Views on Prabhupada & Yogananda`s Plans

melvin · December 10, 2008

Yogananda Paramahamsa`s Plan

-

1. To teach Kriya-yoga

2. Convince everyone we`re in the Dvapara age

3. To advocate Krsna/Christ/Buddha are One w/o a difference

4. To show that LOve transcends everything

Srila Prabhupada`s Plan

--

1. To teach Bhakti-yoga

2. Convince everyone we`re in the Kaliyuga age

3. To prove Krsna/Christ/Buddha are One but with a difference

4. To show that LOve of God is everything

---

mahak · December 11, 2008

Srila Prabhupada basically did not object to Yogananda's school. In fact, in about 1969, he toured Yogananda's SRF facility in Pacific Palisades, CA. This tour was because he had apprecoation for the way SRF maintained their asrama facility, the basic attractive nature of the place, etc. He was envisioning patterning his ISKCON movement on SRF, which he largely did before leaving this realm, with the farms, embassy-type centers, etc., all over the world.

Philosophically, there were differences, especially in their commentaries on Bhagavad Gita. But Yogananda did not really teach the "I am God" philosophy, nor did he advertize himself as God. Acintya bheda bheda tattwa is a simultaneous oneness and difference philosophy that seems to only spring from Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, while other hindus, even Vaisnavas, seldom consider. This idea that oneness can eventually be realized was forcefully defeated by Srila Prabhupada, but Yogananda, yogi bhajan and a few other sufis and transcendentalists were not his adversaries. Prabhupada was mainly focused on the cheating by Sai Baba, Muktinanda, Mehar Baba types who would pretend they were Krsna without any attractiveness whatsoever. A lot of hippies were influenced by this monism, especially the LSD mystics from leary's group, and Prabhupada took this mission on to prevent them from being destroyed by this blatant form of atheism.

The tour of SRF in 1969 produced a controversy as well. Srila Prabhupada, purportedly, told some of his disciples there that SRF policy of initiating disciples for Yogananda well past his disappearance was a bogus practice, that such relationships must be with the mutual acceptance of both the guru and disciple.

Hare Krsna, ys, mahaksadasa