Hare Krishna, dear gurudev. Pamho, AGTSP!
About a year ago I was summoned to be part of the legal board of ISKCON Peru. You told [HpS/ASA - Suggested! 😎] me to try it for a year. Well, a year has passed and nothing happened. Therefore, as you encouraged me to help a little in that area, I now ask your permission to decline.
HpS-ASA - You also seemed to push it a little and try to get some reaction from the President etc. Ooof! We can't give up on the Institution, but if one way doesn't work, then as friends of each other and servants of Srila Prabhupada we have to try another way. Srila Prabhupada tried for years to get The League of Devotees et al.
So, if you think it is best to resign, at this point I certainly bow to your ideas, but with this attitude that with whatever ability and nature we have we will never stop trying to expand ISKCON not only as a community of friends, but also as a formal institution. O.K.?
In reality, administration was never my true service, it was always education, for that I have trained outside and inside ISKCON. In civil life I got a master's degree, I only need the thesis that was frustrated with the pandemic. I'm not sure yet about the PhD. Within ISKCON I have taken practically all the courses they have. I am now taking Teachers Trainnig III. Whenever there is an opportunity, I study. I consider myself an eternal student and an eternal teacher. Everything I learn I share with my students. I have a Bhakti sastri group, another of Pada padma and one of the Disciples Course. I also have seminars every Friday. And I listen as much as I can to your lectures and the lectures of other devotees from whom I learn a lot.
So, I'm going to do my thing. Personally, I believe that the solution to the ISKCON problems, whatever it may be, I do not believe that it will be solved by the administrative area and I say it with knowledge of the facts. The solutions will be given by a concerted force from the various areas of ISKCON, which seems quite far from reaching, cohesion, cooperation, unity in diversity. You are very optimistic, I am not. However, I have not stopped fighting, I always do what I can, but the area where I can help a little is in the educational area. I already have experience of when I enter administration I do not help at all. What's more, I create more inconveniences. That is why I am declining the position assigned to me. In any case, it was never legalized. I think other devotees will do much better.
With my girlfriend [Fiancee], Raman reti devi dasi, we [and I] are very excited doing Sankirtan projects. We want to do different things. Distribution of prasadam, Food for Life and also with gourmet prasadam for the wealthier classes. We plan to do bhajans in the open air and whatever we can. Make contact with the Municipality of Chosica or some NGO to do bigger programs, if Krishna allows it. Actually what we always think is to start something and Krishna will decide if it becomes big or we continue on a simple platform. We will live a "high thinking life." That is our moto.
I always wanted to preach in schools and educational and cultural institutions, let's see how things are presented. I also want to dabble in universities, but again, I will put my effort and Krishna will show me where to go.
My asrama situation I would describe as a process from grhasta to vanaprasta. We will do charity and serve together in the temple 2 days a week in the morning, apart from everything described. Really, I have seriously thought about this, I think Raman retir will be a big boost in my life. She is very determined, very organized and will not let me slack. Now, when I don't feel like it, I just watch Netlix with a pint of chocolate ice cream and oatmeal cookies. With her I will be very inspired to do service. "Women are the inspiration of men and in that sense they are better [stronger] than men" S.P. [https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/1/9/27/#bb15340 ]
Thanks, gurudev, for all your inspiration. I learn a lot from you. For me it is an honor and a pride to be your disciple. I am always trying to follow your discipline. Your instructions are my soul and my life, really. I'm not perfect, but I try my best.
What strikes me about all this is that I am not a blind follower. I don't do things just because you say them, but I really feel them important and they coincide with what I think. I don't really understand this feeling, maybe it's my big ego, but I feel happy. Happy to have met you, happy to have accepted me as your disciple, happy to be in this great institution, happy to have the friendship of so many wonderful devotees, happy to have Srila Prabhupada, happy to be who I am, happy to have found a devotee who is going to help me become a better person, happy to belong to Lord Caitanya's Sankirtan movement, happy to have Prabhupada's books, happy to be able to offer Krishna wonderful prasadam, happy to be alive here and now. And when it is my turn to leave, I will be happy because I will go to another place to continue doing what makes me happy.
Your servant,
Laksmana-agraja das
HpS - Oh, Many Happy One! Thank you for your letter. You must be a great fool also, because I agree with so much of your analysis of the situation, plans etc.
Well maybe several fools can reach some intelligence.
I agree with all you are saying. We made our point above also.
Only thing I thin might be different is that I think from my intelligence and from what I have heard from others eg. Hector, Jagad-guru (CNN) et al, that a very likely scenario is that we will not go back to normal. Krsna may allow an antivirus for the Karuna virus, but then peoplel will not trust the industrialization model as much as before. Of course, the solution is to start to return to the Vedic model of mostly self sufficient villages that link to the county, nation, world in a practical sense.
So your Sankirtan plans may want to look in that direction. Maybe your should become teacher/counselor for the Mayor of Chosika (A Different Kind of City). Next letter.
Picture of Happy Dogs attached.
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