Sep 12, 2017

A Personal Message for Anyone Thinking About Getting Involved In Krishna Consciousness -Steven Gelberg

Steven Gelberg
Steven Gelberg
"Guided by the principle that one should move through life with open eyes and some degree of self-awareness, and that one should share the fruits of one's insights and intuitions, I would like to pass on some useful information to anyone who might be getting involved in the Krishna movement. I myself was a loyal, dedicated, and influential devotee for many years, and have had many years since to reflect on and make sense of my experiences. It's my hope that what I write here will help bring some clarity to your spiritual quest. (I'll say a few more words about myself at the end.)"

"First, please know that I respect and honor anyone who is fed up with the conventional, material world and seeks a meaningful alternative—some kind of life with more truth, wisdom, sanity, ecstasy. The problem is, sincere seeking in and of itself does not guarantee finding one's true path or reaching the ultimate goal. Making a major decision about what direction to take depends on having a clear sense of what the options are, what's actually out there in the spiritual marketplace. Some guides are helpful, others aren't. Many have mixed motives and hidden agendas. At the very least, then, gather enough information so that you have some sense of where you're going, what you're getting yourself into. Otherwise, it's easy to become waylaid by questionable teachers and disciples competing for converts. "

"What I'm going to present here is an accurate, unbiased, straightforward description of some of the things you'll be expected to believe and do as an active member of ISKCON. If a Krishna person tells you that any of these points are incorrect or untrue, he or she is probably not being honest. It's natural that members will want to explain Krishna consciousness to you in as positive and attractive a way as possible, which is certainly what I did when I was there. Here, however, what you will read is the simple, unadorned truth, boiled down to its fine (if rather blunt) essence. I affirm that everything I present here is true and accurate, though admittedly stated with a certain directness that you won't get from active, committed members trying to make a good impression on a potential new recruit. I have no other motive in this than to share what I know to be the truth on some important matters, and possibly (hopefully) save some people a lot of time and trouble."

No comments: