Real Action

[Guest guest]

On 2 Mar 2002, Hariballabha dd wrote:

 

> To point the finger at others will not help nor solve any problems, nor do

> we get cured by the idea of being cheated since we all followed this sick

> system voluntarily for years. And we need to be in the same boat and not

> waste our time discussing who is more dedicated and so on.

>

 

Your whole letter was very nice. Thank you very much. Ak

 

PS. Astonishing that it came from Germany. They are know to be cold and

rational :-)

[Guest guest]

> The challenge will be to pass to

> another stage and see if devotees could generate discussions without

> getting into the eternal arguments given by fondamentalists.

 

Indeed. Perhaps as interesting as it would be to see anyone who refers to

the defense of ISKCON as 'fundamentalism' try to pass their techniques off

in the 'real' world. If you worked for IBM, and you wandered around talking

to all the other staff about how foolish you considered the Board ofs to be; making bold statements about how other similar companies

are doing 'so much better' in comparison to IBM (no doubt because of the

folly of the Directors); voicing your opinion on how useless they were at

their job; how they were simply on a power trip; how they were incredibly

unqualified - what do you think the result would be? Don't you think at one

point someone would say to you, "If you don't like it, why are you here? If

you are so disgusted with the decisions of the Board of Directors, why stay?

Why is this particular company so important to you that you feel impelled to

stay? If other companies are offering something so much better, why stay and

tell those who are defending the company that they are simply

'fundamentalists'?" I could perhaps understand if there was only 'one'

company, but I've also seen so many texts here saying 'what is wrong with

other maths', so if indeed that *is* one's opinion - that ISKCON has been

failed terribly by the GBC, and that other maths have so much to offer -

then the question is natural: why are you here?

 

I would ask this quesion of anyone. A

 

And just to correct your mistaken assumption, I did not request Babhru

prabhu to 'justify' himself. I asked him to clear up a point for me, which

he was happy to do. I didn't ask him for his background, or for references,

but he felt that it was conducive to solving the question that I asked, so

he offered the information. He provided that information in an endeavor to

put his objections to ISKCON into context for me, and I really can't see the

'sadness' in that at all. Explanation and information removes the need for

speculation and doubt.

 

Ys,

Braja Sevaki dd

[Guest guest]

At 07:48 AM 3/4/2002 +1000, Braja wrote:

>And just to correct your mistaken assumption, I did not request Babhru

>prabhu to 'justify' himself. I asked him to clear up a point for me, which

>he was happy to do. I didn't ask him for his background, or for references,

>but he felt that it was conducive to solving the question that I asked, so

>he offered the information. He provided that information in an endeavor to

>put his objections to ISKCON into context for me, and I really can't see the

>'sadness' in that at all. Explanation and information removes the need for

>speculation and doubt.

 

To further clarify, I have no objections to ISKCON; I do have doubts about

many of the policies that guide ISKCON today. I'm not sure this is any

longer the proper place to discuss particular policies in detail.

 

I just want to make it clear that I'm not anti-ISKCON, anti-GBC, or

anti-guru. Rather, I question any policy that does not support the purposes

of ISKCON as Srila Prabhupaa described them at its incorporation. Here they

are, one more time:

(a)To systematically propagate spiritual knowledge to society at

large and to educate all peoples in the techniques of spiritual life

in order to check the imbalance of values in life and to achieve

real unity and peace in the world.

(b)To propagate a consciousness of Krishna, as it is revealed in the

Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagwatam.

©To bring the members of the Society together with each other and nearer

to Krishna, the prime entity, thus to develop the idea within the members,

and humanity at large, that each soul is part and parcel of the quality of

Godhead (Krishna).

(d)To teach and encourage the sankirtan movement, congregational chanting

of the holy name of God as revealed in the teachings of Lord Sri Chaitanya

Mahaprabhu.

(e)To erect for the members and for society at large, a holy place of

transcendental pastimes, dedicated to the Personality of Krishna.

(f)To bring the members closer together for the purpose of teaching a

simpler and more natural way of life.

(g)With a view towards achieving the aforementioned Purposes, to publish

and distribute periodicals, magazines, books and other writings.

 

Babhru das