Tread #7 Proposal by Caitanya candrodaya das

[Guest guest]

[Text 244737 from CIS]

 

The outline proposal:

 

LEADERSHIP RESTRUCTURE ACCORDING TO THE ORIGINAL IDEA

 

ISKCON GBCs |Brahminical only

ISKCON SANNYASIS (dedicated to preaching) |Brahminical only

ISKCON TPs (or administration and management bodies)

===========================================

 

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ISKCON leadership reform

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The idea behind this proposal is to restore the original balanced varnasrama

system that Srila Prabhupada had implemented when he first selected GBC and

separated functions of the GBCs, Temple Presidents and traveling sannyasis.

 

GBC

====

 

Grihasthas GBC originally selected by Srila Prabhupada can be a model. The

functions of the guidance and brahminical supervision are required. So the

GBC is the "ultimate managing authority". It should however *not* be

responsible for the matters of practical administration of the temples, and

centralized bureaucracy and control the development. The functions of the

GBC shell remain as the ones originally outlined by Srila Prabhupada:

upholding the spiritual standards by personal example in preaching, personal

dealings and sadhana, and concentrating on devotee education (and possible

counseling) and "seeing that the management is going on nicely" in the

advisory brahminical role.

 

Originally GBC was set up as grihasthi committee. It must be restructured

now as such, especially considering that absolute majority of ISKCON

devotees are in that asrama, and that will provide separation of the present

GBC sannyasis from any management. However there should be cooperation

between the GBC and the body of sannyasis and brahmacaris preachers. Both

of the bodies (GBCs and sannyasis) were originally indented by Srila

Prabhupada to function on the brahminical level and not be involved with

temple/community administration. Both of the groups can be gurus, as long as

the function of siksa or diksa guru are not interfering with their functions

as a GBC and a sannyasi. There should be no deputies or regional

secretaries. Ideally the number of GBCs should be kept to a minimum without

subcommittees and in the same time they should *not* take up more

responsibilities then they can handle, from the history of ISKCON we can see

that one cannot be possibly an effective GBC, a sannyasi, a worldwide

preacher and a guru to hundreds of devotees. Naturally grihasthi upon taking

sannyasa should normally resign from the GBC within a year (as with

everything here I open to proposal on this one). Noinvolvment in

administration should leave GBCs with a quality time to be spend with

leaders and in training and educational programs.

 

 

SANNYASIS

==========

 

Main functions of the ISKCON sannyasi is to travel, preach, write books,

hold seminars, teach devotees in varnasrma and bhagavata principles and

personally train ones who wants to be trained, (ie brahmacaries etc).

Sannyasis should not be involved in management and it is a duty of the GBC

to see that they are free from any obligations towards it. Sannyasis can be

regulated in their travel by the GBC and should report to the GBC body.

There should not be a ministry for sannyasa and any ISKCON ministries and

projects should be under local temples and its management, that includes CPO

and MP. Originally GBC was a grihasthi body, however seeing that GBC cannot

be detached from the administration of material assets and tendency for

organizational centralization Srila Prabhupada gave sannyasa to all of the

GBC. This proposal is for the restoration of an original idea of Srila

Prabhupada that has a lot of depth and organizational wisdom and is

essentially a varnasrama leadership structure where GBC are the brahminical

advisors to managing temple presidents and sannyasis are completely

dedicated to preaching.

 

ISKCON TEMPLES

===============

 

ISKCON is a confederation of the temples and communities. Thus all

administration and institutional implementation are relevant and possible

only on this level. The time has changed so that "Temple" here also means

ISKCON grihastha community (like Alachua) and "TP" can also means temple

council or board of directors of the community.

 

Temple presidents, temple secretaries and temple treasures or respectively

directors of the communities are to be considered the active management of

ISKCON. The body of TPs on the regional level should be responsible for the

functions of RGB, regional secretaries and most of the current GBC

administration and direct management functions. The system that Srila

Prabhupada has originally established provided that there is a sufficient

autonomy in the way temples managed. All the centralized administration and

accounting should be abolished immediately in the applicable areas. There

should be a system of transparent management and public openness in all

ISKCON temples. Temple presidents should not be disciples of corresponding

GBC for the period of the transformation of the leadership structure of

ISKCON and GBC.

 

The temple presidents' regional committees are to be responsible for:

--------------------------------

Setting regional standards in:

sadhana.

preaching.

 

Spiritual caring for and guiding devotees in the area:

by encouraging senior members to act as sisksa and diksa gurus.

by facilitating devotional programs that require cooperation of

devotees from different temples.

by providing facilities for training programs proposed by GBC (since

the GBC are not managing property and finances)

 

Encouraging and facilitating regional programs for, and institutions of,

training and instruction for:

children.

adult education in keeping with varnashrama principles.

 

Dealing with deviations pointed out by GBC from the standards for:

management.

leadership.

spiritual guidance.

 

Organizing and performing actions, which cannot be effectively

carried out at a lower level.

 

Settling managerial disputes, accounting and property issues.

 

Facilitating discussions in theological issues.

--

 

Please note that most of the functions above has been taken up by the GBC.

To function normally this functions should be left aside to the ISKCON

temple administration and some can be resolved on the meetings of TPs in

Mayapur.

 

Main level of ISKCON management and administration is TPs and Community

boards -- it is not supposed to be centralized.

 

The temple administrators are responsible for:

------------------------------

Setting temple standards in:

sadhana.

preaching.

personal dealings.

 

Spiritual caring for and guiding devotees:

participating in formal training programs.

by facilitating devotional service.

by providing day-to-day bhagavata katha and other forms of

sadhu-sanga

 

Preaching and expanding the Krishna consciousness movement, through:

personal preaching.

inspiring preaching of all varieties in the temples and its regions.

practical organization.

 

Encouraging and facilitating local temple and community programs for, and

institutions of,

training and instruction for:

children.

adult education in keeping with varnashrama principles.

 

Defining what is ISKCON temple and who is a member of ISKCON temple and/or a

ISKCON community.

 

Dealing with deviations from the temple standards in a variety of areas.

 

Other managerial and admin duties

--

 

The above proposal is an abridged explanation of my opinion on how to

restructure the leadership structure of the ISKCON as Srila Prabhupada

originally set it up. It doesn't cover the dynamics of how the authorities

are selected and is not covering the guru issue, however it gives an

understanding of how leadership elements of the varnasrama system were

planned from the very beginning by Srila Prabhupada in ISKCON. At the moment

both brahminical functions of leadership and ksatriya type duties of

administration and personal guidance has been mixed together in a very large

GBC body. Considering that often not only the 2 functions are mixed up in

person of GBC, but it is also a sannyasi who is performing both functions

and has a position of a guru towards his inferiors in the society, it

creates "highly explosive mixture" and disaster scenarios.

 

By returning to the original setup of Srila Prabhupada we will eliminate the

above and will create a stable structure not only for GBC but also for the

preaching in general. GBC does the work of GBC, Sannyasis do the work of the

sannyasis, and TPs do the actual administration and 'ksatriya type'

management and have all the responsibility they were always supposed to

bear.

 

Separation of the fuctions is often the best way to organize leadership and

to provide stability. Reducing the ammount of functions top level management

has will be a solution for a number of crisis situations in ISKCON.

 

ys ccd