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“Violation of women, as exemplified in the outrages in Vrindavan, can not be tolerated anywhere in ISKCON. It is time to take a stand and to make changes firmly in Vrindavan and around the world.” — WOMEN'S MINISTRY Your voice is needed |
November 4, 1999
Dear Devotees,
We are sorry to learn of recent events at ISKCON’s
Krishna Balarama Mandir in Vrindavan.
We should understand that these gross aparadhas
against Vaisnavis in one of ISKCON’s main temples stand as testimony for the
need on the part of all ISKCON temples to end--once and for all--the abuse and
neglect, both material and spiritual, of women.
We propose a four-fold remedy: Insure that women have
full facility 1) to engage in all types of service, 2) to take darsana of the
Deity up close, 3) to give Bhagavatam and other classes, and 4) to utilize
adequate living arrangements. Until ISKCON authorities acknowledge their
obligations to provide women with these four basic facilities, incidents like
these will continue to occur.
Anything short of this will convince devotees that
discussions are simply cosmetic and only intended to patronize the ladies “who
are incapable of true spiritual advancement and realization.”
Further the absence of these facilities is the
loudest testimony to the fact that women are often neither respected nor cared
for. Providing these facilities fosters respect. Violation of women, as
exemplified in the outrages in Vrindavan, can not be tolerated anywhere in
ISKCON. It is time to take a stand and to make changes firmly in Vrindavan and
around the world.
These four facilities are requested in order to
educate devotees on basic points of spiritual understanding, but giving the
facilities to the women should be coupled with discussions to properly
understand the impact of denigrating attitudes and inconsistent or inappropriate
behavior/policies toward women, and finding the means to return to an emphasis
of respect for all devotees.
Notwithstanding the above request, special and
immediate attention needs to be given to the situation in Vrindavan. This is
because Vrindavan is every devotee’s spiritual home. Krishna Balarama Mandir
in Krishna’s own birthplace is central and vital within our movement. Every
devotee needs to be able to go on pilgrimage to Vrindavan to take shelter, to be
peaceful, and to be assured of protection within our very temple room.
The Vrindavan temple is supposed to set standards
for all other ISKCON temples, and the GBC has been making an effort to turn
ISKCON Vrindavan into a world center for education and training. Vrindavan ISKCON must be exemplary. Now it is a shame and a disgrace.
Unfortunately, ISKCON’s Vrindavan center (and,
indeed, other ISKCON centers in India) have long been seen as seats of
intolerance--and at times even hatred--toward women in our movement. Such
unacceptable attitudes have been manifest in the denial to women of many
facilities needed for their spiritual and material well-being.
Sometimes, the neglect and abuse of women in ISKCON
centers in India has been justified by an appeal to local customs and attitudes.
However, it has always been Prabhupada’s policy to strongly counter any such
customs-whether in India or the West--when they are detrimental to Krishna
consciousness and to the devotees.
If we acknowledge the depth of the problem in
ISKCON’s center in Vrindavan, then we see it is necessary to consider serious
steps to correct these anomalies.
We especially would like to call into question
certain apparent manifestations of impersonal renunciation and sahajiyism that
seem to be visible at our temple in Vrindavan. These may well lie at the root of
the hatred of women, and they need to be brought to the surface and eradicated,
not only for the well-being of the women, but also for the well-being of Srila
Prabhupada’s legacy.
We hope that further discussions of Vaisnava behavior
are held and that an apology be made to the women who were physically manhandled. We request that qualified women be given the opportunity to give
Srimad-Bhagavatam classes in Vrindavan. In addition, women with organizational
abilities, should be invited onto managerial teams in Vrindavan.
When women are respected in these tangible, practical
ways abuse automatically declines. This has been practically demonstrated.
Unfortunately, in the name of “protecting” the women men have taken
opportunities to degrade and disrespect women. Therefore continuing that course
will not be effective.
Therefore we now look to Gopala Krsna Maharaja to see
that men in Vrindavan receive education about properly respecting women, and
that he insures women are given all facilities for their Krsna consciousness.
How You Can Help
1. Call your local GBC, or a GBC representative with
whom you have a relationship If you are unable to call them then use email (a
list of email addresses follows). Contact as many GBC members as you want. Tell
them that you are concerned that they personally become involved in rectifying
this situation to end disrespect for women in ISKCON once and for all.
2. Ask them to make sure the Women’s Ministry is
given time this year in Mayapur. The Ministry has been promised, but not given,
time for the past three years. Now it is time.
3. Send this information to as many friends as
possible today and ask them to help.
4. Post this letter in a public place in your temple.
5. Discuss this matter in your community.
If you have any questions or would like to help in
other ways please feel free to contact us at women’s.ministry@com.bbt.se
Your servants,
ISKCON Women’s Ministry
GBCs Email Addresses:
anuttama.acbsp@com.bbt.se
badrinarayan.acbsp@com.bbt.se
bhakti.caru.swami@com.bbt.se
Bhakti Marg Swami: toronto@com.bbt.se
Bhakti Raghava Swami 103721.1417@compuserve.com
Bhakti Tirtha S btswami@ibm.net
bhaktisvarupa.damodara.swami@bbt.se
Bir.Krishna.das.Goswami@com.bbt.se
bhurijana.acbsp@com.bbt.se
Giriraja.Swami@com.bbt.se
giridhari.swami@com.bbt.se
gopal.krsna.goswami@com.bbt.se
guru.prasad.swami@com.bbt.se
Hridayananda Goswami hrid@ivs.edu
harivilas@com.bbt.se
indradyumna.swami@com.bbt.se
isvara.swami@com.bbt.se
jayapataka.swami@com.bbt.se
kavicandra.swami@com.bbt.se
lokanath.swami@bbt.se
malati.acbsp@com.bbt.se
Mahavishnu.Swami@bbt.se
mukunda.goswami@com.bbt.se
niranjana.swami@com.bbt.se
Pancagauda dasa Vrindavan VTP 105146.1570@compuserve.com
pancaratna.acbsp@com.bbt.se
paramgati.swami@com.bbt.se
prabhavisnu.swami@com.bbt.se
radhanatha.swami@com.bbt.se
ravindra.svarupa.acbsp@com.bbt.se
ramai.swami@com.bbt.se
Romapada.Swami@com.bbt.se
rohini.suta.acbsp@com.bbt.se
sesa.acbsp@com.bbt.se
sridhar.swami@com.bbt.se
sivarama.swami@com.bbt.se
suhotra.swami@com.bbt.se
tamal.krishna.goswami@com.bbt.se
vaidyanatha.hks@com.bbt.se
virabahu.acbsp@com.bbt.se
© CHAKRA 12-Nov-1999
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