Transcript Monastery - Vaishnava Extended Family in Latvia

On behalf of all project partners Your
humble servants BVG Janaka das
www.OurMonastery.wordpress.com
Why Now
in Europe?
Lifetime social security for Vaishnava monk
•Legitimate and legal Vaishnava
Monastery registration and
management;
•Vaishnava Monk Social Insurance: food,
closing, shelter, medical care;
•Government can pays the benefits for
lifetime for Vaishnava monk too.
Lifetime social security for
Vaishnava monk
•In Europe Union Euro-found can be
achieved for Vaishnava Monks
officially;
•As a testament from Hrishikesh
Prabhu (Latvia TP) letter.
Now is Adjustment
period for
Equalizing
existing
standard of
living
Now is adjustment period for
Equalizer existing standard of living
•By launching now this project
in perspective we envision this
as Sacred Oasis for Outreach
and for Sravanam Kirtanam
Visnoh... for Srila Prabhupada’s
Pleasure.
What will happen, if we don’t do it now
•Right now on average, as all Europe Continent
ISKCON communities together, we are losing at
least 5-10 possible ISKCON future leaders, who
was-are in need for first 5-7-10 years special
Devotee Care in order to let go old destructive
experience (as broken family, child abuse,
sexual abuse, broken relationship etc) and
destructive lifestyle (as alcohol, drags,
gambling, sexual misuse, crime etc) and regain
balanced and healthy lifestyle and internal role –
servant of servant of Sri Sri Radha and Krishna.
What will happen, if we don’t do it now
• If right now we will not create, develop
and maintain special Devotee Care
structure as International Vaishnava
Monastery in Europe with Devote Care
programs and trained staff, churning rate
in ISKCON Europe will increase and we
will lose more and more present devotees
and recruit less and less new dedicated
devotees for Srila Prabbhpada’s mission.
Why a
Monastery?
Why a Monastery
Why a Monastery
Most of Monasteries
Christian
Buddhist
dozens of
thousands Monks
dozens of
hundred Monks
Concepts of “Monk”
and “Monastery”
Natural and healthy
part of Westerner
historical,
present culture and
day-to-day life
We can see this by
continuously new
and new Westerners
joining this or that
Monastery in one or
other part of Wold
Why not Brahmchari and
Vanaprashta Ashram ?
In contrary “Bramacharie”, “Vanaprastha” and
“Ashram” concepts is still foreign, that for
ISKCON devotees them self is quite difficult
to accept it, what to speak about explain it to
Wester parents, relatives and friends.
For more than 15 hundreds
years of history Westerners have
natural longing for selfdiscovery as monk or nun and
then to life and serve as monk or
nun.
There is a potential lifetime monk, who cannot practice
renounced order of life side by side with women. They can be
a lifetime monk in protected area.
Today Christian and Buddhist monks in West can practise
whole life without speaking or even seeing women.
Today some Western Vaishnava monks have even more
interactions with women in Ashram as before it, which cause
growing churning rate in Vaishnava renounced order.
Latvia
have
just 2
million
popu.
•7 active
Christian
Monasteries
300 Roman Catholic convents and monasteries in
Germany now accept visitors
About a quarter of a million guests were counted last
year. They came to meditate, to fast, or simply to live
briefly alongside people who have consecrated
themselves to God.
Some 5,000 men who have taken holy orders, i.e. made a
lifelong commitment, make up the entire monastic
community in Germany. While there are about 25,000
nuns in religious communities.
Government Support
any
dedicate
Christian,
westerner
fund for
Buddhist and
special laws
have
them and as
Vaishnava
about
freedom to
monasteries
part of
monasteries
choose,
and
human rights are on the
which
monks/nuns and religious same laws
Spiritual Path
freedom
level
to follow.
Monks
or Nuns
Government
Society/NGOs
We can be supported by
Government and NGOs,
When ISKCON following
Western government terms
On our own terms and
conditions we are deprived
of Government financial
and laws support
Presenting our self as social workers,
which anyway we do
We can receive Government financial and
law support, when we form properly
documents, according to government laws,
at least in Euro Continent 34 countries
including Latvia, UK, Germany, Denmark,
Sweden etc
Lifelong support for monks can be
received in forms of food, closing,
shelter and medicine (including
hospital expenses).
This is How so many other
Monasteries are surviving and
flourishing, Where ISKCON CAN learn
For social programs we
can receive government
support in form of rent
for room, food, printing
materials etc.
Even there are grants for building and
upgrading social and crises centers
(with can be living and serving area for
monks), guest house, mental or/and
physical invalid houses (even some of
present ISKCON devotee end up in this
group do to mixture of events)
For old people facility
of houses (in ISKCON
language Vanaprastha
ashram) and hospice.
students hostel facilities
(places where students have
supporting environment for
following 4 regulative
principles of freedom and
practice Spiritual Life),
Already we are doing
it here, same contents
‘Devotee care’, need
just other name!!!
1.Social prevention and
rehabilitation programs for
children and youths
•Socially responsible life free of alcohol,
drugs, sexual mis-contacts;
•Improving study and concentration skills;
•Responsible and harmonious family
relationship
2. Social prevention and
rehabilitation programs for middle
age people
•Middle age or Identity crisis – Who I am?
Where I belong to?
•Loneliness – who to find our harmonious
place and activities in sociality;
•Responsible and harmonious family
relationship
3.Social prevention and
rehabilitation programs for old
age people
• Fearlessness of death – What will happen
with me during and after death?
• Hospice– facilitate people harmonious
death experience and support for their
relative emotional heath;
4.Social rehabilitation
programs for physical or/and
mental invalids, former
prisoner and unemployed
people;
• Socially responsible life free of
alcohol, drugs, sexual mis-contacts
Need to
show Govt
We will
receive
grants
We are
already
doing these
activities
Need to
adjust
names
‘social’
Why
International?
From Europe Continent 50 countries 26 are have
population less that 5 million each and all 26
countries together have 43 million population.
When we from 1st day setting up English Speaking
International Vaishnava Monastery, that give easy and
natural way to anyone from 740 million people Visit
and Practise in Monastery for short or longer time.
At present in Latvia for life can stay people from 34
Euro Union and Schengen countries - just with
Passport without any special VISA. From 1 Jan 2014
Latvia will have Euro (€) as country currency.
Why
Patronage by
in Indians?
Cooperation with Indian Embassy and
Special Country Government Care
• Land-donor as lawyer see it as needful plus for
project development, that Indian trust is legal owner
of land and real Patron of project, because European
Countries governments giving more importance to
International projects as local in order to cultivate
International as India – Latvia relationships.
• Such path right now successfully walking some
Cristiana and Buddhist in West. And as the results
countries government give special care and intention
to these Monasteries in comparison with just national
Monasteries.
Cooperation with Indian
Embassy give more
acceptance from local people
•For local people is easier to accept that
Indians leading and developing Indian
culture in Latvia with local people
support as just local people do it them
self.
Wider visions, non-partial to one
particular European Country or Nation
•In Europe Continent 36 countries we have more
that 200 centres, where many of existing centres
are lock in their own local sustenance (communal
bills, food, shelter etc) and local outreach
programs. When we are for 20-30 years are
locked in our own short sited 2-3 million people
area, it is very difficult to step back and see
wider picture – 740 million people picture. What
is needful and be so helpful in long run for all
Europe Continents, for all Western and Eastern
World including USA, Canada, Australia, India?
Have 25+ years proved capacity
•For example, such Indian communities as SSRG
with their leaders and monks have 25+ years
proved capacity to set up new workable
Sustainable and Long-Lasting grihastha and
monastic model like “International Vaishnava
Monastery in Europe”, given by Srila
Prabhupada and explained by Radhanath
Swami Maharaj in cooperation with European
Continent Governments, Embassies and NGOs.
This model later can be adapted and
implemented in others existing Euro Continent
Vaishnava communities.


Case Study 1 –
Buddhist “Forest Sangha trust” 16 Monasteries
Forest Sangha trust (www.ForestSangha.org) at
2012 unite 16 Buddhist Monasteries in West
including England, France, Australia, New
Zealand, Switzerland, Italy, Canada and the
United States and 4 Monasteries in Thailand
with 122 Western Monks (Eldest 45 year serve
as monk) and 11 Western Nuns. Now trust
setting up two new Monasteries - in Brazil and
Portugal.

Amaravati Buddhist monastery
(www.amaravati.org) have close
cooperation with Thailand
government, Embassies and local
governments. Local and foreign
governments and NGO’s support
monk social security in terms of food,
closing, shelter and medicine
(including hospital expenses).



The budget of the Amaravati Monastery at on
2011 was total: £348,000 (USD 525’600).
Equivalent to approximately £6,700 per week
or £950 per day. The figures exclude 'dana'
for food and other gifts in kind on average
£500-600 per day.
Average daily expenses per one Monastery
resident including gifts £58 (USD 80).
35 Monastery residents = monks 19 + 8 nun
+ 8 long time volunteers.

After reaching a low point of just 1,145
mainly elderly monks in 1971, the
monasteries have been undergoing a steady
and sustained renewal. By the year 2000, the
monastic population had reached 1,610, with
all 20 monasteries receiving an infusion of
mainly young well-educated monks. In 2009,
the population stood at nearly 2,000 monks,
where many younger monks possess
university education and advanced skills.

In all Mount Athos (www.WikiPedia.org
and www.AthosWeBlog.com) territory
(335 km2 or 130 sq mi) is a prohibition
on entry for women, to make living in
celibacy easier for those who have
chosen to do so. Monks feel that the
presence of women alters the social
dynamics of the community and
therefore slows their path towards
spiritual enlightenment.
Year
2010
Total priests
412,236
Religious brothers (monks)
Religious sisters (nuns)
Total Celibates
54,665
721,935
1,188,836
Intelligence
Organization
For the
Pleasure Of
Srila
Prabhupada
for Pleasure of
Sria Prabhpupada
Wonders
By
Cooperation
We Can
Do
For more detail please visit
“International Vaishnava Monastery
and Farm Community in Europe”
website
www.OurMonastery.wordpress.com