{"id":11252,"date":"2013-02-07T05:44:38","date_gmt":"2013-02-07T04:44:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/?p=11252"},"modified":"2013-02-07T05:44:38","modified_gmt":"2013-02-07T04:44:38","slug":"the-7th-purpose-of-iskcon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/?p=11252","title":{"rendered":"The 7th Purpose of Iskcon"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Dusyanta dasa<\/strong><\/p>\n

Many devotees understand that a main part of Srila Prabhupada\u2019s mission remains unfulfilled. His legacy remains intact and members of Iskcon are here to execute that mission through His legacy. One principle that touches the members of Iskcon, all members of Iskcon, is the 7th purpose of Iskcon. <\/p>\n

This reads as; \u201c To bring the members closer together for the purpose of teaching a simpler and more natural way of life.\u201d <\/p>\n

The two main points of this purpose is bringing the members of Iskcon closer together and teaching the members of Iskcon a simpler natural way of life. If we conclude that just a temple way of life brings us together then we have misunderstood this 7th purpose and we have misunderstood the definition of being closer together. Temple life only offers togetherness through the principle of worship. It begins in the early morning hours and finishes after breakfast prasada.<\/p>\n

With the Temple model of Iskcon there is a strong disconnect in operation because the principle of dependency hardly exists there. In the origins of Iskcon the Temple model was strong, indeed it was exclusively strong but those times have now passed and the 7th purpose of Iskcon is now ripe for its centre stage position.<\/p>\n

The need for the 7th purpose is understood through its very statement of intention and Srila Prabhupada envisaged this evolutionary stage within the Iskcon constitution. So how do we go about implementing this vital 7th purpose and what does it really entail on a practical level, symbiotic level and governing level. We must understand that introducing the 7th purpose means a holistic radical approach to how Iskcon interacts and fundamentally operates. Nothing will be the same again after implementing this 7th purpose in the social, economic and governing sectors of Iskcon.<\/p>\n

So the fundamental principle of bringing the Iskcon members closer than they are at present is by introducing the dynamic of community paradigms. The community then moves on to the stage of symbiosis relationships with Cows, Land and the mode of goodness. Essentially the mode of goodness in this application is the Brahminical lifestyle of dependency on mode of goodness principles of simple lifestyle and more natural lifestyle. The mode of goodness is low maintenance, its less demanding, simpler, communal. <\/p>\n

Perhaps more than anything the mode of goodness is the antithesis of the lives we brought with us to Iskcon. Our previous lives are bound by the mode of passion and the mode of ignorance. The whole type of life operations in these two lower modes has helped contribute to our economic problems rather than solutions. When we marry up the mode of goodness lifestyle, the Brahminical culture, with Cow protection and land dependence then this allows our lifestyle to solve the economic problems.<\/p>\n

The whole goal of Cow protection, a vital vaisnava principle, is to solve all economic problems of life. Therefore the Cow protection project must be married up to Vaisnava community exclusively for it to function as it has been mandated to by Srila Prabhupada.From Srimad Bhagavatam 10.6.19.
\n\u201cSo many facilities are afforded by cow protection, but people have forgotten these arts. The importance of cow protection is therefore stressed by Krishna in Bhagavad-Gita. Even now villagers live happily simply by giving protection to the cows. They keep cow dung and dry it to use as fuel. They keep a sufficient stock of grains, and they have sufficient milk and milk products to solve all economic problems.\u201d<\/p>\n

The whole of the cow protection movement is encapsulated in this quote from Srila Prabhupada. There are many more quotes giving detailed answers too. But we can see from this quote the goals of cow protection as mandated by Srila Prabhupada. And this project is the basis of the 7th purpose of Iskcon. This is what we have to marry cow protection projects to. To the members of iskcon for the purpose of bringing them closer and to teach a simpler and more natural way of life. This is the goal of Cow protection; this is the background dynamics cow protection has to function in for the benefit of Iskcon members, and to teach a simpler way of life and a more natural way of life.<\/p>\n

What are the many facilities that Cow protection affords to Iskcon members?
\nHow are these goals attained?
\nWhy does community have a symbiotic relationship with cows and land?
\nWhat actually is mode of goodness lifestyle?
\nHow does this 7th purpose solve all the economic problems?<\/p>\n

Srila Prabhupada answers all these typical questions by reading His Books. And these answers readily illustrate the pro-active path Iskcon has to follow to solve all the economic problems and marry up community with cow protection. The Agricultural solution is through the symbiotic relationship with cows and land. The economic solution does not include a financial principle whatsoever, so we must not confuse the words \u201ceconomic\u201d with \u201cfinancial\u201d, these two separate concepts are practically the antithesis of themselves.<\/p>\n

Cow protection solves the economic problems of life. The model can be described in numerous analogical ways depending on the individual makeup of a person and how we interpret Srila Prabhupada\u2019s mandates. My personal preference is to think of the Cows and land as the hub of a wheel of community with vaisnavas as the spokes of that wheel that symbiotically relate to cows and land through the hub of that wheel and the interrelated spokes then operate through that common hub. But other analogies will suffice too.<\/p>\n

When a cow protection project is set up at the beginning the principles of community are integrated within the project rather similar to setting up a Deity worship programme. All the components have to be in place for Deity worship to function. So the same principle is there with Cow protection. The plan for cow protection is axiomatically connected to members of Iskcon in the integrated model so that the infrastructure of the symbiotic relationship are created along with the project. Without integrated infrastructure the symbiotic relationship cant take place and the cow protection project operates on the same level more or less as a cow protection sanctuary\/zoo.<\/p>\n

Without filling in all of the detail here in this article the 7th purpose of Iskcon is aimed at the personal members of Iskcon\u2019s lifestyles. And within the cow protection scope all the requirements are satisfied to live a simpler way of life through a more natural choice of materials and placements. The idea is to introduce mode of goodness solutions to social, economic and governing challenges. The \u201cwheel\u201d analogy introduces the dependency at the hub of community on Cows and land, which then in turn lends itself to an evolutionary process of cottage industries that are interrelated. What a community in the mode of goodness need is produced by the mode of goodness community, so each community wherever it is located globally tailor fits its needs naturally and simply. <\/p>\n

And these types of communities can be located within a bullocks day walk away from each other for the practise of bartering surplus goods with each other. This type of inward investment helps communities manage their needs by depending on other vaisnava communities. So within an area of a radius of say ten miles there maybe one community in touch with two or more other similar communities.<\/p>\n

The governing factor for community paradigms is the mode of goodness. So from the Temple model where one Temple president has 100% of the executive and delegating power a community may have one hundred devotees each with 1% of the power. Community is self-governing and in Iskcon community this would be achieved through the Istagosthi process. The psychological benefit of this for each individual member is overwhelmingly positive.<\/p>\n

The introduction and establishment of the 7th purpose then has an altogether uplifting effect on the social life of each individual and family units. The self-determining principle is utilised for the benefit of community and individual members. The social quality of support, friendliness, and neighbourliness becomes a second nature principle of all members through the proper association of mode of goodness life. From location, business, interactivity, energy usage, food production, schooling, self-governance, and individuality itself, all becoming prominently established within the context of sattvic influence.<\/p>\n

There are no bad effects. The corruptible influence is minimised, the political agenda neutralised, the divisive effect of paper money eliminated, open honest debate inclusive, bad decision making a thing of the past, natural wholesome food production a major player in life, ecological energy production sourced through methane production from cow manure as well as other ecological sources, low impact houses and building works, local skills employed, and for future generations the knowledge is passed from adults to children. Families all living together and working together.<\/p>\n

The 7th purpose is just waiting there in the wings. It just needs the leaders and members of Iskcon to grab it by the scruff of the neck and put it into motion. This is what we are talking about. This is the future for Iskcon members. This is what we can show the world and all without the exploitation of one animal or life. This is what we all want, we are in a desert of Kali-Yuga capitalistic frenzied lifestyle travelling at 100 mph. Devotees just want to live simply, a more natural way of life, with devotee friends who they can depend on with trust, support and love. We want that. Lets implement the 7th purpose of Iskcon just as Srila Prabhupada has envisaged, lets put cow protection at the heart of Vaisnava community, chant Hare Krishna, and go back home, back to Godhead. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Dusyanta dasa<\/strong><\/p>\n

The two main points of this purpose is bringing the members of Iskcon closer together and teaching the members of Iskcon a simpler natural way of life<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11252","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11252","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11252"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11252\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11252"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11252"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11252"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}