In the search for the absolute truth |
I studied the will of Srila Jiva Goswami and the wills of my spiritual masters and I am thinking of those who will stand tomorrow by themselves in separation of their spiritual masters, but without a personal memory of the wonderful days when we had Srila Prabhupada and Srila Sridhar Maharaj personally with us giving us guidance.
Of course it is always true that the chaitya-guru in our heart will protect the sincere searcher and guide us to the proper protection. But whenever we have nobody to ask and we have to make our own decision about the continuation of our guru's mission I beg to present the following observation and recommendations to be taken into consideration. They appear to me to be of vital importance.
First I want to alert to be aware of the following symptoms, which are signs of imminent danger and indicate the need to do something about it, in order to save one's spiritual life.
1. Materialistic lifestyles appear even though vaisnavas are supposed to be renounced and simple. Now luxurious comforts will be justified by public relations and "too holy to be affected by those things".
2. The holy teachings are monopolized, (modern; copyrighted) distorted, hidden, or simply ignored. History shows us that uncomfortable books find their way into the fire, even when truly worshipful, and critics are declared heretics, condemned, exiled, and sometimes killed.
3. The representation of God on earth and the holy truth is limited to voting committees or governing bodies, birthrights, or other social considerations.
4. Love is exchanged with fear and the "nobody trusts nobody" atmosphere starts to predominate.
5. Discussions and creative philosophical exchanges with outsiders are totally discouraged. Vaisnava philosophy can defeat any opposing concept. We still recall Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati declaring the totalitarian war against all misconceptions.
6. Intoxication, greed for money, lies, conspiracy, and mundane sexuality are general side symptoms of such false "saints". No religious community is immune against such deadly diseases. It only takes one leader to be a hypocrite. That is the reason why the Vedas have recommended to us to take shelter of a pure spiritual master and not of any institution. Cooperative thinking, typical for our western multi-national corporations, will not help us much in keeping the line of our Gurudeva alive.
But all these before mentioned symptoms should not discourage
us in our attempt to surrender and to actively spread
Krishna Consciousness. Behind every suffering there
is a great lesson to be learned. Krishna personally
allowed all this to happen for the sake of all of us.
This lesson is: wake up before we are all in our eighties
as well as for all the future western vaisnavas. The
world is not interested in any organized religion except
when it comes to politicians gathering votes. Churches
are dead as far as true religion is concerned. But
one truly realized soul and his truly beneficial contribution
to society can win over many hearts, and like Srila
Prabhupada, my spiritual master, proved, make a distinct impression on the consciousness of mankind without the need to be backed by any rubber-stamp committee. So it will depend on
all of us how loud the true glory of Srila Prabhupada
will be heard in our lifetime.
Regarding the Continuation of the Spiritual Succession
Without sacrifice there is no mission. Without love and trust there will be no sacrifice and surrender. After my Guru departed from the physical plane there was only really one question of importance for me. How can I go on serving him? How can I increase my desire to serve him and love Krishna? How can I enthuse others now, to take up spiritual life seriously? Previously, I happily took the new friends to my Guru and told them: "With all confidence you can surrender to him. I am trying to do the same. He can take us back to the Supreme Lord." But how will I preach now? Without having a good answer to that question we are in trouble. Our spiritual dignity is at stake. I can only represent what is fully approved within my heart, otherwise I will fall down to mundane considerations like: Who will give me the nicest job with the most fringe benefits? Who's disciple would I like to marry? Who will bother me the least?...
Therefore please try to maintain this wonderful Krishna Consciousness always alive within your hearts and actions. Always try to deliver it to others in the same way as we have received it from above by the causeless mercy of our eternal guardians and for that purpose we have to become pure devotees.
* How lovingly Srila Prabhupada handled every individual
until the day he left the physical plane. How much
knowledge and maturity will we need to be able to serve
him properly?
* The search for purity, simplicity, modesty, humility
and the true selfless service attitude must be an undisputed
base for a divine revelation to come down to us.
* Never forget that the guru is also not his body. His
body is engaged in Krishna's service and therefore
not ordinary, but he is not limited by his body. Actually
Sri Krishna is the original spiritual master. All his
representatives (gurus) will come to those who sincerely
want to serve him. To those honest souls some inspiration
of the guru-tattva will come to show the proper way.
* Brahmanas and sannyasis have a great responsibility.
Practically they are the spiritual masters in this
world, and we are all requested to qualify to be able
to assume those services.
To accept disciples, who have felt in their heart
that Krishna has sent them to you for protection, is
a holy duty and a right in the guru parampara, after
your spiritual master disappears. But you alone have
the responsibility for your actions. It is on your
own risk.
If you are a bad representative you will have to be
removed in due course of time and your service to your
guru will be ruined. If we are not sure if we are capable
to represent Lord Chaitanya and our guru truly, and
that for the rest of our life, then it is better to
take the new devotee to some other vaisnava of whose
sincerity we must be completely convinced. The new
devotee will have to examine the vaisnava you recommend,
and/or any other he feels inclined towards.
* Whoever brings about that sentiment in our heart,
that we want to become pure devotees of Sri Krishna,
or whoever later increases that sentiment in us is
really our spiritual master, who deserves our eternal
love and respect. By carefully studying Srila Sridhar
Maharaj's book Sri Guru and His Grace, we can get
an appreciation of the mystery of guru-tattva.
* Let new gurus start new temples. Nobody should intrude
anywhere and claim that he is the successor Acharya
of his guru unless particularly indicated by his guru
and even then limited to the actual place where he
conducts his preaching and not with any geographical
implication. Krishna will lead the true searcher to
his guru.
If a new devotee joins a temple founded by an already
departed Acharya and managed by devotees who don't
personally accept disciples, he will gradually know
the other initiated devotees and their disciples, since
they are also welcomed to the main temples and in this
way he can find his personal diksa-guru.
There is no one obliged to accept you as a guru or
to help you in your mission unless they feel that urge
in their heart and that they should continue to serve
their guru by helping you. Of course vaisnava etiquette
teaches us to be very cautious not to disturb the faith
of the new devotees, another big reason why gurus have
to have their special place(s) where their relationship
with their disciples is not challenged. That is another
reason why the main temples of the founder Acharya
must simply be open to all without anybody trying to
become the new Acharya there. A movement without such
understandings will end up like a big swimming pool
without water and people jumping inside in order to
learn how to swim (surrender).
* Preacher or spiritual master means someone who is
a real surrendered servant. He serves his disciples.
He renounces his privacy and he works hard himself
to spread his guru's message.
* Don't think that you know all of your gurus unless
you have already reached Krishna's lotus feet or pure
love for Krishna is flowing in your heart.
* Do not visit the temples of those devotees whose sincerity
you doubt, or if you cannot share and support the
feelings of the devotees there. Don't be envious or
overly critical with those who may be more successful
in serving your guru.
* Criticizing those who have no chance to help is like
spitting against the wind. To dwell on the rumors about
others or even over the true mistakes of others who
we are unable to help, will bring their faults into
our own mental world and they will want to manifest
again in our gross world as a reaction. Only be eager
to correct those who beg you for your help. We should
only visit temples when we want to help them, and only
join them to make them better and better and better.
Regarding Institutions and Spiritual Life
* If you are a leader of any group, please always respect
the opinion of others who join to help your preaching
mission. Don't become a victim of the deadly disease
called megalomania. Let others participate in your
projects and creatively contribute to the development.
Make weekly board meetings. Appreciate the new devotees'
need for space to develop. Exchange ideas, let everyone
think freely and allow them to express their constructive
participation, just like Srila Prabhupada did with
all of his disciples. This attitude will protect your
projects from lethargy and indifference. Whoever allows
me to serve him is actually giving his mercy to me
and a representative of my spiritual master.
* Don't ever condemn anybody who doesn't want to serve
under your leadership. Rather search out how you can
serve him.
* Every temple has some need for organization; president,
treasurer, weekly meetings of responsible devotees.
Every devotee should understand the basic concept
of how to do all things in Krishna Consciousness.
That is the principle for personal growth and the success
of the entire community. Without the mystic, loving
inspiration every organization will ultimately fail.
Train leaders if you want to be a good servant of your
guru.
* Vaisnavas in leading positions should be very cautious
about their huge responsibility before the devotees
and the general public. Therefore they should live
in a very open way, without any secrets regarding their
finances and their moral life. Their temple should
have clear bookkeeping. Every devotee should give to
Krishna what he likes to give from his heart. Krishna
is not interested in anyone's money or property. He
only wants our heart. At the same time, all which has
been donated to Krishna by the devotees and friends
must be carefully protected. All properties bought
by the devotees for Krishna must be registered in such
a way that no individual can ever sell it or use it
for his private interest. The founder Acharya may choose
the future leadership before his departure to avoid
fighting, or if he did not give particular instruction
in this regard, then those temples should be maintained
as a place of unity for the new growing diversity in
the vaisnava family. The leadership in that case should
be disciples who themselves are not accepting disciples.
Such a place will only remain a sacred place of pilgrimage
if the loving respect to all true members of the family
is alive.
* Nobody should venture to become a temple or ashram
leader if he doesn't want to do that service selflessly
for the pleasure of Krishna.
* Give love if you want to get love. Do your service
with all your heart. Stick to it. Never let anyone
down. Srila Prabhupada expected his preachers to make
lifelong commitments.
* Never fight with other devotees over mundane benefits
or power.
* Pure preachers are always needed. Mundane governors
are always surrounded by false friends. Nobody loves
them.
* Don't get into any conflicts with mundane authorities.
They can destroy our good name as vaisnavas, servants
of the Supreme Lord, and the whole world with their
propaganda machine. Therefore devotees should deal
legally with their contacts in this world. We want
to teach the world to have faith in the devotees so
we can serve them their highest benefit of their human
birth.
* Don't impose your views but expose your wisdom. Don't
demand respect, but command respect by your example.
* Organizations and their legislative operations are
justified and necessary in their existence only as
far as they truly promote and facilitate the essential
principles of the vaisnava ideal. The sacred principle
is unity in diversity. Krishna is the real enjoyer
of His real devotees' efforts. He is happily worshiped
in His Deity form in the ashrams and temples. It is
not so important who is in charge as long as he is
appreciated by the other devotees. From the oldest
to the youngest member, all of them should be HAPPILY
ACCOMMODATED WITHIN THE MISSION. That is the duty
of leadership. If the reality in your place is different,
then everybody should try to change that situation
following the heart of the sadhu-sanga principles.
If all good efforts have failed, one should search
for a different ashram to serve in the association
of loving devotees, or start a new ashram in the same
place to truly worship Krishna and his pure devotees.
Since practically every neighborhood should have devotees
preaching there it may even turn out that the problem
ends as a blessing in disguise.
* Every devotee should work exclusively with and under
those vaisnavas who he feels completely sure that they are pure
in their transcendental purpose. Anyone may commit
a mistake, but hidden motivations will destroy the
love, trust and surrender in the community.
Some General Recommendations
* Anger and hate are generally just symptoms of our
frustrated lust, therefore always try to deal kindly
with all others. Don't scream unnecessarily at anybody.
* Always be ready to question your approach to everything.
Utilize the help of guru, sastra and sadhu to fight
your dogmatic tendencies. Conformism, sleepiness,
laziness, laxness with one's self, surrounding oneself
with flattering "yes-men" will cover our
objective view of reality.
* Preaching is always the essence and it must be essential
to fit the claim of presenting the absolute truth.
* Don't get attached to money or real estate. It is
better to begin a new mission, if that is necessary,
in order to follow our ideals. Krishna can give us
the whole world in one moment if He would think that
to be fit. On the other hand He can take away everything
that we have if He sees that material things start
obscuring our advancement.
* It is not the goal of the process of Krishna Consciousness
to follow many external rules. The true goal is to
develop love for God. In this connection everything
helpful should be accepted and every disturbance should
be removed.
* Always take shelter of Krishna's Holy Name, both by
chanting the rounds as well as by the congregational
chanting in the temples and on the streets.
* Never expect anybody to do anything which they don't
want to do or which they are unable to do. That is
a golden rule for wonderful vaisnava relationships.
Of course a member of a community should be willing
to voluntarily and happily share the burden of love
with the others in order to qualify for living in a
vaisnava community.
* Never stop reading the transcendental literature of
the vaisnava Acharyas, preferably in the association
of other devotees. Dive deep into the confidential
meanings by exchanging with others and by clarifying
any doubt which you may have.
* Always try to do things the best way possible. Accept
no mediocrity, please. To the Supreme only the best
should be offered. If you don't try your best it means
that you yourself don't really believe in what you
are doing. Human life is too short for nonsense. Brahmacari,
grihasta, or sannyasi, cook, preacher, or pujari, always
try to be excellent, to give your best full of love.
* Never fear to accept responsibility. Real compassion
means that you have to be ready to sacrifice your energy
in the service of Krishna to make others happy and
hopeful.
* We should serve everyone, but with some discrimination:
* Never forget that this movement started by the important
ashrams organized by Srila Prabhupada, and that the
ashrams are the center for shelter and true welfare
work.
* Sadhana Bhakti will give us the strength to go on
with our spiritual vows.
* Our most important guru is the one who has helped
us the most to become Krishna conscious. Only a disciple
knows who all his gurus are. Others may or may not
know. Only you know how important Srila Prabhupada
or Srila Sridhar Maharaj is for you. But fortunately
there is no petty competition amongst pure devotees
to be the only one loved by their disciples.
* If you cannot find anybody around you who carries
on the living line of loving devotional service, then
it will be up to you to take responsibility. Your guru
will always be there when the only desire burning in
your heart is to serve him. And that flame should never
be extinguished. Always search how to increase it and
then your exchange with other devotees will truly be
sadhu-sanga.
* Never forget: Krishna and his pure devotees are never
bankrupt.
I want to thank all of my beloved brothers and friends, all who have tolerated me and my shortcomings, all who allowed me to learn from their mistakes, all who trusted me and supported me in the most difficult moments of my spiritual search, all who have allowed me to speak about Krishna and his devotees, all who remind me of my spiritual masters and engage me in their service, all who have sacrificed so much and given me their love and friendship. I am eternally indebted to all of you.