The flood and the MIHET Bhakti-sastri and Bhaktivaibhava courses

[Guest guest]

Dear Devotees,

 

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

 

Many devotees are writing to us asking whether the courses will go on as

scheduled.

 

I am happy to announce that the flood waters have all left the campus and

will in no way interfere with our schedule.

 

We still have seats available, so please go to http://www.mihet.org for more

information and to register.

 

I am pasting below our basic schedule for the upcoming courses:

 

VTE Bhakti-sastri Course

November 2, 2006 - February 6, 2007

Separate Sections for Men and Women

 

Bhagavad-gita Jayadvaita Swami

(November 2, 2006 - January 30, 2007) Laxmimoni devi dasi

Su-gita Vani devi dasi

 

Nectar of Devotion Kadamba Kanana Swami

(November 2 - December 1, 2006) Shyamala Sakhi devi dasi

 

Nectar of Instruction Bhakti Caru Swami

(December 6 -15)

Srimati devi dasi

(December 2 - 16)

 

Sri Isopanisad Lokanath Swami

(January 19 - 30, 2007) Nanda devi dasi

 

 

Pilot of the New Version of the VTE Bhaktivaibhava Course, Canto 4

November 2, 2006 - January 17, 2007

 

Thematic Discussions Facilitators

 

Bhakti Caru Swami Hari Sauri dasa

Jayadvaita Swami Kadamba Kanana Swami

Laxmimoni devi dasi Srimati devi dasi

 

Structured Learning Facilitators

Atul Krishna dasa Tara dasa

Gaura Krishna dasa

 

Vedic Cosmology in Canto 5

January 19 - February 4, 2007

 

Ravindra Svarupa dasa

 

Devotees may enter either of the above Srimad Bhagavatam Study modules

without attending previous modules.

 

 

2006 - 2007 MIHET Navadvipa Dhama Parikrama Schedule

 

Date Venue Parikrama Leaders

 

November 4 Antardvipa: Yoga Pitha Jayapataka Swami

Kadamba Kanana Swami

 

November 11 Simantadvipa: Jagannatha Temple Jayadvaita Swami

Kadamba Kanana Swami

 

November 18 Modadrumadvipa: Mamgachi Kadamba Kanana Swami

 

November 26 Koladvipa: Dhameshwar Mahaprabhu Kadamba Kanana Swami

 

December 2 Antardvipa: Caitanya Math Jayadvaita Swami

 

December 9 Godrumadvipa: Bhaktivinoda Thakura's Bhakti Caru Swami

Residence

 

December 24 Harinama: ISKCON Campus and onto Atul Krishna dasa

Bhaktisiddhanta Road

 

December 31 Harinama: ISKCON Campus and onto Atul Krishna dasa

Bhaktisiddhanta Road

 

January 6 Koladvipa: Devananda Gaudiya Math Pankajanghri dasa

 

January 18 Godrumadvipa: Hari-Hara Kshetra, Lokanath Swami

Amghat

 

January 25 Antardvipa: Advaita Bhavan Lokanath Swami

(Advaita Acarya's Appearance Day)

 

January 31 Harinama:ISKCON Campus and onto Atul Krishna dasa

Bhaktisiddhanta Road

(Lord Nityananda's Appearance Day)

 

We are looking forward to serving you in Sridhama Mayapur.

 

Your servant,

Janmastami dasa

 

P.S. I have pasted below the text version of our new e-newsletter, Parama

Vidya Dipika. If you would like to read the html version and, maybe

to it, you can just paste this URL into your browser:

 

http://www.mihet.org/newsletter/pvd1.htm

 

==========================================================

Parama Vidya Dipika

The e-newsletter of the

Mayapur Institute for Higher Education and Training

==========================================================

October 2006 / Issue 1

 

**Welcome**

 

Over the years, we have often thought of producing a newsletter to keep our

students and well-wishers abreast of our accomplishments and developments.

Now seems like a great time to start because there is so much to report. We

sincerely hope you enjoy this first issue.

 

In this issue:

* A New Name

* New Mentoring System

* Scholarship

* Course News

* Women's Ashram

* Free Lunch Prasadam

* New Parikrama Program

 

 

**Our New Name**

 

To add emphasis to the Devotional and Life Skills Training Program within

our ethos, our name has expanded to the Mayapur Institute for Higher

Education & Training. At the same time, to keep things simple, we will often

just call ourselves the Mayapur Institute. A professional logo is underway

and we look forward to sharing this with you in our next issue.

 

 

**Introducing the Mentoring System**

 

We are implementing a mentoring system for our Bhakti-sastri Course, in

which 10 to 14 students, who are reasonably senior and experienced, will

each look after four or six less senior devotees. The mentors will work

closely with our Bhakti-sastri Course Coordinator, Gaura Krishna dasa, and

will help those in their charge as much as possible. We feel this

Bhakti-sastri Mentoring System will add a valuable element of personal care

to our students' educational experiences. Mentors will support students in

their sadhana, homework, sloka learning, and personal challenges.

 

 

**Scholarship Program**

 

With the support of our donors, we will be providing partial and full

scholarships for devotees who are qualified, but lack the financial

capability to attend our courses - Bhakti-sastri, Bhaktivaibhava, and Gaura

Purnima Courses. The Mayapur Institute will give priority to devotees from

developing countries and from financially distressed temples. Any devotee

desiring to apply for a scholarship or desiring to contribute to the

scholarship fund should write to Scholarships (AT) mihet (DOT) org for details.

 

 

**News about Upcoming Courses**

 

-- A Strong New Team of Senior Devotees for the Bhakti-sastri course

 

We are very excited with our team of senior devotees for the 2006 - 2007

Bhakti-sastri course. Bhakti Caru Swami and Srimati devi dasi will teach

Nectar of Instruction. Jayadvaita Swami, Laxmimoni devi dasi and Su-gita

Vani devi dasi will teach Bhagavad-gita. Kadamba Kanana Swami and Shyamala

Sakhi devi dasi will teach Nectar of Devotion. And Sri Isopanisad will be

taught by Lokanath Swami and Nanda devi dasi

 

We are immensely grateful to these devotees who have committed such

significant time and energy for the success of these courses. We are

confident students will gain many deep realizations as they proceed through

this course, taking the intimate darshan of Srila Prabhupada in his

Bhaktivedanta Translations and Purports guided by our expert teachers.

 

If you would like to attend this course, which starts on November 2 and ends

on February 6, please register online at www.mihet.org

 

 

-- Piloting a Unique Approach to Studying the Bhagavatam

 

The Mayapur Institute will offer a study course on the 4th Canto of the

Srimad-Bhagavatam from November 2, 2006 to January 17, 2007. This course

will be a continuation of the current Mayapur Institute's Bhaktivaibhava

course, but will introduce a new system in which students will attend five

morning Structured Learning Classes and three evening Thematic Discussions

per week.

 

Senior devotees such as Bhakti Caru Swami, Jayadvaita Swami, Kadamba Kanana

Swami, Hari Sauri dasa, Laxmimoni devi dasi, and Srimati devi dasi will

conduct the Thematic discussions. Whereas, Atul Krishna dasa, Tara dasa, and

Gaura Krishna dasa will facilitate the Structured Learning Classes.

 

Please visit www.mihet.org for details and to register online.

 

 

-- Sat-sanga Seminars

 

During the 2006 Gaura Purnima Festival, the Mayapur Institute offered the

Sat-sanga Seminars for the first time. In these sponsored seminars, leaders

and other senior devotees from around the world offered 24 seminars ranging

in subjects from life and devotional skills to applying sastra in our daily

lives to in-depth sastric appreciations. Over 3,000 ecstatic devotees

attended the 2006 Sat-sanga Seminars.

 

The feedback was so overwhelming positive from the 2006 seminars that the

Mayapur Festival Committee (MFC) has requested the Mayapur Institute to

expand this program for the 2006 Gaura Purnima Festival, which the MFC has

named "Gaura Purnima 2007: The Festival of Loving Exchanges". With

Vaisnava loving exchanges as the festival theme, the Mayapur Institute will

follow suite and will encourage the Sat-sanga Seminars facilitators to focus

part, if not all, of their seminars on this theme.

 

If you would like to present a seminar, please write Seminars (AT) mihet (DOT) org for

details.

 

 

**New Women's Ashram**

 

Many ISKCON parents with daughters in their late teens and early twenties

have expressed an interest in sending their daughters to take the

Bhakti-sastri Course in Mayapur, if the Mayapur Institute would adequately

protect their daughters by providing appropriate ashram facilities with

mature ashram leaders. The Mayapur Institute now has such facilities with

senior Vaisnavis, such as Laxmimoni devi dasi, Nanda devi dasi, and

Racitambara devi dasi, involved to make sure proper systems are in place.

 

 

**Eat to Your Full Satisfaction**

 

During the Bhakti-sastri and Bhaktivaibhava courses that begin on November

2, all students and teachers may honor Monday through Friday free, delicious

lunch prasadam, which we have arranged through a sponsorship program. This

prasadam will be specifically prepared for our students and teachers so that

they will stay in the best of health while they are studying.

 

 

**Parikramas: Discovering the Dhama**

 

Devotees who have taken the Mayapur Institute’s Bhakti-sastri and

Bhaktivaibhava Courses over the years have found them to be deeply inspiring

and an opportunity for tremendous personal growth. Still the course can be

intense and many students have felt they could have used more transcendental

breaks throughout their courses.

 

With this in mind, the Mayapur Institute has developed a Navadvipa Dhama

Parikrama Program led once a week by our teachers and other senior

Vaisnavas. Of course, not only will our students get breaks that will deeply

satisfy their hearts, but they will also enter more deeply into their

relationships with Navadvipa Dhama and with the Vaisnavas who are revealing

the Dhama.