Letters to the editor

Hare Krsna dear gurudeva,
All glories to Srila Prabhupada
All glories to you
Please accept my humble obeisances

How is your health?

HpS - AGTSP paoho. For 66-years in an USA body it is good. Old machine so we have to spend more time tuning it, and if we are excessive with it then it falls apart or can even die! Our vision is getting weak. Our feet and legs are swollen a lot, our resporation can be deeper. Old-age is a good friend for a devotee. It pushes him onto becoming a pure devotee.

About me... Everything keeps on very well. I'm working with projects of H.G. Mahatma Prabhu by his mercy and I feel very very happy for to be part of them. A lot of thing to do! I still go to the temple not very often as before, only to do my fixed service.. I'm trying to keep my sadhana with fixed schedules and this became a bit difficult to me because I've never could to adapt the routine in my life. I want/need to change all the time because I get bored. Is it normal?

HpS - ASA -- Yes, for some people, but the nature of spiritual life is nava-nava-yauvana, always fresh, like we hear that Srimati Radha-rani never cooks the same thing twice for Krsna, but Srila Prabhupada wrote in my initiation letter that our American disease is that we always want to change things. The idea is not to tear down the old building, but to improve it. We don't give up any service, we just improve it. We are making tighter and tighter concentric circles, not moving forward on a line.

Got it?

Change means to improve what we have, not replace it.

Psycho-physically I am 70% fire. Maybe you are too. Have ever seen a fire with "gravity"? No, earth has gravity and water has some. So, fire people are always moving and imvestigating. An engineer sees the problem and solves it. A phsicist sees the problem, isolates it so it won't expand and watches it. A mathematicion sees the problem, sees that it is possible to solve and loses interest in it.

Anyway I do it but it's hard for me. I would like also to travel soon... I always think about what you have said me about my woman designation related with my last life. Maybe is not bad to have this body, because bhakti comes from deep feelings and the women are be able to connect more with their feelings. Isn't it? Anyway designations are not already important to me. It's only a thinking.

HpS - Yes, ladies sentiment can be good Bhakti but has to be kept pure by some masculine intelligence. Like kids, they can follow without stupid intelligence getting in their way, but like you say, once you become a devotee andy machine can be used to get a perfect result.

About study... Whatever I've studied doesn't matter if I can't practice it yet. So, I will tell you only that I try to be more humble, don't see faults of others, appreciate others and to understand that absolutely everyone have something to teach me even I although think they are wrong.

HpS - Santa Belena!

My japa... This is the most important and even as I think now it's better because I take 2 hours only for chant, my mind is very negative and it doesn't allow me to focus in the holy name. I always pray to the Lord for the taste comes someday. So, please give me your blessings for improve my japa!

HpS - You should see some progress. Smile! That will trick your mind into being positive. In the beginning your progress may be from mechanical tricks as much as from sincere devotion. Find ways to control the Mind Ape!

Hope you have a great Kartik's month!
My respectful obeisances!

Hare Krsna!

HpS - ASA - Thank you for your letter. Please give our respects to The Mahatma. What kind of service are you doing with His Grace?

Got any pictures of him?

TGSSGN!

TGSP!!

Guru Maharaja:

 Le escribo para hacerle llegar noticias sobre como estoy y sadhana.

Hace 6 meses que estoy viviendo en el templo, todavia sigo aqui, con entusiasmo en el servicio y cuando no tengo demasiado entusiasmo, trato de encontrarlo de alguna manera sobre todo buscando asociacion con devotos mayores. Me encuentro bien aqui. Sigo cantando 16 rondas a la mañana y los 4 principios.
Su sirviente, Luis.

HpS - TlgaSP!!!    Y ya que pasa? En el Templo? Cual ciudad? Si perdimos nuestra entusiasmo siempre podemos encontrar en nuestra inteligencia. BG es el cultivo de la intelligencia y cuando eso es animado, utashan (NOI 3) entonces podemos comenzar Bhakti puro! Si, super metodo purificar la inteligencia, buscar devotos mayores, y claro Srila Prabhupada es disponible en sus libros.

Ya que pasa? Uno fotos de Vds!!

All glories to Sri Sri Gaura nitai

tlgsp, my respectful obeisances to you gm!

I saw that you answered two old letters! Haha the question about the Ashrama  i did i do wrong, I asked if he could sing my rounds in my Ashrama in the morning ... i live in the temple and i am very very very happy, but I can't sing my rounds in the temple a lot of noise! I am very intolerant But I pray to our beloved Lord for giving me patience and tolerance...In the last letter you asked me if I read alone or with someone, now I am reading NOI,c.cariritamrta..and SB every morning ... i read alone gm i prefer hahaha...i studied sri isopanisad...

I am very happy to service all the days in the pujari ... clean the bathroom of the Ashrama  and took classes with a devout mrdanga very patient of Peru ...

GM i say that I am happy but at some point feel doubt from what I do, I wonder if I truly believe in God?

Much back pain and stomach i am weak haha ...

t            Once more my respectful obeisances to you.

                                                   your small disciple ter kadamba devi dasi..hare krsna!

HpS - ASA - AGTSP> PAOHO. Sorry it has taken 3-weeks to answer this letter. We are pretty much caught up on our letters now, and trying to avoid getting behind in the future. Tolerance comes when we see the benefit of doing the austerity. Like you like to read alone because there are disturbances reading with others, but then you see that there are also very nice benefits, so you "tolerate" the disturbances! Patience is another kind of enthusiasm, no? (NOI 3).
Doubts are normal. They are health if they are honest. BH 4.34 says that blind faith is CONDEMNED. So bring up your doubts and try to removes them by direct effort if you need to, but most of them we have confidence that the process will removes them: "sraddha sabde..." Look in the indes in the NOI. It's quoted there!

News!

Hare Krisna beloved Gurudev,
Please acept my humble obeisances,
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
Here we are at Eseiza airport, soon mangala aratik in SM, we are heading to Pay Roo, meet with CMDD and her family, devotees , Rupanuga das, and of course Sri Sri Radha Madhan Bihari.

I want to ask you about your current sankirtan work in education and with Carl Jung. What is the purpose of both programs? What is your goal with them?

What kind of programs are more suitable to accomplish your goals?

What we should do in order to help you better?

Shall we read Carl Jung biography? Is this program only to psychologist? or more like a bridge to bring people in general to KC?

Shall we make research about education in our local countries? I found out that Peru is number one in education with the 79% of his population finishing high school. Of course we aim to another type of education.

How important is for us to study Bhakti Sastri and Bhakti vaibhava in order to push education in ISKCON?

We are in good communication with our gothbrothers/sisters in order to organize your south american tour. I'm trying to cooperate with everybody, cordoba, bs as, chile, peru.

Our plan is to make a short visit to cordoba, very very short to bs as so we can go to chile for the symposium.

Please enlighten us so we can help you better.

Trying to serve you.

Nikunja Bihari das.

HpS - AGTSP!  Paoho. Are you still in Peru? How was the visit with everyone?
You have asked many questions. Would take a long time to answer in some ways. In general the answer is there in the INtroduction to the Upadesamrta: We want to study the literature left by the Six Goswamis (Srila Prabhuapda's Purports) so that we can help Lord Caitanya in His mission of giving the Science of Krsna to the world.
In that respect we have to understand our spiritual level and our material nature. Carl Jung is a good area for us to work. Srila Prabhupada appreciated him. The practical results just go on leading us forward and help us to refine how we want to approach him.

Lord Caitnya took Sannyasa from Mayavadi sampradaya to reach a certain audience.

If your nature reacts then yes, read Jung's biography. Is nice perspective for a devotee. Abhirama Das in Lima has good copy.

Our approach is to re-read the biography, Tavistock lectures and now we have found some of the Jung Journals and some good articles there. We had so much to do with these other education programs in ISKCON such as primary school, but we are reducing that and also the administrative work in Bhakti Vaibhava etc. We now have time to start reading the Journal article. One we read introduces a very nice scholar and he gives references to other Jung works on Oriental psychology and how to realate to it.

So, that is how we shall go ahead.

Main thing is to meet the people, meet the people, meet the people. As we learn about Jung and his followers lets meet with them. That's all:

We remain pure by our Sadhana
Krsna sends innocent people (Jungians et al)
They remain patiente  to understand the actual situation of this material world.

SANKIRTAN

PAMHO! AGTSP!!

Hare krishna Maharaja!! How are you? i hope that you are very well!!

In the last letter you asked me about the actual situation and news.

I returned to the temple at the begining of september. We had the Ratha Yatra!! It was so nice!!  I was all the time in the chariot, with the deities and the break of the car. It was an amazing experience the city was FULL of people thousands of persons! The kirtan and the program was excellent!! 

Now I have a new service in the temple, I am one of the two persons that have the responsability of the money, at first i didnt like a lot (this service), the money makes me feel  a little nervous. I know that its necesary but for example i don't like to count or to touch a lot... i know that the money is vey important to support differents things like: light, bhoga, wather, etc...  Now i more comfortable that at the begining.

We have a computer program and im learning how to do countability. Every day that pass i try to put more care in this service and try no to loss nothing and do the payments and things like this at time. Also i buy the differents things that the temple needs, the other day i did the first online shopping: bhoga and other products of cleaning.

My sadhana i think that is a little better than some months cause now im going to sleep more earlier, im sleeping around seven hours and now the time of japa is much better that some months ago. Im trying to be more tolerate and flexible with all, we had differents programs with Akrura prabhu about devotee care. It was very interesting and useful. Try to take care of the devotees its an amazing service and i think that its very motivating to see how a devotee are developing his spritual life and all his skills.

The past week we had the Seminar for disciples in ISCKON, i like a lot now im working in a document i must to finish before the week end, and in the first days of November we will have the Bhakti Sastri Exam.

About the initiation im very happy and i have many motivation to do it!! For me is an honor and i want to say you thanks for take this responsability, I think that take initiation its one of the most important things for the spiritual life and take diksa of one person that for me its an example of how to serve to Srila Prabhupada its a really mercy. I try to follow what you said me some months: Full program and 4 regulations stricts!! Also i trying to give my best to the temple and try to develope the services that the authorities gives me. Im  in extasis when i saw that they are happy with the resoults! I have many fails but im trying to be better!

The authorities of the temple said me that they will do a festival in christmas in New Vrajamandala and they think that maybe its a  good moment to take initiation, for me its OK! What do you think about that? What is the best method that you think  for my situation? I really want to take diksa, but i think that the authorities and you will have the best ideas to do it and i have a lot confidence in you and in them.

Thanks a lot for all!! If you have some instructions about anything please say me!! It will give me many motivation!!

Your servant Marcos.

HpS - Jaya! - AGTSP.  Of course, we started as Treasurer for the Temple in San Francisco when we joined and had the same problems with the service that you had. I guess we could assemble all the devotees you developed as Treasurers in ISKCON and compare our personalities and how we advanced in that line.
Your report sounds very nice!!
Thank you!

Jaya Jagannatha.. . .      Christmas sounds like good time. Our Vyasapuja is Christmas day or the day after.

Let us know more details.
http://vedabase.com/en/bg/10/23
"vitteśo yakṣa-rakṣasām"

Hare Krsna ,Pamho, AGTSP,AGTHpS, AGTTB, AGTUG,AGTBW

Seeing the condition of brother ass, it remains puzzle how all of you are able to manage your services to Srila Prabhupada. Could be some mystic power!!!!

Did HpS talked to Prof Bandyopadhyay?

HpS - ASA(BW, TB, UG ...) - Yes, we had a very nice discussion. We were arranging for him to meet with Sri Hari Das and Aja-govinda Das while he has in Delhi. Now we will call him with NGD and see what Krsna arranged.

Was HpS able to meet Mr Modi ?
HpS - Even if not, we are getting a lot of practice at doing it and involving a lot more people!

Does HpS has any service, where horse can help?
HpS - You are doing so much help just "growing up". Every time you chant Hare Krsna under the shelter of Srila Prabhupada you are "growing up" and can do more and more work. We expect th next book to be published soon, maybe in Bombay, so Dr. will visit there and you can help him then. They with Goloka Education we can start to distibute it (and the last one).  All your hard work in Kolkatta will give fruit!

Horse is very thank ful to all of you for starting ASA and esp BHvai. Horse has been behind the standards, but still as back bencher he has understood a lot.

Horse was thinking about his helpful naturs in general. Then he read http://vedabase.com/en/sb/5/8/10/ . "Material conditions are already established by the superior administration according to one’s karma. They cannot be changed. "

then he was confused to understand the contribution of red cross society, Mother teressa. Esp Ksatriyas are supposed to provide material comforts. Horse understands that SB 5 is for Sannyasis, but what can people with Ksatriays tendency learn from it.

trying to be a monkey,
passionate horse
 

HpS - ASA - Yuddhisthira asked, Bhisma while lay on the bed of arrows which was more powerful destiny or effort. Bhisma responded that the Ksatriya is basically a man of action. Destiny and personal effort at both important, but of the two personal effort is prominent. Without personal effort it is even difficult for destiny to act.

If you are really a Ksatriya then take some Karate classes. I would say you are more like a Royal Counselor. So work hard within your nature. Set some goals like that.

What will they be tell us some good life goals for a person like you!