Guru Tattva is all merciful
2021
Jai Sri Radhe!
I would like to say something to everyone who was offended
or hurt by my recent comments about karma. I would like to retract them.
It was insensitive of me not to give priority to the pain of
the victims who were abused. Even though the karma doctrine might be true, it
is not compassionate to advise a victim that they should overcome the anguish
they feel and forgive the perpetrator of abuse before they are ready to do so.
And that may take a long time to work through.
Of course, I always hope for the best for everyone and
especially for those who have suffered at the hands of a person they looked up
to as their protector, spiritual guide and eternal well-wisher.
A person in a position of trust who abuses causes immense
psychological damage. As someone who was very familiar with the Gurukula child
abuse scandals, I should have known better.
It is true that the karma doctrine can easily be used by the
abuser as a source of empowerment. If the victim "deserves" it, how
much easier it is for the abuser to justify his unjustifiable actions. I would
like to make if absolutely clear that this was never my intention.
My comments were clumsy and ill-considered and worst of all, they were not kind. I apologize for them deeply. I pray that everyone involved in this ugly business will overcome their suffering, and find prema bhakti and a state of spiritual peace in transcendence, May the Holy Name be their shelter.
Zarko: You are a light in the world Jagadguru. Will this also be
retracted tomorrow with further knowledge?
You are a funny man, Zarko. One of the biggest mistakes I make on FB is to forget that whatever we say here is isolated from the rest of who we are and our "record" as it were.
On my blog, I have written so many articles on gurus who fell
down or were tainted by sexual problems. There are so many of them, it is
ridiculous. A pattern. One of the reasons I never accepted the risk of taking
disciples is because I know that I am not absolutely fixed in this matter.
Indeed it is such a widespread phenomenon that I have come
to think that "conquering" sex desire is perhaps a Quixotic endeavor,
especially in our present world. That is why I have some sympathy for those who
succumb to it, despite the harm they cause.
Many of the failures of the Krishna movement in the West
were the result of premature renunciation, whether it was the Gurukulas, where
children were separated from their parents to be left with immature teachers,
or men with inflated egos being placed on golden thrones.
A religious movement cannot grow and flourish without a
householder congregation, where couples love each other and raise their
children in love. The entire ethos of the early Krishnas was completely opposed
to this. Any possibility of worldly love was denied or disparaged. All due to
misunderstanding of the scriptures.
Love is only possible with detachment. That is the reason
detachment is emphasized. Love means to see the presence of God in those with
whom you live and associate. If you cannot love the wife, children, friends,
associates, etc., whom you can see, how can you expect to love the God you
cannot see? Especially since God IS present in them.
No amount of militancy or discipline or heroic renunciation
will get you prema.
This is also a controversial idea, but I think that for many
devotees it is starting to sink in.
Guru Tattva is all merciful. If you follow Guru Tattva as It has manifested itself to you, with the same degree of faith that you have in God, then the truths of the scripture will be revealed to you. The Guru reveals himself appropriately to each individual who seeks the Truth. There is no need to worry about Guru.
Some negative comments about Satyanarayana Dasaji elicited this response:
Satyanarayana Dasaji left ISKCON on account of the fall from Vaikuntha debate, in which he objected to statements made by Prabhupada that contradict Jiva Goswami and other previous acharyas. In the course of that debate, a lot of hard feelings were stirred up against him. This made him feel that ISKCON culture was headed in the wrong direction and that led to his departure.
Like many of those who left ISKCON and the Gaudiya Math, myself included, the question of legitimate diksha succession was also an issue.
SN believes strongly in commitment to his Guru, ānugatya, and he has shown that in his relationship to Sri Haridas Shastri.
Commitment to one may look like rejection of another, but is there any advanced sadhu anywhere who does not agree with Srila Prabhupada who in 1936 began his Vyasa Puja address by saying, "Guru is One"?
In all the years that I have been here I have never heard Babaji express animosity to anyone, what to speak of Srila Prabhupada. He believes in speaking the truth of shastra in a way that is as kind as possible, but he does not compromise the truth in order to please anyone. I do not see him looking for fights by antagonizing people who love their guru.
From my association with him I know full well that he recognizes the contribution of Prabhupada not only to his own spiritual life but to the Gaudiya Vaishnava sampradaya as a whole. He does not consider ISKCON illegitimate, but an important branch of the sampradaya.
Naturally, those who are absolutely loyal to Srila Prabhupada cannot tolerate any kind of statement that is not fully accepting of his infallible and divine status. I personally think it is possible to simultaneously see the positive as well as the negative in someone, but to concentrate on the former rather than the latter.
This in itself is not a recipe for freedom from difficulties as was recently demonstrated when I showed even faint appreciation for a disgraced individual who nevertheless had done much positive service in his devotional career.
sarve bhavantu sukhinaḥ sarve santu nirāmayāḥ
sarve bhadrāṇi paśyantu mā kaścid duḥkhabhāg bhavet
2015
Naked Truth
He is a seducer, a word spinner seeking just to please.
But he’s so obvious, even a child can expose
the rude blemish of the one who wears no clothes.
On the street they point at the tattered and torn
form of the avadhut, who had just been born.
They said: One who needs love cannot give it.
One who only talks love does not live it.
I speak of love, he said, because in my cave
this is what my God in silence to me gave.
I heard that I must learn to love to find my soul
but I am unworthy: being love’s object is still my goal.
I am not worthy: This is my naked truth so plain
I wear no clothes so not to say it over and again:
Nakedness is a feature not a flaw of love,
and in this sadhana, you can never be naked enough.
One who speaks knows the words and how to make a show.
Those who know, love and do not pretend to know.
Those who speak have seen the first rising of the dawn,
not the sun. It will rise when all the clothes are gone.
No one is loved exactly the way they want or need.
So the bee flits from flower to flower looking for mead;
and we search from object to object to find refuge,
but Love gives shelter only when she's been paid her due.
I love you all by speaking of love, may it bring you pleasure.
Your grace alone will reveal my words’ full measure.
2016
Cupid is famous for the "fiveness" (pañcatā) of arrows. But when spring comes, he suddenly has millions of arrows. This overwhelming preponderance brings "fiveness" to the separated lovers. But this "fiveness" means death (pañcatvam).
subhage koṭi-saṅkhyatvam upetya madanāśugaiḥ |
vasante pañcatā tyaktā pañcatāsīd viyoginām ||
Fair one ! In the spring, the arrows of the maddening god having attained the number of ten millions, and so left the state of quintuplicity. Quintuplicity alas befell the separated lovers.
2014
Had to go into Rishikesh for an errand this morning. Walked through the old bazaar and kind of fell in love with India all over again.
Past the shops with garlands of rupee notes to adorn
bridegrooms with, past the sari shops and puriwallahs, past Pappu's lassi,
flower garland shops, mehndi artists, and down to Triveni Ghat with its
itinerant sadhus and beggars.
To the Ganga, where kids are sifting the stones for coins
and pilgrims are piously reciting prayers while bathing. Then I walked along
the promenade enjoying the glorious Ganga's company. I picked my way through
the 50 meters or so of lost pathway, where a couple of years ago an avalanche
had wiped it away and saw that work has started on building a new wall to
prevent it happening again.
I finally dove into the very cold Ganga at Sadhana Mandira
and walked the rest of the way, like a mad dog or Englishman, in only a gamcha
and a wet t-shirt on my head.
Funny, my Radhe Shyam nam seems to have doubled in ardor.
2013
I had to cycle a lot today, just to Jiva and back and then to the Krishna-Balaram market zone.
I thought on arriving back finally that, seeing a constant
stream of sadhus and pilgrims... of such variety... deshi, videshi... even they
step onto the Vrindavan precincts and they immediately get to be a Dhamvasi for
a day... what tremendous punya accumulated in lifetime after lifetime, and I am
getting their darshan, and saying the name "Radha Shyam" and hearing
it back. And the Gita Govinda that I am learning comes to my lips. Radhe Shyam!
And this is my daily good fortune.
Who shall I thank? I will thank EVERYONE dammit. Guru has
descended to me in a million forms. I see my guru daily. I talk to my guru on
the telephone! I walk with my guru, I talk with my guru, I hold hands with my
guru in the galis of Vrindavan.
What does it matter to me if others see it or not?
2012
Got the sad news today that Joseph O'Connell, longtime professor of Hinduism at St. Michael's College University of Toronto, scholar of Gaudiya Vaishnavism, a long-time friend of mine, a friend and supporter of the Hare Krishna movement since its arrival in Toronto, died last night in New York of a massive brain hemorrhage.
2009
"Without love, our efforts to liberate ourselves and our world community from oppression and exploitation are doomed. The moment we choose to love we begin to move against domination, against oppression.
2009
I missed Swamiji's first Sanskrit lecture. Can't get up
until this is finished. Sanskrit Bharati teachers are giving a spoken Sanskrit
class from 8-9.30. Gonna have to give that a pass tonight, too.
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