Letters to the editor

HpS - ASA: Regular Thursday Class with. . . .

. . . ISKCON Hawaii, www.e-sanga.org

https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/4/20/24/

Hare Krsna Gurumaharaja, Pamho ! AgtSP! 

Gracias por sus respuestas.

Estoy confundida con las fechas para México. 

En el último Kapi Dhvaja dice que es del 29 al 3 de Junio . 

Acabo de ver una carta de Gadhadara de Monterrey que dice del 31 al 3 de Mayo. 

Por favor me podría decir cuál es la fecha correcta? 

En base a Su respuesta terminaré de escribir mi carta para enviar al blog. 

Muchas gracias y disculpe la molestia por favor 🙏

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TlgaSP! Pfanrh. Es poco flexible, pero, si... estamos programado por programas in Peru hast 28, entonces podemos comenzar enfocado en MEXICO(!!) 29 May.

We wrote to Sesa Das, Srivasa pandita Das, Hari-lila, Radha-krsna, Nila-mani, Gauranga-darshana, Atula K Das, Gopi-gita, Subra Devi Dasi et al:

AGTSP!

Esteemed Teachers, Students and Educational Administrators,

Paoho... We sent a previous letter about our efforts to organize a Sastra-sam-mela on the 4-7th of June. Of course, the physical idea was in Houston, Texas but because of the Karuna-virus we have gone virtual.

We got strong letter response from Bali-mardana Das and Srivasa pandita Das in San Jose, California, and with Bali started meeting each Friday.

Srivasa gave excellent list of questions, topics.

This is like a Last Call for Registration. 

With Bali we were going over the hoped participation and then from that setting the topics and the sessions. We hope that Gauranga and Atul can be available in the mornings (for us, evening for them) of 5th and 6th. Maybe Gauranga can also give a SB class on one day. Of course, we have to consider the quality of the connection. We can discuss general BOEX, North American relations, Vidyapitha relations... We also want to promote some participation of Latin American educators.

The above list includes our desired core team,but we can include more people as observers and general participants. This is the first year.  We hope it to be a family affair.

O.K.

First is who am I?   I am HpS  and I want to discuss the content and distribution of the Bhaktivedanta Purports through Academic means with others.

Second who are we?  So far it is formally me, Srivasa and Balimardana. That's enough. We have their ideas of what they want, but who else is going to join.... What are you aims?

Third  - Schedules etc.

We are meeting with The Balimardana Das on Fridays. Please join!

nunc aut loquetur pacem in sempiternum tenere

Speak now or forever hold your peace

Hare Krishna Your Holiness, please accept my respectful obeisances. 

All glories to Srila Prabhupada. 

Thank you very much for your kind reply and sorry for not contextualizing the questions to better understanding. Now I´m going to try to do it.

The subject is in two senses.

1) We observe that the influence of cultural differences is not only in relation with the geographical origin (Mexican, American, Hindu culture, etc.) but also in the differences that come from education, generation, time, etc. So, How is it possible to achieve a conciliation and progress at the social-group level, if, although in theory we understand that CK is beyond material designations, sometimes these cultural, material designations seem to be stronger than we think in our relationships and projects as a social group?

ASA - One example would be how can Men and Women actually relate, even if they are not Pure Devotees? Of course, for many of these the answer is Varna-ashrama-dharma, no? Such an excellent system, no? So, so, much of this in the Bhagavatam: SB 1.7.15-16, 42-48... Just the first canto!

2) On the other hand, we have the concern to understand about identity and a sense of belonging from a psychological perspective.

ASA - Most of the cultural things above would be integration at a psychological level also, no?

We would like to understand How internally -on a psychological level-, the identity of a devotee is structured when it is influenced by so many mixed cultural factors?

For example, there are several authors who analyze the lack of cultural identity of "Mexicans". They explain that, actually there is no defined "Mexican culture", since it is too complex, almost impossible to define.

ASA - Yes! That is exactly what I was thinking also!

In other words, the identity problem in Mexico is existing for a long time (and probably in many other countries).

ASA - It seems universal, no? Racial purging, refugees...

Additionally, when we translate this situation into the Hare Krishna context is also an incredible mix.

ASA - That is the solution, no? Kalau dose nidhe rajan... This Age of Kali is an OCEAN of faults. The family identity is bad. The national identity is not clear, bad. The religious identity is bad... What does it mean to be a Jew, Catholic... but there is one good thing, 'mahan gunah'. just by chanting Hare Krsna, we can identify our selves with Krsna and Krsna's devotees (TlgaSP!). NOI 4-6 gives great, basic, instructions on this.

We live too conditioned by the culture where we grew up, attached to food, language, beliefs (not only religious), in a postmodern, western, capitalist, globalized system and mentality, etc ... And added to that, we aspire to follow practices from a distant tradition. Even when people ask, what are we? There are a dozen responses: "we are a movement", "a spiritual culture", "a philosophy", "a tradition", "a lifestyle".

ASA - Yes, we are All Things to All People. 😎 That is why the SB has 18,000 verses and then Lord Caitanya added the CC etc. We are one thing to Maharaja Pariksit people, another to Queens of Dvaraja people.... Hansadutta told us that Srila Prabhupada said, that every psychological circumstance you can encounter, you will encounter in SB... We are trying to get a deep dialog going with Jungian community. They are among the best in the West in psychology.

But it seems that we do not understand neither the culture in which we are inserted, nor do we know or understand the Gaudiya Vaisnava culture.

ASA - Rupa Goswami says that in the beginning there is a tendency toward impersonalism, but later we start to understand the KC culture and fit in. The ISKCON culture... as an Institution 😮 , and as a society of friends 😉 , and and and as our personal, individual, relationship with Srila Prabhupada. 🙂

How is it possible for a person to identify with a “new culture” without a deeper understanding of both?

ASA - https://vedabase.io/en/library/iso/11/ Yes, we have to understand where we are starting, but not perfectly. Just enough to understand why we want to change, and what assets we can take with us, then we can focus more on why our destination seems attractive.

How internally does a devotee assume and identify himself as a Vaisnava and how does his psychology work?

ASA - Vaisnava is devotee of Krsna. In the beginning, Karma-yoga, the identification is extenal, with rituals, but then it passes through Jnana, Dhyana and then pure Bhakti not mixed with blind following of the inferior steps. I chant my rounds (karma yoga) with understanding of the process (jnana) and concentration (dhyana, mysticism) and with real motive to change my motives (bhakti). Rupa Goswami describes this in Nectar of Devotion.

I hope I have not further complicated the topic and that it is useful to devotees. I apologize to you for perhaps so much speculation from me.

HpS - Are our answers to the topics correct? Of course it is a 45-minute presentation with 15-minutes of questions and answers, no? We will have to focus and then connect people to more classes etc.

Aspiring to serve you,

Govardhanesvari dd

Hare Krisna Gurudev. Pamho.

Acabo de recibir este email de Nityananda prabhu de Portugal.

Es una invitación para dar una clase de Isopanisad.

No se si ésta dirección de email será buena.

Se lo pasaré por whatsapp también. El blog es algo lento.

Su sirviente, Jayanta Das

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Querido Jayanta prabhu, por favor acepta mis humildes reverências. Toda glória a Srila Prabhupada.

Como estás prabhuji? Como va la familia? Espero que todo esté muy bien con ustedes.

Prabhu, hemos creado un grupo de estudio de los libros de Srila Prabhupada online. Somos unos 18 en total de várias partes del planeta. Estamos estudiando ahora el Sri Isopanishad.

Tu crees que SS Hanumat Presaka le gustaria dar una clase del Sri Isopanishad al grupo. La plataforma online es la ZOOM. Si Maharaja estubiera de acuerdo le daríamos el link para entrar y también el podria invitar a los diferentes discipulos e seguidores de su lista de emails por toda parte del mundo.

Las clases las damos los Lunes, Miércoles y Viernes. El horário es a las 19,30 españolas.

Quando puedas pregunta a tu Guru Maharaja sobre el tema. Desde nuestro grupo haremos propaganda a todos los templos y diferentes grupos de whatsapp en España y Portugal

Un abrazo prabhu

Tu sirviente, Nityananda das

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HpS - ASA -- ¡Gracias, Jayanta Das! Eso sería 12.30 para nosotros. Es correcto, pero ya tenemos la carga máxima de clases diarias.

Hmmm

¿Tal vez podríamos hacer su clase el viernes y repetir el contenido el viernes por la noche en nuestro horario regular?

Hmmm

¿Quién traduciría? ¿Es Zoom con un número de teléfono de EE. UU.? De lo contrario, no funcionaría para nosotros. Demasiados datos.

¡¡Gracias!!

Please accept my respectful obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada

So grateful for accepting the transmission for ISKCON Mexico dated May 31.

I submit the topic proposal.

"Psychology in multicultural context"

Questions:

1) What should be the psychology of the devotee who is in a bicultural situation in which he faces being Hare Krsna and being inserted in a situation that demands fruitive activity?

2) How to healthy reconcile the differences derived from the cultural variables between devotees?

3) What does it mean to assume the identification as Vaisnava in a context like today?

Sincerely,

Your aspiring servant,

Govardhanesvari devi dasi

Member of the Administrative Committee, 

in charge of the Communications Department

HpS - Thank you... AgtSP. Multi-cultural, Australian Bushmen and Paris Fashion Designers??? Can you pick say three or more as you think best, different cultures that we should look at! Sounds like fun.