“All We are Saying, is Give Peace a Chance”
BY KAY SCHROVEN
Those of you who were around in the late 1960s and 1970s may remember the young, white “hippies” with shaved heads chanting in the airports and handing out literature about Krsna. They were known as the “Hare Krsnas.” Today the Hara Krsnas are known as the International Society for Krsna Consciousness (ISKCON, founded in 1966.) While you will no longer find them in airports, the group survives; their basic beliefs and practices remain, with over 500 temples in the U.S. and over I million members globally. Or, maybe you recall the Beatles involvement in Eastern religion, yoga and transcendental meditation represented on two of their albums, The White Album and Abbey Road. George Harrison became very involved in Krishna Consciousness, donated large sums of money and remained involved up to his death (2001.) The society’s main training center is in Hertfordshire, Britain known as Bhaktivedanta Manor, donated by Harrison.
ISKCON Minnesota is a registered 501c3 in Minnesota and funded by donations from the community.
Should you find yourself at the intersection of Minnehaha Ave. and 40th St. in S. Minneapolis, you may hear zealous, joyful chanting. The storefront turned temple is a warm and welcoming place where the members of the local ISKCON have been meeting to chant, worship, dance, eat and build their community over the last two years. They are conducting a search for a permanent home such as a small church. The floor of their Minnehaha Ave. temple is covered in beautiful Indian rugs. There are devotional altars, with the main one behind velvet curtains and ropes. Images of Krisna (God) and His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada grace the walls. Prabhupada brought Krisna Consciousness, in English, to the west. He arrived in New York City in 1965 at the age of 70 fulfilling his master’s order. (His master: Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Maharaja of Calcutta, India.)
Rama Kisora Dasa greets me warmly at the temple door and asks me to remove my shoes. He has tilaka painted on his forehead which extends down to his nose. Tilaka are made of clay, sandalwood, turmeric, holy ash and sometimes vermilion. I ask about it and he tells me that it is a symbol that indicates the body as temple for a spiritual life and devotion to Krsna. I ask Rama Kisora Dasa what drew him to the Krsna practice. He replied,
“The joy of having a relationship with Krishna (God) through chanting His holy names. The spiritualized food and our beautiful tradition dating back over 5000 years. The simplicity of the practice and also at its core is the same as Roman Catholic teachings from God, Love God with all your heart and love your neighbor as you love God and yourself, our tradition adds all living entities to that Love, which is why we observe ahimsa, non violence to all. Hence we are vegetarian, no eggs, meat or fish.”
Rama Kisora Dasa tells me that the only requirement here is a desire for peace. Devotees and the curious drift in, some bringing their mridangam drums (aka: khol or damaru) which are double sided and made of wood or clay. Drumming, chanting and swaying from side to side begins and swells until the ritual commences with the sound of a horn led by Rama Kisora Dasa. There are now over 30 individuals present including children, many brown skinned. Some are wearing traditional Indian dress, the men in white, women in colorful sarees. Others are dressed in casual American style; jeans and t-shirts (representing the New York Burroughs, the University of MN, the U.S. Air force, etc.) Over the next few hours there will be chanting of the mantra;
Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna
Krsna, Krsna, Hare Krsna
Hare Rama, Hare Rama
Rama, Rama, Hare, Hare
In short, it means the beautiful energy of the Lord, the all attractive one, the one who gives happiness to all. The chanting has been compared to the crying of a baby for its mother. This chant is at the center of the Krsna practice and promises to bring God realization, peace, self- fulfillment and freedom from repeated birth and death (reincarnations).
Krsna Consciousness is monotheistic, that is, believes in and serves one and only one god, Krsna. It is believed that Krsna appeared on the earth 5,000 years ago bringing his unique philosophy and principles. By chanting the mantra together (known as kirtana or sankirtana) and serving Krsna, one is delivered from the material world, purifies the dust of material desires and enters the spiritual realm. This is described as a practical, simple and sublime practice, 480 years old introduced by Lord Sri Caitanya, also known as the pioneer of civil disobedience. This communal chanting is hypnotic accompanied by drums, cymbals and tambourines.
Krsnas believe that we all have individual souls but tend to get entangled in the material world and lose touch with them. The purpose of the practice is to rediscover the soul and progress toward perfection of the spirit, leaving behind the power of the sensual, mental and intellectual. The “Bhagavad-Gita, As It Is,” is the guiding literature (translated and published in the west in 1968 by Macmillan.) The “Gita” is the gist of the entire Vedic literature (a collection of ancient religious texts.) The original was written in Sanskrit and has been through numerous translations.
The Krsna literature given to newcomers describes the organization as a movement (not a religion) designed to reduce attachments (known as maya) to the material world. It is not a sectarian religious movement, but rather a cultural one. Gurus are God’s representatives and are to be obeyed. Devotees, (anyone who engages in devotional service to Krisna) chant to transcend passion, goodness and ignorance, which leads to a state of well-being and happiness. It is said possible that within 6 months one can be purified. A Disciple, such as Rama Kisora Dasa takes initiation and voluntarily agrees to be disciplined by the spiritual master – a form of surrender and practice of austerity.
As the ceremony continues, in addition to chanting Rama Kisora Dasa reads from the Gita and shares some of his experiences as he came to Krsna. Announcements are made about upcoming festivals and celebrations and then the feast begins! And what a feast it is- prepared every Sunday by volunteers.
You will find additional information about ISKCON at askconminnesota.org/4000 Minnehaha Ave.S. Mpls. Sunday chanting and worship, 4:30-6:30.
