Apr 27 2009, Los Angeles, California: I recently attended a slide show presentation on ISKCON 2009 at New Dwaraka by Badrinarayana das. He was pitching Mayapur – ISKCON’s claim to institutional fame. The following is my email, his response and my rebuttal. There may be more to come. Notice the snaky way he dodges and/or simply ignores the issues I presented.
From: Ray Lanthier
To: Badrinaryana
Throughout the slide show you kept preaching on what ‘Prabhupada wanted”. One thing that tops the list of Prabhupada’s desires is making devotees- Western devotees and lots of them. The Vegas-like Mayapur is not that program (I should say business). How often are Westerners going to go to Mayapur – maybe never?
Spending exorbitant amounts of money may impress materialistic Indians and ISKCON members, but it doesn’t spell spiritual success. ISKCON today is essentially an Indian institution – I should go further and say Hindu institution – what with Svavasa conducting their weddings in the temple room, and providing brahminical services of every kind for their financial support. Has this approach brought in, maintained the large number of devotees that were in New Dwaraka before Prabhupada’s Samadhi? The answer is a shameful, indefensible, resounding NO. Mayapur and other flashy glamorous projects don’t even begin to address the problem – the sad diminishment of Prabhupada’s Western mission. It is that you have to answer for, before you present yourself as an expert on what ‘Prabhupada wanted’.
From: Badrinaryana
To: Ray Lanthier
Hare Krishna. Did you listen to Sunday’s presentation also? The Manor presentation, Australia, and the section on the Krishna Lounge in San Diego are all programs and ideas aimed at attracting white bodied people to Krishna. Feeling any better? What Srila Prabhupada wanted was for us to make not just white devotees but all the local people, wherever we were, into devotees—that means white, brown, yellow, or black—depending on the host culture.
Instead of criticizing the efforts that are going on, if you are not happy with them, then roll up your sleeves, stop complaining about what others are or are not doing, and teach us by your own example.
Your servant,
Badrinarayan dasa
From: Ray Lanthier
To: Badrinaryana
Please do not continue to interpret Prabhupada’s intentions to me. He has made them quite clear and does not need an interpreter. As far as the significant decline in Western ISKCON is concerned, I never said ‘white-bodied, I said Western. Prabhupada obviously didn’t come to the West to make ISKCON a predominantly Hindu institution, regardless of what other marginal demographics you can muster in your advertisement. You aren’t going to dodge your way out of it that easily.
Bhaktivedanta Manor is in a pathetic state compared to what it used to be, also catering to Hindu culture, not to mention tolerating Gauri, a child abuser. And that is the solution? San Diego? Impressive. That should fill up the Western temples again – releasing the Hindu stranglehold. Australia is a whole other debacle I don’t have the time to get into.
And how did it become my responsibility? You are GBC. If there is anybody responsible for the decline it would be that organization. The mismanagement of and indifference to child abuse and molestation cases, bogus gurus, Hindu secularization – all of these issues can be firmly placed at its doorstep. You have a lot to answer for, and your response is dodgy at best.
Hare Krsna indeed.
Ray Lanthier
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