charity and ISKCON

[Guest guest]

Dear Giri Nayaka Prabhu,

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

 

> My question now is about what we have gained? Personally I must admit,

> that I'm more confused now, than I was before. Probably thats a good

....

> Please help in any way, before my mind explodes.

 

Certainly I am not the person to make a final statement. Still, if you are

interested in what I would say, here is my take.

 

As far as I can see, there is no REAL controversy here. The apparent

controversy is between our doctrine and our culture. It is rather simple:

our doctrine is that NOTHING equals pure and direct bhakti; our culture is

that a Vaisnava is para-duhkha-duhkhi, very kind. You will find this

quality, mercy, in almost all the descriptions of a sadhu, of divine nature,

of a Vaisnava, of ways to please Krsna etc. Mercy is explained by our

Gosvamis as "inability to tolerate others' distress". (Bhag. 1.16.26; NOD).

A Vaisnava will always try to show the highest mercy and give the highest

charity of Krsna consciousness, but if he can also feed the hungry person

prasadam, he will be kind and generous.

 

So, you will find Srila Prabhupada establishing the principle, the doctrine,

that whoever accepts charity as the highest goal (and not bhakti) is a

rascal. And he can say so, because in India you see many "sadhus"

denigrating bhakti and promoting "charity". But the same Srila Prabhupada is

compassionate when he sees a hungry child rummaging through a garbage pile

and asks to feed all hungry around the temple. Did Srila Prabhupada refuse

to feed anybody because the person was not a good prospect for becoming a

devotee? But is it our philosophy -- "feed people"? No. It is not our

philosophy. It is our culture.

 

For those lucky to have seen such culture in a live form, it is easy to

grasp. If someone has had a great fortune to see senior devotees in their

daily lives, you could have seen that they have very compassionate and

charitable natures. Many stories can be told, but you must know some

yourself. I will only send up a story about Srila Bhaktisiddhanta ji,

separately.

 

So, the Gosvamis can safely preach to the people WITHIN THE CULTURE about

the highest goal. Because the people are qualified and will understand it IN

THE CONTEXT OF THE CULTURE. Those from outside the culture are hopefully

getting purified by hearing our philosophy AND seeing the culture.

 

It is the question of orthodoxy and orthopraxy, correct theory and correct

practice, truth and beauty, one's talk and one's walk. Or, else, bhakti and

sattva. Sattva is certainly "material dirt" in front of bhakti, but what is

the general mode of action even of a transcendental bhakta? Sattva. That is

his modus operandi and his culture. Otherwise you will see the "utility" and

"only-directly-for-Krsna" principles turning not only into passion and

attachment but also into greed or cruelty. At the same time, "Sattva as all

in all" certainly is not our doctrine.

 

Please see the dynamics in the Gita: Arjuna rejects artha-sastra in favor of

dharma-sastra. And then Krsna tells him to reject dharma-satra in favor of

jnana-sastra and then bhakti-sastra. But his acceptance of dharma-sastra

over artha (charity over expedience) is what makes him qualified for that.

See Srila Prabhupada Bg. 1.46:

 

"Such a kind and soft-hearted person, in the devotional service of the Lord,

is fit to receive self-knowledge."

 

Or Baladeva Vidyabhusana (from Bhanu Maharaja's new book) to the same verse:

 

"From the first chapter, it is understood that inquiry about €tm€ takes

place in a person who is compassionate in nature and non-violent, and not in

one who is cruel and violent."

 

It seems rather simple.

 

As far as many of the other controversies mentioned by you are concerned,

they are also often a result of a clash of different cultures (or their

absence). The philosophy is rather straightforward, but when there is no

supporting culture, misunderstandings and misapplications abound. The main

challenge is finding and accepting the appropriate practice for each

particular level or nature (sve sve 'dhikare ya nistha...SB 11.21.2).

 

Thank you.

Your servant apd