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February 2000

HOLLYWOOD MAKING "GITA" FILM

If I was to begin this newsletter by telling you that Steven Spielberg's company Dreamwork is producing a film based upon the Bhagavad-gita and that it is being directed by Robert Redford and stars Will Smith, you'd probably write to me and tell me to stop publishing misleading information and getting your hopes up. But, hand on heart, I must tell you that its true - I saw it on an official Hollywood web-site just the other week. The hot news is that a new film is already in production and that the advertisers are even commending visitors to the web-site to read Krishna Dharma's Mahabharata for further back ground material on the subject of the film. Here's the story: Several years ago an author named Stephen Field wrote a novel about golf in the 1930s in America (No, it doesn't sound too interesting does it?) The twist in the tale which makes it appealing for devotees it that the "mystical spirituality" of the ancient Bhagavad-Gita was worked into the story and the two main characters represent Lord Krishna and Arjuna. The battlefield becomes a gold-course, the champion archer becomes a champion golfer, and the chariot driver becomes a golf-caddy. Whether the message of the Gita can actually be transposed to the golf course is an interesting topic for discussion. The Supreme Personality of Godhead speaks the Gita on a battlefield deliberately to show how the most mystical message can be understood and acted upon even during life's most challenging circumstances. It is difficult to imagine a less likely place for divine dialogue to take place. A golf course is a comparatively peaceful place to engage in such spiritual discussions. Does the film preserve the philosophy of the Gita? Well apparently that's the idea; Hollywood wanted a spiritual film. The original book seems to have inspired someone to put their hands in their pockets in the movies world. And if the title of the novel is anything to go by, we can expect the message to be put across in a highly cryptic form that maybe devotees would pick up on slightly easier than an uninformed audience. The book's title? The Legand of Bagger Vance (Bhagavan's - get it?).
Web site: http://www.dreamworksfansite.com/legendofbaggervance

CONGREGATIONAL COUNCIL FIRST MEETING

The newly formed Congregational Council met for the first time on January 22nd at Bhaktivedanta Manor. After a presentation of the current organisational structure of the national ISKON movement, and the need for greater awareness of, and response to, the needs of its members, discussions took place on the functions and responsibility of a congregational council and what levels of communication would be required to ensure that the needs of groups are better met. Having named individuals who are responsible for communication both within the groups and the temples, beginning formal methods of reporting, having organisers for county areas, increasing the frequency of visiting preachers and ensuring that all congregational members receive the newsletter were some of the suggestions. It was felt that the council should be a formal addition to the ISKCON structure with the task of promoting a two-way flow of information. It should provide feedback from the groups, help to review preaching policies with special concern for group interests, and be an advisory body for the Congregational Preaching Director.

CAMBRIDGE

Michelle Fox reports that she was shopping in Sainsbury's supermarket and saw someone wearing a lapel badge of Hanuman, the monkey warrior, in the next checkout queue. It turned out that he was a devotee who had moved to Cambridge from deepest mid-Wales and was unaware that there was a local group existing. Now Marcus and his girlfriend Emma are regulars at the Cambridge group and the fact that Marcus is an accomplished mridanga drum player and experienced bhajan singer has given the group an extra lift. Seems like when you sincerely want to increase the number of members in your group Krishna Himself can make it quite easy for you. Other news is that the group has been offered the use of a room in a nearby Indian cultural centre, and cooking demonstrations have been taking place.

BIRMINGHAM (AND SWANSEA)

The British Wheel of Yoga, a confederation of some 4000 yoga teachers, recently invited Vidura das, who lives in Birmingham, to give teachers a one-day seminar in Swansea. Anyone teaching yoga under the banner of the BWY has to have their teaching license annually renewed, and attending two seminars per year on yoga-related subjects is mandatory. With the aim of learning the philosophy of Bhagavad-gita, 28 teachers came together in the Conoldre Community Hall in Swansea. The organiser, Ann Coghill, had particularly insisted on Vidura coming in traditional Vaishnava dress of dhoti, kurta, and tilak for authenticity. He started the seminar by introducing himself as an Irishman who grew up on the nor/south border and who, as a Catholic, had searched for God in a different way to those around him in Ireland. After only five minutes of his own story, Vidura turned the table and asked everyone how they had all come to take up such a strange eastern path as "yoga". One by one the students, mostly middle-aged women, began to tell their stories. Without fail, their personal stories, told with emotion, described much more than a search for a method of physical exercise. "Their stories were very much like the stories devotees tell each other of how we came to Krishna", said Vidura. "They told of how they had felt a spiritual gap in their lives, how when they took up yoga their friends thought of them as strange, and how they wanted to have a relationship with God by following an "Eastern" path". After telling their stories, which went on for an hour and a half, they were completely satisfied that their search for spiritual life was not only natural and shared by others, but the deepest motivating factor in their lives. "There wasn't a dry eye in the room" Vidura introduced Bhagavad-gita as the world"s oldest book of spiritual wisdom and then began telling the story of how the famous conversation between Krishna and Arjuna came to be spoken; the births of the Pandavas, the palace intrigues and the mystical sages in the forest. "When I told the story of Karna, and how he only discovered who his mother was just before the battle, and that this meant fighting his own brother", said Vidura, "there wasn't a dry eye in the room".

After this scene setting came the philosophy: Vidura focused on two chapters he knew well - 4 and 9. When he sang the Sanskrit slokas everyone was impressed. Then came kirtan which everybody listened to but did not join in with. After light lunch came questions and answers, cautiously at first, then quite animated. "Sometimes people are affected by impersonalism simply because that"s all they've ever heard about" commented Vidura. "Although yoga circles are generally regarded as non-belivers in the personality of Godhead, preferring the impersonal conception, that's only because they've never had things explained to them by devotees." After many questions and answers it was time for the second kirtan. Everyone had brought with them a copy of Srila Prabhupada's Bhagavada-gita As It Is (still the best-selling Gita) and this time, opening their books to page three, everyone joined in, delighted that they were learning how to chant a real mantra. In the evening, those members of the seminar who did not have to travel long distances to go home, around half the number, came with Vidura to Govinda's in Swansea. That evening was the restaurant's last function. The Welsh devotees are moving to bigger and better premises nearer the city centre; they'll also be joined by Devaprastha and his wife Maharani Vrinda.

SADNESS AT VAISHNAVA'S PASSING

With great sadness devotees at Bhaktivedanta Manor observed the funeral rites of Ambarish dasa, 31, a respected and loved Vaishnava who passed away in tragic circumstances on 17th January. Ambarish was from a Tamil Indian family and came to England from South Africa six years ago. For five years he was involved in preaching to the Indian community in North London, and last year was managing the kitchen at the Manor. He died at his home in Watford and is survived by his wife Devina.

ISLE OF WIGHTERS ARE READY

MIKE BAYLISS

The trouble we face in encouraging people to listen to the philosophy of the Vedas is that: (1) people are not comfortable talking about religion in everyday conversations. They either take it as a joke, or shy away in fear of "getting converted". (2) The Hare Krishna movement has not had a positive history in the media. We are still labelled with the old stigma of the 1970's cult phase, when "The Moonies" were accused of brainwashing teenagers. These barriers are caused, of course, by Maya (illusion) with her favourite weapons of Ignorance and Apathy. Our task (should we decide to accept it) is to fight our own apathy and try our best to help others overcome their ignorance. We can only do what we are able, and best suited to do, to use the tools and facilities that Krishna has supplied to us. You cannot browbeat people into believing in any form of philosophy or religion. No, the way in which people are attracted into a new unfamiliar concept is that they see that others have a commodity that is desirable, fresh and that has worked. This is the way that media advertising works. Advertising is all about repeated promotion of a positive image or concept, to awaken in the consciousness of the "punter"a desire for that commodity. This is where the philosophy of the Vedas has a foot in the door of the mind, because we are not trying to teach anything that is new, rather we are trying to reawaken the primeval knowledge that we have all forgotten. When I read the Bhagavad-gita I never feel that this is strange new stuff that is hard to relate to, it has a more familiar taste, as if it has expressed and satisfied an old hunger or thirst for knowledge has been quenched. To pick up on the analogy of media advertising again, people only seek out a service like a plumber or other supplier, when they feel that they have a need for them. If people are allowed to naturally contemplate on their circumstances, they will find that in their own time they will develop questions that they desire to seek answers to. These questions are mostly in the form of "why am I here, and what is my purpose in life?" which are the questions that all religions have been trying to answer since the year dot. So the conclusion is that we just advertise our presence and our facilities to those who are seeking after the trust and we can offer. It is said that "when the pupil is ready, then the teacher shall appear". If we are worthy teachers then we may be allowed, by Krishna's grace, to pass on that knowledge to another that we have received from Him.

Here at the Isle of Wight Nama Hatta; we are attempting to attract those who are seeking the trust along the path of Yoga, by advertising "Bhakti Yoga, the topmost yoga. The science of self realisation and path to love of God". This will take the form of a course of three lessons on consecutive Sundays that consist of Mantra Meditation, study of the Bhagavad-Gita, Bhakti Yoga as "Yoga in action" that leads to a practical and harmonious way of life. The class format will consist of a personal introduction to one another, Mantra (Japa) Meditation introduction and practice; reading then question and answers from the Bhagavad-Gita. Then we'll watch a video of Srila Prabhupada while we take prasadam; finished by a general discussion on any points that may occur. Only Krishna knows how many people will take up this opportunity to start on the path of Bhakti, as the lessons will be in Pieter's home we shall expect no more than about a dozen or so. However, we shall be advertising this event in local papers and on the Internet so hopefully it may raise the consciousness a little of those others who do not apply for further information. (Would you like to share your own difficulties or successes introducing others to Vaishnava philosophy or practise? -drop me a line, KMD)

TRAVELLING PREACHERS SET TO REVIVE

Complementary to the first meeting of the Congregation Council was a Preachers Dinner also held at the manor the following weekend. Around thirty devotees with experience of preaching had said that they would like to visit groups in the South. (A large region spanning Bristol and Norwich and Birmingham to Brighton). They were all invited to a special evening dinner and illustrated presentation held in Srila Prabhupada's room. The presentation was relatively brief, most present being already familiar with the general ideas, but particular attention was paid to the need for a geographically widespread faith community such as ours to acknowledge that the small group is the basic unit of the movement and to adapt our education and training policies accordingly. Devotees broke into small groups themselves for discussion on how they could add group visiting to their month; afterwards most agreed to either begin or increase their work with groups.

BIG ISSUE OFFICE GETS THE BIG MEAL

Hare Krishna Food for Life, the daily free Prasadam service in London, has just increased to providing around 500 meals per day. After a grant of £15,000 from Camden Town Council, Parasurama dasa brought a new (second-hand) van and equipped it with gas for heating water for hot drinks, two electric sinks, two skylights and a stainless steel interior. The daily prasadam menu has also changed to include subji, rice, cake, popadam, juice and hot barley-cup six days a week. The Prasadam is not only given out on the street (250 meals) but is also delivered to all the day-centres and night-shelters around Camden and King's Cross. Recently the service was expanded to include the offices of the Big Issue, the magazine sold by the homeless. More than 200 meals go out there every day, not only to magazine sellers but to staff too, much enhancing the movement's relationship with them. Parasurama wants to also serve prasadam to the 400 who attend the fortnightly "WARP Experience" dance an art event.

EVENTS THIS YEAR:

OPEN DAYS - Great opportunities to bring someone completely new to KC. They can enjoy the ox-cart ride, prasadam, dancing or theatre, video, art displays, meditation class and ayurvedic workshop (short version) - absolutely free!
This year: April 8, June 4, July 15 - 11:00 - 3:00.

EUROPEAN CONVENTION AND PARIS RATHAYATRA - Every year devotees from all over western and eastern Europe, including Russia, gather at the chateau in Belgium for seminars on may subjects of interest. The last few years has seen the movement's most senior speakers and leaders discussion topical and often-controversial issues. The event has, in effect, become a mini-mela for those who cannot journey to the annual festival in Mayapura, India. A week in the thought provoking, yet blissful, company of many devotees concludes in a bus journey down to Paris for the city's Rathayatra festival. The "Radhadesh Seminars" are open to everyone and begin on 25th June. Paris Rathayatra is on 2nd July.
Please write to Kripamoya das for information.

LONDON RATHAYATRA - We will be applying to the relevant Government department to again hold Rathayatra right in the heart of London at Trafalgar Square - on June 18th. Problem is, bookings are only accepted a mere three months before the event, and the officials take a month to reply. That means we apply in March and get a decision in April. But if last year is anything to go by we will be there once again singing and dancing in the sunshine. Mark your calendears, tell your friends, and watch this space.

SOUTH INDIA 2000 - FROM COAST TO COAST Something different this year for our India trip. Devaprastha prabhu and I thought we'd like to offer a pilgrimage to south India to take in the places of famous Vaishnava saints and savour some of the ancient Vaishnava culture of this part of the country. Our proposed two or three week trip (depending on demand) will take in the small seaside town of Udipin where Madhva lived, Sri Rangam, home to Ramanuja and the huge temple of Ranganath, Bangalore, where the beautiful new ISKCON temple sits on top a hill, a vibrant combination of ancient and modern architecture; then on to Jagannath Puri, home of Lord Jagannath and, for 18 years, Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the most merciful and recent incarnation of God. No further details as yet but if you want to come it will be in November after the rains (not too hot) and will cost around £850-900 or so, depending on numbers etc.

WHERE WOULD WE BE WITHOUT YOU?

Many thanks to all of you who have sent in donations to help with the preaching work. In January and February so far we received gifts totalling £407 from the following supporters: Warren Wright, Adrian Gibson, Mr K Costa, John Foot, Mr Deveka Sharma, Andrew Moase. This is in addition to those devotees who send in donations every month through their bank. If you think you'd like to help the work of the movement, a registered charity in Britain, then please write for further information. Just two pounds every month from everyone reading this would enable us to do so much more. Also, if you feel totally unable to spare anything at all, you might like to take a small money box for your mantelpiece. Please place a few coppers in it occasionally and it will be worth about four pounds over a few weeks. Get one by calling or writing - Thankyou!

THOUGHTS ON RESPECTING OTHERS

I heard about a women who moved into a small town. After being there for a while she complained to her neighbour about the poor service she'd received at the local shop, hoping that her neighbour would repeat the criticism to the owner. The next time she went to the shop, the manager took care of her order quickly and even offered her family help to settle in. Amazed, the women reported the incredible change to her friend. "I suppose you told him how poor I thought his service was", she said. "Well no," her friend replied, "I hope you don't mind, but I told him you were very impressed with the way he'd built up his small local shop and it was one of the best you had seen".

People respond better to kindness than to complaints. In fact, most people will do nearly anything for you if you treat them with respect. That means making it clear to them that their feelings are important, their preferences are respected and their opinions valuable. It also means giving them the benefit of the doubt. Ralph Waldo Emerson, known for his study of the Bhagavad-Gita in the 1800s, said, "Every main is entitled to be valued by his best moments." Kindness in preaching to others works wonders too; Srila Prabhupada's spiritual master explained that, "We must always look for the spark of devotion in someone's heart and then fan that with our words and actions into a blazing fire."

BHAGAVAD-GITA -
NOW AVAILABLE ON CD-ROM

If even opening your Bhagavad-Gita some days is difficult, and you have a computer, you are in for a great surprise with the new CD-ROM from the Bhakivedanta Book Trust. It is, in Kripamoya's humble opinion, quite amazing. Not that I know too much about computers mind you, but just by clicking my mouse I was refreshing the rusty bits of my Gita memory. Let me tell you a bit about it: it has the entire contents of the Gita of course, but you can also hear the Gita being changed in the original Sanskrit or English for any verse you want. There's a nice looking menu page (actually everything is nicely done graphically by Krishna Prema and his wife Nitya tripta) which will take you to further pages, audio-visual sections and videos. There are the five main topics of the Gita: the Supreme Lord, the living entity, material nature, time and material activities, all given very nice AV treatment. Then there's a video of Prabhupada's life, another one of how to chant and offer your food, the battlefield of Kurukshetra as it is today and another feature on the Gita Mahatmya (a part of the Padma Purana explaining the benefits of reading each chapter of the Gita). You can conduct any kind of searches and you will be helped greatly by the notepad on what famous people have said about the Gita. Here's what you will need to run it: Pentium processor, 32 MB RAM, 4x CD-ROM player, 16-bit colour display, sound card, Windows 95 or higher.
To get it drop me a line for the special price of £10.00.

HOW TO PREACH:

LESSON ONE-THE "LADDER OF IDEAS"

Vedic theology and philosophy is a vast subject. You could start reading today and still not be finished with all-main Vaishnava works and related studies by Christmas - 2001!

Sometimes devotees write to me and say: "When people ask what are the teachings of Krishna Consciousness, what should I say first?" My reply is usually this: Ask the person with whom you are discussing what their ideas on spiritual life are already. Those ideas will be a mixture of intuition, their own perceptions, their current needs, fashionable ideas from conversations they've had recently, from books, films, television programmes, and memories from parents, school, Sunday school and so on. Some people have had very pleasant experiences connected with "religion", and some hate the very ideas of God because it seems to cause division and is illogical. It all gets mixed within the mind and comes out in speech, actions and a set of attitudes whenever conversation turns to the delicate subject of spiritual life. There is what I like to term a "ladder of ideas" which people must climb before they reach the top rung. Everyone is on one rung or another and if through your own preliminary questioning you can discern which rung they are already on, you will find it easy which subject to talk about, and therefore which rung comes next for them. Please bear in mind that you cannot ask people to jump up too many rungs at once! It is best to get someone to first agree to a set of points before trying to take them further. Also, there are a number of ideas, which are currently "socially acceptable" and which make good conversation starters.

These may, of course, vary widely, but I have found these to be good: Meditation for peace of mind, stress management and better relationships. Vegetarian diet for health, compassion, ecology, and "karma". Existence of the Spirit for an understanding of "wholeness" and an integrated life and reincarnation for an understanding of the purpose of life as a learning experience and the possibility of life after death. It is suprising just how fashionable these ideas have become, (I suppose 25 million Hare Krishna books have had at least something to do with that in this country!) and how easily therefore many people now accept them as plausible. It also means that you don't seem so strange when you start talking about them?

In recent survey of the European Union, Britain was placed only marginally second to Sweden for how its population neither took part in religious activities nor believed in God. (Top places for belief in God, incidentally, were Ireland and Italy). So we in this country furthering the cause of God consciousness must take this deep-rooted atheistic culture into account. First rung for many might therefore be a discussion of spiritual nature, rather than the Supreme spiritual origin of all nature. Certainly the idea of a personal God is too high up the ladder for many. But for the many who do find the idea of a personal God logically admissible, you can actually start with the Vedic concept of God. You will still have to struggle with the "God is an energy something like X-rays" type idea, but the concept of "three aspects of the Absolute Truth" (Brahman, Paramatma, Bhagavan) really helps many people to correlate both impersonal and personal conceptions.

I have reproduced my own preaching "ladder" below. It has been culled from Srila Prabhupada's books and seems to help not only my memory but many other to grasp the logic of Krishna Consciousness.

1. Our search for spiritual knowledge is blocked by the limits of our sense perception.

2. The Vedas of ancient India are spiritual books which have guided millions throughout history.

3. They are manuals for our life here and can help us find perfect peace, happiness and wisdom.

4. The first lesson from the Vedas is that we are not this body, the second that we are neither the mental concepts and identities we cling to.

5. Our mistaken identity causes us to look for permanent happiness in impermanent situations.

6. We are therefore having to deal perpetually with disappointment, causing us deep-rooted pain.

7. The body disintegrates but the soul lives on, transported to a new body by the subtle laws of nature. This is termed as reincarnation.

8. Our next body and the tendencies we will have will be the accumulation of the good and bad deeds, or "karma" of the present life.

9. There are processes to rise above this, become free from the urges which cause us to create karma, develop spiritual wisdom, and to link with the Absolute. These are known as "yoga".

10. Different yoga's are for different millennium. The most powerful yoga now is mantra mediation.

11. Supporting practises for this yoga, and found within the world's mystical traditions, are being truthful, clean, austere and showing mercy to others. These principles give rise to rules.

12. God is the Supreme Absolute Truth, God is eternal, the origin of all material and spiritual energies, the Supreme Knower and permitter.

13. He is present in three forms which we can experience:
    (i) All-pervading, impersonal aspect (divine white light).
    (ii) The localised aspect (Super-soul or Holy Spirit).
    (iii) the Supreme Personality of Godhead; His beautiful, all-loving personal form whom we can see face to face.

14. We are eternally related to God, as the rays of the sun are related to the sun, but we have forgotten this. Chanting, study and practical service under guidance will restore our "memory".

15. Krishna is the owner of everything, the controller of everything, and everyone's best friend. If you factually know and experience this you can know supreme happiness.

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Page last updated 19 March, 2002
© 2001 International Society for Krishna Consciousness
Founder-Acharya His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada