Letters to the editor

Paramatma Das and I are engaged in helping to develop the Strategy for Preaching in Latin American for the Regional GBC. Here is our current response comment:

Hare Krsna, Prabhu,

AgtSP!  Paoho.    We are running at about 83% efficiency. I guess that is pretty good

for the material world. We have survived the 14-week, fourteen airport, tour and arrived in Houston.

As I proposed in the last LARGBC meeting lettuce continue with our dialog.

I registered my thoughts about your strategy.  Very, very, very nice and improvement would be to 1. integrate with our management culture more explicitly, which is Varna Ashrama Dharma, and 2. base it on Sastric references, 3. develop the strategy in stages of deeper and deeper complexity.

1. Who am I????  I really have struggled with this in this current dialog, and it has been a big advance in my spiritual life trying to write it for you.

I remember the exact moment. I was using a cross-cut, arm-saw in Gunar Lindh's Custom Carpentry Shop, Sacramento, California. I had got a book, was visiting the San Francisco temple and trying to get from Adau sraddha, Sadhu sanga to Bhajana kriya, although at the time I didn't know it. I was trying to get from random chanting to focused, systematic chanting.

Then, using the saw, I made the decision, that in the midst of all these new spiritual rituals, I would always chant "Hare Krsna" and remember the lotus feet of Srila Prabhupada within the core of my heart.

Of course, we are still a long, long way from perfecting that, and doing book distribution, and going to Mangala arati are necessary for doing it, but that is who we are. Later we realized that it is definitely a Sannyasa perspective. 'A Sannyasi is happy when he is always remembering Krsna within the core of his heart', Jagadananda's prayer at the end of NOI 1 purport.

So that is who we are, Sannyasis endeavoring for Bhava, expecting plans to develop in our minds as a natural sequence.

Do you see our point?

Where do we fit Sannyasis into our Strategic Plan for preaching (in Latin America)?

Are you planning on taking Sannyasa?

Are our Sannyasis involved in management up to 80% really Sannyasis?

Without dealing with these fundamental issues it is Tactical Planning, not Strategic Planning, no?

Of course, I agree that we need to progress in both areas. The best way to develop a preaching strategy is to preach. No Commander ever made mistake in battle if he decided to pull his ship alongside the enemy and fire.

So, I guess my next shot would be, does your honorable self plan on taking Sannyasa?

Can we adopt this as a basic statement of our Mission, from the Intro to NOI: Our Mission is to qualify ourselves to help Lord Caitanya in his mission of spreading the science of Krsna consciousness to the conditioned souls by studying the books of Srila Prabhupada scrutinizingly.

All glories to Srila Prabhuada! All glories to Guru Maharaj!

Please accept our humble obeisances at Your sweet Lotus feet..

Hare Krishna Guru Maharaj,

We had a great session last Monday. We used zoom apps and had our first online Bhakti Sastri class! The first thing we were told to give a brief introduction about ourselves...through the video which was obviously shared. Then second thing...we were asked a very relevant question..What do you hope to acheive by doing Bhakti Sastri? Straight away....the essence of preaching came to our mind....and we answered ....for preaching through Sastric knowledge conforming to the mood and mission of Srila Prabhupada....our facilitator was happy...

Lots of homework given...starting with Module 1 ...BG. We are told to read BG chapter 1 upto 1.22 ...prepare the relevant 8 questions as given in the Student Hand book. ....besides the Preface and Introduction.....and write an essay on the Mood and mission of Srila Prabhupada...We feel so happy.....we feel connected to Srila Prabhupada and Guru Maharaj....

Ohhhh....we forgot to tell you about the kirtan....just before the class ..as we all waited for everyone to join....was so beautiful...soulfull....

We are struggling with the Annual report...want to go on writing and writing...but there are some letters in the blog....little disturbing...one on Diksha guru and Siksha guru... For us we are so thankful to Srila Prabhupada for blessing us with Guru Maharaj as our diksha guru....we do not have any doubts...Srila Prabhupada is so merciful...

There is a Prabhuji who desires to be initiated by Guru Maharaj... we are encouraging his whole family to be initiated. They are chanting 16 rounds and following 4 regulative principles. He is attending temple mangal arti since this month. How can we help him guru Maharaj ? We requested him to read and follow the Guru tattva given by Guru Maharaj...

HpS - Hare Krsna. First is to take shelter of Srila Prabhupada by reading his books, associate with devotees, develop practical relationship with Temple and they can read the Kapi Dhvaja and write here as they like. After six months of that process they can think about becoming a formal aspirant for initiation by an ISKCON Diksa guru etc. O.K. AgtSP!!

We are praying for Srila Prabhupada's mercy ..for whatever we can offer on 28th Dec...

Your insignificant servant,

Sarada Gaurangi DD

HpS - Thank you. We will write a DTC with all our current news!!!!! Thank you! Again, with whom is this Bh. Sastri course?

🌻Hare Krsna dear Guru Maharaja🌻

🌸Please accept my humble obeisances at your lotus feet.🌸

I hope you are very well and that your trip to Houston has been good.

We are very happy and grateful, because Krsna gives us His greatest mercy with your presence in our lives. This 29 we will offer you a nice Vyasapuja and like always, we will also honor the Sri Guru Parampara 💛

I also want to thank you, for this space of analysis and mediation about our process, every instruction of yours is a blessing.

Your time is sacred, so I will try to be brief and positive in this report:

16 Rounds and 4 principles:

HpS - ASA --- Did you post this at the Report link here in the Blog!!??? Have to do that also to satisfy the Borro Cracy!!!

The principles has been kept firm. About the rounds, there is good news, during your last visit in Lima, I shared with you my problem, about the loss of my rounds. You told me to set a minimum of rounds and beat my mind in order to complete them daily. I did that with 8 rounds and slowly regained the normal standard of 16 rounds 😊😊 Now I am very well, you encouraged me very much with your words, I really felt a failure as a disciple and as a devotee, i was very very depressed,

HpS - Depression is the Black Witches greatest weapon. Always be enthusiastic to progress, even if low down.

but you looked at me and said “you are doing well!” and hearing that filled me completely with enthusiasm, you blessed me! Millions of thanks Gurudeva, I have had many realizations, and it sounds silly but, every time I realize more, that the process is easier the more we understand how much we need it. It is our only and unique medicine. I've been watching some seminars to improve japa on youtube, I saw a 5-part seminar by Amarendra Prabhu called "The Art of Chanting" and I also saw an Urmila Mataji class called "Liberation Through Sound" they have served me a lot, I know that everything I learn is thanks to you, because the spiritual master is the one who reveals the knowledge to the disciple. Thank you very much for being in this world dear Gurudeva, the pure devotees of Krsna are extremely merciful with fallen souls.

Studies: You told us that being depressed we have to regain enthusiasm with intelligence, so I read Madhurya Kadambini, I needed to understand my process and read it helped me a lot to become aware of my own situation and my condition. IT WAS EXCELLENT. I am going to read it again taking notes because there are many details that I need to always remember.

Services:

Home: Well, by recovering the enthusiasm and regularity of my rounds, many things are being recovered, the daily puja to our deities, and I have finished making two sets of new clothes to Sri Sri Jagannatha, Baladeva, Srimati Subhadra and Sri Nrisimhadeva . It makes us extremely happy.

ASA - I bet all the other Deities in Chosica are envious of how nice they look and your Deities are very proud. Ha Ha Hare! Picture attached?

In the temple, I am currently cooking on Saturdays, the fifth and sixth offering of the day. I'm making garlands on Sundays. I am also replacing a few pujaris. I have also started serving the Vedabase, with Mitravinda mataji, in communication with Prabhu Prahlad Nrsimha.

HpS - And also running the restaurant, no?

Please excuse any offense, awkwardness and ineptitude during your service Guru Maharaja,

 I really want to improve and be able to be your disciple.

I ask Sri Nrisimhadeva to protect you every second and that Srimati Radharani always cover you with her warm mantle of love.

Please please please Srila Gurudeva, I ask you bless me so that I can always be firmly established in sadhana and at your service.

“…krsna se tomara, krsna dite paro

tomara sakati ache

ami to kangala krsna krsna boli

dhai tava pache pache…”

your eternal servant

Indira-Sakti devi dasi

HpS - Thank you so, much!!!!!!!!!!!! Now we run to the evening program. Please go with Gandharva Das with us!!

Thank you, Prabhu. It is long!  I only read part but it is nice   I am thinking that the fundamental problem is our definition of Diksa Guru. Within a few months after Srila Prabhupada's departure and the arrival of Sriman Hansadutta, our Zonal Guru, I took the position that there was too much emphasis on Diksa Guru by the Zonal Guru's and then the Rikviks. .. Skip all of our reassons except the definition of Diksa Guru in the Kiba vipra... verse that he is one who initiates according to the ritual. Then I am acting as a Diksa guru in the line of Srila Prabhupada. I am not claiming to be an Uttama Adhikari. Then it becomes easier. Ladies should not act as Diksa Guru just as they don't do fire sacrifices or wear Brahmanan threads, but if we get this Bhaktivedanta title going properly then they can be evaluated as Bhaktivedantin (Urmilla Devi Das) and that would give them some polite respect as Panditas and in a certain perspective Siksa Gurus. Then they could give advice to their followers which guru to accept, when to reject Him.  Of course, the title has to be appropriate and that is a challenge that the Board Of Examiners is STRUGGLING with.

By the way if, talking Australian, we go from He to S(he) and then include eunuchs then it become S(he)it. Which if you say it very fast immediately tells us were this one-gender world with one gender bathrooms is going.

It is Kali yuga, so accept the rain and put on a rain coat before you go out to preach. Of course, by the mercy of Gaura it can become as Satya yuga if people want and then Gaura will send a King like Maharaja Pariksit to stop the Kali yuga. Maybe he is a child in ISKCON now.

Homosexaulaity is a mental disease. O.K. Anybody can get it. If it is under control then they can be better devotees than I am. I have disciples who I can easily bow to as better devotees than me who are homosexuals who follow the four principles etc.  

What about the arrangement by Srila Prabhupada that ladies don't go on the altar in India but then we created a caste adjustment in Krsna Balarama Temple that they make all the garlands for the Deities. He allowed things in one zone but not another.

What about a decision by the GBC that ladies can be Diksa Gurus has decided by GBC vote on a one by one basis, especially if it is rare decision.

These are some of our thoughts on the matter. Thoughts from the Anjana Suta Academy.

Are you going to take Sannyasa soon?

When will you die? I will die in November 2024 and stop being an administrator at the latest by next year..

This computer is really, really slow, so I have to type without seeing the mistakes.

Your servants, HPS, TB, BW, UG et al.

Hare Krsna. TlgaSP. Pfanrh.

Una viaje bien fuerte de México Houston.

Saranagati Devi Dasi, puede escribir aquí con su dirección de email?

También los candidatos para iniciación y refugio?

Todo los reuniones públicos fueron bueno, productivo - Diálogo Inter-fe, Educación y lo Sagrado. La misma para los programas de NoI en el templo, reuniones con devotos, ASA, NIOS, retiro en Cuernavaca, Harinam…

… DISTRIBUCIÓN DE L I B R O S !

Muchas gracias todos. Recordando todo, todo, todo el apoyo!

Escriba aquí. Nos vemos pronto.

Dear Maharaj,

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

On behalf of ISKCON Slovenia I'd like to cordially invite you to visit us on your next European journey. Some of us here are great fans of your preaching. Our only dissatisfaction is that there are not many of your English classes available online. 🤗

We study Srimad Bhagavatam with VIHE teacher and are on the 11th Canto now. We'd be glad if you'd deliver some of your courses in our yatra. I personally enjoyed a lot your interview with Krishna Kshetra Maharaj for his "Time of the Sages" documentary.

Although Slovenian yatra is small we are an active temple. Slovenia has 2 million inhabitants, and Ljubljana, its capital, houses roughly 300,000 people. We nevertheless get an association of cca 20 disciples of Srila Prbahupada annually. We are connected with the neighboring Croatian yatra and "share" visiting preachers. Our two capitals are only 90 minutes car ride. We are about 500 kms away from Prague, Czech Republic, which is less than 90 minutes direct flight.

Also, which kind of preaching would you like to do to the "outsiders"? And which topical classes or seminars do you deliver? Do you maybe have a list?

Thank you very much for considering to visit us. We hope to be able to have your association and hear you lecture. Attached is the photo of our Lords - Sri Panca Tattva.

Your servant,

Radhe Govinda dasa

HpS - Sounds very, very nice. We could organize a good series of SB presentations, teacher training and do programs for C. G. Jung and the Bhagavata, Hamlet and Arjuna, Science and Vedanta, 3-minutes with A Genius (Upadesmanrta) etc.

Please read our Kapi Dhvaja in the web page and make comments. It comes our each two weeks.