International Society For Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON)

[Hare Krishna]

Dear Brother/Sister,

                             International Society For Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) is a religious movement that also identifies itself as The Hare Krishna Movement. ISKCON belongs to the Gaudiya Vaishnava sampradaya, a monotheistic tradition within the Vedic and Hindu cultural traditions.

It is based on the Bhagavad Gita, the spiritual teachings spoken by Lord Krishna. According to many writings, this sacred text is over 5,000 years old, and it documents the conversation between Lord Krishna and his close friend and disciple, Arjuna.

ISKCON traces its spiritual lineage directly to the speaker of this sacred book, Lord Krishna, who is revered as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The text teaches that the goal of life is to develop love of God, or Krishna. Love of God is realized through the practice of bhakti yoga, the science of devotional service.

In the latter part of the 15th century, a saint named Chaitanya Mahaprabhu revitalized the bhakti yoga tradition by introducing an expansive spiritual movement that swept India. Central to this renaissance was Chaitanya’s emphasis on the chanting of Krishna’s name. Underlying this simple practice was a profound, rational, and intellectually comprehensive theology. Hare Krishna devotees worship Lord Chaitanya as an incarnation of Krishna for this age, and ISKCON is a continuation of the movement Chaitanya revitalized.

The basic Hare Krishna beliefs

1. By sincerely cultivating true spiritual science, we can be free from anxiety and come to a state of pure, unending, blissful consciousness in this lifetime.
   
2. We are not our bodies but eternal, spirit souls, parts and parcels of God (Krishna). As such, we are all brothers, and Krishna is ultimately our common father. We accept the process of transmigration of the soul (reincarnation).
   
3. Krishna is eternal, all-knowing, omnipresent, all-powerful, and all-attractive. He is the seed-giving father of all living beings, and He is the sustaining energy of the entire cosmic creation. He is the same God as The Father Allah, Buddha and Jehovah.
   
4. The Absolute Truth is contained in the Vedas, the oldest scriptures in the world. The essence of the Vedas is found in the Bhagavad Gita, a literal record of Krishna's words.
   
5. One can learn the Vedic knowledge from a genuine spiritual master - one who has no selfish motives and whose mind is firmly fixed on Krishna.
   
6. Before one eats, one offers to the Lord (Krishna) the food that sustains all humans; then Krishna becomes the offering and purifies the offered.
   
7. One performs all actions as offerings to Krishna and does nothing for one's own sense gratification.
   
8. The recommended means for achieving the mature stage of love of God in this age of Kali, or quarrel, is to chant the holy names of the Lord. The easiest method for most people is to chant the Hare Krishna mantra:
   

“Hare Krishna Hare Krishna

Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama

Rama Rama Hare Hare”

Seven purposes of ISKCON

When Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada first incorporated ISKCON in 1966, he gave it seven purposes:

1. To systematically propagate spiritual knowledge to society at large and to educate all people in the techniques of spiritual life in order to check the imbalance of values in life and to achieve real unity and peace in the world.
   
2. To propagate a consciousness of Krishna, as it is revealed in the Bhagavad Gita and the Srimad Bhagavatam. The principle of reincarnation is accepted.
   
3. To bring the members of the Society together with each other and nearer to Krishna, the prime entity, thus to develop the idea within the members, and humanity at large, that each soul is part and parcel of the quality of Godhead (Krishna).
   
4. To teach and encourage the sankirtana movement, congregational chanting of the holy names of God as revealed in the teachings of Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
   
5. To erect for the members, and for society at large, a holy place of transcendental pastimes, dedicated to the personality of Krishna.
   
6. To bring the members closer together for the purpose of teaching a simpler and more natural way of life.
   
7. With a view towards achieving the aforementioned purposes, to publish and distribute periodicals, magazines, books and other writings.
   

Four regulative principles

Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada prescribed four regulative principles as the basis of the spiritual life:

1. No eating of meat (including fish) or eggs
   
2. No illicit sex: only between married couples and only for the procreation of children
   
3. No gambling
   
4. No intoxicants (including alcohol, caffeine, tobacco and other recreational drugs)

HARE KRISHNA