Are the Hare Krishnas a sect? This question is asked by many people who in one way or another are in contact with this organization. In this article we will try to understand this topic, talk about this community, the holidays that they celebrate, well-known representatives.
Who are they?
Many in our country are convinced that Hare Krishnas are a sect that operates in Russia, striving to get as many faithful adherents into their ranks. But is this really so?
In general, Hare Krishnas are the western designation of representatives of the philosophical and religious teachings that originated in India. At home, this movement is called Gaudiya Vaishnavism. A Vaisnava is a devotee of the Supreme Lord Vishnu.
Proponents of this teaching believe that Krishna appeared in our world about 5 thousand years ago, becoming the avatar of Lord Visnu. Since then, Hare Krishnas have worshiped him, considering them to be their original Lord.
An analogy with Christianity and the coming of Jesus suggests itself. Interestingly, the Hare Krishnas themselves consider him a partial avatar of Vishnu.
This teaching is based on Vedic sources, like most other religious and philosophical movements that appeared in India. The main books for Hare Krishnas are Srimad Bhagavatam and Bhagavad Gita, as well as the works of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who lived several hundred years ago in Bengal. He is known as a religious reformer who gave Krishnaism its modern look.
Moreover, Hare Krishnas in India revere him as the Lord himself, or rather, his avatar.
Learning Outside of India
Srila Prabhupada was the first to bring this teaching to the West in 1965. He was a spiritual teacher for many followers; he is considered a link in the chain of continuity from teacher to student, which is led from the Lord himself.
Understanding whether Hare Krishnas are a sect or not, one must always remember that this is only one of the authoritarian spiritual trends that exist in Indian culture.
Interestingly, in India itself today there are a huge number of different religious movements. Hinduism consists of all kinds of currents, sects and directions, perhaps, in the whole world God is not being sought as actively as in this country.
In the 20th century, there was a legend that Krishnaism is in fact one of the new age trends that arose only a few decades ago. But now it’s quite obvious that this version has no basis. It is worth recognizing that the popularity of the teachings of Prabhupada was facilitated by the fashion for everything oriental, but the teaching itself is an ancient tradition that appeared even before Buddhism.
Krishnaism in our country
In 1971, Prabhupada paid a 5-day visit to Moscow, having managed to initiate one student during this time. They became Anatoly Pinyaev, who received the name of Ananta Shanti das. It was with him that the history of Krishnaism began on the territory of the Soviet Union.
In the USSR, the Hare Krishna sect, then they were called only that, the attitude was extremely negative: they were sent to psychiatric hospitals, imprisoned, fired from work. This situation persisted until the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Currently, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness is considered the most influential Hindu organization in the West. Hundreds of cultural centers and temples were built there, and they exist in most Russian large cities.
Development in modern Russia
In our country, Krishnaism has been actively developed since 1992, when the Center for Krishna Consciousness Societies in Russia was officially registered. Hare Krishna communities soon appeared throughout the country, especially in large cities. It was possible to attract new supporters through the distribution of literature of a spiritual content. By 1996, the circulation of books in Russian exceeded 10 million copies.
Many are interested in whether Hare Krishnas are banned in Russia or not. So far, no punitive measures have touched this organization, although attempts by the authorities to limit its activities have been undertaken. In particular, in 2011-2012, a high-profile trial was held in Tomsk on the recognition of the extremist canonical book of Hare Krishnas "Bhagavad-gita as it is." The attention of the world community was riveted to the case, causing numerous protests in India itself, as well as among domestic human rights defenders and scientists. The initiator of the process was the prosecutor's office of Tomsk, which appealed to the court declaring the book extremist, demanding that it be included in the corresponding federal list of banned literature.
After examinations and numerous hearings, the court found the plaintiff's arguments unfounded, refusing to recognize the book as extremist. So now Hare Krishnas are not banned in Russia.
Anatoly Pinyaev
One of the most famous Hare Krishnas in our country is a preacher, the only Russian disciple of Prabhupada who stood at the origins of the religious movement in the USSR.
In the 80s he was subjected to repression, the KGB considered the Hare Krishnas to be an anti-communist sect. After a sermon in a recreation center in Riga, foreigners were deported together with American religious followers, and Pinyaev was held in a psychiatric hospital for two weeks, only after that he was released.
In 1981, he was again sent to a hospital, and then sentenced to 10 days of arrest for petty hooliganism. In 1983, he was again arrested, recognized in court as insane, being placed for an indefinite period in a psychiatric hospital in Smolensk, where he underwent haloperidol treatment. Following him, dozens of his followers were sent for compulsory treatment. He was released in 1987.
Little is known about his future fate, some argue that in the 1990s Pinyaev departed from Hare Krishnaism. In 2010, he suffered a heart attack. In 2013, died of a stroke in one of the capital's clinics.
What do they live with?
Hare Krishna services consist in reciting numerous mantras. Each of them consists of the Hindu names of God. The leaders of this religious movement note that the use of specific names of Krishna is considered part of the tradition, but they constantly mention other true names of God, including Jesus and Allah. It is worth noting that Hindus are considered one of the most tolerant religions.
Every day, Hare Krishna repeats at least 16 circles of the mantra on the rosary (108 beads in one circle). It takes about two hours. The basis of his spiritual practice is the constant mention of the Lord.
Krishnaites themselves study and disseminate Vedic philosophy among those around them. Most often you can get acquainted with a representative of this faith when he will sell their new book. This is also considered part of his ministry. Some buy these books, selling for the same money, so there is no profit or desire for profit. The main work of the Hare Krishnas is Bhavad-gita As It Is. This is more philosophical than religious work, which addresses the most important issues of being.
Traditions and customs
Krishnaites have traditional hopes, applying special signs to the body with clay. They devote a lot of time to singing and dancing. In most cases, it is a joyful chanting of mantras and hymns. They eat vegetarian food cooked with lots of spices. This food is called prasadam, it is believed that it is consecrated by the Lord. Hare Krishnas believe that it guides along the spiritual path and is able to purify.
Deities are worshiped at home and in temples, as a rule, they are offered water, incense, clothes, flowers and jewelry. Deities for them have exactly the same meaning as icons in Christianity.
Most often you can meet paired deities. This is Krishna, pictured with his wife Radha, or Sri Caitanya with his associate and disciple Nityananda.
Great mantra
The most famous Hindu mantra is called "Hare Krishna." It consists of 16 words, which are the names of God in Sanskrit.
It is believed that chanting, hearing, or chanting the Hare Krishna mantra can elevate a practitioner's consciousness, free him from the effects of karma, and transfer the mind from a materialistic platform to a transcendental one. In Krishnaism it is believed that the constant repetition of this mantra helps to reach the highest point of the perfection of life and bliss.
What is forbidden?
There are four rules that Hare Krishnas must follow. They believe that this is necessary for the purity of actions and thoughts, spiritual progress.
This is a refusal from gambling, intoxicating substances (they even mean coffee and tea by them), sex outside of marriage (and in this marriage frequent intercourse for pleasure is also not encouraged), fish, meat and eggs. Hare Krishnas are lacto-vegetarians, because they can use milk.
There is a rule according to which they are forbidden to preach their religion to people who profess a different faith or atheists. It is worth emphasizing that they generally have many features related to nutrition, daily routines, astrology and psychology.
Solemn Days
The main holiday of the Hare Krishnas is the Day of the appearance of Krishna. Its name officially sounds like Krishna Janmashtami.
According to legend, he was born at midnight on the eighth day of the month of Shravan (in our calendar, he covers part of July and August). During the festival, temples are always decorated with illuminations, prayers are said all night, glorifying their God.
On this day, it is customary to observe fast until midnight.
Learning Basics
Krishnaites adhere to monotheism. Despite the impressive Hindu pantheon, they profess one God, and they consider all the rest demigods, who are considered as aspects of his personality, powerful, but subordinate beings to him.
The Supreme Lord in them personifies everything that exists, and not just good, being the owner of all qualities and energies. There is no devil or any analogue to him. There is only Yamaraja who rules hell, but he is not a negative character, but simply does his job. Hell in the Hare Krishna faith is a temporary place between reincarnations. Then they have the opportunity to reincarnate again.
The true nature of the soul lies in bliss, eternity, and knowledge. Moreover, it is not equal to God, although it has some similar qualities. The ultimate goal of the material world is the desire to get out of it, while the world itself appears as a prison and does not carry any other meaning.
The best way to behave in our world is to fulfill your direct duties. Moreover, evil and good are not distinguished as existing things, they are usually considered from the point of view of ignorance and knowledge.
Attitude to them in the Russian Orthodox Church
Although officially this organization is not banned, the Russian Orthodox Church speaks negatively of the Hare Krishna sect, which is how they are most often characterized.
The diocesan administration regularly publishes parishioners' letters telling about people who suffered because of worshipers of the Indian god Krishna.
In particular, reviews of the Hare Krishna sect state that some young people are recruited by teachers while they are still in school. As adults, young people leave home to live with their community. Having come under the influence of supporters of this religion, people become inattentive, awkward and withdrawn. The psychotherapists who examine them claim that they are “encoded,” under someone else’s too powerful external influence.
Then some of the followers commit suicide, although their parents claim that they are sacrificed in this way. That is the danger of the Hare Krishnas according to the supporters of Orthodoxy.
The Russian Orthodox Church openly calls the followers of this doctrine a neopagan sect, noting that initially this so-called religion in the West was spread among drug addicts, hippies and other declassified elements.