Culture Matters, What is ISKCON? - Incompatibility with ISKCON

[Guest guest]

> Bashu Gosh Prabhu’s assertion that Srila Prabhupada’s specific interest in

> having his disciples or members of the KCM spend time in India was “to

> learn about the culture,” is indeed debatable. As far as I have read (and

> correct me if I am wrong), his purpose in creating major projects in India

> was exclusively for preaching to the Indians, and for our (Westerners)

> purification by residing in the Holy Dhamas, specifically Vrnadavana Dhama

> and Mayapura Dhama. I would assume that to satisfy our curiosity, we would

> need to have some specifically identifiable quotes, from Srila Prabhupada,

> to substantiate the case that he wanted us to learn Hindu customs, by

> residing in the Holy Dhamas, rather than to attain spiritual purification.

 

My understanding (I have been in India 30 years) has never been that we are

meant to learn anything "Hindu" from India but that being here was for our

spiritual benefit. (I don't mean to indicate that my own being here so long

was voluntarily for this this reason. I once tried to leave but didn't have

the money.) In '69, 70' 71, (before Vrindaban, Mayapur or Bombay were

developed) I heard that Prabhupada said (to the effect) "one year in India

is worth three in the west". (I also understood that he also said five years

and seven years.) Whatever "Hinduism" is, there still is much to be seen

and experienced in India that is vedic... the temples (their form and

utsavas), the sacred rivers and trees (Banyan, Pipal, etc.), respect and

protection of women, the elderly and children, the relative absence of

public displays of licentiousness, etc. etc. (Of course things in the big

cities have changed much in the past thirty years: now there are shopping

malls, cyber cafés, 'discos', young females in T-shirt/jeans, etc. etc. and

famous holy places are influenced by western ways and technology.)

 

Rd