facebok style

Food For Life is a deviation

The only comprehensive guide to understanding and exposing the FFL deviation in the world.

Sivaram Swami distributing karmi chocolate from Belle Vista Company in the “Christmas spirit” in a Hungarian FFL program!

Basu Ghosh Prabhu’s (ACBSP) Facebook post smashing Food For Life

Krishna Kirti prabhu smashing FFL

krishna-kirti says : 
Oct 14, 201-1 at 3:30 am
Only people who believe themselves so elevated as to be incapable of falling into maya could make statements like this:
Neither Food for Life Global, ISKCON Communications, or any devotee in their right mind would ever entertain the idea of disregarding the preaching mission to focus on some mundane charity.
Why wouldn’t devotees entertain the idea of disregarding the preaching mission? It has happened often–in the name of preaching no less–for devotees to not be in their right minds all the while believing themselves to be free from delusion. Even big devotees who are managers of very important global projects are not exceptions. Certainly, Prabhu Priyavrata hasn’t given us a reason to believe otherwise.
As regards to Shastra and the acharyas, I would have thought that, by now, with all the accumulated negative experience of all the things that have gone wrong when devotees selectively lift a quote here and a quote there in order to justify some new idea, that we would start to see this kind of thing fade away. But that practice is apparently alive and well, and the open letter is guilty of indulging in it.
For example, Bhakti Vikasa Maharaja in his lecture quoted at length a letter from Srila Prabhupada to the top ministers in the State of Andhra Pradhesh. And in that letter, Srila Prabhupada turned down their request to spearhead a massive food relief effort during a famine going on in the region at the time. Bhakti Vikasa Maharaja also read the request of the ministers, verbatim. In their request, they even promised Srila Prabhupada unqualified support for establishing ISKCON in their state. Yet Srila Prabhupada refused. That kind of counter-evidence doesn’t make it into the open letter. If it had, the open letter would have had to concede that Bhakti Vikasa Maharaja did indeed have some important points worthy of consideration.
Of course, Maharaja is here accused of being selective in his own quotes, but what Maharaja quotes is not the kind of thing you hear from the Food for Life people. It is certainly not a part of their propaganda, or a part of their hermeneutic for that matter. They are no less selective. So Maharaja is performing a valuable service in reminding us of the pitfalls that all too often turn out to be real.
As to the members of the cited organizations here being incapable of going off in a wrong direction, show me the Vedic injunction that says so and I’ll believe it.

Bhakti Vidya Purna Maharaj softly smashing Food For Life

Jayadvaita Maharaj smashing Food For Life

 

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.
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  1. Vrindavanchandra says : 
    Oct 22, 2011 at 9:36 am

    Following is the reply from His Holiness Bhakti Vikasa Maharaj on Priyavrata Prabhu’s statement:
    Fortunately for us is that prasadam distribution is ALWAYS transcendental, no matter who it is directed at.
    Priyavrata Prabhu has stated that prasada distribution is always transcendental. This appears to be an axiomatic fact, but actually it is a statement that needs to be qualified, which I will do by offering some examples of how “prasada” or its distribution can be non-transcendental.
    The following is from a conversation on farm management, on December 10, 1976, in Hyderabad:
    Mahamsa: “Some people I know, they said that yesterday the prasada was not nice, and there was…
    Prabhupada: Not nice, it is not eatable even by the dogs. But you are less than the dogs if you (prepare) such thing. I was surprised. You allowed a sweeper to cook. I was surprised. We have distribution prasada, not dog’s food. Such rascals as here. You do not know. I do not wish to discuss anymore on this point. You have murdered the whole thing in two days. Now if possible, bring them, bring them first class prasada, very palatable.
    Similarly, when in Nairobi Srila Prabhupada was served unspiced boiled vegetables, he called it “dog food.” (Srila Prabhupada-lilamrta ch. 38)
    Gaur Kishor Das Babaji Maharaja would reject his so-called followers for taking food at certain Vaisnava festivals. Babaji Maharaja considered food offered or cooked by people who were not properly following the Vaisnava principles to be the cause of falldown, even if such food was given at a Vaisnava festival and considered by all present to be prasada.
    Sometimes devotees purchase food from a store (e.g. bread or sweets made from grains), then offer it and distribute it to others as prasada—even though offering food cooked by nondevotees is against the Vaisnava principles. In India, it is quite common that for big festivals, cooks are hired who are not chanting sixteen rounds, probably not following the regulative principles, almost certainly watching TV, and engaging in other activities which pollute the consciousness. We can go through the formality of offering what they cook, and then distribute it as prasada. But is that really what it is?
    (continues…)
  2. Vrindavanchandra says : 
    Oct 22, 2011 at 9:38 am
    (…continued)
    I have seen at some Govinda’s restaraunts that, even though the cook is an initiated devotee, he is not chanting sixteen rounds. In such cases, what is offered to Krishna may not be accepted by Him and thus what is distributed is not prasada (and therefore not transcendental).
    Similarly, I have seen some cooks hired for the Midday Meals program who are clearly quite mercantile—they are there only because they are paid. I am not saying that all Midday Meals staff are unqualified, but if someone is cooking as a job and they don’t have any proper spiritual practices, we may go through the formality of offering what they cook, but we have to consider whether that is actually prasada.
    Another case in which the result of prasada distribution is not transcendental is described by Srila Prabhupada in his purport to Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.26.13:
    Sometimes it is found that an initiated person, in the name of prasada, eats very luxurious foodstuffs. Due to his past sinful life he becomes attracted by Cupid and eats good food voraciously. It is clearly visible that when a neophyte in Krsna consciousness eats too much, he falls down. Instead of being elevated to pure Krsna consciousness, he becomes attracted by Cupid. The so-called brahmacari becomes agitated by women, and the vanaprastha may again become captivated into having sex with his wife. Or he may begin to search out another wife.
    Srila Prabhupada states that under certain circumstances the effect of taking prasada is not purifying, but actually causes falldown. The fault is not in the prasada but in the attitude toward the prasada. We can link this with Srila Prabhupada’s stating in a letter (of 13 May 1972) that simply distributing food is nonsense (even though the food was presumably meant to be prasada). Srila Prabhupada said that there must also be spiritual education. From this we can understand that if prasada is presented as ordinary food or if people believe it to be ordinary food, the purifying effect is going to be significantly diminished.
    I question advertising (as is done for Midday Meals) that aims to induce people to give money so that children can go to school and in this way the nation will develop. Midday Meals advertisements hardly ever mention Srila Prabhupada or Krsna. (continues…)
  3. Vrindavanchandra says : 
    Oct 22, 2011 at 9:40 am
    (…continued)
    Devotees who have joined this movement for the sake of propagating transcendental knowledge are sent to meet businessmen and tell them that we are feeding poor children to help develop the nation. The consciousness that is cultivated through such activity is mundane. If we regularly talk about food, money, poor people, and “developing the nation,” and show people photos of Bollywood stars who have endorsed our program, then how Krsna conscious are we going to be?
    Even though Srila Prabhupada definitely wanted widespread prasada distribution and he did give some indications that we can distribute to poor people under certain circumstances, there are also strong warnings from Srila Prabhupada against making our profile one of mundane welfare workers, which is what is presently being promoted by some of our devotees.
    hari-guru-vaisnava-dasa,
    BVS
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Prabhupada’s letter condemning distribution of prasadam if done without kirtan

471px-720513_-_letter_to_gurudas

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.png
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.
Nah Nah
Nah NahWhat’s so mundane about prasad distribution ?
Like · Reply · 3 February at 19:41
Manikar Das Brahmachari
Manikar Das BrahmachariMundane is the speculation on the service of distribution. This makes it a seva aparādha.
Make the prasad go along with Kirtan/kathā(sermon).
Like · Reply · 4 February at 10:03 · Edited

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.
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.

Basu Ghosh Pr. Smashes Pro-FFL Arguments

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.
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 writing 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?

Kevin Oliver Gagnier
Kevin Oliver GagnierAnd SP’s comments about everyone with a specified distance should be fed?
Like · Reply · 1 · 18 hrs
Manikar Das Brahmachari
Manikar Das BrahmachariWe must feed the people prasad (food offered to Krishna) in a 10 mile radius of the temple.
But feed them prasad along with Krishna Katha (spiritual sermon) and or Krishna Kirtan (singing and chanting of Krishna’s Holy names).
When the prasad is divorced from the Krishna Katha and Krishna Kirtan and used in a propaganda to win non-devotee public sympathy by labeling it “food for poor people”. This is an infringement of the laws concerning the distribution of prasad.
We can’t say, “it’s all spiritual Prabhu”. But even in that “spiritual” there are laws.
Hence the condemnation by Jayadvaita Maharaj, Bhakti Vikas Maharaj, Basu Ghosh & Krishna Kirti Prabhus and our humble self.
(Of course, we must be practical and think of the funds etc.)
Prasad distribution in our Kirtans and Katha programs is our success mantra as Prabhupada explains here.761210R1-HYDERABAD – December 10, 1976 – 44.08 Minutes
Prabhupāda: But attract them. They will come here to eat: “Oh, very nice thing.” That is wanted. I made this movement successful simply by Love Feast. They did not come to hear Hare Kṛṣṇa. They came for Love Feast. From very beginning, when I was in 26 Second Avenue, every Sunday I was giving nice foodstuff, at least 200 men. Daily at least more than fifteen, twenty. I was cooking myself. That is the beginning of my movement. The cāpāṭis with Kīrtanānanda, first of all he was taking one and two, then twelve. (laughter) There was another boy…Devotees: Stryādhīśa.Prabhupāda: Stryādhīśa. Twenty-two cāpāṭis. (laughter) “Stryādhīśa, can I give you?” “Yes.” I gave him four. Finished. “Stryādhīśa, can I give you?” “Yes.” (laughter) Very nice boy. He was eating twenty-two. One day there was no money, so he immediately went and came after some time with some money. “And where did you go?” The shoe booth. He polished shoes and brought some money. (laughs) (laughter) In this way, this was developed. Give them prasādam, nice prasādam. Any gentleman comes, immediately there must be some prasādam. Engage first-class cook. Spend money; don’t be a miserly. If you have no money, I will pay. So long I am living, I shall go on paying. You don’t be miserly. Bring devotees for eating and then chanting, then cinema, then lecture. In this way you have to develop. Not that people will come, “Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra is there, let us go there.” They will not come. What do they know about Hare Kṛṣṇa? They will come, “Oh, there is nice, good prasādam distributed.”Mahāṁśa: Some people I know, they said that yesterday the prasādam was not nice, and there was…Prabhupāda: Not nice—it is not eatable even by the dogs! But you are less than the dogs if you prepare such thing. I was surprised. You allowed a sweeper to cook. I was surprised. We have distribution prasādam, not dog’s food. Such rascals are here. You do not know. I do not wish to discuss anymore on this point. You have murdered the whole thing in two days. Now if possible, bring them, give them first-class prasādam, very palatable. Foodstuff means even one has no appetite, he’ll eat. That is food. Not that even one has got appetite, he’ll forget. That is not food. So do like that, and for money produce, use cane, sugarcane, rice. We shall spend for that. Don’t spoil money, but do like businessman. He invests money, he gets a return. Spend it for Kṛṣṇa. That is wanted. There is no question of becoming a miser. I never did it. When I have got a farthing, I want to spend it, immediately spend. Oh, what I have made this BBT? Immediately fifty percent for printing and fifty percent for spreading this. Why don’t you understand what I want to do? So whatever is done is done; now do it very nicely. I want to see at least 1,000 men coming from the villages. There are 20,000 men here. You cannot attract them?
Like · Reply · 17 hrs

More replies from Basu Ghosh Prabhu Click here for post

Isvara Dasa
Isvara DasaHey Manikar das, you need to reflect before typing, Food for Life was started by Srila Prabhupada in Mayapur.
Like · Reply · 4 · 24 April at 21:25
Basu Ghosh Das
Basu Ghosh DasPrabhupada started prasad distribution @ Mayapur, yes, but he NEVER entitled it “Food for Life”. He was opposed to using the word “food”. Instead, he wanted “prasadam distribution”. Mukunda Maharaj coined the term “food for life”, which just reflects a mundane concept of social welfare work (“for life”).
Unlike · Reply · 3 · 17 hrs
Basu Ghosh Das
Basu Ghosh DasLetter to: Gurudasa — Honolulu 13 May, 1972You must construct something wonderful. Otherwise, it will be a discredit to you American boys. That will exalt the position of America in India.
And in every temple food distribution must go on profusely with American food supplies. Have the Americans given us the food supplies, is there any tangible donation? Or is it simply promises? If we can supply some proof they have given us such and such amount of foodstuffs, some document, that will help us in all parts of the world as propaganda and for approaching your country’s government in other places for supplying us. So if y u have got such document, kindly send me one copy.
If we open a branch in Madras, actually there are so many poor children there. Spiritual education and food, that is proper. Simply supplying food is nonsense. Spiritual education means just to inject in their ears about our philosophy, externally they chant beads, wear tilak, without any
discrimination of Hindu or Muslim or anything.”
Unlike · Reply · 2 · 17 hrs
Basu Ghosh Das
Basu Ghosh DasNotice the words: “in every temple”, and not “everywhere”.
Unlike · Reply · 2 · 17 hrs

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).
”
Being averse to Lord Viṣṇu, countless jīvas have come to Mahā-māyā’s
dungeon to envy Lord Viṣṇu in countless ways. To deliver even one of
them from Mahā-māyā’s fortress and make him a devotee of Kṛṣṇa is
unlimitedly better welfare work than the construction of countless
hospitals and schools.
The thousands of karmīs who have opened innumerable hospitals, old age
homes, centers for the poor, and schools, and the thousands of jñānīs
who have undergone meditation and severe austerities, are insignificant
compared to a single kaniṣṭha-adhikārī Vaiṣṇava 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.”
“Some people think that if they contribute, then our way of thinking
should ditto theirs. Yet even if they give everything in the cosmos, we
shall consider it like trash if the absolute truth cannot be wholly
maintained, if we are expected to compromise in lieu of the donation. We
do not want the support of such materialists.
 In 1931 huge floods in Midnapore District destroyed many villages, killed
countless people, and devastated crops and livestock. Famine followed.
The survivors suffered heartrending shortages of rice, cloth, medicine,
and other essential commodities. At that time the Gauḍīya Maṭha was
collecting huge amounts for the upcoming Theistic Exhibition in
Calcutta. This apparently unnecessary extravagence triggered fusillades
of protest from prominent citizens: “Why are you spending for this
exhibition when people need practical help?”
What is bonafide prasadam distribution?
This is a bonafide ad for prasadam. Note the mention of the word ‘prasadam’ and not ‘food’. 
Here devotees are seen with kirtan and prasadam and NOT ONLY prasadam.
Manikar Das Brahmachari
Manikar Das Brahmachari Prabhupada Dasa
have u heard all the five lectures on this by Jayadavaita Maharaj?Because if you would have you would not have asked the question, ‘how can prasadam be mundane?’On my post there is the specific answer, have a look.
Like · Reply · 22 July at 15:38
Manikar Das Brahmachari
Manikar Das Brahmachari As far as the, “everyone in India knows that it’s prasadam” argument is concerned:
No one in India knows that Iskcon’s poor feeding program is prasadam when it is done under different brand names and using vehicles with karmi delivery men who drop off the prasadam at their poor areas to government employees who later give it to the poor.
The cook, the car, the brand name, the food servers none of them are in any shape or form resemble anything Krishna conscious viz., help in complicating to the recipient of the mundane food that it is not mundane food rather prasadam.
So that claim was absolutely misinformed.On what occasions do the people connect it to ISKCON or Krishna consciousness?
When the iskcon temple feed poor people extra leftover prasadam, which is not only bona fide but also done usually right outside the temple.
This does send a clear message that it is not a regular meal that they are getting.
Like · Reply · 22 July at 17:00 · Edited
Manikar Das Brahmachari
Manikar Das Brahmachari Seean Cn
The argument, “Some FFL kitchens were dirty”.
Is not sound since priyavrat Das can show us a hundred kitchen that are clean.
Clean or unclean FFL is bogus because it goes against the siddhanta
A) by separating prasadam from Sankirtana
B) and by branding prasadam distribution as poor feeding viz., mundane welfare activity.
This is the main objection.Of course uncleanliness should be condemned.
But if you take that argument in the public, the FFL fanatics will make it into “hey you are finding our simple faults. You are a bully” and will be milk public support with the “no criticising” argument. Which is the last resort of iskcon-idiots.
Got your back against the wall in a debate on the siddhanta? Let cry vaishnava aparādha!
So when we are dealing with such intellectually challenged so called men and damaged women in iskcon, best keep the arguments straight and strong.
Manikar Das Brahmachari
Manikar Das Brahmachari Vishnujana Dasa
Now even if they make the prasadam using their own hand as opposed to machines, with love and devotion to Krishna and perfectly offer it Krishna with all the mantras etc and if they take it out from the temple, preaching or the sankirtana parties and send it to some other place for distribution with out kirtan and or lecture it is still disallowed by Prabhupada as evidenced by the letter as well as the various quotes mentioned by Jayadavaita Maharaja and the Mr. Kapadia-Andrapradesh relief committee correspondence of Prabhupada.The argument that it is cooked in machines is also not too strong for sometimes the devotees also use all kinds of machines and gizmos while making prasadam.
Like · Reply · 22 July at 17:00 · Edited

Direct Quotes from Prabhupada’s Books

SB 8.4.13 Although the impersonalist rises to the Brahman effulgence and enters into that effulgence, he has no engagement in the service of the Lord, and therefore he is again attracted to materialistic philanthropic activities. Thus he comes down to open hospitals and educational institutions, feed poor men and perform similar materialistic activities, which the impersonalist thinks are more precious than serving the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Anādṛta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ. The impersonalists do not think that the service of the Lord is more valuable than serving the poor man or starting a school or hospital.
“Acts of sense gratification may be performed under the cover of public welfare, nationalism, religion, altruism, ethical codes, Biblical codes, health directives, fruitive action, bashfulness, tolerance, personal comfort, liberation from material bondage, progress, family affection or fear of social ostracism or legal punishment, but all these categories are different subdivisions of one substance — sense gratification. All such good acts are performed basically for one’s own sense gratification, for no one can sacrifice his personal interest while discharging these much-advertised moral and religious principles. ”
The feeling which you had by becoming compassionate to the fallen bum is very good, but the best way to deliver a bum is to revive his dormant Krishna Consciousness. If you can do that then give the bums good food and shelter. If you cannot do that, then simple supplying food and shelter, is serving the Maya. But there is no benefit to serving Maya, as you know, as it is all false, temporary or illusion. We are concerned with Reality, not Maya, and that should be the object of life.
Prabhupada’s letter to: Mrinaline
—
Vrindaban
27 August, 1967
67-08-27

Sarvapoma Das(ACBSP) speaks against FFL

Governments recognize our devotional service to be on the mundane platform by giving us a Humanitarian Award

https://ffl.org/tag/rupa/
Posted on May 19, 2012 by fflv Food for Life Vrindavan is excited to share with you that our director, Rupa Raghunath Das[SivaramSwami disc.] has been awarded Human Achievers Award for the year 2012 by the Human Achievers foundation in India. The award was given based on the revolutionary work Rupa Raghunath has done in the field of empowering women and children of the Braj area, transcending racial, national and religious barriers. Human Achievers foundation felicitate Ambassador individuals, whose lives exemplify the ideal of living for the sake of others, and who dedicate themselves to practices which promote universal moral values, strong family life, […]

A list of our noble great leaders who shamelessly promote this mundane welfare in the name of bhakti despite all evidences

Bhakti comes from not being a fool. Fools can’t understand the simple teachings of Prabhupada. How can they lead us if they can’t understand a simple thing like this?

Gopala Krishna Goswami promotes FFL

Taken from his own webpage www.gkgoffice.com/Biography.aspx
, where he promotes mundane welfare given the fact that his own god brother, Jayadvaita Maharaj denounces Food For Life in a seminar in 2001.
Inspired by Srila Prabhupada’s instruction given to his disciples in 1974 that, “no one within ten miles radius of the temple should go hungry. I want you to immediately begin serving food”, ISKCON centers distribute sumptuous Krishna prasadam on daily basis, as also on festivals. Besides, many ISKCON centers such as Mumbai and Delhi, are actively taken up to Mid-day Meal Program of the Government as a medium to distribute Krishna prasadam.
ISKCON, Delhi Mid-day Meal program is at the moment serving a staggering 1,75,000 meals everyday, feeding hungry children of Delhi, Noida, Faridabad and Kurukshetra. Very soon, the adjoining areas and cities would be covered under the scheme. United Nations – World Food Program has appreciated this noble program and has agreed to provide technical assistance. The Government of India also acknowledges these noble efforts and the State Governments all around want to expand this project to other cities of their respective States.
Some more of his “poor feeding” support.

Bhakti Caru Swami promotes FFL

ffl karmi education BCS.png
various mundane welfare work bcs.png
Apart from this, we reinstated the Food Life Program to feed the needy and poor of our community in 2012. The School project was initiated thisyear as well. We are involved in a lot of community service projects. Some of our projects are- Food for Life, Goshala, De-Addiction Campaign/ Re-habilitation program, ISKCON Pride of Ujjain Award which is given to a person or organization who is contributing significantly in the field of social work, and Bhaktivedanta Meditation Center for the welfare of Policemen as they work under great stress etc. http://www.bhakticharuswami.com/projects/

Bhakti Vaibhava Swami promotes FFL

Earlier in his spiritual career, he produced films on Indian culture for German audiences that helped to promote Food For Life (ISKCON’s sacred food distribution initiative).

Bhakti Dhira Damodar Swami promotes FFL

In 2006 I maintained our two regular nama-hatta centers and established a regular Food for Life program to feed the needy in many places in Lagos, Nigeria.

GBC Promotes FFL

61. P.R. Issues VI-4
3) Wherever possible every temple shall form an advisory board according to the guidelines established by the ISKCON Foundation. Some of the important
advisory board functions include:
a. Monthly meetings to understand the needs, concerns and interests of the greater ISKCON community and local congregation.
b. To improve the quality and effect of the newsletter, temple programs and other outreach programs including the congregational preaching, festivals, Food for Life programs, educational programs and all preaching.
c. To discuss confidentially the detractors and come up with goals and strategies to better to deal with reputation mangement and to empower the advisory board members to work with the greater community on behalf of ISKCON.

Kavichandra Swami promotes FFL

Ramai Swami

food-for-life-ramai-swami

Bhakti Narasimha Swami promotes FFL

Sivaram Swami promotes FFL

Fully mundane welfare associating with Christmas, new low for mundane welfare enthusiasts
Sivarama Swami’s FFL project
No one wears a tilak at this FFL
 Women distribute so called prasadam with their hair all open. No tilak
Here there are two men serving prasadam with jeans…who knows who they are.

Iskcon Ahmedabad promotes FFL

Bhakti Vijnana Goswami promotes FFL

bvg
Q:What sorts of charitable works are the Hare Krishnas involved in?
Bhakti Vijnana Goswami A: We are very active. We have a mission called Hare Krishna Food for Life which is active all over the world, and in Russia since 1988. That year, even before any temples were built, we were recognized by the government, and just after that a terrible earthquake hit Armenia. The first thing we did was supply food relief to the victims. Then, of course, there was the war in Abkhazia … where we fed people for five years, supplying millions and millions of plates of hot vegetarian food. We were the first nongovernmental charitable organization to go into Chechnya, in March 1995. We stayed for 18 months, until the Chechen rebels took Grozny, at which time one of our volunteers was killed. Today, we have branches of Food for Life in many cities.

Caitanya Charan Das (ACBSP) Proudly Reads FFL Report at Prabhupada’s Vyasa Puja

“Next door there is a meeting. The Food for Life devotees have just done a massive, six-ton distribution of potatoes in Budapest to the poor and needy. It went down really well—so much favorable media coverage. They are making plans to distribute big quantities of food in the future. Yesterday they were in the city looking at a site where they could set up a kitchen area to run the project from, and where they could also open a small restaurant for the students that attend the college next door.” 1995 New Vraja Dhama, Hungary
Prabhupāda: Why you are anxious about the animals being starvation? You take care of yourself. You don’t be philanthropic, “Oh, they’ll starve. Let me eat.” What is this philanthropy? Kṛṣṇa is supplying food. If he dies out of starvation, it is Kṛṣṇa’s responsibility. Nobody dies of starvation. That is a false theory. Have you seen any animal dying of starvation? Have you got any experience? Have you seen any bird died of starvation? There is no question of starvation in the kingdom of God. We are manufacturing these theories for our own satisfaction, sense satisfaction. There is no question of starvation in the law of God. Elephant eats hundred pounds at a time. Who is supplying foodstuff? There are millions of elephants in the African jungle, in Indian jungles. They require one hundred pounds at a time to eat. Who is supplying food? So there is no question of starvation in the kingdom of God. Starvation is for the so-called civilized men. Lecture on BG 3.11-19 — Los Angeles, December 27, 1968:
Lecture on BG 7.1-3 — Stockholm, September 10, 1973: No, that is also your misconception. Human bodies increasing may think that from evolutionary process they are coming to the human body. But they are not going to be liberated. Therefore we see that human, congestion of human body. You can explain like that. But even there is increase of population of human body, there is no problem if you believe in God. That is another thing. But if you think that you have taken the responsibility of feeding them, that is another thing..
Here Prabhupada simply states about feeding prasadam but as seen earlier Prabhupada clarifies his position on feeding prasadam with kirtan or katha. So “distribute prasadam” has been defined elsewhere, may not be here in these quotes here. Now to take these quotes out of context and then justify the big leader’s deviation would be cheating.
No. Temple worship means you must distribute prasadam… You should… To the poor. Everyone is poor. Not that the rich man is not poor. Actually I have seen one rich man, he was coming for asking some prasadam. In my, before when I taking, when I was grhastha, I was going in so many temples, asking for some prasadam. That’s a long history. So there is no question of, if one is financially poor, he should come to the temple.
So paratma-nistham. The sannyasi should worship the Deity in the temple and feed the poor. Poor does not mean that one who has no legs, no ears, or no… Poor… Everyone who is spiritually poor, he should be given prasadam. By eating, prasade sarva-duhkhanam hanir asyopajayate. That is called paramatma-nistham. Yajna. It is called yajna-sistasino santo mucyante sarva-kilbisaih. It is not poor-feeding. It is distributing the resultant action of yajna. This worship is yajna. So yajna-sistasino… If you feed some men, not the so-called poor, everyone, then they’ll be freed from their sinful activities.

Food For Life Head Paul Rodney Turner Includes Wife’s Animal Rights Nonsense into his FFL Nonsense

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