The doctrines of the International Society for Krishna
Consciousness (ISKCON), are derived from ancient Vaishnava
scriptures such as Srimad-Bhagavatam (commentary on the
Vedas), Srimad Bhagavad-gita (Lord Krishna’s teachings), and
Sri Caitanya-Charitamrta (Lord Chaitanya’s teachings)
Origin
The basic tenet of these teachings is that each living entity
is an eternal spirit soul and has a distinct relationship with
God, Krishna. Lord Chaitanya distinguished Gaudiya Vaishnavism
from other sampradayas by understanding that the spirit soul
is “inconceivably one and different” from the Supreme Lord:
acintya bheda tattva. Both are of the same spiritual nature,
but the Lord is unlimited in quantity, and the spirit soul is
his tiny servant.
As explained by Srila Prabhupada
The basic Hare Krishna beliefs can be summarized as follow :
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Beyond body soul exists : The very first
step in self-realization is realizing one’s identity as
separate from the body. “I am not this body but am spirit
soul” is an essential realization for anyone who wants to
transcend death and enter into the spiritual world beyond.
It is not simply a matter of saying “I am not this body,”
but of actually realizing it.
-
One life is not everything, reinacarnation happens
:
Remembrances of past lives can be fascinating, but the real
goal of understanding reincarnation is to become free from
the painful cycle of birth in death. Srila Prabhupada warns,
This is not a very good business–to die and take birth
again. We know that when we die we’ll have to enter again
into the womb of a mother–and nowadays mothers are killing
the children within the womb.
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Beyond material world spiritual world exists : In the material world there are so many inconveniences. So
spiritual world, there is no inconvenience. Inebriety. It is
a reflection of the spiritual world, but there are so many
difficulties here. Therefore it is called material world.
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Beyond living entity Supreme controller exists :
Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ: “The supreme controller is Kṛṣṇa.”
Sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ. This is our definition of God. God
means supreme controller. Supreme controller means who is
not controlled by anyone, but He is controller of everyone.
That is God.
-
If God exists, how to connect with Him : As
soon as one understands his identity, his relationship with
God, then immediately he becomes happy. We are so full of
miseries because we have identified ourselves with the
material world. Therefore we are unhappy. Anxieties and
fearfulness are due to our misidentifying with the material
world. The sankirtana movement is the easiest process for
self-realization ( bhakti yoga ) because it cleanses the
heart. ‘Harinama, Harinama, Harinama is the only and
foremost means to achieve emancipation. There is no other
way, no other way, no other way in this age of Kali.’
-
Process of Bhakti Yoga : A pure devotee has
no plans other than those for the Lord’s service. “One can
execute the process of bhakti-yoga successfully with
full-hearted enthusiasm, perseverance, and determination, by
following the prescribed duties in the association of
devotees and by engaging completely in activities of
goodness.
Founder’s Statement
Kolkata-born A.C. Bhakitivedanta Swami (1896-1977), also known
as Srila Prabhupada, who founded The Hare Krishna Movement™ in
New York in 1966, wrote a statement that was used in the
religion’s initial incorporation. This statement is still
relevant for ISKCON, and serves as a Mission Statement.
It reads as follows:
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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.
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To propagate a consciousness of Krishna (God), as it is
revealed in the great scriptures of India, especially
Bhagavad-gita andSrimad-Bhagavatam. We accept the principle
of transmigration of the soul (reincarnation).
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To bring the members of the Society together with each other
and nearer to Krishna, the prime entity, thus developing the
idea within the members, and humanity at large, that each
soul is part and parcel of the quality of Godhead (Krishna).
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To teach and encourage the sankirtana movement,
congregational chanting of the holy name of God, as revealed
in the teachings of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
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To erect for the members and for society at large a holy
place of transcendental pastimes dedicated to the
personality of Krishna.
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To bring the members closer together for the purpose of
teaching a simpler, more natural way of life.
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With a view towards achieving the aforementioned purposes,
to publish and distribute periodicals, magazines, books and
other writings and to create websites that help realize
these purposes.
