namahatta.org - Congregational Development Ministry

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Book distribution, what is the focus?

by David Haslam

The other day I was reading an article about the preaching work done by Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Mormons compared to ISKCON devotees' book distribution. They noted that from what they could see, both were more successful in making followers, and questioned how this could be.

One focus is, what is the purpose of book distribution?

by Vasu Murti das

In 261 B.C., the Indian emperor Ashoka witnessed firsthand the innumerable casualties he caused during one of his many military campaigns. His heart was filled with grief. He converted to Buddhism. 19th century scholar and writer H.G. Wells considered Ashoka's conversion to Buddhism one of the most significant events in world history.

Ashoka, formerly a bloody and ruthless emperor, became a remarkably kind and gentle leader. Ashoka established some of the first animal rights laws. He stopped the royal hunt, stopped the sacrifice of animals in his capital city, stopped the killing of animals for food in the royal kitchens, and gave up the eating of meat. Ashoka made it illegal to kill many species of animals, such as parrots, ducks, geese, bats, turtles, squirrels, monkeys and rhinos. He forbade the killing of pregnant animals, or animals that were nursing their young. He declared certain days to be "non-killing days," on which fish could not be caught, nor any other animals killed. He established wells and watering holes, places of rest and hospitals for humans and animals alike.

The vyasa-puja of HH Prabhavisnu Maharaja was observed in the morning and Aditi Dukhaha Prabhu sang his intense kirtanas. Back at the room we found the GSM had no more memory space for taking pictures; we had to transfer them to portable USB memory via Bluetooth and delete them from the mobile phone. Using a devotee's laptop, struggling with the settings, we finally succeeded. Lunch was brought to our room by eager devotees, and we went to conduct a seminar, 'Happy Vaishnava Life,' at 5 pm.

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Author: 

Kaunteya Das

Date: 

4 weeks 4 days ago

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http://iskconoclast.blogspot.com/2009/06/recommendation-politics.html

"Your Letter of Recommendation from the outlaw bikergang, the Devil's Serpents, was certainly complimentary...but it does raise other questions."

...Why should the temple be bothered or burdened with the responsibility of being the only authorized outlet for recommending people? Any sastric evidence for such an idea, that the spiritual life of people should be somewhat negotiated only and exclusively through the administrative structures of the places of worship? In Vaisnavism we don’t have a demarcation between clergy and laity: second initiation and the privilege to directly serve the Deities are open to every member of the extended community. Why not empowering those who have come to the stage of being second initiated devotees with the opportunity to recommend candidates for initiation? Why a brahmana living outside the temple should be considered less reliable than every temple officer?

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deshika

Date: 

11 weeks 4 days ago

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Organised Religion:Devil’s Work or Divine Necessity?

The Devil always likes to help saints 'organise' religion, and organised religion can be problematic. But without human structures, the saint's messages and good public works may not endure over the next three generations.

For thousands of years, whenever saintly people have searched for a good spot to live, they've chosen places of tranquillity, far removed from the noise and clamour of the town. In a quiet place, undisturbed by distraction or temptation, surrounded by the beauty of nature, they've said their prayers, studied their scriptures, and engaged in meditation.

Islands, deserts, mountains and forests have all been home to generations of monks, yogis and contemplatives of every religious description. The fact that so many of them have actually found transcendence and salvation through their solitude is glorious. The great literary works of spiritual guidance written by them—the outward fruits of their inner life—are a lasting treasure for the world.

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David Haslam

Date: 

12 weeks 5 hours ago

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Association

by David Haslam

• Do we take the need for association seriously?
• Do we truly know and understand the importance?
• Do we actually care?

Srila Prabhupada always stressed the need for association of devotees, with this association we develop the taste of pure devotional service and a deep understanding and appreciation of Krishna.

If we are always in association we can come to the point were we actually take it for granted or think that life would be far better away from the prying eyes of others, for those like me who have limited association at times stare into the pit of self pity and convince ourselves that in some way we do not need it anyway.

But I am also reminded of the importance of making sure that those devotees and aspiring devotees close by should be cared for, but at what stage do we say enough is enough, they neither care nor appear to have any interest in coming?

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Bhakta Ryan

Date: 

12 weeks 3 days ago

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Science+Consciousness= Philosophy

Its funny; doing my research on scientists' understanding of consciousness, what I found is that they don't really have any! It always goes back to the philosophers. Why? because they can't give an answer to the nature of consciousness, "not yet anyway," as they like to say.

I found an article that says it all, and way better then I could. so here it is:

A team of devotees from Bhaktivedanta Manor headed by Ramanuja Prabhu, disciple of HH Giriraja Maharaja, have set up a TV programme called "Hare Krishna Culture" which is already being broadcast on Satellite TV. This programme is dedicated to ISKCON and His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (Founder-acarya of ISKCON). It is being run under the name Hare Krishna Mission Ltd and it is a completely non-profitable organisation run entirely by volunteers.

This programme has lectures by senior devotees of ISKCON, kirtans from around the world, and interviews and footage of Srila Prabhupada by ISKCON Cinema. It has been very warmly received by devotees and the general public, with very good reviews in the UK and Europe.

It can be viewed in UK and Europe on a free Sky channel called MATV, channel 793 at 10.00 am every Sunday, repeated on Wednesdays at 4.30 am (UK time).

A cold day, and today guru-puja was shifted to a summer auditorium—which meant it was designed to let in the breeze which, in autumn, was freezing. The legendary Russian singer Aditi Dukhaha Prabhu was at the mike, and his kirtana really rocked!

Aditi Dukhaha and Aindra in Sri Mayapur, 2007—click to view.

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rsdasa

Date: 

13 weeks 4 days ago

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http://soithappens.com/2009/04/01/flowers-of-devotion/

by Ravindra Svarupa das

Spanning the cusp between the 15th and 16th centuries, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu taught and exemplified complete absorption in divine love through the chanting of the names of God. Mahaprabhu propagated a spiritual discipline that carries the guided practitioner through clearly demarcated stages, beginning with a tentative interest (adau sraddha) and culminating in an extraordinary exultation of ecstatic spiritual emotions (prema). Mahaprabhu succinctly conveyed this whole adventure in a sequence of eight instructive verses (Siksastaka).

The first of these verses is, in essence, a promise by the author: when the chanting of the name of Krishna is fully accomplished, all anomalies and impediments being weeded out (vijayate sri-krsna-samkirtanam), the chanter will have experienced seven benedictions or blessings. The aspirant should therefore have faith (sraddha) in this promise—a guarantee, really...

by Rasika Murari das

As per our agreement and commitment at the 3rd CD Ministry Convention in Taiping, two members of our Vision Team visited the Johor Bharu yatra, located some three-hundred km South of Kuala Lumpur, for a weekend seminar on congregational development.

The yatraleader, Giri Gopal Prabhu, a very enthusiastic and dynamic person, who attended the Taiping CD Ministry Convention, requested assistance on the subject of service attitude, etiquette, self development, and organizational structure for vertical and lateral growth of the yatra.

This letter was sent to me by a friend, a reaction to the report of the road accidents following this year's Gaura-purnima festival. It wasn't really meant for publication, but it's very relevant for devotees everywhere, so I'll publish it here without disclosing the author's name.

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Reading about the recent road accidents here makes me very sad. At the same time I know that road safety is not being ignored in India only, but all over ISKCON, including Germany. At least here materialists are often more responsible than devotees in this regard; HH Bir Krishna Maharaja writes about this on his website www.bkgoswami.com.

Only recently did I travel with devotees by car when I noticed that I was the only one using a seat belt. Everyone else, including driver and co-driver, didn't—in spite of snow and ice on the road, and the fact that German law imposes heavy fines on those caught without seat belt.

by Bir Krishna Das Maharaja

I mentioned that I would write about living longer in the present body. In order to understand this topic one has to understand the larger topic of how the material energy affects the bodies and minds of devotees, whether or not they are aware of it, or even in denial of it.

If we had the siddhis that yogis have, such as laghima, becoming light enough to float on a sunbeam, or mahima, becoming very big or heavy—and I am not talking about getting fat—or prapti, being able to reach out and grab something from a distant locale, we could definitely ignore certain aspects of the material nature. But since we don't have these siddhis, it behooves us to be aware of how the material nature affects our bodies.

It is amazing to me how devotees are oftentimes in denial of this: in our diet, sleeping habits, use of spiritual paraphernalia, eating habits, safety procedures, etc.

Following this year's Gaura Purnima celebrations, two serious road accidents took place, involving seven ISKCON devotees—five left their bodies, and two have been critically injured. All of them have been working with ISKCON's Congregational Development Ministry, as community preachers (Mathuradesh) and editorial staff (Mayapur).

Both accidents took place the day after Gaura Purnima, 12 March 2009.

Development during the Year 2008

Bangalore Bhakti-vriksha Yatra follows the Bhakti-vriksha method of preaching to spread Krishna Consciousness. By the causeless mercy of Guru and Gauranga, this year we could attract lots of new people to devotional service under the ISKCON umbrella; this brought about advancement in the existing members' spiritual lives, too. Everyone is enthusiastic, inspired and we could witness a steady growth all around.

Following are some of the factors in the Yatra's growth:

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18 weeks 6 days ago

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http://www.atmayogi.com/node/1120

by Sita-pati das

In an earlier article on his website (As ISKCON Members Move Apart) Krishna Kirti prabhu wrote about the splitting up of ISKCON into two distinct groups - one orthodox, one reform.

Personally I think such an idea limits the scope of ISKCON. ISKCON is the "International Society for Krishna Consciousness."

A society is a broad, diverse organization, not a narrow, heterogeneous one. An institution, such as a monastery or the "brahminical class" is focused and narrowly defined, however a society is characterised by diversity and difference.

Here's an example:

Question: Is US Society conservative or liberal?
Answer: It's both.

by Deena Bandhu das

Yesterday, our Prison Preaching team went for their regular program in the Bharatpur Jail, just forty km from Vrindavan in Rajasthan. They were wonderfully surprised when they reached the jail: the prisoners were having Srimad Bhagavatam class.

On their own, around fifty prisoners who are practicing Krishna consciousness have set aside time daily for Bhagavad-gita and Srimad Bhagavatam class. Many of this group are chanting thirty-two rounds, others sixteen rounds and follow the four regulative principles.

Another 'ancient' piece of wisdom, found in the treasure trove of IC Journal Online. With the debate about homosexuals in and around ISKCON heating up, Braja Bihari Prabhu's essay from 2005 gives sound advice:

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by Braja Bihari das

Drawing on his experience in conflict resolution in ISKCON, Braja Bihari Prabhu examines one of the core factors of conflict—the division between 'conservative' and 'liberal' positions on the understanding and application of a shared set of teachings.

He uses several models for understanding such conflict and from these he draws solutions that aim to enable conflict to be resolved, where appropriate, or to be acknowledged for their potential to form the basis of healthy, productive dialogue.

Inspired by one of Srila Prabhupada's unpublished essays, a senior disciple formulates a plan to bring Krishna consciousness to everyone's doorstep.

by Rupanuga Das

One morning, as I entered the main room of Srila Prabhupada's quarters, I stopped at the tall, glass-topped display table just inside the entrance. The display included a tiny notebook (with notations Srila Prabhupada had made for a meeting with Indira Gandhi in 1975), Srila Prabhupada's old reading glasses, some of his old business cards, and other items. A handwritten, laminated manuscript in one corner of the display table caught my eye. The faded script was hard to read through the reflections on the glass, but the title was clear: "Perfection at Home: A Unique Contribution to the Fallen Humanity." Perfection at home! Why, I had been meditating on this very idea, considering how to bring Krishna consciousness into the homes of people unable to regularly visit a temple of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON).

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deshika

Date: 

23 weeks 2 days ago

Original article: 

http://deshika.wordpress.com/2009/01/23/the-preachers-circuitvisiting-iskcons-lo...

The Methodist circuit preacher on horseback, bent double against wind and rain, saddlebags filled with good books, is an icon of American history. Long before the now iconic saloons and general stores came to the American West, and certainly long before the railroads came, the Methodist preacher man was there. There's an old American expression to describe how wild a place was: "Aint nothing out there but crows and Methodist preachers!"...

Here in Britain we recently created a 'Travelling Preacher's Circuit.' Like the Methodists of old, we have a printed Circuit Plan, a chart with towns along the top, dates down the side, and the preacher's initials in the boxes thus created.

Searching for instructions by Srila Prabhupada on how regular home programs should be conducted, I came across this essay from Kripamoya Prabhu, published by ISKCON Communication Journal in January 1994 (article link).

I've read this article before and thought it had been re-published on namahatta.org already, but found that was not the case. Editing it for better online readability, I am surprised how many of our current problems Kripamoya Prabhu recognized and analyzed so much earlier in ISKCON's history. His recommendations not how to avoid, but how to deal with conflict and problems could help devotees deal better with many of today's issues, I think. Here's the essay's 'teaser' from the IC Journal:

"We all want to avoid conflict but life seems to thrust it at us in bucket-loads, so we might as well learn how to deal with it. Kripamoya Prabhu's study of the manifestation of conflict in Nama-hatta groups and the steps he recommends to remedy this, based on his considerable experience and research, is important for all devotees."

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22 weeks 5 hours ago

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HOW CAN WE HELP OTHERS! WHEN WE HAVE TROUBLE HELPING OUR SELVES!! PART 1

Who am I? I am no one, no one important, but I do believe in Krishna, Prabhupada, and his movement. I am fairly new to Krishna consciousness; in this lifetime its been around three years now I've had the honor of associating with the devotee's. In that time I have noticed some things that I feel should not be overlooked for a community thats trying to help others find their way back to Godhead.

I have noticed that we have four regulation of no eating meat, no gambling, no intoxication, and no sex outside of marriage. But everywhere I see some of these principles being broken right in our community. I understand we are conditioned souls with many dirty things in our hearts—trust me, I know; I am still praying that these impurities are cleansed from my heart. What I don't get is when or who has decided that it's fine to do these things openly in the community, like nothing is wrong with it?

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Author: 

Kaunteya Das

Date: 

23 weeks 5 hours ago

Original article: 

http://iskconoclast.blogspot.com/2009/01/mongols-british-iskcon_24.html

The Mongols of Gengis Khan were very good at conquering places. They reached from Mongolia all the way to Europe. Preaching is a form of conquest: conquering minds and hearts, shaping and transforming lifestyles.

The Mongols weren't very good at maintaining and ruling the territories they conquered; very soon their empire collapsed. In China they might have lasted longer, but because they connected with the Chinese style of administration.

In preaching we might have an early success in changing people's life and/or in establishing places of worship; but later we might experience that the people go away, internally and/or externally, migrating to other groups or becoming cold, inactive. Temples that were vital and vibrant become sometimes empty and poor.

Have we something in common with the Mongols?

by Deva Gaura Hari Dasa on 10 Jan 2009

Following the example of the United States, federally based systems around the world have adopted a bicameral legislature, where the two chambers have differing methods of representing the constituents. These are generally along the lines of the U.S. system of having an upper house with equal representation for States, and a lower house with representation of geographical areas based purely on population. Examples of this can be seen in the political systems of Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Germany, India, Malaysia, Mexico and many other countries.

Bicameralism has also been used to fuse together an aristocratic and democratic system. The best known example of this is the British system, where historically the House of Lords was made up of hereditary positions representing the Nobles, while seats in the House of Commons were elected positions, representing the common people. ...

Underlying all of these uses is the practical fact that having a bicameral system allows for a second chance to modify important legislation, and allows for a different perspective on the legislation.

So how is all of this relevant to ISKCON and how, if at all, could ISKCON take advantage of the political apparatus of a bicameral system?

by Vijay Venugopal dasa and Prema Padmini dd

Monday, 17 September 2007

A sunny day at last! For people who live in the tropics, this is nothing special. But in the temperate regions, when the weather turns cloudy and rainy, the sun is something to long for. We had breakfast of bread and cheese, and went for the seminars at eight o’clock.

Carudesna Prabhu recapped that the evolution of the mind takes place in four stages:

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27 weeks 1 day ago

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http://www.atmayogi.com/node/1050

by Sita-pati das

I'd always chalked up the success of Bhakti-vriksha among ex-pat. Indian populations to "cultural predisposition" to Krishna consciousness. Now, this is true. However, it's a special case of a general principle that can also be applied to Western populations. That is, that Bhakti-vriksha groups fulfill a social and psychological need of the participants, and they do so in a Krishna conscious way.

The homesick and newly nationally chauvinistic young student in a foreign land (I'm sorry, but New Zealand is the best damned country in the world) has psychological needs that participating in a Bhakti-vriksha group fulfils. The role of temple as a hub of social life is also fulfilled, especially in Muslim countries where temple worship and congregation is forbidden, and where Bhakti-vriksha preaching had its earliest successes.

So what this means is that Bhakti-vriksha is not impossible among populations who are not "culturally predisposed" to Krishna consciousness, it's just a question of understanding what their psychological and social needs are, and meeting those in the context of the small group program, in a Krishna conscious way.

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Author: 

rsdasa

Date: 

29 weeks 4 days ago

Original article: 

http://soithappens.com/2008/12/10/sense-gratification-an-essay-in-pathology/

by Ravindra Svarupa das

In Bhagavad-gita (5.22) Krishna says this about enjoyment of the senses:

ye hi samsparsha-ja bhoga   duhkha-yonaya eva te

"The pleasures that arise from contact between the senses and their objects are in truth the sources of all suffering."

The Sanskrit word bhoga (with the long 'a' of the plural) means 'pleasures' or 'enjoyments.' What kinds? The pleasures born (ja) from samsparsha, 'the bringing into contact'—implicitly, the contact of the senses with their appropriate objects.

This is what we mean by "sense gratification": enjoying the pleasures that arise when the eyes, or nose, or tongue, the hands, skin, or genitals comes together with their particular objects.