A Shrinking Denomination Looking into the Cell Approach

http://www.acpi.org.uk/articles/explainingcellchurch.htm

I find this article relevant because I consider it to be a balanced, no-hype introduction to the concept of moving to a small group model in one's community.

This comes from the Anglican Church Planting Initiatives, from UK. The Anglican Church has been experiencing a dramatic decrease in membership.

Just to give an idea, this is the title and the beginning of an article from Christian Today, written in 2006:

Statistics Suggest Anglican Church of Canada in Huge Decline

The Anglican Church of Canada has experienced a huge decline over the past 40 years, according to a new independent survey.

by Daniel Blake

Posted: Monday, February 13, 2006, 18:50 (GMT)

The Anglican Church of Canada has experienced a huge decline over the past 40 years, according to a new independent survey.

Over the period of 1961 to 2001 the Canadian region of the worldwide Anglican Church has lost 53% of its members, with numbers declining from 1.36 million to just 642,000.

An even more worrying sign for the worldwide Church is that the survey suggested that the decline is accelerating.

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From the article "The Shrinking Church of England" we learn that:

In the 35 years from 1971 to 2006 the Church of England has declined by 43.5%.

I.e it has just about halved in terms of it’s Sunday attendance.

In the 35 years from 1971 to 2006 the Population of England has grown by 9.37%

I.e it has grown by about a 1/10th.

http://anselmic.wordpress.com/2008/04/07/the-shrinking-church-of-england/

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It would be natural to expect that they would look into alternative approaches to evangelism and more effective Church dynamics in general.

A Temple with Cells or a Cell Community with Temple/s?

This is something I wrote a couple of years ago. I re-read it today and I found it still relevant; perhaps more relevant today (we are closer to the future today than two years ago, right?). As I keep working on the curriculum for "Building Vibrant Vaisnava Communities," these issues keep coming up and force themselves as fundamental for the consideration of our next generation of leaders.

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A Temple with Bhakti-vriksha or a Bhakti-vriksha with Temple/s?

A friend raised the following points, which I found stimulating. I address them here, inviting others to share their doubts, views, experiences, insights and prescriptions.

"My observation of BV and trying to implement it, is that it is often a separate initiative from the temple and its bag of programs. It becomes another program that has to compete for mindshare and resources, rather than becoming the new strategic organizational structure for the yatra . . . It requires cutting back on programs and building the cellular focus as the basis for everything."

I find this meditation stimulating and urgent for long-term vision of how our movement should develop.

Historically, ISKCON in the West started small. I am not referring specifically to Srila Prabhupada's (an army or one) landing and gaining a foothold in the United States. I am thinking of the dynamics of the first few temples: small and intimate, family-like, and which after a short span of few months would "multiply": a few devotees from one center would pack their bags and move to another city to start a new temple.

This original dynamics of expansion of course reminds of the process of expansion of cell groups (or Bhakti-vrikshas, in our terminology). The difference being that the division and doubling in the cell system the multiplication mostly happens in the same city, while in the infancy of ISKCON would happen from one city to another.

Srila Prabhupada spoke clear directions on opening a temple while lecturing in the Los Angeles temple, which was previously used as a church:

"I am very much pleased that you are worshiping Deity very nicely, gorgeously. But in India you will find there are so many temples. Of course, it requires the energy. Otherwise here also, there are so many churches. Now they are being closed. This church, this was a church. Now it was closed. There was no customer. And now it is filled up. Why? The same church, the same men, the same spot. It is due to real knowledge. So if you go on simply opening centers, if there is no knowledge then it will again become a closed church someday. So don't do that. Before opening a center you must have perfect worshiper, perfect devotees. Not perfect; at least those who are willing to become. Then open. Otherwise, simply chant."

(Lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.1.42, Los Angeles, 23 July 1975)

So, first of all apparently Srila Prabhupada was talking about to the set-up that includes regular Deity worship, not just any preaching center. Secondly, he instructed to open the temple *after* having devotees. I read in this instruction that the congregation, the community of worshipers, should come before the establishment of the temple, the temple (building and programs) a manifestation of their desire and need to congregate to worship the "Deity very nicely, gorgeously."

And actually it makes a lot of sense: a community of devotees ("those who are willing to become" perfect), decides that they want to upgrade their service to include elaborate Deity adoration, that they want to have a large common space for worship. They pull their financial capacity together and manifest the temple.

But, one might wonder, how the community will grow and come to the point of being able to open and maintain a temple *without* having a temple in the first place?

The question could be answered by another question:

One the community would grow if, instead of putting energy in building the congregation, we invest all our time and money to open and run a temple?

In other words--and we have seen it happening--when temple opening (or building or in some cases even renting) is given chronological priority over the building of the congregation, what may happen is that all the efforts focus on keeping the temple open and running, all the time is investing in collecting funds and worshiping the Deity, and as a result the temple-residents don't have neither time nor energy to cultivate the local human beings who could become devotees.

Building a congregation doesn't depend on having first a temple established (and, having the temple first might often reveal an obstacle to building the congregation). The congregation can be build when people are cultivated in a personal, individual way in small groups and when they are encouraged and empower to replicate the setting by taking responsibility to become reference points for other seekers. In other words, the cell approach: a group practices and grows in their faith and spiritual taste, in their vision and compassion, in their sense of duty towards the mission, and the mechanism should be in place to expand the number of groups to keep them intimate and to allow for leadership expansion. The structure of course should be carefully monitored and supervised for optimizing purity, care, quality and missionary performance.

A community of active congregational preachers can penetrate society and grow to massive proportions even before establishing an official location for gatherings and worship.

A key issue is the vision we have of the candidates for the community. Do we see new people simply as potential donors (milking cows) or as potential missionaries? Srila Prabhupada wrote: "We are interested more in preaching members than in the sleeping members" (letter of September 1955).

Temples have an important place in Lord Caitanya's movement; but they should be (sustainable) manifestations of the devotion of active communities of practitioners, not as imaginary pre-requisites for preaching, as (paradoxically) self-defeating attempts at expansion.

Often it's more of a psychological dependence on "the building," the mistaken notion that having secured a place (four walls and a roof) correspond to having established Krishna consciousness in a city.

Krishna consciousness is in the heart of those who practice it, and the power of expansion is with the madhyama-adhikari preacher. Without that presence building can turn into empty shells, difficult to maintain and unattractive to the public. The vibrancy of love in sadhu-sanga, the transformational clarity of Krishna-katha, the joy of the congregational chanting, the shelter and purification of japa, and the excitement of the missionary spirit are the infallible ingredients of expansion. When these elements are ignited, activated in the Bhakti-vriksha setting, lives will change, minds will illuminate, energy will spring forth like fire from wood. It will then be a matter of management to see that such groups are protected and monitored in an organizational structure.

Such structure (when spiritually healthy and properly supervised) has the power (spiritual and economic) to establish not one, but many temples, many centers for larger gatherings and assemblies. So, a Bhakti-vriksha Program, when properly developed, can be the source of temples; but a temple without a clear plan for cultivation, care and empowerment of its constituency (through small, cohesive, active and outreaching groups) might end up "like the burden of a beast or like one's keeping a cow without milking capacity" (SB 11.11.18).

Fear of Replacement/Displacement

Following from the end of the previous entry, where I was talking about the phenomenon of not always focusing on developing the human and devotional potential we already have, I want to discuss one possible cause: the fear of being surpassed by these people.

Yes, many members of our congregation--although they might not have experienced the strict life of asceticism afforded to ashram residents--they are actually extremely brilliant and resourceful people; often more experienced, prepared and functional of many of our temple residents.

Even if they are not "better" than the temple devotees, just the fact that they may be on the same level (in terms of faith, intelligence, age, communication skills, earning power, dedication to spiritual advancement, etc.) constitutes an unspoken threat to some of the ashram residents.

Some temple devotees might assume that living and serving in a formal ISKCON building automatically qualifies them as "spiritually more" than the home-based devotees. Of course we would be hardly pressed to find scriptural support for such a view; it would be hard (if not impossible) to find anything in Srila Prabhupada's books that indicates that the place where one sleeps determines the person's advancement in bhakti.

Of course, of course, the opportunity of living in close, daily contact with Deities and devotees offers a stupendous chance for growing spiritually, but (just to refresh on the ABC of comprehension), according to Srila Prabhupada in the Preface of the Nectar of Instruction: "Advancement in Krishna consciousness depends on the attitude of the follower."

"But," someone might ask, "living in a temple doesn't demonstrate a higher level of surrender? It doesn't show that that particular follower possesses a better attitude, and therefore he is more advanced?"

Short answer: No, it doesn't.

More elaborate answer: We do respect those that reside in the ashrams of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness; among them some might be very advanced on the path to pure love of God and they might be fully surrendered souls. We don't deny or minimize that. At the same time the fact of taking shelter in a temple is not, by itself, proof of a higher consciousness than that of a home-based devotee. No sastra would support such an idea.

We are not saying or implying that those who live in the temple do so only because they are incapable of functioning outside; this is not our view. At the same time spiritual advancement and the related attitude isn't dependent on where are we based.

Would anyone consider Srila Prabhupada in his grihastha years as less advanced (or possessing a lesser attitude) than his Godbrothers who were then living in the Gaudiya Math temples?

Would anyone consider Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura as "less" in any way of some contemporary sadhu sheltered in an ashram?

And what about Ambarisa Maharaja? What about the Pandavas? The list can go on and on.

"But," someone might argue, "those are exceptional examples! Special souls already situated in the lila!"

Yes, OK, but even if we look around--today--we will see many devotees in our Society, men and women, that while living with their families maintain a high standard of Krishna consciousness and even take important responsibilities in missionary activities.

To refer again to Srila Prabhupada's words, this time in a letter: "Actually there is no difference between devotees living inside the temple and devotees living outside the temple" (to Susan Beckman, 29 September 1972).

In one sense, between two devotees "in good standing" (following their initiation vows and engaging as much as possible in devotional service), one living in the temple and one living at home and maintaining a family, I would be tempted to consider the one living at home as more... reliable. In what sense? Well, he is demonstrating the capacity of maintaining his standards even in relatively disadvantageous circumstances, in the middle of many other responsibilities and challenges. The one in the temple is, yes, also in good shape, but--the doubt may come--would he be able to maintain his Krishna consciousness if he were to move outside the ashrama?

History as shown time and again that many devotees who perform well while inside the temple, once outside slide into a much lower level of consciousness and intensity of absorption.

I think you get the idea I am expressing here: devotees who are performing well as home-based are proving their worth every day, without the various natural support systems offered by cloistered life; those who live inside would have to demonstrate that they can do the same.

Anyway, back to the original point, the fear of replacement. This is not (necessarily) a fear that one's position and service be transferred to another devotee (a home-based one) in the strictly managerial sense. Often is the fear of loosing the grip on the more subtle aspects, the social distinctions of prestige and respect, the aura of extraordinariness that goes with residing in or officially leading a temple.

Sometimes the temple-devotee realizes that another devotee (living outside) is just better situated in many ways: his maturity, his patience, his vision, his organizational skills, his experience, his emotional balance, his humility, his education... (and the list could go on). The temple-devotee feels threatened, thinking that his position is now shaky in front of such a formidable challenge. Even if the home-based devotee doesn't aspire to replace him, the fear generated by the comparison can inspire a subtle ostracism.

Let's remember that Srila Prabhupada in 1977 personally appointed a congregational devotee as GBC! (I am talking of Vasudeva Prabhu, from Fiji.) That was more than thirty years ago, when qualified congregational devotees were much fewer than today. Nowadays, in 2008 (almost 2009) the cultural bias against empowering anyone who lives at home doesn't have any reason to continue existing.

We should learn from the history and the demographics of our movement. Kripamoya Prabhu relates that, in a recent survey of 23 ISKCON initiating spiritual masters, the number of disciples living at home reached 96% percent of the total (and this without considering that among those who took initiation while living in the temple a good percentage, if not the majority, will eventually move outside).

I am simply saying that in our movement there is no theological basis to discriminate: brahminical initiation (and therefore direct access to Deity worship) is open to everyone in the Caitanya Sampradaya. What to speak of other services and responsibility.

Unfortunately the tendency of protecting one's privileged status is intrinsic in conditioned human nature, and it will push one to resist opening up the door of opportunity to qualified candidates. This anartha is not circumscribed to the Indian subcontinent, to such groups as the members of the nityananda-vamsa, "who claim to be direct descendants of Lord Nityananda and therefore worthy of the highest respect for their position . . . They further claimed that the practice and spreading of devotional service belonged only to their particular class" (SB 11.1.5, purport).

Such misplaced pride is also not the monopoly of those "fools and rascals in India who do not allow Western Vaisnavas to enter certain temples" (CC Madhya 16.187, purport).

No, unfortunately this tendency is alive and manifest every time a member of our community is considered less (or treated as less) simply on the basis of his being financially self-sufficient.

We might not have a caste system in ISKCON, not in the commonly understood sense, but I suspect that the caste mentality and the "pride of residence" is still very much burning in some people's heart.

Our movement has to grow beyond this phase and psychic condition; only when we can truly discover the existing human and devotional potential already in front of our eyes we will be able to flourish as a mature community.

Note on the illustration: The hand could belong to a home-based devotee who, although ostracized, maintains his enthusiasm and his loyalty to Srila Prabhupada. The shark could represent... well, decide yourself who that might represent.

"Building Vibrant Vaisnava Communities" - Working on the Curriculum

I am in ISKCON Radhadesh, Belgium, www.radhadesh.com - www.bhaktivedantacollege.com, putting together the course called (working title) "Building Vibrant Vaisnava Communities."

The course will be part of the 2-year leadership course the GBC Succession Committee is preparing and planning to launch on three continents within 2009. The idea is that people would attend six terms of two weeks each (a total of twelve weeks), and will practice what they learn in the intervals (approximately of three and half months after every term).

The whole program is designed to equip future (and present) leaders in our movement: Temple Presidents, GBCs, etc.

I was requested to take care of the module called "Preaching Strategies," a total of fifteen lessons, roughly divided into congregational development and various other aspects of propagation.

The work is proceeding satisfactorily, although it's obvious that people won't learn how to build a healthy community in six or seven lessons... The pastoral mentality and skills required, might take years (or rather lifetimes) to develop.

At least the course will offer the chance for an overview of the foundational principles necessary, of some of the approaches and tools available, of some of the obstacles, of some of the important financial considerations... better than nothing I guess. If the participants already have a strong inclination towards the service the information and the exchanges should be useful. And of course any leader in ISKCON should know something about congregational dynamics--if for no other reason at least because the vast majority of ISKCON members (probably more than 95%) are home-based.

Sometimes I notice--with a certain perplexity--that devotees see congregational development as one of the many things we do, but actually taking care of, organizing and empowering the home-based devotees (men and women of all ages and their children) should be considered, quantitatively, the main activity. Neglecting that activity results in loosing on the huge potential this mass of devoted humanity possess. Think of all the book distribution they could do, if properly coached; think of the money they could donate, if properly trained in the "50% principle"; think of the amount of cultivation of new people they could provide; think of the number of "centers" we would automatically activate if we could inspire them to become reference points for their neighborhood and friends.

Let me share here a couple of quotes:

"Everyone can execute the cult of Krsna consciousness at home . . . It is not that we have to open different centers all over the world. Whoever cares for the Krsna consciousness movement can install Deities at home and, under superior guidance, worship the Deity regularly, chanting the maha-mantra and discussing the Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam. We are actually teaching in our classes how to go about this."

CC Madhya-lila 3.190, purport

“That is Caitanya Mahaprabhu's instruction. . . . You deliver your village people and become a guru. Everyone is not going to be so big that he can go all over the world. But everyone can teach within his limit, within his family, within his community, within his village, within his town, within his district. As he is capable, he can increase. But everyone can become a guru and deliver the local people. How? Yare dekha, tare kaha 'krsna'-upadesa [Cc. Madhya 7.128]. Then you are guru.”

Room Conversation, 21 August 1975, Bombay

So everyone can establish a center in his or her home and everyone can become a guru.

Sometime I sense that we are not investing enough time and energy in realizing these instructions of the Founder-Acarya. I sense that we need to learn to work smarter and not necessarily harder. The potential is there; the people are there. But we often leave it rotting.

Why we do that?

There are many reasons, which I think could be useful to analyze (in other entries). One reason though is that in some places we have to move away from the "hunter/gatherer" mentality to the "cultivator/agriculturalist" dimension of existence. It's a jump in civilization that may be required.

We might be still romantically see preaching simply as the adventurous business of penetrating new areas and introducing the message to new people, while the people who are already convinced, converted and committed languish under the burden of prejudice, lack of guidance and paucity of vision for their potential.

Thinking about Groupthink

Groupthink is defined as "a type of thought exhibited by group members who try to minimize conflict and reach consensus without critically testing, analyzing and evaluating ideas. . . . members of the group avoid promoting viewpoints outside the comfort zone of consensus thinking."

The motives that have been identified include wishing to avoid being seen as foolish, as disloyal or as a "separatist." Sometimes it's just the burning, desperate desire for acceptance that makes us subordinate our power of discrimination to whatever the circumstantial leader or reigning "culture" wants us to do or think.

Eight symptoms of groupthink

1. Illusions of invulnerability creating excessive optimism and encouraging risk taking.
2. Rationalizing warnings that might challenge the group's assumptions.
3. Unquestioned belief in the morality of the group, causing members to ignore the consequences of their actions.
4. Stereotyping those who are opposed to the group as weak, evil, disfigured, impotent, or stupid.
5. Direct pressure to conform placed on any member who questions the group, couched in terms of "disloyalty".
6. Self censorship of ideas that deviate from the apparent group consensus.
7. Illusions of unanimity among group members, silence is viewed as agreement.
8. Mindguards — self-appointed members who shield the group from dissenting information.

After reading the above list I thought: "Wow, we might be world champions in groupthink!" Then I corrected myself: "In some culturally remote and intellectually backward pockets of our movement we might be ideal examples of groupthink."

I don't plan for this to be a long entry, so I won't get into analyzing each of the above symptoms; but let me have a go at one or two:

"Rationalizing warnings that might challenge the group's assumptions."

We might assume that our methods of spreading Krishna consciousness are perfect and unassailable. Therefore we rationalize that it's not our fault that we are not inspiring more people to surrender to the life of bhakti-yoga. We might say: "Yes, other religious groups grow much more than us, but it's only because our principles are so high!" Well, in certain areas (like matrimonial discipline) some other groups are much more rigorous than us, with higher and stricter standards.

Enamored by our assumptions of infallibility, we fend off suggestions that we should improve our methodology in proselytizing.

We create a "theology of failure" to legitimate our poor performances at persuasion: "Yes, we get very few people to chant Hare Krishna, but we are selling books and these will all become devotees in their next life!" (chorus: "Jaya! Jayaaa!! JAYAAAAA!!!")

Here is a classic one, thoroughly and painfully documented in the history of our Society:

"Unquestioned belief in the morality of the group, causing members to ignore the consequences of their actions."

We are sadly familiar with the sub-culture generated by this delusion: anything goes in the service of Krishna! Since Krishna is absolute (oops, capital A, sorry...), since Krishna is Absolute, I was saying, all that we do in His service is also Absolute. Therefore breaking state laws and breaking even basic ethical principles is completely authorized, or rather recommended. The glitter of short-term apparent gain blinds us to the long-term inner and outer reactions. (We thought the law of karma did not apply to us...)

As a consequence our devotees may develop a thuggish mentality that keeps them at the margins of civilized society. The movement deservedly gains a poor, tainted reputation.

Social psychologist Clark McCauley's identified three conditions under which groupthink occurs:

• Directive leadership.
• Homogeneity of members' social background and ideology.
• Isolation of the group from outside sources of information and analysis.

As our movement grows in maturity and diversity (and as we focus on attracting more intelligent people, from the educated classes), these causal factors will gradually slacken. How much work is there in your place?

Money Madness

Andy Serwer and Allan Sloan write today in their Time article "How Financial Madness Overtook Wall Street":

"If you're having a little trouble coping with what seems to be the complete unraveling of the world's financial system, you needn't feel bad about yourself. It's horribly confusing, not to say terrifying; even people like us, with a combined 65 years of writing about business, have never seen anything like what's going on."

Under the relentless push of greed, financial operations kept becoming more and more esoteric and hard to grasp--even for those whose fortunes depended on them. Nearly incomprehensible schemes were hatched and accepted due to the belief in the words of the professionals who voiced for their plausibility and reliability. Unfortunately all involved suffered from bhrama, pramada, vipralipsa and karanapatava (the tendency to make mistakes, being prone to illusion, cheating propensities and imperfected senses) and their heady tricks caused a situation in which, in the words of the authors: "Banks and other financial companies around the globe are struggling to pull themselves out of this mess," "All of us are now paying the price for Wall Street's excesses," and "Whatever the politicians do, we as a society are going to be poorer than we were. . . . Coping in this new world will require adjustments by millions of Americans. We all will have to start living within our means — or preferably below them."

By the way, Badrinarayana Prabhu brought attention to "a recent article in the Reader's Digest about a family that made a vow to not spend one dollar beyond bills for utilities, mortgage, and a very minimum food budget--- for a month. The father writes "We found we could get a perfectly delicious free lunch at the local Hare Krishna temple". Now these folks are emblems of middle-class mid-America, but there they are, dropping by their local Hare Krishna temple for prasadam lunch. That make visiting a temple about as mainstream as you can get."

But, besides the opportunities uncovered by widespread misery, the circumstances remind us of the grim Bhagavatam prophesies: "He who can maintain a family will be regarded as an expert man" (SB 12.2.6) and "Harassed by famine and excessive taxes, people will resort to eating leaves, roots, flesh, wild honey, fruits, flowers and seeds. Struck by drought, they will become completely ruined" (SB 12.2.9).

For sober, frugal devotees there are words of comfort and encouragement in the Time article: "If you don't overborrow or overspend, you're far less vulnerable to whatever problems the financial system may have."

Today's Politicians & Today's Devotees

The media is abuzz with news of the upcoming USA presidential election.

Thankfully, I am not an American citizen and I don't really need to consider if I should vote for Obama or for McCain. Yet, it's a time that inspires to meditate on general issues of left and right, of liberality or conservatism, and how it all applies to those who endeavor to align with Lord Krishna in every matter, including participating in choosing their country's commander in chief.

I assume that many devotees won't bother to vote.

Some devotees will vote for Obama, some for McCain (just as some in the last election, I hear, voted for Bush).

Some will consider Obama closer to ISKCON's values and perspectives because he grew up in a home in which the book shelf hosted, among other books, the Bible, the Koran and the Bhagavad-gita (don't ask me what edition...).

Some will consider McCain closer to an ideal enlightened monarch because he officially poses as an anti-abortionist (despite his ambiguous stance on the subject, his choice of the determinedly pro-life Sarah Palin as running mate tends to reinforce his appearance as protector of the fetuses).

Some devotees will identify more with Obama because his vague but insistent peddling of CHANGE reverberates with the profound change they expressed by joining the Hare Krishna movement.

Other Vaisnavas will support McCain because his (largely passive) heroism during the Vietnam years reminds them of the ksatriyas of yesteryear.

It's difficult to get voted into power by a politically, culturally, economically, religiously and racially fragmented constituency. The candidates know that and I find almost endearing (almost) to witness their theatrics, their frantic gyrating and cautious tiptoeing on and around hot subjects, their vertiginous, straight-faced shifts on issues and emphases, and the merciless scrutiny they endure in the pursuit of their dream of reaching a four-year stint at the White House.

In any case, as Srila Prabhupada warily notes in the First Canto:

"The modern elected executive head of a state is just like a puppet because he has no kingly power. Even if he is enlightened like Maharaja Yudhisthira, he cannot do anything out of his own good will due to his constitutional position" (SB 1.10.3p).

Democracy is the government of the vaisyas (the kali-yuga brand of ruthless vaisyas, a far cry from the Vrajavasis led by Nanda Maharaja). No candidate has any choice of success without securing the approval of Big Money, without convincing the big capitalists who control the media and other empires that he will be a loyal servant of their interests.

Whoever wins will have to toll the line. Or get unceremoniously removed from their present position (or present body).

Survey on ISKCON Leadership Structuring

We are working on asking different devotees what they think about certain issues related to the structuring of ISKCON: the role and authority of the GBC zonal secretary in his area; the nature and function of the RGBs (Regional Governing Bodies); the application of certain instructions by Srila Prabhupada on these matters; the financing of the different levels of the Society, and so on.

If you are interested in these subject and would like to share your thoughts, please contact me personally at: iskconoclast@gmail.com. In case I don't know you personally I will require some basic information on who you are. In any case you are requested to keep the questions of the survey confidential.

Anarchy, Fractional Reserve Banking and ISKCON

Today I was talking with a very senior devotee; he said that ISKCON is an a state of anarchy. I didn't agree on the description and I offered a different analysis of the situation of ISKCON structure and operation worldwide.

I compared the trust of the devotees in the GBC in the faith that people have in the current banking system, technically and somewhat euphemistically called fractional reserve banking, in which only a small portion of the deposits are actually available for redemption by the clients. In other words the idea that our money is safely stored in impenetrable bank vaults represents a myth, a mere illusion. This psychological phenomenon maintains the modern system afloat.

Similarly in some places the ISKCON system of spiritual/administrative supervision is largely (not entirely) an empty structure of nominal responsibilities, lack of assessment on performances, unclear lines of command, vague checks and balances, missing job descriptions, contradictory legal statuses and plain neglect. The system survives more as a psycho-emotional entity than as an organized organization with short, medium and long term planning in place.

Well... now that I think of it, it does look pretty much like anarchy!

PS - the present situation allows the local manifestations of totalitarianism, autocratic expressions of illegitimate power.

PPS - Thank God, God exists and has a plan. The present inconsistencies could be possibly classified as the growing pain of a divinely inspired movement that expanded too much too quickly, sometimes "running on empty" socially, culturally, economically and even morally.

PPPS - I look forward to the next phase, in which professionalism, maturity and spirituality will likely manifest much more homogeneously throughout the International Society of Krishna Consciousness.

Srila Prabhupada on Seeing

From a lecture on SB 2.1.1-5, given in Boston, on the 22 December 1969:

Eyes means introspection. Therefore Vedic culture says, eyes... Sastra-caksus: "You should see through sastra. Don't try to see by these eyes." These are, what is the value of this eye? They are conditioned in so many ways. You don't believe the eyes. See through the sastra, through the spiritual master, through the sastra. Try to see through this. That is perfect seeing.

Today: the Worst Way of Serving Prasadam

Actually the method doesn't even deserve the verb 'serving'.

The "system" is: someone brings breakfast prasadam (generally the morning maha plus something cooked in larger quantity and a drink) to the prasadam hall in plastic buckets of different sizes (often without enough spoons for serving); then people come and make their plates. No one is serving. Often there are no plates, cups or spoons for the guests. There is no way of assuring that those who come a little later will get everything (Today, for instance, one of the first devotees to arrive took three of the dozen or so puris; if the first four people to arrive do as he did, the next 10-12 people won't get any puri...).

On top of that the devotees eat and walk away, without bothering to clean the place where they took prasadam and often leaving painfully obvious signs of subji and other remnants smudged around where the plate was.

Although also unacceptable, a better way would be that one or two devotees stand behind the containers and serve the devotees, who stand on line with their plate. This is also a sub-cultured system, but unfortunately it has been adopted even in Sridham Mayapur (where people are supposedly meant to learn Gaudiya Vaisnava culture) during the last Gaura Purnima Festival.

"The" system is that devotees sit in rows on the floor--chairs and tables could be provided for those who have trouble sitting cross-legged--and then the preparations are served, again and again, till everyone is satisfied. No need of getting up; no need of asking for any particular item (it will come around). At the end one server ask each individual if he needs anything.

In this way the devotees have daily the chance to serve each other, honoring the commandment of Srila Rupa Goswami. Expert servers gauge the amount of prasadam and the quantity they will be able to dispense to avoid that someone remains without some preparation.

The consciousness and the techniques of serving affects the culture, the mood, the spiritual advancement and the digestion of the participants. Investing in doing it right assures a pleasant, productive and Krishna conscious experience. It's worth the effort.

The Holy Mystery of the Flying Socks

You have probably seen it: the mangala arati is over and the Tulasi puja is about to start; from the devotees in attendance one reaches the mat on which he will stand and then removes the socks, spectacularly flinging them to the nearest wall--possibly ten meters away--from which they bounce and come to rest as crumpled balls.

Having witnessed this cherished liturgy for a number of years and in a number of places, I ask myself?

Is this ritual of removing the socks necessary (independently if they are thrown or not)?

Who introduced or promoted it?

What's wrong with the devotees' socks at 5:00 am? Already dirty?

If they are attempting to maintain a brahminical standard of puja attire, which mandates the removal of all sewn clothing, why they keep the t-shirts, kurtas, sweaters, jackets and so on?

Is it an offense to offer puja to Tulasi Devi wearing socks? If yes, in which scriptural text or commentary is it mentioned?

To me the tradition appears as superfluous, in a similar league with "the cat in the basket" and "the Kumbha-mela excrement shrine."

PS - I remain completely open to be convinced that is necessary to remove the socks, if someone explains it to me with sastric evidence or/and common sense.

A Very Nice Janmastami

Mexico City, 24 August 2008, Sri Sri Radha-Madan-Gopal Temple

The days started early, by waking up spontaneously (if you don't include the Vayasaki bhajan CD playing loudly in the nearby temple room) at 3:15 am. It always helps to chant a few rounds before mangala-arati...

Mangala-arati was the most attended I ever saw here: young and senior devotees alike filled up the temple. For the occasion we sang Vibhavari Sesa instead of the customary Guruvastaka prayers.

After Tulasi puja I went for a japa-walk with my wife, Sri Radha Govinda Dasi, to the nearby Chapultepec garden, where Srila Prabhupada used to walk.

Later I gave a one hour internet lecture to a devotee community in the Middle East. I based the speech on a class Srila Prabhupada gave forty years ago, on 16 August 1968 in Montreal, on Janmastami. Srila Prabhupada elaborated on the janma karma ca me divyam verse (Bg 4.9), where Krishna says that whoever understand the divine nature of his appearance and activities won't take birth again in this material world. I hope the audience enjoyed the talk as much as I enjoyed giving it.

Then I spoke for a couple of hours with Aravinda Prabhu. He leads the work of the BBT in Mexico, Central America and parts of South America, by planning, producing and directly distributing books. He is also involved with the Mexican National Council and the Mexico City temple administration. He came to Mexico City from Cueramaro, some four hours North of here, where, in a rural setting, he organized and is teaching a residential, full-immersion Bhakti-sastri course. This two-month educational retreat constitutes a first for Spanish-speaking Latin America. The course includes the participation of guest professors HH Dhanvantari Swami (from Brazil) and of HH Guru Prasad Swami (Mexico's GBC). Aravinda invited me to teach the whole Sri Isopanisad next month, and I gladly accepted.

Later on I was doing a little introductory research on the Isa or Isavasya Upanisad in the internet and I came across some interesting academic references (including the surprising: "Isavasya Upanisad - The Doctrine of the Immanence of Jesus" with commentary by aProf. M.M. Ninan, who believes that Hinduism came from Christianity).

At 4:30 pm I gave a lecture in the temple. The local administration had entitled the speech: "The Mysticism of Chanting the Holy Names." It was intended to be an introduction to chanting, but seeing many devotees in the audience and being Janmastami, I concentrated on describing Janmastami--connecting the lila with the chanting when I could.

As usual, the main challenge connected with the fasting was weakness, rather than hunger. The legs started to feel wobbly after 6:00 pm, but the spirit was emboldened by the exciting reggae and ska performance of a local devotee group.

The program went on more or less smoothly. The main hitch was failing for about a hour to connect by skype with His Holiness Hridayananda Maharaja for a live lecture. Finally the connection was established and we all heard and saw this highly scholarly and humorous luminary.

The prasada (ekadasi style) deserves mention: somehow the devotees managed to produce in sufficient quality a kind of delicious preparation that involves cabbage leaves stuffed with nuts and other ingredients, apparently a labor-intensive recipe.

It was my first Janmastami in Sri Sri Radha-Madan-Gopal temple, but a regular told me that it was one of the best ever.

The Sad State of Affairs of ISKCON Mexico

I have been invited to become the GBC here I have been in the country for the last three months. This is an exploratory tour--I have not yet committed to take up the service. I have been traveling and getting to know the devotees. I have been to Tijuana, Mexico City, Leon, Guadalajara, Saltillo and Monterrey.

The situation of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, after nearly 38 years of preaching, is disconcerting.

ISKCON Mexico hasn't managed to produce even one initiating spiritual master. By comparison Italy, a smaller country and a yatra started around the same time, has produced four gurus (OK, two of them faced personal problems and relinquished the duty, but two are still active).

Srila Prabhupada visited Mexico twice, the maximum number of visits to any Spanish-speaking country.

In the thirty years after Srila Prabhupada's departure we have not managed to secure even one new property or temple in the name of ISKCON. The only premises legally in control of the Society are those of the temple that Srila Prabhupada visited.

Legally the devotees have secured the status of an "A.R." (Asociacion Religiosa), or a Religious Society recognized by the government, but the Board of Directors hardly meets and includes people who have been inactive for so long that the official secretary doesn't even remember their names.

The ad hoc National Council isn't faring much better: largely apathetic and fuzzily defined (some people are members in name only), they hardly even meet with a quorum. Two members have recently been suspended for adultery.

I could go on and on describing different anomalies, past scandals, existing tensions and individual and collective struggles, but I categorically refuse to adduce the intrinsic nature of Mexicans as the reason. In fact I must report that Mexico appears as one of the best places on the planet for spreading Krishna consciousness. Expert book distributors who traveled throughout Latin America consider Mexico as the best place to sell Srila Prabhupada books, and some of them travel transferred here from distant countries to take advantage of the local receptivity. People are friendly and naturally respectful, open and inquisitive. The Sunday program in the capital is always packed with people from all age groups. And I could go on and on describing the marvelous opportunities offered by this country of almost 110 million people.

There are signs of life and growth; for instance in Mexico City there are already 14 active Nama-hatta youth groups and this indicates that the potential for development and success is great.

Brooms and Other Cleaning Utensils in Srila Prabhupada's Room

In the temple where I am at the moment there is Srila Prabhupada's room. Actually Srila Prabhupada visited twice this temple, and therefore his room is "really" his room. There is also a Deity sitting in the room (in the "holding the translation microphone" mudra), and in front of the deity sit, day and night, brooms and other cleaning utensils.

Question: If Srila Prabhupada were present in a more recognizable fashion (in other words, physically present), would the devotees keep the cleaning utensils in the same room, visible 24 hours by Srila Prabhupada?

Answer: No way!

Therefore it seems:

1. that the perception of Srila Prabhupada's presence is vastly diminished.

2. that the administration of the temple is vastly neglectful of such "details."

3. that a deep rejuvination of conscience is badly needed to avoid such oversights.

Back to Basics... I Mean, Forward to Basics

Competing brands of Gaudiya-vaisnavism at times claim that Srila Prabhupada only gave the basics, and that ISKCON people need to take shelter in their representatives to accede to higher dimensions of bhakti.

I beg to disagree. Besides the insulting and indefensible remark that ISKCON’s Founder-Acarya didn’t provide his followers with enough directions to achieve whatever is there to achieve, I would propose that ISKCON—or at least a good percentage of its members—need to go in the different direction. My observation is that devotees would tremendously benefit by absorbing themselves in the narrations of Mahabharata and Ramayana, thus imbibing the fundamental ethical values presented therein.

This morning the Bhagavatam verse we discussed included: “Ajamila could understand the religious principles that act under the three modes of material nature. These principles are mentioned in the three Vedas. He could also understand the transcendental religious principles, which are above the modes of material nature and which concern the relationship between the living being and the Supreme Personality of Godhead” (SB 6.2.24-25).

This made me reflect that without the “ordinary” religious parameters underpinning one’s personal existence it is very difficult—also for devotees—to maintain a modicum of advancement in devotional life.

Lord Krishna says in Bhagavad-gita (18.5): “Acts of sacrifice, charity and penance are not to be given up; they must be performed. Indeed, sacrifice, charity and penance purify even the great souls.”

Without a basic sense of sacrifice (that which renders sacred) we risk a functional disconnection from Lord Caitanya’s spirit and mission. Without regular participation in sankirtana-yajna (in its various forms, from book distribution to harinam) our enthusiasm and ongoing purification might simply dry up.

Charity is in many cases conspicous by its absence. Regular giving is often neglected. The many instructions of Srila Prabhupada on the subject are ignored and disregarded. As a result some of our grihastha develop a niggardly mentality—unsuitable for aspiring great souls—centered on a fear-based conception of life. Another consequence is that devotees gets burdened with accumulated karma (“by worship and charity offered to the brahmanas, material possessions are purified” SB 10.5.4). Laxness in the realm of charity brings poverty in the spiritual society, engendering a constant sense—factual and psychological—of indigence.

Austerities without devotional service might harden the heart, but devotional service without austerity might extinguish itself through sensual proclivities. Avoiding the austerity of raising early in the morning, for instance, makes serious japa higly improbable. And the breaking of the regulative principle brings spiritual dissipation and physical, mental and intellectual depletion.

We could talk much more but I guess you get the idea: for the movement (and its members) to make real progress, we need to re-discover (and in some cases to discover for the first time) the values and behaviors of the pious, civilized, regulated, productive and dutiful human beings.

Immature forays into the kunjas of Vraja are way down the list of priorities.

How Srila Prabhupada Wanted His GBCs

"This is the function of the GBC, to see that one may not be taken away by maya. The GBC should all be the instructor gurus. I am in the initiator guru, and you should be the instructor guru by teaching what I am teaching and doing what I am doing. This is not a title, but you must actually come to this platform. This I want."


Letter to Madhudvisa, 4 August 1975

Wonderless Wonderfulness

With this post I officially inaugurate a campaign against the overusage of the word ‘wonderful’ in the Krishna consciousness movement.

The term is so ubiquitously presented, so monotously applied, that such prodigality defeats the very purpose and intention of the adjective, that is, to point out how special a person or behavior is.

Every devotee is wonderful. Every culinary preparation is wonderful. Every service in wonderful… If everything is wonderful in one sense nothing is really wonderful. Does everything really warrant an intense condition of wonderment?

On the rare occasion in which someone introduces me as “a wonderful devotee,” the initial rush of self-importance is mitigated by the sobering realization that anybody could and would be introduced with the same customary commendation.

The situation reminds me of the cynical saying: “You are unique; just like everyone else.”

“But devotees are indeed wonderful!” you might retort, and would have to agree with you; but, if they truly are so wonderful, don’t they deserve a little more linguistic fantasy, a little creativity in describing their wonderfulness and extraordinary accomplishments?

The dictionary defines ‘wonderful’ as “exciting a feeling of wonder; marvellous or strange [forget about the strange, which in this context is irrelevant]; extremely fine; excellent.” Marvellous devotees should inspire an expanded lexicon for glorifying their qualities and deed.

Why not saying that a devotees is extraordinary and his service is admirable? Why not declare that he is fantastic and his contributions are awe-inspiring? And what about amazing, astonishing, astounding, awesome, phenomenal, remarkable, staggering, startling, wondrous, brilliant, dazzling or flaming? Why not brilliant, excellent, fabulous, magnificent, marvellous, outstanding, sensational, stupendous, super, superb, terrific, tiptop, fulgent, lucent, tremendous? Do you have anything against charming, delightful, exquisite, gorgeous, graceful, handsome, noble, lovely, radiant, ravishing, stunning, refulgent, resplendent, shining or splendid?

And you can find many more expressions to communicate your wonder at the high caliber of character and the exemplary standard of dedication of the superlative servants of Lord Caitanya.

I sense that 'wonderful' is being forced to be so all-pervasive that lost all its wonder; a wonderful word has become hackneyed and predictable, a word that should evoke feelings of excitement and awe is quickly becoming inflationed, unimaginative and boring.

PS – if you don’t agree with me, you can tell me that this post was wonderful.

Grihamedhi: Better than Nothing

At times the standards of our "grihasthas" are so low and disfunctional (ethically, spiritually, economically, etc.) that I am thinking of starting a campaign to promote grihamedhi consciousness, in the spirit of “something is better than nothing."

In ISKCON's pshyche the word grihamedhi represents (and with reason) an unacceptable social stereotype. "The grhastha means he is making the best use of a bad bargain. And the grhamedhi means he is animal. " Srila Prabhupada said in a Gita lecture in London, on 20 August 1973. Such references have created an impression of the grihamedhi as an unspeakably corrupted being, a detestable individual functioning on a level of debasement to which devotees could never possibly plunge?

Many people seem to (wrongly) assume that a married person is either a grihastha or a grihamedhi. Actually there are many lower forms. One could, for instance, be an adulterous, irresponsible, uncivilized and restless barbarian—and this is a style of existence some of our devotees might be more closely identifiable with. “But you just quoted Srila Prabhupada as saying that grihamedhis are animals,” someone may retort. Yes, But animals are often much less sexually pruriginous and much less socially disruptive. And some animals are lifelong monogamists.

There are religious civically-integrated grihamedhis that would shun standards of existence that devotee sometimes enthusiastically embrace.

Let's take for instance another quote from Srila Prabhupada: "Grhamedhi means that he does not know anything else than to support the wife and children and live very comfortably" (Paris, 9 June 1974). Some devotees unfortunately have developed neither this sense of responsibility nor the capacity of living "very comfortably." These devotees struggle, internally and externally, in accepting the basic obligations that come with married life. This tendency was noted, with surprise and concern, by Srila Prabhupada: “Householder life means wife, children, home, these things are understood by everyone, why our devotees have taken it as something different? They simply have some sex desire, get themselves married, and when the matter does not fulfill their expectations, immediately there is separation—these things are just like material activities, prostitution” (letter to Madhukara, 4 January 1973).

Therefore I say that is better to be a bit grihamedhish, a bit overattached to one’s one and only wife and to one’s legitimately procreated children, while conserving a sense of religious duty and a commitment to charity, than to jump around like a monkey, destroying in the process one’s own and others’ chance for peaceful spiritual life.

“So grhamedhi means center is home, and he goes round. Throughout the whole life. They are called grhamedhis. . . . So actually round the wife. Grhamedhi. Round the wife.”

Mayapur, 5 March 1974). I wish to see more devotees sticking “round their wives,” their legally and religiously married wives (or husbands, as the case may be), and not jumping from one wife to another, or an affair to another. “Round the wife,” not round all sorts of illegal and/or interchangeable relations.

At times we even see the tendency to take Krishna consciousness as the excuse for our exuberant promiscuity; we think that the service of Krishna is the important thing, and civilized life is a discardable optional. But Srila Prabhupada clarifies in the letter quoted above (to Madhukara, 4 January 1973). “Once it is adopted, the grhastha life, even it may be troublesome at times, it must be fulfilled as my occupational duty. . . . devotional service is what is important, not my occupational duty. But it does not mean that because occupation duty is not the real consideration, that I should give it up and do something else, thinking that devotional service may be carried on under whatever circumstances which I may whimsically decide.” A culture of family attachment would do good to this movement.

I wish to see many over-attached couples act religiously and charitably, at least for assuring an improved mundane future and for giving their children (to which they are hopefully over-attached) a good example of stability, balance and responsibility.

Narayana Who?

This morning I was giving the Bhagavatam lecture; we are discussing the story of Ajamila and the verse mentioned that he chanted the name of Narayana.

One initiated devotee in the audience asked: What does it mean Narayana?

I attempted--probably successfully--to hide my surprise and I explained that Narayana is a name of Krishna, meaning the shelter of all living entities.

What to make of it? Is it a freak event, a twist of fate that this person never heard the name Narayana before (or after) initiation?

Should we take it as a positive sign that in ISKCON we are so focus on the krsnas tu bhagavan svayam consciousness that other forms and names of God are hardly known or recognized?

Or should we take it as a serious alarm bell about the lack of formation (some of) our devotees have?

Later I asked the person if she had read the Bhagavad-gita, and she confirmed that she did, in full. I checked the Folio and found that the name Narayana appears about 20 times in the book, and so I keep wondering...

Today's Quote

"When we are tired of the ordinary world and take nature for granted, we need to be shaken up so that everything is a miracle again. This is the mission of the artist."

Brigid Marlin

(I would add that this is also the mission of the devotee. The painting is also by Brigid Marlin)

Toilet Blues

Sri Radha Govinda Dasi (my wife), Isvara Puri Maharaja Prabhu (my loyal Godbrother), and yours truly happened to visit a devotee family somewhere in North Mexico (this entry purports to address the universal issue of excretory apparatuses and not to point fingers at particular individuals; therefore I avoid mentioning any other name, of locality or person).

The building has some unofficial affectation at officially representing ISKCON in town, and we were shocked to observe some of the incongruities in appearance and accommodation, towering among them the inappropriateness of the bathroom facilities.

The toilet ("Western style") includes neither a seat-cover nor a cover for the water container; thus offering a painful experience laced with a sense of dirtiness and discomfort and general. I won't focus on other aspects of the toilet, such as randomly stored odds and ends, the licking sink (washing your mouth is automatically linked to having the dirty water sprinkled on your feet), the poorly working shower spout, the broken window, and the tension-provoking lack of possibility to lock the door from the inside.

The condition of the toilet, paired with a number of other anomalies and inconsistencies throughout the building, inspired me to offer my wife that we shift to a hotel for the remaining days of our stay in the town. She declined saying that our hosts would feel bad had we left her place.

I attempted to tactfully bring up the various unfitting arrangement during a Bhagavatam class, towards the end of our stay. I hinted at the fact that we were there since a few days, but that our hosts never asked us what they could improve. The lady obliged and asked, "please tell me what could we improve."

I slowly made my way (figuratively) towards the toilet, mentioning the absence of the toilet seat. The lady of the house promptly pointed out: "Oh, for Mexico is OK!" I felt surprised. I was already in Mexico since a couple of months and my visits to different public and private sanitary facilities convinced me that the standard of this particular toilet is *not* OK for Mexico.

I restarted pleading on a different note: "You see, Mataji, if a woman from a good family--or from any family--visits this temple and uses the toilet, she would feel very uncomfortable in having to use that seat-less seat. It might be a lightly traumatic experience and might prevent her from coming back again."

Pensively, the lady of the house conceded, admitting that I had a point; but promptly retorted, with a mixture of finality and victory in her voice: "Yes, but we don't have money now!"

I had a long list of items to diplomatically and sensitively bring to their attention, but this reaction persuaded me to forget about the list. I changed the subject and quickly ended the talk.

The situation was all the more puzzling for me considering that this couple has aspirations to preach to the high-class people of their city. In my mind I could not reconcile their high talks of a new style of approach to the upper levels of the social scene with the distressingly inadequate toilet and other facilities.

A few days later I happened to visit a nearby Wal-mart. We found toilet seats available for about 4 US dollars. Considering that the couple had offered us more than 100 dollars for helping with the travel costs, the objection of not having money to buy a toilet-seat revealed itself completely baseless; it was simply a striking reminder that they were unwilling or incapable to connect with what the guests had to endure in the lavatory.

A prayer to all readers: When arranging the toilet you invite guests into, please do not confine yourself to the basic dictionary definition: "a sanitary installation for receiving and disposing of urine and faeces, consisting of a bowl fitted with a water-flushing device and connected to a drain." Kindly consider the whole experience your guests would undergo.

While leaving the place of the horrific bathroom we left a donation to reciprocate with their generous supply of prasadam. But I felt compelled to mention to the lady of house: "With this, please buy also a toilet seat."