What is ISKCON and Who is a Member

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What is ISKCON and Who is a Member
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International Society for Kåñëa Consciousness

• I will answer the 2 questions posed in the title
  by studying holistically the 3 key terms
• International
• Society
• Kåñëa Consciousness

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What is a Society?

• Dictionary
• A community of people living in a particular
  country or region and having shared customs, laws
  and organizations. (Oxford)?

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What is a Society?

• Based on this definition lets define ISKCON
• A global community of people having shared
  customs, laws and organizations that are based
  upon the principles of Kåñëa consciousness.

Here the key word is shared which means
common
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What is a Society?

• A society is comprised of people who have
  shared or common values.

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What is a Society? Who are Members?

• Take the country of France as an example of a
  society with members.

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What is a Society? Who are Members?

• What do French people have in common?
• A constitution
• Laws
• Language
• Education
• Taxation

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What is a Society? Who are Members?

• IOW French people have in common primary rights
  and obligations.

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What is a Society? Who are Members?

• What do French people have that is not common to
  all, but is individual?
• Faith
• Ethnicity
• Dress
• Profession
• Opinions

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What is a Society? Who are Members?

• IOW What French people do not have to have in
  common are individual rights and obligations.

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What is a Society? Who are Members?

• Summarizing that which is common and not common
• France is made of people with individual rights
  and obligations that do not conflict with common
  rights and obligations.
• A French citizen is an individual who accepts the
  obligatory common rights and obligations of the
  French Republic.

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What is a Society? Who are Members?

• The key words in defining a Society and its
  members are
• rights and obligations

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What is a Society? Who are Members?

• Applying the above principles (France/Frenchmen)
  in the context of ISKCON
• ISKCON is a global community of devotees with
  individual rights and obligations, which do not
  conflict with the obligatory rights and
  obligations common to all its members
• A member of ISKCON is a devotee who accepts the
  rights and obligations common to all other
  members.

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What is a Society? Who are Members?

• How are rights and obligations of ISKCON's
  members determined?
• By the GBC in the form of
• Constitution and
• Laws

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Again the rule of thumb

• Those who fulfill the obligations established by
  ISKCONs constitution and laws enjoy the rights
  bestowed by the Society. These are members.

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Conversely

• Those who do not fulfill the obligations in
  ISKCONs constitution and laws do not enjoy the
  rights bestowed by the Society. They are not
  members.

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Take some examples of members' obligations

• GBC is their ultimate managerial and spiritual
  authority
• They must be connected to ISKCONs line of
  authority
• They accept initiation only from member of ISKCON
  (Chant 16 rds and follow 4 regs)?
• They do not divorce

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...con't examples members' obligations

• They give 10 of income to the Society
• Subject to the disciplinary and judicial system
  of ISKCON
• Summary The laws and bylaws of ISKCON determine
  devotees values and conduct in all aspects of
  their live work (varëa), social status (äçrama)
  and spiritual practice and aspiration.

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Now! Some examples of members' rights

• Is officially accepted as being connected to
  Çréla Prabhupäda in the parämparä.
• Can reside, serve or be employed in temples,
  farms etc and also engage in leadership positions
  to level of GBC secretary.
• Can perform ceremonies and worship for members
  and in temples (give class, worship deities,
  become dékñä/çikñä guru, do saàskäras etc)?

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...con't, examples members' rights

• Enjoy saàskäras offered by Society (birth,
  marriage, initiation, sannyäsa etc)?
• Be part of ISKCON initiatives eg Chamber of
  commerce, Mäyäpura residence, gurukula/education,
  co-operatives etc.
• Summary Members enjoy benefits of membership
  only on the basis of having accepted the
  obligations that comes along it, membership.

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Result

• An ISKCON and a membership into ISKCON that are
  easily and clearly identified by objective
  criteria based on Çréla Prabhupädas teachings
  and our scriptures, Çrémad-Bhägavatam,
  Bhagavad-gétä etc.

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What about?

• Devotees who follow Prabhupäda and Kåñëa but not
  the laws of ISKCON?
• What about patron members, life members and so
  on?
• What about new devotees who have not fully
  embraced our principles, dont chant 16 or follow
  4?
• What about watching TV, playing football, going
  to movies, breaking principles etc
• What about devotees who gave their youth, did
  saëkértana, think themselves membersbut dont
  accept obligations?

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Road map for Varëäçrama

• Since this definition of membership standardizes
  devotees lives according to spiritual principles
  the society thus formed is the most basic and
  practical embodiment of the Varëäçrama Society
  that Çréla Prabhupäda envisaged.