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EDITORIAL  Srila Prabhupada's Ten Steps To Become A Guru BY DRAVINAKSA DAS, ACBSP EDITORIAL, May 22 (VNN) — Srila Prabhupada gave us all instructions we need in GREAT DETAIL. Let us study them deeply and follow them without personal motivation. THE CLUE On May 28,1977 Srila Prabhupada ends the conversation on the guru issue by saying: "And Caitanya Mahaprabhu says amara ajnaya guru hana. One can understand the order of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, he can become guru. Or one who understands his guru's order, the same parampara, he can become guru. And therefore I shall select some of you." Thus Srila Prabhupada refers to three things: 1) The C.C. verse amara ajnaya guru. 2) The guru's (Srila Prabhupada's) order. and 3)Srila Prabhupada's personal selection. THE MYSTERIOUS SELECTION Srila Prabhupada selected 11 Officiating Acharyas to initiate on his behalf in the directive to all temple presidents on July 9, 1977. New initiates would become his disciples. He did not name any other type of guru. This would seem unusual untill we study the clues 1&2 from the May 28th conversation. No. 1 is the Lords order in CC. Madya 7:128 and No. 2 is Srila Prabhupada's order in the purports . THE ORDER TO BECOME GURU Srila Prabhupada refers to C.C. Madya 7:128: "Instruct everyone to follow the orders of Lord Sri Krsna as they are given in Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam. In this way become a spiritual master and try to liberate everyone in the land." TEN STEPS TO BECOME GURU The details on how to fulfill that order are given in 10 easy steps in Srila Prabhupada's purports of C.C. Madya 7:128, 7:129 and 7:130. Open your CC to those verses and follow along. The first five steps are in the purports to C.C. Madya 7:128: 1) REMAIN AT HOME 2) CHANT HARE KRSNA and read Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam 3) REFRAIN from illicit sex, meat eating, gambling and intoxication. 4) GET MARRIED "Every person must get married, every woman especially." 5) If men outnumber women take more than one wife. This will stop illicit sex. The sixth step is in the next purport, C.C. Madya 7:129: 6) If you chant and teach others UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF THE LORD'S REPRESENTATIVE material life will not touch you- no matter where you live, at a holy spot or a western city. The remaining four steps are revealed in the next purport, C.C. Madya 7:130: 7) NO NEED TO CHANGE YOUR STATUS. Keep your job. " One may remain a householder, medical practicioner, engineer or whatever." 8) BECOME MEEK AND HUMBLE. One should not try to be an artificially advanced devotee, thinking "I am a first class devotee." 9) DON'T ACCEPT DISCIPLES. "It is best not to accept any disciples." 10) "THUS become a spiritual master and become free from the contamination of material life." In summary, Srila Prabhupada's plan is to have Officiating Acharyas initiating on his behalf and thousands of householder preacher-gurus spreading Krsna's teachings throughout the land. If ISKCON follows this simple system it's guru problems will be solved and the society will grow dynamically. The GBC can try this system in select temples throughout the world and review the result after a 6 year study. Contact VNN about this story  Send this story to a friend
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