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<\/center><\/p>\nThe Guru & Disciple Book<\/b><\/i> is a new book that examines the spiritual preceptor, the student, and the community they create, together with the dynamics and occasional struggles that surround them.<\/b> <\/p>\n
The book is by Srila Prabhupada disciple and ISKCON member of 42 years, Kripamoya Das, who explains why he wrote it: \u201cThe book is a 440-page compendium of helpful advice for those seeking initiation, or those who offer spiritual guidance to others. It\u2019s also a good read for those who have become apprehensive, perplexed, or even cynical from interminable discussions on \u2018guru issues\u2019 and related subjects.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI wrote this book after many years of answering all kinds of questions on initiation,\u201d Kripamoya explains. \u201cDevotees would ask me questions on shastra<\/i> and Vaishnava history, on Srila Prabhupada\u2019s statements, and they would often share their concerns about ISKCON\u2019s historical scandals and ongoing reputation. So I took to writing short pieces and sharing them, and readers found them helpful.\u201d He claims that the average spiritual seeker now requires more of ISKCON: \u201cIn general, interested people these days have already done their research online. They are fascinated by Krishna, they like the idea of a spiritual teacher, but they have a natural caution and need satisfying answers.\u201d<\/p>\n
So with a variety of readers in mind, The Guru & Disciple Book<\/b><\/i> has six systematically themed sections:<\/p>\n
Part One<\/b> deals with shastric<\/i> statements about the need for a guru, the identity and qualifications of such a teacher, and various \u2018post-modern\u2019 objections that seekers commonly have to the idea of spiritual authority.<\/p>\n
Part Two<\/b> examines the various methods of teaching that gurus employ, and how spiritual transmission takes place. \u201cIt also focuses on how the meanings of traditional Sanskrit words such as siksha<\/i>, diksha<\/i>, sampradaya<\/i> and parampara<\/i> have become slightly morphed in contemporary ISKCON, and how more accurate definitions would help in our discussions,\u201d Kripamoya Das adds.<\/p>\n
Part Three<\/b> discusses why people often love the guru, but dislike his organisation \u2013 especially a large and successful institution such as the Hare Krishna movement has now become. Nevertheless, \u2018organization and intelligence \u2013 and strong leadership and governance\u2019 are as important for the future of ISKCON as they have ever been. Creating a sense of belonging and delivering personalised spiritual guidance seems to be one of the challenges.<\/p>\n
Part Four<\/b> traces the history of the sannyasa<\/i> order, a social identity that has now become synonymous with the very concept of \u2018guru.\u2019 The section includes a chapter on the phenomenon of what some refer to as \u2018clergy burn-out,\u2019 and in another remarkable chapter, former ISKCON sannyasis<\/i> and gurus share their private thoughts. <\/p>\n
Over the past fifty years, ISKCON has come under attack from the forces of dissent and separatism within, and competitive theologies without. Dozens of charismatic individuals have all tried to help themselves to Srila Prabhupada\u2019s legacy. Part Five<\/b> examines a few of these, and analyses whether we are prepared for the next time it happens. This part also subjects the guru-disciple relationship to some healthy psychological analysis, highlighting the mutual confusions that can occur.<\/p>\n
Part Six<\/b> is entitled Becoming a Disciple Today<\/i> and, despite everything that has been said before, is unapologetically enthusiastic about a spiritual candidate becoming initiated in ISKCON today. The big difference we face as a movement in 2015, Kripamoya insists, is that more than 90% of our members have never lived in a temple and probably never will. Yet to make a lifetime spiritual commitment, each devotee requires a certain level of pre-initiation introspection, a time for actually \u2018testing the guru\u2019 as shastra<\/i> recommends, and sufficient encouragement, support and ongoing guidance to make being a disciple a realistic long-term proposition. For ISKCON to remain relevant to the bulk of its members these spiritual essentials must be delivered.<\/p>\n
For those considering initiation in ISKCON, The Guru & Disciple Book<\/b><\/i> offers an encouraging, step-by-step guide on how to prepare for a committed life. For those acting as spiritual guides, the book offers helpful reflections on pastoral care – the gentle art of creating and sustaining faith in a contemporary Vaishnava community. For the perplexed or cynical, the book will be a refreshing read that will give them new hope.<\/p>\n
The book is already being translated into Russian and comes with an endorsement from ISKCON guru, His Holiness Bhakti Vijnana Swami of Moscow:<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a very helpful book which deals with a very important, and to a certain extent controversial subject matter. Kripamoya Das is a very careful and introspective observer and discusses the subject very openly, but in a balanced and mature way, strengthening in the reader the conviction of the need for personal spiritual guidance. I wholeheartedly recommend it to any spiritual seeker, to anyone who offers spiritual guidance as a service to others, and especially to those spiritual seekers and guides who are treading the path of Krishna consciousness.\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cThis is a very helpful book which deals with a very important, and to a certain extent controversial subject matter. Kripamoya Das is a very careful and introspective observer and discusses the subject very openly, but in a balanced and mature way, strengthening in the reader the conviction of the need for personal spiritual guidance. I wholeheartedly recommend it to any spiritual seeker, to anyone who offers spiritual guidance as a service to others, and especially to those spiritual seekers and guides who are treading the path of Krishna consciousness.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20165","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-announce"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20165","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=20165"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20165\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20167,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20165\/revisions\/20167"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=20165"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=20165"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=20165"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Hare](\"https:\/\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/-7V5whuXSQ68\/Vg1D5xdm1rI\/AAAAAAAAUj4\/8kZJy5wRRJE\/s0\/2015-10-01_16-32-08.jpg\")
By Bhakti Vijnana Swami<\/strong><\/p>\n