vad cult vad cult vad cult

[Guest guest]

>The initiated devotees in ISKCON are Vaisnavas and, as such, they

>are already transcendental to all varnas. It is nonsense to talk of

>implementing VAD within the community of devotees. But if some means

>can be found to establish Varnasram Dharma amongst the community of

>non-devotees who have come to look to the devotee community for

>spiritual leadership, there can be no objection. However, this must

>grow organically from genuine respect in which we are held by

>non-devotees who voluntarily place themselves under devotee guidance.

>Here we may indeed need to implement a lower standard than we require

>for initiation.

>

> There is some suggestion that Harikesa Maharaj may have

>criticized Srila Prabhupada or has wanted to change the requirements

>for initiation. I have a high degree of admiration for Srila

>Visnupad's many years of loyal service to Srila Prabhupada's

>movement. I do not, like most people on this conference, have access

>to his original writings or speeches, so he may have been misquoted,

>perhaps by devious persons who have their own agenda. If, however,

>Harikesa Maharaj has been correctly quoted, he is wrong on this

>point. The error flows from the misunderstanding that VAD is to be

>implemented within ISKCON. In fact, it is a means for setting up an

>ordered and well-run society OUTSIDE our ISKCON. This may gradually

>occur in those places where the ISKCON community begins to form a

>cohesive group and attract interest from others who acknowledge their

>inability to accept all the regulative principles.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

Interesting point Prabhu. I also find that when Prabhupada said in Feb 1977

that NOT ALL ARE VAISNAVAS his intention was to include much more human

material that was presently in ISKCON (and much more than we have now).

 

Maybe Harikesa Prabhus intention of setting up some commune that implements

the social ideas of VAD can be an example of some sort. And why should it be

ISKCON? ISKCON is build from the beggining as a preaching and

vaisnava-brahmana training mechanizm. It is, of course, wrong to think that

it should be completely independend of ISKCON devotees who follow the

brahminical standarts.

 

>

> Nikhilananda das wrote, "Personally I believe that Srila

>Prabhupada accomplished and did what he wanted to do, on behalf of

>his spiritual master and the parampara, and he was very successful in

>it," and all devotees will concur. "After I studied so many tapes by

>Prabhupada on VAD," he continues, "I do not believe that HDG Srila

>Prabhupada wants us to introduce varnas into ISKCON (it would be

>strange), but only to recommend it to the outside society and help

>them to develop basic character qualities which are helful for

>spiritual life and an ethically guided, harmonious society, by

>introducing VAD colleges for character training. It would be very

>strange if as Vaishnavas we now adopt the caste labels. It would make

>things even more complex and problematic. After all Srila Prabhupada

>said, 'Simply do as I have done.' So, obviously, his work was

>successful; that is why we should do as he has done. I do not see how

>by just introducing additional labels "all problems" will be solved.

>It is another type of new age magic belief or offering quick fixes

>for human problems." I agree absolutely with this statement also.

>

True.

> For some reason, some devotees have apparently criticized

>Nikhilanda for his intelligent observations. Do they really want to

>make ISKCON only a bizarre and inward-facing cult that makes itself

>increasingly irrelevant in the world at large, or do they want

>genuinely to preach devotional service and the chanting of the holy

>name, which have real potential to help the whole world? I am sorry

>to see Nikhilananda leave this conference; I quite looked forward to

>his observations which I thought so eminently and refreshingly

>reasonable. Many of us do not often write, preferring to leave the

>debate to others, but when one very sensible devotee feels that he

>has become marginalized, it is time for those of us in the cheap

>seats to speak up.

>

> All glories to Srila Prabhupada and to Lord Gauranga.

 

Nice text.

 

 

Nice to hear common sence in this conference.