Hare Krsna prabhu,
A few years ago there was a popular book here in America titled:
"If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him." which was actually written by a psychotherapist. In a commentary to the Amazon version of the book, someone has explained nicely,
"Killing the Buddha is looking deeply within ourselves, accepting our limitations, our attributes, and everything in between. We are the experts in the journey of our own lives. No one else is."
The phrase, "If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him," actually is a Zen Buddhist aphorism stated by a ninth-century Buddhist master Lin Chi. Now just imagine, Zen Buddhists preaching about killing the Buddha!
Okay, this literalism in the absence of context is really the problem. This kind of
philosophical phraseology was very common during Srila Prabhupada's times because that was the primarily American audience he was speaking to, and they understood the subtleties of these definitions.
If you'll note, the linked article talking about Srila Prabhupada's conversation was, "Morning Walk Conversation December 3, 1975." Please note the surrounding discussion involves the kind of philosophical aphorisms popular during the hippie movement at the time.
The context clearly shows the discussion revolves around a philosophical point and how dangerous to spiritual life shunyavadism is, as the linkage is to the nihilism and self-worship prevalent in the West, and in philosopher's such as Nietzsche, who went insane, and whose writings were highly prized by the Nazis as they glamorized a "Will to Power" and taking by force whatever one wanted, a sort of spiritual Darwinism that had no fear of God or moral consequences, kind of like, "Do what thou Wilt." of the Wiccan and Satanist movements.
It was spoken in the context of Nietzsche proclaiming God is dead, and then the humor of God proclaiming Nietzsche is dead.
What is to be "killed?" Understand that in a Dvaita context it is the false ideas of a void without God, or a jeev-atma that mistakes itself for God and such leads to many problems.
And further proofs of the actual context, Srila Prabhupada goes on in discussion to answer concerns that the movement not degenerate into a Western-style "hippie resort" and that those people who come to listen to the teachings be afforded time to change themselves or leave.
If anyone insists on slandering ISKCON as an Abrahamic sect preaching war and literal killing... then, where are the weapons? Where is the military training? Where are the battlefields these wars and killing are taking place? Why waste time in such a discussion about a young prabhu with long hair who shaved and began conforming to Gaudiya Vaishnava siddhanta and not some battleplan? No, the context is killing the faults within ourselves, but we can lose devotion and devotees by accomodating lack of sadhana, do-it-yourself faulty practices and faulty philosophies.
Really, the slanders are too absurd. Please forgive my mistakes.
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