does anyone know anything about the Hare Krishnas?

Question

Other than they look like a stereotypical Buddhist........

Answer 1

The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) is the religious organization for devotees of Krishna (also spelled Krsna). Their religion is commonly known as Hare Krishna, because of the first two words of their principle mantra:

"Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna, Krishna, Hare, Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama, Rama, Hare, Hare."

Krishna means "The All-Attractive," Hare addresses the energy of God, and Rama means "The Greatest Pleasure." These names of God and the Hare Krishna Mantra are derived from ancient Indian texts of knowledge called Vedas.

The image at the top of this page is of the Tilaka mark; it appears on the foreheads of all followers of Hare Krishna. The two stripes signify the lotus feet of Krishna; the leaf in the center represents holy basil, or Tulasi which traditionally adorns His feet.

ISKCON and Hinduism both trace their beginnings to the Vedas and to the Bhagavad-gita text. Whereas mainstream Hinduism regards Krishna to be the 8th incarnation of Vishnu (the Preserver and one of the Hindu trinity of deities), ISKCON regards Krishna to be the supreme Lord over all deities, including Vishnu. They are therefore a monotheistic faith group, one that stresses bhakti, the way of devotion.

The roots of the faith can be traced back to the advent of Krishna, 5000 years ago in a village in India called Vrindavana. The faith has been revived in recent history by the 16th Century Guru Caitanya Mahaprabu who is regarded by the Hare Krishnas as an incarnation of Krishna in the form of His own devotee. He taught that Lord Krishna was the principle deity, God Himself, and that everyone can regain a personal relationship with Krishna through sankirtana (congregational chanting of God's names, specifically the Hare Krishna Mantra). This tradition was continued by a line of Gurus including (early in this century) Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Gosvami Maharaj.

Abhay Charan De, a disciple of Bhaktisiddhanta, adopted the name Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, left India at the age of 69 and came to the United States to proselytize. Prabhupada (The Master) organized ISKCON in 1965. During its early years, it was largely financed through the sale of incense and Prabhupada's books published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust. One of the "Beatles", George Harrison, donated a mansion near London and produced an album featuring the Hare Krishna Mantra. After 12 years of prolific writing and successful promotion of Krishna Consciousness, the Master died in 1977. His main writings were word-for-word translations and commentaries on the Bhagavad-gita ("The Song of God"), the Bhagavata Purana ("The History of God and His Devotees"), and the Caitanya Caritamrita ("The Life and Teachings of Caitanya Mahaprabhu.") Before his death, he appointed eleven commissioners (some sources incorrectly say 20) who were assigned to accept disciples and extend the organization into different countries of the world.

Their head office is in Los Angeles. They currently have a stable membership of over one million members worldwide. Their publish a magazine called Back to Godhead.

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ISKCON Beliefs:

Their beliefs share much with conventional Hinduism. Their sacred text is the Hindu poem Bhagavad-Gita which contains conversations between Lord Krishna and a soldier Arjuna. A common ISKCON expression is "We are not this body." That is, we are all spirit souls who are temporarily trapped in a material body and its cares and woes. Their goal is to break away from samsara (endless repetitive reincarnations) and return to the kingdom of God.

Their main differences from mainline Hinduism are:
bulletLiberation from samsara is attained through sankirtana, which is congregational singing of God's names, which leads to Krishna Consciousness.
bulletKrishna is worshipped as the Supreme God; they believe that one can attain a personal relationship with Him. Jesus Christ is recognized as a directly empowered representative of Krishna.
bulletHell as a temporary destination after death for people who have sinned greatly while on earth.
bulletDevotees need a spiritual master, who is in a line of succession from the guru Caitanya (or one of three other lines of disciple succession who worship Krishna as the Supreme God.)
bulletEating food prepared for and offered to God is an act of communion with Krishna. When such food is eaten, Krishna's energy purifies the body of the devotee.

Their "Nine Processes of Devotional Service" are:

1. Hearing about God .
2. Chanting the names of God .
3. Remembering God by reading, associating with devotees .
4. Serving the Lord Krishna in the temple.
5. Worshiping God by preparation of food, decorating the Lord, bringing others to see Him.
6. Praying to God.
7. Encouraging others to chant the names of God.
8. Develop a close personal and intimate relationship with God.
9. Giving everything we have to God including our bodies.

Answer 2

Hare Krishnas devotees were members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), founded by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. ISKCON was the first organised Vaishnava group to make a large impression outside of India. Now a number of such Vaishnava groups are actively preaching within the Western world, such as surviving offshoots of the Gaudiya Math and The Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mission.

Answer 3

Mercy! They're still around? Not to give away my age, but when I was 16 they were "the thing." I thought they and their schools had long faded away. But then, I'm new to computers, and haven't watched television in years (except for 3 programs) so I guess I need to be enlightened. No pun intended; or maybe there was! Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Hare Rama, Hare Rama. And whatever happened to the Ananda Ashram (not that I can spell it right after all these years) school in California, that my fiance ran off to, and wanted me to leave my family for, so we could stomp grapes, to earn a living in the commune so we could "find ourselves." Wow! Like something outta Forest Gump. This question is kinda cute. Interested in the results.

Answer 4

THEY ARE NOT DEVIL WORSHIPERS. Here's the official wikipedia definition:

"Hare Krishna" brings to mind, to many, the famous Hare Krishna devotees, who first hit the streets of Western cities in the 1960s and 1970s, dancing and chanting with drums and cymbals, wearing saffron dhotis or saris, and selling Bhagavad Gita As It Is and other books. These devotees were members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), founded by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. ISKCON was the first organised Vaishnava group to make a large impression outside of India. Now a number of such Vaishnava groups are actively preaching within the Western world, such as surviving offshoots of the Gaudiya Math and The Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mission.

From a scholarly perspective Hare Krishna devotees are classified as practitioners of Bhakti Yoga. They are also referred to as Gaudiya Vaishnavas because they follow a line of gurus descending from Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who appeared in Bengal (Gauda is an old name of Bengal). Vaishnavism comes under the general banner of being a Hindu religion.

Most serious 'Hare Krishna' practitioners live according to strict rules. For example it is expected that initiates take vows to abstain from all forms of drugs and intoxicants, (including caffeine); avoid eating any meat, fish and eggs; abstain from gambling; and also forgo all sexual relations except for purposes of procreation within marriage. For non-initiates how many of these rules to follow is left to one's own discretion, but these four 'regulative principles' remain the agreed standard to aim towards

Answer 5

The Krishnas used to live next door. Hare was a good guy
but I think he moved to the Kashmir.
I Corinthians 13;8a, Love never fails!!!!!

Answer 6

Avoid like the plague. Sometimes a group gets stuck on a particular facet or interpretation of part of their belief system. (Like, Jehovah's Witnesses) The more stuck they are on it, the more rabid they become in believing they have "the key" and must shove it down as many throats as possible.

Reasoning is a waste of time. Smile and walk away.

Answer 7

they believe lord Krishna is the incarnation of lord Vishnu,Krishna consciousness is the devotional way, they are bhakti yogis ,they serve man unconditionally because they are serving the self in all(Brahman)

Answer 8

All I know is they tried to take over a town in Oregon by poisoning the entire population on election day.
Oh yes they also had a terrible problem with child sex abuse in 80`s and 90`s as you had to turn over your kid for communial raising elsewhere.
but the free sex is great.

Answer 9

They were the biggest liars and stupid of the world they have misguided millions of people the people following them are simply stupids and have no mind

Answer 10

They have a lot of group sex and Wesson oil parties with teenage girls, if your into that kind of thing. Otherwise stay away.