a little drama without caps
Post on 07-Apr-2018
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HEALING SRILA PRABHUPADAS BODY
Can We Mend the Shattered Fragments of ISKCON? -
A Dialogue Presented to the GBCBy Krsna-devata devi dasi and Shakuntala devi dasi
KD:
In the process of getting here and preparing this speech, Krsna has taught me many lessons. I came
thinking that I would be speaking to the GBC, but this is actually just a title, a stereotype. This title is
what stands in the way of us understanding one another you are GBC members and we are
gurukulies. They are barriers.
I want to speak to you as other members of this society that Srila Prabhupada established. I want
to speak to you as individuals who have invested their whole lives in Srila Prabhupadas movement
and are now seeing it crumble. I dont want to make assumptions, but from what I have heard, I think
that I can safely say that many of you are burnt out, confused as to how to move forward, and
overwhelmed by the quantity and scale of the difficulties and challenges within the movement.
We ask you to please listen to us with the heart that Srila Prabhupada opened. Srila Prabhupadainspired and loved each and every one of you. We ask you to listen remembering that you once
thought it possible to take over the world with Lord Caitanyas merciful potency. We know that you
are not an idealistic group, but we ask you to remember that Krsna Consciousness is idealistic. We
ask you to listen as individuals who are interested in attaining the most deep and sincere love for
Krsna and His devotees. We ask you to please put your personal judgments of us aside and listen to us
as we put our personal and political judgements of you aside.
I am speaking to you because this ISKCON body is my family. I want to make sure that it not
only survives, but also thrives. We all have great love for our spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, and
we must carry out our duty.
SHA:What is our duty? What is the point of spreading the movement, just for the sake of spreading
something? What is the point of building a temple, just to build a big temple? What is the point of
preaching? What are we preaching? What is the point of raising money? To get lots of money? Its not
about absolute truth anymore. Most of us are out of touch with ourselves, and out of touch with
everyone else.
I am disgusted. We were all once willing to do or give anything for the pursuit of a higher
understanding. We stood for something. We were sold out to the Absolute Truth. Now we have just
sold out. We gave our lives, our youthfor what? Just to give up again on the Absolute Truth.
What is the point? Do we still seekabsolute truth? Why chant 16 rounds and follow the four
regs? Why dont we just revel in sense gratification? Why do we put ourselves through this? I thought
it was because this process should put us more in touch with ourselves, not alienate us. Isnt that truth?
KD:
So why are we so alienated? What are we missing in this process? How do we move forward?
There is no... quick fix. It is not about the issues. This is not a problem of legislation How many
resolutions must we write before we realize that this is not a structural problem? We are facing
alienation, and isolation. We dont know each other. As a movement, we no longer have Srila
Prabhupadas living force; his vision. What happened to that revolutionary spirit? What happened to
that vibrant inspiration that swept people up? We are not going to find that in beaurocracy, big
temples or big titles. Just as individuals cannot find happiness in cars, houses, family or their jobs,
ISKCON is going to find no solutions in this way. These things are temporary.
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SHA:
These things are material. These things are nothing to Krsna, if the sincere desire for self-realization is
absent. They are specs of dirt. Temporary money, fame, and buildingsso what? Krsna is pleased by
the devotion within those things. He is inside our hearts, and knows what we feel and knows when we
are not feeling. Have we forgotten the point? and now just go on with the show for the rest of the
world? What is the point?
KD:
This is a spiritual movement so we are not going to find material answers. So we must start asking
spiritual questions again. Who are we? What are we here for?
SHA:
Our movement is far from the vision engulfing people off the street with waves of transcendental love
and devotion. Instead we are objectifying one another more and more, seeing each other as women,
ritviks, gurus, bhaktas, or gurukulies. Instead of coming to the realization that the sadhu, the dog and
the dog eater are all within their hearts, parts and parcels of Krsna. Unfortunately, we are content with
our superficial perceptions of one another. We are also increasingly satisfied with our superficialperceptions of the Absolute Truth. We have become the epitome of licking the outside of the honey
jar. We have been falsely jacking each other up instead of allowing spiritual inspiration to be
evoked from within.
KD:
We are fragmented, disenfranchised, disillusioned and uninspired. As a movement, we do not have
trust in our leaders, nor do we have trust in ourselves. We are slapping each other in the face everyday
on our computer screens. And the Bhagavatam classes we sit through are not addressing our lives;
they do not inspire us. You are all overburdened and dont know the answers any better than the rest
of us. As a movement we are no longer moving. So where do we go from here? How do we all take
responsibility for healing Srila Prabhupadas body?
SHA:
We are all conditioned. Thats a given. This conception is the platform that we start from. Let us
begin to grow beyond this. Let us not be fooled by the costumes that we temporarily wear in this life-
time, let us not see each other as limited to that. Let us go higher. Let us look within and remember
that we are all fallen devotees; we are all blind in different ways. And we all see in different ways. It
is not our individual vision that is powerful but our combined vision that is unstoppable.
KD:
We all have some small spiritual vision, but we are also blind in so many ways. Together we must
find Srila Prabhupadas vision.
SHA:
Ista gosthi is an authentic way to figure out how to work together; how to organically synergize. We
are all here to be instruments for Krsna. We all have our own stories. We have all heard His calling
in different ways. In a sense, you might say that we are all married to each other through our common
love for Krsna and Srila Prabhupada. We must work it out. Divorce is not an option in the Vedic
system. Srila Prabhupada asked that not one drop of the blood that it took to make each devotee be
spilled. We are spilling Srila Prabhupadas blood by pushing people away, burning them out,
discouraging them, silencing them, banning themdisgracing them. Let us put our energy together.
Let us not forget that vision that we all aspire to see.
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KD:
Together let us find the ecstasy of Sri Gaurasundar to melt the hearts of all the conditioned souls,
including ourselves. Lord Caitanyas potency is invoked within gatherings of devotees. Hearing and
chanting together. Let us start now by listening to each other to truly hear. Srila Prabhupada has
given us the model of ista gosti. This is a way of authentic inquiry and spiritual discussion. This is also
our Vaisnava tradition as exemplified by the discussions between Sukadeva Gosvami and Maharaja
Pariksit in the Srimad Bhagavatam; Lord Caitanya and His associates in the Caitanya Caritamrita; and
Krsna and Arjuna in the Bhagavad-gita. Since we are all aspiring devotees, all of our social, political,
emotional and philosophical issues can be solved by the Absolute Truth.
SHA:
For one moment, let us remember, without any material limitations, what is possible for our
movement. What we see in front of us is an external manifestation of our collective desires. Let us
desire to fulfil Srila Prabhupadas vision not our own. Because we only care about ourselves, our
movement is splintering into smaller and smaller fragments. We are destroying Srila Prabhupadas
movement from within by breaking it apart. If we sincerely desire more than this, Krsna promises to
fulfil our desires.
KD:
It is through association that we learn love of God. How can we say that we love Krsna, if we cannot
love His devotees? How many of us truthfully love one another? The challenges that face us are
material blocks, but they are spiritual opportunities. Just as Queen Kunti prayed to always have
material distress so that she could always seek the shelter of Krsna, this is our opportunity, in this
great time of crisis, to put our arms up helplessly for guidance and shelter from the Lord. At this time
of crisis, our titles wont help us; our robes wont help us. Our status, even in this movement, is
merely a temporary costume. We all must admit that we dont have the answers as individuals. When
we are in crisis as individuals, we take shelter in Krsna. So as a movement in crisis, we must pay our
most heartfelt obeisances to Krsna in the heart of each and every individual in this movement.
SHA:
Let us apply this transcendental philosophy to help us transcend these material blocks that prevent us
from working together and being unstoppable.
KD:
Let us stop mistaking inquiry for criticism.
Let us stop shutting people out with fear.
Let us stop gathering in the courtroom and start gathering in the temple room.
Let us stop being a movement that specialises in saving face and political clean-ups, and let us start
being a movement that specialises in sharing love of God.
SHA:
Lets stop moving forward for the sake of moving forward and move upward to higher consciousness.
Lets stop believing in miracles and start relying on them. Now lets start by leaving our titles at the
door and having an ista gosthi.
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