Guest guest Posted May 2, 2004 Report Share Posted May 2, 2004 Still, none of your quotes say anything about the necessity for the guru to be physically present. Srila Prabhupada observed new candidates by delegating this duty to the local temple president and ritvik representative. He didn't need to meet and observe each disciple personally, because he clearly outlined the qualifications for initiation. We have never heard of Srila Prabhupada refusing to initiate someone who was following the 4 regs and chanting 16 rounds, rising early, etc. I personally feel a very close bond with Srila Prabhupada through his books, audio lectures, and videos. You could say that we newer devotees have MORE access to Srila Prabhupada than when he was personally on the planet, because we have hundreds of hours of audio lectures, and all of Prabhupada's books, letters, and conversations available for study. These things were not available in 1975, in fact at that time the devotees were lucky to get one letter. However today, we get the blessing of being able to hear a new Prabhupada lecture every morning and evening on the way to and from work. And guess what - Srila Prabhupada does not need to be "physically present" to instruct and guide us. I count myself lucky to be able to take direct instuctions from the yuga-acharya, Lord Caitanya's sena-pati bhakta, and not a cheap substitute guru who may or may not fall down tomorrow. His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada ki jaya! --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.674 / Virus Database: 436 - Release 5/2/2004 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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