1

Reform or Restorethe Guru?

Prepared for the G.B.C, Mayapur 1999

2

ISKCON was set up in 1966 with ‘16 rounds and 4 regs’ as the standard

To CHANGE this requires an ORDER from the ISKCON’s SUPREME AUTHORITY

3

ISKCON was set up in 1966 with Srila Prabhupada as the Diksa Guru

To CHANGE this requires an ORDER from the SUPREME AUTHORITY in ISKCON

4

The GBC has been established by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada to represent Him in carrying out the responsibility of managing the International Society for Krsna Consciousness of which He is the Founder-Acarya and SUPREME AUTHORITY. The GBC accepts as its life & soul His divine instructions and recognises that it is completely dependent on His mercy in all respects. The GBC has no other function or purpose other than to execute the instructions so kindly given by His Divine Grace and preserve and spread His Teachings to the world in their pure form”

(Definition of GBC, Resolution 1, GBC minutes 1975)

5

Thus changing ISKCON’s guru system requires a specific ORDER from Srila Prabhupada:

‘Tradition’,‘what always happens’, or ‘what Gaudiya Matha does’ etc. not good enough

6

1. Need order FOR change?

2. Need to know WHAT that change is.

If 1&2 exists ->New Guru(s) replace Srila Prabhupada

7

1. Order for change?

Evidence offered:

a) ‘Become Guru’b) ‘Appt Tape’

c) ‘Law of Disciplic Succession’d) Parampara stops

8

a) ‘Become Guru’

but to replace Srila Prabhupada:

i) Specifically need to accept disciplesii) Can ONLY happen after departureiii) Guru must ONLY be a Maha-bhagavata (Madhya 24:330)

9

But ‘become guru’ states:

i.) “Best not to accept any disciples” (Madhya 7:130)ii) Given in present tense - not linked to departureiii) ‘There is no need of qualification’ (Lecture, 21/5/76)

10

b) ‘Appt Tape’

“On my Order [...] Be ACTUALLY Guru BUT by my order [...] His Grand-disciple ...

WHEN I order ‘you become guru’”

STATES PRINCIPLE THAT CHANGE OCCURS ONLY ON

ORDER

11

C) ‘Law of Disciplic Succession’

“ ... In his absence or disappearance you CAN accept disciples without

limitation.”

Simply states PRINCIPLE of WHEN change POSSIBLE

12

d) Parampara Stops

• Parampara Principle - Knowledge must come from Disciplic Succession

• SP is in the disciplic succession and still current

• Disseminates knowledge via his books

• NO evidence WHY, HOW & WHEN SP STOPPED being current - only if this is shown can we be accused of stopping the parampara.

• SP states repeatedly that knowledge transmission not blocked by physical factors

13

LEVEL 1 - PROOF

NO ORDER FOR CHANGE ->

SO NO CHANGE

14

2. WHAT Change Required

• No evidence put forward - only proposals

• Zonal Acharya

• MASS

• DDG - Bombay, Radhadesh, Malaysia etc

• “Self-effulgent Acharya”

• Pancaratrika-Guru

• ‘Deliverer and instrumental’ gurus

15

History of different speculations:

System Status of ‘initiator’ Vs Srila Prabhupada

Zonal - 1978-86 Much Greater

M.A.S.S - 86-99 Greater

D.D.G. - Proposed Less

No Change - Correct Minimal

Speculations all moving towards ‘No Change’ anyway - > thus only matter of time before reform complete; need to keep up pressure

16

Proposals - All varied, all use same evidence

Aim simply to REPLACE SP& ACCOMMODATE us

Only DEGREE differs

17

Thus actually only TWO camps:

CHANGE

NO CHANGE

‘No change’ camp cannot have differences - as simply continuation of exactly what already there.

Thus we are not ‘Radicals’ - we are the true

TRADITIONALISTS

‘Change-vadis’ are the ones who have introduced something new and unauthorised in ISKCON

18

Variation occurs because NO instructions for WHAT change given by SP - so simply speculation

No instructions for HOW Guru system operates - ONLY example is SP himself - but this ONE system GBC already rejected - Zonal Acharya system

19

So SP proposed Gurus without telling us how they behave, their level of worship, etc. etc., so we have to speculate or ask Gaudiya Matha????????

Or ask US?!!!!!

This further evidence that Change itself was NOT proposed

20

Level 2 Proof

No evidence for WHAT change

SO NO CHANGE

21

But SP also GAVE instructions FOR NO CHANGE

• July 9th letter

• Will - “No Change”, “My Initiated disciple”

• Other - “continue”, “for the future” etc.

• Appt Tape - “No longer with us”

• Books - Only pre 1977 system mentioned

22

LEVEL 3 - PROOF:

Actual ORDERS to continue NO CHANGE

SO LEVEL 3 RE-ENFORCES LEVELS 1 & 2

EVERY ANGLE - NO CHANGE

23

1. Qualification of Guru2. Does Guru Fall3. What worship for Guruetc., etc,

IRRELEVANT

First show replacement Gurus Ordered THENdiscuss who and what they are

24

Conclusion - 1

• SP Diksa Guru for ISKCON 1966 ->

• NO CHANGE ordered by SP

• SP ordered CONTINUATION of same

• Priests used simply as a mechanism to allow initiation pre & post 1977 to continue with NO CHANGE

25

Conclusion - 2

Thus 3 levels of proof:

1) NO evidence to remove Srila Prabhupada

2) NO evidence for exactly what is to replace him

3) HAVE clear evidence that nothing changes

26

Simply take ONE piece of evidence for ONE proof:

July 9th directive, level 3 proof

ask for modifications A & B, and whole GBC case defeated:

-

-----> ‘The Final Order’

27

RESTORE THE GURU - SRILA PRABHUPADA

AND FOLLOW THE ISKCON TRADITION

THERE ARE NO GURUS TO REFORM