09/04/1998 - 2137

No Movement Conciousness

Slovenia (VNN) - by Sadbhuj Gour das

Dear Vaishnavas,Please accept my dandavat pranams. All glories to His Divine Grace Gurudeva Srila B.P. Puri Maharaja! Sri Guru Gouranga jayatah! All glories to the previous Acaryas and all Vaishnavas!Hare Krishna!

I am sending this letter to share my opinion with others, and would requesteverybody to participate on this discussion. Right now me and mygodbrothers in Slovenia are thinking about founding a national registeredmovement in our country. To speak about a temple, also it is my greatest desire to establish one,and I hope it will be realized one day.

A temple where the Lord will be worshipped, where the people can listen toSri Krishna katha, where everybody will be inspired to chant te holy name.But not a temple which is in the possesion of an instituion, or a community- another sect which preaches to get more members. Where there is a fightgoing on for power and money. No temple where the so-called gurus arefighting for their zones. It should be a temple, which is loyal to SriKrishna, sastra, and the parampara. NO MOVEMENT CONCIOUSNESS.

There should be temple which is free for everyone, where we can invitesadhus from all over the planet, where we can freely enjoy theirassociation. A temple from which the holy name will be spread to the restof the world. It should not at all be a closed community, a copy of Iskcon,or Iskcon-Gaudya Math splitters. For this it is not necessary to found aninstitution, which is begging the government to get privileges. The bestwould be to make it a private possesion of some devotees, who do service toSri Krishna, their guru, and the well fare of human kind, without anycommunity or institution. We should do the selfless service, withoutexpecting glory, fame, appreciation, members, a huge congregation, which issupposed to worship us as leaders.

There should be temple where the prasadam is for free, as well as theteachings of siddhanta. The people should be allowed to come without beingbound to any duties. It should be temple where the highest ideals shouldpreached, but the people should be given the freedom to practise as theylike to. It should be a tempel which is counted as a mediator of theteachings of siddhanta - not a temple which is an authority with its blindsheeps who have to follow. This service is called tapasya for Guru Maharajaand the Vaishnavas, and Sri Krishna, and all living entities. This templemeans to give not to demand. Maybe the visitors will not even know to whomthis temple belongs, we will not get any fame nor glory, no money, andmaybe no firm congregation. But there is one thing which you can be sureof: the result will be 100% spiritual benefit, and happiness in our heartsand the hearts of the visitors.And I am very sure that if we are going to preach selfless, that the Sri'Krishna himself will take care and maintain this temple.

An intelligent person is learning from history and tries not to do the samemistakes again. Regarding the short history of Iskcon and similar groupswhich call themselves "Gaudya Math", we see that the same problem isrepeating. The teachings of siddhanta are institutionalized and oftenmisused for material purposes. This may sound hard, but the facts areunfortunately confirming this. Many groups use the teachings as attractingfor members, but because the teachings were institutionalized, adestructive group dynamic came out, which is opposite to the teachings. Somany people are rubber-stamping us as a dangerous sect. Sad but true, wehave to admit.

Among our Gaudya Vaishnava groups also there are groups which have a verydestructive group dynamic. So I am not interested in a temple where a biginstitution is standing behind, which indeavours to create a bigcongregation. I speak out for an independent temple, which is in privatepossesion of a few devotee who want to do selfless service to Sri Krishna,Guru, Vaishnavas, and human kind. They should not have the desire to founda new instituion or sect. In many institutions there comes the problem up,that they want to spread the institution, and the teachings are fallingapart or in background. The members are fighting for positions, members,disciples, name, fame, glory, money, and then they say: "We spread Krishnaconsciousness". They prohibit members of other Vaishnava groups to visittheir temples, because they see the Vaishnavas as a bad competition, whosteal members and money. How to become happy in such movement, if suchmentality is in the minds. On the other hand there also are movements whichdo not have such problem, but this ones have to be search with a magnifyingglass.

My dream is to establish a temple which will be like a spiritual embassy,which does not belong to any group or institution except our sampradaya,and where there is UNITY among the Vaishnavas, where no group has anyprivilege, where the each single individual counts, with his/her qualities.It should be temple which is free for all Vaishnavas, which followVaishnava etiquette, no matter which sampradaya or institution they belongto.

Because of "institution consciouness" or "movement consciouness" theVaishnavas are more and more splitting apart from each other. Many of thesegroups have seperated because of quarrel, there is no more unity. The groupdynamics are more and more become destructive and remove from theteachings, and are sinking deeper into the bodily conception of live. Thisdeters the rational and healthy thinking person. To have a lot of membersdoes not mean that we are sucessful with our preaching. There are so manyother destructive sect which have many more members. Does that mean thatthey are more spiritual advanced?

As long as institutions or so-called movements are in foreground, and notthe teachings and the individual, the preaching is just a waste of time.Preaching means to live what we preach, not to simply tell stories. If ourmovements do not live what they preach it all is simply a show. I am no opponent of insitutions or movements, but neither attracted to. Iam only attracted to a temple or movement, where the teachings are in thecenter, and the single individual counts, not the group. I am simply to"handicapped", and not advanced enough to propagate a group.

My dear Slovenian Godbrothers, I will forward this letter to a few otherdevotees who are more advanced and experienced, because I am by myself notso advanced - like this somebody else can correct my comments and help usmaking a decision.

What I wanted to say in this whole letter is that actually in spirituallife one should develop loyality to the teachings of siddhanta, which willbring us to the goal of bhakti yoga. It is no duty to found a society,group or movement, or to belong to it. More important is to live theteaching of sastra, and to practise them in association with devotees. Itis not necessary to have a national registered movement, to preach andpractise bhakti yoga. I think that we disciples of Gurudeva Srila B.P. PuriMaharaja in Slovenia are yet not mature to found a movement. There simplywould come out another sect.

I would be very glad about advices or a discussion about to this issue fromthe devotees whom this letter is forwarded to. I hope that nobody now will see me as an enemy of Gaudya Math or Iskcon,and if I commited offenses please forgive me.

Your friend and servant Sadbhuj Gour das