Letters to the editor

Dear Maharaja

PAMHO    All Glories to Srila Prabhupada

    Good to hear your safe return from another sussessful mission.  Fasting two days in a row is draining, sorry to hear the spicey food complicated things. Please take care of yourself.  We have been very busy this summer.  Good family visits at home and away, and plenty of things to do.  I was keeping my little project quiet until its completion but Kalindi let the cat out.  Was given the great opportunity for service when asked to build a portable altar.  We presented it to Krishna on Janmastai.  I hope the photo from Janmastami came through.

HpS - Hare Krsna! Yes, the photos came through. Again, it is so much fun doing that kind of construction work for God!

  Being on a weekday we were not sure what kind of turn out there would be for our Janmastami celebration, but 200 devotees and friends particpated. 

HpS - We had twenty devotees here, but such a nice program. The new temple in New Bombay had 60,000 people!

We saw Lucile for the first time since Ron left his body.  She rented out their house because it's too painful to live there without Ron.  They are having a memmorial gathering September 24.

HpS - Extend our regards! Ask if there is any service we can do?

    As you know, we have to pack everything for our Saturday Program in and out of the meeting hall we rent each week.  So the altar is fully assemblable with no moving parts.  The columns slip into the square holders at the top of the canopy.  And the deity pedestals are in sections - we do not usually have for sets of deities at our weekly program.  If you know any devotees who need something like this I can give you more details.  ( I was unable to upload the photo so I will send some to you a different way.)

    We will try to make the trip to Seattle, I'm sure it will be most rewarding.  Will keep you informed on our plans.  Kalindi is having minor surgery on her bladder in October.  The condition is not life threatening.  We pray that Krishna continues to watch over you.

Your humble servant and friend

David

HpS - Yes, looks like we could come to San Francisco and then so take the Amtrak to Seattle. Choo! CHOO! C H O O !

Hare Krsna, Gurumaharaja
Please, accept my humble obeisances
All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

We are doing well, working to simplify our lives, to find the common thread that allows us to carry out our service in the best way, smoothly and balanced.

HpS - Wow!  That sounds like going beyond Karma-misra-bhakti to Dhyana-misra-bhakti, heading toward Raganuga Bhakti.

This balance is delicate, unstable, volatile, but we are making some progress.

HpS - It is unstable for the inexperienced chemist like walking is unstable for the baby who is just trying to do it, but now, how many times an hour do you fall on your butt when walking?  Ahh, it will become second nature!

 
I have already finished reading the Chaitanya Caritamrta. What a beautiful adventure! I tried to enjoy the huge variety of emotions which stimulates this great poem. Different feelings were provoked: laughter, tenderness, anger, doubt and love; I think that, thanks to the book, my heart softened
a little more and is very good to know it. I found a set of lessons on certain chapters written by HG Gauranga dasa. I am translating them into spanish, in order to make some lectures and seminars on the teachings of Chaitanya Caritamrta for begginers.

HpS - Super!  If it is the same one, he is a very famous devotee in India. Even big international preacher.

Last Sunday NIMSAR organized a meeting with Prabhu Baladeva and interesting ideas emerged. In summary, I'll colaborate with Prabhu Jiva Sakti in developing short seminars on various topics for basic, intermediate and advanced levels. It would be great that these short seminars could be given online, as well as to bhakti vrksa groups (one is starting in Chosica), exposed during Bhagavatam classes or to take them to different cities. The idea is to apply modern pedagogy that allows the assimilation of background ideas supported by workbooks and audiovisual materials. I love this service, the development of educational content is really my thing.

HpS - This modular education is very nice. Actually many people say that the BA and BS degrees are disappearing. Everyone wants short seminars on specific practical topics, but, it is important to integrate them into a general whole.
What is the goal of education?  What is your Mission Statement for Education with ISKCON Peru?

I have already presented the communications plan to the board and has been accepted. As you suggested, I will dedicate the most resources to recover communication channels among devotees. It is a challenge, Gurudeva. Trust is something badly damaged in the Yatra. It abounds mistrust, backbiting and gossip, but we are devotees and that is the key to heal. We all have the same desire to serve Srila Prabhupada and this special motivation is almost impossible to find in other enviroments.
For now, I am organizing communication spaces for different sangas:pujaris, educators, kirtaniyas and senior devotees to start with. Everyone has something to say, and sometimes the authorities are unwilling to listen as it should. Later, we will have the collaboration of a specialist in group psychology. At the moment we have received a Baladeva Prabhu good training through the ISKCON course for alternative conflict resolution, organized by NIMSAR last week. I hope these efforts are directed properly for the welfare of this wonderful community.

HpS - O.K!  You saw our answer to M. Isvari's last NIMSAR report and that includes some ideas we have that we would like to see presented to the National Council also.

Indira Sakti and I are fine, we miss you while doing very clumsy efforts to follow your instruction. Thanks for giving us so many things and stimulate in us the daily desire to become your servants.

Your servant
Gandharva dasa

HpS - ASA!!  Hare Krsna!    Thank you for such a nice letter.  It seems that you need to develop a more defined strategy to organize many different work projects, but priority to 16-good rounds, no??   If we can teach people to love basic Sadhana practices and use those as the basis for everything else, we have become first class educators, no?

Hare Krishna<img alt="smiley" height="23" src="http://hps-d6.monkeywarrior.com/sites/all/libraries/ckeditor/plugins/smiley/images/regular_smile.png" title="smiley" width="23" />

Please accept my respectful obeisances Swami Maharaj SS Hanumatpresaka
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Bhaktin'm Emily, writing from Guayaquil - Ecuador.

Thank you for your response to my first letter and accept my apologies for how much delayed in responding.

I am chanting 16 rounds daily, and I have 1 year 5 months living in the temple of Guayaquil without missing the Mangala Arati, the program Sandya Arati I'm not in time for my French classes but always came to class the Bhagavad-gita.

HpS - C'est bon à entendre. Nous devons tous faire des priorités dans la vie.
Who is in the Temple in Guayaquil? Is it still in the same building across from Centennial Park????   Do you have a pet iguana?

HK paoho

Querido Guru Maharaja no pudimos estar en la fiesta de Krsna, pero si en la fiesta de Prabhupada, bailamos con la musica de P. Gita, coky y devotitos, musicos que conocemos desde nuestra llegada al movimiento.

Ahora, mi rutina ha cambiado, estuve varios meses en busca de un trabajo mas estable, y en una entrevista, como mande el CV on line, resulta que no lo tenian a la mano, como Ud. sabe estudie comunicaciones y soy más una profesora empirica, así que Krsna me dio la mano, mi experiencia de profesora es más con secundaria, asi que ahora estoy de profesora de inicial es un buen colegio, queda muy lejos, posiblemente me mude, me entusiasma mucho ver que puedeo aprender mucho, y creo que he aprendido mucho de educación de Ud. y los congresos de educación, BS y BV, en fin estoy contenta, por favor sus bendiciones para poder servirlo de esta manera,

... en la escuelita e los niños Yachakuy Jambavanitos, los niños bailaron para Prabhupada en el encuentro de Educación, estuvo buenísimo, muchos proyectos de profesionales como una devotita que desea enseñar a padres a cuidar a sus niños, y tambien deseo abrir en Perú un departamento de protección al menor y a la mujer, aun veo vestigios de maltrato a la mujer, más sutil, que fisico, en todo caso hubo un pasado duro para algunas, y seria bonito que jamás vuelva, ¡Prevención!.

Fue de gran ayuda la ´presencia de P. Baladeva, hermosos sus curso de comunicaciones y solucion de conflictos. Armamos una buena por tratar de defenderlo, y tambien enmendamos el error, sin embargo me gusta ser como soy, una revelde, del bando de Radha, mil disculpas por mis ofensas Gurudeva,

estamos tratando de hacer 108 estrategias para lidiar con trabajo y vida espiritual exitosamente, con sus buenos deseos todo sera posible. Ojala su salud este estable y los envidiosos bien lejos.

Hari bolo su hija que lo adora:

Yugala Kishora Dasi.

HpS - ASA --- Jaya!    Si cantamos nuestras rondas bueno, siguien los cuatro principios estrictas, como podemos hacer un gran error?  Pues es posbile si somos pervertidos MUY DETERMINADOS, per basicament vamos a ser sanos. Vamos a desarrollar un Sadhana sana, Sadhu sanga sana y tener una relacion sana con nuestra Iglesia!   Jaya!

Adelanta con todos sus esfuerzas, basado en la bondad y su relacion intima con Srila Prabhupada!

08/27/16  Should have put all comments into one e-mail.  Feel Free to do so yourself so there is not much waste with 2 e-mails.

No.  Have done no good in this body.  Am incapable of that. Have desired to do good, that is true.  Rest is up to Radha-Krsna.  If there has been any good, They get full credit.

Haribol!  Kalindi Devi Dasi

HpS - You worshipped Radha Gopinatha. You tried to engage Grass Valley people is some Krsna conscuousness and others. ...    Lot of good. You are definitely going up and taking a lot of others with you.

08/27/16  Esteemed Guru Maharaja:  All glories to Srila Prabhupada!  Please acceptmy humble obeisances.

1.     Yes I can do some editing.  Thank you for the offer of this seva!  If there are questions on my part, I will be able to contact Monkey or Piggy via text, phone or personal e-mail, no?  If so, please send me an attachment so I can take a look at the project.  T.Y.

ASA - We are just getting to the actual work now. We are supposed to have all the files, now we need to open them and then we can start send to you if need be.

2.  By Krsna's mercy, ISKON Sac Janmastami program went smoothly with 200 attending!!!! I will request Dave P attach photos to another e-mail within 2 days.

ASA - Jaya!!!!

Best I can do.  YR attended with Mother Lucille.  Was sooo good to see her!!!  She looked the same; recently broke a toe so is coping with that.  Said she has rented out their previous house and she cannot go back there for grieving.  She has stayed in 26 different places during the last year.  I guess with Narayan Maharaja devotees, 2 weeks at a time.  I will contanct her soon.  She's a dear.

HpS - Please give our respects!   Can she join our Blog?

3.     "Iron Woman."  I like that!  The iron has put me on my feet but I'm still tired alot and need too much rest.  Chanting is very nice.. Hoping energy will improve in time as I begin to store more iron reserve in bone marrow.

HpS - We have never had any problem with being vegetarian for over 40-years. If there was a Vitamin B-12 deficiency of something like that you think it would have shown up by now.  Every Body is different.

3.    Hummmm... leave body.  Not sure this event is immenent.  However maintaining body is getting disgustingly time consuming.

4.     Jai Radhe!  Jai Krsna!

Your useless servant,

Kalindi Devi Dasi

HpS - ASA --- Thank you for news from New Jagannatha Puri.  Second week in June is the plan for  Seattle, Education with ISKCON.  We could come to Bay Area before that. Muck around in autos and then all get on the Amtrac and ride together on the Sunset Limited to Seattle.