User:Anuttamadasi

About Anuttama and Bhakta Billy

BY: ANUTTAMA DEVI DASI

Here is a brief synopsis of what Billy and I are up to:

About 2 and a half years ago, Billy and I both began to have strong feelings that some major changes were in store for most people. I was curious about whether these feelings were due to the contamination of the media, which seems to be trying to scare people (we don't have a TV, but do use the Internet), or whether the feelings were coming from Krsna. So I prayed to my Deity, Giriraja, and then with my eyes closed. selected a book at random from the bookcase. I then opened the book, again, at random. I happened to open the book, Beyond Illusion and Doubt and happened to open to a page where Srila Prabhupada quoted one line from the Bhagavad Gita: "dadami buddhi yogam tam"--I give you the intelligence. Taking this to be an affirmation that Krsna was encouraging us to be prepared for the coming changes, we embarked on a journey to try to understand what needed to be done. What an experience! We have almost daily "synchronicities" and have had numerous mystical experiences to encourage us on our quest.

One of the most important experiences on this journey to understand what needed to be done was regarding my quest to understand what was wrong with Srila Prabhupada's movement. I particularly wanted to know how to direct new people who might want to be initiated into Krsna Consciousness. The answer I found (too long a story to relate here) was that Srila Prabhupada ordered his disciples to initiate disciples on his behalf after his departure. Srila Prabhupada is still with us.

Another very important event was the gift of the book, Make Vrndavana, given to me by Shyamasundara and Indulekha Prabhus. This book is 1,600 pages of transcriptions of conversations with Srila Prabhupada regarding living locally and implementing varnashrama. It is now online:

Billy and I live on 3 acres in Western Washington State and currently grow much of our food. Krsna has given us a cow, Dhana. We are active with a group, the Self Reliant Community, and are learning many self-reliant skills including bee keeping, alternative energy, permaculture, blacksmithing, construction using local materials, home dairying (including cheesemaking), using draft animals (we also have a horse), caring for fruit trees and saving seeds.

I was initiated in February 1977 in Seattle and spent some time on the infamous "Mothers' Party" led by Jiva das (God rest his soul). After the Hansadutta experience I went to Miami, and was amazed by the goings on under Hrdayananda (he had his disciples collecting money so that he could remodel the entire top floor of the temple for his quarters). I won Niscinta das in the Christmas marathon there and we have a daughter. We moved to LA, to try to find a more sane situation. Gradually I suspected that Ramesvara wasn't a pure devotee and made the mistake of confiding my suspicions to a potential disciple. I got called before the throne and Ramesvara told me that he might have his disciples beat me up for saying such blasphemy. When Ramesvara got caught in a compromising situation, well, it was funny.

Eventually I moved to Hawaii and my marriage with Niscinta fell apart. Some time later Billy came into my life and we've been married for about 12 years.

I am currently working full-time in trying to learn to live locally as well as to develop a community around where we live. We are encouraging our neighbors to grow food and engage in barter with many of them. Some neighbors even come to me when they are sick to get my herbal remedies collected from wild plants growing nearby. My strongest potion has been dubbed "dragon pee", and is only given when someone is quite sick.

I am very encouraged about the world situation because I think it will force Srila Prabhupada's followers to work together to do some really great things. Hopefully Krsna will let me be a small part of His plans for the times ahead.

YS,

Anuttama