By Amala Prema devi dasi
The Bhakti Tree, Newcastle, NSW, Australia has expanded its activities from prasadam distribution in Newcastle University, serving lunches five days a week, a yoga night and the Friday Fest kirtan, to serving dinners five nights along with more hours for yoga classes, thought provoking documentary and movie screenings and a series of Vedic philosophy workshops appropriately titled Soul Searching Saturdays.
The local managers of the Bhakti Tree, His Grace Abhay Charan Dasa and Her Grace Jayanti Devi Dasi have been building up momentum of the preaching efforts through regular, healthy and palatable distribution of prasadam, hospitality and by establishing good relations with the Newcastle community and the Bhakti Tree visitors, and generating services to engage and accommodate the local ISKCON devotees.
Now having expanded their team of devotees working in collaboration with ISKCON New Gokula Farm of Australia, the Bhakti Tree has grown to attract more of the Hunter Valley community to come and get the nectar of chanting the Hare Krishna mahamantra, prasadam and spirituality as offered by His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada.
As Prabhupada once said in a room conversation on farm management on December 10, 1976 in Hyderabad, “But attract them. They will come here to eat, ‘Oh, very nice thing.’ That is wanted. I made this movement successful simply by love feast. They did not come to hear Hare Krsna. They came for love feast. From very beginning, when I was in 26 2nd Avenue, every Sunday I was giving nice foodstuff, at least 200 men. Daily at least more than 15, 20. I was cooking myself. That is the beginning of my movement”. Following on in Prabhupada’s footsteps, the Bhakti Tree team primarily serve prasadam to the community. A group of Bhakti Tree visitors eating prasadam on a regular basis have come to be the first valuable gems of the Soul Searching Saturdays. We know from the Bhagavad-Gita, “Out of many thousands among men, one may endeavor for perfection, and of those who have achieved perfection, hardly one knows Me in truth.” Therefore, these souls coming to hear the Vedanta philosophy are precious, and they should be cared for and we should continue feeding their souls as well as their bodies.
Soul Searching Saturday is solely based on the systematic presentation of Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad Gita As It Is and Srimad Bhagavatam. Led by His Grace Abhay Charan Dasa, the dedicated members of the Soul Searching Saturdays have gone through the first three weeks of the seminar series covering “Getting prepared to relish the Vedas”, “What are the Vedas?”, and “The Vedas: Beyond Hinduism”. The group will continue with the study of Bhagavad-Gita As It Is in the upcoming weeks.
His Grace Abhay Charan Das’ clear, animated, interactive presentation and purity in presenting the Vaishnava philosophy as it is given to us by His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada supported by Prabhupada’s analogies and relevant day to day life experiences seem to have created great interest from the first day in the audience so much so that the core team of the Soul Searching Saturday attendants look forward to the next sessions and respond in a humble and inquisitive mood. It is very encouraging and inspiring for the devotees at the Bhakti Tree to see that there is already a building team of inquisitive enthusiasts spending their valuable Saturday hours at the Bhakti Tree discussing the most important questions of life and staying to take prasadam served afterwards. They are not only the rarely found inquisitive souls of this world but also prasadam addicts.
The Vedanta-sutra (1.1.1) states, athato brahma jijnasa: “Now one should inquire about Brahman – The absolute truth, the transcendental, spiritual nature.” Srila Prabhupada describes in SB. Canto 4, Chapter 25, Text 5, Text26, purport: “The first aphorism in the Vedanta-sutra is athato brahma jijnasa. In the human form of life one should put many questions to himself and to his intelligence.”
The new members of the Bhakti Tree are showing evidence of the real nature of the human form of life as stated by Srila Prabhupada, “Now this life, this human form of life is especially meant for inquiring about the absolute truth.” They are the valuable gems of the Soul Searching Saturdays at the Bhakti Tree. The devoted members of the Bhakti Tree have been watering the seed of these spiritual seekers by the holy name “Hare Krishna” and prasadam.
Now it is time to inquire further, “That is our beginning of philosophy: wherefrom this land came? Wherefrom this water came? Wherefrom the fire came? That is natural inquiry. Wherefrom the sky came? How the stars are situated, so many millions and millions? So these are the inquiries of the intelligent person. That is the beginning of philosophical life. Therefore those who are thoughtful human being, gradually they are inquisitive of understanding the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa.” (Srila Prabhupada Lecture on BG 7.4 — Nairobi, October 31, 1975)
Your servant,
Amala Prema devi dasi
ISKCON New Gokula Farm, NSW Australia
New Gokula Farm
Phone: +61 2 4998 1800
Email: newgokula@gmail.com
Facebook: New Gokula Farm