New Vrindaban Brijabasi Spirit

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To Whom it May Concern: The tent company will come next Tuesday or Wed May 3rd or 4th (depending on weather).

This means that the parking areas in front of the Tulasi house entry door up to the “Lassi Shack” and over to the Island must be kept clear of vehicles (NO PARKING), after Breakfast on Tuesday the 3rd and Wednesday the 4th.

Please facilitate by not parking in this area on those days so the men can do their work!

Many thanks in advance!

yr Festival servants

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Hare Krsna! New Vrindaban’s Center for Preventative Medicine proudly hosts a Raw Food Potluck & an inspiring documentary about how diet can reverse “incurable” diseases!

Wednesday, April 27 @ 5:30 pm at the Small Farm Training Center Guest House

Here’s a blurb about the film:

Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days is an independent documentary film that chronicles six Americans with diabetes who switch to a diet consisting entirely of vegan, organic, uncooked food in order to reverse disease without pharmaceutical medication.

The six are challenged to give up meat, dairy, sugar, alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, soda, junk food, fast food, processed food, packaged food, and even cooked food for 30 days. The film follows each participant’s remarkable journey and captures the medical, physical, and emotional transformations brought on by this radical diet and lifestyle change. We witness moments of struggle, support, and hope as what is revealed, with startling clarity, is that diet can reverse disease and change lives.

The film highlights each of the six before they begin the program and we first meet them in their home environment with their families. Each participant speaks candidly about their struggle to manage their diabetes and how it has affected every aspect of their life, from work to home to their relationships.

And a trailer of the film itself!

Please contact Bhaktin Shannon for any questions! EternityKnowledgeBliss@gmail.com

Currently, New Vrindaban is upgrading eight of the eleven guest cabins that are available for rent from Easter through Thanksgiving through the Palace Lodge. The entire project is estimated to cost approximately $63,000.

The eight cabins that are being upgraded this year are 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, and 11. The interior re-modeling on the first five cabins is completed, and the re-modeling on the remaining three cabins will be completed by the end of May 2011. Following the re-modeling, the Palace Lodge is expecting to put on new roofs as necessary.

This is the first comprehensive upgrade of the cabins since they were built by the devotees in the early 1980’s. This is the first project in a series of projects aimed at community development and capital improvement. The goal is to increase the quality of life for residents and to attract and better serve the pilgrims and other guests. The New Vrindaban Board of Directors chose the guest cabins as the first project because of the high return they will receive on their investment. Last year, the cabins produced $240,000 in income, or 40% of the total income generated by the Palace Lodge.

The New Vrindaban Board of Directors is expected to grant a total of $50,000 from the Capital Investment Fund (aka the Gas Lease Money) for the materials and labor for the roofs and the interior re-modeling. The interior re-modeling includes new floors throughout the many of the cabins, and new countertops and stoves in the kitchenettes. The bathrooms will be completely re-modeled in most of the cabins with new sinks, showers, etc. In addition, the boiler is being replaced in most cabins. Finally, many cabins have expanded lofts for more comfortable sleeping space.

In addition to the outright grants discussed above, the New Vrindaban Board of Directors will also make an interest-free loan of $13,000 from the Capital Investment Fund to New Vrindaban for non-capital expenses. This money is being used for items such as new furniture, bedding, and kitchenware.

The cabins have bed space for a minimum of 5 – 7 people, a kitchenette with a refrigerator and microwave, and a living room. All the cabins have a bedroom and bathroom downstairs, and either a loft or bedrooms upstairs.

Guests find that the cabins, which are all within walking distance from the temple, are the perfect place to un-wind after a long drive on the Interstate. Many cabins overlook a lake, and they are located in a beautiful wooded area filled with deer, birds, ducks, swans, and other native wildlife.

The peacocks are one of the most colorful and entertaining forms of non-native wildlife around the cabins. Last year, a guest said that he rented a cabin mainly because the peacocks. His parents were visiting from India, and the peacocks reminded them of home.

Walking around the cabins and other parts of New Vrindaban, our guests are always excited to find peacock feathers lying on the ground. Our guests take the feathers home as a reminder of their visit to New Vrindaban.

To reserve a cabin, please call the New Vrindaban Guest Lodge at 304-843-1600 x111. The supply of cabins is limited, so please call in advance and make your reservation early.

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From the Festival of Inspiration website:

Friday

7:45 – 9:15 am

A Presentation

B Varshana Swami Back to Basics: Ph.D. Means Plough

9:15- 10:30am      Breakfast

10:30-11:00 am    Welcome

11:00-12:30 First Sessions

B Laxmimoni dd: Pulling and Pushing: Are you Being Pushed Away from Krishna or  Pulled Closer to Him?

C Dravida Das:  God Is in the Details –  Seven Little Verses Guaranteed to Take You Back to Godhead

D Krishna Priya: The Art of Yoga Flows – A class based on the principles of Triyoga

12:30-2:30 pm Lunch Break

2:30-4:00 pm Second sessions

B Bhakti Sundar Swami: Srila Prabhupada in South America

C Arcana Siddhi & Karnamrita Das: What About My Mind

D Jaya Krishna Das: Leadership & Succession within ISKCON

4:00-4:15 pm Break

4:15-5:45 pm Third Sessions

B GVT Parenting – Tamohara Das, Mantrini Dasi, Praharana Dasi : “Parenting: Are You a Brickwall or a Jellyfish?”

C Mitrasena: Bhagavad Guitar- Playing your guitar for Krishna

D Danavir Goswami: Bright Side

6:30-7:30 pm Dinner Hour

7:00 pm Gaura Arati

7:30-10:30 pm

Kirtan/Entertainment : Temple – Bhakti Lata Dasi

Saturday

7:45 – 9:15 am

Presentation Shyamsundar and Gurudas: Prabhupada – Always Alive in our Hearts

9:15-10:30am Breakfast

10:30 -12:00 pm First Sessions

B Mystery Guest

C Krsna Priya Dasi: The Art of Yoga Flows—A class based on the principles of Triyoga

D Bharat Natyam: Learn the Rhythm, flow and movemements of dancing for Krisna!

12:00- 12:15 pm Break

12:15 – 1:45 pm Second Sessions

B Vaisesika Das: Yoga of the Tongue – Derive the highest benefit and elevate human society by applying and mastering the five austerities of speech

C Maharha Dasi: Deity Sewing – Designing and Sewing for  Deities

D Anuttama Das: Doing Interfaith Dialogue – Anti-cult, Muslims and beyond

1:45 – 3:00 pm Lunch Break

3:00 – 4:30 pm Third Sessions

B Rambhoru Dasi : The Lord in Our Midst through Sacred Listening

C Srinandananda Das :  Vedic Prophecies –  Confirmation of Mayapur and Mahaprabhu:

D Bada Hari Das :  The emperor of sadhana

4:30 – 4:45 pm  Break

4:45 – 6:15 pm Final Session

B GVT Marriage – Cintamiani & Jagannatha Pandit Das,  Uttama & Partha Das,  Krsnanandini & Tariq :Marriage ReAwakening

C Kamalini Dasi:  The Grandeur and Preaching of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura

D Mrdanga Class : For beginners on up

6:30- 7:30 Dinner Hour

7:30-10:30

Kirtan/Entertainment:  temple – Bhakti Lata Dasi

Sunday

7:45- 9:15 am Presentation

Radhanatha Swami

9:15- 10:30am Breakfast

10:30- 12:00 am First Sessions

B Vaisesika Das:  All You Need is Love  – Awakening the mood of Individual, Spontaneous & Voluntary Service

C Mahamaya Dasi & Sankirtan Das:  Book Publishing – Practical tips for aspiring authors

D Braja Bihari Das : Straight Thinking – Avoiding Logical Fallacies

12:00-  12:30pm Break

12:30- 2:00 pm

Bhakti Marg Swami & the Toronto Players : The Lives of

Jada Bharata – Outstanding Devotional Drama!

2:00pm Good Old Fashioned Sunday Love feast

By Madhava Smullen for ISKCON News on 16 Apr 2011

With a new board of professional, dedicated devotees, and a new temple president, one of ISKCON’s biggest rural communities in New Vrindaban, West Virginia looks set for a new start and a full realization of its incredible potential.

New temple president Jaya Krishna Dasa officially took up his post on the auspicious day of Gaura Purnima, with New Vrindaban devotees opening their arms to him and throwing a special welcome party.

“It really touched my heart, the way they approached me,” he says.

Originally from Switzerland, Jaya Krishna brings a wealth of both ISKCON and life experience to the table.

Before becoming a devotee, he acquired an MBA, and worked in business for twenty years, serving in marketing, sales, IT, and legal departments, and finally becoming a director of a major international software company.

One day, a sankirtan party of ISKCON devotees distributing books stopped by his house while he was out and spoke to his wife. It was the first time she had ever met devotees, although she had traveled around the world many times with her husband. She took three books, and gave one of them to her husband when he returned, insisting he read it.

Soon after, in 2003, when Jaya Krishna was fifty years old, his wife and twenty-three-year-old son both died tragically.

Deciding to quit his job and pursue a spiritual path, Jaya Krishna joined ISKCON, was initiated by Sacinandana Swami, and went on a one-month pilgrimage to India.

“Upon returning, I began looking for a service, and found that I could best use all the skills and experience I had gained in the outside world by serving Srila Prabhupada’s mission as administrative director for Bhaktivedanta College in Radhadesh, Belgium,” he says.

Jaya Krishna served in that capacity for seven years, dealing with fundraising, promotion, legal matters, engaging new devotees, course facilities, and construction. During his time there, the College expanded its education options from a one-year course to a full Bachelor’s Degree, and moved from a facility rented from the Radhadesh community to its own building with a library, offices, and accommodation for teachers and staff.

“Before I left, we designed a new strategy to further expand,” says Jaya Krishna, who also currently serves as chairman of the GBC succession committee. “We will be adding degrees in business administration and education, and also opening a new branch in Mayapur, India next year.”

Although Jaya Krishna brings all this experience to New Vrindaban, he says humbly that he is only a small instrument helping to bring a new perspective to an already wonderful community.

“There are many senior devotees here who have given decades of their lives to create a national Tirtha, or holy place—to build the temple, the lodge, the Palace of Gold, the cabins by the water, and the cow protection facilities,” he says. “They’ve lived very simple lives, and have given everything to Srila Prabhupada.”

Jaya Krishna feels that his contribution to this will be filling the need for someone not connected to New Vrindaban’s history; someone who can serve as a mirror so that those immersed in the day-to-day of it all can step back and see things more clearly.

“I have three goals,” he says. “The first is to help heal and unify the community; the second is to build a good structure and processes, based on normal day-to-day management rather than crisis management; and the third is long-term planning.”

One of the main areas of focus for this long-term planning is agriculture. Srila Prabhupada’s original mandate for the community, it is well-documented, included self-sufficiency and cow protection.

“Organic gardening has already been going on here for  40 years, and from my perspective and that of other devotees here, the environmental approach is the best way to attract young Americans these days,” Jaya Krishna says. “In fact, all the most recent bhaktas who joined ISKCON here came through their interest in agriculture. We invite people to come and work in the gardens, and they eat prasadam, make friends with the devotees, and end up staying and becoming devotees themselves. So development of that area holds big potential for the future.”

Another major focus for Jaya Krishna is, of course, an area he already has had much experience in at Bhaktivedanta College: education.
He has plans for expanding the primary school which was established in New Vrindaban two years ago, and the kindergarten that just recently appeared. But he also hopes for a major focus in adult education.

“Part of Srila Prabhupada’s mission for New Vrindaban was that there should be higher education here,” he says. “He also called ISKCON an educational movement, and stated that every temple should be a center for education. It’s essential for the future of our movement. Successors need proper training, and it is especially important that we hand down the mood and mission of Srila Prabhupada to the future generations, who did not have direct contact with him.”

Jaya Krishna dreams of eventually building a new guesthouse and a seminar center at New Vrindaban, where both devotees and members of the general public from major cities on the East Coast could come, stay, and be spiritually educated. Perhaps, long-term, a University is even on the cards.

With a community vision and planning process just now underway in New Vrindaban, many other plans are also being worked on—including devotee care, housing, better advertising for tourism, and better care for pilgrims.

We can sense Jaya Krishna’s enthusiasm for his new service, and thank him for responding to ISKCON America’s request for help. As chairman of the GBC succession committee, he feels that this “international cross-pollination,” as he calls it, is an important way to keep leadership in ISKCON dynamic and moving forward.

“Every so often, it’s good for, say, a temple president in Europe to decide to transfer to the U.S., or Africa, or wherever,” says Jaya Krishna. “Because with his experience in a different country, he can bring in a completely new perspective, and at the same time help himself to develop personally by steeping himself in a different culture and environment.”

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Present: GBC members, INMV Board of Directors and ECOV (GEETA) board members.

The first day of meetings began with a progress report from Ramesvara Prabhu and Gaura Shakti Prabhu regarding the Palace renovations. A local architectural firm had been hired to prepare concept drawings, and expand them into construction documents and construction specifications. Due to the large scope of the project and the high cost of doing the work, the project has been divided into several phases, each with its own budget.

The discussion was focused on the first two aspects of Phase 1 renovation, both of which are meant to solve the problem of water damage. Several attempts have been made in the past to repair the roof but there is still major water leakage, both in the temple room and in the courtyard/gift shop areas. Although the overall project will cost over 5-6 million, and take many years to complete, the initial work to stop the leakage will cost approximately $400,000. The devotees spent considerable time discussing how to raise funds for this endeavor and whether to make the project a priority within the community. Included in the discussion was how the devotees themselves could do as much of the Palace renovation work as possible while maintaining a quality standard that will sustain Srila Prabhupada’s Palace well into the future.

The Palace discussion was followed by a brainstorming session on Community Vision and Planning. The New Vrindaban Community has immense potential and many aspects of the community are underdeveloped. The goal of the new Community Vision and Planning Team will be to involve community members, using their various skills and propensities, along with creating an overall integrated plan.

Chaitanya Mangala and Madhava Gosh Prabhus presented a compilation of quotes from Srila Prabhupada outlining his vision for New Vrindaban. The main points from these quotes were expanded into the following main categories: cow protection, agriculture and food production/storage, sustainability, education, outreach, new temple construction, the Palace, deity worship, land and housing for devotees, guest services, devotee care, economic development, asset protection, and art/culture.

Three devotees accepted the task of heading up this planning team. They are Daivirya Prabhu, Gaura Shakti Prabhu and Soma Prabhu. Since this is a very large undertaking the Board of Directors requests that devotees come forward to offer assistance to this start-up team.

The first phase of the Community Vision and Planning Team will be to interview all the community members to ascertain everyone’s personal realizations of how they want to see the community develop. By combining that list and filtering it through the instructions of Srila Prabhupada, they will be able to offer the community and board a prioritized list of projects for the immediate needs, mid-range (2-5 years) and long term goals. Included in the survey will be questions to determine what aspects of the rebuilding of New Vrindavan are of particular interest to each devotee and how they would like to be involved.

This first report by the Vision and Planning Team will be offered within three months with progress reports coming to the board every two weeks leading up to and following the initial report. The second phase will involve developing a plan to address the prioritized goals and to design a working but flexible model showing how New Vrindavan will look in the future

After discussing the financial needs of the Palace renovation project, a preliminary list was made of projects in the temple area that require immediate attention. This list was based on the realizations of those in attendance but requires the input of the community members before it can be completed. This includes the lodge roof, cabin remodeling, water infrastructure, temple renovations, lodge renovations, liability insurance, school upkeep and maintenance, tax case settlement, additional payments to the Palace architects and electrical infrastructure upgrades. All of these items when combined with the Palace renovations presented serious budgeting challenges.

There were also discussions of projects that could begin immediately as the monetary requirements were minimal. These included but were not limited to; a room in the temple for hospice, a room in one of the surrounding buildings for a clinic, an area in the upper garden for individual plots for those living around the temple that would like to have a personal garden.

Some of the meeting time was spent exploring the various legal corporate structures that could be utilized by both ISKCON and ECOV (GEETA) to insure continued tax exemption, legal compliance, and to protect the assets of the corporations. The board will be seeking legal advice before making any final decisions in this regard.

In conclusion, ECOV (GEETA) offered to sponsor a fund-raising capital campaign that would provide money for the Palace renovation. Both the INMV board and the ECOV (GEETA) board made solid commitments to work together and move forward to accomplish these challenging goals.

You are invited to participate as a Vendor at Festival of Inspiration 2011.

May 6, 7 & 8th (set up allowed on the 5th) New Vrindaban, WV

We welcome Prasad vendors, informational booths, publications (ISKCON related), devotional paraphernalia and clothing, arts and crafts, children’s items, educational material, etc.

Vending will be outdoors. You can bring your own pop-up or secure a space under our tent. Vendor fees are assessed according to what you are want to sell but they are very reasonable. Information only booths are without charge (unless you need tables, chairs, lights, & electric).

There will be several hundred attendees of all ages.

Please contact Govinda Mohini dd for futher details or to sign up:
304-845-9591 orservingkrishna@aol.com

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