Research Participants

CHAPTER TWO

2.4 Research Design

2.4.2 The Research Process

2.4.2.3 Research Participants

Various methods of sampling participants for different types of investigation are

described in the literature reviewed (Morse, 1998; Cohen, Manion and Morrison, 2001).

The sampling technique I used is referred to as purposive sampling, where the participants are intentionally selected based on their typicality. The participants of the study included the following expert informers:

(i) 4 resident devotees ( 1 Coloured male; 1 Black male; 1 Indian female, 1 White female) of the ISKCON Temple of Understanding, Chatsworth, Durban;

(ii) The Governing Body Commissioner (Spiritual Head) of ISKCON South Africa;⁶¹ (iii) The Temple President / Chairman of ISKCON KZN

(iv) 3 visiting spiritual masters (2 White males and 1 Black male).

The 4 resident devotees were selected using the following criteria: since I was investigating the identity construction of resident devotees it was appropriate that

residents on the temple premises be sampled, and that the sample adequately represented gender and race. The elite^6,1 informers consisted of the visiting spiritual masters and the head of ISKCON South Africa who were interviewed to provide the rich data

investigated in my critical questions. This would include information about the institution, and would provide a validation process for information derived from the resident sample and documentary evidence. An important difference between the resident and elite samples is that the elite sample consisted of three disciples of

Bhaktivedanta Swami who are now fulfilling a role of spiritual masters within ISKCON who may be referred to as first generation devotees, and the resident sample consisted of devotees who are disciples of the disciples of Bhaktivedanta Swami, referred here to as second generation devotees. I summarize the biographical data of the resident and elite respondents in Table 2.2 and 2.3.

The categories Initiated/Not initiated and Renunciant need explanation. An initiated devotee is one who has committed himself to following the instructions and guidance of one of several gurus in ISKCON, from whom he takes "initiation".

1 Also a spiritual master, traveling preacher, scholar and presenter of seminars on Gaudiya Vaisnava and ISKCON philosophy internationally.

The elite status is due to their length of time as members (more than twenty years), being spiritually astute practitioners of the activities of ISKCON, renunciant in status, proficient in scripture, and holding various managerial and spiritual roles in ISKCON, and having the status as spiritual masters.

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In ISKCON this means that the disciple, in a formal ceremony, vows to chant on his rosary a minimum of 16 rounds⁶⁷ of the maha-mantra daily, and vows to follow four religious principles, viz. no gambling, no intoxication (including cigarettes, tea and coffee), no meat eating (including fish and eggs), and no illicit sex, i.e. outside of marriage and only for procreation (Subhananda das, 1990). There are three levels of initiation; viz. the first is called harinam initiation. After his progress is monitored and certain levels of "advancement" are achieved, the disciple may be awarded second initiation, receiving the Brahma Gayatri. A third category of initiation is the sannyasa or renunciant status. To explain renunciant, it is understood that in the Vedic socio- cultural system called varnashrama there are four spiritual orders, and four social orders. The spiritual orders are: brahmacari (celibate student), grhastha (householder/married life),

vanaprastha (retired householder life), and sannyasi (renounced order). To enter into renunciant status, very specific mandatory and spiritual norms are in place about conduct, spiritual

astuteness, proficiency in scripture, and history of devotee's commitment and participation. The sannyasi takes a vow to remain totally celibate for the remainder of his life and simply dedicate his life to the cultivation of spirituality and becomes a traveling preacher (Bhaktivedanta Swami,

1968). The four spiritual masters interviewed belong to this category of renunciants. In the case of the spiritual masters interviewed, except one, all have received initiation from Bhaktivedanta Swami. These features have implications for my study on identity as each of these categories have different social and spiritual role functions which will impact on the identity of the devotees.