oldchakra.com

Conflict Resolution 
in ISKCON: ADR
From Braja Bihari dasa

GBC Announces Innovative Program for Conflict Resolution

On March 14, 2002, the GBC unanimously approved the establishment of a voluntary system for resolving internal disputes within ISKCON. The system approved for development is a process known in the world of mediation as Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR).

For many years, governments, corporations, and organizations large and small have turned to ADR's two kinds of professionals to help resolve disputes: ombudsmen, who work in confidentiality; and mediators, who serve parties willing to discuss their disagreements openly with one another. According to the project's director, Prof. Arnold Zack, a world-renowned ADR expert, this is the first time that an international religious community has taken the initiative of implementing such a system internally.

HH Maha Visnu Goswami 
Is Diksa Guru

The GBC body recently passed the following resolution (see below) concerning HH Maha Visnu Goswami. What this means now is that an *exception* has been made in the case of HH Maha Visnu Goswami in regards to the present ISKCON law which states that 'one should not initiate in the presence of their spiritual master'.

He is hereby recognized as an official ISKCON Diksa Guru allowed to accept disciples.

Words from Apple 
By George Harrison

Everybody is looking for Krishna. Some don't realize that they are, but they are. KRISHNA is GOD, the source of all that exists, the Cause of all that is, was, or ever will be.

ISKCON Devotees to be Featured on Indian TV
By Bhakti Vikas Swami

ISKCON devotees giving Gita lectures in Hindi will be featured on Star Plus TV daily from 8 to 9 a. m. Indian Standard Time from 2nd July.

© CHAKRA 22-June-2001

Congregational Trainer Course in Moscow
By Kaunteya dasa

CHAKRA (Moscow, Russia) - July 2000: Eighteen congregational preachers gathered in this community just outside Moscow to take a 5-day teacher-training course and share their experiences on the status of Nama-hatta preaching. They also made plans for the future. Attendees came from as far as Bishkek, the capital of Kirgistan, a country bordering China, about 100 hours by train from Moscow.  
>Full Story

© CHAKRA 15-Jan-2004

The Nature of Leadership 
(ISKCON Leadership - Part II)
By Yugala Kishora dasa

In our previous essay (ISKCON Leadership Part I), we briefly mentioned the issue of followership. In this second part, we will somewhat expand this rather most important aspect of leadership. We can not help it but to emphasize that the most basic and invariable nature of leadership is followership. Evidently, a leader without followers is not a leader.  

>Full Story

© CHAKRA 02-September-2000

Battle Plan for the Millennium: 
Response to Govinda Madhava Prabhu
By Vaikuntha dasa

This brief article is in response to Govinda Madhava dasa's recent article, " What is ISKCON's Battle Plan for the Next Millennium?" What can one say? Perhaps Krsna Himself is arranging the "new" battle of Kuruksetra. Will it be nuclear? Will it be economic? No one knows since we cannot enter Krsna's mind. However, the bottom line for any Vaisnava is, "What would Srila Prabhupada do or say in any given situation if he were personally present?" I think we know. Just chant, try to follow the four regulative principles (no meat eating, no gambling, no illicit sex, and no intoxication) and let Krsna take care of the rest.  
>Full Story

© CHAKRA 30-August-2000

What is ISKCON's Battle Plan 
for the New Millennium?
By Govinda Madhava das

I am a former gurukuli and I'm not sure who to direct this question to but here it goes: Could someone please outline the five main goals of ISKCON in the year 2000 and beyond and how these goals are to be carried out?  
>Full Story

© CHAKRA 26-August-2000

ISKCON Leadership - Part I
By Yugala Kishor

What you are about to read is a humble attempt to offer some help regarding the issue that is everyone's mind: leadership. Our ISKCON seems to be undergoing a leadership crisis in all fronts. From the rank-and-file members all the way to the top managerial level, we are all either thinking about, perceiving or realizing that there is a problem with ISKCON leadership. 
>Full Story

© CHAKRA 15-Jan-2004

The debate: Should Temple Presidents be Elected?

CHAKRA wants to thank all the devotees who have contributed their time and thoughts to this debate. The debate is now over on CHAKRA, but we hope it has stimulated discussion and improved communication about these important issues in your local communities. 

Did Prabhupada want temple presidents elected?
Temple Presidents Elected?
Temple Presidents not to be elected - by Ramabhadra dasa
Response to Ramabhadra by Narottama dasa
Electing the temple president - issues behind the debate
TP Elect: Round Pegs in Square Holes? - by Krsnacandra dasa
TP's elected: Response to Narottama das - by Ramabhadra das
A President Can Only Be Changed by Vote - Chaitanya Chandra
My Impression of the TP Debate - Prananantha
Removal and Appointment of TPs - Jayapataka Swami
Prabhupada Favored Self-Sufficiency - Ranchor das
Elected by Members of the Center
Response to Jayapataka Swami
Prabhupada said: Elect the TP

My Impression of the TP Debate
By Prananatha dasa

I have been following this debate on whether temple presidents should be elected with interest, as I'm sure many others have also. The GBC men come here for just a few days out of every year and their main impression of the state of affairs at the temple comes from (you guessed it) the temple president. Couldn't the devotees be invited to an ista-ghosti where the situation can be discussed in the open and solutions developed with the help of the GBC, temple president and the local devotees? Is this same sort of scenario going on in other centers around the world? Is this what Srila Prabhupada wanted?
>Full Story

© CHAKRA 1-May-2000

Removal and Appointment of a Temple President
By Jayapataka Swami, GBC member

In his recent article on CHAKRA, Chaitanya Chandra stated, “Now, I would interpret that to mean that the local temple members have the veto over what happens with regard to removal of the temple president. And by implication, they have the power to appoint.”

Here he clearly says, "I would interpret that to mean...." That clearly means it is Chaitanya Chandra's interpretation and not Srila Prabhupada’s direct expressed wish. 

Read more to find out what Srila Prabhupada's expressed wish is.
>Full Story

© CHAKRA 2-May-2000

A President Can Only Be Changed by Vote
By Chaitanya Chandra das

In his response to my earlier article, “ Did Prabhupada want temple presidents elected,” Ramabhadra Prabhu asserts that there is nothing in the direction of management that states that the local members could elect a temple president.

Well, the relevant part of the Direction of Management is this: “8. Removal of a temple president by the GBC requires support by the local temple members.” Now, I would interpret that to mean that the local temple members have the veto over what happens with regard to removal of the temple president. And by implication, they have the power to appoint.
>Full Story

© CHAKRA 26-April-2000

In Narottama dasa's article he accuses me of: a) wanting to make everyone believe Srila Prabhupada didn't want temple president's appointed by the electoral process, and b) feeling threatened as a temple president by such a process.

As a point of information for Narottama das, I was elected as temple president of New York ISKCON ten years ago by an eight member temple council and that was later ratified by a nine member corporate Board of Directors. The local GBC at that time gave his approval also. I challenge Narottama das to quote from my letter to Chaitanya Chandra prabhu where I say that I don't accept what Srila Prabhupada established as a standard.
>Full Story

© CHAKRA 26-April-2000

Round Pegs in Square Holes?
By Krsnacandra dasa

Dear CHAKRA readers,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

I have been reading the articles on the election of temple presidents and would like to make a few comments. Firstly it is important that we have a forum for this type of discussion and would like to thank CHAKRA for providing us with one.

After reading the various letters I still always come back to the "Square peg in the square hole" principle.
>Full Story

© CHAKRA 26-April-2000

I read with much interest, Chaitanya-Chandra's article about the Temple President being elected. I also found New York Temple President Ramabhadra's angry response very telling from many points of view. While I certainly appreciate his sincerity to follow Srila Prabhupada by giving all his quotes from the direction of management, the implication from Ramabhadra is that Chaitanya-Chandler is "off" and shouldn't be allowed to express his opinion.
>Full Story

© CHAKRA 24-April-2000

In response to Ramabhadra's article, I wanted to mention that the dynamic he's using here is the same dynamic used in dealing with the jiva issue. That is that Prabhupada clearly said that temple presidents should be elected. Prabhupada said it in black and white as he also said that, 'no one falls from Vaikuntha'. Yet Ramabhadra is trying to make policy that Prabhupada didn't want it. 
>Full Story

© CHAKRA 23-April-2000

It may be that Ramabhadra feels threatened by the concept that temple presidents should be elected. Indeed, he offers a correction to CHAKRA to "protect us from unnecessary anxieties caused by inaccurate claims." Does he mean to say that Srila Prabhupada didn't say what Caitanya Candra quotes him as saying? Srila Prabhupada clearly said something and it appears that Ramabhadra is trying to get around it by word jugglery.
>Full Story

© CHAKRA 17-April-2000

Chaitanya Chandra dasa's claim that Srila Prabhupada's "Direction of Management" document helps in establishing that local members should elect an ISKCON Temple President is not accurate.

Before I list below the pertinent references from "Direction of Management" I would ask that in the future the editors of CHAKRA carefully inspect each article to protect us from unnecessary anxieties caused by inaccurate claims. It seems the duty of CHAKRA's editorial staff is to act responsibly in this regard. Otherwise CHAKRA may become considered no better than a common Gossip Sheet.
>Full Story

© CHAKRA 11-April-2000

Since in our movement many leaders made many mistakes, we presently have a lot of mistrust and criticism of leaders, but that will not be helpful in gaining excellent spiritual leadership as Srila Prabhupada desired. We may wish success to our leaders. Someone has to be a leader. So if one cannot take up a position of a leader oneself, one may help others improve in their service as leaders.
>Full Story

© CHAKRA 11-April-2000

Due to cow abuse and neglect in the past and present at ISKCON cow protection facilities, Law 507 was passed by the GBC body last year. According to this ISKCON Law (507) the GBC are required to file reports about their respective ISKCON farms on a quarterly basis. This is the first part of the “check and balance system” for cow protection centers set up by the Minimum Cow Protection Standards passed last year (law 507).
>Full Story

© CHAKRA 16-Nov-1999

• The latest edition of HKW, at the printer today, features exciting news about the Hare Krishna movement, including:

•  A millennial interfaith event at the Vatican.

• How to be Krishna conscious at work.

• The first Ratha-yatra in Sri Lanka -- with adherents of different faiths.

• What ISKCON schools are doing to give children a well-rounded educational experience.

• A review of an amazing interactive CD ROM of "Srimad-Bhagavatam," as well as a new book about Bhaktivinoda Thakur and lots of new music.

• An overview of India's cultural legacy as evidenced in civilizations around the world.

This new issue will be on the web in two weeks ( hkw.iskcon.net), but most people still like to receive HKW in the mail, or send it to a friend as a gift. We now use a new international mailing company for much more efficient delivery to readers outside the US. Please see the convenient form below for subscriptions and bulk orders.
>Full Story

© CHAKRA 16-April-2000

I just read the article by Chaitanya Chandra Prabhu in your Chakra Website. It was very nice. I never thought that Prabhupada wanted the Temple Presidents to be elected. I always thought that we have to be stuck with whatever the GBCs send us.
>Full Story

© CHAKRA 11-April-2000

CHAKRA (Bhaktivedanta Manor, UK) - September 15, 1999: CHAKRA has learned that Adridharan’s lawyers have failed in their attempt to have a stay of a court order decision in a case against ISKCON. Although CHAKRA has not yet received a detailed copy of the judgment, it is known that the court made the following general decisions: 
>Full Story

© CHAKRA 15-Oct-1999

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, and you Srila Prabhupada: all have had a vision of a world-wide unified preaching movement, and each has pushed it toward further and further realization, and it is our job to continue. Many have given up on this effort. Some have formed their own enterprises to work separately. Still others spurn “the institution” to cultivate a “higher” practice.
>Full Story

© CHAKRA 14-Sep-1999

Largest Initiation since days of Bhagavan before international assembly
By Vipramukhya Swami

CHAKRA (Bhaktivedanta Manor, UK) - August 14, 1999: Bhakti Charu Swami, Radhanath Swami and Bhakti Vikasa Swami initiated 32 devotees this morning at Bhaktivedanta Manor, England, the day before the London Rathayatra. It was the largest initiation to take place at Bhaktivedanta Manor since the days when Bhagavan was GBC here.

In attendance were devotees from around the world, including Sivarama Swami, Vipramukhya Swami, Sacinandana Swami, Atmanivedana Swami, Amiya Vilasa Swami, Pankajangari dasa from Mayapur and hundreds of devotees from Italy, France, Germany, Argentina, India, America, Canada, Russia, Croatia, Lithuania, the Republic of Ireland, the Netherlands and the U.K.
>Full Story

© CHAKRA 8-Aug-99

Krsna Conscious Television is "Barely" Alive
by Raghunath Dasanudas

In a recent article, my friend and fellow Vrindavan Gurukula Vet, Vrindavan, wrote about various ongoing Krsna Conscious TV (KCTV) programs. It is admirable that there are some devotees maintaining these programs. However, the sad truth is, these efforts are barely reaching 1% of the potential viewers in the US and Canada. Yes, KCTV may be alive, but it is not doing well when you take into account the thousands of public access stations across North America. It is as if these stations are just sitting there, waiting to be used to spread the glories of Krsna, but hardly anyone is willing to take the time or make the effort.
>Full Story

© CHAKRA 29-Jul-99