By Kesava Krsna Dasa
Some devotees lament that Iskcon has left us, or them, being almost unrecognisable compared to days past. Our present generation of Iskcon members rely on hearing from seniors on how Iskcon was, prior to the formation of congregation based devotee communities. The present generation is unable to compare, so should the âlossâ be of concern to us, if at all this is the case?
If Iskcon is a spiritual home and all of our temples, properties, and the creatures who live on them have spiritualised towards Vaikuntha essence, do we really need to mimic or adopt little choice traits of mundane societies, cultures, religions and institutions to create an identity? Are we not able to create our own, free from human influences that normally divide people?
Our varnasrama experts will like the human societal placements that keep brahmanas as brahmanas and sudras as sudras, but not the rigidity that prevents sudras from becoming brahmanas if qualified. Our conservatives will appeal to age-old traditions and sastric laws, while our liberals punt modernity and adaptability.
These two human approaches will mean little to our present younger generation. For them, they will likely lament or celebrate what our next generation does, when nostalgia helps to compare between now and then. Doesnât this happen all the time in human society, let alone ours we call Iskcon?
With these anticipations in place, is it worth strenuous and emotional energy to try to âkeep things as they were?â What if âthings as they were,â were not quite as inclusive as they are now? Conversely, what if our present adaptation of Iskcon society does not appear as âdiscriminatoryâ compared to the âin or outâ order of times past?
The conservative will lament how our modern-day Iskcon hardly encourages brahmacarya and renunciation. Is it the fault of our present generation that this may be so? Or should the blame lie with our âperceivedâ formation of Iskcon, aided by possible Western social remnants of sunyavadi and nirvisesa influence? Srila Prabhupada had his vision of Iskcon, but did his followers sincerely, but inadvertently create an Iskcon a little differently? If not, then why didnât it last up to the present?
These observations are not just academic or closed-circle, but many parents of devotees could also notice. Parental sentiments such as, âJust see now, the temples made you collect money all day long, every day, and the moment you are not productive, they ask you to live outside to fend for yourselfâŠâ Is there some truth in this?
A major cause of devotees or devotee families moving out of the temples to live outside was economic â many temples could not or cannot afford to maintain families. This helped to create rapid societal changes for us over the years. Would it be correct to say that matters of temple finance were the biggest contributor to our changed Iskcon? What then of the general consequences of spiritual standards that followed, that our conservatives despair of?
What our present generation has partly inherited is a creation of our own doing. By past Iskcon definitions they, or we, are the âout but inâ generation. Luckily, Iskcon is very flexible and we can expect more morphing into the future â there is no limitation to spiritual substance. Even most of our renunciates now stay in the homes of devotee families rather than live in our temples when visiting â all-round flexibility.
These changes hardly helped to create a fixed identity for average Iskcon devotees, nor for the public. Whether we are viewed as âplain-clothed,â âcloset,â or âyour clandestine next-door neighbour Hare Krishna,â these varied epithets serve to accentuate our diversity. But when such diversity includes strong adherence to old-school or open-minded trends on Iskcon social issues, should we be pleased that we have a matured with a âdemocraticâ dispensation? Otherwise, we canât all think alike can we.
Then we have to know what Iskcon really means for each of us. Sriman George Harrison at one time desired to join full-time, but Srila Prabhupada advised him not to. He was an example of an âout but inâ member. Srila Prabhupada himself was also an âout but inâ Gaudiya-Matha member. By far the present Iskcon majority is âout but in.â
There is certainly a nostalgic allure to the âin or outâ scheme of things. The âdemocraticâ differences we have today were much less open, being channelled often-through communal teamwork and unquestioning faith in authority. This proved destructive in many cases, by âin but outâ elements. âOut but inâ was shunned – what a dramatic turnaround we have made. This shift alone does not help us try to define Iskcon membership or identity. Will this inconsistency continue into the future?
As things stand now, our present Iskcon exists no longer for some. Has Iskcon lost its âsoul?â Where has it gone? Back to Godhead? Was it liberated, leaving us mortals stranded here? How is it that the chanting of Hare Krishna still goes on strongly?
Isnât there a danger of identifying Iskcon with a particular time and place that we favour out of human sentiment? Is it that Iskcon only belongs there? Doesnât this mean putting a limit on to Iskcon, as a merciful flowering branch of the Chaitanya tree? If Chaitanya is the life-force of all, why should this life be absent depending on certain memorable stretches of time?
If Krishna can morph and transform (as Iskcon), and can assume gigantic proportions that make worldly Titanicâs, aircraft carriers and mega-cities mere atomic sized dust particles in comparison, then how can we think we can second-guess the Lordâs willingness to stay or not?
We are experiencing continued social transformations. In spite of our statically astute endeavours to determine Iskcon membership based on external partial or full involvement, this mechanism may not be able to count in the âin and inâ members. Who are they?
The âin and inâ are those who, whether they be counted or not, out or in, have an internal allegiance not measured by numerical or circumstantial deliberations. Who knows, if there are sincere devotees privately practicing Krishna consciousness in one of those Antarctica scientific bases or not? Or if there is a severely disabled individual deeply experiencing ruci and beyond, far from the madding crowd somewhere? These may be rare cases, but it reveals the need to see Iskcon in a conventional or inner way.
The âconventionalâ Iskcon will attract huge numbers, either for minimising material miseries or for associated prestige. The âinnerâ Iskcon will attract those who are drawn to the rarely espoused âVraja-Bhaktiâ goal in life. If it is the âconventionalâ that appears to have caused the âlossâ of Iskcon, then it is understandable. Again, the responsibility for this has eluded many of us.
Given that sincere Bhakti can be practiced anywhere and is not subjected to our expectations in terms of history and memory, could there be a sense of thinking that the present generation is less fortunate than those who lived during Srila Prabhupadaâs physical presence? Isnât Srila Prabhupada very much present for all sincere members? Doesnât he still appear in dreams and through other âmysticalâ revelations, regardless of our âconventionalâ ideas of Iskcon development?
On the other the hand, another danger exists of accepting many untrained disciples of the âout but inâ type. Taking on extra responsibilities in favour of âworld Iskcon first,â the neglect in training disciples can add to our âconventionalâ woes.
Whether we choose to differentiate between our Iskcon family members based on external and conventional shades of opinion and thought, Iskcon remains as a facility for the unlimited ocean of Bhakti to flourish. To try to encumber or measure its potential would be like figuring out how the entire universe can possibly fit into the stem of the lotus flower that our parampara head, Sri Brahma was born upon.
Just as the stem came out from Sri Garbhodaksayi Visnu who is the soul of our universe, and whose navel emanation cannot be measured, then why can we think we can measure our home, which is a mystical creation of Srila Prabhupada?
It takes many strong hands to bring out Sri Jagannatha as âDaru-Brahmanâ from the inner sanctuary on to His chariot for procession, but Srila Prabhupada effortlessly brought Jagannatha Westward and worldwide on the chariot of his heart. Along came Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai and Sri Sri Radha and Krishna as well.
When we connect with our parampara through Iskcon and the teachings of Srila Prabhupada, many mystical things happen to us though we may not realise them. This connection does not depend on our placement anywhere, whether âin or out,â or âout but in.â But to be an âin and inâ from anywhere and help guide our devotees towards that ocean called Vraja-Bhakti, need not be a quaint fantasy, but an ambitious accomplishment of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Himself, the soul of all. Is this too âin and inâ for us all?
Ys Kesava Krsna Dasa
A famous pop British psychiatrist, RD Laing, in the 1960s wrote several books, one of which was entitled “The Politics of Experience”. Laing used his interest and experience in treating schizophrenia to highlight some points. First, he recognized that conditioned existence, ie material life, is perhaps more “unreal” than the psychotic experiences of a person who might experience “reality” in a dis-jointed manner, as the experience of a schizophrenic. I bring this up to inform our friends that many of the early followers and later close disciples of Srila Prabhupad, converts who literally gave their youth to Srila Prabhupad’s service, had some experience of this. Their disjointed experience, however, was not generally due to schizophrenia (thank goodness) but due to the disjointed and ‘different’ experience of reality that drugs like LSD promoted. Some “saw the light” or had oceanic feelings that were not common experiences of mundane life, and these were intense experiences. These experiences were a stimulus to searching for a “spiritual home” and guidance which Srila Prabhupad offered. And, the common experiences of many of these early disciples helped to create the “glue” that was the social impetus to leave their material lives, and even families, behind. What I have said here was true for many, not all, of the early converts to Krishna consciousness. susceptible to the medicine of the Holy Names. This is not a criticism, but rather a statement of factual history. Srila Prabhupad used to say he was converting “hippies into happies”. His Divine Grace came to save the most fallen. Perhaps feeling out of place in the material world is a favorable pre-requisite to coming to a new and spiritually surcharged culture like Krishna consciousness. Many others of our 60s generation found themselves in other religions as well, and some went off the deep-end entirely. Laing summarized thusly, “if a squadron of planes is headed in the wrong direction, then the plane which will need to go in the proper direction will need to leave the squadron”…thus taking a separate and ultimately lonely course. The fellowship of similarly situated people was a welcome “home” for such people, including myself. However, I would note that there was much kindness, and occasionally some unkindness that could and can occur in such a commune as the ashram. It is a dynamic environment, one which will bring about many comments in this thread. Pusta Krishna das
What any of us may prefer for Iskcon or our home will likely be a minority opinion, being outnumbered by our diversity. Our same preferences might meet with reasoned opposition in the face of a modern and âprofessionally-runâ organisational mandate.
There is little doubt that this professionalism will help us all, and with increased sensitivity â care and welfare â we can benefit from âpeople-firstâ or âservant-leadershipâ dealings. This is where our younger generation can imbibe modern management techniques from successful work experiences and put them to use for future generations.
Of course, there is such a thing as being overly organisational and managerial and which can take the edge out of our Vraja-Bhakti goal. But then, if such organisation and management does make our Iskcon members feel wanted and part of the scheme of things, it can help increase our combined proclivity to hear and chant.
Putting devotees first this way is service to the vaisnavas/is. If there are reasonable chances, that minority concerns are included â within reason â then we can truly unite in our diversity. This goal to ensure caring efficiency is surely pleasing to Srila Prabhupada, and this is one goal we all unanimously share, despite our sometimes-strained diversity.
Ys Kesava Krsna Dasa.
The basis of the Krishna consciousness movement as we imbibed it from Srila Prabhupad is faith in Krishna and faith in Sri Gurudeva. The environment will be molded by Krishna Who is the Supreme Controller. We can remember that history may repeat itself. From the time shortly after Mahaprabhu’s departure, with few exceptions, the Krishna consciousness movement seemed rather quiescent, until Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur appeared, about 250 years or so later. The mission of transmitting the glories of the Holy Names is not a homogeneous mission. It can be accomplished in many different ways. Srila Prabhupad is unique in his successful introduction of the process to westerners. Actually, when we first started out, we did not see very much interest amongst the East Indian population either. There were still, naturally, congregations of devotees chanting bhajans together, but the general interest in India was waning badly. Srila Prabhupad used to say “I have brought my dancing white elephants back to India” to express that he knew the Indian population was imitating the West in so many ways. If the Indian public saw the caucasians chanting, dancing, philosophizing, then they would be more inclined to follow Mahaprabhu. That turned out to be the case in large part.
Now, you cannot take a snap-shot of the movement now, and expect it to be the same way in 10 years. It will change. Certainly, the fervor for trying to recruit the frustrated youth of the world to Mahaprabhu is not as prominent today as it formerly was. In some ways, ISKCON has become like a religious movement rather than a spiritual culture for the Indians. But, some of the Indian youth have indeed embraced with fervor the mission to preach Krishna consciousness. That is very, very much desirable. We must be certain that we do not neglect the poor and the suffering when we decide to whom Krishna consciousness will be presented. Na dhanam na janam na sundarim…So long as we stay true to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s ideals, there must be success of the finest degree. Organization is the business of the GBC and the Temple Presidents, but there must be inspiration as the PRIME motivation for the congregation for the current to flow.
Pusta Krishna das