ISKCON at my school..

Quips

I've had an interesting experience over the last couple of days at the university that I attend. Occasionally you will see different spiritual or religious people coming to the school and just setting up somewhere to preach. I had never seen any eastern groups i.e. hindu or buddhist groups spreading any message of their own. However, a couple members of ISKCON have been at the university handing out krishna related literature. I attempted to have a discussion with one of them on the first day..explaining that I personally was very much interested and into buddhist philosophy. I attempted to relate to him in terms of the similarities between buddhist ideas and hindu ideas etc..he seemed to be very put off by this. It was a strange "vibe" so to speak, but I felt like he thought I was being confrontational..but I not intend that at all. He then just walked away..said nothing more..walked away. I ended up speaking with his friend who was also handing out literature etc..and told his friend I meant no harm and that I was actually very interested in their message and goal. He was much more friendly and we spoke a bit about that.

A couple of things I did notice...one was..during my attempted conversation with the first guy..he told me that his goal was to free people from their material obsessions etc..but as he was saying this, his cell phone started ringing. Now I'm not saying people should not have cellular phones..I just felt it was a bit of a contradiction that he is taking such a strong stance against all material things, yet he owns a cell phone as well as a pretty cool t-shirt etc. I didn't actually make a mention of this contradiction to him nor his friend..just something I noticed. Another thing I noticed was that today the same guy was speaking to various students on krishna consciousness etc, but I noticed some giving him money... I do assume that these people live off charity of others but in all reality it does appear from an outside view as a bit imposing to be asking for money from strangers.

Today I spoke a bit with the more friendly partner of his..and we talked a bit about meditation etc and he briefly explained the idea of krishna consciousness...which confused me, probably because there wasn't much time for him to elaborate on the it. I was curious to know if any of you guys have had any direct experience with ISKCON or people related to that particular organization..and if so, what are your ideas on such?

ShiftPlusOne

ISKCON is more of a business than anything else. As a student, I do appreciate their cheap food though.

jinzang

ISKON is specifically committed to a personal God and opposed to philosophical schools in Hinduism like Shankara's Advaita. So there's not much commonality with Buddhism.

mugzy

Wow, I haven't seen any Hare Krishna's around for a long time. I remember when they used to be at the airports, back when you could go all the way to the gate without a ticket.

Simonthepilgrim

Takes me back to the '60s, when the sheer over-the-topness of the Hare Krishnas on the streets of London shook my good English mind. Their anti-intellectrualism and general exstasis seemed very alien and not a bit off-putting. It did read the Bhagavad Gita as result, tho@ So: thank you, Sri Krshna.

sukhita

There are two huge ISKCON temples in the city where I live. Their core practice is based the Bhagavad Gita, a sacred Hindu scripture. Their devotion is towards Krishna, the Supreme Lord (God Head). In practice, they dedicate their thoughts and actions towards pleasing the Suprene Lord Krishna. They meditate/chant/dance using mantras, the single most used is "Hare Rama, Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Hare, Hare".

I have never seen them go out on fund raising campaigns in our city. Most of their religious activities take place in the temples. But there is the huge "Festival of the Chariots" that takes place annually in the city beach front. They seem to be getting all their funds from their wealthy patrons and benefactors, perhaps this is why they don't bother too much with fund raising at the schools, public places, and even in their temples. They have huge financial resources: They provide the community at large with with free meals at their temples and festivals. They operate a school feeding scheme at many poor schools but don't ever try to convert students there. They have built schools and primary health clinics in impoverished rural areas. They arrange for medical specialists to provide free treatment to the elderly from disadvantaged communities. But they can be quite rigid about their core beliefs because it is prescribed??? in their written scripture. But I don't see them shove it at anyone's face. Alas, it's come and believe, not come and see for yourself.... No different from Christianity, Islam, or Hinduism, I suppose.

Nidish

Hey,
I am from India.. And i am a member of ISKCON.. That was before I "Became" a Buddhist.. Even before, they seemed really dominant, that made them abominable to some extent... You know, they speak bad of Gods Other Than Krishna.. And it is them, who have made popular the rumour that The Buddha is an Avatara(incarnation) of Krishna :wtf: !!! I have read The Bhagavad Gita too... The texts are all OK, but the way they function... I dunno... It just makes them seem abominable... And yes, there are a LOT in common between Buddhism and Hinduism, maybe not the way in which it is professed by ISKCON............ Basically, they think EVERYTHING IS KRISHNA.... :P ...

Metta

sukhita

Hi @Nidish
I'm from South Africa, of Indian descent. The two temples are in the city of Durban. The word "abominable" would be totally inappropriate to describe members of ISKCON in my country. They mind their own business and do not annoy or frustrate anyone here. But I don't know how it is with ISKCON members elswhere.
Metta,
S

Dakini

My only experience w/the Hare Krishnas was when I visited their farm, New Vrindavin, in W Virginia. It was eventually closed and the leader run out of the country due to fiscal and sexual malfeasance.

Cinorjer

The Krishna movements, under various and sundry names and leaders, have always tried to place the Buddha as just another in a long line of Hindu and Eastern Guru type figures that transcended to some egoless state of oneness with the universe.

The problem is, the Buddha did not teach that it's all about getting in touch with the Oneness or the Universe and so on. He taught suffering, it's cause and elimination. However, that doesn't stop religions from trying to place him in their spiritual canon.

Whether or not the Krishna religion is for you, is for you to decide. But it has nothing to do with Buddhism.

Nidish

@Sukhita
I used the word abominable only out of convenience.. I can't find any other word :P ...

sukhita

Hi @Nidish
I meant the use of the word "abominable" was inappropriate in relation of the temples in South Africa. But, if the material I read in the past about certain Hare Krishna cults in the US is factual, then perhaps word "abominable" could describe such cults. So, I'm not saying that that the word is inappropriate in all cases. Maybe, you are justified in using the word to describe the temples you're talking about, I don't know.
Kind regards,
S

Nidish

well I din't mean abominable EXACTIY either ...

sukhita

Don't sweat the small stuff... it's all small stuff. BTW, our cricket teams are level at 2 all in the ODI series, let's see how it plays out on Sunday.

Nidish

LOL!! I dint sweat man!! And yea, it feels good to speak about our cricket team on this forum...

Ncryptx

ISKCON and Buddhism are completely incompatible. ISKCON is Prabhupada's modern reinvention of Advaitia Vedanta from the narrow blinkers of the Krsna cult, and depends on intense 'bhakti' - devotional worship of a 'personal god'. Buddhism regards the very question of the existence of a supreme Godhead to be based on fundamentally incorrect premises. It's astika vs nastika - completely different with no tangential meeting place.

Ficus_religiosa

I sometimes chat with them when they stop me down town, trying to give me books. I accepted two books on one occasion, and then gave the monk $20 in return, which was way more than he had hoped for I could see..

They are very down-to-earth and friendly, but always try to find similarities with Buddhism in order to win me over - frankly I find the two religions quite different.

I like to challenge their teachings and arguments which often leads to funny admissions (like the on who swore to Vedic Medicine, but had to admit he used a normal doctor when ill).

Friendly, eloquent and persuasive is how I experience them. So to be honest I use them as a practice when I need to sharpen my oral debating skills and find myself down town with nothing else to do..

Nidish

ISKCON and Buddhism are completely incompatible. ISKCON is Prabhupada's modern reinvention of Advaitia Vedanta from the narrow blinkers of the Krsna cult, and depends on intense 'bhakti' - devotional worship of a 'personal god'. Buddhism regards the very question of the existence of a supreme Godhead to be based on fundamentally incorrect premises. It's astika vs nastika - completely different with no tangential meeting place.

ISKCON is based on Vishishtadvaita Vedanta, and not Advaita....

Nidish

I sometimes chat with them when they stop me down town, trying to give me books. I accepted two books on one occasion, and then gave the monk $20 in return, which was way more than he had hoped for I could see..

They are very down-to-earth and friendly, but always try to find similarities with Buddhism in order to win me over - frankly I find the two religions quite different.

I like to challenge their teachings and arguments which often leads to funny admissions (like the on who swore to Vedic Medicine, but had to admit he used a normal doctor when ill).

Friendly, eloquent and persuasive is how I experience them. So to be honest I use them as a practice when I need to sharpen my oral debating skills and find myself down town with nothing else to do..

If you think such an act is in anyway profitting, please do continue... But I would not do such a thing ........

Ficus_religiosa

If you think such an act is in anyway profitting, please do continue... But I would not do such a thing ........

I find that preachers are always happy to discuss - and I'm happy to give them what they want You really need to be "on" when taking a round with these professionals, so I think I get a lot from it. My best guess is, that they do too - seldom do they get an opportunity for some qualified opposition (most people ignore them in a rude manner).
Mind you, if they didn't want to talk to people and discuss their religion, they wouldn't be out on the streets taking all that trash from so many people in hope of finding just a single person to talk to

Ncryptx

ISKCON is based on Vishishtadvaita Vedanta, and not Advaita....

Thanks for info!

Nidish

...
I like to challenge their teachings and arguments which often leads to funny admissions (like the on who swore to Vedic Medicine, but had to admit he used a normal doctor when ill).

Friendly, eloquent and persuasive is how I experience them. So to be honest I use them as a practice when I need to sharpen my oral debating skills and find myself down town with nothing else to do..

Maybe I just don't like the phrasings :P

Ficus_religiosa

I see what you mean