Dear Barry Hello. Hare Krishna! All glories to Srila Prabhupada! Thanks for your letter on the position of guru. I accept the definition of guru as Srila Prabhupada has given it to us, as it is descending through the disciplic succession from Krishna. Guru is not an ordinary man, that's why we celebrate the appearance day of the spiritual master as "Sri Vyasa Puja". We are worshiping the guru as Sri Vyasadeva as he is a pure via-medium to Sri Vyasadeva, Krishna. He is worshiped as "saksat krsna" or "directly Krishna", because he is Krishna's representative here in the material world... Guru is ACARYA. IE he teaches by his own perfect example. IF HE DOES NOT SET THE PERFECT EXAMPLE BY HIS OWN LIFE HE IS NOT ACARYA OR GURU. The Acarya is always engaged in Krishna kirtana, always chanting Hare Krishna, someone who can't even chant 16 rounds, who can't get out of bed before 4:00am in the morning, who has no taste for the Holy Name, who has no taste for reading Srila Prabhupada's books and who doesn't even enjoy chanting Hare Krishna can never be the Acarya... What to speak of someone who can't even follow the four regulative principles (no illicit sex, no meat eating, no gambling and no intoxication)... It's joke, a very sick joke... It is an offence to consider the guru an ordinary man and it is also AN OFFENCE TO CONSIDER AN ORDINARY MAN THE GURU... As for the "living guru" argument, first you have to show that Srila Prabhupada is a "dead guru". Otherwise where is the argument?? If you can show Srila Prabhupada is dead, by quoting from his books, I will be very surprised. ISKCON, your "Jagad-Guru Chris Butler" and the Gaudiya Matha and its factions are all pushing the "living guru" line, implying that Srila Prabhupada is now a "dead guru" and no one can take shelter of him any more, that he is incapable of taking any more disciples now... It is not true of course. Srila Prabhupada is living still in sound and any sincere soul can surrender to the real Jagad-Guru, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, simply by submissive aural reception. It has never before been possible for a spiritual master to be so vividly present after his physical departure from our material vision. I recently heard one Mataji, a disciple of Srila Prabhupada, say in her Vyasa Puja offering that magnetic tape and photographic film have been developed simply to record the teachings of the real Jagad Guru, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Now Srila Prabhupada's teachings, his transcendental sound vibrations, are recorded and can be accessed by any sincere soul. Prabhupada is living still in sound... WHY CAN'T YOU REALISE THIS... Of course there may well be other acaryas. Srila Prabhupada wants that. He wants us to become qualified gurus and take disciples also... BUT IT IS NOT A CHEAP THING... ONE HAS TO BE QUALIFIED... Those qualifications are clearly given in Srila Prabhupada's books and you can read them also... AND A REAL GURU WILL NOT TRY TO PROVE HIS SPIRITUAL MASTER IS DEAD... He will simply present the message of his spiritual master, his spiritual master will live through him... The main thing is Vaisnava Acarya is self-effulgent. He doesn't require a GBC to "authorise" him to be a guru. It is completely apparent to any non-envious person that Srila Prabhupada is empowered by Krishna to spread the Krishna consciousness movement all over the world... Just look at what Srila Prabhupada did in 10 years, without any approval or support from the "official organisation" established by his spiritual master, the Gaudiya Matha. So a real "Jagad Guru" will exhibit similar potency... He will have just as much impact on the world as Srila Prabhupada did. He will not hide away in a temple with a few disciples worshiping him as the "Jagad Guru" while the whole world goes to hell... NO. He will give the world Krishna consciousness... AND THEY WILL LISTEN ALSO, as they listened [and are still listening to] to Srila Prabhupada... So I don't know about your "Jagad-Guru" Chris Butler.. Time will tell. If he is really the Jagad-Guru then the whole universe should know him... time will tell... > >The next point is that it is Lord Chaitanya's teaching that each of us >must have a living spiritual master. SO QUOTE THE VERSE AND DEFINE A DEAD SPIRITUAL MASTER FOR ME!!! >I have no way to underline or make >bold here the word living, but this is very important. SO PRABHUPADA IS A DDEEAADD SPIRITUAL MASTER!!!!! >The living >spiritual master, whether he is siksa or diksa guru, can instruct, >direct and correct our activities, direction etc. So does Srila Prabhupada. Just listen to his classes, go with him on his morning walks, READ HIS BOOKS... WHAT DO YOU THINK HE IS DOING!!! WAKE UP!!! AND HEAR SRILA PRABHUPADA!! Chant Hare Krishna and be happy, Madhudvisa dasa