Ananda-mayi devi dasi: May 11 2009, Costa Rica — ‘We have always been dedicated vegetarians at the Loft, and now we have expanded into veganism!’ This is the statement from H.H. Devamrita Swami’s website. Thanks to Kurma Prabhu for providing the link.
The GBCs of Australia who are implementing Veganism in ISKCON do not seem to be very intelligent. They need to stop their preaching activities and read Srila Prabhupada’s books first. Srila Prabhupada never suggested Veganism for ISKCON devotees. Srila Prabhupada wanted devotees to have farming communities where devotees keep their own cows and supply milk for ISKCON temples.
Alas! Our farms are getting sold for some quick bucks, and we have been asked to follow Veganism.
Hare Krsna.
You need to also read Prabhuppada’s clear statements that ISKCON temples and restaurants should be supplied with milk from the farms where the cows are not mistreated or slaughtered. So Devamrita Swami, in reaction to the lack of such farms in many areas (incl Aus), is going in the next best direction – veganism. He also advocates cow protection on farms, I spoke with him just yesterday about just this, but failing that at least we shouldn’t justify factory farm hell milk as being ppleasing to SP and Krsna any more than offering meat would be – similar amounts of violence occur producing both and the industries are one and the same these days…
So why point the finger at people who are trying to follow Prabhupada’s example of perfect non-violence? Perhaps it is that veganism is pulling your guilt strings and the thought of going vegan is like the meat eaters going veg – so even when it makes sense to avoid milk produced with violence and death we try to justify it by saying ‘Krsna will help those cows we ofer milk from’ but what if we kill YOU and offer your money to Krsna to ‘help’ you in a future birth. Time we stop this hypocrisy – first by stopping supporting factory farms and ultimately by creating farms as Prabhupada instructed which produce cruelty free milk for all devotees. Peace ;0)
Devamrita is a fool
First, Srila Prabhupad gave the instruction that our farms supply milk. Baring that, he, from his own example he had us buy the milk from the existing dairies. That is his own example. What is wanted is we get milk from our own cows. The only alternative he showed by his own example was until that is possible, then we must buy the milk, because milk is needed. Milk is required to form and maintain the finer brain tissues. Without those finer brain tissues one will not understand the finer aspects of Krsna-Prem. Krishna is NOT a Vegan. Gopal – Govinda wants His milk.
He is simply concocting and making more chaos.
Rather then promote Vegan why doesn’t he set up working farm communities and carry out SP’s actual instructions, rather then concocting some non-sense.
If I had the time, I would love to do a streaming Vaishnav News video broadcast, news and Commentary … the mass devotees need to have a place to go to hear opposing views.
ys ameya
Of course veganism does not stand a chance to exemplifiy a thing.It is not a sustainable option.Nor does it show the world an alternative to farming without animal slaughter.
Srila Prabhupada’s Cow Protection mission is the perfect example of economic development through a symbiotic relationship with cows without killing them. Iskcon and affiliated groups still have not been able to demonstrate this to date but that does not mean it wont work.50% of Srila Prabhupada’s mission is still not manifest and will take time but veganism will never work and can never demonstrate an economy based on veganism.
But we still need to establish proper cow protection programmes that do show the positive alternative to animal slaughter.Cow protection is the basis for proper economic development that is sustainable.
y.s. Dusyanta dasa, UK