Bhanu Swami chaired the Open Forum and began with a letter from Jiva Tattva Prabhu (Spain), who asked why ISKCON does not have a varnasrama social system and whether the GBC's role is spiritual or managerial.

Sesa Prabhu cried when Bhakti Swarupa Damodara Maharaja departed. He pointed out that Maharaja was so fixed on Srila Prabhupada's instructions that his departure from the world was glorious. Krsna, in this way, prepared him to go back to Godhead. Sesa Prabhu asked the senior disciples to be forgiving, as there is a lesson to be learned from all this.

Next there was a debate about the best way to serve and honor prasadam. Hridayananda Maharaja's team defended eating on the floor and using one's fingers. Devamrta Swami's team argued that a Western style of eating (at a table, with silverware) is essential for effective preaching. The argument that a pizza is a self-realized capati got a lot of laughs.

Today's agenda: morning presentations about Kazakhstan, the Child Protection Office (CPO), and Mayapur. The new temple will fit on the ISKCON trust land. There will be triple the park-and-garden space we have now. Srila Prabhupada wanted the main dome to resemble the Capitol in Washington, D.C. or the Victoria Memorial in Kolkata, and it does.

Two initiatives are being undertaken: The "six-month initiative" will focus on the first six months of new devotees in ISKCON, when they accept Srila Prabhupada as their siksa guru. A curriculum will be produced that helps new devotees establish a solid siksa relationship that continues throughout their lives. The team also proposed a "hearing from Srila Prabhupada initiative," to teach new devotees how to listen to and hear from Srila Prabhupada.

The main agenda item for the next three days is planning ISKCON’s future. If you have a vague idea of what strategic planning is, you will better understand it after reading this report. At the morning session today, the GBC discussed strategic planning for two and a half hours. Gopala Bhatta Prabhu enthusiastically facilitated the discussion and helped the GBC members open their hearts and focus on the issues.

Bhaktivaibhava Swami (GBC chairman) began the meeting by advising the GBC members that they need to direct their comments and discussions more carefully in order to be more effective as a body. Offering an example, he said that during a discussion of a proposal, if a member withholds criticism until the last minute before a vote, this undermines the GBC's ability to build on constructive criticism or can obstruct progress. Thus he asked a deputy to provide guidelines for the day's straw-voting process.

The GBC chairman, Bhaktivaibhava Swami, opened the well-attended meeting. Only a few members were absent this year, some because of illness. The day’s agenda: a summary of the autumn GBC meetings in Italy and a discussion of book distribution. The chairman first presented an overview of the GBC’s work in 2006.

Given the above, the GBC finds no reasons to take these allegations seriously. The GBC recommends that any person in possession of newly discovered evidence regarding the New Vrindavana events present such information to the U.S. Attorney's Office or other appropriate legal agency. If any subsequent investigation might ensue, the GBC will fully cooperate with it.

In a recent positive development, ISKCON’s GBC has constituted a task force charged with identifying and rectifying abuse of women. Domestic violence, sexual assault and other atrocities may take place in any organization, so following on their bold approach of openly addressing past problems of child abuse, ISKCON’s leaders have taken a step toward healing rather than hiding injuries to ISKCON’s female members. Srila Prabhupada reminded his followers that we are not this body. Based on the intricacies of karmic reaction...

This extra meeting was called by the GBC Chairman, AC Bhaktivaibhava Swami. He, along with the other Executive Committee members felt that the GBC needed to focus on ISKCON’s future, trying to ensure that the ISKCON they are passing on to the next generation of devotees is something Srila Prabhupada would be pleased with. He recognized that there were many improvements needed before such a ideal would be reached. In the three day meeting, problem solving of current day-to-day issues were set aside, and only key topics related to ...