11 Things Hare Krishnas Actually Believe In
God Is A Person With A Physical Form
Photo: Raja Ravi Varma / Wikimedia Commons / Public DomainWhile in some religions "God" remains a faceless omnipresence, Hare Krishnas believe that their God, Krishna, is a person. This is the case, in part, because they find evidence for this in their sacred texts. However it also follows a certain logic - if everything else in the world has a physical form, they believe that the creator of that must also:
"However, there is overwhelming evidence suggesting that the Supreme Person is not abstract at all. In the Vedas - the oldest and most comprehensive of all world scriptures - one can discover that the Absolute Truth has both impersonal and personal aspects... Since everything in our experience has form and qualities, it makes sense that the source of all sources should also, to an infinite degree. As drops of ocean water have the ocean’s qualities in minute degree, our forms and personalities are infinitesimal samples of the infinite Supreme Person."
Although they point to evidence that Krishna can have multiple forms, they do believe that they are actual, physical forms, unlike some other religion's presentations of God.
We All Experience Reincarnation
Photo: Gaura / Wikimedia Commons / Public DomainHare Krishnas believe that we are not individual bodies but instead are all part of a spiritual whole. Each person is a soul, a part of Krishna.
"We are not our bodies but eternal, spirit souls, parts and parcels of God (Krishna). As such, we are all brothers, and Krishna is ultimately our common father. We accept the process of transmigration of the soul (reincarnation)."
In addition, the Bhagavad-Gita mentions reincarnation explicitly as "the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth, and then to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. A sober person is not bewildered by such a change.” So the idea is that your soul, or the part and parcel of Krishna's soul that you are, has lived many lifetimes before; you just don't remember them. But for Hare Krishnas, the fact that you have no memory doesn't mean that it didn't happen.
Yoga Can Connect You To "The Supreme"
Photo: Westindischer Maler / Wikimedia Commons / Public DomainIn Hare Krishna, yoga is essential, but it's not the yoga you are probably be thinking of. Although the Bhagavad Gita, the main spiritual text for Hare Krishnas, mentions many physical yogas that you're probably familiar with, it goes a step further. The importance of bhakti-yoga ("the path of dedication and love") is a much more holistic yoga "practice" than going to a studio and doing a flow class twice a week. In fact, it's a key belief of Hare Krishnas. As explained in the ISKON website, "physical exercises are just one step on path of God realization. The Gita ultimately prescribes bhakti-yoga... as the culmination of other yoga practices. Bhakti-yoga focuses on developing our dedication, service and love for the Divinity, Lord Krishna."
Not only does this including chanting and meditation, but it also extends to the consumption of sanctified food and "living in a way that upholds the principles of truthfulness, mercy, austerity, and cleanliness."
Cooking Is A Sacred Experience, And Vegetarianism Is A Must
Photo: Gaura / Wikimedia Commons / Public DomainHare Krishnas are strict vegetarians who also avoid eggs. This is because they believe that cooking is a sacred experience and "should be based on principles of compassion, non-violence and balanced living." Not only is killing animals thought to be violent and bad for your consciousness, but all animals are also Krishna's creatures with souls of their own, so killing them would be disrespectful and an affront to Krishna.
And Hare Krishnas pay their vegetarianism forward. There have been cook books, Hare Krishna restaurants, and the world’s largest free vegetarian food relief program all from devotees and ISKON.
All Gods Are Krishna, And Krishna Is All Gods
Photo: Indischer Maler / Public Domain / Public DomainHare Krishnas are the largest branch of Gaudiya Vaishnavism, a branch of Hinduism, so you'll see a lot of Hinduism in their beliefs. For example, Krishna, the supreme God worshipped by Hare Krishnas, is the eighth incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu. While there are other demi-gods who work at the pleasure of Krishna, he is the supreme God.
This is really interesting. While so many religions are competitive or claim to be the one Truth, Hare Krishnas embrace the idea that Krishna, the God that they worship, is just a different name for the same God as in other religions.
"Krishna is eternal, all-knowing, omnipresent, all-powerful, and all-attractive. He is the seed-giving father of all living beings, and He is the sustaining energy of the entire cosmic creation. He is the same God as The Father Allah, Buddha and Jehovah."
Although "all-attractive" isn't a phrase you may have heard before (especially in reference to God), you can see the see that Hare Krishnas directly equate Him with other "God" figures.
Karma Is An Important Controlling Force
Photo: Indischer Maler / Wikimedia Commons / Public DomainThere are some big questions that every religion must answer, and, for Hare Krishnas, a lot of these big questions are tied up in karma:
"Ever wondered why bad things happen to good people? Why we suffer? Why some days are awesome and others morose? If God exists, why does He keep quiet about it? The answer to all the above questions is karma."
Karma, which literally means action, work, or deed, is used here in a larger sense. It's the idea that if we do good deeds, we will have good in our lives. If we do bad deeds, there will be bad. But it is also connected to the Hare Krishna belief in reincarnation. In other words, some of your circumstances in this life may be decided by karma from a previous one.
It sounds like a potentially bleak cycle, right? (I mean, how many people really want to carry the karma they've accrued so far in this life into the next one?) But Hare Krishnas believe that we can escape that cycle, which is a huge part of their belief system and connects to this idea of a higher consciousness that can be reached:
"Fortunately karma is temporary. We can break free from its bonds by performing spiritual acts in service to Krishna. Such acts of devotion, or bhakti-yoga, purify the soul and gradually awaken our spiritual knowledge and innate love for Krishna."
Sounds pretty good.
Meditation And Chanting Are Integral
Photo: Gaura / Wikimedia Commons / Public DomainThe name "Hare Krishna" actually stems from the chant that is a key part of meditation and devotion:
Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare
But lots of forms of meditations and chanting are considered to be an integral part of the religion. They are thought to empower you and bring you closer to God.
"The Vaishnava tradition recommends the chanting the names of God to be a particularly effective method of spiritual awakening, simultaneously opening us to an incredibly empowering experience."
We Can Reach A Blissful Consciousness In This Lifetime
Photo: Sri Sri Radha Govindaji / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 2.5Krishnas believe that devotion to the spiritual can lead to a new level of understanding and consciousness here on earth. ISKON explains: "By sincerely cultivating true spiritual science, we can be free from anxiety and come to a state of pure, unending, blissful consciousness in this lifetime." The ways to attain this include devotion, meditation, bhatki yoga, vegetarianism, and more.
Nothing Should Be Done For Your Own Gratification
Photo: Shahadin / Wikimedia Commons / Public DomainWith moral purity and devotion at the center of their religious practice, it's perhaps not surprising that Hare Krishnas believe in acting only in service to Krishna. This also helps separate you from earthly matters and lets you focus on a rise in consciousness. So it's necessary to weed human gratification out of the practice:
"One performs all actions as offerings to Krishna and does nothing for one's own sense gratification."
Mantras, meditation, yoga, and cooking are all tools intended to help you act in service to Krishna rather than for personal gain.
The Absolute Truth Is Found In The Vedas And The Bhagavad-Gita
Photo: Library of Congress / Wikimedia Commons / Public DomainFor most religions, a sacred text is essential; it's a place where a believer can look for the answers. For Hare Krishnas, this text is the Bhagavad-Gita. They believe that this is a literal record of Krishna's words. They believe that the "essence of The Vedas" are found in the Bhagavad-Gita (The Vedas being some of the oldest sacred texts, dating back as far as 1700 BCE). So their main source, where a lot of the other beliefs derive from, is the Bhagavad-Gita.
You Can Learn Through A Master, Only if They Are Genuine And Selfless
Photo: Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0Who helps Hare Krishnas wade through their deep questions and better their spiritual practices? A true spiritual master is the person for the job, but not just anyone can be considered a true spiritual master. In fact, a genuine spiritual master is "one who has no selfish motives and whose mind is firmly fixed on Krishna." While they say that a lot of people might present themselves as masters, you must look for someone of moral purity, dedication, humility, who ideally comes from a long line of gurus that goes all the way back to Krishna.
