February 11-12th
By Sraddhadevi dasi
Governance of ISKCON’s managerial bodies was the main topic of discussion
for the sixth day of ISKCON’s Governing Body Commission’s Annual General
Meeting in Mayapur, India.
At present, ISKCON not only has an international Governing Body Commission
(GBC) which is responsible for the overall management of ISKCON, but in some
regions there are additional lower level governing bodies such as Regional
Governing Bodies (RGBs), National Councils, and Continental Committees. What
was at question is how these bodies, which hold regular meetings and pass
resolutions, interact with and report to the overall managerial authority,
the GBC.
Given the intricacy and importance of the topic, the GBC proposed to form a
Rules of Order committee composed of representatives from the lower-level
managerial bodies who will explore the topic in greater detail. The
committee will consider not only practical issues of management, but also
the desired management structure of Srila Prabhupada. The issue will then be
discussed with more information and in greater detail during the GBC meeting
next fall in Juhu.
The following day, another complex topic was brought to the GBC Body for
discussion by Sivarama Maharaja. This was the topic of membership in
ISKCON—who should be considered a member of ISKCON as a spiritual society
and by what standards?
Romapada Maharaja, the GBC Chairman, made clear that Sivarama Maharaja’s
presentation is not the official position of the GBC, nor is it a formal
proposal to the GBC. Rather, the intention of the presentation was simply to
reflect on the question and engage in thoughtful discussion.
Sivarama Maharaja initiated the conversation regarding the definition of
ISKCON and ISKCON membership by first exploring the notion of “society.” He
pointed out that in general, citizens within a society hold common rights
and individual rights. For example, there are general laws to be followed in
a country, but individuality can also be expressed within the country as
long as a citizen acts within the constraints of the common law. Therefore,
a citizen is someone who allows his or her individuality to be subservient
to the common law of the society.
Following this logic, Sivarama Maharaja asked if ISKCON, a spiritual
society, should require devotees to follow defined standards in order to be
considered a member of ISKCON. Such standards could include anything from
following the four regulative principles and chanting sixteen rounds of the
Hare Krishna Maha-mantra daily to perhaps even not watching television for
enjoyment. More general standards would be loyalty to Srila Prabhupada,
following the GBC as the ultimate managerial authority of ISKCON, and
actively engaging in some service within one’s local devotional community.
Sivarama Maharaja suggested that if we clearly define rules of membership
for ISKCON, there is still a place for those who are not at the point of
complying with the common laws of the spiritual society and yet who still
hold faith in Krishna consciousness. Those who are not official ISKCON
members, Sivarama Maharaja suggested, would share some of the same rights as
ISKCON members, such as attending the temple functions, but would not
receive the same benefits as official ISKCON members, for instance being
allowed to reside in ISKCON temples or farms, serve in official leadership
positions within ISKCON, or take part in ISKCON initiative projects.
Gopal Krishna Maharaja pointed out that in ISKCON we have members at various
levels in their spiritual life. Creating strict membership guidelines for
ISKCON could exclude from ISKCON a substantial number of sincere devotees
who are not practicing at such high levels.
Sivarama Maharaja responded with understanding to this point and again
explained that his intention was simply to present ideas to consider and
discuss, rather than a fixed idea on how ISKCON membership should be
defined. However, he did express that a clear definition of what it means to
be a member of ISKCON should be further discussed and explored.
Following Sivarama Maharaja’s presentation, Radha Krishna Prabhu and
Radhradhya Prabhu gave an inspiring update on the Eco Valley project in
Hungary, a model village working toward self-sustainability. Eco Valley,
through its Sustainable Science Research Center, recently began a program
where university students live at Eco Valley for two months to study and
train in developing self-sustainable communities. Radha Krishna Prabhu also
reported that Eco Valley now has eight university affiliations and eleven
university students writing dissertations on the Eco Valley project. For
more information on the Eco Valley project, visit www.ecovalley.hu.
Hari Sauri Prabhu concluded the evening with an enlivening presentation on
the new Bhaktivedanta Research Centre located in Kolkata. The Bhaktivedanta
Research Centre, dedicated to gathering, preserving, and making available
Vaisnava and Vedic Cosmology texts, officially opened in June 2009.
The Bhaktivedanta Research Centre initiated from a need to house and make
available texts related to Vedic cosmology for the Temple of the Vedic
Planetarium’s Cosmology Project. The building, kindly donated to ISKCON by
Mr. MC Shamsukha in 2000, was completely renovated to create an excellent
library space for 15,000 books along with comfortable guest rooms for
visiting devotees and scholars. Suitable space is also available in the
building to function as a temple and lecture hall.
Most astonishing was a recent library acquisition that contained many rare
and valuable pieces including a personal diary of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati
Thakura, a postcard written to Bhaktivinoda Thakura by his daughter, and a
400-year old manuscript of the Madhya Lila of Caitanya Caritamrta. The
Bhaktivedanta Research Centre, under the academic direction of Pranava
Prabhu and Krishna Abhiseka Prabhu, is currently working to catalog and
professionally preserve this acquisition before the texts disintegrate even
further.
Thousands of Vaisnava manuscripts and texts have yet to be located and
preserved, and due to the effects of time, these texts are disappearing.
Hari Sauri Prabhu thus conveyed the important work the Centre is already
doing and the immediate need to support furthering the work of the
Bhaktivedanta Research Centre. For more information on the Bhaktivedanta
Research Centre, please contact iskconbrc@gmail.com.
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