ISKCON Brooklyn Temple Sale .
I watched the video and must admit that it made me very sad. Although the legal outcomes of the intended breach of sale contract on behalf of ISKCON (in accordance with the decision of the GBC) are still pending, the fact is that the whole issue is a sign of an ongoing crisis - the number of devotees in New York has shrunk dramatically in the past decades. And not only in New York. Without the help and support of the Indian diaspora, most temples in America, UK, Australia and New Zealand could also be offered for sale. ISKCON is going on strong in India - in the Western world the number of local ISKCON devotees continues to decline.
So let the GBC consider this ongoing crisis of ISKCON in the Western world seriously, soberly, and draw some conclusions, based on common sense, not on dogma. The crucial question is: does ISKCON still have the power to change people's hearts? Rest assured - any amount of PR, inter-religious dialogue and cultural shows of Hindu piety will not change people's hearts. It may change their "negative" views of ISKCON but not their hearts.
[PADA: Right, we keep seeing photos of the GBC leaders at Churches and other interfaith meetings, apparently its OK to be a ritvik and worship Jesus, but its not OK to worship Srila Prabhupada, and that is why their temples are empty. If no one is allowed to worship the acharya, it will continue to empty out. Apparently, that is the plan, empty out the building, and then close it or sell it.]
Jaygurudeva das (ACBSP) Prague, Czech Republic
ISKCON Brooklyn Temple Sale .
Thanks for sharing that most informative video, a factual latest update.
It appears the AG will support the GBC's ultimate authority to not allow the temple to be sold. But can the voting - if it comes to that - of the congregation alone sway the AG for or against a sale?
I hope and pray that Srila Prabhupada's clear instructions to never close a temple are upheld. He implied there could be rare exceptions but there appears to be nothing sufficiently exceptional to sell the temple and move the Deities to another location.
Its a bad omen for the management to be banning devotees opposed to the sale. There might be laws that govern on what grounds a congregational member can be banned, and being opposed to the sale of a very long estabished place of worship is not likely to be one of them. The management should excercise caution since a member could file a case.
Please continue sharing and caring for Srila Prabhupada's instructions.
Hare Krishna!
- AD
ISKCON Brooklyn Temple Sale .
I just watched the video of the meeting on the Brooklyn Temple sale.
The most baffling question for me after watching is: Why do HH Romapada Swami and HG Ramabhadra Prabhu still have any kind of position and authority connected to the Brooklyn Temple and why are the GBC even allowing that for one more day?
It looks so weak and strange that the GBC can't even have their meeting in the Brooklyn temple because the current management is going against the GBC. It was telling to see who was there, and who wasn't. And in the question/answer session you hear devotees expressing fear of being banned
by the current temple management simply for disagreeing with the sale (which is exactly how I feel).
Is the GBC the "ultimate managing authority in ISKCON" or what? I have a lot of respect for Romapada Swami and Ramabhadra Prabhu, I'm not trying to criticize them. But it strikes me as completely dysfunctional that they have any position and authority related to Brooklyn temple at this point.
Sorry if this is a bitter question, but it is really burning in my mind.
Hare Krishna.
Your servant,
[Name withheld]
ISKCON Brooklyn Temple Sale .
Thank you for the town hall meeting (iṣṭha-goṣṭhī) recently held in New York City concerning the sale of the Brooklyn temple. (I watched the video made by Siddhanta Prabhu.) I'm glad to hear that the GBC are nearly unanimous in their opposition to the sale. I hope that His Holiness Romapada Swami promptly accepts the GBC body's guidance on this matter. He has always considered himself a sold-out servant of ISKCON, and I am confident that he will change his mind about the sale.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKzoyL1BkTk
D Dasa
ISKCON Brooklyn Temple Sale .
I greatly appreciated what I saw on the video of the [ISKCON Informational Town Hall Meeting] . . . regarding the Brooklyn Temple. I was pleased how each of the three [members of the GBC Brooklyn Temple Sale Committee] presented.
. . . [T]he future success of the Brooklyn program will necessitate change of leadership. So many have related their experiences with being banned or pushed away if they did not go along with the clandestine plan to sell the property. There are many, many qualified people in the New York area, disciples of Srila Prabhupada, who will give their heart and soul to service, and the Brooklyn program is an opportunity to engage them in personal service to Srila Prabhupada again. . . . People from all over the US and beyond will come and participate in the revival of ISKCON New York (Brooklyn) without any doubt.
The center in Brooklyn must be an ISKCON center, reflecting the full values and standards of Srila Prabhupada, not any other type of center . . . or anything that reflect[s] changes in the standards that Srila Prabhupada gave by his instructions and his example.
Pusta Krishna das
Los Gatos, California
ISKCON Brooklyn Temple Sale .
Jayamadhava Das: That Hits the Nail on the HEAD,,,,Prahosa das (acbsp) prabhu-you got it....However Other views- are Valid too.... If the GBC Did their Jobs Properly...We would not be facing so many of these Issues,,,RE-West 55th Street,,Adi Kesava Swami and others Asked Srila Prabhupad ,If they could sell it and make a huge profit At Which Srila Prabhupada Chastised Them and Said,,,NO,,Means No,,,Then after Prabhupada left the planet ,the GBC sold it.....Those who do not learn from History-are DOOMED to repeat it.....Whats more important losing money or losing the Blessing of Srila Prabhupada and KRSNA?
ISKCON Brooklyn Temple Sale
New York City, the greatest city in the world, the city where the Hare Krishna Movement began, deserves the best! Sri Sri Radha Govinda deserve the best!
Pay whatever fines are necessary to undo the damage that has already been done, even if such fines are US$ millions! In other words, do whatever is necessary in order to keep that prime location in Brooklyn! Then tear down that less-than-perfect building, and build, in it's place, a beautiful Vedic style temple for Their Lordships Sri Sri Radha Govinda!
If the ISKCON NY leaders can't handle such a project, then they should be replaced! If the ISKCON GBC can't pull off such a project, then they should also be replaced, or, at the very least, removed from jurisdiction over ISKCON NY!
Perhaps Madhu Pandit Dasa and his associates should be given control of all of ISKCON, or, at the very least, control over ISKCON NY! They have a proven track record of accomplishing big, seeming impossible projects. They obviously have Lord Sri Krishna's blessing!
Pratyatosa Das
Houghton, Michigan
How's this for a theory?: The 55th Street temple was run by former "drug-addicted hippies." Therefore, it was out-of-place once the neighborhood became sufficiently gentrified! Now the same thing has happened to the Brooklyn temple. The solution: Simple: Either sell the temple and move to a more run-down neighborhood or replace the temple leadership with respectable Hare Krishna devotees who are NOT former "drug-addicted hippies!"
I watched the video and must admit that it made me very sad. Although the legal outcomes of the intended breach of sale contract on behalf of ISKCON (in accordance with the decision of the GBC) are still pending, the fact is that the whole issue is a sign of an ongoing crisis - the number of devotees in New York has shrunk dramatically in the past decades. And not only in New York. Without the help and support of the Indian diaspora, most temples in America, UK, Australia and New Zealand could also be offered for sale. ISKCON is going on strong in India - in the Western world the number of local ISKCON devotees continues to decline.
So let the GBC consider this ongoing crisis of ISKCON in the Western world seriously, soberly, and draw some conclusions, based on common sense, not on dogma. The crucial question is: does ISKCON still have the power to change people's hearts? Rest assured - any amount of PR, inter-religious dialogue and cultural shows of Hindu piety will not change people's hearts. It may change their "negative" views of ISKCON but not their hearts.
[PADA: Right, we keep seeing photos of the GBC leaders at Churches and other interfaith meetings, apparently its OK to be a ritvik and worship Jesus, but its not OK to worship Srila Prabhupada, and that is why their temples are empty. If no one is allowed to worship the acharya, it will continue to empty out. Apparently, that is the plan, empty out the building, and then close it or sell it.]
Jaygurudeva das (ACBSP) Prague, Czech Republic
ISKCON Brooklyn Temple Sale .
Thanks for sharing that most informative video, a factual latest update.
It appears the AG will support the GBC's ultimate authority to not allow the temple to be sold. But can the voting - if it comes to that - of the congregation alone sway the AG for or against a sale?
I hope and pray that Srila Prabhupada's clear instructions to never close a temple are upheld. He implied there could be rare exceptions but there appears to be nothing sufficiently exceptional to sell the temple and move the Deities to another location.
Its a bad omen for the management to be banning devotees opposed to the sale. There might be laws that govern on what grounds a congregational member can be banned, and being opposed to the sale of a very long estabished place of worship is not likely to be one of them. The management should excercise caution since a member could file a case.
Please continue sharing and caring for Srila Prabhupada's instructions.
Hare Krishna!
- AD
ISKCON Brooklyn Temple Sale .
I just watched the video of the meeting on the Brooklyn Temple sale.
The most baffling question for me after watching is: Why do HH Romapada Swami and HG Ramabhadra Prabhu still have any kind of position and authority connected to the Brooklyn Temple and why are the GBC even allowing that for one more day?
It looks so weak and strange that the GBC can't even have their meeting in the Brooklyn temple because the current management is going against the GBC. It was telling to see who was there, and who wasn't. And in the question/answer session you hear devotees expressing fear of being banned
by the current temple management simply for disagreeing with the sale (which is exactly how I feel).
Is the GBC the "ultimate managing authority in ISKCON" or what? I have a lot of respect for Romapada Swami and Ramabhadra Prabhu, I'm not trying to criticize them. But it strikes me as completely dysfunctional that they have any position and authority related to Brooklyn temple at this point.
Sorry if this is a bitter question, but it is really burning in my mind.
Hare Krishna.
Your servant,
[Name withheld]
ISKCON Brooklyn Temple Sale .
Thank you for the town hall meeting (iṣṭha-goṣṭhī) recently held in New York City concerning the sale of the Brooklyn temple. (I watched the video made by Siddhanta Prabhu.) I'm glad to hear that the GBC are nearly unanimous in their opposition to the sale. I hope that His Holiness Romapada Swami promptly accepts the GBC body's guidance on this matter. He has always considered himself a sold-out servant of ISKCON, and I am confident that he will change his mind about the sale.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKzoyL1BkTk
D Dasa
ISKCON Brooklyn Temple Sale .
I greatly appreciated what I saw on the video of the [ISKCON Informational Town Hall Meeting] . . . regarding the Brooklyn Temple. I was pleased how each of the three [members of the GBC Brooklyn Temple Sale Committee] presented.
. . . [T]he future success of the Brooklyn program will necessitate change of leadership. So many have related their experiences with being banned or pushed away if they did not go along with the clandestine plan to sell the property. There are many, many qualified people in the New York area, disciples of Srila Prabhupada, who will give their heart and soul to service, and the Brooklyn program is an opportunity to engage them in personal service to Srila Prabhupada again. . . . People from all over the US and beyond will come and participate in the revival of ISKCON New York (Brooklyn) without any doubt.
The center in Brooklyn must be an ISKCON center, reflecting the full values and standards of Srila Prabhupada, not any other type of center . . . or anything that reflect[s] changes in the standards that Srila Prabhupada gave by his instructions and his example.
Pusta Krishna das
Los Gatos, California
ISKCON Brooklyn Temple Sale .
Jayamadhava Das: That Hits the Nail on the HEAD,,,,Prahosa das (acbsp) prabhu-you got it....However Other views- are Valid too.... If the GBC Did their Jobs Properly...We would not be facing so many of these Issues,,,RE-West 55th Street,,Adi Kesava Swami and others Asked Srila Prabhupad ,If they could sell it and make a huge profit At Which Srila Prabhupada Chastised Them and Said,,,NO,,Means No,,,Then after Prabhupada left the planet ,the GBC sold it.....Those who do not learn from History-are DOOMED to repeat it.....Whats more important losing money or losing the Blessing of Srila Prabhupada and KRSNA?
ISKCON Brooklyn Temple Sale
New York City, the greatest city in the world, the city where the Hare Krishna Movement began, deserves the best! Sri Sri Radha Govinda deserve the best!
Pay whatever fines are necessary to undo the damage that has already been done, even if such fines are US$ millions! In other words, do whatever is necessary in order to keep that prime location in Brooklyn! Then tear down that less-than-perfect building, and build, in it's place, a beautiful Vedic style temple for Their Lordships Sri Sri Radha Govinda!
If the ISKCON NY leaders can't handle such a project, then they should be replaced! If the ISKCON GBC can't pull off such a project, then they should also be replaced, or, at the very least, removed from jurisdiction over ISKCON NY!
Perhaps Madhu Pandit Dasa and his associates should be given control of all of ISKCON, or, at the very least, control over ISKCON NY! They have a proven track record of accomplishing big, seeming impossible projects. They obviously have Lord Sri Krishna's blessing!
Pratyatosa Das
Houghton, Michigan
How's this for a theory?: The 55th Street temple was run by former "drug-addicted hippies." Therefore, it was out-of-place once the neighborhood became sufficiently gentrified! Now the same thing has happened to the Brooklyn temple. The solution: Simple: Either sell the temple and move to a more run-down neighborhood or replace the temple leadership with respectable Hare Krishna devotees who are NOT former "drug-addicted hippies!"
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.