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EDITORIAL June 16, 1999 VNN4111 Comment on this story Personal Relationships BY MADAN MOHAN DASA EDITORIAL, Jun 16 (VNN) — Dear Prabhu, please accept my dandavat pranams. All glories to Sri Guru and Gauranga! Thanks for responding and pointing out my defect, which is one of many. (letter attached) I have been advised that I should certainly speak strongly against any bogus philosophy or activity opposed to Gaudiya Vaishnavism, but not make personal criticisms against any individual jiva soul. I wrote to express my own feelings and also to make contact with anyone who may feel similarly affected by their experiences in devotional life. My brief time serving within the Iskcon institution was happy and I was guided to the lotus feet of a pure Vaishnava by the infinite mercy of Srila Prabhupada. I have no ax to grind with either Srila Prabhupada (to whom I am eternally grateful) or the institution he founded. I am dismayed that the present day corporation that uses the name Iskcon is actively discouraging and even legislating against the sanga of pure Vaishnavas. This is demoniac activity hiding behind the name of a pure saint, bogus activity in it's most abhorrent form. I have no hesitation in rejecting and condemning that. If we blindly accept everything stamped with the name of Iskcon or any other religious institution as automatically good or beneficial then we are going against the basic teachings of Sri Rupa Goswami, our foremost guru. Srila Prabhupada himself rejected many aspects of the Gaudiya Math, even while maintaining close friendships with many dear associates who were his godbrothers and siksa gurus. I think we should not forget his example of accepting what is good and rejecting what is bad for spiritual progress and try to follow him in that. At one time Iskcon was important for me. Now the external institution is no longer relevant in my life. There is no harm or contradiction in this and I maintain many happy connections with Iskcon devotees worldwide. There is no question of me "quitting the movement". The movement of souls towards Krishna just happens to be the natural flow of life for all living entities in all situations, not something confined to the mundane political machinations of one institution managed by a few conditioned souls. I was forced to leave Iskcon simply because I chose to follow Srila Prabhupada's "prime directive" of taking shelter of a pure Vaishnava, rather than blindly subordinate myself to an institution where fear takes precedent over love. Post-Prabhupada Iskcon is now - from my perspective - an irrelevant dinosaur that disempowers and spiritually cripples individual members. I also happily acknowledge that the very same institution - even in it's present-day form - may offer a very high degree of shelter, spiritual satisfaction and opportunities for seva, sanga and advancement to many thousands of Vaishnava aspirants worldwide, at a certain stage in their personal, spiritual development. I accepted everything the institution had to offer when it was good for me and rejected the self same institution when it became obstructive for my own spiritual progress. No harm. There is no contradiction within Gaudiya Vaishnava philosophy for us to acknowledge that anything may be inconceivably one and different, that one religious institution may be both useful and useless at the same time. That Iskcon may be simultaneously perceived as perfectly glorious and utterly redundant should not really surprise any of us. Srila Prabhupada's vision is perfect and his institution functioned perfectly - as perfectly as anything in this mundane realm might function - under his direct guidance. The present day institution is something unrecognizable by comparison. The plain fact that pure sadhu-sanga is actively prevented - when that alone is our single only means of making spiritual advancement - underlines this simple truth very clearly. As far as positive preaching goes it is my personal experience that I am better able to follow Srila Prabhupada's instructions and serve his actual mission from outside the present day Iskcon institution, which appears to me to be diametrically opposed to all the basic tenets of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. I am as much an active member of Srila Prabhupada's Iskcon as anyone who has chosen to follow his teachings and it is only mundane vision that separates aspiring Vaishnavas as supposed "members" and "enemies" of Iskcon. I have been lovingly accepted by Srila Prabhupada into his Gaura-parivara family of Vaishnavas. That I am hatefully rejected by some of his claimed followers or so-called disciples who appear to place personal ambition and institutional politics before genuine spiritual aspirations is a little sad for me, but I will continue under his perfect shelter and guidance regardless, with or without their support. Please forgive any disturbance I have caused to you personally or anyone else by stating my true feelings openly and honestly. No malice is intended on my part. I want to see our family united and functional as much as anyone else. I am always happy to receive any feedback, criticism and guidance from senior and aspiring Vaishnavas. Please keep in touch. Developing good communications and honest relationships is vital for all of us, most especially within our own family. With a proper understanding of Gaudiya siddhanta and most especially guru-tattva - received under the direct shelter and guidance of any pure Vaishnava guru - all existing problems can be dissipated very simply and rapidly. Wishing you all happiness and success in Krishna consciousness. Your servant aspiring for the service of Sri Guru & Gauranga, Madan Mohan dasa. Haribol Prabhu PAMHO. AgtSP I read without full attention your posting, which I found of some interest. I thought re-reading it so I can answer you properly. But after reading your nice C.V. I realized why you were so harsh with ISKCON. And this is your defect, which is blatant in many individuals and groups who quit the movement. Why don't you just dedicate your energy and reasoning into some positive preaching? It is so cheap to put down others. I have noticed in you a talent for writing. I am sure you can produce better realizations. You are using a simple technique of intimidation on the pretext that your guru is a mahatma and that ISKCON cannot recognize him as such. Persuasion is used when purity is not strong enough. The art of Krsna cons. is to demonstrate also, this speaks better than any accusation. So much work is to be done out there, you and your guru can be helpful. It is a lesser task to denounce faults. Ys, ----- dasa About the Author | Other Stories by this Author Comment on this story | Contact VNN about this story | Send this story to a friend
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