Dear Tamohara Prabhu, Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
n 8 Sep 2012 you wrote the following to HH Bhakti Vikas Swami:
"There seems to be some confusion regarding your coming to the Alachua/Gainesville area and giving classes. Both the temple presidents of Alachua and Gainesville have told you that they prefer you do not give classes or preach here. This must be, and will be respected. As the GBC of Alachua, I fully support this decision. We feel that your opinions and style of preaching has tended to be disruptive and at times offensive to devotees, the GBC, and ISKCON. (...)you will NOT be asked to preach, do programs, or give classes. (...)" (emphasis added).
I would like to inform you that I find the content as well as the demeaning, patronising tone in your email extremely offensive. I have never seen anyone calling himself a devotee address a sannyasi disciple of Srila Prabhupada in such a way. Perhaps Prabhupada's proscription that a devotee should at all times behave like a gentleman has eluded you? If you had any genuine reason for preventing a sannyasi disciple from speaking at the two centres, you could have discussed your concerns with his His Holiness in a civil manner. I am sure he would have taken your concerns seriously.
You are more than ready to ban someone because you don't like what he says, in spite of the fact that everything he says is fully in accordance with Srila Prabhupada's teachings as well Srila Prabhupada's mood. I have no doubt that Srila Prabhupada would have approved of Maharaja's presentation.
Perhaps you could inform myself and the rest of the large number of devotees who feel very concerned about this matter how many other devotees you have banned from speaking and for what reason. Have you banned anyone on the basis that their private conduct made them unworthy of sitting on the Vyasasana, for example? Have you banned a certain sannyasi who has been photographed while embracing young women? Have you banned anyone whose presentation deviates from Srila Prabhupada's? I suspect you have not.
Further, do you have any rules or criteria about banning someone, or is it just done on a personal whim?
These questions are not rhetorical. I would very much like you to oblige me by responding to them. It will be interesting to see whether you – who do, after all, hold a public office of sorts – feel sufficiently accountable to do so.
Let me emphasise something to you: there are many, many devotees in ISKCON who are angry, disillusioned and on the verge of leaving because leaders like you are seen to lack the integrity to act on the basis of correct principles. The correct principle to be applied in these circumstances is: does Bhkati Vikas Swami's presentation deviate from shastra? If it does not (and I think you would struggle immensely to show that it does) then he should never have been banned from speaking, no matter how many so-called followers of Srila Prabhupada found what he said "disruptive" or "at times offensive".
It is not and never will be a GBCs job to engage in censorship of sannyasis whose presentation is bona fide.
If you don't have the integrity to act in accordance with such correct principles then you should, in my considered opinion, step down from your public office and leave it to someone who does.
I look forward to your response, which I hope will address the genuine concerns set out above.
Kind regards,
Patrick Boch, Esq
LL.B. (hons.) Law (Buckingham)
Barrister (England & Wales)
Advocate (Bombay High Court of Judicature)
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Replies
Bhakti Vikasa Swami's latest book, On Speaking Strongly in Srila Prabhupada's Service.
On Speaking Strongly in Srila Prabhupada's Service was written for the perusal of all members of Srila Prabhupada's ISKCON, especially for devotees who feel impelled to follow Srila Prabhupada's example of preaching Krsna's message in a strong, clear, and provocative manner. Speaking Strongly is particularly for those who maintain Srila Prabhupada's vision of ISKCON as a revolutionary movement with a mission to change society, to rouse people to think about life's important questions, and to get them to embrace the only permanent solution to life's problems: Krishna consciousness.
In Speaking Strongly, Bhakti Vikasa Swami submits hundreds of quotes wherein Srila Prabhupada indicates that his followers should speak strongly for the benefit of the world and not shy away from embracing the uncompromising, realistic style of sastra, which presents not vague notions such as "spreading love", but solutions to the undeniable problems of material existence, and is especially relevant to the current disastrous condition of human society.
Taking a holistic and practical approach, Bhakti Vikasa Swami carefully examines the pros and cons of speaking strongly under various circumstances. Drawing on almost forty years of personal experience, the author discusses issues such as:
- Who is qualified to speak strongly?
- When should strong speech be used?
- Is the strong preacher a fanatic?
- Is strong speaking contrary to humility?
- When and how should tact be employed?
The ultimate merit of On Speaking Strongly in Srila Prabhupada's Service is that it reminds the reader of what ISKCON is supposed to be—a distinct vital spiritual movement—and offers a philosophical basis from which to help restore ISKCON to its original glory.
For more details and ordering information, please visit, www.SpeakingStrongly.com.
My name is Manidhara das and I was initiated by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami 1974.I spent since then fifteen years on book distribution and in the same spirit fifteen years as temple president before traveling through Europe while trying to assist any book distributor I could find.
As many of my godbrothers I had to witness much of what I never expected to see since Srila Prabhupada left His vapu form on this planet. But practically I never heard about a devotee being banned from a temple who is following the principles and instructions Srila Prabhupada gave.
I take the steps regarding the ban on Bhakti Vikasa Swami being taken by Alachua, Miami, Gainesville, Gita Nagari and Seattle ISKCON authorities as highly offensive and consider myself being banned from these temples as well. My heart goes to those who have to serve Srila Prabhupada under such an oppressive management. [Ed. Miami has confirmed there is no ban in place there]
Bhakti Vikasa maharaja is known to me closely since fifteen years and considering myself to great degree cured from any sentimental personal cultism, I know him to be a devotee strictly following the rules and regulations as given by Srila Prabhupada. Even lacking occasionally diplomatic skills, he always showed his readiness to defend these principles against the incoming degradation of ISKCON standards and policies.
At least serving as temple president, I remember only two cases of "Vaisnavas" being banned from ISKCON due to their severe criminal activities or due to the violation of the basic moral principles of human society. Don't have the authorities in the above mentioned temples anything else on the agenda as to ban a sannyasi whom they failed to prove wrong sastrically and morally? Why not spend the time in more productive way while trying to bring alive again Srila Prabhupada's book distribution and other vital parts of His mission?
As Vaisnava aparadha is indeed something to be afraid of and its effects as demonstrated in ISCKON history are ferocious, most of the time a definition of a "Vaisnava" is missing when this term is used. Personally I am far from to believe that everybody who painted his face with tilak just yesterday and chanted offensively the Holy Name for some time can be considered a "vaisnava". This mayavada-pseudo-sama-darsinah understanding brings embarrassment to those who would like to take shelter in Srila Prabhupada's ISKCON while seeking morality, dignity and honesty.
I never had the pleasure to visit the temples mentioned above, but I can assure any reader of this text that it wouldn't take me even one week to find in these locations "Vaisnavas" who wouldn't even comply with the moral standards of my meat eating father. Maybe some introspective view on the side of those who are Bhakti Vikasa maharaja's critics is in order. Or doesn't it matter anymore who divorced whom and how many times, how many "pedofile Vaisnavas" or how many "I-am-on-the-girl-friend-number-ten" Vaisnavas or how many "my psychiatrist said" Vaisnavas we are here dealing with?
When Bhakti Vikasa maharaja is proven sastrically wrong I am the first one to voice my doubt and he personally repeatedly asked me to do so. Many times he asked me "to check on him", a level of humility I never encountered in dealings with my illustrious godbrothers before. I can assure everybody that he is very much pained by the aggressive and defensive attitude of those who feel offended by him. But that doesn't mean he is willing to sacrifice his dignity and sell Srila Prabhupada's words to those who would like to see them perverted into unrecognizable shape.
If his words are causing "emotional discomfort" to some, then my answer is that I am right now experiencing severe emotional discomfort by the words of those who seem not to have the minimal understanding of decent human conduct. I never perceived Bhakti Vikasa maharaja as being meant to please my senses and my false ego and I got in my exchange with him just sastrically based inspiration. For those who are his critics this seem not to be enough.
In reality his voice is well understood by those who still remember what Srila Prabhupada wanted us to do. As matter of fact it's not the first time he is banned from certain location. I just returned from a very blissful festival in Croatia yatra he was banned from for years. The festival did go on despite all the opposition and now even some of his critics are joining in blissfuly as it is indeed an official ISKCON festival.
I myself asked Bhakti Vikasa maharaja never to consider to officialy leave ISKCON ,but stay and wait for exactly this kind of response as can demonstrated by the above mentioned temples. His bringing out the fashistic attitude of these authorities is more valuable service as living in underground. I would if I could urge ALL GBC-members to raise their voices and make it clear to the public if Bhakti Vikasa maharaja should be expelled from the WHOLE ISKCON or not. Let everybody take their stand on this issue and demonstrate his or hers understanding of morality.
If Bhakti Vikasa maharaja is expelled from anywhere, why not all the pedofiles, criminals and psychic individuals still occupying ISKCONs temples or even some ISKCON leading posts?
Your servant
Manidhara das