The Mongols, The British & ISKCON's Expansion

The Mongols of Gengis Khan were very good at conquering places. They reached from Mongolia all the way to Europe. Preaching is a form of conquest: conquering minds and hearts, shaping and transforming lifestyles.

The Mongols weren't very good at maintaining and ruling the territories they conquered; very soon their empire collapsed. In China they might have lasted longer, but because they connected with the Chinese style of administration.

In preaching we might have an early success in changing people's life and/or in establishing places of worship; but later we might experience that the people go away, internally and/or externally, migrating to other groups or becoming cold, inactive. Temples that were vital and vibrant become sometimes empty and poor.

Have we something in common with the Mongols?

Another feature of the Mongols' expansion was that they were very good at one type of terrain and warfare. They were most successful in the steppes, where they could appear with practically no notice, attack and pillage a city, and move on. When they've got to Europe they found hills and mountains. Their mount, the fast Asiatic horses, were not anymore a sufficient edge. New strategies and approached were needed. Their seemingly unstoppable advance stopped.

Srila Prabhupada's early followers focused on the hippies, but when the hippies disappeared teh movement faced a critical stasis. It then focuses on the Indians, and it gained some oxygen, but in a few places where there aren't any Indians the movement often struggle for a voice (and sometimes for survival). We need to adapt to a changing historical and social terrain, to the changing human landscape of the twentyfirst century to remain/become relevant and keep growing.

The British (I don't have a great spontaneous affection for the Brits and their attitudes, especially toward Vedic culture, but credit should be given were credit is due) were good examples of both conquering territory and managing it, and this in places as diverse as North America, the Caribbean, Africa, India, Oceania, Hong Kong or Northern Ireland.

They did lose their empire, but gradually, and their administrative capacity wasn't based on a single outstanding king or queen; it was a culture of organization. A few thousands of them ruled the whole India!

What can we learn from them?

We need adaptable strategies for diverse environment. We need systems that allow for growth, a culture of maintenance and not only of conquest.

Srila Prabhupada requested: "Don't make me Alexander the Great" (who conquered from Greece to India but who then rapidly lost all the lands he had gained).

Sattva-guna generates staying power (and happiness, satisfaction and illumination); passion brings excitement and short-lived success (which turns into pain and resentment); ignorance... well, ignorance it's just darkness and nightmares.

We can graduate to world religion status once we assimilate and apply the fundamental principles of community planting, community building, community keeping and community living.