I left iskcon in 1973. This is the first time i have ever commented on my time there. I am very old and retired now. I hope that you find peace of mind as you mature in your life. Sometimes it is best to let go of anything negative and move on. I hope this meets you in great health and spirit.
Thank you. I am working on it. I plan to just make a few more videos related to iskcon before I move in to making other content. Overall I feel pretty good about where I’m at in relation to my past involvement with iskcon. At times I fee angry and resentful but I’m working on accepting things.
@@GauraRader speaking out is helping others avoid this cult. we should always speak out and never turn our backs. this dangerous destructive cult thrives on people leaving and then never speaking about their experiences. The world needs to hear what this evil cult does to innocent people who get caught up in their BS.
I've only just found your channel so I'm not sure if you still check the comments. I wish I'd found these videos when I first got into ISKCON. I never really felt at home there and to tell the truth, it never felt quite right. I was always looked down upon by (many) other devotees because I have dogs. I ended up having a huge fight with another (female) devotee because she didn't think I should have dogs in my house. I told her to mind her own business & not worry about what I do in my own home. That was just one issue of many.
I do! Haven’t made any videos for a little while but still check comments. I’ve been thinking about making a video about how HKs hate dogs because the love they provide is a sort of cpunterargument to the whole HK worldview. Anyhow sounds like you escaped without getting too far sucked in
@@GauraRader Yea, thankfully I did. And thank goodness I never got initiated!! My twin brother (who is a gay man - another of ISKCON's dislikes) never liked my involvement with them and he had warned me against them. I should have listened to him!! Anyway, as you said - thankfully I escaped without getting too deeply into it.
When talking to cultists their brain chemistry is working differently. The only ones of us able to really appreciate what you are saying and getting at here are those who have our brain chemistry appreciating actual rationality. The cultists are still afraid of calling out the cruel things Prabhupada did and said as they fear hellish punishment if they do. The hells reading like man made threats written by vengeful, insecure men. The core issue is the cultists are afraid of hell and torment or a life of "bad karma" if they call out what Prabhupada did or said for what it was. They believe they have to always praise everything he did and just be okay with the rest of the baggage in order to get back to Paradise after death. Its fear based thinking in their minds that is why they never fully just say "yeah that was fucked up" its cause they are afraid of torment and bad karma for doing so. It never occurs to them why they should ever be okay worshiping a being who allows a hell to exist in the first place or who even threatens it. Such a being is obviously either an evil being OR a man made imaginary one.
Yay. New ISKCON video. Great work! Prabhupad’s wife cried after she got married to him as a child and when he told this story he laughed about it. He also asked his Dad to get a second wife, but his Dad rejected him. He also licked his disciple Janaki’s finger. “I was married, my wife was eleven years. I was 22 years. She did not know what is sex, eleven years' girl. Syamasundara: Children should be allowed to have sex life at fourteen years old. Prabhupada: Yes. That is psychological. They develop... Sex life, sex urge is there as soon as twelve years, thirteen years old, especially women. So therefore early marriage was sanctioned in India. Early marriage. Boy fifteen years, sixteen years, and girl twelve years. Not twelve years, ten years. I was married, my wife was eleven years. I was 22 years. She did not know what is sex, eleven years' girl. Because Indian girls, they have no such opportunity of mixing with others. But after the first menstruation, the husband is ready. This is the system, Indian system. Syamasundara: So they are not spoiled. Prabhupada: No. And the psychology is the girl, after first menstruation, she enjoys sex life with a boy, she will never forget that boy. Her love for that boy is fixed up for good. This is woman's psychology. And she is allowed to have many, oh, she will never be chaste woman. These are the psychology. So these rascals, Westerners, they do not know and they are becoming philosopher, scientist, and politician, and spoiling the whole world. They can be saved only by this Krsna consciousness movement. There is no other way. Otherwise they will lick up their skyscraper building and everything will go to hell. We have seen in New York, so many houses fall down. In New York. Yes. So many. Simply garbage. I have studied. Simply full of garbage. Nobody is going to take care. And the boys and girls loitering in the street as hippies. This is a very, very, bad sign. You see? No home, home neglected, no regular life. The whole nation will be spoiled. It is already spoiled. The poison is already there. Fire. Now it is increasing. Just like you set fire, it increases. So that fire is already there. [S.P. Room Conversation, August 15, 1971, London] So (laughing) an eleven years old girl and I was at the same time twenty-one, twenty-two. One day I captured her hand. She began to cry. A little girl, you see? When one has heard, when one has properly chanted, he has little experience of the transcendental form of the Lord, then his service beginning. Just like I engage one servant. So gradually he is given service. "First of all this, first of all that, then..." Again and again, again, again. The same example can be given, that the husband and wife. Formerly, when I was married, my wife was eleven years old. So (laughing) an eleven years old girl and I was at the same time twenty-one, twenty-two. One day I captured her hand. She began to cry. A little girl, you see? So gradually, gradually. I know... When my brother-in-law, sister's husband, used to come... In the beginning, the girls were very... My sisters were same age. So they would meet the husband, offering a little pan or little sandesa.” [S.P. Morning Walk, April 12, 1974, Bombay] Then, they will quote from Shyamasundara prabhu’s new book, “Chasing rhinos with the Swami - Volume 1” (Chapter 2): Janaki: I loved mothering him. I just loved it. But I was so naughty, so full of mischief. The Swami had never tasted whipping cream, so one day I was whipping some up and Swamiji said, “What is that?” So I said, “Try it. You’ll love it.” And I dipped my finger in the pot and he licked some off my finger. His eyes shot up and he said, “Mmmmm, that is good.”
I've always thought he was likely a horrible husband and lousy in bed, though at that point in time nobody was aware of womens' sexual needs. The things he says about women is pretty clueless about women. One can say he was part of the world of the early 20th century, but honestly, things were dramatically changing in the 1960's and by the time he died the debate on womens sexuality was very public.
I’m sorry you find them offensive. I’m here sharing my understanding of the world for people who feel similarly. Or are interring hearing multiple perspectives. All the best.
Prabhupada's books and lectures are a masterclass on hate speech. my favorite Prabhupada quote is where he says women like to be raped, Children can be beaten, blacks should be slaves and that he was 22 years old when he honeymooned his 11 year old child bride. what is yours?
More allegations regarding other company stores and branches overseas in London have been made by some, claiming that money was funneled into Swiss bank accounts from there. The GBC, to this day, has not investigated this incident, regarding any possible involvement of ISKCON officials, affiliated individuals or even Jayapataka Swami, who was the GBC for this area during the time of the murder and a possible beneficiary of this money in question. VNN has learned that in both cases, ISKCON members have been told by ISKCON management not to cooperate with law enforcement officials investigating these cases. In recent developments in Europe, Harikesa blackmailed the GBC for millions of dollars, threatening to expose other criminal activities of "senior ISKCON member, that will have to spend 20 years in jail", as Harikesa put it. Some reports claim that he actually managed to extort $500,000 so far from ISKCON management and may demand more in the future for his silence. Reports of Sannyasis financing their expensive travel itineraries with "lost" traveler checks and "lost" airline luggage, as well as gurus encouraging disciples to file fraudulent personal bankruptcies, defraud insurance companies and a host of other illegal activities, raise serious questions, of just how vulnerable the GBC and other ISKCON leaders are to such blackmail and extortion by current and former members
Not related to the topic, but this is perhaps one of the most horrible statements ever made by Prabhupada: "Ah, yes. So these English people, they were very expert in making propaganda. They killed Hitler by propaganda. *I don't think Hitler was so bad man.* What do you think? You are Englishman. (laughter)" In which "context" such words could make any sense?!
This is a profoundly offensive post, best for the uploader to remove for their own future karma's sake. SP introduced major spiritual benefits to the entire Western world, not least making millions aware of Lord Chaitanya's mission. Criticisms/behaviors/ translation inaccuracies attributed to SP mentioned here are all overridden by a factor of a thousand as He qualified always as deficiencies in human nature, m or f, are 100% rectifiable by chanting of the holy name.
Obviously we are coming at this from completely different perspectives. I don’t believe in concepts like vaishnava apparadha, karma, pure devotees, etc. my perspective is a rationalist, secular humanism perspective.
@@GauraRader ok, but one fact remains, only Krishna can protect us" This is said out of experience. What's yours? Even Sanakara, whose impersonalism-based philosophy you seem most to be leaning to, said " you fools, your intellectual concepts and mental concoctions will not save you at time of death/ Hare Krishna Prabhu.
You don't believe in karma. Well you are outnumbered in more ways than one. As a gay man, you are also outnumbered. Your perspective is yours, but it doesn't mean anyone else has give it any value whatsoever. You are a bitter and twisted guy. Karma is definitely waiting for you. The misery you experience now - that you want to blame on others - is just beginning; believe it or not.
@@GauraRader And what a limited, blind perspective that is! Congrats! The laws of material and spiritual nature act, whether your secular human perspective acknowledges such laws or not. You are free like everyone else, to live your life, and then die. You may find that you are done with the past, and don't believe in karma - but the past may not be done with you. Time will definitely tell.
I am an atheist now. Are there some things in the tradition that are not bad or even good? Yes. Did I learn some good things while I was a devotee? Sure. But it is mistake to assume I wouldn’t have learned those same things from other sources. Correlation doesn’t equal causation. The religion teaches vegetarianism, for example, but it’s not like no one outside of the Hare Krishna religion is advocating for animal rights. In fact many organizations are doing much more to promote animal welfare. Furthermore I’d say that the good ideas are so mixed up with the bad that you can’t really make heads or tails of it, or actually get a benefit from practicing the religion. Sure, buying things is not the path to happiness. Sure love is what we all want. But those genuinely good ideas are mixed with ideas about not having sex, about seeing God, surrendering to a guru, chanting all day, etc, etc. there are plenty of science based books and resources about how to reduce anxiety and depression and improve physical and mental well being that there really isn’t anything valuable about the religion, despite having a few good ideas mixed in with all the superstition, ignorance, racism, sexism, misogyny, homophobia, cultism, guru worship, and religious beliefs.
