ISKCON Boise and Personal Commitment
Hare Krishna, Maharaja, please kindly accept my most humble obeisances;
all glories to his divine grace, Srila Prabhupada;
all glories to you for your untiring devotional service.
I would like to first mention that there is no measure to how much we all appreciated your most recent and final visit to Boise.
HpS - Same for us! We are still digesting the results, and hope for so much more involvement in the future!
I worry about how this community will continue in the future, now that you will no longer be visiting us.
How and where will we find the inspiration from older, senior disciples and leading grand disciples of Srila Prabhupada if no one comes here to uplift our community with their association?
HpS - We are small dudes, but the general principle is there: I think a good perspective starts here: https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/4/28/47/
I haven't spoken of these concerns with anyone other than my wife, but I know that they must all be thinking this same way in one way or another, at one time or another.
But what I really wanted to share was something that came to my mind during my japa this morning. I was thinking about "What if I could speak to Ananta Rupa prabhu, and just be upfront and straightforward with him, telling him that the best thing he could for this community is to make me the temple president."
I realize that this is a rather far-fetched idea, more like a dream or wishful thinking. It would certainly be rather bold and brazen on my part as well to attempt such thing. But I couldn't shake this idea from my mind, and there is this ever so small measure of hope within me that just refuses to die. I can't help but feel that this idea is do-able; that it is not as unreal as it may appear to be.
HpS - NoI 3. Enthusiasm is should lead patience, but without patience it becomes passion and goes to a bad conclusion. I think discussing the idea is great and then see what the results are, then re-evaluate.
For the past so many years I have been thinking why should I leave Boise; where can I go where there won't be problems; probably the exact same problems as I am dealing with here, plus unforseen problems of another nature.
I am too old to be running away from my realities, in search of some hopefully better situation. More recently I have been thinking that maybe I am here because Krishna wants me to be here, that Krishna wants me to stay here: but that is just my wild speculation and nothing more.
I have no tangible reason to believe that Krishna has some special plan for me, either here in Boise or anywhere else for that matter, just because of my being an older devotee.
HpS - Hmmm. Old not just in years but also, old in having been in the oven for a long time. The bread gets backed.
As I foolishly tried to share with you during our lunch together without sounding so conceited, I have the desire, the experience and the training to turn things around for this community. The only thing missing really is the passion: but if Ananta Rupa could favor my approach and suggestion, then the Temple Council could and would be willing to help in that matter.
It is because of this lack of passion that I don't just go out and duplicate what Ananta Rupa has already accomplished. I am a complete failure in that regard,
HpS - Again.... hmmm. We all have different natures. Jayananda Das didn't try to do what others had done in terms of pioneering a new Temple.
... but I am confident that if I were to get the blessings and approval of your good self and Ananta Rupa, then everything would be different. I am confident of this.
HpS - In management we always advise: 1. Get advice from many people, 2.Put the plans down on paper with everyone signing. 3. Don't make them forever, but for a practical length of time.
Eg. Balabhadra Das will be President of ISKCON Boise for one year. After six months there will be a review and he may resign or a majority opinion of the Board will ask him to give up the post, but if things are reasonably well then he will continue with sincere help of everyone until the end of one year and then we will take a new look at everything.
The more my mind focused on this concept the more I realized that I need your feedback, your blessings, approval and guidance on this idea, even before I speak of these things to anyone else. I realize that this whole thing sounds rather narcissistic and egotistic on my part: thinking that I could be of some valuable service as the temple president in this community. But I can't help but feel that the proposal of approaching Ananta Rupa, either in person or in a letter, with the suggestion of appointing me the temple president is sound in principle.
After all, from what I am seeing nothing else within the current administration has worked, and my staying away and keeping a safe distance from the internal affairs of this community isn't helping either. And so many potentially nice devotees will eventually stop coming to the temple and leave if things don't improve.
So, I feel it best to put the suggestion before you. If you have any doubts or reservations about this idea then I will probably take it as a no.
If you express any hope on the idea, then I will probably take it as a confirmation and consider how to approach Ananta Rupa: although I feel the safest route is through a letter. That way he can listen to my proposals without my imposing on him verbally and physically, and we don't get into some offensive shouting match as a result.
I know that I am leaving out so many points of concern on this issue, but in the interest of brevity I will stop here: Hare Krishna.
Your lowly servant,
Balabhadra dasa
HpS - Thank you for writing! My observation is that so many senior devotees in Boise feel the same way as you do from their perspectives. They feel that they have to get approval of others and then take more personal commitment in the growth of Srila Prabhupada's ISKCON Boise. Look and see if that is true! They may not want to be a CEO, but they may be determined to take up some other aspect.
Our analysis is above.
Hare Krsna!!!
