VNN Editorial - Reply To "Microcosmic" Alachua"

EDITORIAL

February 9, 2000 VNN5441 Comment on this story

Reply To "Microcosmic" Alachua"

BY JALAKARA DAS

EDITORIAL, Feb 9 (VNN) — As a resident of the Alachua community, and with the permission of other members of the community, I beg your leave to answer the letter from "Tare devi dasi" (VNN story# 5413) in a line by line format, if I may.

"Sometime back I read something by Pranada Prabhu saying something like Alachua is a microcosm of ISKCON at large. Well, Krsna forbid! Why? Because we have plenty of problems here. Did you know that..."

The author starts off on a negative note and continues downhill from there, offering veiled criticism of a senior Prabhupada disciple and preying for the deity to forbid other communities being like Alachua! The author also uses this paragraph to indirectly claim "she" is a resident of the Alachua community, even though "her" name is not in the devotee telephone directory and no one who I talked to had heard of "her". In so much as ISKCON is slowly shifting towards a varnashram model, the Alachua New Raman Reti community is indeed a microcosm. Adapting varnashram does not mean there will be no problems, or that individuals will never fall victim to the material energy.

“Children of Krishna is highly regarded throughout the movement and they give much valuable support to many gurukula alumni, some of whom have suffered greatly at ISKCON hands.”

"One of our godsisters here recently became a lawyer and helps other Vaisnavis to divorce their husbands. She comes to guru-puja in her courtroom attire and afterwards discusses with her "clients." We all know how Srila Prabhupada became so disgusted at this divorce nonsense that he finally had to stop performing marriages. But we're taking it a step further here in Alachua. True to its reputation as the "divorce capital of ISKCON," we now have our own divorce lawyer in residence! Cool. Should all temples follow "suit" and also establish divorce courts with devotee lawyers?"

By "courtroom attire" the author presumably refers to "karmi" clothes, as there is no formal courtroom attire for counsel in the United States. It is not unusual for devotees to come to guru-puja and deity kirtan on their way to work, especially if they have to be to work by 8:00am. We know of no organized divorce counseling that takes place on ISKCON property. Both the ISKCON and the Krishna Community Fund (KCF) boards go to great lengths to stress family values and the sanctity of family life. In fact, KCF goes so far as to employ a devotee social worker to assist in solving problems such as these, and we also give loans and grants to families in need. I think the devotee lawyer in question has worked hard to earn her qualification and is beginning a practice in family law. Ideally, the role of a lawyer is to act as the voice for someone who has decided he or she needs legal help, not seek out married women and convince them to divorce their husbands. I think the problems of spousal abuse and the severing of marriage bonds are deep problems in our ISKCON society and deserve a more serious treatment then just blaming all marriage problems on a devotee woman who happens to be a lawyer. It is a cheap shot.

"Intoxication, illicit sex, and useless frolic is the scene at gurukuli alumni get-togethers--organized by Children of Krsna directors (I'll spare the names, but one made sure to bring back plenty of tequila from his trip to Mexico to share at the least reunion. Tropical cooler!) They found a better way (have Krsna and sense gratification both!) Should all temple communities have youth programs like these?"

Certainly there is no question of breaking any of the four regulative principals on ISKCON property or at any function organized by ISKCON. Not having any teenagers myself, I have little idea of what they get up to. Children of Krishna is highly regarded throughout the movement and they give much valuable support to many gurukula alumni, some of whom have suffered greatly at ISKCON hands. If they have been driven to drink there may be deeper reasons why they have rejected ISKCON and embraced intoxication. The phenomenon of gurukula veterans rejecting the religion and values of their parents is a deep and sensitive subject, far beyond the scope of my little article. However, I think the snide and callous attitude displayed here by "Tara devi dasi" does a disservice to everyone, and is lacking in compassion for the fallen souls.

"Preaching is the Essense. Srila Prabhupada said that "temple means preaching." But what preaching? The temple collects hundreds of thousands of dollars for building buildings but if the Sunday feast isn't sponsored by an outside donor, then its kichari and breadsticks. There isn't even one temple vehicle for cordially transporting to occasional harinamas, but every temple resident owns his/her own car! There isn't one full-time or even part-time steady temple resident book distributor. There isn't even one decent set of Bhagavatams or CC in the temple! There's no temple-sponsored prasad distribution program. Lunch and breakfast prasadam cost dearly--$2.50 and $4."

As the Alachua community is situated in a rural area where there is no public transportation and almost everyone owns their own home, it is not practical for one to exist here without some sort of basic reliable transportation. The temple is two miles from the town of Alachua and about twelve from Gainesville. As we move towards a self-sufficient community of devotees living and working together and we have our own shops and crops and oxen and cows, then perhaps we can move away from over dependence on the internal combustion engine. ISKCON Alachua is financially sound and is wholly supported by the devotee congregation. It has no debt, but there have been occasions when there was no money to pay for the Sunday feast. As for breakfast and lunch prasadam costing dearly, all I can say is that I take breakfast there from time to time and I have never, ever been asked to pay. As for the point that "there isn't even one decent set of Bhagavatams or CC in the temple," all I can say is, they are located in the bookcase just to the right of Srila Prabhupadas vyasasana, and they are well used by the devotees every day. Oh yeah, the "occasional harinamas." By "occasional" do you mean the regular Friday night harinam on University Avenue? Or do you mean the harinams outside the football games, or do you mean the harinams in Jacksonville or Orlando? And you criticize the temple for not having a sankirtan vehicle, but you also criticize everyone for having a private vehicle. Surely you cant have it both ways? And besides, because everyone has their own car, having a temple vehicle would be a needless expense which would not increase our devotional service.

"Srila Prabhupada also said "better an empty cowshed than a barn full of sick cows" (referring to temple residents, right?). Here, half of the temple residents wouldn't be caught dead or alive in the temple during the morning program. Others perform a few hours service and have the rest of the day free--to drive their private car off the temple property for whatever (movies, restaurants, sports, all the things that Prabhhupada said devotees DON'T do!) But did you know that Srila Prabhupada wrote a letter saying that temple residents should NOT own their own vehicles? (Someone can look that up in Folio). Or they work full-time because they get paid for their "devotional service." It reminds me of how Srila Prabhupada criticized Indira Gandhi and company of trying to create a "gorgeous arrangement for the benefit of a few." How does one qualify to reside on the Deities' land (maintained by the outside donors)? Those fortunate souls should be showing a life of austere living and devotion. Instead, they live a country club life--as one prabhu was saying--at the expense of the hard work of the outside householders.) I hope Pranada Prabhu wasn't thinking about these things when she made her comments!"

There are approximately 350 devotee families in the Alachua county area, including 150 Prabhupada disciples. There are about 345 names on the devotee telephone directory, published by the KCF. There are also about 30 devotee-owned businesses and devotees own four properties on Main Street. The devotees are well-known and respected in town. Temple attendance varies. Most days there are between 50 to 75 devotees at mangala aratik (I know because I often count them). The number declines steadily until greeting of the deities at 7:20, when you will have up to 200 devotee present. Less stay for class, sometimes half that. On festival days there are so many devotees in mangala aratik that if you dont get there early you wont get through the door, and it is not unusual to have over a thousand attend a festival feast.

Now, "Tara devi dasi" says "half of the temple residents wouldn't be caught dead or alive in the temple during the morning program." I mean, there are no temple residents! There are twelve or more houses or trailers on the land and you could consider each one houses an individual or a family, so you could be generous and say that is 40 people. Each residence has to pay rent to the temple and do additional service. I see most of these people at the temple program regularly. I suppose we can organize a temple police force and task them with making sure everyone who lives on the property attends the full program, and we could also confiscate their cars and force them to walk to town for groceries. These residents live mostly in trailers on dirt roads, which seems pretty austere to me! It doesnt look too much like a country club. Most people here want to own their own land, not pay to rent it from the temple and never own it. People seem a little paranoid to live on ISKCON land and develop it very much, apparently because they fear the GBC or some other authority may dispossess or repossess them with little notice.

However, out of a community of perhaps 800 men, women and children, it is disappointing that such a comparative (say a revolving 25%) few attend the daily temple functions. However, the temple policy is to welcome and encourage all devotees to take part in Krishna consciousness as much as they are able, and avoid actions which may discourage or embitter anyone, while at the same time not sacrificing the Krishna conscious standard. We understand that quite a few estranged devotees have moved here in an attempt to gradually re-enter active Krishna consciousness. We want to welcome them with open arms, and we want to serve and help them and facilitate their devotional service. We dont want to scold them or discourage them in any way. And if we have a sick cow, we make her well.

"Back to the outside community. It's become a full-blown fad for godsisters to chop their hair into the "Dutch boy" and flaunt it fashionably at the temple. What got into them? (Are their husbands henpecked?) We all know the standard of BRAIDED and COVERED hair when Srila Prabhupada was present. Are we now "liberated" avadhutinis beyond the bodily concept of life who no longer need to keep proper standards of chaste feminine appearance? Should all of ISKCON follow this queer example? Heaven forbid. And some men, young and also middle-aged, apparently think it's cute to wear earrings, Brad Pitt hairstyles, and dhotis wrapped like sannyasis (dream on, guys!) Is that the standard set by Srila Prabhupada? Even though we know it wasn't, should ISKCON follow Alachua's example?"

I think we all have better things to do than dive into the realm of womans hair fashions, and it is not my place to dictate to another mans wife how her hair should be kept. I dont know if "heaven forbids" women to have anything except long braided hair. Regarding men wearing earrings, I only know one or two men who do that. The vast majority of us would never dream of wearing earrings, nor strange hairstyles nor dhotis wrapped like sannyasis. While such dress styles may not be what Prabhupada would recognize as the Vaishnava norm, the tolerance we display towards devotees in their display of individualism is something we feel Prabhupada would recognize. There are perhaps three men, I think two are Indian, who wear their dhotis in the South Indian style. Why are you spending so much time admiring the lower garments of the male devotees, "Tara?"

"Speaking of the men. I heard that one of my Indian godsisters says "The men of Alachua should wear saris." I know what she means. They sit in the passenger seat like proud peacocks while their wives drive further and further down the wrong road. Rather than protest, the men seem to enjoy watching the women (especially Laksmimonie's school of teen-age girls) lead and bounce around during kirtan, or sit up with their loose hair to give class, etc. (My husband hates it, but he's seen as a fanatic by the mood-setting Alachua clique, so I'm finally spouting off some of my own frustrations as a too long resident of this place.)"

It is consistent for "Tara devi dasi" to attempt to slander the entire male population of Alachua with the same brush of rabid sensationalism. I have never seen a man wear a sari, and I must say, it would be an unusual sight! The only women who ever give class are mature Prabhupada disciples, once or twice a month. I dont know if their hair is loose or whatever, because it is hidden by a sari. I dont know if anyone "bounces" during kirtan, but my understanding is it is customary to dance from time to time.

"And do you now about the annual Thanksgiving gathering? A potluck feast that MUST include: mock turkey, mock stuffing, mock gravy. Srila Prabhupada and Srila Bhaktisiddhanta wanted "to destroy Western civilization." But we'll forget that and instead make Thanksgiving a bona fide part of our "devotee" culture. And, of course, in the same all-American spirit the annual Thanksgiving gathering MUST include CO-ED football and other sports."

Potluck feast means exactly that: people bring whatever they feel they can offer. We may not be comfortable with the basis of the Thanksgiving holiday nor may we be comfortable aping it with imitation meat products. The Thanksgiving holiday is traditionally one spent with families. As most American devotees come from non-vegetarian families, the KCF Thanksgiving picnic is seen as a family-oriented alternative to spending the holiday with your meat-eating relatives. The Alachua Krishna community gets together for a big family picnic. There are babes-in-arms, grandmothers, brothers and sisters, fathers, friends, kids, adults, boys and girls. Some are pure devotees and some are not. The basic common denominator is involvement with Krishna consciousness on some level. Having a varnashram community means that you engage many people on many different levels. If you cant get them to come to the temple for the morning program, then get them to come on Thanksgiving. I think it is a little difficult pleasing "Tara": On one hand "she" objects when breadsticks and kitchri are served, and then "she" objects when tofu turkey is served! Oh, and on the subject of sports, usually girls do not get involved in the football games. The boys refuse to play with them, because they are too rough.

"Which reminds me again of the Sunday feast. Same stuff happens each Sunday. The unmarried youth socializing (and more), kids running around wild, all in the name of "Krsna consciousness." Some humble prabhu inside the temple tries to speak some philosophy to a MUCH smaller group (the rest are outside socializing) while rowdy kids run around the temple. I suppose the parents feel very satisfied to see their kids having fun at the temple!"

On most Sundays the feast lecture is eagerly anticipated and so well attended that there is no room in the temple. If kids come to the temple and socialize, adults also come to the temple to socialize. Were back to that police force idea, but I thought Prabhupada talked about a policy of "humble persuasion?" Everybody likes to see their friends and talk with them: it may not be as good as pure devotion, but what can repression accomplish? We cant make everyone a pure devotee automatically, nor can we enforce a vow of silence on the temple visitors. We are going to have to accept different people are on different levels and live with that. It is very hard to make 800 people think and behave in a certain way, but "Tara devi dasi" is welcome to try! In fact, since we havent seen you at the temple doing any service, perhaps you, "Tara," would like to be in charge of policing the Sunday feast. You will, however, have to bring your own truncheon, as we broke all ours on the heads of the ritviks.

"And the management. Srila Prabhhupada said that the temples should be managed by a temple president, treasurer, and secretary--right? At least the IRM knows that much! Especially the president and treasurer should be DIFFERENT persons. Here they cleverly found a better way by making a vice president instead (the unofficial treasurer), which means that the temple president is the ACTUAL treasurer. (You can't fool everyone, prabhus.) And the VP was formerly the temple commander. But there was no one to command, so they renamed him vice president. I mean, if you don't need a TC, then why would you need a VP? After 20+ years in the movement, he's not even initiated. (Bless his heart, he's a rare gurukuli not in big-time maya, but...) Is being initiated by a bona fide spiritual master not a requirement for managing an ISKCON center? I mean, heck, what are we trying to manage, anyway? Churchianity? Krsnianity? Anyway, there's no treasurer. Instead there's a president and VP combo spending the laxmi as they like."

Evry month, the community members receive a temple newsletter which contains the accounts for the previous month. You cant be much more open than that. A qualified accountant sits on the temple board, and he oversees the expenditure. The fact that the vice president, Isvara Puri, is not initiated even after going through the ISKCON gurukul system, is not the business of the temple management, nor is the relation between spiritual master and disciple subject to legislation or even the "Tara devi dasi" kangaroo court. We do not force initiations in ISKCON, nor are we in the business of shoving a guru down anyones throat. At the appropriate time Lord Krishna will surely make an arrangement whereby this deserving individual may accept a bona-fide spiritual master.

"And the board of directors. It's elected. But the election was a farce, because so many devotees of the community never got a ballot. (The ballots are mailed out.) Even Laksmimonie Prabhu, who was ON THE BOARD didn't even receive a ballot?!! And COINCIDENTALLY, both the tp and the vp were elected to the board! So don't think that Alachua is a community "of the devotees, by the devotees, and for the devotees." Or that it's a microcosmic example to be replicated (unless you want democracy with ALL its faults). But if you do, then welcome to another third-world kind of democracy (Maybe that's why Hridayananda Maharaja calls this place the People's Independent Republic of Alachua!?)"

The policy of the temple board is that anyone who donates gets a ballot. I personally dont agree with that, but the board is not always going to do things that I agree with. I can live with that, can you, "Tara?" Nanda (the president) and Isvara Puri (the vice president) were in a group of six fairly elected from a broad field of candidates. Last year they didnt run. Generally the devotees who get elected are middle-of-the-roaders and conservatives, reflecting the conservative mood of the community. It is important for "Tara devi dasi" to understand that there is nothing wrong or dishonorable in devotees working for a living or raising a family, nor is it a sin to have possessions. Likewise, it is not a sin to vote for the temple board. We even find historical references of Prabhupada authorizing elections, notably in London. If the majority of devotees prefer to have an elected temple board rather than an appointed board or even some sort of charismatic leadership, surely their preference can be respected. The slogan "Tara devi dasi" has used, "a community of the devotees, by the devotees, and for the devotees," is a very unusual slogan which appears to reek of material contamination. Finally, "Tara devi dasi" drags Hridayananda Maharaja into the fray. All I can say in this regard is, I personally look forward to his visits here and enjoy his stimulating classes. When he speaks the class is packed. Besides, I thought it was simply "The Peoples Republic of Alachua," as we all recite during our pledge of allegiance and as it says on our money, the Alachua Rupee.

"Well, I guess that's enough for now. But there's lots more I could tell you about. If I ever get in one of these rare moods again, maybe I'll write a Part Two? Please accept my obeisances, your humble servant, Tara devi dasi."

The challenge in Krishna consciousness is not to seek out the bad and distasteful and, having found those undesirable things, broadcast them far and wide. It may be tempting to hear and repeat gossip, and all of us must surely fall prey to that temptation from time to time, myself included. Indeed, I am the greatest offender - I dont know how anyone can be a greater offender than me! None the less, the New Raman Reti community in Alachua has a lot going for it. We have 120 acres of land, a nice temple, three schools, one of which is paid for by the State of Florida. Our 36in marble deities of Sri Sri Radha Krishna are to be installed on Janmastami. We have our own social services and community center, community and educational activities, plus book distribution and harinam. A new tulasi greenhouse is under construction, paid for by members of our own community. We are pro-active, outward looking and self-sufficient. We have our faults, but I would give "Tara devi dasi" some well intentioned advice: dont be a fault finder - become a fault fixer. Our biggest enemy is not the outside world - it is each other. We do not need to tear each other to shreds over the Internet. That only serves to pollute the atmosphere and it is not, so far as I know, one of the nine processes.

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