What is ISKCON? - Incompatibility with ISKCON

[Guest guest]

Dear Malati Mataji.

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

 

> Are you aware of these laws? As a member of ISKCON you should

> first know what that really means and this is delineated in our Law Book.

 

I would like to share my experiences with ISKCON Laws, so that GBC members

can see it. I know well, that there are ISKCON Laws. Some time ago, I

converted the text of laws into readable PDF file, maybe I was even the

first one to do it. All the time, even now, it is horrible, how ISKCON

laws are distributed and in which format. First, it is impossible to find

them everywhere in full version. I've searched internet left and right, and

I'm no stranger to internet. And even upon finding the text, one can see,

that it is not updated, all additions are scattered arround. Besides one

needs special fonts. It is like nobody would really want us to read those

texts. It is just too complicated, not usable at all. Cannot GBC make just

one simple PDF file, and put it on some official site for everybody to

download? And also include all additional documents in one place?

 

Second thing is, that even there may be laws, devotees don't take them

seriously anyway. Let me give one example. In my country we have nice

educational program "Bhakti school", which is basically four level training

to educate devotees from before initiation, and to well after second

initiation, all the way to Bhakti-shastri. My presentation was on subjects

of "Guru" and "Srila Prabhupada". I based my presentation fully on ISKCON

Law, (thats when I converted it to useful PDF file, and included it on CDs

with other study material). Also I proposed, that all presentations in

Bhakti-school are based on ISKCON law, but local leadership responded, that

not even GBCs follow their laws, and nobody knows what is in them, so we

need not present the law in our school and trouble devotees with that. So,

from my point of view such statement is completely off, and should not come

from any local leader, who is "empowered by GBC" to be in charge of parts of

ISKCON. Besides I have several other experiences with GBC members openly

speaking against ISKCON law, but ok, thats another thing. But certainly

local leaders, who are subordinate to GBC, should uphold ISKCON law in full.

And certainly they cannot neglect it, or even keep it hidden or avoid it. In

my country, 10 years ago, it was "not bonafide" to read ISKCON law. It was

impossible to get it. Leaders were afraid, that one may develop some some

ideas, independent of local leadership. Now it is ok to read it, of course,

provided you can find it somewhere. Still it is not seen as useful part of

training even initiated and second-initiated devotees.

 

> Yes, it is a deficiency of our Movement that every member and future

> member doe not know the Laws of ISKCON, but as Srila Prabhupada so many

> times pointed out "Ignorance of the Law is no excuse."

 

The point is, that laws are not followed, and thats done on purpose,

intentionally. They are not taken as "ISKCON GBC Law", but more as "GBC

propositions" or "GBC opinion on how it could be... whatever". I know

devotees work hard on ISKCON laws, anybody reading even parts of those laws,

will see great endeavour behind, many hours of meetings and endeavor to come

up with unified opinion. I know it is impossible to legislate every detail

in ISKCON, but, please, at least those things, that are defined, should be

followed. And new laws can be added as needed.

 

The real question is, why are GBC laws not followed? Because local leaders

know better? Because there is no trust in GBC by local leaders? Because

local leaders know, that they will not be punished for their speculations?

Because GBC is not taken seriously? Why?! Anyway, fact is, they are not

followed! But then, my question to GBC members is "Why are you working so

hard then? And for whom?" Nobody seems to care for your work anyway. You are

dying for this organisation, which doesn't even care about your work. Too

many times you are just taken as means for certain individuals to exercise

their own (mis)conceptions, of course with slogan "GBC bonafide", and do in

the name of that all kinds of nonsense. So many meetings and endeavors from

GBC side, but nobody cares in the end. Local leaders can just take what they

like, and change what they dislike. Therefore I say, that there must be some

system of "reward in punishment". Untill then there is just anarchy, where

we have laws, but nobody cares for them, because he knows, that he can get

away with it. And therefore there is no actual ISKCON, it is just some

illusion of cooperation, which is non-existent in reality.

 

And of course, many important things are not defined in ISKCON Law. And one

critical field, that needs to be defined immediately, is bridge preaching,

what it is and where it fits. Limits must be set for bridge preaching, or it

will eat ISKCON away. Bridge preaching means inventions of non-traditional

methods, including even traditional subject matters, presented in

non-traditional way. With increase of non-traditional values, ISKCON is

loosing its membership. In the west, traditionalist means someone, who is in

the temple looking for ancient alternative to western culture. Such people

are valuable, and ifl they can find tradition in ISKCON, they will give a

lot. But when ISKCON becomes such, that joining ISKCON provides not much

change compared to western society, then traditionally inclined members will

go away, or be unwilling to cooperate. Then ISKCON will get more of

westernized membership, and become westernized sunday religion. This is

already happening in great extent. Of course, what one may say, that

traditionalist members are not so important. But it may be also shown, that

traditionalist members are most important for keeping proper standards in

ISKCON. They are people with broad vision, who see the real success of

"ISKCON Culture" only in its succesful connection with "Vedic Culture". And

with increased westernisation in ISKCON, traditionalist members are

alienated. And thus ISKCON is becoming alienated from Vedic standard.

 

GBC Laws need to establish connection of "ISKCON Culture" with broader Vedic

culture. And then those laws, in order to be followed, must be upholded with

"reward and punishment", at least on the level of local leaderships. Untill

then, ISKCON will continue swiftly on its path of westernisation, alienating

traditionalist members, and becoming western sunday religion.

 

And yes, GBC law cannot be different for India and west. What is valid in

India, must be valid in west too. And whatever cannot pass in ISKCON India,

well, I don't want that in my life too. In the west we may be low-class, but

still we have the right for highest ISKCON standard. Just because we are

westerners, we still need not be offended with special "western" laws.

 

>

>

> FYI: There is a GBC sub-committee working on the IKSOCN Law Book. In

> addition to up-dating it, one of the goals is to have it available on line

> within a

> decent time frame (hopefully in the up coming year).

 

Great news. Please make it also a downloadable PDF format, so wee need not

hunt for fonts. And even better, make it as Folio vedabase addition,

external book, which can be opened in Vedabase.

 

your servant Giri-nayaka das