On Vaiṣṇavī Dīkṣā-gurus – Part 2

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Hare Kṛṣṇa. Some years back, I did a lengthy presentation on the topic of Vaiṣṇavī-dīkṣā-guru: should Vaiṣṇavīs become initiating gurus in ISKCON? Now, if you've not watched it, I recommend that you do so, and it is linked in the description. This presentation is on the same topic, but it's focused on one simple point, which is: if Prabhupāda did not establish Vaiṣṇavī-dīkṣā-gurus, the GBC should not do so. Vaiṣṇavīs should not initiate in ISKCON.

Is the SAC’s 2005 paper in line with guru, sādhu and śāstra?

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In 2005, at the request of the GBC, the Śāstric Advisory Council wrote a paper titled “Female Diksa-gurus in ISKCON.” Since then, its conclusions were the basis of several GBC resolutions. However, the SAC paper has unsubstantiated false claims, nullification of Prabhupāda’s instructions, speculation, and manufactured religious injunctions.

Female Dīkṣā-Gurus: Ensuring the unity of ISKCON on doctrinal matters

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An important goal of the GBC is to ensure that their members maintain unity in diversity. However, diversity should be united by śāstra. Śāstra is the lynch pin that unifies diverse opinions and keeps ISKCON united. . . The female dīkṣā-guru issue is another example of a subject on which Prabhupāda has not only said very little but also said different, seemingly incompatible things at different times. This also cannot be settled without reverting to previous ācāryas and śāstra.
Can śūdras become dīkṣā-gurus in ISKCON?

Can śūdras become dīkṣā-gurus in ISKCON?

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Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s well-known statement — “Whether one is a brāhmaṇa, a sannyāsī or a śūdra, he can become a spiritual master if he knows the science of Kṛṣṇa” (Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā, 8.128) — is often cited as a rejection of social status in spiritual life. Many think it means neither birth nor social status matters; only realization of kṛṣṇa-tattva matters. Yet ISKCON’s Governing Body Commission (GBC) as per a resolution in 2014 requires candidates for dīkṣā-guru to be “twice-initiated for at least ten years.” This raises a doubt: does ISKCON’s law contradict Mahāprabhu’s teaching?