Letters to the editor

Hare Krishna, dear Gurumaharaj. Pamho, AGTSP!

This is a small report and some perspective on my personal life.

Almost half of the year has passed and we need a small evaluation.

Basically, once again, my service to Srila Prabhupada's mission is focusing more on education. I collaborated in many other aspects, but here I can contribute a little more, I think.

The basis is always the full morning program (fmp), as you always recommend, constantly quoting Srila Prabhupada's  purport for NOI 3.

" In this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement we require everyone to rise early in the morning, by four A.M., and attend maṅgala-ārati, or morning worship, then read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, perform kīrtana, and so forth. "

If there is not that, we practically live all day in the mind. Worried more about eating, sleeping, mating and defending. Without much perspective. I have personally experienced it many times.

On that basis, the intelligence is sharpened, our perspectives are increasingly clear. Our vision is broad, etc.

So, I think my life has to take a little twist.

I have had the great honor and fortune to work with you on education since 2003 and that will continue to eternity and beyond. Your instructions in this area, and practically in all areas, are becoming my life and my soul. I want to do nothing but serve you and Srila Prabhupada. Sure, as much as I can and my intelligence allows me.

Now, in that same sense, I think it's time to focus on my training. I have a tendency to talk too much and to believe that I know everything. I want to hear more, learn more.

For that I need your advice and your help more than ever. I want to learn more from Sesa Prabhu, from Ramgiridhari Prabhu, I want to visit Yadunandana Swami. I want to personally see what is happening elsewhere in ISKCON. And I also want to do my master degree, to professionalize myself more. Have more educational experience in other places.

But I do not want to be selfish and worried about just growing up. I want to do everything to help you better, to better help ISKCON Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador and where I am required. If were up to me, I could spend all days watching Netflix and eating chocolate ice cream

Besides, here for now on the National Board are not very inclined to use my services. It's unfortunate, but real. I do not want to be naive and pretend that everything is fine.

However, I am leaving with a sense of relief cause I made my efforts so that P.Karuna takes care of the education here. So no one will miss me.

We have an educational meeting in Lima, which is being organized by P. Karuna and P. Gandharva. I hope that it become a new era of sustainable growth in education. All my good wishes to them.

In that meeting will be many capable and intelligent devotees, so my intervention will not be in details. However I will emphasize only two things. The importance of cooperation and unity in diversity. In Ravindra Svarup's book on the position of Srila Prabhupada, conscientious and basic work to rediscover our founder acharya, he emphasizes again and again the topic of cooperation and unity in diversity, as I see it.

Then all these initiatives and so forth, which will be presented at the III Educational Meeting, I think they have to take into account these two core points. I think the task of a leader is to ensure that this happens. Let us hope that it doesn´t become an academic dictatorship, a controlism, centralism, verticalism, a professionalism at all costs, etc.

Personally I like the perspective of ASA. Association, process, content. People, plans and resources. Inspiration, debate and depth, etc., etc.

Well, that's just an idea. Maybe I'm wrong.

I would like to talk more with you when you are in Lima. I need advice on contacts and things to start moving out. A couple of years out would be good for me. Then I´ll return to be with you in Peru, as you have projected, and perhaps accompany you in Vrdavana when you have your base there. And someday have a formal ASA institution, university or something, before the government and everything, as a medium and long term project.

For the time being I will continue to serve the students I have. I don’t think I’ll take new groups. I hope that Perú as examination center can be stablished soon. I will travel to Cuzco and Arequipa in August to help a bit, as we have planned. Then we will see how we are going in the logistics for my personal projects and how soon they can be accomplished. In the meantime I'll do what I can here.

There are many more things, but enough for now.

Please, your blessings to be able to carry out my projects.

Thank you for your patience to listen to me.

Your eternal servant.

THE LAD

HpS - ASA ---- AGTSP!!!  Paoho. Thank you for your clear and wholesome ideas. To me you seem to be on a very nice path. Best way to stop being to proud of our own ideas is look at our rounds. Are we really hearing the mantra with attention. Even every syllable - 50%, 25%, 70%. Then the mind becomes accustomed to listen to something other than its own thoughts. The Mantra is from Goloka, no?

Happy birthday, June 14th, but what is the year of your birth?

See you Thursday.

All glories to Goura nitay All glories to Srila Prabhupada All glories for you maharaj Hare Krishna, Maharaj, please accept my humble reverence. Forgive me for my affront because of my ignorance, and also, for not writing you before, I have no excuses. I’m David Leyton from Santiago of Chile. I hope this message finds you well and that the devotees are taking care of you. About your question HpS - Hare Krsna!!!    I could have written the same things!   I doesn't matter if we acheive some great thing in the Bhakti yoga, because at every step it is practical, and the goal becomes more and more clear. Even in the womb and as incapable infants we can make progress. How is your family? It’s very difficult for me to talk about my family, I’d like to tell you about that, but in private. I wish I could talk to you in person or write to you through a private section in your webpage http://hps.monkeywarrior.com. Now, I’m focused on making, together with my wife, a conscious and healthy family. My wife and I are working on healing our ancestral lineage by Bhakti yoga, and an alternative therapy called dowsing. It has worked, we feel inner peace and self-confidence, this is a great achievement for us. There’s little time left to your arrival in Chile. Here, autumn is very cold. I think winter is early this year. I bought you some warm socks. They are made of alpaca wool. I hope you really need them, if not, please tell me what I could do to satisfy you. I hope you’re well. Best wishes Hare Krishna.

HpS - Thank you for physical association last few days. We use the socks to walk in the Temple. See you tommorrow.

Hare Krsna Dear Gurudev,
    Please accept my humble obeisances at your lotus feet.
    All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
    All glories to Guru parampara.

    Gurudev, we all can see how you are travelling for Prabhupada for Krsna service with so many obstacles.
    You are always positive in all odd conditions, you just continue without second thought. You just accept Krsna's wish.
    You don't have desire to change Krsna's wish, you just float with his wish.

    Just to see we all learn and get strength for to make better & better for SP & Krsna.
    
    As usual continuing with Pooja Seva, Dasanudasa Seva (Dressing), BG classes for Sri Sri Radha-Kunja Bihari Ji.
    
    New assignment at office is a bit far from Pune (outside Pune) so have to travel daily for office work.

your fallen servant,
Girivaradhari-Gopal Das

HpS - ASA -  We are so sorry that we have not been able to answer this letter sooner! India is fixed. Mumbai, Pune, 5th - 11th, then AUstralia, then back in Mumbai for Srila Prabhupada disappearance. Then Kolkatta, North East. O.K???

Dear Guru Maharaj,

Pamho, agtsp!

My apologies for taking so long to write, life has been a bit overwhelming lately and I don't know where to begin. I'm still dialed in here in LA, struggling to make art that will speak something of value to my generation and to the world, to make them better people, maybe one day transcendental people.

HpS - We are doing EXACTLY the same thing in South America. Of course, the danger is that we fall into the same trap as Vyasa-deva when he wrote things just too indirect. HK!

Meanwhile I'm trying to keep my own head above water in this crazy city.

ASA - We are trying to keep from dying of cold/fever.

I'm not sure if I mentioned it before, but the oil business never really worked out for me. It seems like some of the others are doing ok with it now, but I'm too introverted to have had the interest to stick with it. Of course since you asked, if anyone is interested in learning about the health benefits of hemp oil I'm happy to connect them with someone who can tell them more.

HpS - I will send you some names.

Every day I see more and more people taking interest so I kind of regret not doing it, but "better to perform ones own duties imperfectly than another's perfectly." I swapped phones with my mother btw, so I have a new number you can reach me at (803 x x x ) and I don't seem to have yours saved in here either, so please remind me how I can reach you by phone.

ASA - We will Text you.
 

Currently I'm showing new work in galleries and putting stuff on consignment, and painting live all over the city. I've also been collaborating with your god -brother Baradraj prabhu, who trained as a painter personally under Srila Prabhupada and designed the famous Bhagavad Gita museum in LA. I've been assisting him with some of his recent paintings and he he also wants me to help him start a new spiritual art collective in Topanga. I'm excited about some of his ideas and I'm grateful to have his association lately.

ASA - Su, Su, Super! Cultural conquest.

Apart from that I'm just been working odd jobs and trying to find a decent summer job to pay off some of my debts so I can focus more on what I really want to do. After more consideration I think it definitely makes sense for me to officially move on to grhasta ashram; because I do want to get married eventually, just not until I halfway get my life together. Otherwise I feel awkward even going to the temple because people think I'm either a Krishna West troublemaker or a poser brahmacari... (but really I'm nothing so dramatic, just ordinary nonsense.)

Please let me know when we can talk on the phone. I have a lot of doubt and frustration lately and I really need your help!

Your spaced out servant,

Ekāśma Dāsa

HpS - Who are your local 'gurus'?  Focus on that. Getting some local associates to give you perspective. If you can stay b'cari and go directly to Sannyasa you can be of more use to 20-women than you can be to one by marrying her, but... the Good Lord told Kardama that the fastest path for him was Grhastha Ashrama with a "veritable cow of plenty", M. Devahuti.

Again, who are, can be your local gurus.

We will be working with Mukunda dutta Das and Prabhu Nityananda from Dallas on the ISKCON Education Journal.

SUPER PAINTINGS!   If any of our readers want some, how can they buy them????   Sell them???

...Por favor acepte mis respetuosas reverencias
Todas las glorias a Sri Guru y Sri Gauranga
Todas lsa glorias sean a Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Todas las glorias a los Vaisnavas reunidos

Hare Krishna Guru Maharaj, reciba mi afectuoso saludo, aquí me encuentro leyendo su libro "desde rusia con amor", es muy inspirador! el cuerpo burro estuvo con gripe pero intentamos predicar bastante a pesar de las dificultades. Estamos esperando su visita a chile, asistiremos a una distribución de libros masiva para colectar en motivo de su llegada. 
El salón de las deidades esta bello, se sienten todos los bailes de Gauranga y Nityananda con sus devotos, tuvimos la misericordia de compartir con Tulasi algunos meses, un amigo discípulo de SS Dhanvantari Swami, se encargó de cuidarla y hacerla crecer. Es algo muy elevado! ese kirtan es muy hermoso y esa conexión con su forma de planta es sublime... comprender esa entrega es muy lejano para mi, pero me deleito con estos pasatiempos... desafortunadamente ahora con el frío esta por abandonar el cuerpo, pero la vivencia quedó en mi corazón y estoy muy agradecido...
Estoy ansioso de tener su asosiación prontamente, esperamos poder servirlo dentro de lo que sea posible y hacer comoda su estadía. No se me ocurre mucho para contarle pues acá en el templo usted sabe lo que hacemos diariamente. Estamos tratando de apegarnos más a krishna y verlo en todas partes. Su aspirante a sirviente bhakta martin.

HpS - Hare Krsna. translate.google.com.  It has been very nice to talk with you here. We are now fighting with a fever and using all that our Yoga has taught us. Bhakti yoga includes all the other Yogas. We seem to be winning so far.

If we when we can do nice preaching programs.

We are using the heater in our room as little as possible and even if we do use it, it does not heat the room too much.

We will die of cold one day for sure. We have to learn to live on the heat within and let Krsna take care of the external body, give us inspiration how to take care of it.

We talked about traveling, no?

Again, one Temple President asked Prabhupada to instruct the Brahmacaris that they should not travel. Prabhupada responded that the Grhasthas could adjust things for their comfort but the B'caris and Sannyasis did not have the facility. What they had was the opportunity to travel, so the authorities should not restrict them, but they should not do it capriciously. They should co-ordinate their travels with the President so that he can also adjust the Temple service.

Prabhupada's standard was that anyone living in the Temple and following the program could be initiated after six months, but for second initiation there was more care and qualification. The GBC changed first iniation to one year after Prabhupada I think because they mistook the statement in the Vedas that the disciple and guru should inspect each other for one year before initiation. That is for second initiation as far as I understand.

So, hope to hear from you of all these practical adjustments and see you more in the next few days.

Actually the "regular" program should produce many new results that we can talk about.

Hare Krsna, maharaja please accept my obeissance. All glories to Srila Prabhupada! All glories to you!

it s been a long time since I don t write anymore but my last letter was like chaos letter, haha, and Im sorry for that last year was intense for me in many aspects but mainly my espiritual life.

now Im traveling with some devotees aroun europe and united kingdom i meet many devotees and many Gurus here the asociation is little bit diferent but i feel great. I want to thank you all your advices when I was so bad you answer me with one verse of the SB and I have that verse deep in my heart. 

Other thing is that I feel compromise with you because I told your desciples I want to take iniciation with you but at the end nothing happend and I meet other Guru here and have more comunication and relation I dont know if this is bad or if some persons are going to be mad with me.

HpS - No, is fine. We are all working in ISKCON with Srila Prabhupada as our Acharya.

but Im just trying to be sincere I dont know if this is the right way but please forgive all my ofenses

YS: Bhaktin Fernanda

HpS - Thank you. Hare Krsna. Please engage all of us in your service to Krsna.