The Hare Krishna Movement
Hare Krishna is the popular name for the International Society of Krishna Consciousness, which is a new religious movement based on Hinduism. It was established in America in 1965-6, in New York City by A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Prabhupada, guru/spiritual master, moved to San Francisco in 1967, and the movement spread quickly, plus gained further publicity and financial support through the interest of the Beatle George Harrison. This vast and fast diffusion of Hare Krishna can be due to the visible difference of their prayer and daily ritual, and their distinction to Hinduism.
“There is no possibility of one’s becoming a yogi, O Arjuna, if one eats too much, or eats too little, sleeps too much or does not sleep enough.” (Bhagavad-gita …show more content…
The main mantra named after them, Hare Krishna, expresses devotion to the gods Hare, Krishna and Rama and is believed to bring about a higher state of consciousness when it is chanted, sung, or meditated upon. Hare Krishnas are expected to chant the mantra for 16 rounds of a rosary of 108 beads every day, believing that chanting the names of God is so powerful. Home prayers follow the same ritual cycle as temple worship, beginning with awakening the deities, cleaning and preparing them, feeding them, and finally putting them to sleep. Fully engaging in these rites require bells, platters, incense, water, lamps and other materials. Hare Krishna members typically also include an image of their own spiritual master, the guru who instructed and initiated them into the …show more content…
The most significant difference is that Hare Krishna followers do not identify themselves as Hindus and emphasize that Hare Krishna is a consciousness unlike Hinduism which is a religion. The speaker, Nirantara Dasa stated, “We like to describe it as the original , pure, spiritual, philosophy in which Hinduism has sprung.” Unlike Hindus, who believe in demigods and carry out ritual practices for material gains, Hare Krishnas believe in only one God Krishna. Dasa claimed that Hare Krishna is a monotheistic religion with one God who manifests into 2 unique individuals, one man and one women. He also stated that Hindus think of Dharma as faith, but Hare Krishna believe that faith is not dharma because faith can be changed while Dharma is only
“There is no possibility of one’s becoming a yogi, O Arjuna, if one eats too much, or eats too little, sleeps too much or does not sleep enough.” (Bhagavad-gita …show more content…
The main mantra named after them, Hare Krishna, expresses devotion to the gods Hare, Krishna and Rama and is believed to bring about a higher state of consciousness when it is chanted, sung, or meditated upon. Hare Krishnas are expected to chant the mantra for 16 rounds of a rosary of 108 beads every day, believing that chanting the names of God is so powerful. Home prayers follow the same ritual cycle as temple worship, beginning with awakening the deities, cleaning and preparing them, feeding them, and finally putting them to sleep. Fully engaging in these rites require bells, platters, incense, water, lamps and other materials. Hare Krishna members typically also include an image of their own spiritual master, the guru who instructed and initiated them into the …show more content…
The most significant difference is that Hare Krishna followers do not identify themselves as Hindus and emphasize that Hare Krishna is a consciousness unlike Hinduism which is a religion. The speaker, Nirantara Dasa stated, “We like to describe it as the original , pure, spiritual, philosophy in which Hinduism has sprung.” Unlike Hindus, who believe in demigods and carry out ritual practices for material gains, Hare Krishnas believe in only one God Krishna. Dasa claimed that Hare Krishna is a monotheistic religion with one God who manifests into 2 unique individuals, one man and one women. He also stated that Hindus think of Dharma as faith, but Hare Krishna believe that faith is not dharma because faith can be changed while Dharma is only