Not the Real World??

[Guest guest]

Dear Braja Sevaki Prabhu,

 

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

>

> Thank you for your letter, which seemed to clarify what you had written.

 

Thank you.

 

A short answer:

 

> My question is, why do these people need to "divert" themselves with

> another "philosophical orientation" to figure out what devotional service

> is?

 

People and devotees don't take the courses primarily for learning a new

philosophy, more about devotional service or just meeting "diverse" people,

they do them because they get something out of them in terms of

interpersonal relationships, social competence and personal development.

 

> And if they do so, where do they get off defending it as though it's

> some kinda wonderful??

 

Some people call the course wonderful because it meant something to them

personally. For others the course may be deeply disappointing. I learned a

number of good things about relationships and met very nice devotees.

However, my rounds are still the only true foundation of my spiritual life

and they will always be.

 

I am not part of the program run by Dhira Govinda and I have no interest in

defending or attacking it publicly, although I see to some degree a need for

understanding better how it works and its pros and cons.

 

Ultimately, I hope that the need for these courses will naturally slowly

decrease, since they are a medicine for hopefully temporary diseases within

our society. But that will only happen if the society will become the truely

loving place it is meant to be (which I see indeed already happening).

 

Therefore, on our part, I suggest that we should not only ask why people

take the courses, but what we can do with our society and in our devotional

relationships to render these kind of courses entirely superfluous.

 

Your servant,

 

Pranava das