shastra should be mediator

[Guest guest]

>It would be interesting to see some quotes from Srila Prabhupada regarding

>ISKCON devotees seeking mental help through karmi methods.

>Probably something contrary to well known slogan "Spiritual solutions for

>material problems".

 

Dear Giri-nayaka Prabhu,

 

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

 

Please forgive me for rambling on. It would be rather presumptuous of me to

think that I can enlighten anybody on the conference. But it appears that

the issue that you have touched upon is important for me personally, so here

is some more points:

 

If we take yukta-vairagya to be a spiritual principle, then employing

contemporary techniques, such as mediation, **within their limits,** in the

service of Vaisnavas individually and ISKCON collectively can indeed be

rightfully considered a spiritual solution to material problems -- as much

as using modern technology like computers for printing Srila Prabhupada's

books.

 

Sorry for being sarcastic here, but do we opine that using "karmi" computers

is also an ominous tendency in modern ISKCON that needs to be rectified by

reverting to handcopying? We'd better do, because it is quite easily

demonstrable that a MUCH greater number of ISKCON devotees' spiritual lives

suffered and fell victims to the pervasive use of computers than to the

pernicious "karmi" mediation.

 

The key word here is **within their limits**. Once the limits are crossed,

even a harmless MP3-player, or vastu, or yoga, or cellphone -- or, for that

matter, mediation -- can turn into an object of obsession and hence a cause

for spiritual degradation.

 

That's why Srila Rupa Goswami wisely preceded his definition of

yukta-vairagya with "anasaktasya visayan" -- "without material attachment",

"yatha-arham upayunjatah" -- "using according to [its] suitability",

"nirbandhah" -- "without bondage [that is, obsession with it]" and

"krsna-sambandhe" -- "in relationship with Krsna".

 

But as long as computers or mediation are kept within these 4 boundaries --

what's so inherently wrong with them?

 

Your servant,

Madana-mohana das