(see www.theholynameretreat.net for fotos)

On the 6th of July around one hundred eager devotees congregated during four days for a Holy Name Retreat outside Kharkov in Ukraine.

We had rented a summer camp outside the city - a holiday resort which used to belong to a government owned factory during the old Soviet days. In those days all the government owned enterprises had a holiday resort for their
workers, and now these camps have been privatized.

It was a somewhat ugly and not well maintained establishment but offered everything we needed: the basic facility to accomodate the devotees in double rooms, with a spacious kitchen, a cosey seminar room and a prasadam hall.
The rooms were very simply - not too inviting, so devotees would be eager to attend the programs and not get too comfortable in their rooms. After all a Holy Name Retreat should not invite the mood for sense enjoyment and
relaxation but rather create a good focus on the Holy Name.

Spiritual and materialistic cultures are as different as day and night because they stem from vastly different worldviews and ideals. Culture developes through the practical application of a world view, an ideology and a philosophy. Understanding this important principle helps us to accept the fact that being surrounded by materialistic culture has a very strong impact on our consciousness, since it propagates the materialistic view of life.

On the 31st of May I arrived in Kharkov/Ukraine.....
It was exciting to be back and meet all the wonderful devotees of the
community, after having been absent for almost eight months.
Devotees received me at the train station with smiling faces, affectionate words and glances and a beautiful garland....

A couple of years ago I had decided to stop my fast traveling pace and rather give more attention to one particular yatra within Ukraine, by giving consistent inspiration, guidance and vision for the further development. And this yatra has been Kharkov.....

Arriving in Tallinn/Estonia on the 9th of May I was embarking on a marathon  of Holy Name Retreats: three in a row.....

Many people in this world know about the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra, but not so many sincerely endeavor to get deeper insights into the science and secret of chanting the Holy Name. In these modern days of technological advancement life is very fast, and we are constantly being bombarded by so many mundane stimulations, which are distracting our attention from our most valuable jewel: the holy name.

I arrived in Stockholm on the 3rd of May - two days before Nrsimha  Caturdasi.....

There was a noticable difference in seasons between Stockholm and the South of Germany: while everything was already very green in Germany with the flowers and bushes blossoming, the temperatures in Sweden were still very cold, and the trees had no green leaves yet. Some nights the thermometer was going down to zero degrees.

I met with the devotees in morning and evening programs, and gave an evening lecture on Nrsimha Caturdasi which fell on a Saturday. The lila around Nrsimhadeva's appearance has so many wonderful instructions and Ialways enjoy discussing them......

On my arrival on the 5th of June in Goloka Dham/Germany I was greeted with a heartfelt welcome offered by the local devotees: kirtan, joyful and affectionate smiles and a Maha garland - the loving exchanges when receiving a guest....