© 1998 VNN
| EDITORIAL November 13, 1998 VNN2499 From The Outside Looking In BY JEFFREY WYNTON EDITORIAL, Nov 13 (VNN) — I am not a devotee nor do I claim to have an extensive knowledge of the teachings of Srila Prabhupada. However, for the past five years I have had extensive contact with the Hare Krishna community particularly the Los Angeles ISKCON Temple. This contact has come through my work, I am employed by attorney Joseph Fedorowsky (Gupta Das), usually in litigation regarding the ISKCON establishment, though on occasion we have cooperatively litigated with ISKCON, primarily on First Amendment issues. From my perspective ISKCON seems to be one large dysfunctional family, filled with petty jealousy, envy, greed and anger. It seems that no sooner does one scandal or controversy pass and then another one materializes. There seems to always be talk about prohibiting this group or that group from coming to a temple or that some faction has taken over a temple somewhere else, or that one guru has fallen or that another one is about to fall and on and on... I have heard stories of devotees being beaten up, threatened excluded from temples etc., simply for voicing an opinion contrary to whoever may be in control of that temple at that time. I have heard wild and unsubstantiated stories about various gurus regarding a litany of acts that would be considered immoral even in the Karmi world. What I would like to point out is that Hare Krishna devotees are an extremely small percentage of the world's population and assuming that the current devotees still share Srila Prabhupada's desire for a worldwide mission then they had better wake-up. It seems to me in the last five years in which I have been exposed to the Movement it has at best been stuck in neutral, although I actually believe it has gone backwards. Many of the so-called Vaishnavas seem only too anxious to capitalize and seize upon their god-brothers' short comings and failures to further their own agendas or simply to satisfy their own ego and false belief that they are a more advanced soul. The Internet is filled with pundits, seemingly with the one desire and purpose of pointing out each and every shortcoming in the Movement and every other devotee. The current scandal/controversy which seems to have seized the imagination of the devotees is the ritvik theory. I have heard people within ISKCON make suggestions such as give the ritviks one temple on each continent and see how they do or ban the ritviks from the temples . The ritviks on the other hand take the tact that all of the current ISKCON gurus must leave and everyone must accept Srila Prabhupada as the only true spiritual master. Europe is a mess, India and Asia are being split over the ritvik and other issues and the Americas are stagnated. With this lack of momentum in the movement do any of you truly believe that it is Srila Prabhupada's desire that the devotees of his teachings divide themselves and fight amongst themselves. It is as though the house is burning down and you are fighting over what color to paint the walls. As I stated above, I do not have an extensive knowledge of Srila Prabhupada's teachings, however I have read some of his writings and I have heard some of his lectures and have heard numerous accounts from devotees regarding their personal associations with Srila Prabhupada. While I do not presume to know what Srila Prabhupada would do in this situation, it seems to me that if someone told Prabhupada that they did not believe him to be a true Acharya or Guru he would have encouraged them to read the books, chant and come to the temple and then they would learn the truth. Maybe this is an approach that can be taken with the ritviks if the existing gurus and their followers can set aside their pride and accept these ritviks into the temples and back into the Movement. As for the ritviks, do you really think that it is fulfilling the will of your Spiritual Master Srila Prabhupada to attack and drain his mission of what little momentum that it has left? What purpose is served by standing aloof from the movement and taking sniper shots and highlighting every slip and stumble made by its current leaders and members? If the establishment will welcome you back will you go? It seems to me that this is a crucial time for Srila Prabhupada's Movement. It can either continue to divide and implode upon itself and fade away or it can rejuvenate itself welcome back those that have found themselves on the outskirts feeling like outcasts and try to move forward together in establishing Srila Prabhupada's worldwide mission. If you can't find a way to focus on what you have in common and work together as devotees then the Movement will not grow and Srila Prabhupada's purpose and goal will fail. Both sides should ask themselves if this is a price they are willing to pay to prove that they are right. I apologize if someone takes offense at this as I do not intend to point the finger or accuse any person or group, but only to share my observations. With regards. Jeffrey Wynton NEWS DESK | EDITORIALS | TOP |
