Letters to the editor

Dear Maharaja,

PAMHO AGTSP

Today I finished my exams for the latest period and it’s about time I wrote to you.

HpS/ASA - Whenever you write to us it is mercy!

I’m finding computer science studies to be very helpful for explaining our philosophy and also for discussing the mind-body problem – Objects, Super-classes and subclasses, encapsulation, software, hardware, algorithms, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, cell phones, programmers etc. etc., - which makes sense because computing really has taken up the focus of the intelligent class for many years now and many popular philosophers use computing metaphors.

HpS - Yes. We find the same thing. They seem to introspect, see how their mind works and then externalize it. There is no "bootstrapping". A person always has to start the system.

Many realizations have bubbled up since you left our physical association here in Australia. Some very powerful and clear others embarrassing. Please forgive me for the many offences committed.

HpS - I think we committed more.

We are forever in debt for the valuable treasures you gave us. Really words cannot explain how fortunate I am so better I simple ask what can I do to serve you and Srila Prabhupada in the sankirtan mission of Lord Caitanya?

I am listening to many more of your lectures posted by Srinath Arunachalam Prabhu on soundcloud.

I’m working on my unique preaching style with this blog and getting some nice results. https://blissoftruth.wordpress.com.

One Gurukula Science teacher is asking for the BBC “Science… Fiction?” documentary you have been mentioning. We have tried looking for it online but we are not having success. Do you have a copy, a link or know where to find it.

HpS  - !!!  Maybe you can track down when AAAS has their annual meeting in San Francisco. It would have been about 1985. That was the year it won the AAAS award. Then I think you would have to contact somebody personally at the BBC. If it is possible it is a really goo movie. Maybe it was so good it got suppressed?  Would be nice project for the Gurukula to see how life really works. Learning really works to try to find the film.

I believe you said, “we have free will equal to God”. Please correct me if I have recalled that wrong. I was thinking about this and realized something. One good argument against the concept of free will that I have come up with is “how can it be free will if one decision is clearly wrong?” Neophytes will say that material life is suffering and spiritual life is not suffering but that cannot be because it will destroy free will because clearly one choice is wrong. It’s like saying, “You can choose the chocolate but you will get shot.” Then I recalled you saying “If you think you have problems, they are nothing compared to Radharani’s problems” and it struck me. We give up material suffering, which is actually the suffering caused by forgetting Krishna and we replace it with suffering for Krishna! This way free will holds true.

I spoke to a senior devotee about this, Nrisimha Kavaca Prabhu, and we had a big disagreement until we replaced “suffering for Krishna” with “spiritual anxiety”. Once we agreed on that explanation we could both be peaceful. Spiritual anxiety leads to the highest bliss.  So free will is the choice between material suffering caused by artificially holding oneself in the center of all things and spiritual anxiety and bliss comes from holding Krishna in the center. What do you think Maharaja? Is my understanding solid or am I am big speculator?

ASA - Can't follow your argument in exact detail. Apes, Pigs and Scientists et al here, but our thought is that it is a big topic. Ultimately Free Will of the Jiva is the Ananda factor in s(he)it's sat-cit-ANANDA nature. We have Free Will to relate to Krsna as a friend or a parent. We have Free Will to relate to Him through His "bahiranga-shakti", and even when in the BS we have Free Will in the mode of Goodness to chose between stealing or not stealing etc. These moral choice's are a kind of choice of Krsna, the King, because they are the King's laws. Then He offers us the choice of Spiritual Reactions, not just "material" reactions eg. don't steal get good reaction.
Material world is Zero. No Krsna, no Ananda, so there is relative pleasure. For every nice thing there must be a contrasting good thing, dualities, but no absolute happines nor distress.
O.K?  Does that address your ideas?

One interesting thing that came up in the conversation with Nrsimha Kavaca Prabhu is that he also disagreed that our free will is equal to God’s. He said “No, because Krishna can do what He wants and He doesn’t get a reaction for it.” I replied saying that I think free will is a logical choice like and on-off or a left-right switch, material or spiritual. It sounded to me like what he was saying is that Krishna is not bounded by Karma therefore He doesn’t suffer the consequences of His actions like we do. I’m not sure. Do you have any comments maharaja? Can you please explain some more about what is Krishna’s free will and how does He exercise it?

HpS - Just what we said above to start with. Is big topic. I would say our Free Will is like Krsna's because He gives it to us. It is not like His in some ways, but in the fact that it is Free is His gift and He let's us use it. It is like a father giving his son $100 and saying now use it as you wish.

On the topic of free will and preaching I am currently working on an article to challenge arguments put forward by modern science and Buddhism that there is no self and no free will. They claim that we don’t have free will and there is no self because our thoughts and activities go on automatically, deterministically, by chemical algorithms, and they use scientific studies for example this one where “brain scans can reveal your decision 7 seconds before you “decide”. Sadaputa Prabhu speaks bout these experiments also.

 http://exploringthemind.com/the-mind/brain-scans-can-reveal-your-decisions-7-seconds-before-you-decide

They also use experiences in Buddhist and Vipasana meditation and mindfulness to support their claims. A classic example is neuroscientists and popular atheist Sam Harris. I have challenged him personally on social media but he was smart not to validate my arguments by responding.

I will be presenting that free will is further back in the system, at the self in the heart, not in the head, and it is only used to accept the material perspective or spiritual perspective and not in our daily thoughts and activities (in our conditioned state), which are actually carried out by the three modes of material nature (BG 3.27)

HpS - Yeah!   BG 3.27 is nice verse to work from. Dr. Libbet who was one of the originators of these experiments used to visit the BI in San Francisco. I heard a big professor saying that the results weren't quite as clear as they were presented. There were a lot of techincal things they had to juggle to get the results, but yes, BG 3.27, the atma not the manas or buddhi.

Atheistic meditators say that when they mediate and move behind their thoughts they have a “not-self experience”, where consciousness loses contents. They can see [THEY CAN SEE?] that their thoughts and actions are just going on atomatically and therefore they argue there is no self and no free will [THEY SEE THIS? <img alt="wink" height="23" src="http://hps.monkeywarrior.com/sites/all/libraries/ckeditor/plugins/smiley/images/wink_smile.png" title="wink" width="23" />]. They go on to boast how liberating it is to accept “empty and meaningless”[Haw! Haw!  They accept this?  Who is this 'They'?], that it is the greatest need in the world today to realize this and they can’t help but move into promoting their voidism and mayavadi theology. I am challenging this and arguing that it is impossible for a not-self to have any experience at all. [Right on, Man!] If there really was no self there would be no experience to recall. Something had the experience. So really what they have experienced is a not-mind or not-body experience. They need to spend sometime redefining the self. They claim the self is in the mind and we are not our minds so then clearly we are something else. [My Self is in my stomach.]

When we meet with this self we also meet with our free will. That’s where we can choose the material perspective and get the false ego or the spiritual perspective. When we choose the spiritual perspective, when we have some genuine desire to know Krishna, He gives us all kinds of intelligence to see things clearly.  He washes the removes the false. Motivation and attitude precedes perception and perspective. [Yes. Why do you do science]. I believe I have learnt this from you, from your presentation of Krishna consciousness. Please feel free to correct me or add some things. Is my understanding correct or do I need to work on it?

Thank you very much Maharaja. I am really missing your association and I hope you can give me some service to keep me connected.

Hare Krishna!

Your aspiring servants

Dhruvananda, Dhanesvari, Suryani and Sarasvati

HpS - Jaya!  Seems nice. We hope to get to your Blog when we have non-metered internet connection. Prabhupadas advice was 1. Nice Reception, 2. Nice Prasada, 3. Nice logical discussions. Unless they are at least willing to listen honestly eg. Lord Caitanya and Sarva-bhauma and Prakasananda, then there cannot be a useful debate. If they become friends then the message can get across.

Go ahead!

Hare Krsna, Dear Maharaja.

PAMHO AGTSP!

Thank you very much for inspiring us every day. Krsna allow us to count on your association for a long time.

I wanted to ask you if you can tell me some pastime (anecdote) of yours with the Bhagavad Gita. For me it would be a lot of help to know this.

Thank you very much for your generosity

Lord Nrsimhadeva protect you

whit affection

ys Isvari dd

HpS - We saw Jayananda Das' BG. He had underlined a lot of things. There is one Purport where Srila Prabhupada taks about the importance of becoming Krsna conscious from beginning of life. He says that if that happend then when we grow up and sexual energy starts to become strong at about 13-years old then our natural love of Krsna will not turn in to lust. We can connect that sexual power to Krsna where it belongs.

If we are not KC from a young age then when the sexual energy increases lust will come and then it will become very difficult to change it to Prema, but Srila Prabhupada wrote, Bhakti-yoga is so powerful that even a late beginner can make rapid progress.

So, Jayananda Das had underlined that part. He thought he had started late.

Lots of progress in the next hour!

Hare Krishna Guru Maharaj, 

Todas las Glorias a Srila Prabhupada

Por favor acepte mis reverencias

Muchas gracias Gurudev por responder mi última carta. En estos momentos mis padres se encuentran bien de salud y en el trabajo les va muy bien. Mi papá es un abogado exitoso y bien reconocido en su región. Mi mamá es enfermera y está a cargo de toda la dirección Académica de la Universidad Nacional de Ucayali.  Ellos están divorsiados pero son amigos.

Hace un mes renuncié a mi trabajo para postular a otra empresa. Es una mejor opción laboral y estoy haciendo todo lo posible para ingresar

Esta semana tendré varias reuniones en las casas de los devotos para iniciar Bhakti vriksha. Le enviaré fotos de las reuniones

Muchas gracias Gurudev por darnos siempre inspiración

Hare Krishna

Jagat Pavitram das

(LIMA - PERU)

HpS - ASA --- Muy bien.  TlgaSP. Espero que los centros de Bh. Vrksa expanden hasta ser centros permanente, Full Morning and Evening Program etc!   Mas noticias de vez en cuando!

HpS -----    Is little Audi!     Hey, we just noticed, "NIOS" is not mentioned like in old page

I wrote you email some time ago about it. Devotee from BBT Copyrights contacted me with strange email and one point was complaining NIOS is mentioned there. So to avoid any problems I changed message to their liking. Didn't get any reply after that.

HpS - Aaach!  Thank you.

So you are right on the border with Austria, no?    SANKIRTAN!

Yes, suppose to be few kilometers from Austria. But we are not going there as without car is impractical to travel to Austria for us.

HpS - Thank you! Please engage us in your wonderful service.

Dear Guru Maharaja,

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

On this auspicious occasion of Vyasa Puja, I have no proper words to express my gratitude to you. Just this morning in Bhagavatam class, we read a verse from Prahlada Maharaja:

“My dear Lord, O Supreme Personality of Godhead, because of my association with material desires, one after another, I was gradually falling into a blind well full of snakes, following the general populace. But Your servant Narada Muni kindly accepted me as his disciple and instructed me how to achieve this transcendental position. Therefore, my first duty is to serve him. How could I leave his service?” (S.B. 7.9.28)

I am still in the deep well, but by your instructions, I can at least see the process of getting out, and I have some determination to make it out in this life. Gurudeva, this year, for the first time, I experienced a little taste for chanting the Mahamantra. It was just a tiny bit, and it keeps coming and going, but it has given me renewed enthusiasm to move forward in Krishna consciousness, to see what lies ahead on the path. I know that I did not do anything to deserve this---I continue to struggle to be steady in my daily sadhana and to control my senses---so I am convinced that this is your causeless mercy.

HpS - More likely Srila Prabhupada's and ISKCON Bhakta-vrnda causeless mercy for the most part.

Indeed, during japa and kirtan, my gratitude for your instructions and affection becomes overwhelming. My faith is not yet strong, otherwise why would I struggle so much to develop nistha? But the enthusiasm is there, and I realize that nothing else will make me happy in this world.

Gurudeva, I owe everything to you. How to study Srimad Bhagavatam? Your mood and perspective in reading Bhagavatam provide the best example. How to attend the morning program? Your dancing and chanting during mangal arati are my main inspiration. How to give classes? I depend entirely on your perspective, clear analysis, humor, and striking analogies. How to control the senses? Your austerities in eating and sleeping are simply amazing. How to relate to devotees? Your humility, kindness, and personal dealings are the ideal example. Thank you, Gurudeva, for your Bhagavatam classes, kirtans, phone conversations, and personal instructions. Thank you for your association in Chennai, your instructions in Boise, and your caution about “Jesus Christ Superstar” in San Jose. I cannot repay you.

Guru Maharaja, I pray for the strength to follow your instructions and make myself steady on the path of bhakti. I pray that, when the time is right, I will have the courage to dedicate myself fully to Srila Prabhupada’s service. I pray that I can hear Srimad Bhagavatam in your association, eternally.

Your unworthy servant,

Radhika Ramana dasa

HpS - Thank you. Again, we are just like a stop light in Srila Prabhupada's kingdom, ISKCON, we try to do our duty but are not very good at it. So, All Glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Tell us about your Sankirtan this month!

Hare Krsna Beloved Gurudeva

AGTSP

PAMHO

I hope this meets U in really good health !!!!!

I love what I do. This year has been a great blessing for me. I took many workshops in order to improve my teacher and therapist skills. Now I work in one of the most prestigious university in Peru in the field of Journalism. Jaime Bausate y Meza. I have the freedom to teach English the way I like to teach. They read SP papers, I do some little yoga sessions in class. And when they do their presentations they recall that.

I give Bhakti Sastri to mexico, Spain and Bolivia. I do pujari just once a month.

And also I continue developing my gem therapy now with aromatherapy, by the way Gurudeva U told me twice about SP and aromatherapy but U did not tell me the whole story, may You be so kind and tell me the story ...Thank U so much.

ASA -Gauri das Pandita Das told me that he was personally fanning Srila Prabhupada during the Srimad Bhagavatam classes in Bombay(?) and he saw one very nice flower bush and picked one flower and offered it to Srila Perabhupada before the class and before he started to fan him. Srila Prabhupada smelled it many times during the class. He did this the following day and maybe the day after that.
Then he was late getting to the class so he didn't stop to pick a flower and when he got there Srila Prabhupada and started to fan Srila Prabhupada, SP looked at him and held out his hand signalling, "Where is my flower?". So he stopped fanning and went to get the flower for the day. Afterwards SP explained that the flower's fragrance was very nice for adjusting his Prana.

On december 15th I will be on vacations so I would like to translate Viplavah, maybe we can make a team along with Lad?

ASA - Abhirama Th. Das also wants to help. I think he talked with Jagat-guru Das and Mathuresa. Yes, start translating and article that you like and co-ordinate with the Thakura. Is that O.K.? The idea is to produce a second Journal for Hispanomerica that can interact with 'Viplava'. Thank you. Yes, occupy the LAD.

I am having conversations with Devakinandana d, it is my desire to go to Brazil and join all of U. I humble request your blessings.

HpS - ASA -- Hare Krsna. Mathuresa Das is supposed to be talking with Devaki about the travel. We plan to go to Cuzco and Bolivia and then go from there to Brazil. We only plan to stay for one week then go to Argentina, then back to Pay Roo.

Thank U Gurudeva for all your support

Looking forward to see U in march

Candramukhi dd