Yesterday I said that the local opinion towards ISKCON has shifted towards a kind of suspicious doubt. Partly that is because they have acquired a lot of land in and around Vrindavan. Another reason why they are not always favored by locals is, to say it frankly, because ISKCON is a sect and because of the way their members, who like to call themselves devotees, behave. Let me give you some examples.
One of the most distinctive signs of a sect is that they have strict rules, restricting their members’ actions to their own practice and activities and no member is allowed to leave this one path or way. On my travels I have met many people who have formerly been in this sect and I always hear similar stories about how they left. They always say that they have been there for some months and even for a couple of years but then they quit or were thrown out by the organization because of their rules. You have to live in a certain way, wear certain clothes, have to do a certain amount of prayers and rituals and have a long list of things that you are not allowed to do, one of them being ‘illicit sex’.
When we have guests staying at the Ashram with us, they usually go and visit the ISKCON temple as well, as it is one of the biggest sights of Vrindavan. Once a guest came back from such a visit and told us just how scary an experience this had been for her. She was very relieved to be back and asked me straight away ‘Is ISKCON a sect?’ When I answered yes and asked her how she came to this realization, she told me that everybody just behaved so strangely! They wore their traditional Indian lose clothing, all in eggshell colour or a strange mixture of pink and orange which should symbolize their spirituality and they did their rituals but it all seemed wrong to her. They acted as if they were controlled by someone else, as if they did not even know why they were doing what they were doing.
I found this an interesting observation and it is exactly what I have seen in these people. I know the meaning of these rituals because I have studied this culture but they are just directed to do these things without understanding their essence. They are just like machines, following directions. This kind of brainwashing and this loss of freedom of own thinking is a clear symptom of a sect. They have no way anymore to make their own decisions and just do whatever they are told to do, whatever their rules tell them to do. They have to do a certain amount of prayers per day, so they pray even while shopping regardless the sense, meaning and effect of such a prayer.
Devotees of the Hare Krishna movement seem to feel they are deeper in Indian culture than any Indian can be but unfortunately they don’t fully understand what they are talking about. They just stick to their rules and know what they should do but they don’t understand the essence behind it.
Local people of Vrindavan did not really mind their rules very much as long as they kept them to themselves. Shopkeepers were anyway happy, because they were making good profits since all those foreigners and ‘Hare Krishna’ people, as they are commonly called, were in town. They were and are however not really very happy with their belief, especially as they try to convince every other person to believe the same.
ISKCON devotees have the idea that they are following a very ‘pure’ tradition of Hinduism and that they lead their lives just as the Hindu God Krishna wanted us to live. For them, Krishna is the highest God. At the same time however they say all other Gods, Shiva, Rama, Ganesha and so many more, are only demi-Gods, inferior to Krishna. Paired with the conviction that only they are right, this idea can lead to big discussions and arguments between believers. Hinduism has many Gods but they are equal. Some people pray more to Shiva while others feel closer to Rama and pray to him but they don’t see their preference making this God superior to others.
You can imagine that people don’t like a foreigner standing in front of them and teaching them how they should see Krishna. We, the people of Vrindavan, see Krishna as the boy from the neighbourhood and we grew up with the love for Krishna. These people come from a foreign country, heard about Krishna for the first time only a year or two ago and now try to teach us how to love Krishna in the right way?
Once we had an incident here at the Ashram which showed us the full extent of their wish to teach others what they know of God and Indian culture. A woman, obviously an ISKCON devotee, walked into the Ashram and asked for water. We gave water and something sweet to eat along with it. While sitting at the table, the woman saw how someone went into my grandmother’s room where she keeps the altar and she got up, entered into my grandmother’s bedroom and wanted to offer something at the altar. We might have overlooked this breach of privacy but then she saw someone stepping into the room with shoes and suddenly started preaching that this was a room of God, with the altar there, that we should not wear shoes there, that we were unholy and doing all kinds of other unholy things. Imagine someone stepping into your bedroom and telling you what you should be wearing there! We asked her to leave immediately and she did so with many insults and loud wailing about our way of seeing God.
We had some more experiences with ISKCON people, some of whom even staying at the Ashram and this is how we saw ourselves forced to write even on our website that we don’t welcome members of any sect in the Ashram. Whenever someone makes an inquiry and already tells us that he or she is a devotee, we ask them to stay in the ISKCON guest house instead. This will be a more peaceful stay for them and for us.
Sect members insist that they are the only ones who know the right way and the International Society of Krishna Consciousness is not an exception.
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Hahaha! I love your honest way of putting things in words which others hesitate to say. More Indian than Indians is really what they want to be. I had a friend who got lost in that sect for a year or so. It was freaky how he greeted everybody, the clothes he was wearing and the smell of incense that was spread all over his apartment. He even thought eating coffee and chocolate was a sin. I can confirm it is a sect and it took him some effort to get out of it. These ISKCON devotees have extreme views which are not at all good for your physical and mental health!
Isn’t this the most annoying thing about sect members, that they cannot keep their nonsense to themselves? I appreciated their food on some fairs that I have been to but then stopped buying from them when they tried to talk to me about Krishna whenever I came…I have absolutely no Hindu tendencies and don’t want to be converted, thank you very much!
I believe it is a good sign and an advertisement FOR your Ashram that you don’t welcome any sect members there. It makes it clear what kind of people you don’t want as guests and in this way shows that you want to have people who are self-responsible, who are free in their mind and who don’t try to force others in their religion.Your whole website gives that message that you are free from religions, so why would your Ashram not be?
And especially with ISKCON you need to be careful as they are very subtle about their persuasions. They use their nice idea of vegetarianism and love for Krishna to attract people and then they get stuck in this net of what you have to do for this love…
Here in the West, the behavior of Hare-Krishna-devotees actually only looks funny (if it wasn’t so sad, that people become addicted and unfree through the rules of the Hare-Krishna-movement)
0E”Devotees of the Hare Krishna movement seem to feel they are deeper in indian culture than any Indian can be but unfortunately they don 19t fully understand what they are talking about. They just stick to their rules and know what they shoul…d do but they don 19t understand the essence behind it.” THAT is soooo true!!!!! i had a friend from Krishna people in LAtvia, God he was like brainwashed and he was sooo sure of all, liek IT WILL SAVE HIM from something….and i was wondering – save from WHAT???? it is almost impossible to talk to him, he allways says that whataver i say- i m WRONG abotu everything 🙁 we cut our friendship cos it was impossible to even speak to him anymore.He stil thinks that the whole world is wrong and only THEY are right, they are ONLY TRUE people of God and who understand and know God…but when i asked- do you even love your mother? he couldn’t unswer me to this…he doesn’t really love anyone 🙁 🙁 that is sad…and 0E”Sect members insist that they are the only ones who know the right way and the International society of Krishna consciousness is not an exception.” AND THIS IS ALSO SOOO TRUE!!!!!! this is happening also here in Latvia!
I’m so glad you are finally speaking up about this, and I’m very ashamed to say, I was one of them! Fortunately I never went so far as to preach in India, especially to Brijbasis. I think very often this sort of thing is caused by personal immaturity, but unfortunately the movement does nothing to discourage it. I’ve grown out of trying to be more Indian than the Indians and am now just being myself. I and some of my friends have written a lot about what goes wrong with ISKCON. Would love to visit your Asram if I ever make it to India again.
Dear Anke,Thank you for your comment. You do not have to be ashamed about it that you were once one of them. People who are in this sect are often nice innocent people and they come out of this sect as soon as they realize it. Just as you did. The question is only when they will realize that they have to take their own responsibility and should not follow this kind of sect, their brain washing activities and their mentally sick Gurus. I have met many beautiful people in this way. Nice to meet you. I would like to read what you have written. Please send me the link. I would also love to read more comments by you on my other blog entries. Thank you.
It is re-affirming to hear your opinion as a Vrindavan native and the stories you’ve experienced with ISKCONites. When I arrived at the ashram, I got the general gist that we shouldn’t like ISCKON but I didn’t know why. I saw many of them in town and even went into the temple to experience it myself. Despite their crazy rules and manipulation, I didn’t really have a problem with them, as long as they are happy in their lives following that path. But it becomes a problem when they try to change and disrespect others. We may respect them on their life paths even though we disagree, but they certainly do not respect the opinions and ways of others. If they didn’t push their beliefs on other people, I wouldn’t have any problem with them. But they cross the line by trying to change and degrade others. Ignorance… Ignorant Society of Krishna Con-artists. Hahahahah
It is so hard to believe! I have seen people in Moscow’s ISKCON, they were all sooo nice! And it is also hard to realize that these people are innocent and just want to serve others and God. And I know how important the trip to Vrindavan for those people is. They lay up money, dream about it all the time…and it is just brainwashing…
I had the same experience when i went to the IKCON in Vrindavan. The foreigners looked distant and didn’t return my smiles. They seemed to be in a dream. They even looked at me disdainfully as if I shouldn’t be there.
Even I do not agree completely with everything what Swami said in article. I surely agree with this that ISKCON is a sect. They really do not know the Vedas and their meaning. They just practice karma yoga with some vaidhi bhakti aspects (talikng about best examples) and think they know everything and that they are pure devotees. I am European but was interested about yoga and spirituality from my childhood. 10 years I was visiting India. I should just tell the Swami that most of Indians do not know about yoga and Vedas properly. So it is not just about some white people coming to India in ISKCON. By the way ISKCON was founded by Indian who established all these crazy views and practices which they have. Of course they have also some good rules and some good views. I know ISKCON quite well being for few years part of it and I know the main temple presidents in India well. There are some good people there and some bad as well. But on the whole Swami is right. ISKCON is sect and many of their views are wrong.
Thumbs up 🙂
Just 1 thing i want to say…..may the ALMIGHTY OR GOD(not naming him/her bcuz he/she rightly knows it)give you and me the transendental sight to distinguish the right/facts from the wrong/perceptions…..And yes thank you swamiji…..
I just wanted to say that of course ISKCON is a sect. Is that bad? As there are thousands. Also ISKCON does NOT force anyone to do anything. As far as demigods not being Supreme , iskcon says that because scripture says it. Iskcon did not make that up. As far as most iskcon devotees being hypocrites and thinking they are experts on hinduism when they are not, 100 per cent true.
iskcon is wrong interpretation of hinduism