What If Things Hadn't Changed?
BY: SUNANDA DAS (ACBSP)
BY: SUNANDA DAS (ACBSP)
Have you ever stopped to deeply ponder what the Hare Krishna Movement would be like if things hadn't changed after the departure of His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada and had simply gone on as normal? This is a question especially for my Godbrothers and Sisters, within and outside ISKCON, but others will benefit from the points stated below as well.
First, and foundational to my perspective, it's a plain reality that no more than 4-5% of Srila Prabhupada's initiated disciples (around 5,000) still remain active in ISKCON. That's 250 or less! Many are no longer even spiritually active. This is sad but true, and in my estimation is possibly the most serious blow to the growth of Srila Prabhupada's movement. Putting aside for now the all too well-known reasons for such a mass exodus, what if the majority of these trained, experienced, and sincere devotees was still around? Do you think this might have made a difference in what ISKCON would be like now? There's no doubt about it.
Now, use your imagination a little and contemplate the "what if" scenario for a minute:
1. What if there were hundreds of Srila Prabhupada's disciples still managing, living in, and/or guiding the temples in the principles they were taught by him?
2. What if there were hundreds of Srila Prabhupada's disciples training new devotees in all aspects of devotional life: deity worship, cooking, etc.?
3. What if there were hundreds of Srila Prabhupada's disciples still preaching strongly and making new devotees, and training others how to do the same?
4. What if there were hundreds of Srila Prabhupada's disciples still distributing his books by the millions as they once did?
5. What if there were hundreds of Srila Prabhupada's disciples traveling to temples and inspiring all the new devotees with their realizations?
6. What if there were hundreds of Srila Prabhupada's disciples still opening new temples throughout the world?
7. What if there were hundreds of Srila Prabhupada's disciples helping to develop and organize Varnashrama Dharma as he intended?
8. What if there were hundreds of Srila Prabhupada's disciples actively developing farms and self-sustainable alternative communities?
9. What if there were hundreds of Srila Prabhupada's disciples preaching to the scientific community?
10. What if there were hundreds of Srila Prabhupada's disciples influencing world governments with Srila Prabhupada's teachings?
11. What if there were hundreds of Srila Prabhupada's disciples still going out on Harinama every day?
12. What if there were hundreds of Srila Prabhupada's disciples still preaching on College and University campuses, and amongst academicians and scholars?
The list could go on, but you get the picture. The ISKCON world would be a healthy, vibrant society, influencing and re-spiritualizing the world as Srila Prabhupada envisioned. And the mere number of empowered senior devotees would be a heavy influence against the dreaded "change disease" which has affected and infected much of the ISKCON world of today. Deviations of various sorts would not be tolerated, compromises and watering down of the philosophy and its mode of presentation would be shunned, changes to Srila Prabhupada's books would be kept to a minimum, temples would not be empty and standards would be higher, temple management would be in "local" hands as he desired, etc. Srila Prabhupada would still be front and center in the Hare Krishna Movement.
I believe many of the problems facing ISKCON today are the result of a simple lack of leadership, guidance and checks and balances from senior, experienced devotees who should have been here to carry their training down to others for the future generations. However, one thing is certain. Barring another maha-bhagavata devotee appearing to set things straight (again), Srila Prabhupada's books, recorded lectures, conversations, morning walks and letters are still there, and so there is hope that things can get back on track and the Hare Krishna Movement can become the spiritual force predicted to change the world for the next 10,000 years.
First, and foundational to my perspective, it's a plain reality that no more than 4-5% of Srila Prabhupada's initiated disciples (around 5,000) still remain active in ISKCON. That's 250 or less! Many are no longer even spiritually active. This is sad but true, and in my estimation is possibly the most serious blow to the growth of Srila Prabhupada's movement. Putting aside for now the all too well-known reasons for such a mass exodus, what if the majority of these trained, experienced, and sincere devotees was still around? Do you think this might have made a difference in what ISKCON would be like now? There's no doubt about it.
Now, use your imagination a little and contemplate the "what if" scenario for a minute:
1. What if there were hundreds of Srila Prabhupada's disciples still managing, living in, and/or guiding the temples in the principles they were taught by him?
2. What if there were hundreds of Srila Prabhupada's disciples training new devotees in all aspects of devotional life: deity worship, cooking, etc.?
3. What if there were hundreds of Srila Prabhupada's disciples still preaching strongly and making new devotees, and training others how to do the same?
4. What if there were hundreds of Srila Prabhupada's disciples still distributing his books by the millions as they once did?
5. What if there were hundreds of Srila Prabhupada's disciples traveling to temples and inspiring all the new devotees with their realizations?
6. What if there were hundreds of Srila Prabhupada's disciples still opening new temples throughout the world?
7. What if there were hundreds of Srila Prabhupada's disciples helping to develop and organize Varnashrama Dharma as he intended?
8. What if there were hundreds of Srila Prabhupada's disciples actively developing farms and self-sustainable alternative communities?
9. What if there were hundreds of Srila Prabhupada's disciples preaching to the scientific community?
10. What if there were hundreds of Srila Prabhupada's disciples influencing world governments with Srila Prabhupada's teachings?
11. What if there were hundreds of Srila Prabhupada's disciples still going out on Harinama every day?
12. What if there were hundreds of Srila Prabhupada's disciples still preaching on College and University campuses, and amongst academicians and scholars?
The list could go on, but you get the picture. The ISKCON world would be a healthy, vibrant society, influencing and re-spiritualizing the world as Srila Prabhupada envisioned. And the mere number of empowered senior devotees would be a heavy influence against the dreaded "change disease" which has affected and infected much of the ISKCON world of today. Deviations of various sorts would not be tolerated, compromises and watering down of the philosophy and its mode of presentation would be shunned, changes to Srila Prabhupada's books would be kept to a minimum, temples would not be empty and standards would be higher, temple management would be in "local" hands as he desired, etc. Srila Prabhupada would still be front and center in the Hare Krishna Movement.
I believe many of the problems facing ISKCON today are the result of a simple lack of leadership, guidance and checks and balances from senior, experienced devotees who should have been here to carry their training down to others for the future generations. However, one thing is certain. Barring another maha-bhagavata devotee appearing to set things straight (again), Srila Prabhupada's books, recorded lectures, conversations, morning walks and letters are still there, and so there is hope that things can get back on track and the Hare Krishna Movement can become the spiritual force predicted to change the world for the next 10,000 years.
Amazing - isn't it hilarious - 35 years after ISKCON take-over by a handful deviants people gradually ask such question, what if there were hundreds of Srila Prabhupada's disciples still managing, living in, and/or guiding the temples in the principles they were taught by him?
ReplyDeleteOk, better late than never. Of course when things go in this type of speed we probably have to wait another 40 years till they realize that their GBC is causing all this trouble. At that time senior GBC men will be all dead and their children will be running GBC affairs so they are able to embezzle enough money for their extended family groups. What is this called, gosvami caste - GBC family tradition? Those who claim that the practice and spreading of devotional service belongs only to their particular class (family)? And in this way they exercise their artificial power for some time, until Krishna sends some strong devotees who completely smash their idea of GBC family tradition. And this will be somewhere in 2074.......? So someone has to tell those who are slow on the uptake that all this can be accomplished within 12 months. Seriously.
Did any of the Prabhupada disciples ever follow the principles at all?? Seriously! Why would they all leave if they were able to follow, and then go out and break them all? I have only heard stories of how fallen they all were, each and every one of them, whether they are still staying in ISKCON temples or not. Who among the entire group can follow? Who EVER could follow? Who ever will be able to follow in this lifetime? Maybe Jayananda and that was about it.
ReplyDeleteHow many people really follow Jesus? Or Buddha? Or Mohammed? I really do not know. At the same time, the standard of spiritual life is, you have to avoid material contamination. Its really what has to be done -- if you want factual spiritual life. Basically all religions teach the same idea: (A) Avoid material contamination, and (B) At least attempt -- to serve God. Maybe it can be done in Kali yuga, maybe not, but unless one is free of material contamination, he is not liberated.
ReplyDeleteMost of Srila Prabhupada's devotees were from the 1960s - 70s hippie era, some of them sort of followed to a certain extent -- at least when there were temples and programs, but yes, after they were exiled most of them went into a spiritual regression, that is a fact.
At the same time, the Sridhara Maharaja and Narayana Maharaja people have had all kinds of similar problems. We went to one of their houses in San Francisco and they were smoking pot right out on the sidewalk.
Their house in Los Angeles was the same, stunk the whole street up with pot smoke. So its a problem everywhere but hey, its Kali yuga. I am not sure who can claim they are factually following God's "principles" purely, from any camp or religion at the moment. But hey, it is Kali Yuga, we cannot forget where we are at in the current moment. If we can advance at all in Kali Yuga, its almost like a miracle, since the entire atmosphere is not conducive for spiritual understanding. The GBC of course did not help things along, they became the best sevakas of Kali Yuga. So yes, its a problem and there is no easy solution. ys pd