Ministry of Cow Protection and Agriculture ( Chapter 14) (1998)

 

5

ISKCON Spiritual Leadership

Definition

The following shall be considered to be ISKCON Leaders: All members of the GBC, initiating gurus, Ministers, Sannyasis, Regional Secretaries, Temple Presidents, Temple Vice-presidents, Members of a Temple's Board of Directors, Project Leaders (for Projects such as ISCOWP, BI, etc.), and other ISKCON Leaders.

Standards of Behavior

Spiritual Practices

All ISKCON Leaders must visibly chant sixteen rounds a day, follow the four regulative principles, and religiously attend the daily morning program in the temple, as prescribed by Srila Prabhupada.

Active Assistance to the GBC Body

ISKCON Leaders, and other senior members of the Society, shall be responsible to actively assist the GBC in maintaining and enhancing the spiritual standard of ISKCON, expanding the dynamic preaching of ISKCON, and preserving Srila Prabhupada's mood and instructions.(82)

Leadership Positions

1. If a devotee occupying an important position in ISKCON leaves the Society, returns, leaves again, etc., he is always welcome to return, but he cannot immediately take up the same position (such as sannyasa).(78)

2. All leaders in ISKCON should clearly present the letter and spirit of the Society's rules and policies to those under their authority, and must clearly qualify any differing viewpoint as their own personal opinion.

Financial Dealings

That ISKCON has a moral obligation to Srila Prabhupada, as well as a legal right to pursue deviant managers who encumber ISKCON entities with liabilities stemming from unauthorized acts. If ISKCON representatives cannot convince deviant managers to accept personal liability through reason and argument, or through the ISKCON Judicial System, they have the right to pursue them through the competent courts.

Disqualifications

No devotee who has remarried after having divorced a devotee-spouse shall serve as a member of the Governing Body Commission or as a Temple President.

Exempt from this law are devotees who become divorced against their desire by the action of their spouses, or as a consequence of their spouses' becoming committed non-devotees. Provisionally exempt are devotees who divorced prior to March 2, 1990.(92)

 

Update 2010: (this is not categorized as ISKCON Law, but I believe it should be included here)

 

 Henceforward, a devotee shall not be approved to serve as a GBC Member, RGB Member, Regional Secretary, Zonal Secretary, Project Director, other Officer of an International ISKCON project, or Temple President of any ISKCON center, if, as determined by the appointing authority, within the ten years preceding the appointment he or she:

a. Seriously deviated from the standard initiation vows; or

b. Whether within the ISKCON society or not, was responsible for a financial impropriety that put significant funds or other assets at risk; or, who risked legal consequences through the improper handling of funds and assets under his or her control; or, whose unauthorized actions caused a loss of significant funds; or

c. Engaged in serious criminal activity according to the law of the land; or

d. Otherwise engaged in an act of moral turpitude, as defined in the ecclesiastical discretion of the GBC, and/or the law of the jurisdiction in which the devotee candidate resides.

While screening candidates for such positions, appointing authorities, whether individual officials or groups, must make all reasonable efforts to ensure that the above principles are upheld. Such efforts must include seeking from the candidates full disclosures of any activities they have been involved in during the previous ten years that could be considered as falling within the clauses above as well as references of good character from friends, employers, supervisors, associates, and others who are personally familiar with the character of the devotee candidate, as the situation may require (e.g. working in close proximity with children, etc.).

 

Duties

Regarding Preaching

1. Wherever we have powerful leaders-whether GBC members, gurus, sannyasis, or Temple Presidents-they ought to impress upon their followers that book distribution and making new devotees to go out on book distribution are ISKCON's main work. (See p. 147 for more information.)

2. That the leaders of ISKCON, as followers of Srila Prabhupada, ought to see and promote book distribution as our most effective means of preaching. (See p. 147 for more information.)

3. That the leaders of ISKCON, as followers of Srila Prabhupada, ought to see the duty of training and facilitating congregational members as their primarily function, in order to fulfill the order of Lord Caitanya: "Therefore I order every man within this universe to accept this Krsna consciousness movement and distribute it everywhere."(96) (See p. 151 for more information.)

4. Wherever we have powerful leaders-whether GBC members, gurus, sannyasis, or Temple Presidents-they ought to impress upon their followers that everyone must be brought into the congregation and empowered to preach Krsna consciousness purely.(96) (See p. 151 for more information.)

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