her about her prayer. She replied, ‘Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy upon us.’ He commented, ‘That’s nice, very good’, particularly when she explained that the mercy of God is the love of God. To another Christian he said, ‘Jesus said, “Hallowed be thy name, my Father.” We are hallowing the name of the Lord. We don’t even ask you to say Krishna. You can say Jehovah or Yahweh. Just chant the names of God, purify your heart, and develop love of God. Then you will stop killing and slaughtering each other.’5 Here we see the centrality of non-violence – both between human beings, and also of animals. Vegetarianism is a central tenet of ISKCON. It is there to varying degrees in Hinduism, but absolute in ISKCON.
In the USA, in the meantime, there was a rapid expansion of the movement, and at the same time acute problems of leadership, and major issues in residential schools, which gave the movement a bad name. There was a real fear of a family member getting involved with what was seen as a potentially dangerous cult. Selling of products, books, CDs and so on had been the main way of financing the movement, but profits dropped greatly as devotees were no longer welcome to chant publicly in city centres, and they were largely confined to marketing in airports. The crisis of leadership came with the death of Prabhupada. He had established a Governing Board Commission (GBC), but few on it were reliable. There were also splits in the movement. A major question was the authority of Prabhupada after his death. There has now been a recovery, and essentially, ISKCON has become a congregational movement, rather than one based on the monks living in temples and seen on the streets. It has settled down to become a denomination (see the case study on the USA (Chapter 8) and the section on ISKCON in the USA today; see also Chapter 9, on Sweden).
In the UK, the history has been much less stormy. The undisputed centre since Prabhupada’s time is Bhaktivedanta Manor, near Watford. This is residential, and registered as a kind of theological college. There are then centres around the country, including one in Leicester. The majority of members are now married. Many have been celibate monks for some time, and then moved out of community. Some remain in the community and are married there. There is a relaxed feel about this. Sex is expected to be primarily for the procreation of children, necessary for the future of the movement, and indeed of the human race!
Study is important in ISKCON and in particular the study of the Gita and of the writings of Chaitanya – the Chaitanya Bhagavata – and those of Prabhupada and others. Chanting is compulsory, whether privately or in congregation (kirtana). This should be done using beads, a 108-bead rosary given at initiation (diksha). Sixteen rounds should be chanted each day. The small book describing its use says: ‘Chant and be happy.’ It is done to evoke transcendental consciousness and ecstasy, in love of God. It is to anticipate not only release from the material suffering of rebirth, but also an eternal life of bliss and devotion to Krishna.
Two important developments for our purposes are involvement in schools, and interfaith dialogue. There has been a fee-paying school at Bhaktivedanta Manor. But now there are two state-aided schools. One, in Harrow, was established some years ago and has had a very good early record. The aim is to have a Hindu ethos, and food served is always vegetarian. But it has an open atmosphere, and others are welcome. There is now opened in Leicester, since September 2011, a Free School, one of the first of such schools in the UK, and I record here some dialogue I have had there with its founding inspiration, Pradip Gajjar. The aim here is eventually to have 50 per cent of children from non-Hindu families. It is being developed in a former Roman Catholic school premises, next to a Roman Catholic secondary school. It has a chapel room there, and this is being kept by the Hindu school undisturbed, as a place that Christians can use, from within the school or the community. The Bishop of Leicester has given support from the beginning, and the Archdeacon of Leicester was a trustee. It has been developed quite transparently, with cooperation from the city council and careful nurture of other faith leaders through the Faith Leaders Forum, talks and visits (see Chapter 7, on Leicester, for latest developments).
ISKCON’s record in interfaith dialogue, especially with Christians, has been long and fruitful. Its members are significant participants in councils of faiths throughout the country, and not just nominally. An example is in Hertsmere, the area around Bhaktivedanta Manor. The clergy chair of the Council spoke to me very highly of their participation. They put on a drama in Inter Faith Week, and visited schools then. They took part, along with Christians and Jews, in Mitzvah Day, and in joint service, seva. This has been about clearing up scrubland and cleaning areas of litter. They have taken part in the Armed Forces Day, when a flag is raised. They participate in the annual town festival in Borehamwood, taking a lead which used to include their bringing bullocks. At the same time, from the Christian side, the parish has given support to the Manor when there have been difficult incidents. An example is the famous cow incident, when the RSPCA wanted to take a sickly cow away to be slaughtered. The Christians joined in, writing to the minister Hilary Benn, and a new pregnant cow was presented instead. A recent problem relates to their erecting a large marquee for weddings, and the Letchmore Heath Council making objection and winning both initially and on appeal. The church gave support, as in the famous dispute about the construction of a new road to the Manor, a battle that ISKCON did win. It is these kinds of engagements that matter locally.
They have also played a significant role in the development of the Hindu–Christian Forum UK, which has been struggling to find its way since 2004.6 Most notable has been the participation of two individuals, Bimal Krishna Das, until he transferred to India, and Gauri Das in more recent years. They have been notable for the wish to reflect theologically and spiritually, and that this should be at the heart of the dialogue.
At this theological level, there has been much engagement at a semi-academic level, much of it recorded in the movement’s journal, ISKCON Communications Journal.7 Notable was the position booklet, reproduced there, a group production led by Shaunaka Rishi Das, entitled ISKCON and Inter Faith: ISKCON in Relation to People of God (2004). It was authorized by ISKCON’s Governing Body Commission and so has a high status. Significant scholars of other faiths were involved in its production. It is a remarkable booklet, unprecedented in any other faith, except Christianity, and even there it is difficult to find something so succinct. The document is just 13 pages long. It has a two-page opening statement, and then sections dedicated to mission, to dialogue and to theology. It ends with guidelines for approaching ‘people of faith in God’. There are then responses from around ten key voices from those in official positions across churches and the Jewish community.
There is no space to comment on the whole document here. Throughout, the emphasis is on the supreme personal God, and that no individual or organization has a monopoly on the Lord. By opening ourselves to dialogue with the other, we open ourselves more to that one God. Journeying with those who do not share this monotheist faith is also enjoined, as we work together for humanitarian, ethical and moral standards in society. Mutual respect is at the heart of the document. Affirmed too is the missionary nature of this kind of Hinduism – it will welcome converts with open arms, but does not have an exclusivist ideology. ‘We work not at conversion but at spiritual development.’ Theistic people are to encourage each other to be more true to their own spiritual practice, and to care for their neighbours.
The document begins with a most helpful statement defining ISKCON, which I reproduce in full:
ISKCON belongs to the Gaudiya Vaisnava tradition, a monotheistic tradition within Vedic or Hindu culture. Hindu culture is vast, and the term ‘Hinduism’ encompasses numerous theologies, philosophies, religious traditions and spiritual cultures. Thus, dialogue with Hindu traditions is often difficult. There are no official representatives of Hinduism, as the term Hinduism does not imply a single spiritual tradition. This statement is therefore representative of Hindu culture and religion as it is manifest in ISKCON, a Vedantic, monotheistic Vaisnava tradition.
I refer to two articles in the ISKCON journal, one
