Back To Prabhupada, Issue 58, Vol. 2 2018
n a recent talk, GBC-elected diksa guru HH Kadamba Kanana Swami ("KKS") states that problems in Krishna consciousness are not due to something "internal", but instead, due to external circumstances:
"Many times we think that we struggle with our Krishna consciousness. But no, our lifestyle struggles with Krishna consciousness. It's not us. We actually want Krishna consciousness, to a degree. But it is our lifestyle that is so opposed to Krishna consciousness. That lifestyle creates so much stress and makes it hard. And we thought all along that it was an internal thing but it's actually an externally imposed thing, in many cases."
(KKS, "South Africa Travels & Media – April 2018")
However, below we see that Srila Prabhupada states the opposite–that advancement in Krishna consciousness is not dependent on external circumstances:
"One mistake of judgment often made by the neophyte devotees is that any time there is some disturbance or some difficulty they are considering that the conditions or the external circumstances under which the difficulty took place are the cause of the difficulty itself. That is not the fact. In this material world there is always some difficulty, no matter in this situation or that situation. Therefore simply by changing my status of occupation or my status of life, that will not help anything."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, 4/1/73)
"Vaisnava means one who is able to sit down anywhere, under any conditions, and be happy. He wants only a place to lay down, a little prasadam, and if there's a little service he can do, gladly let me do it for Krishna, that's all. As long as we are thinking I want this, that is not to my liking, or if I adjust things a certain way everything will be better, these thoughts are material. Devotional service is not conditional. So stop this dreaming state."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, 8/7/72)
(All emphases above added)
Note that Srila Prabhupada states this basic misunderstanding is an error made by "neophyte devotees".
We are able to fill up every issue of BTP because ISKCON's GBC gurus–who claim to be "as good as God" and that they must be worshipped as "assistant to the gopis" during morning prayers–do not even know the basic "ABCs" of spiritual life. Thus, we are easily able to show them talking nonsense that contradicts Srila Prabhupada's teachings. One would think: "How difficult is it to simply repeat what Srila Prabhupada states?" That's all that these supposedly "spiritually advanced" gurus would need to do, and BTP would be empty and would need to shut down! But no, in a show of defiance, rather than humbly simply repeat what Srila Prabhupada teaches, they insist on giving their own "realisations", i.e., nonsense speculation that contradicts Srila Prabhupada's teachings. There is a simple solution to them spouting teachings that are not in line with those given by Srila Prabhupada. They should just quote Srila Prabhupada instead of quoting themselves!
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Ironically, just a short while later in the same lecture, realising that he has a tendency to talk nonsense, KKS complains:
"So what a life. It was actually a life without telecommunication. It was probably the best part of my life. These were the happiest six years of my life. And then later on all the miseries started, you know, like all this internet and all this electronic communication. Everyone is filming everything you do and everything you say is being recorded and 20 years later will be used against you. Some things will hound you not only for your life but even after your life. It's just too much."
a) KKS claims having things recorded is the cause of "miseries", but he arranges for their recording! He voluntarily puts his lectures and talks on his personal website.
b) If he does not want what he says to "hound" him, then he should simply stop talking nonsense, because then it would not matter what was recorded, since there would not be anything that could "hound" him!
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