From the ISKCON GBC – Minutes Of The Annual General Meeting – February 2017
313: Global Duties & Responsibilities of the Governing Body Commission
[ISKCON Law]
Whereas the GBC wishes to formalize the understanding of its global services to the International Society for Krishna Consciousness;
Whereas it is important that duties and responsibilities be clarified at all levels of the Society;
Whereas the GBC wishes to produce a legacy document for the instruction and training of future GBC members:
RESOLVED:
That the document “Global Duties & Responsibilities of the Governing Body Commission (GBC)” is accepted as an official statement and shall be part of ISKCON Law.
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(The following is an excerpt from the above mentioned document)
Performing Individual Global Duties & Responsibilities
On May 28, 1977, in Vrindavan, the GBC met with Srila Prabhupada and asked him specific questions regarding the movement’s future. The first question was about GBC tenure:
Satsvarupa: Our first question is about the GBC members. We want to know how long should they remain in office?
Prabhupada: They should remain for good.
Tamal Krishna: They should remain for good.
Lifelong appointment emphasizes the solemnity of the assignment while indicating that the person should ideally demonstrate outstanding qualifications and behavior.
Later in the same conversation, of his own accord Srila Prabhupada returned to the topic:
Prabhupada: So there is no question of changing GBC.
Satsvarupa: No.
Prabhupada: Rather, one who is competent, he can be selected to act by the board of the GBC . . . They must be all ideal acarya-like. In the beginning we have done for working. Now we should be very cautious.
Such a lofty mandate might intimidate and deter potential candidates. Nonetheless, sincerely following the process of devotional service is the essential qualification for being exemplary. Srila Prabhupada wrote in The Nectar of Instruction (5, purport): “[O]ne may be found to be very seriously engaged in the service of the Lord and strictly following all the regulative principles, chanting the prescribed number of rounds on japa beads and always thinking of how to expand the Krsna consciousness movement. Such a Vaisnava should be accepted as an uttama-adhikari, a highly advanced devotee.”
The spiritual qualification to serve as a member of the GBC, therefore, isn’t some extraordinarily elevated inner realization but tangible following. As Srila Prabhupada wrote in his purport to Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.18.15: “This Krsna consciousness movement directly receives instructions from the Supreme Personality of Godhead via persons who are strictly following His instructions. Although a follower may not be a liberated person, if he follows the supreme, liberated Personality of Godhead, his actions are naturally liberated from the contamination of the material nature.”
The objective of every GBC member is to make the GBC body stronger and more effective in the execution of its global duties. This document focuses on the global aspects of the GBC members’ service. Although supervising one’s zone is, of course, an essential responsibility of most GBC members’, for the GBC body to properly fulfill its function in ISKCON, each GBC member must properly execute both zonal and global duties. The GBC as a group can only be effective if each of its members is effective in:
* Contributing concretely to the global work of the GBC, according to his or her skills and natures.
* Participating actively during and between meetings, including in committee work.
* Abiding by the GBC Code of Honor.
* Cooperating with one another with the aim to benefit ISKCON.
* Representing the GBC properly.
* Implementing the GBC’s decisions, even those with which one might not fully agree.
* Optimizing the use of technology for communication and interaction with one another and the ISKCON world.
* Doing his or her homework – reading documents in advance of deliberations, for example.
* Protecting and building the GBC reputation and legal position.
* Being exemplary devotees.
In conclusion, Srila Prabhupada always stressed purity of purpose and of motivation as an essential ingredient for serving as a Governing Body Commissioner. Srila Prabhupada wrote to a GBC member: “It is good that you GBC members are meeting and conjointly discussing such things as life membership, book distribution, etc. The future hope of solid standing of our mission is on the proper management of our governing body. Now we are increasing in volume. The area of our activity is expanding. Under the circumstances, if our management goes on nicely to maintain our prestige and good name, that will be our success. Such status quo can be maintained only on our being freed from any kind of sense gratifying attitude, because pure devotional service means: anya avhilasita sunya or without any other desire than to satisfy Krishna.” (Letter to Bhagavan, February 16, 1971)
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