Culture Matters, What is ISKCON? - Incompatibility with ISKCON

[Guest guest]

Pamho. AGTSP.

> I would be very caution is using terms such ‘Hindu’ to associate it with

> our Krishna Consciousness Movement (KCM) and any way. In the West, Hindu

> religion is looked up (by scholars as well as laypersons), unmistakably,

> as a polytheistic religion, and therefore theological inferior to

> monotheism. Suggesting that we embrace some of the cultural elements of

> Hinduism must be clearly spelled out so as to not have negative

> connotations to its polytheistic nature. That is, we must know what do we

> mean by such statement, and, more importantly, what specific cultural

> values we want incorporate in ISKCON culture. On a personal note, many of

> us would have not embraced the KCM had we known that it was a Hindu

> movement. Srila Prabhupada never made such a claim, hence his success in

> implanting KCM in the minds of Westerners was on the basis on very

> monotheistic philosophical platform of establishing Sri Krishna as the

> sole Supreme Lord, which is strikingly “un-Hindu”.

Yes, good point. I was amazed when I studied the old slavic religion who was

present 1000 years back in my country. Mistakenly there is also opinion that

they were having polytheistic religion. Since if we look at the matter

deeply we see that there was only one primary god, named Svarun riding on a

eagle. I think that devotees while associating with "hindus" and accepting

this label should make clearly that Vishnu is the only Supreme.

I was amazed to see some productions made by ISKCON devotees showing all

kinds of demigods picture and no comment on the supreme position of Vishnu.

Its like promoting mayavada instead of giving proper guidance.

 

> Before starting another reform (if I may use that word) or a fundamental

> change in ISKCON ethos, if we are really serious about this issue, then a

> thorough study ought to be conducted about what Hinduism is, or as

> Krishna- kirti Prabhu puts it, what “Hindu civilization” actually is. What

> elements thereof can be used or incorporated in the KCM, so as to enhance

> its applicability? Simply dismissing one civilization or another, in the

> spur of the moment, would be counter-productive in our preaching efforts,

> and in attempting to reform ISKCON ethos. If the West is bad and Hindu is

> good, then Srila Prabhupada would not have bothered coming to the West at

> all. His decision to start the KCM in the West must indicate to us, that

> he found some very good elements in it. Similarly, his decision to

> establish major projects in India (as Bashu Ghosh Prabhu points out) must

> also indicate that Prabhupada had inclinations towards Indian culture (but

> not necessarily Hindu). Another issues is this: Is Hindu civilization the

> same as Indian civilization?

 

> Curiously, the adoption of the GBC of the adjective Hindu to refer to the

> KCM in the West, is merely a political one. And this was done, in my

> opinion, to appease the phobia of Westerners towards India. Lately,

> Western thinkers and scholars (especially those in the intelligentsias)

> have some respect for Hindu civilization, and “much less for the KCM.”

> Indeed a sad situation. Hence, identifying ISKCON academic preaching

> efforts with Hinduism, though theological wrong, is a politically

> compromise. We should work and preach so that Westerners and Easterners

> alike, would come to appreciate the cultural and theological validity of

> Krishna Consciousness. There should be a day in which the trend should be

> reversed: that KCM would be appreciated and accepted over Hinduism. But

> anyway, that’s another matter.

I think there is no problem with hinduism, but if we are not strongly

preaching that only Vishnu is Supreme then surely we will loose our purity.

So what is the use. It may be useful to get more donations, imidge,

acceptance in public etc. But is it pleasing to Lord Caitanya. I remmember

how he rejected Mukunda hearing impersonalism and not commenting anything. I

think here the leaders have to make a very deep analysis how to establish

Lord Krishna as the only God in hinduism by using sastra etc. Ramanuja

Acarya was able to convince many staunch mayavadis, shivaists etc. simply by

strong arguments and his purity. Here I see lots of work for our preachers.

If we accept the position of Hindu then our responsability is that all

Hindus accept Krishna as Supreme.

 

 

> I am in agreement with Krishna-kirti Prabhu’s assertion that, after we

> have sorted out the bad stuff from both Indian and Western civilizations,

> we would end up with “creating new customs”, as he puts it. But again, my

> word of caution is to get all the facts straight.

>

> 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.

In holy places there is still lots of vaishnava culture. So we can learn a

lot. In Mayapur there are still many vaishnavas following the vaishnava

culture. And this is not some mundane culture. Its very close to the

spiritual culture. Sometimes we think ourself vaishnavas but are so much

attracted to our mleccha habbits. But habbits are reflections of subtle

impurities in our consciousness without a doubt. In India there are still

higher values. It may be not perfect anymore.But if we look what is

happening in the West then we see that its all 4 legged animal business.

Most of us were same 4 legged animals and its very benefical to go to India

to learn and absorb some of the habbits of vaishnava culture. I saw devotees

who lived some time in India naturally they developed some higher values

which may take for other much longer if at all.

 

 

> With all due respect that it is accrued to Bashu Gosh Prabhu, it is still

> doubtful how he infers such a conclusion. It is not enough, as Bashu Gosh

> prabhu writes, that “he wanted his disciples to spend time here to learn

> about the culture is also not a secret: it is well known.” Today, it may

> be a well known assertion or secret; that I can take. But how is it a

> fact? Where are Srila Prabhupada’s quotes to substantiate such a secret or

> assertion?

I think Basu Ghoshs Pr.conclusion is correct. You can just observe devotees

spending some time in India and in West. Then you can analyse who has

adopted vaishnava culture more. I can see even by pratyaksa that such facts

are there.

Your servant

Damana Krishna dasa