ISKCON's coming succession crisis " Prabhupada's disciples are aging rapidly"

[krsna]

 

by Sri Nrshingha das

 

Posted on chakra March 8, 2005

 

Prabhupada's disciples are aging rapidly. Many have already left their bodies.

 

This is the natural course of events, to be sure. What's of huge concern is the development and training of the next generation of leaders who will guide ISKCON.

 

With very few exceptions, ISKCON-wide initiatives are still only led by devotees who somehow or another were available to leave their homes and move into a temple between the years 1965 and 1977. The list is further limited by the erosion of hard-fought rights ISKCON women devotees may face if Basu Ghosh's proposal makes it past the GBC at the upcoming meetings in Mayapur.

 

The concerns are obvious:

 

Education. Devotees were told universities were "slaughterhouses" in those days. They were encouraged to drop out of school, and the majority, for one reason or another, never returned. Large organizations need to be led by educated people; the number of devotees who took initiation then and who are still around and whose education, sadhana, and personality qualify them to take a leadership role is woefully limited.

Age. Though aging rapidly, there are still enough devotees who took initiation from 1965-1977 who conceivably could be running things for the next 20 years. So how does the next generation get trained up for leadership? Wishful thinking is not enough. The next generation of ISKCON must be brought along carefully--with education AND gradually increasing Movement-wide responsibilities until they're ready for bigger roles.

Succession Planning: Without active, motivated, charismatic leaders pushing things forward on the ground throughout the world, ISKCON runs the risk of greater and greater contraction until, finally, you have a small number of elderly former-leaders holed up in a few ashrams in India--the way things were for the most part before the ever-youthful AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada boarded the Jaladuta.

These concerns are real and the clock is ticking. For ISKCON to continue to be relevant, indeed to SURVIVE, the whole business of succession must be given careful thought. Succession planning, it should be remembered, has never been ISKCON's strong suit — even a casual examination of the events following Prabhupada's return to the spiritual world will support that. But barely surviving the 80's doesn't automatically mean surviving the 2000's is assured. Something must be done and soon.

 

 

[Guest guest]

This is the dilemna faced with mutiple heads to a mission, rather than just one head that gives clearcut advice, that has no conflicting conceptions on all the issues.

Unless all are pure and have unnanimous conclusions on all issues, or at least full confidence and respect of the others perspective, then there is always going to be a lot of dissatisfaction in the society. It just always works better with one captain on board to navigate a ship.

 

That doesn't mean tha everyone should not aspire to fullfil the command of Mahaprabhu to BE Guru (not play Guru) no doubt, but first we must qualify in being servant, and sometimes thru a life of preparation and showing by example that the wise lead from behind. Then Divine Grace will descend and make us Guru, whether we want it or not.

 

I see Prabhupads mission flourishing both within and outside of Iskcon, so many of his mature disciples are already doing his instructions with much success.

Only Divinity can prepare acharyas for succession and that's exactly what is and has been happening for many years.

It's all under control folks, don't panic.