prasada to poor people

[Guest guest]

At 04:34 PM 12/28/01 -0800, M. Tandy wrote:

> It is one one of the four legs of the bull of religion.

>

> MDd

 

True, but why is it that devotees often seem leg-less?

Madhu

[Guest guest]

> At 04:34 PM 12/28/01 -0800, M. Tandy wrote:

> > It is one one of the four legs of the bull of religion.

> >

> > MDd

>

> True, but why is it that devotees often seem leg-less?

> Madhu

>

 

Because bulls have four legs, and devotees (usually) have two legs.

 

ys. KKdas (HDG)

 

p.s. hahahahaaaa

[Guest guest]

Dear Prabhus!

I have been reading tho ongoing debate on feeding the

hungry and/or poor people. Many people have used Prabhupad's instuctions to

prove both sides of their respective arguements. If Prabhupad was present we

could go and ask him. But in his absence we can only depend either on his

writings or his "authorized" representatives which may be any and all of the

followings:

1) The "living gurus" - If these personalities are empowered ,their ruling

shoud be as good as that of Prabhupad. I have not read any such ruling yet.

Why are they silent? Why don't one of them come forward and issue a definite

instruction? Could it be that no one will obey their ruling? Or maybe they

feel that they have no authority ?

2) The GBC - Thought to be as good as Prabupad. Have it issued a paper on

the matter? No!

In the absence of this , people in Iskcon are doing whatever they feel is

"convenient". It is easy to collect money ,get free food on one pretaxt or

other and feed people. These hungry people appreciate the feeders but

nothing significant has been achieved. If one was to spend same amount of

time and energy in spritual preaching the results would be different. But

that would require that a person who is to preach has first to practice

those principals himself.In Iskcon it has become a fashion to parroting

words of wisdom without trying to emulate them in one's own life.

What Prabhupad said and did is very clear - " Become Krishna Conscious and

distribute this knowledge to others." As long as we follow both thse

instructions we are not following him. We may quote him ad infinitum but the

underlying theme is KC.

If we just collect money and food for just feeding it will be a mundane

activity but if also actively tell them about KC then it becomes spiritual.

Also the distributors have to follow KC themselves. We have to stop judging

one's advance in KC by how much money one has collected,or how many books

one has distributed or how many followers one has. Don't you think that all

these standards are mundane? And as such induce such a consciousness in

people. As such many temples have become 'Food Distibution Centers'.

The distinction of rich and poor does not exist. Rich people don't come to

eat free food anyway. It is only the poor people. Persons with money pay and

hence it is not free to them.Whenever we talt about "free" food we only

attract poor and hence hungry people.

Be In KC and your actions will be OK.

Hare Krishna!

Jagdish

 

"M. Tandy" <mpt@u.washington.edu>

"Bhakti Vikasa Swami" <Bhakti.Vikasa.Swami (AT) pamho (DOT) net>; "Balarama LOK"

<Balarama.LOK (AT) pamho (DOT) net>; "GBC Unmoderated" <GBC.Unmoderated (AT) pamho (DOT) net>;

"India (Continental Committee) Open (Forum)" <India.Open (AT) pamho (DOT) net>

Cc: "Jayadvaita Swami" <Jayadvaita.Swami (AT) pamho (DOT) net>; "Hari Sauri (das)

ACBSP" <Hari.Sauri.ACBSP (AT) pamho (DOT) net>; "Tattvavit (das) ACBSP (NE-BBT)"

<Tattvavit.ACBSP (AT) pamho (DOT) net>

Friday, December 28, 2001 10:21 AM

Re: prasada to poor people

 

 

> On Fri, 28 Dec 2001, Bhakti Vikasa Swami wrote:

> > > The danger Srila

> > > Prabhupada saw of prasada distribution being done only to the poor is

that

> > > i might then be taken by the givers as well as the recipients as some

kind

> > > of mundane altruism.

> > This is the danger I see, especially when potential donors are

approached in

> > such a manner: "Help the starving" -- "Every minute x children die of

> > hunger" -- etc. If the emphasis is put only on bodily needs, even our

own

> > devotees tend to get in such consciousness, and the whole endeavor

becomes

> > increasingly mundane.

> This is what I suggested too; because such mundane discriminations

> tend to perpetuate the bodily concept of life that we're already inclined

> for, then instead of solving the problem (once and for all), we compound

it.

>

> MDd

>

[Guest guest]

>These hungry people appreciate the feeders but

>nothing significant has been achieved.

 

These hungry people are brought into direct contact with the Supreme

Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna, in the form of prasadam. They begin

their journey on the path of devotional service, which according to Gita

protects them from the "greatest fear". How can you say nothing significant

has been achieved? We have brought Krishna's forgetful servant back in

contact with his eternal Lord. He is no longer on the path of bondage, he

has begun his path towards liberation and devotion.

 

>If we just collect money and food for just feeding

>it will be a mundane activity but if also actively

>tell them about KC then it becomes spiritual.

 

Once again, we are giving them Krishna Himself in the form of prasadam. If

you can only see it as food, then what can be said?

[Guest guest]

At 04:53 PM 12/28/01 -0500, Akhilesvara (das) ACBSP (Montreal - CAN) wrote:

> It degenerates

>most of the time like the example of this new sannyas on VNN right now, who

>writes page after page how he doesn't want to see women around him.)

 

So he has a computer hook-up in his cave? Impressive!

Ys,

Madhusudani dasi

[Guest guest]

Dear Nitai prabhu,

 

The whole idea of distributing prasadam to the poor is not bad.But, the

point was if the labour is invested for the rich , the Poor is automatically

taken care of. But, with the poor, you cannot call the rich. But, with the

richest you can call the poor.

 

In an emergency situation of spreading Krinshna conciousness, Srila

prabhupad had to go the west and preach .He himself saw how the people were

not interested in India. Therefore, after Srila Prabhupad had his western

disciples, immediately, the impact was huge in India.This is because, they

saw the dancing white elephants of Srila Prabhupad.

 

I believe that this is where we are stuck at this point. It is not that poor

people are excluded.

Our tactics and programmes are to hit the top people and the below ones

automatically follow.

 

Therefore, the riches community can come to the temple and we give them

prasadam.

 

The devotees don't waste valuable time at less productive output.And let the

new joining teams take the responsibility.The more educted devotees should

go our for preaching.

 

We must threfore focust on college preaching, universities and Harinam.

E.C.T

 

Mukta purusa das.

[Guest guest]

>So he has a computer hook-up in his cave? Impressive!

 

>From his article:

 

"Because I have repeatedly seen with my eyes the number of casualities in

the sannyasa ashram and in almost all cases I have carefully noticed that

the cause was talking too much with Matajis."

 

I think he is greatly confused on this point. It isn't talking with Mataji's

that makes a sannyasi fall down (any more than talking with men makes one a

homosexual), it is pride, lust and anger.

[Guest guest]

> "So preference should be given in India. They're poor."

 

So Srila Prabhupada said apparently different things at different times,

which Hari-sauri Prabhu has reconciled thus:

 

> The danger Srila Prabhupada saw of prasada distribution being done only to

> the poor is that it might then be taken by the givers as well as the

> recipients as some kind of mundane altruism.

 

It seems that although Srila Prabhupada surely wanted devotees to distribute

prasada widely, he also did not want the "Help the starving" -- "Every

minute x children die of hunger" approach, which is not conspicuous by its

absence in ISKCON today.