Tattva-viveka
Your summer vacation
Kamalaksa Das - March 26, 2008 7:57 pm
Dear friends,
We seem to be moving from one festival to the the next. Seems to be the vaisnava way. 
Guru Maharaja has kindly agreed to spend a week with us here in Finland on July 5th-12th. The retreat will be in the Porvoo archipelago just like the previous years, with thought-provoking classes on the beach, sweating in the sauna and mountains of deep-fried prasadam.
Due to the size of the island, we are forced to limit the number of people attending the retreat to 20, so please let us know as soon as possible if you're planning to come! We'll be glad to help you find the best way to get here. We also ask you to kindly make a donation of 50 euros for expenses.
And don't forget to bring a tent, sleeping bag, mattress, swimming pants and mosquito repellent!
If you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask. (Even though we might be a bit sluggish to answer, now that material life with all its duties once again has usurped the two of us. 
See you in July!
Krsangi & Kamalaksa
Krsangi Dasi - May 6, 2008 7:20 pm
We now have made a preliminary timetable for the retreat, and the plan is that Guru Maharaja will arrive in Finland on Saturday July 5th. We'll stay on the island until the evening of Thursday July 10th, when there will be a public program in the center of Helsinki.
The following devotees are planning to join us on the island - there's still space for a few more!
From Finland:
Tadiya
Bhrigu
From Sweden:
Mathuranatha
Ludwig
Lalita Manjari + friend
From UK:
Patryk + friend
Madhukari + friend
From Friesland:
Syama Gopala
From Poland:
Kami
Maciek
Ramapriya
Lukasz
Madhavendra
Tulasi Priya
Krsangi Dasi - May 6, 2008 7:22 pm
Oops, I forgot the Finnish devotees who are coming for a couple of days: :Rolling Eyes:
Mikko
Haripriya
Jananivas
Niko
Syama Gopala Dasa - May 8, 2008 9:07 pm
sounds like I need to book my ticket.
Krsangi Dasi - May 10, 2008 10:00 am
A small change to the program: as Guru Maharaja will be returning to Audarya on the 10th there won't be a public program in Helsinki, we'll just stay on the island for the whole time and keep Guru Maharaja all for ourselves. 
As he will arrive in the morning of the 5th it would be great if all the devotees could come there before him, on the evening of the 3rd or morning of the 4th. That way it'll be easier for us to pick everyone up from the airport or the center of Porvoo or the shore.
Syama Gopala Dasa - July 3, 2008 8:09 pm
One more day until I will reach Finland. I can't wait to meet Guru Maharaj again and all the devotees! 
Lukasz - July 12, 2008 5:17 pm
Haribol!!
Dear devotees, please accept my obeisances!
I would like to thank all of you for the wonderful retreat, for your mercy, association and inspiration!
I would like to thank Guru Maharaja for the great blessing of his association, for his excelent classes that forced me to think and inspired to deepen my understanding and pratcice of bhakti and for the possibility to render service for the Vaisnavas.
Thank you to our hosts, Kamalaksa and Krsangi and to all the devotees who gathered there for wonderful talks about Krsna and allowing me to render any service (although it was so insignificant) and for lessons on Finnish and Swedish!
Retreat was wonderful! I hope to meet you soon again.
sadhu sanga ki jay!!
Lukasz
Lukasz - July 17, 2008 5:14 pm
Haribol!!
Click this link to see the photos of our retreat in Finland:
http://picasaweb.google.pl/parabola108/Fin...eat2008ByKamila
Syamasundara - July 17, 2008 10:08 pm
Wasn't Vrndaranya there?
Vrindaranya Dasi - July 17, 2008 11:10 pm
No, I wasn't there.
Syamasundara - July 18, 2008 1:34 am
Oh, GM went all alone?
Anyway, the slide show was nice, and I enjoyed seeing all those consonants in the captions, but I'm hoping some report is coming soon from K&K and/or Bhrigu?
Maciek Zolkiewski - July 18, 2008 4:59 am
Haribol!!
Click this link to see the photos of our retreat in Finland:
http://picasaweb.google.pl/parabola108/Fin...eat2008ByKamila
And here -> (click) are few others shots.
Bhrigu - July 18, 2008 4:27 pm
K & K are out on their Epic Journey to The South, so I guess I should write something, Shyamu. Thanks for prodding me, this report is long overdue!
Part I. Arriving at the Island and starting the programs
This was the fifth annual Summer Festival in Finland. I arrived on the island with Ludvig from Sweden on Friday the 4th of July, one day before Guru Maharaj was to come. The Polish devotees had already arrived by then, and had been promptly put to work. Kamalaksa showed me a book he was reading about the Gulag, and told me that they had a lot of Poles there... Kamalaksha has a bit of a reputation to keep up, but to be honest I don't think anyone was driven quite as hard as in those days. There was time for relaxing and taking it easy, and of course always plenty of tasty prasad. No need to eat frozen trilobites like in Solovetsk!
As soon as Ludvig and I had packed up our stuff, Kamalaksha gave us our first assignment -- to empty the latrine. I must admit that I thought about flashing the "Brahmin" card for a split second, but I'm happy to say that I passed the test (Kamalaksha later told me that it just might have worked). The job was not that bad, and I got to spend some more time with Ludvig. He was to be our Mr. Social this year, and it was much to his credit that the crew this year wasn't as clearly divided into Poles and Others as last year, though Madhukari was important in this regard too.
The morning bath has been something of a problem during previous years. For some incomprehensible reason, not everyone likes the idea of plunging into cold water at 4.30 in the morning (and do not remember that Krishna says tapas câsmi tapasvi.su -- I am the penance of the austere ). Rather, they use up warm water from the sauna. For this reason, I convinced Krishangi to make a rule that this year, only the girls (there being less of them) are allowed to use warm water in the mornings. This would force all the guys (even the wimpy Swedes!) to bathe in the sea in the mornings and grow some spine. The end result was that most guys didn't bathe at all in the mornings... So much for my great plan.
Guru Maharaja was to arrive at the Island at about two in the afternoon on Saturday, but as usual he had missed one flight (through no fault of his, as I understood) and arrived a few hours late. This was no big setback, since there had been uncertanity whether he would come at all this year, and since we have grown used to these delays. He seemed quite tired when he arrived, but happy to see us all, and we were of course in ecstasy! He spoke briefly, and then retired for the night.
From Sunday to Wednesday, Guru Maharaj gave lectures morning and evening. This year he spoke on the seventh chapter of the Gita, reaching up to 7.12. He did not take part in any of the aratis (we had three aratis a day, as usual), and while I think must of us were a bit disappointed with that (we waited anxiously every morning to see whether he would come to Mangala arati), it was in one way good, since it forced us to step up in a way we would not have done had he come and led all the kirtans. Shyam Gopal was perhaps our main kirtaniya, but Mathuranath, Madhukari, Patrick, Krishangi, and Ramapriya also led at times. I was very impressed with the manifold talents of Madhukari. Too bad she couldn't bring her sitar! After the morning and evening aratis, we read from Srila Sridhar Maharaja's Sermons of The Guardian of Devotion, Volume I, and I think many devotees enjoyed that a lot. We took turns so that everyone got to participate. Ludvig was one reader who particularly stuck in my mind, since he read clearly and with thought and feeling.
We had less Finnish devotees on the island this year, for different reasons. This led to Mathuranath having to take over the role as Master of the Morning Porridge, a role he filled with great glory and renown. Salty Porridge Forever!
I have to go now, but this is to be continued with part II: The Sauna Darshans. Stay tuned!
Bhrigu - July 18, 2008 8:42 pm
Part II. The Sauna Darshans
As on previous years, Guru Maharaja would go to the sauna after the afternoon class. The first time, on Sunday evening, he happened to see me on his way and invited me to join him. I thanked him for the invitation, but told him that I couldn't, as I had to do the evening arati. He said Ok and continued on his way, but I resolved to not let this chance pass a second time, so the remaining three evenings I asked Ramapriya (twice) and Tadiya do the aratis. I think they were ok with this arrangement, and now I got the chance to join in the sauna darshans!
There is a small smoke sauna on the island. Many Finns consider smoke saunas as uttama-saunas (electric saunas of course being adhama). They have no chimney, so you heat them with wood and the door open for several hours, then let the fire die down, close the door and open a hatchet and let the rest of the smoke disappear. Finally you throw some water on the stove to drive away the last carbon monoxide. The end result are black walls and seats, but a very soft and gentle heat. Well, gentle for us Finns, used to it -- and for Guru Maharaj. For some reason he can take both heat and cold better than us Finns, which is something of an embarrassment. At any rate, Kamalaksa and I got to spend time with Swami in the sauna and alternately outside cooling down, at times sitting quiet as real Finns, but mostly speaking about many different topics. We spoke mostly about topics that came up in the classes and questions they raised in us, especially KC and science, but also about Audarya and Madhuvan, the Catuhsloki Bhagavatam, my soon becoming a father, ishvara in the Yoga Sutras, the aryan invasion theory, the eternity of Vedic sound, and so on. I cannot even begin to say how much I enjoyed these talks, and just being in Guru Maharaja's company.
Kamalaksha and I tried to tell the others that Guru Maharaj had invited all the boys, and Shyamgopal joined us once, once also Mathuranath and Maciek after another latrine job, but usually it was just us three. Not everybody likes the sauna, and some were shy and said they would anyway not have dared say anything, but come on, how often do we get an opportunity like this?
Tadiya Dasi - July 19, 2008 6:32 am
Thanks everyone for the pictures, and thank you Bhrigu for giving your wonderful report!
I, too, feel like writing something about the retreat (and also about my stay in Audarya) but I will have to come back to that later...I am being pulled in all directions since my return to Finland and I need some time to gather up my thoughts into something that actually makes sense...but now that I have promised to write something, you guys can hold me accountable .
I would love to hear what everyone thought about the retreat: Ludwig, Madhukari, Patryk, Radhakunda, (where's the drawing you guys promised to post? )...everyone...please share something of your experience.....
And, Bhrigu, doing the aratis was more than just 'okay', I felt honored (though also slightly nervous and panicked, as always 
) to be able to do that service to your Deity. 
Thank you.
Gaura-Vijaya Das - July 19, 2008 4:12 pm
Thanks everyone for the pictures, and thank you Bhrigu for giving your wonderful report!
I, too, feel like writing something about the retreat (and also about my stay in Audarya) but I will have to come back to that later...I am being pulled in all directions since my return to Finland and I need some time to gather up my thoughts into something that actually makes sense...but now that I have promised to write something, you guys can hold me accountable
I would love to hear what everyone thought about the retreat: Ludwig, Madhukari, Patryk, Radhakunda, (where's the drawing you guys promised to post?
And, Bhrigu, doing the aratis was more than just 'okay', I felt honored (though also slightly nervous and panicked, as always
Will you not return to Audarya?
Bhrigu - July 19, 2008 7:20 pm
And, Bhrigu, doing the aratis was more than just 'okay', I felt honored (though also slightly nervous and panicked, as always
That's nice to hear! I must say that I love doing Sandhya-arati, there is such great feeling in Bhaktivinoda's song and the kirtan also tends to get more "jumpy" than the one at Mangala-arati. But on with the report:
Part III. The Classes.
As mentioned before, Guru Maharaja spoke on the seventh chapter of the Gita. I love the vibhuti-verses, where Krishna compares himself to the taste of water and so on, and Guru Maharaja's talks inspired me to finally learn them. It is a great meditation to try to remember them when one sees the sun or moon (prabhâsmi zazi-sûryayo.h), hears sound echoing in emptiness (zabda.h khe), notices something really smart (buddhir buddhimatâm asmi), etc.
From the beginning, Guru Maharaja often mentioned Decartes and other Western philosophers, and I soon learnt from Kamalaksha that he was reading a book on the history of Western thought. We spoke about these topics in the sauna darshans as well, and Guru Maharaj mentioned how little interaction there has been between Western and Eastern thought. He feels that much more could be done here, and clearly charged us with the task to do something in this regard. When asked about his vision of the future of Gaudiya Vaishnavism during one of the classes, he said that he envisioned individual Gaudiya lay practitioners taking up the philosophy in new, creative ways, writing books about their own realisations, much as has happened within Buddhism. The point where he feels Gaudiya Vedanta would have a lot to offer progressive thinkers in the West today is within the study of consciousness. For this, some aspects of the theology would have to be played down, and some perhaps even be jettisoned altogether. It was very inspiring to hear him speak in this way, and Kamalaksha and I immediately started planning and thinking of how to proceed in this regard.
At the same time, replying to another question, GM made it clear that he does not belive in the kind of "Lutheran GV" which one sometimes hears about, where all "externals" would be stripped away. Instead, these things (Bengali kirtans etc) just have to be done better and in a more authentic way. To me, this kind of mix between adhering strictly to the rituals but thinking freely about the philosophy and theology is very appealing. To yet another question about the role of the guru in the future, GM said that he felt that the guru might be less mystical (less of the "Oh my God! Did you see the way he moved his pinkie -- it means you should get married!") but otherwise he did not indicate any important changes. By this, one can understand that the changes and creativity he had been speaking about are not about the essential parts of GV, and nothing anyone needs become worried about. He does not want our movement to become an apasampradaya, but he does want us to think outside the box in a way that really isn't seen anywhere in the GV world in the west today.
Syama Gopala Dasa - July 19, 2008 8:42 pm
**** short commercial break ****
Finland 2008 MP3 cd now available, please see topic under announcements
***** end of commercial break ****
Bhrigu - July 20, 2008 9:23 am
Part III, cont.
Guru Maharaj made it clear that he wants GV to be introduced to the people on the forefront of progressive thinking today. In fact, he said that he felt that Vedanta and Buddhism are really the only two traditions that have any currency in this field today, and that the case would be even more so in the future. When one devotee asked whether we could learn something from the muslims, Islam being one of the fastest growing religions in the world, Guru Maharaj said that he did not feel that Islam has really anything to offer in respect to the question of consciousness, which he, as indicated above, feels to be the central issue. They may be growing, but what kind of people do they attract?
When I heard this reply, my first thought was that Guru Maharaj has a very old-fashioned way of thinking about how to spread a religion. "Convert the intelligentia and then everyone else will follow." The only thing is that it does not work like that. But then the realisation struck me that no, that is not what he is saying. He is interested in GV being attractive to intelligent people and GV being at the forefront of progressive thought for its own sake, not as a strategy for converting the world.
Bhrigu - July 20, 2008 9:42 am
Part IV. The End.
The last full day of programs was Wednesday. I think it was Wednesday morning when nobody had a question after class. I think Krishangi and I had asked something almost every class before this, but somehow we drew a blank here. Neither of us got into our well-tested "Two Naps a Day" © program this year, which meant having to stand up during many of the classes, which is always rather embarrassing. Anyway, Guru Maharaj was clearly unhappy about not getting a single question during that class. He said that it means that we study the shastras too little. After that, we sharpened up and everyone prepared questions for the last classes. The very last class, Thursday morning, was Q & A, as one class before that had been. Since Mathuranathji had left by then, I had to use the recorder during the last class, but I think I managed to neither stick Guru Maharaj with the needle nor erase the recording.
Guru Maharaj left for the airport after the class. Shyam Gopal said that his leaving is always the worst part of the retreat, and I agree -- but I derive hope from his saying that there would be a 6th annual summer retreat next year! Please come again, everyone, and do come also those of you who haven't been here before!
For my part, I wish to thank
Guru Maharaj, for coming, giving us his company and his wonderfully inspiring classes
Kamalaksha & Krishangi, for being such great friends and selfless organisers
Kamilla, for not minding my Carmila jokes
Ludwig, for all our conversations
Lukacz, for the pictures
Maciek, for sharing some of the book he was reading with me
Madhukari, for great company and excellent kirtanas
Manjari, for enlightening me on the state of the Syamananda Parivar in Sweden
Mathuranath, for the porridge and the great rock-kirtana
Mikko & Nea & Luka for being such great fun and for their good advice
Patrick, for his sweet singing
Prahlad-Nrisimha, for nice conversations and the part of Srila Sridhar Maharaj's chadar
Radhakunda, for bearing with our birthday celebrations
Ramapriya, for being so cheerful and doing so much seva, as always
Shyamgopal, for the kirtans and all the joyfulness
Tadiya, for taking such a genuine interest in puja
Bowing down at your feet and wishing to see all of you again soon,
Bhrigupada Dasa
Mathura-natha Das - July 20, 2008 9:52 am
Much of the questions of Gaudiya Vaishnavism, Guru and the future came from me, I think. I have pondered these questions for some time now and I fully agree that the presentation of our tradition has to be top notch. It came even more apparent during last weekend when Paramadvaiti Maharaj was visiting Sweden. There was one devotee who was supposed to do a bahjan. He played the guitar and sang, but his singing was so bad, and he forgot the lyrics a couple of times...I felt embarrassed...
Some reflections from another devotee about this, sorry only in swedish: http://omnirasa.blogspot.com/2008/07/medve...hngivenhet.html
Anyway, it was lovely to see everybody again! And i have to say that the morning porridge thing gave great pleasure for me. I was thinking that maybe next time I should take it as a part of my service and try to expand it a little bit.
But at one point I felt a bit sad, and it was during one class where Swami talked about the future but he mentioned that he doesn't really have anybody to talk to. This made me think about Prabhupada when he mentioned to Shridhar Maharaj that he didn't have anybody to talk to. What kind of secrets/ideas do you hold Gurudev! I think that you have the best people around! But maybe you have some really radical ideas that even I will jump up in surprise.
Madeleine Brodd - July 20, 2008 12:59 pm
"At any rate, Kamalaksa and I got to spend time with Swami in the sauna and alternately outside cooling down, at times sitting quiet as real Finns, but mostly speaking about many different topics. We spoke mostly about topics that came up in the classes and questions they raised in us, especially KC and science, but also about Audarya and Madhuvan, the Catuhsloki Bhagavatam, my soon becoming a father, ishvara in the Yoga Sutras, the aryan invasion theory, the eternity of Vedic sound, and so on. I cannot even begin to say how much I enjoyed these talks, and just being in Guru Maharaja's company. "
Bhrigu. I´m a little bit intrested in what Tripurari Swami said about the aryan invasion theory & KC & science.
I post this question on "questions & answers" If you got time maybe you want to share something what he said about those topics?
Haribol
Vrindaranya Dasi - July 20, 2008 3:03 pm
Since Mathuranathji had left by then, I had to use the recorder during the last class, but I think I managed to neither stick Guru Maharaj with the needle nor erase the recording.
The recording is there...but without sound.
Bhrigu - July 20, 2008 4:09 pm
Oh no! I wonder what went wrong -- I read Gurunistha's paper over and over again, trying to make sure everything went correctly. The fault cannot have been in the instructions, since the others used the same instructions with better results. Perhaps I plugged in the mic in the wrong place? Anyway, I feel really bad about messing up.
Ludwig - July 21, 2008 4:07 pm
haribol.
the retreat this year was amazing! I miss everybody already, I would like to thank everybody for inspiring me on my way.
It was so nice to listen to Gurudev and to have Sadhu Sanga!
I hope that Gurumaharaja is not tired at my stupid questions, i wil be there next year and i hope to see you all there.
Thank you Brighu for the god words, I learned a lot from you as always, and i really enjoyed having good conversations with you.
And i would like to thank everybody that was there
Your Servant
Ludwig
ive got a blog, its in swedish but i will post the pictures there today
ludwigkijay.blogspot.com
Hare Krishna
Gaura-Vijaya Das - July 22, 2008 12:53 am
Part III, cont.
Guru Maharaj made it clear that he wants GV to be introduced to the people on the forefront of progressive thinking today. In fact, he said that he felt that Vedanta and Buddhism are really the only two traditions that have any currency in this field today, and that the case would be even more so in the future. When one devotee asked whether we could learn something from the muslims, Islam being one of the fastest growing religions in the world, Guru Maharaj said that he did not feel that Islam has really anything to offer in respect to the question of consciousness, which he, as indicated above, feels to be the central issue. They may be growing, but what kind of people do they attract?
When I heard this reply, my first thought was that Guru Maharaj has a very old-fashioned way of thinking about how to spread a religion. "Convert the intelligentia and then everyone else will follow." The only thing is that it does not work like that. But then the realisation struck me that no, that is not what he is saying. He is interested in GV being attractive to intelligent people and GV being at the forefront of progressive thought for its own sake, not as a strategy for converting the world.
Yes it is not very good always to look at the numbers game. It is good to study the current paradigm and see how GV is able to answer the complexities in the current paradigm.
Tadiya Dasi - July 23, 2008 12:33 pm
Will you not return to Audarya?
I do hope to return (God willing :Big Grin: ), some day, but as a visitor, not as a monastic.
Thanks again, Bhrigu, for your continued reports on the retreat --they're great! And thanks to everyone else who pitched in and shared something.... :Raised Eyebrow: .
I will try and write something soon....( bear with me 
)
Krsangi Dasi - July 25, 2008 3:38 pm
K & K are out on their Epic Journey to The South, so I guess I should write something, Shyamu.
Yes, we're currently in Germany, sweating on our bicycles in the + 30 Celsius, and meditating on Krishna's words: "I am the taste of water". Kamalaksa has photos that I'll force him to upload at some point, until then you can follow our trip on www.deuxvelos.blogspot.com
I'd also like to thank everyone who came to the retreat, we had a really great group this year! I really felt that it isn't as much work for Kamalaksa and me any more to organize the retreats as we have so many enthusiastic and reliable people helping us out.
Syama Gopala Dasa - August 9, 2008 3:02 pm
Better late than never. Here are my Finland 2008 retreat photos:
Syamasundara - August 9, 2008 5:43 pm
I saw bananas in 3 different occasions in K&K's household... What's going on?
Syama Gopala Dasa - August 10, 2008 8:15 am
haha I can assure you they didn't eat any of them.
Tadiya Dasi - August 14, 2008 11:57 am
Okay....first of all.....sorry that I have been MIA for so long. 
I promised to write something, so here goes, though I feel like I don't really have anything that important to add. (Bhrigu already did a magnificent job on the reporting front! :Shame On You: )
For me, the lectures were a delight for many reasons but one of the biggest reason was all of the Western philosophy Guru Maharaja weaved in the discussion - it really made me look at Gaudiya vaisnavism from a new, slightly different angle and really I found it fascinating and interesting! But then again, I always loved philosophy at school
It was helpful to be able to place Gaudiya vaisnavism within the context of Western thought, and it made much sense to the side of me that wants everything to make sense ( 
) and I really liked the idea of introducing Gaudiya vaisnavism to the public at large as a very well thought out and unique school of thought rather than as a dogma. I felt very excited for the future of Gaudiya vaisnavism after hearing Guru Maharaja's answer to Bhrigu's question about it....but the thing is that WE have to make it happen (in Guru Maharaja's excellent lead, of course), and as much as I would like to just hang out, stay in the background and wait for it to happen - I realized that I have to somehow also be a part of it (yikes!), and not only have to be, but in fact I am given the opportunity, which is a gracious grant and a blessing from the guru-parampara. Somehow it was a mixture of both dread and excitement for me to realize that....oh, yes, I am complex 
I also keep thinking how Guru Maharaja spoke about the importance of contribution from everyone, not just the monastics and gurus, but also the lay people...and how in contemporary buddhism this approach has proven succesful and inspirational. How we should all take the risk and present Gaudiya vaisnavism from our unique perspective and situation. Again, my first thought was:"Okay, I don't have any talents, but thank God we have Krsangi & Kamalaksa in our group!" But the thought has been haunting me ever since (in a good way)....
I know I also promised to write something about my stay in Audarya, but so far, I am sorry, I just can't seem to make it happen... 
It's just too overwhelming .
Okay...I'm over and out.
Thanks again for K & K for hosting the retreat & to everyne participating. See you all next year!