How the (ISKCON) West was Lost
BY: JAYA MADHAVA DAS (ACBSP)
A modern day global epidemic, as Srila Prabhupada's Original ISKCON and his instructions are being watered down and neglected all over the world. Recently, we have seen the frightening and destructive power of bush fires in Australia and the massive loss of property and tragic loss of life. Is it any karmic coincidence that at the same time this inauspicious event is taking Australia by storm now, the ISKCON Australia Yatra and Ratha Yatra sink into an all new frightening, destructive low? The yatra is plagued with crass commercial and Hinduism with its many Indian supporters.
In a similar way, ISKCON is being destroyed in the West by the same Indians who live there and support it. It is destructive because it totally misrepresents His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada's ISKCON and promotes it as fun and frolicking, sense gratification… an anything goes (as long as it's ISKCON/Hindu) Society.
Most festivals/programs in ISKCON are mostly attended, managed and supported by the Indian community, many of whom have little understanding of who Srila Prabhupada really is. Although their help is deeply appreciated, it has come at a devastating cost. Our temples have lost the Mission of Srila Prabhupada and are now clouded by money considerations. So many deviations are made by the Indians who run and support our ISKCON centers in the West, in America, Canada and Europe.
We've seen what's going off at Australia at Ratha Yatra, where untrained Indians use ISKCON for some mundane pseudo-Hindu cultural event. There was Bollywood dancing and karmi music at 2012 Australia Rath Yatra. One look at the video is very disturbing and embarrassing for anyone who reads Srila Prabhupada's books and is in the know.
Any Sincere Prabhupada disciple or follower will spot the compromise and deviations… that a Hinduized ISKCON is NOT following Srila Prabhupada anymore. Moreover it's an aparadha to Srila Prabhupada's exact intentions and orders on how we as his followers must preach in the ISKCON temples, public venues and festivals. Point in case, see the YouTube video below -- Bollywood dancing at Ratha Yathra, ISKCON Melbourne 2012:
This is how bad it can get when there is no proper understanding of Krsna Consciousness or respecting the Ratha Yatra that Srila Prabhupada brought to the West… it degrades to mundane Hindu Bollywood nonsense, mundane music and nonsense dancing. It's come this OFF in ISKCON. How tragic and offensive to Srila Prabhupada, who brought pure bhakti and Ratha Yatra to the West.
This mission drift is so out of control now in ISKCON and has been going on as if were 'normal' for so many years now that some new untrained new devotees don't even know it's off! That's really scary. To see this as acceptable and influencing even devotee children in the crowd! The boom-boom sensual music and sensual dancing… is this Bhakti Yoga -- devotional service?
Watching the video, the first thing we noticed is the 'enjoying mood', but not the Maha Mantra chanting… now with no shame. Instead we see Bollywood Music and nonsense karmi dancing… all misrepresenting Srila Prabhupada and his Movement in the West. The female Indian hostess of the event does not seem to have a clue this is off, and amazingly no one else seems to either. She is having a great time in the mode of ignorance and passion.
In the background on the stage we see NOT mrdangas and harmoniums, but a rock drum set and other western instruments. I don't even want to know what that was all about, but it fits the recurring popular trend of rock kirtans… New Age/demigod chanting replacing what Srila Prabhupada wanted -- Krishna Kirtan -- and that's Hari Nama Kirtan, with many devotees in devotional clothes and playing traditional Indian instruments. Instead of trying to please Srila Prabhupada and Krsna they are trying to please the senses. This in itself is an alarmingly bad trend and it's spreading all over ISKCON now. Is this New Age Rock ISKCON, or just plain Hinduized ISKCON now?
You see the disappointing, awful picture of letting in so many compromises to Srila Prabhupada's cherished Ratha Yatra festivals and downgrading it to a New Age Hippie fest and New Age Hindu sense enjoyment, being done in the name ISKCON. This has been going on for many years now. The tragedy is by allowing this, they are cheating the public of genuine Krsna consciousness and destroying beyond repair the pure Krsna Consciousness Prabhupada wanted His Society to represent and preach. This is very awful, these embarrassing Maya/Kali-yuga influenced activities.
Unless we speak out nothing will get reformed or corrected. So what's the GBC doing to address this? Apparently, NOTHING! Nothing at all. This topic never sees the serious light of day at GBC meetings. Then the GBC body DEMANDS respect, saying they represent Srila Prabhupada! This is cheating! We follow (but don't) -- we can change ISKCON… It's all talk.
Why are serious issues like the following in ISKCON not being addressed and confronted? The Vanishing Dying (or DOA) Bhakta Program in the West - our USA / Canada Dead On Arrival brahmacari / brahmacarini ashrams. The complete loss of 99% of Srila Prabhupada disciples and other sincere devotees.
The total decrease in attendance local Sunday feasts and festivals, now replaced by Indians and "their programs".
Many ISKCON Temples in America, Canada and UK (particularly Bhaktivedanta Manor, the Flagship of Compromise) are now run mostly by and for Indians at the neglect of the locals... all for money considerations. Devotional Services is now paid employees at many temples, like Bhaktivedanta Manor, at the cost of depleting Prabhupada's original programs. They write Vision papers with no vision!
Nowhere do we see Srila Prabhupada's exact instructions on what they are supposed to do and not do, or our GBC leaders posing as role model for ISKCON. What we see is BIG money from Indians, paid devotees/employees. PR stunts galore, Srila Prabhupada instructions neglected. Prabhupada's 'original instructions for preaching at the Manor and avoiding catering to Indians in the UK... ALL lost and covered up. This is corruption of Srila Prabhupada's Movement and temples, and a total refusal to address it.
What we are seeing instead is the GBC promoting their Strategic Planning success story for 2013. It's all so much talk and doublespeak and fluff. They are 'parallel lines' of whose authority? Basically their own… but they want us to see them as being on the same path as Srila Prabhupada so they can justify the changes and compromises in ISKCON… the many grievous changes and deviations in what has become the New Age/Hindu Compromised ISKCON.
Who is fooling who? Would they present this Parallel Lines of Authority (we are equal to Prabhupada) directly to Srila Prabhupada in person? I say they would not dare! But now they can do as they please and we have to settle for it. It's just more of the cheating mentality from a group of dysfunctional, power control managers of a once powerful spiritual Society. Nowadays power is money, manpower and control… not following the Sampradaya Acarya's instructions.
In their article about the Strategic Planning of the GBC (below), there is no mention of Srila Prabhupada' instructions at all. They are not addressing real serious issues, but rather are selling their own views with PR hype and dancing with word play, with flowery big executive words. Get me a CEO dictionary to read this bloated hyperbole. It's an in-your-face pompous presentation. Where is Srila Prabhupada's views mentioned? Nowhere! But they justify their views by using Srila Prabhupada's name, again and again in meeting after meeting. Again, this is simply the cheating propensity!
Nowhere to be found is real openness and transparency. It's transparent, yes… I can see right thought this GBC PR How is this reaffirming the position of Srila Prabhupada? (Don't you know His position… you are GBCS?) If you preached the position of Srila Prabhupada as the main position of ISKCON, then WHY are you disobeying him? PR, that's all it is. The GBC Body has become completely lost in their own CEO hype, as ISKCON goes further and further down in its standards, at warp speed.
Please get our your Dictionary and read this recent article, posted on Dandavats. com -- GBC Strategic Planning Meeting ----- (To Nowhere!) ------ Success Achieved To Date Through GBC Strategic Planning
WHEW… get me some aspirin… I have a headache after getting through that bloated article! And here's a perfect example of what's gone wrong in America… New York's Movement Grows?
On a positive note… let's hope that the New York devotees can come to the realization that Hari Nam and making locals as devotees has been neglected and must be at the forefront of their goals from now on. Time will tell. I'm very happy to see that Krishna Kripa das prabhu and devotees are doing street Kirtans in New York for many days and hours a week. BRAVO! Hari Bol! It's been long, long neglected and long overdue in America! This is indeed good news! But, Ironically, it proves my point about what's gone off in ISKCON.
Despite the sincere efforts of these nice devotees, we see only a very small handful of devotees attending. This is a far cry from the hundreds of Prabhupada's disciples and devotees who chanted down Times Square from ISKCON's West 55th Street temple in the 1970s and 1980s. So we have to admit that practical things have decreased in ISKCON.
Most devotees left when the temple was closed down illegally by the GBC (in the 80's) and they blatantly disobeyed Srila Prabhupada's direct order, never to close or sell the Manhattan skyscraper on West 55th Street . Now in 2013 ,we see the results of that offense… New York ISKCON has NEVER recovered or made local devotees again on the scale we did in the 1970's. It never recovered from this mistake, and never admitted it was their fault that the preaching was ruined in New York City. These are the reactions for the offense of disobeying Srila Prabhupada's instructions by closing West 55th Street ISKCON.
Sadly, many of Srila Prabhupada's disciples are heartbroken about what they see happening to his ISKCON… everything changed and deviated… it's so very tragic. They have been abandoned. I will end this article with an excerpt of a letter a Godbrother recently sent to me, a very sincere prabhu. This same report could easily have come from many other disciples of Srila Prabhupada's. This Godbrother visited many ISKCON Temples in the USA this year, and his comment speaks volumes about what's wrong with ISKCON today:
"As I traveled to Ratha yatras all summer I noticed that at almost all the festivals it was always an Indian woman who was the MC. When did this start? And the younger ones were always trying to project a persona of hipness, upbeatness, etc. No spirituality whatsoever. Those days are gone. And there are no more lectures at the festivals either. Just Indian dancing, hyped up kirtans, western style kirtans with western instruments or rock bands, and sometimes dramas. No more preaching. No more spreading of true Krishna consciousness. Just a false, watered down cultural presentation to impress the public. That's my report."
It's a sad state of affairs for ISKCON America, Canada, England, and elsewhere. The preaching is watered down and compromised in nearly all areas, just as America goes down the tubes to hell. Prabhus, please pray to Lord Nrsimhadeva to vanquish the demonic elements in ISKCON, and that Lord Krsna will step in and make the necessary happen before Prabhupada's pure, intended, original ISKCON is gone in the West FOREVER.
BY: JAYA MADHAVA DAS (ACBSP)
A modern day global epidemic, as Srila Prabhupada's Original ISKCON and his instructions are being watered down and neglected all over the world. Recently, we have seen the frightening and destructive power of bush fires in Australia and the massive loss of property and tragic loss of life. Is it any karmic coincidence that at the same time this inauspicious event is taking Australia by storm now, the ISKCON Australia Yatra and Ratha Yatra sink into an all new frightening, destructive low? The yatra is plagued with crass commercial and Hinduism with its many Indian supporters.
In a similar way, ISKCON is being destroyed in the West by the same Indians who live there and support it. It is destructive because it totally misrepresents His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada's ISKCON and promotes it as fun and frolicking, sense gratification… an anything goes (as long as it's ISKCON/Hindu) Society.
Most festivals/programs in ISKCON are mostly attended, managed and supported by the Indian community, many of whom have little understanding of who Srila Prabhupada really is. Although their help is deeply appreciated, it has come at a devastating cost. Our temples have lost the Mission of Srila Prabhupada and are now clouded by money considerations. So many deviations are made by the Indians who run and support our ISKCON centers in the West, in America, Canada and Europe.
We've seen what's going off at Australia at Ratha Yatra, where untrained Indians use ISKCON for some mundane pseudo-Hindu cultural event. There was Bollywood dancing and karmi music at 2012 Australia Rath Yatra. One look at the video is very disturbing and embarrassing for anyone who reads Srila Prabhupada's books and is in the know.
Any Sincere Prabhupada disciple or follower will spot the compromise and deviations… that a Hinduized ISKCON is NOT following Srila Prabhupada anymore. Moreover it's an aparadha to Srila Prabhupada's exact intentions and orders on how we as his followers must preach in the ISKCON temples, public venues and festivals. Point in case, see the YouTube video below -- Bollywood dancing at Ratha Yathra, ISKCON Melbourne 2012:
This is how bad it can get when there is no proper understanding of Krsna Consciousness or respecting the Ratha Yatra that Srila Prabhupada brought to the West… it degrades to mundane Hindu Bollywood nonsense, mundane music and nonsense dancing. It's come this OFF in ISKCON. How tragic and offensive to Srila Prabhupada, who brought pure bhakti and Ratha Yatra to the West.
This mission drift is so out of control now in ISKCON and has been going on as if were 'normal' for so many years now that some new untrained new devotees don't even know it's off! That's really scary. To see this as acceptable and influencing even devotee children in the crowd! The boom-boom sensual music and sensual dancing… is this Bhakti Yoga -- devotional service?
Watching the video, the first thing we noticed is the 'enjoying mood', but not the Maha Mantra chanting… now with no shame. Instead we see Bollywood Music and nonsense karmi dancing… all misrepresenting Srila Prabhupada and his Movement in the West. The female Indian hostess of the event does not seem to have a clue this is off, and amazingly no one else seems to either. She is having a great time in the mode of ignorance and passion.
In the background on the stage we see NOT mrdangas and harmoniums, but a rock drum set and other western instruments. I don't even want to know what that was all about, but it fits the recurring popular trend of rock kirtans… New Age/demigod chanting replacing what Srila Prabhupada wanted -- Krishna Kirtan -- and that's Hari Nama Kirtan, with many devotees in devotional clothes and playing traditional Indian instruments. Instead of trying to please Srila Prabhupada and Krsna they are trying to please the senses. This in itself is an alarmingly bad trend and it's spreading all over ISKCON now. Is this New Age Rock ISKCON, or just plain Hinduized ISKCON now?
You see the disappointing, awful picture of letting in so many compromises to Srila Prabhupada's cherished Ratha Yatra festivals and downgrading it to a New Age Hippie fest and New Age Hindu sense enjoyment, being done in the name ISKCON. This has been going on for many years now. The tragedy is by allowing this, they are cheating the public of genuine Krsna consciousness and destroying beyond repair the pure Krsna Consciousness Prabhupada wanted His Society to represent and preach. This is very awful, these embarrassing Maya/Kali-yuga influenced activities.
Unless we speak out nothing will get reformed or corrected. So what's the GBC doing to address this? Apparently, NOTHING! Nothing at all. This topic never sees the serious light of day at GBC meetings. Then the GBC body DEMANDS respect, saying they represent Srila Prabhupada! This is cheating! We follow (but don't) -- we can change ISKCON… It's all talk.
Why are serious issues like the following in ISKCON not being addressed and confronted? The Vanishing Dying (or DOA) Bhakta Program in the West - our USA / Canada Dead On Arrival brahmacari / brahmacarini ashrams. The complete loss of 99% of Srila Prabhupada disciples and other sincere devotees.
The total decrease in attendance local Sunday feasts and festivals, now replaced by Indians and "their programs".
Many ISKCON Temples in America, Canada and UK (particularly Bhaktivedanta Manor, the Flagship of Compromise) are now run mostly by and for Indians at the neglect of the locals... all for money considerations. Devotional Services is now paid employees at many temples, like Bhaktivedanta Manor, at the cost of depleting Prabhupada's original programs. They write Vision papers with no vision!
Nowhere do we see Srila Prabhupada's exact instructions on what they are supposed to do and not do, or our GBC leaders posing as role model for ISKCON. What we see is BIG money from Indians, paid devotees/employees. PR stunts galore, Srila Prabhupada instructions neglected. Prabhupada's 'original instructions for preaching at the Manor and avoiding catering to Indians in the UK... ALL lost and covered up. This is corruption of Srila Prabhupada's Movement and temples, and a total refusal to address it.
What we are seeing instead is the GBC promoting their Strategic Planning success story for 2013. It's all so much talk and doublespeak and fluff. They are 'parallel lines' of whose authority? Basically their own… but they want us to see them as being on the same path as Srila Prabhupada so they can justify the changes and compromises in ISKCON… the many grievous changes and deviations in what has become the New Age/Hindu Compromised ISKCON.
Who is fooling who? Would they present this Parallel Lines of Authority (we are equal to Prabhupada) directly to Srila Prabhupada in person? I say they would not dare! But now they can do as they please and we have to settle for it. It's just more of the cheating mentality from a group of dysfunctional, power control managers of a once powerful spiritual Society. Nowadays power is money, manpower and control… not following the Sampradaya Acarya's instructions.
In their article about the Strategic Planning of the GBC (below), there is no mention of Srila Prabhupada' instructions at all. They are not addressing real serious issues, but rather are selling their own views with PR hype and dancing with word play, with flowery big executive words. Get me a CEO dictionary to read this bloated hyperbole. It's an in-your-face pompous presentation. Where is Srila Prabhupada's views mentioned? Nowhere! But they justify their views by using Srila Prabhupada's name, again and again in meeting after meeting. Again, this is simply the cheating propensity!
Nowhere to be found is real openness and transparency. It's transparent, yes… I can see right thought this GBC PR How is this reaffirming the position of Srila Prabhupada? (Don't you know His position… you are GBCS?) If you preached the position of Srila Prabhupada as the main position of ISKCON, then WHY are you disobeying him? PR, that's all it is. The GBC Body has become completely lost in their own CEO hype, as ISKCON goes further and further down in its standards, at warp speed.
Please get our your Dictionary and read this recent article, posted on Dandavats. com -- GBC Strategic Planning Meeting ----- (To Nowhere!) ------ Success Achieved To Date Through GBC Strategic Planning
WHEW… get me some aspirin… I have a headache after getting through that bloated article! And here's a perfect example of what's gone wrong in America… New York's Movement Grows?
On a positive note… let's hope that the New York devotees can come to the realization that Hari Nam and making locals as devotees has been neglected and must be at the forefront of their goals from now on. Time will tell. I'm very happy to see that Krishna Kripa das prabhu and devotees are doing street Kirtans in New York for many days and hours a week. BRAVO! Hari Bol! It's been long, long neglected and long overdue in America! This is indeed good news! But, Ironically, it proves my point about what's gone off in ISKCON.
Despite the sincere efforts of these nice devotees, we see only a very small handful of devotees attending. This is a far cry from the hundreds of Prabhupada's disciples and devotees who chanted down Times Square from ISKCON's West 55th Street temple in the 1970s and 1980s. So we have to admit that practical things have decreased in ISKCON.
Most devotees left when the temple was closed down illegally by the GBC (in the 80's) and they blatantly disobeyed Srila Prabhupada's direct order, never to close or sell the Manhattan skyscraper on West 55th Street . Now in 2013 ,we see the results of that offense… New York ISKCON has NEVER recovered or made local devotees again on the scale we did in the 1970's. It never recovered from this mistake, and never admitted it was their fault that the preaching was ruined in New York City. These are the reactions for the offense of disobeying Srila Prabhupada's instructions by closing West 55th Street ISKCON.
Sadly, many of Srila Prabhupada's disciples are heartbroken about what they see happening to his ISKCON… everything changed and deviated… it's so very tragic. They have been abandoned. I will end this article with an excerpt of a letter a Godbrother recently sent to me, a very sincere prabhu. This same report could easily have come from many other disciples of Srila Prabhupada's. This Godbrother visited many ISKCON Temples in the USA this year, and his comment speaks volumes about what's wrong with ISKCON today:
"As I traveled to Ratha yatras all summer I noticed that at almost all the festivals it was always an Indian woman who was the MC. When did this start? And the younger ones were always trying to project a persona of hipness, upbeatness, etc. No spirituality whatsoever. Those days are gone. And there are no more lectures at the festivals either. Just Indian dancing, hyped up kirtans, western style kirtans with western instruments or rock bands, and sometimes dramas. No more preaching. No more spreading of true Krishna consciousness. Just a false, watered down cultural presentation to impress the public. That's my report."
It's a sad state of affairs for ISKCON America, Canada, England, and elsewhere. The preaching is watered down and compromised in nearly all areas, just as America goes down the tubes to hell. Prabhus, please pray to Lord Nrsimhadeva to vanquish the demonic elements in ISKCON, and that Lord Krsna will step in and make the necessary happen before Prabhupada's pure, intended, original ISKCON is gone in the West FOREVER.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.