Jagat

Buddha Weekly The series on the necessity of a guru continues. Here it is the necessity of a bhajana-śikṣā guru, evidently, after initiation. शिक्षागुरोरप्यवश्यकत्वमाहुः (भा. १०.८७.३३)— विजितहृषीकवायुभिरदान्तमनस्तुरगं य इह यतन्ति यन्तुमतिलोलमुपायखिदः। व्यसनशतान्विताः समवहाय गुरोश्चरणं वणिज इवाज सन्त्यकृतकर्णधरा जलधौ ॥ The śikṣā-guru is also necessary, as stated by the personified śrutis: O birthless Bhagavān! The mind is like a wild, unbridled horse. Those who endeavor to control it through mastery over their senses and breath without taking shelter of the feet of a guru, cannot do so. They are troubled by the very methods they adopt and are beset with hundreds of tribulations in this world. They are like merchants who attempt to cross the ocean on a ship without a captain . (SB 10.87.33) ये गुरोश्चरणं समवहाय अतिलोलमतिलोलुपमदान्तमदमितं मन एव तुरगं विजितैरिन्द्रियैः प्राणैश्च कृत्वा यन्तुं भगवदुन्मुखीकर्तुं प्रयतन्ते ते उपायखिदः, तेषु तेषु उपायेषु खिद्यन्ते...

There is something about being chained to your guru. When you sell yourself to your guru, then you are bound to be brought back to him, even if in some cases you try to renege. The prodigal son who returns is twice as dear. I wanted to use the example of runaway slaves, but that is unfortunately a little incorrect politically, triggers the wrong kinds of response. But bhakti, dāsya , is voluntary slavery to the will of God. The will of God is primarily mediated through Guru-tattva. Guru-tattva is that aspect of God that occupies itself with the education of humanity. Guru-tattva is the manifestation of intelligence, individually and cosmically.. You can find a discussion of this verse here (towards the end): sei bhakta dhanya, ye nā chāḍe prabhura caraṇa sei prabhu dhanya, ye nā chāḍe nija-jana “Glorious is that devotee who does not give up the shelter of his Lord, and glorious is that Lord who does not abandon His servant." durdaive sevaka yadi yāya anya sthāne ...

I suppose it was inevitable that once I started getting into Bhaktivinoda Thakur's life story that it would end up in trouble. I don't like it. It disturbs people's minds in the Gaudiya Math and ISKCON. And in a way, I understand that for them, this is a mere technicality. Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur and his disciples have proved their validity as spiritual masters by their scholarship, their valiant preaching and by their personal character. You cannot discount them all on the basis of what seems like a mere technicality. So that leaves me (and my guru) looking a little foolish to them. But I can't help myself. It bothers me. Even if ISKCON and the Gaudiya Math go from success to success and conquer the entire world, I will still feel the same way. Because for me, the ultimate conclusion of the meat-eating story is that there is no stronger evidence anywhere than Bhaktivinoda Thakur's personal account shows not just that he was the initiated disciple of ...

Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati started a NEW sampradaya. There are two Gaudiya Vaishnava sampradayas, with two different diksha paramparas. The Gaudiya Math diksha parampara STARTS with Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati. Saraswati Thakur rejects the previous diksha parampara which was followed by Bhaktivinoda Thakur. Am I right or wrong? So if you choose to accept Siddhanta Saraswati's line, then fine. But you have to recognize that they are two different paths, similar in many respects, supposedly following the same shiksha tradition. But in the traditional paramparas, the shiksha includes a particular culture of raganuga bhakti that is NOT accepted by the Gaudiya Math. They have their reasons, their interpretations of shastra that are their own. They are not in agreement. But in view of the similar objective and similar antecedents there is a possibility of cooperation, but it is not very likely as long as each considers the other illegitimate. In fact, since everyone is chanting the Hol...

When I first made my appearance on the internet on the Garuda listserv in 1997, many devotees found my use of certain terms in talking about Srila Prabhupada more than a little offensive. Take, for instance, one of the few responses I saved. Jagadananda, to read your message is like reading a message from an unbeliever, an atheist. It manufactures many speculations and ends up confused and questioning. You don't want to offend, but then you write that the followers of Prabhupada "make" Prabhupada something, that Prabhupada is mediaeval and "chutzpah", only an ordinary person, that >Srila Bhaktisiddhanta did vituperous criticism on the sadhus, that sastra is not absolute, that guru is ordinary person... well, WHO is this hellish dog you did NOT want to offend? I know that you had intimate relations with some of Prabhupada's godbrothers. Your message is proof that what Srila Prabhupada said about them, is completely right. You know of which statement...

One of the most significant teachings of the Bhagavatam is found in three chapters of the Eleventh Book. There we hear about the avadhut, also sometimes called the Avanti Brahmin, who claims to have taken lessons from a wide variety of teachers, simply by observing and studying their behavior. I would like to share the lessons from this chapter with you. When it comes to understanding the nature of Guru-tattva, it must be remembered that the Guru appears in two forms, as the teacher or śikṣā-guru and as the initiator or dīkṣā-guru . Though the roles of these two kinds of teacher may be a little different, in either case, both are considered to be manifestations of Krishna. It is precisely when we recognize the presence of God in the external world, either in human or in some other form -- when we have a "epiphany" -- that we are experiencing the tattva called Guru. This was also stated by the 16th century acharya Krishna Das Kaviraj— guru kṛṣṇa-rūpa hana śāstrera pr...