After spending some days in Cologne/Germany I flew to Florida/USA on the 24th of March to visit the devotees in Alachua - one of the most prominent projects within ISKCON, with many well-known disciples of Srila Prabhupada living on the property and in the surrounding townships. No lack of senior association....
  |   |
It was a great honour for me to once again get the opportunity to offer humble service to the Vaishnavas here, and I felt greatly inspired to witness so many wonderful aspects of community development being established.
New Raman Reti is the abode of Sri Sri Radha Shyamasundara, Sri Sri Krishna Balarama, and Sri Sri Gaura Nitai. The temple serves almost five hundred families, making it the largest community of its kind in North America. And Their beautiful Lordships are served very gorgeously and are the center of the Vaishnava community.
I was invited to give a SB class and several house programs on various topics, and my visit concluded with the Sunday program. It was a great pleasure for me to get the association of many elevated Vaishnavas and build relationships. The discussions were well received, and devotees expressed their appreciation for my visit.
One morning, Mother Nataka Candrika took me around the school, together with the headmaster, Visvambhara Prabhu. I was highly impressed by the wonderful atmosphere which I could perceive in the classrooms. The children were so disciplined and peaceful, and I could sense they truly enjoyed being there. The school is following the Montessori method of education which is based on self-directed activity, hands-on learning and collaborative play. In Montessori classrooms children make creative choices in their learning, while the classroom and teachers offer age-appropriate activities to guide the process.
I was impressed how expertly the devotional topics were combined with academic learning, so that the children were genuinely inspired to actively participate and make their contributions. It seems an almost ideal way to
find a good balance between the various teaching methods, and intertwining material education with spiritual knowledge.
On another day Mother Nataka Candrika took me to the Eco Farm, and we marveled at all the different little projects - starting from making paper, spinning yarn from various plants to planting trees and vegetables. An unlimited field of activities to explore...
New Raman Reti is the abode of Sri Sri Radha Shyamasundara, Sri Sri Krishna Balarama, and Sri Sri Gaura Nitai. The temple serves almost five hundred families, making it the largest community of its kind in North America. And Their beautiful Lordships are served very gorgeously and are the center of the Vaishnava community.
I was invited to give a SB class and several house programs on various topics, and my visit concluded with the Sunday program. It was a great pleasure for me to get the association of many elevated Vaishnavas and build relationships. The discussions were well received, and devotees expressed their appreciation for my visit.
One morning, Mother Nataka Candrika took me around the school, together with the headmaster, Visvambhara Prabhu. I was highly impressed by the wonderful atmosphere which I could perceive in the classrooms. The children were so disciplined and peaceful, and I could sense they truly enjoyed being there. The school is following the Montessori method of education which is based on self-directed activity, hands-on learning and collaborative play. In Montessori classrooms children make creative choices in their learning, while the classroom and teachers offer age-appropriate activities to guide the process.
I was impressed how expertly the devotional topics were combined with academic learning, so that the children were genuinely inspired to actively participate and make their contributions. It seems an almost ideal way to
find a good balance between the various teaching methods, and intertwining material education with spiritual knowledge.
On another day Mother Nataka Candrika took me to the Eco Farm, and we marveled at all the different little projects - starting from making paper, spinning yarn from various plants to planting trees and vegetables. An unlimited field of activities to explore...
On my visit to Alachua, the topic of the Vanaprastha Ashrama was of great interest and relevance to the devotees residing here, and the program was well attended.
The age around fifty seems a perfect point in time to retire from family affairs and worldly duties. As a rule, at that age, we may still have good health, vitality and vigour in order to travel and preach, or to accept all kinds of services and new challenges in Srila Prabhupada’s mission. I remember meeting a family in Croatia who had entered family life at an early age, raised three children and were only in their late forties when the kids had left home and got married or had accepted jobs. And in a youthful spirit the couple had moved on to the next phase of life, fully taking advantage of all the service opportunities that had opened up. Seeing this real-life example once again made it clear to me that Krishna’s system is simply wonderful and perfect.
Sometimes devotees may wonder how they can, apart from travelling and preaching, possibly live a simple and austere life at their advanced old age. The secret to success lies in taking this step before invalidity sets in. Throughout the Srimad-Bhagavatam, Srila Prabhupada emphasises the importance of retiring before one becomes too old and diseased – before becoming incapacitated. It goes without saying that in a state of invalidity, we will not have the strength and capacity to leave home, detach ourselves and embrace a more austere lifestyle. In the purport to verse 3.30.14, Srila Prabhupada clearly stresses this point:
"In the Vedic way of life one has to give up family life when he is strong enough. It is advised that before getting too weak and being baffled in material activities, and before becoming diseased, one should give up family life and engage oneself completely in the service of the Lord for the remaining days of his life. It is enjoined, therefore, in the Vedic scriptures, that as soon as one passes fifty years of age, he must give up family life [...]."
In the purport to the following verse of 3.30.15, he repeats this instruction:
"Before meeting death one is sure to become a diseased invalid, and when he is neglected by his family members, his life becomes less than a dog’s because he is put into so many miserable conditions. Vedic literatures enjoin, therefore, that before the arrival of such miserable conditions, one should leave home and die without the knowledge of his family members."
In yet another purport to verse 4.29.54, he reiterates the same idea:
"Prahlada Maharaja recommends that while one’s senses are there and one is strong enough, he should abandon the grihastha-ashrama and take shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord, going to the forest of Vrindavan."
Srila Prabhupada knows very well that we have to hear the same points again and again, until we finally internalise them and deeply establish them in our heart as realised knowledge – vijnana.
On the 2nd of April I moved on to Tampa...
Your servant, Devaki dd
Please visit www.theholynameretreat.net
www.therootsofspiritualculture.net
https://www.facebook.com/instituteforspiritualculture/
The age around fifty seems a perfect point in time to retire from family affairs and worldly duties. As a rule, at that age, we may still have good health, vitality and vigour in order to travel and preach, or to accept all kinds of services and new challenges in Srila Prabhupada’s mission. I remember meeting a family in Croatia who had entered family life at an early age, raised three children and were only in their late forties when the kids had left home and got married or had accepted jobs. And in a youthful spirit the couple had moved on to the next phase of life, fully taking advantage of all the service opportunities that had opened up. Seeing this real-life example once again made it clear to me that Krishna’s system is simply wonderful and perfect.
Sometimes devotees may wonder how they can, apart from travelling and preaching, possibly live a simple and austere life at their advanced old age. The secret to success lies in taking this step before invalidity sets in. Throughout the Srimad-Bhagavatam, Srila Prabhupada emphasises the importance of retiring before one becomes too old and diseased – before becoming incapacitated. It goes without saying that in a state of invalidity, we will not have the strength and capacity to leave home, detach ourselves and embrace a more austere lifestyle. In the purport to verse 3.30.14, Srila Prabhupada clearly stresses this point:
"In the Vedic way of life one has to give up family life when he is strong enough. It is advised that before getting too weak and being baffled in material activities, and before becoming diseased, one should give up family life and engage oneself completely in the service of the Lord for the remaining days of his life. It is enjoined, therefore, in the Vedic scriptures, that as soon as one passes fifty years of age, he must give up family life [...]."
In the purport to the following verse of 3.30.15, he repeats this instruction:
"Before meeting death one is sure to become a diseased invalid, and when he is neglected by his family members, his life becomes less than a dog’s because he is put into so many miserable conditions. Vedic literatures enjoin, therefore, that before the arrival of such miserable conditions, one should leave home and die without the knowledge of his family members."
In yet another purport to verse 4.29.54, he reiterates the same idea:
"Prahlada Maharaja recommends that while one’s senses are there and one is strong enough, he should abandon the grihastha-ashrama and take shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord, going to the forest of Vrindavan."
Srila Prabhupada knows very well that we have to hear the same points again and again, until we finally internalise them and deeply establish them in our heart as realised knowledge – vijnana.
On the 2nd of April I moved on to Tampa...
Your servant, Devaki dd
Please visit www.theholynameretreat.net
www.therootsofspiritualculture.net
https://www.facebook.com/instituteforspiritualculture/
RSS Feed
