What is the Hare Krishna Philosophy?
The term "Hare Krishna" or “The Hare Krishna Movement™, formally The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) is an orthodox branch of Hinduism. It was registered in New York in July 1966, but dates back over 5000 years. Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486-1532) popularised the movement all over India. Hinduism is the world’s third largest religion with over 900 million adherents. The principal scriptures are the The Bhagavad-Gita (The Song of God), and the Srimad Bhagavatam (the story of the Personality of Godhead Sri Krishna). The Hare Krishnas believe in one God.
“Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare.”
The basic Hare Krishna beliefs can be summarized as follows:
We are not our bodies but eternal, spirit souls, parts and parcels of God (Krishna). As such, we are all brothers and sisters, and Krishna is ultimately our common father. We accept the process of transmigration of the soul (reincarnation).
Krishna is eternal, all-knowing, omnipresent, all-powerful, and all-attractive. He is the father of all living beings, and He is the sustaining energy of the entire cosmic creation.
The Absolute Truth is contained in the Vedas, the oldest scriptures in the world. The essence of the Vedas is found in the Bhagavad-gita, a literal record of Krishna's words.
One can learn the Vedic knowledge from a guru, or spiritual master.
One performs all actions as offerings to Krishna – eating, learning, working, serving others.
The recommended means for achieving love of God is to chant the holy names of the Lord., in particular, the Hare Krishna mantra:
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.