https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10153852546158232&set=a.58147643231.66804.705958231&type=3
Stages of progression: from Gaudiya Vaishnavism to mundane charity.
Jayadvaita Maharaj's analysis
Stage 1:
Start out with a strategy to do some sort of welfare activity that the public will appreciate.
In the beginning the Food For Life preacher will say "Well this is not really our work but we are going to do it to get some public sympathy or appreciation."
Stage 2:
Food For Life preacher preaches to some of his people. They start to think, "Actually this is good work"
Stage 3:
The temple leaders now start to think of FFL as being something that Krishna wants us to do.
Stage 4:
The ultimate stage in which the Food For Life preacher, the temple leaders start to say, "Whether or not this is what Krishna wants us to do, it is essential we must do it, people are in need, people are desperate for food. What ever Krishna said or what ever Prabhupada said, we must do it.
The last stage the FFL program has historically reached. People start off with some compromise and some more compromise and this is the point that the devotees come to. They say, "Any God would support this"
Some transcriptions from Jayadvaita Maharaj's lecture
"There is a problem, or downside to that, apart from whether or not you're actually doing something that you are supposed to be doing, or that you are authorized by Srila Prabhupada, by a Founder-Acharya to do. You have this problem:
First you say, "We're going to make a strategy here. We're going to do something charitable, and people are going to give us their appreciation. We understand that it is not really our business, but we're going to do it, and people are going to see that we're doing it, and that's going to help us in our main business. We're going to be able to distribute more books, people will give us more facility, and so on." That is stage one.
Stage two is that as you start to get appreciation and as you preach to the devotees that this is what we're going to do, the next stage two comes. That is, devotees start thinking that we really are doing something here, which is our mission. That really, "We are doing good work here. Really, we're fulfilling Prabhupada's mission. We're helping the needy. We're saving people afflicted by disaster." That's stage two, to the point where if anyone says, "Well, Prabhu, you know, this is not . . .", then you'll start getting heavy letters saying, "Don't you know there are sincere devotees working all over the world, dedicating themselves, risking their lives. . ." That's stage two—this IS our mission.
And stage three, four, five comes when you reach the mature stage, like the Salvation Army. I don't know how they're known in England, in America, when you have junk, that you would dispose of, rather than take it to the dump, you call the Salvation Army. And they cart away your old clothes, old furniture, old whatever-it-is, and distribute it to the poor. Or the St. Vincent DePaul Society. There are various organizations. . .
I knew of that organization. I used to see their trucks with the big shield on it, when I was a child, a boy. And I don't think I was younger than about 20 before I found out that they had any sort of spiritual component to them. They are in fact a Christian missionary organization, they do have a message about Jesus and salvation and so on. But I had no idea what it was, and in fact, because in my tradition the word "salvation" is not a big term, as far as I understood "salvation" meant picking up your old garbage and carting it away, and that's "salvage."
So in the mature stage, you finally reach the point where even your leaders of your organization believe that this is your mission. The leaders of your organization, the theologians, the priests, believe that this is what Jesus, or this is what Jehova, or this is what Lord Chaitanya wanted us to do. And at that point, what is the distinction between you and a karma-kanda organization?
What is the distinction between you and the Red Cross or the Red Crescent Society? Now that you are doing the work of all these charitable societies, who is doing your work? Who is there to preach renunciation? Who is there to preach that you're not this body? Who is there to preach that you should turn your back on material enjoyment and go back home, back to Godhead, now that you're busy fully dedicated to the urgent mission of uplifting the afflicted people of the poorer classes of this material world, so they can have a decent life, who is going to do that other work?"
Jayadvaita Maharaj stands firm with his objection to Food For Life
Jayadvaita Maharaj said,
"To clarify: I don't doubt that what Vaiyasaki Prabhu wrote is true. That is, I assume he has accurately conveyed what Priyavrata Prabhu told him.
I also find it understandable that Priyavrata Prabhu may have gotten the impression that I was backing off from what I had said in my "Food for Death" course. When I met him, I was not in a mood to be confrontational, I expressed some appreciation for his personal endeavors to share Krsna consciousness with a niche market of vegans and vegetarian activists, and I offered that in the future I wouldn't use the title "Food for Death."
That said: I stand behind the contents of my "Food for Death" course one hundred percent.
I believe that Srila Prabhupada's teachings about mundane welfare work, "poor feeding," and so on are clear, strong, and consistent and that the course represents them accurately.
For that matter, I believe that advocates of "Food for Life" often pull his words out of context in order to justify ways of prasadam distribution His Divine Grace would disapprove of and in fact, when present, did disapprove of.
And I believe that much (perhaps even most) of what goes on under the banner of "Food for Life" runs directly against what Srila Prabhupada instructed.
Were I to give the course today, I would if anything speak even more strongly. Since I last gave the course, additional evidence from Srila Prabhupada has come my way that I would certainly offer.
(Do you know, for example, why the building built for public prasadam distribution near the roadside in Mayapur was outfitted with turnstiles? I always thought it was to prevent crowds from rushing in. No, says Madhusevita Prabhu. It was because Srila Prabhupada ordered that people should be checked on the way out to make sure they didn't bring any prasadam out with them. "They will mix it with their fish," Srila Prabhupada said, "and then it will be aparadha." Madhusevita Prabhu, a brahmacari in Mayapur at the time, was among those given the responsibility to do the checking.)
I would also cite newer examples of how ISKCON distributes prasadam in ways exactly contrary to Srila Prabhupada's instructions. (The flagship temple in one country I visit drops the food off at schools and orphanages, to be distributed however the staff they drop it with see fit. No kirtana, no preaching. Just dump the prasadam and go.)
My revered spiritual master was bold, strong, and uncompromising in his teachings, and to see his Society leave behind that spirit of uncompromising boldness and abandon or distort those teachings for the sake of collecting money and winning public acclaim saddens me.
Vaiyasaki Prabhu's text signals to me that my words to Priyavrata Prabhu about "Food for Life" seem to have been misunderstood. Accordingly, with apologies to Priyavrata Prabhu, I withdraw my offer to hold back from using the title "Food for Death." I think the title is right on, and I fully stand behind both the title and the course."
Bhakti Vikas Maharaj on Food For Life etc
So Srila Prabhupada didn’t … Srila Prabhupada said different things at different times. He didn’t want … there is one quote in which he says that simply feeding the poor is nonsense, there should also be some kirtana and some discussion of philosophy. If we only give food to the poor, Prabhupada said that is nonsense because he didn’t want … it’s quite clear from his letters that Srila Prabhupada didn’t want to promote ISKCON as being a social welfare movement in the way that it’s generally considered by mundane people. Although sometimes he did say that distribute prasad and people will appreciate that but it was never something that he promoted so much.
People join and just do that activity in many ISKCON centers
Whereas nowadays people they join ISKCON and they think that in some centers it’s like the main activity. They don’t have book distribution… hardly at all but they have the mid day meals and the devotees are sent to go out and collect for mid day meals, not to distribute books or do Harinama as their main service.
Advertising is totally mundane
So the advertising to the mid day meals program if you see there brochures or whatever, it’s that you see that “We are helping to build a nation” That appeals to people that we … but it goes we are helping to build the nation by getting the children educated, we are giving children a good future. But that’s completely against our philosophy, the idea of building the nations is totally mundane, the idea that we will build a nation by having more people educated so that they can become loyal doctors, engineers or more likely become factory workers. The idea we are helping children to improve their life that’s also mundane. The idea that they can improve their life in a material way is itself mundane and that we want to help develop the present modern society but that wasn't Prabhupada’s program at all.
Prabhupada’s welfare program was Varnasrama community
His social welfare program was to develop Varnasrama community where people don’t have to live in this demoniac society. That was Prabhupada’s welfare program. It wasn't that Prabhupada was callous to social welfare but he wanted to do so through and Varnasrama and Varnasrama education that people will be educated according to their role in Varnasrama.
Volunteers start thinking in mundane terms
So the advertizing for mid day meals is mundane, mundane meals. And you may say it’s just to induce people to give a donation for it but the problem is that when we start talking like this and people go out and speak to the public, they go and meet businessmen and then tell him, “Look we are helping hungry children, we are building up the nation, and we ___keep on repeating it and saying it again and again and again, you start to think like that yourself. And instead of following Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s order, jare dekhe tare kaho krsna upadesa, you are going and talking to people about mundane things. So it changes the whole atmosphere of ISKCON.
Prabhupada's letter condemning distribution of prasadam if done without kirtan
Science of Self Realization, Chapter 6, part-4: Declaring Our Dependence on God
In 1972, the South Indian state of Andhra Pradesh was stricken by a severe drought that affected millions. Hoping that the International Society for Krishna Consciousness would provide assistance, T. L. Katidia, Secretary of the Andhra Pradesh Relief Fund Committee, wrote to Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada responded with this surprising and edifying letter.
Revered Swamiji,
The residents of the twin cities are happy to have this opportunity to meet you and your esteemed followers. You may be aware that due to inadequate rainfall during the last two years and its complete failure this year, more than half of our state [Andhra Pradesh, a state in southern India] is in the grip of a serious drought. With a view to supplement governmental efforts to combat this evil, a Central Voluntary Organization of citizens drawn from various walks of life has been set up. The members of this organization surveyed the areas affected by drought.
The situation is pathetic. There are villages where drinking water is not available for miles. Due to scarcity of fodder, the cattle owners are parting with their cattle for a nominal price. Many of the stray cattle are dying away due to unavailability of fodder and water. The food problem is also very serious. Due to high prices of food grains on the open market, purchase of grains at market prices is beyond the reach of poor villagers, with the result that at least five to six million people are hardly having one meal a day. There are many who are on the verge of starvation. The entire situation is most pathetic and heartrending.
We therefore appeal to your revered self to consider how your Society could best come to the rescue of these millions of souls who are in unimaginable distress. The Committee would like to suggest that members of your Society appeal to the bhaktas [devotees] attending your discourses to contribute their mite to the Andhra Pradesh Relief Fund.
The Committee is prepared to send some of its representatives along with members of your Society wherever you wish to distribute prasada to the hungry millions in the state.
As manava-seva is madhava-seva [“Service to man is service to God”], the Committee is confident that even a little effort by your gracious Society will go a long way in mitigating the sufferings of hundreds and thousands of people.
Yours ever in the service of the Lord, T. L. Kapadia, Secretary
Andhra Pradesh Relief fund Committee Hyderabad, India
Prabhupada's reply to above letter
My dear Mr. Kapadia,
Please accept my greetings. With reference to your letter and your personal interview, I beg to inform you that without pleasing the Supreme Personality of Godhead, no one can become happy. Unfortunately people do not know who God is and how to make Him happy. Our Krsna consciousness movement is therefore meant to present the Supreme Personality of Godhead directly to the people. As stated in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, Seventh Canto, Sixth Chapter: tuste ca tatra kim alabhyam ananta adye/ kim tair guna-vyatikarad iha ye sva-siddhah.
The idea stated in this verse is that by pleasing the Supreme Personality of Godhead, we please everyone, and there is no question of scarcity. Because people do not know this secret of success, they are making their own independent plans to be happy. However, it is not possible to achieve happiness in this way.
On your letterhead I find many important men in this country who are interested in relieving the sufferings of the people, but they should know for certain that without pleasing the Supreme Personality of Godhead all their attempts will be futile. A diseased man cannot live simply on the strength of the help of an expert physician and medicine. If this were so, then no rich man would ever die. One must be favored by Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Therefore if you want to perform relief work simply by collecting funds, I think that it will not be successful. You have to please the supreme authority, and that is the way to success. For example, due to the performance of sankirtana here, the rain has begun to fall after a drought of two years.
The last time we performed a Hare Krsna Festival in Delhi, there was imminent danger of Pakistan's declaring war, and when a newspaper man approached me for my opinion, I said there must be fighting because the other party was aggressive. However, because of our sankirtana movement, India emerged victorious. Similarly, when we held a festival in Calcutta, the
Naxalite [Communist] movement stopped. These are facts. Through the sankirtana movement we can not only get all facilities for living, but also at the end can go back home, back to Godhead. Those who are of a demoniac nature cannot understand this, but it is a fact.
I therefore request you, as leading members of society, to join this movement. There is no loss on anyone's part for chanting the Hare Krsna mantra, but the gain is great. According to Bhagavad-gita (3.21), what is accepted by leading men is also accepted by common men:
yad yad acarati sresthas tat tad evetaro janah sa yat pramanam kurute lokas tad anuvartate
“Whatever action a great man performs, common men follow in his footsteps. And whatever standards he sets by exemplary acts, all the world pursues.”
The sankirtana movement of Krsna consciousness is very important. Therefore, through you I wish to appeal to all the leading men of India to accept this movement very seriously and give us all facility to spread this movement throughout the world. Then there will be a very happy condition, not only in India but all over the world.
Hoping this will meet you in good health,
Your ever well-wisher,
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Few elucidations and refutations offered by us
Everyone is silent on the matter of mundane welfare e.g. Food For Life within iskcon since it involves most or almost all of the big players, big names in iskcon.
There is Jayapataka s, Kripamoya Das, Bhakti tirtha s, Sivarama s, Gopal Krishna Goswami... Big names who are doing all these mundane welfare "nonsensical things".
So who will talk to them? How will they listen?
We are at a state of, "tumi chup ami chup" you keep mum I keep mum, as Bhaktisiddhanta used to say.
Mukunda Goswami, the person who invented this deviation
Mukunda Goswami is the man behind this nonsensical philosophical deviation involving distribution of food to poor people. Pls read first para on page 77 of the book Betrayal Of Spirit by Nori J.M / Nandini Ex-Dasi.
" In P.R. consultations on the subject, Mukunda convinced my father that individual temples could afford to distribute free food, without relying on the BBT. They saw it as a way the temples could give back to society and propagate spiritual vegetarian food at the same time. Dad and Mukunda thought of the name “Hare Krishna Food for Life” and talked about dozens of ideas to promote the project. Mukunda revived his PublicAffairs Newsletter to introduce Food for Life to the temple presidents and offered to fly to any center that wanted to start their own program. Food for Life quickly caught on. Mukunda hired a graphic artist to design a logo for letterheads, vans, and storefronts. Temples in Cleveland, Dallas, and Philadelphia applied for, and received, government grants for thousands of dollars; the Food for Life center in Philadelphia included a shelter for women and children. These programs attracted much support from members of city councils, mayors, and the media. Within the first year, temples in England, France, Bolivia, Germany, Spain, and Australia were distributing Hare Krishna Food for Life. Mukunda knew that these proactive steps were the right way to change public opinion. My father agreed and sometimes complained to me about the attitudes and issues holding the organization back."
BTW, first tense is Nandini Ex-Dasi.
Our reply to Nah Nah(Bhakti Tirtha Maharaj's disciple, Bhakti Tirtha Maharaj was a FFL promoter FYI)
First of all it is mostly factory made food at the hands of karmis(non-devotees). Hence this type is unacceptable by Krishna and cannot be called prasad.
Normal food becomes prasad when cooked and offered by devotees to Krishna.
Even when it is made by the devotees we have orders as in this letter to never give it away without any accompanying Sankirtana.
Sankirtana is yajna(a fire sacrifice for Krishna).
Prasad is distributed along with yajna.
Prasad means the remnants of yajna.
Let us analyze this hypothetical case: If you perform yajna viz., Sankirtana in Honolulu and pack it up and distribute it in Tokyo. It does not loose its potency but it is an absurd act.
Now even if you argue that it is prasad(Krishnaized food) and we must give it just for the sake of spiritual uplift then a 200ml of bottled charanamriti(Krishnaized water) is as pure as a plate of 200grams of prasad. So let's distribute charanamrita if you are purely concerned with the spiritual life of the souls of the world. Thus this argument that we are concerned with the spiritual progress of the souls is not sustained.
Why stop there? Let's go out and put the paduka(replica insignia of the Lord's feet) on the street people's heads as we do in the temple when worshiping Krishna?
Hence, to never fall prey to speculations about religion we ask always a simple question: Was mass prasadam distribution without sankirtan be it to the general populace or even specifically to the poor masses, ever done by the achrayas?
The answer is no.
https://www.facebook.com/basughoshdas/posts/10153846375218232
Goto Jayadavaita Maharaja and say, "Your Holiness, mercy please!". Then perhaps our movement will be saved from the mundane welfare nonsense, one of them being Food For Life.
Let's take the mercy of understanding varnaashram from His Holiness Bhakti Vikas swami instead of going somewhere else to beg for mercy.
We need a lot of mercy to understand that Food for Life is anti-prabhupada. Such mercy will come from Bhakti Vikas or Jayadavaita Maharaja.
So let's understand that Food for Life is not varna asharam as Prabhupada wanted then if we have time let's goto Udupi.
Vasudeva: In this context, I find the social welfare argument in danger of being called unfair faultfinding, especially as the persons concerned happen to be top preachers whose personal character and dedication to Srila Prabhupada has been long standing. Don't you find these considerations crucial to the debate?
Basu Ghosh: Fact is that your argument diverts the issue. The issue is that Srila Prabhupada very clearly, on many occasions, DID NOT APPROVE of ISKCON engaging in social welfare activities.
Vasudeva: 1. Prabhu, I would share your concern with the midday meal concept if those performing it were doing so at the expense of direct preaching or book distribution. But as the main devotees engaged in midday meal distribution happen to be today's world leaders in Srila Prabhupada book distribution, I cannot possibly fault them for ALSO caring for the destitute, even if what they feed them isn't Deity standard prasadam.
Basu Ghosh: Prabhu, with all due respect, I reject the logic that you have presented herein above: that because some of ISKCON's leaders encourage book distribution (admittedly), that activity justifies marshalling vast resources and manpower for social welfare/humanitarian activities. It is consequentialist logic, not in concurrence with Prabhupada's instructions.
http://www.harekrsna.com/sun/editorials/11-11/editorials7923.htm
http://www.harekrsna.com/sun/editorials/11-11/editorials7918.htm
http://www.harekrsna.com/sun/editorials/10-11/editorials7862.htm
Vasudeva: In this context, I find the social welfare argument in danger of being called unfair faultfinding, especially as the persons concerned happen to be top preachers whose personal character and dedication to Srila Prabhupada has been long standing. Don't you find these considerations crucial to the debate?
Reply: So is Jayadvaita Maharaj's not a " top preachers whose personal character and dedication to Srila Prabhupada has been long standing" why not consider his rank and profile as well? So you give some sentimental line of thought saying that the rank of the FFL leaders should be considered; we too can give the same sentimental line by saying that the rank of JAS should be considered. Thus, to equate the number of years that person has dedicated his life to Prabhupada mission with his judicious of judgement is fallacious.
Steve Rosen supports FFL (by writin a whole book about it)
On page 124 of the book Hare Krishna Movement's Contribution To Vegetarianism, Steve Rosen the author quotes some Australian clergyman, "Hare Krishna, I think, will be the salvation army of the 21st century". Steve does not understand that it is no compliment at all rather is a great insult to become degraded like the Salvation Army.
From Page 121 of ‘The Hare Krishna Contribution to Vegetarianism
and Animal Rights (2004)’ a book by Steve Rosen (Satyaraja Das)
Bhakti Tirtha Swami's mundane welfare was done with 20000
plates of prasadam or (what ever it was), distributed in Lagos(Nigeria). This
act was repeated in Ghana.
A reported said, "One might think this was the second coming of Jesus because just as he fed the masses, so the Hare Krishnas were feeding thousands of people".
Giriraj and Indradyumna Swamis did their share of mundane welfare as well. In 1988, in Kwazulu many trucks of prasadam or "whatever food" it was, were distributed.
Page 122 of the same book
"Mundane welfare not only eats away at devotees’ times but
also puts their live at risk much like any other mundane ideology which gives a
sense of purpose to a human being. E.g. in Sarajevo, Bosnia, this theory of FFL
was effective in convincing the devotees who joined iskcon thinking of
performing Krishna Bhakti that it is ok to goto a wartorn area for 3 years
daily and distribute food there. This area was even forsaken for its danger by
Red Cross. But the devotees went there only because they were indoctrinated into believing that what they were doing was what Prabhupada wanted."
What about feeding in 10 mile radius?
Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati on mundane welfare
"The thousands of karmis who have opened innumerable hospitals, old age homes, centers for the poor, and schools, and the thousands of jnanis who have undergone meditation and severe austerities, are insignificant compared to a single kanishta-adhikari Vaishnava once ringing the bell before the Lord's deity. This is not sectarianism, but plain truth. Atheists are wholly incapable of realizing this; thus they become either direct or indirect blasphemers of devotional service, or adherents to the doctrine of harmonistic all-inclusiveness." (Amrta Vani 102 – 3; Sri Srila Prabhupadera Upadesamrta 174).
"Being averse to Lord Visnu, countless jivas have come to Maha-maya's dungeon to envy Lord Visnu in countless ways. To deliver teven one of them from Maha-maya's fortress and make him a devotee of Krsna is unlimitedly better welfare work than the construction of countless hospitals and schools." (Sri Srila Prabhupadera Upadesamrta 286).
"Krishna-bhakti is the only way to deracinate miseries from the world. You are working only for the good of the body and treating the symptoms, not the original disease. Your patchwork schemes of various social, economic, and political ideologies are like blowing on a boil, which gives but a momentary and false sense of assuagement. The real cure is to lance the boil and squeeze out the pus. Similarly, the pus of material attachment must be excised by the sharp words of the expert devotee, the only genuine well-wisher of human society." (Jati Sekhara Prabhu, disciple of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura).
Danavir Goswami 
Jayadvaita Swami 
Bhakti Vidya Purna Swami (i guess you need special permission to get initiation from him because some iskcon-demons make a trick many years ago) 
Bhakti Raghava Swami 
Bhakti Vikas Swami 
But Subhaga Swami comes highly recommended thus i have put his name here. Who knows. i dont know. Krsna knows...
These two , I know little of, hence won't be able to recommend fully but they sound alright.
Janananda Goswami
Bhakti Vishrambha Madhava Swami
