What is ISKCON? - Incompatibility with ISKCON

[Guest guest]

Dear devotees.

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

 

> I am not sure I understand what you mean by bridge.

> ...

> Otherwise I don't know what you mean by bridge. If you are talking life

> reformation courses and modern psychology...

 

I was asked this question in one way or another several ways, bot publically

and in private. I warn against "bridge", because of its becoming part of

modern ISKCON, and thus bringing westernization in our gaudiya-vaisnava

tradition, and thus alienating traditionalist ISKCON members. By ISKCON

being more and more emerged in "bridge" methods, it is more and more

becoming western sunday religion. On outside we may look "indian", but

actually most of ISKCON is westernized. Probably the last thing, that we

will drop (maybe due to some bad experiences from past, like NW), will be

traditional gaudiya-vaisnava dress. But this brings in even a larger

problem, because we all know, that Srila Prabhupada and previous acaryas had

very strong opinion of those in Vaisnava dress, who do not present vaisnava

conclusions properly, according to gaudiya-vaisnava tradition and

sampradaya. Such devotees, in dress only, are not taken very seriously, to

say the least.

 

So, it seems that I better define, what I mean with "bridge methods" or

"bridge preaching". Of course, this is my personal understanding only, and

at best my humble attempt towards necessary definition and limitation of

"bridge methods" in ISKCON.

 

Let me first explain my own experience and connection with bridge preaching,

to show that I'm not just some "bridge" paranoid, but have actual serious

experience with it. Practically all my time in ISKCON, I was engaged in some

sort of bridge-preaching activity, primarily because of my useful material

expertise. I have this birth-given expertise with electro-gadgets (which

tells a bit about my previous life ). Anyway, I know my way with

computers and all kinds of professional studio audio/video equipment, and I

own small audio/video/graphics studio. I do my living out of this, and I

provide devotees with my services. Besides I was also engaged in other

more humanistic areas of "bridge", like jyotish, vastu and yajnas-samskaras,

for the other part of my material expertise. Anyway, the fact is, that

bridge preachers just love guys like me, for all our knowledge, skills and

resources, especially if it is free of charge, because we make their dreams

come true. We make movies, music, cds, magazines, pamphlets, books,

presentations.... anything, everything that is needed for good quality

bridge preaching. We provide everything they need. And we get a lot of their

association, which includes even Gurus/sannyasis/GBCs, what to speak of all

other ordinary preachers, who may need our services for specific projects.

Thus we get to see behind the scene, behind all the nice words of spreading

KC. Motives become more visible in personal work, and I can say that "bridge

is wrong, wrong, wrong in most cases. Therefore I can say, that I know

"bridge" very well, and that I know devotees, who do bridge preaching very

well too. Actually I gave large part of myself to it, and thus helped in its

success, mostly in my local area. I was tricked, and I'm sorry for that.

 

Now, as I see it, bridge preaching seems be divided in two areas:

 

First area is direct western "bridge", which is coming directly from western

practices. Examples of this are: new-age type magazines, yoga courses,

massages, psycho techniques and therapies, cake and cookie baking classes,

business and managment courses, health and beauty courses, rock concerts,

western drama and other similar types of art....

 

Second area is westernized vedic/indian/hindu, which is originally coming

from something possibly connected to vedic culture, but is changed with

time, brought to west and modified for western public. Examples of this are

vastu, jyotish, bharat-natyam, sitar-tabla courses, so-called vedic cooking

classes.... BTW. every vastu or jyotish practitioner (and possibly

practitioner of other skills from this group) can tell you, how dificult it

is to find real vedic sources of this skills. Usually it is all mixed

because of different cultural influences and misinterpretations of different

authors. One can never be sure, if what he is practising, is really

connected to original vedic practice, even if he goes to study these arts in

India.

 

Like this we have two "bridge" groups, one directly western, other

westernized vedic. Both groups have in common one thing, and that is, that

they are close to western public, and likely to be well accepted by

spiritual seekers of all kinds.

 

So far so good. The problem arises, when these methods infiltrate themselves

in ISKCON, and become so-called very important, almost like part of sadhana.

Or when they are presented as solutions for material problems. Or when one

is promised heaven on earth with their help. And this is all quite present

in modern ISKCON, at least from my perspective.

 

Like for example, I don't think there was any bharat-natyam frenzy in time,

when Srila Prabhupada was physically present. But now, it is almost

expected, that every young girl knows how to dance. When my daughter was

just one ot two years old, a brahmacari bridge preacher approached me, and

asked me if she will be good dancer. This brahmacari is organizing mataji

new-age dancing group as part of his bridge preaching. And when he saw my

daughter, probably he thought, that since she is so cute, she would make a

nice dancer for his group. He was a bit frustrated, when I told him, that

dancing for public is not consifdered very high-class, and if I can choose,

my daughter will not dance outside of kirtan.

 

Or I could tell you plenty of jyotish and vastu stories, since I was

official local ISKCON astrologer and samskara-pandita for quite some time,

untill I quit all this rubbish.

 

I don't think there was any astro or vastu frenzy in Srila Prabhupada's

time. No bharat natyam. A no audio/video professionalism high achieving

goals. But it is now, at least in my life, since I draw this things on

myself like a magnet. The point is, that there was no such trends, although

Srila Prabhupada could do it. Were there no beautiful girls in Prabhupada's

time? Srila Prabhupada could pick 20 the most beautiful girls in the whole

world, and send them to india for first-class bharat-natyam training. Then

he could engage them in public programs allower the world. And those girls

would be in ecstasy. But he didn't. He could also take rock musicians, and

together with dancing girls visit all hippie festivals. It would be a hit,

I'm sure. Masses would join! But he didn't. He could instruct devotees to

teach business methods, and thus preach. But he didn't. He could use any of

those abowe mentioned westernized methods, train many devotees in those

methods, and use such high-quality attractive resources for preaching. But

he didn't. Why, oh why?

 

Why didn't he invent such tings. And why are we doing it now? And we are

sooooo bold and daring, not afraid of any challenge. Isn't something

possibly wrong here? Shouldn't somebody be at least worried, like I am?

Shouldn't GBC define all those "bridge" inventions, so that we know their

place in ISKCON? Shouldn't somebody take care, that all this "bridge" is

kept within its defined limits, outside of ISKCON, on bridge with material

world?

 

This are some of my points on "bridge" inventions, which are part of

advanced level of ISKCON westernization, and which are alienating ISKCON

from traditional gaudiya-vaisnava society. The more such westernization is

present within ISKCON, the more alienated will be traditionally oriented

members. This principle of alienation of taditionalist members is quite

logical one, and besides it was observed and researched within christianity.

Thus it can be quite safely concluded, that thats the way it works with

religions in the west, and ISKCON will face the same fate, unless it defines

well its own position.

 

your servant Giri-nayaka das