Sun Editorial Policy on the Jewish Issue
BY: SUN EDITORS
Jun 30, CANADA (SUN) — Dear devotees, contributors, and readers of the Sampradaya Sun, please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
Today we offer what we hope will be a clear and effective editorial policy with respect to the "Jewish Issue", which has lately emerged as a heated discussion here at the Sun. As previously mentioned, we have received many heartfelt letters representing both sides of the argument.
Ultimately, we must approach this as a philosophical issue. In the philosophical position we take with respect to defining who Srila Prabhupada is as the Sampradaya Acarya, we say that one of the most essential facts is that Srila Prabhupada is a nitya-siddha, as opposed to being a sadhana-bhakta who perfected himself to siddha. Many devotees have challenged this point, saying there is no difference at all between the two, but we find their conclusions to be incorrect. There is a very significant difference. In the case of a nitya-siddha, for example, we're talking about a personality who arrived in his body already in a pure Krsna consciousness. Consequently, we are not left to determine at what point this person perfected their sadhana, thereby becoming nitya, or eternally liberated.
In the case of Srila Prabhupada, those who don't see him as an eternally liberated nitya-siddha have a tendency to look at his personal background and his past as a businessman, as a Bengali, as a father, etc. They can try to make a judgment about how his background has influenced the shaping of ISKCON. Of course, that's a dangerous road to take because he is a pure devotee.
How does this apply to the Jewish issue? Well, many of those who argue that it is inappropriate to discuss an individual's religious, ethnic or cultural background, also put forth a similar argument as those who claim "nitya or sadhana-siddha makes no difference". They suggest that we're all Vaisnavas and as such, it is a great offense to designate or project onto a Vaisnava any sort of past creed or state of bodily consciousness. To illustrate this philosophical point, some refer to Haridas Thakur, the Nama Acarya, whose family was low class Muslim. It is stated by Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu and subsequent Acaryas that it is a great offense to refer to him as "Yavana Haridasa", as some offensively do in order to distinguish him from all the other Haridasa's. Haridasa Thakur was not a Muslim, he was a Vaisnava.
Some devotees like to project a similar philosophy onto the current Jewish debate, warning that it is a great offense to label the Vaisnavas, or characterize them with respect to some bodily conception. But we have to keep in mind that in the case of Haridasa Thakur, we're referring to a pure devotee - a true Vaisnava. Similarly, we cannot simply refer to a general class of people as being "Vaisnavas", not distinguishing between those who are aspiring devotees, advanced devotees, or actual pure Vaisnavas.
We know philosophically that if one is a sadhana-bhakta, then by definition, it means they are contaminated in various ways and to various degrees. It is very difficult for a conditioned soul, regardless of how nicely they execute their sadhana in order to get purified, to determine just how advanced another aspiring Vaisnava is. Therefore, for one to say that the rules which apply to pure devotees must also be applied to our contemporaries, one would have to be advanced enough to judge that their contemporaries are actually Vaisnavas, and not just aspiring neophyte devotees who are conditioned and acting under the modes of nature.
Among the various accusations that have recently been put forward is the assertion that certain ISKCON leaders, who are thought to be "JBD's" (Jewish Background Devotees), have exhibited symptoms or characteristics of "being Jewish", as evidenced by the fact that they are contaminated and influenced by the modes of nature, and therefore their past enculturation effected their decisions, activities, and consciousness, and the net result was that they had, or are having, a negative impact on Srila Prabhupada's preaching mission.
Now while it may be true that at one time or another in their devotional career, some of these leaders exhibited the symptoms of being advanced devotees, it is also true that over the years, particularly after Srila Prabhupada's physical departure, many committed serious offenses to Srila Prabhupada and to their godbrothers and sisters. We know that if you commit offenses to the Spiritual Master, one of the symptoms is that you lose your Vaisnava-like qualities, and revert back to your conditioned consciousness. So very much like the discussion of when a sadhana-bhakta actually becomes nitya, we are left to question at what point an ISKCON leader under these circumstances fell down to a platform wherein they became open to criticism.
Consider the example of Romaharsana Suta being killed by Lord Balarama with a blade of grass. We see that the philosophy that is spoken in regards to this pastime is that Romaharsana Suta's past, which blemished his reputation, was only remembered after he committed the offense to Lord Balarama. Prior to his making that grievous error, his background and previous conditioning were not an issue, but once he insulted Balarama, it became relevant and there was no offense in raising the matter of his past.
Interestingly enough, the offenses that were committed by the Zonal Acaryas were symbolically very similar to Romaharsana Suta's offenses, as the Zonals sat themselves on vyasasanas near, if not equal in stature to Srila Prabhupada's own. And while it may have been unnecessary and offensive to consider the previous conditioning, religious or cultural background of one of these leaders during the time when they were strictly following Srila Prabhupada (if there ever was such a time), once they committed the grievous error of imitating the Sampradaya Acarya, the subject of their past conditioning became relevant, and it became fair and right to consider it, just as the philosophical principles illustrated in the pastimes of Romaharsana Suta demonstrate.
Today we find that one of the problems faced by those who wish to examine ISKCON's history, and the history of those who led and influenced it, is whether or not it is right and proper to consider the previous conditioning of those persons, including their past religious, ethnic, or cultural backgrounds. Did those leaders who were previously brought up in Jewish households, or under Jewish influence - or any other influence, for that matter - allow their cultural influence to in some way contaminate Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu's Sankirtana movement, by using their power to institute programs and policies that were in conflict with the Sampradaya Acarya's programs? These are very serious questions, indeed.
Equally serious, however, is the need for those conducting such inquiries to maintain a proper mood of respect, and to avoid denigrating or character assassinating those who might happen to share the same ethnic, religious or cultural background as personalities who are the object of this critical inquiry. It is well known just how effective the cries of "Anti-Semitism" have become today. In the mundane world, what simple, hyphenated word holds more challenge than "Anti-Semite"? As editors of the Sampradaya Sun, we are not impervious to the implied threat that this term is imbued with.
However, without repeating the obvious, our primary goal here at the Sun is to broadcast the philosophy, standards and practices set down by our Sampradaya Acarya, and to give a platform for free speech and independent, brahminical thought to all members of Srila Prabhupada's family who wish to be heard. We are dedicated to the study of what has gone wrong in Srila Prabhupada's movement, and what is to be done to bring it to rights.
We can only conclude that while it is volatile, uncomfortable, and even painful to confront, the "Jewish Issue" is clearly a strand of the fabric comprising the ISKCON community. It cannot, and should not, be ignored or hidden from view out of some mundane desire to be "socially appropriate".
When the issue came to the forefront here in the Sun and we got such an amazing response, that alone indicated that the issue has been on the minds of many devotees for a long time, and has not yet been properly discussed. One would think that those who fall into the category of Jewish Background Devotees would embrace this opportunity to get the subject out into the open, so they can properly challenge any wrong assumptions. It's important that this be done, because everything we discuss here can and will be used in future arguments on the matter.
At the same time, we are not interested in facilitating barrages of personal criticism, name-calling, or unfounded allegations - whether they be cast in the direction of JBD's, HBD's, WBD's, or any other cultural, ethnic, or religious acronym. We are interested in pursuing the truth, and doing so by relying upon the tradition of debate that forms the very foundation of our Vaisnava philosophy. Therefore, we see it as our duty, as editors of the Sun, to facilitate that process in the proper way. Having carefully considered all the opinions put to us on the matter, we think there is a fair, reasonable, and brahminical way to go forward into this exploration.
We rely on this fundamental principle: if there is a trend that can be shown to have had an effect on Srila Prabhupada's preaching mission - whether it be good, bad, or indifferent - then it deserves our attention. If that trend happens to be the influence of Jewish Background Devotees in ISKCON leadership positions, then we conclude that it is a topic worthy of our attention. If it is proven that such a trend actually exists, then as a next step, various layers of exploring and deconstructing that trend become appropriate.
What is not appropriate, however, is to determine that a few individuals who have negatively impacted the movement also happen to have some Jewish influence or conditioning, and to take that as an invitation to label or otherwise denigrate them or others who share a similar background. That, we agree, would constitute Anti-Semitic behaviour, and we will make every effort to discourage such discourse here in the Sun.
One of the reasons we put a hold on publication of incoming articles on the Jewish Issue is because their content ranged far and wide, from anecdotal information about the exploits of ISKCON leaders, to New World Order conspiracy material, to very well-written academic pieces on Judaism as a world religion, Jewish culture as a general phenomenon, and the Jewish influence, specifically in ISKCON. While all of these articles are of interest to us, we do not feel that they're necessarily relevant at this point in the general discussion.
What is relevant, and in fact, is an absolute requirement at this point in the discussion, is that those persons who wish to assert that there is or has been a systematic, chronic or cabalistic trend related to a Jewish influence in ISKCON step up and prove it. If there is a trend, document it. Likewise, those who say there is no such trend should be prepared to prove it.
Much of the emotional volatility of this issue can be reduced if it is simply approached in a disciplined and brahminical way. If a trend exists, one should be able to document it. If it cannot be documented, than it falls to the realm of myth and speculation. We will not foster an environment at the Sun wherein matters of myth and speculation become free passes to label, denigrate or character assassinate those of any given class or category.
If, however, reasonable evidence is forthcoming that such a trend exists, then we will certainly support advancing the discussion to the next level. We have not in the past, and will not in the future, hesitate to 'name names', or discuss the actions of individuals in leadership positions in ISKCON who have strayed from Srila Prabhupada's standards, or who have negatively affected his transcendental preaching movement. If the proof is laid out that a trend exists, we will carry on with the discussion, encouraging a greater exploration of the many facets of the Jewish Issue in ISKCON.
With respect to discussions about the impact of Jewish influences on the world at large, for the most part we will hope to leave that exploration to venues other than the Sun, who specialize in it, and who are qualified to fact-find and offer accurate historical commentary on such material. That is not the purview of this site. But if the proper groundwork is laid, in many cases we will find it reasonable to refer to, or link to such material if it supports assertions about a trend affecting ISKCON.
To summarize, we support the continuation of this discussion and exploration, but first and only insofar as the parties to the discussion do their homework, and prove or disprove that a Jewish trend exists in the movement. Frankly, this is not an issue high on the priority list of the Sun editors, personally, and we do not foresee getting involved in doing much of this homework ourselves. Rather, we hope to guide the presentation of information, demographics, facts, evidence, and arguments that support or rebut the concept of a trend. We will attempt to suggest some steps along the way.
First, we suggest that a detailed survey be undertaken, in which all those personalities who have been in a leadership position or a position of great influence in ISKCON are identified, regardless of their cultural, ethnic or religious backgrounds. Let's be clear about who they are, what the scope of their activity in ISKCON was and is, what influence they brought to bear, etc. One of many variables that can be examined is what the cultural, ethnic or religious background of such persons was, or is. Equal weight should be put on such background and conditioning whether the person be Jewish, Catholic, or Pagan.
In the same way that we have studied the influence of Kirtanananda, who reprised his own fundamentalist Christian upbringing in the concoctions he instituted at New Vrindaban, we must be free to consider the conditioned ethnic, cultural and religious background of ISKCON leaders, no matter what that background may be. In conducting a study that is fair, neutral, and somewhat forensic, if an actual trend emerges that is related to Jewish background, then we will all get the benefit of seeing that data emerge, and as a community, will develop intelligent, brahminically inclined conclusions about what the data indicates. In this way we do not have to censor free speech, give voice to fanatics, or be cowed by the "Anti-Semite" stick. Instead, we will simply maintain an open mind and fair-minded protocol, inspired only by a desire to learn all that we can about how to improve and advance Srila Prabhupada's mission and Lord Caitanya's Sankirtana movement.
As we mentioned last week, having now arrived at this editorial position, we will revisit previously submitted articles that have not yet been published. These will either appear over the next few days, or will be returned to the authors with suggestions for revision. We will also make an effort to respond to personal emails we have received on this issue, and not yet been able to answer.
We encourage the devotees interested in pursuing this issue to begin documenting the history of leadership in ISKCON. Some interesting demographic material has already been provided, but it is undocumented, without citations, etc. That's a good place to start. Tomorrow we will suggest a few online tools that might be helpful, as well as a research grid that might help to organize the data that needs to be collected in order to determine if a trend exists such as the one recently alleged with respect to the Jewish influence in ISKCON.
As always, we encourage your continued input, and value the guidance and good wishes of all the devotees.
Your servants,
Rocana dasa and Jahnava devi
Sun Editors
