Letters to the editor

Hare Krishna,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Bhakta Adrian: I'm feeling excited for this update!!

Since my last letter I have moved into my own small studio apartment. Living with just myself and my japa/books. My new place is 3 miles to the temple, 5 miles to work.

I'll be commuting on my bike about 97% of the time. I have had some good interaction with the devotees here. VERY nice/sincere/helpful devotees. Great association.

I spoke with the Ashram leader, and am letting the temple use my car, as they are in need of a vehicle. It costs me more money to park in the city than it does on gas to get around. They are happy about it!

I also live walking distance to where they do weekly harinama. I have been out with them before, but the first time at this location. I'll be going to at least one harinam a week.

Still going about twice a week for Mongal arati/tulasi puja/japa time. In my reading I have moved on to the Nectar of Devotion. Great studying material. I am hoping to meet via skype with Sakar once a week to discuss NOD. I have questions!

HpS - Dhanurdara Swami's, "Waves of Devotion", helps us A LOT to understand NOD better.  A lot of technical things to be explained.

I am also reading a compilation of Prabhupada's lectures on chanting Hare Krishna. I will be purchasing Srimad Bhagavatam set in the next week or two.

I will be following along with the temple readings and meeting with the devotees once a week to have breakfast and discuss on Saturdays! Also, engaging in temple seva on the weekends. This weekend was veggie prep, and pot washing. So far on my initiation check list I have:

• Daily 16 rounds
• 4 regs (not living with women)
• twice weekly temple seva
• twice weekly mongal arati/sanga
• weekly harinam
• Bhagavatam reading
• personal reading/studying (two books right now)

At this point, what do you require of me to take initiation??

I could have TP and/or Ashram leader to reach out to you to confirm my status with the temple? Maintain my program for how long before I can receive initiaion? Is there anything on my list I need to improve on, or increase in frequency? I wish I wasn't so entangled in material life, that I wouldn't be required to have a job!

HpS - ASA - Six months following your current, super program, letter of approval from TP, then you are a Formal Refugee. Six months more and other letter and good discussion between you and me and approval of Srila Prabhupada and you can take first initiation! 

Eagerly awaiting instruction-

Your Aspiring Servant,

Bhakta Adrian 

AGTSP

AGTSSGN

Dear Guru Maharaja
We hope to be in good health, excuse our little communication with you. The purpose of this report is to tell an event that happened to us a few days ago; we passed by a house that had opened the door, Guna Manjari saw Deities of Jagannatha, Baladeva and Subhadra (wasted and peeling paint), she told me and we returned us to see, was a woman who said her father owned we consulted a few more things and left. On Friday, September 4, we walked to make locomotion to the temple, when passing in front of the house, again we saw the open door  and approached fortunately was the homeowner who incidentally, has a restoration workshop antique furniture, so we asked for the Deities and told us that found in the demolition of a house 20 years ago. After telling his story with the Deities, we ask buy them and he agreed.
With this situation we feel very fortunate to meet the Lord in this way, we want to know what we do? Do we include in our altar of Sri Sri Gaura Nitai? Should we restore and paint the  Deities?

ASA - Yes, Yes, Yes!   And you should embrace Them in your heart and hope that they like staying in your house for a few days, then They may take you to Vrndavana with Them, no?

The other news is that, on Wednesday, September 9 received the keys to our new apartment. We are very pleased and grateful for the infinite mercy of Sri Krsna with us. We are already living in it. We invite you to our department when coming to Santiago, it is near the temple.

We hope you are fine.
Please accept our humble obeisances.
ss. Candrabhanu Das and Guna Manjari DD.

PS: A photo of The Deities and the other of us with the keys to the apartment.

Hare Krishna GuruMaharaj! All Glories to Srila Prabhupada! Please accept my humble obeisances.

Sorry for not writing you before, here in Madrid all is Ok, now the autumn and the weather is a lot more comfortable than some months ago.

I went to do the “Camino de Santiago (camino del norte… there are different routes to arrive to Santiago the north way is one of the most old and beautiful also one of the most difficult)” with one of my best friends (from my childhood) we walked around 300 km in ten days. The experiences was nice and I hope to finish the pilgrim to Santiago the next year. I chant many rounds, share many good moments with different people, etc… Also some days before to start the Camino of Santiago the uncle of my friend (the uncle of my friend was my friend also I knew him when I was 13-14 years) committed suicide and this experience was hard for my friend (also for me) but the trip help him to think about transcendental topics.

I returned to Madrid to start the service in the temple, after some days Jaramara officially left all his services in the temple. This new situation caused a new restructuration of my services and now I take the responsibility with the president about the organization of the services, take care of the devotees from the ashram  and also I continue like head pujari. The way that I usually try to work is the next: I do a list of all the services temple and pujari and I review all the Mondays with the devotees.

I would like to increment the standard of the deity but with this new situation now its not possible, but im happy cause the devotee that is learning pujari is developing good and we are supporting nice the actual standard. In addition, Im starting to take care of Tulasi, we had a plague but now its better.

In some days I will have the Bhakti Sastri exam and also we are going to start a program call “Kirtan Pizza” all Fridays evenings, the idea is to chant Mahamantra Hare Krishna around one hour and half and take a piece of pizza. If its possible I would like to give little seminars of vegetarian cook in November… lets see.

Mathura Mani is in the hospital, she has a problem with her pancreas, the doctors don’t give the results yet. We are expecting.

That’s all I will try to write you with a little more frequency. Thanks for your time and energy.

Your servant Mantri Rama Das.

Hare Krishna Maharaja

PAMHO   All Glories to Srila Prabhupada

I'm reading a small book titled Swamiji.  In it Bramananda explains what it meant to him to be given Sannyasa.  "After the sannyasa cerermony there was a prasadam feast.  Sannyasa, we were told was social suiside.  No more society, frendship, and love.  Total dedication to Krishna, without any distractions."   Prabhupada sent him (and three others) off with only 25 cents in his pocket.  He slept in construction sites and showered in colleges.  "In fact, they were being trained in the school of real life, so that their newfound renunciation would have depth and legitamacy. "  In my ignorance, I have been being too familiar with you.  I have been a distraction and have not been treating you with the proper respect that should be given a pure devotee of Krishna.   We hope you can fit Sacramento into your schedule next year.

I remain your humble servant,   David, the fool on the hill

HpS - Hare Krsna.     Thank you so much for your letter.   I think you have been treating us rather well. Another definition of Sannyasa is eating good food and not having to work to hard.  Ha!   Ha!  Ha!         Actually, we have slept under trees sometimes.  Bathed in public beach showers.  I don't think it is much for tough than being a married guy for Krsna if you are doing either ashram with sincerity.   A lot of the real austerity for me is passing hours standing in airport lines, and sitting in transit lounges.

Maybe we are 87% pure, by Srila Prabhupada's EXTREME austerity.  Lot more to go.

I have clipped, filed and am trying to get to your paper letter again and again!

Hope you get a chance to get some of your wisdom out to others on your hill!!!!

Hare Krsna

Pamho Agtsp

Guru dev

We were talking with Jagad guru, Vrsabhanu nandini dd, Madhavendra puri, Rati manjari and Jahnava dd about the Chile and Argentina calendar, and the preaching activities.

Here in Cordoba we have the Jung s activities and preaching programs for devotees. in the Cordoba capital the devotees  are triying to open a temple after many years, i think we need your guidance and inspiration.

 We are organice a team in BS As with Madhavendra, Rati and Jahnava dd for organize in a better way the jung preaching and have good contact and dialogue with interesting people. in Bs As there a few contact like Bhakta Luis and the director of the mental hospital and Rati manjari,  Jhanava dd have other contact to work on it. Also there a devotee who is Psicologist that could organize a meeting with others psicologist student of psicology.

Here we have diferent dates option for your travel to Argentina and Chile, what do you think?

BNA (Nashville) EZE (ezeiza Buenos Aires)

COR (Cordoba) SCL (Santiago de Chile)

Option 1...  Option 2....  Option 3....  ASA - See below.

thank you for your time,  effort and inspiration.

traying to serve to your mission, and Srila Prabhupada Ambarisa das.

HpS - ASA ---  AGTSP.   Paoho.  Thank you all  for so much effort.   We just finishing like 3 hours working on all the options and here is the result:

[This reservation was ticketed and confirmed on Fri., Oct. 9, 2015 at 10:58 a.m. Central Time]

Mon., Jan. 4, 2016 | Nashville, TN, US (BNA) to Lima, PE (LIM)

Depart: 11:23 a.m, Nashville, TN, US (BNA)

Arrive: 1:49 p.m, Houston, TX, US (IAH - Intercontinental) - Flight Time: 3 hr 26 mn, Flight:UA3962

Change Planes. Connect time in Houston, TX, US (IAH - Intercontinental) is 2 hr 11 mn.

Depart: 4:00 p.m., Houston, TX, US (IAH - Intercontinental)

Arrive: 11:35 p.m., Mon., Jan. 4, 2016, Lima, PE (LIM), Flight Time:
6 hr 35 mn:  Total Travel Time: 12 hr 12 mn

Wed., Jan. 6, 2016 | Lima, PE (LIM) to Santiago, CL (SCL)

Depart: 10:15 p.m., Lima, PE (LIM)

Arrive: 3:50 a.m. +1 Day, Thu., Jan. 7, 2016, Santiago, CL (SCL), Travel Time: 4 hr 35 mn

Mon., Feb. 1, 2016 | Santiago, CL (SCL) to Lima, PE (LIM)

Depart: 7:14 a.m., Santiago, CL (SCL)

Arrive: 9:04 a.m., Lima, PE (LIM), Travel Time: 2 hr 50 mn, Flight:AV624

Wed., Feb. 3, 2016 | Lima, PE (LIM) to Houston, TX, US (IAH - Intercontinental)

Depart: 1:10 a.m., Lima, PE (LIM)

Arrive: 6:40 a.m., Houston, TX, US (IAH - Intercontinental), Travel Time: 6 hr 30 mn, Flight: UA855

Sent: Monday, October 5, 2015 4:47 AM
Subject: BhVai - where we are at?

Dear Guru Maharaja and devotees, please accept my humble obeisances. 

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Please excuse me for disturbing your bhajan. 

If you allow, I would like to ask where we are at in our BhVai study program?

Also, am I expected to do something about the situation in which the program is now?

Thank you!

Your servant Namacarya das, from Yahoo.

=======================

ASA - 2014 Oct 8

Hare Krsna!     AGTSP.     Paoho.   Please write to the Blog with all this.
From my perspective we are right at the Lotus Feet of Srila Prabhupada, doing Nama-kirtan, with this program (barely).     We still have the Saturday morning meetings on line, and I send the links to the recordings by Twitter.

We tried our best, which is very tiny, to get the record keeping stuff arranged but:

After about four requests to complete the document list, not all the testing for the last canto done, no report of progress on correcting the examinations, no progress in efforts to involve the temple managements in the administration and development of the program after repeated efforts, then:

We are taking another approach.

We are pretty much waiting for the next step in systematic progress to come from the formal ISV side.
We have looked back at our own heart in terms of this systematic relations with Srila Prabhupada's lotus feet, study of his books, and we recommended that everyone should do that, often!

Our conclusion is that we need to:

1. Have regular Pada-padma Study every Saturday morning, and we will continue it with SM now.
2. We need a general Spanish class at SM every Saturday evening.
3. We have a BhS program going with NGD, we are joining the Boise, Anantarupa Lilamrta class Friday evening and that is about it.
4. All this is in intense perspective with the Ministry of Education etc.
5. We will post this letter on the Blog!
6. So....    please Chant Nitai-Gaura, HK/HR and join us Saturday. This week we will do our overview of the First Two Cantos, then some one else can do something that tickles their fancy the following week.

Let's all go to Goloka!  Let's all stay in the very same boat!   Let's all stay in the Sankirtan movement, ISKCON, Srila Prabhupada, will keep us all afloat (with the words he wrote)!