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Eternity Has No Beginning
BY: GOKULA DASA
Mar 18, CALIFORNIA (SUN) An issue as yet not addressed in the jiva tattva debate.
If something isn't eternal now, it is argued below that it won't ever be. If something ever ‘becomes' eternal, it's because it always was, in some form. Analogously, Srila Prabhupada often wrote, "God doesn't ever become God (referring to Mayavadis), He is always God" (giving the example of baby Krishna). According to sastra (below), the same can be said for what is eternal.
This means that it has no beginning. This applies in a surprising way to whatever we choose to believe about death, whether we are atheists, Christians, Muslims or even ‘big bang' theorists. It may even apply to Vaisnavas who believe that we can start an eternal relationship with Krishna for the first time when we die.
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Is the Desire to Hear All Srila Prabhupada's Audio a "Misleading Campaign"?
BY: BHAKTA PHILIP
Mar 18, USA (SUN) In the Bhaktivedanta Archives' most recent post they have criticized one of my personal emails that I sent to many devotees announcing the petition, but they have not addressed the desire of the now more than 2,000 devotees to hear all the audio of Srila Prabhupada.
In my personal email there was a discrepancy in the wording that I overlooked before I sent it out. I originally wrote: "These recordings are not transcribed in the Vedabase or published in any other way." Instead, I should have said: "Many of these recordings are not..." Later, on my own accord, I corrected this mistake once I noticed it and then I sent it out to others. The new letter read: "Many of these recordings are not..."
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Thanks to the Devotees
BY: GEORGE A. SMITH
Mar 18, CALIFORNIA, USA (SUN) I wish to thank the devotees Kurma dasa (not the chef), Bhakta Howard, Gadadhara dasa and Rocana prabhu for their appreciation of my recent article, "Hridayananda and His Dogs". "Brilliant" is not an adjective that I would ascribe to my articles or to myself, but rather to your own selves, for you are the servants of Srila Prabhupada's lotus feet, the devotees of Lord Krsna and not I. You are the followers of the way, the truth and the light, while I have only glimpsed that light. Who can say what it is that draws the darkness to the flame?
One time, one time only I caught a glimpse of his brilliance. It was in the temple room of Lord Jagannatha on Capital Hill in Seattle and someone was playing one of Srila Prabhupada's lecture tapes, simply his recorded voice, so powerful. Difficult to put in words, but if all the oceans in all of the worlds were poured into one vast sea, they would still not equal the depth of Srila Prabhupada's devotion to Lord Krsna or match the expanse of the mercy he offers us, pure love of Godhead he pours down like rain onto everyone with no consideration of qualification and with only one request: "please take."
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Open Letter to Bhagavan das
BY: JAGANNATHA MISHRA DASA
Mar 18, CANARY ISLANDS (SUN)
March 14, 2010
Dear Bhagavan das,
You are a special devotee and you will be asking yourself what in the world makes me persecute you in this way. I know I am being a bit too picky. But the reason could be that I am fed up with "pakka" devotees talking down to me, a recurrent happening in our movement. Looking at the frequency they smash themselves against maya, I simply find not proper this new model you present of mega-guru-super galactic coming back demanding insistently we should forget everything and eat from your hand again. Of course this new model is super mega chic cause now you do not have to follow any rules besides balancing your heart chakra and controlling the anger that this letter can cause you.
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Dear Isvara das
BY: MAHAVIDYA DAS (ACBSP)
Mar 18, UK (SUN)
Dear Isvara prabhu, thank you for your most recent posting. All glories to your service.
You say, "we accept Srila Prabhupada's books as the final authority" and in your own words or thereabouts, "because He placed the emphasis on distributing His books".
Please clarify why we should not consider Srila Prabhupada's lectures, conversations, or letters to carry the same authority.
After all... Srila Prabhupada is the exact same person throughout.
Your argument of time, place and circumstance could also be used with reference to Srila Prabhupada's books.
"Srila Prabhupada's books are only for the next 10,000 years, so in 10,001 years they have no authority."
So…
what exactly are you saying?
Are we to infer that His Divine Grace is less of an authority when he lectures?
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BY: SUN STAFF
Mar 18, CANADA (SUN) New items in the Sun's Classified ads section.
[ Real Estate ]

Like a Rolling Stone
BY: SURESH DASA
Mar 17, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA (SUN) I was reading Rocana Prabhu's recent article "Praghosa's Masquerade", and was immediately struck by how similar I feel I might be to Praghosa dasa of New York, at least in his apparent madness and illusion. For such a long time I believed myself to be a pretty important writer as well as investigative reporter into the goings on of ISKCON's many fumbles and failings. Time finally caught up with me though. I was only able to hide my lack of education for so long.
I neglected my spiritual life for many decades, putting in only the most minimal of effort, and way below Srila Prabhupada's minimum standards for an initiated disciple. I hadn't even kept up with my studies of his books. I never received an education beyond high school. My spiritual studies are really only limited to Srila Prabhupada's books themselves.
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Cooperate, Keeping the Acharya in the Center
BY: GADADHAR DASA
Mar 17, DALLAS, TEXAS, USA (SUN) Srila Prabhupada describes below his vision as to how he wants to structure and operate (Materially and Spiritually) ISKCON. This letter is dated February 1967. Thus we have to understand that HDG Srila Prabhupada was very clear in the beginning days of ISKCON about the model he wanted to use for the future development and operation of ISKCON.
Srila Prabhupada: "I wish that each and every branch shall keep their separate identity and cooperate keeping the acharya in the center. On this principle we can open any number of branches all over the world. The Rama Krishna mission works on this principle and thus as an organization they have done wonderfully."
(Letter, February 11, 1967)
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Clear as Mud
BY: JANMASTAMI DAS
Mar 17, WEST VIRGINIA, USA (SUN) Having read Bhakta Suria's recent speculations as to the meaning of the July 9th Letter, we again find ourselves faced with the lose-lose situation of trying to defend the English language enough to explain it to others who may not be as familiar with it as those mellechas who were born speaking that tongue. Not that the English language bears defending, it does not, but that the disqualification that one cannot be a brahmin if one has even heard the English language certainly should not apply to the followers of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Still, words have their assigned definitions and functions, and, like it or not, the current word juggling that passes for "understanding English" is not true "understanding".
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More Editing
BY: MAHAVIDYA DAS (ACBSP)
Mar 17, UK (SUN)
May I comment on Bhakta das's latest offering, "No Falls from Vaikuntha".
How much of HDG AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada's teachings do we wish to edit out?
After all... at present, I am reading Teachings of Lord Kapila by His Divine Grace.
That particular book is a collection of lectures given by Srila Prabhupada.
Should I not be reading it?
What about other books by Srila Prabhupada?
The bottom line is… do we or do we not accept everything Srila Prabhupada is telling us?
Or do we become selective?
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More Sentiment
BY: ARIJIT DAS (ACBSP)
Mar 17, USA (SUN) Following is a posting to the Chakra website. My comments follow:
Posted March 17, 2010 on Chakra:
"We're going to build a puspa samadhi for Jayananda prabhu, in Mayapura soon. Krsna Mangala prabhu is the main organizer of this project. We need some personal article of Jayananda, like a bead bag, or some item like clothing, or some personal effect, to use for the puspa samadhi, and we will purchase, or accept donation of such item. If any devotee would know where we might procure such item, we would be extremely grateful, and Srila Prabhupada and Lord Krishna will be very pleased as well.
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We are Incompetent to Proceed Without a Bona Fide Guru
BY: VRINDAVAN DAS
Mar 17, UK (SUN)
Excerpts from a lecture delivered by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur in the Sarasvata Assembly Hall, Sri Caitanya Matha, Mayapura on Saturday, 9.00 pm, on the 28th day of the month of Magha (January) 1931
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Before Rushing to a Conclusion
BY: ISVARA DAS
Mar 17, INDIA (SUN) Dear Mahavidya Prabhu, thanks for your comments on my posting on the fall or no-fall issue. One thing, I did not say we should not listen to Srila Prabhupada's lectures. I think you misunderstood my point. I was simply hinting to people's using Srila Prabhupada's various lectures, letters, conversations etc., to justify whatever ideas they may have. I personally listen to Srila Prabhupada's audios every day, not to talk of the fact that I am also one of the main Bhaktivedanta Archives' producer and distributor's of Srila Prabhupada's medias.
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No Falls from Vaikuntha
BY: BHAKTA DASA (ACBSP)
Mar 16, THAILAND (SUN) I am much pleased to read H.G. Isvara das's comments in his recent article, " On the Falling/no-falling of the Jiva". Maya vadis also say this is all MAYA and only BRAHMA is real. When we say this is a dream only and we are really in Goloka with KRSNA leela, is this not basic Mayavadi concepts, "Brahma satya jagat mithya"?
The first thing we learn from His Divine Grace's Bhagavad-gita introduction is that there are five subjects in the Gita -- time, nature, God, the living being and karma -- and how all of these are eternal except KARMA which can be stopped, but is anadi, without beginning.
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Open Letter to Bhagavan: These are my feelings
BY: MOHINI MURTI DEVI DASI
Mar 16, SPAIN (SUN) Occasionally I defended Bhagavan's name based on fatuous and unreal splendor
during his time in ISKCON. But now I realize that his "return" is wrapped in the same false and glittering cellophane paper. How is it that after so many mistakes, he is able to organize "such a set-up" to attract a mount of naive insects, that can only see the shining of his artificial light? What has progressed in all these years? He is still the same, involved in his bubble of power and predominance. In short, he continues to be arrogant
and spiteful.
Bhagavan, you just reigned based on disloyal rivalry and waste. Your glory was based on simply stimulating the lowest characteristics of the living entity. You used the noble ideals of a big group of youth that had unbreakable faith in the Truth that Srila Prabhupada came to teach in the West, but we had no spiritual or material maturity. We surrendered to the experience of the captivating moment, but it was not profound. We even fought between us, just to get one of your "pleased glances".
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