Convenience of An Autocratic Body
BY: WALTER ROGERS
Feb 07, 2011 — USA (SUN) — I must say that as an outsider and observer of ISKCON, I find the recent articles discussing hidden or protected monies of ISKCON renunciates to be a sad paradox. There seems to be not two definitions of the renunciation of sannyasa. From what I have studied and understood in my reading of some of the books of Swami Prabhupada, and from interviews with different members of the ISKCON society, the Founder, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada set the highest ideal of sannyasa himself. He also attracted many of his students with the teachings of this kind of purity and detachment from worldliness and the possession of money. So how the governing body of ISKCON can tolerate this example of the watering down of the standard of sannyasa is perplexing.
While I understand the counterpart of the Krishna philosophy regarding money, that all can be used in divine service, for a member of the renounced order to keep large amounts of money as "his", whether procured from his followers, collected by given charity, or through the inheritance of a fortune, seems to be a contradiction in the title of sannyasa.
And as those who possess the title of sannyasa are always shown great respect because of the quality of renunciation, it is appalling when someone misrepresents the degree. As one initiate told me, just as beauty and the possession of knowledge or strength is an opulence, similarly one who has given up the search for profit and wealth for oneself is also an opulence. And even greater an opulence is to utilize 100% of such wealth in the service of the divine and "true owner" of all wealth. I like that equation. But who can respect someone who outwardly dresses as a renounced sannyasi but is attached to wealth, possibly having much more personal money than the people he preaches to, to try and get more money from them?
I am presently working on a thesis for my doctorate, which I will entitle "Modern Autocratic Religious Systems". From what I have read and observed on the Sampradaya Sun, the ISKCON leadership of the GBC fits very neatly in that category of autocracy. It portrays itself as the keeper of the purity of following the divine teachings of the Founder of ISKCON, yet the GBC itself is self-governing with no oversight. It makes its own decisions without any outside monitoring. From some of the information I have gathered on ISKCON's past, many of its spiritual leaders have exploited this vast loophole, and their deviations have become an embarrassment to the Founder's name. But then why does the GBC ignore the solution? It would be undeniably expected that any religious society's leaders, who want the trust and submission of the faithful disciples and followers, would see as their first order of business at their management convention, the arrangement of an air-tight system of checks and balances of its own members.
What is even much more amazing to me is that many ISKCON followers have still failed to learn the axiomatic truth that good government demands that the top leaders have a transparent system of rule and are regularly inspected by a group beyond their own jurisdiction. Bhaktivedanta Swami teaches that a pure and divine autocratic king is a preferred head of government, as opposed to a democratic government chosen by the careless and unqualified masses. But what kind of system of government in a religion that espouses freedom from illusion and 'I, me and mine' will be effective when the leaders of the religion are beyond and above supervision? When some of its past leaders have a track record of corruption, it is even more imperative and urgent that the managing body of ISKCON correct its standards and bylaws.
The convenience of self-autocracy may be good business for those who are using such a system for their own personal gain, but the tolerance of deception has lead to the decay and death of history's greatest empires. I am hoping to see some change in the doctrines of the GBC of ISKCON concerning this topic. I would prefer that ISKCON not be one of the entries in my thesis. Namaste.
