Letters to the editor

Hare Krsna dear Gurumaharaja

Please accept our sincere obeisances

Jay Srila Prabhupada!

After making some inquiries and consulting with my fellow representatives of the Ministry, some alternatives arose according to your guidelines:

• Your suggested speakers: SS Hanumatpresaka Swami, SS Yadunandana Swami, Radhika Ramana das, Subhra devi dasi.

Speakers and topics suggested by us:

• Dhanvantari Swami: I would be willing to give a talk about the Bhakti Sastri program offered at the Jaladuta institute.

• Prema Rupa das (Argentina): has a very successful online sastric program, especially aimed at grhasthas. Could contribute to this topic (DVAD). I spoke with him, very kind and willing to collaborate. Sends you his obeisances.

• Mitravinda devi dasi (Representative of the Ministry in Brazil) She directs the online educational program of the Jaladuta institute of Dhanvantari Swami. Very capable. She can emphasize this pedagogical format.

• Sarvabhauma das (Brazil) is operating a community and educational program for Vanaprasthas in his country. He wants to attract devotees to collaborate with him. (Needs a translator, but there are vailable)

• Harinam Gauranga das (Colombian and Representative of the Ministry in his country, Venezuela and Panama) He can explain the challenges and strategies that it means to start / formalize a pedagogical program where it does not exist (an authentic pioneer!).

• Param Padam das (Argentina and representative of the Ministry in his country, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay) Proposes 2 workshops: 1) a teacher training seminar (accreditation processes and how to build your online course) / 2) a meeting-debate (on pedagogical methods and facilitation of tools for the presentation / teaching of controversial topics). In this case, it is about participatory programs, separately on two different days.

• Subhadra devi dasi (Brazil) is in charge of a very successful childhood education program for the children of devotees of different ages, she also directs the educational program for the National Board of Brazil. (Needs a translator, but there are vailable)

• Gandharva das (Peru and representative of the Ministry in his country, Ecuador and Bolivia) 'Pramanas and learning experiences', in which I propose learning strategies of contemporary education linked to Vedic epistemology.

• Laksmana-agraja das (Peru) Teaching-learning process in SB classes.

• We can also summon Aravinda das (Argentina / Mexico) and Karunya Nitai das (Ecuador), both renowned educators.

You can make a selection of those participants that seem most suitable for the event.

Ys

Gandharva das

HpS - Wow! AgtSP. Paoho.

Are you in contact with the ISKCON Ministry of Education? How often? Who? What Official positions?

We hear some real concern from Members of Peru Yatra management that they feel lack of communication. When we last time you were in contact with Director of Education for Peruvian National Council?

We are specifically asking ISKCON Chosika to be a co-sponsor of this December 15th to January 7th ASA Symposium on Education.

Then we hope to organize another in Houston March 7th-17th. Then.... others in USA, Spain July 15th to October 7th, India Kartika.

So, we can make a commitment take things slowly and progress.

With the proposed time we have, three weeks, we can accommodate so many people. We will want to consolidate things for our movie: DTC-UT.

Subra devi Das and Radhika ramana Das will be coming mid-December and 25th December so they can be focus for VAD education, Kinder to Kollege, but we need good work on general principles of education eg. What is the goal of education? What is an educated man?

O.K?

You will be staying with your in-laws for some of these days and be visiting regularly?

Please discuss all these things with Karuna krsna Prabhu and give us some news here.

Thank you so, so, so much. Your Monkeys are just as much alive our our dinning room table as the first day they came.

P.S. We forgot to add, Patraka Das, CMDD, Rohini Devi Dasi to the list!!

Querido Gurudev: Pamho. Toda gloria a Srila Prabhupada y sus seguidores fieles.

Espero que se encuentre animado cuando lea esta carta.

Seguimos su sankirtan a través del blog. Interesante. En mayor o menor grado solemos tener todos los mismos desafíos.

Lo mas sobresaliente de mi informe es, que después de conocer a Prabhupada a través de sus libros hace 38 años aún sigo apreciando cada vez mas su personalidad. También es resaltante que mi deseo de ser un buen devoto sigue intacto. Y no menos importante es que sigo identificándome con ISKCON, a pesar de las diferencias de criterio que tengo con el GBC.

En el plano interno estoy apreciando sinceramente la pureza de intenciones de los devotos en dos aspectos:

a) La intención de volverse devotos.

b) La intención de ayudar a otros a que se hagan devotos.

Hemos estado de vacaciones en el sur del pais, visitando a la familia y a los devotos en Málaga y es muy gratificante estar en sadhu sanga. Despues hemos estado en Santander con Jara Mara, Tirtha Kirti y otros; también muy bien. De Santander a NVM, donde hay un ambiente muy bueno y donde se estan haciendo cosas muy interesantes.

Despues de la partida de Avesa Rupa hemos decidido dejar el proyecto de Navalakunda. La propiedad la hemos donado a la Fundación Abhay (creada para gestionar las propiedades de ISKCON España). Hemos donado 3160 euros a ISKCON Tenerife, que han comprado el local donde tenían el Templo. La furgoneta de sankirtan la hemos donado a ISKCON Madrid y a Nueva Vrajamandala le hemos donado libros, parafernalia, etc y 100.000 euros en efectivo.

Ahora estoy centrado en el Sat Sanga de la Sierra de Guadarrama y Purnamasi en actividades con los niños.

No le ocupo mas tiempo y, espero que nos veamos de nuevo con estos viejo cuerpos.

Sin mas

su sirviente

Jayanta das

PD. - Esta carta es de hace varios meses, y la verdad es que es una carta irrelevante, escrita con la única intención de mantener la relación con el gurú y sus asociados. Me sorprende que las cartas que no lleven el CP pierdan su interés. Creo que es una medida algo exagerada. Cuando una carta lleva un tiempo razonable sin ser atendida pasa a ser prioritaria de forma automática. Por supuesto que respeto su criterio pero creo que de ese modo siempre estamos escuchando las opiniones de los mismos y parece que hay una escasez de críticos evidente y necesaria.

=-=-=-=

Dear Gurudev: Pamho. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and his faithful followers.

I hope he is encouraged when he reads this letter.

ASA/TB-BW - We also!

We follow his sankirtan through the blog. Interesting. To a greater or lesser degree we tend to have all the same challenges.

The highlight of my report is that after meeting Prabhupada through his books 38 years ago I still appreciate his personality more and more. It is also remarkable that my desire to be a good devotee is still intact. And no less important is that I continue to identify with ISKCON, despite the differences of opinion that I have with the GBC.

HpS - GBC is ultimate managing authority in ISKCON. Having disputes is guaranteed part of management, no? If everybody agrees on management work then it is very, very, very suspicious. Probably somebody is lying, plotting. 😎

Internally I am sincerely appreciating the purity of intentions of the devotees in two respects:

a) The intention to become devotees.

b) The intention of helping others to become devotees.

We have been on vacation in the south of the country, visiting family and devotees in Malaga and it is very gratifying to be in sadhu sanga. Later we have been in Santander with Jara Mara, Tirtha Kirti and others; also very well. From Santander to NVM, where there is a very good atmosphere and where very interesting things are being done.

After Avesa Rupa's departure we have decided to leave the Navalakunda project. We have donated the property to the Abhay Foundation (created to manage the properties of ISKCON Spain). We have donated 3,160 euros to ISKCON Tenerife, who have bought the place where they had the Temple. We have donated the sankirtan van to ISKCON Madrid and to Nueva Vrajamandala we have donated books, paraphernalia, etc. and 100,000 euros in cash.

HpS/ASA - 😮 We hope you prayed a lot about the decision and consulted with many nice people. devotees. Seems like B I G decisions, but can also be fantastic preaching. Thank you for all the effort.

We plan to visit Spain from like middle of July to first week in October. We want to come after the heat is a little lower and leave with everyone possible to got the India for Kartika.

What do you think?

Best dates?

We would probably just stay in NVM where people could visit us and you know the kind of work we are doing: Consolidating all the Sankirtan efforts.

Now I am focused on the Sat Sanga of the Sierra de Guadarrama and Purnamasi in activities with the children.

I don't take up any more time and, I hope we meet again with these old bodies.

No more

his servant

Jayanta das

asa[e] - Uncle Gismo, Information Management Science

P.S. -This letter is from several months ago, and the truth is that it is an irrelevant letter, written with the sole intention of maintaining the relationship with the guru and his associates. It surprises me that the letters that do not have the CP lose the interest of him. I think it is a somewhat exaggerated measure. When a letter has not been attended for a reasonable time, it automatically takes priority. Of course I respect their criteria but I think that in this way we are always listening to their opinions and it seems that there is an evident and necessary shortage of critics.

HpS - Thank you for your comments on this topic. It is very important. Before the Blof we were getting 400-500 letters a month! 90% had the same basic three questions:

1. Where are you?
2. How is your health?
3. What are you doing?

We tried, but we just could not answer so many letters. Then with the Blog many sincere devotees began to read the answers to question by others and did not have to ask the three basic questions above, nor ask the other more general questions such as:

1. Can I take initiation from you?
2. What is the relationship with family and Temple?
3. How can I control my mind?

Even the more specific questions about SB, BG, etc. Were answered for those who read the responses to others, so our letters dropped to 150/month.

With the Letter Types listed above, the work load decreased even more eg. I will tag this letter Calendar Development and Category B which means that we can start filtering it for devotees who are interested in the European ASA Calendar Development, and that it includes things, Letters to the Editor, that should go for permanent reference in the ASA-Encyclopedia.

Yet, even 150/month can be heavy load as our eyes become more week. You can see how many letters we have answered so far. You can see that we sent a basic report in the DTC before we started and now our eyes are strained. We will push it a little and probably cause a little permanent damage, but that's life. We are all going to die, so why not die for something eternal.

Also, a lot of the letters involve mental work, as opposed to sensual and intellectual work, so we get headaches after a certain number.

Please send us your thoughts!

! ! !

One immediate response is, you should get a secretary. Bonk. We have tried it. We will continue to try it. Has advantages and drawbacks.

Thank you.

Writing to you like this is very, nice. We remember your Ashrama, everything.

-0-0-0-

He Whatsapped us "Hello".

We: Where is your gross body?

He: Always in Govardhana Eco-village!

We: We have written to Shonu twice with no response and will try for a third with comments that we will push on from our side and wait for his help in the future if he is too busy now.  There are robust Jung groups in China asking for his help!  Our next option is the very, very, nice Jung community in Argentina.  We are reading the recently published edition of Jung's lecture at the Polytechnic in Zurich on Oriental and Occidental psychology. Very very nice.

ASA Wrote to Sriman Rupanuga:

[4:21 PM, 11/9/2021] Hp Swami: Hare Krsna. We have been working so hard to keep our basic spiritual, mental and physical health. They are al quite good, improved. The proximate link is a 3rd class, but effective, video that I made of the Ashrama. This weekend we improved the recording studio by 75% with improved lighting etc.  Thank you for the photos!!!!  Do you have time for consulting a very nice, senior Brahmacari in Houston about his health. We can organize or join a tele-conference.

[4:25 PM, 11/9/2021] Hp Swami: Then there is the review of the Sankhya book. Have you read it much? Does i relate to your source materials?  Kunja-bihari will be coming in a few weeks from BsAs. I think he contacted you before. He is full MD and has been doing a lot of study and clinical practice in Ayuveda. We start work before that and then all sit together when he is here, if not before that and consolidate the work in Ayuveda from our, Anjana Suta Academy, perspective, before we move on (to Houston (to Radha-kunda))?

[4:27 PM, 11/9/2021] Hp Swami: The owner normally charges $2,000 per month for this Sta Eulalia ashrama, but when she heard about the kind of project that we are doing she gave it for only $1,500/month. 🙄 She will return from and Art Show in Paris next week and wants to see if we can include her Ramayana puppets in our movie. Thank you.

AGTSP

paoho

Our eyes are really becoming strained. We have to see each little letter to see if it is correct. So nice hearing from devotees.

Other letters but they don't have Priority Codes so we will let most of them wait a little. Some we really want to read, but... if people know the PCodes then we can hope they have read the Kapi Dhvaja or attended the FMP, so that their letters will be very informed.

ArtD is working on the TPP - NoI comments. He expects it done by Srila Prabhupada's tiro bhava festival!!

The ladies, Mitra/Yugala have set off on a great mission to serve Radha Madana bihari in Chosica for two weeks. This is essential for the Sankirtan in Peru. We all depend on them.

Pancha tattva Das arrived and has led us to daily Tulari Puja.

Tomorrow is the Kapi Dhvaja.

Saturday class will start at 8am with Upendras presentation and finish at 8.20AM. Then we will go to Aravinda Das' wonderful program at the address listed in the attached poster.

Hare Krishna Beloved Gurudeva:

AGTSP PAMHO 🙏

I just saw your tweet.

Please send me the link of the zoom class for NOD

Thanks in advance

CMDD

HpS - He says that they agreed with the students to keep them private but he will send a copy.