A History of Blaming Anyone But Me

[Guest guest]

What follows is a text by Bhutatma dasa, which I thought could help in the

discussion of this subject.

---------------------------

 

I read your recent letter and wanted to offer a related comment.

At the Alachua meeting I made the observation that although Prabhupada had

wanted to concentrate on writing his books and preaching in order to create

a perfect body of spiritual knowledge, he had been "compelled" by our

immaturity, etc. to also act as managerial authority for Iskcon. Clearly he

wanted to hand the managerial functions over to his disciples, BUT always

stressing a decentralized structure (as illustrated by his personally

calling for elections of temple officers in LA). It seems obvious that

Prabhupada wanted to pass on the management activities while he remained

perpetually the spiritual authority for all current and future aspiring

devotees. Upon his physical departure, however, certain parties

self-servingly "re-joined" these two disparate functions in their persons.

This allowed them to centralize management by creating a pyramid of

authority and "legitimating" this managerial hierarchy by proclaiming

themselves the bona fide guardians of Prabhupada's spiritual instructions.

(In perhaps the most outrageous contravention of Prabhupada's and Lord

Chaitanya's mood imaginable, some even claimed that Prabhupada's books could

now only be accessed through them). ISKCON has never recovered from this,

and never will until the entire approach is rejected in its entirety.

 

A quote from the Danish philosopher (about the Protestant Church in the

mid-19th century ) is pretty on target:

 

"If the conditions at a certain time are such that almost everyone knows

privately that the whole thing is wrong, is untrue, while no one will say so

officially; when the tactic used by the leaders is: Let us simply hold on,

behave as though nothing had happened, answer every attack with silence,

because we ourselves know only too well that everything is rotten, that we

are playing false: then in that case the conditions are condemned and they

will crash. It is a battle against lies."

 

YS,

Bhutatma dasa

[Guest guest]

Its all Bhutatma's fault. Why not, I can say anything. Why not blame the

pope. After all it is just a blame game. Just make the rules up as you go.

It is really these ISKCON matijees not being submissive enough or the

children not being devotionally inclined, or it could be the Gurukula

teachers not being properly educated. Why don't we just make up any group

and blame them. The leaders are leaders because Krishna has put them in

this position and they have accepted. Why? It must be for the money or

power. Yea thats it, these corupt GBCS are all getting rich and planning to

buy a huge farm in Hawaii. Lets all get together and gettVNN to put out a

special on this new conspiracy. You don't need any facts. Lets just play

on igonorance and envy. God knows there is plenty of that around.

 

YS

Dvibhuja das

 

Ramon Estrada <concep (AT) prodigy (DOT) net.mx>

Cow (Protection and related issues) <Cow (AT) pamho (DOT) net>; Varnasrama

development <Varnasrama.development (AT) pamho (DOT) net>; Bir Krishna Goswami

<70324.1511 (AT) compuserve (DOT) com>; Balavanta (das) ACBSP

<Balavanta.ACBSP (AT) pamho (DOT) net>; Kalakantha (das) ACBSP (Alachua - USA)

<Kalakantha.ACBSP (AT) pamho (DOT) net>; Caitanya Mangala (das) KKD (Mayapur - IN)

<Caitanya.Mangala.KKD (AT) pamho (DOT) net>; Damon S Campbell <damoncampbell (AT) juno (DOT) com>;

npetroff (AT) bowdoin (DOT) edu <npetroff (AT) bowdoin (DOT) edu>; WWW: Pancha Tattva Dasa

(Alachua FL - USA) <panchatattva (AT) com (DOT) org>; Rennaissanceart (AT) webtv (DOT) net

<Rennaissanceart (AT) webtv (DOT) net>; sawmilldirect (AT) webtv (DOT) net

<sawmilldirect (AT) webtv (DOT) net>; Tirtharaj (das) TKG (Brisbane - AU)

<Tirtharaj.TKG (AT) pamho (DOT) net>

Monday, February 28, 2000 4:50 PM

A History of Blaming Anyone But Me

 

 

>What follows is a text by Bhutatma dasa, which I thought could help in the

>discussion of this subject.

>---------------------------

>

>I read your recent letter and wanted to offer a related comment.

>At the Alachua meeting I made the observation that although Prabhupada had

>wanted to concentrate on writing his books and preaching in order to create

>a perfect body of spiritual knowledge, he had been "compelled" by our

>immaturity, etc. to also act as managerial authority for Iskcon. Clearly he

>wanted to hand the managerial functions over to his disciples, BUT always

>stressing a decentralized structure (as illustrated by his personally

>calling for elections of temple officers in LA). It seems obvious that

>Prabhupada wanted to pass on the management activities while he remained

>perpetually the spiritual authority for all current and future aspiring

>devotees. Upon his physical departure, however, certain parties

>self-servingly "re-joined" these two disparate functions in their persons.

>This allowed them to centralize management by creating a pyramid of

>authority and "legitimating" this managerial hierarchy by proclaiming

>themselves the bona fide guardians of Prabhupada's spiritual instructions.

>(In perhaps the most outrageous contravention of Prabhupada's and Lord

>Chaitanya's mood imaginable, some even claimed that Prabhupada's books

could

>now only be accessed through them). ISKCON has never recovered from this,

>and never will until the entire approach is rejected in its entirety.

>

>A quote from the Danish philosopher (about the Protestant Church in the

>mid-19th century ) is pretty on target:

>

>"If the conditions at a certain time are such that almost everyone knows

>privately that the whole thing is wrong, is untrue, while no one will say

so

>officially; when the tactic used by the leaders is: Let us simply hold on,

>behave as though nothing had happened, answer every attack with silence,

>because we ourselves know only too well that everything is rotten, that we

>are playing false: then in that case the conditions are condemned and they

>will crash. It is a battle against lies."

>

>YS,

>Bhutatma dasa

>

[Guest guest]

Excellent text by Janesvara Prabhu!

 

 

>"Janesvara (das) ACBSP (Syracuse - USA)" <Janesvara.ACBSP (AT) bbt (DOT) se>

>Janesvara.ACBSP (AT) bbt (DOT) se, Cow (AT) bbt (DOT) se,

>Varnasrama.development (AT) bbt (DOT) se

>"Bir Krishna Goswami" <70324.1511 (AT) compuserve (DOT) com>, "Balavanta (das)

>ACBSP" <Balavanta.ACBSP (AT) bbt (DOT) se>, "Kalakantha (das) ACBSP (Alachua -

>USA)" <Kalakantha.ACBSP (AT) bbt (DOT) se>, "Caitanya Mangala (das) KKD (Mayapur -

>IN)" <Caitanya.Mangala.KKD (AT) bbt (DOT) se>, "Damon S Campbell"

><damoncampbell (AT) juno (DOT) com>, "WWW: Pancha Tattva Dasa (Alachua FL - USA)"

><panchatattva (AT) com (DOT) org>, "Tirtharaj (das) TKG (Brisbane - AU)"

><Tirtharaj.TKG (AT) bbt (DOT) se>, npetroff (AT) bowdoin (DOT) edu,

>sawmilldirect (AT) webtv (DOT) net, Rennaissanceart (AT) webtv (DOT) net, "Cow (Protection

>and related issues)" <Cow (AT) bbt (DOT) se>, "Varnasrama development"

><Varnasrama.development (AT) bbt (DOT) se>

>A History of Blaming Anyone But Me

>Sat, 26 Feb 00 12:29 -0500

>

> > Why do we only point at the GBC, ignoring the perpetrators themselves

>and

> > their immediate superiors?

>

>

>I can only take the words of others who have made it quite clear that the

>GBCs and other leaders who hold fiscal and legislative authority have not

>been actively supportive of attempts to correct abuses. Take the cows for

>example. How many cows have been abused? Hundreds? Then sincere vaisyas

>like

>Balabhadra, M.Gosh and many others take great care and time to develop

>standards to correct the abuses and get laws passed which are by and large

>ignored and abused by the same so-called leaders. This is not honor. It is

>childish immaturity perpetrated by "adults" which makes it tantamount to

>criminality. They do not have the mental strength to see what things should

>be prioritized.

>

>

>How long do you tolerate such behavior? Another 20 years?

>

>

> > I find your complaints a little disingenuous,

> > and I feel pretty sure that Krishna will fulfill your desire to stay

>away

> > from the Vaishnavas

>

>

>Typical ISKCON AP response. As if Vaisnava association can only be gotten

>in

>ISKCON AP and from "living" Vaisnavas only. Vaisnavas die, right Prabhu?

>Your ignorance really shows through with such statements. I can't associate

>with Prabhupada, Arjuna, Rupa Gosani, Bhisma, etc., etc., anymore, right

>Prabhu? I can't associate with devotees because I am outside of ISKCON AP?

>What impertinence and arrogance. Actually I shouldn't get so upset because

>it is simple ignorance. Fortunately, I also have many Vaisnava friends

>outside of ISKCON AP who are quite helpful and friendly.

>

>"It is sometimes misunderstood that if one has to associate with persons

>engaged in devotional service, he will not be able to solve the economic

>problem. To answer this argument, it is described here that one has to

>associate with liberated persons not directly, physically, but by

>understanding, through philosophy and logic, the problems of life." S.B.

>3.31.48.

>

>

> > Unfortunately, instead of rolling up your sleeves and throwing

> > in your lot with them to solve the problems, you'll sit outside,

> > daydreaming about varnashrama and complaining about the lack of it. It's

> > getting old, Janesvara, really old.

>

>Actually you are right about this. I am not a member of ISKCON AP and I

>really do not have a right to identify with it in terms of saying "we"

>should do this or that. I certainly can't claim any rights to the good

>things that might be going on either. I will try to be more careful in my

>comments from hereon and direct my comments as an outsider looking in. This

>may help me to become a little less critical and more objective. Thank you

>for reminding me of this.

>

>

>I AM a member of the Krsna consciousness movement however, of which ISKCON

>AP can lay no claim as its sole purveyor as it likes to imagine most of the

>time.

>

>As a member of the Krsna consciousness movement I certainly have a right to

>express my freedom of speech and opinions as to how I think ISKCON AP is

>contributing to the dishonor of the Krsna consciousness movement and I will

>continue to do so.

 

____

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