ISKCON; do we have a political voice?

I have recently become interested in American politics, partly because of 9/11/2001, the preemptive invasion of Iraq, and what appears to be a huge number of civilian deaths there. When I mention my interest with ISCKON members, the reaction is often that Srila Prabhupada was not concerned politics and that politics is not the place for devotees, so neither should I be concerned. For many years I partly believed this. But I now think this is a flawed view, and perhaps one of the reasons that Krishna consciousness is not spreading as quickly as many have hoped. An implication of the “hands-off” policy of many ISKCON members towards politics is that at this point in history ISKCON does not have a political voice. Aside from a few exceptions, many ISKCON leaders do not do not discuss with the governments they live under.

 

Some devotees have argued we need to develop traditional Indian schools, like those that trained Brahmins (spiritual leaders, priests, scholars, etc.) and Ksatriyas (warriors and traditional monarchical leaders) in the past. I have always been a pluralist, believing that ISKCON needs many sorts of projects working at the same time, and which work on different levels of society, and with different groups of people. So I am not against traditional educational models, for instance what Gopiparanadhana prabhu is doing in Govardhana. I do not think that these forms of education will have a direct impact on the non-ISKCON world at this time, although they are certainly very valuable for ISKCON members. Thus, I think we also need to develop a political voice within the existing democratic systems that communicates Vaishnava ideas about the purpose and goal of human society in a contemporary political language. We need to think about the issues that political leaders deal with every day (e.g., taxes, education, health care, the so-called war on terrorism, making war with the Middle-East, ecological issues, etc.) from a Vaishnava point of view. Not only do we need to think about these issues, but politically engage them. Thus far ISKCON spiritual leaders and scholars haven’t done much of this.

 

Some time in the mid-1990s ISKCON leaders became aware that in order to have a voice among the educated world it was necessary to have ISKCON members with academic qualifications, with academic publications, with academic teaching positions, etc. But there is a further step we need to take: some members of ISKCON need to now develop a realistic awareness of Western politics, and learn to speak to politicians in a language they can understand and accept, yet which resonates with Vaishnava theology and social theory. This, of course, requires an education and practical experience in a political office (e.g., a congressmen, senator, governor, etc.). A significant part of this education must be gained from reputable academic institutions. This has already begun with projects like the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies and the Bhaktivedanta College in Radhadesh, Belgium.

 

ISKCON’s newly developed interest in education bodes well for a practical engagement with politics, but there is more work to be done. We also need to think about raising children in such a way that they can become political leaders. According to Vaishnava teachings, great political leaders are cultivated; that is why princes and members of the aristocracy were trained and educated by the very best teachers, and that is why their upbringing and marriage was carefully planned. To provide the sort of political leadership I am talking about in this article, householders in ISCKON need to begin to looking at the education, upbringing and marriage of their children in a similar way. Swamis would need to see themselves as providing the sort of spiritual leadership and guidance that would give householders and their children the insight and conviction to be great political leaders.

 

In conclusion, the need for some religious group to provide quality religious training and education for the world’s political leaders is frighteningly evident. Under the Neo-conservative agenda constructed by Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, Richard Clark and many others the political situation in America has become increasingly tyrannical, despicably violent, deceptive, dishonest and secretive (this has all been pointed out by some people from the 9/11 Truth Movement, especially Professor David Ray Griffin). I am hopeful that ISKCON leaders will become conscious of this and conscious of the need to make positive contributions with the resources of Vaishnava thought and practice, but as I said there is still so much work to be done before we are even close.