Hare Krishna Cultural Journal Update: The Fate of ISKCON in Our

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Hare Krishna Cultural Journal Update: The Fate of ISKCON in Our Hands:

Vaikuntha or Free Hotel?

 

March 17, 2005

 

 

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http://siddhanta.com/archives/culture/000232.html

 

 

 

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While in the forest, Lakshman, the younger brother of Lord Ramachandra

protected mother Sita with a sacred line drawn by the tip of his bow

on the ground. That line, known as Lakshman-Rekha was endowed with

mystic potency so that no demon or Rakshasa could cross over it to

enter the ashram. Thus Sita was perfectly protected from all harm

while he, Lakshman, left the ashram to go to the aid of Lord Ram. No

one could harm Sita, unless she herself could be induced to cross over

that line. Alas, we all know the rest of the story

 

ISKCON, the institution created by Srila Prabhupada for the express

purpose of facilitating a worldwide movement spreading the message of

Krishna consciousness is similarly protected like mother Sita by

eternal and absolute instructions given by Srila Prabhupada. Those

instructions include the strict maintenance of many important

spiritual standards and principles, the foremost of which are

well-known by every ISKCON disciple as the four regulative principles:

no meat-eating, no gambling, no intoxication and no illicit sex. The

importance of maintaining these 4 principles as the cornerstone of

ISKCONs spiritual standard and Vedic pedigree cannot be overstated.

 

Now there comes a challenge to members of ISKCON to consider whether

this great institution of salvation could or should make an adjustment

to the strictness of its standards so as to lovingly and

compassionately offer more facility of devotional service enjoyed by

ISKCONs members to other groups of conditioned souls weighed down by

varieties of material attachments. This challenge demands whether or

not ISKCON members themselves can adjust this Lakshman-Rekha of

regulative principles according to the ever-changing times and

fashions of modern society to invite a much wider circle of people who

can not practice so strictly to enjoy the rights and privileges of

ISKCON members.

 

However, this is not just a simple plea for compassion and tolerance.

The challenge coming from HH Hridayananda Goswami (HDG) in his essay,

[1]Vaishnava Moral Theology and the Homosexual Issue, first points a

finger of accusation directly at married devotees, alleging almost

wholesale failure of the householders, even the respected ones, in the

matter of following these principles, and also at the mute acceptance

of this hypocritical standard by the Society as a whole. HDGs

allegation of widespread hypocrisy is specifically aimed at shaming

ISKCONs members into loosening the strict application of the

regulative principles by adopting a formal ISKCON policy to accept and

bless the monogamous unions of homosexuals in similar fashion to the

grhastas. Some of HDGs arguments are reprinted here.

 

The real situation in ISKCON is that many, many householders follow

the easier, less ideal version of the rule: no sex outside of

marriage. ([2]Part I)

 

The fact that many or even most grhasthas find it difficult to

always act on the ideal platform .... ([3]Part III)

 

Yet sometimes devotees state that no illicit sex means no sex

outside of marriage. Indeed that is the standard that many

respected grhasthas are able to follow. ([4]Part III)

 

(Hridayananda das Goswami. "Vaisnava moral theology and the

homosexual issue" "site: [5]http://chakra.org page:

[6]http://chakra.org/discussions/GenFeb09_05.html)

 

HDGs argument, that comes after a long-winded discussion of morality

in the Mahabharata, could be summarized as follows, "all you folks in

the grihasta ashram are in fact hypocrites because you dont follow the

regulative principles yet you claim respectability by calling

yourselves the grihasta ashram. Whats the difference between you and

these gay people who also want to practice Krishna consciousness with

monogamous unions religiously sanctified by ISKCON?"

 

In this way, having established to his own satisfaction the illicit

nature of the grihasta ashram and most of its members, even its

respected ones, HDG leverages that opinion as a platform to propose

the introduction of a parallel ashram for monogamous Homosexuals. He

concludes his essay with this teaser...

 

The question then arises: is the policy of choosing the lesser of

evils valid only for heterosexuals, or it is also a necessary

strategy for homosexuals?

 

(Ibid.)

 

It must be remembered that HDG is ISKCONs senior scholar, guru and an

emeritus GBC member. He is the 700 pound philosophical gorilla who can

say what he wants, so his words have tremendous weight and

far-reaching effects.

 

One of those effects has already emerged in the form of a call by one

of HDGs disciples, Tripurari Das, in his [7]Open letter to the SSPT

for leaders of ISKCON to act on the theological conclusions of HDG by

making official ISKCON policy to recognize monogamous homosexual

unions. So it seems that this issue has got considerable momentum

already, and yet we see either silence or indifference so far on the

part of ISKCONs leadership with the exception of a single commentary,

[8]Chaste Harlots, by HH Danavir Maharaja.

 

One thing is sure amidst all the clamor for acceptance and tolerance

toward homosexuals. No one on the side advocating these changes is

considering the long-term ramifications of creating such a policy, how

it will damage ISKCONs public image, how it will result in the

inevitable devaluation of the grihasta ashram with the formal removal

of the requirement of strict adherence to regulative principles,

resulting in an increase in marital infidelity and the breakup of

marriages, the inevitable trauma suffered by children as their

families collapse around them and the despoliation of so many other

religious family traditions that are of utmost importance in creating

a bright future for the development of varnashram culture.

 

Dishonor of the spiritual master

Now it is practically in your hands to finish and push on what I

have started. I am now getting all respect and honor, so now you

must preserve that standard and not dishonor me.

 

(Srila Prabhupada. Letter to Bhagavan. December 10, 1971)

 

There are at least more than a few who consider that such a policy

would amount to nothing less than an incurable desecration of ISKCONs

original purity and a shameful dishonor and infidelity to the

Founder-Acharyas instructions. They consider this proposition

described above to be adharma of the most poisonous kind cleverly

dressed in the beguiling robes of apparent brahminical justification

waiting to pull ISKCON out beyond the safety line of Srila Prabhupadas

instructions just as Ravana dressed as a brahmana enticed Mother Sita

to step outside her Lakshman-Rekha.

 

Prabhupada:

 

Vaikuntha or free hotel

Follow the regulative principles, it will remain, always Vaikuntha.

Otherwise again material world..Free hotel. That's all. And free

hotel will not endure.

 

(Srila Prabhupada. Morning Walk. December 11, 1975, Vrndavana)

 

As china once cracked can never be put back together, as a womans

reputation once spoiled is never repaired, so also, with this single

mistake ISKCONs sacred mission will be forever spoiled and that too by

the same generation of devotees who were given sacred charge of it

just a few short years earlier by Srila Prabhupada, with the

instruction to at least preserve it if they couldnt expand it. Why are

they not listening to Srila Prabhupada any more? Why are they risking

Vaikuntha to get only a free hotel?

 

Your servant,

 

Paradhyeya Das

 

References

1. http://chakra.org/discussions/GenFeb09_05.html

2. http://chakra.org/discussions/GenFeb09_05.html

3. http://chakra.org/discussions/GenFeb09_05_three.html

4. http://chakra.org/discussions/GenFeb09_05_three.html

5. http://chakra.org/

6. http://chakra.org/discussions/GenFeb09_05.html

7. http://chakra.org/discussions/RenewalMar13_05.html

8. http://siddhanta.com/archives/culture/000195.html

 

 

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