OUR MISSION Kundali Dasa

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    "OUR MISSION

    PART TWO"

    The Varieties of Dysfunctional Experience

    by Kundali dasa, 1996

    To Vrndavana prabhu,

    who was a victimof our dysfunctional dynamics;

    and

    to present and future sincere followers

    of Srila Prabhupada

    who appreciate

    that the candle of enlightenment

    lights all directions;

    who appreciate

    that in distinguishing reality from illusion,

    no one is exempted

    from critical scrutiny;and

    who appreciate

    that anyone closed to such scrutiny

    is especially suspect.

    Srila Bhaktisiddhanta on the eal Sadhu

    There are !any thin"s #hich #e do not disclose to thesadhu$ The realsadhu

    !akes us speak out #hat #e keep concealed in our hearts$ %e then applies theknife$ The &ery #ord 'sadhu' has no other !eanin" than this$ %e stands infront of the block #ith the uplifted sacrificial knife in his hand$ The sensuousdesires of !en are like the "oats$ Thesadhustands there to kill those desires

    by the !erciful stroke of the keen ed"e of the sacrificial knife in the for! ofunpleasant lan"ua"e$ (t thesadhuturns into !y flatterer then he does !e har!)he beco!es !y ene!y$ (f he "i&es !e flattery then #e are led to the road that

    brin"s en*oy!ent but no real #ell+bein"$ Sri Caitanyas Teachings-

    Srila .rabhupada on Satya! Truth-

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    Satyam, truthfulness, !eans that facts should be presented as they are, for thebenefit of others$ /acts should not be !isrepresented$ 0ccordin" to socialcon&entions, it is said that one can speak the truth only #hen it is palatable toothers$ But that is not truthfulness$ The truth should be spoken in astrai"htfor#ard #ay, so that others #ill understand actually #hat the facts are$

    (f a !an is a thief and if people are #arned that he is a thief, that is truth$0lthou"h so!eti!es the truth is unpalatable, one should not refrain fro!speakin" it$ Truthfulness de!ands that the facts be presented as they are for the

    benefit of others$ That is the definition of truth$ !hagavad"gita-

    They de&otees- speak only thesatyamtruth- althou"h it !ay not necessarilybepriyams#eet-$ #etter to Sumati $orar%i-

    an"alacarana!

    2ord Krsna says that e&ery endea&or has so!e fault$ ( pray at %is lotus feet,ho#e&er, that this #ork #ill be free fro! the particular faults of en&y and!alice, of any !oti&e for re&en"e or other such taints of the lo#er !odes ofnature$

    ( pray that honest readers #ill perse&ere in discri!inatin" bet#een !ixed andpure de&otional ser&ice$ Specifically, that they #ill understand that

    authoritarian dyna!ics at best pro&ides the "randest of all illusions++theillusion of Krsna consciousness$ ay all such honest persons reciprocate #ith!e in t#o #ays++e!body this kno#led"e in their li&es, and share it #ithothers$

    ( pray that !y s!all atte!pt to ser&e the !ission of 2ord 3aitanyaahaprabhu by perfor!in" #elfare #ork pleases %i!, alon" #ith hisrepresentati&es, Sri upa, Sanatana, Bhatta a"hunath, Sri 4i&a, 5opal Bhatta,Das a"hunatha and their faithful follo#ers, do#n to !y o#n di&ine !aster,! Visnupada .ara!aha!sa .ari&a*akacarya 0$3$ Bhakti&edanta S#a!i.rabhupada, all of #ho! protected our #ealth of transcendental kno#led"efro! defile!ent and #ere intolerant of any conclusions contrary to the tenetsof pure de&otional ser&ice$ ay they confer on !e the coura"e to al#ays ha&ea si!ilar intolerance$

    %are Krsna$

    /E7D

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    This was not written to be a foreword. &fter a couple of drafts ' circulated

    copies of the manuscipt to some devotees to get their critical feedbac( about

    the wor(. )ne of those devotees wrote the following message as a spontaneous

    response to reading only a few pages of the unpolished manuscript.

    Dear .rabhu8

    /or your records8 (t #as in 199 at the Vyaspu*a of !y spiritual !aster that (found !yself deeply ponderin" !y life, !y 1: years in the !o&e!ent$ (t struck!e that ( #as not "oin" any#here$ ( felt annoyed and uncertain about #hat todo$ 0t that ti!e ( thou"ht of !yself in these ter!s8 '( a! "oin" no#here$ ( feellike a do" chasin" its o#n tail$ ( ha&e not !o&ed an inch in !any years$' ( #asfeelin" frustrated, as if a lot of ti!e had been #asted, as if a si"nificant portionof !y life had not been properly utili;ed$

    ( #ondered$ But, of course, ( consoled !yself, that this frustration #as itself

    the price ( had to pay to ad&ance in spiritual life, that this frustration of notachie&in" anythin" #ould !ature into co!plete detach!ent fro! the !aterial#orld, and that !y feelin"s that ( #as not !o&in" at all in Krsna consciousness#as only apparent, for by not achie&in" anythin" in this life, ( #ould ha&enothin" to be attached to, and therefore at the end, surely, ( #ill "o to thespiritual #orld$

    This is !y exa!ple of the illusion of pro"ressin" out of illusion$ ( kept pushin"!yself for another couple of years, until ( decided to take !y life in !y hands,to !ake !y o#n decisions about #hat #as the best ser&ice for !e and #here (should stay accordin" to !y capacity and resources$ ( think ( did this !o&e

    barely in ti!e, before the panora!a beca!e co!pletely dark$ ( thou"ht8'/ourteen years ha&e passed, (

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    Dear eader,

    .lease accept !y obeisances at your feet$ 0ll "lory to Srila .rabhupada$ (t is

    #ith a hea&y heart that ( present this book$ 0fter !any !onths of research in"roup dyna!ics, ( ha&e co!e to appreciate that the situation in our society isfar #orse that ( thou"ht #hen ( #rote )ur $ission$ Kno#led"e brin"s #ith it ahea&y burden$ 3an one be a#are or a#ake to so!e detri!ental circu!stanceand not do all in onebeco!e one and ( belie&e it is only possible by practice$ Therefore if (

    (n stri&in" to raise a#areness of our dysfunctional dyna!ics and the resultin" inad&ertentsha!, and in ad&ocatin" keener discri!ination on the part of the de&otees in "eneral, ( do noti!ply that any specific leaders and practitioners in our !o&e!ent are consciously dishonest orintend to decei&e the public or each other$ ( belie&e that !any of our leaders intend to do "oodand belie&e in the usefulness of their efforts$@et, as so!eone said, there is not !erely conscious and intended s#indle$ The socially !oredan"erous sort is the one in #hich the perfor!ers honestly believetheir #ay is the opti!u!#ay or that #e should trust the! to find it and therefore need not apply our intelli"ence to the

    proble!s$ 4ust trust the! and follo# '3ooperate for Srila .rabhupada-$'To counter this !ost be"uilin" for! of s#indle, certain thin"s ha&e to be said) indeed even atthe ris( of my being ta(en as personally attac(ing well"meaning people.

    .reachers of Krsna consciousness !ust al#ays take such risks, because it !akes all thedifference bet#een #hether #e lance boils or blo# on the!$ E&en a &ery intelli"ent patient,irre&ocably certain that lancin" is the only #ay, !ay still flinch at the si"ht of the scalpel) but

    the "ood doctor cuts any#ay$ 2ater the patient appreciates his see!in" callousness$.reachin", like !edicine and soldierin", is not a callin" for the fainthearted$To be saintly, or to beco!e saintly, one !ust be prepared to use sharp #ords to cutattach!ents$ There is no &alue in preachin" so e&eryone lo&es us at the risk of blurrin" thetruth, #hether the topic is the a"ony of this #orld or the ecstasy of the spiritual #orld$ .ersonsof inte"rity &alue truth abo&e all considerations$ This is surely the i!port of the tad vagvisargo&erse of!hagavatam. .rabhupada said that to cut the !ind fro! attach!ent it isnecessary to use u(ti, sharp #ords$ Thus #hile a saintly person++or in !y case !erely onetryin" to be saintly++tries to speak palatably, ulti!ately, Srila .rabhupada tau"ht, #hen hespeaks there is 'no !ercy$' %e speaks the unadorned truth, and that is real !ercy$ Thus it issaid, 'Sadhu !eans to cut$' >ot the indi&idual, but the illusion$

    (llusion does not present itself in stark contrast to truth$ ost ti!es it is ent#ined #ith thetruth$ To enable you, dear reader, to reco"ni;e the truth you !ust also kno# the &arities ofdysfunctional dyna!ics$ 0las, it is not possible to acco!plish !y "oal #ithout so!e peelin"

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    a#ay the layers co&erin" the truth$ The operation can be !essy, but it !ust be done, for therelies the path to health$y purpose is to !ake you baffle+proof, so that you #ill not enact irrational beha&ior onanyone and #ill not allo# it to be enacted on you$ This si!ple pro&ision #ill up"rade theat!osphere in our society beyond #ords$ ( ad&ocate hard+headed realis!$ This practice turns

    around a will not to deceive, and not to be deceived.There #ill al#ays be so!e fla# in e&ery enterprise in the !aterial #orld and (SK3> is noexception$ (n#isten, #ittle Prabhu(

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    (

    place in the real! of Vaisna&a dealin"s$ ( ur"e all !y readers to do like#ise, no !atter their

    status in the society$This proposal that #e accept nothin" blindly and re*ect nothin" blindly is, naturally, a hu"etask$ But ( kno# that you, dear reader, kno# that it is an excellent idea, that it is actually ourduty++siftin" the data that co!es to our attention fro! both our sub*ecti&e and ob*ecti&e#orlds, that there really is no other #ay, no shortcut to bein" free fro! doubt and delusion$@ou should be confident in !akin" this effort because the!hagavatamhas already assuredyou that it is the hi"hest #elfare #ork$0lso, ( kno# that you kno# #e pretend to be doin" this #hen #e are not$ ne of the pitfallson the royal road of spiritual life is an underlayin" yet per&asi&e preference for co!fort o&ertruth$ Exa!inin" e&erythin" is a hu"e responsibility, especially, it is hard #ork$ ften #hat#e find by this effort both inside oursel&es and outside !ake us unco!fortable a "ood deal of

    the ti!e$ 7e like feelin" secure$ 7hen our acaryas#rite about la;iness, it is this tendency tointellectual letar"y they refer to, not to the un#illin"ness to earn !oney or e&en rise early inthe !ornin"$ The sensation of bein" #ar! and fu;;y is !uch preferred to #ork++e&en if that#ork !ay !ake all the difference as to #hether #e li&e in truth or illusion$ Breakin" out ofthis can take lifeti!es$

    0h, and ho# do #e sidestep facin" this treacherous tendency? 7hat plausible lie do #e telloursel&es? '( a! surrendered to (SK3>$ ( lay !y head in its lap and ( cooperate out of lo&efor Srila .rabhupada$' (t

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    &erse$ Those #ho think that since their effort is not all it takes, better to si!ply "o at half sail#hile #aitin" for "race, ( consider unfortunate$ is"uided$0bout hope, a se&enteenth century 4esuit !onk left us this salutary caution8 '%ope by itself, isa "reat falsefier$ 2et "ood *ud"!ent keep her in check$' (n !y exhortin" you, therefore, tothink of Krsna consciousness as effortful instead of effortless, let

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    co!petiti&e spirit, not that one shall do!inate and distribute benefits to theothers and they do nothin" but be" fro! you and you pro&ide$ >o$2etter to Karandhara, 19G:-

    Before the last chapter, lo&ers of Srila .rabhupada #ill a"ree that his brief passa"e is pre"nant#ith !eanin"$ They #ill appreciate another state!ent he &oiced Auite often in his last t#oyears #ith us$ 7ords to this effect8 '( ha&e "i&en you the fra!e#ork$ >o# fill in the details$'ur operati&e assu!ption is that the top+do#n !ethod is the !ethod of choice in addressin"issues in our society, therefore it is sacrile"ious to be outspoken unless one first reaches thetop$ r one can be outspoken, pro&idin" a si"nificant a!ount of the effort is spent in ho!a"e,

    praise, and flattery to the top$#in" to this dise!po#erin" !isconception, publication of the first &olu!e of )ur $ission

    brou"ht the full #ei"ht of the 5B3 to bear on !e$ nderstandably, so!e are in denial abouttheir role in the current chaotic condition of (SK3>$ %ence the body not e&ery !e!ber,

    but the !a*ority-, and certainly the !ost &ocal !e!bers, did not like that ( dared to publish a

    book "i&in" honest critical feedback and analysis of the dyna!ics in our society, and to so!eextent, una&oidably, castin" the! in an unflatterin" li"ht$ This they did not articulate openly$They co!plained about 'the deli&ery$' The code for 'not enou"h ho!a"e, praise, andflattery$'( !et #ith a 5B3 sub+co!!ittee for four hours to discuss the book, but #e ne&er "ot aroundto doin" so$ y atte!pts to focus on the sub*ect !atter of the book #ere i"nored$ ean#hile,no one specified #hat #as #ron" #ith the deli&ery$ .resu!ably, they #ould ha&e betterappreciated a !ore obliAue approach, so!ethin" !ore abstract$ 'ore tactful$' ( cannot abide

    by this for it #ould ha&e the non+&irtue of allo#in" the! to sidestep responsibility for thedyna!ics that they set in !otion$3onsiderin" the ur"ency of our situation, #hich The Varieties of *ysfunctional xperiencea!ply pro&es, an abstract or roundabout approach is inappropriate$ (n a fire, one does not firstsho#er, sha&e, put on his best suit and then "o around #hisperin" to all the tenants, 'Excuse!e, but ( think perhaps there is a fire on at the !o!ent and it is probably a "ood idea toe&acuate the buildin" before the s!oke and fla!es "et you$' >o$ ne yells, '/ire==='7ithin a fe# chapters readers #ill a"ree that ( ha&e a!ple reason to yell fire$ ( a! not sure#hat kind of tactful deli&ery #ould ha&e pleased !y 5B3 "odbrothers and still state the truthlucidly, lo"ically, and undeniably$ (n !y experience, spannin" :H years of in&ol&e!ent in(SK3>, tact is often confused #ith Vaisna&a etiAuette, then insisted upon, and then theissue sidestepped$ Tact "ets in the #ay of truth and real Vaisna&a etiAuette is to clea&e to thetruth$ 7hat is one to do to ele&ate the truth so that it is pro!inent and &isible to all #illin" to

    look in its direction?Still, acceptin" the co!plaint about deli&ery, rational !en do not use 'the deli&ery' as a &alidreason to sidestep facts, for they consider content !ore &ital than for!) and Vaisna&as aresupposed to be the !ost rational people$ 7e do not beco!e the !ost rational by actin"irrationally$ SAuabblin" o&er the deli&ery at the total ne"lect of the content is like refusin" tolea&e the burnin" buildin" because one did not like the !anner in #hich so!eone yelled fire$(t

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    need for this &olu!e and the succession of &olu!es ( ha&e planned so ( can unburden !yheart of #hat ( understand about the dan"er of authoritarian dyna!ics$(n li"ht of these considerations and the 5B3

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    chose to look deeply at hi!self #hat he sa# for the !ost part he didn

    brin"in" it to the attention of the de&otees$

    ne !ore, a"ain fro! a "odbrother #ho (

    contribution, but the &ery people the book does not flatter #ant to assu!e the role of decidin"it

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    .rabhupada did not #ant s#indle$ %e ne&er said 'Distribute !y books, attract people, andtake the! for a ride$' %e said8 'Do "ood for others$'The 5B3 also &oiced secondary ob*ections to )ur $ission$ %eadin" that list #as theirconcern for the book

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    their colle"es and uni&ersities$ 2et us not fly in their airplanes, use their trains, taxis,electricity, nor li&e in their buildin"s$ 2et us not see their doctors and dentists$ 2et us re*ect!eat+eaters across the board and not e&en accept their !oney or their ideas about!ana"e!ent$ 2et us Auit preachin" that utility is the principle$ 2et us li&e in a bubble, and if#e ha&e to "o throu"h "enerations of trial and error to re+in&ent the #heel, then so be it$ 7hy

    be inconsistent?( ha&e a proble! #ith this proposal$ /oolish consistency, it is said, 'is the hob"oblin of little!inds$' The con&erse, ho#e&er, foolish inconsistency, is no better alternati&e$ Both &ersionsare irrational and can only !ake our predica!ent of bad dyna!ics #orse and !ake (SK3>e&en !ore unattracti&e to intelli"ent people$The conclusion of all these considerations is that the preacher of Krsna consciousness shouldsi!ply preach for the honest person, the !an and #o!an of inte"rity, #hene&er they !ay"race the earth$ %istory sho#s repeatedly that in those #ho! the need for illusion is deep, thene#s of disillusion!ent #ill not be heeded e&en if uttered #ith the &oice of an an"el$ But inour noble linea"e, our acaryasha&e set a standard of riskin" all despite the folly of others$They did not blo# on boils) they lanced the! and sAuee;ed$ So!eti!es it is a thankless task$

    .rabhupada so!eti!es said that preachin" is like thro#in" a brick8 @ou can tell those #ho "ethit, because they yelp the loudest$0s for !y Auotin" non+de&otees, #ho are experts on or"ani;ational self+exa!ination,

    psycholo"y, etc$, ( !ake no excuses$ (

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    on all le&els of our society$ 2et us beco!e sober, rational !en, !en of inte"rity and ofdi"nity, as .rabhupada asked us to be$ (nstead of de!andin" respect, let us co!!and respect

    by displayin" &irtue and consistent character$ 2et us beco!e !en of inte"rity, #ho respect aself+e&ident truth no !atter by #ho! and ho# it is presented$ 2et us refuse to accept fear andtre!blin" as the "enuine experience of .rabhupada

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    #illin"ness to do #hate&er is fa&orable for the !ission of 2ord 3aitanya$ 7hen #e achie&ethat coura"e our success on this path is "uaranteed$(t saddens !y heart to see !y "odbrothers, #ho! ( #ant to respect in e&ery #ay, beha&e #ithless inte"rity than people (

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    There is a connection bet#een the #ords or"anis! and or"ani;ation$ 0ny or"ani;ed syste! ofinteractions++fa!ily, co!!unity, nation++can be ter!ed an or"anis!$ 0s such #e can talk of

    it bein" healthy or diseased$ %ere 'health' does not !ean proble!+free) it !eans theor"ani;ation is acco!plishin" iteuroses are beni"n !ental disorders, characteri;ed by a ran"e ofsy!pto!s and inco!plete insi"ht, or none at all, into the nature of the underlyin" proble!++so!e i!balance or sufferin" in our li&es that #e are un#illin" to face$ (nas!uch asindi&iduals de&elop neuroses as a substitute for le"iti!ate sufferin", a "roup or"anis! has itssubstitutes for le"iti!ate "ro#th pains, its neurotic !echanis!s for e&adin" the le"iti!ate

    pain of proble!+sol&in"$

    The current popular ter! for this is denial$ Bein" in denial about so!e painful proble! in ourli&es, #e de&elop a neurotic sy!pto! to co!pensate for it$ Then the neurotic sy!pto! itself

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    beco!es a proble!, and #e often fall into denial about that too$ >eurosis and denial canbeco!e a !ulti+layered !ess$ (n the !a*ority of cases, it takes a crisis to cause the neuroticindi&idual to face the proble!$ 5roup or"anis!s, bein" co!prised of hu!ans, tend to follo#the sa!e pattern$

    /or instance, an indi&idual de&elops a drinkin" habit to !ake up for the fact that he hates his*ob, #hich he is in denial about$ 0fter so!e ti!e it is clear to all concerned that he ishopelessly addicted to alcohol, but he denies it ardently$ 5enerally, it takes a crisis++hes!ashes his car and in*ures a !other and baby++to "et that person to face the proble! andseek a solution$

    0nother preli!inary idea8 That it is especially i!portant #e appreciate that the healingexperience, whether of a physical or psychospiritual nature, often causes more pain and

    discomfort than the infection itself. 2ancin" a boil, for exa!ple, sAuee;in" out the pus, anddisinfectin" it #ith an astrin"ent, is fi&e or ten !inutes of concentrated pain that is usually far!ore intense than *ust lea&in" the boil alone, but++and this is the pi&otal point++the relief fro!

    the operation far surpasses the !isery of lea&in" the boil alone$ The ten !inutes of pain is#ell #orth it$

    7e all kno# this yet #e prefer to tolerate it until it is unbearable, a crisis$ >ot until the choiceco!es do#n to losin" our sanity or lancin" the boil #ill #e do the needful and seek treat!ent$(n !ost cases, procrastination 4tamo"guna5 is preferred to pro+acti&ity 4sattva"guna5.

    0s #ith indi&iduals, #aitin" until a crisis appears before actin" so!ethin" is done about it, isalso preferred in "roup dyna!ics$ Since !ost hu!ans ha&e this tendency to put off the pain of

    proble!+sol&in" until it is ur"ent, #e !ay say it is natural or nor!al$ But nor!al does notal#ays !ean best or intelli"ent$ 0 si!ple exa!ple #ill suffice to clarify this point$ (t is

    perfectly natural to defecate on oursel&es$ >e&ertheless, #e consider it part of !aturin" too&erco!e that nor!al tendency$ Si!ilarly, it !ay be nor!al to a&oid the pain of proble!+sol&in" or healin", but it is "ro#thful to o&erco!e that tendency and to address proble!s the!o!ent they enter conscious a#areness$

    This is the nature of proble!+sol&in" in the !ode of "oodness$ 7e ha&e to take the painpoison- up front++then #e can "et the nectar$ The hall!ark of !ode of passion solutions isthat they are easier initially, but later on they beco!e poison++!ore painful++because the la!e!easure or the atte!pt to sail around the proble! only leads to a bi""er proble!, a crisis,further do#n the road$

    (n proble!+sol&in", a "roup or"anis!, like an indi&idual, can be oriented to#ardprocrastination 4tamo"guna5 , the Auick+fix solution 4ra%o"guna5, or lon"+ter! solutions4sattva"guna5 $ 0ccordin" to 2ord Krsna, each of these "i&e specific, predictable results,na!ely foolishness, poison, and nectar respecti&ely$ >o doubt it #ould be best if #e #ouldha&e fir! faith in the 2ord

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    /ro! the abo&e considerations, the author of& 2orld 2aiting to be !orn6 Civility3ediscovered has de&eloped t#o interrelated "uidelines for "enuine realis! in proble!+sol&in", #hich facilitate the attainin" and !aintainin" of a healthy "roup or"anis!8

    1- The capacity on both the indi&idual and "roup le&el to distin"uish bet#een

    necessary, le"iti!ate healthy- sufferin" and that #hich is unnecessary orexcessi&ely con&oluted$:- The #illin"ness to bear++to !eet head+on and to #ork throu"h++thatsufferin" #hich is a proper portion in both our indi&idual and collecti&e li&es$

    These #ill not lead to a pain+free or proble!+free institution, #hich is okay, becauseindi&idual or or"ani;ational health does not pi&ot around a proble!+free existence, but aroundactivelyand effectivelyaddressin" or healin" our proble!s$ %ealth is not the absence ofdisease) rather, it is the presence of the opti!al healin" process$(f #e are to be a society functionin" insattva"guna, #hich is sy!pto!i;ed by neither creation

    or destruction, but by !aintenance, if #e are to beco!e the positi&e alternati&e society that.rabhupada #anted us to establish, #e ha&e to de&elop an instincti&e response to proble!+sol&in"$ That !eans #e !ust li&e by the abo&e t#o "uidelines$ %ealth !eans to facenecessary pain$ 5ettin" on a proble! at our earliest opportunity !ust be our orientation$ Srila.rabhupada expected us to function in this #ay$0s a footnote to the discussion of or"ani;ational health it is useful to consider that the ter!healthyor normalcan be used in t#o #ays$ /ro! the stance of a functionin" "roup #e canconsider a person nor!al if he or she fulfills the social role expected in that "roup$ That is a#ell+adapted person$ /ro! the stance of the indi&idual, nor!al or healthy !eans the opti!u!"ro#th and happiness of the indi&idual$f the t#o &ie#points, it is possible to ha&e the first #ithout the second, because bein" #elladapted is often achie&ed at the cost of "i&in" up one

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    autopsies if you #ill, and learn fro! the!$$ The basic unit of the "roup or"anis! is the indi&idual, *ust as the sin"le cellis the basic unit of the hu!an or"anis!$ 0ttendin" to the indi&idual "ro#thand #ell+bein" personalis!- auto!atically fulfills the "roup

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    those too fearful to stand up for truth, like to say that truth+sayin" is offensi&e$ They for"et,con&eniently, the ada"e that 'The truth hurts but it heals$' 0ll our acaryaspreached &irtue,yet they #ere also truth+sayers$ (n this re"ard, Srila .rabhupada has explained the principle in

    !hagavad"gita1$C+ purport-8

    Satyam, truthfulness, !eans that facts should be presented as they are, for thebenefit of others$ /acts should not be !isrepresented$ 0ccordin" to socialcon&entions, it is said that one can speak the truth only #hen it is palatable toothers$ But that is not truthfulness$ The truth should be spoken in astrai"htfor#ard #ay, so that others #ill understand actually #hat the facts are$(f a !an is a thief and if people are #arned that he is a thief, that is truth$0lthou"h so!eti!es the truth is unpalatable, one should not refrain fro!speakin" it$ Truthfulness de!ands that the facts be presented as they are for the

    benefit of others$ That is the definition of truth$

    n another occasion .rabhupada !ade the point that thesatyamis not al#ayspriyam$ n yetanother occasion, #hen Ta!ala Krsna 5os&a!i asked Srila .rabhupada about Srila Sridharaahara*a

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    oreo&er, kno#in" the ori"in of a proble!++#hether in childhood or fro! "roup pressure++does not auto!atically lead to a solution$ ne has to apply oneself deliberately to the solutionin order to chan"e the conditioned pattern rooted in our childhood$ 0s children #e ha&e littlelatitude to deter!ine the dyna!ics #e experience, but as adults #e can take responsibility forour dyna!ics in t#o #ays8 1- 7hat #e #ill accept as enacted upon oursel&es and :- #hat

    #e #ill enact on others$

    5roup dyna!ics contribute si"nificantly to the kind of person the reli"ion produces$ %o# and#hy its influence is so stron" #ill be clear after fi&e or six chapters of this book$ By the end ofthe book there #ill be no doubts$ The reader shall see that the "roup dyna!ic is a hi"h priorityand that the or"ani;ation !ust accept responsiblity for the dyna!ics it enacts$ Bad dyna!icscan be a sin of co!!ission, the result of deliberate effort or it can be a sin of o!ission, byne"lectin" to create the ri"ht Krsna conscious at!osphere in #hich the institution

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    and he eats for a lifeti!e' points us in the ri"ht direction of understandin" the "uruIdisciplerelationship$ The "uru teaches us to distin"uish bet#een reality and illusion$ Thataturally he trains the disciple to be o#ned by the institution as #ell$ 0ll thisco!es about by ha&in" the #ron" e!phasis++that ener"y !ust flo# fro! the indi&idual to theinstitution instead of fro! the institution to the indi&idual and lea&in" it lar"ely up to theindi&idual to reciprocate as per his or her le&el of appreciation$

    The upshot is that those possessed by the institution think they think, but they do not think,because their 'thinkin"' is dictated by and strea!lined #ith the institution$ Specifically, thebureaucratic ebb and flo# dictates the extent to #hich #e can think$ 7hen #e speak ofthinkin" here, ho#e&er, the !ere ha&in" of thou"hts, the on"oin" strea! of consciousness #eexperience internally, is not #hat #e !ean$ By 'thinkin"' #e !ean the capacity to resist oneof the !ost co!!on pheno!enons encountered in "roups++the "i&in" up by the "roup!e!bers their capacity for ethical *ud"!ent to the "roup leaders, and the "roup leaders, as asub+"roup "i&in" up their *ud"!ent as #ell$ So!e psychiatrists call this 'the re"ression to

    i!!aturity$'

    By 'thinkin"' #e !ean, therefore, the capacity to think critically, analytically++and especiallyethically++#ith no institutional restraint or social taboo$ (ndeed, #e !ean that such thinkin",rather than bein" discoura"ed or tolerated, is positi&ely encoura"ed at all le&els of theinstitution$ This Srila .rabhupada called 'independent thou"htfulness$' Bureaucracy,ho#e&er, as #e kno# instincti&ely, auto!atically #orks a"ainst this desirable ai!$ %ence.rabhupada

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    dyna!ics$ 7hen #e put this under the la!p of critical scrutiny, ho#e&er, #e find that the&ery opposite is true$

    0 person is 'authority' #ho is transparent both in the !essa"e and in his exe!plifyin"openness to Auestions, especially fro! his peers$ See ur ission for a discussion of the

    i!portance of openness to challen"e in a proble!+sol&in" approach to life-$ %is !ood shouldne&er be, (

    The successors to Srila .rabhupada, ha&in" the top!ost ad!inistrati&e roles in the society,ha&e a responsiblity to attend to the dyna!ics, firstly by settin" a consistent exa!ple ofrational dealin"s, then by enli"htenin" and re!indin" the !ass of de&otees about this aspect,so that e&eryone is conscious of ho# they contribute to the o&erall at!osphere of the society$

    y contention is that ra!pant disre"ard for this i!portant aspect of Krsna consciousness is!akin" the society a closed one, in #hich irrational or dysfunctional dyna!ics pre&ail$0uthoritarianis! !akes our society unattracti&e and unli&able for !e!ber #ho reali;e thatthey are "ettin" !entally hobbled by the dyna!ics$ /urther, the society is unattracti&e tointelli"ent persons #ho pick up on the irrational dyna!ics underlyin" all the #ell+reasoned

    presentation of the philosophy$ This deters the! fro! *oinin" the !o&e!ent or contributin"fully to the !ission$

    7e !ay think it is their !isfortune that they could not take to Krsna consciousness and "oback to 5odhead, but as hinted in the (ntroduction, it is hi"hly Auestionable #hether anyonecau"ht in the do#n#ard spiral of the authoritarian dyna!ic++#hether the perpetrator or the&icti!++is a suitable candidate for achie&in" "enuine Krsna consciousness$ (f #e ha&edysfunctional dyna!ics, then our hope of "oin" beyond birth and death is nothin" but a

    fantasy$ This #ill beco!e !ore apparent as #e "o alon"$ (V To illustrate ho# Srila.rabhupada &ie#ed dyna!ics, ($ any left the pathalto"ether$

    7hen the corruption ca!e to li"ht, !ore de&otees fled$ There #ere be#ildered faces all o&er

    the te!ple and se&eral de&otees chan"ed their ser&ice because of the re&elations ofcorruption$ E&entually Srila .rabhupada ca!e to the te!ple and preached and encoura"ed thede&otees$ %e "a&e us a ne# life, so to speak$ %is secretary durin" that &isit #as the for!er

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    sannyasiBrah!ananda prabhu$ (t *ust so happened that a fe# !onths later, ( #as inVrnda&ana and Brah!ananda #as still .rabhupadae# @ork$ This is ho# ( re!e!ber the rele&ant partof our con&ersation$

    Brah!ananda said, '( asked .rabhupada if the de&otees that left #ere insincere$ %e said, o,but if you #ant to attract flies you ha&e to !ake the thin" s#eet$' Then .rabhupada added,'Senior de&otees like 4ayad&aita and 5opi*anaballabha should ha&e said so!ethin"$'

    V

    /ro! this #e understand t#o thin"s8 1- That our dyna!ics are &ery i!portant, because e&en&ery sincere de&otees #ill not be able to stay if #e don

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    The #orst leaders do nothin" at all) bad leaders #ait for a crisis) and the best leaders al#aystry to nip probel!s before they bloo!$ They kno# that a healthy or"ani;ation is not one thatis proble! free, but one continually addressin" its proble!s at first notice$De&otees deser&e a responsi&e hearin" of their proble!s and co!plaints$ To lead is to ser&e

    and it is by feedback that #e do a better *ob of leadin"$ 0s soon as leadership sends a si"nalthat it is taboo to Auestion, to disa"ree, to express concern, and, if necessary, to speak out, #eha&e stu!bled onto the !inefield of dysfunctional dyna!ics++specifically a species ofi!personalis!, in #hich persons are treated as thin"s$ n the path of bha(ti, treatin" personsas 'thin"s,' #hether done #ittin"ly or un#ittin"ly, is offensi&e$ (t is e&il$/urther, it re&eals the perpetrator to be a (anistha bha(ta, if a bha(taat all, because onehall!ark si"n of spiritual ad&ance!ent is the consistent display of personal consideration fore&eryone, not *ust disciples or potential disciples$ (ndeed, an ad&anced de&otee is personalto#ards all li&in" bein"s$ To be 'ad&anced' and yet incapable of practicin" such personalis!is a bluff, cheatin"$ (t !eans that the e!peror has no clothes$V(

    0s #e shall see, authoritarianis!, #hich is !anifestly i!personal, runs counter to our ideal ofpersonalis!$ y concern, therefore, is this8 3an #e achie&e personalis! by practicin"i!personalis!? The ans#er has to be no$ (t is not any !ore feasible to achie&e personalis!

    by practicin" i!personalis! than it is possible to learn s#i!!in" by practicin" cookin"$ Thissin"ular consideration is all the !oti&ation #e need to attend to our dyna!ics$By the #ron" dyna!ics #e achie&e the &ery opposite of #hat #e set out to reali;e8 (nstead ofus "ro#in" to full reali;ation of coura"e, "enerosity, openness, a fir! disinclination to exploitothers, freedo! fro! doubt and delusion, and a capacity to touch others< li&es and to openthe!, #e produce a shrinkin" back upon oursel&es, a crushin" of the hu!an spirit, #e

    produce fear and tre!blin", and hu!iliation !isconstrued as hu!ility$ 7e produce the fullyauto!ated or"ani;ation !an, out of touch #ith his o#n self and out of touch #ith others$ather than e!po#erin" each other, #e dise!po#er$ (n short, #e "et the !ost insidious for!of !aya8 the illusion of progress out of illusion$/reein" oursel&es fro! this particular illusion is an ardous task$ 7e cannot console oursel&es

    by si!ply blo#in" on the boil$ Either #e lance it and sAuee;e, or re!ain deluded and bluff,cheat, s#indle$ %o#e&er, 2ord 3aitanya #antspara upa(aranot s#indle$any sy!pto!s of our dysfunctional "roup dyna!ics are discussed herein #ith the ai! toraise our a#areness of this proble!$ ( include sy!pto!s that ( ha&e personally experienced,and, ( ha&e so!eti!es practiced !yself$ ( also include those sy!pto!s ( reco"ni;e fro!discussions #ith de&otees about their experiences$ (t is possible, therefore, that there aresy!pto!s you ha&e experienced that are not !entioned here$ %o#e&er the specific kind of

    dysfunctional beha&ior you !ay be cau"ht in is not so i!portant$ ore i!portant thin" is toreco"ni;e that it is dysfunctional or cra;y+!akin", and then to address the proble! or "et outof the situation, because your sanity is your !ost precious asset for beco!in" Krsnaconscious$(n researchin" this sub*ect, ( ca!e across lots of !aterial fro! anti+cult literature that apply tous$ (f #e attend to their &alid criticis!s of our dyna!ics, #e can !ini!i;e the possibility ofla#suits a"ainst the society$ (n a "roup or an indi&idual, the healthy and rational response tocriticis! is self+exa!ination$ The anti+cult people can actually ser&e our cause by callin" toour attention the areas in #hich #e are slippin" fro! personalis! to i!personalis!$ (n thesense that it can aid in i!pro&in" our perfor!ance, those #ho critici;e us are our friends$ 0de&otee learns to see e&erythin" as i!petus to pro"ress, to "ro#th, to self+i!pro&e!ent$

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    3hapter Three + Dysfunctional 0uthority8 0 Study

    ur society has already pro&en itself prone to !any for!s of hu!an fla#s, fro! abuse ofauthority, to child abuse, to e!be;;lin" !oney, to hi"hly placed leaders "ettin" side+tracked,to !urder and !ore$ 0s the Auote fro! Sol Stein says on the back co&er 'The truth is thatadultery, theft, hypocrisy, en&y, and boredo! are all sins practiced e&ery#here that hu!annature thri&es$' %u!an nature thri&es in (SK3>$

    Despite our idealis!, therefore, it is unintelli"ent to assu!e our co!!unity abo&e any kind ofhu!an fla#$ ur thinkin" should be like to#n planners, #ho, kno#in" #hat to expect#here&er hu!an nature thri&es, include a *ail in the to#n desi"n$ 7e should think,'Dysfunctional dealin"s are possible, therefore best to be on the lookout for the! as #e areal#ays potentially capable of !anifestin" so!e kind of aberration$' Such realis! does not

    #ork a"ainst lo&e and trust$ (t foster and a prison8 Both are institutions in #hich 'authority'is e!phasi;ed and in both the #orkin" assu!ption is that #a&e!akin" is not to be tolerated orreasoned #ith) althou"h this assu!ption is not necessarily accurate$ The dyna!ics, ho#e&er,flo# fro! this assu!ption$ Thus the fact that the experi!ent #as done to understand thedyna!ics of prison life is not si"nificant$ The si"nificant thin" #as the lesson aboutinstitutional dyna!ics$ By the end, therefore, #e

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    The experi!ent started on 0u"ust 1C, 19G1, in .alo 0lto, 3alifornia$ The AuietSunday !ornin" #as shattered by a screechin" sAuad car siren as police s#eptthrou"h the city pickin" up the participatin" colle"e students fro! their ho!esin a surprise '!ass arrest'$ 0ll of the 'suspects' #ere char"ed #ith a felony,1- #arned of their constitutional ri"hts, spread+ea"led a"aisnt the police car,

    searched, handcuffed, and taken a#ay in the back seat of the police car to thepolice station$ The #hole operation #as carried out so realistically, thanks tothe cooperation of the .alo 0lto 3ity .olice Depart!ent, that the alar!ed!other of one 1+year+old student arrested for ar!ed robbery exclai!ed8 '(felt !y son !ust ha&e done so!ethin"8the police ha&e co!e to "et !y son='

    n arri&al at the police station, each suspect #as fin"erprinted andidentification for!s #ere prepared for his '*acket' or central inofr!ation file$%e #as then left on his o#n in a detention cell$ 2ater in the day, each suspect#as blindfolded and taken to the 'Stanford 3ounty .rison', #here he #asstripped naked, skin+searched, deloused, and issued #ith a unifor!, beddin",

    and basic supplies$ The unifor! #orn by the prisoners consisted of a loose+fittin" !uslin s!ock #ith an identity nu!ber on the front and back, nounderclothes, a li"ht chain and lock around one ankle, rubber sandals, and acap !ade fro! a nylon stockin"$

    The prison #arden "athered the prisoners to"ether, and told the! about the 16basic rules of prisoner conduct, startin" #ith '.risoners !ust address the"uards as 'r$ 3orrectional fficer

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    could expect to be 9- under sur&eillance, 1- !i"ht be harassed, and !i"htha&e 11- so!e of their basic ri"hts curtailed durin" i!prison!ent$

    The happenin"s #ithin the !ock prison #ere so unpleasant and potentially sodan"erous that the entire experi!ent had to be brou"ht to a pre!ature end after

    six days rather than the scheduled fourteen$ Violence and rebellion broke out#ithin less than t#o days of the start of the experi!ent$ The prisoners rippedoff their clothin" and their identity nu!bers, shouted and cursed at the "uards,and barricaded the!sel&es inside the cells$ The "uards put do#n the rebellion&iolently, usin" fire extin"uishers, 1:- tranfor!ed the prisoners< 'ri"hts' into'pri&ile"es', 1H- played the prisoners off a"ainst one another andsyste!atically harassed the!$ 1C- ne of the prisoners sho#ed such se&eresy!pto!s of e!otional disturbance disor"ani;ed thinkin", uncontrollablecryin" and screa!in"-, after only one day he had to be released$

    1- n the third day a ru!or spread throu"h the 'prison' about a !ass escape

    plot$ This led the superintendent and the "uards to take &arious repressi&e andpre&entati&e steps$ n the fourth day, t#o !ore prisoners displayed sy!pto!sof se&ere e!otional disturbance and #ere released8 a third de&eloped a

    psychoso!atic rash all o&er the body and #as also released$ 0s ti!e passed,16- so!e of the "uards see!ed to deri&e "reat satisfaction fro! exercisin"

    po#er and beha&in" in a sadistic !anner$ 1G- 0 particularly interestin"obser&ation #as that the use of force, harass!ent, and a""ression by the "uardsincreased steadily fro! day to day, in spite of the fact that prisoner resistancedeclined as ti!e #ent by$ The "uards also !anifested !ore indirect displays of

    po#er as ti!e #ent by, such as rappin" their sticks a"ainst their hands ora"ainst the furniture, #alkin" #ith a s#a""er, or adoptin" extra&a"ant

    postures$ The prisoners, on the other hand, 1- be"an to slouch and keep theireyes fixed on the "round$

    7hat see!s to ha&e led to the experi!ent bein" abandoned #as a co!!ent!ade by 3hristina aslach, Ji!bardo

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    upon prisoner solidarity and tell the ne# one that all the others #ill be depri&edof &isitors if he does not eat his dinner$ $ $ ( #alk by and sla! !y stick into the%ole door $ $ $ ( a! &ery an"ry at this prisoner for causin" disco!fort andtrouble for the others$ ( decided to force+feed hi!, but he #ouldn

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    co!!unities$ 7e e&en t#ist our intelli"ence to deny our perceptions$ Therefore, #ein&ariably !ust ha&e a a crisis before #e act to sol&e proble!s #hich could ha&e been

    pre&ented had #e been !ore realistic, co!!onsensical, and decisi&e$0 si!ple exa!ple8 7e ha&e had in our society !en #ho blatantly display &irtually noVaisna&a sy!pto!s in that they #ere i!personal, ruthless, political, duplicitous, and cra;y+

    !akin" to associate #ith and to ser&e$ (n short they #ere blatantly irrational, but because they#ere 'enthusisatic about preachin"' or so!e other (SK3> sacred co#, #e #orshiped and&enerated these people, "a&e the! all facility, #hen #e should ha&e ne"lected the! for theiro#n "ood and the inte"rity of our society$ (nstead of facin" reality, #e failed to act '#ithouthesitancy' in response to the situation that #as clearly a disaster in the !akin"$ Then as surelyas ni"ht follo#s day, #e "ot disaster after disaster$@et, as 4a"adish pointed out in his second letter after Auittin" hissannyasaand "uru roles, #edo not accept responsibility for our failures, thou"h #e readily to take credit for our successes$This is surely dysfunctional$ E&en !ore dysfunctional is that !any ha&e no co!punctionabout takin" credit for another

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    de&otees in the strict sense of the ter!, based on our character and conduct, but that is toobroad to address here$ %opefully #e #ill ha&e both the text and Sanatana 5os&a!io de&otees should ha&e it on their conscience that they are participatin" in a #hittled do#n&ersion of a cri!inal state$0nd #e don once already because of abuses perpetrated by the top leaders ontothe heads of their "odbrothers back in the days of the Jonal 0carya blunder$ 7e kno# that5opi*anaballabha and others co!!itted or atte!pted suicide because of our cra;y+!akin"dyna!ics$ 7e ha&e no reason to belie&e there #ill not be !ore in the future) ho#e&er, #edeny responsibility for any of these outco!es$7e blithely lay the bla!e at the feet of the &icti!s, sayin" that '(n #ar there #ill becasualties$' But #hen are #e "oin" to self+exa!ine as a society and see #hat #as our role indysfunctional e&ents and act decisi&ely to a&oid it happenin" a"ain? 7hen are #e "oin" toask oursel&es, '0re these casualties fro! friendly fire or fro! encounters #ith the ene!y?'7e #ould be fools to i"nore the si"ns that the institution should be !ore self+exa!inin"$ (f alittle po#er can "o to heads in a !atter of t#o days, it is uni!a"inable #hat absolute po#ercan do$0nd (SK3> is not the only source to dra# our lessons fro!$ 7e kno# that so!e of.rabhupada8

    495 warned of their constitutional rights8 This is so!ethin" #e don$ 7e in(SK3>, the or"ani;ation of the !ost ci&ili;ed people on the planet, the positi&e alternati&esociety, are 'citi;ens' of a country in #hich at the ti!e of this #ritin"- the ordinary citi;ens

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    ulti!ately ha&e no ri"hts$ 7e are supposed to be sincere de&otees #ho sho# our lo&e for Srila.rabhupada by cooperatin", #hich !eans blindly follo#$ >o# a constitution is supposed to

    be in the #orks, but it is a sad co!!ent on the ra%as"tamasnature of our society that it hastaken us H years to "et around to this &ital need$

    (n the authoritarian set up, the constitution is fra!ed to protect the institution, #hich !eansthose in po#er$ Sociolo"ists and la#!akers say, ho#e&er, that the !ain function of theconstitution should be to protect the indi&idual fro! abuses of po#er$ (t !ust "uarantee due

    process$ (s this #isdo! bein" factored into our constitution under de&elop!ent?

    0ssu!in" such a constitution does !ateriali;e and a !echanis! to enforce it is created, if thatsyste! beco!es a hi"hly politici;ed pro"ra!, like so !any other aspects of our society, #e#ill end up #ith rich *ustice and poor *ustice, #hich #e already ha&e, and that #ill be *ustanother disappoint!ent$ The idea of a constitution, therefore, should not be a pacification!easure, a "i!!ick$ (t !ust confer on us real ri"hts and pri&ile"es$ 7ith !y years ofexperience in the society, (

    co!!unis!, e&erybody is eAual, but so!e are !ore eAual than others$ r as a unhappy"odbrother once scra#led on a buildin" in Europe8 '0ll for one and none for all$'

    4:5 only minimal guidance about the way they were expected to behave8 nlike Ji!bardo

    includes and "oes far beyond structure$$$ The purpose is not to increase the!e!bership of the or"ani;ation$ The purpose is to brin" people to Krsnaconsciousness$$$

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    Kno# for certain that our dyna!ics that led to this condition is sure to "i&e us #hat #eal#ays "ot$ (f actions speak louder than #ords the !essa"e #e send is that our purpose is toattract people and then chase the! a#ay if they #ill not a"ree to bein" 'thin"ed$'45 they were specifically prohibited from using physical aggression8 This is not such a bi"

    proble! in the leadership of (SK3>$ .hysical a""ression undertaken by a hi"h+up leader israre$ 0t least, so!e "et their disciples to do it and can clai! deniability$ 0n excellent exa!pleof ho# this #orks is seen in the chapter '0 Knock

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    fault+find$' 'Don

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    the de&otees, #e train people to belie&e that they are ser&ants of the institution, and that &ie#is belie&ed to be non different fro! ser&in" Krsna$ (n our paradi"!, to lead is not to ser&e, butto accept ser&ice$4A5 the windows were barred, and in addition to guards there was a warden, a superintendent

    4Bimbardo5, a parole board, and a grievance committee8 To !y kno#led"e, #e don

    she finally found the stren"th to lea&e for a healthier en&iron!ent$ p to the last !inute she#as sub*ected to abuse, called a lusty prostitute and other de"radin" na!es, because she #asunsteady 'in doin" the pick$' (!a"ine e&en for an nth of a second .rabhupada doin"so!ethin" like this to a disciple$That te!ple president is entrenched in his 'ser&ice' and in a fe# !ore years, he !ay "et

    pro!oted, e&entually !akin" it to 5B3$ 7e should consider ho# !any like hi! ha&e alreadyco!e up throu"h the ranks, but fe# of us #ill do this$ The !a*ority #ill do #hat #e ha&e beentrained to do, fault #hoe&er speaks out, discussin" our dirty laundry in print$ (t, if you let on that you think for yourself, you

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    !a&erick types, usually ill+infor!ed about the issues, #ho take it upon the!sel&es to set youstrai"ht$ (n so!e places the s!itten disciples of "urus #ill do the harrassin" and that #ill betolerated by the authorities in the belief you are "ettin" *ust desserts for your 'offense' ofdarin" to ha&e a dissentin" opinion fro! Srila 5uru ahara*a$The pressure to confor! socialcoercion-, is hi"h and the price of nonconfor!ity is hi"her$

    So!eti!es the local authorities clai! responsibility in the personal li&es of adult de&oteesthat the sa!e authorities #ould ne&er accept in their personal life$ /or exa!ple, as ( a!#orkin" on this chapter, a "ro#n #o!an, colle"e educated, ca!e to !e in "reat distress

    because certain of her authorities #ant to !ana"e her life for her by !akin" her decision as to#hether or not she should attend classes by a de&otee$ ur con&ersation #ent alon" theselines8

    per!ission fro! !y 5uru ahara*a to attend classes,' she explained to !e$ 'That, in the na!e of 'cooperate to sho# yourlo&e for Srila .rabhupada,' #e ha&e 'la#s' that restrict our !o&e!ents, our readin" !aterial,ho# #e !ay discuss the philosophy, and e&en #ho! #e !ay associate #ith$ The #ords ofthe respecti&e spiritual !asters are not enou"h$ By !akin" 'la#s' #e dono# #e ha&e la#s to punish !e!bers #hose thinkin" is not 'lined up,' fro! censure all the#ay to exco!!unication$ .rabhupada ne&er exco!!unicated anyone, yet no# #e #ield!ore authority to punish than he did$ But do #e ha&e the sa!e po#er he did to confer "race?0ll these la#s and the underlyin" dyna!ics ser&e to hobble our reasonin" faculty$ Those #hoare enfranchised as leaders are free to use their critical faculties on you, so!eti!es #ithde&astatin" results, but #oe be to you if you think you ha&e an eAual ri"ht to obser&e, reason,and speak out, unless you ha&e !oney by the barrel$ (SK3> respects !oney !ore than&irture, !ore than principle, !ore than character, !ore than de&otion$ (n this re"ard, (SK3>is !ore like the (ndian "o&ern!ent than a "atherin" of !en of ideal character, of principle$(f you ha&e !oney, you can ha&e a &oice, pro&idin" you are actually surrenderin" your !oney

    as #ell$ (f you insist on holdin" on to it, you #ill be shunned for bein" 'too attached$' Thefact that you !ay ha&e le"it concerns about the handlin" of the !oney #ill ne&er beconsidered as &alid "rounds for your bein" 'attached,' prudent, cautious$ @ou are *ust 'on a

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    trip$' That

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    49=5 )n the third day a rumor spread through the -prison- about a mass escape plot. This led

    the superintendent and the guards to ta(e various repressive and preventative steps6 (n 199C aru!or spread throu"h the !o&e!ent that Satyanarayana and ( had a different opinion thanSrila .rabhupada about the ori"in of the conditioned souls, e&en thou"h .rabhupada said in!any places that no nitya"siddhacan fall to beco!e a conditioned soul, as in this exa!ple

    fro!!hagavatamH$16$:6 purport8

    The conclusion is that no one falls fro! the spiritual #orld, or Vaikunthaplanet, for it is the eternal abode$

    Despite 'the conclusion' of Srila .rabhupada, so+called experts decided that our conclusion#hich #as the sa!e as .rabhupada$ 0 truly astonishin" notion$ean#hile, despite our !outhin" '.rabhupada, .rabhupada, .rabhupada,' #orkin" oursel&esinto an i!pressi&e fren;y, but ne&ertheless an irrational one, are #e still in theparampara?ost de&otees #ill say, '@es, because the 5B3 says so$' But the 5B3 has said and done so!any thin"s o&er the years that #as #ron", philosophically and practically, and so!eti!esdo#nri"ht foolish, so #hy should #e blindly follo# the! no#? Especially in li"ht of.rabhupada center, for ( had incurred the full #rath of thesociety

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    take pride in their capacity to do this by under+handed !eans$ They call their approach to#reakin" &en"ence, #hich is a sy!pto! of tamo"guna, 'bein" subtle$'49@5 & particularly interesting observation was that the use of force, harassment, and

    aggression by the guards increased steadily from day to day, in spite of the fact that prisoner

    resistance declined as time went by8 This is a strikin" pheno!enon #hen one is unfa!iliar

    #ith the psycholo"y of authoritarianis!, #hich is rooted in self+conte!pt$ This is hinted atlater on #here one "uard ad!itted that he hated hi!self$ /ro! this place of self+conte!pt, the

    person pro*ects his self+loathin" onto his &icti!s$ @et the "uilt of ho# he is dehu!ani;in"another hu!an like hi!self dri&es hi! to display extraordinary &ehe!ence to#ards his&icti!s$ (t beco!es a &icious cycle of alternatin" self+loathin" and lashin" out$But the &icti!s< shrinkin" back on the!sel&es and reduction of resistance does not help$ (nfact, they are disdained for it$ The authority loses all respect for his &icti!s, probably out of asecret hope that they #ould resist and deli&er hi! fro! his pri&ate hell$ The Auestion is, doesthis "o on in our society?Either it does or it can, because #e ha&e not sho#n oursel&es to be !uch different thanordinary society$ (f #e #ould be hard+headed realists, enou"h aberrations ha&e sho#n up in

    our !idst to con&ince us that it is foolish to assu!e any dra!atic exceptions bet#een ourbeha&ior and society at lar"e$49A5 The prisoners, on the other hand, began to slouch and (eep their eyes fixed on the

    ground8 7e ha&e this #ith increasin" freAuency$ nfortunately, our leaders are not in touchenou"h to pick up on the si"ns of depression on the faces of the de&otees$ ur leaders si!plykeep their eyes focused on the ne#, hopeful, ;ealous de&otees$ (f their "odbrothers are!iserable, that is considered ste!!in" fro! en&y out of hand$ (n*ustice or depri&ation arene&er considered possiblities$ %o# can one not be perturbed #hen ill+treated by his o#n"odbrothers?.rabhupada said about his "odbrothers #ho beca!e leaders in the 5audiya ath after SrilaBhaktisiddhanta8 not by an i!personal referenceto the philosophy as ideali;ed in a book, but by seekin" feedback fro! those in&ol&ed in theexperience$ 2eaders should conduct inter&ie#s, or better still, routinely "i&e out anony!ousAuestionnaires to "et feedback fro! the de&otees, so #e can ha&e infor!ed leadership$ 2orda!a personally !in"led #ith %is citi;ens in dis"uise so he could understand their outlookon issues in %is kin"do!$ 7e "lorify %i! for it, but #e do not follo# in his footsteps$4:>5 !efore the experiment one of the guards wrote in his diary that he was a pacifist and so

    unaggressive that he could not imagine maltreating any other living being. !y the third day,

    he appeared to be thoroughly en%oying the power to manipulate people6 %ere is an exa!ple ofho# one

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    protect the inte"rity and sanity of our society$ 0ccountability to the leaders is assu!ed$ 7eneed to establish syste!s of accountability fro! the leaders$ That #ould protect all of us fro!the tendency of po#er to !anipulate$4:95 !efore the prisoners received visitors, he warned them not to complain unless they

    wanted the visit to come to an abrupt end6 This is a classic exa!ple of ho# the little

    functionary in the bureaucratic setup finds exAuisite "lee in #ieldin" his 'po#er' in thepettiest of #ays *ust to assert, '( ha&e !i"ht$' (t paints a pathetic picture of spiritual life$ Thisproble! is also there in the bi" functionary, #ho is o#ned and controlled by his 2ittle .rabhu$ead all about it in the chapter by that na!e$4::5 2hat he really li(ed, he said, was having almost total control over everthing that was

    said and done6 This is the sa!e pacifist "uard #ho #as transfor!ed by a little po#er that #asdestined to end #ithin t#o #eeks$ (!a"ine absolute po#er for an undeter!ined period,eternity$ 3ontrol seduces !any #ho take to the role of "uru$ They don

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    !ay stand, but *ust because it is po#er$ 4ust as his 'lo&e' is auto!aticallyaroused by po#er, so po#erless people or institutions auto!atically arouse hisconte!pt$ The &ery si"ht of a po#erless person !akes hi! #ant to attack,do!inate, hu!iliate hi!$ 7hereas a different kind of character is appalled bythe idea of attackin" one #ho is helpless, the authoritarian character feels the

    !ore aroused the !ore helpless his ob*ect has beco!e$

    nderlyin" this self+conte!pt and frustration for not bein" !ore &irtuous is our fear of bein"&ulnerable, of bein" persons$ E&en after takin" to spiritual life, #e ha&e trouble lettin" do#nour "uard and actually carin" about others, actually extendin" oursel&es on others< behalf,actually seein" the! and thinkin" of the! as persons) #e think of the! as thin"s$ To seeothers as persons #e ha&e to be &ulnerable oursel&es) #e ha&e to be hu!an$ This isunco!fortable for !ost of us$ 7e are !ore co!fortable #ith the persona of bein" a super+Vaisna&a$ That that the 'ad&anced' de&otees

    beco!e !ore and !ore inaccessible to the ordinary de&otees$ They need the distance to

    insulate the!sel&es fro! bein" &ulnerable$0lso, the exalted, the pure, co!es to loathe the un#ashed !asses$ They are closed, but affectopenness$ 7e ha&e another type of 'ad&anced' de&otee, #ho is able to elicit feelin" #ar! andfu;;y fro! the youn"er de&otees$ This passes as personalis!8 ho#e&er, the possible defect ofthis !ethod is that affection can be used as a techniAue for coercion$Bein" personal is !ore difficult than o&erco!in" "ross sex desire$ aya&adis, for exa!ple,so!eti!es o&erco!e "ross sex desire, yet, philosophically speakin", they cannot understandnor practice personalis!$ .ractically, in !y experience and that of se&eral others, there are!any institutions that profess i!personalis! but ne&ertheless practice !ore personalis! thanus$ This #as obser&ed in a ne#s article by so!eone conductin" a study of spiritual "roups$/ailin" in our repeated atte!pts to be better de&otees, in the sense of stri&in" to be a super+Vaisna&a instead of beco!in" !ore hu!an, causes us to ha&e trouble really belie&in" that

    bein" 'the ser&ant of the ser&ant of the ser&ant, one thousand ti!es re!o&ed' is possible$Srila .rabhupada touched on this proble! of conditioned soula;is to non+

    >a;is #as s!all also, but they #reaked ha&oc on !illions$ 0nd their a!bition #as to brin"the #hole planet under their s#ay, #hich, incidentally, is our "oal too$ .oint to ponder8 7ill#e use Krsna consciousness to ensla&e the planet or to liberate it?

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    4:?5 the prisoners became progressively more passive as the days passed, and san( into a

    state of depression and helplessness. 8 This is the natural result of one "i&in" up one ha&e no alternati&e$ 7e can take positi&e action in an unpleasant situation) after all,#e are not behind bars$ 7e do ha&e the opportunity to choose our en&iron!ent$ 7e si!ply

    ha&e to take back our po#er fro! #ho!e&er #e "a&e it a#ay to and do the needful for 2ord3aitanya, like the author of the /ore#ord$ Krsna consciousness !eans to ha&e the stren"th ofcharacter to respond appropriately to life

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    #ho #ant to stick #ith the process and !o&e on$ This !ay actually help our leaders to co!eto their senses$4:A5 *espite its premature end, Bimbardos experiment showed that brutal, ugly prison

    situations can develop even when upright citi+ens play the parts of the prisoners and guards6

    >ot only prison situations can cause upri"ht citi;ens to sho# their brutal and u"ly side$ (t "oes

    on in institutions of all kinds or in pockets #ithin other#ise stable institutions, e&en infa!ilies$ 0uthoritarianis! can happen in the classroo! or on thesan(irtanaparty, #here&erthere is po#er to be had$ (t is *ust a Auestion of de"ree$ ( ha&e had it happen bet#een !ydoctor and !e$ %e thou"ht his 'authority' !eant he had the ri"ht to !ake !y decisions for!e$7hene&er so!eone a""resses on us, atte!ptin" to take our po#er by co&ert or o&ert !eans,#e are in a dysfunctional situation$ 5oin" alon" #ith it !eans that it #ill happen a"ain anda"ain) and cooperatin" e!po#ers it to "et #orse the next ti!e around$ne of the "i&ea#ay si"ns of dysfunctional dyna!ics is #hen our freedo! to expressoursel&es is *ust not there, #e can

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    sends a !essa"e to the "roup !e!bers 'Don

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    of four s#itches of increasin" &olta"e ha&e the follo#in" &erbal desi"nations8Sli"ht Shock, oderate Shock, Stron" Shock, Very Stron" Shock, (ntenseShock, Extre!e (ntensity Shock, and Dan"er8 Se&ere Shock$ The final t#ole&er s#itches are si!ply desi"nated $

    @ou are told to ad!inister shock to the learner e&ery ti!e he "i&es a #ron"ans#er on the learnin" task, and you are instructed to '!o&e one le&el hi"heron the shock "enerator each ti!e the learner flashes a #ron" ans#er'$ @ou arealso told that althou"h the shocks can be extre!ely painful, they cause no

    per!anent tissue da!a"e$ @ou yourself are "i&en a sa!ple shock of C &olts tosho# you that the eAuip!ent is #orkin"$

    0s the learnin" task proceeds, the learner !akes a nu!ber of errors, and is"i&en pro"ressi&ely !ore intense shocks$ 0fter recei&in" shocks of G, 9, and1 &olts, he !erely "runts$ 0t 1: &olts, he shouts, 'Experi!enter, "et !e outof here= ( #on

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    does challen"e a decison, he or she is likely to experience a certain a!ount ofanxiety$

    7hile you #ere readin" the description of the experi!ent, you !ay #ell ha&e#ondered about the ethics of conductin" an experi!ent in #hich extre!ely

    painful electric shocks are ad!inistered to the 'learner$' H- The il"ra!study has, indeed, been attacked on ethical "rounds, not because of the da!a"edone to the learner, but because of the effects on the teacher$ (n fact, thelearner #as #orkin" in liaison #ith the experi!enter, and did not actuallyreceibe any shocks at all$ The dra#in" of lots #as 'ri""ed' so that the !ild+!annered accountant #ould al#ays be the learner and the sub*ect #ouldal#ays be the teacher$

    But the effects of the experi!ent on the 'teachers' #ere dra!atic$ /orexa!ple, a C6+year old encyclopedia sales!an passed fro! ner&ous lau"hter tosuch &iolent con&ulsions that the experi!ent had to be halted$ 0s one obser&er

    reported8 '( obser&ed a !ature and initially poised business!an enter thelaboratory s!ilin" and confident$ 7ithin : !inutes he #as reduced to at#itchin", stutterin" #reck, #ho #as rapidly approachin" a point of ner&ouscollapse$ %e constantly pulled on his earlobe, and t#isted his hands$ 0t one

    point, he pushed his fist into his forehead and !uttered8 'h 5od, let

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    6- il"ra! also ar"ued that #hat critics of his #ork really ob*ected to #as theunflatterin" picture it dre# of hu!an nature rather than the deception or the!ethodolo"y in&ol&ed$ 7ould the il"ra! study ha&e been the sub*ect of

    public outra"e if all the participants had disobeyed the experi!enter at the firstsi"n of disco!fort fro! the learner? The e&idence su""ests not$ Se&eral people

    #ere "i&en a description of the il"ra! study8 so!e #ere told that !ost of theparticipants #ere obedient to the experi!enter, and the rest that !ost of the!#ere disobedient$ They rated the experi!ent as !ore har!ful and pro&idin" a#orse experience #hen there #as a lar"e !easure of obedience$ 0lthou"h!any psycholo"ists #orry about the ethics of deception, and ar"ue that it is in

    principle #ron" to !islead people #ho take part in the experi!ents, fe# layobser&ers felt that the !orality of the il"ra! study had anythin" to do #ith#hether or not the participants #ere decei&ed$

    G- The !ost fri"htenin" i!plication of the il"ra! study is that half thepopulation of >orth 0!erica is either sadistic or psychopathic, or both, #hich

    is clearly absurd, #hate&er #e see on our tele&ision screens or read in thene#spapers$ - (n fact, #hen si!ilar studies #ere carried out in o!e, South0frica, 0ustralia and unich, the le&el of obedience to the experi!enter #asrather "reater than that obtained by il"ra!$ (ndeed, per cent of the people#ho #ere tested in unich #ere disco&ered to be fully obedient to theexperi!enter$

    9- Since o&er half the population in !ost countries is apparently prepared toad!insiter &ery stron" electric shocks to other people, then !ost of theobedient participants in i"lra!+type studies !ust be Auite ordinary people$The case of 0dolf Eich!ann, tried and con&icted for orderin" the deaths ofthousands of 4e#s, is rele&ant here$ The prosecution atte!pted to depictEich!ann as a sadistic !onster, #hich see!s reasonable enou"h in &ie# of theenor!ity of his cri!es$ (n actual fact his actions #ere in !any #ays those ofan uninspired bureaucrat #ho si!ply sits at his desk and tries to carry out his

    *ob co!petently$

    7hat the il"ra! experi!ent did &ery successfully #as to create a conflictsituation in #hich so!e forces push the sub*ect to#ards obedience and others

    pro!pt hi! to#ards disobedience$ 1- (n our culture there is a lot of e!phasison the necessity of obeyin" authority, on the "rounds that an efficient and #ell+

    or"ani;ed society can only exist if there is a fairly stable hierarchy in #hichso!e people are "i&en po#er and authority o&er others$ 11- ost societiesatte!pt to ensure obedience by !o&in" the obedient indi&idual up a niche inthe hierarchy$ This is doubly an in"enious ploy, because the indi&idual isre#arded for his obedience and feels !oti&ated to cli!b to the next niche andthe hierarchy itself is preser&ed and stren"thened$ (n the il"ra! study, theexperi!enter represents an authority fi"ure$ %is authority is enhanced by#earin" a special coat, by bein" associated #ith @ale ni&ersity, and by hisaura of expertise in hu!an beha&ior and his presu!ably detailed kno#led"e ofthe experi!ent bein" carried out$ (n e&eryday life, #e place responsibility forour health in the hands of our doctor, #e "o to an accountant for financial

    ad&ice, and so on$ f necessity #e rely hea&ily on the opinions of &ariousauthority fi"ures, and this is #hat il"ra!

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    1:- 0re disobedient people different fro! obedient people? /or exa!ple, one!i"ht i!a"ine that !en #ould be !ore likely to ad!inister intense shocksthan #o!en++after all they are supposed to be !ore a""ressi&e$ n the otherhand, #o!en tend to be !ore yieldin" than !en on !any tests of co!pliance,and so !i"ht be readier to obey the experi!enter$ (n fact, il"ra! found no

    difference in obedience bet#een !ale and fe!ale participants$ 7hat he diddisco&er #as that obedient #o!en beca!e !uch !ore ner&ous and concernedthan obedient !en$ But #hen ordered to ad!inister "enuine electric shocks toa puppy in a il"ra!+type study only C per cent of !ale participants did so,as a"ainst 1 per cent of fe!ale participants, #ho #ere prepared to "i&e the!ost se&ere shock to the ho#lin" and yelpin" do"=

    %o# does one explain these astonishin" findin"s? 0s yet, all #e canreasonably say is that not enou"h #ork has been done to enable psycholo"iststo predict #ho #ill be obedient and #ho #ill be disobedient$ 1H- Typically,ho#e&er, better educated people are !ore likely to be disobedient, perhaps

    because they do not re"ard the experi!enter as so inti!idatin"$ .eople #hoha&e spent a nu!ber of years in one of the ar!ed forces are !ore likely to beobedient, su""estin" that the effects of ser&ice discipline are &ery lon"+lastin"$

    1C- 3o!!on sense su""ests that people #ith an authoritarian personality are!ore obedient than those of a !ore liberal disposition$ il"ra! tested this andfound that obedient sub*ects had !uch !ore pronounced authoritarian attitudesthan defiant sub*ects on a test of fascist tendencies the

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    .rabhupada

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    t#isted his hands$ 0t one point, he pushed his fist into his forehead and !uttered8 'h 5od,letotonly should one hear sub!issi&ely fro! the spiritual !aster, but one !ust also"et a clear understandin" fro! hi!, in sub!ission and ser&ice and inAuiries$

    ne !ust hear sub!issi&ely fro! the spiritual !aster, 'but one !ust also "et a clearunderstandin" fro! hi!'$ This !eans blind follo#in" is out of the Auestion$ 7hen.rabhupada says '( blindly follo#ed !y 5uru ahara*a' he !eant that his faith #asunflinchin", not that he #as irrational$ 0nother place #here .rabhupada cautions us a"ainst

    blind follo#in" is in his purport to &erses four and fi&e, tenth chapter8

    &sammoha, freedo! fro! doubt and delusion, can be achie&ed #hen one is nothesitant and #hen he understands the transcendental philosophy$ Slo#ly butsurely he beco!es free fro! be#ilder!ent$ >othin" should be accepted

    blindly) e&erythin" should be accepted #ith care and #ith caution$

    f course, the philosophy can be !anipulated to place e!phasis #here one desires, but,a"ain, in li"ht of our history, it is surely prudent for us to put the e!phasis on care andcaution$4?5 $ilgram also argued that what critics of his wor( really ob%ected to was the unflattering

    picture it drew of human nature rather than the deception or the methodology involved87ithout a doubt il"ra! hit dead center$ The sa!e !oti&e lies at the heart of the 5B3

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    eality is the best therapy for illusion$ ur society is riddled #ith proble!s, and e&ery lastone can be traced back to the 5B3, and the fact that the body abhors leadership by concensus$(t abhors interdependency bet#een the leaders and the led$ The body does not take ad&anta"eof the senior de&otees unless they are tacit yes !en) and its conception of cooperation is allone #ay++top do#n$ This is corporate culture$ 7e are !andated for varnasramaculture$ E&en

    in corporate culture, top do#n !ana"e!ent is passe$ This is fro! the back co&er of The 7ifth*isciplineby .eter $ Sen"e, a cuttin"+ed"e book on !ana"e!ent that ca!e out in 199 8

    2earnin" disabilities are tra"ic in children, but they are fatal in or"ani;ations$Because of the!, fe# corporations li&e e&en half as lon" as a person++!ost die

    before they reach the a"e of forty$ $ $$ The or"ani;ations that excel #ill be thosethat disco&er ho# to tap their people

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    4A5 'n fact, when similar studies were carried out in 3ome, South &frica, &ustralia, and

    $unich, the level of obedience to the experimenter was rather greater than that obtained by

    $ilgram8 %ere is food for ponderin"$ 0s shockin" as the results #ere at @ale, in these otherplaces an e&en "reater percenta"e of people #ere #illin" to blindly obey$ (n unich, a#hoppin" per cent of the people tested #ere fully obedient to the experi!enter$ ur

    international society can "et no solace fro! these findin"s$ 7e ha&e the potential to dra# thesadoIpsycho types fro! all corners of the "lobe$ nfortunately, the 5er!ans co!e throu"htrue to for! in this study$ (t #ould ha&e been nice if they #ould ha&e o&erturned thestereotype for bein" #orld+class blind follo#ers$ 7hat percenta"e of our 5er!an yatras, forexa!ple, are recruited fro! the per cent of the population?45 Since over half the population in most countries is apparently prepared to administer very

    strong electric shoc(s to other people, then most of the obedient participants in $ilgram"type

    studies must be Euite ordinary people. The case of &dolf ichmann, tried and convicted for

    ordering the deaths of thousands of /ews, is relevant here. The prosecution attempted to

    depict ichmann as a sadistic monster, which seems reasonable enough in view of the

    enormity of his crimes. 'n actual fact his actions were in many ways those of an uninspired

    bureaucrat who simply sits at his des( and tries to carry out his %ob competently. . .. 8 %ell isordinary people$ (t is really the 'ordinary' persons, the 'little' people, the 2ittle .rabhuinside of all of us- desperate in their bid to escape fro! responsibility to think for the!sel&es,#ho are the !ost "ullible to irrational obedience$ Bein" a little person does not refer to one

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    the "o&ern!ents of the #orld there #ould be less a""ression++is not, as they try to !ake it, anopen and shut case$ (t also indicates that our trend in (SK3> to pro!ote #o!en to leadin"

    positions, #hile it !ay be politically correct, is not necessarily a solution to our proble! ofdyna!ics$ E&erythin" should be done #ith care and caution, both in the case of dele"atin"#o!en or !en to positions of po#er$ The !ost effect defense a"ainst abuse of po#er is

    resistance to blind follo#in", independent thou"htfulness$495 Typically, however, better educated people are more li(ely to be disobedient, perhaps

    because they do not regard the experimenter as so intimidating6 The ob&ious reason for this isthat "enerally the educated can think for the!sel&es and do not follo# blindly$ The interestin"Auestion for us is, #hat percenta"e of our !e!bers count as 'better educated'? (

    book$' nfortunately, our "urus the!sel&es perpetuate dyna!ics that only the less intelli"ent#ill abide$ (ntelli"ent people Auestion$ (n the Third 3anto Srila .rabhupada explains that

    doubt is a si"n of intelli"ence$ 7e abhor bein" Auestioned, ho#e&er, so #e recruit #ho! #eattract$0lso, in considerin" resistance to blind follo#in", #e ha&e to take into account the "roupdyna!ic, because peer pressure is a po#erful force for coercin" us$ Bein" social ani!als, thesheep side of our nature induces us to confor! #illin"ly in order to belon"$ Thus one !ayeasily sub&ert one

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    s#ift trial, but our practice takes the concept to extre!es$ (nstead of a sober hearin" #e "ets#ift '*ustice' in ra%o"gunaon e+!ail, usin" e&erythin" in Krsna, ( !ust confess that a! also pessi!istic at ti!es8 7eha&e only a !odest chance of sur&i&al unless we face the problem of our dynamics. (f #einsist on cos!etic chan"es, but clin" to the leaders and sheep for!ula, al#ays puttin" theinstitution before the indi&idual, as sho#n in the chapter '0 Dia"nosis,' thus causin" theindi&idual to !er"e into the lar"er institutional structure, there is no tellin" in ho# !any #ays#e can under!ine the !ission of 2ord 3aitanya by our dysfunctional dyna!ics$f course, because of ha&in" !any external sy!bols in place, #e !ay be con&inced #e are

    on the pro"ressi&e path of bha(ti$ aya is al#ays ea"er to present us #ith the illusion ofpro"ress out of illusion$ (SK3> does not ha&e to shut do#n in order to fail$ (SK3> fails if#e do not "ro# to#ards beco!in" finer hu!an bein"s and unalloyed pure de&otees of Krsna$The situation can be chan"ed, if #e be"in to practice Krsna consciousness fro! the inside+out) if #e train our de&otees to be independently thou"htful and to take responsibility for #hat"oes on in theirsociety) if, instead of tellin" the! #hat is reality and #hat is illusion, #e trainthe! to deter!ine for the!sel&es #hat is Krsna conscious by bein" in touch #ith theirconscience) if #e train the! ne&er to "o a"ainst their conscience$ Then they can cooperateaccordin" to the le&el of their reali;ation or faith$ Dysfunctional obedience "i&es only oneresult++both the leaders and subordinates are &icti!s of !aya$

    3hapter Six + 0lienation as Self+estran"e!ent

    The biggest danger, that of losing oneself, can pass off in the world

    as Euietly as if it were nothing; every other loss, an arm, a leg, five dollars, a wife, etc.,

    is bound to be noticed. Kierke"aard-

    il"ra! #anted to see if proxi!ity to the &icti! #ould affect the rate of obedience$ %e foundthat the !ore re!ote the &icti!, the hi"her the nu!ber of people #illin" to "i&e the !axi!u!shock of C &olts$ 0t the re!otest le&el, the &icti! could be neither heard nor seen, thou"hhis poundin" on the #all could be heard, and sixty+six percent of the participants #ent to the!axi!u! of C &olts$

    0t the closest le&el, one and a half feet, and to "i&e shocks abo&e the 1 &olt le&el, thesub*ect had to physically force the &icti!s hand onto the shockplate$ Still, H percent "a&e thefull &olta"e$ Thus e&en the lo#est percenta"e shattered expectations of psychiatrists, #ho

    predicted that a !ere H$GH percent #ould ad!inister the full shock$

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    These findin"s confir! co!!on sense by pro&in" that it is !uch easier to 'punish' so!eonere!ote, #ho is inaudible and in&isible$ (t is also !uch easier to bo!b people by push+button,or, as #e often use the exa!ple, to buy !eat in the super!arket, than to kill, skin, and "ut theani!al oneself$ Distance fa&ors the doin" of "hastly deeds$ To do dirty #ork by phone iseasier than to do it in person) and it is e&en easier to do it throu"h another person, because one

    is yet further alienated or estran"ed fro! the deed, and alienated fro! responsibility for thedeed$

    .oint to ponder8 (f #e ha&e authoritarianis! #hich in hu!an relations translates intoe!otional distance-, plus bein" alienated fro! a situation by physical distance because oftenour hi"hest authorities are in other parts of the #orld-, #hat percenta"e of our de&otees #ould

    blindly punish another to the full extent of their po#er?

    0nd, don

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    ne !i"ht say that alienated persons are the functionally insane, as opposed to the totallyinsane, #hich !ost societies lock a#ay$ 5enerally, outside of psychiatric circles, society doesnot reco"ni;e that ulti!ately the functional insane, the alienated, #reak !ore ha&oc than thetotally insane, because, in a !anner of speakin", they #ork underco&er$ This is a si"nificantconsideration if #e harbor alienated !e!bers in our Krsna consciousness !o&e!ent) and #e

    do$ .rabhupada called the! '!undane persons in the dress of Vaisna&as$'(((The concept of alienation as estran"e!ent fro! oneo doubt Krsna consciousness can be approached in the sa!e #ay as the 3al&inists or

    .rotestants did$ 0"ain, it is a Auestion of ho# one &ie#s the reli"ious experience, ho# oneunderstands surrender++as a "ro&elin", i!po&erished, depleted supplicant, or as an e!po#ereda"ent co!in" in para!para, feelin" fully the 'po#er to' do so!ethin" #ith one

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    the 2ord$ 0fter explainin" his perception that #e so!eho# li&e in a 'bubble ofillusion' #hen #e should be 'li&in" closer to reality,' he !ade these points that are classicalienation dyna!ics8

    $ $ $ #hen one acts in the *urisdiction of the 'institution' as a 'surrenderedsoul'-, then one tends not to take responsibility for one>ext is 4a"adish

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    consciousness$ ( #as ready to *oin the de&otees and help in .rabhupada

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    yo mam sarvesu bhutesu

    santam atmanam isvaram

    hitvarcam bha%ate maudhyad

    bhasmany eva %uhoti sah

    ne #ho #orships the Deity of 5odhead in the te!ples but does not kno# thatthe Supre!e 2ord, as .ara!at!a, is situated in e&ery li&in" entitya;is!, fall helplessly or blindly inlo&e #ith the state$ (ndeed, all fanaticis! is but the pheno!enon of alienation$ 7e !i"ht as#ell add that senti!entality is also the pheno!enon of alienation, because fanaticis! and

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    senti!entality sprin" fro! the sa!e place++an unreasoned or irrational belief in so!ethin"++beit a social, political, or reli"ious cause$ ne can ha&e such a belief in Krsna consciousness$7e ha&e a!ple opportunity for this helpless, blind, fallin" in lo&e type pheno!enon in ourstress on "uru$ (f #e beco!e blind follo#ers 'out of lo&e' #e not only fail to experience theob*ect of lo&e as a full+fled"ed person, #e also fail to experience oursel&es in full, as the

    bearer of producti&e hu!an po#ers$ 7e can only lo&e our nei"hbor to the de"ree that #e lo&eoursel&es$De&otees stru""lin" to understand and cope #ith their feelin"s of bein" alienated so!eti!esindicate their !isunderstandin" of the e!po#ered experience of Krsna consciousness #henthey ask Auestions like, '(f #e are supposed to beco!e hu!bler than a blade of "rass, #hathappens to the person, !e?' The de&otee is assu!in" that 'hu!bler than a blade of "rass'!eans ;ero$ The Auestion co!es fro! one #ho is already on the #ay to feelin" lost to oneo one could #ipe their feet on Srila .rabhupada$ >othin" about

    .rabhupada #as dise!po#ered, and our duty is to follo# his spirit$ %e said, '

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    !atter of conscious thou"ht$ (t sprin"s auto!atically fro! the depths of the alienated bein",una#are of the loss of self$7hen 2ord 4esus 3hrist said '2o&e thy nei"hbor as thyself' he #as "i&in" the essentialre!edy for alienation, for the alienated person is afflicted #ith self+loathin"$ The

    psycholo"ical !echanis!s of ho# this self+loathin" co!es about #ill be explored in &olu!e

    four of the )ur $issionseries-$ Self+lo&e co!es in t#o &arieties$ ne is #ith a conscienceand the other #ithout$.ersons experiencin" "enuine self+lo&e are in touch #ith the!sel&es$ They display an o&erallconsistent inte"rity that allo#s the! to li&e #ith a clear conscience$ (f they !ake a !istakethey can o#n it and do the needful to apolo"i;e and if possible rectify it$ They ha&e no troublerespectin" others and cannot treat either the!sel&es or others as thin"s, for they are "roundedin their conscience$ (f they !ake a !istake, they soon re"ret it$ They li&e fro! the inside+out$(n contrast, those consu!ed by the self+lo&e called narcissis!++an extre!e for! of concernfor self and disre"ard for others++are essentially conscienceless$ They are alienated fro!the!sel&es$ They are cau"ht up in externals and li&e life on the outside$ They can be soseriously alienated that they cannot e&en appreciate #hat the non+alienated !ean #hen

    describin" alienation$ The reason is si!ple8 ne is lost to oneself, but co!petely una#are ofthe loss$ Bein" lost to the self, is !entioned in!hagavad"gita 16$9-, nastatmanah, as ade!onic sy!pto! and one can see #hy$ This is a profoundly difficult !alady to detect and toeradicate$ 0s stated before, "enerally it takes a se&ere crisis in life to brin" one face to face#ith the condition$V(((T#o indi&iduals can be in (SK3> yet ha&e an entirely different experience$ /or one person,there is "ro#th, a natural and pro"ressi&e co!in" in to his full capacity to perfor! acts oflo&e and radiate reason, an e!po#ered sense of respondin" to life, the capacity to act #ithouthesitancy, self+doubt, and confusion$ /or another, there is alienation, as he turns hi!self into athin", his nei"hbor into a thin", and construes that this intellectually depleted, po#erless stateis the experience of de&otion to Krsna, surrender$f course, as an institution it is not possible to take absolute responsibility for the indi&idual,

    but our challen"e is ho# to set in !otion an at!osphere that fa&ors the e!po#erin"experience o&er the dise!po#erin" one$ 7ith Srila .rabhupada #e had the e!po#erin"&ersion, but #e fu!bled and dropped the ball$ (ndeed, #e did not kno# #hat the ball #as$ 7estill don

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    book is only for de&otees #ho #ant to render ser&ice at the lotus feet of Krsna, hene&ertheless repeatedly de!olishes &arious ele!ents of i!personalis! throu"hout the book$%e

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    beco!e "uru$ To beco!e "uru is not difficult *ob$ /ollo# 3aitanyaahaprabhu and speak #hat Krsna has said$ Bas$ @ou beco!e "uru$

    f course, 'si!ply repeat' assu!es that one understands #hat he is repeatin"$ >ot that #e

    beco!e parrots$ That is also a dise!po#ered orientation$ But *ust see ho# .rabhupadai!!ediately reacted to his disciple dise!po#erin" hi!self #hile in the &ery act of "lorifyin"the spiritual !aster$ This is an excellent exa!ple of the alienation process takin" place, in#hich #e pro!ote our leader, !aster, or #hate&er to the le&el of an inaccessible "od,dis"uisin" it as hu!ility$ (t is the 2ittle .rabhu syndro!e$ 0nd look at the line that.rabhupada #as preachin"8 'The de&otee of 2ord 3aitanya, e&eryone, has so i!!ense po#erthat e&eryone, they can deli&er the #hole uni&erse$' 7hereas he preached to us to inspire inus 'po#er to' do ser&ice, #e preach #ith a slant of 'po#er o&er' the other person$ 7ho is

    preachin" alon" .rabhupada$ ( surrender$' (s that alienation or not?(ndeed it is$ ne replaces Krsna the all+po#erful #ith (SK3> the all+po#erful, thinkin" thisthe !anifestation of sincerity, lo&e, and cooperation for Srila .rabhupada$ Such a person #illsurrender their intelli"ence rather than surrender throu"h their intelli"ence$ 7hen #e "i&e upfeelin" full responsibility for oursel&es in the de&otional ser&ice of the 2ord, thinkin" that issurrender, #e feel like a co" in a #heel, instead of feelin" like a !essiah, as .rabhupadadescribed in the Auote abo&e8 'The de&otee of 2ord 3aitanya, e&eryone has so i!!ense

    po#er that e&eryone, they can deli&er the #hole uni&erse$'7hen alienation to the institution occurs, (SK3> loo!s lar"e o&er the life of the indi&idual$The institution, instead of en"enderin" a sense of 'po#er to' in !e!bers, has 'po#er o&er'the!$ 0ctually it should facilitate our ser&ice and "ro#th$ (t should cause us to expand, notshrink$ The indi&idual should be !ade to feel that the institution exists purely