Letters to the editor

ASA-Encyclopedia; Epistemology; Blind Faith
In BG 4.34 Srila Prabhupada says that blind faith and absurd enquirer are condemned. Krsna always gives us enough information to act. Whether we chose to act on what we know or don’t know, that is being faithful or unfaithful.
We have had experience of Srila Prabhupada through many media. Especially we have applied his instructions, world-view, many times and it is always true. We especially remember one time we were in a Kirtan after the Sunday Feast in the San Francisco Temple. We were guests, visiting from Sacramento and not yet initiated or even knowing much of anything,but we had purchased a pair of Kartals, hand cymbals, from the Gift Store and were trying to play then, 1,2,3 and; 1,2,3 and… and dance and chant along with the Brahmacaris. It was taking all of our attention: Spatial orientation, Temporal Discrimination, Tonal Discriminatin, Meaning; and then suddenly we realized that our mind and senses were completely under control. We could see that we were not our body or mind. We saw ourselves as master as it says in SB 1.2.

Then our mind asked, “If we are not this body, or mind, then who are we?” We were standing in front of Radha Gokulananda, Their Dieties, and we spontaneously could see Them as people, though in a statue form, and we responded that we are Your servants. Then our mind asked, “How can we learn to serve you, more”? The answer was that you have made progress by this process, ISKCON Yoga, so if you continue you will gradually understand everything just you have understood this.
Reminds us of the verse where Rama says “sakrd eva prapananam…”, if even once in clear consciousness we say that we are surrendered to you please save me, I give that person all protection to come to Me, this is my eternal vow.
So that was essentially my Diksa, initiation, by the mercy of Srila Prabhupada’s process.
Thus we have faith in what he says, trying to understand it properly, because if his process can put us beyond the body and mind then he and his activities and words must also be beyond them. He is not bewildered by his mind with blind spots and personal grievances against this person or that person. He is criticizing them out of the anger of love.
 

ASA-Encyclopedia; Immortality; Marginal Existence.
When we were at the University of California, Davis, we took several courses on theater, improvisational theater. We recommend them for everyone. Our yoga is Gandharva Veda, no -- Music, dance, drama?
One day our teacher was teaching us how to use our bodies. How to walk. Then told us, “Let your body tilt to the side until you are just about to fall down and then step to the side to catch it from falling. Then keep it off balance and falling to the left and keep stepping to keep it from falling.”
We always remember that. You can always dance on the edge.As long as you can breath you can chant.
H A R E !   K R S N A!
If your voice is inflamed so you can hardly talk, investigate. How much sound can you actually produce without unhealthy strain on your goal cords, throat?
Once you find out, then chant with what you have on the margin of real speech and experiment with the variety of chanting you can do.
“There are no small parts in the drama, just small actors”, Constantin Stanislavsky
Maybe you are not a major actor in the political situation. What can you do to make a change for the better? Investigate your Marginal Existence. Become very active within your limits.
“If you don’t think your one little voice can have any influence in the global politics, then you obviously have not passed one night with a mosquito”, One Black Lady.
At the time of death, during nine months in the womb, in your imbecilic infancy, can we still Dance on the Margin?
Hare Krsna/Hare Rama.
 

Gurudeva, please accept my humble obeisances. Your message did not come through. Could you kindly resend it?

Today, Srinivasa Prabhu and I read 6.10.9. It was a short class, but very nice. We discussed how every religion has the Golden Rule, para duhkha duhkhi, but everyone has a different definition of what para,  or other, means . Srila Prabhupada defines para in the broadest sense to include all living entities. Impersonalism means that we deny the status of para to other living entities.

We also discussed how it is a subtle form of sense gratification to feel anger towards others or pity towards oneself.

ASA - We went to a non-violence rally last night in the Boro. Protest Charlottesville massacre. We were thinking vidya-vinaya... Not kill our black and white brothers but do kill our for legged brothers.

 Yes, vaco vegam. It is such sense verification to be a victim and enjoy revenge our pity. Every year new revenge movies, no? The teacher who finally gets the chance for revenge on his students!

 There is nothing sweeter than the blood of my enemy!

Dear Guru Maharaj

PAMHO AGTSP

Dandavat Pranam

Good news, now is confirmed my travel booking.

26 September arriving to Vrindavan. I am so happy I can do service for you .

8.November,have  a flight from Delhi airport to Belgrade Serbia ,same day like you to Houston. If you will visit Mayapur ,my wish is to associate and serve you there too .I am so happy and exciting to see you very soon.

Your servant

Indradyumna Das

Hare Krishna

HpS - AGTSP!   Paoho.  We arrive 28th in Delhi at 10.40PM.   I guess we will be based in the Glory of India Temple and may be able to visit Vrndavana only one day!!!!

After that we've published the schedule with more details even today. Just use the filter, "Calendar Development" to see them. Nov. 4-6th in Mayapura.

Lord Nityaananda smiles only, if I (PAMHO), if I think in my head that Airaavata Kunda renovation could be a good thing to get obsessed. Lord Caitanya did smile already, but it's so much nicer when one can feel the shine of Nityaananda, for here comes the sun, sang even George Harrison!! Maybe it can be seen in the photo, I have seen their expressions coming to the photos also. HK HR HK HK!!

HpS - ASA --- They certainly are alive!   They have Their likes and dislikes even independent of our opinios of what is right and what is wrong. Where in Airavata Kunda?   We will look.  He was a wet war elephant. Lile six trunks with six diffent nectars!

Hare Krishna, dear Gurumaharaj. Pamho, AGTSP!

Here I'am in Arequipa, Perú, for a week of seminars with devotees. I'm giving an introduction of 3 very important courses for leaders: Lidership and Management, Communications, and Conflict resolving. I think that every manager in ISKCON have to take this courses. Furthermore, My opinion is that this have to be one of the qualifications to take any post of reponsability within ISKCON. I've already took the 3 courses and now I'm giving my own version.Well, ASA version, I mean that I'm adding many of your injuctions about this topic that I've learnt form you for many years. Devotees are very excited and enthused with this seminar. Takes a lot of preparation: study guides taken from ISKCON documents, ppt shows. I'm very satisfied with my work. Of course, this is happening due to your mercy and blessings and the blessings of all my friends that Ive been receiving during these days.

On saturday I'm giving a Pada Padma seminar (3 hours) obviously with your study guides and ppts shows. And I'm coming back to Chosica for Janmastami and Prabhupada's festival.

HpS - ASA --- Wow!   You are really active for a "dead guy".  Amazing.   Your body was damaged to death and now you are injecting real knowledge into the World Wide Web!!!

Next new is that I'm doing my matriculation to study my master degree in La Cantuta. I've already missed one semester becouse I did'nt make my mind properly and some problems  with paper work. I think that I cannot just sit and wait to happend something regarding to my wish to travel and have experience abroad as I was thinking. If everything goes well, I'll be starting my classes on Setember for a year and a half. The investiment is not that much so I can deal with that with no much effort.

HpS - ... and you will meet interesting people who may invite you to visit different worlds and you can show them how to offer bread and cheese to Lord Shiva and Lord Ganesha after they are offered to Govinda!   Such great preaching opportunities!

Please, give me your merciful blessings to acomplish this or just intelligence to figure what Prabhupada and Krishna want me to do for them.  I hope my proyects are good enough for you too.

HpS - ASA -- They are super.  Just grab the elephant anywhere and eventually you will know the whole beast!

Goura gadhadara is sending regards. She is also looking for something else. She wants to expand her preaching. She wants to go to a place where she can work with devotees on worship and do something with other people on things she knows like yoga, etc. She is asking for contacts. She wants contact that devotee that have this proyect in Alaska that you always mention. Please, send some mail, address or something.

HpS - ASA -- Shyam-gopala Das. Dinali Lodge.  He sold it for something like $12-million or less and then had spinal hernia and had to spend three hours up in the air like an automobile on a metal rack getting body repair! Tough go, ei, Mate!!!   Well, death is the sum-total of all bad experiences so I guess people like Prabhuji and you have the advantage over us of getting ready!  The other person would be Visvanatha-cakra-varti Das in Chile!  She might even want to go and join his Yoga studio.  I don't know too much about this, but I think it can be very, very successful.

I'm understanding more and more the importance of the FMP and I'm preaching a lot about it everytime that I have the chance. I have a few students and friends and we always talk about it. Always quoting what I've learnt from you.

HpS - ASA -- We learned it from Prabhupada, who I guess learned it from Krsna, in His example in the KRSNA book of the Daily Affairs of Lord Krsna (which also explains why roosters don't have much money).

If there's anything good in me is due to your mercy.

HpS - ASA -- We are a pig made into to an aviator by His Divine Grace, no humility involved.   A mean pig.

If I know anything is because of you. I've learnt that to be succesful in KC we require lots of intelligence and that is built with nice rounds during brahma muhurta and Srimad Bhagavatam...there's not other way...convinced more and more. Without this our devotion is weak, more o less a nice illusion.

Thanks for listening. And again, without your blessings I'm nothing. Please, remember me in your prayers.

your eternal servant,

The LaD

HpS - ASA -- I hope that you are getting more and more profound intelligence about your service, Sankirtan, in this life and even eternally!!   Let's stay in touch forever?!!   My repects to Dandakaranya Das and Rukmini-sundari Devi Dasi et al!!!!     Arrequipa can lead the world.  The latent volcano of love.