a reminder

[Guest guest]

> The Governing Body Commission has issued the following guideline:

> 12.5.9 1. A: In obedience to the instruction of His Divine Grace A.C.

> Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the GBC directs that the members of ISKCON

> should respect all senior Gaudiya Vaisnavas outside ISKCON, but should not

> intimately associate with them, personally or through printed or recorded

> media, for guidance, teaching, instruction, or initiation, as their

> presentation of Krishna consciousness often differs from that of Srila

> Prabhupada in emphasis, balance and other aspects of both teaching and

> practice.

 

Can the GBC claim that the presentation of Krishna consciousness in the

ISKCON Society after Shrila Prabhupada's disappearance has not deviated an

inch from Shrila Prabhupada's teachings and instructions and that no one

outside the four walls of the present ISKCON society is following or can

follow the instructions and teachings of Shrila Prabhupada. Shrila

Prabhupada is jagadguru, just like a sun. A sun is never Indian, American,

Chinese etc. Anyone can bask in the sunlight in any country. Similarly

anyone can take the practice and preaching of Shrila Prabhupada's

instructions and try to please him anywhere in the world in ISKCON or

outside ISKCON.

 

Infact the real ISKCON is there where a devotee is sincerely trying to

follow and practice the teachings of Shrila Prabhupada whether inside or

outside the four walls of an institution. That is what is meant by Krishna

consciousness. Walls cannot have consciousness, it is in the devotees'

hearts. The allegiance to an acharya's teachings is not a sectarian

phenomenon. One should first clean up one's house before saying that no one

outside the house can be clean. Anyway these are some of my personal and

neutral thoughts on this matter. A general rule like this is inappropriate

and this matter should be decided by sober devotees who have deep knowledge

of the scriptures case to case. This is my suggestion.

 

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" Party spirit - that great enemy of the truth - will always baffle the

attempt of the inquirer who tries to gather truth from the religious works

of his nation and will make him believe that the Absolute Truth is nowhere

except in his old religious book."

Bhaktivinoda Thakur

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"There are many societies and associations of pure devotees, and if someone

with just a little faith begins to associate with such societies, his

advancement to pure devotional service is rapid."

Srila Prabhupada - NOD, Ch 19 p.14

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"Regarding the disciplic succession coming from Arjuna, disciplic

succession does not always mean that one has to be initiated officially.

Disciplic succession means to accept the disciplic conclusion."

(Letter to: Dinesh, Tittenhurst, 31 October, 1969)

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He (Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada) explained

that there are two kinds of parampara: Bhagavata and Pancaratriki.

Pancaratriki means the line from guru to disciple, or father to son, but the

essence may get lost. However, in the Bhagavata parampara, someone may be

living at a far place, he may not be formally initiated by a guru, but he

may grasp the spirit of Lord Caitanya. The Pancaratriki parampara will

inevitably break down in course of time. (From Bhakti Vikasa Maharaja's

upcoming book on SBSST)

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"The idea of an organized church in an intelligible form, indeed, marks the

close of the living spiritual movement. the great ecclesiastical

establishments are the dikes and dams to retain the current that cannot be

held by any such contrivances. They, indeed, indicate a desire on the part

of the masses to exploit a spiritual movement for their own purpose. They

also unmistakably indicate the end of the absolute and unconventional

guidance of the bonafide spiritual teacher. The people of this world

understand preventive systems, they can have no idea of the unprevented

positive eternal life. Neither can there be any earthly contrivance for the

permanent preservation of the life eternal on this mundane plane on the

popular scale." (Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur, Harmonist 29.7)

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