bona fide guru initiation
Philosophy · asked by user [] · 2008-12-21 · 2 answers
Recently I had a newly intiated bhakta tell me that there has to be something wrong with somebody who doesnt want to get initiated. I told him thats not how it works. You dont start off looking for a guru. Your first motive is to learn the truth, or feel some need of relief from material life. That search eventually would lead you to a guru, but not necessarily a living one.
Guru shopping seems so artifical and cheap. Maybe there should be a web site like match.com to hook you up to a guru of your choice.
I asked him of course how he knew his guru was bona fide. Not suprisingly I didnt get much of an answer.
So the question is how can you start out looking for a guru when you dont even know who qualifies?
Guru shopping seems so artifical and cheap. Maybe there should be a web site like match.com to hook you up to a guru of your choice.
I asked him of course how he knew his guru was bona fide. Not suprisingly I didnt get much of an answer.
So the question is how can you start out looking for a guru when you dont even know who qualifies?
user [313] · 2008-12-21
cbrahma: ....how can you start out looking for a guru when you dont even know who qualifies?=============
Well, you need to start somewhere. It is step by step progress. It is not like you have just one take, one and only, and all depends on this one try - if you miss, you missed for ever, no hope..... It is not like that. You get what Krsna gives you, nothing less, nothing more. Maybe the first guru is not the one, who will take you all the way to the end, but that is no problem in siksa society. Guru may even fall, what can be done. You get diksa, from one person. And you get siksa from him, and from others. You can have only one diksa guru, but there is no limit to siksa gurus. Sure, GBC ISKCON may have problem with that, and ritvik ISKCON may have problem with that too, but that is their problem really.
There is idea, that everything depends on your diksa guru. Both GBC ISKCON and ritvik ISKCON guru systems are based on this. I think such ideas are only partly correct, one cannot neglect or deny importance of siksa gurus. And of course, position of Founder Acarya as siksa guru for all in his line, is a special one, and important factor in siksa succession.
user [350] · 2008-12-21
[quote][cite] Giri-nayaka das:[/cite]cbrahma: ....how can you start out looking for a guru when you dont even know who qualifies?=============
Well, you need to start somewhere. It is step by step progress. It is not like you have just one take, one and only, and all depends on this one try - if you miss, you missed for ever, no hope..... It is not like that. You get what Krsna gives you, nothing less, nothing more. Maybe the first guru is not the one, who will take you all the way to the end, but that is no problem in siksa society. Guru may even fall, what can be done. You get diksa, from one person. And you get siksa from him, and from others. You can have only one diksa guru, but there is no limit to siksa gurus. Sure, GBC ISKCON may have problem with that, and ritvik ISKCON may have problem with that too, but that is their problem really.
There is idea, that everything depends on your diksa guru. Both GBC ISKCON and ritvik ISKCON guru systems are based on this. I think such ideas are only partly correct, one cannot neglect or deny importance of siksa gurus. And of course, position of Founder Acarya as siksa guru for all in his line, is a special one, and important factor in siksa succession.[/quote]
The GBC is dangerously prone to making mistakes - not a good sign for a body that is supposed to pick out people who are pure and not conditioned to making mistakes.
There is no historical precedent of course for such a process of guru authorization.
Ritvik ends up in a clerical caste of priests like the Catholic Church, who eventually expect the same adoration as God Himself.
So the I am Gods direct representative platform is fraught with dangers and potential atrocities. I for one am not the fool that will go where angels fear to tread.