#198, REPLIES TO COMMENTS OF SHRI WILLIAM SCHINDLER, a.k.a. Brother William at AllExperts.Com

Here is a comment dated Dec. 31, 2007 by Mr. William Schindler a.k.a. Brother William. Click to see it . I reproduce the same here together with my reply, because there is no provision for comments at that site:

Expert: William Schindler, a.k.a. Brother William
Date: 12/31/2007
Subject: villifying swami vivekananda

Question
i have come across some one villifying swami vivekananda. could u check out his blog and tell me if he is right or wrong. it pains me to read such trash being written about him but some of it seems with some proof. vivekanandayb.blogspot.com is the site.

Answer given by Mr. William Schindler:

Answer
Dear RJ,

Thank you for your question.

I checked the link you provided. It is easy to criticize but difficult to build something positive. Swamiji himself said this envious slander-mongering was a product of servitude under the British. Slaves feel they have no power to change their situation, so they turn their anger on their own kind, who make easy targets.

Look at the great good Swamiji accomplished in 40 short years, and you will get a sense of the greatness of the man. Life in samsara means imperfection in some aspects, but these are merely ornaments on the Divine Lila, helping us appreciate the great by contrast with human errors.

Swamiji came to America as a young, idealistic sannyasi, completely unfamiliar with American culture or the management of money. He trusted people here, some of whom were trustworthy and some of whom were not. He learned, as we all do, by experience.

What is clear is that he was always focused on helping India by establishing the Ramakrishna Math and Mission. His priorities for Himalayan centers and publications reflected his belief that westerners would be an important part of the work, both in contributing money and by coming to work in India.

Reading Swamiji's Complete Works we find such lofty thoughts expressed in clear, forceful language that breaks through the clouds of superstition and ignorance that encrusted the Sanatana Dharma in the late 19th Century. His language sounds modern and relevant even today, attesting to the universality of his message.

Swamiji accomplished in his short lifetime more than most people do in many lifetimes. To criticize him for being also human is simply pettiness born of feelings of inferiority. When South Asians as a whole truly grasp his message, they will grow beyond such pettiness into the glory of their true Self.

Best wishes,

Br William

BLOGGER'S VIEWS/COMMENTS
*I am unable to trace the 'RJ' who raised the question.
*Mr. RJ was kind enough to ask Br William to check up my blog and tell him whether I was right or wrong. It is not clear whether Br William read all the posts at this blog nearly 125 in Dec. 2007.
*Mr. RJ or Br William did not have an elementary courtesy of asking my clarifications on what they found at my blog.

*After Br William wrote his expert opinion at Allexperts.Com, I have added about 75 more posts here. I do not think that he would have read any of them.

*Swami Vivekananda attributed envy to everybody who criticised him. He attributed them "servitude to British". But who was really servile to the British and Americans? It was he who wanted to settle down in Yonkey land and who called India a jelly fish and rotten corpse. (See my post Nos. 043 and 092 in the labels below)

*I do not know what the gay tantra practised by Br William deals with. It seems to be a homosexual affair. The Vamachara tantra prevalent in some parts of ancient and medieval India by and large allowed heterosexual practices as a part of worshipping Goddesses.

*Swami Vivekananda's forceful expression of his lofty thoughts, nobody denies. I have concentrated on his practices vis-a-vis the preached theory. Swamiji's language sounded modern, it is true. But were his actions modern? E.g. sacrificing goats to please Goddesses? Serving goat's curry as 'prasada' after so much preaching about kindness? (See my posts Nos. 069 and 089.)

Br William attributed to me pettiness born out of inferiority complex. Reply: Why should I have inferiority complex or pettiness. I have sincerely attempted to bring out all the facts about Swami Vivekananda so as to clear them from the haze of HYPE and HALLO created by his admirers and sectarians. I have also expressed my readiness to amend my blog posts suitably, if readers come up with logical arguments and valid proof. I am not an antagonist of Vivekananda. No need for me to vilify Vivekananda.

*Devotees regard Swami Vivekananda as a sort of God. He dressed himself as a monk and claimed to be a Parama Hamsa (Supreme Swan). In these circumstances, it has become necessary to examine whether he did justice to monkhood, because the whole world believed that he was a monk. Otherwise, the profession of Hindu monkhood may be misunderstood as what was represented by Vivekananda, whereas it was not.

Today, Vivekananda, Vedanta, Tantra have become marketable commodities.

*What Br William claimed about himself:

About William Schindler, a.k.a. Brother William
Expertise
I can answer questions about Vedanta philosophy, Patanjali Yoga philosophy and practice, Tantra, Bhagavad-Gita, Upanishads, Vivekachudamani (Shankara`s Crest-jewel of Spritual Discrimination), Advaita (non-dualism), the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda tradition, Goddess worship, meditation practice, Hindu monasticism (sannyasa), and Sanskrit.

Experience
I've been studying and practicing Vedanta and Tantra since 1969.

Organizations
I'm the founder and spiritual director of Ashram West, a gay spiritual community based on traditional Hindu Tantra. I have been a member of the Vedanta Society of Southern California since 1969.

Publications
I have three books in print: GAY TANTRA, ESSAYS ON GAY TANTRA, BLOOD OF THE GODDESS.

Education/Credentials
I hold a B.A. in Sanskrit (UC Berkeley 1975) and an M.A. in clinical psychology (Antioch University 1986).