Key issues in the International Society

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Krishna in the West:

Key issues in the International

Society for Krishna

Consciousness after the

passing of the founder

University of Sydney Religion Seminar, 15 March 2016. Angela Burt, Postdoctoral Fellow, Oxford Centre for Hindu

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ISKCON was founded by Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in New York

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Historical background of ISKCON

• _{ISKCON is a modern institutionalized} form of the Gaudiya Vaishnava

tradition – a mono-theistic tradition whose chief deity is the god Krishna. • _{The Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition}

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ISKCON’s mission

• ISKCON’s mission has been to teach

Westerners the principles of bhakti-yoga

(yoga of devotion), or Krishna consciousness.

• _{This involves chanting the names of Krishna}

in groups and public settings, as well as privately, worship of the deity of Krishna, studying sacred texts including the

Bhagavad-gita, and refraining from

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Institutional structure

• _{Prabhupada registered ISKCON in New York in 1966.} • _{In 1970 he formed a Governing Body Commission}

(GBC) – a governing board comprised of disciples, to manage the afairs of ISKCON.

• _{Each GBC member has responsibility for a diferent}

part of the world.

• _{In the 1960s and 1970s most members lived in}

ISKCON’s ashrams but in the 1980s members

began to move out into their own homes.

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Gurus and the principle of

parampara

• _{The guru has an authoritative} position within the Gaudiya

Vaishnava tradition.

• _Parampara_{(a line of teachers) is the} means by which knowledge of the

tradition is passed on.

• _{Initiation (}_diksha_{) of a disciple by a} guru is an important part of the

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The issue of succession

• _{In May 1977 Prabhupada confrmed} that after his death, he wanted his

disciples to continue running ISKCON via the GBC, and that his disciples

should become gurus.

• _{In July 1977 he named eleven}

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Prabhupada passed away in

November 1977

• _{No spiritual successor was explicitly}

named i.e. he did not name anyone to be guru, as he had said he would in

the May 1977 conversation.

• _{The only successor named in his will}

was the GBC as the ultimate managing authority of ISKCON.

• _{GBC members discussed who should}

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Naming the gurus

At the GBC meetings in February 1978, it was announced by the GBC that the

eleven disciples named in the July 1977 conversation

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This system seemed to work for

some time

• _{The legitimacy of the gurus was} accepted.

• _{However problems became apparent} early on.

• _{Three gurus were suspended in 1980.} • _{One of the suspended gurus left}

ISKCON with a large number of

disciples in 1982, in ISKCON’s frst schism.

• _{Another of the suspended gurus was} expelled in 1983 for fouting the

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Dissent and protes

t

• _{Debates ensued about whether the eleven}

gurus were legitimate successors to the founder.

• _{Main issues were their spiritual}

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• _{This protest was fueled by the}

difficulties that some of the gurus

were having in upholding their vows, as well as other behaviours that were inappropriate and sometimes illegal. • _{In essence the legitimacy of the}

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Guru reform

• _{Dissatisfaction became more}

pronounced in 1984 after a North

American Temple President’s meeting.

• _{Meetings were held about a year later}

in 1985 where grievances were aired publicly.

• _{Resolutions made at these meetings}

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Reforms 1985-1987

• _{The authority of the GBC over the gurus was}

affirmed.

• _{The number of gurus was increased, thereby lowering}

the exclusive status of the eleven gurus.

• _{The amount of ritual worship ofered to the gurus was}

reduced.

• _{Gurus were no longer allowed to be called “}_Acharya_”,

thus removing their special status as institutional heads.

• _{New ISKCON members were authorized to take}

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Guru exodus

In 1986 three gurus left ISKCON and one guru was suspended from initiating.

In 1987 another guru was expelled for fouting the authority of the GBC and engaging in illegal activities, including racketeering and ordering the murders of

two ISKCON members.

In 1987, the guru who had left ISKCON in 1982 with his disciples was murdered by

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Key issues in this period

The issue of succession Authority

Legitimacy Status

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Post-reform malaise

The organization subsequently settled into a less turbulent rhythm, but

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Decline

• Fallout from the crisis of succession and guru reforms:

• ISKCON members experienced a loss of faith in ISKCON’s leadership.

• Decline in active monastic membership, proselytization, and income.

• Loss of members to other Gaudiya Vaishanva groups.

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Increasing eforts to attract

Westerners to ISKCON

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The advent of Krishna West

• _{Hridayananda das Goswami, one of the}

original eleven gurus had been concerned for some years about the stagnation of outreach to Westerners and the Indianization and

Hinduization of ISKCON.

• _{In 2013 he formed a project called Krishna}

West within ISKCON, whose sole purpose would be to make Krishna consciousness

attractive to Westerners by stripping it of what he saw as unnecessary Indian cultural

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The Krishna West controversy

• In 2014 controversy erupted again when the GBC and Hridayananda clashed regarding Krishna West, and the GBC banned him from undertaking a tour of Europe aimed at expanding Krishna West.

• Krishna West became a divisive issue amongst ISKCON’s leadership and members.

• Main issues of contention were the push to strip the Indian cultural elements from ISKCON’s

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A truce is called

• The GBC and Hridayananda met in January this

year to work through the dispute.

• _{The GBC have accepted Krishna West as a}

legitimate preaching project within ISKCON, and Hridayananda as a member in good standing in ISKCON. The GBC and Hridayananda agreed to cease mutual criticism.

• Krishna West continues with a number of

centres around the world, and although tensions have eased, controversy about the goals of

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Key issues

• _{Indian and Western culture} • _{Tradition and modernity}

• _{Institutional reform} • _{The threat of schism} • _{Cultural appropriation}

• _{Orthodoxy and innovation}

• _{How these issues have played out on an}

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The current controversy and the

future of ISKCON

• _{This latest development indicates that}

the key issues that beset ISKCON’s earlier period are still signifcant.

• _{Krishna West is currently one of the}

most talked about and divisive issues amongst ISKCON devotees. How it is dealt with by ISKCON members will be important for how the institution

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