Letters to the editor

AgtSP!

paoho... Brown and White here. The first day of the Jungian congress was INCREDIBLE. About 600-attended - seventy percent ladies (21-81 years old). The level of scholarship and artistry was amazing. Jung was amazing. Shonu Shyamdasani was like a giant mountain surrounded by other giant mountains. We felt like a little rat at the foot of the Himalayas.

Beverley Zabrieskii also presented and when it broke for lunch we saluted her and had a short but nice discussion.

So many people have made the connection between Jung's work and their work. Jung and Caitanya-vaisnavism would be one more effort (but the best!).

* * *

We do all this in the middle of a war zone. [BANG! BANG!]

1. We are still on an Indian time mode so in the after-noon we tend to crash and then wake up like now - 7.40PM-11.40PM.
2. Our host, Giridari-priya Das (John Patel) is a super, second generation ISKCON devotee, hero, but he is event-organizer for big people in a large retirement community, so he has his schedule and we have to walk softly not to be a burden on him.
3. Getting around is a challenge. We are a 71-year old ass behind the wheel. The GPS map on our Windows Phone is pretty good, but finding Lot 22 on the U.C. Santa Barbara Campus is a little challenging for it. Fortunately they sent us maps and we can remember them and found the parking garage. The event was programmed into the automated parking system but still we lost $5 on the first round with the robot parking attendant.
4. We learned a lot about Jung's timeline. We chatted with a few people but no intense connections so far. People ask who we are, dressed as Sannyasis. We say Bengali Vaisnavas.
5. During the intense Plenary Session in the morning we listened to, contemplated, Prof. Shamdasani and Beverley's presentations but still it does not arouse our heart intensely. Japaiya sada harih. We were chanting on beads the whole time.

Our other ASA and MOE work is greatly reduced. We are trying to find our place in Srila A. C. Bhakti-vedanta Swami's orchestra.

O.K. . . . 12.06AM. Lettuce chant on beads. Vidya-vadu-jivanam. Plans will come from the Name. Bhava, perspective, will come from the Name.

HARE KRSNA. HARE RAMA. JAYA SRI VRNDAVANA DHAMA.

12.30AM

We just finished a three page long DTC. Pushed the wrong key and erased the whole thing! Here it is again (Niscayad - NOI 3). Got to Santa Barbara after a long, hard trip. We are Tom Brown and Buck White, riding Brother Ass.

Every day in Houston was filled with Temple and MOE work, two to three hours, etc.

On the trip here we met Omir from Pakistan, a flight attendant, university graduate, who dreamed of becoming a Monk last night. To our Trained Ear (AGTSP!!!!) his story was so natural, so we told him our story (SB 1.6) and HAD A LOB IN OUR CMDD's BRIEF-CASE and gave it to him with the Web-page address and changed planes. "Write to our Blog!"

In transit between airplanes we got on The Last Great Window's Phone (LGWF) and booked a car ($243 for four days!) and then met Prof. Angelo and Christina Novokovitch in the Boarding Line. They were also going to the Jung Congress. She was Young, Beautiful, Intelligent, Intuitive (Battle Stations, Battle Stations, Alarms, Alarms, Kingon Cruiser 3,000 meters!). Taking our seat we noticed that all the women on the Executive Jet to St. Barbara were Young, Beautiful, Intelligent and dressed in black! Prof. Angelo came back our seat and ofered us some raisins and nuts from a newly opened bag.

At the luggage pick-up we met Prof. again and he walked us to the Rental Car Counter and hung out with us. We didn't have to say anything: Welcome to the family (Awwwk! Alarms!)

Into the rental car with a 71-year old Ass behind the wheel. Almost ran over three other donkeys on the way to Giri-vara-dhari-priyas Das' home.

He is very, very, very nice Gurjurati body devotee, disciple of Bh. Caru Swami.

Back in the car. Off to the Bank. Almost ran over six other donkeys: Can't send wire transfers to Peru after 1.00PM. Awwwk! The Congress is daily starting tomorrow.

Back to our Campsite: Fruit, nuts, raisins, 1955-historical documentary on YouTube. Crash (As usual, one week later, we still have Jet-lag!) and up at 11.01 PM to bashfully greet GPD going to bed (like a sane man).

12.43PM - Rewrote this DTC. Saved it to PND's Blog three times, mot just the clip board.

We feel guilty that we are not great devotees. Guess we are neither great nor gruesome devotees. Just devotees. We push when the modes are light with our Satsvarupa Goswami like character. AGTSP, we are all becoming great devotees.

CALENDAR - !! Today is Amavasya here, not in Delhi. Kapi-dhvaja goes out today with Viplavha, $$$ etc. etc. Will be time to wire money on Friday. Leave the conference.

Now let us find water. Sri Visnu. Sip it and chant five rounds, review ART Das "Art and the Sacred" video, M. Champaka-lata Devi Dasi's "Gurukula Standards" proposal, nap and FMP.

Hare Krsna. Rewrite. 1.00AM

Hare Krishna Beloved Gurudeva:

AGTSP, PAMHO

Finally U are back to the USA soon yeee, JAY

Well, the thing is, this for me it is really funny, because nowadays I am more mature and with all the things that I had to pass in this life of being a Hare Krsna, for me this is ridiculuos.

The thing is that I just shared on facebook one notification that says: ISKCON Abhisekas en el templo - ISKCON Ministerio de Adoración de Deidades

The article I am going to post here in another letter, but the main thing is that the notification said that just a few qualified Brahmanas must do the abhisekas, and the devotee XX das felt insulted because in Wilson the Abhishekas are in charge of him and he was allowing that non vegetarian people bathe the deities, but I just shared the notification I did not insult or attack him, but he to say that who am I? (well yes I am nothing, I was just sharing one post from the Minister of worship in ISKCON), that I wasn't keeping my initiation vows for some time in the past and bla bla bla , so I was just smiling.

I just want you to inform that, because now they have started again to talk about my past, etc.

HpS - If you have been honest about not being able to keep four principles and chant 16-nice rounds daily for some time in the past, then that is more than many people, disciples, do. They are unable to follow strictly at some time but never communicate it to the proper authorities and then it is questionable if they have purified themselves of the reaction. Vyasadeva was in a fallen condition when his Guru Narada arrived and then he asked how to become purified - Ajamila, Daksa, Diti. We should not fall down, but if we do we should apologize and get up. Not that we publicly broadcast these problems, NIO-5, but communicate them with the proper devotees. Jaya!

Well if I see something that is not good I am not going to be an accomplice, well if people do not like me in Wilson Ramanavami is coming I will go there. Gaura Nitai is also there.

HpS - In many temples general public is allowed to bathe the Deities of Gaura Nitai and even Jagannatha. I don't know what standard the Ministry is presenting. Certainly we adjust according to their instructions.

My mom is much better it seems to be a miracle, the power of prayers. JAYA RAMA!

HpS - Better! Haw! Haw! Only better is when we give up this body, no?

Hope to see U soon

Trying to be your disciple

Candramukhi dd

HpS - Thank you for this letter. We know that it is tough in Kali yuga for girls, boys, cows and old men but . . . because of that Krsna personally takes care of them! Jaya!

Hare Krsna.

AGTSP. Paoho. It is 2.36AM. We just finished answering all the Reports in the Blog! We have a couple more that were sent separately (there is a risk that we may not get them there). It is nice having to formally only take responsibility for five dozen students.

Jaya!

We made it to the Kolkata Temple. We are in Room 301 again. It has a mosquito net on one window. The A. C. only makes a strange "Gaaaa Gaaaa Gaaa" sound when we turn it on and produces no cold air. It is starting to get hot here but not too bad with the fan on.

Such a hard day yesterday.

Piggy - Aren't they all hard?

Monkey - Yes... but they can be hard for Krsna or hard for The Evil One.

Plane was delayed by 45-minutes. A child kicked our seat in the back for the entire flight, 1-hour. We are going blind. In anxiety to pack everything, get print-out of Boarding Pass. Left Rupees 70,000 with Sarad-gaurangi DD, Hari-das Swami, Vana-mali Das et al for printing. Seems the University of Bhagavata Culture is still alive That was B. S. Damodara Swami's ambition. We gave the first class. If we just stay alive in KC then these projects stay alive and EVENTUALLY they will succeed!

Got three rounds chanted. Fought with the internet yesterday. Went to gift shop looking for Deity for Dr. Desai, temple room and joined the Bhajan and Arati. About 65-devotees there. One devotee, Prema Das (?) leads every evening. We had a distant vision of Gaura lila for a moment in the Bhajan.

From our point of view. Which is contaminated. The Kirtans do not have enough internal development. If you chant properly you can make your internal body loosen up, just like stretching your muscles after sitting in one position for a long time. Aaaaaa!

Kirtan is a great form of education. Chant, lead, LISTEN. Communicate your Bhava, attitude, perspective.

A Brahma stamba paryantam, sarva maya, mayam jagat, satyam, satyam, punah satyam, hari nama eva kevalam!

From Lord Brahma down ..... to the most insignifican blade of grass, everything in this world is a product of the illusory energy of Maya. The Holy Names, are alone truth. They again and again are truth.

Best education is to become attached to chanting the Maha-mantras.

Piggy - But we will be unable to do so many other duties!

Monkey - Then maybe so many of your 'duties' are useless, non-essential! Once you are connected to the Holy Names, then you get a proper connection with this movie!

Chant more! Wake up faster! Distribute more books!

Is today the day we become Uttama-adhikaris, forever?

How much of your identity is based upon PLANS? I will do this, I will do that. How much of your definition of your family, business, church, community, is based upon PLANS? We shall do this. We shall do that, but do all of those plans come from the mind and we just identify with them? Oh, yes, what ever you say, Sir (My Mind).

Chant and let Krsna make plans. Chant and watch the plans evolve through the intelligence and then form in the mind and then express in the senses. Hare Krsna!

TB - Hare Krsna! Brother Ass had a flash case of diarrhea. Something his body did not like and then flushed out with a ton of water. Maybe it was an overindulgence in Salted Cashews. Dancing in Mangala is a good medicine for any disease, even the whole material disease.

Some more conversations with Dr. Samaresh. Seems the printer may have some copies of Siksa-drsya read before we go. We will have to co-ordinate rapidly while we are in Kolkata Friday to Monday, get money, arrange shipping. Harsh will be there to help us!

The books have been so useful. We have printed about 500-copies of Pratya-prajna-pradipa, Bharatiya Sanskriti and distributed only a few so far, but it has all been worth it. When we showed them to Lokeshcandra of ICCR in Delhi he was totally convinced about NIOS's bona-fides and offered that ICCR would pay to send five scholars to Peru for Art and the Sacred.

(Ooof! The Ambassador of India failed to give us the help we needed for that!)

This morning we met with Hari Dasa Swami, the 11-candidates for first and second initiation here. He is the Siksa guru, we are the Diksa-guru, and Srila Prabhupada is the Founder-Acharya. Should work! So many devotees arriving here. Will be big Gaura-purnima Festival. Last night was a cultural program with two traditional drum dances (pung cholam and dhon-dholok cholam), Manipuri folk dance, Manipuri martial arts, Bhajan, and rasa lila. Was very very nice.

We hope there can be a nice connection between Manipur and Peru! Anandamya can lose a few pounds and he and Karuna mayi can learn Manipuri and visit here with Peruvian, Andenan culture and history tour etc.

Now it is 4.15PM. Our nose is burning (ouch) from the smoke etc. Three devotees have come into offer obeisances. We had a good nap today! Ahhh! No class. Now we go to the Temple and chant on the beads for the tomorrow initiations and associate with the devotees.

Thank you.

See you here or see you there. Sankirtan is our only care!

Hare Krsna. 3.05PM. Little allergy pain. Weather nice. Prasadam mangeable but some problem digesting the 8-different preparations offered daily! Our Big Project Today was recording our MOE pptx with the Jungian friends in mind. The final show was 30-minutes and took three attempts to get it straight. Still needs more work but our audience has to do their work too! Sent it by We Transfer (Sadhu Das has got good internet for us here) to Ambo (Ambarisa Das) and Patricia Llosa with goals of editing it a little and putting it up on the You Tube and forwarding it to Shonu Shyamdasani.

Answering mail. Letters from Chile, Vaisnava Protection Team, situation.

MOE requesting summary of our show! Same one we just sent off.

SUMMARY

A Philosophy of Education

Hanumatpresaka Swami

Hoping to address and even suggest fundamental principles of education for ISKCON we start with a broad perspective of looking at the Philosophy of Education from the Encyclopedia Britannica. This is very fruitful, leading us to suggest that Western tradition has reject mere acquisition of facts, information, as education, the standard of the Karmi, and has gone on to declare that one should learn speculative tools such as grammar, mathematics, reasoning, the standard of the Jnana. Beyond this, the standard of the Dhyani, contemplation, meditation, intuition, imagination is not so much addressed in Western education but we go on to show that it is quite systematized in the Western theater education tradition. Actors learn to change their Persona.

Beyond even this (which is very useful in developing our techniques in Bhakti yoga) is Bhakti yoga itself. We have learned this in seed form from Srila Prabhupada's lips and this leads to studying his books, especially NOI, which leads us to a simple Mission Statement for Education in ISKCON and steps in development from Sraddha to Prema, through and for Sankirtan, with a little background education in Varna-ashrama-dharma eg. the Pregnancy of Diti in the Evening. Finally, we introduce our own very specific example of this with our intriguing work with the Jungian community, much appreciated by Srila Prabhupada.

3.10PM our NOI seminar starts in 50-minutes. Have to prepare. Is good work. today Texts 9-10-11. Being recorded in English and Manipuri. Then at 6PM a cultural program. About 100-devotees have already arrived from half a dozen different exotic nations eg. Meghalaya, Assam. May want to talk with us ... difficult.

O.K. Back to the mail.