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The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), also known as 'the Hare Krishna ' movement, was founded in 1966 in New York City by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada . While some classified the sect as a New Religious Movement , its core philosophy is based on scriptures such as the Bhagavad-Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam , both of which date back more than two millennia. The distinctive appearance of the movement and its culture come from the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition, which has had adherents in India ever since the late 1400s. ' (The Yoga of Devotion); wherein aspirant devotees (''Bhaktas'') dedicate their thoughts and actions towards pleasing the Supreme Lord, Krishna (seen as nondifferent from God ). PHILOSOPHY AND HISTORY For further information see: Achintya Bheda Abheda and Gaudiya Vaishnavism Hare Krishna devotees believe that Krishna is the origin of Lord Vishnu . They honor Krishna as the highest form of God, and often refer to him as "the Supreme Personality of Godhead" in writing, which was a phrase coined by Srila Prabhupada in his books on the subject. Devotees consider Radha to be Krishna's female counterpart, the embodiment of love. An important aspect of their philosophy is the belief that the individual soul is an eternal personal identity which does not ultimately merge into any formless light or void as suggested by the Monistic ( Advaita ) schools of Hinduism . Hare Krishna devotees specifically follow a disciplic line of Gaudiya, or Bengali, Vaishnavas which comes under the general description of Gaudiya Vaishnavism . '' Vaishnavism '' means 'worship of Vishnu', and '' Gauḍa '' refers to the area where this particular branch of Vaishnavism began. Gaudiya Vaishnavism has had a continuous following in India , especially West Bengal and Orissa for the past five hundred years. Srila Prabhupada popularized Gaudiya Vaishnava Theology in the Western world through extensive writings and translations, including Bhagavad Gita , Srimad Bhagavatam ( Bhagavata Purana ) and Chaitanya Charitamrita and other scriptures. These works are now available in more than sixty languages and serve as the canon of ISKCON. Many of these books are now available online from a number of official websites. Vedabase.net Srila Prabhupada's books from Veda Encyclopedia The 'Maha Mantra' See Also: Hare Krishna Mantra The popular nickname of "Hare Krishnas" for devotees of this movement comes from the Mantra that devotees sing aloud or chant quietly on Rosary -like beads, called Japa Mala . This mantra, known also as the Maha Mantra , contains the names of God ' Hare ', ' Krishna ' and ' Rama '. Devotees believe that the sound vibration created by repeating these names of God gradually induces pure God-consciousness, or "Krishna consciousness." The Maha Mantra : : ''Hare Krishna Hare Krishna'' : ''Krishna Krishna Hare Hare'' : ''Hare Rama Hare Rama'' : ''Rama Rama Hare Hare'' The seven purposes of ISKCON '' festival in central London.]] When Srila Prabhupada first incorporated ISKCON, in 1966, he gave it seven purposes:
The four regulative principles Srila Prabhupada prescribed four regulative principles as the basis of the spiritual life:
Preaching activities ISKCON is actively Evangelist ic. Members try to spread Krishna consciousness, primarily by singing the Hare Krishna mantra in public places and by selling books written by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Both of these activities are known within the movement as ' Sankirtan '. According to the doctrine of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, one does not need to be born in a Hindu family to take up the practice of Vaishnavism . This openness places ISKCON in strong contrast to many other branches of Hinduism, which may stress hereditary lineage and are non-missionary by nature. There are ISKCON communities around the world with schools, restaurants and farms. Many temples also have programs (like Food For Life Global) to provide meals for the needy. Also, ISKCON has recently brought the academic study of Krishna into western academia as Krishnology . FOOD FOR LIFE See Also: Food for Life ISKCON has inspired, and sometimes sponsored, a project called ''Food for Life.'' The goal of the project is to "liberally distribute pure , About Food for Life Global coordinates the project. Food for Life is currently active in over sixty countries and purports to serve over 700,000 meals every day About Food for Life Global . Its welfare achievements have been noted by a number of journals worldwide. New York Times, Dec 1995 The Hindu: A meal from Lord Krishna European Vegetarian and Animal News Agency (EVANA) AHN Global News MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE , India]] Srila Prabhupada spent much of the last decade of his life setting up the institution of ISKCON. As a charismatic leader, Srila Prabhupada's personality and management had been responsible for much of the growth of ISKCON and the reach of his mission Knot, Kim "Insider and Outsider Perceptions of Prabhupada" in ''ISKCON Communications Journal'' Vol. 5, No 1, June 1997: "In an evaluation of the nature of the guru, Larry Shinn, a scholar of religions, utilised Max Weber's analysis of charisma in order to understand Prabhupada and the issue of leadership in ISKCON. He noted that 'Prabhupada profited from two intertwined sources of authority' (1987:40), the traditional authority of the disciplic lineage, parampara, inherited from his own guru, and his own charismatic authority, derived from his spiritual attainment and presence...(49) Shinn offered an analysis based on sociological rather than spiritual (Vaishnava) authority in order to make sense of the role of guru in ISKCON and the unique qualities of Prabhupada." See also Larry D. Shinn (1987), ''The Dark Lord: Cult Images and the Hare Krishnas in America''. Philadelphia: The Westview Press. available online . , India]] The Governing Body Commission (or GBC) was created by Prabhupada in 1972 to gradually take on the responsibility of his management duties while still being under his care. Originally it was made up of 12 people and has since grown in size to include 48 senior members from the movement iskcongbc.info who make decisions based on consensus of opinion rather than any one person having ultimate authority. It has continued to manage affairs since Prabhupada's passing in 1977. Influential leaders since 1977 Upon Prabhupada's death on , Hansadutta Swami , Ramesvara Swami , Harikesa Swami , Bhagavan dasa Adhikari, Kirtanananda Swami , and Jayatirtha Dasa Adhikari . From these eleven, the first three have remained as prominent leaders within the movement, as was Tamal Krishna Goswami until his death in a car accident in March 2002. Bhavananda Goswami no longer holds the post of an initiating guru but is still involved with preaching activities. Of the others, Ramesvara and Harikesa resigned as spiritual leaders in 1987 and 1999 respectively and the remaining four were all expelled from the movement by the Governing Body Commission during turbulent times in the 1980s The Perils of Succession: Heresies of Authority and Continuity In the Hare Krishna Movement by Tamal Krishna Goswami . Of Prabhupada's disciples, which number some 5,000 in total Srila Prabhupada Disciple Database approximately 70 are now acting as Diksha gurus within ISKCON."The lastest information that I have is that there are 69 initiating spiritual masters in ISKCON." Prahladananda Swami [http://www.prahladanandaswami.net/] For further information see: '' Disciples Of A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ''. INTERNAL PROBLEMS AND CONTROVERSY A number of theological controversies arose within the movement after 1977 The Perils of Succession: Heresies of Authority and Continuity In the Hare Krishna Movement (Part 2) by Tamala Krishna Goswami which were unable to be fully resolved largely due to the fact that Prabhupada was no longer physically present to pass a final judgement: The origin of the soul Srila Prabhupada explains that the soul falls from the spiritual world to this material world and that the supreme objective of the human life is to become Krishna conscious to be able to return "Back to Godhead" (also the title of the official ISKCON magazine). However, some Sarasvata Gaudiya Vaisnavas also teach that the soul has never been in the spiritual world. Discussions about these apparently contradictory views are available in the book ''Our Original Position'' published by GBC Press and the article "Where Do the Fallen Souls Fall From?" Origin of the Jiva from jswami.info The Guru and the Parampara ISKCON adheres to the traditional system of . (Here is the link to Part 1 .) Issues within the society ISKCON also experienced a number of significant internal problems, the majority of which occurred from the late seventies onwards, and especially within the decade following Prabhupada's death.[http://www.iskcon.com/icj/5_1/5_1perils.html The Perils of Succession: Heresies of Authority and Continuity In the Hare Krishna Movement] In 1976 a case involving allegations of ''brainwashing'' involving a minor named Robin George and her parents, went all the way to the Supreme Court Of The United States . The conclusion of the trial was that in 1983 , a California jury awarded the family more than $32 million in damages for false imprisonment and other charges, which was later reduced in $485,000 in 1993. Court Case details "Krishna Group Loses Brainwashing Lawsuit", New York Times, June 18, 1983 Stories of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse of children at the society's boarding schools in India and America began to emerge in the 1980s, with cases dating back from the mid-1970's onwards Child Abuse in the Hare Krishna Movement: 1971-1986 . Some of these cases later appeared in print, such as in John Hubner and Lindsay Gruson's 1988 book ''Monkey on a Stick''. In 1998 an official publication produced by ISKCON detailed the physical, emotional, and sexual abuse of children at the society's boarding schools in both India and the U.S. during the 1970s and 1980s an article in ISKCON Communications Journal . The group received praise for its candor but later was sued by 95 people who had attended the schools. Facing the fiscal drain likely to ensue from this legal action, the ISKCON centers involved declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy. This allowed them to work out a settlement of US$9.5 million, meant to compensate not only the former students who had brought the suit but also any others who had undergone abuse but not sued. Press Release: Courts Confirm Hare Krishna Chapter 11 Reorganization - Religious Society Apologizes to Victims of Child Abuse About 430 such people responded to newspaper advertisements seeking to identify them. Individual victims are expected to receive between $6,000 and $50,000, depending on the nature and duration of their abuse. To guard against further abuses, ISKCON has established a child protection office with teams worldwide, meant to screen out actual or potential abusers, educate children and adults on child abuse, and encourage due vigilance. Child Protection Office A petition circulating (as of July 2006) among ISKCON members calls for "zero tolerance" for past offenders. Zero Tolerance Campaign In 1990, US Courts pronounced Kirtanananda Swami , the leader of the ' New Vrindavan ' religious community (which was expelled from ISKCON for ten years between 1988-1998) Rochford, Burke E. Jr. and Kendra Bailey Almost Heaven: Leadership, Decline and the Transformation of New Vrindaban in Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions Vol. 9 nr. 3 February 2006 pages 10, 13 guilty on charges of racketeering and conspiracy to murder for his role in the death of two devotees (Steven Bryant and Charles Saint Denis) who had threatened his control of the community. Kirtanananda was sentenced to 20 years in prison on the racketeering charge, but was released in June 2004 for health reasons. In response to the need to establish transparency and accountability among its members, ISKCON encouraged the establishment of an Ombudsman organization, "''ISKCON Resolve.''" Iskconresolve.com This Integrated Conflict Management System (ICMS) also provides facilitators, arbitrators, and conflict analysis experts to help ISKCON members deal with internal disputes and concerns. The Resolve organisation states that its aims are to give all members of ISKCON a voice and to bring the ISKCON leadership to higher levels of transparency and accountability. SEE ALSO
REFERENCES AND FOOTNOTES EXTERNAL LINKS Official sites
Unofficial websites - Academic:
- News - Books
- Theology
- Child Abuse Problems
- Women in ISKCON
- Succession Issues
- Miscellaneous Links
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