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EDITORIAL February 18, 2000 VNN5504 Related VNN Stories My Replies To Ameyatma BY MADHUSUDANI DASI EDITORIAL, Feb 18 (VNN) — Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. Since Ameyatma has seen fit to make public excerpts from his correspondence with me, please publish in their entirety the following letters that I sent him regarding the text he sent to the GBC about the Chakra Open Forum. In his previous letter to me (quoted below), he admits that he only "assumed" that I was responsible for the content of that unmoderated forum. I'm also clarifying below some of his other misconceptions regarding the series of events on Topical Discussions last October. I have indicated below who made what statement. Finally, as you can see below, contrary to the GHQ essay that was published yesterday on VNN, I never implied that I have any position on COM. Ameyatma simply told me that we should keep our discussions on a non-ISKCON sponsored forum and I replied "we are" since COM is not sponsored by ISKCON. Your servant, Madhusudani dasi Letter #1. Sent Jan 31, 2000 MRdd: I think part of the problem is that you take other people's words at face value and even *act* on them, without first checking the facts. Ameyatma: "I was acting on information that he told me, that in December he sent posts to TD but that you refused to allow him to. If he or I was mistaken then that is not good."Dhyanakunda posted her text the same day I left for Kuala Lumpur, i.e. Oct 20 (that's why I remember). I read it on a terminal at the Singapore airport. Mahananda wrote his texts within days (possibly the same day, I didn't have e-mail access every day). Mahananda was removed by me after he asked several times to be removed. The "distrust" command prevents posts from non-members to appear on the forum. It's a public forum and that also command prevents a person from rejoining without the permission of the organizers. Ameyatma: "I have seen that you do have strong influence over what is posted on Chakra, at least from the editoral point of view. Since the link to the forum was on Chakra I assumed that it was via your knowledge. I apologize if it is not."It was not. The forum was set up by Vipramukhya Maharaja to allow readers to discuss current articles. It was on his webpage and it was unmoderated (like a bulletin board). I have neither control over nor knowledge of what goes on there, unless I log on and read the posts, like everyone else. I can't remove anything: 1) because it's not my web site, and 2) because I have no involvement in the technical side (that actually goes for Chakra too - I only forward potential articles to the team, everyone has a chance to provide input and we have a separate person who actually does the postings) Ameyatma: "But, all of these things are merely side issues. The main issue centers on SP's honor and position and how the senior devotees have been mistreated by you for their rightfully defending his position. Since efforts to move the GBC to take action on this have gone no where for 3 months, I felt it neccessary to again apply some presssure. Since you are linked to the editorial policy on Chakra, and this link was on Chakra's front page, I naturally made a link of it to you."Your guess is understandable, but since you have admitted that it was an assumption, don't you think you acted prematurely by blasting me for something I didn't even do? You said it was necessary for you to apply "pressure", but didn't you care if your pressure was based on the truth? Shouldn't honesty be an important feature of Vasinava speech - or did you feel so much hatred for me that someone the end justified the means - even if it meant lying? Ameyatma: "Again, if that was not correct, I apologize and I accept your sincerity that once you became aware of it you are now taking action to do something."Of course we're doing something. As soon as Jagannath das pointed out these texts to me yesterday, I went on the page, checked for myself and subsequently wrote a letter to Maharaja saying that I thought the forum should be clsoed down if we couldn't find someone to moderate it. That filth doesn't even belong on bathroom walls. It's awful! >But, none of that addresses the basic issue at the center, and that is this >mood of belittling SP and then attacking those who try to defend his >position as threatening intimitdators. Please send me an example of a text in which you think I belittle Srila Prabhupada. As far as my defense of Dhyanakunda's text goes, I think I've already explained in many earlier e-mails. As a former member of TD, you know that Mukhya set up that conference as one on which it was *OK* to express doubts and to use different sources of support (such as science and logic) for one's words. The conference rules also specify that you can't tell other devotees that they're going to hell or belittle them. If you think it's wrong for COM to have such a conference, then please focus your critique on that issue, not on my upholding the rules of the conference. Mahananda knew exactly what the rules were and he elected to violate them. Interestingly enough, he has since written and told me that he now understands why he was removed (besides the fact that he asked for it), that he wants to be reinstated and that he would not violate the rules again if this happened. I have asked him to tell me what his understanding is of why he was removed and in what way he violated the rules, but have not yet heard back. If he does show that he understands and that he is willing to abide by the rules, I'd be glad to give him another chance. As a side bar, after he left, the forum became much more productive, because people could actually address the content of Dhyanakunda's doubts and many mature devotees, who are deeply attached to Srila Prabhupada, came up with some very good counter arguments - without blasting her in the process. A much more effective strategy for alleying doubts. I think that's it for now as far as you and I are concerned. However, I'm still deeply troubled about your mean-spirited words re. my spiritual master and your accusations that his behavior is disgraceful. I think you owe him an apology, especially in light of the fact that your letter contained so many falsehoods. Ys, Madhusudani dasi Letter #2. Sent Feb 4, 2000 Ameyatma wrote: "Guru-Sadhu-Shastra is what ISKCON is based on, from the ground up. There is no place for mental concoctions. If you want some modern non-authorized forum, do so outside of ISKCON's COM and BBT funding."MRdd: We are. The COM is not under GBC control and now it's no longer run by the BBT either. It's been leased to the system operators and will be financed by user donations. So I guess there is no more issue to discuss. Ameyatma wrote: " but an official ISKCON forum cannot have non-Vedic rules which fly in the face of shastra and Vaishnav etiquette."That's fine. See above. COM is not an ISKCON forum. They're independent. "the fact that you cannot understand the actual situation is evidence that you should not be in such positions."I have no position in ISKCON, so there is no problem. "Fundamental changes need to be made at appropriate levels."Couldn't agree more and I'm very glad that such fundamental changes were finally made at COM. "You are uncomfortable if I say something that you don't like about your guru JPS, and because of that you would prefer not to deal with me at all."True. I'd be very glad if I never had to see your name or hear from you again. But I'm not telling you that you're going to hell for the way you're speaking about and to my guru. It would have been much better for everyone if Mahananda had done the same. Then we would have welcomed him on the forum. But he was unwilling to stick to its rules. Thus he is no longer on. "Maybe you need to strengthen your relationship with Srila Prabhupad as our prominent Siksha guru."Maybe you need to worry about your own spiritual lives, your own morals and stop throwing stones. Your glasshouse has some awfully thin walls. You should be very happy that those of us who object to your constant lies and offenses don't sink to your level. Yours in the service of ISKCON's abused and mistreated devotees, Madhusudani dasi Related VNN Stories  Comment on this storyContact VNN about this storySend this story to a friend
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