[Posted September 16,
2006]
Nonviolence and
Weisswurst on the Same Tongue
Das Chan
 CNN - 16 Sep
2006 - Pope's Muslim Comments Condemned
(CNN)
-- Pope Benedict XVI has come under a hail of criticism from the
Islamic world for comments he made earlier in the week regarding the
Prophet Mohammed ...
Leaders across the Muslim world have demanded the pope apologize for
his remarks on Islam and jihad, unmoved by Vatican assurances that
Benedict XVI only intended to point out the incompatibility between
faith and war.
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Does
anyone
else smell hypocrisy?
Pope Benedict XVI has taken a stab at interfaith dialogue—and from the
looks of it, with intent to kill it.
But if we take the words he quoted from the Byzantine emperor—
"I
quote,
'Show me just what Muhamad brought that was new, and there you will
find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the
sword the faith he preached.'"
and
substitute
the name Muhamad with that of Pope Urban II, we have the history of the
Crusades, for it was a papal order that launched an all-out offensive
to retake the holy lands for Christian possession. By sword, by pillage
and much spilling of blood. Jihad a la Christianity.
"'God', the emperor said, 'is not pleased by blood...'" continued Pope
Benedict, who is known to be fond of Weisswurst, a traditional Bavarian
sausage made from minced veal and fresh pork bacon. And he expects us
to take him seriously when he says that religion and violence do not
mix?
This is the
self-same Pope who last May in Poland decried God's negligence of duty:
"Where was God?" So we might be forgiven
for asking Where is spiritual integrity? and Where is love for God? How
will he benedict all God's creatures?
 In
the late '60's and through the '70's, a spiritual revolution swept
through America and Europe and to other parts of the world as well.
Churches and synagogues emptied as droves of youths thronged to join
the Hare Krishna movement, headed by His
Divine Grace A.C.
Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who challenged that religious
leaders
of the world did not live the life they preached and were out of touch
with God. Srila Prabhupada demanded that his disciples must adhere to
strict principles, among which were daily chanting the holy names of
God and abstaining from meat eating (no meat, fish or eggs),
intoxication (not even tea, coffee), gambling and illicit sex. So far
as nonviolence and brotherhood, Srila Prabhupada had this to say:
"Then
what is the basic idea behind Krishna consciousness? That means
originally we are Krishna conscious. Krishna, or God, is my Lord, is my
father... Because part and parcel... Just like somebody's children. The
children is a part and parcel of the body. Why I love my child? Because
he is my part and parcel of this body. I don't love so much other
children because they are not part and parcel of my body. This family
affection means the family members, they have got with body,
relationship with my body; therefore he has got the consciousness, "He
is my father. He is my mother." And the parents lave consciousness,
"They are my child." So they have got some duty. The father wants to
see how the children are comfortably raised, and the children also
seeing the interest of the father and mother. Just like in family life
we have got a certain kind of consciousness, "He's my father. He's my
child." Similarly, if we develop our original consciousness, that "God
is our father; we are all children," then the whole trouble ceases. If
God is the proprietor of everything and every children has got right to
enjoy the God's property, then where is the trouble? For want of this
consciousness, Krishna consciousness, everyone is claiming, "This is my
property. This is my state. This is my country." Aham mameti
[Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.5.8]. Aham means "I," and mama
means "mine." This is nonsense. Nothing belongs to you. Everything
belongs to God. Everyone has got right to live on God's property. This
is Krishna consciousness. If everyone is taught this God consciousness,
there is no need of this artificial United Nations. We are united by
nature. God is the center. Why artificial spending so much money? We
are united not only in the human society, but we are united in all
living societies, all living entities. Why we should treat the animals
as different? Because there is no Krishna consciousness. I have got my
consciousness that "The human beings in America are my brothers, or my
countrymen. They should be given all protection." And why not cows?
They are also born in America. Why they are being sent to
slaughterhouse? Because there is no Krishna consciousness. There is no
Krishna consciousness. Therefore this partiality, that "Only human
being is my brother, and the cows and the other animals, they are not
my brother," this is lack of knowledge. But if we become Krishna
conscious, if we take teachings of Bhagavad-gita, Krishna
consciousness, Krishna says, sarva-yonishu kaunteya sambhavanti
murtayo yah: [Bg. 14.4] "In all species of life, in all forms of
life, as many creatures are there, they are all My sons." So how can
you treat others as not your brother? They are also your brother. Even
the ant is also your brother. He is in a different class of
imprisonment, that's all. A different body. The ant has got also the
same punishment—birth, death, old age and disease—as you have got. You
are also criminal; he is also criminal. But he is also son of God; you
are also son of God. This is Krishna consciousness. If one becomes
Krishna conscious, then brahma-bhutah prasannatma [Bg.
18.54], as soon as he becomes Krishna conscious, then he becomes joyful
because he has no more enemy. "Everyone is my brothers." Therefore he
has no fear. If I become enemy to you, you become my enemy. If I am
friendly to you, you are my friend. So a Krishna conscious person does
not see anyone as something other than son of God. He sees not that
only this, this person, is son of God and that person is not son of
God. This is lack of Krishna consciousness. Every living entity's son
of God; therefore one can love, one can actually have the idea of
universal brotherhood, only in Krishna consciousness, not otherwise.
Otherwise, they are simply false propaganda. " — Lecture by His Divine
Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Hawaii, March 23, 1969
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