Hari Vilasa Barring Devotee from Temple Case
in Limbo?
BY: CATURSLOKI DASA
Feb 04, 2012 — USA (SUN) —
Does anyone know if the situation was resolved regarding the GBC of Seattle, Hari Vilasa, imposing a three year ban on an innocent devotee back in November, for going public about the that GBC's support of performing and allowing Durga Puja in the ISKCON Seattle temple and in front of installed Radha Krishna Deities? Was Hari Vilasa reprimanded or corrected by the Executive Committee of the GBC? Was the innocent devotee who was banned from stepping foot in Srila Prabhupada's temple apologized to? Or was the whole issue just ignored and swept under the rug? Was the issue brought up at all by any sensitive and dutiful North American temple president, during the recent Dallas North American GBC and Temple President's meetings?
Srila Prabhupada's sankirtan mission makes so much sense, and is a simple one - spreading the absolute truth of Krishna consciousness and educating the people in general about the tenants of pure devotional service to Lord Krishna. At the same time, the Governing Body of ISKCON, the GBC, is duty bound to correct its own members from moral or philosophical deviations, while protecting the devotees who serve in his mission from exploitation, abuse, or misguidance. That GBC responsibility extends to persons from the public or congregational sector also, who look up to ISKCON to maintain the standards that Srila Prabhupada established. Otherwise why should they or anyone support, patronize, or involve themselves in any way in ISKCON? If the GBC shows little or no response to correcting its own senator's misbehavior or deviation, and if they do not exhibit a responsible or humble attitude of apology to the public and devotee base for their own mistakes, how can they expect anyone to follow them? How do they expect that Srila Prabhupada would be pleased?
Maybe that is the root of the problem in instances like this one involving Hari Vilasa. Someone please correct me if I am wrong, but the GBC of today is not necessarily representative of the temple leaders, devotees, or ISKCON congregation. It is rather, a self-elected group of persons who have no accountability beyond the disposition of their own members. Who wants to be on the chopping block of whimsical or sometimes even fraudulent behavior, when Srila Prabhupada established the principles of transcendental and philosophical integrity - guru, sadhu, and sastra? That integrity of ISKCON is the pillar of Srila Prabhupada's motto: "Purity Is The Force".
The departure of any governing board from honest and representative embodiment of the institution's teachings or ideals is the cause of disintegration of the institution and disenfranchisement of members and supporters, without which it cannot survive for long.
There seems to be some level of embarrassment from the GBC, with so many recent court cases against ISKCON. It would be appropriate for them to start reversing the apparent "turning a blind eye" policy in issues such as this one. Intelligent people from around the world wish to see that the governing and managerial board of ISKCON, the GBC, is indeed awake to public opinion and the preservation of the Founder-Acarya's mood and teachings. Jai Prabhupada!
