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IYF COUNSELLOR PROGRAM
Need for a
counsellor program....
For the past
few years it is our experience that in every student community if there are systematically
organized one time/ six session/ weekly etc. programs then hundreds and thousands of
students will be introduced to and throng IYF.
In our
enthusiasm to bring many "karmi" students to become devotees we sometimes forget
to pay attention to the spiritual nourishment to the mature devotees. This is a penny wise
- pound foolish philosophy where we neglect the real wealth of devotees for immediate
results in preaching.
Therefore the
prime meditation of the preachers should be that they spend adequate time for caring and
training devotees so that they will remain in Krishna consciousness throughout their
lives. Otherwise new devotees will come, do lot of service and then bloop. Again many new
devotees will come and go, so finally not many devotees will be left.
The best
leaders are those who train others to do what he's doing. If he's too busy to train them
then he'll NEVER have relief!
For e.g. If
there are 25 leaders who are all too busy - for years there will remain the same 25
leaders! However if each leader trains 10 devotees as leaders at the end of the year there
will be 250 leaders and next year 2500 leaders and next year 25000 leaders! Always
increasing in geometric progression.......
We may do
little service in another area but must give time to see into the future. The real future
is to develop and train high quality devotees and leaders.
What is the
structure of the counsellor system?....
In IYF Pune we
have board of SECTOR COUNSELLORS, which is presided over by the Director of IYF
(Radheshyam das)
Each sector
counselor had a couple of assistant counselors under them. Each sector counsellor along
with his assistants manage a group of about 40 - 50 students.
Training For
IYF Counsellors....
IYF is
managed by the Director who has a group of six sector counsellors under him. They are
trained as below to behave and to prove to be ideal leaders of I.Y.F.
- Teaching sound scientific Philosophy
through Srila Prabhupada's books , weekly programs and Q&A sessions on Personal basis.
- Teaching to play instruments like
Mridangam and Kartalas and doing Kirtans
- Teaching through a monthly journal
(BHAGYAVAN JIVA) about deeper aspects of spiritual life-
- Chanting, reading, associating with
devotees, finer etiquette’s in spiritual life,
- Prabhupada Nectar etc.
- Teaching Personality Development &
mixing with people.
- Teaching Public Speaking, Presentation,
Tackling "Karmi-Type " Questions on Krishna Conscious Philosophy.
- Teaching How to give Presentations using
OHP (Over Head Projector & Transparencies ) and Slide Projectors.
- Teaching to make Altar at Home ,conduct
Arati ,Offer Bhoga to Lord etc.,
- Teaching to cook & offer bhoga to
Krishna and only eat Krishna Prasadam.
- Teaching Vaishnava Etiquette and vaishnava
relations and behaviour.
- Conducting Ishtagosthi, to get better
ideas to expand book distribution and Preaching to Youth.
Qualifications Of A
Counsellor ....
- Chanting 16 rounds of Hare Krishna Maha
mantra everyday.
- Reading regularly Srila Prabhupada's books
.They should meet the standard of "BHAKTI SHASTRI" examination, which means
becoming thorough with
- 4 basic books of Srila Prabhupada:(1)
Bhagavad Gita As It Is. (2) Sri Isopanishad (3) Nectar of Instruction (4) Nectar of
Devotion.
- Regular Attendance to atleast one weekly
program on Bhagavad Gita.
- Regular attendance to I.Y.F meetings at
ISKCON temple, once in a fortnight.
- Regular attendance to Morning Mangal Arati
& Chanting session to temple
- Or any place where group of devotees
practice Krishna Consciousness together.
- Cooking & Honouring only foodstuffs
which are offered to Lord Krishna.
- Following 4 regulative Principles strictly
:No meat, No eggs, No omlete, No Onion, No Garlic, No Coffee, No tea, No Smoking/Boozing,
No illicit Sex, No speculative answers which are unauthorized by guru Parampara etc.
- Following Ekadasi Vrata rules by
abstaining from Grains
- Following Vaishnava Etiquette of behavior
in dealings with devotees.
- Remembering atleast 10 vaisnava songs of
previous acaryas
- Leading Mangala Arati /Gaura Arati with
instruments like Mrdanga, Kartala etc and performing deity worship with incense, ghee
lamp, camar etc.
- Always enthusiastic just like a fireball
of enthusiasm to preach and Expand
- Krishna consciousness everywhere in the
world.
- Always perform activities in a way to
increase LOVE & TRUST amongst devotees.
- Inspire, encourage and enthuse the
upcoming devotees who are just joining I.Y.F and engage them in the proper service that
they like the most.
- Behave in a mature way Keeping in mind
:" I am representing my Guru Parampara"
- Behave in a mature way remembering:
"I am setting an example for my juniors"
- Avoid Quarrels/misunderstanding. Always
ready to be humbler than a blade of grass, more tolerant than a tree devoid of all sense
of false prestige and ready to offer all respects to others.
- Have a spirit of sacrifice - must learn to
put others before him and learn to feel for others' difficulties and share their joys.
- Should not act in such a way that the
counsellee loses faith in spiritual managers and the spiritual master.
Qualifications Of
Assistant Counsellor ....
- Chanting at least 8 rounds of Hare Krishna
Maha mantra everyday.
- Reading regularly Srila Prabhupada's
books. Be thorough with small books &
- Bhagavad Gita As It Is.
- Regular Attendance to ATLEAST one weekly
program on Bhagavad Gita.
- Regular attendance to I.Y.F meetings
- Following 4 regulative Principles
strictly: No meat, No eggs, No omlete, No Onion, No Garlic, No Coffee, No tea, No
Smoking/Boozing, No illicit Sex, No speculative answers which are unauthorized by guru
Parampara etc.
- Following Ekadasi Vrata rules by
abstaining from Grains
- Avoid outside foods as far as possible and
take only Prasadam.
- to offer all respects to others.
- Following Vaisnav etiquette of behaviour
in dealings with devotees.
- Always ENTHUSIASTIC to ASSIST &
CO-OPERATE with the SENIOR SERVITORS in the departmental activity.
How should a counselor behave with respect to his
counsellees?....
- The spiritual master is like the father of
every devotee. The counsellor is ones philosopher, friend and guide - like an elder
brother.
- He must take care of the bodily, mental,
spiritual welfare of the counsellee.
- To encourage and enliven the devotees in
Krishna consciousness the counsellor must train his counsellees by holding regular
meetings for
- Discussions in sastra.
- Discussions of practical realizations of
devotees
- Tackle various problems that devotees
face.
To develop team sprit in the
Counselor Program the counsellor must show ....
1. Affection
The counsellee
should be inspired to render service to senior authorities and he should not get a feeling
of being used for ISKCON.
2. Thrill, joy & delight
This will come
in the life of counsellees only when we present challenges to them with fresh challenges
and goals to achieve in Krishna consciousness.
3. Success
The counsellee
must be recognized and appreciated for success in fulfilling his challenges and achieving
his goals in his service. This will keep him enthused to continue in Krishna
consciousness.
4. Feeling of security
No devotee
should feel neglected or left out of the group of vaisnavas. Every devotee should be
offered adequate love, respect and should be shown his self-worth. Each devotee should
feel that I am also wanted and have a definite role to play in the sankirtan movement of
Lord Caitanya.
If the counsellor is
unable to conduct the counsellor-counsellees meetings, then the following guidelines are
suggested:
(A) Short
term period : (15-20) days or more.
The counsellor
should make arrangements so that his counsellees can attend the meetings of other
counsellors.
(B) Long term period : (more
than 6 months)
The counsellor
should his counsellees under the guidance of other counsellors after due consultations
with the Director.
What is the recommended format for the counsellor-counsellee
meeting?
Recommended
format for the counsellor- counsellee meeting -
- A minimum of
two meetings must be held every month.
Contents of
the meeting are suggested as follows.
Suggested time
duration Agenda
Advantage of
the Counsellor system ....
Hundreds of
students cannot be taken care of by one preacher. The Counsellor program operates by the
philosophy of `each one teaches one while being taught by one'. It makes a serious devotee
become more committed by taking leadership and it offers care and guidance for neophyte
devotees. In this way thousands and thousands of youth by a proper system can be cared
for, guided and protected in a Krishna conscious atmosphere.
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