North American Temple President’s MEETNGS JANUARY 2016
Yogeswara das, author of the new book on Srila Prabhupada Swami in a Strange Land. He is currently serving on ISKCON resolve, and on an advisory board of the TOVP
He teaches adult education at the university level and at yoga studios.
How does he preach in these venues:
He is teaching people who are not going to move into temples, maybe not even come to the Sunday feast. So he finds a point of entry with people that they might be interested in.
“point out the basics and then point the direction”. Don’t tell people what to do.
Lay out the basics of Vedic teachings and point the directions.
How one’s spiritual upbringing in any faith helps them through any tragedy.
People are beginning to understand the consequences of being obsessed with wealth and status.
He arranges seminars with Karnamrita dd, with Dhriti dasi and Ram das on “how do you manifest transcendence on a canvas”. At yoga sutdios he does a five week series on Ramayana.
He explores going inside moral and ethical issues of dharma and doing the right thing.
He talks about how can the Bhagavad Gita ends in war? Looking at the Mahabharata.
At yoga sudios, he offers philosophy. “Masters of Mysticism”; “Bhagavad Gita: yoga of the heart”. People want to know where to go with their lives after practicing yoga for many years. Connect asana practice with bhakti practice. There’s a connection witht the heart. Opening up physically and psychologically and seeing different parts of ourselves.
Devotee actors who do seminars on “Improvisation as a path to salvation”. The improve part provides one awillingness to let go of control
Yogeswar conducts behind the scenes tour itiger wildlife preserve. In this atmosphere he helps his group to see consciousness at work. These are endangered species. In a place where animals are treated as spiritual beings in other than human form once can see how ther predatory nature abates and other sides of their personality comes out. This is another gateway into discussing consciousness.
He is part of a “Heart of yoga” weekend featuring luminaries from the world of bhakti. RadhanathaSwami andothers come and give satsang; ayurvedic cooking classes, women of bhakti discussions; yoga classes. 4 groups of 12 people so it’s an intimate experience. In a beautiful aesthetic environment. 25-45 years old. They are always animal friendly, practice yoga or teach yoga. May not be temple goers but interested to learn about Krishna Consciousness without feeling pressured.
Check to see his posters and programs
He tries to discover the vocabulary and language with which to convey Srila Prabhupada’s teachings to the 21st century.
Looks at his own clichés and prejudices etc that he needs to reform to effectively communicate with these groups.
We havea lot of opportunity , Krishna Consciousness is just getting started, and we have a long way to go.
Rather than looking at your lack of education or worldly experience as a deficit, find what you know and speak from that. Go deeper inside the experiences that you have and connect with people. The more human we are the more real we are, the more people are interested in what we have to say.
There’s no limit to where we can go if we have become sensitive to other people and where they are and the life they are living and go there. The devotee is thinking“how can I be of service to you”; we have a contribution to make in large global issues such as the environment, peace making, global hunger.
Q: What about the fear of that life that conditioned me before I became a devotee and not getting enamored of it again when I try to give others a Krishna Conscious experience.
A: Bhagavad Gita is the ultimate study in human psychology, so welook at the human emotional dimension of what’s happening. We can’t really develop as a devotee if we just ignore whatwe were before we became a devotee. We have to resolve our human psyche. Why we behave the way we do now. Personal history.
Q: Are we supposed to be more singularly focused with just making people Krishna Conscious?
A: I don’t see a planet where people are running around in saris and dhotis. When we qualify ourselves to advise people in all areas of human endeavor that is success. We aren’t so much doing that now.
HILS NEW BOOK:
It took 3years of research and has just been printed. Why write another bio? He wanted one volume with a literary flow to the story, something he could give the people he is preaching to so they could learn about Srila Prabhupada, who he is and what his mission is.
Readers comeaway saying, “OH, I’m not my body, God is a person, now I understand what a real guru is, this person came for me, I’d like to read his books.” That was his goal for writing the book.
The hero journey. The monomyth. There’s a commonality at how men and women arrive at great achievements.
Becoming devotees is the greatest hero journey of all,“ we must let go of the life we have planned so as to accept the one we are meant for.” During thewriting of Star Wars, George Lucas had Campbell live with him at Lucas ranch. And Campbell explained to him the principle of mono myth through the story of the Ramayana, and Yogeswara showed all the similarities there are between the two stories .
The ultimate call to adventure, “Stand and fight”. (Bhagavad Gita)
SP’s hero journey.: Colonial India. Growing unhappiness with the British invasion. Single greatest dislike the British had about India was deity worship. True bhakti culture had lost all credibility. Practically until Mahaprabhu’s coming
The religious leaders of the time tried to just get rid of what the British found objectionabe. (swami Vivekananda) the intellectuals were not trained to present their own bhakti culture. Any attempt they made was put down violently.
Mahatma Gandhi said first get rid of the British and then we will get ourselves together spiritually.
Then Srila Prabhupada appears. Raised as a pure Vaishnava. Meets the mentor, gets his life mission. Go to the west. Broader vision revealed. So Abhay Charan quits Gandhi’s movement, dedicates himself to Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur.
SBSS passes away. The road of trials, family not interested, business failure, loses property in Lucknow he had for league of devotees; nothing works; has a dream with his spiritual master, take sannyas; it was a horrifying idea to him but he had to. He begins working towards the journey west. Now the Ordeal.
Gets passage; arrives in NY, the point of no return, very slow going, achieving the boon (achieving the book) with Christmas marathon the tsunami of books going out the door, with the money farms and other projects were started.
1968 he returns to India, westerners had not been coming to India, and dressed as vaishnavas, they had only come before to exploit the people. One journalist said to another, “this HK movement is going to make up for all of our loses over the centuries by the padres.” (the Christians)
the legitimacy of KC itself was questioned, and the supreme court validates KC as a bona fide religion going back centuries. This was just before SP departed. SP said when he was brought the judgement now my mission is fulfilled.
The hero journey continues.
Overcoming adversity, follow the path that allows sacrifice; set out on you own journey, for each of us it’s different. Confront the anchors that are holding you back.
Weof the first generation could have done a better job of being human beings.
It’s not meant to be easy. The biggest trick Srila Prabhupada laid on us was saying “just chant and be happy”, because the real stuff happens out of the comfort zone.
you might miss out on the nectar if you avoid the hard stuff. It’s harder thinking and worrying about it that just doing it. We’re just getting started.
Are we watering down things SP gave us for the sake of doing what we want to in KC? . A: as longs as the philosophy is there, w/o it it is not so helpful
SP said “go fishing as long as you don’t get wet”; try new things but don’t come under their influence.
(Bhakti Marga Swami comments: bringing out the soul of iskcon but letting us know we are human, because that’s what SP was)
VAISESIKA DAS/ BBT
When we give Krsna we are giving the best gift.
Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s mission is supremely joyful. If someone can get this work he is supremely fortunate, so we are extremely fortunate. We have gotten this work.
The movement moves on the TP level. We are an accumulation of many projects. Anywhere where a devotee has heart this movement is running from there: the core of the heart.
If you have been deeply touched and want to then touch others deeply, that is the sankirtan movement.
This year 2016 we can continue growing because we have a lot of momentum. Our book distribution has experienced phenomenal growth over the last four years because we have taken up the challenge together as one team with a common goal to expand book dist.
This year we had a goal to increase another 10% increase over what we did the year before. We were 8% over last year’s total. About 18% growth annuallythe last four years.
Srila Prabhupada said if you concentrate on giving Krishna Consciousness then Krishna will give you what you need.
when there’s an agreement amongst the leaders that a chief priority is to distribute books and they set a goal the energy just begins to move
if we can continue this year for the 50th we would be able to give Srila Prabhupada a wonderful offering of a remittance to the BBT of 2M$.
work, cooperate and pray to make another increase over the last year.
Look at the 50th celebrations as ways to distribute more books. Sampradaya means to give, to bequeath, so we give KC books.
Krishna House in Gainesville is making a ladies traveling party so that they can get a higher number of women distributing books again like it once was.
One of the great themes of sankirtan is that it is foreveryone doing their level best inwhatever way they can to give Lord Caitanya’s mercy to everyone. Books are containers full of seeds that spill into peoples minds and hearts
(Yogeswara’s told a story about showing Srila Prabhupada the first French Srimad Bhagavatam, with gold embossed details and fullcolor front and back pages, he examined the book for awhile, and looked at the devotees who were awaiting his praise, and said “what’s next?”)
Srila Prabhupada always made us live in the zone of non-complacency always pushing ourselves.
You should feel comfortable when you’re outside of your comfort zone and uncomfortable when you’re in your comfort zone.
Over ten years we continue at the 10% rate.
Your sadhana must be strong, you must get books, the more you show, the more you sell; you must organize THE FOUR LAWS OF BOOK DISTRIBUTION
1)YOU MUST READ Srila Prabhupada’S BOOKS , chanting good rounds solves all problems, and increases the natural impetus in the heart to give out the mercy
2)You can’t distribute books you don’t have.
3)Srila Prabhupada says the jivas are loitering in the material world. Everyone is open to suggestion. When you show people the books they will take them
4)If you get together and brainstorm and make little improvements every month this will help so much
SVAVAS DAS
LA TEMPLE PRESIDENT AND BBT TRUSTEE
Nothing really suffers when your devotees go out on sankirtan, everything gets covered. In LA this year alone 88 devotees went out on book distribution, half are congregational members. they distributed 13K BGs on that day alone.
IN LAST 7 YEARS 165% increase
When Svavas started as a BBT trustee, the only book being distributed was the Higher Taste cookbooks, and that by parphenalia sellers. SO there has been a tremendous change.
Educate your congregation about book distribution. Have book distributors stand up and speak about an experience so the congregation hears and gets interested. And enlivened. They like it and will wantto be part of it. Most of their book distribution is at colleges, not parking lots, not streets.
80+% of their book dist. They have tables and set up signs ‘books on meditation’, people come up to the table. Go to a free speech area set up sign, . Srila Prabhupada said one college student is worth 3 ordinary people, they are the future of society. Svavas will train anyone up how to do it from anywhere.
NA BUDGETS/SUPPORT OFFICE
KULADRI DAS
Supporting the institution. Srila Prabhupada said, organization and intelligence. SP gave his health to creating this institution and he expects us to keep this institution solid.
The Support Office helps organize : CPO, deity ministry, support office,compliance, NA legal fund, We are supposed to fund ISKCON communications, but don’t take in enough money to do that.
Gopal Krsna Maharaja, Radhanatha Swami, and Devamrita Swami helped with some donations this year. Visitors to NA are asked to contribute, and they did.
We often have a shortfall, and every temple is implored to make their share of the budget,
It’s our responsibility to carry on the institution, Srila Prabhupada gave himself the title founder-acharya of this movement. This is an extraordinary burden and we each help to carry it on.
ISKCON 50TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
ANUTTAMA DAS ISKCON COMMUNICATIONS MINISTER
NANDA SUTA DAS
50th anniversary magazine. 53 cents each prepaid. Full of amazing statistics.
Go to iskconews.org and you’ll find many iskcon 50 events. Bhakti Marga Swami walked Boston to Butler to NYC and next he is walking to San Francisco.
Go to website and download the banners.
ISKCON 50 Magazine: 65 pages.
Articles include:
Master with a Mission; wonderful photos, great 50 yrs of achievements, beautiful temples and centers of devotion; what we believe; singing in the streets great photos of harinamas; lessons to live by; education; the history of a movement; the next generation; a festival of food: vegetarianism, Prasad, restaurants around the world; a timeless tradition; the many faces of iskcon; the kirtan experience; back to basics; world of festivals; modern science; answers to today’s problems; Krishna culture and the arts; divine forms; crossing boundaries/interfaith; meditation for well being/japa;
Harvard is hosting a conference “the Worldwide Krishna Movement and 50 years:its impact , its challenges”, with 35 scholars on the 50th anniversary of iskcon in the US. Many famous older and newer scholars are coming. Some of the biggest scholars in Vaishnava studies in the world today are initiated devotees and considered the top scholars in their field. There will be a book published with 35 articles in it after the conference.
Iskcon 50 exhibition ready spring 2016 to create an exhibition for our own festivals
ILS interviews clips on youtube.
50/50: each devotee commits to distribute 50 books during this year.
50 padayatras around the world; all Canada festival in Montreal; VIP events in Delhi, Washington DC, Sydney, London, Mumbai, Brussels
World harinama week coinciding with Srila Prabhupada’s first harinama in Thompkins Square Park
Form a committee; commit to at least one major event; media coverage; youth festivals, vaishnavi festivals, kirtan melas; rathyatras; maha harinama; retreats
>media opportunity
>special events >show the movie > VIP events
Who are you? What do you? How can I get involved? People want to know. Create a sankirtan friendly world
Use this year to cultivate relationships this year.
Every place Srila Prabhupada went , bring the media
Call local govt officials, invite them to come, receive them warmly; discuss your needs; share who you are and how you contribute
Research local interfaithorgs
Attend a meeting; make friends;
GOPAL BATTA PRABHU
MARKETING/ISKCON ONLINE
Understanding your audience and presenting the matter in a suitable manner.
8 elements of marketing::
Marketing mindset
Marketing plan
Creating, communicating, delivering, exchanging offerings/ideas….to bring people closer to Krsna
(propagate: to spread and promote)
Attract and retain profitable customers: how successful weare in encouraging others to be KC
Market-driven (outside in) or product driven (inside out) ; we have been primarily product driven.
We need to think how the market will accept and undersyand our product
Of the 8 C’s ultimately we want connection.
Core competencies, customers, competition, colaboration,creativity,content, communication
We sometimes make it difficult for people to relate to us.
The word of mouth pyramid: what is our perception outside