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Pariprashnena (to inquire submissively). Questions & Answers resource for all devotees.

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  1.  
    Some devotees are making a business out of the Maha Mantra,which imho is not bonafide!
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      CommentAuthormishra
    • CommentTimeOct 7th 2007
     
    please provide details to see the whole picture.
  2.  
    Hare Krishna and Hari Bol
    We all have only one Maha Mantra! Where is the scope of improvisation? The question is not clear. Who has to pay for course/seminar, organizers or the participants? Where from and why at all shall the particiants come?
  3.  
    Are you talking about the retreat given by Bhurijana prabhu?
  4.  
    Bhurijana dasa has japa retreats in Vrndavan.
  5.  
    Hare Krishna and Hari Bol
    I fully agree with the OBJECTIVES as stated by Prabhu Govindas108 for the seminar/workshop for Japa Mantra. We have highly skilled and experienced devotees among us, who can be the tutors for the workshop. Let the duration initially be only two hours and the workshop can be on a very modest payment. Can we organize this on Sunday feast days? We can have a good no of participants on this day as mostly members come and attend Sunday pravachans. But before this the concerned Brahmacharies shall have to be trained for the itinerary of the workshop.
  6.  
    I mean, identify faculties. bhagwatlife.com - really a good site to browse
    hare krishna
    • CommentAuthordave
    • CommentTimeOct 9th 2007 edited
     
    govindas108:Some devotees are making a business out of the Maha Mantra,which imho is not bonafide!
    Seems to me they are paying for the facility of the retreat centre. Crazy world. In regards to having a japa retreat, great idea. Get away from responsibilities and simply focus for a weekend, and try and improve your chanting. Nothing wrong with that.
  7.  
    IMHO, the room,board and transportation should be taken care of by the participant and not the facilitator. The program, seminar, retreat or whatever else you want to call it should, indeed, be free of charge. The program should take place at the temple or perhaps even a place donated by a well-wisher.

    Sometimes, tho, the temple authorities ask for "rent' from the programs. A couple of years ago there was a free of charge (donations if you could) bhakti sastri course at the Washington DC temple. I forget the facilitators name now. But he was very good and was giving very nice course.

    Then the ball dropped, the temple authorities decided that rent was to be charged for use of the room etc! The facilitator mentioned it and but did not at first require payment then it got to be too much for him and he had to ask for money or you had to drop from the course. Many had to drop out due to inability to pay.

    My point is that sometimes it is not the facilitators who are asking for the payment for the courses or retreats etc but the temple authorities are requiring "rent" or the program goes out the door.
    • CommentAuthorsanta
    • CommentTimeNov 8th 2007
     
    This statement may come accross as a bit heavy but, it is my honest opinion. I hope it is not taken in the wrong way. Many times I devotees prefer to have things free. It takes money, time and effort conduct a seminar. In my opinion some form of payment should be given whether agreed upon or voluntarily. It is part of our culture to give reward to the brahmanas for giving us knowledge. Not that it is our business, but I am seeing that, that part of our culture is being lost. Everyone else regards what other devotees do as, "They should do it as a service." But isn't it part of our service to give something back in return.

    If there is some genuine inablility to pay something on the part of a devotee a concession should be made.

    Of course there should be no charge for vedic knowledge, but another point is that everything cost money.

    I have been teaching a bhagavad Gita course at out temple for over the last one year and a half and I asked for a donation of at least $30TT per month ($4.50 USD). This would help to cover the of a little prasad, printed materials and other incremental expenses. The result was that on several occasions I had to put out money of my own pocket to get material for the devotees.

    if devotees feel it is something valuable, why should they hesitate to give some contribution. So much money we pay for mundane education and mundane pleasures, why should we hesitate for giving some contribution for spiritual knowledge.

    I hope I have not made any offense by these statements..............that was not my intention..................if so please please forgive me.
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      CommentAuthormishra
    • CommentTimeNov 8th 2007 edited
     
    brahminical is let people know you accept donations but no fixed fees charging brahmanas do not charge they accept whatever is given even service or gift try this way depending totally on Krishna and you will see the magic
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      CommentAuthorsitapati
    • CommentTimeNov 8th 2007
     
    What you say is true Mishra, and your point is also good santa.

    The hen has two halves - brahmanas should not charge is one half. You should give charity to brahmanas is the other half. So I think to have credibility in saying: "They should not charge!', one should also put their money where their mouth is and give donations to brahmanas. Maybe if everyone did that, then there would be no need to charge for any of these things?

    At the same time the facilities angle is also there. We charge for our programs at Atma Yoga, but no-one makes a profit or even a living from it. We are all donating our time and energy, and our money in many cases to make up the shortfall, but at the end of the day the rent and utilities must be paid. So the guests pay as much as they would for either dinner or a yoga class anywhere else, and get both, plus association of devotees and the opportunity to come for kirtan, Bhagavad-gita study group or philosophy nights.

    You have to be practical. If you have something else that works then please share the success story.
    Thankful People: abrennan
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      CommentAuthormishra
    • CommentTimeNov 8th 2007
     
    best is volontary small monthly membership program to support temple/preaching center. This way you do not have to 'charge' for your service and you can keep your brahminical approach.
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      CommentAuthorrasa108
    • CommentTimeNov 9th 2007
     
    I agree with mishra....donations from congregation etc. to support these types of fundamental programs supplied by temples.
  8.  
    Charging fixed fees rather than living on the Lord's mercy shows a materialistic mentality. With such a mentality, one cannot be qualified to teach anything from our philosophy, including the practice of the maha mantra. Hence the only result will be that one's chanting will be comtaminated, not enhanced, by taking instruction from a deviating materially motivated so-called devotee.
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      CommentAuthormishra
    • CommentTimeNov 18th 2007
     
    Probably it is not as light and normal as some want to be and not as dramatic as others explain.
    Just that the mode of goodness platform has some characteristics and the mode of passion other.
    And mode of goodness is the absolute minimum wherefrom one can advance in KC.
    Passion tinged programs will bear passion effects. Like I was hearing about the japa retreats that people do "well" in the retreat and then return to their life to the same, wanting more retreats... clearly mode of passion motivated and no substantial advancement.
    • CommentAuthoradikavi
    • CommentTimeNov 28th 2007
     
    Personally if I had to pay to be taught everything I was in the beginning of my Krishna Consciousness I would have. But since I got all that knowledge for free I am against the idea of paying anyone anything for knowledge.

    For supplies and other things I wouldn't mind. But when a devotee charges one hundred dollars for a class I wonder what the one hundred dollars really is going towards, and since I have never found out I have never gone to a class like that, nor would I ever want to in the future, no matter what they are teaching.
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