Thursday, April 10, 2008

Why I Write

One devotee who read my last post questioned my motives for writing. That's a fair question.

I write because it's the only thing i am inspired to do right now. It may surprise some that criticism can be a form of preaching. Preaching or kirtan means to glorify the absolute truth. To tell the truth, you need to see the truth, not as it's packaged by so-called authorities, but with your own eyes. There are real authorities who can give us the truth. Those are pure devotees. The worldwide community of neophyte devotees is suffering due to a lack of pure devotees who can guide them. No material solution can replace this great scarcity of unmotivated and uninterrupted bhakti in our world today.

So when i write, i try to express my experiences and my humble realizations. Of course, you can ask me if i'm pure. And the answer is clearly NO. My heart is at least as polluted as the next one, if not more. So then what's the difference between me and the devotees i'm criticizing? Not much. Except, i'm admitting who i am. I'm saying i can't lead you, but neither can your so-called leaders lead you. The emperor has no clothes. In other words, you are being mislead. Open your eyes.

I'm not against my godbrothers. Those who stayed in Iskcon and those who started their own groups are all devotees. Some are better or purer than others. Some can actually help you to a degree. But beware of cheating, hypocrisy and deceit. These are the qualities that allow Kali to infiltrate and sabotage a spiritual movement. These are qualities that should be exposed. Don't be fooled by saffron or silk. The pen is mightier than the danda.

I don't have the answers or the solutions. The younger devotees want positive examples and solutions. I don't blame them. But before you get answers, you first need to ask the proper questions. First question is: why did 95% of Prabhupada's disciples leave Iskcon after Prabhupada left? Did they stop loving Prabhupada? Or did they stop feeling the mercy of Prabhupada in Iskcon? Before you cure a disease, you need to diagnose the patient. No diagnosis, no chance for a cure.

You can't be sentimental. Krishna told this to Arjuna. You need to face the truth and act from the truth. Not from sentiment or attachment or aversion. Look at the truth and hope and pray for some inspiration. And the truth is that Iskcon has deviated from Prabhupada, and while it may look and talk as if it represents Prabhupada, it no longer does. At least not the Prabhupada i knew. Today's Iskcon represents the desires of its less-than-pure leaders who wave the flag of Prabhupada to promote their own agenda. For many devotees, that's a hard pill to swallow.

I certainly don't get any money or prestige from writing these posts. Neither do i have a political agenda. I'm not a ritvik or a follower of a competitor group. What i want from writing is more clarity and inspiration to make progress on my spiritual path. That's probably what everyone reading this post also wants. But this inspiration must come from above, not from matter. Not from a committee, not from laws, not from a rubber stamped sadhu, or from loyalty to an autocracy. It must come from spirit, from Krishna, from the words and examples and blessings of paramahamsas. Do you get it?

12 comments:

Krishna Das said...

Yes, I'm sorry if I may have offended you with my post prabhuji. You have every right to feel the way you do. But when you come to Amsterdam next time please don't forget to visit and bless our humble little temple.
Radhe Radhe

jauvana said...

Krishna das, you didn't offend me. You gave me food for thought. The younger devotees who want action more that talk are correct. We should be opening new temples and bringing people to the feet of the real Prabhupada whom we were so fortunate to know and love. By the mercy of guru and Gauranga, that day may come.

In the meantime, we can hope and pray and appreciate the beauty of the innocent vaisnavas in this world. I would certainly like to meet you next time i come to Amsterdam, not for blessings, but for getting your association.

Krishna Das said...

Yes Prabhuji, and if Ananda Svarupa then cooks it will be a great feast. :)

Carlo Aananda said...

All right. I never turn down a request to speak on behalf of Krsna or to cook for Him. So lets do it later this spring.

jauvana said...

I must also insist that Ananda Swarup sings and plays Siksastakam on his guitar.

Atmavidya Das said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Atmavidya Das said...

Please send me the date of when you all meet up in Amsterdam. If you can tolerate me I will be happy to share some of my experiences with my last and final attempt with ISKCON a year ago. In particular, why I am convinced that present-day ISKCON IS doomed. The cancer has already spread to an entire new generation and community. Nothing will help save and except for the truth, nothing but the truth, and the entire truth. And I must say that I fully agree with Jauvana Prabhu that criticism can be a form of preaching. And one that is very much called for these days indeed.
Atma

Krishna Das said...

The real truth is love and nothing but love. It is a matter which we souls entangled in maya are very limited in concerning understanding it. Let's trust that Krsna knows what he's doing adn let's support him in his desire. He says 10000 nice years, so that will happen. Jai Sri Caitanya

Carlo Aananda said...

Love is as love does. Can anyone claim to love the father (Prabhupada) and then not make space in a loving way to 97% of his children (godbrothers)?

Swarup Das said...

I have to agree with Atmavidya. If a house becomes so infested with termites and wood rot there's not much one can do to fix it up. It's got to be torn down to the very foundation and rebuilt.

A great deviation took place just after Srila Prabhupada left. ISKCON leaders lost their way and headed down the wrong highway. No matter how much they try to adjust and tweak and compromise --- nothing works. The only right thing to do is backtrack -- all the way to the beginning -- cross over the freeway -- and get on the right road. There's no shortcut.

We can only hope that the voices of reason such as Jauvana's writings will reach our godbrothers sooner than later. You may say I'm a dreamer -- but I'm not the only one.

arjuna dasa said...

hare krsna !

i am a disciple of srila prabhupadas disciple bhaktiswarupa damodara swami and even when i joined ISKCON Berkeley in 1990 and travelled around the temples in america and india, the situation was far from where it is today...it was still very fired up and ecstatic, temple fairly full of brahmacaris AND grihastas, a decent amount of harinama and distribution of srila prabhupadas books, the sunday feasts were not an occasion of "preaching to the choir" like todays "Hinduized" brand of ISKCON...i live near the philly temple and the temple--save the sunday feasts where ravindra swarupa prabhu gives a sunday feast lecture in which the philosophy of krsna consciousnessis presented not as it was by suta goswami to the sages of naismisaranya but like an infomercial for the clapper--are all but empty and devoid of life except for a couple of Indian pujaris outsourced from India...i am saddened, disheartened and, mostly, disappointed by what i am witnessing, this present course taken by ISKCON management which depends so heavily on the support fianancial and otherwise of its Hinduized congregation to the exclusion of any other means of preaching...

Krishna Das said...

Haribol, So, we have got to take action. What will we go and do about it? Radhe Radhe