By Madhava Smullen
‘Strengthening the Bonds that Free Us,’ a Grihastha Course that will teach devotees how to develop the insights and skills for a more meaningful, happy, and inspiring marriage will be offered online via Bhaktivedanta College from April 12th to May 16th. The course is facilitated by husband and wife Partha Das and Uttama Dasi, who have been married for the past fifty years.
Uttama and Partha are part of the Grihastha Vision Team (GVT), a group of Vaishnava couples and professional counselors and educators who help ISKCON devotees have healthy marriages and happy families.
The GVT initially developed ‘Strengthening the Bonds that Free Us’ in 2005, a year after the group began. Looking at the challenges ISKCON couples had encountered in their married lives and the negative paradigms that may have contributed to them, they brainstormed 12 Principles and Values for a Successful Krishna Conscious Family Life, which they hoped would prevent such problems in the future.
These included Alignment with Srila Prabhupada, Spiritual Growth and Progress, Mutual Respect and Appreciation, Commitment and Dedication, Open and Honest Communications, Focus on Children’s Welfare, Family Love and Affection, and a Regulated, Balanced and Exemplary Lifestyle.
From this starting point, the GVT’s next step was to develop a course – Strengthening the Bonds That Free Us – to teach devotees how to have healthy marriages, which was taught in person in at least fifteen countries over the years.
“I have seen many of the negative paradigms that existed around Grihastha life in ISKCON dramatically improve since we started to teach this course,” says Uttama Dasi.
Read more: https://iskconnews.org/grihastha-course-to-teach-skills-for-a-happy-and-meaningful-marriage,7750/
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