World
01/02/98 - 1450
Landmark Education & ISKCON
USA (VNN) - Landmark Education & ISKCON
Some Points to Consider
c/o mayesvara dasa
william g. roberts
687 Villanova Road
Ojai, California 93023
Roberts_Bill@phdnswc.nswses.navy.mil
(805) 640-0405
Index
Preface 2
Why Are Devotees Attracted To Landmark Education? 2
Spiritual & Material Knowledge 4
Utility Is the Principle 5
Accepting Gold from a Filthy Place 6
Landmark and the Sankirtana Movement 8
Landmark Will Bewilder Devotees & Cause Them to Bloop! 9
Everything Is In Srila Prabhupada' Books 10
To Taste the Contents You Must Open the Bottle 13
Landmark Education: Related Costs and Worldwide Offices 14
Preface
1. This paper has been compiled as a starting point for addressing
all the curiosity that has been generated regarding Landmark Education
and the devotees of ISKCON (Hare Krishna Movement). It is just
a starting point for dialogue and not necessarily a comprehensive
study. Nor should it be expected that every devotee who attended
a Landmark Education forum would uninamiously agree with the points
that are herein expressed. But considering all the unexpected
controversy that has been stired up because over 40 devotees from
the LA community have attended the Landmark Education Seminar,
it seems worthwhile to have a tool to separate the misconceptions
from the facts. My hope is that this paper will provide a positive
way to understand why so may devotees are enthusiastic about this
particular seminar series.
2. This paper may be distributed generously and shared feely.
Those who may have an interest in attending the Landmark Forum
would be most likely to benefit by reading this paper so they
can make a more well informed decision on how they should proceed.
3. Anyone who would be interested in commenting or discussing
the issues represented herein are welcome to contact me directly.
If what I have written here offends anyone in any way I request
their forgiveness for that offense. My intent is simply just to
provide additional information to the Vaishnava community so each
person can make the best informed decision for themselves regarding
whether or not they think it would be benefitial to attend a Landmark
Education Forum Seminar.
4. As for myself I am not a Landmark Junki but have attended many
of their training programs and personaly feel this type of education
can only enhance a devotee's service. I will be glad to speak
more with anyone regarding the contents of this article.
Why Are Devotees Attracted To Landmark Education?
1. Let us first begin with what the average person reports they
gain by attending a Landmark Seminar. The five most frequently
reported benefits that changed in the lives of participants after
attending the Landmark Forum are:
a. Improved effectiveness in relating to others.
b. Increased personal productivity
c. Greater confidence in them self and what they set out to accomplish.
d. Identifying what's really important in life and knowing how
to make good decisions based on that distinction
e. Learning how to living life with greater satisfaction without
making life more complex. In other words: Tangible and practical
training on how to live more simply and relate to the events in
our life with greater transcendental realization. (Simple living
& High Thinking!)
None of these things are in conflict with Krishna Consciousness.
The average person who is serious about improving the quality
of their life is attracted to these reported benefits. Similarly;
Devotees who are serious about improving the quality of their
service to Krishna also find these benefits very attractive.
2. Everyone would agree that speed-reading is an important skill
that enhances one's ability to become Krishna Consciousness yet
speed-reading is not taught in Srila Prabhupada's books. Neither
is time management, how to improve one's memory or how one can
become more observant. Yet these skills are taught elsewhere and
a devotee who has these talents will obviously be more adept at
performing his service. The proper way to understand Landmark
Education is to think of it as a school that teaches one how to
become more effective at what we are already committed to. It
is not an alternative to serving Krishna, it is simply a crash
course in how one can become more conscious. For one practicing
Krishna Consciousness the opportunity to become more conscious
is an invitation to get closer to Krishna and that is an attractive
proposition.
3. The primary reason why Srila Prabhpada succeeded in getting
ISKCON off the ground was because of his loving personality. Had
he not charmed his audience right in the very beginning nobody
would have been compelled to listen to what he had to say. When
he first started lecturing there were few books but Srila Prabhupada
was expert at relating to everyone so effectively he was able
to enroll all he met into his vision for ISKCON. This illustrated
two points. The first is that love seems to be more powerful than
philosophy although we know that both must be there to avoid the
trap of sentimentalism. The other is that success requires that
we enroll others into our vision. How to become more expert at
practicing both of these skills is what a devotee can learn by
attending a Landmark Seminar.
4. The philosophy of Krishna Consciousness is so comprehensive
that there is a tendency for many devotees to practice it with
a sterile philosophical attitude. One of the reasons why devotees
are so interested in Landmark Education is because it helps them
become more aware of how they can be more loving when dealing
with others. This is not something that can be successfully communicated
simply by speaking from the Vyasasan. One must come down off the
Vyasasan and actually practice Krishna Consciousness side by side
with the rank and file devotees. When we fail to practice what
we preach and rely solely on our airtight philosophy we run the
risk of becoming arrogant, impersonal and stonehearted. Landmark
helps a devotee really comprehend and appreciate that the nectar
is in serving each other on the battlefield of life and that the
future of our movement depends on those of us who are willing
to truly practice that concept and not just talk about it philosophically.
5. Srila Prabhupada taught over and over again that devotees should
be very careful not to commit Vaishnava Aparada. Everyone knows
that this is a very serious offense and yet we see so many difficulties
arise because devotees fail to follow this simple instruction.
We were also taught by Lord Caitanya to be more humble than the
straw in the street, yet how many devotees actually act without
expecting special treatment, service, or attention? The Gita teaches
us that a devotee is peaceful, self-controlled and austere but
how often do we forget to act that way? The point here is that
knowledge by itself is not useful if it doesn't produce the desired
result. Landmark provides sincere students convenient and effective
ways to help them remember these good instructions especially
at the most critical moments when they will benefit most by following
them. To become more aware in this way is a very valuable skill
we should all want to learn. If the only thing a devotee gets
from attending a Landmark Forum was greater sensitivity in relating
to others, then that alone makes the training worthwhile. It should
be noted however that much more than that is possible.
6. Some criticize Landmark as being an alternative philosophy
to Krishna Consciousness. Of course these criticisms almost always
come from those who have not attended the Landmark Forum. Based
on the fact that their comments are made in ignorance they can
not be given much merit. A more subtle form of this criticism
stems from the impression that Landmark is providing an alternative
ontological view of the world, which eventually undermines the
faith of a devotee and causes him to leave the movement. This
is also misleading and an inappropriate conclusion. These criticisms
seem to come from the fact that after attending the Landmark Forum
the attendee may adopt a jargon that seems strange and cult like.
The proper way to understand this is to recognize that to convey
complex human behavior Landmark developed and teaches a hybrid
vocabulary. This is how they can effectively express complicated
psychological issues in very brief phrases. The use of the word
"dysfunctional" illustrates the point well. When it is used we
understand that it conveys the concept of tangled, serious, longstanding,
traumatic experiences between people. When that word is used among
those who understand its meaning a lot is quickly conveyed. In
sanskrit we have the example with the word "dharma". When we use
it we express a lot of meaning with two syllables. Being able
to use a hybrid language to convey complex concepts has nothing
to do with changing what a person believes in the core of his
heart. However, it does provide an effective way to diagnose problems
and identify issues quickly and accurately where all parties can
understand the core essence of a given situation without getting
sidetracked into irrelevant peripheral events.
Spiritual & Material Knowledge
1. Srila Prabhupada: "The perfect way of life gives all sorts
of instructions in things both material an spiritual" SB. 1.18.45p
2. Thinking of Landmark Education as an alternative philosophy
to KC is as much of a mistake as thinking of Steve Coveys Training
(The Seven Habit's of Highly Effective People) as an alternative
philosophy to KC. Neither is a replacement or alternative to KC
but both can teach us how to become more effective in practicing
Krishna Consciousness.
3. Landmark Education does not claim to be teaching any new age
type of "Spirituality". They make that distinction over and over
again and it is rigorously held to. The process is strictly a
dialectic inquiry about the mechanics of how the trappings of
the material world affect us. Devotees refer to this process as
being caught in the clutches of maya and to become more aware
of how maya creeps into our life is very illuminating. As Vaishnavas
we also know that everything is under Krishna's direction but
we are accustomed to forget that truth. The way Landmark integrates
the impact of our material conditioning onto or consciousness
can be thought of informally as a type of "Sankya yoga" (Sankhya
the analytical study of the nature of spirit and matter.) Landmark
compels the student to regularly perform a rigorous inquiry into
the issues of life that really matter without imposing the answer
of that question on anyone. This type of personal introspection
is not only healthy, but also traditional and exactly how a devotee
should be meditating at all times.
4. Any knowledge or tool can be used properly or improperly. When
it is misused those who don't want to acknowledge its value will
point to the black sheep as a reason to reject the whole flock.
Srila Prabhupada referred to this tendency as "Tossing the baby
out with the Bath water." Within a six month period in 1977 two
people came to the 13 story Manhattan Radha Govinda temple and
jumped off the roof of the building. The newspapers and deprogrammers
had a field day with it and used those events to discredit everything
Srila Prabhupada gave us. There may be a few individuals who will
inevitably misuse Landmark Education in some way for personal
reasons that may indeed be dishonorable and inappropriate. The
tendency for this to happen will be there with everything. We
should be careful not to judge the potential of the institution
based on the shortcomings of a few misguided individuals. Being
devotees of Krishna we have all seen how that very type of bad
reasoning has prevented some from taking advantage of what we
have to offer. We should be wise not to make the same mistake
the general public has made so often in relation to evaluating
the merits of ISKCON.
Utility Is the Principle
1. "...a person in Krishna Consciousness knows how to use everything
in the service of the Lord;" - BG 2-63 Purport
2. Srila Prabhupada taught that a devotee should accept those
things that are favorable and reject those things that are unfavorable.
Some may say that Landmark Education is unfavorable and should
therefore be rejected. But is this evident by the facts - or is
it just a fanatical conditioned way of thinking? Unless there
are specific examples of how Landmark has had a negative impact
on the consciousness of the devotee's then this type of blanket
condemnation is not helpful or constructive. It only polarizes
the community and implies that those who have prospered from the
experience will be exiled. Ultimately each individual must decide
for themselves what enhances their Krishna Consciousness and it
is not constructive to imply that someone has done something wrong
simply because they went to a professional training seminar. There
are much bigger issues threatening our movement at this time and
wise managers would pick their battles carefully.
3. Some have compared Landmark Education to the personality oriented
"Lazereth " fad several years ago. It should be noted that Landmark
is not dependent on a charismatic personality anymore than Harvard
University is dependent on a charismatic Chancellor. Meaningful
education retains its value long after the teacher has departed.
These types of comparisons are cheap and frivolous especially
when those who have not attended a Landmark Seminar make them.
4. Landmark has offices all over the world and has provided corporate
training for major multi million dollar companies like Reebok
Foot-ware, Magma Copper Mining, UNUM Insurance, and Northern Indiana
Power Service Company to name a few. In all cases productivity
went up and costs went down. The results are too impressive for
a rational person to simply discard. The benefits ISKCON could
gain by adopting some of Landmarks management techniques are real.
I believe we should be more willing to consider the possibility
of greater effectiveness by accepting help from outside sources
that have proven to help other organizations become more effective.
5. Landmark Education has become a very fast growing company in
the field of corporate training. A professor at the Harvard Business
School spent two years studying it. The result is a published
case study outlining the highlights of it's unusual success in
turning inefficient of dysfunctional businesses around. Is this
of absolutely no interest to those responsible for leading our
movement? (Copies of the study can be purchased for $3 each from
Harvard Business School, Boston MA 02163 Phone: 1-800 545-7685
"Landmark Educaiton Corporation: Selling a Paradigm Shift" #9-898-081,
November 3, 1997 By: Karen Hopper Wruck and Mikelle Fisher Eastley)
6. Just like a microscope is a tool that aids the eye in seeing
harmful bacterial, Landmark Education offers tools that help one
see the things that infect our consciousness. Landmark shows devotees
how to become more aware of their own personal shortcomings which
have been so effectively hidden from them by the veil of maya.
Even those who live in the temple ashram can easily avoid the
process of deep personal self-examination if they wish to do so.
Krishna also reminds us that only one of the four types of people
who surrender has an interest in searching for Knowledge of the
Absolute.(Bg.7.16) Landmark is clearly not for everyone. But for
those who are willing to be pushed to a more rigorous standard
of personal integrity, a Landmark seminar can initiate that process.
This type of training will undoubtedly help the sincere aspirant
become a more powerful representative of Srila Prabhupada which
is exactly what he wants us all to become.
7. The principal of using everything in the service of Krishna
is actually the crown jewel of our philosophy. We should be careful
not to become like the Christians who stand behind their Bible
and criticize everything they don't understand and are unwilling
to learn about. They insist on telling the world how spiritual
they are while they simultaneously condone the slaughter of millions
of innocent animals. Then they wonder why their congregation disintegrates
right out from underneath them and nobody with half a brain will
take them seriously.
Accepting Gold from a Filthy Place
1. Discrediting Landmark Education, as just another alternative
New Age valueless philosophy is a form of prejudice, which is
not the mood of an advanced Vaishnava. There have undoubtedly
been cheaters who exploited the innocent public in the past. But
that is not a legitimate reason to discard everything that might
at first appear to be similar. To do so is acting with prejudice
and devotees should be free from such faux pas. It is that type
of thinking that causes people to pass judgment about a person
with dark skin. As a group, people of dark skin are statistically
more inclined to break the law then people of lighter skin. But
that fact does not free a thoroughly honest person from the responsibility
of treating each person with dark skin as a unique individual
- despite what the statistics may indicate. Everything in life
must be examined on a case by case basis. That's what the difference
is between healthy and crippling discrimination. Stereotyping
and pre-judging are all part of our material conditioning. We
do it so unconsciously most people are just oblivious to how much
and how often it impacts our thinking and behavior. Becoming more
conscious of how our thinking is impacted like this is just one
of the things Landmark does an excellent job teaching. Srila Prabhupada
made this same point over and over again in relation to how people
prejudge religion. Just because so many others have presented
cheating religions in the past does not mean that the process
of Krishna Consciousness is bogus. He used the analogy of not
foolishly tossing out the jewels that were mixed among the broken
glass. We should also remember our own campaign: "Don't lump us
in?"
2. Many of the devotees who are in ISKCON management seem to be
willing to acknowledge the value therapy or marriage counseling
has in resolving personal issues that lodge themselves into the
human psyche. Yet strangely that reasoning is abandoned when it's
time to consider the difficulties that are encountered in managing
and directing the most important religious revolution in this
entire universe. It is no hidden secret that our movement is facing
some serious internal issues and may be suffering from the same
types of loggerheads that destroy marriages and drive people crazy.
Numerous symptoms indicate that our society could be suffering
from a serious breakdown in the ability of our own members to
communicate with each other in a healthy, honest and mature way.
It is in this area that Landmark could help dispel denial where
it exists and provide us with effective tools and insights. Such
perks could lead to significant positive changes and start to
heal the wounds that devotees have inflicted on each other either
knowingly or unknowingly.
3. The pubic will never listen to us carefully if we aren't capable
of listening to each other carefully. We can not continue to ignore
all the clues Krishna is sending us as our own milk begins to
boil. Many of the senior members of our movement have begun to
realize some of the terrible mistakes they have made as ISKCON
administrators. Some have been honorable enough to apologize for
them while others are still completely unaware of them. Such mistakes
are inevitable when there is excessive ignorance and pride. But
what about future mistakes? Are we to approach managing this movement
with the same "groping-in-the-dark" experimental approach that
has led to the kind of deterioration everyone is concerned about?
Isn't it possible that maybe,... just maybe... ISKCON management
could actually be TAUGHT how to be more effective in fulfilling
Srila Prabhupada's mission? Or are we so smug and content that
nobody else anywhere, could ever help us, in any way, with the
undaunting task of realizing Srila Prabhupada's instruction to
us - which is to make the whole world Krishna Conscious? Numerous
well-balanced devotees have already suggested that Landmark might
be able to assist us in this way. Isn't it incumbent on the powers
to be to make a serious inquiry into what it offers, instead of
just trying to dogmatically crush it politically or po-poo it
as irrelevant, unwanted, or even demoniac?
4. Most objective devotees would agree that those who have been
primarily responsible for the management and integrity of ISKCON,
since Srila Prabhupada's departure, have begun to realize the
impact of their past mistakes. But at the same time many of them
have no idea of how many dead bodies they have left in their wake
and what the real cost of that blindness has been. That is where
Landmark Education could really make a difference. If we become
fully aware of how we have behaved towards each other, take full
responsibility for it, and then do what's necessary to repair
the mistakes that have been made the results could only be beneficial.
This work requires that each individual be fully responsibility
for themselves and not evade that responsibility with well worded
GBC policies, doctrines, or elaborate philosophical treaties as
to it's irrelevance. Having to do this on an individual basis
may not seem like nectar at first, and will undoubtedly frighten
away all but the most rigorously honest, but it does promise to
be nectar in the end if under taken honestly and with full faith
in the sovereignty of Krishna. Those who take the time to cleaned
up their past will begin to really taste the true sweetness of
Krishna Consciousness and will be the true leaders of our society
into the next millenium.
5. Landmark will grow because the company is providing something
very real, meaningful and tangible. It doesn't mean anything that
the "Forum" might appear to be similar to EST, Scientology, Depak
Chopra, Lazerath, Steve Covey, Earl Nightengale, Dale Carnagie,
Princess Diana, Silverster Stalone, the Catholic Church, The Black
Panthers, or your Granmothers kitchen toaster. It is just as uniquely
different from those pre-conceptions as Krishna Consciounsess
is to the pre-conceptions everyone has about religion. There is
a lot at stake here. Landmark and other Educational institutions
will not evaporate and go away anytime in the near future. Devotees
will continue to have an interest things of this nature although
it may appear slightly different with each generation. That means
ISKCON management will continue to have to deal with it, and other
lateral organizations of its type, for years to come. We can approach
these types of things in either an empowering or disabling way.
The first would be helpful, the latter will continue to undermine
our roots.
6. There is a fine line between acting dangerously dogmatic and
prudently careful in regards to how we practice our Krishna Consciousness.
The core of what we teach must never change, but our philosophy
is dynamic. Success lies in the hands of those who have learned
to utilize everything in the service of Krishna. Many devotees
from the LA community have attended a Landmark Education program
and nearly every one has found it a worthwhile and meaningful
experience. To imply that they are all in gross maya is one way
of labeling them. But regardless of what name management chooses
to use, they should try to act wisely and be very careful not
to create a big difficulty from a minor issue. It seems that the
only problem that currently exists is the one created in the consciousness
of those who have not attended the Landmark Forum.
Landmark and the Sankirtana Movement
1. Devotees should understand that Landmark is doing us a valuable
service by breaking down the traditional way people think in the
West. Those who attend a Landmark Forum and have not been introduced
to Eastern philosophies get a first hand opportunity to see how
their consciousness has been trapped by all sorts of silly illusions.
For a devotee it all fits very nicely together and creates an
ideal opportunity for preaching.
2. Although they don't realize it, a lot of what Landmark teaches
is similar to the way Srila Prabhupada taught the devotees about
maya. Devotees know that this life is only temporary and that
we each have only so much time to do what we are here for. The
core Lanmarke message is one that's time has finally come. Everyday
the general public is becoming more aware, in there own disconnected
way, of the great illusion we know of as maya. When they hear
a rational discussion about how it is cheating them they eat it
up. For this reason Landmark is not going to dissolve or go away.
Instead of seeing it as our enemy and fighting against it, we
should see it as our ally and be ready to piggyback with it pick
up where they leave off.
3. Landmark Education splits the material and spiritual phenomena
into two completely separate areas of study. They acknowledge
their inability to address those things beyond the physically
observable and therefore make no attempt to discuss things like
Spirituality. Their expertise is in observing how people have
become entrapped and conditioned by the mechanics of the material
world and they do that very well. But, because they only address
one half of the whole, the other half is left wide open for us
to slip Krishna Consciousness right in. What most devotees have
realized is that the people who are willing to take a rigorous
look at how they have been sucked into the illusion of the material
world are also very inclined to seek out a rigorous philosophical
approach towards religion. That's where the devotees step in to
complete the process of examination that Landmark Education has
so nicely started for us. Krishna Consciousness is the next logical
step because it integrates the philosophy Landmark postulates
about the material world so well with the absolute truth Srila
Prabhupada gave us about the Spiritual world.
Landmark Will Bewilder Devotees & Cause Them to Bloop!
1. Devotees leave the movement for many reasons. Some may even
drift off into Landmark Loka, which is unfortunate. But many devotees
go to college with good intent and never return, so should we
forbid school? Some devotees get married, move out of the temple
and are rarely heard from afterwards. Should we forbid our married
members from living in outside apartments? Is education, spouse,
where one lives or career really responsible for anyone choosing
to leave? Perhaps in some superficial way one could make this
argument, but what is the real reason? Even some of the most so-called
senior members of our movement who appeared to be following very
closely have departed. In some cases it was to start competing
societies, ashrams, or philosophies not significantly different
then ISKCON. What caused them to leave? I would like to suggest
that it is summed up in one word.
INTEGRITY
2. Whenever there is a difficulty a concerned person will try
to identify the source of the problem. But human nature, being
what it is, usually ends up pointing the finger at external reasons
to explain for those difficulties. The real issue here is a concern
we all have about people falling away from Krishna Consciousness.
If we are convinced that they fall away because of external temptations,
or well masqueraded illusions, then an appropriate solution may
be to lock everyone up in the ashram to protect them from their
own foolishness. But if we were willing to consider the possibility
that people drift away from Krishna because we have lost our own
integrity in presenting Krishna properly, then we would have a
whole different response. It may be easier to just confine the
devotees in the ashram, but it may also be the first step to creating
a self-fulfilling prophecy. Landmark clarifies the concept of
integrity. But that discussion must begin with the sad, but possible
truth that devotees may leave our association because they have
not been treated properly, with respect or human dignity. If there
is any doubt of our own culpability in this matter we need only
ask one of the Vaishnava Youth that survived one of the various
flavors of our Gurukula System.
3. Devotees don't leave because they concluded that Srila Prabhupada
failed to give us a comprehensive philosophy. Some less realized
devotees may get blindly swept away by delusions or out of control
addictive desires and those who have that tendency might be better
off being locked up in the ashram. But even that radical approach
to sense control can only be effective and properly carried out
when the individual gives full consent to adhere to such a constrained
lifestyle. Even under those circumstances it is imperative to
acknowledge that the individual has the right to withdraw such
consent whenever they wish to do so. But if this is the only way
the leaders of our movement can maintain their own integrity then
what does that tell us? It seems that the real reason people leave
our association is because we have failed to act with genuine
loving compassion towards each other. Our philosophy is so rock
solid too many of our leaders tend to rely solely on it as the
only means of relating to others. But acting like that does not
comply with what Rupa Goswami instructed us to do. The hardest
journey may not be the austerity of a barefoot parikrama in Vrindaban
on a hot nir-joul ecadasi day. For many it seems to be the 18
inch trip between the mass of flesh located between the ears to
the heart. Being able to make that trip is what the future of
our movement depends on. That may be the real reason why people
become disenchanted. That is where we are weak. That is where
we are failing. That is where we need help desperately. That is
why devotees humorously say things like "We have the most personal
philosophy on the face of the earth but we go about presenting
it in the most impersonal way." ISKCON doesn't need a different
philosophy towards life because we already have that. What we
do need is to become more aware of how we don't live the philosophy
that we teach. We need to be willing to consider our own hypocrisy.
We need to practice what we preach. Maybe we need to do a survey
of all the devotees who have left the temple to find out factually
why they left. We can not resolve a problem until we can define
it and to define it we must be willing to consider how we have
failed. That requires the type of honesty that Sukadeva Goswami
dedicated the Srimad Bhagavatam to. Landmark is not for everyone.
Those who become uncomfortable facing the reality of their own
delusions of grander will not want to have anything to do with
it. But, regardless of our own individual viewpoint, logic demanda
that there can be no correction of behavior if there is no acknowledgement
of shortcoming.
Everything Is In Srila Prabhupada' Books
1. In the Nectar of Instruction Rupa Goswami gave good advice
regarding the loving exchanges between devotees. (NOI Mantra 4)
Careful reading of the verse indicates the whole purport hinges
on the concept of "Exchange". Love is only present when emotions,
prasadam, and gifts flow in both directions. Unilateral autocracy
is not love. Srila Prabhupada taught very emphatically not to
commit Vaishnava aparada and Load Caitanya taught we should be
more tolerant than a tree and act more humble then the straw in
the street. All we need to do is follow these good instructions...
but how many devotees actually live their lives and conduct their
business in this frame of mind? We all acknowledge the validity
of the instructions but why are some devotees better at following
them then others? Is it really just a matter of re-reading the
same instructions over and over again? Are we to expect that someday
we will magically wake up and actually comprehend what it means
to live those instructions? One can read about how to perform
brain surgery till they are blue in the face but that doesn't
qualify them to perform any operations! Devotional service requires
the association of devotees to help us distinguish the valuable
from the invaluable. When a large and diverse body of devotees
concur on the value of a particular experience their collective
voice should not be dogmatically rejected but thoughtfully considered.
2. Although it is a common fallacy to think that leadership is
a natural born characteristic one is blessed with at birth, numerous
studies have shown that this just simply is not true. Good leadership
skills have been identified and can be successfully taught which
is why college graduates with MBA degrees command higher salaries
then normal undergraduates get. What does seem to be true is that
those who fell into leadership positions by dint of anything other
than good leadership training are usually the most resistant to
accepting this well established fact. They are also the ones most
likely to try to sabotage any attempts to provide leadership training.
The devotees of Krishna must be careful not to use the time worn
emotionally packed argument that: "Everything we need to know
is available in Srila Prabhupada's books and we need not look
elsewhere for anything else!" ...as an excuse for academic laziness.
The devotees of Krishna should become as vigilant about managing
and distributing Krishna Consciousness as McDonnalds is about
selling hamburgers. How can we ever expect to serve 10 billion
BBT books worldwide if we aren't willing to become as trained
as the corporate executives at McDonnalds? Krishna will help us
undoubtedly, but only a fool would lie down in the middle of the
freeway and say they want to be solely dependent on Krishna for
their safety. Krishna will help those who have the alacrity to
help themselves. This type of enthusiasm begins by taking advantage
of the things we could learn from well respected organizations
like Landmark Education.
3. To teach that one need only read Srila Prabhupada's books is
not a guarantee of anything. This is actually good because it
also means one who can not read is also not incapable of becoming
Krishna Conscious. Our success is based on developing a consciousness
of wanting to serve Krishna in any condition or capacity. That
is how we should undertake anything we set out to learn. If a
devotee approaches Landmark Forum as an excuse for not being a
devotee then that is the result which we can expect to see. But
that outcome is inevitable sooner or later, in one form or another,
if a person has that type of consciousness. However if one is
clear about the purpose of life, then attending a Landmark Education
Forum could be to his Krishna Consciousness like jet fuel is to
a lawn mower.
4. Landmark identifies the distinction between what is known and
what is not known. It is similar to the Jarhari Window used in
traditional behavioral sciences for the purpose of helping one
become more conscious of the different fields of knowledge. This
is diagramed below.
The Jahari Window Of What is Known
Personal (Private)
Public (Others)
Known
What we know we know.
Shared.
What we know about ourselves & share with others.
What others know about us & share with us.
Kept Secret.
What we know about ourselves and don't share with others.
Un-known
What we know we don't know
Information not known but conceived of as knowable.
*What others know about us but don't share with us.
Don't know. Inconceivable.
Not known or even aware of existing.
*What we don't know we don't know. That which we are completely
unaware of even possibly existing.
5. Landmark Education provides tools for discovering the two unknown
quadrates of the Jahari Window. They offer ways for learning more
about what others know about us but aren't inclined to share with
us as well as discovering more about what we don't know we don't
know. Growing in these areas first requires that we acknowledge
the value in knowing more about these quadrants and a willingness
to step out of our comfort zone to attain it. Devotees are familiar
to the concept in what we refer to as surrendering. As easy as
it may sound many are enamored by their own intellectual prowess.
The end result is they often get so entangled in trying to think
their way through everything they are incapable of benefiting
from a process that initially sounds like a lot of word juggling
mumbo-jumbo.
6. Not everyone is willing or capable of practicing the austerities
required to become expert in a particular field of knowledge.
The student must be willing to submit to the instructions of the
teacher and make many sacrifices if the desired skill is to be
gained. In the case of Landmark Education a devotee must be truly
willing to look at his own personal shortcomings. This requires
real humility and not everyone is comfortable admitting to himself,
what to speak of publicly, what his or her shortcomings are. The
potency of Krishna Consciousness is so strong it's very easy for
us to start thinking that we already know it all. This is not
only a very dangerous way of thinking but it is often perceived
as arrogant and leads to falldown. When we are responsible for
someone thinking of the devotees like that we are responsible
for a very serious offense to Srila Prabhupada
7. We have been taught not to preach the glories of the Holy Name
to the faithless and that milk touched by the lips of a serpent
has poisonous effects. Some people read Srila Prabhupada's books
for the soul purpose of criticizing them or to find petty faults.
So to conclude that one need only read Srila Prabhupad's books
to become Krishna Conscious may be true in one context but it
is simply misleading when considered in a different context. This
is like saying that Krishna will always protect his devotee and
therefore a devotee can walk into a rain cloud without an umbrella
and not expect to get wet. It is true that Krishna does protect
his devotee but it is incumbent on the individual to act with
100% integrity at all times. To act irresponsibly or below one's
ability to reason, understand, or perform carries it's own consequences.
Just reading the books is not a guarantee of anything. The heart
must be changed. We are not fanatics. We teach the principal of
dovetailing.
8. Landmark Education teaches how we can put our past in the past
where it belongs. What's wrong with doing that? Isn't that what
we are trying to achieve when we practice Krishna Consciousness?
We say we unplug the fan of materialistic thinking when we take
to Krishna Consciousness and start to replace our karmic conditioning
with Suddha-sattva behavior. As long as we continue to allow our
previous way of thinking to infect our soul we are not clear for
becoming Krishna Conscious. Srila Prabhupada liked the analogy
of having the brain washed clean of silly mundane thoughts. Landmark
has an effective way of purging the past. By assisting individuals
in the process of letting go of past mistakes, regrets, hurt,
pain, disappointments, emotional scars and difficulties there
is room for new growth that is positive, healthy and genuinely
good. This is very relieving for devotees who have been mistreated
and it empowers them to move into a stage of forgiveness and cooperation.
9. Good management understands that the nature of the world is
that it is always changing. Those who will survive in the future
are the ones who are able to adjust to outside changes without
compromising their own mission or purpose. Close examination reveals
that Srila Prabhupada was expert at knowing how to make the necessary
adjustments in establishing Krishna Consciousness without losing
the essence of it. One could argue that if Srila Prabhupada were
here to ask about outside institutions he would never consent
to allowing the devotees attend a Landmark Education seminar.
But this is a very intimidating way for a senior devotee with
management authority to coerce a junior devotee. If Srila Prabhupada
were still here our whole society would be different in so many
ways it's impossible for any of us to comprehend what things would
be like. The fact is he is not here and devotees are attending
Landmark programs. That is the reality that ISKCON managers must
deal with today. How they choose to do so has the potential to
divide our movement further or bring us together in deeper ways
then we have ever been bonded before.
10. In 1980 the Smithstonian Institute granted ISKCON $1,000,000
to fund the Matsya project in India. In 1981 they renewed the
grand and doubled the funding. The only reason whey this ever
happened was because a devotee called Varuthapa Dasa made the
commitment to attend a six-month class at UCLA to study how to
write a grant proposal. He underwent the austerity of attending
classes and studying many "OTHER" books. The simple fact of the
matter is that the process of applying for a grant is not taught
in Srila Prabhupada's books. Had Varuthapa prabhu adhered to this
rigid cliché the grant would have never been won and project Matsya
would have never happened. This is just one of many examples of
how an intelligent devotee can utilize everything in the service
of Krishna. It's hard to image how much more our movement could
prosper if we were more willing to get properly trained in other
mundane fields like Law, Accounting, Management, Fundraising,
Public Relations, Advertising, Strategic Planning, and International
trade just to name a few. Again we should remember that our philosophy
is dovetailing, not fanaticism.
To Taste the Contents You Must Open the Bottle
1. Management can continue to approach organizational problems
by passively relying on Krishna to sort everything out but that
approach is not clear and leaves a lot of room for personal interpretation.
Every devotee would obviously agree that this is a good foundation
for how we manage our society, but the foundation alone is not
the same as a complete working model. It's not incorrect to objectively
consider how many serious problems our movement currently faces
and consider that maybe this is the way Krishna is trying to tell
us we need to grow up a bit and be open to good advice regardless
of who it comes from. This is the reason why so many rank and
file devotees are taking a stand for what Landmark Education has
to offer.
2. The leaders of our society should be open to the possibility
of actually getting some training in specific tangible management
strategies. After all management is not a transcendental science,
it's really just a mundane skill like accounting. It can either
be done by a well informed wise individual, or not so well by
a self appointed so-called expert. In regards to how to resolve
the Landmark controversy a lot could be gained if it were approached
head on and some ISKCON managers simply enroll in the course.
To do this may requires a paradigm shift from what many would
call a crisis based, coercive, or hit and miss approach to managerial
problem solving. It might even require a willingness to do what
the experts in the field of organizational management would suggest
if the intent is to make a well informed policy decision about
Landmark Education. It may in fact require that ISKCON managers
stop speculating about something they know little about and just
take the Forum Seminar.
3. Many devotees sincerely feel Landmark offers us a valuable
opportunity to enhance our ironclad approach to self-realization
with valuable skills for navigating through the plexus of material
illusions. Others simply rubber-stamp this idea as nothing less
then heresy. If professionals trained in behavioral sciences were
asked how to cope with this division of allegiance they might
very well recommend that ISKCON management attend the Forum. By
doing so they would then have a first hand experience of what
the Landmark teaches and could then best determine if it is their
nemesis or just an inconsequential latent subliminal fear. They
could then speak about the Landmark Forum from a truly knowledgeable
position and not base their statement on what is no more then
just hearsay or a few short things they read with the intent to
discredit. The alternative would be to continue to approach the
controversy in the usual political way and run the risk of making
things worse by sounding unreasonable, fearful, dogmatic, or personally
motivated.
4. Even Srila Prabhupada used the example of honey in this regard.
Honey can only be appreciated when it is tasted. Discussing it
and arguing about what it might taste like is similar to just
licking the bottle. The only way ISKCON management will ever really
understand what the Landmark Forum is all about is if they participate
in it. Until then they must be careful not to make the mistake
of creating a problem where one doesn't already exist. It seems
that there are far more serious issues jeopardizing the sovereignty
of our movement at this time then a few professional business
seminars.
5. ISKCON managers who are struggling to make the monthly mortgage
payments might be wise to consider what might be possible if they
approached Landmark with a whole different point of view. If they
did they might realize that our sankirtan devotees could be twice
as effective if they were trained by Landmark Education and actually
learned how to communicate more effectively, powerfully, and without
fear.
Landmark Education: Related Costs and Worldwide Offices
1. Landmark Education has regional offices all over the world:
The cost for the three-day Forum in the US is $325. (In third
world countries like India it is as little as one third of that
cost.) This includes ten weekly follow-up sessions that last about
three hours each. Compared to other professional training, therapy,
family counseling, or general education the cost is extremely
reasonable. Because of the nature of this program and Landmarks
corporate mission statement Police officers can usually get a
full scholarship and attend free of charge. Scholarships are also
granted to individuals on a case by case basis and many devotees
have already received them in the Los Angeles Area.
2. More information can be attained from the Following partial
list of prominent Landmark Offices.
a. Corporate Headquarters, San Francisco, California, USA, (415)
981-8850
b. Los Angeles, California USA (310) 642-1997
c. Denver, Colorado, USA (303) 779-4774
d. New York, USA (212) 447-2100
e. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA (215) 574-4600
f. Miami, Florida, USA (954) 964-3375
g. Tampa, Florida, USA (813) 884-7188
h. Washington, DC, USA (703) 823-2255
i. Atlanta, Georgia, USA (770) 986-1140
j. Montreal, Canada, (514) 874-9811
k. Vancouver, Canada, (604) 482-8000
l. London, England, 011-44-171-580-1997
m. Frankfurt, Germany, 011-49-69-975-8600
n. Paris, France 011-331-4482-7555
o. Stockholm, Sweden, 011-46-8-6430780
p. Auckland, New Zealand, 011-64-9-366-0163
q. Sydney, Australia, 011-61-2-9261-2511
r. Bangalor, India, 011-91-80-551-3438
s. Delhi, India, 011-91-11-644-2800
t. Bombay, India, 011-91-22-305-3040
Landmark Education and ISKCON - Some Points To Consider.
c/o mayesvara dasa (William Robers) Ojai, California (805) 640-0405
Dec/97
