Guru + deva = Gurudeva

[Guest guest]

> > The point you make about the universality of the respect given to guru

> > is a very interesting one, and I would like to see more of it. I'm

> > frankly tired of the 'cult' labels that uninformed and envious people

> > apply to ISKCON.

>

> Uninformed is not always necessarily "envious;" I think it's

> important to keep this distinction in mind.

 

Absolutely - which is why I used both. However, I don't think the uninformed

are as strident in their attacks as the envious. There seems to be quite a

difference in approaches, and of course the intention is very different.

 

> Good point. The GBC itself may have initiated a lot of this "guru

> is only a relative authority" nonsense when it concocted its system of

> bogus zonal acaryas,

 

Do you mean in the sense of "doesn't matter who it is just take initiation"?

 

> and consequently had to further concoct some means to

> undo the karmic mess this created--in what was largely tantamount to

> outlawing the highly beneficial example of guru worship.

 

Right. It seems they threw the good out with the bad.

>

> MDd

[Guest guest]

On Sun, 3 Mar 2002, Braja wrote:

> > Good point. The GBC itself may have initiated a lot of this "guru

> > is only a relative authority" nonsense when it concocted its system of

> > bogus zonal acaryas,

> Do you mean in the sense of "doesn't matter who it is just take initiation"?

No, I meant what followed it (below); the two seem inseparable.

About immature or ambitious power-gurus, Srila Prabhupada said, "You can

cheat, but you will not be effective." Many cheated, but they weren't

effective.

 

 

> > and consequently had to further concoct some means to

> > undo the karmic mess this created--in what was largely tantamount to

> > outlawing the highly beneficial example of guru worship.

> Right. It seems they threw the good out with the bad.

 

MDd