To become a disciple in a genuine devotional school and to understand and accept its teachings is both praiseworthy and rare. Such a lucky individual can only be a sincere seeker of spiritual life, but that transcendentalist must initially be able to complete the first requirement. Spiritual life is not only difficult; it's a razor's edge. Bona fide choices produce enlightenment, while misguided decisions create chaos. The first requirement necessitates that someone new to this consciousness becomes educated about these choices.

People who take to a spiritual path desire a higher state of consciousness. Sometimes, however, they wind up in a forlorn state of disillusionment, isolation, and frustration. During the last twenty years, this has been especially common in the Western world, where people do not have a great deal of knowledge on spiritual matters. In almost every case, disappointment is a result of following something (or someone) which falsely claims to be representing the Absolute Truth or God.

An uneducated choice (in the name of spiritual life) initially convinces a follower of his or her spiritual ignorance, but this gets twisted. This twist is sometimes self-generated but, at other times, it is intentionally inculcated. In either case, the follower winds up putting his faith in someone (or some group), because he or she believes that this person (or assembly) is more advanced.

The guru must be a perfect man. If he is not, there will be scandals in due course of time. If the governing body either allows imperfect men to be gurus or establishes a flawed system of initiations, this will also eventually lead to scandals. When scandals surface, tarnished motives are revealed. When people occupying positions of absolute power are not on the platform of absolute purity, that power corrupts absolutely. As such, newcomers, after committing their lives to a particular path, forsaking previous relationships and facilities, eventually wind up in a kind of no-man's-land.

Most of them leave wayward cults or gurus with little or nothing in the way of assets. They also have almost no one who they can turn to for solace, since everyone (who has not left the cult) ostracizes the person who leaves it--considering him or her "fallen". At this point, that former member simply gives up his or her search for God, heads back home, and, in many cases, returns (with great psychological turmoil and difficulty) to materialistic goals previously forsaken.

The difficulties do not stop there. Genuine devotees are not well received in the outside world. The choice of actually dedicating your life to the service of the Supreme--regardless of what one does for work--is not approved of by society at large. Sophisticated people see it as a kind of archaic fanaticism and consider it an anachronism.

Although the traditional religions of the West give lip service to the idea of a personal God (and sometimes even rendering service to Him), the identity of that Deity is not clear. Neither is the means to attain the Personality of Godhead clearly described. Instead, that "means" becomes dependent upon dogma, much of which is now tattered in the light of modern science. In addition, most claiming to follow traditional Western religions are absorbed in amassing the same set of material goods as their atheistic brethren. In this way, anyone deciding to dedicate himself to the search for Absolute Truth does not find shelter from Western religion, either in theory or in practice.

From the eternal perspective, a materialistic background is certainly not a fortunate beginning. Although the search for the Supreme Absolute Truth may be compared to shopping for a most valuable diamond, the naive seeker has very little preliminary knowledge of what is spiritual life. This syndrome must be reversed, and the cause of that reversal is the purpose of this article.

It is no wonder that most neophytes wind up giving all of their "faith" (read, money) to someone who has nothing more to offer than a colossal piece of broken glass. Unlike a diamond, time scratches and eventually shatters that glass. Thus, disillusionment, disappointment, frustration, and "falldown" ensue for a person who doesn't meet the first requirement of spiritual life.

It is unfortunate that people of the West are accustomed to instant gratification. If they want a particular type of food, they can drive across town, and (in less than an hour) eat something that would take them months to learn to make. Any movie one wants is also available from the video store in no time. As such, the conditioned tendency of the average Westerner is, in this same way, to take spiritual life cheaply. That is, after all, the manner in which religion has been presented in the West for centuries. Whatever the religion may be, you hardly are ever encouraged to really become educated in spiritual life before joining a religious group. Membership has become the equivalent of the fast food chain or the video store.

On the flip side of this same coin, some soft-spoken men in robes come over from India (with, say, a mantra that they will sell you for a small fee). Hundreds or thousands attend their seminars. This specific scenario was very common in the Sixties, but the same thing is continuing today as, say, in the form of attractive lectures on Ayur-Vedic psychotherapy.

Although the original integrity of Lord Jesus the Christ, the prophet Muhammad--or the Vedic and Vaishnava tradition of India--remains intact, it appears that something has been lost in time. The tendency nowadays is that almost no one wants to submit to the education necessary for attaining the association of the Supreme Pure, the Personality of Godhead. Although it is possible to accept one's position as the eternal servant of God (Krishna), few want to do it. They would rather go on with their materialistic life and wistfully believe that they're "being saved" or that their "personal mantra" is going to pull them through in the end.

If we want to drag along our materialistic desires for fame and fortune--or whatever petty thing this temporary world has to offer--we can delude ourselves into thinking that we are educated in spiritual life. However, we should not be surprised if later we become disappointed and frustrated. The example that is given is of the man who goes to the blacksmith to have a knife made. The knife that the blacksmith will eventually create is of no greater durability than the piece of steel given to him at the outset. If the steel is flawed, then the knife will also be flawed.

Similarly, God is in our hearts (the Holy Ghost or what the Vedic literature calls the paramatma). Whatever desires are there are known to Him. If we want Him without adulteration, then we will become educated, and He will reveal Himself to us in due course. It is said that He wants our love many times more than we want Him. If, however, we still have our heart set on profit, fame, adoration, and distinction--with a frail and soft inclination to know something about God--then the path (and outcome) will be murky.

Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavad-gita:

In any case, even if we have the fortune to come into contact with the genuine message of God--or even a pure representative of God--the allurements of material nature are very strong. We will have to maintain sincerity and seriousness in order to reach the final goal of pure, unmotivated, and uninterrupted love of God.

Most people, however, being uneducated, come into contact with some watered-down version of the Absolute Truth. They may even join a movement that was founded by a (now departed) pure and unmotivated servant of Krishna. This, however, is no guarantee that latter-day authorities and managers are going to carry on with that purity--or even preach the same message. If we look at the track record of organized religion, the odds are against any of them remaining pure for very long.

Ultimately, however, there is no substitute for the Truth. One can make all kinds of management arrangements and bring in any number of reforms. Once the message has been changed, however, the only thing that is going to put Humpty Dumpty back together again is to return to square one: to re-establish the actual message of the pure representative of God--as it is.

The tendency of ambitious persons is always to offer some sort of "free ticket" or "no-think" type of deliverance. This is especially true after the disappearance of the pure devotee. When the pure representative of God is physically manifest, he offers the world the choice to take up the service of God and become free from contradiction and misery. The genuine guru appeals to the free will of the individual: "give up the doggish mentality of lording it over this material nature". He urges us to stop competing with all other petty "gods" for domination. The sincere disciple, after becoming sufficiently educated, decides to take up the instructions of the spiritual master and change his or her life in order to act as the servant of God.

The benefits of realization are experienced immediately--and they keep increasing. This can remain the case even after the manifest departure of the pure devotee--as long as we don't change the teachings or the system or deviate from his instructions. A big problem often ensues, however, when the pure representative is no longer physically present. No one is then powerful enough to correct philosophical deviations brought in by high-powered leaders (now misrepresenting the founder). Even if some of the more intelligent followers are able to point out the flaws, that is not enough. It is the unfortunate nature of this age of quarrel that Machiavellian leaders will use all kinds of dishonest tactics in order to maintain their hold on the means of production: the institution and its followers. They will make sure that they keep control of the bricks.

In this way, devotees who stand for the Truth are discredited in a manner that has nothing to do with the philosophy being contested. The unscrupulous leaders succeed in ramming deviations down the throats of the less intelligent and less educated followers. This doesn't have to happen, but it is the residual tendency of this age to have it happen.

Men engaged in mandating Truth to be untruth (and vise-versa) have no authority to represent anything absolute. All that they are going to represent is their own self-interest. Of course, they will give lip service to the original founder, because they require a figurehead for their scheme. In reality, they are not unhappy about the absence of their master. They suspect that, if he were once again before them, he might very well tear their arrangement apart.

Although the outward appearance of such organizations may seem like that of the original model, a lot of what is going on within it is different. Ambitious men are completely unable to deliver anyone, and they concoct some other arrangement to deliver (or "initiate") the uneducated persons who fall for their network.

Generally, the means of bringing new people into an offshoot of the original movement are common to all deviant groups. They maintain a significant percentage of the original teachings, but it is in spotting the differences that a sincere person can avoid frustration and disappointment. This requires education. For a more detailed description of genuine vs. deviant conclusions (siddhantas) consult ON SUFFICIENT GUIDANCE.

Those who lack the charisma or audacity of a wild card "guru" generally band together in order to consolidate authority. This type of mentality made its worst show of force during the Inquisition. Such men climb the latticework of the bureaucracy: the longer that they've been around, the more likely it is that they will get near the top. They are institutional or post-holder "gurus". Unlike wild cards, they are aware of the need for a safety net. As such, they manufacture an arrangement where their authority is not based upon individual qualifications (or the lack thereof), but on loyalty to the institution, which they control.

Likewise, they draw upon the good name of the founder. Unlike the wild cards, their idea is that it is not any of them individually who delivers, but, somehow or other, it's the connection to the institution which is the important thing. Sometimes they even say that a newcomer is initiated by the institution. In this way, individual gurus may rise and fall, but the arrangement maintains apparent viability. All of this relies, to one extent or another, upon some sort of mystique: the purity of the departed founder is somehow magically passed on to the governing body. To compound the matter, institutional resolutions (created in the name of dynamic change) often do not concur with the original teachings.

Most Westerners have been raised in traditions where similar slights-of-hand have been the standard for a long time, so this method has some potential for a continuing Western appeal. Institutional initiating arrangements are often self-perpetuating, enduring for centuries. However, their perpetuity is threatened by these quotes of our spiritual master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada:

The flow of ever-changing gurus often becomes a little too rapid. As a result, the institutional post-holder arrangement devolves into a "non-manifest initiator" type of deliverance. This is another means to draw upon the good reputation and purity of the founder. It minimizes the damage that the deviant leaders have already caused. In this concoction, the importance of the so-called guru is cut down to that of a mere priest or "rittvik".

The departed spiritual master is now said to be the initiator. The rittvik conducts the ceremony that supposedly initiates the newcomer. The day after the "initiation", the rittvik can become a complete debauch. It is of little importance to the so-called initiated disciple. He is convinced that he is actually the initiated disciple of the original pure founder. This arrangement is quite convenient for the "rittviks", because they are less encumbered by having to keep up elevated appearances.

This spiritual devolution has management utility, also. Management is always the number one priority in institutional delusions. Scriptural authority is subjugated as back up to whatever will make board members happy. The chief management necessity is to always be closing, i.e., getting and maintaining members. They bring in money and more members.

The rittvik scheme appears better suited for this purpose. The primary failing of the previous (pre-rittvik) post-holder arrangement is that the gurus were always falling down. As such, an ever-increasing number of disciples found their guru was stripped of good standing. They are soon under pressure to accept someone else. Such "reinitiation" can be tedious, especially when undergone for the second, third, or fourth time.

The institution cannot remain unaffected by this. After all, if followers leave, then where will the money (and other people that would have been brought in) come from? This fearful eventuality puts pressure upon the governing body, and it begins to lose influence and respect from the mass of followers. As a result, the non-manifest initiator guru scheme inexorably comes screaming and kicking its way into the institution.

The irony is that many of these now burnt, fried, and deep-fried people (who want to have their initiations re-evaluated) were instrumental in helping their previous "gurus" dismantle and corrupt the original movement. They helped drive away intelligent disciples of the founder, while their previous masters hammered down on the ones who stayed. Now, after a great deal of turmoil, the same people who helped destroy the movement of the founder apparently get to become his fully initiated disciples. He's departed, so he cannot speak against the arrangement (except through his books).

The non-manifest initiating guru scheme is not too different from various Western conceptions that have been going on for the last two thousand years. In those traditions, it doesn't matter who the minister is--as long as he remains a good priest. The person confirmed by him will remain a member of the church in good standing as long as he continues to show up regularly. The standards and teachings of pure movements--founded by great souls--tend to become watered down in this iron age of quarrel.

Whatever the devolution may be, one thing remains constant: deviant leaders must maintain their following and not have their deceptions exposed. In this way, one raft after another of rationalized justifications and resolutions are brought forward in order to keep the flock convinced that the leadership is not materially motivated. Deviators are under the influence of kala, or time. They can never actually represent the position of the Supreme Lord. They and their changes are to be rejected. As Srila Prabhupada said:

Unauthorized initiation arrangements (by managers who have no real authority from the Supreme Lord Krishna) create a result diametrically opposed to pure devotional service. Despite some following of the regulative principles, chanting of the Names of God, distributing of transcendental literature, and reading of scriptures, a counter-consciousness comes into existence. Under its influence (bahir-mukha), service is performed which is diametrically opposed to actual Krishna consciousness.

People who warp the Absolute philosophy have no authorization from the Lord. They cannot deliver realization and pure consciousness. Impure leaders cannot engage their followers in pure devotional service--as the real devotee once completely did. Practically all of this new service is dovetailed into the leader's false ego. Such service does not transcend the material modes; it hits a metaphysical roof and does not reach the spiritual sky. Those who perform that service experience only paltry freedom from contradiction and misery. If anything, there is an increase in contradiction, because they have to constantly rationalize the activities of their leader(s) and their group. Getting very little spiritual or material reciprocation by serving unauthorized leaders, such servitors live a frustrated life.

For the sincere seeker of the Absolute Truth, life is a series of expanding realizations of that Truth. The choices of a sincere transcendentalist are made with progressive liberation in mind. He or she becomes more and more conscious of the consequences of accepting a particular way of thought. He or she measures acts according to their connection to the Absolute Truth. If lethargy or ignorance starts setting in, all choices are questioned. Realization entails a reduction in illusion or ignorance, culminating in understanding the identity and nature of God. The sincere transcendentalist will not give support--verbal or otherwise--to any person or institution which is deviating from the instructions of the Lord's devotee and the revealed scriptures.

The problem is in attaining this level of sincerity:

Because the bona fide spiritual master is always engaged in loving devotional service to the Supreme Lord, the sincere disciple is shown, in a very practical way, how he or she can progress from material activity to activity that is directly pleasing to God. At every step along the way, the sincere seeker is aware of his conscious decision, or free will, to continue serving.

The intelligent person understands that we are already in the prison of material nature, where we are forced to undergo unwanted miseries: birth, disease, old age, and death. The sincere seeker of Truth has tasted the advantages of the spiritual platform and is endeavoring to become situated there. He or she knows that the false sense of thinking oneself master in the material world is rooted in envy of the Supreme Lord (what others call "freedom"), and this is the fundamental cause of our remaining in this prison.

Although there are descriptions of the characteristics of the sincere disciple in all of the world's scriptures, practically it is very hard to find a situation where people are encouraged to act according to these directions. Across the board, most people are being encouraged (in the name of religion and spiritual freedom) to become dull and unconscious. In some traditional faiths, one is extolled to simply follow the directions given by the church. Simply being "saved" or "getting on the boat" guarantees deliverance.

In such groups, the impetus for attaining bliss and realization is almost completely replaced by an atmosphere of guilt and fear. There is a method to such madness. Genuine knowledge and realization are threats to the status quo of an unauthorized hierarchy: the more one is aware, the more he or she can recognize the hypocrisy and contradictions of such governing powers. It would be a crime if engineers with this kind of mentality designed our buildings; everyone would prefer to remain perpetually out of doors if that were the case. The reason that all of this nonsense passes for "freedom" and religion is that, in reality, it is very rare that someone truly desires (read, is actually sincere) to attain the highest consciousness:

So, in reality, the mass of people is being given exactly what it wants. They say that they want the moon. However, they do not want to pay the price necessary to rise to the highest level of consciousness. As such, they can only get the reflection of the moon in a bowl of water, but they still believe that they will go to heaven (or back to Godhead) at the end of life.

One of the best illustrations of the difference between true spiritual freedom and the no-think, free-ticket deliverance of bogus religion is found in Dostoyevsky's chapter "The Grand Inquisitor" from The Brothers Karamarzov. There, Christ returns to earth during the Inquisition and is quickly imprisoned. The night before he is to be burned at the stake for heresy, he is visited in his cell by the Grand Inquisitor.

The Grand Inquisitor reviles him: "Why hast thou come now to hinder us"? The inquisitor asserts that the church has finally succeeded in undoing all of the damage that Christ had caused when he exalted individual freedom. One of the inquisitor's points is that, by offering men freedom, only very few people would be able to take advantage. The rest would suffer because their lack of intelligence would only create confusion, chaos, and rebellion.

His main contention is that, by taking away freedom and providing security (in the form of such things as bread and unity), the church had relieved the pain caused by individual freedom. Thus, the church had actually improved on Christ's word, because it was benefiting a much larger number of people. Although the inquisitor later concedes that there will be no real spiritual deliverance for any of these millions of "sheep", this is of no real concern to him. His main concern is for the "happiness" of the multitude.

There are only superficial differences between the priorities of the Grand Inquisitor and those of any contemporary institutional delusion or bogus religion. Everyone, from the inquisitor down to the person washing the pots, is getting exactly what he or she wants--and it's all done in the name of the founder. The enlightened soul who founded the original organization would remind everyone of the true process of bhakti, which pivots upon individual freedom and discretion. However, he's no longer physically manifest.

Dostoyevsky has illustrated how most people are moved by the arguments of the inquisitor. The tale separates those with spiritual courage and those who are motivated by humanism. Although some people eventually see through the designs of hypocritical leaders, they learn to bury whatever contradictions are noticed. This is oftentimes done in the name of humility or not being critical. It is a customary social convention.

"The poison is personal ambition". This was one of Srila Prabhupada's starkest quotes. In pseudo-spiritual institutions, however, the ambitious person relishes self-interest. He is spontaneously attracted by the opportunity to work his way up the hierarchy. Although this may be considered a sign of great advancement within cheating religions, the mass of people go along with the contradiction--because it is comfortable.

Of course, in common conversation, hardly anyone verbalizes this. So many differences and contradictions (from what existed during the founder's presence) are tolerated and eventually accepted. In deviated arrangements, so many things become misplaced. Bewildered followers sometimes scramble to find reasons that give credibility to their delusions. Some even sacrifice free will to the whims of powerful men, considering this the equivalent of surrender to the Supreme.

Misuse of a great science does not make it useless. Fear and humility do have utility, despite these kinds of misapplications. Since everything is the property or creation of the Supreme Lord, everything is applied correctly when it is used in the devotional service of the Absolute Truth. This devotional service is called bhakti-yoga.

If we apply humility correctly, we will understand that God is infinite and that we are but specks in comparison. When and if we come into contact with someone who is cent-percent engaged in His service, we will humbly recognize the great power invested in this person. We will then hear from him with rapt attention. We will also render service to him, knowing that there is no better way to achieve the highest goal of love of God.

If we apply fear correctly, we will be careful not to make offenses to this person, or to any true devotee. We will also understand that this material world is a very dangerous place. Death can take place at any moment, and after death we may have to take our birth again. If that is the case, we will be forced to endure nine months in the womb, packed up in one position, and unable to move or scratch when microorganisms bite us. We will be again squeezed out like toothpaste and forced to be foolish, uncoordinated, and naive for fifteen years. Fear can be an impetus to endeavor for the means to get liberated from the material world. This search for liberation can culminate in the loving service of the Supreme Lord, Krishna.

The sincere seeker utilizes his discretion. He knows that whatever is spoken by the unalloyed servants of the Lord is always in accord with the instructions of other pure devotees and the Lord. Therefore, he or she examines whatever is heard in order to determine its credibility and viability with the scriptures. If there is doubt, there will be question, and if there is contradiction, there will be rejection. This vigilance is a proper use of discrimination in the service of the Krishna.

Then again, there is devolutionary fear. Rather than examining everything that we hear (to determine its relation to the Truth), we become convinced, by the words of powerful others, to ignore this discrimination. We fear them instead of their inconsistencies and deviations. Unscrupulous leaders are prone to demand surrender to their dictations. They will say that surrendering to their decision (or that of the governing board) is surrendering to the desire of the Lord.

Faultfinding--allowing the mind to roam the endless field of negativity in order to project some kind of concocted fault upon another--is always based upon envy. However, discretion should not be confused with faultfinding. Proper discretion is important and valuable for advancement in spiritual life. Faultfinding is evil, but so is accepting something false as true. When genuine discrimination spots a falsity, that is not faultfinding.

Ambitious persons (in the guise of advanced devotees) will angrily claim that it is offensive to find fault with any of them. The motivation behind this campaign is to make sure that few become aware of the contradictions in the words and activities of such leaders. Either directly or indirectly, bogus gurus always urge their foolish followers to abandon discretion, become simple (read, simpleton), and "stop being over-intelligent". Some followers are intimidated and, as accurately stated by the Inquisitor, prefer the path of a full stomach and acceptance into a social group. These followers are implicated when discrimination and responsibility is burned at the stake.

Such followers fear expulsion from the society more than going against the words of the shastras (scriptures) or previous pure devotees. This is the chief reason bogus spiritual groups are able to hold on to their followers. As long as they can maintain that they are authorities, the holes in their philosophy (and its application) can be easily covered up.

It should be noted that the genuine guru or pure devotee has absolutely no objection to his followers exercising individual discrimination. He will always encourage it. This is because the guru knows that, as long as the disciple is sincere, paramatma will dictate the same conclusion as the spiritual master. The sincere devotee never finds fault with the guru.

In conditioned life, fear is always a prominent factor in human motivation. One will make progress in liberation, however, if he or she applies that fear correctly in the service of the Lord. In the end, the proper use of fear will result in complete freedom from fear--spontaneous attraction to the Supreme Lord and His service. Fear incorrectly applied will result in continued fear.

If we have become disillusioned or frustrated (as a result of following some so-called spiritual path), there are two parties involved: the ill-motivated leader (or leaders) and ourselves. If we realize that we have been misled in the name of God consciousness, then what choices are available to us? We can remain superficially linked to the group, or we can return to our parents and take up their lifestyle and religion. We can opt to bury our experience and "stay on the boat" (for yet another go-round with that institution), or we can bounce back and forth between these options.

Of course, there is another choice, but it does involve significant hardships.

In an institutional delusion, there are many shades of gray. For instance, the governing board of the institution may approve a certain number of persons as qualified to initiate. Some of these men may fail to keep to the standard and will not remain recognized. The initiates of such men will certainly feel abandoned or misled. Was it only the fallen leader who was implicated in causing their psychological pain? Or were the controlling powers of the institution also responsible?

Earlier we quoted Srila Prabhupada in regard to gurus who are selected on the basis of social or ecclesiastical considerations. They were condemned. Such selection processes can become subtle, however. Allowance constitutes an indirect selection process. The only selection that is really important is Krishna's selection. Who cares what conditioned souls, with incense burning, decide in some smoke-filled room? One reason the social or ecclesiastical arrangement is material is because the board members (who engage in approving or non-vetoing) have to share in the reactions of the bogus men they approve. If they say a person is all right, then they become responsible if he misleads unfortunate followers.

If the board members were actually sincere devotees themselves, they would not want to become entangled in the reactions of some rascal. In reality, however, people on such boards are only there so that they can exercise control over others. It would be better for them to give a blanket license for all disciples of the founder to initiate--and then act as policemen (watchdogs), eliminating those who were misleading or acting improperly. This would be an improvement over direct or indirect guru appointment or selection--the institutionalization of guru.

However, we must not lose sight of the "gurus" who (in effect, because they controlled it) initially achieved governing body approval? These fellows have offended and ostracized hundreds of their godbrothers over the years in order to maintain positions of power. How can any management arrangement be considered impartial or objective--much less approved by the Supreme Lord--if these men are still allowed to be gurus? How can the disciples of these men still be considered genuinely initiated?

As a result of misplaced fear (fear of being ostracized), many people have become frustrated and disappointed in institutional religion. Others, although somewhat disillusioned, remain in social or ecclesiastical movements, because they have achieved a certain amount of recognition. Despite rough handling--and the many contradictions that they have become aware of--they remain attached to the institution. They conclude that, despite its many faults, their continued participation will somehow be a positive input to eventually save the thing. In due course, they realize that the governing board is not going to care a great deal about individual opinions.

Our advice: "Save yourself first".

Look for the root causes that led to this bad situation. The individual must accept responsibility for his predicament. You came into such-and-such movement with an insufficient degree of seriousness and sincerity. As a result of your following someone unauthorized, you now find yourself disappointed and frustrated.

If we take literally the words in the room conversation with O'Grady (quoted previously), we can understand that the main problem in finding a bona fide spiritual master revolves around sincerity. If one is sincere enough, Srila Prabhupada says that the Lord in the heart will put him in contact with someone who will not mislead him. If we have been misled in spiritual life, there is only one logical conclusion. Although it is humbling--and not very popular--it is also hard to avoid this truth when we read the words of that room conversation. According to the logic of the conversation, we must have had some other desire in our heart, aside from the exclusive wish to know the Supreme Lord. Otherwise, Krishna would have put us in touch with a genuine guru or, at the very least, we would have dedicated ourselves to the book bhagavat (consult the article The Positive Alternative for more information on this).

Accepting personal responsibility, we can actually hope to get free from our disappointment and frustration. If we just blame the governing board or take the route of making the fallen guru a scapegoat, we are sure to remain at the mercy of material nature. We should understand that we never got free from our karma. That's why we became involved with the cheating guru or the unauthorized teachings of the institution. We were all along only getting the bad results of our own past misdeeds.

This is a difficult pill to swallow. It becomes especially the case if you have achieved recognition within the institution. Nevertheless, it is the real dividing line between making any future progress or remaining mired in compromise and contradiction. Material nature, as directed by the Lord, is only mirroring what is really inside of us. If we want the pure bliss and knowledge of eternal spiritual life, we first have to generate pure spiritual sincerity within ourselves.

We should first dedicate ourselves to spiritual education. As Prabhupada said, "The first requirement is that one become educated in spiritual life". Associate with the book bhagavat, for the book bhagavat can and will deliver you from nescience.

If we don't accept that we are responsible for our destiny, then there is no platform from which we can call out helplessly to the Lord. If we truly see that our own material mind is the source of our frustration, then we can recognize how helpless we really are. Our prayers can only be half-hearted if we think that some external arrangement is going to make everything correct. Taking shelter of external concoctions is for those who are bahir-mukha--looking towards the material nature and away from the Godhead.

Staying under the "shelter" of a self-interested governing board or a social convention or a wild card--and making political propaganda to superficially change this or that--only deepens our entanglement in bad karma. This is especially the case for those who institutionalize the non-manifest initiating guru, the aforementioned rittvik concoction. Even if the governing board is forced (because of political pressure) to adopt that proposal, such managerial wrangling is not approved by the Supreme Lord.

The best course is to confront our fears and get free from the service of misguided men. The half-hearted service found in a compromised institution may keep us temporarily away from grosser aspects of material existence, but its inherent contradictions kill the sincerity required to break free altogether from material life. We should have faith that, if we take to the pure philosophy of Krishna consciousness, the Lord will protect us. Eventually He may even put us in touch with a physically manifest pure devotee. Even if we don't reach that stage, the book bhagavat is competent to deliver us, although human reason fails to understand how this is so.

The best thing, of course, is to seek out the association of those who are trying to understand the teachings of the previous spiritual masters in their pure form. Ultimately, we should desire to contact and surrender to a devotee who is on the highest platform of devotional service.

For one who has already been misled in spiritual life progress is especially difficult. Srila Prabhupada says in this regard:

Srimad Bhagavatam, 5.14.13.

One is that much more reluctant to surrender again to someone else--even if that second person may be bona fide. This is another repercussion from surrendering to a bogus guru or a bogus initiation system. In addition, the disappointed person has been wrongly trained. He or she accepts things incorrect as correct. Therefore, extra discipline is warranted--which he or she is not at all inclined to accept (due to past bad experience with the bogus person and/or the bogus system). As such, the above-mentioned quote says spiritual life is "spoiled". It is going to be even harder to attain innocence, purity, and humility--even if he or she finds someone who can actually help.

Nevertheless, we can learn what is the difference between the most valuable jewel of the bona fide spiritual master and all of the broken glass imitations. Our God-realized master, Srila Prabhupada, left behind a wealth of books and recordings for just this purpose. If we want to make progress in spiritual life, we should make it our life's aim to meet the first requirement and acquire spiritual knowledge. Without being guided by a self realized soul, we are sure to be deceived by our own rascal mind.

Without becoming educated in spiritual life, there is no external way in which anyone can tell if a dishonest devotee is acting as a guru--but is not actually liberated. For this realization, one has to have the grace of the Lord in the heart. This involves the first requirement in spiritual life: becoming educated in the true philosophy of Krishna consciousness.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada. Om tat sat. Hare Krishna.

Quotes from the books of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada are copyright Bhaktivedanta Book Trust

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