Letters to the editor

Sannyasi, Guru, GBC Sanga

Hare Krsna, Braja-bihari and Anuttama Das et al,

We are in Mexico for five packed days then off to India. We will be presenting at University of Madras, Kolkata, Bombay etc. etc.   We finish with the three days of SGGS in Mayapura. We gave some comments about the Sanga to your good selves but have not been able to follow up. We are planning on developing some thoughts in writing in association with other. This letter will hit our Blog for reactions and advice.

1. The highest truth is reality distinguished from illusion for the welfare of all.

2. The first year, we attended, and there was one day of break-out sessions where we non-GBC Guru/Sannyasis had a chance to exchange views without GBC devotees presence. I think it was Bhakti-rasamrta-sindu Maharaja who made the statement that in Bhuddhism that the Sangha (Administrative work) is meant to serve the Sanga (association). There was a very broad feeling that the non-administrative Sannyasis needed more time to talk about there individual experiences of the current and fututure GBC-Sannyasis relationship. I know I submitted a request that we have another break out session to do that, but it didn't happen.

3. Within the last two months one Grhastha guru and one Sannyasi both told me when I asked if they were attending the SGGS this year that it really seemed to be inclined toward the 'GBC pushing their agenda' and they weren't planning on going at that time. I was a little shocked to hear this comment, but analyzing why I didn't go last year etc. I realized that that was a part of the reason for myself also. Others included just schedule conflict.

4. Prahladananda Swami is our Minister of Sannyasa services. When I asked him if he was going to present at the Sanga he said, "No", but he hoped to see us there. Shouldn't he be offered an assignment for presenting???

5. I really feel that this movement is strong enough now to run a candidate for President of the United States. If we do then these Socio-political questions will become even more important.

6. These are my opinions, perspectives. One opinion that I hold very strongly is that my opinions are limited or incorrect often enough that I need feedback all the time. tyhank you.

Vrindavana Dhama Mahimamrta - Sataka One - Trans. Kusa Krata Das

45 O, look at Vrndavana, so beautiful with many blissful, splendid groves of kalpa-vrksa trees, with many parrots and other birds intoxicated by singing Vedic hymns glorifying Krsna, with many deers so pleasing to Krsna, with splendid transcendental lakes, ponds and streams, all filled with water sweet as nectar, and with mountains of valuable jewels.

46 Is this the wonder of the Supreme Personality of Godhead’s opulence? Is this the wonderful sweetness of the shoreless nectar ocean of transcendental bliss? Is this the seed of many splendid kalpa-vrksa forests? Is this Vrndavana, the glorious and wonderful transformation of pure love for Krsna?

47 Where do all people automatically and effortlessly obtain pure ecstatic love for Krsna? Where does the Supreme Personality of Godhead manifest His supremely wonderful pastime form? Where is the empire of the bliss of devotional service to Krsna’s lotus feet manifest? O brother, listen I will tell you a secret. All this is present here in Vrndavana.

Dear Guru Maharaja, please accept my humble obeisances.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

These days we are doing the renovation of the flat we live in. Specifically, the temple/living room and the hall. For that we have finances. The house is 45 years old and it needs fixing. There was mold on the walls. Air was going through the windows, which is nice in the summer but not in the winter. The restoration will include the windows, walls, floor, electric wiring. For furniture we do not have finances right now.

HpS - ASA -- Very nice! If you die soon it will mean good income for you descendents when you sell it also!

Doing all that work and living and working in the same place takes a lot of energy and good organization, cleaning, etc.

Reading Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur's commentary on Bhagavad-gita.

ASA - Jaya!! Please share what you read... !

One point is that BG we have to interpret, only rightly so. For example, Krsna says to Arjuna”Fight”. This does not mean that I should go to war and kill people around. It means, do your duty, according to your nature, by following Krsna's plan (which is a good plan for everyone) and [hopefully] for His satisfaction.

I'm in the process of digesting our last exchange.

Next two weekends will spend with devotees doing bhajans.

Health challenge – for years dealing with lack of energy. Few months ago diagnosed with high lactose intolerance. Was doing Bioresonance therapy and it looks the intolerance is normalized. Still, have to take care of intake of milk products. Also, the sciatic pain and general back pain are there. When standing or walking 2 to 4 hours, the spine pain is so strong that I almost cannot think. Trying to do yoga asanas to mitigate, as it looks there are no other things that are there to rejuvenate the “dwindling machine”.

HpS - Do you have Iyengar Yoga studio where you live?

Catching up with your classes on e-sanga and Saturday StartMeetings.

Your servant Namacarya das

HpS - Thank you very, very much for you association.  We are planning on making a strong contribution to the Sannyasi Guru GBC Sanga in Mayapura the 10-13th of February. Is there a collection of instuctions (guess mostly letters) that Prabhupada gave on the topic, especially the instruction that the GBC position could be for life?

Todas las glorias a Srila Prabhupada

Querido Gurudeva

Por favor acepte mis más humildes reverencias

HpS - Hare Krsna, Rodrigo Magno!

Espero que se encuentre muy bien. Acá bhakta Rodrigo de Santiago de Chile. Hace mucho mucho mucho tiempo que yo no escribo a usted, han pasado meses desde mi última carta.

HpS - Si..... .      .                .

Siendo bien honesto, yo no me encuentro muy bien. Desde septiembre hasta ahora me ha tocado vivir con mucha ansiedad, muchos problemas en casa, en mi vida. Muchos problemas.

Ahora me siento muy cansado y triste, con muy poca energía vital. Muy poca energía en mi corazón y mi cuerpo. Estoy pasando por una crisis en todos los aspectos de mi vida. Estoy cantando muy pocas rondas.

HpS - Espera que el momento de la muerte va a ser mejor, o ...  la misma, pero peor? !

Tuve una crisis nerviosa muy fuerte de la cual me estoy recuperando. Ahora en diciembre he tenido que ir 4 veces al médico. Nuestra depresión bipolar está controlada, no es una crisis bipolar, pero sí una crisis nerviosa.

En septiembre mi padre se operó de un ojo porque tenía problemas en su visión. Él tuvo que descansar un mes, pero la operación salió mal y esta semana su médico le dirá si es necesaria una nueva operación.

Entonces nosotros, mi madre, mi hermano y yo, tuvimos que trabajar mucho más tiempo en su antiguo almacén (Neighborhood store). En otra carta me gustaría hablar a usted sobre este negocio familiar.

Mi madre se está haciendo varios exámenes porque hay un problema en su cerebro. Muy pronto el doctor nos dirá si es necesario operar su cerebro. Mi madre es súper súper bipolar. Yo tengo una relación compleja, difícil. Es como “amor y odio”.

Mi madre está muriendo día a día, se está volviendo loca, demencia senil. Ella toma muchos medicamentos para la depresión bipolar. Ella es adicta al cigarrillo y a la coca cola. Todo, todo el día fuma cigarrillos y toma coca cola.

Cambiando de tema:

HpS - Por que!  Es bien interesante. Claro, loco, pero no aburrido. Puede escribir un biografia bueno.

Me gustaría contarle que ahora en noviembre estuvo de visita en Chile SG. Visuddha Sattva prabhu. Él es un gran erudito, un sabio y una persona muy muy muy especial. A nosotros (Dharma Comunicaciones) nos tocó organizar una conferencia.

Prabhu Visuddha-sattva es el traductor de la obra completa del poeta Rene Daumal. Rene Daumal es un poeta francés que vivió en la misma época que los surrealistas europeos (André Breton y amigos).

Nuestra amiga Marisol Vera de la Editorial Cuarto Propio se reunió con Prabhu Visuddha Sattva y a fines del 2017 la Editorial Cuarto Propio espera publicar en Chile las obras completas de Rene Daumal.

Yo he estado pensando mucho en Prabhu Raktak y su ejemplo, también pensando mucho en cómo dejó el cuerpo Prabhu Prahlad Nrisimha dasa y pensando también en Gunagrahi das (Swami).

En mi caso tengo tantos anarthas, tantas contaminanciones. Si yo sigo en Conciencia de Krishna es únicamente gracias a la misericordia de Usted.

Me hace mucha falta estar con usted.

Este año mi terapeuta, la doctora Sofía Vera Peruzzi, me dijo algo muy hermoso:

“Mi corazón y el tuyo nunca se despiden”.

Sofía NO  es mi psiquiatra, es mi terapeuta y una de las mujeres más maravillosas en mi vida. Yo hablo mucho a Sofía de usted.

Su inútil sirviente,

Bhakta Rodrigo

HpS - Hare Krsna.  Su carta es bien interesante.

1. Tenemos que acceptar que podemos morir en cual quiere momento.
O.K? [     ]

2. La energia de la alma, de Krsna, es eterno e ilimitable. Si, el quiere retrasarla del cuerpo y mente vamos a morir. Entonces - tenemos que cerciorarse (ascertain) cuanto energia tenemos. A veces es muy poco. Solamente mueve nuestros labios. O.K. cantando Hare Krsna y bailando como podemos.

Es gran regalo de Krsna. Apreciando nuestra fuente de energia subtil, transcendental y utilizando.

3. NO ESFORZANDO HACER COSAS AFUERA DE LA ENERGIA QUE KRSNA COMPARTA CON NOSOTROS.

Entonces, no hay verguenza. No hay estress. Dejando su cuerpo de esta manera puede ser feliz.

Si puede, escribir otro cartas. Puede guardar esta carta para un libro.

Conozco Visuddha-sattva Das para muchismos anos. Era siguiedor de B. S. Swami muy fuerte y hemos pasado bastante tiempo en relacion intima.

Hare Krsna Dear Maharaja,

PAMHO, All  Glories to Srila Prabhupada!

This month i have meditated in the different steps of devotees development. How we deal with different situations

For mercy of Krsna this year has been a hard battle to keep the enthusiasm and to help others in the same.

Maya is very expert warrior, she knows how camouflage himself very well, I am very amazed of her, and  I must recognize that she to do a good service.

Thanks to her I am understand that I do not have any options more that surrender to Krsna.

I read in SBG  1.15.27, Arjuna mentions that instructions of Krsna alleviate burning heart in all circumstances, kala and space (place). Then SP mentions that Krsna left BG for people who do not have time to review others books.

Then I think about the mission of books distribution, it is achieved they have the books But now it must be ensured they understand the message and this is part of educational job and this mission is so large and deep as to distribute books, in order to provide people that help others to understand this study is necessary more educational offers, at least there should be 3 educational groups.

What do you think?

Very thankfull for your advice.

Your spiritual niece

Ys isvari dd

HpS - ASA --- Thank you very much for your efforts. Unless we go on like you have be doing, it is going to get very dark and cold and Kali yuga will conquer everywhere.

We should have Bh S, Bh Vai etc. Srila Prabhupada designed these, and they should be practical training for Sankirtan, but... there are so many ways to do Sankirtan. Even a dog can take part in this movement and dance in ecstacy, no?  So we need dancing schools for dogs!

Cats!

Rats!

Bats!

We can teach Sankirtan the way we know it and can relate to it from our perspective. Develop YOUR Sankirtan then look for people who can take part of it for their benefit! !

Hare Krsna Maharaj, Pamho, AgtSP
You are the one person, because of which, are hanging on Hare Krsna movement.  Hence your opinion matters to us most.

HpS - Not, to joke, you are a very, very central example for us of determination. You face such challenges, but you don't give up.

We wrote broken record as subject, as this has been in our mind for many years>>

 We hear from many people that Srila Prabhupada's sister was married to strange man. She was elevated devotee, but still she decided to cook meat for him. can you please give your comments on that ?  -- we are asking you because we keep hearing from you save yourself first.. this action of her seems to be contrary to that.

similarly, when its other way around, for man , is has been adviced to us by three counsellors to follow illicit sex.  one of them even say he follows it, he is second intiated devotee and  his wife not interesed in ultimate goal of life. we have heard in one public/recorded seminar  of chowpatty, illicit sex is unfavorable but not having it mainer times disastorous for family life.

one more female authority (a big shot) illicit sex
" My understanding of the "bottom line" of illicit sex in grhastha life is: only with husband/wife without chemical or mechanical means to avoid pregnancy normal sexual relations (right organ with the right object, as the Buddhists say) with an attitude of offering to Krsna one's body, one's emotional relationship with the spouse and any children that result accepting physical and emotional pleasure as the Lord's mercy to be a brahmacari-grhastha one would also limit sex to the days in the month when the woman is fertile"

we have some how convinced now, that there are some or may be many, first/ second intiated devotees of almost all  intiating gurus they indulge in illicit sex (not for procreation),  it happens even when both husband and wife are intiated....


seeing both cases one of no meat eating and no illicit sex. whats your opinion on family life and four rules.. esp when once you said four rules are not themselves spiritual.

HpS - AGTSP!   This is bizaare. Just five minutes ago I got a letter from a devotee in Germany who has been under weight for over a year. His doctor told him that he may die if he continues vegetarian diet. He asked me about eating some meat to put on weight:

We wrote: [10:48:26 AM] hp swami: It is a difficult question. In one Purport Prabhupada says that if the cows are being given enough grains, but at not producing milk and people are starving, then it is lamentable, but you CAN kill the cows to feed starving people.
[10:48:45 AM] hp swami: He doesn't say that you MUST kill the cows.
[10:51:19 AM] hp swami: So, one aspect is that you can make the choice, and tell your doctor, that I have decided that I will not kill a cow (pig, sheep (chicken(fish))) so that I can live. I would rather let my life go than kill them. Of course, I have written what I understand is the hierarchy above of how much suffering is being inflicted: child>cow> sheep/pig> chicken> fish> plants
[10:52:49 AM] hp swami: As far as I know there is just as much protein in beans, milk; and oils in those sources. It may be more expensive because there is subsidy to the meat industry, but it is there. Are you getting lots of cheese and strong beans every day?
[10:53:49 AM] hp swami: Meat is less digestible as far as I know also.

We have never heard Prabhupada say that Pisima cooked chicken or goat for her husband. Sometimes a Muslim cook is hired or the whole process goes on outside the house.

In over 10,000 pages of written communication from Prabhupada in his most intimate condition, we have read Prabhupada repeatedly say that all of his initiated disciples must chant 16-nice rounds daily and follow the four principles strictly. It does not mean that he won't try to be Vartmana pradarsika guru for you, get you back, or, for the first time, onto the path, but he is not your Diksa-guru until you are followning. We "can hardly expect him to come back for us if we don't sincerely follow his orders given at the time of iniation". Orders that he knows we can follow eventually and Krsna will help.

These are quotes.

In the beginning Marijuana may help you realize the mental platform above the gross physical platform, but later it is poison. In the beginning, giving unatural sex, receiving, may be a show of love, like giving excess candy to children who demand it, and then suffer diabetes attack.

Even as an institution, there is direct GBC statement with, as far as I know, not one dissenting vote, that anything other than sex between married couple during wife's time of conception, after chanting. 50-rounds is conducted in the mode of ignorance and there will stupid results, in larger or lesser degree.

If you engage a woman or let her engage in illicit sex, just to relieve tension in the body, pleasure, then she will be FORCED to experience just the same amount of pain, and you will her here screaming, moaning in just as much PAIN as there was PLEASURE.

This world is duality.

..and she will NOT be able to pull her mind away from the pain. The Bhagavatam says that one who engages women in illicit sex is a torturer of women.

]]-But it will save the marriage.

That is not a "marriage". It is an agreement between a prostitute and her client. [[Let us call it a cortesan and her lover.]]

]]-But it will save the children.

From what? If the wife leaves and gets a long-term 'contract' with a "lover", "marriage", then in the end the children will know, KNOW, K N O W, the message my father and mother gave me. My father upheld the standard and he's happy. My Mom was a little bit too weak, so she divorced, found a like minded Dude. They fornicate 3.2 times/week (USA standard 1965), fight, but keep it to that, and now at 65 my mom smokes, drinks a little, shares the house with my father and watches television.

That is how we understand the situation.

100% it is your sincerity and your relation with Krsna. If that is there then maybe you have to break 25,000 regulative principles (for Brahmanas) and become a bacteria and copulate with your entire body, but Krsna will be closer to you, the amoeba, than an insincere Brahmana (like us).

O.K????   Thank you so much for your news of so called Senior devotees who are  . . .

<img alt="devil" height="23" src="http://hps.monkeywarrior.com/sites/all/libraries/ckeditor/plugins/smiley/images/devil_smile.png" title="devil" width="23" /> .ASA.

From: Luis De La - Bhadra rupa Das

To: HpSwami

Cc: Ramanan Nagarajan Sent: Thursday, December 1, 2016 4:20 AM
Subject: Importante

Dear Maharaj Hanuman Presaka Swami,

My obesiances

Jay Srila prabhupada!

Thank you very much for your message and your wonderful association!

Your paper of education helped me a lot Maharaj . Thank you very much! 

I will wait for your reply about Radhika Raman Prabhu. statements.

HpS - Hare Krsna.   I sent him a text about our trip to India and he has not yet responded to that, so I suspect he is very busy and do not want to push him, but this weekend I will call him by the grace of God and ask him for some statement about the Harvard Symposium.

Ah!  Ha!    I just thought to Google "ISKCON 50 Harvard" and there it is. Is that enough for you?

1.- Would you have some written information about the process to attain knowledge within the vaishnava perspective in comparison with the western approach? i would like to explain it in my speech.

HpS - Again, the Introduction to the Sri Isopanisad: Iso Introduction, is a fantastic summary of our epistemology. In turn it is a summary of Jiva Goswami's 'Tattva sandarbha", as far as I know, which, as far as I know, is our definitive statement on epistemology. The only thing I might add is that it goes through induction, deduction, deduction based upon Vedas and stops there, but then there is knowledge gained by 'insight', 'intuition', the super soul. for that you can see BG 10.10-11. O.K?

Maharaj the university asked me yesterday to include in my speech at the parliament about the contributions from music.

2.- Could you please send me your verbal statements or something you have written about the gifts to practice music for the physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual levels?

Will this do?
In Indian, Vedic tradtion, the word Veda can be taken to mean 'wisdom'. Vastu-veda is then the path to wisdom though architecture, city, planning etc; Danda-veda the same through political science; Ayur-veda through medicine; and Gandharva-veda through music, dance and drama.
In the West the tradition of drama comes through Aristotle who saw the plot as the essence of the drama. This passes down through a long history of theory and practice to such recent authorities as Constantin Stanislavskii and later Paul Sills, whose influence we see see pervasive in the way cinema is now produced.

This can be read in the Britannica, Stanislavskii's autobiography, "My Life in Art", and "Improvisation for the Theater" by Viola Spolin.

In Indian the tradition starts Bharata Muni about 500 B.C., and this is wonderfully described by Prof. David Haberman in the Introduction to his translation of  "Bhakti-rasa-amrta-sindhu", a most prominent work on Gandharva-veda in the modern times.
Bharata-munis idea was that music, dance, opera, drama, was not just about the story, but more about changing the perspective that the audience had. In Sanskrit this would be Bhava or Buddhi. We act. We think. We understand.

This ability of music, which if it is good, automatically results in a desire to dance, and then act out the meaning of the song, is its real glory. In the BRS Rupa Goswami presents all the elements of music, opera, spiritual opera, from the time of Bharat to the very prominent Saint Sri Krsna Caitanya, who showed how music can drag us to the lower centers of our body or lift us to the higher ones, then beyond the body to the functions of the mind and then finally take us to the non-material ecstacies in love of God which is rich in the history of all religions traditions.
 

Thank you very much Maharaj!

Your servant,

Bhadra Rupa das