Varnasrama cell development

[Guest guest]

Dear Prabhupadacarya Prabhu,

PAMHO, AGTSP,

I was interested to hear about your proposal for a reproducible varnasrama

cell, and I came upon some revealing thoughts in my recent readings:

"...history shows that the daivi-varnasrama system fell into ruin because

the brahmanas neglected their duty to enlighten the other limbs and turned

their role into one of power, profiteering, prestige, and domination over

the lives of other orders of society"

Naturally, if the brahmana-leaders in our movement, the GBC/gurus/sannyasis,

are seen to be infected with such motives, as has been proved so many

times, it follows that

the infection has spread to the other classes, the administrative class as

well and this has also been our experience. The cost to our society in terms

of devotees lost, has been horrendous.

Therefore, to re-establish real varnasrama, it is essential to invoke the

awareness of the need for real leadership from the intellectual class,

brahminical leadership, based on the quality of sattva. At least some

intellectuals must be there in each temple: non-ambitious advisors with

ideal character, truthful, unattached to honour/dishonour and so forth, who

teach and model for others integrity, respect for human dignity,

individuality and justice. They should know their conscience and avoid

straying from it, be courageous in this respect, be expert in dicrimination,

and have intelligence based on reason and sastra, as opposed to

manipulation. And, being independent and uncompromised, they can correct the

behaviour of the administrator, where it does not display desirable

characteristics, or shows symptoms of the lower modes, or a lack of

long-term vision.

These brahmanas should be considered absolutely essential in each temple. No

temple ksatriya should make a major decision without consulting them first-

this should be the basic standard. Therefore,. where there is no temple

brahmana with the above qualifications to take advice from, one must be

invited from another temple for the purpose. Alongside, brahminical training

should be the primary focus.

Who is a candidate for brahmana? Who is a candidate for anything?

Who decides?

....more revelations...

"The Lord has already conceived of varnasrama as a system for giving birth

to the full person. Its goal is to point each person towards his or her

unique talent, and encourage them to exercise it fully for doing good to

others in terms of the devotional service of the Lord...we may consider to

begin with the smallest unit of the social brickwork, ourselves. The first

order of business is that one must be rightly situated, engaged according to

ones calling, nature or destiny in this life...people engaged according to

their calling are fundamentally happy, stable, integrated people and that is

the most powerful preaching we can do...varnasrama is the best blueprint for

social sanity for all time. If properly implemented, it solves the problem

of balancing our social or sheep nature with our need to be independent,

individual, and to soar with our strengths."

What this boils down to practically, is that people who join should be

examined carefully, lest they end up in the wrong calling. Are they inclined

for philosophy? Are there those among the devotees who are similarly

inclined?Then let them soar with that, give them heaps. Study and training

full-time, deepening their understanding. Raise them up to perform at

maximum potential. All the afore-mentioned qualities, which are sattvic, can

be learned -if one has the inclination for learning. Discrimination can be

learned by studying the subject. Integrity can be learned by studying the

teachings and character of someone who has it. Even listening to one's

conscience, can be learned. The pre-requisite for a brahmana is that he

esteeems and wants to learn such things, and that he has the capacity for

learning and teaching- intelligence.

What about the 2nd-class? Intelligent, but showing signs of ambition, - to

rise to the top, or to control. This is there in all conditioned souls, but

a ksatriya must LIKE to be trained., and have the capacity for it

(intelligence). And, study and training also, is essential, not only

before, but during his term in office, i.e. constant Imparting of lessons by

brahmanas, in wisdom and integrity to temper the ambitious lording-it-over

tendency; careful control by the brahmanas that he does not, out of

ambition, rise beyond his capability to give proper caring personal

interactions with devotees, that he displays virtuous conduct in his

dealings with them,...this should also mean that a ksatriya be trained in

honesty, - be prepared to speak the plain truth to help another, even if he

personally loses out in popularity or in financial support. Discouraged,

should be the duplicitous behaviour of using sweet words of glorification to

bring another under control to serve one's personal agenda as is common in

our experience.. Integrity, with honesty, is the key point in ksatriya

training. He should be trained in the value of hearing critical feedback,

and not just from the brahmanas- everyone. For a real ksatriya, honesty is

everything. Or, if there is consistent refusal to be trained thus, then-

back to being potwasher... the next up-and coming ksatriya would be

forewarned by such action, to be exemplery.

What about the 3rd class? For them, profit makes more sense than honesty.

Most temples in the past have liked to make virtually all the members, 3rd

class. Plenty of collectors to bring in "the pick", - and not always by

honest means-with the resultant luxurious lifestyle and extravagant

spending. .It seems that Prabhupada predicted this danger, and therefore he

wanted that the 3rd class go to the farms and practise cow protection.. Then

they would come quickly to the mode of goodness and be freed from the

hankering and profit-mindedness that is characteristic of this class.

Therefore, where the productive capabilities of a devotee are geared to

profit, the self-sufficient farm is the ideal place, because in many cases

it is not actually profit, but making a material success out of something,

that is the driving factor, the underlying cause, the innate strength which

is to be encouraged, developed to the maximum potential to be offered in the

service of Krsna. Such a person will be thus highly motivated to make the

farm successful, on a practical level, and so will be able to learn quickly

whatever skills are required, and as we know, many, many practical skills

are required for a varnasrama farm to work.

But if the vaisya is strongly city-inclined, or geared to money-making,

being as it is their genuine inclination, let them develop it to their

utmost ability- to make heaps of money for Krsna - for His worship, or for

the maintenance and development of projects which glorify Him, or to serve

His genuine devotees, being careful that the money is not misspent, then it

is glorious...but not for personal glory and honour. Equating big-time

collections with spiritual advancement, and giving such collectors all the

honour of elevated souls, was a big illusion, a myth propagated far and wide

by the uncontrolled lust of greedy administrators. Prabhupada didn't want

luxurious life, only "simple living" , "obtaining basic necessities of

life", "every cent for Krsna" and "not a paise should be wasted". Its

deplorable, but so-called vaisnavas can be more materialistic than the

professed materialist, and this denotes dishonesty on our part."Better an

honest streetsweeper, than a charlatan spiritualist".

So money-making for Krsna, great. Money-making for maya, profiteering

through gross and subtle sense gratification, down the tubes.

(Since writing this, I have read the Rochford Survey report. The very clear

thing it brought out was the need for devotee employment, so vaisyas are

needed who can employ devotees in their businesses. This would seem to be

the pressing need at least for grhasta vaisyas, and the type of vaisya

described above is the temple devotee. Both types are essential.)

Fourth class: The qualification of fourth class to look out for is that they

do not inquire much, are not inclined to philosophy or to preach. They are

not inclined to discussing realizations. They are more attracted to the

superficial aspects of Krsna Consciousness (nice food, nice clothes, etc.).

They are still great souls, greater if they are more devoted, (they may be

attracted to nice dieties!). So, they should be given nice food, nice

clothes, nice surroundings, be taught as much as they are capable of, be

given as much respect as the other classes, and be given services to do. As

with the other classes it is important that the service is suited to their

nature, then they will be naturally enthusiastic. Personal interaction,

genuine concern, and caring for needs, is more important to such people than

philosophy or higher values. Even a person who does not appear to be able to

give much, should be encouraged to develop their natural potential, whatever

it is, as a service to the Lord. It can be surprising, that when the best

is brought out in such a person, by encouragement, how much valuable that

"best" can be. Therefore, they should also be encouraged to find out what is

their calling, their talent, within the devotional service of the Lord, and

apply themselves accordingly.

Sometimes, it is seen that a person of the 3rd or 4th class, is also

ambitious-the litmus test will be his ability to learn the REQUIRED

qualities for the ksatriya from the brahmanas- he must be intelligent, and

most importantly, open and eager for internal improvement. If not, it will

be seen as not his calling, but a symptom of the mode of passion.

 

So, prabhu, I hope you find useful this analysis on what is the practical

training required for each class, in terms of the needs of the individual,

primarily, and Iskcon, secondarily, as too often we have placed the needs of

the society before the individual's needs, with chaos resulting due to loss

of devotees. After all what is the society, but an entity, that is made up

of individuals.

Another consideration I have brought in, is that of learning from our past

mistakes, which is wisdom, for without that we cannot hope to successfully

plot our future. In order to do that, I have had to bring up unpleasant

facts, which are our mistakes, but it is a necessary step, for problems do

not go away from our ignoring them. On the other hand, it is said, that

failure is the pillar of success. So we can learn from our failures, no

matter how bad they are, and have the attitude "a bad failure is a good

lesson".

I hope you find my suggestions practical and able to be implemented into

your model of a varnasrama cell, or if not maybe we can discuss, and build

from there,

ys, Niscala DD.

 

P.S. I am putting this letter on the two only varnasrama conferences that I

know of- varnasrama.development; and practical.varnasrama, if is relating to

other conferences, could you put it on? (I lost your original letter)

 

 

 

 

____

Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com

[Guest guest]

Your only qualification for being on the cow conference is you are full of

bull. Poison to be more exact. Bull would be to pure a word. Why don't

you take to somewhere this is the mood. Just criticizing like a nutcase.

Go milk the cows or something. Fix your mind on something other than just

slander. Really, I find it just out of place. Sure you may have had some

bad experience. Welcome to the material world. But so what, what will

villifiying Vaisnavas do to help improve your lot. You are only hurting

yourself and anyone who has to listen. I don't like it. Please stop your

meanspiritedness and just become more gentle, then everyone will be more

inclined to hear.

 

YS

Dvibhuja das

 

Noelene Hawkins <niscala99 (AT) hotmail (DOT) com>

COM: Cow (Protection and related issues) <Cow (AT) bbt (DOT) se>

Monday, January 31, 2000 4:20 PM

Varnasrama cell development

 

 

>[Text 2976194 from COM]

>

>

>Dear Prabhupadacarya Prabhu,

>PAMHO, AGTSP,

>I was interested to hear about your proposal for a reproducible varnasrama

>cell, and I came upon some revealing thoughts in my recent readings:

>"...history shows that the daivi-varnasrama system fell into ruin because

>the brahmanas neglected their duty to enlighten the other limbs and turned

>their role into one of power, profiteering, prestige, and domination over

>the lives of other orders of society"

>Naturally, if the brahmana-leaders in our movement, the

GBC/gurus/sannyasis,

>are seen to be infected with such motives, as has been proved so many

>times, it follows that

>the infection has spread to the other classes, the administrative class as

>well and this has also been our experience. The cost to our society in

terms

>of devotees lost, has been horrendous.

>Therefore, to re-establish real varnasrama, it is essential to invoke the

>awareness of the need for real leadership from the intellectual class,

>brahminical leadership, based on the quality of sattva. At least some

>intellectuals must be there in each temple: non-ambitious advisors with

>ideal character, truthful, unattached to honour/dishonour and so forth, who

>teach and model for others integrity, respect for human dignity,

>individuality and justice. They should know their conscience and avoid

>straying from it, be courageous in this respect, be expert in

dicrimination,

>and have intelligence based on reason and sastra, as opposed to

>manipulation. And, being independent and uncompromised, they can correct

the

>behaviour of the administrator, where it does not display desirable

>characteristics, or shows symptoms of the lower modes, or a lack of

>long-term vision.

>These brahmanas should be considered absolutely essential in each temple.

No

>temple ksatriya should make a major decision without consulting them first-

>this should be the basic standard. Therefore,. where there is no temple

>brahmana with the above qualifications to take advice from, one must be

>invited from another temple for the purpose. Alongside, brahminical

training

>should be the primary focus.

>Who is a candidate for brahmana? Who is a candidate for anything?

>Who decides?

>...more revelations...

>"The Lord has already conceived of varnasrama as a system for giving birth

>to the full person. Its goal is to point each person towards his or her

>unique talent, and encourage them to exercise it fully for doing good to

>others in terms of the devotional service of the Lord...we may consider to

>begin with the smallest unit of the social brickwork, ourselves. The first

>order of business is that one must be rightly situated, engaged according

to

>ones calling, nature or destiny in this life...people engaged according to

>their calling are fundamentally happy, stable, integrated people and that

is

>the most powerful preaching we can do...varnasrama is the best blueprint

for

>social sanity for all time. If properly implemented, it solves the problem

>of balancing our social or sheep nature with our need to be independent,

>individual, and to soar with our strengths."

>What this boils down to practically, is that people who join should be

>examined carefully, lest they end up in the wrong calling. Are they

inclined

>for philosophy? Are there those among the devotees who are similarly

>inclined?Then let them soar with that, give them heaps. Study and training

>full-time, deepening their understanding. Raise them up to perform at

>maximum potential. All the afore-mentioned qualities, which are sattvic,

can

>be learned -if one has the inclination for learning. Discrimination can be

>learned by studying the subject. Integrity can be learned by studying the

>teachings and character of someone who has it. Even listening to one's

>conscience, can be learned. The pre-requisite for a brahmana is that he

>esteeems and wants to learn such things, and that he has the capacity for

>learning and teaching- intelligence.

>What about the 2nd-class? Intelligent, but showing signs of ambition, - to

>rise to the top, or to control. This is there in all conditioned souls, but

>a ksatriya must LIKE to be trained., and have the capacity for it

>(intelligence). And, study and training also, is essential, not only

>before, but during his term in office, i.e. constant Imparting of lessons

by

>brahmanas, in wisdom and integrity to temper the ambitious lording-it-over

>tendency; careful control by the brahmanas that he does not, out of

>ambition, rise beyond his capability to give proper caring personal

>interactions with devotees, that he displays virtuous conduct in his

>dealings with them,...this should also mean that a ksatriya be trained in

>honesty, - be prepared to speak the plain truth to help another, even if he

>personally loses out in popularity or in financial support. Discouraged,

>should be the duplicitous behaviour of using sweet words of glorification

to

>bring another under control to serve one's personal agenda as is common in

>our experience.. Integrity, with honesty, is the key point in ksatriya

>training. He should be trained in the value of hearing critical feedback,

>and not just from the brahmanas- everyone. For a real ksatriya, honesty is

>everything. Or, if there is consistent refusal to be trained thus, then-

>back to being potwasher... the next up-and coming ksatriya would be

>forewarned by such action, to be exemplery.

>What about the 3rd class? For them, profit makes more sense than honesty.

>Most temples in the past have liked to make virtually all the members, 3rd

>class. Plenty of collectors to bring in "the pick", - and not always by

>honest means-with the resultant luxurious lifestyle and extravagant

>spending. .It seems that Prabhupada predicted this danger, and therefore he

>wanted that the 3rd class go to the farms and practise cow protection..

Then

>they would come quickly to the mode of goodness and be freed from the

>hankering and profit-mindedness that is characteristic of this class.

>Therefore, where the productive capabilities of a devotee are geared to

>profit, the self-sufficient farm is the ideal place, because in many cases

>it is not actually profit, but making a material success out of something,

>that is the driving factor, the underlying cause, the innate strength which

>is to be encouraged, developed to the maximum potential to be offered in

the

>service of Krsna. Such a person will be thus highly motivated to make the

>farm successful, on a practical level, and so will be able to learn quickly

>whatever skills are required, and as we know, many, many practical skills

>are required for a varnasrama farm to work.

>But if the vaisya is strongly city-inclined, or geared to money-making,

>being as it is their genuine inclination, let them develop it to their

>utmost ability- to make heaps of money for Krsna - for His worship, or for

>the maintenance and development of projects which glorify Him, or to serve

>His genuine devotees, being careful that the money is not misspent, then it

>is glorious...but not for personal glory and honour. Equating big-time

>collections with spiritual advancement, and giving such collectors all the

>honour of elevated souls, was a big illusion, a myth propagated far and

wide

>by the uncontrolled lust of greedy administrators. Prabhupada didn't want

>luxurious life, only "simple living" , "obtaining basic necessities of

>life", "every cent for Krsna" and "not a paise should be wasted". Its

>deplorable, but so-called vaisnavas can be more materialistic than the

>professed materialist, and this denotes dishonesty on our part."Better an

>honest streetsweeper, than a charlatan spiritualist".

>So money-making for Krsna, great. Money-making for maya, profiteering

>through gross and subtle sense gratification, down the tubes.

>(Since writing this, I have read the Rochford Survey report. The very clear

>thing it brought out was the need for devotee employment, so vaisyas are

>needed who can employ devotees in their businesses. This would seem to be

>the pressing need at least for grhasta vaisyas, and the type of vaisya

>described above is the temple devotee. Both types are essential.)

>Fourth class: The qualification of fourth class to look out for is that

they

>do not inquire much, are not inclined to philosophy or to preach. They are

>not inclined to discussing realizations. They are more attracted to the

>superficial aspects of Krsna Consciousness (nice food, nice clothes, etc.).

>They are still great souls, greater if they are more devoted, (they may be

>attracted to nice dieties!). So, they should be given nice food, nice

>clothes, nice surroundings, be taught as much as they are capable of, be

>given as much respect as the other classes, and be given services to do. As

>with the other classes it is important that the service is suited to their

>nature, then they will be naturally enthusiastic. Personal interaction,

>genuine concern, and caring for needs, is more important to such people

than

>philosophy or higher values. Even a person who does not appear to be able

to

>give much, should be encouraged to develop their natural potential,

whatever

>it is, as a service to the Lord. It can be surprising, that when the best

>is brought out in such a person, by encouragement, how much valuable that

>"best" can be. Therefore, they should also be encouraged to find out what

is

>their calling, their talent, within the devotional service of the Lord, and

>apply themselves accordingly.

>Sometimes, it is seen that a person of the 3rd or 4th class, is also

>ambitious-the litmus test will be his ability to learn the REQUIRED

>qualities for the ksatriya from the brahmanas- he must be intelligent, and

>most importantly, open and eager for internal improvement. If not, it will

>be seen as not his calling, but a symptom of the mode of passion.

>

>So, prabhu, I hope you find useful this analysis on what is the practical

>training required for each class, in terms of the needs of the individual,

>primarily, and Iskcon, secondarily, as too often we have placed the needs

of

>the society before the individual's needs, with chaos resulting due to loss

>of devotees. After all what is the society, but an entity, that is made up

>of individuals.

>Another consideration I have brought in, is that of learning from our past

>mistakes, which is wisdom, for without that we cannot hope to successfully

>plot our future. In order to do that, I have had to bring up unpleasant

>facts, which are our mistakes, but it is a necessary step, for problems do

>not go away from our ignoring them. On the other hand, it is said, that

>failure is the pillar of success. So we can learn from our failures, no

>matter how bad they are, and have the attitude "a bad failure is a good

>lesson".

>I hope you find my suggestions practical and able to be implemented into

>your model of a varnasrama cell, or if not maybe we can discuss, and build

>from there,

>ys, Niscala DD.

>

>P.S. I am putting this letter on the two only varnasrama conferences that I

>know of- varnasrama.development; and practical.varnasrama, if is relating

to

>other conferences, could you put it on? (I lost your original letter)

>

>

>

>

>____

>Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com

>

>