namahatta.org - Congregational Development Ministry

When we see the mercy shown by HDG Srila Prabhupada and those who have followed in his footsteps closely, do we see it shown in the wider devotee community?

We see many who point to or say, "well Srila Prabhupada said many things, and said many contradictory things; so we don't put to much emphasis on these things." Personally I feel this is misleading they may appear so but demonstrates an understanding, mercy, and true compassion being shown to others.

Can and should we be allowed to question?

Can we say that we feel that someone senior to us is wrong, if we feel there is evidence to suggest so?

Or should we just blindly follow because someone has said we must do as they say and it is inevitably for our own good?

I have been looking at my own questioning nature, in view of trying to understand why my desire to publicly show what is there already in my heart and the hindrances there stopping me (which I feel is man made, inflexible, impersonal and does not take into account time place or circumstances) ; and my inability to just surrendered and blindly follow as apparently it’s for my own good to do so.

This is a very nice and thought provoking article by Sita-pati das several comments are worth pondering over:

“It is a mistake to identify with any -ism. When someone has personal difficulties in their relationships with other persons or with an organisation, sometimes they may take shelter of a pre-packaged philosophical position. All -isms are fossilized thought. Although they may identify with that, we do not help them by identifying with it ourselves.”

Someone wrote to me a couple of times about Pandu's recent posts on Planet ISKCON, typecasting them as "ritvik stuff". Here is my reply to them:

"You know the truth of religion, and you are speaking according to the principle that the destination intended for the perpetrator of irreligious acts is also intended for one who identifies the perpetrator."

- Srimad Bhagavatam 1.7.22

Letter to Satsvarupa — New Delhi 2 November, 1973:

Regarding the black lady in Cleveland, if she is actually serious about Krishna consciousness, give her a little freedom. Just behave with her a little gently, so she may be encouraged to spread Krishna consciousness amongst the blacks. Actually if she preaches the importance of this movement amongst the blacks, it will be more effective. This racial color distinction may continue, but when a devotee is actually advanced these things will disappear. Therefore we have to be a little tactful how to induce people to take to Krishna consciousness seriously. That should be our main object. Encourage her to sell books. If black men read our books, it will be a great achievement. As your President Lincoln gave the blacks equal rights, let us cooperate with them.

I would like to direct devotees attention to a proposal to the GBC by HH Mahavishnu Swami written and openly available on his website: Dynamics of ISKCON and it's Gurus

by David Haslam

This is for me the essence, this is the crucial lesson from Srila Prabhupada: that we have the cure and we have the measure to see if it works. This is our only standardization; the rest can only be achieved by forming relationships, getting to know the person, warts and all, and helping and guiding them on a single individual basis—encouraging and ever adjusting until the ultimate goal of self realization is achieved.

Like these core care plans, we need to individualize and personalize the way we administer and give the medicine. We will never be able to make a "one size fits all" devotee society, but we can make a society that recognizes individual traits, individual weaknesses, and individual strengths.

Then we can see how each one can help others in one way or another, and we will see externally the internal changes: the rough diamond becoming the glittering, all attractive gem it really is.

by Akruranatha das

I was very happy to see Niscala dasi's comments (Srila Prabhupada is Our Martin Luther, Dec. 29) to Hare Krishna dasi's article (Waiting for Iskcon's Martin Luther, Chakra, Dec. 25).

I was sorry to see the frustration and disillusionment with the whole ISKCON project that Hare Krishna dasi seemed to be expressing. Even though I've never met Hare Krishna Prabhu face to face, my first reaction upon reading her article was to want to go visit her wherever she lives and try to reassure her and listen sympathetically to her complaints. Surely her frustration must be due to a whole series of bad experiences and not only from one suggestion about "membership" raised by H.H. Sivarama Maharaja at a European GBC meeting (see: HH Sivarama Swami on Sex by Sita-pati to listen to Maharaja's podcast), which seems to have been not very well received by many major ISKCON constituencies and probably is not likely to be adopted or enforced. Hopefully Sivarama Maharaja's proposal will spark some constructive dialogue, as it already seems to be doing.

Here's a podcast that David Jorm and I recorded this morning. We talked around ISKCON membership, covering the Chocolate incident, and some wider ISKCON Constitutional issues.

• Podcast: ISKCON Membership, part A
• Podcast: ISKCON Membership, part B

Some related resources:

• David's blog
• H.H. Prahladananda Swami's 2006 paper "Duties of GBC and Guru

I've also attached a copy to this post, in case the other link goes dark at some point. Here's the section I quoted in the podcast:

In the early days of ISKCON, devotees were sometimes surprised by how spontaneously something would happen.

Here's one such incident (from Srila Prabhpada Lilamrita, Chapter 22, "Swami Invites the Hippies," about Prabhupada's first visit to San Francisco, in early 1967):