302.05: Asramas (spiritual orders) in ISKCON: General
[Title] – Encouraging the establishment and maintenance of ISKCON temple asramas — 2025 [Meeting] – Annual General Meeting [Category] – Guideline [Date passed] – February 23, 2025Whereas Srila Prabhupada established and built ISKCON upon the strength of temples with vibrant asramas;
Whereas many if not most ISKCON temples in the West and elsewhere have minimized or closed their asramas in the course of evolving toward congregational development;
Whereas the current need for finding qualified devotees to take leadership roles in ISKCON can be largely met by providing asrama training and experience for more young devotees
Therefore, it is resolved that:
The GBC encourages all ISKCON temples who currently do not have active resident asramas to deliberately and diligently establish or re-establish them according to the following best practices:
1. Though resident asramas may sometimes accommodate older devotees, in general, temples shall provide asrama accommodation for young people newly taking up Krishna consciousness as a training ground for their future lives as devotees. At the same time, the contributions and needs of older devotees, who have dedicated years of their lives to Srila Prabhupada’s movement, are deeply valued and respected. Temples may also offer facilities to support and integrate older devotees into the community. To welcome and nurture newcomers, we must provide protected asrama space for them, while also honoring and accommodating the senior devotees who have laid the foundation for this spiritual movement. This balanced approach ensures that both older and younger devotees are cared for and encouraged in their spiritual journeys.
2. Resident asrama schedules should be manageable and moderate so that students have sufficient time for a balanced life of sadhana, seva, recreation and rest.
3. Initial seva assignments may include menial tasks, but in time leaders should seek to provide asrama students in varieties of experiences including training in kirtana, instruments, public speaking and management tasks.
4. Resident asramas should have dedicated leaders who understand the sensitivity of training new students and whose only service is the well-being of new students.
5. Except in parts of the world where women’s asramas are culturally unacceptable, resident asramas should provide separate but equal facility for men and women, as per Srila Prabhupada’s instruction.
6. In addition to equal asrama facility, where culturally appropriate, aspiring Vaisnavis should be given equal opportunity and encouragement for worship, preaching and service.
7. Courses in Bhakti Sastri and the ISKCON Disciples Course should be provided for asrama students.
8. As nearly all new devotees marry, grhastha training should be part of the curriculum, even for those who are interested in pursuing renunciation.