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Sectarianism in Spiritual Life
Q. What are your views
about institutionalized sectarianism in spiritual life?
A. by Swami Gaurangapada:
"My standing
instructions and humble request to all my disciples and devotees is to never
criticize or belittle or minimize in any way whatsoever any Vaishnava
organization or devotees in any way in public forums or even privately. Try to
discuss about these sectarian society issues the minimum, tending towards zero.
Please always see the good qualities in other Vaishnava institutions, devotees
etc. and glorify their good qualities. Please never consider your own guru as
better than any contemporary guru or acharyas. Please never think there are no
advanced and bonafide Vaishnavas outside your group. All these are vicious
obstacles to Bhakti and will destroy the tender bhakti-lata-bija. If you see
something wrong in other devotees, do not criticise behind the back of that
devotee or group because such criticism is useless and harmful. You can
approach such a devotee or group and humbly point out the mistake if that is
possible otherwise leave it upto to Gurudeva and Lords Nityananda and Gauranga
to correct and rectify that wrong doing. Please continue with your own
devotional service. Critcising those whom we cannot help is like spitting in
the air. The result is that it all comes down and falls on us and makes us
contaminated. So please avoid this at all costs."
Before beginning this
discussion on sectarianism in spiritual life, we would like to state that
we fully respect and whole-heartedly
appreciate the great preaching work which different Gaudiya Vaishnava
organizations like ISKCON, the different Gaudiya Maths etc. are performing in
this world. This preaching is surely creating auspiciousness in this world.
This article is a philosophical perpective of sectarianism and not directed
towards any institution or devotees.
Also I would like to make
clear that I personally do not manage any institution or institutionalized
properties, funds etc nor am even remotely interested in doing so. I am also
not a founder or an official member of any institution or organization. I have
my own personal bhajana ashram in Shri Puri Dhama and personal writing,
chanting, publishing and preaching services. Gauranga Dharma or Gauranga
Krishna consciousness is the eternal nature and characteristic of the soul and
not an institution. Disciples and devotees can start charitable non-profit
institutions etc. and have properties, funds
etc. but I will have no connection with the direct management,
properties and funds of such institutions. I will give my full spiritual
support to such institutions, orgs etc. from outside if they are for the
purpose of spreading the pure Holy Names and Pastimes of Nityananda, Gauranga
and Hare Krishna but my primary service will remain to contribute spiritual
literature and audio katha for the preaching of the Holy Names.
--------------------------
Shrila Prabhupada writes:
"There are many
societies and associations of pure devotees, and if someone with just a little
faith begins to associate with such societies, his advancement to pure
devotional service is rapid." (Nectar of Devotion: Chapter Nineteen p.41)
Comment by Swami
Gaurangapada:
When Shrila Prabhupada
himself states that there are many societies and associations of pure devotees
not just one and he himself recommends sanga with them for rapid spiritual
advancement, then it is expected of his followers also to respect these
societies or devotees outside thie group and thus respect these words of Shrila
Prabhupada.
--------------------------
Shrila Prabhupada writes
that: "Krishnadas Kaviraja Goswami gives equal respect to all the
preachers of the cult of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who are compared to the
branches of the tree. Iskcon is one of these branches."
(Chaitanya-charitamrita Adi-lila 10.7, purport)
Comment by Swami
Gaurangapada:
When Shrila Prabhupada
states that Iskcon is one the branches of the Gauranga tree, it means that
there are many other branches also. And each branch has to respect the other
branch since each of them is a part of the body of Lord Gauranga.
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Thakura Bhaktivinoda in
Krishna Samhita 8.22: Sloka and Purport are by him:
sampradaya-virodho 'yam
davanalo vicintyate
“The eleventh obstacle
for the Vaishnavas is sectarianism, which takes the shape of the forest fire.
Due to sectarianism a person cannot accept anyone outside of his own group as a
Vaishnava, and as a result he faces many obstacles in finding a guru and
associating with sincere devotees. Therefore extinguishing the forest fire is
most important by giving up this mentality.”
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"Party spirit - that
great enemy of the truth - will always baffle the attempt of the inquirer who
tries to gather truth from the religious works of his nation and will make him
believe that the Absolute Truth is nowhere except in his old religious
book." (Shrila Bhaktivinoda Thakur)
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"A sannyasi should
have an institution meant to preach Krishna consciousness" SB 7.13.34
Shrila Prabhupada
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"Therefore, in the
line of Lord Chaitanya even the sannyasis can speak about Krishna consciousness
everywhere, and if someone is seriously inclined to become a disciple, the
sannyasi always accepts him. The one point is that without increasing the
number of disciples, there is no propagation of the cult of Krishna
consciousness."(SP in NOD 7)
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"The idea of an
organized church in an intelligible form, indeed, marks the close of the living
spiritual movement. the great ecclesiastical establishments are the dikes and
dams to retain the current that cannot be held by any such contrivances. They,
indeed, indicate a desire on the part of the masses to exploit a spiritual
movement for their own purpose. They also unmistakably indicate the end of the
absolute and unconventional guidance of the bonafide spiritual teacher. The
people of this world understand preventive systems, they can have no idea of
the unprevented positive eternal life. Neither can there be any earthly
contrivance for the permanent preservation of the life eternal on this mundane
plane on the popular scale." (Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur,
Harmonist 29.7)
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As per Shrila
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada above no external arrangements,
societies, and institutions in this world will remain forever, infact mostly
they may remain for the number of years the Founder is personally present on
this planet or for a few years or decades more. But Gauranga Krishna
consciousness is not like that because it is the eternal religion and function
of the soul in relation to Lord Gauranga-Krishna so the various societies under
Gauranga Krishna consciousness may come and go but it will remain forever and
will triumph for the next 10,000 years
ISKCON was formed by
Shrila Prabhupada also as a part of the real Gaudiya Math because Shrila
Prabhupada actually tried to fulfill the orders of his Guru Shrila
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada by leaving Gaudiya Math and
forming ISKCON. Can you say that since the name of ISKCON is different from
Gaudiya Math which his Guru Maharaj has originally founded, Shrila Prabhupada
left his spiritual master? No, that would be the greatest offense because all
of Shrila Prabhupada's endeavours were simply to please his Guru Maharaj Shrila
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada.
We have instructed all
our disciples and devotees to try to cooperate with any Gaudiya Vaishnava
institution as much as possible if they accept the process of regular chanting
of the Nityananda and Gauranga Mantrarajas along with the the Hare Krishna
Mahamantra and have asked all our devotees to never ever minimize in public or
private the preaching efforts of any Gaudiya Vaishnava institution or devotees.
We are not interested simply in increasing the number of followers and all our
followers are free to visit any temples and associate with all devotees and
Gurus of all Gaudiya Vaishnava institutions if there is no minimization of the
sublime process of chanting of the Nityananda and Gauranga Mantrarajas along
with the Hare Krishna Mahamantra. Even if some uninitiated devotee guided by us
desires to accept initiation from another bonafide Gaudiya Vaishnava Guru from
any other institution, he or she is welcome to do so.
An Acharya like Shrila
Prabhupada is a Jagadguru, just like a sun. A sun is never Indian, American,
Chinese etc. Anyone can bask in the sunlight in any country. Similarly anyone
can take up the practice and preaching of the Acharya's instructions and please
him and Their Lordships Shri Shri Nityananda-Gauranga anywhere in the world
whether officially inside the society founded by the acharya or outside the
four walls of the soceity or in some other organizational setup. One's external
standing in any particular organization has nothing to do whatsoever with the
implementation of the practice of the teachings and instructions of the
illustrious Acharya. How can ever try to limit the teachings of the Acharyas to
simply one institution for the next 10,000 years. For eg is the teachings of
Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada and Seventh Goswami Shrila
Saccidananda Bhaktivinoda Thakura limited for only Gaudiya Math? No all
devotees in the whole world can hear, preach, and practice them in their lives.
Same is with Shrila Prabhupada's teachings.
Some say that one cannot
please Shrila Prabhupada outside the ISKCON institution. It is like saying that
one cannot get sunlight if one leaves a particular country. It is also like
saying that no devotee is ISKCON can please Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati
Thakura Prabhupada because they are situated in a different institution than
Gaudiya Math, the institution which he actually founded and which he also told
that no one should leave. We know that is not true. All the devotees can please
the previous acharyas by sincere following their Vani even if they are situated
in some other institution or no institution at all.
Infact the true spirit of
the Acharya is there where a devotee is sincerely trying to follow and practice
the teachings of the Acharya whether inside or outside the four walls of an
institution. Sometimes a person maybe externally be within the four walls of
very society founded by the Acharya but if one is deviating from the
instructions of the Acharya, Gurus, Sadhus and Shastra, one cannot actually be
in the pure Vaishnava society as envisioned by the Acharya. That is what is
meant by Krishna or Gauranga consciousness. Walls cannot have consciousness, it
is in the devotees' hearts. The allegiance to an Acharya's teachings is not a
sectarian or institutional phenomenon.
As Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta
points out in his extraordinary quote above, that an organizational arrangement
created by the unconventional Acharya who descended from the spiritual world
may or may not last after his physical departure but his eternal teachings are
actually the life and soul of his followers who may be born even after 1000
years from now. As per the Gita, even the parampara started by Krishna Himself
got lost due to the degrading effect of time. Then what to speak of
institutions. So it does'nt make sense to simply be stuck up in the shadow or
the externals of the four walls of an organization which is anyway going to
wither away by time and thus look down on those who are not part of one's
institution. The real thing to consider is the vani of the Acharyas. Because
through this medium they eternally remain in this realm guiding their followers
who may be externally situated in some other organization or in no external
organization at all.
It strengthens the
mission of Shrila Prabhupada and Lord Gauranga to have many missions and
societies preaching his message. Because if something happens to one society
the others can atleast carry on. That is why Shrila Prabhupada himself made
ISKCON and BBT separate. The real ISKCON is not simply an earthly legal society
of bricks and walls but the society where the vani of Shrila Prabhupada, the
Acharyas and Their Lordships Shri Shri Nityananda-Gauranga is practiced and
preached. Shrila Narada Muni, Shrila Shukadeva Goswami, Shrila Bhaktivinoda
Thakura etc. are in the real ISKCON because they are in 100% Gauranga-Krishna
consciousness. Unless we are 100% Gauranga-Krishna Conscious, we can never be a
part a 100% part of the real ISKCON. The real ISKCON is krishna rasa bhavita
matih as stated by Shrila Rupa Goswami and is so glorious.
A Vaishnava organization
meant for preaching should understand that it is one of the branches of Gaudiya
Parampara. But if it claims that it is the only branch and rejects the devotees
in other organizations outright, it commits an offense of indulging in
partisan, bigoted and dogmatic sectarian considerations which lead to
mass-scale Vaishnava aparadha. This has repeatedly happened in the past and
everyone knows the consequences also. So one should fear to criticize others at
the drop of the hat just based on a narrow-minded, bigoted and sectarian
institutional understanding. It should not become a habit or an intoxication to
indulge in minimizing devotees outside one's devotee group. One should think of
the dire consequences for themselves if it just happens that the person being
minimized has genuine desires to please Guru and Gauranga even though he may be
apparently acting or preaching in a externally separate group than the us. If
one gets into the habit of critcising other devotees inside one's own group, it
is so easy to end up criticising other devotees who are outside of one's group
without caring a least to try to find out about the genuinity of intentions.
Both internal and external mud-slinging should not become a part of our
spiritual life or a strong irrevocable habit otherwise we become close-minded
and sectarian in spiritual life.
CONCLUSION: One should
thus associate and hear from Nityananda Gauranga Bhaktas not on the basis of
such a narrow-minded secular organizational understanding rather one should
consider how nicely they have imbibed and preaching the instructions of Guru
and Gauranga and how much faith they have in the process of chanting the Holy
Names of Nityananda, Gauranga and Hare Krishna.
=============
Spiritual Sectarianism
by Shrila Sacchidananda
Bhaktivinoda Thakura in Shri Krishna Samhita
Sectarianism is a natural
byproduct of the Absolute Truth. When acaryas first ascertain and instruct the
Truth, it is not polluted with sectarianism. But the rules and regulations
received through disciplic succession regarding the goal and the method of
achieving it are changed in due course of time according to the mentality and
locale of the people. A rule that is followed by one society is not necessarily
accepted in another society. That is why one community is different from
another. As a community gradually develops more respect for its own standards,
it develops hatred towards other communities and considers their standards
inferior. These sectarian symptoms are seen in all countries since time
immemorial. This is prominent amongst neophytes and found to some extent
amongst madhyama-adhikaris. Amongst uttama-adhikaris, however, there is no trace
of sectarianism.
Adherence to a particular
standard is the prominent symptom of a society. There are three types of
standards—alocakagata, alocanagata and alocyagata. Alocakagata is when
sectarianists accept some external signs. Examples of alocakagata are tilaka,
neck beads, saffron robes, and the baptism that is practiced abroad. The
different activities practiced in the process of worship are called
alocanagata. Examples of alocanagata are sacrifices, austerities, fire
sacrifices, vows, studying scriptures, deity worship, constructing temples,
respecting the purity of various trees and rivers, dressing like sannyasis,
acting like acaryas, dressing like brahmacaris or grhasthas, closing one's
eyes, respecting particular types of books, rules and regulations in eating,
and respecting the purity of particular times and places. The examples of
alocyagata are attributing personalism or impersonalism on the Supreme Lord,
installing deities, exhibiting the mood of an incarnation of the Lord,
speculating on heaven and hell, and describing the future destination of the
soul.
The different forms of
these spiritual activities create divisions of sectarianism. Differences that
arise from places, times, languages, behaviors, foods, dresses, and natures of
various communities are incorporated within people's spiritual practices and
gradually make one community so completely different from another community
that even the consideration that everyone is a human being may cease to exist.
Due to these differences there is disagreement, cessation of social
intercourse, and fighting, even up to the point of killing on another. When an
ass-like mentality becomes prominent within the kanishta-adhikaris, they
certainly indulge in these things. But if they develop a swanlike mentality,
then they do not take part in quarrels; rather, they endeavor to attain a
higher level. Madhyama-adhikaris do not quarrel so much about external
standards, but they are always attacked by philosophical disagreements.
Sometimes they condemn the standards as superior. They condemn the neophytes'
deity worship in order to establish the worship-able Lord as formless. In such
cases, they are also considered ass-like people.
Otherwise, if they had a
swanlike mentality and a desire to attain a higher level, they would respect
others' practices and inquire about higher topics. Contradictions actually
arise only due to ass-like mentality. Swanlike persons consider the necessity for
different practices to one's qualification, so they are naturally detached from
sectarian quarrels. In this regard, it should be understood that both ass-like
and swanlike people are found amongst the kanishta-adhikaris and
madhyama-adhikaris.