|
All glories to
Srila Prabhupada! |
From Joshua Hawley
Posted July 14, 2005
Thank you finally—an ISKCON sannyasi
for finally taking a clear stance in
support of your spiritual master who is
the clear founder and Acharya of ISKCON
and no on else.
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From Jagadananda dasa
Posted July 8, 2005
Dear Dipika Org.
Please accept my respectful
obeisances. All glories to Srila
Prabhupada.
I was favorably impressed by H H
Danavir Gosvami's article "Chaste
Harlots" and I would like to express to
him my appreciation for the way Maharaja
supported his article strictly on the
basis of guru, sastra, and sadhu.
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By Danavir Goswami
Posted July 7, 2005
Considering the term "gay monogamy,"
we will first of all try to clarify the
imports of both words individually and
then discuss them combined.
The word "gay" is primarily defined
as: 1) someone who practices
homosexuality; or 2) someone having a
sexual attraction to persons of the same
sex.
Concerning the second definition, one
may, in other words, be attracted in that
way but may not indulge in homosexual
activity of a physical nature
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Lilesvara Dasa
answers
Tapati Devi Dasi
Posted May 15, 2005
Dear Tapati Devi Dasi,
Please accept my
obeisances. All glories
to Srila Prabhupada.
I recently read your
letter regarding your
sexual preference. I know
that you had requested
Hrdayananda Maharaja to
comment about gay
monogamy, but I felt the
need to also reply you. I
hope you don't mind.
First of all, I am
truly sorry that one of
your Godsisters stopped
writing to you.
More: Click here or on
title
By Bhakta Pat
Posted May 12, 2005
The contention of HH
Hridayananda Goswami
Maharaja is that
homosexual devotees be
allowed to stay together
with a partner of their
choice, as a heterosexual
couple would stay
together in the grhasta
asrama. His statement in
a letter to Chakra and
Dipika is this: "I am not
convinced that marriage
is the best means in all
cases, but some serious,
formal and public
recognition and
appreciation of gay
monogamy is, in my view,
in the best interest of
ISKCON and its members."
More: Click here or on
title
From
Tapati Devi Dasi
Posted
May 3, 2005
I very much appreciate
His Holiness Hrdayananda
Maharaja's comments about
gay monogamy. I would
like to comment from my
own experience.
I had the good fortune
to be initiated by Srila
Prabhupada in 1977. I
practiced Krsna
Consciousness for over 15
years. I married in the
movement, had two
children, and finally
left my abusive husband.
I went to college so I
could support my children
with no help from their
father.
It was there I
realized in stages that I
was not solely
heterosexual.
More: Click here or on
title
By Umapati Swami
Posted Apr. 30, 2005
Please, no more replies to Hrdayananda
Maharaja's letter about gay monogamy.
I've had my fill, and I have to say that I am amazed at
the hysteria this little letter has
generated. True, there have been thoughtful
replies on both sides, but I can't stomach
any more of these long-winded, moralizing,
sermonizing, holier-than-thou tirades.
More: Click here or on title
By Yugal Kishor dasa
Posted Mar. 31, 2005
It has been a while now that in our
Krishna Consciousness Movement several
individuals have been grappling with the
issue of homosexuality. Some have posed the
idea that homosexuality is as normal as
heterosexuality and thus attempt to
accommodate or justify homosexuality within
the ranks of ISKCON asramas (whether
grhastha asrama or brahmacarya, and perhaps
even sannyasa).
Others have expressed their opposing
convictions on the matter with full force.
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From a private e-mail
Posted Mar. 31, 2005
Also read Hridayananda Maharaj's "Gay
Monogamy" letter, and I applaud you for
posting it. Of course it may ruffle some
feathers, but I believe the principle is
correct…. Wherever we are, we have to start
somewhere.
[Article
complete on this page]
By Sita-pati das
Posted Mar. 31, 2005
Marriage does not condone or approve of
sexual activity. It is the product of a
civilization that recognizes that sexual
activity increases material identification,
and actively seeks to counteract this with
regulative legislation.
So where does this philosophical
deviation that marriage condones a lifestyle
based around sex life come from?
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By David Greensberg
Posted Mar. 31, 2005
Is the purpose of ISKCON to be like the
Christian right in America? Is ISKCON
supposed to be the moral watchdog of
society? Is ISKCON supposed to be the
gateway to Vraja or the demagogic enforcer
of morality?
If ISKCON takes the stand of being the
morality police, then this will
automatically curtail its effectiveness in
being the gateway to Vraja. This is an
axiomatic truth. What would happen is that
spirituality would be replaced by moral
ideology. Instead of ISKCON being about the
distribution of kirtan and prasadam and the
Bhagavata, its purpose would be to
tell people what is wrong with their lives.
It would change from being a purveyor of a
positive into being a purveyor of a
negative. Instead of embracing all people
and sharing the gift of Sri Sri Radha
Govinda, it would be about finding faults
with people.
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By Bhaktavatsala
dasa (HDG)
Posted Mar. 31, 2005
Why is everyone insisting on missing the
point? The idea is that we are all fallen
and conditioned souls. We have karma that is
being played out in this lifetime from many
lifetimes ago, still. What you do with your
nature and your karma while trying to follow
the principles is a result of your accepting
Krishna as The Supreme Personality of
Godhead and the wisdom and courage your guru
gives you.
More: Click here or on title
On the Road Again
Sorry for the delay
I've got a lot more stuff to post. I'll be
back soon.
In the meantime…
There are a lot of letters coming about
Gay Monogamy, and I haven't had time to
answer the ones that have problems, so I'd
like to put down a few ground rules for the
discussion.
The question is, Should we encourage
homosexuals to renounce promiscuity and take
up monogamy, not as a facility for illicit
sex but as a step toward eventual
renouncement, just as we encourage
heterosexual people to take up monogamy for
the same reason?
Everyone agrees that homosexual sex is
illicit sex, so there is no need to write
articles trying to prove that point. Nor is
there any need to write articles describing
the sexual things that homosexuals do or to
say that homosexuals are incapable of
monogamy unless you know every homosexual in
the world.
Srila Prabhupada disapproved of same-sex
marriage, but are there other ways to
encourage same-sex monogamy without going
against the letter or the spirit of his
instructions?
See you soon.
From Joshua Hawley
Posted Dec. 21, 2004
| Thanks and
appreciation from dipika.org to our sponsor and host,
|
It's not really a solution to give all
people who say they are gay some formal
recognized status. We're not getting at the
core of the issue by giving someone a
status. Rather, it seems we are justifying
that behavior.
According to all scriptural evidence,
homosexuality is condemned as being a sinful
activity. There is no argument to defy that
point. If you are really serious about
giving gays a solution in spiritual life,
then why not take a look at the factors that
lead to homosexuality? There are numerous
studies being conducted into just that very
matter.
More: Click here or on title
From Kaveri devi dasi
Posted Dec. 21, 2004
Hare Krsna. Please accept my most humble
obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
I'm 23 years old, and homosexuality and
promiscuity were not considered amazing in
my youth. So after reading the articles
posted by Hridayananda das Goswami and
Umapati Swami, I can't understand what the
problem is.
We are part of an already degraded
society. We shouldn't forget this and act as
if this has nothing to do with us. As
devotees we don't want to water down the
standards or principles, because we
understand that the result won't be the
same. But what's the object of all the rules
and regulations we have? What's the purpose
of ISKCON?
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From Sankarshan
Das Adhikari
Posted Dec. 21, 2004
Please accept my humble obeisances. All
glories to His Divine Grace Srila
Prabhupada.
I am troubled by this part of the
posting:
"I am not convinced that marriage is the
best means in all cases,"
This is a roundabout way of saying
marriage is or may be the best means in some
cases. This opens the door to legitimizing
homosexual marriage, which Srila Prabhupada
strongly opposes.
Your humble servant,
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
[Article
complete on this page]
From Ronin
Posted Dec. 21, 2004
"I am not convinced that marriage is the
best means in all cases, but some serious,
formal and public recognition and
appreciation of gay monogamy is, in my view,
in the best interest of ISKCON and its
members." -HDG
"...appreciation of gay monogamy..."
You must have missed this. A retraction
would be honorable.
ronin
[Article
complete on this page]
From Jambavan Dasa
Posted Dec. 21, 2004
Please accept my humble obeisances All
glories to Srila Prabhupada
I was disgusted to recently read your
posting of Hrdayananda Maharaja's letter
entitled "Gay Monogamy." I thought you were
at least the last website that would print
this kind of trash. I guess I was wrong.
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By Umapati Swami
Posted Dec. 20, 2004
I have received some surprised responses
to Hrdayananda Maharaja's article
"Gay Monogamy." People are asking why
dipika.org would print an article condoning
homosexual behavior.
But the article does not condone
homosexual behavior or suggest that we
initiate anyone who is breaking the
regulative principles. Nor does the article
sanction any kind of marriage ceremony for
same-sex unions.
More: Click here or on title
From Hridayananda dasa Goswami (GBC)
Posted Dec. 19, 2004
I agree with Amara that a truly spiritual
society must constantly seek a balance
between the strict codes of varashrama, and
the practical spiritual needs of sincere
devotees. There can be no doubt that a
significant number of souls whose external
sexual orientation is homosexual sincerely
strive to be Krishna conscious. It is
entirely natural and predictable that a
majority of these devotees, as with most
hetereosexual devotees, will not be suited
for lifelong celibacy.
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