Does devotees’ taking monetary benefits for their services spoil the selfless mood?
In a community, seniors or leaders play a very major role for setting example of selfless service for following generations to come. What if the leaders have to act in a way where they have to take monetary benefits from the community for their personal needs? And it has the potential to damage the selfless mood in the community.
So, how should the leaders act? And how should the general devotees see the situation? Generally, everyone should have a mood of selfless service. So, for example, if a devotee falls sick, that devotee should be thinking, oh, I must have done so many sinful activities because of which I am falling sick. But others should not think, oh, I thought you were a great devotee.
Now I know you must have done a lot of bad karma because of which you are getting all these reactions. Now, always our mood should be, how I can serve? So, a devotee should see, if some other devotee is having some difficulty, you can see that as an opportunity to serve that devotee, to assist that devotee. Now, specifics about how we serve, in what form, to what magnitude, that will vary from situation to situation.
So, we can't give any universal principles about that. But the important thing is to maintain a service attitude always. And as far as monetary considerations are there, there are different temples which will have different policies, different principles, which will be applicable in different situations.
There is no one universal decider for these things. Actually, Sri Prabhupada wanted that the grahasthas also live in the temple and they also serve, that the temple will take care of them and they serve. And that model worked for some time, but afterwards it did not work.
The devotees, because book distribution went down, the devotees started living outside, they had their own jobs. And now, the Krishna consciousness movement is more than 95%, it is a congregation-based movement. Very few devotees actually stay in the temple.
So, and the way the movement is spreading, it's ever unlikely, it's unlikely to ever again become a temple- centered movement, the way it was during Prabhupada's times. So, the demographics, in 1979, some survey was done. So, at that time, 97% of ISKCON devotees were staying inside the temple.
Brahmacharis and grahasthas, everyone. Now, 97% devotees stay outside the temple. So, things have changed drastically.
And how exactly in such a situation, how to navigate the situation, that will vary from person to person. And if some devotee needs help, some devotee seeks help, there is, according to time-place circumstance, the temple may adjust things. And our purpose should be that we want to serve Krishna.
And if we have a close relationship with that devotee and we feel inspired to assist that devotee, that's fine. But we don't have to become judges in this situation. Since devotees, there is basically, there is a temple which is like the central community, which is primarily focused on devotional activities.
The temple itself is meant directly for devotional activities. But apart from that, there can be various circles. The temple is like one central circle, but around that there can be many concentric circles.
And in those concentric circles, there can be different aspects of devotees' lives being served. So, it may be financial security of devotees. So, for example, now in many temples, there is a marriage board.
Many communities, there may be marriage board for helping devotees to get married. Now, that is not necessarily directly spiritual. But it is important for one's spiritual life.
So, just as some social arrangement can be made, such as marriage board, for the important aspect of devotees' life, marriage, to be taken care of. Similarly, if there is some financial problems, some social, some arrangement can be made. That is not the temple directly, but it can be some circle around the temple.
And interested devotees can participate in it. And rather than thinking that this situation is, some devotees are using this for their monetary benefits, we can focus on how we can best serve Krishna. See, it's like Krishna is here, I am here.
And some devotee is here. So, how, what is happening between that devotee and Krishna? If some devotee is going through a lot of difficulties, it is not our position to judge others. It is between them and Krishna, and their relationship will go.
If we feel that, no, this is not proper, then we did not help in that. If we feel inspired to help that devotee, we can help. This is a matter of individual discretion.
It's not a, there cannot be any institutional fiat about this. Or what is to be done, what is not to be done. The Krishna consciousness movement is primarily meant to offer spiritual knowledge, spiritual culture.
But, when people are living in this world, you cannot tell someone, I care for your soul, I don't care for your body. You cannot artificially separate the body and the soul. So, the material help, if it is required, that can also be offered.
But how exactly it is to be offered, that will vary according to time, place, circumstance. And as the movement grows, grows not just in numbers, but in terms of these concentric circles, where there will be different needs, it's like some devotees, in many places, devotees start schools for the devotee children. That's also a need which is taken care of.
So, like that, health or financial issues, that is also a need. So, as the community expands, some social security system or social support system can be created by which these needs are taken care of. But specifics, we are not directly involved in the managerial issue.
We don't have to judge others about it. We can continue our service in the way we feel inspired by, by taking guidance from senior devotees.