Letters to the editor

Title: opinion about open secret in ISKCON Hare Krisna!!!

Please accept my humble obeisances, All glories to Srila Prabhupada,

Esteemed Gunagrahi das Goswami,

Recently i finished the disciples course which is now a requisite to take initiation within our institution. i felt very satisfied taking the course, and i think everybody should take it. it is a very nice opportunity for an intense and funny sadhu sanga while learning about guru tattva and the standards in ISKCON. I really appreciate how ISKCON as an institution is working hard to make everything more clear and establishing clear rules and procedures in order to protect the position and teachings of the Founder Acarya Srila Prabhupada. We are maturing. Gives confidence.

Although the course is very clear and it covers many subjects that you can say it is much more than a mere disciples course, there is something that still it is not clear to me. when it comes to selecting a guru the course defines the steps to take and it says: one should engage in favourable devotional service, follow the four principles STRICTLY, chanting sixteen rounds, and a full morning program. During this period one should focus in SRila PRabhupada as prominent siksa guru. after six months of following the above one can select an authorized diksa guru and take shelter. after a minimum of six months of having taken shelter one can accept vaisnava diksa and it says that the guru is not obliged to iniciate de candidate.

So this is pretty clear, in theory. but in the practice i can notice that there is different deffinitions of following STRICTLY, and specifically regarding about sex life. It is an open secret that there are two different standards about illicit sex within ISKCON. a few months ago you sent an article regarding this topic, "Family Matters" by Matsya-avatar Prabhu. The lower standard is having regulated sex life within marriage and the higher is having sex life only after garbadhana samskara.

Then there are some gurus within ISKCON that give initiation to devotees that are following the lower standard, and there are other gurus that only give initiation to those devotees who follow the higher standard. So in our yatra we have a devotee which is very involved and commited to the mission, actually he is one of the leaders of the yatra. He is chanting sixteen rounds, having morning program, involved in favourable devotional service, and following the lower standard for seven years now. In the present time this devotee is following everything strictly according to the higher standard for six months and will be eight months of following when his gurumaharaj visit the yatra. he is asking to be initiated to give strength to his spiritual life. he has the benediction to be initiated by the local yatra leader mahajan prabhu, maha hari prabhu, president of ISKCON argentina and even by yourself.

His gurumaharaj initiates devotees who follow the higher standard only. what do you think maharaj? should this devotee be initiated as a special mercy to him or he must wait until he follows everything for one year? please comment on this topic.

your humble servant.

Bhakta Nicasio.

AGTSP

paoho

Can we think of the ISKCON Deities as our children etc. Srila Prabhupada makes a summary study of Rupa Goswami's coments on this in NOD. 

http://vedabase.com/en/nod/16

As we remember, this is also Lord Kapila's advice to his mother, that she was already in the perfectional stage by thinking of Lord Kapila as her son, but she should do this with the perspective of the Sankhya yoga that He was teaching her.

We also remember that Srila Prabhupada states that the two people most likely to fall down in this movement are the Pujaris and the personal servants of the Spiritual Master. Familiarity breed contempt. To be protected from this they must always follow the etiquette of serving Guru and Deities.

Anyone else have and short comments?

<big>Todas las Glorias a Srila Prabhupada!!!</big>

<big>Hare Krsna Guru Maharaj, reverencias, estamos aquí en Huancayo - Perú, estamos haciendo Sankirtan, vamos casi 1500 libros distribuidos en 3 semanas, gracias a Krsna nos mantenemos en los programas de la mañana, estamos cantando 16 buenas rondas y un poco más, también estamos fijos siguiendo los 4 principios regulativos, leyendo el Caitanya Caritamrta Madhya Lila, cp.1.</big>

<big>   HpS - ASA -- Super, super, super. </big>CC es historias muy modernas, instrucciones. Usted recibirá tanto poder para distribuir más libros. Sólo respondió una carta de su buena esposa con un montón de comentarios sobre su Sankirtan. Es tan agradable!<big> </big>

<big>Tenemos la misericordia de hacer algunos dias Yapa Yoe, espero que siga esto así.</big>

<big>La ves pasada vi en el Yapa Yoe que usted puso que debemos de cantar 2 rondas por hora, eso es muy a parte de nuestras 16 rondas, por otro lado recordé que una ves usted puso en el Kapi Dvaya que todos los devotos ya sean Grihastas, Brahmacaris, pujaris, administradores de templo, estudiantes, deben hacer sankirtan al menos 2 horas al día, podria explicarnos ¿Cómo podemos motivar a los devotos a que lo hagan?</big>

 HpS - Otras dos rondas cada hora es una sugerencia. Nuestro estándar es de al menos 16 rondas-entusiastas, entonces si se puede cantar una o dos o tres o algunos otros extras rondas durante el día, que es muy agradable.

"...recordé que una ves usted puso en el Kapi Dvaya...deben hacer sankirtan al menos 2 horas al día, podria explicarnos."  Yo no recuerdo haber dicho esto. Tal vez no era una traducción correcta. Yo sólo trato de seguir lo que dice Srila Prabhupada. Su instrucción es de una hora por la mañana y una por la tarde de estudiar sus libros. También media hora de Arati y Kirtan mañana y tarde. Eso es bonito. En la NOI, dice directamente que Managala arati, Kirtan, SB son obligatorios.

<big>Bueno se me ocurrio mensionar lo que usted dijo  y no me creen.</big>

<big>Bueno Guru Maharaj me despido, un abrazo. </big>

<big>Hare Krsna.</big>

<big>Gadai Gauranga Das.</big>

Hare Krsna Gurumaharaj.

Pamho agtSP

Hope you received the previous mail regarding a possible relationship with XYZ prabhu. Guru Maharaja, I would like to clarify on a point. Your blessing and authorization are very important for me to go ahead with this relationship. I have even told Prabhu that we can go ahead with this relationship ONLY if you, Gurumaharaj, give us your full blessings and permission.
I am waiting for your guidance.
Thank you
your spiritual daughter
ABC Devi Dasi

= = = =

Esteemed ABC Devi Dasi, DEF Das et al,

Hare Krsna. This is Gita-jayanti. I guess a good day to fix the basic ground rules for the Battle of Kuruksetra. <img alt="*:) happy" src="https://s.yimg.com/ok/u/assets/img/emoticons/emo1.gif" />

Following what I know of Srila Prabhupada's advice on these matters I would suggest that you write down what you and XYZ Prabhu expect from your relationship, how you will relate (eg. going or not going to the store alone for service to Deities) and fix a time limit for this first phase. For example, Prabhu and myself will spend some time talking about our particular interests and attachments, get good association and perspective by talking together with proper devotees for two months and then we will decide what to do next.

It sounds very nice to me.

As described above we would very enthusiastically approve. Have the authorities approve and even sign a copy of the above agreement and send a copy to us and any others you think might be nice.

Of course, you know, we all know we are dealing with fire and ghee, so having strong clear contracts and association in these matters can lead to a WONDERFUL result.

I would suggest that you personally contact Mother Uttama Devi Dasi form Canada. Do you know her?  She is wonderful person. Her and her husband are part of the Grhastha Vision Team and they have wonderful help in these matters.

For example, as I understand there are online questionaires from Christian groups that prospective partners can take and then it gives you very nice analysis of your prospectives as partners.

For example it might tell some one that they have very good and common spiritual values and very good parenting skills but horrible conflict resolution skills.

So, then you need to get some education on how to deal with conflicts eg. involve other family members.

I would suggest you read SB Chapters 21, 22 and 23 of the third canto together. Incredible advice from Srila Prabhupada about Grhastha ashrama.

Finally, we will post this on the Blog with all possible references and indications to you and XYZ Prabhu removed so that we can answer this question in general one time rather than 45-times.

Congratulations Miss ABC Devi Dasi. Maybe we will be able to attend your wedding. <img alt="*:) happy" src="https://s.yimg.com/ok/u/assets/img/emoticons/emo1.gif" />

AGTSP

paoho

We (Tom Brown) made our DTC a Power-point. Then we made it a movie. Then we put it at our YouTube site.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Izs5j2sEews

Boy it's weird, but it's angling at the Supreme in Goloka so maybe we will continue with it!

What you think???

Dear GM, PAMHO

AGTSP

AGTYH

              ASA - AGTSP paoho.  AGTYH (All Glories To Yellow Hobbits?).

From a Vaiṣṇava perspective, is there any validity to the comparison between mathematics and religion discussed below?

Thursday, October 24, 2013 An Interview with David Berlinski … But why should we take seriously religious beliefs that are lacking in evidence?

DB: We shouldn’t. But asking someone like Richard Dawkins about the evidence for God’s existence is a little like asking a quadruple amputee to run the marathon. The interesting point is elsewhere. There is no argument against religion that is not also an argument against mathematics. Mathematicians are capable of grasping a world of objects that lies beyond space and time …. … Come again …

DB: No need to come again: I got to where I was going the first time. The number four, after all, did not come into existence at a particular time, and it is not going to go out of existence at another time. It is neither here nor there. Nonetheless we are in some sense able to grasp the number by a faculty of our minds. Mathematical intuition is utterly mysterious. So for that matter is the fact that mathematical objects such as a Lie Group or a differentiable manifold have the power to interact with elementary particles or accelerating forces. But these are precisely the claims that theologians have always made as well – that human beings are capable by an exercise of their devotional abilities to come to some understanding of the deity; and the deity, although beyond space and time, is capable of interacting with material objects. …

And this is something that you, a secular Jew, believe? …

DB: What a question! I feel like I’m being interviewed by the Dean at some horrible community college. Do you believe in the university’s mission – that sort of thing. Look, I have no religious convictions and no religious beliefs. What I do believe is that theology is no more an impossible achievement than mathematics. The same rational standards apply. Does the system make sense; does it explain something? Are there deep principles at work. Is it productive? http://tofspot.blogspot.com/2013/10/found-upon-web-and-reprinted-here.html

HpS - Jaya!  Wonderful!  AGTSP.  Paoho.  We have seen other Youtube things on Berlinski. He is very nice person in many ways. His arguments seem totally valid. I think the problem in comparison with Bhagavata philosophy is the definition of what is Mathematics? As I remember the Britannica says that there is no real clear defition of the scope, validity or methodology of what is Mathematics. What is the boundary between Mathematics and Logic? Mathematics and English Grammar, Sanskrit Grammar, Fortran, C++?

In the LOB Prabhupada uses a classical description, Physics is the King of the Sciences and Mathematics is the Queen.

In general, Mathematics would seem to deal with Jnana level of things and Krsna is quite approachable on that level, but Berlinski seems to be going beyond that to the obvious source of Mathematics which is intuitive, Corrollarys, Postulates, Axioms.

Thank you. What is Mathematics?