From Krishna Cult to American Church: the Dialectical Quest for Spiritual Dwelling in the Modern Krishna Movement in the West
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FROM KRISHNA CULT TO AMERICAN CHURCH: THE DIALECTICAL QUEST FOR SPIRITUAL DWELLING IN THE MODERN KRISHNA MOVEMENT IN THE WEST By MICHAEL JAMES GRESSETT A DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2009 1 © 2009 Michael James Gressett 2 To Sulochana, and Sulochana's guru 3 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I want to thank the following people. Vasudha Narayanan, my mentor at the University of Florida, patiently saw me through the M.A. and Ph.D. program, always helping me to shape my arguments by encouraging high standards. The benefit of her wisdom in matters large and small has been invaluable in writing this dissertation. Graham Schweig at Christopher Newport University helped me with countless hours of “telephonic conferences.” Carefully considering Jason Neelis’ copious notes strengthened my work, and Milagros Pena gracefully consented to be the outside reader. Gene Thursby introduced me to the work of Rodney Stark and encouraged the new religious movement angle. David Hackett introduced me to the work of Robert Wuthnow, as well as possibilities in the connection between the ascetic-lay orientation and the cult to church paradigm for the Krishna movement in America. Manuel Vasquez’ insistence on reflexivity helped me to see the boundaries of research in a new light. Leah Hochman inspired me to consider moods and motivations of the supply side in a market theory of religion. Jay Allbritton was one half of a cyber think tank every step of the way, and Jimi Wilson lent his fine intellect to my endless questions. Nila Raisz was a thoughtful research assistant by writing in the margins of Hare Krishna Transformed. Nimai Hemphill explained the gurukuli community in detail. Pushkar Dasa helped me find references in Prabhupada’s writings, as did Stewart Kreitzer. David Wolf helped me to clarify my intent in writing this dissertation. I also want to thank the many devotees and devotees’ friends, whose names I have changed, for their interviews. And most of all, many thanks to my wife Kim. She has been so patient, and a very good listener. 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...............................................................................................................4 ABSTRACT .....................................................................................................................................9 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................11 A New Religious Movement in America ...............................................................................11 Research Reflexivity ...............................................................................................................15 A Phenomenological Approach to Human Agency ................................................................16 What Became of the Hare Krishna Movement in America? ..................................................20 Appropriate Terminology for the Study of Religious Forms .................................................21 Other Misleading Terms for Religious Populations ...............................................................34 Rational Choice and Other Theoretical Perspectives .............................................................39 Hare Krishna Theology and Cost Benefit Analysis: A Marriage Made In Heaven ...............41 2 THE GAUDIYA VAISHNAVA RELIGION IN AMERICA................................................47 India Comes to America .........................................................................................................47 Cultic Religion and Belief ......................................................................................................49 Cultic Religion and Social Reality .........................................................................................51 Why would you bring me to this terrible place? .....................................................................53 A New Religious Market Niche in America ...........................................................................56 Prabhupada’s Personalistic Market Niche .......................................................................58 Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead ................................................................58 Going to Hell for Krishna .......................................................................................................62 The Brihat Mridanga: Scriptural Foundations of ISKCON ....................................................63 Spots on the Moon—the Good Outweighs the Bad................................................................69 Preaching ................................................................................................................................70 The Central Ritual of the Gaudiya Religion in America ........................................................75 Purity Comes with a Price, but Utility is the Principle ...........................................................77 Consciousness .........................................................................................................................84 The Moods and Motivations Engendered By Prabhupada’s Teachings .................................85 How Universal is Gaudiya Vaishnavism? ..............................................................................86 3 PRABHUPADA’S DISCIPLES: THE MONKEYS BECOME MONKS .............................95 Part I ........................................................................................................................................95 New Memes in America ..................................................................................................95 An extraordinary opportunity for researchers ..........................................................95 A new voice of authority ..........................................................................................96 Cultic Conversion Is Not the Same as Church Conversion: The Significance of Participant Disclosure for Iskcon .................................................................................99 5 New Solutions to Questions of Ultimate Meaning ........................................................100 A New Obligation for Americans: A Clash of Orientations .........................................102 ISKCON’s First Year ....................................................................................................103 “Swamiji” Becomes Prabhupada ...................................................................................103 Hearing and Chanting ....................................................................................................105 The Search for Extraordinary Experiences and Authority ............................................105 The countercultural experience of the first generation ...........................................107 A wonderful new home for americans ...................................................................109 Prabhupada Begins Price Negotiations: Spiritual Charisma Establishes a Seller’s Market ........................................................................................................................111 Prabhupada declares war on american culture—work now, samadhi later ............114 Sannyasa is for all disciples ...................................................................................115 “You Americans Will Go Back to Godhead by Taking Prasada” .................................120 Spiritual experience in the here and now ...............................................................121 Prasada addresses a counterculture lacuna .............................................................121 Momentous Options for A Live Wire Hypothesis—Religious Experience and Wish Fulfillment..................................................................................................................122 Religious Experience, Religious Economy, and Wish Fulfillment ...............................125 What is Real? Symbols and Signified All the Way Up .................................................127 The universe of possible discourse--how does one know what is real? .................127 Radical alienation from society’s ideas—who is crazy? ........................................130 The discredited god and simulacrum .....................................................................131 The role of sacrifice in the spirituality of dwelling ................................................134 “This is No Place for A Brahmachari” (The Innocence of the Wise Can Be Dangerous) .................................................................................................................135 Iskcon’s Manifest Destiny .............................................................................................136 Part II ....................................................................................................................................139 The Die Is Cast: Recruitment, Indoctrination, and Sacrifice—the Temple Boot Camp ..........................................................................................................................139 What happened to the joiners? ...............................................................................143 An extraordinary message diffused through ordinary means .................................147