Localized management

[Guest guest]

> Where is the future?

> Maybe there is one, if there is I would like to hear about it.

>

> Your servant,

>

> Radha Krsna das.

 

The future lies in understandings like your good self´. This was great

reading, I think you have many agreeing on this. Including Srila Prabhupada.

We often here that ISKCON is like a boat with Prabhupada as the captain, but

more practical would be to understand ISKCON as a fleet of boats with many

captains and Srila Prabhupada as the admiral.

This understanding could be elaborated of course (I don´t have the naval

experience to do so, though:))

But in these times of crisis on many levels in the world (and in ours) we

sure need more flexibility than the present centralised managerial procedure

can afford.

Local agricultural varnasrama - "experiments" are needed, that´s where the

roots are growing.

If one is under attack, the strategy is to spread out to avoid casualties.

My impression is that ISKCON for many years has been under heavy attack -

and we should follow this strategy - decentralisation.

So, localized management - ki jay.

 

 

Hare Krishna, all glories to Srila Prabhupada

ys Trayimaya dasa

[Guest guest]

>"COM: Radha Krsna (das) ACBSP GB (Great Britain)"

><Radha.Krsna.ACBSP.GB (AT) bbt (DOT) se>

>Radha.Krsna.ACBSP.GB (AT) bbt (DOT) se, Cow (AT) bbt (DOT) se,

>Varnasrama.development (AT) bbt (DOT) se

>"Noelene Hawkins" <niscala99 (AT) hotmail (DOT) com>, "COM: Cow (Protection and

>related issues)" <Cow (AT) bbt (DOT) se>

>CC: "COM: Varnasrama development" <Varnasrama.development (AT) bbt (DOT) se>

>Localized management

>Sun, 20 Jun 99 20:48 +0900

>

>[Text 2420715 from COM]

>

> >Actually, Srila Prabhupada wanted the brahmanas in our society, including

> >the biggest leaders, including Ramesvara Maharaj (then head of the BBT ),

>a>nd Hamsaduta Maharaj, both GBC's, to go out and grow their own food,

>using

> >the bullocks, live very simply and thus set an example of ideal

>brahminical

> >culture, for the rest of devotees to follow, eventually for the world to

> >follow. He said this would "save the devotees, and save themselves." So

>you

> >are quite correct to say that cow protection and devotee protection are

> >interrelated. Brahmanas must teach by example, this is evident from Srila

> >Prabhupada's varnasrama talk, he gave in Vrindavan in 76,- that they must

> >learn to plow with the bulls and teach others...The consequences of not

> >doing this is that we fall down...as they did. YS, Niscala

>

>If they did this instead of controlling all the money and holding all the

>power then maybe a new goal would be realised and a new example set.

 

Is the GBC a brahminical role? Or are they the ksatriyas? This control of

money and power would indicate ksatriya-varna, if that is so, then they

should ensure that the vaisyas are properly engaged in agriculture and cow

protection, and IF there is excess agricultural produce,engage in trade,

after they have already produced their necessities. Most of our grhastas are

in the vaisya category, but where is the encouragement to take up cow

protection, to become self-reliant in this profession. As a result, most

have to look in the "situations vacant" of the newspapers, to try to find

some work under a mlecca employer, and where is the work that is not

breaking the 4 regs? Practically everything in Kali Yuga is polluted. Are we

fixed up enough in our chanting to withstand the contamination. Our

statistics indicate generally not , this happened even when Srila Prabhupada

was here, therefore he stressed so much cow protection, and varnasrama

Dharma. The cows benefit, its a very pleasing, very uplifting occupation,

and easy to remember Krsna, the cowherd boy when one is with the cows.

Personally, I found it so.

>

>If this is so, as you later confirm, then it might answer a lot of

>questions

>as to how Mayapur City could develop and other temple projects also. What

>is

>the example we want to set?

 

Vrindavan.

 

 

I think some want one kind of example and others

>want another kind of example.

 

 

GOLOKA Vrindavan. Base it on cows, thats what farms are for. At least thats

what Srila Prabhupada intended them to be based on, according to the

instructions he gave in his lectures and conversations. At least the ECONOMY

should be based on the cow i.e. providing necessities of life. Too dependent

on donations, it only goes to show cow protection doesn't work, but we want

to show it does. Its THE most practical way of life. And spiritually

advantageous.

 

Then maybe there should be different kinds of

>temples and projects.

>As has been reconfirmed that devotee welfare is directly related to cow

>welfare. Then if this idea was followed we would have a different set of

>problems on our plates to the ones we find today.

 

There will always be problems, real problem is how to get out of this

material world...only possible through remembering Krsna, and following the

instructions of His pure devotee.

>

>

> >Yes. That is the subject of this conference. Funny we have zero

> >participation

> >from any GBC's on this conference. They must have found a BETTER social

> >system than the catur-varnyam mentioned by Someone in Bg?

>

> >Leaders should not remain "silent observers" for very long. Active

> >participants is the opposite of silent observers.

 

If they don't have time to actively participate themselves, or if they are

in the category of brahmanas, (inactive, intelligent), then they give advice

for those in the other varnas how to be actively participating...according

to Bhagavad gita. "krsi-go-raksya" etc.They should direct the ksatriyas to

direct the vaisyas in this way, and to use his (the ksatriya's) resources

(money, power) for this purpose. The ksatriya (In our case the local farm

manager/president) should be able to provide the vaisya grhasta, with the

resources he needs (land, animals, training etc.)to maintain his family and

in return can be provided with a percentage of the vaisya's produce.

>

>Again, it is too much to expect the so few number of GBC's in the world to

>oversee properly the numbers of farms and cows that we have on a reasonable

>basis. A country in the world however small it may be does not rely on a

>ministry thousands of miles away to oversee its internal affairs. We have

>to

>decentralise this idea over the comming years and delegate power out to

>others

If GBC members are the brahmanas, then their duty is to simply give advice.

The role you have described (management) seems more to me to be that of the

ksatriya. And there must be a local ksatriya, of course, to make sure the

citizens are happy, (their needs are met, serious problems solved) on a

DAILY basis.

 

 

Too few hold too much power - and they have agreed to get out of

>management? Also this extensive cheap travel facility the world is enjoying

>right now may not always be available.

 

GBC arriving by bullock cart...

>

>The point that has been made about the enormous subject matter in this

>conference [cow]is relevant and so we should address these issues on a more

>local rather than global scale. If this were the case then the farm

>council's that Balabadra prabhu talks about would certainly make a

>difference here in England as we do not have anything like that here.

 

My experience with farm councils is that they simply waste time- your idea

against my idea, and nobody's got ANY idea where we're heading. If solutions

are found e.g. how to stop us going bankrupt with our massive expenditure,

then that solution e.g. send more city bhaktas out on the pick, just leads

to more problems.If there is meetings to be held and time spent on

discussion, the ideas of our founder-Acarya and how to implement them,

should be the basis.

 

 

The

>farm is overrun with dock weeds and there is talk of going back to using

>poison sprays after 25 years of farming to deal with the situation. This

>shows that there are severe problems here. Our GBC is very seldom with us

>and there is no guidance in this connection.

 

The story of our farm exactly,- read the above. Replace dock with thisttle

and fireweed.

>

>

> ... Brahmanas must teach by example, this is evident from Srila

> > Prabhupada's varnasrama talk, he gave in Vrindavan in 76,- that they

>must

> > learn to plow with the bulls and teach others...The consequences of not

> > doing this is that we fall down...as they did. YS, Niscala

>

>

>Again what is the goal.

>Do we want to expand our temples into big big temples, buying more and more

>buildings in cities and reliant on donations or do we want to expand our

>temples into Varnasrama communities where the money and power goes out of

>the hands of the present structure and into the hands of the people and

>families who make up the ISKCON we preached so hard to find originally.

>

>What is the goal of preaching and preaching and preaching and raising funds

>if the funds don't go towards helping the people we preached to a few years

>before who are thus going away?

 

Agreed.

>

>What is the point of raising more and more funds from Indians if there is

>no

>community based farm project to put the money into,to house the housholder

>asrama which is the bulk of our society. Or school to further educate our

>children (as they all have to go outside at 11 yrs). Where is the future?

>Maybe there is one, if there is I would like to hear about it.

 

 

There is no future, or only a bleak one, unless we refer to the instructions

of Srila Prabhupada, in our problem-solving, our lifestyle, and our decision

making, and how we function as a community. The trend of losing devotees,

losing ex-gurukulees, losing enthusiasm, (losing sanity?) etc. will

continue, unless we make this step. And Srila Prabhupada was against

centralization, of power and money, even when pressured by the devotees, he

opposed it. Each centre, self-dependent. Only dependent on GBC for advice. I

will find the exact quote for you, when I get to my folio (its at home, and

I'm at the library). Anyway, faith in the words of the bonafide spiritual

master is the key to advancement- the GBC should inspire this faith in us,

if their role is a brahminical one.

 

>Your servant,

>

>Niscala dasi.

 

 

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