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Believer
05 August 2010, 08:14 PM
Many of the followers of Sanatan Dharma do not know enough about the ISKCON movement. Personally, it took me quite a bit of time in understanding what ISKCON stands for. Would it be a good idea for one of our esteemed devotees to prepare an introductory sticky on ISKCON practices. It will be so helpful to the people unfamiliar with the Gaudiya Vaishanva Sampradaye. I have compiled a list of basics, as I understand, which can be modified/enlarged/corrected to create the sticky.
In the vast array of different beliefs under the Vedic tradition, ISKCON follows the Gaudiya Vaishanava tradition, but is not classified as Hinduism.
Our most holy book is the Bhagwad Gita.
Per the Bhagwad Gita, Lord Krishna is the supreme personality of Godhead and others in the Vedic pantheon are the demigods.
Lord Krishna appeared on this earth about five hundred years ago as Lord Chaitanaya. The purpose of this incarnation was to teach the devotees the benefits of congregational chanting.
There is an unbroken chain of gurus from Lord Chaitanaya to our last Guru Srila Prabhupada, who brought the message of Krishna Consciousness to the West.
We chant exclusively the bhajans written by our spiritual masters.
We consider all those who do not follow the path of Bhakti (devotional service), but try to achieve spirituality through mental speculation to be mayawadis.
Our biggest temple in India is at the birthplace of Lord Chaitanaya in Mayapur, West Bengal.
We chant the mahamantra every day and follow four regulative principles: no meat eating, no gambling, no intoxication and no illicit sex.
Our Sunday service consists of chanting bhajans (devotional songs), class on Bhagwad Gita, Aarti, followed by prasadam (sanctified vegetarian feast).
My apologies if I have erred on understanding the basics and not listed them correctly.

Ramakrishna
07 August 2010, 12:35 AM
Namaste Believer,

It looks like you have covered the basic and core beliefs pretty good. I almost joined ISKCON a few years ago before I looked more into it and realized that I disagree with some of their beliefs and practices.

I also believe that ISKCON devotees are required to chant the Hare Krishna mantra 1,728 times daily, or 16 rounds of 108. I'm not positive, though.

Jai Sri Krishna

Ravilochana
07 August 2010, 06:07 PM
Ramakrishna wrote:


I also believe that ISKCON devotees are required to chant the Hare Krishna mantra 1,728 times daily, or 16 rounds of 108. I'm not positive, though.This is probably not correct. At least I have not heard of it.

It is true that ISKCON people love chanting Krishna's names and singing his Kirtans. They are very friendly people.

The only thing I dislike about their religion is their insistence on celibacy. A religious group that demands celibacy will have many perverts entering the group. Catholic church is the prime example, and we have gems of examples in monks like Nityananda in Hinduism.

Believer
07 August 2010, 07:14 PM
Namaste Believer,

It looks like you have covered the basic and core beliefs pretty good.

Thanks for your vote of confidence.

I thought one of the devotees would polish it up, make corrections/additions to convert this into a final post and make a bona-fide sticky out of it. But there does not seem to be much interest in that; or maybe the ISKCON devotees like to converse ONLY with other devotees. ;)

Oh well, at least I tried.

herbaltradition
07 August 2010, 09:48 PM
Well I feel that Bhakti, as a means of achieving spiritual development, should necessarily be accompanied by some amount of logic and ought not to be based merely on blind faith.

If devotees are discouraged from enquiring, they become robotic followers and stop being intelligent human beings (with respect to religious values, I mean).... they stop discussing anything that is out of their own religious book which dictates their thoughts and behaviour.

In this age of universal education and with the progress of Science and technology, this spirit of enquiring logic needs to be re-inforced rather than curtailed, in the human race.

I feel that Dynana yoga and karma yoga should always accompany Bhakti yoga.
And of course, Dynana yoga would not mean only reading one Book, but learning to think for oneself, analysing the pros and cons of all religious thought, everywhere.

Believer
07 August 2010, 10:52 PM
Ramakrishna wrote:


I also believe that ISKCON devotees are required to chant the Hare Krishna mantra 1,728 times daily, or 16 rounds of 108. I'm not positive, though.This is probably not correct. At least I have not heard of it.

That is factual and I just forgot to list it.
When you dwell in Krishna Consciousness, it would be wrong to say that you are required to do so. You would be glad to do that and you would do it voluntarily with devotion and joy in your heart; not do it as a requirement.


The only thing I dislike about their religion is their insistence on celibacy. A religious group that demands celibacy will have many perverts entering the group. Catholic church is the prime example, and we have gems of examples in monks like Nityananda in Hinduism.

Again this is misinformation, and one of the devotees can perhaps back me up. Pre or extra marital sex is not permitted. Within the confines of spiritual advancement, sex becomes a mundane activity. As your love for Krishna increases, your desire for enjoyment without Him decreases. Sexual activity, exclusively for procreation, is the goal, but that requires spiritual advancement. Devotees may voluntarily take "sanyas", which is not limited to, but includes celibacy. So to say that following ISKCON requires celibacy is totally incorrect. One must check ones facts before making a post and not state some wild guesses, or dreamed up observations as "facts". In Catholicism, celibacy is a requirement for the clergy. In ISKCON, it is entered into voluntarily by senior members when they are ready, or by young devotees before they are ready for marriage.

Believer
09 August 2010, 10:09 AM
Dear Doc,


Well I feel that Bhakti, as a means of achieving spiritual development, should necessarily be accompanied by some amount of logic and ought not to be based merely on blind faith.

I wish some ISKCON devotee had responded to your post. Since none has noticed it so far, I will give it a try.
Vedic traditions are all based on logic. So no one would have any disagreement on that.



If devotees are discouraged from enquiring, they become robotic followers and stop being intelligent human beings (with respect to religious values, I mean).... they stop discussing anything that is out of their own religious book which dictates their thoughts and behaviour.

In this age of universal education and with the progress of Science and technology, this spirit of enquiring logic needs to be re-inforced rather than curtailed, in the human race.

I too have a scientific/technical background, so I know where you are coming from.
Whereas physical phenomenon can be verified by making some measurements with high tech instruments in a scientific lab, spirituality does not lend itself to being verified in such labs. Only a surrendered devotee experiences the presence of the Lord, not a measurement driven person with a 20/20 vision.


I feel that Dynana yoga and karma yoga should always accompany Bhakti yoga.
And of course, Dynana yoga would not mean only reading one Book, but learning to think for oneself, analysing the pros and cons of all religious thought, everywhere.
If your aim in life is just to become a learned man by analyzing and cataloging the pros and cons of every religious thought and get an advanced degree in comparative religions/theology, or some such thing; Good luck. The quest for spirituality starts with the man acting as a beggar in front of the Lord and asking to be accepted in His service. And a person will advance in that direction, ONLY if He wants him to, and accepts him as His devotee. HE holds the whole deck, we have no cards. Unless science is tempered with humility, the Lord has no obligation/desire to pay you a visit.

Karam Yoga means not to think about the fruits of your labor but to do the work as an offering to the Lord. We all need to make a living, so we DO work. And if we think of it as an offering to the Lord, we will do our very best. And Dhayan yoga to some degree means introspection and evaluation, which subconsciously, we all do. So there is no conflict there. The only person who can afford to do Bhakti yoga exclusively would be a total renunciate. To my knowledge, no one is preaching/encouraging every human being on the face of this earth to do Bhakti yoga only. We would all starve to death.

Sorry, I am starting to sound like a preacher, which I am not. :)

Comments welcome.

Braja Bhushan das
16 August 2010, 03:50 PM
Believer, I think that herbalmedicine just wanted to point out that many times newcomers to spiritual organizations are discouraged from thinking deeply, reading books of all GV acaryas and asking all kinds of questions. She may have just wanted to encourage this non-dogmatic healthy thinking unconstrained by institutional policies which are often aimed more at the well-being of their leaders than that of their rank-and-file members.

Whether this goes on in Iskcon you yourself might know. I don't have any personal experience with this organization but appreciate what Srila Prabhupada has done for me.

atmarama108
07 November 2010, 01:47 AM
[quote=Believer;48419] can be modified/enlarged/corrected to create the sticky.[quote]
In the vast array of different beliefs under the Vedic tradition, ISKCON follows the Gaudiya Vaishanava tradition, but is not classified as Hinduism.
Our most holy books are the Bhagwad Gita, Srimad Bhagavatam, Caitanya Caritamrta, and many other Gaudiya Vaisnava Books such as Bhakti-rasamrta-sindu, Jaiva Dharma etc.

Per the Bhagwad Gita & Srimad Bhagavatam, Lord Krishna is the supreme personality of Godhead and others in the Vedic pantheon are the demigods.
Lord Krishna appeared on this earth about five hundred years ago as Lord Chaitanaya. The purpose of this incarnation was to teach the devotees the benefits of congregational chanting & to taste the divine nectar of Love of God or Krsna Prema.
There is an unbroken chain of gurus from Lord Chaitanaya to our last Guru Srila Prabhupada, who brought the message of Krishna Consciousness to the West.
We chant exclusively the bhajans written by our spiritual masters.
We consider all those who do not follow the path of Bhakti (devotional service), but try to achieve spirituality through mental speculation to be mayawadis.
Our biggest temple in India is at the birthplace of Lord Chaitanaya in Mayapur, West Bengal.
We chant the mahamantra every day and follow four regulative principles: no meat eating, no gambling, no intoxication and no illicit sex.
Our Sunday service consists of chanting bhajans (devotional songs), class on Bhagwad Gita, Aarti, followed by prasadam (sanctified vegetarian feast).Seven purposes of ISKCON

When Srila Prabhupada first incorporated ISKCON in 1966, he gave it seven purposes:[/URL]

To systematically propagate spiritual knowledge to society at large and to educate all people in the techniques of spiritual life in order to check the imbalance of values in life and to achieve real unity and peace in the world.
To propagate a consciousness of Krishna, as it is revealed in the [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhagavad-gita"]Bhagavad-gita (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Society_for_Krishna_Consciousness#cite_note-19) and the Srimad-Bhagavatam (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Srimad-Bhagavatam).
To bring the members of the Society together with each other and nearer to Krishna, the prime entity, thus to develop the idea within the members, and humanity at large, that each soul is part and parcel of the quality of Godhead (Krishna).
To teach and encourage the sankirtana movement, congregational chanting of the holy names of God as revealed in the teachings of Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
To erect for the members, and for society at large, a holy place of transcendental pastimes, dedicated to the personality of Krishna.
To bring the members closer together for the purpose of teaching a simpler and more natural way of life.
With a view towards achieving the aforementioned purposes, to publish and distribute periodicals, magazines, books and other writings.

Believer
12 March 2011, 05:46 PM
Some new ISKCON members have joined the forum since the last post was made on this thread. Does anyone have anything to add? Would a devotee like to take the lead and make a genuine sticky out of this thread?
-

smaranam
18 March 2011, 10:14 AM
Namaste,

This is a good sticky, and i am not a member of ISKCON, but would like to add that any beginner who wants to be a part of ISKCON should simply go to http://www.krishna.com

On the main page, i would suggest concentrating on these two:

1. DEFN: "Krishna consciousness is both a "practice" and the goal of the practice. The goal is to be Krishna conscious. The practice is to always stay conscious of Krishna." :)

2. Then before diving into details, on the main home page, point the mouse on "About Krishna" on the Flute Pull-down menu, and click on "The Reading Room"
Then scroll down and click on "Overview" which brings you here :
http://www.krishna.com/overview

Read "Bhakti: the means and goal" for day-to-day hands-on actual ISKCON practice.

Under this title, in particular,
>>Nine bhakti practices
>>The five most powerful bhakti practices
>>To advance in spiritual life, what things should I avoid? What basic qualities should I try to cultivate?
>>I want to do something to improve my spiritual life. Any suggestions?
>>Are there any things I should avoid, if I want to become Krishna conscious?
****>>Qualities of a pure devotee of Krishna

This sums up the simplest instruction from Bhagvatam, Rupa Goswami's Bhakti RasAmrt Sindhu (Nectar of Devotion) and UpadeshamRta.

Also, Offering Food to KRishna (http://www.krishna.com/offering-food-krishna)

Then of course there is the books, philosophy, and more details one can look into slowly:

Overview of Krishna Consciousness

Basic Premises
We Souls
Krishna
Spiritual World
Material World
The Goal of Life
**Bhakti: the means and the goal
Bhakti Worldview
What is the Hare Krishna Movement?

This website (they reorganized it recently) is very comprehensive, based off of Alachua Florida, supported by the BBT (Bhaktivedanta Book Trust) and i believe initiated by Jayadvaita Swami and group. They have everything under the Sun one wants to know about following ISKCON lifestyle. They also have a forum , blogs, live help (chat), e-mail help, kids activity page, e-classes, KrishnaStore, and wonderful kind helpful devotees.

Hare KRshNa ~
praNAm

Believer
18 March 2011, 03:01 PM
Thank you Samaranam for all the additional information and various links, for the members/visitors to dig into the subject more.

smaranam
18 March 2011, 03:13 PM
You are welcome, BelieverJi. It is a pleasure to be able to serve the devotees.

praNAm

smaranam
30 April 2011, 07:29 PM
Hare KrushNa

Would like to clear some myths:

1. ISKCON is not a sect by itself. It is a senapati* organization in the disciplic succession of Gaudiya VaishNav paramparA (tradition) started by Shri Chaitanya MahaPrabhu, a shaktyavesha avatAr of KrushNa in the bhAv (mood) of Radha. - This is also stated in the OP of this thread.

2. ISKCON did not cook up a philosophy around VishNu, they are just in the paramparA (disciplic succession), and in fact one of the organizations representing the umbrella of VaishNav dharma.

praNAm

Govindam AdiPurusham Tam aham bhajAmi ~
JagannAth swAmi nayana path gAmi bhavatu me ~

_______

* senapati : Lord Chaitanya had predicted that one day , through His senapati bhakta , HarinAm SaNkirtan will spread worldwide. Did His prediction come true ? It had to. Guess who that senapati bhakta is ? A. C. BhaktivedAnta Swami PrabhupAd. He was also blessed with associates like Shrila NArAyaN MaharAj and Shridhar Maharaj.

smaranam
30 April 2011, 09:16 PM
P.S. The VaishNav sampradAy (line of disciplic succession) that ISKCON comes under, is BrahmA-MAdhav-Gaudiya sampradAy which is one of four major VaishNav sampradAy that follow the Ved-Upanishad-BhramasUtra-PurAN scriptures of SanAtan Dharma

Hare KRushNa
praNAm