Voice 9, Mayapur: The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) has banned a monk for one month after his statements on Swami Vivekananda and Ramakrishna Paramahansa sparked outrage. ISKCON stated in a statement on Tuesday that monk Amogh Lila Das will journey to the highlands for atonement and seclusion.
Das sparked outrage when he criticized Swami Vivekananda
for eating fish, claiming that a moral person would never injure a
living being.
He also made critical remarks on Ramakrishna's
teaching of "Jato Mat Tato Path" (many opinions, many pathways),
claiming that not all roads go to the same place.
A video of Das's statement went viral on social
media, causing a firestorm.
TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh, who
shared the video, tweeted, "We revere ISKCON. But they should put a stop
to him right now. Insulting Ramakrishna and Vivekananda is not acceptable. This
so-called monk should be dealt with immediately."
Following the internet outcry, ISKON issued a
statement saying that Das's opinions are not representative of the
organization's principles and teachings and that the monk's "derogatory
remarks" demonstrate a lack of awareness of the variety of spiritual
pathways and personal choices.
"We condemn any form of disrespect and
intolerance towards other religious beliefs and practices," it said.
"Taking
a view of this serious mistake committed by him, ISKCON has decided to ban him
for one month. We have communicated our decision to him. Amogh Lila Das has
begged for forgiveness for his comments, and he is realizing what a great
disservice he has done," the statement added.
ISKCON
further said that the monk has taken a vow to go on ‘prayaschit’ (atonement)
for one month in the hills of Govardhan, where he will completely seclude
himself from public life with immediate effect.
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