Śikṣā and Dīkṣā
The relationship between instructing and initiating gurus, and their respective roles in transmission.
The theological nature, function, qualification, and responsibility of the spiritual master.
Lineage understood through realized transmission of siddhānta, not merely formal institutional succession.
The study of Gauḍīya lineages, ācāryas, succession, historical continuity, and doctrinal inheritance.
The relationship between spiritual authority, institutional authority, governance, and legitimacy.
The historical, scriptural, and theological study of women as teachers, gurus, and realized Vaiṣṇavī authorities.
The traditional model of ongoing instruction, correction, formation, accountability, and personal guidance.
Modern distortions, celebrity-guru culture, weak training models, institutional tensions, and reform questions.