Hare Krishnas teach that we are living in an evil age, the age of Kali, but can attain salvation and a "return to Godhead" by means of permanent Krishna-consciousness. Krishna-consciousness can be accomplished through ethical living and the "Hare Krishna" chant see Practices, below. This salvation is accomplished by Bhakti-yoga, the "way of devotion. As seen above, the Hare Krishna describe themselves as monotheists, who worship the Supreme Godhead in the personality of Krishna.
They also believe that the Supreme God is known by other names, such as Yahweh and Allah. The mission of this nonsectarian, monotheistic movement is to promote the well being of society by teaching the science of Krishna consciousness according to Bhagavad-gita and other ancient scriptures. Religion Facts Just the facts on world religions.
Hinduism For Dummies. He told a small group of devotees to start a lunch program on the university campus there to attract interest. It has continued for 48 years, serving roughly 1, students, faculty members and Gainesville residents vegetarian meals for a five-dollar donation every day school is in session.
Devotees proliferated in Gainesville and a neighboring rural town called Alachua — home to the Alachua Hare Krishna Temple, a acre ranch with its own cattle pastures, eco-farms, housing, elementary and high schools — buying property, opening temples and starting families.
Carl and Bob have been recruiting devotees since , the year Prabhupada died. Carl is now a guru himself, and the Krishna House chaplain. Bob sits on its board of directors. Carl recently returned from India, where he discussed with fellow clergymen a topic that has starkly divided the close-knit, ascetic group: whether or not women will ever be allowed to become gurus, one of the highest callings in their faith.
The role of women in Iskcon about half of devotees has been a bone of contention since its founding. It reflects some sort of hostility to women in general. Opinions are evenly split between the east and west, with disciples in India representing the conservative arm of Iskcon and those in the western temples having a liberal bent. After New Vrindaban more allegations surfaced, and Iskcon elected to internally investigate and disclose its findings of systematic child abuse at various boarding schools across the globe.
The organization nearly folded. In , the Hare Krishna movement came out from the underground in the Soviet Union, as glasnost brought an end to persecution. In the early s, various Internet projects were launched, including Krishna. Today, ISKCON has about centers around the world, with a worldwide congregation in the hundreds of thousands—from all walks of life.
Essential practices of Krishna Consciousness involve the chanting of God's holy names—among several processes of devotional service—to bring about lasting happiness and peace in society by reviving our loving relationships with God. Meditation lies at the heart of their faith. The Hare Krishna mantra consists of three words praising Krishna that are repeated over and over in a precise pattern to clear the mind.
Hare Krishnas don't have funerals they hold a "disappearance day" ritual when someone dies. They believe someone never dies he simply returns to "Krishna's spiritual abode. You do not need to change your religion to adopt the practices of Krishna consciousness—such as chanting God's names. As such, it transcends the limitations of temporary material bodies and their associated designations.
John Gordon Melton wrote in Britannica. Adherents believe that Krishna an avatar of Vishnu is the Supreme Lord and that humans are eternal spiritual beings trapped in a cycle of reincarnation. The nature of the cycle for individual beings is determined by karma, the law of the consequences of past actions, which returns beings to physical existence.
The word "Hare" refers to the divine feminine potency of God. Hare Krishnas believe that the sound vibration of the mantra has a direct impact on the soul. According to a philosophy of ancient India, the soul is spiritually asleep. Just as an alarm clock awakes a sleeping person, the Hare Krishna mantra awakens the soul to its spiritual reality — whereby it can experience its eternal connection with Krishna or God.
And devotees believe that a person need not understand the language of the mantra, because the sound vibration transcends the sensual, mental and intellectual levels of consciousness and puts one directly in touch with the spiritual. Therefore, to eat an animal is an affront to God. Moreover, it's bad for your consciousness: Because the slaughter of animals is violent, when you eat meat, fish or fowl, you are subjecting yourself to more violent thoughts and, perhaps, violent behavior.
In Hinduism, cooking is intertwined with spirituality. Hare Krishnas believe they are cooking for the pleasure of God. They never sample the food they are cooking, since it must be offered to Krishna first. Moreover, Hindus believe that food absorbs the consciousness of the cook. If you are angry and elbow deep in the lentils or kneading dough for chapattis unleavened bread , Hindu philosophy claims that your emotions are transferred to the food — and then to the person who eats the meal.
It is one reason monks don't go to restaurants, because it raises the question, "Whose consciousness are you eating today? According to the sacred texts, Bhagavad Gita and Bhagavat Purana, Krishna is the supreme God, who oversees millions of demigods — who are seen as administrators of the universal affairs.
These demigods are needed to run creation. They have certain roles, but — just as the secretary of state reports to the president — these demigods serve at the pleasure of Krishna. Krishna is often accompanied by Radharani, the female aspect or counterpart of Krishna.
In addition, the Hare Krishna movement has adapted itself to the West. For example, Swami Prabhupada provided an equal opportunity to both men and women to become priests in the worship rituals — a privilege reserved only for men in traditional Hinduism. Perhaps because of its sensitivity to Western ethos, the Hare Krishna movement has been more successful than more traditional Hindu branches in attracting non-Indians into its culture, philosophy and practices.
While Hare Krishna is probably best known for its chanting and promotion of vegetarianism, there is a much more complex belief system at play. While in some religions "God" remains a faceless omnipresence, Hare Krishnas believe that their God, Krishna, is a person. This is the case, in part, because they find evidence for this in their sacred texts. However it also follows a certain logic - if everything else in the world has a physical form, they believe that the creator of that must also:. In the Vedas - the oldest and most comprehensive of all world scriptures - one can discover that the Absolute Truth has both impersonal and personal aspects Since everything in our experience has form and qualities, it makes sense that the source of all sources should also, to an infinite degree.
Although they point to evidence that Krishna can have multiple forms, they do believe that they are actual, physical forms, unlike some other religion's presentations of God.
Hare Krishnas believe that we are not individual bodies but instead are all part of a spiritual whole. Each person is a soul, a part of Krishna. As such, we are all brothers, and Krishna is ultimately our common father. We accept the process of transmigration of the soul reincarnation. In addition, the Bhagavad-Gita mentions reincarnation explicitly as " the embodied soul continuously passes , in this body, from boyhood to youth, and then to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death.
A sober person is not bewildered by such a change. But for Hare Krishnas, the fact that you have no memory doesn't mean that it didn't happen. In Hare Krishna, yoga is essential, but it's not the yoga you are probably be thinking of. Although the Bhagavad Gita, the main spiritual text for Hare Krishnas, mentions many physical yogas that you're probably familiar with, it goes a step further.
The importance of bhakti-yoga "the path of dedication and love" is a much more holistic yoga "practice" than going to a studio and doing a flow class twice a week.
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