Jaya Sri Krsna
Esteemed Professor,
We are making progress in leaps and bounds, but of course every day brings us closer to death. We have been having very debilitating stomach pains that can be diagnosed as incipient ulcer because of putting too much stress on our poor stomach.
When we want to “do” more, we eat more (than we can handle) and get a quick result in physical and mental energy but then the result of the mode of passion is immediate increase followed by subsequent prolonged decrease. We have to rest.
Now it has become so chronic (old age (a good friend for a philosopher)) that we just have to come to terms with it. We have to “feed our heart”. This seems to be working pretty well.
At heart we want to follow our, Acharya, Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami. I guess this is traditionally a natural desire. From that perspective the Yuga-dharma, Sri Krsna Sankirtan, is a practical duty for us, even on the verge of entering into an ecstatic relation with it, as is also natural, no?
In broader reference, the NIOS work: “Man Making…”, “Psychology and the Sacred”, has its natural stimulation as Sankirtan. Of course, we are realizing I am a psychologist and you are a historian, so I find it easier working in the “Psychology of the Sacred”, and you in “Man Making…”.
In terms of our team and NIOS’s global strategy, I also see the importance of putting the Peru Symposium first, but that is certainly an area where we are very amenable and eager to hear logic and reasoning from others.
Once our focus is fixed then the other details fall into place.
So,
- Give Brother Ass a rest.
- Work straight from the heart.
- The Peru Symposium is nominated as NIOS’s number one priority, but other projects such as helping ISKCON Ministry of Education, “Bharata-samskrti” promotion, “Man Making…” editing (writing) etc. are a natural part of our work behind this.
A very practical detail is that it is very hard for us to communicate by telephone to India. Our natural schedule is to get up early, even by 1.15AM, then by 9AM, after a much needed breakfast, we invariable collapse into a sound sleep for about 1-2 hours. Even if we stay awake for these much needed calls to India, we are too groggy!
Ooof. We shall solve this problem, no?
O.K. Assuming that (it is now 10.51AM, we have had our nap, morning Sadhana, and are enthusiastic (for awhile (sun is shinning outside and even though it is cold and winter it is beckoning us for a stroll (Kant was accused of using too many nested parenthetical phrases))) Peru symposium is in the forefront:
1. We have an official web-page from the Peruvian National Library (BNP) at:
ANNOUNCEMENT
http://www.bnp.gob.pe/portalbnp/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2796.
GENERAL
http://www.bnp.gob.pe/portalbnp/
It took a long struggle with bureaucracy and technical problems, translation and design, but there it is. We can refer anyone to our credentials.
2. Alejandro, our representative for this project in Peru, is now working with Prof. Miguel Polo, former Head of Department of Philosophy at San Marcos University, on a formal budget and agreement with the museum. They will provide EXCELLENT 450-seat auditorium, administrative infrastructure, name and reputation, heart, brains, and a ticket from England and USA by air with full hotel accommodation.
NIOS will donate $10,000, and manage several things.
The symposium will be for three days: 21-23 of June (Tuesday through Thursday). It will include incredible cultural items as well as individual presentations and panel discussions. Be packed full with selected university, church and society students and professors.
The magazine, Solaris, will present pre and post documentation and promotion of the contents.
One of the principal goals of the event is to form an Organizing Committee for a bigger (and for us final) event on the same theme in 2018. Ramon or someone commented, “In 2017 we will make a lot of friends and enemies, and in 2018 we will have your Battle of Kuruksetra”.
3. Probably five principal speakers, panelists, would be the proper number for three days, no? Then many other people could fit in.
Some now nominated are:
(By Ramon Mujica, Director the Museum)
Wolfgang Smith
Darrol Bryant
Seyyed Hosein Nasr
(By HpSwami)
Shonu Shamdasani
Samaresh Bandhyopadyay (Nandini Bandhyopadyay)
4. Shonu is professor in the history of medicine from the University of London, College of Medicine, and as far as we see the currently the lead scholar on Jung and publishing his very seminal and vastly untouched work. Honestly without him we would lose 85% of our enthusiasm for this project.
There has been question that your good self is a historian and not a psychologist, but our feeling is that you are a poly-math, expert in many things. I feel that you, I and Ravi should co-author at least one paper, presentation.
The second reason that I would like very, very much for you and Mrs. Bandhyopadyay to come is that the National Museum is right next door to the National Library, and National Library means vaults with 400-year old manuscripts etc. Of course, numismatics, epigraphy and general archeology are dialogs that you can make with local scholars that will shake the world. We would like for you to come with Ravi, his family and more and more friends on Monday the 20th. We would participate in the symposium. The ladies could go for a fantastic shopping spree, and cultural tour and very much have a youth and children’s component in the program.
Then we would very much like to see the prominent television shows host you and Matiji for cultural exchange. We see the Indian Ambassador’s office is ready to help in all aspects. You will find the Peruvian community so much like Kolkata, warn, intellectual, dignified. We feel that Mrs. Bandhyopadyay, if she brings along a collection of pictures of her Aunts, Grandmother, carriages etc. will drive the ladies in Peru to ecstasy. Here they (and she) will see two cultures that are so parallel for so many years that the value for self-identification will be unlimited. “And finally Nandini, before you grace us with another wonderful song, what are things actually like for a mother now in Bengal? How are you educating your daughter and grand-daughters with all these ideas coming from the USA?”
You please stay for one week after the program and we do the exchange with the Museum and also fix very good relations between the Peruvian and Indian academic communities with the aim for making a world where we can all live in peace, prosperity and friendship with a common cause.
Oooof! I feel like Kar Marx. Now it is 11.24AM. Of course, you can see that this vision is based upon a LOT of work and seems quite practical. I think you can also see that one letter like this a day is really all we, in our sinful USA old age, can handle. Tomorrow we will work on the letter for Prof. Shyamdasani, and follow it up with phone calls etc.
O.K. We will review this letter now.
We are getting a headache (should be a heartache, no?). Our stomach is peaceful, and then read from the Bhagavata for our classes on Saturday.
O.K? Are we sane? You are our Principal Advisor for NIOS.
HpSwami (Prof. Huber H. Robinson)
CC: Selected friends and Advisors.
