A spiritual institution can still be imperfect
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A spiritual institution can still be imperfect
Is prasāda material or spiritual? If we send it to a laboratory, they will give a list of the material ingredients that constitute it, like protein, carbs, fats, and so on. If we eat it, it will nourish our bodies, just like any other food. However, at the same time, it has a spiritual quality that helps us to purify ourselves and understand our relationship with Kṛṣṇa. Śrila Prabhupāda uses the word “spiritualized”. Prasāda is not fully spiritual (otherwise we would not be able to touch it), but it is spiritualized due to the touch of Kṛṣṇa. It’s just like a bar of steel that is put into the fire and becomes red-hot. It doesn’t stop being metal, but at the same time, it acquires the quality of fire and can burn.
The fact that food is offered to Kṛṣṇa will also not nullify its material qualities. A salty preparation will continue being salty, and a sweet one will continue being sweet. One who has diabetes or other health conditions will have to be selective with which types of prasāda he eats, just like he would do with regular foods. It’s not because something was offered to Kṛṣṇa that it will stop elevating his glucose levels.
Prasāda can also go bad if we leave it outside the fridge, and when it does, it can cause problems, just like any other food. In this way, prasāda has a dual nature: on one side, it works like any ordinary food, but at the same time, it has a spiritual quality that is unique.
Pure devotees can often eat spoiled prasāda without suffering any negative consequences. Śrīla Raghunātha Dāsa was eating spoiled rice from the prasāda of Lord Jagannātha that even cows couldn’t eat. When one has full faith in prasāda, he can eat anything, and it will not cause any harm, because he will tune up with the spiritual quality. However, for most of us, there is still a need to be selective, otherwise we can get digestive problems like anyone else.
Similarly, the body of a pure devotee is still composed of material elements, but at the same time, it becomes spiritualized due to his service to Kṛṣṇa. It is not directly spiritual (otherwise, he would not be able to interact with us), but it is spiritualized, because it’s being used for Kṛṣṇa. We can say that the body of a pure devotee is technically composed of material elements, but is working in practice as a spiritual body, because it is being used in the service of Kṛṣṇa. The body of a pure devotee is thus still susceptible to material conditions like diseases, but this is ultimately not important, because such imperfections don’t prevent the owner from using it for Kṛṣṇa. A materialistic person may feel disturbed by the material imperfections of the body of a pure devotee, but elevated Vaiṣnavas understand the value of his association.
Similarly, our whole institution is like a material body that is spiritualized due to being used for Kṛṣṇa. When we examine our institution under material optics, we will find many material imperfections, such as politics, the pride of some of its members, and so on. Just as a material body, our institution is composed of material assets, like temples, money, vehicles, and also people who may not be exactly in the highest level of love for Godhead.
However, what is important is not such material aspects, but the fact that the institution is used to serve Kṛṣṇa. There are many institutions and companies in the world, but they are not used to serving Kṛṣṇa. Because of this quality, our institution is spiritualized. It is still composed of material elements and is susceptible to material imperfections, but because it is being used for Kṛṣṇa, it becomes spiritualized, just like in the example of the metal bar in the fire.
Our spiritual institution has thus two aspects: the material aspect and the spiritual aspect. According to our consciousness and attitude, we can deal with one side, the other, or a mixture of both. People who are in material consciousness will see only the politics and other faults, while people who are transcendental will see the service to Kṛṣṇa. Most of us will see a mixture of both, and it is up to us to choose what side we want to focus on.
Another point is that, despite all the imperfections, Lord Caitanya can still use it to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness around the world. Imperfect people, as well as different material assets, are thus used to accomplish a perfect mission. People come to our institution or to other Vaiṣnava groups with so many different motives. Not everyone is a pure devotee. However, they are still used to performing some work that is useful for the mission, and in this way, they can also advance. In the end, despite all the faults, the job of spreading Kṛṣṇa Consciousness is done, and each one gets what he is looking for. Sincere devotees go back to Godhead, and the ones who are interested in fame, money, or power may also get these things (and stay in this material world to enjoy them).
In this way, despite all imperfections of our spiritual society, our mission is to cross over the material ocean using the facilities we have, imperfect as they may be. Śrila Prabhupāda speaks about this in a lecture from New York, January 3, 1967:
“Suppose you are in this Kṛṣṇa conscious society. Now, you cannot expect that all the members of the society will be first-class men. How can we expect? We are collecting members of the society from all classes of men. So there may be a man in goodness, a man in the passion and a man in the ignorance. But if you think, ‘Oh, this man is not good. That man is not good,’ No. You should be tolerant. You haven’t got any connection with this man or that man. You are connected with the philosophy, with the process of life. Just like, the same example: suppose you are on the ship. You do not find just all men to your choice. There may be different kinds of men. But what is that to you? You have to cross the Atlantic Ocean, patiently cross. Just sit down tightly on the ship and take advantage of the opportunity. That is your business.”
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