Letters to the editor

hare krisna gurudev!!

please accept my humble obeisances,

all glories to Srila Prabhupada!!

if it is possible i want a copy of tpp cb 8

now i have a new postal adress which is cordoba 3412 mar del plata, buenos aires argentina, zip code 7600.

i moved sama our health center, now a new challenge, ayurvedic style sankirtan.

i think that this tpp cbs are pure nectar, as you said the backbone of ASA. esoteric reading from an esoteric branch.

we already made three copies to local devotees and are sending two copies to peru next week.

we are asking devotees who receive the copies if it is possible to them to make two copies each to distribute.

we would like also to know who has tpp cb 1,2,3,4 and 7 so we get the whole collection.

your words heal. Mistic magic, supersoul. i'm keeping the pace with my rounds, UTSAHA!!

HpS - ASA - AGTSP paoho. Japa, Japa, Japa!  Get up early and get your rounds done.
As soon as we finish this little mail we will go for printing Tpp-Cb8 and make a copy for MDP, Lokanatha Das and anyone else we see in the few more recent letters.

CB1-7 are in folders just across he room. We can talk with Uncle Piggy about making copies and sending to the New Govardhana, Ayurvedic Ashrama.

At your lotus feet,

Nikunja Bihari das.

Your Holiness,

                         Please accept my prostrated obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

I desired to write articles on the interface of science and spirituality and you were very kind to me to recommend that I write to you on this website. I do apologize again for my delay and also thank you for giving me a second chance.  With your consent, I will now proceed to render some service.

I  pay my prostrated obeisances to Maharaja again. Then I pay my prostrated obeisances to Srila Prabhupada. Then I pay my obeisances to all the spiritual masters in the line of disciplic succession.  Finally I pay my obeisances to Vraja Kishore and Vraja Kishori. With the dust of the lotus feet of all of them on my head, I try to render some service, however meager may it be.

HpS - ASA - AGTSP paoho. This is a little bit esoteric Blog for our ASA members. At www.jayarama.us you can get more description of ASA. You are in Chicago Temple? We talked with Nityananda-pran Das about visiting there.

Richard Dawkins has written many books. I must accept that I do not know how much of an impact he has had on the people of the world. Srila Prabhupada wanted his disciples to defeat atheists and their arguments against the existence of God.  From the little I have seen on the internet and in my interaction with people, Mr Dawkins is considered a prominent atheist. Thus I have decided to study his book, “the God Delusion” and present before people his arguments and how they could be misleading. So I propose to submit some articles with the aforesaid goal in mind. The first article is given below.

HpS - Have you read the "Dawkin's Delusion"?  Alister McGrath was the Head Theologian at Oxford, no?

The Dawkins Delusion

Reference taken from:

Book: The God Delusion

Publisher: Black Swan, paperback edition

Page number:138

"However statistically improbable the entity you seek to explain by invoking a designer, the designer himself has got to be at least as improbable." The above quotation is found in the book "The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins, page no: 138.This is the first and foremost argument that Richard Dawkins gives us in chapter four entitled “why there is almost certainly no God”. His argument is (I am just rephrasing) as follows:

It is very improbable that life evolved, unassisted by God. Thus, the existence of God, must be at least as improbable as the evolution of life because life happens to be designed by God Himself. Thus the existence of God is very improbable. Thus there is almost certainly no God.

This argument has impressed a lot of people all over the world and is one of Dawkins’ most amazing arguments, going by how he has ‘freed’ people from the God ‘delusion’ with this masterstroke. However much as I would like to agree with Dawkins, (because free sex and meat become easy to enjoy…, or so it seems…) I have to raise my hand and ask a meek question.

This form of reasoning seems flawed for the following reasons:

If God is allowed to exist then it is He who is causing life to evolve the way it has (if there was any evolution).  If you see a watch and know that  the watchmaker (who can see) exists, then what is the probability that the watch was designed by the watchmaker ? At least very high. Then we do not worry about the various permutations and combinations involved in the construction of the watch.  We know with great certainty that the watch was constructed by the watchmaker and there is little doubt about it.

If God is not allowed to exist then life has evolved due to a blind, random process. If you see a watch this time and know that there exists no watchmaker it is only then that you wonder about the permuatations and combinations of the various arrangements in the watch and wonder how the watch came into existence, unassisted by a watchmaker. It is only then that you wonder how the watch came into existence from clay and mud etc. It is only then that you calculate the probability of the watch coming into existence.

You cannot say there is God, yet He has nothing to do with the evolution of life, and that because life evolved by a blind process, whose probability is very low, the probability of God’s existence is also low.

Either life evolved due to the will of God or due to a blind process.  It is difficult to see, how both have simulateously taken place.

Let's say you see a building. What is the probability that the building came about as a result of a hurricane during which matter got amalgamated to produce the building ?. Very Low. What is the probability that the building was built by an engineer? Very high. Now will you say that because it is very improbable that the building was assembled during a hurricane, that the poor enginner who built the building has a similar low probability of existing?  Compare this example to an analogous setting where you can replace the engineer with God, the building, with life and the hurricane with evolution, and you will understand the point I am trying to make. 

If Mr Dawkins feels that the Darwinian evolution has a very low probability of happening, then he should maybe question his own understanding that life had to evolve that way, rather than catch hold of a theists collar and insist that the theist’s Creator has a very small probability of existing. Rather it is the theist who can point out to Mr Dawkins that since it is very unlikely that life evolved, maybe it just didn’t happen.

HpS - ASA - The wiki-pedia gives a nice list of refutations, comments on Dawkin's book, no?

The argument that you listed above seems very very strange. "Very little chance that a watch was created by chance, therefore very little chance that God was created by chance." O.K. then then natural conclusion is that neither God nor the watch was created by Chance. That seems very simple, natural way to investigate.

Bertram Russel commented (we hear) that the most important concept in the 20th century is the concept of chance, because no one has the slightest idea what it means.

A chance or random event is an event the outcome of which cannot be predicted.

Doe such an event exist???? Who has demostrated this.

We look up the etymology of "Chance" and it just means the dice fell out of the cup. Seems again to be a very strange idea on which to base you investigation. The same as Vedic, "neti neti", no? Not this, not this, but some people do NOT want to know. They prefer ignorance in the hope of "free sex and hot meat". Guess they are headed to become amoeba. The amoeba can enjoy these two with his whole body, not just his tongue, no?

Thank you!

Hare Krsna dear Guru Maharaja <img alt="smiley" height="23" src="http://hps-d6.monkeywarrior.com/sites/all/libraries/ckeditor/plugins/smiley/images/regular_smile.png" title="smiley" width="23" />. Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!<img alt="heart" height="23" src="http://hps-d6.monkeywarrior.com/sites/all/libraries/ckeditor/plugins/smiley/images/heart.png" title="heart" width="23" />

By your causeless mercy I got to put my hands and eyes, and hopefully reason, and most hopefully heart into this nice book by TKG and Garuda Prabhu. Is not an easy read with all the english words that I do not see often, so had to read with dictionary, but also not an very heavy read. 

Please find down my foolish notes of the reading.

HpS - AgtSP. We also have to use a dictionary. He is using the technical language of Theologians.

~*~

Until now (Friday, July 18, 2014) I read the Introduction and chapters 1 to 3.

Maybe is one of first time I read such an academic work. Book which is made according to academia. I do not feel and have need now to comment on the book itself, just will share points that I find interesting. Actually, these are not all points that struck me, but for the reason of time I will present few.

• In connection to different studies of ISKCON – never imagined that so many studies have been done about ISKCON, albeit with discrepancies. Funny to see how a person made study of devotees by making the study of a community that is known as not up to the ISKCON standard. Also, to note that even though a person may have some talent as an academic, still that does not make him professional and fully to the point. That may be seen by many studies that had wrong approach. It reminds me of a point that whatever talent a person have, that should be used in service of Krsna, if not, it almost seems useless. I say that even though it sounds fanatical <img alt="angel" height="23" src="http://hps-d6.monkeywarrior.com/sites/all/libraries/ckeditor/plugins/smiley/images/angel_smile.png" title="angel" width="23" />
• There are nice histories of Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati and Srila Prabhupada. Incredible how a manjari comes into material world in a family of a sakta worshipers, does not approach the Vedas, all to up some point and then does an incredible work in preaching and writing.
• There is nice description of what books SP used for doing his work of writing books. The summaries of SB chapters are by Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati. SP starts using them from the end of 4th Canto.
• Sweet revelation by Garuda Prabhu of word ‘gauda’ and its connection to the essence of Gaudiya vaisnavism
• Description of paribhasa sutra of SB given by Jiva Goswami. What is paribhasa sutra and which verse it is.
• Nice historical account of ISKCON, and how others see/saw ISKCON
• The point how a selective out-of-context readings of topics of SP books is wrong and brings to wrong conclusion
• There is mention of Bhaktivonoda’s   Dasa-mula-tattva which are then dividedinto sambhanada , abhideya and prayojana setting
• In chapter 3 (collage setting) there is  astonishing expression of  situation where SP describes his faith as “practically lost” due to bad association!
• Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati introduced bhakti-sastri in 1919, and there was also some kind of study called acarya

Basically, up to now, we were exploring the past of Srila Prabhupada. Now we are ready to hear about his two mahavakyas.  Can’t wait to dive into the nectarean ocean.

~*~

Thank you.

Your servant Namacarya das 

HpS - ASA - We read a lot of it several years ago, but we are going through more seriously now. We are still on the Introduction.

One of our very important notes is the citation on Page Four Julius Lipner. As far as I understand he is one of the top authorities in Indological studies and to be able to cite his evaluation of the book would have great weight in Indological circles. Other scholars cited are known as devotees within academic community or I don't know their social standing.

We go on, running in the dust of your progress.

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

First of all, thank you very much for clearing some doubts in my recent letters. The taxi-job was cancelled, not enough contracts to maintain me and a few others. Fortunately, it was necessary to again get into that car to come to a few realizations, one of which is that i need to learn a new skill. All things considered, i decided to investigate my ability for learning Java programming. For starting any new project, so i was told, i should ask the blessing of three brahmanas. Can i have your blessing please?

              HpS - ASA --- Jaya! May all 'Endless Do Loops' and 'Conditional If Statements' remind you of Krsna at the time of death.

We had some nice programs in our temple, and i spent some time with the brahmacaris there. We have the good fortune of having a nice sanga. Not devotees for many decades, but a dedicated group, mainly consisting of thirty something year olds. The temple functions with a council now, after several decades of swiftly changing presidents. As a reply to your question, i'm not in communication, although i was asked last year. I like to, but i see myself in need of some more purification, as i am likely to say things that could make our ISKCON look stoopid. Still a bit too fanatical too. So i'm still in publications.

Can you help me understand how Lord Mahaprabhu, being Krishna Himself, is manifesting Lord Krishna's 64 qualities? 

HpS - ASA - AGTSP Paoho. Well, He manifests all the qualities that the Jivas have, that's obvious, no? He is expert judge of time and place, He is fluent in all languages, He is expert. But the special four qualities that Krsna manifests, eg. playing a flute, surrounded by pretty girls, He doesn't manifest those, but He glorifies them and then that is also stimualtion for love, Vibhava - Uddipana.

Also, we reached a dead end in a discussion about what really is ether. Is it just space, or is there more to it? For instance, the experiment with ringing an alarmclock in a vacuum, that caused the clock to be silent (or so i was told), creates some confusion for us laymen. For then, where do sound and radiowaves travel? Can you enlighten us please?

HpS - ASA - AGTSP As far as we can understand ether, 'kham', is space. Sometimes there is air in space and then that can conduct a certain kind of wave. If there is no gross air then subtle sound like, radio-waves can be transmitted. The planets are held in place by "wind ropes". We say gravity, but it is Prana, air, in Prabhupada's language. So radion waves agitate this type of Prana. The air we breath is more gross.
In space there is no air, texture. It is just what geometry describes, a way to orgnize grosser things, here, there, connected, not connected. Geometers would understand.

Where is Micro-soft word? Where is geometry? Where is Chemistry?

Looking forward to the ongoing blog activity! Thank you for being a guiding light!

Your junior devotee disciple,
Raghava Pandita dasa

       HpS - Blake has a poem, "When Falling Souls Take to Burning Light". I hope we are spiritually illuminating. Jaya Srila Prabhupada

Hare Krsna Guru Maharaj,
Please accept our humble obeisances.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

We inquired the head of the Synergy school if she was aware of the Educational Symposium. Nampriya Mataji is aware and we were both hoping to have the symposium projected for the teaching staff.

HpS - ASA -- AGTSP paoho. Very nice to hear from you. Please call Mother Subhra Devi Dasi immediately and register. 209 918-9058 or you may not get a Seat. 

We have also received the Tava Pache Pache Manuscript Afterwards to the Nectar of Instruction and we felt very fortunate to be able to read it especially considering it is hand written and illustrated!  Bhakta Nick and even our 3 year old enjoyed the illustrations and poetry. Aja was very captivated! Our opinion is it is a great book to motivate a KC family of all ages to study Upadesamrta and should be read by all!!! 

On a side note it would also be a great zine, photocopied with a nice thick paper cover, maybe a watercolor of Rupa Goswami's Samadhi??? For the sections that have song references, possibly a folded copy of the song can be glued and folded in half so it is easy for readers to sing immediately! We will also be teaching 3rd and 4th graders and we feel this study guide will really captivate them with pictures, poetry and creative prose. A few other devotees who we have shown it to are also of the opinion that it should be copied and distributed. Maharaj, will you allow us to make these transcendental zines? We can let you know the progress in the coming month before your NW tour. Maybe it can be distributed with NOIs?

             HpS - ASA - Distribute it as you wish! As the basic description says at www.jayarama.us/archives/tpp-cb.htm
they are full of errors but we expect to get better with practice. Already we have changed our production formatting 7000% and number six we are composing them on 8-1/2 x 11 graph paper so they should be more regular and easy to reproduce. Got bless us!

We are reading TPP  with our Bhakti Sastri self study Curriculum and now are on text one of NOI. Still trying to keep up with children's Bhagavatam study, one chapter a week. Left a message with Srivasa Prabhu but no reply. KC Arts and Crafts summer camp next week, we are doing lots of prep for this and hope to give a more detailed critique if you would like of TPP next week.

Your servants,

Kamagayatri and Aja Narayana

HpS - Very good. We certify you as an Monkey Warrior based upon your report and Aja as a Junior Monkey Warrior, but please keep after Srivasa Das for formal study. Call him again. Uncle Gismo says, "The squeaky wheel gets the grease".

... arrived!

THANK YOU VERY MUCH <img alt="smiley" height="23" src="http://hps-d6.monkeywarrior.com/sites/all/libraries/ckeditor/plugins/smiley/images/regular_smile.png" title="smiley" width="23" />

Your servant Namacarya das

HpS - ASA - Jaya! AGTSP paoho.  O.K. Lets start a Reading Group with anyone else who has a copy of the book with the next Kapi Dhvaja.