A sannyasi keeps 'his' donations - is this a joke?

[Guest guest]

>

>

> This guru-daksina business is spoiling ISKCON and people.

> Money is powerful. Our gurus may be competing to get

> more followers simply in order to get more money from

> them, thus insuring their position of control in the

> society. Yes, the rules seem to be simple everywhere.

> You got money, you rule.

>

 

While that certainly may be true of some, to make it as a blank statement

about all gurus may be going a little too far. Case by case basis for gurus,

just like we have been asking for women.

 

> I do not need to quote any sastra on this subject, to

> support my statements about how it is wrong for a

> sannyasi to be keeping "his" money, do I?

 

The danger would be to become what Srila Prabhupada refered to as professional

reciters of the Bhagvatam. It is a pitfall to be avoided by swamis and gurus.

[Guest guest]

> The other "Vedics" have probably

> left this forum in digust.

 

If I can't have it my way, I won't play?

[Guest guest]

On 16 Dec 1998, Madhava Gosh wrote:

 

> If I can't have it my way, I won't play?

>

 

Nah, they're just too grown up to play your games.

[Guest guest]

> This guru-daksina business is spoiling ISKCON and people.

> > Money is powerful. Our gurus may be competing to get

> > more followers simply in order to get more money from

> > them, thus insuring their position of control in the

> > society. Yes, the rules seem to be simple everywhere.

> > You got money, you rule.

> >

>

> While that certainly may be true of some, to make it as a blank statement

> about all gurus may be going a little too far. Case by case basis for

> gurus, just like we have been asking for women.

 

Certainly. I would never think in term of "all gurus".

I guess my words were more clampsy than what I meant.

I guess I have become oversensitive in regard to this

"guru-daksina is the personal property of a guru-sannyas"

claim.

 

Money & power. We have seen it in ISKCON, this patern

of fall down for quite some sannyasis-gurus, that left

the devestating results to the society.

 

 

>

> The danger would be to become what Srila Prabhupada refered to as

> professional reciters of the Bhagvatam. It is a pitfall to be avoided by

> swamis and gurus.

 

Therefore no money in the private possesion of.

 

 

ys mnd

[Guest guest]

WWW: Bhuta-bhavana (Dasa) ACBSP (Incline Village NV - USA) wrote:

 

> [Text 1942600 from COM]

>

> On 16 Dec 1998, Madhava Gosh wrote:

>

> > If I can't have it my way, I won't play?

> >

>

> Nah, they're just too grown up to play your games.

 

Or is it grown too attached?

 

Let's see, GHQ plan - no woman as TPs.

 

Srila Prabhupada - Women can be TP.

 

Gosh - Women can be TP

 

GHQ - We're not playing that came, we're out of here.

 

Gosh - Don't let the door hit you in the lower rear gate on the way out.

[Guest guest]

> The solution is to have policies, controls, and audits of expenditures made

> by everyone in Iskcon from donations received by them. At least the bigger

> amounts. Ours must be the ONLY organisation in the world where millions of

> dollars can be received and spent without anyone to audit what you have done

> with the money.

 

HKDD comments:

 

Very good point.

[Guest guest]

>

>

> The solution is to have policies, controls, and audits of expenditures made

> by everyone in Iskcon from donations received by them. At least the bigger

> amounts. Ours must be the ONLY organisation in the world where millions of

> dollars can be received and spent without anyone to audit what you have done

> with the money.

 

Letter Jan. 16 1975

 

I think your idea about having professional men do our accounting in order to

assure good accounting, is a good proposal.

 

Letter March 18, 1971

 

Bookkeeping is the most important item. As you are growing in stature, our

accounting system should become very perfect. We have to publish now a short

statement of accounts. As we increase our life membership number, we must

submit

our audited accounts and that will convince the public of our stability.

 

Letter Aug 12 1971

 

Too many cooks spoil the broth. I have therefore asked Tamala and Gurudasa to

go

to Delhi for organizing a center there. Jayapataka can take care of the

accounts

and you and Revatinandana Maharaja along with other assistants be engaged in

collecting funds. That will be nice. ** wants our accounts audited but I have

asked for the trial balance and balance sheet, but ** is silent on this point.

How things will be audited unless accounts are kept systematically according to

the scientific accounting system? Scientific keeping of accounts is tested by

the trial balance and balance sheet.

 

GBC does not mean to control a center. GBC means to see that the activities of

a

center go on nicely. I do not know why ** is exercising his absolute authority.

That is not the business of GBC. The president, treasurer and secretary are

responsible for managing the center. GBC is to see that things are going nicely

but not to exert absolute authority. That is not in the power of GBC. ** should

not do like that. The GBC men cannot impose anything on the men of a center

without consulting all of the GBC members first. A GBC member cannot go beyond

the jurisdiction of his power. We are in the experimental stage but in the next

meeting of the GBC members they should form a constitution how the GBC members

manage the whole affair. But it is a fact that the local president is not under

the control of the GBC. Yes, for improvement of situations such as this I must

be informed of everything.

 

 

 

Letter Oct 16, 1971

 

You have written to say that the account are being kept by our men in India not

in a very proper way. That I admit because most of them were not accountants

previously, neither they were very much responsible to their family or country.

Somehow or other on account of their previous pious activities, they have come

to Krishna Consciousness. So we should very sympathetically treat amongst

ourselves so that our missionary activities may go on without being hampered.

Your are experienced in business dealings as well as accounting, so I am

confident that by your introduction of system of accounting and business sight

dealing will be very much helpful, and in all our branches in India they will

follow the system and the whole mess that is already done will be cleared up.

My

only point is that we are dealing with the public. They are paying us money and

we should handle them so carefully so that they may think of us as spotless.

 

 

 

Letter 8-24 1971

 

There will be many discrepancies in the trial balance if books are not kept

properly. Trial balance means to test how the accounts are kept scientifically.

So if the accounts are not kept properly but haphazardly there will never be a

correct trial balance. To present a correct trial balance means to correct the

whole past accounting system. One letter has just come from Giriraja in which

it

is said ``As for accounts, at least the trial balance sheet has shown great

discrepancies. For example I have collected Rs 70,000/- from the Maidan

advertisers, but only Rs. 55,000/- has been recorded, and after being informed

I

was able to account for a possible Rs 5600/- of the difference, but still Rs

9,400/- is unaccounted for. Also a profit of Rs. 15,000/- was supposed to have

been made due to the maidan program, and that profit was to have paid off a

previous Calcutta debt to the building fund, but now that Rs 15,000/- has been

spent for maintenance, and an additional Rs 8000/- of membership money

collected

since the program has also been spent, so the Calcutta debit is now Rs.

23,000/-

and is increasing''.

Now who will be responsible to account for this Rs 23,000/-? Please let me

know.

 

And who has been appointed treasurer and secretary? The president, secretary

and

treasurer elected by the members of the center cannot be changed at least for

one year; better to continue it for three years. All combined together should

be

responsible for keeping correct accounts.

[Guest guest]

>

>

> It takes a lot to disgust me, I used to live in Berkeley.

>

> yfs,bbd

 

LOL. I 've heard some devotees refer to it as Berserkley

[Guest guest]

On 18 Dec 1998, Madhava Gosh wrote:

 

> >

> >

> > It takes a lot to disgust me, I used to live in Berkeley.

> >

> > yfs,bbd

>

> LOL. I 've heard some devotees refer to it as Berserkley

 

 

 

Actually, my comrades down there call it The People's Republik of Beserkeley.

 

 

Glad I could get you to laugh, maybe I'm not totally worthless.

 

 

yfs,bbd