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A few questions about Hare Krishna




Dear Sean



Hello, Hare Krishna!



Thanks for visiting my home-page and sending me some mail.



>Hi.

>I'm a high-school student and I am doing a Scripture project about the

>comparisons and contrasts between the Catholic and Krishna religions.  If

>you could, please answer these questions for me, so that I can gain some

>insight into the life of a common practitioner of Krishna consciousness.

>



There is not really a "common practitioner" of Krishna consciousness. We are all

individuals, and you can find us in all walks of life, as well as in Hare Krishna

temples... But there is a major difference between a devotee of Krishna and a

materialist. A materialist, or a fuitive worker, is motivated to work because of

the benefits (or fruits) he thinks he will get in the future. They go to work to

get money and getting money they want to spend it on someting which gives them

pleasure... Sometimes it is extended, they work for their family, the country or

the whole world, but still it is material. A religous person believes in God, but

usually, after understanding such a great and powerful person exists, they pray to

Him for things to satisfy themselves or their family... It is good, they believe

in God and are pious, but it is not the best thing because instead of trying to

serve Him, to do something for His pleasure, they ask Him for something to satisfy

themselves.



A Hare Krishna devotee is different from both the materialist and the mundane

religionist because he has no personal interest. He works for the pleasure of

Krishna, God... That is our natural position -- God is great and we are small, so

we should serve God, do things for His pleasure. It in not that this idea is

unique to the Hare Krishna's. Any sincere soul searching for God in any religion

can also come to understand their relationship as a servant of God... Krishna is

in everyone's heart and He hears us, He doesn't mind if we call Him God, Krishna,

Allah, etc. If we are sincerely calling out to Him, then He knows that.



>1. Please give a short day-in-the-life-of representation of the everyday

>exoperiences of the "average follower of Krishna.  (I know it sounds corny,

>but give it a try!) : )



As I said it is difficult because we are all individuals and we do different

things. But there are basic things every Hare Krishna does:



  - We follow four regulative principles:

      - No illicit sex life (sex is for having children in marrage)

      - No intoxication (including drugs, alcohol, tee, coffee)

          (but we can take medicine if it is necessary)

      - No meat, fish, eggs

      - No gambeling



It may sound a little difficult. When I first found out about these regulations, I

thought I would never be a Hare Krishna! Because, in the western world, sex,

drugs, etc are such an important part of our lives... We can't give them up

without something better to take their place. But Krishna consciousness is not

dry, it is full of spritual pleasure, chanting Hare Krishan, serving Krishna, etc

give you great spiritual pleasure. More than enough to make the so-called

pleasures of the material world seem unattractive. It is hard to believe [at least

it was for me in the beginning], but I tried it and it definately works!





  - We get up before 4am every morning, have a shower and go to the temple [or

sometimes devotees have a little temple in their houses] and offer prayers to

Krishna and then chant the Hare Krishna maha-mantra (Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna,

Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare) on our

beads. We all have a set of meditation beads, there are 109 beads in all, 108

small ones and one large one. We chant the entire Hare Krishna mantra on each bead

and chanting the mantra 108 times is "one round". We vow to chant at least 16

rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra every day when we are initiated so that is the

minimum any devotee can chant. After a little practice it takes about 2 (or a

little more) hours. Of course we can chant more. Chanting Hare Krishna is so nice

that the great devotees never stop chanting... There was one famous devotee about

500 years ago in India who used to chant 192 rounds every day! So 16 rounds is not

really very much.



  - Devotees engage their energy in some sort of service to Krishna, it may be

cleaning the temple, chanting Hare Krishna on the street, distributing books about

Krishna, worshiping Krishna in the temple, cooking for Krishna, working in a Hare

Krishna resturaunt, farming for Krishna (growing grains, fruit, vegetables;

milking the cows, plowing the fields, etc), preaching on the internet for Krishna,

publishing books and magazines about Krishna, etc...



  - Married devotees have to maintain their families and also contribute something

towards the preaching, so they generally live outside the temple and have jobs,

working like everyone else. But their consciousness is different. They are working

for Krishna, whereas their workmates are generally working for themselves or their

families, etc. Although they work, still, in their home they rise early in the

morning and the whole family engages in Krishan consciousness together.



There are many other things, but this is a start anyhow.



>

>2. What is the most prominent person in the Hare Krishna movement that is

>still living now?



His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada is still [and always will be]

the most prominent person in the Hare Krishna movement. He is still living. There

has been much confusion among the management of ISKCON on this point since Srila

Prabhupada left our physical vision in 1977, so there have been many problems.

There have been many bogus unqualified gurus trying to immitate Srila Prabhupada

and many of them have left the movement now. It is not a cheep thing. Guru is a

very serious position.



Srila Prabhupada will never die. He is present in his books, in his lectures

(which are all recorded -- you can get the tapes and listen to them), in his

morning walk conversations, in his letters and in his sincere disciples. Those who

have taken his instructions as their life and soul. Of course if one really

dedicates himself to Srila Prabhupada's mission then he is also qualified to be

guru, but it is a very rare thing, Krishna says in the Bhagavad-gita:



"Out of many thousands among men, one may endeavour for perfection, and of those

who have achieved perfection, hardly one knows me in truth."



Of course there are cheaters. Wherever there is a big organization you find people

there who are really working for themselves... they want to be worshipped, to get

money, etc... So this has created problems. You have to be careful to see they are

real devotees you are dealing with and not pretenders...



>

>3. Why is it so expensive to join ISKON?  Where does the $1,111 go?



It doesn't cost anything to join at all, you are thinking of the Life Membership

Program, which is not joining a temple. Anyone can become a Life Member, they

don't make any vows, etc. They are our congregational members. They are devotees

and supporters, but they may or may not be following the principles, etc... They

also get something for their $1,111 -- they get many of Srila Prabhupada's books

and the right to stay in the guest-houses of the Hare Krishna temples all over the

world free of charge.



The life members are devotees, of course, but they are living outside and not

full-time members of the community. They support the temples, not only with the



initial $1,111, but they keep on giving donations as well. There are many Indian

life-members, they know about Krishna and very much appreciate that Srila

Prabhupada has brought Krishna to the western countries and his disciples are

worshiping Him so nicely in the temples. The come to the temples to see Krishna,

to pray to Him, and to offer Him some donation. It is quite natural.



Of course it costs money to run the temples, to worship the Deity, to print

literature, etc. Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He should be

worshipped in a grand style. So it costs some money.

>

>4. What made you become a member of the Hare Krishna movement?

>



I resd the books of my spiritual master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

Prabhupada and could see he was speaking the absolute truth. I was a Christian

before [and still am -- we accept Lord Jesus Christ as he says, as the son of

God], I have always believed in God, but found the one hour a week type of

religion unsatisfying. Now I am living for Krishna, I have no other business than

serving Krishna, and that is our natural position. I have been a Hare Krishna

devotee for the past 10 years now and it is the perfect life. But that dosen't

mean one can't have a family, an ordinary job, etc and still be a Hare Krishna. It

is so nice that one can be Krishna conscious in any lifestyle.



>Thank you for taking the time for answering my questions.  If you have any

>other I-net resources that may be of use to me please let me know.  Thanks

>again.

>



I suppose you must have seen my home-page at:



   /~balarama

  

I would recommend that you read the books of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta

Swami Prabhupada, that is the best Krishna resource. The Bhagavad-gita As It Is is

on the net at /~btg but the other books you will have to find

the paper ones at present...



Please write with any other questions you may have.



Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!





Madhudvisa dasa





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Chant Hare Krishna and be happy! All glories to His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada!