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Devotees
Spread the Word about Hospice at the
Festival of Inspiration
During the recent Festival
of Inspiration in New Vrindavana,
volunteers from Vaisnavas C.A.R.E.
enthusiastically informed visiting
devotees about the Vaisnavas C.A.R.E.
hospice project and the many benefits of
knowledgable, Krsna conscious
end-of-life care.
The V-CARE booth was presented by
Krishna Patro from Philadelphia; Shravan,
Shilpa, Supriya from State College;
Mallikarjuna, Mallieswari, Venu Gopal
from Detroit; and Mohan and Harisha from
Chicago.
We cannot thank them enough for their
dedication and desire to serve the
devotees of Lord Krsna by presenting the
need for loving comfort care for those
facing the end of life. Their enthusiasm
is inspiring and we thank them with all
our hearts. (See photos below)
Devotees Present Seminars in Spain on “Dying
in Krsna Consciousness”
Written by: Jaya Bhadra devi dasi (acbsp)
Submitted by: Rupa Manjari devi dasi
May 12, 2009
Every year for the last five years, Rupa
Manjari and I have been visiting the four
main ISKCON temples in Spain to give
seminars. This year, we were scheduled to go
in May, and because in the two months prior
to going there, we had heard about the
passing away of several Vaishnavas, we felt
impelled to give a seminar on dying in
Krishna consciousness. We drew largely on
the book, The Final Journey by
Sangita devi dasi as well the book Die Before Dying
by the late
Bhakti-tirtha Maharaja.
In our first session, entitled “What We
Already Know,” attendees were given the
opportunity to discuss and express the
experience they had already had with the
death of a person or persons close to them.
In the second session, entitled “What
We May Need to Know for Ourselves and
Others”, based on The Final Journey,
attendees were informed about some of the
essential points of holistic care for the
terminally ill, with particular emphasis
given to the rights of a dying person and
the formation of a Living Will/Advanced
Directives. These turned out to be
particularly sensitive topics, with many
attendees expressing both relief and
gratitude at receiving so much information
that is both professionally and spiritually
sound.
In the third session, entitled “Considering
My Own Death,” attendees had the opportunity
to seriously contemplate their own demise.
This session was somewhat confronting for
many, but the response was very positive.
The last session, entitled “Praying for
Shelter” was exclusively focused on the
necessary mode of prayer associated with
death. Attendees also got to hear about
Srila Prabhupada’s glorious departure and to
express, in the form of existing prayers, as
well as prayers they composed themselves,
their spiritual concerns about death.
Since this was the first time we had given
such a seminar, I was quite concerned that
attendees might find the topic too heavy or
morbid, but to my surprise and delight, the
response to this seminar was unprecedented.
Devotees repeatedly expressed their
gratitude in numerous ways, and this
response helped me to again appreciate the
uniqueness and sincerity of those who pass
their lives in devotion to the Lord,
anxiously awaiting and preparing for the
moment when they can be reunited with Him.
Editor’s Note: We at Vaisnavas C.A.R.E. wish
to express our deepest appreciation to both
Jaya Bhadra Devi Dasi and Rupa Manjari Devi
Dasi (Belgium) for their wonderful service
to the devotees. The topic of preparing for
one’s passing away in Krsna consciousness is
a very important one and judging by the
response of the attendees, it appears to be
a relief for many to be given the
opportunity to hear about and express their
feelings concerning their own mortality.
Thank you so very much!
Upcoming
Vaisnavas C.A.R.E.
End-of-Life Seminar
in Gita nagari, Pennsylvania
We are pleased to announce our next hospice
seminar.
Date: Saturday, July 11, 2009
Where: Within the beautiful setting of the
Gita nagari farm community in Port Royal,
Pennsylvania, home of Sri Sri Radha Damodara.
Sangita devi dasi, RN, Certified Hospice and
Palliative Nurse (CHPN) and Certified
Hospice Educator, will be the main speaker.
Kaulini devi dasi, on the Vaisnavas
C.A.R.E. Board of Directors, will share her
personal experiences as a caregiver to the
dying devotees. Bhagavatananda dasa, pujari
at the Philadelphia and New York temples,
will share his realizations and experiences
as a Vaisnavas C.A.R.E. volunteer.
This newly revised seminar has been very
successful in teaching the basics of caring
for a terminally ill devotee or family
member. It has inspired temples, such as
ISKCON Philadelphia and ISKCON Houston, to
form local "Vaisnavas Care Teams" who are
able to provide emotional and spiritual care
to terminally ill devotees. In addition, our
teams reach out to hospitalized and
acutely/chronically ill congregational
members in their area.
Seminar subjects include:
* Brief history of the hospice movement and
how it relates to Krsna consciousness
* The importance of having a Living Will
* The Dying Devotee's Bill of Rights
* Experiencing a Terminal Illness
* Spiritual Pain and how we can help as
caregivers
* Anticipatory Grief for the patient and
family members
* The Five Stages of Dying, includes "role
play" exercise
* Communicating with one who is dying (and
what NOT to say)
Part One --11 a.m. -12:30 p.m.
Lunch Break--12:30 - 1:15 p.m. (Prasadam
provided)
Part Two --1:15--3:15 p.m.
Workbooks, lunch prasadam, drinks, and
snacks will be included. This seminar is
free of charge, but donations are always
welcome. Certificates of Completion will be
awarded to those who complete the entire
seminar.
Back to top
Dear Readers,
The following letter was written by Vaisnavas
CARE volunteer, Kalindi devi dasi from ISKCON
Houston, Texas (U.S.) She sent the letter below
to her Guru, HH Bhakti Caru Swami and to her
godbrothers and godsisters in order to inform
them and encourage them to start Vaisnava Care
Teams in their communities worldwide. We thank
her for her enthusiasm and continued service to
V-CARE and for heading the Vaisnavas Care Team
in Houston. We wish her the best in her seva to
her Guru Maharaja and to the devotees of Lord
Krishna.
Your servants at Vaisnavas C.A.R.E.
Dear Guru Maharaja, dear
godbrothers and sisters,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to
Srila Prabhupada!
In this letter I would like to introduce you all to
Vaisnavas C.A.R.E., a worldwide devotee project
caring for terminally ill devotees.
Some of you might already be familiar with Vaisnavas
C.A.R.E. activities and website at
www.vaisnavascare.com.
Some of you might have already written prayers or
articles.
Vaisnavas C.A.R.E. Inc. is a non-profit, tax-exempt
organization dedicated to incorporating spiritual
understanding with counseling, assistance, resources
and education for the terminally-ill and their loved
ones, as well as to provide educational seminars for
volunteers who wish to provide emotional and
spiritual support to those in a terminal situation.
Our Purpose:
* To provide for Vaisnavas, and those who feel
our mission would serve them, a specialized program
of counseling, assistance, resources, and education
for terminally-ill patients and their families.
* To promote emotional and spiritual care for the
patient, and psycho-social and spiritual care for
the patient and family unit.
* To provide a model for a Krishna conscious
environment in which the patient may pass away
comfortably with peace and dignity.
* To provide appropriate education to both health
care professionals and volunteers. See seminar
information.
Sangita devi dasi, a disciple of Srila Prabhupada
and a Certified Registered Hospice Nurse, co-founded
this important project in 2001 with her godsister,
Jusaniya devi dasi, also a Certified Registered
Hospice Nurse. Presently, two of their godsisters,
Kaulini dasi and Jagarini devi dasi serve on the
Board of Directors. H.H. Bhakti Tirtha Maharaja was
one of the original Board Members before leaving
this world in
Sangita wrote an important book, The Final
Journey--Hospice Care for Departing Vaisnavas
(Torchlight Publishing), which offers a wealth of
information about caring for a terminally ill
person. Our website (www.vaisnavascare.com)
also offers a great deal of important information to
guide caregivers who are assisting those who are
facing the end of life. The Board members are also
available to answer questions via emails or phone
calls.
The reason why I am writing this letter is to inform
and encourage you to start a Vaisnavas Care Team in
your communities. Many of you are spread out in
different locations, and it would be very pleasing
to our Guru Maharaja and to Srila Prabhupada if we
could extend this important project worldwide.
We recently had a devotee leave her body in our
community in Houston, Texas (U.S.). She was only 49
years old, and it was very touching to see how
everyone in our community came forward to help her
by cooking for her, shopping, giving her rides to
the doctor, taking her to the temple, reading to
her, helping her with her medicine, cleaning her
house, etc. In addition, Sangita devi dasi and
Jagarini devi dasi from Vaisnavas C.A.R.E. traveled
here to visit her and help deal with her family
members (who were not in favor of Krishna
Consciousness).
During her visit,
Sangita gave a four hour seminar about Vaisnavas
C.A.R.E., and how to start a Vaisnavas Care Team in
our community. Fifty-two devotees attended. It was
inspiring to see and hear what she has to offer.
After all, one day we all have to leave this world,
and who knows in what kind of situation we might
find ourselves in.
That is why we decided to start a Vaisnava Care Team
here in Houston, and now we have 12 devotees signed
up for our Houston team. We have a monthly meeting
during our Sunday program, the first meeting will be
on April 5th. (We will meet the first Sunday feast
of every month).
Actually, this service is so important, because it
not only helps the devotee who needs the assistance,
but it actually brings our community together beyond
expectation. The service is unlimited, from a simple
phone call, emailing or sending a note, to actual
personal care.
Personally, I think this service is very important
because it gives just the personal touch not only to
temple devotees, but also to congregational members
who are sick or to those who have lost a
dear family
member. For example, when a congregational member is
chronically ill or in an accident or is in the
hospital or having surgery, our Vaisnavas Care Team
makes visits, brings prasadam, reads to them from
transcendental literature, brings a garland from the
Deities, etc. In this way, the congregation feels
very cared about and supported by the ISKCON temple
devotees. It makes them feel as if we are all part
of one extended family. Caring for devotees is the
best service and very pleasing to our Guru and
Krishna. The service is endless--from personal care,
occasional visits, assisting with child care,
reading scripture, or singing bhajans, to just
giving a call or sending a card to express your
concern.
If any of you are interested in starting a Vaisnavas
Care Team in your community, or need more
information on how to get started, please do not
hesitate to contact us.
Sincerely,
Kalindi d.d.
Back
to top
By Rita Gupta for
ISKCON News Weekly on 7 Mar 2009
Vaishnava Passing:
Living Bhagavatam Stories
Bhagavatananda says that assisting the dying is helping
him “cash in on the blessings” he received from one
of Srila Prabhupada’s departed disciples, Tribhuvanatha
Dasa. Bhagavatananda met Tribhuvanatha near the end of
Tribhuvanatha’s life, when he was emaciated and
wheelchair-bound. “But his eyes were huge saucers of
spirituality,” says Bhagavatananda. At an evening
program, Bhagavatananda suddenly stopped and asked
Tribhuvanatha for his blessings. At first,
Tribhuvanatha looked surprised, as if he could not
understand why anyone would ask for such a thing. “Then
suddenly his mood changed. He touched my head and said,
‘You have all my blessings.’”
Tribhuvanatha passed away in 2001 due to stomach
cancer. He was well-known for preaching Krishna
consciousness in the Middle East under very difficult
circumstances. For example, he was arrested for his
preaching activities in Damascus, Syria. For one month,
he was tortured in a terrorist cell.
Bhagavatananda realized some of Tribhuvanatha’s
blessings almost immediately. Parasurama Dasa, who
organizes an ox cart program in India every year,
overheard Bhagavatananda saying that he had never
visited India before. Parasurama suddenly invited
Bhagavatananda to come to Vrindavan with him. Tribhuvanatha
had been Parasurama’s assistant. Bhagavatananda says,
“Tribhuvanatha’s blessings cashed in. That is the only
reason I went to Vrindavan.” For a few years after,
Bhagavatananda returned to Vrindavan every year.
In 2005, while shopping in Vrindavan, he saw a book
called The Final Journey: Complete Hospice Care for
Departing Vaishnavas (Torchlight Publishing). He
purchased the book and started reading it. It made him
more aware of the issue of death and dying. So when an
announcement was made during the morning program that a
terminally ill devotee was asking for visitors,
Bhagavatananda volunteered.
The devotee was Narmada Goswami from Mumbai. Narmada
Goswami had been involved with the BBT Mumbai for many
years. He was suffering from Parkinson’s disease, and
was weak and bed-ridden.
Bhagavatananda recalls the unlimited mercy he received
from the small service of visiting Narmada Goswami.
“Narmada Goswami was overwhelmed to see that I had
come. He could barely speak, but everything was
transmitted through his glance. He was just so
grateful. All I can figure is that he knew Krishna was
in that room, and he was passing on that benediction to
me through his glance. I felt very blessed and
fortunate to be there.”
In July 2008, Bhagavatananda met Sangita Devi Dasi, the
author of The Final Journey, when she gave a seminar on
hospice care at the Philadelphia temple. That seminar
was the impetus for creating the
Philadelphia Vaisnavas C.A.R.E. Team. Through his
service with Vaisnavas C.A.R.E., Bhagavatananda feels he
is finally beginning to realize the blessings he
received from Tribhuvanatha. Bhagavatananda says, “When
devotees are dying, Krishna is very close to the
scene. Anytime I connect with a dying devotee, I get a
feeling of being very close to Krishna. I get a sense
of peace from that.”
Moreover, Bhagavatananda’s service with Vaisnavas
C.A.R.E. is preparing him for his own death. “Maharaja
Yudhisthira says that nobody thinks they are going to
die. I don’t think I am going to die either. But
through my service, I am learning that everything is
temporary. I am learning that I am only temporarily
situated here. The real business is to prepare for my
next body.”
But even more than preparing for his own death,
Bhagavatananda says he can feel his heart
softening. This is the real benefit of his service with
Vaisnavas C.A.R.E. “The passing away of the devotees are
living Bhagavatam stories. As I see devotees with whom
I have a personal connection go through this process,
slowly my heart is softening. I need to soften my
heart, so I can have an impact when I talk to people. I
want to develop good qualities. This is my offering to
Srila Prabhupada’s movement.”
Within the next few years, Sangita Devi Dasi, along with
her godsister Jagarini devi dasi, a Board member of
Vaisnavas C.A.R.E., hopes to visit
temples throughout North America to encourage C.A.R.E.
teams in those communities. C.A.R.E. stands for
“Counseling, assistance, resource, and
education.” C.A.R.E. teams are links between the temple
and a congregation member who is suffering from an
acute, chronic, or terminal illness. They make sure the
devotee knows he is part of a loving family –
Prabhupada’s family – by sending maha-prasadam, making
hospital visits, sponsoring Deity garlands, and offering
support and reassurance through phone calls.
Within the next few weeks, a Vaisnavas C.A.R.E. Team
will begin operating in Houston, Texas. Kalindi Devi
Dasi and Guru Bhakti Devi Dasi, a medical internist with
a private practice, are the main organizers of the
Houston team. Recently, Kalindi invited Sangita to give
a seminar in hospice care. Fifty-two people attended
the seminar, which was held on Lord Nityananda’s
Appearance Day.
Devotees outside North America have also expressed
interest in organizing C.A.R.E. Teams in their
communities. For example, a devotee in Australia who
is studying to become a naturopathic
practitioner, is hoping to organize a team in her
community.
If you are interested in starting
a Vaisnavas C.A.R.E. Team in your community, please
contact Sangita Devi Dasi or Jagarini Devi Dasi at jusaniya@vaisnavascare.com. Or
visit Vaisnavas C.A.R.E. at
www.vaisnavascare.com
Newsletter
and Events
February, 2009
V-C.A.R.E. Seminar a Great Success in Houston
On Saturday, February 8, 2009, Sangita devi dasi, RN,
CHPN and Jagarini devi dasi, both members of the
Vaisnavas C.A.R.E. Board of Directors, presented a
Vaisnavas C.A.R.E. hospice seminar in ISKCON Houston’s
Gauranga Hall building. Fifty-two participants took part
in the four hour event.
Some of the many subjects discussed were:
Communicating with one who is dying
Living Wills/Advance Directives
Typical anxieties of the terminally ill patient
Caring for a dying vaisnava
Anticipatory Grief of the patient and loved ones
Elizabeth Kubler-Ross’ Stages of Dying
Guided Imagery for relaxation
Although the number of participants was larger than
usual, discussions were heartfelt and touching. As one
participant stated, “The group’s enthusiasm to discuss
their realizations and deep insight about death and
dying, helped us to learn not only about ourselves, but
it also helped us to get to know and understand other
members of our community as well.”
The day before the seminar, Jananivasini Radha devi
dasi, a member of the Houston temple community, passed
away. Because of their loss, the V-CARE seminar was very
timely and gave many participants a chance to begin to
process their grief.
We would like to thank Guru Bhakti dasi and Kalindi dasi
for helping to organize this seminar for their
congregation. Many other devotees such as Advaitacandra
dasa also assisted to make the event a great success. We
thank all of them for their enormous support and help.
If you are interested in presenting a similar seminar on
the basics of hospice care in your temple or community,
kindly contact us at:
jusaniya@vaisnavascare.com.
Thank you very much.
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Sangita
dasi signs a copy of her book, The Final
Journey—Complete Hospice Care for Departing
Vaisnavas. |
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-C.A.R.E.
