Proposal: Restructuring the GBC - what we need is a love exam

[Guest guest]

> Submitted by Dr. Hector Rosario (A non-initiated disciple of H.H.

> Hridayananda das Goswami)

 

You can't be a "non-initiated" disciple - you can be an "aspiring" disciple.

 

Dear Hector,

 

> Dedication: This draft proposal is an offering to Srila Acaryadeva (H.H.

> Hridayananda das Goswami) on his 34th sannyasa anniversary.

 

 

> hoped that Parama Pujya Gour Govinda Goswami, Srila Prabhupada's most

> exalted disciple, will be pleased by this offering.

 

I wasn't aware that Srila Prabhupada had a "MOST" exhaulted disciple, but he

did have many exhaulted disciples and followers which include Param Pujya

Gour Govinda Goswami.

 

> May they place it at

> Srila Prabhupada's feet for His Divine Grace's rejection or acceptance.

>

I am sure they would only place it at Srila Prabhupada's feet if it were

acceptable - otherwise we could offer anything to Krishna for Him to accept

or reject - Gauranga potatoes and a Hamburger.

 

> 1. Restructuring Commission

>

> a. A 16-member Restructuring Commission shall be formed to monitor the

> Procedures.

 

Why 16? I prefer 108 members.

 

> b. The Commission shall be independent of the GBC.

 

We will have to monitor them carefully, then.

 

> c. The Commission shall have absolute authority to oversee the

> Proceedings and take disciplinary action against ISKCON members violating

> the guidelines for the Proceedings.

 

 

 

> d. During the Proceedings, the Commission members will have no contact

> with the GBC members.

 

Who will carry out disciplinary action on a Commission Member violating this

ruling - and if the person supposed to take action against the Commission

Member violating this ruling does not do so, who takes action against him?

And if the person.....

 

> e.During the Proceedings, GBC members will become interim

> administrators for legal purposes.

 

 

>

> 2. Initiations

>

> a. Echoing H.H. Bhakti Caru Swami's concerns, a moratorium on

> initiations at all levels shall be in effect during the Proceedings.

>

Wow! Bhakti Cari Swami wants a moratorium on initiations at all levels

during the proceedings! Who would have thought it.

 

> 3. Nominations for Commission members

>

> a. Every ISKCON Temple will be asked to nominate one candidate.

 

Why one - why not two? After all, we are not monists....

 

> b. Any ISKCON member who is an initiated disciple of Srila Prabhupada

> will be eligible for nomination.

 

Now I understand why 16 and not 108 members on the Commission. Lets try

16.....

 

> c. To guarantee the purity of the Proceedings, a Temple may not consult

> with other Temples about its choice or campaign for any potential nominee.

 

Phone taps in place...no mangal arati sweets for offenders.

 

> d. Each Temple shall have autonomy to decide its mechanism to determine

> its nominee. However, to help ensure that the members possess the highest

> moral standards and to increase the credibility of the Proceedings, the

> Temples are strongly advised to shun ISKCON members with a questionable

> history in the Society.

 

Forget 108, forget 16. Even 16 is starting to sound difficult now......

 

> e. Within two weeks of opening the nominations, the GBC shall receive

> all nominations and prepare a list with all the names that were nominated.

> Each name shall appear only once, regardless of how many times his or her

> name was submitted.

 

Save paper, save the trees.

 

> f. The list shall be made public within a week of the closings, to

> allow time for GBC members to verify whether the nominees accept the

> nomination.

 

I have an idea - we could send smoke up the chimney of Bhaktivedanta Manor

as a signal that the process is closed.

 

> g. It shall be the responsibility of every nominee to contact the GBC

> to accept or decline the nomination. Otherwise, the name shall be

> automatically deleted from the list. This shall be called the verification

> process.

 

I like that - "Verification process". I'm on board.

 

> h. The names on the list shall appear in strict alphabetical order.

 

Very sensible idea, I was going to suggest numerical order.

 

> i. Only the official name given at initiation shall be used to identify

> a nominee.

 

I concur. My name is Aaantardwip das by the way.

>

> 4. Selecting Commission members

> a. The list shall be distributed to each Temple, perhaps in electronic

> form, the day immediately following the closing of the verification

> process.

> b. Each Temple may select as many candidates as it deems worthy of such

> trust.

 

Generally the president will be most trusted, because he has banned everyone

who doesn't like him from the temple and everyone else is on the payroll.

 

> c. Within a week, the GBC shall receive the ballots and make the list

> public with every name followed by its approval rate.

> d. The approval rate is the number of votes a nominee receives, divided

> by the total number of Temples.

Either make a percentage or divide by eight, which is the number of

Krishna's gopinis.

> e. The sixteen nominees with the highest approval rate shall become the

> members of the Commission.

SIXTEEN! Now we are getting spiritual.

> f. In case of a tie for the sixteenth place, the nominees shall be

> asked to decide among themselves who should serve in the Commission. If no

> agreement is reached in 24 hours, then those nominees will be

> automatically disqualified to be part of the Commission. In this case, the

> Commission shall be composed of less than 16 members.

What if three people tie for the fifteenth place and no agreement is reached

in 24 hours?? Do we go for 14 members or 17? If four people tie for

fourteenth place, do we go for 13 members or 17? Ay what point do we go for

more than 16? What if 17 people tied for first place - do we have no-one on

the commission?

> g. The primary task of the Commission shall be to rapidly implement the

> decision-making mechanism to select the new GBC and to oversee the purity

> of the Proceedings.

 

And it's secondary and tertiary tasks? You left them out. But I likes the

detail in question "f".

 

>

> 5. Nominations for GBC members

> a. Every Temple will be asked to nominate up to three candidates.

 

> b. Any ISKCON member with second initiation will be eligible for

> nomination.

 

> c. To guarantee the purity of the Proceedings, a Temple may not consult

> with other Temples about its choices or campaign for any potential

> nominee.

 

Excellent - a practical suggestion. This idea than chanting Hare Krishna and

following principles brings purity is sooo 60's.

 

> d. Each Temple shall have autonomy to decide its mechanism to determine

> its nominees. However, to help ensure that the members possess the highest

> moral standards and to increase the credibility of the Proceedings, the

> Temples are strongly advised to shun ISKCON members with a questionable

> history in ISKCON.

 

We are told to shun the envious, not the fallen. But where has that got us?

Do we rule the world? No! This is the time for change. Srila Prabhupada

engaged fallen sannyasis in management (eg Rupanuga prabhu). And where has

that got us? 9/11 for goddness sake!

 

> e. Within two weeks of opening the nominations, the Commission shall

> receive all nominations and prepare a list with all the names that were

> nominated. Each name shall appear only once, regardless of how many times

> his or her name was submitted.

 

> f. The list shall be made public within a week of the closings, to

> allow time for Commission members to contact the nominees to verify

> whether they accept the nomination.

 

 

> g. It shall be the responsibility of every nominee to contact the

> Commission to accept or decline the nomination. Otherwise, the name shall

> be automatically deleted from the list. This shall be called the

> verification process.

> h. The names on the list shall appear in strict alphabetical order.

> i. Only the official name given at initiation shall be used to identify

> a nominee.

>

> 6. Selecting GBC members

> a. The list shall be distributed to each Temple, perhaps in electronic

> form, immediately the day following the closing of the verification

> process.

> b. Each Temple may select as many candidates as it deems worthy of such

> trust.

> c. Within a week, the Comission shall receive the ballots and make the

> list public with every name followed by its approval rate.

> d. The approval rate is the number of votes a nominee receives, divided

> by the total number of Temples.

> e. Every nominee obtaining a 90% approval rate or higher shall be

> accepted as a member of the new GBC, regardless of the number of them.

> However, probabilistically speaking and given ISKCON's internal battles,

> this number might not exceed twenty.

 

>From the time Srila Prabhupada came to the West, there have been fights in

ISKCON - just read the Lilamrita. Internal battles, squabbles etc. THEY HAVE

TO STOP! We have to create a society where at least 78% of our members get a

90% approval rating. Then we can forge ahead. When Srila Prabhupada was

around there were so many complaints about everyone, and did he conquer the

world? Well, yes. But leaving that aside, approval ratings are IN.

 

> f. It shall be understood that these elected nominees have the

> confidence of the brahminical community at large in ISKCON.

 

> g. The primary task of the new GBC shall be to conscientiously but

> rapidly implement the decision-making mechanism delineated by Srila

> Prabhupada to decide who would be qualified to initiate disciples.

>

<<gulp>> By a GBC body created by ditching his mechanism to decide who is on

the GBC? Is that really wise?

 

> 7. Installation of new GBC

> a. The new GBC shall be installed in Mayapur during the Gaura Purnima

> immediately following the Proceedings (hopefully next year).

>

Full abhisekam.

 

> 8. Mission of new GBC

> a. To take over the responsibilities of the former GBC, with all its

> powers bestowed on the new GBC.

 

Change at last!

 

> b. Decide on the status of currently accepted initiating spiritual

> masters.

 

a) initiated by Srila Prabhupada or in his line..

b) in good ISKCON standing philosophically and following properly

 

that's all folks - you don't even have to be able to read and write to be a

bone-fide spiritual master.

 

> c. To establish Srila Prabhupada's system of exams to decide who would

> be qualified to offer initiation, as His Divine Grace expressed his wishes

> to Hamsaduta Prabhu dated December 3, 1968. The text of the letter

> follows.

>

Srila Prabhupada was still around in 1969 - where was the Bhagavad Gita exam

in Sree Mayapura? Srila Prabhupada was around in 1970, where was the Srimad

Bhagavatam exam? Srila Prabhupada was around in 1971, where was the final

exam?

Did Srila Prabhupada consider his mission a failure because this target was

missed? Not at all!

What happened after 1968 was that Krishna Consciousness exploded around the

world, and Srila Prabhupada put all his disciples energy into book

distribution and preaching, not into direct study at the level suggested in

1968.

We should all be learned scholars, but because devotees followed Srila

Prabhupada's directions to preach etc. rather than study to the level

indicated in the letter below, many devotees became more realised that the

most learned scholars in India and qualified to be spiritual masters.

To suggest that devotees who give their lives, energy etc in full love of

Srila Prabhupada are not learned is to miss the point of learning.

But passing exams is no proof of love.

Without love, there is only legislation.

Voting systems.

Mechanisms.

Dryness.

What we need is a LOVE exam!

 

> "Next January there will be an examination on this Bhagavad-gita. Papers

> will be sent by me to all centers, and those securing the minimum passing

> grade will be given the title as Bhakti-sastri. Similarly, another

> examination will be held on Lord Caitanya's Appearance Day in February,

> 1970 and it will be upon Srimad-Bhagavatam and Bhagavad-gita. Those

> passing will get the title of Bhakti-vaibhava. Another examination will be

> held sometimes in 1971 on the four books, Bhagavad-gita,

> Srimad-Bhagavatam, Teachings of Lord Caitanya, and Nectar of Devotion. One

> who will pass this examination will be awarded with the title of

> Bhaktivedanta. I want that all of my spiritual sons and daughters will

> inherit this title of Bhaktivedanta, so that the family transcendental

> diploma will continue through the generations. Those possessing the title

> of Bhaktivedanta will be allowed to initiate disciples. Maybe by 1975, all

> of my disciples will be allowed to initiate and increase the numbers of

> the generations. That is my program. So we should not simply publish these

> books for reading by outsiders, but our students must be well versed in

> all of our books so that we can be prepared to defeat all opposing parties

> in the matter of self-realization.

>

> OM TAT SAT

 

Hare Krishna, hope I haven't offended anyone, just having some fun,

Your Servant,

Antardwip das