting you to come. Do you have an engagement? Can you come?”
Just before I dove you caught me in your glance.
Your sweet-rice saved me.
He lectures, then stops. “Are there any questions?” I finally get it out: “Is misery eternal?”
A young LSD man asks about death: Do you know?
Beyond
bones and madness: your words.
“This is my life’s savings,” I say, and shyly hand him six hundred dollars. He smiles, but then he sees my pride.
In his reprimanding eyes,
my naked soul
and a glimpse of his pure love.
He speaks of Visnu with four arms standing in the spiritual world and in our hearts. “There are no persons with four arms anywhere!” I think.”It’s inconceivable, impossible!” Then I know: He is inconceivable, impossible. And he is here.
This collection of Satsvarūpa dāsa Goswami’s writings is comprised of essays that were originally published in Back to Godhead magazine between 1966 and 1978, and compiled in 1979 by Gita Nagari Press as the volume A Handbook for Kṛṣṇa Consciousness.
This second volume of Satsvarūpa dāsa Goswami’s Back to Godhead essays encompasses the last 11 years of his 20-year tenure as Editor-in-Chief of Back to Godhead magazine. The essays in this book consist mostly of SDG’s ‘Notes from the Editor’ column, which was typically featured towards the end of each issue starting in 1978 and running until Mahārāja retired from his duties as editor in 1989.
This collection of Satsvarupa dasa Goswami’s writings is comprised of essays that were originally published in Back to Godhead magazine between 1991 and 2002, picking up where Volume 2 leaves off. The volume is supplemented by essays about devotional service from issues of Satsvarupa dasa Goswami’s magazine, Among Friends, published in the 1990s.
Writing Sessions at Castlegregory, Ireland, 1993Start slowly, start fastly, offer your obeisances to your spiritual master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. You just drew his picture with your pencils. He appears carved out of wood…
Last Days of the YearI found I had hit a stride in my search for theme in writing, then began to feel the structure limiting me. After all, I had given myself precious time to write full-time; I wanted to enter the experience as fully as possible. For me, this means free-writing—writing sessions with no predetermined shape, theme, or topic…
aily CompositionsThis volume is comprised of three parts: prose meditations, free-writes, and poems each of which will be discussed in turn. As an introduction, a brief essay by the author, On Genre, has also been included to provide contextual coordinates for the writing which follows…
Meditations & PoemsA comprehensive retrospective of poetic achievement and prose meditations, using a new trajectory described as “free-writing”. This volume will offer to readers an experience of the creativity versatility which is a hallmark of this author’s writing.
KaleidoscopeStream of consciousness poetry that moves with the shifting shapes and colors characteristic of a kaleidoscope itself around the themes of authenticity. This is a book will transport you to the far reaches of the author’s heart and soul in daring ways and will move you to experience your own inner kaleidoscope.
Read more »
A narrative poem. challenging and profound, about the journey of an itinerant monk who pursues new means of self-Seeking New Landexpression.The reader is invited to discover his or her own spiritual pilgrimage within these pages as the author pushes every literary boundary to boldly create something wholly new and inspiring.