On Saturday, January 6, 2018, 10:27:33 PM CST, Kaunteya Das JPS (Mayapur - IN) wrote:
I have my serious doubt that the ppt [www.jayarama.us/archives/gbc-college.pptx] fully, clearly or faithfully represent the mood and mission of the GBC College.
I would hesitate in supporting its presentation in Brazil.
I appreciate the attempt to encapsulate both the mission of the College and the whole process of devotional service in some simple, snappy ideas, but the depth of meaning of both, I believe, warrants a different approach.
I suggest we need to sit and discuss more before trying to produce "sutras" for the use of the College.
Don't you have, Maharaja, something more... universal? Something directly based on sastra or Srila Prabhupada's instructions?
The basis of the service of the Zonal Secretary is the zonal service of the GBC Zonal Secretary. Do you have, Maharaja, the book "Being a Prabhupadanuga" - which contains quotes from the Founder-Acarya on the GBC service and leadership in general? That could form a good basis for a presentation.
Ys, Kdas
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Hanumatpresaka Swami Responded 2018 January 7
AGTSP! Paoho.
Thank you Kaunteya Prabhu for your comments. This is exactly what I was very much hoping for.
1. We were asked to make three presentations: General Philosophical Perspective, Lessons from our own 40-years+ management/leadership Experience in ISKCON and Practical Techniques of Time and Information Management. We hoped for the last one to be a workshop.
2. The PPTX is of course a PPTX and is Sutras that need to be explained in the personal format of the lecture. The basic Philosophy of Education that we show with the Arrow, Heart and Half moon has evolved out of about seven years of presentations at European and American, Ministry of Education symposium. It is totally based upon Sastra. I didn't include the sources because I didn't want to burden the PPTX. I will put them below.
3. The questions that come up to my mind, and others, is the function and position within education in ISKCON of the GBC College. Why wasn't it made a part of the Ministry of Education?
The MOE was personally established by Srila Prabhupada. Actually M. Urmilla DD comments that it was the only international Ministry established by Srila Prabhupada, and formally the GBC Resolution is that it will be responsible for monitoring all educational initiatives in ISKCON. Then establishing the GBC College as a directly autonomous agency confuses us in terms of organization and administration. For example, there is directly discussion in the Ministry about having training courses in the Ministry for Administrators. Of course, the basic reason could be because the Ministry is dysfuntional. Working, giving blood, for the Ministry, for maybe ten years I can certainly agree with that. It is a big struggle and new Director, Secretaries, Zonal Representatives, Web-page... are certainly things that I think nobody in the Ministry would oppose for discussion and implementation for a moment. In my initiation letter Srila Prabhupada said that this is was our American disease. Always wanting to do something new. Better to keep the old system and fix it.
4. How to classify the word "Leader". Yad yad acarati sresthas... Every father and mother with children would be a leader, every Sannyasa, actually any initiated member of ISKCON, no?
So we were applying the Varna-ashrama-dharma analysis that Leader in the sense of the GBC College applies to GBC related leaders. I have several disciples in South America, PhD, holders, professional teachers, that were very enthused to go to the training session, but I discouraged them because I was seeing it as administrator training. On the other had I have been working with Maturesha Das and encouraging National Council Members and Temple Presidents and other leaders to attend. Even looking for economic help.
5. Rupanuga Das kindly sent us a copy of "Being a Prabhupadanuga". It is a wonderful effort. We looked at the division of the material and then read a selection in the last part in detail. We feel that it has already had a lot of work done, but needs a lot more. The Nobel Prize winner in Literature, Albert Camus, said that unless you rewrite six times you are a coward. Personally we would like to see surrounding text edited. It gives perspective but in many cases makes for a lot of extra reading. Then there is the heirarchy of Sastric basis. Jayadvaita Swami has an essay at the start of the new Vedabase on disk on the relative position of Srila Prabhupada's books, lectures, letters and room conversations. Of course, there is even a letter from Srila Prabhupada to Brahmananda Das that he should not publish his, Prabhupadas, letters unless specifically instructed to do it. As I know the history, Hansadutta Das got hold of the letters and published them without BBT, Archive or Srila Prabhupada's permission after Prabhupada left. [Seems kind of like Wiki-Leaks <img alt="Emoji" height="16" src="https://s.yimg.com/nq/yemoji_assets/latest/yemoji_assets/1f604.png" title="Emoji" unselectable="on" width="16" />]. Rupanuga Das told me that you had a list of SB classes that went along with the Seminar and that he would ask you to send those to me. Can we get them? As we have mentioned we personally saw an entire university curriculum that H. H. B. S. Damodara Swami had sent to Srila Prabhupada for his approval for an ISKCON university that he was proposing for Berkeley, California. Srila Prabhupada approved it and then added that for understanding science, we would use the instructions of Lord Kapila and for understanding Political Science the instructions of Prthu Maharaja.
Here is where we get back to the Philosophical basis of our education that I feel we can get very involved in the details of graphic communication skills, teaching arithmetic or learning management skills, and forget that the goal is Prema, the King is a very great soul, a Prematmika, and the means is to achieve and teach that is Sankirtan.
Sripada Rupanuga Das also sent us the Vision and Mission Statement for the GBCC and we will read it and the Prabhupada Anuga volume more and more.
So I guess that is our perspective.
I am very, very sure that it is just one perspective on a big elephant and am very eager to hear others. We are investing a lot of our time (at $400/hour <img alt="Emoji" height="16" src="https://s.yimg.com/nq/yemoji_assets/latest/yemoji_assets/1f60e.png" title="Emoji" unselectable="on" width="16" />) and direct cash at about $1000 to make the travel. We really look forward to these dialogs and more interaction in Brazil.
We sent another letter about Visas and travel to you all. There is so much potential for ISKCON in Latin America.
HpS - Copy to ASA
Philosophy of Education Sastric Basis
NOI is the First Sastric Reference
NOI Preface: Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has given many other books, such as Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, Vidagdha-mādhava and Lalita-mādhava, but Upadeśāmṛta constitutes the first instructions for neophyte devotees.
Our Mission is to Distribute Prema.
Preface NOI: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu appeared in the mood of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, the best of the gopīs. Therefore, to understand the mission of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and follow in His footsteps, one must very seriously follow in the footsteps of the Six Gosvāmīs.. . . rūpa-raghunātha-pade ha-ibe ākuti, kabe hāma bujhaba se yugala-pīriti. “When I am eager to understand the literature given by the Gosvāmīs, then I shall be able to understand the transcendental loving affairs of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa.”
We Need a Little Training is DVAD
NOI 2 - The first step in human civilization consists of occupational engagements performed according to the scriptural injunctions. The higher intelligence of a human being should be trained to understand basic dharma. In human society there are various religious conceptions characterized as Hindu, Christian, Hebrew, Mohammedan, Buddhist and so on, for without religion, human society is no better than animal society.
What are Sastri References for VAD
For a start:
SB 1.9.26 — At Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira’s inquiry, Bhīṣmadeva first defined all the classifications of castes and orders of life in terms of the individual’s qualifications. Then he systematically, in twofold divisions, described counteraction by detachment and interaction by attachment.
SB 1.9.27 — He then explained, by divisions, acts of charity, the pragmatic activities of a king and activities for salvation. Then he described the duties of women and devotees, both briefly and extensively.
SB 1.9.28 — Then he described the occupational duties of different orders and statuses of life, citing instances from history, for he was himself well acquainted with the truth.
Then we gave a longer list in the PPTX.
