Homosexual Intolerance in ISKCON - by Mark A. Miles (fwd)

[Guest guest]

 

>Nandarani Evans

>vedic108 (AT) hotmail (DOT) com >Re: Homosexual Intolerance in ISKCON - by

Mark A. Miles (fwd) >Sat, 28 Jul 2001 15:17:12 -1000 (HST) > > >

>---------- Forwarded message ---------- >Sat, 28 Jul 2001 14:05:45 -1000

(HST) >Nandarani Evans

>news (AT) chakra (DOT) org >Cc: letters (AT) chakra (DOT) org >Re: Homosexual

Intolerance in ISKCON - by Mark A. Miles (fwd) > >Please publish this response

to Mark A. Miles' letter: Homosexual >Intolerance in ISKCON. > >Chakra needs,

(maybe I have to write) a letter about SP's purports and >words about women. I

have been deeply considering this for some time. I >truly believe that men and

women are different but equal. A man comes up >with the idea, a woman must be

able to receive it and create from it. >Within individuals, one comes up with

an idea; one also has to be able to >bring it into being. The thinking that

says men are better stems from the >idea that the parusha comes up with the

idea, and then is attracted to the >prakriti which then creates. People think

that coming up with the idea is >better, or harder. > >In reality - ideas come

to both men and women and each sex needs to be >able to both receive an idea

and bring it into being. Manifesting >something very positive is not at all

easy; it requires deep understanding >reaching to all levels of reality. >

>Regarding different structure/size of brain, a few months after the 1970's

>scientists reported that women's brains are a third smaller than men's, >the

scientists retracted their statements - this recollected by a devotee >who

remembers the original newsstory. Current scientific research has >found that

women have a larger connection than men between right and left >hemispheres:

read synthesis. They receive ideas and create from them. >In general, men have

a more left brain orientation. But as Mark and Amara >point out, this matter of

masculine-feminine goes along a continuum - >individuals who have the courage to

be themselves are the real victors in >life. It is better to be judged than to

judge. > >You cannot have the "positive" without the "negative." They work

together >throughout creation on every level including the atom. Until we are

>completely balanced as individuals, using both yin and yang, ascension to

>higher realms is impossible. > >I really feel for women: and I believe that

they are coming into the >ascendancy - and not only, as our movement would say,

because it is Kali >Yuga and the men are so weak that the women look better than

they would >otherwise. > >I really "hate" the attitude toward women which is in

ISKCON, and wonder >if Mark has found it all through the Gaudiya Vaisnava

tradition. > >Women are wonderful. They are a reminder of the unconditional

love of >God. Neverfailing in their support and trust, even while seeing the

>limitations of the organization, or person, women are actually every bit >as

intelligent, and every bit as valuable, as men. > >This business of speaking of

inferiority does not come from the highest >level of reality. In refering to any

race, sexual orientation, or gender >as inferior, we are asking for trouble and

we will get it. Each group has >its own glory - you only need to be able to put

yourself in someone else's >skin to understand that. > > >Nandarani Evans >P.O.

Box 37213 >Honolulu, Hawaii 96837 >(Nandarani dd) > > Get your FREE download of

MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com

[Guest guest]

For reference I should include the letter I wrote to chakra, that

prompted Nandarani to write hers. (At

http://www.chakra.org/articles/2001/07/27/intolerance/index.htm)

---

 

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

All glories to the Panca-Tattva. All glories to Sri Sri Radha-Krishna.

 

The intolerance and lack of compassion that our movement sometimes

shows to outsiders disheartens me. I have been doing a lot of reading

and research regarding the position of women within Gauidya

Vaishnavism. Gradually, this led me to consider the position of

celibate gays and lesbians within our movement who often feel like

outsiders.

 

I came across pages such as this

http://members.nbci.com/hknetworks/homosex.htm which disheartened me

completely(*), because they lash out at the materialistic urges that

all people have to fight to battle, whether heterosexual or

homosexual, but unfortunately label them as merely symptoms of

homosexuality. I should therefore like to submit the following

research for the readers' education:

http://www.geocities.com/galva108/ This is a site that explores the

concept of three genders within Vedic society, relying on shastric

evidence, conversations from 1967 with His Divine Grace A. C.

Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, and a number of other sources.

 

And I should therefore like to pose this question to readers: if two

men, or two women, are living together in a healthy loving

relationship, strictly adhering to regulative principles (i.e. no

sexual conduct), do we have the right to reject them on the basis of

what we think they are up to?

 

Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu had the spiritual insight to conceive of a

sankirtana movement open, and all-inclusive. He initiated Muslims,

sudras, and all people who had previously been denied into the nama

sankirtana.

 

I live by the four regulative principles. I am vegetarian, I do not

take intoxicants, I do not gamble, and I do not engage in any sort of

sexual conduct. Why then am I rejected by some because I choose to

live with the person I love and because I want to care about him? Why

is it automatically assumed that a homosexual couple will be less

devout in their vows than a heterosexual couple?

 

I find it difficult to idly stand by and watch whilst some of my

fellow godbrothers say "oh, the third-sex does not exist", and then

come out with offensive statements saying that people like myself are

no better than demons. True, any sense enjoyment is ultimately

demoniac. However, they fail to make proper divisions and

demarcations in their identification and labelling of people.

 

(*)Please note here that I am not attempting to undermine the

teachings of our beloved Founder-Acharya, Srila Prabhupada. Rather I

am attempting to articulate the fact that relationships are not just

built on sexual desire (sense gratification), but also emotional,

sensual needs and desires, and those of companionship, and

homebuilding.

 

Please acknowledge receipt of this even, if you do not intend to

publish it.

 

Your most humble servant,

 

Mark A Miles