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Post by meeno8 on Aug 28, 2020 12:27:54 GMT -6
First an offer could be made for something less than a million, and via negotation a deal struck for a better price. Then it is matter of the financing, and at current rates with a 30 year mortgage it is going to be in the ball park of $5000 per month. As long as it has ample vacant land, a cannabis grow operation could be set up to generate a steady stream of revenue supplying retail medical and recreational pot stores in Colorado. The owners of those outlets could be potential investors, which will be needed to get the whole project up and running. I worked as the lead software architect on a software project a few years ago for Colorado Credit Union, which is a bank that handles credit card transactions for those retail locations, so that they are not restricted to cash only as the payment method. In fact, CCU could be the bank to approach for the mortgage loan on the property.
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Post by Nitaidas on Aug 28, 2020 13:39:19 GMT -6
First an offer could be made for something less than a million, and via negotation a deal struck for a better price. Then it is matter of the financing, and at current rates with a 30 year mortgage it is going to be in the ball park of $5000 per month. As long as it has ample vacant land, a cannabis grow operation could be set up to generate a steady stream of revenue supplying retail medical and recreational pot stores in Colorado. The owners of those outlets could be potential investors, which will be needed to get the whole project up and running. I worked as the lead software architect on a software project a few years ago for Colorado Credit Union, which is a bank that handles credit card transactions for those retail locations, so that they are not restricted to cash only as the payment method. In fact, CCU could be the bank to approach for the mortgage loan on the property. Where is this property in Crestone? The Nada Institute (a Carmelite retreat center) has recently been sold to a Buddhist organization (Miyo Samten Ling) that plans to turn it into the Center of Contemplative Research which is connected to the Center for Consciousness Studies (Santa Barbara) led by B. Allen Wallace. They plan on studying long term contemplation practices from a scientific, but non-materialistic perspective. They paid $1,650,000 for it. It is right down the road from our house (about a half a mile).
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Post by meeno8 on Aug 28, 2020 16:13:06 GMT -6
Apparently the same property you mentioned recently as being available.
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Post by Nitaidas on Aug 28, 2020 22:38:24 GMT -6
Apparently the same property you mentioned recently as being available. It's a beautiful place. Lovely chapel and eight or ten retreat huts. There is a central building with eating facilities and a library/reading room. There is also an apartment there for the head of the monastery. We have visited it often.
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Post by malati on Aug 29, 2020 2:58:35 GMT -6
Sounds a very good project. But as a devotee, I would like to know why only now when I believe at your age, (I think you and your gurubhais are in your seventies already, is it not?), you should now be focusing and intensifying your spiritual practices, maybe even living in your cottage like those babas. There's some joke there, ok. But you are still talking about business. I hope I don't offend you with my comments.
Anyway, while you're talking about your potential project, I also would like to talk about mine, which I think I have mentioned before to 2 devotees. It's my wish to build an ashram in the Philippines when I retire. My retirement age here in Australia is 67, (depends on your year of birth), where you are entitled to a govt. pension and you can freely access your superannuation. I think you call it 401K in the U.S. That's still about 5 years for me.
When I visited the Phils. in January this year, I looked around for an alternative living arrangement for my mother (she will build) so I got a good idea how much it would cost to build a nice enough ashram, maybe like an open plan house, suitable for holding lectures with a reasonable size grounds for a garden. With about Philippine Pesos 4 to 5 M you can have something like that at the present time. I looked at places called Antipolo and Angono the art capital of the Philippines because of the number of art galleries and artists living there. These places are a bit highlands so weather is cooler than the metropolitan areas. They're only about 20-25 Km (like 19 miles) from the most prime city in the country called Makati, where the elites live and its the financial capital of the country. However because of the traffic condition it takes 1 hour drive on a private vehicle and 1 1/2 hours on the public transport. Traffic in Asia is bad as you all know.
No, I'm not going to invest PhP 4 M there if I'm the only one to build/buy it and also because I will still be residing in Australia because to get much of the aged pension you must maintain residency in Australia, therefore I will settle for a smaller project for myself, where I can find a way to introduce the traditional CV. I might also use it to teach painting because when the time comes I might be better at painting.
There are ISKCON temples in the country, 2 centres of the Narayan Maharaj group and a Chaitanya Math group but nothing from our line. There's even a ritvik group there.
The Philippines has a population of 101 M, majority Christians and a much smaller number of Muslims, mostly in the south of the country. Siddha Swarup the guru of the parents of Tulsi Gabbard (and I believe her guru also though she won't acknowledge it now), said that the Filipinos were very pious people, therefore I believe they would be receptive to another Krishna group, us. It's relatively peaceful in the Metropolitan areas. Most Filipinos understand english. Many media outlets are in english.
I'm floating this idea because I believe if a few people will be involved in this project it will be easy on our pockets. You can visit there anytime you like because you are an owner and hold lectures if you are so inclined to teach. That would be a very good service to Krishna, while holidaying in Asia.
We can build it or buy a newly built house suitable to hold lectures and accommodate a good number of people.
Present time, project cost let's say PhP 5M (allow inflation if to be done 5 years from now) Equivalent to, at today's rate: 106K US$ 79K British Pounds 147K Au$
I forgot to say that we can borrow money from the bank if we don't have 100% of the funds as we have an equity as we have some fund to buy it.
Please think about it. You can also live permanently there if you want to dedicate your life to bhajan and in broadcasting about the glories of Krishna there. There are western devotees who permanently reside there preaching.
If you are interested to discuss this project now or in the future, my address is jivattatva at yahoo dot co dot uk
I must add that as a Krishna devotee I am a very trustworthy person.
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Post by meeno8 on Aug 29, 2020 10:11:40 GMT -6
This past July I turned 67 and Nitaidas Ji turned 70. What you are referencing in your post is called Social Security here in the US. 401k plans are employer pensions, which are tax deferred until you start taking distributions, at which point regular income tax will be levied.
In US dollars that is not really that much of an investment, relatively speaking. I don't know about all the people here and what they have tucked away as far as their nest eggs. I have not officially left the work force, but who can say 5 years in the future what my personal situation could be. I mean, I have been out of work for several months and only collecting my social security and unemployment benefits (which are considerably less than what I make when I am working). And there is no way to tell how much longer it will take to find more work at this point.
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Post by meeno8 on Aug 29, 2020 14:07:53 GMT -6
To avoid any confusion on this, I was not actually proposing that we attempt to get some land somewhere. It was just about that particular property and how it could be acquired, if one were so inclined, without needing a large amount of cash up front.
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Post by meeno8 on Aug 30, 2020 10:55:30 GMT -6
The one thing I remember regarding Siddha Swarup's community in Hawai'i was the policy of liassez faire established by Bhaktivedanta Swami towards them. Not knowing the details, I can only assume the GBC wanted to take another course of action. It was a long time ago, in the 1970s.
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Post by Nitaidas on Aug 30, 2020 14:11:42 GMT -6
Hi Malati dasi, There is no "possible" land purchase here that we are contemplating. Minaketan dasji mentioned a million dollar property in or near Crestone and I was curious which it was. We are not contemplating undertaking such a project at our ages. You are right; this is the time to focus on bhajan and the hope that when the Yamadutas arrive, there will be Visnudutas there too. I already have a small house and some property in a community near Crestone where I do my bhajan and puja and anuvada seva. There is a nearby Mahalaksmi Mandir that Betsy and I visit when it is open and numerous Buddhist retreat centers and temples that are also inspiring. Mostly it is a beautiful and peaceful place in which to spend one's last days on planet and that is what I have in mind for the next few years. I don't think the chaos enveloping the world outside this valley will affect us much here. As the polar icecaps melt and shorelines flood, it will not ever reach us here since we are at 8,000 feet above sea level. We are near no strategic sites that might be bombed. Of course, nowhere is completely safe. Above us stand the beautiful Sangre de Cristo mountains which an earthquake could cause to fall on our heads or an atomic blast to the west could send a radioactive cloud into the valley. Nevertheless, I think this is a relatively good place for life-ending bhajan. There is even an open air crematorium nearby where our bodies can be burned after death takes us away. Most importantly this place has the feel of Vraja for me. It is semi-arid and surrounded by forests. The mountains stand above us in their majesty. There is no Yamuna counterpart, but a beautiful little stream (South Crestone Creek) runs a short walk away from my house surrounded by Aspen groves. There is the Rio Grande on the other side of the valley, but we rarely see it. I think Vraja manifests in many places around the world if we just have the eyes to recognize it. Like Radha and Krsna and their companions, it appears wherever the holy name and lila are remembered. So I am already set up. No need for the headaches of business for new projects and big plans. The only thing missing is sanga. There are plenty of sadhus from other traditions, but few if any CV bhaktas. I have always been a loner, however. So for me it is no big deal. I have the pure texts unadultered by IGM blather or that of any other pseudo-CV group and can read them. Also, there is plenty of undeveloped land here which is still quite cheap, much of it held by the county because owners owe back taxes. I picked up some extra lots adjacent to my lots (gifted me by Jagadish das) for almost literally a song. If a community of CV develops here, that would be great. If not, that is fine too. Good luck on your ashram in the Philipines. It sounds like a great and worthy plan. Definitely something needed to counteract the bs of IGM. I hope many younger members come forward to help.
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Post by malati on Aug 31, 2020 6:23:45 GMT -6
Meena
Just for your info, I am referencing both, social security and private pension fund. Superannuation is a private fund in which an employer is required by law to contribute to, a minimum 9.15% of the employee's salary. So in a way all Australians who work or had worked hold shares (stocks). The employee is allowed to contribute also.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Actually, after posting my comments, I said, goodness people might think I'm running a scam.
If no one is interested, Krishna willing , it will be done , maybe on a smaller scale.
One might ask why not do it in your house in Australia?
I'm not inclined as my knowledge is not very good. Westerners are very analytical.
My house is not suitable for holding lectures, my living room is small and as it is, is already cluttered with my art and painting stuff. The extra rooms here are full with my sons's stuff because he moved since the pandemic and he works from home. He has his own house but he doesn't want to kick out his tenants; he prefers to be with mum; to save on expenses, I guess.
Growth of new devotees in Australia is stagnant, not to mention reduction in number because devotees leave, so as in business, find a possible growth area. The temple here now is mostly attended by Indians. I know Tripurari Swami has established a centre in a beautiful place in Costa Rica, on a mountain top, I believe. And I saw that his recent lectures are intended for Spanish speaking audience, as he gets translated as he gives the lecture.
I'm floating the idea because it's not unknown that many westerners retire in Asia or devotees in India as their money goes a long way there. And I'm thinking some devotees might want their money work for them better when they retire and want to do some Krishna service. It's easier in Phils. than in C. Rica because most people there understand english.
Of course it's not easy to move from west to east there are many serious things to consider. Anyway, these are just for anyone's consideration. Still a few years to think about.
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Post by meeno8 on Aug 31, 2020 10:06:12 GMT -6
Thanks for the clarification Malati. I wish you the best of good fortune with your efforts, and may Lalita and Vishakha smile upon those. We have never traveled to the Philippines, but would like to some day. We have been on 3 trips to the Maya Riviera in Mexico, which is quite beautiful and the snorkling is outstanding.
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