Letters to the editor

Hare Krsna Beloved Gurudeva AGTSP PAMHO

Yesterday we went to Chosica to celebrate your Sri Vyasa Puja.

My personal experience: I was in charge of the Raja Bhoga Artik. As soon as I entered to the altar Lord Caitanya dropped one Champa that He was carrying. I really loved that moment. Yasoda dd helped me.

HpS - Yulisa, Yahaira, .. ? Who is the third??

There were 130 preparations. All the guests went back home really happy. Even Ulysses and my cats got a portion Maha prasadam 😃🐵

All were very committed to the service. Neverheless we have to improve a lot. I guess that we need a kind of board who take charge of the things between the Godbrothers. On the other hand I have the feeling that there are lots of jealousy and machismo ha ha ha.

HpS - Those with the Greatest Machismo are the easiest to control, no?

I got a new Japa bag in order to inspire me to chant jajjajajajajaj. I need to have something fancy in order to get inspiration. As you always say Everybody is different.

HpS - ASA -- But Monkey and Piggy have decided that you-all are VERY DIFFERENT. Always keep looking for special jewelry for Radha rani!! Distribute the remnants as Prasadam.

Please bless us with your association

See U soon

Trying to be your disciple

Chandramukhi dd

HpS - Hare Krsna. 2.42PM. We are sooooo tired!!! Why is that??? TB: Because you have been traveling like a young man for three months, idiot. Relax. Recharge your "cell phone" one more time then get a new one!!!!! https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/1/6/27/

Hare Krishna, dear Gurudeva. Pamho, AGTSP!

I hope you had a good day on your Vyasa puja.

HpS - It was very intense being the object of so much attention!

I honored you that day by going to the temple to Mangalartik; chantig many rounds; reading more about Srila Prabhupada; preparing my class on Thursday 26; giving a guru tattva-ASA class. Then I went to my house and made an exquisite Peruvian preparation that I shared with my niece (almost daughter) Destiny and with my mother.

HpS - Jaya! What was the preparation???

I have already sent you my personal report and now I send you the summary of my ideas about my participation in education at ISKCON by 2020. Points that we have been discussing with you and those in charge of education.

BHAKTI SASTRI

I have been teaching BS for 10 years. I have been developing the ASA program with some improvements. I would say that I am quite familiar with ASA ideas. I have been listening to you since 2001 when I met you just the day of your VP in January of that year.

So, I will give a final BS of one year, ten months, from March to December 2020. I will put all my effort to renew it once again and offer the best of myself and what I have learned from you. For example, each student will give a short class about each book with power point. Students will take oral exams of the verses, etc.

At the beginning of March I will take the exam to the group that is finishing 2019 and I will summon the students of two groups that could not take the exam.

I will also summon students who could not complete the course to join 2020 with the possibility of validating the parts they managed to develop in the past so that they can take the exam at the end of 2020.

I will also give the opportunity to older devotees to take the March or December 2020 exam prior to some training and delivering of their summaries and essays.

I hope that the administrative aspect is a help and not an obstacle to do all of the above. M. Candra Mukhi would be the examiner.

2021 will begin another era with a new BS program.

BHAKTI VAIBHAVA

I want to be actively involved in the improvement of the course. I agree with your ideas and based on that I will give my suggestions. I hope to be part of a more specific working group.

HpS - We are very, very weak. We are trying to develope the Bh. Vai. program in relation with the online course from Govardhana Ecovillage.

The suggestion of examination by Canto seems great to me. I plan to start teaching a new group in March. When the time for the exam comes I will give my previous students the opportunity to take the exam (They are like 15). Previous training. Again, I hope the administration will help meet these goals.

HpS - Me too! They are struggling just like us.

We also have to clarify the subject of essays and other requirements so that the old students, starting with me, will catch up with the new requirements. This administrative issue is a problem. My students are eager to study and have their certification. It would be a shame if the administration does not help this task.

HpS - If there are problems with the GBC administration we can always do something just among friends to evaluate ourselves and even give certificates, eg. the ASA Golden Banana of Everlasting Knowledge Award.

From 2021 I will only dedicate myself to BVB and my personal educational project.

DISCIPLES COURSE

In 2020 we will give a face-to-face course for those who wish to co-facilitate to be official ISKCON teachers. I will also join others I guess.

There are devotees who ask me for the online course, so we will give one last online course as well. Then those who have trained will be in charge.

We have also innovated that course since the time of NIMSAR. Something important was to include Ravindra Svarup prabhu's book among other things that I implemented later. It seems to me that some elements are still missing. For example, something basic is an analysis of Gurvastakam, etc.

OTHER COURSES: FACILITATION, COMMUNICATIONS, LEADERSHIP AND ADMINISTRATION, CONFLICT RESOLUTION.

I think it's time to have our own facilitators of those courses. It is very cumbersome and expensive to bring devotees from abroad. I think there are local devotees who would do very well.

Which leads to the issue of facilitator certification. So far it is requested that they have to co-facilitate to teach the course. I think this may be for devotees who are vocation educators and not professors it self.

There are devotees who are educators by profession and it would be enough to take the course to teach it. This situation has generated a kind of monopoly of some foreign facilitators that has prevented us from continuing to grow. This must end very soon.

HpS - Write to the Blog with your specific ideas for each small step. Inch by inch it is always a cinch!

I also have developed several workshops that I have directed in Arequipa, Cuzco, La Paz and Cochabamba (Bolivia). I'm good at it.

In ISKCON-Education Peru (Since they have killed personal and group initiatives, which I think is terrible because it has resulted in slowness and incomplete vision, etc.) we must create a curriculum that includes other things that we ,educators, have developed these years with local certification or something. If we are allow, because I really do not see the capacity for dialogue and convocation.

HpS - How about working with the Gandharva and the Karuna Krsna Das?

In any case, I will continue to help in whatever I can and in whatever they allow me.

I think there must also be other types of initiatives supported by ISKCON. If not, each one will look for ways to develop their own educational dreams. I've already started.

Thank you for your patience.

Your servant,

Laksmana-agraja

HpS - Go ahead with your own programs 100% and see how that inspires you to try to work with the institution. If you find that there is no one in the institution but Srila Prabhupada who understands you, it is normal in one sense, but if you have a relationship with Srila Prabhupada you will be like him. He was ready to teach and learn from anyone.

Haré Krishna Gurudeva mi correo es:

sarana. . . (ASA)

No entendí bien si quiere que yo le escriba también los correos de los candidatos a iniciación y a refugio?

HpS - Estamos en contacto por email with Caturatma Das, no???!! Si, no, otra vez su direccion.

Hare Krsna dear Gurudeva,

HpS = AGTSP. Paoho.

Please accept my humble obeisances

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!!

Gurumaharaja. Here my anual report (Did you file it in the Report section here in the Kapi Dhvaja? Has to have a copy there.) and a few questions and comments about the education program. Things are going well. After 10 months in this service we almost know what to do, with whom and how to do it.

I believe education is a matter that concerns to everybody, to every devotee but in different levels according to their needs. The key is to know what those needs are.

HpS - This is like the FIRST sentence of the Preface to Srila Prabhupada's SB, no???

For some of them, education is a sophisticated, inaccessible (and unnecessary) topic, for others the panacea for every affliction in life.

• I contacted Bhakta Rupa Prabhu who has been very kind in sending us the BS/BV forms and MOE's basic requirements for establishing both examination centers. We fulfill the BS requirements but BV is a little bit more complicated. We should work in improving this program but I trust things can be done in a mid term.

ASA - We have been working with the Govardhana Eco-village (GEV), Gauranga Darsana Das, and they are going to roll-out an online program in January for BhVai. We plan on integrating with that. We can have local groups that sign in as individual students for study and evaluation. Of course, it is in English, so we will need to translate it to Spanish, and take help from Yadunandana Swami, and some regular Peruvian school. We can start with the First Two Cantos.

• We have proposed ISKCON Chosica to be the operations center and asked Karuna Krsna Prabhu if he agrees with Isvari dd as Introduction to Bhakti yoga teacher, me as BS teacher and LAD as BV (BhVai)teacher. He was ok with it, but he wants to know your opinion about LAD leading the BV program (as a teacher). I think we all know each other pretty well and basically none of us are qualified to work alone. We have to be part and parcel of the Team Gauranga!
• The BV program needs an examiner. Any suggestions? Both, teacher (LAD) and examiner should have their diplomas. I'm going to ask Atul Krsna prabhu if they can give the BV exam to get their certificate.

Include us the dialog with Atul k. D. I might suggest that we do the examinations Canto by Canto with a certificate for each one. We could do a review course and then very quickly we would have certified teachers. Then we would have to certify the Examiners. I would say that a good standard for Examiners would be that they are BhVed students. Later the program could expand.

• Other preaching centers could have their own program. For example, San Borja is asking Ramacandra prabhu to teach BS. We think is ok, he is a skilled teacher but if they want to certificate they should apply to the unique assesment. Many programs, one exam, one examiner. Is this correct Gurudeva?

It is our idea. We have a big question bank of multiple choice questions for the first canto. We can automate them. We can steal them from the English groups. Then they have a big bank of open book essay questions on the Canto. They have to stand for an oral examination. which will be like 3 out of their ten essays. The three of which will be chosen right before their oral examination. Oral exam can be a lecture before Examiners and public with Examiners then asking specific questions. Pass the computer multiple choice test, pass the oral exam on the Canto, get the certificate.

A questionair about their moral and academic character eg. do you keep daily SB class? Who are your study partners, teachers? What are their e-mail addresses?.

• The next step is to consult the National Board and the GBC representative about the appointment of Candramukhi dd as BS examiner. Step by step.
• ATD told that you are travelling to Ecuador by may next year. If you allow me I can go with you and take advantage of the trip to talk with whoever is necessary and observe the development of educational programs.

Who is ATD? Yes, we can try to go.

• Today I'm sending my report to Tapana Misra prabhu.

On a personal level. I'm manifesting moderate knee problems and while time goes by it doesn't improve. There are two main medical treatments for cartilage osteoarthritis, but both contains substances of animal origin: collagen and glucosamine. Is very hard to find veggie glucosamine so I ask you what to do. Should I continue looking after alternative treatments or should I treat my problem with glucosamine whose main component comes from shellfish?

HpS - Check in the USA for vegetarian alternatives? Contact PETA or other organizations? Become the retail agent for the veg. option in Peru?

Otherwise it may be o.K. to use animal products for medical reasons from what I have heard of Prabhupada. Thank you for this letter. We want to stay in touch with you for this BhVai development.

Is Ramacandra Das an ISKCON member? Who is his GBC authority?

Thank you in advance for your answer.

Your servant

Gandharva dasa

Esteemed Loka Bandhu.. Please please post this to Reports on this Blog. We read part of it and it is too intimate for a full post here.

Thank you

HpS

Dear Maharaj,

Hare Krishna PAMHO AGTSP! AGTY!

Maharaj I am writing to give some updates on our journey to find our service in Srila Prabhupada's Sankirtan movement, Sadhana Report and to ask of you something.

We recently held the first Festival of Gratitude (piggy backing off the Thanksgiving holiday with the extended weekend) here in Boise. The Festival of Gratitude's mission is have an event that will increase devotees appreciation/gratitude for Srila Prabhupada and the process he has given us. With that increased appreciation devotees will be more enthusiastic to follow the process SP has given us and share it with others.

The theme of the festival is the 5 most potent devotional services; Deity, Devotee, Nam, Dham, Bhagavatam. Our focus was a nice Krsna Katha seminar on one of the 5 devotional services, nice Prasdam and nice Kirtan. We where very fortunate that Radhaka Raman Prabhu appreciated the spirit of the event and agreed to give his seminar on the Glories (Appreciation) of Srimad Bhagavatam.

We started Thursday with a huge Thanksgiving day Prasdam feast. Sri Sri Radha Bunkibihari had all homemade tofurky, nutloaf, mashed potatoes with gravy, steamed veggies with cheese sauce, fruit salad, pumpkin pie, cherry pie and apple pie.

HpS - Only God could survive that! Guess the rest of us can just look at it and offer our small service.

There was also cranberry sauce with paneer, candied yams, banana nut muffins, stuffing, pasta with cheese, celery with cream cheese or peanut butter and a few other dishes. I will attach a picture of the lay out the devotees took Prasdam from below.

Friday and Saturday we started the day with Guru puja and Srimad Bhagavatam classes given by Anantarupa Prabhuji with emphasis on appreciation of Srila Prabhupada. Then after breakfast Prasdam, Radhaka Raman Prabhu gave his seminar from 10:30am until 1:00pm. Even though it was 2.5 hours it seemed like 45 mins. It was such a wonderful seminar. I myself have recommitted to reading and studying SB and I know other devotees where also inspired. It was an amazing seminar.

Then in evening we had 2.5 - 3.5 hours of Kirtan and Dinner Prasdam. Saturday we finished with a family fun night and had Root beer floats, popcorn, reading from Gratitude tree and Srimad Bhagavatam charades. My wife, Alicia, did the kids program that went on during the seminar and that program was based on appreciating SP.

The kids and her initiated the gratitude tree which tree had some branches, then people wrote on a leaf about what they are thankful for and then tied the leafs to the tree. They encouraged the adults to write their own leafs. It was nice, there is also a picture of it below.

She also designed the shirts we gave as gifts to devotees, you will see a picture below of the sweatshirts. We gave sweatshirts to Anantarupa, Radhaka Raman, Anadi Radha as extra special gifts for helping so much with the festival. Also something very nice was that throughout the whole festival Sri Sri Radha Bunkibihari, Jaganatha, Baladev, Subadra, Guara-Nitai, Laxsmi-Narsimha and Srila Prabhupada all got nice fresh garlands (also pictured below). Normally everyday except Sunday only Sri Sri Radha Bunkibihari and SP get flower garlands.

We learned a lot from this science experiment, we learned more about ourselves in our abilities and weaknesses, what we could do better next time and how we can improve our organization. All to help improve our offering to SP. The devotees appreciated the festival, they encouraged us to continue the project and we agree its something we should continue. Anadi Radha Mataji, Nitisara Prabhu's wife, put a extreme amount of effort in to this festival and although it was almost too much she agrees that its something we should continue again next year.

We also were contacted by ISKCON News for an interview about the festival and did about an hour interview with them. Anantarupa Prabhji was pleased, he says Krishna was pleased because we had unexpected guest come to the festival and we were requested to do the interview. Radhaka Raman Prabhu was also pleased and was very encouraging to us.

Mahraj, is there any instructions you have on the Festival? What can I/we do better to please SP? What is my service in serving SP's sankirtan movement?

HpS - Hare Krsna. AGTSP. I don't think there is much we can say. It is so complete. I think it will expand automatically if you do it again. Maybe only a little focus on the four principles and sixteen rounds. Chanting Japa together. Seems super human to us.

Maharaj, I have been instructed by Srinvasacharya Prabhu to write and ask you to except me as a disciple soon as you will allow. He knows my heart in desiring to be your disciple. He gives his blessing and said to tell you that he believes I am ready for initiation. He said to ask if I maybe initiated in Huston while you are in the USA here in December for you Vyasa Puja celebration.

For more then one year I have been following the 4 regulative principles, chanting 16 rounds each day, getting up before 4 am (currently 3:30am), attending mangala arati and reading SP books (currently I am on 1.9.46 SB in my personal reading of SB). I have been begging Srila Prabhupada for his mercy to please except me into his family, please allow me to do some service and to please let me be formally initiated. I also have been reading your blog and KD regularly. Ananturupa Prabhji says that he will give me a letter of recommendation when and if you have given word that I maybe initiated. Srinivas said he would give me the disciples course whenever necessary so that I maybe initiated.

Maharaj, Will you please allow me to be your disciple and take diksa Harinam initiation from you? If you will accept me when may I take initiation? I will take care of the formalities needed like the TP letter and disciple course. I will fly to wherever necessary. Srinivas Prabhu also encouraged me in getting initiated as soon as I can, citing the story of the devotee who was to get initiated but his spiritual master left his body just before getting initiated.

Please bless me Maharaj that I may do some service for Srila Prabhupda and yourself, please bless me that I may become an exceptable offering to lie down at Srila Prabhupada's lotus feet.

Your aspiring servant,

Bhakta Nathen

HpS - If you have the Disciple Course and letter from Ananta-rupa Das then initiation seems fine. If you want to come to Houston we could do it then, but it might be rather quick to do it. Other option is to send your beads and then Anantarupa Das can organize the program there and we can be present by Skype etc. Other is wait until we visit West Coast, Boise, in January or February.

It is a formality, not without meaning, but the sacrifices you describe are the performance that has won Krsna, no? Respects to your good family!