Not the Real World??

[Guest guest]

Dear Pranava prabhu, pamho, agtSP!

 

I have taken part in such a course in Goloka dhama in spring 2004. The

course was introduced to me as "my last chance" when I was in a difficult

personal situation. I feel abused by this tactic nowadays. If I had not been

pushed in this way I would have not taken part, for sure.

 

> > 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.

 

I am not against medical assitance to cure certain types of deseases. We

also go to the doctor to cure cancer etc. But as I have seen the course is

presented as something very special and in this way many devotees get

devoted to these methods and of course this is not good for staying

single-minded. The course is a fashion and deluding. It would be better if

the course would be presented as a medical treatment for sick persons. Of

course most of us are sick because we have rejected Krishna. But there are

certain degrees of sickness where it is good to do a special medical

treatment. If a certain therapy cures certain types of psychic illness this

is ok, but it should not become a fashion like this course. Devotees expect

too much from this course. Some methods of the course seemed to me

questionable in terms of cultivating Krishna-Consciousness. When men and

women are mixed freely I can not see how this is compatibel with our

philosophy; certain types of sahajism are involved and this is distasteful

for a strict devotee in the line of Shri Chaitanya.

 

> > 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.

 

For sure we tend to be enthusiastic about sense-gratification; that is our

tendency as conditioned souls. I also like pizza-parties very much.

 

> 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.

 

Dhira Govinda prabhu is for sure a nice devotee and much more progressed

than I am. But we should not make fashions in our movement out of any

devotee. We create dangers for these devotees by supporting fashions around

them. We should work together in a sober mood to get out of the material

whorlpool. Fashions have a deluding nature.

 

> 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.

 

Yes indeed! We need varnashrama-structures!

 

y. s.

Parivadi das

 

 

> Your servant,

>

> Pranava das