Since our first Holy Name Retreat at Ekachakra Dham in the beginning of January had been such a deep and wonderful experience, we decided to conduct another Holy Name Retreat in this most suitable and peaceful place - this time open to everyone and all: to ladies as well as men.....
When inviting devotees to the first retreat some men had jokingly complained, saying: 'why only for women - what about us....?!
Once again we designed a nice poster and hung it up all around Mayapur, and we distributed leaflets to many devotees every day during the morning program.
Every day more and more devotees were arriving in Mayapur, and it was fun to meet them personally and invite them to attend the retreat.
Once again I enjoyed the spirit of Sankirtan - catching some searching souls, taking them out to Ekachakra and trying to introduce them to a deeper encounter with Sri Harinam Prabhu.....
It almost felt like starting a Sankirtan movement within our Sankirtan movement......
Our chosen date was parallel to the main bathing day at the Khumba Mela and some other parikramas, so many devotees regretted that they had already purchased tickets for those other events.
On the 6th of February a rented bus took our group of thirty devotees out to Ekachakra. As last time we started the retreat with a parikrama to Nityananda's places of pastimes, and Prabhir Krsna Prabhu from Mayapur had come along in order to help us absorb our mind in rememberance of Lord Nityananda.
Quite a number of senior devotees had joined our group - three disciples of Srila Prabhupada from Saranagati/Canada, and various other senior devotees who had been practicing Krsna consciousness for around thirty years. But also young devotees were there, and devotees who were born in ISKCON and were now in the beginning of their twenties.
Once again so many nationalities were represented: America, Europe, Russia, China, South America, Bengal......
As usual I invited some of the participating devotees to give the morning classes, and due to the fact that so many senior devotees were there, the level was deep and satisfying to the heart.
The prasadam was very nice, tasty and healthy - my assistant Vicka had shown the locals how to make a nice salat, which everybody highly appreciated.
A humble introduction to the salat culture....
During the entire retreat we kept a good focus on the holy name, and everybody participated very eagerly, tuning in to the somewhat intense and deep mood.
Ekavira Prabhu took charge of arranging the kirtans, and he himself lead the nicest and most prayerful kirtans.
Once again we designed a nice poster and hung it up all around Mayapur, and we distributed leaflets to many devotees every day during the morning program.
Every day more and more devotees were arriving in Mayapur, and it was fun to meet them personally and invite them to attend the retreat.
Once again I enjoyed the spirit of Sankirtan - catching some searching souls, taking them out to Ekachakra and trying to introduce them to a deeper encounter with Sri Harinam Prabhu.....
It almost felt like starting a Sankirtan movement within our Sankirtan movement......
Our chosen date was parallel to the main bathing day at the Khumba Mela and some other parikramas, so many devotees regretted that they had already purchased tickets for those other events.
On the 6th of February a rented bus took our group of thirty devotees out to Ekachakra. As last time we started the retreat with a parikrama to Nityananda's places of pastimes, and Prabhir Krsna Prabhu from Mayapur had come along in order to help us absorb our mind in rememberance of Lord Nityananda.
Quite a number of senior devotees had joined our group - three disciples of Srila Prabhupada from Saranagati/Canada, and various other senior devotees who had been practicing Krsna consciousness for around thirty years. But also young devotees were there, and devotees who were born in ISKCON and were now in the beginning of their twenties.
Once again so many nationalities were represented: America, Europe, Russia, China, South America, Bengal......
As usual I invited some of the participating devotees to give the morning classes, and due to the fact that so many senior devotees were there, the level was deep and satisfying to the heart.
The prasadam was very nice, tasty and healthy - my assistant Vicka had shown the locals how to make a nice salat, which everybody highly appreciated.
A humble introduction to the salat culture....
During the entire retreat we kept a good focus on the holy name, and everybody participated very eagerly, tuning in to the somewhat intense and deep mood.
Ekavira Prabhu took charge of arranging the kirtans, and he himself lead the nicest and most prayerful kirtans.
Especially the closing ceremony with sharing realizations was very moving to the heart. Some of the senior devotees expressed with tears in their eyes how they feel they have wasted so many years with inattentive chanting, simply taking empty medicine capsules.....
Devotees expressed their appreciation for my humble attempts to serve them, and everybody was fully satisfied with the experience and the new insights they had received into the secrets of chanting the holy name....
It had been the first retreat which I had conducted with so many senior devotees taking part. It had been more challenging for me, especially since I was a little afraid whether they would accept things coming from a more junior person like myself.
I do feel a strong urgency to express certain points, and I like to make them strongly to shake up my audience.
It can sometimes be a little challenging and provocrative for one's ego....
And not every senior devotee might like to hear and accept it, especially if there is no personal relationship with the speaker already established.
Being a more traditional minded devotee I do prefer the descending process of learning: simply hearing from a sadhu who has some realisations to share, rather than the ascending style of working in groups, discussing and sharing opinions. I have always found the ascending style to be very boring and a waste of time.
Inquiry is of course part of the traditional descending process - question and answer. This is the very basis to spiritual progress: inquisitiveness.
Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam are based on one person inquiring, and another person giving the answer....
But hearing everybody's opinion on things is not really the process to uplift our consciousness. More powerful is simply hearing from somebody who has received some realizations. And they are revealed by Krsna....
The today's tendency towards all kinds of interactive styles and tools are maybe related to the fact that people are more and more restless and of short concentration span, and the fact that people rather like to hear themselves talk, than simply hear from a more realised person.
The uncontrolled urge to speak.....
As Prabhupada says in SB 3.15.18: 'In the material world even an ass enjoys his own sound vibration.....'
It is closely related to pride.
The more West we go, the more people find it difficult to hear in submission and humility, and the more they prefer to hear themselves speak.
In countries like Ukraine, Nepal and Bangladesh we can still find the remnants of spiritual culture: to hear from a sadhu in a humble and submissive state of mind.....
Returning to Mayapur I had one day's time to find my way back into the daily affairs of life, and on the 12th of February I flew off to Nepal for yet another transcendental event: the Bhakti Sangam Festival......
Your servant, Devaki dd
Devotees expressed their appreciation for my humble attempts to serve them, and everybody was fully satisfied with the experience and the new insights they had received into the secrets of chanting the holy name....
It had been the first retreat which I had conducted with so many senior devotees taking part. It had been more challenging for me, especially since I was a little afraid whether they would accept things coming from a more junior person like myself.
I do feel a strong urgency to express certain points, and I like to make them strongly to shake up my audience.
It can sometimes be a little challenging and provocrative for one's ego....
And not every senior devotee might like to hear and accept it, especially if there is no personal relationship with the speaker already established.
Being a more traditional minded devotee I do prefer the descending process of learning: simply hearing from a sadhu who has some realisations to share, rather than the ascending style of working in groups, discussing and sharing opinions. I have always found the ascending style to be very boring and a waste of time.
Inquiry is of course part of the traditional descending process - question and answer. This is the very basis to spiritual progress: inquisitiveness.
Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam are based on one person inquiring, and another person giving the answer....
But hearing everybody's opinion on things is not really the process to uplift our consciousness. More powerful is simply hearing from somebody who has received some realizations. And they are revealed by Krsna....
The today's tendency towards all kinds of interactive styles and tools are maybe related to the fact that people are more and more restless and of short concentration span, and the fact that people rather like to hear themselves talk, than simply hear from a more realised person.
The uncontrolled urge to speak.....
As Prabhupada says in SB 3.15.18: 'In the material world even an ass enjoys his own sound vibration.....'
It is closely related to pride.
The more West we go, the more people find it difficult to hear in submission and humility, and the more they prefer to hear themselves speak.
In countries like Ukraine, Nepal and Bangladesh we can still find the remnants of spiritual culture: to hear from a sadhu in a humble and submissive state of mind.....
Returning to Mayapur I had one day's time to find my way back into the daily affairs of life, and on the 12th of February I flew off to Nepal for yet another transcendental event: the Bhakti Sangam Festival......
Your servant, Devaki dd
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