CHAPTER SIX
6.2 Insights emerging from the data
There are several insights emerging from the data that confirm the hypothesis that although there is an influence of self-reflexivity, as well as context on identity, there exists a more internal "enduring" sense of self, which extends beyond external binaries of
race, language and culture. These include the interface between the institutional identity and quest for individual identity and Truth.
6.2.1 Interface: Nominal and Virtual Identities
Borrowing from Jenkins (1996) analysis of organizations, I explore the interface between the Institutional and individual identity. Jenkins contends that while organizational membership impacts significantly upon the individual, the nominal and the virtual features must be distinguished - the nominal referring to the name or title, rights and duties of the institution, while virtual refers to how the member works out his or her particular identity within the institution.
The insights emerging from the data suggest that the entire gamut of requirements, religious, social and educational contexts of the institution provides a comprehensive nominal domain which impacts on virtual identity of the devotee in profound ways, which is indicative of an intersection between the institutional and individual identities of the devotee.
The data suggests that although the environment facilitates the devotee identity, the onus is upon the devotee to accept the basic conviction of being a devotee and seriously practice the activities. The devotees contend that this will result in & purification of consciousness, producing galvanized spiritual advancement and change of life-style and values of devotees, enabling the enduring sense of self to establishing his/her spiritual identity that transcends external binaries.
Another insight emerging from the data is that there appears to be reciprocity between institutional identity and individual identity; while the institutional identity impacts upon the individual identity in various ways, the institutional identity is also proliferated and impacted upon by the individual identity or membership. The devotee initially adopts the external requirements of the institution, but when applied seriously, produces a change in the devotee consciousness. The devotees felt a sense of inspiration to engage
in devotional service, which then reciprocally serves the purposes of the institution; thus there is a confluence or convergence between the goals of the institution and the
individual devotee.
According to Kadamba Kanana Swami, an elite informer, the interface between
institutional and individual identity occurs at three levels, viz. the social manifestation of the institution, its spiritual substance and an experience of an active presence of God.
At the first level, he observes, is the social manifestation of the institution, which
concerns the social integration, cultural aspects and community outreach contexts which form a support structure for the new devotees. It includes aspects like attire, and codes of behaviour determined by governance. According to Kadamba Kanana Swami, a devotee at this level does not have a deep relationship with God. In the data generated it was evident that particular tensions in conviction, and lower levels of knowledge of newer devotees occur, which suggests a concordance with his proposal.
At the second, intermediate level, proposed by Kadama Kanana Swami, is the spiritual substance of the institution that continues to consolidate the sense of enduring self through its philosophy, teachings, worship and values. Devotees at this level report a more consistent, focused application to devotional service, and an increase in faith.
The devotee at the third, highest level experiences a feeling of an active presence of God, which is the deepest and steadiest level of devotional practice stemming more from internal inspiration. According to Kadamba Kanana Swami, this is a very advanced level of spiritual practice. The data that emerged from the elite informers suggest that they function at the third level. The responses of the elite informers indicated that they were not highly dependent upon the external social manifestations, implies that they have fervently internalized the practices, values, routines and philosophy to such a extent as to make them astute practitioners of Krishna consciousness. These devotees regard
themselves as eternal servants of a supreme personal God, understanding their nature as a
spirit soul, irrespective of external binaries, a view which coalesces with the idea of the enduring self.
6.2.2 Manifestations of an "Enduring" Self
As my central thesis I argue that although there is an influence of self-reflexivity, as well as context on identity construction, there exists a more internal "enduring" sense of self.
The data suggests that the concept of enduring self manifests in prolific ways:
• Quest for Identity
This quest derives from personal, contextual and socio-historical factors in the lives of devotees. For most devotees the search for an enduring self was a prominent feature of their lives until they encountered the institution in one of its multifarious features, where the sense of awareness that they could not concretize previously became apparent in that context.
The data suggests that the lives of most devotees were characterized by a sense of awareness or an ecclesiastical impetus which straddle many years, beginning in
childhood. This was characterized by a consciousness that they did not "fit" into general society, occupational roles, or other impositions, which resulted in a search for identity.
This was evident in personal states of uneasiness about life, particularly dissatisfaction with reductionistic responses to questions of identity, and feelings of an unfulfilled spiritual life within their own ecclesiastical backgrounds.
The socio-historical context, e.g. the hippy era - also created momentum for a search for higher awareness from mundane existence for early devotees. Others also report an involvement or interest in alternative, non-traditional and natural spiritual practices, like yoga, shamanism, belief in reincarnation, as well as personal crises and states of mental and psychological anguish that created an impetus to seek answers.
• The Self as a Possessor, and Constructor of Identity
Closely linked to the quest for identity that contributed to a sense of "enduring" self is the influence of reflexivity, regarded as increasing individualization, not restricted by
boundaries of tradition and culture (Giddens, 2002). It was observed that the devotees' personal, contextual and socio-historical impetus for an enduring sense of self beyond the binaries of race, culture and language was a self-reflexive act that led to a concretization of spiritual identity through encountering the ISKCON context. The data indicates that this context, when encountered, allows the devotee to see his "self as the soul or atma, a cognizant individual conceptualizing a temporary identity. In other words, devotees differentiate between the self as possessor, and the self as a constructor of identity. This suggests a confluence with the Gaudiya Vaisnava conception that one's identification as part of a particular tradition, culture, community, nation, or society is limited and
external, and can pose a barrier to one's self understanding.
The data further indicates that self-refiexivity continues to be encountered in the
devotee's personal practices and individual expression in devotional service, as well as in their socially relevant roles like mother, father, manager, cook, and preacher. This was also noted in the expression of individuality in interests and talents like art and decor, and in higher states of awareness and varied spiritual experiences within the devotees'
internal spiritual frames of reference. This observation indicates concordance with Adams (2003) assertion that extended reflexivity is unfounded since thinking is always bounded by the culture and society of which we are part; in the case of the devotees, their self-reflexivity is framed within the spiritual context of ISKCON, which determines how Truth gets analysed, and frames the identity of Self.
6.2.3 Return to the classic Nominalist-Realist Debate
The data suggests that academic enquiry is not discouraged by those following a spiritual mode of inquiry in ISKCON, but in keeping with several academic debates, the elite informers regard truth produced by academic research as limited, and its claims to its
objectivity, debatable. The data further suggests that academic truth is often "socially enacted" or "historically embedded", or context and content-based, and is incomplete.
Scientific enquiry which simply relied on analysis and rationality and ignored other equal important modes of human understanding and behaviour was seen, by the elite informers, to lead to a lack of progress in ascertaining the Truth.
The devotees interviewed framed their identity in accordance with Truth as they derived it from the ISKCON devotional process in which they are engaged. Patterns arising from the data indicate that although for some of the resident devotees the concept of self still appeared theoretical, the experience of the elite informers is more qualitative, and based on experience, intuition and judgement, which is likened more to the use of phronesis in understanding of Truth as suggested by Flyvbjerg (2001).
The analysis of the data also suggests a return to the classic nominalist-realist debate of philosophy of Truth, the epistemological assumptions of this debate framing different types of enquiry. In summary, it can be understood that the nominalist idea holds that objects are products of an individuals consciousness and there is no objective reality; the realist idea expresses that "objects exist independently of the knower" (Cohen, Manion and Morrison, 2000: 2).194 The presumption by Jayadavaita Swami, an elite informer,
"that there is something deeper that is not subject to that jurisdiction, not socially, psychologically, or intellectually created, that is objectively the fact" concurs with the realist view. This objective reality, Jayadvaita Swami implies, is the existence of the atma, and God as separate from our thought constructions. The data also suggests that reality is regarded as constructed. Further, individual consciousness is regarded as impacting on understanding the nature of reality, which results from an embodied atma that has conditioned perception. This is in keeping with the nominalist view.
The elite informers suggested that they can access this objective reality through an understanding and application of scriptural injunctions, within the ISKCON context.
Additionally, they suggested, for one who wants to access the Truth as they understand it, certain spiritual "personalities" who practice the instructions of these scriptures should
194 For further discussion see Cohen, Manion and Morrison, 2000, pages 1 -45