GBC Meetings Gaurapurnima 2007 By: Tattvavit das (ACBSP)
Day One of the G.B.C. Meetings. Monday, February 5, 2007 Devotees assembled as Bhanu Swami offered an arati to Srila Prabhupada and
Vijaya Prabhu led a kirtan. The GBC chairman, Bhaktivaibhava Swami, opened the well-attended meeting.
Only a few members were absent this year, some because of illness. The day's
agenda: a summary of the autumn GBC meetings in Italy and a discussion of
book distribution. 2006: An Overview
The chairman first presented an overview of the GBC's work in 2006.
Regarding the departure of Sripada Bhaktiswarupa Damodara Maharaja, the
chairman asked some GBC members to eulogize him. Later, a day will be set
aside in his honor.
Jaya Pataka Swami strongly lamented the loss of Bhakti Swarupa Damodara
Swami's unique contribution in the field of scientific preaching. He
mentioned a Nobel Prize winner who said that twenty years ago he never
expected to have dialogues with religionists. Bhakti Swarupa Damodara
Maharaja perfected the art of gathering top scientists for congresses, and
he also brought Manipur culture to an international audience.
Bhakti Caru Swami expressed how much he regretted not being able to meet
Bhakti Swarupa Damodara Swami before he left this world. Bhakti Caru Swami
was the temple president of the Manipur temple in the early days, and he
said that all the Manipur people took great pride in Bhakti Swarupa Damodara
Swami's accomplishments as a scientist and devotee. The chairman continued his overview by saying that ISKCON needs to develop a
justice system, just as any government has such a system. He also pointed
out that GBC Executive Committee requires more secretaries and offices. Last year the GBC dealt with the Kazakhstan crisis, and Bhakti Bhringa
Govinda Swami will be making a presentation. The Tirupati temple successfully opened last week. Some GBC members who were
present at the opening spoke highly of it. Bir Krishna Goswami complimented
the Tirupati devotees for meeting the needs of every single guest. Lokanath
Swami said that seven to eight thousand devotees went to the opening and
that most of the funding came from book distribution. He praised the Revati
Ramana Prabhu, the temple president, for making the project a success over
the past eight years. Gopala Krishna Goswami said the temple is attractively
designed and that Bhakti Swarupa Damodara Swami played a role in both
getting the land there and providing a strong foundation for the community
while he served as the GBC for Tirupati.
Jaya Pataka Swami said that the renowned priests of the Tirumala temple did
the initial installation procedures. And the present head sannyasi of the
Tirupati/Tirumala branch of the Ramanuja sampradaya came to the ISKCON
temple for the first time; although scheduled to be there for only one day,
he attended the ceremonies during all three days of the opening and praised
ISKCON for making foreigners devotees through the powerful process of
chanting the holy names of Vishnu, which, he said, surpasses the rituals
alone. The GBC Meetings in Italy
Bhaktivaibhava Swami, who called the GBC meetings in Italy last autumn, gave
his impressions: The GBC body needed to relieve itself of its somewhat
stifling annual format. The additional meeting in Italy brought out ideas
concerning the future development of ISKCON and ways that these ideas will
be put into action. He stated that the GBC's performance as a group needed
strengthening and cited Srila Prabhupada's indications that holding more
than one meeting a year may be necessary for the proper functioning of the
GBC. He concluded that skepticism about the amount of time invested in
special meetings should not dissuade the GBC from meeting the challenge of
thinking about the whole world. The members need to invest time and
resources in plans that lead to more action.
Gopala Bhatta Prabhu, who facilitated the meetings in Italy, summarized
them: A beginning of more effective leadership emerged out of a certain
fuzziness at the start of the meetings, which were about the future of the
GBC and ISKCON. Now, taking things a step further towards the sphere of
action will be taken up during three days of this annual GBC meeting.
Kavi Candra Swami said that all the GBC members who attended those meetings
were happy with the outcome and agreed to have more additional meetings.
Jaya Pataka Swami appreciated Gopala Bhatta Prabhu's role in helping the GBC
members open their hearts, build teams, and focus on issues. He asked the
body to thank Gopala Bhatta Prabhu. He also thanked the Prabhupada-desh
devotees for their hospitality and wonderful prasadam.
Gopala Bhatta Prabhu said that he was not driving an agenda but pulling an
agenda out of the GBC members by encouraging a team spirit of service to
Srila Prabhupada.
Ravindra Swarupa Prabhu said that many people gained realizations through
the open-ended process and analysis at the meetings in Italy. It was a
relief to talk about things that the GBC rarely gets to talk about. Two
areas were especially important, he said: clearly establishing the
preeminent position of Srila Prabhupada and the position of the GBC body as
the head of ISKCON. Individual GBC members are respected within ISKCON, but
there is a lack of respect for the GBC body, and it should be even more
respected, for it is the sum total of the individual members and, according
to Prabhupada's will, the successor to Srila Prabhupada at the head of
ISKCON. Establishing Srila Prabhupada's position in ISKCON is intimately
tied to inspiring confidence among the devotees in the GBC body. We have to
create and pass down this legacy of respect for the GBC body before all the
disciples of Srila Prabhupada on the GBC pass away, he concluded.
Gopala Bhatta Prabhu confirmed that this is "mission critical."
Anuttama Prabhu mentioned that the GBC needs to plan strategically so that
it does not continue just "missing trends": for example, multiple
independent musicians are now world famous for chanting Hare Krishna instead
of us; yoga is on the cover of TIME, while we are busy reacting to problems.
Anuttama Prabhu said that the meetings in Italy helped the GBC think about
putting their hearts and intelligence together to gather momentum and get
out front by long-term planning as well as heading off problems. At this point the GBC deputies excused themselves to hold their own
meetings.
Book Distribution Gopala Bhatta Prabhu facilitated this section. He asked the GBC members to
speak about how they really feel about book distribution. This is a
sensitive topic, for book distribution is not as prominent as it was during
Srila Prabhupada's time. Three years ago, the GBC began putting this topic
first at its annual meetings.
Brahma Muhurta Prabhu, the BBT Trustee for North Europe, read a few of Srila
Prabhupada's statements on book distribution.
Gopala Bhatta Prabhu said that good managers can get a clear picture of how
their organization is doing just by hearing some numbers. He read out
financial figures and said that the BBT's worldwide revenue went flat about
ten years ago, though there are still high and bright spots distributing
more than ever. He pointed out that there are approximately 350 temples and
100 preaching centers worldwide. Of these, 208 units reported doing some
distribution last year, which is a little more than half. Just one-third of
the temples distribute books; two-thirds don't do much. Moreover, we have
not implemented systems for accurate score-keeping in every region.
He said that we want to investigate reasons why book distribution is
successful in some areas and not in others. But first we want to find out
how each member feels about book distribution and its current status. We
want to take an inventory of that. And we also would like to hear what the
GBC members want to tell the BBT trustees (four trustees were present).
The GBC members, one by one, began stating their ideas and eventually
mentioned dozens of them, too numerous to list here. (All the comments were
noted down, to be used later.) Having been requested to openly express
themselves, they revealed how their hearts and energies are directed toward
book distribution, their concerns about it, and even their doubts, if they
had any. They brought up a wide range of topics: ensuring that street book
distribution is ethically done; considering how the public perceives book
distribution; mobilizing devotees in our congregations and making the best
use of sastra dan programs; reviving BBT councils composed of devotees in
various services; maintaining Srila Prabhupada's desire that book
distribution be at the center of ISKCON's preaching activities; finding new,
improved ways to design, advertise and distribute our books and bridge
books; following up on interested "customers"; and helping devotees read and
appreciate our books.
After this detailed discussion, Svavas Prabhu, a BBT trustee from America,
said that he heard many ideas today that he has not heard from GBCs he has
known a long time, and he will try to put them into action.
Brahma Muhurta Prabhu thanked the GBC for discussing book distribution. He
said that Krishna.com (a BBT-inspired Web site) gets 57,000 unique visitors
a month (a "unique visitor" is someone not counted twice in the same month).
These visitors come from 111 countries (US, India, UK, Canada, Australia,
UAE, South Africa, Netherlands, Singapore, Germany, Brazil, and so on). He
summarized the GBC's comments to the BBT trustees and encouraged the GBCs to
sympathize with the distributors. When Kavicandra Swami distributes seven
hundred books during the marathon, that inspires the distributors, he said.
When Sivarama Swami sends out SMS messages to the distributors, that also
inspires them.
Gopal Bhatta Prabhu expressed appreciation for everyone's statements, and
the meeting ended.
Day Two of the G.B.C. Meetings
Tuesday, February 6, 2007 The day's agenda: Straw voting and a BBT presentation about the editing of
Srila Prabhupada's books. The GBC Conference Room is decorated with artwork made by the school
children in Mayapur: papier-mache faces of Lord Nrsimhadeva and colored
drawings of Lord Jagannatha performing various imaginary activities
(e.g., riding on the back of a dolphin, flying a private jet, and driving a
convertible sports car into Puri). Straw voting process
Bhaktivaibhava Swami (GBC chairman) began the meeting by advising the GBC
members that they need to direct their comments and discussions more
carefully in order to be more effective as a body. Offering an example, he
said that during a discussion of a proposal, if a member withholds criticism
until the last minute before a vote, this undermines the GBC's ability to
build on constructive criticism or can obstruct progress. Thus he asked a
deputy to provide guidelines for the day's straw-voting process.
The guidelines were: Once a proposal is presented, comments are to be made
in this order: (1) questions (2) comments in favor and (3) comments against.
The existing system that the members follow is this: In addition to
discussing proposals, they may record any of their comments on the voting
forms, or comment in person to the deputies who adapt each resolution on the
basis of that input for the final vote later in the meetings.
The Straw Voting
Aniruddha Prabhu, a deputy, projected each proposal on a screen and read it.
Then he read from the screen the answers given by the devotee(s) who
submitted the proposal to two questions asked about all proposals: What
Prompts This? Why Is It Important? Finally, he showed and read the working
committee's comments, made in three categories: Positive, Minus, and
Interesting. He also showed and read the results of the straw vote taken
among the ten or so deputies who worked on the proposals in committees.
After discussing a proposal, the GBC members write their votes on individual
forms. During the morning session, eight proposals were discussed and voted
on:
1) Correcting a Misspelling in the Gayatri Mantra Sheet
2) Leaders Submitting Financial Reports
3) Financial Reports of Trusts
4) Clarifying Standards for Srila's Prabhupada Worship
5) The German Yatra's Emergency Action
6) A EURO GBC Officer's Extension of Duty
7) Kirtan Standards in ISKCON
8) Discipline of ISKCON Officials These proposals occupied the first session of the morning. There was a break for chanting Gayatri and drinking juice, and then the GBC
members discussed and did straw voting on the proposed zonal changes for the
coming year.
Editing the BBT books
Brahma Muhurta Prabhu made an informative presentation outlining the BBT's
reasons for continuing to edit Srila Prabhupada's books. He explained that
the BBT's goal is to ensure that the BBT books are as accurate as possible;
that any errors made earlier in the editing process are corrected. He
offered numerous examples of transcribers of Srila Prabhupada's tapes
misunderstanding his pronunciation. Because of this, many grammatical or
more substantive errors ended up in BBT publications. He made a case that
the editing of the BBT books should not be frozen, and said that while many
devotees are misinformed about the editing process, when the need for
accuracy in Srila Prabhupada's books is understood, they appreciate the
BBT's efforts. The meeting ended with an announcement that the next morning's session would
start an hour earlier, so that the meeting could recess at noon and the GBC
members could attend the vyasa-puja ceremony of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati Maharaja.
Day Three of the G.B.C. Meetings
Wednesday, February 7, 2007 The main agenda item for the next three days is planning ISKCON's future. If
you have a vague idea of what strategic planning is, you will better
understand it after reading this report. At the morning session today, the
GBC discussed strategic planning for two and a half hours. Gopala Bhatta
Prabhu enthusiastically facilitated the discussion and helped the GBC
members open their hearts and focus on the issues. Here is a short summary: The GBC members discussed the meaning of strategic
planning for the GBC and ISKCON; they discussed two strategic plans formerly
endorsed by the GBC: the Srila Prabhupada Centennial and the GBC "ksetra"
committees; they especially examined to what degree these former strategies
succeeded or were not maintained; and thus they discussed some reasons why
strategic planning can run out of steam. For more details, you can read the following summary, distilled from my
notes on the GBC discussion. (Laxmimoni Prabhu and Acintya Rupa Prabhu
helped prepare this summary.) Summary of the GBC Discussion on Strategic Planning
* While tactics achieve immediate goals on a small scale, strategies achieve
long- range plans on a large scale. Strategic planning means defining
initiatives, exercising the future part of the mind, and clarifying concepts
of the future. Nations, corporations and most successful organizations have
a stated plan. We do not, and that puts us in the minority.
* Srila Prabhupada planned strategically by advocating the systematic
propagation of spiritual knowledge. His strategy included books, devotees,
temples, and establishing ISKCON's reputation. He wanted us to be accepted
as brahmanas and take leadership in offering spiritual guidance to the
world.
* While planning for the 1996 Centennial, one goal was to make the ISKCON
"body" healthy. We scanned the institution and identified many levels to
work on and developed action points. The Centennial was a great success, but
most of the long-range plans did not hold (one exception was the
Congregational Development Ministry, which is still going strong). Why not?
Why did we run out of steam? We need to revive the long-range strategies.
* Some reasons: Key players got sidetracked. And when gurus did not maintain
their spiritual standing, faith in the leadership and its ability to sustain
a worldwide movement declined. Energy was dissipated by this crisis and
other major crises later.
* Another reason: The regular changing of the GBC Executive Committee
members has hampered carrying initiatives forward. During the constant
changes of the GBC chairman, the Centennial's long-term plans and, later,
the GBC "ksetra" committees were overlooked or ignored. We need continuity.
We need an Executive Committee that has a mandate, a memory, and keeps the
vision. To this end, GBC members now serve on the Executive Committee for
three years.
* It is clear that some things are accomplished on the GBC level, some
things are accomplished on the national level, and some things are
accomplished on local levels. According to informal surveys, the concerns of
the devotees reflect this: About half of their concerns are local, about a
third of their concerns are national or regional, and the remainder of their
concerns are international. Still, unified vision and action on a global
level benefits the levels below. The GBC should not be inert as a united
body.
* A significant duty of the GBC is intangible: creating and enlarging the
faith of the members in the movement. Traveling and preaching is a
significant aspect of keeping ISKCON strong. Some GBCs may serve best by
focusing on local projects; others may be more inclined to act as
world-visionaries.
* Having a GBC with a global vision is a good idea, but can we do it? The
GBCs are often immersed in local or regional situations. Do the members have
the capacity to do both? Some GBCs are more brahminically minded, others
have health problems, and still others have significant responsibility for
taking care of devotees. So, driving the "I" (the "international") in
ISKCON, is a problem for them. We might need a tier of "international-only"
managers. Or can the Executive Committee sufficiently fulfill this role if
it is provided an effective staff and the necessary resources?
* The GBC needs an expanded, permanent staff and offices. There is much
duplication of effort because of a lack of communication between our
worldwide units. Many companies have a department looking for, importing and
communicating the "best practices" of its organization. As examples of this,
we have sent devotees to study what the Chowpatty temple does, and the
Dandavats Web site highlights some best practices in ISKCON.
* We know enough about ISKCON's future to say that we need a body of good,
intelligent devotees to guide ISKCON and that we need to enlist young
people. Srila Prabhupada set an example of giving responsibility to his
young disciples, and we need to transfer responsibility to younger
generations. Some GBCs find that younger devotees are not enthusiastic to
accept responsibility. We need a strategy to remove that reluctance. Gopala Bhatta Prabhu concluded the discussion by saying that in Italy the
GBC outlined six core initiatives, or strategic plans, to work on, and
representatives of three committees will offer reports of the progress to
date during the afternoon sessions today. More detailed work in GBC
subcommittees on all six of these initiatives is scheduled for tomorrow and
the next day.
At noon the GBC members had a one-hour recess and took part in an inspiring
vyasa-puja celebration for Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura in the
Panca-tattva temple room.
The First Afternoon Session
The GBC members reconvened at one p.m., and Sesa Prabhu gave a report on
writing a constitution. This was one of six areas identified in Italy as
important to the future of the GBC and ISKCON. So far, it has taken us many
years to draft a constitution, he said; previous efforts were made the early
nineties and again in 2003 and 2004.
Sesa Prabhu described the current research and the plans to move forward. He
will distribute a document outlining the work in progress, which the GBC
members can read before they give their consent to the direction he is
proposing.
The questions and answers had to do with making the constitution both
acceptable and relevant to ISKCON devotees. Everything ISKCON does should be
traceable to the constitution, he said. One member said that job
descriptions must be included. Sesa Prabhu replied that a second document,
to accompany the constitution, will describe ISKCON's structural authority
yet also reflect the changeable nature of an organization and how operations
are flexible. A comprehensive working draft of both documents could be
presented no sooner than a year from now, he said.
Further questions were raised about the document's length and content and
whether to call it a constitution (which sounds secular) or "canon laws"
(the name of the Catholic Church's constitution). Ravindra Swarupa Prabhu
asked whether it will use the modern industrial language of "rights" or the
more traditional language of "duties and responsibilities." When the meeting ended, the GBC members took lunch. I saw a small group of ladies rolling capatis on the roof of Sri Sri
Radha-Madhava's temple room, next to the Lotus building. Another lady stands
in front of a griddle and cooks them and then puts them on a bed of hot gray
charcoals, where they puff up. When the prasadam servers need more capatis,
they lower a bucket on a rope from the second-floor veranda of the Lotus
building, where everyone is eating, and a lady puts the hot capatis into it.
The Second Afternoon Session
Ravindra Swarupa Prabhu read a paper on Srila Prabhupada's unique position.
This was the fruit of a subcommittee's discussions in Italy. Hridayananda
Maharaja and others commented and asked questions.
Ravindra Swarupa Prabhu said during the discussion that as ISKCON's
founder-acarya, Srila Prabhupada is unique among his predecessors for us. He
defended a phrase describing Srila Prabhupada as "the soul of ISKCON"
because it says something that is hard to say in other language. It does not
go off into heresy, he said. Prabhupada should be all-pervading within
ISKCON like the indwelling Supersoul. The Franciscans embody St. Francis's
spirit; the Jesuits have the unique flavor of their founder, Ignatius of
Loyola. So we have that with Srila Prabhupada and have to preserve it.
Madhu Sevita Prabhu said that some people say the GBC as unnecessary and
that ISKCON will expand without it. Hridayananda Goswami said that the
council of sages at Naimasaranya also had a plan to save the world, and in
that sense the GBC and ISKCON are not unique in our tradition. Ravindra
Swarupa Prabhu mentioned that Srila Prabhupada claimed to be unique among
his godbrothers in understanding the need for a GBC. Parallel Structures
Sivarama Swami presented an overview: Parallel to the original authority
structure that Srila Prabhupada set up, others arose that detracted from the
original. The biggest parallel structure is that of the gurus. Their
authority has eroded ISKCON's authority structure, from the temple president
on down. The gurus can work in harmony with the society, but even in this
cooperative position, without ill motivation, they affect the authority
structure. How? By giving instruction or by working out of harmony with
local managers; independent financial bases are another major issue. This
has caused tension, but some devotees have become apathetic about it and
accepted the situation.
Sivarama Swami discussed how to proceed. He already has obtained feedback
from many GBCs. A third of those responding were in support of his
committee's ideas for dealing with the issue, and another third were
somewhat sympathetic, while one third disagreed with his perspective. He
could put this feedback together, with the committee's own ideas, with the
intention of receiving more feedback and discussing it again at the next
meeting in June.
Hridayananda Goswami suggested surveying gurus who are not managers.
Prabhavisnu Swami suggested that deputies and the sastric advisory committee
also give feedback. Badrinarayana Prabhu said that many administrators want
to get this sorted out. Madhu Sevita said that finding a synergy among
ISKCON's components is the aim. Sivarama Swami said that there are a variety
of options in terms of legislation. It has to be resolved before a
constitution can be written, Sesa Prabhu said. Anuttama Prabhu said that the
current set-up could lead to fragmentation of Srila Prabhupada's society
within a generation or two. There was a strong consensus that everyone needs
to cooperate on a spiritual level and focus on the pleasure of Srila
Prabhuapada.
The meeting ended with an announcement that this was the anniversary of the
disappearance of Sripada Gaura Govinda Maharaja. The GBC members were
invited to attend and speak at an evening function in his honor.
Day Four of the G.B.C. Meetings
Thursday, February 8, 2007 The GBC members and some deputies spent the day planning ISKCON's future. Divided into six groups, they continued to work on six core initiatives, or
strategic plans, originated at the GBC meetings in Italy last autumn: 1) Srila Prabhupada's position
(Bhaktivaibhava Swami, Bhakti Caru Swami, Hridayananda Dasa Goswami, Madhu
Sevita Prabhu, Malati Prabhu, Ravindra Swarupa Prabhu, Virabahu Prabhu) 2) Parallel lines of authority and guru issues
(Badrinarayana Prabhu, Prahladananda Swami, Sivarama Swami, Prabhavisnu
Swami, Guru Prasad Swami, Bhanu Swami, Ramai Swami, Radhanath Swami) 3) Succession and leadership training
(Anuttama Prabhu, Bhakti Vijnana Dasa Goswami, Tamohara Prabhu, Pancaratna
Prabhu, Janmastami Prabhu, Braja Bihari Prabhu) 4) Preaching strategies / ISKCON's Relevance / Hindu Issues
(Bir Krishna Dasa Goswami, Devamrita Swami, Gopal Krishna Goswami, Jaya
Pataka Swami, Romapada Swami, Kaunteya Prabhu, Kavicandra Swami, Aniruddha
Prabhu, Acintya Rupa Prabhu, Prasanta Prabhu) 5) GBC teamwork and building faith
(Lokanath Swami, Bhakti Caitanya Swami, B.B. Govinda Swami, Nrsimha Kavaca
Prabhu, Praghosa Prabhu, Samba Prabhu) 6) Constitution, job descriptions and leadership assessment
(Bhaktimarg Swami, Hrdaya Caitanya Dasa, Paramgarti Swami, Sesa Prabhu,
Bhakta Rupa Prabhu, Visnu Murti Prabhu, Vedavyasa Prabhu) The subcommittees will report on their progress tomorrow. Day Five of the G.B.C. Meetings
Friday, February 9, 2007 Gopala Bhatta Prabhu began facilitating the third and final day of strategic
planning by asking the GBC members how they were feeling about the two
previous days of planning and whether they wanted to continue the process. Bhakti Caru Swami said that it is just a beginning, but the signs are very
positive; the GBC is being proactive and dealing with issues that are
stifling the movement. Anuttama Prabhu said it is an essential process; the
GBC's constituents want to see something new and positive.
Lokanath Swami described a lion, which looks behind him, thinks, proceeds a
bit, stops to look behind again, thinks more, and then proceeds. He compared
this activity of the lion to the planning process. This image,
simha-avalokana-nyaya, is from Sanskrit literary theory and describes a
logical method used in writing sutras.
Bhaktimarg Swami asked that the pace not be slackened. So as not to slacken
the pace, Gopala Bhatta Prabhu suggested that the next topic be the proposed
GBC meeting in June in New Vrindavan.
Romapada Swami said that in Italy the members present had decided on one
extra meeting in America and a spiritual retreat in Vrindavan. The GBC
members discussed the advantages and disadvantages of having either one or
two extra meetings, since they must synchronize their schedules, plus find
the most advantageous length of time to meet in order for the meetings and
spiritual association to be productive. A straw vote showed that two thirds
of the members prefer one extra meeting this year. And they decided on a
four-day meeting combined with a one-day spiritual retreat, from June third
through the seventh in New Vrindavan. Directly after that is the New York
Ratha-yatra.
Gopala Bhatta Prabhu announced new funding for the GBC over the next two
years, being provided by Ambarisa Prabhu and himself. A portion of this
could be used by members who need financial help to travel to the extra
meetings; the major portion is for new staffing and offices. In addition,
Radhanath Swami will offer facilities in Chowpatty for new headquarters of a
GBC research and planning staff, and a new GBC secretariat may be located in
Radhadesh, pending discussions with Hrdaya Caitanya Prabhu.
Ambarisa Prabhu and Gopal Bhatta Prabhu just want to see that the GBC is
committed to moving forward and that it finds solid alternative sources of
funding within a reasonable time to keep this momentum going. The next business was choosing two Executive Committee members who will
carry forward these new initiatives. Bhanu Swami, who is willing to, is in
line to become the GBC chairman in 2008. The service of the Executive Committee will soon be made easier by the
Sannyasa Ministry, which will make the seventeen sannyasa candidates
available to assist the EC's work for two months each. And this year ISKCON
Resolve will reduce the Executive Committee's workload by offering its
conflict resolution assistance. Devotees expressed a desire to work with Ramai Swami on the EC. The GBC
discussed who to nominate and how to cover a new EC member's zonal services.
Sivaram Swami stressed that service on the EC is based on the ability of a
devotee to do that service. He asked whether an enthusiastic GBC deputy or
temple president could be on the Executive Committee. A number of GBCs responded to this by asking for a straw vote on whether a
GBC task force should immediately look at the options for structuring the
Executive Committee. Many GBCs voted in favor. Volunteers for the task force
include Jaya Pataka Swami, Kavicandra Swami, Hridayananda Goswami, and
others. The rest of the morning was spent working on the six core initiatives. The Afternoon Session
The GBC subcommittees reported on how their sessions went and what results
they plan to produce by the June GBC meeting. Parallel lines of authority
Badrinarayana Prabhu thanked the team in this subcommittee: Prahladananda
Swami, Sivarama Swami, Prabhavisnu Swami, Guru Prasad Swami, Bhanu Swami,
Ramai Swami, and Radhanath Swami. They discussed an eighteen-point document,
by Sivarama Swami, outlining his suggestions to dealing with this key issue.
All their feedback and the deputies' feedback will be collected and reviewed
by this subcommittee at the June GBC meeting. Then, at the 2008 annual
meeting in Mayapur, a full day will be dedicated to this serious discussion.
GBC teamwork
Praghosa Prabhu said that it was pleasant to work with this team: Lokanath
Swami, Bhakti Caitanya Swami, B.B. Govinda Swami, Nrsimha Kavaca Prabhu,
Samba Prabhu. Its aims are to improve camaraderie among the GBC members and
to act as a resource center that provides support for GBC members. For the
GBC's spiritual retreat this Sunday in Mayapur, the subcommittee will line
up some activities that the GBC body has never done together. After a
breakfast at Srila Prabhupada's samadhi, the retreat will start.
Srila Prabhupada's Position
Ravindra Swarupa Prabhu stated the aims of this team (Bhaktivaibhava Swami,
Bhakti Caru Swami, Hridayananda Dasa Goswami, Madhu Sevita Prabhu, Malati
Prabhu, and Virabahu Prabhu). The paper about Srila Prabhupada that he read
two days ago will be revised by the June meeting, when the GBC body can
review it. Hopefully, the paper can be published by Srila Prabhupada's
dispappearance anniversary.
Two initiatives are being undertaken: The "six-month initiative" will focus
on the first six months of new devotees in ISKCON, when they accept Srila
Prabhupada as their siksa guru. A curriculum will be produced that helps new
devotees establish a solid siksa relationship that continues throughout
their lives. The team also proposed a "hearing from Srila Prabhupada
initiative," to teach new devotees how to listen to and hear from Srila
Prabhupada. DVDs will be made containing selections of conversations in sync
with an English translation (or some other languages) on the screen. Photos
will be included to set the historical context. Explanatory notes and a
study guide will accompany these DVDs, all professionally done and
downloadable from the Web, by the target date of the 2008 meeting in
Mayapur. Preaching strategies
Devamrta Swami said that this was an exciting group: Bir Krishna Goswami,
Gopal Krishna Goswami, Jaya Pataka Swami, Romapada Swami, Kaunteya Prabhu,
Kavicandra Swami, Aniruddha Prabhu, Acintya Rupa Prabhu, and Prasanta
Prabhu. They looked at Srila Prabhupada's classic preaching strategies and
discussed how to apply them in today's ISKCON. That led to analyzing the
obstacles we face while trying to apply them and how we overcome those.
Book distribution should be people-focused. While society has become
multicultural, our temple hospitality has not keep pace with this. In the
established market democracies, the condition of our temples is generally
not strong. Some historical problems: book distribution decreased when
sales of paraphernalia began for fund-raising; temples failed to keep
devotee care a priority; congregations were not trained.
By June, in an effort to improve our outreach performance, the team will
report on key result areas to develop. The team will also examine
proliferation, or the harmonious existence and cooperation of more than one
center in the same city. This is a trend in a number of places in ISKCON,
and if managed properly, it can greatly expand the preaching. Constitution
This committee was allotted extra time for its presentation, as it wanted
some immediate discussion to help guide its work. Sesa Prabhu pointed out
that his group (Bhaktimarg Swami, Hrdaya Caitanya Dasa, Paramgarti Swami)
wanted to involve other devotees after the Italy meetings, to help ensure
the acceptance of a constitution. Two members have been added from Europe
(Visnu Murti Prabhu and Vedavyasa Prabhu), and Bhakta Rupa Prabhu joined
them here. Sesa Prabhu asked the GBC body to use a handout they received
called Constitution Committee to recommend anyone else in the world with
skills to help prepare a constitution.
Feedback from the GBC members is needed on the subcommittee's working paper,
which proposes having two documents: one concise and foundational and
unchanging; the other explaining the constitution's principles and ISKCON's
day-to-day operations. The constitution could establish a standard for
generations to come.
Sesa Prabhu wanted the GBC to consider the primary audience of the
constitution. Is it those not in ISKCON: potential devotees, governments,
scholars? Or is it our devotees?
Anuttama Prabhu said that it is most important to define what ISKCON is for
the members, in language understandable to a wide audience.
Hridayananda Goswami said that the history of religions shows that a
charismatic founder's departure demands the "routinization of charisma," or
channeling his authority into a rational structure. This includes defining
membership ("beyond just doing nothing so bad that you have not been kicked
out") and educating devotees not to imitate Srila Prabhupada's absolute
authority. He thought it important to point out that many of the challenges
ISKCON faces have been met by other religions in the same historical space
we occupy.
Sesa Prabhu said that another area to consider is judicial recourse. The GBC
is Srila Prabhupada's successor, as stated in his will, but does that mean
it also needs to be involved in judicial procedures? Anuttama Prabhu then
commented that the GBC has already ceded authority to the Child Protection
Office. Jaya Pataka Swami mentioned that Srila Prabhupada said ISKCON should
be run by rule of law.
Finally, Sesa Prabhu outlined the components of the proposed constitution:
What to do with existing laws; defining ISKCON; lines of authority;
membership; justice; organizational structure; purposes of ISKCON; defining
a temple and a center; responsibilities for properties and assets; and
defining clergy. He said that by the GBC meeting in June the subcommittee
will fill out these subcategories. Succession and leadership training
Tamohara Prabhu said that his group (Anuttama Prabhu, Bhakti Vijnana Dasa
Goswami, Pancaratna Prabhu, and Janmastami Prabhu) asked the questions: Who
will lead this movement in the future? What kind of training should be
provided to ensure that the future is in good hands? The group identified
three areas: education for current leaders; short-term plans to find new
leaders (e.g., education and the mentoring of young devotees); and long-term
planning. The third area took up most of the time.
Many religious groups have seminaries that offer a unified, standardized
curriculum for training professional clergy. Our investments in this will
have to be substantial. While we have Bhaktivedanta College in Radhadesh, we
will need something for both its graduates to go on to and many other
devotees worldwide. ISKCON could start with one location and expand. Bhakti
Caru Swami has offered facility in Ujjain. The Indian economic scale makes
this offer attractive. This initiative is about upholding fairly high
educational standards for the best and brightest devotees who already have
some training.
Bhakti Vijnana Swami gave some ideas on spiritual development and
empowerment. Internship experiences in temples could be connected to
academic reflection in the form of papers written about those internships.
Excellent teachers are required. Separate gender education is recommended.
Elements of education: theology, leadership and management skills,
counseling, ministerial skills, preaching, temple skills, publishing, cow
protection, cooking, basic Sanskrit, and so on. To further develop this
committee, GBC help was requested. Research is needed about what kind of
training leaders need, how we would do it, and how others do it. By the June
GBC meetings, this subcommittee will have more information and provide a
better model and outline.
Hridayananda Goswami thanked Tamohara Prabhu for this good presentation
about an important program. We train devotees to win debates in classes, but
not to persuade people to become devotees, he said. Regarding gender
separation, he acknowledged its benefits, but warned that in many parts of
the world graduates will face an environment far from the ideals of gender
separation. He suggested that we do not employ a culture that will not serve
our leaders well in the field. Conclusion
Gopala Bhatta Prabhu reminded the GBC body that a lot of e-mail work is
going to be done in April and May, so that the members will be well-briefed
by June. He advised everyone to allocate time to read and think about
e-mail. Radhanath Swami, on behalf of the GBC body, thanked Gopala Bhatta Prabhu for
facilitating their strategic planning meetings. Gopala Bhatta Prabhu said, "I do not deserve you kindness, but it feels good
to accept it." He then left the room to return to the United States.
Day Six of the G.B.C. Meetings
Saturday, February 10, 2007 Today's agenda: morning presentations about Kazakhstan, the Child Protection
Office (CPO), and Mayapur; in the afternoon, subcommittee meetings. Kazakhstan
Bhakti Bhringa Govinda Swami presented the history, which began in 1999 with
the purchase of 116 acres of beautiful land outside Almaty. In 2002 the
Society for Krishna consciousness was registered. Then the president of the
country changed the land laws and allowed individual Kazakh citizens to own
land, so the devotees attempted to privatize their land in 2004. But they
were not allowed to privatize, and the district governor instigated an
effort to confiscate their land and homes. A demolition was attempted in
April 2006, and ISKCON appealed to human rights organizations and various
governments. In September the Kazakhstan government held an international
world religions conference. Four days before that, the government
established a special commission to deal with ISKCON's case. But local
government agents destroyed the devotees' homes in November. A ten-minute
video depicted the current situation.
B. B. Govinda Swami said that there has been a lot of hardship for the
devotees, but the level of international support from governments and human
rights agencies is unprecedented. A leader of the Organization for Security
and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), for example, told him that addressing the
harassment of Krishna devotees in Kazakhstan is one of this organization's
top priorities.
In the last few weeks, the Kazakhstan government has taken additional steps
against ISKCON that may lead to another demolition of devotees' homes and an
effort to seize their temple land. At the same time, there are signs that
the government may finally be responding to the pressure from OSCE, by
requesting an OSCE advisory committee to mediate the issue. Although the
Kazakhstan government does not seem to want us out of the country, it has
not been able to protect ISKCON's religious rights and stop the continued
persecution on the local level.
B. B. Govinda Swami thanked all devotees who sent faxes and letters to
officials and the media. He especially thanked Sivarama Swami, Anuttama
Prabhu, Vyenkata Bhatta Prabhu, Romapada Swami, Gopal Krishna Goswami,
Mahamanatra Prabhu, and Romapada Prabhu (UK), Gauri Prabhu, and the support
team for Kazakhstan. Bhaktivaibhava Swami, the GBC chairman, thanked B. B.
Govinda Maharaja for his tireless efforts in this struggle.
Child Protection Office
Tamohara Prabhu reported that because of a budgetary shortfall in 2006, the
CPO decided to no longer maintain its European office. Most of the European
work can be done from its central office, but Latin America is more
problematic because the CPO's European representative, Hanuman Prabhu, had
also been working there. Tamohara Prabhu has adjusted the 2007 budget
accordingly, and he included the financial report in a handout to the GBC
members.
The CPO continued to investigate and adjudicate reported cases of child
abuse. Dealing with cases of child abuse is an issue that continues to
demand our attention, he said.
The CPO office was also active in enforcing restrictions, training,
communications, and follow-up.
Preventive systems, such as screening new devotees, were emphasized in Child
Protection Training. Every temple or ISKCON project should have this
training. An active local CPT program at all centers will prevent many
problems in the future. It is critical to law enforcement agencies at least
in North America that ISKCON have active screening procedures in place.
In India, the CPO made great progress over the past year. Some leading
devotees developed an all-India child protection team that provided initial
training. And twelve temples established teams. Bhaktarupa Prabhu has been a
driving force behind this. Seventy-five Indian leaders and child protection
team members attended a three-day training program during Kartika in
Vrindavan, where policies were developed for all the temples in India.
Nineteen training sessions in six different countries provided child
protection training to 350 devotees. Bhaktivedanta Manor was prominent in
this regard. Hungary also offered it and was well organized in translating
all the presentations, including video presentations.
Another important initiative in child protection is the education of
children. Tamohara Prabhu and his wife and assistant, Mantrini Prabhu (who
is also attending the GBC meetings), are both trained as facilitators of the
"Good Touch, Bad Touch" child-abuse prevention program. They train teachers
and counselors, who then train children in schools. This was done in Alachua
and in Vrindaban, at the Bhaktivedanta Gurukula and International School and
the Sandipani Muni school. Schools in Australia and Chowpatty also want to
implement this program. The CPO has a grant to offset some of the curriculum
costs for those schools that need it.
Support for victims is now available through a free hotline in the United
States. It has already dealt with several severe problems and potential
suicides. Gopal Bhatta Prabhu has helped finance it. The CPO also publishes
a youth resource directory for devotees.
This year the CPO will continue to offer training worldwide. Financial
support is sufficient, but limited. The vast majority of CPO funding comes
directly from contributions of individual GBC members, all of whom have
contributed. Anuttama Prabhu and Rukmini Prabhu, his wife, provide twenty
thousand dollars per year to the CPO and have given several hundred thousand
dollars over the years. The CPO needs the continued financial support of the
GBC, at least as much as the members pledged last year. Tamohara Prabhu said
that his office spends a lot of time collecting the pledges, which could be
better used for other CPO work.
To increase its effectiveness, the CPO needs to decentralize. ISKCON has
four hundred temples and operates in so many languages that one office
cannot possibly do all that needs to be done. Tamohara Prabhu thanked the
GBC members for their support and asked them to mobilize local devotees and
national coordinators. He stressed continuing to train local and national
child protection team leaders who can extend the training in their own
countries. Mayapur
Praghosa Prabhu introduced the presentation by saying that last year the GBC
left off with the Sri Mayapur Project Development Committee (SMPDC) doing a
feasibility study on building the temple where the park is now. Today the
GBC received its report.
Bhakti Caru Swami spoke about the descent of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and how
Mayapur-dhama became manifest to Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur. The temple Srila
Prabhupada wanted his followers to build will spread Sri Caitanya
Mahaprabhu's mercy throughout the world when the dhama is properly
manifested, he said.
By way of an introducing Ambarisa Prabhu, Bhakti Caru Maharaja said that he
felt no one could be better suited to lead us in this service than Ambarisa
Prabhu, who has never been affected by his Ford family wealth. When they
first met at the ISKCON restaurant in San Francisco in the early 1980s,
Ambarisa Prabhu was washing pots. Srila Prabhupada emphatically instructed
him to build the temple, and he has taken it to heart.
Ambarisa Prabhu said that someone once asked him whether he was not unhappy
not having a son. He replied that he does not need a son, because he has
ISKCON.
He told the GBC that it had been an amazing year for the core team of
himself, Sadbhuja Prabhu, and Bhavananda Prabhu. They made incredible
progress on the design, and the cosmology, legal, and vastu aspects. The new
plan is thirty stories high. Building this temple in the park will be a
major disruption to the present situation in Mayapur. It will take five or
six years to build. Thus the SMPDC is working with the management to make
adjustments so that the pilgrims can still visit the temple.
He thanked three young devotees, Vraja Kumar, Krsnadasa, and Srisa Prabhus,
who created a DVD presentation for the GBC meeting. The DVD showed various
views of the temple in relation to the present Mayapur set-up and included
graphics of the interior design of the temple.
A model of temple was then displayed (later, the model was moved to the
temple room for everyone to see), and Sadbhuja Prabhu described its features
as he showed a slide presentation. The GBC members also received a
full-color booklet about the new temple.
The new temple will fit on the ISKCON trust land, Sadbhuja said. There will
be triple the park-and-garden space we have now. Srila Prabhupada wanted the
main dome to resemble the Capitol in Washington, D.C. or the Victoria
Memorial in Kolkata, and it does. There are two additional domes over the
two sides of the temple. The planetarium and a six-hundred-seat auditorium
are on one side of the building, the Deities are in the central part (the
kirtan hall will hold six thousand people), and Lord Nrsimhadeva's temple
(which will hold two thousand people) is on the other side.
The architect, Anjan Mitra, said that his team is trying to make the temple
manifest. They will make it well ventilated, comfortable, and safe. The
acoustics also have to be perfect, he said.
Hari Sauri Prabhu reported on the vastu aspects. The SMPDC, in October, met
with Niranjan Babu, the son of the most famous vastu authority, B. V. Raman.
Niranjan donated his services, reviewed the plans, and advised how to
strengthen the vastu. The temple will face south, which is no problem
according to vastu. The Deities will face Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur's house,
while Srila Prabhupada in his puspa-samadhi will face the temple.
Next, in connection with the Vedic Planetarium, the GBC saw a DVD made by
Danavir Swami about the Vedic version of the astronomical structure of the
universe.
Ravindra Svarupa Prabhu, who is in charge of the scholars working on this
project, then made a presentation on the research they are doing. One group
(including Carana Renu Prabhu, an astrophysicist who is now earning her
second Ph.D.) is researching the Fifth Canto; another group (including Basu
Ghosh Prabhu) is researching the pramanas (information on the structure of
the universe from various sastras). One team is doing research on Astronomy
(from scientific and sastric references), while another (including Pranava
Prabhu, who is writing his Ph.D. thesis on Srila Bhaktisiddhanta) is working
on Srila Bhaktisiddhanta's writings on this subject. Another group (headed
by Gopal Hari Prabhu, who is earning a doctorate at Oxford on science and
religion) is researching sankhya (physics, creation and destruction,
biology, and so on). These teams have a private wiki on which to update and
share their findings, and eventually a section of the wiki will be open to
the public.
This research project will grow and in the future seek affiliation with a
university in India (probably I Kolkata) and take help from graduate
students. "We have enough research for a thousand Ph.Ds," Ravindra Swarupa
Prabhu said.
Anuttama Prabhu asked where all the visitors will stay and what will happen
outside this small temple area? Previously the GBC had heard about roads,
parking, hotels, and restaurants.
Ambarisa Prabhu responded that the idea is to first get the temple going.
Once the building is started, he can do a lot of fundraising. The SMPDC is
thinking of adding a floor to the Long Building and converting the current
Panca-tattva temple into a guest house. As land becomes available, the SMPDC
will develop accordingly. The meeting adjourned for lunch. Day Eight of the G.B.C. Meetings
Monday, February 12, 2007 The Conch Building now has an elevator (but no elevator music), which makes
it easy to ascend to the roof, where the GBC Conference Room is located. It
stops on the landing halfway between the fourth floor and the roof. On the
way down the other day, I saw graffiti on the nameplate of the elevator
company, ICON Elevators. Someone wrote "SK" above the "IC" in ICON and put a
caret underneath the "IC", which, combined, served as a reminder of ISKCON.
Not only that, but during a meeting, Praghosa Prabhu said that "ISKCON"
stands for the International Society for Kindess and CONsideration. That
fits the theme of the soon-to-start Gaura-purnima Festival this year: The
Festival of Loving Exchange. Today's GBC meeting agenda: presentations on ISKCON Resolve and the Youth
Fund; straw voting; and a discussion with disciples of Bhakti Swarupa
Damodara Swami.
ISKCON Resolve
About two hundred devotees contacted the Ombudsman's office of ISKCON
Resolve in the past year. Worldwide, dozens of mediations were done.
Training courses were offered in San Diego, Durban, Mauritius, and Belgium.
ISKCON Resolve worked this past year to develop a three-part justice system:
authority-based decisions, judicial-based decisions, and interest-based
decisions taken directly by the parties in conflict (disputants try to
understand each other's interests, such as in mediation). This three-part
system allows for flexibility. For example, a judicial-based approach can be
rolled back to an interest-based one, if communications improve. And if
mediation does not bring closure, arbitration is a next option.
Ravindra Swarupa Prabhu asked about the nature of an independent judiciary
in ISKCON: Volunteering for binding arbitration is one thing, but what if
the party does not want it? Can ISKCON authorities order it? Members felt
that this is an important option that needs to be looked into. Hridayananda
Goswami said that if we have an independent justice system, then the GBC can
send cases to it, and deal with the cases last, if at all. Some GBC members
discussed a previous independent justice system devised by Guru Gauranga
Prabhu, which was costly.
Mary Rowe, an international expert who has established internal
conflict-management systems for over a thousand organizations advised ISKCON
Resolve: "Full fairness, thoroughness and promptness in investigations are
unattainable standards. How do you know how thorough to be, for example?
People see the same incident differently, etc. So please note that there is
no ideal justice system; choose the least worst." Youth Fund
A representative of the North American GBC reported that in 2006 the first
two payments were made to the Youth Fund. Making the outstanding payments
(due between 2007 and 2011) depends on receiving the pledges made by ISKCON
leaders, temples, and donors. Insurance company settlements will also be
contributed to the fund. The legal fees constitute an ongoing debt. Straw Voting
It was proposed that a World Holy Name Day be made an annual event for all
ISKCON centers on the first Saturday after the disappearance of Srila
Haridasa Thakura (as celebrated in Mayapur). Discussion had to do with the
funding and whether a better name can be found (World Mantra Day?), whether
ISKCON could better reach an international public if a solar calendar date
were used instead, and whether all centers will find this time convenient.
There is a big Russian festival at that time. The proposal will be revised
by the deputies before a final vote is taken.
It was proposed that the GBC's Rules of Order be amended to allow meetings
to be convened other than on an emergency basis. The members discussed this
in connection with its recent special meetings on strategic planning.
Bhakti Caitanya Swami proposed that Devamrta Swami become the co-GBC in
South Africa, to replace Bhakti Tirtha Swami. Devamrta Maharaja has been
there several times, and the national council is in favor of the idea.
Sivarama Swami's one-year commitment as the co-GBC of France is over, and he
proposed that he not retain the position because he cannot spend as much
time there as is needed. He said that he will still visit France. The
situation in Paris will improve if loans are secured to obtain properties
for a temple and a restaurant.
Malati Prabhu proposed a financial consideration related to the Miami
temple. Discussion with disciples of Bhakti Swarupa Damodara Swami
The GBC invited four leading disciples of His Holiness Bhaktiswarupa
Damodara Swami to come to Mayapur. The GBC wanted to hear the needs and
concerns of the Manipuri devotees especially, as they had suffered through
both the Janmastami bomb blast and the disappearance of their spiritual
master.
Atmanivedana Swami praised Bhakti Swarupa Damodara Swami's preaching to
scientists and his spirit of following the cultural directions Srila
Prabhupada had given him. Atmanivedana Swami highlighted, for example, that
Manipuri cultural presentations took place in the USA last summer, and that
the temple in Imphal will be finished later this year.
Mukunda Madhava Prabhu, the vice-president of ISKCON Juhu, said that Bhakti
Swarupa Damodara Swami felt aggrieved that his understanding of the
Bhaktivedanta Institute was examined by his godbrothers in recent years.
Despite that, he remained loyal to ISKCON because of his love for Srila
Prabhupada.
Ajit Prabhu, the temple president in Imphal, said that the bombing last fall
had killed six people and injured fifty, some of whom are still
hospitalized. He commented that because no ISKCON leaders traveled to Imphal
to directly help at that time, the devotees in Manipur felt abandoned. In
November, there will be a conference at the ISKCON temple, and he is hoping
that this time many senior devotees will attend.
Ekanath Prabhu, the zonal secretary of Manipur, also mentioned feeling
separated from senior ISKCON leaders after the bombing. He also wanted the
GBC to know that the devotees need financial help to finish the temple.
Several GBC members said that they were told that the terrorists were
targeting ISKCON leaders and it was dangerous to visit Manipur after the
bombing. Moreover, they thought it was difficult to get a visa. Gopal
Krishna Maharaja said that he was in regular touch by phone with Bhakti
Swarupa Damodara Maharaja at that time, but he apologized for not doing
more.
Jaya Pataka Swami was in Moscow at the time, but the Calcutta temple
arranged to receive Bhakti Swarupa Damodara Swami when he was transferred to
a hospital there. Eventually Jaya Pataka Swami went to Bali and Bhubanesvara
to meet disciples of Bhakti Swarupa Damodara Swami after Maharaja passed on,
and he presented a slide show about him in those places. He wished that the
Regional Governing Body in India had sent some leader to Manipur. The RGB is
now arranging to raise funds to complete the Imphal temple, he said.
Badrinarayana Prabhu recalled meeting Bhakti Swarupa Damodara Swami in
Laguna Beach in 1969, before either was initiated. The latter was a graduate
student then and spoke beautifully about Srila Prabhupada and Lord Caitanya.
Badrinarayana went to Los Angeles with him and his university friend. Srila
Prabhupada greeted him by saying, "Krsna has sent you," and talked with him
for four hours.
Lokanath Swami said that Bhakti Swarupa Damodara Swami's samadhi at
Radhakunda will be the site of a festival on the anniversary of his
disappearance (Vijaya Dashami). In Mayapur, February seventeenth is set
aside as a day in his honor this year. Lokanath Swami will visit Manipur
soon.
Sesa Prabhu said that it is difficult to understand how Krsna works. The
recent Bhaktivedanta Institute dispute led him to associate more with Bhakti
Swarupa Damodara Swami. Maharaja used to call in Sesa Prabhu to talk about
the Bhaktivedanta Institute. After meetings in Alachua and Mayapur about the
direction of the Bhaktivedanta Institute, Bhakti Swarupa Damodara Swami's
mood became adamant about adhering to the instructions that Srila Prabhupada
had given him.
Sesa Prabhu cried when Bhakti Swarupa Damodara Maharaja departed. He pointed
out that Maharaja was so fixed on Srila Prabhupada's instructions that his
departure from the world was glorious. Krsna, in this way, prepared him to
go back to Godhead. Sesa Prabhu asked the senior disciples to be forgiving,
as there is a lesson to be learned from all this.
Bhaktivaibhava Swami said that as the GBC chairman last year, every evening
for one or two hours, he conversed with Bhakti Swarupa Damodara Swami.
Maharaja invited him to Manipur. Shocked by the bombing attack against the
Imphal temple during Janmastami, he called an Executive Committee meeting to
discuss sending leading preachers there, but the Indian RGB said that it was
too dangerous. Bhaktivaibhava Swami wished the Manipuri devotees well and
asked that all devotees in ISKCON help them by visiting Manipur or helping
to meet the expenses ($300,000) they will incur finishing the Imphal temple.
Day Nine of the G.B.C. Meetings
Tuesday, February 13, 2007 Today's Agenda: Open Forum, Sannyasa Ministry, Voting, and a closed
discussion. Open Forum
Praghosa Prabhu explained that during the Open Forum the GBC hears from
devotees invited to present their concerns. That they can directly address
the GBC body on any variety of concerns that are on their mind is the main
consideration. The GBC does not necessarily respond to each presentation. Bhanu Swami chaired the Open Forum.
- It began with a letter from Jiva Tattva Prabhu (Spain), who asked why ISKCON does not have a varnasrama social system and whether the GBC's role is spiritual or managerial.
- Next, a lady asked the GBC to bless her husband to initiate disciples. Some
devotees work with them who are inspired by him, and it would be helpful in
his service to reciprocate with his assistants in this role, she said.
- Devarsi Narada Prabhu (Croatia) showed the GBC a DVD of his detailed and, at
times, humorous depiction of the technical flaws in the alleged "live
footage" of Mayapur and Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura in a DVD
called "Universal Teacher".
- One sannyasi wished to ask the GBC to give him permission to initiate
disciples.
Becoming a diksha Guru
After the Open Forum ended, a discussion ensued about the process for
becoming a diksa guru and whether these devotees are aware of it. One step
is getting the approval of three-fourths of a local or regional committee of
senior devotees. It takes time for that many devotees to get to know a
candidate well enough to recommend him. Last year, the GBC encouraged Srila
Prabhupada's disciples to consider initiating. Bhaktimarg Swami said that
the process intimidates some of them, as he found out when he encouraged two
godbrothers in California to become gurus. Bhanu Swami said that in Japan he
explained the process to a godbrother and helped him with it, and it worked
out fine. Sannyasa Ministry
The chairman of the Sannyasa Ministry, Prahladananda Swami, presented
candidates one by one, along with a subcommittee's recommendations, and the
GBC discussed these presentations. About half the candidates were reviewed
today. Candidates are either gradually moved up on a waiting list of several
years or they remain in place on the list, according to a process
established by the GBC several years ago.
Sesa Prabhu asked, "How do you decide who should wait, and how long he
should wait, for sannyasa?"
Maharaja answered that this is decided in discussions both with the
candidates (who sometimes ask to remain in place) and those reviewing them,
most of whom are sannyasis. There are other criteria, such as taking sastric
courses, their sadhana and age, their demonstrated capacity to preach, and
so on. Voting
Final votes were taken on some resolutions that the GBC recently straw-voted
on. For the rest of the morning the GBC discussed a very important issue in a
closed session, but the discussion will continue tomorrow, with the deputies
and your reporter present.
Day Ten of the G.B.C. Meetings
Wednesday, February 14, 2007 Today's agenda: Children's visit, Executive Committee election, voting. The GBC members received a copy of the new small Indian paperback edition of
Peter Burwash's "The Key to Great Leadership" from the director of
Torchlight Publishing. Children's visit
Thirty-five well-behaved, uniformed students (aged 5 to 10) from the student
body of 250 students at Bhaktivedanta National School on Bhaktisiddhanta
Road came to the GBC Conference Room.
As they entered, these little visitors were immediately invited by the GBC
members to sit on their own chairs around the meeting table. Sita got the
chairman's seat and was declared the new chairperson. Praghosa Prabhu
proposed that all GBCs retire after the age of eighteen and that kids become
the new GBCs. The children passed this resolution unanimously.
The students had made cards for each GBC member, and they each received an
Ekadasi cookie and a box of colored pencils from the GBC. One boy recited
slokas for everyone's pleasure at the end. Then the children congregated
around the juice bar outside the conference room and enjoyed refreshing
drinks before returning to school. Executive Committee election
Choosing next year's Executive Committee will take place tomorrow, but it
was discussed today. It is expected that new officers will be chosen who can
push forward the GBC's strategic planning initiatives.
Additional ideas are to put deputies and temple presidents on the EC, and
for the senior EC officers to oversee them. This important idea will begin
to solidify at the June GBC meeting.
- Voting
The GBC voted that a World Holy Name Day be annually celebrated at temples
worldwide, to coincide with and commemorate Srila Prabhupada's arrival in
the USA. Lokanath Swami, Janananda Prabhu, and Ekalavya Prabhu will be the
coordinators.
- The GBC discussed (and took a straw vote on) a proposal to lower the
percentage of votes by an area council needed to endorse a guru candidate
from three-fourths to two-thirds.
- The GBC discussed its budgets for 2006 and 2007.
- The GBC voted to reaffirm the devotees in charge of the ISKCON Ministries.
- The GBC body spent the rest of the morning discussing and voting on a
resolution concerning the situation of Dhanudhara Swami. This discussion
began yesterday in a closed plenary session, but today the GBC deputies were
invited to take part. Ravindra Swarupa Prabhu chaired this session, because
he was on the subcommittee working on this resolution, as were Hridayananda
Maharaja, Sivarama Swami, Radhanatha Swami, Badrinarayana Prabhu, Anuttama
Prabhu, and Tamohara Prabhu. The discussion continued a long time, and the
GBC dealt decisively with this issue.
The GBC endeavored to balance the aspects of the case and took into account
the concerns of all involved parties. The GBC wants to build a consensus.
The GBC exercised restraint by not taking sides and by stressing the
essential principles to uphold. The resolution clarified ISKCON's standards
of leadership as they affect both society and individuals, took some
additional initiative to promote reconciliation, and apologized for its
shortcomings. The resolution will be published in due course.
Day Eleven of the G.B.C. Meetings
Thursday, February 15, 2007 Today's agenda: Election of Executive Committee officers, voting, a
presentation on Moscow, a report by the arbitration committee, and closing
statements. Elections
Bhanu Swami was elected the GBC Chairman, Ramai Swami the First
Vice-Chairman, Bhaktivaibhava Swami the Second Vice-Chairman, Bhakti
Purusottama Swami the GBC Secretary, and Kavicandra Swami the Special Duty
Officer. Voting
The GBC body resolved that any members not submitting a personal annual
financial report will lose voting rights at the annual general meeting and
that any sannyasi or guru not submitting such a report will be named by the
secretary at the annual general meeting.
The GBC formed a Kirtan Standards Committee to formulate guidelines for
ISKCON. Its findings will be presented at the 2008 GBC meeting in Mayapur.
The GBC body voted on the zonal assignments of its members. Presentation on Moscow
Bhakti Vijnana Goswami showed a slideshow and narrated the following events.
A few years ago, the city government gave ISKCON two and a half acres of
land in the center of the city, and ISKCON submitted a plan for a grand
temple. This disturbed ISKCON's detractors, who voiced strong opposition.
That offer of land was subsequently withdrawn.
The largest Web site on religion in Russia not long ago conducted a poll
about the most important recent religious events in the country, and the
controversy about the land given to ISKCON, and then withdrawn, came in
second.
Last summer, ten thousand Russians attended the Sri Krishna Janmastami and
Srila Prabhupada Vyasa-puja celebrations. Also, forty brahmacaris worked
together to build their own house while continuing to distribute books. They
distributed fifty thousand big books during the recent Srila Prabhupada
marathon.
Bhakti Vijnana Maharaja met Manmohan Singh, India's Prime Minister, and
Sheila Dixit, the Chief Minister of Delhi, in Moscow. With her help an
official agreement was reached between Moscow and Delhi that a temple be
built in Moscow.
Recently, ISKCON accepted an offer of five acres of hilly land on the
outskirts of Moscow, near the Moscow river. This area is being developed by
the city and will include a park, a ski resort, a mall, and apartment
buildings. The transportation systems into the city are good. The city
center is about a half hour away from this area.
The biggest Moscow newspaper reported the land acquisition, which the
vice-mayor announced. The Mayor appointed an official specifically to help
ISKCON through the process of filing all the papers for permission to start
construction and so on. The devotees hope to complete this process by the
end of 2007, when the current Mayor steps down from office. ISKCON had to
adjust its original temple design, as the shape of this plot of land is
unusual. So there will be an elaborate separate building for the temple and
simpler buildings for other purposes. The Orthodox Church is again voicing
concerns.
It will be an intense year for the Moscow devotees because in a few months
they have to vacate a makeshift building that served as the present temple.
The problem is that they cannot yet move to the new land. Also, the second
temple, in a suburb of Moscow, has been sold, so soon there will be no
temple there, either.
This year at the Gaura Purnima festival in Mayapur, two thirds of the
registered guests are from Russia. Arbitration Committee report
Jagajivan Prabhu, Atmarama Prabhu, and Mantrini Prabhvi reported the
conclusions of the arbitration committee, which followed the arbitration
guideline that both Bhaktivedanta Institute parties submit their arguments
and documentation and see the other party's submissions. The case had to do
with an attempt by one party to restructure the membership of the board of
the BI. The committee gave its recommendations about how to reconstitute the
board membership of the BI. The GBC thanked the committee for its efforts.
The BI committee of the GBC will continue to deal with the issue and clarify
the matter. Closing statements
Bhaktivaibhava Swami, the GBC chairman, thanked the GBC body for giving him
the opportunity to do this service. He said that the GBC tackled serious
issues in the past year, with the indispensable help of Gopala Bhatta
Prabhu, and will continue to make progress. He said that he is happy to hand
over the chair to Bhanu Swami.
Jaya Pataka Swami offered pavitras to the out-going and in-coming chairmen.
Various GBC members then expressed thanks to the out-going chairman. Sivarma
Swami said that Bhaktivaibhava Swami did an outstanding job by giving the
GBC body the opportunity to work together to formulate a vision. Maharaja
was impressive that Bhaktivaibhava Swami agreed to serve on the Executive
Committee one more year, to solidify the GBC's work on strategic planning.
Altogether this will make four years that he has been on the EC, which is a
record for any GBC member. Madhu Sevita Prabhu said that he was deeply
impressed by Bhaktivaibhava Swami's self-control.
Bhaktivaibhava Swami said that the development of a vision was already
taking place, and he just happened to be the chairman at the time that it
came to a head.
Then Jaya Pataka Swami distributed gifts to all the GBC members, ministers,
deputies, guests and secretaries. Praghosa Prabhu extended thanks on behalf of the GBC body to the staff who
provided juices and snacks, and to the office staff, some of whose members
worked tirelessly not only for the past eleven days but throughout the year.
He said that reports about the meetings published on the Dandavats Web site
were read by up to a thousand visitors a day. Bhanu Swami then made an acceptance speech in which he said that the GBC
members will have a lot of work to do before their next meeting in New
Vrindavan this summer. He hopes that they continue coming up with positive
results until next year's annual meeting.
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