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[Rteacher]

This article, originally printed in belief.com, also appeared in Newsweek magazine, July 16:

In the News:
Hare Krishna At 40
by Michael Kress, Beliefnet.com and Newsweek

Posted July 19, 2006
Article in Beliefnet.com

Once reviled as a cult, they've abandoned airport proselytizing for life as a mainstream American denomination.
A version of this article ran in Newsweek.

If you think that Hare Krishnas disappeared when the Age of Aquarius ended, look in the next cubicle- they may be working in your office, wearing a suit, with a full head of hair. This week the Hare Krishnas celebrate their 40th anniversary, and they've joined the American mainstream.

Whereas devotees formerly were discouraged from maintaining ties with the outside world, including their own families, Hare Krishnas today mix and mingle like anyone else and don robes and Sanskrit names only while at temple for services. And they don't do airports much anymore. "It's entirely possible these days that a Hare Krishna could be living next door to you and you wouldn't know it," says Burke Rochford, a Middlebury College professor and author of the forthcoming "Hare Krishna Transformed." "They're just now part of the culture in ways that the average person couldn't have imagined some 20 or 25 years ago."

Take P---- -------. A 1993 convert, he took the name P----- Dasa and spent a decade living in -----'s Hare Krishna temple, eventually serving as community leader and pastor. Two years ago, at age 40, he got married, moved out of the Temple to New ------ where his wife works for a f---- services company--and recently took an outside job, the first time he's been drawing a paycheck in years. And after waking up in the temple for 10 years, he now drives 90 miles to get there.

His story is typical. Only 750-900 devotees lived in Hare Krishna temples in America by 2000, compared to roughly 3,000 in its mid-1970s heyday, according to Rochford. Today, in Washington, D.C., only 15 people live in the temple, down from 35 in 1980--but about 400 people attend weekly services--a number bolstered across the country by the increasing, and unprecedented, attendance of Indian immigrants looking for a Hindu, not specifically Hare Krishna, worship. In total, the movement runs 400 temples worldwide and claims 1 million adherents, 100,000 in the U.S.--about four times what it was in the 1980s (scholars believe the numbers to be smaller).

Founded in 1966 by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the movement--formally known as the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON)-the Hare Krishnas became largely known for proselytizing in airports and their influence on the Beatle, George Harrison. Based on the teachings of 15th-century philosopher Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Hare Krishnas worship by repeatedly chanting God's name. They believe in simple living and are prohibited from eating meat, gambling, intoxication and sex outside marriage. They were denounced by some parents as a cult, though scholars say it represents an orthodox version of Hinduism. At today's temples, young people in jeans and t-shirts worship alongside middle-aged white men in saffron robes and Indian immigrants in flowing saris. ISKCON communities now offer premarital counseling, participate in interfaith activities, run social service programs, and offer babysitting--just the kind of institutionalization early converts were fleeing.

"We're addressing the needs of our kids for Sunday School, and parking lots, and playgrounds," says Anuttama Dasa, a leader and spokesman. "You don't need playgrounds if your whole community is 20-year-olds. You may not need marriage counseling. You may not need to deal with a lot of the different kinds of social issues that churches and synagogues all over the country deal with."

ISKCON's maturation was sparked partly by these changing needs--and partly by an exodus of members in the wake of serious challenges, including schisms, leadership crises, and questions about keeping kids in the fold. Worst of all, several teachers and spiritual leaders were accused of sexually and physically molesting students in ISKCON boarding schools in the 1970s and '80s while superiors looked the other way. In response to the scandal and resulting lawsuit, ISKCON declared bankruptcy to avoid being shut down by litigation and agreed to pay $9.5 million to several hundred victims, though litigation--and criticism of ISKCON's handling of the scandal--continues. "Speaking as a member of the first generation, we made a lot of mistakes," Anuttama says.

Those mistakes soured many devotees on the movement, while many of those that stayed set out to radically change it--though many victims and their supporters say ISKCON must do more to help the victims, and especially, to discipline the perpetrators, some of whom continue to serve in leadership positions. Around 700 alumni of ISKCON schools where abuse took place have signed a petition advocating a policy of zero-tolerance for child-abusers, in which "confirmed" child abusers would be barred from leadership positions in ISKCON.

Not all defectors left the fold entirely, though. Many former ISKCON members are today living what they call "Krishna conscious" lifestyles, adhering to Hare Krishna rules and beliefs without affiliating with the organization, or affiliating with new Krishna-focused groups. At the same time, much of what made the Hare Krishnas stand out as unusual in the '60s and '70s has become part of mainstream American spirituality, including yoga, vegetarianism, chanting, and concepts like karma and reincarnation. "A lot of people on the streets now believe in those things," Anuttama says. "A lot of things that were considered outlandish or threatening are now taking place in the basement of Christian churches."

http://www.chakra.org/news/newsJul19_06.html

[endo]

who?

[Hyeon Een]

[Ya-ta Boy]

I once scored a free meal off the Moonies. I'm not usually obnoxious, so I found it very challenging not to laugh at their religious pitch. Didn't go back for seconds though.

[red dog]

Well, I got a few free meals from them ages ago and attended some lectures, and I think I was treated pretty well. As I've said before, I didn't pursue the religion because it didn't gel with my own beliefs, but the food was good and the chanting was nice. I guess you're joking about not being a member today because you feel you were scammed out of that free meal? I can't imagine someone joining a religious group just for the food (although it was tempting at the time) ...

Anyway, thanks for posting the interesting article, Rteacher.

[Rteacher]

In the seventies (not exactly as that era is portrayed on "That '70s Show"...) Krishna temples the world over put on very elaborate Sunday vegetarian "love feasts" which featured at least eight courses of various Indian curries, breads, sweets, savories, bhasmati rice, chutneys and nectar drinks. In Miami, for years the Krishnas would haul six-or-seven thirty-gallon food containers to Coconut Grove's Peacock Park every Sunday afternoon and hundreds of mostly hippie types and tourists would line up for the free taste of Vedic culture, including ecstatic chanting backed by Indian instruments.

After moving to another section of Miami (near Florida International University) devotees took advantage of the forty mango trees on the property (formerly owned by a Mafia don...) and increased the number of courses to at least 12 every Sunday, including such items as mango turnovers, mango pickles and fruit salads, guacamole (from our own avacado trees) pina-coladas (yeah, our own coconut trees...) or fresh-squeezed key lime-ade, and, occasionally, Indian-style ice cream (to go along with the pakoras, samosas, halavah, puris and laddus, etc...)

Although there was some exposure to interesting transcendental music and philosophy the sumptious food was definitely the key for increasing membership. Not particularly caring for their prohibition of marijuana and other intoxicants, I couldn't see myself ever joining the group, but after regularly attending the Sunday program for over two years I gradually realized that just from the ("spiritual") food and the intense chanting (and dancing...) I could get higher than ever (minus the crashing...) Even the ancient philosophy started to make perfect sense to me ...

Unlike the "Moonies" who are motivated by thinking that Reverend Moon is the second coming of Jesus, the Hare Krishnas just have to accept that "God" is the all-attractive supreme being (Krishna) and that the spiritual master is a pure servant of God (without any material motivation...)

(Of course, finding such a pure devotee is not a common thing - there are way more con artists - and more than a few posed as Hare Krishna devotees for a while, causing lots of problems...)

[SHANE02]

A friend from my home town would come around somtimes when the boys were getting wasted. It was great to listen to him. He had these books with amazing pictures of elephant gods and stuff too...quite freaky at the time.

He's a drummer in a band that you would call speed/death metal, except they sing about their religion (Krishna). Of couse as it is with that style of music, you can't really understand the lyrics.

He had a thing about being super carefull with the books because they were gods books or somthing. He also said he got high off food.

[Rteacher]

Yeah, I haven't really kept up with the music scene (since early acid-rock...) but there have been quite a few Krishna bands in different genres of music - especially varieties of punk and straight-edge. Two early punk rockers into Krishna consciousness were Lora Logic and Poly Styrene of the band X-Ray Spex (which disbanded after they joined a London Krishna temple...) The devotee band Shelter was also very popular ...

Actually, I'd like to make a more elaborate reply with photos and links, but my computer's been going haywire today (crashing about 108 times...)

[jaganath69]

You guys won me over with your food a long time ago. I've always been quasi-sympathetic to the movement since a good friend (now sadly passed) was a devotee and I've seen them do many good acts. The spirituality, whilst I am glad many, like Rteacher, find comfort in, wasn't totally my bag. I'll still go back for the prasada anytime tho.

[Hyeon Een]

[Rteacher]

No dancing is required when chanting privately for one's own personal benefit (japa, bhajan...) but it is encouraged in public congregational chanting (sankirtan). For many devotees, the dancing is basically jumping up-and-down and sometimes clapping (if not playing an instrument...)

Besides generating more enthusiasm, I think it relates to increasing the circulation of blood throughout the body. Since the source of consciousness, the soul, is situated in the region of the heart, blood (which flows back to the heart) is used to spread consciousness throughout the body... So, while the chanting makes the mind more Krishna conscious the added element of dancing serves to make the entire body Krishna conscious (or something like that...)

When Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu first started the sankirtana movement in India over 500 years ago his kirtan parties always included a couple extraordinary dancers (who were empowered incarnations...) Vakresvara Pandit reportedly once danced continuously for 72 hours...
http://www.vnn.org/editorials/ET9907/ET07-4247.html

[red dog]