Dear Vaishnavas of Various Communities and Guru-Paramparas;
Pranams.
Jai Hari, Guru, Vaishnavas!
As we are now well into the new millenium and are blessed with a plethora of Vaishnava sanga from various backgrounds around the globe, I have come up with a workshop that will empower those amongst us who find it challenging to live in a multi-guru universe.
Finding it difficult not to force your guru onto other people who themselves often have their own guru? Do you feel "offended" when others do not show as much enthusiasm for your personally chosen guru as you do? Is your "enthusiasm" (pushiness) creating conflict in your relationships with Vaishnavas?
(Or, like me, have you been at the receiving end of such pushiness and has it caused you to withdraw into a shell?)
Not to worry.
I have designed a system by which you can get at the root of the problem by examining the reasons why you feel it neccessary to act/react the way you do. Step by step your reasons will be dismantled and replaced with an appreciation for the new plethora of Vaishnava sanga available to aspirants in the West, while at the same time not comprimising your own.
I have also designed a program for those of us on the receiving end of such behaviour, in order to empower us to deal with the phenomena in a holistic way.
As more and more Vaishnava sub-cults make themselves known around the world, unless we learn how to deal with each other in ways that are in line with Vaishnava etiquette, and well, also in line with just plain ol' functional human relational behaviours, we will find ourselves immersed in anti-depressants rather than ananda.
Nobody wants that, do they?
Thought not!
I have also developed workshops which empower us to relate like nice, normal and functional human beings with people of other religious backgrounds outside of the Vaishnava fold.
My workshops are based upon years of experience with all of the above.
And of course the workshops themselves are not officially associated with any religious organization, though for Vaishanvas, the underlying theme is obviously bhakti.
Here's the best part - the workshops/seminars are FREE of cost. I just need transportation costs covered and some kitcheri (with a wedge or two of lemon) to keep me going.
For those interested write to me at bluecupid108 AT yahoo DOT com
Your's in the service of that lotus eyed Braj kishori....
EK PREM! ONE LOVE! Jai Rasika-jana ki ---- Swamini Radhe!!!!
I appreciate your desire to share your vision and aid in the rasa between bhaktas, but the problem you mention, for most people who are afflicted with guru-itis of one variety or another, is not a
psychological problem, therefore group therapy probably won't work for them.
To make this clearer we can look at a few types of guru-itis which is common to the devotee community
When there is antagonism between gurus that antagonism is often reflected in their followers. I'll give a few examples:
1. The antagonism between Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Matha and other followers of Sridhar Maharaj with the sanga of Narayana Maharaj. For example Narasingha Swami, mahant of Shri Narasingha Chaitanya Matha, considers himself and his organization to be followers of Sridhar Maharaj. He has written articles where he writes that Narayana Maharaj offended Sridhar Maharaj by calling him a "fish seller and coal seller" when Sridhar Maharaj spoke out against Narayan Maharaja holding Ratha Yatra in Nabadvip.
There is also the teaching of Sridhar Maharaj where he is critical of raga-marga, and so his followers criticize and even call Narayan Maharaj a sahajiya for speaking so much on rasa, bhava, etc. It's based upon Sridhar Maharaja's interpretation of something Bhaktisiddhanta once wrote:
matala hari-jana visaya (or kirtana) range
pujala raga-patha gaurava-bhange
Sridhar Maharaj and his successor Govinda Maharaj and most of the followers of Sridhar Maharaj interpret that to mean that bhaktas shouldn't follow the raga-marga, otherwise you can become a sahajiya, this is how they translate and interpret that verse:
"The servants of Hari are engaged in lavish affairs, handling material wealth and engaging all manner of things in the Lord’s service. They worship the path of spontaneous devotion with gaurava-bhange[in a mood of awe and reverence] and to show that the raga-patha is above all [above our heads], they remain as servants, being a little distant and below, praying for that of a servant’s duty, not for that of a confidential nature — not to bring that highest divine love down here, but to hold that upon their heads."
Here is Govinda Maharaja explaining that verse:
"Question: I have always understood that the verse, matala harijana kirtana range, pujala raga-patha gaurava bhange, means that our higest ideal is raga-marga, and, keeping it above us, we worship it from afar.
Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Maharaj: The correct idea is that we must always think it to be above us, otherwise we shall go down to the sahajiya line."
I have to disagree with the idea that Bhaktisiddhanta was against the raga-marga. This is a translation of that verse from a native born Bengali with no agenda to support Narayana Maharaj:
"Speak about the Harijans (devotees of Hari), enjoy the kirtana.
Worship the raga-patha (the path of raganuga bhakti), giving up all sense of pride."
So there is a lot of antagonism between the guru and sannyasi followers of Sridhar Maharaj towards Narayana Maharaj, there are other reasons as well (Narayana Maharaj saying he was the only successor of A.C. Bhaktivedanta), but those are the main ones. Since they teach their diksa and siksa followers that Narayana Maharaj is an offender and a sahajiya, what can you expect from the followers when they interact with each other?
2. ISKCON gurus versus the world. In ISKCON they teach that everyone outside of ISKCON is to some degree or another not as good as they are, or even bad. Prabhupada caused this by the various things he said over the years about how his godbrothers were no good, and even forbade his followers from their association. Of course since Prabhupada left, those godbrothers and people like Narayana Maharaj, cite various reasons why Prabhupada didn't mean them. Some of Prabhupada's followers accept those excuses. But the facts on the ground in ISKCON and for many of Prabhupada's followers, is that they don't, they believe that since Prabhupada condemned his godbrothers and the Gaudiya Matha in general, that they are superior to them.
3. Gurus like Tripurari Swami, Paramadvaiti Swami, Narasingha Swami, Siddhaswarupa, etc, have antagonism with ISKCON, Narayana Maharaj, and Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Matha. If they were siksa or diksa disciples of Sridhar Maharaj, then the leaders and therefore members of his organization look down on them for not accepting Govinda Maharaj as the sole acharya. They may also be antagonistic towards Narayana Maharaj, because while they didn't accept Govinda Maharaj as the sole acharya, they do accept Sridhar Maharaj as their siksa guru for theology, and therefore are critical of Narayana Maharaj (not sure about Tripurari). Of course ISKCON gurus teach that those gurus are bogus and should be avoided because Prabhupada wanted everyone to stay in ISKCON and avoid his godbrothers. The followers of all of those gurus take up the attitude of their gurus towards the other gurus.
4. ISKCON gurus and followers. There are so many gurus, that whatever friction there is between guru sangas is usually not known by those outside of those sangas. Not always though. For example Bhakti Vikas Swami was very critical of Bhakti Tirtha Swami for the UFO and new age stuff he would write about in his books. A bunch of gurus are very critical of Hrdayananda Swami for his outspoken support of teh gayz. And on and on...Maybe you are a disciple of Prabhupada and believe that none of the gurus in ISKCON are qualified, or maybe you are a disciple of an ISKCON guru who believes that Radhanath Swami (has a very large number of disciples and influence in ISKCON) was complicit in the murders at New Vrindaban, or maybe you are a disciple of Gour Govinda Swami and believe that your guru was mistreated by the rest of ISKCON's leaders. Or maybe your guru was shamed by the GBC for some reason or another and you hold a grudge against other gurus.
These problems cannot be fixed by group therapy because there are theological and or personal antagonisms between gurus and organizations, which then the followers of those gurus take up for themselves.
Really, I don't know why you even care to do what you propose. Most people are screwed up. Especially if they have gotten their social views from ISKCON, if so, they tend to be very egotistic about what they believe in. Plus, they look towards their gurus for guidance, not some outsider, or if they are Prabhupada's disciples than they are in their 50's and older, and will be too prideful or egotistic to take advice. Seriously, if people aren't mature enough not to be disrespectful of other people simply because of different gurus, then they sure as hell won't think they have a problem that needs to be fixed.