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Re: Shri H. K. Susarla's Recent Postings
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To: alt-hindu@uunet.uu.net
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Subject: Re: Shri H. K. Susarla's Recent Postings
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From: griffin@gate.net (Kris Gilbert)
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Date: 26 Jan 1995 11:57:01 GMT
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Distribution: world
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From news@gate.net Thu Jan 26 06: 47:04 1995
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Newsgroups: alt.hindu
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References: <3fn66v$f6e@ucunix.san.uc.edu>
Dr. Jai Maharaj (jai@caprica.com) wrote:
: In article <3fk29h$mc1@ucunix.san.uc.edu>,
: cheaw260@emoryu1.cc.emory.edu (V.S. Nair) wrote:
: >
: > It was with amusement that I read Shri. H.K. Susarla's
: > criticism's of all other gurus other than Swami Prabhupada and
: > all other forms of worship other than that of Sri Krishna. I
: > hope that he was not being serious. India has not given birth
: > to any philosophies that are intrinsically fanatic in nature.
: > Hinduism has roots that go way beyond the ISCKON movement and
: > Swami Prabhupada. I would like to suggest that in this age of
: > Kali it is better for Shri. H. K. Susarla to spend his time
: > chanting HARE KRISHNA rather than wasting his time criticising
: > what he does not have the capacity to understand. I am sure the
: > Lord will not look kindly at people trying to create differences
: > among his followers. Lastly, I would like to mention that both
: > myself and my wife have expended a significant amount of our
: > resources in helping the local ISKCON temple in a variety of
: > their programs. We have also helped in fund raising activities
: > when needed. We have also introduced a significant number of
: > people to ISKCON. We are quite pained by this kind of a
: > belligerent attitude towards other Hindus by a member of ISCKON.
: >
: > I must hasten to add that my experience with followers of Swami
: > Prabhupada have been very pleasant and entirely devoid of any
: > rancour so far. I count quite a few to be very good friends.
: > Knowing them I feel that ISKCON can probably not take too much
: > pride in the words of Shree H. K. Susarla.
: >
: > Haribol! Kuch Aur Na Bol!
: > - Vinod S. Nair <cheaw260@unix.cc.emory.edu>
: I too have numerous friends who are active in the ISKCON
: organization. What Susarla has been posting recently to various
: newsgroups is full of divisionist and exclusivist sentiment, and I
: am sure is not representative of what ISKCON would wish to promote.
: Om Namah Shivayay!
: *-=Om Shanti=-* Jai Maharaj
I have recently been looking into ISKCON and trying to learn about
Hinduism. I was raised in a fundamentalist Christian home and have since
that time rejected that teaching, in large part because I cannot agree
with its elitist, exclusivistic claims. One of the great attractions of
Hinduism for me is its tolerance or even acceptance of other world-views.
Based on my experience i would agree with Gandhi when he says that all
religions are true because they have been inspired by God, yet imperfect
because their forms and practices must be transmitted by imperfect human
beings. In my contact with ISKCON, i have had mixed reactions in regards
to this. Sometimes the answers i get (the ones that are very similar to
Shri. H.K. Susarla's postings), remind me quite a bit of the mindset of
fundamentalist Christianity that i left. The underlying messages are the
same, only the outward form is different (i.e. the worship of Krishna
instead of Jesus, and some of the "rules" are different, etc.). While i
can fully understand that point of view, having been raised in it and
previously espousing it, i can only be disappointed with it now.
Other times the answers i get from ISKCON are very thoughtful and
tolerant of other faiths, looking to what is good and true in other
religions as well as their own. From reading some things that Swami
Prabhupada has written, though, i'm not convinced that he would be part
of that group. Since he founded ISKCON here in the U.S., i feel wary of
the organization as a whole, especially in light of some of the other
reputations that ISKCON has picked up over the years. (I'm still
inquiring into those "reputations" and have in fact found some of them to
be false, at least from what i've seen.)
In any case, I will probably continue to look into Hinduism, although
since i've discovered this newsgroup, i may not look to ISKCON as much
for answers.
take care, all,
Kris
