The Path of Love

I also just published the beginning of my comments on Sri Chaitanya-Shikshamrita by Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur explaining some of my current spiritual views here The Path of Love, by Spiritual Teacher Steve Bohlert / Subal Das

In the Pacific

I just published a new chapter of my autobiography Saffron, An American Siddhartha, by Steve Bohlert / Subal Das, Page 11 which briefly describes my experiences in Hawaii and Fiji leading up to and including leaving my initiation guru and his organization in 1974.

Where I Stand

I am trying to be faithful to the broadness of spirit found in the writtings of Srila Bhaktivinode.

I am well aware of the faults of Christianity, yet there are lessons to be learned from them as the former mainline Christian denominations have learned and changed and adapted. Christianity is certainly not a Western religion, yet it has managed to adapt to the West as well as to the East. Indiginous interpretations and expressions of Christianity by Africans and Asians show its fluidity. Bhaktivinode Thakur wanted an indiginous Western expression of raganuga bhakti to develop. As his heir, I feel it my duty to do this.

I'm not a real proponent of Christianity. I cross and transcend all religious boundaries and do not like organized religion. I am not interested in religion. I am interested in mystical spirituality. I took a test presented on Gaudiya Discussions and scored highest on neo-paganism. Perhaps that's where what may be called my sahajiya nature comes from or from what Robert Bly called the wildman or what Osho calls Zorba the Buddha.

Incredible connections

My wife just called from work to tell me about an incredible thing that happened this morning. She broke her rule of never picking up men hitch-hikers. The guy she picked up was the devotee from the Bob Marley festival that I had thought of approaching. They talked a lot and were on the same wave-length. He's supposed to call tonight and maybe get together. Unfortunately, he has to leave the island soon. Things are magical around here.

On the way back from the Marley fest, my wife was driving the car and a couple of women around my age asked her for a ride. She agreed. We got to talking and one of them was in New Vrindaban with me in '80 and knew my ex-wife who was a devotee there. This woman was a fringe devotee for many years and had even been to Vrindaban.

I've met all kinds of people here: a whale & dolphin telepathic communications researche; a UFO expert; a spiritual healer and counselor; the United Church of Christ Conference Minister and many other wonderful persons on the spiritual path of life which we are able to walk together in peace and harmony. May it be so.

A day of ministry

My ministry is going quite well here, although it is a slow start since I still have work to do around home finishing up certain projects. I'm not getting much writting done yet either. Here's an example of a day of ministry yesterday.

I got up around 5:30, chanted a couple of rounds, had a big breakfast and went to the Pahoa Sunday market arriving by eight. This was my fourth week there, so I'm a "regular" and have a reserved booth and don't have to be there at seven any longer. However, I got there to find out that the wind had blown the whole market down over night. I picked through the rubble of my booth organizing the aluminum pipes that the tarps are hung on so they could be put back up again. Called my brother in NY and did some produce shopping. By 8:50, I was setting up in another booth that had been reconstructed. I did a couple of Osho Zen Tarot readings, talked with other vendors and left around 12:30 because I was tired of my signs blowing down.

Went home, unloaded the truck bathed and headed down to the beach where there was the usual assortment of Rastas, pot sellers, women in bikinis, men and women not in bikinis, gays, children, devotees, a great drum circle, dancers, palm trees, surf, etc. I talked to people and took part in the drumming for a couple of hours. Went home, and after dinner my wife read out loud to me from Satsvarupa's book Prabhupada as she's been doing lately as background for my book. I fell asleep on the couch and was up again at 3:00 this morning.

Saturday, my wife and I went to a Bob Marley birthday celebration out in the bush. We saw a group of devotees there who looked like they might be approachable, but I decided to wait. Some of them were at the beach yesterday also. We drummed together but didn't talk. There are at least three groups of devotees here, but I don't think I'd be welcomed by any of them, so I stay away. I'm not interested in getting caught up in the in-fighting and politics, but I'm open to those who are open to me. I'm taking things slow, getting to know the scene here. The 60s are alive and well in South Puna. We're loving it here. Sometimes we go watch the lava flow down the mountain at night. It's a few miles away from here.

Radha Krishna eternally

I must point out, that one thing I differ with the Sahajiyas on is not caring about the next life, such as going to Goloka to be with Radha Krishna. I teach that persons can have it all--we can enjoy our life here in the material world and go to the spiritual world. For me, life is sacralized by living in the presence of Radha Krishna. My spirit soul is enlightened and has a loving relationship with Radha Krishna.

Outwardly, I live as a male practicioner and can be as macho as need be. Inwardly, I am a gopi and cultivate my relationship with Radha Krishna and the moods that go with it. This life is like a rehearsal, learning a role. I do my best, but ultimately depend on Radha's mercy.

Visualization plays a big part in manifesting what I want in this life and the next. As we focus on Radha Krishna in this life, we are sure to be with them in the next. This is my faith.

Perhaps I'm a Sahajiya, a follower of the easy, natural way

I've been following this discussion with great interest Gaudiya Repercussions -> Vaisnava Sahajiya II

While I have no formal training as a Sahajiya, I seem to have 'naturally' become one. For example, being in the present: I haven't chanted Hare Krishna mentally throughout the day for forty years. I replaced it with Om and a sense of 'practicing the presence of God.' I sense the sacred in all things and live a mythological life. Zen and Taoism taught me to be present. Christianity taught me to be incarnated. Sufism taught me to keep my feet on the ground and my head in the clouds.

I have long realized my androgenous sexual nature. My wife and I used the picture of intertwined Radha Krishna on a lotus on our wedding invitation and had it hanging in the reception hall of our church. It's hung in my home for the last 25 years. We also had a reading from Gita Govinda as part of the wedding performed by a UCC minister. I give a little glimpse of my earlier Sahajiya nature in the first chapter of Saffron, my autobiography in progress found on my website. It describes my wedding night with my first wife 39 years ago when A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami married us.