Planet ISKCON

It doesn’t matter, or does it?

I’ve written many years ago a concern regarding initiation, I find myself revisiting the same subject matter fitting individual’s into a set rigid rules irrespective of the individual or their needs; the round peg in a square hole analogy.

What is most saddening is that the latest initiation initiative has for me a shocking element which is impersonal indeed I’m struggling to see how it is compatible with the personal nature Srila Prabhupada dealt with his early disciples; and how as the movement increased how he kept the personal element, simple the temple president recommends (this means that the temple president get’s to know those who attend and are getting serious in the bhakti practice)

Alright I’m a realist and understand that this still works fine in a small center/temple but in much larger center’s/temples this is totally impractical and totally impossible; we can only make personal connections with a limited number.

So we now have a committee system, coupled with the mentor-ship system, I am little unopposed to the latter indeed it’s practice; but committee?
My own personal experience is this, their judgement is based on false not real knowledge, have they done the questions? Lets read them. Have they done Bhakti sastra? Did they complete the course? Have they filled in a sadhna form?

The conclusion is based on these forms, and initiation rewarded accordingly, or in my case constantly rejected. With no knowledge or spoken word to me. How can this be seen as healthy or fair.
The result is simple, the feeling of rejection and that no one is actually interested in speaking or getting to know me or the person up for initiation. I wonder how we can actually speak of developing a personal relationship with Krishna, if we cannot actually develop a personal relationship with devotees. Even worse how can we judge an individual’s fitness based on a set of forms?

Mentor-ship is wonderful, it means getting to really know the individual, over my time attending the same temple it is personal relationship’s that have sustained me, enthused me, guided me and when needed challenged me.
It is these department head’s that I’ve worked closely with who have kept me firmly fixed in devotional service; and unlike the committee members who don’t speak to you personally, it is these great mentor’s that have picked up the pieces.

Mentor is not about making sure form’s are filled in, courses are done and paperwork is filled in, in order to satisfy a committee member. A mentor is those amazing individual’s who take time to understand an individual, engage the individual in seva; and are able to guide, correct and encourage.

So I suggested a simple non-committee system; why not use our department heads?

You simply work alongside them and over time develop a relationship which guides the individual towards first/second initiation. Its these department head’s that have been the greatest influence on my spiritual life, who better to speak on and recommend?

This keeps things very personal, after a period of time then they can speak to the temple/centre president, from their several thing’s can happen-

1) recommendation is given for initiation
2) guidance on further step’s that need to be taken before recommendation
3) meet the individual and after spending some time then make recommendation or give recommendation for initiation

But apparently we need committees and we need to boil the milk as we now have plenty of devotee’s, Hum? If were boiling milk make sure our systems aren’t burning the milk or boiling it so much were spilling it; devotees are rare and we need to encourage not discourage.

So upset and rejected did the committee system make me feel that this was the letter I sent to those department heads who have helped me so nicely, and my guru maharaja;

Dear Guru Maharajah
Dear friends and ever well-wishers
Please Accept My Humble Obeisances
All Glories to Srila Prabhupada

Hare Krishna

This e-mail has proved to be difficult to write as I have difficulty bringing the words needed to express my feelings, but as some of you are aware my visit to Bhaktivadanta Manor this month may prove to be one of my last.

Last month I wrote to one senior devotee and expressed my feelings that although Srila Prabhupada made a home we could all live in as it stands at the moment I cannot see my place in it; this was further highlighted as I spoke to a very dear friend and we discussed why individuals leave ISKCON we ended up discussing my own personal situation, the highlight was the conclusion of faith, if we loose faith then falldown.

As much as I have enjoyed reading Srila Prabhupada’s books and continue to have complete faith in his words, I have the sadness to report that my faith in the institution Srila Prabhuapada set up is lost; my feeling is that the modern ISKCON does no longer want or need individuals like myself.

I remember clearly the challenge my dear guru maharaja HH Devamrita Swami gave me, it made such an impact that over the years I’ve tried my best to fulfil this challenge to simply use my work and contact with those I care for to look after not only the spirit soul but material body.

Over the years I started school visits, and have each year put on a small but growing community Diwali celebration, then explored using my experience in door to door ministry offering a small gita course. Feeling I needed experience the opportunity to give class at the manor was opened and under the guidance of some wonderful devotees have grown in confidence and improved the way class is given.

But for me their was one service that I relished above all, that was serving Sri Sri Radhagakulananda who would have known how amazing the early morning transfers would be; and the bramachari’s were so kind as to re-arrange things so that on each visit I could enter into this nectar of service.

The dearest friend who I have helped during each visit talked about the nectar of putting the deities to rest, the seed was planted and during each visit the desire has grown but in order to do this second initiation is needed; my dear friend and the person I have worked with closely was so happy to recommend me, but the committee rejected
I cannot even mention how much of a personal body blow this was; but my desire to one day help put the deities to rest was just growing.

After many problems in trying to find a mentor that the initiation committee would accept I thought my problems were finally being solved and their was some light at the end of the tunnel; but alas I ended up staring into the well of rejection. We all have strengths and weaknesses mine is paperwork and forms just ask my employer only the essential legally required forms are done, and as for meetings their always behind by a month or so, but they overlook this.

But what is so so hard to accept is the impersonal committee who decide on if some one is worthy are can be given initiation without even spending time with the person, it appears they are more concerned with forms and how nicely the questions are answered than forming a personal relationship with the person.

Even in my time as a Jehovah’s Witness such impersonal systems were not seen, the elders each came to my home we discussed each chapter of the book needed, they had seen and done the house to house ministery with me and had listened to me do public speaking; recommendation was done with knowledge.

However in ISKCON a committee can reject me and they have never come to any programs here in Wales, come to my Diwali celebration, never sat in my class and have never sat eating prasadam with me how can they then say if I’m fit or not? How can it be based on real knowledge of the individual? Do they know the real reason why the person has asked or requested or made the steps the motivation? Or the many hours each month using social media to encourage and answer questions from new devotees?

My desire was simply to allow me to do more service, but a No by individual’s who don’t know me is a pill too hard to swallow; but more significantly is this it has broken my heart I was certain Sri Krishna would reciprocate nicely but this sadly wasn’t to be. And so it came to the point were the pain became too much for me to beer and my mind became tormented so much how could I continue to do the morning transfers? This torment meant that my dealings with others became strained for one just feels rejection.

We all need to feel needed, that we have a place; that we are an individual and are seen as such; what attracted me first to the devotees was their real interest in the person, this appears to have been lost in standardisation and committees. But I need that real individual touch.

So my heart is torn, demoralised, heartbroken how can I go smile and do service knowing that my deep down desire will never be fulfilled?

One of my dearest friend and ever well-wisher has suggested I help his disciples in opening a small shop come centre in Bristol; I have approached the devotee who is in charge and awaiting to hear back; their fear is my heart is too broken to continue having association as I can only see things now in an impersonalist manor this is my feeing about current management structures.

I’ve also tried to be mindful of those who somehow see me as a senior devotee, and who have also approached and have asked me for help via social media so as not to discourage them I have simply informed them that my service is in transition and changing

The main point is I no longer feel a part or have a place in this new modern standardised ISKCON, I long for those early days when I was simply accepted for being me.

I pray that one day my outlook may become more positive and that again I may feel a wanted and needed member.

Yours Humbly
Dhirabhakta Dasa

Of note I had replies back from those great saintly people who had actually got to know me; even my guru maharaja replied more rapidly than any other time. Those department heads I’ve worked alongside took time to talk and encourage; and I even found that those who meant the most to me had enough belief in me to ask me to continue giving Srimad Bhagavatam Class.

Although my own self belief and ability to focus was shattered.

I however had one great bit of advice; “IT DOESN’T MATTER”

So what a committee rejected you, it doesn’t matter

They simply reminded me of the two greatest things.

Devotional service and our relationship with those who have our spiritual interests at heart.

And so I have come out of the Mentor-ship system, and will not ask or make any effort to seek second initiation; non of these things matter

What matters is that I simply focus on my own personal relationship with those I do service for, those who seek and ask my guidance, and to improve and increase my relationship with devotees who want to be for real with me.

For this personal relationship is for me what matters, so why be disturbed by nonsense impersonal individual and systems; for it truly “DOESN’T MATTER”

And it again reminded me that my greatest battle, and greatest hindrance in spiritual life is not, individual’s, committees but as always the greatest field of nonsense

MY MIND

And getting that right is were it matters.

And my relationship with some amazing devotees and department heads is all the mentor-ship I need for they being in full knowledge of me give the soundest and greatest advice.

And my own Guru Maharaja’s advice; what ever happens don’t give up association of devotees

And it is those great devotees that truly care who have picked me up and shown me what really matters, and that a view taken from a few TRULY DOESN’T MATTER.

Hare Krishna

Pious Credits in a Cab
A while ago we reported how one cab driver, Yamaraja das, tries to give Krishna to people while on the job. “I try to influence people in any way possible, while maintaining a respectful distance and without imposing my beliefs on them,” he said. A driver must be careful not be perceived as soliciting his customers in any way. Here are a few more examples of Krishna’s causeless mercy operating on the conditioned souls who think they are merely ordering a cab. A student from Santa Fe College was being picked up from school, where he is studying to become a dietician. While inquiring about his studies, Yamaraja prabhu learned that the young man is trying to be a vegetarian. The student had been to India four times, and was influenced there by the ideas of non-violence towards animals. “I also learned in one of my diet courses at Santa Fe that killing animals causes them to release a harmful chemical, thereby altering the meat product in a bad way. The chemical is released because the animal experiences fear and terror upon being slaughtered. That is one of the reasons I am trying to become a vegetarian.” Upon leaving the cab, the student accepted a booklet on Krishna Consciousness. Another customer is a war veteran, who is 100% handicapped. He regularly orders a cab from Yamaraja prabhu. “I am not at all interested in religious topics,” the veteran had made it clear early on. Being severely handicapped due to having experienced the horrors of war, one might say he had lost his faith in God. While Yamaraja prabhu does not pursue the topic, he does instead just cultivate a friendship with the man. As a result, the veteran tries to “help out” his driver friend in his own way. Sometimes he lets the meter run up to $150-200 in Yamaraja prabhu’s cab, for nothing more than a simple errand. So although he is not actively thinking about Krishna, or eating prasadam, surely the veteran’s pious credits are increasing silently by serving a devotee so generously. A small preaching program is also in the works by Yamaraja prabhu for the employees of the cab company, the drivers and the dispatchers. It will meet once every two weeks and also feature guest visits by Acyutananda das.

Srila Prabhupada’s disciple Srimati Radha Vinodini Devi Dasi expired yesterday morning at 6:37 AM at the Bhaktivedanta Hospice in Vraja. Please pray for a smooth and auspicious transition for this great soul.

ISKCON Youth Ministry and ISKCON Congregational Development Ministry will hold their first ISKCON Youth Leadership Sanga next Spring in Mayapur. Their vision is to have youth leaders from around the world spend quality time together, brainstorm, share best practices, network, and give presentations to ISKCON leaders about the benefits of having youth programs at their temples.

Devamrita Swami, a Yale graduate and world travelling monk, explains why he believes we need to establish a wisdom society, a society permeated with a spiritual culture, in order to solve humanities problems.

Dussehra is the final day of the Navaratri festival, one of the major Hindu festivals celebrated across India. It is essentially a battle of good versus evil, whereby the evil is depicted by the demon Ravana.

Shyamasundar: He always made you feel like you were his friend. He listened to what you had to say and took your puniest achievements. First of all he overlooked all your glaring outrages and took your puniest achievements and made them very big. I’ll never forget this. I had worked hard on this Bury Place temple (in the photo) for several months, doing all the building and carpentry. In those days there were only three or four of us and a couple of new English boys. So it was pretty much a one-man job. I was going to stick to the standard I set out when I designed it, even though Prabhupada was in England pushing me day and night to finish this thing so that he could get on with things. But he respected the fact that I wanted it done just right because we were going to be a central showplace in which what was then the most happening city in the world, and right on the main street. And the people who saw it should see something perfect. I was determined to make it that way. Prabhupada went along with that for months, despite his discomfort. One day after it was finished and the Deities had been inaugurated, we took a walk in the park one morning. We were walking back, and Prabhupada looked at the front of the temple. He looked it up and down, and he motioned to either Gurudas or Mukunda and said, “You shall put a plaque on the front of this door (he showed with his cane beside the door where he wanted the plaque), a brass plaque, and you will put on that plaque, ‘This temple has been built by the hard labor of Shyamasundar das Adhikary.’” [Breaks up crying.] We took this idea of just doing anything we wanted for Krishna, no matter how outrageous it might appear to anyone else. It was very common for us to think that there was no such thing as an impossible situation, and we just did everything. And that is a good case in point, because without any building permits we gutted this whole building in downtown London, took out the first-floor story, and made it two stories high. That is, until the building inspectors arrived, Mr. Savage and Mr. Black, typical English bureaucrats. They had seen that we had already done it, so they were quite willing to go that extra mile to help us out a little. But we had to comply with certain regulations. And these steel beams were going to be very expensive. They had to be fifty or sixty feet long, in one single throw. I-beams of very heavy steel. And somehow we had to get them into the ceiling. And we had no money. So I went to Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones and asked him, and he said, “Oh, yes, just have my secretary give you the check.” So he bought them. [Laughs.] Those days we rubbed elbows with those characters, you know. After we lived in John Lennon’s house, we still maintained contact with all the Beatles. We interacted with them whenever we needed something, or when they needed. One day John Lennon called up and asked if I could come and carve a piano for him. Yoko wanted Krishna carved in the music stand in the front of her white piano. The piano was on the ground floor of Apple Studios on Salvo Row, next to the recording studio. It took about a month, and I carved a very nice Krishna in that piano. And during that time Brian Jones had died of the Rolling Stones, and they were breaking in a new guitar player named Mick Taylor. So they had borrowed Apple Studios to bring Mick Taylor up to date on all their songs. So I had live Rolling Stones for a month while I worked. “Hey, you, get off my cloud” over and over. [Laughs.] And we thought nothing of it. This was just an ordinary thing. And Prabhupada made us feel that. He always appreciated going for the top, going for the highest people in realms and spheres of influence to accomplish spreading Krishna consciousness, to accomplish the desire of his spiritual master.

(this blog is recorded on the full page: quick time player needed)

[One of my favorite poems this one reposted from 08-16-2012]
Remembering my material sojourn:
Caught up in the waves of a Cosmic storm
ever-increasing change and uncertainty
swirling, frightening energy @ mind speed
lightening wind, amidst thunderous explosions
bewildered, I go all directions at once, but nowhere,
I’m desperate for stability, fulfillment, truth, peace
a lasting resting place with loving feelings
understanding who I really am through and through,
asking what’s my relationship to life & the Universe
searching to find meaning in chaos and misery—

read more

Radhastami in Timisoara.

The post The ontological principles underlying Srimati Radharani appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

Hare Krishna! Krishnanagar Jail Praching a Huge Success!
The Krishnanagar Jail Preaching program yesterday, upon the invite of the Superintendent, went surprisingly far better than expected. The one hour program commenced with 5 male and 4 female ISKCON devotees chanting on a platform with a powerful Durga Festival sound blasting system under a big shade giving tree in the centre of the huge complex that houses at this time approximately 800 prisoners. Around 500 prisoners gathered around, including some Muslims, and actually participated in the chanting of the holy names of Krishna and Gauranga and they heard how the eternal soulÍs real jail house is this material world of birth and death.. The women prisoners, around 60, also enthusiastically attended by adding their chanting and boisterous ïhigh pitched ululationsÍ every so often expressing their appreciation when the melodious chanting crescendos peaked. This was the real jail house rock – the entire jail was literally rocking through the getto blaster speakers with the holy name enticing prisoners and staff alike to smile and chant the holy names of the Lord. We had a full array of devotional instruments. Sanjoy Prabhu played the mridanga wonderfully.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20611

Anuttama Dasa, International Minister of ISKCON Communications speaks during Srila Prabhupada's Arrival in America 50th Anniversary. September 19, 2015, Boston, USA.

Periodically, we'll all be confronted with situations where people are oblivious to our sacrifices, unappreciative of our endeavours, and seemingly unimpressed with our contributions. People may even misunderstand our purpose and cuttingly criticise us.

It’s often the case that we take some aspect of ourselves, or others, more seriously that we should; our sexuality, our nationality, our religion, or our position. And our mistake causes suffering to others.

Hare Krishna! Hare Krishna monk on spiritual journey, passes through Rayburn
The walking monk kept to the narrow shoulder of Route 85 in Rayburn on Tuesday morning. Trucks roared by and curious motorists occasionally slowed to get a closer look at the 63-year-old man dressed in saffron robes. Bhaktimarga Swami, a Canadian native and Hare Krishna monk, was headed toward Butler on a journey that began in Boston on Sept. 20. From Butler he plans to head back east to New York City. “I’m walking for several purposes,” Swami said. “For personal and inner growth — to take it all in, the grueling hot days, the cold, the rain and snow and hail.” It all helps with learning detachment from externals in order to go within and be happy, he said. He joked that during his daily 20-mile stints through Amish country and busier neighborhoods he has had his fair share of dog encounters. But he values the interactions he has had with people along the way. He’s chatted with Amish girls about the walnuts they were collecting and gave a blessing to a man suffering from kidney issues. He said he is also dedicating his journey to teachers.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20608

Hare Krishna! Sadhu Sanga Festival in Jaipur Dham
Friends, disciples and well-wishers of HH Subhag Swami Maharaj gathered in the holy land of Jaipur to participate in a festival of hearing, chanting and sadhu sanga between the dates of 15th ~ 20th October 2015. This is the 5th annual parikrama Maharaj has been holding in various holy places across India. Jaipur, also known as “Gupta Vrindavan” plays hosts to our Gaudiya Sampradaya’s most cherished deities’: Radha Govindadev and Radha Gopinath. As stated by Maharaj on a number of occasions, “Everyone in Jaipur is a devotee.” It could be for this reason that Their Lordships’ decided to make Jaipur Their permanent home.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20602

The Indian Ambassador to Italy, as well as the mayor of local municipality San Casciano,  both praised the new Museum of Sacred Art (MOSA) at Italy’s Villa Vrindavana during its opening late last month. The museum – MOSA’s second branch after the original in Radhadesh, Belgium – is located near Florence, in Villa Vrindavana’s historic 16^th century wing.

Hare Krishna! Ravana refused Rama’s invitation and met with annihilation
Hanuman was just one of the soldiers of Lord Rama and had almost decimated the entire Lanka. Any sensible person would have easily gauged the strength of his opponent seeing the power of just one of the soldiers of his opponent. But lust and ego had created such a thick covering over Ravana’s intelligence that he was not able to see his imminent disaster. Just like Ravana we too want to enjoy the property of the Lord claiming to be ours. And when reminded that everything moving and non -moving in this world belongs to Lord we refuse to accept it and we start making plans to defeat the plans of the Lord. The material energy of the Lord keeps on demonstrating as how helpless we are in front of her.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20599

The post Daily Darshan – October 22nd, 2015 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Uddhava Kunda.Vrindavan 30.10.2008

At Ananda Ashram, Prabhupada would usually hold kirtanas with Dr. Mishra’s students joining him in the chanting and even dancing.  Dr. Mishra was particularly fond of Prabhupada’s chanting.

October 22. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Although Prabhupada was restricted from lecturing, his devotional kirtana won over the impersonal yoga teachers and students. This is another example that is relevant to us today. In situations where lecturing is not feasible, it is often possible for devotees to hold kirtana. Lord Caitanya emphasized ecstatic congregational chanting as His main means of spreading Krishna consciousness in India. He reserved the dissemination of intellectual discourses to learned scholars like Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya and Prakasananda Sarasvati and He enjoyed intimate, philosophical teachings with confidential devotees like Rupa and Sanatana Gosvami and Ramananda Raya. But for the mass of people, love of God was distributed by Lord Caitanya’s empowered chanting of the Holy Names. ISKCON devotees who engage in public harinama are purifying and influential.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490/#22

Govardhana Eco Village is about a two hour drive from Mumbai, India. It is managed by Gauranga Prabhu and his team from Radha Gopinath Mandir in Chowpati.

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 10 July 2013, Fruska Gouranga, Serbia, Seminar 2)

I can honestly say that after Vrndavan, no place in the world can attract me. What is the point of any hill when it is not Govardhan Hill! What is the point of swimming in some lake when it is not Kusum Sarova, when it is not transcendental and if you do not get the mercy while swimming!? I cannot get excited about it. But these transcendental waters in Vrndavan, oh yes, I would swim there again and again… Let’s go! Let’s get the mercy!

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