An interesting article from a recent edition of Leadership Wired, on the subject of Criticism. Here's an excerpt:

Americans have a warped view of criticism. Unfortunately, most of us see criticism almost exclusively in a negative light. We dish it out tactlessly, use it to tear down rivals, and attack others with it even when we have no authority to do so.

It certainly doesn't help that we are inundated with poor examples of criticism in the media. For starters, consider American Idol's British judge, Simon Cowell. It's not uncommon for Simon's scathing criticisms to elicit tears from contestants. His words are given sincerely, but heartlessly. Watching Simon, it's as if he relishes finding faults in another's imperfections.

Election season paints another ugly picture of criticism. Politicians wield it like an ax to cut down their opponents. Instead of debating ideas in a civil forum, too often politicians lower themselves into a mudslinging contest.

Another media avenue, the blogosphere, has become criticism central in America. Bloggers attack the character of leaders they don't know and rail against decisions made in circumstances they could never understand. Far too frequently, their inflammatory tone escalates conflict without adding any substantial value to the interplay of ideas.

Read the whole article here: Criticism that counts

In the different yugas different conditions prevail.

In Satya yuga, the "age of truth", conditions are such that the balance of power lies with the brahmanas. Everyone is a paramhamsa in this age and there is no varnashram, so everyone is a brahmana. In this age the process of self-realization is meditation.

In Dvapara-yuga, the "second age", which usually follows Satya-yuga, the process of self-realization is Deity Worship. In this age the balance of power lies with the Ksatriyas.

In Treta-yuga, the "third age", the process of self-realization is Vedic sacrifices. The balance of power lies with the vaisyas.

In Kali-yuga, the "age of dissent", the process of self-realization is congregational chanting of the Holy Name and the balance of power lies with the "common assistants", as Srila Prabhupada refers to them in ISKCON's 1966 Constitution (clause N.1).

The "wisdom of the crowd" (the community) produced more analysis of Resolution 311 in one week than the GBC produced at all. It also correctly predicted the outcomes of the Resolution.

There is a powerful lesson in this.

ISKCON's GBC practically has no budget. However, they have potentially at their disposal a human resource that a multi-million dollar organization could never afford.

If they can figure out how to engage with it.

Here is an example of applying some of the principles employed by Bill O'Reilly in his Sunsara Taylor / Ron Luce interview [link] to the recent "Hare Krishna Diary" incident. It would not placate the cries of the lynch mob for blood, but it wouldn't absorb the agenda of the complainants into the GBC response either; and it would focus on process, maintaining a metastructure that can accommodate diversity within it, and raising the tone of the debate.

At the root this is a discipline issue.

You might call this "how I would do it".

Here it is:
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Hypothetical GBC Statement

We have received a number of complaints about a blog called "Hare Krishna Diary". The complainants objected to what they called "sexist" and "misogynistic" writing.

We reviewed this blog, which is written by an ISKCON member. The author is a new devotee, recently initiated, and is a brahmacari.

The subject matter of the blog deals extensively with women, their social role, and the application of Srila Prabhupada's statements on social organization.

We believe that devotees should spend a significant amount of time reading Srila Prabhupada's books, hearing from senior devotees, and performing active service in ISKCON under guidance, and that this should be a primary focus for new devotees. Analyzing the social structure and implementation of social policies in ISKCON is not the best use of their time, nor are new devotees particularly qualified to do this.

It is not appropriate for brahmacaris to comment extensively on the social role of women. The brahmacari phase of life is especially meant for withdrawal from social, especially male / female interaction, in both act and in meditation, and is instead for absorption in study of scripture and performance of sadhana. Brahmacaris should focus on developing good habits of sadhana, forming solid character, and gaining an in-depth understanding of scripture. ISKCON brahmacaris must at all times operate under an ISKCON authority and be conscious that they represent their ashram, their spiritual master, and the organization at all times. These are the austerities of brahmacari life.

Brahmacaris should not maintain a website without the permission of their spiritual master or his authorized representative. Brahmacaris in ISKCON must operate under the authority of an ISKCON authority, such as an initiating guru or ISKCON temple president.

We have contacted the spiritual master of this brahmacari and he has said "[insert statement from spiritual master here]".

We wish to reiterate that the GBC considers as inappropriate an ISKCON brahmacari maintaining a website without the permission of his authority, and that the views expressed on the website under discussion are not the official views of the society or the GBC. For the official policy of the GBC in this area please refer to our statement issued in 1998 affirming our support and respect for Vaisnavis.

Question: Do you agree that it is sexist and misogynistic?

Reply: We will not characterize or comment on the content of the website beyond saying that it is inappropriate for a brahmacari to write publicly on this subject. We have issued a comprehensive statement on the official GBC position in this area, and refer you to that for further information.

Question: But do you agree with what he says?

Reply: We agree with what Srila Prabhupada says. However, how that is understood and interpreted is open to discussion. It is inappropriate for a brahmacari, and especially a new devotee, to give extensive analysis of its meaning and application publicly. For the official view of the GBC on this matter please refer to our 1998 statement.

Vedic Civilization =

+

Vedic Civilization means both Manu Samhita and Kama Sutra.

Trying to implement a "Vedic civilization" with only either one or the other is a fantasy and is "the logic of half a hen" ardha-kukkuti nyaya.

That's why this "men and women" stuff is the province of grhastas and adminstrators, not brahmacaris and sannyasis.

Trying to introduce social dharma without social artha and kama will be a disaster.

If you're a brahmacari and you want to be a commentator on what women should do and how Srila Prabhupada's vision should be applied in the area of gender relations, then get some credibility - get a wife.

Otherwise, stick to the brahman stuff - that's the meaning of the word "brahmacari".

• Bhakta Corey (aka Caitanya das) mixes his own adolescent immaturity and lack of real life experience with his promotion of Srila Prabhupada's statements on social issues.
• His detractors mix their own dislike of Srila Prabhupada's statements on social issues with their critique of his presentation.
• The GBC statement fails to make a distinction between these things.

It is an opportunity to create greater clarity for everyone and help everyone to get to a higher level of vision. Instead the GBC EC looks like it is taking sides.

Here's the comment that I submitted to Dandavats.com about the recent GBC EC statement, along with further commentary exclusive to Atmayogi.com:

I wrote to the author of this blog (who is an ISKCON member - a new devotee and a young American male) and his ISKCON spiritual master about this some months ago. His spiritual master has been in contact with me keeping me informed of his personal engagement with this devotee and his guidance to bring him around to a more socially harmonious way of expressing himself as he matures personally and in devotional service.

I would have characterized the writing as "immature" and the mood as "arrogant", which is not unexpected for a new devotee of the physical characteristics of the author. However, "misogynistic" and "sexist" are dangerous labels to use, because the risk is there of characterizing Srila Prabhupada's social position according to contemporary social values.

It was the presentation and perhaps the personal qualification of the presenter that were lacking, not the subject material, which was principally quoting Srila Prabhupada.

This statement hasn't drawn a clear distinction between the two. The danger here is that the author cannot separate his own agenda from Srila Prabhupada's. They may speak the same words, but their intention is subtly different. Now the author may feel Srila Prabhupada is being condemned, rather than understanding that he himself is not a pure devotee, and he is injecting his own conditioning into his monologue.

At the same time, readers may be confused about what is being condemned here. Does the GBC EC say that it disagrees with the quoted statements of Srila Prabhupada, and that these are "misogynistic" and "sexist"? These are both very loaded terms with underlying assumptions and value structures that are in some cases incompatible with our Vaisnava social sankhya.

I'm all for respecting persons as persons and valuing the unique and significant contribution of everyone, but we don't need to buy lock, stock, and barrel into contemporary analyses to do that.

It seems that the GBC has too easily and fully accepted the characterization of the shrill public voices decrying the blog and using these terms.

"Immature", "inexpert", "easily misunderstood", "with a different intent from that of Srila Prabhupada" are characterizations that I would have used.

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I dropped this blog from Planet ISKCON and changed the policy with respect to blogs from brahmacaris. (Hey go hardcore as much as you like, but keep it inside your own ashram).

Here are some more posts related to this blog:

• Etiquette and Planet ISKCON
• Feeling a little put out

I sent a letter to the GALVA (Gay and Lesbian Vaisnava Association [web site]) mailing list about this blog and my interaction with the author and his spiritual master, and I also forwarded that letter to Chakra.org, where like Pandu's it was not published.

Reading the coverage on Chakra I could see that it was very slanted, and not very "inclusive" at all.

In fact, I got a similar feeling from interacting with both the author of the blog and the editor of Chakra - "I am right. You are wrong". Exactly the type of dogmatic mentality that Dawkins descries so effectively as being the "fruits of religion".

Anyway, my point is not to run anyone down. Both Chakra and the other websites that give voice to the members of ISKCON serve an important role in helping the society to become aware of itself. It's diverse. Not everyone is the same. Not everyone has to live in the same room of the house that Srila Prabhupada built in exactly the same way.

Let there be mutual respect, boundaries, and coexistence within the meta-framework of the society.

In this sense, I feel that the GBC response could have been a little more along the lines of creating that metaframework and focusing more on process - how people interact - rather than content - what they are "allowed" to say.

When we dropped Bhakta Corey's feed we focused on the appropriateness of the way and where he expressed himself, rather than what he was saying and his right to say it.

As an example, I'm happy for gays to be Vaisnavas. Overjoyed in fact. Let every gay in the world become Krishna Conscious. But they don't have to inhabit the same space as sannyasis. Some space is shared, and when we are in shared space we should emphasize common things, like harinam and Krishna-katha. Otherwise in our own spaces we have to give support to our peers in terms of their social and psychological needs.

So we need a dynamic that can keep everyone together without making it exclusive. Respect for difference, allowing others to be themselves in their space, and being totally ourselves in our space, and on good behaviour in shared and others' space is the process to do this.

A couple of weeks ago Madana Gopal das and Asi-kunda devi dasi were married here in Brisbane.

Janakaraj prabhu just sent me through some photos, and I retrieved a couple that I took. I forgot to put the SD card in my camera that day, so there were only a couple of photos, which I found on the internal memory of the camera.

Just after the wedding ceremony. I arrived toward the end, as I was setting up the sound system and instruments in the reception hall.

Madana asked me to lead the kirtan over to the reception hall. The neighbours must be getting used to seeing a huge nagar sankirtan party in Graceville with a lavishly decorated couple in the middle of the community procession.

The couple outside the reception hall.

Madana Gopal das.

His wife, the lovely lady Asi-kunda devi dasi.

This was one of the central community events of recent times. Madana Gopal is the vice president of the local temple committee and he and his wife, who is the treasurer, have been doing a lot of good work looking after the temple and building the community.

Actually Rick's talking about "renewal", but points number 5 and 6, in fact all of them, relate to my recent piece on ISKCON Constitution.com

Here are Rick's points, via Dave Ferguson:

When God wants to renew a church, a country, a movement he always takes you through five moves:

1. PERSONAL RENEWAL
It is suddenly not about religion, but it's about a relationship. You realize that God is fond of you and you fall in love with Jesus.

2. RELATIONAL RENEWAL
After I end the war with God, I end the war with others. These first two renewals are all about loving God and loving others. There are two tell-tale signs of relational renewal: First, the singing gets better. Secondly, people hang around longer after church is over.

3. MISSIONAL RENEWAL
The church rediscovers that it has a cause and we get all the purposes of the church in alignment.

4. CULTURAL RENEWAL
You can not bring cultural renewal unless there is already personal, relational and missional renewal. Once that has happened then you are ready to bring cultural renewal in your church. The preaching will change the culture of your church more than anything else.

5. STRUCTURAL RENEWAL
There is no perfect structure for a church, that is why the Bible doesn't give us a structure.

6. INSTITUTIONAL RENEWAL
(This is an extra) Institutions are there to preserve the change of the previous generation. So this will be the last to change.
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A key harmony between Rick's points and my piece: Larger organizational structures arise from the interactions of individuals. Change starts with you.

Last night Prahlad and I dropped by Warrior Shabazz's studio. I took nine videos, which I'm currently uploading to his Youtube channel. Last week Shabazz was getting over a flu, so he wasn't 100%. This week he was in full effect.

A tour of Shabazz's Studio.

Shabazz on warrior qualities.

Shabazz vs the wooden man.

Shabazz has a book available on lulu.com:

Check out the movie on the Russian Kuli Mela website