ISKCON AND THE INTERNET – So long as life lasts, there is hope

Śrī Hanumāna Jī — श्री हनुमान जी

ISKCON AND THE INTERNET
So long as life lasts, there is hope

By Radha Krishna dasa

“So long as life lasts, there is hope,” are the sweet words spoken by Sita Devi to Hanuman, after he gave her assurance that Rama would soon rescue her. In a similar fashion, we may also say the same about our present situation in ISKCON, that, “so long as life lasts, there is hope.” There is hope that devotees will at last give some mutual tolerance and respect to each other, and Iskcon will be united. In fact, there are so many parallels we can draw from the Ramayan story, by which I would like to indulge our readers in, after begging their permission.

1. The Internet is compared to Hanuman. The Internet is like a messenger, like Hanuman, who leaps across the sea of ignorance to Sita’s rescue. Hanuman delivered the message that Rama would rescue her, and gave her hope. The Internet has made it easier for all of us to understand this issue, and gives us hope. In fact, the latest articles on the internet are so potent, that anyone who reads them, will be convinced. The trouble is, that many are still being deprived of this information.

2. Sita Devi’s situation of being incarcerated in Lanka is compared to the devotees who are keep uninformed within Iskcon. After they are reeled in by the potency of Srila Prabhupada’s books, they are cut off from his mercy (they are told not to hear his lectures, which they can’t understand, better to hear from the “present acarya”, and they can’t understand his books without a living guru.) And after all that, they are not allowed to hear the other side of the story.

So, without the Internet, it would have been extremely hard to break through the defenses of misinformation. In fact, some of us say, that if it were not for the Internet, this debate process would have taken forever, or would have never happened the way it has so far. This is because-

3. Ignorance is like the sea around Lanka, and like the walls of Lanka. The walls of Lanka are compared to the propaganda machine that keeps the innocent conditioned souls unaware of the actual facts. Like Cakra never prints the other side. In fact, some disciples of some gurus are forbidden to go online and see the Net for themselves. They are kept cloistered within the walls of Lanka (Iskcon) and “protected” from the real world out there.

So, I suggest that every one of us, who are enlightened by this Net sanga, that we should take it upon ourselves to deliver this message, like little Hanumans, to as many incarcerated souls as possible. We should give the message that there actually is ANOTHER SIDE to the whole story, to be read on VNN – and other sites, that they are kept totally in the dark about. In fact, I think there may be some kind of human rights law about cults depriving their people of public information. Does anyone know of such a law?

4. Who can we compare Ravana to? Nobody, because we do not wish to commit offenses, and because most of them are just misinformed. But I compare the “principle of Ravana” to the principle of what is going on with our stubborn leaders. Ravana was told so many times, by his best well-wishers like Maricha and his brother Vibeeshana, and many others, that his selfishness would be the cause of the destruction of his whole race, if he did not return Sita. He flatly refused to hear anybody’s advice. Is it not the same thing going on here in Iskcon? We all know that this conflict will tear Iskcon apart. We are burning down the house that we are trying to save. Most of it is just ego trips, like all the windy dissertations that reiterate the same old recycled arguments, and wasting everybody’s time.

The leaders are following the road of the “Ravana principle” by refusing to take advise. In many cases, they refuse to even listen to advise. They refuse to openly talk about it with senior devotees from the reform group. They are just like Ravana, who would rather have his whole race slaughtered, than to give up his ego and do the right thing and talk about it like normal human beings. That’s right, even ordinary karmis could talk about this better than some devotees. They would rather that Srila Prabhupada’s movement be reduced to a few hundred conditioned souls who stubbornly stick to blind following.

They would rather that Lanka burn down, as they defend their egos to the last man.

5. Srila Prabhupada is compared to the position of Lord Rama. Rama was obstructed for a certain period of time, before he could rescue Sita, and likewise, Srila Prabhupada’s real desires and orders were withdrawn from the world for a while, but he will be victorious in the end. His sacred order will be followed.

6. We are just like the army of monkeys storming the walls of Lanka. The monkey army crossed the sea of ignorance and took on all of Ravana’s generals, and defeated them one by one, and it will be Srila Prabhupada who slays the “Ravana principle” in the end.

Jai Srila Prabhupada! His divine will prevail! May his Iskcon flourish for 10,000 years or more!!

Your servant, Radha Krishna dasa

Chant Hare Rama and be happy !