SPL Summary - Volume 2 Chapter 9 - Staying High Forever
Rise of public Sankirtans - Tomkins Square, Washington Square, Publicity in News Papers, Congregation continues to grow
Quick Glance:
ACBS starts public Sankirtana in Washington Square Park.
ACBS gets his disciples to preach by distributing pamphlets.
Allen Ginsberg comes to know and associate with ACBS (via Pamphlets) - volunteers to help ACBS get an immigration lawyer to sort out his Visa.
Sankirtana continues growing bigger and and bigger - “Starting at the Ananda Ashrama, at The UN peace vigil, Washington Square park and Tomkins Square Park.”
ACBS explains the meaning of the Hare Krishna syllables to the large gathering at Tomkins Square park - “Hare means the energy of the Supreme Lord, Krishna is the name of the Supreme Lord which meant All-Attractive and Rama is the other name of the Supreme Lord meaning - Highest Pleasure”
ACBS explains the platforms and their hierarchy - “Sensual, Mental, Intellectual and Above all of these is the Transcendental Spiritual platform”
ACBS explains the purpose of chanting - The holy name is non-different to the lot and the purpose of chanting is “To cleanse our minds of all the misunderstandings and misgivings” - “ceto-darpana-marjanam”.
At 71 years old - ACBS having completed a evening long Sankirtana at Tomkins square and then straight back to his evening lecture at 26 2nd Avenue and then long q&a session and then about to take some rest he overhears a follower say - “we should do this public chanting in the park every week and ACBS responds saying every day” that’s the mood of ACBS a pure soul fully surrendered to Krishna.
The success of Tomkins Square Kirtan is also covered by New York Times - further increasing the popularity of the Swami and his followers.
2nd and 3rd initiation are described in this chapter.
Key Questions to look out for:
Please explain what Staying High Forever indicate (incidents with sankirtana at Tomkins square and how ACBS asks his disciples to explain as they were LSD users earlier and how KC has been changing their lives) ?
What is your understanding of Tomkins square sankirtana (1st public sankirtan, how these sankirtans extend the popularity of KC, coverage in new papers and new followers and expansion of the congregation)
Key Bookmarks:
1st public Sankirtana in the US led by ACBS in Washington Square Park - page 228
Allen Ginsberg gets invited by a Pamphlet and comes to the store front with a new Harmonium as a gift for Kirtans - page 230
On the day of Radha Asthami - ACBS performed 2nd round of initiation - page 234
LSD conversations and the term - Use KC to “Stay high forever and you never have to come down again from your highs..” - “Stay High Forever and No more coming down” - page 237
Success of the Public Sankirtana at Tomkins Square Park - page 244
Purpose of chanting the Hare Krishna Maha mantra - beautifully and succinctly explained by ACBS - page 252
ACBS’s disciples perform 2nd Kirtana at Tomkins square park without ACBS’s presence (ACBS is happy and gains confidence on devotees ability to handle Sankirtans without his presence) and ACBS performs 3rd kirtana at Tomkins square park - page 262