North American GBC Policy Letter Regarding
Tripurari Swami

BY: NORTH AMERICAN GBC EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Aug 26, 2012 — USA (SUN) —

June 12th, 2012

Dear North American leaders and fellow ISKCON devotees, Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Introduction

Having received reports of a long pattern of troubling actions and comments by H. H. Tripurari Swami, the North American GBC has been obliged to draw up this position paper. The purpose is to establish a policy for ISKCON North America leaders and members. We hope that clarifying the relevant issues and establishing clear guidelines will reduce any tensions between Tripurari Swami and ISKCON.

To help understand the need for this position paper, we here present a list of those actions and comments by Tripurari Swami that have brought us to this point.

1. Leaving ISKCON

Tripurari Maharaja has left ISKCON. This is his own declaration. (See appendix A)

2. Rejecting Srila Prabhupada as his preeminent instructing spiritual master

The members of ISKCON accept and revere Srila Prabhupada as the Society's Founder-Acharya. This means that for us, he is the link with the Brahma-Madhva-Gaudiya sampradaya, and that his siddhanta, standards, and practices remain the permanent and irreplaceable basis for all subsequent teachings and activities of ISKCON. Srila Prabhupada must always remain the preeminent instructing spiritual master for all devotees in ISKCON. His position is unique.

Tripurari Swami does not accept this standard. Rather, he presents Srila Prabhupada as one among a number of Gaudiya authorities, among whom he can pick and choose to follow on a particular principle or practice. (See appendix B)

3. Violation of Vaisnava etiquette regarding re-initiations

It is a well-established principle of Vaisnava etiquette that one does not "re-initiate" disciples of a Vaisnava guru who is in good standing. If beseeched by an aspiring initiate, one must at a bare minimum first receive the permission and blessing of the disciple's guru. (See appendices C and D)

Tripurari Swami has violated this principle of Vaisnava etiquette. (See appendix E)

4. Standards and practices different from those of Srila Prabhupada

Tripurari Swami requires a different, less strict standard for initiation vows. (See appendix F)

SUMMARY: Position and Policy

Srila Prabhupada labored long and hard to design ISKCON as a great transcendental boat. He believed that it was fully able to carry those who take shelter of it across the ocean of the material world to the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord. The planks, the sails, the rigging, and the charts of Srila Prabhupada's ISKCON boat are his standards, his mood of devotion, his instructions, and his system of organization. Thus, out of duty, to help assure that the elements set in place by Srila Prabhupada remain intact, the North American GBC is obliged to establish the following policy.

1. Temple presidents and congregational leaders are directed to not promote or host Tripurari Swami.

2. ISKCON devotees in general are requested to not promote or host Tripurari Swami.

3. Tripurari Swami has his own society. As per international GBC resolutions, those who want to hear from, follow, and promote Tripurari Swami are advised to serve in his society, not ISKCON. (See appendix G)

4. Likewise, ISKCON's policy regarding those initiated by a spiritual master outside ISKCON—including those initiated by Tripuri Swami—is that they should serve in the mission of their initiating spiritual master. (See appendix G)

5. Conclusion

The North American GBC does not like being in this position. There is no short-age of conditioned souls eager to hear Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's message, and the world is full of ripe fields to spread that message. Lord Gauranga has given all of us His sweeping mandate:

påthivéte ache yata nagaradi grama
sarvatra pracara haibe mora nama

"In every town and village, the chanting of My name will be heard."

As fellow followers of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and our previous acharyas, we pray that the seva of ISKCON and of Tripurari Swami may continue to bring benediction to the forgetful jivas of this age. At the same time, experience tells us that it will benefit us all, help us all avoid Vaisnava aparadha, and protect Srila Prabhupada's position in and standards for his Society, if ISKCON and Tripurari Swami spread Krishna consciousness each in our own specific and separate ways.

Your servants,
The North America GBC Executive committee
Contact: Nityananda dasa / NA GBC executive committee chair
ndasa108@gmail.com

To read the complete NA GBC Policy Letter regarding Tripurari Swami, including Appendices A through G, please click here.