Sun Poll Results - Hare Krsna Religion
BY: SUN STAFF
Dec 27, USA (SUN) — Our recent Sun Poll series explored our reader's views on the devolution of a spiritual movement into a religion. The results of this poll (see chart below) differed somewhat from the usual 'party line' split we've seen in past Sun Polls.
In Poll #1, the results indicate that if we combine the "Not Sure" and "Yes" responses, there's nearly a 50-50 split among voters. In other words, there's an indication that half the voters feel there is some benefit to humanity if Srila Prabhupada's society is transformed into a religion.
Of course, this poll did not provide a definition of the word "religion", and individuals readers are likely to have something different understandings of that definition. 'Religion' itself is not designated in negative terms in our Vaisnava siddhanta. What is referred to in a negative tone is 'religiosity'.
Our sadhana practices can certainly be considered religious, beginning with chanting the Hare Krsna maha mantra and Deity worship, hearing the sastra, praying to the Guru and to Krsna. We are also informed by the Sampradaya Acaryas that the first pillar of material life is religion, which then gradually transforms into economic development. There are four types of people that surrender to Krsna, and those who are simply seeking some material benefit in terms of relieving their suffering condition would be more inclined towards the religious aspect of Krsna Consciousness rather than being inclined towards the siddhanta. Taking all these things into consideration, it's not a surprise that the poll results came out the way they did.
As for the 51% who voted "No", one can assume that these voters understood that Srila Prabhupada's ISKCON lila period was not in the mood of a religion, and that Srila Prabhupada never, ever indicated that that's what he was looking forward to having his Society transform into.
What stands out about Poll #2 is that exactly the same number of people who voted "No" in Poll #1 did the same in Poll #2. Of the remaining voters who make up 49%, a rather large percentage of those (18%) voted "Doesn’t Matter" rather than "Not Sure".
In some ways, saying it 'Doesn't Matter' is the equivalent to saying "Yes", due to the nature of the word "inevitable". In other words, if it's Krsna's plan, then it's inevitably going to happen, and we can be sure that He again comes Himself or sends another great Acarya. Similarly, we can assume that the 23% "Yes" vote believe that it was Lord Krsna's intention to have Srila Prabhupada's teachings and pastimes transform into a worldwide religion.
In my mind, the "No" voters most likely believe that Srila Prabhupada didn't want ISKCON to transform into a religion. He gave so many instructions on how that devolution should not take place. But, those instructions were not followed, and are not followed today. The Acaryas give sufficient instruction to substantiate the possibility that this transformation does not necessarily have to take place. In other words, it is not "inevitable".
In Poll #3, the "No" vote is the equivalent of the "Yes" votes in three of the other polls (#2, 4, and 5). Those who voted "Yes" understand the principle that when the reins of power are transferred to personalities who are less than perfect (conditioned souls) they find it necessary to dilute the siddhanta so their lack of spirituality is not exposed. The siddhanta is very absolute in its ability to delineate between that which is material and that which is spiritual. Persons who are pretending to be spiritually advanced cannot hide their own material tendencies, therefore they feel compelled to water down the siddhanta.
The 23% "No" votes are obviously people who think that the siddhanta has not been altered in the least since Srila Prabhupada disappeared. It's hard to imagine anyone thinking that way, given the number of times the ISKCON authorities have admitted that they've changed the siddhanta, or incorrectly interpreted it, such as during the Zonal Acarya era.
Poll #4 provided particularly interesting results, given that it is the opposite of what we expected to see. In this question we used the term "religiosity" in place of "religion". And again, we did not offer a clarification of terms, so the results may hinge on the perceived definition of the word "established". In this context, "established" might be understood to indicate an initial act rather than being synonymous with "promoting" or "preaching".
Without question, the two previous Sampradaya Acaryas had to go through a great deal of struggle to defeat the established diksa lineages and re-establish the pure Sampradaya. Either a large number of voters misinterpreted the question, or they do not understand our Sampradaya's history.
We have to keep in mind that after Srila Prabhupada's departure, both ISKCON and the Gaudiya Matha preached that entrance into our Sampradaya can only be achieved by taking diksa from someone who is supposedly in the Sampradaya. This philosophical conclusion has been so strongly preached that people are inclined to believe it's actually true. Obviously, a certain number of people feel that an exclusive diksa lineage is in line with our siddhanta, although I have never discovered anywhere in Srila Prabhupada's teachings where it has been stated that only through diksa can one be initiated into our Sampradaya.
In Poll #5, the results are very similar to Poll #3, marching down the party line split. What ISKCON today is trying to do is just this: establishing a diksa lineage while at the same time maintaining a western institutional model. Those who believe that this is the right way to go are voting "Yes", and those who believe it's the wrong way to go are voting "No".
At the same time, ISKCON today is struggling to deal with the complexities of this particular scenario. How much power should be taken away from the diksa guru and put into the hands of the GBC, and is this the proper way to go considering there's nothing established in sastra to indicate that this is a bona fide procedure? Srila Prabhupada established the GBC to assist with the preaching program, but the GBC of today serves a much different function than it did during Srila Prabhupada's lila period.
POLL #1
Is it good for humanity that Srila Prabhupada's society is transforming into a religion?
|
YES
36 %
|
NO
51 %
|
NOT SURE
13 %
|
|
POLL #2
Is it inevitable that after the great Acarya disappears, their preaching movement transforms into a religion?
|
YES
23 %
|
NO
51 %
|
NOT SURE
8 %
|
DOESN'T MATTER
18 %
|
POLL #3
When spirituality transforms into religion, is it inevitable the siddhanta will be altered?
|
YES
63 %
|
NO
23 %
|
NOT SURE
13 %
|
|
POLL #4
Establishing an exclusive diksa lineage is a sign of religiosity:
|
TRUE
23 %
|
FALSE
57 %
|
NOT SURE
20 %
|
|
POLL #5
Is establishing a diksa lineage in a western institutional model good for ISKCON?
|
YES
24 %
|
NO
67 %
|
NOT SURE
9 %
|
|
