Book Description
This groundbreaking book focuses for the first time on what is currently taking place inside the Hare Krishna Movement, and examines the changes and developments that have shaped it over the past forty years. The essays offer an unparalleled overview of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), and explore a wide range of topical issues and themes. These include: the politics and history of the Movement; membership patterns; recruitment strategies; pedagogical and social factors; the importance of dreams and ritual; and ISKCON's articulation of traditional theology in the context of the Movement's evolution. ... Read more

Book Description
Editorial Reviews Book Description

In India, where vegetarianism is a way of life, food and its preparation assume the aspect of a spiritual discipline. "The Hare Krishna Book of Vegetarian Cooking" demonstrates that meals without meat can be both tasty and exciting. The delightful variety of gourmet dishes in this collection should inspire anyone interested in adopting a vegetarian lifestyle. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

my favorite
This is my favorite cook book that I use above all others. The full color photos of the preparations inspire me. The organization of the book makes it easy to quickly find what I need, although I think the index could use some improvement.

Although it would be very helpful to have access to a local Indian or organic foods market, I've found that many of the recipes I can adapt in order to use what is commonly available or I can omit the special or foreign ingredients altogether.

I do prefer spicier food also, so many of the recipes I cut down the main ingredients but maintained the spiciness.

Overall this is a great source for ideas and lots of important info regarding a vegetarian diet (the art of eating), the ingredients used, as well as menu plans.

absolutely delicious and authentic
This is the best Indian vegetarian cookbook.The recepies are very detailed and easy to follow.Do not worry about the religious title -- you do not need to be a Hare Krishna follower to enjoy this food (I'm not, and I use this cookbook all the time).On the other hand you may feel a little spiritual when cooking, which can't possibly hurt the meal!

What I love about this book, is that after following it, my curries actually taste and look like curries.The same goes for other Indian dishes which I've been trying for ages to make -- now I can get that look and feel (and taste) I've been getting from my favourite Indian restaurants.

A note to beginners -- unless you really like it, skip asafetida (a spice) -- your recepies won't suffer, while its smell won't permiate your house.

Delicious Vegetarian Food from Scratch
My brother's a Hare Krishna and switched me on to Hare Krishna cooking.Not only is it vegetarian, it's 'sattvic' which means it's free from onions, garlic, vinegar, and other foods which are thought to induce desire.

The dishes in this book are all made from scratch, using raw ingredients - they don't rely on anything which is pre-made, which results in the food being very 'pure'.

But the best thing about this book is that each dish is absolutely delicious.It is my culinary bible!

Dietary Excellance
Due to my health, I must remain vegitarian.This book of vegetarian cooking has taken the bordom out of vegetables.The recipies and colorful illistrations have brough excitement back into my diet.My many thanks to Adiraja Dasa for his wisdom and insite into vegetarian cooking.

Hare Krishna Book of Vegetarian Cooking
Simply the best Indian vegetarian cookbook I've used.Well worth waiting the 18 months I've had it on order while it was out of print.

Nice, easy to follow recipes with beautiful illustrations covering everything frommouth watering savory dishes to sweet delights.

Excellent book forbeginners who want to experiment with vegetarian cooking. The deliciousdishes will have you craving the next time you open up the book and trysomething new. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (16)

Good for being written by outsiders
As former member of ISKCON (12 years - 7 in New Vrindaban), this book was a disturbing catch up on things. I give them a lot of credit for getting names and details right but the writers TOTALLY missed the language and style of the movement. It is an outsider's take but I'm amazed they were able to unearth so much dirt from such an opaque community. Just sayin' ... I could do better ... but don't hold your breath.

A Salutary Lesson
Monkey on a Stick is a chilling account of the misuse of spiritual authority and charisma by Kirtananda Swami the head of New Vrindabin, a leading disciple of the founder of the Hare Krishna movement.What was most interesting was the "fall downs" of so many devotees - alcohol, sex, not following the regulative principles and having no appreciation of the spiritual qualities that Srila Prabhupada the founder of the Hare Krishna movement in the west expected them to maintain.Much has been revealed since this book - allegations of pedophilia, the jailing of Kirtananda and the excommunication and rehabilitation of New Vrindabin in ISKCON.It is a salutary lesson of the need for devotees to be honest, to take responsibility for themselves and of their community and this is a book for all Hare Krishnas to read and meditate on.Dhirasanta das

a bias story
ISKCON is not a cult. it's sad that the organisation is continuously getting beat up for the mistakes of a few. people have it in for Hare Krishna's. There are so many positive things that go on. it is a branch of hinduism. Hare Krishna's are vaishnava hindus. This story is written by someone who is on the outside. every religion has its problems. This story takes a leader who went a little crazy with power. Drug smuggling, molestation etc. did occur and cannot be denied. however this book capitalises on a scandal in a religious sect. Read the story for some sort of twisted enjoyment but it has no real insight and gives a group who is trying its best to overcome the mistakes of a few in order to lead good religious lives a bad name.

I'm an Ex-memberandit's all true and more.
The amazing thing is it's all true and more anyone interested in this book should also read the "The Guru Business", available online . The author was murdered by a Hare Krishna member the day of it's release in L.A. . I was a former H.K. recruiter andwas in a meeting in Boston the day Monkey on a Stick came out.
H.K. leaders were freaking out that their dirty laundry was out for the world to see. Many H.K.s laughed and said if they only
knew half of it.Later in the 90's it was blown wideopen that many kids in the movement were molested.HK kids sued the movement
for 40 Mil. More abuses are being perpetrated in the former USSR
and in India. Children are still being sent to India into the dens of molesters to HK boarding school. Check out VNN.Org and Chakra.org for more HK Weirdness.

Hippie Madness
A college buddy of mine demanded that I read this book because, as he said, "I rode in the pick-up truck they used to kill the dude in the book!"
He was a stoner first and an aging hippie second, and he lived on and off in Athens, Ohio, a college town in the foothills of the Appalachians (and an incredible party town too).He used to bum rides from the Hare Krishnas and somehow found out that the pick-up truck sent from West Virginia to the Krishna house in Athens was the one mentioned in the first chapter of MONKEY ON A STICK.

I picked up the book, saying I'd read but not really jumping into it.A couple years later, during a serious bout of insomnia, I pulled it off the shelf...and then could not put it down.
Absolutely fascinating.It begins with the prolonged murder of a guy the Krishnas wanted dead, then the book takes the reader on the bad, crazy trip of how the Hare Krishna movement started--at first as a magical, mystery tour by American hippies in the Far East before turning into a drug-fueled nightmare of cult control and sex abuse.

Like the former Krishna said in his review: "You can't put it down." ... Read more

Book Description
Combining behind-the-scenes coverage of an often besieged religious group with a personal account of one woman's struggle to find meaning in it, Betrayal of the Spirit takes readers to the center of life in the Hare Krishna movement.

Nori J. Muster joined the International Society of Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON)--the Hare Krishnas--in 1978, shortly after the death of the movement's spiritual master, and worked for ten years as a public relations secretary and editor of the organization's newspaper, the ISKCON World Review. In this candid and critical account, Muster follows the inner workings of the movement and the Hare Krishnas' progressive decline.

Combining personal reminiscences, published articles, and internal documents, Betrayal of the Spirit details the scandals that beset the Krishnas--drug dealing, weapons stockpiling, deceptive fundraising, child abuse, and murder within ISKCON-as well as the dynamics of schisms that forced some 95 percent of the group's original members to leave. In the midst of this institutional disarray, Muster continued her personal search for truth and religious meaning as an ISKCON member until, disillusioned at last with the movement's internal divisions, she quit her job and left the organization.

In a new preface to the paperback edition, Muster discusses the personal circumstances that led her to ISKCON and kept her there as the movement's image worsened. She also talks about "the darkest secret"-child abuse in the ISKCON parochial schools--that was covered up by the public relations office where she worked. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (23)

After ten years, realisation ? hmmm
after ten years in the movement, the penny dropped. 'This is a cult, I must leave'

This is an excellent and well written book, riveting. However things are not black and white in life. Surely there is some good in the movement, and when a book is written in a one sided manner, it makes my critical mind itch.

you may wonder why one would not leave after a week, one month, one year, five years, but after a decade, and yet come out with an imbalanced view of the movement.she left after the second decade in the movement. Given that there were a lot of relevant events that happened. But ten years, My mind needs more justification.

I will also add that often, those following a regulated spiritual discipline appear very strange tothe outside world, and often it is in these very people that the world takes solace. Systems are corrupt, as are goverments, some argue even the present governments. Critics abound, we still live for we cannot escape being under some kind of authority. Some may argue that we are under the ultimate authority of God. Now looking from this context, ascribing a magnamous amount of ills to one movement may seem naive. Is it then the movement or the people that this individual has encountered.

Her website is of excellent quality, showing that Art therapy can help break the shackles of a cult. After reading we may wonder does Krishna conciousness fit the bill of a 'cult'. would it be possible that those who are not brought up in a eastern culture may find things within that culture abusive. I am not however discrediting her experience of abuse. I respect her life journey. certainly food for thought, not sure if we can go beyond thought though.

A GOOD VIEW TO ONE SIDE OF THE TRUTH.
I am not a hare krishna but am interested in the belief system.
knowing that there is/can be scam and politics of all sorts in any organized religion/belief system, i wanted to make sure i dident just focus on the one sided view you get from the devotees on the street.
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this book is well written and easy to read. i read it non-stop until i finished it.she def set the image in your head as you were readnig.
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some of the responses below from prior/current devotees/followers seem to show they are one sided with their view and dident get her point.
nori's view was more on the organized portion of the system, not so much the belief portion, even though she did touch base with why women are so low on the bottom... in the end she is still a follower which shows she did get the point. her heart is still open to krishna himself.
she did touch briefly on the child abuse, but this is common all over now. no different if it is a priest or a monk molesting a child. just because they performed the act doesent mean the "religion" itself is warped, just the individuals who performed the act.
the "religion" doesent teach to beat/molest children and women, these are the actions of those who obviously dident get the point..with somethings, she pointed out how some of the higher level people would twist the "Religions" rules, to fit there own needs, again this is the action of the individual, not the "Religion"

i dont see it as she was knocking the whole system because of the individuals and their acts, but when you are a "leading part" of the system and you see that what you are being told to do is just masking the problems, its hard to want to stay a part of running things, especially if your heart is pure and open to your beliefs.
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I don't see this book knocking the religion or keeping people from wanting to take interest in visiting a temple or learning more about
People just needs to remember that just because the belief's of a "religion" are pure, it doesent mean the organization running/promoting it is also pure. we also need to remember that the people running the system are still people and are subjected to the same errors as the rest of us. Sometimes errors are made and things can be fixed over time..i think this is what she was getting at. It was a shame to see her leave, but I guess she was weak in that area, but it has to be hard after dealing with the same thing for 20 years..
Her story is starting from back in the 70s. Hopefully there have been many changes since.
I don't think her writing this book was an act of violence at all. By pointing out errors and things that need to be changed will only help in the end. She was not putting things down, just pointing them out.what do you think if Prabhupada would have done if he was still around and saw the mistakes..he would work to fix them..not hide them.
Kudos..

Loving the Good or Hating the Bad are NOT the same
I went to a Kumbha mela in India in 1965 at 18 years old and experienced many of the sincere Holy sadhus of India. In the same year Srila Prabhupada went to America with a message of How to get Back to God. Drugs and sex were not the way.

I joined iskcon in 1978 as well and left iskcon in 1984 for pretty much the same reasons as Nori. However, I have never left the love of Srila Prabhupada.

The danger Nori has here is by focusing on hating the bad our consciousness becomes very stained. I decided to simply Love the Good in all that passed through my life, including iskcon.

The study of human nature is fascinating. I went to the big Mayapur festival in 1980 and there were 11 "holy thrones" for the 11 American holy young men who staged a coup after their leader left his body. To them their spiritual Dad had died and it wascase of getting into a position of power in iskcon. They just did what came natural to ambitious americans. Take control of the iskcon world.

I looked at this with some amusement and immediately said to a devotee next to me, "Eleven green bottles sitting on a wall, and if one green bottle should accidently fall there'd be ten green bottles left hanging on the wall."

It was just so obvious to anyone that these young American boys were no sadhus. But they were connected to one.

Over the past 26 years nearly all the green bottles have indeed fallen, but they were never supposed to be on the holy thrones anyway.

My young son who attended the school in vrindavan had a dream where Srila Prabhupada was trying to get onto his throne but was unable as there were too many american kids sitting on it. He turned to my son and just said, "What have I done"?

Radha and Krishna are a sweet loving and divine couple. Loving consciousness is their message. By focusing on the good we become sweet. By focusing on the bad we become sour. I say, focus on the sweet and good. It will all work out fine ...in the end. Haribol!

There Are No Victims, Only Volunteers
As a 31 year member of the Hare Krishna Movement, I apologize on behalf of the angst and disappointment Nori has experienced, as expressed in Betrayal of the Spirit. I empathize with her, as I have experienced similar, but I am also eternally greatful for all the devotees within the movement that invested their time in me, to help me shape my character, and give up a materialistic life for genuine spiritual life. This is something that is lacking in her book.

As Nori knows, the founder, Srila Prabhupada, described that there are two types of mentalities, that of the fly, and that of the bee. The fly looks for the toxins and the bee for the nectar. Is this book a meditation on toxins or on nectar ? I have had my share of disappointments with various leaders, and have been a leader myself in the Krishna movement. I am sure I let many people down as well, but with my limitations , I tried to overcome my lower nature. I don't think that the well-wishing founder of the Hare Krishna Movement would approve of this book, as it gives a very distorted view of what the Hare Krishna Movement was not intended to be, and actually is not.

Srila Prabhupada, who she still claims to be a follower of,would say that there may be spots on the moon, but it does not effect the illumination. I remember meeting Nori and her husband in their offices one time, to thank and commend them on the movements newspaper that they were editing, and how they called it the Whitewash Review. It was then that I realized they were writing things that were "politically correct" because there probably was some pressure to do so.

I am not currently very active within the mainstream Hare Krishna movement, but I don't see the value in scaring people away from visiting a Hare Krishna temple. I think is is actually a disservice, and an act of violence in itself. The greatest decision I ever made in this lifetime was to visit a Hare Krishna temple, and the incredible effect the lifestyle has had on my development as a human being. Even Lord Krishna showed us the example of sucking the poison out of the witch Putana, but delivering her back to the spiritual world because of acting like a nurse to Him. I could also try to cash in on a percentage of $13.00 by writing about all the faults I experienced in the Hare Krishna Movement, but better I write volumes about my own short-comings and improve them, but who would want to read it ? We become what we meditate upon.

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada is the purest and most profound author of spiritual literature that anyone could read. His books are available online, or at any Hare Krishna temple. He said that he too was a member of ISKCON, and "ISKCON with all thy faults, I love thee". Does this mean that Nori's standrards are higher than his ? I hope Nori and her husband will bury their hatchet and continue to participate in a way superior to cashing checks from hanging out the dirty laundry known as Betrayal of the Spirit. I think she has betrayed her own spirit by publishing it. I am also trying to learn to take responsibility for my own decisions and to give up the "victim" role, otherwise how will I ever grow ? The saints within ISKCON far exceed the deceivers.gaura_acbsp@yahoo.com

Not impressed
Self-pitying, weak-minded and unbalanced account of one woman's involvement in the Hare Krishna movement. I would have admired her more, if she had taken responsibility for her own mistake in getting involved in something which she later regretted, rather than blaming others. And I thought it a shame that she should vent her spleen in a way damaging to an organisation, which has helped so many. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

let's talk about this book!
this is one of the best books i have ever read.it is so insightful, knowing and intelligently fabulous.but i don't have to continue this praise, you know you've read it too. so email me at ronen00@hotmail.com, sowe can talk about it more. ... Read more

Book Description

See the Table of Contents
Read the Introduction

”Longtime Hare Krishna observer Rochford shows that devotees, formerly known for their public chanting and controversial fundraising practices, have largely moved out of the temples, taken jobs, and established nuclear families. Using survey data and extensive interviews, Rochford investigates the attitudes of the original members' children (some of whom suffered abuse in the early Hare Krishna schools), the changing roles of women, differing modes of affiliation with the organization, and the increasing influence of Indian Hindu immigrants in what is formally known as the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). His findings are generally clear and convincing, and he lets the devotees speak for themselves in frequent quotes. . . . This story of accommodation within a movement that forged its identity through strict rejection of secular culture provides valuable insight into how new religions evolve.”
—Publishers Weekly

Customer Reviews (2)

Is an religious institution the same as a religion?
In answer to Linda M. Steven's review of Burke Rochford's Hare Krishna Transformed, I have to wonder if she understands that there is a difference between a religion, or a religious social movement, and its institutional expression.Almost no religious institution lives up to the ideas of the founder/founders and ISKCON is no exception.

I believe the reasons for this are the high ideals of religious scriptures and exemplars, and the actual consciousness of those who claim allegiance to them.To fulfill the original charter of an organization called the International Society for Krishna Consciousness is a tall order.I believe Rochford has shown the heroic efforts of those who tried to fulfill the order, even if they failed.In my experience, most of the devotees of the Hare Krishna religion are very sincere, and they have found the founder's teachings to be more than adequate.

The institution--that's another story.

Extraordinary insight
In interesting and perceptive look at the political wrangling that has gone on within the movement's leadership over the years.Burke-Rochford speculates with regard to the future direction of ISKCON as a religious institution, and documents the experiences of second generation Hare Krishnas throughout their early school years.This could be a book that outsiders see as evidence of ISKCON's inadequacy as a spiritual movement.My own thoughtswere that the evidence presented was exactly as I expected, and that such an open examination can only serve to facilitate a stronger move forward in the right direction. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

About that book...
What can I say? After many attempts, Amazon could not deliver the book.My order was voided. If anybody out there can get it for me....I rated the book a 1 because they make you supply a rating no matter what. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

More Than A Potboiler
This book is an overview of the Hare Krishna movement, written by an outsider in 1973. Faye Levine, a nondevotee, lived at the New York ISKCON Temple, interviewing devotees and participating in their activities.

It is written from a sympathetic and intelligent viewpoint, one willing to be open-minded but not naive. It addresses both the positive aspects(sankirtan and other aspects of bhakti) and the negative ones(the extreme asceticism and uncritical worship of Swami Prabhupada) of this new religious phenomenon.

It simultaneously clears the air about the alleged nefarious activities that nondevotees feared at the time and also raises an eyebrow at the limitations of thought that she perceived. Yet, in the end, the balances tip towards the positive, although not without personal reservations.

This book is balanced and well worth reading. If one is looking for a good introduction to the ISKCON Movement, this book is an excellent place to start. ... Read more

Book Description
Hinduism scholar Steven Rosen explores the world of the Hare Krishna movement, which has been instrumental in raising awareness of vegetarianism and the plight of animals in the United States. Holy Cow begins by introducing the Hare Krishna movement and of its colorful singing and dancing, its book distribution program, and especially its restaurants, sacred food distribution, and delicious vegetarian cuisine.

Rosen returns to the early days of Indian culture, to a time when daily life was based on Vedic principles and scriptural wisdom, and shows how vegetarianism and animal rights were endorsed by the Vedic texts. Rosen reveals how a tension was created by a concomitant endorsement of animal sacrifices in ancient Indian culture, a tension that led in part to the beginnings of Jainism and Buddhism.

Rosen then examines the rise of Vaishnavism—the worship of the god Vishnu, or Krishna—and how Vaishnavites were sympathetic to vegetarianism and animal rights, showing the link between the contemporary Hare Krishna movement (ISKCON), founded in the 1960s, and the ancient Vaishnavaites and all that they have accomplished in between. Rosen looks at the "Food for Life" program, the restaurants and cookbooks, and the various forms of writing about vegetarianism and animal rights. The book also includes recipes for those who wish to taste Krishna.

In conclusion, Rosen illustrates how deeply Hare Krishna devotees have influenced the contemporary vegetarian movement and its call for ahimsa, or nonviolence, toward all living beings. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Great book, horrible title...
There is an old saying that "you can't judge a book by its cover". That is a saying because many people do just that: judge a book by its cover. And many people will assume, based on the title of this book, that it is just another book about the stereotypical Hindu reverence for cows (and only cows). The fact is, the Gaudiya-Vaishnava ("Hare Krishna") cult, an authentic religion stretching back hundred of years, is probably the only religion in the world that not only has true compassion for animals, but is also, clearly, the ONLY religion where there is the possible direct intercession into the spiritual welfare of animals. For example, see the first chapter of the Antya-lila in the Sri Caitanya-Caritamrita, in reference to the glorious deliverance of Sivananda Sena's dog.

Great perspective
If you really want to learn more about the Vaishnava tradition of vegetarianism, this book is for you. It offered a great perspective on the history of vegetarianism in India as well and also compares and contrasts different religions and their thoughts on eating meat. If you're not so much into religion, then this book would also appeal to you as it speaks from the heart on animal kindness and reverence. A great read. ... Read more

Book Description
Servant of the Lotus Feet: A Hare Krishna Odyssey is the true story of an adolescent's quest for spiritual meaning. Enchanted by the wisdom of the Orient, Sidd drops out of his freshman year of college in the early 1980's to join the Hare Krishnas while visiting Boston. During the course of four years in New England and New York City, Sidd struggles as a fund-raiser for the cult. As an initiated Brahman priest, he gains privilege and responsibility.

Customer Reviews (3)

Unanswered questions for Gabriel Brandis
Gabriel Brandis's book is paradoxical - he gives in many ways a very intimate look into the life of a Hare Krishna temple resident in the 80's - the rituals, chanting, temple worship etc. He also portrays accurately the focus of that era on fundraising, and the questionable morality employed by some devotees. He accurately portrays his spiritual master. He fails to tell us enough about his inner struggle with his sexuality, with his comprehension of bhakti-yoga and instead resorts to discredited anti-cult stereotype responses.In addition, referring to a devotee as " Asti Spumanti das " or "Rasta Farian das " is insulting to Hare Krishnas - as is his failure to note that in the 20 years since he left the movement, that the guru excesses have been eliminated, that his spiritual master Bhavananda Goswami is no longer a guru.The Hare Krishna movement is mainly composed of congregational members (like me) who have often never ben in a temple ashram to live.We aren't brainwashed zombies.The saddest indictement of this book is the acquiescence to the abusive and illegal kidnapping that he suffered at the hands of deprogrammers whose triumph in ripping off his neckbeads and getting him to eat chicken is appalling. Hare Krishna's do not need to answer forever for the sins of the few who abused the responsibility that His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada gave them before he died.We are a legitimate spiritual tradition, recognised by Hindus across the globe, committed to inter-faith dialogue, committed to respecting the rights of all people.Gabriel's deprogramming was an act of violence - physical, spiritual and psychological abuse, far worse than he experienced trying to deny his sexuality as a Hare Krishna monk. Gabriel struggled with his own inner demons and felt compelled to leave the ashram - his departure was inevitable, even if the deprogrammers hastened it.Nowadays our movement has thousands of householders, and for those lacking a vocation as a monk, spiritual life and material life can and do co-exist.It is a pity Gabriel didn't research that, because his book is caught in a counter-culture time-warp.

Good insights into the lives of Krishna devotees
Apart from a few editorial glitches, this is a well-written book that takes the reader right inside the experience of being a Hare Krishna devotee.The strange manner of their dress and unfamiliar customs to Westerners may make them seem much more alien than they actually are.In fact, I recognized much of what Brandis went through, because I was once myself a member of a high-demand group, and even though the doctrines were very different between the two groups, the lifestyles were strikingly similar.I was a member of the Unification Church (the 'Moonies'), so it was amusing to read at one point what Brandis, who was then hawking wares for the Krishnas, thought of a Moonie whom he encountered who turned out to be engaged in a similar activity.He recognized him at once as "spaced out" and brainwashed, but failed to notice the strong parallels with his own situation.Eventually, Brandis burned out on the devotee lifestyle, as many cult members eventually do, and with the help of his mother, who engaged deprogrammers to speed his exit, he was able to make his escape.

Dream-like reflections on a counterculture
Like any book dealing with experiences in a counterculture, Gabriel Brandis' book Servant of the Lotus Feet is worth reading to gain insight into a way of life so out of the ordinary and otherwise concealed to the general public. However, to my personal perception as an ex-Hare Krishna sympathizer, for a book examining the community from an ex-members' point of view, the book comes along oddly uncritical and un-distanced, without suggesting any process of detachment, which, for a four years membership within the movement, certainly must have been long, painful and complicated. On the last pages, Servant suddenly comes up with some rationalist analysis on mind-control, probably a result of some hastily-undergone process of de-programming, which contrasts drastically with the book's overall sentimental style. Great parts of the book are written in a narrative style which either shows that the author might not have really dealt with his cult experience or reflects it in some dream-like, hallucinatory way. The book's greatest plus is its strikingly detail-rich description of Hare Krishna rules, behaviours and prayers, thus catching well what being a Hare Krishna feels like. ... Read more

Book Description

Dancing and chanting with their shaven heads and saffron robes, Hare Krishnas presented the most visible face of any of the eastern religions transplanted to the West during the sixties and seventies. Yet few people know much about them.

This comprehensive study includes more than twenty contributions from members, ex-members, and academics who have followed the Hare Krishna movement for years. Since the death of its founder, the movement, also known as the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), has experienced debates over the roles of authority, heresy, and dissent, which have led to the development of several splinter movements. There is a growing women's rights movement and a highly publicized child abuse scandal. Providing a privileged look at the people and issues shaping ISKCON, this volume also offers insight into the complex factors surrounding the emergence of religious traditions, including early Christianity, as well as a glimpse of the original seeds and the germinating stages of a religious tradition putting down roots in foreign soil.

Customer Reviews (1)

A Serious Study
This is a truly impressive, academic study of ISKCON, a religious group that remains, after so many years, one of the most fascinating NRM's (New Religious Movements) of the 20th century.The book has an excellent range and variety of material--everything from first-hand accounts of ex- and current members to serious academic studies of various aspects of the movement.This book stands as the definitive study of ISKCON. ... Read more

Book Description
The unusual history of an extraordinary religious movement is recounted from the vantagepoint of an insider. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Intriguing and Insightful, An Honest Picture
This book allows one to peek inside the Hare Krishna's heads for a little while and find out just what kind of people they really are. I found it fascinating, and I have to say that the picture one gets from reading about the maturing of this deeply religious movement is far different than most people's preconceived notions. Too often we tend to judge people without knowing much about them, and this book gives us information that will help us make an informed evaluation.I have long felt that the bad press about such organizations is highly unfair, and one-sided at best. Now I'm sure of it. I was really impressed with all the good qualities and values promoted by this Movement, and I have to agree with the fellow who wrote the book's foreword: This movement is NOT a group of mind-numbed cultists, but rather an amazing and diversified aggregation of intelligent and sincere souls. Please read this book and be inspired. At the very least, prepare to be impressed! ... Read more

Book Description
This entertaining and sensitive book deepens our knowledge by tracing the paths of those Western Hare Krishnas who eventually travelled to or lived in India. Have the Western Hare Krishnas really become part of Indian culture? Can it be that Indians accept these foreigners as essentially Hindu and even Brahman? Brooks answers in a way that radically challenges our accepted images of Indian social dynamics. ... Read more