World vaisnava association

[Guest guest]

That is the first part of a posting from Bhakti Ananda Goswami that I found on

the web. I’ll send you the rest soon. -Ak

 

WORLD VAISHNAVA ASSOCIATION TO ESTABLISH INTERFAITH COMMITTEE,

SEEKING UNITY IN NON SECTARIAN DIVERSITY

 

 

HARE KRISHNA !

SRI SRI GURU & GAURANGA KI JAYA !

 

To All Devotees of The Lord,

 

Please accept my most humble obeisances.

 

Establishment of the WVA Interfaith Committee...

One Scholar's Historical Perspective

 

by Bhakti Ananda Goswami

 

The World Vaishnava Association is seeking to establish an Interfaith

Committee, to promote the non sectarian mission of Sri Chaitanya

Mahaprabhu and Sri Nityananda Rama. In the days of Sri Sri Gaura-

Nitai's Earthly pastimes, Their Bhakti Yoga Sankirtan Movement

inaugurated an astounding non sectarian religious revival and social

phenomenon, which has been called by scholars the 'Bengali

Renaissance". This religio-social Charismatic Movement embraced, and

was embraced by, not only various branches of Vaishnavas, but

Shaivites, Devi Worshipers, Buddhists and even Muslims. Its non

sectarian pure bhakti appeal was so overwhelming, that all kinds of

devotees were caught-up in it. Scholars have written about this

Sankirtan Movement's wide-reaching social effects.

 

After Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai's disappearance, Their Sankirtan Movement

was carried on by a Their illustrious followers, a small army of

Saints, whose individual histories are quite amazing themselves.

Their non sectarian Bhakti Yoga Movement stimulated moral

reformation, a spiritual revival of the masses, general literacy and

produced masterpieces of devotional literature, prayers, hymns and

liturgy. It created a revival in all of the sacred arts and sciences

in Bengal. Birth-caste barriers were eased, there was increased

social mobility and the status of women greatly improved. Religious

hostilities were much relieved, contributing to a more peaceful and

prosperous public order.

 

There was a distinct difference between this and the other great

devotional revival movements of history. The earlier Charismatic

Movement of the Indian Alvar Saints had produced a profound effect in

its time, and other great charismatic bhakti yoga movements had swept

across India and the ancient world from age to age. These popular

bhakti devotional movements shared some core doctrines and practices

with Sri Chaitanya's and Sri Nityananda's Sankirtan Movement. In

addition to the Bhakti Movements started by the great Indian

Vaishnava Acharyas like Sri Madhvacarya and Sri Ramanujacarya, there

were also great devotional movements which swept like waves across

North Africa, Europe and Asia. Some of these were the great Bridal

Mysticism and Caroling Religious Fairs of the Middle Ages Catholic

Europe, the Catholic Rosary Devotion to Jesus through Mary, and the

popular Eastern Rite Catholic and Orthodox Christian practice of

constantly reciting 'The Jesus Prayer'. Later there was a great

revival of the Rosary devotion to 'Jesus living in Mary', led by

Saint Louis de Montfort in France, which spread like wild-fire

accross Europe. Beside the great Catholic revivals led by Saint

Francis of Assisi and other Christian Mystics of the 11th and 12th

centuries, also during that era, was the rise of the Sufi Divine Love

Tradition of Rumi, al Ghazali, Suhrawardi and the Woman Saint Rabi'a

al-'Adawiyya. A central practice of this devotion was the invocation

of the 99 Beautiful Names of Allah. In Japan the Pure Land Bhakti

Buddhist Saints Honen, Shinran, Ippen and Nicherin eventually

popularized the constant repetition of Amitabha Buddha's (HRIH's)

Name as the 'Nembutsu', 'Namu Amida Butsu'. In Judaism, devotion to

Hashem, The Holy Name, and the Kabbalistic study of Shekinah (Shakti)

Bridal Mysticism also flourished from time-to-time. There was also a

revival of related Jewish Spirituality in the 11th and 12th

centuries, with the rise of Hasidic and Mediterranean Neo-Platonic

Jewish Mysticism. All of these Movements were actually historically

related to Vaishnavism, and had an inner or esoteric core of Bridal

Mysticism, and an exoteric, outer Charismatic (Charisma is

ATTRACTION, KRISHNA IS ALL ATTRACTIVE) Movement aspect of devotion to

the constant invocation of Godhead through His Holy Name.