Any householder who is working full-time ( with his wife ) as a sankirtana book distributor ,or temple managerial duties, artist, cook, etc, shall be provided food, shelter, and other bare minimum necessities by the temple itself. They should not cook their own meals separate from the temple meals. If they have children, then some minimal allowance may be given according to the number of children. If they want anything extra or over and above what the temple president sees as absolute necessity, then they should work outside–the temple cannot pay for anything beyond the bare necessities. And definitely, the BBT cannot pay any salary to anybody. Our philosophy is “simple living and high thinking”–not sense gratification. The temple presidents and leaders (elder students ) must show this by example. Temple or asrama means for renunciation and renounced persons. If one is engaged in self-realization process, then his material necessities become almost nil. Persons who do not like this can work outside.
(SPL to Kirtiraja das,12 January ,1975 )
GBC was given the authority by Srila Prabhupada to appoint ritviks on his behalf. Those who want to become regular “gurus” should start their own math.
Now GBC appoints gurus.
Now ritvik movement is against GBC., GBC gives a pejorative meaning to “ritvik”
GBC says can’t be any ritvik, Ritviks say can’t be any guru.
See the fun?
TKG in Topanga Canyon:
“Actually, Prabhupada never appointed any gurus. He appointed eleven ritviks. He never appointed them gurus. Myself and the other GBC have done the greatest disservice to this movement the last three years because we interpreted the appointment of ritviks as the appointment of gurus.”…
For many years i have been thinking about all the malfunctioning in our society and at the present moment I think the remedy is here: put in practice the DOM.
Famous old example is there: if 2+2=5 then all other mathematical operations after that one are sure to fail.
If the GBC is getting its authority on Srila Prabhupadas instructions then their duty is to follow themselves the instructions beginning with its very foundation.
Otherwise we are going in circles, doing mistake after mistake and wandering why is not working.
There is a strong tendency to personally blame leaders (see who is talking!) but in a more cool headed analysis I believe more in the strong influence of the gunas coupled by immatureness, not a “conspiration” theory. To make a conspiration plan you need to be really intelligent and looking at the record, that s not likely.
Another thing is that to give a position to an immature, non prepared person (not talking about management skills but plain spiritual stature), results in more disaster than you can wave a stick at.
As an example, I remember a devotee telling me: “since I became an authority (he was temple treasurer) I HAVE to get upset with everybody.
Sad thing is that for one reason or another our movement is being displayed more and more as an organized religion and that is BAD news.
But again, what is the big surprise, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta writes:
“But no stable religious arrangement for instructing the masses has yet been successful. The Supreme Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, in pursuance of the teachings of the scriptures enjoins all absence of conventionalism for the teachers of the eternal religion. It does not follow that the mechanical adoption of the unconventional life by any person will make him a fit teacher of religion.”
the rest below as attachment for the eager.
On the positive side, ISKCON has a future, but its not in the hands of anointed elite officers, but in the hands of us the preachers.
And I mean anybody with a clear mind that is reading this and knows what Srila Prabhupada want us to do.
