Forward to Gold, Guns and God Vol. 7

By bhakta Eric Johanson

 

Read Gold, Guns and God Vol. 7

 

The search for truth can take some to unexpected places, and since the physical departure of Hare Krishna movement founder A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (Srila Prabhupada) in November 1977 the ISKCON institution’s leadership has provided any number of cul-de-sacs in this regard. One of these is the subject of the Gold, Guns and God (GGG) book series. Author Henry Doktorski’s search for truth and healing of his experience in that space now includes giving a detailed account of its events and personalities. ISKCON is the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.

 

It is said that children inevitably follow the example of their parents, as opposed to their high sounding words. The same can be said of spiritual teachers and their followers, although adults do tend to introduce more free will into this mix. In this regard one of the sub-themes of GGG is the regular petty crime, lying, deceit and exploitation by associates and underlings of “guru” Kirtanananda Swami Bhaktipada, with himself also included. The story of Kirtanananda and his followers, mostly at New Vrindavana farm, West Virginia, is the substance of GGG. Although this disregard of morality was not preached or exhibited by Srila Prabhupada (it was condemned), many of his followers tended to independently believe that their zeal to spread Krishna consciousness allowed them this special dispensation from God, Krishna. Srila Prabhupada was always the example of the goodness he preached.

 

Concerning this, an older devotee once told me that, as a Krishna-realized pure devotee, that Srila Prabhupada did not have to leave (die) in November of 1977, even if he was being poisoned as alleged by some. Instead he chose to leave so that his leading secretaries would be forced to experience the karmic reactions of their deviations and lack of surrender to him. For years a number of them had been sidetracking devotees’ loyalty from him to themselves as part of their Governing Body Commission (GBC) zonal management autonomy, as well as committing any number of other sins. Srila Prabhupada had been absorbing the reactions as part of expanding his worldwide mission, but he also knew that in the process this was subtly encouraging their material enjoyment. As described in GGG volumes 1-6 one of the main offenders in this regard was Kirtanananda. By late 1977 the level of their deviations had apparently reached a critical point, as indicated by they’re going against one of Srila Prabhupada’s last wishes – that every disciple come and see him in Vrindavana, India.

 

Anyway, by this GGG vol. 7 it is becoming increasingly apparent, as continued from vol. 6, that the fruits of Kirtanananda’s petty and major crime, secret sense pleasure, hubris and his narcissistic delusion that he was Srila Prabhupada’s sole successor, etc., are starting to catch up with him. His followers have also all too closely taken up his example in all the worst ways. They killed critic Sulocana dasa, basically for the crime of not being taken in by Kirtanananda. In this regard it is interesting that West Virginia law enforcement had a more accurate assessment of Kirtanananda’s character than virtually all devotees, both in and away from New Vrindavana. Devotees are supposed to see things “as they are” with no illusions as a result of their surrender to God. This then raises the question as to who they were really surrendered to, Krishna and Srila Prabhupada or the GBC and their so-called gurus?

 

Even if we disregard karma as the cause of the reverses at New Vrindavana, the devotees’ extreme certainty that their sometimes murderous immorality was divinely approved largely brought about their undoing. This certainty drove them to sometimes broadcast their reasons and actions in the name of preaching Kirtanananda’s glories.

 

Needless to say any coming around, going around and fruit gathering is also nicely illustrated herein as regards the ISKCON institution’s leadership GBC. They also get to share in the Sulocana dasa murder scandal and the New Vrindavana copyright bust embarrassment. They are finally forced to confront what they foolishly sidestepped in December of 1977 when, with sheer Machiavellian audacity just one month after Srila Prabhupada’s passing, Kirtanananda started “initiating” new disciples without the GBC’s permission and accepting worship. In doing so he was clearly saying to them, “I dare you to do something.” The glaring implication was, “Are you willing to risk losing my followers and temples in a schism if you try to discipline me?” The GBC, like cowards, folded, thus allowing Kirtanananda to dictate, instead of Srila Prabhupada’s guidance, how so-called gurus would conduct themselves in the ISKCON institution after his departure.

 

The only concession they, or some ten among them, would get from Kirtanananda was agreeing to participate with them in the “zonal acarya” conspiracy, wherein suddenly in the spring of 1978 there were now eleven monkey “gurus” jumping up en-mass claiming to be Srila Prabhupada’s successors. In this GGG vol. 7 the GBC finally invite the schism by expelling Kirtanananda from the institution, albeit ten years and untold compromises with Srila Prabhupada’s instructions later. By then, 1987, most of Srila Prabhupada’s committed preachers had left in disgust at the self-apotheosis and over-lording of the eleven, who demanded worship even from their peers. As described in previous volumes, the eleven did not tolerate even slight or polite resistance to their so-called perfection. All this damage to Srila Prabhupada’s once dynamic preaching mission must be laid at the feet of the GBC who sanctioned all the deviation and abuse. “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” (Edmund Burke) The honorary title of acarya, which means “one who teaches by example,” was usurped, just like the ISKCON institution, by these eleven, who were anything but. Zonal referred to a GBC designated area of the world wherein one of the eleven was the exclusive so-called guru.

 

In regard to the compromises with Srila Prabhupada’s instructions, since the spring of 1978 the GBC have peddled a sometimes macabre, Kingdom of Oz sideshow in regard to who is authorized to be “guru.” The eleven initially out and out lied that Srila Prabhupada had appointed them. When it was pointed out that they had only been appointed rittviks (priests) to officiate until his departure at ceremonies wherein new people became Srila Prabhupada’s disciples, they changed their “authorization” to approval by the GBC, Srila Prabhupada’s “ultimate managing authority.” This “approval by GBC” ecclesiastical selection method has been used ever since, despite it being condemned by Srila Prabhupada, previous gurus of hundreds of years ago and the GBC’s own Sastric (scriptural) Advisory Committee.

 

“It is imperative that a serious person accept a bona fide spiritual master in terms of the sastric injunctions. Sri Jiva Goswami advises that one not accept a spiritual master in terms of hereditary or customary social and ecclesiastical conventions. One should simply try to find a genuinely qualified spiritual master for actual advancement in spiritual understanding.” Purport, Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita, Adi 1.35

 

“Mundane votes have no jurisdiction to elect a Vaisnava acarya. A Vaisnava acarya is self effulgent, and there is no need for any court judgement. A false acarya may try to override a Vaisnava by a High Court decision, but Bhaktivinode Thakura says that he is nothing but a disciple of Kali Yuga.” Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita, Madhya 1.220, Purport

 

“Our present system has institutionalized a process of senior devotees voting or offering no-objection to prospective gurus. But we do not find that this institutionalized blessing seeking process is mentioned by guru, sadhu (saintly person) or sastra as the way that one is authorized to become a guru.” ISKCON Sastric Advisory Committee, Balancing the roles of the GBC and the disciple in Guru selection

 

Here one quote makes clear that all the “gurus” approved by the GBC over the last 40 some years are “disciple(s) of Kali Yuga.” Kali yuga is the current iron age of quarrel and hypocrisy, so it is not something a truly saintly person should be associated with.

 

As far as the track record of the hundred or more men who have “served as guru” in the institution, thousands of “second generation” followers have been left without one after some kind of scandal. These “fried out” people usually also leave the institution, as will be described for New Vrindavana in future volumes. This has led the GBC to declare itself the superior authority over the so-called gurus, another glaring contradiction with ancient scriptures and tradition. Those say that a genuine guru is to be seen “as good as God,” or above all mundane management authorities. The GBC policy itself is therefore an admission that the “gurus” can’t be expected to be up to that standard. Besides being an apasiddhanta, or something outside standard Krishna conscious philosophy and practice, this is clearly a question of spiritual authority, not mere management. If Srila Prabhupada had intended the GBC to be superior to the “gurus,” he would have called them “the ultimate authority” or “ultimate spiritual and managing authority” instead of qualifying their authority as mere “managing.”

 

As described in this volume and volume 6, Kirtanananda, with his insistence that no one is superior to guru, was the main obstacle to the reform movement being able to implement this policy. Philosophically he was right, but ironically it was a consequence of his bad qualities in the event of Sulocana’s murder that led to its implementation. And all this was the result of the GBC’s cowardly inaction in December 1977.

 

In this way the story of GGG has taken us full circle to Kirtanananda’s expulsion from the ISKCON institution. Readers can trace how the seed of the ISKCON institution’s philosophical and moral undoing was actually this one man, a kind of living, preaching, stealth time bomb. In 1967 he was the first apparently fully surrendered, renounced disciple of Srila Prabhupada, who repeatedly praised him. He imbibed Srila Prabhupada’s mood and style to such an extent that many older devotees also thought him to be a pure devotee. He regularly preached about the evils of the material life and sex. His charisma and compassion attracted his peers and follower’s love and devotion. Yet he also harbored great ambition and was capable of ruthless self-interest and audacity. Considering that he could fool virtually everyone he came in contact with, this was an extremely dangerous man.

 

His damage was shown to have directly and indirectly caused all the turnover of first and second generation devotees during the first fifteen years after Srila Prabhupada’s departure. That has now forced the GBC to become almost completely dependent on people of Indian descent, both in and out of India. However, these people tend to see the movement as more of a church instead of a missionary transformation of society offering love of God. It may have been that in 1978 some kind of zonal acarya conspiracy would have formed anyway, but had Kirtanananda been disciplined, it would have been impeded and he would not have been the direct catalyst.

 

The real victim of the compromises with Srila Prabhupada’s instructions has been his focus on pure devotional service – a 100% Krishna-centered environment in every temple. Srila Prabhupada wanted every disciple’s 24 hours to be dedicated to thinking and talking about Krishna with everyone one met, with every action and word in accordance with his detailed instructions. Only this would enable the seeker to truly transcend their previous material consciousness and realize Krishna. This intensive process of individual self-transformation (bhakti yoga) was what largely going on before the spring of 1978, but the GBC have gradually secularized that, leaving just another hierarchical, congregational, institutional religion, what Srila Prabhupada once called “Churchianity.” The intensive self-transformation can’t happen when virtually all members merely work a job in material society and give donations, showing up at the temple only on weekends. It also doesn’t happen when diversions from pure Krishna consciousness like hatha yoga and stress relief are used to attract people to the temple.

 

Satsvarupa: Srila Prabhupada, sometimes you say only a very small percentage can take to Krishna consciousness.

Srila Prabhupada: Yes.

Satsvarupa: But yesterday morning in your lecture you were saying it can expand to ten thousand, million, or ten million.

Srila Prabhupada: Yes, if you take the proper way it can be increased.

Satsvarupa: Is that just up to our preaching?

Srila Prabhupada: Yes. That will depend on your purified preaching activities. If you again become materially victimized, then you cannot do it. If you remain on the spiritual platform, if you try, then it will increase. Anandambudhi-vardhanam. It will increase. As soon as there is any contemplation of sense gratification, then the spirit will be lost. Then instead of Christianity, it will be “Churchianity,” officially going to the church, doing nothing, and gradually nobody will go. – Morning Walk, April 7, 1975, Mayapur

 

The seekers like Henry who have come to the dead end of their so-called guru cul-de-sacs are actually the fortunate ones. They get the chance to rebuild their lives and renew their search in the right direction. The truly unfortunate are those whose so-called gurus don’t become scandalized and remain approved by the GBC, as four of the original eleven and any number of subsequent selections are. These followers remain aboard what the Srimad Bhagavatam calls a “stone boat,” one that is no longer fully connected with the instructions of previous spiritual masters. Hare Krishna. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

 

Reporter: Don’t you feel that people are suspicious because of their experience with fake gurus? If you went to a quack dentist and he broke your tooth, you might be suspicious about going to another dentist.
Srila Prabhupada: Yes, naturally, if you are cheated, you become suspicious. But this does not mean that if you are cheated once, you will always be cheated. You should find someone genuine. But to come to Krishna consciousness, you must be either very fortunate or well aware of this science. From the Bhagavad-gita we understand that the genuine seekers are very few: manusyanam sahasresu kascid yatati siddhaye. Out of many millions of people, there may be only one who is interested in spiritual life. – Science of Self Realization, Ch. 2, “Choosing a Spiritual Master-Saints & Swindlers”

 

A note about my names – Bhakta Eric Johanson joined the Berkeley temple in December 1977 and was “initiated” by Hansadutta  Swami as Vrindavana Candra dasa in the spring of 1978. As described in endnote 527, I was given “sannyasa” (a vow of lifelong celibacy) by Hansadutta along with Paramahansa dasa and seven others in 1983 and was called Vrindavana Candra Swami. In 1985 I read Sulocana dasa’s The Guru Business and realized I had yet to contact a genuine guru and wasn’t really even initiated, much less a sannyasi. I shortly after returned to being bhakta Eric.