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A few questions about Hare Krishna
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Subject: A few questions about Hare Krishna
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From: Sean C
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Date: Fri Dec 15 11:44:51 1995
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Message-Id: id657
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!