Letters to the editor

Hare Krishna GuruMaharaj! All Glories to Srila Prabhupada! Please accept my humble obeisances.

Sorry for not writing you before, here in Madrid all is Ok, now the autumn and the weather is a lot more comfortable than some months ago.

I went to do the “Camino de Santiago (camino del norte… there are different routes to arrive to Santiago the north way is one of the most old and beautiful also one of the most difficult)” with one of my best friends (from my childhood) we walked around 300 km in ten days. The experiences was nice and I hope to finish the pilgrim to Santiago the next year. I chant many rounds, share many good moments with different people, etc… Also some days before to start the Camino of Santiago the uncle of my friend (the uncle of my friend was my friend also I knew him when I was 13-14 years) committed suicide and this experience was hard for my friend (also for me) but the trip help him to think about transcendental topics.

I returned to Madrid to start the service in the temple, after some days Jaramara officially left all his services in the temple. This new situation caused a new restructuration of my services and now I take the responsibility with the president about the organization of the services, take care of the devotees from the ashram  and also I continue like head pujari. The way that I usually try to work is the next: I do a list of all the services temple and pujari and I review all the Mondays with the devotees.

I would like to increment the standard of the deity but with this new situation now its not possible, but im happy cause the devotee that is learning pujari is developing good and we are supporting nice the actual standard. In addition, Im starting to take care of Tulasi, we had a plague but now its better.

In some days I will have the Bhakti Sastri exam and also we are going to start a program call “Kirtan Pizza” all Fridays evenings, the idea is to chant Mahamantra Hare Krishna around one hour and half and take a piece of pizza. If its possible I would like to give little seminars of vegetarian cook in November… lets see.

Mathura Mani is in the hospital, she has a problem with her pancreas, the doctors don’t give the results yet. We are expecting.

That’s all I will try to write you with a little more frequency. Thanks for your time and energy.

Your servant Mantri Rama Das.

HpS - Hare Krsna. Swami Oscar!!!     Ooof!   When we got back from the whole tour, we were almost dead. Medical diagnosis is that we just exhausted our liver, and if you are 37-years old it recovers, but at 67-years old we had been living a very dangerous life. We rested and now we are back to a pretty sane level of energy. Of course, we had to minimize our mail and really were not able to get to your letter until now.   We really had to just put all money, and plans aside.
What do we want to do in life?   We only have 9-years left in this body as far as a very good estimate goes, so we are really working on our own plan of work and investigation.  Personally I consider you one of my best friends, and I hope you are also merciful to have some care for me.

Your fast, in the 'Bhagavad Gita' Arjuna asks about someone who does austerities for a good purpose but is not able to be 100% successful. Then Krsna gives him some details but in general says, "One who does good, my friend, is never overcome by evil".

As far as helping with finances, we have to look toward what is left to pay for the 'Bharata-samskrit' book, what Ramon is expecting from us in terms of the proposed "Psychology of the Sacred" symposium in June and then, I would say, that of course, we always want to help you and Integro.

As always, we cannot send money overseas for programs, but have to have some tangible product, like a book, or movie etc.

What kind of sponsorship were you thinking NIOS might be able to make?

Our phone is 209 505-3219, and just for practical purposes we do 90% of our mail through our Blog: Letters to the Editor  It is a great system and then puts all the stuff we are discussing in front of our whole community so they can also get involved!

Hope to hear from you as soon as you can!!!

HpS

From: oscar naters <[email protected]>
To: HpS HHR <[email protected]>
Sent: Sunday, October 4, 2015 6:29 PM
Subject: oscar naters

Hare Krsna!

are you receiving my mails?

Oscar

El Lunes, 28 de septiembre, 2015 19:02:17, oscar naters <[email protected]> escribió:
 

Hare Krsna!

Dear Maharaj,how are you? Still in Mexico?

Now I am home again. I couldn t finish the 9 days at the mountain, I did 4 days because my kidneys got swelled. Anyway in these matters there is no defeat. There is a sentence that say:"You do everything right and everything goes wrong".That is a good medicine also.

I will try ir again next year.

Maharaj I wonder if it is possible a NIOS sponsoring for our next INO MOXO season, as you remember I have been recognized as best theatre director of the year with this work, and also received 7 nominations, best lights, dance performance, singer, scenic design, best musin , best director and best ouvre.We just presented it 4 days at the Teatro Municipal de Lima. Now we will do a short season at Teatro Britanico from March 31th till April 11th.

We really need some help because the peace has some complex  technical necesities.

Hope you give us a positive answer.

I am reading Jung books, and I am sure next time the program will be better. I am planning to call Eduardo Gastelumendi very soon to prepare something new.Thank you very much.

Oscar

Hare Krishna, Gurumaharaja,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Since last letter some major things have transpired in my life, of which i wish to inform you. First of all, August 6th our second daughter was born, healthy and beautiful, named Madelein Anandini.
Because my life has been highly irregular since, i have not chanted japa regularly.
 

HpS - ASA -    Thank you for this service to this new devotee!     Look for the time. One round here. One round there.    You will become som much better servant of your babies if you do this sacrifice for purification.  At least keep track of how many rounds you have fallen behind and later  you can chant them, like old Prasadam.


I mostly take care of our eldest, and my wife of the youngest. Besides this, i still work my job in irregular hours (6 am - 2 am). All was too much on me, so i slacked. Up till august i was pretty fixed, and it is only since a week that i feel that i am getting back on track. The will is back, though the understanding of the need for chanting never faltered. I have to admit that i transgressed one of our principles a handful of times. It was bad conduct; it was calculated.

HpS - ASA --- Oink!    We are third class learners some times!

In retrospect, i see that, apart from the big family demands and obligations, i have been through a small crisis, like ones i have seen before. Just before the delivery, we had a kirtan event which for me was very powerful spiritually. Then i kind of lost my touch. Earlier in my devotional life, i lost touch twice, after i realized i couldn't match up to the people i looked up to, after first feeling myself their equals. This was like a sort of disgrace, because i realized they saw through me and i saw myself acting like a fool, and so i withdrew myself.

HpS - ASA ---  Ha, ha, Hare!    We are all going to falldown big or little. It is more important how you get back up!!!

Something similar happened again this time, but it feels now i'm recovering from that much faster, and without the leave. It is like getting up after falling, and i see the goodness of that; the getting back up. However, i am apprehensive that humility again will not go deep enough to prevent things happening again. Pigheaded is the word, me thinks. At least understanding of that specific mechanism is coming gradually.

HpS - Enthusiams is the most important, no?   But without patience then we will go sloW.  Make progress,  but perfection may take a few more weeks.

The good thing about these last two months in the desert happened on the intellectual level. I found myself connected to Hridayananda Maharaja and his Krishna West approach, and more so about his inter religious presentation. In my work i meet many elderly Surinami ladies. Surinam is a former colony where African slaves worked and lived alongside locals, Hindus, Javan and Chinese immigrants, and they lived together happily. I meet many Hindus and Christians, and many know about each others faiths, but generally there is a lack of deeper understanding of Indian history and philosophy, and so i get identified as a Hindu often. Personally, i don't like to be identified as someone who likes Indian culture, because i don't, and with the help of Hridayananda Maharaja, i have been able to have many successful spiritual conversations, in which sometimes i helped broaden understanding, and sometimes was able to explain more about Krishna's teachings about the soul to Christians. Also, my understanding of various Christian groups and their particular ideology is broadening. So i feel very enlivened again, in a way that seems new to me in my career in Krishna Consciousness. Even though i fell down in sadhana, at least this aspect of my devotional heart and mind kept flowing.
HpS - ASA --  Jaya!!!!
Before i really got attracted to KW, i purposefully wore decent normal clothes on harinams, so as to give a signal to people who saw us, that you can look like a Western guy when you're a member of ISKCON. This was inspired by meetings i had on sankirtan, where several young, spiritually oriented people told me they would not take to KC because they didn't wanna be like identified as a Hare Krishna because of our personal presentation. Of course this could be called shallow to some extent, but to me it indicates that people here in this country have reservations to join a group that expects its members to follow certain dress codes and wear tilak on their faces.

HpS - ASA -- Lord Caitanya dressed like a Mayavadi!

So i think i was a 'member' of KW before i knew it.

In Amsterdam, our temple has opened doors in a new center since earlier this month. It is a rental, and management is still saving for the down payment of 100k for buying property. There are no residential quarters, so that is a bit unfortunate, but the center is nice. It has a good kitchen, and bright and decent temple room.

My apologies for a long letter, but in conclusion, i mostly wish to apologize for intentionally breaking my vows. I have suffered from it, and i am climbing back up. Perhaps you still find me a candidate for your guidance and mercy. It saddens me to read of your struggles, but it also gladdens me because of how you deal with it and keep adjusting and keep going strong.

Param Vijayate Sri Krishna Sankirtanam!

Your aspiring servant,
Raghava Pandit das

HpS - We were wondering more, and more often what had happened to you!    Seems that this is one thing that you might add.  Write a little more often!   Your War on the Witch, is personal and individual. The White Witch will help you!   Krsna and Radha and all the Gopas and Gopis are watching (and eating popcorn??).

About 91% of what Hrdayananda Goswami says I agree with. I think similar to him and Satsvarupa Goswami.

Please give our great respects to your good wife and here great work!!!

Temple news next week?

Hare Krsna Gurudev,  ._^o_   AGtSP!

Aqui esta el Link del trailer sobre el "I Congreso de Educacion con Iskcon" Chile 2015

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyoZHNZPB14

Muchas gracias por su asociacion, su infinita inspiracion y ejemplo.

intentando servilo

Vrsabhanu Nandini dd
 

HpS --- ASA ----    AGTSP!!!    Por la fin obtuvimos oportunidad ver esta enclace.  Es super!   Hay un parte donde los subtitulos son tan suave no puede ver.  Pero es super!      Gracias.

Querido Gurumaharaja. 
Por favor acepte mis reverencias !
Todas las glorias a Srila Prabhupada ! 

Esperamos ser parte pequeño de vuestro sankirtana. Con Sus instrucciones humildemente esperamos lograrlo.

   ASA -  TlgaSP!!!   Pfanrh.    Esperamos ser un pequeno parte de SUS sankirtan!

​
Hoy 30 de Septiembre hable con Su Santidad Guruprasad Swami en el templo,  le informe de nuestro interés de su participación en el próximo congreso o encuentro educativo regional del próximo año en México. Dijo que luego platicará con Usted. 
Le informe que ya empezamos a organizarnos para la colecta de fondos económicos para este fin y estuvo muy de acuerdo, dijo que este es un factor muy importante. 
Pedí sus bendiciones y nos regaló su guirnalda. 

Muchas gracias por Su inspiración Gurudeva. 
En nuestras oraciones a Sri Nrsimhadeva siempre está Ud presente. 

Si el Señor Krsna nos bendice una vez más, podremos verlo en el mes de Diciembre. 

Perdón por las ofensas por favor. 

Vuestra eterna aspirante a sirviente : 
Asta Sakhi dd

HpS - ASA --  AGTSP.   Hay mucho para mejorar estas festivales, de educacion, pero es un hecho son essencial.

Visita a Mexico, vamos a escribir ya una carta con detalles del planes para el Calendario.   Vds son muy, muy, muy inspirador para nosotros.   Si somos fuertes y puros, Krsna puede poner todo el pais de Mexico abajo de nuestra administracion en solament un minuto!

Hare Krsihna Gurumaharaja

Please, accept my humble obeisances

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!!!

I delayed a few days to write this report. Today we had the second meeting, Directory, and I preferred to wait to report back the results. There have been different major proposals being the following:

• It is necessary to establish a work plan for the next two years for which we ask the help of Mr. Arturo Palomino who has taught the course Projects Management  at the University of San Marcos for many years. It [He] is also expert in international cooperation projects. I have spoken of NIMSAR and agreed to cooperate with us.
• We must rethink our leadership model. NIMSAR grows slowly and we must implement  more effective management system.
• It is necessary to become skilled in pedagogy and didactics. I was trained in two universities according to the model of meaningful learning of David Ausubel, constructivist psychologist. We should take education training workshops on this model as well as in structuring of class sessions  to improve our performance in this way.We have to find ways to improve the quality of the classes taught in the temple so as the NIMSAR courses.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/sce.10032/pdf

(The first two pages are sufficient for understanding the concept)

ASA - We have opened the link in another window and will look at it!    One of Ravana's ten heads was dedicated to education!

• Investigate on free education platforms  (e-learning and b-learning) as Moodle.This tools allow us access to a wider audience in different cities and other countries. Similarly, it allows us to structure and adapt our educational content to these models centered on learning and experience.

https://moodle.org/?lang=en

• We will design and edit a bilingual website, which can promote NIMSAR programs and courses and allow us to capture donations from devotees interested in contributing to the ISKCON education (you can guide us in this sense, perhaps). For donors, we publish a bi-monthly online magazine and a monthly newsletter. Donations will be used to organize trips to some cities in Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador to carry seminars and lectures with the aim of promoting NIMSAR courses. We have also thought to use those funds in the training  in issues of human development, coaching and pedagogy.

I'll be waiting for your comments Gurudeva.

Your servant
Gandharva dasa

HpS - Very nice perspective, plans.       1)  Does this fit into your personal passions.    2) What about Jiva-shakti and the ISKCON Peru, Committee on Education?

Thank you very much!!    ​        Educating for ecstacy.