Jai Śrī Rādhe,
I am a Iskcon member since 10 years (joined life member in Vrndavan on Janmasthami 2015), but never had the possibility to receive diksha. Reason is that in my country I am not able to have much contact to other devotees and visiting mandirs. So I do everything alone, which isn't a big problem for me, because I can do my daily 16 rounds, reading and worshipping without company. But as I know it is necessary to get a recommendation by the local temple president to get diksha (after visiting the online courses).
The question is now what to do if there is no temple president. At the moment 1-2 times per year i'm visiting Mumbai (Juhu, miraroad and also Chowpatty), but I am there more as a tourist to get darshan and "charge my spiritual batteries". Not enough to have a deeper Relationship to any devotee or temple associates.
So anyone has an advise for me what to do?
Your servant, Bhakta George
Replies
Hare Krsna Bhakta George prabhu,
PAMHO.
Very impressed with your sincerity and sadhana. There are ISKCON centres in Germany as well. You can check on iskconcentre.org to know the nearest temple.
Another option open to you is online sanga. There are maharajs who give online sanga and even initiation on the basis of online sange. You could check HG Sankarshan Das Adhikary on internet and join his online sanga.
Without recommendation from local temple president, most maharaj will not initiate.
Best of luck. Do keep in touch.
Haribol,
Your servant,
Radha Rasamayi DD
Jai Śrī Rādhe Mataji,
Thank you very much for your reply. I know that there are a several cent in my country and I visited one of it. It's the main temple in my country and it's 180 km far away. Surely I talked to the other Devotees and I also know the president of the temple. But I'm not able to be regularly there every weekend or what is needed.
I served a guru for the last three years, which is not part of the ISKCON. He was part of it, but after the death of Srila Prabhupada he left the community. I translated three of his books (also his Bhagavad Gita) and try to serve him as best as I could. But at least I thought he's not the right one to give me diksha, so I left (complicated).
I wanna get Diksha from His Holiness Radhanath Swami if possible, because I have a deep feeling of a relationship to him. So I try my best to check out what I can do because I know Mumbai is far away even if I am one or two times per year there.
But thank you I think the personal way would be the best one. At least I think online courses is not enough to have a relationship to a Gurū... Even a Diksha Gurū should know one a little bit more....
Wish me luck, I hope the Paramatma in my heard will lead me to do the right things and what's needed to be successful.
Hare Kṛṣṇa
Hare Krishna Prabhu
One can always associate with other devotees online through words. Physical presence is well appreciated but if your work and other constraints do not allow then why spend unnecessarily on air tickets?
Hari Bol
My question is not to you. Please don't take it personally.
Jai Śrī Rādhe,
my wife lives in Mumbai (Indian). we are both doing our jobs in our countries,and we are traveling many times per year from Europe to India and backwards. that's why I spent "unnecessarily" amounts of money on flight tickets. But I think it's not unnecessarily, that's simply part of our life at the moment and I must do the best out of it.
in India Krsna Consciousness is much easier than here. Everything is very far away and not easy to reach. I don't know if you understand, but that's a point.
Hare Krishna 🙏
If you like distant relationships, maybe you should look for a guru e.g. in South America.... Just kidding, but I guess you get the point.
Diksa is usually the result of a long-term siksa. HBV even prescribes for a disciple to live with a prospective guru for one year to know each other well. This is to show the preeminent importance of this choice. It may not be practical nowadays, but I see more and more how deep this sastra siksa is.
Hari Hari
ys J.