How To Deal with ISKCON GBC? / Ambarisa Letter Not Accepted 04/18/23

PADA: Wow. Learning a lot from my ex-ISKCON and new PADA pal. Evidently! Lots of back stabbing, politics, and general skullduggery going on among "the eternal associates of Lord Krishna" aka ISKCON's post-1978 acharyas. Unfortunately, I would not want to discuss the specific details -- so as to perhaps have this person identified as being at the scene of these events. This person has suffered enough and I don't want them to get more beaten up by the GBC / Goonda Bully Committee's squad.

Suffice it to say, the GBC's "eternal associates of God" are often times causing a lot of suffering, grief anxiety, and troubles to many people, even sometimes to each other, which is the exact opposite of creating a spiritual Vaikuntha -- or an atmosphere free of anxiety. Sheesh pilgrims! Now this person reports having all sorts of cobwebs cleared up -- and they can now actually get focused when chanting. Hooray!

Q: How should we deal with the ISKCON GBC?

PADA: Some lawyers told me -- the real reason the ISKCON leaders just give me vulture glares and never talk to me around Watseka is, their lawyers told them not to talk to us, because that might legally incriminate themselves. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles cops kept telling me to avoid Watseka, "don't you know these people want to permanently take you down -- just like they took your friend down a few blocks from here"? 

I have never seen any real effort to communicate and cooperate -- starting with, me being booted from the ISKCON organization in 1979 -- and me being sternly warned by one of the gang of four gurus -- "you'd better watch your back." 

Then, when I was in Berkeley, the police man who became my friend got an award from the city for making 72 felony arrests in a short time, and numerous misdemeanor arrests -- of temple residents -- and he told me "this is a criminal organization posing as a religion." He told me, "making felony arrests was never easier. I'd just park my cruiser in front of the temple and wait for someone to exit, and I would find stolen goods, illegal weapons, false ID cards, and all sorts of stuff." 

Then they sent a SWAT team to raid the temple's farm. And this temple was being lead by a person the GBC said is -- as pure as God. Later on, the Berkeley police were doing undercover surveillance on me, because they found out some New Vrndavana goondas were coming to take me out, and that is the only reason I am still here today to tell the story. 

Yes, they do not want to cooperate with us, that is an understatement. The MAFIA code of silence is at work here, and anyone who breaks that rule will not find any cooperation, he will find resistance. But we should take notice that Mayapur is starting to feel the pinch of our expose work, and that means we are making progress by external pressure. That is the best way to deal with them IMHO. ys pd

angel108b@yahoo.com

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TOVP BRAZENLY BEING LED BY CHILD ABUSERS

(AND THEY ARE TRYING TO FUNDRAISE IN NORTH AMERICA)

Ambarisa and Brajavilas are trying to fundraise at North American ISKCON temples, for the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium (TOVP), despite the project being led by child abusers.

The Alachua temple postponed their TOVP fundraiser, and the Los Angeles temple removed their Facebook announcement for their TOVP fundraiser (not confirmed if they canceled).

Recently, Ambarisa and Brajavilas wrote to ISKCON leaders in North America, justifying their actions of placing child abusers at the helm and forefront of the TOVP. They describe a project that would be lost without Bhavananda and Satadhanya and that these two are somehow the only people in the world qualified to lead this project.

Tim Schnabel said: “When I met Bhavananda in 2012 in the Design office of the TOVP, he was then “Creative Director.” In my considered opinion based on association in a number of meetings in the design office and walking around the Temple construction site over a week’s time, he was not qualified in any sense to hold this position. With his history of child abuse, seemingly no effort to atone for his past and no humility that I could ascertain, there is no amount of sastric mental gymnastics that would support him sitting on the vyasasana, what to speak of being in an actual leadership position.”

Please ensure your local temple will not allow the TOVP to fundraise until the TOVP completely removes Bhavananda and Satadhanya from “representing ISKCON in any official capacity” with the TOVP project.

In 2018 the GBC RESOLVED:

“No person, who has been determined to have engaged in severe maltreatment of children, will be allowed to remain active in a position of authority or trust within ISKCON, this includes activities such as leading kirtan, giving class, speaking publicly at any ISKCON event or representing ISKCON in official capacities.”
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You can find copies of Bhavananda’s and Satadhanya’s CPO Decisions here:
https://drive.google.com/.../1H...
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Full letter from Ambarisa and Brajavilas:

"Dear Respected North America ISKCON Leaders,

Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
We are writing to you today to provide an official TOVP statement (attached) to clarify the true, factual, and sincere picture and understanding of TOVP operations in Sridham Mayapur. Unfortunately, this has become required because of a number of misconceptions, exaggerations, and even outright lies that have been generated and circulated through social media and other communication platforms to misinform devotees in general and sensationalize issues.

Firstly, we emphatically state that the TOVP has and always will be a staunch supporter of child protection in ISKCON. Personally, our Chairman, Ambarisa das, has given over $1 million to the Ex-Gurukulis’ Youth Fund during the Turley case as a service to them and to help bail ISKCON North America out of a very serious situation that could have cost us a great loss of temples and properties. Presently, we are also giving funds to the Mayapur CPO office to help resolve some of the current child abuse issues being dealt with in Mayapur.

The TOVP is and always has been a steadfast and loyal supporter of the authority structure within ISKCON, and follows all the decisions and directives of the GBC Body.

In the late 1990’s, the TOVP project was previously managed by a few other devotees and financed solely by Ambarisa das. Fortunately, we found out, after sinking millions of dollars into the project, that the management was misspending money, making wrong decisions, and also ignoring Srila Prabhupada’s direct instructions regarding the TOVP design, location, etc.

Bhavananda das had received the bulk of instructions directly from Srila Prabhupada regarding the design and concept of the TOVP. Ambarisa das decided to ask the ICPO Director if we could engage Bhavananda das as a ‘consultant’ for the project. In consideration of his fulfilling ICPO directives and after some tests and analysis by professional agencies to ascertain his state of mind, it was determined and approved by the ICPO that he could act in that capacity under Ambarisa das’s vigilant supervision.

In a similar way, after a number of failed attempts to obtain the permissions from the then Communist government to build the TOVP, we requested permission from the ICPO to engage Satadhanya das, who had the experience, knowhow and contacts to deal with the West Bengal government, in a legal ‘consultant’ capacity. He succeeded under very challenging and difficult circumstances.

It should also be amply clarified that neither of the two devotees named above have or ever will be engaged in an official management or leadership capacity representing the TOVP as per ICPO restrictions.

The bottom line is that there would likely be no TOVP standing today without the assistance of these two fallen, yet still dedicated Prabhupada disciples. In a sense, we do believe they have made a great effort for forty years to reform, which is irrefutably provided for within Vaisnava sastra. Nevertheless, we are not minimizing their atrocious past behaviour or the ongoing pain and scars suffered by their victims. Our point here is that what we did was historically necessary at the time, approved by the ICPO and by the GBC Body by their ‘no objection’ position.

As such, we beg the question, why is the TOVP being singled out now and accused of supporting, enabling and promoting child abusers after sixteen years? We have acted in good faith and openness with all the recognized ISKCON authorities. Yet now, at best, these same ISKCON authorities remain silent, while some of them even lend support to misinformed and inflammatory critics, rather than defending Srila Prabhupada’s TOVP Project.

This, in a nutshell, is our position and attached is the official statement which covers certain elements in question in more detail. We hope you will personally benefit from this information and share it with inquisitive devotees who may approach you so they can make their own educated decisions instead of listening to a few rabble-rousers on the internet.

Additionally, we would like to point out that, despite everything, and in a spirit of cooperation, we have removed all photos of the two individuals above, along with others, from our website in consideration of the sensitiveness of the issue.
Indeed, now, let us truly show our love for Srila Prabhupada by ensuring full cooperation from here on out to unite to complete the TOVP for Their Lordships, Sri Panchatattva, Sri Sri Radha Madhava, and Sri Narasimhadeva.

We beg to remain your servants,

Ambarisa das -TOVP Chairman
Braja Vilasa – TOVP Vice Chairman"
Photo (l to r): Satadhanya, Bhavananda, RNS, Ambarisa

PADA: Wow pilgrims. They are just now figuring out there is a problem? Here is my reply to their letter: 

angel108b@yahoo.com